His Power Over Nature

Introduction:

Video: When Storms Come

Tension

Good Morning Friendship Church, how are we doing? Feeling a little seasick anyone - sorry about that, hopefully the waves didn’t distract you from the heart of the message there.

Today we are returning to our series called “Christos” where we are diving deep into the life, ministry and mission of Jesus the Christ - or in Greek “Christos”. And as we approach the new year this week, we are going to look at another familiar story of Jesus…the one where He calms the storm. And like so many familiar stories we can sometimes down shift into cruise control when we encounter them because we have heard this one before…but let me encourage you not to allow that to happen to you this morning, but instead to choose to dive deeper into the story - punn intended! - to see what else God want to say to you about His power over storms.

To help us with this, I wanted us to consider a related Psalm. I bet you didn’t see that coming! Hundreds of years before the New Testament, before our Savior was born in the manger and given the name Jesus which means “God Saves”...the Psalmist writes of how the Lord is a God who saves. One of these categories is how the Lord saves those lost in a storm at sea. This is found in Psalm 107, feel free to turn there or to read it from screen:

Psalm 107:23–32 ESV

23 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. 31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

I do not claim to be much of a “Seafaring” man myself. If I am in a boat it is most likley trolling the shallows of a small lake fishing for bass or panfish. Although this time of year we are more working with hard water....But either way I know little of the kind of waves that this Psalm is speaking of - but the men described here it would have known. In fact, this reads to me as a the kind of story that would told by men who were not afraid of meeting a storm at sea, except for ones like this. And then when all their skill and experience is exhausted and they knew they were going to perish - they cried out to the Lord and they were saved.

Did you catch verse 29

Psalm 107:29 ESV

29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

If you know the story, then you can’t help but see the parallel between this Psalm and the experience that Jesus’ Disciples had the day he calmed the storm. We know that many of them were experienced fishermen and they even knew these waters they were boating it. This was familiar territory for them, until this storm hit. A storm that rose up in such a way that they knew that they were going to perish.

And we don’t have to be experienced sea faring men to be able to relate to this situation. To follow Jesus is to follow Him into wherever He might lead and sometimes He leads us into situations that may feel familiar at first…right up until they turn in a direction that we never expected, predicted or were prepared for.

This is where all of the Disciples of Jesus find our faith to be really tested and grown.

Not just when we are following Jesus into those thing that we expect to be challenging, but when unexpected things arise in familiar experiences... that is when our faith is most tested and then most grown. And as we look at the turning over of a new year this week, we really don’t know what 2021 will bring - we hope it be better than 2020 - but maybe the “storms” that we have gone through this past year have grown us in ways we are only beginning to see.

So let’s take a look at these things today from the account found in Mark 4, it’s on page 839 in the Bibles in the chairs. If you will open up with me there, I’ll pray and we can take a look at these things together.

Truth

We know that the “storms of life” is a common symbol for when things seem to be going from bad to worst. Some of us are a little crazy and we love ourselves a good thunderstorm, but typically use this kind of language only for when tragedy strikes in the most unexpected times. Things like an automobile accidents, loss of a job, a debilitating illness, and sudden unexpected death. And we may be able to overcome one of these things, maybe even two, but when wave after wave hits - then it is seen as a devastating storm.

In light of that, it can be a little jarring to realize that it was Jesus who led His Disciples into the boat that night. He led them into the storm.

Mark 4:35–38 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?”

1. When we trust Jesus, we willingly follow Him wherever He leads us (Mark 4:35–38a)

At this point in Jesus’ ministry he was becoming more and more popular. The word about Jesus was spreading and large groups of people were gathering to hear what this new Rabbi had to say. They were also showing up to see what he was going to do - as Jesus was doing many healings and casting out demons. This is the “crowd” that they left that night.

I don’t want us to miss the significance of this. If you have been a Christian for any amount of time you have probably heard that being a Christian means that you can’t follow the wordly ways of the crowd anymore. And that is true…but is that what is happening here?

