Safe with Jesus! -- Matthew 8:23-27

Safe with Jesus! -- Matthew 8:23-27
By Pastor Lee Hemen
August 4, 2019

Safety is foremost in the minds of many. Electronic and digital surveillance, digital safe guards, credit card, cell phone and computer virtual private networks, firewalls and virus controls are all selling well. But there is also a push for financial security, healthcare, and retirement safety. Keeping people safe at work, school, and in public places has become foremost in the minds of many. As alarmed as folks seem to be about their family’s safety and their own safety they disregard their spiritual security.

I have heard many sermons and talks that teach about Jesus calming the storms of life and they use this passage as a foundation to do so. There is nothing wrong with this but it is used so often that we may miss the spiritual meaning here that perhaps Matthew and others wanted us to discover. We find that three of the gospel writers included this incident because it had such an impact on the disciples’ lives. Let’s find out this morning why it is important to understand the truth that we are safe in Jesus…

READ: Matthew 8:23-27

We can think we are safe when in fact we are not and here we discover that…

I. In the midst of chaos we are safe with Jesus! (Vv. 23-25)

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We're going to drown!”

  1. Smoke and CO2 detectors are now required systems for selling or building homes, yet what kind of security system do you implement during the chaos of life? When a loved one dies, a job is lost, healthcare costs become insurmountable or your finances are out of control, what do you do? What plan of action have you made for such situations? The disciples had no such backup plans. They were simply trying to live from day to day, and sadly that is the same for many of us in our day and age as well because we have made no concerted effort for a backup plan either. As the crowds grew increasingly larger and they became a bit more unruly the disciples put Jesus in a boat and sent him across the Sea of Galilee for his safety, “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.” While they wanted to protect Jesus they were also ready to follow him wherever he went. And while we may think sometimes that Jesus needs our protection, he really does not. This is an important reminder for us this morning: We are to follow Jesus wherever he goes no matter what occurs around us! In following him Jesus did not promise us perfect life; we see that “Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.” This was not and is not unusual for this inland lake. The cool ocean breezes meet the warmer air from the inland and the lake often gets rough and now their boat is about to be swamped! Yet in the midst of the storm “Jesus was sleeping.” While we may think that sometimes God is unaware of our trials or the chaos of our lives he most definitely is. Like the Psalmist we need to remind ourselves, “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalms 121:2-4 NIV)” And even though Jesus was asleep, he was still the Lord of all creation, but in our fear we can forget that God is always in control no matter what our circumstances or our fears are! However in their fear we find that “The disciples went and woke him, saying ‘Lord, save us! We're going to drown!’” But were they really going to drown? Of course not! God was not finished with his ministry yet and his disciples were not done with what he had planned for their lives either. Herein is the truth for our lives: In the midst of the chaos we may be going through and our boat of life feels swamped, God is still in control! In the midst of chaos we are safe with Jesus!

  EXAMPLE: One of the most frightening things that I’ve ever experienced in my life was when at boot camp I was placed in an underground concrete bunker with a team of other men and they filled it with aviation fuel and lit it on fire. We had to depend on our gear, one another, our training, not be afraid -- even though we all were – and to keep going to get the job done in putting out the fire we were literally in the midst of! It was chaotic, frightening, and totally out of my control. How wonderful therefore to realize that in the midst of chaos we are safe with Jesus!

We beat ourselves up way too much when we falter in our faith and here we discover that…

II. When our faith is small we are safe with Jesus! (Vv. 26-27)

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

  1. What we are going through in life does not dictate how God responds nor does our momentary fear, hesitation, or even our doubt stop God from working in our lives! Never forget God knows us, he chose us, and he created each of us! Again, as the Psalmist reminds us, “The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalms 121:7-8 NIV)” Now dear child of God whatever you are going through does not matter with the Lord, what matters is what he desires to do with you! Paul in the midst of his doubting his faith was reminded by God: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore Paul wrote that he would “boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)” Wow! So when Jesus’ disciples display their human fear, Jesus replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Jesus does not call them names, doubters, rebuke or discipline them he just gently reminds them of their faith and to not be afraid. And dear child of God if you may be in uncertainty right now or in fear, Jesus is asking, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Don’t be because he is right there in the boat with you! He is not finished with you yet! Jesus then does what he knows he can do and “he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” What else would you expect from God? This is a wonderful reminder for us that in the midst of the chaos of life God is in control of our surroundings even when we think he is not! Even if our faith is not at its best, strongest, or where we think it should be. Jesus knows we are not him and that we are more than often frail in our faith. We spend far too much time beating up on ourselves, being ashamed, or frustrated rather than looking to God to clam the storms that surround us. And frankly I find it kind of humorous that “The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey him!” Well DUH! But again, isn’t this just like all of us? We are so surprised when God works in our lives in spite of our willy-nilly faith! “What kind of man is this?” Jesus isn’t just any “man” he is God in human flesh! This is just as true for us right now this morning as it was for Jesus’ fearful disciples way back then. And it is a beautiful reminder that when our faith is small we are safe with Jesus!

  EXAMPLE: We read throughout Scripture to “be strong in the Lord” but it is another thing when we are in the midst of a storm swamped boat! We forget that even the most heroic biblical figure, the greatest prophet of God, or the most tenacious apostle had moments of despair, fear, and weakness of faith. Yet in the midst of their fear they listened to his still quiet voice in the middle of the storm just as we should this morning. And listen to my words right now; that no matter how you feel about your faith, God sees you and knows what you are capable of and often it is far more than you realize. Just remember that when our faith is small we are safe with Jesus!

Conclusion:

In the midst of chaos we are safe with Jesus! When our faith is small we are safe with Jesus!
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This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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