Jesus Calms the Storm
Transcript
Grab a Bible, go to Matthew chapter 8. We're walking through the book of Matthew together. One of the fun things about children is that they don't have any sense. And that's kind of why God gave them parents, so that someone who does have sense is around them. I'm watching them. I have an 18-month-old.
And one of the funny things is there are certain things that, like he's 18 months old, he's a year and a half, whatever, and there are some things that he just absolutely is not afraid of at all that he should be. He should be afraid of it, but he doesn't have enough sense to know, like outlets. He shouldn't mess with those, but he thinks there's something going on over there that my parents are keeping from me, some sort of secret fun that they don't want me to be in on. And there are other things that he really probably shouldn't be that afraid of, and he's terrified. He just, he doesn't know, he doesn't know how to, what's scary and what isn't, and when he should be afraid and when he shouldn't be.
And so the other day, I put him in the bed of my truck, which is like a traveling playpen. It's real nice to have a truck and little kids. I just, I need to put him somewhere. I set him in there. But he's gotten to where he can climb, so he climbed up on the toolbox.
And then he was running towards the edge and stopping. And then looking at me and laughing, because he could see the fear on my face. And apparently this is a fun game. Because I'm like, whoa. Which is a really terrible idea. When you're primarily just a head, you don't run to the edge of things and stop over concrete.
I mean, it's equivalent of like me on a two-story building. It's like you don't, it's not a good idea, but he thought that was a fun game. And not afraid of it at all. And then last week, we're in here, after everything's over with, and he's, right now he cries a lot if he's not with his mom. He prefers her over me. I was shocked when I found out as well.
So I've been taking him away from her, and letting him cry, and explaining to him, this is not how we're going to live our life. You cannot just only cry and harass your mom. And so I've just been walking around with him going, no, you're going to calm down. You're going to learn to love me. I am your father. So we were doing that here last week, and he had calmed down, and I said, all right, you can go run around and play or whatever.
So I set him on the ground. Well, he didn't want to run and play. He wanted to go find his mom. So I was standing over here. He took off running over to where she was. I was just watching him.
She had left. So he runs over there all excited, and then he's like having a look at everybody's face, and he's like, all right, not my mom, not my mom, not my mom. And then you could just see him like getting scared because it turns out she can move. And she wasn't where he left her, and he was like, he started freaking out. And some of y'all are like, yeah, that's terrifying. Being around other humans is the worst.
But he got really scared, and then he just bolted back over to where I was, and I was like, yeah, that's right. I'm great, aren't I? But he had this moment where you could just see. He realized, I'm in over my head. Like, I can't, I don't know these people. I'm not sufficient by myself.
This is terrifying. I'm not okay. I need somebody else. And the reality is, we grow older, and there are certain things we learn are bad and scary and that we should avoid. But for the most part, there's still a real similarity between us and the 18-month-old is that there are a lot of things that we feel like we have in control, that we have under our authority that we can handle, and we don't know how close we are to just falling off the edge, how close we are to having that perceived control and that perceived safety taken away from us, and there are these moments in life where it becomes very, very clear that we're in over our heads and that we need help, that we are beyond our sufficiency, and that we are actually very small and very weak.
So we're going to read a story this morning of the disciples coming to that conclusion and how they interact with Jesus and what we can learn from their interaction and ultimately from Jesus' response, and hopefully it'll be some good news for us this morning. So let's pray, and then we'll start reading the Bible together. God, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for what you have come to do for us in Christ. And we ask that this morning as we study your word that you would grow our faith and that we would leave here knowing more about you and trusting you more fully. In Jesus' name, amen.
So Jesus preaches a Sermon on the Mount. He comes down. He's been healing people. He's been having these interactions with disciples. What we left with last week was it said this big crowd had come. He had healed their diseases, and then he saw the big crowd.
He said, let's get in the boat. Let's go to the other side. Jesus' plan was not to have one big central ministry where he did healing. He was going to go proclaim the gospel, travel around, and eventually die. So his signs, his healings, were to show the world what it looked like when the kingdom advances and to show the world his authority, but he ultimately wasn't here just to heal people.
