Sermons

Introduction

I want to encourage you to open your Bibles to Luke chapter 8, Luke chapter 8. Familiar text: one that we love and know very well, one that we teach our children at a young age, the story of Jesus calming the storm. Let's read it together.

Luke 8:22, "One day He" – Jesus – "He got into a boat with His disciples, and He said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side of the lake.' So they set out, and as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke Him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!' And He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. And He said to them, 'Where is your faith?' And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, 'Who then is this, that He commands even winds and water, and they obey Him?'"

It's not often that we are afraid, not often that we are genuinely fearful. I mean, as children, we might have moments where we're afraid of the dark or maybe we're afraid of some scary movie because our older siblings convinced us that that movie wasn't that scary, which of course it was, and probably lost several nights of sleep, and couldn't get up in the middle of the night to get a drink anymore, all that was off. Usually those fears though – fears of the dark or whatever it might be – usually those fears subside as we get older. Childhood fears are often left behind with childhood.

As Mark said, I grew up in the Midwest. My family lived in a rural community out in the country. And we had a basement in our house – which I didn't know all houses didn't have basements until I moved to California, hardly any basements there, very strange. But our basement had a way, as basements do, of attracting mice and spiders and all sorts of God's creatures. And for whatever reason, as a young man, I just was not a fan of spiders. I was afraid of them. I hated them. I think I'm not alone in that, especially if it's true everything is bigger in Texas – big spiders. No thanks, I'm out. I just hate the way they move. I don't like it. I don't like the way they're always hiding. And I just think they're generally up to no good. So, by the way, if one of you has like 100 reasons why spiders are good and how they're saving the planet or something, you can save it, I don't need it. I've come to peace with this childhood fear. I'm not looking for a pet spider anytime soon. But we're good, we're good.

Childhood fears usually fade. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes as adults, we can still be afraid of bugs or, I don't know, clowns or heights, or maybe it's public speaking, or small spaces – that gets a lot of people. Maybe you have a weird fear, like, scared of toast or snow or something. I hope not. But maybe you do. Regardless of childhood fears or adult phobias, whether they be common or rare, just want us to see something helpful. I believe that some things all of us share in common. All of us are afraid of, in fact, three things. There are three things that make all of us feel genuinely fearful.

The first one, I think, is storms, powerful storms – mother nature at her worst. That has a way of causing us to feel small, to feel helpless, to feel afraid – a hurricane, an earthquake, tornadoes. When those hit, they have a way of helping you to see that you have no power to stop them. Those make you feel fearful. They make you feel afraid. What makes them feel so terrifying is the reality that there's nothing you can do, just endure it.

So, really bad storms can cause us to be genuinely fearful. And the second thing is, maybe, I would say evil. Evil has a way – all of us, if we can admit it – evil forces and evil spirits has a way of making us feel afraid. Grateful for passages in the Bible like 1 John 4:4 that says, "He who is in you is greater than he who's in the world." And the Bible would describe that one who's in the world as the god of this world, the devil. He's certainly evil. His demons are certainly cause for concern because we can't see them, sure, but mainly because the Bible tells us that they're against us, that we have an enemy, that they're opposed to us. Ephesians 6:12 says, "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." So evil too then can be very scary.

We have bad storms and evil spirits. And the last thing that all of us have a fear of is death. Death is the one thing that even from a young age we learn it's something that we can't stop and we have no control over it and we can't buy our way into more days. We can't avoid it, we can't delay our death, even though some of us try hard. Psalm 139:16 says, "Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them." Our days are numbered. Death is something that happens to everyone eventually and can't stop it. It's unavoidable. People worry about their own lives, of course. They worry about the lives of their children. They're scared about, maybe, the lives of a family member. Death can be a fearful thing. So, top three: storms and evil and death.

Now, what does any of that have to do with Jesus in this boat in Luke chapter 8? Well, as scary as those things are, storms and evil and death, as disturbing as they might be for us to think about, Jesus wants you to know that with Him, not only do you not need to be afraid of bugs, you don't have to fear anything. You don't have to fear storms or evil or death. And that can only be true because of who Jesus is. Those are way bigger than us. Those are way stronger than us. A really bad hurricane or storm, a big storm, it's powerful. That's what makes it so frightening. Evil spirits, too, again, so powerful, and that's why we're afraid. And death, we can't stop it, which is why so many people fear it.

