Is It Worth The Risk?

Sermon Text: Matthew 14:22-32

When Jesus Says Come: He has just opened a door for you to a greater life than you could imagine, but it will cost you something to get it. There will be a risk.

Let me say this to you, life comes with risk.

* Every time you get on the freeway, you are taking a risk.

* Every time you get on an airplane, you are taking a risk.

* Every time you let them put you under for surgery, you are taking a risk.

Some risks are big and some are small.

* Every time you deposit money into your bank account, you are taking a risk.

* Every time you get your hair done, you are taking a risk, that they won't turn it

green.

* Every time you take a drug with 37 side affects, you are taking a risk.

Let me insert this right here, life with Jesus comes with risk.

When Jesus walked the earth, he was hated by the religious system, and they wanted to kill him. It was a risk to be seen with Jesus. It was taking your life into your own hands to be on Jesus ministry team.

I prophesy right now that before this message is over, somebody is going to hear Jesus say come, and you’re going to have to decide, is it worth the risk?

It’s going to be just as real for you as it was for Peter on that stormy night, Jesus has not changed and he is still calling people to walk on the water and somebody listening to this message is going to hear that unmistakable voice and your life is never going to be the same.

Come: It’s really just another way of saying…

* You can do it.

* It’s your turn.

* Start.

* Jump.

* Go... quit making excuses, break free of your fears, and live your faith.

So many of Gods people live beneath their potential, they live what we’ll call the safe life.

But every once in a while you run into someone who heard Jesus say come and they went over the edge of the comfortable and predictable safe zone and they’re following Jesus in the Faith Zone.

So many times we sit back in our comfortable safe places, and talk about everything we would do for God (if) he ever called us.

Well my question is: Are you ready for the risk?

Nothing of any real lasting meaning or value has ever been accomplished without risk. Risk is built into the faith equation.

Risk means…

1. The possibility that something unpleasant or unwelcome will happen.

2. A situation involving exposure to danger.

3. The possibility of loss.

4. The possibility of an outcome opposite to your desire.

You and I most likely will never literally get out of a boat and walk on top of water as Peter did.

We may never during the course of our lifetimes be in the situation or the circumstances that Peter was in, when he literally and physically got out of his boat in the middle of a life threatening storm, and physically in the presence of eye witnesses walked on top of the water.

But while we may never physically leave the safety of a perfectly good boat, and leap out onto a raging sea. There will be times in our lives as we follow Christ that we will be faced with a decision between risk or safety, and we will be challenged to duplicate that same reckless risk of faith and abandon that Peter had when he let go of everything, so he could hold onto nothing but a word.

There is going to be some point in your faith journey, when you have to choose the high road or the low road.

If you choose the higher road it means you will have to let go.

The higher road means higher in the realm of faith, and higher on the risk level.

The greater the challenge, the higher the risk level.

But having said that, I also want to say… It takes a certain measure of faith just to ride out the storm. It takes a certain measure of faith to keep your sanity when all hell is breaking loose against your family, your finances, your health, and your ministry.

Some people are quick to criticize those other disciples because they weren’t willing to take a risk, and categorize them as being fearful and faithless.

But I don’t, because I know how it feels to be in a storm, and I know how much faith it took for me just to stay in the boat.

You know what I mean? To keep praising, to keep trusting, to keep tithing, and keep sowing and keep confessing, when I couldn’t see any relief in sight, and I couldn’t feel any relief and I couldn’t see anything but storm clouds and rough waters.