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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to Matthew chapter 14. Matthew chapter 14. Our focus 
will be verses 22 to 33, but I want to read beginning in verse 
13 to the end of the chapter. So beginning in Matthew chapter 
14 at verse 13. When Jesus heard it, he departed 
from their boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the 
multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities. 
And when Jesus went out, he saw a great multitude, and he was 
moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. When it 
was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, This is a deserted 
place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, 
that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food. But 
Jesus said to them, They do not need to go away. You give them 
something to eat. And they said to Him, We have 
here only five loaves and two fish. He said, bring them here 
to me. Then he commanded the multitudes 
to sit down on the grass. And he took the five loaves and 
the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke 
and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the 
multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up 
twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who 
had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus made his disciples 
get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while 
he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes 
away, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Now when 
evening came, he was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle 
of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now 
in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them, walking on 
the sea. And when the disciples saw him 
walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost! And they cried out with fear. 
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer, 
it is I. Do not be afraid. And Peter answered 
him and said, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you 
on the water. So he said, Come. And when Peter 
had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go 
to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was 
afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried 
out, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched 
out his hand and caught him, and said to him, O you of little 
faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, 
the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat 
came and worshipped him, saying, Truly, you are the Son of God. When they had crossed over, they 
came to the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place 
recognized him, they sent out into all the surrounding region, 
brought to him all who were sick, and begged him that they might 
only touch the hem of his garment. And as many as touched it were 
made perfectly well. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for the written word of the living God. Thank you 
for the ministry of our Lord Jesus and the great encouragement 
that it gives the church today. We see Christ in the midst of 
the storm with his disciples, and we see his blessing of them. 
And we pray, God in heaven, that we would learn the lessons of 
such passages and that it would strengthen and fortify our weary 
hearts, that you would build us up, that you would strengthen 
us, and that you would help us, Lord God, to walk by faith in 
him who loved us and in him who gave himself for us. Forgive 
us again for sin and fill us with your spirit. And we pray 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, in this particular 
section, it records miracles around the lake or the Sea of 
Galilee that shows Christ's sovereignty. He feeds the multitudes in verses 
13 to 21. He walks on the water in verses 
22 to 33. And he continues his ministry 
of healing in verses 34 to 36. The theological 
or Christological significance is found specifically in the 
confession of the disciples in verse 33. Notice, truly you are 
the son of God. So the feeding of the 5,000, 
the walking on the water, the cessation of the wind, and the 
continual healing ministry, all evidence is what we saw in the 
last hour. Jesus is supreme over creation. Jesus not only made all things, 
but Jesus sustains all things. And so in the midst of the hardships 
and the trials which the church on this boat was facing, Christ 
is Lord of the storm. Christ is in the midst with them. 
There is a parallel passage to this in Mark and in John. The same record is given, but 
there's a similar passage back in Matthew 8 in verses 23 to 
27. Christ in the midst of the storm. 
Same sort of a situation. They're on the Sea of Galilee 
and they're buffeted by the winds and the waves and Christ comes 
to demonstrate to them that he is Lord or ruler even over the 
waves. So we'll look first at the storm 
on the sea in verses 22 to 27. Secondly, the salvation at sea 
in verses 28 to 32. And then finally, the significance 
of the event on the sea in verse 33. But notice in the first place, 
the disciples and the multitudes. So Jesus just fed the 5,000. Jesus multiplied the bread and 
the loaves and he fed them. And if you look specifically 
at verse 22, it says, immediately, Jesus made his disciples get 
into the boat and go before him to the other side while he sent 
the multitudes away. This is a very strong verb. It 
means to compel, to force, to urge strongly. He wanted his 
disciples to leave that particular place at that particular time. 
A bit of light is shed for us by the parallel in John 6. After 
Jesus feeds the 5,000, the Jews then come with full bellies to 
try to seize the Lord Jesus Christ, to take him by force, and to 
make him a king. They are not looking for redemption 
through blood atonement. They're looking for full bellies. 
They're looking for a concept of Messiah that was quite popular 
in those days. The Messiah would come, he'd 
be a political figure, and he would subjugate their enemies. 
And Jesus wants to quell that. Jesus doesn't want to encourage 
that. Jesus doesn't want to endorse that. So Jesus sends his disciples 
away into the boat, onto the sea. Now, while he does this, 
he sends the multitudes away also, again, in the attempt to 
rebuff this idea that they would seize him, as John 6.15 tells 
us. Therefore, when Jesus perceived 
that they were about to come and take him by force to make 
him king, he departed again to the mountain by himself alone. 
And that brings us to consider the solitude of the Savior. Notice 
our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, he was a man of the people. 
Yes, he certainly surrounded himself with the disciples. Yes, 
he tended to and dealt with the multitudes at the time, but he 
also needed his own time with God the Father. He needed that 
solitude of the mountain. He needed that place of prayer. 
And when it tells us it was evening, it was most likely about dusk. 
Later on in verse 25, the reference to the fourth watch was probably 
3 a.m. to 6 a.m. So the Lord Jesus continued 
in prayer by himself for quite a long time. Remember, he is 
true divinity, but he's also true humanity. And Christ, according 
to his humanity, maintained constant communion with his God and father. And as a result, he sets a good 
example for the rest of us. We're not supposed to live in 
a tumultuous world, untethered from the God of absolute sovereignty. 
