[Due to technical difficulties, we have no video this week.]
Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27
In my 22 years as a pastor, I’ve chaperoned plenty of youth-group mission trips, retreats, camps, and outings of various kinds. Let me tell you about the worst one: a whitewater rafting trip in Tennessee. Did I tell you a couple of weeks ago about my fear of drowning?
The thing about whitewater rafting—you may not know this—is that there are no seat belts in the raft. And sometimes you fall out.
Our rafting guide—who, to his credit, seemed deeply concerned about our safety—said, “If you fall out, just float on your back, keep your feet up, and I’ll bring the raft around to get you.”
Fine. Except when we approached one set of rapids, he said, “Forget what I told you earlier about floating on your back. If you fall out here, immediately swim to the bank on your left. Don’t float. Swim.”
I thought, “Which is it?” He made it sound like, if we fell out of the raft here, we were going to die for sure.
It was terrifying. I was so worried about staying alive that I couldn’t enjoy myself. And this was, like, the “bunny slopes” of whitewater rafting; this was not the “black diamond”!
So perhaps, in at least a tiny way, I can relate to these disciples on the Sea of Galilee. They were afraid.
Today’s sermon is mostly about conquering fear. And I want to make three points about fear and faith… Three points: Number One: Jesus’ Big Challenge to Us… Number Two: God’s Big Plan for us… And Number Three: Our Big “But.”
In this season after Pentecost, it’s appropriate that we keep coming back to the work and power of the Holy Spirit, but I feel convicted about something I read recently in Acts chapter 19, verses 1 to 7.
Paul has just met some believers in Ephesus. But their understanding of the gospel is incomplete, and the very firstquestion Paul asks them is, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” That tells us the priority that Paul places on the work and power of the Spirit.
Because for him, it would be unthinkable for someone to claim faith in Christ yet not be indwelt and transformed by the Holy Spirit. You can’t separate the two. To belong to Christ is to have his Spirit.
Christians throughout history have agreed on this point: every believer possesses the Holy Spirit. If not, something is desperately wrong.
Of course, I know all this… I’m pretty good with theology… But Paul’s question still convicts me…
Do I, like the apostle Paul, consider the Holy Spirit to be an indispensable part of my life? Do I appreciate the fact that my body, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6, is a temple for the Holy Spirit[1]—such that the very Spirit of God that once hovered above the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, now lives within me… that God himself, the Third Person of the Trinity, now makes his home within me…
Do I really believe that?
Because that fact alone ought to reassure me—and you, all of us together—that if Jesus commands us to do something, for instance, then we have all the power that we need to obey him. And if Jesus expects us to live our lives in a certain way, then that means we actually have the power to live like that. And if—more negatively—Jesus rebukes us for notdoing what he says—or not living the way he says to live—it’s only because Jesus knows that we have the power to do otherwise!
And why am I talking so much about the power of the Holy Spirit?
Because of Jesus’ words in Matthew 8:26: “And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’”
Jesus is rebuking his disciples. Because he’s disappointed in his disciples. Why? Because he simply doesn’t think they ought to be afraid! Because he knows they have no reason to be afraid!
To say the least, this is hardly the only place in the gospels where Jesus says or implies or teaches that we disciples should not be afraid. There’s another episode on the Sea of Galilee, for instance, in Matthew chapter 14, when Jesus walks on water: Verse 27: “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’” Or Matthew 10:29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
And I could go on and on… Someone told me that the Bible says in 365 places that we shouldn’t be afraid. Three-hundred-sixty-five times… Once for each day of the year. I was skeptical. So I did what I always do when I don’t know the answer: I asked ChatGPT on my phone. It put the number around 110, but it admitted that there are many other verses that imply that we shouldn’t be afraid, even if it doesn’t say it directly.
So my question is, do we believe God’s Word on this subject of fear? Do we believe the words of Jesus when he asks, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Do we believe that even in these tense, terrifying moments in the dark… on the Sea of Galilee… in this tempest-tossed fishing boat… during this life-threatening storm… we should not be afraid? Is Jesus serious? Is he putting us on?
There’s a famous painting by Rembrandt about this very episode in the gospels. Preachers often point out that Rembrandt pulls a little prank in this painting: he paints himself into the painting… One of the disciples, in other words, is a self-portrait of Rembrandt… He’s the guy near the front holding onto his hat. And he looks worried… And the reason Rembrandt painted himself into the picture is because why…? Because he identifies with these fearful disciples. And preachers like me often point out this detail so that we, too, can identify with these fearful disciples.
But maybe it’s time we stop identifying with them so much! Because we actually have a power for conquering fear that they themselves did not have! We have the Holy Spirit!
See… my concern is, we often read this scripture from Matthew 8 and say, “Thank God… Yes, I may be a fearful person… Jesus commands me not to be afraid, and I keep on breaking that command without giving it a second thought! But it’s okay that I don’t obey Jesus. Because, after all, I’m just like Peter, James, and John… and all the rest.”
To say the least, that’s the wrong lesson to take away from this scripture!
