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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
October 18, 2015
Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus
Matthew 14:22-36, Mark 6:45-52; John 6:14-21
Introduction
St. Augustine is recorded as saying, “While the best men are well guided by love, most men are still goaded by fear.” Fear is an emotion that can easily lead us into responding in ways that we wished we had not. For example, there is the case of Mrs. Monroe who lived in Darlington, Maryland. This mother of eight children came home from the grocery story one afternoon to find things a bit quieter than usual. She looked into the living room and saw five of her darlings sitting around in a circle, very quiet, but doing something in the middle of the circle. She put down her sacks of groceries and walked over to them to get a closer look at what they were doing. There in the middle of her circle of children were five of the cutest skunks you can imagine. She was instantly terrified and yelled, “Run, children, run!” This frightened the children and each one grabbed the nearest skunk and began running in different directions. Mrs. Monroe was now beside herself and she screamed louder. This scared the children even more so that each one squeezed their skunk – and as we all know, skunks don’t like to be squeezed.
Mrs. Monroe had reason to fear, but her reaction to it did not gain the results she had desired. A proper fear should lead us to be cautious, careful and respectful and there are many things that should cause a healthy fear such as dangerous situations, breaking the law and God. There can also be fear of what is unknown or not understood.
The story is told that when Theodore Roosevelt was a small child he was afraid to go into a church alone. His mother tried to discover what was making him so terrified and learned that it had something to do with what he called “the zeal” that the minister had talked about. She used a concordance and began read to him passages that contained the word zeal until he told her very suddenly and excitedly to stop. She had just read John 2:17 (KJV) – “And his disciples remembered that it was written, ‘The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.’”
Fear is a normal part of life, but the various fears we face should diminish or even disappear when ignorance is replaced with understanding or when trust can be placed in someone or something you believe can handle the situation. Roosevelt was not afraid if he was with someone he believed could protect him. After learning the meaning of zeal in John 2:17, he was no longer afraid of churches. This morning we are going to see Jesus’ disciples display both fear of what they know is a dangerous situation and fear of the unknown. The solution to both of these fears was the same, and it is the same solution for our fears. Fear is replaced by peace when you trust Jesus.
The Historical Setting – Matt. 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-46; John 6:14-15
Before we look into the situations that caused the disciples so much fear, let me briefly give you the historical setting so that you will understand better what may have been going through their minds.
Out of Jesus’ many disciples, He chose twelve to train and send as His apostles, those sent with His authority, to proclaim the gospel to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 9:4). These men had already seen Jesus perform all sorts of miracles demonstrating His authority over disease and sickness, nature, demons and even death. They had heard His teaching and understood His claims to be the promised Messiah and the need for people to repent for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. They were first hand witnesses to many wonderful events, but they also recognized that things were not going as smoothly as may have been expected. (See: The Twelve Apostles)
The religious leaders had already become very antagonistic toward Jesus and even accused Him of doing His work by the power of Satan. Jesus had rebuked them and changed His method of teaching to parables because of that. (See: The Danger of Blasphemy and (See: Introduction to Parables). The negative reaction of the religious leaders was making it more difficult for the people to follow the teachings of Jesus though still many people were curious and followed Him about anyway so that they might see Him perform a miracle, yet the crowds were also fickle. Jesus did not do many miracles in Nazareth when He returned there because of the unbelief of the people there.
The political scene had also become more hostile. Herod Antipas, the Tetrach over Galilee, had just recently murdered John the Baptist because he righteously stood against Herod’s immoral marriage to Herodias. (See: The Contrast Between Belief and Unbelief). If John was the forerunner of the Messiah as he had claimed, then what danger did Jesus and His followers now face at the hands of Herod? That was certainly a question that had to be on the minds of the disciples?
After John’s death, Jesus had retreated with His disciples to a lonely place on a mountain near the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The twelve had just returned from their missions assignment and they and Jesus needed some rest. This would also allow them more time to talk about what had happened while they had been away preaching, healing and casting out demons, and if there was any danger from Herod, they would be more isolated from it. However, a multitude of people followed Jesus there. Even though the presence of all these people destroyed Jesus’ purpose in going to a remote place, He had compassion on them for they were as sheep without a shepherd. He taught them and healed their sick, and then He performed the miracle of feeding well over 5,000 people with just five small loaves of barley bread and two small fish. (See: Ministering to the Multitude) .
