Introduction
A. Working at an airline ticket counter, I pulled up a passenger's reservation that showed his name as "Cole, Pheven." "I'd like to be certain our information is correct," I said to him. "What is your first name?" "It's Stephen," he replied. "I hope the reservation agent got it right. I told him it's spelled with a ph."
B. The outline for this sermon was given by Pastor Paul Viggiano of the Branch of Hope Church
1. Turn to Matthew 8:23 - 27
Matthew 8:23-27 NKJV
Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. {24} And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. {25} Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" {26} But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. {27} So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
a. Turn to Matthew 11:2-6
2. In chapters eight through ten of Matthew we read of various miracles Jesus performs
a. These miracles show that He is the long awaited Messiah
Matthew 11:2-6 NKJV
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples {3} and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" {4} Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: {5} "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. {6} "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
(1) Turn to Matthew 9:6
b. These miracles affirm that He speaks the word of God
Matthew 9:6 NKJV
"But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"; then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
(1) Turn to Mark 1:41
c. These miracles reveal His love and compassion
Mark 1:41 NKJV
Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."
d. These miracles also demonstrate His power over sickness, death, the elements and the devil
(1) Lets turn to Matthew 8:23-24
II. Body
A. The Storm
Matthew 8:23-24 NKJV
Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. {24} And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
1. This tempest was overwhelming
2. The boat was filling with water
a. Now we know that there were at least 4 experienced fishermen in the boat
(1) And these experienced men of the sea were afraid for their lives
(2) Their sailing expertise had reached its end
(a) The power of sickness
(b) The power of the devil
(c) And the power of the elements are impossible enemies for mere men, even the most skilled men
i) As we have seen in the recent tsunami, water can be quite deadly and people do not have an groundless fear of it
3. Now, Jesus, unlike the disciples, was fast asleep
a. He had worked hard all day and had the perfect peace of His Father
b. Here we have the Savior of the world sleeping on a boat
(1) Jesus, as we may have thought at times, gives the appearance of not caring
(a) Turn to Mark 4:38
(2) In Mark, the disciples run to Jesus and say
Mark 4:38 NKJV
But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
(a) You know, sometimes it feels like Jesus, God, just doesn’t care
(b) Haven’t we been tempted to ask that same question during the storms of our lives? Do You not care that we are perishing?"
c. I am not trying to change this storm into some kind of illustration, it was real and Peter, Andrew, James and John, the men we know were experienced fishermen, were really afraid
d. To these disciples, this literal storm was a storm of life
e. What should we consider, what should we think, when it seems like Christ doesn’t
(1) It was and is not uncommon for the disciples of Christ to see, to use a biblical phrase, that Jesus’ arms seem to be too short
(a) Turn to Psalm 121:1-4
(b) Those in the boat with Jesus had not learned the fullness of Christ
(c) Oh, they thought of Jesus as very powerful, but now that man was asleep and they were in trouble
(d) They failed to realize that Jesus, the man slept, but Jesus, the living God, never sleeps
Psalms 121:1-4 NKJV
I will lift up my eyes to the hills; From whence comes my help? {2} My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. {3} He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. {4} Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
(e) We should not think that if God does not respond immediately, or does not respond the way we think He ought to that He is sleeping
(f) God’s actions, be they blessings and curses are always sure
(g) God is not ignorant or uncaring about your storm
(h) God is not asleep
(i) But the blessings and curses are not the sum of it
4. Jesus was not going to use this storm as an illustration
a. Turn to Matthew 8:26
B. Prior to Calming the Storm Jesus Mildly Chides His Disciples
Matthew 8:26 NKJV
But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
1. “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”
a. You would think that Jesus would still the storm first
b. If I am hanging from a cliff, please pull me up then warn me to stay away from the edge
c. But it was not as if Jesus was going to lose control of the situation
(1) And we are often most receptive while we are in the middle the storms of life
(2) This illustration comes from Pastor Paul Viggiano
(a) I am quite afraid of heights. I don’t like flying. Once I parachuted. There was about six hours of instruction prior to the jump. From elementary school to my Master’s degree, I have never been more attentive to instruction in my life. It makes me wonder if the disciples were learning two lessons:
i) The lesson of courage as it relates to faith
ii) But also the lesson of the power and judgments of Christ.
a) Turn to Psalms 107:23-32
d. This storm, they might have thought is merely an object lesson in the hands of the Master.
(1) Would God do such a thing?
(2) Create a storm merely to instruct?
