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🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 Good morning everyone. Welcome to Verity Baptist Church Manila. Let's take our sits and get our hymns and turn to hymn number 106. Let's start our first service by singing the song Abide With Me, hymn number 106. Let's sing the song Abide With Me. 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 🎵Music🎵 All right. Good morning everybody. Welcome to Verity Baptist Church and take out your bulletin here today. And our verses of the week, Matthew 14, 30 and 31, the Bible reads, When he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And those are great verses there. We'll tie into the first sermon. And we are a family integrated church, meaning children and infants are welcome during the services. We do have a mother-baby room back there for your convenience and the men's restroom, the ladies' restroom. The basic rules in the mother-baby room are down there below. On the next page, our service times are listed. First service is at 10 a.m. Second service, 11-15. Our midweek Bible study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Officials' soul winning times are listed there in the bulletin for Wednesdays. Saturday, the schedule to be announced weekly. Of course, we do have soul winning this afternoon around 1-45. And our salvation and baptisms are listed there in the bulletin for the year as well as the month for all of our churches. And our monthly church service is down there below. On the next page, our Bible memorization challenge. Our book of the year is Ecclesiastes. I'm going to get started on that right after Easter. It's coming up here in a couple weeks, so hopefully you've gotten a head start on that. You still have time, though. It's not a super long book. 12 chapters. You have time to still memorize it. You don't have to quote it perfectly from beginning to end, but each individual chapter at some point during the year you must quote perfectly. Upcoming activities. We do have a lot of activities to announce here. This Tuesday we do have a soul winning marathon. I believe it's the end of Ramadan is the holiday that the country is celebrating. So we're going to have a soul winning marathon at UP Diliman. 2pm to 5pm. Dinner provided afterwards. I'll message in our group chat. The first Sunday of the month we do have church service in Cavite. And then on Wednesday, April 9th, is the Day of Valor. So we do have a soul winning marathon on that day as well. Of course, we do have our normal church service on Wednesday, April 9th, but we'll have a soul winning marathon on that day. And then on Sunday, April 13th, we are going to be taking the Lord's Supper. So that's something we do at our church one time per year. So it's a really special Sunday. That's going to be the week before Easter. Sunday, April 13th. And then we have our last big soul winning push before rainy season because during Holy or Unholy Week, depending on how you look at it, right? Or how it's celebrated here in the Philippines. We do have soul winning marathons on Thursday, April 17th. Friday, April 18th. We don't yet have the official location, but we're thinking about making one of them in Laguna and one in Cavite. Just because we have our monthly church services there. So kind of making it exciting. We're also doing something unique in Pampanga this year as well. But that's going to be the 17th and the 18th. And of course, then we have Easter on Sunday, April 20th. Now, one thing that's not mentioned in the bulletin that I did want to make note of is that on Sunday, April 20th, we're going to be getting interviews for the documentary on idolatry from church members. And what we're really looking for is people that were really into idolatry before they were saved. So if you grew up Baptist, you are of no use in the documentary. We need someone who's like a hardcore Hindu bowing down to cows and worshiping Shiva. Or if you're a Catholic and you're really caught up in the tradition. And we'll give you the questions to be ready for ahead of time. We can kind of explain in the documentary just really short because in this documentary, we're not going to be adding other pastors in for the documentary. But it's good to have other people in the documentary. So we're hoping to have a lot of short little testimonies from church members that used to be really into Catholicism or really into idolatry or caught up in the traditions. And you can kind of just make a brief statement. And so don't lie, okay? Just to get in. It's like, I was a hardcore Hindu. I had this red dot on my head. And it's like, you know, I thought you grew up here in the Philippines, weren't you Catholic? Right? So don't lie. But if you were caught up into idolatry. And as I've said in the sermons, it's like I don't blame people that are caught up in tradition because that's what you're taught. So it's not a thing of being mocked or whatever. It's just kind of everybody kind of follows the tradition they're taught. But if you were really into idolatry, it would be very helpful for the documentary. Whether you're a man or a woman, you can do the interview in English or Tagalog. English is preferred because we'll put subtitles if it's Tagalog. But whichever you would feel more comfortable for if you would like to be in it and you were into idolatry, that would be very helpful. That will be Sunday, April 20th. We're going to do that. Also to make note of, my family is going to be staying in Manila for about a month starting on Sunday, April 20th. My wife's going to give birth in Marikina is the plan. So we're going to be up here. I'll preach all the midweek services while we're here. The last two babies were born in Marikina. We're planning to go to the same place. So that's going to be coming up. Current upcoming series, we're in the book of Matthew. We're going to be taking a break after today. We're going to be at the midway point of Matthew. We'll take a break for a little while to preach a few different sermon series in the book of Ecclesiastes. Birthdays and anniversary for the month of April below. On the back, we have the basic rules of conduct for a church. And you should have an insert in your bulletin to take notes for both of the sermons here today. I believe that is it for announcements. We'll have Brother Marlon lead us in another song. Alright, for our next song, let's turn our hymn to hymn number 111. Sweet peace, the gift of God's company. Let's take it easy. So let's take it easy. The tempo, let's pick up the first tempo. There comes to my heart one sweet strain. Everybody on the first sing. There comes to my heart one sweet strain. A glad and a joyous refrain. I sing it again and again. Sweet peace, the gift of God's love. Peace, peace, sweet peace. Wonderful gift from above. Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace. Sweet peace, the gift of God's love. Through Christ on the cross, peace was paid. My tempest death was all paid. No other foundation is laid. For peace, the gift of God's love. Peace, peace, sweet peace. Wonderful gift from above. Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace. Wonderful, wonderful peace. Sweet peace, the gift of God's love. When Jesus, our Lord, has been crowned, my heart with his peace did abound. In him the rich blessing I found. Sweet peace, the gift of God's love. Peace, peace, sweet peace. Wonderful gift from above. Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace. Sweet peace, the gift of God's love. On the last, in Jesus' form peace I abide. And as I give close to his side, there's nothing but peace not betide. Sweet peace, the gift of God's love. Peace, peace, sweet peace. Wonderful gift from above. Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace. Sweet peace, the gift of God's love. This time let's take our Titan offering. Damn. Amen. For a scripture reading, please open your Bibles to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter 14. We will be reading from verse 24 down to verse 36. Matthew chapter 14, verse 23, and verse 36. Please say amen if you're there. Amen. Matthew 14, verse 23. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit, and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Give good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. And Peter answered him, and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked in the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind seized, then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, O by truth, thou art the Son of God. And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were deceased, and beside him that they might only touch the hem of his garments, and as many as touched him were made perfectly whole. Blessed reading of God's word, let us pray. Lord God in heaven, we thank you Lord for this day that you have given to us. I pray we could please give us good weather for our soul winning, and our fellowship laid on. I pray we could also please bless our pastor, and our preaching will remove us today. We love you, we sing and pray. Amen. The feeding of 5,000 men is mentioned in all four Gospels. And this is the story of Jesus walking on the water, which is also a very famous story in the Bible. So let's just start here at verse number 22. The Bible says, In straightway Jesus, straightway meaning immediately, Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and to go before him on to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. Now the context is after the feeding of the 5,000 men, plus women and children, this great miracle, this great work that was done. And then it says in verse 23, And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray, and when the evening was come, he was there alone. So Jesus sends his disciples ahead, and he just goes by himself just to spend personal time with God. Just spending personal time to pray. And I'm not really preaching specifically on this, but in our lives, we must find time to have personal time alone with God. And this is especially true if you're doing a lot of great work for God. If you've ever noticed in your life, if you're doing a lot of soul-winning events and doing a lot of work for God involved in church, if you're not spending personal time with God, you get burned out. You get tired. You get exhausted. We need that daily time with God, and Jesus gives his principle as he sends everybody away, and he's spending personal time alone with God and just spending time in prayer. Verse 24, But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And the first thing I want you to realize from this story is the foreknowledge of God. The disciples are going to be inside of the ship while a major storm is going on, and what we have to understand is whether God puts you in a storm or he's just aware the storm's going to take place, God knows what the future is. And if you find yourself in a position of life of going through problems, going through stress, going through storms, and it's not because of your sin, either God puts you in that situation or God is allowing you to be in that situation, and so you have to realize it's not like, hey, I'm in this storm. What am I going to do? God has forsaken me. No, God has foreknowledge. God knows that they're actually going to be going through this storm. Go in your Bible to Romans 5. As you're turning there, let me just quote to you in Romans 8 where the Bible says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. God does not guarantee that everything in your life is going to be good, but He says it will work together for good to those that love God, to those that are right with God, meaning that in life sometimes you will go through problems, sometimes you will go through trials, and God is allowing it to help build character. And look, none of us want to go through problems. I wish I could live my life stress-free, problem-free, no medical issues in the future, no financial issues, but that's not reality. And God does allow us to go through problems in our lives, and though we don't enjoy the problems, they do help build character. The Bible says here in Romans 5, verse 3, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not a shame, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. And the Bible says that tribulations can help build patience and character in our lives. Go to James chapter 5. James 5. And of course the famous story we can think of in the Bible that really makes reference to this is the story of Job. And for sake of time, I'm not going to show you the actual story of Job, but James chapter 5 is going to quote back to the character of Job. And it's one of these things where when you feel like you're going through a lot of problems, I remember recently, just in this past year, I felt like I was going through a lot of problems. I'm kind of stressed, kind of frustrated. And in my daily Bible reading, it's like Job chapter 1, right? And then once you start reading Job chapter 1, it's like, okay, never mind. I'm acting foolish because it's literally nothing that I'm going through compared to what Job went through and compared to what Job's wife went through. And I mean, regardless of what situations you're going on in life, there's people that have it worse than you. Now, all of us go through stress, all of us go through problems, but I promise you, no matter what it is you're going through, you didn't go through what Job did. And I promise you, there's people in the world that right now are going through more problems than you are in their lives. The Bible says here in James 5, verse 10, Take, my brethren, the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. And the Bible makes reference to the story of Job, and of course, in that story, Job instantaneously finds out he lost all of his money, lost all of his kids, and then in the next chapter, he loses his health. I mean, everything is gone instantaneously. When you read that story, one person's talking to him, and the Bible tells us before that person's done, another one's coming up to him. And so basically, he doesn't even have time to process the information. And by the time you get to the third person, you're probably really scared, okay, what's the next thing that's going to take place? And just instantaneously, it's like you lost all of your money. Job was a good guy, so I believe that he was probably pretty close to a lot of his servants, and a lot of his servants died that he probably had a good relationship with, other safe people, people he cared about. Then he finds out, of course, worse, that he lost all of his kids. And then the next chapter, you know, it's not just that he lost his money and he lost his kids. Then all of a sudden, he loses his personal health. And so pretty much everything's gone, and yet Job through it all, although he doesn't handle it perfectly, he keeps his integrity, he stays faithful to God, the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Right? Go in your Bible to 2 Corinthians 1. 2 Corinthians 1. Now, look, that doesn't mean that Job, when he was going through that trial, was thankful and wanted it to take place. I mean, he was still praising God. He was still thankful for all of his blessings. It doesn't mean that he wanted the trial to take place. And here's the thing, I'm sure afterwards, he still wishes that he hadn't lost his children. It doesn't mean that when you go through a trial, it's like, man, praise the Lord, I'm so glad that this took place. I mean, that's not realistic. Right? But it does show in that story that it helps build character in Job, and at the end, even though he handled it a million times better than any of us ever would, still at the end, he feels foolish that he even had any sorts of doubts or wasn't 100% faithful. Okay? Here's what it says in 2 Corinthians 1. You say, well, why would God allow something like that to take place in your life? 2 Corinthians 1, verse 3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. See, the Bible says that when we go through tribulation, as a result, God comforts us. And as God comforts us through a difficulty, we can use that comfort that we got from God to help people that go through trials and problems in their lives. Now, I want to help you understand in a practical level what do you do if somebody