Sermon Preached by Dr. John A. Huffman, Jr.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Copyright © 2004, John A. Huffman, Jr.
All rights reserved.

HELP--I'M SINKING!

But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:30-33)

Before I begin today's sermon, I must stop and address a topic I would rather not have to address.

Two weeks ago, I warned you that we are now in a presidential election year. I have discovered, in my 40 years of ministry, that emotions are heightened, opinions become exaggerated and outrageous statements are made that inflame the body politic. Those of us in pastoral ministry are often caught in the middle, unless we succumb to the pressures to endorse the policies and partisan concerns of the most extreme voices.

The middle of this week, I was stunned to begin receiving phone calls, e-mails and letters from persons outraged by what they understood to be policies of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America toward Israel. Initial queries assumed that I knew that to which they were referring. I didn't. Finally, an e-mail came through from one of our members that was accompanied by an article written by Dennis Prager. I have known Dennis for a quarter of a century. I used to appear as a regular guest when he hosted "Religion on the Line." I have known him to be one of the brightest, most gracious and intellectually stimulating of radio talk show hosts. On most issues, Dennis and I agreed, as we both were staking our positions on the authority of the Bible, he from the perspective of the Old Testament and me from the perspective of the Old and New Testaments.

However, Dennis has just published an article titled "Presbyterian Church Defames Christianity," which is a one-sided, malicious, political/religious polemic against the very careful and well-thought-out endeavor of our denomination to work for justice and peace for both Israelis and Palestinians in the violence fraught Middle East. Frankly, I doubt that he even read our denomination's statement. It is so balanced and carefully nuanced that I cannot imagine how he could write what he did if he had read it.

As you know, I have not always agreed with statements of our General Assembly. Right now, we continue to be engaged in an ongoing debate over the issues of human sexuality. In years past, Dennis Prager and I have discussed these issues, and our thoughts are quite congruent. However, I must speak up clearly, though briefly, to support the stand of our denomination in regard to the Middle East. As one who has traveled over 30 times to Israel, the West Bank and numerous of the surrounding countries, I resist any efforts to oversimplify the situation. The reality is, as so eloquently expressed by our General Assembly statement, that there is heartbreak, tragedy and innocent suffering being experienced by both Israelis and Palestinians. In reaction to injustices on both sides, actions are being taken by some Israelis and Palestinians that can be called nothing less than violence and, in some cases, terrorism. However, both parties prefer to label them "self-defense." The Presbyterian Church has had missionaries in this part of the world for over 150 years and has observed the mosaic of the Middle East in all of its complexity in an endeavor to minister to the victims of all kinds of violence.

Our denomination endorses both the security of Israel and the right of Palestinians to their occupied lands. It abhors actions and attitudes on either side that use and purposely accentuate violence to achieve its ends. It affirms the efforts of persons, once warriors, such as Yitzhak Rabin and Anwar Sadat, who actually gave their lives as martyrs because of their peacemaking efforts. We express grave concern over the wall now being installed that, even though to some Israelis it represents protection from suicide bombers, to the majority of Palestinians yearning for peace, up to 80 percent of whom are unemployed, represents a barrier between them and the jobs they once had in Israel.

Peace that once was close at hand, as recently as four years ago, has evaporated, with both Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, and even more radical elements surrounding both of them, having heightened both the rhetoric and the warring violence. Considerations of divestiture of Presbyterian investment in companies contributing to this violence is not exclusively directed toward Israel, but a policy also suggested to be used in a number of the other troubled areas of the world.

Let me quote my dear friend, covenant group member and fellow pastor, Dr. Jerry Tankersley of the Laguna Presbyterian Church. He wrote these words late this week in response to one of his member's concerns. They say precisely what I have been trying to say.

I for one, will never back off on my support for Israel's right to exist peacefully. I oppose terrorism, whatever the source. Israel has a right to protect itself. But it also has a higher calling to do justice in the way the prophets of the Old Testament proclaimed. The State of Israel is unbelieving Israel. Only a small percentage of the population has any religious orientation. True Israel, in the Old Testament, was never seen as a racial, blood identity. Israel is a spiritual identity fulfilled in the new Israel, made up of believing Jews and Gentiles, who have bowed the knee to Jesus the Christ. Members of the body of Christ are our Arab brothers and sisters who we cannot forsake, nor can we tolerate their oppression.

