Luke 8.22, this is a familiar
story, one of my favorite stories. I love the simple pictures of the gospel. Simple
displays of the power and love and saving ability of Christ. Luke 8.22, now it came to pass
on a certain day that he went into a ship with his disciples. And he said unto them, let us
go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. Now this is the beginning of
a great story. If a story starts like that,
it's going to be a great story. The Lord Jesus Christ went into
a ship with some sinners. He got on a boat with his disciples. Fellowship. Fellows in the same
ship. That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, John said, that you also may have fellowship
with us. And truly, our fellowship is
with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Truly, the
Son of God is on our boat. And if he's on our boat, we can't
even call it our boat anymore, can we? It never was. It's his boat. We're his people. And what a happy, happy story.
The Son of God has entered into a ship with us. The story of this church starts
like this. This is the beginning of our
story, yours and mine. The Lord has been with us from
the very beginning and that needed to be established from the start.
We asked him to be and he was gracious. Is this of the Lord? Is he with us? And we were convinced
that yes, the Lord has entered into this ship with us. And look
what he did next. He said, go. He said, let us
go. What a happy story. Let us go. What are you going to do when
the Lord says that? Let us go. It's time to go, isn't
it? And so what did we do? We launched
forth. What do you think? What are you going to do? When
the Lord says go, we launched. And that's exactly what it was,
wasn't it? Launching forth. We didn't have any idea that
we would end up where we are right now when we launched. And we don't
know what's going to happen next. I don't need to know, do you?
I know that he's with us. He said, let us go. And we're
going. Where are we going? What difference
does it make? What difference does it make? We've been some different places,
haven't we? Now this story involves a storm,
danger. It says that they were in jeopardy.
The disciples panicked, they absolutely panicked, thinking
they were going to die. It involves them, now think with
me, it involves them saying some stupid things. Does any of that sound familiar? trouble, panic, stupidity on
our part. But look at this right away.
I want you to see something before we even go any further in this
story. In verse 22, it says, they launched forth. And at the
beginning of verse 26, it says, and they arrived. When the Lord's with you, Mark
it down. Mark it down. There's going to
be a lot in between that. There's going to be a lot of
stuff. There's going to be a lot of stupidity. There's going to
be a lot of panicking. There's going to be a lot of
fear. Because, you see, he's in the ship with us. And none of that surprises him.
None of that hinders him. They arrived. They didn't think
they would arrive. But they did. They didn't arrive
without some fear, without some trembling, without some doubt,
without some mistakes on their part. But they didn't arrive
without their faith being tested. And they didn't do very well
on that test, by the way. Their faith was tested. They
didn't do, they didn't score a very high mark. But they arrived. When the Lord says, let's go,
and He goes with us, we're going to get there. It's good to know that right
off the bat. It's good to just know that. If we learn that,
yeah, it ain't up to us. It ain't up to us. Aren't you
glad? There's not that many things I'm more happy about than that.
It ain't up to me. Bless God, let's row with all
of our heart, let's trim the sails, let's batten down the
hatches or whatever you do on a boat. Let's do everything that
we know to do with all of our heart. But bless God, it ain't
up to us. I never get tired of saying that.
And that's why we're gonna get there, because it ain't up to
us. If the disciples had known there was a storm coming, they
may not have ever launched to begin with. They would have disobeyed
the Lord. He said, let's go. And they would
have said, no, no, Lord, there's a storm coming. You know, we
better not go now. Let's wait a little while. And
their trip might've been a little easier maybe, but they wouldn't
have gotten to see the Lord and his sovereign power. They wouldn't have come to the
place where they said, what manner of man is this? That's God's way. I want to go
that way, don't you? I want to go when, where, and
how He says go. Not the easy way, but the way
that brings me to His feet marveling at His glory. When you come to
the place where you marvel at the glory and wonder of who Christ
is and what He can do and has done, you've arrived, or you're
getting there at least. You're on the right path. You
reckon they were thinking, You reckon they were thinking when
they said what manner of man is this? Do you suppose they
were thinking he can do anything? If he can do that, what can't
he do? I believe they were. He who said peace be still, he
can also say thy sins be forgiven thee. And they are. He can make a sinful heart lay
down just like he made those waves lay down at his word. He
made me to lay down in the green pastures of his love and grace
where there was a storm before, where there was danger, where
there was doubt, where there was fear. Now there's peace.