at church is going through a major storm or problem in their life and they need comfort and consoling? Now, here's the thing. People go through various problems and trials that maybe I don't relate to. It's not something I've ever experienced. And if somebody is going through something and I cannot relate to it, what you do is tell that person, I'm really sorry. I'm praying for you. Let me know or let us know if there's anything that we can do for you. You're never going to go wrong by just saying, hey, I'm praying for you. I mean, make sure you pray for them. Say, I'm praying for you. Let us know if there's anything that we can do. And just having somebody reach out to you during that time is going to mean a lot. Now, what you don't want to do if you cannot relate to it, I mean, let's say you're a single guy and there's a family that lost a child. It's like, I know what you're going through. I'm praying for you. It's like, well, you don't know what they're going through. And it's going to come across as insulting and it's not true if you have no idea what they're going through. But you might have experience with what they're going through. As an example, before our son Zeph was born, my wife was pregnant with twins and my wife had a miscarriage. And so obviously if I could go back, I wish that had never taken place. Right? It's not like I'm saying, man, I'm so glad that took place. She's like, no, I mean, I wish that had never taken place. But I will say that because that has taken place, we've known a lot of families that struggled having kids, lost children, and I can honestly tell people, I've gone to just various husbands and say, hey, I understand what you're going through. My wife and I have been through that. If you need anything, let us know. And so it's something that I can relate to to some level of degrees. And the fact is that we can help comfort those that are going through something that we've been through. And you know, when that took place with our family, we were living in Sacramento, and a lot of people at the church were there for us during a difficult time. Now this is a very important topic because you have to understand, if somebody goes through a major problem in their life and nobody in church reaches out to them, nobody seems to care, nobody says, hey, I'm praying for you, that is often a time where people leave church because they feel abandoned by their church family. Because here's the thing about this. We tell people you ought to be closer to your church family than your physical family because spiritually you believe the same thing. You're spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ. That is a time the church family needs to be there for people that are going through problems. And that's not just from myself or my family. The entire church needs to be there and tell people, hey, I'm really sorry, I'm praying for you. Or if you can relate, actually say, hey, I understand what you're going through. It's like I've been there myself. Please let us know if there's anything that we can do for you. And so I can give various examples in my life of various problems I've gone through and I've been able to comfort other people, but there's been plenty of times people went through something and I cannot relate at all. I've never been through that before. But I can still say to them, hey, I'm really sorry, I'm praying for you. Please let me know if there's anything that I can do for you. You're never going to go wrong with saying, hey, I'm praying for you. Let me know if there's anything that I can do for you during this time period. If you need to talk to someone, I'm always there or something like that. Most of the time that person's probably not going to want to talk to you. They're probably going to be okay. It just kind of helps knowing that there's somebody there in case they need something. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1, verse 5, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so are consolation also abounded by Christ. And what the Bible's saying is if the sufferings and problems are greater, the consolation is also greater. And so if you've been through major problems, I promise you that Job and his wife would have been able to go up to just about anybody and say, I understand what you're going through. It's like, no, no, you don't understand. It's like, no, trust me. I understand what you're going through. We've been there. We've lost many children and all these things. And so because of that, the consolation is greater because the suffering is greater. And then as a result, they're going to be able to comfort those that are going through any problems. Verse number 6, And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. When somebody else goes through something in their life, you never want to have the attitude of Job's friends and just end your mind and say, well, this is the reason this took place to you. It's like, well, you don't know that. And whether or not they're right with God or not, you don't know the mind of God or why things are happening, so don't stand in judgment of other people. But I will say if you are going through some sort of problem or tribulation, you should stop to make sure that you're right with God. And I'm not saying if you go through a problem, it means that you're in some sort of sin. I'm just saying that in my life, whenever I go through something, I just kind of stop to think and look at my life, is there any reason why God might be judging me? Is there anything I did wrong? Or is it just the fact that we all go through storms? So on an individual level, you should look at your own life and just kind of ask yourself that question and reflect upon yourself. But never stand in judgment of other people because you don't know why people are going through the things that they are going through. Now turn in your Bible to Matthew 14. Matthew 14. But Paul has a great attitude. He says, hey, when I go through problems, if I do a self-reflection and I realize I'm right with God, I realize, hey, God is allowing me to go through this to help other people. And look, if you go through problems in your life, that is the attitude that you want to have. It's like, hey, God's given me so many blessings. I'm going through a tough time now. I'm being afflicted. But you know what? Maybe God is allowing this to help build my character. Maybe He's allowing this so I can help other people. But don't have this attitude, well, God's abandoned me. It's not fair. It's not right. Look, all of us have been given so many blessings by God, and God never promised you're never going to go through problems in your life. Right? So number one, we see the foreknowledge of God, and this is something to keep in mind. When you go through a storm, realize God either puts you in that storm or He allowed you to go through it. And if God is allowing you to go through the storm and you're right with God, what does that mean? It means you're not abandoned. Right? If God knows that you're going to go through a storm and you're completely right with God, it's not like God has abandoned you and whatever happens happens. No, God knows that you're going to go through it. You're right with God. You haven't been abandoned by God. You say, what do I do? Maybe open up a hymnal and sing, I must tell Jesus. Right? All of the problems and trials in your life. But look, all of us are going to go through storms. And look, I'm preaching to a big crowd right now. I personally am not going through any storm that I'm aware of or my family, but I do know that in the future I will. And even as the pastor of this church, when I go through a problem or a storm, I want my church family to be there for me. And I realize that even though I'm not going through anything right now, there's no telling. I mean, next week maybe I will go through something. All of us are going to go through storms and God is for knowledge. He's aware of what's going to take place. And if you're right with God, you have not been abandoned. It's just we all go through storms and problems in our lives. Point number one, we see the foreknowledge of God. Point number two, we see fear. And it says here in verse 25, Matthew 14, verse 25. Matthew 14, verse 25. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went on to them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is the Spirit, and they cried out for fear. Now, it seems like they believe that there's some sort of devil or fallen angel just walking out on the water. And I don't think I'd have this reaction. I hope I wouldn't. But quite honestly, if I was in a ship and there's a major storm and I see something clearly that's in the water, I'd be afraid, right? I mean, obviously, we're not supposed to be afraid. But the reality is, I think any one of us, the Bible speaks about not being afraid of sudden fear. So all of a sudden, you're in a storm, you're afraid you're going to drown. And there's some sort of human being that's walking on the water or that's out there. You're going to be afraid of what is this, right? And it says here, you're going to be like, Man, it's an aswang or something like that. What is it, right? And it says here, verse 26, But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid. And so, look, they are afraid, and I think every one of us probably would have been too. Now, we're not supposed to be afraid of things that can take place and what man can do to us, but realistically, none of us are going to live our lives without any fear. And so the Bible says here that they were afraid, and then Jesus says, Hey, be not afraid. What he's showing is, I'm here. You don't have to worry. I mean, if God is with us, we do not have a reason to fear. Go to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. Now, I will say this that, and this is certainly true in our lives, the more right with God you are, the less fear you're going to have. Isn't that true? I mean, when you're filled with the Spirit, when you're right with God, it's like you're just not afraid of something taking place. But I know with myself that if I'm not fully right with God, I start getting scared and afraid of just various things, and then all of a sudden it's kind of a reminder, God, I'm really sorry. How many of you are more devoted on my Bible reading and obeying your commandments and doing what's right? Because all of a sudden you're kind of afraid. Maybe God's not with me. Maybe he'd allow something to happen. But if you are right with God, you just have this confidence. I just don't believe that God's going to allow something to take place to me because I'm right with God. And if it does, the will of the Lord be done. And what you're going to find in this world is that people that are actually living for God live their lives with boldness and strong faith. You know, most Christians don't live their life with boldness. I mean, one of the big reasons why people never go soul winning is they're simply afraid. They're afraid what man might say. It's like, man, I might run into some high-level Jehovah's Witness, and he's going to answer or ask me something about the name of God, and I'm not going to be prepared to answer. Number one, that never actually takes place. When you go soul winning, you never run into people that know that much about the Bible. And look, I wish. I wish people knew more about the Bible because I find myself now talking to people, and I'll explain about, you know, like King Saul, you know, if they're tripped up on suicide. You know King Saul, the one who persecuted King David, and they look confused? David and Goliath. And nowadays it seems like a lot of people are so confused. I'm like, David and Goliath. You know, like in sports events or boxing, it's a David. Oh, yeah, David versus Goliath. But it's just like there's a lack of Bible knowledge in 2025. And what you're going to find with religions like Jehovah's Witnesses is they'll be an expert on like a couple things, but the vast majority of things in the Bible they know very little about. Very, very rarely do you meet someone who knows a lot about the Bible. And here's the thing. If you meet someone that knows a lot about the Bible and wants to argue, here's how you win that conversation. All right, have a nice day. That's how you win. I don't find myself debating Catholic priests and Mormon bishops and leaders of all these religions. I mean, honestly, when I go soul winning, if somebody says, I'm a pastor, sometimes I'm just like, all right, have a nice day. It's like I'm not going to spend like an hour arguing because I know how this ends, right? They're not going to listen. They're not going to be receptive. It's just like, all right, well, have a nice day, right? The people that get saved no matter what religion it is are the people that are actually receptive. And you look at the leaders of false religions. By and large, they're usually reprobates. They're bad people. They've already decided what they believe. They're not going to get saved no matter who talks to them. So you don't have to be afraid. And then I'm going to go soul winning today. Pastor, I'm afraid this could take place and this could take place. The worst thing that could take place today out of soul winning is it's going to rain. That's probably the worst thing that can take place. And I get it. With kids, it's hard. You know what you do? You find a place to stand under until the rain stops, and then you can eventually get back and you're safe and sound. That's probably the worst thing that could take place to any one of us today is it's going to rain, right? And hopefully that doesn't take place, but that's not the end of the world that it might rain. Okay? Matthew 10, verse 26. Fear them not, therefore, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that's speaking in light. And what ye hear in the air, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. What the Bible's saying is the worst that a person could do to you is kill your body. That's the absolute worst thing that could take place. And, of course, if somebody killed me, I'll go straight to heaven. That doesn't sound that bad. Now, look, I'm a husband and a father of soon to be our fourth child, so, look, I don't want to die at a young age. I want to live a long life and see my kids grow up and get married and be soul winners and all of those things. But I'm just saying worst case scenario, I get martyred for the cause of Christ. Somebody could kill your body. They cannot kill your soul, though. You don't have physical life that abides forever. We're all going to die, but you have spiritual life that abides forever. So what the Bible's saying is the worst thing that man could do to you is just kill your body. I mean, a person cannot kill your soul. Now, the Bible says fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Now, God is the one that has the power to destroy both soul and body, and the way this works is that when a person dies now, they either go to heaven or hell immediately. Their body does not go to heaven. Their body does not go to hell. But for those of us that are saved, at the rapture, we're going to get the glorified body, and the body is going to be reunited with the soul. We'll have the glorified body. For those that are unsaved, there's going to be a resurrection of the unjust as well, and their bodies and souls will be reunited in the lake of fire for all eternity where their worm dieth not. Their body, their worm, is reunited with their soul for all eternity. So God is the one who has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell. That's not saying, well, I mean, if you're saved, God could destroy your soul and body in hell. Well, no, because you have eternal life. It's not saying be afraid of God because he might send you to hell because if you're saved, you don't have to worry about that. What it's saying, though, is God is the one that has that kind of power, and as saved people, we should be afraid of God, not that he's going to send us to hell, but the fact is that if he sends a lot of people to hell, he might judge you in this life, right? But here's the thing about this in this verse. The Bible's saying man can kill the body. Only God can kill the soul. Do you see that? So let me ask you a question. Is it possible for me to