The Shipmaster

Q: What does the Bible say about the sovereignty of God?

The Bible emphasizes God's sovereignty over all creation, asserting that He governs every aspect of existence, including trials and storms. Scripture consistently portrays God as sovereign, ruling over the universe and directing the course of human events. As seen in Psalm 37:23-24, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, reassuring that believers are never truly out of His control. In the context of the storm in Luke 8:22-25, it's evident that even when circumstances appear dire, God's sovereignty ensures that His purposes will prevail. He orchestrates events to demonstrate His power and our dependency on Him. Believers can find comfort in knowing that nothing happens outside of God's ordained plan and that He is ever-present in both calm and chaotic moments.

Q: How do we know that Christ is our captain?

Christ is our captain, guiding us through life's storms, ensuring we reach our destination in Him. According to the passage in Luke 8:22-25, Christ commands His disciples to set sail, serving as the captain of the ship. This metaphor illustrates the church as a ship where Christ and His people dwell together. The assurance that the destination is secured and that Christ is at the helm provides believers with hope and confidence. This illustration not only reflects our journey through life's adversities but also reassures us of His presence in our trials. Romans 8:28 assures us that all things work together for good to those who love Him, affirming that Christ, as our captain, leads us steadfastly toward our promised inheritance.

Q: Why is having faith in Christ important for Christians?

Faith in Christ is crucial as it anchors believers in His promises, providing peace amid life's uncertainties. The importance of faith in Christ cannot be overstated, especially in moments of trial and uncertainty. In Luke 8:25, Jesus gently rebukes His disciples by asking, 'Where is your faith?' This question challenges believers to reflect on the object of their faith amidst life's storms. When our faith is directed toward Christ, we find assurance and tranquility, regardless of circumstances. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for, emphasizing that faith in Christ connects us to the ultimate reality of His sovereignty and love. Thus, faith not only sustains us but also transforms our perception of trials, enabling us to experience His peace.

Q: What can we learn from the storm in Luke 8?

The storm teaches us about our helplessness and God's sovereignty, pushing us to depend on Him fully. The storm in Luke 8:22-25 serves as a profound narrative illustrating our utter helplessness and God's unwavering sovereignty. As the storm rages, the disciples, despite their experience as fishermen, panic and fear for their lives. This reaction highlights human frailty and the instinct to rely on self in times of trouble. However, Christ's calming of the storm reassures us of His power and control over creation. Furthermore, trials often draw us closer to Him, as noted in James 1:2-4, where trials produce perseverance. Through this experience, believers are reminded of their complete dependency on Christ, who is both our captain and source of peace.

Q: Why do Christians face trials?

Trials serve to strengthen our faith, reminding us of our dependence on God and His sovereign plan. Believers often encounter trials as part of their spiritual journey. James 1:2-4 states, 'Count it all joy when you fall into various trials,' indicating that these challenges are purposeful. Trials reveal our weaknesses and point us back to God, cultivating a deeper reliance on His guidance and provision. In the case of the disciples during the storm, it wasn't merely about the storm itself but about recognizing their dependency on Christ while navigating life’s uncertainties. Through these experiences, God develops our faith and character, equipping us for future challenges and aligning us more closely with His will.

