Passage: Matthew 14:22-36
Intro: Have you got your 3D TV yet?
1. have to wear those glasses, but we are moving into the 3rd dimension.
Il) when one kid was asked what the 4th dimension of the physical universe was, he answered, “Weight?”
2. we are used to height, width, depth 3. scientists are working on 4th and 5th
PP 4th dimension
PP 5th dimension.
4. but we are kind of stuck here, can only work in the physical dimension, because that is all we know.
5. what is beyond physical? Spiritual
6. and who was the only human comfortable in both? Jesus.
7. but it gets better, because as we are going to see, Jesus not only calls us into the spiritual dimension, which is the only eternal one…
8. but he opens it up for us so that we can actually live in what I am calling “the faith dimension.”
9. there are principles that are at work here, and unless we understand and apply them, we will not enter the faith dimension, where God wants us to be.
I. God is the King Over Everything
1. the big feed of earlier was over.
2. another gospel says…
PP John 6:15
3. probably explains why Jesus sent the disciples away, then the crowd.
4. he prayed alone for several hours, then time to rejoin friends.
5. look at all the details stacked against him: time, distance, darkness, wind, waves, concern for friends.
6. we would have called 911, Jesus just walked out there on the water!
7. true? Keep track of how many times the phrase is used. This is #1
8. we would have been limited something physical, but not Jesus.
9. He is sovereign over the universe.
II. Man is Limited to the Physical World, But Without Control
1. now the disciples saw him walking toward them on the lake. #2
2. and because they were limited to the physical world, they freaked out!
3. came up with a supernatural explanation, (ghost) which are very mysterious.
5. and because they were limited and could not control this being, they were afraid.
6. first they said “It’s a ghost,” then they just screamed!
PP volcano
PP Hurricane
7. this is our state, to stay alive in a physical world we can’t control. Fear is our natural state.
8. now watch what Jesus does
III. God Consistently Invites Us To Trust Him
Il) I saw a lady right after she had been hit by a car while riding her bike. I called 911 because Chandler Fire has demonstrated their character to me, and to you!
1. and ever since Satan told Adam and Eve, “you can’t trust God,” God has been saying “Oh yes you can!!”
2. and that is exactly what Jesus says here: “Be encouraged. It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
3. Jesus is saying, “I’m not in bondage to the wind or the waves or the water. I am Lord of them all!”
4. this is the same thing God has done all thru the Bible.
5. demonstrated His Lordship, His power over oceans and huge armies and Satan and hungry lions and fire and the sun and bears and giants and anything else you can think of.
6. and so when Jesus says, “don’t be afraid, it’s me” he is saying the same things His father has said over and over to us.
7. and one guy in the boat dared to think about believing him
IV. Our Steps Into the Faith Dimension Will Always be Challenged by Fear
1. Peters statement very interesting
2. “on the water” #3
3. and he didn’t suggest Jesus call another guy, but offered himself!
4. Jesus called him, out he climbed.
5. when we take a step of faith in our world, we trust something.
PP Rapeller
PP parachutist.
6. Peter trusted Jesus, even though he could not touch him.
7. this is the real miracle!! V29, #4
8. but then he got scared when he looked back at the physical world
-“beginning to sink” #5
9. the faith dimension was clouded by the physical, and he cried out to Jesus (smart)
10. that is what we should do, because fear will always be there as long as we are on the earth.
11. Jesus debriefed him, asked “why did you doubt?”, he knew the answer.
12. “stand in two places.”
13. this is part of the process of building faith, of getting used to living in the faith dimension.
V. Every Step of Faith Increases Spiritual Vision
1. when they got back to the boat, even the guys who never got out had gained something.
2. you are the Son of God, very strange statement for Jews to make, because God was single, had no son.
3. but this experience opened their eyes to who Jesus really was.
4. and as God kept revealing and they kept believing, they became men of great faith.
5. so much faith that they would all die a martyrs death (except Judas) rather than to deny their Lord Jesus.
Conc. Now we may not have all the answers.
1. we may scratch our heads about God, wonder why He does what He does.
2. we may want Him to explain Himself to us more clearly, and more in line with our understanding.
3. and yet clearly God is about growing faith in Him, trust in Him.
4. he calls us to the edge of the boat and says, “hop in! I’ll keep you on the water.”
5. He does not ask us to believe anything He hasn’t revealed a million times in a million ways.
6. take a step, believe where He is revealing himself to you. Step into the faith dimension.
