TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - Morning Manna - September 5, 2025 - Matthew 8:23-27 - Boat Faith: Peace in the Midst of the Storm

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

Life’s storms come suddenly, leaving us overwhelmed and afraid, just as the disciples were on the Sea of Galilee. Yet in the middle of the tempest, Jesus was present—resting in perfect peace until His disciples cried out, “Lord, save us: we perish.” With one word, He calmed the winds and waves, proving His power over creation and His care for His people. This Morning Manna reminds us that our greatest need is not the removal of the storm, but faith in the One who commands it. Teachers:  Rick Wiles and Doc BurkhartYou can partner with us by visiting FaithandValues.com, calling 1-800-576-2116, or by mail at PO Box 399 Vero Beach, FL 32961.Get high-quality emergency preparedness food today from American Reserves!AmericanReserves.comIt’s the Final Day! The day Jesus Christ bursts into our dimension of time, space, and matter. Now available in eBook and audio formats! Order Final Day from Amazon today!Amazon.com/Final-DayApple users, you can download the audio version on Apple Books!books.apple.com/final-dayPurchase the 4-part DVD set or start streaming Sacrificing Liberty today.Sacrificingliberty.comThe Fauci Elf is a hilarious gift guaranteed to make your friends laugh! Order yours today!Trunews/faucielf

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Faith Friday. It's Morning Manna, and every Friday we dedicate this Bible study to the topic of faith to learn the definition of faith, how to build our faith, what we can do with our faith, and of course, the most important thing, the object of our faith, which is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. and so several weeks ago we started a series called boat faith and the first several lessons were about obedience and having faith before the storm so Noah built an ark by faith and he placed his family and animals in the ark believing God would save them then our next lesson was that Moses's mother built a tiny arc for just one little passenger and she placed it among the reeds in the Nile River. By faith she placed her baby boy, Moses, in that tiny boat

and believed God would save him. They both had obedient faith. So our next several lessons will be about boat faith in the storm trusting faith trusting faith in the storm and as we study these verses today i'm asking you to ponder this question what storm is rocking your boat today today's lesson will provide insight into how to go through the storm

and emerge victorious. It will give you insight into what God is doing in you to change you to increase your faith in the storm that you're in. You may not be in a storm right now.

Praise God. but there will be one up ahead. And that's what we're going to learn in this lesson today. So, Doc, let's read our scripture verses today. Our Matthew chapter 8, Matthew 8 versus 23 through 27. Yes, sir. So open your Bibles, everybody, the eighth chapter of Matthew versus 23 through 27. All right.

So I am reading from Matthew chapter. 8 verses 23 through 27 welcome everyone the morning man and glad to have you here with us and uh appreciate you tuning in from no matter where you are in the world today and across the u.s and Canada as well all right verse 23 of matthew chapter 8 as we continue to talk about boat faith today and when he was entered into a ship his disciples followed him and behold there arose a great tempest in the sea in so much that the ship was covered with the waves but he was asleep And his disciples came to him and awoke him saying, Lord, save us, we perish.

And he saith in them, why are you fearful, oh, ye of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, what manner of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him? God bless the reading of his word today. That's right. so we begin with verse 23 and when he was entered into a ship his disciples followed him the context is he had ministered to the multitudes he now takes the initiative he chooses to enter a ship

notice the scripture says ship it doesn't say boat usually when you see paintings of this of this event Jesus and the disciples are it looks like they're in a bass boat yeah a little you know flat bottom fishing boat now this is a ship they had ships back then right I think a lot of people think, well, they didn't know how to make a big ship. They did.

They had big ships. This was a ship. It wasn't a boat. Remember that many of the disciples were fishermen. They were professional fishermen. So Jesus takes the initiative. He leaves the multitudes. And he makes the decision to enter into the ship.

And so we see two things here. We see his humanity. We see his need as a human for retreat, for rest to be revived physically. And we see his divinity because there is a providential plan underway. He alone knew that a great storm was ahead. Right. You've got to get this down inside your spirit. Jesus was not caught by surprise by the storm.

Right. I personally believe he created the storm. Not only did he know the storm would appear, I believe he orchestrated the storm. Right. And one other thing to consider here, too, is that the Sea of Galilee, there, which were where they were on. As you said, some of these guys were fishermen.

There are storms that pop up on the Sea of Galilee on a regular basis because of the way the mountains are around the Sea of Galilee and everything and the way the air flows over the lake. And so storms are not uncommon, okay? So this wasn't, obviously this was a different kind of storm. I agree with you. I believe it was a supernatural storm. These guys knew about storms on the Sea of Galilee.

Okay, so there's no question about that. But this was something that caught their attention. This was not a normal storm. They were not imagers. They weren't inexperienced. They had been on the sea during storms, and they knew how to handle a ship. Right. But not the storm.