He said to me, Fear not, I will
pilot thee. Thank you, Jerry. All right,
back to Luke chapter 8. Luke chapter 8. Let's read verse
22 again. 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. Our Lord spent a lot of time
with his apostles in the ship. You can read throughout the Gospels
and see that they were in a ship a great deal of the time. He
preached from ships. They traveled by ship. And so
I don't think it's any coincidence that the church is called a fellow
ship, a fellowship of believers. a play on words, but it certainly
works, doesn't it? That's a good description of
the church, a bunch of fellows in a ship, isn't it? A ship's an ark. Christ is that
ark. Christ is our, not only the ship,
but he's the captain. And the church is where Christ
dwells. That's where the church is. where
Christ and His people dwell together. And like a ship, it's like a
ship and its crew, like these men. The church is like a ship
and its crew, which they dwell together. You know, when you're
on a boat together, and I've been on a boat for a long time. Well, for a landlubber, it was
a long time. Ten days seemed like an eternity. But when you're on a boat together,
that's it. You're on that ship. And everything
takes place within that ship. You dwell together. You live
together. You work together. You toil together. You eat together.
You drink together, whether you want to or not. You laugh together. You cry together. You go through
rough seas, calm seas. when you're on a ship. That's
a good description of the church. That was the case with these
disciples. Hence, that's us. We're here together, believers
in Christ, a fellowship of believers, and our destination. What's our
destination? Well, like these disciples here,
he said, let's go over to the other side. And that's where
we're headed, the other side, the other side of Jordan, where
Canaan's fair and happy land, the songs that were my possessions
lie, promised land. And so we're in Christ. How are
we going to get there? We've got to be in the right ship.
We've got to have a good captain. And that's where we're headed.
Well, and like these disciples, you know, when the Lord called
the disciples, It says they left their boats, didn't they, to
follow Him. And we leave everything behind. And it says they launched forth. When we come to Christ, that's
what we do by faith. We launch forth. Well, there's
something I want you to note here. The Lord didn't tell them
where they were going. He didn't tell them why or wherefore
or anything. He just said, Let's get in the
boat on the other side. That's it. They probably had
many questions. Where are we going? Why? When
are we going to be back? No. He didn't tell them any of
that, did he? He didn't tell them any of the circumstances
that would take place. He didn't say anything. He just said let's
go to the other side. There's some things I want you
to note in this story here. As the Lord didn't tell them
where they were going or why or when they would return or
how long it would take them to get there, nor does the Lord
let us in on everything. He doesn't tell us His purposes
and all that. We don't know what tomorrow holds,
do we? We don't know what the future
holds. The Lord doesn't let us in on tomorrow. We don't even
know what the next hour is going to bring. He doesn't let us in
on that does he? All we need to know. We don't
need to know what tomorrow holds. But we do need to know who holds
tomorrow. That's good news. Isn't it? Huh? But he did say this though. If
you catch this, if they'd have caught it, they wouldn't have
worked. And this old boy, if they'd have
caught what he said, if they'd have been listening, that's all
our problems is. Not heeding the Lord's promises. Look at it again, verse 22. He
said, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. Sounds
like it's a done deal, doesn't it? Sounds like they're there
before they leave. They are. It's just as good as. Isn't it, Joe? Let's go over
to the other side. That's all they need to know,
and the Lord tells us the same thing. Everyone that's in Christ is
going to reach the other side. Isn't that what he said? Whosoever believeth in me hath. Not will have, hope to have,
you've got a good half. Sounds like a done deal. Whom
he did predestinate, he called, and he called, he justified,
and he justified, he glorified. Past tense. Let's go over to
the other side. So whoever comes to Christ by
faith, you've already reached your destiny. And the rest, you know, it's
a done deal. You ought to come to Him. You're
in that sin, you are saved and you're not just sure for heaven,
you've reached heaven. Christ is the believer's heaven.
Well, He said, He giveth unto us eternal life and they'll never
perish, come hell or high water. That's scriptural language. Hell
or high water. That's all we need to launch
out on. You know? Just one word from the Master.
That's all we need to launch out. Let's go to the other side. OK. We're with you. Whatever
you say. Whatever holds. Tomorrow holds.
Fine with us. We don't know where we're going
or why or what's going on. But you're the Master. Nevertheless,
it's Thy Word. Well, verse 23, And as they sailed,
he fell asleep. Oh, I love this story. As they
sailed, he fell asleep. A couple of things to note here.
It says they sailed and he slept. They sailed and he slept. Two things I want you to note
here. That the Lord uses means. He does use means. He doesn't
have to. He didn't always use means, did
He? But he sometimes does. Most of the time he does. All
right? Secondly, I want you to note
the perfect peace of a perfect man. All right? The Lord uses means. Who was
guiding that ship? Well, it says they sailed. He
slept. Who's guiding the ship? Well, there was a man at the
