The Other Side
Luke 8:22-23
By
Reverend Kelvin Lebron Parks
Associate Minister, Monument of Love Baptist Church
Superintendent of Sunday Morning Bible Study
Prison Ministry Coordinator
27 July 2003
The Gospel According to Luke, Chapter 8
22. Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
23. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
24. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
25. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, what manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Introduction
I’m reminded this morning of one of my favorite stories …about Chippie the parakeet. You see -- Chippie was a happy little bird, content every day to sit on his perch, swinging and singing to his little heart’s content. One day Chippie’s owner took the initiative to clean out his cage. She took off the attachment from the end of the vacuum hose and stuck it in the cage to remove the sediment from the bottom. Just then the phone rang. She turned to pick it up and had barely said hello when "ssopp!” Chippie got sucked in!
As you can imagine, the bird owner gasped, dropped the phone, turned off the vacuum, and ripped open the bag. Inside, there lay Chippie, still alive but stunned by the trauma. The bird was covered with all the terrible grit and grime that fills vacuum bags, so the owner did the only thing she could think to do. She grabbed him up, raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under running water. Then realizing poor little Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any good bird owner would do, and she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the little guy with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A couple of days after the experience the reporter who first wrote about the event talked to Chippie’s owner. He asked how the bird was doing. She said, "Well Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares.” It’s no wonder. One minute the little guy was swinging and singing, and before he knew it, he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. If that doesn’t turn your song into a blank stare, nothing will. (From Max Lucado, In The Eye Of The Storm, p. 11)
My guess is, most of us can relate to Chippie. There are times when life treats us more harshly than we expect. It might be something as small as a cutting remark from someone we consider a friend, or it could be something as major as the death of a spouse. It might be hearing the word “malignant” from the lips of a doctor, or it could be the collapse of a business that you’ve invested your life in. It’s possible to get battered, bruised, and blown away by rough times and difficult circumstances. When those things happen often the best we can muster is a blank stare, and our song sometimes seems like a distant memory.
Subject. The Other Side (Text: Luke 8:22-23) read again
You know, when I read through a passage like that, I can’t help but ask a question. “Why does God allow storms in our life?” I mean, think about it a minute. If He is all-powerful, couldn’t God make our life smooth sailing if He wanted to? Wouldn’t it be nice if He cut out all the storms and simply made the seas that we sail on as smooth as glass? It seems like life would be much better if we didn’t have to go through rough times, but I’m guessing God has His reasons.
I’m sure most of you just like me … have learned a little bit more than you wanted to know about storms this week. Considering the aftermath of what those horizontal winds caused to the city of Memphis. Truth be told … before Tuesday, I did not even know that there was such a thing as horizontal winds. I woke Tuesday Morning and looked out of the window into the backyard and I told Wanda … this storm reminds me of a hurricane. Sounds pretty bad, but ... did you know that hurricanes are important to maintaining the balance of the earth’s ecosystem? If you have been blessed to not have to live through such a horrific event, I’m sure that you have no doubt seen on TV the devastation that hurricanes cause especially along the coasts. We might not realize or even appreciate it when the winds are raging … but did you realize that those storms serve a very important purpose? They dissipate a large percentage of the tremendous heat that builds up at the equator across the globe. Not only that, but they are indirectly responsible for much of the rainfall in North and South America. For a while meteorologists experimented with cloud-seeding techniques to prevent hurricanes from forming, but they quit because they came to recognize that in the big picture hurricanes actually do more good than harm.
How can you say that preacher … tell that to all of those people who lost their homes and material possessions, and even the lost of love ones. I still emphatically say yes … I agree with the meteorologists that storms do more good than harm. Why … will I believe that God has his reasons? The if I have any doubt … the Bible tells me over in Isaiah [55:8-9] “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Well let’s just stay right here for one minute and talk about another storm. Then there are the lightning storms. They can kill a person instantly. They knock down trees, destroy buildings, start huge fires when the ground is dry, and just the noise can scare a person to death. But I will say again that these storms do more good than hard. Why … well, I still believe that God knows what he is doing. You see -- these lightning storms are essential for plant life to exist on earth? You see -- the atmosphere contains nitrogen, but it doesn’t easily combine with other gasses. If it did, different forms of nitrous gasses would poison us all. Wait a minute let me tell you just how Darwin got it wrong and just how good my God is… you see -- by a charge of electricity coursing through the atmosphere, nitrogen is transferred from the atmosphere to the soil. Every day one hundred thousand bolts of lightning strike the earth. This process creates usable nitrogen in the soil to nourish the plant. Which in turn allows us to eat turnips greens, and cauliflower, broccoli, and sting beans, apples and oranges. [Ya’ll ain’t goanna talk tome] You see -- you may not like the lightning storms, but they are a necessary part of life on earth.
