"Great God"

(Matthew 14:22-33)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

INTRODUCTION:

As you know, there are probably hundreds of walking on water jokes around. My favorite is about a duck hunter who bought a new retriever. Besides being a beautiful dog, it was guaranteed to be the best retriever anyone had ever seen. He couldn't wait to show off his new dog to his buddies. And then he couldn't say enough about his dog. All through the trip down to the camp and all evening long, he talked nonstop about his dog and how good it was going to be.

Opening day came. The hunters were all sitting in the duck blind early in the morning. The owner of the new dog was filled with excited anticipation. The dog sat next to him, ready. A flock of ducks flew over, the dog began to tremble in excitement and anticipation. A shotgun fired. At a signal from his owner, the dog took off after the duck like a streak of lightening. It jumped out of the blind, over the cover and onto the water. That's right, it didn't swim, it ran right across the water and retrieved the duck. They couldn't believe it. Everybody was flat out amazed.

This went on a couple of more times. A duck would be shot and the dog would run across the water and retrieve the duck without ever getting its feet wet.

The owner was beaming. If he had grinned anymore his face would have split in two. He couldn't stand it. "So what do y'all think? What do you think of my new dog?"

One of the guys who was tired of hearing how wonderful this dog was, said, "Well, he's good looking all right. But I don't know if I'd want a dog like that or not. The dadgum thing can't swim."

This morning we stop and take a look at a very familiar passage. It's the account of Jesus walking on the water and calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. It's the story of fear and struggle. It's the story of Peter's attempt to walk on the water.

This is a great story because it tells of a Great God. All through a Great Storm, a Great Struggle, a Great Savior and a Great Call.

I. GREAT STORM:

A. The passage opens with Jesus sending the disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus wants to be alone to pray. He's tired. He just fed the five thousand. He healed their sick and ministered to their needs. And he wants some time to himself so he can grieve the loss of his cousin, John, and focus his ministry.

The disciples take off in their boat. And it's not long before the Great Storm blows in. A sudden storm that threatens to capsize their boat. Now this wasn't some freak occurrence. The Sea of Galilee is notorious for these sudden storms. The Sea of Galilee is 613 feet below sea level. And because of this, it is surrounded by hills, mountains and valleys. At the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee, near the city of Magdalah, is a place known as the Valley of the Doves. There is always a breeze. And frequently the atmospheric conditions cause that breeze to become a mighty wind.

I witnessed this myself during my last trip to Israel. We were out on the Sea of Galilee on a boat with two or three other tour groups. The sun was shining and the lake was just as calm as could be. We went out to the middle to have a brief worship service and to just survey the area around us. Right as we began the service, the wind started to pick up. By the time we had finished our ten or fifteen minute worship service, clouds had started to roll in. Twenty minutes later while we were tying up at the dock, there were two to three foot waves, not just swells but waves. And a three foot wave can swamp a boat in a hurry. But an hour later you couldn't tell a storm had even swung through, except by the debris on the shore.

B. Life is like the Sea of Galilee. It's unpredictable. Just about the time you think it's smooth sailing all the way, one of those sudden storms sweeps in and threatens to swamp the boat of your life. We've all had those great storms hit unexpectedly.

It might have been the sudden loss of a job. Your company decided to downsize and your position was combined with someone else's and they had more seniority.

It might be the storm of a divorce. Not even yours, but one of your children. Or a brother or sister.

Maybe it's an auto accident. There's not always a way to protect yourself from those.

It might have been the news that no one wants to hear, the doctor's report says the test results show you have cancer or aids or any number of other debilitating diseases.

It might not even be a disease. The doctor says you or one of your children needs and operation and you don't have any insurance.

Whatever it is, the Great Storm comes rushing in and threatens to swamp the boat of your life. And like the disciples you're filled with fear. You might be bailing like all get out but the Storm has struck and your life has suddenly turned upside down.

II. GREAT STRUGGLE:

A. What do we do? Where do we turn? How do we act? Those are just some of the questions that grip us. Sometimes this Great Struggle caused by the Great Storm grips us so tight that we can't move. We become spiritual and emotionally catatonic. We freeze and don't know what to do.

Sometimes we kick it into high gear and the struggle takes on gargantuan proportions. We fight and fight and struggle to the point of exhaustion. we want to have the power of Superman. Yet, no matter how hard we struggle, we still feel like Homer Simpson against Godzilla.

We struggle with the "Why?" question. We struggle with the even deeper, more dangerous question of "Why Me?" Neither question has a real answer. If you focus on the "Why?" question, you just go nuts. And if you focus on the "Why Me?" question too long, you just feel guilty, because you can convince yourself pretty quickly that it was all your fault or that God is out to get you for something you did or didn't do.

There's an old joke about a guy who just had the worst luck of any human being on earth. No matter what he did, it went wrong. When he tried to sleep he had insomnia. And when tried to stay awake he fell asleep. What ever he touched broke or fell apart. After years of exasperation he finally fell on his knees in the largest cathedral he could find and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Why me, Lord. Why me?"

