Matthew 8:23-27

Storm Calmed, Faith Strengthened

Is there anything you would like to accomplish, but you feel it's just too far out of your reach? Maybe you are too small to get up on that plateau, or too weak to lift that rock. You have been told your whole life, it's too difficult and you will fail. So you settle for less than than you wanted. Well, 2000 years ago Christ told His followers that if they had the faith of a mustard seed they could accomplish the impossible. In today’s lesson we learn of the time their faith was weak, because a storm had come upon them. Throughout our lives we are confronted with many storms, oh not always the kind that could sink a boat, but storms that could sink your faith in GOD. Eventually these disciples would gain the faith Jesus told them about, and their sacrificial faith would eventually change the hearts of billions around the World.

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”m. But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Matthew 8:23-27

1. (Matthew 8:23) Set scene for a mental picture of the situation

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.

1. Sea of Galilee facts

1. Actually a large lake

1. Matthew and Mark call it the Sea of Galilee

2. John calls it the Sea of Tiberias

3. Luke calls it Lake Gennesaret

2. Fed by the Jordan river which itself is formed from four rivers

1. Two flowing from Lebanon, the Hasbani and the Iyon

2. Two coming from underground springs at the foot of Mt Hermon, the Dan and the Banias

3. All four merge together about 10 miles north of Galilee Sea near Kibbutz Sede Nehemya

4. Jordan drops 850 ft by the time in flows into the Sea of Galilee

3. At 680 ft below sea level, its surface is13 miles long and 8 miles wide for a total of 64 square miles

4. Average depth is 84 ft, with the greatest depth at 150 f

2. (Matthew 8:24) The weather changes so rapidly, that even with today’s technology they cannot predict it

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep

1. Situated in the rift valley, it’s surrounded by hills, (natural fault line running from N. Israel to Africa)

2. From Mt Hermon at over 9000ft to the Galilee at over 680ft, there is a 9680ft elevation drop in 20 miles

3. The sudden extreme drop in elevation causes storms to come up without notice

4. Hot 100+ air from dry arid south, mixes with cooler 50ish north air, adverse conditions is result

5. Elevation drop and mix of air temps causes wind tunnel effect that comes from gorges on all sides

6. This all adds up to what meteorologists call, “The Perfect Storm”

7. These storms are so violent waves a high as 20 ft will often be the result, many a boat has capsized

8. 
   

3. (Matthew 8:25) All the while Jesus was sleeping, His faith was in His FATHER, so He never worried.

Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

1. Let's first look at the business trades of the disciples

1. Simon Peter, and Andrew - were brothers and fisherman

2. James and John - were brothers and fisherman

3. Matthew - a tax collector

4. Jamesand Thaddaeus - both brothers of Jesus, possibly carpenters like their father Joseph

5. Simon - Was a zealot, member of a radical religious group wanting to overthrow Rome authority

6. Philip - unknown

7. Bartholomew - unknown

8. Thomas - Unknown

9. Judas Iscariot - keeper of the purse and the only Judean, either a banker or a merchant

2. We have 4 fishermen, and another 4 who lived by the sea and thus not easily frightened by rough water

3. What about the fishing boat they would have been using

1. In 1968, a first century fishing boat discovered in Capernaum was restored and put in a museum

2. It was big enough to hold 12 to 15 men but that’s all, it was not a very big boat

4. Imagine all the tangibles I have described to you, close your eyes and just imagine for a moment

1. Without warning we have a storm coming out of nowhere

2. High winds strong enough to throw a man overboard whipping against your face

3. The noise of shrieking sounds as the riggings slap back and forth against the wooden boat

4. Waves so high, that all you see is a wall of water all around you

5. Then the is raised on a huge wave that takes you to the peak before it lowers down in the swell again

6. All the while the boat rocks back and forth with water swamping over the sides into the boat

7. Everyone is rowing or trying to hold the gear down as their feet are emerged in water filling the boat

8. This was a terrible storm, Matthew records their fear as they wake up the Lord

"Lord, save us! We are perishing!"

9. It’s easy to see how these men would have been terrified in a storm in a boat like that

4. (Matthew 8:26) When He is awaken, Jesus is confronted with the Disciples panicking for their life

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

1. Looking at His disciples, He mildly rebukes them;

 "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"

1. A study of Scriptures show us that Jesus used 3 other times

“O you of little faith”

1. In His Sermon on the Mount when He spoke of worrying (Matthew 6:30)

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

2. When Peter cried for Jesus to take his hand because he was sinking (Matthew 14:23-33)

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

3. When they misunderstood Jesus’ words on leaven and the Pharisees (Matthew 16:5-12)

But Jesus, being aware of it,said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?

2. One time Jesus used similar wording to explain why His disciples could not cast a demon out of a young boy. Jesus tells them the power they would have IF they had the faith of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20)

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you

2. The closer we keep to GOD, the stronger our faith is. This is a result of God’s work in our lives

1. We learn in (1Corinthians 12:7-1), that faith is a gift that the Holy Spirit can give

2. Faith comes from hearing the word (Romans 10:17)

3. We gain faith by watching mature,faithful, godly believers (Hebrews 13:7)

4. Towards the end of His ministry the apostles finally understand and asked for more faith (Luke 17:5)

5. Eventually we will see the author and finisher of our faith, (Hebrews 12:1-2)

6. Again, when Peter kept his eyes on Jesus he walked on water with HIM, but the moment Peter took his eyes of Jesus he started sinking. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus to be assured of our salvation. 

1. The dog keeps a watch out for his master

2. When I leave my dogs in the vehicle and go into the store, they  will not take their eyes off that door I went in. They are waiting to see me come out

3. We too, must keep our eyes on Jesus. 

4. A well trained dog will give its life for its owner

5. So too must we have that sacrificial faith in Christ.

3. This is one of those moments in the disciples lives they will always remember

1. Not because the storm was so bad, they will face tougher storms after Jesus is gone

2. No. they will remember this moment because of how calmly Jesus handled the situation

3. He does what (Psalm 89:9) said He would do

4. Mark records for us exactly what He said to calm the storm (Mark 4:39)

1. The sea became calm immediately, as if it was never even windy

2. The water became like glass, smooth, quiet, sunny, not one hint of bad weather

3. Like the day He split the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites to cross, He commands the elements

4. Hebrews tells us that He is sustaining all things by His powerful spoken Word

5. Now He uses His word to calm the storm as He did when He spoke everything into existence

4. Let's look at an Old Testament situation on Faith in Genesis 22, Abraham and Isaac

1. Abraham who is 100, has a child promised to him with Sarah who is 90 years old

2. Abraham is confronted with God wanting him to sacrifice Isaac

3. Abraham's faith in God led him to follow God's instructions without fear or doubting

4. He was sure God would bring Isaac back from the dead (Genesis 22:5)

1. Because God said his son would be the father of his descendants (Genesis 17:15-19)

2. Abraham just exercised his faith in God (Hebrews 11:17-19)

5. Considering the story of Abraham and Isaac, let's look at the storm situation again

1. In Matthew 8:18 after Jesus healed many in the evening He gave a command to depart to the other side

2. Mark records that Jesus said, "Let us cross over to the other side" (Mark 4:35)

1. The fact that they would make it to the other side had been established

2. Unlike Abraham however, they lacked faith in the Word of God

3. Which prompted a rebuke from Jesus

6. The effect of Jesus’ power was not just to calm the storm on the sea, but also to calm their fears

1. By calming the storm Jesus was able to take away their fears and build up their faith in Him

2. He had rebuked their faith in order to show a weakness that He was now about to resolve

5. (Matthew 8:27) The last verse tells us they still wondered who He was

So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

1. They will look back at this rebuke and gain the faith to die for the One who calmed the sea

This becomes the powerful thrust of the passage to all subsequent believers. Even though there are so many things in life that threaten our lives and cause us to fear, the more we know the Lord and His power, the less we will be afraid. Our prayer for deliverance from our troubles will be less and less out of fear and desperation and more out of confidence.