1 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:09,740 Good morning. I'm gonna move this an attempt 2 00:00:09,750 --> 00:00:12,860 to not spill my coffee. And while I'm doing that, if hey 3 00:00:12,870 --> 00:00:16,280 kiddos, if you want to go to Sunday school, you can think 4 00:00:16,290 --> 00:00:21,020 there's a bunch of kids and teachers and volunteers who are 5 00:00:21,030 --> 00:00:24,930 waiting to meet you in the community room, which is the 6 00:00:24,940 --> 00:00:26,900 room back that way. If you want to go, if you want 7 00:00:26,910 --> 00:00:28,310 to stay in here too, that's fine. 8 00:00:29,020 --> 00:00:33,150 I promise you, you'll have more fun there than here. 9 00:00:38,210 --> 00:00:40,180 I don't know what that says about the rest of us. 10 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,110 Big kids can go that way as well if he would like. 11 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,750 I do want to say welcome. It's good to have you all here, 12 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,550 big kids, little kids alike. If I'm a new face, my name is 13 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,330 Grant and I'm one of the pastors here at the church. 14 00:00:58,340 --> 00:01:01,050 And it is good to gather and to worship together. 15 00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:06,130 It's good to sing and pray, read Scripture, contemplate, think 16 00:01:06,140 --> 00:01:11,470 together about what it might mean for us as individuals, as 17 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,750 households, as families, and as a church community together. 18 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,690 So grateful to be able to do that in this way. 19 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,010 We're going to spend a little bit of time reading and 20 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,320 reflecting on Scripture now and then we're going to celebrate 21 00:01:24,330 --> 00:01:28,080 communion together as as a church. 22 00:01:28,130 --> 00:01:31,800 And as we continue worship, there'll be more songs and more 23 00:01:31,810 --> 00:01:34,220 prayers as well on behalf of our community. 24 00:01:34,290 --> 00:01:37,440 But we've been working our way through a gospel, a book called 25 00:01:37,450 --> 00:01:42,640 Luke, and we've made it to Luke chapter 8 at this point in in 26 00:01:42,650 --> 00:01:47,170 our working through. And we have a story here that I 27 00:01:47,180 --> 00:01:49,820 think is really powerful and powerful to come out of that 28 00:01:49,830 --> 00:01:56,400 last hymn together and then read these lines of this story about 29 00:01:56,410 --> 00:02:00,770 Jesus calming the storm. So Luke chapter 8. 30 00:02:00,820 --> 00:02:05,250 And we're going to read just a few verses, 22 through to 25. 31 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,330 It's like the better part of the way through your Bible if you're 32 00:02:08,340 --> 00:02:11,190 trying to find it. And if you want to follow along 33 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,110 on a phone as well, you can do that. 34 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:18,280 I'm going to pray and then we'll read and work our way through. 35 00:02:19,940 --> 00:02:21,890 God, thanks for your love and for your grace. 36 00:02:21,900 --> 00:02:24,990 Thank you that you are with us and thanks that this that we do 37 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,250 as we gather. Like this isn't because we think 38 00:02:27,260 --> 00:02:29,350 it's a great idea. And hey, go us. 39 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:31,620 We do this to lift high the name of Jesus. 40 00:02:31,940 --> 00:02:35,750 We gather and we worship because this is your spirit who calls us 41 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,190 together and who gathers us together and who equips us to do 42 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,450 the things of the Kingdom in the world. 43 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,900 And so God, I pray that you would do that today. 44 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,470 Pray that you would remind us of who you are. 45 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,910 And I pray that you'd remind us of whose we are, that we belong 46 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:53,390 to you. And yet I pray that in that we 47 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,320 might be able to and peace, and in that reality we might be able 48 00:02:57,330 --> 00:03:02,900 to say it is well with my soul. So as we read these lines, yeah, 49 00:03:02,910 --> 00:03:07,220 would you remind us that you're close and that you care and that 50 00:03:07,230 --> 00:03:09,300 you've got something for each of us today? 51 00:03:09,310 --> 00:03:15,500 In Jesus name I pray, Amen. So starting in verse 22, it says 52 00:03:15,510 --> 00:03:19,690 this one day Jesus said to his disciples, let us go over to the 53 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:23,480 other side of the lake. So they got into a boat and set 54 00:03:23,550 --> 00:03:26,920 out. As they sailed, he fell asleep 55 00:03:27,090 --> 00:03:31,040 as a squaw came down on the lake so that the boat was being 56 00:03:31,050 --> 00:03:33,420 swamped and they were in great danger. 57 00:03:33,750 --> 00:03:37,280 The disciples went and woke him, saying, Master, Master, we're 58 00:03:37,290 --> 00:03:42,640 going to drown. He got up and rebuked the wind 59 00:03:42,650 --> 00:03:47,360 and the raging waters. The storm subsided and all was 60 00:03:47,370 --> 00:03:50,160 calm. Where is your faith? 61 00:03:50,570 --> 00:03:54,670 He asked the disciples in fear and amazement. 62 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,030 They asked one another, Who is this? 63 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:02,800 He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him. 64 00:04:06,430 --> 00:04:10,950 So I don't know if you have a memory of the largest storm that 65 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,990 you've ever found yourself in. I I remember the biggest storm 66 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,490 that I've been in in my entire life. 67 00:04:17,500 --> 00:04:22,250 The largest scale storm that that I lived through was a 68 00:04:22,260 --> 00:04:25,910 hurricane was Hurricane Sandy when Connie and I lived in 69 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,880 Princeton, NJ. And so I remember there was 70 00:04:29,890 --> 00:04:33,350 evacuation and there was, you know, news outlets were covering 71 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,860 this thing for weeks leading up, certainly for days preparing. 