And to his surprise God answered and said, "Because I don't like you."

I know that's horrible but that's what some people think when the Great Storms hit. The truth is, there really is no suitable answer to the Great Storms of life. Just like the Sea of Galilee, the storms happen. Not because anyone did anything wrong. Not because we need to be punished. Not because God doesn't like us. But simply because Storms are a part of life.

III. GREAT SAVIOR:

A. In the midst of the Great Storms we shouldn't be asking "Why?" We should be asking "Who?" Who do we turn to.

And the answer of course is the one the disciples discovered. We have a Great Savior. A Great Savior who can calm the Great Storms. We have Great Savior who can calm the Great Struggles caused by the Great Storms of life. We have a Great Savior who can bring peace and calm back into our Storm tossed lives.

The disciples looked up in the middle of the storm and saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. They didn't know what to do or what to think. Some of them thought he was a ghost. Whatever they thought, it was obvious that they were afraid.

The first words Jesus spoke, were words of comfort. "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

I think it's important to note that Jesus didn't calm the storm on the Sea of Galilee until after he had calmed the inner storm in the lives of the disciples. It wasn't until after they were focused completely on Him and He had calmed their fears that Jesus turned to the and calmed the actual Storm.

It's important because in midst of the Great Storms of life, we tend to lose our focus. The storm gets all of our attention. That's on of the chief dangers of storms to our spiritual life. We lose focus.

That's what happened to Peter. He saw Jesus walking on the water, heard his calming words and then in great act of faith said: "If it's really you Lord, then make me walk on the water too." And Jesus did. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water.

At that moment Peter exhibited extraordinary faith. he knew one of the universal truths of life and faith. You can't walk on water if you don't step out of the boat. He stepped out on faith and stepped out of the boat. He walked on the water with Jesus. But then the storm around him caused him to lose focus and he sank like a rock.

B. He cried out for Jesus to save him. And because we have a Great Savior, he did. Jesus reached out his hand and rescued Peter.

The walked together to the boat, stepped in and Jesus calmed the storm. In the middle of the Storm Jesus always reaches out to us. He reaches out and he gives us strength.

A woman was walking down the street when she heard a voice shout, "Stop." She stopped, and a huge piece of metal fell from the skies right just in front of her. She had no idea what it was, maybe debris from a satellite. But if she had gone one step farther, she would have been killed. She looked around to find the person who saved her life but there wasn't anyone there.

A few days later she was about to cross a street and she heard the same voice holler boom. "Stop." And a car, out of control, zoomed by in front of her, just missing her by inches. Again, she looked around for the source of the strange but lifesaving voice. She didn't see anyone this time either.

But this time she heard a voice. "Do you know who I am?" the voice asked. "No, I don't," she answered.

"I am your guardian angel," said the voice. "I am here to protect you from harm."

Instead of expressing her gratitude, the woman was indignant. "If that's the case," she said, "then there's just one thing I want to know. Where were you when I got married?"

Jesus always reaches out and gives us strength in the midst of the storms, but Jesus doesn't prevent the from happening. He promises to be with us always. And He promises to walk with us through whatever comes our way. He promises to help put the pieces back together.

I recently read about a preacher whose son made a little clay cross in Vacation Bible School. They fired it in a kiln, and threaded a cord through a little hole in the top so it could be worn around the neck. The boy was proud of it, and so was the preacher. The second time the preacher wore it, though, it was accidentally dropped. It broke into about five pieces. Both the preacher and the boy were brokenhearted. But they picked up the pieces, cut some stiff cardboard in the shape of a cross and painted it black. then they laid the broken pieces on it and glued it back together.

The preacher wrote: "I love that cross. It will always be a symbol to me of healing and hope, because the love of God is stronger than the fear that comes with the "unknowns" of life. It reminds me that Christ's words, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid," are just as real today as when they were first said to those frightened disciples." (1)

IV. GREAT CALL:

With that promise, how can we fail. How can we not get out of the boat with Peter? How can we not attempt to walk on water. Remember, you can't walk on water if you don't get out of the boat.

God calls us with a Great Call. It's a call to get out of the boat with Peter and walk on the water of life with Jesus. It's a call to put our trust in Christ and to stayed focused on our relationship with God through Christ. Then, when the Great Storms come, and they will come, they always do, We will be able to know the Great Savior in the midst of our Great Struggles. And he will give us great faith and great focus so we don't sink beneath the waves of the storm.

CONCLUSION:

We have a Great God and a Great Savior. Put your trust and faith in them. Keep your life focused on your relationship with God through Christ. That way, when the Great Storms of life come and you find yourself in the Great Struggles caused by the Storms, you will be able to face the Storms with a calm and peaceful spirit. Step out of the boat and walk on the water with Jesus.

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

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Bibliography

1. Owen-Gemoets, EMPHASIS, July-August 1999, Volume 29, Number 2, Lima, Ohio

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Other References Consulted