The Lord’s Message:  The Hands of God Who Creates and Saves

The Lord’s Message:  The Hands of God Who Creates and Saves
Date:  March 9, 2025
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  Matthew 14:22-33

            For our Lenten Series we are going to look at the Hands of God.  Today, we are going to concentrate on the Hands of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  If we remember that important passage of scripture, John 1:1-5, about Jesus being with God when God was creating the world.  Jesus was just as important for creation as He was for our salvation.

            Let us pray.

            We will be looking at Matthew 14:22, If you would like to turn in your pew Bible to page 1520.  Just before this passage, Jesus has just fed 5000 men plus women and children with a child’s Happy Meal of two fish and five loaves of bread. When Jesus asked the disciples to feed the people, the disciples replied that this was impossible.   Jesus was in control of this situation.  He gave directions for the people to sit down on the grass.  Then Jesus gave thanks to God for the meager amount of food.  Jesus then gave the food to the disciples to distribute.  This was a mighty miracle, because in verse 20, it says that all ate and were full.  The disciples even collected enough left over food to fill twelve baskets. 

            This has been a miraculous day, but it is getting late in the day.  So, in verse 22, Jesus tells the disciples to get into the boat and go over to the other side while He dismisses the crowd. In verse 23, after this Jesus goes up into the mountainside to pray.  Jesus would often get away from the crowds and the disciples to pray, Luke 5:15-16. 

            On this particular night, the winds are causing huge waves on the Sea of Galilee.  This can easily occur because of the geography.  This part of Israel is shaped like a bowl.  The storms blow off the Mediterranean and sweep down from the Golan Heights where the winds from the storms swirl around this bowl creating huge waves.  As fishermen, they would have seen these conditions numerous times, especially during the winter months.   

They have been fighting this situation almost from the time that they have gotten into the boat.  In verse 25, something strange is about to occur.  We are told that is the fourth watch of the night.  The fourth watch would have been between 3am and 6am.  This is when the night is darkest just before dawn.  The fourth watch on the night is considered a time of great spiritual power in the Bible.  It has been said that this is the time when God walks the earth checking His creation.  Let me list some of the amazing miracles and spiritual happenings during this period of time:  the Exodus from Egypt, Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, Jacob wrestling with God, Gideon defeating the Midianites, Angels appearing to the shepherds announcing Jesus’ birth, Jesus being resurrected from the tomb, and Jesus walking on the water.  So, if you happen to be awake at this time, perhaps you should use this time to pray to God.  This seems to be a very spiritual time. 

 I am not sure that the disciples are afraid for their lives because of the storms.  They had probably ridden out numerous storms on the Sea of Galilee.   In verse 26, the Bible tells us that they were terrified when they saw Jesus walking on the water.  They thought it was a ghost.  They forgot that Jesus is God.  Jesus is I Am Who I Am.  Jesus was with God when He created the world.  Jesus was with God when God created the land around the Mediterranean Sea.  He was there when God formed the hills and mountains to create the Sea of Galilee.  If God could create all of this, should we be surprised that God can walk on water.  Jesus is God walking on the water with hands outstretched.  His hands are in control.  It can be difficult for us to understand when God does something this seems distant, mysterious, and even terrifying.  That is where we need faith to trust in God. 

Jesus knows our thoughts and He knows what the disciples are thinking.  He says to them in verse 27, “Take courage!  It is I.  Don’t be afraid.”  Jesus quickly addresses all their fears.  His hands have everything under control. 

I just love Peter.  Peter can be very bold or very weak.  He is very weak when he denies knowing Jesus three times.  Here, in verse 28, he is very bold.  Peter is not willing to cling to Jesus’ words.  He wants Jesus to prove His words.  The surprising thing is that Jesus complies with Peter’s request by simply saying “Come.” 

Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking on the water towards Jesus.  It was not long before Peter sees the wind whipping up the waves and he becomes scared and takes his eyes off Jesus.  Now, before we think too hard about Peter, we should look at the time that we have taken matters into our own hands.  Those challenging times in our lives or in the lives of our loved ones when we did not fully trust in God.  We did not believe in His promises.  We instead attempted to seize with our own hands something that was beyond our control.  An example could be a cancer diagnosis, car accident, loss of a job, loss of a loved one or the break-up of a relationship.  During those times, we should have sought the Lord in prayer.  But, no, we decided to handle this ourselves, instead of trusting in God to give us guidance.  Then, how often have we ended up crying out to the Lord to save us.  This illustrates our sinful condition all too well.  Our hands can not save us from eternal damnation.  All that we can say is what Peter says, “Lord save me!”

Look what happens to Peter in verse 31.  Jesus reaches out his hands and saves Peter.  The Lord answers our cries when we cry out, “Lord save me!”  Jesus heard the cries of the thief on the cross and Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.”  God heard the cries of His people in Egypt and He sent Moses to bring the people to the promise land.  When we surrender our lives to the Lord, His hands will save us.  Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-11.  This is the hands of the Lord to save us.  “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Just to finalize the point that Jesus is God, in verse 32 after Peter and Jesus get into the boat, the winds died down.  The disciples have no doubt who Jesus is.  They cry out in verse 33,””Truly You are the Son of God.”

We need to remember that in our moments of uncertainty that not every challenge, hardship, or trial is going to go away immediately.  Instead, we need to have faith in God and trust His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  God will be with us always.  If you remember the poem, Footprints in the Sand.  What was God’s reply when the person asked about the time in their life of great struggle that there was only one set of footprints in the sand?  God reached out His hands and was carrying the person.   

Let us never forget that Jesus is God whose Hands create and save.  Jesus will be with us through the good times and bad, until that day when Jesus will take us home to be with Him forever. 

The more that we read our Bible, the more we learn about the promises of God and how much God loves us.  We can then faithfully live them out in our lives and be the Bible for others.  Amen.