This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

I want to welcome you to this fifth day, our last day of our look through
Matthew chapter 14. We're looking at this exciting experience of walking on the
water, not just Jesus but also Peter, and what you and I can learn about faith.
Three kinds of faith.

First, you have to have the faith to get out of the boat, to leave a place of
comfort and security in your life. Then you have to have a second kind of faith,
a faith to step out on the water, to do what he's called you to do. And that's
what happens with Peter in verse 29 and 30, "Come," he said, "and then Peter got
down onto the boat and he walked on the water and he came to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried out,
'Lord, save me. '" Peter walked on the water. Now I know, I read that last part
about beginning to sink and we want to focus on that.

But just for a moment, put that aside and realize, here's a human being who was
walking on the water towards Jesus. How in the world did he do this? How could a
human being have the kind of faith that you need to step out on the water?

Well, it's clear what happened here. He had that kind of faith because he
focused on Jesus. As we said yesterday, it was what Jesus was doing and Jesus
will empower you to do what he is doing in this world, no doubt about it.

But it wasn't his power that caused this to happen. It was God's power. I love
that book.

I love reading it to kids and grandkids, the little engine that could. Just a
great book to read. It's a lot of fun to read.

But don't get your theology from that book. The little engine that in order to
get up the mountain, remember it said, "I think I can. I think I can.

I think I can. " It made it away to the top of the mountain. Can you imagine
Peter, he gets out of the boat and he's able to walk towards Jesus all the way.

He's thinking, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

" It's not, "I think I can. " It's, "I know God can. " That's the only way you
do something like this.

As Peter walked on the water, every second held this basic choice of faith.
Where would his focus be? Would it be on the waves or would it be on the Lord?

As long as his focus was on the Lord, he was walking on the water. But the
moment his focus got to the waves, he began to sink. You and I, we're like Simon
Peter.

Every day we face this every second choice. It may not seem as dramatic, but the
choice is, "Am I going to focus on my circumstances or am I going to focus on my
Lord? " When I focus on the Lord, I'm walking in faith.

When I focus on the circumstances, I'm sinking. Jesus wants to give us the faith
not only to get out of the boat. He wants to give us the faith to step out in
faith.

I have to admit, this is often my need. We have a pastor in Rick Warren who has
an awesome gift of faith. I have gifts in other areas.

So too often, because of some circumstance, I find myself getting caught up in
other things besides what's the next step of faith that I need to take. Now
there are often good things, things that need to be done, but they're not the
most important thing. Because the most important thing in my life, in your life,
is what's the next step of faith that I need to take?

It's not that those things will never get done, those details of life. But many
of us were so caught up in the details of life, we're still stuck in the boat
looking at the wood wondering about whether it's rotting or not. We haven't even
looked up enough to see Jesus walking toward us on the water.

I got to get out of the boat. I got to start taking steps of faith. And the only
way to do that is to focus on Jesus.

You focus on him. You get out of the boat, you step out on the waves, but
there's a third kind of faith that happens here. Don't forget the third kind,
faith to cry out when you're sinking.

When you sink, you keep calling on him. Listen to verses 30 to 36. When he saw
the wind, he was afraid, and he began to sink, and he cried out, "Lord, save me.

" Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and he caught him, "You of little
faith. " He said, "Why did you doubt? " And when they climbed into the boat, the
wind died down.

Those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of
God. " When they 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 they begged him to let the sick just
touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Jesus is still doing miracles. But in the experience of Peter, you see him begin
to sink, and many of us can relate to this. That sinking feeling of, "What have
I gotten myself into?

I tried to step out in faith, but I can't do this. I can't handle this. I don't
know what to do next.

" That sinking feeling. So what did Peter do when he was sinking? He cried out.

He could so easily have refused to cry out. He could have thought, "I got myself
into this. I got to get myself out of this.

" He could have thought, "What are the other disciples going to think if they
hear me crying out for help? " He could have thought, "What will this do to my
image? " And he would have ended up drowning.

You see, Peter's faith, in many ways, came up against something even greater
than the waves here. He failed. He began to sink.

And the question behind what happened with Peter here is, "What does faith do
when it's confronted by failure? " Many of us, we have a kind of faith that
can't face failure. We don't want to have the kind of faith that always
succeeds, that always has the great story, that always impresses other people.

But the truth of the matter is, we're human beings, and human beings fail. So
what are you going to do? How are you going to have faith when you fail?

And Peter teaches us how here. You cry out. You cry out.

And when he cried out, Jesus reached out and he brought him to himself. Jesus
knew Peter. Jesus knew Peter, and he still deeply loved Peter, just like he
knows you and he loves you.

He saw in Peter's life all the successes and all the failures. He knew that he'd
walk on water, and he knew that he would sink. He knew that Peter would one day
betray him, and he also knew that he'd return to him and lead the new church.

He knew that Peter would preach on the day of Pentecost. He also knew he'd
struggle later with including the Gentiles in the church. He knew everything
about him, and he says to him, this friend that he knows everything about, as he
brings him to himself, he says, "Oh, you have little faith.

" Now sometimes you can think of that as very negative. I don't see it as
scolding. I see it as a term of endearment.

This is what you're like. You have little faith sometimes, like, "Oh, little
brother, you have little faith. " He knew that Peter was going to take great
steps of faith, but he also knew that he was a man who would struggle with
having faith, a man of little faith.

But knowing all of that about Peter, when Peter cried out, Jesus reached out. He
reached out his hand. It is significant that even in his failure, Peter could
continue to depend upon Christ.

That might be your most significant step of faith. Not to let that failure
define your life, but in that moment to cry out to him. He failed.

He began to sink, but Jesus didn't fail him. He reached out. He kept him from
drowning.

Now you might be in the midst of some failure right now in your life. Do you see
it? Jesus is reaching out his hand to you.

You don't have to go through this alone. This failure, it may have happened last
week, it may have happened 30 years ago, but somehow it has stained your life to
a point where it is, in your mind, identifying your life. Have the faith to cry
out right now, "Jesus, save me.

Save me even from this failure. Help me to live in faith rather than trying to
live this failure, against this failure, for this failure, in spite of this
failure. Let faith identify my life, not this failure.

That's what I want. You see, you've got to have faith, faith to get out of the
boat, faith to step out in faith on the waves, and then faith to cry out even in
your failure. Which one do you need right now?

Let's pray together. And as you pray, I just invite you to pray, "Lord Jesus, I
want to live a life of faith. So give me the faith to get out of my boat, that
place of comfort in my life.

Give me the faith to step out in faith, to do the next thing you're asking me to
do. And give me the faith to cry out, even when I'm sinking. I ask for the faith
to do these things.

Give me the gift of faith in my life today. I ask for it in Jesus' name. Amen.

" Well next week, we're going to look at Matthew 15. Jesus is going to teach us
some more about faith and also about purity, and He's going to show us again how
He meets our deepest needs.