The Best Type Of Stress!

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). Jesus stresses the importance of listening (vs 19-22)

(2). Luke stresses the seriousness of the storm (vs 23-24).

(3). Luke stresses the authority and power of Jesus (vs 24).

(4). Luke stresses the response of the disciples (vs 25).

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• The Queen's former protection officer, Richard Griffin,

• Shared this story with The Times newspaper.

• He was out walking with the Queen on the Queens Scottish estate,

• When they met a group of American tourists.

• One of the groups failing to recognise the Queen,

• Asked her if she lived in the area,

• With her responding saying that she had a house nearby,

• (aka Balmoral Castle).

• The tourists then inquiringly asked if she'd ever met the Queen,

• With the monarch gesturing to her protection officer Richard and saying,

• "No, but this policeman has."

• You'd think that the Queen's comment might have given her identity away,

• But it did not,

• The group simply moved on with no idea of who they'd just met.

• TRANSITION: We might find it hard to believe,

• That you can be in the presence of royalty and not even know!

• Two-thousand years ago, the King of Kings,

• Walked on planet earth and many failed to recognise him.

• But this incident of Jesus calming the storm,

• Helped to open the disciples’ eyes as to who Jesus was!

(1). Jesus stresses the Importance of Listening (vs 19-22)

“Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.””

• Quote: A Turkish proverb teaches,

• ‘That if speaking is silver, then listening is gold.’

Ill:

• Erik Weihenmayer (WINE-mayor) is known as a world-class athlete.

• He’s a skydiver, a paraglider and a marathon runner.

• That in itself is impressive but eric is also blind,

• He suffers from a degenerative eye disease,

• Which meant he lost his sight when he was just 13 years old.

• But that didn't stop him climbing up a mountain,

• Where 90 percent of climbers never make it to the top,

• And 165 climbers have died trying since 1953.

• Yet on May 25, 2001, he reached the peak of Mt. Everest.

• Erik succeeded, in large measure because he listened well.

• He listened to the little bell tied to the back of the climber in front of him,

• So, he would know what direction to go.

• He listened to the voice of teammates who would shout back to him,

• "Death fall two feet to your right!"

• He listened to the sound of his pick jabbing the ice,

• So, he would know whether the ice was safe to cross.

• When we face a dangerous situation,

• Listening may well make all the difference.

THESE VERSES REALLY CONCLUDE LAST WEEK’S STUDY:

• Jesus told two parables,

• The parable of the Sower (vs 1-15) & the parable of a lamp on a stand (vs 16-18)

• The punchline from the first parable is verse 15:

• “Who hear the word, retain it.”

• Living Bible: “They listen to God’s words and cling to them.”

• The punchline the first parable is verse 18:

• “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen.”

• TRANSITION:

• Luke then inserts the story about Jesus’ mother and brothers (vs 19-21),

• He does this to stress the importance of obeying Jesus’ teaching.

• Over and above just listening to and even agreeing with his teaching.

• Verse 21b stresses the key truth,

• “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

• In other words, being close to Jesus is not based on biological/ blood relationship,

• But obedience to God’s Word.

• This means that any person, Jew or Gentile, male or female, young or old,

• Rich or poor, Manchester United fans and the others…

• Can be closer to Jesus than his natural mother and brothers were.

• The way to be close to Jesus is to listen carefully to his Word,

• WITH a view to obey it!

Ill:

• A businessman well known for his ruthlessness,

• Once announced to the writer and humourist Mark Twain,

• “Before I die, I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

• I will climb Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud at the top.”

• Mark Twain replied,

• “I have a better idea; you could stay in Boston and keep them.”