Jesus was bidding peter to walk on the water

JESUS WAS BIDDING PETER TO WALK ON THE WATER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 14:28-31 28
"LORD,if it's you," Peter replied,
"tell me to come to you on the water." 29
"Come,"he
said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on
the water and came toward Jesus. 30
But when he saw
the wind, he was afraidand, beginning to sink, cried
out, "LORD, saveme!" 31
ImmediatelyJesus reached
out his hand and caught him. "You of littlefaith," he
said, "why did you doubt?"
Matthew 14:29 29
"Come,"he said. Then Peter got
down out of the boat, walked on the water and came
toward Jesus.
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Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Lack Of Staying Power
Matthew 14:29, 30
R. Tuck But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. It is the
weakness ofthe impulsive man that he has no staying power, and is only good
for the little while that the fit is on him. It is the weaknessofimpulsive,
excitable nations, that while they are splendid at a dash, they have none of the
persistencythat holds on until the end is fully secured. St. Peteroften spoke
and actedbefore he thought. Behind him was impulse rather than resolve. So

difficulties createdat once a new and opposing impulse. He failed as quickly
and as unreasonably as he acted. The men who succeedin life are the men
who can hold on. St. Petermight have safelywalkedthe waterif he had held
on the faith with which he startedfrom the boat, and which had receivedthe
Master's approval.
I. ST. PETER ATTEMPTEDAN IMPOSSIBILITY. There is nothing that
men regard as so impossible as "walking on the sea." Mencan walk on the
narrowestledges ofthe loftiestcliffs, or on the thinnest ropes, but not on the
water. The Egyptians, in their hieroglyphics, were wont to representan
impossibility by painting the figure of a man with his feet walking upon the
sea. St. Petersaw this impossibility overcome by his Master. A sudden thought
seizedhim. He should like to do what his Masterdid. It was a child's wish; but
it showedlove and trust. He spoke it out. The Mastersaid "Come," andhe
tried to do the impossible. A nobler man than those who never had such
thoughts, and never made such attempts.
II. ST. PETER BEGAN TO SUCCEED WITHHIS IMPOSSIBILITY. A man
can walk steadily along a very dangerous place if he looks up at the steadfast
sky. He will be giddy if he ventures to look around or to look down. It is thus
always in the spiritual spheres. St. Peters canalways walk safely, even on the
treacherous waters, so long as they look up and awayto the steadfastChrist.
They will fail and fall as soonas they look around, or down, or within. And
the reasonis that man is strong when he leans on another, but weak whenhe
trusts to himself. The impulsive man leans for a minute and is strong; then
impulse fails, and he is, like Samson, weak as othermen.
III. ST. PETER SOON FAILED WITH HIS IMPOSSIBILITY. If he could
have kept his eye and mind fixed on Jesus he would have succeeded. But he
thought of the wind; and the wind took the place of Jesus. Jesus quickened
faith; the wind quickened fear. Faith makes a man strong. Fearwholly
unnerves. What St. Peterneeded for success was"staying powerof faith."
Keeping on trusting. Keeping on "looking offunto Jesus;" "patient
continuance in well doing," - R.T.

Biblical Illustrator
And PeteransweredHim and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto
Thee on the water.
Matthew 14:28, 33
Impulse and regulation
Bishop Huntingdon.There are two powers working side by side under which
Christ has taught us He means every true Christian life shall move forward,
undervaluing neither the one nor the other. One of these is the IMPELLING
POWER, impulse. This impulsive part of religious characteris indispensable.
St. Peterwas right in his outset"Bid me come to Thee," etc. The other is the
REGULATING POWER. It is this that keeps alive the life that has been
awakened, andfulfils the goodintentions. Impulses spring up in the region of
feeling. Their continuance, regulation, and practical results, depend on the
conscienceandthe will. It is easyto reachthe transition point between
impulse and principle; some reach it as soonas danger threatens. How shall I
turn the ardent impulse of penitent faith into consistentpiety? By leaving no
goodimpulse to grow cold or waste in a neglectedsentiment, but by
embodying it immediately in its corresponding action;in other words, by
Christian regulation. Steadfastness willcome as you are really planted in
Christ.
(Bishop Huntingdon.)
The religion of impulse
D. Thomas, D. D.The religious feeling is the soul of humanity. It may exist in
these three forms:
I. Acting WITHOUT intellect, under the control of the external.
II. Acting UNDER intellect — controlledby the judgment. This is as it should
be.
III. Acting AGAINST intellect. This is the religion of impulse, and it is here
exemplified by Peter in three aspects.
1. Urging an extravagantrequest. Men are not made to walk on water; were
never known to do so;have no capacityfor it. To guard againstthis evil, we
must study generallaws, cultivate self-command, and seek Divine guidance.
2. Impelling to perilous conduct. One foolishact has often plunged men into a
sea of difficulties.

3. Correctedby a merciful God. Christ first allows full liberty for the play of
passionand freaks offolly. Then He helps, if askedto. And, lastly, He exposes
the error — "Wherefore didst thou doubt? " Peterought not to have engaged
in the actwithout faith — and faith implies the full action of intellect. Do not
act from impulse — nor even from customor habit. Act ever from faith.
Remember that faith implies intellect, evidence, and reliance.
(D. Thomas, D. D.)
Peter's unwise experiment in faith
A. M. Stuart.1. His walking on the sea was needless. There is no pressing
necessityshutting him up to this sea-walk-ing;but it is faith experimenting in
high and holy things. No important end to be served.
2. He asks permissionto do that which is not commanded by Christ. Peter
asks help to do what Christ had not done; to walk on the sea for the walking's
sake. This Christ permits to prove what is in him, but not to his honour or
comfort. A salutary discipline.
3. Yet Christ does not fail Peter;it is not the poweror word of Christ that
gives way, but only the faith of Peterin this power or word. So long as he
looks to Jesus this word supports him. It is easierto believe in the ship than on
the waters. Now he fears, his faith gives way. Peterin his extremity cries aloud
to Jesus. He has not faith enough to walk on the waters, but enough to cry for
help.
(A. M. Stuart.)
Walking on the waters
W. M. Taylor, D. D.It is not difficult to discoverthe characteristicsofSt. Peter
as they come out here. Whateverhe felt for the moment was sure to come out
in his words or actions. It is easyto blame and say that Petershould not have
been so eagerto meet his Lord, or he should have maintained his faith to the
last. But we must not forget that the very height to which his faith had for the
moment attained, exposedhim, more than others, to the temptation of
unbelief. They who sit securelyin their boats are not liable to sink. The men of
even temperament cannot understand an experience such as this. They know
nothing of ups and downs. Where the hills are highest the ravines are deepest,
Petermust not, therefore, be unduly blamed. We learn from the incident:
1. That when His disciples are in dangerof being carriedaway by earthly
influences, Christ sends them into trial. If we are bent on something which
shall endangerour spirituality, God may send us serious affliction to keepus
out of mischief.

2. That while our trial lasts the Lord prays for us.
3. That when Christ comes to us in our trials we are able to rise above them.
He did not come at once. He came over the big waves which constituted their
trial. He makes a pathway into our hearts over the affliction which distresses
us. The disciples did not know Christ when he came. Have we never mistaken
him? When Christ comes, and is recognized, He brings relief.
(W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Failure teaching humilit
P. Thompson.y: — Peterrequired a lessonin humility: and it is instructive to
observe in what way he receivedthe lessonfrom our Lord. He did not meet
the erring disciple with sharp and sudden reproof. He did not refuse the
man's petition; but He taught the required lessonby its very fulfilment. We
have seena father adopt the same plan in giving a lessonto his son. The boy
was anxious to carry a heavy burden, believing that he was able for the task.
The father let him try; and as the little arms struggled'and quivered, and
failed, the little mind was taught its own weakness, andthe little heart was
truly humbled. Just so when Peter askedto walk with Jesus upon the water.
He said, "Come." The requestis granted, but not approved; and Peteris left
to try the work in his own strength, and fail through inglorious weakness.
(P. Thompson.)
Failure in the midst of success
P. Thompson.He failed in the midst of success.It is difficult to carry a full cup,
or walk upon the high places of the earth. It is more difficult to walk erect,
and firm, and far among the tossing waves ofadversity. The movement of
Peterat the outsetwas grandly courageous. How truly the other disciples
would gaze upon him with admiration! He stepped over the little boat; placed
his footupon the rising billow; walkedstep after stepwith perfect safety. It
was a greatmoment in the man's life; but it was a greatness forwhich the
man was not equal. His nerve was too weak to carry the full cup, or bear the
heavy burden, or tread the stormy water. He failed in the hour of triumph,
and lostall by not looking to Jesus. The word is very touching. "Whenhe saw
the wind boisterous, he was afraid." There was the defect. He lookedto the
raging winds and the surging waters. He lookedto the danger, and not to the
Saviour. He forgotthe power of Christ, and trusting to himself, and trembling
like a breaking wave beneath the boisterous wind, he began to sink. The work
was done, and the lessonlearned, with greatrapidity. His faith, and courage,
and devotion, were not so greatas he imagined. He discoveredhis

helplessness, and prayed for safety. "Lord save me;" and now the daring man
was brought to regard the Lord's band as the fountain of spiritual strength.
(P. Thompson.)
Peterin the storm
T. Dale, M. A.1. The presumption of faith — "Bid me come to Thee on the
water."
2. The power of faith" Come."
3. The weaknessoffaith.
4. The power of prayer.
(T. Dale, M. A.)
The earnestprayer
W. D. Harwood.I.We must feel our NEED of salvation.
II.We must know the only SOURCE ofsalvation.
III.We must PRAY individually for salvation.
(W. D. Harwood.)
The fear of Peterwhen walking on the water
C. Bradley.I. THE FEAR WHICH PETER BETRAYED ON THIS
OCCASION.
1. The transient nature of our best and strongestfeelings whenthey are not
kept alive by Divine grace.
2. The danger of needlesslyputting to the trial cur highest graces.Nevermake
a presumptuous display of grace.
II. THE CAUSE OF PETER'SFEAR. "Whenhe saw the wind boisterous,"
etc. Here we are taught not to be unmindful of our dangers, but to keepour
thoughts fixed on the greatness andfaithfulness of Christ when we are
surrounded by them.
III. THE CONSEQUENCEOF PETER'S FEAR. He beganto sink. Our
support in dangers and trials depends on our faith.
IV. THE PRAYER WHICH THE FEAR OF PETER DREW FROM HIM.
1. In all our troubles, if we are Christians, we shall be men of prayer.
2. The fears of the real believer, howeverstrong, are still accompaniedwith a
cleaving to Christ.
V. THE CONNECTOF CHRIST TOWARDS HIM.