Now what I’m wondering is if Luke might be trying to teach us something about dealing with difficult times in our life by telling us about a stormy situation he faced on the Sea of Galilee. There is more to this story than a storm tossed boat with thirteen passengers. It seems to me Doctor Luke tells us this story to teach us at least a couple of very important lessons. One thing I want to let you know:
“It ain’t over until it is over.” So many of us at the first sign of controversy want to throw in the towel and give up the fight. But I want to let you know that you have to hold on to the promises and it ain’t over until it is over.
You see -- in the game of life. God has the last bat. Nawl, we don’t need Hammering Hank or Mr. October, or Barry to help get around the bases … no God will supply your every need … He has the last at bat in your situation. So this morning whatever you are going through. You may be without physical power for you homes … but my God has all Power -- both physical and spiritual.
So this morning … don’t look at:
Ø The scoreboard
Ø Your situation
Ø How bad things are
Ø The clouds overhead
Ø Your problems
Ø Your sickness
Ø The mountain
Ø How far behind you are
But if you have a problem then I have a God. He is a problem solver and I want to introduce him to you today.
It doesn’t matter what the score is in your situation because God is getting ready to come to bat in your life!!! Turn to your neighbor and say, Neighbor; it isn’t over till it’s over.
Now put your hands together and Let’s praise him today for winds and the rains, the thunder and the lighting! Too God be the Glory!
I’m reminded here of another story.
The central figure of the story is a person who accepts everything that happens as manifestations of divine power. And he said, “It is not for me to question the workings of divine providence.” All his life, misfortune had been his. Yet never once did he complain. He got married and his wife ran away with the hired man. A villain deceived his daughter. His son was lynched. A fire burned down his barn. A cyclone blew away his home. A hailstorm destroyed his crops, and the banker foreclosed on his mortgage, taking his farm. Yet at each stroke of misfortune, he knelt and gave thanks to God Almighty for his unchangeable mercy. After a time, penniless but still submissive to God, he landed in the county poorhouse. One day the overseer sent him out to plow a potato field. A thunderstorm was passing over, when without warning a bolt of lightning descended from the sky. It melted the plowshare; stripped most of his clothing from him, singed off his beard, branded his naked back with the initials of a neighboring cattleman, and hurled him through a barbed wire fence. When he recovered consciousness, he got up slowly on his knees, clasped his hands, raised his eye toward heaven and, then, for the first time in his life, asserted himself and said, “Lord, this is getting plumb ridiculous.”
Have you been there? Haven’t we all, at one time or another, felt that we had more than our fair share?
Charlie Brown builds a beautiful sandcastle, works on it for hours. Finally he stands back, looks at it. It’s wonderful. Just as he’s admiring it, a storm comes up and blows over his entire sandcastle. Now, he’s standing where his beautiful masterpiece was, on level sand, saying to himself, “I know there’s a lesson in this, but I’m not sure what it is.”
Well brothers and sisters, Storms do three things for us:
1. Storms educate us. [As we discovered about their important to the ecological system]
2. Storms enlarge us. [Increase our faith and dependence on God]
3. Storms expose us. Which is what I want to focus on today.
You see, here’s what I know – storms expose what is really inside of us. You and I are a lot like a sponge - you have to squeeze it to see what’s inside it. We show who we really are when we’re squeezed. We show who we really are when we are faced with a storm.
Remember those commercials that asked the question, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?” I used to love those commercials. My friends and I literally tried to answer it. I always would lose count around 100 licks. If you recall, in the commercial at the end, the boy goes to the wise old owl and it takes three licks and then “crunch!” he bites down all the way to the Tootsie Roll center, revealing what was inside the Tootsie Roll pop. Well, storms bite like that. They grab us and “crunch!” whatever is inside us is exposed.
I am going to show you 3 things that storms reveal about us. Are you ready? Here we go.
#1. First of all, Storms reveal our faith in God’s plan.
When storms come, we reveal if we truly believe in where God is leading us. Now there are many different times that storms come to us.
Walk with me [v.22]
“Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.”
