Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:
Hey, last week we started this series called Standing Strong in the Storms of Life. Just because life has a way of presenting different things to us. Whether it's that you're feeling it in terms of relational issues, you're facing it. Maybe for some of us in financial situations, work situations, sometimes we're grieving losses, sometimes we're in the midst of some neighborly things, sometimes we're work things or school things. But storms, one of the things, I think that's inevitable, that storms come to each one of us. And yet at the same time, I don't know if you've ever watched a sport, a game, a fight of some kind, and you know, from the comfort of your living room, you're watching and you watch the play unfold and it's a bad play and the guy gets sacked or what have you. And then at that point you say this, you know, you're talking to your friend or maybe talking to the tv and you say this, you go, hey, you know what this should have done, right? You know, that guy should have done, he should have, he should have rolled left instead of rolling right. If I was in that place, I would have done this right? Or that kind of a situation in the fight that the guy is standing, he's like, instead of going, you know, just for the head, he should have gone for the body, right? The whole thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:18]:
And I'm reminded of what Mike Tyson said in that kind of a situation. He says, you know, everybody has a plan. Everybody has a plan till you get punched in the face. And sometimes life has a way of throwing jabs and hooks and lefts and rights. And so sometimes we need to be able to understand it's not bad to have a plan. But what do you do when things aren't going well? What do we do in the midst of when fear does arise? Now, for some of us, this is a great season. And so you don't necessarily relate to the message, and that's great. We're glad that you're in that kind of a situation.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:59]:
For some of us, this message is a back pocket message. It's one of those that you, you put in your pocket because one day there is going to be pulled out. One day you're going to have to review it for yourself. One day you're going to have to maybe share it with someone who's close to you. And for some of us, this is kind of like every day. This is right now what you're going through. It doesn't matter where you are in the midst but it matters, the fact that we're listening. And let's lean into God this evening and would you be kind enough? Let's bow our heads, let's welcome him and ask him to guide us today.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:33]:
Father, thank you for the fact that we know in the various seasons of our life, sometimes there are seasons of great fruitfulness and great blessing and great advancement. And then there are seasons where there is more challenge, when things are a little bit more difficult. And that we thank you that in every season you are God. And Father, we thank you that whatever it is that wherever people are at, whether it is on just kind of the high point of life or it's that season where we're really digging down deeper, we're thankful, Lord, that you're able to lead and guide and bless your people. Would you lead us this evening? And Father, would you be tender to the people who need tenderness? And Father, would you bring insight and strength to the ones who need that? Father, we just pray, thank you that your word is living and active. And Father, would it do its work in us today we pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:30]:
Amen. Hey, you know, we're going to be looking at maybe for some of us, a familiar passage. I actually even referenced it last week. And this comes on the heel of Jesus's ministry. This is one chapter before what we talked about last week where Jesus has sent the disciples into kind of an assignment. And it's not as easy as anybody in the disciples, in the group of disciples had ever thought. And so we see that Jesus has actually gone through some difficulties himself. He's preached the gospel in the area.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:11]:
And John the Baptist, he gets the report that John the Baptist has been martyred, has been killed. And it says that immediately after that time, Jesus, he has preached the gospel, done this tremendous miracle, fed, you know, 10,000, 12,000 people, multiplied the bread, multiplied the fish. But then after that, as soon as that's done, he, it says he withdraws from the crowd and goes to the mountain alone to pray. And in the midst of that, it says that he gives his disciples their assignment. And so we're going to stand and read in Matthew 14:23 and 25, we're going to hear a little bit about that assignment. Can you be kind enough to stand and let's read together. Ready? This is what it says. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:09]:
When evening came, he was there alone. But the boat by this time was a long way from land beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the sea. And so Jesus had actually, when he had gone to the mountain before that he had commanded his disciples to sail across the Sea of Galilee, to go to the other side, and that his plan was to meet them. But what happens is instead of a couple hour or three hour journey, this has stretched on. I don't know if you've ever started a project and done something and you go, like, it should take me an hour or two. And then four hours later, you know, you kind of, you know, looking at YouTube and saying words sometimes because this nut won't come off or whatever it is, right? You're in. That project just takes way longer.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:09]:
