 Tonight we're in chapter 8 here in the Gospel of Luke. We're going to be looking at verses 16 through 25 as we continue our study here in the Gospel of Luke. And so what we'll do is we'll be taking verses 16 through 18 together, then verses 19 through 21, and then verses 22 through 25 as we continue our verse by verse study in the Gospel of Luke. So let's begin reading here in Luke chapter 8 at verse 16. I'll read Luke 8 verses 16 through 18, and we'll get into our study. Jesus in Luke chapter 8 verse 16 says, No one when he has little lamp covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lamp stand that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear, for whoever has to him more will be given, and whoever does not have even what he seems to have will be taken from him. And so Jesus gives a parable here, and what he does is he uses a lamp. A lamp is used here to illustrate who we are. The lamp is used to illustrate our mission in life, and his point is Christians are to shine brightly in the midst of a sin-darkened world. We're to be the light that is shining brightly in a world that is walking in spiritual darkness. That's our purpose. That's what God intends for us. Jesus said in Matthew 5, 16, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. And so the purpose of the church is to shine brightly, even as the purpose of a lamp is to produce light in a darkened room. You don't get a light and a lamp and turn it on, Jesus says, and then hide it. You don't put it under a bed. You don't cover it with a basket. You light it in order that it might illuminate. Well that's what we're supposed to do. When we receive the Lord as a Lord and Savior, He intends us to live in such a way that people obviously see that God is alive and working through us. You see the body of Christ is intended by God to reveal the invisible God. In the Old Testament, God spoke to the nation of Israel and said to them, You will not have a graven image. You are to carve no object that is to represent me. None whatsoever, because God is the invisible God. The nation surrounding Israel during the time of its inception were pagan nations, and they were idolaters, and therefore they had trees and rocks and various things that they would worship. They would carve a piece of wood into the image of a man, and they would use it as an idol, and they would pray to it and ask it to deliver them and all of that. And here's the nation of Israel being taken out of Egyptian bondage, and God begins to do a work, and the Egyptians were flat out pagans. They were idolaters, and so God gives to them the Ten Commandments, and within them He says, You're not to make a graven image. You're not to bow down and worship it. I'm the Lord thy God, and I'm a jealous God. And so the nation of Israel is unique in that it is taken out of the midst of idolatry and commanded to worship the invisible God, and that's exactly what they did. God still intends to be worshiped, but God also still intends to communicate His attributes to people, at least those attributes that can be communicated. And so He chooses to do that through a people. We worship the invisible God, but God in a sense manifests Himself through our lives. So the invisible God we worship is actually pouring into us through His Spirit, His graces, His gifts, and there are evidences that God exists because His church does the works that bring glory to Him. And so that's what we're called to do. We're called to walk and to work in such a way that God is honored and glorified, so we let our light shine before men. That's what Jesus is speaking about. And so what we're to do is to openly manifest the light of Jesus Christ because light is necessary in a world filled with moral darkness. That's what I was taught from the very beginning when I first got saved. I was taught, don't put your light underneath a basket. Don't hide it from this world because the world needs to see it. Now, unfortunately, many people are ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are quite a number of Christians who are afraid to open their mouth and to say, I follow Jesus Christ. There are a variety of reasons, I'm sure, for that, but the bottom line is that they don't. Many Christians just simply don't talk about Jesus. It's just, I guess, not cool to do that. I guess it's not acceptable to do that. Maybe they're a bit ashamed to do that. But unfortunately, because Christians aren't speaking forth the truth, well, the world is being enshrouded by a lie. And so Jesus says, listen, you need to make sure that the light shines. Make sure that you're open about your faith. Make sure that people know that you love Jesus Christ. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When he said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it's the power of God into salvation. He was not afraid or ashamed. He didn't shrink back from declaring what God had given to him. He says to the Corinthians, that which I received, I gave unto you. I delivered unto you. Jesus Christ has revealed himself to me, and I'm revealing to you what he's revealed to me. And so he is very open to what the Lord has said to him. And that's what Jesus Christ taught us all along, that we're to live in such a way that we shine his light. We need to remember that darkness is the spiritual condition of every person entering into the world. Darkness, they enter in spiritually dark. Paul said that in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 18. In Ephesians 4 18, he said, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of the heart. And so the condition of every person who enters into the world is that he has no relationship with God and therefore walks in spiritual darkness. So as a lamp, the church is to provide light in the spiritual darkness of the world system. That's what we do. We live as light in a sin-darkened world. And first Peter. Peter said it this way in chapter 2 verse 9. You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And so that's what Jesus is speaking about here in Luke chapter 8 verse 16, when he says no one, when he has little lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lamp stand that those who enter may see the light. And so as a lamp, we are to provide light in the spiritual darkness of this world system. Now notice verse 17. He goes, for nothing is secret that will not be revealed nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. People may cover up sin in their lives. And they can do that. But they will always fail in the end. Because God brings to light every hidden thing and He judges righteously based on that which He exposes. In Ecclesiastes 12, 14 it says, God will bring every deed into judgment including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. So I might think that I got away with something. But ultimately I am aware of the fact that God judges righteously. You know, sometimes we might watch the news or read a newspaper or magazine and we read of how somebody seems to get away with some very evil thing. They just don't find the person who did it. Recently, as all of us are aware, there was a little girl who was abducted in Portugal. She has English parents. They were there for holiday and they went off to eat and as they were gone, some monster stole their baby. And I hear of that. And obviously, like you, my heart is touched by that. I am amazed and in pain over such a thing. Who would do such a thing? And many times the monster who did that is not found out, this side of judgment. But he will be found out. He will be dealt with. And that ultimately is something that I, frankly, I fear on that person's behalf. But I also take peace and comfort in that because the Lord is going to expose every evil thing. The Bible in Romans chapter 2 verses 6 through 8 says that God will give to each person according to what he's done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he'll give eternal life. But to those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. And so Jesus says, nothing is secret that will not be revealed. God is going to put his searchlight and people's lives and what we may think we're getting away with will be revealed on that day. In verse 18, In the things of the Spirit, a person is always either gaining or they are losing. He's either advancing or he's declining. And when you receive in faith the things of the Lord, your life grows in maturity as well as spiritual experience. And as you receive Christ, you have. But as you have received Christ and he's given to you, through your experience you gain more and more and more. You continue growing in the things of God. You already have, but you're going to be given more. You see every blessing is a taste of future blessings and experience in Jesus Christ. So we grow in grace and we grow in the experience of the things of God. So you get saved, we'll say 10 years ago, and as you walk with the Lord for 10 consecutive years and you do so in a faithful way, well you've been growing over the 10 years and you know more and more of the things of the Lord Jesus Christ. I remember when I first got saved a few years ago now, when I first got saved, I couldn't pronounce some of the books of the Bible. I had no clue how to say Ecclesiastes and things like that. You know, I thought the book of Job was job. I mean, what do I know? And seriously, and so I would read the Bible and I didn't understand 99% of what I was reading. Now over the years I've gained a little understanding and experience in the things of the Lord and so I've grown and that's what happens with you too. You add to it. You add to your faith, you add to your understanding. You add to the things of the Lord and as you do so you continue to advance in the things of God. Why? Because you received Christ and you began your walk with the Lord and over the weeks and months and into the years you continue to advance and so you continue to grow in those things and that's what the Lord would have for you. Whoever has to him more will be given and yet if you don't open up in faith you're not going to receive anything but you do eventually lose everything. It's been said zero plus zero always adds up to zero and so no trust in God so you progressively grow colder to the gospel. You might have begun at one point considering things of the Lord. You may at one time have thought, I wonder and all but when you don't act on that it just eventually just, it's gone. You know, I've had people say in the past it's such a blessing to see young kids get saved. What a miracle. It's always a miracle when someone gets saved, always. And we always rejoice when somebody gets saved. There's no doubt about that. But the greater miracle is when an older person gets saved because they've had an entire