89 - Luke 8:22-25

The Stilling of the Tempest

Jesus is much more than a good man, a good example, and a teacher of good works. He is our
Savior from sin and our Divine Protector. The Church that here gathers around His Word and
Sacraments, along with every truly Christian congregation, is not an organization of man, but is
His Church. He calls it His body, and us His members. We are not just people with the same
ideas about life, but with the same faith in the same Christ, with whom we are united by faith.

Men have often said the Church would perish. The Jews tried to exterminate it. Today men say
it is on its last legs, and a new religion is about to dawn. Many times the church has grown
weak and small; at other times corrupt. Yet it survived and will always do so. Why? Surely not
because of the power of the Church, since it was quite powerless at such times; nor because its
ideas were popular, for they were not. It was because Christ alone keeps His Church from
perishing

1. Qur perils are too great for us. The Church today is in the same situation it was in that day
when Jesus and the disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee in a small boat and a storm came
up. The Sea of Galilee often has such harsh storms, because it is small and very low, 600 feet
below sea level. The winds rush down from the hills and stir up fierce storms without warning.
On that day their little boat filled with water, It swamped and was about to sink, and they were
in jeopardy, for this storm was worse than usual. The disciples were old hands at handling
fierce storms, but this one was far worse, and they were terrified.

Can anyone say the Church is not in jeopardy today? The perils are outside and inside the
church Communists still want to close our churches, destroy Bibles, catechisms, and hymnals,
and silence every voice that might breathe the name of Jesus.

The Church is also imperiled by the schools of the land with their godless ideas of sex,
socialism, and evolution, teaching children next to nothing and driving a wedge between
parents and children. The young are induced to form their own society, their own styles, their
own ideas (fed to them by teachers and counselors). They are flattered and taught to rebel
against all authority, and are told to think for themselves, but are never taught logic.
Christianity is laughed at, argued against, and ruled out of class. Educators are working to steal
our children from us.

The Church's mission work is also in peril. Nations now forbid Christian missionaries to enter. If
you go to teach science you can enter, but not for mission work. Many souls are shut off from
the Gospel because of this terribly cruel policy. We can hardly enter Nigeria because of it. In
our own land the law is used to prevent mission work. High-rise apartments permit no one to
sell anything or to try to save souls. The law insulates people there from the Gospel. At the
same time crime in the streets makes people too fearful to go out to church. Can the Church
survive?
The Church is also imperiled by competition from false teachers. Some have fancy liturgy,
some beautiful buildings, some despise the Sacraments altogether. some draw people by
preaching politics, and some give the impression of great piety and holiness to cover their lies.
Some, like the Papacy, use lying signs and wonders worked by the devil himself to deceive the
hearts of the simple, or they speak in tongues and claim to heal the sick. Such things are very
impressive and lead many astray. Will the Church perish?

Or consider the antagonism to the Gospel that is seen everywhere in the world. Men willingly
listen when told of going to heaven and enjoying God's blessings, but if that salvation must
come through Christ, and not through their own efforts and merits. men want nothing to do
with it. Or consider the ideals. people have today, which are to enjoy pleasure, a good life,
pride, and dignity. The greater glory of man is the theme of the day. Temptation is just
something you give in to, and then you justify your sins by helping the poor, the sick, or
someone else in need. Everyone feels good and righteous and feels no need for God.

God is ignored and forgotten. Most people are at home on Sunday instead of in church. God is
seldom mentioned on the streets, in conversations, or even in hospitals. Family worship is rare.
Even table prayers are rare. In restaurants everyone sits down to eat like a herd of hogs, no
one taking a moment to bow his head and give thanks to the Giver of all food. Bibles are not
opened or used, hymns are unknown, the Bible is unfamiliar, and no one seems to know how
to pray.

Godlessness, superstition, witchcraft, crime, lust, and every kind of wickedness are rampant,
filling the movies, popular songs, television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, art, and
every other field of human thought. Can the Church survive?

Inside, the church is also weak. The disciples panicked when the boat was sinking, because
their faith was weak. Jesus asked, Where is your faith? We might ask the same today. Why do
Christians worry about the future? Why are they full of fears of every kind? Why are they often
filled with doubts about the simple truths of God's Word. Has God lied to them? Has He
deserted them and left them alone? Is His arm shortened that it cannot save? The Church has
many weak believers. They doubt their salvation or their eternal election, they wonder about
justification by grace without works; in their crosses they doubt God's good will toward them.
They are afraid God can't really provide for them. They wonder whether science has perhaps
proved the Bible wrong. Faith is weak. Instead of using God's Word and Sacraments to
strengthen it, many weak believers neglect these means, thinking they don't do any good. And
while faith is weak, the flesh is very strong. The desires and passions of the world rage in
Christian breasts as well, and they often give in to their rage, anger, sexual lust, greed, or pride.
They love things. money, and goods of every kind and power over others and the good opinion
of other people. When they marry, their reason is not often: I want to glorify God by my
marriage, but: I want happiness. There is every kind of selfishness in the church. Can it survive?

