Tried Again
Matthew 14:30 “But when he saw the wind ||boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” [1]
I. But
A. Proposal
B. Person
II. Boisterous
A. Power
B. Perplexed
III. Beginning
A. Promise
B. Provide
Introduction: We have had a testing of our own these few weeks. In our last sermon we considered Abraham’s faith. We mentioned the difference between God allowing our being tempted and God testing us Himself.
Most people do not like to be tested. Through the process of being educated, we derive notions about things and we think that we understand the lesson. Unless our preconceived notions are tested so that we see the ideas that we have conceived wrongly, we will never change to follow the truth. Unless we understand through the test that we have a wrong notion we will keep it.
For two years we have been tempted to close churches while other manmade establishments have been encouraged to stay open and even rewarded for doing so. The politicians and the political press have been making a move against everything that the Bible says we must stand for. We have been told that we must believe those who have no clue what is going on. At the same time we have seen church numbers fall because people are listening to those who insist they not listen to God but to those who tell mistruth. Many are falling into temptation.
More recently we have been tested with the weather. The temperatures have radically changed from nearly springtime conditions one day to sub-freezing temperatures the next. Our mountains got no snow to speak of while we here were somewhat paralyzed so that we had to make decisions on whether to come out to attend church. Some businesses closed. First responders had to work double duty because the virus finally caught up even with us.
Have we passed our test? Abraham thought he knew what he was supposed to do. He made preparations for what he understood. God had a completely different idea. Once Abraham was tested he was convinced that God would indeed provide for both Abraham and Himself. Then Abraham was able to go on with his life and worship a God that He trusted even more.
What shall we do with our recent test? Will we see ourselves with a renewed and revived spirit to do what it is that we know God has for us to do? That choice is ours. Are you happy to be back in church today? Let it show. Let it show, let it show!
God has provided and He will provide because all things come from Him. There is nothing that we can do for ourselves. When we come to the place of temptation of thinking that we must provide for God He will show us that He is still God. We are not! He needs nothing from us yet He demands our love. He expects obedience from us and does not want our death as a sacrifice for the sins we commit. That is finished! Jesus said so. Now God wants from us what He has always wanted. He wants us to live for Him.
Today we will go back to the New Testament. We will go back to a time when another friend of Jesus did what Jesus proposed for him to do. We will remember Peter taking his eye off Jesus just long enough to sink. The water was treacherous but Jesus never is. We are living in such a time of treachery. The things around us cannot be trusted and God is allowing us in every way He can to see that. Do you remember a time when you trusted Jesus? You still can. Look there! He is still there walking above the boisterousness and treachery. Yes Jesus knows it’s there. Jesus sees it too but He has something much better for you. Trust Him.
Scripture: The scripture today is Matthew 14:30. Please stand if you can for the reading of God’s Word.
Prayer: Please be seated.
Message: The things that were fearful to the disciples were there even before Jesus showed up. Listen as we read Matthew 14:22-31. Jesus knew all about it. He sent them away from Himself into a large boat, a ship. It wasn’t big enough. It was being tossed in the waves and the wind! I especially like that word the old KJV used for the wind. It was contrary. In other words instead of this wind being helpful by taking the boat where the folks wanted it to go, the wind seemed to have a mind of its own. Sailboat people understand what that means.
So the problems were there before Jesus showed up. Let’s read from twenty-five now through twenty-six. They saw Jesus walking on the water! Instead of their fear leaving them though His appearance only made things worse in their minds. They thought Jesus was some kind of spirit, a ghost.
Jesus knew they were afraid and He spoke to their fear in verse twenty-seven. Notice in verse twenty-eight the thing that Peter did? If it be thou, bid me unto the water. In other words Peter was asking Jesus to test Peter’s faith. What do we do when we see something troublesome? Do you pray for more faith? Peter asked Jesus to test his faith and Peter got what he asked for.
Isn’t amazing that often when we question our own faith how God does something to test us beyond even where we are in that moment of uncertainty. Old sayings refer to this as, “Troubles often come in threes.” What do you suppose would happen if we simply started out trusting when some unknown thing came along? Would we have to go through the other things or would it be OK? If God sees that your faith is weak He invariably sends another test until we finally understand that we must trust Him.
Verse twenty-nine finds Peter now out of the boat and onto the water to go to Jesus. Everything is OK! There in our focal verse is that little powerful three letter word, “but.”
The sea was like it was before. Nothing had changed with the waves and the wind. What had changed was Peter. He had a different point of attention. He saw Jesus. But now Peter was thinking about a different reality. Jesus offered Peter a proposal to come. Come; that little word that He proposes to every person at some point. Jesus wants a personal relationship with each person that has learned to call Him Lord. We do come yet there are those things that we see that divert our attention and we lose our love for Him for a while. When that happens we lose our love for others too. All we think about at that point is saving one person. At that point we only think about saving our own soul.
The text reminds that the wind which surrounds us is boisterous. It blows us in places that we would not want to go. We do live in a powerful place of fear. There are things all around us that we do not understand and the more people attempt to understand and lead others into the wrong place the more perplexed we become until nothing seems to make sense anymore.
We get to the place where we believe that we are witnessing the beginning of the end. We are sinking and we have forgotten our first love. Unless we call out to the One who saved us we will sink back into the mire of sinfulness and selfishness that we thought we had left behind. Why does Jesus allow this! I thought once that I was saved that I was always saved but now I doubt! I’m sinking Lord! Help me again Lord! That is where Peter thought he was just then. Have you ever been there? Are you there now?
Jesus loves you so much that He will allow testing to refine your love to a trusting love. In the beginning when you first accepted Jesus as Lord you accepted the promise that He made to you. You also made a promise to Him. The marriage was complete then. He would provide all that you need to serve Him and others and you would provide yourself as His soul mate. You even took His name, Christian.
Now the winds of this world are diverting you off course. The thing that you believe is holding you up has become unsteady under your feet and now you are finding it very difficult to find a place to lie down and rest. He even promised that, Luke 9:58 “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” [2]
You see, we are all tested. We will all be tested. We will finally pass the test when we pass on to be with Him in eternity. Until then we must pass the tests as they come one at a time and often all at one time. We are being tested to change the preconceived mess that we have made of this thing called religion. One day we will be perfected. He promised that too. Until then let us do as Peter did then. When you find yourself in the midst of a mess call on Jesus.
Peter did and Jesus came. He reached out His hand and brought Peter to Himself again just when Peter thought that he was going down for the third and last time. Jesus will always be there to bring you up and erase your doubt. But you must call Him.
Prayer: Let us pray.
Invitation: Is there that place that you are finding yourself in right now that you think you can’t handle? You are finally getting to the place where you can find peace. God will allow many tests to come and sometimes, often times, the test is not even for your benefit. Many times it is so that those who see you can learn what faith looks like.
Peter learned from his test that he had to trust Jesus but even later when Jesus might have benefitted from Peter’s strength, Peter failed Jesus once again. So did the others with Peter. At Gethsemane Peter and the others slept. At the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion Peter denied. On the beach with Glorified Lord again Peter was jealous of another.
Peter was tested often. Peter was tempted by the devil often. Peter passed his testing and now He is with His beloved friend. We will get there if we pass our test.
The altar is here. This is a physical place where you can come and lay down your burden once again. If you have a prayer that you need the pastor to pray with you come. If you have doubts come. Come to Jesus as we sing…
|| Or, strong. Luke 15:14 (Gk.). Heb. 5:7.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 14:30). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 9:58). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
