Untitled Sermon (4)

2 Peter 1:1-15 ESV

“Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.”

Sermon Tittle: A Passion For What’s Next!

Pray: 

Introduction: 

We have been on a journey through Peters words from 2 Peter 1:1-11… Through out the past 3 weeks we have gone line by line through the text and learned:

WEEK 1: God’s power has given us everything we need to live in freedom and the grace to live in God’s purposes for our lives.  This is what he means when he says “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness”

WEEK 2: God has given us a program for growth and so we are to make every effort to cooperate with that program. This program starts with faith but then we are to add Moral excellence this is what he calls virtue in our text, knowledge, self control, perseverance, Godliness, brotherly affection, and then all this leads to the greatest of all these things which is Love. 

WEEK 3: Then last week we learned about the promise of usefulness. These qualities that I just listed are not the aim but only a means to God’s greater purpose which is life and flourishing. 

And now my assignment today is to tie a bow on all of this. 

My Assignment is to speak to you about A Passion for whats next. 

Now before we jump in, I want to be clear about the goal today. This is a message about Legacy.

It’s about A life marked by faithfulness. A life sustained by perseverance. A Life shaped by Love. 

See, You have to know that when the main character of the story is always me, the result is not a life of flourishing…. Its withering. Its not fruitfulness its decay. 

You see, We’re called to live lives that outlive us. 

And the only way to achieve that is when we realize we are not the main character of our own lives… God is… and so since we are not the main focus of our own lives we let God tell us what that focus is and he says its Him and others… Bringing us back to what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments… Love God and Love People. 

We are called to live A life of Faithfulness to the mission God has given us, that we then pass down. A witness that endures, A legacy that continues long after we’re gone. 

 Hear me, This is not a message just for the older folks in the room because Legacy doesn’t start a certain age. Legacy starts with a decision. A commitment, It starts with a Yes. 

Now look who is writing this letter… Its Peter.

Its Peter who put pen to paper, who wrote the words we have been reading the past 4 weeks…

Now the last 3 weeks we’ve read verses 1-11, today I took us all the way to verse 15 because from verses 12-15 Peter pulls us right into his heart and lets us know why he’s writing these words… 

“Therefore I intend always to remind you…”

“I know that the putting off of my body will be soon…”

“I will make every effort…” 

There is urgency behind these words… 

You see Peter knows His life is nearing the end… and so his responsibility is to stir up the believers of who he is writing this too…. 

And now thousands of years later his words continue to stir us up. This is what it looks like to be passionate about whats next. This is what it looks like to leave a legacy that lasts. 

Now I’m a processor… I chew on things for a while… some people can hear something once and come up with there conclusion but me… I need to sit with the information I need to process and now let me tell you what I was processing….

I was processing the fact that this is PETER! Peter the one who had a potty mouth, Peter the one who started to doubt on the water, Peter the one the cut someones ear off, Peter the one was afraid and denied Jesus not once not twice but three times Peter the one who ran away when he saw the tomb was empty and didn’t wait for the Lord… 

Im thinking how in the world is this the same Guy!?

But then I get encouraged because I start thinking… If God can do it for Peter… Then God can do it for me!

You see God has created you to live a life that makes a difference on this side of eternity with eternal implications… yet many live there lives as if they don’t matter!

And if you believe that in the room today … that you don't matter, then you're dead on arrival. This is exactly what the enemy wants you to think he's content with you just doing you boo boo…

He’s content with you focusing only on yourself… these are the thoughts that you have to wage war against because the truth is there is a purpose for your life, that if you would allow God to lead you… will effect much more than your own life. 

But with all that said how did Peter get to this place? Where did the zeal and passion come from… 

1)Simple obedience 

It all starts, with simple obedience.

You see, When Jesus met Peter, Peter had no zeal, he wasn’t passionate about ministry or the kingdom of God. As a matter of fact it was the complete opposite. When Jesus met Peter he found him tired, discouraged and on the verge of giving up. 