The disciples may well have thought things were beginning to look up for John 6:14 records that as a result of this miracle the people said, “This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.” This could have been the beginning of the culmination of why they were following Jesus. They were waiting for the day when Jesus would assert His authority over the rulership of Israel and retake David’s throne as the Messiah. What better time could there be than now? It was just before Passover when many people would travel to Jerusalem, and the enthusiasm of this crowd could easily be transferred to those in Jerusalem. That the people were thinking that way is demonstrated in John 6:15 that Jesus perceived that the people intended to come by force and make Him King. But all of this was based on a wrong idea about the nature of the future prophet that would be like Moses promised in Deuteronomy 18:18. It is understandable the people would be thinking that way since in the Exodus under Moses the people were fed manna in the desert, and now Jesus had just miraculously fed them in a lonely place. However, the emphasis in Deuteronomy 18:18 was that the future prophet would speak God’s words to them just as Moses had done. That is what Jesus had done and Jesus is that prophet, but the crowds were responding to the miracles Jesus had performed and not His message. Jesus took action without delay.
Matthew 14:22 – “And immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side while He sent the multitudes away.” What were the disciples to make of this? This was not what they were expecting. Remember that several of the disciples were also zealots. They were looking for the Messiah to deliver them from Roman bondage and bring about the glory of Israel once again. Here was an opportunity for that, but Jesus sends them all away.
As I have pointed out previously, Jesus was never a victim of circumstances. He was always in control of what He was going to do and what was going to be done to Him. The crowd may have wanted to crown Him king, but they could not force what He did not want.
With both the crowds sent away and the disciples sent back across the Sea of Galilee in the boat, Jesus was finally alone (Matthew 14:23). Jesus had originally come to this lonely place to get away from the crowds and now that they are gone He can spend uninterrupted time with His Father in prayer as stated in Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46 and John 6:15.
The Disciples First Fear – Matt. 14:24, Mark 6:47-48; John 6:16-19
The disciples were not aware of what was going on. Jesus had sent them ahead and that is what they had done. They did not understand all that Jesus did, but they had learned to trust Him and follow His directions. The Scriptures do not say whether they knew that Jesus was praying, but even if they did, they may not have thought much about it because they had another concern at the moment.
John 6:16 (NASB) “Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they [started to] cross the sea to Capernaum. And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 And the sea [began] to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When therefore they had rowed about three or four miles . . .” Stop there for a moment.
Let me quickly footnote here that Mark 6:45 specifically states that Jesus sent the disciples to “the other side to [proV – pros = toward] Bethsaida.” However, from Luke 9:10 we know they were at Bethsaida. How can they be leaving Bethsaida to go across the sea toward Bethsaida? The answer is that there appears to be two places on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee named Bethsaida. One to the east of the Jordan river and one to the west of it near Capernaum. According to the historian Josephus, one of these was enlarged and had the name Julias added to it in honor of Caesar’s daughter, but there is confusion even in the Bible dictionaries as to which one is which. My own speculation is that Bethsaida Julias was the one to the west simply because both Mark and Josephus write to Roman readers and so would be more likely to use the reference names more familiar to Roman readers whereas Luke is writing to Greek readers to whom he often explains local references, and John distinguishes Bethsaida of Galilee as the hometown of Philip, Andrew and Peter. John is specific here that the disciples are headed back to Capernaum from which they had originally come. Each writer is simply using the geographical reference that would be more familiar to his readers with Mark being more general in location – toward Bethsaida – and John being specific – to Capernaum.
