"Jesus Demonstrates His Power"

Hi there this is on Solomon and I would like to welcome you to our program today. You know it's a tremendous honor that God is given us to be on stations all around the nation bringing the truths of God's word as it is uncompromising and straightforward and I'm so glad you tuned in to listen and be part of that. Thanks again for your support and your generosity that keeps us on the radio and now let's get to the word of God you have ever been to Israel to the holy land facing pretty good number. I'm surprised that each of the services. How many people have been there more than I expected but I've always found that the people who go to Israel come back saying you know that one place was so special to me. I'll never forget it. As long as I live well for me one of those places. One of my favorite and all the holy land is up around the Sea of Galilee. I just love being up got to know what it is exactly, but I just love being up there. The scenery is just breathtaking.

The climate is mild, the pace of living is really slow and easy up there and the sea is just so calm and so reading back out of a picture book, most of the time.

Most of the time but sometimes the Sea of Galilee can become the site of some of the most violent storms imaginable.

In fact, the Sea of Galilee is kinda schizophrenic in this way I did, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He can be so nice and so calm and then all of a sudden out of nowhere. Just have the most credible storm you ever saw. And if this crazy weather pattern on the Sea of Galilee, forms the setting for the passage that we have in front of us this morning and I want you to come along as we follow the story of what happened to Jesus and the disciples one night out on that see because it's a great exposé of who Jesus Christ is, helps us really understand who he is a lot better and it's also a tremendous message in these verses. That's here for us as Christians in terms of how God wants us to handle the storms that come into our lives so come along with me, let's look and see what happened.

Luke chapter 8 verse 22. One day Jesus said to his disciples. Let's go over to the other side of the leg so they got into a boat and they set out now this same incident is recorded in Matthew's gospel and Mark's gospel and by putting all three of them together and we get little picture of what's really going on. Mark tells us that this day the Jesus said this was actually a Saturday. It was the Sabbath and Jesus and had a very long in a very difficult day did not only done some healing and on some teaching. But he had been in conflict with the religious leaders of Israel, the Pharisees and scribes, and the rabbis all day long. Finally he had even pronounced the unpardonable sin against them and he was exhausted when the day was over and so when the day came to a close about evening he said to his disciples guys, let's get in the Sea of Galilee and its head across to the other side to how far were they going while the Sea of Galilee. 13 miles long, 8 1/2 miles wide at the widest point and they were going to caddy corner from the north to the east and so they were probably going about eight or 10 miles across the Sea of Galilee, got a boat with a that the Bible says they got in well until recently we didn't know, but in 1986 March to be exact.

There was a great drought in Israel and since the Sea of Galilee is used for irrigation. They pumped it and pumped it did and it receded to levels that no one in modern memory can recall, and in the mud banks that became now up in the air. Usually there underwater.

But now they were to the open in these mud banks on the western side of the sea. There was an ancient boat that was discovered it's been excavated.

It's on display as a matter fact right up around the Sea of Galilee these days and the archaeologist who worked on this boat have concluded that it was a boat that came from the time of Jesus and was a boat very similar to the kind of both the Jesus and the disciples probably got in that night made out of wood 27 1/2 feet long, 7 1/2 feet wide and 4 1/2 feet deep, so good. 13 guys fit in it.

Yes, when they all have a sleeping bunk. No, but they could get in it but yet even though you get the 13 guys in it is not very big. I mean if you ran for first and 10 run longer than this boat only 20 7/2 feet long, was a big boat but it was about the Jesus and his disciples crowded into and they set out on to the late now. Verse 23 and as they say old Jesus fell asleep. Why because he was exhausted. I see some of you yawning, he felt exactly the same way, exactly the same way.

He had a very hard day and he was tired and so he went and fell asleep. Now Mark's gospel tells us something very interesting.

Mark's gospel says that Jesus was in the stern of the ship, asleep on a pillow got nice. He took a little down comforter something with no not exactly. Actually we learned a lot about these verses from this boat that we dug up.

