Matthew

[0:00] Salvation is of grace. 206 June 111ắm, gampefà Phúil Zv ashamed canüst.

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[3:27] A FOOD BLIND BELL ant és úGa por el mi lever.

[3:38] Let us, seeking the gracious help of God, direct you this evening to the gospel according to St. Matthew chapter the 14th and we will read the theme in verse 31.

[4:19] Verse 31 chapter 14 St. Matthew And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and called him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

[4:50] But we wish to make it clear initially that although we have read these words in verse 31, that we shall seek to deal with the subject matter in the whole of this narrative recorded in this particular paragraph by St. Matthew.

[5:28] And as you probably very well know, there were these incidents that took place on that inland sea of Galilee.

[5:49] How much took place in the life of our blessed Lord on that sea and on its shores.

[6:02] And it is full of symbolic significance and importance in the realm of the Spirit.

[6:16] I just make a preliminary observation concerning that sea of Galilee, the calling of disciples and Christ crossing the sea or the lake, and sometimes crossing it for the sake of one chosen vessel.

[6:46] Not a very large sea, something like 25 to 30 miles in length and 15 miles in width.

[7:02] And yet a sea that knew some of the most rapid changes in its surface of any surface of sea anywhere.

[7:21] That is to say, sometimes it is so tranquil and then in a very short space of time whipped up into a fuel.

[7:32] Well, let me say immediately then, that I shall take up the concept of this, because you may think of the life of a child of God from the moment of their conversion, of their regeneration as entering a ship and leaving one shore and hoping to reach the distant shore, the other side.

[8:14] And there are so many portions of Scripture bearing on this, such as the paragraph in Psalm 107, they that go down to the sea in ships that do business in great waters.

[8:37] Probably that is where you are. And so many of the hymns take up the theme in our hymnal.

[8:50] And sometimes the life of a child of God is spoken of as passing through the storm of life.

[9:01] And it is beautiful and familiar language to speak of entering the port, the harbor, the tranquil waters, and landing on the happy shore.

[9:20] Well, as some of you probably know, when you enter a ship, there are many perils that may be awaiting you before you may even hope to reach the other side, and some never do.

[9:47] Take the perils of the rocks, of the quicksands. Take the perils of the storm itself.

[10:02] Take the skill that is needed in navigation, the need of an experienced pilot and master.

[10:12] And think of how wonderful it really is. And there is something quite touching to me always when I see the cross-channel steamer coming round the breakwater at New Haven and entering the peaceful waters of the harbor and the people disembarking, the passengers.

[10:43] Well, now, all this I want to look at spiritually. And we must begin with this embarking.

[10:57] You leave the world. There is no doubt about that. If you are a child of God, you have to leave the world and sin behind and to go down to the sea in ships.

[11:16] And as we have the word here, Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship. Now, I do not want to over-spiritualize a narrative like this, nor would we have any fanciful interpretations, but those that bear the weight of inspiration and the analogy of faith.

[11:48] I want to suggest one or two things to your minds in a preliminary way.

[12:05] This question of the ship. You see, for a long time, I, at various seasons, have looked into Psalm 107, and I have lived in it, in the subject matter of that psalm, for a long time, in various ways.

[12:34] I have come to this interpretation of truth in my own soul in later years, perhaps more especially.

[12:52] And that is to say, looking at a scripture, I want to see my Savior in it first. And so, on many occasions, I hope I have seen Christ in a paragraph, or a narrative, or a scripture, or an episode.

[13:16] I have never seen him in it before. And the one, to point, they that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters.

[13:35] Now, I don't know when it was, some while ago, probably two or three years ago. I felt, now, first of all, I see Christ in this.

[13:46] He left His bright abode, and He went down to the sea in a ship. And that ship was His holy, sacred humanity.

[14:00] The body prepared for Him by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin. And assuming that, into union with His divine person, He went down to the sea of His sufferings.

[14:22] And that is a very wonderful consideration. A body hast thou prepared me. And He went down to that sea of suffering for us.

[14:38] And He passed to the other side. He went through all in fulfilling the law, paying our debt, shedding His vital blood, giving His life voluntarily, and drinking the curse, and bearing the ignominy, and the shame.

[15:11] Think of all that He went through. Now He went down to that absolute sea of suffering for us. Are you following?

[15:30] So, just having put that seed thought into your mind, let us think of ourselves going down to the sea in a ship, or as we have it here, constrained His disciples to get into a ship.

[15:55] I wonder what sort of ship really we go in. Well, I am positive that there are many facets of interpretation here and viewing this.

