Jesus is the Son of God and is in control of everything.
Introduction: Sometimes I witnessed the scene where a child refuses to face a situation that seems dangerous to him, even with the presence of his father or his mother next door. The father or mother speaks several times for the child not to worry; says will not let anything bad happen; holding the child by the hand, embraces, yet the child still shows fear and insecurity. It seems that the child does not yet know their parents as to have full assurance that they will not let anything bad happen to her.
In the text we read there seems to be something like this. The disciples are going through a dangerous situation, and, even with the presence of Jesus, are still afraid. It turns out that the men still did not know Jesus as to have security next to it ...
1 - MOVEMENT - The disciples did not actually know who Jesus is.
• Those days had been a lot of work for Jesus. In the region of Galilee he ministers to large crowds, casts out demons and healing many sick.
• One day Jesus ministered to a crowd by the Sea of Galilee. Being late he calls the disciples to pass to the other side of the lake, as stated in v.35.
• The context of this episode tells us that Jesus was on the western side of the Sea of Galilee (near a town called Capernaum) and wanted to go to the eastern side of the sea, which was the land of the Gadarenes.
• Jesus and the disciples who were with him goodbye and follow the crowd towards the destination, as seen in v.36. Note also that in addition to the boat where Jesus was, other boats also follow.
Problem 1: The storm that hit the boat
• But at a certain point that trip, something starts to change the scenario. The waters begin to shake and the boats begin to lose stability - it seems that is beginning a wind storm. The wind starts to get stronger and stronger and the waves beat into the boat so that is filling with water. The risk of sinking and drowning all is very high ...
• This type of storm is common in the Sea of Galilee. This sea, which is actually a large lake, has approx. 20km long and 11km wide. It is surrounded by mountains, and because of that, the day of hot air from the survey allows, at dusk, the coldest air of the hills descend quickly on the lake, causing windstorms.
• Therefore, a wind storm is not something unexpected for those men, since most of them are native fishermen, or use the lake as a means of traveling from one city to another.
• What might be unexpected was the great intensity of that storm just then.
Problem 2: Jesus was sleeping
• But in the midst of the climate of terror, there is a quiet man. Jesus is asleep in the stern.
• See Jesus resting quietly was another cause for despair to the disciples. It is difficult to understand how anyone would be sleeping in a situation like that.
• They wake up and say, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?". To them Jesus is paying little attention to the situation to continue sleeping.
• But the truth is that Jesus is in control. He knows everything that's going on, and want to give a great lesson to his followers.
Problem 3 - Central: The lack of faith of the disciples
• Then, without answering anything to the disciples, Jesus was awake and rebukes the storm.
• The strong wind is now a gentle breeze ... The sea calms down and the boat is again stable and secure.
• Those men, hitherto full of fear and insecurity, can breathe easy.
• But that relief climate is broken by Jesus.
• The master raises his voice and says:
"Why are ye so fearful? As ye have no faith? "
• In other words, why are you afraid? Why do not you trust me? ".
• Even those men have been chosen by Jesus to be his disciples, there was something in their hearts that needed to be improved - faith. Not faith for salvation, but faith related to trust and dependency of the Master.
• But this weakness of faith on the part of the disciples is a symptom of something deeper.
• In V.41 says, "feared exceedingly, said the disciples one to another, Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
• The biggest problem is that this text is not the wind storm. Not the fact that Jesus was asleep in the boat. The biggest problem is within the hearts of the disciples: the lack of a thorough knowledge of the person of Christ. - Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him? "
• For this reason the external storm produced an internal storm the hearts of men.
• The uncertainty of the disciples is the symptom of lack of faith, is the lack of faith is the symptom of the lack of a thorough knowledge of Jesus Christ.
"Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
2 -MOVEMENT - Many of us do not know really who Jesus is.
• We live in a world of many storms. Not only storms related to natural phenomena, but also those that cause disorders in the course of our lives.
• Disorder in family relationships, financial crisis, diseases, lack of public safety and other circumstances in take peace ...
• But the big question is not in the storms we face, but the way in which the face.
• Unfortunately, in most cases, we face the storms as well as the disciples of Jesus in this episode - with a faulty faith.
