What is Faith? Faith cries out

Good morning, welcome everybody. It's great to be able to welcome you for another chance to share God's Word together, to worship together digitally.

Let me just say again, there's a chance to join with us again at half five this evening.

We'll be on YouTube and also you can connect on Zoom and you'll get the details for that on the email or check Galvanto or the website.

The one other really important thing for us as a church that's going on in this coming week is that we have five days of prayer.

We desperately need prayer, don't we? We need God, we need his mercy, we need his power, we need his wisdom,

we need his compassion and goodness for ourselves, for our communities, our families, our nation, our world.

So Monday to Friday of this week, eight o'clock in the morning, eight o'clock in the evening,

there'll be a chance to Zoom in if you want to join a larger group.

There's prayer resources that have gone out.

I also encourage you to use it in your family or by yourself as we call on God and seek his help.

Let's worship together.

Our call to worship comes from Isaiah chapter 43, words of comfort and hope and encouragement to the exiles

Isaiah 43 · chapter mention

that I hope speak comfort to our hearts as well.

Isaiah 43 at the beginning.

But now, this is what the Lord says.

He who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel, do not fear, for I have redeemed you.

I have summoned you by name.

You are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.

And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.

The flames will not set you ablaze, for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.

And now let's sing together the hymn, How Firm a Foundation.

Now, let's read together.

Let's read some verses from Matthew chapter 8.

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 8, and we're going to read from verse 18.

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.

Jesus replied, Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

Another disciple said to him, Lord, first let me go and bury my father.

But Jesus told him, follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.

Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat.

But Jesus was sleeping.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, Lord, save us.

We're going to drown.

He replied, You of little faith, why are you so afraid?

Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, What kind of man is this?

Even the winds and the waves obey him.

When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,

two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him.

They were so violent that no one could pass that way.

What do you want with us, Son of God?

They shouted, Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?

Some distance from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding.

The demons begged Jesus, If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.

He said to them, Go.

So they came out and went into the pigs,

and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.

Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this,

including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus,

and when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

Amen.

We're going to focus our attention on those words that we find in verses 23 and 27.

As we think about what is faith, let's begin with a statement.

Here's our statement.

In the storms of life, faith cries out to the storm defeating Jesus.

That's what I hope we'll see as we look at this text.

So we begin as our story begins in the storms of life.

The setting for this story is the Lake of Galilee, sometimes known as the Sea of Galilee,

some 700 feet below sea level, with cliffs, steep cliffs all around,

so that winds would come down and would whistle around,

and storms would be swept up really quickly.

Doesn't that serve for us, in a sense, as a picture of life?

Things can be going along quite fine,

and then unexpected storms come,

and they threaten to overwhelm us.

Coronavirus seems like one of those storms,

with so many waves crashing in at once.

For some, it is family grief and trauma.

Trauma for families,

and trauma for those who are looking to care and help.

There is strain on families,

strain on our finances,

strain on our emotional well-being,

and on our faith.

There are the waves of uncertainty and fear

that keep crashing as we look to a future,

and we have no idea what the new normal is going to be.

A quick glance at some of the news reports from the BBC,

it tells us that 25% of Scottish doctors

are reporting some kind of mental health issue

as they cope with coronavirus.

25% of our nation's wages are being paid by the government.

80% of our visitor attractions are threatened with closure

because of prolonged lockdown.

The university sector is looking at losses

of somewhere in the region of £500 million.

And we are seeing care home tragedy after tragedy.

And this is not just true collectively.

These storms don't just come nationally.

We understand that this happens in our personal stories as well.

Some of you will have had that experience

of receiving a shocking cancer diagnosis, perhaps,

when you had no symptoms.

Relationships that seem to be going well

that suddenly come to an end.

Redundancies and lost opportunities

coming as a bolt out of the blue.

Maybe this sailing trip

could be a snapshot of our life right now.

More than that,

we can understand this sailing trip

as a picture of discipleship,

as a picture of life following Jesus.

I just want you to notice

as we read verse 23 and 24 again,

Jesus got into the boat

and his disciples followed him.

That's a discipleship word,

a following word.

Suddenly,

a furious storm came up on the lakes

that the waves swept over the boat.

Following Jesus

does not make us immune

from suffering.

Following Jesus

does not mean life will be

plain sailing.

Rather,

following Jesus

presents us with two realities.

One,

we will know suffering

and trouble

because we live in a broken world

and we see pain all around us.