Notice the destination that Jesus named. As far as the Lord was concerned the end of their boat ride was the other side of the lake, not the bottom of the lake. You see the Lord sometimes takes us through troubled water not to drown us but to cleanse us. I just want to reassure somebody that -- if Jesus has given you a destination, he is going to be in your boat to make sure you reach it, if you put your trust in him.
Watch this … [v.22] “ … And they launched forth.”
I like that. They launched forth. You see -- they didn’t have to organize a committee to look into lake crossings or have a rummage sale or take up a second offering, but they launched forth. Let me tell you something. It takes faith to launch forth, it takes faith to build a Family Life Center, and it takes faith to finish the course. Many have launched forth in certain areas in our life, but like the disciples in this text, have misplaced or lost your faith before you finished. Something somewhere along the way caused you to lose sight of your destination and to become unsure of what the Lord had spoken to you.
But I want to let you know that, it doesn’t matter how black the storm looks or how bleak the future, if we are doing what this Word of God says to do we will pass over to the other side. We will build a Family Life Center -- We will accomplish what God has given us to do.
Now put your hands together and praise God what he has already done for Monument of Love and what he is about to do.
*** Turn to your neighbor and say neighbor, we will build a Family Life Center, [repeat] now give God some more praise.
Listen, we have God’s Word. If we stand on it, cling to it, and believe it, the Word of God will come to pass in our lives. [Psalm 37:5] “Commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Sometimes storms come when we are running from God’s will. Jonah is a perfect example of this. You know the story … God had called him to go to a land that he didn’t want to go to. So Jonah ran and found himself running into a major storm and almost lost his life in the process. Jonah’s storm came because he was outside of God’s will for his life.
Also, storms can come when we have attitude problem about God. Zechariah fails to believe an angel’s message from God about his wife having a son and is struck with blindness for a time. This was a storm that came into his life because he had a doubting attitude about what God wanted to do in his life.
Another time storms come into our lives is when we have unconfessed sin.
Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 tell an outright lie concerning their giving and it cost them dearly -- it cost them their lives -- I think that would qualify as a major storm!
Storms also come when we are right in the middle of God’s will. These disciples were exactly where Jesus told them to go. It was Jesus who said, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” [v.22]. It was Jesus that led them out there, and the reality is that storms come even when we are in the middle of God’s will.
The question is are you ready for the storm?” Or do you underestimate the storms power. Often times when tragedies come our way … it catches us off guard. If I could have seen this thing about happen … I would not have bought this car. If I had know that those folk was about to lay be off I would not have created this credit card bill. Only if I had listen to my financial advisors … why did this have to happen at this time in my life. Were you ready for the storm? Or did you say --- it just water -- water never hurt nobody. Well make it to heaven and ask Noah what all of the naysayers of his day said when God closed the doors to the ark and it stated to rain -- do you think they said water, never hurt nobody.
I want each member of this church and every guest here today to understand that we will all face storms in our life. There is not a person here today that will never face a difficult time in their life. In fact the Bible says that in this life we will have tribulation. But I’m glad it goes on to say but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. The Bible also says that man’s days upon the earth are few and full of trouble. So don’t be discouraged we will have:
Ø Difficulties
Ø Troubles
Ø Trials
Ø Hard times
Ø Problems
But there is encouragement found in our text today -- that as the storm rages, the waves crash and the fears grow, that we can go to the Lord and find peace in Him. I know that we are facing a very difficult time here in the city -- and it is hard thing to explain to people that haven’t never experience any type of tragedy, but one thing is certain. When you are grounded in your relationship with Christ, there is a peace that does pass all understanding and we can accept that all things do work for the good of them that love the Lord, even when we cannot understand why or how any good thing can come out of such an awful thing. When we turn to Christ in the midst of out storms, at least inside of us, He will quite the waves and make the winds stop howling and we can lie down and rest in peace.
Now I want to move on here, but let me say this there is a common misconception that if we don’t follow God, we experience storms, and when we do follow God we don’t. There’s only one problem with that line of thinking -- it’s not biblical. Jesus teaches in Matthew 5, “He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong.”
That’s why storms reveal our faith in God’s plan. It’s easier to understand facing a storm outside of God’s will, but to face a storm in the middle of God’s will is much more difficult to handle. We are tempted to ask, “Do I really want to follow God’s plan?”
