NBBC SMWS 7-30-23; Luke 8, Trust God's Word Because Jesus is Demonstrably God

Theme Verse: Luke 8:25 “And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

Theme: Trust God’s Word because Jesus is Demonstrably God.

FCF: When difficulties arise, we are tempted to be hopeless instead of trusting Jesus’ Word.

Introduction: This morning, the choir sang for you the Navy Hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.” It’s an appropriate hymn for the Navy as it’s a prayer to our Triune God to provide safety to those “in peril on the sea.”

What’s fascinating is how each verse systematically relates information about each member of the Trinity so as to provide the confidence to pray for protection for those experiencing the dangers of sea travel.

If you would, turn back to #643 in your hymnal and I want to review each suggested evidence of each member of the Trinity that would motivate confident prayer for those on a dangerous sea voyage.

V. 1: We pray to God the Father because He powerfully restricts the waves and appoints their limit.

V. 2: We pray to Jesus our Savior because He also exercised authority over the sea by walking on it and rebuking it, after being rudely awakened by His disciples.

V. 3: We pray to the Holy Spirit as He exercised authority over the waters of the earth from the beginning of creation.

V. 4: We pray to our Triune God Who loves His children and is powerful enough to provide protection regardless of the threat.

At this point, you might be wondering about the point of this exercise.

While I would hope that we would affirm the truthfulness of this song, where does this song find its authority to proclaim such truths?

God’s Word, right?

But where in God’s Word?

What I want to explore in today’s message is the biblical basis for the truths that the choir sang.

My primary goal is to encourage you that the songs that we sing are more that just nice lyrics.

These songs are built on the truths of God’s Word!

It’s no wonder that Paul encourages us to use music to remind us of the truths of God’s Word as music makes those truths more memorable (Col 3:16).

Additionally, I want to challenge you to consider what specific truths of God’s Word other hymns proclaim.

Take our review today of this song as a challenge.

The challenge that I want to give to you is to look at our hymnal and choose a particular hymn, maybe even your favorite hymn, and look for the Scriptural truth that the hymn proclaims.

Upon completing this challenge, share your findings with someone else, maybe even in our church family to encourage them.

Today, I want to share with you how the Lord has used this message in my heart by look at Luke 8:22-25.

Transition: Before looking Luke 8, I want for us to consider some important background information since we’re jumping part way into Luke’s Gospel.

Luke background: Luke has written the first of his two-part work consisting of this Gospel and Acts addressed to an otherwise unknown individual named Theophilus.

Setting forward his purpose Luke 1:1-4, Luke wants to lay out for Theophilus the details of what Luke has carefully investigated so that Theophilus may confidently know the things that Theophilus has been taught, specifically about Jesus Christ.

Therefore, what we have in Luke’s Gospel is Luke’s endeavor to accurately record events related to the life of Jesus Christ but not just for the purpose of accuracy, although that is important.

It’s for the more important purpose of reinforcing the truth that Theophilus has already been taught.

Context: While an in depth contextual review of Luke 1-7 is a bit beyond our scope, let’s consider the immediate context of Luke 8.

Since we’re coming into Luke 8 skipping over the first 21 verses, I believe that it’s important to trace out a particular theme found in this passage for greater context.

Luke 8:1 begins with a reference to Jesus’ preaching ministry and the faith-filled response of support given by certain women.

Their example of voluntary support suggests heart of gratitude transformed by the Word of God that Jesus proclaimed.

Hence, Jesus’ preaching sets the tone for the passage before us, unifying it with the theme of God’s Word and the proper response.

Luke 8 continues in vv. 4-15 with Jesus’ parable of the sower reminding us that God’s Word must be received in such a way that one’s life produces the appropriate fruit or evidence of it having been received.

Luke 8:16-18 demonstrates that good fruit: we also share in proclaiming Christ’s kingdom; we cannot keep God’s Word to ourselves but must proclaim it to all. In a manner similar to the purpose of a light for all to see instead of being hidden, we proclaim God’s Word as evidence that we have received it by faith, like the good soil.

Luke 8:19-21 helpfully reminds us that, upon receiving God’s Word by faith, we are made part of God’s family - we have been transformed!

Transition: In the first half of Luke 8, there’s been an emphasis on the message that Jesus proclaims and how, in taking root in one’s life, brings them into God’s family producing a faith-filled proclamation of the same message received by a grateful heart.

