TITLE: JESUS FAVORITE WORD
SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 14:22-33
I want to share with us this morning what I believe to be ‘Jesus Favorite Word.’ We find this word throughout the Old as well as the New Testament. I lift up for your consideration Jesus Favorite Word was and is “COME.”
• In ST MATTHEW 4:19 - Jesus told the disciples, “COME FOLLOW ME”
• In ST. MARK 10:14 - Jesus told the little children “SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME”
• In ISAIAH 55:1 / ST. JOHN 7:37 - Jesus says to ALL THOSE WHO ARE THIRSTY ARE TOLD TO “COME”
• ST. MATTHEW 11:28 - Jesus tells ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND BURDENED ARE TOLD TO “COME”
• ST. LUKE 14:17 - Jesus tells ALL THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY TOLD TO “COME TO THE BANQUETING TABLE”
• ST. MARK 6:31 - Jesus invites ALL THOSE WHO NEED REST ARE INVITED TO “COME”
• ST. MATTHEW 14:28-29 - When Peter wondered if he could walk on water, Jesus said, “COME”
• ST. LUKE 19:5 - When ZACCHAEUS had climbed up in the Sycamore Tree, Jesus said, “COME DOWN MAKE HASTE”
• REVELATION 22:17 - The Bible ends with an invitation to “COME!” FOR “THE FREE GIFT OF THE WATER OF LIFE”
In our text we find Jesus had just fed five thousand. MATTHEW as well as JOHN in their Gospel writings begin telling this narrative, they tell us after Jesus feeds the people, they want to make Him king, this is why Jesus made the disciples enter into the boat and head to the other side.
• Some of the most important lessons that you will learn in this life will come after a mountain top experience, or after a great victory
• You remember Elijah on the mountain one minute, the next minute he is running from Jezebel
• Oftentimes we too after a Spiritual Mountain Top Experience it is followed by a Crash in the Valley
Let’s piece together what was taking place in this scene that unfolds in front of us by comparing what MATTHEW – MARK – JOHN record in relation to this exciting event.
• MATTHEW wrote in VS. 24-25 -- “the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea”
• MARK wrote in 6:48 --Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them
• JOHN wrote in 6:19 -- So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid
These three accounts put side by side help us get the picture -- IT’S LATE - IT’S DARK - IT’S STORMY -- and Jesus is not with them. Remember with me - The last time they had a storm of this magnitude while they were in a boat, Jesus was with them – remember He was in the hinder part of the boat at that time sleeping. I am sure at this point in our text they must be asking -- “Where Is He?”
• That’s what Satan says to us, “Where is Jesus in your storm?”
• “He said, He would never leave you nor forsake you, but where is He?”
• Satan is saying “Looks like you are going through some hard, rough, and difficult times – and where is Jesus in all of this?”
• The devil wants to make us think Jesus has abandoned us during the storms and trials in our lives
Jesus is going to teach Peter and us a valuable lesson.
• Whether we can see Him or Not
• Whether we can sense His presence or Not
• Nevertheless He is always with us!
Jesus already knew they were struggling, trying to row in the storm. Matter of fact, Truth be Told, JESUS IS THE ONE WHO SENT THEM INTO THE STORM. Jesus is always interested in revealing more about Himself to us, and for Him to do that He has to put us in situations that are not comfortable.
• We cannot know He is the Great Physician -- until we need Healing!
• We cannot know He is the Great Provider -- until we are in Need!
• We cannot know He is the Great Redeemer -- until we realized we need to be Rescued!
• We cannot know He is the Great Comforter -- until we have Turmoil in our life!
The text tells us - Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to Pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
But notice — THEIR STRUGGLE DID NOT GO UNNOTICED. Jesus was apparently watching from His perch on the mountain. And this should serve to teach us that when we have tough times in life
• When “Storms” break and we think we are going down - Jesus is watching!
• When we get those phone calls in the middle of the night
• When doctors give us bad news
• When our families are falling apart
• When we think our world is about to come crumbling down around us
• Jesus sees
• He knows all about the “storms” we go through
The lyrics to that old song are so true -- “HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME.” In fact there is nowhere we can go to be out of the sight of God. Remember the words of the Psalmist recorded in PSALM 139:7-10 “IF I ASCEND TO HEAVEN-THOU ART THERE! IF I MAKE MY BED IN HELL, BEHOLD, THOU ART THERE! IF I TAKE THE WINGS OF MORNING AND DWELL IN THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE SEA, EVEN THERE SHALL THY HAND LEAD ME AND THY RIGHT HAND HOLD ME.”
