Jesus was questioning why believers doubt

JESUS WAS QUESTIONING WHY BELIEVERS DOUBT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 14:31 31
Immediately Jesus reached out his
hand and caught him. "You of littlefaith," he said,
"why did you doubt?"
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
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 of the 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 weakness of impulsive, excitable nations, that while they are splendid at a dash, they have
none of the persistency that holds on until the end is fully secured. St. Peter often spoke and
acted before he thought. Behind him was impulse rather than resolve. So difficulties created at
once a new and opposing impulse. He failed as quickly and as unreasonably as he acted. The
men who succeed in life are the men who can hold on. St. Peter might have safely walked the
water if he had held on the faith with which he started from the boat, and which had received the
Master's approval.
I. ST. PETER ATTEMPTED AN IMPOSSIBILITY. There is nothing that men regard as so
impossible as "walking on the sea." Men can walk on the narrowest ledges of the loftiest cliffs,
or on the thinnest ropes, but not on the water. The Egyptians, in their hieroglyphics, were wont to
represent an impossibility by painting the figure of a man with his feet walking upon the sea. St.
Peter saw this impossibility overcome by his Master. A sudden thought seized him. He should
like to do what his Master did. It was a child's wish; but it showed love and trust. He spoke it out.
The Master said "Come," and he 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 WITH HIS 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 can always
walk safely, even on the treacherous waters, so long as they look up and away to the steadfast
Christ. They will fail and fall as soon as they look around, or down, or within. And the reason is

that man is strong when he leans on another, but weak when he trusts to himself. The impulsive
man leans for a minute and is strong; then impulse fails, and he is, like Samson, weak as other
men.
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. Fear
wholly unnerves. What St. Peter needed for success was "staying power of faith." Keeping on
trusting. Keeping on "looking off unto Jesus;" "patient continuance in well doing," - R.T.
Biblical Illustrator
Wherefore didst thou doubt.
Matthew 14:31
Doubting Christians
J. Cooke.1. It perverts all they do by directing them to a wrong end.
2. It withdraws the mind from Christ.
3. It sours the temper. It breeds fears.
4. It gives Satan peculiar advantage against the soul.
5. The providence of God appears dark to such a soul.
6. It occasions false comfort.
7. It tarnishes the profession of such a person.
(J. Cooke.)
Safety of believers in seeming perils
W. Arnot.A British subject may be safe although surrounded by enemies in a distant land — not
that he has strength to contend alone against armed thousands, but because he is a subject of our
Queen. A despot on his throne, a horde of savages in their desert, have permitted a helpless
traveller to pass unharmed, like a lamb among lions — although, like lions looking on a lamb,
they thirsted for his blood — because they knew his sovereign's watchfulness, and feared his
sovereign's power. The feeble stranger has a charmed life in the midst of his enemies, because a
royal arm unseen encompasses him as with a shield. The power thus wielded by an earthly
throne may suggest and symbolize the perfect protection of Omnipotence. A British subject's
confidence in his Queen may rebuke the feeble faith of a Christian. "O thou of little faith,
wherefore didst thou doubt?" What though there be fears within and fightings without? He who
bought His people with His own Blood cannot lose his inheritance, and will not permit any
enemy to wrest from His hand the satisfaction of His soul. The man with a deceitful heart and a
darkened mind, a feeble frame and a slippery way, a fainting heart and a daring foe — such a
man would stumble and fall; but the member of Christ's body cannot drop off; the portion of the
Redeemer cannot be wrenched from His grasp. "Ye are His." Christ is the safety of a Christian.

(W. Arnot.)
Doubting Christians
J. Cooke.
Matthew 14:31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said to him, O you of little
faith, why did you doubt?
1. It perverts all they do by directing them to a wrong end.
2. It withdraws the mind from Christ.
3. It sours the temper. It breeds fears.
4. It gives Satan peculiar advantage against the soul.
5. The providence of God appears dark to such a soul.
6. It occasions false comfort.
7. It tarnishes the profession of such a person.
(J. Cooke.)
Mr. Fearing Comforted
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Matthew 14:31
A Sermon
(No.246)

Delivered on Sabbath Morning, April 3rd, 1859, by the
REV. C.H. SPURGEON
at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.
"O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" -- Matthew 14:31.
TT SEEMS AS if doubt were doomed to be the perpetual companion of faith. As dust attends the
chariotwheels so do doubts naturally becloud faith. Some men of little faith are perpetually
enshrouded with fears; their faith seems only strong enough to enable them to doubt. If they had
no faith at all, then they would not doubt, but having that little, and but so little, they are
perpetually involved in distressing surmises, suspicions, and fears. Others, who have attained to
great strength and stability of faith, are nevertheless, at times, subjects of doubt. He who has a
colossal faith will sometimes find that the clouds of fear float over the brow of his confidence. It
is not possible, I suppose, so long as man is in this world, that he should be perfect in anything;
and surely it seems to be quite impossible that he should be perfect in faith. Sometimes, indeed,
the Lord purposely leaves his children, withdraws the divine inflowings of his grace, and permits
them to begin to sink, in order that they may understand that faith is not their own work, but is at
first the gift of God, and must always be maintained and kept alive in the heart by the fresh
influence of the Holy Spirit. I take it that Peter was a man of great faith. When others doubted,
Peter believed. He boldly avowed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, for which
faith he received the Master's commendation, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and
blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." He was of faith so
strong, that at Christ's command he could tread the billow and find it like glass beneath his feet,
yet even he was permitted in this thing to fall. Faith forsook him, he looked at the winds and the
waves, and began to sink, and the Lord said to him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt?" As much as to say, "O Peter, thy great faith is my gift, and the greatness of it is my
work. Think not that thou art the author of thine own faith; I will leave thee, and this great faith
of thine shall speedily disappear, and like another who hath no faith, thou shalt believe the
winds, and regard the waves, but shalt distrust thy Master's power, and therefore shalt thou sink."
I think I shall be quite safe in concluding this morning, that there are some here who are full of
doubting and fearing. Sure I am that all true Christians have their times of anxious questioning.
The heart that hath never doubted has not yet learned to believe. As the farmers say, "The land
that will not grow a thistle, will not grow wheat;" and the heart that cannot produce a doubt has
not yet understood the meaning of believing. He that never doubted of his state -- he may,
perhaps he may, too late. Yes, there may be timid ones here, those who are always of little faith,
and there may be also great hearts, those who are valiant for truth, who are now enduring
seasons of despondency and hours of darkness of heart.
Now in endeavoring to comfort you this morning, I would remark that the text goes upon a very
wise principle. If a man believes in anything it is always proper to put to him the question, "Why
do you believe? What evidence have you that what you believe is certainly correct?" We believe
on evidence. Now the most foolish part of many men's doubts, is, that they do not doubt on
evidence. If you should put to them the question, "Why do you doubt?" -- they would not be able

fairly to answer. Yet mark, if men's doubts be painful, the wisest way to remove them is by
simply seeing whether they have a firm basis. "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt?" If you believe a thing you want evidence, and before you doubt a thing you ought to
have evidence too. To believe without evidence is to be credulous, and to doubt without
evidence is to be foolish. We should have ground for our doubts as well as a basis for our faith.
The text, therefore, goes on a most excellent principle, and it deals with all doubting minds by
asking them this question, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
I shall endeavor to exhort you on the same plan this morning. I shall divide only sermon into two
parts. First, I shall address myself to those of you who are in great trouble with regard to
temporal circumstances, you are God's people, but you are sorely tried, and you have begun to
doubt. I shall then deal with you upon spiritual matters -- there are some here who are God's true,
quickened, and living people, but they are doubting -- to them also I shall put the same question,
"O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt?"
I. First, then, in TEMPORAL CIRCUMSTANCES, God has not made for his people a smooth
path to heaven. Before they are crowned they must fight; before they can enter the celestial city
they must fulfill a weary pilgrimage. Religion helps us in trouble, but it does not suffer us to
escape from it. It is through much tribulation that we inherit the kingdom. Now the Christian
when he is full of faith passes through affliction with a song in his mouth; he would enter the
fiery furnace itself, fearless of the devouring flame, or with Jonah he would descend into the
great deeps, unalarmed at the hungry sea. As long as faith maintains its hold, fear is a stranger;
but at times, during sundry great and sore troubles, the Christian begins to fear that surely at last
he shall be overcome, and shall be left to himself to die and perish in despair.
Now, what is the reason why you doubt? I must come to the plan of the text and put the great
question, "O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt?" Here it will be proper for us to
enquire: Why did Simon Peter doubt? He doubted for two reasons. First, because he looked too
much to second causes and secondly, because be looked too little at the first cause. The answer
will suit you also, my trembling brother. This is the reason why you doubt, because you are
looking too much to the things that are seen, and too little to your unseen Friend who is behind
your troubles and who shall come forth for your deliverance. See poor Peter in the ship -- his
Master bids him come; in a moment he casts himself into the sea, and to his own surprise he
finds himself walking the billows. He looks down, and actually it is the fact; his foot is upon a
crested wave, and yet he stands erect; he treads again, and yet his footing is secure. "Oh!" thinks
Peter, "this is marvellous." He begins to wonder within his spirit what manner of man he must be
who has enabled him thus to tread the treacherous deep; but just then, there comes howling
across the sea a terrible blast of wind; it whistles in the ear of Peter, and he says within himself,
"Ah! here comes an enormous billow driven forward by the blast now, surely, I must, I shall be
overwhelmed." No sooner does the thought enter his heart than down he goes; and the waves
begin to enclose him. So long as he shut his eye to the billow, and to the blast, and kept it only
open to theLord who stood there before him, he did not sink; but the moment he shut his eye on
Christ, and looked at the stormy wind and treacherous deep, down he went. He might have
traversed the leagues of the Atlantic, he might have crossed the broad Pacific, if he could but
have kept his eye on Christ, and ne'er a billow would have yielded to his tread, but he might
have been drowned in a very brook if he began to look at second causes, and to forget the Great