This was a different storm. so the ship represents two things a literal passage they actually got on a physical ship and began to move but it also represents a symbolic discipleship the the the disciples followed christ into places of testing they followed him he led the way and they followed there's a lesson for us so this this verse 23 it's setting the stage storms are not accidents but they are divine classrooms to build our faith so by choosing to enter the boat Jesus led them into a trial to strengthen their faith in him. It wasn't like he said, oh, guys, man, I'm so sorry. I picked a wrong time to get in this boat.

Yeah. I mean, what bad luck? No, that's not the case at all. This was, Jesus, his training was always. in the field on site he didn't do classroom training when you were being trained by jesus he took you out into the field and so now we're going to learn it so the one thing that we learn here well we've already learned jesus will lead you into a storm we've learned that if you are obedient to him if you are a disciple who will

obeys him, you will immediately follow his instructions, even when you are not aware that his guidance is taking you into a storm. Faith is not formed and built and strengthened on calm shores, but on stormy seas. Amen. And the boat was the appointed place for training. So by stepping into the boat, again, this is a ship. I'm not going to call a boat. It's a ship.

Jesus modeled calm leadership. And he entered willingly where his disciples had to learn to trust him. and again we we see both his his humanity and his divinity his humanity his humanity needed rest but his divinity was directing the events for the instruction of his followers so he accomplished two things with the same event he got himself some needed sleep but he also taught his disciples a lesson Keep that in mind when you go through a storm or you see somebody going through a storm. Usually, you know, the old saying, you know, kill two birds with one stone.

Usually in, when there's an event where God is involved, he'll use that event to do different works of grace and faith, maybe correction. in the lives of multiple people associated with the person that's going through the storm right even the people on the sidelines are affected so he takes advantage of the event this storm was not accidental it wasn't a surprise it was on purpose the storm became the classroom for faith. Now, the presence of Christ in the ship was their ultimate assurance and safety, but it took time for the disciples to learn it in this event.

Another thing that we learn here is that faith must be learned, excuse me, let me say like this, Faith must learn that storms are not the sign of God abandoning you. But the storms are a setting for revelation of His grace and power and love. One more thing about this first verse. The boat itself. It symbolized a journey of the disciples' faith. They were fragile, they were exposed,

and they were totally dependent on Jesus Christ. Remember what I asked you at the beginning? What storm is rocking your boat today? Apply these principles to your storm. Or the next storm that you can, come into fall back to this lesson and say okay what did we learn in morning manna about the storms so his disciples followed him jesus entered into the boat and his disciples followed him and says and when he was entered into a ship his disciples followed him

Their obedience was immediate. There was no hesitation. They acted promptly. When they saw their leader on the move, they got up and went with him. They didn't know he was leading them into a storm. What if he had turned and said to them, hey, guys, there's a storm coming across the sea. This ship is going to be close to sink. come on let's go would they've gone I think someone would have said hey hey well

wait a minute we are experienced we're going to wait for the next one okay I've got to reiterate this point Jesus deliberately led them into the storm that's that's a theology that a lot of modern Christians don't want to accept we've got theology today that's not only says that Jesus wouldn't lead you into a storm

but that there won't even be a storm yes that if you follow Christ you'll be stormless it's not true only Jesus knew the storm would appear while they were on the sea we don't know what lies ahead

head for us in our life but he does and sometimes our lord deliberately leads us into a storm for what purpose it's twofold to build our faith and number two to reveal his presence Amen. So following Jesus means entering into risk and trials. You know the old song, I never promised you a rose garden. Jesus never promised his disciples a rose garden. No, he promised us trials and tribulations. There are times between those trials.

and tribulations, that he provides comfort and rest. But he'll schedule a trial. He'll schedule tribulation for you up ahead. We don't panic. We don't fall apart. Right. How do you know that your faith is maturing when you don't freak out in a storm,

a storm of life? When you are the calm one in the situation, that's when you know your faith. faith is maturing you know you you watch these these old movies and it could be a pirate or you know any ship captain they're in the storm the captain he's there on the deck the rain's beating down on him the wind's blowing and he's he's calm same way you see the you know movies about wars of times passed

like the Civil War or Revolutionary War you know there'll be a general he's just mounted on his horse his bullets whizzing by cannonballs

and he's calm why he's battle tested yes he's battle tested and that's the way God desires you and me to be and when the storm comes we're just mounted on our horse

we're there, we're calm we know we're going to go through it we know we're going to be victorious so true discipleship is measured by our willingness to follow Jesus Christ wherever he leads us even into storms

amen is he your king will you follow him into a storm so faith boat faith begins with obedience that's what we were talking about in the first two lessons of boat faith obedience

before the storm will test us and our loyalty brings us aboard this act of getting on the ship with him okay they followed there's a seat of faith here they followed him not because the journey was safe but because it was with him so following

following Jesus through life is not a guarantee of calm sees but it's a guarantee of his presence amid any weather condition of life right i know our topic is faith but by the time you we finish this lesson you're going to see that the real theme of this lesson and these verses the primary theme is his presence True discipleship is marked by our obedience, not by four knowledge of outcomes. Right.

