Why Are You Afraid?

As a preacher, one of the things that I do is tell stories. I tell a lot of stories. Sometimes they are stories about me and my life, sometimes, they are other peoples stories. Often, I tell these stories to inspire you and challenge you - to give you a goal to aim for. This is not one of those stories. And while I have told this story before, I want to draw something different out of it this time.

Most of you who know me, know that I served as a youth pastor for many years before coming here to Stratford. But before I tricked a church into paying me for it, I was a volunteer youth leader. And as I have reflected on those days in the years since, I realize that if I was the youth pastor back then, I would have fired me as a volunteer. I wouldn’t have fired me because I was inappropriate, or heretical, or that I wasn’t dedicated enough. No, I would have fired me for being a stupid human that put fun above safety. Now, in my defence, it was the 90’s.

We used to do this game called the KGB run. We would send students running from the church and they had to get to a certain location without being caught by the leaders. Each leg was around 3-4 km long and there were three legs to this race. The only problem for the students is that the leaders who were chasing them, got to chase them down in cars. We would see a group of kids and drive up quickly to them, get out and tag them easily, because they were tired from running 3 km while we rode around in our cars.

On one night as we played this game, we pulled up to a group of teens that were running right near my old high school and I got out and chased them down and tagged them. I was good at this game. But before I got back into the car, I looked down the road and I can see, way off in the distance, another small group of students running. So I put my hat on backwards so I wouldn’t lose it, stood on the rear bumper of my friends 94 Pontiac Sunbird, held the rear spoiler and he drove 90km/hr with me holding on, tears streaming down my face from the wind. He hits the brakes and gets the car down to about 30 and I take off, letting the momentum from the car propel me forward almost faster than my legs can possibly move. Going faster than I ever had before, I caught up to the kids and tagged them. I risked my life, just so I could tag some jr. high kids in a game. Like I said, I would have fired me as a youth volunteer.

I’m telling this story again because today I want to talk about fear. And the one thing that was missing in that adventure, was fear. In that moment, I was fearless. But I was only fearless, because I was stupid - because I didn’t think about what could happen; about the potential consequences to hanging on to the outside of a car at dangerous speeds. As I have gotten older, I now think about the consequences of what could happen. Many of you know that, as a form of exercise, I take Taekwondo classes. I used to love competing in Taekwondo when I was a young adult. When I was younger, I would train 5 days a week in a class, and then train on my own on Saturdays. Now, as a slightly overweight 42 year old, I get nervous about my Taekwondo classes. But not because I am afraid of being kicked in the head by Pam, our youth director, who is also one of my instructors. No, now I am afraid of classes because of the pain I am going to be in the next day. There have been a few times where for a few days after a class, I walk funny because I am so sore.

In our teaching series, “Questions from Jesus,” we are looking at some of the more poignant questions that Jesus asked people in the Bible and today, we are going to look at the time when Jesus asked his own disciples, “Why are you afraid?”

Fear is something that we all experience. Whether we are a toddler who is afraid of the dark, or a teenager who is afraid of a math final or a young parent who is afraid of something hurting our kids, or a senior who is afraid of being left alone because everyone around them has passed away, we all fear something. And some fear is healthy and is good for us. Fear of being hit by a car makes us wait for the walk symbol at a crosswalk. A healthy level of fear for your kid’s safety can lead you to be attentive to them at the playground. But, like many things, too much fear hurts us.

American author Katharine Butler Hathaway, who was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the spine as a child and lived from the ages of 5 to 15 strapped to a device to keep her spine from developing a deformity, said, “If you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, your life will be safe, expedient and thin.”

A life lived in fear is a life that has no stories to share. It leads to a safe life, but not one that robust with experiential learning, with adventures that fill the soul, or relationships with depth and intimacy because intimacy requires courage.

It is true that the Bible says we are to fear the Lord, for this is the beginning of wisdom, but to fear the Lord is to relate to God with reverence for he is the Creator and the Sovereign Ruler of all things. But God does not want us to live in fear.

In the book of Genesis, God tells Abram “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” When Hagar thought she and her son were going to die, God said, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.” As the Egyptians were bearing down on the Israelites who had just left Egypt, Moses said, ““Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.” When Joshua was going to take over from Moses as Israel’s leader, God said, “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Even in the New Testament, when Mary told Joseph that she was pregnant, God told Joseph, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.”