And so often life has a way of doing that. But we see in the midst of this time that there is an amazing thing that happens. And God meets his people in the middle of whatever the storms are. And so regardless of where you're at, do me a favor. Before you're seated, turn to your neighbor and says, God meets us in the middle of storms. And then you can have a seat. You know, we see in this portion that it says that the wind and the waves were against them. And sometimes, I don't know if you've ever been in that kind of a thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:46]:
It just seems like, you know, nature's against you. It seems like things are against you. You know, it's like when you have to. If you have a baby, when does the baby spit up on your dress shirt? Like right before you got to go out, Right? That kind of a thing. When you get your nice clothes on, when is it that you ever have to go start the car and you find that your battery's dead? When is it? It's like when you got an important meeting, right? It seems in those moments that somehow it just seems like things are against them. And to be honest, it says that when this happened, it began to be honest at the break, toward the sunset. And that he comes to them, it says in the fourth watch of the night, which is somewhere between 3 and 6 o' clock in the morning. So they literally been at this kind of a situation for nine to 12 hours.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:37]:
And something that should have taken two to three hours to sail across the sea. And that when storms come, they don't just cause our faith to be tested. Sometimes it calls our faith to be exposed. And we see in this situation that the disciples had not been untested. Right there. A bunch of them are commercial fishermen. They've been in this situation before, actually all of the disciples, because they'd been in a situation where when that storm came, that they were literally fearful for their lives. It doesn't give us that kind of a sense in this story.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:23]:
It doesn't say anywhere. And then we're going to read, as we continue to read, it doesn't say anywhere that they were terrified for their lives. They had been terrified for their lives previously in the Book of Mark, when he talks about this when Jesus is asleep in the boat. And so they said, lord, don't you care that we're dying here, right? We're about to drown. And the problem was not that the boat was in the ocean, but the ocean was getting in the boat, right? And so they were afraid. That's a different story. But in this story, it says that they were terrified when something happens that Jesus, it says, comes to them walking on the sea. Now, you know, I know many people have attempted to replicate this walking on water, like, literally that there's been people who seek the Lord.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:20]:
They pray up and they, you know, I heard this one story about this guy that he called everybody, all his friends, all his family together. He says, you know, the Lord told me, I'm going to be able to walk on water. And he went in the back of his poor pool and he says, I have the faith to walk on water. And when everybody watching, I want you guys to watch this. You guys are never going to forget it. And as soon as the guy stepped, he sang, right? And like, to my knowledge, I've never heard anybody ever replicate Jesus's walking on water sends one person, right? And that person's name is Peter, right? And the apostle Peter was able to do it. But the immediate situation when they saw Jesus walking on the water wasn't like, oh, my gosh, the cavalry has arrived. Jesus is showing up.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:13]:
That's not their first response. What is their first response? It says in verse 25, when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. Let's say terrified. Why is that? Because you normally never see anybody walking on the ocean, right? You never see them walking in the sea. But they literally said it is a ghost or a spirit that they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, take heart, it is I do not be afraid. Now, they were terrified. They were terrified.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:47]:
And some commentators think that the reason that they might be because when it says that they saw Jesus walking on the water, that people would say that when they would be out sailing and on the ocean and that they would be in the sea and they would see a spirit. That it was often seen as a sign of spiritual kind of attack. It was a sign of maybe that they were being cursed. It was a sign that maybe there was great spiritual opposition. And so they were terrified, basically, thinking that this was the spirit of a deceased person at best, the spirit of a wicked spirit at worst. And so they become terrified. And Jesus says to them, what does that say? Take heart. Let's say that word, take heart, right? I know it's two words in English, in the Greek, it's actually one word.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:47]:
And the word is theros. And that word literally means to be firm or resolute in the face of danger or adverse circumstances. Be enheartened or be courageous. And you know this phrase that Jesus says to them that in their mistaken kind of assumption that what they see is not Jesus, but something else, something maybe dangerous, something nefarious, maybe they think this is the source of the opposition for all that has happened right, in the preceding hours, the preceding nine hours to 10 hours, that this opposition has been caused by this thing. And now he's maybe coming to finish us off. But it does give us an implication, though, that this storm is not just a natural storm. There's this sense about this when you read the story, and that they were not terrified for their lives. They were terrified when they saw Jesus actually coming to them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:59]:
