Welcome to a redemption hill podcast for more
information about redemption so go to redemption hill
dot com.
Then it says this. Then his mother
and his brothers came to him, but they
could not reach him because of the crowd.
And he was told your mother and your
brothers are standing outside desi to see you.
But he answered them, my mother and brothers
are those who hear the word of God
and do it.
The 22, 1 day, he got into the
boat with his disciples, and he said to
them let us go across to the other
side of the lake. So they set out.
And as they sailed, he fell asleep. And
a wind storm came down on the lake,
and they were filled with
and they were filled with water and were
in danger,
and they went and woke him saying master,
master, we were perish and he woke he
rebuked the wind and the raging waves and
they ceased,
and there was a calm.
And he said to them, where is your
faith?
And they were afraid and they marvel saying
to 1 another, who then is this,
that he commands even the winds in the
water and they
obey him. This is the word of the
lord.
Father we pray that you draw near to
us, Lord.
Voice spirit, would you show us,
the beauty of salvation? Would you show us
the kindness of the father
the greatness of our our our king, Lord,
III pray that you help us wade through
the mid section of this book with many
stories and many things that come, draw our
hearts to you. To see the beauty of
what you have done, help us not to
get lost over the summer months, but increase
our worship and our gratitude and our awe.
We pray that in your name, God. Amen.
So at the beginning of Luke, I I've
been trying to state this quite often Luke
lays,
his cards before us. Meaning, he shows us.
He tips his hand on what he's trying
to do.
He's writing this book. He says so that
we may believe.
So that our faith may strengthened he says
so that we may have certainty in what
we're putting our faith into.
And I think that that direction that he
gives us requires us to do maybe the
heavy mental and spiritual lifting to ask. Okay.
But what does that mean though?
But what does it mean for for us
to believe and have certainty,
what is Luke trying to get is that
an ether goal or does he actually mean
something that that when when he's saying he
wants our our our our faith to be
strengthened enough to believe in there. In that
question,
valuable as it is seems to maybe just
birth more questions.
And that leads us to maybe ask what
does the unfolding work of Christ do in
the life of a person that he is
saved?
Another way to put it is, what a
salvation meant to do?
What is the nitty gritty? What is it
supposed to do? Does it polish off
a couple of rough edges in our life
that that aren't so,
Christian or godly.
Does it clean up the mouth of the
loose lip person. Does it reform a couple
of bad habits? Does it curve some pro
of of yours in in mind that are
maybe unfavorable or
does it in light of maybe the book
of ephesians, take what is dead and bring
it into new life?
Does it make a brand new creation a
different person even. The person before isn't even
alive
anymore. They have a a new name, a
new inheritance, a hope, a mind, a way
of life that's
completely brand new and it didn't exist before.
What what is it?
And this is a difficult part of Christianity
to maybe describe or or convey or wrestle
with at the work of Christ is not
only
in the realm of external behavior
modification instead.
The work of Christ changes a person from
the inside,
and then that work flows out and changes
everything about their life. A change brought through
the grace of God and his kindness through
Jesus and by the holy spirit giving us
faith, there rewire the soul. Do we believe
that.
Gives us a new mind and therefore our
bodies actually live differently because of this comprehensive
work that God has done. And what what
we need to understand is, yes. Yes. Salvation
affect and changes our external behaviors, but it
does way more than just change a couple
things that you do in your life? Are
you with me still?
Okay.
That's why Jesus described it this way, I've
come to seek and save the loss. And
not I've come to adjust a couple of
things that aren't the greatest.
Come for those who are sick in need
and shattered. I I came to do what
man and woman can do on their own.
In chapter 15 of Luke actually tells 3
stories to further this case about a a
lost sheep
and a lost coin
and a lost son. To to point out,
I've come to rescue what was lost without
me.
I've come to say what could not be
saved without me. I I didn't come to
just make nice people
or better citizens,
or a couple small tweaks to the way
that you live to enhance some things, the
work of Christ is a miracle.
It's thorough. It's complete. It's eternal. It's profound.
It's not basic, and it's not simple. It's
beautiful and sometimes we get low to sleep
where we can't see that.
We keep going back to this point because
we're in this mid section of the the
gospel of of Luke. And in this section,
we get several parable stories.
