Address—Jim Hyland
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I'd like to start the meeting this evening with 171. He bids us come his voice we know, and boldly on the waters go to him, our God and Lord. We walk on life's tempestuously, for he who died to set us free have called us with His word 171.
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Let's ask God's help and blessing our blessed God and Father. We're so very thankful tonight for thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. And we thank Thee for that one who has not only become our Savior, saved us from the just penalty of our guilt, saved us from a lost eternity, but we're thankful for that one who's living for us, that one who's preserving us all along the path of faith and service. And now, as we take by living Word and open it once again, we pray.
That Christ might be ministered to us in the power of the Spirit, that there might be that which would exercise us, refresh us, encourage us, edify us, perhaps even correct or admonish, whatever the need might be. Our God and Father. We pray that that need might be met from thy living word in the power of the Spirit. So we only have no might of ourselves, but we look to Thee for help and blessing, asking it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and for his glory.
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Amen. Turn with me please to the 14th chapter of the book of Matthew.
Matthew, chapter 14 and we'll begin reading at verse 22.
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and to go before him unto the other side.
Well, he sent the multitudes away, and when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray.
And when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the 4th 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 spirit.
And they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake 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. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink. He cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore did thou doubt?
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth, Thou art the Son of God. Now just hold your finger here. We're going to come right back to this portion. They want to read 2 Old Testament portions, the first one in Psalm 107.
Psalm 107.
Beginning at verse 23.
They that go down to the sea, and ships that do business in great waters. These see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep, for he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heavens. They go down again to the depths. Their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm so that the waves thereof are still. Then they are glad because they be quiet. So he bringeth them onto their desired haven, and one more portion in Isaiah.
Chapter 43.
Isaiah Chapter 43.
And verse one.
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed the. O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee. Well last night Brother Sean gave me the subject and the incident in the this gospel that I'd like to take up. He didn't know that he was going to do that.
But in being exercised as to what I should take up this evening, I really didn't know what the Lord would have until last night. And then it was confirmed this morning by one of the questions that was asked and answered. And so the Lord works in different ways. And I trust that it has been a work of the Spirit of God to bring this subject before our hearts because, you know, we've had a wonderful time here at this camp. It's been a little Oasis in the wilderness journey.
It's wonderful to be together with those of like precious faith, to get away from the daily grind of work. And yet we're anticipating if the Lord leaves us here leaving in a day or so, and we're going to go back to that which we left behind, and you children and young people are going to start school again. Many are going to go back to work and to other activities. These little Oasis don't last very long on the path of faith and service.
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And we're going to go back to where the rubber meets the road. We're going to go back to where our Christianity is really going to be put to the test, where faith is going to be tested time and time again.
If the Lord leaves us here, and I've enjoyed in a very practical way this little incident that we read of.
In the life of the Lord Jesus. Now, before I bring out what is particularly on my heart in connection with this story.
I would just say that Matthew's Gospel is the gospel that is most Jewish in its character. It has the most Old Testament quotes, and it is the gospel that is most dispensational in its character. And in this chapter there is a dispensational picture that I think is very helpful for us to get a hold of in the incident before, as has been pointed out, we have what we often refer to.
As the feeding of the 5000 where the Lord Jesus used the disciples to distribute those few loaves and fishes.
To the multitudes. But you know, if we were to go to John's gospel, we would find that after he fed the multitude, they desired to come and to force him to be king because of the loaves and fishes.
I mean, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a king who could sit thousands of people down and without any effort, take a few loaves and fishes and feed them? And I suppose they thought too, this would be the right man to break the yoke of Rome and to bring them into freedom in that way. But it was all the wrong reason and the wrong motive. That's not why the Lord Jesus wanted them to desire him to be their king.
And so we find that he disappears from them, and he goes up on the mountain to pray. And so the feeding of the 5000 is a picture of his desire to bless his earthly people, Israel. But they reject him, and he goes up on the mountain. It's a picture of where he is now. Later on, too, we have a little prophetic picture with the disciples in the ship, which is so often in in the Gospels, a picture of the Jewish remnant in the coming day.
When they finally recognized the Lord Jesus as their rightful king and the only one who can calm the waves and bring them into blessing. And if we were to read the end of the chapter, we would find that when the storm ceases, they come over into the land of Genesrit, which means the garden of the Prince and those that are brought to him are perfectly made whole. It's a picture of a millennial scene in a coming day when there's going to be tremendous blessing.
