Sermon Tone Analysis

*Where Is Our Faith?*

*Matthew 14:22-33*

*Climbing the ladder on the house story.

When I jumped off my faith was in the fact I had seen guys parachuting and landing safely.

Now that was stupid faith, but I had faith.

Luckily I didn’t break every bone in my body.

But I stepped out on faith.*

This account in scripture shows us every aspect of faith in our lives.

It gives us a guide on how faith can help us reach the goal.

The goal is Jesus Christ.

1.  Faith asks in Prayer (v.

28)

            Why was only Peter asked to get out of the boat?

Because only Peter asked to get out and walk to the Lord.

Peter asked the Lord in faith to get out of the boat.

None of the others asked, so none of the others received the blessing.

They all sat there on the boat watching.

How many times do we as Christians not receive the blessings God wants for us, because we don’t ask.

Turn to James Chapter 5 verse 13.

13 Is any among you afflicted?

let him pray.

Is any merry?

let him sing psalms.

14 Is any sick among you?

let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess/ your/ faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestlyb that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.[1]

Prayer is the key that unlocks God’s blessings in our lives.

We are just afraid to ask.

Keep in mind, if you ask for God’s will to be done in your life no matter the cost--- Be prepared for rain!!

I hear people say “Lord, whatever you want I will do” and then they add “but I really want to stay where I’m at, doing what I want to do and God I just need you to work in that limit.”

Are we really asking for God’s will or our own desires?

2.

Faith Seeks God’s Will

         Peter asked “ If it be thou, bid me to come”  Lord if that’s you, tell me to come to you!!!!  We need to always seek the Lord first, to do His will.

The goal of faith must always be, obedience to the will of the Lord.

Faith is not a tool for us to use to get what we want.

Peter wasn’t making demands or claiming his right to walk on water.

He was humbly wanting the will of the Lord.

We must always look to Christ for His will, not our own.

3.

Faith Waits on the Lord

        Peter didn’t presume to know what the Lord would do.

He didn’t go jumping out of the boat, because he just knew the Lord would let him.

He waited for the Lord to summon him.

Sometimes, we get ourselves in trouble by not waiting on the Lord to answer us.

We just jump right in and assume that we know what His answer will be.

“Lord, I’m asking for your will in this, but I know that it is what you would want me to do.

So I’m just going to go ahead, and you can answer whenever you have an extra minute.”

I know a lot of churches that have built buildings or added programs just because they “knew” that the Lord wanted them to do it.

Wait on the Lord, sometimes you have to wait a while.

God reveals His will in His time, not ours.

We need to listen to the entire council of God.

Not just cherry pick what we want to hear.

With God, He wants our all to Him.

Not just the part we want to surrender.

4.  Faith Trusts and Obeys (v.29)

When God shows us His will, we MUST trust and obey.

The old hymn goes “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus.

But to trust and obey”

        And trust me, you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt when the Lord tells you His will.

He makes it so loud and clear that it sounds like He is talking thru a bullhorn.

Sometimes I think that is because we are sometimes so hard headed that it takes a bullhorn for God to get thru our thick skulls.

When I was called into ministry, I tried to ignore the call, I tried to say it wasn’t really a call, I tried to find excuses not to answer the call.

And I finally realized that the caller ID that kept flashing was “this is your God calling, pick up or I’ll just keep getting louder”   Let God’s will prevail in your life.

Your faith will grow immensely if you will just honor His will in your life.

Peter put all his confidence in Christ’s Word, and didn’t look at his own inability to walk on water.

God’s grace is sufficient for us.

He doesn’t expect you to do it on your own.

He will supply the ability and grace to do His will.

We need to be like Peter, put our trust in the Lord and not rely on our own strength.

5.  Faith Is Zealous

      When Christ said “Come”  Peter didn’t wait for further instructions.

He didn’t look for Christ to supply more details.

He didn’t wait for someone to push him overboard.

He went!

That is the same response God wants from us.

When he provides us with what He wants, we do it!

Period.

No questions about how we get there or details about how to do it.

Just do it!!!

He will provide the answers in His time.

Not ours!!  Remember that God has it all worked out, and we are just to respond.

Let Him handle the details.

6. Saving Faith (v.

30-31)

         Peter cries out “Lord save me” and Jesus reached out his hand and saved him.

Peter had faith that the Lord would save him.

We have to have that saving faith to be pulled from the depths of sin.

And God provides with Saving Grace.

Only by grace are we saved.

God doesn’t owe it to us, grace is free.

Faith is God be merciful to me a sinner.

I deserve the cross, He didn’t.

Call on the name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved.

Romans 4:16 says

16 Therefore/ it is/ of faith, that/ it might be/ by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all[2]

We have that Saving Grace that is only available thru Christ.

Buddhists believe by faith, but that is all they have.

Just this week the news had an article that many Buddhists believe that Buddha has been reincarnated in this individual and are flocking by the thousands to worship this man.

They have faith in a man, but do not have God’s grace.

Thank God he loves us enough to give us grace.