[16:08] in any case, you have the ship of your being, your body, your soul, as it were, sails in the ship of your body.

[16:24] God gave you a being. What a precious cargo is carried in that ship. And after all, God formed you and within, there are two parts, as you know, to the creation of man, He formed first the body out of the dust of the earth, that is number one.

[16:52] Then He breathed into His nostrils the breath of life, creation of His soul. Well, you could never go down to the sea in a ship unless God had given you a being.

[17:08] of course, there are some things are more than that, but that is to be considered. It enhances the sacredness of human life, and especially as it concerns the elect, our creation.

[17:35] And when we come to bless God for His favours, we begin there. We bless Him for our creation and salvation and preservation.

[17:53] salvation. But, I am quite sure that you will immediately go in your mind to the thought of Noah's Ark, the Ark of Grace, and Jesus Christ is the Ark of Grace.

[18:17] now you are safe there. Blessed it is for the Lord to shut you in. And then you go down to the sea in the ship of the covenant of grace, ordered in all things and sure, and in a promise, in the promises of the covenant.

[18:42] covenant. Now this is very wonderful. And then there is this.

[18:54] How do you embark or set sail or launch into the deep? How?

[19:08] Jesus, at Thy command, I launch into the deep. You don't know what you'll pass through before you get to the other side and sometimes you'll never think you'll get there.

[19:24] But I tell you how you'll launch. That is, I mean, really experimentally in your very soul in the knowledge of it.

[19:35] And that is by faith. By precious faith. faith. Well now, I just want to take up then and take the next step.

[19:53] And that is, we may think of this being constrained to get into a ship several ways. But notice the term used, he constrained them.

[20:09] now that is the power of the Holy Ghost in divine love. And no step can be right unless we were constrained in it by the blessed Lord himself.

[20:42] You see, the Lord in dealing with his beloved people, he does not use the sheer weight of omnipotence. He could.

[20:53] He does with the world. he does with the wicked. They shall see.

[21:05] There's the sheer force of omnipotence that is brought to bear, not for their salvation. But, with his own dear people, he doesn't use the force of omnipotence.

[21:22] he uses the sweet influence of his love. He constrains them. He makes them willing.

[21:37] Well, we have much that we hope to be brought through this evening, so I shall hasten, and I want to offer a few thoughts on this. Take then this constraining to enter the ship, to get into it.

[21:56] Take it as the major steps in your life. If you were under the blessed influence of the fear of God, under the constraining power of the spirit, those major steps.

[22:29] Well, now, I don't want you to feel that you are cut off on this, because you may have to say, well, I took certain steps in unregeneracy.

[22:39] I will realize that, but even so, there may have been an over ruling providence, an over ruling hand that you didn't understand.

[22:55] But think of the major steps, the young man or the young lady leaving home, and entering an occupation.

[23:08] I was born in the east end of London, came down into Sussex as a boy.

[23:21] I went back to London, my own city. Although I was a member at the Dicker at the time, I was constrained to get into that ship.

[23:33] Now, I want to ask you, do you have in remembrance the constraining influence of the Lord in your life, in these major things?

[23:53] Now, number two, your marriage. was it a solemn, sacred occasion to you when you stood at the altar of God, and you were constrained to get into that ship?

[24:21] Little did you know what was before you on the ocean, but it's a wonderful thing to have the blessed witness of the Lord that he constrained you, made you willing.

[24:40] You got into that ship. You went from the altar of God knowing that he had constrained you.

[24:51] God did you take it to the Lord. The Lord has helped you to take it, and that is in following him through holy baptism.

[25:09] you felt a special love to that ministry, to that people, to that flock, and the Lord constrained you.

[25:22] and there was nothing fleeting about it. The exercise of your soul was that you would live and die with these people.

[25:39] and you were constrained to get into that ship. And of course, when I think of my own case, I don't want to speak of myself.

[25:58] I think of brother ministers as well, but I'm thinking of a pastorate, the constraining power of Christ to get into that ship.

[26:16] And I know that it is strong language, but the Lord so did it for me that I couldn't doubt it. Now, there's the constraining thing, you've got into that ship.

[26:35] Yes, and you'll come through too. You'll be brought through. I cannot express my feelings when, in the name of the Trinity, I unite two who fear God in holy matrimony, and send them from the altar of God.

[27:02] one thinks, now, what is before them on their voyage. It's the same with following the Lord.

[27:15] These major steps, and he constrained you. Now, these things we need when we're in the storm. You'll look back and you'll say, but blessed Lord, it was thy constraining influence that brought me into this ship.

[27:37] It was not my choice, it was not my will, it was not my plan, it was thine, I was made willing in the day of thy pair, and you're in the ship.