So he says, let's get in the boat. Let's go. He gets in the boat with the disciples to travel across the Sea of Galilee. And so the Sea of Galilee is kind of like an egg-shaped sea. It's about seven and a half miles one way and 13 miles, 14 miles another way. And so it's a fairly big lake, fairly big sea, but it's not massive.
And so they get in the boat, and they're going to travel across. So we're picking up in 8, 23. When he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea. So the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep.
Okay, there's a lot in that sentence, so let's talk about this. They were in a fishing boat, most likely, because he had disciples who were fishermen, so they're in a fishing boat. We found some of those, about 27 feet long, seven and a half, eight feet wide. It's fairly big. Mark tells us that he was asleep on a cushion in the stern, which means he was at the back of the boat on a cushion, which was apparently some section designed where you could lay down or rest. And I think it's most likely that it was in the stern of the boat.
There was like a little top deck and a little place you could crawl underneath. The reason I think that was likely is because the boat was being swamped with water, which means it's filling up with water, and Jesus is still asleep. I think if he were out on the deck, getting absolutely soaked, he might would have woken up. But it's a big storm, he's asleep, and the best assumption here is that he's absolutely exhausted. So he's fully God, but he's also fully man, and it's been a long day, and he's beat.
And so he lays down and falls asleep and stays asleep in the middle of a storm. He was fully human, so I'm assuming he's having some weird dreams, but there's a big storm going on, and there's rocking the boat and crashing over to the point that the waves are coming over the side of the boat, and the boat is being swamped, which means it's filling up with water. So this was not good. The word great there is the word megas, M-E-G-A-S, similar to our word mega. So there arose a mega storm on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep.
Now, I haven't spent much time on boats. I've spent some time on boats, but not much time on boats. And we have very accurate, helpful weather forecasts. So if it's going to be bad weather, I spend zero time on a boat. Because that's a bad time to be on a boat. Jesus tells them, let's get on the boat, let's go.
They go, and a storm comes in. Now, there are mountains next to the Sea of Galilee, so storm clouds would form over and then just drop down onto the sea. And where there are no trees, then winds can pick up. It can become a big mess in a hurry, and that's what happens. And it's possible the disciples who were used to boating, when Jesus was like, let's get on the boat and go, we're like, hmm, seems like a bad idea. We don't know.
They get on the boat, and they go at Jesus' direction, and now they're in a big storm. So I had a hard time picturing what it would be like to be in a big storm on a boat, so I went to YouTube, and I looked up boats in storms, and I found a fishing boat in a storm, and we're going to watch it for just about 45 seconds to see and help us feel what was going on here. So we're going to show this, and then we'll keep talking. Thank you. Thank you. So there are times where the boat is completely sunk down.
You cannot see. They would have been surrounded by the ocean. They would have been tipping up, tipping down. It's a mess to the point that water is filling up the boat, and that boat would be bigger than the boat they would have had, and if you noticed, water would pour into it, and then you could see it pouring out the sides. I don't think they had that sweet setup, and so it also wouldn't have been as deep of a boat. They were in a mess.
Now we're going to keep reading, and we'll see that it absolutely is a mess, and I'll be able to prove it to you in just one second. Verse 25. And they went and woke him, woke Jesus, saying, Save us, Lord, we are perishing. Save us, Lord, we are perishing. Now, a couple of things are at play there. I think it's helpful for us to understand.
One, we see as the story plays out that they did not really expect him to be able to save them the way that he does. So, hey, if I ruined it for you, he does save them. But they're surprised when he does. They went to him, waking him up, because they had reached the point that the only plan they had was, wake the holy man, maybe he can talk to God for us. The best plan they had. And I can tell you, there was a lot in between the storm rolling in and that moment, because they waited until it was almost over.