lifetime of hardening to the gospel of Jesus Christ. An entire lifetime of experience that has actually led them away from him and so when I see people who are older committing their hearts to Jesus Christ to me that is a tremendous, a tremendous miracle. But if you begin in your walk with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you grow. If you resist and refuse him then ultimately there's no advancing for you. You only are regressing. Moving into verse 19 then his mother and brothers came to him and could not approach him because of the crowd and it was told him by some who said my mother and your brothers are standing outside desiring to see you. But he answered and said to them my mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it. Now what an interesting passage there. Jesus is teaching in a home in the city of Capernaum. It's probable that he's in the home of Simon and Andrew. And by this time Joseph, his mother's husband has more than likely been dead for several years. The last time Joseph is mentioned in Scripture is when Jesus was 12 years old. Jesus is now 30 years old and he's now performing his ministry. So his family now consists of his mother Mary and I want you to notice this, his half brothers and he also has unnamed sisters. Now when it says here in verse 20 it was told him by some who said your mother and your brothers are standing outside desiring to see you. You might find this interesting but the brothers of Jesus are mentioned by name in the Gospel. Matthew chapter 13 verses 55 and 56 actually give us the names of Jesus's half brothers. These brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ were born of Mary and Joseph in a natural way. Jesus obviously being the son of God so these are his half brothers. And according to Matthew chapter 13 verses 55 and 56 the question is asked is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James, Josie, Simon and Judas and his sisters are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And so the Lord Jesus Christ had brothers and what is remarkable to me as well as unnamed sisters and what is remarkable to me is when you study the Bible and you look in John's Gospel chapter 7 John makes it very clear that even his brothers did not believe in him and so to me that's an amazing thing that they could grow up in the same home with the son of God an absolutely perfect being and not embrace him in faith. I mean imagine that for just a moment. How would you like to grow up with a perfect person? Some of you probably would say well I already did that's how my mom used to treat my sister like she was perfect but in reality how would you like to live in the same home with a perfect person and that's what they did they grew up with Jesus Christ Jesus never did anything wrong he never spoke back to his mom he always was home on time he never did a single thing wrong he didn't get upset about anything and when his mother said make your bed he would create a bed no I'm just kidding he didn't do that but you know I mean he must have been just an amazing brother to have and yet the Bible tells us that even his brothers did not believe in him and yet he has these brothers these brothers are mentioned by name as I said James, Josie, Simon and Judas and he has unnamed sisters and so it was told him in verse 20 that your mother and your brothers are standing outside they desire to see you and so they're there at the door they're summoning him to come outside to them now it would seem to me because Jesus is ministering here it would seem to me that they must have thought that he would immediately cease speaking now obviously your mother is extremely important you are to show her proper respect and it would seem that perhaps they assume that even if he's sharing that he's going to stop doing what he's doing in order that he might go out there and meet them because they're requesting for him to come outside it makes sense to me and yet he doesn't do that he takes that as a teaching opportunity notice how he responds in verse 21 he answers, he says to them my mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it now was Jesus rejecting Mary and his brothers no the fact is he loved them as a matter of fact he loved them an awful lot more than they loved him but what he was doing in his teaching is he's inviting people to be part of his true family through faith in him and the point that is being made here is anybody can be a part of his family to embrace the gospel the Bible says in Galatians 3 26 you're all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus and so there's something more important than stopping what he's doing at that moment and that is declaring the message of the gospel and illustrating through this experience how important it is to embrace him through faith that's what God has called us to do now at first we would automatically believe that Jesus' family would have first priority but true discipleship transcends family relationship God's families opened any who would come to him through the son Jesus Christ it's been said Mary was more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ Mary was blessed because she kept the word of God not merely because she gave birth Mary's closeness to Jesus as a natural mother would have been little help for her salvation if she had not born Christ in her heart you see we are not