1. There is no situation in which Christ cannot help us.
2. There is no state in which Christ will not save us.
(C. Bradley.)
Doubting a hindrance to the Christian life.
R. H. Baynes, B. A.I. ST. PETER'S DESIRE — "Bid me come unto Thee."
The truthfulness of the Bible seenin the striking preservationof the
individuality of the characters brought into view. Peteruniformly rash. Many
a time does the yearning spirit of the believer say, "Bid me come," etc.
1. There is the memory of joys of which earth knows nothing, experiencedin
His Presence.
2. There is the consciousness ofsecurity from every harm.
3. The confidence createdby so many trials of His love. No wonder that this
desire of Petershould be the longing of Christ's faithful followers.
II. ST. PETER'S FAILURE. The first part of the history show us his daring
zeal; now his failing faith. At first his faith laid hold on Divine power, and he
was able to tread the waves without sinking. There was an element of wrong
in the undertaking; self-confidence again. It was regarding the danger more
than the Saviourthat made him weak.
III. AT THE REPROOFMINISTEREDTO ST. PETER BYOUR LORD.
The rebuke was gentle. After all seenof the powerof Christ could he doubt?
Christ bids us " come" to Him in the gospel. His power works in those who
heed the message. The needand value of true faith in our Lord. There is no
happiness without it.
(R. H. Baynes, B. A.)
Beginning to sink
J. Vaughan, M. A.There are three conditions of soul.
1. Some think they are sinking, and are not.
2. Some are sinking and do not know it.
3. Some are sinking and miserably do know it.
4. The consequentis evident, what was below you is now over you, your
servant has become your master, cares, andanxieties.
5. Your escape is in looking againto Jesus.
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
The cause ofsinking

J. Vaughan, M. A.Let me gatherup the steps to the " sinking:" — an
emotional state, with abrupt and strong reactions — a self-exaltation— a
breaking out, under a goodand religious aspect, ofan old infirmity and sin —
a disproportion betweenthe. actand the frame of mind in which the actwas
done — neglectof ordinary means, with not sufficient calculationof
difficulties — a devious eye — a want of concentration — a regard to
circumstances more than to the Powerwhich wields them — a certain inward
separationfrom God — a human measurement — a descentto a fear,
unnecessary, dishonouring fear — depression— a sense ofperishing —
"beginning to sink."
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
No safety in mere feeling
J. Vaughan, M. A.In the spiritual navigation, it is well to remember that the
feelings are the sails, and very quickly and very beautifully do our feelings
carry us along while all is favourable. But let once difficulties and temptations
come, and if we have only feelings, we shall stop. The best-spreadfeeling, if it
be only feeling, will never make head againsta contrary wind.
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Presumption of early martyrs
Francis Bragge.Ofthis nature was that extravagantdesire of martyrdom in
many of the Primitive Church, when even novices in Christianity, and those of
the weakersex, must needs be thrusting themselves into the hands of the
persecutors, whenthey might easily, and without sin, have escapedthem; and
thereby exposedthemselves to such cruel torments as they were not able to
endure, and then did very ill things to be free from them again, to the great
dishonour of their holy religion, the deep wounding of their consciences, and
their lasting shame and reproach, which they could not wipe off but by a long
and very severe repentance. And, indeed, 'tis no better than knight-errantry
in religion thus to seek out hazardous adventures, and lead ourselves into
temptations, and then expect that God should support us, and bring us safely
off. 'Tis not faith, but presumption, that engagesmen so far.
(Francis Bragge.)
Christ and men's fears
Daniel Wilcox.In this verse are considerable.
1. The Personthat spake;the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Those to whom He spake, viz., the disciples in their present distress.

3. The kind nature and designof Christ's speechto them at this time.
4. The argument He used to silence their fears.
5. The time when He spake to them thus comfortably — straightway.
I. WHENCE IS IT, THAT EVEN REAL DELIEVERS MAY BE READY TO
SINK UNDER THEIR TROUBLES. Causesofdespondence are:we have not
thought of the cross as we ought, or not counted upon it at all, and so have
takenlittle care to prepare for it. Perhaps from our being so long spared, we
promised ourselves an exemption from any remarkable trials; or perhaps we
mistake the nature, end, and designof afflictions when they come, and so are
ready to faint under Divine rebukes. There is a peculiar anguish with which
some are overtaken, whenthey are under apprehensions of approaching
death. As to the springs of this —(a) We are too prone to put from us the evil
day.(b) Death may find us in the dark as to our title to the life to come, or
meetness for it.(c) Consciencemay be awakenedin our last hours to revive the
sense ofpast sins, and so may increase our sorrows and terrors.(d) Satan
sometimes joins in with an awakenedconscience, to make the trial the more
sore.(e)Godsometimes withdraws the light of His countenance.
II. WHAT CHRIST SPAKE TO HIS DISCIPLES NOW, WHEN THEY
WERE IN GREAT DISTRESS,He is ready to speak to all His members,
wheneverthey are any of them distressed.
III. WHAT IS CARRIED IN THESE COMFORTABLE WORDS, AND MAY
BE GATHERED FROM THEM, FOR THEIR SUPPORT. It notes His
presence with them. and His wisdom, power, faithfulness, and love to be
engagedfor them.
(Daniel Wilcox.)
COMMENTARIES
ENGLISH BIBLE)
MacLaren's ExpositionsMatthew
THE KING’S HIGHWAY
Matthew 14:22 - Matthew 14:36.

The haste and urgency with which the disciples were sent away, againsttheir
will, after the miracle of feeding the five thousand, is explained in John’s
account. The crowd had been excitedto a dangerous enthusiasmby a miracle
so level to their tastes. A prophet who could feed them was something like a
prophet. So they determine to make him a king. Our Lord, fearing the
outburst, resolves to withdraw into the lonely hills, that the fickle blaze may
die down. If the disciples had remained with Him, He could not have so easily
stolenaway, and they might have caught the popular fervour. To divide would
distract the crowd, and make it easierfor Him to disperse them, while many
of them, as really happened, would be likely to setoff by land for Capernaum,
when they saw the boat had gone. The main teaching of this miracle, over and
above its demonstration of the Messianic powerof our Lord, is symbolical. All
the miracles are parables, and this eminently so. Thus regarding it, we have-
I. The struggling toilers and the absentChrist.
They had a short row of some five or six miles in prospect, when they started
in the early evening. An hour or so might have done it, but, for some unknown
reason, they lingered. Perhaps instead of pulling across, they may have kept
inshore, by the head of the lake, expecting Jesus to join them at some point.
Thus, night finds them but a short way on their voyage. The paschalmoon
would be shining down on them, and perhaps in their eagertalk about the
miracle they had just seen, they did not make much speed. A sudden breeze
sprang up, as is common at nightfall on mountain lakes;and soona gale,
againstwhich they could make no headway, was blowing in their teeth. This
lastedfor eight or nine hours. Wet and weary, they tuggedat the oars through
the livelong night, the seas breaking overthem, and the wind howling down
the glens.
They had been caught in a similar storm once before, but then He had been on
board, and it was daylight. Now it was dark, ‘and Jesus had not yet come to
them,’ How they would look back at the dim outline of the hills, where they
knew He was, and wonder why He had sent them out into the tempest alone!
Mark tells us that He saw them distressed, hours before He came to them, and
that makes His desertionthe stranger. It is but His method of lovingly
training them to do without His personalpresence, and a symbol of what is to
be the life of His people till the end. He is on the mountain in prayer, and He
sees the labouring boat and the distressedrowers. The contrastis the same as
is given in the last verses ofMark’s Gospel, where the serene composure ofthe

Lord, sitting at the right hand of God, is sharply set over againstthe
wandering, toiling lives of His servants, in their evangelistic mission. The
commander-in-chief sits apart on the hill, directing the fight, and sending
regiment after regiment to their deaths. Does that mean indifference? So it
might seembut for the words which follow, ‘the Lord working with them.’ He
shares in all the toil; and the lifting up of His holy hands sways the current of
the fight, and inclines the balance. His love appoints effort and persistent
struggle as the law of our lives. Nor are we to mourn or wonder; for the
purpose of the appointment, so far as we are concerned, is to make character,
and to give us ‘the wrestling thews that throw the world.’ Difficulties make
men of us. Summer sailors, yachting in smooth water, have neither the joy of
conflict nor the vigour which it gives. Betterthe darkness, whenwe cannot see
our way, and the wind in our faces, ifthe goodof things is to be estimated by
their power to ‘strengthen us with strength in our soul!’
II. We have the approaching Christ.
Not till the lastwatch of the night does He come, when they have long
struggled, and the boat is out in the very middle of the lake, and the storm is
fiercest. We may learn from this the delays of His love. Because He loved
Mary and Martha and Lazarus, He stayedstill, in strange inaction, for two
days, after their message. Because He loved Peterand the praying band, He
let him lie in prison till the last hour of the last watchof the lastnight before
his intended execution, and then delivered him with a leisureliness {making
him put on article after article of dress} which tells of conscious omnipotence.
Heaven’s clock goes ata different rate from our little timepieces. God’s day is
a thousand years, and the longesttarrying is but ‘a little while.’ When He has
come, we find that it is ‘right early,’ though before He came He seemedto us
to delay. He comes acrossthe waves. Theirrestless and yielding crests are
smoothedand made solid by the touch of His foot. ‘He walkethon the sea as
on a pavement’ {Septuagint version of Job 9:8}. It is a revelationof divine
power. It is one of the very few miracles affecting Christ’s own person, and
may perhaps be regarded as being, like the Transfiguration, a casualgleamof
latent glory breaking through the body of His humiliation, and so, in some
sense, prophetic. But it is also symbolic. He ever uses tumults and unrest as a
means of advancing His purposes. The stormy sea is the recognisedOld
Testamentemblem of antagonismto the divine rule; and just as He walkedon
the billows, so does He reachHis end by the very opposition to it, ‘girding
Himself’ with the wrath of men, and making it to praise Him. In this sense,
too, His ‘paths are in the greatwaters.’In another aspect, we have here the

