Sunday, March 12, 2023

Doubt

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Matthew 14:22-33 “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” 

 

Our Pastor Kyle preached  this morning on this great passage of the Bible, but the moral of the story is not about supernaturally walking on water, as much as it is about our faith and unbelief / trust and doubt and staying focused on the Lord; His statutes, commands, teachings, direction and promises. 

 

After feeding the 5000 men, plus the women and children from five loaves of bread and two fish by miraculously multiplying them, enough to feed them all and have twelve baskets of left-overs, Jesus tells his disciples to get in their boat and row across the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum, off Gennesaret. Remember that a disciple is defined as a student, a learner; a scholar; one who receives or professes to receive instruction from another, but also a follower; an adherent to the doctrines of another. Hence the constant attendants of Christ were called his disciples; and hence all Christians are called his disciples, as they profess to learn and receive his doctrines and precepts. Their Lord Jesus told them to go, so they obeyed. Jesus stayed behind to dismiss the crowd that He fed and to go pray to His heaven Father before meeting up with them on the other side later.

 

Well, the weather started getting rough and the tiny ship was tossed. They were halfway across, staining to row against a stiff headwind, when Jesus came walking by on the water. The depths of the Sea of Galilee was known as the abyss where the underworld resided, so seeing a figure supernaturally walking on the water, concluded that it was a ghost. Jesus proclaims “don’t worry; be happy, it’s just me.” Peter requests and is granted to supernaturally walk on the water with Him, but gets caught up in the fearful reality of the storm and the gravity of the situation physically and sinks because he took His mind’s eye of Jesus. 

 

The lesson was in Jesus’ comment: “why did you doubt?” Not just in Peter’s lapse of faith and confidence of being able to walk on water, even though Jesus was. But, also the general faith in God. Jesus didn’t say, “get in the boat, row half way across, be swamped by a storm and drown.” He said, “go to the other side of the lake”, and the disciple of the Son of the living God should have had faith and full confidence that they would reach where the Lord told them. This was not a man; the God/man (fully God and fully man), God incarnate – Omnipotent God in the flesh, Emmanuel – Almighty God with us. And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. John 6:21 adds Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. The Laws of nature obey their Creator.

 

Jesus is the immoral  and infinite Son of God, sent by the Father as Savior of the world to restore what was lost by sin. The finite must have complete faith in the infinite and all-powerful God who is beyond time, space and matter. as we know it. The mortal person must have complete faith in the immortal and ever-existing God. The natural man must have complete faith in their supernatural Creator of heaven and earth. The physical human being must have complete faith in the spiritual reality of God. “Why did you doubt?” Focus on Jesus and have faith!

 

In Christ, Brian

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