But Jesus wants you to know clearly that He is more powerful than all three of those by far. There's no storm that can match His power. There's no evil that can compete with Christ. Even death must yield to the Son of God. So, Jesus is truly greater. And in the Gospel of Luke, which tells us the story of Jesus, and it's insisting that we see Jesus as He actually is, that we see Him in the right way, and as you've been studying the last couple weeks, that we hear Him in the right way as well. Luke actually puts together three stories on purpose here at the end of chapter 8, three events that, of course, actually happened, but these events that show us that Jesus is way more than just some gifted teacher. He's way more than just some miracle worker. Luke writes, here in chapter 8, so that we would know the truth about Jesus, that Jesus is the Son of God, which means He's more powerful than the worst storm – which is our text this morning – which means He's going to be more powerful than a demon-possessed man who seems uncontrollable, and we'll see that next week, verses 26 to 39. And Jesus is more powerful than a horrible, lifelong sickness, and even death, which is how this chapter comes to an end. Jesus, far more powerful than all three of those.

So, why would Jesus do this? Why would Luke put these stories here after all that He's done, after all that He's taught? Why these stories? Why are they next? You may be wondering that. So I believe that Jesus wanted His disciples to know that without a doubt, they could trust Him. I believe He wanted His disciples to know with certainty and assurance that Jesus Christ, that He was faithful and trustworthy. Why would they be doubting that? Why would that be a question? Well, Jesus has been claiming some really big statements. First seven chapters of this book, He's been making some big promises.

Luke's gospel begins in chapter 4 with Jesus preaching the good news. Verse 18 of chapter 4, Jesus came to proclaim the gospel to the poor, to the spiritually bankrupt. He came to proclaim liberty to captives, to give sight to the blind, to set free those oppressed by their sin. Jesus was announcing that the time was at hand, the time was fulfilled, the good news of salvation that God had promised back in Isaiah chapter 61 was now right in front of them. Jesus quotes it almost exactly.

So, He came with this purpose to save. He came to teach people that they could be forgiven of their sin, that they could be redeemed, that they could be made right with God; and that's a huge statement. Jesus is proclaiming this beautiful truth that everyone who'd offended Him and everyone who had offended His Father, who'd sinned against Them, and who was just so deserving of God's judgment and God's wrath that they could be saved. If only they would believe in Him, believe in His message. leave their sinful life behind, they would follow Him. Jesus was offering an amazing gift. And if you think about it, it kind of sounds too good to be true. It's a big statement. Jesus is telling people to listen to Him and respond with obedience.

So, here's my question: How could people know that Jesus was telling the truth? How could they know? How could the disciples actually trust in what Jesus was saying? As we read and as we study the gospel of Luke, it's meant to be the same question for you: How can you know for sure that Jesus is telling the truth? How can you know that this gospel, this record is trustworthy? How can you trust in the promises that God makes?

Just isolate the things that Jesus has been teaching in chapter 8 alone, how we hear and respond to Jesus, the parable of the soils, and how we respond to Jesus. Again, that's been your theme. It impacts everything. Eternity hangs in the balance here. Were the disciples listening? I think they were. But isn't it easy to imagine that the disciples might be doubting a little, might be questioning a little, might be wondering how can they know that Jesus can do all this: "How do we know?"

You might have similar questions. You might be someone who's maybe new to church or the Bible or Christianity, and you're reading the gospel of Luke for maybe the first or second time, and you have the exact same questions. Or maybe you've been a Christian for a long time and still every once in a while doubt and wonder, "Is God trustworthy? Why can we trust in Christ for salvation? Why can we trust Him for our life here and now, even when it feels like it's upside down. How can we be confident to trust Christ with our future, eternity? Who is this Jesus?"

Well, the crowds and the disciples have heard Jesus say some amazing things, but they've also seen Jesus do some incredible things as well: the paralytic healed in chapter 5, the man with the withered hand healed in chapter 6, the widow's son raised to life in chapter 7. So Jesus had been actively working around the world of the disciples. They'd seen it. But now it's time for Jesus to work in their world, to work in their lives.