And and we get miracles and other events
that that come at us pretty quickly,
but there helped to lay a foundation
for us about a a teaching of what
a fuller view of,
of salvation and its magnitude looks like. In
other words, these parable stories and miracles aren't
just kinda neat wisdom and they're not just
fun details. Like, 0II think you should know
this too. Their puzzle pieces to show us
the beauty of God's work through Jesus to
bring salvation to what was broken. I'm gonna
paint a picture 1 after another after another
and each is maybe showing us an angle
at the beauty of God's work that we
need to be behold.
Remember with me, if if if if that
is true,
but remember the pieces that have come as
of late in,
the the gospel of of luke. We'll start
back with with with a woman who anointed
the the feet of Jesus. So was a
beautiful story of what full repentance looks like.
Right? We've seen stories of faith, the Roman
soldier who believe Jesus didn't even have to
come to his house to heal somebody that's
incredible faith. This is the first picture of
incredible
repentance.
Of a change of of a life, a
change of ways. This woman who once used
her body for sinful monetary gain. She was
a prostitute.
All of a sudden has found out that
Jesus is the greatest treasure in all the
world. And now she models repentance by using
her body to worship instead of do what
she did before.
This is a change. This is profound. This
is different, And she didn't just change her
mind. A lot of people try and sell
repentance is a change of mind that maybe
doesn't affect your behavior. That's not that's not
repentance at all.
Jesus changed her heart. He cleansed her sin
and her shame and her guilt and and
her former desires, all in 1 fail swoop,
and now this beautiful...
Gift of Grace changed her whole life.
It's a picture of the fullness of salvation
as a miracle and a big change.
It changes motives and identities and pursuits and
worship and behavior change everything.
About this woman. Then at the beginning of
chapter 8, Luke begins talking more about several
other women, Mary Mag is 1 of these
who was demon possessed a terrifying love.
Lost in sin.
Her life looks like it's crushed, lost,
destroyed,
unfavorable
too far gone. She is now because of
the work of Jesus,
accompanying Jesus
for his mission with his disciples, her in
a handful
of other woman at as Luke puts it
are now providing out of their own means
so that the ministry of Christ can move
forward. What does that mean? It doesn't mean
that they're just tagging along and helping out
with a couple side things and it's insignificant.
Luke is making a big deal to women
are providing out of what they have and
it's actually making big difference for the ministry
of God to move forward.
Another 1 of the ladies Joanna was a
wife of of Heritage household manager. She was
a lady who was best known for what
her husband did. That's what she was known
for. And now she was being giving a,
a calling as a woman is helping the
ministry of Jesus move forward. She went from
being just associated with evil. What, what do
you think about, Joanna? I don't know. Just
like some weird situations of who they work
for where they get their money. And now
she's a valuable,
generous aid to the ministry of Jesus.
This is a large scale transformation. All the
3 of these ladies faith didn't have just
a minor tweak. It wasn't just a couple
things that weren't so good about your life.
Gotta change them completely and now following King
Jesus,
changed everything about how they live to gave
him a new identity, a new purpose, a
new way of life.
Luke then shifts into the parable of the
soils
and the parable the lamps stand. That's the
text that we hit last week. Where Jesus
presented to all who would hear that the
word of God was always working it never
yields no effect.
Sitting in that is quite heavy. That means
when we preach the word and hear the
word and read the word, it is always
doing something, whether you're busy or distract it.
No no matter what the case every time
we hear the word of God, it does
something at either harden your heart
or it produces fruit.
Always.
There's a massive harvest in some
in a rejection in others. When the word
get... Of God gets planted in good soil,
and it saves a person, it gets penetrated
into their core, and then it comes out
of their life, like a crop comes out
of the soil. Again, showing salvation does something
huge.
It changes
them. It changes the people
so much so than in the lamps stand
that it can't be hidden. The light of
God, like
a lamp shines from that life and it's
visible and you cannot cover it or hide
it even if you try.
All of this is to show,
Again, that god's work and the heart does
something. It produces fruit.
It produces light.
It shines. It cannot be contained
and now we find ourselves.
It just 6 verses 2 smaller stories, 1
feels
awkward and out of place,
and the other is a miracle, yet both
of them and up pushing
forward to show us the fullness of salvation
what it does in a life.
Now we're leaning hard into this theme of
a fuller picture of salvation so that we
may grow in our all of the work
of God that he does through Jesus.
But also so that we could hold to
these texts
well.