These men followed Jesus with incomplete faith. But the one thing that they had going for them was their obedience. So even weak faith is commendable in God's eyes if that weak faith clings to Christ. Right. They followed him onto the boat. You've got to give him credit for that. That's right. But would they have followed if they knew about the storm?

And that's the question that we're faced with. Will we follow Christ if we knew a storm was coming? Let's say that we know a storm. is coming. And we do know a storm is coming. A global storm. A megafire is coming. Are we still willing to follow Christ in the midst of that? Doc, that's going to be the test for a lot of people because God is going to speak to people in the coming one to two years and give them instructions and that they're going to be tested. Will they obey him? He's going to be giving people instructions to get them out of danger and it's going to be difficult for people to

give up everything and follow him but faith begins with obedience so the presence of jesus is better than the absence of storms and repeat it the presence of Jesus in a storm is better than the absence of storms. Discipleship is not safety from trouble, but security in trouble. So weak faith, perfect faith is still faith if it moves you to follow Christ into

unknown waters Christ you understand Jesus does not condemn or reject weak faith he'll work with it it's unbelief that gets him upset right I mean he goes on later

in this passage and says you do have a little faith. Right. Why are you fearful ye of little faith? So there was some faith involved. That's right. And Doc, he was enough faith that they followed him into the ship. Jesus can work with your little faith.

His goal is to build your faith, but he'll never condemn you for having little faith. our discipleship with him means following him into situations that will stretch and test our faith well see what the commentator said matthew henry those that embark with christ must prepare for storms he brings his disciples into difficulties that he may bring them to depend upon himself Henry was a Presbyterian passed away in 1714 Charles Bridges Anglican passed away in 1869 born 1794 faith is not proved on the shore but in the vessel where Christ leads he entered first he entered first that his disciples might learn to follow him even into the storm Presbyterian Albert Barnes

went home with the Lord in 1870. They followed him. This was an act of obedience and trust, though imperfect. It was to be tested that they might learn the weakness of their faith and the greatness of his power. and that grand baptist Alexander McLaurin passed away 1910 by stepping into the boat he drew them after him into the school where faith was to be both tried and strengthened they obeyed and in obeying began to learn

verse 24 and behold there arose a great tempest in the sea in so much that the ship was covered with the waves but he was asleep i see this is the clue that that god generated the storm himself because that wasn't an ordinary storm was a great tempest and in the greek it is seismos megas or megacquake it's the same word that's used for earthquake the great shaking the sea literally was the waves were literally literally rising up and down like the it was like god had a hold of the of a basin think of a basin and just shaking it violently shaking it you're right doc tempus seismos it's where we get the word earthquake What is behold me?

Looky there. Yeah. Hey, pay attention to that. Look at that. Or this is an unusual event. Behold. This is something really weird and strange. A big international.

Right. What are we beholding? A great tempus. And a sea-based earthquake. So even seas and fishermen were terrified. and notice the storm arose suddenly and that is that is a reminder to all of us that life brings unexpected trials another lesson in this is storms often come after our acts of obedience what what will happen is you will obey God and you'll do something that maybe people around you are questioning

your sanity like what got into him why did she do something that crazy that doesn't even make sense but you know that God told you to do something you were obedient and then the storm appears and now your Job's friends say I told you I told you God is telling you to turn back to undo what you just did no God sent the storm he said get into the ship and you obeyed and then he took you to the storm now your friends and relatives and neighbors are saying oh he's he's lost it she she's she's messed up her life look what's happened no you're in school just see it that you're in classroom you may you followed i i can remember doc in my life when i was a younger christian you know i'd get into a storm and i'd be i'd have to replay go wait a

I've got to rewind. This happened, this happened, this happened, this happened. And every step of the way, I was being obedient to the Lord. Why is this happening to me now? That'll make sense to me. Right. I was obedient and the Lord took me into a storm for what? To strengthen my faith for the next part of the journey.

So trials are not random. They are classrooms. for our faith, and they are permitted by Christ for our growth. The storms are part of God's curriculum. And these storms are always places where we learn that our resources, our strength, our abilities are not sufficient. And that's what makes the storm so scary. the storm is bigger than you

and that's that's very unnerving to us because each of us we want to be able to handle it to fix it to do something but God sends us waves go ahead Doc I was going to say in the past when they've encountered

storms they trim the sails they turn the ship into the storm they adjusted the rudder you know they did all the things that experienced sailors who have encountered storm before had done but this was a different kind of storm this was a storm that went beyond their knowledge and beyond their experience in so much that the ship was covered with the waves right so the danger it's vivid the waves engulfed the ship the ship was on the verge of sinking when the waves come up over the ship you are in great danger amen so the waves coming over the ship symbolizes the trials of life that are so overwhelming that they seem to engulf us completely.

Like you're being overtaken by something that is happening in your life. You're unable to get out from under it. So the human skill of the disciples, they were powerless. They were experienced seamen, but they couldn't control the storm. Amen. And when a storm is that great, and all human effort is exhausted, the only thing left is reliance on God.

