The Power of the Impossible

Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church Henley and thanks so much for tuning

into our podcast.

Our prayer is that through this podcast you can have an encounter with Jesus that will

change your life.

And now get ready for an inspiring message from our preaching team.

I want to start off by praying and then we'll get into it.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this opportunity to bring your word Lord.

I thank you that you have prepared a message for me to bring on stepping into the impossible

and what it means to encounter the impossible Lord.

I pray that your word would be speaking into the people in this room tonight Lord and that

you would, that your Holy Spirit would be on the move.

May we be receptive to what you want to say.

May we be open to how you want to cool us in our lives and what you want to do within

this space.

I pray that we'd be listening to this message with open hearts and open ears Lord and that

we'd just be, yeah, that we'd just be open to what you have to do.

In your name we pray, amen.

So as you saw my passage that we're preaching on tonight is Peter walking on the water.

I told a few people last week, they're like, oh, what are you doing this week?

I'm preparing a sermon on Peter working the water like, oh, cool, you should do a live

demonstration.

I'm like, no, it's too cold for that.

Don't get me wrong.

I love the ocean and I love swimming and all that stuff, but not when it's this cold.

And we're on Beach Street and stuff, but sorry, not today.

On a warm summer day, absolutely.

If you guys can stick around till summertime, let's go for it.

We'll go down to the beach.

I'll do my best at walking on water.

We can have Chiqui Grig down at Henley Square.

It can bring honey every great time.

I think something interesting that I realised about the beach though is that beaches in

Adelaide are very different to beaches in Queensland.

Since Matt and I started dating, we've done a couple trips up to Queensland together so

that I can meet his friends and his family.

And I can see where he grew up.

His brothers and his friends think it's hilarious to tease us, mostly me, that the beaches and

pretty much anything in Queensland is better than Adelaide.

No.

But I'm not too sure if I agree with that the beaches in Queensland are actually better,

because when I go to them, I actually kind of find it a bit stressful.

The waves are so much bigger than the waves down at Henley.

I mean, obviously.

I'm not like that.

And you have to be aware of rips in the water, because we live in a lovely peninsula where

it's kind of sheltered a bit.

And I'm also convinced that the water gets deeper faster.

When Matt and I go for a swim together, we do the classic run-up-the-water thing.

Sometimes Matt has his sunnies on and it's all good he can see.

Other times, he does in and it's the blind leading the short person.

I'm like running in and he's like, I don't know, I'll see.

And then by the time the water is up to Matt's shoulders, I'm trading water like he's trying

not to drown.

At least when I'm in the beach in Queensland.

Actually, Matt, can you come up here?

He just loves being up the front so much that I want to bring up.

You need to pretend that you're swinging.

Yeah.

And then you can touch the bottom.

At this point, I'm trading water like this and the waves are sweeping me all around the

place like this.

Matt's fine.

I'm struggling.

And then I go, Matt, I need your help.

He reaches out his hair like this and I found my feet and it's all good.

And we just do that on repeat at the beach until we're tired and Matt's like, no, this

is enough.

And then he's out.

And usually I'm like, well, I don't want to do this on my own.

So, yeah, you can go now.

So I just wanted to give you some context of the beach because we, I'd laid people, we

don't see many waves.

And let's just go down to Port Elliott.

These waves kind of give us context also on how scary it would have been for Peter when

he was out on the water and how impossible walking in water would have been.

Another piece of contextual information that I often miss when I'm reading this passage

is that after Jesus says, take courage, it is I, don't be afraid.

Peter invites himself out onto the water by saying, Lord, if it's you, tell me to come.

When Peter does this, he gains the assurance that he isn't alone.

Jesus saying, come, encourage us, Peter, to take a risk or a step of faith, knowing that

someone he loves and trusts is right beside him and that all will be okay.

As I read the part that says Peter got out of the boat and walked towards Jesus, I find

myself in awe of the courage it would have taken to make that first move.

Part of the nature of taking a risk, especially if you're over 25 and have a fully developed

prefrontal cortex, is that in our minds, we assess how the action we take is going to

be beneficial and what the cost is going to be.

We run through scenarios in our heads to help us decide whether or not taking this action

will help us or harm us.

Things of fear and uncertainty also play into this thought process and keep us out of danger

if the risk we're thinking of taking is not safe or have a negative outcome.

I remember in high school during health and PE, we had a lesson about peer pressure and

how there is a difference between positive and negative risk taking.

The mental health service Reach Out describes positive risk taking as learning new things

and exploring unfamiliar territory.

They say that the risk is positive because while it still evokes a feeling of uncertainty

or fear, you develop a new skill or there's a possibility of a positive outcome.

They also describe negative risk as something that can have harmful consequences on our

health, safety or well-being.