kill my own soul? No, and sometimes you ask people that's out soul winning, does suicide kill the body or the soul? Sometimes they get it wrong because they just haven't thought about these questions, but then a lot of times they're like, oh, yeah, eternal life, spiritual life that lasts forever, and they're like, it makes sense, right? Because suicide does not take away your salvation. You say, why? Because you have spiritual life that lasts forever, and only God is the one who has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell, and after you get saved, even if you ended your own life, that would not send you to hell because it is eternal life, never ends for any reason. That is the promise of God. But since God is the one who has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell, we do have one to fear, and that is God, right? The Bible says here in verse 29, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. And the Bible is saying this, that even a dumb bird is not going to die unless God allows it. And that doesn't mean that God causes every action to take place, but of course God could stop and prevent any action if he wanted to. And even a dumb bird, a dumb animal, without an eternal soul that is going to die and just be dead, and that's it, the Bible is saying even a dumb animal is not going to die unless God would allow that to take place. Well, here's the thing. Are we not of a lot more value than a dumb animal? We're not an evolved animal. We're human beings. God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. So God created man in his own image, the Bible says. We're not a dumb animal that there's no existence after this. No, I mean, you're going to spend forever in heaven or hell, and of course in this room I'm preaching to save people. I'm preaching to people that as far as I know, at least the vast majority, believe on Jesus Christ for salvation. Well, here's the thing. If God is not going to allow a bird to die unless he's just allowed it to take place, it's not like you're going to accidentally die and God is like, Man, I never saw that coming. I never realized that would take place. I mean, I would have stopped it. I just didn't know it was going to happen. No, if anything happens to me in my life, it's something that God allowed. Right? That is what the Bible teaches. Go back to Matthew 14. Matthew 14. Now, we live in a day-to-day, though, where people want to say things like, Well, I don't believe in a God that you have to fear. I don't believe in a God that will judge us. I don't believe in a God that will punish us. And here's the thing about this. We would expect this sort of foolishness outside of Christianity. Right? You look at these Asian Eastern religions that there are, and they will teach this nonsense about how we don't have to fear God. But as Christians, you would think people would have enough knowledge to realize, Actually, God created hell, so we should fear God. But yet, nowadays, I talk to people that will say that they're Catholics, and then they'll be like, But I just don't believe in a God that would send people to hell. Or how about this one? My God would never send anybody to hell. It's like, Well, that's great, but your God is a figment of your imagination. And I'm sure your God wouldn't send somebody to hell, but that's not the God of the Bible. That's not the real God. And the Bible teaches that we should fear God. Fear not man, but fear God. You say, But wait. I mean, if we're fearing God, then we're saying God is just this wrathful and angry and me God. No. I mean, just think about a child that is growing up. It's like I consider my children friends. I talk to my children. I talk to them like they're grown up. I treat them. I say, Hey, how was your day? I talk to me. I explain things. I consider them friends. I play games with them. But I also expect my kids to have a healthy respect and fear for me, meaning that if they just go out and do whatever they want and break our rules, it's like a punishment's about to happen. And of course I would love to just be friends with my kids and never have to punish them, but if you've raised kids, is that a reality? No, it's not. If you do not punish your kids, then they're going to grow up and just start to be more and more rebellious. And so here's the thing. It's the same thing with God. I mean, what a friend we have in Jesus. We have a God that we can pray to. And Jesus said, Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. So here's the thing. When I'm right with God, I'm not afraid of God striking me down dead, right? But I also have that healthy respect and fear for God in my head that I realize I better do what He says, because otherwise God might actually judge me or punish me. Point number one, we see the foreknowledge of God. Point number two, we see fear. And point number three, we see great faith in Peter. Matthew 14, verse 28. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Now, the Bible is very clear that Peter was literally walking on the water. Now, this does not mean that you're on vacation by the ocean or the sea. It's like, Pastor, I want to test my faith. I'm going to just try to walk out on the water. It's like, no, that's foolishness, okay? But this story does teach us a lot of things. And in this story, Peter is literally walking on the water. Now, here's the thing about this. Peter asks him ahead of time, you know, hey, tell me to come out on the water. And Jesus says, Come. Here's the thing, you're not going to hear God's voice audibly, but let me just help you out. God, do you want me to walk on the water? The answer is no, okay? Here Jesus asks, or here Peter asks, and Jesus says, Yes. But I promise you the answer is no, okay? So do not try to walk out on the water or something such as that, okay? Go to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews 11. Hebrews chapter 11. Now, I mean, in this story, Peter does something great for God. He literally walks on the water. And what I would say is that, you know, even though Peter makes more mistakes than the other apostles, doesn't he accomplish more than the rest of them? At least of the original 12, you know, not counting Paul the Apostle, but if you compared Peter to the other apostles, Peter's the one that messes up a lot, but that's because he's kind of the leader. So he's the one kind of doing things and saying things, and sometimes he says things that are wrong. Sometimes he's not thinking, or sometimes it even says he's not sure what to say, and then something pops out, and it's like, no. It's like, that's just completely wrong, right? But he's the one who actually exhibits great faith in his life, and here's the thing. If you want to accomplish big things in life, you must be willing to step out in faith. The Bible says in Hebrews 11, verse 1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. This chapter is kind of nicknamed the Hall of Faith. So like in sports, you've got the Hall of Fame, and here this is called the Hall of Faith. You have all of these great characters in the Bible that accomplished all these big things, and it will oftentimes just give you one verse to tell you what they did, and you can think back to that great story of how they exhibited that great faith. Verse 3, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are not seen were made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found because God had translated him, for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. Now notice this in verse number 6, But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Now sometimes you talk to people about salvation, and you'll explain it's by faith alone. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and sometimes they'll nod their head yes, and what they're thinking is, you believe and you walk by faith. It's like, no, that's not what we mean by faith alone. It means you put your full trust on Jesus, you get saved. It's not about walking in faith after you're saved, or walking in your faith your whole life. It's about putting your belief and trust on Jesus. You call out to him to save you, and you're saved forever. And a lot of times people kind of conflate these things, but in this verse I want you to understand that when it comes to God, God is not pleased unless we have faith. Now it is possible for an unsaved person to fear God because Cornelius and his entire house, before they were saved in Acts 10, the Bible says they feared God. It's not possible to please God, though, as an unsaved person according to this. God's not pleased with an unsaved person. And so if you want to please God, the first step is he that cometh to God must believe that he is, meaning you believe on Jesus Christ. You put your faith on Jesus, you get saved, you have eternal life, and step one of pleasing God is getting saved. But that is not enough to please God. Just because you're saved does not mean that God is pleased with you. Now think of the example with your children. My children are always going to be my children, and I will love them forever, but does that mean that I'm always pleased with my kids? Well, no, because sometimes I'm upset with them. Sometimes I punish them. And what the Bible says is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and that is about walking the walk, not just I believe, but I'm not doing anything, that part is about actually living for God. Now that part has nothing to do with salvation because salvation is believing on Jesus Christ, but just being saved does not mean that God is pleased with you. And the reason why we need to understand this is we live in a day where there's a lot of Christians that will say, Well, I'm saved, so I can do whatever I want. And yeah, you know what, you're right. You can do whatever you want, and you'll go to heaven. Right? Multitude of verses that teach that. We've been putting them up on our channel just the last week, and there's like a multitude of verses that teach once you're saved, you're always saved. It's obvious both in the Old and the New Testament, but that doesn't mean that God is pleased with you if you're living a sinful life. Look, if you're drunk, then God's not pleased with you. If you're doing drugs, God is not pleased with you. If you're not reading the Bible, if you're not going to church, if you're not going soul-winning, if you're not obeying God's commandments, God is not pleased with you. That doesn't mean that you're not saved, though, because salvation is by believing on Christ and we have free will to decide if we're going to walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh. But if you are walking in the flesh as a saved person, God is not pleased. And another way to think about this is, you know, if you're out in public, let's say you're at the mall, and you see some kid that is just being disrespectful to their parents, you know, does it really bother you that much if it's somebody else's child? Not really. It's like, they're not even my child. It's like, I'm like, man, that kid needs a spanking. I mean, those parents need to, you know, teach who the boss is, but it's like, it's not my child. But if my children disrespect me in public, it's like, yeah, you know what, it bothers me. And look, you know, my kids, I believe, are well-behaved kids, but they're not perfect. I mean, you know, especially when they're at that young age, you know, the terrible twos are kind of a real thing, right? When kids are at that age, they will sometimes test their parents. And here's the thing. I mean, yesterday, we were driving on our way to soul winning. I had to stop at a gas station because Ezra needed to be spanked. And you say, why'd you do that? Because I'm not always pleased with my kids. If they act up, they need to realize that, no, it's like, we will stop the car if necessary, so you're not going to get away with it while we're driving. You say, why? Because no parent is always pleased with their children. And when children do wrong, we must provide discipline and show them that. Well, here's the thing. The Bible's teaching us this, that if you are being rebellious toward God, if you're not living by faith, if you're not obeying God's commandments, God is not pleased with you. You say, pastor, is God pleased with me right now? Two questions. Number one, are you saved? Number two, are you obeying God's commandments? Because Jesus said, you're my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. And the thing is, if you're not obeying God's commandments, God is not pleased with you. It's that simple, right? Turn your Bible back to Matthew 14. Now, look, obviously none of us are perfect, and we mess up, we sin, and every single day I tell God, God, I'm sorry, I messed up, please help me do better, because I sin every single day. And I'm sure if any of us are honest, we would say that, hey, you know what, every single day I mess up, and you should be confessing that to God on a daily basis. But there's kind of a difference between willfully sinning versus, you know what, you kind of just get overcome by a sin, and then you're just like, man, I'm so sorry, God, I messed up again. There's a difference. And I would say that if you're in this room and you're trying to do what's right, it's like, hey, keep praying to God every day, ask for forgiveness when you mess up, and God will be happy as you're trying to do what's right. But if you just say, you know what, willfully, I'm not going to do this, or I will do this, I don't care what the Bible says, yeah, God's not pleased with you, because you clearly know what the Bible says, and you're choosing to disobey it. So point number one, we see the foreknowledge of God. Point number two, we see the fear of man. Point number three, we see the faith of Peter. Point number four, we see the failure of Peter. Notice what it says here in verse 30. When he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Now, I do want to say this on a side point before I go on in this story, that obviously when he says, Lord, save me, this is not about being saved from hell, okay? It should go without saying anything. It's pretty obvious. In fact, if you look up saved or salvation throughout the Bible, it's usually actually referring to physical, not spiritual, okay? So it's not like every single verse. It's like, except you abide in the ship, you cannot be saved. Pastor, I realize I must live inside of a ship to be saved from hell. It's like, no, that's about the body. You're going to drown if you go out, okay? But here's the thing. I bring this up just kind of humorously, except for the fact I've been out soloing in the Philippines in Pampanga, and a Catholic brought up this story to show me how hard it is to get to heaven. And I was explaining, I was talking to two guys, and they're both Catholic, but one of the guys is not really saying anything. He's just kind of listening. And the other guy is telling me what he believes and everything, and I'm saying it's just by believing. It's as easy as just believe on Jesus Christ. It's a free gift. And he's saying, no, it's not that easy. You've got to work for it. And then all of a sudden he starts telling me, and this was kind of in my early days here in the Philippines, and he's explaining to me in Tagalog this story in Matthew 14, and I understood him, but I thought I didn't understand because I'm like, wait, is he really saying, what he told me was even Peter was trying to make it to Jesus on the water, and he didn't make it the full way. Therefore, it's very hard for any of us to get to heaven. And I'm just like, am I misunderstanding what he's saying? And so I just asked him in English. He's like, yeah, he's like, and then he said in English, and he's like, yeah. It's like, Peter didn't make it. And I'm like, are you saying that Peter didn't go to heaven? And it was funny because his friend wasn't saying anything, but his friend was on his side, but he could clearly tell that his friend looked like an idiot, and he started laughing at his friend saying, yeah. Because I mean, don't Catholics teach that Peter's waiting at the pearly gates to let us in? And then you're going to tell me, well, Peter didn't make it all the way, so how do you think that you can know for sure when Peter didn't even make it all the way to Jesus? He's like, but