For that nation and for the whole world. But that's not what I have on my heart this evening. I want to go through these verses and make some very practical applications for you and for me. Because while Scripture may have a certain meaning and context and perhaps a prophetic and dispensational character, there's always a present application. And there's a practical, there's some practical things in this, this portion.
That I trust, brethren, will encourage us, whether a child here, whether you're a young person, whether you're raising a family or like some of us, a little further along in the path of faith and service. And so we find, as this scene opens, the Lord Jesus is on the mountain praying. But before he does that, he constrains his disciples to get into a ship and to go to the other side.
For our purposes, we'll take it up in what it says in Corinthians. The love of Christ constraineth us.
And I trust, brethren, that as a result of our being here this week or whatever few days we've been, you've been privileged to be here.
I trust that our hearts have gone out more to the person of Christ. We've taken up many things in these meetings, but it has no effect to the heart that isn't attracted to the person of Christ. It's the love of Christ that constrains us. And here we find the disciples acting under the constraint of the Lord Jesus, and in obedience to His word, they get into this ship to go to the other side.
You know, if our hearts are affected, then our feet are going to follow. Sometimes when we talk about obedience to Christ, people think, oh, it's a hard thing, but it tells us in another place. If a man loved me, he will keep my words. My commandments are not grievous when the heart is involved. A request has the power of a command. It's not a difficult thing. And so they get into this ship and it tells us, I think it's in Mark's Gospel.
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That they were going to go over to the other side, to a place called Bethsaida.
Because Bethsaida is the place of fruit, I don't pay particular attention to names and their meanings as they appear in the word of God, but there are a few that have grabbed my attention and this is one of them.
And I just want to apply it in this way. When the heart is engaged and there's obedience to the word of the Lord, and we are in the plot path and place where he desires us to be, then we are There is going to be fruit in our Christian life, and that's what he desires from you and from me. He wants there to be fruit in our lives. Fruit is really the expression of Christ in our lives, and there can only be that expression.
That fruit as say, in the measure in which our hearts are engaged, and there's obedience in the path of faith and service. And so he dismisses the multitude, and he goes up on the mountain to pray.
It's a picture of where the Lord Jesus is now. The Lord Jesus has gone on high to fill all things.
Because Christianity links us with the man in the glory. That's one of the things that is unique to Christianity. I remember some years ago some of you were there being at a Bible conference where the question was raised, what is Christianity and how can we sum up Christianity? And someone said Christianity can be summed up in one word, Christ. But that needs explanation.
Because it's not Christ in the relationship that the disciples had with Him on earth, nor is it Christ in the relationship that his earthly people, the Jews, will yet have with him in the coming day.
No, it's Christ where he is. Now henceforth know we no man after the flesh.
For though we knew Christ after the flesh, henceforth know we him no more.
Christ. We are linked with Christ now by the Spirit of God, where he is now.
Someone has said Christianity starts the other side of the cloud. You remember after the Lord Jesus had remained on earth after his resurrection long enough to give complete and ample testimony to his own that he had bodily risen from the dead. A moment came when at at outside Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he lifted up his hands and blessed the disciples. His feet left planet Earth.
And it says the cloud received him out of their sight, and they saw him no more. And then on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit was was sent down to link those believers not only together into the Church of God, but to link them with their head, the glorified man at the right hand of God in heaven. And, oh brethren, we need to get a hold of this in our soul. We're linked with a glorified man.
And as the Lord Jesus was there on the mountain, what was he doing? He was praying.
And I know our brother brought this before us the other evening, but I'd just like to echo some of the things that were brought out.
Because there, the Lord Jesus is praying for you and for me every hour of every day. I find that a tremendous concept to get a hold of in our souls. We think of the privilege of prayer in our own lives, so we can pray concerning our own needs and difficulties. We can pray concerning the needs of our family. We can pray for one another, as we are so often exhorted to do. But isn't it wonderful to think that there's one who's praying for us?
One who's interceding for us every moment of every day. You know, sometimes I'm not aware of my own needs. I forget to pray for the needs of my family or others. But there's one who knows our every need and he doesn't forget to pray for his own. What a resource we have. But again, I want to just make a few comments in connection with the two offices that the Lord Jesus is fulfilling in heaven for us now.
