Jesus Is

Father we just love you. So I were here or thankful for you. We desire to serve under you as you call us as you lead us as you direct us pray today at the scriptures would encourage our hearts that we would see Jesus and that we would see him clearly and loudly and that we would drop our presuppositions in the things. We think we need an invite you into do the things you need to do not only in our lives but in the lives of the people around us so we can give you this time cuz you graciously given a toss you be honored and glorified in Jesus name. Amen. Emanuelle a couple of weeks ago. We had this toilet handle in our bathroom is always Plumbing with me, by the way. So we'll just we'll just say that it's always something in the plumbing area and the handle was just causing our toilet to run and Ron and Ron and his gets stuck and all these issues and I have the best Intentions to fix it day after day after day while we were also tiling the backsplash in our kitchen and buying all this other stuff and I just kept forgetting to buy a toilet handle to fix her toilet. So I finally look at my wife and I said, I'm going to Fred Meyer to buy some grocery things for us every need and I'm going to get this toilet handle that we have been just needing so desperately. They going to Freddy's and if you've ever been in Freddy's Plumbing section, let me just tell you now Jones. Michigan State at there's nothing there. Start looking at everything and they got these toilet handles there like 10 to 15 bucks. I'm like the flush a toilet. This is absolutely ridiculous deep down in the far left corner. I see this price tag, and it's like reduced reduced reduced reduced. Here's why in the handle is from like 1992 you Boomers really like the brass, you know the brass I'm talking about but all those 90s homes why I think this thing I've been sitting on the shelf since 92 and it was like, I'm not kidding a buck-fifty so I buy

Do you know my wife she wasn't she would not have this but I did it anyway, and I buy this thing and I get home and I don't really say much to anybody go in the bathroom and fix it and I leave my son. Dad didn't hear. What did I do wrong and Daddy are we rich? What do you mean son or handles go? It's cool. Daddy.

That's just some brass my man. And that is some cheap stuff. Now, here's the deal. We all desperately like my son one authenticity. Don't we something to be real? Probably more than in my generation who is addicted to all kinds of social media and putting on personas in this billboard of who you want to think I am and I just portray that through pictures or sayings are CS Lewis quote. So you think I'm smart and we have this deep desire embedded in each and everyone of us that once someone or something that is authentic whether it's an authentic Church authentic marriage of friendship aesthetic relationship. I don't knock that in anyway, meaning we definitely desire authenticity in our lives. And if we begin to look at this passage of Jesus and what he's doing and Matthew this was the question that the crowds have come around him really wanted to know about Jesus is a chapter 7 that we finished off last week ended with this saying where the crowds were astonished at what Jesus was saying? No throughout the history of the world. There'd been great teachers like Jesus, they're going to Plato and Socrates and there was Rabbi Gamaliel and there's all kinds of other people that exist by Saints. And even in the course of history there have been berricle workers and there was people that have done a certain think and so is his crowd is gathering around Jesus. They're definitely intrigued by him because he's coming and it wasn't necessarily that he was giving some new law, but he was giving the right interpretation of what was spoken in the Old Testament and applying that's on the surround the mountain the people are going stitches incredible. Should we trust Jesus can we trust Jesus and that's the question that I want to ask you this morning is can you can I can we collectively through the ups and downs of life? Come together and Trust Jesus. Is he authentic even when it's difficult even when it's hard. By what Authority is he doing all that he's doing and so we're going to read this. It's lengthy and I want to talk to you chapter 8 verse 1. These are the reasons why you can trust Jesus first one when he came down from the mountain great crowds follow him. And behold a leper came to him and not before him saying Lord. If you will you can make me clean. He has stretched out his hand and touched him saying I will be I will be clean and immediately is leprosy was cleansing. Jesus said to him see that you say nothing to anyone but go show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for proof to them. If you want a reference that you can go back to Exodus and Leviticus and you can read some of the laws that were there first five entered per diem Centurian came forward to him appealing to him Lord. My servant is lying paralyzed at home suffering terribly. He said damn I will come and heal him but this entry replied Lord. I'm not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word my servant will be healed for I too am a man under Authority and soldiers under me and I say to one go and he goes to another company comes into my servant do this and he When Jesus heard this he marveled and said to those who followed him truly I tell you with no one in Israel, but I found such a faith. I tell you many will come from the East and West to recline at the table with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven or the sons of the Kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness and that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And the Centurion. Jesus said go let it be done for you. As you have believed in the server