There it is. That's the lesson. That's what God was teaching them. Sometimes God allows you and me to feel covered by trials why so that our deliverance by him is unmistakable

when we say the only way I got through that was by the grace of God and that's the Lord's in heaven giving you a big thumbs-ups and you got it you got it you learned a lesson you got through it by my grace so when faith when our faith wavers the storms seem bigger than God yet when our faith looks to Christ

even the storm becomes his servant amen but he was asleep we see we see him as a man he's a god man but the god man had to sleep he was weary he was exhausted and his sleep was why did he go to sleep to demonstrate to the disciples his rest and his trust in his father in heaven that's what he was teaching them my faith my hope my rest is all in my heavenly father I'm teaching you to put your hope and your faith and your rest and your trust in your father in heaven so his his his sleep was part of the lesson could they trust his presence

even when he was silent or inactive. Was his presence enough? This is the lesson he's giving them. Is my presence enough for you? Or do I have to be talking and doing something? Is not my presence enough? Wow. You got it, Doc.

You got it. his presence is enough wow I told you doc this lesson is about his presence I hope everyone else just got the insight I just got because I talk about it

I just never thought about that before you know we expect God to be constantly doing something but really all we really need is him is presence that's what we really need that's what we really desire him he's with us a sleeping jesus a sleeping jesus is still god yes wow a silent jesus is still god well that was worth the price of admission today rick wow his presence is enough his present god doesn't have to constantly be doing something no you just need his presence

hallelujah was it yesterday was it yesterday or doc was it yesterday the day before i said that in my morning prayer that i i was saying to my heavenly father that his presence was I said I hate to call it a commodity or a thing but his presence was the greatest most valuable being experienced in my life just to be in his presence that he just shows up

when I go into that prayer room that he shows up I'm happy I'm satisfied his presence is there my father has appeared in this room his presence is there so to the to the disciples his sleep appeared as neglect they thought he was neglecting them

but he was testing them so often Jesus seems silent in our trials, but his presence is never absent. His sleep is not carelessness, it's confidence. He's in control even when he's unseen. So our faith is tested most deeply when God appears. inactive so we have to learn to trust him without his immediate intervention you stay calm you know he's

even though he's not moving right now he's not talking he seems to be sleeping i'm here in this storm but it's okay he's present i can see him see him see the smartest thing thing those men should have done is just go to the back of the ship and curl up next to him. Hey, if he's going to sleep, I am too. Praise God. That's what, now I say that's what I would

don't know. You wouldn't. No, none of us would have done it at that time. But that would be the right thing to do. just tap him tap his ribs and say move over lord if you're going to sleep i'm laying down too amen now jesus would have smiled and said how you got it go scoot over here there's room yeah you said yeah it's it's grab a pillow we should be to the other side soon

so his sleep his sleep teaches us to rest with him in our father's care if christ sleeps in the storm we may trust that the ship will not and cannot sink amen glory this is good rick all right let's check in with that methodist adam clark he passed away in eighteen thirty two the vessel was covered with the waves yet it could not sink for christ was in it amen brother adam you hit it he wasn't going to go anywhere watch out for those old method is doc his sleep was to teach them faith to depend on him even when he appears to take no notice Albert barnes jesus wearied and slept no excuse me jesus wearied slept their danger was real but their fear was needless for the son of god was with

them. His sleep was to teach them confidence in his care. Verse 25, and his disciples came to him and awoke him saying, Lord, save us, we perish. Now, they did this

in fear, but they did the right thing. They came to the Lord. They came to the Lord. Because he is the only one who could save him. So their first act is not

a perfect calm, but it was, to their credit, desperate dependence. It was the little thing. Yes, they were driven by desperation, not faith, they were driven by desperation, but it was real dependence. This is important to get this distinction.

They didn't run to him in the back of the ship out of faith. They ran in fear, but they were running in the right direction. They were running towards Christ. They're running toward him. Their cries to him were acts of real dependence. At that moment, they realize the only one who can save us is the one who's asleep. So we've got to give them credit for this. So storms drive us to Christ.

And it's okay when your faith is mixed with fear. But turning to Jesus. is always the right decision, the right direction. He doesn't rebuke you, he doesn't condemn you, he doesn't criticize you when you have fear mixed with your faith. He understands we're human. But the goal is to move you beyond fear. Sometimes he allows desperation to strip away.

self-confidence yeah men really have a problem with this one self-confidence because we just grew up thinking well we're men we have to face whatever we're dealing with we have to solve the problem but when the problem when the problem is greater than your ability to do it and you lose confidence I mean these these guys were not cissies in that ship they were yeah these are rough and tumble fishermen i mean they these are lived hard lives they weren't sissies who followed him into the ship but at that moment yeah they they were thinking about their mama hey we're going to die i'm never going to see my mama again i'm

going to drown tonight but they ran in right direction a sleeping christ is just as powerful as a talking christ it's his presence it's his presence it's his presence it matters saying lord save us man they got that prayer out fast one of the shortest prayers ever lord save us there was none of this we are gathered here to give lord save us we're going down no religion no piety no flourish just a cry of desperation I have desperation and they called him Lord they didn't call him bro they called him Lord they acknowledged his authority even as their fears doubted his care see at this moment they're they're wrestling with does he even

we're drowning and he doesn't care and yet they called him lord and yet there are times where we go through storms and we're wondering where god is yes so doc their plea was imperfect they believed he could save them but they doubt it he would people believe God can heal them, but they doubt he would. Lord, have mercy. He can, but will he? Yes, he will. So weak faith clings to Christ.