As praying for us, because this was brought out the other evening. He's there first of all, as our high priest.
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Now again, as we had the other evening, it's illustrated by type in the 17th chapter of Exodus.
Because there we find that the children of Israel in the wilderness were faced by a very real enemy, Amalek. An Amalek is a picture to us in the Old Testament of Satan's working on the flesh. I say that because Esau was a grandson, or Amalek was a grandson of Esau, and Esau was a man who sold his birthright for momentary gratification.
And it was Amalek that the children of Israel faced in the wilderness. It's the work of the enemy to hinder our walk with God through this wilderness world, and he does it by working on the flesh.
But we find that the secret of their victory that day was that quiet, hidden work that was going on on the mountain nearby.
Because Moses, a picture of the Lord Jesus, went up and sat down on the mountain.
And Aaron and her came and stayed up his hands till the going down of the sun.
Now I think we see very quickly that Aaron, on the one hand, is a picture of the high priestly work of the Lord.
Now I realized that at that point Aaron hadn't been officially put into the priesthood. But I think we see the picture very clearly. And if we I can just summarize again what was brought out the other evening, the high priestly work of the Lord Jesus is to preserve us in the path of faith and service. It's to keep us from falling. And it tells us in Hebrews he has a continual priesthood. It's not. Or as you know, if you notice your margin.
It's not one that passes from one to another. You know, from the time I was nine years old till I was about 4045, perhaps I had the same doctor and he finally retired and I had to start all over again. It was frustrating and maybe you've experienced it. Maybe you've had someone that's helped you in business, you've had a lawyer or a consultant, and all of a sudden they retire. And you say that person knew us from the ground up and now we had to start all over.
But you never have to start all over with the Lord Jesus. As our High priest, He has a continual priesthood. He knew me before I was born. I was chosen in him before the foundation of the world. He knows my family background, He knows my down sittings and my uprisings. And he's living to make intercession for me, to preserve me in the path of faith and service. And then we have, on the other hand, a man named her.
Now we often say, and and rightly so, as was brought out already this week, that her pictures to us the advocacy of Christ. Why do we say that? Well, again, His name. I believe the meaning of his name is significant because her means purity and he's a picture of the Lord Jesus as the Advocate in the aspect of what it says. In First John, we have an advocate with the Father. I want you to notice this.
Jesus Christ the righteous. And so if His high priestly work is to preserve me.
Then his advocacy is to restore me when I sin, when I fail. But he's a righteous advocate, because when I sin, it's just as if the Lord Jesus in the presence of the Father says I paid for that sin. There's no compromise in my forgiveness. The sin has been paid for, and I have a righteous advocate. This might be a very feeble illustration, but suppose I go against society and I'm brought up to the judge.
And I'm a good talker. I get a good lawyer. He might let me go, but if I'm really guilty, he's not a righteous judge. But if the judge says now, Jim, I know you're guilty and the penalty is thus and so but I'm going to pay the penalty so you can go free. Now he's a righteous judge because the claims of society have been met. And notice too that it's an advocate with the father. Now. His high priestly work, as it is taken up at length in the book of Hebrews, is with God.
Because when it's with God, it's power, and it's the power to preserve me in the path of faith and service.
But his advocacy is with the father, because that's relationship and I know some of you young people, when you go to school or work, you're bombarded by Christian friends and other fellowships who are taught.
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That if you sin, you can lose your salvation. But to me that verse in First John is one of the Clearest verses.
As to eternal security, if it said we have an advocate with God, we might well wonder if the relationship is broken. But it's an advocate with the Father, showing that when I sin, in no way is the relationship broken, but I do have to do with my Father. And so we have that advocacy. But let me just say this too before we pass on. I believe in the measure in which we avail ourselves of His high priestly work.
We won't need his advocacy. And the Lord had said to Peter too, I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. And if Peter had only availed himself of that resource, he never would have denied the Lord three times with oaths and curses. Thank God Peter was a real disciple, a real believer, and there was restoration for him. And so we have this resource, the Lord Jesus praying for us at the right hand of God.
Now, if we were to go to another gospel, there's an interesting comment there. I think it's already been brought out.