But talk to some of the other elders
and some other friends about this text and
just the interesting of of preaching it often
these stories in these miracles in these parable
in this mid section
of Luke. They get taught in a way
that misses the bigger picture of salvation and
so that the teacher ends up back in
a corner where all they can convey is
a do better try harder story to you
or something that is neat, but not relevant
to you at all.
Both of those scenarios are complete misses
on what we're supposed to have. Yes, The
text may press on some areas that we
need to to to be challenged in the
way that we live. But first and foremost,
all of these stories are meant to highlight
the progressive, comprehensive beautiful work of salvation from
Jesus. It's a miracle. Yeah. I may change
some of your behaviors.
The first your you're you're meant to see
the the beauty of salvation, not just... Hey,
we weed your garden and make sure you
don't have any thorn from the good soil.
That's not what's meant there.
As we open the verses from today,
This is just the the first couple verses.
Jesus mother and brother come looking for him.
Remember, there's a whole lot of crowd Right?
There's there's probably thousands of of people all
around. There's a whole lot happening. I imagine
that Jesus day is is is crazy, busy.
He's having conversations.
He's praying. He's teaching. He's healing. He's fielding
questions. He's kinda battling out with affairs sees
over what faith really does. That the days
must have been chaotic
and quite long, tons of people. They all
want something from him and they're all gathered
then they're all
around.
In the middle of all the commotion as
family shows up,
but they couldn't get to them because there's
too many people in the way. Again, there's
a great crowd. They came to see, but
yet there's a great crowd.
So they have someone pass the word along.
Right? That that they are there and that
they're wanting to speak to him or pull
him to to the side, who knows exactly
what they wanted maybe mom was doing mom's
stuff.
I just wanna to check if you're eating.
I I wanna make sure that you're getting
some sleep. I I wanna to make sure
that you weren't over extending yourself, who who
knows exactly, but Mama is trying to get
to him.
And we get this feeling,
that even though they couldn't get to them
because of the crowd, the the the mom
in in in the brother, they begin to
pull the family card if you will.
Say, hey, we're his family, so go get
him for us.
Right?
I know lots of people are around. I
know I know there's lots of meetings and
a lot of stuff and a lot of
things that he needs to do, but we're
not just anyone we are his family.
We're his kin. We are related to the
king, And this is a type of claiming
of privilege.
We get special act I I know a
lot of people need him, and I know
you say he's busy, but we're, like, we
get special access.
To him. Because of our closer
relationships. So just go past the word, Go
go get him tell him mom and is
to talk to him, and, I'm not just
anybody.
It's likely you're... They're using the blood is
thicker than water outage here.
I think you get the idea of family
tie.
Is generally looked at a stronger than just
some general connection and they're pressing on that.
And Jesus family is is leveraging this idea
so they can get close to Jesus so
they get a a priority
with him.
So this gets to Jesus. Hey, your your
family is here, and and, like, they couldn't
get to you and their press, and they're
like, hey, like, with a family, we we
we we we... You better come
and it gives a troubling to some response.
My mother and brother are those who hear
the words of God,
and they do it.
It's assumed my many that Jesus is laying
out this heavy
rebuke honest his family here that he maybe
wasn't happy with their actions? Or they weren't
following the will of God.
And so he gives a very public,
heavy, hard here,
kinda put them on blast statement back dropping
the hammer cha them for it.
While we do know in the gospel of
Mark that his brothers some point thought he
was crazy and tried to get him to
stop doing ministry. We don't actually hear that
that is what's going on at this point.
Jesus family.
Shows up,
tries to get to Jesus.
They can't,
and there's an under undertone of priority. Yeah,
yeah, but we're his family.
To which Jesus says my family are the
ones who hear the word of god and
do it.
We we rush to maybe look at it
from 1 way as if
he he was slamming his... His given family,
his mother and his brothers. And and maybe
he was re
them.
Over something that we cannot see,
but what it seems like Luke is highlighting
is not necessarily a slam on mom and
the brothers is, but an eye opening statement
about those who hear the word of God
and their found relationship to God.
See those who hear the word of God
and obey it,
thereby definition of the earlier parable good soil.
Jesus told us good soil isn't just a
person who produces for me,
Good soil is the 1 who hears the
word of God and does it and they're
my very own family.
They aren't just followers
They're not just tenders.
They're not just my buddies. They are my
family.
