“Take courage! It is I, don’t be afraid”
Matthew 14:27
Notes
Fear is a powerful emotion. It precedes anger.
Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Matthew 14:15–21
John 6:14–15
Matthew 14:22–33 (ESV)
27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, (SINCE IT IS YOU) command me to come to you on the water.”
CEB Cranfield notes: “If it is a result of obedience to Christ’s command that the church or the individual Christian is in a situation of danger or distress, then there is no need to fear.”
Jon Bloom gives us a couple of lessons here that I am going to borrow.
Lesson #1—Faith is not faith in our faith in Jesus, it’s faith in the power of Jesus’ word.
Faith in God is not about everything turning out OK; Faith in God is about being OK no matter how things turn out.
Peter began to sink when his faith shifted from the firmness of Jesus’ word to the instability of his circumstance.
****Who enabled him to walk on the water initially? Jesus
Who enabled him to sink slowly in the water? Jesus
It wasn’t Peter’s lack of faith that let him begin to sink. It was Jesus who began to let him sink slowly. That was a gift…
*****It is always a gift when God lets us sink… Because sinking produces a cry to Jesus.
What I am saying is the God letting us sink is NOT PUNISHMENT!!! It is a gift…
*****Lesson #2- Jesus’ word is truer and stronger than what we see or feel, and when we allow ourselves to doubt that, sometimes, he GRACIOUSLY lets us sink to help us refocus.
Because sinking brings and opportunity to cry out.
Blessed are the broken in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…
Matthew 18:1–6
Peter began to sink and became like that little child… He cried out, “Save me!”
31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Why can’t the God who satisfies our hunger also be the God who makes us hungry and still be just as good both ways?
Deuteronomy 8:3
3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Matthew 14:31–32
*****“Why did you doubt”
distazō = διστάζω= Trying to go in two different directions at once or of serving two different masters simultaneously.
James 1:6
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
Matthew 14:32–33 (ESV)
32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Look how Mark ends this. Now remember, Mark is speaking from what he got from Peter.
Mark 6:49–52 “…and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
52for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”
In our fear of possibly sinking, we never get out of the boat…
Our church has come a long way. There has been lots of changes. But not everyone has been a part of it, and some have been somewhat left behind.
I think that is also a leadership problem.
Matthew 9:16–17 (ESV)
16No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
Authentic Simple Relational
I would like you to pray about some ideas that we as pastor and deacons are talking about.
1-New Birth-New Constitution, New Membership, New Leadership structure
2-Top down reevaluation of our church calendar, events, traditions, expectations, and make authentic, simple, and relational the three targets we are always shooting at.
3-How do we get there? We can do anything we want as long as we are following the head who is Jesus. He gives us incredible freedom.
Name, location, branding, plant another church, look for another church to merge with. We can’t be afraid to put all thoughts on the table. It is healthy to be free to discuss and pray about any option.
Tearing down strongholds… What are strongholds here at Cornerstone???
We are a community of “little Christ’s"
If you have seen us you have seen the Father…
We are little Christ following his example. Just as he made disciples so are we called to make disciples. Leading people to know the Father and enjoy Him forever.
Additional Questions for Discussion at Small Groups
1- Read Matthew 14:22-32 - Why is it important that the early church along with us have this story?
2- Was it Peter’s faith that was keeping him afloat?
3- If Peter had not gotten out of the boat, he would not have experienced the fear of sinking. Would it have been better to stay in the boat with the other disciples?
4- What were other times in Peter’s life that we know of that he sort of “sank”? What are lessons we can learn from those moments in Peter’s life? John 18:15-27; Galatians 2:11-21
5- What are areas that Cornerstone possibly need to “get out of the boat” as a church? Pastor Pat gave some areas that are being discussed by the leadership. The mission of the church should be the thing that drives us to change. What is the mission of the church?
6- Why is change so hard? Why is it so necessary in the Christian journey of faith?