Lord Save Me

Q: What does the Bible say about faith?

The Bible teaches that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith, as described in Hebrews 11:1, is both the substance of what we hope for and the evidence of unseen realities. It involves believing in God's promises and the work of Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness before God. This faith is not our own but a gift from God, enabling us to trust in His word and the power of Christ's sacrifice. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), highlighting its critical importance in the life of a believer.

Q: How do we know that Jesus is in control of our problems?

Scripture affirms Jesus' sovereignty, as He walked on water amid a storm, demonstrating His authority over nature (Matthew 14:22-32). The account of Jesus walking on water during a storm illustrates His sovereignty over all creation. He approached the disciples in their distress, revealing that even in chaotic situations, He remains in control. This demonstrates His power and ownership over the elements, reassured by His call to Peter to come to Him. In the storms of life, we are reminded that Christ is sovereign, and we can trust Him completely to navigate through difficulties. Our faith is evident in our ability to believe that Christ is able and willing to help us in our trials.

Q: Why is looking to Jesus important for Christians?

Looking to Jesus is vital because He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). For Christians, looking to Jesus is essential as He is the source and completion of our faith. Hebrews 12:2 instructs us to run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Him. This focus on Christ helps believers to navigate life’s challenges by trusting in His power and righteousness rather than their own efforts or understanding. When we look to Jesus, we find strength, comfort, and direction, especially in difficult times when doubts may arise. Faith in Him provides the assurance we need to persevere and to cry out in our times of need, just as Peter did when he started to sink.

If you would, turn with me to Matthew 14. Matthew 14. Matthew 14. And we'll begin in verse 22. Matthew 14, verse 22. And straightway, Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and to go before him and to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto 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 for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and called him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. This account is found, of course, in a couple of other of the Gospels, as they are called. But this is the only one that speaks of Peter walking on water. Christ had his disciples to go over to Capernaum without him. Do you think he knew what was going to be taking place here?

In all of these accounts, it speaks of a storm arising on the sea. But I found this interesting and none of them do I read or is there that they were scared because of the storm, not in this instance anyway, at least not initially. It does say they were rowing hard because of the wind and the storm and it made them exert more energy to fight that wind to get to the other side. But we do not read that they were scared at this point because of the storm.

Christ sent them ahead, and then as we read, he walked on the water to get where they were headed to in the ship. And when he gets close to the ship, they see him walking on the water. The Lord has the power to do what he wills. And this is water that he is walking on.

It's a storm with waves and so on. It does not say he calmed the storm to walk on the water. He walked on the water in the midst of the storm. And he didn't, it doesn't say here that he commanded the water to do anything. He just walked on the water, waves and all. But the ship was being tossed with waves, it says. We see his power here, his ownership and his sovereignty.

But these here were not said to be scared of the storm. They feared when they saw Christ. But they were not sure it was Christ at first. They thought it was a spirit. But what comforted them was when Christ spoke. His words comforted them. It is I, be not afraid is what he says. Christ tells us in John 10, 27, my sheep hear my voice and I know them. and they follow me. But he also says this in John 10. If you'll turn over there to John 10 with me. John 10 and we'll read just the first five verses. John 10 verse 1.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber, but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. God's people know when God's speaking to them. They do that by this word and by his spirit. Those who are his will know when he speaks to them and they will follow him and they will be comforted.

But then we have Peter saying to Christ, Lord, if it's you, bid me to come. He was asking Christ to bid him to come to him and that walking on the water. The Lord did bid him come to him. So Peter began to walk on the water, that's what it says. He got down out of the ship and began to walk on the water. He was looking at Christ and talking to him and started walking toward Christ to go to him on the water.

But then he started looking at the storm, the wind and how powerful that storm was. Then it says Peter was afraid. At one point they were rowing hard just as they always would when they were in a ship and they were in a storm. They did what they knew to get, get the boat to the other side through a storm. They were fishermen, they knew this.

But now Peter is afraid when he looks at this storm as he is doing as Christ bid him to do and that is to come. Peter starts to think about himself and his ability and not what Christ bid him to do and that is come to him. He started out walking on the water, but then when he looked at the storm, he evidently began to go down.