Hear it from this angle. A person rushes
up to Jesus and says, your mom needs
you. You need to stop what you're doing,
pay attention to to to her, stop focusing
on all the other people, and you need
to focus on her, because she's your family
and Jesus says, don't you get it? People
who who've god who... The people who hear
the word of God and, my family as
well.
They're not just moral people. They're my brothers
and sisters. They are my family. They have
that type of access, that type of relationship,
that type of privilege. We are united and
the very family of God.
I know you're claiming they get this privilege,
but
What you see these people are now do
as well?
For ages, we've been misinformed
on the way that we view God in
relation to
the family of God.
There... There's a general sense that since God
is the creator of all,
that everything comes from him that that he
is the the father of all creation in
that way. And people take that idea of
the the the father is in the origin
of all creation, and they use it to
say that every man will be child, they're
all the children of God. They're all his
family.
If the bible says that's not true at
all.
The the Bible reserves the title of the
family of God for the people who are
actually his,
not everyone
his.
We we get this crossed up as well
likely through the idea of the Ama ama
day. Yes, every man woman and child is
made in the image of God.
All were meant to reflect him. Each and
every 1 of us because we are made
in the image of God, that's why we
have value and dignity and worth. But just
because Someone is made in the image of
God doesn't mean that they're part of the
family of God. Those are different things.
Jesus laid out to a group of people
who were surely Jew and Gentile.
Keep in mind, gentile would have no access
they would think. No ability to be a
car part of the family of God. In
this type of always outsiders,
and they hear that the ones who obey
the go, the word of God are now
adopted into the actual family of God. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So so so your family name
is so and so, but you're actually in
the family of God. Now.
This is a really big deal, those who
hear
and obey the word of God,
our family
to the most high God,
Again, salvation is either a big deal or
it's nonsense,
where there are once people who are slave
to sin
Now they're called sons and daughters of God.
The family of Jesus is adopted in their
given an inheritance.
A promise
love that'll will never be let go of.
Again, how big is the deal of salvation?
What exactly does it do? It brings a
person into the very family of God.
We need our all brought back to that.
There's a natural pivot here
into the next story or miracle where Jesus
calms the raging storm
in an instant.
1 day, it says we don't know how
much time, but Luke is trying to say,
hey it's a little bit later.
Jesus in his disciples. Got into a boat
and he said them, hey, we need to
go to the other sock.
I have a plan. We need to get
over there. I I need you to get
in, and we're gonna go
sailing is much quicker than walking. So so
hop in the boat and and let's go,
and they set off Jesus plan, get in
the boat going across,
Let's go.
The lake mentioned in this is actually what
they call the sea of galilee.
So about 12 miles in length in about
6 miles
wide. So
it's not as big as the ocean, but
but it's bigger in the the, wider in
the lake the Oz.
And this lake sits as the second lowest
lake in all the world's 700 feet
below sea level.
This low altitude of this lake paired with
there's these mountain ranges kind of around it,
and it flows into the center, make it
the perfect place for really, really massive and
dangerous storms to pop up. It goes a
little bit like this. Cold air comes off
of the mountain
flows down into the valley and hits the
warm water of this super low lake,
and they're all of a sudden, massive scary
storm comes really
really quickly.
It's not that it always would happen, but
where it sits geographically is the perfect,
space for a nasty storm to be able
to be produced.
Appears on that day when Jesus went to
cross the water, this type of storm
is what blew up there.
The context is important here. Right?
In this boat
isn't some wimp boys who have never been
on the water before.
These are fishermen. By by trade, many of
them our fishermen. They grew up on this
lake. They they they knew it like the
back of their hand. They probably fished it
hundreds of times. They probably made the journey
from 1 side to the other who knows
how many times.
This was a routine endeavor for them.
Not an odd deal. The... This is not
guys you're like, man. I don't know if
I can swim them scared of the water.
This This regular stuff for them.
So it likely didn't make the disciples think
twice when Jesus says get in, we gotta
go to the other side.
And it also didn't make him think twice
when Jesus says I am on taken app
real quick.
It's showing us, Luca showing us a little
glimpse of the humanity of Jesus.
You've been administering the crowds for who knows
how long.
Finally, just gets a moment.
Just a little shot.
For a moment, then we'll get to the
other side, and we'll keep going.
While, he's asleep
says the winds storm came up and was
upon them.
How bad was it? Well it's bad enough
that the the the boat is being filled
with water at a level that they're thinking
this thing's going down,
we're all gonna die.
You have to imagine a calm body of
water is now our rage filled body of
water. The the waves grew
in size.
The the the front and but the bow
of the boat is is is going up
and down crashing so hard that water is
coming over, what seam maybe
It's some storm clouds. That's interesting. A little
worrisome at first is now terrifying the disciples.
The men used to sailing.
The men used to being a water, used
to boating
are now grip with fear. They thought that
they're gonna die.
Things went bad suddenly
and unexpectedly.
We need to see that that's a perfect
scenario for our faith really to get messed
with.
Really quick,
and I did not see it
fear.
And they begin to lose it. They're coming
undone with fear, so they wake up Jesus
in the grips of their tear,
and they yell this out. Master master we
are dying.
Hear the words there.
Jesus is sleeping,
I need to wake you and tell you
we're all gonna die.
They didn't say master save us? They didn't
say hey, man. I I've...
I I've seen you do some neat things.
Can you can you try and fix the
storm. They didn't say master deliver us,
good father. You're you're trying to go to
the other side, save us,
the fear of the situation short circuit
their faith in Jesus to the point that
they were certain they were gonna die, and
it's all they could see.
Jesus wake up, we're all gonna die. Look
what you've done.
1 theologian said it well, when he wrote,
the boat wasn't the only thing getting swamped
and overwhelmed that day. So was their faith?
All of a sudden it was syncing. It
was undone. It was coming apart.
For them, it was...
Fear had came
of death.
In the situation though we're not on a
boat in the middle of a crazy storm
is probably more
relatable than than what we would think. See,
our faith personally can be a really strong
until 1 day we hit a fear that
is quick and unexpected in the 1 that
terri us for them it was literally drowning
It was losing their life, but for us
it could be something else.
Losing a family member or a relationship or
a job or a financial crisis that comes
you your way or an a common
economy that you don't feel stable. And who
knows what it is, It it could be
many things, but it likely isn't hard to
imagine
something coming at you with the quick that
you didn't see
and it affects your faith.
There may be something that if it hits
us,
a certain fear.
And I have a hard time believing as
well.
And we start yelling, Jesus. Don't you care
we're dying?
Let you get up and fix this.
Jesus woke up, these are very short versus.
This says he rebuked the wind and the
waves,
which means he yells out something to the
effect, peace be still.
Imagine having that card in your back pocket?
Be still.
I would use that for humidity. Go away.
Any day all day. Hoodie do weather forever.
Not in the notes. I'm sorry.
Let yourself see the situation.
They're on a boat,
The clouds come in, all of a sudden,
darkness from the clouds, howling winds. The the
the rain is unleashing. The boat is slamming
down the waters coming over, it's loud. It's
chaotic. It's terrifying
until it wasn't anymore.
In an instant, the wind and the waves
stopped
and they were calm. It's not like it
just chilled out enough that they could get
to the shore.
Call.
They went from aging to lay low the
The storm went from loud to silent from
chaotic to to calm at the command of
Jesus in an instant. This had to be
amazing to be behold.
Notice though Jesus response to his disciples with
a secondary
rebuke.
Yes, he started with a rebuke to the
wind in the waves,
But he followed it with the the rebuke
to those closest him, and he said to
them
where is
your faith?
These words are deep and heavy.
It's as if Jesus looks at And goes.
What was that, guys?
How did you go from full of faith?
To empty of faith that fast?
How come your faith you hear this? How
come your faith didn't apply to that fear
at all?
It didn't even come under view. It wasn't
even like a a 10 percent part of
a way to see it.
Where's your faith in that situation?
Kit hughes said it this way? The irony
of the situation is the storm did not
wake Jesus, but the un unbelievable of his
disciples sure did.
We need to press a little bit at
what bothered Jesus,
by that moment of fear. Because, again, I
think a lot of people preach this in
just a weird way as if to follow
Jesus means nothing scares you, and that is
not at all the point.
It wasn't that the disciples had fear in
general or got scared in some way.
It was that they didn't even take into
consideration that he was with them.
Do you hear that? It didn't even come
into their mind.
They'd seen his miracles,
and him heal and newest power and his
faithfulness and his goodness, and they already knew
it was his plan to get to the
other side.
And yet something happened quickly and unexpectedly
to where they forgot all about it.
To the point of even thinking Jesus didn't
care about them.
And then look at his kindness,
Notice Jesus doesn't say,
forget you. Right? You're un idiots.
I'm done with you.
He doesn't say because you didn't believe in
me. I don't believe you in in in
you anymore. Get away from me.
He just said to them calmly me. Where
is your faith?
As if your face should have filtered into
this? Where where is it at? Where did
it go?
Me being with you should have played into
how you saw this unfold at least to
some degree.
Yes, This is a heavy statement, and it
cuts deep because if any of us are
emotionally honest to go,
man there's times in my face has gone
away real world real fast too.
Yes. It's hard to hear, but this is
also an invitation from him on what will
come later. I believe Jesus is saying Lisa
says, where is your faith? Next time when
you remember him with you.
Even light of Matthew 28 with some of
the last stuff you wanna say to us,
I have all power and authority from our
father.
I will never leave your for sake. Remember
who I am and all things bad stuffs
coming. And I'm not gonna make it All
I'll go away, but I'm with you.
We stand back
and look at the miracle
as a whole.
Men and women have done some cool stuff.
Right?
Back in their,
time and roman and culture, like the Aqua
ducks, that's a big deal.
I mean, the wonders of the world, some
of the things that we have done.
We've conquered. We've achieved feat of greatness.
We've built really cool things.
But who else can tell the wind to
stop and it does?
Who else can tell the raging waters to
sit down and and they do.
The disciples were amazed at this at a
deep level. Remember, they've seen a lot of
cool stuff, but
who is it that
controls nature?
So they ask who is this?
Who can command the winds and the water
and have them
obey him like that and then the text
just ends.
Many believe Luke ends us text this way
with the question of who is this.
He's actually laying the question on our feet
as well.
We all have to decide who is Jesus
of Nazareth.
So 1 of the biggest questions
anyone will ever face in life what will
you make of him?
If he really did command the winds in
the waves,
if he really did heal and forgive sins
and die and raise
again,
And he's worthy of our devotion and our
worship and our submission.
He is a emmanuel, God with us.
He is God inca. The God who put
on flesh to come and seek the and
save and lost,
pay the penalty that they should have paid
and offer them a righteousness that they should
never get.
The disciples again had to decide who is
this Jesus tu.
And it ends that way because so do
we thousands of years later,
I'm I'm trying to be careful of not
giving a million points of application, but there
is just a fresh need who is eat
to you.
What does this power mean to? It's either
relevant or it's not he's either king or
he's not, What does it mean?
Remember, I said that these verses before transitioned
will
into this text.
If those who hear the word of God
and Obey our Jesus family. Right? That's what
we heard in the first part.
You're not just a follower,
your family.
And if you or those who listen and
obey,
you or Jesus family as well.
Again, that is not the gift that all
are given. It's given to those hear the
word of God and obeyed. If that is
you, Luke reminding you,
hey remember when things go nuts that your
family align has in its our and all
the calming of the winds,
the stopping of aging storms and the smashing
down of waves,
and
just keep that in mind.
How does that apply to anything or what
difference does it make? I I've I've told
a version of these stories,
multiple times over
the years. But there was a, a couple
years when I was pretty young that we
lived in Saint. Louis in type of a
a rough neighborhood. And
in this rough neighborhood, I would get chased
home,
by older, bigger kids pretty often.
Often me and 2 2 of my best
friends, we would get chase together.
And,
It was not awesome. It wasn't awesome. It
was was pretty awful. I was never the
fastest runner. So, hopefully, my bike was there.
I a pedal pretty good. And so I
get on that thing in pedal for all
I could to to 1 of their house.
My buddy's zach house or my house, whoever
house was closest and we tried to rush
into the garage and shut the door and
On 1 day, this Chase sequence happened, but
I was by myself.
None of them were with me. I was
alone.
That I was terrified.
Right? So I I hu that bike as
fast as a husky boy could.
And I remember coming down road, and there's
a a right hand turn, and my house
was was 3 houses down. And I I
remember hitting as fast as I could and
making the right curve,
And as I turned right, I saw my
dad in the lawn
is doing long work and immediately,
my terror was pressed back,
and I was relieved, why
daddy will whoop those fools.
Right. So III got to the edge of
my yard,
biking at full speed.
I may have been going a little so
I don't know but it fell fast.
And I jumped off the bike
in in a radical change
events,
I went from terrified and upset to yelling.
My dad is going kick your butt.
I don't know what I said exactly, but
is
something with a lot of Bra.
My fear was gone.
So much so that I started talking mess
to him.
Again, what what's the point? The realization that
my big bad dad was there changed the
way I interacted with the situation?
Part of what Luke is likely telling us
is something a little bit similar to this.
Look at your family.
Look at your dad, look at your savior.
Yes. Storms are coming.
Because your dad is who he is, doesn't
mean everything battle go away. They're coming. And
they're not gonna be fun, and you're not
gonna get all of them, but
the faith doesn't mean
You better not ever ever be scared.
But a call to faith. Hey Where's your
faith? There's a call to remember
who your family is when the wheels come
off, the waves get big and you get
really scared.
Does your faith
who your father is, your eternal in inheritance?
The power of king Jesus. Does it interplay
with your deepest fears or not?
Where's your faith?
Salvation gives you a new family, 1 that
is eternal.
Salvation gives us the ability to trust your
heavenly father
more.
If By I no means it's just a
modification of a couple little
behavior tweaks that you and I needed. It
changes everything. I think Luke is just pressing
hard. Do you believe that.
The salvation beautiful in a gift is just
kinda me?
This seems to be what Luke is pushing
hard for us to see. Salvation gives you
a new family.
What does that mean?
If you think back in your with us,
you have a new privilege and access to
god that you never had before.
You aren't just another body. You aren't just
another face, you're part of God's family.
You aren't just a person trying to be
good, You're part of the very family of
God.
And there are blessings
bestowed on you through your new family. That
you will reap the of benefits for all
of eternity.
It's an invitation to believe do you know
who you are. Do you remember
Oh your father, God and the savior king,
keep in mind, all power and authority theirs.
So why should you fear and not consider
their strength?
Even when you feel powerless and scared and
out of control this too is an invitation
to believe hey your salvation is really big.
Oh, sorry that hurts.
Sometimes remember the story of John the Baptist
some things. Are gonna come at you and
there be hard and difficult in your 1
out and you're not gonna get out of
it and still your faith plays into those
things.
Salvation has massive
implications over and above just behavior,
modification. All of this is through Jesus and
his life and his death. And his resurrection
and the promise of God over your life
if you hear the word of God and
obey it.
Again, I think the hope for us is
those who have ears to hear,
be careful how you hear and Lord give
us the ability to believe.
I've tried to be really careful with these
texts.
They may have implications into your life and
how you live.
But a lot of this is elevating the
person of Jesus and the work of salvation.
So I'm gonna be careful and and as
we play and there's some time to pray.
You may ask the lord, hey help revive
my view of the beauty of salvation.
Help awaken my soul to the reality of
who you are and what you've done that
I'm invited into the family of God. And
there's real power
being in your family and trusting in you.
III don't know what you need to do
there, but I don't wanna be careful to
not try and give you 18 behavior modification
points if I said salvation is bigger than
behavior modification.
Maybe we just ask the lord, would you
give me more faith to believe that your
salvation is big and live in light of
the big of the gift of grace that
I've been given.
Band you guys can come back up. We'll
take comm
as we do each week.
And first, Corinthians 11:23
through 26.
It says this for I received from the
Lord what I also delivered to you.
The lord jesus on the night when he
is betrayed, he took Bread, and when he
had given thanks. He broke. And he said
this is my body,
just for you.
Do this in remembrance of me in the
same way, in the same way, also, he
took the cup after supper saying this cup
is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it
and remember it's of me for as often
as you eat the bread and drink the
cup, you claim the Lord's death until he
comes. Each and every weak friends. We gather
around the word.
We ask for the spirit to show the
beauty of god and and
salvation and a remind that is only the
work of Jesus that gets us into any
of that. So we come to the table
again, going it's your body in your blood,
The only thing that gets me into the
family of god. It's the only thing that
pays for my sins. It's the only thing
that that that doesn't make my life only
about what I can manufacture and do it
is you and you alone and we take,
again, and again, and again, each week to
remind ourselves, so that our faith may strengthen.
You And I pray that yours would,
be today as we worship that we take.
Again, we'll have some moments
to just allow us to pray? I think
maybe a wise thing to do is just
ask the whole. Hey what what are you
trying to show me through some of this.
What are you trying to increase my vision
in relation to to to to.
What do you want to do and then
come and take and gratitude asking that your
faith would be strengthened
that god will be glorified.
Would you stand in pray with me?