{"id":1939,"date":"2023-08-13T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-13T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1939"},"modified":"2023-10-23T21:19:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T04:19:20","slug":"eleventh-sunday-after-pentecost-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/13\/eleventh-sunday-after-pentecost-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Matthew 14:22-33
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What Is a Christian?
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Someone Who Overcomes Doubt with Faith!
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22<\/sup>Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23<\/sup>After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24<\/sup>but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
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25<\/sup>During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26<\/sup>When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. \u201cIt\u2019s a ghost,\u201d they said, and cried out in fear.
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27<\/sup>But Jesus immediately said to them: <\/span>\u201cTake courage! It is I. Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/i>
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28<\/sup>\u201cLord, if it\u2019s you,\u201d Peter replied, \u201ctell me to come to you on the water.\u201d
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29<\/sup>\u201cCome,\u201d<\/i> <\/span>he said.
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Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30<\/sup>But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, \u201cLord, save me!\u201d
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31<\/sup>Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. <\/span>\u201cYou of little faith,\u201d<\/i> <\/span>he said, <\/span>\u201cwhy did you doubt?\u201d<\/i>
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32<\/sup>And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33<\/sup>Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, \u201cTruly you are the Son of God.\u201d (NIV1984)
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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Doubt.  Can any of us honestly say that we never have any doubts about anything?  Regardless of our age, our gender or our social standing we are all too often and all too easily haunted by doubt.  \u201cWhat kind of job should I get?\u201d  \u201cHow do I decide which classes to take?\u201d  \u201cHow can I be sure?\u201d  \u201cWhat if I fail?\u201d  Our lack of faith reveals itself in doubts about our career, doubts about our marriage, doubts about our finances\u2014 and sometimes even doubts about our eternity!  Unresolved doubt can cause anxiety, depression and even emotional paralysis. Doubt can immobilize people, it can immobilize families, and it can even immobilize congregations.  Doubt can weigh us down so that we feel as though we are sinking into murky waters.
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Doubt.  Since doubt can have a very powerful negative impact on us and since God\u2019s children are not immune to doubt, today we are going to conclude our sermon series on <\/span>What Is A Christian? <\/span><\/i><\/b>by seeing how the Holy Spirit emphasizes this truth:  <\/span>A Christian Is Somone Who Overcomes Doubt with Faith!<\/i><\/b>
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Our text for today takes place directly after the feeding of the 5,000\u2014 which was the focus of last Sunday\u2019s sermon.  Matthew makes that timing very clear when he says to us, <\/span>\u201cImmediately, 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.\u201d<\/i>
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Why did Jesus <\/span>\u201cimmediately\u201d<\/i> <\/span>tell His disciples to get in the boat and go to the other side of the lake, the Sea of Galilee?  There are two reasons.  First, in John\u2019s Gospel we\u2019re told that after Jesus fed the 5,000, the people were prepared to <\/span>\u201cmake him king by force\u201d<\/i> <\/span>(John 6:1-15).  Jesus knew how dangerous this temptation would be for His disciples.  Since the disciples did not yet have a clear understanding of Jesus\u2019 mission here on this earth, the prospect of Jesus being crowned as <\/span>\u201cking\u201d <\/span><\/i>would have been very alluring to them.  Since Jesus knew that this temptation was more dangerous for His disciples than the fury of the storm they were about to encounter on the Sea of Galilee, out of love and concern for His disciples He <\/span>\u201cmade the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side\u201d<\/i> <\/span>of the lake.
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Second, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go the other side of the lake so that He could spend some quiet time speaking to His heavenly Father in prayer.  What did Jesus pray about?  While the Holy Spirit chose not to answer that question specifically, considering the circumstances it\u2019s not difficult for me to envision that Jesus prayed for the thousands of people who experienced the miraculous feeding, but completely misunderstood His mission here on this earth; that He prayed for His disciples whose hearts may have been pondering the \u201cmissed opportunity\u201d for Jesus to be crowned <\/span>\u201cking;\u201d<\/i> <\/span>and that He prayed for Himself.  He needed His heavenly Father to calm His own heart and to see this \u201copportunity\u201d to be crowned <\/span>\u201cking\u201d<\/i> <\/span>for what it was\u2014 a temptation from Satan to take His focus <\/span>off <\/span><\/b>of the cross (Pointing to the cross), <\/span>off <\/span><\/b>of the goal of His Father\u2019s Plan of Salvation for this world!