was healed at that very moment. And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law playing sick with a fever blister hand in the fever left her she Roseanne begin to serve him that evening. They brought to him many who were oppressed by demons and he cast out Spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. He took her illness and for our disease now when Jesus saw crowd around him He gives orders to go over to the other side and scribed something said teacher off follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him foxes have holes birds of the air have nests. The son of man has nowhere to lay his had another visit stipple said them Lord. Let me first go and bury my Father and Jesus said to him follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead. And when he got in the boat his disciples followed him. If you hold there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. He's asleep and they went and woke him saying save us Lord. We are parish is it didn't why are you afraid you? Oh you of little faith and heroes and rebuke the winds in the sea with a great calm and then men Marvel saying what sort of man is this that even the Wind and Sea obey him? And when he came to the other side of the country of the gadarenes to demon-possessed man met him coming out of the Tomb so Fierce that no one could pass that way and behold they cried out. What have you to do with us a Son of God. Have you come here to torment us before the time now heard of pigs was feeding at some distance from them and the demons begged him saying if you cast us out send a text. She said to them, how they come out so they came out and went into the pigs and behold the whole herd Rush down the Steep Bank in the sea and drowned in the waters The Horizon flat and going into the city. They told everything especially what happened to the demon-possessed man behold all the city came out to me Jesus and when they saw him They begged him to leave their region. What we have going on in this section of scripture is the beginning of the call to discipleship moving away from this idea of Simply converts and what it looks like to just be a convert to Consumes and is just wanting something for ourselves and over the next three chapters 8 9 and 10. Jesus is pushing us towards this idea of discipleship and the cost of discipleship and we are just the tip of the iceberg and the next few weeks are going to unravel little bit more of what this actually looks like. Now when you consider what Jesus is doing here, I really reminded me of this section on in CS Lewis Chronicles of Narnia in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe where you have the three kids who didn't read Bell and go with the White Witch and the begin to have this conversation around Aslan and they don't know much about Aslan yet. But mr. Beaver is talking about Aslan and finally Lucy says he's safe this and the nurses response in Britain. You can Flash it up there on the stream. This is what mr. Beaver says safe said Mr. Beavers, don't you hear what? Beaver tells you who said anything about safe course, he isn't safe but he's good. He's the king I tell you. He's the king. I tell you what we're going to see is that of course. Jesus is not safe. But he's good and he's the king. Of course this call to discipleship is not just a call to fill a padded chair and drink some mediocre coffee on a Sunday morning as you sing some song. He's calling you into an unsafe calling take dangerous calling one in which God desires to work not only in you but also through you and it's going to be a little bit risky at times. And when we read all of what Jesus has said up to this point in The Sermon on the Mount it can be a little bit intimidating if we actually take Jesus serious in Matthew 5 6 and 7 and we begin to implement or strive through the power of the Holy Spirit to turn the other cheek to cheek out Justice to love one another with a radical kind of love. There's going to be an aspect of this that is met with a deep suspicion of God. Are you actually about my good if I do the things they feel like it'll be very painful and difficult to me. And yet this call to discipleship throughout this next chapter is very real very clear and it's a dangerous calling. Why is it dangerous? Jesus is flipping all of the ideologies that the Jewish Nation held but the vast majority of them up on their head about just specific issues specifically in the area by the illogical thinking let me just lay a few of these out here in this chapter and verses 10 through 12. It says this as he talked about the faith of this Century in When Jesus heard this he marveled and said to those who follow them true that tell you with no one in Israel. If I found such faith. I tell you many will come from the East and the west and recline at the table with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the kingdom of heaven while the sons of the Kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness and that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. popular or unpopular teaching with a Jewish culture unpopular right by the kind of teaching that might get you in a little bit of trouble. You might make some enemies you might be asked to leave certain places or not come back and teach because they helped you and Allie ology. That's our heritage as many of you know, this our heritage are linkage to Abraham that were sons of Abraham. That is what got us on this inner set with God you might remember Michael talking about this when he drew the pictures and those that are moving towards God and those that were sort of moving away from him the bounded set you guys remember that as my clothes to Sheridan talked about that. We're seeing Jesus now play this out as he's getting these ideas of who has faith and who doesn't who's in who's out he's turning this all upon their heads. And this is what I mean by that the first story here is a leper that comes to Jesus lepers. Absolutely marginalize and push to the outskirts of society. You had no business coming near one. It's documented that when they came into the street. They have to cry out unclean unclean. Unclean And people would try to get out their way in order to not get what day. And Jesus comes near to this man and they're such an incredible point in him touching him and giving him Purity healing and wholeness in Jesus himself not taking on the leprosy leper a centurion. This guy wasn't just kind of like a good Roman dude. This would have been a guy who had been part of the occupying of Jerusalem, Houston Cherian. You have been a guy that had this fear in people in Israel looked at him and maybe even some of Jesus's is that what kind of followers would have said that guy is the enemy he's against us but Jesus says I haven't seen Faith like this in all of Israel. Goodness, what is Jesus doing? These two men who are possessed. They come running out cuz the demons are in them. Jesus welcomes them cast out the demons in the people in the city reject Jesus and they kick him out Jesus at spending time with and paying attention to the most unlikely kinds of people, you know, what kind of a risk it would be to identify yourself with Jesus. You know, it's the same kind of or should be the same kind of wrist today. A lot of things that cultural Christianity is adopted and we can quite accustomed to and acquainted with and very familiar and there has to be at some point a little bit of a looking inward at our own hearts that says Jesus is this what you actually have for us now. Listen, I'm not talking about close-fisted things I go to war over doctrinal kinds of issues Trinity creation death Resurrection Redemption restoration the coming of the king all those types of doctrines thoughts and things those are not up for debate or discussion. What is NASDAQ for going to say I'm going to follow you Jesus in my shake sum of even the cultural norms of Christianity that we have parent and present it entry say what does it really truly look like to follow Jesus? The sad part is today. I can't push on all that. All I can do is prime. It's the good news is there's going to be lots of moments over the next year your pardon me to discuss what it looks like to follow Jesus and Matthew is forcing this question on us. Should we follow him? Is he good? Why or why not now? Finish this out this morning. I got about 20 minutes 15 minutes. I only can pick one story one story and all of this section. But what I do want to show us is all of these demonstrate that these peoples worlds were in a bit of chaos or disorder chaos is a familiar friend to each and every person in this room Brokenness Decay suffering. Not sure which one of those terms resonates best with you, maybe all of them but chaos is this unwelcome friends who has joined each and every one of our lives that we've all spent time with maybe we identify with the leper who's felt like the outcast and it's sick and his body is his wretched on the outside and it's falling apart or maybe we felt like those that were the mini coming to Jesus at Peter's mother-in-law Tasha say Lord Sheila or the century and who was outside the family. Family of God the house of Israel and he's taking this huge risk. Not only with his colleague maybe look at him and go do you could have go to this Jewish rabbi to ask to heal your certain worker whom ever it is, you're crazy. You are nuts, but they found them play themselves in a place of desperation. And each of these stories. Not one of them would I go man? I wish I was in their shoes that looks like a fun place to be in the story. I want to highlight this morning is the story of Jesus and the storm because it does a really good job a contrasting the unbelief or the de Minas face of the disciples to the faith of the Centurion not when we talked about this store yet understand a little bit about the Sea of Galilee it sits in this Valley and the wind can just come ripping through I got to travel across that once in the 8th grade a long time ago had to be in Israel and the way it sits so is the storms we just come out of nowhere and the winds would start to rage. So these fishermen and they're on this boat with Jesus there would have been no idea that they Headed into some kind of storm. Not only that when the scriptures talk about storms which here in this passage. This is real. This is literally literal, but other times were uses the word storm like in the Psalms and it's disgusting the chaos that the ski brings. He is one of chaos and disorder who can rule over it in Psalm 93:4. It says mightier than the Thunders of many Waters mightier than the waves of the sea. The Lord on high is mighty who is mightier than the see who Reigns who rules over a it is the Lord is revelation 21 that talks about how in the age to come the sea will be no more that is a picture in this very a picture filled Book of Revelation or letter of revelation of chaos ceasing an order being brought about Who is able to bring order and peace out of the chaos in our lives? When we look at the Miracles in the scriptures? We see that Miracles are Regulatory and Redemptive can throw that up their Britain Regulatory and Redemptive and the disciples lies in our lives and stories even in the Old Testament. Let me explain a little bit what I mean by that is a regulatory because the storm revealed fear. What's the fear of the disciples we're going to die. You brought us out here Jesus and we're on this see with you were supposed to go to the other side. We're going to die also revelatory not about bringing about their own fears, but about his ability to save they were in danger. They were worried. They were terrified and Jesus steps in in the story that teaches us a little bit about who God is I'm in our just finished second Kings this morning, but in chapter 5 you read a story of a man named named in and he was as a warrior. He was outside. The family of God outside of is real and he had actually contracted leprosy himself and he goes to see how can I be filled of his leprosy and the prophet tells them this is how you can be a good dip yourself seven times in the Jordan and he complains a little bit don't I have Rivers back where I'm from that I can get myself in his servant pleaded them. Just do it just tried to do. Healed and he says now I know that the Lord your God is God in heaven. What kind of gift can I give you promises? I don't need anything from you. He says we can at least just take some dirt from Israel when I have to go to the temple and lean on the arm of my king. Can I lean on can I put down the dirt of Israel? So I don't bow to remodel their God but I bow to the god of Israel because I now know who he is. He's my God. UC leprosy fear God reveals himself in the storm removed in the storm of name in this life. I was going to move in the storm of the disciples lives when it comes to store and we can see that they're Redemptive the God has a way of showing up and making himself known. 90 pieces the storm. Sometimes we're just traveling through it, but he's there with us and when it comes to storms in our lives, I don't always have answers to why things are happening. Sometimes they're caused by ourselves are caused by others of the sinful Brokenness of the world or sometimes God brings them. But I want you to look at some details here this morning concerning the storm. First of all in this story. What do we see Jesus doing? He's sleeping. I don't like sleeping Jesus. I don't serve a God. He sleeps I serve a god. He's like me. He's in a hurry and he gets everything done. That's the god I want to serve but that's not the god of the Bible is it? Americans we need to learn this we need to actually unlearn hurry because our God is not in a hurry. We need to unlearn the idea that this has to happen immediately and things need to get done and things need to get fixed in a better be my way and I got the best ideas. Jesus is asleep. I'm Only Sleeping there. Wondering where are you? What are you doing? Why aren't you moving in my life? And if you are a Christian or you're one of those people in that bounded set that are moving towards price in the sense that you're going. I'm hearing what you're saying about this Jesus. I've heard that you guys have been talking about him. He sounds great. But is he a scented? Can he be trusted? Can we follow him? There can be this mentality that gets pushed an Evangelical isn't it says once you come to Jesus he make everything right? I've yet to meet the human Hoosick curious that truly that I seen so many who go I'm going to follow Jesus and then they get the eviction notice. They lose their job there still trouble in the life sinus problems and there's Folly and there's war that happened even with inside each and every one of us and it can be this false miss that talked about we do but wait a second cousin the song that says he owns the cattle on a thousand hills everything in that sense then is at his fingertips and Disposal if I just trust and serve and worship him it will be fine. Or some might say all you have to do is Wake Jesus up. You having a bad time yell louder at him sing louder Shake him get his attention and you tell that God what to do in your life. We just pray harder to wake him. I just one, you know if Jesus is just in your boat. Going to be okay the storm will cease. It'll finally go away in a few victory in a trouble-free life. I get to find out the scripture, but I've seen James 1 count it all joy, my brethren when you fall into divers Temptation and trials. Read the letter that Peter wrote the first letter he wrote to that church. Oh dear Church, you're in for it to there's going to be trials and tribulations and struggles and God is working in your midst. So we come back to our story the disciples cry out master master. We're going to drown we're going to die and I can just see Jesus like crazy out there a little stretch in our God is not in a hurry. It's like Be still and they're calling all my goodness. He just stopped the waves and the wind. Who is this God that is able to do that answering the question that we've been asking since Matthew chapter 1 all the genealogy says, he's a king in the birth story says he's a king Carson talked about our Jesus move into doing Miracles after his baptism and after him spending time in the wilderness this further who Jesus is not in a hurry. Why you not in a hurry cuz he wants to show you something and your storm. People who are closest to the storm have the worst perspective of it. You do so do I add people to okay, it's your in it. You've got the Des this perspective of the disciples were going to drown we're going to die. And Jesus is teaching them about who he is and what it looks like to have faith in him. Even when things feel like they're stinking the next thing we see Jesus do is hear abuse to review storm and he rebukes the disciples. They both get a little bit of a talking to you. Don't they and they're saying Jesus wake up lest we die. You ever been there in a trial or in a place in your life? There's no way I'm going to make it through this. Where are you? We've been following you and I can just see Jesus looking at them. You think I brought you out here to die. Like that's how the story is going down at the god of the universe is going to drown in a boat on the sea. That is not what's happening here and he steps in and he rebuked the wind and he rebukes the disciples and how he does this. Yes this question All About Love Save Us less we perish unless we die.

Jesus is saying you guys need to remember who I am in Mark chapter 4 when Mark tells the story. There's this aspect of Master don't you care that we're dying. If you're in a storm. It's on the tip of your tongue. I got to be sent here today to tell you he cares. Cuz I know about your financial crisis he cares right now about your pain and suffering he cares right now about your sickness. I was just talking to my kids about the that there's a great big massive God Yahweh and he cares right now about what our little family is going through and they're just like mind blowing Plus needs to hear that he sees he knows he hears he cares and he wants to disciples to see this as well for a lot of us want to go with this is in this you don't care aspect, but he shows how much he cares. But our expectation. Is that a mini Christians that Jesus you're in my boat. So make this stop. I literally read a commentator. He said whenever Jesus is in your boat to get them in there in the storm will cease to how many of us have had a boat filled with Jesus for 10 15 20 years without an infirmity that we've lived with and walk with you had a trial had a difficulty that paints we've been childless if we got all of these different issues that are coming to our life. Do you say, where are you God? And the reality is you're only going to find peace when we see that Jesus himself is with us. Why isn't the storm calm? But why won't it stop or go away? 20 things happen to continue to keep us humble. Paul talked about that. Austin we just don't have the foresight to actually see how this all plays out because we can only see in the temporary Here and Now And lacking that foresight we missed the fact that it's in the storm that God is building up your faith in the storm. God is growing you in him in the storm is causing you to cling to him and cry out. The reality is that everybody gets delivered in just a few short chapters chapter 11. I'm going to teach on it and Easter is John the Baptist who sends his disciples to Jesus is in prison. And he says are you the one in Jesus does all of Isaiah heals, the blind causes the lame to walk and is all this incredible stuff and he has to go tell John this and he's waiting to hear any set the captives free and what he gets is I am the one you're looking for it will never be another and he loses his head and he dies. I don't get it. I don't know why some people get delivered and some people don't I don't understand God's purposes and plan in the pain and the suffering other than the fact that I know I can trust him about 16 17 years ago. I had two friends one later in his twenties and one early in his twenties both got diagnosed with a similar kind of brain cancer. Both were followers of Jesus one was about to be married. Another was a man who was pastoring a church married with three children a year later. one passed away

and want to still now going in for scans, and it's all clear. my friend Brent left his children and his wife and we all went. Pie God why? It doesn't make sense. It's not that she shouldn't have been healed over here. And he should have its that we have such a limited perspective in this life and we have the trial and what I will tell you is it will end one way or another with the hope of the follower of Jesus is that he brings 2Pac Resurrection in your heart and your life. But yes, this will end but it may not be how you want it to end trying to tell it and you have the opportunity to say you are God there will never be another and I'm going to trust you because God does not waste our suffering or pain and he will bring us to it's right and I don't know why God does and doesn't do certain things. When I look at the story of Jesus. I'm left with this position that has to say he's not safe. Becky is God. The redeemers he is calling us. Step into not safe, but good. What's it look like for our church. It looks like taking bold steps to actually pray for one another and pray healing. Turn on healing external healing relational alien. It looks like taking steps going out into our community and sharing the good news of Jesus with others. Faith is applying what you know to be true. But you know to be true is when you're in the storm God is good. Faith is not. I know God. See it's I know that God is with me in the sea. I know that to be true. I don't know what he's going to do in the midst of what I'm going through. God is calling us step out. He is good. He is King he is not safe as private. father I know this week.

Including myself as this has been a sermon that I've been writing my life on. Tire life But I needed to hear this. I think there's people in here. I need to boldly ask you for healing and others in here who need to pray for those that need healing. Just people in here. I need to know they're loved and cared for even in the midst of circumstances. They had no control over. I need your peace and your Shalom to know that you are with them and you are faithful regardless of the outcome God. I pray for all kinds of healing to happen today in our hearts emotional healing spiritual healing physical healing. Got to pray that you would be enlarged in our eyes and our problems would diminish and Shrink cuz we know that you are good raining. You calm seas, you feel leper speak the words and century and servants are healed. They walk you cast out demons. Could you call that says your people of disciples not Converse but disciples to go and do these things. Involving us that we not be weird pray that Lord who may we be willing servants who risk in Jesus name?