Tornadoes Can Be Terrifying

Tornadoes

I grew up in tornado alley.

I was terrified as a kid.

Sirens, rain, thunder, lightening, wind

The Wizard of Oz was required every spring.

Family would watch tv till the power went out.

Then, the radio.

“Spotters” would report where the funnels were.

Never went into the basement.

What I learned as an adult is the weather guys will tell you where the funnel is and where it’s headed.

Now, I respect the weather, but I’m not afraid, until I’m in the path of one.

Sara and I hadn’t been married long, we’re living in Mesquite, TX while I’m in seminary.

A small, 1200 sq.’ house just east of Dallas.

Out doing yard work on a Saturday afternoon.

Sara, “Look at those cool-looking clouds!” About that time the sirens start. My first move was to turn on the tv.

Heard that Towne East Mall was about to get hit. That mall is about 2 mi. west of us. The tornado was headed right for us.

I go into action.

Sara’s like, what are you doing?

She grew up in Tucson. She has no idea how much trouble we’re in.

I’m stripping our bed, trying to grab our mattress, could use some help, but she’s still…, I’m yelling “Get into the bath tub, grab the dog, it’s comical actually.

By the time I get the mattress off the bed the radio reports the funnel was passed us already.

We would have died!

Just before we left Little Rock an EF4 tornado hit about 4 mi west of our house.

We went out to help clean up.

The tornado had stripped his land of all his trees.

Turned a detached garage on its foundation

His house was still standing, but heavily damaged.

His neighbor’s house, elevated just a little above his was completely destroyed.

Both families were fine as they huddled in an interior closet.

The neighbor had a 1,000 lb gun safe bolted to the garage floor slab and the tornado had tossed it out into his front yard.

EF4’s have an up force of 300,000 lbs.

It was tragic

That storm was tragic that day.

As a kid, what prompted my terror was not just the storm but that everything was way out of control.

As an adult, I have control over what I do in the storm, but still no control over the storm.

The more I know the healthier respect I have for the power of nature.

Life is filled w/ storms, real, relational, physical, financial, spiritual, emotional, etc. They can be terrifying b/c we have so little control.

Sometimes these storms are the result of poor decisions we make, then we cry out to God to save us from ourselves.

But, that’s a horse of a different color!

The can be terrifying b/c we have so little control.

Sometimes storms are a result of simply living our lives following Jesus faithfully and obediently.

We find ourselves in over our heads, we’re drowning, and life is completely out of out control.

We can’t control the storm, but we can control how we respond.

But we do control how we respond.

And, we know someone who is in complete control.

So, we don’t have to be afraid.

Miracle #13 ; ; .

Context

Last week

You may recall that after a run-of-the-mill, no-big-deal exorcism of one demon, the reaction of the Temple leaders was to accuse Jesus of working on behalf of Satan, the enemy!

They couldn’t stand what came w/ the acceptance of Jesus.

Grace. Faith alone. Complete surrender. Humility.

They would lose their status.

A year and half into Jesus’ ministry and this is their formal rejection of Him as their Messiah.

This opens the door to the eventual establishment of the church and everyone in equal standing w/ God.

So, things are changing.

Kingdom parables

Jesus, then, teaches kingdom parables that describe it as small seeds growing into great plants.

What starts small, will grow into a massive gathering w/ ppl coming from all over the world throughout history.

Jesus is the powerful King of this kingdom.

Then, after the miracle we’re studying today:

A Legion of demons

Jesus has already shown that He is more powerful than one demon at a time.

Next, He’s going to cast a legion of demons out of one man and into a herd of pigs.

And, they can’t stop Him.

Jesus has power over disease, death, demons, and we’ll see today, nature.

There is a shift taking place in Jesus’ ministry. Up to this point He was demonstrating to the religious establishment that He is their Messiah to be accepted and installed as King.

But, they rejected Him. (He knew they would.)

So, now, He is starts preparing the disciples for a long period of service when the church will be built.

This is for the 12 disciples, and us.

In this episode, the faith of the disciples is tested. He sent them all across the sea.

They had faith in the boat to float. But, as the boat crossed the sea and a storm blew up they knew that their faith in the boat alone was not enough.

They were going to die if they didn’t get help.

Panic set in.