It's incredible how once again archaeology has confirmed even the minutest details of the Bible. Listen, I'm quoting to hear from Biblical archaeology review where there was a multipage article on the boat. Listen to what they said about this turn were Jesus was asleep and I quote they said we found that a boat like this had a large stern platform which is where the helmsman would either sit or stand in God. The boat this explains why Jesus chose the spirit in which to sleep there. Jesus would've had the most protection from the elements and would've been out of the way of the other people on board then goes on to say the pillow that he used was actually a sandbag that was kept on board and used to trim the boat when it was under sale and when it was not in use. It was routinely stored under the stern deck to be used as a pillow by crew members who rested there." The incredible, we dig a boat up and we find a conference to unbelievable accuracy. The details of the Bible. So Jesus was sleep under the stern platform not with a down pillow, but with a sandbag sandbag better nothing and so that's what he had.

Now verse 23 goes on to say, and a squall came down on the lake so that the boat was being swamped with water and they were in great danger. The Greek word translated here squall literally means a gay old or hurricane and the Bible says it came down on the lake and if you understand a little bit about the topography of the Sea of Galilee understand why the Bible says that the Sea of Galilee is 689 feet below sea level is surrounded by mountains that rise as high as 9200 feet above sea level. That's quite a difference in their huge valleys that come down through these mountain ranges and actually counter spell out under the Sea of Galilee. So what happens is cold air comes rushing down these valleys sometimes running on the Sea of Galilee and meeting the warm and tempered air.

That's down on the Sea of Galilee that begins to generate all kinds of when the wind begins to swirl and the wind begins to whip around it can't go anywhere because the Sea of Galilee is like a little bowl you know it's at the bottom and all these mountains like the sides of the bowl so it just goes around and around and around like a tornado. And of course that's why the Bible says the storm came down on the deceiver because the team down to these valleys and onto the sea. You can set out from one side of the Sea of Galilee and everything the peaceful and is called as you please and before you get to the other side you can be in the middle of the rips Norton storm they come quick. This would happen to Jesus people read this ago. Why would Jesus and his disciples have possibly set out in a storm like this. The point is they didn't when they set out everything was fine but when the time they got out into the middle of the lake and it it turned dark.

They found themselves in the middle of a hurricane is what the Bible is telling us, and you know that there have been waves on the sea of Galilee, documented at 20 feet between the press and the trough 20 things they will now that's a wave I think of in the Pacific Ocean. Note on C Galilee 20 foot waves that Matthew's gospel says that the boat was actually disappearing between the waves as it would go down into the swells available would actually disappear.

It was so bad. The Bible says they were in great danger is a great danger. What will great dangerous thinking great danger of drowning great danger of dying great danger of going down to Davy Jones locker never coming back. They were in trouble. I bet you some of these guys were down for the count.

What you think old landlubber and tax collected Matthew. I'll bet you he was one sick dude out in the middle of the sea on this boat. Well, that's what they were and look at verse 24 and the disciples who could still walk. Went and woke Jesus and said master master. We are going to drown. But don't forget who saying this, the people who saying this or Peter and James and John and Andrew if there was a little more about that. Will these guys are fishermen. They will raise around the Sea of Galilee. They made their living fishing the Sea of Galilee. When all the Sea of Galilee. Every single day and little boats just like this. They had seen everything the Sea of Galilee had to throw at them for year after year after year, and these are the guys who in absolute panic come to Jesus and say we are going to drown. We have seen all kinds of things out here on this evil. We have never seen a storm like this and we are terrified.

How do you know they were in trouble, folks. When sailors asked the carpenter what to do in a storm, you're in trouble you're in big trouble. So when Jesus awoke at the picture. Now he was facing one of the most violent one of the most furious. One of the most savage storms that these men of the sea had ever seen Of them were sure they were going to die.

The other half over so sick they wanted to die and Jesus gets up and has this unbelievable opportunity to demonstrate his power.

Verse 24 and he got up, pulled himself up and stood majestically on this tiny little speck award in the middle of the sea in the middle of this hurricane he pulled himself up in the middle of the sea. The Bible says, and he rebuked the wind and the raging water marks gospel says he stood up and looked towards the sky never raised his voice. He never screaming ever yelled to be heard over the wind and the waves marks gospel said he simply looked up at the sky and said?

It's always partial. The Bible says that the storm subsided and all was, you know, even if the wind it stopped just like that, even if all of the raining and the commotion it stopped just like that the laws of physics say the waves would've gone on for hours before they died but not here when Jesus talked it. He stopped the wind, the ways everything just like and it was in this column is class friends. In doing this, Jesus demonstrated a power over nature that is utterly staggering. Think about a storm like this generates millions and millions of horsepower of energy. Jesus stopped at by simply saying what push-up probably set us puny little men if we want to run a 450 hp bulldozer for day we got to use hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel just to put that little thing around to move dirt. Can you imagine the kind of power that could turn a storm like this with millions and millions of horsepower all. Can you imagine the kind of power it must take to move the universe around the way Jesus Christ says he does.