72 00:04:36,870 --> 00:04:39,310 People say, hey, if you're in this zone, you're going to want 73 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,780 to get out of that zone. And if you're in this zone, 74 00:04:41,790 --> 00:04:43,940 that's OK. But maybe go buy a little extra 75 00:04:43,950 --> 00:04:47,440 food and water and things like toilet paper and that kind of 76 00:04:47,490 --> 00:04:49,720 stuff. But you stay put. 77 00:04:49,730 --> 00:04:52,780 We don't want to clog the roads. And so there were evacuations 78 00:04:52,790 --> 00:04:55,860 for this storm. And at Princeton, we were not in 79 00:04:55,870 --> 00:04:57,880 the, like, immediate evacuation zone. 80 00:04:57,890 --> 00:05:01,140 We were in the hunker down. Things will be well for you. 81 00:05:01,150 --> 00:05:04,030 Just stay put and don't do anything silly. 82 00:05:04,630 --> 00:05:06,800 Zone. That's that's a quote. 83 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:10,050 And so we prepared through that storm. 84 00:05:10,060 --> 00:05:12,590 We prepared. I remember we would gather like 85 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,090 we went out and got extra food and we definitely did the water 86 00:05:15,100 --> 00:05:17,470 thing and like we filled bathtubs up with water. 87 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,390 So like just in case the power goes out and the no power no 88 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,330 meant no water and no water pressure. 89 00:05:22,340 --> 00:05:25,270 And so like we stocked everything up and we didn't plug 90 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:28,510 our bathtub well enough. And so by the end of it, it had 91 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:33,580 all drained out useless. But like I said, we stocked up 92 00:05:33,590 --> 00:05:36,680 on food, but we also did things like we, you know, got in a car 93 00:05:36,690 --> 00:05:42,220 and drove to the Jersey Shore to kind of watch the storm come in, 94 00:05:42,950 --> 00:05:47,040 which was not recommended for us to do. 95 00:05:47,230 --> 00:05:49,630 And so we kind of, we could see it from a distance. 96 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,510 We saw that storm roll in And, and I remember it being like, it 97 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,540 was the largest storm that I had been in, but it was not the 98 00:05:55,550 --> 00:05:58,440 scariest storm that I have lived through. 99 00:05:58,490 --> 00:06:02,020 That storm, Hurricane Sandy was a devastating storm for many, 100 00:06:02,030 --> 00:06:04,200 many people. It altered people's lives. 101 00:06:04,270 --> 00:06:06,000 Absolutely. It did for us. 102 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:10,160 It was not. It didn't land that scary of a 103 00:06:10,170 --> 00:06:12,310 storm. The scariest storms that I've 104 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,420 been in, and maybe those of you who have been in similar storms 105 00:06:15,430 --> 00:06:19,210 can relate, were a lot smaller than that hurricane. 106 00:06:20,470 --> 00:06:23,680 But what made them scary for me was that I experienced them 107 00:06:23,690 --> 00:06:26,600 while I was in a canoe on the water. 108 00:06:28,260 --> 00:06:31,770 And so, for example, I remember 1 canoe trip that I was leading 109 00:06:31,780 --> 00:06:35,930 in that we had to pop out of 1 lake or one river rather into 110 00:06:35,940 --> 00:06:40,150 Georgian Bay and then skirt, you know, the side of Georgian Bay 111 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,630 and pop into another river and go back. 112 00:06:42,740 --> 00:06:45,810 And it just so happened that the day we were scheduled to pop out 113 00:06:45,820 --> 00:06:50,350 of 1 river and run Georgian Bay, there was a big thunderstorm 114 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,530 that had rolled in. And so we hit Jordan Bay. 115 00:06:53,540 --> 00:06:56,240 And I thought, this is it. Like this is this is the, this 116 00:06:56,250 --> 00:06:59,690 is the last time anybody lets me lead a canoe trip Because, like, 117 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:03,770 the boats were being swamped and the winds were rolling in and 118 00:07:03,780 --> 00:07:06,480 canoes were some of them tipping and capsizing. 119 00:07:06,490 --> 00:07:09,810 And we had to go in and rescue some of the people who fell out 120 00:07:09,820 --> 00:07:11,490 of their boats. And we had to pull in all the 121 00:07:11,500 --> 00:07:15,560 food from whatever boat had dropped all of its, you know, 122 00:07:15,570 --> 00:07:18,670 contents into the water and pull out like things that had gotten 123 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:20,870 soggy. And that, for me, was one of the 124 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:22,410 scariest storms that I can remember. 125 00:07:22,420 --> 00:07:25,960 And I still remember the feeling going, like, are we all going 126 00:07:25,970 --> 00:07:28,460 over? Like, what happens when the last 127 00:07:28,470 --> 00:07:30,200 canoe tips? What happens when there are no 128 00:07:30,210 --> 00:07:33,720 more screws to save, you know, rescue the other ones. 129 00:07:33,730 --> 00:07:38,240 What made it scary for me was that we were on Georgian Bay in 130 00:07:38,250 --> 00:07:41,330 a boat. The water, I think, has this way 131 00:07:41,340 --> 00:07:45,970 of amplifying a storm, or at least for me, amplifying what 132 00:07:45,980 --> 00:07:48,010 feels like the threat of the storm. 133 00:07:48,020 --> 00:07:50,650 Like, the stakes feel a little higher when you're, like, not on 134 00:07:50,660 --> 00:07:54,390 land. And when tipping means falling 135 00:07:54,400 --> 00:08:03,670 into a storm and a lake, storms swirl and they confuse and they 136 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,870 bring fear and they pose as a threat. 137 00:08:07,630 --> 00:08:11,080 And so I think like, it's no wonder we often use the same 138 00:08:11,090 --> 00:08:15,360 language, the language of storm, to talk about the metaphorical 139 00:08:15,370 --> 00:08:24,260 storms of life, the things that also swirl and confuse and bring 140 00:08:24,270 --> 00:08:29,390 fear and stand as looming threat over us. 141 00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:34,250 But this was not a metaphorical storm. 142 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:43,240 It was a very real storm, and the disciples had very real fear 143 00:08:43,450 --> 00:08:48,510 in the face of this storm. And so when we reread and work 144 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:50,530 our way through one day, it says, Jesus said to his 145 00:08:50,540 --> 00:08:53,050 disciples, let's go over to the other side of the lake. 146 00:08:53,060 --> 00:08:57,710 This is the Sea of Galilee. And so they got into a boat, not 147 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,310 a big boat. This would have been a fishing 148 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:02,820 boat. And that fishing boat is think 149 00:09:02,830 --> 00:09:05,450 closer to a canoe. It would be a really big canoe, 150 00:09:05,460 --> 00:09:09,570 but closer to a canoe than it is to like a modern day fishing 151 00:09:09,580 --> 00:09:13,130 boat. And they set out as they sailed. 