Jesus dismisses the crowd and then He has the disciples get in the boat and head back to Capernaum that evening (John 6:17). Capernaum is only about 5 miles away by boat and it should have been an easy journey, especially since several of the disciples were experienced fishermen and were well acquainted with traveling that area by boat at night. However, a wind storm common to that area arises and causes them problems. From John’s description it appears the wind started blowing not long after they had started and it was dark. Matthew 14:24 describes the situation later on when they were “already many stadia away from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.” Mark 6:47-48 describes them as being “in the middle of the sea” and “straining at rowing.” The same Greek word, basanivzw / basanidzo, is used to describe both the waves “battering” the boat and the men “straining at the oars.” These are sizeable waves harassing and torturing the boat while rowing against them and the wind is causing the men torment and distress. How much bad is it? Matthew and Mark both note the time as being the fourth watch of the night, which would be between 3-6 a.m., and yet in the 8 or more hours since they launched they have only traveled 25-30 stadia or 3-4 miles.
This gives you a mental picture of what these twelve men were going through. How would you feel if you were in their situation? You would have already been perplexed that Jesus sent you away when things seem to have been going so well that day. Not only is it very late at night and you are tired, but you find yourself rowing very hard and not making much progress. You are wet and cold and it seemed along time ago that you ate of the bread and the fish. The waves are crashing against your boat making it creak and groan with the strain – almost as loudly as you do as you strain in pulling on the oars trying to reach shore and safety. Safety is an issue because you also know that these storms can be very dangerous. It would be different if Jesus was present for He calmed the wind and stilled the waters the last time you had been in such a storm (Luke 8:22-25), but He is not present. There is an element of fear because you know you could capsize and drown.
The Disciples Second Fear – Matt. 14:25-26; Mark 6:48-50; John 6:19
The situation is bad enough, but a new fear grips them. They are heading west so they are facing east, the direction from which they came, as they row. It is near Passover, so the moon would have been nearly full and would have illuminated the surrounding hills and the whitecaps of the waves in its silvery sheen. They then saw something they never could have expected.
John 6:19 (NASB) When therefore they had rowed about three or four miles, they ^ beheld Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.
It would have been frightening enough just being in the middle of the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm, but now there is also something that they simply cannot comprehend. John says they were fobevw / phobeo – frightened, fearful, terrorized – from a word with a root meaning “to put to flight.” Matthew and mark use a stronger word, taravssw / tarasso, which has a literal meaning of being “shaken” and a figurative meaning of being “upset,” “thrown into confusion and alarm.” The men saw something that was beyond their ability to understand. Something was coming to them in a manner they could not have expected in their wildest dreams.
They had been sent ahead and did not expect to see Jesus until sometime later after they had reached Capernaum supposing He would meet them there sometime the next day. They did not expect Jesus to meet them in the middle of the Sea of Galilee in any case by any means and even more so in the middle of such a wind storm. What would you think and how would you react if you had been in their situation? John’s comment in verse 17 that “Jesus had not yet come to them,” is not in reference to an expectation they had while in the boat, but one from the writers’ historical perspective and assumption his readers would have read the other accounts. It is given in the sense of, “this is what was happening before Jesus met us in the midst of the Sea of Galilee as you have read in the other accounts.”
Put yourself in their position. The wind and waves are already causing fear, and then by the shadowy light of the moon, you see what appears to be the figure of a man who seems to be walking on top of the water. It is hard to know what you are seeing because the waves are tossing your boat around as well as making the mystery figure go up and down too. You cannot see any sort of boat, and since men do not walk on water, it cannot be a man. But then what is it? All that is left is something from the supernatural – in Greek, a fa;ntasma / phantasma, a phantom or ghost of some sort. Wouldn’t you be afraid? Of course you would regardless of how much you might say you would not. The hair on the back of your head would be standing straight out, the adrenalin would be pumping, and your heart would be pounding just like theirs did. No wonder they cried out.
The circumstances of this situation are particular to the disciples, but all of us will face similar scenarios in life. Just when you think things are starting to go pretty well, God does something you do not understand. You submit and do what He says and then find yourself in the midst of a situation beyond your control, though you are trying your best to handle it. Then, in the middle of that, something else comes at you which you do not even comprehend causing even more fear and wonder about what the future may hold.
