Theme: The Storms in the Life of a Christian
Text: Matthew 14:22–33
Introduction
As followers of Christ, we will inevitably face many challenges in life. The life of a Christian is a constant battle, and we are always in danger from various trials. This is because Satan seeks to prevent us from being faithful to God, and he directs his attacks at Christians.
In this study, we'll look at the experience of Peter walking on the water with Jesus. We'll see how Peter's lack of faith caused him to sink. Similarly, our own lack of faith can cause us to be overwhelmed and sink in the "storms" of this world. Our sight and our faith must always remain on the Lord, or we risk being submerged by the storms of life.
By examining this passage, we hope to learn valuable lessons that will help us avoid sinking, just as Peter was about to do.
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I. Jesus on the Sea (Matthew 14:22–25)
A. Jesus Dismisses the Crowd and His Disciples John 6:15 tells us why Jesus was in a hurry to dismiss both the crowd and his disciples: The crowd wanted to make him king. Knowing their intentions, Jesus had his disciples get into a boat and go ahead of him.
B. Jesus Prays Alone After the disciples left, Jesus went up a mountain by himself to pray (v. 23). Jesus was consistent in prayer, always seeking opportunities to be alone with God.
• We see him praying in a solitary place before he goes out to preach in other cities (Mark 1:35).
• Before he chose the twelve disciples, he went off alone to pray (Luke 6:12).
• When faced with his own death, he went off alone to pray (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44).
Jesus was a man devoted to prayer, and we should be constant in prayer, imitating his example (Romans 12:12). We should pray in every circumstance of our lives, especially when we are making important decisions. Solitude is essential for prayer because it removes distractions and interruptions. Prayer is our chance to talk with God, and we should imitate Jesus's constant devotion to it.
C. The Disciples' Struggle While Jesus was praying, the disciples were in trouble. Their boat was being "beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them" (Matthew 14:24).
The sea here represents the world, and Christians will often find themselves in the midst of a storm. Acts 14:22 tells us, "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." Therefore, we must always seek God's help (Hebrews 4:15-16) to receive timely aid.
We will have both moments of peace and moments of difficulty. We must have patience to endure the trials, as Luke 21:19 reminds us: "By your endurance you will gain your lives." The disciples didn't panic this time, unlike a previous occasion when Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith (Matthew 8:23-26). They kept going despite the wind because Jesus had given them the command to "go ahead of him to the other side" (Matthew 14:22). Similarly, we must press forward despite the difficulties we face, because God has given us a command: "Be faithful unto death" (Revelation 2:10).
We shouldn't despair in any of the storms that arise in our daily lives. After the storm, the calm always comes, and God is always on our side to help us. When difficulties arise in the church, many people despair and leave. There will always be challenges, but we must have patience, knowing that a calm will follow the storm.
D. Jesus Walks on the Water Jesus comes to them, walking on the sea (Matthew 14:25). This is a clear demonstration that Jesus is God. Who else can walk on water? No one but God has this power.
E. The Disciples' Fear The disciples cried out, not in joy, but in fear, because they thought they were seeing a ghost (Matthew 14:26). When we're not right with the Lord, many things can cause us to fear.
F. Jesus's Reassurance Jesus is always there to help us. He immediately reassures them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid" (Matthew 14:27). He gives them courage, just as he gave Paul courage (Acts 18:9-10), telling him to keep speaking because God was with him. God is with us every day of our lives (Matthew 28:20), and we have no reason to fear anyone but God (Matthew 10:28).
Jesus knew that their fear could cause them to make a mistake. Many people make errors because of fear, and that shouldn't be the case for us.
II. Peter's Request (Matthew 14:28–31)
A. Peter's Boldness Peter asks Jesus to command him to come to him on the water. We see Peter's boldness and courage in his willingness to go to Jesus. Peter was always a very impulsive person, and this often got him into trouble.
• In Luke 22:31–33, he insists he is ready to die for Jesus.
• He cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant, Malchus (John 18:10–11).
• When Jesus announces his death, Peter rebukes him (Matthew 16:22–23).
Peter often got into trouble because he didn't think things through. He didn't have bad intentions; he just acted on impulse. We, too, often get into trouble because we fail to reflect on the things we are about to do. We should always meditate on our actions before we do them.
B. Peter Walks on the Water Peter wants to go to Jesus, but notice that he doesn't ask to walk on the water just to experience it. He wants to go to Jesus. Peter first asks for a guarantee: "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you" (Matthew 14:28). We must ask and know that what we are about to do is pleasing to our heavenly Father before we do it. We should not do things without consulting him first.
When Jesus commands him, Peter steps out of the boat and walks on the water toward Jesus. He was doing very well as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. This is a powerful lesson for us. We must fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and set our minds "on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). When we keep our eyes on Christ, we will walk well, even when there are difficulties in our lives. But if we look away from him, we will sink in the storm.
C. Peter Sinks This is what happened to Peter. Everything was going well, but when he "saw the wind" and the strength of the storm, he became afraid and began to sink (Matthew 14:30). He took his eyes off Jesus.
When we take our eyes off Jesus, we will sink into the things of this world. Peter was walking toward a destination: Jesus. But he lost sight of that destination. We also have a destination (1 Peter 1:13), but if we take our eyes off it, we will never arrive; we will sink before we get there.
D. Peter Cries for Help Peter cries out for help, and Jesus immediately reaches out to him (Matthew 14:30-31). Jesus is always near to help us in any situation if we seek him with our hearts. He knows how to "deliver the godly from temptation" (2 Peter 2:9) and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). He is always near his children to help them out of their difficulties, but we have to ask for his help (Matthew 7:7). We must have faith in his power (1 Peter 1:5). God's help depends on us seeking it.
E. The Calm After the Storm Just as storms come, they also go. They are not eternal and won't last forever. We have no reason to despair when they arrive. We should face them with patience and calmness. We must be mature Christians, faithful to the Lord.
See Also:
- Preaching on Intimate Relationship with God Revelation 3:20
- Preaching on Prudence: A Necessary Virtue in Christian Life
- Preaching on Jairus's Daughter: Jesus Always Helps Us
Conclusion
The life of a Christian is full of challenges, but we must have patience and faith to face them and not be overwhelmed. If we don't, the consequences can be disastrous for us.
Let's not be cowards in the face of the storms of this world. Instead, we must keep our eyes on the prize God has prepared for us by keeping our eyes on Jesus. God is always there to help us, but it's up to us whether we will accept his help.
