your Bibles, if you will, to
Matthew chapter 14, the 14th chapter of Matthew's gospel. We will begin reading at verse
22. We have before us a very familiar story. Our Lord Jesus
sends his disciples across the Gennesaret Sea to Gennesaret,
constraining them to get into the ship and cross the sea, the
master deliberately sent his disciples right into the eye
of a severe storm. But in the fourth watch of the
night, the Lord Jesus came to them walking across the storm-tossed
sea. Let's begin reading in verse
22. Straightway, Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship. and to go before him unto 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, answering him, 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 caught him and said unto him,
O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? When I read those words early
last week, wherefore didst thou doubt? They stuck in my heart
like a barbed arrow. And I pray they will stick in
yours that way today. That's my subject. Wherefore
didst thou doubt? The message the Lord gave me,
I believe he's given me for you as well. Let me begin by calling
your attention to three things, my three favorite subjects. My
three favorite themes, those things by which my heart is constantly
encouraged and my faith in Christ is constantly encouraged. My soul finds comfort, peace
and joy in the midst of trouble, in the midst of this world so
full of trouble and trial and heartache, sadness and sorrow. These are the things to which
I constantly turn and which I constantly find peace with God, my father,
God, my savior, and God, my blessed comforter. Our God is in the
heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. That's the first thing. Fall
back, my soul, fall back into the arms of God Almighty, the
sovereign of the universe. How blessed it is to worship
God, who is in the heavens, and hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased, always and at all times. When I began preparing this message,
I had no idea, of course, of what was going to happen in Japan
with that horrible earthquake this week and the things people
hear or you hear people say and the things you think. Look at
the great tragedy and it is as far as man's experience is concerned.
Hundreds and hundreds of people already counted dead and probably
will reach into many thousands before this is over. God did
it. God did it. And make what you
will of that, God did it. He gives life and he takes it
away like that, as he will, exactly as he has ordained from old eternity,
both individuals and by the thousands. God takes life from man exactly
as he has determined. Yours too. Yours too. I couldn't help but think just
a little bit ago, I agreed with Larry and Carol coming up steps
and she just almost slipped backwards on that top step. And I thought
how quickly life is gone. How quickly. Just like that. Just a breath between you and
eternity. Beware of that. And you who are
gods, rest in this. Our God is absolutely sovereign. He rules everything all the time. He has his way in the armies
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay
his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? You're not going
to slap God on the wrist and challenge him as what he's doing.
Not going to happen. God is sovereign in predestination. That is, he did from everlasting
predestinate everything that comes to pass. Everything. Not a thought in the mind of
a man that God did not ordain before the world began. God Almighty
is sovereign in creation, made this world exactly as he would
make it, and made what we call the laws of nature exactly what
they are to work exactly as they do. Our God is sovereign in his
providence. He brings to pass in time what
he purposed from eternity, never second-guessing anything. Well,
but God can change. What kind of God is that? God
can change. Well, prayer changes God. We
read in Hezekiah this morning how the Lord gave Hezekiah 15
more years after he prayed. Surely, prayer changes God. No.