But that we don't have in this gospel. That to me is so very precious, because as the Lord Jesus was there on the mountain praying, Mark's Gospel tells us he saw them toiling and rowing.
Maybe there's someone here this evening and you say no one knows what I'm going through. It's OK to take these things up from the word of God, but you don't understand. I'm toiling and rowing in my life. Maybe there's someone here and you're having inward struggles. Personally, you're toiling and rowing. Maybe there's family situations sometimes. The assembly. I have no doubt there's brethren here tonight who are burdened as they think of having to go back to the little assembly that they came from.
And you're toiling and rowing and you say nobody knows we can't share it with anyone. There's one look up. There's one tonight who sees you toiling and rowing. He knows all about it and he's praying for you. And more than that, he not only sympathizes with what you're going through, he empathizes. He, in the days of feeble flesh, poured out his cries and tears.
And though ascended feels afresh what every member bears, it says we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
And I want you to notice this that was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. Do you realize there's nothing that we pass through in the path of faith and service that the Lord Jesus as a man hasn't felt himself? You know, the Lord Jesus knew what it was to be a child growing up in this world. He knew what it was to be a young person. He knew what it was to be a misunderstood. He could say Reproach has broken my heart.
You know what it was to be weary, to be thirsty, to be hungry, to suffer physically. Could say all my bones are out of joint.
He felt those things as a man. And as I just quoted, though, he's ascended at the right hand of God, he's the same man. And so he not only is with us in the trials, he not only sympathizes, but he empathizes. We like to have someone with us in a trial, but isn't it more wonderful to have someone who's been through a similar circumstance? You say that person knows what I'm going through. They understand the pain of my heart and soul.
And so the Lord Jesus was there on the mountain, and he was alone. Now again, just to take this a little bit out of context of the.
Picture we have here, you ever feel alone? You know, sometimes I felt alone. I felt alone in a crowd. The Lord Jesus, you know, it says on another occasion. And he being alone, his disciples were with him.
I find that a very interesting statement. Those that were closest to him in his public ministry were surrounding him, and yet he felt alone, alone in his exercise before the Lord. And sometimes we feel that way, don't we? We feel alone. Loneliness is a very real thing. But you know, he has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. We never really alone if we're walking in the conscious sense.
Of the Lord's presence with us. Well, then we find that the ship is now in the midst of the sea. And it's interesting because these disciples might have thought, well, have we really come the right way? Is this really where the Lord wants us? There's a storm, The wind is contrary. But they had come there under the loving constraint of the Lord Jesus. They had come there in acting in obedience to His word.
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It's similar to again in the 17th of Exodus, when the children of Israel came to refer them, there was number water for them to drink.
But it says they came there by the commandment of the Lord. They didn't miss the mind of the Lord in coming to refit them. They come there under His direction. And I believe what we learned from this is that sometimes the Lord brings us to certain points in our lives to test our faith and to prove his faithfulness. And I believe that's why he had brought them to this point here and allowed this storm.
And so we find that the wind. Notice the end of verse 24. The wind was contrary. Now we're going to come back to this wind later on. But I believe this wind we can apply in connection with what it says in Ephesians Chapter 2, The Prince of the Power of the Air. There is a contrary wind arrayed against us in this incident. In John's Gospel it calls us it a great wind. And we have a great enemy. Thank God we have one who's more powerful than the enemy.
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. We have one whose all powerful, but let's not underestimate that contrary wind, the Prince of the power of the air, and we'll come back to this in a few moments. Well then we find in verse 25 he comes to them in the 4th watch of the night. Now as I said earlier, Matthew is the gospel that is most Jewish in its character.
And there are things in Matthew's Gospel that are unique to Matthew that you don't get in any of the other four Gospels. And it's very significant, I believe, to notice that the Jews had three watches, the Gentiles had four. And in the gospel that is most Jewish in its character, he uses the Gentile reckoning of time. Brethren, we're in the 4th watch now. The 4th watch for the Gentiles was the last watch just before the dawn.
Brethren, can we doubt that we're just at the end of this dispensation, that the dawn is about to break? The Lord Jesus is about to come. Let's take heart. Let's take courage. I'm not going to underestimate the waves in your life and mine. I'm not going to underestimate the contrary or the great wind that is arrayed against us. But as a brother many years ago on the Canadian in the Canadian Maritimes told me. Remember Jim?
