A Lesson on How to Fail

Matthew 14:25-33

Their were 22,000 new Phobias added to our world last year. One that was added was the fear of reliving 2020.

How many this morning are afraid of something? Maybe Snakes? or Spiders? Heights?

Back about a year ago, around this time of the year My boys discovered that they were afraid of storms. I just got home from work, Megan had been cleaning the house and the boys were in the living room playing . So I decided to jump in the shower. I didn’t at that time even know it had started to rain. but I could smell the cleaner Megan had used to clean the shower with, as I got in. I looked back and could see the bottle still sitting on the sink. That’s when I said as loud as I could, “Kaboom!” then at that moment Lighting hit our house! Megan and the boys then screamed, I jumped out of the shower, and we all met in the hallway. Everything was alright but it scared all of us. Since that moment, when we get a little storm or sometimes even just rain the boys start freaking out.

We also, have those fears we don’t want to talk about, like the fear of being Rejected or left out of the group. Some fear failure and we all do in some way. We often don’t do new things because we think we will fail. We start things and give up on it because we think we will fail anyway, so why even try right?

We live in a very success driven world. If you don’t make it your just a failure. You’re nothing.

“Failure is not fatal. Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. It should challenge us to new heights of accomplishments, not pull us to new depths of despair. From honest failure can come valuable experience.”

— William Arthur Ward

In our passage this morning, We have Peter, who gets out of the boat and walks on water. Maybe you have heard this story countless times and you see the failure of Peter who takes his eyes off of Jesus and begins to sink.

But When I read this I don’t see a man who fails I see a man who wants to fight. I see a man who is not afraid of coming up short, a man who isn’t afraid of failing. He was willing rather to get out of the boat and fight the wind and waves to be as close to Jesus as He could.

I wonder this morning how many young people are will to get out of what is comfortable and fight their way to Jesus? To do whatever it takes to have a real relationship with Christ.

Are we willing to fight, or are we just looking a round in the boat saying the boat is nice, and safe?

Maybe there are some lessons we can learn for silly Peter.

A Lesson about Desire

Verse 28- 29

One thing we miss when look at the Bible is what it means to be a disciple of someone in that day. Maybe like going to school. Like we all have that favorite teacher or coach we want to hangout with after class and just soak in his or her wisdom. then we go home and come back tomorrow.

No, to be a disciple you would spend every minute with that person. Like image taking your teacher home with you. You would eat together, sleep together, and everything in between. Many times they would leave everything behind for 3 to 5 years. They didn’t just want know the things their teacher knew but they wanted to be the that person.

I was thinking of this type of relationship and I never I thought I have never really had a relationship like this. until I thought of the 2002 St.Louis Cardinals. I love Baseball, and I love the Cards, in 2002 they had guys are their team that I just watched every minute of every game. Guys Like Jim Edams, and Fernando Vina. I like Edams just because he was left handed, but Vina was my guy. I wanted to be the left handed Second Basemen, Just like Vina. Vina had this move that he would pop the ball off the ground from his glove hand to his throwing hand and fire it to first. I would record his plays and run outside and try to learn that move but just add turning my body to throw with my left. Everything Fernando did I wanted to do, I wanted to be Just like Fernando Vina, Second Basemen for the St.Louis Cardinals.

Before we go off and criticize Peter for looking away, think about that kind of relationship. He had that kind of desire to be near and like Christ.

He said, if you are walking on water, then I want to walk on water.

Peter wanted to be just like Jesus, and Isn’t that just what the christian life is all about?

Romans 8:29 KJV 1900

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God wants to shape to just like Christ. We should want to follow in step with Jesus.

He wants to have a relationship with you and be so close that when others look at you that can’t but help to see Jesus. But the problem is we don’t desire it. We don’t want a relationship with Jesus like that. Why? because we don’t want to change. We don’t want to get out of our comfortable little boats. Sometimes that’s not easy but to be like Christ we must remove ourselves.

In order to change something you must first tear our the old. We must give up our sins, and the things that bring our flesh happiness to find the great Joy in Christ.

A Lesson about Distraction

Verse 30

I don’t know how this played out. Maybe Peter asks and Jesus says come and Peter just immediately jumps out of the boat. Maybe He was like a Josiah and just jumped to it like, okay lets go.

Or maybe he was more like I would have, and been very slow with it.

At some point he took his eyes off Jesus and saw things going on around him. Maybe the greatest lesson we can learn from this passage is this, that you and I can never be like Jesus if we do not remain focused on Jesus.

Sometimes in life we take some step out of a boat to get to Jesus and see the wind boisterous and get distracted in them and some in life never come back from that.

There are many from my youth group that are still serving God in some way today, and Praise God for them. But their are many more who have been distracted and they haven’t recovered. Older Kids I’m sure there are some who enter the Youth Group with you, when you were just a 7th grader that are not here this morning.

Maybe they are drowning in the sea of their own efforts trying to do life without Christ.

Don’t take your eyes off Jesus. How do we know Him? through His Word.

Hebrews 12:1–2 KJV 1900

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Looking unto Jesus the Finisher. He is the one who will take you through life, He will help run this race with Joy.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV 1900

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.

The word stayed say is the same as idea as an anchor that holds to the Lord.

The truth is we want to be a Christian like Hebrews 12, or Isaiah 26. But the truth is we fail.

We are more like Peter than we are like the writer of Hebrews. We fall, we make mistakes.

That’s why I love the realness of Peter. Yeah, he is the guy to speak up first, the guy to get out of the boat. but he is also, the guy who fails. Jesus has to remind Peter of a lot of things, and pick him back up when he’s fall.

A Lesson on Devotion

Verses 30-31

Maybe it’s me but I have often thought of this story and thought I wonder how far did Peter sink before he called out to Peter. Like maybe he got to his belly and remembered Jesus was there. Or Jesus seeing Peter’s head just sticking out thinking, “will he call on me?”

But the Bible gives us the answer. He beginning to sink, called Lord save me. and Immediately Jesus caught him.

Peter wasn’t the one always with the right answers or the best way of doing things but he always knew who to look to.

Maybe this morning you have tried some things for the Lord and you have failed. I know I have. But may you have failed then given up.

This morning to our new students. You are entering a time in your life when people are going to ask more of you and God will ask more of you. You will fail.

To all of us this morning, how are we going to let those failure play out? will you fight to be close to Christ or just quit.

Pray