Jesus was asking why did you doubt

JESUS WAS ASKING WHY DID YOU DOUBT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 14:31 31ImmediatelyJesus reached out his
hand and caught him. "You of littlefaith," he said,
"why did you doubt?"
Reasons For Doubting Christ BY SPURGEON
“ Why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:31
OUR Lord did not begin His dealings with Peter in this emergencyby asking
him that question. He first stretchedout His hand and saved him from his
peril and then He said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
When a man is in trouble, help him out, first, and then blame him for having
got into it, if you feel it 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 chide him afterwards for any fault
that you perceive in him. This is always the waywith our Master. He gives
liberally and upbraids not, except when there shall come to be a specialreason
for 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, “Why did you doubt, O Christian?” And then put it
into another tense altogether, and address it to the unconverted, and say,
“Why do you doubt, O you who know the Gospel, but have not yet
believedit?”
1. LET US USE THE TEXT AND QUESTION GOD’S PEOPLE–“Why
did you doubt?” I am probably addressing some Brothers and Sisters–
perhaps a greatmany who have been through a seasonofprofound
gloomand 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, why 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 assign, one
by one. I shall put them to you to know whether the supposition is allowable.
You may doubt if on former occasions youhave 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 occasionatleast, that He has utterly
failed you and forsakenyou–thenyou are perfectly justified in doubting Him
in the future and you were justified in doubting Him just now. What do you
say to this 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 a lie. 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 ashamednor confounded. Can
you saythat you did trust Him in some particular event and the failure you
experiencedmade you to be ashamed? Brothers and Sisters, I know what you
will sayto that supposition. You are grievedalmost 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, Brothers and
Sisters, I will put it very softly–andI have reasons for doing it very softly–“O
you of little faith, if it is so, why 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 also make you walk
the waters ofthe sea?
There is anothersupposition. You may doubt if your case is a new one and so
superlatively difficult that it is quitecertain that God cannot help you in it.
You require something more than Omnipotence and the case is so perplexing
that of the terms I use, for if we say Omni-potence, that is all power. It is not
possible that anything could be beyond that.And if we sayOmni-science, that
is all wisdom. It is not even imaginable that anything can surpass that! So I
think I hadbetter 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 shortenedthat it cannot save, neither His earheavy that it

cannot hear.” When you answer, “Iknow that Godis able and I know that
God is wise to help me,” then I must whisper that question again, “O you of
little faith, why did you doubt?”
But I will suppose something else, that you may doubt if God has abolished
the promises. DearBrother, is it truethat 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 astonished
that 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
assuredthat 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 persuadedof all this, my dear Brothers and Sisters,
are you not? Then all these promises being true and all confirmed with the
sprinkled blood of Christ, I must have your ear yet again while I just whisper
into it, “Why, then, did you doubt? Why did you doubt?”
There is only one more supposition and it is the worstof all. You may doubt if
God Himself has entirely changed–asuppositionwhich has been put by the
Psalmistin other language, “WillHe be favorable no more? Is His mercy
cleangone forever? Does His promise fail forevermore? Has God forgottento
be gracious? Has He in anger shut 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 castawayHis people whom He did foreknow,
that Christ 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 forget the children of His choice
when He said, “Cana woman forget her sucking child, that she should not
have compassiononthe 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 Covenant of
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 and Sisters, 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, why did you doubt?”
Now, I cannotthink of any other supposition that might make it justifiable to
doubt, so now I am going to hear or I 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 clear
and distinct to me. I hope I have beenconverted, 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 greatdeep were broken
up. I saw that I had sinned foully and fallen far–my best actions I discovered
to be polluted and the whole of my life to be marred through and through
with an evil spirit and with everything that was contraryto 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 such that you were condemned in the sight of God and accursedby His
Law? Did you not know that in spite of your sin, “Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners,” eventhe very chief? Did you not know God willed not
the death of any sinner and that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Soncleanses us
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
“Ah,” you say, “but it was not quite a sight of my past sin–it was because of
my 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 other day, when I was exposedto temptation, I was carriedright 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, whichever you may be, did you not know of old that the
Lord Jesus Christ came to destroy the works ofthe 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 electpeople of God–thatfrom 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 power to 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
“Ah, Sir,” says one, “ you do not know everything. I doubted because I have
been in a case suchas never happened toanybody 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 way of escape from it at all. It was as extraordinary problem
that I am sure that I must be the man that has seenaffliction peculiarly
marked out fromall 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 category,
though you may not think so. But do not you know that it is said, “Many are
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 good
cheer, 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. Whoever shall gathertogetheragainstyou 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 safely to
the eternalGlory. Therefore, “O you of little faith, why 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
uponme that if it did occurI should perish.” Yes, I too know that experience.
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
compelled to answer. “Ifound such strange assistance givenin the time of
need and such singular succors justwhen 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 one of them! You had only
lookedat the dark side–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.” “Trust in 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, why 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 easilybe able to find an answer.
Now, I want your earjust a minute or two in order to see how your doubts
and fears look under certain aspects. “Whydid 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–itwas the time of your spiritual honeymoon. Suppose, at
those times, somebody had 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 lost wretchas 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 againafter your
buffeting with the waves. Now I want you to look at your doubts in the light
ofyour 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–he begantinkering with the matter himself
and made a failure of it because he tried to meet the need with his own
wisdom which was nothing but perfectfolly and ignorance!Do you not feel
the same? Couldnot you set yourself up for a scarecrowand laugh 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–whenyour head is wherethe 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 saidwas, “Why 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 feel about your doubts when
you try to teach other people? Here is adear, doubting Sister, or Brother and
you are trying to comfort the downcastsoul. Do you think about yourself
when you needed comfort–whenyou 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 and cuts 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 clearlythan when we say we are foolishand
ignorant–forthat is exactly what we are–onlywith 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! Never
ought a doubt to come into our hearts towards our Savior!
And how do you think your doubts will look when you get to Heaven and look
back at them? Mrs. Hannah Moretells us that she went into a carpet factory
and when she lookedatthe carpet, she 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”–thenshe 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 dissatisfiedwith that
which was working my lasting good?” Why, then, did you doubt?
Two or three words just to saythat I think that I can give the reasonwhy
some Christians occasionallydoubt. 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 water they 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 and, therefore, he could not be looking at Christ, too. Perhaps

