Sermons 2025

SERMON OUTLINE

Jesus’ hands are the hands of the Lord
Jesus treads upon the waves
Jesus is God in the flesh
His hand can seem mysterious and at times terrifying
Peter tries to take things into his own hands
We do the same
The Hand of the Lord is quick to save Peter
The same Hand of the Lord has reached down to save us

SERMON

O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the mediation of our hearts, be acceptable in Your Sight, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

In our Lenten and Easter series, we will be focusing on the hand of the Lord. We are focusing on the hand of our Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, the Creator. In our Gospel for this evening, Jesus’ hand reaches down save Peter. Thus our theme tonight, The Hand of the Lord saves.

Up to this point in Matthew’s Gospel account, Jesus’ hand has been at work. Right before our text, Jesus took five loaves and two fish into His hands. With that He fed five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus was in control of that situation, and He had control of what was happening with Peter even before Peter needed Jesus to grab him out the water. It was Jesus who made the disciples get into the boat. When they were struggling against the wind and the waves, it was Jesus who came to His disciples, walking on the waves. 

All of this points to who Jesus is. He is God, the Creator in the flesh. Job said that it is God “who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea” (9:8). Jesus is the Great I AM. He is the Word through whom “all things were made” (John 1:3). He is God walking on the sea. When His hand stretches out, it is truly the hand of the Lord. That also means that what Jesus does with those hands also is the work of God. His hand is in control. 

Sometimes, our limited understanding has difficulty grasping this control. There are times when God seems distant, mysterious, and even terrifying. 

While the disciples were out in the boat, they had one of those moments. They were frightened early in the morning. They were not scared of the wind and waves. They had seen and controlled their fair share of wind and waves out on the Sea of Galilee. What terrified them? It was this figure walking on the water! They cried out, “It is a ghost!” Now that would strike fear into the heart of a fisherman. 

But the Lord addressed each of their concerns. To their being troubled, He said, “Take heart.” To their cry that it was a ghost, He said, “It is I.” To their being afraid, He said, “Do not be afraid.” The Lord immediately addressed all of their concerns right there! They had everything that they needed in His words. Everything was in His hands and under His control.

But Peter, instead of clinging to Jesus’ words alone, ended up taking matters into his own hands. He wanted Jesus to prove that it was him on Peter’s terms. “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Surprisingly, the Lord agreed. Peter was walking on the water on his way to Jesus! But it was not long until Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink.

Before we are too hard on Peter, we should see that Peter’s actions also shine a reflection on our own attempts to take things into our own hands. So often it happens in a moment of uncertainty, and we may wonder why the Lord is allowing this or that to happen. How often have we been like Peter, not content to trust in the Lord’s words of promise? Rather, we have attempted to seize with our hands something out of our control when we ought to have started by folding our hands in prayer. How often have we discounted patience in the Lord in favor of brash action? How often have we attempted to be so bold as to live as though His words of promise were not enough for us? How often do we end up crying out, just like Peter, at the mess that we made when everything slips through our fingers? It illustrates our sinful condition all too well. Our hands alone cannot keep us from sinking to the depths of Sheol and eternal judgment. All that we can say with Peter is this: “Lord, save me.”

Immediately the hand of the Lord reached down and saved Peter. Jesus acted at just the right time. Jesus made them get in the boat at the beginning of this scene. He immediately calmed their fears. Now our Lord reaches out His hand in compassion and mercy at the right time. While Peter was attempting to take things into his own hands, soon it was the Lord’s hand reaching out and grabbing ahold of him. Everything is in the Lord’s hands. Peter is too.

The Lord has answered our cries of “Lord, save me.” The Lord has reached down into the depths. Our Lord has taken upon Himself our own human flesh. He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, for us. This is the Hand of the Lord at work to save us today. Only God in the flesh can do that. Only the Word, through whom all things were created, can pull us from the depths of judgment and despair.

This is true even in our moments of uncertainty and doubt. It is not a promise that every challenge, hardship, or trial will go away immediately. It is not a promise that working through it will be easy or that there will be easy fixes to everything that ails us. Because of our sinful condition, we not always understand the workings of God in our lives. 

However, when it comes to salvation, the Lord’s merciful hand is right there. His presence and forgiveness in His Word are immediately there when we need Him. His Word and Sacraments are true, no matter how great or little our faith is. They derive their power not from our faith but from Jesus Himself. 

He has reached down with His Word and His Sacraments to save you. You can trust in His true promises.Your old self has been drowned in Holy Baptism so that the new will arise. He has reached down to proclaim to you in Confession and Absolution that your sins are indeed forgiven. He has reached down to feed you with His very body and blood, given and shed for you! You have everything that you need today! You have everything that you need in the gracious hand of the Lord that created you, saves you, and sanctifies you.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.