This crowd has gathered to see Jesus. That is why they were there. They weren’t there trying and temp people to reject Jesus and draw them away from living like Jesus commanded - they were there to hear what Jesus had to say. Doesn’t that change the meaning behind what it meant here for the Disciples to “leave the crowd” to follow Jesus?

Some of us have been following after Jesus for a long time, but we have never gone any further than the crowd. We have never the shoreline. Never taken a step toward a boat. We are comfortable sitting back with the rest of the Jesus crowd. That is as far as it goes for us.

Again, I am not talking about those of you who might be here or online just checking this Jesus thing out - I am glad you are wanting to learn more about Jesus. No I am talking about those of us who have called ourselves Christians for years but it hasn’t changed anything for us. We have never left the “checking Jesus out” stage to follow Jesus into the boat.

And aparently God is used to having these kinds of people in His Church, not that he approves of it. To the Church in Laodecia, one of the Churches in the book of Revelations God said:

Revelation 3:15–16 ESV

15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

I don’t know exactly what “being spat out of God’s mouth” means, but I know it is not good. Maybe Jesus is calling you today to leave the crowd and get in the boat! To stop accepting a “lukewarm” association with the things of God and go all in and follow Jesus wherever He may lead.

But I’ll just warn you, leaving the “crowd” doesn’t mean that everything is smooth sailing. That is true in this story, but it is just as true in our Christian lives. In fact, Jesus promises that following Him will bring trouble, but we can take heart because we will be endure, even be at peace in the midst of trouble, because we are trusting ourselves to the Lord!

Think of it like this. Many of you have Christmas traditions where you travel for the holiday to meet with family who live further away. How many times on those long drives, especially on the way home when everyone is exhausted, have you found your kids asleep in the car? Our children feel at ease because they trust their parents to take care of them, and so they allow the smooth ride and the hum of the car’s engine to lull them into a deep sleep. Even some of our teenagers can often be found fast asleep in the car…sometimes even on short car rides, their headphones are in and they are out.

And speaking of our teenagers, contrast this scene where the Children are sleeping peacefully in the back with parents at the wheel and the scene where the parents are in the passenger seat and the children are behind the wheel just learning to drive. No one is sleeping now are they? You are just over there stomping on your imaginary brake pedal!

The difference between these two scenes is found in how much you trust the one who is in the driver seat. Not just their desire to do a good job directing the vehicle, but also their ability to do so.

This is the question when it comes to finding peace with Jesus in the storm. Do you trust Jesus desire and ability to lead through the storm? If you do, then why aren’t you in boat?

Perhaps this is why Jesus could rest so easily in the stern of this boat, even in the midst of such a terrible storm. He trusted in His Father who was in absolute control of the situation. So he was like a little kid coming home from grandma’s house Christmas night. The Disciples, on the other hand were more like the parent in the passenger seat stomping on their imaginary brake and grabbing for the wheel.

And don’t forget, this is not a perception problem, the storm was truly dangerous. These were seasoned fishermen who knew this sea very well, and yet even they were freaking out. The account in Matthew calls it a “great storm” and that the boat was “swamped” and Luke gives us this description: And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.

The storm was real! The danger was real! If nothing changed, all signs pointed to the destruction of these boats and the death of these men... But he (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.

So what is happening here? Jesus was aware of the mortality of men, how could he be sleeping in a time like this? Or was He really even sleeping? Maybe he was just pretending to be sleeping. Kind of sleeping with one eye open to see how long it took his disciples to come to him? I mean, he couldn’t actually be peacefully asleep in the midst of such a clear and present danger…could He?

I believe He was. I believe he was truly asleep, because He knew His Father was in the drivers seat. This shouldn’t surprise us too much as we read through the Scriptures...

Psalm 3:5 ESV

5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

Psalm 4:8 ESV

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 121:3–4 ESV

3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Proverbs 3:24 ESV

24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Not to mention Psalm 107 that I read earlier. Even in the midst of the storm, when the Lord is driving it all we can rest peaceably. This is what Jesus was doing…but it was a far cry from where the Disciples were at. You see...

