The Power of the King over Nature

Introduction: What has been the worst weather that you have ever faced in life? (Wait for answers) A Hurricane? A Tornado? A Windstorm? A Thunder and Lightning storm? Hail? A Tsunami? A Fire?

Have you ever heard of a Williwaw? I was watching the television show, Edge of Alaska, and on one of the episodes the city of McCarthy, Alaska was hit by a Williwaw. A storm with winds up to 140mph with mini tornados combined. It left in its path destruction.

As we come to our text, we are going to discover that the King has power over nature. Nature is subject to His authority. Nature obeys Jesus Christ.

Parallel passages: Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

What do we have in our text…

I. His disciples followed Him – 8:23

23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.

How are you doing in following Jesus? Remember the circle that Rick walked you through last Sunday? Where are you on the circle? Do you think that you are doing okay as a disciple of Christ? Is everything all right in your life spiritually? Do you feel good about your walk with Jesus Christ? Do you possess the PEACE of God? Is there anything hindering you and your walk with Jesus?

There is nothing better than knowing that you are following Jesus Christ, obeying His commands, walking in His will, and serving in His Church. These disciples got into the boat with Jesus, they were willing to count the cost.

The boat no doubt was probably an old fishing boat. It probably could hold up to twelve passengers. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride across the sea of Galilee (not like the yacht I experienced in Alaska back in July). But this was what was available to them. They all hopped in and push off to cross the lake.

Following Jesus doesn’t free us from facing the storms of life. Do you recall the parable of the two builders back in Matthew 7:24-29? Build your house on the rock (Jesus Christ), so that when storms come your way that your house (a picture of your earthly life) will stand. Storms will arise – it’s not if, but when. In our text we see…

II. A storm suddenly arose – 8:24

24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.

A. Storms will come – 8:24

We saw this most recently with Hurricane Hilary. The state of California was hit with a massive storm. The storm arrived early Sunday morning (August 20, 2023). It was downgraded to a tropical storm. I read that this was the first time a tropical storm warning or watch had ever been issued for Southern California. The storm brought with it high winds, and torrential rain. San Bernardino County received over 13.5 inches, and the mountains of Riverside County received 11.7 inches. Even Death Valley received 2.2 inches, a record amount of rain (a year’s worth of rain in a 24-hour period). The National Hurricane Center called it an “historic amount of rainfall”. The Weather Channel reported that there were areas that received more rain than they would normally receive in four years. The storm affected something like 16 million people from California to Idaho. Many places were under flood watches. Not only did California face a rare summer storm, but they were also struck by something more familiar, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. They received a double whammy!

Now, just because you follow Jesus doesn’t mean that your life will be free from storms. In our text we have a perfect example of the disciples following Jesus and facing a storm. I would ask that you look back at verse 24, where we read,

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea,

In the parallel passage over in Mark 4:37 we read,

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

In the NIV it reads,

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

In my study I read that the waves on the sea of Galilee during a storm could reach the heights of twenty feet. Picture a twenty-foot wave in your mind while sitting in a boat large enough to carry twelve people. A little scary I would assume.

And over in the other parallel passage in Luke 8 we read,

But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.

At Christiananswers.net I read, “Such storms result from differences in temperatures between the seacoast and the mountains beyond. The Sea of Galilee lies 680 feet below sea level. It is bounded by hills, especially on the east side where they reach 2000 feet high. These heights are a source of cool, dry air.

In contrast, directly around the sea, the climate is semi-tropical with warm, moist air. The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills.

The Sea of Galilee is small (13 X 8 miles), and these winds may descend directly to the center of the lake with violent results. When the contrasting air masses meet, a storm can arise quickly and without warning. Small boats caught out on the sea are in immediate danger.

The Sea of Galilee is relatively shallow, just 200 feet at its greatest depth. A shallow lake is “whipped up” by wind more rapidly than deep water, where energy is more readily absorbed.

The disciples were in a storm.

B. Your boat may get covered – 8:24

so that the boat was covered with the waves.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the storms that come into your life? Do you feel as if your “boat” at times is covered with waves? You see the waves, and the water at your feet and you wonder if you are going to survive.

What are some of the various storms we face in life?

· Long-term Illness.

· Depression.

· Divorce.

· Debt.

· Death of loved one.

· Job loss.

· Broken relationships.

As you go through storms do you ever wonder where Jesus is? The disciples here in this account knew where Jesus was. He was at the stern of the boat fast asleep. Jesus was asleep in the midst of the storm.

C. You may feel Jesus is asleep – 8:24

But He was asleep.

Why is Jesus sleeping? Understand, Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully man. Remember, He had just called Himself for the first time, the “Son of Man”. Jesus was exhausted! Look back from Matthew 4:12 to where we are now (Matthew 8:24), and you discover how busy Jesus had been. He’s crossing over the sea of Galilee, and this trip was allowing Him to catch some shut eye.

