Do We Really Believe Jesus?

 Oh you of little faith. The Bible records these words to have been spoken by Jesus at least five times. This morning as I was spending my morning Bible reading time in Mark chapter 4 I couldn’t help but pause and look at one of the stories in light of my own life. It is the story of the time Jesus was with the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee and the storm comes up which scared the daylights out of the disciples. I love this story because as I read how it plays out it I cannot help but kind of chuckle when I think about how Jesus reacts.

With apologies to my wife for picking on her publically, I am reminded of a recent conversation we had. She was looking for the computer paper as she needed to print something and it was empty. Since our printer only holds 30 sheets this happens often and just about two weeks ago she had called me asking me where the paper was. I knew exactly where it was and even though she at first was insistent that it wasn’t there, I knew it was and after she finally was able to understand my instruction on how to find it she was able to do so. So now just two weeks later she cannot find the paper and insists it’s not where it was before. With complete confidence (probably more like arrogance) I showed her it was there just as it always is. Why couldn’t she find it? I had placed two boxes in front of it so though it was there she couldn’t see it.

I bet Jesus had the same thoughts I had when my wife insisted the paper wasn’t when they woke Him up from His nap in the middle of the storm. Why do you doubt what I say?

But let’s be honest; all of us lack faith in the middle of the storm. We say we trust Jesus for our eternal salvation but then we worry about things way less important than life after death. This morning I want to offer three things we can learn from the story of the storm and the disciples.

First of all they had the promise of Jesus Himself as to their destination, which was the other side of the sea. Mark 4:35, “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”

If Jesus came over to your house today and said to you, “Let’s go to the mall”, would you be worrying that you might not make it there? Even if He said let’s take the old beater pickup you had just to mess around on the farm in, it’s probably a safe bet that the man who cast out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead, and then Himself died and was resurrected could get that truck to the mall and back. The Bible is full of promises from Jesus about our lives and what He wants us to do, yet we live in fear of actually doing what He says. If Jesus is who we say He is then the will of God will not be stopped.

The second lesson is this; the disciples had Jesus with them in the boat. I could understand that if Jesus sent them out alone they might lack confidence in their own ability to navigate the storm. But He was there. And according to the same Bible that tells us He will save us from our sins is the promise that He is with us always. First of all He is God and God is omnipresent. God is everywhere. Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit would live in your heart when you become a born-again believer. Since the Holy Spirit is also God then not only is God everywhere in the world, He is also in your own heart. But not only can we lean on scripture to remind us of this truth Jesus also promised to always be with us. Open your Bible and read it and you will find these promises all over God’s Word.

The final lesson I want to call attention to today is this; Jesus was perfectly at ease in the midst of the storm. He was sleeping. This does not mean that in the midst of your storm Jesus doesn’t care and just went to sleep on you. It means He is so in control of things that if you are in a boat with Him the storm cannot hurt you. The Psalms are a great place to find comfort. Listen to the words of Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Jesus calmed the storm that day we read of in the Gospels. But the real problem was not the storm; it was the lack of faith in the disciples. We are in the same boat. Storms will come. Jesus promised it. The question is what will we do in them?

All of us lack faith at times. None of us have perfect faith. Sometimes my poor faith scares me. But then I remember something else Jesus said about faith. Again the disciples are our example. They had just failed to cast out a demon and wanted to know why. Let’s listen in.

Matthew 17:19-20
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Do you see the good news? If you focus on their failings because of little faith you miss the point. Jesus said if we have just a teeny, little faith we can move mountains. You see the good news is that we are going to fail, but He is not. The faith has to be in Him, not self. Not even in others, but only in Him.

So here’s the mission. Trust in Christ and Christ alone. Read your Bible and take note of the promises of Jesus. They do not fail. We say we believe. Do we? Pray and do not lose heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to pray for you and through you when you feel weak. And finally be in a church family. You need them and they need you. We must encourage each other with the truth of God’s Word and then be obedient in following it. I leave you with one last scripture to ponder and to put in effect.

Ephesians 5:15-21
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,  making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,  addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,  submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

God bless you.