152 00:09:13,140 --> 00:09:15,670 He fell asleep. Jesus is asleep in the back of 153 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:17,790 the boat. And while he's sleeping, a 154 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,290 swallow came down on the lake so that the boat was being swamped, 155 00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:24,910 so much water into the boat that it was capsizing, sinking. 156 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,710 They were going down and they were in great danger. 157 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:30,590 The disciples went and woke him, saying and if you highlight 158 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:32,010 things, this is one that I would highlight. 159 00:09:32,020 --> 00:09:37,410 Master, Master, we are going to drown. 160 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,840 But when I pictured the disciples, I don't picture these 161 00:09:41,850 --> 00:09:43,780 disciples who are like afraid for their life. 162 00:09:43,790 --> 00:09:46,010 Like, that's not the kind of disciple that I picture when I 163 00:09:46,020 --> 00:09:51,300 think of these men, many of them who were fishermen, right? 164 00:09:51,310 --> 00:09:56,110 I picture fishermen who were afraid of nothing, like 165 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,170 Deadliest Catch style. Have you seen that TV show 166 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:02,740 alright? Like afraid of nothing, ride the 167 00:10:02,750 --> 00:10:05,030 waves, laugh at the wind kind of fishermen. 168 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,580 People who were used to being on the water, people who lived 169 00:10:07,590 --> 00:10:11,560 through storms, people who saw them coming and didn't bat an 170 00:10:11,570 --> 00:10:15,770 eye, people who were accustomed to the water. 171 00:10:17,090 --> 00:10:20,020 But there's a moment in the Gospels and we looked at it. 172 00:10:20,030 --> 00:10:22,060 It's in Luke in the beginning chapters. 173 00:10:22,070 --> 00:10:23,840 I think about Luke 4 where this happens. 174 00:10:23,850 --> 00:10:29,000 Jesus calls a man named Peter, who was a fisherman to follow 175 00:10:29,010 --> 00:10:32,560 him, to become a disciple. And in that moment, Jesus gets 176 00:10:32,570 --> 00:10:35,640 into Peter's boat and he says, hey, Take Me Out into the water 177 00:10:35,650 --> 00:10:38,960 so I can speak to people. And then a little bit bit into 178 00:10:38,970 --> 00:10:41,180 that encounter. He says, hey, take now, let's go 179 00:10:41,190 --> 00:10:43,560 out from the shallows to where it is deep. 180 00:10:45,300 --> 00:10:49,330 Let's go out into deep water. And the surprise in that story 181 00:10:49,340 --> 00:10:52,630 is that Peter actually does it. He listens to Jesus and he says, 182 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,870 OK, we'll go out into the deep water because fishermen in 183 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:58,610 Jesus's day didn't go into the deep water. 184 00:10:58,620 --> 00:11:02,200 That's not where they fished. They fished the shallows. 185 00:11:02,210 --> 00:11:04,820 They fished the shoreline. They fished where it was safe. 186 00:11:04,890 --> 00:11:08,180 They went out just far enough to put down their Nets so that they 187 00:11:08,190 --> 00:11:11,270 could catch fish, reel it in and get them back to shore. 188 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,320 They weren't used to where the water was deep. 189 00:11:13,330 --> 00:11:17,310 They didn't venture out into the deep water. 190 00:11:18,700 --> 00:11:23,310 In fact, in Jesus's day, the deep water was not just a scary, 191 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:28,640 sort of unknown place. It it was actually a place of 192 00:11:28,730 --> 00:11:33,800 deep fear. It, it was a place that they did 193 00:11:33,810 --> 00:11:36,420 not venture. Don't tell me to go out into the 194 00:11:36,430 --> 00:11:38,520 deep water. I'm not comfortable there, not 195 00:11:38,530 --> 00:11:42,960 just because it's deep, but because in Jesus's day, the deep 196 00:11:42,970 --> 00:11:47,340 water, the sea, was the place where evil dwelt. 197 00:11:48,830 --> 00:11:52,940 It was thought to be the place of spirits and of darkness. 198 00:11:53,370 --> 00:11:56,890 It was, many people believed, the place where rival gods would 199 00:11:56,900 --> 00:12:01,160 do battle against one another. And so it wasn't the place you 200 00:12:01,170 --> 00:12:05,400 wanted to be, not when the water was calm, and not when storms 201 00:12:05,410 --> 00:12:08,500 swept in and the winds and the waves rose. 202 00:12:08,510 --> 00:12:13,180 It was a place of fear. It was a place of power that 203 00:12:13,190 --> 00:12:16,660 can't be understood and certainly could never be 204 00:12:16,730 --> 00:12:19,400 controlled. The sea was a place of storm. 205 00:12:19,410 --> 00:12:22,660 It was a place of chaos. It was a place of danger, like 206 00:12:22,670 --> 00:12:28,050 real danger. And so that's the fear that we 207 00:12:28,060 --> 00:12:33,970 hear in this plea to Jesus. Master, Master, we're going to 208 00:12:33,980 --> 00:12:40,440 drown. We're gonna die like this is the 209 00:12:40,450 --> 00:12:44,070 end. And for the disciples, it's real 210 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:45,890 fear. It's not the kind of fear that 211 00:12:45,900 --> 00:12:47,710 you bounce back from really quickly. 212 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:51,360 I was startled for a second, but like, I can take a couple deep 213 00:12:51,370 --> 00:12:54,600 breaths and maybe my heart rate will descend a little bit and 214 00:12:54,610 --> 00:12:56,660 I'll be OK. Like this is the kind of fear 215 00:12:56,670 --> 00:12:59,740 that takes root in your soul and that shakes you to the core. 216 00:12:59,810 --> 00:13:02,140 The disciples believe they are going to die. 217 00:13:02,150 --> 00:13:08,290 They are afraid for their lives. Meanwhile, Jesus is asleep. 218 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,400 Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat. 219 00:13:13,370 --> 00:13:16,530 Some days I wish I could sleep that easily. 220 00:13:17,670 --> 00:13:19,240 Sometimes I do sleep that easily. 221 00:13:19,250 --> 00:13:23,140 I don't know about How about you, but I think this is what 222 00:13:23,150 --> 00:13:27,480 causes this deep seated fear and disconnect even for the 223 00:13:27,490 --> 00:13:30,890 disciples. Jesus is asleep. 224 00:13:30,940 --> 00:13:34,350 He's not sitting side by side with the other disciples rowing 225 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,810 like trying to get to the shore. He's not awake and seeing the 226 00:13:37,820 --> 00:13:40,310 storm and going, OK guys like we're all in this together, but 227 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,470 we gotta work hard to get the boat out of the deep water and 228 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,430 back to where we started. He's not even awake and saying 229 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,070 to them, hey, just it's a little bit further, let's keep going. 