That Sinking Feeling

[00:00:01] Speaker A: In the name of jesus, amen. I titled today's message that Sinking Feeling, and I wanted to sing that last hymn, even though I was reminded yesterday it's an Easter hymn. But it's Jesus, isn't it? Going through that sinking feeling. And were you there to watch when they laid him in the tomb? And were you there when God raised him from the dead? That's really what today is about. I hope you paid attention a little bit to the gospel lesson this morning where Peter has that sinking feeling. Did you see it? Did you watch? I'd like to say that I'm not like Peter, even though I have his name, his namesake there, I guess. But that's Peter, you know, so sure and trusting at one moment and fearful and doubting the next. And it can shift just like that. And I have to admit, truth is, I am just like Peter one moment, trusting the next moment, doubting at once. I'm sure. Then again, not so I'm up, I'm down. It's kind of like a yo yo. Sometimes in my life, maybe more accurately like a roller coaster, because when challenges arise and troubles and trials, temptations, [00:01:51] Speaker B: well, [00:01:52] Speaker A: sometimes my faith is strong. The Lord is great. Whatever's going on, I'm facing it with power. And yet there's other times my faith is weak. And I wonder, well, just how is everything going to work out this time? It's usually for things a lot less important than, well, a terrible storm, for example. No matter how strong we may think our faith is, really all of us have little faiths, like Jesus says, and all it takes to find out is just a little bit of trouble in our lives. Faith, you know, is trusting in God. And it's easy when things are going well in our lives, when the water is calm, when the wind is at our back, when the sailing is smooth and we're making good progress. Well, faith is easy at those times. Faith gets taken for granted at those times because we really don't think about it all that much. But what happens when things go wrong, maybe horribly wrong, when you feel, well, like Peter did, that sinking feeling when you aren't sure how things are going to turn out, when troubles and pains and heartaches and uncertainty and doubt and fears get the better of you [00:03:41] Speaker B: and [00:03:41] Speaker A: you feel like you're drowning in them? Well, that's when we find out how great or how little our faith really is and how much Jesus statement to the disciples on that particular evening really applies to us. How true for Peter, for Job, that we heard in the Old Testament Lesson for you, for me, how true that sinking feeling can be. I came across a little video I want to show you this morning. It's taking place in the radar room of the German Coast Guard. And the captioning is there. It's not the best, but you'll get the idea of, well, the importance of radar, but more importantly the importance of that word, sinking. Let's see it. [00:05:20] Speaker B: Mayday, mayday. Hello, can you hear us? Can you hear us? Can you hold up me? We are sinking. We are sink. Hello, [00:05:30] Speaker A: this is the German coast guard. [00:05:34] Speaker B: We are sinking. We're sinking. [00:05:37] Speaker A: What are you thinking about. [00:05:47] Speaker B: Now? [00:05:47] Speaker A: I'm not trying to advertise nice for them to get. Can we see that just one more time? You just got to sort of capture this whole thing. [00:06:04] Speaker B: Hello, can you hear us? Can you hear us? Can you? Over. We are sinking. We are sinking. Hello, [00:06:14] Speaker A: this is the German coast guard. [00:06:17] Speaker B: We are sinking. We're sinking. [00:06:20] Speaker A: What are you thinking about? [00:06:25] Speaker B: Yeah, [00:06:34] Speaker A: So that's what it was like day at sea. The wind literally tormenting the boat that the disciples are sitting in. The going was difficult. But now you have to understand these are experienced fishermen and they knew the sea and they knew their boat and they were not easily frightened by anything. So while the storm was bothersome, well, I don't think they thought they were in a particular danger. What did frighten them, according to the text, is not the storm, but when they saw Jesus. And they thought it was a ghost. And they are afraid. And it's not a far off, distant kind of ghost that they thought they saw. No, Matthew tells us that they saw and Jesus came up to them. And that phrase, the way it's worded there in the original language, it means both the idea of moving toward them and arriving right there. So there he is at the side of the boat. So that in all probability Jesus had come right up alongside. And that's when they cried out in fear. Some of you parents maybe have experienced that very kind of thing when your little one has had a bad dream and standing beside your bed and you become aware you're being watched and you wake up in a start and probably even could cry out and you maybe get a cry out in response. Frightening. And it's significant because it means that when Peter got out of the boat and came to Jesus, that proximity was only a few steps. He didn't like stroll off to a far off Jesus and somewhere along the way went down into the waves. He probably took no more than a few uncertain, unsteady and kind of Wet steps before fear got the best of him. And he began sinking and he cried out in terror, hosanna. Wait a minute. That's a different story, isn't it? But that's what hosanna means. Because the story we associate hosanna to is Palm Sunday. You know, people hailing Jesus in Jerusalem as king. But the story is very similar because they had that sinking feeling there in Jerusalem that day, that sinking feeling of disgusting loss and slavery to a dominating foreign power, Rome. And they were crying out, like Peter did, hosanna. Because hosanna means, save me. Save now. We have no hope. Hosanna, Lord, save [00:09:54] Speaker B: now. [00:09:56] Speaker A: Well, let's get back to Peter. Immediately, the text said, did you see that word? Immediately, Jesus