Trusting the One Who Calms the Storm-Mark 4:35-41

What a joy it is to be back at Liberty Chapel this Sunday. Pam and I had a great time on our vacation. A lot of driving as we covered 5 States visiting with a lot of family and friends. I was able to get in close to 200 miles of bike riding, and Pam also covered quite a few miles on her bike. All in all a lot of relaxation, which I think we both needed.

I am so grateful for Pastor Allen and his willingness to fill in for me in the pulpit. You know, we are pretty fortunate to be able to count on a man who preached from this pulpit for 34 years, when Pam and I are out of town! I listened to both of Pastor Allen’s messages from the Book of Proverbs, it was such a joy for me to sit under his teaching via the internet! Thanks Pastor Allen!

This week we return to The Gospel According to Mark and a passage I have been looking forward to preaching for at least a couple months.

By the way, as we start this morning I want to express that I owe a debt of gratitude to Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside CA. As many of you know, one of the things I do, on top of my regular reading and commentaries, is listen to multiple messages on passages I am preaching through. This morning’s outline come from a message Greg Laurie preached in 2010.

Early this week Hurricane Sara hit the lower half of the Atlantic Coast. It was a powerful category 2 hurricane, in fact had the winds been 10 miles an hour faster it would have reached category 3! While the winds may have been less powerful than many recent hurricanes, the flooding has been significant. The thing about hurricanes in our day and age is, with the technology available to us we generally see them coming for several days in advance. We have the opportunity to prepare for them. 15 years ago our family went on a cruise. By family, I mean around 35 of us. We were celebrating my parents 50th Anniversary. Our cruise was cut short by a hurricane. I don’t remember for sure but I think it was Hurricane Dennis. Something that was kinda neat in regards to this hurricane is, that as we stood on the back of the cruise ship, we could clearly see the hurricane approaching and it was well over 50 miles south of us. Our captain put the peddle to the metal to get into Florida before it hit. We made it with a couple hours to spare. Between the modern technology and the ability to see well over 50 miles south of us, we were able to prepare for the hurricane. That was not the case for the disciples in this mornings passage. They were lacking in both technology and visibility and as a result they were completely unprepared for this major storm.

You know storms are a part of life for all of us, and by storms I am using that as a metaphor for hardships, for tragedy, for difficulties. These could come in the form of a difficult or broken relationship. They could be an illness or injury, could be the rebellion of a child, the unfaithfulness of a spouse, the death of a loved one, the inevitable results of aging, which we have a number of our members dealing with this morning, or any number of things. The fact is, there are really only 2 types of people in the world when it comes to storms, those who are going through a crisis and those who are going to go through a crisis. So, we cannot control the storms of life, we can only control how we react to those storms.

With that in mind, let’s look at a time in Scripture, where the disciples were faced with a terrible storm. You should already have the place marked in your copies of God’s Word. Would you please stand now in honor of the reading of God’s love letter to us? We will be reading Mark 4:35-41. Next Slide

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?”

May the Lord as His blessing to the reading of His Word! Please be seated.

I mentioned a few moments ago that storms are an inevitable part of life for all of us. You know, sometimes when we are in the midst of the storms of life we think that the storm is a part of the judgement of God on us. Like we have done something wrong, but I want you to notice something from this morning’s passage. There is nothing, in what we read this morning, that would lead us to believe that the disciples were anywhere other than the center of God’s will for them. In fact it was their obedience to Jesus that put them into the path of the storm. Look at verses 35 & 36. There we see Jesus say to the disciples “Let us go to the other side.” In verse 36 we see that they immediately obeyed Him. “And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was.” Sure, Jesus later rebuked them for their lack of faith in verse 40, but this was after the calming of the storm. The fact of the matter is, sometimes the storms of life have nothing to do with us facing the judgement of God. There are actually times that our obedience to God puts us into the path of a storm. Listen very carefully, Next Slide

The presence of Jesus in the boat does not guarantee smooth passage.

Many times God has a different purpose behind the storm. So, what do we learn from this morning’s passage?

Next Slide

Storms Will Come Into Our Lives.

