so so Hello. I hope you're all doing very well today. I was just thinking about how blessed we are to be able for all of these weeks since we last met together to be able to continue to sit under the teaching of God's precious word. Our father has been so gracious to us to give us the technology to do this and to give us his servant John Ward to work so diligently to be able to provide this teaching for us. So, I know you agree with me. Our Father deserves great praise and honor and thanks for what He's done for us and continues to do for us. Today, John has asked me to read from Mark chapter 3. Mark chapter 3, verses 13 through 19, if you'd like to turn there. Mark 3, verse 13. And he went up on the mountain and summoned those whom he himself wanted. And they came to him and he appointed 12 so that they would be with him and that he could send them out to preach and to have authority to cast out the demons. And he appointed the 12, Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, and James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, To them, he gave the name Boanerges, which means sons of thunder, and Andrew and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew and Thomas, and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. May the Lord bless the reading of his word. Let's pray. Father, we bow before you now, and we just want to praise and thank you, Father, for all that you have done and continue to do for us, Lord. Thank you for our dear, precious Savior, the Lord Jesus, what he did for us at Calvary. Thank you that he is alive and well, and all who have put their faith in him will one day stand before him and praise him face to face. Thank you, Father, for the way that you provided the teaching of your word so powerful and precious for these weeks, even when we've not been able to meet together physically. Thank you for John Ward. Please bless and protect him, Lord. Thank you for all my brothers and sisters. I lift them up to you now, Father. I pray, even now, if anyone is listening to this message today, Lord, and they have not put their faith in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, Father, I pray that you would draw them to yourself, Lord, and they would trust him alone for salvation. Father, we just love you and praise you. Pray for the church across this country, Father, that truly revival would take place in the hearts of the church. And Father, we just thank you for this time together. I pray that we would prepare our hearts even now to hear what you have to say to us through the teaching of your word today, Lord. Thank you, we love you, Lord, and we commit this time to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Jesus, lover of my soul, While the tempest still is high, Hide me, O my Savior, hide! Till the storm of life is past, Save him to the haven kind. You receive my soul at last. All who with you shall find none, Haints my helpless, you don't be. We are leaving God alone, still so me I trust everyone is doing well. If you'll turn to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 8, and the subject that I am presently addressing, the necessity of exercising faith in the inevitable storms of life. I've talked about the importance of the Sea of Galilee when reading through our gospel accounts. And if you think about the Sea of Galilee, it is situated about 695 feet below sea level. It is about 13 miles long and seven and a half miles wide. And it's nestled between the mountains of lower Galilee on the west, and the Golan Heights on the east. Fish was the major commodity in terms of the Sea of Galilee, found in great abundance in anywhere from 18 to say 22 different species. And the best fishing in terms of the Sea of Galilee was at the northern end where the Jordan River enters into the lake. We know that during New Testament times, there were approximately nine cities that were around the lake. And each one of these nine cities, at least we're told, had a population no less than 15,000. There were also 16 harbors or 16 anchorage that are found around the Sea of Galilee. And the most important one, at least from the geography of the gospel accounts, is the Capernaum Harbor, because this was the harbor where the Zebedee family of John and James and also Peter and Andrew moored their boats. So you think of that Capernaum Harbor. The Capernaum Harbor was extremely significant. But you also think of a harbor just to its west. It is the harbor at Tabqa, which is a corrupted Arabic form of a Greek word that basically means seven springs. And the reason why this harbor at Tabqa was important because this was the winter fishing ground for fishermen would come from Capernaum. We know that during those winter months the seven warm springs would attract what's commonly called St. Peter's fish to its shores, and therefore Topka was called the harbor of St. Peter. So the Sea of Galilee is extremely important in the understanding of our Gospel accounts, specifically the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But so are the storms that would quickly come down upon this lake, like what we know to be these eastern winter windstorms that would come off the Golan Heights without any kind of warning with fierce sorts of winds that would terrify even veteran fishermen. And what's important about this eastern winter windstorm that would come down from the Golan Heights, this is the situation that is described in this passage that is before us found here in Matthew chapter 8. Our Lord had been teaching all day He had been healing the sick as they were brought to him. He'd been casting out demons. So, you know, after all of this time, he would have been utterly exhausted. Mark simply states, and he says to them in that day, in the evening, at the end of that day, let's go over to the other side. So, we know they left the area of Capernaum in the northern part of the lake and they were making their way down to this harbor at the eastern, at the southeastern side of the lake. And that's what's happening