MATTHEW 14:22-33
A CRISIS OF BELIEF
OBJECTIVE:
-to see that Jesus is always with us
-to see that we can’t always trust what we see
-to see that fear and doubt must continually be confronted and opposed in our lives
-to see that Jesus’ invitation is to be with Him; HE IS THE I AM
READ THE PASSAGE p.1160
I want to pray in just a few moments but let me say first, that this is a passage that the Lord has been pressing upon me for quite awhile. I believe the Lord wants to speak to us today, so I’m going to ask you, and I’m going to pray for the Lord’s help in this; that you would listen intently…try to concentrate and remove all distractions from your mind right now
-the Lord is going to speak through His Word today…and He has brought each of us here to be spoken to and instructed….so let’s pray
1st CRISIS OF BELIEF – Can I trust Jesus’ plans and purposes?
2nd CRISIS OF BELIEF – Do I trust in what I can see or who I know?
3rd CRISIS OF BELIEF – How do I respond to Jesus’ invitation?
-the background on our story is what’s called the Feeding of the 5,000
-in the previous passage, Matthew has just recounted Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 (these were just the men; including women and children, maybe as many as 15-20k)
-it was an incredible miracle, starting with 5 fishes and 2 loaves and multiplying them to feed 5k
-Matthew said they all ate and were satisfied (so Jesus had provided plenty of food)
-Jesus was clearly showing the crowds that He was God; He can cause material substances to multiply…without sending someone to the fish market to buy more, without sending the fishermen to the lake
then Matthew leads right into our passage, Read v22-23b
*it is here that we find our 1st CRISIS OF BELIEF – Can I trust Jesus’ plans and purposes?
v22 Jesus “made” the disciples go without Him
Expositor’s Bible Commentary says the verb is actually much stronger, more like “compelled”
And then in Matthew’s words, “immediately” Jesus sends the disciples down to the boat to go to the other side
*in Mark’s account in Mark 6:45, we find that Jesus makes His disciples get into the boat and leave before He dismisses the crowd
-Can you imagine the amazement of the disciples?…the disciples have seen this incredible miracle… I can imagine it was an electric atmosphere and they probably wanted to stay around, and talk to the people…they were associates of prophet, the miracle man…and knowing the disciples, like us, they probably wanted to stick around and soak up all the accolades from the crowds
-BUT Jesus sends them away
-don’t you think they were incredibly dejected and just a bit confused?
-and they almost certainly couldn’t understand why Jesus was doing what He was doing
-you can almost hear them…“Jesus we’re always with You, we go everywhere; in fact, You’re
the One who called us away from our homes and families to follow You and to be with You
but now You’re sending us away”
Why does Jesus do this?
In his account of these events, John gives us a few more details?
John 6:14-15
14 When the people saw the sign that He had done (the multiplying of the fishes and loaves), they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.
-so one of the reasons Jesus sends them on their way rather abruptly is to protect His disciples from the euphoria of the crowd
-What would have happened if Jesus had permitted the disciples to stay?
*there’s a very real possibility that they too would have been swept up in the euphoria of making Him king right then!
-this is who the Jews were looking for…waiting for….the disciples were no different
-but THIS was not the Father’s way or timing….this was man’s misreading of God’s plan
*Jesus still had much to teach His disciples about who He was and what His plans were
*in the midst of these kinds of crises of belief, when the Lord leads you to do something and you don’t understand why, this will be the question:
Am I willing to follow Him and trust Him in spite of my lack of understanding?
In other words, can I trust God’s plans and purposes?
Well, the crisis is gong to deepen
What happens next?
v24 “…the boat by this time was a long way from the land” (acc. to John’s account, they had rowed about 3-4 miles…and the Sea of Galilee was only about 7miles across;
so they were right in the middle of the Sea!)
-the boat was “beaten by the waves”
-“the wind was against them”
-“in the fourth watch of the night He came to them” (b/n 3am and 6)
But this time, how do you think they were feeling?
-they had been on the water a LONG time (probably b/n 6-8hrs) which means they were certainly physically exhausted (rowing against the wind)
-mentally/emotionally exhausted (the feeding of the 5,000 was an incredible high…an exhilarating experience) but now they’re rowing against the wind and in the rain
-they’re sleepy (middle of the night), cranky and impatient with one another
**They’ve gone from an unbelievable high to a gut wrenching low
-and now they’re in the middle of the Sea and there’s no turning back; they are b/n a rock and a hard place
Have you ever been there?
v25 **God has providentially allowed some unforeseen situation to develop in your life
-it’s nearly impossible to understand; it was not planned for, it was not asked for….and frankly you can’t even see a way out of it
-it’s in these moments that fear and doubt will creep in:
-is God good? Can He be trusted? Does He love me? Does He know what’s going on with me? Why is He letting this happen to me?
