The lesson this morning is in
Matthew chapter 14, and the title of the message
is, Lessons on a Stormy Sea. I'd like for you to follow with
me here in Matthew chapter 14 as I read through the text. Matthew 14 beginning with verse
22. And straightway Jesus constrained
His disciples to get into a ship and to go before Him onto 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. And 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 caught him and said unto him, O thou little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into
the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship
came and worshipped him, saying of a truth, Thou art the Son
of God." The Lord said to Martha, who
grieved over her beloved brother, I am the resurrection. I am the
resurrection. Now, Faith's house is in the
future. I'm not resurrected yet. I'm
resurrected spiritually, but not physically. Faith's house
is in the future along with her heritage. And what she has now
is but a pledge. It's a token. What she has now
is the earnest. of her inheritance. That's what
Paul tells us in Ephesians 1. What she has, you cannot see. You can't see it. We want to.
We want to look at folks and tell others what we think we
see. But you can't see what's in her. It's invisible to the
eye. You can't see it. It can't be
touched. It can't be smelled. And it can't
be tasted. It's totally apart from any of
our senses, what she has in her bosom. What she has sealed in
her bosom is that Holy Spirit of promise. A promise. The promise of everlasting life. I got a little ahead of myself
a while ago, but the Lord said to Martha, you remember Martha
came to Him. and Mary too. But Martha came
to him and said, if you'd been here, our brother had not died.
She was grieving over the loss of her beloved brother. You remember
what the Lord told her? He said, I am the resurrection. I am the life. And he that believeth on me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live. Death to the believer
is but a blessed sleep from which he will awake in the arms of
the Savior. Christ is our life. You can't
see it in me. You can't taste it in me. You
can't touch it. But it's there. It's there. I have sealed by the Holy Spirit
of God within me the promise of everlasting life. And we had
this promise. When we awake, we'd be like Him. We'd be like Him. I'm not like
Him now. You can't look at me and see
what I will be in that day. That's why we always go around,
every one of us is guilty of it, judging men and women, saying,
well, they can't be saved. Why? Because you can't see it.
You can't look at Him and tell what He's going to be in that
day. In that day, according to God's promise, we will awake
with His likeness. We'll be like Him without sin,
without the presence of it, the curse of it, the suffering of
it, or the consequences of it. We'll be just like Him. But I
don't have that yet. I have it in promise. I have
it in promise. And we have the promise of His
abiding presence. He told His disciples who grieved
because He told them that He was going away. He said, if I
go not away, I can't send the Comforter to you. And it's expedient
for me to go away and that the Comforter come to you. I must
go away. But He said, I'll never leave
you, and I'll never forsake you. What a promise. And faith has the promise of
His preservation. He said in John 10, verse 28,
I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.
They will never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of My hand. And then Jude says that we are
sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. Preserved. day before yesterday, made some
apple butter. I haven't had any good apple
butter since I lived in northern Ohio. And she made some apple
butter. Takes about 14 or 15 hours to
make it. You have to cook it down. And
she got that and then she put it in a water bath and then she
took them jars out and I was sitting in my study and I could
hear them. Ping. Ping. Them lids popping. You know what that means? They're
preserved. That means later on, about January,
and it's cold, and she fixes me some hot biscuits. I know
I'm dreaming now, but I'll crack open some of that
good apple butter and spread it on them biscuits. Preserved. It'll be just like it was the
day He put it in. And that's what He's saying.
We're preserved in Jesus Christ. We'll be just like He said we
are. Just as He promised that we shall
be. That's exactly how we're going
to be in that day. We're preserved. And then we're
called by the Holy Spirit of God. Faith has in her bosom,
Peter said, great and precious promises. And by these, she becomes
partakers of eternal life. These promises. We have them.
The promise of God. God who cannot lie. He promised
these things to us. And He gave not only His Word
to us, the Word of promise, but He gave us His oath. And by these
two immutable things, we have a good hope. But until we arrive
safely on that celestial shore, are you with me? Do you understand
where I am coming from in my introduction here? Until we arrive
safely on the celestial shore, We are but a fisherman's vessel
on a stormy sea. That's what this lesson is all
about. A man with little faith and little
knowledge and little experience can offer but little hope to
those who hear him. And for this reason, God often
takes His preachers into the deep, into the storm. Preachers
are enlightened and kept and saved the same way everybody
else is. So this story is not just primarily
about preachers, but it has something to offer everyone because God
saves me and comforts me and gives me hope the same way He
gives it to you. And if He doesn't give it to
me and His purpose is to give it to you through me, how am
I going to tell you about it? So He has to take you out into
the deep. Now a storm of sorts had arisen
in the kingdom of God. A great man had died, John the
Baptist. A great man. And when great men
die, they leave a vacuum. They're missed. You know they're
gone. You know they're not there anymore.
