Always, Sometimes, and Never

Krista Wilson • April 14, 2021

Summary of sermon on Matthew 14:22-36 from Pastor Lance Shumake..

Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Mathew has one big idea in mind, he wants the people reading this to make it clear that Jesus is the Messiah. He wants you to see Jesus as the teacher who has authority! He shows us that these stories stand out. 


This is not the first time that we have seen Jesus rescue the disciples in the boat. The first time he was with them and was asleep. They were afraid and he looked at the waves and asked them to stop and they immediately stopped. Here is another situation where they are in the boat. Jesus walks on the water to save them. And they say truly you ARE the Messiah!


Matthew is showing us WHO Jesus is!


In this story we see this amazing thing! We have heard this story so much, but do we miss it?! Sometimes when we think of this story we see it as a calm lake, but we need to remember that the wind is so hard right now that you can’t see across the lake. Jesus isn’t walking across a calm body of water he is walking on water during a strong storm.


HE IS WALKING ON WATER! This story should amaze us!


The resurrection proves it all! It is so central to our faith! If it didn’t happen then none of these things would make sense! If you understand the resurrection then there is no reason to doubt stories like this! Matthew is telling us this so we can KNOW that he is in charge of everything! We CAN put our trust in HIM!


We can look at this text and say how does this change the way we should live tomorrow. 


We can see that the disciples are in trouble again and ask the question, how did this happen again? They got in this trouble because they were following Jesus. We can learn these truths:


Jesus sometimes sends us into a storm.


They encountered a storm as they followed Jesus and obeyed him. If we don’t create a spot for that in our brains, life is going to be hard. Sometimes we are trying to do everything we possibly can and storms just come. This wasn’t a surprise to Jesus. He told the disciples “you go get in the boat while I go pray.”


It’s confusing because Jonah was disobeying God and he sent a storm. God sometimes sends storms when we disobey to turn us back to him.

In this story they weren’t running from God, they were obeying him. We don’t always understand that but sometimes he send us into a storm!



Jesus always comes to us in that storm.


It’s not great news that storms will come, but it is great news that Jesus comes! 



Jesus sometimes comes in unexpected ways at unexpected times. 


The disciples were hoping Jesus would come help them, they may have even thought, he did this before when we were in trouble! But he came in an unexpected way. They were terrified. They called him a ghost! It’s not always what we hope for or pray for. He comes to them in the fourth watch of the night right before day. Why does he come then? Maybe because they were out of hope and couldn’t do anything humanly possible. The answer he has is not what we expected or hoped for, because HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER. This story is a reminder that we can’t do it on our own. We need Jesus! 


Jesus always has everything under control.


This story is not a reaction! Every one of these events is planned by God to show us he is in control! In Mark it says that Jesus meant to pass them by. He does this so everyone in the boat can see him!! He wants us to see that truth, that he is always in control and never surprised!


Jesus sometimes uses storms to test our faith.


He is not trying to see if we pass or fail. He is trying to strengthen our faith!! Every time he does this we have another story to tell about him! He is using this story to test the disciples to see how far they have come. 


Jesus ALWAYS wants us to trust him.


That is what is disappointing in this story. We think they shouldn’t respond this way, so we get dissapointed in their response. Maybe this is because we are disappointed with our responses! We start wondering and doubting and respond a lot like the disciples. We should be making progress. We often pray more in the “storm”. We ask for God to take it away. If we understand these truths we should ask God to teach us what he is trying to and use this to strengthen our faith. He is hoping we use “the storm” to make us more like him! 


Peter's story in this is so amazing! He walks on water, then starts to look at the waves and starts to sink. We want to criticize Peter.


“Before we criticize Peter for sinking, let’s honor him for his magnificent demonstration of faith. He dared to be different. Anybody can sit in the boat and watch. But it takes a person of real faith to leave the boat and walk on the water.”  - Warren Wiersbe


Jesus says come on when Peter asks if it is him! It is never about how much faith we have but about who we put our faith in! What if Peter never said can I come to you?! What if we don’t ever ask him?! Maybe sometimes he calls us to take risks and live on the edge. Knowing that, on the edge there may be storms.  He allows Peter to slowly sink so that he can call out to him in the moment! We do this all the same! We trust him, then stop. 


