The Master’s Touch
Matt 14: 30-32
Any person truly touched by the hand of Jesus is ever the same again. A little girl on a city bus approached a grouchy, dirty, old woman. “Are you a gwanma? I got a gwanma. I wuv gwanmas.” There was a change made in the countenance of the old woman at the touch of the child’s hand.
No greater change can be made in a person than when Jesus touches him. The leper in Matt 8 “If You will touch me…” The maniac of Gadara-lived in the tombs until Jesus came his way, touched him and left him clothed and in his right mind. A cripple met Jesus, was touched and went on his way leaping and praising God. The widow of Nain wept as she followed the coffin of her only son to the cemetery. They passed Jesus who touched the boy’s hand and restored his life.
Jesus is still touching and changing people even today when men are saying God is dead. God lives in the hearts and lives of all who are touched by the hand of the Master. When you are touched by Jesus things change.
One of God’s common commands is “Fear not.” There are approximately 366 “fear not” verses in the Bible. That figures out to about one for each day of the year, including leap year! For many people fear doesn’t seem like the most serious problem or vice in the world. No one ever receives discipline for being afraid. Fear has never made the list of the seven deadly sins. So why does God tell us to stop being afraid so much? Could it be that the reason is that fear causes us to lose our faith and commitment to God, thereby stopping whatever spiritual progress gained? When we lose our faith and commitment to God we stop doing what He wants us to do with our lives. It was fear that caused the Israelites to murmur and rebel in the wilderness. It was fear that caused 11 of the 12 spies who were sent to investigate the Promised Land to testify that they could not take the land. It was fear that turned away the rich young ruler; fear that caused Peter to deny the Lord; and fear that caused the very people Jesus came to save to cry out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” Fear is serious business in the spiritual world.
Fear is paralyzing. Fear creeps into our lives by a dozen different doors. Fear of failure. Fear of heights. Fear of crowds. Fear of disease. Fear of rejection. Fear of unemployment. Fear of what others are saying about you. Fear of moving away. Fear of height or depth or distance or death. Fear of being yourself. Fear of buying. Fear of selling. Fear of financial reversal. Fear of war. Fear of the dark. Fear of being alone. Fear poisons our inner peace. It’s a bully that attacks without warning. It’s a bully that relies on scare tactics and surprise attacks. It is always looking for a vulnerable moment and once fear finds it, it strikes quickly to transform spiritual muscle into mush. Fear is serious business in the spiritual world. Matthew 14 is a story about fear, but it is also about faith. There are a couple of lessons we can draw from this text.
I. THE LORD’S HAND IS A HELPING HAND
A. When Jesus said to Peter, "Come," Peter entered the classic struggle between faith and fear. His faith said, “Jump, Peter, go out to Jesus.” But his fear said, “No, Peter, stay in the boat.” And bless his heart, Peter chose faith over fear and that was when he found himself walking on the water with Jesus.
1. But his fear struck again. He saw the wind and the waves, and he became afraid. He lost his faith, his sense of confidence vanished, and he began to sink not only in the sea, but also in his own anxiety and worry.
2. Thanks be to God that his faith came back to life. He cried out to Jesus, Lord, save me! He could have tried to swim back to the boat, after all he was a man of the sea, but he didn’t. Peter lifted up his heart up to Jesus for help, and by his faith he got that help.
3. Scripture tells us that Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him. The Savior did not make Peter tread water for a while. He did not allow the waves to swallow him up nor any harm to come to him. Jesus rescued him at the moment he cried out.
B. We are a lot like Peter. As much as we would rather be more like Paul, we are not. We often find ourselves in situations where fear has quenched our faith. Our intentions were good, our actions were bold, but fear found a way to distract us. But, when that happens it is then time we should apply more faith, just as did Peter.
1. How many times have you found yourself in situation where all you could say was, Lord, help me? Lord save me? Be honest with yourself. We each have had times where those are the only words we can utter. Yet as simple as they are, they work. They did with Peter.
2. Jesus heard his plea; he also hears ours. He feels the urgency of our plight. He sees our struggle with fear and faith. Yet, He does not wait for us to go under. He does not wait for us to figure it out for ourselves. When we call out to him, He immediately extends His hand to help, to rescue, and to save.
Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear for I am with you; do not be anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 59, "The Lord’s hand is not shortened that is cannot save, nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear."
Psalm 138:7 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.”
Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
C. The next time you find yourself in trouble, floundering in fear, call out to the Master. Use your faith to reach out to Him, and He will reach back.
II. WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS WHEN OUR HAND IS IN HIS HAND
A. What happens next in our story is a most amazing event. It caught me by surprise, and maybe it will surprise you as well. After Jesus had rescued Peter from sinking in the sea, Scripture tells us that they went back to the boat and got in. Think about that for just a moment.
1. They were some distance from the boat when Peter began to sink. It is implied that Jesus pulled him up out of the waves. But how did they get back to the boat? There are only two options. Either Jesus carried him, or they walked together on the water. I am convinced that they walked on the water again. In fact it is stated as such when the text says they climbed into the boat. They, together, yet as individuals, stepped from the waves into the boat. Can you imagine this scene? Here they are walking hand in hand across the storm-tossed waves, finishing the journey of faith together. And in so doing, Peter is given a second chance to experience the miraculous. This is the kind of thing that happens when one holds on to the hand of the Master.
