Are We There Yet? (Luke 8:22-25)

[This sermon was preached on June 17, 2012 at Folsom Community Church by Tim Lewis]
Are We There Yet?
Luke 8:22-25

Introduction
During the winter of 1777, General George Washington needed to find a secure place for his troops to camp and selected Valley Forge, some 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The poorly supplied soldiers had to build their own cabins, many times find their own food, mend their own uniforms and melt lead for their own bullets. On the site today there is a national park and my family went to see the visitor’s center with numerous artifacts, the recreated cramped cabins where the soldiers lived and the monuments dedicated to their memory. But do you think my family remembers anything about Valley Forge and the sacrifice of the brave men who died their? No! They remember one thing: the shortcut. Valley Forge is a large site, my kids were smaller and we had walked for miles. My map clearly showed a service road which would get us back to the visitor’s center and on to the bus that would take us back to our hotel. But they were tired and starting to complain. So, when I saw a path that led through the grassy fields in the right general direction, I told my family to take the path. But little did I know that clinging to the end of each of the grassy stems was a little hitchhiker determined to claim a ride. Ticks. In the hotel, whole body inspections revealed ticks in along the hairline and in various crevices in our body. So when someone mentions Valley Forge to my family, do they think of the great historical significance of the site? No! They remember that Daddy said they should take the shortcut.

Some of you have similar experiences, I am sure. My kids learned long ago not to ask me, “How much longer?” because I would always respond: “About 99 hours” “That’s what you said last time!” “Yes, and we’re still a long way away.” Dads get really grumpy. “Are you there yet?” “Is the car stopped?” “Then, no. Be quiet”

When it comes to our life journey, sometimes we ask the same thing from God. “Are we there yet?” It seems like we are dealing with the same issue for so long, and we aren’t getting any better—any closer. We look at our marriages, we look at our kids, we look at our work, we look at ourselves-and it seems like we’re dealing with the same issues over and over again. It’s like that poem, “Footsteps” except the reason that there are two sets of footsteps is because we’re going in circles and we found our own a second time.

Jesus once took his disciples on a road trip-or rather, a boat trip. We’ve been following Jesus through the Luke, one of the four biographies of Jesus found in the Bible. In the 8^th chapter, starting at verse 22, we read:

²²One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

²⁴The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Sometimes our lives resemble their boat trip. We start out expecting smooth sailing, but then the storms come, the boat is sinking and we look around and wonder what happened.

Certainly, as a father, this can be true. God sks fathers to set the tone, the spiritual climate for their families. And Jesus is willing to make us into the men—the husbands, the workers, the fathers—that he intended for us to me. But the way to level up as a man isn’t always clear and as much as we like to claim we are strong, we are disciplined, we are macho, when it comes to faith, we can be real wimps. 

Jesus puts us in situation where our spiritual wimpiness is visible outwardly. Why? Because we lie to ourselves. We put on a show for others. Jesus knows the real story, he sees our hearts. But he proves it to us in those impossible, painful, stressful situations and then he asks us “Where is your faith?” At that point, the gap between us and God is never more apparent. We are not there yet—but God will get us there.

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

Let’s look how this process works.

1. Jesus Will Ask Us to Go Where We Wouldn’t Go

Our natural tendency is not to go where Jesus wants us to go. The first law of spiritual inertia says, “A person at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside spiritual force--Jesus” We need Jesus to get going. And we need Jesus to go in the right direction. Because the second long of spiritual thermodynamics says, “A person in motion will continue in the wrong direction unless acted on by an outside spiritual force—Jesus.” We go astray. Therefore, the third law: “A person will end up in the wrong place unless acted upon by an outside spiritual force—Jesus.” And they won’t stop and ask for directions.

We have a limited perspective, so it is not always clear to us why we would ever consider going some of the places that Jesus would have us go. Like a GPS with some of the coordinates missing. This is true in our relationship with Jesus, and also in our relationships, our careers. Why would I spend time with that person? Why would I take that job? Why would I choose unemployment? I wouldn’t. But Jesus will sometimes ask us to.

Look again at what Jesus said, in verse 22:

²²One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.

Boat Trip! Everyone piled in. Grabbed a few tinapa and some pan-de-sal. They started rowing or sailing. “Where are we going, Jesus?” “Oh, to visit the Gadarenes.” Now why would Jesus want to go there?