I don't know what things that people in Jesus' day might have been afraid of, probably way worse bugs than we have. But I do think that some things never change. Things that we have in common with all men is that we're afraid of those ferocious storms and evil and death. And here is Jesus showing His disciples two thousand years ago that He is unmatched in power. There is no one like Him. And the best part is, it's not just for the disciples, this is also for you and for me. This is a truth that we get to learn because of God's word.

He wanted His disciples to know that they could trust Him, and He wants the same for you. He wanted His disciples to know that His promises were guaranteed, that He had the power to do what He said He could do, and He wants the same for you. Trust Him. Trust your soul to Him. You can trust in Him, and you should; and to prove it, Jesus puts on this display of power. And this morning, our first story, this first narrative, it's short, but it is the right story to begin with.

Why can you trust Jesus? Well, if you're taking notes, I would encourage you to write this down because Jesus is above creation. Why can you trust Jesus? Because He is above creation. In other words, Jesus is Lord of the wind and the seas for sure. He is the God who creates, and He is above His creation. He's intending you to see Him for who He truly is.

The Disciples' Calamity

Let's start here. Let's call this first section, "The disciples' calamity. The disciples' calamity." Verse 22, "One day He got into a boat with His disciples, and He said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side of the lake.' So they set out. As they sailed, He fell asleep."

This has been a long day for Jesus. It's one of those days that I have a feeling He felt and the disciples felt, it was like one of those days that just was never going to come to an end. We can piece some stuff together from the gospel of Mark that this is all happening in the same day. The Pharisees accused Jesus of working in the power of Beelzebul. It's the same day His family showed up and tried to have Him arrested because they thought he was crazy and they wanted to bring Him home. It's the same day that Jesus escapes that and He goes back to the sea. And the crowds are so massive, as they always are, and those crowds are pressing on Him, as it's so common for Jesus, that He has to go out in the boat and teach the parable of the soils from the water. After teaching them that, Jesus now says to His disciples, "This day is coming to a close, let's go across to the other side."

Verse 23 begins with, "As they sailed, He" – Jesus – "He fell asleep." So as the sun sets, the disciples are in the water, and they've set sail. And other gospels tell us that the other followers of Christ are also in boats with them, they're coming along. And it's a nice, peaceful night, perfect night to be out on the sea and on their way across. The Sea of Galilee's about 13 miles long, about 6 miles wide, somewhere in there. And it's – not to bore you with geography – but it's sort of set up like a perfect storm for a powerful storm.

This little sea, its geographic features, it's surrounded by mountains with these deep ravines, and those ravines act as perfect funnels for the wind to just aim right at this little lake. And it happens fast, it happens with almost no warning. Low valley where that Sea of Galilee sits, it acts like a cage for thermal pressure to build up; and as that pressure rises and it crests over the mountains, the cold air quickly zooms in under the hot air and it smashes that lake like a sledgehammer. So the Sea of Galilee, it's a dangerous little body of water, and can be calm one minute and an absolute nightmare the next. The Sea of Galilee's recorded anywhere from 8-foot waves to 10-foot waves, which a body of water that small, it's pretty impressive, and it's equally dangerous.

Years ago I was 10 or 11, and my family was vacationing in Breckenridge, Colorado, and we decided one day to go up to Lake Dillon, and we – I didn't decide, I was just going – to go up to Lake Dillon and to rent a boat and to go fishing. And two older brothers, my mom and dad were out on this lake, and we're having just a great day fishing. And just love being out on the water, it was so fun. And I remember, like, out of nowhere, my dad says, "Pull the lines in, we've got to go." And the sky was starting to grow so dark, and the wind picked up so fast; and in a matter of seconds, where there were no waves, all of a sudden there's these waves three-foot, four-foot waves.

You know, Mom was doing what moms do. She was putting life jackets all over our bodies and just trying to make sure that we were safe. And kids, myself, like, we have a way of noticing when things are serious. Mom panicking, it might not be that big a deal; but the look on dad's face, when that changes, we all knew, "Oh, this is serious. Dad looks worried." And as fast as we could, we got off of that lake with the wind howling. And we were getting wet from the waves, and there was water starting to come into the boat. It wasn't until we were safely back in the car that my brothers and I were like, "That was awesome. I wasn't even scared." Yeah, right. So scared.

