Seeking once again the Lord's
gracious help to grant me the words to speak to you this evening,
I'd like you to turn to the chapter that we read together, Matthew
14, and the text you'll find in verse 27. But straightway Jesus spoke unto
them, saying, Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. I have been, over the last few
weeks, following on one sermon from another. It seemed to have
come that way. But as I drove home, this passage of scripture seemed
to be laid in my mind. be not, it is I, be not afraid. I know a few months ago I think
I spoke from it, but it is such a wonderful comfort to the Lord's
people in the midst of difficulty, in the midst of trial, in the
midst of temptation, in the midst of fear, to know that the Lord
Jesus Christ is with them in that pathway that they are walking
in. We notice that in this chapter
that we have read together John the Baptist had just been killed
or it is recently been killed and the Lord Jesus Christ goes
off into a desert there to maybe contemplate or help his disciples
come to terms with what has taken place and as he goes off into
that desert place the multitudes follow him. And as the time comes, the apostles or the
disciples begin to say, surely we should send them away for
it's getting towards evening. We know that the scripture tells
us Jesus had compassion towards them. He healed their sick and
he was going to give them something to eat. He said they do not need
to depart but give ye them to eat. We know that there was only five
loaves and two fishes but the Lord Jesus Christ performed a
miracle in which those 5,000 plus people were able to be satisfied
and that 12 baskets were taken full of the remainder of that
meal. After that the Lord Jesus constrained
his disciples to get into a ship And we know that the Lord Jesus
Christ knew exactly what he was doing all of the time and why
he was doing it. He knew by going into the desert
that the amount of people would follow him. He knew that there
would be five loaves and two small fishes. He knew that he
would be enabled to divide and to perform a miracle to feed
that amount of people. and he knew that he was going
to send his disciples across the sea and that a storm was
going to come and he would not be with them. The Lord Jesus
Christ would be in prayer on a mountain throughout the night. The scripture tells us that as
the disciples began to cross the sea there was a storm in
the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, and the wind was
against them. It was contrary to them. It was
blowing them back to the place where they had left. And in the fourth watch of the
night, the Lord Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. We know
that the Jewish evening, the watches were divided up into
three hours from six o'clock six o'clock in the morning and
so the fourth watch of the night was three until six. He left
them struggling we could say, rowing. He left them struggling
on their own with everything against them until the last moment
then he appeared to them. We notice that in the scripture
that is often how the Lord deals with his people. He leaves them
until the right moment when they are about to give up, when they
feel totally overwhelmed, when they feel like they're in complete
despair, that he arrives at the precise moment when they're almost
going under because of the load that they are carrying. is never
late and he is always on time. Though he may seem to be late
to us he is never late for he knows exactly what he is doing
all of the time. Remember the account of Lazarus
and how he was laid in the grave four days and the Lord Jesus
Christ waited He waited for that specific time so that he would
arrive there on the fourth day after Lazarus had been laid in
the grave to prove who he was, that he had the ability to raise
a corpse from the dead that had been laid there for four days. He was not late. He knew exactly
what he was doing. He knew exactly why he was delaying
his going there. and he went at the exact right
time. And the Lord Jesus came to his
apostles at the exact right time. He constrained them to get in
the ship. He sent them on their journey. He sent them knowing exactly
what they would pass through while he went to the mountain
to commune with his father, the heavenly father. He says, and
he went up to a mountain apart to pray. And he was there alone. And the fourth watch of the night,
Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. And when the disciples
saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is
a spirit. And they cried out in fear. This morning we looked at that
multitude and how they were easily influenced by being in a group
of people. And one moment they're crying
out, Hosanna. And then a few days later they're
crying out, Crucify him. Or here is another group of people. a group of men who were the apostles
of the Lord Jesus Christ and they were in a storm. A storm
that Christ himself had sent them into and he was going to
come and meet with them at their darkest hour. These are men who you had thought
naturally would have been quite strong, quite confident, having
the ability to sail we don't read that they were afraid of
this storm but they were afraid of what they saw walking to them
on the water. There are some people in life
or we could say the majority of people who should be afraid,
who should be living in fear, they are not afraid. those who
are walking in the darkness on the broad road that leads to
destruction who have God as their enemy. They walk without a care
in the world almost and yet there are those who should not be afraid
because they are the Lord's people yet they seem to walk in a shadow
of fear and we find that these apostles apostles of the Lord
Jesus Christ who should not have been afraid when they saw what
they deemed to be a spirit. We find them afraid. The Lord's sheep are timid sheep. The goats seem to have all the
confidence but the Lord's sheep are often very afraid. we were in Kenya we used to see
the difference or especially with the goats they would be
all over the place climbing up this thing and that thing they
seem to have no fear eating anything but it's different. The Lord's
sheep are a timid flock, easily startled, easily afraid but really
they should not be. The unknown had brought them
into fear. They thought they saw a spirit.
