Living Miracles: Full Control
Living Miracles • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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You know I stand up here during football season and I make comments about sports. I love college football, it is one of my favorite times of year. I will spare you all the conversation again because we just had this a few weeks ago. Here is the thing though, the first week of the season my team the Seminoles came out and put Alabama to bed. Those who are Alabama fans felt like it was a start to a horrible season. As a Seminole fan I believed it was the start of an amazing season. One of the challenges to being such a vocal Seminoles fan is when we are not doing well, my friends who are not fans love rubbing it in. One of my friends who is an Alabama fan sent me this picture yesterday. Now I believe in the ability to take it if you give it and so I have to take this one. So why am I bringing this up again? Because there is one specific about college football that every fan of college football can tell you. That one thing is you never know what will happen on any given Saturday. The Seminoles could go unbeaten all year and match up against a struggling Florida team and they will whip us. On the other side if the Gators are winning every game they can face a struggling FL State team and lose the game. There is no way to tell what can happen in college football and that is the fun of watching it. It is not like the NFL where the Jaguars will, well lets move on. Suffice it to say there is no control in College football. Isn't it so exciting that It is not this way with Jesus? There is nothing in life we have to worry about when Jesus is on board the boat with us. This week’s miracle takes us to Luke chapter 8 verses 22-25. In these scriptures we will keep our format we have been using week after week. First we will see the profound proof, Jesus knows what we don't. We will be lead to a cultivated conviction of where is our Faith. Lastly we will see the declared destiny that there is no storm we cannot ride through when Jesus is on board. Turn with me in your Bible to Luke 8:22-25
22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
Profound Proof: Jesus knows What we Don’t
Profound Proof: Jesus knows What we Don’t
22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.
The first thing that I look at in this scripture is that Jesus said the the disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” You might say well what is the big deal about this? The big deal here is that many of Jesus Disciples were fishermen, they lived on the water, they grew up on the water, their families made their living on the water. These men were accustom to looking for signs of storms and understanding the seasons and times, so they could safely navigate the waters. None of these very experienced men stopped Jesus and said to him, we cannot go today because there are storms. That leads me to one of 2 places that we can go. First, there was no sign of this storm because it was not there and it was brought about as a way to teach the disciples who they were truly following. Second, the storm came out of no where and no one had any idea it would be there. The problem with the second line of thinking is, it would be foolish to believe that Jesus was not aware of what was going to happen or when it would happen. Here is what I believe happened. Jesus has been with His disciples for some time now. They understand that He has power from the Holy Spirit and that He claims to be the Messiah. They have see Him fulfil the prophecies and they have seen Him do things that only God could do. The question is do they really believe. Remember what Jesus had said to the official?
48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
Jesus: is going to present his disciples with a real test here. Jesus not only is going to give them a test, He is going to show His spirit. What does it say that Jesus did?
23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.
That’s right, He went to sleep! Jesus is the one who wanted to go on this trip and once they get started on the trip, He goes and falls asleep! While He is asleep a storm rolls up and it is a bad storm that begins to fill the boat with water. I could imagine some of the disciples talking in this moment. How could you not have seen this coming. You know the guys who were not fishermen were looking at the guys who were and were questioning, how in the world did we end up in this storm. Isn’t this what you guys do!?!? I could hear one of them throwing out the, this is why you are not a fisherman any more! Here is the fact, while none of the disciples knew why or how they got there, Jesus knew. Jesus understood the purpose, He knew what was going to happen before they left dock that morning. Here is the truth in your life as well. Jesus knows what is going on. You with all your knowledge, preparation, degrees, financial planning, people skills, dedication to work, with all of these things you may be standing in a spot saying, well how did I get here? Based on everything you are supposed to do, you have done it. The disciples would have done everything they were supposed to do. They checked the skies, they prepared the provisions, they inspected the boat. Everything they did should have kept them out of this storm. Yet with all their knowledge and planning, they still ended up in a storm they could not control. Where are you this morning? Some of you in here are in the middle of a storm that you cannot control and you are unable to keep the boat afloat. Can I help you this morning? Can tell you that Jesus knows right where you are at. The problem for some people in here this morning is that, you set sail with all of your provisions, your wisdom, your degrees, your future plans. You have poured everything into the trip that you were told would help you get to the other side safely but you left Jesus at the dock. You are in the middle of the storm and Jesus is not asleep on your boat, He is at the dock waiting on you to come back and pick Him up. I have good news for you, Jesus can walk on the water in the middle of the storm to get to your boat. It is never too late to let Jesus on board. For some in here, you took Jesus on board, you are doing everything you can to keep things afloat. Can I tell you just hang on, just keep the faith, just remember who is asleep below deck in the middle of the storm. Jesus knows all things, even where you are and how you got there, even if you do not.
As a father, I sometimes do things to help my kids learn. I do things that I know I can control to help them either learn to trust me more, or to teach them that they can do something they did not believe they could do. What they almost never know is that many of the things I teach them, I have already learned myself. I either learned as an adult, or as a child my parents taught me the same things. One of the things I love teaching my children is to trust me. I remember when we lived over here off of Dolphin Ave we had a pool in our back yard and we loved getting in the pool in the summer. I also remembered as a kid going over to my friends homes and I remember their pool was close enough to the house we all used to jump off the roof into the pool. It was an exhilarating feeling. It was empowering. I learned that I could do things that I never knew I could do. How did I learn to do this? I learned because I got up on the roof with one of my best friends and before I could take time to get scared, he pushed me off the roof. After getting to the top of the pool and after a brief moment of fear and anger, I realized I was alive and I could not wait to go and jump on my own. So one of the summers at the house on Dolphin, I was going to teach my kids the same feeling. I set up a ladder to the roof and climbed up there and I jumped into the pool. The kids thought it was great and wanted to try. As any good father would, I said let’s go! My wife was not OK with this. We get up on the roof and Hunter is ready to go but he is afraid. I tried to talk to him and I tried to convince him he would be OK but no amount of talking was going to get him to jump and he was ready to go back down off the roof. So as a good father, I grabbed him and I threw him off the roof into the pool. Now I knew that he was going to have plenty of ability to get to the top of the pool, I knew it was not high enough to hurt him, I had jumped myself. I knew what was going to happen. He came up from the water, screamed at me for a second then came back up the ladder and began to jump himself and loved it! I was able to teach him this, because I knew what was going to happen. Jesus is the same in our lives. There is nothing that happens where Jesus looks at the Holy Spirit and says, well I did not see that coming.