is we read the accounts in Matthew chapter 8 and Mark chapter 4 and Luke chapter 8. Now, I want to pick up the reading here in Matthew chapter 8 And I want you to follow along as I read verses 23 through 27. When he embarked or stepped into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there was a great, and the word is seismos, there was a great commotion, a great shake and a tempest that came upon the sea. so that the boat was being covered by the waves. But he himself was sleeping. And when they came, they aroused him, saying, Lord, say, we are perishing. And he says to them, why are you cowardly, little faith ones? Then when he arose, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm." And the men marveled, saying, what kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea are obeying him? Now when you read this account, as well as in Mark and Luke's account, They all three emphasize the severity of the situation. Matthew just says that the boat was being covered with the waves. Mark says that the boat was being filled with water. Luke says that they were being, that the boat was filling with water and they were in danger. They were in jeopardy. So these were experienced veteran fishermen on this boat who understood they were in a very perilous situation. So they cry out to the Lord, Lord, save us. We're going to drown. We're perishing. And he, according to Matthew's account, He rebukes the disciples, and then he addresses the wind and the waves. And it's interesting what he does. He rebukes the wind, basically says to the wind to be solid, and to the waves, and he uses this word, you remember in Mark's account, to be muzzled. So he says to the wind and the waves, be solid, be muzzled, And then the passage says, the wind ceased and there was a great calm, not just a natural calm, a great calm. And it wasn't a slow calm, it was a sudden calm. So this raging just suddenly stopped. Now I want you to listen to the words of one writer who puts it like, this. Jesus was still master even if he were asleep. But they had not yet come to understand that he was the Lord of nature. He stood forth now in the midst of the howling storm, calm and unruffled in his majesty. A one tremor of alarm, a one token of confusion. Silence, he said. addressing the winds as human beings. Bemuzzled, he commanded, the turbulent, dashing waves as if they were animals. Instantly, the winds hushed into peace and the waves subsided placidly. It was a miracle. Always after the storm, the swell remains for a time after the wind has died down, but the lake in this case became calm at once. and they didn't understand who could do something like this. Matthew's account just reads, the men marveled saying, what kind of man is this? That even the winds of the sea are obeying him. Mark's account reads it like this. And they feared with a great fear and they were saying to one another, who then is this? that even the wind and the sea are obeying him. Luke's account renders it like this. But having been afraid, they marvel saying to one another, what then is this? That he commands even the winds and the water and they are obeying him. I like the words of Alfred Adersheim who writes, when he was awakened by the voice of his disciples, he rebuked the wind and the sea. And the sea he commanded as if it were a human being, be silent, be silenced. And immediately the wind was bound. The panting waves throbbed into stillness and a great calm of rest. fell upon the lake. But over these men, who at earth wakened him with their cry, now crept wonderment, awe, and fear. No longer, as at his first wonder-working in Capernaum, was it, What is this? but rather, Who then is this? What is this identity? How do we come to an understanding of this man? And when you talk about the identity of Jesus, that is extremely important for all of us to understand. The Jesus who is documented and described in the pages of the New Testament. Now I want you to listen to a statement that comes from the Apostle Paul In 2 Corinthians 11, verses 3 and 4, we're going to label three things using an adjective, another. He will say another Jesus, he will speak about another spirit, and he'll speak about another gospel. Now listen to the words, 2 Corinthians 11, 3 and 4. But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel, which you did not accept, you do well to bear with him." Now he uses two Greek adjectives that are translated another, but they have two very different meanings. One has the meaning of another of the same kind, and the other means something like another of a different kind. So listen to this as I read it, bringing out the force of these two different adjectives. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus of the same kind, whom we did not preach, or if you receive another spirit of a different kind, which you have not received, or another gospel of a different kind, which you did not accept, you do well to avoid him. He speaks about a gospel that's being declared, and he says this gospel is another gospel of a different kind. Then he speaks about the source, another spirit of a different kind. But when he talks about Jesus being presented or being declared, he says he's another Jesus of the same kind, and yet he qualifies it. He's one who seems like the Jesus that is being preached by the apostles, but he's a different Jesus. He's not really the same. So when you read it, for if he that comes preaches another Jesus of the same kind, whom we did not preach. So they were saying various things about Jesus that were good as far as it went, but it wasn't the Jesus that the Apostle Paul and the other apostles were preaching. It wasn't the same Jesus Christ. You'll have individuals talk about the man Jesus and they'll almost talk about some cosmic Christ. So it's interesting what is being said even today about Jesus Christ, specifically Jesus the Christ. There are those who will say this is a mythological Christ. There are those who will say this was a human Christ, maybe even a created