The smallest cry from your heart, when it's directed to him, it has power. The power of prayer is not measured by eloquence, but by dependence. So the power lies in the Lord, not in the perfection of your prayer. see there's a there's a mental trap that people get into well I didn't pray right I didn't say the right words

yes I didn't say the name of Jesus the right way I didn't quote all these scriptures I didn't do the formula right Reverend so-and-so he's got a formula seven steps to get your prayers answered no seven steps to survive the story Here's Lord save us You don't need seven steps Lord save us

Save us Save us we perish The next words out of them It's Lord save us we perish They didn't say Hey we got some problems here They said We're about to die

It's really bad We're ready to die. So you've got faith and fear wrestling together. They believe Jesus can save, but they doubt whether he will. This mixture, faith and fear. They trusted him enough to call him Lord, but they doubted he would be the Lord. Man, Rick, you're hitting home runs today. man

he got me up at three this morning that's why the devil was fighting so hard to get this lesson started so there's a reality of of perfect of imperfect faith don't let anybody tell you that your faith

has to be perfect Christ will work with imperfect faith he's always working with us to improve it, to perfect it but he doesn't kick you out because your faith is imperfect.

Imperfect faith clings to Christ while trembling in doubt. But there's enough faith there for God to work with. Look at the the words the words of these men oh Lord save us for we perish they saw the waves

they could see the waves more clearly than they could see the one who made the sea they could see the waves but the one who made the sea was in the ship sleeping that's right Hallelujah

Jesus Christ will honor trembling faith for it rest in him faith may cry in fear but if it cries to Christ

it will be heard faith runs first to Christ faith knows its true refuge. Simple prayer is powerful. Lord save us. Amen.

Glory. Okay, Matthew Henry. Their fears made them forget their faith, yet they prayed. Prayer is the best vent of care. They went to Christ, though they awoke him rudely. Baptist John Gill Though their faith was weak Yet they applied to Christ

Calling him Lord and asking for salvation Faith though little turns to the right object Little faith Alexander McLaren Fear and faith were strangely blended Their cry was both cowardly and faithful Cowardly because they feared death death faithful because they cried to Christ I know we're over our time limit here

we're we started late so we're good okay I know I know but I'm I try to get people out at the same time every day people have things to do verse 26 and he saith under them why are ye fearful oh ye of little faith then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm Jesus first addressed their heart before he spoke to the storm right he rebuked their fear before he rebuked their storm yes he didn't rebuke them he rebuked their fear that's right Faith must rule over fear. He rebuked their fear before he rebuked the storm. And what is that teaching us?

That inner fear is a greater danger than outer waves. Fear on the inside of you can do more damage to you than the outside, So fear is natural, but excessive fear reveals a lack of trust in God's presence and his promises. But Christ will always cause to a higher level. faith must grow from panic to peace from trembling to trust you see this progression here they went from panic to peace they went from trembling to trust remember this was a classroom the ship was a classroom he was doing training out on the sea but his rebuke was tender he correct he corrected he didn't reject

then he arose and rebuked the winds in the sea so after he rebuked their fear he now rebukes the storm what the disciples feared he first spoke to their fear and then he spoke to the things that they feared remember what I asked you

at the beginning what storm is rocking your boat today he's going to speak to your fear first before he speaks to the storm he's not going to calm that storm in your life until he calms your heart you've got to rest in his presence, even though he's sleeping.

Oh, Lord, don't you see, my business is perishing. The waves of debt are coming over me. Oh, Lord, don't you care? You're sleeping. Be peaceful, be calm in his presence. Yes. If he's sleeping while you're in a storm, nudge him and say, could you move over?

Let me sleep beside you? If you're at rest, I'm going to be at rest with you. Amen. These waves don't bother me, Lord. They don't bother you. They don't bother me. Well, what are these waves going to do? If the waves could talk, they're, hey, come on.

We're trying to scare you. You think it's going to scare a guy who could walk on water? That's good, that's good, he can't scare a man that can walk on water. He rebuked. It means he restrained hostile forces. Yes. He silenced the rebellion of the sea. Right.

notice you know in in the old covenant scriptures the prophets prayed to god in heaven to act but now the son of god is on earth and he speaks directly to creation so he's he's the lord not only of our souls but of the natural world and there was a great calm yes as great as the tempest was that's how great the calm was amen doc took the words out of my mouth the greek there is galena magale which means great calm just so it's a comparison to the great tempest so as wild as the storm was the calm was just as great really good point to me. It just wasn't calm.