wheel, wasn't there? Yeah, if you've ever been sailing,
there's a man at the wheel, there's a man in the sail, there's men
all over that place. It takes a lot of men to run
a ship. It says they sailed, and he slept. So there was a
man at the wheel, there were men at the sail, the Lord was
asleep. Now, this is a perfect illustration
of God's sovereignty and yet man's responsibility, this right
here. You see, the fact is, really,
truth be known, man doesn't control anything. He doesn't control
anything, and the Lord never sleeps. Neither one of these
is so, really. They weren't sailing the ship,
and he wasn't sleeping. But that's what it says. The
Scripture says, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber
nor sleep. Doesn't it say that? Yet the
lot was cast into the lap. Peter, John, Bartholomew, whoever
it was, take the wheel. I'm going to sleep. Who was running the ship? Well,
the lot was cast into the lap. But the holders pose in their
house of the Lord. This is a mystery and a wonder. Now, I guess the
best way you can figure this out is a man controlled the wheel,
but the Lord controlled the man. Kind of like a hoe or a rake
or a shovel. You're working in a garden, you
know. What's digging up the soil? Is it a hoe? Well, yes and no. Who's digging up the soil? It's
the one in whose hand the hoe is, you see. So the man held
the hold of the wheel, but the board had a hold of the man. Now, this is a great comfort
to me, and it should be to all of us.
We can't make a wrong move. We're not going to hit, not going
to run aground, not going to make shipwreck of this thing
unless the Lord directs it or permits it. You know, the Lord
didn't need men to run this ship. He didn't need a ship. At one
time, Stan, he didn't even bother to use a ship. He just walked
on the water. So he showed there he doesn't
need a ship, doesn't need men, doesn't need anything. But in
this case, he used men, didn't he? All right? But this whole
episode, this whole story was really to show them their helplessness,
their total helplessness and His absolute power. And that's the purpose of the
life of every believer. You know that? Whatever believers
go through their whole life is to show us our utter dependency
on the Lord and His absolute power and control of all things.
You know that? That's what this voyage, if you
want to call it this journey, is all about. That's what He's
going to show. That's what we're going to come
to the conclusion when this journey is over with. We didn't control
anything. I mean, we didn't control anything. And we were utterly dependent,
totally helpless. We just longed for the right.
Isn't that right? The Lord controlled the ship. That's what this whole story
is about. All right? And I told you the second thing
here to see is that the perfect peace of a perfect man. I've never thought of this verse
in reference to this story here. The verse, the scripture says,
he giveth his beloved sleep. Who is the mother? God's only begotten well-beloved
son, he gave him sleep here. No one deserves it quite like
this man. But listen to this psalm, Psalm
37, 37. Mark the perfect man. Behold
the upright, the end of that man. Oh, the beloved, the perfect
man had perfect peace, and therefore he was asleep. I tell him, Brother John, I said,
if they'd all, if all of them had the peace that Christ had,
they'd all have been back there asleep. except for whoever he
set in charge of the wheel. It all said, well, let's go to
sleep. And that big squall come up and
one of them might have woken up and said, well, that little
breeze is blowing, isn't it? And gone back to sleep. Perfect man, perfect faith, perfect
peace. Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace whose mind is stayed on thee. Well, it came down, verse
23. Every word is significant. There
came down a storm. Where'd it come from? Down. This storm came down on them. Stormed the wind on the lake,
and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy. All trials
come down from above. And again, Brother John and I
were talking, I've never used that verse in James along these
lines, but it works. Every good and perfect gift cometh
down from above. Well, James went on to say, let
trials have their faith, have its perfect work. Trials produce
faith. So, trials are a gift that come
down for the perfectedness sake, for perfect peace. Right? And so this trial came down upon
them, and it says they were in peril. This is all a paradox
here. They were at the wheel, the Lord
was asleep. No, no. It says they were in peril. They
were filled with water and were in jeopardy. Oh, no. No. Well, they thought they were.
That's the thing about it. They thought they were. And just as the Lord never truly
sleeps, but He did, Figure this one out. He never slept, but
he did. The believer is never really
in danger, but it appears that they were. You know, we live in perilous
times. The Scripture said that in 2
Timothy 3. These are perilous times. Well,
are we in peril? Well, no. No, we're not, no. The believer is immortal until God's through with him.
Is that so? Never in danger. Why? Because
the scripture says, he giveth his angel charge over them. And
Satan and a host of demons, we see this in the story of Job,
don't we? They had to report to Christ.
before they could touch her hair. Our Lord told us that about the
sparrow that fell to the ground. He said, spare a soul for a farthing,
or a pence, or a peseta. I'm talking about confused. When we got home, we didn't know
what a dollar was worth. Let me tell you, I offered Mindy
I offered Mindy to give her 4,000 percentas to spend while we're
there. She turned it down, said it wasn't
enough. Can you believe that? Really, all it was was about
