Christ's power

Matthew 14: 22 – 36

This comes after the feeding of the 5000. Christ is revealed as wonderful then and now.
This is about Jesus walking on the water, verses 22 to 33. it demonstrated the deity of Christ. We can appreciate what he did. He came to people in conflict between faith and unbelief. The disciples were with Jesus and watched and listened to him. Yet they were terrified by a storm. Peter asked Jesus to call him out of the boat, yet asked Jesus to save him. The faith that buoyed him up marries up with the fear that sank him down. Every Christian learns that there is no success without threatened failure. There was a storm here, of fear and of faith.
Why were the disciples in the storm? The lake was prone to storms, they were men who were used to storms. The storm was no accident. In Christ all things hold together, the storm was in God’s hands. The disciples were obedient disciples. Jesus made them get in and go ahead of him across the lake, they found themselves in a violent storm. Some troubles come on us because we deserve it – we are disobedient as Jonah was. Some storms come because we are faithful – criticism or persecution. Some come because of illness, we suffer doubts and confusion. In l Peter 4 we know if we are loyal to the Lord Jesus we will suffer tests and trials. The disciples knew they would have to face the storm.
Where was Jesus? What was he doing while they were suffering? He was watching over them. He had gone into the hills to pray. In Mark 6 we see he was watching over them, he could see they were struggling. He was praying for them because he was aware of their needs. We have a great High Priest who is aware of our needs. He knows our every need and he gives us what we need to face the fears of life when we ask of him in faith. He watches over us and prays for us in our ‘little boat.’
Jesus needed to be alone to pay. He needed to talk to his father, to tell him of his concerns and talk of the needs of his people. He waits until he intervenes, he waist until the storm has served his purpose – they would learn he was watching over them, the best time to teach them dependence on him. It came in the 4th watch, from 3 to 6, they were in the dark. There was the night and the storm, they had to come to an end of themselves. Do we lean too much on our own understanding? We need to come to an end of ourselves. Paul knew this and he was delivered by God. He drew near to them – verse 26. He came not as a ghost but as the Lord of power in omnipotence an d compassion. This is how he comes – in omnipotence as a sovereign protector. He is not an equal of Mohammed or Buddha. He is the great God who is over all
Who is Jesus? He is not just a Spirit being. He is all powerful. This is a picture of Jesus who is never far from us. He draws near us. He moves in a mysterious way, he cares for his people.
In the school of faith we graduate when our faith is no longer needed – in Heaven. Faith is not a leap in the dark or a bold action, it is based and rests on what God says in his word. When Jesus says to Peter ‘come’ faith responds in a sensible way. Faith is a sensible response to what Jesus says. If we do not do as he says we are insulting him because we are rejecting God’s word and offending him by what we say and do. Our faith must reach out as Peter’s did.
Jesus says those who do come to me in faith I will save. We must respond to him in faith unquestioningly trusting him, we have faith in him. Peter walked on the water, this shows how it is meant to be for us. We want to be like Jesus as a saved person. Spurgeon said faith likes to deal in great things, great projects, not in what we can do on our own. Faith is for the deep sea and fixes its compass on the stars – on the Lord Jesus where no human hand can help. How is our faith? We can recall those who had a vision for the planting of a church right here. That all the details were firm and put in place for it to grow. These believers acted in faith.
Where there is a collapse in faith we can find comfort here because Peter is like us all. When we look away from Jesus our faith is destroyed. When we look at the author of our faith all is well. When we look around we say ‘how will it all work out?’ we can look to him and will keep us all in the darkest days, he stills the storm within us. There is a 3 fold remedy. A plea for help – Lord save me, a response – the Lord helped him, the pronouncement of his word – oh ye of little faith, not mockery.
We can call out and the Lord meets our need – sometimes a word of rebuke. It calls forth a right response, the worship of the disciples. This is the right way forward for us when we have a crisis of faith. What do we think of Christ? Our culture dishonours Christ – people despise or devalue Christ very often. Jesus is often diminished by being compared to others.
Our confession of Jesus as Lord is the cornerstone of our faith. Do we believe him, honour him and do as he commands? Are we a disciple of him, under his tuition? As a Christian we want his mind to be our mind.
Is our priest who reconciles us to God? We need him to do this for us because he hates our sin and it must be punished in him – he offered an atonement for our sin, his own body offered on the cross. He is our priest between God and man.
Is he our king? Christ had a 3 fold office, prophet, priest and king. Does he rule over our lives in everything – our family, job, everything. Do we say ‘Lord rule over me.’ Our confession should be ‘Lord we know who you are, be our prophet, priest and king’, so walk in him.