230 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,520 He's in their minds like non existent. 231 00:13:54,910 --> 00:13:57,260 And the thing about the disciples in this moment, and I 232 00:13:57,270 --> 00:14:00,590 see so Jesus is asleep, there's boats being swamped, there's a 233 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:02,240 big storm. They're terrified. 234 00:14:02,250 --> 00:14:05,050 They think they know how the story is going to end. 235 00:14:06,860 --> 00:14:09,710 They don't say master, master, we are afraid. 236 00:14:11,030 --> 00:14:12,620 They don't say, hey Jesus, wake up. 237 00:14:12,630 --> 00:14:14,430 Check out how bad this storm has got. 238 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,660 What should we do? They say we are going to drown. 239 00:14:18,670 --> 00:14:23,130 The disciples think they know how the story will end and that 240 00:14:23,140 --> 00:14:27,740 this story, their story right, is kind of the end. 241 00:14:28,770 --> 00:14:33,110 Jesus is asleep. They're afraid, and in their 242 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:35,340 fear they become paralyzed. We're gonna drown. 243 00:14:35,350 --> 00:14:39,850 They see only one possible outcome to this situation, and 244 00:14:39,860 --> 00:14:41,870 it is the worst possible outcome. 245 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:47,470 And I think in many ways that is what fear does, narrows your 246 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:51,610 vision and not always in like a I'm focused and I'm ready to 247 00:14:51,620 --> 00:14:55,810 face this kind of way but you know, I can't see my hand in 248 00:14:55,820 --> 00:14:59,030 front of my face Kind of narrowed vision. 249 00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:02,160 And we start to believe that there is only one outcome and 250 00:15:02,170 --> 00:15:04,570 that there will ever only be 1 outcome, and that the outcome is 251 00:15:04,580 --> 00:15:09,830 the worst possible outcome and it's assured we're going to 252 00:15:09,900 --> 00:15:15,630 drown. And Jesus is asleep in the back 253 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:20,750 of the boat. Their friend is asleep in the 254 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,190 back of the boat. Except when you think about it, 255 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:29,850 Jesus isn't just their friend. Jesus is there, Rabbi. 256 00:15:32,450 --> 00:15:35,380 He's their leader, he's their teacher. 257 00:15:36,090 --> 00:15:38,480 He's the 1:00 they have been following. 258 00:15:38,490 --> 00:15:42,080 He's the 1:00 they have been literally walking behind 259 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:48,590 learning from. He's the one who healed the man 260 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:53,010 with the deformed hand. And maybe they begin to think 261 00:15:53,020 --> 00:15:55,700 and wonder, like he's also the one who healed the sick. 262 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,470 He's the one who healed the sick servant of that Roman officer. 263 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:01,950 Yeah, we were there. We saw it. 264 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,160 We witnessed it happen. He's the one who raised the 265 00:16:05,170 --> 00:16:08,070 widow's dead son back to life. Like, what's this guy doing in 266 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,610 the back of the boat? We've seen him do the thing. 267 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:17,470 We saw it with our own eyes. Like surely he cares about us as 268 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,270 well. He cared about them. 269 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,050 Like, does this mean that he cares less about us? 270 00:16:22,060 --> 00:16:27,430 And Master, we're gonna drown. Don't you care about what is 271 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,910 going on? Don't you care how this story 272 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,550 ends for us? Like, can't you see what's 273 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,250 happening around like, wake up? Maybe it's time to not be 274 00:16:36,260 --> 00:16:40,240 sleeping. Maybe it's time to get up and do 275 00:16:40,250 --> 00:16:45,620 something. The storm pushes the disciples 276 00:16:45,990 --> 00:16:50,980 in many ways, to the ends of themselves, to the end of their 277 00:16:50,990 --> 00:16:54,320 ability, to the end of their resources, to the end of what 278 00:16:54,330 --> 00:16:56,980 they see possible. Everything. 279 00:16:56,990 --> 00:17:03,960 They're at their end, but also with those words that disciples 280 00:17:03,970 --> 00:17:09,170 begin the hard journey of choosing to trust Jesus. 281 00:17:10,569 --> 00:17:13,380 We can't see any way forward. There's no way through this 282 00:17:13,390 --> 00:17:15,359 storm. We are gonna drown. 283 00:17:15,430 --> 00:17:21,480 Master. Master, they cling to Jesus and 284 00:17:21,490 --> 00:17:24,760 it isn't easy and it isn't quick. 285 00:17:25,450 --> 00:17:28,930 It is slow and it's painful. It takes them being afraid for 286 00:17:28,940 --> 00:17:30,900 their lives, but eventually they get there. 287 00:17:30,910 --> 00:17:37,130 They voice their fear. They named the thing, and they 288 00:17:37,140 --> 00:17:41,490 learn in that moment that there is no other choice but to trust 289 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:46,680 Jesus. NT Wright says that we learn the 290 00:17:46,690 --> 00:17:53,770 same lesson whenever we come to the end of our own resources and 291 00:17:53,780 --> 00:17:57,930 there discover that the only option we have is to throw 292 00:17:57,940 --> 00:18:02,190 ourselves on the mercy of Jesus. Because there are no, there's no 293 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,550 one and nothing else that will help. 294 00:18:06,770 --> 00:18:10,780 And he continues to say in that moment when that happens, when 295 00:18:10,790 --> 00:18:14,060 you are pushed to the edges of what you think and see is 296 00:18:14,070 --> 00:18:18,460 possible and doable, the choice of faith is absolute. 297 00:18:18,530 --> 00:18:23,770 And what he means is either we trust in Jesus or we are left at 298 00:18:23,780 --> 00:18:29,040 the mercy of the storm. And that's the moment these 299 00:18:29,050 --> 00:18:33,260 disciples are in. Either they turn and they trust 300 00:18:33,270 --> 00:18:39,250 in Jesus, or they are left to the mercy of the storm. 