It wasn't that the storm stopped. A great calm. The calm was as great as the storm. In other words, if the storm was unusual, the calm was unusual, too. If the storm was supernatural, the calm was supernatural. his authority not only stopped the storm but it brought perfect peace so there there are two realms of peace external and internal the calm is external the sea was calmed but there's an internal peace their hearts were assured to the peace that the peace of God that comes

through Christ comes through Him only Philippians chapter 4 verse 7 and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus that peace that passes all

understanding is that great calm those disciples could not They couldn't comprehend and understand that storm, and they couldn't comprehend and understand that calm. Amen. You got it. Yes.

Hallelujah. It's a peace that passes all understanding. So what are we learning here today? Don't seek the ending of the storm. Seek his presence in the storm. Once you enter into his presence, the storm will, eventually end right now think about this jesus was calm in the storm he was sleeping yes he just made

he just brought it out into the open he brought that great calm praise god which was good which was indicative of him he he allowed them to feel what he has every day a great calm Do you think Jesus ever bites his fingernails? You think he has any nervous tics? Why is that? Do you think he's up in heaven pacing back and forth? Does he ever say, I got to smoke a cigarette. I just got to go outside smoke a pig.

Got a light. Oh, my Lord. An angel doesn't pull a cigar out of his pocket. Here, Lord, here's one. Let's smoke it together, you know. Things will calm down. Okay. This great calm foreshadows.

It foreshadows the eternal peace. of christ's kingdom the storms of this world will end someday and the world's chaos will submit to the king's peace and that great calm will be eternal yeah you see that great calm was already in the midst of the storm yeah the calm was already there it didn't just appear it was already there it was already there it was just manifest in the presence of the disciples at that point but the calm which is jesus was already there but you and i can experience it when we enter into his presence praise god lord jesus forgive me those times where i've fallen short glory to god see we're saying to god stop the storm please stop the storm and he's going

what's the storm doing to you it's scaring me and what he's saying is well come over here and get close to me get in my presence once you're in his presence the storm doesn't matter yields to his word no power in nature or hell can resist his authority glory

this is what I desire you to take away from this lesson the presence of Jesus is greater than the power of any storm He can calm, sees, he can silence fears. He doesn't have to work up a calmness. He doesn't have to say, oh, man, I hope I've got the power with me today to make that storm stop. I got to work it up.

Yeah, I've got to work this up. No. Faith matured. faith matures when it rests not in the circumstances but in the unchanging presence of Christ in your life. Your faith will mature the most when you enter into his presence during the most trying time of your life. The sooner you get to that sleeping Christ when you are in a storm and he's sight. silent and you're going, I'm perishing. The waves are too big and he's snoozing. The sooner you run to him and snuggle up close to him and say, if you're going to rest,

I'm going to rest. That's when the storm will end. Because he's seeking to change you. Matthew Henry, he first rebuked them and then rebuked them. And then rebuked them. And then rebuked the winds we are in more danger from the fear within than from the storm without who those old presbyterians back then they knew a lot didn't they doc they'd been you can tell they'd been through some storms yes john gill passed away in 1771 they had had faith but little faith enough to cry to him but not enough to believe his he rebuked the winds to show his power over creation adam clark passed away in 1832 their faith was small because their fear was great christ speak christ speaks peace to their consciences as well as to the sea

Alexander McLaren the waves obeyed the disciples feared he rebuked both for both were turbulent his voice brings calm alike to winds and hearts notice the waves obeyed not the disciples Lord, forgive me. Oh, Lord. The waves obeyed Christ and the men did not. And he had to rebuke both of them. Both of them were turbulent.

But the voice of Christ brings calmness to winds and to the hearts of men and women. Okay, one moment. more verse 27 but the men marveled saying what manner of man is this at even the winds and the sea obey him the fear of the storm gave way to astonishment at christ they marveled when somebody's marveling they're standing there like a goober with their jaw drop goober they marveled they're just staring golly and the lord was looking at him going

what's y'all looking at and they couldn't say anything they were marveling this was an awakening moment for their faith what they're really what they're really what's really being revealed to him to them at this point as he is god yes yes psalm 89 9 says thou rulest the raging of the sea the when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them yes amen so doctor their wonder they're marveling it was both reverent and questioning their faith was growing as they encountered a glimpse of his his divine majesty they were reverent in his presence

at moment the roaring sea stopped and suddenly they were realizing we're in the presence of of a divine being and they marveled so the storm that terrified them now becomes the stage for their revelation their faith shifted its focus from danger to deliverance so what was the purpose of the storm to reveal that he is god yes

they said what manner of man is man is this in other words what are we looking at more than man what is this guy made of more than manner what manner man what is he made of he's not he's not one of us well he was he was all man and he was all god it wasn't half man and half god he was all man and all god amen he was the last adam he was the atom god sent to earth to correct what the first atom messed up they had followed him as a teacher as a healer now they're seeing him in his divinity and they marvel at his uniqueness there was no categorical of human being that fit a description of this man he's more than a prophet he's more than a rabbi he's more than a great teacher this man commands creation so your faith grows by learning not only what

christ does but by knowing who christ is too much of modern christianity is on what it does yes on dealing with the storm instead dealing with us in the storm yes oh glory i hope i hope you're getting this today folks i mean it's this is good today this is good that even the winds and the sea obey him they realize creation submits to his command Doc, you quoted Psalm 107, right? 89.9. Oh, okay. Now, the raging of the sea.

