WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.479 Good morning and welcome to Trinity. 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:10.720 My name is Mike, and I'm one of the pastors here, and I'd like to invite you this morning to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 14. 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:16.320 If you don't have a Bible, please don't hesitate to hop up and you can grab one from the stack in the back. 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:22.800 You can find Matthew 14 on page 770 in your church Bibles. 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:31.039 This morning we're picking up Jesus' story right from where we left off last week. 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:35.600 John the wilderness had been executed at Herod's feast. 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:38.799 And Jesus withdraws into the wilderness to be alone. 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:48.240 It seems the crowd had the same idea, however, and Jesus finds 5,000 men, plus women and children, waiting for him. 00:00:48.719 --> 00:01:07.519 Rather than send them away so that he could have his alone time, Jesus is moved with compassion, as we saw last week, and he heals the sick among them, eventually meeting them in their hunger by miraculously feeding the huge crowd with the little his disciples brought him. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:10.480 This week, we'll see what happens next. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:11.680 But first let's pray. 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:19.519 Gracious God, thank you for this morning for the chance to gather, to worship, to pray, to hear from your scriptures. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:26.959 I pray now that as my words line up with your words, that they would fall on ears and hearts ready to receive them and respond. 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:34.319 And gracious God, if I say anything that isn't from you, I pray that those words would quickly be forgotten. 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:38.879 And I pray all these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:39.840 Amen. 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:43.439 If you've got a Bible open, look at verse 22. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.439 Verse 22 sets the scene for the whole episode. 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:56.719 Here's what Matthew writes immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:02.640 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:11.680 Have you ever wondered why Jesus, after feeding the crowds, immediately sends his disciples away? 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:18.000 Matthew says, he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side. 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:20.159 Why do you think that is? 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:23.039 I came up with three reasons. 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:25.840 First, so that he can deal with the crowds. 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:29.120 We're talking thousands of people. 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:38.240 But instead of Jesus bolting or delegating the act of dismissing the people, he keeps that job to himself. 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.000 In fact, did you notice this? 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:45.759 Matthew makes the point twice in both verse 22 and 23. 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:50.319 He says that Jesus remained behind to dismiss the crowds. 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:52.240 It's kind of like this. 00:02:52.800 --> 00:03:05.759 It'd be like if after church, Pastor Matt or myself ducked out a side door, like escaped out that way because we were tired and spent and the job was done. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:11.520 I suppose that would be understandable, but it would feel a little bit weird, wouldn't it? 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:13.199 Impersonal. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:16.400 And so instead, again, sometimes we pray. 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:17.280 Why? 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:22.879 Because it's personal, relational, because we're pastors. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:29.840 Jesus sends his disciples ahead of him so that he can do the work of saying goodbye. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:32.800 Second, he does it so that he can clearly in verse 23. 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:39.840 After he dismissed the crowds, this is why he'd gone into the disciples on ahead to pray. 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:45.680 Spent, confused, or rushed, or non-existent, may be the evening. 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:49.360 And then lastly, Jesus sends his disciples away to them in a new way. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.479 Put on a boat to pray. 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:57.360 When evening came, Matthew tells us Jesus was there alone. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:02.400 It was exactly where he needed to be, praying by himself in the wilderness. 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:16.399 The disciples, on the other hand, if you look at verse 24, the boat by this time was a long way from land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.720 Next slide, this is a picture of my canoe Fernveh. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:26.879 Fernveh, by the way, is German word for longing for faraway places. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:35.199 I have spent many, many hours in the wilderness in the stern of a canoe over the last 25 years. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:38.639 It is quiet most of the time. 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:44.879 And I can remember two times when I was stuck in a headwind. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:48.879 Like, not just like, oh, there's a breeze. 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:53.040 I might be going a little bit off course, but like, this is a headwind. 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:58.160 I have to really work, and I still am not sure I'm making any progress. 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:04.399 In fact, the wind is coming so strongly, I'm actually going backwards. 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.120 Wasn't a fun experience. 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:08.800 It was a bit harrowing. 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:13.360 It was certainly exhausting and exceptionally frustrating. 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:20.000 Like, here's the thing I feel like I'm pretty competent at, and I can't make any progress. 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:23.439 Felt completely helpless. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:29.759 No matter how much experience I had, I didn't stand a chance against the wind. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:32.319 And that's the situation here. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:34.639 They're beaten, helpless. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:36.319 There's not much they can do. 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:42.879 They even have fishermen on the boat who'd spent a lifetime on this sea. 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:51.199 And yet here they are, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:06:14.079 Do you think at this moment that any of them might have said to themselves or each other, why on earth did Jesus put us in this boat if we were just gonna get stuck out here in the middle of the sea, making zero headway? 