Well, I want to say good evening to everyone this evening and trust that you guys are encouraged. You know, Jacob does a great job of lining up songs to go with the message. And I actually told him the message was going to be about God and God's character and his characteristics and his person. But I changed that. But I tell you what, the songs we sing tonight are going to go very well with the message that the Lord has given me tonight. So that's great. Lord knows. Right. I'd like us to turn to Luke chapter eight. Gospel of Luke, chapter eight, and we're going to start in verse 22. I have to tell you guys that I'm one of those. I'm a strong Christian. as long as there's fair weather. And I have as much faith in the Lord as any of them when the sun is shining and when there's a light breeze blowing and I got a glass of iced tea in my hand. But I must admit that the news that Pastor Barry was leaving was as much a surprise for me as for the rest of our leaders and all of us. And as I said, I found myself waking up early in the morning sometimes and just becoming anxious and lying there in the dark. And of course, that always leads me to pray and try and exercise some faith in the Lord. You know, thinking about what's it going to take and how long is it going to take before we get another full-time pastor. And so that's the kind of thing I've been struggling with some, but I just want to share with you, the Lord's given me some real victory in that. And he's used many of you to be part of the encouragement there. So anyhow, one morning I asked the Lord to give me some help from his word. And I got up that morning and I turned to Luke chapter eight and I began to read in verse 22. And the Lord began to give me some strength. So let's read this, just a portion of this here, starting in verse 22. Now it happened on a certain day, speaking of the Lord Jesus, that he got into a boat with his disciples. And he said to them, let us cross over to the other side of the lake. And they launched out. But as they sailed, he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in jeopardy. And they came to him and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased and there was calm. But he said to them, Where's your faith? And they were afraid and marveled, saying to one another, Who can this be? For he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him. Quite a fascinating story. And I can relate very well with the disciples. One of the first things that caught my attention as I looked at these verses here was the line in verse 22. Now, it happened on a certain day that he got into a boat with the disciples. And on that certain day, God planned this incident. He planned that it should take place, be recorded in three of the four gospels in the New Testament, so that we could learn an important lesson about trusting in the Lord. Don't think it was just a happenstance. It was a certain day that God planned for this to happen. And he wanted us to know what took place there. And as I read that, I'm reminded of John chapter 20, verses 30 and 31. Verse 30 says, and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. In other words, God only chose to record some of the things that Jesus did in his word. And I think the point to emphasize here is that what is recorded in the gospels is because of the importance of what God wanted to teach. Then in verse 31 of John 20, but these are written, not everything was written, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. So God always has a purpose for what he's put in his word. And it's important for the believer to find out what God's in his word from the Old Testament all the way through the end of the book of Revelation. So now back in Luke chapter eight, God planned that on a certain day through an incident out on the water, God was going to teach us something he knew we would need to know to help us face the storms of life. And that's good because I need to know that. I notice also in verse 22 that it says that Jesus got into the boat with them. Now that really reached out and blessed my heart. That reminds me of Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20. You know, the Great Commission. We're all familiar with that, where Jesus sends the disciples out to all nations to make disciples, to baptize and to teach. And he adds low. And when you see that little word low or behold in the New Testament, that means, OK, take pay special attention to what I'm about to say. This is going to be important. He said, Lo, I am with you always, right up to the end of the age, until the job's all done that I sent you to do, count on the fact I'm going to be with you. And you don't ever have to think when things get tough that the Lord is not there, that he's not aware, that he's not still in control. And when things get tough, what we need to do is just trust and obey. That's all. If he's made clear what his will is, obey it and trust him for what it's going to require to accomplish. And now again, in verse 22, he said to them, let us cross over to the other side of the lake. So here it's very clear what the Lord's will was for the disciples at this particular time. And it's clear and simple what his will is. And until they arrived on the other side of the lake, his will did not change. It really didn't