they beganto walk by sight, insteadof by faith–that is enough to make
anybody sink! There must have been some cause orother, but, whatevercause
it was, it is cause forsorrow, cause for regret, cause forrepentance–forthe
Lord deserves to be implicitly trusted. In answerto His question, “Why did
you doubt?” we give this reply, “GoodLord, forgive Your servants in this
thing and lead us in quietness and patience to possessoursouls.”
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 bid us go
and proclaim everywhere free salvationthrough His precious blood. He
declares that whoeverbelieves in Him shall not perish, but shall have
everlasting life. Many know all about this. They are well acquainted with the
truth of Substitution and the way in which God can 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 foryour
doubting if I am alloweda little scope forimagination.
And I suppose, first of all, that you have heard of a number of others that
have been to Christ and have believed inHim 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 certainthat nothing
of the kind has ever occurred. I am equally certainthat beneath the coverof
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 cannot
have that reason, why do you continue to doubt?
I will suppose another reason, namely, that you yourself have been to God
with earnestprayer, seeking salvationandtrusting 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 sent Your Son
to be an Atonement for sin, let me know the power of that Atonement.” He
said that that was all he dared to sayat 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 earnestseekingafterHim through Jesus Christ, he will
find Him. You have not tried it–I am sure you have not tried it. If you had
done so, you would have succeeded. Were it possible that a man had tried
simple trust in Christ and were not saved, then, indeed, he might give a reason
why 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 persuaded that the gates ofMercyare shut? Have
you been led to believe that the invitations of Grace are no more to be given?
“Oh, no,” you say, “our state were wretched, indeed, if that were the case.”
Well, then, Brother, Sister, as long as there is blood in the fountain, why 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, “Whoeverwill, let him take the water of life
freely,” why do you doubt? Surely, if these things are as the Bible declares–
that the Lord is ready to have mercy upon the very chief of sinners who come
and put their trust in Jesus Christ–youhave no cause whateverto not come!
Well, now, I am inclined here to quit your reasons, as Icannot suppose any
others that are not conspicuouslyfalse. But I canimagine that you suppose
that you have such greatand specialsins that you cannot think Christ can
save you.Now I undertake to say this from a very wide experience and
observationof persons converted to God–thatif 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 unmentionable crimes, has yet been washedin the blood
of the Lamb and made whiter than snow!O Beloved, we cannot be telling you
always of what 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 you not be forgiven?
There is nocause fordoubt!
“But my point,” says one, “is, Can this be for meYou believe the Gospelis
true, but you doubt whether it is foryou. Well, no, it is not for you if you are

not a sinner. If you cansay, "I am not guilty,” then farewellto all hope, for
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners! If you are a sinner, surely
He came to save such as you are! The blessings of the GospelCovenant are
directed to the lost. “The Son of Man is come to seek andto save that which
was lost.” Canyou not getin there? Perhaps you remember Mr. Whitfield’s
speechto his brother who had long been in distress of mind, who said at last,
across the table, “George, Iam lost.” George said, “Iam glad to hear it,” and
answering his brother’s startledexpression, he continued, “because the Son of
Man is come to seek andto save that which was lost.” Thatbrief utterance of
the Gospel lifted his brother out of despairinto a clearand abiding hope in
Jesus Christ! Perhaps you have heard of Mr. Whitfield, again, in the Countess
of Huntingdon’s house when some greatlord complained to her ladyship that
Mr. Whitfield had used most extraordinary language in his last sermon–most
repulsive to men of taste. Mr. Whitfield said he was there to answerfor
himself and he askedwhatthe expressionwas that he had used. “Why,” said
the nobleman, “you said that Jesus Christwas willing to receive the devil’s
castaways.”“Yes,”he said, “I did say that, and I mean to sayit 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. Whitfield, “a poor creature stood there 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 Christjust as you are and, whoeveryou 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.

May God bless that open declarationof the Gospelto some poor devil’s
castawaywho has gotinto a corner of the tabernacle tonight! May such be
able to find hope in my Master, Jesus Christ.
Well, now, I think I hear another say, “But I have a cause fordoubt which has
not yet been mentioned.” I think I can guess it. You doubt because you have so
many times refused Christ that you say you cannotexpect Him to receive
younow. 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-righteousnessand my good
works. And I cannot expectHim 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 enquirer went round the town to see if he could not
get one cheaperand 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 askedforat
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 Christ is like that, do you? You have been round to
Moses andaskedhim the expense and you find that you cannotmeet the
claims of the Law. And you have been round to the pope and askedhim the
price and you find that ceremonies do not satisfy you. You have tried the
Oxford way to Heaven and tried the Roman way to Heaven, but they do not
suit you. You cannot getthere by them and now you think you dare not come
to Christ because youhave so long neglectedHim. But you may–He is willing
to have you at any price! No, he is willing to have you at no priceand 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!Whoeverwill,
let him take of the waterof life freely!” O you who doubt Christ, why do you
doubt?
Now I will sayno more but this. The wayto deal with this state of mind of
everlasting doubt and hesitationis 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! Repentof 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!Ceaseyour 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 not to 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,” yousay, “I will gethome and
pray.” Do not wait for that! I wish you to pray when you get home as much as
ever you 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! “May I
pass in by the gate of mercy?” asks another. Pass through 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 knownand 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
him or her 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–inJesus Christ
and if I perish, I shall still be clinging to His Cross.”You will never perish
there! May the Lord of Covenant Mercydraw you to this tonight, or drive you
to it. I care not which–so long as you getto it and Christ becomes All-in-All to
your souls!Let us pray for that.
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 weaknessofthe
impulsive man that he has no staying power, and is only goodfor the little
while that the fit is on him. It is the weaknessofimpulsive, excitable nations,
that while they are splendid at a dash, they have none of the persistencythat
holds on until the end is fully secured. St. Peteroften spoke and actedbefore
he thought. Behind him was impulse rather than resolve. So difficulties

createdat once a new and opposing impulse. He failed as quickly and as
unreasonably as he acted. The men who succeedin life are the men who can
hold on. St. Petermight have safelywalkedthe waterif he had held on the
faith with which he startedfrom the boat, and which had receivedthe
Master's approval.
I. ST. PETER ATTEMPTEDAN IMPOSSIBILITY. There is nothing that
men regard as so impossible as "walking on the sea." Mencan walk on the
narrowestledges ofthe loftiestcliffs, or on the thinnest ropes, but not on the
water. The Egyptians, in their hieroglyphics, were wont to representan
impossibility by painting the figure of a man with his feet walking upon the
sea. St. Petersaw this impossibility overcome by his Master. A sudden thought
seizedhim. He should like to do what his Masterdid. It was a child's wish; but
it showedlove and trust. He spoke it out. The Mastersaid "Come," andhe
tried to do the impossible. A nobler man than those who never had such
thoughts, and never made such attempts.
II. ST. PETER BEGAN TO SUCCEED WITHHIS IMPOSSIBILITY. A man
can walk steadily along a very dangerous place if he looks up at the steadfast
sky. He will be giddy if he ventures to look around or to look down. It is thus
always in the spiritual spheres. St. Peters canalways walk safely, even on the
treacherous waters, so long as they look up and awayto the steadfastChrist.
They will fail and fall as soonas they look around, or down, or within. And
the reasonis that man is strong when he leans on another, but weak whenhe
trusts to himself. The impulsive man leans for a minute and is strong; then
impulse fails, and he is, like Samson, weak as othermen.
III. ST. PETER SOON FAILED WITH HIS IMPOSSIBILITY. If he could
have kept his eye and mind fixed on Jesus he would have succeeded. But he
thought of the wind; and the wind took the place of Jesus. Jesus quickened
faith; the wind quickened fear. Faith makes a man strong. Fearwholly
unnerves. What St. Peterneeded for success was"staying powerof faith."
Keeping on trusting. Keeping on "looking offunto Jesus;" "patient
continuance in well doing," - R.T.
Biblical Illustrator
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 Satanpeculiar advantage againstthe soul.
5. The providence of Godappears dark to such a soul.
6. It occasions false comfort.
7. It tarnishes the professionof such a person.
(J. Cooke.)
Safetyof 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 againstarmed thousands,
but because he is a subject of our Queen. A despot on his throne, a horde of
savagesin 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 theyknew his sovereign's watchfulness,and
fearedhis sovereign's power. The feeble strangerhas a charmed life in the
midst of his enemies, because a royal arm unseenencompasseshim as with a
shield. The powerthus wielded by an earthly throne may suggestand
symbolize the perfect protectionof 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 Bloodcannot
lose his inheritance, and will not permit any enemy to wrestfrom His hand the
satisfactionofHis 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 cannotdrop
off; the portion of the Redeemercannotbe wrenched from His grasp. "Ye are
His." Christ is the safetyof a Christian.
(W. Arnot.)

