Who is This? Part 4 – Luke 8:22-25

In the midst of life’s storms, Christians put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the disciples learned that day facing a real storm in the Sea of Galilee. Jesus Christ who brought calmness amid a storm is the same Lord of the Old Testament. He gave up his glory in order to become man to fulfill the promise of the Father to bring salvation. Jesus was always the glorified God. How can we know that this Jesus is the same Lord written of in the Old Testament?

During the storm, when the disciples feared for their lives, “[Jesus] got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm” (v 25). As soon as there was a great calm, Jesus questioned the disciples, “Where is your faith”? This question, in essence, is more fearful than the raging sea the disciples experienced moments prior because only God is able to ask this sort of question that strikes the heart of man.

The disciples were amazed at Jesus because even the winds and the water obeyed His commands. After witnessing this wonder, the disciples were fearful and amazed because they recognized that Jesus is the Lord, whom the entire Scriptures wrote about.

There were many signs and wonders the disciples witnessed Jesus perform. However, seeing never resulted in faith. Rather, hearing Jesus’ words led them to have saving faith. Believing leads to seeing the God who is alive and continues to speak through the Word.

The only way to meet and experience Jesus is only through the Bible. Those that have faith in Jesus Christ do not wrestle between themselves and the Lord. Those that know and believe in God find delight in his Word and live according to it. And without the Bible, faith is impossible, and unable to meet him. Naturally, then, we must ask ourselves if we read the Bible.

As Jesus always depended on the written Word during his stay on earth, Christians must also read and put their faith in the Word of God. Jesus warned the Pharisees, who claimed to know the Scriptures, to seek understanding of the Scriptures through faith lest they crucify the Son of God. This warning is no different today than it was back then. Only the Bible can open the eyes of sinners to realize who they are and seek repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Neglecting the reading of Scripture is not a lack of time but not ridding of idols that cause us to be away from meeting the Lord through the Bible. When there are idols present, not only does one separate himself from the Bible, but the Bible also separates itself also.

Our sin prevents us from panting for the Word of God as the deer pants for the water (Psalm 42:1).  Christians must remember that Jesus is near as long as the Bible is near their hearts. The unchanging and eternal Lord who calmed the raging sea can still be found in the pages of Scripture. Therefore, “there is no substitute for the discipline of Bible study and Scripture reading and meditation. We cannot bypass the handbook God has given to us and then expect that we can know Him in our own way. The only god we can know in our own way is a god that we make in our own image” (Sinclair Ferguson).

Who shapes you today? Is it the Word of God or something else? There is no other way to love the Lord and to be like him than through the Bible.