No. Hezekiah had one of his heirs
born after him by the name of Josiah, who was the progenitor
of Jesus Christ the Messiah. You reckon that was left to Hezekiah's
prayer? Oh, no. God ordained the prayer
as well as the result of the prayer before ever Hezekiah was
born. And he brings it to pass. His
providence is the unfolding of his purpose. His purpose doesn't
change and his providence is just the unfolding of that purpose. And God Almighty is sovereign
in the exercise of his grace in saving sinners. He saves whom
he will. He has mercy on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will he hearteneth. A preacher, if
that's the case, everything's in God's hands. Aren't you glad? If that's the case, there's nothing
we're going to do to change anything. Oh, I thank God for that. If
that's the case, then all the affairs of the world are working
in exact order to accomplish God's purpose. That's it. The
word of the Lord is good, which he has spoken. The second thing
which constantly comforts, strengthens my soul is the fact of divine
substitution. Christ died the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God. He was made a curse for us, that
the curse might be removed from us. He, his own self, bear our
sin and his own body on the tree. And Christ, who knew no sin,
was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. The Son of God took my place before an angry God. And when he was made sin for
me, God Almighty was justly furious against him. And he cried awake,
O sword, against one that is my fellow, smite and slay the
shepherd. And Christ died that I might
never die. He bore God's wrath that I might
never bear God's wrath. He was made sin for me. And by
that same marvelous wonder of grace and mercy, by the same
marvelous wonder of truth and justice, by which he was made
sin for me and suffered justly for my sins, I have been made
the righteousness of God in him and shall be rewarded justly
for his righteousness. Substitution, Ron Wood, We stand
before God in another person. We're accepted of God in another
person. We are beloved of God in another
person. And that person is Jesus Christ. And that standing, that acceptance,
that love we have of him is unalterable. Doesn't change. No matter what
I feel, No matter what I experience, no matter what I go through,
no matter what I see in time, I'm accepted in the beloved. Can you get ahold of that? The Lord, our God said, when
I see the blood, I will pass over you. And Bob, he saw the
blood a long time before you saw it. His eye was on the blood when
your eye was fixed on the blood. And the time may come when you
can't see it. He still says, when I see the
blood, I'll pass over you. You may come visit me someday
and rest home when my mind's gone and I can't even know my
own name, much less know my God. That doesn't mean he doesn't
know me. Our acceptance with God is in Christ, all together
in Christ. And here's the third thing. These
things I endeavor one way or another to preach to you every
time I preach. And this is nothing new. I call your attention to
them frequently. And that is God's providence. Sovereignty,
substitution, and providence. We know. With most religious people, it's
a good religious cliche. For believers, we know. Allen
Kidby, if we've been born of God and taught of God, we know. We know because it is plainly
revealed in this book. We know because we know the character
of our God. We know because the Spirit of
God has written his word in our hearts. He's shown us the secret
things of God. We know that all things All things, all things work together. The old writers used to call
it the machinery of providence. I used to work in a cotton mill.
I got kicked out of school when I was 15 years old and I lied
about my age and got a job in a cotton mill, folding cotton.
I hadn't been there any time. I was working 16 hours a day,
seven days a week for a dollar an hour. And I looked at some
old men, David, and I thought, oh, Don, you cooked your goose
now. You'll be an old man standing right here in this cotton mill
folding cotton. But they had huge pieces of machinery, huge
pieces of machinery. wheels, working with wheels,
working with wheels, working with wheels, turning gears one
after the other. And do you know what it'd take
to mess the whole shoot and match up? Just one little thing, get
out of whack. Just one little thing, get out
of whack. And it's all messed up. God's providence is such that
the very hairs of your head are all numb. What the book says,
isn't it? Matthew 1030. And if just the number of the hairs
on your head, Merle Hart, were out of whack, the whole thing
shot. You mean God controls the least
particle of dust in the atmosphere? If he didn't, he couldn't control
hell. God Almighty rules everything
absolutely. And we know that all things work
together for good, for good. Present, temporal, eternal, spiritual
good. Now, not all things work together
for good to everybody. There are some of you sitting
here, I have no question. Oh, God pity you, but he won't. Against whom all things work. Every breath Judas Iscariot ever
took only added to his condemnation and the wrath he suffers today
by God Almighty. No, all things don't work together
for good to everybody, but all things work together for good.
I am today experiencing that which is absolutely best for
me. And so I have for over 60 years. And so I will every day I draw
breath on this earth. All things work together for
good to them that love God. Well, who are those who love
God? Them who are the called according to his purpose. If
God has called you by His grace, given you faith in Christ, you
have no reason to ever question God's goodness toward you in
anything. Why did I wake up this morning
with that arthritis so bad I couldn't hardly move? Because of God's
goodness to you. Why did I go to the doctor yesterday
and find out I've got a heart disease and I've only got six
months to live because of God's goodness to you? Why did I lose
my mother this week because of God's goodness to you? Brother Don, I just can't believe
that. Would you tell me what you do
believe then? Where then do you find comfort?
and peace. Where then do you find any understanding
of what goes on in your life? Well, that's just luck or fate
or chance or this or that. What base idolatry. No, no. We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to his purpose. Now let me make five statements.
We'll begin in Isaiah chapter 41. Five statements that I hope God
will be pleased to effectually apply to my heart and to yours to keep us from our doubt, unbelief,
our mistrust of God. Now you can use whatever pretty
words you want to to describe it, but anytime we murmur against
God's providence, anytime we question what God's doing, anytime
we dare set ourselves up as judges of what is best, it is but unbelief. That's all. Just unbelief. All right? Here's my first statement.
