The Power of Our King Over Nature
Notes
Transcript
23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. 27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”
Scene 1. Storms at sea can be scary, just like the storms of life!
Now I have never been out in a boat in a really big storm.
The roughest seas I have seen were on a vehicle barge on Moreton Bay going over to Moreton Island, a long time ago.
The waves were breaking over the vehicle deck.
Really good for the vehicles on board.
As a young teenager I have been through one particular severe thunderstorm.
That was bad enough seeing the house come apart around me.
But I can’t imagine being in a severe storm at sea.
Many years ago a former Australian Navy technician I worked with told me of a time he spend onboard HMAS Melbourne, the Aircraft Carrier that Australia had many years ago.
Now an aircraft carrier, even a small one like the Melbourne is an enormous ship.
He described one huge storm the ship went through.
He was inside the hanger deck at the time.
Everything had been lashed down.
It had to be because as he stood at one end of the hanger deck, he could see it twisting as the ship was pounded by huge seas.
Sometimes life is like that.
The storms of life come along and we feel twisted in two; or more different directions at once.
Mark Twain sadly saw the storms of life like this.
“It is a time when one's spirit is subdued and sad, one knows not why; when the past seems a storm-swept desolation, life a vanity and a burden, and the future but a way to death.”
Not a very happy thought really.
Scene 2. Jesus and his disciples faced a storm at sea; the disciples were terrified, Jesus slept!
Now I don’t know about you but sleeping in a small timber fishing boat in the middle of a storm seems a bit hard, but Jesus had spent considerable time ministering and healing and it is likely that he was very tired.
The type of boat that Jesus and his followers used was a small timber boat.
We know from a recent discovery that these boats were not that big.
In fact it appears that the basic design was kept until recent times.
Mark’s Gospel chapter 4 and verse 36 tells us that there were other boats with them.
So imagine a small flotilla of fishing boats sailing across the lake.
It is early evening, the time when severe thunderstorms can suddenly sweep across the lake.
A bit like the situation in our part of the world.
The disciples and Jesus in one boat, his other close followers in the other boats.
Jesus is asleep on a cushion and the situation gets too difficult for the disciples to handle.
Now this had to be a pretty bad storm, many of the disciples were experienced fishermen.
It doesn’t say but the boats could have even been theirs.
They were terrified, Jesus was asleep.
Scene 3. This is a significant contrast that we can learn from, the disciples were looking at what they could see; Jesus was resting secure in his Father’s love.
What do you look at when the storms of life gather around you?
Now this isn’t an area where I am going to even pretend I have got it together.
I get stressed when things don’t go well.
I get anxious when there is uncertainty.
And every time my wife tells me that I need to trust God and stop trying to do things myself.
And this is exactly what we see in the contrast between Jesus and his disciples.
Jesus was secure in his Father’s love.
The disciples could only see the endless waves coming at them.
And the more they bailed out the water in the bottom of the boat the more there seemed to be.
Meanwhile Jesus just slept.
No concern about the storm.
His heavenly Father had things under control.
Now I don’t know whether the boats would have sunk if Jesus had remained asleep.
The disciples certainly thought that they were all going to die.
So they wake Jesus up.
In a sense they do what we so often do.
Turn to God as a last resort.
Scene 4. When Jesus calmed the storm for his terrified disciples he was seeking to teach them the significance of his power as creator.
Jesus is the Lord of nature.
The wind did not die down and the waves follow.
All three gospel accounts tell us it became completely calm.
Greek stories about those who could subdue nature were normally about gods or about demigods who had acted in the distant past.
The Old Testament reported some earlier teachers who could pray for rain or its cessation like Elijah.
But absolute authority over waves and sea in Jewish tradition belonged to God alone.
It is not difficult to understand why the disciples did not know what to make of Jesus!
Here before them was one with the power of the creator.
Standing in the boat with them, mere fishermen.
One moment they had been in fear of their lives, the next moment complete stillness.
And I think at this point Jesus would have turned to them and just looked at them.
He rebuked them for having little faith.
The Bible doesn’t tell us but I think the rest of the journey was particularly quiet.
The only words recorded are the question of the disciples.
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” [2]
They had seen a demonstration of absolute power.
Jesus did not call for the Father’s assistance.
He said no magic words
He just demonstrated his power as creator.
And his creation obeyed.
Scene 5. That power is a source of reassurance to us in the storms of life, we just need to remember it is available to us.
The same Jesus who stood in that boat 2000 years ago and with a few words commanded a storm to be still.
The same Jesus who when he landed on the other shore commanded a legion of demons to come out of a man.
The same Jesus who healed the blind, the deaf, the lame and raised people from the dead.
Is the same Jesus who overcame death and sits now at the right hand of the father in heaven.
That is the power that is available to us.
It has been said; “In our lives there is bound to come some pain, surely as there are storms and falling rain; just believe that the one who holds the storms will bring the sun.”
It is a simple choice really.
Yet one that we all struggle with!
Trust in Jesus and his power as Lord.
Or fight the storms on our own.
Adversity is a given.
Yet often we make things worse for ourselves.
In our fear, we forget Jesus is with us.
The winds of the storms of life will buffet us from every side.
Do not fear the winds of adversity.
Remember:
A kite rises against the wind rather than with it.
With Jesus, the all powerful creator, leading the way there is no need to fear.
What were Jesus’ parting words to his disciples?
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”
How much authority?
All authority
My friends in the Father’s Kingdom authority comes with power.
All power!
The power of our King is with us, we need not fear.
So when the storms of life come upon us, as they will.
Remember this, Jesus our King has power, all power and his power is available to us.
Because he promised us he would be with us to the very end.
Communion Service
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
As you remember Christ’s Sacrifice to bring about a new relationship between ourselves and God.
Remember this; Jesus’ sacrifice was a sacrifice of choice!
He, the all powerful creator chose to lay down his life for you and I!
It was a choice.
As we partake of communion today remember this we have a choice.
Choose to walk in fellowship with the all powerful creator, who willingly gave his life for us.
Choose to walk secure in the midst of the storms of life.
Jesus the creator gave his life, for you and I.
Let us honour him today and walk secure in his power.
[1] Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Mt 8:21). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
[2] Cox, S. L., & Easley, K. H. (2007). Holman Christian Standard Bible: Harmony of the Gospels (87). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