Because they wondered, I think, that is this opposition now manifesting itself? Is it going from bad to worse? But what he says is, be encouraged, be strengthened in the midst and the face of danger, to have confidence and firmness of purpose in the face of testing right, to be bold and courageous. That's what he's telling them. Now. Sometimes we are facing situations, and some of us, maybe you're facing situations today. It's not a great situation, right? There are serious possibilities. Things could go actually badly in some ways, whether it's somebody who's struggling or something that's happening with your kids, or something that's happening in your career, or something that's happening in your health. Sometimes we have these situations, and it's not to negate the fact that these are at times weighty things. But Jesus is saying when he comes in the midst of the storm and they wonder, is this going to end so badly? In essence, the Lord is saying, I've got you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:16]:
I'm with you. Be encouraged, be strengthened. It reminds me of what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 43. He gives this illustration, and not really an illustration, he gives this Word he says, fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. And when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:45]:
And when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. And you know what it does not say? It does not say, is that you won't get wet. It doesn't say you won't feel heat. It doesn't say there won't be difficulty. What it's saying is, hey, when that time comes, make no mistake, I'm with you. When that time comes, make no mistake, I'm going to shield you. When that time comes, stand strong.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:21]:
Be encouraged. You know, I remember reading this, and when it kind of leapt off the page for me, I just remember I was doing my devotions that this one day about 10 years ago, maybe 13, 14 years ago at this point, and I remember reading this, and it's like the words just leapt off the page. I don't know if you guys do that, right? When you're reading in your devotional time. And all of a sudden, this is like, it's more than just reading these words, man. I start underlining, I start writing notes, I start looking at this, I start praying, and I say, you know, Lord, I feel like this is for me today, right? And I had some appointments, and I had some things that I was doing, and it didn't turn out the way that I wanted. We were trying to find a new facility. We're trying to find a new place to meet. We're looking at different things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:14]:
It didn't pan out. And so I thought, oh, maybe that's what the reason is, right? And the Lord was encouraging me, and that wasn't the reason. And you know how I know that that wasn't the reason? It's because then when I drove back to the office and Donna comes out and she says, oh, somebody came and they. They left this for you. And then I opened it up, and I saw this fat envelope. And when I opened the envelope up, that was when the lawsuit that was filed against five churches on Oahu and we had the great privilege of being one of the five by an atheist in our community, that's when I got that. And I looked at that and I go like, lord, man, you totally understood and knew what was coming long before I did. And, you know, when I read this, I understood that sometimes that you Know, things happen that, you know, can take you for, you know, throw you off balance.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:22]:
And to be honest, when I started to read this lawsuit, what it is, is kind of like all these charges that what you've done or whatever it is. And I read that and I go, I don't know who this is, but this guy is horrible. But they're talking about us, and I realize that it's like. But it sounds, like, kind of strong when you read it, but when you actually have lived it, you go like, no, it's not the way this thing worked, right? But in the middle of that, it led us through this season where, to be honest, it was a trying time. It was a difficult season because I'd never been in that position before, right. And it caused us to. It cost us financially as a church. It caused us to, you know, like, you would hear things often in the news, and it wasn't just us, right, Obviously.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:15]:
And so, you know, it was the couple other new hopes. New Hope Oahu, New Hope Hawaii Kai. It was one love church. It was Calvary Chapel in Mililani. And to be honest, it was surprising to us, but God sustained us. And at the end, to be honest, at the end, we come out stronger than we started, right? But when you get it, that's not what you see, right? That's not what you see. What you can see is. Is, oh, my gosh, what's happening, right? And it can be a wearying thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:57]:
And, you know, I think what they probably were not so much fearful for their lives. I think in some ways they were. If they were scared at all, they were scared that they didn't have the strength to keep going the way they were going, right? When you've been at it for 10 hours and this is supposed to be three hours, you know, you might have budgeted three hours worth of strength. You budgeted three hours worth of time. Maybe you make an allowance. But when you're at 10 hours and you haven't made any progress, sometimes we wonder, I don't know how long I can keep going. And sometimes we can be like that in relationships. Sometimes we can be like that in job situations.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:40]:
