Peter: Stepping Out

Here are my message notes for Tuesday night from DELTA X.

Delta x Tuesday night

Story about me stepping out of my comfort zone. • Trying my first hamburger at a underwear show

Review of the last two nights. • Jonah_going south running away from God. Why are we running? • Moses- west, why would you choose me? Who am I? Who is God?
Tonight we are talking about East, about Peter and walking on water, and how it took a huge step of faith

So:
• Jonah - rebelling against God and running away • Moses- calling to do something and coming up with excuses • Peter- finally stepping out once we get called
The story of Jesus and Peter walking on water happens immediately after Jesus fed the 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
Read Matthew 14:22-24
Peter steps onto the water.

Do you notice something?
• Jesus after being around people. Giving a sermon, feeding thousands of people, after an amazing miracle
• Jesus sends the disciples away so he can get alone time on the mountainside and pray.
• Even in his busy schedule, spending time with God is a priority for Jesus

In order to have a strong faith you have to pray • Quiet times • If it was was important to Jesus, it should be important to you • How will you ever have faith you need to read the bible and pray?
So he sent out his disciples on a boat to go ahead of Him
Can you imagine what they thought?
• Ok ya, we will go on the boat ahead... • How are you getting there? • Do you have a boat?
• Oh ya for sure, for sure, we are going. • You will catch up? How... Ok we will go

Read Matthew 14:25-27
Sometimes we don't even recognize Jesus in times we are scared. • The disciples, even though they have spent much time with Jesus, don't recognize
him in the storm • Sometimes we don't recognize the Lord in our storms • The disciples say they were terrified! • Jesus calls out to them immediately telling him that he is here!

Read Matthew 14:28-33
They don't believe him, Peter calls out to him saying, "if it's you Jesus, let me come out to you."
Isn't it funny?
• They just saw Jesus feed 5000 people, and they don't believe that he is even walking on water?
• Isn't it funny how we say we believe in Jesus, but sometimes look at jesus' words and don't really believe them either?
Or at least our actions show that we do not believe
Have you ever really thought about how big peters
faith was?
• They were on a lake. Lakes don't really get like "sea storms" these are dessert people • I'm sure they were pooping their pants if it was a true storm • Being on the boat was scary enough, let alone stepping out on stormy water
Ever thought why was it Peter who got to do it?
• It's because he asked Matthew 7:7-8 You ask God to give you strong faith, you read, you pray about it, God will give it to you
You ask God to help you to step out in faith, he will give you opportunities to do so. You will just need step up to it
• When we pray for courage, does God give us courage or does he give us opportunities to be courageous.
• When we ask for patience, does God give us patience or does he give us opportunities to be patient.

I can just see it: • Jesus is walking on the water • Calling out to Peter • Andrew sitting next to to Peter, thinking it's him, and he is scared • Relieved it's Peter and not him that has to do it

We are to have faith that walks on water!

Which one are you in is situation?
• Jesus? Haha no • Peter? Are you stepping out in your faith like that? • Taking risks for Jesus? • Or are you one of the disciples in the boat? Watching Peter do an amazing thing.

Francis chan makes me feel like I'm not a Christian

There are so many of us who are stepping out and doing awesome things for their faith. Proclaiming and showing God's love to other people
Other people will know God's love by the way you show them love 2 reasons why people are not Christians • Because they dint know a Christian • Or because they do

So many of us are the other disciples, sitting in the boat,
watching others do amazing things for Jesus • You know what those are called? Cowards • Telling you right now, I am one of them • If Jesus told me right now, to step out onto the water, i am not sure if my faith would be
strong enough

People stepping out in faith: people in idea being baptized, and they could be killed for their faith Question is: • What have I done to step out in my faith?
Jesus also calls us faith to move mountains.

Your going to look in Hebrews 11: • It's ani all star line up • Noah • Abraham
• Isacc • Jacob • Moses • Joshua • Gideon • Samson • King David • Solomon • Daniel • Jonah • Isaiah

Get my point yet?

Compared to these men and their stories are we really stepping out in our faith?
Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus
• The distractions are what made him sink
When we are driving and we are focused on the road in front
we are good.
• When we focus on the car next to us, we look that way, we startbto veer off without really knowing
Here at camp, there is not really any distractions, it's really easy to focus on god here

There are distractions everywhere
• Satan will do whatever he can to keep your focus off Jesus • You ever wonder why every time you try to read the bible, you all ofnthensudden feel
like you need to sleep? • Hownthe minute we come home from church, and there is something on the tv or
onnthe computer that happens to be on? • It's not an accident
Even though Peter got distracted and he started to sink • Jesus was there to pick him up

When we are falling and we are sinking because of all the distractions becausenwe are not focused on God

We need to call on Jesus because he will life us up When our focus is on Jesus, we are ablest step out and do amazing things

Which one are you?
• Are you Peter and stepping out in your faith? • Arenyou Peter who is stepping out in your faith and now the geech of life is tying you
up? • Or are you a disciple in the boat, watching other people do amazing things?
If you are stepping up, keep going If you are drowning, stop struggling, let it go, and let Jesus pick you up If you are still in the boat, what are you doing? Wake up, you are called to do more