Jesus walks on Water

Steven Dunne

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 10 months ago • Presented 10 months ago

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Introduction

Good morning Rivertree! It is a real joy to be with you this morning. Welcome to those at cove and those watching online

If you have your Bibles go ahead and turn to Matthew chapter 14 and in a moment we will start in verse 22

We are continuing our study in Matthews gospel and to really understand what we are studying it’s important for us to remember the journey Matthew has taken us on so far.

Matthews gospel is organized into many miracles. By how they are done, when they are done, where they are done, and to whom they where done all give us an understanding of what the kingdom of heaven is like

Think about all we have seen from chapter 4 until this point in matthews gospel

HE HEALED ALL THE SICK (4:24). He cleansed a leper (8:1–4). He cured a Roman centurion’s servant (8:5–13). He cooled a fever (8:14, 15). He stilled the wind (8:23–27). He exorcised demons (8:28–32). He restored a paralytic (9:1–8). He stopped a desperate woman’s twelve-year discharge of blood (9:20–23). He raised a little girl from the dead (9:18, 23–26). He opened the eyes of the blind (9:27–30; cf. 12:22). He made the mute speak (9:32, 33; cf. 12:22). He healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (12:9–13). And he took five loaves and two fishes and fed over 5,000 people (14:19)!

what we are learning is the kingdom of heaven is for the rich and the pooer

for the religioujs and non religious

for the jew and teh gentle

for the male and the female

for the adult and child

the kingdom was for anyone who would recgonize just how far they were from God and have come to Christ in faith.

and it’s this backdrop specifically the backdrop of Jesus feeding 5,000 people at once this next section of scriputre is built upon.

The miricales and teaching of Christ have shown us all the nature of the kingdom but they also reveal something more. They reveal to us the idenity of the king.

and he is a different kind of king then anyone had come to expect.

Let’s read

Matthew 14:22–33 ESV

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

If you were here last week and heard Ross preach you will remeber he share about the miricale of Jesus feeding 5000 families by taking five loaves of bread and multplying them.

and from Johns gospel we learn from this miricale the people wanted to crown Jesus as their king.

John 6:14–15 ESV

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 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.

They thought to themselves This guy is like moses who had lead our people before. And once again we are under opression by Rome. We need someone to save us.

Let’s make Jesus king

but they had misunderstood the idenity of the king. So Jesus withdrews and he goes by himself to be alone with the father.

He needed to pray. It’s such a good reminder and word for us this morning. When we have “only God could do something this amazing”

If you are anything like me you start looking for the next amazing, the next miricale the next way God could use you.

but Jesus example is helpful. The next right thing to do after God moves is often to withdrew and spend time with the father

If Jesus did this how much more do we need to. For me it’s tough. I know in moments of great spirtual vicotry I just want to go onto the next big thing.

But there is a rythm to retreat, to be alone with the Father, to abide in him and to be strengthed in him we all need.

Don’t miss that this morning. Don’t miss the fact that Jesus took time away to be with the Father. Don’t think there is anything more important then this.

Jesus surely doesn’t. He won’t let others desires for his life to get in the way of him spending time in prayer.

He didn’t come primarily to deal with Isreals economic, political or social problems.

They were bad but Jesus came for more then this.

He came to give bread from heaven.

He came to bring eternal life

He came to conquer sin and death itself

and like the people of Isreal we might miss this is what we need the most from Jesus.

This was the type king he was. And next we see this king move off the mountain towards the disciples. He is descending towards his people

We are told in verse 24 the boat is a long way from land. It’s not in good shape. The waves are beaten it. the wind is agaisnt them.

The fishermen are in bad shape. The sea of galiee is not very big but a storm like this could even take there boat down.

Matthew means for us to see the choas and destruction this storm is causing.

Imagine with me for a moment you are one of the disicples. You’ve seen so much. and just a few hours before this storm you’ve witnessed Jesus do one of the most amazing things you’ve ever seen

He tells you to feed people and then he multplies what you have. Increadible.

and his next move. tells you to go onto a boat, which you gladly do and then the worst thing happens

you are alone, stuck and stranded

on the sea. The one place they shouldn’t have struggled at all

We are told by matthew it’s the 4th watch of the night. Most likely sometime between 3-6am. They must be absoutly spent

this whole picture reminds us that no matter what we do with our life. we aren’t going to be able to avoid things.