How'd that happen? At his word. Do you know what
manner of man he is? Faith launches forth at his word. Simon Peter said, Lord, we've
been fishing all night, nevertheless, at your word. That's faith. Faith believes God. Faith obeys
God. At his gracious command, we launch
forth. And this is the story of this
church. As I said, it's the story of every believer, every one
of us individually. He didn't say, what do y'all
think? He didn't say, where do y'all want to go? He said, let's
go. And by his grace we launched.
And that's what the centurion in Matthew 8 said. He said, he
answered the Lord and said, Lord, I'm not worthy that you should
come under my roof, but speak the word only. Speak the word
only. When you say something, it goes.
I have servants that when I tell them to go, they go. When I tell
them to come, they come. Just say the word. Whatever he says is done. And
we like it like that. By his grace, we like it like
that. Look at verse 22. But as they sailed, he fell asleep. And there came down a storm of
wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and were in
jeopardy. He fell asleep. Now think about
this. We need to know two things about
this. First of all, that God doesn't sleep. Well, wait a minute,
Crip. Just hold on. Psalm 121 for behold he that
keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep It's important
that we understand that God doesn't sleep The text would suggest
if we didn't know better. Thank God we do that They did
all the work that he was dead. He wouldn't do it. He was just
asleep they sailed they did all the things, you know, like trimming
the cells and all the things that you do and With a storm,
I don't know much about it, but they navigated that storm while
he slept. They steered the ship into the waves or at an angle
like you're supposed to or whatever they did, they knew what to do.
And he did, it looks like he did, they did all that and he
was just sleeping. It kind of looks that way. It almost looks
like we did some things too sometimes. If we didn't know better. But we know better, don't we?
This whole story is about how Christ controlled the winds and
the waves and he was controlling his disciples too at every step. He determined where the ship
was going to go before they went. He brought the storm upon them.
We forget that. They marveled that he calmed
the storm, but did you suppose it occurred to them that if he
sent the storm away, then he must have brought it there to
begin with while he was asleep. But you know what else is important
for us to know? That He did sleep. What in the world are you talking
about, Chris? God don't sleep, but man does. And the God-man
did. He actually took a nap. Wait
a minute, Chris, you just said God doesn't sleep. No, but we
do. And it behooved him to be made
like unto his brethren for a reason. And we're going to look at that
in a minute. It behooved him. The God man took a nap while
they were panicking and trying to do everything they knew to
do to keep that ship from sinking. He was taking a nap. You think, well, he wasn't helping
them much. God came down here and took a nap on our boat. He's not helping them much. He
is everything. What a blessed reminder that
he is God with us. His name shall be called Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is God with us. He is God with us. He is God for us. He is God as
us. He's our representative. He's
the last Adam in that he's our federal head. in Adam all died
and even so in Christ all that Christ represents before the
Father shall be made alive. God can't die either, but he
did. Oh, bless God, he took a nap. God that can sleep is our hope. God that can die is our Savior,
He's our Redeemer. Wherefore in all things, in all
things, yet without sin, in all things it behooved Him to be
made like unto His brethren. And you know what, let me just
stop at that verse right there. You know what the end result of that's gonna
be? We're gonna be made just like Him. Because in all things
He was made like unto us, we are in all things gonna be made
like unto Him. Change these vile bodies and
fashion them like unto his glorious body. Wow. Wherefore, in all
things, it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. That's
the significance of him taking a nap. He was made like us so that he
could be our merciful and faithful high priest. What does a high
priest do? He offers sacrifice to God for the people. And he
offered not the blood of bulls and of goats, but his own precious
sin-atoning blood. God got on a ship with them and
took a nap and orchestrated every move, every thought, every wave,
every raindrop, every second of this story. as each second
unfolded in this marvelous story. Happy story. The very beginning
of it tells us it's going to be a good story. God got in our
boat and said, let us go. And we launched. What a story. And he brought a storm, he brought
a storm. Reckon why? Why couldn't they
just sail across on smooth seas? They would have never had any