A vacuum is left behind. And John the Baptist had died
a cruel and awful death. Who would replace him? Who's
going to take his place? Matthew? That's how Matthew thought
in himself. That's how Peter thought in himself.
And that's how all the people of that city thought as they
looked around at these different men. Who's going to take his
place? Who's going to replace him? Who could fill his shoes?
If the greatest prophet born of woman was taken down by the
enemy, who then would be sufficient to take his place? Now, in both
the feeding of the multitude and the crossing of the sea,
The Lord will teach both them and us something about our weakness
and His strength, something about our pitiful contributions and
His abounding grace, something about our total inability and
His omnipotent sufficiency. That's what's going on here.
And the story begins with Christ high in His mountain alone in
prayer. But the ship, he said, was now
in the midst of the storm. It's in the midst of the sea.
What a picture of his disciples in this world, and he who ever
liveth to make intercession for them. What a picture. Here he
is, seated high in the mountains, sitting upon the throne of glory.
And he looks out as these ignorant disciples, they just ignorantly
rolled out into the deep, into the storm. What a picture! Why would the Lord allow His
preachers to roll out into this violent, violent storm? If, for
your own convenience this afternoon, if you want to, you can read
in Mark chapter 6 and John chapter 6. And they both give you the
same account of this, but they add some particulars to it. Here
he just says the wind was contrary. Kind of gives you the idea they
was out there, but they rode against the wind. Over there
you find out it was a violent storm. It wasn't just a contrary
wind, although the wind was contrary, but it was a violent wind and
a violent storm. Why would He do that? Well, for
the same reason He led them out into the desert on that same
day to show them their need of Him. Now, that's it. That's what all these lessons
of life is about, is to show us our need of Him. In Psalm 107, verse 23, it says,
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in
great waters, These see the works of the Lord and His wonders in
the deep. That's why God took them out
into the storm. So let me just briefly give you
three reasons this morning why the Lord Jesus Christ directs
His preachers into the perils of the storm. And it was not
just about preachers, but I want you to see the connection here
with them and what they were about to do and what they were
about to face in the light of this great man John who was the
beginning of this. He was the forerunner of Christ.
He was the last of the Old Testament prophets and the first of the
new. And this man had died a very
violent death. And these men now must go on
from there. And the Lord is going to teach
them some lessons. Now, here's the first reason why the Lord
Jesus Christ directs His preachers into the perils of the storm.
To learn whose sea it is. It's His sea. It's His sea. Now, if I look at this sea as
I look at our journey from one side to the other in this world,
then I've got to learn this lesson. This sea belongs to Him. It's His seed. Nothing takes
Him by surprise on this seed. Nothing happens on this seed
apart from His hand and His purpose. It's His seed. We need to learn
that, don't we? I need to learn it every day.
Every day. Life in this world is a perilous
journey. And what lie ahead for these
few men were beyond their comprehension. Persecution. cruel beatings,
public humiliation, suffering and death. Not to mention the
suffering and death of their beloved master. You see what
lie ahead? There were storms that would
put this storm to shame that yet lie ahead on the sea of life. This was not a journey they could
survive on their own. To survive these storms and offer
comfort to others who are passing through the same sea, We must
be taught experientially that the sea and everything that happens
on it is of the Lord. It's of the Lord. A storm arose. Was it by chance that a storm
arose? You reckon the Lord of glory
didn't know that storm was coming when He sent them across the
sea? You reckon that took Him by surprise? Listen to this, David said, Whatsoever
the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, in the earth, now
listen, in the seas, and in all deep places. It is His sea. Russell, it is His sea. Things
come along and they just, boy, they just knock the feet out
from under you. Boom! One day you are fine and you
are working and the next day you can't. Just knock the feet. It is His sea. It's His seed. And one day you'll be glad it
is. You'll be glad it is. Oh, He caused it to rain when
it never rained before. He caused the water of the seas
to stand in a heap while Israel passed through on dry ground.