301 00:18:40,770 --> 00:18:47,190 And so he Jesus got up, and he rebuked the wind and the raging 302 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:52,840 waters. The storm subsided and always 303 00:18:52,850 --> 00:18:56,090 calm. We're gonna get to that next 304 00:18:56,100 --> 00:19:00,950 line in a minute. He rebuked the wind and the 305 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:05,800 raging waters. To rebuke is a very specific 306 00:19:05,850 --> 00:19:08,540 word that Luke has chosen to use here. 307 00:19:08,610 --> 00:19:12,260 To rebuke means to put in its proper place. 308 00:19:12,670 --> 00:19:17,320 It can also mean to assign proper value to something as it 309 00:19:17,390 --> 00:19:21,700 is fitting. It is to name something for what 310 00:19:21,750 --> 00:19:25,660 it is, to give it its right place, its right value. 311 00:19:25,710 --> 00:19:28,380 It is speaking with authority and it is speaking with 312 00:19:28,390 --> 00:19:32,860 authoritative correction. It can also carry this meaning 313 00:19:32,870 --> 00:19:38,080 with it like to restrain or to silence and even in some 314 00:19:38,090 --> 00:19:44,310 situations to restore. So Jesus gets up and he rebukes 315 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,830 the wind and the raging waters. It's also very specific language 316 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:50,070 used throughout the New Testament. 317 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:54,570 So in Luke 435, which we've looked at, Jesus says this, be 318 00:19:54,580 --> 00:20:00,380 quiet, Jesus said sternly. Jesus rebuked and come out of 319 00:20:00,390 --> 00:20:03,670 him. Then the demon through the man 320 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,290 down before them all and came out without injuring him. 321 00:20:08,410 --> 00:20:10,980 You know in another place just says when Jesus saw a crowd is 322 00:20:10,990 --> 00:20:13,740 running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. 323 00:20:13,750 --> 00:20:16,540 You deaf and mute spirit. He said I command you come out 324 00:20:16,550 --> 00:20:18,840 of him and never never enter him again. 325 00:20:19,370 --> 00:20:22,180 The 3rd Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy. 326 00:20:22,190 --> 00:20:25,960 He was healed in that moment. To rebuke something is the 327 00:20:25,970 --> 00:20:32,150 language of exorcism. It's the language of evil being 328 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:36,490 called out and cast away. And not like in a Horror Story, 329 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:41,790 horror movie kind of way, but in a very real, no ifs, ands or 330 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:48,510 buts about it. No drama, no show to speak to 331 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:56,580 evil and to put it in its place. It is about things being put in 332 00:20:56,590 --> 00:21:01,570 their proper place and it's a language that reveals. 333 00:21:02,810 --> 00:21:05,980 It's language that reveals to us that that nothing has authority 334 00:21:05,990 --> 00:21:10,730 over Jesus. No physical storm, no evil 335 00:21:10,740 --> 00:21:14,110 spirit. Jesus speaks and the demons 336 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:17,990 flee. He rebukes, and the seas are 337 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,940 quieted. They're calm. 338 00:21:21,870 --> 00:21:28,120 It's the language of exorcism. It's also the language of 339 00:21:28,130 --> 00:21:32,940 creation. It's the language used to draw 340 00:21:32,950 --> 00:21:37,790 out order from chaos. It's the language used in 341 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,810 Genesis in the beginning, when God creates the heavens and the 342 00:21:40,820 --> 00:21:43,830 earth, what do we see? So in Genesis, the earth, it 343 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,970 says it was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of 344 00:21:47,980 --> 00:21:51,490 the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 345 00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:56,290 And then there's one line, and God said God spoke. 346 00:21:57,220 --> 00:22:01,170 And with God's word in creation, what God is doing is ordering 347 00:22:01,220 --> 00:22:06,490 creation, putting it in its proper place, naming it and 348 00:22:06,500 --> 00:22:12,030 calling it to be out of chaos and toward order. 349 00:22:12,070 --> 00:22:15,340 And that's what the creation narrative points us to, right? 350 00:22:15,350 --> 00:22:21,050 It points us out of darkness and toward light, out of unorganized 351 00:22:21,060 --> 00:22:27,970 masses and land and sea, into organized waters and dry land, 352 00:22:28,700 --> 00:22:33,510 and then through all of creation, from chaos to order. 353 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,370 God spoke and there was light and there was dry land and 354 00:22:36,380 --> 00:22:42,100 things were in their right place, says He got up, so he 355 00:22:42,110 --> 00:22:45,820 woke up and he rebuked the wind and the raging waters. 356 00:22:45,830 --> 00:22:50,650 The storms subsided and everything was calm. 357 00:22:51,760 --> 00:23:00,030 The sea became perfectly calm. This word here, calm in Greek, 358 00:23:00,140 --> 00:23:06,220 only appears in three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, and it 359 00:23:06,230 --> 00:23:10,600 only appears in those books in this one story. 360 00:23:10,730 --> 00:23:14,310 This is the only place that that word shows up. 361 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,160 It's not like what it means to be emotionally calmed. 362 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:24,290 It it is a very specific word. It's not emotional peaceful 363 00:23:24,300 --> 00:23:27,940 feelings. It's not like Serenity now if 364 00:23:27,950 --> 00:23:33,420 you've watched Seinfeld. It's not calm, cool and 365 00:23:33,430 --> 00:23:35,780 collected. It's not. 366 00:23:35,790 --> 00:23:37,950 I can take some deep breaths and get through this. 367 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:44,210 Whatever it is, it is absolute. It is perfect stillness where 368 00:23:44,220 --> 00:23:51,640 there was once chaos and raging storms and it's not attainable. 369 00:23:52,690 --> 00:23:56,340 It's not manageable. It's it's it's not something 370 00:23:56,350 --> 00:24:00,000 that we can work to find and discover on our own. 371 00:24:00,210 --> 00:24:02,060 No amount of quiet time, no amount of reading. 372 00:24:02,070 --> 00:24:05,440 No, not like nothing you can do. This is a gift that is imparted. 373 00:24:05,450 --> 00:24:09,660 It is instilled by God. It is spoken into existence by 374 00:24:09,670 --> 00:24:11,920 Jesus. It is specifically and 375 00:24:11,930 --> 00:24:16,780 singularly a result of the power that Jesus speaks to order 376 00:24:16,790 --> 00:24:23,300 things as they should be, to cast out what is broken, the 377 00:24:23,310 --> 00:24:28,900 things of death, and to instill, to breathe in, to speak in 378 00:24:29,070 --> 00:24:32,380 something that is life giving and perfected. 379 00:24:32,510 --> 00:24:38,760 In its place. The storm subsided and all was 380 00:24:38,770 --> 00:24:43,560 calm. Jesus has power over the storm, 381 00:24:44,990 --> 00:24:49,840 no matter the storm. And then he turns to his 382 00:24:49,850 --> 00:24:54,260 disciples. Where is your faith? 