Matthew chapter 14. We just read
the verses that we'll preach from a moment ago. We want to
look at this miracle of the Lord Jesus Christ. A miracle that
he performed on several occasions, calming the stormy sea. And this
one, as I mentioned, the fourth watch of the night, we read in
verse 25, that was three o'clock in the morning. Three o'clock
in the morning. When I read that and reminded
myself of that, what hour it was, that was the wee hours,
three in the morning. I remembered what the psalmist
David said. Psalm 121, David wrote, he that
keepeth thee, now who is that? It better be the Lord Jesus Christ.
If I'm kept, he's gonna keep me. David said, he that keepeth
thee will not slumber. How about that? He proved that
on this occasion, didn't he? Three in the morning, he wasn't
asleep. Behold, he that keepeth Israel, his true church, his
people, shall neither slumber nor sleep. Isn't that a comforting
thought? Maybe God will bring that to
your memory tonight as you lay down at the end of the day. before
you doze off. Maybe he'll remind us of these
verses that he that keepeth us, though we lie down and sleep,
he never does. He never does. The Lord is thy
keeper. Thy keeper. Talk about a kept
man or a kept woman. Oh, God's people are kept. They're
kept in the hands of their mighty God. It's no wonder, if that
be true, and it is, that David said this in another place. If
the Lord's my keeper, he said, it is vain for you to rise up
early and to set up late. Can you just picture that? That's
a picture of somebody just weary, troubled, you know, anxious,
like Martha, just can't sleep. Just so much on your mind, just
can't sleep. David said that's just a vain
thing for God's people. That's just a waste of time.
It's vain for you to rise up early, to set up late, to eat
the bread of sorrows. Well then what, David? So He,
Christ, giveth His beloved sleep. We just think about it. It's
so sweet to trust in Jesus. Like that little baby, that son
or that daughter, when they were still very young, very young,
infant, and you laid them in that cradle and you looked down
on them, they're sleeping. Oh, they didn't have a care in
the world, did they? No, they shouldn't have. Why
should they? It's our responsibility to take care of them. Oh, even
so, the Lord Jesus Christ never slumbers, never sleeps, but he
gives his beloved sleep, and he watches over them. Watches
over them. Never takes his eye off them. They're never out of his thoughts.
Isn't that something? God Almighty. Much as your faith will allow
you to think about Him, God Almighty, Isaac. We read about it in Psalm
89. Who is the Lord like unto our Lord? There's none, none
in heaven, none in earth. He's the great God and Savior.
Who can be compared to Him? And that great God thinks of
you. He's never not thought of you.
Isn't that something? That's astounding, isn't it?
We read Matthew's account in chapter 14, but we might refer
to the one in Mark chapter 6 and also in John chapter 6. But I
thought when I read this passage and was thinking about it and
felt led, and you may have noticed that my article in your bulletin
is taken from this passage, Matthew 14 verse 27, that perhaps led
to the message. But I thought of a old hymn when
I was preparing this message. And I looked in our hymn book
and I couldn't find it. I suppose it's not there unless
it's called something else. But I don't think it is. But
it was written by a black man years ago. A black man named
Charles Albert Tinley. He was born in Maryland in 1851.
That's exactly 100 years before I was born. His father was a
slave. This man's father was a slave.
