Jesus, Calmer of the Storm
The Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Intro
Good evening students! I am so happy to see each of you here tonight. I pray you are having a good week as we come together tonight to worship God. If you have your Bible open to the book of Mark with me as we continue to walk through this book verse-by-verse. This week, we come to the last section of our study through Mark 4. As we finished the parables of Jesus a few weeks ago, this week we will be taking a look at Jesus calming the storm.
Let’s read Mark 4:35-41 together
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?”
Pray.
As we have read through these verses, you may be familiar with this historical account. As Jesus has finished teaching the disciples and others using parables, He continues to teach the disciples but using a different tactic this time. This time, Jesus uses a storm to teach the disciples that He is sovereign. Jesus has all power and authority because He is God. This leads to our first point.
As Jesus calls us to follow Him, our only response is, “Yes, Lord!”
As Jesus calls us to follow Him, our only response is, “Yes, Lord!”
Look back with me at verse 35-36
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.
Up to this point, Jesus has proven to us time and time again that He is fully God. He has performed healings such as the man with leprosy and the man with the withered hand. Likewise, Jesus has cast out demons and provided profound teaching. Each of these instances reveal that Jesus truly is 100% God. As Jesus had finished up His teaching of the parables, He calls for the disciples to jump in the boat with Him and venture to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. We notice now that Jesus is fully human. Jesus had a long day of teaching and was exhausted, so He gathered His disciples into a boat and falls asleep. The tiredness Jesus reveals here points to His humanity. He got tired just like we do after a long day of teaching. So, we see that Jesus is fully man and fully God within this passage. As Jesus was exhausted He called His disciples into the boat to venture to the other side of the sea, and we recognize that the disciples listened. We do not see any instance of questioning or indecision. Instead, what we see outlined in Scripture is that the disciples listened to Jesus, got into the boat, and began to make way across the sea of Galilee.
This made me ask myself the same question. How many times does Jesus call me to do something and I do not do it?
We all must consider this question. You see, God’s Word has outlined for us that we are to follow God no matter what if we are in Christ. We are to follow Him even if it means death or worldly opposition. The cost of following Jesus is very high. Jesus calls for His disciples to deny themselves if they are to follow Him.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Following Jesus is a daily denial of self. This means that we each and every day choose to deny following ourselves for the sake of following Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, following Jesus calls for a devoted love of Christ.
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
This is Jesus speaking in these verses. Now, understand that Jesus is not calling us to actually hate our family. Instead, He is calling us to love Him so much so that our love for our family seems like hate in comparison with our love for Christ.
The Christian must bear his or her cross each and every day because of his or her love for Jesus. We are called to love Jesus so much that our every waking minute is dedicated to loving and serving Him. This is the cost of following Jesus that we give up our lives in order to be used by Christ and all for His glory.
You see, whenever you placed your faith in Christ this was the commitment made. You and I, who are in Christ, we submitted our life to Christ to be used all for His glory and not for our own.
Is your life being used and live for Christ? Or, are you still living for yourself?
Understand that being a Christian is not easy especially within our current culture. The Christian life is completely counter to our culture. Our culture urges young people y’all’s age to find themselves. The culture urges young people to be true to themselves and not worry about what others think. It says that you can be whoever and whatever you want to be. Our culture seeks to say that you can be a Christian while abandoning every aspect of living a holy life. We see this happening within our own local community. It is though being a Christian is second to so many things within the lives of those who claim to be in Christ. Many of those claiming to be Christians are living no different than they world. Within our own community, many claiming to know Christ are worshiping sports, education, and themselves above Christ.
We have forgotten what Paul said in Philippians 1
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
We live as though our current life is to be lived for self. Then, death is viewed as bad by those living for self because then they have to go to heaven where they will forever serve Christ. This is nothing new. It is simply time for us as Christians to be real about being Christians much like these disciples. Our lives are to be lived for Christ because we understand that without out Christ we were in need of a Savior incapable of honoring God on our own. We must understand that with out Christ hell was sure and with Christ eternity is sure with Him. With that in our mind, our lives would be one of following Jesus whatever the cost must like the disciples did by simply entering into the boat and taking Jesus to the other side of the sea of Galilee.
Jesus has said to you, “Follow me.” Our appropriate response is “Yes, Lord.”
As we follow Jesus, the storms of life are sure to come.
As we follow Jesus, the storms of life are sure to come.
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.
Now, the disciples and Jesus are in the boat together on the Sea of Galilee. As they are seeking to get to the other side of the sea, as storm rises up and begins to fill the boat with water. This causes the disciples to go into a panic as they are scared of the storm and they begin to fear for theirs lives. Some commentators on the Bible believe that the waves and the wind were believed to have hurricane size wind gusts and waves. So, this was a very severe storm that has come upon them. As the disciples were fearing for their lives, they go to Jesus. Look at what Jesus is doing when they find Him. Jesus has His cushion and is taking quite the power nap. Jesus is asleep at the stern of the boat. This again points to the fully humanity of Jesus. Jesus was tired from teaching all day. His physical body needed rest; therefore, Jesus was at the stern getting much needed rest. Then, His disciples in fear come to wake Him up. What is ironic is that when the disciples wake up Jesus they seemingly scold Him saying is not concerned for their lives. They ask Jesus, “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Even though approached in this manner, Jesus gets up and rebukes the wind and waves causing them to calm down and peace to be found. As we saw the humanity of Jesus on display in His weariness, we see the full deity of Jesus in His calming of the storm. Jesus is in control. Jesus is Sovereign.