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Matthew then broadens our focus to include Jesus\u2019 disciples.  Look at verses 23-27.  Matthew writes, <\/span>\u201cWhen 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.  During the fourth watch of the night <\/span><\/i>(which was from 3:00 am to 6:00 am) <\/span>Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him, they were terrified.  \u2018It\u2019s a ghost,\u2019 they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them:  \u2018Take courage!  It is I.  Don\u2019t be afraid.\u2019\u201d<\/i>
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The Sea of Galilee was notorious for its sudden fierce storms.  In fact, the disciples had already been caught in one of these storms.  You may recall the time when Jesus and His disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when <\/span>\u201ca furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped\u201d<\/i> <\/span>(Matthew 4:35ff).  The disciples went to Jesus\u2014 who was asleep in the back of the boat\u2014 and cried out, <\/span>\u201cTeacher, don\u2019t you care if we drown?\u201d<\/i>  Do you remember how Jesus responded?  First, He said to the wind and the waves, <\/span>\u201cQuiet!  Be still!\u201d<\/i> <\/span>and then He said to His disciples, <\/span>\u201cWhy are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?\u201d<\/i>  This time, however, Jesus was not with them in the boat.  This time the disciples were all by themselves\u2014 in the middle of the night, exhausted after rowing for perhaps nine hours, with the boat being <\/span>\u201cbuffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.\u201d<\/i>
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The darkness, the late hour, the imminent danger of drowning and the physical exhaustion all came together to arouse a superstitious fear in the hearts of Jesus\u2019 disciples when they saw Jesus walking on the water.  Their reaction?  Matthew tells us, <\/span>\u201cThey were terrified.  \u2018It\u2019s a ghost,\u2019 they said, and cried out in fear.\u201d<\/i>  Jesus\u2019 reaction?  Matthew shares that with us too, <\/span>\u201cTake courage!  It is I.  Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/i>  Jesus lovingly re-focused the faith of His disciples, didn\u2019t He!  This glorious Gospel imperative took the fear and the doubts away and enabled the disciples to put their faith in the One who could help them and protect them!
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Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?  Have you ever had the prevailing winds in your life turn from a gentle reassuring breeze into a furious squall that left you feeling alone and afraid?  \u201cMom fell and is in the hospital.\u201d  \u201cGrandpa had a stroke.\u201d  \u201cYour position has been terminated.  You have 20 minutes to gather your belongings and then this person will escort you out of the building.\u201d  When the winds of change and the waves of adversity arise suddenly in our life\u2014 how do we react?  How do we feel?  We may feel frustrated and fearful.  We may feel as though our faith is suddenly very fragile.  We may feel as though waves of doubt are sweeping over us and are about to swamp us.
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Then our Savior does for us what He did for His disciples.  Through the power of His Gospel message\u2014 as it comes to us in both Word and Sacrament\u2014 Jesus says to us, <\/span>\u201cTake courage!  It is I.  Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/i>  That simple message has the power to overcome our doubts with faith!  When the storms of life threaten to overwhelm us, when Satan tries to beat us down with a barrage of doubt coming at us over and over again like angry waves on the ocean, our faith enables us to overcome that doubt by leading us to lift up our eyes to the cross (Pointing to the cross) and listen\u2014 listen as Jesus says to us, <\/span>\u201cTake courage!  It is I.  Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/i>
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\u201cTake courage!  It is I.  Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d  <\/span><\/i>The apostle Peter certainly took that Gospel imperative to heart, didn\u2019t he!  Matthew goes on to tell us, <\/span>\u201c\u2019Lord, if it\u2019s you,\u2019 Peter replied, \u2018tell me to come to you on the water.\u2019  \u2018Come,\u2019 he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, \u2018Lord, save me!\u2019  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  \u2018You of little faith,\u2019 he said, \u2018why did you doubt?\u2019\u201d<\/i>
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There are two key points we need to emphasize here.  First, after Peter received permission from the Lord, Peter stepped out of the boat and started walking on the water toward Jesus.  It was going miraculously well\u2014 until?  Until Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and started to look at the wind and the waves!  As soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, as soon as Peter lost his focus\u2014 he began to sink!