And his mother, though, was free. But she died when he was very
young. And in order for him not to become a slave like his father,
they gave him to his mother's sister, his aunt to raise. That
way he remained free. But he said he was required,
expected, and made to work, work hard, even as a youth, as a boy. He wasn't out playing. He was
working. His father would hire him out. Those are his words,
would hire him out. wherever father could place me. So, enough said to realize that
this man knew something about hardship, didn't he? I mean,
I can't imagine being fearful that I might be enslaved, being
the property of somebody else, his father was. But he wrote
this hymn in 1905. And he called it, Stand By Me. Now I gave you just a little
background of this man's life so you could more appreciate,
as I did, the words of this hymn that he wrote. He said, When
the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the storms
of life are raging, stand by me. When the world is tossing
me like a ship upon the sea, O thou who rule as wind and water,
stand by me. In the midst of tribulation,
stand by me. In the midst of tribulation,
stand by me. When the hosts of hell assail,
and they do, and my strength begins to fail, and it does,
O thou who never lost a battle, stand by me. You like that, Billy? O thou who never lost a battle,
stand by me. Now the last verse of his hymn,
I more appreciate now than I did just not long ago, it seems. I have a better appreciation. Somebody asked Brother Scott
one time, I don't exactly know what the subject was they were
asking about, but they said, Brother Scott, do you believe
that? Don't you think that's right? And Scott said, I don't
know. I've not experienced that yet. I've not experienced that
yet. Oh, I'm beginning to experience
this. This man wrote, when I'm growing
old and feeble, stand by me. When I'm growing old and feeble,
stand by me. When my life becomes a burden
and I'm nearing chilly Jordan, oh, thou lily of the valley,
stand by me. Stand by me. Our text will be
verse 27 here in Matthew 14. Straightway, but, but, oh, there's
another one of those blessed buts. Those blessed interjections
of God's divine grace. But, aren't you glad that's there? If that wasn't there, they would
have went down. They would have drowned. Nothing
they did would have made a lick of difference. But, but, straightway,
Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer. Be of good
cheer. It is I. It is I. Be not afraid. The title of this message is
just as we read from that old hymn, when the storms are raging,
when the storms are raging, not if the storms are raging, is
that right, Bobby? But when they rage. Every child
of God knows that. This is a promise we don't like
to claim, but it's a promise our faithful God made to us nonetheless. In the world, you're going to
have tribulation. Don't think you won't. If you
get along with the world, if you don't have any problems in
the world, it's because you're not a child of God. You walk
hand in hand with the world. Oh, but a child of God? Oh, Christ
said, listen, don't you be alarmed. I'm telling you this so that
when it happens, not if it happens, but when it happens, when you
realize that the world hates you just like it hates me, If
you were of the world, the world would love you. They would embrace
you. But you're not. I've chosen you out of the world.
And because I have, they're going to hate you just like they do
me. In the world, you'll have tribulation. Oh, but be of good
cheer. Just as we read here, be of good
cheer. He never loses a battle. He's that one that stands by
us. We have in this text, verse 27,
a real easy outline. I like it when I'm studying or
seeking a message from God and you run across the text or a
verse or verses that there's the outline, just plain, just
easy for anybody to see and follow. You have the first word of comfort
here. Are you looking at verse 27?
Here's his word of comfort to his people, be of good cheer. He didn't say this after the
storm, he said that right smack dab in the middle of the storm.
three o'clock in the morning. They had been rowing and rowing
and rowing all night, and they were in the midst of the sea.
They got stuck in the middle, couldn't go back, couldn't go
forward. And Christ says, be of good cheer. Then you have
a word to encourage. Oh, isn't this encouraging, child
of God? Oh, if he speaks these words
as he did here, it won't be like me trying to convince you of
it. It won't be like me trying to convince myself of it. Oh,
but when he says, he that speaks like never a man yet spake, when
the God man says, when he speaks to his sheep's heart, be not
afraid, oh, my soul. It can do nothing but create
peace and make the storm cease and create a great calm in your
heart. Is that not so? But that which makes these two
things possible, that is, be of good cheer and be not afraid,
and are to be believed and relied on are the words that come right
in between those two phrases. These words, it is I. It is I. If Jesus Christ himself
is not speaking, be of good cheer. Just going to fall on the ground. Right? If he's not the one that's
saying, be not afraid, because when he speaks, it happens. No sooner did he say, Lazarus,
Lazarus, I mean, with the very word went the power to raise
that dead man. He had been dead four days. Martha
said, he's stinking, Lord. You sure you want to roll away
that stone? Better leave him buried and covered up. And the
Lord said, Lazarus. And with that command went life.
Come forth. Come forth, my soul. There's
another example of it's not of him that willeth. or of him that
runneth, but of God Almighty, Jesus Christ, the God-man that
showeth mercy." So when he speaks, when we hear him who says, it
is I, it is I that am thus speaking to you, oh, that's where our
comfort lies. Straightway Jesus spoke to them.
That's our first thought. Let's start here because without
this as our starting place, there would never be the other two
things. They wouldn't be. Jesus spoke
to them. That makes all the difference,
doesn't it? All the difference in this world, when so much of
our time and our life is spent on troubled seas. Is that not
so? Is that not so? It's not smooth
sailing. God won't allow us to have smooth
sailing. If he did, we wouldn't be worth a plug nickel. We wouldn't
appreciate his grace, we'd take his mercies for granted. He sends
the storms to remind us He's the master of the sea. Who's
doing the talking? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Because no one else but Him,
no one else but Jesus Christ can speak thus and make it suffer. No one else but Him. Remember
the reaction of these disciples before this on another stormy
sea? It's in this same gospel. It's
in Matthew chapter 8. I want to hear the pages turn.