They woke him up and said, Hey, hate to wake you up, but you're about to die. We're all going to die. Sorry to bother you with this news. The boat is sinking. There were four fishermen on the boat. We don't have many disciples were on the boat at this point, but we know that four of them were fishermen.
Peter and Andrew, James and John. When it first started, they didn't go, Oh, a storm's rolling in. Wake up Jesus. If someone had said, should we wake up Jesus? I feel that one of the four of them, it's not in here, but I think given how life works, one of them would have said, why? What does he know about boats?
We got this. That when it first started, they were just doing what they did. Steering the ship. Yelling out boat things to each other. That if you were a disciple on the boat and you weren't used to being on boats, you would have had to find a way to get out of the way and hold on to the side. You probably were praying, but they're, they're going back and forth and they're saying, batten the hatches, hoist the jib, scuttle the brisket, you know, boat stuff.
But they would have been yelling back and forth to each other. And at some point, they would have felt like, we got this. We've been in this kind of thing before. And then there would have been at times where if you were paying attention and you were looking at their faces, you would have realized that without so many words, they quit saying good things to each other and they started looking at each other. That Peter and Andrew, who were brothers, looked at each other like, I think we're going to die. That at some point, they reached the place where they said, we've just got to wake up Jesus.
Tell him we're going to die. Ask him to save us and see what happens. Because we've gotten beyond our ability. It's tipping down. Waves are coming. This wave's rolling and you're thinking, maybe this is the last one.
Maybe this is the one that flips us over. Maybe we can, and at some point, they're no longer in control and they know that they're very small and very weak and in over their heads. And it was clear to them to the point that they go run to Jesus and just say, save us. Not even really knowing what he can do, but just, they've reached the point where the best chance they got is, somebody pray and we think he's got the direct line, best chance of getting through. Now, pause this story for a second. This is a real actual story that happened with them out on water, but for us, I connect with that.
If I was one of the disciples, my first reaction wouldn't have been a little storm rolling in and thought, yeah, I just talked to Jesus about it. Easy. I'd have been doing what I, oh no, I got this. I can handle this. I'll put my head down. I'll get to work.
We got this. We don't have to worry. We're fine. I might have said a prayer along the lines of, Lord, help me got this. Help me be great. But that, that'd have been it.
They were just working to accomplish what they could do. What was it? And some of you feel that. Some of you know that right now. You're, you're, this makes sense to you. You're in a midst of chaos, brokenness.
You're looking at life going, I don't know which one, which wave comes. It's finally going to sink this ship, but I, maybe this one, maybe that one, it's coming. And you've already done all the things that you could think to do. That's what you went for first. You had the conversations. Maybe you saw a counselor.
Maybe you've gotten on some medication. Maybe you've tried to work it out with the situation with your children or with your finances or with work or with your boss or with your mental state. And you, you've tried to make the changes and do what you possibly could and none of it seems to be working. And with each thing we try, we get more desperate and more fearful. And then, at first, maybe we were hopeful we can handle this. We just do a few things and then slowly we try another thing and we try another thing and we try something else and eventually it starts going, I don't have anything else to try.
I don't know what else to do here. And maybe you've reached this point where all you're doing is trying to rouse Jesus. Let's see what happens. So they went to him and they woke him saying, Save us, Lord. We are perishing. And he said to them, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?
I have a problem where when I think things, a lot of times it just is immediately translated on my face. So there are times where I look at people like, just when they say something, and I have a feeling that the disciples at times had to look at Jesus like, And this feels like one of those. Like Jesus says things and sometimes in church we go, Oh yes, Jesus. But it's like you woke him up. The boat's tipping. You got in the little hole.
You're smacking your head on things. Water's rushing in. And you said, Wake up. We're about to drown. And he says, Why are you afraid? And it's like, What?
Because I'm drownable. Like it feels like, it's like, What is that response? What is Jesus getting at? Don't you think they just looked at him like, What? Why are you afraid of you of little faith? So what Jesus is saying is that fear and faith are opposed to one another.