When he asks them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” he expects them to be different… to change… to reach a point at which they will not be these “little-faith” disciples.
And guess what? Inasmuch as you and I are fearful little-faith disciples, Jesus expects us to change, too!
So we need to stop babying our fear. We need to stop saying, “There, there… It’s okay, Brent, that you’re afraid… You’re just like the twelve disciples.” No… we need to stop making excuses for our fearfulness. And we need to claim the promises of God’s Word: “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”[2]
Because we all have the power we need right now to change.
So let’s feel challenged by Jesus’ words in today’s scripture, and if we’re fearful people, we need to say, “‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief’[3]… Give me the faith I need to conquer my fear… because I believe you have given me the power to change… and, through the Holy Spirit, you’ve taken away my excuses for not changing.”
We’re Global Methodists, after all! We’re not supposed to be about finding wiggle room when God’s Word tells us difficult truths, right? Why do we so often do it when it comes to commands like, “Do not fear”?
Well, that’s Point Number One… that’s Jesus’ Big Challenge to us…
Point Number Two: God’s Big Plan for us…
Before I say anything more about what these disciples are doing wrong, I need to point out what they’re doing right.
Jesus, unlike the disciples, was obviously not afraid. At all. How do we know? Because he was fast asleep. We all know from experience that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to fall asleep when we are terrified… when we’re anxious… when we’re worried. Jesus is sound asleep because he has no fear whatsoever.
Should the disciples follow Jesus’ example? WWJD, after all? Should the disciples say, “Looks like a storm is coming. Time to take a nap!”
No… Whatever these disciples were doing to keep the boat from capsizing—bailing water, adjusting the sails, “battening down the hatches”—they were doing perfectly good work. They were serving the Lord—because he needed the sleep.
Living life without fear, therefore, does not mean passively accepting whatever happens to us. Living without fear oftenmeans rolling up your sleeves and getting to work! But you can do that work without fear.
Jesus has no problem with the disciples’ working hard to keep the ship afloat… Also, he doesn’t have a problem with the fact that they came and woke him up. Because think about it: the disciples, by going to Jesus, are doing nothing other than praying—literally: because they were talking directly to Jesus! That’s always a good thing! Prayer is always a good thing! Right?
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16. These disciples needed help in their time of need, and they asked the Lord for it!
So here’s a handy rule of thumb: The moment you start feeling afraid, that’s a cue: take it to the Lord in prayer!
My mom, God bless her, was a worrier. Not a “warrior,” a worry-er. In an unhealthy, misguided way, worrying constantlyabout her family was one way that she showed love. How could she love us if she didn’t worry about us?
But that’s wrong!
If you want to love someone, pray for them! My mom did not do that often enough!
So how about this? “Don’t be a worrier. Be a warrior instead—a prayer warrior!”
Living a life without fear means that we will pray… early and often!
So credit to the disciples for working hard to serve Jesus… and then praying… But there’s something that isn’t good…
Because we know there’s more to the disciples’ prayer than merely, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” We know this because in Mark’s version of the same event, Mark has them also say, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”[4]
With these words, they are impugning Christ’s character: “Do you not care” means something like, “We believe that you should have woken up a long time ago… that you already should have been helping us… instead of letting us struggle for so long. There’s something wrong with you, Lord. You have let us down! We’re disappointed. You have not proven to be a trustworthy friend!”
And let’s face it: When we’re afraid, aren’t we usually second-guessing God? Doubting God? Believing that God shouldn’t be allowing us to go through this? Believing that God couldn’t possibly have any good reasons for it.
But listen: If you are a Christian, literally nothing can happen to you that God hasn’t planned on happening. Did you hear that? Nothing can happen to you that our Lord hasn’t planned on happening. Therefore we can trust that God has good reasons for either causing or allowing it to happen!
Even in today’s scripture: Look at verse 23: “And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.”
When he got into the boat, they followed him… In other words, crossing the lake in the storm wasn’t the disciples’ idea; it was Jesus’ idea.
So is Jesus a lousy meteorologist? No! He knew before they followed him into this storm exactly how bad it was going to get for them. He also knew, as difficult as it was, it was for the best. Which will always be the case for us who are God’s children through faith in Christ. Leading the disciples into this storm was part of Jesus’ plan for them!
Remember Paul’s words in Romans 5:3-5: “[W]e rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
The disciples aren’t exactly “rejoicing” in the midst of this storm, are they?
It’s hard to rejoice in the heat of the moment, I know… But if you’re a child of God, hear me say this: the trouble, affliction, conflict, and difficulties you face in life aren’t necessarily signs that you’re doing anything wrong… that you’re disobeying God or being unfaithful to him. In fact, they may be signs that you’re doing everything right… that you arebeing faithful… that you are obeying him!
And he’s using trouble to help you…
Maybe the disciples weren’t rejoicing in these tense moments of battling wind and waves, but in retrospect surely they could see how this experience made them into more faithful people. And this was part of the Lord’s plan for them when he led them out to sea in the first place.