Sometimes we can be like this in taking care of a family member. Sometimes we can be like this in terms of, you know, some other dreams and hopes and callings and good plans that it seems like that God had called us to. But when you encountered it, it didn't go on the pace that you thought. The situation didn't look the way that you had hoped. It's in that kind of a situation, that fear starts to rise. The disciples cried out in fear when they saw Jesus, right? They were terrified, it says. But one of the things that we see is that Peter has a faith response. In the midst of this fear, Peter has a response that is, I think, amazing when we think about it, that he calls to Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:39]:
And I'm not sure where I put that in the notes, but it's the next verse and I should probably look at. In the next verse, verse 28, Peter answered him, said, lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. And so Peter's response, he's not absolutely sure this is Jesus, but when he hears the word, be encouraged, take heart, don't be afraid. There's a sense that it sounds like Jesus, but I've never seen Jesus like this in the middle of the storm. I've never seen anybody walking in the water. I had never seen. And so there's a bit of anxiety. So what is his response? He's saying, call me to come to you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:42]:
You know that sometimes God calls us to do things that are hard, and sometimes we ought to call ourselves to do things that are hard, if not impossible. You know, every once in a while, we'll see things where Jesus, whenever he calls somebody to do something difficult, that he gives them the ability to do that difficult thing. I don't know if you've ever been in that thing. It's like where God's called you. I need you to stand in this situation, Lord, I don't know if I have the strength. Whenever God calls you to do something that seems impossible to you, it comes with the kind of inherent promise that you might not have the strength to do it, but I will strengthen you along the way. It feels impossible. You guys ever been in that place, right? So this is what Peter is thinking.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:41]:
I think he's thinking every time, Lord, that you have asked me to do something that was impossible. You have given me the ability to do it. If Jesus told you today, go out into the streets and the highways and byways and preach the gospel, and by the way, heal all the sick and cast out all the demons from the demon possessed, there's many of us in this room or many of us online that we're watching that, you know, what we would say is, like, I couldn't do that. Right? Like, of course Jesus could do that, but I cannot do that. Why? Because I haven't done it before. Right? But I think that even though the Apostle Paul wrote about this later, I Think the disciples inherently knew this, that when he said, Paul said, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. He says, therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I think they understood this aspect when Jesus had commanded them to love, when Jesus had commanded them to have strength.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:01]:
That when Jesus commanded them to do something, that sometimes we think it's hard, if not impossible. But they understood what John said when he says, in fact, this is the love for God to keep his commandments to do something that is impossible. And what is that impossible thing? That if that's you, call me to come to you, call me to come to you. Because nobody can walk on water. I don't know what I'm seeing. I don't understand what's happening. And this actually scares me. Jesus, you scare me by the way that you approached me.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:40]:
But when you don't think you can do it anymore, do what he commands. That's what I think. This is what the apostle Peter is thinking. We're not told how far or how long he walks on the sea. We're not even told about how. How he gets onto the. To the ocean, how he gets into the sea. If you're on a boat, I don't know if you guys ever been on a boat, but when you're on a boat and, and the gunnel or this kind of the edge of the boat is here, it rides above the water, right? And you don't just.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:21]:
It's not just an easy step to step from the boat into the water, right? In fact, depending on how big the ship is, if we were to do that, there's some of us, you go kind of okole first, and you're gonna step down, right? Or we don't know how did Peter get into that? But somehow he does this right? Now, why does he do it? Because I think he's understood that when he calls us to do something impossible, when he calls us to do something impossible, he'll give us the capacity to do it. When it says that you're in the middle of a crazy time. And he says to us, like Philippians 4, 6, 7, do not be anxious for anything. How do we do that when we're in the midst that we're already anxious, when we're already afraid, when we're already nervous, when we're already feeling the pressure. What he said, do not be anxious about anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. What is he saying? Okay, there is a way that I will manifest my strength to do the impossible. Maybe it says it in First Peter Cast.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:39]:
How do we do it? By casting all my cares upon him because he cares for me. There is a way that he calls us that something that is impossible. This is not what he's. He said. He's not saying, though. He's not just saying, cut it out. He's not just saying, just do it and suck it up. That's not what he's saying.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:00]:
He's saying there is a way that he will manifest his presence and his power and that we need to stand in that way. Lamentation says it like this. Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer, pleading for your children, draw near to God. Basically, draw near to God in your brokenness, and the Lord will meet you. So he's saying, when your fear is taking control, do something different. Seek him.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:40]:
Don't let your fear control you. Come even with your fears, and God will somehow make his presence known. Proverbs 3, 5, 6 says, Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. What does that imply? That I've not been walking a straight path? Right. How else do we. He said, stand firm in the armor of God. Right? Therefore, put on all the full armor of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:15]:
When the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. He's not saying just stand your ground. He's saying, you need to be clothed with something so you can stand your ground. Right? It might seem impossible. How am I going to be able to stand? It says, in the evil day, in the day of when war breaks out, in the day when you get the, you know, you get the diagnosis that doesn't go your way. When you get a pink slip instead of a promotion. How do you stand in those days? It's not saying suck it up. It's saying, be clothed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:54]:
Put on the armor of God. Stand in truth. Stand in righteousness. Understand that God gives the gospel of deliverance, of. Of grace, of mercy, right? Stand in your faith. Gird up your mind with the helmet of salvation. It gives us some instruction in how to do it. Why? Because often God calls us to do the impossible.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:24]:
He often calls us to do the impossible, right? When it calls us to say, love your neighbor as yourself, some of you thinking you don't know my neighbor, right? So. But he calls Us to do that. He says that, love your enemies and pray for them. How many of us feel like loving our enemies? Nobody feels like loving our enemies. So he calls us often to do things that feel impossible, that may be impossible, humanly speaking, because he says this. When you operate into this thing, you step into what I command you. You can be assured I'll give you the power to do it. But we ought not to stand alone.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:18]:
You ought not to stand alone. Do me a favor. Turn to your neighbor, says, we shouldn't stand alone. Even the apostle Paul says this in Colossians 4, 3 and 4. He says, Pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ. That I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. You know what he's saying? I know how I should speak. I don't feel like I have the power to speak like I should.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:52]:
I need you to pray for me. You ever ask anybody to pray for you? Because I don't have the power to do it. We're not supposed to do it alone. It's in that moment that God says, if you order me to do the impossible, Peter's saying this. You order me to do the impossible. I know you'll give me the power to do it. And so we see that happen. Whatever way he steps on the water, maybe not knowing how this works, but he does the amazing thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:30]:
I don't know about you guys, but if I were that guy, I would be like, looking back at the boat. It's like, brothers, look at me, I'm walking on water. I might be tempted to think, like, oh, my gosh, this is amazing, right? And yet at the whole time, it says this In Matthew, verse 30, it says 14:30, it says, but when he saw the wind, let's say he saw the wind, what happens? He was afraid and beginning to sink. He cried out, lord, save me. And Jesus immediately reached out his hand, took hold of him, saying to him, oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when he got into the boat, the wind ceased. It's one thing to see the storm waves from the deck of an ocean liner or a cruise ship. It's a totally different thing to be in the middle of the ocean. And so just because at times you've heard people go through things everybody's heard, probably whatever it is that you go through.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:39]:
You've probably heard a story of somebody going through something like that, right? Somebody who was ill, that they were healed, or they had a successful treatment. There's somebody who lost a job and then they were given a better job. Or maybe that you're in a situation where somebody was facing some horrible conflict in their marriage and yet they didn't know how to resolve it. But we've all heard that, right? We've all heard whatever it is that you're probably going through. You've probably heard about somebody who's made it. But when it's you, sometimes it's different, right? Sometimes it's different. You know what reminds me? Reminds me. A long time ago, when I was still in the mainland, I was going to seminary and I was a part of a church plant that was going on in the area.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:32]:
And it was a great season that we did this high ropes confidence course. You guys know what those are, right? That, you know, it's this kind of a situation. We climbed up this cargo net 30, 40ft into the air, and then when we got there, there was a platform, and there were a number of things that we had to do. But the one that really kind of sticks out to me was that there was a cable that stretched about another 30ft across, you know, kind of on a level. Kind of a level plane. And it was just this cable or a rope. I can't quite remember exactly what it was, but about like this big, and it just. It went across.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:16]:
And I was supposed to walk across this rope or this cable, and what they had was little rope. Every once in a while, every so often, every few feet, a rope that was dangling above you from another cable so that you could hold on to this, then walk across, right? Now, I don't know if I told you, but I'm afraid of heights. So just to get up to that place, right? Just to get up to that place, that was, like, was a feat for me, right? And as I'm standing on the edge, you know, and I'm about to go forward, right, Everybody says, like, I have friends down there. I have a harness on me, right? I have, like, there's these spotters, these guys who work for that company that's running it so that they're holding on this thing so that if I ever fall, I'm not going to hit the ground, right? I'm going to be suspended in this harness. And everybody's yelling. What are they yelling when I'm up there about to take my first step? No, they're not really saying, you can do it. They're saying, like what somebody else said, don't look down. So what does that mean? I gonna look down, right? And as soon as I look down, my okola went like, whoop, you guys.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:34]:
I mean, it's like I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, I was like. I was scared. I knew intellectually I was already harnessed. I knew intellectually that there were people that were much stronger than. Than to be able to handle my weight. I knew intellectually I cannot fall to the ground. But what happens when you look down? All you see is 40ft a long way, right? And so what happens to Peter when he sees the wind, when he sees the waves? He's already doing it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:19]:
He's already walking on top. Intellectually, I think he understands. But once you start looking at the problems, once you start looking at the opposition, once our focus gets off of Jesus, all of a sudden, what happens? He starts to sink, it says, right? He starts to sink. And so it's not a rocket science, but I think that the clear lesson is that when you're in the midst of a fearful moment, fix your eyes on Jesus, not the waves and the winds in your life, right? That when you're in that midst of fear, how do we sustain? How do we get through the impossible? You got to fix your eyes on Jesus, not on the winds and the waves. Are there winds and waves? Yes, absolutely. Are there financial pressures? Yes, there are. Are there symptoms that you might be feeling? Yes, that there are. Do you kind of get the tension? Do you feel the tension in the relationship? Yes, you do, but you don't focus on it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:26]:
You can acknowledge it, but you focus, keep your eyes on Jesus. Why? Because Peter is walking towards Jesus. And if he had kept his focus, if he had kept his focus, I think he would have been able to get right to Jesus and in the middle of that time, embrace him. Now why do I say that? Because it says, as he sinks, what does he say? Just cries out a simple prayer, basically, the simplest prayer. We talked about it last week. Lord, help me, right? Lord, save me. And it's not a complicated prayer. Anybody can pray that prayer, right? Can anybody pray that prayer? Lord, help me.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:13]:
But what does it say? As soon as he did, Jesus reached on his hand and he pulled him up. But he does say this. What does he say? O you, of what little faith, why did you doubt? Is that corrective in nature when he said that? Yeah, obviously it is, right? He's giving some correction to Peter. He's not berating him. He's not saying, you idiot, what's wrong with you? But he's saying this. He says, you know, if your faith had been more Focused. I believe this is what. If your faith had been more focused, if you had let it grow and stay focused on me, you would have made it, right.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:09]:
And, you know, I was able to walk across that rope. But the other part was when I got to the other end, I did this other thing. And the next thing I know, I walk out to this thing where I. I'm standing on a pole, just a post, 40ft to the bottom. And I mean, it's a big post. It's not that small because my. All my feet. And then they say this, they say, okay, now what you have to do is there's a bar that's out there.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:43]:
And he says, jump from the post and grab onto the bar. And I go, like, I can do that. I can do that. And everybody said, don't look down. I'm telling you that story. My hands are sweating even now. Like, I just. Like, I can remember how nervous I got, right? But I literally thought, like, I know intellectually I can make that.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:16]:
I can make that. And so I go, okay. And I'm drying my hands and they go, hold on one second. And then they pull it away like another two, three feet. And all of a sudden my confidence drops, right? Because I knew where it was initially. I could just jump out and grab it. Now I don't know, right? And I. I kind of leap out, but kind of half heartedly, you know, because I didn't think I could make it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:48]:
And I remember touching the bar, right? Touching the bar but not being able to grab it. Right? And after I got out of the hospital. No, I'm just kidding. But like, right. And obviously I didn't hit the ground and I hit the bar and I. I fell to the ground. Not fell to the ground. They lowered me to the ground.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:08]:
Right? But you know, when the guys were unbuckling my harness, you know what they said? And you know, if you really focus, you could have made it. And I said, shut up. No, I was kidding, but that's what I wanted to say, right? But you know, they do this for a living. And they thought, they said, you know, like, everybody's nervous, everybody's fearful. But if you had really focused on that and you had jumped a little differently because I kind of jumped in a weird way because I didn't think I was going to make it. He said, you could have made that. And what are they saying? They're just saying this. Sometimes it's letting the fear get to you that causes you to sink, right? Just like Peter when he's Saying you just focused on the wrong thing and you shouldn't have been looking at the wind, you shouldn't have been looking at the waves, because if you did, if you had kept me in your focus, you would have made it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:17]:
Well, what's the good news? His hand is still able to pull us up. Even when you're sinking, right? Even when you're sinking. Even when it looks like, okay, I didn't make it. I love what it says. He says when they got into the boat, it's at that point that the wind ceased. And you know that although I don't think that Jesus caused the storm, what he was using it for was to strengthen the faith of his disciples. And he was causing then to stretch and be grown. Although I do believe it was the enemy that was causing it.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:08]:
But sometimes in the middle of those situations that when we're being pushed beyond our limits, then when we feel like I can't hold on any longer, he does come to us. But it might not seem like it's right in the middle of that time and it causes us at times to want to leap. But you know, when you're focused, you kind of do it half hearted and we're already feeling like we're not going to be able to do it. But sometimes in the middle of those things, he changes the situation. But more likely than most, he changes it after, before he changes the situation. Often what God wants to do is to change you is to change me. You know, as a young Christian, maybe some of you can relate because I never came from a Christian background. It was, it was like culture shock, becoming a believer, you know, like trying to change the kind of music that I listened to.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:32]:
Because the kind of music that I was listening to, like might have made you feel powerful in some ways, but it was like, it was just not a great influence, right. And I had to change some friendship circles that I was in because every time we would get together it's like it was seeming to do kind of like a downward spiral. And the relationship that I had been in, I always thought that we would get married, that, that that wasn't kind of progressing in the way that, that I thought it would. And we, we ended up breaking up and the whole thing and, and it just seemed like everywhere I was going it was just getting harder and harder. And I literally thought at that moment, I remember being in my room in my, my parents house, having come back in the summer and being in this situation and just literally getting on my knees and crying out to God and Thinking, lord, I don't know if I can do this. It's just too hard. And it's weird because I didn't want to go back to my old life. I just didn't think I had the strength to live this one out.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:56]:
You know what I mean? And when I cried out to God, poured out and literally felt like a failure, I felt like I didn't have the strength. I felt like, you know, everything was just impossible. I don't know how I'm gonna get through this. It's at that moment that I don't know how else to say it, but I felt just like God entered the room. And I felt a presence I'd never felt in my life. And it just literally felt like somebody came in the room and hugged me and I bawled like a baby. And I don't know how long I was in that place, but all I know is that at the end of that, I just. I felt like, God, you're really with me.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:46:58]:
I know I can do it. And because in this situation, it wasn't because I was a great man of faith. It wasn't because I had all the answers. It wasn't because I had done all these things. I just cried out, lord, I can't do it, but can you help? It's in that moment that his presence overcame my fears. And, you know, I believe the same is true for you. And it doesn't always tell you, well, these next five steps are going to be the way that you get out of this financial situation. Or these next three steps is how you're going to win that person back.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:47:50]:
Or these next four steps is the reason how you're going to get your kids to go in the right direction. It doesn't tell you that. What did it tell you? I'm here and I got you. Just keep holding on to me. You know, I would say this, that the result of that is it's not that I never went through hard times after that. It's not that I never was tested. Everyone gets tested. Everyone goes through hard times.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:48:27]:
But, you know, I know never, ever felt like I'm going to toss it in again. Because him meeting me in that moment, I also felt a grace, that I would have been humiliated. Lord, I feel like I want to just go back. It really isn't that I didn't want you. I just felt I couldn't do it. But I felt embarrassed. But you know what I got in return? I got loved and I got strengthened. And there was grace and mercy, and it gave Me strength and that's all I needed, right? Situation didn't change.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:12]:
I changed to face the situation different. There were certain areas I needed to let go of control. Right. Instead of, okay, I'm going to do this and they're going to respond this and they're going to do that and they're going to, no, I had to say, lord, I leave it into your hands. I leave them into your hands. I don't know where I need to find community because my friends, that community, it was going to take me in the wrong direction. It was not long after that I got involved with a Bible study at uh. It wasn't long after that that I, I got involved in a group that would, I would eventually go on staff with and serve God with.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:03]:
It was kind of the start of a nine year run after that of being on full time staff and being a missionary and taking other people places around the world and making disciples and many of those guys still on staff today and people serving the Lord today. But I didn't do it because I had all the strength. I only did it because in my weakness and in my fear I knew where to cry out to. And he gave me the strength and he'll give that to you too. Amen. Hey, let's bow our heads. We'll close in a word of prayer. Lord Jesus, I know that this story of Peter and the disciples in the midst of the storm might be so familiar to some of us.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:57]:
But what I'm thankful is Jesus, you're still saving people today when we feel like we're sinking, that you're still for your sons and you're still for your daughters and that, Lord, that some of us, that we don't feel like we have the strength that we need to kind of get through this situation that we either see coming up some point in the horizon or something that you're actually experiencing today. And it doesn't matter if it's about how you're going to put your kids through school, it doesn't matter if it's about how you're going to retire. It doesn't matter about how you're going to get through the shutdown. It doesn't matter if it's how you're going to get through this conflict that's going on at work or this relational rift. It doesn't matter how I'm going to get through a grief and a loss that I've experienced. Jesus still saves people when they're sinking. But you just cry out to him and if that's you just, just cry out, lord, would you save me today? Would you meet me today, Lord? I don't have the strength. But I know you're good and I know you do.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:52:20]:
Would you command me to do the things that might be even impossible for me? Because I know in those moments you give me the power, Lord, to do the things you call me to do. Maybe we sing like the song, we say, like the song. My flesh is weak, but your spirit in me can give me strength. And with our heads bowed, eyes closed, maybe there's some of us here that it's not that you're going through the most difficult season in the world. It's just you've just been far away from God. And maybe being far away from God makes you wonder. Man, I don't know how I ever get close. I don't know how I get back.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:13]:
And some of you, you know, would you know that he wants to save you as well? And for anybody, he says, who calls on the name of the Lord, says they shall be saved. Now that's you this evening and maybe online, maybe in the house, call on Jesus. Just recognize I'm not good enough. I haven't done it all right, I've sinned, I've rebelled, I've pushed you away. But today, Lord, I'm asking for your mercy. Today, Lord, I want to change my heart before you. If that's you today and you say, lord, you need the Lord, you know that. I'm so glad God allows us to make U turns.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:54:04]:
If that's you, we're going to pray a real simple prayer. And if you're saying it from your heart, you know what? God will hear you and get his praise together. Would you join me, Lord Jesus, thank you for knowing me and loving me despite the situations in my life, despite my mistakes, my failures and my rebellion. Thank you. There is a grace and mercy for me when I confess my sin and put my trust in you. So Jesus, I trust you today with my life. I confess I'm a sinner, but that Jesus died in my place. Lord, would you come forgive me of my sin and come live inside me today.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:55:04]:
Give me your strength by your presence. Would you lead me and guide me, Father, show me your will and show me your ways that I can walk with you all the days of my life. In Jesus name, Amen. Hey, can we say congratulations to folks who said yes? You know, when we make a decision like that, it's that decision, it's just the first step, you know, that decision that you made to be honest, you don't have all the strength that you need to fulfill that decision. But what you do is you open yourself up to begin this relationship with God. And the more we draw close day by day, the more he gives us strength. And so one of those things that allows us to do that is being with other believers, being able to hold on together, being able to be in a community that supports us. And if that's you today, you know we'd love to be able to be that community for you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:12]:
And if you said yes to Jesus today, there's a yes. Packet in the back we'd like to be able to give you, but we just want to encourage you. It's not the end like a magic prayer. It's the beginning of a great adventure and a great relationship. And he'll never let you go, right? He'll never let you go, but he wants you to learn how to hold on to Him. And so we have some helpful information to help you to be able to do that. And so you can find that in the yes. Packet, let us know.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:56:41]:
You can always text us online at 8. I'm sorry. At our text. In church, you can text us at 808-793-5655. If you text the word commit. We can send you something online as well, but give us an email address that we can email you some helpful information. Hey, God bless you guys. Thanks for joining us today.