Keeping Your Eyes On Jesus
Sunday November 12, 2000
The one thing that we need to learn is to stay focused,
We must always look to Jesus.
We are going to take our text this morning from,
Matthew 14:22-36
22 Immediately after this, Jesus made his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home.
23 Afterward he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.
25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water.
26 When the disciples saw him, they screamed in terror, thinking he was a ghost.
27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “It’s all right,” he said. “I am here! Don’t be afraid.”
28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.”
29 “All right, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
30 But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
31 Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. “You don’t have much faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
32 And when they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.
33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
34 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret.
35 The news of their arrival spread quickly throughout the whole surrounding area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed.
36 The sick begged him to let them touch even the fringe of his robe, and all who touched it were healed.
In the text, Jesus went up on a mountainside, alone, to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone.
There are times when it is good to be alone. Away from the sounds and noise of the normal.
However, when a storm hits, it is a fearful feeling to be all alone.
Only when you know that you are in the presence of someone more powerful than the storm do you feel safe and confident.
The storm is always more powerful than yourself.
And by storm I am talking about the troubles that we face on a daily basis.
When Jesus was on the mountainside praying, he alone only in the sense that He was apart from other people.
He was in the presence of God the Father.
THE DISCIPLES FIND THEMSELVES IN A STORM.
Their boat, some distance from the shore, was being slapped around by the waves because of the wind.
They struggled against the waves.
They were showing signs of fatigue and frustration.
At this point, there is no evidence that they were afraid of the storm itself.
They were too busy trying to fight the storm by themselves to be scared.
Three steps forward and two steps back.
At times, we all feel that the conditions that surround us push us back about as far as we have come.
Situations slap us, test us and harass us.
We struggle against those things that attempt to defer us from our goals and objectives.
The winds of adversity seem to blow so hard that we can imagine not reaching those goals.
Like the disciples, we are not so much afraid of the storm as we are tired and weary of rowing our boat.
We become discouraged, distraught, tired of the circumstances and weary of the winds and waves.
We begin to think we are all alone, no one really cares, we are abandon and forsaken, everyone is against us, we are insignificant and worthless, we have little value and no one seems to care anyway.
We may as well give up and let the wind blow us where it will, we are just too exhausted to care any more.
The disciples being the humans that they were had already forgotten what had just happened the day before, let’s read it in,
Matthew 14:13-21
13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by himself in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed by land from many villages.
14 A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and it is getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus replied, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
17 “Impossible!” they exclaimed. “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish!”
18 “Bring them here,” he said.
19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. And he took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God’s blessing on the food.
Breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave some of the bread and fish to each disciple, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.
21 About five thousand men had eaten from those five loaves, in addition to all the women and children!
Christ had just fed 5,000 men with five loaves of bread and two fish.
He had prepared them for this hour, but they had forgotten the miracle.
It truly amazes me how quick people forget what Jesus has done for them and are always ready to give up!
How quickly they are ready to give up and listen to satan and forget God and what He has done for them.
They were not getting anywhere and becoming a little anxious about their dilemma.
One of the devil’s schemes is to get us weary and tired as to keep us from being spiritually alert.
Suddenly, the disciples became terrified.
They saw what seemed to be a phantom or spirit.
They cried out in fear.
They were stricken with anxiety and terror.
Now they were afraid!
Now they were back to the place that they were ready to call upon the Lord again.
Do you know the good thing about calling on the Lord every time that we get into trouble?
Jesus, unlike people doesn’t say things to us like,
Hey you stupid idiot, what is your problem.
He sure doesn’t say, if you were really saved, you would not feel so stupid!
He wouldn’t say if you are not going to get victory over this wind, I should go find someone else who will.
He wouldn’t say you sorry thing, you’re a waste of time and skin.
He wouldn’t be saying what are you doing out here in the middle of the lake anyway, I have given you plenty of time to cross, what is the problem?
That is not how the Lord responds to us in our time of trouble.
Most people do, but not God!
You might ask, how the Lord does respond?
He will be saying things like, take courage my friend!
Or be encouraged! Or take comfort! Or cheer up!
Look at what He says in,
John 16:33
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
He has overcome the world!
He wants us to keep our eyes focused on Him!
To depend on Him!
After all, He has already done what He said He would do!
This statement is always given with a mark of exclamation. ( ! )
It is I. I am. Literally, I am He. It is me, myself.
The great "I am." I am the Messiah. I am the Bread of Life.
I am from Above. I am the Eternal One.
I am the Light of the World. I am the Door.
I am the Son of God. I am the Resurrection and the Life.
I am the Lord and Master. I am the Way, Truth and Life.
I am the True Vine. I am Alpha and Omega.
I am the First and the Last.
All of these are from John’s writings. Don’t be afraid.