Two things. The darkest part of the night is just before the dawn.
And when a mariner is in a ship, he can tell when he's getting close to land because the water will all of a sudden become rougher.
Is the night dark morally and spiritually in this world? Are the waves high circumstantially in our lives? Oh brethren, let's take heart. Let's not be discouraged. Let's realize that we're in the 4th watch. The Lord Jesus is about to come. Well, we find then that the Lord Jesus goes to them walking on the water because again, for our purposes tonight, not only do we have one who's on high praying for us.
Living for us as our high priest and advocate. But we have one who comes to us on the sea of life, one who walks with us again. He could say to the disciples at the end of this gospel. And lo, I am with you always, even under the end of the age. I want to say this because you know, we need to pray and think about things intelligently. And sometimes I hear and I understand what we mean.
Sometimes I hear us pray and ask the Lord to be with us. I don't believe we need to ask the Lord to be with us as much as we need to pray that we would be walking in a way that we would enjoy and discern His presence with us. So we would walk in the conscious sense of the One who's with us, the one who in Hebrew says I will never leave the nor forsake thee. He's always there, whether we're conscious of His presence or not.
And we find that when the disciples lookout and see the Lord Jesus, they didn't discern who it was walking on the water.
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And what was the result? They were troubled and I have to can only speak from my own experience.
As I have gone through the storms of life, sometimes I have been troubled and afraid. Why? Because I haven't recognized the Lord Jesus there in the storm with me. But notice what has happened. And brethren, if we get nothing else out of this little talk this evening, I want us to get these next couple of points. Because we find that as they look out and they're troubled, immediately the Lord Jesus speaks to them.
And he calms their fear. And I want to notice what he says in verse 27.
First he says, be of good cheer. Now you often have that expression in Scripture. We find if we were to go back, I think it's to the 9th chapter. There was a man sick of the palsy, and the Lord healed him. But before he healed him, he said, be of good cheer thy sins, be forgiven thee. Wasn't that greater than being healed of his physical malady, the comfort and cheer that must have brought to the man's soul?
And so some of us here look back over many years, Some look back over a few years, maybe even just a few days. But what cheer to our souls when our we realized our sins were forgiven based on the work of the Lord Jesus in John 16, the Lord Jesus before he left the disciples to go to the cross, he said in the world ye shall have tribulation. He didn't promise them it was all going to be smooth sailing. But he said be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
Paul was encouraged at a difficult time in his life to be of good cheer.
And later on, when he was in the ship, and the ship was about to be wrecked and broken up, why he took that cheer that he had received from the Lord. And he stood in the midst of those that were in the ship, and he encouraged them to be of good cheer. And I like what it says in that 27th of acts that says Then were they all of good cheer? Brethren, isn't that what we need today? We need to be encouraged in our own souls so we can encourage one another. We don't have to look today for things to discourage. There's plenty on every hand.
But what we do need to do is focus on those things that encourage to to, to encourage us to put courage in. And we need courage in. We get it first of all from the Lord, and then to pass that on to our brothers and sisters. That's what we need to build one another up to encourage. I don't mean we ignore those things that need to exercise us. And sometimes things need to be taken up and discussed and dealt with for the Lord's glory. I understand that.
But I say we need to focus on those things that encourage and encourage one another. In the Lord, David encouraged himself in the Lord. Then he went down and encouraged his mighty men that were with him. And there was a great victory in connection with Ziklag that day. But now I want to notice these next 3 words.
If we can just get a hold of these next three words, brethren, I believe it will carry us through on the sea of life as we go through the storms that the Lord allows, he says. To them it is.
I Are you going through some storm in your life? Does the the enemy seem arrayed against you? Just stop and listen over the roar of circumstances.
Over the roar of the wind and the waves, hear the Lord Jesus say.
It is I.
I've brought you here. I've allowed the storm, but I'm here with you. I'm above the storm. I'm in control.
It is I to my own soul. These are the most precious words of this holy a whole circumstance, this whole story. It is I. And then he said, be not afraid. How could he say such a thing?
His presence it is I be not afraid. We read in Isaiah chapter 43, where he says, fear not, for I am with thee. I have called thee by thy name. I have redeemed thee. Can anything change that? Rather not for a moment. Then he says when you pass through the waters, I'm with you. The floods, the rivers aren't going to overflow you. That's the promise we can hold on to.