I mean our telescopes.

For example, show us the universe that stretches hundreds of millions of light-years in every direction. Everything spinning in absolute order. Can you imagine where the power is, and must keep them thing, all going in here are 8000 miles in diameter 25,000 miles in circumference weighing millions upon millions of tons holding it up spinning at a rate that so constant that you can set your watch by going around the sun, and the rate so constant that you can set your calendar by running all of this and making it happen the way it does in such perfect order. Where is that power coming from the sun putting out 6 trillion hp every single year and there are millions of these sons in the universe who running this where the power comes and did you know that a codfish blaze 9 million eggs every time it lays eggs to say to do anything but I mean God is the God of the little just like he is the big on me. 9000 eggs. Ladies, I mean hey thanks, very big God to do that. I figure and you know in a teaspoon of water. There are billions and billions of atoms in one piece of water. I was a chemistry major in college, we studied the atom and even though scientists today can tell you what the atoms made and can describe the parts. There is not a scientist alive today who could tell you why the atom sticks together because it defies everything we know about quantum physics. The atoms should not stick together.

It should not do it. What makes it hold together the millions and billions and trillions and who knows how many atoms there are in the universe or the Bible says Jesus Christ holds them altogether. By his power he were to relax his power. You and I everything in this world would fly apart minced the kind of power that it takes to run the universe. It's beyond our comprehension.

And Jesus demonstrated that kind of power over the forces of the universe. Time after time after time you and John chapter 2, he turned water into wine that we chemists would say Jesus brought about a chemical change in the molecular structure of water with a simple command but may I say to you that that can be done.

We can tell you what he did, but it cannot be done, that is impossible, it cannot be done, but he did it in John chapter 11 Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, that cannot be done, but he did it in Matthew chapter 14, Jesus walked on the top of water that cannot be done, but he did it in Matthew chapter 21 he was standing next to a fig tree curse that figtree and he said with her and die and it withered and died to be done, but he did it. If you don't think that's hard to do, go out and try to experiment. The next bring in your yard go out there and set us free, and those dandelions were put up on top of them go out there just look at them and point to a woman go die die when their way there and see if anything happened have anything happened you call because I want to come right over. I want to see what it looks like but I guarantee. The only thing is, those dandelions will get bigger and you'll fill your whole yard up. Try that because you don't have that kind of power need to do Jesus Christ and he does and you know, the disciples may not of been a rocket scientist, but they were smart enough to figure out that they were dealing with somebody who was way out of their league way out of their league.

Look at verse 25 it says in fear and in amazement they ask one another who this this, that even the winds and the water that are hurricane he can command it and make me they'd seen the guy. Do some healings they had seen Jesus raise little girl up from supposedly being dead. At least they say what we thought she was dead, and they'd seen Jesus do a lot of other things a friend when you stand up in the middle.

Hurricane Andrew and say hi shop and it stops man. That's the kind of power. These guys had never even dreamed of and had no explanation is this place and that's really the $64,000 question into folks that's the question and you know it's real important. We have the right answer to the question and that we make sure that we're rightly placed with this person.

Anybody who has this power is way out of your league to where my league and it's our job to make sure that we are in right standing with a person like this who can command the winds and the waves of hurricane like that and make them obey. That's our passage, but it still leaves us with the most important question and that is so, what right I want answer that question a little bit of time I have left me first say that you're here and you've never embraced Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Maybe a friend brought you this morning or mom or dad or husband or wife brought your who knows why you hear but you've never really made up personal surrender of your life to Jesus Christ as your personal savior and there's a big so what here you know.

Jesus promises in the Bible that he's coming back to earth one day and he promises in the Bible that is going to defeat every photo that opposes it. He promises in the Bible is going to resurrect every person who's ever lived, and that is going to judge them for sin.

He promises in the Bible that the only refuge that will protect you and me from that judgment is the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross and Jesus promises in the Bible that any of us who will embrace the blood of Christ will be shielded from that judgment and any of us who refuse to embrace the blood of Jesus Christ is our only payment for sin that we will be judged and will be separated from God for all eternity in a place the Bible calls Hill and Jesus promises in the Bible that he is the way and the truth and the life. Nobody will ever come to the father. Nobody will ever get into heaven. Apart from him. That's what he said. We say you can go to Bhutto.

