Focusing on Jesus by Vancouver Chinese Baptist church

FOCUSING ON JESUS Matthew 14:22-33 Pastor Cindy Bridges

Theme of the Month Healing and Rebirth

Congregational Life Pastor, English Congregation Vancouver Chinese Baptist Church, Vancouver, British Columbia

Sunday Sermon for 7 November 2010

Scripture Passage Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately Jesus made (insisted; directed) the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted (tortured) by the waves because the wind was against it. 22

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 25

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 31

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 32

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This passage starts off in an interesting way by saying, “Immediately Jesus made (or insisted) the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side.” The lake in question is not a little lake. It is the Sea of Galilee. It’s small as seas go, but when you stand on the shore, you can’t see the other side. The disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew, made their living as fishermen on that lake before they began to follow Jesus and lived in the area. They would have known it as well as anyone. We can’t be quite sure why Jesus had to “insist” that they cross over. Maybe they just didn’t want to be separated from him. But maybe some of them had enough weather sense to realize something unpleasant might be getting ready to happen. Guys who make their living on the water can often smell a storm coming. We can’t be sure. But when the storm hit and the waves were coming over the boat and everything was utterly dark – have you ever been on a boat on the water on a cloudy night? – it must have been terrifying. The original Greek says that the waves were “torturing” the boat. It must have felt like the thing was getting ready to come apart underneath them. We can’t know exactly what the disciples were thinking but put yourself in their shoes. Jesus insisted that they cross that night. Now they are in big trouble. And Jesus is back on shore safe. What would you be thinking? “He got us into this mess and he isn’t even here!” Have you had a few moments like that when the waves were swamping your life? Everything felt like it was getting ready to fall apart around you? And you weren’t sure God was anywhere about? Probably most of us have. At that moment, when all was the darkest, it says, “Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, ‘It’s a ghost!’” (vv. 25-26). They must have thought they were so close to death they were seeing into the next world. It’s an unusual story and hard to understand and maybe hard to believe. (Slide 5) But there are a couple of passages from the Old Testament that are helpful. Job 9: 8 says this, “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.” Another passage says it even more strongly, “You (meaning God) You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters” Habakkuk 3: 15. The idea there is that the sea, the waters represent all the forces of chaos and violence and destruction that threaten us. We who have seen images in recent years of a few hurricanes and tsunamis can understand how the sea and the water and the wind and the waves could serve as images of destruction. If you have been in a situation that was overwhelming – it might be a financial situation where you didn’t know how the bills were going to get paid, or a health situation when the doctors couldn’t seem to do anything for you, or maybe it was a relationship that exploded or even in our current situation at VCBC where it is our first Sunday without a lead pastor for our congregation – you may have felt like you were getting hit with wind and waves like a hurricane from every side. What do these images of God marching on the water, even trampling on them, say to you?

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Psalm 77:19-20 says even more. “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Here we not only have the images of water and sea but can hear the echo of a famous story from the Old Testament. The story of God saving the trapped Israelites from Pharaoh and his chariots by making a way through the Sea. He made a road through the sea. He trampled on the wind and the waves. So, in our story, when Jesus comes walking on the water, making a path through the sea, trampling on wind and the waves he is picks up all these images and references from the Old Testament. He comes to his followers who are in trouble, in a boat tortured by the storm, to rescue them. Why? Because he represents God and that’s what God does. Our God saves. And that is a very comforting thing. We are reminded in the midst of whatever turmoil that we are in that we are not forgotten. We are not alone. If we listen, we can also hear him saying, just as he said to those first disciples, “Take courage. . . . It is I. . . . Don’t be afraid” (v 27). What happens next is kind of fun and, actually, pretty inspiring. Peter does something, well, Peterish. “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water” (v. 28). What? Why? Who knows exactly what is going through Peter’s mind. Peter means “Rock” in Greek. I’m not exactly sure why he thought this was a good idea. But there’s something very likeable about Peter. If his Lord is out there walking on the water, he wants to be out there too. And that’s actually very appropriate. We know it’s appropriate because Jesus says what in reply? “Come” (v. 29). So, when Peter sees Jesus walking on the water, at some level he realizes, he should be out there too, even in the midst of the storm. At some point Peter realizes that it is safer to be with Jesus in the storm rather than in the shelter of the boat. So he takes steps toward Jesus, and walks on water, until. . . Until he shifts his focus away from Jesus. When Peter stops focusing on Jesus and instead focuses on the problems: the wind and the waves—what happens? He starts to sink. The Scripture says, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” Everything hinged on whether he was focused on the Savior or on the storm. When we become more focused on the overwhelming nature of the storm than the overwhelming presence of God, we are in trouble. The Bible speaks of this often in terms of “losing heart”—losing hope, allowing fear to overtake us. Whenever Jesus calls someone to get out of the boat, he gives the power to walk on water. We CAN walk on water, AS LONG AS we stay focused on Him. Let’s talk about the principle of “Don’t look down.” I’ve known this principle since the earliest of my days. I have memories of my dad standing on the side of the swimming pool with his arms stretched open wide coaxing me to jump into his arms. Him saying, “Just look at me. Don’t look at the water. Keep your focus on me; don’t look down. I’m here. I’ll catch you.”