Here is the Good News -
• Jesus did not just Watch
• Jesus didn’t just See what they were going through
• He ACTED!
He came down and walked to them across the surface of those stormy waters. I don’t know about you but I have never felt closer to Jesus than in times of crisis. He doesn’t just notice my problems. He Draws Near to me and acts to help.
• He does not leave me alone in the midst of my struggles
• He does not say, well you got yourself into this mess because of your disobedience
• He does not leave me when I feel I am about to drown in my situations
• He Acts
• He Comes to my Rescue
• He Comes to See about me Time and Time Again
• He Promised Never To Leave Me Alone
We also learn from the text – JESUS HAS A WAY OF SHOWING UP AND DOING THE UNEXPECTED - You think, with all that Jesus has done in His short time here on earth, we would stop being surprised by the fact He does ministry and shows up in ways we do not expect.
• In ST. JOHN 4 -- He TALKS TO A WOMAN AT THE WELL. How could he do this? It was unacceptable to speak to a woman at the time let alone speak to a hated Samaritan woman. If you look at the passage, you will find a word that told about the disciple’s reaction to this. In one word, it was surprise. Yet, the Word tells us that many in the town were saved because this woman testified to the entire town about her meeting with Jesus
• Jesus went to the HOUSE OF A DEAD CHILD, and He tried to convince everyone that the child was just sick. They mocked Him, but the child lived because of His power
• HE ATE WITH THE DREADED TAX COLLECTOR, ZACCHAEUS, and the religious people could not understand why. How could he pollute himself by eating with these sinners? Yet, Jesus brought salvation to the entire household that day
• He HEALED ON THE SABBATH and people wondered why. Could it be because they needed His touch and it just happened to be a Sabbath day?
• Jesus had just taken 5 LOAVES AND 2 FISHES and told the disciples to feed the crowd. How could this be done? They placed it in the hands of Jesus and they had food left over
• He did so many great things even on this day He walk on the water
The disciples had seen Jesus do all of these miraculous deeds, and they had seen Him work in unconventional ways; yet, when they saw a being walking on the water, they did not know who it was. It must be a ghost! Even though they knew Jesus promised to return to them on the other side, they still didn’t think this could be Jesus.
• Let’s be honest we figured that meant he would walk around the lake or something
• We figured, just like the disciples that meant they would see Jesus sometime in the morning
• Instead, Jesus did what He always did
• He Surprised them
• He did the Unexpected
• He worked in a way more powerful and more unconventional than they could have imagined
This says to me this morning that - I need to trust Jesus will go to great lengths for me but in his own way and on his time.
• I cannot control Him
• I cannot force Jesus to give me what I want when I want it
• I just need to have constant faith
• It tells me that I may be special and Jesus may communicate to me in a way that suits me but that does not mean that I get what I want
• I cannot try to box the Lord in on how to fix my issues
• I must stop looking in only one direction for the Lord to move and bless
• Jesus works in unconventional ways and my faith must be prepared for this at all times
The disciples were always around Jesus, His teaching, and His Kingdom Work. However, they were still missing who He was. That is the danger we face.
• There is a way to always be around Jesus without ever really knowing Him
• Sunday Worship Service
• Bible Studies
• Community Mission Work
• These are all good things
• But, there’s a way for us to be around these good things without ever really getting to know the best thing, Jesus Himself
The danger is maybe we’re serving Jesus and you know all about Him, but you don’t really know Him.
• In a very real way, we’re in the boat with the disciples, painfully trying to make headway from the storm
• But then, in the midst of the disciples not understanding and their hearts still doubting, Jesus walked on water
• We too need Jesus to walk on water
Sometimes we think the only way God is going to come near to us is when we’re Living In Perfect Faith And Obedience - if we’re having time in the word every day - sharing the Gospel with others and not sinning.
• Jesus will cross any barrier to meet with us
• Most of those barriers are those we have constructed
• He will come, not just when we’re living in obedience, but also when we’re in the darkest of times and struggles
Here it is, the text says it was during - “THE FOURTH WATCH OF THE NIGHT”—which would have been in the last few hours of the night prior to daylight between the hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. —the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. Not realizing who He was, they cried out, “IT IS A SPIRIT!”