Christ. They are those who will say that all the religions of the world are essentially the same. And what links all of these religions together is this unity that lies within the power of the mind. And the power of the mind is called the Christ. So it's interesting what individuals have to say about Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Messiah. mythological Christ, a human Christ, a created Christ, or the Christ is this cosmic Christ, this mind, this power that links, unites everyone together. But that is not the Jesus Christ that has been preached by the apostles, that has been preached by Paul, that we read about in the pages of the New Testament. I want to remind all of us how the The person of Jesus Christ was hammered out. And I want to go back to these various councils and I want you to think about these councils. The Council of Nassi in 325 established the fact that he truly was God. The Council of Constantinople in 381 secured the fact that even though was God, he's also man. Council of Ephesus in 431 secured the fact that even though God and man, he's one person, but it was the Council of Calcedon in 451 that secured the fact that even though Jesus Christ is one person, he nevertheless has two natures, human and divine. And this is very important to understand on the basis of all of the heresy that you read about in terms of these early centuries. You have, for example, what is called Apollinarianism, after Apollinarius. And Apollinarius basically argued that Christ had a human body, but the spiritual, rational aspects of his nature were divine. So physically, he was a man, but rationally, spiritually, he was God. In other words, he didn't have a human soul or a human spirit. He only had a human body. So all the immaterial aspects of his nature were divine. That was a Polynarianism that was condemned by the Council of Constantinople in 381. But then you had what was called Nestorianism after Nestorius, who was a Bishop of Constantinople in 428. And Nestorius said that in Christ, man and God were joined together without intermingling, so that when you think about Christ, he really was two distinct persons. The human person gave himself to the divine person so that there was a moral unity between them, but no substantial unity between them. So when you think about Nestorius, he asserted that Christ basically was two persons. Mary was the mother of his human person who was united with the divine person. So, Christ basically was divided into two, son of man, son of God. That was Nestorianism and Nestorianism was condemned to the Council of Ephesus in 431. But then you had a position that was argued by Cyril of Alexandria. In Cyril of Alexandria basically said that the human and the divine natures were fused in such a way in the person of Christ that humanity participated in his deity. So Christ had only one nature. The nature was neither God nor human but a mixture of both and that of course was utterly condemned when you think of the Council of Calsterton in 451 that argued against Cyril of Alexandria, the two natures of Christ were not fused at all. So when you think about this whole concept of Apollinarianism or Nestorianism or what Cyril of Alexandria argued, all of that was corrected by the Council of Calsterton in 451. that argued that even though he's one person, he has two natures that you cannot bring together. Humanity and deity, all of the attributes of humanity and deity within the person of Jesus apart from sin. Here's the way the second Anglican article of 1563 reads. The Son, who is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, of her substance, so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and the manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very man. That took centuries to be able to hammer out those kind of positions. So if you're on that boat in the midst of that incredible storm that comes from the East, that wind storm, they couldn't comprehend the fact of his identity. We know, of course, that he was the God-man, but the disciples just couldn't understand that. We read that they addressed him as Lord, they addressed him as teacher, they addressed him as master, but they could not comprehend what it meant for the Messiah to be the Son of God. They knew, of course, that he was a man. They knew he was an extraordinary man. But what kind of man? They just could not fathom. So at this very moment, they failed to grasp the true identity of Jesus the Christ. And you can see that both in Matthews and Mark, certainly in Luke as well, all three gospels, you can see it. They just could not understand who he was. Now let's pause and consider the authority that Jesus had demonstrated prior to this time. and that these men had observed, they had absolutely observed this and experienced incredible authority on the basis of what Jesus had done and said. He certainly demonstrated prior to this incredible authority over disease and over demons. Now I want to read this account in Matthew chapter four. This is just one account and I want you to just notice this as I read it. This is in Matthew chapter 4, and you read this in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You read the same kind of things. But I want to read this one in Matthew chapter 4, beginning in verse 23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all sick people that were taken with various diseases and torments, and those who were possessed with demons, and those who were lunatic, and those that had the paucity healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, from Decapolis, the ten cities on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, with the exception of Bashan, Scythopolis. from Jerusalem and from Judea and from beyond Jordan. Now notice this in Matthew chapter 8 and there's another statement that is made. This is in Matthew chapter 8 and this is in Capernaum, in Peter's house in Capernaum. And when Jesus was coming to Peter's house, Matthew 8 14, in Capernaum, He saw his wife's mother laid and sick