Dakota Community Church
July 24, 2011
High Seas 4 – The Disciples
Luke 6:46-49
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
a. What is the foundation?
Sound doctrine: hearing, knowing, practicing; the words of Jesus
b. Why is the foundation important?
Eventually there will be a storm with your name on it.
c. How is the foundation established?
Coming – Hearing - Practicing
Today’s Texts:
Matthew 14:22-33
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Mark 6:45-52
45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
What is different about this storm?
It is just as deadly.
“He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.”
“…buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.”
1. When Jesus sends us into the storm
We have seen and understood storms we cause for ourselves, storms that we suffer through because of others, and storms that are the work of our deceiving, scheming enemy the devil.
This one is different.
There was a time when I would not have admitted to the possibility of this one even existing – yet here it is in the BIBLE:
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him…
There are times in this life when Jesus may call you into a storm that will shake you and reveal your foundation in a devastating fashion.
1 Peter 1:3-7
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
2. Why?
Jesus has an agenda that is more important than our personal comfort and ease of life.
He has given us His word, He has filled us with His Spirit, he has joined us to one another and given us the ministry gifts for the preparing of the saints for ministry.
Sometimes we ignore all of these.
Mark 6:51-52
They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
They were seeing the miracles but their hearts remained hard.
The goal is brokenness!
I did not say the goal was weakness – I am talking about being broken of all pride, arrogance, self-reliance, and rebellion.
The purpose of the beautiful wonderful perfect law of God which will never pass away is to break us. It is a hammer that leads us to repentance.
Just like the nation of Israel we must come to accept ourselves as clay in the potter’s hand.
Jeremiah 18:1-6
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD.
Look at how Jesus begins his first sermon:
Matthew 5:1-3
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Are you in a storm that Jesus sent you into?
How often did I wonder why I heard the call to plant this church?
Look at what Jesus accomplishes in the disciples through this storm:
Matthew 14:32
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
The disciples went from hard-heartedness to broken-hearted worship.
3. The gospel solution
Repent of pride and the idol worship of self.
Rejoice now!
Rest
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