Most people do fine as long as everything is going well, but when troubles and trials start and things happen which are not understood, then faith is tested and often found to be not as large as previously thought. Your car breaks down but before you can get it fixed, the roof starts leaking, then the furnace gives up and you get a notice from a collection agency for a bill you were sure you paid. Or perhaps it is more serious. Your job is threatened or you lose it and in the middle of that there is a health crises or a friend rejects you or a loved one dies. The storms of life have been bad enough and you have been rowing has hard as you can to reach shore, but now you are facing something that you don’t even understand. In fear and frustration you start questioning if God knows what He is doing and wondering why He has abandoned you. How does God respond to us and how should we respond to God at those times?
Matthew 14:26 and Mark 6:49-50 both record that when they saw a figure walking on the water toward them they thought it was a phantom of some sort and cried out in fear for they all saw him and were terrified. We may not be able to handle our fears, but God can.
Jesus Arrives – Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50; John 6:20
Matthew, Mark and John all record Jesus’ response to their cry of fear – “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). That is so comforting. Jesus let them know that He was there. They did not understand, but He did and now He was present. But there is something even more beautiful and comforting recorded in Mark’s account. Mark 6:48 notes that while they were in the boat and Jesus was Jesus was alone on the mountain praying, they were never out of His care – “Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea.” They may have felt alone and abandoned, but Jesus had His eye on them. The same is true for us.
While they were straining at the oars in the midst of the wind storm, Jesus had been praying on the mountain, and from the various prayers of Jesus that are recorded, we know that a frequent element in His prayers was intercession for His followers. In fact, according to Hebrews 7:25, one of Jesus’ continuing ministries now is making intercession to the Father for us. What better position could they or we be in than having Jesus Christ praying for us? If the disciples had known this their fears may have been significantly calmed. Certainly they did, and we do, face frightening situations, but knowing that Jesus is interceding for us bring reassurance and peace.
But Jesus not only prayed, He also responded to the need for which He was praying and He went to be with the disciples. I must also point out that Mark 6:47 specifically states that when Jesus was walking out toward them on the water, it was His intention to pass by them. Seeing Him walking on the water in the midst of the storm should have reminded them He would keep them safe, but their cry of fear at thinking He was a ghost caused Him to identify Himself and calm their fears. Jesus is still the same. Jesus’ promise to the apostles in Matthew 28 is still true for us. He is still with those of us that have placed our faith in Him and have believed in His name. He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. We may not understand all that goes on or why it happens, but we Christians know the Lord Jesus Christ is with us, and it is enough to be entrusted to His care.
Some have tried to discount Jesus walking on the water saying it was either the hallucination of the disciples or Jesus only appeared to be walking on the water but was actually walking on a sandbar or along the shore or floating on a piece of ice. First, twelve men do not all hallucinate the same thing at the same time. Second, ice thick enough to support a man does not form on the Sea of Galilee, and especially in the spring when the grass in the area is already green (Mark 6:39). Third, every text indicates that the storm was still raging while Jesus was walking on the sea which means that Jesus was rising and falling with each wave. Sandbars and the shoreline do not do that. Fourth, Matthew 14:24 states they were many stadia from land and Mark 6:47 states they were in the middle of the sea so they were too far from shore and any sandbars. In addition, we have the account of what happened to Peter to attest to the depth of the water in that place.
Peter’s Step of Faith – Matthew 14:28-32
28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.
Peter has received a lot of criticism for this episode in his life. Some say he did what he did because he was a show off. Other say he was rash and careless. Many spend a lot of time detailing how small his faith was. I think all those criticism are unfounded. True, Jesus did mildly rebuke Peter for having little faith, but compare Peter to the rest of the disciples who remained in the boat. How much faith did they have? Peter was the only one of them that got out of the boat. And who among us would have gotten out in those circumstances?
Peter loved the Lord and we often see him as close as he can get to the Lord. Even though Peter denied the Lord at His trial, Peter was in the courtyard as close as he could get. John was also present, but the rest of the disciples had run away. Imperfect and weak as it was, Peter’s love for Jesus was real. We can well imagine Peter staying so close to Jesus as they walked from place to place that when Jesus stopped, Peter would stumble into Him. That is what we see here in Peter’s desire to get out of the boat and go to Jesus.