We're supposed to be a men and women of prayer. We're supposed 
to be churches marked by prayer. We're supposed to be those who 
express our dependence upon the true and living God, the way 
that Jesus, according to his humanity, Now, with reference 
to the storm on the sea, look at verse 24. It says, But the 
boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, 
for the wind was contrary. The same sort of thing, as I 
said, is recorded in Matthew 8, 23 to 27. And I think it kind 
of blows our minds a little bit because it's the Sea of Galilee. 
It's not the Pacific Ocean. It's not the Atlantic Ocean. 
It's not some massive body of water. And we wonder what kind 
of a storm on a lake, essentially, could be so threatening that 
experienced fishermen are fearful for their lives. Well, one commentator 
makes this observation. This occurred regularly on that 
lake, since it was 600 feet below sea level and ringed with mountains 
to the east, so that the air would surge through the mountains 
and kick up huge waves, sometimes eight to nine feet high. And 
again, both in Matthew chapter eight and here in Matthew chapter 
14, we're dealing with experienced fishermen. We are dealing with 
men who had navigated this particular sea many times. But even they 
are fearful in terms of the storms that affect them and in terms 
of the waves doing their thing in terms of being boisterous. 
Now, before we move on, it is important for us to underscore 
this truth. And we have noted this back in 
Matthew 8 when we've looked at that passage, that the presence 
of Christ in the life of God's people does not mean the absence 
of trials. This is a passage that is completely 
contrary to what persons foolishly call the health, wealth, and 
prosperity gospel. This is not gospel to teach that 
when we are in Christ, we'll only be healthy, we'll only be 
wealthy, and we'll only be prosperous. That sounds far more like Benjamin 
Franklin than it does our Lord Jesus Christ. So just because 
we're disciples, just because we're believers, doesn't mean 
that every time we put our boat on the sea, there will never 
be wind. There will never be waves. There 
will only be smooth sailing. There will never be trials. There 
will never be afflictions. There will never be hardships. 
That is a lie from the devil. And in fact, godless men professing 
faith in Jesus Christ will upbraid the people of God who actually 
fall into difficulty and trial and hardship and tell them foolish 
things like, well, you must not have any faith. The problem is 
ultimately yours. Well, you see, if we take that 
tack, we're going to have a problem with Job. We're going to have 
a problem with Moses. We're going to have a problem 
with the Lord Jesus because he was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. We're going to have a problem 
with the Apostle Paul because Paul was taught by God that in 
his weakness, God or Christ's power was made perfect. And so 
this idea that when we come to Jesus, all of our troubles and 
all of our cares and all of our concerns are gone is simply unbiblical. Now, in terms of our relationship 
with God, as Paul says in Romans 5.1, therefore, having been justified 
by faith, we have peace with God. That's a reality. But that 
doesn't always translate into peace with man, or peace with 
government, or peace with the various forces that are opposed 
to Christ and opposed to his church in this world. And so 
this idea that the presence of Christ means the absence of all 
trial is unbiblical. Now, the presence of Christ provides 
comfort in the midst of trial, and that is a certain and blessed 
benefit of our connection to God through faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ. The disciples of Christ are not 
immune from trial and difficulty. Again, consider the similar passage 
in Matthew 8. Jesus is even in the midst of 
the boat with them. Jesus has gone for a bit of rest 
while this storm rages on. And it's in that context that 
these experienced fishermen say, Lord, do you not care that we 
are perishing? As well, the Lord Christ doesn't 
always immediately rescue his people. If you listen to the 
timeframe that I specified, it was about dusk when Jesus goes 
to the mountain by himself to pray. The fourth watch is 0300 
to 0600. So there's a period of time that 
Christ puts his solitude with the Father before the needs of 
his disciples. Now, I realize that as a narcissistic 
people, we don't like that. We should come first. But do 
you realize that when Christ puts first things first, then 
we benefit as a result? And as we look at this particular 
passage, he doesn't immediately come to their rescue. He doesn't 
immediately come to our rescue. 14 months should have taught 
us that by now. Six months in terms of the lockdown 
with reference to the church especially. We cry out, we pray, 
Lord God change the hearts of these civil government so that 
we'll be free to worship without molestation by civil government. 
But it doesn't always happen like that. It's not the case 
that immediately we cry and immediately we are blessed. If you raise 
your children that way, you're not teaching them well. There 
are lessons children need to go through. There are trials 
and difficulties that children need to go through. They need 
to eat dirt. They need to breathe in germs. 
They need to build their own immune system. And I'm not trying 
to make a parallel to the pandemic. I'm simply highlighting the illustration. 
God, in His dealings with His children, at times, doesn't immediately 
deliver us, so that we'll learn the lessons. Remember in Romans 
chapter 8, that golden chain of salvation, or what we call 
the Ordo Salutis, the order of salvation. For whom God foreknew, 
these He predestined. And He predestined them to be 
conformed to the image of His Son. The ones He predestined, 
He called. Those He calls, He justifies. 