We have entirely too many fears for a people to whom the Lord
God has said, Isaiah 41, 10. Fear not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy
God. I will strengthen thee. Yea,
I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of my righteousness. Fear not. I'm with you. Don't be dismayed. Don't let
anything throw you into a tailspin. I'm your God. I'm your God. I'm your God. Jacob, I'm your
God, not Esau's God, but your God. I'm not your neighbor's
God, your God. Not your oppressor's God, your
God. I will strengthen you. As your
days may demand, your strength shall ever be. I will strengthen
you. I will strengthen you. I will
help you. I will uphold you. Now, watch how. How I'll strengthen
you and help you and uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. I'll do it cause it's right. I'll do it cause it's right. I've redeemed you. I'll do it
cause it's right. I've made you righteous in my
son. Why can't we believe God? Has
he not proved his faithfulness to us? David heard God's promise
and believed him. His faith in God gave quietness
to his heart. God's promises settled his fears,
didn't they? Yeah. Though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou
art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort
me. David said in the midst of trouble,
when Saul sought his life, I will both lay me down in peace and
sleep. For thou, Lord, only makest me
to dwell in safety. I'll run here and hide, and go
there and hide, and I'll find this group of men to come to
my defense, and this group of men to come to my aid, but thou
only makest me to dwell in safety. So I'll lay down and go to sleep.
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
Turn to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6. Verse 28. Here's my second statement. We have
far too much anxiety, far too much worry about earthly material
things. We're living in this economy
that's so bad. Price of gas is getting real
high. Jobs are getting scarce. It looks like Obama might get
reelected. We live in this horrible, horrible
state of affairs. Well, we have far too much anxiety,
fretting, and worrying about earthly, carnal, material things
for a people to whom the Son of God has said, why take ye
thought for raiment? Why do you worry about what you're
going to wear? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they
spin. Just stop and look at one sometime.
Yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory. That's some statement. Can you
imagine? Here comes King Solomon in his
most regal apparel, in his most stately refinery. Not even Solomon
in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothed
the worthless grass of the field, this grass, this grass, which today is and tomorrow is
cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you? Oh,
ye of little faith. It is written, my God shall supply
all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I have at times beaten myself
pretty severely for not providing for my family like a man wants
to provide for his family. And a man is responsible to provide
for his family and a man should provide for his family. I've
beaten myself at times for it, shamefully so. If we say I'm
God's servant, I'm God's servant. And you know what a good king
does for his servants? He takes care of them. Now, I know you can't tell it
by looking at me, but I've not missed too many meals in my life. And most of the time, I don't
have to wear a coat to keep you from seeing that my britches
are shiny in the back. Look here. Faith got AIDS, go to college,
hell on earth. We're going to take care of that.
It's my responsibility. Do you know what I had to do?
Do you know what I had to do to take care of it? Are you ready? Nothing. Nothing. My wife often says when things
happen to you, thank you, Lord. He just drops it out of the sky.
Oh, you don't really believe that, do you? Ask her. Ask her. My God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now,
I don't suggest, nor does our Lord teach that you men should
be irresponsible, nor that I should be irresponsible for those days
for which he's given us responsibility. But primary responsibilities
must never become secondary responsibilities. And for me, primary responsibility
is the preaching of the gospel. And Bobby, everything else is
secondary. Everything else. Everything else. Why should I
worry, fret, and pace the floor day and night when God my Savior
has promised that my father will, for his sake, provide me with
everything I need in this world. God, forgive me. I was singing a little bit ago,
it is so sweet to trust in Jesus. Oh, how I trust him. My heart's
crying, oh, how I long to trust him. Oh, how I long to trust Him. Why should I concern myself about
that which God, who cannot lie, has promised? Look at Matthew
26, Matthew 6, rather, verse 31 again. Therefore, therefore
take no thought, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we
drink? Or wherewithal shall we be clothed? That's what the heathen
live for. That's exactly what those next
words mean. That's what the heathen live
for. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. They seek
after food and drink and clothing. That's all they live for, just
carnal things. For your heavenly Father knoweth
that you have need of these things, but seek ye first. the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. And all these things shall be
added unto you. Take therefore no thought for
tomorrow. For tomorrow shall take thought
for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof. Now, you ladies, we accuse you
of being worry warts. We hide it better than you, perhaps,
but men worry just like you do. But you know what you never worry
about? Anybody here, please raise your
hand, who worried about yesterday? Anybody? How about this morning? Are you worried about this morning?