Matthew chapter 8, another stormy sea, before this, before this
happened in Matthew 14, this happened in Matthew chapter 8,
verse 24. And behold, and behold, behold, there arose a great tempest
in the sea, inasmuch that the ship was covered with waves,
but he was asleep. You ever been there? In that storm, you think, I'm
going down. I won't make it through this.
I mean, we're convinced I will not get through this. And to
make it worse, we think the heavens are like brass. We cry unto God. We don't feel like God's hearing.
He's asleep. He's asleep. And his disciples
came to him and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us. We perish, my
soul. That was impossible. That was
impossible. The only way they could perish,
if he perished. If that ship went down, just
like in Matthew 14, the same in Matthew 8, if that ship went
down, Jesus Christ would have to go down with it. That's just
not possible. Oh Lord. They said unto him,
verse 26, why are ye, or he said unto them, why are you so fearful? Oh, ye of little faith, the same
thing he said to Peter. Then he arose, oh, then he arose. Can you picture that? He comes
from being asleep. He rebukes them gently, and then
he stands on the deck of that ship. Oh, can you just picture
him? Yes, yes. He was made likened
to his brethren. Great is the mystery of godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh and he got tired. Wow! While he was sleeping he was
tired. He was tired. He laid down to
rest. Yes, he was made likened to his
brethren, but yet he never ceased to be the mighty God. the mighty
God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He never
ceased to be that, and he demonstrates that glorious fact when he stands
on the deck of that ship and says, Peace! Be still! What he literally said was, Quiet!
Quiet! And what happened? The wind ceased,
and there was a great calm. A great calm. And the men marveled,
saying, what manner of a man is this, that even the winds
and the sea obey him? What manner of man is this? This
is that one that was in the beginning with God, was God, that made
everything that was made. Nothing was made without him. Philip, if you've seen me, you've
asked me to show you the Father and you'll be satisfied. Man,
Philip, don't you know? that you've seen me, you've seen
the Father? I and my Father are one. The
very same one that was the eternal Word made flesh is that one who
spoke to the troubled hearts of these disciples as he does
you and I and produces a great calm. Psalm 111, I like this,
Psalm 111 verse 3. Old David knew something about
heartache, didn't he? A faithful prophet delivered
David the message from God and said, David, the sword's never
going to leave your house. Because by what you've done,
your sin with Bathsheba, what you've done is give Israel reason
to blaspheme my name. You did it in secret. You thought
you did. But I'm going to do this thing
openly. David knew something about sorrow. He knew something
about the valley, but he knew something about the mountaintop.
Verse 3 of Psalm 111, his work is honorable and glorious, and
his righteousness endures forever. He had made his wonderful works
to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full
of compassion. He had given meat unto them that
fear him. He will ever be mindful of his
covenant, the covenant he made with the Lord Jesus Christ on
behalf of his people. He has showed his people the
power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the
heathen. The works of his hands are verity and judgment. All
his commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever
and are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption unto his people.
He has commanded his covenant forever, holy and reverent is
his name. Don't call me Reverend, please. Even when people don't have a
clue, don't know any better, call me that, I cringe. Oh, no. Holy and Reverend is his name. He's to be revered. No man, no
man, no preacher, no pope, but the high and holy Lord God. Robin sent me an email the other
day, and I think I shared this with you either last Sunday or
a few Sundays ago, I've asked her to, when she runs across
anything that might be of help to me in the bulletins or just
for my own personal edification, to send it to me. And she does.
And she sent me this by C. H. McIntosh. Perhaps you've heard
of him. But he wrote this. He said, faith
has to do with God and his eternal word. And it's a living link
connecting the heart that has it with the God who gives it.
How about that? That's good. Thank you, hon.
Thanks for sending me that. Faith is a living link that connects
us with the God who gives it. Feelings, he wrote, are occupied
with self. Ain't that the truth? Feelings
are occupied with self. Faith is occupied with Christ.