That the way they approached him was fear. They were shook. They didn't approach him like he was big and good and holy and capable. They approached him at the end of their rope terrified. They didn't have faith because he was their last chance. Last ditch effort.
Well, let's try Jesus. All the good plans have fallen through. And so he's saying that this fear in the midst of chaos and things that none of us, none of us would look at this situation and say, chickens. They shouldn't have been afraid. I wouldn't. If you told me you were out on a boat and it was getting swamped and it was shaking and you were terrified and you said, I was scared.
And I looked at you and said, I wouldn't be scared. You should stop being my friend because I'm the worst. But Jesus is calling them to something that sounds crazy. That in the midst of something that absolutely should be terrifying that no one would fault you for being scared. He says, why are you afraid? And he says, oh, you of little faith.
That if they'd approached him the way that the centurion approached him. See, the centurion came to him earlier in chapter 8 and said, I'm a man who's also under authority. Just say the word. Jesus said, I haven't seen faith like this. And he heals a paralytic without even having to go. He just says, go, he's healed.
And they didn't approach him thinking, you're capable, you can just say the word, we know you're in charge of everything. They approached him terrified saying, is there anything you can do? Help us. And he says, why are you afraid? Oh, you of little faith. But he doesn't just say that.
And I don't think he said it. The way I read this and the way I understand Jesus, I don't think he said it angrily as much as just a little bit like, why are y'all scared? Like, you don't understand? Why are you afraid? Oh, you of little faith. And then, look at this.
Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. And the men marveled saying, what sort of man is this that even winds and sea obey him? The reason they didn't, you can know they didn't approach him in faith is that when he tells the winds and waves to stop and they stop, they said, what on earth just happened? If they didn't know he could do that, if they approached him like he was capable of it, then they would have been like, told you, knew it, thanks Jesus, you can go back to sleep. But that's not what they did.
They wake him up. He says, why are you afraid? Oh, you of little faith. The boat is rocking. Jesus is probably getting wet. He walks out and he fusses at.
That's the southern term for rebuke. He chewed out the winds and the waves. He says, Luke tells us, he says, peace be still. And if you ever watch like a Jesus cartoon, he says it like this, peace, be still. But that's not a rebuke.
Just so you know. Like, if your boss came to you and said, peace, be still, you wouldn't go home and go, I almost got fired today. Got fussed at. That's not how it works. He fusses at the weather like it's a misbehaving child. And then the weather obeys.
So there's this massive storm. Waves are rolling. Jesus rebukes it. And it stops. And it says there was a great calm. It uses the same word.
So it went from being a day that was a mega storm to mega calm. Like, awkwardly, aggressively calm. To where the boat probably was still having to like figure out like, oh, okay, we're okay now. But they were the only ones like putting ripples in the water. Wind stops. Waves stop.
And I'm assuming they stopped as like an epicenter from where Jesus says it and just flattened out. Like the only thing you could see in like a cartoon or something where it doesn't make any sense and the physics don't work but Jesus is in charge. So the waves and the wind just went whoop. And then the disciples are like, who is this? What kind of man is this that the winds and the waves obey him? You see, a holy man, a prophet would have asked God.
Holy men and prophets could speak on behalf of God if God told them something first. There are times where there's stuff going on and we'll see Elijah who's one of the best prophets ever. He gets down and he prays and he has to pray seven times. Jesus doesn't pray. He just tells the weather what to do. Don't, if you've heard this over and over again, don't add your little church filter to this.
This is crazy if you're on a boat with somebody who can do this. They knew he could heal but this is apparently in some absolutely different category. And it is, biblically. You see, the waves and the ocean and storms, these were good representations of chaos and evil completely outside of human control. If you're on ground, you have some ability to kind of control yourself unless there's like an earthquake and the ground opens up and swallows you like you've got some control but they understood when you got out on water you were losing some control. You had no real ability to handle.
That was the other thing they understood with weather. Like we have no ability to know when the weather's coming, what it's going to do. It's the same thing they understood with like wild beasts. And throughout the Old Testament we see that God is in charge of wild beasts and he's in charge of the weather and he's in charge of the ocean. And so when Jesus does this, the answer to the question is what kind of man is this is God. That's the kind of man.