God is everything to everyone!
Look at what the scripture says in,
Isaiah 41:10-13
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
11 “See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and ashamed. Anyone who opposes you will die.
12 You will look for them in vain. They will all be gone!
13 I am holding you by your right hand—I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.
And again in, Isaiah 43:1-2
1 But now, O Israel, the LORD who created you says: “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
Glory to God, He will be there!
God will be with us, all we have to do is ask!
People have got to get over this thing of trying to do everything themselves, they have got to depend on God!
And what does the scripture say in,
1 John 4:18-19
18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.
19 We love each other as a result of his loving us first.
He did not say, "Do not feel fearful."
He said, "Don’t be afraid."
The difference respectively, is between an emotion and a decision.
In the midst of the storm, we are to make a conscious decision NOT to be afraid, even though we may FEEL some degree of fear.
The command is NOT to allow fear to dominate your life, your decisions and your behavior.
IMPETUOUS, IMPULSIVE, SIMON PETER.
In so many of these situations, Simon Peter is an accurate reflection of us today.
Peter responds to the Lord’s three statements.
"Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water."
Peter recognized the Lordship of Jesus over any and all things, even nature.
The "if" here should be translated "since" and should read, "since it is you".
Peter is asking the Lord to "command" or "speak an order" or say for him to come to Him on the water.
It is God’s specific Word to you!
This is a divine utterance to an individual.
This is the confidence behind all faith.
The fact that God has spoken it and it is not just a general statement, rather it is a Word to me in this specific situation.
Let’s read in, Romans 10:17
17 Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news—the Good News about Christ.
The Lord said, "Come."
Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
He was doing fine until he made one mistake. He took his eyes off Jesus.
He was doing fine, he was walking on the water but as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus what happened?
When he took his eye’s off of Jesus, and he felt the wind, and he saw the waves coming up around him, he was afraid and he began to sink.
Peter became aware of the circumstances.
In the midst of the storm, one should never take your eyes and your focus off of the Lord.
It is natural to look at the circumstances.
When we do, we immediately realize that the circumstances are much larger and more powerful than we are.
Then we choose to be afraid.
In the decision to fear, we begin to sink into the circumstances.
Peter cried out and immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.
Peter refocused his attention quickly and cried out to the Lord.
Jesus was right there, immediately.
You might take note, Peter cried out and Jesus was there!
Peter didn’t have time to get into a special position, he didn’t have time to put together a lot of flowery words into a special prayer to mike people proud that he was a good prayer.
Peter only had time to save “ Lord Save Me “!
What was the response of Jesus to impetuous Peter?
I am sure that He didn’t say thing’s like,
You jerk, why didn’t you keep your eyes on me. Or
What is the matter with you, can’t you even walk on a little water. Or
You big dummy, you should not have looked at the wind and the waves.
Rather, He said, "You of little faith, why did you doubt."
Why did you think twice, or think double or why did you waiver in your decision?
Why did you take your eyes off of me?
Well we can read why he took his eyes off Jesus in,
James 1:8
8 They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.
That seems to be the way of the people everywhere, just look at the people today in this country they can’t even elect a President.
Half the people want one thing, half the people want another and on and on we go!
When Jesus and Peter came back to the boat, NOTE, they were walking on the water together.
We can walk on the greatest tempest, when we are walking in unity with Jesus.
There are often some adjustments in our life to be made that will allow us to walk in partnership and unity with Jesus.
We must be in agreement with Him to walk with Him in unity.
But oh the joy that we feel when He puts His loving arm around us and lifts us up, when He answers our cry for mercy!
And look at what Peter said when he was going down, he didn’t have time for a lot of fancy words, he didn’t have time to get himself in a, quote so called position, all Peter had time to do was to call out, “Save Me”!
That’s all he was interested in, being saved!
Glory to God, that same God that reached out for Peter is still alive today and all we have to do is call on His name and he will save us from all of our problems too!
Those who were in the boat, worshipped Him and said, "Truly You are the Son of God."
No matter the storm, no matter the conditions and no matter the circumstances - we are never alone.
The Holy Spirit of God is with us, just as the Person of Jesus was with the disciples.
He is always there, waiting, waiting, for us to come to Him!
HOW ARE YOU HANDLING YOUR STORMS?
LIFE IS FULL OF STORMS.
If you had Doppler Radar, you would be able to see the storms of life coming into your coast and know when they were going to hit.
But even the without God in your life you still wouldn’t be able to overcome them.
Let’s look at what the scripture says in,
John 16:33
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Here again Jesus is telling us that He has overcome the world.
Jesus is on top of the situation!
Look at some of these examples of life’s storms and pressures.
Having too much to do -- over scheduling.
Poor planning - feelings of being overwhelmed.
Expectations and demands from others.