automatically in his family we came into the family through obedient faith in other words being part of the family of God requires more than simply stating that you believe it's demonstrated by a life that actually consists in pursuing the things of the Lord I want you to see this in verse 21 my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and what do it and do it I was reading something recently I'm trying to recall what it was that illustrates this we've gotten to the point that we emphasize our personal relationship with Jesus Christ and sometimes make it seem that all you need to do is affirm certain things agree with them you simply agree with them intellectually and that brings you into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ but we fail to realize that that is true but there will always be evidence that I made that decision I have encountered over the years too many people who when you talk to them will tell you I'm a Christian who have evidence whatsoever not just that one time I've met them but over a consistent meeting with them they don't in any way shape or form appear to have any relationship with God and haven't for as long as I've known them and yet when you speak to them sometimes they'll argue with you and sometimes aggressively that they already are Christians I am a Christian and when you begin to ask them how do you know that you're a Christian they'll tell you well I believe in God but the Bible makes it very clear and I want you to see this here because that's what Jesus is saying it's a person who enters into the family of God is a person who not only hears the word of God it's a person who hears and does in other words you don't just simply agree but you actually perform in Luke in chapter 11 verses 27 and 28 Luke writes it happened as he spoke these things that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to him blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts which nursed you but he said more than that listen blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it blessed is the person happy is the person complete is the person whole is the person who hears the word of God and does it salvation the Greek word for being saved can also be used in terms of being healed when somebody was healed they were made whole and salvation is intended by God to make you whole not to give you this sense of like God is an insurance salesman who provides life insurance and fire insurance for you but that God is saying to you I'll have a relationship with you that you and I can have fellowship Jesus said in John 17 this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent eternal life he said fellowship with God a knowledge of God a relationship with God and when a person gets saved a person can have a physical healing of course I believe that God heals the Bible teaches that he does but not only are you made whole physically and can be made whole physically but you are made whole emotionally you are made whole spiritually you are made whole as a person you become real kind of like when I was growing up there was a movie that Walt Disney a cartoon that Walt Disney had brought out it was called Pinocchio I used to call it Pinocchio but it was Pinocchio and Pinocchio was that little wooden boy that wanted to be alive and what we are is we have the outer appearance of life but we are spiritually not alive you don't become alive until God produces life within you and God created Adam Adam being formed from the dirt laying there in perfect beauty was absolutely dead even though he had the appearance of life he didn't become alive until God breathed into him the soul or the breath of life and then he became a living being and God intimately did that in order that he might have fellowship with God what we are is dead men walking we are walking without the spirit we are walking without life we are walking without the reality of fellowship with God but Jesus Christ said listen you can have a relationship with me but you need to not only hear what I say you need to put into practice and the thing that I am saying to you is you need to be born again that is the first thing you need to do is you need to receive Christ as Lord and Savior and so you say God be merciful and to me I am a sinner I am separated from you and Lord I am totally and completely in sin that's what I am by nature I do those things that you disapprove of it's not simply because I was raised in a certain way it's Lord it's that I am a certain way I am a man without your spirit and therefore I need your touch and so that's what we get in the gospel of Jesus Christ that God so loves the world that he gives his son so that we can believe and have everlasting life as the gospel does for you see and it changes your life walking with Jesus Christ transforms your life so an individual who says oh I've got a relationship with God but has no evidence whatsoever is lying to themselves lying to themselves see God is the power of the universe and when you come into contact with him there's going to be something that happens within you there will be an evidence of that reality I have a friend of mine Bill Goodrich I haven't seen him for many years but I do remember the last time I saw him because he came and visited me at my house he and I served in the military together we went through basic training together and lost contact with one