A man who is also God. I'm going to read some from Psalms a couple different places and then we'll look at one together but I'm going to read a few. So Psalm 29 verses 3 and 10 says, The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders the Lord over many waters. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. The Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
It's God who's over the water. Psalm 93 says, The floods have lifted up, O Lord. The floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunder of many waters. Mightier than the waves of the sea.
The Lord on high is mighty. So the ocean is terrifying. The flood is terrifying. And Jesus is scarier. God is scarier. Proverbs 8, 27 through 29 this is wisdom speaking talking about being there at creation.
It says, When he established the heavens I was there. When he drew a circle on the face of the deep. When he made firm the skies above. When he established the fountains of the deep. When he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters might not transgress his command. It says that God put the sea and drew a line.
Looked at the sea and said don't cross it. And the sea said yes sir. That's what Job 38 says. And Job there's a man named Job who's had a lot of calamity and trouble and pain in his life to where he begins to question God and ask him what's going on and God shows up and what God says is not here's why this happened. What God says is here's who I am. He says this in Job 38 8 through 11 he says who shut in the sea with the doors when it burst out of the womb when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors and thus said thus far shall you come and no farther and here shall your proud waves be stayed.
And doors and thus said thus far shall you come and no farther and here shall your proud waves be stayed. This is the God who controls the weather and that Jesus when he says peace be still when he rebukes the wind and the wave and it listens he is God. That's what the disciples would have seen that's what Psalm 107 this will be on the screen
I think it's a helpful picture of what they just went through and how the Old Testament talks about a similar situation it says some went down to the sea and ships doing business on the great waters they saw the deeds of the Lord his wondrous works in the deep for he commanded and raised the stormy wind which lifted up the waves of the sea they mounted up to heaven they went down to the depths their courage
Melted away in their evil plight they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits end then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress he made the storm be still and the waves of the sea were hushed I love that verse because that's what Jesus says peace be still hush
Hold your peace shut your mouth stop he hushes them and tells the waves to be still that's what God does here and that's what Jesus does there that he is God verse 30 then they went then they were glad that the waters were quiet and he brought them to their desired haven let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love for his wondrous works the children of man let them extol him in the congregation
Of the people and praise him in the assembly of the elders Jesus controls the weather and the disciples are amazed Luke says they're terrified Luke says they were scared of the storm and then terrified of Jesus and that seems fair because he's now scarier than the storm if the ocean is scared of Jesus and you're scared of the ocean you should also
Be scared of Jesus that's how that works so they were like okay if he's in charge of this like this is crazy that he is this powerful that he commands even the weather so the Bible is showing us and Matthew is showing us that Jesus is not just God over sickness he's not just king over some brokenness on a human level but that he's actually the God over creation that he's over
Over chaos and the things that are completely outside of our control and Jesus says why are you afraid oh you of little faith basically if you knew who I was this conversation would not be so frantic now what happens if they're all on a boat with him again and a storm starts coming I would think at that point they would be like oh Jesus has this
Let him sleep let's wait until it gets kind of intense and then we'll just wake him up and ask him to control this like if you were about to go out to sea and it looked like it was going to storm and people were like it's a bad time to go I think the disciples would be like well is Jesus going to be on the boat because we'll be fine and if he's not going to be on the boat probably good point
We'll just stay over here because at that time they would begin to understand who he is and what he's capable of I think my approach would be different the next time if I understood who he was and what he was capable of and how much more for us if you belong to Jesus and know what he's done how much more has he done than show his power
In calming a storm how much more has he displayed his greatness and his trustworthiness how much more has he shown us what he's capable of that we might run to him and trust him and not be swallowed up in fear and doubt and anxiety because we are an anxious fearful people if right now
