Christians must look to God to help them withstand life’s difficulties, because God’s sovereign mercy trumps the weak faith of men, noted pastor, radio commentator and author Erwin Lutzer told students on Sept. 11 at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Preaching from Matthew 14:22-33, Lutzer said God often places His children into difficult situations so they will learn to trust and obey Him. Lutzer, who has served as pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago since 1980, gave seven lessons from the passage in which Jesus walks on the water, lessons that provide comfort for believers amid trials.
Lutzer is a well-known author, having written numerous books, a popular conference speaker and he hosts the radio program “Running to Win,” which airs daily on the Moody Broadcasting Network.
The seven lessons from the passage:
· Storms are often encountered in obedience to Christ. The disciples were doing God’s will in the passage when the storm struck.
· Storms should remind believers of the promises of God.
· Even when Christians can’t see Jesus, Jesus can see them.
· Jesus comes to believers amid storms at just the right time.
· The fears of believers might be Jesus in disguise.
The disciples did not at first recognize Jesus when he was
walking on the water toward them. “In retrospect, we may see that it was Jesus who was working in our lives in the storm,” Lutzer said.
· The water that threatens to wash over the head of believers is under the feet of Jesus. “The disciples feared drowning, but Jesus walked on the water they feared,” he said.
· A believer’s ability to walk the Christian life depends on the focus of his or her eyes. “Peter’s greatest problem was faith,” Lutzer said. “He saw the wind and he began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus…Jesus must be our point of reference when we are in the midst of storms.”
To hear the complete audio sermon, please click the following link and scroll down to the sermon:
http://www.sbts.edu/resources/Audio_Resources/Chapel_Messages/Fall_2007.aspx