This is an election year. Everything from the war on terror, to same-sex marriages, to homosexuality, to ordination, to Iraq, to abortion, to evangelism, you name it, are going to be on the table. Both parties are trying to use the churches of America to do voter registration and promotion of platforms. Candidates will be blackballed by one group or another, accused of being unpatriotic, even denied the sacraments by their churches for their views, etc, etc.

Now is the time for us to be patient, steadfast, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, our labor is not in vain. We can talk some more about all this, but we must never let the conflicts of the world divide the Christian community. I know it is tempting. I have been pushed and pulled for many years. It has been difficult to love this tumultuous church and world. But what are the options? You and I will be responsible to keep people focused. I am concerned that we do not become promoters of anxieties and fears that will knock us off track. I am all for openness and dialogue, but it is important for us to help those who are disturbed to grow in their faith and knowledge of Christ and of what it means to be a mature Christian in a sin sick, hate filled, polarized world.

I beg you, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I beg you to pray for the Middle East. I pray for you once again in this election year to be careful not to overreact to harsh statements designed to stimulate a reaction, and to treat both those who make those kind of statements and those who try to answer them with graciousness and love, realizing this is a hurting world. As followers of Jesus, we must not hide our heads in the sand. Yet, to speak up will cause misunderstanding. When all is said and done, I would hope that we would be known more as peacemakers than peace disturbers, refusing to fan the flames of religious national and political violence. Enough said!

Now to today's message.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, you know the complexities of this world for which you have so much love. Thank you for becoming human in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our individual and corporate sins. Thank you for your resurrection power of forgiveness, for the presence of your Holy Spirit who enables new life and that which furthers the values of the One who is the Prince of Peace. In this election year, may we claim your wisdom to be men and women who allow our hearts to be broken by those things that break your heart and who, with your help, will be part of the solution. Now, as we open your Word, help us to learn from it. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Have you ever started out on a project with great confidence, only to lose heart when you tackled the realities of the job?

One morning, I was up and at it the instant my alarm rang at 5:45. Brisk calisthenics, a time of devotion, a shave and shower, a toss on of the clothes, breakfast and off to tackle the world. I hit the office on the run. It was going to be a day of great production. Two or three "busy-work" items lay on the top of my desk, pulling the rug out of all my enthusiasm. The day wore on. Detail after detail sapped my creative energies to the point that I drifted through the rest of the day, arriving home that evening with a sense of frustrated defeat.

I have had frequent days like this throughout the 40 years of ministry. Coming into the office on the run this Tuesday morning, I never expected my week to become monopolized by telephone calls, e-mails, and letters about Israel, Dennis Prager and the Presbyterian Church.

Days like these remind me of the day when Tim Johnson, who was 14 and I was 12, took off in a rowboat across Winona Lake in Indiana. It was to be a day of great adventure on Rattlesnake Island. After exuberantly hiking through that wilderness area, we got back into our boat to cross a small canal. On the other side, I stepped out onto what I thought was firm ground. It wasn't. It was quicksand. I began to sink. Mud oozed up around my ankles, then to my knees, and up to my waist, as I cried out, "Tim, help-- I'm sinking!"

With delicate maneuvering of our rowboat and a firm grasp of the oar, Tim stopped my terrifying descent and gradually pulled me out of that downward sucking mud to safety. Needless to say, two pretty frightened boys made their way back across that lake to the safety of home.

You have had similar experiences. I know you have. You hit life with all the initial, head-on gusto of an all pro fullback, only to get knocked back five yards behind the line of scrimmage.

You started out with great confidence in your Christian commitment, ready to make an impact on the world for Jesus Christ. Then you lost courage. You started out with the ambition of a sophomore in college on the first day of classes, determined to make straight A's, only to end up in that Thanksgiving to Christmas slump, with the work all piled up and no way to get on top of that pile.

Let me read you the story of one man who started out with gusto, only to falter and finally cry out, "Help--I'm sinking!"

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."