symbol of Christ’s using our difficulties and trials as the means of His loving
approachto us. He comes, giving a deeperand more blessedsense ofHis
presence by means of our sorrows, than in calm sunny weather. It is generally
over a stormy sea that He comes to us, and goldentreasures are thrown on
our shores aftera tempest.
III. We have the terror and the recognition.
The disciples were as yet little lifted above their fellows;they had no
expectationof His coming, and thought just what any rude minds would have
thought, that this mysterious Thing stalking towards them acrossthe waters
came from the unseenworld, and probably that it was the herald of their
drowning. Terror froze their blood, and brought out a shriek {as the word
might be rendered} which was heard above the dash of waves and the raving
wind. They had gallantly fought the tempest, but this unmanned them. We too
often mistake Christ, when He comes to us. We do not recognise His working
in the storm, nor His presence giving powerto battle with it. We are so
absorbedin the circumstances that we fail to see Him through them. Our
tears weave a veil which hides Him, or the darkness obscures His face, and we
see nothing but the threatening crests ofthe waves, curling high above our
little boat. We mistake our best friend, and we are afraid of Him as we dimly
see Him; and sometimes we think that the tokens of His presence are only
phantasms of our own imagination.
They who were deceivedby His appearance knew Him by His voice, as Mary
did at the sepulchre. How blessedmust have been the moment when that
astounding certitude thrilled through their souls!That low voice is audible
through all the tumult. He speaks to us by His word, and by the silent speech
in our spirits, which makes us conscious that He is there. He does speak to us
in the deepestof our sorrows,in the darkestof our nights; and when we hear
of His voice, and with wonder and joy cry out, ‘It is the Lord,’ our sorrow is
soothed, and the darkness is light about us.
The consciousness ofHis presence banishes all fear. ‘Be not afraid,’ follows ‘It
is I.’ It is of no use to preachcourage unless we preach Christ first. If we have
not Him with us, we do well to fear: His presence is the only rational
foundation for calm fearlessness.Only when the Lord of Hosts is with us,
ought we not to fear, ‘though the waters roar. . . and be troubled.’ ‘Through
the dear might of Him that walkedthe waves’canwe feeble creatures face all
terrors, and feel no terror.

IV. We have the end of the storm and of the voyage.
The storm ceasesas soonas Jesus is on board. John does not mention the
cessationofthe tempest, but tells us that they were immediately at the shore.
It does not seemnecessaryto suppose another miracle, but only that the
voyage ended very speedily. It is not always true that His presence is the end
of dangers and difficulties, but the consciousness ofHis presence does hush
the storm. The worst of trouble is gone when we know that He shares it; and
though the long swellafter the gale may last, it no longer threatens. Nor is it
always true that His coming, and our consciousnessthatHe has come, bring a
speedy close to toils. We have to labour on, but in how different a mood these
men would bend to their oars after they had Him on board! With Him beside
us toil is sweet, burdens are lighter, and the road is shortened. Even with Him
on board, life is a stormy voyage;but without Him, it ends in shipwreck. With
Him, it may be long, but it will look all the shorter while it lasts, and when we
land the rough weatherwill be remembered but as a transient squall. These
weariedrowers, who had toiled all night, stepped on shore as the morning
broke on the easternbank. So we, if we have had Him for our shipmate, shall
land on the eternal shore, and dry our wetgarments in the sunshine, and all
the stormy years that seemedso long shall be remembered but as a watchin
the night.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary14:22-33Those are not Christ's
followers who cannot enjoy being alone with God and their own hearts. It is
good, upon specialoccasions, andwhen we find our hearts enlarged, to
continue long in secretprayer, and in pouring out our hearts before the Lord.
It is no new thing for Christ's disciples to meet with storms in the way of duty,
but he thereby shows himself with the more grace to them and for them. He
can take what way he pleases to save his people. But even appearances of
deliverance sometimes occasiontrouble and perplexity to God's people, from
mistakes about Christ. Nothing ought to affright those that have Christ near
them, and know he is theirs; not death itself. Peter walkedupon the water, not
for diversion or to boast of it, but to go to Jesus;and in that he was thus
wonderfully borne up. Specialsupports are promised, and are to be expected,
but only in spiritual pursuits; nor can we ever come to Jesus, unless we are
upheld by his power. Christ bade Petercome, not only that he might walk
upon the water, and so know his Lord's power, but that he might know his
own weakness.And the Lord often lets his servants have their choice, to
humble and prove them, and to show the greatness ofhis powerand grace.

When we look off from Christ, and look at the greatness ofopposing
difficulties, we shall begin to fall; but when we call to him, he will stretch out
his arm, and save us. Christ is the greatSaviour; those who would be saved,
must come to him, and cry to him, for salvation;we are never brought to this,
till we find ourselves sinking:the sense ofneed drives us to him. He rebuked
Peter. Could we but believe more, we should suffer less. The weaknessoffaith,
and the prevailing of our doubts, displease our Lord Jesus, for there is no
goodreasonwhy Christ's disciples should be of a doubtful mind. Even in a
stormy day he is to them a very present help. None but the world's Creator
could multiply the loaves, none but its Governor could tread upon the waters
of the sea:the disciples yield to the evidence, and confess theirfaith. They
were suitably affected, and worshipped Christ. He that comes to God, must
believe; and he that believes in God, will come, Heb 11:6.
Barnes'Notes on the BibleAnd Peteranswered... - Here is an instance of the
characteristic ardorand rashness ofPeter. He had less real faith than he
supposed, and more ardor than his faith would justify. He was rash, headlong,
incautious, really attachedto Jesus, but still easily daunted and prone to fall.
He was afraid, therefore, when in danger, and, sinking, cried againfor help.
Thus he was sufferedto learn his own character, and his dependence on
Jesus:a lessonwhich all Christians are permitted sooneror later to learn by
dear-bought experience.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary29. And he said, Come. And
when Peterhad come down out of the boat. he walkedon the water, to go to
Jesus—(Also seeon[1305]Mr6:50.)
Matthew Poole's CommentarySee Poole on"Matthew 14:31".
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd he said, come,....This he said, partly
to assure them who he was;for had he denied him, he and the rest might have
concluded, it was none of Jesus;and partly to commend his love, and confirm
his faith, by giving a further instance of his power, in enabling him to walk
upon the water, as he did:
and when Peterwas come down out of the ship; as he immediately did, having
orders from Christ; and being by this secondspeechfully convincedit was he
he walkedon the water; a little way, being supported and enabled by the
powerof Christ; for this was an extraordinary and miraculous action: for if it
was so in Christ, it was much more so in Peter: Christ walkedupon the water
by his own power, as God; Peterwalkedupon the water, being held up by the
powerof Christ. The Jews (w)indeed, callswimming , "walking upon the face
of the waters":hence we read of a swimmer's vessel, whichis explained to be

what men make to learn in it, how "to go or walk upon the face of the waters"
(x); but then this is not going upon them upright, but prone, or lying along
upon the surface of the waters, which was not Peter's case;he did not, as at
another time, casthimself into the sea, and swim to Christ; see John21:7 but
as soonas he came down from the ship, standing upright, he walkedupon the
waters,
to go to Jesus;not merely for walking sake, but for the sake of Christ, he
dearly loved; that he might be with him, and be still more confirmed of the
truth of its being he, and not a spirit.
(w) R. David Kimchi, Sepher Shorash. rad. (x) R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel moed, fol.
78. 1.
Geneva Study BibleAnd he said, Come. And when Peterwas come down out
of the ship, he walkedon the water, to go to Jesus.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges29. And he said, Come] The boat
was so near that the voice of Jesus couldbe heard even through the storm,
though the wind was strong and the oarsmenlabouring and perhaps calling
out to one another. The hand of the Saviour was quite close to the sinking
disciple.
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK"/matthew/14-29.htm"Matthew 14:29. Ἐλθε,
come)More is required of him who offers himself spontaneouslyto Christ; he
is more greatly tempted, more mightily preserved.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 29. - And he said, Come. Our Lord takes him at his
word, and gives the command. It is not merely a permission. Observe that our
Lord never blames him for having made the request. His venture of faith
would have been altogethersuccessfulhad his faith continued. And when
Peterwas come down out of the ship. The RevisedVersion has more simply,
And Peterwent down from the boat, and. He walkedon the water. For the
narrator was chiefly interested in his walking there (contrastver. 28). To go to
Jesus;rather, and came to Jesus (Westcottand Hort; cf. margin of Revised
Version). The true text states what did, in fact, happen, notwithstanding
Peter's lack of faith (cf. ver. 31).
Vincent's Word StudiesTo go to (ἐλθεῖν πρὸς)
But some of the besttexts read καὶ ἦλθεν πρὸς, and went toward.

PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
Peter Walking On The Sea BY SPURGEON
“And PeteransweredHim and said, Lord, if it is You, bid me come unto
You on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peterwas come down
out of the ship, he walkedon the water. But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord,
save me!”
Matthew 14:28-31
A FEW reflections will be sure to cross the mind of any thoughtful readerof
this narrative.
1. THE MIXED CHARACTER OF THE BELIEVER’S EXPERIENCEis
here very palpably suggestedto us. Peterwas undoubtedly a bold
believer in Jesus Christ. He addresses his Masterdevoutly, calling Him,
“Lord”–a name of reverence, the use of which evidences the change that
had been workedin his character, and the obedient spirit it had
produced. But the misgivings implied in that, “if”–“ifit is You”–savors
rather of unbelief! And yet we find this hesitancy immediately followed
by an expressionof such strong confidence that we marvel at the
request he uttered, “Bid me cometo You on the water.” Thencheeredby
the Lord’s prompt answer, “Come,”we find him showing his courage
by descending from the vessel, setting footon the sea and actually
walking on the water!Thus did he participate in the wonder which
Christ workedand share in the miracle of subduing the elements. His
valor, however, soonevaporates.For, “whenhe saw that the wind was
boisterous, he was afraid.” The faith that buoyed him up gave place to a
fear that bowedhimdown. He who was walking on the liquid wave, one
instant, is sinking beneath the surge the next! The gallantcry, “Bid me
come to You on the water,” is quickly exchangedfor the grievous wail,
“Lord, save me!” So greathis pluck, so dire his panic! And is this a
common experience? Are all God’s people thus subject to changes–
alternating betweencalm trust and cowardlyfear? Can they be neither
one thing or the other–neitheraltogetherbelieving or totally

