? The first storm the disciples found themselves in was the murder of their close friend and co-worker in the Lord, John the Baptist.

Ä We see that described for us in the first twelve verses of this chapter

� As a result of this first life storm, Christ and the disciples wanted to get away for just a little bit in order to mourn and deal with this tragedy, Unfortunately, as they tried to get away, they face yet another storm when the multitudes of people following them, heard where they were heading, and following them there. When the disciples saw the people, they really just wanted to send everyone away, but Christ kept the people around and used the disciples to help him feed about 10,000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish.

Ä We see this described for us in verses 13-21 of this chapter

? So it’s all ready raining in these guys lives, but it is literally getting ready to pour on them in the next section of verses in this chapter.

(READ Matthew 14:22-24)

Ä Immediately after this miracle took place, Christ took his disciples and made them get into a boat and go before him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

è Which we learned was just a short journey, that many of these guys had made several times before, and that would never lead them any more than a mile or two from shore.

Ä Unfortunately, this was not one of those normal trips, but instead the disciples ran into a major storm on the sea, which led off course by several miles into the center of the Sea of Galilee.

Ä “When it rains, it pours!” And for these disciples, they were not only going through the life storm of losing a very close friend and co-worker, but in addition to that, they were now in the middle of a real storm on the Sea of Galilee.

 

- And it is at this time that Jesus Christ literally walks on to the scene in order that he might give some instructions to his disciples as to how they can make it through the life storm and real storm they were facing

III. The Instructions of Jesus

(READ Matthew 14:25-27)

1. To handle the storms of life correctly, we need a confident attitude

- Folks, as we consider the brief conversation that Jesus has with his disciples, he really shares with them some important instruction for handling life storms and trials. And we see that the first thing that Jesus says as he approaches his disciples, and the first bit of instruction to them was: “BE OF GOOD CHEER”

(Put Matthew 14:27 on the screen with these words in yellow)

- The first words that we find Jesus speaking to his disciples were the words, “BE OF GOOD CHEER!”

è Now folks, real quick I want you to look into your copy of the Scriptures in your hands this morning and I want someone to tell me is they have a different translation of this Greek phrase in their Bible?        >>> TAKE COURAGE!

- You see folks, when Christ came on the scene and shared with his disciples this bit of instruction in order to help them handle the storms they were facing,

 ü he wasn’t asking them to stand up in the boat and do a cheer in order to pump them up during their time of trouble.

ü neither was he asking them to be all happy, and giddy, and filled with uncontrollable smiles.

- The Greek word that we find at the root of Christ’s instructions here means courage. And the real instruction that Christ is giving his disciples is to be bold or BE CONFIDENT!!

- When faced with the storms of life, Christ instructs his disciples, and us for that matter, that to help us overcome the storms of life we need to HAVE A CONFIDENT ATTITUDE!!

 

- Now we said last week, that this first bit of instruction from Christ to his disciples came as a direct result of how the disciples were responding at the time, which we find in vs.26 was the response of being TROUBLED.

(Put Matthew 14:26 on the screen with these words in yellow)

Ä Again depending on your translation this morning, you might find the word frightened or even terrified. And they are all accurate words to describe the true intent of the original Greek term used

è The word troubled here is a very strong word that signifies horror, anxiety, and agitation as a result of being hurried, confused, ruffled, or frightened.

è Folks, let’s be honest here this morning, when facing life storms and trials, how many of you would honestly admit that you respond to those trials at times with trouble, or anxiety, or agitation, or even fear?

è Guess what folks? >>> THAT IS A NORMAL HUMAN RESPONSE!!

Ä Being troubled in this midst of trial or storm of life is not a sign of being weak or insecure, but it is just a sign of being normal.

Ä Last week we looked at this passage in John chapter 12, where Jesus, as he is contemplating his upcoming torture and death by crucifixion, admits that “NOW MY SOUL IS TROUBLED!!”

(Put John 12:23,27 on the screen with these words in yellow)

- Life’s trials and tribulations can draw out all kinds of anxieties, all kinds of fears, and all kinds of agitation, and Christ understands that. And that is why when the storms of life head our way, Christ’s instructs us that our first response should be that of having a confident attitude, or else the trouble and the anxiety will get the best of you.

- But here’s the deal folks, to have a confident attitude in anything, it always requires you to be able to base it one something.

(Illustration: Being followed through the streets of Clarks Summit by guys who wanted to start something, until they saw the guys who got out of the car.)