Head and Master of the Universe who had bidden him walk the sea. I say, the very reason of
Peter's doubt was, that he looked at second causes and not at the first cause. Now, that is the
reason why you doubt. Let me just probe you now for a while. You are in despondency about
temporal affairs: what is the reason why you are in trouble? "Because," say you, "I never was in
such a condition before in my life. Wave upon wave of trouble comes upon me. I have lost one
friend and then another. It seems as if business had altogether run away from me. Once I had a
flood-tide, and now it is an ebb, and my poor ship grates upon the gravel, and I find she has not
water enough to float her -- what will become of me? And, oh! sir, my enemies have conspired
against me in every way to cut me up and destroy me; opposition upon opposition threatens me.
My shop must be closed; bankruptcy stares me in the face, and I know not what is to become of
me." Or else your troubles take another shape, and you feel that you are called to some
eminently arduous service for your Lord, and your strength is utterly insignificant compared
with the labor before you. If you had great faith it would be as much as you could do to
accomplish it; but with your poor little faith you are completely beaten. You cannot see how you
can accomplish the matter at all. Now, what is all this but simply looking at second causes? You
are looking at your trouble, not at the God who sent your trouble; you are looking at yourselves,
not at the God who dwells within you, and who has promised to sustain you. O soul! it were
enough to make the mightiest heart doubt, if it should look only at things that are seen. He that is
nearest to the kingdom of heaven would have cause to droop and die if he had nothing to look at
but that which eye can see and ear can ear. What wonder then if thou art disconsolate, when thou
hast begun to look at the things which always must be enemies to faith?
But I would remind you that you have forgotten to look to Christ since you have been in this
trouble. Let me ask you, have you not thought less of Christ than you ever did? I will not
suppose that you have neglected prayer, or have left your Bible unread; but still, have you had
any of those sweet thoughts of Christ which once you had? Have you been able to take all your
troubles to him and say -- "Lord, thou knowest all things; I trust all in thy hands?" Let me ask
you, have you considered that Christ is omnipotent, and therefore able to deliver you; that he is
faithful, and must deliver you, because he has promised to do so? Have you not kept your eye on
his rod, and not on his hand? Have you not looked rather to the crook that smote you, than to the
heart that moved that crook? Oh, recollect, that you can never find joy and peace while you are
looking at the things that are seen, the secood causes of your trouble; your only hope, your only
refuge and joy must be to look to him who dwells within the veil. Peter sunk when he looked to
outward providences, so must you. He would never have ceased to walk the wave, never would
he have begun to sink, if he had looked alone to Christ, nor will you if you will look alone to
him.
And here let me now begin to argue with such of you as are the people of God, who are in sore
trouble lest Christ should leave you to sink. Let me forbid your fears by a few words of
consolation. You are now in Peter's condition; you are like Peter; you are Christ's servant. Christ
is a good master. You have never heard that he suffered one of his servants to be drowned when
going on his errands. Will he not take care of his own? Shall it be said at last that one of Christ's
disciples perished while he was in obedience to Christ. I say he were a bad master if he should
send you on an errand that would involve your destruction. Peter, when he was in the water, was
where his master had called him to be, and vou in your trouble now, are not only Christ's
servant, but you are where Christ has chosen to put you. Your afflictions, remember, come

neither from the east nor from the west, neither doth your trouble grow out of the ground. All
your suffering is sent upon you by your God. The medicine which you now drink is compounded
in heaven. Every grain of this bitterness which now fills your mouth was measured by the
heavenly physician. There is not an ounce more trouble in your cup, than God chose to put there.
Your burden was weighed by God before you were called to bear it. The Lord who gave you the
mercy has taken it away; the same God who has blessed you with joy is he that hath now
ploughed you with grief. You are where God put you. Ask yourself this question then: -- Can it
be possible that Christ would put his own servant into a perilous condition and then leave him
there? I have heard of fiends, in fables, tempting men into the sea to drown them; but is Christ a
syren? Will he entice his people on to the rocks? Will he tempt them into a place where he shall
destroy them? God forbid. If Christ calls thee into the fire, he will bring thee out of it; and if he
bids thee walk the sea, he will enable thee to tread it in safety. Doubt not, soul; if thou hadst
come there of thyself, then thou mightest fear, but since Christ put thee there, he will bring thee
out again. Let this be the pillar of thy confidence -- thou art his servant, he wilt not leave thee;
thou art where he put thee, he cannot suffer thee to perish. Look away, then, from the trouble
that surrounds thee, to thy Master, and to his hand that hath planned all these things.
Remember too, who it is that hath thee where thou art. It is no harsh tyrant who has led thee into
trouble. It is no austere unloving heart who hath bidden thee pass through this difficulty to
gratify a capricious whim. Ah, no, he who troubles thee is Christ. Remember his bleeding hand;
and canst thou think that the hand which dropped with gore can ever hang down when it should
be stretched for thy deliverance? Think of the eye that wept over thee on the cross; and can the
eye that wept for thee be blind when thou art in grief? Think of the heart that was opened for
thee; and shall the heart that did bleed its life away to rescue thee from death, be hard and stolid
when thou art overwhelmed in sorrow? It is Christ, that stands on yonder billow in the midst of
the tempest with thee. He is suffering as well as thou art. Peter is not the only one walking on the
sea; his master is there with him too. And so is Jesus with thee to-day, with thee in thy troubles,
suffering with thee as he suffered for thee. Shall he leave thee, he that bought thee, he who is
married to thee, he that hath led thee thus far, hath succoured thee hitherto he who loves thee
better than he loves himself, shall he forsake thee? O turn thine eyes from the rough billow,
listen no longer to the howling tempest, turn thine eyes to him thy loving Lord, thy faithful
friend, and fix thy trust on him, who even now in the midst of the tempest, cries, "It is I, be not
afraid."
One other reflection will I offer to such of you as are now in sore trouble on account of temporal
matters, and it is this -- Christ has helped you hitherto. Should not this console you? Ah, Peter,
why couldest thou fear that thou shouldest sink? It was miracle enough that thou didst not sink at
first. What power is it that hath held thee up till now? Certainly not thine own. Thou hadst fallen
at once to the bottom of the sea, O man, if God had not been thy helper; if Jesus had not made
thee buoyant, Peter, thou wouldest soon have been a floating carcase. He who helped thee then
to walk so long as thou couldest walk, surely he is able to help thee all the way until he shall
grasp thy hand in Paradise to glorify thee with himself. Let any Christian look back to his past
life, and he will be astonished that he is what he is and where he is. The whole Christian life is a
series of miracles, wonders linked into wonders, in one perpetual chain. Marvel, believer, that
thou hast been upheld till now; and cannot he that hath kept thee to this day preserve thee to the
end? What is yon roaring wave that threatens to overwhelm thee -- what is it? why thou hast

endured greater waves than these in the past. What is yon howling blast? Why, he has saved thee
when the wind was howling worse than that. He that helped thee in six troubles will not forsake
thee in this. He who hath delivered thee out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear,
he will not, he cannot forsake thee now.
In all this, I have labored to turn your eyes from what you are seeing to that which you cannot
see, but in which you must believe. Oh! if I might but be successful, though feeble my words,
yet mighty should be the consolation which should flow therefrom.
A minister of Christ, who was always in the habit of visiting those whom he knew to be eminent
for piety, in order that he might learn from them, called upon an aged Christian who had been
distinguished for his holiness. To his great surprise, however, when he sat down by his bedside,
the erred man said, "Ah! I have lost my way. I did think at one time that I was a child of God,
now I find that I have been a stumbling-block to others; for these forty years I have deceived the
church and deceived myself, and now I discover that I am a lost soul." The minister very wisely
said to him, "Ah! then I suppose you like the song of the drunkard and you are very fond of the
amusements of the world and delight in profanity and sin?" "Ah! no," said he, "I cannot bear
them, I could not endure to sin against God." "O then," said the minister, "then it is not at all
likely that God will lock you up in hell with men that you cannot bear here. If now you hate sin,
depend on it God will not shut you up for ever with sinners. But, my brother," said the minister
"tell me what has brought you into such a distressed state of mind?" "O sir, "said he, "it was
looking away from the God of providence, to myself I had managed to save about one hundred
pounds, and I have been lying here ill now this last six months, and I was thinking that my one
hundred pounds would soon be spent, and then what should I do. I think I shall have to go to the
workhouse, I have no friend to take care of me, and I have been thinking about that one hundred
pounds of mine. I knew it would soon be gone, and then, then, how could the Lord provide for
me. I never had either doubt or fear till I began to think about temporal matters. The time was
when I could leave all that with God. If I had not had one hundred pounds, I should have felt
quite sure he would provide for me; but I begin to think now that I cannot provide for myself.
The moment I think of that, my heart is darkened." The minister then led him away from all trust
in an arm of flesh, and told him his dependence for bread and water was not on his one hundred
pounds, but on the God who is the possessor of heaven and earth -- that as for his bread being
given him and his water being sure God would take care of that, for in so doing he would only be
fulfilling his promise. The poor man was enabled in the matter of providence to cast himself
entirely upon God, and then his doubts and fears subsided, and once more he began to walk the
sea of trouble, and did not sink. O believer, if thou takest thy business into thine own hands, thou
wilt soon be in trouble. The old Puritan said, "He that carves for himself will soon cut his
fingers," and I believe it. There never was a man who began to take his own matters out of God's
hand that was not glad enough to take them back again. He that runs before the cloud runs a
fool's errand. If we leave all our matters, temporal as well as spiritual, in the hand of God, we
shall lack no good thing, and what is better still, we shall have no care, no trouble, no thought;
we shall cast all our burden upon him for he careth for us. There is no need for two to care, for
God to care and the creature too. If the Creator cares for us, then the creature may sing all day
long with joy and gladness: --
"Mortals cease from toil and sorrow,