We're told in scripture, Matthew 21 and 21 and 22. Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. But if we don't receive, why is it that scripture says we do not receive that?

James 4, 1 and 2. From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence even of your lust that war in your members? Ye lust and have not. Ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. Ye fight and war, yet ye have not because ye ask not. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your own lust. Now I just want to say, I'm not saying Peter asked amiss. It does not say he did.

He asked believing and Christ gave it to him because he was walking on the water to Jesus Christ. But he started to look at the storm rather than Christ. who is the one that bid him come on the water to him. He believed Christ by faith, and so Christ enabled him by faith to walk on water. But then his unbelief caused him to start sinking. This was all the purpose of God, because all of this happened. Jesus Christ is in control of all things, even the storm. If he bid you come, come believing, he will get you to himself, wherever he is, through whatever storm you may be going through.

And I wanna talk about faith today. Substance and evidence in faith's actions. So first, substance and evidence. Hebrews 11, one, we read, now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We are told that Christ and his faith is the righteousness of God without the law. Who Christ is and what he has done is the substance and the evidence. What is it that I hope for? To stand before God righteous.

But there's nothing but failure in looking at what I do. There is no substance if I am looking at what I do. No substance and no evidence. I know there in Hebrews 11, it goes through a lot of examples of those who have faith and things they did, and we'll look at that a little bit. But we are first talking about the substance and evidence of things we hope for and things that are not seen.

I hope to stand before God as righteous. Because if I do not stand before him as righteous, I will not stand at all. I do not see righteousness before God by looking at what I have done. All my righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. But ah, when I look at him whose faith is righteousness before God without the law, There is where I can see righteousness before God. When I am enabled to look to Him, I can see all things can be done. I know if He bids me come, I can walk on water, if it's Him doing the bidding.

Just to be clear, we're not talking about us going out here to a lake or the sea and walking on water. We're talking about doing something that is totally impossible apart from Jesus Christ and his faith. It also tells us in Hebrews 11 and 6, it says, but without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. We cannot believe without God's faith. Faith is God's. We do not have faith, not that faith that believes God without him giving us that faith. We know that here.

We know the passage, Ephesians 2.8, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that, that is the grace, being saved, and faith, is not of ourselves.

It is the gift of God. If he does not give it, you will not have it. But God does not give gifts like someone leaving something at your doorstep to pick it up. Or under a tree when you come into the room that you might open it and then possess it. He gives it to us. One moment it is not there, but then the next, it's there. And when he speaks, we can hear and believe.

Romans 12.3 says, for I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. And it says they're a measure. You can say a limited portion, that's what the word means.

He gives faith. When he does, you have it. Not because you accepted it, but simply because he gave it. It's not given to you to accept or reject. It's given that you might believe. And if he gives it, you certainly will receive it. We do not work up faith. We are given faith and it works in us, belief. God does not believe for us. But by nature we have not the ability to believe him. Faith enables us to believe what he has done. If what you say you have is faith and it looks to those things that you do as substance and evidence, it is not the faith of Christ that you have. It's a dead faith. Because faith given by God looks to who Christ is and what he has done. And I know this is not new to you all, but I don't have anything new.

This is all I know, it's all I can proclaim, and that is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He is that substance, and what He has done is the evidence that I stand before God righteous. Because if I stand before God, I stand in Jesus Christ, who stands before God righteous.

Only in Him will I ever be righteous before Him. His righteousness to be perfect is this, to be perfect as He walked on this earth and do everything the Father sent Him to do. His righteousness is to die being made a curse and sin for His people and raising to life. And those raising in Him, He is our righteousness.

I have nothing to boast in, but this faith given does do things. It moves toward Jesus Christ. Back in Hebrews, we read a lot of the examples before, we've read that before, of faith in action, if you will. And we first read of Abel on the first one.

It mentions, it says, by faith he offered a more excellent sacrifice. He offered a sacrifice and that's what God accepted. It was a sacrifice that involved the shedding of blood. And this offering pictured or looked to that one sacrifice that Jesus Christ made. He shed his blood for his people. This is what is acceptable to God. That's the sacrifice of his son. What is it that Cain sacrificed, if you will?

