Living Miracles: Calming our Storms again and again
Notes
Transcript
This morning we will be in Mark 6. Remember last week Jesus had just turned fish and loaves into a feast and there were 12 baskets left over. Immediately after this Jesus sends the disciples in the boat to the other side while he stays back to pray and to spend time with the Father. As the disciples are heading to the other side a strong wind comes up against them and they are making very slow progress because of the wind. Jesus sees them and in the early morning Jesus decides to go for a stroll on the water. Jesus was walking past the disciples but they saw him and they became very afraid. In their fear they cried out, until Jesus acknowledged them and let them know it was him. He then got in the boat with them and the wind ceased and they were astounded. We have had sermons recently on the account of this that focuses on Peter and his stepping out of the boat. Today though we will take a moment to focus on the issue that Mark is highlighting for us. After Jesus calms the wind the scripture says that the disciples were astonished because they did not understand about the loaves but their hearts were hardened. When I read that I take a moment to process this statement and as I looked back at the scriptures and our studies I see exactly what the scripture means when it points this out. At first I said well how could their hearts be hardened? They were with Jesus serving with Jesus. They spent every day with Jesus. How in the world could their hearts be hardened?
There is one thing about my wife that I do not understand. Actually there are probably a few more than one but the main one is this. She gets mad at me for things that I have always done. For instance, she gets frustrated at me for putting my clothes on the blessed section of flooring in our house. You may be asking, what is a blessed section of flooring. It is a small space that has followed us from house to house. At night I get ready for bed and I put my dirty clothes from the day in the corner up near our bed and within 2 days the clothes are always clean, folded, and put in my drawer. It is a blessed section of flooring. My wife gets upset at me for using this section of flooring. I cannot understand why she gets so upset. I noticed growing up my mom got upset at it to so it must be a woman thing that I will never understand. But for the life of me I cannot understand why they expect me to do anything different than what I have always done.
Of course this is a joke, mostly. Then the spirit reminds me of my very own life with Christ. Time after time after time Jesus calms the storms in my life, performs miracles in my life and yet over and over I find myself in a place of fear and anxiety. The scripture though is not focusing on the fear of the disciples, it is in fact focusing on the heart of the disciples when they found themselves astonished. Yeah it sounds so funny does it not? Remember we are weeks into our study on the miracles. This week we are on miracle 20 of 37 that we will explore and after 20 miracles the disciples still found themselves astonished. Why? Why if Jesus had not changed anything about himself, had not changed the way he responded, not changed the power. Why would the disciples expect anything different? The same question is going to be asked this morning. If God and Jesus and the Holy spirit have come through for you time after time, after time, why do we expect that they will not do it again in our lives? Why do we found ourselves astonished at the power of Christ in our lives? This morning we will see three aspects of this scripture that should help in bringing us to a place of not being astonished at the power of Christ but bring us to a place of understanding that He will not respond in any other way than with His faithful response. First we will see the struggles in solitude. Second we will see the presence amidst the panic, and lastly we will see the peace beyond astonishment. Turn with me in your Bible to Mark 6:45-52
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
1. Struggles in Solitude
1. Struggles in Solitude
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,
We see in this scripture that Jesus did not go with the disciples but he sent them on their own to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd, and took time to pray. The disciples were sent on their own. Now it is not as though the disciples could not navigate the sea, many of them had done so their entire lives. But in the moment when they believed that Jesus was not there, they found themselves fighting against the storm in their life and they were not winning. This is such a realistic picture of our lives at times. We are facing the struggle in life and it feels like Jesus is far away and separated from our problems. How could a Jesus who cared not be there in the boat with us. why would He send us out on our own to face this struggle. Take a look back at the Scripture.
46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,
First, so He could intercede and pray- After Jesus sends the disciples away we find Jesus on the mountain praying. What is the significance of this? The significance is that Jesus is directly speaking with the Father and is always interceding on our behalf. When we feel like we are left alone and left to our on devices to try and navigate the struggles of life, we must remember that Jesus is not far from us. In this scripture we see that Jesus is keeping his eyes on his disciples, they never left his sight. While he was not in their presence, they never left his presence.
Second, so they could apply their belief. If you are asking, what does that mean? I would say that is a great question.
I love when my boys go with me to work on things. I try to teach my boys to use their hands, to be capable and to learn new things. I remember as a kid going with my dad I did not really enjoy it most the time because I wanted to get my hands dirty and most the time I spent simply being a tool carrier. I promised myself that as my boys grew up that I would not be that way with them. I promised myself that they would learn how to do things and would be able to really help with projects. As we have had different projects, I get them started on a particular part of that project and then I walk away and find something else to do. I do this because when I am present I have a tendency to take things from them and do it myself. What I have found is that when I am not present but can still keep an eye on them, they apply the things I taught them so that they can get things done. It is frustrating for them at times but it is so rewarding when they are able to see the product of their own hands.
Much in the same way we are challenged in life to apply our faith. We have walked with Jesus and learned and as we approach the storms and challenges in life it is an opportunity for us to apply that faith.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
All the time Jesus had spent with the disciples and all the miracles they saw him preform were meant to bring them to a fortified faith. To a place of being able to navigate the storms. This wind storm was in fact a real wind storm of nature, however it represents the storms we face in life. The fact that Jesus was not in the boat with them reflects the same challenge we are faced with when we feel like we are in a place of solitude we are called to remember the Lord is always with us and as we navigate the storms they serve to build our faith. So we find that we are just as the disciples and we face struggles in the solitude. We also experience the Presence of Christ amidst our panic.