$30. I like to tell that story. 4,000. Well, where am I? He said he talked about the sparrow.
He said the sparrow so for a part of him, yet not one of those
falls to the ground except God according to his all-wise immutable
purpose. And he even said not a hair of
your head fall. What an insignificant thing,
isn't it, Stan, Joe? Insignificant. We've had it before. There's nothing to it, is there?
Yet the Lord directs every hair that grows or falls back. So we said, how much more? How much more will He take care of us? The
soul upon which He spit His very life's blood. And so, Satan and his host, everything
has to report to Christ before they can make a move. Now, isn't
that good news? Well, here's the purpose in all
this, in this story, and the purpose in every wind and flood
of affliction a believer goes through, verse 24. So, verse
23, they came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were
filled with water. That's in the italics. They were filled with, well,
fear and trouble and, yes, water, and were in jeopardy, or so it
seemed. So what's the purpose in all this? Why did the Lord
have them go through this? Why did He go to sleep while
they were just scared to death? Verse 24, "...and they came to Him." That's the whole reason.
As is with every trial, the believer goes through it to try to stand.
I don't know about you, but if it wasn't for a little trouble
every now and then, I might just be prone to forgetting. He fell
asleep in the boat, and if they'd have sailed on smooth seas, they
might have even forgot he was in the boat. Right? And as a matter of fact, they
might have got to thinking that, hey, we're pretty good sailors.
Right? If they'd have reached the other
side, not a ripple, you know, and it got all the way We don't
even need him at all. Now, think about it. These fellas had been sailing
a long time. They grew up on the water. James,
John, Peter, Andrew, they grew up. Their fathers were in the
fishing business. Stan, you reckon they'd seen
a storm before? They'd seen some deuces. They'd seen a storm come. Most of us, let me tell you my
sailing experience, my one sailing experience. I've told you before, I was on
a ship with six other fellas, five of which were experienced
sailors and me and another landlubber. That's L-U-B-B-E-R, lubber. But we got on this boat, this
ship, 41-foot sailboat, and headed out of Cape Cod, Boston, Massachusetts,
Cape Cod, motored out of the harbor there. The sky was as
black as that window there. I mean, the sky is in a distance
as black as that looking outside there. And I said to the captain,
we going out in this? He said, well, yeah. We're taking
this boat somewhere. Okay. We're motoring along out
of that nice smooth harbor, you know. And all of a sudden, the
captain cut the motor and threw up the mainsail. And that boat
went, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, right like that. And it stayed
there. And I was hanging on to everything
I could hang on to. And my buddy, who was another
landlubber, turned green immediately, turned green. I said, who's wearing
green? I mean green. And he went down into the head,
which is sailing turn for the toilets. And he had his head
in the head for three days. He never surfaced for air. And
I was hanging on, the wind, the waves were crashing over that
boat. And I was scared to death. And I looked at the captain.
No big deal. Seen this before, been there,
done that. It wasn't just a little, it's just a typical day out on
the ocean, Dan. Well, these fellows have seen
things like that. I mean, they've seen it come
and go. Well, not this time. What's it going to take to get
these fellows to admit their utter helplessness?
He sent a nor'easter, which is a salient term for the big one,
a white squall down upon them, and they thought, this is it.
This is it. This is the big one, they thought
Job. He was sleeping. They had to
be brought to the end of themselves, to the utter helplessness, dependency. Well, that's what happened. And
so what did they do? They came to Him. They came to Him and awoke Him,
saying, Can you imagine how they said this? They were screaming
at him, wind and howl, master, master, we perish. Another, over
in Mark's account, he says that they said, carest thou not that
we perish? They were frantic. This is the
end. This is how far unbelief will
take you, and fear and doubt. They said, Steve, they said,
don't you care? We're going down. Don't you care?
In our language, well, don't you care? You see that? What unbelief will do to you
is drive you mad. It'll drive you mad. The next
story is about a madman. Don't you care? Don't I care? I sent this because I care. I'm
here because I care. I didn't have to come, but I'm
here. Oh, this is because I can. Sure
I can. Well, Master, we perish. You
know, the believer says this, starts out saying this, and he
continues to say this all his life. You know, Peter said this
a couple of times, didn't he? The Lord saved me, I perish. Isn't that what the believer
I love Psalm 107, Psalm 104, Psalm 107 talks about the life
of those Israelites, you know, that it says they, you know,
got into all kinds, the Lord blessed them, but then they got
into all kinds of trouble and all. Didn't they cry unto the
Lord? He said, He heard them, He saved them. Well, things went
along real well, and then they got in trouble again, you know,
sinning against the Lord. Didn't they cry unto the Lord?
He said, The Lord heard them, He saved them out of all that. That's the purpose of everything.
Come here. Come here. To whom? Come here. Continue. Continue. Well, this was a terribly
frightening time for these men. The Lord knew it. He knew that. I'm not saying he was... and
he certainly didn't answer them in a... His rebukes, unlike ours,