However, there’s a question that arises. What confidence do we have in this message that Jesus proclaims about the kingdom?

As we consider this question, I also want to point out to us along the way what I refer to as hallmarks of God’s sovereignty. These are OT passages that I’ve run across in my study that not only teach us about God’s powerful ruling of His creation but also about Jesus Himself.

Luke 8:22-25 “22 Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out.

Upon seeing the phrase, “Now on one of those days,” we get the impression that, this scene occurs after the prior incidents that we reflected on.

It gives us the impression that there’s nothing initially significant about this day that would make it stand out in terms of the special events that would occur briefly.

It’s a day just like any other according to the expectation of the disciples.

Thus, the Holy Spirit’s inclusion of this event here is more than just chronological but thematic: God’s Word providing that theme.

We see here Jesus suggesting to His disciples to go ahead and take the route that He’s offered to them.

In a sense, the disciples are responding to the Word of God.

Herein, it’s the Word of God leading them.

Notice also how the disciples responded to God’s Word through Jesus.

They responded with the action appropriate to the word that they received.

This is obedience!

Hence, they’re patterning for us the correct response to God’s Word that the Lord has proclaimed in the passage so far.

Let’s think about this.

Where was it that God’s Word was going to lead them?

Right into a storm!

Do you think that the disciples were expecting to be led into a storm?

It’s possible as the Sea of Galilee is so situated that these kinds of storms that appear suddenly and happen quite frequently.

The area around the Sea of Galilee is surrounded by hills.

The Golan Heights and Mount Arbel contribute to creating winds that work in producing the fierce storms such as what is referenced in this passage.

Yet, as we’re going to see, the storm’s behavior is more than just a force of nature.

But also, in light of the prior verses, we’re reminded that the One leading His disciples through the storm has made all Who respond to Him in faith His family.

This suggests His love for His disciples.

Therefore, even though Jesus will lead His disciples into a storm, He no less loves them!

The fact that Jesus was leading His disciples into a storm, reminds us of what Jesus said to His disciples in John 16.

John 16:33 “33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

We’re not guaranteed that following the Lord and His Word are going to result in our lives being rosy!

This is why Jesus will call on His disciples of all times to take up their cross and follow Him (Lk 9:23).

This is also why Paul will tell Timothy that all who desire to live godly will face persecution (2 Ti 3:12).

However, as God’s children by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can face these challenges that the Lord Himself leads you through knowing that He loves you and is with you, as He was with His disciples in the boat.

23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

What’s interesting is how this verse begins with focusing on their activity of sailing and then references that Jesus fell asleep.

This suggests that conditions were initially such that one could peacefully fall asleep with no thought of any threats arising in the near future.

This is not to suggest that Jesus was ignorant of what He was leading His disciples into.

Instead, it’s to draw us to considering the implied serenity of the scene initially.

We can almost imagine the serene scene before us as maybe the disciples are reflecting on the day and their experiences with Jesus over hushed tones recognizing the need for their Master to rest.

This is probably as good a time as any to reflect on the fact that God was in the boat with the disciples.

Yet, Jesus is both God and man, man Who experiences weakness and the need for rest.

As quickly as the disciples set sail and were likely enjoying a serene evening, it is interrupted with a storm.

What’s incredibly fascinating is that the term that is used here for the “fierce gale” to describe the “wind” is used in Job 38:1 to describe the Lord’s speaking to Job from the storm.

This suggests something very significant about the descent of the storm.

This storm did not come as a result of mindless, natural forces.

This storm did not arise purely because of the natural conditions associated with the area.

This storm arose because it was fully under the control of the Lord, the One Who sleeps in the boat.

Additionally, the passage begins with the activity of Jesus and the disciples in sailing, continues with Jesus’ activity of sleeping, and then culminates with the storms activity of “descend[ing]” or coming down on the body of water that Jesus and His disciples are traversing present to the passage; hence, there’s a lot going on at once.

Notice also how the disciples are described in the boat in this passage.

“[They] began to be swamped.”

The literal idea is that of filling up.

We can imagine the boat filling with water to the extent that the Holy Spirit describes the whole event as being dangerous; dangerous, that is, because the boat was sinking.