[27:51] ship. And of course, another blessed thing is this, I know that it is not exactly in this narrative until we get to the very end of it, but it is in another where Jesus was there with them.

[28:07] He was here with them in spirit, but I mean in the other case, he was asleep in the hinder part of the ship.

[28:18] so the whole point is follow me if you can now about these major steps in your life. He constrained you and he is with you in the vessel.

[28:39] And I'm bringing you right up to what is it, the 28th of October 1970. can you say even today I believe he's with me in the vessel.

[28:58] It's a wonderful thing this is. I'll tell you one thing, you'll have such a terrible time in parts of this voyage that if he wasn't your God you'd have long ago been at the bottom.

[29:17] You would. You'd have been in absolute despair. You'd have been deep under the water gone.

[29:36] But you prove that he's your God because he brings you through. Well now I want to show then you follow as far as we have gone.

[29:52] I want to show this two things that the path to heaven, the way to heaven, the voyage to heaven, the way of God, heaven, it's not all one thing.

[30:16] There are varied experiences. There's darkness, light, sunshine, clouds, storms, and sweet tranquility.

[30:31] it is an infinite variety of experiences. There are many sorrows, and there are many joys, there are dark clouds, but there's the bright sunshine, and if only you can realize that just the other side of the cloud is the sun, the sun is still shining, and so there is an infinite variety of experiences in this voyage, but oh, it's so wonderful to know that you're on the way to the port of bliss, that presently when the good Lord sees fit, you'll be round the break water and soon he will embrace you.

[31:37] And is it not a wonderful thought that you are now much older and getting much nearer the end of your voyage, and with what raptures he'll embrace us wipe away each falling tear, near himself forever place us.

[32:02] Is not this wonderful to you sometimes that you're not far from home? And there may be times when for a few moments you get a glimpse of the shore and especially a glimpse of Jesus.

[32:25] Very wonderful isn't it? And although you may sometimes say what a dreadful passage this is, you'll say what a blessed passage it is.

[32:43] you know they love the sea, the sea is in their blood. And I have often thought as my oldest son has told me, it's a marvelous thing to be in the crow's nest high above the ship in all the darkness of the night quite alone, alone with God and alone with the stars and whatever is visible.

[33:22] What about it? Do you ever feel as if you're up in the crow's nest all alone, alone with God and the depths underneath you and alone with the stars and you'll see the bright and morning star too.

[33:43] Yes, you will. Tis Christ, the bright and morning star draws my affections from afar.

[33:56] So you're not alone, are you? Now you'll come to love this. You won't want all this social part that that some make so much of, they always want to be with others and so much talking and a lot of it's unprofitable.

[34:20] You'll know the wonder of being alone with God and yet not alone out in that ocean because Jesus himself draws near and because of what took place here, he came walking on the sea.

[34:40] Now, you will understand that I must be concise because of the limitation of time but I want to show you this.

[34:59] It was to be expected, I feel, that when he constrained them to get into the ship that the sea was calm.

[35:10] And isn't it so with you sometimes? Haven't you known this? When you knew the time of love, wasn't it calm?

[35:30] When you looked out on the sea, it was so beautiful. Such a lovely stretch with the sunshine nothing to be afraid of.

[35:45] So tranquil and the south wind blowing softly and your spirit being wafted from all below towards heaven.

[35:58] no sign of any tempest. There was a time in your life, I suppose, when you didn't know anything about the storms at all.

[36:11] And I take it too, that in these major steps that we have referred to, that there is this season of considerable tranquility, much peace, that the Lord doesn't put you straight into a storm.

[36:36] You have a season of favor and blessing. Oh yes. I look back now on my first, I don't know, probably 18 months of preaching and the texts flowed in and there was meditation and there was a considerable degree of love and affection.

[37:09] It was not without trial, of course, but there was much love and affection and no, not many storms, but you see you come into it.

[37:25] You look at that little family, you look back probably to the time when they were all around the table, about five, six, seven years of age.

[37:40] There might have been some afflictions, but no great storm. But it's as the years pass, isn't it? You come into the storms.

[37:51] But let me immediately show one thing. Jesus went to the mountain to pray and when the evening was come he was there alone.

[38:10] And there you are on the sea and something happened there on the sea. The ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves.

[38:24] For the wind was contrary. That's it. Does it find you? I don't know I'm sure why it is.

[38:41] Well, I think I do though actually. And that is, there is what is called the hope of man. And we hold on a lot to this sort of hope of man in this sense you think well, now, the old years passed away.