another but over the years he remembered where I lived and on one occasion he came and visited and when he came and saw me he was sitting in the front room and we were speaking and I asked him Bill what's going on with your life he said you remember how you told me about Jesus Christ the first Bible I ever had I gave it to him and I said Bill you need to get right with God and this is the Bible read it and put your trust in Jesus and so he said do you remember how you gave me the Bible and it was years before and I said yes I do he said let me tell you what happened he says I work for the electric company he's alignment he says I was on top of one of these high powered, high voltage towers and I grabbed hold of a live wire and he said I literally blew into pieces and he lifts his shirt and there's a hole on the side of his right here on his right side a hole there that had blown out and then he lifts his pant leg and he shows me his calf and his calf had been blown out he was literally beside himself and so I'll let you I'll wait for you he was blown away but as that happened what a shock as that happened he said man I was laying there smoking he said my body had been exploded and I'm laying on the ground there with a hole in my side and a hole in my calf smoking I should have died with the thousands of volts I went through he said I should have died he said and do you know that encounter caused me to realize there's no guarantee for my life that I can go on another day I do very dangerous work and it awakened me I committed my heart to Jesus Christ when you come into contact with power there is an evidence when you come into contact with power of God he doesn't blow you up but he recreates you he transforms you into the image of Jesus Christ you actually will change not just because you wake up in the morning and you kind of just sit around saying okay change me lord change me but because you hear what God has to say and you do it you hear what he says and you do it they only did musicians they didn't just walk up one day and pick up a guitar and just start doing runs you know they're not these people who do this air guitar thing I think man you don't get a real life but they're not that way these people practice they practice constantly they practice constantly so that they might perfect the skills now if you do that with anything would you have to if you practice anything constantly practice makes perfect maybe not perfect but it makes you better if you practice a variety of things you can get pretty good at it you can get very very adept at it well when you're walking with the lord Jesus Christ when you're practicing the things about when you're hearing and doing your life transforms and so Jesus is making it very clear listen you think that my mom and my brothers because they're physically part of me have a priority over everybody else I honor my mother and I love my brothers there's no doubt about that love them more than they love me but the reality is this if you want to be part of God's family you need to hear the message and obey it because as you hear and you obey you will be transformed and that's what the lord would have for all of us now moving on into verse 22 it happened on a certain day that he got into a boat with his disciples and he said to them they sailed to the other side of the lake and they launched out but as they sailed he fell asleep and a wind storm came down on the lake and they were filling with water and were in jeopardy and they came to him and awoke him saying master master we are perishing then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water and they ceased and there was a calm but he said to them where's your faith and they were afraid and marveled saying to one another who can this be for he commands even the winds and water and they obey him now let's give this a context and then we'll look at it and there's some things I want to share with you that I think will be a benefit if you listen I think there will be a benefit to you especially as we look at this passages one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament but let's give it a context Jesus has been ministering non-stop he's been teaching the people Mark 1.28 tells us that his fame had spread throughout all the region around Galilee so his desire is to leave the area in order that he might continue ministering to other people so he and his disciples are launching out towards the eastern shoreline of the sea of Galilee that's where they're going but the Bible tells us in verse 23 as they sailed he fell asleep so Jesus is exhausted having ministered entire day and he's now fallen asleep so in the cool of the evening a sudden storm strikes violently shaking the water the sea of Galilee surrounded by hills and it's like a basin and when you go to the sea of Galilee if you're on the western shore and you look to the west towards the Mediterranean when you're standing there on the western shore the sea of Galilee and you look to your left we'll say if you're looking north towards Mount Hermon if you just look to the left there to the west there is a mountain small mountain range it's called the Arbal we've been there many times and so what it is it's a V shape that is cut out of this this mountain's low mountain range and so the cool air from the sea comes in and it blows through the cleft of the mountain rather