The Step of Faith

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Scripture Reading by Lady Pepper

Thank you Lady Pepper for the announcements and the reading of God’s Word.

Welcome! to everyone especially those who are joining us for the first time.

My name is Pastor Doc, and I will be sharing the Word of God with you today.

Have your Bibles Ready and take notes

Petter Walks on Water

Title of the message this Morning

The Step of Faith

Main idea:

Faith is a powerful and foundational principle of Christianity.

While we are called to exercise faith, we must also be aware of the temptation of fear as a potential obstacle.

If we can overcome our fear, the reward of faith is substantial and the ripple effects of our faith can impact generations to come.

Prayer:

“Help us, Lord, to keep our eyes on you, to trust in your promises, and to fully understand the reward that comes from living a life of faith.”

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33, Luke 1:37, Philippians 4:13

Key Quote: "Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse." - Philip Yancey

(All scripture is taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted)

Introduction

The French author Voltaire said, “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “we walk by faith, not by sight.”

And Martin Luther King Jr. preached, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

As believers, we live by faith, are saved by faith, and grow in faith as we see God working in each and every circumstance of our lives.

As I’m sure we’d all agree today, our desire is to live and grow in genuine faith as we follow Jesus throughout life.

To enter into a lifelong journey of faith, you must take the very first step.

For many of us this first step can be the most frightening, the most difficult, and ultimately the one that we avoid taking.

Maybe this is why we resonate with the Apostle Peter… We see him wrestling with his faith, working through obstacles, and ultimately we know that He gave his life (literally) as a disciple of Christ.

Today we’re going to zoom in on one specific story from the gospel of Matthew…

A story that’s well known…

When Peter steps out of the boat and tries to walk to Jesus.

Peter takes a singular step of faith that has been recorded for all time.

Through his story there is much to learn about the power of faith, the temptation of fear, and the ripple effect that happens when we step out.

Main Teaching

Read Matthew 14:22-33

Reading through this passage it’s easy to see why this is one of the most important and powerful lessons on faith recorded in the bible.

Philip Yancey says, "Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse."

I think this quote accurately describes the scene we have here.

It must’ve been an absolutely shocking thing to have experienced…but we have the benefit of seeing it in reverse.

We are able to learn from, and hopefully apply several lessons of faith.

First and foremost, we see the power of Jesus and His ability to invite others into the literal and proverbial waters with Him.

The Power of Faith

Let’s remember this; faith is not just a passive belief, but an active trust in God that can empower us to do extraordinary things.

In this passage, we see Peter, a simple fisherman, stepping out of a boat in the middle of a stormy sea.

This is not a normal or rational action.

It defies the laws of nature and human instinct for self-preservation.

But Peter isn't acting on his own understanding or strength.

He is acting on faith.

He’s responding to His Rabbi’s invitation.

His faith and trust empowers him to do what is humanly impossible - to walk on water.

This we see, is the power of faith.

It is the ability to trust God so completely that we are willing to step out of our comfort zones, to take risks, to defy the norms and expectations of the world around us.

It is the courage to believe that with God, all things are possible, even when everything in our human understanding screams that it's impossible.

It’s the teenage Mary being told she’ll give birth to the Messiah and proclaiming,

“Nothing is impossible with God!” (Luke 1:37)

It’s the Apostle Paul, writing to the Philippians from prison and trusting,

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)

Faith is not just about believing in God, but also believing in what God can do through us.

It's about believing that God can use us to accomplish His purposes, no matter how inadequate or unqualified we may feel.

Peter was not a trained water-walker.

He was a fisherman.

But his faith in Jesus empowered him to step out of the boat and onto the water.

Faith is a lifelong journey and so having faith is also about perseverance.

Even when Peter began to sink, he did not give up or turn back.

He cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!"

And Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.

This shows us that even when our faith falters, Jesus is there to catch us.

He doesn't abandon us in our moments of doubt and fear.

He is there to help us, to strengthen us, to lift us up again.

Faith changes us.

It changes how we see ourselves, how we see the world, and how we see God.

It empowers us to step out in courage, to stay focused and to persevere in the face of challenges.

Pastor; would you share a personal story about a time when your faith empowered you to do something extraordinary? Or maybe a longer season of life that required supernatural amounts of faith from you. Try to talk about how you had to overcome fear, as that will help dovetail into the next main point;

The Temptation of Fear

Fear is a powerful emotion that we experience and is one that can both positively and negatively impact our lives.