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:17.120 Do you think any of them at this point wondered? 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:24.160 Like, it was the end of the day, it was getting dark, Jesus made us get in the boat, and here we are in the middle of the sea, making zero progress. 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:26.399 Really, really, Jesus? 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:32.879 There's a lesson for us here, to be sure. 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:37.759 Jesus had put them in the boat. 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:48.480 The disciples, in this moment, in the middle of the sea, harrowed by the winds and the waves, were within the scope of Jesus' will. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:07:00.240 And yet, that's right, will, and yet there is still wind and waves and darkness. 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:11.360 Just because you are in the Lord's will does not mean everything will be smooth sailing. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:13.839 Literally, in this case. 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:21.439 I had a mentor who used to say that everything in life provides either a lesson, a blessing, or an opportunity. 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:23.839 Some of you have heard me say this before. 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:27.120 Sometimes more than one of those things. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:38.079 Of course, when it's the middle of the night and you're stuck in a headwind, it can be hard to see. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:41.600 It can be awfully hard to see. 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:55.360 When you're dealing with chronic illness, or a baby who won't sleep, it can be hard to see the blessing, the lesson, the opportunity. 00:07:56.480 --> 00:08:11.199 When work is a mess, or you're battling depression, or you've hit a rough spot in your marriage, or the dollars aren't quite adding up, it can be hard to see, can't it? 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:21.360 It can feel a bit like you're in a boat in the middle of the night, making little to no headway. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:23.279 Have you ever felt like that? 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:30.720 And you might find yourself wondering, Jesus, was it you who put me in this boat? 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:32.480 Why? 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:36.720 And where are you? 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:40.720 Have you ever felt like that? 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:45.360 Maybe you feel like that this morning. 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:53.440 In verse 25, Matthew tells us that it was the fourth watch of the night. 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:56.399 That is, between 3 a.m. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:58.159 and 6 a.m. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:03.679 It's just before dawn, when the night is the darkest. 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:14.559 And it was in that moment, the darkest moment, after they'd been stuck in the headwinds for hours, making seemingly no progress at all. 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:20.320 Verse 25, Matthew tells us that he came to them. 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:27.120 If you've got a Bible open in your lap, underline those words, he came to them. 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:33.519 In the darkest moment of the night, Jesus came to them. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:42.799 Jesus is always finding people in the moments that seem darkest. 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:49.440 A lesson, a blessing, or an opportunity. 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:56.080 And Jesus came to them walking on the sea. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.960 Who does that? 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:01.600 Seriously. 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:03.919 This part of the story is crazy. 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:07.120 And it's worth noting, Jesus didn't have to do this. 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:14.399 I mean, the wind and the waves were against them to be sure, and the night was dark, no doubt, but they weren't in mortal danger. 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:19.360 There's no crazy storm, no threat of capsizing. 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:34.000 It's not like the storm back in, I think it was Matthew 6, when water, the waves were coming in over the boat and the boat was filling up, and they thought they were going to die, and Jesus was taking a nap in the back, and they said, Jesus, do you care that we're gonna die? 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:37.120 And Jesus stands up, you remember the story, and he says, Be still. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:38.240 The storm is still. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:39.759 This isn't one of those situations. 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:48.639 Doesn't say anything in there about them almost dying, or the boat filling up with waves, right? 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:59.840 They're tired, they're discouraged, they're harrowed, but they're not in mortal danger. 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:03.519 It's just dark. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:06.080 They're anxious and overwhelmed. 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:14.879 And still, Jesus comes to them in a way that they couldn't possibly imagine. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:17.039 This is worth noting. 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:19.919 How do we know that they couldn't imagine Jesus doing this? 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:25.360 Well, my I'd venture to guess they'd never seen anybody walk on water before. 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:32.399 We also know, because verse 26 tells us the disciples saw him walking in the sea, they were terrified. 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:35.440 Not the word used to describe the storm. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:37.919 New word, terrified. 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.080 And they said, It's a ghost. 00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:47.679 And they cried out in fear, which, to be honest, seems to me to be a reasonable response. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:53.440 And it's worth noting that Jesus doesn't yet calm the storm. 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:58.000 He does, however, meet them in it. 00:11:58.320 --> 00:11:59.519 You notice that? 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:08.240 Before the calm is stormed, before the storm or the waves, the wind are calmed, Jesus meets them in it. 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:12.240 In a way that they couldn't see coming. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:15.519 And they can't even recognize him. 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:17.360 They think he's a ghost. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:24.320 Friends, Jesus often finds us in ways that are unexpected. 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:26.159 We can't see coming. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:30.480 We're we may not even recognize him in it at first. 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:33.440 Look at what he does. 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:35.360 This is the crux of the whole passage. 