God provideth for the morrow."
II. But now, in the second part of the discourse, I have to speak of SPIRITIUAL THINGS. To
the Christian, these are the causes of more trouble than all his temporal trials. In the matters of
the soul and of eternity many doubts will arise. I shall, however, divide them into two sorts --
doubts of our present acceptance, and doubts of our final perseverance.
Many there are of God's people who are much vexed and troubled with doubts about their
present acceptance. "Oh," say they "there was a time when I knew I was a child of God; I was
sure that I was Christ's, my heart would fly up to heaven at a word; I looked to Christ hanging on
the cross, I fixed all my trust on him, and a sweet, calm, and blessed repose filled my spirit.
"What peaceful hours I then enjoyed;
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.'
And now," saith this doubting one, "now I am afraid I never knew the Lord; I think that I have
deceived myself, and that I have been a hypocrite. Oh that I could but know that I am Christ's, I
would give all I had in the world, if he would but let me know that he is my beloved, and that I
am his." Now, soul, I will deal with thee as I have been just now treating of Peter. Thy doubts
arise from looking to second causes, and not to Christ. Let us see if this is not the truth. Why do
you doubt? Your answer is, "I doubt, because I feel my sin so much. Oh, what sins have I
committed! When first I came to Christ I thought I was the chief of sinners; but now I know I
am. Day after day I have added to my guilt; and since my pretended conversion," says this
doubting one, "I have been a bigger sinner than ever I was before. I have sinned against light and
against knowledge, against grace, and mercy, and favor. O never was there such a sinner under
God's heaven out of hell as I am." But, soul, is not this looking to second causes? It is true, thou
art the chief of sinners; take that for granted, let us not dispute it. Thy sins are as evil as thou
sayest they are, and a great deal more so. Depend on it, thou art worse than thou thinkest thyself
to be. Thou thinkest thou art bad enough, but thou art not so bad in thine own estimation as thou
really art. Thy sins seem to thee to be like roaring billows, but in God's sight they are like
towering mountains without summit. Thou seemest to thyself to be black -- black as the tents of
Kedar; in God's eyes thou art blacker still. Set that down, to begin with, that the waves are big,
and that the winds are howling, I will not dispute that. I ask thee, what hast thou to do with that?
Does not the Word of God command thee to look to Christ. Great as thy sins are, Christ is
greater than they all. They are black; but his blood can wash thee whiter than snow. I know thy
sins deserve damnation; but Christ's merits deserve salvation. It is true, the pit of hell is thy
lawful portion, but heaven itself is thy gracious portion. What! is Christ less powerful than thy
sin? That cannot be! To suppose that were that to make the creature mightier than the Creator.
What! is thy guilt more prevalent with God than Christ's righteousness? Canst thou think so little
of Christ as to imagine that thy sins can overwhelm and conquer him? O man, thy sins are like

mountains; but Christ's love is like Noah's flood; it prevaileth twenty cubits, and the tops of the
mountains are covered. It Is looking at sin and not looking to the Saviour that has made thee
doubt. Thou art looking to the second cause, and not to him who is greater than all.
"Nay, but," you reply, "it is not my sin, sir, that grieves me; it is this: I feel so hardened, I do not
feel my sin as I ought. Oh if I could but weep as some weep! If I could but pray as some pray!
Then I think I could be saved. If I could feel some of the terrors that good men have felt, then I
think I could believe. But I feel none of these things. My heart seems like a rock of ice, hard as
granite, and as cold as an iceberg. It will not melt. You may preach, but it is not affected; I may
pray, but my heart seems dumb, I may read even the story of Christ's death, and yet my soul is
not moved by it. Oh surely I cannot be saved!" Ah this is looking to second causes, again! Hast
thou forgotten that Word which saith, "God is greater than our hearts?" Hast thou forgotten that?
O child of God! shame on thee that thou dost look for comfort where comfort never can be
found. Look to thyself for peace! Why, there ne'er can be any in this land of war. Look to thine
own heart for joy! There can be none there, in this barren wilderness of sin. Turn, turn thine eye
to Christ: he can cleanse thine heart, he can create life, and light, and truth in the inward parts; he
can wash thee till thou shalt be whiter than snow, and cleanse thy soul and quicken it, and make
it live, and feel, and move, so that it shall hear his simplest words, and obey his whispered
mandate. O look not now at the second cause; look thou at the great first cause; otherwise I shall
put to thee again the question, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubts"
"Still," says another, "I could believe, notwithstanding my sin and my hardness of heart; but, do
you know, that of late I have lost communion with Christ to such an extent that I cannot help
thinking that I must be a cast-away. Oh! sir, there were times when Christ used to visit me, and
bring me such sweet love-tokens. I was like the little ewe lamb in the parable; I did drink out of
his cup, and feed from his table, and lie in his bosom; often did he take me to his banqueting-
house, his banner over me was love. What feastings I then had! I would bask in the sunlight of
his countenance. It was summer with my soul. But now it is winter, and the sun is gone, and the
banqueting-house is closed. No fruits are on the table; no wines are in the bottles of the promise;
I come to the sanctuary, but I find no comfort; I turn to the Bible, but I find no solace; I fall on
my knees, but even the stream of prayer seems to be a dry brook. Ah! soul, but art thou not still
looking to second causes? These are the most precious of all secondary things, but yet thou must
not look to them, but to Christ. Remember, it is not thy communing that saves thee, but Christ's
dying; it is not Christ's comfortable visit to thy soul, that ensures thy salvation; it is Christ's own
visit to the house of mourning, and to the garden of Gethsemane. I would have thee keep thy
comforts as long as thou canst; but when they die, believe on thy God still. Jonah had a gourd
once, and when that gourd died he began to mourn. Well might some one have said to him,
"Jonah! thou hast lost thy gourd, but thou hast not lost thy God." And so might we say to you:
you have not lost his love; you have lost the light of his countenance, but you have not lost the
love of his heart; you have lost his sweet and gracious communion, but he is the same still, and
he would have thee believe his faithfulness and trust him in the dark and rely upon him in the
stormy wind and tempest. Look to none of these outward things, but look alone to Christ --
Christ bleeding, Christ dying Christ dead, Christ buried, Christ risen, Christ ascended, Christ
interceding. This is the thing thou art to look to -- Christ, and him only. And looking there, thou
shalt be comforted. But look to aught else, and thou shalt begin to sink; like Peter, the waves
shall fail thee, and thou shalt have to cry, "Lord, save me, or I perish."

But, again, to conclude: others of God's people are afraid that they shall never be able to
persevere and hold out to the end. "Oh!" says one, "I know I shall yet fall away and perish, for
look! -- look what an evil heart of unbelief I have; I cannot live one day without sin; my heart is
so treacherous, it is like a bomb-shell; let but a spark of temptation fall upon it and it will blow
up to my eternal destruction. With such a tinder-box heart as I have, how can I hope to escape,
while I walk in the midst of a shower of sparks." "Oh!" saith one, "I feel my nature to be so
utterly vile and depraved that I cannot hope to persevere. If I hold on a week or a month it will
be a great work; but to hold on all my life until I die -- oh! this is impossible." Looking to second
causes again, are you not? Will you please to remember that if you look to creature strength it is
utterly impossible that you should persevere in grace, even for ten minutes, much less for ten
years! If your perseverance depends upon yourself you are a lost man. You may write that down
for a certainty. If you have one jot or one tittle to do with your own perseverance in divine grace
you will never see God's face at last; your grace will die out; your life will be extinguished, and
you must perish, if your salvation depends upon yourself. But remember, you have already been
kept these months and these years: what has done that? Why, divine grace; and the divine grace
that has held you on for one year can hold you on for a century, nay, for an eternity, if it were
necessary. He that has begun can carry on and must carry on too, otherwise he were false to his
promise and would deny himself. "Ah! but," you say, "sir, I cannot tell with what temptations I
am surrounded; I am in a workshop, where everybody laughs at me; I am called nicknames
because I follow the cause of Christ. I have been able hitherto to put up with their rebukes and
their jests; but now they are adopting another plan; they try to tempt me away from the house of
God, and entice me to the theater, and to worldly amusements, and I feel that, placed as I am, I
never can hold on. As well might a spark hope to live in the midst of an ocean as for grace to live
in my heart." Ah! but, soul, who has made it to live hitherto? What is it that hath helped thee up
till now to say, "Nay," to every temptation? Why, the Lord thy Redeemer. Thou couldst not have
done it so long, if it had not been for him; and he that hath helped thee to stand so long will
never put thee to shame. Why, if thou be a child of God, and thou shouldst fall away and perish,
what dishonor would be brought on Christ! "Aha!" the devil would say, "here is a child of God,
and God has turned him out of his family, and I have got him in hell at last. Is this what God
doth with his children -- loves them one day, and hates them the next -- tells them he forgives
them, and yet punishes them -- accepts them in Christ, and yet sends them into hell?" Can that
be? Shall it be? Never: not while God is God. "Aha!" again, says Satan, "believers have eternal
life given to them. Here is one that had eternal life, and this eternal life has died out. It was not
eternal. The promise was a lie. It was temporary life; it was not eternal life. Aha!" says he, "I
have found a flaw in Christ's promise; he gave them only temporary life, and called it eternal."
And again, the arch-fiend would say, if it were possible for one child of God to perish: "Aha! I
have one of the jewels of Christ's crown here;" and he would hold it up, and defy Christ to his
very face, and laugh him to scorn. "This is a jewel that thou didst purchase with thine own blood.
Here is one that thou didst come into the world to save and yet thou couldst not save him. Thou
didst buy him, and pay for him, and yet I have got him, he was a jewel of thy crown, and yet
here he is, in the hand of the black prince, thine enemy. Aha! king with a damaged crown! thou
hast lost one of thy jewels." Can it be so? No, never, and therefore every one that believeth is as
sure of heaven as if he were there. If thou casteth thyself simply on Christ, nor death, nor hell,
shall ever destroy thee. Remember what good old Mr. Berridge said, when he was met by a
friend one morning, "How do you do, Mr. Berridge?" "Pretty well, I thank you," said he, "and as