Peter was an experienced fisherman. He knew the danger of getting out of a boat in the middle of a wind storm. It was not bravado or rashness that prompted him but simply his desire to be with Jesus. The “if” in Peter’s request is not a questioning that it was Jesus. The last thing Peter would want to do is join an unidentified phantom in the middle of the sea during a storm. The Greek grammar here is the condition of reality meaning, “since you are Jesus.” Peter understood something of what Jesus had been teaching. His thought in this request would be, “Since Jesus can walk on water, then He can enable me to walk on water and join Him.”
Peter asks and Jesus commands him to come, and Peter does great when he first gets out of the boat. Take note that this miracle now includes Peter walking on top of the water and he continues to do so until he takes his eyes off Jesus and notices his circumstances. I can imagine that it would be difficult to walk on top of waves that are going up and down. Perhaps that is what prompts him to start looking around him. The text states, “seeing the wind, he became frightened.” You do not see the wind itself, but rather its effect on other things. Peter feels it against his face and he sees the big waves. That is the point when doubt enters, faith departs, fear begins, and he begins to sink. The word here, katapontivzw / katapontizo, literally means to “plunge down or sink into deep water” or “to drown.” Jesus was not walking out to them on a sandbar and Peter did not step onto a sandbar and then off it. That area of the Sea of Galilee is 30 or more feet deep and they are no longer near the mouth of the Jordan river which is the only place there could be sandbars.
We are often no different than Peter in the smallness of our faith except that it maybe even less. You learn something of the nature of Christ and so step out in faith to obey him and you do great until you start examining your circumstances and begin doubting. Will the Lord really provide what you need for life if you seek first His kingdom and righteousness? Are there really blessings when you are poor in spirit, meek, mournful, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, forgiving, pure in heart, a peacemaker and persecuted for the sake of righteousness? Will the Lord really be with you always? Will he actually complete the good work in you that He has started and will He really return to take you to heaven to be with Him forever? Our circumstances can lead us to stumble in any of these points of faith, but it is important to note here that it is not your faith that is important, it is the one in whom you have placed that faith.
Notice that when Peter starts sinking He calls out to the Lord for help and He graciously reaches out to him, lifts him up and takes him to safety. We can and should do the same thing when we find ourselves in trouble with our faith failing and our lives sinking. Jesus is there and He will help.
But there is one problem we encounter here that keeps many people from calling for help. They do not want to be rebuked. They do not want to be told that they failed. People let their pride get in the way. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, so humble yourselves under His mighty hand and He will exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:5,6). God will lift you up and restore you. Jesus did that with Peter on several occasions. He will do so for you as well.
Responding to Jesus – Matthew 14:33; Mark 6:51-52; John 6:21
The last thing I want to point out from this story is the response of all the disciples when Jesus and Peter got back into the boat. Mark 6:51-52 points out that when they did so the “wind stopped and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.” Matthew 14:33 then continues, “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son.’”
The lesson gets through once again. Jesus is the promised Messiah and the disciples once again recognize and declare His deity. There is no other way possible that Jesus could have done what He did because it was more than just a demonstration of His divine power, but also of His divine love and care for the disciples. The proper response to Jesus is to worship Him.
The story ends with a final miracle. John 6:21 states that after Jesus and Peter got into the boat, “immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” They had not made much progress after many hours of rowing, but once Jesus was with them, they quickly arrived. That is a general truth for our lives too. You cannot make it on your own regardless of how hard you work at it. You need the Savior with you.
I want to conclude with a simple point from Hebrews 12:1-2. After presenting the example of the life of faith in the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11, the writer points us to their example and Jesus – “let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Cynicism, despair and complaint come when you take your eyes off Jesus and place them on the circumstances around you that you cannot control. You start doubting the Lord’s promises, your faith departs, and you try to work things out in your own power. That is when you start to sink into the gloom of depression. The sooner you learn that the key to overcoming your circumstances is keeping your eyes on Jesus, the better off you will be. You are able to live a joyful life in the fruit of the Holy Spirit when you pursue the goal of the Christian life in becoming like Jesus in character and serving Him.
Learn a lesson from Peter. Jesus is the one that can walk on water, and you can walk with Him if you keep your eyes on Him. And if you waver and begin to sink, then be sure to quickly cry out for His help, and He will save you.