And that comes to us too.

But we also

know peace

when we know Jesus.

Jesus,

the one who said,

I am with you always.

Jesus who said,

I have overcome

the world.

One other thing

to recognize

about these storms

that come into our lives

is that they can function for us

as a mirror.

They can reveal to us

where our trust

lies.

If we can cast

our minds back,

and it seems hard to do

in some ways,

take our minds back

to before

the virus,

perhaps we were

quite content

in trusting

to our resources

and natural abilities

to get us through life.

and it's maybe

only now

we're beginning

to discover our limits.

Maybe like many,

we were trusting

in our wealth

and our technology

to be a shelter

for us.

and now we feel

dangerously exposed.

Perhaps we were trusting

in what we knew

about God

when the only thing

that matters

is trusting in the God

that we know.

Here's what I want

for us today.

I want it

that you and I

would see

that when all is said

and done,

we should trust

Jesus.

In the storms of life,

faith

cries out.

As people,

we are born

with an instinct.

We have

a new

baby

that's due

to my brother

and his wife

coming any time

in the next

couple of weeks.

And when that baby

is born,

as we pray

it will be healthy,

we know what babies do.

When they need help,

when they need

attention,

when they need food,

they will instinctively

cry out.

That's true

when we are children.

If you need help,

if you're in trouble,

if you're afraid,

it's natural,

it's instinctive

to cry,

help me

to parents.

But that instinct,

it never leaves us.

There is a reminder

to us constantly

of our

dependence.

There will be

different times

in our lives

where we are

asking someone,

save me,

help me.

Today and in the

last few weeks,

we have become

as a nation

increasingly grateful

to our NHS,

to our frontline

workers,

to our key workers,

because we recognise,

wow,

we desperately

need their help.

We desperately

need the service

that they so lovingly

and helpfully

provide for us.

We have found

ourselves,

maybe for the first

time,

looking to our

government leaders

for help

in how to

navigate

through

these

circumstances.

circumstances.

But the question

we ask

when storms

hit

by instinct

is,

who or what

do I believe

will get me

through this

trouble?

Where should I

place my

trust?

Who or what

will I

ask,

help me,

save me?

And the Gospel

of Matthew

and indeed

all the Gospels

and the whole

Bible

would have us

to see

ultimately

at the end

of the day

Jesus is

the only

proper object

for your

faith.

He is the

only one,

the only

thing that

will not

disappoint,

that will

not leave

you.

He would

have us

to grow

in our

trust

of Jesus

and to

act out

of

that trust

in

Jesus.

this kind

of faith,

this faith

that cries

out,

it requires

us to

know

certain

things

about

our

God.

So

hopefully

if you're

in our

church you

know that

we're

learning

a new

song.

Boys and

girls,

I hope

it's a

song that

you'll

be able

to really

enjoy

from

Colin

Buchanan

along with

City of

Light.

It's

called

Jesus

Strong

and Kind.

And for

our boys

and girls

this is

a truth

that we

would love

for you

to learn

early in

your life,

to go

through all

your life

knowing that

whether life

is easier,

whether life

is hard,

you would

know you

could trust

in Jesus,

you can

always run

to Jesus,

you can

pray to

him because

he is

strong and

he is

kind.

God,

Jesus is

the son of

God,

he is

God,

God is

your creator,

God is

the sustainer

of life and

God in

Jesus is

your only

saviour and

Jesus is

compassionate and

good and

kind as we

see all

through the

gospels.

So the

disciples in

the boat,

in the storm,

they come to

Jesus with

urgency.

Verse 25,

the disciples

went and

woke him

saying,

Lord,

save us,

we're going

to drown.

This is no

carefully rehearsed

speech,

this is coming

at a point

of desperation

and urgency

and honesty.

Here are

some of

them seasoned

fishermen,

they know

they're in

a storm

that's beyond

their capacity

to cope

with and

it's outside

of their

control and

so they

ask Jesus

to rescue.

They say,

Jesus,

help me.

Gripped

by fear,

faith cries

out,

Lord,

you are

my only

hope in

life and

death.

Will you

save me?

Will you

help me?

Will you

be for

me?

Here is

the disciples

in their

cry of

faith.

Yes,

Jesus says

they have

little

faith.

Their faith

is weak

and it

needs to

grow,

but still

it is

faith.

And these

fearful men

who are

also men

of faith,

what is it

that they

discover?