sure of heaven as if I were there; for I have a solid confidence in Christ." What a happy man
such a man must be, who knows and feels that to be true! And yet, if you do not feel it, if you are
the children of God, I put to you this question, "Wherefore dost thou doubt?" Is there not good
reason to believe. "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" If thou hast believed in
Christ, saved thou art, and saved thou shalt be, if thou hast committed thyself to his hands: "I
know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed to him."
"Yes." says one. "this is not the fear that troubles me; my only doubt is whether I am a child of
God or not." I finish, therefore, by going over the old ground. Soul, if thou wouldst know
whether thou art a child of God, look not to thyself, but look to Christ. Ye who are here to-day,
who desire to be saved, but yet fear you never can be, never look to yourselves for any ground of
acceptance before God. Not self, but Jesus; not heart, but Christ; not man, but man's Creator. O
sinner! think not that thou art to bring anything to Christ to recommend thee. Come to him just
as thou art. Me wants no good works of thine -- no good feelings either. Come, just as thou art.
All that thou canst want to fit thee for heaven, he has bought for thee, and he will give thee; all
these freely thou shalt have for the asking. Only come, and he will not cast thee away. But do
you say, "Oh, I cannot believe that Christ is able to save such a sinner as I am. "I reply, "O thou
of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt?" He has already saved sinners as great as thou art; only
try him, only try him.
"Venture on him, venture wholly;
Let no other trust intrude."
Try him, try him; and if you find him false, then tell it everywhere that Christ was untrue. But
that shall never be. Go to him; tell him you are a wretched undone soul, without his sovereign
grace; ask him to have mercy on you. Tell him you are determined, it you do perish, that you
will perish at the foot of his cross. Go and cling to him, as he hangs bleeding there; look him in
the face, and say, "Jesus, I have no other refuge; if thou spurn me, I am lost; but I will never go
from thee; I will clasp thee in life, and clasp thee in death, as the only rock of my soul's salvation
"Depend upon it, you shall not be sent empty away; you must, you shall be accepted, if you will
simply believe. Oh, may God enable you, by the divine influence of his Holy Spirit, to believe;
and then, shall we not have to put the question, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt?" I pray God now apply these words to your comfort. They have been very simple, and
very homely words; but nevertheless, they will suit simple, homely hearts. If God shall bless
them, to him be the glory!
Safety of Believers in Seeming Perils
W. Arnot.
Matthew 14:31

A British subject may be safe although surrounded by enemies in a distant land — not that he
has strength to contend alone against armed thousands, but because he is a subject of our Queen.
A despot on his throne, a horde of savages in their desert, have permitted a helpless traveller to
pass unharmed, like a lamb among lions — although, like lions looking on a lamb, they thirsted
for his blood — because they knew his sovereign's watchfulness, and feared his sovereign's
power. The feeble stranger has a charmed life in the midst of his enemies, because a royal arm
unseen encompasses him as with a shield. The power thus wielded by an earthly throne may
suggest and symbolize the perfect protection of Omnipotence. A British subject's confidence in
his Queen may rebuke the feeble faith of a Christian. "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt?" What though there be fears within and fightings without? He who bought His people
with His own Blood cannot lose his inheritance, and will not permit any enemy to wrest from
His hand the satisfaction of His soul. The man with a deceitful heart and a darkened mind, a
feeble frame and a slippery way, a fainting heart and a daring foe — such a man would stumble
and fall; but the member of Christ's body cannot drop off; the portion of the Redeemer cannot be
wrenched from His grasp. "Ye are His." Christ is the safety of a Christian.
(W. Arnot.)
Doubting a Hindrance to the Christian Life
R. H. Baynes, B. A.
Matthew 14:28-33
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be you, bid me come to you on the water.…
I. ST. PETER'S DESIRE — "Bid me come unto Thee." The truthfulness of the Bible seen in the
striking preservation of the individuality of the characters brought into view. Peter uniformly
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, experienced in His Presence.
2. There is the consciousness of security from every harm.
3. The confidence created by so many trials of His love. No wonder that this desire of Peter
should 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 Saviour that made him weak.
III. AT THE REPROOF MINISTERED TO ST. PETER BY OUR LORD. The rebuke was
gentle. After all seen of the power of Christ could he doubt? Christ bids us " come" to Him in the
gospel. His power works in those who heed the message. The need and value of true faith in our
Lord. There is no happiness without it.
(R. H. Baynes, B. A.)
commentaries
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary14:22-33 Those are not Christ's followers who cannot
enjoy being alone with God and their own hearts. It is good, upon special occasions, and when
we find our hearts enlarged, to continue long in secret prayer, 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 occasion trouble
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 walked upon the water, not
for diversion or to boast of it, but to go to Jesus; and in that he was thus wonderfully borne up.
Special supports 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 Peter come, 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 of his power and grace. When we look off from Christ, and look at the
greatness of opposing difficulties, we shall begin to fall; but when we call to him, he will stretch
out his arm, and save us. Christ is the great Saviour; 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 of need drives us to him. He rebuked Peter. Could we but believe more, we should suffer
less. The weakness of faith, and the prevailing of our doubts, displease our Lord Jesus, for there
is no good reason why 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
their faith. 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 Peter answered ... - Here is an instance of the characteristic ardor
and rashness of Peter. He had less real faith than he supposed, and more ardor than his faith
would justify. He was rash, headlong, incautious, really attached to Jesus, but still easily daunted

and prone to fall. He was afraid, therefore, when in danger, and, sinking, cried again for help.
Thus he was suffered to learn his own character, and his dependence on Jesus: a lesson which all
Christians are permitted sooner or later to learn by dear-bought experience.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,
and caught him, and said to him, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?—(Also see on
[1307]Mr 6:50.)
Matthew Poole's CommentaryVer. 29-31. Peter, by saying if it be thou, showed that his faith was
not so strong as it should have been, after he had heard his Master’s voice. By his saying to him,
bid me come unto thee on the water, he showeth a something stronger faith, and a resolution to
obey his command; but his fear afterward, when the wind began to rise higher, and he began to
sink, argued again the infirmity of his faith. Thus Peter is a pattern of the best believers, who
though they may sometimes think that they could trust God in any state or condition, yet often
mistake their own hearts, and begin to shrink in an hour of great extremity; which lets us see
what need we have to pray, that God would not lead us by his providence into great temptations,
much more to take heed that we do not throw ourselves into them. No man knows how he shall
find his heart under a great temptation, until he hath tried it. It therefore gives us a caution, as
against condemning others, so against boasting, and too much confidence as to ourselves, and
lets us see how much need we have to keep our eye upon Christ and his strength in such an hour.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand: God is never far off from his people when
extreme troubles are hard at hand. Christ says Peter, but not without a cheek;
O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Doubting is directly contrary to faith, yet it
will not conclude a soul to have no faith, only a little faith.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,.... The
Syriac reads it, "and in that very moment"; for his case requires immediate assistance, and Christ
readily gave it; he reached out his hand at once, being just by him,
and caught him; as he was sinking to the bottom, and lifted him up, and set him on his feet upon
the water, and enabled him to walk with him to the ship; but not without reproving him for the
weakness of his faith,
and said unto him, O thou of little faith: he does not say, O thou unbeliever! or, O thou who hast
no faith! for some faith he had, though but small; of this phrase; see Gill on Matthew 6:30.
Wherefore didst thou doubt? waver, fluctuate, or wast divided between faith and fear. He was
worthy of reproof, since he had had the order of Christ to come to him upon the water; and an
experience of his power in supporting him thus far; and was now so near unto him, that he had
no room to doubt, whether it was he or not, nor of his power to preserve him.
Geneva Study BibleAnd immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said
unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT CommentaryHYPERLINK "/matthew/14-31.htm"Matthew 14:31 f. Εἰς τί ἐδίστ.]
διατί πρῶτον μὲν ἐθάῤῥησας, ὕστερον δὲ ἐδειλίασας; Euth. Zigabenus. For εἰς τί, wherefore?
comp. Matthew 26:8; Wis 4:17; Sir 39:17; Sir 39:21; Soph. Tr. 403, Oed. C. 528, and Hermann’s

note.
ἐμβάντων αὐτῶν] According to John, Jesus did not go up into the boat, but the disciples wanted
to take Him on board. A difference that may be noted, though it is of but trifling importance. See
note on John 6:21.
ἐκόπασεν] Comp. Herod, vii. 191. LXX. Genesis 8:1. It became calm. Anthol. vii. 630: ἡ μακρὴ
κατʼ ἐμοῦ δυσπλοΐη κοπάσει, and see Wetstein.
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK "/matthew/14-31.htm"Matthew 14:31. ἐδίστασας:
again in Matthew 28:17, nowhere else in N. T., from δίς, double, hence to be of two minds, to
doubt (cf. δίψυχος, Jam 1:8).
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK "/matthew/14-31.htm"Matthew 14:31. Ὀλιγόπιστε, O thou of
little faith) Even great faith is little in comparison of that which we ought to have. We should
also possesss constancy.—εἰς τί, wherefore? to what end?) With what advantage? He is not
blamed because he came out of the vessel, but because he did not remain in the firmness of faith.
He was right in exposing himself to trial; but he ought to have persevered.—ἑδίστασας, didst
thou doubt) The nature of faith is perceived from its opposites, doubt and fear. See Mark 5:36;
Romans 14:23; Jam 1:6.[673]
[673] Matthew 14:33. Θεοῦ υἱὸς εἶ, Thou art the Son of God) Since they perceived that Jesus
was such by reason of His miraculous walking on the sea, they ought not to have wondered at
this very miracle to such a degree as to be lost in amazement. It is for this reason they are
censured by Mark 6:51-52. For the mind, which faith has rendered intelligent and sober, unlearns
excess of astonishment—Harm., p. 333.
Matthew 14:35. οἱ ἄνδρες, the men) who perhaps were engaged in labouring in the fields.—V. g.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 31. - And immediately. Without any waste of time, just as in ver. 27.
Jesus stretched forth his hand. So that St. Peter had come up to him (ver. 29). And caught him;
and took hold of him (Revised Version, ἐπελάβετο αὐτοῦ: cf. Hebrews 2:16; Hebrews 8:9). And
said; saith (Revised Version). The writer passes to more vivid narration. Unto him, O thou of
little faith (o)ligo/piste); Matthew 6:30, note. But in Matthew 17:20 (Westcott and Hort) the
substantive is used of faith in a more active sense. Wherefore (εἰς τί); "‫,המל‬ literally rendered"
(Dr. Guillemard). Didst thou doubt? (ἐδίστασας). In the New Testament, Matthew 28:17 only.
Christ saves first, and rebukes afterwards. Perhaps the need for help was more immediate than in
ch. 8:26, or possibly the fervency of St. Peter's love deserved gentler treatment.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRIAN BELL