• In the face of adversity we recognize that the Lord is with us, but often we are still afraid and insecure. Our heart is saddened, disturbed, and often almost collapses.
• At times we are "breaking in faith," but when the storms come, it often seems that the Lord is far, and our faith is not the same.
• What is the problem? Even trying to live a Christian life, we still disturbed before the storm?
• You may find this text, the answer to that: just as the disciples, we still lack a deep understanding of who is, in fact, Jesus Christ, and because of that the external storms we found on our walk become major storms in of our hearts.
• Therefore, what should be our mission as disciples of Jesus? A: strive to know our Master.
• But to know someone better is necessary intimacy. Only by having an intimate relationship with Jesus - learn more and more who he is; and the more we learn who he is, the safer we will be faced with life's obstacles.
• But how to live a life of intimacy with Christ?
• There is no intimacy without relationship, and there is no relationship with Christ without meditating on Sacred Scripture and the practice of prayer.
• But we found that the great villain who prevents this practice today is the lack of time. We engage with many things and not quality time invested in devotional practice!
• In our day-to-day, in addition to work in the most involved with soap operas and other TV schedules that take time to read the Word. More we share our lives on Facebook we share our life with God in prayer. We are dependent on our mobile phones, tablets and other electronic devices that depend on the presence of God.
• It seems that to have intimacy with the Lord in order to know you better, we need to review many things in our lives ...
3 - MOVEMENT - Jesus is the Son of God and is in control of everything.
• Returning to the text we see in v.39 that to rebuke the storm Jesus uses words as if speaking to a person. He gives an order: Be still, be still! And the wind ceased and made a great calm.
• An interesting detail is that in the course of the book of Mark, author emphasizes many times that Jesus performs own actions of God. And one of them is clearly evident in this episode is the power over nature.
• The evangelist Mark directs his readers to understand that Jesus is greater than a prophet; is greater than a simple man - he wants to show that Jesus is the Son of God and it remains the nature of God.
• Only God is able to control the phenomena of nature. Jesus is God the Son, and he is the King of the Universe, and all things are under his control.
• The demonstration of the power of Jesus on the storm is as if he had spoken to his disciples: I am the Son of God, King of the universe, everything is under my control; have confidence in me! Rest in me!
• Despite those men do not understand, Jesus reveals that he is more than a man, more than a prophet, he is the Son of God and is in control of everything.
4 - MOVEMENT - Jesus is the Son of God, and, today, is in control of everything.
• Jesus Christ has revealed to us. Through the scriptures we know that He is the Son of God and as the Father, he is God and have control and power over everything.
• In addition, it has been revealed on the day-to-day of our lives here on earth.
• Although often do not realize, He is in control of everything; he knows our lives more than we do; He cares for us.
• The Lord revealed and has revealed to us with love and grace in the face of our faith or faulty when our only motivation to seek Him is often so that our problems are solved ...
• So many things the Lord has done in the course of our history - starting with our salvation - and often we forget everything and panicked in the first storm signal ...
• But we should not forget that when the Lord lets us go through some storms, this is also a means of grace for us.
• He often puts us in "storms at sea" in order to perfect our faith, holiness, teach us to be totally dependent upon Him, and that we learn to experience the joy of salvation in any circumstances.
• The Apostle Paul, one of the great men of God, gives us a great lesson showing how he views the storms of life. In his second letter to the Corinthians 4.16-18 he says the following:
16 So do not lose heart; on the contrary, even though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but on what is unseen; For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Conclusion
• If that storm that the disciples had the discernment of who Jesus was in fact perhaps to feel the approaching storm, they are likely to tell each other the following:
"Calm down! We are with Jesus Christ, our Savior! We are the one who left His glory, to come to this fallen world and shed his blood to save us! We are the one who is one with the Father! We are the King of the Universe and everything is under your control! We are the Son of God. Even if He let perish in this sea, we will live with Him for eternity. "
• Given this message, brothers, I recognize that I am very far from ideal. So I do not consider these words as a sermon, but a simple share the words that Jesus has given to my heart before the storms that I have faced. And I invite you to listen and reflect on what He has said to me and to you:
- Son, I am here! I am the King of the Universe! Why are you afraid? Why do not you trust me?
May God bless us.