And by

the end

they're

amazed at

Jesus.

As Don

Carson

puts it,

they discover

Jesus is

far more

wonderful than

even these

closest followers

suspect.

So they

cry out,

not even

fully confident

of what kind

of answer

they're going

to get,

but they

get this

wonderful

answer.

But faith

cries out.

Last week

I was

listening to

an interview

of a

Christian

minister

with

terminal

cancer.

And he

was talking

about having

received that

diagnosis and

going through

the treatment

process as

being a time

where his

faith became,

and his

praying rather,

became real.

Where there

was a new

honesty.

Gone was

any sort of

pretense or

show,

now was

raw,

honest,

before God,

his Father.

Psalm 62

in verse

8 encourages

us to

pour out

your hearts

to him,

for God

is your

refuge.

God knows

everything

about us.

There is no

point in us

putting on a

mask.

God knows

how you

feel today.

He knows

your fears

today.

So be

honest with

him.

Pray to

him out of

that place of

honesty and

desperation if

that's where

you are.

Again,

Colin

Buchanan,

the children's

songwriters,

they stop

what you're

doing and

pray to

Jesus.

That's

wisdom,

not just

for children,

that's

wisdom for

all of

us.

Stop and

recognise who

is on the

throne,

recognise his

goodness and

love that

is for

you.

Lean on

that,

cry out to

him in

faith.

Notice in

verse 26

that Jesus

doesn't object

to their

cries.

He replied,

you have

little faith,

why are

you so

afraid?

He wants

their little

faith to

become

stronger.

Ultimately,

Jesus would

have faith

in him to

drive out

paralysing

fear.

Matthew and

all the other

gospel writers,

they are

honest about

the disciples.

These followers

of Jesus,

just like us,

they're on a

journey,

they're on a

journey of

faith and

that faith

would grow

and that

faith would

grow as

they would

come to

see more

and more

of the

identity of

Jesus.

As they

would understand

more and

more of

Jesus as

the son of

God who

would come

to be the

saviour.

So here

they're about

to see Jesus

has power and

authority over

nature.

He has power

and authority

to save.

He can deal

with the

forces that

come against

his people

and threaten

to overwhelm

and later

later they

will see

how Jesus

has come

to rescue

from sin

and judgment.

Jesus is

sitting with

them in a

storm so

that in the

fullness of

time he

would go to

the cross

and he would

defeat their

greatest enemies,

your greatest

enemy.

Sin that leads

to death,

that leads to

eternal separation

from God.

Jesus will

rescue and

the disciples

will come to

discover as

they see

Jesus three

days later

risen from

the dead that

there is life

and there is

victory in

the death and

resurrection of

Jesus.

Faith cries

out and the

more that we

know of our

God and the

more we can

trust him and

cry out to

him.

So just

before we

leave this

remember that

there's that

week of

prayer coming

up and I

hope we all

see that we

need prayer

don't we?

Our family and

our friends

they need our

prayers, they

need the

prayers of the

church, our

nation needs

for the people

of faith to

cry out for

God's help,

God's mercy

and God's

compassion.

So will you

join with

us in the

storms of

life?

Faith cries

out to the

storm defeating

Jesus.

Boys and

girls, I

know that

some of you

are enjoying

different aspects

of homeschool

and some

aspects not so

much but maybe

you're all

enjoying bits

of science.

Well here's a

little bath time

experiment for

you and let

me just

apologise to

parents for

the suggestion

but fill a

bath and make

that bath a

stormy sea and

I know that

you know how

to make a

stormy sea in

a bathtub.

And then after

a point when

it's all really

churned up,

stop splashing

and see how

long it takes

for the water

to grow calm.

You see even

in a little

bathtub it will

take a while

for those waves

to halt.

But here in

our Bible we

have this amazing

demonstration of

the authority

of Jesus.

Listen to

verse 26

again.

So having said

to his disciples

you of little

faith why

are you so

afraid?

Then he

got up and

rebuked the

winds and the

waves and it

was completely

calm.

Here is first

of all a

simple rebuke

as if Jesus

was a parent

talking to

the storm as

a child.

You need to

stop that.

And this whirlwind

storm ceases and

there's instant

flat calm.

There's power.

In ancient

cultures and we

see this in the

Psalms as well,

the sea was

regarded as an

uncontrollable

force except

by God.

God alone could

control the

storms.