We had to list out all the things that could go wrong some of you without even being prompted do that on a regular basis just in your head are constantly running through nightmare scenarios of all the things that could fall apart and all the things that could possibly just unravel you feel this more acutely than others you feel this fear and doubt over your life over your finances
Over your health over the health of those around you over the relationships that you have some of you have a conversation with someone and it seems weird and then on your ride home or after you get off the phone you run through 15 scenarios of what possibly could be going on and how this relationship will fall apart and how you won't have friends anymore
And what they were actually thinking and we are fearful some of us have situations with our spouse or with our children and we're fearful some of us are in the midst of an actual terrible storm things have fallen apart the boat is being swamped and we keep asking the question is when is the next wave going to just
Roll us over when is this going to end and the only end we see is a terrible one and Jesus says in the face of that why are you afraid don't you know who I am why are you afraid don't you know how big I am and how good I am and how capable
I am why are you afraid why is your faith so small and I don't think he says it like he's fed up with you I think he's pleading with us why why are you acting like this why are you afraid there's some situations I have with my four year old
Where he's freaking out I'm trying to get him to do something and I'll look at him and say boy I'm your daddy I'm not going to hurt you I'm not out to get you I think I'm not I'm not afraid why are you afraid why do you keep acting
As if you're completely out of control and that you were the one who was in control in the first place part of the reason we're terrified is because we're trusting ourselves and yes you aren't very trustworthy if it's just you yeah let's be terrified but Jesus
Is saying have faith trust me grab your Bible go to Romans chapter 8 because our story if you know Jesus your story your anchor is better than just he can control the weather your hope is more firmly
Founded than just we saw him do this Romans 8 Paul is writing to the church and he's talking about this idea of us being fearful and problems and pain doubt and sin and everything that could absolutely swamp us
Verse 31 what should we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us he who did not spare his own son but gave him up
For us all how will he not also with him graciously give us all things we're terrified we're terrified Paul's looking at us the way Jesus is
Looking at us saying take a deep breath catch your breath hold on a second if God is in the boat with us what who are you going to put outside of it if God is on this side of
The battlefield who are you putting on the other side that now we should all be afraid I'll give you a minute when you
Make a very good list ball it up throw it away it's garbage it cannot handle God and he says if he would not
Withhold his own son from us how will he not give us everything how is he not going to accomplish all that he's promised
If he's already given you his son if Christ has already bled and died for you what why are you afraid what's going to
Take that from you what's going to crush you what's going to destroy you what's going to win he keeps going he gives us
A list gives us two actually he says who shall bring any charge against God's elect it's God who justifies if God makes you right
If God pays for your sin if God redeems you if Jesus christ went and died in your place who's going to crush you who's going to destroy you who's going to
Cast you into hell who is to condemn christ Jesus is the one who died more than that who was raised who is at
The right hand of God who indeed certainly is interceding for us who shall separate us from the love of christ tribulation that's terrible
Horrible circumstances distress we don't use distress much take the dis off stress persecution famine nakedness danger sword as it is written for your sake we
Are being killed all the day long we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered no in all these things we are more than
Conquerors through him who loved us you are not more than a conqueror through you you are not more than a conqueror through the
People around you you are not more than a conqueror through your own work or your own ability or your own intelligence or your
Own morality you are more than conqueror through him if he's in the boat it's not going to tip up ultimately we will not
Be sunk we will not be swamped now I say ultimately because I gotta make something really clear here this does not mean for
Believers that we won't have storms it actually doesn't mean that for believers the boat will never be shipwrecked just read the book of Acts Paul
Was on a boat he goes to the centurion on the boat in the middle of a storm and he says hey I've got
Good news nobody's going to die but the ship is going to crash the reality is some of us will lose our jobs some
Of us will lose family members some of us our faith our health will fail some of us will have divorces some of us
Will have children that in an instant as we're passing through an intersection leave us some of us will get sick some of us
Our children will get sick some of us will not make it through the next year five years ten years and none of that
