In the midst of the storm

Sermon notes from Sunday 19 February 2017

Matthew 14 verses 22 - 36

Matthew, Mark and John`s gospels record this incident of the disciples in the little boat out on the waters in the Sea of Galilee when a storm arose.  They were told to enter into the ship and go to the other side of Capernaum.  All was well then things began to change.  The winds could be felt getting up.  The waters started to beat into the boat.  John tells us that it was dark.  Imagine being in a boat in these conditions.  Everything you try to do you cannot do, you cannot escape from it, the darkness begins to impede into your being.  You are in desperation and become depressed.  It is dismil.  The Lord is not with them.  He has left them.  He is up in the mountain praying.  He has them in his view. He knows where they are.  The Lord knows where you are tonight, even in the darkness of your soul.  There was also a fear in the disciples hearts too.  There is maybe that fear in your heart too.  A fear of the future.  Peter in that boat, once he knows the Lord is coming to him he shouts.  "Lord if it is you bid me to come to you."  The Lord bids you to come to him tonight.  He wants to save your soul.  Peter got out of the boat, all fear seemed to have gone.  He began to walk to the Lord and then he began to sink. In the midst of our circumstances Christ is calling us.

The uncertainty of the times.  How quickly for these men did the times change.  Hours earlier they were sitting on the mountainside listening to what Jesus was saying.  A great multitude was sitting listening to Jesus.  How quickly times changed.  How uncertain times are.  Your time is uncertain.  "It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgement."(Hebrews 9 verse 27)  We are born in iniquity and one day we must stand before him and give an account.  Nothing is hidden from his eye.  Maybe things are beginning to change for you right now.  Maybe things don`t look as they used to look.  Maybe the future is uncertain for you.  See these men earlier in the day gathered with the crowds.  The people had no food and the journey home was long.  Jesus told the disciples to feed them but what would they feed them with?  They found one boy with 5 loaves and 2 fishes and with those the disciples fed all the people sitting on the hillside.  An unfailing supply.  We find an unfailing satisfaction in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Lord is able to save to the uttermost, break every power in your life.   These men found great blessing in and out of the crowd.  As Jesus disperses the crowd he tells his disciples to get into the boat.  That is when things began to change.  The times are uncertain.  We do not know what another day may bring forth.  We have an opportunity of closing in with God`s offer of mercy.  We see all around us nothing we can depend upon in this world.  You only have to watch the news, hear the radio, the pound in our pocket is fast losing its value.  So uncertain.  Pension is gone.  The health we thought we had is all uncertain.  Now as the days go on the day begins to fail.  See it through the pages of scripture.  See Job coming out every morning, see him looking down through the fields, seeing the servants there doing a days work when all of a sudden everything is taken away from him.  He lost everything in a day.  Life has become so uncertain.  Don`t we see that in the old Philippian jailer.  He had a good job then at midnight everything started to fall around him.  In 2 Kings 4 the Shunamite woman saw Elisha passing her house every day.  One day she said to her husband "lets do something for this man."  She put in that room a little bed, somewhere for Elisha to rest.  God gave her a son.  God gave her the blessings that particular day but how quickly it turned.  That young man one day out in the field took a pain in his head and before his mother came for him he was dead.  What are you depending on?  On something that will one day crumble and leave you?  On that final day when Christ comes again will you be left behind?  All because you never been to the cross of Calvary, come in repentance and trusted Christ as your own personal Saviour.  The uncertainty of the times.

Peter as he stepped out is unable to manage  - verse 30 "and beginning to sink".  Peter realises he was unable to manage in these uncertain times.  Jesus says to us "without me you can do nothing."  Have you got him tonight?  Is he in your heart tonight?  Was there a moment when you allowed Christ to come in and cleanse you from your sin.  Jesus comes tonight and he has done everything you need.  He will satisfy the longing in your soul.  He will one day take you into the splendours of heaven to be with him for all eternity.  Sadly tonight you haven`t opened the door to him.  Sometimes life gets too much for people.  Peter looked at the storm and he began to sink.  Could do nothing for himself.  He cried out "Lord save me."  Jesus is however still coming.  In the story of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 when everything was falling around him he felt nothing more he could do.  He wanted to kill himself with his sword.  He came to that point in his life where there was nothing more to live for.  The end of the journey is at hand.  Life meant nothing to him any more.  Peter found in the gloom a hand that would not fail him.  A master who would listen to him.  There is one who is ready to listen to you.  Ahithophel was a counsellor of David. Whenever this man spoke he spoke with the oracles of heaven. (2 Samuel 16 verse 23)  It was as if David was listening at the very knees of God.  When Absalom turned against his father David, Ahithophel went with Absalom.  His counsel was no longer respected or desired.  He went out and hung himself. (2 samuel 17 verse 23)  Couldn`t handle the unchanging times.  Don`t take any chances tonight.  If you have not taken Christ as Saviour and Lord take him as your friend and Saviour now.

The urgency of the action.  Peter did the only thing he could do.  He cried out "Lord save me".  That is all we can do.  For a time Peter was OK but then he began to sink.  The Psalmist said "this poor man cried and the Lord heard and saved him out of all his troubles".  We might criticise Peter for all sorts of things, getting out of the boat, crying out but he was at the Lord`s command.  He called in time.  One day time will slip out into eternity.  maybe you will have left it too long, put it off so long that the opportunity passes you by.  Your call will be too late.  You can believe on him tonight.  There is an urgency - today is the day of God`s salvation not tomorrow.  He wants to save you tonight.  He got into uncertain waters and he cried out "Lord save me."

An unfailing hand.  "and immediately" verse 31  When he began to call out he was saved immediately.  You will never be saved until you come to the fact that you realise you are lost in your sin.  It was immediate for Peter and it will be for you too when you cry out to God to save you.  Christ reached forth with a hand that was unfailing.  "No man will pluck you out of my hand." (John 10 verse 28)  Remember the old thief on the cross "Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom".  The Lord said to him "today you will be with me in paradise".  Do you want to be saved tonight?  To be sure of heaven tonight? Trust Christ now.