383 00:24:55,310 --> 00:25:01,710 He asked. The question hangs in the air 384 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,970 without an answer. Jesus doesn't answer it. 385 00:25:04,980 --> 00:25:09,500 The disciples don't answer it, but they know the answer. 386 00:25:10,210 --> 00:25:12,280 They know what Jesus is getting at. 387 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,310 I see. I think we often juxtapose faith 388 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:21,760 and doubt, and we live and we think and we operate in this 389 00:25:21,770 --> 00:25:25,060 world in which to doubt something must mean that there 390 00:25:25,070 --> 00:25:30,780 is no faith, that doubt and faith don't cooperate, that they 391 00:25:30,790 --> 00:25:35,720 don't work well together. To doubt in some way means to 392 00:25:35,730 --> 00:25:38,640 lose faith. But for Jesus doubts not the 393 00:25:38,650 --> 00:25:44,170 opposite of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith. 394 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:47,340 Listen, Jesus isn't saying a few things. 395 00:25:47,350 --> 00:25:50,000 He's not saying that if the disciples had just a little bit 396 00:25:50,010 --> 00:25:54,200 more faith, if you just had more than the storm wouldn't have 397 00:25:54,210 --> 00:25:55,480 come. Like that's not what Jesus is 398 00:25:55,490 --> 00:25:57,340 saying. Jesus is in the boat with them 399 00:25:57,350 --> 00:26:00,200 and the storm still raged. So it's not a matter of if you 400 00:26:00,210 --> 00:26:02,820 have enough faith, the storms aren't going to come. 401 00:26:03,230 --> 00:26:07,540 And Jesus also isn't saying that if the disciples had more faith, 402 00:26:07,550 --> 00:26:10,280 just a little bit more, how much we're not sure, but just a 403 00:26:10,290 --> 00:26:12,410 little more, that they could have calmed the storm 404 00:26:12,420 --> 00:26:14,760 themselves, That they could have risen up and spoken to the 405 00:26:14,770 --> 00:26:18,090 storms and said be still and everything would have been OK, 406 00:26:18,100 --> 00:26:20,460 That they could do this for themselves without his help. 407 00:26:20,470 --> 00:26:24,920 He is not saying that. The challenge that Jesus poses 408 00:26:24,930 --> 00:26:26,960 in this question, though, I think is clear. 409 00:26:27,030 --> 00:26:30,570 He's asking in whom do you trust? 410 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:38,980 Where do you place your trust? These storms have these unique 411 00:26:38,990 --> 00:26:45,340 abilities to reveal where I've placed my trust and where you 412 00:26:45,350 --> 00:26:49,650 have placed yours. I don't actually believe that 413 00:26:49,660 --> 00:26:52,580 that that that Jesus is chastising the disciples here. 414 00:26:53,700 --> 00:26:56,050 Like I don't think he's saying, hey, where was your faith? 415 00:26:56,060 --> 00:27:00,000 It was absent. That's a little bit of the 416 00:27:00,010 --> 00:27:03,550 implication. Instead, I think what Jesus is 417 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:07,340 doing is he's using a question to call them into greater faith. 418 00:27:08,110 --> 00:27:11,740 Remember, Jesus is their rabbi, He is their master, He is their 419 00:27:11,750 --> 00:27:14,550 teacher. Do you ever have like parents? 420 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:17,450 We try to do this far too often, like teachable moments with our 421 00:27:17,460 --> 00:27:18,440 kids. I'm going to sit down. 422 00:27:18,450 --> 00:27:20,660 I'm going to use this as a teachable moment, and it doesn't 423 00:27:20,670 --> 00:27:25,260 always go the way we thought. Jesus is calling faith out of 424 00:27:25,270 --> 00:27:29,230 them because of what they've just experienced together. 425 00:27:29,300 --> 00:27:31,380 And so I don't think the implication here, I don't think 426 00:27:31,390 --> 00:27:34,130 what Jesus wants is for the disciples to feel guilt and 427 00:27:34,140 --> 00:27:36,750 shame. I don't think Jesus means or 428 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:40,360 intends for for them to feel like, oh man, we really messed 429 00:27:40,370 --> 00:27:43,490 that one up. Better try harder next time. 430 00:27:43,540 --> 00:27:47,050 Jesus has not asked this question to the disciples at 431 00:27:47,060 --> 00:27:48,950 this point in the Gospel of Luke. 432 00:27:49,020 --> 00:27:52,390 This is the first time that Jesus asks them, where is your 433 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,330 faith? It's not like he's asked over 434 00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:57,840 and over again and they've boldly declared our faith is in 435 00:27:57,850 --> 00:27:59,990 you, Jesus. This is the very first time. 436 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,260 And so he is inviting them into deeper faith. 437 00:28:03,910 --> 00:28:07,960 He's inviting them to place their faith, their trust in who 438 00:28:07,970 --> 00:28:12,620 he is, not in their own ability, not in their experience, not in 439 00:28:12,630 --> 00:28:14,460 the storm, not in what's going on around them. 440 00:28:14,470 --> 00:28:17,650 This is an invitation into deeper faith, into growing 441 00:28:17,660 --> 00:28:22,210 faith, and into more trust for the first time. 442 00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:28,520 And it's really unique because the disciples have seen the 443 00:28:28,530 --> 00:28:32,910 miracles, they've witnessed it from a distance, they've seen 444 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,410 Jesus do the thing. And other people have always 445 00:28:36,460 --> 00:28:41,410 benefited, right? When Jesus heals, they've been 446 00:28:41,420 --> 00:28:45,320 able to watch how he has healed. And when Jesus casts out, 447 00:28:45,330 --> 00:28:48,430 they've been able to watch how lives have been restored. 448 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:51,010 And they've even gotten to kind of participate in things here 449 00:28:51,020 --> 00:28:54,600 and there. But for their most of their 450 00:28:54,610 --> 00:28:58,460 journey, they've seen other people receive what Jesus has to 451 00:28:58,470 --> 00:29:00,440 offer. And now, for the first time, 452 00:29:00,450 --> 00:29:05,590 they receive themselves. They experience it themselves. 453 00:29:06,020 --> 00:29:11,270 The power that Jesus has over life and death, over the seas, 454 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:16,750 over the storms, over spirits. They receive the benefit of 455 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:22,800 Jesus power over the world and as they receive it, as they 456 00:29:22,810 --> 00:29:28,730 experience it, as they are delivered, they're invited into 457 00:29:28,740 --> 00:29:32,660 greater faith. They're invited to continue to 458 00:29:32,670 --> 00:29:38,150 place their trust in Jesus. It's as if Jesus has said to 459 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:43,900 them, you've seen what I do and you have received what I do. 460 00:29:45,020 --> 00:29:47,950 Now will you put your trust in me? 461 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:55,400 Where will you place your trust? And then fear? 462 00:29:55,490 --> 00:29:59,950 Is their response in fear and amazement? 