idea the answer to the question, what manner of man is this? If
there had not been a storm. Trials are necessary for God's
people now. First Peter 1.5, we are kept
you who by God's grace, chosen of God from the beginning, redeemed
by the precious blood of his son, You are kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time, wherein you greatly rejoice. Don't you rejoice to believe
on Christ? Though now for a season, if need
be, you are in heaviness through manifold trials. Don't miss those
words, if need be. God is not gonna send you a trial
unless you need it. Oh, if need be, only if need
be, are you in heaviness through trials. And when you are, you're
still kept. You're kept. And you can rejoice
in that. That doesn't change. Kept by
the power of God. But why do you need to be in
trials? Well, I can answer that from our text. They needed the
storm so that they might know who he is. You think that that
might be one of the reasons why you go through storms too? You
need to know who he is. I do too. We don't need a whole
lot else. We need to know who he is. They
need the storm in order to know what manner of man. We're still
finding out, aren't we? He probably gonna have to send
another storm, you reckon? We're still finding out who he
is. And they came to him, verse 24. They came to him and awoke him. And what was really happening
in this story is he came to them and woke them up. That's the end result of this
whole thing. God, wake us up and show us who you are. But here's the way God does things
now. He sends a storm and He brings you to Him. And He'll
cause you to cry, Master, Master. We perish. We're in trouble. This is not a game. This is life
and death now. And we need you. Then He arose. But let's back up. They came
to Him. You reckon that's why He sent the storm? Does God send storms to bring
us to the feet of His Son? To cause us to cry, Master? Master. Turn with me to Psalm 107. I told you this was a happy story. I'm not crying because I'm sad. What a story. This is my story
now. This is our story. And it's your
story if you know Him. Psalm 107 verse 25. For He commandeth. Now you think about this. This
was written, what? I don't know, three, four thousand years before
our text. For he commandeth and raiseth
the stormy wind which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount
up to the heaven. They go down again to the depths.
Their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and
fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end. Does that describe the disciples?
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble. And he bringeth
them out of their distresses. He commanded, he raised the stormy
wind. He caused it to come. And they
cried, they panicked, they despaired of self. And they cried unto him. And
he bringeth them out of their distresses. Verse 29, he maketh
the storm a calm. so that the waves thereof are
still. Then are they glad because they be quiet. So he bringeth
them unto their desired haven. They arrived. Then they arrived. Where's the desired haven then? Where'd they come? To him. They didn't just go from one
side of the lake to the other side. They came to him. You've
arrived. You've arrived. Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children
of men. Oh, that we might praise Him
this morning and just keep on praising Him. They said, Master,
Master, we perish. It says in Mark's account, listen
to this, in Mark 4, 37, there arose a great storm of wind and
the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. And
he was in the hindered part of the ship, asleep on a pillow.
And they awake him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not
that we perish? Don't you care about us? How
can you sleep while we're doing all the work and we're fixing
to die? Now, like us, they were weak
and foolish. This is just not a smart thing
to say. Don't you care about us? And
this is the son of God now who condescended to begin with to
be on a ship with them in the first place. This is God made
lack unto his brethren that he might be their merciful and faithful
high priest, that he might make reconciliation for their sins
now. And we know what that cost. Or
do we? We know a little bit, don't we? And shall we say this to Him? Can we say this, don't you care
about us? Him being with them there and
being God, but God who sleeps. God in human flesh, so that He
might take their sins and die in their place. That's the definition
of caring. That is literally the definition
of caring. Herein is love, not that we love
God. If you want to know what the
definition of love is, don't look at yourself or anybody else
but Him. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but that He loved us and sent His Son. Sent His Son to
be on a ship with us. Sent His Son to launch forth
with us. Sent his son to say, let us go. Send his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Why the fear? Why the doubt?
