Matthew 8:23-27
What Does Jesus Expect Our Faith to Do?
Notice the rebuke of \\#26\\. "…ye of little faith?" It seems that
the most common rebuke given to the disciples was their small faith.
I found five times when Jesus used this term as a rebuke, everyone
But why did Jesus rebuke them? What had Jesus expected that disciples
faith to do for them here? They were on a ship in the sea. This was
not a field of service. There were no demons to cast out, no sick to
be healed, no sermons to be preached, no bread to be multiplied. Yet,
Jesus certainly appears to be disappointed with them.
QUESTION - What does Jesus expect our faith to do?
I. Jesus expects our faith to give us the mind of God.
A. Notice the progression of thought:
1. What was it that Jesus was upset with His disciples
about? \\#26\\ Because they were fearful.
2. Why were the disciples fearful? \\#25\\ Because they
thought they would die.
3. How would they know that they were not going to die
in the storm? They would have had to have known the
mind of God.
B. Get this important principal - One cannot have faith in
the plan of God if one does not know the plan of God.
1. Faith is not me imagining or inventing things for God
to do.
2. Faith is me having access to the mind of God, to His
will, His plan, and His purposes, so that I can
trust in Him to do them.
C. The Bible makes it clear that a child of God has access
to the mind of God.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the
Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have
the mind of Christ.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants;
for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:
but I have called you friends; for all things
that I have heard of my Father I have made known
unto you.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come.
1. That does not mean that we will know everything. Why?
a. Because God’s mind is infinite and we could not
hold it all.
(1) An limitless everything cannot fit into a
limited anything.
(2) It’s just too big.
b. Because God does not choose to reveal all things
to His people.
(1) \\#2Kings 4:1-27\\ A Shunammite woman did
good to Elisha, and the Lord rewarded her
by giving her a child; but the child fell
ill and the mother ran to Elisha for help.
2Ki 4:27 And when she came to the man of God
to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but
Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the
man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul
is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it
from me, and hath not told me.
(2) So it is with God. He does not reveal all
things, but it is obvious from our text that
these disciples should have known their
lives were in no peril.
2. So we must have God ‘s mind enough to reveal the
things necessary for us to walk in faith.
D. So how do I open the "mind of God?"
1. Through the Bible.
a. The Bible is an open portal into God’s mind.
(1) No soul has ever or will ever exhaust the
limitless knowledge of God, of God’s will,
or God’s power as revealed in the Word of
God.
(2) Why is that?
(a) Because of the CONSTRUCTION of the
Bible.
i. The way God wrote the Bible, using
commands, precepts, principals, as
well as, parables, symbols, and
stories.
ii. God wrote the Bible that way to be a
Living Book.
aa. It is like a book of unlimited
pages.
bb. It simply cannot be exhausted.
iii. It is not that the words of the
Bible change in their meaning but
that Living Book reveals its
messages and meaning when the
needful soul searches it.
iv. The cannon of the Bible has been
closed for nearly 2,000 years, but
billions have turned to it to get
the message they need for their
situation and their hour.
(b) Because of the COMFORTER of the Bible.
i. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter
and Guide.
ii. He takes the Bible and applies its
words to our life and situations.
b. If you do not read, know, understand, and use
the Bible, you will never be a man or woman
of faith because you will never know what
God is doing.
2. Through the Holy Spirit.
a. I know I mentioned the ministry of the Holy
Spirit in conjunction with the Bible , but we
must understand that the Holy Spirit does not
require the Bible to reveal the mind of God.
1Cor 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit
of the world, but the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God.
b. There is no truth God can not reveal through His
Spirit.
Ro 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God.
Ga 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are
not under the law.
Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known
unto me the mystery…
c. The Holy Spirit can do for us today far more than
angels and visions did in the Old Testament.
(1) He can reveal to us whatever God wants us to
know.
(2) The Holy Spirit can reveal any truth, any
danger, any need, any opportunity, any
method, any fact, anything!
(3) Example: \\#2Kings 6:8-11\\ Kings of Israel
and Syria were fighting one another. The
Syrian king set up ambush after ambush only
to have the king of Israel strike them
preemptively. Finally the Syrian king
asks his generals which of them is a traitor.
2Kings 6:12 And one of his servants said, None,
my lord O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is
in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words
that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
3. Through time and experience.
a. Time and experience are not the revealers of God’s
mind.
b. They are what is needed to learn how to be lead of
the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to knowing
the mind of God.
(1) The Bible is a big book comprised of never-
ending layers of truth.
(2) The Holy Spirit is God.
(3) Don’t expect being lead of them to know the
mind of God to be an easy, natural process.
(4) The journey will be a difficult, supernatural
process.
c. But through time and experience, you can know the
mind of God so that you can faith in the plan and
will of God.
II. Jesus expects our faith to give us the power of God.
Matt 17:14 And when they were come to the
multitude, there came to him a certain man,
kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is
lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth
into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they
could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and
perverse generation, how long shall I be with
you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him
hither to me.
A. Here we have a similar rebuke.
1. \\#17\\ The disciples are called "faithless."
2. Jesus condemns them for having no faith.
3. Why? Because they have no power!
4. The lad had a demon, and Jesus expected the disciples
to have enough FAITH to CAST THE DEMON OUT.
5. Faith gives knowledge but faith can also give power.
B. Should we be able to do mighty works for God?
1. What says the Bible?
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall
he do also; and greater works than these shall
he do; because I go unto my Father.
Mr 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.
2. I know these Bible promises were directed primarily
to the disciples. Even so, the hand of God is not
shortened and the power of God has not be cut off.
3. You can debate whether the gift of miracles is a gift
for today or not but there is definitely more power
to be had from God than the church has today!
a. Most churches, including our own, must clean out
the spider webs before than use the baptistry.
b. Many churches are over-extended on credit and
under-populated in the pew.
c. Evil definitely abounds on every hand.
4. With all of the evil that is in the world today, does
God want us to be powerless before the onslaught of
evil.
a. Is our only recourse to take up arms and do
violence against the forces of evil?
b. If so, we are doomed for the Bible plainly teaches
against that.
c. True faith gives POWER.
d. If Jesus rebuked His disciples for not having
faith enough to cast out a demon, what would He
have to say to us today?
III. Jesus expects our faith to give us peace.
A. Back at \\#Matt 8:26\\.
1. We said that Jesus expected the disciples to have
knowledge enough to have known their lives were not
in peril.
2. \\#25\\ They became fearful that they might perish.
3. \\#26\\ Jesus rebuked them as having no faith.
B. Everything that I said about Jesus expecting His disciples
to know the mind of God hinged upon a supposition.
1. That Jesus wanted them to know the mind of God and
that knowing the mind of God would have given them
peace.
2. That is a supposition and one valid enough to
consider; but, as I already said, we are not always
told the mind of God and even knowing the mind of God
may not always keep us calm.
a. This must have been the mother of storms.
b. Some of these disciples were experienced
fishermen, yet they had apparently never been in
a storm like this.
c. Even if they had known the mind of God, that does
not mean that they would not have been fearful.
C. Our faith can give us power to change our circumstances
but it should also give us peace to endure them, whatever
they are.
Php 1:28 And in nothing terrified by your
adversaries: which is to them an evident token
of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that
of God.
Lu 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not
afraid of them that kill the body, and after
that have no more that they can do.
Lu 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name’s sake.
Lu 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
D. Nothing undermines the cause of Christ more than fear and
unrest—not even powerlessness!
E. I suspect Jesus rebuked His disciples, not only for having
having no knowledge and power but for having no peace
either.
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