They were unsure about what was going to happen and how often
it is isn't it with us that it's the unknown that brings us fear. We can't look beyond the moment
that we're in and we try to And fear comes in. The unknown pathway. And we begin to panic. We begin
to be filled with fear and we are startled. And we forget about
the Lord Jesus Christ. We forget that it's the Lord
Jesus who has constrained us to go into the ship. It's the
Lord Jesus who has constrained us to walk on the narrow way
that leads to life. It's the Lord Jesus who has set
us on our journey, on our voyage. And we forget that he is at the
helm of the ship, guiding everything. And we try to look beyond what
we are enabled and meant to do. And we begin to worry and are
afraid of the unknown. In 1 John. Chapter 4. John speaks there about the little
children. In chapter 4 it says, Beloved
believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they
are of God because many false prophets are gone into the world.
Hereby know ye the spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. and every
spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God and this is the spirit of the antichrist whereof
ye have heard that it should come and even now already is
in the world ye are of God little children and have overcome them
because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the
world Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. And so as the apostles looked
out on what they thought to be a spirit, they were filled with
fear because of this unknown presence that was coming their
way. But should they have realised
that greater is in them than is in the world, that the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit is unable to be driven out by any other
demon or any other spirit of such like. And so as they looked
in the storm and they saw what they thought to be a spirit they
should have realised Christ's presence is with us. We are Christ's
choice, chosen people. We are Christ's beloved children,
his apostles. Can anything happen to us without
him saying so? But no. They looked into the
unknown and they were filled with fear and then trouble added
to trouble. And sometimes that's how it is
isn't it? They've got the storm, they've got the waves. Everything
is against them and now they've got this spirit that they think
is coming and they panic. All of these things are against
me. It's just one thing after another. Then another thing comes
and we say it's just a straw that breaks the camel's back
and you wonder how much more can we take? How much more? The Lord knows exactly how much
to administer to his people and the very thing that they feared
the most was the Lord Jesus Christ himself and they didn't even
realise. He was coming to them walking on the sea. Another thought that I had was
this was just after wasn't it a great miracle that had taken
place. A great blessing. They had witnessed the feeding
of the 5,000. They had witnessed the Lord Jesus
Christ feeding the multitude of people from five loaves and
two small fishes. And what a great blessing and
encouragement of the faith that would have been. But then immediately
the storm comes and they go from the high to the low. They go from thinking maybe nothing
can touch us now with the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing can overthrow
us now. And Christ then puts them into
a test. I'll show you how weak you are. You think you're strong,
but you're not strong. You are nothing without me. And
this is where we often lose our sight of Christ when we start
looking at ourselves and thinking we can do it on our own. They
just had a great blessing and built up their faith. But Jesus comes to show them.
You're nothing without me. You're just as fearful as you
always have been. And he came to them walking on
the sea. And so the Lord's timid sheep
needed a comforting word from the good shepherd. And often
that is what we desire, isn't it? when the waves and the billows
are roaring and we're feeling to sink under the pressure of
life, under the pathway that Christ has caused us to walk
and we think that we're seeing him add another straw to the
camel's back and we think we're going to crash here. What we
desire is a comforting word from the Good Shepherd John, Jesus
says, doesn't he, in John 10. Verse 27. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. That is what they heard. As they
looked out of their ship, they saw what they thought was a spirit,
but then they heard the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. My
sheep, my timid, afraid, despondent sheep hear my voice and I know
them and they follow me. Be of good cheer, he says, it
is I. It was a voice that they recognised. Above the storm, above the waves
and the wind, a voice that they recognised. It was the voice
of their friend, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was their saviour. And he says, it's I. I. You see,
an unknown voice in the darkness brings more fear. An unknown
voice. adds fear to the fear but a known
voice brings comfort it is I and what a difference
that makes and I thought of this I like an iceberg they say the
top of the iceberg sticks out of the sea you don't see the
rest of it 90% is hidden And this I is like that. Upon this I hangs a multitude
of power and ability and promise. It makes all the difference.
Who says it's I? We used the example before of
someone who is drowning and crying out. And if they cry out and
they find a little child is the only one there to rescue them,
they will be disappointed. There's no hope. Their hope sinks.