Peter was saved. What are you talking about? And so in this story, this is not about spiritual salvation. That goes without saying. What it's saying is a man who is already saved is trying to do something big for God, and he fails. He messes up. And he fails, but that's because he's actually trying to do something. Now, here's the thing about this story, though. It is important for us to understand why did he fail? And the answer is actually found in that verse. Notice it. But when, but when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. What is the Bible trying to teach you? Here's what the Bible's trying to teach. At the beginning, the eyes of Peter were upon who? Jesus. And he's walking on the water, no problems. And then all of a sudden when he looks at the obstacle, all of a sudden he's afraid. What's the Bible trying to teach us? If we keep our eyes focused on God, we're not going to be afraid. And we're going to accomplish big things. But when we take our eyes off of God and start focusing on the problems and the obstacles and the storms, you know what's going to take place? All of a sudden we're going to fail. Because here's the thing. Because in this story, they're going through a storm. As I said, I'm not going through a storm right now that I know of, but the next time I go through a storm, if I just constantly think about the problems and what could go wrong, I'm going to fail. But if I just keep making sure I'm reading the Bible, and going to church, and praying, I will succeed and last through the storm. Look, in the story of Job, Job is a success through that story. I mean, he doesn't handle it 100% perfectly, but he handles it very well. You say, why? He doesn't focus on the obstacle. He's focusing on God. He's thinking about God. He's saying, hey, here are all the blessings God gave me, and he's not afraid. Why? He's not focused on the obstacle. And look, if in your life you just focus on all the problems and what could go wrong and the storms and the obstacles, you will sink. Now, in the story, Peter is not in some major sin. It's not like he's driving drunk and he's like, God, save me. Obviously, he hasn't done anything to get himself in this situation. He was trying to do something for God, and then all of a sudden he failed along the way. And here's the thing, since he's not in some sort of sin, of course Jesus is right there, and immediately the Bible says he stretched forth his hand. He saves him. And obviously, if you're trying to do something for God, I mean, look, as the pastor of this church, I'm trying to accomplish something for God here in the Philippines. I want our churches to grow. I want to reach more people. I want to get more churches started, and along the way there's going to be failure. It's just the way that it is. I believe our church here in Cuyantarizal is a huge success. We've grown quite a bit as a church. God has blessed us. Our church is getting more people saved than we've ever gotten saved. But if you've been here from the beginning, there's been failures along the way, haven't there? You say, why? When you're trying to do something, you're going to make some mistakes. You're going to mess up. You're not going to handle things perfectly. But we're a success. You say, why? Because we're not just sitting here focusing on all the things that can go wrong and will go wrong. If you try to do something for God, you're going to have more success and more failure. If you try to do nothing for God, you're not going to have any failure. But guess what? You're not going to have any success either. Now turn your Bible to Colossians 3. Colossians 3. I don't have the list in front of me right now, but I've brought this up in church before, a list of all the NBA players that have missed the most field goals. And you know what you're going to find near the top of the list? Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, all of the greatest players have had more failures than anybody else. You say, why? Because they've shot the ball more than anybody else. They've made the most and missed the most. It's almost like the same list. The top ten's the same, just slightly different. You say, why? Because if you're trying to do something, you're going to have success and failure. But here's the thing. If you're not trying to do anything, you're going to have neither. Well, here's the thing. I'd rather have success and have some failures along the way than just not try to do anything for God. Right? Because here's the thing. It's very easy to just sit inside the ship and do nothing. But really kind of the thought I want us to take away in this sermon, the big thing I want you to focus on is this, that in our lives, God wants us to constantly be walking on uncharted territory by faith. When a person gets saved, inside of their head, if you get saved as an adult, inside of your head you're thinking, I've always heard this, and now somebody's saying the opposite, and you've got to make a decision in your head what you believe. And it is a step of faith because you don't see the salvation, you don't see heaven, but you're doing it by faith. And then, of course, getting baptized is something you do by faith, where it's like I was a bit afraid when I got baptized. I came very close to falling when I got baptized. My foot slipped. I almost fell and hit the deck. You say, well, part of it is I'm so nervous I'm not even paying attention to the steps because I consider myself a shy person, and doing that in front of people is kind of intimidating to me. And then, of course, going soul-winning. Isn't the first time you go soul-winning a pretty scary thing, where you're stepping out in faith, where it's like, you know, right? It's scary. Well, here's the thing about this, though. God never wants you to get at a point where you're living your life so comfortably that you never have to rely on Him. See, when Peter walked on the water, he had to rely on God. He couldn't do it in his own flesh. And in our lives, God wants us to constantly be stepping out where you can't do it on your own. You're afraid. I mean, it's not so easy for you. And what's the result of stepping somewhere where you don't feel like you could do it in your flesh? Who do you have to rely on to do it? You have to rely on God. And look, never get to a point in your life where you're like, Man, I don't want to have to step out in faith anymore. I just want this comfortable life. No, it's like you always need to be willing to step out a little bit where you don't feel secure, you don't feel fully safe. Say, You know what? I'm going to step out by faith. Obviously, it goes without saying that you step out in faith. I'm not saying act like a fool. I mean, obviously, I'm not saying I'm on top of a large building and I'm just going to step out in faith. Obviously, I'm not saying to tempt God. And obviously, in our lives, you might want to step out in faith, but maybe there's some things where it's just not something you can do at this moment. And I get that. Obviously, every situation is different, so I can't stand up here and say every situation is the same or give you the answer here what you should do. I would have to know your situation. I would give my opinion. But ultimately, it's up to you what you decide to do. But I am saying this, that God does not want us to live our lives where every single step along the way is just so easy, so secure. It's like seeing is believing. If I don't see it, I'm not going to do it. No, God wants you to be willing to step out in faith where it's not comfortable, where it's not easy. It is difficult. Colossians 3, it says here in Colossians 3, verse 1, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. This is the way that we ought to live our lives. A few verses later, it talks about Christ, who is our life. And the Bible is saying, set your affection, set your heart, set your desires, set your focus on things above, not on things on the earth. And here's what I'm saying. When Peter was focused on Jesus, he didn't drown. He didn't fail. But he began to sink when? When he saw the wind boisterous. And what you have to understand is that when you