Christ is Worthy of our Confidence (Mark 4:35–41)

CPT: Jesus and his disciples were caught in a storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, but Jesus calmed the storm with a rebuke, demonstrating his power over nature and questioning the disciples' faith.

Purpose: To grasp a great belief in the power of God.

CPS: Christ is worthy of our confidence.

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of who he is.

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of what he has done.

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of what he will do.

Introduction

Christ is worthy of our confidence.

Confidence is a necessary element of life. We need confidence to get us through situations.

I’ve done a few interviews and hired people for positions. In my previous job, I remember this one young lady. She was interviewing for a position as a counselor, and she was young, fresh out of college.

She was so nervous! She was shaking like a leaf. I wanted to put her at ease, but it wasn’t working. There was nothing I could say. She was sitting there, holding her resume, and the paper was shaking.

I felt bad. I wanted to say, “Look, you’re not getting the position, but that’s okay.” I wasn’t confident because she wasn’t confident. She didn’t convince me that she could do the job.

Confidence is an important thing. We need to have confidence that someone that I’m trusting in is worthy of our confidence.

Christ is worthy of our confidence. But how can we know that? How can we know that we can have confidence in him?

We are back in the Gospel of Mark. We are in Mark 4:35-41:

Scripture Reading

Mark 4:35–41 CSB

35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Pray

Now, I’m going to walk us through this text and then give us three reasons in this text of why we should have confidence in Jesus.

Now this text starts off,

Mark 4:35 CSB

35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.”

On that day: This is a particular day where Jesus is teaching in parable. Everything coming up to this in the context of Mark talks about Jesus teaching in parables.

In fact, as Jesus is teaching the crowds, he is out on a boat because the crowds have gotten so large that they are pushing up against him on the shore. It says in Mark 4:1,

Mark 4:1 CSB

1 Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.

He is teaching by the Sea of Galilee. Jesus would often teach in parables because it was a way of getting around the religious leaders who wanted him dead, yet reach the people who would actually listen to him in a language, in stories that they would understand.

In a way, this real event of Jesus calming the storm, like those parables, this event happens to teach the followers of Jesus to have confidence in who he is.

On this day of Jesus teaching in parables, evening had come: This is a twilight, and you could imagine that Jesus is bringing his teachings to the crowds to a close.

He says, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” They are on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the more Jewish side of the sea in first century, and they are likely heading to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.

The Sea of Galilee is about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. If you travel 13 miles from here, you end up in Mission Trails Park, or almost at Tierra Santa. Its a long and wide lake. It says in Mark 4:36:

Mark 4:36 CSB

36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him.

Jesus is already in the boat, so they left the crowd and took Jesus along with them in the boat. It says, “other boats were with them.” First-century fishing boats were about the size of a modern-day UPS truck, which sounds big except that only held about 4-5 people. Remember, there are 12 disciples, at least. So there are a number of boats crossing this sea.

These boats are not meant for deep sea fishing. These are not boats that you are going to find on an episode of Deadliest Catch. That’s a reality show where they go deep sea fishing in dangerous seas. These are boats were meant for shallow water fishing. They are meant to be taken out a little ways in, catch your fish in the net, and bring those fish to the shore.

The Sea of Galilee is known to get big storms quickly because of its location and geography. The sea is situated in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains, which can create a tunnel effect that funnels strong winds through the valley. Sometimes we get strong winds in this patio because of the buildings around it, which cause a kind of wind tunnel. The Sea of Galilee gets that, but just amplified a huge amount. Its said that the waves in a storm in the Sea of Galilee can reach 6 to 10 feet. There have been historic examples of boats capsizing and people drowning because of the sudden storms. It says in Mark 4:37:

Mark 4:37 CSB

37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

Here is the picture: They are in this small wooden fishing boat, and the waves are breaking over the boat so badly that the boat was being swamped by the storm. The disciples are panicking. They are in fear.

Fear is a human emotion that comes in response to a perceived threat or danger. We see the threat in front of us, we perceive it, and we say that this threat is bigger and stronger than we are. Therefore, we are afraid of approaching this threat because of what it can do to us.