The scripture tells us about Jesus knowing all things.
30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts?
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
There is nothing that Jesus does not know about our lives, even in the middle of the storm. If this is the fact as it was with the Disciples then that leads us to a place of cultivated conviction, Where is our Faith?
Cultivated Conviction and Declared Destiny: Where is our Faith? In Jesus no storm prevails!
Cultivated Conviction and Declared Destiny: Where is our Faith? In Jesus no storm prevails!
24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
Notice here what Jesus said to the disciples. Where is your faith? What was Jesus really saying to the disciples? Jesus was saying, look you all gave up chasing your own dreams, you gave up your regular full time jobs, you committed to following me. Why did you do this? You believe that I am the Messiah. You believe all the things the Prophets spoke of me.
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Jesus said look, you say you believe all these things. If in fact you believe these things, why do you believe that this storm can put a stop to who I am? This storm poses you no threat because I am here, if you truly believed in who I am then you would have understood that this storm holds no power over me. I was sleeping because I knew this storm was of no threat to me. Can I tell you far too many of us walk around as thought the storms we are facing are the end of all things. We look at the mountain and we say there is no way to overcome this mountain. Can I tell you that this is a false statement. No matter what you are facing with Jesus and faith in Him you can overcome any and all storms and mountains in your life.
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
This question Jesus asked the disciples was less of a condemnation of them, it was more of a coaching opportunity. Jesus was saying to them, look walk with peace, walk in peace, understand that I have all things under control. Jesus would later deliver the message to them in a different way.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Most of you in here know my youngest son Rylan. Some of you know him as sweet, Jamie well knows him as, well never mind, they have a special friendship. Most of you know him to be very confident and willing to do just about anything, even things that he should not attempt at his age. The things is that the confidence that Rylan walks around in is not his own confidence. The confidence that Rylan walks around is not my confidence, I as his father tend to let him live with some of his choices. The confidence that Rylan walks around in is his mothers confidence. What I mean by that is Rylan has seen his mother go to bat for him, sometimes warranted, and sometimes even when Rylan did something wrong. My wife is a true mother bear. There are not many things that will get my wife upset, like someone messing with one of her children, saying something to one of her children. Rylan walks around sometimes acting like he can do anything he wants to do, not because he is confident in his ability or rights to do it, but because even if you get on to him, he will just tell his momma, and you do not want to see his momma mad. I avoid it, I have seen some scary things in my life but nothing quite that scary.
This is the same thing that Jesus is saying to His disciples in this question. He is saying look you can walk in confidence, not because you are all fishermen and you can plan for and navigate around storms. No He was telling them, look all of your professional skills have failed you. All of you abilities failed you. So what is it that you can lean on? Me, you can lean on me because I am the Lord and I am the Messiah, I will keep all things together, I will protect you. There are far too many Christians in storms of life cowering as though these storms are the defining moments of life. Far too many people facing struggles and giving in to the pressure of the storm and the water coming over board and forgetting that Jesus is below deck and honestly that boat could completely fill with water and it will not sink with Jesus on board. It is time for us listen to the scriptures.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
10 fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
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.
I am going to summarize this for us this morning. If you left the dock without Jesus, there is plenty to be fearful of. Your boat can be overcome, it can be brought to the bottom of the lake. If you left the dock with Jesus on board, there ain’t nothing. Yep I said ain’t nothin gonna bring that boat down. You English majors don’t be jumping on me. But let me give those in here who left the dock without Jesus some hope.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
You are not out of reach for Jesus and when He steps on board, the storm can rage around you and it will not sink you. So let me ask you this morning. If we have the profound proof in scripture that Jesus knows all things about us and our lives, we have the cultivated conviction of placing our faith in Him. Are you ready to live in the declared destiny. Are you ready to leave anxiety and fear behind to walk in confidence of what Jesus does and the fact that with Jesus we cannot fail?
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
3 You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Here is the fact church, we do not have to question what happens next. We know that there is no death for those in Christ Jesus, there is sleep, there is paradise in the presence of Jesus, but death, no it was defeated. The only thing that we call death is sleep, but again for those in Christ there is no death, He defeated it we will not live in it. We also know what is coming down the road for those who do not live with Jesus on their boat. It is urgent, it is time sensitive, it is time that we help others in the storms of life to get Jesus on board, so they can live in the peace. Step one of this though is for the church to live in that peace. I do not know what you are leaning on to find that peace. Some people lean on finances, some people lean on skills, some people lean on drugs or alcohol. Can I tell you that anyone in here not leaning on Christ is not showing the World the power of Christ but you are living in fear of the storms and who wants Jesus on their boat if you who have him are still fearful of your boats sinking? It is time for us to answer the questions, where is our faith? To live in the declared destiny of freedom from fear, death, and a sinking ship.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