And those He justifies, He glorifies. But the idea is clear. He predestined 
them to be conformed to the image of his son. If the son, according 
to Hebrews 5.8, learns obedience through suffering, then sons 
by adoption are oftentimes going to learn obedience by suffering 
too. So this is the tough pill that 
we all need to swallow. That in the Christian life, though 
our sins forgiven, though the righteousness of Christ is imputed 
to us, though we are bound for heaven and the glory to come, 
that does not mean that this world is any friend to us. That 
does not mean that they're always going to make the way good for 
us. That does not mean we're always going to sail. without 
any problems in this storm-tossed world. Jesus himself told his 
disciples in John 16, 33, in this world, you will have tribulation, 
but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. The Lord 
Christ responds in his own timing to affect his purposes in the 
lives of his people. And we need to appropriate that 
in our own hearts and lives and feed off the comfort that it 
affords to us. Now, notice in the fourth place 
under the storm on the sea, the ruler of the waves, verses 25 
to 26, says in verse 24, the boat was now in the middle of 
the sea, tossed by the waves for the wind was contrary. Now, 
in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them walking on 
the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they 
were troubled, saying, It is a ghost. And they cried out, 
for fear. Now, I don't know if I want to make this confession, 
but sometimes you'll hear people say, boy, when I get to heaven, 
I'd really like to ask Paul something, or boy, when I get to heaven, 
I'd really like to ask Peter something, or when I get to heaven, 
I'd really like to ask about this, that, or the other. Turn 
to Mark's account of this situation. In Mark chapter 6, something 
that's always perplexed me And again, not that I'm trying to 
create perplexity amongst you, but it's just kind of a curious 
statement. If you look at the same thing in Mark 6, 45 to 52, 
look at verse 48, well, verse 47. Now, when evening came, the 
boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the 
land. Then he saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against 
them. Now about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, 
walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. Where was 
he going? You know, the thought is that 
he's walking on the sea to come and collect his afflicted bride. 
But Mark tells us that he would have passed them by. Again, just 
a question that's always perplexed me a little bit. Where was he 
going? The text seems to indicate he was going precisely to this 
particular place in order to vindicate and to save and to 
help his beloved bride while they're on the storm-tossed sea. 
Anyways, back to Matthew's version in verse 25. In the fourth watch 
of the night, Jesus went to them walking on the sea. Again, don't 
miss that. There are what's called liberal 
theologians. They're kind of like liberal 
politics. They thrive on misery, pain, 
and destruction. And with reference to liberal 
theology, they deny the supernatural. So they try to define this, or 
define away the supernatural, by saying that Jesus was on a 
sandbar, or that an uncommon wind came that was very cold, 
and it froze the water such that Jesus was able to walk along 
it, and it appeared that he was walking on the water. Again, 
that makes no sense, because when Peter steps out on the water, 
he ultimately sinks under it. It's not a sandbar, and it's 
not a piece of ice. These men were experienced on 
this particular sea. These men understood all too 
well what they were seeing. That's what evokes from them 
this cry that it is a ghost. This was supernatural in its 
nature. manifestation. There is no liberal 
interpretation that is good with reference to this passage. In 
the passage before, do you know how the liberals, again not the 
political liberals, but the theological liberals, describe the supernatural 
feeding of the 5,000? Jesus finds this little boy who 
has a few fish and a few loaves, and this little boy shows his 
willingness to share with everybody. And that works on the hearts 
of everybody there. So they pull out the few remnants 
that they had, and collectively they share with one another so 
that they can all eat. Again, that is absolutely contrary 
to what Matthew's purpose is in describing for us Jesus Christ, 
the divine Son of God. That is why verse 33 is in the 
passage. Truly, you are the Son of God. That's already been confessed 
by others in Matthew's gospel, but this is the first time on 
the lips of the disciples that it comes out this way. When it 
comes to this instance, we see that Jesus is, as Ryle describes 
him, the ruler of the waves. One commentator who leans liberal 
says, what matters is not that Jesus has done the seemingly 
impossible. I say that does matter. I say 
that is crucial. I say that is essential. But 
what this commentator goes on to say, I think is very valuable. And I referenced this thought 
in the previous message. If you don't know your Old Testament, 
you're going to struggle at times with the New Testament. Or if 
not struggle, you're not going to appreciate the glory of the 
New Testament. In Him was life, and the life 
was the light of men. Psalm 36, David says the same 
thing concerning Yahweh of Israel. So what this commentator goes 
on to say, what matters is not that Jesus has done the seemingly 
impossible, and I say, though this shouldn't be disregarded, 
but that He has performed action which the Old Testament associates 
with Yahweh alone. Now in Job 9, 8, we read, he 
alone spreads out the heavens and treads on the waves of the 
sea. Psalm 77, verse 19, your way 
was in the sea, your path in the great waters and your footsteps 
were not known. Isaiah 43, 16, thus says the 