Remember, Jesus, the One Who is still sleeping at this point, led them into this!

If Jesus is God, He knew full well what He was leading His disciples into!

Did you catch how the Holy Spirit summarizes the scene?

They were in danger!

This term is used in Jonah 1:4 to describe the real threat of the sea storm to Jonah and the sailors headed to Tarshish.

Specifically, the passage attributes that storm in Jonah’s day to the Lord that would threaten the ship both he and the sailors had made their journey in, another hallmark of God’s control!

24 They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.

I couldn’t help but wonder as I considered this passage, what the disciples expected Jesus to do.

So far, He’s cast out demons (Luk 4) healed the sick (Lk 4-7; Peter’s mother-in-law, cleansed a leper, restored a paralytic, restored a hand, and a centurion’s servant).

They’ve never seen Jesus exercise authority over a storm according to Luke’s recounting.

We can hear the urgency in their voices through calling Jesus “Master” twice.

But also, we detect a tone of hopelessness in the use of the phrase “perishing.”

These guys did not believe that they were going to make it out of the storm alive.

Hence, This is quite the storm.

While the disciples may have expected Jesus to help them get the water out or otherwise, Jesus does something quite different.

He rebukes both the wind and “the surging waves.”

The phrase translated “surging waves” was used in Jonah 1 to describe just how terrible a storm the Lord sent in pursuit of Jonah!

It suggests that just as the Lord was in control of the storm in Jonah’s day so also is He in control of the storm before both He and His disciples!

The term “rebuke” is a fascinating one.

What kind of action is being described here?

Verbal.

In other words, Jesus did not attempt to physically wrest the wave and restrain the wind.

Instead, Jesus’ Words carry authority, the same authority of God.

It’s used consistently in the Psalms to refer to the Lord’s action towards the Red Sea to deliver His people from the Egyptians, both in walking on dry ground (Ps 106:9) and then in swallowing up the army of Pharaoh (Ps 76:6).

Other passages in the OT clearly identify the Lord as the only One Who can rebuke the sea and it obeys His command (2 Sam 22:16; Ps 18:15; Ps 104:7; Is 50:2; Nah 1:4).

The impression that we get from this episode is that there’s no delay in the transformation of the weather.

In one instant, all is calm.

No one has power like this!

Only Jesus does!

25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?””

With Jesus asking His disciples, “Where is your faith?” He’s making an observation about His disciples.

In that moment, they were not exercising faith.

It’s fascinating that Jesus hones in on their lack of trust.

He does not challenge the reality of the dangerous nature of the circumstances.

Instead, Jesus has identified that they have had some faltering in their faith in this moment.

Remember, Jesus told them to go to the other side of the lake/sea.

The disciples have Jesus’ Word that is leading them, even in something as what would otherwise be as mundane as sailing in a boat!

Apparently, through Jesus’ statement, He’s identified the condition of their heart that, in their cry of desperation, He uncovered a lack of trust.

Notice how the disciples’ response changes from fearing for their lives.

Do they immediately respond with gratitude?

No.

Their object of fear changes!

The Holy Spirit describes them as both fearful and amazed.

When we combine these attitudes with their question, we’re meant to conclude that their attitude was directed towards Jesus Himself - they were fearful and amazed at Jesus!

This combination of words appears only here in the New Testament and then also in Daniel 4:19.

In Daniel 4:19, Daniel has just received an interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from the Lord concerning the humbling of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel’s response is not only to the meaning of the dream but also the awesome power of the Lord to humble such a powerful king.

Thus, the attitude of Daniel was directed towards an act of God that suggests something about Jesus’ identity.

Additionally, they are prompted to ask a question.

“Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

They question Jesus’ identity based on His demonstration of incredible power.

This is power that they had yet to see Jesus demonstrate, as suggested by their question.

Did you notice that the Holy Spirit did not record their follow-up conversation in answer to their question?

I mean, do we really think that the disciples just left the discussion there? (I would find it hard to believe if they did!)

Why does the Holy Spirit record this event in this fashion, leaving it with the disciples’ question?

Because we’re meant to consider the same question for ourselves.

Based on Jesus’ display of power through His Word, what conclusion are we meant to arrive at about Jesus’ identity?

He is God.

