The Lord’s Message:  The Questions that Jesus Asked: “Where Is Your Faith?”

The Lord’s Message:  The Questions that Jesus Asked: “Where Is Your Faith?”
Date:  September 28, 2025
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  Luke 8:22-25

            Since I have been living on Tilghman Island, I have become concerned about hurricanes.  I have been through a few hurricanes in my lifetime, but never on an island.  I know that just the peak high tides cause flooding on the island.  I can only imagine what a hurricane would do. 

            Having studied about the Sea of Galilee, the people that live there are always concerned about storms.  The Sea of Galilee is an unusual body of water.  It is only 13 miles long and 7 miles wide, but 150 feet deep and 680 feet below sea level.  The terrain around the Sea of Galilee is very mountainous and forms a barrier around the sea.  This resembles a bowl with the Sea of Galilee at the bottom of the bowl. When the winds from the Mediterranean blow over the mountains they swirl around and around creating squalls with large waves.  These waves can be as tall as 20 feet, which can easily swamp a boat. 

            Besides natural storms, all of us face storms of life on a daily basis.  As people of faith, how do we deal with the storms? 

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            Let us pray.

            Let us open up our Bibles to Luke 8:22-25, in the Pew Bible on page no. 1606.  This miracle of Jesus calming the Sea of Galilee is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but not in John.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels, because they present the life and teachings of Jesus in a similar way.   Another important note, the Bible often refers to the Sea of Galilee as a “lake.” 

            Luke starts off his account of this event with the words, “One day.”  Matthew and Mark begin with the words, “Leaving the crowds behind.”  In Matthew and Mark, Jesus has been teaching along the shore, it is evening, and Jesus knows that He and His disciples are very tired. Jesus most likely asked Peter to use his boat to sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, or the lake, away from the crowds. Mark records that other boats follow them.  Josephus, the ancient historian, recorded that there were more than 300 fishing boats on the Sea of Galilee at one time.  Naturally, some of these boats were filled with persistent followers looking for Jesus. 

            In the midst of their journey a squall come up.  Huge waves started to swamp the boat.  The disciples were scared they were going to drown. However, the howling of the wind and the waves rocking the boat did not wake up Jesus. 

The disciples cried out to Jesus in verse 24, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown.”  Folks, where is Jesus?  Jesus is in the boat with them.  The Son of God who was with God in creating the world, is in the boat with them.  The Son of God who is the Alpha and the Omega is where?  “In the boat with them.”  The Son of God who is the Great I Am is where?  “In the boat with them.  The Son of God who is the Messiah is where?  “In the boat with them.”  Too often when we encounter storms, we forget as followers of Jesus Christ that Jesus is with us.  What does Jesus say at the end of the Great Commission, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  When we encounter storms, we forget that Jesus is with us.  The Life Application Bible Commentary puts it this way, “Beneath a Christian veneer, there often lives a practicing atheist.  Saying we believe that Jesus can help us takes on a whole new meaning when we actually depend on Him for help.” 

            Yes, Jesus is sound asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat, but Jesus is still with them in the midst of the storm.  Look what happens in verse 24b.  Jesus gets up and rebukes the wind and the raging waters.  The result is that the storm is gone and there is calm. 

            Jesus asked the disciples, and all of us, “Where is your faith?”  Saying we are a follower of Jesus is more than just the words that we say.  We must prove that we have faith by how we go through the storms of life.  In James 2:17-18, faith without deeds is dead.  He goes on to give us the example of Abraham in verses 20-24. 

            I want to be real with you.  Just because you say “I am a follower of Jesus” does not mean that you will not face storms in this life.  The opposite is true.  When you say I am a follower of Jesus, you will face more storms in this life.  This is because God has allowed Satan to have reign in this world, but not in the next.  My sisters and brothers in Christ, persecutions are on the increase.  The world is becoming more antichristian.  Jesus told us this would happen.  In Matthew 24:4-14, Jesus foretells of the end. 

  As followers of Jesus, we must be prepared for these storms.  We must not allow the storms of persecution to overwhelm us.  We have Jesus with us.  He is in the boat with us.  With faith in Christ, we can pray, trust, and move ahead. 

            As followers of Jesus, God will not remove us from the storms.  Instead, we can have faith that Jesus will go with us through the storms.  This will provide for us a peace that passes all understanding that overcomes the storms or this world, John 16:33. 

            Now, in Mark’s account, there were other boats that benefitted from Jesus calming the storm.  As we reveal our faith, when we go through the storms, this can strengthen other’s faith when they are going through their storms.  That is what we, the body of Christ, the church, are encouraged to do.  Paul tells us this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.

            For all of us who are going through the storms or will go through the storms in this life, Jesus is asking us, “Where is your faith?”  What is your answer?  In Jesus, he’s in the boat with us!  Amen.