Fear can be a necessary emotion. If you are walking along the path and you see a 700-pound grizzly bear, it’s probably wise not to go up and poke the bear. Why? You are not going to overpower the bear. The bear is more powerful than you. The bear has the power to kill you. It is better to avoid the bear and get to safety.

Now, the disciples are in this boat, and they are afraid. The storm is stronger then they are. The storm will take away their life.

You can imagine what is happening. They look down, and remember these boats are not huge, they look at the stern, which is the back of the boat, and see Jesus asleep. In Mark 4:38:

Mark 4:38 CSB

38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

Now think of what’s going on in their mind. In front of them, they are seeing the threat, and in their mind they are playing out what is going to happen to them. They are picturing that this storm is coming, it is here, and this storm will kill them. And the most powerful man who is with them in the boat is sleeping! He doesn’t seem to care that they are about to die. They say, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

How many times have we done that with God?

God, don’t you see this threat that is coming at me?

Don’t you see that way he is treating me? The way that she is treating me?

Don’t you see that we won’t be able to pay the rent this month? That we’re about to be homeless?

Don’t you see that my son or my daughter is sick? God, don’t you care?

Sometimes it can feel like God is sleeping in the boat. You’ve played out the scenario in your mind about this terrible thing that’s about to hit us. Every time we think about it, we remember how much stronger it is than us. We assume that it’s going to overwhelm us, it’s going to take us down, and the whole time, God will be sleeping in the boat. The disciples were worried.

But Jesus, he’s not worried about the threat. The threat is not stronger than him. He’s more concerned about his people, that his people don’t have faith in him. He’s more concerned that his people seem to have more faith in the threat coming against them than they do in the God they serve. He’s more concerned that his people don’t have faith in him to overcome the threat.

The Lord gets up and rebukes the storm. It says in Mark 4:39:

Mark 4:39 CSB

39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

I love that it says that after the storm, there was a great calm. But what’s amazing to me are these next verses, these are the words that really hit me. In verse 40, he says to them:

Mark 4:40 CSB

40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Look at how they respond. In Mark 4:41:

Mark 4:41 CSB

41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

“Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” This question in verse 40 gives us three reasons why we should have confidence in who Jesus is.

First, I want you to see this. Do you see the word for “afraid” in verse 40? The word for “afraid” in verse 40 is different than the word for “terrified” in verse 41. You might think they are the same because they both have to do with fear, but they are different.

The Greek word in verse 40 that is translated as “afraid” has to do with cowardice. Jesus is telling his disciples, “Why are you such cowards? Why are you so cowardly? Where is your courage? Do you still have no faith?”

It’s different than the word “terrified” in verse 41. In says in verse 41, after they see the power of Jesus, it literally translates that they were “greatly afraid.” There is a Greek word there that sounds like the English word “mega,” that they were mega fearful. This word could also mean they were awestruck, that there was an intense fear of the Lord, which is why they ask, “Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

But it’s this question in verse 40 that gets me, “Why are you afraid?” Why are you so cowardly? “Do you still have no faith?” A coward is someone who is constantly afraid, who has no confidence, who feels like there is danger at every turn.

The Lord doesn’t want his people to be cowards. The Lord wants his people to walk in confidence against any threat. There are three reasons why Christ is worthy of our confidence from this text.

First,

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of who he is.

T‌hat question in verse 40, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Who is Jesus speaking to? Jesus is not speaking to the unconverted. He is not trying to evangelize. He is speaking to his followers. He is speaking to those who are following him already, and he is saying to his people, “Have confidence. Have confidence in how I am.”

It is a radical thing to be a Christian. The Bible says that if you believe in Jesus, that if you put your faith in him, that the Holy Spirit is with you in a powerful way, in a way that he is not with other people. That the God of the universe, the one who spoke the world into being with his words, is with you.

Look at what Paul says about the victory that we have in Jesus in Romans 8: 31-39:

Romans 8:31–39 CSB

31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Look at his argument. He says,

Who can accuse you? What accusations are going to come against you? God is our judge and we are justified in Christ.

Who is going to condemn you? Christ died for our condemnation. There is no sin that we could commit as followers of Jesus that is more powerful than the cross. Christ died for our condemnation, and even more, he was raised from the dead! You can have confidence in who he is.