of a fever. You mean he was married? Yes, he was married. This was his mother-in-law. And he touched her hand, verse 15, and the fever left her. And she arose, and she ministered unto them. When the evening was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with demons, and he cast out the spirits with his word and healed all that were sick. that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." So he demonstrated incredible authority over disease and over demons. He also demonstrated authority in interpreting the law. And we have this in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount. And when you read this in Matthew chapter 5 six times, you're going to read a phrase. And we do not read the phrase, you've read that it was written. But rather, in verse 21, the first of six times, you have heard that it was said. So he's speaking not of the written word, he's speaking of the oral tradition of the Pharisees. So you read this, this is the first of six times in this chapter, you have heard that it was said, but verse 22, I say unto you, and he says it with incredible authority. So when you read Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, he sets forth his authority to properly and rightly interpret the law as over against the oral tradition of the Pharisees. And then you come towards the end of the sermon, and we read its finale, beginning with verse 24. Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, so he's talking about His servant, these words, you hear them and you act upon them. I liken Him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock, and the rock, of course, is the rock of His word. And the rain descended and the floods came, verse 25, and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock, upon the sayings of Jesus. and the individual hears them and actually acts upon them. But in contrast, verse 26, everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them not shall be likened into a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. So when you read the words of Jesus, These words necessitated a decision concerning not only the truthfulness of what he said, but also his person. The destiny of those who were hearing his words were determined by the response to his message. And he wanted the multitudes that were there to forsake, to leave the Pharisees' teaching and interpretations and practices and all that they were saying in terms of oral tradition, and he wanted them to accept his word and put their faith in him. That destiny was determined by their response to his teaching, as you read it here. Then we come to the conclusion of this chapter 7, and we read this in verses 28 and 29. And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people, the multitude, the crowds, were astonished at his teaching. He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. Then you read chapter 8, verse 1, when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes, crowds, followed him. Now, what I find fascinating is the word that is used in chapter 7, verse 28, when it says that the people, the crowds, were astonished at his teaching. And the word astonished means to strike with. So you're shocked, you're astonished by something that is being said. So it means something like to strike with astonishment so that you're astounded, you're utterly amazed. So you read verse 28, and it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the multitude, the crowds that were there were astonished. They were astounded, amazed at his teaching. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. And as a result, chapter 8, verse 1, multitudes of people were following him. So we know that he exercised authority over disease and over demons. People brought their sick to him. He healed them. He cast out demons. We read it over and over again. in the early chapters of Matthew, early chapters of Mark, and certainly the early chapters of Luke. We know that he demonstrated authority in the interpreting of the Lord. The people were utterly amazed by the authority in which he spoke. We know further that he displayed authority in Capernaum when he healed the centurion's servant, and he displayed incredible authority in Nain 25 miles southwest of Capernaum when he raised that only son of that mother from the dead. And it's interesting the way it reads in Luke's account in Luke chapter 7 verse 14. He simply says, young man, I'm saying to you, get up. And the text reads, and the dead man sat up and he began to speak and he, Jesus, gave him to his mother. So he exercised authority over not only disease and demons, he exercised authority over death. He demonstrated authority in interpreting the law? He demonstrated and displayed authority in Capernaum and in the city of Nain? Absolutely. And in these chapters, he also demonstrated authority over the Sabbath and also said that he had the authority to forgive sin. And it caused a major, major problem for him. But when we come to this chapter in Matthew's gospel, in Matthew chapter eight, now he's demonstrating to these disciples who had observed all of this and heard all of this. He now is demonstrating that he has authority over nature, over the winds and over the sea. So I think about when I come to this account, and certainly the importance of the storms that suddenly come upon this sea, and how seasoned veteran fishermen can be very afraid. And then I think about the one in the boat. He's the sovereign one, but they fail to recognize that. They don't understand his identity. They recognized that he could demonstrate authority in whatever realm he finds himself, but they just could not fathom who he was. But the one thing that he demands from these followers, these disciples, is submission. He absolutely demanded loyalty. He wanted commitment, he wanted dedication, he wanted devotion, both to him and to his teaching. That's what he demanded of a follower. Now I want you to listen to the words of Luke 9, verse 23, that sets forth three requirements of a follower. And these 