series: #
verse: Matthew 14:22-33 #
Introduction: #
Pastor Jin opens with a heartfelt and honest reflection over himself. “Am I a good husband? A good father? Am I doing a good job at church?”. And it’s served as a reminder that it is human nature to worry and have our lives shaken. But in these moments, it’s that much more important to place our weight and burden on to a source that is stable and reliable. “Staking” - Is a term used in the financial world. It means to make a commitment onto something because you believe in its strength and reliability. It’s not just a “hope for the best”. You’re literally tieing your future into something that will continue to grow.
Similarly, staking our lives isn’t about placing a bet because we know for certain that the outcome is clear and beneficial. It’s about placing our hope and faith into something via conviction. Let’s stake our lives on Jesus. Commiting before the outcome is completely clear.
Why is Peter willing to stake his life on Jesus? #
Surviving the storm would simply preserve his life. But trusting Jesus as Lord would place his life under God’s power. For more context, we have experience fisherman that are going through one of the worst storms of their life. But in this situation, when Peter comes to know Jesus, he doesn’t make a request for the storm to be abided. Rather he asked for him to come to Jesus. If he approaches and draws close to Jesus, he would be above the storm. It wouldn’t be a moment of survival, but rather an experience of renewal and growth. And this is the concept of surviving vs thriving. Prosperity is more about following God and living under his soverignty and not being shaken by the winds of this earth. So Peter takes the risk of being swept away at Sea, because he believed that drawing nearer to God would be deeply transformative
What did Peter have to expect when he did stake his live on Jesus? #
What we fix our eyes on is what determines how well we experience God. Even with Peter’s faithfulness, he still failed because he didn’t fix his eyes on God. In verse 31, Jesus says, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”. Peter didn’t stop believing in Jesus, but he was shaken by the storm. Fear entered his life, and he also started to believe in the circumstance he was in.
You pay attention to the word of God for 30 minutes on sunday, but for every minute of the week, you don’t invest into the word of God. You wonder why your When we don’t listen to God’s voice, the loudest voice left is often our own. So will you please listen and fix your eyes on Jesus, rather than anything else in life.
Peter gives us the encouragement that even when we fix our eyes on Jesus, it’s possible for even the most faithful to start to sink. Even when we fail, even when we struggle, we can still call out to God and reach out to Him.
Do you come late to church service? Do you simply consume on Sunday and refuse to serve others? Look into your heart, look into your desires, and show up for God. He deserves everything from us, not the bare minimum.
How did his faith end up shaping others around him? #
To reveal himself unto others.
Peter’s faith is personal, but his courages and bold act impacted the people around him to worship God.
How can we apply this our lives? Live boldly. Start taking challenges and risks. Work hard to glorify God and make a difference. Come out to early morning prayer. Find a role in the church and serve others. Smile and make a positive impact.