You know what it is to be frightened like Peter--caught up in the storm of life, only to see the face of Jesus and impulsively step forward in faith, preparing to walk on water. Your faith will conquer all. Initially it does. But then the waves of your life distract you, the storm crowds in on you. All there is left is to cry out, "Help--I'm sinking!"

Fortunately, the Holy Spirit has preserved for us this vignette of the life of Peter. God has shared in His Word both the successes and failures of His men and women, who set us free with their rich insights into our own human predicament.

The Christian life has its ups and downs.

Great men and women of faith also lose their confidence.

I don't know of anything more reassuring from God's Word than to observe Peter lose his confidence. I find that helpful, because I see a reflection of myself. All of us have doubts. All of us lose our confidence.

Moses did. What two greater giants of faith have ever lived than Peter and Moses?

There he was, impeccably groomed for leadership. This young Jewish man had survived 40 years in the court of Pharaoh. He was a man of pride. He was a man of impulsive confidence. He would deliver his people from their bondage. We know how his plan went awry.

Driven by fear from Egypt into the wilderness of the Sinai, he spent 40 years getting humbled. In fact, he got almost too humble. Fearful to once again step out in leadership, he argued with God. The Lord instructed him to go to Pharaoh to bring deliverance to the people of Israel. Moses response was, "'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'" (Exodus 3:11). God has to work hard to convince Moses to even start out on his new task. Gun-shy from his first experience of leadership, impulsive Moses had lost that eager drive. Just as Peter and you and I, he was filled with questions.

Isn't that tremendously reassuring? Isn't it great to know that you and I are in good company? Even great men and women of the faith have their times of doubt.

Frankly, this doesn't make the best way to live. Even though I can take great consolation that men and women listed on God's honor roll of faith have their doubts, fears and questions, I am convinced that God has a better way to live. Jesus actually chided Peter for his fear. Taking one look at Peter, crying out for help, He says, "'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'" (Matthew 14:31).

Great persons of faith are known for their faith, not because they doubted but because they believed. This is a lesson that we can learn from Peter. We can take great encouragement from the fact that he had his doubts. We can take greater encouragement from the way in which he conquered doubt.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon puts a handle on this faith-doubt tension. He calls it the "mixed character of the believer's experience."

You know what I mean. One day, you are standing on the top of Mount Tabor, witnessing the very Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. You are standing in the presence of the saints of all ages. You are inspired, thrilled, ready to tackle the world for Jesus. The next day, you are down in the valley of humiliation--beaten, broken, discouraged.

Psychiatrists have a clinical label for this chronic experience. It is called "manic depression" or a "bipolar disorder."

I want to be careful what I say here, because I have walked the long, painful road with dear friends who have suffered from this severe mental illness in which their lives are driven by moods ranging between extreme highs, where they feel they can conquer the world, and the lows of suicidal depression. I would not want, in any sermon, to imply that by inspirational preaching one can be talked out of these extremes to a central balance of normalcy. In these clinically diagnosed situations, medication, complemented by extensive therapy, in my estimation, is the best course of action.

However, many of us, who would never qualify for a clinical diagnosis of such mental illness, live with a range of emotions, moods that fluctuate in the course of a year, a month, a week, even a day. We have our highs and lows, as did Peter.

Dr. Raymond Lindquist, for many years pastor of the Hollywood Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, California, stated, "Every great preacher had better be manic/depressive. He or she needs to be high at 11:00 on Sunday morning, preaching with all the confidence of divine authority. And that preacher had better be low by 2:00 on Sunday afternoon, or he will be impossible for his wife to live with the rest of the week."

Instead of getting torn apart by this mixed character of your Christian experience, face the reality of it. Understand that the great men and women of the faith have had their ups and downs. They have had their mountaintop and valley low experiences.

The big question is, how do they end up? What does the grand vista show? Are they able to stay near their Lord both in times of victory and defeat, of faith and doubt? Do they have a realistic understanding of these complicated inner pressures? Do they recognize the nature of the inner struggle between the Holy Spirit and the unholy spirit?

The biggest trouble in life comes when you take your eyes off Jesus!

Why do we lose heart? Why do we doubt? Why do we begin to sink?

As long as Peter was moving forward with his eyes fixed on Jesus, he was safe. The moment he became self-conscious, overly aware of the strong wind and the waves, he became frightened, and he began to sink.