Psalms 107:23-32 NKJV
Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, {24} They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. {25} For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. {26} They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. {27} They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. {28} Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. {29} He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. {30} Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. {31} Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! {32} Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders.
(3) What they may not have realized is that Jesus is not merely the calmer of storms, He is the raiser of storms.
i) Turn to Romans 8:28
(b) Popular yet unbiblical is the notion that God is not the ultimate and first cause of our troubles—even employing Satan for His own desired ends
Romans 8:28 NKJV
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
(c) Think of it this way, all of creation is God’s classroom and Christians, His children, are His beloved students
(d) And so our fear is always mixed with a lack of faith
(4) I get a lot of E-Mails that spin tails of terrible happenings when our economy collapses. Riots in the streets, looting, murder, all-in-all a complete breakdown of civilization
(a) But I refuse to panic because I believe the Bible
(b) Very simply, we are not going to be here when everything crashes
2. Lets discuss fear and faith
a. “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”
b. Is fear always an act of faithlessness?
c. Not necessarily. We want our kids to have a healthy fear of electricity or the freeway or a Doberman on the loose
(1) Well, perhaps I should say we want our kids to have a healthy respect for these dangerous things
(2) But, Jesus is not talking about a healthy respect, He is talking about abject terror
(3) I think that Jesus is talking about fear that is accompanied by hopelessness and despair
(a) Turn to Ephesians 1:11
(4) This dread is the natural consequence of a stupid religion which seeks to oust God from His rightful place
Ephesians 1:11 NKJV
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
(a) These disciples must be prepared to face death and to face it in faithful nobility for this would be their fate, well I should say that it is their lot
i) Turn to Revelation 21:8
ii) This is where the lines fall for us all
iii) Christ prepares His children for death
iv) We forget that cowardice is a sin
v) In Revelation 21:8 we find a list of things that will keep us out of heaven if it has become our lifestyle
vi) Notice, though, the very first thing mentioned
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
3. Again, I am going to use Pastor Paul Viggiano’s words
a. Through the subtle treachery of the evil one, courage has become antiquated
b. Instead of men being the protector of the house and nation, they run and hid when the nation has called
c. The mobs of the 60's, which has greatly influenced attitudes of today, believed that warriors are dinosaurs
d. And that valor is the result of an unhealthy upbringing
e. Faith in the power of Christ ought to produce courage
(1) The Building up of our faith is one of the great blessings conveyed to us by the Savior
(2) That faith, and the courage that it produces, yields a sure hope
(3) Knowing this that in Romans 5:3-5, Paul writes,
Romans 5:3-5 NKJV
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; {4} and perseverance, character; and character, hope. {5} Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
4. Do you grow weary of the storm
a. Listen to me, Christian student if you grow weary of the storm, you grow weary of Master’s instruction
b. The lesson is not over
c. And though certain tempests come and go, the lesson will not be over this side of glory.
d. We all have faced, are facing, and will face the storms until we draw our last breath.
(1) May God, by His grace, produce the type of courage in us that we would beckon our loved ones to watch us die the way a Christian ought to die
(a) With peace
(b) With confidence
(c) With courage
(d) And assurance of the Christ who never sleeps
C. Two last points, this morning
1. When Jesus calms the storm it is calm indeed
a. The Greek words reveal this to be a mega-calm
b. There are few things which make the world seem more right than a calm sea.
Psalms 65:7 NKJV
You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.
2. Think about the disciples seeing the calmness of the sea
a. Turn to Mark 4:41
b. And how their thoughts would turn from their fear of the storm to the tranquility of the waters and to the person of Christ.
c. Mark records this in chapter 4, verse 41
Mark 4:41 NKJV
And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"
(1) Turn to Proverbs 9:10
d. It would seem that it was here that the disciples truly began to grasp the lesson
Proverbs 9:10 NKJV
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
e. If one is in fear of the storm, how much more should they fear the one to whom the storm must submit.
(1) Turn to Isaiah 50:2
f. Let us learn from the lesson Jesus taught the disciples
g. Let us not think the arm of the Lord too short.
Isaiah 50:2 NKJV
Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst.
h. And if I, as a dying man, am preaching to others who are dieing, then I do not fear because our Savior has conquered death and in Christ we are more than conquerors
i. For those who trust in the Savior who never sleeps, death, and its attending squalls are defeated enemies that deserved to be mocked
j. Let us take joy in our lives, whether in peace or storm
k. Let us not grant them the sting that has been removed by Christ
Psalms 107:31-32 NKJV
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! {32} Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders..
l. Turn to Psalm 9:10 and with this we will close
Psalms 9:10 NKJV
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