unbelieving? We think it is even so. We will not say how much frailty of
the creature is mixed up with fealty to Christ in the best of men, nor
how far the Grace of God may protect us from the guilt of double-
dealing in the conduct of our lives. But we do mournfully confess thatin
our own experience, the good and the evil contend for the mastery and,
sometimes, it seems but the turning of a hair which shall vanquish!
Fully assured, though, we are that the new life which has been
implanted in us will ultimately gain the victory, but not less fully
conscious are we that disasters and defeats are constantlyoccurring on
our path to triumph.
Our trophies are never won without troubles. He that knows anything, it
seems to me, of what it is to live by faith, will find throughout his earthly
careera continual conflict. He may never fall so low as to doubt his interest in
Christ, yet he may sometimes wethis couchwith tears and wonder if God has
forgottento be gracious. He may be enabled to hold on his way for years
without a slur on his character, yet will he often have to engage in such
terrible struggles againstinbred sin–and to endure such sore pressure from
troubles without–that he is compelledto cry out, “O wretchedman that I am,
who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” One day you may be on
Tabor’s summit witnessing your Master’s Transfiguration, andanother day
you may be in the Valley of Humiliation, groaning in spirit, diminished and
brought low through oppression, afflictionand sorrow!One day you may be
as strong as a giant and all things seempossible to you–and another day you
may be as weak as a baby and weepfor the joys that are fled! You may one
day “surname yourself by the name of Israel” and another day callyourself,
“the worm Jacob,” fearing lestyou should be trodden down by the common
ills of life and utterly crushed! Our way to Heaven is uphill and downhill. Our
life is made of checkeredmaterials–itis not all of one fabric. Sometimes full of
hope, we bound forward with elastic step–soonthe sun ceases to shine, the big
raindrops fall, the vapors rise and we sit down with folded arms and fixed
eyes, wearing a sad, leadencast!As in our experience, so in our nature, good
and evil meet, but cannotblend–they are at constantvariance. I mention this
well-knownfact because it may serve to comfort some of the younger sort who
but of late have begun to go on pilgrimage. They fanciedthat since they were
born-again, and enlisted in Christ’s army, they would never afterwardhave to
fight with sin within–though, perhaps, they might be tempted–their soul
would never give any consentto it. They boastedwhen they put on the
harness, as though they had taken it off. They sowedtoday and they expected
to reap their harvest tomorrow! They had scarcelygotloose from the shore,

yet they expected to soonreachthe port. When the vesselis a little buffeted
and heavedto and fro by contrary winds, they cannotunderstand it! Beloved,
it is so with all of us! Those saints of Godwho appear to you to be favored
with perpetual sunshine could tell you quite another tale. Some whom God
highly honors in public, He often deeply humbles in private. He has a wayof
taking His children behind the door and making them see some of the
abominations within them, while at the same time He is giving them to see the
beauties of Christ and enabling them to feed on Him. Do not think that yours
is an extreme case because yourspiritual life is one of much contestwith sin.
So far from being extreme, I believe it is but a specimen of the way in which
the Lord deals with all His beloved ones.
There I leave that first observation. Peteris at one moment confident, another
instant he is dismayed. At one moment he is treading the waves like a miracle
worker, and the next instant he is sinking like an ordinary being! And so it is
with us–sometimes aloft, and sooncrying out of the depths, “Lord, save me!”
And for our secondreflection, we observe that–
II. FAITH LOVES VENTURESOMESERVICE.
Peter, when full of faith, saidto his Master, “Lord, if it is You, bid me come to
You upon the water.” Faithseems to have a secretinstinct revealing her
military and royal character. In the old wars of Troy we read of one who,
being told by a prophet that the war would not be to his honor, soughtto
escape from the Greek ranks and hid himself among the daughters of the
king. But he was discoveredby Ulysses, who sent a peddler, or one disguised
as such, to sell various wares–andwhile the maidens at the gate came to buy
the various trinkets in which they delighted, there was placedin the basketa
trumpet, or a sword, and the young hero, disguisedas he was, yetlet out his
taste and chose the warlike implement. It was his nature to do so–andhe was
discoveredby the choice!Now, amidst ten thousand allurements, faith is quite
certain to choose thatwhich appertains to boldness and to venturesomeness.
John is full of love, he stays in the vessel. But Peterabounds in faith and he
must be doing some high actioncongruous to the nature of faith and,
therefore, he says, “Lord, if it is You, bid me come unto You on the water.”
That is the kind of thing for faith to doAnybody canwalk onthe land, but faith
is a water-walker!She cando, and act, and work where others fail.
Remember it is not saidin Scripture that faith will pluck up mustards seeds,
or that it will remove molehills. These little things are not the sphere for faith,
but it is written, “You shall sayunto this mountain, Be you moved from here;
or this sycamore tree, Be pluckedup by the roots.” Faithloves to dealin great
things, in marvelous adventures, in projects beyond human power! We are

not to come to God and ask Him to do for us what we cando for ourselves.
There is no room for the exercise offaith where reasonand human strength
will suffice. Faith is a vesselexpresslybuilt for the deep seas. She is not a
coaster, to keepclose to the shore–she pushes out where she can neither see
the shore nor fathom the depth–for she has a compass onboard, and she looks
up to the stars which God has fixed for her guidance!She has, too, a blessed
Pilot, so she feels herselfsecure and all at home in the wild waste ofwaters,
with no human eyes to gaze upon her, and no human hands to help.
“If it is You,” saidPeter, “let me come to You on the water.” If you have faith
in God and that faith is in active exercise, I am persuadedyou will feelan
instinct within you prompting you to dare something more than others have
ventured to attempt, eagerto honor Jesus Christ more than anyone else would
think possible, who had little faith or no faith at all! What a blessedinstinct it
is which impels some of our Brothers, as it frequently has done, to leave their
native country and go out to preach the Gospelin regions beyond the sea!Not
building upon another man’s foundation, but, like the bold Apostle, seeking to
extend the bounds of Immanuel’s Kingdom. How blessedit is when some
Brother or Sister finds it in their heart to consecratemore of their substance
than is ordinary to the Lord’s work, not grudging what they canspare, but
glorying over what they can sacrifice!Yes, and blessedit is when faith kindles
to furnace heat and stimulates one to undertake a work for which he, alone,
would be incompetent. God preserve such a man! How I rejoice at every
mention of our brother Muller at Bristol! What lessons oftrust in God’s
promise and His Providence has he taught to Christians and Christian
Churches! How graciouslyhas Christ made him to walk on the water!How
securelyhas he sped his course these many years as safe on the flowing
current of subscriptions as if he were proceeding on the solid bases of a rich
endowment! How wonderfully his orphanage has been supported! He walks
on waves in very truth! This sole dependence upon the eternal Providence of a
faithful God is indispensable to us. I trust we are not entire strangers to it in
our measure and degree. It is no novelty to us to put our foot down on what
we thought to be a cloud, and find thatGod had placed a rock there, to walk
right on in the dark, and see the midnight turn to noonday–to rest on the
invisible and prove it to be more substantial than the visible–to depend upon
the nakedpromise of the Covenant-Keeping God and reap greaterriches than
all the treasures that could come from relying on an arm of flesh! Faith then,
is a venturesome thing and if any of you have not yet been nerved with
courage becauseyou believed, I pray that your faith may grow till you feel

compelled to attempt more than of your own unaided strength you can
possibly do!
Brothers and Sisters, undertake something for Christ. Is there a Brotherhere
who ought to preach, but is too timid? I hope his faith will overcome his
diffidence. Is there a Sisterhere who ought to take a class in the school, but
she is shy and hesitant? I hope her faith in the Saviorwill get fresh impetus
from her love to souls. “Suchtrust have we through Christ to Godward.” Oh,
that you may all be urged by strong convictions to attempt something in His
service!And may you be taught by the Holy Spirit to setabout it wisely!And
may you be enabled by that sufficiency which is of God to do it effectually!
Though you may often have stumbled, in plain paths, you shall be able to walk
on the waterin safety when and where Jesus bids you! I say this advisedly,
for, venturesome as Peter’s faith was, he would not make a move without first
having the Master’s permission. “If it is You, bid me.” We must not fondly
imagine that we can do whatever we choose, but we may fairly expectthat
wheneverGod allots us a work, He will give us adequate Grace to accomplish
it. Peterwalking on the sea without Divine Permissionwould be a
presumption to attempt and an impossibility to perform! But Peter, with
Christ’s assurance, might have walkedacrossthe Atlantic, itself, if his faith
had not failed!
So it is with you. If your Lord has calledyou to a work, rely upon Him for the
powerto achieve it–He will not forsake you! But if it is merely your own whim
or caprice which has thrust you into a position for which you are not
qualified, you have no right to reckonupon the Divine Aid to speed your false
steps!Blessedis he who goes to his Father and asks His counsel, for he shall
always find that where God gives us guidance, He will give us Grace!
But–
III. FAITH REALLY DOES WORK WONDERS.
This is our third observation. Petercame down from the vessel. I think I see
him bounding over the bulwarks. How strange he must have felt when that
waterin which he had been so often swimming became as solid marble under
his feet!How elated he must have felt–a man with his temperament would
naturally feel–whenhe began to walk and found the waterlike a sea ofglass
beneath his tread! It was a marvelous thing to do. Others have made their way
through the sea, but Peter walkedoverit. The laws of gravitation were
suspended for his support! Picture the scene. WhatJesus was doing, Peterwas
doing. Faith made Peter to be like his Lord. There were two walking, the one

by His own Infinite Power, the other by the powerimparted to him–the power
of faith!
Remember that faith will make any of us like Christ. “He that believes on Me,
the works that I do shall he do also,” saidthe Master, “and greaterworks
than these shall he do, because Igo unto my Father.” It does often seem
impossible in certain conditions to actin a Christ-like spirit, but faith can
make you walk the waves ofthe sea!Your Lord was patient in poverty–faith
can make you walk that wave and be patient and contented, too! Christ was
loving and gentle under the most fearful and multiplied provocations–faith
can give you that same gentleness ofspirit and lowliness ofmind–you can
walk those billows, too!Our Lord, in the midst of prosperity, refused worldly
honor. When they sought to make Him a king, He hid Himself from the
temptation. And you in the high places of the earth, tempted by wealth, with
flattery poured into your ears, may still walk, as Jesus did, safelythrough it
all if you have but faith in God, faith in the blessedSpirit, faith in Him who is
always with you, even to the end of the world! There is nothing Christ did,
exceptthe greatAtoning work, which His people shall not do in and through
Him, by the exercise oftheir faith! What a blessing it would be if God’s people
really believed the powerthat lies in them by the energy of faith! So many of
us give up, succumb, lie down as if we were weak–butwe are not weak. When
we are weak in ourselves, then are we strong! This is no empty fiction, but a
certain fact–we are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Let not,
therefore, the Believerthink that he can only do what another man can do. He
is of a nobler race!God dwells in him! Oh, what a glorious thought that is–
God dwelling in a man! That wonderful word, “enthusiasm”–sooftenturned
to ridicule and used as a term of reproach–whatdoes it mean but God in a
man? Enthusiasm! When God is thoroughly in a man and the man knows it,
then he is not cowedor put back by difficulties, or daunted by sneers!He is
not so mindful of his feeblenessas to excuse himself from effort, or to imagine
that he can do nothing. In the confidence of that powerwhich inspires him, he
marches boldly on, fully assuredthat victory awaits him–and for that victory
he rests not till he realizes it–it is given to his confidence!So does God requite
and reward the man that puts his trust in Him. May we always have enough
of faith to be doing wonders. Some poor souls have enough faith to carry them
to Heaven. Others have just enough faith to maintain decent character. But he
shall be honored of God who has such implicit, heroic and enduring faith that
he can dare jeopardize, do exploits and bear sufferings because his Lord is
with him! We must attempt some things which look like impossibilities, or we