Matthew 14:22-36 9-4-16 911, what’s your emergency? I. Slide1
Announce: A. Slide2-4 Gilbert - Sun night of prayer. Office closed. The Stir.
II. Slide5 Intro: 9-1-1, what’s your emergency? A. Slide6 We love stories of
rescue. This week the world met Romeo the dog, he was the dog found after
rescuers heardhis bark, 9 days after Italy’s infamous earthquake. 1. Slide7
This week the story is about Peterwalking on water. But what matters the
most? who Peteris or what he did? Or, who God is and what He did? B.
Listen for severalassurancesourtext gives us, as we sailthrough our storms
of life. 1. 9-1-1, what’s your storm emergency?
III. Slide8 WALKING ON A WORD (22-33)A. Slide9 STORM CHASERS
(22) those on pursuit of any severe weathercondition. B. (22) Immediately -
Why immediately? They wanted to make Him King. (Jn.6:15)C. Jesus made
them get into the boat - This storm came because they were In the will of God.
1. Slide9b Storm Chasers, those onpursuit of any severe weatherconditions,
always seema little foolish...butit’s not when Jesus tells you to chase one. a)
We are always saferin the storm in His will, than on land w/the crowds out of
His will1 2. Did Jesus know the storm was coming? Yes. Did He deliberately
direct them into the storm? Yes. 3. Isn’t this like, telling a child to cross the
streetwhen you know a car is coming? No! It’s like, creating waves w/your
left hand in a bathtub & holding a toy boat perfectly afloatw/your right hand.
D. 2 Kinds of Storms: 1. Slide9c Storms of Correction - When Goddisciplines
us (eg. Jonah). 2. Storms of Perfection - When God helps us grow (eg. here).
1
1 Warren Wiersbe
a) In the 1st storm, Jesus rode it with them (ch.8). This one, He tests them
being out of the boat. 3. Do you think that obedience to God always brings
smooth sailing? No!Sometimes obedience places you right in a storm. [i.e.
every storm is not of the devil] a) Example: Acts 4. Pete & John, obediently
preaching & teaching. Result? Jailed. E. Slide10a STORM PRAYERS (23-
25) F. Be assured, If He has brought you into the middle of a storm...He cares
for you & He prays for you. G. (23) We now are on the sea of humanity as He
sits upon the shores of heaven interceding for US. 1. What if I told you Jesus
was rt. in this next room praying for you. Wouldn’t it not give you new
courage to endure the storms/trials of life? H. He saw the disciples & knew
their plight. (Mrk. 6:48) 1. Be assured, He certainly see’s you in your storm, &
knows your plight. I. Slide10b(24) The lake here is about 6 miles wide. The
4th watchwas between3 & 6 am. In 9 hours they had only rowedabout 3
miles. And after this long, they were about to perish? J. A Serious Situation.
Matthew here states they were in the middle of the sea & tossedby waves.

Mark adds, they were straining (tortured,tormented, distressed)at rowing, &
that the wind was againstthem. Life is hard! K. Slide10c (25)Mans’
Extremity is God’s Opportunity. 1. He comes in the teeth of the wind, & on
the face of the wave. [Jesus walkedapprox. 4 miles on the lake]
L. Slide11a STORMCHEER (26,27)M. (26) He would have walkedby
(Mrk.6:48)So, What made Jesus stop? 1. Well, when they cried out. Yes but
actually when they cried out for fear. Not, that they cried out Jesus!But when
they cried out, AHHHH!!! a) Not when they cried out in faith...It was when
they cried out in fear. Jesus simply heard their voice. Does thatencourage
you? I love this Jesus!
2
N. It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear. O.Slide11bSometimes Godshows
up in a scaryway not a comfortable way [Moses/burn bush. It is I/I AM] 1.
We need to recognize the presence ofGod in...our pain...our hurts...our
sorrow...ouruncertainty. Recognize His voice when you can’t see His face. P.
Slide11c (27)Be of good cheer/confidence - How can we? because ofthe next
statement... 1. It is I (ἐγώ εἰµί) - What more do you need?
Q. Slide12a STORMGROWTH(28-31)R. (28)Peter’s life seemedto be a
contradiction. But we’re no different. 1. He seemedto have an identity crisis.
He was Simon & he was Peter/petras/rock. Neverin doubt, yet often wrong.
He had greatfear but he also had greatfaith. He could run as a cowardand
other times be strong. You candeny his Savior 3 times, but also preach 3000
souls to salvation. S. Peterforgot one thing at this point - The meaning of his
name, Rock/petros/stone. 1. But remember, anybody can sit in the boat &
watch, it takes faith to leave the boat. T. (29)Time for a greatlessonto be
learned, the lessonof Come. 1. In the feeding of the 5000 we learnedHe was
Provider. Now, how would He Slide12b show Himself as Protectorif they
didn’t ever need protection? U. (29) Have faith on His word. V. What happens
when we’re trying to love somebody, then they don’t love us back. Now the
wave feels bigger than the word. It also happens when God tells us to forgive,
but now the feeling of unforgiveness is rising up and splashing againstthe
boat. 1. God wants to know...willyou keepcoming, and keepyour eyes
focusedon something you can’t see, and walk towardHis word, or get wiped
out by the wave? a)Sometimes 1 wave can mess up your whole day. 1 neg
comment from someone on FB W.Slide12c (29)Peter’s not walking on water
but on a word, come. 1. He doesn’t say, Lord if it’s You, stop the storm,
change my circumstance. 2. Instead, Peteraskedfor a command from God.
And he gets 1 word...come. a)And the way to find out is to step out.

3
3. Maybe you & I in our storms canstart asking for a command from God,
instead of guarantee. And we canlearn to walk on a Word.
X. (30) Here is the but that almostburied Peter. 1. He saw the wind about
him, his heart failed in him, then his footfailed under him. Y. Beganto sink -
The cause? Whenhe took his eyes off the Savior, & placedthem on the
circumstance. Z. Slide12dLord Save me - Aren’t those great words? 1. The
Unbeliever cancry them - Lord (you are God) Save (I am a sinner needing to
be saved from my sins) Me (I’m personallyin need). 2. The Believercan cry
them - Lord save me from: my enemy, my flesh, my greed, my lusts, my
covetousness,my pride, my ego, my corrupt heart, my immoral mind, my
doubt. AA.(31) His response? Immediately. 1. 1st He caught him, then He
taught him. Afterward, his Lord took him by the hand...Petersank no farther.
2. Peter, though wet to the skin, was a wiserman for his adventure. Wetter
but wiserBB.Ohyou of little faith - I don’t think a rebuke...because a little
faith was consideredgood. 1. I don’t think it was the quality of his faith, nor
the quantity of his faith, but the duration of his faith. It just stopped. Like
eachof ours at times. 2. Are you trying to live a mistake-free life? Failure is
not an option it’s a necessity. 3. Becauseit is the point of this passage...hehad
to fail to learn that God is our Protector/Deliverer/Savior. CC.Peterknew
when to cry out - He didn’t wait till he was drowning...but when he beganto
sink. 1. This was a difficult situation for Peter. But he grew in the knowledge
of himself & the Lord. DD.Slide13a Is this the story of Peterwalking on water
and then falling? 1. We can relate with Peter, we did some pretty dumb stuff
back in the 80s (90’s).
4
2. Slide13bHow about the story of, the 11 who never gotout of the boat? [this
might be a conspiracytheory but...when John tells this story in his gospel, he
didn’t even put the part about Peterin it] 3. Slide13c Neverworry about
anyone in the boat that is criticizing you. Keep walking. EE.ThenJesus held
Peterunder waterfor 30 seconds & said, don’t do that againRocky. 1.
Slide13dNo the story is all about God’s grace. About Jesus reaching down.
About Jesus walking Peterback to the boat. 2. Jesus loves you when you walk
on water with Him, and when you’re sinking. 3. Slide13e Maybe it’s not even
a story about a great faith, but about greatergrace!a) A grace greaterthan
my failure, greaterthan my divorce, greaterthan my bankruptcy, greater
then the layoff, greaterthan my addiction, greaterthan my slip-up, better
than my screwup. StevenFurtick sermon FF.Slide13fPeterfailedat what he
setout to do...but Jesus succeededw/exactlywhat He intended to do. 1. Why

does Jesus command Peterto do something that He knew would end in
failure? Why does Jesus have you start off a relationship that He knows will
end in failure? Why does Jesus have you achieve something that He knows
He’s going to take away?
GG.Slide14aSTORMPARTNER(32,33)HH.Why didn’t the wind ceaseuntil
they were both back in the boat? 1. I think Jesus was giving Peter another
shot at the water-walking-thing. His story was not going to end at him getting
cut from the water-walking-team. 2. Jesus is not about shaming us or
embarrassing us. Peter’s storywould not end until he had walkedon water
w/Jesus back to the boat. 3. Slide14bIsaiah reminds us, When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweepover you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be
burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ForI am the LORD, your God, the
Holy One of Israel, your Savior.43:2,3aa)He may not come when you think
He should. He may wait till the boats as far awayfrom land as possible...so
that all human hope is gone.
5
(1) Every element we dread, His foot doth simply tread. II. The 1sttime Jesus
calmed the water, their reactionwas what manner of Man is this? (Mt.8)Now
their cleartestimony is Truly You are the Son of God. JJ.(33)Whatdid they
do immediately, they enjoyed God...theyworshipped Him.
IV. Slide15a SEAL (SEa Air Land) (34-36)acronym A. Slide15bNavy SEALs
are trained to operate in all environments (Sea, Air, and Land) for which
they’re named. We watchedJesus operate onSea & in the Air walking on
water...now onland. 1. Our King is Masterboth on Land & Water. B. If the
hem of His Garment is so rich w/blessing, how rich must be His hand &
heart? 1. They came to Jesus for Physicalhealing, but what about Spiritual
healing? 2. Many want to prolong their life on earth, but do they come to
secure their eternallives?
C. Slide16a Let’s note...Peteris still wet [Jn.6:21 & immediately the boat was
at the land where they were going] 1. Slide16bThis is greatto know, we can
worship wet! 2. We immediately want to getem a towel, or a fresh change of
clothes, at leasta coverup. Let’s getem dry & all cleanedup first. 3. At
churches sometimes we don’t want people to think that we sink around here.
We do, but we don’t want to show it. Instead, we want to compare w/ each
other, I only went down to my knees. Ohhh, I went down to my waist:( 4. At
CM we need to continue over & over to promote, we have a “wetsection!” Oh
we make em sit in the back 1/2 of the church (jk). a) We have wetpeople,