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Or what about the warning from coaches in most any sport. The well-known mantra, “Keep your eye on the ball.” Implied in that is we are not to look down or around at our opponents, at the crowd, or the surrounding environment. We are to stay focused. I also saw this principle at work when on my most recent visit to Shanghai. Our group went to the observation deck of the Pearl Tower. I was suspended 350 meters in the air over the city looking down to the city below through a clear floor. The moment I stepped onto that clear floor and looked down my stomach dropped and my knees got weak. I experienced fear when I looked down. We do not know the conversation between Peter and Jesus on that moment that Peter takes steps toward Jesus, but I imagine it might have gone something like this, “Peter, whatever you do— don’t look down. Keep going, one foot in front of the other. Think light thoughts!” I imagine Peter’s eyes were locked on Jesus—that during this experience an awareness of Jesus simply dominated Peter’s mind. So how do we do that?—Keep our minds focused on Christ without looking down at the storm? We are often very cavalier about the way we treat our minds. Ask yourself, what is your mind focused on? What are you feeding your mind? Imagine getting the greatest performance car in the world and deciding you are going to take a serious run at the Indy 500 and dedicate yourself to winning it. What are the odds that you would fill the tank with unleaded, low-octane gasoline from a thrift-discount station, like Husky? The odds are not high at all that you would put low grade fuel in your high performance car. (Slide 10) Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Our ability to live in hope and to remain focused on Christ during the storm largely depends on what we feed our minds. This is how we are able to focus on the Savior rather than the storm. How do we practically keep our minds focused on Christ? How can we practically remain focused on Christ rather than the storm? It comes in the answer to these questions: What are you feeding your mind? Ask yourself: What do you repeatedly allow to enter your mind? What are you constantly exposed to and what do you dwell upon? Take inventory. The events you attend, the material you read (or don’t), the music you hear, the images you watch, the conversations you hold, the people you relate to, the daydreams you entertain—all are shaping your mind and ultimately your character and destiny. This is supremely true when it comes to hope. Isaiah says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.” The Message says it this way, “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole” Isaiah 26:3.

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If you really want to become a certain kind of person—a hope filled person focused on Christ— you must begin to think thoughts that will produce those characteristics. You must put your mind in a place that will lead you to think hope-producing thoughts. You need to expose your mind to resources, books, people and conversations that will move you toward confidence in God. It’s an intentional decision. Let me introduce you to Frank Laubach. Frank Laubach, a missionary to the Philippines in the early 1900s hit rock bottom one night. Looking at his life’s work, it seemed as if it all amounted to nothing. He and his wife had lost three children to malaria. Now, in his mid-40s, he was sick and had to sequester himself from his wife and only remaining child. He was completely alone. That’s when he met God. He had an encounter with God where he surrenders and says, “My plans have gone to pieces. Drive me out of myself and come and take possession of me and think Your thoughts in my mind.” From that moment onward, Laubach devoted the rest of his life to seeking to live each moment in conscious awareness of God’s presence and carrying on a rich friendship with Him. Laubach’s extraordinary practice of focusing on Christ, begun in his mid-forties, led to a remarkable life. He became perhaps the most influential literacy advocate of his time, traveling to 103 countries to lead a worldwide literacy program. He founded the World Literacy Crusade, which is still in operation. He developed “Each One Teach One” program that continues to this day. Without formal appointment, he became an influential foreign policy adviser to the US presidents during the post-WWII years. He wrote books about focusing on Christ that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. He walked on water. But the art that he really mastered was focusing on Christ. Here are some thoughts, some of which are based on Laubach’s recommendations, for staying focused on Christ: ❖

Practice “double vision” as Christ does—see people, not as they are or how you perceive them to be, but how Christ wants them to be. They are his creation.

