[quote]”But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” – Matthew 14:24[/quote]
This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach at Cross Points Church. I shared a few things God has been teaching me about moving past from a crushed “happily ever after.” If you missed it, I encourage you to take about 30 minutes to listen. You can find it free HERE.
In that sermon, I told the story of John the Baptist in prison (Matthew 11:1-19).
Matthew 14 opens with John the Baptist’s death. Jesus hears of it and attempts to be by Himself. The crowds find Jesus, and He feeds the 5,000. He finally gets alone, then walks across water to meet his disciples. They are duly amazed and worship Him.
Just another day in the life of Jesus.
Matthew 14 is interesting because it simply addresses the facts, not the emotions everyone was dealing with.
The death of John was a blow to those who believed Jesus, as Messiah, would storm the gates of Rome. John’s imprisonment caused this reaction from John himself (Matthew 11:2-3). However, by the end of the day these same men were bowing, worshipping Jesus as the Son of God.
Events in our life can cause us to ask these same types of questions. Does Jesus care about me? Did I truly hear the voice of Jesus? Is Jesus who I thought He was? We feel all alone…
I’ve felt and thought these things multiple times this year.
Jesus answers with 3 simple phrases (as He walked on water toward the disciples):
- “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (vs 27)
- “Come.” (vs 29)
- “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (vs 31 – NKJV)
When events in our lives cause us to question Jesus, He encourages us to do these three things. Fear not and go to Him because there is no need to doubt.
When we do these 3 things, we see that Jesus indeed is Lord, and we have no choice but to bow and worship Him.
PS – If you enjoyed my sermon, you might listen to a 3 part series by Andy Stanley entitled “When God 2013”. It’s free on iTunes (click HERE).
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