• When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified
• Someone cried out, “It’s a ghost”
• They were wrong, but it’s wasn’t a bad guess
• After all, it’s not every day that you see someone taking a midnight stroll across a lake in the middle of a storm
• They were terrified of the figure approaching them in the middle of the sea
• “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘BE OF GOOD CHEER! IT IS I; DO NOT BE AFRAID’”
This next point is very fascinating to me. What a strange thing for Jesus to say. The disciples have been in the midst of a severe storm, they have rowed all night and were exhausted and now fearful because they believe they see a Ghost/Spirit walking out on the water.
• I imagine they are thinking, this is how it is going to end for us
• I imagine they are thinking – this ghost has come to usher them into the next life
• I imagine they are thinking – this spirit is coming for their very souls because they will not make it out of this storm alive
Jesus calls out to them with something strange - “BE OF GOOD CHEER” - The King James translation of the Bible uses the phrase “BE OF GOOD CHEER” to translate one of the commands of the Lord.
• “CHEER” comes from a Middle English word meaning “MOOD”
• So the phrase basically means, “be in a good mood”
• It is translated “TAKE COURAGE” and “TAKE HEART” in other translations
• Jesus used the expression seven times in the New Testament, and every time it is an IMPERATIVE, or COMMAND
“Be of good cheer” may be one of the hardest commands of Christ to follow. It is hard to be in a good mood when the pressures of life weigh you down. If He expected his disciples to take heart when they lived in poverty, pressed down by Roman dominance and harassed by the legalism of the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees, He expects us to take heart today.
• Disciples fearing for their lives in the Storm – Jesus says, check your Mood
• When we are down to your last Dollar – Jesus says, check your Mood
• When you are at odds with your neighbor – Jesus says, check your Mood
• When you are facing the Judge on Monday morning – Jesus says, check your Mood
• When you have been laid off that good paying job – Jesus says, check your Mood
• When you have been lied on – Jesus says, check your Mood
• When others are hard to get along with – Jesus says, check your Mood
We have here a word of comfort given to some Terrified Believers who were where their Lord had sent them. They had been unwilling to put out to sea, though it was probably calm enough at the time, but they did not wish to leave the Lord Jesus. He constrained them to go and thus their sailing was not merely under His sanction, but by His express command.
• They were in their right place and yet they met with a terrible storm
That is what we need to recognize in this Command of Jesus to “BE OF GOOD CHEER.”
• The disciples were in the right place
• They were where Jesus told them to be
• Now they needed to be in the RIGHT POSITION
• Oftentimes we are where we are supposed to be
• We are where Jesus told us to be
• We are out of position because our Mood is not Correct
o What am I doing here on a Wednesday night when I could be at home
o Why am I at this Revival, we do this same thing every year
o Why am I out here working for the Church and no one else is supporting
o Why am I doing this for the Church and no one appreciates what I do
• We are in the right Place, where God told us to be
• Our Position - Our Mood is not right to receive a blessing from the Lord
Here is a FOOTNOTE before we examine our Final Point this morning. So, though they were where Jesus bade them go, they were in desperate peril, and you MUST NOT THINK THAT YOU ARE IN A WRONG POSITION BECAUSE YOU ARE IN TROUBLE.
• Do not consider that adverse circumstances are a proof that you have missed your road
• For they may even be an evidence that you are in the good old way since the path of Believers is seldom without trial
• You did well to embark and to leave the shore, but remember, though your Lord has insured the vessel and guaranteed that you shall reach your haven, He has not promised that you shall sail over a sea of glass
• On the contrary
• ST. JOHN 16:33 “THESE THINGS I HAVE SPOKE UNTO YOU, THAT IN ME YE MIGHT HAVE PEACE. IN THE WORLD YE SHALL HAVE TRIBULATION: BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD”
The Apostolic crew rowed, and rowed, and rowed—and it was no fault of theirs that they made no progress, "FOR THE WIND WAS CONTRARY UNTO THEM." The Christian may make little or no headway and yet it may be no fault of his, for the wind is contrary. Our Lord will take the will for the deed and reckon our progress, not by our apparent advance, but by the hearty intent with which we tug at the oars!
