164
March 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Christ is anything but dull and flat and stale and unprofitable. Alas! many of us. make it that. There is a little glow and quiver when we first come to Jesus, and then everything fades away into the com mon light of day until we come to our death bed, when we again hope for a mar velous increase of the lifting and glorify ing power of faith in Him. That is some thing: of what happened to Peter. But Peter leads us right at first. We have no idea of what faith can do until we try. Our Lord Himself is a proof of it. He did all His work by faith. “TJie works that I do shall ye do also.” Some thing like that, with great suddenness, came into Peter’s, soul. “Why should not I go to Him ?’’: | The work that Christ did, Peter did, also; for a time. There may: come to you such an accession of faith. “Lord, bid me come—show me a new thing.” The Master was not displeased, He didn’t even speak back quickly and say: “Peter, Peter, thou art allowing that worst thing in thee to come uppermost.” Nay, the Master was well pleased. He’ uttered one word only , O that the Church today, in the midst of all her distraction,, might suddenly realize that there is a pathway : out of it all, if we could only open our eyes and have faith in Christ, Peter prepared a new thing, but'before he got the whole length, he spoiled it. Let us begin where Peter began and go on. My friend, this applies to you. You have done something like this. You al lowed those critical voices to come in upon your own spirit and to find a re echo in your own breast. If you had allowed them to blow by you, as the idle wind, you would have carried that scheme to success. Is your heart meditating some new things? God speed you! It keeps your, clothes dryer to sit in the boat, but if you think you can go out, get your eyes on Jesus and go. When you see Peter walking on the water, with the storm light on His face, and the spray in His hair, you get one glimpse of what Peter, by the grace of God, was meant to be—and what you and I, by His grace were always meant to be —a people filled with such a vision of the eternal Christ that all things temporal fall away from us and utterly lose their power to hamper or discourage us. What marred this beautiful story was that, after beginning at such a sublime height of faith, he began to get cautious. He began in the spirit and ended in the flesh. It is a pity that we should ever get so keen-sighted as to see the wind. We ought to be blind to the wind. We ought to be deaf to its noise and the roar ing of the wave. You must forget about your surroundings if you would obey Christ. Peter tripped over his own feet. When a man begins to walk the waters, he has to forget these ordinary means of loco motion. He should forget all such con siderations as those belonging to “specific gravities.” He needs to forget science and many other things. Poor sinking brother—sister! Will we learn from Peter even now? Would you be brought to peace and safety-—deliv ered from the storm that is blowing through your rigging? Here it is—“Lord, serve me.” One eager, quick, urgent cry! Peter at his worst is wiser than some of
us when we think we are at our best. Do not perish without a cry. You are sink ing deeper every week you live. Learn from Peter that all the distance between imminent destruction and salvation is bridged over when the soul has cried—■ “Lord, save me." There is no eloquence about this prayer. It is a cry for help, rising on the shrieks of Jhe tempest. What a splendid prayer it is! There was a fine earnestness about it that redeemed it from all risk of being rude. When will we learn to pray? When the Lord takes Peter by the hand and plants him on what, for the time, was a sea of glass beside Himself, He says: “Peter, Peter, where were your wits? wherefore didst thou doubt?” The same sting is in the Master’s tone yet. “Thou art belying all thy profession. Why all this commotion and alarm in Christian breasts?” Let us look into Christ’s face and an swer that question. We are dumb like Peter. Oh! soul of mine, what ails thee? We began well. What has come over us since ? We shall be greatly chastened and re buked when we remember what poor use we made of Jesus. “Why, art thou cast down, 0 my soul? Why art thou dis quieted within me?” Unbelief, out in the world, is mightily praised in these days, but in the: Christian, it is a stupidity— always an unreasonable thing with no thing to say for itself when the Lord questions it. Peter Trusts Jesus Matt. 14:22-33 By M a b e l L. M e r r il l Memory Verse: “It is I; be not afraid.” Matt. 14:27. Approach: Were any of you ever in a boat in a storm? It is not a very pleasant place to be, is it? The wind blows and causes the waves to dash high, and often age when Jesus was living here op earth. One of the men whom Jesus called to help Him in our story last week, is with Jesus in our story today. (Prayer) Lesson Story : I wonder who can tell me the names of the four fishermen Jesus called to be His helpers. (Review, em phasizing the importance of always obey ing Jesus when ever He calls). The one we are to hear about today is Simon, but Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter. Jesus sent Peter and the other helpers across the Sea; of Galilee in a boat, but before they had gone very far a great storm arose on the sea. When the help ers got into the boat Jesus went upon the mountain alone to pray to His Heavenly Father. Let us remember Peter and the other helpers are just where Jesus asked them to go, but the storm was a very bad one, and they eould not make any headway with the boat, and it seemed to be sinking as the big waves dashed over it. The night was very dark, and go over the boat. Of course it is al ways dangerous in a b a d s t o r m, and many b o a t s go down in storms. In our beautiful story today we are going to hear about a bad storm on the Sea of Galilee, a long time
S u g g e st iv e Q u e s t io n s What is suggested by “contrary winds ?” (v. 24; cf. Eph. 6:12). What quieting word has Jesus left to all his People? (v.27; cf. Jn. 14:27). What is suggested by Jesus’ being in the mount? (Rom. 8:34).' Had the disciples been in a storm be- fore? What difference was there in the circumstances?: (Jn. 6:17).. ' What did Peter afterward say as to how believers are to be kept? (1 Pet. 1:5), ■ \ I I How soon will Christ hear the prayer of God’s child in distress? (v. 31; cf. Isa. 65 :24). What will He do for us when we find the way too rough for our feet? (Psa. 138:7). - ' What is implied in the disciples’ “wor shipping” Jesus? (v. 33; cf. Heb. 1:6; Jn. 5:23; 20:28, 29). —o— G o ld en T e x t I l l u s t r a t io n “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” (Matthew 14:27). It is said that Dr. John Clifford, a us ually cheerful Baptist minister, at times became greatly depressed. On one occa sion, he flung himself upon thè couch in the mood of Elijah under the juniper tree, and cried out, “It is enough: now, O Lord, take away my life.” Mrs. Clifford said not a word but prepared at oncë to go out. “Where are you going ?” asked her husband. She answered : “I’m going for the undertaker.” Dr. Clifford imme diately recovered and never forgot the lesson. It is said that Beethoven had his piano placed in the middle of a field, and then, under the smiling sky, with the birds singing around him, flowers and grain glistening in the sun, the master musician composed some of his greatest oratorios. To the Christian the most effectual means of being lifted out of fear and despon dency is to realize the présence of Christ, and this is the outcome of taking Him at His Word. To the trusting heart, He is ever singing : “Cheer up—I am with you —put away your fears.” B y D r . J o h n M c N e il l “J j ORD, if it be Thou,” said Peter, “bid me come to Thee on the water.” Jesus said: “Come.” What are we to say about Peter? As we look at him climbing down out of that boat to go to Jesus, different views of his con duct are t a k e n . Some say: “Ah 1 this is just a re hearsal of the tre mendous downfall that was to come to Peter bye and bye. It is the usual over- confidence and over-boldness.” I would rather take the view that Peter p|-in the beginning at any rate—was right in what he did. My one great regret is that he did not carry it through well. It was well begun, and according to the proverb, “Well begun is half done.” But no amount of proverb can make half done whole done, and it was the other half in which he failed. This was an entirely new thing, and that is one of the blessings of it. Faith in BEV©TI®NAIL COMMENT..
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