Why the panic? How could they ask him? Don't
you care? Our Lord put his finger right
on it, didn't he, in the next verse. Where's your faith? Where's
your faith? I'm glad that our salvation does
not depend on our faith. Our faith is just simply in the
one upon whom our salvation depends. And it's the gift of God. Our
faith is God's gift. Where is your faith? If we had
any faith, we would never be afraid. If you're scared, where's
your faith? Because if we really knew the answer
to the question, what manner of man is this? We'd never doubt. How can you
doubt him? To doubt is to doubt him. But I'm
thankful that he's teaching us who he is. He's increasing our
faith. We're growing in grace, I pray,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We're
still asking, and I pray he's still answering for us the question,
what manner of man is this Now back in verse 24, the last part,
it says, then he arose just in time, right in the nick of time. When it was time, he saved him. He saved him. He commanded and
it was done. And if you want to know what
that is, what that means, what this picture is, what this story
pictures, You have to look at the very next passage of scripture
in Luke chapter 8. Now think with me. This is key
to this. The context is always important,
especially in this story. What is this story about the
storm and our Lord? Our Lord brought the storm. And
he brought them to the place where they despaired of self.
They gave up and they said, Lord, we need you now. We've done everything.
You know, religion teaches that God has done everything that
he can, and now it's up to you. The exact opposite is true. You've
done everything you can do, and it was a waste of time. Now it's
up to him. It was always up to him. You're just not finding
it out. Just the opposite. And they finally
came to that place. The Lord brought them to that
place, and then he calmed the storm. He saved them. Look at
the next passage in our text. And we won't read this whole
thing, verses 26 to 39, though you know the story now. This
is the Gadarene demoniac. The Lord, when they arrived at
their physical destination, the destination was Christ. But when
they arrived at their physical, they came into the country of
the Gadarenes. And there was a man there. The reason the Lord
went there is there was one man, a wretched, vile, hideous, scary
man. He was possessed with many devils. You talk about a raging storm.
You talk about no rest. You talk about despair. You talk
about hopelessness. You talk about we're gonna die.
We know from all accounts of this man in the scriptures that
he raged and cut himself and had no rest. No rest. It says in Mark's account that
night and day he was in the tombs crying and cutting himself with
stones. Night and day, no rest. And this
is man by nature. Listen to this, Isaiah 57, 20.
This ties the two stories together. But the wicked are like the troubled
sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. The raging storm on the sea,
that's what we're like. But our Lord came where this
wretched soul was and spoke peace to his heart. And you know what
happened? We read in our story that we're
looking at this morning in our text, it says there was a calm
and it says in the other place there was a great calm. But listen
to this, you talk about great calm, you talk about a storm
and you talk about calm. In Luke 8 35 and they went out
to see what was done and came to Jesus and found that wretched
man out of whom the devils were departed and they found him sitting
at the feet of Jesus. That's about where the disciples
were at the end of their story. Sitting at the feet of Jesus
clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. You see
what our Lord is teaching in our text. They were impressed
with what he could do, and well they should be, in calming the
storm, but that was just a picture of what he did for his sheep.
Our Lord came where we were and made peace by the blood of his
cross. Where there was no peace, he
made peace between us and God by his precious blood and by
his mighty Holy Spirit. He speaks yet to the hearts of
his sheep and says what peace be still. And every problem we have goes
away. Every problem. He says, peace, be still, and
we pass from death unto life. And we find ourselves where?
Sitting at His feet. And you're not naked anymore. You're not ashamed to be in the
presence of God, because you have the best robe. The righteousness
of His Son. And you're not insane anymore.
You're not plum out of your mind anymore. Who else would defy
the God that made them and spit on the one that came to die for
sinners, but somebody that was stark raving mad? That was all
of us. And then the last verse of our
text, he said unto them, where is your faith? And they being afraid, wondered,
saying one to another, What manner of man is this? For he commandeth
even the winds and water, and they obey him. He gives them
this display of his sovereignty and sheer power. And they said
what we say every now and then when the gospel is clear. And He speaks to our hearts by
His Holy Spirit. Who in the world are we dealing
with? That's what we need to know. That's what we're here to find
out this morning. Who is this? Who is He? He asked that blind
man in John 9, do you believe on the Son of God? And that man
asked Him this, who is He, Lord? that I might believe on Him. And my prayer this morning is
that our gracious God would show us who He is, that we might believe. He wrote a book, and He said,
here's why I wrote it, that you might believe on the Son of God,
and that believing you might have life through His name. Reveal
yourself to us, O Lord. Give us faith to lay hold of
the sovereign Almighty, invincible Lamb of God. And never let go. Let's pray.