He caused the sun to stand still. You know, scientists went back
and they went back and they, by carbon dating or whatever
it is they used, And they come up one day short of the Bible's account of creation. They come
up one day short. But they didn't take account
for the day that the Lord made the sun stand still. He made
it stand still. It's His. It's His universe. If He wants that sun to stop,
it'll stop. If He wants that sea to rise
up, it'll rise up. He backed the Jordan up at flood
stage. And I tell you, I used to live
on the Ohio River. And it's almost as big as the
Mississippi River. It's a huge river, better than
a mile across. And right there where I lived,
I've seen that river come up and go over that farmland and
go over those highways. It was at flood stage. And when
the Jordan River was at flood stage, and Israel came to cross
and go into Canaan, God made that river back up. Stop the
flow of it in its tracks. It's His. It's His. And He caused darkness to be
over the face of the earth for three hours while His Son hung
on a cross. This world belongs to Him. It's His seed. He's the firstborn
of every living thing. He's the firstborn of all creation. And by Him were all things created
that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created by Him, now listen, and for Him. And
by Him all things consist. It's His. It's His. That's Colossians 2. Chapter
1, verse 16, if you care to read it. Have you ever been given
an awareness that the Lord our Savior is Lord of all? He's Lord of all. He's not just
Lord of salvation. He's Lord of everything. He's
Lord of creation. He's Lord of providence. He's
Lord of all. He's Lord of the dead and the
living. He's Lord. Absolute, total, sovereign Lord. And this world is not adrift
upon a sea of chance and circumstance. It has a design for which it
was created. And it has one who has the government
upon his shoulders. He rules and reigns and runs
things. He doeth all things. He worketh
all things. God wasn't taken by surprise
at the fall of Adam. But Paul said creation was made
subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who subjected
to shame and hope. There was a purpose, the purpose
of God in it. Now let me tell you what's going
to comfort you most in the storm. A firm belief and understanding
that the God of your salvation worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will. And not only does He work them
after the counsel of His own will, that will is His redemptive
will. That's the will He reveals to
the believer, His redemptive will. And He works all things
after the counsel of His redemptive will. And He arranges those things
and works those things so that all things work together for
His good, for your good and His glory. It's His seed. You see where I'm coming from?
This is what He's going to teach His disciples who are going to
go out and preach and comfort the hearts of others who hear
Him. He's going to teach them whose seed it is. It's my seed.
It's my seed. So that's the first lesson out
on the stormy sea to show you whose seed it is. And then the
second lesson out on this perilous sea is how to pass through the
storm. The disciples had rode all night
And these weren't novices. These were men who fished for
a living. They knew all about seas and
storms and ships and boats and all these things. They weren't
novices. They were skilled seamen, skilled
sailors. And they used every skill they'd
been taught and were just barely afloat. They were at the end
of the rope and the storm still raged and they were exhausted. and frustrated and confused and
afraid. And then just in the nick of
time, just before the crack of dawn, they saw the Master come
walking on the water. Not on a glass, you see. See,
you hadn't been calmed yet. He wasn't on a glassy sea, but
in the midst of this raging storm. And he wasn't running to them
as though the storm took him by surprise. And he didn't come
weeping as though he believed them to be already perished.
And he didn't come shouting as though he didn't know exactly
where to find them. But he came walking calmly and
quietly on the waves of the storm. That old hymn writer, how did
he put it? He plants his footsteps on the sea and rides upon the
storm. That's the God of glory. He came
walking calmly and quietly on the troubled sea. And when he
saw their fear, he saw them in that vessel, and saw them afraid,
and saw them when they looked on him in wonder. Here he was
walking on the stormy sea. Let me tell you something, only
God can walk on water. Are you listening? It's His sea. If He wants to walk on it, He
can walk on it. If He wants to swim in it, He can swim in it.
It's His sea. The laws of nature doesn't affect Him at all. When He saw their faces, He said,
be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid. And then Peter
said, if it be thou, bid me come to thee upon the water. Peter
wanted to go to them. And you say what you want to
about Peter and how his impulsiveness, he was a very impulsive man.
But I'll tell you something, even in his impulsiveness, he
didn't see the storm and he didn't see the peril and he didn't see
anything but his Lord. And he wanted to go to Him. He
just didn't know how. And he said, bid me come to thee
on the water. And he said, come. Now, there
is going to be a lesson here. And he got down out of that ship
and he took a step or two. He was the only one, you say
what you want to, he was the only one in the ship who actually
walked on water other than Christ our Savior. That man, Christ
allowed him to walk a step or two on that water. He sure did. Come on, he said. So Peter climbed
down out of the boat at the Savior's bidding, and he started out toward
him walking on the stormy deep. And all of a sudden, that salty
spray hit him in the face and woke him up. And he looked around. I remember one time we had a
little 12-foot boat, just a little old wooden boat, an old-timey
boat. The engine was only hitting on one cylinder. It sounded like
one of them old Chinese junks you hear on the movie. And we
went out on Lake Erie, and it was calm, and I got past the
end of that pier, and all of a sudden, them waves come up.