Lord who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty 
waters. You see, when these men spy Jesus 
walking on the water, they probably reminisce with reference to what 
the Old Testament taught. As far as they were concerned, 
it was a supernatural display of the power of a supernatural 
being. They conclude, unfortunately, 
initially, that it is a ghost. Why do they do that? Well, I 
would suggest that Gil is on the right path here. Gil, among 
others, points out beliefs among the Jews concerning nocturnal 
apparitions, demons in human form. The Jews, especially the 
sect of the Pharisees, had a notion, from whom the disciples might 
have theirs, of spirits, apparitions, and demons being sent, being 
to be seen in the night. So going back to the text, notice 
in verse 26, And when the disciples saw him walking on the ghost, 
they were troubled, they were distressed, they were alarmed, 
they were fearful at the sight of the Savior walking on the 
water. And then they cry out, it is 
a ghost, and they cry out for fear. Now think about this, for 
these disciples, if Gil and others are right, that this was a common 
sort of understanding amongst the Jews and specifically the 
Pharisees who had a doctrine of the supernatural. The Sadducees 
would have been the theological liberals who denied the supernatural 
back then. Imagine for a moment this reality. It was far more acceptable in 
their minds that they were watching a ghost walk on the water than 
their friend and their master, even God himself, as present 
with them. So the significance of this passage 
is manifold. Christ is ruler over the waves. The Christ who multiplies the 
loaves, the Christ who made the world and all things in it, has 
mastery over the sea, and that Christ is able to heal the multitudes, 
as the end of the chapter indicates for us. Again, John Gill says, 
by which action, walking on the water, he showed himself to be 
the Lord of the sea, and to be truly and properly God, whose 
character is that he treads upon the waves of the sea. and Gil 
citing there Job 9a. And then notice in the final 
place, under the storm on the sea, the encouragement of the 
Savior. The encouragement of the Savior. In the first place, 
he gives them a command. Look at verse 27, but immediately 
Jesus spoke to them saying, be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. Pretty counter intuitive, isn't 
it? If you were on the sea and you 
were fearing for your life, joy and cheer and happiness probably 
weren't at the top of your priority level. It's just like James tells 
us to count it all joy in James 1 when we fall into various trials. Why do you think James says that? 
Because it's not natural. When we fall into various trials, 
we whine, or we grumble, or we complain, or we manifest a face 
that looks like it's going through troubles. And in the same instance, 
these people were concerned. They're on this boat, they're 
being tossed to and fro, they see Jesus, they think that it's 
a ghost, and they are terrified at the sight of it. And the first 
words out of the Savior's mouth is be of good cheer. The Lord's command to the disciples 
in the midst of trial and difficulty is not whine. It is not grumble. It is not complain. It is rather 
to be of good cheer. Again, James tells us this. My 
brethren, Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Patience 
then leads its way into completeness or perfection, not perfection 
in terms of sinlessness, but a composure under God by God's 
grace. And so Jesus tells them to be 
of good cheer. Notice the second aspect of his 
encouragement. He makes an assertion. He says, 
be of good cheer in his eye. Now, the translation here, it 
is I, would be preferably rendered I am. When you read John's gospel, 
there are several occasions where you see those two words combined 
together with reference to Jesus. I am, and then there's typically 
predicates. I am the bread of life. I am 
the light of the world. I am the sheep who gives his 
life for the shepherd, the shepherd rather who gives his life for 
the sheep. But then there are I am statements without predicates. 
And most scholars and everybody who has a brain sees that as 
reminiscent of Exodus 3.14. When God reveals himself to Moses, 
he does so as I am. In the prophet Isaiah, you see 
that as well. The prophet Isaiah extols Yahweh 
as the great I am. And so when Jesus is walking 
on the water here, and he says to his disciples, be of good 
cheer, it is I, does translate and interpret the language well, 
but I am underscores the reality that we already know in Matthew's 
gospel that Jesus is Emmanuel. Jesus is God with us. So while 
it's more predominant in John's Gospel, John 8, 24 and John 8, 
54 in particular, where we have I Am statements without a predicate, 
it is nevertheless present here. And Matthew's Gospel, again, 
not as conspicuous as John, but Matthew's Gospel begins with 
the deity of Jesus and ends with the deity of Jesus. It begins 
with the reference to Isaiah 7, 14 that Jesus is Emmanuel, 
God with us. And then it ends on that mount 
in Galilee when Jesus promises not only the fact that he has 
omnipotence, and he also promises as well that he has omnipresence. So he says that, go, because 
all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. That's 
omnipotence. But then omnipresence is, and 
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. So what 
do we conclude at least at this point? It is the knowledge of 
Christ as the Great I Am, as God Most High, that should settle 
our hearts in the midst of the storm, when everything else may 
be coming up short. when everything else may be coming 
up a goose egg, when everything else may be distressing us to 
no end, the reality is, is that our Christ, who lived for us, 
and who died for us, and who rose again for us, is the ruler 