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While reading an email, a book or newspaper or, read it to Him. Laubach asks, “Have you opened a letter (or email these days) and read it with Jesus, realizing that He smiles with us at the fun, rejoices with us in the successes, and weeps with us in the tragedies?

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When problem solving at work, instead of talking to yourself about the problem, develop a new habit of talking to Christ.

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Keep a picture of Christ, or a cross, or a word from Scripture someplace where you will see it as a reminder of God’s provision and His desire to speak into your life. Use symbols in your life to focus your mind.

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Other ideas include meditating on and memorizing Scripture. To mediate merely means to think about something over and over. Let it simmer in your mind. Reflect on it from different angles until it becomes a part of you. Tape a scripture verse to the dashboard of your car or bathroom mirror as a way to keep your mind focused. FOCUSINGONJESUS 5

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Or what about fasting and prayer? Depriving yourself of food is a way that you can turn your attention and focus away from yourself and tune into what God may be trying to say to you.

All these practical ways help keep our minds focused on hope in the midst of the storm. These ideas require focused attention and discipline of not looking down, but looking straight into the provision of Christ Himself. Let me close with this illustration of what a focused mind looks like—a mind that is focused on hope: This is a story about a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and given three months to live. Her doctor told her to make preparations to die, so she contacted her pastor and told him how she wanted things arranged for her funeral service—which songs she wanted to have sung, what Scriptures should be read, what words should be spoken—and that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible. But before she left, she called out to him, “one more thing.” “What?” “This is important. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor didn’t know what to say. No one had ever made such a request before. So she explained. In all my years going to church functions, whenever food was involved, my favorite part was when whoever was clearing dishes of the main course would lean over and say, “You can keep your fork.” “It was my favorite part because I knew that it meant something great was coming. It wasn’t Jell-O. It was something with substance like cake or pie. “So I just want people to see me there in my casket with a fork in my hand, and I want them to wonder, “What’s with the fork?” Then I want you to tell them, “Something better is coming. Keep your fork.” Remember that the God of water-walking and empty tombs has a message for you. Jesus says to all who labor and are heavy laden: To all who get discouraged or fall into temptation, to anyone whose mind ever strays to dreamless trifles, to people like you and me who are tempted to despair or lose hope, He still says, “Don’t look down. Keep your fork.”

Reflection Questions 1. On a scale of 1 (play it safe) to 10 (daredevil) how would you rate yourself as a risk taker? How would you rate Peter? 2. This story occurred immediately after the feeding of the five thousand. Why do you think Jesus decided to separate Himself from both the crowd and the disciples and spend time alone in prayer?

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3. When the disciples saw someone walking on the water, what was their reaction? How would you have reacted? 4. How did Jesus try to calm the disciples’ fear? Why did Peter get out of the boat? Why did he sink? How was he saved? 5. What do the disciples conclude about Jesus as a result of this experience? 6. Describe a time where you have felt overwhelmed by life circumstances and in the midst of a storm. How did you get through that time? When you start to “sink” do you tend to reach out to Jesus or try and swim on your own? 7. The sermon outlined ways to stay focused on Christ and to maintain hope. What are some practical ways that you stay focused on Christ in the midst of the storms of life? 8. If our ability to live in hope and remain focused on Christ during the storm is largely dependent on what we feed our minds, then consider these questions: • What do you allow to repeatedly enter your mind? • What are you constantly exposed to? • What do you dwell upon? 9. As you reflect upon your answers to the above, ask yourself, “Are my responses things that damage or feed my level of hope?” 10. In light of this, how might you want to rearrange your life to create the highest level of hope possible?

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