Luke 5:4-8

4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 

So the question is this:

How did Peter get here?

Where did this passion come from?

Where did this zeal get forged?

It didn’t start with bold preaching.

It didn’t start with Pentecost.

It didn’t start with courage.

It started with simple obedience.

Say it with me — simple obedience.

When Jesus first meets Peter, Peter isn’t passionate.

He’s not fired up about ministry.

He’s not dreaming about the Kingdom of God.

He’s tired.

He’s discouraged.

He’s frustrated.

And he’s just about ready to quit.

Luke tells us Peter is washing his nets — which means he’s done.

The day is over.

The effort is spent.

The results were zero.

And then Jesus shows up.

“Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Peter responds honestly — and I love his honesty.

“Master, we toiled all night and took nothing…”

Translation: Jesus, I’m exhausted. I tried. It didn’t work.

But then comes the turning point:

“But at your word, I will let down the nets.”

That’s it.

No sermon.

No debate.

No explanation.

Simple obedience.

And when Peter obeys, the Bible says the nets fill so full that they begin to break.

Both boats start sinking.

It’s the greatest catch of his life.

This is how Peter paid the bills.

This is how he provided for his family.

This was his lane — he was the expert.

And yet notice something powerful.

Peter doesn’t celebrate the fish.

He falls at the feet of Jesus.

“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

In that moment, Peter realizes something:

This isn’t just a miracle — this is a revelation.

He sees Jesus clearly.

And for the first time, he sees himself clearly.

Here’s the key:

Peter’s eyes weren’t on the resource — they were on the source.

And hear me — our brokenness often keeps us from obedience.

Shame says, “God can’t use me.”

Fear says, “What if it doesn’t work again?”

Exhaustion says, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

But Peter didn’t let his brokenness stop his obedience.

He didn’t understand everything — but he obeyed anyway.

And that’s how legacy begins.

Not with big moments.

Not with grand gestures.

But with small, faithful yeses.

Can I tell you something?

Sometimes we’re waiting for God to ask us to do something great —

And instead, He’s asking us to do something simple.

And we overlook it.

We dismiss it.

We delay it.

Because it doesn’t make sense.

Because we’re tired.

Because we’ve already “tried.”

Imagine if Peter had said,

“Jesus, I’m the fisherman. You’re the preacher. I’ll try again tomorrow.”

He would have missed the miracle.

And I don’t know who this is for, but hear me clearly:

You have no idea what’s on the other side of your obedience.

Some of us haven’t even gone into the deep yet.

God nudged you to give — and you ignored it.

Not because you couldn’t — but because it felt insignificant.

And hear me — this isn’t about money.

God doesn’t need your $10.

This is about obedience.

This is about what God wants to do in you, not what He wants from you.

Sometimes the instruction is simple:

• Delete that number

• Don’t go out tonight

• Open the Bible

• Pray — even when you don’t feel like it

• Step away from social media for a day

And some of you are thinking, “That’s hard.”

No — it’s simple.

But simple doesn’t always mean easy.

Peter’s instruction was simple.

The difficulty was his exhaustion.

And every day, life will give you a reason not to obey.

You’ll be tired.

Busy.

Distracted.

Worn down.

But it’s often in the simple things that we see the greatest moves of God.

Simple obedience

Leads to deeper waters

Which leads to transformed lives

Which leads to a passion for what’s next

Because then we get verse 10:

Luke 5:10-11

…And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. 

Church, I need you to catch this.

They walked away from the very thing that could have made them wealthy.

The boats.

The nets.

The greatest catch of their lives.

Now hear me — this is not a message against money.

God can use wealth.

God does use wealth. He uses our resources to also advance his kingdom.

But the lesson here is clear: legacy was never about what they owned

It was about who they followed.

They didn’t hand down boats.

They didn’t pass on nets.

They passed on faith.

Legacy is not measured in possessions.

It’s measured in people.

And at the end of the day, this is what lasts.

This is what we hand down.