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And so he says, it is I be not afraid. And then we have Peter. Dear beloved Peter. You know, we so often shake our heads at Peter. Poor Peter. And Peter had lessons to learn. But I want to encourage you, when you take up the life of Peter, to look beyond the things that Peter said and did. Sometimes Peter spoke before he thought. Sometimes it perhaps would have been better for him to sit in wandering silence and learn.
But Peter did love the Lord. He styled himself as the disciple who loved Jesus, not the disciple whom Jesus loved. And he had lessons to learn, I will grant you.
But I love this incident in Peter because here Peter looks out and he sees he recognizes who it is.
And he says, Lord, if that's really you out there, I don't want to be in the ship, and you out there, Peter says, And I covered it for my own soul. Lord, bid me come unto thee on the water. Peter wanted to be closer to the Lord. Oh, I realized he had a lesson to learn. And the Lord sought so graciously to teach his disciple this lesson. But he says, Lord, I want more of your company.
Is that really what you and I want? More of the Lord's company? And you say, how could Peter dare to step down out of the boat onto the water? One word, brethren, Come. Peter learned that not only did he want the Lord's company, but the Lord wanted his company. And that's what the Lord wants. He wants to walk us, to walk on the sea of life, hand in hand.
With himself, one word come, and Peter steps down out of the boat, not to go away from the Lord Jesus. Jonah, in contrast, went and got in a boat to flee from the presence of the Lord. Peter stepped out of a boat to go to Jesus, and he stepped out and he walked on the water to go to Jesus. That's what it says, brother. He walked on the water.
Peter, I believe, learned by practical experience a lesson that all the other disciples, though they observed, did not learn in the same way. Peter learned that not only was the Lord Jesus above the storm, not only could the Lord Jesus walk on the water, but he could walk on the water in company with the Lord Jesus as well. And we sang, the wave is firm as rock.
And so Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus. But now I want to notice this wind again.
In verse 30. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to think. You know, we often say, I've said it myself. When Peter saw the waves, he began to think. But that is not what Scripture says. And in the other two gospels, where it's mentioned, you have the same expression or similar. It was not when he saw the waves that he began to sink, It was when he saw the wind. What do we learn from that? Now remember what we said about the wind?
It's a picture to us of that the enemy, the Prince of the power of the air, that force that is arrayed against us. And if you and I get our eyes on that contrary wind, if we get occupied with the power of the enemy, we're going to sink on the sea of life as well. We're no, we're no match for the enemy. And so when he saw the wind, he began to sink. But thank God he knew where to cry. He cried out. Lord.
Save me. You know, salvation is taken up in different ways in the scripture. Usually when we think of it, perhaps, or at least in its initial phase, we think of the salvation of our souls. And certainly that's the beginning when we come to know the Lord Jesus is our Savior. We're saved from our sins, save from hell, and save for heaven. But salvation is taken up in other ways. There's a salvation that the believer is still waiting for.
The salvation of our bodies, that's what it means when it says now is our salvation nearer than when we believe we're waiting for that. And uh, perhaps this evening that's going to take place when the Lord gives the shout. But in between there's a salvation that is very real and ongoing, and that, as we've alluded to earlier, is the preservation of the believer on the sea of life. Again, I think our brother referred to the verse in Romans the other night where we're saved by his life.
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We're saved from hell for by his death, but we're saved or preserved in the path of faith by his present intercessory life for us now. And so Peter cried out. Lord save me, we say poor Peter. But Peter knew where to turn and maybe there's someone here and you say I've really failed and I'm thinking on the sea of life. Oh, just cry out. Because the preserving grace of God and the restoring grace of God are as limitless as his saving grace that has saved us from our sins and from hell. That grace is sufficient.
And we find here the Lord was right there. Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and justice picture it, brethren, Peter and the Lord Jesus walking hand in hand back to the ship.
You know, Peter learned that day again, that night again by experience, that he could no more walk on the water when it was smooth than when it was rough, apart from dependence on the Lord. And you and I are no more, are no more able for the smooth days on the sea of life than we are from the for the rough days on the sea of life. We need that constant dependence. But then notice what it says.