matter what happened on the way over because he was going with them, and they were in his will, and their part was to trust and obey. And his part was to go with them and to make it all possible. That was real encouragement for me when I started to think about that. And the Lord started to help me to see some of these things here because God established this church and he's kept it going through the years. And we're still faithfully preaching God's word. We're still trying to minister to one another in love. We're trying to spread the gospel here and around the world and being involved in missions. some of the very same emphasis that this church had at the very founding. Some of you folks that are here tonight were here at the founding of this church. Very few now, but there's still some. And through Pastor Barry's ministry, it was the same. He faithfully preached God's word and led us to seek to follow God's word and obey it and trust the Lord. So that's still God's purpose for this church. I have no doubt about it. And so we know his will. He hasn't indicated otherwise. We're to keep following according to what we know he wants us to do. And we're to trust him as we go along the way. So the disciples, it tells us, launched out. The master's will was clear. The weather was fair. So why not? Let's go. So they all climbed in the boat and set out on, as it started out, a peaceful day. And in verse 23, we learned that as they sailed along, He fell asleep, referring to the Lord Jesus. Now, that doesn't mean he didn't know what was coming. I think he did. It doesn't mean he didn't care about the disciples. It didn't mean that he checked out for a while to let happen what might happen when he wasn't at the helm. It didn't mean that the disciples were left on their own to get themselves out of danger with their own strength. I think one of the lessons here is that You just cannot accomplish the Lord's will without the Lord. And then a storm came down on the lake. And sooner or later, a storm always comes down on the lake. And that's part of the natural world we live in. That's reality. And just like in the Christian life, sooner or later, a storm comes up. And, you know, that's the natural Christian life. That's reality. And Jesus said in this world, you will have tribulation. He didn't paint a rosy picture. He said, I'll be with you, but you need to be aware there's going to be persecution, there's going to be trials, there's going to be those opposing you. There may even be somebody chopping your head off, burning you at the stake, throwing you in jail, trying to destroy your reputation, lying about you. The normal Christian life is made up of both joy and peace. There's a lot of joy and peace in their Christian life, isn't there? But there are also times of trials. And the Lord continues to be with us and available in the good times and in the difficult times. And I think the victory comes when we trust Him and when we obey Him. So here we are, they're out in the lake, the storm has come up, the boat is being swamped, and the Word says they were in jeopardy. In other words, they were in danger of sinking. It was not that the boat may sink. No, the boat is going to sink, and if it does, the disciples are going to drown. And that's what they told the Lord when they woke him up. We are perishing. We're about to lose our lives out here, and they believed it. And that was a situation that was a reality. And now this brings one up to me, one of the most important truths for living a victorious Christian life. This is a truth that should shape the worldview of every Christian. It should influence how we react to every situation of life. And here is that truth. The disciples said they were about to perish. There is a perishing for the believer, but there is a different form of perishing for the unbeliever that no Christian will ever experience. What the disciples feared on this wind, on this wild ride across the lake was physical death. That was the perishing they were fearing at the time. We're going to die. Bodies are going to breathe their last when we sink below these waves. Believers and unbelievers alike will all experience that kind of perishing. the breathing of our last breath and this body lying down in death. Unless, of course, the Lord raptures us out of here before that takes place. But other than that, we're all going to experience that type of perishing, a physical death. But the kind of perishing that unbelievers will experience is dying physically and then going into eternity, eternally separated from God. And that is what Jesus was talking about over there in John 3 16. You remember, we all know the verse for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not what perish but have everlasting life. If you're a believer in Jesus, if you've been born again, if he's your savior, Then you have a completed and a perfect salvation. You have a sure standing in Him. You have eternal life. And even though this whole mortal body may lay down and breathe its last, you guys can laugh if you want. We know we're going to receive an eternal body, an immortal body. The believer in Jesus will die, but he will not perish. And then the believer will get a new body that can never die again. And that tends to change your worldview. Tends to settle you when