Psalm 107, verse 29 says, He makes the storm a calm so that its waves are still. Praise God. So the sea, which was chaotic, dangerous, bowed before his word it paid homage to him roaring waves paid homage to Christ

the creator of the sea I can see the waves bowing the masters here the great fish in the sea bowing the master he's here look i'm really yeah i'm really getting convicted on this today rick i really am see the next time a storm appears in your life your faith must move from fear to all storms in life are opportunities to behold the majesty of Christ

instead of being fearful why is this happening to me I'm going to perish I'm going to die no at some moment here I'm going to see Jesus in his majesty it's your opportunity to see him in his majesty hallelujah so if the seas and the winds obey him every storm of life will obey him amen glory to god adam clark this was a degree of faith beyond what they had before they had seen him heal diseases but now he rules the elements Charles Bridges The storm that terrified them

gave occasion for faith to adore They asked not now for safety But wondered at the glory of their Savior Alexander McLarn The storm raised a greater question What manner of man is this It forced them to face a growing wonder That he is the Lord of Creation

all right doc that's it well can i can i just say something here rick one one thing that i'm getting out of this lesson in addition to just recognizing his presence is that in the past what i've been taught about this passage is that we're supposed to speak to the winds and the waves because we had little faith where if we had great faith we would be the one speaking to the winds and the waves but now my understanding is is that's not what this, that's not what this message is today, is to trust him and his presence in the middle of the storm. Let God deal with the storm.

Let him deal with the storm on his timing. When he's done resting or sleeping or whatever he's doing, trust him, rest in him in his presence. I've been made to feel guilty because storms have come and I've spoke against them and they didn't go away. And I'm saying, well, how did I fail in my faith? Because I spoke to the storm and the storm didn't go. Well, now my understanding is, no, that wasn't my job.

Jesus never told me to speak to the storm. He told, he wanted me to go to sleep in the boat with him, to rest with him. And his presence, this is a deep one for me, Rick. I mean, really, it, I, you hit a, a home run on this several home runs and i told you at the beginning that we think this lesson's about faith but it's about presence your faith is strong when when you are in his presence so your faith automatically becomes strong when you're in his presence when you see him in his divine majesty why would you have little faith

and he will he'll speak to the winds in your life that's right he will he's not telling us to speak to the winds and wives he's saying hey cuddle up here with me doc i i have learned here living in florida for 18 years you know the first time a hurricane shut up i panicked like we got to get out of here now it's relatives relatives and friends from out of state we're calling are you guys leaving they're saying on cnn you're all going to die you know your kids are going to die remember we're going to die your kids are going to die but i've learned that storm in the eye i've learned to be calm i've learned to be calm uh last year

you know when when I went away this month September the Lord told me to go away and be alone with him and I went to Myrtle Beach and what hurricane was that

I forget the name of the hurricane that came through Helene was it Helene I forget there was two of them Helen was a Helen was the one that caused all the damage here in Florida. That was Milton. That was Milton.

Yeah. So I think it was Helen in late September. And we were going to go to Santa Belle Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. And the Holy Spirit said, no, don't go there. I've been wanting to visit. I've been here all these years and I've never visited Santa Bell Island. But I heard the Holy Spirit say, no, don't go there. Go further north.

Well, we went to Myrtle Beach. When you get to Myrtle Beach, I'm watching the weather reports, and I see, I think it was Hurricane Helen, was coming up the West Coast. It slammed into Santa Belle Island. They evacuated. They had high surges. And I'm watching the whole time saying, hey, this thing gets up towards Jacksonville, you know, Tallahassee. It makes a sharp turn there, I guess here is Pensacola, you know, makes a sharp turn, comes in and starts headed towards the East Coast.

You know, I've got to get out of here. And we're saying, no, you came here to pray. And, Doc, I can tell you that I had a calmness, a peace. And I would open up my phone, and I would look at the storm, and I see the outer bands going over, north of Myrtle Beach, going under south of Myrtle Beach. And right in the middle was Myrtle Beach, and we had hardly any rain. Other places got slammed.

It was horrible. But God kept me in that bubble and said, you're here to pray. And I had to learn their safety in his presence. And even while we were in Myrtle Beach, people were contacting me saying, are you guys going to get out of there? We're watching what's happening to South Carolina, North Carolina. It's horrible. Destruction is horrible.