COMMENTARIES
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
14:22-33 Those are not Christ's followers who cannotenjoy being alone with
God and their own hearts. It is good, upon specialoccasions, andwhen we
find our hearts enlarged, to continue long in secretprayer, and in pouring out
our hearts before the Lord. It is no new thing for Christ's disciples to meet
with storms in the way of duty, but he thereby shows himself with the more
grace to them and for them. He can take what way he pleases to save his
people. But even appearances ofdeliverance sometimes occasiontrouble and
perplexity to God's people, from mistakes about Christ. Nothing ought to
affright those that have Christ near them, and know he is theirs; not death
itself. Peterwalkedupon the water, not for diversion or to boast of it, but to
go to Jesus;and in that he was thus wonderfully borne up. Specialsupports
are promised, and are to be expected, but only in spiritual pursuits; nor can
we ever come to Jesus, unless we are upheld by his power. Christ bade 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 ofhis power and grace. When we look off from Christ, and look at
the greatnessofopposing difficulties, we shall begin to fall; but when we call
to him, he will stretchout his arm, and save us. Christ is the greatSaviour;
those who would be saved, must come to him, and cry to him, for salvation;
we are never brought to this, till we find ourselves sinking:the sense ofneed
drives us to him. He rebuked Peter. Could we but believe more, we should
suffer less. The weaknessoffaith, and the prevailing of our doubts, displease
our Lord Jesus, forthere is no goodreasonwhy Christ's disciples should be of
a doubtful mind. Even in a stormy day he is to them a very presenthelp. None
but the world's Creatorcould 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 Bible
And Peteranswered... - Here is an instance of the characteristic ardorand
rashness ofPeter. He had less real faith than he supposed, and more ardor
than his faith would justify. He was rash, headlong, incautious, really attached
to Jesus, but still easily daunted and prone to fall. He was afraid, therefore,

when in danger, and, sinking, cried againfor help. Thus he was suffered to
learn his own character, andhis dependence on Jesus:a lessonwhich all
Christians are permitted sooneror later to learn by dear-bought experience.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
31. And immediately Jesus stretchedforth 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 Commentary
Ver. 29-31. Peter, by saying if it be thou, showedthat 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 showetha something strongerfaith,
and a resolutionto obey his command; but his fear afterward, when the wind
beganto rise higher, and he beganto sink, argued againthe infirmity of his
faith. Thus Peteris 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 greatextremity;
which lets us see what need we have to pray, that God would not lead us by his
providence into greattemptations, much more to take heed that we do not
throw ourselves into them. No man knows how he shall find his heart under a
greattemptation, until he hath tried it. It therefore gives us a caution, as
againstcondemning others, so againstboasting, and too much confidence as to
ourselves, and lets us see how much need we have to keepour eye upon Christ
and his strength in such an hour.
And immediately Jesus stretchedforth 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 Bible

And immediately Jesus stretchedforth his hand,.... The Syriac reads it, "and
in that very moment"; for his case requires immediate assistance, andChrist
readily gave it; he reachedout his hand at once, being just by him,
and caughthim; as he was sinking to the bottom, and lifted him up, and set
him on his feetupon the water, and enabled him to walk with him to the ship;
but not without reproving him for the weaknessofhis 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 wastdivided betweenfaith
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 powerin 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 Bible
And immediately Jesus stretchedforth his hand, and caught him, and said
unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 14:31 f. Εἰς τί ἐδίστ.] διατί πρῶτονμὲν ἐθάῤῥησας, ὕστερονδὲ
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.
ἐμβάντωναὐτῶν] According to John, Jesus did not go up into the boat, but
the disciples wantedto 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 κατʼἐμοῦ δυσπλοΐη κοπάσει, and see Wetstein.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 14:31. ἐδίστασας:againin Matthew 28:17, nowhere else in N. T.,
from δίς, double, hence to be of two minds, to doubt (cf. δίψυχος, Jam1:8).
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 14:31. Ὀλιγόπιστε, O thou of little faith) Even great faith is little in
comparisonof 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
perceivedfrom 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
perceivedthat Jesus was suchby reasonofHis 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 reasonthey are censuredby 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 engagedin labouring
in the fields.—V. g.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 31. - And immediately. Without any waste oftime, just as in ver. 27.
Jesus stretchedforth his hand. So that St. Peterhad come up to him (ver. 29).
And caught him; and took hold of him (RevisedVersion, ἐπελάβετο αὐτοῦ:cf.
Hebrews 2:16; Hebrews 8:9). And said; saith (RevisedVersion). 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 (Westcottand 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 deservedgentlertreatment.
CALVIN
31. O man of little faith. While our Lord kindly preserves Peter, he does not
connive at Peter's fault. Such is the object of the chastisementadministered,
when Peteris blamed for the weaknessofhis faith. But a question arises, Does
every kind of fear give evidence of a weaknessoffaith? for Christ's words
seemto imply that, where faith reigns, there is no room for doubt. [384]
I:reply: Christ reproves here that kind of doubt which was directly opposedto

faith. A man may sometimes doubt without any fault on his part; and that is,
when the word of the Lord does not speak with certainty on the matter. But
the case was quite different with Peter, who had receivedan express command
from Christ, and had already experiencedhis power, and yet leaves that
twofold support, and falls into foolish and wickedfear.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BARCLAY
COLLAPSE AND RECOVERY(Matthew 14:28-33)
14:28-33 Petergotdown from the boat and walkedon the waterto come to
Jesus. But, when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and, when he beganto sink
below the water, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched
out his hand and graspedhim. "O man of little faith!" he said. "Why did you
begin to have doubts?" And when they gotinto the boat, the wind sank. And
those in the boat knelt in reverence before him, saying, "Truly you are the
Son of God."
There is no passagein the New Testamentin which Peter's characteris more
fully revealedthan this. It tells us three things about him.
(i) Peterwas given to acting upon impulse and without thinking of what he
was doing. It was his mistake that againand againhe actedwithout fully
facing the situation and without counting the cost. He was to do exactly the
same when he affirmed undying and unshakable loyalty to Jesus (Matthew
26:33-35), and then denied his Lord's name. And yet there are worse sins than
that, because Peter'swhole trouble was that he was ruled by his heart; and,
howeverhe might sometimes fail, his heart was always in the right place and
the instinct of his heart was always love.
(ii) Because Peteractedonimpulse, he often failed and came to grief. It was
always Jesus'insistence thata man should look at a situation in all its bleak
grimness before he acted(Luke 9:57-58;Matthew 16:24-25). Jesuswas
completely honestwith men; he always bade them see how difficult it was to
follow him before they setout upon the Christian way. A great dealof

