"Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”  Matthew 8:23-27

I would have been afraid too. Their boats were 26 ft long -- less than half the length of a school bus. And it's nighttime. 

We all have worries. Problems happen because that is this world. We will feel need to worry because we have responsibilities.

"'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?'" Matthew 6:25-27

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13


Jesus was in the boat with them. We have Jesus too. Is Jesus awake in our lives?

"He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." Matthew 8:26

Rebuke means "express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone because of their actions."

Jesus was getting after the storm, telling the weather to behave!

it doesn't matter what happens here on earth. We know the ending. We just have to have Him actively working in our Lives. We have to give Him the permission to do this.

Faith of a Child.

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

A growing working thing -- ouur relationship with God. Keep maturing no matter what's going on (good or bad). Especially when things go wrong.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."
Matthew 28:18

Don't worry about the little things -- God's got that. We gotta let Him take care of those things, know that he will and just do His work. He's working on a plan right now. His timing is better than ours. Live by your faith. We can't be stagnant.

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith is hard. It's belief in the unseen. Everyone has faith in something. God created the universe out of nothing. Humans have never and will never be able to do that.  No one can do that. No one can explain that.

I. Faith in the Unseen is the basis for our hope.

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright--
    but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness" Habakkuk 2:4

Live by your faithfulness. Our faith is based on the unseen. Righteous ones will live by faith.



"And, 'But my righteous[a] one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”" Hebrews 10:38

"For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:17

II. The examples are before us.

"This is what the ancients were commended for." Hebrews 11:2

Talks about their faithfulness!

"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets," Hebrews 11:32

"And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." Matthew 23:35

If we aren't walking in faith, God isn't pleased with us. The blood falls on us who don't live by faith.

III. Faith is walking with God.

"After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters." Genesis 5:22

"This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God." Genesis 6:9

What's this mean?

Walking means time. Spending time, constant time, daily hourly, minute-by-minute kind of time.

"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14

Constant use -- of scripture, of spiritual gifts like discernment; You want to be faithful to someone -- you spend time with them. Constantly walk with God.

IV. Without faith we cannot please God.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hewbrews 11:6

Acknowledgement is not faith.

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." James 2:19

Everyone will run out of time. Now is the time to walk with God.

"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[a] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30

If you don't believe in the Unseen, the Seen is going to scare you to death!

Don't miss the boat -- meaning, don't miss Jesus!

V. Start walking with God now.

Just like the ark, Jesus is the one door.

 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Noah didn't shut the door. God shut the door. Everyone of us knows someone who hasn't walked through the door. 

Division/contention/anger/self-righteousness -- where we are right now in our country, even in the world. The farther we pull away from Jesus, the worse it gets.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’" Matthw 20:1-7

This is Jesus' version of equality.

The Landowner -- needs work done, labor intensive, physical labor.

Workers -- 1st workers called -- hardest working workers, ready to go, more skilled, offered a denarius -- very good wage. They agree to it.
3rd hour workers -- little late but still willing to work (the typical work day was a 12 hour day)
6th hour workers -- lunch time leftovers
9th hour workers -- slackers
11th hour workers -- left behind, no other chance to work.

Hourly wage is what is normal for us. Jesus paints a different picture.



"“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’" Matthew 20:8-12



"“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous? 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”" Matthew 20:13-16

The Owner is God. God has a lot of work to be done. Constantly. No end to the work. ALways looking for workers.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”" Matthew 28:19-20

The Master is continually calling.

:So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:26-29

If you're Mine, you're Mine. Nothing else matters.

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”" Matthew 9:36-38

Workers -- Our work day begins when we accept Christ. If we are called, we are called to serve. If you are alive, no matter how old you are, it isn't too late to accept Christ -- early in liife, late in life, right before death....anytime before death is a good time to accept Christ.God wants everybody!

Kingdom payment -- the payment is eternal life. Paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ. You've been paid for -- you can't walk off the job. Statement of fact: we agreed to serve Him.

"Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’" Matthew 20:15

Look at who at what you have, not what you don't have. Everybody counts. All I am is a child of God.

Sometimes we struggle with personal responsibility. There is what they call "bystanders syndrome."

The more people there are the less will do something. Once one person steps forward others will. We need to be the one who steps forward to help others have courage.

"If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor." Galatians 6:3-6

#1 We are responsible to have an accurate self-perception.

I gotta seek God to be able to see myself accurately.

"If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves." Galatians 6:3

Look at yourself and see who you really are.

"The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector." Luke 18:11

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." Romans 12:3

"The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor." 1 Corinthians 3:8

"You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." Revelation 3:17

Are we who we think we are?

it's not about us. It's about God. Spend time in the Word. Talk to God. Look at yourself objectively.

#2 Thorough Self Examination

"Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load." Galatians 6:4-5

We gotta hold yourself to the light of God's word. 

Answer these questions about yourself:

1. What am I doing to further God's kingdom?
2. What is my active role for God in my family?
3. What is my active role for God in my family?
4. What is my active role for God in my church?
5. What is my active role for God in my community?
6.What will I say that I did for God when I come face to face with Him?

If life is a blessing (in family, church, community) what am I doing for Jesus?

Can we in truth and honesty, when we self examine. Take that long, hard look at ourselves. Ask the hard questions:

not just what I have, but what I don't have.
Not just what I do, but what I don't do.

Seek the Will of God in your life.
Spend some along time with God in the Word asking Him where you are in your walk with Him.
Ask Himw hat you should be doing that you are not.

Caring for each other.

Sharing is caring!!

Be honest. Be sincere. Give. Give of yourself. Give your time. We're family. We have a responsibility to each other. No one should be lacking in the church. Ask your brother or sister if they have needs. 

Prayer is not a grenade. It is a guided missile. 

We need to bless as we are blessed. Each of us as a gift and abilities. Take on the roles that need to be filled, lift the burden if you are able. As we grow individually we grow us a church and the mission we have been given will be fulfilled. Sometimes sharing the burden a little bit will change a person's life.