And Lake Dillon is not even half the size of the Sea of Galilee. And just like that day out of nowhere, same thing happened on the Sea of Galilee. Those fishing boats, they're just being tossed around like they have no business being out on that sea, being bounced around back and forth. It was violent; it's nonstop; the wind's ferocious. Luke uses the word "windstorm," like a hurricane of wind. Matthew, in chapter 8, verse 24, he uses the word for "earthquake," just like somebody was shaking that lake.

So, just to understand it, this is not some summer evening drizzle. This is  a serious storm. This is bad. The wind hit that lake so hard, and the waves began to toss and turn so fast. Of course, their boat quickly began to fill with water; 10-foot waves, maybe. It doesn't take a whole lot of imagination to figure out why they're in danger. Waves are rising and falling, and that boat's just along for the ride, almost like it's a ball that the waves are playing a game with, up and down that boat's doing that. If you've ever been out on the ocean or deep sea fishing, you know what that feeling's like, rises and falls so fast. And you don't have to have a lot of experience on the sea to know in a situation like this that you're in real trouble.

And these men did have a lot of experience on the sea. Probably been fishing out there hundreds, if not thousands of times, that they've seen storms. They know what to do, but they are in panic mode. If these boats take on too much water, all these people are going to be in the water in life-threatening trouble. No moms with life jackets to help here. The text says that, "They were in danger." Verse 23, "And they went and they woke Jesus," verse 24. They did something that the storm could not do.

Now, we know, because we've read the text, we know that Jesus is leading them to this point. We know that He's allowing this storm, He's allowing this trial, this trouble. Why? Why does Jesus do this? Well, I mean, first notice, because it leads the disciples to Him, right? They go to Jesus, they have no other options. They have to wake Christ.

That storm, as awful as it was, it's necessary to teach the disciples who Jesus actually is. They don't quite understand it yet. It's needed to teach them about His power. It's vital to grow their faith. It's necessary to extinguish those questions of doubt. They need to see Jesus for who He is. One writer puts it this way: "This choreography of heaven was essential for their spiritual development. It's essential, and it's a vital principle of spiritual life." He writes, "Without difficulties, without trials, without stresses, and even failures, we would never grow to be what we should become." Storms are part of God's plan. Storms are part of the process for spiritual growth.

So, Jesus brought this storm to compel His disciples to draw near. He brought the wind and the waves. He allowed the rising and falling of the boat. He allowed the water in the boat. He gave permission to the very thing that caused them to believe they were perishing. Why? That they might see Jesus for who He truly is. And it's the same for us. It's the same for you and me. God allows trial. He gives permission for the trial in your life and the difficulty you're facing, but get this: not to drown you, to draw you closer to Him. His intention isn't to sink you, but to lead you deeper into His grace.

Verse 24 says, "They went and woke Him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!" These experienced fishermen, they know all too well that the situation they're in is not good. Panic sets in and they feel helpless and afraid, and they're full of worry. I don't know what, don't know it quite yet, but this storm is the exact thing that they need to learn something invaluable about Jesus.

The Master's Peace

Let's look at number two, "The Master's peace. The Master's peace." "They went and woke Him, saying," – verse 24 – 'Master, Master, we're perishing!' And He awoke, and He rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm." Jesus was asleep. Mark says that He was in the stern. So He's in the back of the boat. Some of those boats had a covering, maybe, maybe not, but He's asleep, and Mark includes that He's on some sort of cushion, and I just imagine some soggy, gross, old fishing boat cushion. Yuck, my head is not touching that thing in a thousand years. But Jesus is comfortable. He's out, sleeping. How could He sleep in a time like this? I think it does go to show you just how tired He was, the kind of day that he had, tired enough that the bottom of that boat and that nasty pillow were amazingly comfortable, because He's knocked out, He's sound asleep.

You might have kids like mine. I have kids that can sleep through anything. A few weeks ago, it was like 2:00 a.m., and I hear a smoke detector – the battery low, you know, the chirp that it does. Just for whatever reason it wakes up Dad and no one else. So I'm awake; and, of course, I wake up my wife to see if she'll take care of it. I did it. I got up, I got up. I get up, and I'm trying to find it. I'm like a bear just searching the house, trying to find this smoke detector.