Well, the good thing is they didn’t argue, they trusted. They trusted even though they knew what-or more specifically, who--was on the other side of the lake: a bunch of pig-loving non-Jews. If they made any comment, the Bible doesn’t record it. But I think some of them were thinking: “What’s wrong with the beaches on our side of the lake?”

Let’s wander in Jesus’ direction. Maybe Jesus is prompting you to walk across a room and start up a conversation. Maybe Jesus is asking you, “Let’s go over across the street.” Maybe Jesus is telling you to try the next cubicle, or the next house, or the next job, or even try the next country. I am very good at excuses. “I don’t know them.” “I haven’t taken a shower yet.” “I’m never going to see them again anyway.” “Who are they? Not my type of people.” But Jesus says “Let’s go.”

2. Jesus Will Push Us Beyond What We Would Endure

²³As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. ²⁴The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

As I have gotten older as a father, I have found that kids are a crisis just waiting to happen.  There is no better alarm clock in the world for waking you out of a deep sleep than a sobbing child. Teens can really just push all your buttons that cause your blood pressure to rise…or at least, so I’m told. “Kids have this way of taking you right up to the edge of what you can endure, and then they push.”[1] Why do kids do that??? Let me tell you, God puts you with your family because your family is the training ground God uses to become like Jesus. They are the perfect training ground precisely because they can push you. And the place where they push you is uncharted territory. And the uncharted territory is where you trust God in a new and fresh way.

For at least four of the disciples, working the lake as fishermen was their job. They were probably traveling in their boats[2]. This was their lake. The Sea of Galilee was not very big: 13 miles long by 8 miles wide[3], about 1/3 the size of Lake Tahoe[4].  This was their home turf, so when the violent storm came off the cliffs, they knew what it meant: they were going to die. This was not an unknown destination, it was a well-known destination: death. This storm was beyond the ability to cope.

How we respond in very good times and very bad times shows who we really are.

My friend Tom was a professional controller at a manufacturing firm. He was a professional controller, 20 years experience, president of the local division of his professional organization. He walked into his boss’ office one day, expecting a promotion, and instead was told that his services were no longer needed. He assumed, with so much experience, he could easily find another position. Nothing. No one wanted to hire him. In the area where he was the strongest, God was showing him that it wasn’t enough. And Tom will tell you through the story of his own failure that he was able to find Jesus.

3. Jesus Will Save Us in A Way We Would Not Expect

…He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

What exactly were the disciples expecting Jesus was going to do? It is strange that these disciples were willing to follow Jesus into the boat, they were willing to trust him with the destination, they were willing to let him go to sleep, but they were worried that they would not get across the lake. Why?

Because they expected that with Jesus asleep in the boat, it was going to be an easy ride, smooth sailing. No problems. But what they got was the storm, the wind, the waves, the boat filling with water. What Jesus told them didn’t match what they were seeing. They expected something different. Maybe they thought it would be like Jonah, they would have to toss Jesus overboard! I don’t know.       

Then Jesus does something amazing. He stands up and tells the world to shut up. And it does. The wind stops. The waves vanish. And their journey continues to the other side of the lake, just like Jesus said it should. Jesus turns to his disciples and asks, “Where is your faith?”

‘What did you expect?’ There was a lingering fear that this time God had really blown it this time. There was an element of doubt in their hearts about whether God had, perhaps, abandoned them. But Jesus doesn’t do that. He doesn’t bring us this far to leave us. You are never stranded with Jesus.

The same Jesus who started with you is the same Jesus who is with you now and is the same Jesus who will finish it with you. “Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) If God lets you into this mess, God will lead you out.

And he will do it in a way that is uniquely God. “Wow, I never saw that one coming.” Creation itself is brought to a stand-still like a well-trained dog. Like Mary’s dog in front of a plate of food. No move without permission from the master.  

They might have expected Jesus to pray. They might have expected him to guide them to land, or help them row back to shore, or for help to appear in the form of another boat. They might have expected even for him to walk on water (been there, done that). Jesus seldom answers our call for help in the same way twice. He is creative, and delights in defying our expectations while at the same time, keeping his promises. (hidden from the wise and revealed to the simple).

God pushes us beyond what we can endure, what we can accomplish, what we can perceive so that when an answer comes, there is no mistake that it is from God.