Feelings look inward. Faith looks outward. Feelings
leave the soul in doubt. Faith leads it into peace. Feeling
has to do with one's own fluctuating condition. Faith has to do with
Christ's enduring sacrifice and God's eternal truth. Faith is
not a thing of the day or tomorrow. It's an imperishable principle. Child of God, if you're concerned
you might one day quit believing, quit worrying about it, that
can't happen. That cannot happen. If God gives
you faith, You'll have it until the day you die. Oh yes, it may
be weak faith. At times it may seem like there's
none at all, but oh, it's imperishable. It's Jesus Christ, the object
of faith, that keeps it alive. Therefore it can't die. It comes
from the eternal source, God himself. Isaiah chapter 40. Now this is that one that said,
it is I. It is I. Isaiah chapter 40. The same one
we just read of in Matthew 14, that spoke, it is I, be not afraid. This is him speaking here. To
whom then would ye liken me? Isaiah 40 and 25. Or who shall
be equal? Or who shall I be equal? Sayeth
the Holy One, lift up your eyes on high. Oh God, help me to lift
up my eyes on high. And behold, who hath created
these things? that bringeth out their hosts
by number, he calleth them all by their names by the greatness
of his might. For that he is strong in power,
not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob? Why
sayest thou, O Larry? Why sayest thou? And speakest
thou, O Israel? My way is hid from the Lord,
and my judgment is passed over from my God. He's forgotten me.
He's forgotten me. Oh, no, no, no. Has thou not
known, has thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord,
the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not? He never
gets tired. He's never weary. He never lacks
power. Neither is weary. There is no
searching of his understanding. Now that's the same one who said,
be of good cheer, be not afraid. Isaiah 41, verse 10. Fear thou not. You know, I wonder,
that would be a good study. I've never done it. It occurred
to me as I was working on this message, but New Testament, Old
Testament, I wonder how many times God tells us to fear not. How many times? That'd be a good
exercise, what? To go through the scriptures
and how often he tells us to fear not. Isaiah 41 and 10, fear
thou not for I am with thee. It is I. It is I. Be not dismayed. Don't be confused. For I am by
God. I will strengthen you. Yea, I
will help you. I will uphold you with the right
hand of my righteousness. For I, the Lord God, will hold
thy right hand. Isn't that a blessed picture?
Saying unto thee, fear not. I will help you. Fear not, thou
worm, Jacob, and ye men of Israel. I will help you, saith the Lord,
and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. So who's the speaker? Who's the speaker? The Lord of
heaven and earth. That's who we're reading about
here. Who speaks these words that it is I, the mighty God,
the everlasting Father, O Lord God of hosts, again the psalmist,
who is a strong God like unto thee. We read this earlier, Psalm
89. And to thy faithfulness round
about thee, thou rulest the raging of the sea. When the waves thereof
arise, thou stillest them, the storm upon the sea and the storm
in our heart. He speaks peace to both, and
they lie down. They lie down in quietness. In John's record of this same
miracle on the sea, We find these words that we didn't read in
Matthew 14. It was now dark, and Jesus was
not come to them. Been there? Have you been there,
child of God? Sure we have. It's now dark,
and Jesus was not come to them. There are seasons in the lives
of God's people when it's not easy to believe God. I mean,
let's just be honest. It's just hard to believe. Our
faith is sorely tried. Our eyes are dimmed with tears,
and we can't seem to trace God's working. Why is this? Oh, don't judge God's providence. Don't judge his heart by his
providence. Oh, remember, who among you fears
the Lord? Here's what we're to do. The
prophet said, whom among you fear the Lord and obeys the word
of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark,
who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord, and rely on
his God." Yes, it was dark. It was dark. The storm was raging,
and to make matters worse, Jesus was nowhere to be seen. Jesus
had not come to them. But he did come, didn't he? Huh? He did come. Right on time. The very best time. The best
time for His glory and your good. God loves us too much to withdraw
the rod, to bring us through the storm too soon. When it will
be best for our good, our everlasting, eternal good, then Jesus comes. And oh, look how He comes. Oh,
this made a greater impression if they'd stayed on the land.
This made a greater impression if he was in the ship with them
at the time. Oh, no, no, no, he comes. Oh, yes, it was dark
for a while, and Jesus wasn't come, but, oh, glory to his name,
he came, didn't he? He came. He came to them. Oh, and look how he comes, walking
up on that stormy sea. Oh, can you picture that? Here
he comes. Look at him. My soul, it's no
wonder they said afterwards, what kind of man is this? They
bowed down and they worshiped him because they were standing
in the presence of their creator and their God. He deserves to
be worshiped. Oh, for grace to trust him more. Yes, he came. And he came with
this blessed word. Be of good cheer. It is I. Don't be afraid. And if Jesus
Christ, is Jesus Christ the same right now as he was then? I'm
asking you, is Jesus Christ the same today, right now? I know he's in glory, I know
he sits upon the throne of grace, but does he have the same power,
the same love, the same mercy, the same grace, the same omniscience,
the same omnipresence? Is he not the same? Is he not
the same? yesterday and the day and forever.
