Jesus Removes our Fears
John 6:16-24 Matthew 14:25-33
Two gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor, and a young trainee were checking meters in a suburban neighborhood. They parked their truck at the end of the alley and worked their way to the other end. At the last house, a woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter.
Finishing the meter check the senior supervisor challenged his younger co-worker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck, to prove that an older guy could still outrun a younger one.
As they came running up to the truck, they realized that the lady from the last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong. Gasping for breath she said, "When I see two gas men running full speed away from my house, I figured I’d better run too."
Have you ever been scared of something? Maybe You’ve never been scared that your house was going to blow up or something. But have you ever been scared of something; I mean really scared? Maybe it was a first date, a job interview, white water rafting, or bungee jumping. Several years ago, a man by the name of S.L. Potter celebrated his 90th birthday by bungee jumping off a 210-foot platform. He was interviewed afterward, and he said, "I'm cold, I'm tired, may I please have my teeth back!" When anxiety comes into our lives, fear can slow down our steps and cause us to seek complacency rather than step out in faith. Where do you go to have your fear alleviated? Today I want us to look at a story in John 6.
The disciples were riding an emotional roller coaster. Jesus had just fed a crowd of thousands by multiplying a little boy's lunch. John 6:14,15 says, "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."
The other gospels tell us that Jesus withdrew to pray. He knew he needed that quiet intimate time with his Father, and that was more important than being followed around by a crowd. From this story let’s first notice:
I. The Apprehension of the Disciples John 6:16-18
Look at John 6:16-17. “When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus hadn’t joined them yet.” Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the boat because He knew they were in danger. You see the crowd was now pumped up and there was a movement among the masses to make this miracle worker their King. In their eyes, He was their new food supplier, and free food at that.
But before the scene could turn into a political rally and the disciples started getting their egos involved, Jesus thwarted their plans. He sent them out in the boat to cross the sea of Galilee and verse 15 of John 6: says that “He retreated to the mountains”, in other words, He gave them the slip and they couldn't find him.
John 6:18 says, "A strong wind was blowing, and the waters grew rough."
That's why they were apprehensive. Have you ever been out on a boat, with some friends, and suddenly the weather conditions change? You’re a long way away from where you can dock, and you see the sky changing. It becomes a race against time.
The disciples were crossing near the northern shore, where the width of the Sea of Galilee was a little less than 6 miles. They’d been in a country place belonging to a city; Bethsaida.
Now Jesus sent them toward another Bethsaida, a suburb north of Capernaum. The name Bethsaida means a fishing place, so it's not surprising that the same name was given to two different villages beside the Sea of Galilee.
While they were rowing, they found themselves going into the storm, and they were rowing hard, but not making much progress. The Bible says when they were about halfway across something happened.
Do you know what happened?
II. The Appearance of Jesus John 6:19-20
That's the 2nd area that we want to study.
Now notice that Jesus is the one who sent his friends in the boat. Wait a minute, “I thought Jesus knew everything? Why would he send his buddies into such danger?” Well, I think in his wisdom He knew that they were in greater danger if they stayed with the crowd, because worse than fierce winds and high waves would be the disciples being swept away by the excitement of this fanatical crowd, who evidently put them on a pedestal simply because of their close relationship with Jesus.
Look at what happens, look with me at John 6:19-20. “When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid."
Matthew and Mark's gospel tell us that they thought it was a ghost, and understandably, the white-capped waves with deep troughs in between them would intermittently show the form of Jesus, and so as He walked, he would come in and out of their view.
While we can be frightened from being in His presence, and there is reverence and fear, we still can experience incredible release when we see Jesus and realize who He is. But there was another reason for that storm and for the storms that come into our lives. You see the Lord has to balance our lives; otherwise, we’ll become proud and then fall. The disciples had experienced immense joy in being part of a thrilling miracle. Now they had to face a storm and learn to trust the Lord even more. The feeding of the 5,000 was the lesson, but the storm was the examination after the lesson.
Sometimes we're in the storm because we've disobeyed, like Jonah when he headed in the opposite direction from God's will.
Other times we face storms because we’re being obedient to God's will and plan for our lives, that’s what happened here with the disciples. God’s just showing his faithfulness and commitment to his promise, that He will never leave us, or forsake us.
