Battling for the Kingdom

Mark 4:35–41 ESV

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

As we begin this morning, I want to remind us where we have been over the past few weeks as we learn what it means for us to live our lives in the kingdom that has been provided for us as believers in Christ by him who has died and resurrected and now sits at the right hand of the Father to rule and reign over this kingdom, no matter how imperfect it may be at present.

‌We have learned that this kingdom that Christ has established has not come to completeness. Until that day, we live in ways that embody the essence of Christ for the world to see so that they might join with us as we await the consummation of the kingdom of God when Christ returns. As often described, this “in-between time” is not one where we sit frivolously on the sidelines watching as spectators. Instead, we are to live in a way that engages others, whether in Christ or not. We live in a peculiar way that seems odd to others. We work hard and spend time in worship and with family. By doing so, we live out a pattern of life that God himself has described for us in the world's creation. We have also learned that we have a world that is divided and even hostile to God. Through Jesus, God has invaded this world to conquer Satan and create a new people through the Holy Spirit. Last week, we learned that the call of all believers is to sow the seeds of the kingdom into this divided world. We do so through the proclamation of the gospel and being rooted in Christ so that we might produce spiritual fruit for others to be nourished. We do so where God has placed us at this particular time. God has given all of us a vocation, whether it be a teacher, a nurse, a factory worker, an office assistant, a farmer, or any other blessed work. God has placed you in that place to be his light so that those you see and meet might glimpse God’s kingdom in your life.

‌This brings us to our scripture today. It is one that many of us are very familiar with. Some version of it appears in the synoptic Gospels - Jesus calming the storm. I dare say that many of us have heard countless sermons on this passage. To some varying degree, those sermons have focused on Jesus calming the storms in our lives and bringing peace to us. This is very true. However, staying with this surface-level understanding can be relatively shallow within the context of Mark's gospel.

‌Instead, I invite us to go deeper into what Mark is telling us about the world in which we live and how Jesus’ presence in this world has made all the difference. It is also a call for us to continue Jesus' work as his church and expand the kingdom of God to all people.

1. Demonic powers cause chaos in the world. (vs. 35-37)

Storms on the Sea of Galilee were common. Because of the mountainous terrain around the lake and the warm air coming down the mountains and interacting with the water, storms could form very quickly and be violent, almost like a hurricane. Many people came to associate these storms with spiritual powers. And within the context of Mark’s gospel, this is not a far-fetched idea. Our modern ears might think this is preposterous. However, the chaos that is created by these powerful storms is not far removed from the chaos that we have been describing throughout this series.

‌Jesus enters a world that is filled with chaos. The powers of the enemy are rampant. Satan was the ruler of this world. Jesus speaks about this in John 12, saying that there is judgment on the world and the ruler of this world will be cast out. Satan has caused great chaos and confusion. He takes that which of God and twists it and perverts it. He takes the things God has created as good and makes them into a hollow shell of what God intended.

‌The chaos that disorders what God has brought into order causes fear and deception. We are lied to and told that the best way to have freedom and live your best life is to follow your base desires - to go after money, power, property, and sex. Our culture is sustained and fed off the greed in these desires. These are all things that God has created as good things, yet Satan and the power of sin have twisted them into something that does not resemble God’s creation but humanity’s creation. These things are not created out of love as they were with God but out of sinful desires contrary to God’s will. This causes chaos in the way we live.

‌Although this manifests in the physical world, its seeds come from the spiritual. That is why the Apostle Paul is so clear to us in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” These are demonic forces that use the human ability to sin to create the world around us.

‌We live in a world where waves are crashing against us because of the chaos. At every turn, there seems to be something new. The boat is filling up, and we feel like we are sinking. It is the same image of the Titanic when the band continued to play as the ship sank. In reality, that is what many are doing because, as we talked about last week, they have no ears to hear nor eyes to see what is really happening. After all, they do not know Christ.

2. Jesus’ words bring order to the chaos. (vs. 38-39)

Job 38:11 ESV

11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

3. Chaos can cause us to forget Jesus’ power. (vs. 40-41)

John 14:27 ESV

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.