Sermon Tone Analysis

Trusting God

Red Green Video

Change

Can anyone besides me relate to that video?

It’s kind of funny.

There’s a nugget of truth in there though, that sometimes we hang on to some things, like short sleeved polyester dress shirts, that don’t matter.

Change stretches us, it forces us to put trust in the direction we’re going.

It forces us to trust not just God’s plan, but to the very core, allowing change forces a foundational belief that God loves us and wants what is best for us.

When it comes down to it, allowing change is about trusting God.

Stuart McAllister

Stuart McAllister was a missionary serving in Eastern Europe in the early 80’s, working to bring Bibles and other Christian Books to believers who were trapped behind the iron curtain.

On one attempted crossing through Austria for Czechoslovakia, his hidden cargo was discovered.

Stuart was whisked away to a confinement cell.

As you can probably imagine, it wasn’t a pleasant place.

Years later in relaying his experience to others Stuart recalled a gauntlet of emotions.

He said, “the walls were closing in on me and I began to experience intense doubts”.

Did you catch that?

Intense Doubts.

He doubted his faith, He doubted his organization, He doubted that he’d ever see his friends and family again.

He had trusted God and acted out in obedience.

He had pushed the realm of earthly legality and now he was questioning if maybe he had been wrong.

He questioned his very faith.

He had questioned whether that mustard seed would indeed grow into the tree his faith said it would.

That’s a reference…let’s read it real quick.

Matthew 13:31-32

31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

Just prior this passage is another parable, or story that Jesus told to illustrate a message.

He spoke about preparing soil, so that the seeds have not just the best chance, but the best opportunity…let me say that again, best opportunity, for supernatural growth.

Remember the mustard seed?

Mustard trees, the ones that grow from mustard seeds (Because there are actually trees called mustard trees which aren’t the same thing), aren’t generally large enough to support a flock of birds.

Jesus is saying that faith of even the smallest amount results in supernatural growth.

Birds throughout history, and in the bible as well, often symbolize evil.

There is a speculation which is rooted in historical truth that Jesus is saying that the supernatural growth of the branches will allow birds to plant themselves on the branches.

I’ll unpack that more in another sermon, suffice it to say a supernaturally sized ministry will attract ignorant and evil “Christians” who will want to rest on our branches.

Their own faith isn’t enough to plant a tree, they must rest in someone else’s tree.

But enough on that.

Let’s get back to faith, specifically faith to obey God’s direction and instructions.

A Faith that trusts that when God calls us to make moves outside of our comfort zone, is for HIS works.

Let me tell you something, If GOD wants to use you for HIS plan, and it stretches you…it is for YOU ALSO! I’ll show you another example of that.

God wants to Stretch Us

Let’s talk about another instance where Jesus teaches this lesson to His disciples.

If you’d like to follow along, I’m going to read from Luke so start finding Luke chapter 8.

In this passage of scripture Jesus has been teaching, and there is some speculation that Jesus may have been tired, and wanted a small break.

He was after all a man in flesh, He did grow physically weary.

Others think that he just wanted to get over to the Gadarenes, as a well known demon possessed man was there.

In this case, maybe the answer is a bit of both.

I’ll show you why in a minute, but first, let’s read the passage.

Jesus Stills the Sea,

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.

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.

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.

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?”

So One last line…it isn’t in my New American Standard Bible, but in most other versions you’ll notice in verse 26, most text starts with “and they arrived…” It’s important, perhaps even MOST important, that you catch that phrase.

Verse 22 says, “let us go” and then in 26 “and they arrived”.

People of the church if GOD tells you to go, you WILL arrive.

Amen?

Trust Him.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

Jesus stretched their Faith

Jesus didn’ cause the storm, in fact there’s a good chance that the enemy did.

To make mince any words, we recognize that there is an enemy to good who deceives, steals, kills, and destroys.

If you look at the way that Jesus rebuked the storm, you’ll find in further study that He did it in the same way that he rebukes and casts out demons.

See luke 4:35 for illustration.

You don’t need to turn there, I’m not going there right now, but if you want to check that reference, write this down in your notes.

So a freak storm has come up, unexpected (because surely they wouldn’t have launched into the storm, or more would have been written about it).

It’s a rough enough storm that it freaks out the disciples, many of whom are seasoned fisherman, boat people.

Perhaps they aren’t Alaskan crabbers…but for certain, this was a serious storm.

Perhaps a supernatural storm.

Obviously, Jesus wasn’t concerned.

He isn’t concerned with the barriers and walls that the enemy throws in His way.

Neither should we be concerned.

The enemy holds no power over us!

Jesus actually gets frustrated here, he says to them, “Where is your faith?”

Where is your faith?

This is the part that I was referencing earlier, Perhaps Satan was attempting to rattle Jesus, or perhaps he was concerned about the bee-line Jesus was making for a man he was busy tormenting.

I don’t know.

What we know is, Jesus wasn’t concerned with the storm.

What did get under his skin was a lack of faith.

He actually got frustrated with his disciples for their lack of faith.

It’s one of the few ways that God actually gets frustrated with us, here’s what He has to say about us having Faith in him:

“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”

I’m going to unpack more of that in the weeks to come, and put that into a more complete context, for now let me explain that James is telling us that in asking God to test our faith, we build through a history of obedience, a faith that is proven through endurance.

It’s a part of casting out doubts in our life.

It is not going to work!

Have you ever said that to yourself?

Have you ever gotten half way through something, and started to doubt yourself?

Well, sure, all of us have!

At some point in our lives, we’ve all done it.

Even if you can’t admit it to yourself right now.

History is full of people stepping out in Faith, Luis & Clark, even more recently Elon Musk.

In the bible Moses comes to mind.

What if Moses was afraid to reveal his ugly feet?

Remember in , when God calls out to Moses to remove his sandals and come and speak with him?

Moses sees this out-of-this world flaming bush, and a voice calls out to him to approach and take off his shoes.