Title Lord of Power
Contents
Text Luke 8:22-25
Preacher Se-won Oh
Sermon Date 2009-01-04
22 One day he and his disciples got into a boat and said to them, "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake." So he departed.
23 As they were sailing on their way, Jesus fell asleep. Just then, a strong wind struck the lake, and the boat was full of water, and it was in danger.
24 The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, “Lord, Lord, we are about to die.” Then Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it ceased and there was a calm.
25 And he said to his disciples, "Where is your faith?" They were afraid and marveled, and said to one another, "Who is this that he commands the wind and the water, and obeys him?"
Bible: Luke 8:22-25 New Year's Sunday - Holy Communion 09.1.4
Title: Lord of Power
In Matthew 13:53 and below, there is a record of a visit to Nazareth, the hometown where Jesus was raised. He went back to his hometown and taught in the synagogue. People were amazed at the teaching and were puzzled, asking, ‘Where did this man’s wisdom and such powers come from?’ And the words you say tell realistic stories. Isn't this the son of Joseph the carpenter? Isn't his mother Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? But the question is, where did all this man's power come from? The problem was that it was rejected. At this time, Jesus made a famous statement.
“There is no prophet without respect except in his own hometown and in his own household.”
Then in verse 58 it is written: “He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” Jesus' teaching showed power. So I doubted. However, the people of his hometown did not practice the power because they thought humanly and distrusted the power of Jesus. No matter how much power the Lord has, He works His powers on those who believe in His power. You can see that He works that power to those who believe in it so that they may receive the grace of power. He may not work his powers on unbelievers.
Therefore, when our lives become difficult and when certain problems arise, we need the power of the Lord when we are faced with situations that cannot be solved by our own abilities. When I need the power of the Lord, I need to believe in the power of the Lord so that the power of the Lord can be shown to me to help me. You have to accept the phenomenon as it is. Therefore, I need my faith so that the power of the Lord may be revealed to me.
The background of the passage below Luke 8:22 in the text we read today is as follows.
One time, when Jesus got into a boat with his disciples, he said to them, 'Let's cross over to the other side of the lake.' As Jesus commanded, when he set sail for the Sea of Galilee, Jesus slept to see if he was tired. Then suddenly a gust of wind began to blow. The Sea of Galilee is prone to gusts of wind. It's a geographic influence. The location of the Sea of Galilee is as much as 200 meters below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. And it is surrounded by high canyons. Cold air from high altitude descends at high speed along the canyon and collides with warm air from the lake surface, causing a storm. It was this storm that hit the boat that Jesus and his disciples were in and filled the boat with water. In doing so, the boat capsized or was about to sink. Still, whether Jesus knew or not, he continued to sleep. At this time, the sailors were probably struggling.
Brothers and sisters, the situation of the disciples who met the storm on the Sea of Galilee can always be with us today. Not only the disciples were on it, but Jesus was also riding on it. Nevertheless, a storm raged. Water entered the boat. Shouldn't the boat on which Jesus rode be affected by the storm? Does that not show that Jesus is different from humans? If Jesus was in a boat, they would think that no matter how high the waves were, no water should enter the boat. But now the boat is full of water. Yet Jesus sleeps without blinking his eyes. You don't know if you're pretending not to know or if you really don't know.
Ladies and gentlemen, even if we believe in God and have faith in Jesus, we can face storms in life. It teaches us that no matter how good our faith is, we can meet life storms at any time.
Dear saints, Have any of you met the storms of life? The storm is not a small one, but is it experiencing a storm like a typhoon?
Is your home, your work, or your business boat hitting you with waves so strong that it might sink? Have you ever had a family that was in danger of breaking up?
Anyone struggling with a business that is on the verge of bankruptcy?
Is your job at risk of closing?
What should I do in this case? Should I give up? It seems impossible with human ability. Humans do not have the ability to silence the wind. There is no way to stop the oncoming waves. Already the boat is too small to block the waves. There is no end to pouring water. Even scooping up water with a small bowl is incapable of stopping the oncoming waves. Does that mean you have to let go of both hands? But shouldn't it be done until then?