Sermon Notes: Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus
Matthew 14:22-36, Mark 6:45-52; John 6:14-21
Introduction
__________is an emotion that can easily lead you into responding in ways that you wished you had not
Fear is a normal part of life, but it should diminish with understanding and __________in the right object
The Historical Setting – Matt. 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-46; John 6:14-15
Jesus chose 12 disciples to be His ____________that would extend His ministry throughout Israel
There was increasing _________________between the religious leaders and Jesus
The political scene had become more ______________after Herod executed John the Baptist
Jesus retreated with the apostles to a __________place near Bethsaida – but the crowds followed.
In _____________Jesus ministered to them by teaching, healing and miraculously feeding more than 5,000
The people recognized that Jesus was the ____________(Dt. 18), but misunderstood what that meant
Jesus sent both the people away and the disciples away contrary to their desire to make Him ___________
Jesus stayed behind by Himself in order to ___________to the Father
The Disciples First Fear – Matt. 14:24, Mark 6:47-48; John 6:16-19
There appears to be _______places name Bethsaida – one to the east of the Jordan and one near Capernaum
A wind storm _________their boat so that they have only gone 3-4 miles after more than 8 hours of rowing
It had been a baffling day, they are wet & cold, and without Jesus, their _______in jeopardy due to the storm
The Disciples Second Fear – Matt. 14:25-26; Mark 6:48-50; John 6:19
While rowing in the _____________of the lake, they see a sight they cannot understand
They are ___________to the point of being shaken and alarmed when they see a figure walking on the water
They conclude it is a fa;ntasma / phantasma – a phantom or ______of some sort – and they cried out in fear
Similar scenarios happen to all of us – things happen _________our control and which we do not understand
Fear and frustration can lead to _______________what God is doing
Jesus Arrives – Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50; John 6:20
Jesus let them know that He was ____________and there was now no reason to be afraid
Mark 6:48 – they had never been out of Jesus’ ______________though they were far away from Him
It is comforting to know that Jesus still __________________for His followers – Hebrews 7:25
Jesus both prayed and responded to the needs of the disciples – and so He ________to them
Jesus walked on ________- it was not a mass hallucination, and Jesus was not on the shore, a sandbar or ice
Peter’s Step of Faith – Matthew 14:28-32
Peter is often criticized for his small faith here – but he is the __________disciple that got out of the boat
Peter loved Jesus and wanted to be _________Him – motivation to get out of the boat and go to Jesus
Peter believed that since Jesus could walk on water, He could __________Peter to do the same and join Him
Peter does walk on the water until he takes his eyes of Jesus and sees the wind and is frightened – and _____
We can be like Peter in stepping out in faith to obey Christ, but then become frightened by ______________
Peter calls out to Jesus when he is sinking and is _________- we need to do the same when we are in trouble
It takes ______________to call out for help for it admits failure and risks a rebuke
Responding to Jesus – Matthew 14:33; Mark 6:51-52; John 6:21
The wind stopped when Jesus got in the boat – they recognized His deity and _____________Him
You cannot make it on your own regardless of how hard you work – you need the ___________with you
Follow the admonition of Hebrews 12:1-2 and keep your __________fixed on Jesus
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Count how many times the disciples are referred to. 2) Discuss with your parents the how you can overcome fear by keeping your eyes on Jesus.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in understanding and applying the sermon. What are two of the most common sources of fear? What is the historical setting for the passage, John 6:15-21? What had happened prior to this event? What had happened on that same day? Why did Jesus send the people away? What was the situation the disciples found themselves in late that night? Do you think they were afraid? Would you have been afraid? What was the second source of the disciples fear? Would you have been afraid? What situations have you been in that have made you afraid? How did Jesus comfort the disciples? What was Peter’s response? Would you have responded like Peter or the rest of the disciples? Be Honest. What can you learn from Peter’s initial response? What can you learn from his failure and response to it? How did Jesus respond to Peter? How can you trust Jesus in your current situation? Do you need to call out to Him for help? What is/are Jesus’ promise(s) to you? Can you apply those to your life right now? What does complaining and cynicism indicate? What example in Hebrews 11 encourages you? How can you walk on water? What should you do if you start sinking?
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