But if they look and they see a strong, abled person that makes
all the difference. And Christ, he is the good shepherd
and he gives a good word. And he says, it is I, the all-powerful,
the all-mighty, your friend, the one who has chosen you. I
am the one who is here. It is me. It is I, the one whom
you have just witnessed feeding the 5,000 people. It is I, the one whom you have
just seen heal the sick. Verse 14, and Jesus went forth
and saw the great multitude and was moved with compassion towards
them. And he healed their sick. It
is me, your compassionate friend. Not your hard-hearted enemy,
but your compassionate friend. I have come to you, walking on
the water. I'm the one who is able to help
you and to grant you that peace which nobody else can. I am the
one who chose you. You see, the good shepherd chooses
his sheep and he calls them by their name and he knows them
individually and he comes to them and he says, it is I, it
is me, your friend. The one who has loved you with
an everlasting love. Even though you're filled with
doubts and fears and full of despondency and full of lack
of faith, yet my love is steadfast. It is unmovable. It's never going
to change the way that I feel about you. It is me. I'm come and I'm walking on the
water. And it's me who helped you before. Isn't that a comfort? When you
look back over your life and you see, oh yes, it is my friend,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who has helped me before. And will he
ever fail me again? Is he going to fail me this time?
No, never. He can never fail his friends.
He can never allow one of his little sheep to fall or to slip. into utter despair. Matthew 8. The disciples found themselves
again on a ship. They found themselves again in
a storm and yet this time the Lord Jesus Christ he was with
them in the boat but he was asleep. Verse 23 and when he was entered
into a ship his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose
a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with
the waves, but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him
and woke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. And he said unto
them, why are you so fearful, O ye of little faith? And he
arose and rebuked the wind and the sea and was a great calm.
But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that
even the winds and the sea obey him? It is I, God, manifest in
the flesh, all-powerful, all-mighty God. Why are you afraid? He is the one who stilled the
sea before, the one in which you said, what manner of man
is this that even the wind and the waves obey him? He comes
to them walking on the sea and he says, it is I, don't be afraid. Often, because of our lack of
faith, our lack of unbelief, we are like Peter. And we desire
more than just the words. We desire a blessing upon a blessing. We desire Christ to load us with
promises. Something greater we want. And
Peter wanted something more. If it is thou, there is a doubt
in his question. We don't read it of the other
apostles. But Peter says, if it is, if
it's you. And sometimes we can't see clearly
exactly what is going on and sometimes we do desire that the
Lord grant us a greater blessing, more clarity on the situation. And in his mercy and his compassion,
he says, come, come to Peter. and he got out of the ship and
walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried,
Lord, save me. Peter took his eyes off the Lord
Jesus Christ and looked again at the problems that were surrounding
him. Even though Christ had given him an amazing opportunity to
step out of his comfort zone and to walk on the sea towards
the Lord Jesus Christ, yet he was distracted by what was going
on. And how often that is with us. We can have a promise, we can
one day be filled with such faith and then the next day we come
crashing down and we sink under the same load that we were carrying
yesterday. It is I, be not afraid, he was
told. If it's you, can I come to you
walking on the water? Come. He comes and then he takes
his eyes off Christ and begins to sink. He looks at the things
round about him and he's overwhelmed by them. And he comes crashing
down again. But the Lord heard him. And he
immediately stretched forth his hand and caught him and said
to him, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? He stepped out of the boat. If
it be thou. And Jesus says, why did you doubt? Why? In other words if you hadn't
have doubted, if you had continued looking unto me you would have
continued walking on the sea until you got to me. Why? Doubt is a troublesome thing. If is a troublesome word. If only we could remove them
and be given clarity of sight and greater faith to be able
to lay hold of the promises of scripture and to look but as
soon as we think if and as soon as we have doubt it is like our
faith is a balloon and is popped immediately and we come crashing
down. pin of if and the pin of doubt,
popping the balloon of faith which makes us sink into a greater
despair. Let's thank God for the love
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Good Shepherd, the
comfort of the Good Shepherd. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me. But also there's the power this
good shepherd. The Lord's timid sheep need a
powerful compassionate good shepherd. My mind went to David as David
wanted to fight Goliath as he spoke to Saul in 1st Samuel 17 verse 34. And David said unto
Saul thy servant kept his father's sheep and there came a lion and
a bear and took a lamb out of the flock and I went out after
him and smoked him and delivered him out of his mouth and when
he arose against me I caught him by his beard and smoked him
and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion
and the bear And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of
them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David,
prior to becoming king, was a shepherd. God says, I took you from the
sheepfold and I made you king of Israel. And during his work
as a shepherd, he was able to defend the sheep and the lambs
that were under his care. says the lion and the bear came
and took a lamb out of the flock and if David who is not the good
shepherd but was a good shepherd is able to protect and to care
for his sheep. How much greater is the Lord
Jesus Christ going to take care of his sheep and his lambs when
the lion and the bear come to take them. There came a lion
and a bear and took the lamb out of the flock. How much more
is Christ going to protect his little lambs from the lion that
is Satan who goes around seeking whom he may devour. The Lord
Jesus Christ has far more power than David. David was a good
shepherd, but Christ is the good shepherd. He is all-powerful.
