ARE YOU TRAVELING WITH JESUS?
- Matthew 8:18-27
Can you imagine being with Jesus that day? Can you imagine what it must have been like seeing Jesus heal all of those people? Matthew doesn’t make it exactly clear how much time chapter 8 covers, but imagine seeing Jesus heal a leper, and then to heal a Centurion’s without even going to the man’s home. Then Jesus and his disciples went to Peter’s mother-in-law’s house and healed her when she was sick (which, by the way, means Peter was married). After healing her, in the same chapter, we read that Jesus cast out demons, and healed everyone that was brought to Him. It was a busy time. It was an exciting time.
I don’t imagine, however, that any of it was as exciting as traveling with Jesus in the boat across the Sea of Galilee. This passage tells us that as they were traveling across the Sea, Jesus was so tired that He fell asleep in the boat. While He was sleeping, a storm came up. The wind was blowing, the rain was falling, and the waves got so high that they threatened to sink the boat.
Now think about it for a minute. Peter & his brother were fishermen. They had fished and traveled on this sea, on this large lake many times before. They had been through storms on the lake before. So, it must have been some kind of storm to get those storm-hardened fishermen upset. But, they got upset. It was so bad they got downright scared.
Out of fear, they went to Jesus and woke Him up. … And Jesus spoke. Suddenly, the wind stopped. The rain stopped. The waves stopped. It became perfectly calm.
Oh my friend, can you imagine seeing Jesus perform such a miracle? Can you imagine seeing Jesus do something so miraculous? Let me tell you my friend, if you want to see Jesus work in such mighty ways you have to be traveling with Jesus. Sadly, not everyone is. Let’s go back for a minute and look again at 2 men who missed the boat. Two men who believed they were disciples, but who ended up not traveling with Jesus after all.
- Read Matthew 8:19-20
I. IF YOU ARE A DISCIPLE YOU MUST
1. Make Jesus __BOSS__ - v19
This man came calling Jesus “teacher”. He saw Jesus doing some great stuff. Perhaps he heard Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount, and he was impressed. He wanted to get in on what was going on. So he came and said, …
Did you notice what he was emphasizing when he spoke to Jesus? He emphasized himself and his commitment, rather than Jesus.
My friend, Jesus will not settle for a religion that’s all about you. He won’t settle for being just your teacher. He must be the Boss.
2. Put Jesus __FIRST__ - vv 21-22
The second would be disciple said, “Jesus, I’ll follow you, but let me go bury my father first.” Now, I do not believe the man’s father had passed away. If he had, the man probably wouldn’t have been there to hear Jesus in the first place. In those days they didn’t do much embalming and such, so when a person passed away, it was imperative that the funeral be taken care of immediately. No, I don’t believe his father had passed.
Truthfully, I doubt whether his father was even sick at the time. The phrase “to bury your father” was a common figure of speech in the near east that referred to a son’s responsibility to help his father in the family business until his father died and the inheritance was distributed.
No, the 2nd disciple didn’t want to risk losing his inheritance by committing himself to following Jesus fully. He wanted to be identified with Jesus by name, but the focus of his life was on his personal prosperity and well-being.
My friend, if you are truly a disciple of Jesus Christ, then Jesus must be first in your life. He must come before your family, and what they think. He must be more important than your inheritance, your job, and your financial security.
These men decided they had other priorities, so they missed the boat. They no longer traveled with Jesus.
But let me tell you, if you decide that Jesus is going to be the Boss in your life, if you decide to make Him first above everyone and everything else, if you decide to travel with Jesus, there are several items you can expect.
II. IF YOU TRAVEL WITH JESUS YOU WILL
1. Have _DIFFICULTIES__ - vv 23-24
There will be storms in your life. Traveling with Jesus, being a disciple of His does not do away with the storms. Daniel & the lions. Shadrack, Meshack, & Abednego. David & Saul.
Karl & Marlene & their house.
2. Have your __FAITH__ _TESTED__ - v26
Some of the difficulties that come will shake you to your roots & test your faith. They will drive you to the point where you have no place to look but up.
3. See God __WORK__ in mighty ways – v26
No one but those traveling with Jesus saw Him calm the storm. Daniel didn’t see the lion’s mouths closed until he was among them. Sadrack … didn’t see Jesus walking with them until they were in the fire. The Israelites never saw water come from a stone nor manna come from heaven until they were at the end of themselves & following God in a desert.
My friend, how can you expect to see God work miraculously, if you are never in a place, if you never follow Jesus where faith and miracles are required? …
4. Be __USED___ in mighty ways
The disciples were used by God to turn the world upside down.
My friend, you can play it safe, and stay on the bank. You can trust your future to your planning, and your inheritance. You can stay comfortable, but you will never make a difference like that.
Billie Hanks once said, “You will win no more people and exert no more influence for the Savior than the quality of your life allows.”
The choice is yours.