What is going to separate you from his love? There is nothing that will separate you from Jesus. There is nothing so strong that it will separate you from the love of Christ. There is nothing that will overpower you, there is no storm that will hit you so hard that it will overpower who Jesus is.

There is no death nor life nor any other created thing that will separate us from Christ.

I'm a big fan of superhero movies. I watched all of the Marvel films. Growing up in the 80s, there was a movie called Superman. Superman was incredible. He seemed invincible. He could fly, he had super strength, bullets would bounce off of him, he had x-ray vision, it seemed like there was nothing that could stop Superman. So, they had to come up with something. The villain, Lex Luther, finds this alien rock called kryptonite. It was this green rock, and this rock was able to weaken Superman. In a sense, this kryptonite was able to separate Superman from his super strength.

But when you are in Jesus, there is no kryptonite that will separate you from the love of Christ.

There is nothing that will separate you from the eternal life that you have in Jesus.

There is nothing that will separate you from the salvation that you have in Jesus. It’s not because you are so strong, but it is because of how strong he is.

No matter the storm coming against you, no matter the threat you perceive, Christ is worthy of your confidence because of who he is.

Christ is worthy of your confidence because of who he is.

Second,

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of what he has done.

Look at that question again in Mark 4:40:

Mark 4:40 CSB

40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Jesus is telling them to look at what he has already done! At this point, Jesus has already healed the sick. He has already driven out demons. He has already shown that he has authority on earth to forgive sins.

Jesus is telling his followers, “Look at what I’ve already done! Are you still afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

I love what Paul says in Ephesians 2 where he reminds us where we were and where God has taken us from. Look at Ephesians 2:1-5:

Ephesians 2:1–5 CSB

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

He reminds us of the death that we had in this world. He reminds us of where we were in the past. In the past, we were dead in our sins. We were caught up in an old way of life. We were stuck according to the inclinations of our flesh, according to our own desires, we didn’t have a power to overcome them.

We didn’t know what it was like to have a relationship with Jesus. We didn’t know what it was like to have a new life in him. We didn’t know what it was like to have eternal life. But God, rich and merciful, powerful to save, made us alive in Christ.

We make decisions based on previous experiences all of the time. There is a woman I know, if she ever finds a hair in her food at a restaurant, she will never go to that restaurant again. That place is dead to her!

Or suppose you are driving fast and you get a speeding ticket. What will happen next time you see a cop car on the road? You will slow down quick!

We learn from the things that have happened in our life. Many times, when we are confronted with something big, we need to remember what God has brought us from. And we need to remember what God has brought us through!

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of who he is.

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of what he has done.

Last,

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of what he will do.

Outline

Look at that question again in Mark 4:40:

Mark 4:40 CSB

40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Follow this line of reasoning from our Lord:

Based on who I am: I am God in the flesh, I am God in the boat with you, the one who has power to speak things into being, the power to heal the sick, or raise the dead.

Based on what you’ve already seen me do: How I’ve already changed your life, based on all the things that you’ve seen me get you though...

Have confidence. Have faith. Trust that this storm is not too big for me. Trust, have confidence in what I will do.

I love what Solomon says in Proverbs 3. We often know verses 5 through 6, but I want to read it in its context. In Proverbs 3:1-8:

Proverbs 3:1–8 CSB

1 My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; 2 for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. 3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.

He is telling his son, based on everything I’ve seen God do, based on who God is, I know that you can trust him because I know what he will do.

Trusting in God will bring you a full life.

Trusting in Christ gives you favor with the Lord.

Giving your understanding over to God, relying on him will straighten your path.

Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ will bring healing for your body and strengthen your bones.

When that storm comes, when that things seems so hard, you can have confidence in what God will do.

We just celebrated Easter, and Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection gives us confidence in what he will do. His resurrection means that no matter what we face, he is strong to get us through.

There is an old hymn that I love which says:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

Christ is worthy of our confidence. Christ took on our greatest threat, our sin on the cross, so that we can have a new life in him. If you haven’t given your life to Christ, today is the day for salvation. When you put your faith in Christ, you can say like the hymn writer, because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone!

Conclusion

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of who he is.

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of what he has done.

Christ is worthy of our confidence because of what he will do.

Conclude

Prayer

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!