In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Did you ever have a problem or a trouble that was so bad and so frightening that you thought no one could help? Have you ever thought, "No one can help me with this"? There is someone who can always help. God can help. And in particular, our lesson today teaches us that Jesus can help.

In today's lesson, we find a question. It is the most important question. Nothing in life is more important than knowing the answer to this one question. The disciples asked it in the last verse of this chapter. Right after experiencing the amazing power of Jesus, the disciples asked, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Let us ask the same question, and find our answer in God's Word.

1. True Man (vv. 35-38);

It had been a busy day for our Lord. He had been teaching many people, and particularly his disciples. As the day drew to a close, Jesus became tired. He needed a break from the constant pressure of the crowd. So, Jesus decided to take a boat trip to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As the disciples set sail, Jesus fell asleep resting his head on a cushion near the back of the boat. The fact that Jesus needed rest and sleep reminds us that he is true man. He was sleeping so deeply, he didn't even get up when a "furious" storm came up suddenly. Our Savior trusted in his heavenly Father's care. He knew that nothing would happen apart from his Father's will. May the Lord give us such faith!

Clearly, the disciples did not yet have it. They were terrified. As experienced fishermen, they knew that the boat was in trouble. Waves were crashing in and water was beginning to fill the boat. They were afraid that they were going sink and drown. As they faced death, they were afraid. They were so afraid that they asked a rude question. They said, {38c} "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

Would we be any different? Let's not boast and brag like Peter did, claiming that we would never do that. Have you ever faced death before? It's easy to talk big now, but it's another matter when you are in that situation. When troubles come, do we cry out in fear too? When our loved ones are dying, do we ask rude questions of God? Do we pray, "Lord, don't you care?" We should never question God's wisdom, or his love, but sometimes, when we are in trouble or facing death, we do that very thing, don't we?

Of course Jesus cares. This lesson teaches us that not only does Jesus care, he's able to do miracles! Who is Jesus? He is not just a man, he is...

2. True God (vv. 39,41);

{39} "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." Wow! That was impressive! Imagine what it must have been like to be there! One minute, the disciples were terrified and asking, "Don't you care?" And the next minute, everything is completely calm. The sea was like glass. Jesus calmed the storm! You can go out there on a stormy day and shout directions, but the wind and the waves do not obey us. But they do obey God, and Jesus is God!

This display of power left the disciples terrified in a different way. We read: {41} "They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Jesus is true God, the Second Person of the Trinity. He is God in the flesh. Colossians 2:9 says that, "in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Romans 9:5 calls him, "God over all, forever praised!"

As God, Jesus can answer our prayers and do anything he wants to do! Who is Jesus? He is...

3. Our Deliverer (v. 40);

As true man, Jesus was able to serve as our Substitute. As true God, Jesus was able to be perfect and holy. As true man, Jesus could die for us. As true God, his sacrifice was sufficient for all sins of all sinners of all time. So, Jesus, the God-man is our Deliverer. He delivered us all from eternal punishment when he died for our sins on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. Jesus is our Deliverer from sin and its eternal consequences. Trust him and you will go to heaven. Trust him and you have nothing to fear.

After Jesus calmed the storm, he said to his disciples, (40) "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Are you afraid to die? Are you afraid that your loved ones might die? Everyone who believes in Jesus will go to heaven. So, if we believe in Jesus as our Savior, what do we have to fear? No matter what, we'll go to heaven. If our loved ones believe in Jesus, they'll go to heaven too.

The problem is that we have so little faith, don't we? I am admitting to this too. For years, I have been preaching and teaching God's Word that we do not need to be afraid to die. Then, from time to time, I find that I'm afraid. It's easy to talk about not being afraid until you are in the doctor's office, and he says that you might die. It's easy to talk big until you learn that one of your loved ones might die. I remember how I felt when I thought I might have cancer. I remember how I felt when our little child was in the hospital with something that was considered to be very serious. I was weak. I called upon the Lord in prayer, and he delivered. But, then I was both thankful and ashamed. I thought to myself, "Oh, you of little faith." It's easy to talk about how you shouldn't be afraid until it's you, it's your children, it's your parents, and then you find that you are not as strong in faith as you thought you were. And there is a big difference between knowing and trusting. I knew that I shouldn't be afraid, but I was. I knew that God knew what was best, but I was still struggling to trust him. Sometimes it takes a tough experience to teach us that we too, like those disciples, have so little faith.

We are often just like these disciples. We might even ask questions like, "Don't you care?" or "Can't you help?" We know better, but our faith is just too weak. Our loving Lord will never let us be tested beyond what we can bear, but sometimes it seems that he brings us right to the brink! We know that God will make everything work out for our eternal good, but sometimes we struggle to trust God. We want things our way. But that isn't faith. Faith trusts that God is smarter than we are and that he knows what is best, and so we pray, "Thy will be done." That bumper sticker doesn't have it quite right. It says, "God is my co-pilot." That isn't right. The Lord is not our co-pilot, he is our Pilot! Jesus is our good Shepherd. What do we know? We are just sheep!

When life gets rough and the ship is rocking, trust in the Lord, our Deliverer. He said, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me" (Ps 50:15). First pray, then trust, and when God delivers, give him the glory. The same Deliverer who took care of our problem with sin is certainly able to help us through less serious problems. And besides, in the end, every one who believes in Jesus will go to heaven. So, what do we have to worry about as long as we have faith in Jesus? In the end, our Lord calms everything down and brings us safely home. Believers will receive eternal life. For this life, we say, "Jesus, Savior, pilot me." Amen.