The works of his hand. Those fruits of his labor is what he offered to God. God does not accept the works of our hands. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. It was not that what Cain did in intending and keeping his garden that it was wrong in and of itself. It was thinking that what he did was acceptable to God. God only accepts his son.

We're told, ain't it? We're told by faith he was translated. He had nothing to do with this translating. But it also says this, that before his translation, he had this testimony. He believed God. Believing God pleases God. We do this by his enabling and not by our works. Noah, it says, was warned of God.

By God given faith, he believed God. because he did what God told him to do even though rain had never been seen on the earth before. No one had ever seen rain. And for us, maybe that would not be so hard to believe since we've seen rain often. But at that time, it had not rained not one time on the earth.

No one listened to Noah and what God had told him. He preached the righteousness of Jesus Christ for around 120 years. And no one believed him. The only ones with him was those that entered in the ark, seven people. Eight souls out of however many people there were on earth at that time. It was no small number, I can tell you that, who perished. Or those who were condemned of God, not a small number. Yet Noah by faith believed God and built the ark. Faith moves toward God in believing the record God has given of His Son.

Faith does not look to what we do even in believing God and doing what He says. They do not look to that. We do not look to our believing. They look to God that would save them because they believed Him and did what He said to do because they knew He would save them. And you can go on down through these, and none of these did anything that pointed to what they did. The words that are said do not point to what an individual has done. What was done was all done in belief of God and his record that he gave of his son. Even though they may not have known all the details that we know now, they knew it was God who would save them. They all believed this. Back to our text. If you notice here, there were more than just Peter on this ship. Others who were disciples of Christ.

But Jesus Christ will deal with everyone individually and he does this in trials that try our faith. You might be with a group or in a group, but you will be dealt with by Christ individually, one-on-one, if you will. Someone who has been given faith wants Christ to bid them to come to him. It is their desire. And when he does, they will come when they hear him speak. But Christ will do this, and often so in the middle of a storm. Faith looks to Christ for strength and power to do anything. Christ tells us, you all know this, without me, ye can do nothing. Looking to him, you can do things you could not do otherwise. Namely, believe him. If you would, turn back with me to Hebrews 11, because I want to read the end of that kind of a passage. Hebrews 11, beginning in verse 32. Hebrews 11, verse 32. And what shall I more say?

For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets. who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented." And remember, this is all triumph here. We're talking about triumph here. of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and in caves of the earth.

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect, Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Faith does not look to itself. It always looks to Jesus Christ for everything. In these trials, if we do this, that is if we start to look to ourselves, we will begin to sink. As we've said here before, when God takes his finger or his hand from us for a moment, we will begin a downward spiral, always.

We began to look at ourselves and what we can or cannot do. What did he, that is Peter, do? It says, he began to doubt. That's what happens when you start looking at yourself, you begin to doubt. Doubts will arise, unbelief will arise, but faith looks to Jesus Christ always. He is the substance, and what he has done is the evidence. Although we might have little faith, the faith that he gives in measure is enough. And I like what Robert Hawker said. Christ says here, O thou of little faith. But thank God he did not say, O thou of no faith. Faith given by Christ will look to Christ for everything.

Triumph comes from Him. When Christ in these trials, when He, puts us in this place, He will cause us to do one thing and one thing only, to look to Him, who authored the faith and have finished that faith that He has given us. He was the one that did this, especially in salvation. He cried out to Christ, Peter did when he was in trouble, Lord, save me. Jesus Christ will save all that come unto God by him. Faith has action and that action is always in belief of Jesus Christ. We must cry just as the one man did, Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief. He will come nigh to you and bring you to safety and the storm will be no more. It will cease, for a time anyway, Look to Jesus Christ. He is the only one that can save you. Amen.

Oh dear old God, help us dear Lord. We can do nothing without you dear Lord. Cause us to look to you dear Lord. We get to doing things in this world and then we do have to take care of the things that we do, work and so on. But dear Lord, keep our eyes set on you and doing those things that honor your name. All these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.

Lord Save Me

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about faith?

How do we know that Jesus is in control of our problems?

Why is looking to Jesus important for Christians?

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Lord Save Me

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about faith?

How do we know that Jesus is in control of our problems?

Why is looking to Jesus important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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