Jesus said nobody comes to the father except by me.

We need to go through Mohammed. Jesus said nobody comes to the father but by me. All you need to go through your church membership in your good works. Jesus said nobody comes to the father except by me. My question for you is should you be concerned about all these promises. I mean, should they worry you.

Does Jesus Christ really have the power to do everything he's promised he doesn't.

You don't have to worry about well in light of what we just going to on the Sea of Galilee. What you think. You think he has the power to keep his promise.

I do friends. God uses storms in our life but you know there's one thing that Jesus Christ never allows a storm to do in a Christian's life and that sink, he never allows one sink when Jesus knows the time is right to calm your storm to do so when he knows it's right to stop the store to do so got the power to handle the one thing you can be sure of to Neville Atchison. That's why he said to the guys in the boat. What he said you say your lot, I noticed you skipped a little bit of this right.

Let's go back verse 25 Jesus after he calm the storm. Look what he said he said to the disciples.

Verse 25.

Where is your what was your faith now for years I would read this passage and I go now. That makes no sense. I mean for Faith to exist, there has to be a promise from God. Faith means that I have responded correctly to a promise of God.

God promises me.

If I trust the blood of Jesus Christ to take me to heaven. Faith says, I may not know where heaven is or how to get there myself, but I believe in you. God, I may not be able to empirically prove it.

But I'm get a hold onto that promise and believe it anyway. Faith is always responding to a promise of God. So where is the promise of God here. I looked and I looked and I looked for years and I said I don't understand why Jesus is rebuking these guys because he never made a promise but he did write up verse 22. He said let's get in the boat and walked go to the other side did Jesus say, hey guys, let's get the boat got the middle of the lake and let's all drown know you didn't say that.

He said guys, let's get in the boat and let's do what go to the other side and friend when Jesus says going to get the boat go the other side will get the boat go the other side. That's what he said wasn't and so he said to them, where is your faith. What's wrong with you guys. I didn't say we were going out here and drown.

On the other side with with you what was your faith in my dear Christian friend Jesus Christ has never said to you. Hey, want to get into my boat and let's go drown know when Jesus Christ invited you into his boat.

He invited you into his boat to go to synagogue and thought of what long well in this life to go to the other side of conformity to Jesus Christ to be made more like him in the storms that God sends our way friends is because God is using those storms to mold our character so we become more like Jesus Christ, God's going to get us to the other side of that process and you're not going to drown in the middle and in the life to come order to get to the other side of death to a place the Bible calls have a new you don't know where it is a need to know why, but Jesus did you get my boat and I'll make sure you get there and pray when Jesus Christ is get in my boat and were going to the other side you can believe him if you get in his boat you were going to the other side, you're not going to.

So he asks us as Christians the same question. Where is your faith to trust the one that's doing the lead is not out-of-control. God knows exactly was going on and he's doing it for your good with you can see that or understand it or not and believe me, when God takes you through the storm in Lanzhou juvenile like every destination he takes.

If you just trust me, God help you do that, I got change the way you see your life because of what we see in here this morning, dear heavenly father, I want to thank you for the word of God and how it touches and how it ministers to our lives. Father, I want to pray for people who were here this morning that are going through real hurricanes in their life and I know there are many some of us here who've been through real hurricanes and were still, licking our wounds. I pray father that she would give us a different perspective than the world would like to give us on our troubles. I pray you would help us to see them as all being in the hand of a loving and merciful heavenly father whose promised us that if we get in his boat were going to the other stuff or teach us that the storms along the way are only meant for our benefit and I pray father that she would help us even though we may not know where were being led to have deep abiding trust in the one is doing the leading give us the strength we need in the faith. We need to have that father and I pray especially for those here this morning will write the middle one of these hurricanes that they would be able to walk out of here this morning and say I may not know where I'm being led, but with your help, God of the trust to be peace, just help me jump in the pool believe you can attach help and be well with our souls.

Lord, even if there's a storm all around. Because of our faith and our reliance upon you. We pray these things in Jesus day maintenance. I went with Dr. Lon Solomon plan is an outrage and online, found in ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information is in our lifetime. Lon Solomon ministries.org.

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