January 25, 2010
Jesus, take the wheel
Matthew 8:18-27
Matt Comstock
Central Truth
Storms rage around us all the time. Cling to God when your seas get rough, and He will calm them. Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Key Verse | Matthew 8:23–25
When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" (Matthew 8:23-25)
Matthew 8:18-27
The Cost of Following Jesus
18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 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.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms a Storm
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Dive Deeper | Matthew 8:18-27
The disciples were stuck. Far out on the lake, they were too far from shore to turn back. The crashing waves made it impossible to go forward. The winds were howling, the seas boiling, and the boat, in which they had put their trust, was in danger of falling apart. All hope was lost except for the fact that Jesus was in the boat.
At its essence, this is a story of salvation. The disciples could not stop the wind and waves. They could not control the storm. Their salvation rested in the hands of Christ. And in their darkest hour, the disciples gave us a great example of our human frailty and the awesome power of God. By calling out to Him and placing their lives in His hands, the disciples were saved.
The raging storms of life look menacing . . . to us. The waves cresting over our bows are overwhelming . . . to us. The uncertainties and inconsistencies of this world are more than we can handle alone. One minute, we are sailing through life in calm waters, and the next moment we are thrown into violent tempests. But to God, who created the earth, led the Israelites from bondage, and defeated the grave, our challenges are never too big. Alone, we are doomed. By reaching out to God for help and placing our lives in His hands, we can handle the trials of this world because God can and will calm the storms.
As Paul said to the Romans, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
Reach out to Him. Call to Him. Worship Him. Hand your fears over to Him. Jesus will deliver you safely to the other side.
Discussion Questions
1. How would you have responded if you were in the boat with Jesus when the storms raged?
2. What are the uncertainties in your life that are causing you anxiety? Have you asked God to calm your storms?
3. When your fear is great, do you turn to your faith for comfort or try to go it alone?
4. Do you thank God when your boat is sailing on calm waters?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why were the disciples afraid?
2. What did Jesus say to them (verse 26)?
3. Are there things in your life that you are afraid of? Are you trusting God with them?