shall never keepup the esprit of the true soldiers of the Cross. We pass on
tomake a fourth remark.
IV. INTO THE SOUL OF THE MOST FAITHFUL AND CONFIDENT
DISCIPLE, UNBELIEF GENERALLY FINDS SOME DOOR OR OTHER
FOR ENTRANCE.
Peterhad lookedat the waves and his faith was just strong enough to believe
that Jesus couldmake him walk on the sea, but he had never takenthe winds
into his calculation!Had he thought of the winds as well as the waves, and
reposeduponJesus for the whole, I have no doubt his faith would have held
out and not have so fearfully given way. The first two or three steps on the
waterhad exhilarated him and made him feelwhat wonders he was doing–but
there came a rough blast which threatened to overthrow him–and as he could
scarcelystandagainstso rude a wind upon so slippery a floor he began to be
afraid. Something occurredwhich he had not foreseenand in strange
surprise, he yielded to blank unbelief! Thus it often comes to pass with us. We
arrange our faith according to our estimate of the perils and perplexities that
lie in our path. We even plan the events that will probably happens to us and
we feel sure that we can trust God in all these circumstances–buta fresh
contingencyarises upon which we had never reckoned, a wind which we had
not thought of–andforthwith our courage fails, we do not trust God for that! I
wish we had a faith which was free fromarithmetic and totally independent of
weights and measures–afaith that trusted God for ten thousand things as
readily as for one–that would rest upon God for a century as securelyas for a
day! I wish we had a faith that would just castitself, sink or swim, into the
sea–believing in God that whether the winds were blowing or not, whether the
waves were raging or not–everything is easyto Omnipotence, and nothing can
compromise the faithfulness of the MostHigh. But, alas, my Brothers and
Sisters, we are always being startled by some new prodigies! Perhaps we are
too fond of calculating changes, predicting probabilities and forestalling the
future. Hence comes our chagrin when we are frustrated or disappointed. If
we walkedon, leaving everything to His Divine Decree and watchful
Providence, confiding in our heavenly Father’s wisdom and His love, we need
never be amazedor bewildered–ourfaith would be equal to any rumor or riot
that might arise!
Just as unbelief introduced into Peter’s mind a terror of the wind, and upset
him at once, so the devil has ways of finding some point or other upon which
to overthrow our faith. I have sometimes been full of joy in the Lord and I
have usually noticed that depressionof spirits almostinvariably follows–and
that from some circumstance which at other times would not have causedme

the slightestdisturbance! Satanknows how to use any trivial thing to spoil the
luster of our faith and the placidity of our joy. With what subtlety he will
assailyou! A difficulty you have been laboring under may have been removed
by God’s Providence. You may be very grateful and ready to setup your stone
of thankfulness, and to praise the name of the Lord. Soona new difficulty will
be suggested. While you are blessing God for all His mercy, all of a sudden
some trouble like a squall occurs!It may not be worth mentioning, but it will
assume such strange proportions that it covers up all your joys and leaves you
a prey to unbelief! How watchful we ought to be againstunbelief, for of all
sins, this is one of the most heinous! Like Jeroboam, ofwhom we read that he
sinned and made Israelto sin, unbelief is itself a sin and becomes the parent of
all sorts of sins. We sometimes talk to one another about our doubts and fears
as if they were infirmities to be pitied rather than crimes to be loathed, but we
seldom talk to eachother about the delinquencies of our conduct, such as
angry tempers, hasty words, harsh judgments, unbecoming levity, or lax
conversation. No, we would be ashamed to confess transgressions thatare far
too common among people professing godliness. Why is it that we do not
blush to acknowledgeour doubts that mistrust God and our fears that stagger
at His promise? Are they not quite as much sins againstthe commandment of
the Lord and the duty of every faithful Christian as drunkenness, or
dishonesty, or any offense againstthe moral law? To doubt the faithfulness of
God is atrocious!Who canestimate the amount of virus there is in the sin of
unbelief? It would stab at the very heart of God! It would pluck the crown
from the head of Jehovah!Let us hate unbelief with all our hearts and watch
againstit. Remember that it can attack us from any quarter of the compass
unless we keepperpetual guard. Those of us who have been boldest in the
Lord’s battle, and foremost in His service, may yet be overtakenwith this sin,
succumb to its debasing influence and be left in the rear, shorn of honor and
coveredwith shame!
And now for a fifth reflection–
1. IF AT ANY TIME FAITH SEEMS TO BE OVERTURNEDBY AN
INVASION OF UNBELIEF, IT THEN SHOWS ITS TRUE
CONQUERING CHARACTER.
Peterwas soonmade to doubt, but with what ease did he begin to pray! I like
to think of the spontaneous characterofPeter’s prayer. He begins to sink and
he prays in a minute! He no soonerfinds himself going down, than he says,
“Lord, save me!” This shows what a living thing his faith was. It might not
always walk the water, but it could alwayspray, and that is the better thing of
the two!Your faith may not always make you rejoice, but if your faith can

always make you trust the precious blood, that is all you need! Your faith may
not always take you to the top of the mountain, and bathe your foreheadin
the sunlight of God’s Countenance, but if your faith enables you to keepon
the straightroad that leads to eternallife, you may bless God for that! To
walk on water is not an essentialcharacteristic offaith, but to pray when you
begin to sink, is! To do greatwonders for Christ is not indispensable to your
soul’s being saved, but to have the faculty of always turning the heart to Him
in time of distress is one of the sure marks of Divine Grace in the soul. I am
sure Peterdid not intone his prayer on that occasion. I am quite certainthat
he did not believe in having to searchfor music to which to setthat prayer. It
just came up from his heart. And are not these the very bestprayers, that well
up from the soul, freely flowing forth from the lips because the heart compels
the tongue to speak? The heart, knowing its own bitterness, reveals it unto the
MostHigh. Beloved, are you prayerful in such a respectas that? I think it is a
blessedplan to setapart time for prayer, and so to take your half-hour, or
your hour, as you may be able, for secretdevotion, but better than the settime
for prayer is the spirit of prayer. While a regular habit of prayer is a great
help to piety, thespirit of prayer promotes habitual, continual communion
with God!
I once asked, downat Wootton-Under-Edge, where Mr. RowlandHill’s study
was, and they told me that was a question which they could not answer. “Why,
how is that? Did he never study his sermons? Oh, yes, he was always studying
his sermons–itdid not matter whether he was in the parlor or in the paddock,
attending to his correspondence,orlooking after the cows, going outinto the
village to buy goods, orwalking in the gardenamidst flowers and fruits–he
was always studying his sermons, so that he was one of the readiestof
preachers! That is one of the best habits that a man can cultivate. So they said
it was with his prayers. He was not a man who shut himself up for prayer, but
he seemedto be always praying wherever he went! He would be often heard
saying true prayers when others fancied his mind must be full of other
thoughts. The story that is relatedof him at Mr. George Clayton’s chapelin
York Street, you will, most of you, remember, for I have repeatedit several
times. After he had been preaching, he lingered about the building so long
that the pew-openerwent to him and told him that it was time to close the
place. The old gentleman was found tottering round the pews singing to
himself–
“And when I shall die,
‘Receive me,’I’ll cry!
For Jesus has loved me, I cannot tell why.

But this thing I find,
We two are so joined,
That He won’t be in Glory and leave me behind.”
This peculiar practice of conversing, as it were, with oneself–ofrepeating texts
of Scripture or verses of hymns, the propensity to pray with the heart and lift
up the thoughts continually to God–well, it seems to me an indication of
spiritual-mindedness above any common level! “Know,” says David, “that the
Lord has setapart him that is godly for Himself.” But how should the man
thus setapart behave himself? The Psalmistwill tell you, “Commune with
your own heart upon your bed and be still.” Oh, for a mind always active,
never stagnant, always tranquil! Oh, for the wings of a dove! Take a pigeon.
Put it awayin a cage–sendit a distance in the country. Keep it there awhile.
Then, on a certain day, let it loose–youwill soonknow where its home is, for it
mounts up, flies its circuit, takes its bearings, surveys its course, and then
awayit pursues its trip through the air till it reaches the dear old dove-cote!
Does your soul make its wayto the ark, and return to its rest with a like
sacredinstinct? All through the day you may be takenup with many cares.
The shop or the warehouse,the nursery or the kitchen, may be your cage.
There comes a moment when you are let loose and you get free. Where does
your soul fly? Flies it off like a dove, to its resting place? When it see the
crows on the wing, if anybody askedme what trips they were taking, I could
not tell them. But if they would wait till evening I would quickly solve the
riddle, for then they would be quite sure to be seeking their nests. Does your
heart, in the time of trouble, fly awayto God? Does your spirit in the hour of
distress seek the Rock of Refuge and speedto the Great Deliverer? Thenare
you like Peter! You may not always walk on the waves, but you can always
say, “Lord, save me!” Can you say that from your very soul, resting on the
Savior’s mighty arm? Then you have the essence ofa faith which will leadyou
through growth in Grace up to the perfectionof Glory!
VI. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS EQUALLY KIND, BOTH TO STRONG
FAITH AND TO LITTLE FAITH.
Strong faith says, “Bidme come to You on the water.” Now Christ sometimes
refuses to answerprayer after its ownkind. The prayer of anger, in which
James and John entreated that fire might come down from Heaven to destroy
the Samaritans, He rejected. The prayer of ambition, when the two sons of
Zebedee craved a place, one on His right hand and the other on the left, in His
Kingdom, was denied. But the prayer of faith, though it lookedbold and
venturesome, our Lord receivedgraciouslyand answeredspeedily! “Bid me
come to You on the water.” “Come,” saidJesus.Is strong faith represented