Believe it or not, the concept of positive risk taking is something that I get to witness

on the daily.

In early childhood, taking risks has been found to support decision making and problem solving

later on in life.

Risk taking has been recognised as an important aspect in a child's development as it builds

resilience and develops a sense of motivation to accomplish goals and master new challenges.

Risky play is a form of play that we give children with access to with the intention

of encouraging them to engage in positive risk taking.

This kind of play is all about being adventurous and creating opportunities for children to

explore and test their own capacities.

It's associated with fun and thrilling outdoor activities such as sliding, swinging, climbing,

bike riding, balancing, jumping, chasing and even play fighting.

Taking positive risks has been found to have a positive impact right from early childhood

all the way through to our teenage years.

Could you imagine if you didn't take the risk of applying for your job?

Or if you never took the leap to come to church?

Or if you never made an effort to build a friendship with someone new?

Now that we know that some risks help us develop new skills and have a possibility of a positive

outcome, maybe we need to consider that God calls us into impossible scenarios to deepen

our relationship with Him.

Coming to Lev Vygotsky, there's a few teachers in the room, you've probably heard about this

guy.

He says that children don't magically get to a point where they're ready to take on

new risks or understand new concepts all on their own without absolutely no input from

those around them.

I'd like to introduce you all to, sorry, I'd like to teach you all about the zone of proximal

development, which is a theory on cognitive development in children.

I know you all came here to learn about the power of the impossible, but I believe that

this will help us have a better understanding on how Peter had the courage to take a risky

bold step of faith.

The zone of proximal development is a theory that children are constantly constructing

their learning and understanding and risk taking with support from those around them.

They look to people known as more knowledgeable others who have a greater understanding of

the particular tasks, processes or concept the child is exploring.

Often a more knowledgeable other can be a peer, a sibling, a parent or a teacher.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm lucky enough to see this on the daily, particularly out on

the playground.

People often come up to me and say, Miss Clark, I need help on the rock climbing wall.

Can you come watch me?

And that is an invitation for me to be the more knowledgeable other, to stand with the

children and to reassure them that someone they trust is right beside them and that all

will be okay.

When Peter invites himself out on the water by saying, Lord, if it's you, tell me to

come.

He is looking to Jesus as a more knowledgeable other.

I believe that Jesus is supporting Peter to deepen his relationship with him by taking

a risk and stepping out into what seems impossible.

You see, I think it's interesting that when we're teenagers, we're taught to be cautious

of peer pressure.

And don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of that.

But when we're children, we're encouraged to look at those around us and involve them

in what we do and what we learn.

Peter is looking to Jesus as he takes a positive risk.

And we know that Jesus isn't setting Peter up because Jesus isn't that dodgy friend that

we hung out in high school.

Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Jesus loves Peter because God loved Peter so much that Jesus came to give him eternal

life.

Walking on water isn't impossible because it is something that Peter can't do.

Not it walking on water is impossible because it is something that Peter can't do in his

own strength, rather than it being something that breaks the laws of physics.

In last week's message on consecration, Mark explained that the impossible is God's job

but obedience is ours.

He went on to say that through the power of the Spirit, impossible things happen and that

God is the one doing the miracles.

Once we call out saying, Lord, if it's you, tell me to come and we feel our reply, it

is our job to be strong and courageous, to fear or be afraid, to trust that the Lord

goes with us and that he will never leave us or forsake us.

Being strong and courageous and stepping into the impossible is hard and confusing.

But when I was praying about this message, I felt God remind me of the times in my life

where I was challenged by him, where I challenged him to use me for his kingdom and then found

myself in places and spaces that felt impossible.

Some of these examples include going to uni, doing the internship program that encounter

offers, leading and coordinating our youth group, being a part of prison ministry and

being a part of the launch team at Encounter Henley.

All of these scenarios had some level of risk.

They took commitment and there were opportunities that I offered to God and when I prayed about

them, I felt God say yes in the same way that Jesus said, come.

These examples have been times in my life when I was stepping into something that felt

impossible because I was not capable of doing it in my own strength.

Thoughts of why am I doing this?

It's all too much.

I will never see fruit from this, would flood my brain when I took my eyes off of Jesus.

In those moments where I took my eyes off of Jesus and my brain was clouded, all of

a sudden things that I was doing for the glory of God were clouded by my own comfort, my

own agenda and my own anxiety.

Quitting would seem like the best option and I couldn't possibly fathom how God was going

to turn it for good.

In those moments where I took my eyes off of Jesus, they felt the most overwhelming.

I was so overcome with motion that I would be crying on my bedroom floor saying, God,

how am I going to finish this unique degree that you called me into?

Where am I going to find the time to do XYZ?

Or I'm not too sure how you're going to use me inside of a prison, God.