But how did the disciples who met the storm in today's text solve the problem? The method they used when they couldn't do it on their own was to visit Jesus and shake him to wake him up. “Lord, we are perishing” In Mark 4, it is written, “Teacher, do you not see that we are dying?” In Matthew 8, “Lord, save us, for we perish” is expressed slightly differently, but it is the same. To put it simply, ‘Lord, we are about to die, so why are you sleeping peacefully? It means, ‘Are you still sleeping?’
Everyone, if we say that Jesus slept in the storm, wouldn't that mean that if Jesus didn't use His hands, it would still be okay? It seems that the Lord is still, but he is never. But our job is to awaken the Lord. It is a cry to the Lord. We must seek the Lord. You must ask the Lord. You have to torment him. We must come to the Lord and cry out. You must tell him. Even though we may sound a little unbelieving, we should ask Him.
But the important thing is that Jesus got up through the disciples and rebuked the wind and the waves. As soon as the wind became so calm that I wondered when it would have happened, the waves soon became calm. Hallelujah! If the Lord uses his hand, even a violent storm can be put to rest quickly. Even the economic storm caused by the “mortgage subprime” can be calmed by the Lord's hand. Because there are more and more people seeking God in America. Because more and more people are seeking God. Just like the disciples who shake Jesus to wake him up.
The only way to calm your personal storms, family storms, business storms, and national storms is to believe in the Lord and seek Him. No matter how stormy the storm, if the Lord is in our lives, we don't have to worry. But it can be a little painful. You may feel the brink of death. But it doesn't die. Because the Lord is posting.
So, after solving the problem, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Where is your faith?” Do we have faith? Could it be that Jesus asks me today the question he posed to his disciples? “Where is your faith?” The most important thing in the face of storms is faith. It is important to have faith that only the Lord can calm this storm. Then, if we know that the Lord is with us, in the midst of storms, whether he is sleeping or working, we do not have to worry or worry.
But in fact, the disciples did not have faith. Where can you find it? This is the disciples' reaction after hearing the question where is your faith.
“They were afraid and marveled, and said to one another, “Who is this that he commands the wind and the water, and obeys him?”
‘Who is this that he commands the wind and the water and obeys him?’ We still do not know exactly who he is. They do not know that he is the only begotten Son of God and that Jesus is the Messiah. They do not know that His power is the Creator and Ruler of the world. They still did not know that Jesus, the God who parted the Red Sea in front of the Israelites, and the God who parted the river in the Jordan River, came into the world in a human body. How are we? Wouldn't we be surprised too?
When we face the storms of life, the most required thing is faith in the Lord. What we need more than ever is faith. If the storm is caused by our desires, we must seek the Lord with the belief that if we repent and turn around, the Lord will bring us out of this crisis. How much are you waking up the Lord right now? Do you trust that the Lord will solve it for you because your faith is so good that you remain still? Or is it not that we do not seek the Lord because we do not have faith? Doesn't anyone say, 'Are you going to pray?' Our Jesus, who calmed the wind and the waves on the Sea of Galilee before 1976, remains the same. You can still do that today.
Jesus is our treasure.
Jesus is the key to solving life's problems.
When Jesus is with me, I become a person who can change history.
With Jesus, I can be a person who can have a great testimony.
When Jesus is with us, we become people who can change the world.
When Jesus is with us, we are not afraid no matter how terrifying a storm rages.
Because Jesus is the one who will calm the storm.
It is clear that even though the place we are in may be empty, with Jesus it will become a rich field. Even in the empty fields, Jesus accomplished a rich work through the miracle of five fish. Five thousand men alone ate until they were full, and there were twelve light glasses left. Even if it's an empty place where you can't see anything, if you're with Jesus, it's rich and prosperous.
Wherever you are with Jesus, even where there is a storm, you will be safe.
Wherever you are with Jesus, it will be your safest refuge.
Having a lot of money is not safe,
It is by no means safe to immigrate to a developed country where there is little risk of war.
It is safest to be with Jesus. As long as you clearly know who he is and believe in him.
Even now, the Lord does not forsake us. The Lord has made it clear. In Matthew 28:24, He promised that He would be with us even to the end of the world. Jesus is the God of Immanuel, who is always with us. Just like the disciples of the Lord, let's make sure to take the Lord along with us on our life journey, our family, our church, and our business. That way, no matter what happens, you can fix the problem. Someone who can calm the storms of your life! He is Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
We will celebrate the sacrament of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shared his flesh and blood for us. Please join us with a reverent heart and a joyful heart.