By the way, this was a nasty storm. The Sea of Galilee, which is actually a fresh water lake, rests at 682 feet below sea level and is surrounded by mountains. Essentially, on the west and the northwest, the mountains rise to 1,500 feet above sea level. On the northeast and the east, they rise to 3,000 feet above sea level, to the Golan Heights, which runs 42 miles in length, and the lake is only 13 miles, so the Golan Heights go far past the lake; the lake is 13 by 8 miles. So, it sits in a bowl, and the water that comes into the lake - comes partly from some hot springs, but primarily from the Jordan River, which flows out of Mount Herman. Mount Herman is up in the north, on the Lebanon border, at 9,200 feet, so the water flows about 10,000 feet down, to fill up this lake in this bowl. It is such pristine, fresh water that it provides, even today, about fifty percent of the water for the nation Israel, so it was a tremendous resource to them, for water as well as for fish. It is the lowest body of fresh water on earth. The steep hills and cliffs that encompass the Sea of Galilee make it susceptible to high winds and turbulent storms that come sweeping from the Mediterranean Sea, over the mountains, which cools the winds down, then they collide with the warm air over the Sea of Galilee causing dangerous storms. That is what we see happening in this morning’s passage. This storm was so fierce that these seasoned fishermen, who had faced countless storms over their lives, were afraid for their lives.

Yes storms will come into our lives, and what do we do when we are faced with these storms? Next Slide

2. We Need to Cry Out to Jesus In the Midst of the Storms. Vs. 38; Matthew 8:25

Look at what the disciples do in verse 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?’”

In this same account in Matthew 8:25 we read that they woke Him and said; “Save us Lord; we are perishing!”

When I say to cry out to Jesus, I mean you cry out to Jesus with whatever is on your heart. You don’t need to worry about offending God. Cry to Him with whatever is on your heart.

“God, Why?”

“God, What?

“God, where are You?”

“Lord, I don’t get this!”

“Lord, I don’t like this!”

“God I am in desperate need of Your presence, Your touch!”

“Lord, Help me!”

The point is we cry out to Jesus with whatever is on our hearts.

Sometimes I think we feel we need to sanitize our cries when we bring them before God. Can I point out something to you this morning. We’re not hiding anything from God when we bring our sanitized pleas to Him! He knows our every thought before we ever come before Him. God wants us to come to Him in the honesty of the moment. Need proof? Read through the Psalms sometime! The Psalms are loaded with raw emotions from those who wrote them, and you don’t see God reprimanding them for their raw emotions. Look at the raw emotions from Jesus when He cried out to God from the cross; “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?” There is nothing sanitized with His plea from the cross. The point is, God already knows our hearts, call out to Him from the depths of your heart. That’s what the disciples did, they cried out to God.

By the way, I want you to notice something from verses 38 & 39. Next Slide

Mark 4:38–39 ESV

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.

There was a fierce storm raging and Jesus sleeps right through it, but the cries of His people awaken Him. You can be certain they tried everything else at their disposal before these accomplished fishermen woke up the sleeping carpenter. But finely they got to the point where they realized Jesus was their only hope. There are times God allows us to get to the end of our rope so we will get to the point that we finally cry out to Him in despair, that He might prove Himself to us. The key for us to understand is that anytime we cry out to God, He is always ready to answer.

This brings us to the next important lesson we need to learn from this morning passage, and that is; Next Slide

3. God Has His Purposes In the Storms of Life.

We don’t always know what those purposes are, and in some cases we won’t this side of heaven. But we can trust His plan. In my 60 years of life, God has taught me some valuable lessons. I have learned a great deal from the times I have poured over His Word. I have learned from the incredible parents and family He has blessed me with, from Pam whom He gave me now almost 34 years ago! But I have to be honest with you, some of the most valuable lessons I have learned in life, have come from the storms He has brought me through. And I chose that last phrase carefully, you see I was never alone in those storms, He brought me through all of them! King David understood this same truth when he wrote in Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” As those who have fully surrendered to the Sovereign God we can know that God is always with us. By the way, I want you to notice one important phrase in Mark 4:35 that should be a source of great encouragement to all of us. It is the the first time Jesus spoke in these verses. He says to the disciples; “Let us go across to the other side.” Please don’t miss the assurance Jesus gives His disciples, because it is a lesson to us as well. Jesus assured them that they would successfully make it to the other side. He didn’t say, “Let us attempt to make it to the other side.” He said “Let us go to the other side.” Team that up with the “for You are with me” of Psalm 23:4 and you can know that not only is He with you in the storms of life, if you lean on Him, you will make it to the other side. Another thought to keep in mind, His idea of where “the other side” is may not match your idea of “the other side”. But rest assured, while my plans are not perfect, His plans are! Can I share a valuable lesson with you? The lesson is this: Next Slide

God does not promise His protection from the storms of life, He promises His presence in the Storms of life.

Need proof? Write this down for your afternoon reading: Daniel 3. It’s the Biblical account of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego in the fiery furnace. In reading this passage about one of the worst storms anyone could ever face, we see the presence of God in the midst of the storm.