Jesus disples are folowers of Jesus. They are doing work of the kingdom yet in his soverigty he allows them to sail into the midst of a storm. and then he leaves them in it for a few hours

He is doing a greater and deeper work in them by allowing this to happen then if things had been perfectly smooth

He is building their faith and he’s allowing them to expierence the sweetness obidence brings

While form the outside looking in we would be right to say this doesn’t seem safe,

Wouldn’t it had just been better for them to stay on the land? To avoid this suffering at all cost

From the outside looking in if we didn’t have the whole story we could assume the reason they are suffering is probably a mistake they made. Maybe the went the wrong way. Maybe the didn’t row hard enough.

and this can be our natural reponse to suffering. We can look at it and think well they are proably suffering becasue of a decsion they’ve made

why? because it’s self defense. When we see someone elses pain, someone elses suffering, someone elses life blow up we desperetly want to belive that won’t happen to us

if we are smart enoug

comptent enough

have enough faith

we will be ok. But that’s becasue we think we can just stay on the land

but the bible teaches something different. It teaches life is more like this sea journey the disiples are on. There is going to be times when you are qualifed,, prepared, and you find your seves in the middle of the stomr.

you are out of your depth.

we all know that’s true

If you live long enough you’ll expirence the storm of illness, or betryal even finical disater

it doesn’t matter how prepared you are, how smart you are, how had you wrk

you can’t avoid certain things.

but we learn something from the disciples

what we learn is because the disciples are doing as Jesu has commanded them to they are in the aboustly safest place they could be.

and as they are in the middle of this storm Jesus comes to them.

He doesn’t leave them along he comes directly to them.

We are told he is walking on sea r here and the word used for walking actaully means he is taking a stroll.

Think about the absudety of this. IN the middle of the disciples storm Jesus is just strolling on the water.

that’s a picture of peace and absoutle control. He is unfasable. He is unshakeable. He knows exactly what he is doing.

The one who created the sea is now strolling on it.

The dsicples response to seeing their strolling savor is familar.

We are told by matthew they saw him and they were terrifeied.

They were so terrified they thought he was a ghost and they proclaimed tha tin fear.

and maybe you’ve had a moment of terror in your life before so you can relate to the disciples. Normally terror to this degree is when you see or expirence something that makes no sense logically so the only right repsones is terror and crying out.

I had a moment like that back in april.

I had the wonderful oppurtuyin to attend outback america(marriage retreat) with my wife in April. that was not the moment of terror.

but in case you are unfamilar with outback it’s this icreadible weekend that focus on husband/wife relationships or Parent/child relationsihjp.s

I can’t do it justice but it’s icreadible. It’s not connected to the steakhouse so it’s confusing when I tell people about it. But really transformational. you should go. Next one is at the end of september. Be a part of it

but I remeber when we siged up I was telling my wife what we would be doing. I said we are camping in a field and they are going talk to us about our marraige. It will be great

She looked at me confused becasue we aren’t really camping people but she went

got there had a great first day. Finsihing up this amazing dinner and then we head back to the camping area. As we are approching our tent Elizabeth ask me if I can open it up.

I respond kind of grumpy and say sweety I can’t see a thing. and i’ve never opened a tent before.

Thinking that would get me out of it she didn’t budge. She just said no i need you to do it.

I messed with the zipper finailly got it opened and then it happened.

Something Jumped out of my tent and screamed.

Terror

fear

I thought oh no i’ve opened someone elses tent

is this a ghost

wha’ts happening

my heart racing. and I realize it. It’s a friend. They are laughing. I have NO IDEA what’s happened. They start apolgizing. and I realize i’ve been set up.

I walk to the prayer tent immediatly. people say how can we pray for you? But my terror was still so much I think I said pray I don’t kill someone.

That suprised them

but maybe you’ve had a moment like that. It’s what the disipcles are expierincing. This shouldn’t be happening.

but it was. and knowning there fear look at what Jesus says

take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.

This text is actually broken up into 2 parts. The first part is Jesus walking on water. The second is peter walking on water but the absoutly center of this text is this line

take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.

before this line there are about ninety words in greek and after this line their are about ninety words

so right in the center this. Matthew inspired by the Holy spirit is brillant. making sure we don’t take our eyes off of Jesus and who he truly is.

Their is no way our english bible translators could traslate this to make sense in our langue

but the greek here the words are actaully

Courage; I am

What brings courage in the middle of a storm? I am

what does it mean that Jesus says “i am” here

Throughtout the centriues almost everyone compelty agree with what Jesus is saying

He is saying I always am.

in other words he is using the name God most uses thorughout the old testement.

It was Gods way of saying I don’t just exist

I am existence

and everything that existence exiese becuase of me

He is saying I’m not just a being

I am being

its a pretty amazing statement

When moses was at the burning bush in the book of Exodus and he ask God who do I tell sent me

God responds tell them “I am”

sent you

This idea of not being afraid becasue I am is with you is found a few different places in Isaiah. This one has been encourageing to me

English Standard Version Chapter 43

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

3 For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

in the middle of the storm Christ presnce becomes more real. His idenity is revealed in even a more significant way then before

Keller said this “if someone like this with this kind of power loves me like this, i can handle the storms. I will handle the storms.

It’s what Peter begings to have faith in.

Peter sees it’s Jesus. So he says Jesus if it’s you command me to come

It’s probably better translated Jesus since it’s you command me to come

Jesus calls peter to come and Peter does!

Increadbile! He is actually living out the parable of the soil. Back in Matthew 13 Jesus teaches on 4 different kinds of soil. The 4th. The kind we want our lives to be like bears amazing fruit becasue of Faith.