[39:05] Here's a new year. Perhaps things are going to be really much better this year. And I rather thought, well, you know, 1970, the beginning of another decade, a new year, well, perhaps a number of the troubles and trials will have rolled away, it will be very much better.

[39:32] I'm afraid this is a sort of illusion. They're in the midst of the sea tossed with waves.

[39:49] Now, you might start a month, you might be favoured, you might have a little of the Lord's presence, and perhaps by Monday and the next week, pretty well every day there's a wave.

[40:07] There's a wave comes over you, and then hardly before that there's another wave, you wonder where it will all end. You may be almost fearful of the telephone or the mail, or meeting anyone.

[40:30] Wave upon wave, poor soul, you think, well, I'm just about finished. And the wind was contrary, blowing against them.

[40:46] and remember that the same word is used by the Lord in one place, in more than one place, when he rebuked the winds, as is used concerning the foul spirits, the devil, and the foul spirits, he rebuked them.

[41:08] And it shows that the devil can blow this, this contrary wind, my friend. There's no doubt about it, the powers of darkness are extremely active in our day, and we need the Lord to favor us to turn to the stronghold.

[41:38] and there's no doubt about it, the devil is making determined onslaughts in every part of Zion.

[41:53] And I believe many of the people of God are feeling some of the most powerful attacks of the devil that they've ever known. Well now here they were, but look at this glorious truth.

[42:14] Jesus was on the top of the mountain praying, and he's in heaven interceding for you, my friend. This is it.

[42:31] God only knows the strength this has been to me for a while. the intercession of our great high priest. There you are tossed with the waves and the wind contrary.

[42:50] You may sometimes look at these things and feel I shall never get through Lord. But you will because he's interceding for you.

[43:00] you will. Oh, this is a sweet and glorious truth.

[43:15] We have an advocate above, a friend before the throne of love. He's interceding for you. You'll get through.

[43:26] You'll be helped through. There's no doubt about it. But you may come to a place where you may think, well, I don't know, this seems to be almost the last day.

[43:41] I don't think I shall ever get through to die. You will. He may whisper, as thy days, thy strength shall be, and you'll come up a little.

[43:58] Now, what happened? In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea, to show his supremacy, his sovereignty, so he walks on it.

[44:24] he's God over all, blessed forever more. He controls it. This is his eternal dominion and supremacy.

[44:41] He walks on it. So you need not fear if Jesus is yours, he walks on it. He controls it all. but it was the fourth watch.

[45:01] You wanted him to come, you would have wished him to have come in the first watch, or the second, but he didn't, he was in the fourth watch of the night, which is the last.

[45:17] six to nine, nine to twelve, twelve to three, three to six, and it was in that last or the fourth watch of the night.

[45:35] See, I remember many, many years ago being in quite a sharp little trial. It was little in comparison.

[45:47] But it was great then. And the thing went on and on and on until it seemed to come to zero error. And I didn't know what to do.

[46:01] And then those lines dropped in. He tarries off till men are faint and comes at evening light. And he did. He did.

[46:14] you may say, well, it looks as if you may tell him, Lord, surely it will be too late.

[46:26] Delay not, lest I lose my life. But he never, he'll never leave you. In the fourth watch he came. Oh, I do hope this may help you if you are in a trying path.

[46:44] And you will be if you're going to happen. In the fourth watch of the night. Now, there's a vast body here of divinacy that I would love to spend quite a while in ministering to you on.

[47:06] But what is so remarkable is, and these are basic things really, they saw him. But the thing was they were so full of fear they were troubled saying it is our spirit.

[47:30] spirit. And they cried out for fear. I wonder why there is this tremendous feeling of fear spoken of in the scriptures concerning a spirit.

[47:53] And you get the same in the Old Testament. We shall die. We've seen God. we shall surely die.

[48:06] It seems as though it is the impact of deity upon frail humanity, immutability upon our frail state here below.

[48:23] But it's amazing that there is this fear. But don't you prove it? Aren't you in it? Don't you live in this largely?

[48:39] Doesn't this explain amongst the people of God mental conditions and nervous conditions and breakdowns and awful dreams and I don't know what all that they go through?

[48:54] I'm sure it does and we know what this is to some degree thy soul full of woe shall pass us through hell.

[49:07] There seems to be a dread of the spirit world. Well it needed the voice of Christ to still their fears.

[49:27] So it will with you. you may find you're in such a fearful state a state of almost agonized fear that it affects you during the day and affects you when darkness falls and in the night and when you sleep.

[49:49] You're in such a state of fear. Now you will need the voice of Jesus to calm you.

