Is That Your Final Answer?

(Slide 1) You can probably tell by my sermon title how I am going to start this sermon this morning, right?

Here we go!

(Select one person to be the contestant they will answer 5 questions. They can ask the congregation for help, two times.)

(Slide 2)

Question number 1: A writing tool that you can erase with when you make a mistake or correction: a. Pen b. Pencil c. Desk Jet Ink Cartridge d. Quill Pen (correct answer is ‘b’ pencil)

(Slide 3)

Question number 2: The disciple who got out of the boat when Jesus said, ‘Come on was’: a. John b. Mark c. Luke d. Peter (correct answer is ‘d’ Peter)

(Slide 4)

Question number 3: November 11, 1918 is the day when this occurred: a. Pastor Jim was born b. World War 1 officially ended c. The Spanish American war began d. The New York Yankees won their first World Series (correct answer is ‘b’ World War 1 officially ended)

(Slide 5)

Question number 4: This early American leader is famous for his kite and key experiment: a. Benjamin Franklin b. Franklin D Roosevelt c. John Hancock d. Jerry Springer (correct answer is ‘a’ Benjamin Franklin)

(Slide 6)

Question number 5: The state that is to the west of Indiana, the south of Wisconsin, the northwest of Kentucky and the northeast of Missouri is: a. Iowa b. Tennessee c. Illinois d. Michigan (correct answer is ‘c’ Illinois)

Thank you for playing!

We are half-way through our fall series, ‘Get Your Feet Wet’ and we continue this morning with our study of Matthew 14:22-33: “Immediately after this, Jesus made his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home. Afterward he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him, they screamed in terror, thinking he was a ghost. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “It’s all right,” he said. “I am here! Don’t be afraid.”

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.”

“All right, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. “You don’t have much faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” And when they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.

Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.” (NLT)

The main point of this sermon series is to face and deal with, with God’s help, our fears that hold us back from taking the next steps with the Lord.

(Slide 7) For this morning, I call our attention to verses 28 and 29: Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.”

“All right, come,” Jesus said.

(Slide 8) So far, we have learned that:

• Jesus calls us to get out of the boat, that is our place of security and comfort, in order to grow in our faith

• Fear is a big wall that we must over come, by faith and trust in Christ

• That God, if we wait and intently look for Him, comes to us in the midst of our life storms; our life fears

Today, let us think about this:

(Slide 8a) Saying yes to God is risky business. But, saying yes to God is also not a misguided calculation that creates unnecessary anxiety but a confident trust in God’s ability to help us get out of our own boats and onto the water and move forward.

John Ortberg tells the story of going to a dude ranch in Arizona at the instance of his wife who felt the vacation was not complete without “the exhilaration of a truly challenging horseback ride.” (His exact words.)

The first time he went out at the ranch, he did so with no trouble and thought that he had tamed the art of riding a horse. However, the next day he and five of the trail hands took a herd of horses on a three-mile trip out to pasture.

As he went to the stable to get his horse, he thought about the name of his horse. Would it be ‘Stout’ or ‘King’ or ‘Knight?’ No, oh no. The name of his horse was ‘Reverse.’ It was called ‘Reverse’ because he had the habit of going in reverse when you pulled on his reins.