the warm air and it meets the cool air that's coming from Mount Hermon so when the warm air that comes from the Mediterranean coming through the Arbal meets the cold air that's coming from Mount Hermon there it can create violent storms we have been on the sea of Galilee when storms have erupted nothing like this one here but we have been there when those things happen they still to this day can and do happen and what is happening is these storms are it's almost well what it's like is like an earthquake generated storm condition on the water with a cyclone effect above that's what's taking place that's what it's speaking about when it speaks concerning the wind being violent it's very very very frightening these are experienced sailors but they are absolutely frightened so Jesus is sleeping here even as it says and as he's sleeping there peacefully the boat begins to fill with water and they know that they're in danger they're in jeopardy Matthew 8 24 says a great tempester rose on the sea so that the boat was covered with the waves according to Mark 4 37 the waves beating to the ship so that it is now full and so they're thinking they're going to sink but Jesus is there sleeping and so the disciples are greatly concerned about this obviously notice verse 24 and so what do they do well they came to him and they awoke him saying master master we are perishing so they come and they begin to cry out to him now they're terrified as as I would be they're experienced fishermen but they believe nothing can be done to save them in other words they think they're about to meet their maker but they've forgotten they already have and that's their problem now I want to add something and I want to develop something for you because I think some in this room might benefit from this insight that I want to give to you you see when Mark chapter 4 verse 38 speaks concerning this event Mark adds these words Mark 4 38 teacher don't you care that we perish don't you care that's one of the questions people ask of the Lord constantly God you see what I'm going through you see the danger I'm in you see the pain that I'm experiencing you see the heartache that I have you see the disappointment of my life you see the need that I possess and I lost my job my wife isn't faithful my children are bad my husband has been violent you see this you see my condition and I cry out to you and it seems like heaven is brass your ear is deaf you don't exist what's going on you see what I'm going through but it seems to me is God so love the world well God I'm part of that world and if you so love the world why does it seem like you don't love me why does it seem that my life is going nowhere why do I do the best that I can to raise my kids and I do everything I can and they don't even want to go to school they cut class they're not studying and yet the people who live across the street who are never even around their kids the kids are doing great honor roll my kids barely able to read and write doesn't want to do that and God I've done the best that I can to raise them I just don't understand this what's going on this is typical I mean you see this all through the Psalms in Psalm 10 verse 1 the question is asked why do you stand afar awful Lord why do you hide in times of trouble there are a lot of us in this room who have said that God in the midst of my morning in the time of my sorrow the tears are just flowing from my heart and spilling from my face and I'm asking you for help and it doesn't seem like you care why do you stand afar off Lord get involved do something help me extricate me do something Psalm 13 1 how long will you forget me forever how long will you hide your face from me God I'm crying out to you and it seems like you're not even there I'm moaning I'm weeping I'm in need Psalm 44 23 and 24 awake why do you sleep oh Lord arise do not cast us off forever why do you hide your face and forget our affliction and our oppression Lord don't you care that's the bottom line and I read my Bible and I see intimacy God loves God knows me he knows the number of hairs on my head and he knows the thoughts my mind he knows the words before they're even formed and escaped my tongue he knows everything about me he knows the things that I fear and the things I have confidence in he knows my hopes he knows my dreams he knows the things that would break my heart and he allows them sometimes in my life why why why don't you care listen we all go through various things none of us is exempt from hard times and I've discovered something it's through these times that the Lord draws close to us Psalm 77 verse 6 says I call to remembrance my song in the night I meditate within my heart and my spirit makes diligent surge song in the night God gives us songs in the night in the midst of the darkness in times of fear and trouble in our times of doubt and uncertainty every one of us goes through darkness every one of us walks through the valley of the shadow of death every one of us does not a single one of us is exempt from that when my father died my dad died on a Thursday I bought a casket bought a plot for him on Saturday I had a servant Saturday and I came and did the servant Saturday and I asked the question of the congregation perhaps some of you may have been there that day and I said something like how many of you have lost somebody that you love mom and dad somebody