Cultural Christianity, convenient Christianity, comfortable Christianity, wants salvation without sacrifice, conversion without commitment, a decision for Jesus without obedience to Jesus. It wants faith without repentance.
It wants heaven without hell. But we want to be authentic followers of Jesus Christ, and being an authentic follower of Jesus means that we not only confess Jesus with our lips, but with our hearts and with our very lives. Following Jesus involves learning from Jesus, listening to Jesus, and we've been doing that, haven't we, as we've studied the Beatitudes in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. But being an authentic follower of Jesus, while it involves learning from Jesus, it also involves living for Jesus.
It must make a difference. And as we've been reading the Sermon on the Mount, and now as we think of the Lord in action, what a joy it is to follow our Savior. Now in our study of Matthew, we come to Matthew chapter 8, and I ask you if you have your Bible to turn there. Matthew chapter 8, and we're looking at this morning at verses 18 through 27.
I've called this message, follow me, follow me. Now, in our study of Matthew, this is not the first time we've heard these words. You may recall back in Matthew chapter 4, Jesus calls the fishermen by the Sea of Galilee, and He says to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.
And in our passage today, there are three occurrences of this word to follow. We are to follow Jesus. This is what being a Christian is. This is authentic Christianity, following Jesus. And so if you look at your Bible in verse 19 of Matthew chapter 8, we have this scribe who comes to Jesus and says, I will follow you wherever you go. And then in verse 22, Jesus says to another man, follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead. And then in verse 23, and when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. Matthew wants us to know what it means to follow Jesus. What are the implications of being a follower of Jesus? Now, as I've been studying Matthew now over these months, I've been very encouraged to know that the mission of Calvary Church is biblically based. Our mission is to be and make authentic followers of Jesus Christ. And this is what Matthew is saying, that you and I would be authentic followers of Jesus Christ and introduce others to this magnificent Savior. And so we're going to study these passages.
There are three paragraphs. First of all, we'll see that following Jesus involves counting the cost. Then it involves making a choice and finally facing a crisis. First of all then, counting the cost, verses 18, 19, and 20. Here's the Word of God to us. If you don't listen to me, that's OK, but do listen to the Word of God. Matthew chapter 8, verse 18, now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side.
And the scribe came up to him and said, teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. 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. You see, what a strange response to a man who says he wants to follow Jesus wherever he goes, counting the cost. The call of Jesus to you this morning is, follow me. Do you hear Him?
He's calling you. Follow me. And we're to learn today that the cost of following Jesus Christ is total. No, this is not salvation by works.
Salvation is all of grace, accomplished perfectly through our Lord Jesus Christ who dies for sins, is buried and is raised again. But now that we're following Jesus, if this is going to be the radical life that Jesus Christ calls us to, we've got to understand that as we follow Jesus, we are to be 100% committed. He's calling to you to follow Him. And following Jesus, we're learning, is the very opposite of following our own desires. What do people do in our culture? They follow the cultural trend. They follow their own sinful desires. They follow their dreams.
They follow what they want to do, and so we make ourselves the very center of our world. And Jesus is saying, absolutely not. If you're going to follow me, there's going to be a radical change, a radical reorientation, and now you are going to follow me. And as you do that, I guarantee, some of you know this, there's a cost. Ancient Greeks said, be wise, know yourself. Ancient Romans said, be strong, discipline yourself.
Religion says, be good, conform yourself. Hedonism says, be sensuous, enjoy yourself. Education says, be resourceful, expand yourself. Psychology says, be confident, assert yourself. Materialism says, be wealthy, please yourself. Pride says, be superior, promote yourself. Asceticism says, be lowly, suppress yourself. Humanism says, be capable, believe in yourself. Legalism says, be pious, live it yourself. New Age thought says, realize yourself.
But Jesus says, deny yourself. Did you get that? In Mark, when Jesus is asked the question about following him, he says, those who follow me, Mark 8 verse 34, if anyone would follow me, is there anyone here today in the sanctuary, anyone watching live stream who says, I am going to follow Jesus? Anyone? Get a few half-hearted hands up.