My daughter, Shannon, had to take basic Physics at the university. She found the class easy, because it covered much of what she had done in her advanced class in high school. But when she came to the final exam, she found that there was one problem she didn't know how to do. No matter how smart she was, no matter how many years experience, she was stumped. So she stopped in the middle of her final exam and prayed. Then, she said when she opened her eyes, "Bam! Epiphany!" God showed her the path and she finished with no problems.



4. Jesus Will Reveal Himself In A Way We Would Not Have Seen

The end result is not just that we get to where Jesus was pointing us, but that we see Jesus in a new way. Look at what happens next, in verse 25:

…In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

“Who is this?” Now that’s a good question. In fact, the disciples are showing remarkable spiritual insight: first, they get in the boat without complaining. Good move. Then when the storm comes, they go to Jesus. Good move. Then, when Jesus does the remarkable, the incredible, they ask the right question. Who is this?

The answers they might have given to this point won’t work anymore. Carpenter. Rabbi. Prophet. Master. None of these titles would cover what they have just seen. Maybe you missed it: Jesus didn’t appeal to heaven for authority over the storm, he was the authority. He spoke. The waves listened.

“Where is your faith?” Jesus asks because only faith makes sense of the evidence of their senses. The creator was right there in the boat. The kingdom of heaven was overtaking the kingdom of this world in the person of Jesus, the king.

Your God is too small. My God is too small. God pulls back the curtain to give us a glimpse of his full glory, just a hint of how much bigger he is than us.  That little bit we do see blows our mind.

And that is the point: we get to see God how he really is. In the “road trip” God lets us see him better, know him better and work with him more closely.

And like Moses, God can speak to us as he speaks to a friend. And our life glows, the way that Moses face glowed when he came down the mountain. And we are changed into the rock-solid people that he needs to crack the hard shell of the world’s indifference to the savior who was broken on their behalf.

Conclusion

The problems we face may seem so big, but that is because we forgotten how big God is.

One of the popular ads for the 2011 Super Bowl was a Volkswagen commercial that pictures a child dressed in a Darth Vader costume attempting to use "the force" around the house.

With the familiar Star Wars music associated with Darth Vader playing in the background, the boy marches down the hallway and then raises his hands dramatically toward the treadmill.

Next the young Darth points his hands at the family dog lying on the floor. The dog looks up quizzically—but again nothing happens.

Darth does not give up. Now in the bedroom, he raises his hands forcefully toward a doll seated on the bed. The doll stares back blankly without budging an inch. Darth's arms drop to his sides in frustration, and he slumps in discouragement.

In the kitchen, still in costume, he now stands dejectedly at the counter with his black-helmeted head on his hand. His mom has to push the sandwich when his “force” powers fail to draw it to him.

Then his father pulls into the driveway, and Darth runs out to the car as his father walks into the house. He hasn't given up! One more time he raises his hands and points them dramatically at the auto. He waits, hands upraised. Suddenly the car's yellow turn signals light up and the engine starts!

The startled child stumbles backward. We see that the playful father had started the car from the kitchen using a push-button ignition. The amazed child whirls to look toward the house, then back again toward the car.[5]

“Where is your faith?” That is a fair question. So many people want the guidance and power of God, but they don’t want a relationship with God. The power is in the relationship. One little push from God is worth more than all the “force” you can muster.

The disciples thought they knew Jesus. Then they saw who Jesus was, for a moment. And it says, “…in fear and amazement they asked each other” (v. 25) In fear and amazement.

God wants to show himself to you. Are you willing to do what it takes? Frankly, that’s scary. It’s scary to me, because I am afraid of what it will take for God to teach me. Of what will have to be stripped away, torn down, burnt off, to leave behind the purified man of God. It’s scary because I must put myself wholly in God hands. I sure hope he likes me. I admit it. I don’t like pain. I am a wimp.

But against that weakness, is a desire. A desire, a thirst, a longing to know God, to be saturated with the presence of God, to feel his grace at work in the world and join with him.

…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. – Philippians 2:12b-13

But against that weakness is a longing to be strong enough to face the storm with Jesus.

“Where is your faith?” (follower:continued trust, non-follower:relationship)

Thinking back to Valley Forge, maybe the ticks were the point of the story.

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[1] Taken from a story told by Steve Bell

[2] Likely five (Andrew, James the Elder, John, Peter and Philip) were fishermen, although only four (all but Philip) are identified as such.

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee, retrieved on June 14, 2012

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tahoe, retrieved on June 14, 2012

[5] Craig Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com, from the ad “The Force” by Volkswagen, February 2, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0, viewed on June 16, 2012