The Waves Of Doubt; Matthew 14:22-32
Did you know that an impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet they can be kept in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals won ’t jump if they cannot see what’s on the other side. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And by faith we are freed from the enclosures that fear allows to entrap us.
I believe it is a lot easier to demonstrate our faith on Sundays or when we ‘re surrounded by other faithful people; than it is to demonstrate our faith during the week or when we are alone. So it’s in those times that the quality of our faith is measured. Because it’s often in the midst of the week or it’s between the crowds that the storms of life arise and it’s in those times that we are called to fight the good fight of faith. Our faith is measured between the crowds.
And that’s exactly where the disciples were in this passage of scripture. You see just before this scene Jesus fed a Crowd of well over 5,000 people, demonstrating to His disciples that He Cares and that He is able to Provide. And immediately following our text, Jesus heals the sick in a huge Crowd of people on the other side of the Sea, demonstrating again that He Cares and that He can overcome the problems we face. So this entire scene, set between a Crowd and a Crowd, involves only Jesus and His disciples. Matthew 14:22-29a…
After feeding more then 5000 people, Jesus commanded the disciples to get into the ship and go over to the other side of the sea. Then He stayed back and spent time in prayer with His Father. Jesus often prayed just before the most difficult circumstances of life. I believe He went away to pray for His disciples. He went away to pray for their faith.
You see in the meantime the disciples had encountered a storm, and a strong wind was blowing against them, and even though they had been rowing hard all night they were only to the middle of the sea. But all of a sudden Jesus came walking to them on the water. Initially they were afraid because they thought He was a ghost. He assured them and said, “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid.” At that moment Peter spoke up and said, “Lord, if it is You command me to come to You on the water.” So Jesus said, “Come”
I believe there are four lessons that we can learn from the events that took place that night during the storm.
I. When we put our faith in Christ we can do great things
Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In Matthew 19:26 after saying “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Peter demonstrated that first hand, he stepped out of the boat with nothing to stand on but the word of Jesus. You see Jesus said, “Come.”
I would like to say that Peter was a man of great faith at that time but I believe it was more that he just didn’t give it a thought until he was out on the water. But for whatever reason he got out of the boat and on the water.
I love to hear about those that are willing to step out in faith. The Bible is filled with such stories:
1. Abraham stepped out in faith when God commanded him to leave his country, family, and his fathers’ house, and go to a place that he had never been before, and God said He would bless him there.
2. David stepped out in faith when he faced a giant named Goliath. Everyone else was terrified including Saul who was supposed to be a great military leader. But David faced the giant with a sling shot and a couple of rocks.
3. Noah stepped out in faith and built the ark even though he was living in a dessert and it had never rained before… He didn’t even know what rain was, but he obediently stepped out on God’s word.
4. The children of Israel stepped out on faith and passed through the Red Sea on dry land, when the Egyptians tried to follow God called the waters back into place and they drowned.
Now Peter was going to step out on faith and walk on water because Jesus said, “Come.”
Do you have that kind of faith? A faith that steps out on nothing but God’s word, A faith that doesn’t seem to make any sense, A faith that goes against all human logic? Until you do you will never see God do great things in your life.
I will dare to say that we are more like the other disciples than we are like Peter. Any one of them could have stepped out of the boat and onto the water but they didn’t believe it was possible even though Jesus was standing on the water right in front of them.
Or maybe they believed it was possible but not enough to step out of the boat themselves. I must confess that’s the way I am far too often, I believe God can do all things, but I’m just not that confident that He can do great things through me.
I’m more like the disciples who sat back and gave it some thought first. Sometimes we think things through too much. And when we do that we examine all the obstacles and equate whether it is possible or not. And when we do that we do a disservice to God because nothing is too difficult for Him.
But Peter didn’t think at all, he just stepped out on faith. Now, let me say that it’s dangerous to step out on faith when our faith is misplaced. If we are trusting in our own ability or if we are trusting in someone else’s’ ability we can find ourselves drowning in all kinds of trouble. But when we put our faith in God we can step out on nothing but God’s word and stand on a firm foundation.
This was not a blind faith, he was trusting in Christ, the Creator of all things, the One who made the waters, the One who can override all the laws of creation, the One who can calm the storms. Since Jesus said, “come”, Peter stepped out on faith.