This is a most enthusiastic crowd this morning. Remember, it's total commitment, not half-hearted. If you want to follow Jesus, first thing that Jesus says is, you must deny self. Take up your cross and follow me.
That's costly, isn't it? To deny yourself. What does it mean to deny yourself? It means no to self and yes to Jesus. And so here's a scribe in our passage, verse 19, comes to Jesus.
It speaks to Jesus. Now, who are the scribes? They are the educated teachers of the Old Testament scripture. This man is well educated. He knows his Bible.
He's a scribe, educated, and he says something on the face of it which is very impressive. Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Incidentally, he calls Jesus teacher. Remember the leper and the centurion, what did they call Jesus? Lord.
Great word, kudos. Here it's teacher. Perhaps we don't want to read too much about this, but of course Jesus knew his heart. Notice again they don't call Jesus Jesus.
Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. You see now that is exactly what Jesus wants. Here is a scribe educated in the Old Testament scripture. There's something attractive about Jesus and Mr. Scribe comes to Jesus and says, now, I will follow you wherever you go. We'd burst out into applause if someone said that, but notice Jesus' answer. Isn't it decidedly non-seeker friendly? You say Jesus wouldn't make a very good contemporary preacher, would he?
No. Because in so much of our cultural Christianity, we dumb down the message, we make it so easy, we nuance the message and take out the hard sayings of Jesus in order to have crowds. Jesus is the opposite. Jesus is not interested in the crowds.
It's not after numbers. How many conversions did you have today, Jesus? Well, actual fact, I've made it very, very difficult because there was this scribe who said, I'll follow you wherever you go, and Jesus is saying, well, just wait a minute, hold it right there. The foxes have holes.
The birds of the air have nests. But the Son of Man, a reference to himself, has nowhere to lay his head. You want to follow Jesus wherever he goes?
Just count the costs. Don't be too quick, Mr. Scribe. You need to renounce your personal desires. There must be a denial of self. Remember Jesus is Lord. I know we like just to call Jesus Jesus, but he is, can I remind you, King Jesus. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. And if he's Lord, that means he has all authority over every aspect of life.
Matthew, at the end of the Gospel, is going to quote our Lord Jesus Christ and saying, all authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. He is Lord over the whole universe. He's God.
He's Lord. Therefore, if you're going to follow him, you have to obey him. You've got to lay aside your own dreams, your own desires, your own prejudices, your own things that you want to do and bring them to the feet of the Lord Jesus. Yes, he may grant you these desires, but he may have plans for you that you have absolutely no idea about. You're going to follow him and so the centre of your life is not your comfort, is not your dreams, not anything that you own. The centre of your life now is Jesus.
It's very basic, isn't it? You understand that? What are the great stumbling blocks in your life in following Jesus? I'll tell you what they are. They are the same in my life. Two great stumbling blocks as you and I follow Jesus, love of self. It's all about me, what I want, what I think, my opinion, myself, my comfort. Love of self and love of sin.
Of course, love of self is a sin, but love of sin, which means you don't want anyone telling you what to do. And the life then of following Jesus, this is costly, is a life of obedience. So I ask you today, brother and sister, you who profess the name of Jesus Christ, are you prepared to follow Jesus wherever he leads?
Don't answer too quickly, please. Not asking for show of hands, I'm asking for you. You're prepared to follow him wherever he leads and irrespective of the cost.
What about it? Are you counting the cost? Now he may leave you in Charlotte for the rest of your life. Good night as we celebrated our anniversary the other day. I've lost count of the number of years I've been married. I know I'm married to a very old woman now, I never thought I would be, but there it is.
But as we were, I didn't say that in the first service, so we'll maybe use the first service tape. But she still looks pretty good, doesn't she? But as we were, don't clap that, I mean, clap me, not my wife.
I mean, I'm giving you theology, she's just looking nice. I've lost my train of thought. As we were talking about our marriage, we realized we have lived here in Charlotte for over 14 years and it's the longest place we've lived any place in my life. The house we're in is the house that we've lived in more than any other house that we've ever lived in. So we like Charlotte. So God's will for me is to stay in Charlotte until I die, until the Lord comes.