[50:03] He said three things. Be of good cheer.

[50:14] Cheer up. Cheer up. It's a wonderful thing when you get the tonic isn't it?

[50:27] do you know what it is to get the tonic? The love of God in your soul shed abroad. You've got the tonic and you're cheerful.

[50:45] Why there's such a radiancy and cheerfulness about your spirit that you are just a wonder to yourself and you may be a wonder to others.

[50:56] What has happened? Well the Saviour said be of good cheer. Cheer up he said. You'll come through.

[51:11] Presently it will be peace. You'll know calmness. You'll know deliverance. So he bringeth them to their desired haven.

[51:25] this is the divine method. All wrapped up in one word. So now he said be of good cheer.

[51:40] I have often noticed this in the gospel and in these holy gospels take the paralyzed man.

[51:50] the first thing he said to him was son be of good cheer. And he simply dispelled the awful gloom that was hanging over him.

[52:03] and you may get into this where it's such a gloom that hangs over your spirit that you can't rise above it.

[52:18] He said be of good cheer. He will lift the cloud. You will say I feel better.

[52:28] I feel different. There's a great change. So he said be of good cheer. It is I I your savior the son of God incarnate.

[52:49] It seems to me you know with these disciples if only they could see him and hear his voice and feel his touch and touch him all these fears are gone.

[53:07] So he said it is I be not afraid. No don't be afraid.

[53:22] You may say but what about that roaring lion? What about those angry waves that seem ready to dash me on the rocks? What about the awful fears that I have rising in my mind?

[53:41] He said be not afraid. If God be for us who can be against us? can anything separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?

[54:02] Nothing. me. Now allow me just a few moments dear friends.

[54:16] Now Peter who was in the boat immediately responded and desired that he might and this is unique I think it is quite unique in the book of God he said Lord if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water.

[54:47] Now there was such a degree of faith given to him that he felt he could get out of the boat and walk on the water.

[55:02] And so will you if you have the sufficient degree of faith. You'll feel you can walk on this very sea this sea of tribulation and trouble you walk on it.

[55:16] and it's possible. Oh it's a sweet thing this.

[55:29] And I said it was unique I'm sure it is. He said come and when Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water.

[55:39] He actually walked on the water. Have you been doing that recently? for a moment or two? Have you walked on the water? You know a day can come it may be a Lord's day it may be another day it may be in a divine service it may be in secret but a day comes when the Lord delivers his people and you have been in something and he delivers you bring you right out of it first of all there's an internal spiritual deliverance and then the circumstantial or providential but when he appears you can walk on it wonderful this is but the orientation of the spirit is so important it is evident that the one thing needful is to keep our eye of faith fixed upon our saviour this is it poor

[57:17] Peter he removed his eye from Christ saw the wind boisterous saw the effect of the wind he looked at that and that probably is what you're doing so easy instead of looking you may have had a word given you keep your eye fixed on it my friend or rather Christ in that word try to keep your eye fixed on it I believe I have known what that is recently now immediately you know the wind begins to howl and you you hear it and you listen you and you see the effect of it you look sink commence to sink seems as though you must go down there's no alternative you sink oh what a place this is but these are places the

[58:55] Lord's dear people come into and he cried the Lord knows the cry I have more than once alluded to this as an illustration a mother and of course a father but more especially a mother you take a mother with especially who's had one or two or three little ones now the babe cries or makes a noise that mother can discern she can discern she may say there's nothing in that there's temper or something like that but if there's a real cry she knows so does the

[59:58] Lord when you cry he knows and he quickly flies to your relief you see when you cry and I'll tell you something you must go to prayer you must go to prayer that's what you must do there's nothing else and when you go to prayer seek that you might cry Lord save me and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand oh this lovely loving compassionate savior here is he your all do you cleave to him is he increasingly precious to you immediately he stretched forth his hand he did you know in eternity and he did when he saw you ruined in the fall and he did when he came in his incarnation and in

[61:37] Gethsemane having loved his own that were in the world he loved them unto the end he immediately stretched forth his hand how wonderful and innumerable times in your life he stretched forth his hand and when we played with sin reckless and foolish all this stretching forth of his hand this brand taken out of the fire and caught him and said unto him oh thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt when they would come into the ship the wind ceased now all this issues in one grand thing what is it by these means painful and mysterious he manifested forth his glory amen lord will sir peter rell will preach here on tuesday and next week let's close with him number 769 june 677 sentence jesus o'er the good old spirit be my fidelity strong hold me fast and keep me near thee all thy noise time of the world what concerns me by thy power and love perform a sümini june sixty six septent septent septent in

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