that that you love with all of your heart who died and they didn't know that my father had died so I asked the question and said how many of you know of somebody loved somebody that died and a good number of them raised their hand and I remember saying I just joined your fraternity my dad died on Thursday and that was dark that was pain that was the darkest thing I'd ever experienced it was very hard two years later my father-in-law dies in the same hospital room two beds away from where my father died I stood there with my father-in-law who had become my dad because my dad was gone and I stood at his feet and I watched him and I watched that monitor with my brothers-in-law and my sister-in-law and my sons as I watched my wife's father die and I watched that monitor as the heart beat slowed and stopped I look in at the body of my father-in-law and I look to my left two beds over where my dad died two years almost to the day see my dad died February 15th my father-in-law died February 13th two years almost to the day in the same ICU room I look over there you know before he died he was in a coma and I approached him and stood next to him and I touched him Marie and I and I said I said, Papa I want to say two things to you that I've never told you and I remember touching him as he was just there quietly laying and I said I want to tell you two things that I've never told you I said I want to one I want to tell you I love you I never told you and two I want to tell you thank you for the way you raised your daughter my wife you go through darkness you go through pain you go through suffering you go through sorrow and you can sometimes say don't you care Lord I cry to you the evil seemed to get away with everything you see my father-in-law was a good man my dad was a good man they died early and yet God I have to be honest I see this 90 year old man that I know he was actually 96 years old he was a molester he was an evil man and he lives 96 years why do the good die young Lord my dad never got to hold my grandson I wanted him to he didn't attend his granddaughters wedding and it was midst why anybody who know what I'm saying around me talking to myself why why Lord why listen Lord don't you care is the worst question you can ask because he does care he does it's just our circumstances surrounding us can draw our attention to the point of failing to remember his promises God gives us songs in the night in the night seasons because as we go through night seasons we're caused to draw closer to him that we might learn that he never leaves us that he never forsakes us Jesus said these things I've spoken to you that in me you may have peace in the world you have tribulation be of good cheer I have overcome the world and so as they're crying out notice verse 24 what he does he arose and he rebuked the wind in the raging of the water and they ceased so he did respond to their request he did rise up and do something and the disciples are now learning a tremendous lesson they're going to learn something God is aware of their every need and he doesn't leave them nor forsake them Psalm 186 says in my distress I called upon the Lord and cried out to my God he heard my voice from his temple and my cry came before him even to his ears and so Jesus rebukes the wind the raging of the water and ceases there's a great calm and so Jesus reveals to us that we worship a God who acts on our behalf he's not distant from us, he's personal he's alive and he helps us in times of trouble he's a master over creation he speaks a word and nature responds Psalm 89 verse 9 says you rule the raging of the sea when its waves rise you still them in Psalm 107 29 and 30 he calms the storm so that its waves are still then they're glad because they're quiet they're the desired haven and so the Lord Jesus Christ does that work, he responds now notice verse 25 he actually turns and he says where is your faith why are you fearful why are you faithless now you might ask yourself this question be honest with you you might not understand why is confrontational you might ask why why are you being confrontational well Jesus actually sent them into the storm there's nothing secret from him he knew that he sent them into the storm storms in times of uncertainty actually are used by the Lord to teach us to trust him and each person who trusts in the Lord goes through storms that will test in every way why was he confrontational why did he question their faith well the answer has already been supplied I want you to see this in verse 22 I want you to see it again why is he saying why did you doubt why did you have no faith well verse 22 it happened on a certain day that he got into a boat with his disciples and he said to them what did he say let us go over to the other side of the lake what are you saying Jesus I'm saying we're going to get to the other side my order was let's go to the other side I've already told you we're going to make it I said let us go I intend to make it through the entire journey and you will too and as long as you're with me you're safe that's why he could sleep he was going to make it and so were they in Isaiah 41 10 it says fear not I'm with you be not dismayed I'm your God I will strengthen you I will help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand he said let us go over to the other side of the lake therefore you will make it to the