Thursday, March 19, 2020

Luke 8:22-25 Jesus Calms the Storm
22One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, 23and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. 24They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. 25He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
In January of this year, I wrote a sermon concerning the CoronaVirus in China. I talked about the “What-if’s” of the virus – “What if” it came to the United States and we were on lock-down? When I wrote that sermon, I never dreamed in a million years that the United States would be in the position that we are currently in concerning this virus.
The name of the sermon is, “Blessed Identity” and can be read or listened to on this blog. The point of the sermon is for us as Christians to understand, acknowledge and recognize who Jesus Christ is to us, for us, and with us! In other words, Jesus gave Himself for each one of us – every single drop of His blood was in sacrifice for you and me so that we will never die! Yes, we will leave this earth and this body that we live in – but, Jesus promises to us our eternal life!
In Luke 8:22-25, the disciples get in the boat with Jesus to cross over to the other side of the lake. They fall asleep. While they were sleeping, the boat filled up with water and they thought for sure they would drown. They wake up Jesus and say, “Don’t you care if we are going to die?” At that moment, Jesus calms the storm and then asked the disciples, “Where is your faith?”
No doubt, we are in scary times and we are afraid. We are indeed, in the midst of the storm. But Jesus is in the storm with us. He is in this boat with us! Jesus cares so much that we never die that He went to the cross that day over 2000 years ago to break the barrier of death once and for all!
Here is the thing…no matter what happens with this virus, we do not have to be afraid! We have nothing to be afraid of – not even death itself! And, so my prayer is that Jesus comes into the midst of the storm – reminds of what He has done for each one of us – that every single drop of His blood was given in sacrifice – just so you and I will have our sins forgiven and that we will live in everlasting life with our Maker.
Let us pray…Lord Jesus Christ, help us to remember who You are – our Redeemer and our Savior. Give us the faith to get through the storm of this virus. Calm our hearts and minds with your love, grace, and mercy. Help us to remember that you love us so much, that you never wanted us to die, but to live a life with you forever. We love you so much. Amen.
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