B. Scripture tells us that He is the shepherd and we are the sheep. Being sheep we are in desperate need of direction and guidance for our lives. So, when we cling to Him, hold to His hand, He will lead us down the right path, His path, the path of righteousness.
1. It is His hand that gives us strength when we are weak; help when we are in trouble, assurance when we are worried, and peace when we are distraught. Our steps are made sure, our decisions are spiritually directed and most importantly our souls find safety.
Psalm 23:1-3 Proverbs 3:5,6
Revelation 7:16-17 “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd and will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eye.
C. Trust God in the midst of your failure. This is your life. There are no helicopters coming to rescue you; or magic genies to pop out of a bottle to grant you a wish. Success will only come to those who are willing to fail. So, step out, trust God and live the life He has given you to the best of your ability. Your hope and focus must be on Jesus Christ. When Peter was focused on Jesus he was empowered to walk on the water. But when his focus was diverted to the waves, the storm, his fear short-circuited his faith, his ability to receive God’s sustaining power. Hope got him out of the boat. Trust held him up. Fear sank him. Everything hinged on whether he was focused on Jesus or the storm. We must keep our trust in Him, our hope focused on who He is. We must truly believe that “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” While this is not a blank check, it does mean that I can have great confidence that I can face whatever life throws at me, that I never need to give up, that my efforts have potency, because of the One at work within me. What is your mind focused on? We must become serious about what we feed our minds. We are very serious about what we feed our bodies. We are a health conscious society. We have diets galore. We have Slim Fast shakes and bar, NutriFast shakes, wheat germ shakes, or deep-dish pizza diet (just kidding!). While we are so intense about what we put into our bodies, we are so cavalier about what we put into our minds. It is vitally important that you pay close attention to what you feed your mind.
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, or whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing…think about these things” In other words, ‘feed your minds.”
D. If you are going to retain your hope, to live in Hope; to remain focused on Christ during the storm of life, you must pay close attention to what you feed your mind. There are two laws of life that we need to pay attention to:
1. The Law of Cognition. You are what you think. Your thought life influences every aspect of your being. Cognitive psychology is built around the truth that the way you think is the single most determinative thing about you. The psychologists have discovered what the Scripture writers already knew. Paul wrote, “Don’t be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Jesus said a “good tree cannot produce bad fruit and vice versa.” What was He saying? Simply this, there is a connection between our inward condition and our outward behavior.
2. The Law of Exposure. Your mind will think most about what it is exposed to. What you allow to repeatedly enter your mind; what you allow to occupy it, to dwell there will eventually shape your mind and will at some time express itself in what you do and what you become.
(Illus: violence on tv/movies; skinny models; beauty; porn., etc. We need to be alert to the fact that the events we attend, the material we read or don’t read, the music we hear, the images we watch, the conversations we have, the daydreams we entertain, all are shaping our minds and ultimately our character and destiny.
3. We must put these laws at work for us. If we really want to become a hopeful person focused on Christ, we must begin to think thoughts that produce Christ like characteristics. Expose your mind to the Word of God, to books, tapes, people and conversations that will incline you toward confidence in God. Begin to ask God to allow you to see people as He sees them (the person Christ wants him/her to be), do whatever is necessary to keep focused on Chirst throughout the day and the hope He brings. What does a mind focused on hope look like?
A woman was diagnosed with cancer and was given three months to live. Her doctor told her to make preparations to die, so she contacted her pastor and told him how she wanted things arranged for her funeral service—which songs she wanted to have sung, what Scriptures should be read, what words should be spoken—and that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible. But before he left, she called out to him, “One more thing.” “What?” “This is important. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor didn’t know what to say. No one had ever made that request before. So she explained. “In all my years going to church functions, whenever food was involved, my favorite part was when whoever was cleaning dishes of the main course would lean over and say, “You can keep your fork.” It was my favorite part because I knew that it meant something great was coming. It wasn’t Jell-O. It was something with substance—cake or pie—biblical food!” “So I just want people to see me there in my casket with a fork in my hand, and I want them to wonder, “what’s with the fork?” Then I want you to tell them, Something better is coming. Keep your fork.” The pastor hugged the woman goodbye. And soon after, she died. At the funeral service people saw the dress she had chosen, saw the Bible she loved, and heard the songs she loved, but they all asked the same question, “What’s with the fork?” The pastor explained that this woman, their friend, wanted them to know that for her—or for anyone who dies in Christ—this is not a day of defeat. It is a day of celebration. The real party is just starting. Something better is coming.
Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand. That is sound, Biblical advice. God’s hand is always there to help us in our times of need. He will never fail us, although we often fail Him. And when we do hold to His hand, He will lead us in the way we ought to go. The God of water-walking and empty tombs has a message for you. Jesus says to all who labor and are heavy hearted: to all who get discouraged or fall into temptation, to anyone whose mind ever strays to the garbage dump, to people like you and me who sometimes lose hope, He still says, “Don’t look down. Keep your fork…”
