If we stop fearing the Lord and begin fearing life around us, we will look away from Jesus and begin to sink. Matthew 14:28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water. 29 “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!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” A lack of fear of God usually means a lack of faith in the word of God. The waves can pound us but we must not give way to them. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. James 1:6 “When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
If we think about this time for the disciples, everything appeared to be falling apart. Their Lord was taken from them and crucified and now all seemed lost. Everything that Jesus said would happen was taking place, even the desertion of his disciples. Matthew 26:33 “Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.” Matthew 26:55 “In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.”
The disciples all hoped Jesus was the one. Luke 24:19 “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” At the beginning when they first met Jesus they believed Jesus was the Messiah. John 1:40 “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Even those who crucified Jesus had Matthew 27:63 “remembered that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
At this point the disciples still did not understand John 20:9 (from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” Trusting God means we understand that we may not always be able to explain what is happening in our lives but we must always have faith that God is in charge. Hebrews 10:38 “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” Job tells us that Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Isaiah 14:24 “The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations.27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” We must trust the plans of God.
As we think about the disciples it would appear that all of a sudden there was no hope, even though they had left everything they had to follow Jesus. What they missed was faith. Just as Peter sank in the waves because he lacked faith, they also needed faith to believe that Jesus dying was only the beginning. The good news of the gospel is this faithless group of men would be changed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow we will look at that quietness before Jesus rose from the dead. On Easter Sunday our focus will be on waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured out once again. Easter is just the beginning. Pentecost Sunday falls 50 days after Easter and celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. We have been praying for that to happen again.
This was God’s plan all along and Jesus had to die so that we could live. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” How many of us are not listening to God’s word speaking. Everything is very clear but due to a lack of belief and faith especially in the Holy Spirit, many are missing the plan. Psalm 85:9 “Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.” Because of the lack of fear of God in the church, we have been lead into captivity as God has turned his face from shining on us and we are not seeing His glory. Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” We do not want to be those people.
We must realize that no plan of God’s can be thwarted so we must trust him. You may say, I do trust him and things are still bad. Yes and keep going and do not give up because, Jeremiah 29:10 says, “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” We can also look at another great promise by God in 2 Chronicles 7:13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” In both passages the promise comes to a people affected by captivity and drought.
So stop looking at the waves crashing and keep Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” We do not give up because we know that God has a plan for our lives but we must continue to seek him. We have God’s word before us and we know that God always keeps his promise to those who seek him, so seek him we must. Don’t quit because you can’t see the end result. Persevere because you know the end result. Revelation 21:6 “He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
You may say, I am confused, I can’t go on, I am tired; this is not going as I planned. Just a reminder the verse said “I know the plans I have for you.” These are not your plans but God’s. Our job is to obey and do what we are told to do and keep our eyes on the prize. Someday all will know just as David said in 1 Samuel 17:47 “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” And as Elijah said in 1 Kings 18:36 “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” So stay focused because God will make known that He reigns, so keep going. Philippians 3:13 “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Don’t give up. Keep focused on the word of God and persevere until God’s plan is revealed. Then you will be victorious. Revelation 3:7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
We know the end of the story. Three days came and the tomb was empty. Revelation 19:1 “After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!” 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
On this day, do not forget the rest the story in the midst of your trials or suffering or even in your blessings, He is risen! Luke 24:4 “While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. 8 Then they remembered his words.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” God loves you! His love endures forever so that you can endure also. 2 Timothy 2:10 “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