Christian failure is due to acting upon an emotional moment without counting
the cost.
(iii) But Peter never finally failed, for always in the moment of his failure he
clutched at Christ. The wonderful thing about him is that every time he fell,
he rose again; and that it must have been true that even his failures brought
him closerand closerto Jesus Christ. As has been well said, a saint is not a
man who never fails; a saint is a man who gets up and goes on againevery
time he falls. Peter's failures only made him love Jesus Christ the more.
These verses finish with another greatand permanent truth. When Jesus got
into the boat, the wind sank. The greattruth is that, whereverJesus Christ is,
the wildeststorm becomes a calm. Olive Wyon, in her book ConsiderHim,
quotes a thing from the letters of St. Francis of Sales. St. Francis had noticed a
custom of the country districts in which he lived. He had often noticeda farm
servant going across a farmyard to draw water at the well; he also noticed
that, before she lifted the brimming pail, the girl always put a piece of wood
into it. One day he went out to the girl and askedher, "Why do you do that?"
She lookedsurprised and answered, as if it were a matter of course, "Why? to
keepthe waterfrom spilling ... to keepit steady!" Writing to a friend later on,
the bishop told this story and added: "So when your heart is distressedand
agitated, put the Cross into its centre to keepit steady!" In every time of
storm and stress, the presence ofJesus and the love which flows from the
Cross bring peace and serenity and calm.
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 heard his bark, 9 days after
Italy’s infamous earthquake. 1. Slide7 This week the story is about
Peter walking on water. But what matters the most? who Peter is or
what he did? Or, who God is and what He did? B. Listen for several
assurances our text gives us, as we sail through 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 weather condition. 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 on pursuit of any severe weather conditions, always
seem a little foolish...but it’s not when Jesus tells you to chase one. a)
We are always safer in 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 street when you know a car is
coming? No! It’s like, creating waves w/your left hand in a bathtub
& holding a toy boat perfectly afloat w/your right hand. D. 2 Kinds
of Storms: 1. Slide9c Storms of Correction - When God disciplines
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 watch was between
3 & 6 am. In 9 hours they had only rowed about 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 & tossed by
waves. Mark adds, they were straining (tortured,tormented,
distressed) at rowing, & that the wind was against them. 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
walked approx. 4 miles on the lake]
L. Slide11a STORM CHEER (26,27) M. (26) He would have walked
by (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 that encourage you? I love this Jesus!
2
N. It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear. O.Slide11b Sometimes
God shows up in a scary way not a comfortable way [Moses/burn
bush. It is I/I AM] 1. We need to recognize the presence of God
in...our pain...our hurts...our sorrow...our uncertainty. Recognize
His voice when you can’t see His face. P. Slide11c (27) Be of good
cheer/confidence - How can we? because of the next statement... 1. It
is I (ἐγώ εἰµί) - What more do you need?
Q. Slide12a STORM GROWTH (28-31) R. (28) Peter’s life seemed
to be a contradiction. But we’re no different. 1. He seemed to have
an identity crisis. He was Simon & he was Peter/petras/rock. Never
in doubt, yet often wrong. He had great fear but he also had great
faith. He could run as a coward and other times be strong. You can
deny his Savior 3 times, but also preach 3000 souls to salvation. S.
Peter forgot 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 great lesson
to be learned, the lesson of Come. 1. In the feeding of the 5000 we
learned He was Provider. Now, how would He Slide12b show
Himself as Protector if 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 against the
boat. 1. God wants to know...will you keep coming, and keep your
eyes focused on something you can’t see, and walk toward His 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, Peter asked for 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 can start asking for a command
from God, instead of guarantee. And we can learn to walk on a
Word.
X. (30) Here is the but that almost buried Peter. 1. He saw the wind
about him, his heart failed in him, then his foot failed under him. Y.
Began to sink - The cause? When he took his eyes off the Savior, &
placed them on the circumstance. Z. Slide12d Lord Save me - Aren’t
those great words? 1. The Unbeliever can cry them - Lord (you are
God) Save (I am a sinner needing to be saved from my sins) Me (I’m
personally in need). 2. The Believer can 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...Peter sank
no farther. 2. Peter, though wet to the skin, was a wiser man for his
adventure. Wetter but wiser BB.Oh you of little faith - I don’t think
a rebuke...because a little faith was considered good. 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 each of ours at times. 2.
Are you trying to live a mistake-free life? Failure is not an option
it’s a necessity. 3. Because it is the point of this passage...he had to
fail to learn that God is our Protector/Deliverer/Savior. CC.Peter
knew when to cry out - He didn’t wait till he was drowning...but

when he began to 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 Peter walking 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. Slide13b How about the story of, the 11 who never got out of the
boat? [this might be a conspiracy theory but...when John tells this
story in his gospel, he didn’t even put the part about Peter in it] 3.
Slide13c Never worry about anyone in the boat that is criticizing
you. Keep walking. EE.Then Jesus held Peter under water for 30
seconds & said, don’t do that again Rocky. 1. Slide13d No the story
is all about God’s grace. About Jesus reaching down. About Jesus
walking Peter back 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 greater grace! a) A grace
greater than my failure, greater than my divorce, greater than my
bankruptcy, greater then the layoff, greater than my addiction,
greater than my slip-up, better than my screwup. Steven Furtick
sermon FF.Slide13f Peter failed at what he set out to do...but Jesus
succeeded w/exactly what He intended to do. 1. Why does Jesus
command Peter to 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.Slide14a STORM PARTNER (32,33) HH.Why didn’t the wind
cease until 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 story
would not end until he had walked on water w/Jesus back to the
boat. 3. Slide14b Isaiah reminds us, When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you

will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the
LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.43:2,3a a) He
may not come when you think He should. He may wait till the boats
as far away from land as possible...so that all human hope is gone.
5
(1) Every element we dread, His foot doth simply tread. II. The 1st
time Jesus calmed the water, their reaction was what manner of
Man is this? (Mt.8) Now their clear testimony is Truly You are the
Son of God. JJ.(33) What did they do immediately, they enjoyed
God...they worshipped Him.
IV. Slide15a SEAL (SEa Air Land) (34-36) acronym A. Slide15b
Navy SEALs are trained to operate in all environments (Sea, Air,
and Land) for which they’re named. We watched Jesus operate on
Sea & in the Air walking on water...now on land. 1. Our King is
Master both 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 Physical healing, but what about Spiritual healing? 2.
Many want to prolong their life on earth, but do they come to secure
their eternal lives?
C. Slide16a Let’s note...Peter is still wet [Jn.6:21 & immediately the
boat was at the land where they were going] 1. Slide16b This is great
to know, we can worship wet! 2. We immediately want to get em a
towel, or a fresh change of clothes, at least a cover up. Let’s get em
dry & all cleaned up 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 “wet section!”
Oh we make em sit in the back 1/2 of the church (jk). a) We have
wet people, soaked people, saturated soggy saints. And we need to
learn to say, I know your soggy but 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. Preach wet. Lead our families wet. D.

,18 Where should our focus be? Peter all wet, aka soaked
Simon. Or, on Jesus’ hand, i.e. Jesus is in control.
6
1. Focus on Jesus’ hand. For a righteous man may fall/sink 7 times,
& rise again. Prv.24:16
E. Slide19a Last point...30 yrs later. Many Bible Scholars believe
that Mark’s gospel is a record of Peter’s reports of the ministry of
Christ. Justin Martyr referred to it as the Memoirs of Peter. 1. Read
Mark 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 Son of God..Now write that down,
and tell everyone Mark
A Prayer of Faith Matthew 14: 22-32
Quite often this passage is looked at in light of the miracle of Jesus
walking on the water. This is certainly worthy of our consideration.
We serve One who has all power. There is absolutely nothing that
He can’t do or that He can’t handle.
At other times it is approached from the failure of Peter as he
walked on the water. There is much that we can learn from Peter’s
mistake in our walk with the Lord.
However, I am interested in the prayer that Peter prayed in V.30 –
Lord, save me. This was a simple prayer, but it was a prayer of
faith. Prayers offered in faith are heard of the Lord. Peter needed a