2. Presence Amidst Panic
2. Presence Amidst Panic
48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Jesus had his eyes on His disciples, he then went out on his way to the other side and passed by them. When they initially saw the figure they were fearful and assumed it to be a spirit. Not knowing the nature of the spirit brought them great fear. However when Jesus announced himself and they recognized him, it brought them peace. The presence of Jesus brought the disciples peace in the middle of their panic. Can I help you this morning? If you are in the first part of this scripture today and you find yourself doing your best fighting against the wind and you are making progress but it is wearing you down. You see the waves and you see the storm and you are not sure how much longer you can make it. If you are fearful of being destroyed and forgotten, left behind, and buried. Can I invite you to allow Jesus into the boat with you? It is important for us to understand that Jesus did not create the storm that the disciples were in, he however was not unaware of the storm and was not unaware of how the disciples would feel without him there. Jesus understood that they would face this struggle and that He would make his way out and bring them peace. The presence of Jesus would bring them peace.
One of my favorite things to do in my house is to hide somewhere and jump out and scare whoever comes by. The kids love it when I do it to their mother. They are not so happy when I do it to them. I hide all kinds of places and I jump out and scare my wife and kids. The thing I love about this is that moment before the brain processes. In that moment they are caught off guard and no matter what they were in the middle of they lose their focus and they are wrapped in fear for a second. Then comes the realization of who I am and you see this sense of calm come back. Could you imagine if it were not me who jumped out? That calm that comes over them would not exist. If some random man jumped out of the closet at my wife and she realized quickly that it was not me, there would be absolutely no peace for her.
What we see here is that before the disciples recognize that Jesus is there, they are facing panic in the midst of their struggle. As soon as they see that it is Jesus there is this immediate peace that comes about for them. Jesus turned their fear into confidence. Jesus brought peace in the midst of their panic. Jesus does the same thing in our lives. When we trade the unknown for the image of Christ in our lives we can experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
When we bring the things of Christ into our lives and we trust in the person of God it brings us a peace that is unexplainable. It allows us to stop focusing on the storms and wind and waves and fix our eyes back on the God of peace.
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
he sets up salvation
as walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
5 For he has humbled
the inhabitants of the height,
the lofty city.
He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.”
7 The path of the righteous is level;
you make level the way of the righteous.
Jesus stated to the disciples that it was Him and that they did not need to fear. Whatever storm you are in today, you can experience peace. You may be looking at the figure on the water and you are wanting it to be the answers to your questions. You are wanting it to be the next steps in your path. But as you look out at the figure you are fearful. You can trade that fear in for peace today if you will understand that Jesus is out on the water for you. What you cannot see or control in your life, he lays waste of it under his feet. The disciples struggled against the wind and the waves and Jesus walked all over it. What can He walk all over for you this morning? What is Jesus calling you to trade in for His presence?
3. Peace Beyond Astonishment
3. Peace Beyond Astonishment
51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Not only did the presence of Jesus bring peace to the disciples, the presence of Jesus ended the storm. It should have been no surprise for the disciples to have this happen in their lives, it is what Jesus does. It is Jesus nature to bring about peace and calm and to bring the storms to an end. The disciples were astonished because their hearts were calloused to the miracles of Jesus. They had become so used to Jesus miracles in others lives that they hardened their heart to his miracles in their lives. Is that you this morning? Are you looking around and saying, God why do you do good things for this person or that person? Why does it seem like nothing good can happen for me? Maybe you need to trade in that heart and look at all the miracles that God has done in your life. Maybe the reason that you are still struggling is because you do not see the miracles of Jesus in your life as His normal operation. This morning I want to take this opportunity for all of us to stop and really consider all the wonderful things Jesus has done in our lives. May we not be a church astonished at the miracles of Jesus in our lives but may we be a people continuously found in peace because we know that Jesus desires to calm all the storms of our lives. Maybe you are in here and you are facing a challenge that has you anxious or overwhelmed and you are not sure what to do. Here is what you do, you consider all the times before this challenge as the work of God in your life to bring you to a confidence in Him. The way you overcome that anxiety is to look back and to understand and not harden your heart to the miracles that God has already performed in your life. We would be here all day if I went though all the ways that Jesus has blessed me and my family. These blessings and miracles are not a one time deal. God does not deal with us in terms of a one time deal. God deals with us in a faithful spirit blessing us as His children because that is His very nature. So this morning, Ken is going to come and He is going to play for us. I will be here up front for anyone who wants to pray or needs me to pray for them. I want all of us in here this morning to consider the greatness of our God and all the ways He has blessed you in your life. If you are breathing you have been blessed. You may say well pastor my life is not going great and I am not sure how I can get through the things I am facing. I can tell you how. God’s faithfulness will not stop and His love for you has no end. Reflect this morning on all the times He has come through for you. If you have experienced success in work, do not attribute that to your skills, attribute that to a God who has blessed you. If you are financially successful, do not attribute that to your ability to invest, attribute that to a God who has blessed you. If you are breathing today, do not attribute that to your lungs, attribute that to the God who continues to fill your lungs. Some in here need to let go and give it to God. This morning may we move beyond astonishment and live in peace because of the God we serve.
Maybe discuss how Jesus' entry into the boat leads to the calming of the storm, revealing His power to bring peace in chaos. Challenge the listeners to move beyond astonishment to deeper faith, understanding that Jesus calls us to trust in His power to quiet the storms of our lives.