Here’s what happened.

Load ‘em Up, Cast ‘em Off

Mark 4:35–36 NIV

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

Mark

It had been a busy, long day of teaching a large crowd.

He was exhausted. He

This is where He had presented the kingdom parables.

The disciples were there, as always, they heard it, they knew it.

It’s getting dark and Jesus wants to go to the other side.

He was exhausted. He ends up falling asleep in the boat.

Jesus sent them to the other side.

They respond immediately. No special prep. Just go.

This is a semi-private moment for the 13. There were other boats, but we don’t know what happened to them.

He knew what was coming. And He fell asleep.

Panic at Sea

Mark 4:37–38 NIV

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Mark 4:

A little geography

The Sea of Galilee is very shallow and very large.

If you blow across the top of a bucket filled w/ water you would barely disturb the water.

But, if you blow across a dinner plate of water the disturbance is violent and total.

The Sea of Galilee is very shallow and very large.

Surrounded by mountains that can create a wind-tunnel.

Storms blowing up very quickly is a regular occurrence. They would not have seen it coming for the mountains and the darkness.

A small storm generates 6-’ waves.

Imagine a violent storm at night w/ 12-’ waves.

Rain, wind, lightening, thunder and the boat is taking on water.

Remember, who is on board!

Any boatsmen on board?

Several professional fishermen were on board. They would have taken charge b/c of their experience maneuvering across the lake. They knew the lake and they knew boat safety.

Jesus relaxed from a long day and fell asleep.

These storms blow up quickly and w/out warning. One minute coasting along in peaceful serenity w/out a care in the world and the next being challenged by the lake for your very life.

This storm blew up fast and it was furious.

How bad would it have to be for experienced boatsmen to panic?

These sailors knew they were in serious trouble.

They were a long way from the shore and the storm was causing the boat to take on water.

They panicked b/c they saw absolutely no way out.

They were going to die and all this miracle-worker could do about it was sleep.

A difficult 12 inches

In golf they say the most difficult distance to cover is the 6 inches between your ears.

In life, the most difficult distance to travel is the 12 inches between your head and your heart.

These men had heard Jesus teach many times and knew a lot. But, they didn’t understand all of it and maybe didn’t believe it all, yet.

They had recently seen Jesus raise a young boy from the dead. But, on this night they feared He didn’t care enough to prevent their deaths.

Luke 8:23–24 NIV

As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

They were gripped w/ fear and believed their lives in grave danger.

Matthew 8:25 NIV

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Matthew 4:

Mark 4:38 NIV

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

They called Him, Teacher. But they didn’t understand His teaching, yet.

They had recently seen Jesus raise a young boy from the dead. But, on this night they feared He didn’t care enough to prevent their deaths.

Clearly, the storm was severe enough and would have swamped the boat and sunk it and the fate of all aboard would have been sealed barring a miracle.

They were panicked. But, Jesus was still asleep.

Jesus Calmed More than the Storm

Mark 4:39–41 NIV

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark

Jesus doesn’t seem concerned

These men had faithfully and obediently followed Jesus’ direction for their lives. W/out complaining or questioning they cast off and headed for the other side of the Sea just as He has said.

No one could have been more obedient than these men were in their response.

Yet, they faced one of the most terrorizing events of their lives.

You can be certain that those at the helm of their boat, big enough for 13 men, knew the lake. Peter, Andrew, James, and John all had fished these waters virtually their entire lives, and they knew what to do in such storms.

But, they were there b/c Jesus led them there.

It’s not like He didn’t know it was coming.

And then, after leading them into it on purpose, they didn’t find Him as responsive and they might like.

“You don’t even seem to care!”

The idea that Jesus who died for us would not care about our pain or anxiety or our fear makes no sense. Though, sometimes we feel that way.

Of course Jesus is concerned about the disciple’s lives.

Of course Jesus is not concerned about the weather.

However, He is concerned about their reaction to it.

Calm down!

As He woke up, He saw the fear in their eyes and heard it in their voices.

Jesus remained calm and then He calmed them.

Matthew says He calmed the disciples before He calmed the storm.

Either way, Jesus was not concerned for their safety. With a word He calmed the storm and the sea.

The calming was immediate and complete.