here by any of you? If you ask a greatthing of God, you shall have it! If you
have but faith in Jesus, you shallask whatyou will, and it shall be done unto
you, for the desire of the righteous shall be granted. “Delightyourself, also, in
the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Have you a great
plan of usefulness!Have you an intense anxiety for soul-winning! Have you a
strong yearning for the evangelizationof your district! Believe, fearnot to
tempt fortune, for all things are possible to him who believes!The hands of
Christ are pledged to faith. He will honor the trust you repose in Him. If you
will but repose in Him, He cannot, will not deny you. True faith is His own
work. If He hasworkedthe prayer in you, He will surely answerit. Go forth,
then, in this, your might of faith, and the Lord be with you!
But perceive you not how kind He also was to little faith? No soonerdoes
Peterbegin to sink and cry, “Save me,” than there is manifest goodwill and
quick help in the Savior’s movement. “Immediately Jesus stretchedforth His
hand and caught him.” Our Lord did not pause to parley. He did not upbraid
him, or say, “Peter, you have dishonored Me by your unbelief.” He did not
accuse him harshly, rebuke him sternly, or punish him severely, leaving him
to go down twice, and pulling him up the third time thus inflicting in him the
pangs of death without its extreme penalty. Ah, no, the prompt help was ready
for the pressing emergency. The sinking one was made to stand. After that He
said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Christ gives liberally and
upbraids not–or when He does upbraid, it is always after His large generosity
has abatedthe grievance. He gives the choice portion and then chastens us for
our profit. He does not make us wait till we are submerged againand again,
but He listens at once to the feeble cry of His sinking servants, and not till
after He has delivered them does He expostulate with them. Aesoptells a story
of a man who saw a boy drowning, and sat on the shore and lectured him
upon the imprudence of venturing beyond his depth. And there are some
people who do the same with poor sinking souls! They tell them of what they
ought to have done, of what they have not done, and of what they ought now
to do, which they cannotdo–but they do not stretchout their hand to help
them. They observe the burden which is too heavy to be borne, but they lift
not a finger to lighten it! Our Lord takes off the burden first, sets His servant
on his feet and then gives him a word of counselor of rebuke. Go to Him,
then, Little Faith! Go to Him before you retire to your rest. Tell your Savior
of the grief that distracts you, of the woe that overwhelms you. Confess your
sins, acknowledgeyour inability to rescue yourself and castyourself, now,
upon the gracious promise of the loving God! Whether you are strong or

weak, my Brother, my Sister, repair to the same place, for Jesus stands at the
gate of mercy’s house willing to receive all those who come to Him!
ALAN CARR
HIDDEN BLESSINGS IN THE STORMS OF LIFE
Intro: In this passage ofScripture, we find the disciples of our Lord trapped
in the grip of a fierce storm. They find themselves in that storm, because they
have been commanded by the Lord to cross the Sea of Galilee, v. 22. These
men are in the will of the Lord and yet, we see them struggling againstthe
storm. Try as they might, however, it appears that they are unable to make
any headway. The wind is in their faces, v. 24. These 12 men are stuck in a
storm and are unable to getout.
Have you ever found yourself in that place? Have you everfound yourself
stuck in one of life's storms, and no matter how hard you try, no matter what
you do, it seems that you cannotmake any headway? Well, we all have times
like that! It may seemto you like the storm will never end and that there is no
possible goodthat can come from what you are facing. Thankfully, however,
there is some goodnews for us tonight from the word of God. While the
storms of life are never pleasant, they do produce certain benefits in our lives
that we would do well to make note of this evening. "Now no chastening for
the present seemeth to be joyous, butgrievous: nevertheless afterward ityieldeth
the peaceablefruitof righteousness unto them whichare exercised thereby.:
Heb 12:11.
I would like for us to join the disciples this evening in their storm. As we do, I
want to show you that the storms of life contain some hidden blessings forthe
children of God. I do not know what kind of storm you are facing this evening,
but I do know that the Lord has a purpose in allowing that storm to rage in
your life. Perhaps that purpose will become clearthis evening as I preachfor
a while on The Hidden BlessingsIn The Storms Of Life.
I. V. 25 STORMS ARE GOD'S MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION
(Ill. The very thing the disciples feared. The sea, was the very thing the Lord
used as the vehicle to revealHimself unto them. He will do the same in your
life and mine. Notice how Jesus came to them that night.)
A. He Comes In The Face OfDarkness - The Bible says that Jesus came
to them in "the fourth watch". Sometime between3 AM and 6 AM,
during the darkesthours of the night, Jesus came walking on the water!

(Ill. You may be walking in darkness this evening and wondering where
Jesus is. You may be facing some of the darkestdays of your life right
now. Let me remind you that our God is ever with you, Heb. 13:5! Let
me remind you that even in the darkesthours of life God is still God
and He is still in control of your life. 1 Kings 8:12, "Then spake
Solomon, The LORDsaid that he would dwellin the thick darkness.";
Psalm139:11-12, "IfI say, Surely the darknessshall cover me;even the
nightshall be lightabout me.Yea, the darknesshideth not from thee; but
the nightshineth as the day: the darknessand the lightare both aliketo
thee." Even the darkesthours of life cannothide you from the face of
God. He is there even when you cannot see Him.)
B. He Comes In The Face OfDisaster - The disciples were in a fight for
their lives. Mark 6:48 says that they were "toiling in rowing". Thatis,
they were struggling againstthe storm. I getthe impression that these
men were afraid for their lives. When they thought all hope was gone
and that they were doomed, Jesus came walking on the waves!
(Ill. There are times when we all feel like we have lost the battle with
our storm, but may I remind you that just as surely as the Lord is in
control of your blessings, He is also in charge ofyour storms? When
things look the bleakest, justlook around, Jesus is about to show up!
Remember, He may not keep you from going into the storm, but He will
keepyou in the midst of the storm! Think of the 3 Hebrews, Daniel, and
Noah. God did not prevent any of these from going into the storm, but
He saved them all in the midst of their storm. What He did for them, He
will do for you!)
C. He Comes On The Face Of The Deep - The very thing the disciples
feared, the raging sea, was the very thing God used as His vehicle to
come to them. What a testimony this was!He was not telling them that
the storm was not fierce, He was telling them that He was greaterthan
the storm!
(Ill. That is still His word to you this evening! Regardlessofwhat you
are facing in life, remember that Jesus is greaterthan that storm you
may be facing. If you will be patient and wait for Him, He will show up
right on time. You will see that the storm was used by the Lord to make
Himself clearto you. The very thing you fear will be the vehicle He uses
to show up in your life!)
(Ill. The Apostle Paul - 2 Cor. 12:1-10. God used Paul's storm, a thorn
in the flesh, to show up in and on Paul's life.)

(Ill. What I am trying to tell you is this: "Do not fear the storms of Life!
They have been designedby the Lord as a means of bringing Him closer
to you. He planned them and they are for your good- Rom. 8:28")
II. V. 25-31 STORMS ARE GOD'S MEANS OF TESTING
A. V. 25-27 TheyRevealThe Savior - When Jesus did come walking on
the water, the disciples did not recognize Him. They thought He was a
ghost. They cried out in fear. But, thank God, Jesus came with a
messageofpeace and of power. He came to them with a word of peace,
"be of good cheer." He came to them with a word of power, "It is I". He
came to them with a word of potential, "benot afraid."
(Ill. The storms of life have the potential to reveal the Savior to us in a
way we may have never consideredbefore. When He comes to us,
walking on our storm, He gives us the same messageofhope that He
gave to the disciples that stormy night.
1. A MessageOfPeace - Note:They were still in the storm when
He told them to cheerup. By His power, the Son of God cangive
us peace in the midst of our storms. That is the peace He refers to
in Phil. 4:6-7.
2. A MessageOfPower - When Jesus showedup, He came
declaring His identity. "It is I", is an emphatic personalpronoun.
It is the same statementJesus used when He said, "I am the
door"; "I am the way, the truth and the life.";"I am the bread of
life"; "I am the goodshepherd". Do you get the picture? Jesus is
telling His Disciples to "cheerup, God is here!" If we can ever
graspthe truth that Jesus is the greatI AM. That He has all
powerin Heaven and in earth, Matt. 28:18, then we can enjoy
peace in the midst of trials.
3. A MessageOfPotential - Jesus also issue a command to His
disciples:"be not afraid."This statementliterally reads, "You stop
fearing and don't you ever fear again."You see, if we canever get
hold of the factthat Jesus is in control of every area of our lives,
that He is God, and that He possessesallpower, then we can come
to that place where we can trust Him fully through all the storms
of life.
(Ill. The storms of life are a blessing because they revealthe
Savior in a brand new way.)

B. V. 28-29 TheyRefine The Saint - When Peterheard that it was the
Lord, Peterwanted to join Jesus in walking on the water. Jesus simply
told Peterto come. Peterobeyed and he too walkedon the water. Jesus
used the storm as a means of helping Petergrow in the faith.
(Ill. When the storms of life are howling all about us, if we can get hold
of the truth that Jesus is the Masterof the Storm, then we too can rise
above our circumstances and walk on the waves with the Lord. I realize
that Peter's walk didn't last long. In just a moment he took his eyes off
the Lord and he beganto sink. However, Peterhad a story that none of
the other disciples had! Peterwas the only one who could say, "I walked
on my storm!" The storms of life will focus our faith if we will allow
them to. God van use the difficult days to teachus more about Himself
and to help us grow in the Lord. He will use the storms to make you
more like Him. Remember, there were 12 men in that boat, but only one
could say he walkedon the storm like Jesus.)
C. V. 30-31 TheyRemind The Saint - Peterwanted to walk on water
like Jesus. He put the Lord to the test and stepped onto the waves.
However, he soontook his eyes off the Lord and when he did, he found
himself in trouble. He remembered Who was in control and he calledon
the Lord and found the help he needed.
(Ill. The storms of life also serve to remind us of Who is in control. Like
Peter, there are times when we get our eyes off the Lord during our
storms. When we do, we are doomed to fail. We need to remember Who
is in charge of this whole thing. You see, if we successfullynavigate the
stormy waters oflife, we deserve no credit for our abilities or our
success. If we are successful, it is because there is One Who is greater
than we are holding our hand! Our successin the storms of life hinges
upon our being willing to acknowledge Jesus as the Masterof the
storm.)
III. V. 32-33 STORMSARE GOD'S MEANS OF TESTIMONY
A. They Testify Of His Power - Jesus calmedthe storm! He didn't say a
thing, He just got into the boat with the disciples and the sea was
calmed.
(Ill. One day, he'll do the same in your life! The storm will rage until it
has accomplishedHis purpose and then He will cause the winds to cease
for you. All He is trying to getus to see this evening is that He is in
control of the storms of life. It isn't me and it isn't you. Jesus is the
Masterof the Sea and He is the Masterof the Storm as well.)