Anybody? I know, but let's go. We're doing
a good to worry about it. What good do you think is going
to worry about tomorrow? Sufficient to the day is the
evil thereof. Walk with God today. Believe
God today. Trust the Savior today. For today's evil and today's
trials and today's troubles, when tomorrow comes, Walk with
God tomorrow. Trust the Savior tomorrow. Believe
God tomorrow. John chapter 6. Here's my third statement. John chapter 6, verse 37. We have far too many doubts concerning
God's mercy, His love, and His grace. For a people to whom the
Lord Jesus has said, all that the Father giveth me shall come
to me, and him that cometh to me. Oh, what a good word this
is. I won't cast out for anything. I will in no wise cast out. Him
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Try this. I
give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hands. Now, I've preached
about this a great deal. I know many of you have trouble
here, and I acknowledge I do too. My shameful, sinful, baseless
doubts are inexcusable. I won't attempt to justify them
or excuse them. Upon what grounds dare we call into question the
mercy, love, and grace of our God. We have absolutely no reason
ever to entertain a doubt concerning Him. Say, well, I don't doubt
Him, I doubt me. Oh, let's see. Did He promise
and shall He not fulfill it? They shall never perish. Did
he promise? And shall he not fulfill it?
Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Can God
Almighty fail? Perish the thought. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. But Brother Don, you don't know
what a vile, filthy, immoral, wretch I am. No, but he does. And he says, believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Well, that just that just
can't be true. We're all like that unjust steward
Lindsey was talking about this morning. We're too proud to beg
and we're not able to dig. Too proud to beg and not able
to dig. That pretty well describes us. Pretty well describes us.
I was down visiting Brother Mahan a couple of weeks ago and he
showed me a picture of his home place. A lot of houses like this in
the mountains and in the south. Old clapboard houses, you've
seen them with no paint on them. Just bare wood. I said, I've
often wondered why they did that. Henry said, we was too proud
Too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash. That's a pretty
good description of it. And man by nature can't dig and
work his way into God's favor. And he's too proud to beg, to
trust the doing and dying of another. But it is written, he
that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life. Mr. Spurgeon, when he was an
older man, made this observation. The Scripture says, he that believeth
on the Son of God hath everlasting life. I believe the Son of God. I have everlasting life. Surely not. Why not? The Scripture says, he that believeth
on the Son hath life. I believe the Son. I don't believe
him like I should. I didn't say that. I've got so
much sins. I wouldn't talk about that. I
just, I don't know what I've experienced in there. That's
not what it said. He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting
life. Oh, God give you faith. Calls you to believe and you
will walk home this day with everlasting life in your soul.
Why should we question that ever? Paul didn't. He was a sinner
just like us. Saved by grace just like us.
But he said, I know whom I believe and I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. He
said, I am now ready to be offered. I'm ready to depart and be with
Christ. Turn to Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight. Listen to how this man spoke
who believed God. Verse 31. What should we say to these things?
If God be for us, who could be against us? Verse 32. He that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? Just makes good sense
to me. If he sacrificed his son for
me, what's he going to keep from me? If God's for me, who's going
to harm me? Verse 33. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God to justify. Who is he
that condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather,
that is risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from
the love of God? The love of Christ. Who shall
separate us? Nothing in heaven, nothing in
earth, nothing in hell. Nothing in the past, nothing
in the present, nothing in the future, nothing in time, nothing
in eternity. We're more than conquerors through
him that loved us. All right, back to John's gospel.
Chapter 16. Verse 33. We spend entirely too much time
grumbling and complaining about our trials and troubles in this
world. For a people to whom the Lord
Jesus has said, these things have I spoken unto you that in
me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation,
but be of good cheer, I've overcome the world. We ought never be surprised when
trouble comes our way. We ought to be surprised when
it doesn't. As long as we live in this world, we're going to
have trials and troubles and temptations, one on the heels
of another. God in Israel sows the seeds
of affliction, pain, and toil. These spring up and choke the
weeds that would else or spread the soil. Every ounce of gold
that's ever been perfected, made valuable, had to be refined by
fire. And if God puts the gold of his
grace in you, he will refine it with fiery trials. Behold,
I have refined thee, but not with silver. I chosen thee in
the furnace of affliction. Peter said, beloved, Think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened to you. Trouble, trial, those
are strange things for the believer. It's a strange thing if those
things are absent. And yet, when we meet with those
things, we have some trouble, something surprises us, it's
difficult to come along. We may not put it in words, but
Jerry, almost always our first reaction is, why me? I'm going to stand at my neighbor.
