Key Takeaways
Fear is a natural and even healthy response to real danger. The problem is not that we fear, but what we fear most.
The storms in our lives are not random interruptions to God's purposes. In his sovereign hands, they become instruments for our good and formation.
Jesus walking on the water was a deliberate act of self-revelation. He was showing his disciples, and us, that what overwhelms us is under his feet.
Fearing Jesus rightly reorders every other fear. When he becomes the greatest object of our awe, the storms of life lose their ultimate power over us.
Because Jesus passed through the ultimate storm of death and rose again, he is able to bring us safely home. That changes everything about how we face suffering.
Study Questions
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John describes the disciples rowing for hours in darkness and storm while the evidence of Jesus's power (the leftover bread from the feeding of the 5,000) potentially sat at their feet:. In what ways do you find yourself forgetting past evidence of God's faithfulness when you are in the middle of a current storm?
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Jesus walking on water was terrifying to the disciples before it was comforting. How does the idea that an encounter with the true Jesus would produce fear challenge or reshape the way you think about your relationship with him?
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Jesus walking on the water connects to several Old Testament passages describing God as the one who alone walks on the waves (Job 9:8), the one who promises to be with his people through the waters (Isaiah 43:1-2), and the one who brings his people to their desired haven (Psalm 107:29-30). What does it mean to you personally that Jesus acts as the God of the Old Testament? How does that shape the way you read these stories?
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Martin Luther spent years in great fear of God's judgment before the gospel transformed him into one of the most courageous men of his era. What do you think is the relationship between a true understanding of grace and the development of genuine courage?
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Romans 5 teaches that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Can you point to a storm in your past where you can now see that God was forming something in you that you could not see at the time?
Seeking God’s Face Devotional
This year, we’ll be using the devotional “Seeking God’s Face” for our personal daily discipleship.
This Week’s Liturgy
Call to worship
Psalm 46:1-3
Leader: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
All: Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Confession of FAITH
New City Catechism Q & A #44
Q: What is Baptism?
A: Baptism is the washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; it signifies and seals our adoption into Christ, our cleansing from sin, and our commitment to belong to the Lord and to his church.
Confession of sin
Almighty Father, you rule over the wind and waves, yet we confess that we often fear our circumstances more than we fear you. Lord Jesus, though you are with us and faithfully lead us, we doubt your goodness and question your purposes. Holy Spirit, forgive our unbelief, reorder our fears, and give us courage to follow Christ through every storm, trusting that you will bring us safely home. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
This Week’s Playlist
Looking Ahead
Next Sunday, we continue in the Gospel of John. Join us at 8, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.