I'm happy with that. I would like, Lord, the opportunity to visit Scotland from time to time. I hope the Lord's going to lead me there. So I do have some things that I would ask you about, Lord, but I'm quite happy to stay in Charlotte.
Maybe so are you and maybe the Lord will. Maybe the Lord will keep you in Charlotte for the rest of your life. It's a wonderful place to live, isn't it? But what if it's somewhere else? What if it's Alaska or Timbuktu or Cleveland or Angola?
Do you like Cleveland? That's the point, isn't it? Even the animals of homes, permanent homes, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
Count the cost. Perhaps the scribe had heard about the healing of the leper. Perhaps he'd heard that the Lord was so powerful that he just spoke the word and the centurion's servant was healed. It must be very exciting to be with this man.
I heard he just touched the hand of Peter's mother-in-law and shed his fever and the fever left her. It must be wonderful to be around this man. I'm going to follow him.
And Jesus is saying, wait, your personal desires, your ambitions are all subject to me. You like being in control of your life, don't you? I do. I like to drive. I like to be behind the steering wheel. I don't enjoy it so much to be a passenger. I like driving.
The faster the better, within the speed limits, of course. I enjoy that. I like being in control. You like being in control of your life. In fact, some of you want to control other people's lives. But when you follow Jesus, you're handing total control over to him. You're renouncing the right to do things your way. That is costly. At least for me it is.
I think it is for you. To say all of my life is in the hands of the Lord and I'm going to follow him. I'm going to do what he wants, irrespective of where he leads us. I remember 14 years ago when we came here, Goodney said, well, this is our last day. We're not going to move anywhere else. And she was somewhat joking. And I said, well, as the Spirit may lead. I mean that, right? I'm happy in Charlotte, but if Jesus led me elsewhere, wouldn't you expect me to go?
You're happy living here, wherever it is, doing what you're doing, working, whatever it is. But if Jesus led you to do something else, I hope you would do it. But that is costly, isn't it? Yes, salvation is all of grace. Yes, following Jesus is a life of joy, a life of peace, a life of blessing. After following Jesus for many, many years, I would never, ever, ever exchange it for any other way of life, but it's costly. Count the cost.
But secondly, there's a making, a choice. Verse 21, another of the disciples said to him, Lord, curious, good so far? Lord. You're calling Jesus Lord, that's good. And not so good the next few words. Lord, let me first.
I don't think so. I don't think you can call Jesus Lord and then say, let me first go and bury my father. And Jesus said to him, you think this is harsh? Follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead. In following Jesus, a decisive choice is needed. If the scribe is too quick to say he's going to follow Jesus, this man, this disciple, whatever features his discipleship was, this man is too slow. Notice what he says, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. Yes, I want to follow you Jesus, but there's other things I want to do first. Do you identify with this man? I do. I think the man's quite sincere. I'll follow you Jesus, but not now.
I've got something to do. You say, well, this is the man's father has died. He's got to deal with the funeral.
No, that's not the point. In that culture, when someone died, they were buried that day. And so the very fact this man is talking to Jesus means his father hasn't died yet.
If his father had died that day, he would be at the burial. No, but in effect he's saying, I'm going to follow you Jesus, but first I've got to go home. I've got to care for my family. I've got some family arrangements to take care of. I'll do that and then I'll come and follow you.
And Jesus says, no, no, no. Follow me. Let the dead bury their dead. Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. I want to follow you.
Don't you identify with this? I want to follow you Lord, but not now. When it comes right down to it, is following Jesus your first, your most important priority? You really can't say to Jesus, Lord, me first. Me first. That's what the little boy says, doesn't it? That's what the teenager says.
That's what the older man says. I want to be first. Me first. I'll do what I want. I've got things to do, Lord.
I'm very sincere. And then I'll come and follow you. And Jesus is saying, no, no.
Follow me. The point is now. So in following Jesus, a choice is often to be made. Jesus is certainly not advocating dishonoring our parents. He is the writer of the Ten Commandments.