of the waves, because He not only made them, but because He 
sustains them, and because He is God Most High Himself. This was to cheer, and this was 
to encourage His disciples. One man says, this is the I Am 
of Psalm 77, 19. I already read that. Your way 
was in the sea, your path in the great waters, and your footsteps 
were not known. So this man says, this is the 
I Am of Psalm 77, 19. The I Am who provides a way through 
the sea, a path through the mighty waters, leaving footprints unseen. As Yahweh treads the waters, 
so does Jesus. So again, why do we spend time 
in the prologue in John's gospel? So that we can correctly understand 
who Jesus Christ is, this one who bids us come and follow him, 
even up to and including the point of death. You know he issues 
that demand in Matthew chapter 16. Take up your cross daily 
and follow me. Well, who's the one who's calling 
upon us to take up our cross daily and follow him? He is I 
Am. He is God Most High. He is the 
glorious Lord. One other commentator, Bruner, 
says this is no ordinary hello on water. It is the divine Lord 
addressing his storm-tossed church. Amen, brethren, that we have 
that in our Bibles. Amen, that the word who was with 
God and the word who was God is that one who walks on the 
water in order to comfort his storm-tossed church. So he gives 
them first a command, be of good cheer. He makes this assertion, 
I am, and then notice he gives the prohibition at the end in 
verse 27. Be of good cheer. I am. Do not 
be afraid. Do not be afraid. Why, Jesus? Because fear paralyzes the witness 
of the church. Because fear restricts kingdom 
advance, humanly speaking. Because fear is indicative of 
the sons of Adam and the sons of Satan. Because fear is not 
what is consistent with those who fear God Most High. See, 
when we fear God Most High, it's supposed to displace the fear 
of man, the fear of other things that we possess. Remember in 
Revelation 21 at verse 8, one of the groups of people that 
are in the lake of fire are the cowardly. And the cowardly there 
aren't afraid of lions and bears and bugs and all those sorts 
of things. They're those who did not overcome. The seven letters to the seven 
churches in Asia Minor all ended with that refrain, to him who 
overcomes, and then a promise of blessing is appended. Now, 
in this statement, our blessed Savior, in the midst of a storm-tossed 
church, throws this blessing. In the first place, He tells 
them to be of good cheer. In the second place, He reminds 
them that He is God Most High. And in the third place, He forbids 
them to live by fear. Fear is crippling. Fear keeps 
us paralyzed. Fear makes us controllable by 
godless men. So ultimately, we need to fear 
God rather than men. And yes, there is some specific 
application relative to the pandemic today. It is better to fear God 
and show up in public worship than to fear the civil government 
and defy God's command. Do not forsake the assembling 
of yourselves together as is the custom of Psalm, and even 
more so as you see the day approaching. Even though Jerusalem is going 
to be destroyed, even though Roman armies are going to surround 
her, that's no argument for you to absent yourself from the house 
of God Most High. We are not to be afraid. Now that doesn't mean be a fool. 
That doesn't mean be an idiot. That doesn't mean find somebody 
who has COVID and put your face before their face and have them 
sneeze on you. That's not what you're supposed 
to do, brethren. There is wisdom. Wisdom, however, 
is not the fear of man that paralyzes people and keeps them ultimately 
from stepping out in faith with reference to the true and living 
God. Now notice, secondly, in terms of a broad stroke, the 
salvation at sea in verses 28 to 32. Notice the apostles' account. 
or the apostles request. This isn't in the parallels. 
We don't see this in Mark and we don't see this in John. Same 
passage, same theology, same stuff, not contradictory, but 
Matthew wants to point out again, a lesson, not only on Christology, 
who Jesus is, but Matthew also takes pains to give us illustration 
about discipleship. Those things go hand in hand. 
Not only who Jesus is, but how his disciples are supposed to 
conduct themselves and how they are supposed to function with 
reference to him. So notice in verse 28, Peter 
answered him and said, Lord, if it is you, command me to come 
to you on the water. Now, the if-it-is-you could also 
be rendered since-it-is-you. It is a condition of fact. It's a translation or interpretative 
issue at this particular juncture. Either way, but I favor the latter. 
I think Peter is saying, since it is you, he knew that Christ 
who gave the command, had the power to enable compliance with 
the command. That is the blessedness that 
we see throughout Scripture. Remember in John 11, Jesus at 
the grave site of Lazarus says, Lazarus, come forth. Lazarus 
is dead. He cannot comply. He cannot respond. He cannot shake out the death 
from his eyes or rub out the death from his eyes and come 
out of that tomb. The sister says, behold, he's 
stinking. It's been a few days, Lord. You 
can pull that rock away and we're all going to retch and gag because 
he's a dead body. But the Christ who gives the 
command, come forth, is the Christ who can enable compliance with 
the command. This is why we preach to sinners, 
even dead ones, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Not because 
we think their free will is unaffected by total depravity, but because 
we know the Christ who commands can enable compliance by His 
Word and Spirit. And so in this instance, I suspect 
that Peter is saying that very thing. Since it is you, he knew 
that Christ had the power to enable him to walk on the water. 
Now notice the Lord's response in verse 29 to 31. In the first 
place, he commands him, come. There's no question. There's 
no issue. This is not a debatable matter. 