touch from Jesus and he cried out unto Him. Jesus heard and
answered his prayer.
I want to look at the characteristics of Peter’s encounter in the
storm as we consider: A Prayer of Faith.
I. The Peril He Faced (24) – But the ship was now in the midst of the
sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. Bear in mind, the
disciples had followed the direction of Jesus to get into the ship and
go to the other side of the sea. While being obedient to His
command, they found themselves in a perilous situation. Consider:
A. The Intensity of the Storm (24) – But the ship was now in the
midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. As
they sailed the wind picked up and the ship began to be tossed about
in the sea. The word tossed has the idea of “vexing, harassing, and
even causing pain.” The waves created a volatile situation for the
disciples. Also we discover that the wind was contrary. This has the
idea of “adverse, hostile, and opposing.” While in the midst of the
sea, the elements were working against them. What started out as a
serene, peaceful trip, suddenly became a fight for their lives.
 We all have what we consider bad days, but often these are
nothing more than a changed schedule or a minor inconvenience.
However, there are times in our lives when we are faced with a
contrary wind and our vessel becomes tossed about by the winds of
adversity. Sooner or later we too will find ourselves in the midst of
an intense storm, where it literally seems as if we are fighting for
our survival. It may be a situation that came up suddenly, even
unexpected, but it creates extreme concern.

B. The Isolation of the Ship (24) – But the ship was now in the midst
of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. John
reveals they had rowed about 25 or 30 furlongs, being about 3 to 4
miles from land. They were in the midst of the sea and totally
isolated. It had taken much effort
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and several hours of work to get where they were, and the safety of
the shore was nowhere in sight. The Lord was not with them, and
they were forced to deal with the storm they faced.
 Surely we have all been there at some point in our lives. The storm
arose unexpectedly and we feel completely isolated in our situation,
forced to face the storm seemingly all alone.
II. The Progress He Made (28-29) – Although the storm raged
around them, Peter made significant progress dealing with the
storm. Consider:
A. Peter’s Faith (28) – And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it
be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. While in the midst of

the storm, Jesus came unto them, walking on the water. After seeing
Jesus, Peter requested to go unto Jesus on the water. Now, we are
often critical of Peter, but in reality, he was the only one who had
enough courage to step out of the boat. He realized it was safer on
the water with Jesus than it was in the boat without Him. We cannot
comprehend the faith it took to step out of the safety of the boat and
attempt to walk on the water in the midst of a raging storm.
 Storms of life will test our faith. In fact, there will be times when
faith is all we have. We will find ourselves in situations where we
can’t see the shore and we cannot begin to understand how the
situation will work out or what the end result will be. In those times,
we simply have to trust the Lord by faith to meet our need and keep
us through the storm.
B. Peter’s Focus (29) – And he said, Come. And when Peter was
come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Skeptics claim there had to be stumps or stones in the water for
them to walk on, but they were in the midst of the sea. The depths
there would have made it impossible for something to have been
available to stand on. Peter only had the word of the Lord and faith.
He didn’t allow human reasoning to stand in his way. Common
sense says you’ll sink, but Jesus had bid him to come. At this
moment in time, Peter was more focused on Jesus than he was on
the storm that raged around him.
 We discover a valuable lesson from Peter while trying to navigate
the storms of life. Rather than focusing on the storm, we must focus
on the Savior. Instead of telling Jesus how big the storm is, remind
yourself how big Jesus is. He has the ability to walk above your
storm and keep you secure in the midst of it! As long as we are

following the will of the Lord, we will not sink and perish, no matter
how strong the storm may be.
III. The Prayer He Prayed (30) – But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying,
Lord, save me. It is evident that Peter lost his focus, and as he
looked upon the storm, he became afraid and began to sink.
However, he did not lose all faith. In that moment of
August 30, 2015
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despair, Peter prayed a significant prayer. Although it was only
three short words, it provided great results. Let’s consider the
characteristics of that prayer. We find it was:
A. A Prayer of Recognition (30) – Lord, save me. Peter maintained
his comprehension of who Jesus was. He never lost sight of the fact
that the Lord was in his midst. The storm raged, but Jesus was
there. He recognized Jesus as Lord and was confident in His ability.
 While in the midst of a storm, it is imperative that we recognize
who our Lord is. We cannot be filled with doubt and expect the
Lord to move in our midst. We must see Him as the sovereign,
powerful God He is. We must believe that He is more than able to
meet our needs!

B. A Prayer of Submission (30) – Lord, save me. Peter was
admitting to the Lord that he needed His help. He knew without the
help of Jesus, he would surely perish. Peter knew he was in a
desperate situation, one he could not handle himself. If he was to
survive, Jesus would have to save him. He submitted himself to the
authority and power of the Lord.
 There is no need to expect the Lord to help in our situation as long
as we are trying to handle it ourselves. We must get to the place
where we realize it is beyond our ability to handle, fully submitting
to the power and authority of Jesus! As long as we are trying to
handle it, Jesus will likely let us; but when we realize our inability
and trust Him, He will move in our midst.
 We must not miss the greater spiritual truth here. This presents a
picture of man’s inability to save himself. As long as we are trusting
in our own strength, works, or abilities, we remain in peril. It is only
when we admit we can’t save ourselves and trust the Lord by faith
that salvation is received. Faith alone in Christ alone will save!
C. A Prayer of Expectation (30) – Lord, save me. As Peter cried out
unto the Lord, he fully expected Jesus to meet his need. He had faith
that Jesus would respond and save him from his desperate situation.
Had he not shown faith, he may have perished. Faith believed in
spite of the circumstances he faced.
 We too must have faith when we pray. Our prayers will see little
result if we do not expect the Lord to respond. Doubt hinders many
lives. How many times have we asked the Lord to meet a need in our

lives and yet doubted that He would? When we pray, we must
believe in spite of the circumstances we face.
 The same is true regarding salvation. Faith is essential. One must
believe that Jesus died for our sin and rose again. We must have
faith in His ability to save from sin and secure eternal life. Our
salvation isn’t based on our merit or ability, but faith in the Lord’s!
August 30, 2015
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IV. The Power He Received (31) – And immediately Jesus stretched
forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Peter’s faith brought a powerful
response from Jesus. We discover it was:
A. An Immediate Touch (31) – As Peter cried out in faith, Jesus
immediately responded to his need. The Lord was moved by the cry
of Peter. Although the Lord rebuked Peter for lacking the faith to
stand, He responded to his cry of help. Jesus saved him before he
perished.
 I am not advocating that Jesus will answer every prayer we pray
the way we desire immediately. He may want to teach us something
through the storm we face, but He will meet our needs. Even if He
allows us to remain in the storm, we have the assurance that He will
be there with us. It may not be pleasant, but being in the presence of