Psychology Today says this about fear;

“Fear is generally considered a reaction to something immediate that threatens your security or safety, such as being startled by someone suddenly jumping out at you from behind a bush. The emotion of fear is felt as a sense of dread, alerting you to the possibility that your physical self might be harmed, which in turn motivates you to protect yourself. Thus, the notion of "fight or flight" is considered a fear response and describes the behavior of various animals when they are threatened[1]”

In the story of Peter walking on water, we see a vivid example of this.

Peter, initially full of faith, steps out onto the water at Jesus' command.

But as soon as he takes his eyes off Jesus and sees the wind and the waves, fear takes hold of him and he begins to sink.

He was completely overwhelmed by his situation and filled with fear.

Fear tempts us to doubt God's power and promises.

It whispers in our ear, "You're going to sink. You can't do this.

It's too hard.

It's too risky."

Fear tempts us to stay in the boat, to play it safe, to stick with what's comfortable and familiar.

But God didn't call us to a life of comfort and safety.

He called us to a life of faith and trust, a life that requires us to step out of the boat and onto the water, even when the wind is blowing and the waves are high.

Not to say that fear is always a bad thing.

Fear can be a healthy response to danger.

It can protect us from harm and prompt us to take necessary precautions.

But when fear keeps us from obeying God and stepping out in faith, it becomes a problem.

When fear holds us back from the life that God has invited us into then we know we need to reassess things.

C.S. Lewis once said,

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

Courage is faith in action.

It's stepping out of the boat, even when we're scared.

It's keeping our eyes on Jesus, even when the waves are high.

It's trusting God, even when we can't see the way forward.

Fear is hard-wired into us and will always be a part of our lives.

But we don't have to let it control us.

We can choose to trust God, to keep our eyes on Him, and to step out in faith, even when we're scared.

Because the truth is, the only thing scarier than stepping out onto the water is staying in the boat, missing out on the amazing adventure that God has for us and the impact that our lives may have on others.

The Ripple Effect

The story of Peter’s faith has been told a gazillion times over the years.

The true ripple effects would be hard to quantify, but it’s safe to say that millions of people have been inspired through its retelling.

With that in mind, I want to focus on the other disciples in the boat that night and the impact that these events immediately had on them.

Read Matthew 14:32-33

After Jesus and Peter climbed back into the boat, the wind died down.

This is just another lesson to learn about trusting God - peace in the midst of the storm.

When we trust God, we experience His peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding, even in the midst of life's storms.

Finally, those in the boat worshiped Jesus, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

This is the ultimate reward of trusting God - the revelation of who He is.

When we trust God, we get to know Him more, we get to see His power, His love, His grace, and His mercy.

We get to experience Him in a personal and intimate way.

We get to see HIM.

And when others watch us live a life of faith, through the ups and downs, they get to see HIM too.

They get to see Jesus working in us and through us.

They get to hear us give all the glory and credit to HIM.

These are the ripple effects.

This is how faith spreads.

This is how we shine the light of Christ in the darkness of an unbelieving and skeptical world of confusion and chaos.

It all begins with a single step.

It begins when we answer the call and invitation of Christ to “Come and see.”

Conclusion

As we wrap up our time today let’s remember that our faith in God is not about seeing and then believing.

It's about believing even when we cannot see.

It's about trusting God even when the winds of life are against us.

It's about stepping out of our comfort zones, knowing that Jesus is there to catch us when we falter.

It’s about overcoming obstacles and the temptation to engage in fear.

Peter had the courage to step out into the water; to answer the call and invitation of Christ.

Yes, he faltered, he got caught up looking at the wind and the waves, but he also experienced the saving hand of Jesus in a way that none of the other disciples did.

Let's not allow fear to keep us in the boat.

Let's step out in faith, keep our eyes on Jesus, and experience the power of His saving grace.

The ripple effects of our faith may travel further than we could’ve ever imagined.

[1] Accessed here; “https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intense-emotions-and-strong-feelings/201112/the-complexity-fear”

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Pastor Doc@FaithVision.org

Church Office: 909-922-8090

And I will send you a Bible & a Free Book on how to begin your first 21 steps with Jesus (show the book)

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Benediction

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Phil. 4:13—

We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” -Madeliene L’Engle (Lang ill)