What are you going to do?

Why are you calling me into this?

But calling out to God when I was sinking is exactly what we're told to do.

That's why he is here.

That's why we have our more knowledgeable other who we love and trust right beside us,

making sure that everything will be okay.

When Peter was afraid of all that was going on around him and beginning to sink, he cried

out, Lord save me.

And immediately Jesus reached his hand out and caught him.

And the hand of Jesus is an image of the hand of God.

And something we need to keep in mind when we're looking to be rescued by the hand of

God is that we need to be close enough to be within his reach.

Peter was walking towards Jesus, sharing this experience with him, allowing him to be the

more knowledgeable other.

When I'm swimming with Matt at the beach and the waves are crashing into me, I want his

help to find my feet.

I need to be close enough to be within his reach.

I need to, when I'm taking a positive risk that God has called me into, I need to be

close enough that he can help me when I'm in trouble and overwhelmed.

In a letter that Peter wrote, that the Peter in this story wrote, he said, humble yourselves

therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.

The Peter in this letter, the Peter in this story wrote this in his letter because he

knew how powerful the mighty hand of God is.

He had seen it provide in moments of hunger.

He'd seen it give peace in the middle of storms.

He'd seen it heal and his experience to save him when he was starting to sink.

Master Steven Furtick from Elevation Church says that the hand of God will let you sink

down low enough to let you know that you need him, but it will bring you back up high enough

to let the world know he is with you.

I believe that in one way or another God is calling us to take a step of faith in order

to deepen our relationship with him.

I understand that being strong and courageous is easier said than done and that sometimes

when we stuff up and that sometimes we stuff up by taking our eyes off of God.

I also understand that reaching out for God's help and humbling ourselves before him can

be hard, but I often wonder what I or we would have missed out on if we didn't go when God

says come.

I sometimes wonder where my faith would be if I didn't do internship or what our youth

group would have looked like if I wasn't a part of it.

It's such a beautiful thing to look back on how God used you and who you have impacted.

Before I finish up I came up with some alliteration for us to remember when we face impossible

things that would deepen our relationship with him.

I've called him the three P's of encountering the possible, not to be mistaken with Henley

Homework, this is an opt-in scenario.

I might be a teacher but I teach early childhood, we don't have homework.

Like I said, we explore our own learning.

Anyway, because you guys are all learners and I know that you're going to do your not

homework, the first P is to pray.

I find that praying is the best way for me to call out to God and ask him if I should

come.

I might put something to God and say, God, I'm thinking about X, Y, Z and leave it with

him and see what he says.

I also find that when I pray to God regularly, at least once a day, my eyes are fixed on

him and I'm actually living my life for his glory.

Calling out to God in times of need is also a form of prayer.

It's what is required from us when we are looking to be rescued by God's mighty hand.

According to yesterday's prayer room was a reminder for me of how prayer can look different

for different people but it's equally powerful for all people.

You see, some people like to pray with music and candles while others create a space for

prayer with a special chair.

For me, it depends on where my head is at but most of the time, I like to make a cup

of tea and write down my prayers in a journal like this one.

By reaching out to God, I'm able to go where he is calling because it is his voice that

I'm seeking and following.

I think something else that I love about praying to God, especially writing your prayers down,

is that you can look back on what you've prayed for and see how God has answered it, see where

God has called you in the past and how he's used you.

Use that as a stepping stone for where you're going to go next.

The next P for encountering the impossible is people.

As Lev Vygotsky has discovered, for us to take new risks and learn new things, we need

to have people around us who are going to support us and help us.

If you are facing something that requires a step of faith or you're feeling overwhelmed

by what's around you or if you're reaching out for the hand of God, I encourage you to

find someone who's going to help you.

The other night I was feeling overwhelmed about this sermon.

I prayed about it and I still wasn't sure what to do, so I called Tim.

Tim was able to give me the reassurance that I was going to be okay and that I should keep

on going and he was able to encourage me to fix my eyes on Jesus.

What's also cool about Tim is that when he knows that God is calling you to something,

he will encourage you to step out of the boat.

He will give you books to help you along the way, even if it takes you a year and a half

to read them.

I love that Tim will also send you a message to see how you're going and that he's ready

to listen if you feel like you're falling apart.

Tim didn't know I was going to say all this, but I think he's great.

You guys should too, he's your pastor.

But whenever you're encountering them possible, I encourage you not to do it alone.

I encourage you to reach out to a friend or somebody like Tim who's going to support you

in taking positive risks and to walk with you when it gets hard.

I encourage you to find someone who's going to point you back to Jesus and who's going

to push you towards where God's going to deepen you and going to challenge you.

My last P for encountering the impossible is process.