saves Peter. And just as immediately, he spoke ostensibly to the disciples and calmed their fears when they cried out. So Jesus, immediately he grabs hold of Peter and he saves him. Peter, who had two doubts. First doubt, are you really Jesus? Is it really you, Jesus? And second doubt is, is Jesus really able to save him? Jesus says, o you of little faith, why did you doubt? Notice Jesus didn't say, well, look, Peter, I'm really proud of you for trying. Way to go, man. No, he doesn't say that. And he doesn't say, well, you could learn to trust a little bit more, you know, like some kind of a rebuke. I don't think Jesus was criticizing Peter, though. I think it's more like a loving question that a parent might have for a child at night, you know, who's frightened by a nightmare. Why are you scared? Don't you know we're right here for you, protecting you. You don't have to be afraid of anything. Nothing's going to hurt you. See, that's Jesus. He's here to save. He's not a ghost. He's not a figment of some fanciful religious imagination. He's a flesh and blood savior who has, in fact, already saved you from your worst enemies. Enemies which are worse than you can know or even possibly imagine. Sin, which seeks to destroy you. Death which will claim your life. And the devil, the devil who wants you in his kingdom for eternity. If you knew the dangers of those enemies, I mean, really knew, I think you would shudder and fear more than you do. You would avoid sin more than you do. You would cry out with Peter, hosanna, Lord, save me more than you do. And the fact that we don't is really no sign of our strength, but rather a sign of our ignorance and of our delusion and of our little faith. And what of Peter's cry? It's exactly what Jesus wants to hear. Have you thought about that? For this is what Jesus has come to do to save. When you fall into sin, Jesus wants you to cry out to him, lord, save me. Forgive me. And when facing disease or death, Jesus wants you to cry out to him, lord, save me, I'm sinking. And when you are tempted and under the devil's attack, Jesus wants you to cry out to him, lord, save me. Strengthen my faith. These prayers, they're not bothersome to him at all. God answers all prayers, and he answers these ones especially. There was really only one time when that save me prayer wasn't answered. It was when God withheld his hand and did not save. It was when Jesus had that sinking feeling when he was sinking down into death on the cross. That's why we sang. Were you there? God the Father did not rescue Jesus from sin, but had our sin laid upon him. He was not spared death, but sunk down, drowned in it. He was not saved from the devil, but took all that he could dish out all the justice that God demands because of our sin. Jesus, he took it all. There was no hand to save. But then, three days later, the other hand of God, the Holy Spirit, pulled Jesus from death and the grave. Jesus, his sacrifice for us, conquered all these things, all sin, all death, conquered the devil. He has stripped them of their power so that they can no longer haunt or taunt or torment us, we who are his children. That hand that rescued Peter is the same hand that baptized you, pulling you from your sin and giving you his life, giving spirit and making you his child. His hand feeds you, giving you, O you of little faith, the ability to believe the forgiveness of sins. And his hands work through doctors to heal you, and through parents to care for you, and through friends and neighbors to support you, and through farmers to feed you, and through government and military to protect you. How many other blessings do you see? The Lord's care for you? Do you see how he takes care of you, both body and soul, physically and spiritually? I wanted to sing what wondrous love is this? Hymn 5:43. Look at it later on today, maybe. Verse 2. When I was sinking down Sinking down, Sinking down When I was sinking down Sinking down When I was sinking down Beneath God's righteous frown Christ laid aside his crown for my soul for my soul Christ laid aside his crown for my soul. It doesn't mean that we won't have troubles. You most certainly will. I most certainly will. Sometimes it's because you get yourself into messes like Peter did. Sometimes it will be the sin of the world crashing down upon you, and you can do nothing about it. And sometimes, well, troubles may even come from your loving Heavenly Father, who sends them to call you back to him in repentance and faith. But it is exactly the reason that the second Commandment teaches us that you not only don't misuse God's name, but that you do use it to call upon him in every trouble, to pray, to praise and to give thanks. This is good and this is pleasing to Our Lord. And St. Paul even reminded us today. Did you hear it? Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Do you realize how comforting that statement is? Whether you're male or female, young or old, little faith or great faith, near or far to the Lord, faithful or struggling with sin, fearful or confident. Even if, like Peter, you can take only a few uncertain and unsteady steps wherever you find yourself, Jesus is faithful to all of his promises. For we like Peter, well, on our own, we can only think. We cannot save ourselves. But Jesus is there. He's there to raise us up. Today's lesson is not there to show us how much we're like Peter, but to show us, Jesus, that not only can he save us, but he does save us. And it's not the strength of our faith that makes the difference, but the strength of our Savior who makes the difference. And if there are times, like with Job, when God seems against you, well, it's only that he's trying to teach you to pray, teach you to call upon him, teach you to rely upon him. Teach you that he is your only Savior. When your world is a rockin what do you grab hold of? When your world is a rockin how do you stand? Wherever you are, Jesus is holding on to you. Amen. I think we sing a response, right? Is that correct?