*fear and doubt will always be your enemies as you walk with God
**So when we experience these crises of belief, AND YOU WILL, and when fear and doubt are flooding our minds, it’s imperative that we remind ourselves of God’s character:
Ps. 103:17 “the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.”
Ps. 145:14, 18
14 “The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down”
18 “The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth”
Ps. 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea”
*And isn’t it usually right when our fears and doubts have set in that Jesus reveals Himself to us? He shows up when we’ve begun to doubt His presence
Read vv25-27
Jesus comes to them…in the midst of the storm…reveals Himself to them…and they don’t believe Him “it is a ghost and they cried out in fear”
-their conclusion was that it couldn’t be Jesus
-Don’t we conclude the same thing many times?…We’re in the midst of a particularly challenging circumstance, and the Lord is trying to speak to us, trying to reveal Himself to us…and we conclude, Lord it’s not You…it must be something else
*maybe you find yourself in the midst of a storm today, and the Lord has been trying to speak to you, but you’re not used to Him coming to you in this way, so you refuse that it could be Him
-and you continue to operate out of fear and doubt
*let me reassure you…Jesus knows exactly what He is doing…He has a plan
-He deliberately sent the disciples on ahead of Him
**this was not haphazard on the part of Jesus….Jesus always has a plan….He’s always intentional
And He allows the disciples (and us) to experience Crises of Belief
2 brief reasons why would Jesus let them (and us) experience a Crisis of Belief?
1) Jesus wants to reveal to them, and to you, that in all situations, He can be trusted
-In the Markan account, it says that Jesus was sitting on the hill praying and that he could see the disciples struggling against the storm
*He was watching over them and praying for them
-He was concerned about them…in the midst of an incredibly difficult circumstance!
-they are being beaten by the wind and the waves;
-the boat is probably in severe jeopardy of being swamped
-But then He reveals to them that He is there…”Take heart! i.e. Be encouraged! I’m here!!”
-He was their refuge and their strength…He upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down
the second and maybe the foremost reason Jesus came to them in this way, in this instance, and most assuredly in the minds of the disciples it was the wrong time, is that
2) Jesus wants to reveal to them that He is God and that they need Him
-He wants them to know that He’s not a political figure, He’s not just another prophet, He’s not merely some Galilean miracle worker
**But HE IS GOD
-in every circumstance they can call upon Him and trust Him
v27 Jesus tells the disciples “it is I”, literally “I am”! WOW!
-He’s trying to get the disciples to believe what He’s been telling them and showing them for months now
I am God!! I’m on the water! I came to you by the water!
*I can be trusted…you do not need to be afraid! let go of your fear and doubt!!
-I AM GOD….I walk on the water b/c I’m the Lord over the seas…the waves and wind do not affect Him…I am their creator! at a moment’s notice, I can still them
GOSPEL
this man, this Jesus – HE IS GOD!!
if you came into this place today, not knowing why…and you had no idea what was going to be said here today
BUT you have come and this message has resonated with you…it’s NO MISTAKE THAT YOU ARE HERE!
*Jesus has drawn you into this place, to hear the GOOD NEWS that He is real…and He loves you…and He’s near to you
*and in spite of all that’s going on in your life – HE IS GOD
*and today, You’re see Jesus in a new way, AS GOD
**ONLY HE CAN CAUSE THE WIND AND THE WAVES TO CEASE
*Only Jesus can save you from your sins…every one of the fears and insecurities in your life that plagues you
*only Jesus can bring lasting peace and joy into your life
call out to Him today…surrender your life to Him as Lord and Savior …and hear Him say “Take heart…I AM…you no longer have to be afraid!”
2nd CRISIS OF BELIEF – Do I trust in what I can see or who I know??
-Jesus came and revealed Himself to the disciples, but there’s still another crisis of belief…this time with Peter in particular
v28 “Lord if it’s You?” in other words, is it really you? I know you called to me. I know you revealed Yourself to me, You said You were God, You told us not to be afraid, but is it really You?
Aren’t we all like this?
-God comes to us, in the midst of a storm, or a temptation, or He’s just simply inviting us into a new opportunity – and we doubt that it’s Him
*He’s just been extremely gracious to reassure us He is with us and that we don’t need to be afraid….He said “It is I” – HE IS GOD!
*and Peter says “if it’s You”
Oh man, I resonate with Peter, don’t you? so full of unbelief, unwilling to believe that God is calling to me
Why are we so slow to believe the Lord?? Why do we doubt when He’s revealing Himself to us? Why do we doubt that He’s at work in our lives and all around us? Why do we doubt His steadfast love?