463 00:30:01,150 --> 00:30:04,200 They asked one another, Who is this? 464 00:30:05,980 --> 00:30:11,020 He commands even the winds and the waters, and they obey him. 465 00:30:11,750 --> 00:30:17,050 They actually do what he says. This fear is a different kind of 466 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:20,090 fear. Now. 467 00:30:20,100 --> 00:30:26,010 The disciples seem to have their fear shifted, reoriented, 468 00:30:26,050 --> 00:30:32,030 directed differently. Now they're filled with fear at 469 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:37,870 Jesus's power over the storm, even after it was calmed, maybe 470 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:41,770 even especially after it was calmed. 471 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:45,910 And so I do think that fear, in one sense, is the antithesis of 472 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:48,250 faith. And what does Scripture point us 473 00:30:48,260 --> 00:30:51,890 toward in regards to fear? There are lines that read like 474 00:30:51,900 --> 00:30:57,430 perfect love casts out fear. So we do believe that Jesus is 475 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:01,390 going to push against and cast out fear in life. 476 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,770 But in another sense, there is, I believe, a different kind of 477 00:31:04,780 --> 00:31:10,390 fear that allows us to experience, in its rightful 478 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:16,940 place, fuller faith. Fred Craddock, who is a preacher 479 00:31:16,950 --> 00:31:19,680 and wrote a commentary on Luke, puts it this way. 480 00:31:19,690 --> 00:31:24,920 He said is sheer sentimentalism that supposes that being in the 481 00:31:24,930 --> 00:31:27,740 presence of Jesus is total comfort. 482 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:34,030 It's not all warm and fuzzy. That's the Grant translation, 483 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,060 not the I Wrote a Book translation. 484 00:31:38,010 --> 00:31:41,240 See this line. I believe can also be read this 485 00:31:41,250 --> 00:31:51,710 way having been afraid, and there's reasons why, and if 486 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,600 you're curious about it we can go through it afterwards. 487 00:31:56,110 --> 00:32:00,600 This word is actually rightfully translated. 488 00:32:00,610 --> 00:32:08,070 Having been afraid, having been afraid, they wondered. 489 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:13,810 They marvelled together at one another saying, Who is this? 490 00:32:13,900 --> 00:32:18,270 The Gospel of Luke wants us rushing to that question. 491 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:20,350 That question is going to be posed. 492 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:22,510 Jesus is going to pose it to his disciples. 493 00:32:22,660 --> 00:32:26,930 Who do people say that I am? Who do you say that I am? 494 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,550 We are working toward an answer to this question in the Gospel 495 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,630 of Luke, and Jesus is kind of steering us there, and Luke is 496 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:37,810 steering us there. But Jesus wants the disciples to 497 00:32:37,820 --> 00:32:44,710 answer who he is and whether or not they will put their trust in 498 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:47,350 Him. Having been afraid of the storm, 499 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,320 but afraid of the storm no longer, their amazement and 500 00:32:52,330 --> 00:32:57,570 their fear turn to Jesus. Because I think the disciples 501 00:32:57,580 --> 00:33:01,730 recognize that Jesus has power over the very thing that that 502 00:33:01,740 --> 00:33:04,930 they thought nobody was supposed to have power over. 503 00:33:05,300 --> 00:33:07,730 Like if there's one place, if there's one thing, if there's 504 00:33:07,740 --> 00:33:11,580 one reality, nobody has power over the seas and the winds and 505 00:33:11,590 --> 00:33:14,060 the storms. No human. 506 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:17,360 And yet Jesus demonstrates power. 507 00:33:17,370 --> 00:33:19,740 They say, who is this? He commands even the wind and 508 00:33:19,850 --> 00:33:24,180 the water, and they obey him. It's not just that Jesus claims 509 00:33:24,190 --> 00:33:26,180 to have power over the wind and the waves. 510 00:33:26,190 --> 00:33:31,060 He has shown it. He's demonstrated that the one 511 00:33:31,070 --> 00:33:36,090 thing that was outside of everybody's control, universally 512 00:33:36,100 --> 00:33:40,810 agreed upon, is under his control. 513 00:33:42,730 --> 00:33:46,200 Proverbs 9 verse 10 says that the fear of the Lord is the 514 00:33:46,210 --> 00:33:50,540 beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One leads 515 00:33:50,550 --> 00:33:54,790 to understanding. I think for those of us who 516 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:59,030 wrestle out our own faith and trust in Jesus and desire to put 517 00:33:59,090 --> 00:34:01,850 our faith and trust in Jesus, one of the questions that we 518 00:34:01,860 --> 00:34:05,950 need to reckon with and wrestle with is do we want Jesus only 519 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:10,250 when it is comfortable and when it is peaceful and when it is 520 00:34:10,260 --> 00:34:12,750 calm and cool and collected serenity? 521 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:18,380 Or are we willing to reckon also with His power, His power over 522 00:34:18,389 --> 00:34:22,500 the storms? Like is it Jesus who we want 523 00:34:22,510 --> 00:34:26,040 that is fuzzy cozy teddy bear like comfort me when I need it? 524 00:34:26,170 --> 00:34:30,320 Or is he? Do we allow him to be the one 525 00:34:30,330 --> 00:34:37,050 with power over the chaos and who brings order and peace to 526 00:34:37,060 --> 00:34:40,409 the storms? Are we willing to enter into 527 00:34:40,420 --> 00:34:46,040 this same reality with fear and amazement and wrestle out this 528 00:34:46,050 --> 00:34:51,260 question? Who is this Jesus that even has 529 00:34:51,270 --> 00:34:56,920 power over the storms? Psalm 46. 530 00:34:57,650 --> 00:35:01,090 It's maybe one of the most quoted verses in Scripture. 531 00:35:01,770 --> 00:35:03,840 And in in verse 10, it reads like this. 532 00:35:03,850 --> 00:35:07,220 He says, be still and know that I am God. 533 00:35:07,350 --> 00:35:09,300 I will be exalted among the nations. 