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How often have we done something similar, my friends?  How often have we allowed the winds and the waves of the storms we encounter on our journey through this world to divert our eyes and our hearts from Jesus?  From His cross?  From His holy Word?  From His holy Supper?  How often have we found ourselves sinking into a sea of doubt because we allowed ourselves to be distracted from the deep, rich, spiritual blessings the good Lord has already given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord and focus on the shallow temporary material blessings that this world holds before our eyes?  If ever, whenever we find ourselves in that type of danger, we need to do what Peter did.  We need to turn to our Lord and cry out, <\/span>\u201cLord, save me!\u201d\u2014 <\/span><\/i>and He will!
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Secondly, note very carefully that Jesus <\/span>could have <\/span><\/b>saved Peter by simply speaking a command.  Instead Jesus allowed Peter to both feel His love and experience His power by reaching out His hand and taking hold of Peter.  Jesus still does this for us, my friends.  When we are in danger of sinking into sin or shame, doubt or despair, we cry out to Jesus and say, <\/span>\u201cLord, save me!\u201d<\/i> <\/span>and out of love Jesus reaches out His nail-scarred hands to lift us up out of a swirling sea of sin and shame, to rescue us from our doubt and despair.  How does Jesus allow us to feel His love and to experience His power today?  Sometimes He uses a fellow Christian or a pastor to point out our sin and assure us of His forgiveness.  (Pointing to the cross)  Sometimes He finds a way to lead us to a particular portion of His holy Word to assure us that when Jesus willingly stretched out His hands on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill\u2014 He did so to recue us!
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After reaching out His hand to rescue Peter, the Lord also admonished Peter, <\/span>\u201cYou of little faith, why did you doubt?\u201d<\/i>  Put this admonition into context, my friends.  Peter had just seen Jesus feed over 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish!  Peter had just stepped out of a boat and started walking on a stormy sea\u2014 simply because Jesus said to him, <\/span>\u201cCome.\u201d<\/i>  The <\/span>only <\/span><\/b>reason Peter began to sink was because of his own <\/span>doubt<\/b>!  Instead of joyfully walking toward Jesus like a child walking toward their parent with their arms held out in front of them, Peter looked at the wind and the waves and doubted\u2014 doubted that what he was literally doing was possible!
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Before we start shaking our heads at Peter we need to ask ourselves, \u201cHave we ever stepped out of a boat and started to walk on water\u2014 even for a moment?\u201d  To put it another way, has our faith ever allowed us to \u201cstep out of the boat\u201d and do something that humanly speaking is impossible\u2014 all because Jesus told us that this is what He wants us to do?  Notice that Jesus\u2019 question to Peter was <\/span>not <\/span><\/b>\u201cWhy did you come? Why did you step out of the boat?\u201d  No, my friends, Jesus\u2019 question to Peter was, <\/span>\u201cWhy did you doubt?\u201d<\/i>  We, of course, know that there is no good answer that Peter could give to Jesus\u2019 question.  Right?  Why then do we doubt Jesus when the storms of life are swirling around us?  Again, there is no good answer to that question, is there.
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Thankfully our text does not end on a negative note.  Look at what Matthew says in the closing verse of our text, <\/span>\u201cAnd when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, \u2018Truly you are the Son of God.\u2019\u201d<\/i>
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This is what we need to take home with us today.  When Jesus uses our faith in Him to overcome the doubts that arise in our lives\u2014 we need to <\/span>worship <\/span><\/b>Him!  (Pointing to the cross)  We need to <\/span>worship <\/span><\/b>Him by gathering together in His holy Name.  We need to <\/span>worship <\/span><\/b>Him by letting the light of our faith shine brightly in our lives.  We need to <\/span>worship <\/span><\/b>Him by faithfully sharing with others that Jesus\u2014 <\/span>our <\/span><\/b>Jesus!\u2014 <\/span>is <\/span><\/b>\u201cthe Son of God\u201d<\/i>!
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Doubt.  Our three great spiritual enemies\u2014 the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh\u2014 will continue to use the adversities we encounter in our life to try to get us to doubt our God, to doubt the promises He has made <\/span>to<\/b> <\/span>us, to doubt what He has done <\/span>for <\/span><\/b>us.  My prayer this morning is that whenever our enemies try to drown us in doubt, we will stay focused on Jesus and listen to Him as He lovingly says to us, <\/span>\u201cTake courage!  It is I.  Don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d<\/i>
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As Christians we overcome our doubts with faith!
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To God be the glory!
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Amen
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Matthew 14:22-33 What Is a Christian? Someone Who Overcomes Doubt with Faith!   22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1939\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}