Jesus while in the midst of the storm is always better than enjoying
the sunshine without Him. He will never leave nor forsake us. He is
preparing a home in heaven for the saved right now. We are secure
in Him.
 When one considers salvation, the touch of the Lord is always
immediate and lasting. When one cries out to the Lord by faith,
believing in Him for salvation, the result is immediate. He doesn’t
send us through a series of steps or tasks in order to obtain
salvation. Faith in the finished work of Calvary is enough!
B. An Illuminating Touch (32) – And when they were come into the
ship, the wind ceased. The average Bible student is aware of the life
of Peter and the failures that came along the way, but I can assure
you that he never forgot this moment. In his time of desperate need,
Jesus reached out and saved him. It must have made a lasting
impact on his life.
 Anytime we encounter the power of the Lord, our lives are never
the same. We may stray and fail at times, but the touch of Jesus is
something we never get over. I still remember the day He touched
me in salvation. There have been many times that the Lord has
heard my prayers and met my needs. Each of those encounters
revealed His glory and taught me more of Him. They create a desire
to be near Him and receive His touch again. A life touched by Jesus
will never be the same as before!
Conclusion: There is no doubt that Peterfaced a desperate situation,
but he was never alone. Jesus responded to his prayer of faith and
met his need. Maybe you are in the midst of a storm right now and

can see no way out. Recognize Jesus, submit to Him, and have faith
that He will respond to your situation. If you have never been saved,
Jesus stands ready to pull you from the sea of sin immediately. He
can deliver you into the safety of the ship of grace. Call upon Him
now! He will respond!
Matthew 14:22-36: “Jesus’ Disciples Become Fearful In The Boat
As They Are Crossing The Sea Of Galilee / Peter Walks On The
Water”
by
Jim Bomkamp
Back Bible Studies Home Page
1. INTRO:
1.1. In the last study we saw that Jesus revealed God’s ability to
meet every need in our lives by miraculously feeding the 5,000
1.1.1. It was just after this that Jesus sent the disciples across the
Sea of Galilee while He stayed behind to pray
1.1.2. The disciples then got into trouble when a storm came up,
and Jesus came back to them walking on the water and stilled the
seas
1.2. In this incident we will see that Jesus is testing the disciples
to see whether or not they have learned anything from His miracle
of the feeding of the 5,000

1.2.1. Oftentimes in our lives as Christians the Lord teaches us
things and then puts us in a test to see if we have learned our lesson
yet
1.2.2. If we don’t learn our lesson the first time God will test us
again afterwards to see if we have learned, for we will continue to be
tested in this way until we learn the lesson
2. VS 14:22-23 - “22 And immediately He made the
disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side,
while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And after He had sent the
multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray;
and when it was evening, He was there alone” - Jesus forced His
disciples into a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and
then sent the multitude away
2.1. I have a theory as to what was happening after Jesus fed
the five thousand. I believe that the twelve actually got carried up in
emotion after seeing Jesus perform this miracle. I think that
perhaps they suddenly began to sense that Jesus could do anything,
and they were beginning to conceive of Him as being the prophesied
Messiah. Therefore, I believe that they became ring leaders among
the multitude and perhaps even tried to incite them to take up Jesus
by force to Jerusalem and make Him king. These are my reasons
for this opinion:
2.1.1. In John 6:14, we read that the effect of Jesus’ performing the
miracle of feeding the five thousand is that the multitude began to
marvel and say aloud that Jesus must be the Messiah who is to
come, and they were intending to come and take Him by force to
Jerusalem to make Him king, “14 When therefore the people saw
the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the
Prophet who is to come into the world. 15 Jesus therefore
perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force,

to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself
alone”
2.1.2. In Matthew 14:22 strong language in the Greek is used in
describing Jesus’ having had to force the disciples into the boat to go
to the other side of the sea, however in a milder language it is
written that He ‘sent’ the multitude away
2.1.3. Luke in his gospel account (which is not meant to be a
sequential account) does not include the next story Matthew has
about Jesus coming to the disciples walking on the sea, but rather in
Luke 9:18-20 we read that the next thing that Jesus did with the
disciples was to ask Him who He was, and to this Peter replied that
He was, ‘The Christ of God’: “18 And it came about that while He
was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned
them, saying, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?” 19 And they
answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but
others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” 20 And He
said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered
and said, “The Christ of God”
2.2. I believe that when the multitude was intending to take
Jesus up by force and make Him king, Jesus was tempted similarly
as He was in His temptation of the 40 days in the wilderness, to take
up the kingdom by physical means, however He rebuffed the
temptation because He knew that He could not be king of the people
without being the king of their hearts, and that He must go to the
cross and pay for the debt of the sins of mankind
2.3. Jesus often went to be alone with the Father in order to
pray, and certainly He knew that He and His disciples needed
prayer at this point in time, for He must have been physically
exhausted after the events of the day
2.3.1. If Jesus the Eternal and sinless Son of God often needed to
retire away to pray to the Father, how much more do we need to do
so in our lives

3. VS 14:24-26 - “24 But the boat was already many stadia
away from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was
contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them,
walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on
the sea, they were frightened, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried
out for fear” - Jesus came to His disciples walking upon the water
3.1. It could be that part of the reluctance of the disciples to
getting into this boat and crossing the sea was that they saw that a
storm was approaching
3.2. The Roman military had divided up night watches into four
3 hour watches, and with this being the fourth watch it was approx.
3 hours before daylight when this incident occurred
3.3. It appears that the disciples had originally begun to head
out across the narrow northern tip of the lake to go from Bethsaida
to Capernaum, on the west side. However the wind and the waves
had now blown them out into the middle of the lake and they were
now about 3-4 miles off of the shore (John 6:19) and at peril of
sinking and drowning in this storm
3.4. We see in this story that in Jesus’ day there was
superstition that existed in people concerning seeing ghosts of
departed people, as exists in our culture even today, and even
though the disciples should have just been trusting Jesus knowing
that since He told them to go across the lake that they were going
across the lake, they instead lost their perspective and became
frightened when they saw Him, thinking He was a ghost
3.4.1. How often the disciple of Christ tends to lose focus upon the
Lord and walking in faith
3.4.2. When the Lord tells you to go across the lake, you are going
to go across the lake
3.5. But, to the disciple’s credit they had remained steadfastly
obedient in trying to row to the other side of the lake, and at this
point they had been working hard rowing for about 8-9 hours

3.5.1. The disciples need to be commended here for continuing
steadfastly in obedience to Jesus command to try to row to the other
side of the lake
3.5.2. One author has written that really the only place of safety and
security is the place of obedience, for as this story illustrates, the
Lord protects those who labor obediently for Him
3.6. When Jesus sent the disciples across the lake He knew that
the storm was approaching and He wanted to teach them a lesson
through the storm, for He realized that they hadn’t learned the
lesson that they were supposed to have learned from His miracle of
feeding the five thousand
3.6.1. We as Christians sometimes become hard of heart and do not
learn the lessons that the Lord is trying to teach us, and this causes
us to have to learn the same lesson over and over again until we get
it
3.6.2. In Mark’s account of this story, Mark 6:51-52, we read that
when Jesus got into the boat with the disciples that the wind stopped
and the disciples marveled because they hadn’t learned anything
about from the incident of the loaves, “51 And He got into the boat
with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished,
52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the
loaves, but their heart was hardened”
4. VS 14:27 - “27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them,
saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid”” - Jesus tells the
disciples to take courage and not be afraid
4.1. The perilous storm which Jesus had previously rescued His
disciples from had been less of a test in their faith, for they had
Jesus with them the whole time, only at that time He was asleep in
the bottom of the boat, however what was more frightening in this
testing was that the disciples were alone and about to perish