- A confident attitude must always be based on something, and so as we continue to break down Christ short response to his disciples, we are going to see that he gives a definite something to base that confident attitude on

 2. To handle the storms of life correctly, we need an understanding mind

(READ Matthew 14:24-27)

- Folks, here are these disciples. It’s the middle of the night and it’s dark, they have been batted around by the wind and waves for quite some time, they are probably fatigued from all the rowing and battling in order to keep their boat afloat, and on top of all that, they are absolutely terrified by the whole situation, especially at thought of losing their lives by drowning at sea.

- Now, following the description of the disciples being troubled, we have a description of how troubled these guys had become. The fear, the anxiety, and terror began to affect their thinking for when they saw the figure of Jesus walking to them on the water, they all cried out “IT IS A GHOST”

Ä It’s amazing what the trouble and anxiety of life storms and trials can do to our minds and thought processes.

(Illustration: My dad thinking that he had a person following him, but it turned out to be the cord of the radio he was carrying.)

- Our anxieties and fears in the midst of trials can really have an effect on our minds and thought process, as illustrated for us by these disciples - they all think they are are seeing a ghost.

- Not only that, real quick, I want you to turn over with me to the same account recorded for us over in Mark chapter 6, because I want you to see the extent of the mind tricks that the disciples fears and anxieties were causing.

(READ Mark 6:47-49)        

Ä Folks, the reason I had us turn to this passage was because we find a small phrase in here, not in the account in Matthew. That phrase refers to Jesus getting close enough to the boat that he was about to pass them by.        

Ä In other words folks, Jesus was pretty close to these guys. Close enough for them to recognize who he was. Yet because of their fears and anxieties, their minds were tricking them into believing that it was a ghost.

- And it is because of this comment of the disciples that Christ, in his response to the disciples back in Matthew 14:27 continues by saying, “Be of Good cheer, IT IS I!!”

(Put Matthew 14:27 on the screen with these words in yellow)

 - Now, as 21^st century Americans, we read this verse and basically see Christ’s comments here as being comforting, as Christ was letting the disciples know who it was walking on the water towards them.

- And while this really is what Christ was doing, enabling the disciples to have a foundation upon which to base their confident attitude that Christ just told them to have, the words that Christ chose to use here are important, because they are words used long ago in Jewish history to bring comfort and confidence.

Ä Not to bore you with a big Greek lesson here, but what Jesus really told his disciples here was, “Be of good cheer, I AM, do not be afraid.”

Ä That phrase “I am” is a direct reference back to a passage in Exodus chapter 3, where God is speaking to Moses about using him to bring the nation of Israel out of bondage to Egypt, in order that he might make them a great nation.

 Ä Now in his communication with Moses, Moses brought up several objections as to why he didn’t think that he could do what God was asking him to do. One of them being, he did not know how the Israelites would recognize to him as being sent by God and having the authority of God to do what he wanted him to do.

è You see Moses had kind of already tried what God was now asking him to do, and the Israelites kind of just laughed him off - not taking him seriously.

Ä So in Exodus 3, we find Moses verbalizing this concern to God in verse 13.

(READ Exodus 3:13-14)

- As God responds to Moses’ concern, he gives him the phrase “I AM” to tell to the people in order to convince them that he was being sent by God.

Ä It’s a phrase that speaks to the authority, power, and self-existence of God; as well as his relationship of redemption and faithfulness to his people.

- And it is that phrase that Christ chose to use when he was instructing his disciples while in this midst of a great storm.

Ä Christ wanted his disciples to understand, know and be reminded of the fact that they could have confidence because of the fact that they knew that the almighty, all-powerful, self-existent, faithful God of the universe was with them.

Ä “BE OF GOOD CHEER, IT IS I!”

 

- A confident attitude, which is necessary to handling the storms of life correctly, must always be based on something. Christ taught that to his disciples. They could be confident based on a certain knowledge.

Ä And so with that in mind, let’s springboard over to our other passage that we are using alongside this one here in Matthew. Turn over to James 1

(READ James 1:2)

- Like Jesus, James re-iterates Christ instructions by telling us that when we face various trials or life storms, we need to have a confident attitude - we need to be of good cheer, or as James states, we need to “COUNT IT ALL JOY”!

- But as we have been stating all morning, that joy or confidence must be based on something, which James quickly makes sure to include in the very next verse.

(READ James 1:3)

- You see folks, based on Christ’s teachings, and now looking at James thoughts on Christ teachings, we can learn that if we want to handle the storms of life correctly, than if first requires us to have a confident attitude, but it also requires us to have an UNDERSTANDING MIND!!

Ä James says that we can count it all joy when we face various trials, and the reason for that is because we know something. In other words, we have a clear understanding, not just based on facts, but also on personal experience.

Ä And that knowledge and understanding is of the fact that:

ü  the almighty, all-powerful, self-existent, faithful God of the universe is with us,

ü and God will always use the trials of life for our benefit and development.(“Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience”)