Usually, after a storm, does the sea calm immediately? Normally the waves would continue to rage for some time.

Obviously, this was unusual and abnormal.

He scolded the men for their cowardice. He asked them why they are such cowards.

They should be courageous. They had heard Him teach and saw Him work.

Courage is the result of faith. Cowardice is the result of disbelief.

Faith?

Again, it’s a complete lack of faith that led the disciples to cry out to Jesus.

If Him calming the storm was dependent upon their faith that He would, they’d be dead.

In fact, He scolded the disciples for their lack of faith.

“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

He had already told them they were going to the other side. Not that they were going to die half-way.

It was the will of Jesus to get to the other side. No force of nature was going to prevent them from making it.

How could they think for a minute that they would not get there?

Despite all the time He had spent w/ them teaching them and doing miraculous things before them they still did not believe that the power and authority of God was present in Jesus who was in the boat with them.

This was a test. And they didn’t do well.

He was calling them to believe in both His person and His authority when He asked where their faith was.

In essence, they were right to wake Him in order to calm the storm, but the fact that they were so afraid for their lives showed their lack of faith.

He didn’t scold them for waking Him. He scolded them for their faithless fear.

He said they would get to the other side. In that moment they did not believe it would happen.

They had heard so much from Jesus up to this point and seen so much of what He could do. But, in that moment they feared that even though He had shown up in the past, this time He might not.

A new reason to be terrified

Who is this? They thought they knew. But there’s still a lot they don’t know about Jesus and the implications of following Him.

They were terrified by the sight of the storm being subject to Jesus.

they had seen the dead raised, demons cast out, and the sick healed, but this was too much.

the force of a storm such as this one is awesome and it obeyed Jesus.

They ask, “Who is this?”

They still did not fully comprehend who Jesus is and the significance of it all.

This miracle was designed to produce faith in the disciples and the confidence that the Lord would enable them to endure the experiences that lie ahead.

He had taught them about faith and then sent them into the lab to help them get what they knew from their head to their heart.

He taught them parables about the kingdom being a seed. Who was going to cast that seed? They were.

What was going to happen as they did? Storms.

How would they handle the storms? Would they panic? Or, would they trust Jesus to protect them while they obeyed His directives?

How do you handle your storms?

It’s one thing to encounter a storm of your own doing. Still, God is gracious to help us out even when we don’t deserve it.

What about the storms that blow up even when we’re doing everything right?

The disciples worked to bail out their own boat to save themselves even though He was right there.

Put your bucket down and ask for help.

Applications

Storms

Jesus will send us into storms.

He told Abraham that the Canaanite land would be his and his descendants and he’d be famous in the land.

Then there was a famine and he was faced w/ a decision.

Stay and risk death. Leave and risk losing the land. He left and went to Egypt.

The Lord told Abraham that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars then gave him a wife who couldn’t conceive.

Who sent the famine and prevented Sarah from conceiving?

God did. Why?

To teach them that they could trust Him to do what He promised He would do even when things seem impossible.

Jesus will send us into storms to teach us the same thing.

Stay faithful.

Asleep?

In these inevitable storms it can seem like Jesus is asleep.

Well, He might be. Wake Him up.

Don’t panic. He is still in complete control.

Him not caring about what happens to you is completely inconsistent w/ someone who died for you.

Don’t believe He doesn’t care.

We put undue pressure on ourselves b/c we can feel like we are supposed to be immune from such struggles.

We can feel like something is wrong b/c we hurt so bad from the pain of the realities of life.

This can lead us to respond to tough situations w/ anger and resentment b/c we feel like it’s not supposed to happen to us and then it seems like Jesus is asleep.

Just wake Him up and ask for help. Don’t hesitate.

He will take good care of you.

Courage

Courage is born of a strong faith.

Cowardice is born of disbelief.

You come to church Sunday after Sunday and you know the theories. But the theories haven’t become realities, yet.

The only way to get the knowledge that you have to cover the distance between your head and your heart is through trials.

When you survive the storm your faith will be proved genuine and you can stand strong.

Life is filled w/ storms and they can be terrifying because we have so little control.

We can control how we respond in a storm.

And, we know Who is in control of the storm.

Don’t panic. Trust Jesus to take good care of you.