I truly admire men like Peter, Abraham, Noah and David, who stepped out on nothing but the word of God and found a sure foundation. But isn’t that what God calls us to do on a daily basis. It’s not just about Sundays or in times when we’re with a crowd, He calls us to a daily living faith.
So, when God calls us to do something beyond our physical ability, beyond our financial ability, beyond our wildest imaginations, something beyond the laws of nature, we need to step out on faith, because He has power over all things great and small.
II. When we fear the things around us we will fail
Vs. 29-30, “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!’” Have you ever noticed that defeat often comes right after our greatest victories? Look in the Bible and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about:
1. Just after Elijah defeated the 400 prophets of Baal, he heard that Queen Jezebel had vowed to have him killed, and so he ran and hid in a cave, fell into deep depression, and asked God to let him die.
2. Right after Samson had killed the thousand Philistines with the jawbone of the donkey, he thought he was going to die of thirst and he questioned God in Judges 15:18, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
3. After God freed the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and brought them over the Red Sea on dry ground, they blamed God for bringing them out in the dessert to let them die.
I wonder if Satan is waiting at the bottom of the hill after every mountain top experience. Or maybe its God reminding us who gives us the victory to keep us humble. But that’s not the point I’m trying to make, the point is; is that we often experiences great lows after experiencing a great high…
Peter had stepped out and was walking on the water but then he looked around and saw the waves and he began to think about the laws of nature and he thought to himself this isn’t possible and he began to sink. Fear often brings failure. Fear is immobilizing. (((Dreams)))
I admire Peter for trying - at least he had some success even if it was short lived. That’s more than you can say for the rest of the disciples. But Peter’s fear really seems to be more apparent because he was out there on the water and he began to sink when he looked at the waves around him.
At least Peter knew who to call on when he was going down. “Lord save me.”
We all have those times in our lives, where we are forced to reach out beyond ourselves, times when we have failed miserably and we see no way out. But let me ask, where do you reach when you have reached your limits?
Some reach for a bottle, some reach for drugs, while others reach for a gun - The pressure and strain of life has become too great, and they just can’t cope with it anymore. There is always hope. If you ever feel yourself going down, as Peter did, you need to cry out “Lord, save me.”
Vs. 31 “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.” Jesus is always there ready to pull us out of the depths of despair. All we have to do is call on Jesus.
III. When we take our eyes off Jesus we will face doubt and despair
Peter was off to a great start. He was walking on the water. He took a step of faith, and the Lord honored it. But suddenly he began to sink. “Its not how we start that’s important but how we finish.” what happened?
Vs.30a “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous.” He took his eyes off of Jesus and he focused on to the wind and the waves. When he was looking to Jesus he was walking on the water. But when he began looking at the difficulty, the problem, the wind and the waves, he began to sink.
I have discovered that the more I look at my problem the bigger it seems to grow until it seems to be insurmountable. When we look at the problems around the world – Hatred & Violence & War, The Lack of Morality, Abortion, Evolutionary Ed., the problems in our own families and so much more, we can become overwhelmed with doubt, and despair. But when we look to Jesus we see that He is able to overcome anything and everything…
Peter was sinking in the water, so he cried out to the Lord and Vs. 31 says, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Goethe said, “Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any; but keep your doubts to yourself, for I have enough of my own.” We all have doubts from time to time because we focus on our circumstances rather than the Lord and if we are not careful we will be overcome by them. But if we will focus on the Lord and we will overcome our circumstances and our doubts.
IV. When we focus on the Lord He will lift us up
When Peter looked to Jesus he walked on water, he did the impossible. When he looked at the crashing waves, he sank. What does that teach us? KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS!
I think Paul says it best in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
I want you to notice what happened once Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus Vs. 31, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.” Then in Vs.32-33, “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.’”
Conclusion: When Christ calls you to do the impossible, trust Him and step out on faith.
When you are in the depths of doubt and despair call upon Jesus and He will save you.
When you see the storms of life are all around you, look to Jesus and you will be filled with a calming assurance that everything will be all right, because He is LORD OF ALL.
Someone said, “Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child.”