other side of the lake that's just the way it is that's why when we go through the things that we go through he will never leave me nor will he forsake me I am an overcomer I am victorious I will make it through there's nothing that will keep me from that he began a good work will continue and will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus I have a sure assurance of God's presence with me and therefore no matter where I am he's there with me I will make it through and that's what he was teaching them why do you have no faith I told you we're going to make it through you know what I told you we're going to get there on the other side where is your faith but what is their response verse 25 they're afraid they marvel and look what they say to one another who can this be he commands even the winds and water and they obey him in Israel this happens almost every time we're on the sea of Galilee we will stop and we'll just sit there in the water in that little boat and one of our guides inevitably will say he wants to take a walk because they know the passage that we're about to teach he wants to take a walk none of us of course do we're all tried once we're still searching for him but what they're doing here they're afraid but this time it's not afraid of death this time it's a holy fear who is this man one brief thought if there's anything that the body of Christ has lost it's the fear of God we have domesticated Jesus so that he's almost like just a buddy or a chum or somebody that we hang around with and we have lost the fear of God and the sad thing is that when you have no fear of God then you'll do absolutely anything you feel like doing because the fear of God is to depart from evil but when people do not have the fear of God they'll do basically anything and I can't tell you and I'm not going to go on this too long other than to say this I was talking to somebody just recently about this who might happen to love very much and we were speaking on this issue and I said the thing that concerns me is the church doesn't have a holy reverence for God the body of Christ doesn't have a holy reverence for God a fear of the Lord we have made God domesticated you know C.S. Lewis speaking concerning the lion that represents Jesus Christ he's called Aslan in his writings he says Aslan is not a tame lion but we have tamed Jesus to make him kind of like somebody that we just kind of hang around with but if we feel like doing something that we know is wrong he understands his grace is sufficient he knows I'm weak and I've got flesh and we make excuses I've been praying for myself that God will resurrect and reignite a fear of God in my heart for him because he's holy and he's righteous and when you encounter him you have the same kind of question who is this who can this be who is this man really well the answer he's the lord of the earth and the lord of the sea some eighty nine eight and nine oh lord God of hosts who's mighty like you oh lord your faithfulness also surrounds you you rule the raging of the sea when its waves rise you still them who is this God in human flesh that's who it is the one who commands winds and water but it is easier for him to get the wind and the water to obey him than it is for him to get us to obey him because we have a will that resists him and that's why we need to cling to him and say God break me where it's necessary that I might live a life that pleases you bottom line with Jesus in the midst there's never anything to fear with Jesus there's really nothing to fear Jesus said listen he goes do not fear the one who has the body has the power to kill the body he says and after that can do nothing so if you want to have fear fear the one who's able to kill and then to cast you into hell if you want to fear fear him and make choices who to be afraid of in other words who to reverence rather than being afraid of losing your life because you close your eyes here and you open them in heaven rather than being afraid of losing your physical life here you need to be afraid of the one who has power to make judgment for you to enter into the kingdom or not if you fear the Lord you depart from evil it's the beginning of knowledge and you'll walk in such a way that's pleasing to him a holy reverence an awareness of his great power you know my kids don't fear me as an evil man because I'm not towards them there's anything daddy's been is maybe it's too soft I love them to pieces but they know that you can go just to a certain point and then you've reached the limit you know exactly what I'm saying just yesterday my daughter Anna and I were talking I don't think she'd mind me saying this she said something to me and I know she was playing with me but I said what did you say and she looked at me because they know that's a thin line but you need to be very careful not to cross over it with my father I could play with my dad I was the one kid who could play with my dad and I could make him laugh like nobody else but I knew that I could only approach this far and not go any further because I knew my restrictions was my dad did he love me absolutely was I afraid of him I respected and reverenced him and I wanted to please him if I was that way as a man I want to be more so for my God not to take advantage of his goodness towards me and to trust him to love him but to reverence him because he's God and I'm not