soakedpeople, saturatedsoggysaints. And we need to learn to say, I know
your soggybut come-on, there’s work to be done in the kingdom...you
coming? Jesus must have said, come on Peter I need you wet, help me out. b)
Slide16c Sometimes we have to worship wet. Lead wet. Preachwet. Lead our
families wet. D. Slide17,18 Where shouldour focus be? Peterall wet, aka
soakedSimon. Or, on Jesus’hand, i.e. Jesus is in control.
6
1. Focus onJesus’hand. Fora righteous man may fall/sink 7 times, & rise
again. Prv.24:16
E. Slide19a Lastpoint...30 yrs later. Many Bible Scholars believe that Mark’s
gospelis a recordof Peter’s reports of the ministry of Christ. Justin Martyr
referred to it as the Memoirs of Peter. 1. ReadMark 6:45-52 quickly.
*Slide19b- What’s missing? Peter! 2. The point was never about Peter
walking on water. The point was... We were in a terrible storm, and Jesus
made it stop. And when He did, we *Slide19c knew He was the Sonof
God..Now write that down, and tell everyone Mark! F. Communion: Bread -
Cup
REASONS FOR DOUBTING CHRIST NO. 2925
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1905. DELIVERED
BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,
NEWINGTON, ON SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER26, 1876.
“Wherefore did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31.
OUR Lord did not begin His dealings with Peterin this emergencyby asking
him that question. He first stretched out His hand and saved him from his
peril, and then He said to him, “O you of little faith, wherefore did you
doubt?” When a man is in trouble, help him out first, and then blame him for

having gotinto it, if you feelit necessaryto do so. It is cruel to bring your
censure to bear upon sinking Peter. First give him your help, lest he perish in
the sea, and when you have done that you may afterwards chide him for any
fault that you perceive in him. This is always the waywith our Master. He
gives liberally and upbraids not, exceptwhen there shall come to be a special
reasonfor our spiritual profit, when a little upbraiding may do us good. Now
I am going, first, to use our text, and then I am going to alter it. I shall first
speak to God’s people, and say, “Wherefore did you doubt, O Christian?”
And then put it into another tense altogether, and address it to the
unconverted, and say, “Wherefore do you doubt, O you who know the gospel,
but have not yet believed it?” I. LET US USE THE TEXT, AND QUESTION
GOD’S PEOPLE:“Wherefore did you doubt?” I am probably addressing
some brothers and sisters—perhaps a greatmany who have been through a
seasonofprofound gloom, and in the midst of that gloom there has been the
element of spiritual evil. To be gloomy and depressedis not sinful at all, but
there may have been in the midst of that the sin of unbelief: there may have
been a doubting of God—a distrust of His providence—a questioning of His
love. Now I come at this time to such a brother or sisterand say, “O you of
little faith, wherefore did you doubt?” Can you answerthat question? Shall I
help you? First, I will suppose some reasons which, if they do exist, will
justify you in having doubted; and then I will take the reasons you yourselves
assignone by one. I shall put them to you to know whether the supposition is
allowable. You may doubt if on former occasionsyou have found God
unfaithful to His promises. If He has lied to you—if, after having said, “I will
never leave you nor forsake you,” you have found, say on one occasionat
least, that He has utterly failed you and forsakenyou, then you are perfectly
justified in doubting Him in the future, and you were justified in doubting
Him just now. What do you sayto the supposition? I would not ask you to
speak whatis not true, even for God Himself, for there is nothing more
detestable in God’s sight than for us to attempt to honor Him by falsehood. A
pious fraud is a most impious blasphemy. No, speak the truth. Has the Lord
been a wilderness or a land of darkness to you? Has He said, and has He not
done it? Can you put your finger upon a single promise, and say, “I relied
upon this, and I found it failed me?” He said that they that trusted in Him
would never be ashamedor confounded. Can you say that you did trust Him

in some particular event, and the failure you experienced made you to be
ashamed? Brothers and sisters, I know what you will say to that supposition.
You are grieved almost to hear it made. You rise up with loving indignation,
and you say, “Godis faithful and true. He has not gone back from His
promise in any single instance.” Then, brother, very softly will I put it—and I
have reasons fordoing it very softly—“O you of little faith, if it is so,
wherefore did you doubt? If He helped you before, why did you doubt Him in
the next trouble? If He fed the five thousand with the loaves and the fishes,
why did you think that He could not make you also walk the waters of the
sea? There is another supposition: you may doubt if your case is a new one,
and so superlatively difficult that it is quite certainthat God cannot help you
in it. You require something more than omnipotence; and the case is so
perplexing that even omniscience cannotsee a way out of it. Now, as I make
that supposition, my heart is laughing at the very absurdity of the terms I use,
for if we say omni-potence, that is all power.
2 Reasonsfor Doubting Christ Sermon #2925
2 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. Volume 51
It is not possible that anything could be beyond that. And if we say omni-
science, thatis all wisdom. It is not even imaginable that anything can surpass
that; so I think I had better dismiss this supposition at once. Only it is
sometimes put in Scripture by way of question, “Is anything too hard for the
Lord?” “The Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear
heavy that it cannot hear.” When you answer, “I know that God is able, and I
know that God is wise to help me,” then I must whisper that question again,
“O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt?” But I will suppose
something else, that you may doubt if God has abolishedthe promises. Dear
brother, is it true that the Bible has run out and become like an old almanac
that is done with—that God has spokensomewhere in the dark places of the
earth, and has said that the seedof Jacobmay seek His face in vain, and that
He will not be held to His covenantor bound to a single promise that He has
made—that He has revokedthem all. You are astonishedthat I should even
utter such a supposition. Your soul rises indignantly to repel the imagination,
for you say, “All the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him amen unto

the Glory of God by us.” You know, and you are assured, that He cannot
change. He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever,” and you are quite
certain that He speaks the truth when He says, “My covenantwill I not break,
nor alter the thing that has gone out of My lips.” “Godis not a man that He
should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent.” You are persuaded
of all this, my dear brother, are you not? Then, all these promises being true,
and all confirmed with the sprinkled blood of Christ, I must have your earyet
againwhile I just whisper into it, “Wherefore, then, did you doubt?
Wherefore did you doubt?” There is only one more supposition, and it is the
worstof all. You may doubt, if God Himself has entirely changed—a
supposition which has been put by the psalmist in other language, “WillHe be
favorable no more? Is His mercy cleangone forever? Does His promise fail
forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in angershut up His
tender mercies?”Now, do you believe for a single moment that God is
changedin His love or in the objects of it? Do you think that He has castaway
His people whom He did foreknow? ThatChrist will lose that which He
bought with His precious blood? That He will strike off the precious stones of
His breastplate the names which from eternity were written there? That He
will forgetthe children of His choice whenHe said, “Cana woman forget her
sucking child, that she should not have compassionon the son of her womb?
Yes, they may forget, yet will I not forgetyou”? And, again, “the mountains
shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from
you, neither the covenantof My peace be removed, says the Lord that has
mercy on you”? And yet again, “I am God; I change not; therefore you sons of
Jacobare not consumed”? Do you not remember reading the words, “Having
loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end”? Well,
brothers, since those things are so, I shall have to come back to my old
question, and say, “O you of little faith, with an unchanged God to trust to,
wherefore did you doubt?” Now, I cannot think of any other supposition that
might make it justifiable to doubt, so now I am going to hear—orI will repeat
on your behalf—some of the answers to the question which, perhaps, you
would give. First, I hear one say, “I doubted because my sinful life became
unusually clearand distinct to me. I hope I have been converted, have felt my
need of Christ, and have put my trust in Him. But I never had such a sight of
myself as I had a little while ago. It seemedas if the fountains of the great

deep were broken up; I saw that I had sinned foully and fallen far; my best
actions I discoveredto be polluted, and the whole of my life to be marred
through and through with an evil spirit and with everything that was contrary
to the mind of God; when I saw sin like that, then it was that I doubted.” Yes,
dear brother, I know your feelings, and such doubts as yours often—too
often—come upon men. But did you not know, was it not told you from the
beginning, that your sin was suchthat you were condemned in the sight of
God, and accursedby the law? Did you not know that in spite of your sin
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” even the very chief? Did
you not know God willed not the death of any sinner, and that “the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleansesus from all sin”? Yes, you did know it; and
therefore I can only dismiss that excuse by saying that since you did know
that, with all your sin, the boundless atonement was able to meet it—since you
did know that, with all your blackness,the fountain filled with blood had
powerto washit out, “O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt?” “Ah,”
you say, “but it was not quite a sight of my past sin: it was because ofmy
sinfulness by nature. I thought after I was convertedthat I would not feel any
sin within me, or that, if I did know its presence by experience that I would
conquer it; instead of that it has been a fight with me every day, and only the
Sermon 2925 ReasonsforDoubting Christ 3
Volume 51 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. 3
other day, when I was exposedto temptation, I was carried right off my feet;
when I got alone in my chamber, and saw how badly I had acted, I lookedinto
my heart, and discoveredit to be still full of all manner of evil; and, though I
hope there is some grace within me, yet there is so much of the old nature that
I know not what to do. That is why I doubt.” Yes, but, my dear brother or
sister, whicheveryou may be, did not you know of old that the Lord Jesus
Christ came to destroy the works of the devil in you, and that where He has
begun the goodwork He will carry it on? Did you not know that the Spirit of
God is given to help our infirmities, and that He sanctifies us and all the elect
people of God—that from day to day He leads us to the fountain for sin and