try to step out in faith, the reason why you have to step out in faith is because the wind is boisterous. Because it's not easy. It doesn't seem so simple. There's many things that would make you think, maybe this isn't a good idea. I don't know if I should do it. But you're stepping out in faith, trusting in God. Turn your Bible to Matthew 14. Matthew 14, we'll close up. I would say this, that if you look at anybody that's doing something for God, whether you look at pastors that you respect or people that have been good Christians for a long time, doing the work of God and soul winning and these things, for people that actually accomplish a lot in their lives, they've stepped out in faith many times where it's not so easy, it's not so secure, and they just say, you know what? I'm just going to trust in God that he's going to come through. Sometimes you just kind of know in your heart this is what God wants, and you've thought about it, get some sound wisdom from other people that love God, see what the Bible says, and you know this is what God wants. And it's like you do it by faith even though there's all these potential obstacles that could make it a lot more difficult. And of course when you do that, yeah, you're going to run into some difficulties because it's not just going to be smooth sailing, right? One great example is when people move to go to be part of a good church, and I believe that people should be willing to move if they're capable to be a part of a good church. At our church, we have a lot of people that have moved here to be a part of this church. Some people worked overseas. They decided to come back largely, I believe, because of this church, and it's a step of faith, isn't it? Because it's going to be like, man, I got my job. I'm financially secure, but I'm not fully able to do everything for God here, and then they step out in faith. And when it comes to myself and my family, I mean, I've moved on various occasions to be a part of a great church, and yeah, it's intimidating. You're stepping out in faith. It's not the easiest thing to do. But here's the thing. If you never step out in faith, you're just never going to accomplish what you could accomplish. You need to be willing to step out in faith to uncharted territory. You say, but Pastor, I can't do it. I mean, I can't do it in my own flesh. God wants me to, but I can't do it. God wants you to rely on Him. It's like you're in good company. Okay, Moses. I got it. You don't have the voice. Blah, blah, blah. You can't do it. Send somebody else. Okay, just rely on me. Right? And it's the same old story throughout the entire Bible, because look, when you read Hebrews 11, it's all about people accomplishing things that are pretty much impossible in the flesh. Right? And you're stepping out in faith to do something that God is going to give you the ability to do. Right? Matthew 14, verse 31. The Bible says this, And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? The Bible says, A just man falleth seven times and riseth up again. And so the Bible says that, hey, if you're a good person, you are going to have some failures. You are going to fall. You are going to mess up. But the difference is that you rise up again. Right? I'm not really so much of a fan of professional fighting sports these days, but I used to watch them a lot, just because there's all kinds of added things in fighting, such as drinking, the Ring Girls, and stuff like that. But it serves as a good analogy when you think of boxing or UFC, that sometimes you'll see a fight between people. Generally in boxing, what is it, like three knockdowns in one round, and it's officially over? Isn't that the general rule that there is? And sometimes you'll see two people fighting, and one guy is just clearly better than the other person. And the person is just getting beaten and beaten, and they maybe get knocked down, and they rise up again. They get knocked down. They rise up again. And sometimes you'll even have the person on the other side looking at them like, Is this guy crazy? It's like he's getting up again. It's just like, are they going to just throw in the towel? But here's the thing. Don't you respect someone who is dealing with problem after problem after problem, and then they just get up and keep coming? Even if they're not as skilled, even if they're not as talented, you just look at them and say, Man, that guy has some serious heart, some serious determination. And as Christians in our lives, it's like, have some determination. Have some heart. Have some character. Step out and do big things, and when you mess up and fall flat on your face, rise up again and live to fight another day. Don't just, Well, you know what? It didn't work out, so I just give up. Look, if I wanted to preach a sermon, if I stopped to think about it and wrote down all the failures I've had in the ministry, it's like I'd have like a ten-part sermon series. It's like from the first time I started to try to do stuff for God, it's like, you know, I made a lot of mistakes. And isn't it true, though, that, I mean, look, I love math, but whatever formula people give, it's like, No, just give me a sample problem, and you learn by trial and error. Isn't that true? That's how you learn. Trial and error. You know, it's the same thing in your Christian life. You learn by trial and error. You do something. Well, that didn't work. It's like, Well, I figured it out. I'll do it right the next time, right? Adjust men fall seven times and rise up again. The Bible says here, verse 32, Matthew 14, verse 32, And when they were coming to the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth, Thou art the Son of God. And when they were gone over, they came in the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of them, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto them all that were diseased. And beside them that they might touch, only the hem of his garment and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. Yeah, we've seen a lot of great things from the book of Matthew. We're going to take a bit of a break from it before we jump back in. The thing that I want you to just kind of take away from this sermon, though, is the fact that God does not want you to just be 100 percent comfortable in your life where you never have to step out in faith and do something that is a little bit fearful to your flesh. God wants us to be willing to step out in faith, and as a result, it requires us, instead of relying on ourselves, to rely on God. Let's close in with a prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today and ask you to help us apply this sermon to our lives, God. Help us to live our lives by faith. Help us just to walk by faith and step out on uncharted territory, God, and try to do something big for you. And ask you to help us through our failures as well, God. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's turn our hands to hymn number 117. Let's sing the song, Safe in the Arms of Jesus. Hymn number 117. On the first. Safe in the arms of Jesus. Safe on his gentle breast. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Sweetly my soul shall rest. Heart is the voice of angels. Born in a song to me. Over the fields of glory. Over the desperate sea. Safe in the arms of Jesus. Safe on his gentle breast. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Sweetly my soul shall rest. Safe in the arms of Jesus. Safe from the world's temptations. See, he did not live there. We from the blood of sorrow. We from my doubts and fears. Only a few more trials. Only a few more tears. Safe in the arms of Jesus. Safe on his gentle breast. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Sweetly my soul shall rest. Jesus my heart's dear refuge. Jesus has died for me. We're on the rock of ages. Never my trust shall be. Here let me win with patience. Wait till the night is sore. Wait till I see the morning. Break on the golden shore. Safe in the arms of Jesus. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Sweetly my soul shall rest. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Thereby his love o'ershaded. Thereby his love o'ershaded.