Introduction

The French author Voltaire said, “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.” The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “we walk by faith, not by sight.” And Martin Luther King Jr. preached, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

As believers, we live by faith, are saved by faith, and grow in faith as we see God working in each and every circumstance of our lives. As I’m sure we’d all agree today, our desire is to live and grow in genuine faith as we follow Jesus throughout life.

To enter into a lifelong journey of faith, you must take the very first step. For many of us this first step can be the most frightening, the most difficult, and ultimately the one that we avoid taking. Maybe this is why we resonate with the Apostle Peter… We see him wrestling with his faith, working through obstacles, and ultimately we know that He gave his life (literally) as a disciple of Christ.

Today we’re going to zoom in on one specific story from the gospel of Matthew… A story that’s well known… When Peter steps out of the boat and tries to walk to Jesus. Peter takes a singular step of faith that has been recorded for all time.

Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

Main Teaching

Reading through this passage it’s easy to see why this is one of the most important and powerful lessons on faith recorded in the bible. Philip Yancey says, "Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse." I think this quote accurately describes the scene we have here. It must’ve been an absolutely shocking thing to have experienced…but we have the benefit of seeing it in reverse. We are able to learn from, and hopefully apply several lessons of faith. First and foremost, we see the power of Jesus and His ability to invite others into the literal and proverbial waters with Him.

The Power of Faith

Let’s remember this; faith is not just a passive belief, but an active trust in God that can empower us to do extraordinary things.

In this passage, we see Peter, a simple fisherman, stepping out of a boat in the middle of a stormy sea. This is not a normal or rational action. It defies the laws of nature and human instinct for self-preservation. But Peter isn't acting on his own understanding or strength. He is acting on faith. He’s responding to His Rabbi’s invitation. His faith and trust empowers him to do what is humanly impossible - to walk on water.

This we see, is the power of faith. It is the ability to trust God so completely that we are willing to step out of our comfort zones, to take risks, to defy the norms and expectations of the world around us. It is the courage to believe that with God, all things are possible, even when everything in our human understanding screams that it's impossible.

It’s the teenage Mary being told she’ll give birth to the Messiah and proclaiming, “Nothing is impossible with God!” (Luke 1:37) ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium