Sovereign Over the Storms

Call to Worship:

Main Point/FCF: When we truly understand and embrace Christ’s sovereignty, we can rest peacefully knowing that a good God is in control even when our lives seem out of control.

Text: Mat. 8:23-27

Introduction: Do you know what is the most common repeated phrase in the Bible? It’s not “God is love,” or “don’t sin,” or anything like that. It is this: “Do not be afraid.” Why? Because we humans are fearful people. There’s a lot in this life we simply can’t control, and when bad things happen and life is uncertain, we fear.

But, when we truly understand and embrace Christ’s sovereignty and his goodness, we can rest peacefully knowing that a good God is in control even when our lives seem out of control.

On Wednesday night in our Adult Bible study, we looked at the end of chapter 7 and we saw that Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, claimed authority to establish doctrine and right belief. We also saw in chapter 8 that Jesus exercised authority over sickness and disease by healing the leper, healing the centurion’s servant, and healing Peter’s Mother in law. In last week’s sermon in 8:18-22, we saw Jesus exercising the authority over the lives of his disciples, telling them that their duty to the Kingdom of God is more important than any earthly obligation—even those to family.

Now, in today’s message, we’re going to see Jesus exercise authority over nature itself and even over the supernatural realm.

Recap:

Matthew 5-7—Jesus has authority over doctrine. (esp. Mt. 7:28-29)

Matthew 8:1-17—Jesus has authority over illness.

Matthew 8:18-22—Jesus has authority over his the lives of his disciples.

What we’re seeing is that as the King enters his kingdom, he is exercising authority and dominion over his Kingdom. Authority in a kingdom context is called “Sovereignty.”

Sovereignty = supreme authority (over a kingdom)

What we’re going to see today in these two stories is that King Jesus has authority, or sovereignty, over even nature itself. And when we truly understand and embrace Christ’s sovereignty, we can rest peacefully knowing that a good God is in control, even when our lives seem out of control.

Matthew 8:23–27 ESV

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Prayer

God allowed the storm that nearly sunk the disciples’ boat. (8:24)

Matthew 8:24 ESV

24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

This storm didn’t happen by accident. It was not a “fluke of nature”

God is sovereign over the storms of your life.

Job recognized this truth when tragedy struck his family

Job 1:18–19 ESV

18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Now, it would be easy, as some do, to say “It’s just a freak storm” or chalk it up to an unhappy coincidence.

Or, there are some who actually attempt to argue that God does not have foreknowledge and is not actually in control of the universe—He’s just as shocked and dismayed at tragedy as we are. This is patently false.

Some would, of course, say that it was Satan who struck the house and killed Job’s children—and they would be partly right, because Satan was the agent that did it.

Job, though, knows better than that. He knew that, although Satan may have done it, God was sovereign over all, so whatever came into his life came from God’s hand.

Job 2:10 ESV

10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

I have previously told you the story of the five young missionaries to Ecuador who were speared to death by the Waorani tribe they were trying to reach with the gospel.

Knowing, of course, that the Waorani tribe were notoriously violent and had many violent encounters with outsiders, from our perspective, the deaths of these five men seems almost inevitable.

But, if you read the story, you’ll find that the men and their families took many precautions and were actually making good progress with the people. They had learned bits and pieces of the Waorani language, they had developed a unique method of delivering and exchanging gifts with the Waorani by lowering a bucket from their plane and flying in circles until the bucket stood still below them so the Waorani could get and exchange gifts. They did all of this over the course of weeks, and in fact had already had a successful face-to-face encounter with some of the Waorani.

And there were many other reasons why the deaths of those five men seemed improbable. So much so that Steve Saint, the son of one of the men—Nate Saint—had this to say to say about the event:

“As they described their recollections, it occurred to me how incredibly unlikely it was that the Palm Beach killing took place at all; it is an anomaly that I cannot explain outside of divine intervention...Under these circumstances, it seems hard to believe there ever was an attack; yet there was.”

—Steve Saint

Did you get that? Steve Saint described the murder of his father in the Ecuadorian jungle as “divine intervention.”

And divine intervention it was. Because the very fact that these white outsiders, who were armed with fully working guns but chose not to use them to defend themselves, allowed themselves instead to be killed was a mystery that the Waorani just couldn’t explain.

Furthermore, after the killing one of the women saw what appeared to be men above the trees, singing. She didn't know what this kind of music was until she later heard records of Aunt Rachel's and became familiar with the sound of a choir. Two of the men who speared the missionaries also confirmed that they heard the singing and saw what seemed to be angels along the ridge above Palm Beach. Another man verified hearing the strange music, but described what he saw more like lights, moving around and shining, a sky full of jungle beetles similar to fireflies but with a light that is brighter and didn’t blink. Apparently all the participants saw a bright multitude in the sky and were terrified because they knew it was something supernatural.

These mysteries that they couldn’t explain were some of the main reasons that the Waorani later invited Rachel Saint and other missionaries to come live with them and share the gospel.

All of the men involved in the killing would later repent and trust Christ. The Waorani are a transformed people now, because God, in his sovereignty, allowed a storm.

God allows storms into our lives to draw out and test our faith.

To their credit, the disciples seem to at least have had a head knowledge that Jesus had the power to save them. In their desperation, they cried out “Save us, Lord!”

But, Jesus used this opportunity to reveal that their faith was weak. They came to Jesus, but they came in fear.

It’s one thing to say we believe that God can calm the storm, but it’s another thing to experience it.

Sometimes God allows us to go through storms in life so that the true nature of our faith (or lack thereof) is revealed, allowing him to calm the sea and demonstrate his power in our lives.

1 Peter 1:6–7 ESV

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was present with his people in the midst of the storm. (8:24-27)

Matthew 8:24–27 ESV

24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

In the storm, look at Jesus, not the waves.

Oftentimes, in the midst of the storms, we focus more on the waves and the problems than we do upon Jesus. If Jesus is asleep in the boat and not worried, then we don’t need to be worried either.

God did not prevent Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from being thrown into the furnace. But he was present with them in the fire.

Daniel 3:24–25 ESV

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

Why are you afraid?

Fear in the midst of the storm comes from one of two lies:

God is not sovereign—doubt that he’s in control/aware of the situation.

This was the error of the disciples, who marveled “What sort of man is this?” They did not understand the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

This is the error of many atheists who think that evil and disasters are proof that God doesn’t exist.

Others, though, say “well, if God is sovereign and allows evil, then...”

God is not good—doubt that the outcome he has planned is ultimately for your good, is fair, just, loving, etc.

This is the error of many who walk away from the faith because of some tragedy in their life.

Many think that if a sovereign God allows pain and suffering, then he cannot be good.

But maybe God just doesn’t conform to your puny, shortsighted, temporal definition of “good.”

Was it “good” that those missionaries—all young husbands and fathers with their lives ahead of them—were murdered in Ecuador?

Was it “good” when Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego were cast into the furnace for refusing to commit idolatry?

Was it “good” when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused by his boss’ wife and thrown in prison to rot?

Romans 8:28 doesn’t say “everything is good for those who love God” it says “all things work together for good”

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Job, near the end of his book, gets close to making this charge.

Job 31:3–4 ESV

3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 Does not he see my ways and number all my steps?

He goes on to show how he has been righteous—he’s kept himself pure, he hasn’t defrauded his workers, etc.

He assumes that, if God brings calamity only on the unrighteous, and Job is not unrighteous, and yet God has brought calamity on him, then God must not be just, fair, or good.

Job 40:6–8 ESV

6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 7 “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 8 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?

If we know that God is sovereign, and we know that he is good, then we can trust that whatever enters our life that does not seem good is something that God has allowed that will ultimately be for our good.

Have you ever wondered why God waited until the last minute to part the Red Sea for the Israelites when they were fleeing Egypt? God sends all these plagues and finally convinces Pharaoh to release the Hebrews. God knows, of course, that Pharoah is going to change his mind, and he knows the route that the Israelites were going to take. God could have had the Red Sea parted and waiting on the Israelites when they arrived, if he’d wanted to. The Israelites could have walked on through to the other side and never seen the Egyptians again.

But that’s not how it went down. God waited until the Egyptian army was closing in behind them and the Israelites were completely trapped. He waited until there was no way out, until all seemed lost. Mothers, fathers, children, the elderly, all trapped and defenseless against an angry army with swords and spears. And then God, in the form of a pillar of fire, stood behind them between them and their enemies all night long while he parted the Red Sea.

Why? So that he could walk through the waters with his people and an entire generation of Israelites would see the power of Almighty God. So that an entire generation would know that God had chosen them and he was with them. So that an entire generation would see the love, grace, and mercy of God that he lavished upon them while they also saw his judgment and wrath poured out upon his enemies who rejected him and refused to believe even when the very presence of God was standing before them.

God did not prevent the Egyptians from catching up to the Hebrews as they exited Egypt, but he did carry them safely through the waters to the other side.

When the storm is upon you and your boat is tossed in the waves and it seems like all hope is lost, look to Jesus for your rest. Remember how he suffered and died on the cross in your place. Remember how he led you out of slavery to sin. Remember how he gave you a name and a purpose and made you his child. Remember all the times that he has provided for you. Remember that he created you and has a purpose for you. And know that he loves you.

Isaiah 43:1–7 ESV

1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. 6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Persistent lack of faith despite witnessing God’s providence is rebellion against the King.

We all struggle to have faith at times and God is patient with us. Jesus gave a gentle rebuke to the disciples, just as God gently rebuked Job.

But, for those who steadfastly refuse to believe despite God’s provision, there is judgement. We see this in Pharaoh and his army (who should have wised up and turned around once they saw the pillar of fire) and also in the Israelites (who complained and refused to trust God during the Exodus).

Lack of faith when God has proven himself time and again is a charge against either God’s sovereignty or his goodness.

The Israelites, despite seeing God’s miracles in the wilderness, were guilty of this.

Psalm 78:11–22 ESV

11 They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them. 12 In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. 14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light. 15 He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. 16 He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers. 17 Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. 18 They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. 19 They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?” 21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel, 22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Psalm 78:32 ESV

32 In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.

Hebrews 3:12 ESV

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Conclusion:

God is sovereign. Jesus is the King and we’re seeing in Matthew that his dominion and his kingdom extends over not just physical diseases and such but even over nature itself. Nothing comes into our lives except that which God allows. And yet, even when bad things happen to good people, God is good. He loves us and has chosen us. He has a purpose in everything and is working all things together for good for those who love God. Trust in his plan, even when you can’t understand it, and do not be afraid.

Benediction: Ps 78.5-7

Psalm 78:5–7 ESV

5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

Discussion Questions:

In what ways can you prepare yourself to trust in God's sovereignty during difficult times?

What two truths can we cling to when we are afraid?

What are some examples in your own life that demonstrate God’s sovereignty?

What are some examples in your life that demonstrate God’s goodness?

What are some scriptures that you can commit to memory that remind you of God’s sovereignty and goodness?