Of course Christ has the power to enable compliance with this 
command, to do something supernatural. Supernatural is that which is 
above or transcends nature. People can't walk on water. You 
all get that, right? And so when Peter says, Lord, 
if it is you, command me to come out on that water. So, of course, 
Jesus says, come. Notice as well the apostle responds, 
verse 29b, and when Peter had come down out of the boat, he 
walked on the water to go to Jesus. An amazing situation. I think at times as Christians 
or those brought up in the Christian tradition, those brought up especially 
in churches where there's preaching or Sunday school or those things 
that we used to take for granted, those people oftentimes read 
passages like these and they don't even think about it. Go 
to somebody that you know who has a pool, or go to the lake. Not today. Go today. It's a beautiful 
day. Enjoy the lake. And try to walk 
on that water. You know it's not going to happen, 
right? Well, Peter was a fisherman. Peter understood the physics 
involved. Peter understood that this was 
indeed a supernatural act, and so Peter responds in faith to 
the Lord, and he steps out in faith, and he walks on the water. 
But what happens to Peter? Peter freaks out, and I think 
there's a message or a lesson here. It is one thing to start 
right by faith, and then not to persevere. And this is a lesson 
that we again need to learn. We need to not only have faith 
at its inception, we need to not only have faith at the end, 
but we need faith in the middle mile. We need faith when the 
storms come. We need faith when the waves 
are there. We need faith when the afflictions are upon us. 
It's kind of like rights, personal rights. You never need them until 
you need them, right? You never have to have them until 
you have to have them. Well, faith is like that as well. 
You've got to have it consistently in our blessed Christ. But at 
those moments where it seems like you're going to sink, at 
those moments where you are being lambasted by the winds about 
you, faith is absolutely requisite. So he steps out in faith, but 
then he sinks because of little faith. Notice, when he saw that 
the wind was boisterous, he was afraid. He does exactly what 
Jesus says not to do. Now, in this we ought to be encouraged, 
because Jesus doesn't say, you miserable, horrible, apostate, 
and defector. You can drown for all I care. That's not how Jesus deals with 
them. Even though Peter isn't of good 
cheer, even though Peter seems to have lost the mindset that 
this is the great I Am, and even though Peter has been commanded 
not to fear, that is precisely what Peter does. It is precisely 
the reflex action when he sees the wind is boisterous, he is 
afraid. Matthew Henry said, Christ bid 
him come, not only that he might walk upon the water, and so know 
Christ's power, but that he might sink. See, the old authors saw 
this as part of the whole plan. that he would sink for this reason. And so that he would know his 
own weakness, for as he would encourage his faith, so he would 
check his confidence and make him ashamed of it. So as he sees 
that the wind is boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to 
sink, he cried out saying, Lord, save me. Precisely what the disciples 
in the previous instance with Christ in the storm, in Matthew 
8 saying, they say, Lord, save me. That's a blessed thing. That 
is a wonderful thing. We ought not to sink. But when 
we do sink, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ, 
the righteous. We're supposed to be of good 
cheer. We're supposed to be mindful that he's the great I am. We're 
supposed to not be afraid of those forces external to us. 
But when that does happen, where do we go? We go right back to 
the Lord Jesus. We go right back to the Son of 
God who loved us and who gave himself for us. And in this we 
see the Lord's response. Verse 31, immediately Jesus stretched 
out his hand and caught him. So the Lord saves. Again, reminiscent 
here is Psalm 144, 7. Stretch out your hand from above, 
rescue me and deliver me out of great waters from the hand 
of foreigners. So while we may miss these Old 
Testament reminiscences, I doubt the New Testament authors did. 
I doubt these disciples did. As they would muse upon these 
things later, they would say, look at that demonstration of 
Psalm 144, 7. It probably wasn't in Peter's 
mind right at that point. More likely it was to grab on 
to Jesus and to gasp for air as he comes from the depths of 
the water. And then Jesus not only saves 
him, but he reproves him. Notice in verse 31b, O you of 
little faith, why did you doubt? Again, not cuts him off. not 
casts him off, not despises, not destroys, not decimates him. He is gracious even in his chiding. Remember to the church at Laodicea 
in Revelation 3.19, the very worst of the seven churches, 
as many as I love, I rebuke and chase him. We ought never to 
interpret these sorts of things as a sign of his displeasure, 
a sign of his disfavor, a sign that he's cutting us off, a sign 
that he's done with us. Our Lord is gracious. Our Lord 
is long-suffering. Our Lord bears with us, and that 
is most blessed. But he does chide him, and he 
does reprove him, and he does say, O you of little faith, why 
did you doubt? Not you of no faith, but you 
of little faith. J.C. Ryle says, he knows their 
feebleness and bears long with them. He would have us know that 
doubting does not prove that a man has no faith, but only 
that his faith is small. That is a wonderful distinction 
that I think is lost on us in a parallel or analogous situation 
in terms of our salvation. There are doubts, brethren. I'm 
not sanctioning that. I'm not encouraging that. I'm 
not telling you to go out and be a doubter, but I am suggesting 
that one of the manifestations of remaining corruption in the 
hearts of God's people are these doubts, this little faith at 
times. The answer isn't, oh, I must 
not be saved, and therefore I'm on my way to hell. No, the answer 
is, Lord, I believe help thou mine unbelief. How many of us 
actually pray at the throne of grace for an increase of faith? There's an interesting scene 
in Luke's gospel where the disciples ask Jesus about forgiveness. It is that instance when Peter 
says, Lord, if my brother sins against me, do I forgive him 
seven times? And Jesus says seven times 70. Do you know what the 
apostles say after that? They say, increase Our faith. Think about that for a moment. 
