Matthew 8:18-34
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Intro:
Intro:
Byard Baby Update
God’s Sovereignty
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Read Matthew 8:18-22
Read Matthew 8:18-22
Transition:
Interruptions are something very few people like
Someone walks into your office with a pressing project that needs to be done right away
A baby cries at 3 am in the morning interrupting your sleep
A child walks into the room at an important point in the TV show and you miss what the actor says
Our water softener is right outside our bedroom window
The way we have our bed situated means that it is right above my pillow
It goes off every few days at 3:30 in the morning and runs for two hours
This morning was one of those mornings
Interruptions can often leave you feeling annoyed
This morning we see Jesus involved in three unique divine interruptions
I. Discipleship Interrupts Life vs. 18-22
I. Discipleship Interrupts Life vs. 18-22
The first divine interruptions we see today is in discipleship
Two guys want to be disciples of Jesus, but they want to do it on their own terms
Matthew was very careful to show the importance of discipleship throughout his gospel
Today we see people who want to be disciples, but fit it into their plans
They want their cake and eat it too
Jesus shows them that if they want to be a disciple it is going to interrupt their life
vs. 18-20 Too Fast
The first candidate we see is one who is mesmerized by everything he sees
He wants to be a part of it
As Jesus is getting into the boat he blurts out “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus realizes his zeal but also understands he hasn’t thought it through
He is like the seed who shot up without a strong root system and then wilted
And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
You see this happen in a lot of new Christians
Being a part of something new is exciting and the want to get everything they can
Unfortunately they wilt at the first sign of trouble or bolt for the next new thing
Jesus saw this in the scribe
Discipleship a long faithful walk in the same direction
There is another facet to consider here
This guy was a scribe or teacher
He could’ve seen being a part of Jesus’ ministry as a promotion to his own career
This explains the emphasis on Jesus talking about the hardships of ministry
Scribes were educated men, which means they came from wealthy backgrounds
To sacrifice his lifestyle would’ve interrupted everything
vs. 21-22 Too Slow
The second disciple candidate is one who goes too slow
He wants to bury his father which makes you think that he wants to get in the boat but has to attend to his father’s funeral
What the guy is really saying is that he will follow Jesus when his father passes away and he gets his inheritance
He wants everything in order before he commits
He wants to reduce any hardship or suffering
As disciples we need to come to grips with the fact the discipleship interrupts our best laid plans
It reminds us when we try to rush God
It makes us make a decision when we drag out feet
Discipleship is always on God’s timetable
Peace Interrupts the Storm vs. 23-27
Peace Interrupts the Storm vs. 23-27
The second divine interruption we see in when Jesus calms the storm
Peace always interrupts the storm
The question we need to ask is are we going to let the Storm steal our peace?
vs. 23-25 Disciples Fear
The disciples were on a boat going to the other side
Storms on the Galilee were notorious for their suddenness
One minute it would be calm and the next the cool air from the Mediterranean would come over the mountains and hit the warm air sitting above the Galilee and a storm would erupt
It is important to note that this storm was unique
Most of these disciples grew up on the Galilee as fisherman
They weren’t strangers to the storms
They were expert boatsmen
The fact that they were terrified tells you how serious the storm was
The boat was being swamped with water
The real miracle in this scene is that Jesus was able to sleep through it all
In desperation they woke Jesus up because they thought they were going to die
vs. 26-27 Jesus’ Response
Jesus’ response shows us his sovereignty
He doesn’t focus on the storm, but their fear
“Why are you afraid? Where’s your faith
If God is the creator of the earth and is in control why do we need to doubt?
The disciples were doing everything under their power and expertise
Jesus was showing them that they need to trust God in all things, not just our weaknesses
Jesus interrupts their storm with His peace
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
He rebukes the winds and the sea and great calm came
These experienced boat men marveled at his control of the wind and sea
They were blown away over his sovereignty
Presence Interrupts the Darkness vs. 28-34
Presence Interrupts the Darkness vs. 28-34
The final divine interruption we see is that the presence of God interrupts the Darkness
vs. 28 The Other side
“When He came to the other side”
When I was growing up in the Antelope Valley we would travel to LA
We always referred to it as going down below
Lancaster sits at 2500 feet in elevation and LA was south so it became a figure of speech
Where are you going? We are going down below
Everyone knew about it
When I moved here I referred to SB as down there and SLO as up there
People asked me why I talked that way
SB was south and SLO was north
You go down when you go south and you go up when you go north
Simple geography right?
Jesus refers to going to the “other side”
Gadarenes, or Gerasenes in other translations, was part of a group of 10 cities to the Decapolis
These cities were more Greek than Jewish
Hence the 2,000 pigs. Jews don’t eat pork
So going over to the other sides was like going to the wrong side of the tracks
Jesus was going to a place that didn’t worship His Father with the Gospel
In their accounts of this incident, Mark (5:2) and Luke (8:27) mention only one demon-possessed man but do not state that only one was present.
For their particular purposes they chose to focus on the more dominant of the two men.
vs. 29-32 Cast into Pigs
vs. 33-34 Begged Jesus to Leave