The Joy Of Walking By Faith Series

INTRODUCTION

 SLIDE 1

 Walking by faith. That sounds so good doesn’t it.

 I think all Christians want to walk by faith. We want to walk the path God wants us to walk, we want to trust in Him to provide for and protect us. HOW MANY OF US HERE TODAY WANT TO WALK BY FAITH?

 Great, then starting NOW we will all walk by faith! LOL

 Walking by faith is an issue of trust. Walking by faith means that we will do what God wants us to do, knowing and trusting it is best for us.

 We have a tendency to want to know all things before we take the step of faith. That is not walking by faith that is walking by sight!

 Many times God’s way does not make sense to us at the time, but our trust in Him will allow us to follow Him even when we are not sure where the path is leading us.

 Sometimes God’s way makes as much sense as a guy in is very late 30’s who had multiply shoulder and arm surgeries when he was young, trying out for a major league baseball team as a pitcher no less!

 In the movie “The Rookie”, which is a true story, Coach Jim Morris has accepted a challenge from his rural Texas high school baseball team: if they win the district championship, he will go for a tryout with a professional baseball team. The Owls have faith in their coach, but being faithless, he seeks a sign. He is looking for confirmation, but his faithlessness leads to impatience, and he misses the very sign he seeks. (www.movieministry.com)

 DVD Chapter: 5 Start Time: 00:35:13 End Time: 00:38:11

 As a church we will have many opportunities to either walk by faith or walk by sight. Walking by faith will require us to do things we cannot do on our own, that the only explanation for being able to accomplish the task is God!

 Walking by faith is something that we will bring great joy to our lives if we will endeavor to do it. When the church walks by faith, God will take it to heights unknown to any of us! When God builds a Church, it will be a church who walks by faith

 It is easy to talk about walking by faith, it is quite another to actually do it. Today we are going to look at Matthew 14:22-33. This is the account of Jesus and Peter walking on water.

 As we look at this we need to remember that Peter and the others in the boat had seen Jesus just feed over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. They had seen many signs of His divinity.

 As we look at our text today, let us see what it takes for us to be able to walk by faith and let us see why walking by faith can bring a lot of joy into our lives!

 READ MATTHEW 14:22-33

SLIDE 2

SERMON

I. WALKING BY FAITH REQUIRES VISION. V28

 If we are going to endeavor to walk by faith, we must have vision.

 Vision is all about seeing things for the way they can be, not as they are.

 Hockey great Wayne Gretzky was once asked why he was so successful on the ice. He answered, “I skate to where the puck is going to be.” (When God Builds a Church, p 131. Bob Russell author)

 A person with vision can see things for what they can be instead of the way they are. (HOUSE ILLUSTRATION)

 When we look at our text, the disciples have been fighting the wind and the waves; it is about 3-6 a.m. then they saw someone or as they put it a ghost on the water walking on the water towards them. They were all afraid. Then Jesus reassures them it is He.

 During this time of fear, during this time of what must have been an exhausting evening out on the lake, one of the disciples on board the boat has some vision.

 In verse 28 Peter asks Jesus if he too can walk on the water.

 Now think about this for a moment. Peter is a fisherman. Peter knows people cannot walk on water. Peter knows if you are out in the middle of the lake without a boat holding you up, you are going to get a view of the bottom of the lake at some point.

 Walking on the water made NO sense at all, but Peter had the vision to know that with Jesus, all things are possible!

 The only way Peter was going to be able to walk on water is if Jesus made it possible for him to do it.