You are asking us to do something that is completely and utterly 
contrary to our nature. You want me to forgive my wife? 
You want me to forgive my husband? Seven times seventy? You want 
me to forgive that person that has sinned against me ad nauseam? Seven times seventy? And again, 
the point isn't count off seven times seventy. The point is, 
be a forgiving child of God. So in that context, they say, 
increase our faith. We need faith to navigate not 
only the interpersonal relationships, but we need faith to navigate 
the external pressures and influences and afflictions that come upon 
the people of God. And then notice the Lord's sovereign 
power displayed in verse 32. So he saves, he chides, and then 
he shows his supremacy. It says in verse 32, and when 
they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Now, brethren, I'm sure 
the liberals would say, well, the wind ceased because it was 
going to cease anyway. It just happened to be a correlation. 
It wasn't causal. It was rather correlative. No, 
Jesus got in the boat and the wind ceased, just like in Matthew 
chapter 8, when he said to the winds to hush and be still and 
to the waves. They respond because Jesus has 
mastery over the creation because he is in fact the great I am. 
Again, Psalm 107, 29. He calms the storm so that its 
waves are still. You see that in Job 26, Psalm 
65, Psalm 89, and in Jonah the prophet, Jonah 1, 15 and 16. 
John Gill makes the observation, he walked upon the sea whilst 
the wind was blowing hard and the waves were tumultuous. He 
comes into the ship and all is calm. Both winds and sea obey 
him who is Lord of both. That's what he's pressing on 
their consciences. That's what he's demonstrating 
to his afflicted church. That's what he wants us to see 
in the 21st century in Chilliwack, British Columbia in Canada. He wants us to get that reality 
that whatever is external, Christ has lordship over it. Whatever 
is outside of us, Christ has mastery over. Whatever afflictions 
we go through, whatever trials we endure, Christ is sovereign 
over these things. It's not that Christ is on a 
holiday. It's not that he's been gone 
for 14 months and we're waiting for him to return to his throne 
so we can get rid of the masks and the lockdowns and come back 
to church. Jesus is the Lord in the midst of the fire as well. 
And that's what these storm-tossed disciples learned, and that is 
what we ought to learn as well. And that brings us finally to 
the significance of the event on the sea. We see the divinity 
or the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the miracle itself. Again, go try to walk on the 
water today. It's not going to happen. It 
is a supernatural act that takes a supernatural being to undergo 
or to engage, and that is our Lord Jesus, as well the identification 
as I am. More prevalent in John's gospel, 
but it's certainly not absent from Matthew's gospel. God with 
us is I Am, who underscores his presence with his church while 
they go about the Great Commission. So beginning, middle, and end 
of Matthew's gospel, we see the divinity of our Lord Jesus. But 
then notice specifically the response of the disciples. Then 
those who were in the boat came and worshiped him. See, when 
we are struck with a recognition of deity, this is the response. When we come into the presence 
of God on the Lord's Day, yes, we're here to encourage one another. 
Yes, we're here to get our batteries charged. Yes, we're here to be 
helped. but we're here in the first place 
to worship God. We're here in the first place 
to recognize and confess His divinity, and then respond in 
a way that is consistent with the creature. Both the prophet 
Jeremiah and the apostle John ask this most important question. They say, Who would not fear 
Thee, O King of the earth? For indeed, it is Thy due. So when we come down to discuss 
the matter as to whether church is essential or not, church is 
the most essential thing that ever was. Because the worship 
of the living and true God, which God the Lord has commanded, takes 
place in this new covenant setting in the church, is absolutely 
crucial in terms of the creature's response to the Creator. So they 
are confronted with not only the Creator, but the Sustainer 
and Ruler, and they come and worship, and then notice what 
they say. Truly, you are the Son of God. Truly, you are the Son of God. This is, again, going to be confessed 
by them, but it's already been confessed up to this point. Chapter 
8, verse 19. Demons confess it. In chapter 
2, chapter 3, chapter 4, we see these references to Jesus as 
Son of God. But this is the first time that 
the disciples collectively make this church confession that truly 
Jesus is the Son of God. And Gill, I think, explains well 
what they mean. Not by creation. not Son of God 
by creation as angels and men, not by office as magistrates, 
but by nature, being of the same essence, perfections, and power 
with God his Father. So does an understanding of the 
Trinity, does an understanding of who Jesus is, affect us at 
the practical level of our day-to-day lives? Most assuredly, yes. The storms, the afflictions, 
the hardships, the heartaches, the difficulties that we confront 
in this world and we are confronted by in this world should be calmed, 
should be soothed, should be helped by our appreciation for 
who Jesus is. We need to listen to His word 
of admonition. Be of good cheer. We need to 
be reminded of His dignity and glory. I am. And we need to take 
seriously and to heart that prohibition against fear. The people of God 
who know their God engage in mighty exploits for Him. When 
you go to the book of Hebrews in chapter 11, you see that. You see exploits done on the 
part of the people of God for God. How did they do that? Because 
they were a class of supermen and women? No! By faith. That's the recurring theme in 
the book of Hebrews. Not by faith in their own resources, 
not by faith in their own abilities, but by faith in the living and 
true God. It was by faith David went into the valley of Elah 
and he slayed Goliath. It was by faith that Jael drives 
that tent peg into the head of Sisera. It is by faith that Rahab 
lies to the civil authority at her time. You know, you hear 
that today. Oh, well, if this person takes this particular 
tact, then they'll have some trouble from civil authority. 
