Guts: Courage to Stand up

Courage:

Have you ever had those momments where you really need to stand up for something that you believe in?

Like if you are serious about your shoe game you need to stand up for your favourite par right? Don’t diss my yeezees

How about this, you are really onboard for that person you like and everyone else is just straight dissing you about them. That guy or girl ain’t nothing you can do better.

One last one, Why do you like that music? I got that one all the time growing up, why that song, how can you listen to the frozen soundtrack on repeat for so many years!?

When it comes to our friends we will probably have momments like this, where they are asking the “Why” question to almost our whole being, “Why are you like this” and eventually that “Why” shifts to a new topic and inevitably you will recceive this question:

Why do you believe in Jesus?

good question right, it’s soild and inqusitive but lets reframe the converstation a little more too.

Why do you believe in Jesus when there is ____

you fill in the blank. Now that is a difficult question, how do you face something like that, how do you have faith when someone interjects a difficult yet inquisitive question. How do you respond when you don’t know how to respond to a question like that.

Ok lets take a step back and look at it from a distance.

How do you have faith when someone imposes a hard question on you?

Well lets head on to read a pretty famous passage from the gosepl of Mark,

Matthew 14:22–36 NIV

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Peter is called on the water and begins to walk towards Jesus becuase his eyes were fixed upon him. It was only when the waves caught his attention that he began to sink.

Peter’s shift of focus away from jesus and onto everything else that was happening around him probably made his faith begin to wavier. I am sure that at first when he stepped off the boat he knew that Jesus was going to help him, but when the viciousness of the waves came that is when he stumbled into the water.

We can be a lot like peter, where we walk upon the waters and have our eyes fixed on Christ but then eventually there maybe a storm or even something distracting that pulls us away.

I want you see the that the application that comes from this story is not worry about the storms that might happen around you but to rather be focused on Jesus, keeping in step with him.

it’s just like walking in step with someone else, have you ever walked out of step with someone, either they are slightly faster or slower then you?

That’s alot of what it’s like walking with Jesus, if you try to run ahead and accomplish what you think is right youll never end up in the right place,

if you walk to slow youll be left behind.

This week I want to challenge you that when it gets rough or shaky that you would have the guts to step closer to Jesus and not focus on the storms around you.

Whatever you might encounter, that you would keep your eyes and step focused on Jesus and move towards him instead of focusing on everything else happening.

Define Courage.

Why do you think peter started to sink in the narrative?

Where do you think you are in the story? 1. in the boat 2. walking the waters 3. sinking.

Why?

What does it look like for you to keep your eyes on Jesus this week?