1.
Please pray with
me. May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our
Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word this 9th
Sunday after Pentecost comes from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the 14th
chapter, we’ll be looking at verses 22-33.
This text follows what we read in the Gospel of Matthew last week. Jesus had just finished feeding the five
thousand (Mt 14:13–21). There should’ve been no doubt in Peter’s mind about
Jesus’ mighty power over every area of life and nature, after all, he fed the
5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. But, how soon the disciples, and
we, forget. When we confront challenges in our lives, our faith often becomes
weak because we rely on our own strength instead of on the power and wisdom of
God. In those moments Jesus comes to us
and says, “Take Heart, I Am Here,” dear
brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
Imagine receiving this
note from our Heavenly Father each day as you wake up. “Good
morning: I am the Lord your God. Today I will be handling all your problems. Please
remember that I don’t need your help. If the devil happens to deliver a
situation to you that you can’t handle, DO NOT attempt to resolve it. Kindly
put it in the SFJTD (Something For Jesus To Do) box. It will be addressed in MY
time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, don’t hold on to it or
attempt to remove it. Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your
problem. If it’s a situation you think you are capable of handling, please
consult me to be sure that it’s the proper resolution. Because I don’t sleep
nor do I slumber, there’s no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest, my child. If
you need to contact me, I’m only a prayer away.
Love eternally, The Lord Your God.”
3.
In our text today from Matthew’s
Gospel Jesus reveals His divine presence to His disciples by walking on the
sea. When the disciples witness this
they say, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
We see that as long as Peter keeps his eyes on Jesus, he also is able to walk
on the water. Like Peter, we often look away from the object of our faith and
focus on our problems and doubts. Although we know the Son of God is with us and
provides for all our needs, we still worry and fear. Jesus says, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
His powerful arm reaches out to steady us and guide us. Matthew 14:22–33 says, “22Immediately [Jesus] made the
disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he
dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the crowds, he
went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there
alone, 24but the boat by this time was a long way from the land,
beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25And in the
fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26But
when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said,
“It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus
spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28And Peter answered him, “Lord,
if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29He said,
“Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he
cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand
and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?” 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And
those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
4.
Our failure as followers
of Jesus is partly our inability to see our Savior as being interested in
helping us in the small ordinary situations of life. Oh yes, we easily
see Him stretched in agony on the cross for our sins, but do we see Him
concerned about paying the bills, over an argument with our neighbor, or about
a disagreement with your husband or wife?
That’s why the greatness of our Heavenly Father is found in this:
that God is concerned about your minor problems. He knows your weaknesses
and sympathizes with you. We often fail to find help from God because of
our little faith, not God's inability to help.
5.
We can learn this from
looking to the Sea of Galilee and see how Jesus showed, in a miraculous act,
that He’s victorious over our weaknesses. Suddenly a violent windstorm
swept down on the ship with the disciples. Jesus comes to them, walking
on the water, climbs into the ship, and the stormy winds calm down.
6.
Doesn’t this remind us
of crises & conflict that can happen to us in our lives? A car
accident sweeps into our lives causing severe injuries, or a heart attack or
stroke strikes. Then Jesus comes and "climbs into our boat" with His outstretched hands of mercy and
healing. Once again we find hope in His promises and strength in His
Word. The stormy winds of life vary.
They come as doubt when we question the mercies of God. Or, some
forgotten sin comes back to haunt us and we question God's love. Yes,
even sickness and death comes into our home and we cry out, "Why us?" We lose our job in a
depressed economic time; frustration and disappointment help make the future
look dismal.
7.
Dear friends we’ve all
experienced situations like these haven’t we?
And, unless Jesus comes into our dark nights with His comfort and hope,
we wallow in bitterness, hopelessness, and despair. He removes fear,
anxiety, and uncertainty. He tells us, "take heart, it is is I. Do not be afraid."
8.
When the apostle Peter
was walking to Jesus on the water and started to sink in the large waves, he
panicked and cried to Jesus for help. Jesus reached out and grabbed him. How
often we despair, certain that we’re sinking in the pressures of life or that
the overpowering forces of sin are closing in on us. Then let us hear
Jesus reach out to us and say, "Take
heart, it is I." Our Savior is here to help us!
9.
Yes
friends, Jesus removes fear, uncertainty, and anxiety, and in the end brings
peace and heaven. No matter what storms
arise in your lives, Jesus pilots us to safety through each of them and at last
brings us to the haven of eternal security.
10.
“Take heart, I am here,” says Jesus. The darkest night is less lonely and less
empty with the Savior at our side. Under
us, holding us up, are His everlasting arms.
We need not face a single issue of life alone. With every problem, we can come to Him and
know that He has salvation. That’s
encouraging.
11.
“Take heart, I am here” said Jesus to the
man who was paralyzed (Matthew 9:1-8). “Your sins are forgiven.” And so a spirit of joy filled his
day. Have you ever noticed that the
feeling of guilt takes the joy out of life?
The forgiven soul has been released from the bondage of sin. This fills the heart with an unspeakable
blessedness. Christian people are
joy-filled people.
12.
“Take heart, I am here” said Jesus to His
disciples on the way to the garden where He was betrayed (John 16:33). “I have
overcome the world.” Wickedness,
injustice, cruelty, dishonesty, hatred, and deception seem to take over things
and control all the important positions of life. We Christians often feel as though we’re
fighting a losing battle with sin, error, and unbelief. But in the darkest hour, Jesus is here to
help, to save, and to cheer. By His
grace and in His strength we can face even death and smile, “for You are with me; Your rod and Your
staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
13.
Prayer: Jesus,
gracious Savior, take me by the hand today and lead me through each perplexing
and troubling hour. Without you I sink,
I faint, I fall. Help me. Give me a greater faith, a larger hope, and
an abiding sense of security. Grant that
Your promises fill my heart and mind with a blessed cheerfulness and undying
courage that leans on You, the rock of my salvation. Here my cry, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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