I was traveling home from Chattanooga a few months ago and I came up on major construction. Traffic was slow and tensions were high as I inched along the busy highway. I began to think, “I’ve got to get out of this traffic. Is there any other way to get to where I’m going?” I saw an exit and I decided to take it to try to find some other way. Big mistake! I ended up driving on a route vice a freeway and the trip took me about an hour longer than it would have had I just stayed on the highway.
Now I said all of that to say … when we are following God and storms come, we’re tempted to doubt God’s plan for us. You and I are tempted to think, “Isn’t there some other way?” Here’s a word of advice -- Never take the exit ramp off God’s will! If you do, you are a cruising for a bruising. You are always better off to just hang on.
Storms reveal our faith in God’s will. The question is -- Are we going to stick with His plan and His direction or are we going to take the exit ramp and try to make it some other way. Taking the exit ramp off God’s will always leads to more frustration, more pain and nobody has ever said, “I’m so glad I disobeyed God’s will.” But I hear people say all the time, “If I had only followed God’s will, my life would have turned out so much different.”
Storms reveal something else about us.
#2. Storms reveal our faith in God’s protection.
Jesus really gets on these disciples case here. He says, “Where is your faith?” Why did Jesus say this? Because of the obvious fear they had written all over their faces. They were acting as though they didn’t have a God that could handle the situation. Many times our faith is like the mysterious umbrella that most of us have. We know we have it, but on sunny days we keep moving it out of our way pushing it from one place to another. One day when it is raining we don’t know where it is.
That is just like these disciples. They are in the boat with Jesus and they are following the will of God and they still thought they were going to die! Their storm revealed their faith (or lack of faith) in God’s protection. And we do the same thing when we begin to fear and panic when storms come.
There are some truths we need to be reminded of concerning our God. God’s desire is to P.R.O.T.E.C.T. you!
Ø God is Powerful.
Ø God is Righteous.
Ø God is Omnipresent.
Ø God is Trustworthy.
Ø God is Eternal.
Ø God is Caring
Ø God is Triumphant.
When we find ourselves in the middle of the storm, our true faith in God’s protection is revealed. There is a third thing that is revealed about us when we are in the middle of the storm.
#3. Storms reveal our faith in God’s presence.
Walk with me
[v.23] But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
You know, one of the most astounding elements to this story is that while the disciples fear for their lives, Jesus is sleeping. Have you ever felt that way? You’re going through the storm of your life and it seems like God is sleeping. Of course we know from scripture Psalm 121 that God “… shall neither slumber nor sleep.” But you know hat I mean, if we are willing to admit it -- I think that most of have at one point in time in out life. But wait let me paint the picture so that you can see exactly where I’m going with this and how we to can lose faith in the presence of God.
[v.23] The scripture does not say it ... but we can see panic starting to set in. We can only imagine how they must have felt and reacted. I can use my imagination and see the 12 disciples grabbing hold of the sides of the boat. Trying to bail the water out. Their eyes as big as silver dollars. I have to wonder if the thought ever came into the minds of the disciples to abandon ship -- the little bit of security they had at that moment. It seems foolish to leave what security they had. But it happens so often when people find themselves in the midst of the storm. Sometimes they leave the security of the Church. Sometimes they take the nearest exit and turn their back on God. The pew psychologist and counselors often tell other people who are going through difficulties that the church is their problem and they should leave and go somewhere else. However, that is like telling someone to jump out of the boat and into the storm. You see … the disciples had forgotten who was in the boat with them. I want you to picture the situation here. The disciples are in total panic. They are trying to hold on so they can stay in the boat. They are doing all they can to get the water out of the boat so the boat doesn’t sink. And there’s Jesus, sleeping like a baby.
You might think, “Why doesn’t Jesus do something. What is He waiting for?” I’m under the firm belief that he was waiting for them to turn to Him and the same things hold true for us, God has not left us, but He is waiting at times for us to turn to him. When we are in the midst of the storm we need to do what the disciples did and turn to Jesus. The problem was that when the disciples turned to Jesus that they did so out of panic and not really seeking help. We can see it as they cried out, “Master, master, we perish…”
Ø Have you ever felt like the disciples felt that day? Your life was progressing along nicely -- the sun was shining, the winds were calm, the water smooth -- and then all of the sudden “BAM” the storm hits your life. The breath is knocked out of you
Ø Your knocked off of your feet
Ø The waves break over you
Ø You hardly know what hit you
Ø It takes you by surprise
Ø You look up to Heaven and say “Don’t you see what is going on down here? Can’t you tell that I’m drowning? Don’t you care that I’m in trouble?