Certainly not if it depends on us. The foe we fight is too strong. It is not flesh and blood, but
pricipalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. Humanly speaking, the Church
is doomed. We must
II. Behold our Savior. What manner of man this isl for he commandeth even the winds and
water, and they obey him. For our survival we depend entirely on Jesus, who has all power in
heaven and on earth. In Psalm 8 it is written of Him, "Thou madest him to have dominion over
the works of thy hands. And in Ps 89, "Thou rulest the raging of the sea; when the waves
thereof arise, thou stillest them." This Jesus is no ordinary man, then; but this man is the very
Son of God, come from heaven. He also has power over the weapons of our foes. He says, "No
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." Isa 54. He has power over minds, and can
blow away the thick clouds of confusion with the breath of His mouth. His Word, simple and
clear, like a light shining in a dark place, dispels the deepest, blackest darkness. He has power
over rulers who oppose Him. He has them in derision and laughs at their puny efforts to stop
His kingdom's coming. He even has power over false doctrine, for His Word "is able to make us
wise unto salvation, and is good for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in
righteousness. He has power over the whole world, and He says. "Be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world. He also has power over movies, TV, and all the rest. He doesn't need to
control these, though, to be able to save us, because it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe." He also has power over the self-righteous people. He can
strike fear into their hearts by the holy demands of His Law and the revelation of His terrible
wrath. But most importantly, He has power over sin, death, and hell. The disciples said, What
manner of man this is! They were practically quoting the words of David 1000 years earlier,
who was promised a son to inherit an eternal kingdom. He recognized at once that that son
must be God as well, for he said, "This is the manner of the man who is God the Lord. No man
could reign forever but that man who is also the Lord. And because our Savior is God and man
in one Person, He could make a perfect atonement or sacrifice to take away our sins and close
the yawning gates of hell.

He is the only One who can still the storms. He has stilled the source of every storm, the wrath
of God. God should no longer be compared to the violent, raging sea, because His anger has
been quieted and His perfect justice satisfied by the death of Christ. The storm is in the soul of
man. Isaiah writes, "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters
cast up mire and dirt. But our Savior can still the storms within. He puts our fearful conscience
to rest, and with it all our other fears fade away. If your conscience is cleared of your sins,
what have you to fear? As David wrote, "Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child
that is weaned of his mother, my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord.
Who sleeps as peacefully as a child, untroubled by an evil conscience? Who sleeps more
peacefully than Jesus, the sinless Son of God? Who can sleep more peacefully than a Christian,
whose sins have been cast into the depths of the sea? Can the Church perish when it's
righteousness is from Christ?

Jesus has power to make wars to cease unto the ends of the earth; He sets the seas in their
bounds, and His Word makes them obey. His Word can drive Satan away from you and bring
peace to your soul. "Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God, I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness."

So the Church shall never perish. The gates of hell will never prevail against it. Can He desert
the Church He purchased with His own blood? He died that we might not perish, but have
everlasting life through believing in Him. And now He lives in heaven. seated on the throne of
divine majesty, ruling by His Word and His power over all things. There is no trouble too great
for Him to rescue us from it.

Though faith may be weak, so long as it is still faith, He will not blow it out. "A bruised reed will
he not break, and a smoking flax he will not quench." As long as faith turns to Him in need, as
the disciples did. He will not turn them away. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out." He uses each trial, danger, and cross to strengthen our shamefully weak faith. He uses
such things to draw us more closely to Him as a mother draws her children close in time of
danger. Every one who turns to Him in faith will find spiritual strength he never knew before.
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint."

Finally, at the end of this voyage of life, the Lord has a safe harbor, a Fair Havens where we can
rest safely. Heaven is a peaceful place, a place of eternal security. Can the Church survive?
Indeed she can as long as Christ is in her, as long as she remains truly the Church, the people
who believe in salvation solely through faith in the vicarious atonement of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

The Church shall never perish! Her dear Lord, to defend, To guide, sustain, and cherish, Is with
her to the end. Though there be those that hate her, False sons within her pale. Against both
foe and traitor She ever shall prevail Mid toil and tribulation And tumult of her war She waits
the cosummation Of peace forevermore. Till with the vision glorious Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious Shall be the Church at rest. Amen