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.Here is my mini-exposition:
And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:23-27
1. Jesus led the disciples into the boat (“His disciples followed Him"). Jesus Christ is sovereign. He upholds everything, both the good and the bad, by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). He knows the plans He has for His children and He works all circumstances for their good (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28). He led the disciples into this storm for their good and for His glory. He wanted to reveal Himself to them in a way they would not have seen had He not brought them into the storm. The Lord is doing the same thing in my life. He has allowed certain circumstances into my life to unsettle me so that He can give me more of Himself (what a glorious thought!).
2. Jesus slept on the boat. His faith in God was perfect. He knew the storm was coming, but had perfect peace. His disciples, however, thought He was unaware, unconcerned and unavailable. Even though Jesus was with them, they were afraid. I am no different than these disciples. I am not trusting God even though He is with me (Matthew 28:20). My focus is on the storm instead of Christ. I feel that God is unconcerned and unavailable as the waves toss and swamp the boat I am in.
3. Jesus is in complete control and wants to test their faith. When the disciples cried out to Jesus, He came to their rescue. He rebuked the winds and waves with a word (a word!). He brought peace in the midst of the storm. Then He rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith. The Gospel of Luke records Jesus as saying, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25). Jesus is asking me the same question.
4. The disciples saw Christ for who He was. “What sort of Man is this that even the winds and sea obey Him?” The answer: this is no ordinary man. This is God in the flesh. How can they not trust Him? How can I not trust Him?
We just started a sermon series through the Book of Colossians at RF, called “The Supremacy of Christ in All Things.” It couldn’t have come at a better time for me personally. I desperately need to be reminded and refocused on Christ’s supremacy. The sermons have reminded me that my purpose is to make much of Christ. Even in these trials, I am to make much of Christ. Shamefully, I have allowed other things to distract me from His glory and beauty. But these things can’t satisfy me. Only Christ can do that. At the end of his sermons, Pastor Andy has been asking us “The Question of the Day.” Today’s question: What do you need Christ to be for you? I need Him to be my Strength. I am weary with battling the flesh and battling the enemy. I am weary with waiting. I am wearing with unanswered questions. I am weary with deferred hopes. Quite frankly, I am wearing with trusting (which is a sin that I am confessing regularly to the Lord). BUT Jesus Christ is my Sustainer. He will complete His work in me and He will see that I persevere through this period (and the many more than I am sure will come). I need Him to be my Strength and He is my Strength. And I just need to rest in that.
“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2
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