And that’s Point Number Two: God’s Big Plan for Us…
Point Number Three: Our Big “But.”
Have I told you before that I’m a “recovering” angry person? For a host of perfectly explainable reasons related to my family of origin, I have lived too much of my life angry… which has often caused trouble in my life, in my marriage and family, and in my career. And I say I’m “recovering” because I am well aware of how easy it is to fall off the wagon and give in to anger.
For years I was in a weekly therapy group for men—in part, to deal with this anger problem. One of the men in my group, Scott, was a tough ex-Marine from Brooklyn who became a high-powered attorney in Atlanta. Whether a marine or a lawyer, this man made his living fighting other people.
So surely Scott of all people would sympathize with me when I confessed to the group that week that I had lost my temper with my boss. I mean, I let him have it. And it felt good to do so. My boss deserved it.
Oh… anger feels so good and so righteous! So we commit spiritual murder… with our words. Jesus had something to say about anger; read the Sermon on the Mount.
So I told the group, and to my surprise and disappointment, Scott did not sympathize. He rebuked me: He said, “Brent, there’s nothing you can do angry that you can’t do better without being angry.”
And I’m like, “Whoa!” But he was exactly right!
But my point is, what Scott said of anger, I want to say of fear: There’s nothing you can do with fear that you can’t do better without being afraid.
Think of these disciples: they could have taken all the exact same actions to fight the wind and the waves, to keep their ship from capsizing, to go to Jesus and ask for help—except… they could have done it all without fear! They could have done it while knowing—as Jesus knew—that their Father would take care of them… and that this storm was part of his plan for them… And that he was using it for their good.
And had they done that, think how much better their lives would have been for those moments, minutes, hours they spent terrified in the midst of that storm!
And it doesn’t matter that any normal person under the same circumstances would have also been afraid! As I’ve said, we disciples we have the power to be different.
In fact—and here’s my main point—we have the power to have… a big “but.”
What do I mean by that?
Notice verse v. 24: “but he”—Jesus—“was asleep.”
The word “but” tells us that—yes—the natural human condition is to be afraid under these circumstances, but through Christ, and by the power of his Spirit, we don’t have to be!
After all, there’s evidence in scripture that these very same fearful disciples do become men with “big buts.”
We see this throughout the Book of Acts, of course. But let me give you one great example that fits perfectly with this episode in Matthew’s gospel.
As chief disciple, we can be confident that Peter was among those disciples who go to Jesus terrified: “Jesus, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
Well, good news! Peter develops a “big but”: years later we see it in Acts chapter 12…
Days earlier, King Herod Agrippa I arrested Peter’s dear friend and fellow apostle James… the brother of John. And Herod executes him. And he has every intention of doing the same to the number one apostle of Jesus, to Peter. So Peter is arrested and imprisoned. He’s facing trial the next day. He’s facing death the next day. And listen to verse 6: “Now when Herod was about to bring [Peter] out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.”
Notice my three favorite words: “Peter was sleeping…” It was a deep sleep, too. The angel had a hard time rousing him.
As I said earlier about Jesus, it’s nearly impossible to sleep when you’re scared… when you’re anxious… when you’re deeply stressed… when you’re worried… When you refuse to heed the words of the Lord, who tells us, again and again, “Fear not, therefore,”[5] the Lord who rebukes his disciples for being “people of little faith.”
But… in Acts 12… in another moment, like that moment on board the boat, when Peter’s life was on the line, Peter is clearly no longer among those “little faith” disciples. He has become a bit more like his Lord, hasn’t he? He is not afraid!
“Yes, Peter should have been terrified because his life was on the line, but [dot, dot, dot]…”
Peter has developed a “big but.”
[Here I spoke extemporaneously about “fears” we face as a church…
I talked about how fear manifests as a failure to love one another and quoted the following scripture: John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1…]
One final thought: Maybe, like Peter, you feel as if you’ve been shackled by chains… Invisible chains in your case, but you feel trapped… stuck… imprisoned in a similar way…
Except… Your chains are chains of fear… of worry… of anxiousness…
And freeing yourself from these chains might seem as impossible to you as it must have seemed to Peter.
But there’s an important difference between our chains and Peter’s—besides the fact that our “chains of fear” happen to be invisible…
The difference is this: Peter couldn’t have known for sure that it was God’s will to miraculously release him from his chains…
As I said, in the past couple of days Peter watched James get killed; God didn’t spare James’s life. Why would God spare Peter’s?
But when it comes to our chains of fear, we’re not like Peter… Why? Because we know for sure that it is God’s will to release us from our chains! Because Jesus tells us over and over, “Do not be afraid.”
It is God’s will for you, even you, to live your life without fear. And he has already given you the power to do it. Let’s claim that power, pray for that power, and remind one another of that power when we give in to fear… and start acting out from a place of fear. Amen?
[1] 1 Corinthians 6:19
[2] 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
[3] Mark 9:24
[4] Mark 4:38 ESV
[5] As in Matthew 10:29-31