you face uncertainty and even death. You know, the worst thing that an enemy can do is to kill your body. And many Christians have been killed by others, by enemies. But the fact is that going through the cemetery for the believer is just the road that leads home, isn't it? And the death of this mortal body is the first step to putting on the the immortal body, as we're told over there in First Corinthians 15 and verse 53. And that's a truth that. Encourages and gives strength and settles us in times of trial and crisis. And here's the comforting thing about facing death as far as I'm concerned. The Lord is going to be with me there all the way home. You know, old King David found out that to be a great comfort over there in Psalms 23. Let's go to Psalms 23 for a minute. Remind ourselves of what David found to be true. There was such a blessing to him. You know, the amazing thing is that when I was a kid in elementary school, All the students were required to memorize the 23rd Psalm. Tells you how long ago I was at school. But some of you remember that. The Bible was read every day, and prayer was had, and scripture was memorized. But verse 4, Psalm 23. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Well, why not, David? That's a fearful thing, isn't it? He says, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What a passage of comfort for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. If God is our God, we can count on the fact that he is with us. He'll continue to be with us all the way home. So here's the point. The Christians great consolation is that we will die, but we will not perish. We may even die at sea in a storm. But the Lord's going to be there. with us and we will not perish. I want you to tell me if you can show me any other book that's ever been written that can show you how to live, but it also can show you how to face death without fear. There's no book like the Word of God that gives that kind of strength. So the Lord Jesus rebuked the wind and and the raging water And the account over in Mark chapter four of this same event here adds that he said, peace be still. He created the universe, created the world, created the elements that are in it, the water, the bodies of water, the wind. He spoke to it just like when he created it originally. came to be here, it obeyed. I think it happened right away. You know, a storm can come through and usually it, you know, it gets a little less strong, a little less strong and takes a while and then it's finally gone. But I think when the Lord said, be still, immediately the wind stopped and the waves dropped down to flat sea. And it says the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And the disciples looked at the Lord Jesus with their mouths hanging open, just like I would have. Who can this be? Who can this be? And it's encouraging to me to know that here's the disciples who didn't really realize who he was yet, totally. And they were living with him and walking with him day by day, and he was teaching them constantly. And they were still shocked at the realization that this. Well, he's gone. He's gone. And he was there with them and they were in his will and they were right where he wanted them to be. And I want to tell you, there's no safer place to be. No safer place to be. And don't you think that is why? The Lord Jesus asked them Where's your faith? And in the storms of life, I often despair and get discouraged. And when the Lord comes to my aid, I'm astonished at His power, and I wonder why I didn't trust Him even more. I don't know if you've ever had that experience, but I have. So myself and the leaders and all the members of the church We we kind of have an extra burden put on us right now. But the Lord continues to be with us. His will for us as members has not changed. And as we trust him and obey him. And we can trust him to lead and to protect protect. and to provide. I really believe that. Don't you think that we can trust Him to do that, folks? I think we can. My Father in Heaven, I thank You for Your faithfulness. I thank You for recording this account for us in Your Word. It just strikes so true to how we would react in situations like this. And Lord, You've shown us so clearly here that You're going to be with us. You're not going to leave us. You're going to be with us all the way home. Whatever comes along the way is not out of your control. You're going to see us through that and we're going to end up home because you walk beside us. Even if we pass through the valley of the shadow of death, as King David found out, no reason to fear any evil because your rod and your staff protect us like a shepherd's rod and staff protects and guards the sheep. Lord, we want to trust you like a faithful shepherd, and we want you to guide us. Lord, we ask you to provide a pastor that you have prepared to lead this flock. We ask you, Lord, to guide us along the steps along the way. We continue to pray for Barry and Tress and their family, and we love them and we appreciate them, and they've all ministered to us in many ways. And we pray, Lord, that you continue to minister to them. and bring healing in the areas of their hearts and lives that are needed, and provide for them as they go along their way. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.