[A sermon I preached at the Healing Service in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney in 2005]

• How do you cope with pressure and the stress of living? None of us can escape many of the pressures that come upon us. None of us is exempt from stress. 
• How can one learn to cope better? We get some clues in this passage. 
• The disciples had just witnessed a mighty miracle in the feeding of the 5,000. Now we read (Mat 14:22-23) Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
• I suppose as they set out in the boat they were thinking about the power of Jesus they had just witnessed and wondering what He might do next. They were to experience something that night that would impact on them for the rest of their lives. We can learn from what happened:-

1.   WE ARE TO “TAKE COURAGE” IN DIFFICULT TIMES. 14:22-26

• Here were good men, followers of Jesus and yet they came into a very difficult situation. (Christians are not exempt from hard times. We all have to face them. But the believer is promised God’s help in facing the difficulties.) 
• Jesus had sent his disciples in a boat across the lake while He went up on a mountain to pray. We read what happened, 23… When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. No wonder they were afraid.
•  For one thing the storm looked like claiming their lives, as they appeared helpless in its fury. It might have been only be a matter of time till they drowned. 
• The second thing that really added to their fear was seeing a figure walking on the water towards them. They were terrified it was a ghost. 
• Can you blame them? How often have you been in a small boat in Sydney Harbour and someone walks past you on the water and says “Hi!” and you calmly reply “Lovely night for a walk isn’t it?” If you have had some occurrences like that then I would encourage you to get some prayer tonight! 
• This was something supernatural. They were freaking out. Jesus was aware of their distress, so He called out to them, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
• There was every reason in the world why they might be afraid. But in the presence of Jesus, fear was no longer necessary. 

On many occasions, Jesus saw people in trouble and comforted them with those same words, 

• a man who might never walk again; Mat 9:2, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” Later Jesus healed him. 
• a poor destitute sick woman beyond human help for healing; Mat 9:22, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.”
• disciples who felt that the evil of the world would overwhelm them; Jn 16:33 …  In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
• St Paul almost certain to be murdered by an angry mob. Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
• In all these references, it was as though the Lord was saying to these people in their difficult situations, “Don’t be afraid, trust Me” and He moved to help them.
• He says the same to you and me in our own difficult situations, “Take heart! Trust Me.”” 

2.   WE ARE TO TRUST HIM TO DO WHAT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE

• Peter was almost sure that the figure walking on the water, and speaking to them, was Jesus. He put his faith in Jesus to the test. 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 
• Here is incredible faith in action. Fancy anyone believing that they could get out of a boat in a storm and walk on the surface of the tossing waves. 
• But Peter wasn’t being a fool. If it was Jesus out there, and if Jesus told Him to walk to Him on the water, then and only then would he get out of the boat and walk to Jesus. 
• This wasn’t presumption on Peter’s part. He was going to trust Jesus if Jesus told him to come to Him. He heard the reply from Jesus, “Come. “

Faith in Jesus to do the impossible

Then follows one of the greatest moments in human history. 

• It may have been a great moment in human history when Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission stepped onto the surface of the moon and said,  “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. 
• But perhaps one of the greatest steps of faith in human history took place as Peter obeyed the invitation from Jesus, got out of the boat and began to walk on the water to Jesus. 
• I don’t think we realise just what a step of faith that was. We think more about Peter’s ultimate later failure than we do about his initial success. 
• For the first time in history, a human (in addition to Jesus) actually walked on the surface of a lake. 
• Unfortunately the part we remember about Peter is that he allowed fear to enter in. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

He began to focus on the problem, the force of the wind and the waves. 

He looked away from the solution, away from Jesus. 

• He began to sink as we all do when we take our eyes off the Lord and focus on the problems around us.
• How often do you and I keep focussing on the problem we face and keep thinking about the implications of the danger we face. 
• How often do we leave the Lord out of our calculations? 

Faith in Jesus when things go wrong

Things were going terribly wrong for Peter. His faith was challenged as he began to sink. 

• But again he exercised his faith in the midst of his dangerous situation, and looked to Jesus for help,  and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
• We read what happened, Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 
• The impression is given by Jesus’ words that if Peter had continued to look to Jesus in faith and trust, he would have been given the power to continue to walk on water to Jesus. 
• Peter’s little faith had allowed him to take some steps on the water. 
• Peter’s little faith enabled Jesus to get him out of trouble as Peter sank. 
• At times we may step out in faith trusting the Lord to uphold us. 
• At times we may need to cry out in faith when we begin to sink in the difficulties around us. 
• It’s good to know He is there for us when we are walking in victory.
• It’s good to know that He is there for us when we are facing defeat. 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

The incident also records a rebuke and an encouragement from Jesus. 

3.   WE CAN HAVE “GREATER” FAITH

We would have seen Peter’s step as coming from great faith. What did Jesus say? “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

• Jesus had seen Peter walking on the water and yet He rebuked him for having little faith. 
• I would have thought it was great faith, tremendous faith to walk on water. 
• But obviously, my understanding of faith needs to be broadened and deepened. 
• Can a deeper faith open the door to more of God’s power? 
• There were several times when Jesus challenged his followers, by saying they had little faith. 
  • We see it in Mat 6:30, where Jesus told his followers that they could trust Him to provide for their material needs. There was no need for them to be anxious.
  • Sometime after the feeding of the 5,000 and then the 4,000, the disciples went on a journey and they became anxious because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus reminded them that he had fed both the 5,000 and the 4,000, and then he added, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?  
  • He rebuked His followers when they failed to cast an evil spirit out of a boy.  When He cast out the evil spirit they asked Jesus why they couldn’t do it. He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ” Mt 17:20. 
• You and I may have seen some wonderful answers to prayer but I’m sure that for all of us, our faith can grow. 
• Paul prayed for his readers in 1 Thess 3:10, that their faith might grow,  we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. 
• His prayer was answered as we see when he wrote another letter to them saying, 2 Thess 1:3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly 

4.   WE ARE CHALLENGED TO EXERCISE OUR FAITH

The religious leaders of that day would not put their trust in Jesus. But some people did. 14:34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

• The religious leaders who were meant to be the shepherds of the people of Israel rejected Him and rejected what He had come to offer to His people. They mocked Jesus and rejected His help. 
• By contrast, the lowly men of Gennesaret were like the shepherds the leaders should have been. 
  • They recognised Jesus. They spread the message of Jesus’ coming to that region. They gathered up all the sick and brought them to Jesus. They implored Jesus to allow them to touch the fringe of His garment. 
  • Those who reached out to Jesus in faith were healed. 
• Peter had reached out in faith as he began to sink and was restored. 
• The sick in Gennesaret reached out to Jesus and were healed. 

There have been hundreds of people over the last 45 years who have come to the healing service in this Cathedral with the attitude that their situation was hopeless. As they heard the word of God and the promises of God they were able to take their focus off the sheer impossibility of their problem and to look to the Lord for His blessing and healing. He brought them the blessing and healing they needed.

Tonight would you do as they did and reach out to Him for that which you need, whether it be peace in the midst of the difficulties you are facing at this moment or His healing power on your life?   

Posted on Monday 24 July 2023