Guilt over unresolved issues and relationships.
Unmet needs: physical, emotional or spiritual.
Falling short of personal expectations.
Challenge to perform or stress of competition.
Fears and anxieties. Illness, recovery or rehabilitation.
Stress becomes distress and begins to effect you physically, emotionally and spiritually.
External trouble: relationships, adjustments and issues pertaining to employment.
Pressures, We are either under pressure, causing pressure or the instrument of pressure to others.
There are those who cannot handle the storms of life and the low pressure systems of depression properly.
Some have panic or anxiety attacks.
Some withdraw and even attempt to hide.
Some detach and attempt to disconnect from their emotions.
Some take their own life or the life of another.
Some redirect their frustration, anger, hostility and even rage, displacing it to others.
The scriptures have much to say about the storms of life.
PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL.
Jesus knew about these storms; He faced them day after day and weathered each one of them.
His family misunderstood Him. The disciples resisted Him.
Impetuous Simon Peter even tried to dissuade Him from going to the cross.
The Scribes and the Pharisees tried to entrap Him.
The Sadducees tried to kill Him.
The Zealots were constantly pressuring Him to revolt against the Roman government.
The priests were continually engineering His death.
And all this was from the religious community !
Satan and all the demons of hell were always trying to discourage or discredit Him.
Satan was always trying to trick Him!
The crowds were constantly pressing upon Him to heal them and meet their needs.
The multitudes followed Him at times only for the food He would give or to watch the miracles He performed.
How did Christ deal with the storms and pressures He faced?
Jesus knew who He was. Let’s read in,
John 8:12
12 Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
He was the Son of the Living God.
He was Light, Life and Love. He was the Word of God in the flesh. We must know who we are.
That’s the important thing, knowing who and where we are!
Look at what the scripture tells us in,
1 John 3:1-3
1 See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people who belong to this world don’t know God, so they don’t understand that we are his children.
2 Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
3 And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure.
We will constantly be driving that perfection that it talks about in Matthew 5:48
Be ye perfect even as your father which is in Heaven is perfect!
Jesus knew who He was trying to please.
Let’s look at, John 8:28-30
28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will realize that I am he and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak what the Father taught me.
29 And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do those things that are pleasing to him.”
30 Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.
He was pleasing His Father.
Who are you trying to please this morning?
We should not attempt to please everyone.
We are to focus on pleasing our Father in Heaven.
We are to be centered in the Word of God.
We are to be authentic in our Love.
We are to be caring in our Attitude.
We are to be genuine in our Response.
We are to be Stable in our Faith.
We are to be pure in our Lifestyle.
We are to be secure in our Hope.
We are to be plentiful in our Works.
We are to be wise in our Decisions.
We are to be gentle in our Reactions.
We are to be peaceful in our Relationships.
We are to be a reflection of Jesus Christ.
Let’s look again in, 1 Thessalonians 4:1
1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You are doing this already, and we encourage you to do so more and more.
And in, 2 Timothy 2:3-6
3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 And as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army.
5 Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize.
6 Hardworking farmers are the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
Jesus knew what He was suppose to be doing.
Look at what it says in, John 10:10
10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
He came to seek and save the lost.
He would give His life to purchase men and women.
He would fulfill the Word of God the Father.
We are to know what we are suppose to be doing.
Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus knew He could do only what the Father was doing.
John 5:19-23
19 Jesus replied, “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
20 For the Father loves the Son and tells him everything he is doing, and the Son will do far greater things than healing this man. You will be astonished at what he does.
21 He will even raise from the dead anyone he wants to, just as the Father does.
22 And the Father leaves all judgment to his Son,
23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. But if you refuse to honor the Son, then you are certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
Jesus was saying that He could do nothing without the Father.
His only accomplishments would be doing what He say the Father doing.
We can do nothing without the Father.
John 15:1-9
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
3 You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you.
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
6 Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.
7 But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!
8 My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.
Colossians 3:1-17
1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power.
2 Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.
3 For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.
6 God’s terrible anger will come upon those who do such things.
7 You used to do them when your life was still part of this world.
8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.
9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
10 In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.
11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
13 You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
14 And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
16 Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
17 And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Jesus knew that His ability came through the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:37-38
37 You know what happened all through Judea, beginning in Galilee after John the Baptist began preaching.
38 And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him.
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit rested upon Him before He would begin His public ministry.
Jesus was dependent upon the Father enabling Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We must know that we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit for all things.
Acts 1:1-5
1 Dear Theophilus:
In my first book I told you about everything Jesus began to do and teach
2 until the day he ascended to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit.
3 During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4 In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before.
5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Use 911 to your advantage!
Call 911
Psalm 9:11
11 Sing praises to the LORD who reigns in Jerusalem.
Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
Psalm 91:1
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