B. They Testify Of His Person- When Jesus stilledthe storm, the
disciples knew that they were in the presence ofGod. They confessed
Him and they bowedbefore Him in worship. His power in the storms
and over the storms of life testify of His person. They tell us that He is
God and that He is in control of all the affairs of life. When the storms
come, they are designedto bring us to the place the disciples found
themselves in at the end: on our knees in worship before Him.
(Ill. Here is a secretto make the storm much more bearable for you:
Don't wait until the storm is over to bow before Him. Bow now, while
the waves are still threatening your boat. Bow now, while the winds are
still contrary to you. Don't wait until blue skies are seento humble
yourself before the Lord. Nothing reveals your faith in the Lord more
than you being willing to acceptHis will and love Him, even when things
look the worse for you. Bow before Him, it honor the Lord!)
Conc:Sometimes, it is hard to see the blessings for the storm, isn't it?
Sometimes it is hard to imagine the Lord bringing any goodout of what you
are going through. I don't know the nature of the storm you are facing this
evening, but I know the One Who still walks onthe waves. I know that is you
will bring your need to Him, He will hear you and He will help you tonight.
Who knows, He might just show up this evening striding on your storm. If you
need help from the wave walker, then this alter is open. Bring your need to
Jesus and let Him have His way in your life. Will you do that right now?
OSWALD CHAMBERS
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CHRIST AND HUMAN NATURE
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Matthew 14:22-36
7-24-66 7:30 p.m.
On the radio you are invited to turn with us to God’s Holy Word and read it
out loud together. Matthew chapter 14, beginning – Matthew chapter 14,
beginning at verse – well, I did not intend to read the whole context. Let us
read it all; verse 22, the passage that the pastor is going to expound tonight is
Matthew 14:22 to the end of the chapter, so let us read the whole passage. I do

not know how to break into it, so let us read it all. And on the radio, get your
Bible and read it out loud with us. Matthew chapter 14, verse 22 to the end.
Now everybody, reading together:
And straightwayJesus constrainedHis 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, tossedwith waves:for the wind
was contrary.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus wentunto 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 straightwayJesus spake unto them, saying, Be of goodcheer;it is I; be
not afraid.
And PeteransweredHim and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto
Thee on the water.
And He said, Come.
And when Peterwas come down out of the ship, he walkedon 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 stretchedforth His hand, and caught him, and said
unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
Then they that were in the ship came and worshipedHim, saying, Of a truth
Thou art the Son of God.
And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Genneseret.
And when the men of that place had knowledge ofHim, they sent out into all
that country round about, and brought unto Him all that were diseased;
And besoughtHim that they might only touch the hem of His garment: and as
many as touched were made perfectly whole.
[Matthew 14:22-36]

Last Sunday night – and you are listening on the radio to the First Baptist
Church in Dallas, and this is the pastor bringing the messageentitled Christ
and Human Nature. In our preaching through the life of Christ, last Sunday
night we left off with verse 21, which is the concluding verse of the miracle of
the feeding of the five thousand [Matthew 14:15-21]. Thentonight we begin
with verse 22 and preach through to the end of the chapter [Matthew 14:22-
36].
Now the miracle of the feeding of five thousand andron, men, "beside the
women and children" [Matthew 14:21], there could easilyhave been as many
as fifteen or twenty thousand people there in that desertplace on the
Gadarene, the eastern, the Decapolisside of the Sea of Galilee. And in that
vast multitude, for a man to feed that great aggregatewith five little barley
biscuits, a fare of the poor, and with two little fishes [Matthew 14:19], such as
a boy would catchout of the lake – for a man to feed a multitude like that
incited and excited.
Oh, how volative were the spirits of the pilgrims from over the Jewishworld
who were then in Palestine. "Whylook at this Man," they said, "look atHim.
He can raise the dead by the word of His mouth [John 11:43-44]. And He can
feed a greatarmy by just multiplying loaves and fishes." And they said, and
now I’m quoting from the sixth chapter of the Gospelof John [John 6:5-14] –
well, this miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is the only one that is
recounted in all four Gospels, andJohn says that when they saw that
marvelous, miraculous endowment of the Savior, that they would "take Him
by force and make Him a king" [John 6:15].
And I can just see that. "Why, here is a man that can raise the dead. And if
our soldiers are killed, he can bring them back to life and put them in the
army to march again. And here is a man that canfeed the vast multitudes by
just breaking, by just giving out." Why, you have the logistics ofevery kind of
enemy attack, andenemy destruction, and a march on your own part. Why,
it’d be unbeatable. You’d have the thing made. So the multitudes were
excited, and they sought to make Jesus king. "We’ll overthrow that Roman
tyrannical power, and we’ll make Jerusalemthe head of the nations of the
earth. And we will march againstour enemies, and Jesus will be our king."
Now that pleasedthe disciples very much. They eggedit on. I canjust see
James, and John, and Simon, and Bartholomew, and Thaddeus, and Matthew,
and the little James, and Simon the Zealot. And I can just see all of them, just
working out there like a ferment; "That’s right, that’s right. He is the king.
He is the one. We can win. We’re unbeatable, unstoppable, impregnable,
invincible, let’s go!" And James had it in his head he was going to be

chancellorof the exchequer, and John had it in his head that he was going to
be prime minister, and one of the others added here he was going to be chief
of staff. And somebody’s going to lead the air force, and somebody’s going to
lead the navy, and somebody’s going to be in charge of all of the armies of
occupation. Why, I can just see that. I canjust see that. It was a greatday for
the disciples.
And when Jesus saw – and this is the way John wrote it – when Jesus saw that
they would come and by force make Him a king, He grabbed those twelve
disciples – and you canimagine, grabbing all these kids and bringing them
down here to Vacation Bible School. That’s exactlywhat Jesus did with these
twelve disciples: He grabbed those twelve disciples – in their exuberance, and
in their enthusiasm, and in all their marvelous plans, and visions, and dreams
– He grabbed those twelve disciples, and He forced them in a boat, and He
sent them out to sea, right in the midst of that marvelous triumph [Matthew
14:22;John 6:116-17].
And the Lord went up in a mountain alone to pray: "And when He had sent
them away, He Himself went up into a mountain apart to pray; and when the
evening was come, He was there alone" [Matthew 14:23]. Think of that. In the
midst of the acclaimand excitement, the kingdom offered Him – Satandoing
it again– the kingdom offered Him – push it all aside, look upon it as nothing.
Send those who were leading all the exuberant enthusiasmaway, up there in a
mountain apart, kneeling down to pray [Matthew 14:22-23].
I suppose the whole sky turned into a marvelous open door into glory. I
suppose the Shekinahthat burns in the presence ofGod flamed the more
brilliantly, glad to see their Prince again. I suppose the angels stoppedtheir
praising to listen to what the Son of heaven had to say, up there in a mountain
alone? No. As it was in the beginning, evermore and shall be with the Father.
And what an astonishing thing, that He prays [Matthew 14:23]. Why, in His
hands slumbers omnipotence. With the very word of His mouth He can bring
back to life the sheeteddead [John 11:43-44]. He can stop the wind and the
roar of the tempest, He canstill the sea [Luke 8:23-24]. The demons and the
devils obey Him [Matthew 8:28-32, 17:18]. Yet He prays, and sometimes in
agony[Luke 22:44]. That’s our Lord, kneeling before the Father, resting in
the Father, hoping in the Father, trusting in the Father [John 17:1-26]. "(In
the roll of the book it is written of Me,) Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God"
[Hebrews 10:7,9], and He bowed in the will of the Father [Matthew 27:32-50].
But oh, these disciples, these disciples;while our Lord is in that mountain
apart, praying and pouring out His soul [Matthew 14:23] – while the Lord is
up there, these disciples, look at them! They are mad! They are disgusted!

They are so ill-spirited! The Lord put them in that boat [Matthew 14:22] and
there they are on that sea. And at six o’clock in the morning they had rowed
barely three miles [John 6:16]. I can just see them out there, just a-griping,
and a-fussing, and a-fuming, and a-grumbling, just as mad as they can be! I
can just see them out there; somebody pull a row here, and quit, and jower;
one would pull a row on this side, and quit, and fume and fuss, disgusted;I
can just see them out there. All night long they’ve gone less than three miles
[Matthew 14:24].
So the Lord just decided, "They want to run this thing themselves? Theywant
to take the helm? They have got their own dreams, and their own programs,
and their own ambitions, and their own visions, and they want to live their
lives. They want to do it themselves." So the Lord just decided, "I am just
going to stay and let them have it. They want to row that boat themselves, and
they do not want Me in it. They do not like what I am doing, and they are
mad, fuming, fussing, disgusted; just going to leave them alone;just going to
let them have it to themselves."
So He stayed; the Lord is up there staying. One of God’s winds [Matthew
14:24], I can just see the Lord, "Come here, one of God’s winds; come here.
See those disciples down there just jowering around, and griping around, and
fussing around? Just look at them! Look at them! Now you go down there and
shake the living daylights out. Just go down there and do it. Just go down
there and just do it."
So there came out of nowhere, there came one of those winds that can so
suddenly arise in that depth below the sea, in that Arabah where the Sea of
Galilee is held. And in that wind their little boatbegan to move, and rise, and
fall, and shake, and tremble, and shiver. And it scaredthe disciples to death
[Matthew 14:24]. Isn’t that the way we are? We like it ourselves;don’t want
God in it, and we don’t want His plans for us, and we don’t want His
program. And we got our own ideas, and our own dreams, and own
ambitions, and our own way, and we want to row our own boat. Of all the
things, if we couldn’t row this little boat in this little sea, whatin the earth
would we do if God turned over to us all the boats of all the seas ofall the
world? Then, if God turned over to us all of those celestialships that sail
through the infinitude of the chalice of God’s sky above us? And what would
we do with all of the forces that control and lie back of this whole creation?
Oh, we are lost without God! Howeverwe may think of ourselves, and dream
for ourselves, andhave ambitions for ourselves, without God, without Him,
we are helpless.

I don’t know of a sweeterpoem than this by Henry Van Dyke. I love the
sentiment of its truth.
O Makerof the Mighty Deep,
Whereonour vessels fare,
Above our life’s adventure keep
Thy faithful watchand care.
In Thee we trust, whate’erbefall;
Thy sea is great, and our boats are small.
We know not where the secrettides
Will help us or delay,
Nor where the lurking tempesthides,
Nor where the fogs are gray.
We trust in Thee, whate’erbefall;
Thy sea is great, and our boats are small
When outward bound we boldly sail
And leave the friendly shore,
Let not our heart of courage fail
Until the voyage is o’er.
We trust in Thee, whate’erbetide,
,
Beyond the circle of the sea,
When voyaging is past,
We seek ourfinal port in Thee;
O bring us home at last.
We trust in Thee, whate’erbefall;
["Voyagers,"Henry Van Dyke]
So when the winds had shakenthem, and the fury of the waves had frightened
them, and they saw their utter helplessness,why, Jesus came, as He always
does, walking to the disciples in their hour of need [Matthew 14:24-25].