12 individuals that were on that boat with him were followers of Jesus. Now listen to the three requirements as Luke sets them forth, as Jesus gives them in Luke 9, 23. If any man will come after me, let him, number one, deny himself, and number two, take up his cross daily, and number three, follow me. deny oneself, take up the cross daily, and then follow me. Now all of this is beautifully illustrated in these verses just prior to the incident that we read in Matthew's Gospel in Matthew chapter 8 as he's speaking about discipleship. Now I want to read Matthew's account and I want to read beside it Luke's account. Matthew records it in Matthew chapter 8. Luke records it in Luke chapter 9. But here is Matthew's account. This is in Matthew chapter 8 and verse 19. And there came a scribe and said to him, Teacher, I will follow you whithersoever you go. And Jesus said to him, the foxes have holes and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. And another of the disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, follow me and leave the dead to bury their dead. Now listen to Luke's account. And Luke will set forth three different individuals. And as they went on their way, a certain man said to him, I will follow you with us wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But he said to him, Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but go you and publish abroad the kingdom of God. And another also said, I will follow you, Lord, but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. But Jesus said to him, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Now, all of these are very instructive to read when we read these accounts. And I want to say something about each one of them because they illustrate what Jesus said, that if someone will come after him, he has to deny himself, he has to take up his cross daily, and he has to follow him. So think about that in terms of these three illustrations that are given specifically in Luke chapter 9, verses 57 through 62. Now let's take the first one. As they went on their way, a certain man said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus said to him, the foxes of holes and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Now, when you look at this first one, Jesus is saying to this disciple, this follower, that you have to count the cost before you become one. And he pointed this individual to himself, and he said that he lived in poverty. But he could provide for his needs, even though he could not provide for his comfort and convenience. And the individual is portrayed as being too hasty. He's not really counting the cost at all. So he violates the first requirement. He doesn't deny himself. So the first lesson would be, you have to count the cost before you become a disciple. Now listen to the second one. And he said to another, follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But he said to him, leave the dead to bear their own debt, but go ye and publish abroad the kingdom of God. Now, when you come to this second one, The second one indicates that if you're committed and you're willing to deny yourself, then you have to, without any kind of delay, follow Christ. And what's interesting about the second one is that Jesus is the one who initiated the call, follow me. And then the individual makes the statement, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Now we have to read this within a Jewish context. The point is not that the father has died and he has to go to a funeral and make sure that his father is buried properly. That's not what he's saying. The firstborn son in rabbinic teaching, which presumably this man was, had to stay with his father until his father died. And then after his father's death, he was to stay close to where his father was buried and offer the prayer for the dead. And then when all of that was done, he was free to go wherever he wanted to go. So it wasn't as though that his father died and he was staying to bury the body of his father. That's not what this is saying at all. He's rather saying something like, I want to wait until my father dies I want to wait another year and say that prayer that I must say for my dead father, and then I'll follow you. So while you read the first one, and he reacted too quickly and with haste, this one was too slow and too hesitant. And so the principle is if you're committed, There can't be any delay. You have to take up your cross daily. Not only do you deny yourself, you take up your cross daily. Now here's the third one. And another also said, I will follow you, Lord, but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house. But Jesus said to him, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Now, when you look at this one, The problem was not that he wanted to say farewell to his family. The problem was more in terms of devouted loyalties between his family and Jesus. So this man didn't make a proper choice because his family evidently were causing problems and he was torn between his family and Jesus. So Jesus is saying, once a person makes a commitment, there can be no division in terms of loyalty. So when you read these three illustrations, he's illustrating the requirements of Luke 9, 23. You have to deny self, you have to take up the cross daily, and then you have to follow Christ. So that's what he wants. He wants a follower, a disciple, to be submissive. He wants the loyalty of a disciple. That's what he was after. So we think about the disciples. Notice the call of the disciples in Matthew chapter 4, and this is what we read in verse 18. Remember, he wants loyalty. If you're going to be a follower of Christ, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. Now, here it is in Matthew 4, verse 18. And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he said to them, Follow me, I'll make you fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets and followed him. And going on from there, he saw other two brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, the