Psalm 107 is

really helpful

here.

In verse 23

onwards we

discover God

spoke and

stirred up a

tempest and

God stilled the

storm to a

whisper.

What's happening

here?

What's the point

that the

disciples are

beginning to

discover and

are amazed

by?

Jesus has

power over a

storm.

Therefore

Jesus is

God.

Notice he

doesn't appeal

to a higher

authority because

Jesus is

ultimate

authority.

So these

disciples who

are amazed and

terrified by the

power of the

storm,

verse 27,

they're amazed

and ask,

what kind of

man is this?

Even the wind

and the waves

obey him.

they're more

amazed by the

greater power of

Jesus over the

storm.

There is this

profound contrast.

There's the

powerful and

majestic Jesus

and there's

powerless

disciples.

And what they

need is to be

connected to the

power of Jesus,

their Lord.

And do you know

that's true for us

in every situation?

Our faith is to

live daily in

humble dependence.

Sometimes we can

sort of get into

that state where

life is just sort

of trundling along

and we think we've

got it covered.

And then there's a

bump in the road

or a storm comes

and we cry out.

We are not just

to call Jesus

in a storm.

Jesus, I need

your help.

But in everyday

life, we are

to acknowledge

that in

everything we do

as we seek to

live for God,

we need Jesus

and his power

and his love

and his grace

for us.

So the

disciples see

and we see

an all-powerful

Jesus and that's

who they cry out

to.

That's good news.

But remember

too, in verse

24, a detail

that's perhaps a

bit surprising.

So we discover

the furious storm

comes and the

waves are sweeping

over the boat

but what's Jesus

doing?

Jesus was

sleeping.

We see

resting Jesus.

Now what's

significant about

this detail?

Well, on the one

hand, it reminds

us that Jesus,

the Son of God,

became one of us.

and he gets

tired, he gets

exhausted from

his work of

teaching and

healing.

And also,

it reminds us

that Jesus

knows suffering

by experience.

He is able

to sympathise.

He's not

distant,

remote,

disconnected.

our God

knows

because Jesus

experienced

suffering.

But this

rest also

reminds us

that Jesus

is in

control.

John's

Gospel has

Jesus saying

a lot,

talking a lot

about his

hour,

his hour

which had

not come

and then his

hour which

had come.

That hour

that Jesus

talked about

was the

time of

his suffering

and death

before his

resurrection

and return

to the glory

of heaven.

That was

all his

hour.

Jesus

knows this

is not

his time

to die.

No storm

is going

to get

in the

way of

God's

eternal

plan to

save

sinners

through the

death of

his own

son on

the cross.

So there

is comfort

for us

here.

The

saviour

that we

cry to

is a

saviour

that has

been through

storms.

And a

saviour

that has

power and

love to

keep you

in yours.

And even

more

remarkable

than that,

Jesus,

as we read

on in the

gospel,

will face

another storm,

this time not

with his

disciples,

but for

his

disciples.

There is

one storm

that Jesus

goes through

for his

followers.

and that

is the

storm that

we see

at the

cross,

the storm

of God's

eternal

justice

against

sin,

falling on

Jesus.

Jesus is

thrown into

that storm.

He throws

himself into

that storm,

that one

storm that

could overwhelm

us all.

Jesus takes

our sin,

takes the

just anger

of God

against that

sin,

and he

comes through

the other

side.

So that

if your

faith is

in Jesus,

that is the

one storm

that will

never come

your way.

there,

when you

look at

the cross,

you can

know

God loves

me.

God will

not abandon

me.

God is

extending to

me security

for now

and for

eternity

because

Jesus

defeated

that storm.

Jesus

entered

that storm

for you

and for

me

to bring

us

peace.

So in

the storms

of your

life,

cry out

in faith

to the

storm

defeating

Jesus.

Tim Keller,

the New

York

minister,

puts it

this way,

if Jesus

is Lord

of the

storm,

then no

matter what

shape our

world is

in,

or your

life is

in,

you will

find Jesus

provides all

the rest,

all the

power you

could possibly

want.

So when it

comes to

this virus,

when it

comes to

any other

storm in

our lives,

we won't

always know

what he

is doing.

We won't

always know

why.

We won't

always understand

his timing,

but we do

not need to

be overwhelmed

by fear.

we can

trust in

Jesus.

We can

cry out

to him.

We can

know that

he will

not

abandon

us.

I

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