When you are facing something that requires a step of faith or when you are feeling overwhelmed

by what's around you, after you've prayed and after you've reached out to people, sometimes

you simply need time to process.

As I said earlier in our brain, we think about scenarios and what's going to be good about

or what's going to be bad if this is going to be a positive outcome or not.

You need to allow yourself time to be able to think that and to take that step of faith

to come to that decision.

Again like prayer, this can look different for different people.

For some people writing down a list of pros and cons may be helpful but for others it

may be helpful to go for a walk in nature or it may be helpful to do something crafty.

Some people might like to bake or others might like to crochet.

Encourage you to give yourself a time frame and see and think about the risk that you're

going to take and what positive outcomes on new skills could occur.

Encourage you to tell the people who are supporting you the time frame for your processing so

that you don't spend so long thinking about the risk that you miss out on taking it.

The conversation could go something like, hey Tim, I was praying about doing internship

and I think God is calling me too.

I want to think about it and I'm going to try and decide by the end of the week what

do you think and then Tim knows that God's calling you to something that you're thinking

about it and that you're praying about it and at the end of the week you'll probably

check up on you and go, what do you think?

You say, yeah God is calling me.

If the band could come back up that would be great.

With the three P's of encountering impossible in mind in one way or another God is calling

us to take a step of faith in order to deepen our relationship with Him.

Without human history the hand of God has been guiding, comforting, directing and rescuing

people in places and spaces that seem impossible.

Martin Luther King, Corey Tamboum and Bethany Hamilton are some of my favourite examples.

If these guys can take a step of faith in the middle of a civil rights movement in a

concentration camp or when their arm has been bitten by a shark, I think you can too.

I believe that you are courageous and strong, that you do not need to be afraid or terrified.

I believe that you can trust the Lord will go with you and that He will never leave you

or forsake you.

I believe that when you take a step of faith and say, Lord if it's you tell me to come,

you will see God move in your life in ways He never has before.

When you humble yourself before God and fix your eyes on Him you will be able to take

a positive risk that will deepen your relationship with Him.

As you come close to Him you will be in His reach and you can trust Him that all will be

okay.

He's got you.

His mighty hand will save you and guide you.

I'd like to finish my message with an opportunity for us to step out of the boat.

I want to give those who have never had Jesus in their lives an opportunity to welcome Him

in.

I want you to have a space where you can invite Him to be a more knowledgeable other.

He will never leave you or forsake you and He'll make you sure that you will be okay.

And if this is you, I'm going to pray a prayer.

We're at the end.

You can raise your hand if you're feeling ready to take a step of faith.

Feel free to close your eyes and bow your head.

Father God, I pray for the people who are no longer wanting to or able to face the impossible

on their own.

I pray for those who are needing the guidance, hope, love and peace that comes from your

mighty hand.

I pray that if there is anybody feeling a prompt from your Holy Spirit that they would

be open to what you're going to do.

And Father God, I pray that if there is anybody in this room wanting to say yes to you that

you would give them the courage to do so.

With every head bowed and every eye closed, I'm going to count to three and if you're

wanting to take a step of faith and have Jesus in your life, I'm going to encourage you

to raise your hand.

One, Jesus loves you and he's ready to walk with you.

Two, he will never leave you of a sake you.

And three, if you'd like to walk with Jesus, raise your hand.

Father God, I thank you so much for the way that you love us and the way that you constantly

call us out into places and spaces that seem impossible.

Father God, I thank you for the way that you move in our lives and the way that you speak

to us, Lord.

I thank you for the way that you rescue us when we feel lost and overwhelmed.

God, I thank you that you are constantly with us and that you never, ever leave us.

I pray all these things in your name, my men.

If you've already said yes to Jesus, whether it was recently or a long time ago, I also

want to give you an opportunity to step out of the boat and to deepen your relationship

with him.

And if you're facing something that feels impossible to step into or if you're looking

around and feeling overwhelmed by what you see, take this opportunity to humble yourself

to before God and to reach out for his mighty hand.

Use this space down the front as a place where you can step out in faith, where you

can get down on your knees or you can raise your hand.

You can also use this space in the front as an opportunity to test out the first two

P's of encountering the impossible.

See, not homework.

Myself, Tim, Emma, we'll be down here ready to pray with you and we are all people that

care for you.

So we'd be honoured to walk with you in this journey.

And I'm going to pray one more time to finish up.

And if you feel God stirring anything at all in you, that is your sign to respond.

If you feel butterflies in your tummy or if you feel goosebumps on your arms, if you start

feeling the shakes, that's God moving.

That's a sign to come to the front.

I'm going to pray and then God's going to move.

Father God, thank you so much for the opportunity to share this message, Lord.

I pray that your spirit will be on the move and I pray that we be ready.

In your name we pray.

Amen.