Why me? Why me? Why am I? Our first reaction
ought to be, why not me? Why not mine? Shall I be carried to the skies
on flowery beds of ease while others fought to win the prize
and sailed through bloody seas? The fact is our trials, Paul
calls them our light affliction, which is but for a moment. They're
nothing compared to what others have endured. Just read a little bit of history
and you'll find out what trials are. Our sorrows are nothing
compared to what our master endured to save us. And our temporary trials here
are nothing, nothing compared to the glory that shall be revealed
in us. Nothing. All right, turn to Hebrews
11. One more statement. We have entirely too much attachment
to this world and to the things of this world, to this present
life, for a people who are looking for a city whose builder and
maker is God. Hebrews 11, verse 8. By faith,
Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should afterward receive for an inheritance, obeyed. And he
went out not knowing whether he went. By faith, he soldiered. Oh God, make me a sojourner here,
a pilgrim here. He sojourned in a strange land,
in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in
tabernacles. Something to take down in a hurry.
With Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder
and maker is God. But we know that our earthly
house and this tabernacle were dissolved. We have a building
of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. The sooner the better. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. We who are gods have a desire
to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. And yet, It's so difficult for us to be
torn from all these things. So difficult for us to be torn
from earthly ties. I can't explain that, I just
know it's so. And I know this too. The only way for these carnal
principles, which hold us so tightly in their
grasp, the only way for us to escape is to find something better. Many, many years ago, Brother
Marvin Starnaker was still living in Ball, Louisiana. His father,
Gerald, and his mother, Marian, ran a restaurant, Starnaker's
Restaurant. I've eaten there many times.
It was a marvelous seafood buffet. Marvelous buffet. I mean, you
could just eat yourself silly. It was wonderful, wonderful.
and usually packed one Saturday night. The family was sitting
there, and of course, Gerald's trying to make room for folks
in the restaurant as soon as he could. You know, when they
come and ask you, can I bring you something else, that means
please get up and leave. We want the table. But he's trying to
make room for somebody in the restaurant, and there's the family
sitting there. The little boy had an old greasy
corn cob. He had eaten every bit of corn
off of it. And his daddy's trying to get it away from him. His
daddy wasn't like me. He didn't just jerk it and smack
it down and say, let me have the corncob. He's begging for
the corncob. And Gerald watching this, he's
watching it. And finally he walked over to
daddy, he said, mind if I try something? And he reached out
and had a chocolate candy bar. You know what that boy did? He
dropped that corncob like a hot potato and grabbed the candy
bar. Let Christ so grip me. Now drop everything else. You
too. Far, far better. Far better is
our Redeemer. All right, turn back to Matthew
chapter 14. Matthew chapter 14. I don't know why I ran across
this the other day as I was wrapping this message up seven years ago.
I wrote to Lindsay's sister, Debbie. She was undergoing one
of her attacks with cancer. I said, remember, it was the
Lord Jesus who sent his friends into the storm, who sent them
away from himself. And he seems to have done so
specifically that he might come to them when they desperately
needed him, that he might speak these words to them and make
himself known to them in such a way as he could not possibly
otherwise have made himself known. Surely that's the case with you
and with me. Listen to the voice of your tender,
omnipotent Savior in the midst of the storm. Back here in verse
21. Matthew chapter 14, verse 27. Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. It is I who raised
the tempest in your soul and will control it. It is I who
sent your affliction and will be with you. It is I who kindled
the furnace and will watch the flames and bring you through
it. It is I who formed your burden,
who carved your cross, and who will strengthen you to bear it.
It is I who mixed your cup of grief and will enable you to
drink it. Drink it with meek submission
to your father's will. It is I who took your strength
and health, your peace and tranquility from you. It is I who made the
light and darkness about you and raised the contrary winds.
It is I who've done all these things not against you, but for you,
not to hurt you, but to do you good. We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to his purpose. God make you to know that. Amen.