We want to continually test the Lord…is it really you Lord?
And we continue trying to work the logic in our mind….you can maybe hear Peter:
-“Jesus wasn’t in the boat when we started…he stayed, but we left”
-“we’ve been rowing in hard rain and wind for 8hrs, and we’re in the middle of the Sea and
we know that people can’t walk on water”
-“It’s not possible…I mean we’ve heard of tons of stories from other fishermen about the
ghosts out here…that must be what it is”
-“but, but…. I know that voice”
**the question in these crises of beliefs is this: Do I trust in what I can see OR who I know??
Example of our adoption
*our last 2 yrs in Indonesia, we saw God do some amazing things
-one of those was the blessing of a beautiful and unexpected little girl that God was adding to our family
-before it ever began, God was with us and had given us a promise to hold onto
-and then we were about 15months into the adoption…and we had done all we could do
-all of our documents were turned in…all of our interviews were completed….all of our required fees were taken care of…….and we were waiting….and waiting
-but nothing was happening….we were waiting on one “super committee” to meet
-this committee was composed of representatives from every governmental department…21!
But I began doubting God’s word to us
*and so I kept hearing this ringing in my heart…are you going to trust the circumstances AND what you can see….or are you going to trust Me, the one who orchestrated all of this, to bring it to a conclusion?
-brothers and sisters….don’t just trust in what you can see!
*the disciples saw the wind, they saw the waves
*they felt the exhaustion of rowing against the wind
-they saw only obstacles and scientific impossibilities
*and YET Jesus was right there…He revealed Himself to them…and told them not to be afraid
As you walk in faith and follow Christ, no matter what’s happening around you, you ALWAYS dwell securely
and that brings us to our 3rd Crisis of Belief
3rd CRISIS OF BELIEF – How do I respond to Jesus’ invitation?
*Jesus has come and revealed Himself….the disciples have great reservations…their full of fear and doubt
*and Jesus, indulging Peter’s request for Jesus to prove Himself, invites Peter out onto the water
-there was a little faith left in Peter…somehow in the midst of His fear, He knew that if was really Jesus, then Jesus could enable him to walk on the water, just as Jesus Himself was walking on the water
*can you imagine the exhilaration? water splashing against your feet and legs…mist blowing against your face….and Peter’s walking on the water!
Jesus invites Peter to come onto the water…to do something that he knew to be impossible
-Jesus’ power enabled Peter to do something that was impossible in his own strength
Do you imagine when the disciples shoved off from shore, if Jesus would have said, Peter tonight you’re going to walk on water…would he have believed it?
-NO WAY and yet, Jesus invited Peter to walk in His power
Listen, I fully believe that the Lord is inviting you…whatever you are doing in your life right now…whether you are young or old…working or retired
*Jesus is inviting you into something bigger than yourself….He’s inviting you to walk in His power to do things that you can’t even imagine accomplishing on your own
He’s inviting all of us out onto the water….to do things that we could never dream of on our own
-But YOU must get out of the boat, move away from the comfort and the supposed safety of the boat
-don’t just look at your personal risk assessment sheet
-don’t just look at your pro and con sheet
****there will be times when Jesus invites you into what He’s doing…and thru human eyes, it won’t add up
-and yet, in Christ’s power, He says “come”
*****don’t focus on the consequences of what will happen if you go out to Jesus*****
*don’t try to piece together all the what if’s and why not’s and why you cant’s!
but rather, only look at the Lord and trust His loving leadership
-we must trust, that the Lord who invites us and calls us is faithful and powerful enough to keep us
**Don’t you want to live life like that??? don’t you want to see God use you to do amazing things in His power?? things that are impossible on your own!
*you see, the things that we can conceive of, and do in our own power, we don’t need Jesus for those!
So today, I ask you
Have you truly committed your life to Him?
IF YOU ARE NOT A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, THEN STEP OUT TOWARD HIM IN FAITH
If for the first time in your life, God has shown you your need for Him…that you are without hope…then call out to Him to save you…put your faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior!
most of us, maybe all of us…Christ is calling you to get out of the boat and get out on the water…following Him into the deeper waters
Today, let go of your fear and doubts and your resistance and step out to follow Jesus
-if you want to remain comfortable and never experience the exhilaration and challenge of seeing God do miracles and work amazing things in your life then by all means stay in the boat
Thomas Aquinas-
If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.
What am I doing in my life that needs none of God’s power?
What is it that the Lord has been leading you to step out into, but you’ve been resistant?
you’ve been choosing the comforts of the boat over obedience
Where is God calling me out to walk on the water?
What is it that God’s calling our church to do?
Henrietta Mears story of trusting God more – p.88