Have you ever thought about Rahab the harlot? Rahab the harlot 
committed treason in her city-state of Jericho. This was most certainly 
a capital offense. But because she had heard of 
Yahweh, because her heart had been melted by Yahweh, and because 
she wanted to render allegiance to Yahweh, she does what is requisite. Again, by faith. Why does Samson 
do what Samson does? Because he's a lustful praised 
oaf of a man? No, four times in the book of 
Judges, the Spirit of God comes upon Samson. How does he kill 
a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass? He does it 
by faith, brethren. So when we look at passages like 
this, we're not supposed to go, well, that was good for them, 
but what do we do? We have the same Lord, we have 
the same I am, we have the same Christ who has not only Lordship 
and rulership over everything, but also all things, including 
the afflictions and the storms and the waves and the winds that 
affect us. In conclusion, first, the instruction 
concerning discipleship, the reality of trial and difficulty 
in the Christian life. I'm not Benny Hinn, brethren. 
You're gonna have a rough go at it. Benny Hinn will tell you 
just the opposite. Kenneth Copeland and all these 
weirdos, they'll tell you it's just health, wealth, and prosperity. 
Again, that's good if you're Ben Franklin, early to bed, early 
to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. That's not 
the gospel. The gospel is about blood atonement. 
The gospel is about the life, death, and resurrection of our 
Lord Jesus. The gospel is about come to Christ 
and live. And when you live as Christ in 
this world, you will have difficulty. You will have persecution. You 
will have the various things that make up life in a sin-cursed 
world. Second, the reality that God 
works according to His own plan and purpose. There are times 
And I don't doubt that the people of God cry out to God in a sense 
of, where are you? Or why are you doing these sorts 
of things? You see that motif in the Psalms. You see that motif in the book 
of Lamentations. You see a whole class of lament, 
this crying out to God that isn't condemned by God. It is an expression 
of our confidence and faith and trust in God. So when Jeremiah 
is lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem, he is not sinning 
against God. The Psalms ascribe to Asaph when 
he looks around and he sees the very temple being desecrated 
by the Gentiles, and he cries out to God to arouse himself 
and to come to vindicate his church. That's an expression 
of faith. And so we need to imbibe that 
mindset and the reality that little faith is not the same 
as no faith. Little faith should mature. Little 
faith should grow. Little faith should be fed. Little 
faith should be nurtured. But we ought to appreciate, as 
the Church of Jesus Christ, that little faith is not no faith. And Spurgeon made this observation. 
Peter was nearer his Lord when he was sinking than when he was 
walking. Again, we don't always look at 
things this way, but I think that's what was going on. Peter 
was nearer his Lord when he was sinking than when he was walking. In our lowest state, we are often 
nearer to Jesus than in our more glorious seasons. Think about 
that. Any of you who've had trials, 
any of you have gone through difficulty, any of you have gone 
through hardship, you'll know that on the outer end, there 
has been growth. One person wrote a book that's 
called Grace Grows Best in Winter. And God, in his infinite purposes, 
often leads us by the hand in the midst of trial and hardship 
to further conform us unto our Lord Jesus Christ. Brethren, 
it's not easy. It's not a simple task. It's 
not something that we just, oh, isn't this great, government 
overreach. Oh, isn't this great, constant fear instilled into 
the people around us, such that we're made to be looked at as 
the murderers in this neighborhood. That's not an easy thing to embrace. But brethren, with God, who is 
over all these things, we can and we shall prevail. We can 
and we shall prevail, not because of us, but because of Him who 
loved us, and because of the grace that He supplies to His 
weary, battered people. We need to understand that though 
there is remaining fear in the lives of God's people, a recognition 
of the sovereignty and supremacy of Christ our Lord should hopefully 
displace that fear of man in a way that is helpful and in 
a way that promotes not only His glory, but our well-being. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Father, thank you for your word, and thank you 
for these accounts that we have in the scriptures of Christ in 
the midst of the storm. He's not a distant spectator. He's not an absentee savior, 
but he is present with his people. David saw this, and David confessed 
this. Yea, 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. We know that you're with us in the dark times, you're 
with us in the light times, you're with us in good and bad, you're 
with us and you'll never abandon us, you'll never leave us nor 
forsake us. So God help us as the church 
to have ears to hear this admonition to be of good cheer, to remember 
that Christ is the great I am and as well to not give in to 
that fearfulness that so often cripples and paralyzes the people 
of God. We want to be bold, we want to 
be faithful, we want to be persevering and enduring. But God, we see 
our own limitations. We see our own feebleness. So 
when we do fall, we pray that you'd pick us up. We pray that 
you'd increase our faith. And we pray that you'd help us 
to continue to go forward. But with us now, we pray through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.