He's the interpreter of the Ten Commandments. He says, honor your father and mother that your days may be long in the land. Absolutely. Yes, we are to do that. There are things in life which are legitimate including our family responsibilities. Yes, that's true. But still the choice has to be made.
And it's a difficult choice. Is Jesus number one in your life? Is he your first love?
Is he your top priority? Yes, when my mother was alive, I loved her. I cared for her. But the Bible tells me I am whom I love first. My mother, my wife, my grandkids, possibly my grandkids.
They're so lovable. My grandfather, I love my grandkids. No.
Whom I love first? You know the answer. Jesus has asked the question, what's the greatest of the commandments and the prophets? What's the Bible all about?
This is it. You shall love the Lord your God with all your hearts, all mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Your first love, your first priority, nothing can compete with that, is your love for God. You're married, you know that, right? Husband, his priority is to love his wife.
No one else, no other woman is to compete with that. No, he's to love his wife. She's first in that human relationship, but greater than that is your love for Jesus.
You doubt that? Matthew 10, verse 37, here it is. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
There it is. You'll always have seemingly good excuses for not following Jesus. Life is full of choices. Life is full of opportunities. Make the right choice. Is following Jesus number one in your life?
Is there any competition with that? Is your career more important? Your family, how easy it is to make our family our idol and to worship our family, or to worship your success, or to worship your own hobby and passions rather than loving Christ. Over the years, I've had the privilege of meeting with many men and women, most of them young, young men and young women who've met with me privately and talked to me about their life. And many of them have said something like this, you know, I want to get involved in ministry. I want to serve the Lord. Maybe I want to serve in youth ministry. I want to be a coach at Champ. I want to teach Sunday school.
I really would like one day to be an elder. Perhaps some have said I want to be a missionary. Many have said I'm thinking of going to seminary. I think I'm going into full-time ministry.
What do you think? Now in a vast majority of cases, these men and women are very sincere when they come to me. But over the years, I've noticed something that often when you boil it all down, they're saying, I want to serve Jesus. I want to follow Jesus. I want my life to be, to make a difference for the kingdom of God. But, well, I've got to finish that degree, you know.
I'm just newly married. I couldn't go out to the mission field until my children were older. I've got this to take care of. In this business situation, once I get my business put together and once it's organized, then I can serve God. Once I'm retired.
Children out of the home, here I am. When I'm retired, then I'm going to serve the Lord. But they're really saying, but not now.
Life quickly goes by, doesn't it? Now, I'm not saying you're out to plan. What I'm saying is all of these things have to be laid at the feet of Jesus. The question is, are you following Jesus now, today? The devil always wants you to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow you can work out what you're going to do. Tomorrow you can make that decision. And Jesus is saying to this man, no, follow me.
Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. There's a choice to be made. It's a personal choice.
It's a costly choice. But follow Jesus Christ. Don't stay in your comfortable cultural convenient Christianity. We sang, based on Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. Not I who lives, says Paul, but Christ living in me. This is your top priority. There can be no competition with anyone or anything, Jesus is saying.
And this man is going to live a life of compromise. Lord, me first. And Jesus is saying, no, no. I'm Lord. I'm the king. I'm the commander in chief. I'm the boss.
Follow me. Do you realize that? Everything you have and are belongs to Jesus. Counting the cost, making the choice, third, facing a crisis of faith. Any of you face the crisis of faith? Excuse me. Any of you done that?
Anyone in a crisis at the moment in your life? Verse 23, Matthew 8. And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. Notice the way that Matthew's writing this. He wants us to understand that the disciples are following Jesus. He gets into the boat, they follow.
That's very important. 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're perishing. And they said to them, why are you afraid, O you of little faith? Then he rose.
Can you see it? Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. And the man marveled saying, what sort of man is this that even winds and sea obey him?
It's not a marvelous story. Facing a crisis of faith. Now, many of you understand this, but you may not always feel it emotionally. And if you're a recent follower of Jesus Christ, this may come as a bit of a shock to you, but here it is. Following Jesus, yes, obediently following Jesus does not exempt us from crisis. Don't think that because you're following Jesus, life is going to be easy.