He is all-mighty. Nothing can escape him. He is
able to walk on the sea to his fearful flock that are in the
midst of a storm, in the midst of the sea. He's already done
a great work for them. In the lives of the apostles
he hadn't done that work yet but he was going to do it but
for the lives of his people he has already done a great work,
the greatest work for them. As he chose them, as he lived
and died for them, as he defeated Satan on their behalf He is the
almighty shepherd, the shepherd of his people. And he is able
to protect them from the wiles of the devil, the tricks of the
devil. It is I. Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. I am the good shepherd. I am
the almighty, powerful shepherd. These apostles were afraid when
they saw what they thought to be a spirit walking on the sea. And I wonder what it is that
makes us afraid. What is it that makes us afraid
that Jesus cannot deal with it? That's the only reason why we
would be afraid. You see we feel fear when we
feel that things are out of control. We feel fear when we think that
we cannot be helped. But what fear is there that Christ
cannot deal with? What thing in our lives can he
not overcome? What thing in our lives does
he not have the power to destroy? has done the greater, he has
dealt with our sin, with the sins of his people and now that
every path that they walk down he is able to accomplish everything
for them, he is able to give them the strength and ability
to perform his own will and so why do we fear? We fear because
we lose sight of him We fear because we, just like Peter,
we look at everything going on around about us and we doubt
and we say if. If God is with us why are all
of these things happening? Maybe I'm not a true child of
God. And Satan fans the flames of these ifs and doubts and we
come crashing down. But Jesus says, be happy, be
of good cheer. It is me. It is I. And that I,
remember, is like an iceberg. It is full of promises, full
of power. If you are His, there is no reason
to be afraid. Maybe your sin has risen up like
a storm. Maybe you feel overwhelmed by
it. Well, Jesus is able not to call
the righteous but sinners he came to call. The Lamb of God
which takes away the sin of the world. It is I, don't be afraid. Maybe you believe that your sin
is too much. it could never be forgiven. Maybe
you've committed all manner of evil and Satan tempts you saying
well you're far too bad. Jesus says it's me. Don't be
afraid the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses us from
all sin. Maybe you're afraid of stepping
out in faith, acting in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe
you believe that your sins, which are many, have been forgiven,
but you don't want to step forward in faith. You think you'll come
crashing down. You think you'll sink. But you
will only sink if you're full of doubt and fear. If you say if, What if Jesus
doesn't help me? What if I'm not able to speak?
What if I forget what I meant to say? What if? Satan loves ifs. Jesus says it's
me. It is I. Don't be afraid. Be of good cheer. He says to
Peter, come. Peter says, Lord, save me. He
says, O thou of little faith, why did you doubt of a truth? Thou art the son of God. But
straightway, Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. May the Lord help us then not
to be afraid. Amen. Our final hymn is hymn number
950. What objects this which meets
my eyes without Jerusalem's gate, which fills my mind with such
surprise as wonder to create? Hymn number 950, tune 172. It fills my life with such surprise
and wonder to be here. that birthed him here, the cross
of blasphemy, the salt of hell, the flames of death, ? As fresh as love earthly ? ?
Mindful and righteously so ? ? This joy now, dear see, dear see ?
? Dear Jesus, God's dear Son ? ? Wrapped in humility to all
the crimes that we have done. ? ? Make this I, dear Master, whole,
and see Him weep. ? Jesus Christ, God bless America. Dear Lord, we thank Thee for
Thy Word, we thank Thee for the Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray
that He may speak to us that it is I. We pray, Lord, that
we may know Him as our Good Shepherd, as our friend. He may come and
speak comfortably unto us, that our doubts and our fears may
be removed, and that we may walk by faith on the water, to the
Lord Jesus Christ. You grant us, we pray, a greater
measure of faith and do be with us now as we part from each other.
Do meet together with us on Wednesday and then according to thy will
on Friday and then on the Lord's day. Do bless us again with a
sense of thy presence with us. And now may the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, with the fellowship
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, to be with us each now
and for evermore. Amen.