Will win none none of it none of it will conquer you because in Christ we conquer that our hope is held secure by
Him who rose from the grave that we can face anything and it will be painful and it will be devastating and there will
Be times where we're leaning into Jesus and just begging him help save redeem work and the answer in that moment will be no
Not in the way you want not in the way you've planned but he's good and he has us and we will not be
Conquered doesn't matter what it is it's the fall the most wonderful time of the year it's getting colder there's football the other day when
I got to put on one of my thicker flannel shirts I just stood in the mirror smiling at myself I watch football in
The fall one of the things that's stressful and frustrating about football is I don't know how the game is going to end I
Have a good guess I'm a Carolina fan there's been some times over the past couple years and especially more often when I lived at
Home with my parents because they had like a DVR thing that I would have to work or something and I would miss the game and I
Know some people it like ruins them to find out what's going to happen in the game but I would just keep up with it
And know and there were some games that I went into knowing that we won I knew and then I loved it when the other team
Started doing well I didn't mind it at all if I knew we were going to win and we were down by 24 points
In the fourth quarter I just knew I popped some popcorn this fourth quarter is about to be really good that's why I like
Some of the movies that I like some of the ones that are supposed to be really cliche type movies where the good guys
Win and culturally right now people are like that's boring that's not art it's like I don't care stack the odds against them and let them
Overcome I love that story you have conversations with some people who are like yes but I like movies where the bad guys win
Or where it's just really convoluted I am very intelligent and I like movies that are stupid but I'll say to him I don't like
That he goes but it's more real and I'm going to be honest with you that's not real for me because I belong to
Jesus the end isn't convoluted the bad guys don't win I am not conquered you can stack the odds however you want it can
Fall apart however you want it does not end with us shipwrecked if you belong to Jesus that is not your reality if you
Hold fast to Christ you will not be sunk let them throw whatever they want cancer death divorce let them run off let your
Finances fail go bankrupt we conquer he rules he reigns he rose he was dead and buried we have the phrase that put the
Nail in the coffin which means that was it it was over not for us Christians rise because Jesus rose and in Christ we
Conquer I don't care make a list make a list like Paul makes a list and then ask can this separate me from the
Love of Christ can it snatch me out of his hand can it overpower him will this destroy him is he weak in the
Face of this no never has never has been never will be he rebukes the waves and they stop and we can trust that
If we're in the middle of the storm he's not asleep because he doesn't care for us he's asleep because he's not afraid that
If he doesn't seem quick to run in in this moment it's not because he doesn't love you it's because he's not scared and
His response to them is the response to us why are you afraid just trust me why are you afraid just have faith and
The way we respond to this is we don't have faith in ourselves we don't have faith in our faith we don't say okay I'm
Going to be strong enough to believe well enough we just begin to look at him and to understand who he is and what
He's capable of grab your bible open it up and start reading about the God who told the ocean stop here and don't go
Any further and trust that he can do the same thing in your life read about the God who came to earth because he
Loved us so much that he died for your sin and rose again and then offers you his love and his life in you
And then trust understand him is big and good and holy and capable not you it's okay to be small it's okay to be weak when
He's going to pick us up and carry us through when he's the one who conquers not us in a minute we're going to take communion
Where we celebrate that Jesus Christ bled and died to save sinners and that in him you're okay and in him you might be
In the middle of something right now where you're just waiting for the next wave to actually swamp the boat and you think this
Will be the end of it and it will be over and in him you might be exhausted and fearful but in him hope
And there's life and there's a future and we can trust so in a moment you take a minute to pray to run to
Jesus not in fear but in faith talk to him about all that stands looming over you and threatens to destroy you and then
Come take communion celebrating that Jesus Christ is the one who died he's the one who rose and if God has given us his
Son how will he not graciously give us all things let's pray God we thank you that in you we have hope that you
Are big that you rule over the storm that whatever right now threatens to undo us you are sovereign over it you hold us
In your gracious hands and you hold the storm and it moves at your will and that we can trust you that if we
Placed our faith in the risen Christ we will not be conquered just as you will not be conquered in Jesus name Amen