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:40.720 Immediately, Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:45.679 It is I, do not be afraid. 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:49.679 Immediately, Jesus doesn't delay here. 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:52.399 He meets them in their fear. 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:54.399 Take heart. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:58.639 One commentator translates this phrase, courage. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:00.240 It is I. 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:03.039 Yes, that's I am. 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:07.039 And it's right in the exact center of the story. 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:08.159 I am. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:12.879 It's Jesus' definitive declaration to his fearful disciples. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:17.200 It's a statement that ties him fundamentally to God. 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:23.200 It's a declaration of divinity, of the sort that Pharisees found blasphemous. 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:30.399 It's a loaded term, and it's one that we're actually going to spend the whole fall unpacking this year in the Gospel of John. 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:32.480 But for now, know this. 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:39.519 Jesus' definitive declaration here for the disciples: courage! I am. 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:42.480 Do not be afraid. 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:48.799 It's also a definitive declaration for us. 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.639 No matter the circumstances or situation. 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:56.240 It's a definitive declaration for us too. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:57.519 Take heart. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:13:59.759 I am. 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:03.279 Do not be afraid. 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:16.720 In this instance, as in most every instance of divine utterance I can think of, the word provides exactly what it commands. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:18.480 Let me say that again. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:28.559 In this instance, as in most every instance of divine utterance I can think of, this word provides exactly what it commands. 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:31.279 Jesus says, take heart. 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:35.679 He utters the word, and how does Peter respond? 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:37.120 He takes heart. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:41.200 He says, I am, do not be afraid. 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:47.440 And Peter, full of courage, fixes his eyes on Jesus and puts aside his fear. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:49.200 Look at verse 28. 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:56.639 Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:02.000 Now, do you notice that Peter asks for a command here? 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:05.519 I didn't notice that until this last week as I was studying this. 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:08.399 He doesn't ask for a promise of safety. 00:15:08.799 --> 00:15:10.480 He doesn't ask for permission. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:12.799 Lord, if it's you, can I come? 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:19.759 If you have a Bible open in your lap, it's worth circling the word command. 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:33.679 We live in a culture that prizes or prioritizes freedom or choice above just about everything, right? 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:37.679 We as a culture want to keep our options open. 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:40.159 Heaven forbid, we want to make our own way. 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:48.320 The thing that I'm most trying to provide for my children is the freedom to choose their own life, right? 00:15:50.799 --> 00:16:02.559 And yet, in a world of culture that prizes freedom over everything else, Peter looks to Jesus for a command. 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:07.200 Here's what New Testament scholar Dale Bruner has to say about that. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:14.480 The commands of Jesus are enabling grace rather than forbidding law. 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:28.720 Peter asks for a command because he knows that when we act in obedience to a command of God, he always seems to give us everything that we need to obey. 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:36.559 When we act in obedience to a command of God, he always gives us everything that we need to obey. 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:40.639 I've seen it in my own life over and over and over again. 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:49.360 When I'm responding to God's command to give generously, he always seems to meet my financial needs. 00:16:50.960 --> 00:17:00.399 When I respond in obedience to his command to share my faith with others, he always meets me in those conversations. 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:10.319 When we were obedient to his command to plant a new church in Burke, as terrifying as that was for me. 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:14.480 Well, look at what he's done. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:27.119 And for just a moment, as Bruner puts it, a believing disciple and an enabling Lord do the impossible and master the elements. 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:36.079 And for a brief moment give the church a glimpse of her unearthly possibilities in the world. 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:44.480 Friends, there is grace and freedom in obeying the commands of Jesus. 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:51.359 And all that he asks of us, he always provides. 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.480 So Peter asks him, Lord, command me. 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:56.880 Jesus said, Come. 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:03.920 Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:13.759 It is always a good idea to come to Jesus regardless of circumstance. 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:21.200 And as John Ortberg famously wrote, if you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:32.240 Peter, in obedience to his Lord command, gets out of the boat and walks on water. 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:38.000 Oh, but Peter is so like us. 00:18:39.759 --> 00:19:05.039 Commentators throughout the centuries have noted that Peter here is representative of Christ's church, capable of the most extraordinary things when done in response to the commands of Jesus, and then in the very next instant, distracted by the noise around us, or the cares of the world, or the wind and the waves sinking. 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:16.400 Verse 30, when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:21.680 First, let's state the obvious. 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:24.799 When did Peter begin to sink? 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:26.480 Somebody tell me. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.799 When he took his eyes off Jesus. 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:39.279 Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus, when he looked at the wind and the waves instead. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:43.599 Oh, but I love Peter's response in the midst of his fear. 00:19:43.680 --> 00:20:04.000 It's the cry of both the strong, faith-filled disciple who walked on water and the most miserable of sinners, all wrapped up in one, walking on water one moment, sinking in fear the next, before crying out in prayer for salvation. 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:08.079 And isn't this how we live? 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:09.039 Isn't it? 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:10.640 It's how I live. 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:20.799 Faith and fear, hope and doubt all mixed up, miraculous fruit, one moment, defeat the next. 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:24.720 Friends, in Christ we can do great things. 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:29.839 When the can comes in response to the command of the Lord. 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:39.599 But we are also so prone to wandering, to getting caught up in the cares of this world. 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:45.359 Jesus, it won't be the last time for Peter, will it? 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:48.480 He takes his eyes off of Jesus either. 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:59.200 And yet, as Matthew Henry notes, Christ bid him come, but that he might sink, and so know his own weakness. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:13.839 For as he would encourage his faith, so Jesus would check baptismal prayer we pray every time we baptize someone, that they may persevere in resisting and return to the Lord. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:24.160 In the same way, cry here is the most important. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:41.039 Whenever we find ourselves in when we find ourselves where we ought to pray when we find ourselves and the cry of Peter yet cries out to the Lord even as he takes his eyes. 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:47.599 Verse 31 saying to him, Oh you of little faith, thanks, Jesus. 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.720 Immediately who are in need, cry out to Jesus. 00:21:50.799 --> 00:22:05.200 And not always in the way storms and anxieties, but that doesn't mean that he's not there, grabbing us even as we Now, do you notice what Jesus says as he pulls Peter out of the water? 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:07.519 Oh, you of little faith. 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:09.599 Why did you doubt? 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.599 Let me say a couple things here first. 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:15.759 Little faith. 00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:18.400 Peter just walked on water. 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:25.519 If that's what a little faith looks like, give me a little faith. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:33.839 And yet, still, in this moment, there's a gentle reprimand, isn't there? 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:35.839 It's gentle. 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:41.839 It's not a sharp correction, but it is a reprimand all the same. 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:44.559 It's not cheap grace. 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:48.480 But do you notice where it comes? 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:54.400 It comes only after he has saved Peter. 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:59.680 The reprimand, the correction, comes after the saving. 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:06.000 While he's holding him, is when the reprimand comes. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:10.400 And even then, its purpose is clear, at least it's clear to me. 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:14.640 Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt? 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:18.000 It's a phrase. 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:22.079 It's meant to draw Peter's eyes back to him. 00:23:24.880 --> 00:23:31.200 The Lord's discipline is so good and so gracious. 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:38.559 And its purpose is always to draw our eyes back to him. 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:47.359 And when they, that is Jesus and Peter, verse 32, got into the boat, the wind ceased. 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:49.920 Who is this with such authority? 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:52.640 Even the wind and the waves obey him. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:57.920 And in this instance, the wind and the waves had done their job. 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:04.480 It created enough friction that Jesus could teach them a lesson about faith and failure. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:12.160 It gave Peter an opportunity to step out in faith in response to Jesus' command. 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:21.200 And had blessed all in the boat with greater insight into the identity of Jesus, the great I am. 00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:30.559 And so, verse 33, those in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God. 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:35.200 It's the first such declaration in Matthew's gospel. 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:42.160 Overwhelmed, they worship and declare, Truly, you are the Son of God. 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:54.960 This is the point of Jesus' commands and the point of Jesus' discipline, that we might look at him and worship. 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:57.519 Okay, so what? 00:24:57.680 --> 00:24:59.759 We'll keep it simple this morning. 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:06.319 If you're stuck in the headwinds of life, cry out to Jesus. 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:20.240 If you want to participate in a miracle, listen to the commands of Jesus, especially when they terrify you, and then get out of the boat. 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:30.000 Fix your eyes on Jesus over and over and over again. 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:36.880 Repent and cry out for salvation when you find yourself drowning. 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:44.400 It's usually because you've become distracted by the waves and you should have been looking at Jesus. 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:52.720 Remember that he comes to find us even when the night seems darkest. 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:57.200 And remember, take heart. 00:25:58.079 --> 00:25:59.759 Jesus is Lord. 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.640 Do not be afraid. 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:05.200 Will you stand and pray with me? 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:16.400 Oh gracious God, I need your help. 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:31.599 And so I pray, would you give me, would you give us courage to fix our eyes on you, to step out in faith? 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:40.799 Would you give us courage to change direction where we've misstepped? 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:51.039 To fix our eyes on you once again, where we've been distracted by the winds and waves of life? 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:59.440 Would you give us courage to cry out to you in those places where we're sinking? 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:06.799 Oh and gracious God, thank you that you meet us in these moments. 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:16.960 Would you give us eyes to see and courage to ask for your command through Jesus Christ our Lord? 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:18.480 We pray. 00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:19.519 Amen.