Don't think if you follow Jesus, as Jesus is calling you to do, that there's going to be no problems in your life. These disciples have counted the cost. They've made the choice. They had to call, follow Jesus, and they're following him. He's the one, verse 18, who gave orders to go over to the other side. Some translation says he commanded to go to the other side. They're in the lake of Galilee. And he's saying, well, we're going to go over to the other side.
That was his idea, not theirs. He commands them. They follow him.
He gets into the boat and they get into the boat. Everything's great, isn't it? There's going to be no problems because I'm doing exactly what Jesus tells me to do. And he's really going to bless us. We're going to have a wonderful sail, and life is absolutely wonderful because we're following Jesus.
Notice, important point. The disciples are obediently following Jesus, but they're going to be in the storm of their life. They find themselves in a life-threatening crisis. You ever been there when your life has turned upside down? Some of you know very, very well what I mean.
Some of you are right there today. Now, sometimes crisis come into our life when we're disobedient. We sin, we make foolish decisions, and we reap the consequences of our own sin.
What a man sows, he reaps. But that's not the point Matthew's making here. But it's also true, and this is difficult for us, it's also true that sometimes Jesus leads us into the storm. You say, why would he do that? Many answers to that.
Most fundamentally, sometimes we don't know. I think we get a glimpse of it here, but it is clear that Jesus led them into the storm. And so here you are faithfully following Jesus, and you're in the crisis of your life. The waves are coming into the boat. Can you picture it? These are seasoned sailors, certainly some of them are, they're fishermen. They're used to this.
This is a routine sail across the lake. They've done it many, many times. Maybe we can't heal lepers. Maybe we can't cast out demons, but we can certainly handle a boat from one side to another, and Jesus wants us to go.
We'll take him over. We can handle this. This is just a routine experience of life. Never found that your well-ordered, routine life can be changed in a moment.
An accident, one phone call, a visit to the doctor, a tough meeting with your boss at work, and your whole life in a moment is changed. Not because you're disobedient, not because God is punishing you. No, of course he's not. He's a God of love. You know that. You know your theology, but you find yourself in a storm.
Notice how Mark describes it. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. True, when following Jesus, we often find ourselves in a crisis. You're not immune from illness, tragedies, bereavement, disasters, disappointments. Life seems to be going pretty well, and then suddenly, unexpectedly, you're plunged into the cold, cold waters of the storm. Have you been there?
I've been there. Many of you have been there, and you think, why? Why me?
Why me? And we face a crisis of faith. Not because we're disobedient, we're still following the Lord.
And in the crisis, what happens to the disciples? They are fearful and have little faith. Why are you afraid? They're afraid.
Oh, you of little faith. Now, this was no ordinary storm. Mark describes it, verse 24, as a great storm. Another Greek word there is seismos, from which we get seismic.
And the original meaning of seismos is a shaking, is a quaking. This was not just an ordinary storm on the Sea of Galilee. They had, they could handle that.
They're used to that. No, this was a great storm. This was a seismic shaking. This was a, we might say, a hurricane at sea. The same word seismos is used in Acts chapter 16. Remember the earthquake?
Paul and Silas are in prison at Philippi, and there's an earthquake. Another word, earthquake seismos, same word. There's an earthquake at sea. There's a great storm, and they are being swamped by the waves. Of course they're afraid. And notice this, experienced fishermen, though they were, they are totally unable to handle the situation. Things are out of control. They tried with the sails, with the oars.
I'm sure they worked very, very hard, but there's nothing they can do. The storm is so great, the boat is filling up with water, and there is Jesus fast asleep with them. They think they're going to die, and Jesus seems totally unconcerned. We're perishing and you're sleeping, Lord. You're the one who gave the orders to go to the other side.
We're just doing what you tell us. And in the middle of the storm, they are powerless, and they are fearful. Anyone identify in your crisis?
You can't change the situation, and you're afraid. What's going to happen to you? You know, we're in a hurricane. Just a few days ago, we're down at the beach, Curie Beach, with our grandchildren, our son, his wife, and our grandchildren. And on a Monday, you knew about the hurricane. It hit just eight miles south of us.