534 00:35:09,310 --> 00:35:13,660 I will be exalted in the earth. And so usually when we memorize 535 00:35:13,670 --> 00:35:16,960 Psalm 46, that's the line, that's the verse we like that 536 00:35:16,970 --> 00:35:19,980 verse, that verse feels good. I'm all for the beast still and 537 00:35:19,990 --> 00:35:22,520 know that I am God. Yes, Amen to that. 538 00:35:22,790 --> 00:35:25,680 But I'm curious if you've ever read back and seen what comes 539 00:35:25,690 --> 00:35:31,430 first, because the lines that lead up to that immediately read 540 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,250 like this. Come and see what the Lord has 541 00:35:33,260 --> 00:35:35,990 done, the desolations He has brought on the earth. 542 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,490 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. 543 00:35:38,500 --> 00:35:40,810 He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. 544 00:35:40,820 --> 00:35:44,390 He burns the Shields with fire. It's not calm, cool, and 545 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,270 collected. It's not cozy and it is not 546 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:51,360 comfortable, but it is powerful. And then immediately after that 547 00:35:51,370 --> 00:35:54,850 he burns the Shields with fire. He says, be still and know that 548 00:35:54,860 --> 00:35:56,870 I am God. I will be exalted among the 549 00:35:56,880 --> 00:35:59,070 nations. I will be exalted among the 550 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,170 earth. It's language of rebuke. 551 00:36:01,180 --> 00:36:04,830 It's language that puts the world into its right place, that 552 00:36:04,900 --> 00:36:07,890 orders it properly, you and I included. 553 00:36:08,380 --> 00:36:14,670 We need to be ordered properly. The command to be still can only 554 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:18,360 follow on the wake of God's power and God's authority in the 555 00:36:18,370 --> 00:36:20,770 world to drive out the things of death. 556 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:24,750 And when those things are driven out, then he says Be still 557 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:27,810 commands it and know that I am God. 558 00:36:29,830 --> 00:36:34,140 There's a scene in Narnia and somebody told me I'd lose my 559 00:36:34,150 --> 00:36:37,750 like, pastor card if I didn't bring up this story. 560 00:36:38,590 --> 00:36:42,910 And so maybe you've heard this before, and that's OK, but 561 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,690 there's a scene in Narnia where Mr. Beaver is describing Aslin. 562 00:36:46,950 --> 00:36:52,790 So Aslin is a lion and these children have come into Narnia 563 00:36:53,050 --> 00:36:57,530 and Mr. Beaver who is a Beaver is describing what Azelin is 564 00:36:57,540 --> 00:37:00,110 like. Azelin is this all powerful 565 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,890 creature within Narnia universe, thank God. 566 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:09,360 Metaphorically, and this is the line says Azelin is a lion, the 567 00:37:09,370 --> 00:37:13,560 lion, the great lion. Oh, said Susan. 568 00:37:14,170 --> 00:37:17,150 I thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? 569 00:37:17,970 --> 00:37:23,390 I shall rather feel nervous about meeting a lion safe, said 570 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:26,590 Mr. Beaver, who said anything about Safe. 571 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:29,370 Corsi isn't safe, but he is good. 572 00:37:30,670 --> 00:37:36,880 He's the King, see? We need that Jesus. 573 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:42,970 We need that Psalm 46 burns the Shields with fire. 574 00:37:42,980 --> 00:37:47,170 We need the Jesus who breaks the bow and shatters the spear and 575 00:37:47,180 --> 00:37:49,610 burns the shield with fire. We need the Jesus who rebukes 576 00:37:49,620 --> 00:37:52,610 the demons and heals the sick and raises the dead. 577 00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:56,730 We need the Jesus who is not safe and comfortable and cozy 578 00:37:56,740 --> 00:37:59,250 and make you feel good about every little thing about your 579 00:37:59,260 --> 00:38:01,350 life. And we do need the Jesus who is 580 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:09,600 good, but who rebukes and who puts things into their proper 581 00:38:09,690 --> 00:38:14,940 place. But that Jesus requires complete 582 00:38:15,330 --> 00:38:21,450 and utter, total trust and full obedience. 583 00:38:23,250 --> 00:38:28,840 And so the question is the same to you as it is to the 584 00:38:28,850 --> 00:38:32,710 disciples. Where is your faith? 585 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:45,300 In whom do you place your trust? Let me pray, God thanks for your 586 00:38:45,310 --> 00:38:50,960 love and for your grace things that you are one who leads well. 587 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:55,130 I thank you that you are one who rebukes. 588 00:38:57,300 --> 00:39:01,040 Thank you that you are one who orders the world, who cause and 589 00:39:01,230 --> 00:39:07,660 causes there to be order where there was chaos. 590 00:39:09,940 --> 00:39:12,870 I say you are one who speaks the deepest things that are true 591 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:15,100 about the world and about each of us. 592 00:39:17,260 --> 00:39:20,190 And so, God, I do pray that we would, each one of us wrestle 593 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:24,610 with this question. Where do we place our trust? 594 00:39:24,860 --> 00:39:29,130 In whom do we trust? Yeah, I pray that as we turn to 595 00:39:29,140 --> 00:39:36,920 the world, we would long for and pray for the Jesus who is King, 596 00:39:38,610 --> 00:39:43,400 the Jesus who does break the bow and shatter the spear and burn 597 00:39:43,410 --> 00:39:47,110 the Shields with fire. Because yeah, we like we look at 598 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:52,000 the world and we pray. Come, Lord Jesus, and yeah, we 599 00:39:52,010 --> 00:39:56,060 know that that begins with us and it begins in here, in in our 600 00:39:56,070 --> 00:39:59,160 hearts and in our minds and together as a church. 601 00:40:00,660 --> 00:40:05,230 And so, yeah, would you make us ones who long for justice and 602 00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:07,890 who pray for justice and then who work for justice? 603 00:40:08,940 --> 00:40:12,520 Would you make us peacemakers? Yeah. 604 00:40:12,530 --> 00:40:15,780 Would you be one who draws close and who puts us in our place, 605 00:40:17,170 --> 00:40:20,630 and then from that place call us and remind us whose we are good 606 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:24,140 things that were yours. We love you and as we continue 607 00:40:24,150 --> 00:40:27,780 to worship Lord Jesus, we pray. Reveal yourself to be one who is 608 00:40:27,790 --> 00:40:32,310 good and one who is close. And we pray in the strong name 609 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:34,340 of Jesus. Oh man.