Jesus Come to Us

 

Pastor Jerry was reading from Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus was stressed out and tired and this was the reason he had gone to the desert place hoping for some solitude.

 

When the people followed, he had compassion on them and He ministered until it was now evening. 

 

It was too late to send them away hungry, so Jesus blessed the two fish and five loaves and told the disciples, “You feed the multitude.” 

By this time, Jesus was exhausted.  He dismissed the crowd and requested his disciples to take the boat to the other side, while He went up into the mountain to pray.

You will remember that Peter was a person who quickly changed his mind.  He was impetuous and spoke out of turn many times. 

One instance was when Jesus was washing the disciple’s feet, and Peter spoke up and said, “Never will you wash my feet.”  Jesus said, ‘then you will have no part in me.’

Peter quickly repented and said, ‘not just my feet but my head also.’  Then we know He said he would never deny Jesus, but soon he did just that three times.

While the disciples were rowing to cross the lake, a storm arose and they feared they might sink, but then - - - Jesus came to them walking on the water. 

 

Can you imagine their fear thinking they were seeing a ghost and would surely perish?

^{Matthew 14: 27-31} But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Water can be scary and riding out the storm in a tiny boat is like a cork in a vast ocean.

Ancient civilization believed there was a god of catastrophes, always trying to tear good apart.  We know him as the god of this world, our enemy Satan.

Today people face all types of catastrophes.  Lost jobs, lost homes, broken marriages, child abuse.  The god of catastrophe is alive and hatefully well.

Jesus says to us, “Come onto me.”  When we begin to sink - - He offers us his hand and lifts us up.

Pastor suggested that we too need to stretch out our hands to lift others up.  This can be by our giving, and by prayer, or participating in the lives of others with assistance.

May we risk stepping out into the water and be willing to join in and perhaps do something that we have never done before. 

 

God will offer us His hand and awaken in us a new vision to fulfill His dream