for uncleanness in order to be cleansedfrom sin, and that He brings us the
powerto overcome sin? Did you not know that Christ is able to keepyou from
falling, and to present you faultless before His presence with exceeding joy?
Yes, you did know that; and therefore that meets all difficulty, and I have to
say to you againthat the excuse will not hold water. “O you of little faith,
wherefore did you doubt?” “Ah, sir,” says one, “you do not know everything.
I doubted because I have been in a case suchas never happened to anybody
before. I was in a dreadful trouble. O sir, my trouble was so peculiar that I
could not tell it to anybody, and I would not have liked to have done so. Wave
after wave sweptover me. I could not see any wayof escape fromit at all. It
was so extraordinary that I am sure that I must be the man that has seen
affliction, peculiarly marked out from all the rest.” Yes, dear friend, that is
very likely. I know a greatmany that have entertained the same opinion of
themselves that you do of yourself, and I have even sometimes put myself
down in the categorythough you may not think so; but do not you know that
it is said, “Manyare the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers Him
out of them all”? Did you never read, “In the world you shall have tribulation,
but be of goodcheer, I have overcome the world”? Did you never hear of Gad,
of whom it is said that, “a troop shall overcome him, but he shall overcome at
the last”? Have you not read, “They shall surely gather togetheragainstyou,
but not by Me. Whosoevershallgathertogetheragainstyou shall fall for your
sake. No weaponthat is formed againstyou shall prosper, and every tongue
that shall rise againstyou in judgment you shall condemn.” Did you not know
that? If you did not, there was the book which you might have searchedto
find the promise. And, knowing all that, dear friend, though your case maybe
peculiar, you should not have given place to doubt at all, for you have a
unique Savior. His people are a peculiar people, but He is a peculiarly glorious
Delivererand Captain to them, and He will bring all of them safelyto the
eternal glory. Therefore, “O you of little faith, wherefore did you doubt?” I
can suppose another personanswering on quite another score. He says, “Ah,
sir, I doubted in anticipation of the trouble because I felt I could not bear the
trial. I felt that I should sink under it if it did happen. O sir, I had a fear upon
me that if it did occurI should perish.” Yes, I know that experience too. How
did it turn out? Did the dreaded ill occur? “No,” yousay. Then why did you
need to be crossing the bridge before you came to it? “Oh, but it did occur,”

you say. Have you perished by it then, brother? “No,” you are compelledto
answer;“I found such strange assistancegivenin the time of need and such
singular succors just when I was in my deepesttemptation. You know, sir, I
had lookedfor the trouble, but I never expectedto find such friends as God
raisedup, and such remarkable helps as He found for me.” Ah, I see, Godhas
given you two eyes, and you shut up one of them. You had only lookedat the
dark side, but you did not look at the bright side. “Oh, but,” perhaps you say,
“I did not think there was any bright side.” No, I know you did not, but God
knew that it was there; has not He said to you of old many times, “Castyour
burden on the Lord and He will sustain you”? That is to say, whether there is
a bright side to it or not, castit on the Lord and it will be well with you. “He
shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” “Trustin the Lord and do good:
so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed.” You may say, in
confidence, “Whenmy father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will
take me up,” for He has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Well,
you knew of this, and so I come back to my question, “O you of little faith,
wherefore did you doubt?” I could multiply these cases, but I ask eachfriend
who has been doubting to state his ownreasonto his own heart; he will easily
be able to find an answeralso. Now, I want your ear just a minute or two in
order to see how your doubts and fears look under certainaspects.
“Wherefore did you doubt?” Look at your doubts in the light of your
conversion. You remember when you first knew the Lord. You remember
those happy days and weeks whenyou were first converted, it was the time of
your spiritual
honeymoon. Suppose, at those times, somebodyhad said to you, “You will
doubt the Savior.” You would have said, “Never!Why, the wonders of God’s
grace to me in saving such a lostwretch as I am are so extraordinary that
others may doubt, but I never shall.” Well, then, just look at these doubts in
that light. After that you had a severe trial, but now you have gotout of the
difficulty which troubled you, have you not? You have gainedthe shore again
after your buffeting with the waves. Now, I want you to look at your doubts in

the light of your deliverance. The preacherneed scarcelytell how disgustedhe
has been with himself, when he has passedthrough a trial, to think that he
could not have left it in the hands of God, but he begantinkering with the
matter himself and made a failure of it because he tried to meet the need with
his ownwisdom, which was nothing but perfectfolly and ignorance. Do you
not feelthe same? Could not you set yourself up for a scarecrow, andlaugh at
yourself? I am sure you could if the Lord has delivered you. Once more. How
do you feel about your doubts when you getinto Jesus Christ’s bosom—when
your head is where the head of John was, and the Lord is looking at you, and
saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love?” Suppose the next thing
He said was, “Wherefore did you doubt?” Why, you would look at Him with
tears in your eyes, and say, “DearMaster, I pray You do not sayanything
about it, I am so ashamedof my doubt. Oh, let it be forgotten. I never had any
cause to distrust You. I grieve to think that I should ever have got into a state
where such doubts were possible.” I will put you in another position. How do
you feelabout your doubts when you try to teachother people? Here is a dear,
doubting sister, or brother, and you are trying to comfort the downcastsoul.
Do you think about yourself when you neededcomfort yourself, when you
were down in that very way? It is a dreadful thing for a man, when he is very
sad and low-spirited, if some Christian brother goes andcuts a bit out of the
man’s own sermons, and sends it to him. I have had that experience myself
sometimes, and, as I have read my ownwords, I have said, “What a foolI
am!” That is wonderfully near the truth when you say it about yourself
brother. I do not think we have ever hit the nail on the head much more
clearly than when we say we are foolishand ignorant—for that is exactly what
we are, only with a dash of sin with the folly, when we begin to doubt the ever
blessedGod, who ought to be trusted with very implicit confidence, evenas a
little child trusts to its mother’s love. Neverought a doubt to come into our
hearts towards our Savior. And how do you think your doubts will look when
you getto heaven and look back at them? Mrs. Hannah More tells us that she
went into a carpetfactory, and when she lookedat the carpetshe could not
make out any design, and she thought that there had been some mistake.
There were long pieces that seemedto have no beauty in them whatever;but
the manufacturer said, “Madam, I will take you round to the other side;” then
she saw the beauty of the pattern that was being woven into the fabric. Well,

now, while you and I are here, we are full of doubts, because we cannotmake
the pattern out. We are on the wrong side of the carpet; but when we getto
heaven, and see all that God intended and workedfor us, I think that even in
heaven we shall call ourselves fools, and say, “How could I have judged before
my time that splendid design of providence which was hidden in the infinite
wisdom and love of God’s gracious heart? How could I have been dissatisfied
with that which was working my lasting good?” Wherefore, then, did you
doubt? Two or three words just to say, that I think that I can give the reason
why some Christians do doubt occasionally. Perhaps their brain is weary. I
pity them; but they must not pity themselves too much. Perhaps they have not
been living near to God. Perhaps they were getting rather proud, and thought
that if they walkedon the waterthey must be fine fellows. Perhaps they took
their eyes off their Master;I reckonthat was what Peterdid; he beganto look
at the winds and the waves, andtherefore he could not be looking at Christ
too. Perhaps they began to walk by sight, instead of by faith, and that is
enough to make anybody sink. Some cause or other there must have been;
but, whatever cause it was, it is cause forsorrow, cause forregret, cause for
repentance, for the Lord deserves to be implicitly trusted. In answerto His
question, “Wherefore did you doubt?” we give this reply, “GoodLord, forgive
Your servants in this thing, and lead us in quietness and patience to possess
our souls.” Thus much to the people of God. II. Now LET US SLIGHTLY
ALTER THE TEXT AND QUESTION THOSE THAT ARE NOT GOD’S
PEOPLE. We will pause a minute, and use the text in another tense. The Lord
Jesus Christ has been into this world and done a greatdeal for sinners; and,
as the result of what He has done, He has
bidden us go and proclaim everywhere free salvationthrough His precious
blood; He declares that whosoeverbelieves in Him shall not perish, but shall
have everlasting life. Many know all about this. They are wellacquainted with
the truth of substitution, and the way in which Godcan be just and yet the

justifier of the ungodly; but they are still full of doubts. They have not
believed. Dearfriend, I think I can give you some goodreasons for your
doubting, if I am alloweda little scope for imagination. And I suppose, first
of all, that you have heard of a number of others that have been to Christ and
have believed in Him, and yet have perished. If you have really known such
persons, you are perfectly justified in not believing in Christ. You have a
brother, I suppose, that trusted Christ and yet died in despair. You have a
sister, perhaps, that put all her confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet
was not saved. Now, I am absolutely certain that nothing of the kind has ever
occurred. I am equally certain that beneath the copes of heaven, during all
time since Adam fell, there has never been a solitary instance of a soul
sincerelyseeking the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, and putting its trust
in Him, and yet missing eternal salvation. So if you cannothave that reason,
why do you continue to doubt? I will suppose another reason, namely, that
you yourself have been to God with earnestprayer, seeking salvationand
trusting in Jesus, and yet you have been refused. Now, I am sure that that is
not so—absolutelysure. I remember the instance of a man who did not even
believe in God, or, at least, he thought he did not, but he was awakenedto a
sense ofhis danger, and he went to God with some such prayer as this: “O
God,” he said, “if there is a God, convince me of Your being. Lead me to
Yourself, if it is that I have sinned againstYou, and You are angry with me;
and I fear it is so. And if You have sentYour Sonto be an atonement for sin,
let me know the powerof that atonement.” He said that that was all he dared
to say at first; but he ended in solid faith and in a renewedheart and life. No
matter how far off a man may be from God, if there is a hearty and earnest
seeking afterHim through Jesus Christ, he must find Him. You have not tried
it: I am sure you have not tried it. If you had done so you must have
succeeded. Were it possible that a man had tried simple trust in Christ, and
were not saved, then, indeed, he might give a reasonwhy he doubts. But you
have no such reason. I cannot think of any other, exceptthat you have been
informed that the blood of Jesus Christ has lostits power. Have you been
assuredthat the gospelis abrogated? Have you been given to understand that
the New Testamentis a dead letter? Have you been persuadedthat the gates
of mercy are shut? Have you been led to believe that the invitations of grace
are no more to be given? “Oh, no,” you say; “our state was wretchedindeed,

