Stillness in the Storm

^ ask about school

^ ask about family life

^ ask about mental health

^ share about school pressures, the season with Afghanistan, share about Hurricane Ida

^ some estimate close to $15 billion in damages

^ on Tuesday, August 24, Mr. Hale

^ whether literal or metaphorical, we have storms

^ where do we go for hope?

Matthew 8:18-27

Matthew 8:18–27 (ESV): Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

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?”

^ let’s pray

What’s happening in this text?

^ let’s look at Matthew 8:18-22 first

^ the first thing to consider is why were all of these people flocking to Jesus?

^ they had heard of all He was doing, and knew that there was something different about Him.

^ He has already performed miracles of healing, he called disciples, and taught, giving the sermon on the mount

^ A scribe comes to Jesus and calls Him “Teacher”, which implies that there is a level of respect within the words and actions of Jesus, enough that this man will learn from Jesus.

^Jesus responds to this man with “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

^ what do y’all think about that?

^ what does it mean when Jesus says “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”?

^ Jesus is asking the man to count the cost of following Him. It is not a life of luxury where at the end of the day, followers can return to the comfort of their homes and beds. Sometimes, it’s restless.

^ This response is not a denial of the man’s desire to follow Jesus, but it is an honest look at what it means to be a follower of Christ. ^ what about when Jesus responds to the disciple who asks to bury his father? Jesus responds by saying “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

^ In this situation, the disciple is already expected to follow Jesus, which is why there is no mention of his allegiance.

^ The disciple is willing to follow, but is arguing that he is not ready. (LORD, I WANT TO GO, BUT CAN I PLEASE BURY MY FATHER)?

^ It is interesting as we do not know if the disciple’s father is dead or not. We can assume that he is not dead, and this is more of a request to wait until he passes

^ this guy is asking if he can get his life together first

^ how often do we feel we need to take care of things instead of just going to Christ?

^ These two passages represent the reality of what it looks like to trust in Jesus and His plans. With the teacher of the law, Jesus asked for perseverance. Faith was not simply something one could half-heartedly accept. With the disciple, Jesus asked for urgency. This is not something that could wait, or be delayed.

^ It also shows that this is important. In Jewish tradition, your family is responsible for burying you. Having the son leave his family means he is joining the family of God.

Effort and Sacrifice

^ So, right off of the bat, before we even get to the sea text, we see Jesus makes it clear that this calling requires effort and sacrifice.

^ Do y’all put effort into the things you love?

Matthew 8:23-27

Matthew 8:23–27 ESV

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 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. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

^ Here, we see the scene set. Jesus is on the boat, a storm appears, and the waves crash over.

^ We note that Jesus was asleep during the storm. When awaken, he says, “why are you afraid?” Why are you afraid? Is your faith so little that at the sign of chaos you call out in fear?

^ I don’t know if y’all have ever been on a boat in the middle of a storm, I grew up wakeboarding, every summer. And one summer, no one was on the lake and it was magical. Connor was wakeboarding this past weekend, so he gets it. And a storm appeared. Before this event, I was already deathly afraid of lightening, driving during a storm. It was TERRIFYING. Sobbing, literally in the water because someone had to ride back, and it was me.

^ While yes, in this situation, it would be pretty terrifying to be on a boat in the middle of a storm, BUT Jesus is present. We are to read this passage today and know that when life is chaotic, Jesus is calm and present in our midst.

^ THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU FEELING ANXIOUS OR UNEASY MEANS THAT HE IS NOT AT WORK, but it is a surrender of those feelings.

^ I get anxious. I get anxious pretty often, actually.

^ It should remind you of the story of Jonah, and how he was asleep on the boat

^ how is this different from Jesus on the boat?

^ you see, in the two spots, you have Jesus and Jonah who are in the same position, they are the ones who are asleep on the boat during the storm. They are both approached by others and asked to fix the situation. They both are also the cause of storm stopping. Jonah is thrown overboard, while Jesus rebukes the winds.

^ why is this important? Well, when we make our life a living sacrifice, we allow ourselves to be brought into peace. Jonah ran from sacrifice, fleeing God’s call because he did not want to go to Nineveh. In turn, he was thrown overboard and you know the rest.

^ Life with Jesus is supposed to be chaotic because life itself is chaotic. Jesus provides the peace.

What are the Storms in Your Life?

^ I want you to take a few minutes and think about what is causing you anxiety, disruption, or unrest.

^ this could be school, grades, people, work, family, sports, etc.

^ what does it look like for God to grant peace in these moments?

What happens when the storm clears?

^ What does it mean for you after you have gotten past the storm?

^ Does your faith have the same impact on your life as it does when everything feels heavy?

^ a friend of mine shared this on quote on her story yesterday, and I thought it was powerful:

“You can’t expect God to be the source of your peace if the world is the source of your satisfaction.” -@shejourneyswithhim

^ you can’t let God into some parts of your life and expect to take on storms unscathed.

^ you can’t expect to take on storms unscathed to begin with, but especially if your commitment to Christ is half-hearted.

^ Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

^ Jesus is saying that you need to expect hardships. You need to give up thinking that the Christian life is the comfortable one.

^ I’m not saying you can’t be comfortable or enjoy life, but I am saying that times are tough right now.

^ In Afghanistan, if you are suspected to be a Christian, you are immediately punished, even death. Often, death.

^ North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, and India

^ it is a tough world to be a Christian. BUT, this is not to diminish our hope. Christ as on that boat that day. Christ told the people to have stronger faith. Christ told the storm to cease and it did. While there are storms forming and heading into our lives, Christ is there to provide peace IN THE MIDST.

^ I mentioned losing Mr. Hale last week. That was pretty rough for my family and some of my other friends, including Colleen, his daughter. Mr. Hale was someone who knew that Christ was with him and that God was still Good, even in the midst of dialysis. The last time I spoke with Mr. Hale, he came up to Waco to seek refuge from the hurricane Laura that hit Lake Charles last year.

^ the last thing that he said to me before he and my friend Colleen as they were heading back to Jasper was:

“God is with me, and He hasn’t left me yet. I’m scared, but my God is as good to me on my bad days as my good.” -Mr. Hale