They were about four or five feet tall, and that ain't very
tall, I guess, sitting here on the pew, but out there on that
lake, when you're in calm water, and all of a sudden, you can't
see anything. You're down between the waves. That's a pretty good-sized
wave. I turned that little boat around, come right back into
the bay, and that's where I fished. Peter looked around and here's
those waves. I don't know how high they was,
but this was a storm about ready to capsize that ship. It was
pretty good size. That salt spray hit him in the
face, him stormed, and that wind, and he lost sight of the Savior.
And he began to sink. He began to sink. And he cried
out, Save me, Lord! And the Lord took him by the
arm. And it don't say how, but I believe the Lord took him by
the arm, let him walk right back across that water into that vessel.
But the second lesson on the stormy sea is that preacher or
not, believer or not, you cannot cross this sea the same way he
did. You can't cross this sea above
it. We are not above it. We are in
it. We are in it. You cannot walk
above this world and its dangers and its curse the way He did.
You cannot walk the walk of Christ. It cannot be done. There was
one man who was born of woman who walked into glory, the Lord
Jesus Christ. There was only one man who ever
lived in this world who came forth from the womb and walked
his way to glory, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone
was so pure and so holy and so righteous that even being tempted
in all points like as we are, not with one of Satan's transformed
ministers, but by Satan himself, tempted him in all points like
as we are, yet without sin. Now, brother, you can't walk
that way. He walked in this world as our representative for 33
1�2 years and crossed this raging sea with a godly walk, a divine
walk, and a glorious walk. And because of that walk, God
has given Him a name above every name. And He wrought out for us a righteousness. He walked the walk of God come
into the flesh. The way across the sea is to
stay in the vessel and wait for the Lord to make His presence
known in it. That's how to cross the sea.
That's how to finish your course. When He comes into the vessel,
you and Him both in the vessel will finish your course across
this sea. And when Christ enters into a
man's vessel in this world, three things are going to come to pass
as they're given by all three of these gospel writers. First
of all, in Matthew's account, it says the storm ceased. When
he comes into the vessel, the storm goes away. It's not a storm
anymore. It's just not a storm. You know,
when the doctor came in, I hope I can tell this without breaking
up, but when the doctor came in and told Kathy that she had
cancer, you know, she didn't even cry. She didn't even cry. Storms are not storms when He
enters into the vessel. You see what I'm saying? And then the second thing, in
Mark's account, it says, when Christ came into the ship, they
were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered.
The hymn writer said, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus
the Nazarene and wonder how he could save me, a sinner condemned
unclean. Do you know what it is to wonder
in amazement at him? Amazed at what he can do? Amazed
at who he can save? Is it truly to you amazing grace? Can you sing that song from the
heart? Amazing grace. And then thirdly, in John's account,
it says, when he was received into the ship, immediately they
were at the land where they went. Even in the midst of the storm,
you are exactly where you want to be if he's in the vessel with
you. As soon as he comes in the vessel,
you're exactly where God wants you to be. You're exactly where
you desire to be. I'd rather be in the storm with
Christ than in the calm with a multitude, wouldn't you? Oh,
I would. I'd rather be in the ship where
He rests in the storm than in the synagogue where they all
rested without Him. And then finally, the third lesson
on the sea is about the hardness of our hearts. In Mark chapter
6, after entering into their vessel and filling their hearts
with wonder and amazement, It says, for they considered not
the miracle of the loaves, for their hearts were hardened. They told them they were so involved
in the passing out of the fishes and in the multitude and everything
that was going on, they totally missed the lesson. But Christ
is not going to let them miss this lesson. He is going to separate
them from the multitude, and He is going to take them out
there by themselves in the sea, and He is going to teach them.
And this time, they're going to get it. They're going to get
it. And then there's one great lesson
that encompasses the whole of what we've been talking about
here this morning, and that is the miracle of His sovereign,
unchangeable, and particular grace. There was a lot of vessels
on that sea that night. Christ only rescued one. Only
one. I believe it is full of ships,
but just one rescued from the storm. And as our Lord walked
through this world, it was full of vessels. Full of vessels. There were vessels everywhere.
All around Him. The multitude thronged Him. They
were everywhere. But here and there were vessels
of mercy created by God for His glory. And He went to those. I bowed with those, and he came
into the vessel, and all those vessels he came into, they all
crossed the sea safely.