God wants you to have a healthy self-view. He wants you to respect yourself. When I talk about this manic/depressive element within us, I am only using psychological terms to illustrate the struggle of life.

No, God does not want you for a moment to be taken over by that kind of emotional instability. He wants you to have a positive, realistic view of yourself. This is brought about by not becoming overwhelmed with yourself.

Perhaps you are too self-conscious. You are so egotistically wrapped up in yourself that you have taken your eyes off of Jesus. In fact, you are not even aware that He is around.

I remember when our first daughter, Suzanne, was four and a half, the first time she really discovered herself. She had been fascinated by seeing herself in the mirror as an infant, but this time it was different.

I remember one day walking into the bathroom and seeing her perched up on the cabinet, looking into the mirror and examining her face. How intent she was. How fascinated she was with herself as she gazed intently into the mirror. I stood there in the room for some time, watching her in her self-absorption.

"Daddy!" Her face flushed with embarrassment as she realized she was in the presence of someone else. This self-consciousness is normal, healthy in a child. She had to discover herself. Thirty years later, that same kind of self-preoccupation could be labeled "narcissistic." At the very least, a person that is overly preoccupied with self is not pleasant to be around.

Too often you and I begin to sink, as did Peter, when we take our eyes off Jesus. We gaze into the mirror, preoccupied with our charms and our blemishes.

We also can become preoccupied with causes that take our eyes off of Jesus.

For example, you can get caught up in apologetics. There are good, solid reasons for believing in Jesus Christ. Your faith is based on some good reasons. You should be able to give an answer for the faith that is within you. There is a cerebral aspect to the faith. Yet, your apologetics, your arguments of the faith, are not the focal point of the faith. They are a vehicle that helps express your trust in Jesus Christ.

I remember back in the era of the Cold War when many Christians were caught up in the anti-Communist crusade. No follower of Jesus wants other human beings, created in the image of God, trodden down by an atheistic system that denies the reality of the sacredness of each individual. Yet, it is so easy to get caught up in a crusade that one takes their eyes off Jesus Christ.

The same thing can happen today in the midst of the political season. Politics can become our preoccupation. Some can be so pro-Republican or pro-Democrat, so caught up in the commendable aspects of one's political platform and loyalty to one's political candidate of choice, that the eyes are taken off of Jesus Christ. You can become sterile spiritually. Watch out! You are beginning to sink unless you put your eyes back on the Person of Jesus Christ who gives you this authentic concern for the causes of your political party, platform and candidate.

You can put your confidence in your solid theology. Here at St. Andrew's we are committed to historic Christian doctrine, rooted firmly in the Scriptures. Yet, our faith is not in a doctrinal system. If we pride ourselves in sound doctrine until we have all theological precision and yet have not cultivated our heart relationship with the Lord, we are in trouble.

You can put your confidence in your good deeds. The spinoff of your love of Jesus Christ should be good works. For too long, we have separated personal spiritual growth from social concern. It is time to rediscover our responsibilities for other people. Yet, our trust is in Jesus Christ. Our eyes must focus on Him, not on our good works.

You can put too close a focus on our denomination, proud of our Presbyterianism. Or we can become preoccupied with the faults of our denomination, concentrating on its weaknesses to the point that our eyes are no longer on Jesus Christ. How sad!

Not even memorization of Scripture and study of the Bible should distract you and me from the Person of Jesus Christ. Yes, we learn about Him through the Bible. "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." But the authoritative Word of God is here to point us to Jesus and help us grow as Christ followers, disciples of Jesus.

All these causes, all these projects, are good but are no substitute for simple trust in Jesus Christ.

You and I can also become preoccupied with problems.

Yours may be a health problem. The threatening winds and waves of a challenge to your health or the health of a loved so preoccupies you that you take your eyes off of Jesus Christ.

It may be controversy. You are a person caught up in causes. You have strong convictions. You hold those causes dear to your heart. At this point, I am preaching to myself because I know that I am called to uphold certain biblical convictions and to take clear stands on issues. When I become preoccupied by the controversies of the day, take my eyes off of Jesus Christ, I begin to sink!

It may be just the ordinary struggles of life. You are concerned about your job, your marriage, the well being of your children. These winds and waves swirl around you to the point that you take your eyes off of Jesus and begin to sink.

