Discovering who’s Riding with You

Anyone one who knows me well knows that one of the most enjoyable things in life for me is TRAVELING.

Rather its a road trip to my second home of Memphis Tennessee, a drive to nashville in the winter time or a flight that takes me to any port that will get me on a cruise ship, i’m ready to go!

Now whats interesting about my travel schedule is:

Not so much where I sat - even though I want sat in the back of the plane.

Not so much what I ride to get there -even though Southwest is the only way I travel.

But what really matter to me the most is, Who i’m traveling with…

And since i’ve been traveling now for some thirty years, its hard for me to travel with just anybody.

reason being, there are somethings that may transpire in the midst of our travels and I have to know that in a tight situation, in a rough place, in a crazy and wacky moment, and if something just so happens to kick off or go down, I have to have someone I can depend on !!

TEXT INTRO

Here in this we are met by Jesus and His disciples. Our text really begins in as the day had been long and difficult.

Jesus had been confronted with the Pharisees

His Friends and family thought he had gone crazy and tried to take hold of HIM.

Jesus had taught the people in parables and had even spent time explaining His parables to His disciples.

Duing the day Jesus sat in a boat just off the shore of the Sea of Galilee. In this same boat Jesus used it as a pulpit and preached to great multitudes that had gathered to hear him.

When the day would finally end, He called His disciples to set sail for the other side of the lake as he laid resting from the weary of a busy day. (This is one of the clearest portraits of our Lord’s humanity in the Gospels.

1. They Discovered His Power -

The storm that had them terrified was not a problem for Jesus for this time his power was in His voice for he said “PEACE BE STILL” and the wind and the seas obeyed.

Even today in the storms of our lives Jesus still has the same POWER that all he has to do is just say a word and the storms of life will cease

Genesis 18:14 ESV

Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Genesis 18:4 ESV

Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,

Genesis

Matthew 28:18 KJV 1900

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Ephesians 3:20 KJV 1900

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

THEY DISCOVERED HIS POWER!!!

Thats why when Im traveling on a plane I like to be in tune with the person who sats in the row where door is, I like to watch their communication with the flight attendant when asked, “IF in an emergency, will you be able to participate with the safety attempt” And if it looks like they say no i’ll jump up and take their place etc.....

2. They Discovered His Promise -

He had already told them in verse 35 Let us pass over to the other side. If he says it, it has to come to pass. Its just like a movie, I’ve seen the Godfather pert 1,2 and 3 at least 30 times.

I can quote the movie from begin to end just as I can , , psalm 23, and so on. If I watch it with you and fall asleep it matters not what part of the movie I wake up on I can tell you how its gonna end, Jesus was sleep but He already had explained to them what they were going to do, You’ve got to recognizes who you are riding with because the JESUS KEEPS HIS PROMISE!!!!

Romans 4:21 KJV 1900

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Romans

Hebrews 6:18 KJV 1900

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

3. They Discovered His Presence-

When the Lord is in your vessel, you have an advantage. The Bible says in verse 36 that “There were other little ships”. There were many boats on the sea that night but only one contained the Lord of Glory.

As we sail on in life, we need to remember that we are all on a voyage and while on this voyage we need to make sure that Jesus is riding with us. Having Jesus in your vessel makes all the difference. They were able to call on Him because He was with them.

Is He in your boat? If He isn’t, how do you weather the storms that arise in your life?

The problem comes that we have people in our presence that were only suppose to be there for a season. “We set seasonal folk up with life time expectations”. But the one who controls every season we put boundaries on Him..

4. They Discovered His Purpose-

The Storm taught these men a lesson. Seeing all the things Jesus had did in chapters 1&2 should have allow them to discover just who was riding with them. They could have taken the things the Lord has done for others and applied it to their own lives. We’ve all had enough examples that there is nothing to hard for the Lord, If they could have said:

If JESUS can heal a leper

Cure Peter’s Mother in law

Cast out devils

heal that guy with the palsy and forgive sins,

The i’m sure that He can take care of this storm! But like so many of us they seem unable to process who was riding with them, that why the question arose, ‘WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS THAT EVEN THE WIND AND THE SEA OBEY”

The storm was to teach them and us to trust in the LORD!!

So what ever your storm is He can bring you out!!!