If you recall, when Jesus is described by the Holy Spirit as “rebuking” the wind and waves, He’s doing what only God is described as doing in the Old Testament!

I want to close by considering how Jesus’ awesome display among His disciples that He is God relates to us today.

Initially, we see the disciples respond hopelessly to their circumstances that Jesus led them to.

This is evidenced by the fact that they urgently shared with Jesus their perspective on the storm, we are perishing.

But also, it’s evident from Jesus’ response to them by asking, “Where is your faith?” Or “where is your trust?” Or “Don’t you trust Me?”

Remember, not only was Jesus with them but both His initial statement to them about going to the other side and asking about their faith suggest that the disciples focused on their perilous circumstances rather than Jesus’ direction/Word to sail to the other side of the sea.

The point here being that, when threatening circumstances arise, we’re all tempted to be hopeless rather than trusting the Lord and His direction of our lives through His Word.

In sharing this, I’m not minimizing either the disciples’ or our circumstances.

The danger referenced in the passage and the disciples’ exclamation of perishing all highlight real threats!

However, the disciples saw no way through these threats because they were focused on the circumstances rather than the Word of Christ and His presence with them.

Additionally, this does not mean that life is going to go the way that we always envision.

Think about it, Jesus led His disciples through a very dangerous storm!

The ideal response from the disciples would have been to trust Jesus’ Word, even through the perilous time on the sea.

Before we’re too hard on the disciples, we must remember that we, just like they are human.

Therefore, we’re capable of the same temptation to hopelessness as these disciples!

I can’t necessarily say that I’ve been in an immediate circumstance that has led me to conclude that I might lose my life.

However, I have been in a string of circumstances where I did not know how things were going to fare in the end.

There have been times where I was worried about how someone was going to receive what I needed to share with them from God’s Word.

In those moments, I’ve been tempted to think, it’s hopeless because they probably won’t see things from God’s Word the way that I’m Pointing out and I’ll ruin that relationship.

However, I’ve completely discounted the Word of God to change hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, I’ve succumbed to the same hopeless attitude of the disciples.

You might be here and have experienced something similar or something else.

Transition: what gives us the confidence to face even the worst of circumstances with hope?

The Divine Identity-Demonstrating Power of Christ gives us every reason to act on the Word of God in Faith and to approach every circumstance in hope.

This hope must be centered on Jesus Christ for everything else will prompt us to despair, just like the disciples!

Jesus has given us every reason to trust His Word because, in His power over nature, He has demonstrated that He is God, just like we considered earlier.

Keep in mind that His power over nature is not the only demonstration of divine power that He exhibits.

He will exercise authority over demons with the Gerasene demoniac.

He will exercise authority over health with the woman who hemorrhaged for 12 years.

He will even exercise authority over death and life and restoring a girl to life at the conclusion of this chapter.

Jesus’ authority over the weather is just a sampling of His divine-nature demonstrating power!

Conclusion: In this review of Luke 8:22-25 we must ask ourselves, what is the relationship between it and the song that the choir sang? In the passage before us, Jesus demonstrated that He is God by doing what only God can do, stilling the weather that He created. Jesus implicitly identifies that the response to God (Himself) based on this demonstration of power is to confidently trust Him more, even when He leads His people through difficult times. The song that the choir sang reflects just such a confident expression of trust by praying to Jesus Who stills the storm because He is God. Therefore, we’re prompted to ask ourselves in reflection, When chaotic circumstances arise, do we turn to God’s Word or focus on circumstances?

There are two resources that I want to encourage you to consider adding to your home. First, Sovereign Grace Music produced a song entitled “The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)” that reflects the glorious authority that the Lord exercises over all of His creation as demonstrated through commanding the mighty forces of the seas. Additionally, there’s a series of children’s books entitled “Tales That Tell the Truth” that created a storybook around this event entitled “The Storm That Stopped” that we love to read with Harold. If you were to visit “thegoodbook.com” you’ll also find more resources to use in reading the book with your family.

It might be that you’re here and you have no relationship with the One that we talked about today Whose Word turned the turbulent sea into calm. The Bible describes that the Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect life of obedience and sacrificially died on the cross for sin, rising from the dead victoriously and would never die again so that all who believe in Him as their Savior would be given new life, eternal life with God. If you’d like to know more about what it means to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your only Savior from sin, come and talk with me.