2. We can become angry with Jesus when we think He doesn’t see our needs and fears. (Mark 4:38)

So the storm is raging around them...

Mark 4:38 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?”

Have you ever been angry with God? Even scolded Him for not taking care of something as you felt He should?

How could you let this happen?

How could you let her die?

How could you let him leave?

How will we pay our bills now?

How could you allow wave after wave of these unexpected circumstances to keep crashing into lives like a whirlwind storm?

Have you ever had an experience like this? I sure have. I vividly remember pulling over the side of the road and giving my steering wheel a horrible beating as I laid into God and what I saw in that moment as His not seeing my needs and fears.

This is where the disciples were at. There was no honest question in this, it was an accusation. And we need to remember that the Disciples are still new to this following Jesus thing. They still haven’t completely figured out who this guy is. They know He is special, but they have little idea of just how special.

And more than that, this perceived lack of concern seems to fly in the face of what they have seen so far. They just watched Jesus show incredible compassion over those back in the crowd. He was healing the sick, the lame the leprous. People no one else would even touch, and He is lifting the concerns of their life one by one. And now here they are willing to get in the boat…and now they were going to drown. Jesus saved the lives of all those other people, but now when they needed Him - Here He was sleeping.

But his actions, or lack of action, was not in any way a sign of his lack of concern for their welfare. The truth is that Jesus was working to give His Disciples something greater than what He gave those who were back on the shore. Jesus revealed his power to The Disciples in greater measure than the crowd had ever seen. They were trusted with a picture of Jesus that brought them to see Him in ways that the crowd could not have known.

Our last theme for this morning is...

3. We can worship Jesus as He reveals His power over the storms in our lives (Mark 4:39-41).

Mark 4:39–41 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. 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?”

A teacher tells her young students to be quiet, and they obey.

A judge calls for order in the courtroom, and everyone complies.

These are demonstrations of authority in our world, just as Jesus demonstrated his authority over the storm that day.

Only Mark gives us Jesus’s words “Peace, Be still” but the resulting calm was universal to all the Gospel accounts. Jesus demonstrated to the ones in the boat that they could trust Him with their whole lives, because He had power even over the sea.

And there response is so intriguing as we see them go from one kind of fear to an entirely different kind. Previously they were fearful over the threat of the storm, but now they are in awe over the one who has such power over Nature that when He tells a deadly storm to be quiet …it did.

Gospel Application

Of course, over the next few years the disciples saw many other demonstrations of Jesus’ divine power as they continued to follow Him. Even so, it is unlikely that they ever forgot this one, when they found Jesus sleeping in the boat and then He turned debilitating fear over a storm into a faith inspiring awe over His authority as the Son of God.

It’s interesting to contrast this time when the Disciples needed Jesus and found Him sleeping with a time later on that Jesus needed His Disciples and found them sleeping. Do you know what I am talking about?

Mark’s Gospel records these events in chapter 14 when Jesus knows that He is about to perish on the cross and He invites his closest Disciples to come with Him into the garden of Gethsemane. It is again late at night and He brings His disciples into the garden and asks them to pray...

Mark 14:35–36 ESV

35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Jesus was very aware of the “storm” that He was about to endure, but even in this He is trusting the will of the Father to be in the drivers seat.

Mark 14:37–41 ESV

37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Back in Chapter 4 Jesus was asleep in the peaceful rest of the Father’s plan. Here in Chapter 14 the disciples were asleep simply because of the weakness of their flesh. And we all have that weakness, that is why we need what Jesus did for us.

Landing

Getting into the boat with Jesus is not a promise of smooth sailing, but it is a promise of Jesus being with you through it all. Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus, but that love desires to show us more and more of the goodness and glory of Jesus. Sometimes those lessons are learned best in the storm.

Let’s pray