This is what endures.

The knowledge of Jesus. This is where we have to start. 

2) Step out in Faith.

For all of us, it starts with simple obedience.

But there comes a moment in every believer’s life when simple obedience is no longer enough.

There comes a moment when following Jesus requires more than staying comfortable.

There comes a moment when you have to step out in faith.

For Peter, the clearest picture of this happens in the middle of a storm.

Matthew 14 recounts the story…

Jesus tells the disciples, “Get into the boat and meet me on the other side.”

They obey.

Jesus goes off to pray.

And then — out of nowhere — the storm hits.

A storm so violent they believe they’re about to die.

These are professional fishermen.

They know storms.

They know boats.

And yet this storm overwhelms their experience, their expertise, and their confidence.

They are terrified.

They are exhausted.

They are out of options.

And then — Jesus shows up.

And here’s what gets me every time.

In other moments in the Gospels, Jesus calms storms with a word:

“Peace. Be still.”

But not here.

This time, Jesus doesn’t stop the storm.

He steps into it.

Sometimes Jesus doesn’t immediately remove what you’re facing —

But He will always draw near.

And He starts walking on the water.

Breaking every rule.

Defying every law of nature.

Almost as if He’s already teaching them something:

“I walk on top of the very things that have you terrified.”

The waves that threaten you

The wind that overwhelms you

The fear that paralyzes you

— all of it is under His feet.

But fear has a way of distorting vision.

Ladies and Gentlemen, How can we possibly have a passion for whats next if our vision is distorted by Fear???

They’re so focused on the storm that they mistake Jesus for a ghost.

And I don’t blame them — fear will always distort the way you see Jesus.

But now Jesus speaks:

“Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid.”

And now, Peter asks the right question.

Matthew 14: 28

“Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

Don’t miss this.

Peter sees something the others don’t.

He already knows there’s something different about Jesus.

He already knows there’s something powerful about Him.

Peter is essentially saying,

“If what I’m afraid of is under Your feet… then invite me into that same faith.”

And Jesus gives one word:

Matthew 14:29

…“Come.”…

So Peter steps out of the boat.

Not because the storm stopped.

Not because the waves calmed.

But because Jesus called him.

And for a moment — Peter does the impossible.

He walks on water.

But then fear creeps back in.

He notices the wind.

He starts to sink.

And he cries out,

“Lord, save me!”

And immediately Jesus reaches out His hand.

Here’s the truth I don’t want you to miss:

Peter may have doubted, but he still went farther than anyone else in the boat.

Because legacy doesn’t belong to those who never feel fear —

It belongs to those who step out despite it.

A passion for what’s next is ignited

When we stop letting fear define our limits

And we start letting Jesus define our steps.

Some of us are praying for God to calm the storm —

And He’s inviting us to come out of the boat.

Because the very waters that once terrified you

May be the place where your faith finally comes alive.

Now I don’t know what your boat is —

but you know you have one.

Because when the storm hits…

When all hell is breaking loose…

When suffering shows up at your door…

Instead of drawing closer to Jesus,

you run back to it.

You run back to the thing.

You run back to the person.

You run back to the habit.

You run back to the substance.

Not because it saves you —

but because it’s familiar.

It gives temporary comfort.

Temporary relief.

Temporary control.

But hear me — your boat can no longer save you.

The thing you keep retreating to

cannot carry you to the other side.

And what Jesus is saying is simple and confrontational:

“If you want what’s next, you have to step out.”

You have to step out of bitterness.

You have to step out of unforgiveness.

You have to step out of fear.

You have to step out of insecurity.

You have to step out of the thoughts that keep you captive.

Because the boat that once kept you afloat

will eventually keep you stuck.

And if you never get to the other side,

there will be nothing to pass down.

No faith to hand off.

No legacy to leave behind.

The only one who can get you there

is the same one who’s calling you out.

Jesus.

And the question isn’t whether He’s able —

the question is whether you’re willing to step out in faith.

3) 

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