Peter is doing this. HIs faith in Christ allows him to expierence something mircouluoius.

God is empowering him to walk on water

but as soon as he bears teh fruit he becomes overwhelmed by other realites.

and he begins to sink in defeat. Like the 3rd soil whose fruit is choked oout

I’m really grateful this story is in scriputre. It’s one of many that shows us what faith is like

anyone who is a disciple of Christ knows what this is like

we have moments we are full of faith and of unfaith

moments of great feats and moments of failure

Moments where we feel like we can do anything, even impossible things with the power of God and in the next breath we are overwhelmed by the realities of life and we sink

Peter is not powerful enough to sustain his faith by himself. He’s going need help. I think this story is teaching as a follower of christ we can and we cannot at the same time

The can comes from the power of the commands of Jesus. The cannot comes from us looking at everything else going on in the word.

As a disiciple it’s possible to live in both realities.

I find this encrouaging. Peter is caught between glory and terror

I wonder if in the Kindness of Christ he commanded peter to come not just to know the power of Christ bu tto know something else also.

Maybe he called him so he might sink and know his own weakness.

and this would be a good place to not get confused. A lot of times when thinking of peter it’s easy to break his life up into 2 different peters. One where he just messed up, denied Christ and kind of made a mess of things

the other after he preached in acts and didn’t struggle

but we know from acts peter still struggle he was still weak. He would still sink at times. And in the mercy and kindenss of the Lord, he allowed peter to come to an end of himself so the power of Christ would be perfected in him

this has been a powerful thought to me. I think maybe it’s something we have in common with peter and really all didsciples throughout history

we have moments of reamarkable faith where we respond to the commands of Christ found in the Bible and at the same time we struggle and our weakness is exposed

I’ve been there. I’ve had moments where I have prayed, read Gods word, in faith responded to Gods command about something in my life and stepped out

and then everything just kind of falls apart. I get overwhelmed by the circumstance. I feel like I’m in way over my head and I’m sinking.

and if all I view those moments where as my doing and my failing I’d miss something. It’s when I start to view those moments of sinking and failing as moments of kindess from the Lord I began to change.

I wonder if Peter had just walked on water and strolled with Jesus to the other side if this would even be in our bibles or would it fall into the catgoery that John ends his gospel with? Just one of the many things Jesus did but wasn’t recoreded

but there something strinking about this scene that the Holy Spirit wanted to make sure it was recored for us to read.

Peters life was one of letting go and recieving.

realsing the net and reciving the helping hand of the Lord.

I relate to this. Sometimes I think if i’d just give up that one thing then I could do great things for God. But it’s not until he allows me to sink I reach for his sustaining hand of help

It was one of faith and failure

it was one of grace

Peter had left his fishing nets on the shores of the water that he know walked on. He was going to once again have to let go

of pride, embarssemnt, shame even his own failure and reach out

He prayed one of the best prayers one can pray.

Lord, save me.

and Jesus ddin’t make him wait. IMmediatly Jesus took hold of him

that’s what peter needed. He needed Jesus to take hold of him.

It’s what we need. That’s the saving. To know when we cry out Lord, save me Jesus has us.

That he takes hold of us. That he won’t let go. The most powerful person in the universe know held peter on the sea he created.

the one who holds all things together as Colossians 1 says know held peter completly

reminding us of how personal Jesus gets with his people

He’s not far of or distant. We know he can heal and save and not even been in the same place.

but in his kindess he hold peter.

and as he holds him he ask a makes a statment and ask a question

he says you of little faith, why did you doubt?

I want to give a caution here. IF we aren’t careful we might think OH peter just needed more faith. Then he would have made it.

but that’s not what Jesus is saying. He is saying you took your eyes off me. You put your faith in yourself, something little.

don’t do that. No instead do what the writer of hebrews tells us to do

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Instead of trying to be stronger.

Trust in the strength of Jesus. When we are weak he is strong.

It’s when we come to an end of ourselves and maybe even began to sink we begen to understand this

There’s been so many moments like this in my life.

ILLUSTRATION??

and as Jesus holds onto Peter he leads him back in the boat. As soon as he gets in the boat we are told the wind ceased. Amazing.

Whenver Jesus enters a place or a space peace comes with him. He truly is the prince of peace

and as the disicples realize he truly is the son of God

They do something here that I don’t want us to miss. They worship him. Monothoestic Jewish fishermen Worship Jesus. Why would they do this? Becasue they are coming to belive Jesus is God

and that can be our posture also. ONe of worship

Whetehr we are confident in Christ, have courage birthed from faith

or we are sinking, failing, falling needing his help

we are invited to worship him

to cry out once again with his earliest follows

Lord, save us

Truly you are the son of God. You are the great I am

and you alone can save me

Pray

Reflection questions

Where are you right now? Land or sea

Courage and confidence? Or failure and sinking?

Call out to the Lord ask him to save you

and allow your response to be worshi

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