Perhaps you may be thinking; “Yeah, but they didn’t perish, would you say that God was with them in the storm had they perished?” To answer that I want you to add another passage for your Sunday afternoon reading. Acts 6 & 7. This is the Biblical account of Stephen, the first individual to loose his life for his faith in Jesus. When reading through this account, one of the most amazing verses takes place towards the end of chapter 7 where we read; “But being full of the Holy Spirit, He gazed up into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right Hand of God”! Let me ask you a question, Was Stephen alone in the storm that brought about his death?” Jesus, Himself, was with Stephen in the greatest storm he ever faced.

You know there are at least 3 types of storms that we face as believers.

Storm #1: Next Slide

a. Correcting Storms. Jonah; Hebrews 12:5-6

The best example of a correcting storm is the OT Book of Jonah. In this account Jonah was commanded by God to warn the City of Nineveh that if they didn’t repent of their wicked ways God would destroy them. Well Jonah hated these people because they had treated the Nation of Israel harshly. So he disobeyed God and sailed off in the other direction. God sent a storm to correct Jonah. In the end, Jonah obeyed God and the entire city repented ad was saved. There are times God will let you reap what you sow so you will stop doing wrong. We learn in Hebrews 12:5-6 that God does this because He loves us.

Then there is: Next Slide

b. Protecting Storms. Psalm 107:23-30

I have faced God’s protecting storms a time or two and have discovered that these storms are usually designed to protect me from myself. Maybe to rid me of pride in self. Or to keep my from getting off track in how I follow Him. His desire is, that He might bring me to the desired haven.

Did you know there is Psalm that basically mirrors this account in Mark 4? It is in Psalm 107:23-30. Let me read this to you:

“Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24 they saw the deeds of the Lord, His wondrous works in the deep. 25 For He commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea, 26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths, their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. 28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven.”

God sometimes brings storms into our lives that the storm will bring us to our “wits’ end” that we may make it to the “desired haven”. That desired haven is that we would be at the center of God’s will. I welcome any storm that keeps me in the center of God’s will for my life.

Next there is: Next Slide

c. Perfecting Storms. 2 Cor. 4:17-18

These storms come as a result of following Jesus. Jesus brings us into these storms that He might perfect His work in us.

For Pam and me, this has been the most common storm we have faced, and some of these have been horrific at the time. But what God has accomplished as a result of these Perfecting Storms is nothing short of miraculous. Some of these storms God has used to prepare us for the work He wanted to accomplish here.

The loss of a child has uniquely prepared us to minister to people here who have lost a child.

An accident that nearly took my life has opened up the door for us to minister to those who have faced similar circumstances.

Pam and I have faced the storms of fear, storms of depression, storms of the loss of a parent or other family member…and many other storms…too many to mention here this morning. God has taken each of these storms and used them to prepare us for His work at Liberty Chapel, and He will do the same for you as well. As Diane Sparks likes to say; “God don’t waste no trouble!”

So, when we go through the storms of life we should be asking, Next Slide

How can I use this storm to point people to Jesus Christ?

I want to close out this morning with the most encouraging lesson we see in these verses, and that lesson is: Next Slide

4. God’s Power Over the Storm. Mark 4:39; 41

My favorite verse of this entire passage is verse 39 where we read: Next Slide

Mark 4:39 ESV

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.

Jesus had power over the wind and the sea with nothing more than the Words from His mouth. Truthfully, this shouldn’t surprise us, after-all, we find out in Genesis 1 that He spoke them into existence! Why shouldn’t He be able to calm them instantly with just His Words! As miraculous as it was that the wind would instantly be calm, even more miraculous that the waves would be instantly calm. Scientifically, it should have taken several hours for the waves to become calm after the winds ceased to blow. But when the God of the universe speaks, the earth He created instantly obeys. Next Slide

Would that we would follow the lead of the winds and the waves!

There is one last thing I want us to look at this morning, and we find it in verse 41.

Mark 4:41 ESV

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?”

Here we see that they were filled with “great fear”. In verse 40 we find they were “afraid”. The word for fear in verse 40 indicates they were “timid and fearful”. In verse 41 the word is “to be put to flight” and then Mark adds the word “great”, which “means fear that strikes terror”. Do you see the progression in their fear? The storm made them fearful, but the One with power over the storm struck them with terror, terror that made them want to flea. Of course they had no where to go, they were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.

The point is;

God doesn’t want to displace our fears. He wants to replace the object of our fears. He doesn’t want you to fear the storm you are going through, He wants you to fear the One Who takes you through the storm. Knowing that He has a perfect plan for you. That He wants, and knows what is best for you. You can trust Him, He Who speaks Peace be still can give you Peace in the Midst of your storm because He is right there with you.

Are you in the middle of a storm today? Fearful, unsure, unsettled, not certain of what to do next? Do what the disciples did. Call out to the Master of the storm. The One Who, if He wants to can speak “Peace be still” to your storm, but Who, even if He doesn’t, will go through the storm with you.