Perhaps you have some real opponents. I have been reading the Old Testament account of the life of David. This great king had his enemies. At one point, his own father-in-law, King Saul, became his greatest enemy. At another point, one of his favorite sons, Absalom, became his biggest enemy. At another point in his life, he himself became his own biggest enemy as he engaged in lust, adultery, dishonesty, betrayal and even murder.

Maybe someone in business just doesn't give you an opportunity, fights you at every turn. You are consumed, preoccupied with that person, and you take your eyes off of Jesus Christ.

I am convinced my biggest trouble in life comes when I take my eyes off of Jesus. That's when I lose heart. That's when I lose confidence. That's when I lose faith. That's what pushes me into the valley experience. That's when I begin to sink.

Fortunately, Jesus is always close at hand to save us.

Your life doesn't have to be one of constant ups and downs. There is this mixed character, this tension that is part of each of our lives. At the same time, there is a kind of "needless fear" in which we allow ourselves to be caught.

One day, Jesus took Peter, James and John up to the top of Mount Tabor. There, before them, He was transfigured. The Bible says that His face shone like light, and His garments became white as light. Moses and Elijah appeared. A bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice from the clouds said, "'This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!'" (Matthew 17:5). Peter, James and John fell to the ground. They were overcome by fear. Matthew records how Jesus came and touched them, saying, "'Get up and do not be afraid.'"

There is such a thing as needless fear. When you are in the presence of Jesus, when your eyes are fixed closely on Him, you have peace.

We could spend the rest of this time sharing from some of the familiar hymns various ways men and women have expressed this spiritual principle.

You know the words: "What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."

You know the words: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

How triumphantly we sing, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."

And you know these words: "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing!"

Yes, Jesus is always close at hand, ready to save us. He is ready to help us. Our deliverance comes when we look to the Lord.

That's the catch. He is always near, even when we are not aware of His presence. There he was, right by Peter when he was sinking. Peter knew he was in trouble. That didn't solve his problem. It was only when he looked up to Jesus that he received His help.

There was little Suzanne, squatting in front of the mirror, examining herself, totally preoccupied with herself, never aware that her father was in the room. I stood there, minute after minute, when suddenly she spotted my reflection in the mirror. She turned around, blushing with embarrassment, saying "Daddy! I didn't know you were here! How long have you been here?"

You and I can get so preoccupied with our problems, so self-conscious, so bogged down with the problems of life, that we don't even feel the nearness of Jesus.

Tied in with the call of Moses to deliver the people of Israel is a fascinating insight into the attitude of people. You know the story of how Joseph and his brothers went into Egypt. For a while they were the favored people of the land. Then they had difficult times. They tried to solve their problems on their own, forgetting how close the Lord was. God put His deliverance into action in the person of Moses when He heard the genuine cry of His people. In Exodus 2:23-25 the Bible records:

The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.

God was there all the time with the people of Israel. Jesus stood there by Peter. Jesus is standing by you. As people through the centuries call out to God, the chained events of deliverance begin to fit into place. No, it doesn't happen overnight. Nowhere does it say that our lives are going to be easy lives. The Christian life is a tough life. But Jesus is there all the time.

When Peter finally took his eyes off the waves, crying out, "'Lord, save me!'" he discovered help. In the middle of the storm, he was safe. Then finally the wind calmed down.

Jesus loves you. He is kind to both big and little faith. He says bring to Him even the mustard seed, that tiny speck of faith, and He will honor it.

That day, the other disciples in the boat were amazed by what happened. We get so caught up in the story about Peter that we forget there were other onlookers. The Bible records that not only did Peter find God's deliverance, but the other disciples paused and worshiped the Lord, saying: "'Truly you are the Son of God'" (Matthew 14:33).

Live aware of the mixed character of your Christian experience. Remind yourself that even great men and women of faith have doubt. You are not all that abnormal. Keep alert to the tendency to take your eyes off Jesus. Remember that He is always close at hand, ready for you to call for help.

As you live in this lifestyle, others will be amazed and be interested. Some will confess Jesus as Lord as a result of having seen you keep your eyes on Him. In the process, your life will be the very fullest possible!