4.1.1. In this testing, Jesus is trying to prepare the disciples for the
time when He would no longer be with them, and in the perilous
times they would face then they would need to trust in faith that
though they couldn’t see Jesus with the eye that His presence was
with them none-the-less
4.1.2. The disciples had forgotten that Jesus had previously sent
them out on their missionary journey to preach, heal, and cast out
demons, and that they went out at that time with the authority and
power of Jesus, though He wasn’t physically present with them
5. VS 14:28-31 - “28 And Peteranswered Him and said,
“Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29
And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on
the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he
became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord,
save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and
took hold of him, and *said to him, “O you of little faith, why did
you doubt?”” - Peter walks on the water
5.1. Here again we see the impetuousness of the apostle Peterin
asking the Lord if He could also walk on the water, for it had not
been the Lord’s plan through His walking out to them in the boat
for the disciples themselves to get out of the boat and walk on the
water as He was walking, rather it was just to show them that they
need just to trust Him in every situation and not to have fear
5.1.1. Peter’s impetuousness is also seen in the fact that he
overestimated his own faith and committed himself to something for
which he was not able to perform
5.1.2. However, the Lord did not rebuke Peter in his request, but
seeking to teach him his own vulnerability and lack of faith, He
allowed Peter to walk on the water

5.1.3. It is commendable that Peter ‘asked’ the Lord if he could
walk out on the water and that he did not just get out of the boat
and in faith try to walk
5.1.4. We have to realize that if any of us figuratively get out of our
boat and begin to walk on the water in our lives, and that it is not
the Lord’s will that we do this, that we will sink, for the faith that we
have is not faith in faith itself, not mind over matter, but it is faith
that is placed in the Lord and His Word
5.1.4.1.We Christians are warned not to ‘put the Lord to the test’
and place ourselves recklessly in harms way trusting that the Lord
will protect us
5.2. We can learn from this incident something that can apply
to each day in our life, for just as Peter looked at the wind and
waves and began to sink, if we take our eyes off of the Lord and
begin to look instead at our circumstances, we also will begin to sink
in despair and unbelief
5.2.1. As someone once said, “If we gaze upon the Lord the bigger
and mightier He becomes, and the smaller our circumstances then
become; however, if we gaze upon our circumstances they become
bigger and mightier, and the Lord becomes smaller and smaller”
5.3. I like the fact that because of the Lord’s compassion and
mercy He first saved Peter from sinking before He rebuked him for
his lack of faith
6. VS 14:32-34 - “32 And when they got into the boat, the
wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him,
saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” 34 And when they had
crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret” - When Jesus and
Peter enter the boat the wind immediately stops
6.1. In John’s account, John 6:21, John adds an additional
detail that is very significant yet left out of the other three gospel

writer’s accounts. He recounts for us that when Jesus entered the
boat that the wind immediately stopped but also that they were
immediately at the shore where they had been going, as if they were
transported there, “21 They were willing therefore to receive Him
into the boat; and immediately the boat was at the land to which
they were going”
6.1.1. You see when we allow Jesus to be in our boat with us we will
be truly safe and nothing shall be able to cause real harm
6.2. The effect on the disciples in seeing this miracle is that for
the first time they:
6.2.1. ‘worshipped Him’
6.2.2. began to understand that He was ‘God’s Son’
6.3. It is no wonder that since this miracle had produced this
effect on the disciples that as Luke 9:18-20 reveals to us, Jesus next
asked the disciples the two part question:
6.3.1. ‘Who do people say that I am?’
6.3.2. ‘Who do you say that I am?’
6.4. Notice here that Jesus did not rebuke them for worshipping
Him, for He was the Son of God from all eternity, and He knew that
He was worthy of worship
6.4.1. If Jesus were not God and He did not rebuke people from
worshipping Him this would have been the most evil of things that
He could have done, for a desire to be worshipped was the horrible
sin that caused Lucifer to fall
6.4.2. Notice that much later, after Jesus was raised from the dead,
that in John 20:28 it is recorded that Thomas, after he had first
missed being with the twelve when Jesus appeared to them, when
Jesus appeared next to them he worshipped Him and said, “My
Lord and my God”, as Jesus appeared and asked Thomas to thrust
his hand into His side and feel the spear wound, that in that instance
as in all others in which the disciples worshipped Him after He had

been raised from the dead, Jesus never refused their worshipped nor
rebuked them
7. VS 14:35-36 - “35 And when the men of that place
recognized Him, they sent into all that surrounding district and
brought to Him all who were sick; 36 and they began to entreat Him
that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as
touched it were cured” - The men of that place recognized Jesus
and brought their sick to Jesus so that they might just touch the
fringe of His cloak in order to be healed
7.1. This is just one of many accounts of multitudes of people
coming to Jesus with all of their sick and those afflicted with
demons, and Jesus healing them all
7.2. Here in this incident the people were coming just so that
they might touch the fringe of His cloak in order to be healed, and
all who did so were healed
7.2.1. The multitudes might have heard of Jesus’ former miracle
where the woman with the hemorrage of 12 years came and touched
the hem of his garment in faith and that she was healed
ALAN CARR
Matthew 14:22-33
HIDDEN BLESSINGS IN THE STORMS OF LIFE
Intro: In this passage of Scripture, we find the disciples of our Lord
trapped in the grip of a fierce storm. They find themselves in that
storm, because they have been commanded by the Lord to cross the
Sea of Galilee, v. 22. These men are in the will of the Lord and yet,

we see them struggling against the storm. Try as they might,
however, it appears that they are unable to make any headway. The
wind is in their faces, v. 24. These 12 men are stuck in a storm and
are unable to get out.
Have you ever found yourself in that place? Have you ever found
yourself stuck in one of life's storms, and no matter how hard you
try, no matter what you do, it seems that you cannot make any
headway? Well, we all have times like that! It may seem to you like
the storm will never end and that there is no possible good that can
come from what you are facing. Thankfully, however, there is some
good news for us tonight from the word of God. While the storms of
life are never pleasant, they do produce certain benefits in our lives
that we would do well to make note of this evening. "Now no
chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.: Heb 12:11.
I would like for us to join the disciples this evening in their storm.
As we do, I want to show you that the storms of life contain some
hidden blessings for the children of God. I do not know what kind of
storm you are facing this evening, but I do know that the Lord has a
purpose in allowing that storm to rage in your life. Perhaps that
purpose will become clear this evening as I preach for a while on
The Hidden Blessings In The Storms Of Life.
I. V. 25 STORMS ARE GOD'S MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION
(Ill. The very thing the disciples feared. The sea, was the very thing
the Lord used as the vehicle to reveal Himself unto them. He will do
the same in your life and mine. Notice how Jesus came to them that
night.)
A. He Comes In The Face Of Darkness - The Bible says that Jesus
came to them in "the fourth watch". Sometime between 3 AM and 6
AM, during the darkest hours of the night, Jesus came walking on
the water!