We're at Curie Beach. It hit Oak Island, just eight miles from us. And about five, six o'clock, we're hit by this hurricane. Now, I've seen storms, and I've certainly seen a lot of rain, but I've never seen anything like this. It was category one.
I can't imagine what the category two or three, the power of the wind and the storm. And our son said, Dad, we've got to experience this. I said, I'm experiencing, I'm looking out the window, I can see the ocean, and I experienced it. He said, no, you come outside and try it. You know, I think, okay, I'm not a wimp, so I take off my t-shirt, and I go out, probably foolishly, right? Pastor dies in hurricane trying to prove his masculinity with his son. You got a son?
I mean, you're not going to get the advantage over me, even though he's bigger and heavier than I am. So, we go out. Incredible, the power of the wind. I was glad I did it. It felt like a thousand needles are against my body with the power of the rain and the wind.
Absolutely unbelievable. And I said to Christopher, I've had enough of going inside. He said, oh, I'm enjoying myself.
Go out. And he threw himself into the pool to show how foolish he was. So there we were, the force of the hurricane. Around 10, 10, 30, the lights started going in and out, and Goodness said, I think we should get ready for bed before the power goes off.
And so we did. We go into bed. And just as we've been in bed for a few minutes, the power goes off.
It's about 11 o'clock at night. We're lying there, hearing the wind and the rain, and I hear this little voice beside me. Granddad, my bed is shaking. This is our little granddaughter, who turned eight when we were down there. Okay, Kara, get into bed.
Nice, big, king-sized bed. Get into bed between Oma and Granddad. I said, you're safe here.
I'm thinking, not really, but I'll tell her that. You're safe here. Do you know that that powerful house, beautiful house, strong house, was shaking.
Can you imagine being on a lake in the middle of a hurricane at sea? What do the disciples say? Save us, Lord, we're perishing.
And when He awakes, what does He say to them? Why are you afraid, O you of little faith? See, when things are out of control, we do panic, don't we? What can we do?
No. See, there's situations in life that are totally out of your control. But I'm following Jesus. Are things out of control with Jesus?
In the middle of the hurricane, there's nothing I can do. Jesus is sleeping. He seems totally unconcerned. Do you think He would show some sympathy to me? After all, He's the one that told us to go to the other side of the lake. We're obeying Him. He seems to have abandoned us.
He doesn't care. He's asleep. God is asleep. I'm praying, and there's no answer. Isn't that how you often feel in the crisis of faith?
Your world is shaking. Your world is turned upside down, and you're praying, and it seems there's no answer. It seems that God has abandoned you. And the Lord Jesus comes and says to them, why are you afraid? Oh, you have little faith.
Can I ask you, in the middle of the crisis at the moment, why are you afraid? Oh, you have little faith. Is God's power diminished? Has the great God abandoned you? Is Jesus with you? Of course He is. Jesus is always, always in control of the crisis.
And what does He do? Well, first of all, He speaks to the disciples. Why are you afraid?
Oh, you have little faith. And then it says He rose. Can you imagine standing on a boat in a hurricane and saying, no, you'll be sitting down.
You'll be lying down. He stands up. And what does Matthew say? He rebuked the winds and the sea. Can you see our magnificent Christ?
Can you see the one that we're following? This is what He can do. He rebukes the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm. He heals the leper. He heals the centurion's servant from a distance. He casts out demons. He heals the sick with a word.
Matthew is explaining that we must understand that as we follow King Jesus, He has authority over the demons, He has authority over the disease, but He's also authority over all of creation. He calms the storm. How does He do it? By His spoken word. Mark says, peace be still. The power of the Word of God. That's why I preach the Bible. Because when the Bible speaks, God speaks. The power of the Word of God, He speaks. Hebrews says, He upholds the whole universe by the word of His power. Psalm 33 verse 9 says, He speaks and it's done. He commands and it stands fast.
He speaks. Peace be still. And there is not just a calm, there's a great storm. Now there is a great calm.