Finally realize it's coming from my son's room, and I go in, and they're both just out. I grab it and put the new battery in and put it back up. The next morning, I'm just, "Hey, sorry for barging into your room at 2:00 a.m.," just was wanting to get some sleep. And they're just, "What are you talking about, Dad? What? You did what?" "Never mind." They're just out.

That's Jesus here, just absolutely out cold. He's exhausted. The point is the rise and fall of the boat, which should wake Him doesn't. The wind and the waves are smashing into that boat; it couldn't wake Him. The water, I mean, it's likely getting Him wet. He's sound asleep. The disciples had to wake Him.

It's interesting to note this. I read this sentence and I just found it so helpful. What a great reminder. I want to share it with you: "For Jesus, it was as natural to sleep through a storm as to rest quietly in bed at night. His falling asleep, it proved His real humanity, but it also showed the love and the trust that He had in His Father." Sound asleep. What trust He has in His Father.

But to the disciples, as they look at their Master slumbering in the bottom of this boat, it merely looks like Jesus doesn't care. Maybe He doesn't care. Maybe He doesn't know, He's asleep. Before we catch ourselves chuckling at the disciples' overreaction, we should notice how easily it is for us to do the very same thing: "How can God allow this thing to happen in my life, this illness, this financial burden, this struggle, this relationship issue? Is God – is He asleep? Does He care? Does He know? He doesn't see me." Questions like that couldn't be any further from the truth. "I knew precisely what was going on under the watchful care and eye of the Father."

The disciples shout, "Master, Master, we're perishing! We're going to die!" Even though they had seen miracle after miracle, even though they had heard Jesus teach with such clarity and authority like no one before, even though they had seen a widow's son come back to life, they panicked and they were convinced, "This is all over. Even though Jesus is here, we're going down."

I heard Pastor MacArthur say once that "God's faithfulness in the past should give us confidence for the future." I just credit everything I hear from him because it's usually right. So true. God's faithfulness in the past should give us confidence for the future. Instead of being convinced that all was lost, those disciples should have been confident that Jesus would be faithful, that He was who He said He was.

Their fear gave them spiritual amnesia. They had abandoned everything they had seen Jesus do. They forgot everything they heard Him teach. "We're perishing." They had neglected all the reasons they had to trust Jesus. "This is over."

Such a valuable lesson in there for us, isn't there? So valuable. Don't let that trouble cause you to forget what God has taught you. Don't allow that difficulty to give you spiritual amnesia to erase God's faithfulness in your life up to this point. I don't know why we are so quick to do that, but we can't. God's faithfulness in the past, oh, it should give us such confidence for the trouble we face, such assurance that we will not perish.

Well, the disciples yell, and I imagine they shake Jesus to get Him awake. And verse 24 says, "He awoke and He rebuked the wind, He rebuked the raging waves, and just like that, the waves ceased, and they were calm." I think it's worth noting the miraculous here. The verb that Luke uses, it's not just that the waves began to stop and then did. It's not that the wind took minutes and eventually calmed down. The verb implies immediate calmness. All three gospels mention it.

It's impossible. The waves didn't gradually cease – which, by the way, would have been a miracle, too. No, they immediately stopped. That wind was immediately quiet. The wild frenzy of the water, it should have taken minutes to calm down. But it was immediate, an absolute chaos to that eerie, motionless silence. The wind and the waves, they obeyed and they listened to the One much more powerful than they are.

Two Necessary Questions

The picture is in this moment of chaos. Immediately, things were pin drop quiet. I imagine the disciples could hear each other gulp. So quiet as they wondered, "What did we just see Jesus do? What was that?" And it leads us to our last point, "Two necessary questions. Two necessary questions." Verse 25, "He said to them, 'Were is your faith?' The disciples were afraid and they marveled saying to one another, 'Who then is this, that He commands even winds and water, and they obey Him?'"

"Where is your faith?" I can imagine the disciples desperately trying to avoid eye contact with Jesus at that moment. Probably some wide-eyed faces as well, "Where is your faith?" Jesus was asking, "What are you doing? Do you still not get it? Do you still not see? Can you still not hear? Do you not understand who I am? Where is your faith?" They needed faith to cast out fear.