(Ill. You may be walking in darkness this evening and wondering
where Jesus is. You may be facing some of the darkest days of your
life right now. Let me remind you that our God is ever with you,
Heb. 13:5! Let me remind you that even in the darkest hours of life
God is still God and He is still in control of your life. 1 Kings 8:12,
"Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the
thick darkness."; Psalm 139:11-12, "If I say, Surely the darkness
shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.Yea, the
darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the
darkness and the light are both alike to thee." Even the darkest
hours of life cannot hide you from the face of God. He is there even
when you cannot see Him.)
B. He Comes In The Face Of Disaster - The disciples were in a fight
for their lives. Mark 6:48 says that they were "toiling in rowing".
That is, they were struggling against the storm. I get the impression
that these men were afraid for their lives. When they thought all
hope was gone and that they were doomed, Jesus came walking on
the waves!
(Ill. There are times when we all feel like we have lost the battle with
our storm, but may I remind you that just as surely as the Lord is in
control of your blessings, He is also in charge of your storms? When
things look the bleakest, just look around, Jesus is about to show up!
Remember, He may not keep you from going into the storm, but He
will keep you in the midst of the storm! Think of the 3 Hebrews,
Daniel, and Noah. God did not prevent any of these from going into
the storm, but He saved them all in the midst of their storm. What
He did for them, He will do for you!)
C. He Comes On The Face Of The Deep - The very thing the
disciples feared, the raging sea, was the very thing God used as His
vehicle to come to them. What a testimony this was! He was not
telling them that the storm was not fierce, He was telling them that
He was greater than the storm!
(Ill. That is still His word to you this evening! Regardless of what
you are facing in life, remember that Jesus is greater than that

storm you may be facing. If you will be patient and wait for Him, He
will show up right on time. You will see that the storm was used by
the Lord to make Himself clear to you. The very thing you fear will
be the vehicle He uses to show up in your life!)
(Ill. The Apostle Paul - 2 Cor. 12:1-10. God used Paul's storm, a
thorn in the flesh, to show up in and on Paul's life.)
(Ill. What I am trying to tell you is this: "Do not fear the storms of
Life! They have been designed by the Lord as a means of bringing
Him closer to you. He planned them and they are for your good -
Rom. 8:28")
II. V. 25-31 STORMS ARE GOD'S MEANS OF TESTING
A. V. 25-27 They Reveal The Savior - When Jesus did come walking
on the water, the disciples did not recognize Him. They thought He
was a ghost. They cried out in fear. But, thank God, Jesus came with
a message of peace and of power. He came to them with a word of
peace, "be of good cheer." He came to them with a word of power,
"It is I". He came to them with a word of potential, "be not afraid."
(Ill. The storms of life have the potential to reveal the Savior to us in
a way we may have never considered before. When He comes to us,
walking on our storm, He gives us the same message of hope that He
gave to the disciples that stormy night.
1. A Message Of Peace - Note: They were still in the storm when He
told them to cheer up. By His power, the Son of God can give us
peace in the midst of our storms. That is the peace He refers to in
Phil. 4:6-7.
2. A Message Of Power - When Jesus showed up, He came declaring
His identity. "It is I", is an emphatic personal pronoun. It is the
same statement Jesus used when He said, "I am the door"; "I am
the way, the truth and the life."; "I am the bread of life"; "I am the
good shepherd". Do you get the picture? Jesus is telling His
Disciples to "cheer up, God is here!" If we can ever grasp the truth
that Jesus is the great I AM. That He has all power in Heaven and in
earth, Matt. 28:18, then we can enjoy peace in the midst of trials.

3. A Message Of Potential - Jesus also issue a command to His
disciples: "be not afraid." This statement literally reads, "You stop
fearing and don't you ever fear again." You see, if we can ever get
hold of the fact that Jesus is in control of every area of our lives, that
He is God, and that He possesses all power, then we can come to that
place where we can trust Him fully through all the storms of life.
(Ill. The storms of life are a blessing because they reveal the Savior
in a brand new way.)
B. V. 28-29 They Refine The Saint - When Peter heard that it was
the Lord, Peter wanted to join Jesus in walking on the water. Jesus
simply told Peter to come. Peter obeyed and he too walked on the
water. Jesus used the storm as a means of helping Peter grow in the
faith.
(Ill. When the storms of life are howling all about us, if we can get
hold of the truth that Jesus is the Master of the Storm, then we too
can rise above our circumstances and walk on the waves with the
Lord. I realize that Peter's walk didn't last long. In just a moment
he took his eyes off the Lord and he began to sink. However, Peter
had a story that none of the other disciples had! Peter was the only
one who could say, "I walked on my storm!" The storms of life will
focus our faith if we will allow them to. God van use the difficult
days to teach us more about Himself and to help us grow in the
Lord. He will use the storms to make you more like Him.
Remember, there were 12 men in that boat, but only one could say
he walked on the storm like Jesus.)
C. V. 30-31 They Remind The Saint - Peter wanted to walk on water
like Jesus. He put the Lord to the test and stepped onto the waves.
However, he soon took his eyes off the Lord and when he did, he
found himself in trouble. He remembered Who was in control and
he called on the Lord and found the help he needed.
(Ill. The storms of life also serve to remind us of Who is in control.
Like Peter, there are times when we get our eyes off the Lord during
our storms. When we do, we are doomed to fail. We need to

remember Who is in charge of this whole thing. You see, if we
successfully navigate the stormy waters of life, we deserve no credit
for our abilities or our success. If we are successful, it is because
there is One Who is greater than we are holding our hand! Our
success in the storms of life hinges upon our being willing to
acknowledge Jesus as the Master of the storm.)
III. V. 32-33 STORMS ARE GOD'S MEANS OF TESTIMONY
A. They Testify Of His Power - Jesus calmed the storm! He didn't
say a thing, He just got into the boat with the disciples and the sea
was calmed.
(Ill. One day, he'll do the same in your life! The storm will rage until
it has accomplished His purpose and then He will cause the winds to
cease for you. All He is trying to get us to see this evening is that He
is in control of the storms of life. It isn't me and it isn't you. Jesus is
the Master of the Sea and He is the Master of the Storm as well.)
B. They Testify Of His Person - When Jesus stilled the storm, the
disciples knew that they were in the presence of God. They
confessed Him and they bowed before Him in worship. His power in
the storms and over the storms of life testify of His person. They tell
us that He is God and that He is in control of all the affairs of life.
When the storms come, they are designed to bring us to the place
the disciples found themselves in at the end: on our knees in worship
before Him.
(Ill. Here is a secret to make the storm much more bearable for you:
Don't wait until the storm is over to bow before Him. Bow now,
while the waves are still threatening your boat. Bow now, while the
winds are still contrary to you. Don't wait until blue skies are seen to
humble yourself before the Lord. Nothing reveals your faith in the
Lord more than you being willing to accept His will and love Him,
even when things look the worse for you. Bow before Him, it honor
the Lord!)
Conc: Sometimes, it is hard to see the blessings for the storm, isn't
it? Sometimes it is hard to imagine the Lord bringing any good out

of what you are going through. I don't know the nature of the storm
you are facing this evening, but I know the One Who still walks on
the waves. I know that is you will bring your need to Him, He will
hear you and He will help you tonight. Who knows, He might just
show up this evening striding on your storm. If you need help from
the wave walker, then this alter is open. Bring your need to Jesus
and let Him have His way in your life. Will you do that right now?
The Possibility of the Impossible
Matthew 14:22-36
Dr. S. Lewis Johnson gives exposition about Jesus' encounter with
Peter and the disciples as he walked out to their boat during a storm
on the Sea of Galilee.
We are turning to Matthew chapter 14 and verse 22 through 36 for
our Scripture reading. Now, for those of you who were not here last
week, the context is the context of the day of the feeding of the 5,000,
and it is the evening of that day that we read about in verse 22 and
following:
“And straightway, Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a boat
and to go before him unto the other side while he sent the multitude
away. And when he had sent the multitudes away he went up into a
mountain privately to pray; and when the evening was come, he was
there alone. But the boat was now in the midst of the sea tossed with
waves for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the
night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the
disciples saw him walking on the sea they were troubled saying it is
a ghost and they cried out for fear. But straight way Jesus spoke
unto them saying, ‘Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.’ And Peter
answered him and said, ‘Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee
on the water.’”
(Iincidentally, that “if” is not the “if” of doubt, but the “if” of the
assumption of reality, very much as our “if” in English. If I should

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