God is not our strength FROM storms, he is our strength IN storms.
Let’s look thirdly this morning at . . .
III. The Attempt by Peter Matthew 14:25-32
Matthew 14:25-28 (READ!)
“During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," he said. (this is so typical of Peter; he hears one word) Then Peter got down out of the boat . . .”
Stop right there, I can picture at this point, Andrew hollering to John, get out the net, my brother’s about to drown, everybody, get ready. They’re all looking for a life preserver.
Look at v. 29, “Come, he said, Then Peter got down out of the boat walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”
I would love to have seen his face when he took that first step, and I'd love to have seen the disciples' faces while he was walking.
Read with me v. 30, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Now it's impossible to SEE the wind, but you can't say that to a guy who's walking on water! I think the meaning here is that Peter started noticing all the things around him, the effects of the wind, and he took his eyes off the one who was enabling him to walk on the water.
v. 31 says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" I think Jesus allowed him to walk in order to shut the other disciples up. And I believe that Jesus allowed Peter to fall to shut him up!
I mean, can you imagine how tough it would have been to live with Simon Peter if he hadn’t fallen? His buddies see him going out to his boat, “Hey! You going fishin?”
Peter says, “No, water skiing.” They say, “Well, where are your skis?” And Peter smugly says, “Don't need any!!!”
But what a memory for Peter.
Look at v. 32, “And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”
What a story! Peter, in the face of fear, stepped out in faith.
A war veteran was standing beside a young man staring at quite a scene. The street was lined with crowds, cheering the marching regiments about to leave for overseas to fight in the war. The young man who had watched the crowd for some time, asked, "Who are all those people cheering?
The veteran replied, "They’re people who aren’t going."
It takes a lot of courage, to defy the odds, to go against the majority, to take a risk and say, “Okay God, I'll try something big for you.” To go instead of just cheer.
And as he sat in that boat soaking wet, Peter's mind must have been thinking, I'd rather have walked on water and look like a drowned rat, than to sit bone dry in a boat, having never ventured a step. And we would agree. You may fail, you may fall. But my friends, it’s better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail.
When was the last time you tried something big for God? Have you tried to patch up a struggling friendship, tried to have regular prayer time or Bible reading time, or have you taken some steps toward accountability?
Stephen Brown said, "We ought to pray for the strong because they are weak."
Years ago, Charles Stanley said that he was struggling with some opposition. During that time, an elderly woman from his church invited him to her retirement community for lunch.
And although he was very busy and under some serious pressure, he went and ate lunch with her. Afterwards, she took him up to her apartment and showed him a picture hanging on her living room wall. It was a picture of Daniel in the lion's den. She said, "Young man, look at this picture and tell me what you see."
Dr. Stanley looked at the picture and saw that all the lions had their mouths closed, some were lying down. Daniel was standing with his hands behind him. Stanley told the lady everything he knew to tell her. Then she asked, "Anything else?"
He knew there must be, but he couldn't see anything else. She put her arm on his shoulder and said, "What I want you to see is that Daniel doesn't have his eyes on the lions, he has his eyes on the Lord."
The next time we're afraid or our problems seem insurmountable, then let’s turn our eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.
Look at Matthew 14:32-33. "And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who
were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
Notice this was in the presence of only the disciples, not the masses.
This is one of several times that the disciples make a statement on the heels of a miracle and proclaim that Jesus is Deity, God in the flesh.
When Jesus was asked, “What's the greatest commandment?” He said, “To love the
Lord with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself.” That statement was a beautiful summation of the New Testament.
The next time you’re afraid remember this story, remember the One who can calm the storms in your life and can give you the ability to do the impossible if you just step out in faith. You see Jesus really does alleviate our fears.
Years ago, evangelist E.V. Hill was interviewed before a Promise Keepers conference. The reporter asked what are 50,000 people going to do for 2 days.
Hill responded, "Well, we’re going to talk about Jesus and worship Him.
The reporter said, "That's all?".
The next day Hill said, "He doesn't realize how much that is."
Jesus really is all that you need.
Let me close this morning by describing the Christian life this way, "You start with Jesus, you stay with Jesus, you finish with Jesus. It doesn't get any better than Jesus."
