Matthew 8:23-27 “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, ‘Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’” The boat in which Jesus and the disciples were riding was covered with waves on the sea. The disciples were in danger of drowning because of the great tempest, so they asked Jesus to save them, and He did.
To be saved is to be delivered from danger. The Bible talks a lot about salvation and being saved. What is the danger from which we all needed to be saved? The danger is God’s wrath. The return of Jesus is described in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 “Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” This scripture describes God’s wrath in the punishment of everlasting destruction of those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel. God is a holy and a righteous God. 2 Corinthians 5:10-11a “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” We are all sinners and we will all be judged on what we have done. Everyone needs salvation from the consequences of their sin. Many people do not appreciate the danger that awaits them. Everyone needs to be saved; that is why we persuade others to seek the salvation God offers to avoid His terror.
We were helpless to save ourselves. Just as the disciples in the boat with Jesus were powerless to save themselves from the great tempest on the sea, we also were powerless to save ourselves. Romans 5:6-10 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” It is by God’s grace that we can be saved from His wrath. Ephesians 2:4-10 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We cannot earn our salvation through any set of works. It cannot be done. Our salvation had to be a gift from God through His mercy and great love and His grace. Even though we are not saved by works, God created us in Christ Jesus for good works. Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Since through God’s grace we receive salvation from His wrath, we will want to deny ourselves ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly, righteously, and godly.
On the day of Pentecost, after the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles in Jerusalem. A crowd gathered and the apostles told the crowd that Jesus, whom they had crucified, was both Lord and Christ. Many in the crowd were convinced that they had sinned and were subject to the wrath of God. Acts 2:37-41 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” We also need to follow this pattern to be saved from the consequences of our sins and escape the wrath of God.
Jesus was asked about when the end would come; here is what He said. Matthew 24:13-14 “But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” I encourage you to endure to the end so that you will be saved. Up to this time, God has not chosen to bring about the end as He has promised to do. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God wants everyone to have the opportunity to be saved. Now is the time to be saved to avoid God’s wrath.