Sunday LinkUp – 13August2023

Sunday LinkUp / By

CALL TO WORSHIP

Opening choruses

Opening prayer

WELCOME and THANKS

The theme this week is remembering the Lord’s saving works.

  • The passage in Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45 includes a reference of Joseph’s rise to prominence, along with encouraging God’s people to recall the Lord’s wonderful works through thanksgiving, praise, and rejoicing.   
  • The Old Testament reading, from Genesis 37:1-4,12-28, recounts the beginning of Joseph’s saga that landed him in Egypt after being sold by his brothers into slavery.   
  • In the Gospel reading, from Matthew 14:22-33, we are presented the dramatic story of Jesus and Peter walking on water where Jesus saves Peter from sinking when Peter’s faith falters.  
  • The epistolary text, in Romans 10:5-15, refers to the nearness of God’s word and the beauty of believing and sharing this word of good news with others.   

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FIRST READING

Psalm 105:1-6

1 O give thanks to the Lord; call on his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
    his miracles and the judgments he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,[a]
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

 

OPENING SONGS

 

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

SERMONETTE

PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT +

Have you ever had your memory save you?

For example, you find yourself locked out of your house and after hours of trying to find a way in you finally remember that you left a spare key hidden in the flower bed. Or, you have a flash of panic in the security line at the airport when you discover that your wallet is not in your back pocket. But then you recall that you chose to pack it in your carry-on for safekeeping. Or perhaps you wake up fearing you have overslept because you forgot to set your alarm only to have your wife or husband remind you that it’s a holiday.

You may never have found yourself in one of these exact scenarios, however, I imagine you have had similar experiences where your memory bailed you out of a tense situation. Of course, we realize it wasn’t really our memory that saved us, rather it was that hidden key, misplaced wallet, or forgotten holiday that amounted to our rescue. But what an important role our memory played. What we needed most in those moments we already had, but when forgotten, we were left in fear, anxiety, and panic.

I think it is safe to say that this is very similar to our lives of faith.  We have been saved by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  That’s a fact that cannot be taken away.  He is everything we need, and we never need to fear that he leaves or forsakes us.  However, when we forget his saving presence, we experience fear and anxiety.  In those moments, what we need most is to remember who Jesus is and what he has done for us.  Either we are reminded of what the Lord has said to us in his word, or a fellow believer reminds us of the good news we have in Christ.  It’s these constant reminders that chase away our fears and worries and help us return to the peace and joy held out to us in Jesus.

Unfortunately, we are very forgetful creatures.  But thankfully, we have been given God’s word in scripture and a community of brothers and sisters in Christ to worship with as a way of remembering over and over the extraordinary good news of who our Father is and what he has done for us in his Son Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

Listen to the interplay of worship and remembering that leads to rejoicing in this Psalm:

“Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!  
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!  
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!  
Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,  
O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!”
Psalm 105:1-6 (ESV)

This exhortation to worship and remember is echoed throughout scripture.  Jesus gave us the communion sacraments so that we would remember.  May we continue to remind one another of the good news we have in Christ Jesus as we worship together and make witness of his wondrous works.

I’m Greg William, Speaking of Life.

 

SPECIAL MUSIC

 

SERMON

 

WHY DO YOU DOUBT ?  

Matthew 14:22-33  

 

INTRODUCTION
  1. Our message, today, is based upon Matthew 14:22-33 … but I want to begin by reading a passage in Hebrews …

Hebrews 12:1-2  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 

  1. Notice how verse 2 begins … “looking to Jesus …”
  2. Why is looking to Jesus so important?
  3. Answer:  It is key to 1) laying aside every weight and sin and 2) running with perseverance the race set befor us … In short, it is key to living the Christian life.
  4. One of the challenges of the Christian life is having to deal with DOUBT … and overcoming that doubt.
  5. Our passage for today, I think, reveals the key to overcoming doubt.
  6. Our message today is about a key to overcoming doubt in our lives … and how “looking to Jesus” can help us overcome doubt in our lives.
  7. The title of the message is WHY DO YOU DOUBT ? … and our text is Matthew 14:22-33.

(Prayer)

Matthew 14:22-33 …

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.  When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.  26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!”  And they cried out in fear.  27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  29 He said,  “Come.”  So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.  30But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”  31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”    

 

WHAT CAN WE LEARN from the text?  WHAT SHOULD WE TAKE AWAY from the passage?

 

Matthew 14:22-33

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to  pray.  

When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.  25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!”  And they cried out in fear. 

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”  

28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”   

29 He said, “Come.”  

So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.  30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”  

31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”   

32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  

 

Mark 6:45-52 John 6:16-21
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came toward them early in the morning, walking on the sea.  He intended to pass them by. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 

51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.  

 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.  It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.  19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”   

21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.  

 

 

THE APPLICATION  … What should we take away from the passage?

 

Peter did something extraordinary … but he had to leave the boat (come out of his comfort zone) in order to do it.

Yes, he did something extraordinary … but he failed to keep doing it … because he took his eyes off Jesus.

 

We can do greater things that we think/believe.    

We need to take that first step of faith to get out of the boat. 

We sink when we take our eyes off Jesus and look at our circumstances.

Don’t doubt but have faith. Jesus, as the Son of God, has power over nature.  

 

Peter was able to do something extraordinary AFTER he left his comfort zone.

BUT he did (had to do) something BEFORE he left the boat (before he took that first step).

What did he have to do?  Notice Matthew 14:28 and Matthew 14:29.

Peter did two things … BEFORE he got out of the boat:

  1. He made sure it was Christ.
  2. He made sure He had Christ’s permission.

We all have uncertain future.  We will all have new opportunities … involving big decisions.  We may have to attempt things we have never done before … and things we cannot do in our own strength …

Many of those opportunities may have dark skies and rough waves associated with them.  What must we do in such cases?

IF you are still in your boat, THEN seek God’s voice … AND try to make sure you have His permission.

IF you have already left your boat, THEN turn your eyes upon Jesus … look at Jesus … FOCUS ON HIM.

We conclude where we started … by reading a passage in Hebrews …

Hebrews 12:1-2  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 

The key to laying aside sin … and to running with perseverance … and to overcoming fear and doubt … is “looking to Jesus”, focusing on Him.

Just be sure that the person you’re looking at is Christ (and the voice you’re hearing is Christ’s) … and He has said “Come!” (meaning He approves of what you are doing … or thinking about doing).

QQQ … From an article by Eva Burkholder, posted on bible.org website …

“I need to attempt things I am incapable of doing in my own strength.

“Today, it’s Peter’s words that I apply: “Lord, if it’s you. Tell me to come to you.”1

“Do I hear my Savior’s voice calling me?  Or just another good option?  Or even a legitimate need?  Am I walking toward Jesus … or a shadow of him that seems attractive?  Can I recognize my rabbi?

I determine to slow down, pray, and wait for him to identify himself so that I will know it is the Lord calling me.

“Once I have recognized the voice as truly his, then I will ask him to tell me to come.  I don’t want to step out or start walking until he has ordered me to do so.  I need this assurance because I just might have to exercise faith and “walk on water.”  If Jesus is saying, “Come, have courage, do not be afraid,” he’ll enable me to do whatever it is he’s inviting me into.

“Are you facing difficult choices, hidden paths, or stormy circumstances?  Ask Jesus, “Is it you? If so, tell me to come to you.”  If he says, “Come,” walk toward him in faith. He will reach out and catch you.”

 

CLOSING SONG

 

CLOSING PRAYER

 

BENEDICTION

 

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