• Often, when a Believer groans in prayer and cannot pray - he has offered the best prayer
• Often, when he tries to win men's hearts and does not win them - his zeal is as acceptable as if it convinced a nation
• Often, when he would do good and finds evil present with him - there is good in the desire
• If he threw up the oars and drifted with the wind, that would be another thing
• But if our Lord sees him, "toiling in rowing," albeit no progress is made, He has never a word to say against His servant, but He will bid him, "BE OF GOOD CHEER"
This Final Point we find PETER with his boldness saying – IF IT BE THOU, BID ME COME UNTO THEE ON THE WATER. Just think about that for a moment! Peter asked to get out of the boat!
• When is the last time you asked Jesus if you could do something for Him?
• Are you just complaining about what you have to do for Him?
• We are always asking Him to do something!
• Isn’t about time we ask Jesus, “What can I do for You?”
Peter quantifies by saying “IF.” This was not doubting that it was Jesus, this was said in an attempt to ensure Peter does not get ahead of Jesus.
• Perhaps because of the Wind Peter could not fully recognize the voice of Christ
• Perhaps because of how the Rain was beating down on the waves it distorted the voice of Christ
• Peter has sense enough to wait to recognize the voice of Christ
We have to learn how to identify the Voice of the Lord before we are sent out.
• We blame the Lord for a lot of things He has never said
• We Falter and Fail because we went out and responded to the wrong voice
• II CORINTHIANS 11:14 “AND NO MARVEL; FOR SATAN HIMSELF IS TRANSFORMED INTO ANGEL OF LIGHT”
• So Peter says “IF”
The “IF” was critical because what Peter was about to ask next was dependent upon the Response. Peter goes onto say “IF IT BE THOU, BID ME COME UNTO THE ON THE WATER.” This is incredible faith exhibited by Peter.
FOR THE REST OF THE DISCIPLES, THAT WAS ENOUGH. Most of the disciples were content to trust that it was Jesus speaking to them, but of course, Peter needed to push the envelope. It was always Peter needing to push the envelope. “IF IT’S YOU, LORD, HAVE ME WALK ON THE WATER TO YOU.” What was he thinking!??! But Jesus said “Okay, Peter; you come.” Peter actually walks for a few steps on the surface of the sea, but then he remembers that he is in the midst of a storm and he takes his eyes off of Jesus and begins to sink. “Lord, save me!” he screamed, and Jesus reached out and pulled him from the water. When they got back into the boat, the winds died down, and the sea became calm, and those in the boat recognized again that Jesus was the Son of God.
Of the twelve disciples, only Peter had the courage to take this step. He knew this was going to be tough. He knew something supernatural was going to have to happen in order for him to be successful. But, he saw Jesus doing it, so he knew there was hope. He took that step out of the boat trusting that Jesus would not let him down. Peter accomplished something greater than any other human. He walked upon the water.
• Church, I am telling you this morning, if you dare to step out of the boat
• Step out of church as usual
• Step out of the pew, and you trust Jesus to supply the power
• You will accomplish great things and see great things happen in your Life and in this Church
At this point Peter is not being impetuous. It’s not as if he just jumps out of the boat and starts walking. That would have been presumptuous and foolish. Matthew is very clear that Peter asks for permission first. If Jesus says no, then Peter stays in the boat.
• But Jesus didn’t say no. He said, “COME”
• Not sure I would have stepped out at this point
• Probably would have said “Well Lord, You Called My Bluff”
• Probably would have said “Ok, Lord Stop Playing” – “Don’t Play Like That”
--When Peter asks to come out unto the Water
--Jesus response was simply “COME”
--Come: It’s really just another way of saying - You can do it - It’s your turn – Start – Jump - Go, (Quit making excuses) (Break free of your fears) Live your faith
--He is saying the same thing to us today
--His simple message has not changed
--Jesus says Come to the next level in your Christian Walk
--Jesus says Come draw even closer to me
--Jesus is inviting you to come home to the Father today
--If you need Salvation, Jesus says, “COME!”
--If you need Peace in your life, Jesus says, “COME!”
--If you need Healing, Jesus says, “COME!”
--If you are living far away from God, Jesus says, “COME!”
--No matter how far away you are from God, Jesus says, “COME!”