Jesus never gives up on us.


Peter gives us the greatest example… instead of running from him when he is sinking, he calls out to him. Jesus doesn’t leave us! Immediately he reaches out to Peter!


We are never alone.


You now have a relationship with God because of the cross, because of Jesus! You now are NEVER alone if you are in Christ! It doesn’t matter what you are going through


Isaiah 43:2 says,  “ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”


Remind yourself of these things! We are always talking to ourselves, but what we have to learn is... 


We must preach the gospel to ourselves.


We have to remind ourselves he comes to us in the storm, he is always at work, we are never ever alone! Let’s tell each other that and walk in it!



--

In case you missed it, watch this sermon on our website.

Everything We Need

July 29, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?

The Genuine Gospel

July 21, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:1-2  Peter is warning us about counterfeit teaching and false teachers The genuine gospel came from Jesus through His apostles —servant (humility and honor) —apostle (called, unique, sent) The genuine gospel is just as precious to us today —received and believed “How does someone become a Christian? One person might say, ‘Because I believe,’ and another, ‘Because God chose me.’ According to Peter, both ways of stating it are correct. On the one hand, we believe. It is a fundamental definition of a Christian that he or she is a ‘believe-er’; that he or she ‘has faith’ But Peter also knows that it is not our feeble faith that holds us close to God. It is God who does all the holding, and that is the reality behind the word received.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus —God —Savior —Christ —Lord “This fourfold description of Jesus is important because it puts him at the focal point of human history. As God, he guarantees that his words and his works cannot be replaced or revoked; as Christ, he fulfills all the Old Testament promises; as Savior, he died on the cross for our salvation in the past, present and future; and as Lord he claims the right to our individual love and obedience—notice how Peter calls him our Lord.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel transforms us as we grow in knowledge of Jesus —grace and peace multiplied Discipleship Questions: Why is false teaching so dangerous? How does remembering and focusing on the true gospel help us stand against false teaching? In what ways is the gospel just as precious to us as it was to the apostles? How do you relate to Jesus as God, Savior, Christ, and Lord? What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him?

The God of All Grace

July 16, 2025
Notes from Zach Snow's sermon on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 5:8-14 Why is the lion roaring? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to be quiet…subtle…sneaky, in an attempt to “devour” Christians? I think that Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, was very intentional with his description here of the devil being a roaring lion. Went into a rabbit hole on a lion's roar…there are some spiritual applications to these: Can reach up to 114 decibels…almost as loud as a jet engine taking off They roar for social reasons (territory, create bonds, locate other members of their pride) as well as for purposes of intimidation. One of the primary purposes of the lion's roar is to strike fear in the heart of their prey. The lion will always start with a psychological advantage Fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred - these things can absolutely paralyse you spiritually The lion is not necessarily trying to kill you, but to destroy your faith Prayer: Be sober-minded - Have a clear and self disciplined mind - Titus 2 Exercise self control in thoughts, words, and action this is the 3rd time Peter has said this to us in 1 Peter - 1:13, 4:7 - it’s a call to remain alert and focused Being sober-minded means waging war against the things that are detrimental to the mind: fear, hatred, anxiety, depression, anger I believe these are specific things the enemy uses to derail our mental health and cause us to take our guard down Be watchful - this is the same word that Jesus used in the garden before he was arrested and crucified - this is a call to pray Prayers for others - Eph. 6:18 - Ephesians 6:18 - [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Prayers for yourself - James 1:5 - 5 j If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So here’s the question… Do you believe in prayer? How much do you trust that God can do the things that you are not able to do? Do you trust God with the big stuff AND the small stuff? Discipleship Questions: 1.) In your personal life, what does being sober minded and watchful look like to you? 2.) Who are the people who help you stand firm in your faith the most? 3.) As a CG look at each of the points of the Theology of Suffering and find Scripture to support each one of those statements: God is ALWAYS good God is ALWAYS enough God will ALWAYS love you 4.) Discuss ways that the God of all grace has restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established you.
Show More