Living Your Best Life Even In the Storms of Life

made with Proclaim

OrLando Yarborough III, PhD

Black Church at Yale

Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago • 33:35

Matthew 14:20–36

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Presented by OrLando Yarborough III

Purpose of This Presentation:

· (Life vs Your Best Life.)

· Following Christ does not eliminate the storms of life.

· Life has storms. That’s life (in this fallen world).

· Yet, the question is how can you live your best life in the midst of it all? even in the midst of a storm?

· Opening passage: Matthew 14:20-36 (NKJV)

Matthew 14:20–36 NKJV

So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

(LET’S PRAY)

Following Jesus

· Jesus has a reputation of making the most compelling arguments to follow Him.

To give two examples, Jesus will speak to your...

· Purpose. Matthew 4:19 (NKJV)

· Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

· Fulfillment. Matthew 19:21 (NKJV)

· Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

· Sometimes it’s difficult to choose Jesus Christ. But sometimes it’s rather easy. “Choose Jesus to have life and it more abundantly. Sounds good.” (John 10:10)

· Some of us today are here—where we are in life—because we chose to follow Jesus (…and we keep choosing to follow Jesus).

· Q: How many of you can remember a time in life when you chose Jesus and, in doing so, entered a new adventure?

· Chose Jesus and entered school, began work...moved to another city, another state, another country?

· Chose Jesus and focused your major in a different direction, focused your career in a different direction, focused your relationships in a different direction.

· You stepped out and followed Jesus (...maybe beginning to feel more fulfilled but have entered an unfamiliar territory of life).

Matthew 14:20-22 (NKJV)

Matthew 14:20–22 NKJV

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· In our text

· The disciples are following Jesus.

· Jesus performs an astonishing yet needed miracle to feed the multitude who followed Him.

And Jesus engages His disciples in the process of this miraculous provision.

· Jesus sends the disciples away in a boat, seemingly ahead of Jesus, to their next destination.

· There can be many configurations to get to “the other side.”

· Why this path? ...

· Accept that Jesus is routinely trying to get the disciples to trust Him/actively build their faith in Him. (And Jesus does the same for us.)

...To trust the person (divine intent and agenda), purpose (divine calling), and power (divine ability) of Jesus.

Q: Could it be that God is focused on building your faith in Him?

Faith that saves you.

· Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)

· For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God,

Faith that moves mountains.

· Matthew 17:20 (NKJV)

· So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Faith that pleases God.

· Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

· But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him,] for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

· God’s agenda is not always your/our agenda. But when we embrace God’s agenda, then life and it more abundantly can open up, perhaps, in ways you/we can't truly imagine.

Matthew 14:23-24 (NKJV)

Matthew 14:23–24 NKJV

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

----

· Matthew 14:24 (CSB) Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them.

Here's The Scene:

· Jesus is having alone time with God...is away by Himself and in prayer.

· (Meanwhile) The disciples are in their/the boat (that Jesus put them in) in the middle of the sea, in a storm.

· Sea—half way between their starting point and their destination.

· I tell you, God is so strategic:

· If I had known early on about some trouble I had experienced, I would have never taken the trip. Had I known…I would have chosen a different path forward.

· The disciples, too. Well, how do you know that preacher? Several times the disciples made comments and decisions to avoid the danger Jesus led them into. Most notable was Jesus’s crucifixion--for example, Peter lied and cursed to dissociate with Jesus at all cost during the violent trial and crucifixion of Jesus.

· In our text, we see how...

· Following Christ’s direction can get you way out ahead, far along, into the thick of things. But don’t sweat—we serve a mighty God.

· Middle of the sea—too far in the journey to turn back. Seemingly, too far away from the destination to be unconcerned/nonchalant with the present trouble.

· Storm—to a boat the wind can be nearly everything. (To have the wind at your back is to make good progress--to progress faster than you otherwise would.) To have the wind against you is to have a direct assault on your progress.

· How in the midst of a storm can you live your best life?

· How can you live your best life when...

· The winds are contrary to your progress?

· Your friends who are supposed to propel you are against you?

· Your family hasn't helped as much as you thought they would?

· Your professors and employers have interests that work against you?

· Your body is not as healthy as you need it to be?

· Your environment is not as supportive as you hoped it would be.

How in the midst of a storm can you live your best life? The life afforded to you in Jesus Christ?

Matthew 14:25 (NKJV)

Matthew 14:25 NKJV

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

· ----

· Matthew 14:25 (CSB) Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning.

· In the midst of this uphill battle, Jesus shows up on the horizon.

· Back home we would say:

· “He may not come when you want Him but He’ll be there right on time.”

· Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

· For His anger [is but for] a moment, His favor [is for] life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy [comes] in the morning.

· In the text, there are a few things I want to pull out for you quickly (and then we'll close):

Matthew 14:25–31 NKJV

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

· -----

· While urgent, the wind is often not the main focus of our learning.

But listen here to what is the main focus:

· Jesus is present. Can you see Him?

Jesus. Immanuel "God with us (Matthew 1:23)"....by way of:

God's Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17 (NKJV) 16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

God's people. John 13:35 (NKJV)

· “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

God's Holy Word.

· Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)

· Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

· Jesus is available. Can you come to Him?

· In the midst of your storm, Jesus responds favorably to your desire to know Him more. Jesus answers, "Come."

· Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB) 28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Peter responded to Jesus' invitation.

Peter stepped down out of the boat, walked on water to Jesus.

But Peter got distracted and did not keep the main thing the main thing. The wind was not the main focus of Peter's (and the disciples') learning--Jesus was the main focus.

· In this life of following Jesus, the wind, though it can be contrary, is not your main focus.

· Your friends who deserted you,

· Your professor who doesn't empathize with you

· Your employer who wants more from you

· Your midterms that won't let you rest

· Your papers that won't write itself...

Are not your focus.

But Jesus is your focus and when you keep your eye and mind on Jesus you'll see that not only is

· Jesus present, and

· Jesus available. But you'll see that

· Jesus is Sufficient. Yes, He is.

· Jesus is sufficient. Will you trust Him enough to keep your eyes on Him?

Scripture says Peter was walking on water to Jesus but then turned his attention to the wind:

· Matthew 14:30 (CSB) But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me! ”

Look what Jesus did when Peter began to sink and cried out:

· Matthew 14:30 (CSB) But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me! ”

· Thankfully, Jesus is faithful and gracious, making up the difference between where we are and where we could be in life and faith.

Jesus reached for and grabbed/caught Peter.

· Has God ever caught you?

· You started off well and then began to sink. Jesus caught you in the nick of time.

· Has God caught you, today?

· 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)

· And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

To Live Your Best Life...

· To live your best life in the midst of the storms of life, focus upon God and learn that...

· Jesus is present.

· Jesus is available.

· Jesus is sufficient.

·Q: Which attribute of Jesus do you want God to help you to learn more fully?

God Is Not Finished...

· Q: why did Jesus take His disciple through all of that?

· Why does God, when you are following Him, take you through all that you have experienced?

· Matthew 14:34-36 (NKJV) 34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched [it] were made perfectly well.

God is not finished with you.

· There is more He wants to show you and more He will do.

· Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

· Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ;

· Philippians 1:6 (CSB) I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Big Idea Summary:

· To live your best life in the midst of the storms of life, focus upon God and learn that...

· Jesus is present.

· Jesus is available.

· Jesus is sufficient.

Additional Information and Resources:

· Nourishment centers Handout

· Http://bcay.church/nourishmentcenters

Conclusion / Final Thoughts:

· If you are falling right now God is available, willing, and is reaching out to catch you.