are just full of compassion. But he knew their frame. He knew
their frame, and he sent just what was necessary to humble
them. He sent just what was necessary to humble them, to drive them
to himself. And it says in verse 24, ìSo
they came to him, ìMaster, we perish, and then he arose.î Wouldnít he like to be in there?
He says, ìHe got up,î and heís a man. If youíre white to sleep
out of his eyes, heís a man. He grabbed another boat, walked out on the bow of the
ship, and he rebuked the man. He didn't
have to holler. Really. He was right in there. Like fine wine. Those men, they'd seen it all. They'd seen it all. They thought.
Well, they just saw it all, didn't they? Christ is all. Ah, boy. You rebuke the wind, the raging
of the water, and they ceased, and there was calm. Oh, there's
a lot in this verse right here, isn't there? Huh? It says, They
came to him, and he awoke. He arose. Christ came. He lived. to establish our righteousness. He died to pay the penalty of
our sins. He arose, and therefore He rebukes
sin, Satan, and self, and they cease from us. And there's calm,
isn't there? There's calm. Then he gently
rebukes them. He says this to them, verse 25,
and oh, how much is in this short line. Where is your faith? He didn't say, why don't you
have more faith? That's not what he's saying there. He didn't say, when are you going
to He said, where is your faith? Or that is, where are you looking? Do you understand the depth of
this question here? Where? Do you understand that? Where is your faith? If your faith is directed, if
the object of your faith, where? It's where it should be. It's
where He sits at the right hand of the majesty on high, reigning
and ruling and controlling all things by the word of His power. The Lord was in a ship. That's where their faith was,
should have been, is in Him. They thought they were in jeopardy,
didn't they? So their faith must not have been in Him at the time.
Right? They must have been in themselves,
must have been in their own ability, must have been in faith. Their faith, where is your faith? And when we become filled with
doubts and fears and questions remain, where is our faith? It
ought to be in the master of the wind and the water. Well, in verse 25, we close,
He said unto them, Where is your faith? And they, and this is
what it created, when they got a sight of Him, His majesty,
His glory, His power, their utter dependence upon Him, their utter
helplessness, how that He controls all things.
What did it create? They were afraid of the wind
and the water before. That's just wind and water. Now they fear Him. Our Lord said that one time.
He said, Fear not them which kill the body, and after that
there's no more that they can do. Fear Him who can kill the
body, yet send both body and soul into hell. And they said, What manner of
man is this? There is no mere man at all,
is there? This is God manifest in the flesh.
God manifest in the flesh. He commanded even the winds and
the waters, and they obeyed. They obeyed. Everything obeys
His will. Billows His will obey. Well,
in this story, the very next story after this, did you notice
how it started out, John? It says, a certain day. It always
says that, doesn't it? It always says that. Everywhere
he went, it was on a certain day. And Joe, they went over there
and he met that certain man, healed him, got back in the boat
and went back. But oh, what all went on during the way, on the
way. There's never an idle moment, never, you know, everything had
a divine purpose, worked together, all things worked together for
good to his people. He was on his way to save a certain
man, and in the meantime, he increased their faith. I'm going to give you this illustration
in closing, talking about fate. There was an ocean liner crossing
the ocean years ago, much like maybe the Titanic.
On board that ship were many kinds of people, different ages,
sizes, male, female, old, And the ship was crossing the ocean,
the Atlantic Ocean, from America to England. And on board that ship was a
big, strong man. Big, strong man. Virile in his
prime. And on board that ship was a
little tiny baby in a mother's arms. All right? Which one's going to make it
to the other side? Why? Which one's going to make it?
Well, if the ship gets there, they're both going to make it.
Right? Why? Is a strong man going to
make it because he's strong? And neither will we. Neither
does our faith have a thing to do with it. Strong faith? Weak faith. It's
the one hope of the ship we're in. Captain, ship, where is your
faith? So it doesn't matter. They were
going to make it with or without faith. Right, John? They lost
all faith, didn't they? They lost it all. It didn't appear
that they had any. that he had been. There you go. Ain't that enough? And the Lord says, let's go. Early? Let's go the other side. All right? Okay. Don't know what
tomorrow holds, what squall's coming along, but know this for
certain, through the master of the ship. All right, let's stand.

The Shipmaster

What does the Bible say about the sovereignty of God?

How do we know that Christ is our captain?

Why is having faith in Christ important for Christians?

What can we learn from the storm in Luke 8?

Why do Christians face trials?

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About Paul Mahan

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The Shipmaster

What does the Bible say about the sovereignty of God?

How do we know that Christ is our captain?

Why is having faith in Christ important for Christians?

What can we learn from the storm in Luke 8?

Why do Christians face trials?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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