Now, when we are going through a storm we too may feel as if God is asleep, but I assure you that Scripture teaches that God does not sleep.

Psalm 121:2–4 - 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

God is aware of every storm that comes into our lives. Nothing takes God by surprise! And most of the time as Christian we are also ready to remind Him of the storm that is presently in our life. So, how could God not be aware!

If you were in the boat with Jesus, and the storm arose, waves were spilling into the boat, and you were afraid, what would you have done? I think we would have done what these disciples did. What did they do?

III. The disciples awoke Him – 8:25

25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

The disciples went to Jesus, they awoke Him, and they said to Him,

“Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

Had I been in that boat, I would have found myself like these disciples. I would have gotten my eyes on the storm, and the water coming into the boat, and I would have been right there waking Jesus up. Saying to Him,

“Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

Remember when Jesus healed the Centurion servant (Matthew 8:5-13), he said to the Centurion,

“I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matthew 8:10).

But here in our text (verse 26) Jesus says to his disciples,

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith.”

I have read that the Greek word for “fearful” here means cowardly fear. And that the Greek words for “O you of little faith” means, a failure to see below the surface of things.

What size of faith do you have? Small, medium, large, or extra-large? You would have thought that Jesus’ disciples would have known that even in a storm if Jesus said they were going to the other side, that they were going to the other side. They had witnessed so many miracles, and they saw that Jesus had authority over disease, over demons, and over sickness. Where do you go when you are facing a storm in your life? When the storm is real, and you feel afraid? You go to the one who you know can help you through the storm.

Isn’t that how we feel when facing storms in life? Don’t we too at times feel like we are perishing? Am I going to get through this storm? I feel overwhelmed!

Dr. Tony Evans writes, “The size of your faith is ultimately tied to the size of your God.” (Evans, Tony. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (p. 1467). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)

How BIG is your God? I so much desire to have a SUPERSIZED God. I believe that I too serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God shows up – He always is present. He never leaves us, nor forsakes us. Joseph didn’t go to Egypt alone. The LORD was the fourth man in the fiery furnace. He shut the mouths of the hungry lions. He protected Jonah in the belly of a great fish. He stood with David against a giant. He permitted Peter to walk on water. He impregnated a young Jewish girl named Mary, and she gave birth as a virgin.

What I am trying to say to you is that with GOD nothing is impossible. There is NOTHING too hard for God.

I want that kind of FAITH!

These disciples were about to see Jesus in action again. This is going to be tremendous. Jesus is going to respond to the disciple’s request. Another miracle is about to happen!

IV. Jesus rebukes the winds and the sea – 8:26-27

26 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. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Don’t miss the great instruction Jesus passed on to His disciples. He used the storm as a teaching moment. There are so many little things I see here in this passage of Scripture. Let me pass along a few of them:

· Jesus rebukes His disciples and a storm.

· The storm is out of control, the disciples are out of control, but Jesus is in full control.

· Every storm will eventually pass.

What do we find in these last few verses?

A. He speaks to them about fear – 8:26

He asked them,

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”

FEAR has been defined as False Evidence Appearing Real.

Fear causes a lot of people to freeze in life. They are unable to handle the storm they may be going through. They see no light at the end of the dark tunnel. They see no escape from their fear. They throw in the towel, they give up, they walk away. They lose all hope in their situation. The disciples in our text were beside themselves. They were fearful and afraid.

One Box at a Time

One day a former church member called me. She said, “We are moving, and as I look at what I need to pack up I feel so overwhelmed. I just can’t do it.” She was in tears. I responded to her by saying, “You are looking at the whole project. What you need to do is to pack one box at a time. Don’t look at everything that needs to be done. Only look at what is in front of you right now.” She got her house packed, and they moved away.

B. He rebukes the wind and the sea – 8:26

Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

This storm that these disciples went through on the sea of Galilee was very scary, and it made all of them afraid. They thought that they were going to perish. They forgot who told them that they were going to the other side – it was JESUS! The one who has power over nature.

C. The men marveled – 8:27

27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

So the men marveled, - The men in this verse are the disciples in the boat. They are at awe of the wonder they just experienced. A storm ceases at the sound of Jesus’ voice.

Saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” – The only possible conclusion is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That He is LORD over all creation. That all things are subject to the word of His power. Yes, the King has POWER over Nature.

The disciples went to the right person during their storm. Who is the one who calms the storms in your life?

Conclusion: What are our take-home truths for today? There are four of them that I want to pass along to you. They are:

1. Not all storms will end soon, but they will end.

2. In the midst of your storms, you are never alone as a child of God.

3. Jesus will be in your boat with you.

4. We are safe in the hands of the one who has ultimate authority over all storms.