Developing a Faith That Works

Series: That You May Believe
Message: Developing A Faith That Works
Scripture: John 6:15-21

What are you afraid of?

Jesus intentionally separated himself from His disciples after the great miracle of the feeding of the thousands. Why?

• To reject the call of the crowd
• To spend time alone with His Father
• To place His disciples in a position of trust

There Are Two Ways To Get Into A Storm:

• Fleeing God’s Will (Jonah)

Storms of Correction

• Obeying God’s Will

“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.” (Mark 6:45–46)

Storms of Perfection

“But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.” (Matthew 14:26)

The disciples fear had two powerful impacts upon the way they saw things:

• Their fear kept them from Recognizing Jesus
• Their fear caused them to be Terrified of Jesus

The most often repeated command in the Bible is Do Not Be Afraid!

This story teaches us how Jesus gives us the resources to deal with our fears:

• Jesus moves us Towards our fears

He intentionality sent them into a situation where their fears would be challenged!

• Jesus Enters into our fears
  

When you and I are face to face with a fear the first thing we‘ve got to do is start looking for Jesus Christ

• Jesus calls upon us to Trust him with our fears

My fear is transformed when I invite Jesus into the middle of it

• Jesus moves us Through our fears

As God brings us face to face with our fears we discover untapped gifts, resources and power in our lives that we never dreamed possible

Lessons From The Storm

1. Jesus Sees us and Knows our needs

“And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them.” (Mark 6:48a)

2. Jesus will Come to us in the storm

3. Jesus comes in Power and authority

“And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,” (Mark 6:51)

4. Jesus is Able to get you to the place He has called you!

Making It Personal:

• What am I afraid of right now? What storm do I find myself in the middle of?
• What is my fear causing me to possibly miss seeing and understanding?
• Which lessons from the storm do I most need to focus and meditate on?
• What is God calling me to do by His power and strength?
• Who can I share these truths with?