Teaching Note 10

Faith Insight 10:  Peter—Trusting Christ Enough to Step Out

“He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.”— Matthew 14:29 (ESV)

We began this part of our Faith That Lives journey with Jesus saying:  “Follow me.”  Then we watched Abraham go without knowing where the journey would lead.  We watched Noah obey before visible circumstances confirmed what God had said.  We watched Moses confront his own inadequacy and hear God's answer: “I will be with you.”  Now we come to Peter in a boat, on a dark and troubled sea.  But Jesus spoke:  “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”— Matthew 14:27 (ESV). Peter answered:  “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  Jesus gave him one word: “Come.”  And Peter stepped out.

For a moment, his actions said what living faith always says:  If Christ has called me, I can trust the One who calls.  Then…    Peter noticed the wind.  Fear began to overwhelm trust.  And he began to sink.  This makes Peter's story especially valuable because it gives us a realistic picture of faith.

Peter's faith was __________, but it was not yet __________.

He could __________ and then become __________.

He could __________ forward and then __________.

He could look __________ Jesus and then become __________ by the storm around him.

There are moments when trusting Christ seems almost natural.

·      Then circumstances change.

·      The diagnosis comes.

·      The relationship becomes difficult.

·      A plan fails.

·      Money becomes tight.

·      Someone disappoints us.

·      The future becomes uncertain.

The wind seems stronger, and suddenly the thing we said we trusted becomes much harder to trust.  What happened next in Peter's story may be even more important than his failure.  Peter cried:   “Lord, save me.”  And Matthew tells us:

 “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him.”— Matthew 14:31 (ESV)

Peter's __________ faith encountered a __________ Savior.  But Peter's failure was not the end of the story. Christ was still there. This is essential to understanding a faith that truly lives.  __________ faith is not a life in which we never become __________.

It is not a life in which we never __________.

It is not a life in which our trust never __________.

Living faith keeps turning __________Christ.

Perhaps we sometimes spend too much time measuring the strength of our faith and too little time considering the faithfulness of the One in whom our faith rests.

Peter was not held above the water by the perfection of his faith.  When he faltered, __________ held him.

That is a lesson worth remembering whenever our own faith feels small.

The question is not merely: “How strong is my faith?”  An even more important question is:  “How faithful is the One I am trusting?”

Yet in every story, faith depended ultimately upon the __________, __________, __________, and __________ of God.  That is where our faith must rest as well.

 A SIMPLE PRAYER

Lord Jesus, when circumstances frighten me, turn my attention back to You. Give me courage to respond when You call and humility to cry out when I falter. Thank You that my hope does not rest in the perfection of my faith, but in Your faithfulness. Keep me near You and teach me to follow. Amen.