Are You Of Little Faith
Please stand with me as we go over our current memory Scripture:
Titus 3:3-5
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
And our memory Scripture “refresher” verse is:
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Today we will be reading from Matthew 8:23-27
I have never known anyone who has died from drowning but when I think about it, it gives me an unsettled feeling.
Back when I used to travel in a Christian singing group we used to frequently use a road that ran along a river and if we were coming back from a concert late at night and another guy in the group was driving and we were all tired I would have that same unsettled feeling about going off the road and into the river.
I don’t know how you feel about drowning but I vote against it for myself …
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read Matthew 8:23-27
(Prayer for help)
Can you blame the disciples for being afraid?
Andrew, Peter, James and John were fishermen. That is how they made their living. Thomas, Nathaniel and Philip may have also worked as fishermen, for they were all together and fishing when Jesus appeared to them in John 21:2-8, following His resurrection.
They were used to boats. They were used to the Sea of Galilee. They were also used to the violent storms that could come up on that body of water due to the surrounding terrain.
I read that even on that small lake the waves could get as high as six feet.
Most likely they had friends and possibly family who had drowned.
There were no safety regulations in those days. No life jackets. No emergency radios to call in the Coast Guard. They did not have a powerful motor that would enable them to face into the waves.
Andrew, Peter, James and John were very aware of the danger of the situation.
But what about Matthew the tax collector?
What about Simon the zealot, a political trouble maker?
What about Judas, the treasurer of the group, also a thief?
How would you have reacted if you were in that boat?
How would I?
What about Jesus? He’s asleep!
We don’t know how long the disciples waited before waking Jesus up but by the time they did, they were desperate!
“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Matthew 8:25
“Teacher, don’t You care if we drown?” Mark 4:38
“Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” Luke 8:24
Well, the fact is that Jesus DID care. What did He do?
First Jesus addresses the disciples saying, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
Why did He take the time to ask that instead of just calming the sea?
Let’s take a look back and see what was going on before this.
Way back in the end of Matthew 4 we see Jesus calling His disciples.
Matthew 4:23-25 says,
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and He healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed Him.”
Did anything jump out at you from those verses?
What about this phrase? “He healed them …”
The disciples had seen Jesus healing, “every disease and sickness among the people … those suffering with pain, the demon possessed, those with seizures and the paralyzed.”
Huge crowds start following Jesus and then He goes up onto a mountainside to preach what is likely the most famous sermon ever written!
When He comes down from the mountainside in Chapter 8 He heals a man with leprosy.
Then He heals the paralyzed, terribly suffering servant of a gentile Roman Centurion by “remote control”! Jesus did not even have to go where the Centurion’s servant was; He just said the word and the servant was healed!
Then He heals Peters mother-in-law, and, “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to [Jesus], and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Matthew 8:16
OK, so, the disciples have been following Jesus and have seen all kinds of amazing miracles.
But this storm is something else. This storm was not like the sicknesses. This storm was something bigger and much more immediate! And, this was threatening THEIR lives and not just the lives of some person for whom they had little compassion.
Let’s look at what three different disciples yelled to Jesus above the noise of the wind and the waves crashing into the boat.
“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Matthew 8:25
“Teacher, don’t You care if we drown?” Mark 4:38
“Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” Luke 8:24
And, Jesus replies, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
They had all seen Jesus performing miracles of many kinds in the past few days.
They had seen people filled with fear of the sickness or disease they had and they had seen Jesus heal them.
They had seen people filled with fear who were possessed by demonic spirits and Jesus had delivered them.
Did they think Jesus would not be able to save them from the storm? Was Jesus their last resort? Had they tried everything else before they came to Him?
But, Jesus, in spite of their lack of faith and their fear, simply, “got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”
Now, listen to how they reacted to this miracle demonstrating Jesus’ power over nature!
Matthew 8:27
“The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of Man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!’”
Mark 4:41
“They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!’”
Luke 8:25b
“In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.’”
Have you ever thrown a stone into a quite pond? The ripples go out and they hit the shore and they come back and it can take a while for the ripples to resolve into quietness.
Here, Jesus is speaking to waves that could have been six feet high and “it was completely calm …”
So, it is reasonable that the disciples were amazed, terrified and filled with fear.
Were they starting to get a glimpse of who Jesus really is?
Do we actually have any notion of who Jesus REALLY is?
OK. So, let’s reset to the beginning of this passage and try to apply it to our lives.
Have you ever had a “furious storm “come up in your life? Something that was completely unexpected?
Something that you were sure would “sink” you either spiritually, emotionally, financially or physically?
Have you had something that is like a living nightmare, something that you hoped would go away when you woke up?
You have tried everything think of and there was just no hope, no escape, no salvation?
Perhaps you are a mature Christian. Perhaps you have been following Jesus for many years and have been faithful to trust Him and to grow in your relationship with Him. And, the Holy Spirit has helped you learn to go to Jesus at the first sign of trouble and even in times of peace.
You see, Jesus was in the boat with the disciples all the time; they just were not engaged with Him. I don’t think that Jesus had told them, “Hey, I’m going to take a nap so don’t wake Me up until we get to the other shore.”
Jesus was there all the time but they did not engage with Him.
Perhaps you are a new Christian. Perhaps you have just placed your faith and trust in Jesus and you don’t know that you can go to Him at any time in any place. Perhaps you don’t yet realize that Jesus is “in the boat” with you in your time of trial.
This is something we all need to learn.
You see, the Bible says in
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Can you imagine if we would just live out that verse in our lives in a consistent manner?
Those disciples who were fishermen must have known what was coming when the wind started whipping up the waves.
What if they had gone to Jesus immediately with their petition? What if they had said, “Lord, there is a strong storm coming. We are so thankful that You are in the boat with us and we trust in You to see us through this storm.”
What if we were like that in our lives? “Lord, I don’t know how to handle this situation. I feel like panicking and I am so glad that You are in this situation with me. I trust in You to see me through this for Your honor and for Your glory.”
Can you imagine what a witness that would be to people in other “boats”? What a witness it would be to people going through their own trials? It could give strength to those who know Christ but are trying to solve the problem on their own. It could also be a witness to those who do not know Jesus as their Savior and only have themselves to depend on.
Do you know any unsaved family members or friends who are going through various storms in their lives?
Such difficulties in the life of an unbeliever may present an opportunity to introduce them to Jesus.
I mean, think about it! Who came to Jesus?
The sick, the lame and the demon possessed came to Jesus.
The healthy may have been just too busy.
We live in a sin-sick world. Many are drowning in the worries of life.
Jesus said in John 10:10
“The [devil] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Is the devil stealing, killing and destroying your life?
Is the devil stealing, killing and destroying the life of someone you know and love?
Turn to Jesus and find true life that is abundant and full.
He IS in the boat with you.
You won’t have to wake Him up. He is very much awake and saying, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Final thoughts and prayer.