In verse 3432, now Peter got a rebuke, it's true. And then in verse 32 it says And when they were come into the ship, I want you to notice this again about the wind, the wind. Now if we were to go to the incident in the end of Mark 4 where the Lord Jesus was asleep in the boat and they cried out, Lord save us. It says there that he arose and rebuked the wind.
And the waves. And there was a great calm. But there's nothing about a great calm here. It simply says the wind ceased. And any of us who've been out on a body of water in a storm know that when the wind dies down, it doesn't mean the swell stops. It takes time for the swell to die down. And So what do we learn from this? We learn that as far as that contrary wind, the Lord has that all in control.
That's all in His control, but he doesn't promise to take all the waves out of your life and mine. But what he does promise is that we can rise above the storm. And no matter how high the waves of circumstance are in your life and mine, we can walk on the water with Jesus. But I'm not going to stand here and tell you that if you trust the Lord and walk with him, that it's going to be all smooth sailing.
That is not what we are promised in the Christian life. Someone has said we are not promised smooth sailing, but we are promised a safe landing. And so that's why I read and we really won't go back to it for the sake of time. But that's why I read in the 107th Psalm, because there we find he speaks of the storm and they that go down to the sea, they observe the power and the wisdom of the Lord.
And how would we, if we didn't go through the storms of life? How would we, uh, experience the wisdom and power of the Lord in our lives? We've experienced it in those adverse circumstances. And so he speaks of that storm there, but then he says He bringeth them into their desired haven. You know, he had promised the disciples on this occasion that they were going to go to the other side.
And he has given us assurance that we are going to reach the other side. And Brother Nice again, I suggest that we're in the 4th Watch now that just a few more waves, a few more blasts of the enemy, a few more blasts of the contrary wind, and we're going to be brought into our desired haven. And there's going to be no storms there. We're not going to experience the things that we do now, the privilege of walking on the sea of life and experiencing the power of the Lord Jesus.
Now is something that is only given to us now. We're going to sit down in his presence another day. It's going to be calm and peaceful. But oh how, how we're going to look back and marvel at his ways. We're going to wonder that we didn't have more faith, that we weren't more like Peter who said bid me come unto thee on the water. Now just notice verse 33 what it says. And when they were coming to the and when they were in and I'm sorry then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him saying.
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Of a truth thou art the Son of God. You know there was real testimony here again a little contrast in the con, the other incident where the Lord was asleep in the boat. He rose and rebuked the wind and the waves. A a demonstration of his power over creation. They marveled, saying, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? But that's not what happened here.
When they saw the power of one of their own to walk on the water with Jesus.
It produced worship. They came and worshiped saying of a truth. Thou art the Son of God. And I can say in my own experience, that as I have observed dear brothers and sisters in Christ, who have gone through waves of circumstance that I've never been called on to pass through in my experience, and as I have seen their quiet testimony and seeing their their faith as they have risen above the storm with the Lord Jesus.
It has produced worship in my own soul, and that's what it did when they saw the power of one of their own to walk on the water with Jesus, they didn't say what manner of man is this, they said.
This is truly, this is of a truth. Thou art the son of God. O brethren, may this be true in your life and mine. We've taken up this incident so very quickly tonight, but I trust that it will increase, strengthen our faith to just go on. I'm not going to promise you that you're going to go home and find that just because we've been here and enjoyed these things. But things are going to be smoother when you get home. No, the enemy. We're not going to be done with the enemy.
This side of heaven. We're not going to be over the waves of life this side of heaven. But I can promise you, on the authority of God's word, that there's one that's greater than every storm and every blast of the enemy, and one who can carry us through. I'd like to sing in Closing 290 Why those fears. Behold, as Jesus holds the helm and guides the ship, Spread the sails and catch the breezes.
Sent to waft us through the deep 290 if someone complete started.
Call.
Nsnoise.
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Pray our God and Father. We're thankful for that happy shore that we are hoping to land on perhaps this very night. We look forward to that time when the storms of life are over and we are beyond the blasts of the enemy. But in the meantime, we thank thee for the encouragement of a little portion like this. We pray that those things that we have taken up tonight might refresh and encourage us and strengthen us to go on.
The few moments that are left here. So we ask thy blessing on the rest of our evening together, thanking me for all thy love and mercy. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.