King | Part 27 | THE POWER OF HIS PRESENCE

BIG IDEA: It is completely life changing to be in the presence of Jesus. We must be aware that Jesus is not always welcomed

Scripture

Matthew 8:18 NKJV

And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.

Matthew 8:23–33 NKJV

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

INTRODUCTION:

We see in Matthew 8:18 that just before the story of the scribe we covered last week, that it was the intention of Jesus to go to the other side of the sea.

They are headed East on the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Gennesaret. And no doubt they are confident for they have seen there leader heal many and cast out demons with a word (Matthew 8:16). No doubt they readily hop into the boat.

Now it is that as the disciples follow Jesus, they find themselves in the middle of a storm.

I. Jesus Has Authority over all creations

Hermeneutical Bridge: And so it is with many of Us. When we experience the power of Jesus, we readily follow him with passion and enthusiasm. We never give consideration that the God who has so miraculously worked in our lives and others may allow us to feel the pressure of storms in our life.

A. What do you do when follow Jesus and still End Up in the storm?

What do you do when you’ve been obedient but somehow trouble still finds your address?

Many have grown bitter from the false assumption that the presence of Jesus means the absence of trouble. But sometimes it means just the opposite.

Isaiah 53:3 NKJV

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Sometimes going through means you are on the right course

B. Some of the storms in our life are produced because we are following Jesus

2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

II. God is still Sovereign in the Silence

Yes sometimes storms will come and we panic because we assume that because the storm is present that God is absent.

We see the disciples panic in Matthew 8:25, They ask God to save them. But Mark gives us a more in-depth view of what is being said at the moment. The bible says that the waves had begun to:

Get in the boat which would eventually cause the boat to get

Weighted down by what the storm was producing.

So they cry out in Mark 4:8

Mark 4:38 NKJV

But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

I love the old English translation “Carest thou not that we perish?”

They had seen the Jesus’ miracles but had not considered the storm. They had seen storms before and were operating from their prior experience without considering what Jesus could do.

Often times we limit in our minds the ability of God to work in our situation. “I know what he did for sis or bro so and so but I’ve been in enough storms that I already know how this is going to go.”

Have you ever felt like that sometimes? Have you every felt weighted down with life? (And) although you new Jesus was around, because he had not moved, you decided that he must not care?

Have you ever said things like:

This religion stuff doesn’t really work.

If God cared I wouldn’t be going through this.

I’m wasting my time. It seems to happen for everybody else. But not for me.

But we must be honest and give credit to the disciples. Although they are feeling fear and emotions of helpless, They at least remember to turn to Jesus.

This is encouraging because:

Even in times of great fear

Even in moments of emotional distress

Even when I still feel helpless. God will respond to my faith! They didn’t have much faith but they had a little.

I want to speak to someone this morning who is on your last leg of faith.

You don’t have much but you made it in the building this morning!

You feel defeated but you still got in the car

You couldn’t make it out of the house but you at least started streaming the service.

Even with the little bit of faith you have.. God can work with that! Don’t plan to stay there but at least its a place to start (Mustard Seed)

B. The storm within

Matthew 8:26 NKJV

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

When Jesus arises he does something in the text that we need to pay attention to. Yes he rebukes the wind and the waves. Yes he causes the storm to cease.But we seem to overlook the fact that there are two storms in this story that need to be rebuked. One was on the lake but the other was in the Disciples.

This morning I ask, “What storm is raging on the inside of you. What emotions (and) doubts and fears seem to be filling up the hull of your soul and weighting you down? What struggles with sin are causing you to give up and be overtaken by the waves?

Waves that overtake us

Waves of passion, Waves of Lust, Waves of Envy, Waves of Insecurity, Waves of Grief, Waves of anxiety, Waves of Anger, Waves of Unforgiveness, Waves of Fear, Waves of Debt, Waves of Uncertainty, Waves of Sadness and Depression, Waves of Unbelief

III. Peace Be Still

Today Jesus is still speaking to us in the middle of our storm. He has power over over the storms in our life

Psalm 46:10 NKJV

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

John 16:33 NKJV

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

John 14:27 NKJV

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The