As we look at this unfolding situation, Jesus is able to rest and sleep because He trusts in God the Father knowing that He is sovereign over all. Likewise, Jesus is able to trust in God because He understands that God will not take Him before His task of bringing salvation is finished.
Jesus trusted in the sovereignty of His Father to protect Him during this storm. Likewise, whenever we follow Jesus, storms will come. Remember that we live in a world that is full of sin. As we live life in this world, the world will be opposed to those who are in Christ. Likewise, satan will attack those who seek to follow Jesus. That is satan’s goal. He wants nothing more than for us to be in a storm and turn our back on God. However, storms in life are used allowed by God in order for us to grow closer to God.
Coming into tonight, you could be in the middle of a storm of life. Maybe right now it seems like everything is going wrong. Maybe you are having a tough time at school. Maybe you feel insecure or uneasy around others. Maybe you are struggling with sin. Maybe your family situation is not easy or in a good place. Maybe you are trying to do what is right but are overwhelmed and feel like everything you do is wrong. Work, school, and sports make your time stretched and you are ready for a break.
Whatever the case may be, understand that the point of the storm is for you to grow in your spiritual maturity and your relationship with Christ.
Have you ever heard of Job in the Bible. He has a whole entire book devoted to him. Let me tell you, Job had it rough. Job was a righteous man, and God allowed for satan to attack him. Satan attacks Job. Job loses all of his children and all of his livestock and property. After losing his children and property, satan attacks Job’s health. Job’s skin had sores all over it and he would break pottery and use it to scratch himself. God was allowing for this storm to fall upon Job. Job was a righteous and just man, yet God allowed for him to suffer. As Job suffered, he still praised God.
21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him;
yet I will argue my ways to his face.
Job was in the storm as deep as one can go, but still chose to praise God. That is the point that we must come to. As we are in the storm, we trust in God. Because it is when we are at the end of ourselves and at the bottom of the barrel that we look up to God and cry out recognizing that He is sovereign over all. We recognize our life is not our own. Our life belongs to the One who created us and saved us. It is at that point in which we are sanctified and grow closer to God. It is easy to be mad and curse God in the storm. But, the storm is allowed by Him, and He has a purpose for allowing it. The call for the believer is to simply trust God and praise Him in His sovereignty.
That being said, I do want us to notice a couple of things.
First, Jesus is the One who led the disciples into the storm. As I said earlier, you may be here tonight and are currently in a storm. But understand that Jesus is allowing you to go through this storm in order that you might look to Him. The disciples were in the middle of the storm and ran to wake Jesus up. He is the One who had the power to deliver them from the winds and waves. Likewise, Jesus is the One who has the power to deliver you from the storm that you are in. However, understand that Christ is allowing you to go through this and walk through whatever your trial may be in order that you will look to Him and become for like Him. This is the process of sanctification.
Secondly, where was Jesus in the storm. Notice, Jesus was in the boat with the disciples in the storm the entire time. If you are a Christian tonight, you have Christ with you. In whatever storm you face and in every storm that you face, Christ is there. He is with you in the calm and in the storm. He never leaves you or forsakes you. He is there.
R. Kent Hughes reminds us, “Understand that Christ want to develop you through the storms ahead. Know that he is completely capable of delivering you with a word. .. Know that he is in the boat with you. He is in you. Exercise this faith and lay down your fear.”
The call for the believer is to trust Jesus who is sovereign over all.
The call for the believer is to trust Jesus who is sovereign over all.
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?”
Jesus got up and rebuked the storm causing peace to take over. Then, He turned to His disciples and asked them why they were so afraid and had no faith. At that point, the disciples were filled with fear as they recognized that Jesus is the Son of God.
The disciples ask a very important question that we must ask ourselves today. They asked, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” They were afraid as they saw the wind and waves listen to the word of Jesus.
As we read Scripture, we are called to answer the question: Who is this Jesus? The answer that we give to that question is vital. If we call Him Lord, repent and believe, we are His children that are saved. If we call Him a lunatic, we are bound for the fire of hell.
You see, Jesus faced the ultimate storm. Jesus faced the storm of God’s wrath on the cross of Calvary. Jesus lived a perfect life without sin. Yet, He bore the storm of God’s wrath that was supposed to be ours. He bore God’s wrath on the cross for you and for me to have peace that surpasses all understand. He bore God’s wrath that we will be saved. Jesus hung upon the cross for us. But, He did not stay there as He rose from the grave with victory in hand. Now, we can trust in Him and be saved from sin.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
We have a high priest that is able to sympathize with us because He lives on earth as well. And we have a great high priest who paid the price for us on the cross of Calvary.