Walking with Peter: Faith and Doubt pt. 1

II Corinthians 5:7 - for we walk by faith, not by sight. What does that mean?

Define faith - (Hebrews 11: 1) the assurance (literal translation of the word assurance is “substance”) of things hoped for; the evidence/certainty/conviction of things not seen. Paraphrase - Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Define doubt - NOT being sure of what we hope for and Uncertain of what we do not see.

Example of difference between the two - Kid stuck in a tree. Father is below telling kid to jump, I’ll catch you. Father tells kid to close his eyes and jump.Read Matt. 14:22-33. Explain what’s going on.

Jesus had finished teaching the crowds. He sent the disciples on ahead to Bethsaida by boat while He sent the people on their way home. That evening Jesus decided to spend some quality time with the Father. He went by himself to a mountain to pray. Meanwhile, the disciples are on the Sea of Galilee. They’re having a hard time of it. The wind is blowing real hard kicking up huge waves. The boat is being tossed around like a ping pong ball. And it’s pitch black dark. After midnight. Sometime between 3 AM and 6AM one of the disciples sees something out on the water. He’s like “Nah, it can’t be anything.” This something is coming closer. Other disciples see what looks to be a person. But it can’t be, a person can’t walk on water. Therefore, it must be what? A g-g-g-g-ghost! The disciples proceed to freak out. Screaming at the top of their lungs. Quickly they heard a voice from the “ghost” cry out, “Be brave! It’s me, don’t be afraid!”

1. Why do you think Jesus was walking on the water? Did he need to stretch his legs after praying most of the night? He probably wants to help his boys out. May have saw them from the mtn. Having a hard time getting across the sea. Wanted to give them comfort. Help them to get through the storm. Or test their faith.

2. Why didn’t Jesus identify Himself to the disciples? Instead of saying “it is I,” why didn’t He say “it is I, Jesus!”? Test of faith. See Mark 6:52 Insight about what? Faith in Jesus to handle any situation no matter how dire the circumstance. However, there was one disciple who seemed up to the challenge.

3. vs. 28. Which disciple spoke up? Peter. What did the disciple say? Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water. What was Jesus’ response? Come on

4. vs. 29 What does Peter do? Steps out of the boat. One foot at a time, he started walking towards Jesus. Give Peter his props. With waves still crashing against the boat and wind howling, Peter stepped out. The other 11 were still freaking out. Why do you think he did this? What insight do you get into Peter’s character/himself? Courage, willingness to take risks. Characteristics Jesus saw in Peter that made him the Rock. Characteristics Peter didn’t know he had in himself. Jesus was bringing them to the forefront here on a stormy sea.

4. How does Peter illustrate the definition of faith?

What was Peter’s hope? The voice crying out to him was Jesus. Was he sure of that hope? Did his hope have substance? Did he have assurance? Yes. His hope was that the person telling Him to come was his Master and not a ghost. Otherwise he would never gotten out of the boat in the middle of a storm. Was Peter able to clearly see Jesus? No. It was pitch black dark. All he had to go on was a voice. Despite that, Peter was certain of what he did not see.

What do you think the other guys in the boat were saying to Peter as he was about to step out onto the stormy waves? Probably trying to pull him back into the boat. “Are you
nuts? You can’t walk on water! You’re going to drown. Look at those waves! Even if you could, that’s not the Master! It’s an evil spirit, a demon. He’s going to kill you!” The other guys, his own brother Andrew, are doing everything they can to keep Peter in the boat. They thought the safest place to be was in a boat being tossed around by waves and wind, not with Jesus. (Place you think is safe may not be.) What does Peter do? Gets out of the boat and starts walking towards Jesus. Is the storm still blowing? Yes. No “peace be still” moment. Peter’s focus is on making it to Jesus. Storm not an issue. As a consequence Peter found himself walking on water.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

We live in a chaotic world. Days of uncertainties. They instill terror, fear, worry, anxiety in our hearts. We can be like a boat on stormy waves being battered. In the midst of this chaos and uncertainties, you here a still small voice say “Be brave. It’s me, don’t be afraid! Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Come to where I am.” What is your response? With whom do you identify? The eleven who stayed in a boat that was being tossed around by the waves? Or with Peter who got out of the boat and walked into the teeth of the storm to get to where Jesus was?

Let’s say your like Peter. The voice you hear is the unmistakable voice of Jesus. In order to get to him, you have to get out of the boat and walk through the chaos and uncertainties of life and all the fear, worry, and anxiety it creates. You have to shut out the cries of other people in the boat (family, friends, co-workers) telling you to stay in the boat. Going to Jesus is too risky, is crazy, is insane, is foolish, is irresponsible, etc. What does it take to get out of the boat? FAITH. Nothing or no one is going to keep you from walking to Jesus. You get out of the boat and start walking to where you heard the voice of Jesus - one step at a time. The chaos and uncertainties of this world are still blowing, but they are not an issue. You are completely focused on Jesus. As a consequence, you find yourself, like Peter, walking on water.