God's Valuable Lessons During Times of Failure

Series: The Gospel According to Matthew

God's Valuable Lessons During Times of Failure

October 10, 2021 | Steve Shin

Passage: Matthew 14:22-33

Peter pursues his desire to walk on the water with Christ but fails. What are some of the lessons Christ is trying to teach us through our failures?


1) God needs us to learn the lesson that those who act selfishly will never succeed in the kingdom of God
a. Peter's request to go onto the sea is a cloaked selfish request
     i. Why would he ask proof by putting himself at risk of drowning unless he know it was Christ?
b. Christ knew that Peter was asking for a selfish request and going to fail at his attempt. Christ nonetheless allowed Peter to try.

2) God needs us to learn to call on Him for help no matter the situation
a. Peter should be commended for crying out to Christ for help the moment he started to sink.
b. Jonah is another biblical character that finds himself in a similar situation as Peter. He is in the middle of a sea, in the middle of a storm, and about to drown. Jonah does not cry out to God for help until he was seconds away from drowning. When he does finally cry out to God for help, he is saved by God immediately just like Peter.
c. These 2 stories show us that it does not matter how bad our situation is, God will intervein to help at any moment if we cry out to Him.

3) God needs us to understand that his rebukes/disciplines are not acts of condemnation, but rather proof of His love
a. When Peter asks for help, Christ immediately brings Peter to a place of safety before He points out his lack of faith.
b. This shows us that Christ was more concerned with Peter’s safety and wellbeing than He was about berating him.

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