What kind of faith can do that? It's true faith, faith that believes, faith that embraces and never lets go of the love and power that Christ has for me. It's the faith that the disciples needed. "Where is your faith?" Jesus asked them. It should have been in Jesus. It should have been unshakable.

As the sea at night returned to normal, the disciples began to see things a little clearer. They were rightly afraid, rightly marveling as they inquired of one another, "Who is this, that He commands the water and He commands the winds? Why would the wind and the waves obey Him?" Psalm 107:29 says, "God made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven." Psalm 89:9, "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them." Psalm 106:9, "He rebuked" – same word – "He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert."

I don't know about you, but sometimes I'm frustrated with the author's lack of detail. Maybe I just like a good story. But like here in Luke, he gives us no detail that we would want, no drama at all. There's no clickbait for us anywhere in Luke's description, he's just leaving out all the good stuff. But the more I study God's word, the more I'm convinced and I'm confident that Luke here also, he's giving us the most important pieces of the story. The details of the storm don't matter, it's what happens after the storm.

Luke wanted to get to the end. He was in a hurry, I think, to get to these questions. Who cares about the waves and the wind and the peril of the scene here, just that Jesus awoke and He calmed the storm. He rebuked it. Same word as Psalm 106.9, "God rebuked the Red Sea." Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves. And the disciples use a verb, "command," when they talk about what Jesus did, that "He commands the winds and waves," which is what they know that God does. Their question has a built-in answer: "Who is this that commands the wind and waves?" Well, it's God.

Dale Ralph Davis says, "We shouldn't pass by what may well be an allusion to these Old Testament texts, telling us then that what Yahweh does, Jesus does. And when Jesus rebukes and commands, just like when God does, the wind and the storm cease." Only God has this kind of power. Only the One who has made them, only their Creator can tell them what to do. 43:21 Here is Jesus doing precisely that, commanding wind, calming waves. Here is Jesus, Son of God, above creation, Lord of all, and He's asking, "Where is your faith?" It should be in Him.

Something about a fierce storm can make you feel helpless and hopeless, powerless. Imagine being there that day watching Jesus do this, watching Him calm this storm. The disciples' question is one we should end on, and it's one that we should ask ourselves this morning: "Who is this, that He commands even winds and water, and they obey Him?" This is God. And if Jesus has the kind of power to calm a storm like this, then what do you have to be afraid of? Why would we be afraid to trust Him? Why would you be hesitant to believe in the gospel? Why would you delay following Him, as He proves with no doubt that He can back up His promises?

Maybe a better question is once we're following Him, what would cause us to stop? Why would we let trial or trouble? Why would we let disappointment? Why would we let difficulty? Why would we let that give us reason to doubt Christ, to doubt His power, to doubt what He's doing? Why would we allow that to cause us to second guess Him? It shouldn't make us question whether or not we can trust Him. We should know with certainty He's faithful and He's trustworthy, and even this is from His hand.

Well, just with this one story alone, already we should know so much about Jesus here. He has the kind of power to do things that He's promised He can do. Next week you'll get into the demoniac, an amazing story: a man uncontrollable, yet so quickly yields to the power of Jesus. All here, all in a row in this scene of death overturned by Jesus, it's here to remind us of who He is. Who is this Jesus? He is God, offering salvation, offering and promising sanctification. And He has the power to back it up by showing you He has power over the storm. Jesus wants you to know who He is, and that with Him, you have nothing to fear.

Conclusion

Friends, I have, like you, I have no idea what lies in store for us even this afternoon. But I know that there is one who can give you confidence and peace, there is one who can give you assurance and rest when those storms of life do come, and it's King Jesus, and He's the Lord of creation.

[Prayer] Father, thank You for this amazing story of Your Son. Thank You that we can learn about the power of Christ, that we may see Him and we get to understand Him for who He really is. He's God, and we can trust Him, and we can and we should listen to Him. We should be so quick to put our faith and our trust in Him.

Lord Jesus, You are unmatched in power, and You are a Savior that we can and we should trust. Thank You for helping us understand that with true faith in your gospel that we have nothing to fear, we just need to keep faithfully following you. Would You help these believers here at Trinity Bible Church do just that, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.