Well, that also frightened them. I guess it would us too, seeing somebodyin
the gray of the night walking on the sea, on the water. And the disciples cried
out for fear [Matthew 14:26]. And the Lord said, "Do not be afraid. Do not be
afraid. It is I. Be not afraid" [Matthew 14:27].
And Petersaid, "Why, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the
water" [Matthew 14:28].
Well, what do you think about a thing like that? Do you think that’s
presumption? The Lord was delighted with it. Any time a congregation, ora
family, or a man, or a woman; any time they exhibit a greatfaith in God, the
Lord is delighted. "Why, Simon Peter, you want to walk on the water? Come,
come, come" [Matthew 14:29].
And Simon Peter crawledoverboard, looking at Jesus, walking onthe water
to Jesus. Then, then he became conscious ofhimself, "Well, look at me,
walking on the water. Look at me, look at me! Look at these feet walking on
the water. Look at me. Look at me. Imagine that, me walking on water – oh,
oh!" And he lookedat a big wave a-coming, and anotherbig wave. And he
listened to the roar, and he got his eyes off of Jesus, and beganto sink like a
piece of lead [Matthew 14:29-30].
Isn’t that folks? As long as you gotyour eye on Jesus, everything’s fine,
glorious, happy, marvelous, excellent, superb, heavenly; everything’s just
great, keeping your eye on the Lord. Then after a while we take our eyes off of
Jesus, and we begin to look at that old critter over there, and that sisterover
there, and that old somebody overthere, and then ooh, it sours;"Why, I don’t
even know whether I’m savedor not." We fall in such an estate.
I know a whole lot of things wrong with you, and you, and you, and you. I
know a whole lot of things wrong with me, and me, and me, and me. I know a
whole lot of things wrong with all of us. And I know a whole lot of things
wrong with everything we’re in. But I don’t know anything wrong with Jesus.
And if I keepmy eye on the Lord, I’m all right. Keep my eye on Jesus,
everything’s just fine. When I begin looking around – Ooh! Pretty soonI
begin to sink.
Well, that’s what happened to Simon Peter. As long as he was a looking at
Jesus everything was just fine. He was a walking on the water, imagine it! And
when he beganto look around him, those disciples over there in that boat, and
he out there in those waves, andhear the wind, and look at the sea, he began
to sink. The Lord had to go over there, and pick him up, and raise him up
[Matthew 14:31]. Why didn’t you keepyour eye on the Lord? Why don’t we?
It’s a weakness. It’s a weakness;Christ and human nature.

Well, they come immediately to the land. And when they came to Genneseret
[Matthew 14:34] – that’s a valley on the westernside of the Sea of Galilee,
vastly populated in those days – and it became known that the Lord was there.
The people brought to Him all of the afflicted, and all of the hurt, and all the
sorrowing, and all of the diseased, and all of the demented; they brought them
all and laid them at the feet of Jesus. And they besought that they might only
touch the hem of His garment. Isn’t that amazing? [Matthew 14:35-36].
How different people reactwhen different folks come into town. You have a
great, celebratedsinger come into town and there are those who are gathered
to listen. Or you let a marvelous symphony orchestra come into town and
there are those who gatherto see and to listen. You let a great, famous
baseballteam come into town; there are those who gather to watch; or a
pugilist in a ring, or a wrestler, there they are to watch and to see. Let a
politician come into town, there they are gatheredaround; different people
interestedin different things.
Who gathers round when Jesus is close by? Those that are broken, and
distressed, and demented, and discouraged, and diseased. Theyare the folks
that gatherround the Lord Jesus. If you never have a need of the Lord, He
will never be Lord to you. If you never feel yourself lost, He will never be a
Savior to you. It’s when you need Him that Jesus is all that He claims to be. So
when He came, they besought that they might only touch the hem of His
garment. And the beautiful word, "As many as touched were made perfectly
whole" [Matthew 14:36]; how sweetand how precious.
Now may I conclude? And our time is gone. How could our Lord be so
massive a minister? The greatincomparable grace ofthe Master;how, how?
Oh, what He did and what He could do! How was He able? And in that same
marvelous ministry you find in His disciples, for He said, "Greaterworks
than these shall you do, because I go awayto My Father" [John 14:12]. What
is the secret ofa tremendous ministry like that? It is very evident. The secret
is found up there in that mountain – alone in prayer, in solitude, in quietness,
baring His heart before God [Matthew 14:23]. And there never has been and
there never will be a great ministry of majesty, of massive proportions, of
effectiveness,ofglory and power without that staying alone in the presence of
God.
There are some young ministers here tonight, I presume, on the way to
vacation. Let me tell you young fellows something. I go around once in a
while, look at these preachers, especiallyat these state evangelistic
conferences. And when I see a preacher, and he’s always out back-slapping.
He’s always out busy. He’s a running here, and he’s a running there, and he’s

a doing this, and he’s a-doing that, and he’s a-yanking this, and he’s a-turning
that, and he’s a-going yonder, and here, and here, and here, you know what I
think? And I’m not mistaken. If I were going to his church on Sunday
morning and againon Sunday night and listen to him, my soul would be fed
on flotsam and on jetsam; for you can’t perform a greatwork for God and not
be alone a greatdeal of the time with God. There is no such thing as a man
laying his hand upon the hearts and the lives of people unless first he’s gothis
other hand in the hand of the Lord God Almighty in heaven.
"Moses,"the Lord saidto him, "Moses, youcome up here. You come up
here."
"Why, Master, we’ve gotan exodus before us, and we’ve got laws to give, and
we’ve got all kinds of legislationto hand down. And we have these people to
train, and to lead. Master, busy I am."
The Lord said, "Moses,you come up here. You come up here." Moses stayed
on that mountaintop forty days and forty nights in the presence ofthe Lord
[Exodus 24:12-18].
And the Lord met Jacobon the way back to the Promised Land. And the
Lord wrestledwith him all night long. And it was only after that
confrontation with Godthat the Lord changedhis name from "supplanter,"
Jacob, to "the prince of God," Israel[Genesis 32:24-28].
In the temple, beautiful beyond any building the world has ever known,
Solomonreared, erected, two greatcolumns in front of that temple. The
column on the right, on the south facing east, the column on the right; and the
column on the south side he called Jachin. And the column on the left –
there’s not a Masonon the earth that knows, but that knows whatI’m talking
about – and the column on the left that he reared to the north, he calledBoaz
[1 Kings 7:21]. Was it meaningless? The right column meant "beauty,"
worshiping God in the beauty of holiness;and the left column meant
"strength," strength from God.
Or in the incomparable vision that Isaiah saw when he, in the temple, looked
upon the Lord "high and lifted up." And above Him were the seraphim,
crying "Holy, holy, holy." And eachone had six wings; "With twain he
coveredhis face," unworthy in adorationto God. "And with twain he covered
his feet," that same holy adoration, humility before God. "And with twain he
did fly"; two pairs of his wings in rest, in adoration, in prayer, and two of his
wings in service and in ministry [Isaiah 6:1-3].
That is the pattern of our lives, and we pause to do this, and we pause to do
that, and here we are involved yonder. The Lord says, "Come up here with

Me. Close that door. Get down on your knees. Talk to Me about it." And out
of those quietnesses, those commitments, and those confrontations with God
come those greatministries for the Lord. That’s why He was able to do what
He did. From the mountaintop He brought down to the valley, from the
loneliness of a desertplace into the city, He brought the presence ofthe
Almighty. That’s what we need; my friend, take time for God. Quietly,
lovingly, adoringly, preciously, prayerfully, beautifully, take time for God.
And you will rise from your knees a thousand times strengthenedfor
whatevertask you’re about.
Now we must close. While we sing our song of appeal, somebody you tonight,
give his heart to Jesus. Come, andstand by me. A family you, coming into the
fellowship of the church, come and stand by me. "Pastor, we’re all coming
tonight. This is my wife, these are our children, all of us are coming tonight."
Or just one somebodyyou, a child, a youth, howeverGod shall press the
appeal to your heart; do it now. Make it now, "Here I am, pastor, here I
come." When we stand up in a moment, on the first note of the first stanza,
come. If you’re in that balcony round, there’s a stairwayto the front and the
back, and on the side, come, there’s time and to spare. The press of people in
this lowerfloor, into the aisle and down to the front, "Here I am, pastor, I
make it tonight." As Godshall press the appeal to your heart, respond with
your life. "Here I come, here I am," while we stand and while we sing.
The Possibilityof the Impossible
Matthew 14:22-36
Dr. S. Lewis Johnsongives exposition about Jesus'encounterwith Peterand
the disciples as he walkedout to their boat during a storm on the Sea of
Galilee.
SLJ Institute > Gospelof Matthew > The SecondMiracles > The Possibilityof
the Impossible
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Transcript
We are turning to Matthew chapter14 and verse 22 through 36 for our
Scripture reading. Now, for those of you who were not here lastweek, the
context is the context of the day of the feeding of the 5,000, andit is the
evening of that day that we read about in verse 22 and following:
“And straightway, Jesus constrainedhis disciples to get into a boat and to go
before him unto the other side while he sent the multitude away. And when he
had sent the multitudes awayhe went up into a mountain privately to pray;
and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the boat was now in
the midst of the sea tossedwith waves forthe wind was contrary. And in the
fourth watchof the night Jesus wentunto 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. But straight way Jesus spoke unto them saying,
‘Be of goodcheer, it is I; be not afraid.’ And Peter answeredhim and said,
‘Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.’”
(Iincidentally, that “if” is not the “if” of doubt, but the “if” of the assumption
of reality, very much as our “if” in English. If I should say, I am going to town
today, you might say, if you are going to town would you mind doing this for
me, and that is the if).
“‘If it be thou then come unto thee on the water.’And he said, ‘Come.’And
when Peterwas come down out of the boat, he walkedon the waterto 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 stretchedforth
his hand and caught him and said unto him, ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore
didst thou doubt?’ And when they were come into the boat the wind ceased.
Then they that were in the boat came and worshipedhim saying, ‘Of a truth,
thou art the Son of God.’ And when they were gone over they came into the
land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place they sentout into all that
country round about and brought unto him all that were diseased. And
besoughthim that they might only touch the hem of his garment; and as many
as touched were made perfectly well.”
May the Lord’s blessing abide upon his word.

Jesus was bidding peter to walk on the water

Jesus was bidding peter to walk on the water

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