He Won't Let You Sink | Spiritual Fatigue | Matthew 14 |Give Me Jesus

Introduction and Opening Prayer

Good morning everybody, and welcome to church. It is great to have you all here today. Let us pray: Father, thanks for today, and thank you for the gift of Your Word to us that we can read and learn from. Lord, we thank You that Your Word amazingly somehow fits all cultures and all times with the truth that You convey to us. The truth is unchanging no matter the circumstance it finds itself in. We are grateful to You for the things we hold most common that show Your great faithfulness to Your people through the ages. Lord, I am grateful for Your people and Your body, that we have the opportunity to work out our faith with our brothers and sisters. I pray that You would teach us today, Holy Spirit. I pray that the things that are of You would rest and remain in our hearts, while the things of the enemy would not find any soil. In Jesus' name, amen.

Working On Our Christianity

Today we are going to be in Matthew 14, starting in verse 13. We are continuing our series about "giving Jesus," which is a bit of a silly title since He has already given Himself for us. However, it is good and right for us to want Jesus in our hearts. Just as you should still want to be with your spouse after being married for a long time, I want us to always have that desire to be with God. This series was inspired by the TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, which depicts His life. While such depictions are not the "real" Jesus, they help us revisit the Gospels. There is also a word-for-word series on Matthew in the New International Version that I highly recommend.

I like to revisit these things because it is easy to get caught up in the "business" of being a Christian. In the business world, entrepreneurs often work in their business through brute force rather than working on their business. If you are doing all the labor and marketing yourself, you have no time to make the business bigger than what you alone can accomplish. Similarly, it is good for us to work on our Christianity, not just in it. It is good to take a step back and remember that I came to Jesus because I needed a Savior. Thirty years later, I still need to realize that I need a Savior every day. I do not want holy things to become common.

The News of John the Baptist and the Feeding of the 5,000

In Matthew 14:13, we read that as soon as Jesus heard the news of the death of John the Baptist, He left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. John was Jesus' cousin, and as a human, Jesus was likely grieving his death. Additionally, John's death signaled that he had "decreased" so that Jesus could "increase" on the public stage. Jesus sought time to be alone with the Father and pray, but the crowds heard where He was headed and followed Him on foot from many towns.

When Jesus saw the huge crowd as He stepped from the boat, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples suggested sending the crowds away to the villages to buy food. Jesus responded, "That isn't necessary, you feed them". The disciples were puzzled because they only had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus told the people to sit on the grass, took the loaves and fish, looked to heaven, and blessed them. After breaking the loaves, the disciples distributed them to the people. Everyone ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up 12 baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed, in addition to women and children, meaning there were potentially 40,000 to 50,000 people present.

The Pattern of Seeking the Father

Jesus often tried to find time to be alone to commune with the Father. Even when His plans were interrupted by 40,000 people, He did not miss the need along the way. Jesus gave of Himself repeatedly because He had a pattern of going to the Father, the giver of everything. After feeding the crowd, Jesus insisted that His disciples get into the boat and cross to the other side while He sent the people home. He then went into the hills by himself to pray, and night fell while He was there alone.

I wonder if any of us feel guilty about how busy we are. Often, we are so busy that we forget our response should be to go be alone and pray. I pray that we would become aware of the "dehydration" and fatigue of our souls and look to the Lord like a fresh drink of water. Just as I didn't realize I was physically unwell until I started seeing a doctor and feeling better, we often don't realize our spiritual state until we spend time in prayer. Nothing replaces finding a quiet place to be with the Lord.

Walking on Water and Overcoming Fear

While Jesus was praying, the disciples were in trouble far away from land because a strong wind had risen and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. The disciples were terrified, crying out, "It's a ghost!". Jesus spoke to them at once, saying, "Don't be afraid. Take courage, I am here". Peter then called out, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water".

Jesus said, "Yes, come," and Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. However, when Peter saw the strong wind and the waves, he became terrified and began to sink, shouting, "Save me, Lord!". Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, asking, "You have so little faith, why did you doubt me?". When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped, and the disciples worshiped Him, exclaiming, "You really are the Son of God". Jesus was not showing off; He came to them because He knew they were in trouble in the middle of the night.

Grace in Our Failures

Many of us feel that when we fail to walk in faith, God is angry and wants to punish us. We might feel like we have to "swim back to the boat" on our own after we mess up. But that is not how Jesus treated Peter. Jesus did correct him, but He immediately grabbed him and they walked back to the boat together. God is not angry at you; His wrath was already poured out on Jesus on the cross.

Just as you wouldn't be angry at a toddler for soiling a diaper because you expect there to be a problem, God understands our weaknesses. Walking with Jesus changes you and makes you bold. In our own lives, when we are in distress and the "winds and waves" are high, Jesus comes to us. Salvation is not just a one-time past event or a future event in Revelation; it is happening right now in the middle of our storms. Jesus binds Himself to us in the dark and the troubles of our lives.

Jesus as the Ultimate Solution

After crossing the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. People recognized Jesus, and the news spread quickly; soon they were bringing all their sick to be healed. People begged to even touch the fringe of His robe, and all who touched Him were healed. This was the same area where Jesus had previously cast a "Legion" of demons into a herd of pigs. Back then, the people were afraid and told Him to leave, but Jesus told the delivered man to go and tell everyone what the Lord had done. Now, because of that testimony, the people welcomed Him.

Jesus is the solution to whatever is happening in your life. He was the solution to hunger, to the disciples being lost at sea, and to Peter falling into the water. Whatever is happening—good or bad—Jesus is involved and aware of where you are. If you are hungry, He will feed you; if you are lost in the dark, He will come to you. This is not a fairy tale like Humpty Dumpty; it is a true story about a true God who loves us. When we fail, He doesn't make us swim back; He helps us out of the water and walks with us.

Conclusion and Final Prayer

Father, thank You for today and for leading and guiding us. Lord, I pray that this week You would help us make time to be alone with You. I pray that each person would find five minutes, fifteen minutes, or an hour to respond to Your call to be alone. Let us feel the refreshing You give to our souls through the Holy Spirit. May we find You to be the one who quenches our spiritual thirst. Like the apostles, let us realize that You alone have the words of life. Let us be confident that You will walk with us and teach us. In Jesus' name, amen.