Well, then he says, just as he did then to you and I, it is
I. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. I will never leave you nor forsake
you. There's nothing that could separate
them from his love. So Paul said, I'm convinced.
Paul said, now I'm not just giving you something off the top of
my head. I've experienced this. I've learned
this, and I'm convinced there's nothing in the past, there's
nothing in the present, there's nothing that might be invented
in the future, there's nothing that can separate us from the
love of God that's in Christ Jesus. Yes, he came because nothing
could keep him away. Here's the second sweet word
flowing from Christ's presence. It's this, be of good cheer. We read in verse 22, Jesus constrained
them to get into that ship. He started this journey. So who's
responsible for this voyage across the sea? It's not the disciples. They were obeying him. He said,
get into the boat and go to the other side. That makes him responsible. Their arrival, their destination
depends upon him. If they reach the other side,
it'll be the fault of the one who told them to go to the other
side. If they fail to reach the other
side, it'll be the fault of that one who commanded them to go.
If they don't get there, it's not their fault. It's his fault.
It's his fault. I love that. I know I tell you
that many times, but I'm so thankful that Jesus Christ has to answer
to God Almighty for me. That's exactly right. He's the
surety of the covenant. This is what that means. He became
responsible when Jesus Christ took all those that were chosen
in Him from the Father, and the Father committed all of His sheep
into their hands. That's what the covenant of grace
is about, into His hands. He agreed that He would become
responsible for them. He will answer for them. Oh,
isn't that a comfort? Somebody asked Brother Henry,
you've probably heard this too, they said, Henry, Brother Mahan,
do you believe that salvation is forever? Do you think God,
is salvation everlasting? Or can you be saved and lost
and saved and lost and saved and lost like a lot of people
say, religious folks? And Brother Henry wisely answered
this way, he said, well, It depends on who does the saving. If I'm
responsible to save myself, then no, salvation won't be everlasting. There's no need to even start.
But if salvation is of the Lord, then it's an everlasting salvation.
And Jesus Christ says that's exactly what it is. Because I
came down from heaven, he said, not to do my own will, but the
will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will
which hath sent me, that of all, A-L-L, all which he hath given
me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last
day. Seeing above the battle strife,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves. By his death and endless life,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves. Hebrews chapter 7, verse 25,
wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. sing it softly through the gloom.
When the heart for mercy craves, sing in triumph o'er the tomb.
Jesus saves, Jesus saves, my sheep hear my voice. And I know
them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life,
and they shall what? Never perish. Not one of them. Not one of them. They shall never,
it's never happened. It will never happen. They will
never perish, no matter what. No matter how severe the storm,
no matter how high the waves, no matter how long the journey
may be, they shall never perish. They may fall, but they'll never
fall away. Just like Peter, he'll reach
down and pick them up. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. And here's the last
words that follow those sweet words, it is I, and they are
this, be not afraid. Be not afraid. Be afraid, child
of God, be afraid if Christ is not able to keep his sheep. Be
afraid. Be afraid if one of his sheep
have ever perished. If one did, then why not the
rest of us? Be afraid if what Christ promised,
he's not able to perform. If any promise he's made, he's
not able to keep, then we ought all to be afraid. We ought to
be shaking in our boots. If it depends upon you, you better
be afraid. Oh, but otherwise, Christ says,
don't be afraid. Because Jesus Christ is able
to keep you from falling and to present you fall before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Old Spurgeon said, I have
a great need of Christ. and I have a great Christ for
my need. Fear not, little flock. It is
your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. But now
thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed
thee, O Israel, fear not. Fear not. I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name.
Thou art mine. When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you. and through the rivers they shall
not overflow you. When thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee." He's ever the same. His purpose is fixed. His will
is stable. His word is sure. Here then is
a rock, Mr. Pink said, here then is a rock
on which we may fix our feet while the mighty torrent sweeps
everything else away except that which is planted upon the rock,
Christ Jesus. Be of good cheer, it is I, be
not afraid. Sometimes be it scenes of deepest
gloom, sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom, by waters calm
or troubled sea, still tis God's hand that leadeth me. Lord, I will clasp thy hand in
mine, never murmur nor repine, I would, but I don't. I want
to, but I don't. Oh, wretched man that I am. Content
whatever lot I see, since it is my God that leadeth thee.
And when my task on earth is done, and it just about is, it
just about is. When my task on earth is done,
and when by thy grace the victory's won, even death's cold wave I
will not flee, since God through Jordan leadeth me. Be of good
cheer, as I be not afraid. God bless you.