I like that Matthew puts that little adjective great. Great storm, great calm. You know this hurricane when we got up on Tuesday and looked out after the hurricane that had passed? It was quiet, but the sea was still raging. It wasn't a day to go swimming. In fact, it wasn't until Friday or Saturday, the day we left just over a week ago, that the sea then became almost perfectly calm. See, after a storm, it takes a long time for the sea to come down, doesn't it? Not in this case.
In a minute. Aren't you glad you're following this one? Aren't you glad this is our friend? Aren't you glad this is our Savior? Aren't you glad that in the crisis of faith, He is with us? Matthew has reminded us that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, that God never ever ever abandons His people. Yes, I know you don't always feel His presence.
Yes, I know that you pray and sometimes the answer doesn't come. I know you feel sometimes that God has abandoned you, but I tell you in authority of the Word of God, He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He's our magnificent Savior and He has promised His people, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. And He is with us. What a God. Let me read the Old Testament, Isaiah 41 verse 10. Fear not, for I am with you.
That's it. You're afraid? Who hasn't been afraid? Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed.
Why? For I am your God. Remember who God is. I will strengthen you.
I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isn't it wonderful to know this is our God? That He is with us and for us? And then Isaiah 43. But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel, fear not, there it is, for I have redeemed you. Now this is to Israel, but think of the redemption that we have not from Egyptian captivity.
We've been redeemed by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I've called you by name. Yes, He knows your name. He knows your address. He knows your social security number.
He knows everything about you, your mind. When you pass through the waters, I'll be with you. Through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.
I love that. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned and the flames shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. And in the midst of the storm, the disciples receive a fresh revelation of the power and majesty of the magnificent Lord Jesus Christ. And they marvel, verse 27, what kind of man is this? What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? What kind of person can stand in the middle of a hurricane at sea and say, peace be still, and immediately there's a calm? Who is this?
What would your answer be? He is no ordinary man. There's none like Him, nor will there ever be anyone like Him. Who is this man who rebukes the wind?
Who is this man who can produce the calm in a split second? As you face your crisis of faith, remember this. Matthew's telling us, Jesus is the Christ. He's the Messiah. He's the King. He is God incarnate. He's the one who comes to save His people from their sins.
He not only has all authority in His teaching, He not only has all authority over demons and disease, He has authority over every circumstance of life, over all of creation. He calms the storm. And I can assure you this, my dear brother or sister, when Jesus is on board as your Savior and Lord, when He's in your ship, there is absolutely no possibility of you sinking. In your crisis of faith, be encouraged, brother or sister, today, you will not sink. He will hold you fast. He will never leave you. He'll never forsake you.
He is your helper. Therefore, do not be afraid. But keep following Jesus. That's what Jesus is saying, keep following Him. Do you hear His voice?
The cost, the choice, the crisis. In the storms of life, the majestic Son of God is with you. He still stands supreme over every crisis, over every storm, over every circumstance. And whether He immediately calms the storm, as He can do, or whether you are in the storm for a long time, Jesus is in control.
He will not abandon you. You're loved with an everlasting love because God is always with His people. And Paul says if God is for us, He is.
He's with us, He's for us. If God is for us, who can be against us? And here it is, in following Jesus, there is no promise of a calm voyage, but there is the magnificent promise of a safe arrival on the other side. That's the promise of the Gospel, that you will not sink, that He will hold you, that He gives you eternal life and you shall never perish. Yes, God leads us through some storms that are difficult for us. Sometimes we don't understand them, but He is with us.
He is for us. And He'll take us safely to the other side. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Therefore, follow Jesus.
Aimee Carmichael puts it this way, I heard His call, come follow. That was all. My gold grew dim. My heart went after Him. I rose unfollowed.
That was all. Jesus today is saying to you, do you hear Him? Follow me. Help us to do that, our Father and our God, to respond with humility. Many here have their crisis. Perhaps some are doubting their faith.
Perhaps some are anxious, fearful. Perhaps some have not yet begun to follow Jesus, have not yet committed their life to Him. I pray for their salvation. Thank you for our beautiful, magnificent Savior. Help us to love Him with all of our hearts and to follow Him with humble obedience wherever He leads us. In Christ's name, amen.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-03-23 22:54:53 / 2024-03-23 23:10:52 / 16