Well I think I’m preaching this morning to someone this morning that feels just like that. Someone who feels that their life is covered with:
Ø Problems
Ø Storms
Ø Difficulties
Ø Sickness
Ø Trials
I’m preaching to someone today that feels like the waves of adversity are beating against the sides of your life. Nothing is stable, nothing is grounded, but everything is shaking.
I’m preaching to someone who feels like your life is full of problems and you are in jeopardy. Everything seems to be going wrong. You look up and say “God don’t you care? Just when I’m living for you like I should. Just when I’m doing the right things in my life.
I’m preaching to someone who may be feeling like Job did when he said in chapter 23:8-10
“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
When you are going through your storms of life … try and remember the trial of Abraham. His whole life was a trial. When you get home look over in Genesis chapter 22:11-14
“And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: …” which being interpreted means that the Lord will provide.
Ø David went through trials
Ø Moses had storms in his life
Ø Elijah had difficult times
Ø Jacob faced adversity [his brother wanted to kill him]
Ø Peter was tried
Ø Joseph sure had his share of hard times [his wife was pregnant and the baby wasn’t his]
Ø Daniel had the lion’s den
Ø The 3 Hebrews had the fiery furnace
Ø Jesus had a cross and a lost world
What am I trying to say this morning¸ that there will be storms in your life.
Ø Storms that will rock you and shake you.
Ø Storms that will test your faith.
Ø Storms that will bring adversity your way.
Ø Storms that will knock the breath out of you.
But here is what I really want you to know this morning. Listen close! The songwriter said it best … I’m so glad that troubles don’t last always. NO, NO, NO, trouble doesn’t last always. The storm will not last forever!!!! There will always be a storm that is nothing unusual but they will not last forever. As real as your pain is right now it will one day be gone. As real as your problem is right now it will one day be taken care of.
Ø When my work on earth is done, at the setting of the sun, I am going to my home over there.
Ø I will walk the golden stair, and be free from every care, I’ll be happy in my home over there.
Ø In my home over there that my Lord did prepare, there is peace there is joy everywhere.
Ø I will see his face so fair, and a starry crown I’ll wear; I’ll be happy in my home over there.
Well what are you talk about preacher? Well the old folks use to say; some glad morning when this life is over, I’ll fly away to the other side.
So if you going through a storm in your life and you want to make it to the other side -- do like the disciples and call on Jesus. He is the only one who can:
Ø Comfort in the midst of crisis;
Ø Help in the midst of hopelessness,
Ø Give you Peace in the midst of perplexity,
Ø Solutions in the midst of problems,
Ø Wealth in the midst of poverty,
Ø Stability for our stumbling,
Ø Victory for our battles,
Ø Deliverance from our defeats,
Ø Forgiveness for our faults,
Ø Faith for our fears, and
Ø Light for our darkness!
If you are going through a storm in you life -- Invite you to call on Jesus who can turn your:
Ø Burdens into blessings,
Ø Our shame into His sunshine,
Ø Our loneliness into His love,
Ø Our guilt into His glory,
Ø Our sorrow into His joy,
Ø Our torments into His triumphs,
Ø Our weakness into His strength,
Ø And our heartaches into His hallelujahs!
It doesn’t matter how difficult and painful your circumstances are, if you have given your life to Jesus, He will get you through them. No matter if you face failure, betrayal, disease, or even death, God will bear you through it. You are precious to God, and no matter what it feels like, He hasn’t forgotten you. He hasn’t deserted you, and He hasn’t let you slip through His fingers. Listen to what Jesus said in Luke 12:6-7 “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
So the next time your situation makes you feel as if you’ve been sucked in, washed up and blown over don’t be afraid. If you have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son, and if the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, then keep hanging on. Let the power of God carry you through the trial you face. In addition, thank God that He loves you enough to use this difficult circumstance to help you face the future He has in store for you.
Closing:
Perhaps you are in the middle of the storm of your life. If you are, I pray that your faith has been strengthened this morning. Never doubt God’s plan, God’s protection, or His presence in your life!
Now I want to speak directly to those of you who have never given your life to Christ. Have you ever felt that the storms of life were overwhelming you? If you have, then you have to ask yourself this question. “Do I want to face these storms alone?” You don’t have to. The good news of Jesus Christ is that He offers you the opportunity to give your life to Him, and He will protect you, provide for you, and carry you through the storm. But you have to be willing to do what the disciples in the boat did. You have to ask Him to save you and trust Him enough to respond to Him in faith.