if that were the case.” Well, then, brother, as long as there is blood in the
fountain, wherefore do you doubt its power to cleanse you? As long as there is
goodnews for sinners, why do you write bitter things againstyourself? As
long as a promise stands, and there is the invitation, “Whosoeverwill, let him
take the water of life freely,” wherefore do you doubt? Surely, if these things
are as the book declares—thatthe Lord is ready to have mercy upon the very
chief of sinners, who come and put their trust in Jesus Christ—you have no
cause whateverto start back. Well, now, I am inclined here to quit your
reasons, as I cannotsuppose any others that are not conspicuouslyfalse. But I
can imagine that you suppose that you have such greatand specialsins that
you cannotthink Christ can save you. Now, I undertake to saythis from a
very wide experience and observationof persons convertedto God—that if
you will mention any sin that you have committed, I will mention someone
who fell into that same sin, and who has been savedfrom it; if you mention the
peculiar aggravations connectedwith your life, I think that even my own
observationwill enable me to mention some person who, if not exactly in that
form, yet, in some other equally bad, has gone as far into sin as you have done,
and yet has been saved, who, though guilty of crimes unmentionable, has yet
been washedin the blood of the Lamb and made whiter than snow. O beloved,
we cannot be telling you always ofwhat we know, but we do sometimes delight
to think that there are casesin Holy Scripture which we may tell of as much
as we like. There is cruel, savage Manasseh;there is blood-thirsty, threat-
breathing Saul; there is the womanthat was a sinner; and there is the dying
thief that rejoicedto find cleansing in the wounds of Christ. And why should
not you be forgiven? There is no cause for doubt. “But my point,” says one,
“is, Can this be for me?” You believe the Gospelis true, but you doubt
whether it is for you. Well, no; it is not for you, if you are not a sinner. If you
can say, “I am not guilty,” then farewellto all hope, for Jesus Christcame into
the world to save sinners. If you are a sinner, surely He came to save such as
you are. The blessings ofthe gospelcovenantare directed to the lost. “The Son
of man is come to seek andto save that which was lost.” Canyou not get in
there? Perhaps you remember

Mr. Whitefield’s speechto his brother, who had long been in distress of mind,
who said at last, across the table, “George, I am lost.” George said, “I am glad
to hear it,” and answering his brother’s startledexpression, he continued
“because the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
That brief utterance of the gospellifted his brother out of despair into a clear
and abiding hope in Jesus Christ. Perhaps you have heard of Mr. Whitefield
again, in the Countess ofHuntingdon’s house, when some greatlord
complained to her ladyship that Mr. Whitefield had used most extraordinary
language in his last sermon, most repulsive to men of taste. Mr. Whitefield
said he was there to answerfor himself, and he askedwhat the expressionwas
that he had used. “Why,” said the nobleman, “you said that Jesus Christ was
willing to receive the devil’s castaways.” “Yes,” he said, “I did say that, and I
mean to say it again. Did Your Ladyship observe that I was calledout of the
room a few minutes ago because the bell rang?” “Yes,” saidthe Countess.
“And when I went to the door,” continued Mr. Whitefield, “a poor creature
stoodthere who had been living in a state of sin, and had come to such a
condition that even those that associatedwith her before were unwilling to
come near her. She had become unfit even for the lowestwork to which the
devil himself could put her, and she found all her old companions had casther
away. She heard me preach in Tottenham Court, and use that expression. It
exactly fitted her case, she felt that she was one of the castaways ofthe devil
himself, and so she sought to tell of pardoning grace and dying love.” You see,
then, that Christ can save to the uttermost. Ah, it is so;it is so. If you have
gone far into sin, weepover it; confess it before God with deep repentance,
but come to Jesus Christ, just as you are; and, whoever you may be, there is
no room for doubting. The door of the ark was a big door. There was room
for the hare to go through, who went in quickly, and room for the snail to go
through, with his slow pace;but there was plenty of room for the elephant
when he came marching along; there was a chamber on purpose for him, and
fodder on purpose for him. And so, you elephantine sinners, there is a door
big enoughfor you to come into the house of mercy; there is provision made,
and a place for you; and without you the company will not be complete within
the ark of saving grace. MayGodbless that open declarationof the gospelto
some poor devil’s castawaywho has gotinto a cornerof the tabernacle
tonight. May such be able to find hope too. Well, now, I think I hear another

say, “But I have a cause for doubt which has not yet been mentioned.” I think
I can guess it. You doubt because youhave so many times refused Christ, that
you sayyou cannot expectHim to receive you now. That is the reason, is it
not? “I have gone into greatsin; sir,” you say, or, “I have been trying to save
myself by my self-righteousness andmy goodworks. And I cannotexpect Him
to receive me now.” You think Christ is like the sons of men, such as you have
known. Once a man went to a stable keeper, and askedhim what would be the
price of a horse and gig for the day. “So much,” he answered. The inquirer
went round the town to see if he could not get one cheaper, and when he found
that he could not make a better bargain, he came back, and said that he would
have the one which he had askedfor at the first. “No,” saidthe owner, “you
will not. You have been going everywhere else, and now you may go where
you have been. I do not want your business.” You fancy that Jesus Christis
like that, do you? You have been round to Moses and askedhim the expense,
and you find that you cannot meet the claims of the law; and you have been
round to the pope, and askedhim the price, and you find that ceremonies do
not satisfyyou. You have tried the Oxford way to heaven, and tried the
Roman way to heaven, but they do not suit you. You cannotget there by them,
and now you think you dare not come to Christ because youhave so long
neglectedHim. But you may come: He is willing to have you at any price. No,
he is willing to have you at no price, and if you will come at no price—come
without money and without price—He is still willing and able to receive you,
for the gospelpeals out yet these clarion notes, “Come and welcome!Come
and welcome!Come and welcome!Whosoeverwill, let him take of the water
of life freely!” O you who doubt Christ, wherefore do you doubt? Now I will
say no more but this. The way to deal with this state of mind of everlasting
doubt and hesitation is to end it—to end it once and for all. Repent, dear
hearer, and may the Spirit of God help you to do so now. Repent of ever
having disbelieved the Son of God. Repentof everhaving distrusted the blood
of Jesus Christ. Repentof everhaving doubted the powerof the omnipotent
Spirit of God. I know not to whom this word will come with power, but, in
the name of Jesus Christ the Son of God, I command you to leave off doubting
Him, and to begin to believe in Him at once. End your doubts without a
moment’s deliberation. You believe Christ Jesus to be God. I know you do.
You believe what the Scripture says concerning Him—that He is a Saviorable

to save. Man, by the living God I charge you do not perpetrate such an insult
to Christ as to go on doubting Him. You have the burden of all your sin, but
He
is a Savior. Trust Him with it; trust Him now. “No,” you say, “I will get home
and pray.” Do not wait for that. I wish you to pray when you gethome, as
much as everyou like; but, first of all, believe in Jesus Christ. Trust Him on
the spot. “Oh,” says one, “it will be a venture.” Venture, then, friend: venture.
“MayI pass in by the gate of mercy?” asks another. Passthrough it, whether
you may or not, for there never was a soul sent back for coming to Christ by
mistake. Neverwas heard of such a thing as a soul attempting to pass in by the
portal of faith, and Jesus Christ saying, “Ho, there! What are you doing? You
have no right to trust Me. You are not one of My elect. You must go back, and
you must not dare to trust Me. You are not the kind of man I want.” There
was never such a case known, and there never will be such a case, forChrist’s
own words are, “Him that comes to Me I will in no wise castout.” That is, any
“him” in all the world that comes to Christ He never will, He never can, cast
out. I would make a dash for it, sinner, if I were you. Sink or swim, neck or
nothing, here it is. I do believe—Imust believe—in Jesus Christ; and if I
perish, still it shall still be clinging to His cross. You will never perish there.
May the Lord of covenantmercy draw you to this tonight, or drive you to it. I
care not which, so long as you getto it, and Christ becomes allin all to your
souls. Let us pray for that.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON:MATTHEW 14:14-33.
Verse 14. And Jesus wentforth, and saw a greatmultitude, and was moved
with compassiontowardthem, and He healedtheir sick. Different persons

take different views of multitudes, according to the state of their minds. Many
an officer when he sees a multitude considers how long it would take to march
them from a certain place. Another man begins calculating how much food
they will all need. Another begins to estimate their wealth;another to
calculate how many per cent will die in the year. But the Lord Jesus Christ’s
heart was so full of pity and mercy that the thing for Him to do as He looked
upon them was to have compassionupon them. He healedtheir sick, and
helped them in their sorrows. 15. And when it was evening, His disciples came
to Him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the
multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves
victuals. This really meant “Getus out of the difficulty.” There was no hope
that so many of them could get foodin the villages;and the disciples as good
as said, “We cannotbear to see them starving. Help us to forgetit.” 16. But
Jesus saidunto them, They need not depart; you give them to eat. “You do
not know what you cando, seeing I am with you,” the Lord answered. “You
can feed them all.” O, Christian church never give up the most difficult
problem. It may be workedout. The city may be evangelized, crowdedas it is;
the nations may be brought to Christ superstitious though they are, for He is
with us. 17, 18. And they said unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and
two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to Me. He will not work without us.
Whateverlittle gift or ability we have must be consecrated. Christcould easily
have made loaves and fishes without taking their little stock, but that is not
His wayof working. “Bring what you have hither to Me.” Wheneverwe have
a church that brings all its store to Christ—(when shall we eversee such a
church?)—then He will be pleasedto make sufficient for the multitude. 19-
21. And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the
five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and
broke, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that
remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five
thousand men, beside women and children. A wonderful evening that must
have been. Just as the sun’s slanting rays would fall upon the mighty mass of
people, Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness, wasscattering His beams of
mercy over them at the same time. To Him it is nothing to feed five
thousand—nothing to do it with five loaves. Where He is present we may

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