Where is Your Faith?
A Sermon on Faith from Luke 8:22-25
Scripture
22¶ Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 23But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there …
Sermon Description
When a Christian thinks all things seem against them, and they’re blinded by despair, they are called to have faith in Jesus Christ. Often, the storms of life lead to feelings of hopelessness. A person is scared and believes they are lost, not knowing if they can survive this next storm. They may even be afraid that God does not care. In this sermon, "Where is Your Faith?" from Luke 8:22–25, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues to tackle this issue of spiritual depression through an examination of the disciples’ own fear. As a storm at sea threatens their lives, Jesus rebukes first the storm, and then the disciples––they lack faith. The lesson is simple: Christians should never live in a state of terror. Yet, too often, they do. Today’s Christian’s problem is no different than these disciples’ as they question Jesus’s commitment to them. The call is the same. Christians must not question God’s goodness, but trust Him. They must have full confidence in Jesus. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains the nature and character of faith. Faith is not an automatic response in the believer, but something one must exercise. Does Jesus care about His people? Yes, He does. He will always receive them, bless them, and give them peace. Trust the God who calms the storm.
Sermon Breakdown
- The disciples were in a desperate situation as their boat was filling with water during a storm.
- Jesus was asleep in the boat, appearing unconcerned about the situation.
- The disciples woke Jesus up, panicking that they were all going to drown.
- Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith in Him.
- Christians should never lose self-control or be in a state of panic. Our faith in Christ should give us an inner peace.
- The disciples lacked trust in Jesus, implying He didn't care about them, even though He was with them.
- God allows difficult trials and storms in our lives to test our faith. Our faith is more precious than gold.
- During trials, God can appear unconcerned, but we must trust in His sovereignty and care.
- Faith is not a feeling or something that acts automatically. We must apply our faith through action.
- To apply our faith, we must first refuse to panic and not let circumstances control us.
- We must remind ourselves of God's promises and character. He will never allow us to be truly harmed.
- We must apply what we know of God's character to our specific situation. God allows trials for our good.
- We must continue to stand in faith, even when we can't see God's purpose. He is always with us.
- Even weak faith that leads us to turn to Jesus is valuable. He will receive us, bless us, and give us peace.
- We should view trials as opportunities to prove our faith. But when our faith fails, we can turn to Jesus.
Spiritual Depression
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.