No, stay, stay, okay? Be calm. So I'm learning. I'm learning in physical storms to be calm. When Milton came through last year, which was in October, And the tornadoes, biggest outbreak of tornadoes, I think, in modern history in Florida. And Doc, it was you who texted me and said, hey, they just announced on Palm Beach television that a tornado just crossed your road. Yeah.

Well, I live on a little one lane, dead-in country road. it's small and the Palm Beach television stations 50 miles away and he heard them announce that a tornado had just crossed my road

and and then a neighbor sent me a video that she filmed on her phone of the tornado going through a neighbor's yard I packed up my laptop and I went in to the walking closet and I spent four hours in the walking closet working

stayed online Starlink worked the whole time and I stayed online and I was in the presence of the Lord it's like I'm safe I'm not going to you know and I was watching the television reports and the tornadoes were

horrible around us but the Lord was working on me saying be calm be peaceful okay look this is all these are real lessons for each of us

yes and there's a storm coming to this world a world war we're going to need this lesson my friends we're going to need this lesson amen okay I know we're really over

we've never been this late before well are you ready to do communion Rick I think it's going to have a special meaning today yeah that's true yeah yes we are Eric, we're going to have communion right now. Yes.

Rick, would you pray for us right now, us of the little faith today? Father, we thank you for this day, and we thank you for your presence. Your presence here in this class today is so real. We can sense your presence. Amen. And, Father, we ask that you strengthen our faith and that you draw us closer into your presence. And now, Father, we are going to, with our faith, believe in the real presence of Christ in this meal. Yes.

Glory. Father, these old preachers that I've been quoting, they believed in the real presence during communion. Hallelujah. You're present. You're present in the bread. your presence in the wine we can't understand it we can't explain it we just believe it your presence is here so come holy spirit come lord jesus christ and enter into this communion for your glory and honor amen oh glory to god hallelujah glory to god by faith we enter in today and

believe on the Lord's words himself that this is his body this is his blood if you have the bread and either red wine or grape juice we're going to ask for the Lord's blessing on it today as we partake of the Lord's table today and express his divine love and divine mercy on us and that continued faith which we share in common no matter where we are in the world this is our common faith it's a common cup and a common loaf that we share today and it's a common faith to help us, not to command the storm, but to be aware of God's presence in the storm. Praise God. What a message today. Let's pray over the elements of the Lord's table for his blessing on it. Almighty God, in your tender mercy, you gave your only begotten son, Jesus Christ,

to sever death upon the cross for our redemption. He offered himself and made once for all time a perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. And he instituted this remembrance of his passion and death, which he commanded us to continue. Until he comes again, and so, Father, we ask you to bless and sanctify with your Word and Holy Spirit these gifts of bread and wine that we may partake of his most blessed body in blood. Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed once for all upon the cross.

therefore let us keep the feast hallelujah on the night that he was betrayed our Lord Jesus took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying take eat

this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me hallelujah the body of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for you, preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. This is the bread of heaven. Take and eat in remembrance that Christ died for you. After supper, Jesus took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, drink this all of you,

for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you, and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus, Lord. Thank you for your presence, Lord. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. Drink the cup of salvation and remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for you and be thankful. Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world, and blessed are those who are invited to the Married Supper of the Lamb. This sacrament is the gift of God for the people of God.

God. Feed on him by faith with Thanksgiving that Christ died for you. Glory to God. Hallelujah. What a day. What a day. What a day. What a day. Hallelujah.

Doc, I like what Vicki said. Communion never tasted so good. I agree with you, Vicki. It has a different meaning today. It was different today. It was God. Yeah. Glory to God. Can we keep going for another hour or so?

I'm going to tell you something I built this lesson last night and so you know I I get it finished and I thought okay we got a nice lesson for today about both faith but it was this morning that I got the revelation of his presence that's why the Lord got me out of bed at 3 a.m. I'm so convicted on this. Doc, I I was, the lesson I built last night was just around faith. But this morning, he showed me, now this is about my presence. Yes. And if I had not gotten out of bed at three, I would not have had sufficient time to meditate on it. I would have just said, hey, I already got my lesson to design. I got, you know, I'm going to eat my breakfast.

I'm going to go. But it's like, no, you have the outline. but you don't have the message. The message is his presence. A sleeping Jesus is just as good as a talking Jesus. Okay? You just need Jesus. Glory.

I don't know what else to say other than take it with you, folks. Live it out this weekend. live it out this weekend oh boy but we'll we'll pick back up in proverbs on monday unless we're still in the afterglow of this lesson uh but we'll pick back up in proverb chapter 11 on monday and continue our study in proverbs we love you very much what a what a great week it's been and what a great lesson today and i i am just going to have to really seek the lord's presence this weekend. I really am. So praise God. Anything else before we sign off for today, Rick? No, that's it. We'll have information about the book to you next week. Amen.

Florida God. God bless you. We'll see you on the Monday edition of Morning Minute.