ship, with Zebedee, their father, mention Zebedee, with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And they immediately left the ship, and their father, he mentions, and their father, and followed him. Now listen to Mark's account. This is in Mark chapter one. This is in verses 16 down to verse 20. As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. Jesus said to them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And when he had gone a little farther, thence he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship, mending their nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee and the ship with the hired servants, and they went after him. Now, here is Luke's account. This is in Luke chapter six and this is after an amazing miracle that Jesus did in terms of the disciples with fish on the Sea of Galilee and we read this in Luke chapter six and listen to what we read. This is in Luke chapter five. And we read it in verse 10, what Jesus says to Simon Peter. Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And then we read in verse 11, chapter five. And when they had brought their ships to land, they left all and they followed him. So he's called these men to follow him, to be disciples. And if any men will come after me, Jesus says they've got to let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. And that's what he desired from these men. So he calls them. And what we have to understand, there's this growing antagonism, this animosity, this hostility towards Jesus. And so growing out of all of this. He needs to appoint men, and he needs to educate these men. They need to be with him at all times and all places. They need to go about with him in his travels. They need to witness his work. They need to be students of his teaching, fellow laborers in his practical school of experience. They need companionship with him. so that they can understand what there to be, and do, and believe, and teach, as his witnesses. So it's very important when you think about not only the call, but the appointment that is made. And we have this, of course, in our gospel accounts. Now I want you to notice what we read in Luke chapter 6, when he appoints out of all of these disciples, these 12 to become his apostles. Now this is in Luke chapter 6 and I want you to notice what we read in verse 12 and following. And it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain to pray and he continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called to him his disciples. And out of them, he chose 12, whom also he named apostles. So he has all of these disciples. And out of the multitude of disciples, he chose 12, whom he also named apostles. If you think of a disciple, a disciple was a learner. A disciple was a pupil, a student, a follower. That was a disciple. And if you think of a disciple, the disciple was someone who was willing to listen to a teacher. He wouldn't necessarily accept what the teacher had to say, but he was, but he would at least be willing to listen to what the teacher said. So you can have all kinds of disciples, followers that are listening on all sorts of levels. But when you think of an apostle, apostle means a certain one, and that's a very different word. If you think of the word disciple, there's no authority attached to the word disciple. You're just a listener, you're a follower, you're a student. You may or may not accept what's being taught. But an apostle, within the word itself, there's authority. So if you think of the word apostle, sent out one, you're thinking of someone who is sent out by Jesus Christ himself, representing Jesus Christ with the authority of Jesus Christ being conveyed to them. So out of all of these disciples, these followers, he chooses 12. And he names them apostles. They hear their names. Verse 14, Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, zealous for Judaism in terms of Rome, Judas, the brother of James, Judas Iscariot, who also was the traitor. Now, when we read the names of the 12 apostles, we read these names four times in the New Testament. In Matthew chapter 10, Mark chapter 3, here in Luke chapter 6, and in Acts chapter 1. And when you read the 12 names, they're grouped into three groups of four names each. So there are three groups, and there are four within each group. The first group always begins with Peter. The second group always begins with Philip. And the third group always begins with James, the son of Alphaeus. So you have the first group and you always have these names. The four names in the first group are always in the first group. In the second group, the four names always in the second group. Same with the third group. They may be changed in terms of the order, but they're all in those groups, same names. Peter is the first one. Philip is the second one in terms of the heading of each group. And then James, the son of Alphaeus. Now, if you think of the name that is used here, Bartholomew, which is found in verse 14, Bartholomew in all probability was Nathanael. Nathanael is only mentioned in the Gospel of John, but Nathanael and Bartholomew are one and the same. And then when you read Luke's account and you read of Judas of James in verse 16, This is the same individual that is referred to as Thaddeus in Matthew and Mark's account. Thaddeus and Judas, the brother of the son of James, one and the same. So we have 12 names, the 12 apostles. They're grouped into fours, there are three of them. Simon Peter always heads the first group. Philip always heads the second group. And James, the son of Alphaeus, always heads the third group. When I read about Bartholomew, Bartholomew and Nathanael are one and the same. And when I read of Thaddeus and Judas, the son of James, they're one and the same. Now I'm not going to go into all of this, but out of the 12 individuals that are mentioned here, It's possible that five of these individuals were cousins of Jesus. Two from his mother's side and three from his father's side. But I'm not going to go into that