This biblical teaching is a production of The Walk Ministries with Pastor Jeno Shaw. You can watch the video below, and then read the teaching notes that follow.
Teaching Notes
Luke 8:22-25 (NLT) – Jesus Calms the Storm
(22) “One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and started out. (23) As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger.
(24) “The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm.
(25) “Then he asked them, ‘Where is your faith?’ The disciples were terrified and amazed. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked each other. ‘When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!'”
Note:
Jesus only mentioned, “Lets cross to the other side of the lake.” Don’t you think Jesus knew what was going to happen? Yet he didn’t give the situation away. Why?
It seems Jesus took the absolute worst time to take a nap! Did He not know what was going on?
If you find the Teacher quiet, its because its a test! Jesus had been pouring the word into his disciples. Don’t you think he was curious to see the fruit?
For those of you who are investors, let’s say you invest $1000. Eventually, you’re going to check your account. You expect to see your investment grow, hopefully, let’s say up to $1500. So your Return On Investment (ROI) would be 50% or $500.
Just like when you plant a garden, you expect to see it flourish and grow, and then hopefully someday eat of its fruit. WHEN YOU PLANT SOMETHING, YOU’RE EXPECTING SOMETHING! NOBODY PLANTS WITHOUT WANTING A HARVEST.
Jesus had been pouring into the disciples, and he was sleeping because he wanted to see his ROI. He wanted to see if his disciples could not only be hearers of the word but doers. (James 1:22)
Let’s look at some more examples in the word:
Genesis 22:1-2 (NLT) – Abraham’s Faith Tested
(1) “Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. ‘Abraham!’ God called. ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Here I am.’ (2) ‘Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.'”
Note:
For you kids out there, take note that when God called Abraham, he replied, “Yes,” and he didn’t say, “Whaat.” lol lol lol
Genesis 3:9-10
The Man and Woman Sin
(9) “Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ (10) He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’”
Note:
When I first read this, I was puzzled because if God is all knowing why would he ask Adam, “Where are you?” I found that odd, but the answer is, it was a test. Of Course, God knew where Adam was, but He wanted to see what was in Adam’s heart. And, of course, Adam’s response was very foretelling.
- Adam said, “I hid.” Why would you hide from someone you love?
- Adam said he was naked. Wow, how would he know? He was fine yesterday.
- Adam said he was afraid. We know fear doesn’t come from God.
- All of this came from Adam’s heart.
In this case, Adam failed the test of obedience.
Exodus 16:4 – Manna and Quail from Heaven
(4) “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.'”
Note:
Here’s another test. They were only supposed to pick up enough for that day. They were not supposed to hoard up for multiple days but to trust daily for God to be their provider.
Each test we go through looks like a triangle. The bottom of the triangle where we start the tests may be simple, and consequences are not that high. But as we grow and go up the ladder of obedience, we get to the top of the triangle where the consequences of disobedience are very high. For example, when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, He had to drink from the cup of suffering. Jesus said, “Let this cup pass from me, but not my will; let your will be done, Father!”
Whoa! The stress of the situation was upon Jesus, and he wanted the cup to pass from him. In a bold, wise move, Jesus said, “Father, let your will be done!”
Now this is the top of the triangle obedience test, and the stakes were very high! All of humanity was on the table! But you don’t start at the top, so don’t worry. This is why obedience is key to a Christian’s life—it’s part of your growth.
So as you can see, God does test us, but it always leads to victory. It’s not for failure but for learning, growing and excelling. Amen!
Love,
Coach Jeno