at all, but it is a very interesting study. You can read it now from Edersheim as he argues that out of the 12, perhaps five were cousins of the Lord. But we read their names here, and we realize that the Lord has to train these individuals. If they're going to be not only followers, individuals who deny themselves and take up the cross and follow Him, and they're going to be apostles sent out from Him with authority, then they have to be properly trained. And I want you to go back to Mark's account in Mark chapter three. And I want you to notice what we read in Mark chapter 3. This is in Mark chapter 3, verse 13. He goes up into a mountain and calls unto him whom he would, and they came to him. And he appointed 12. Now look at these two purpose causes. Number one, that they should be with him. And number two, that it might send them forth to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and cast out demons. And then we read their names. So they have to be trained and to be properly trained, they have to be educated and to be educated, they have to spend time with him. That's the reason why you read it in verse 14, that they should be with him. So they have to be with him. They have to see him in all kinds of situations. They have to have this kind of experience. And while they're with him, he's instructing them and they're observing all of these things because he wants them to assimilate this within themselves. But they have to be trained. And in order to be trained, they have to be with him and then they can go out and they can talk about it and they can do all of these miraculous things as they represent him with his authority behind them. Now, the whole objective of the training is set forth in Luke chapter six. And I want you to notice this in Luke chapter six in verse 40. The disciple is not above his master. But each one that is perfect, thoroughly trained, will be like his master. This is what the training is all about. He wants to train the disciples so that the disciples become like him. He wants the students to become like the teacher. And if they've been fully trained and fully equipped, then the student will become like his teacher. But for that to happen, they have to spend time with him. They have to observe all kinds of things. They have to listen to him, observe what he does, and then assimilate that within themselves. The one that was on that boat was far more than a man. He was the Messiah, the God man. And he wanted them to learn that they had to depend upon him. They had to trust in him. And it takes trials and difficulties in order for that to happen. I read of this sea, the sea of Galilee. And I think about this storm that comes from the East. I think about the sovereign one who was in the boat, but they didn't understand all of that. And yet the sovereign one wanted them to be submissive. He wanted them to be loyal and devoted to him. If he said, and initiated it, let's get into this boat and let's go over to the other side, then they were going to get over to the other side. They should have known, as he demonstrated his authority in all of these different ways, that they were not in jeopardy, even in the midst of a very real storm. And the same is true in terms of all of us. I think of those words. Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake to guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake. All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul. The waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below. I think of Henry Morton. He was a missionary to Indian Persia. He doubted the plague when he was only 31 years old. It was October 16, 1812. But before that, in January of that year, he wrote in his journal, To all appearance, the present year will be more perilous than any I have seen. But if I live to complete the Persian New Testament, my life after that will be of less importance. But whether life or death be mine, may Christ be magnified in me. If he has work for me to do, I cannot die. And then seven years prior to his death, he's 24 years old, he writes in his journal, for God not the sovereign of the universe, how miserable I should be. But the Lord reigns. Let the earth be glad and Christ's call shall prevail. Oh, my soul, be happy in the prospect. We may be out in the midst of the sea, figuratively speaking, and a storm has kid us, figuratively speaking, as one who's sovereign in heaven. He's in control of everything. He is Jesus the Christ. He's Jesus the Messiah. He's the God-man. He's both God and man. He's one person but two natures. He has all the attributes of deity and all the attributes of humanity apart from sin. He's the sovereign one. And He wants us, who claim to be His followers, to be submissive to Him. I love that hymn by Charles Wesley, Jesus, lover of my soul. Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly, while the near waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past. Safe into the haven guide, O receive my soul at last. And then the second verse. Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on thee. Leave, O leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. All my trust on thee estate, all my help from thee I bring. Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing. I trust that's true of all of us this day, that we know the one, Yeshua, Yesus, Jesus. He is the Lord. He is the Christ. Our gracious Heavenly Father, how we thank Thee for Thy precious Word. We thank Thee for the Gospel accounts that we can read. Help us to understand something more about Jesus Christ. as the Bible describes him, as the Bible helps us to understand him. Help us, Father, to understand the true Jesus Christ, and may all of our trust and faith be in him. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. ♪ Raise the fallen, cheer the faint ♪ ♪ Heal the sick and flee the blind ♪ ♪ Just and holy is thy name ♪ ♪ I am all unrighteousness ♪ ♪ False and full of sin ♪ God, full of truth and grace, plentiful is his love, Take on me, sprinkle on me.