Over and over again we are called to put aside our fears and trade them for faith that God is good and he loves you very much. So as we examine the scripture where Jesus asks his disciples why are they afraid, I want to encourage you to look inward and identify your fears. Maybe God has something to say about them to you today. Let’s read our passage from Matthew 8:23-27

Matthew 8:23–27 NLT

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Pray.

The lake that the passage refers to is actually the Sea of Galilee which is about 20 km long and 12 km wide. So it’s pretty big and it was common that dangerous storms would occur on that lake and that they would come out of nowhere. Jesus and the disciples had started out that day in Capernaum, which is on the north side of the sea and it had been a full day of healing people and public teaching. The crowds were getting huge and Jesus wasn’t much of a crowd guy. So he and the disciples got in a boat and started sailing. Exhausted by the day’s work, Jesus falls asleep in the boat, proving that napping is a holy activity and I encourage you all to participate in it. But not now. Do it after lunch.

Sometime later, the storm comes out of nowhere. Water is lapping over the sides of the boat with each wave. Some disciples are handling the sail, some the oars and some are bailing water out. Everyone is working hard because if they don’t, they could die. Everyone is working hard, except Jesus, who still asleep. The disciples are terrified and so they wake Jesus up and ask him to rescue them. Now remember, these are experienced fisherman who are with Jesus - people who have grown up on the water and know how dangerous it is and how to handle the boat. So if they are terrified, then they have a good reason to be. Jesus wakes up and sees what’s going on. His first reaction? He asks “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith.” And I love that about this story. Jesus asks them “Why are you afraid?” while the storm rages around them. And then he calms the storm, which causes the disciples to look at Jesus with a renewed awe.

So as I was contemplating this passage this week, I realized that the disciples were afraid because they allowed the circumstances to dictate their faith. They looked at this terrifying storm, BELIEVED that they were going to die, and so their fear overtook them. And I wonder if that doesn’t also describe us. That we can get so caught up in the circumstances, that it dictates our faith. The bills are due, there’s no money and so we worry and stress. The diagnoses from the doctor isn’t good, and now our fear keeps us up at night. The conflict is brewing at work and somehow, you’re in the middle of it so you panic. Beloved, this is not how we are to live. Instead of living by faith, we end up living by sight, allowing the negative circumstances to determine how much we trust God, or even if we believe in God.

But then, you look at Jesus. And Jesus isn’t afraid. He isn’t even awake. He so trusts God his father that he can sleep through the storm. Even though he is in the middle of a deadly storm, Jesus has a peace that passes all understanding.

Isaiah 26:3 NLT

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

When I read that, I know that describes Jesus - he has this perfect peace because instead of fixing his mind on the storm, his whole life is focussed on the will and presence of his Father. In John’s gospel, Jesus says,

John 6:38 NLT

For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.

If we, as the followers of Jesus, would change our focus from our circumstances and fix our minds upon Jesus - upon what he did on the cross for us and on what God is doing in our lives through the storm, we would find peace as we live by faith, not by fear.

Now, let’s take this a little deeper. As I look at the story in Matthew 8 that we read, I see that when Jesus asks his disciples, “Why are you afraid”, their answer is the storm - it’s the dangerous and deadly circumstance that they find themselves in. And that storm serves as a metaphor for the struggles that you and I go through. So, to help us be able to withstand those storms that threaten to overwhelm us, I have three things this passage teaches us that will help us live by faith, not fear.

1. Storms are inevitable.

Even if church isn’t your thing, you have probably heard about Jonah and the Whale. Jonah was a prophet of God who was called by God to go to the Assyrian capital, Ninevah, and preach to them. Jonah, like most Israelites, despised the Assyrians because they were just the worst. But God wanted them to change their behaviour and so he sent Jonah. But because he didn’t want to go, Jonah got onboard a ship sailing in the opposite direction. Soon a storm hit that threatened to destroy the boat and the sailors quickly figured out that the storm was sent because Jonah was disobeying God. So, Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard and as soon as they did, the storm stopped and then a big fish swallowed Jonah whole and 3 days later, vomited him on the shore near Ninevah. God used the storm as a catalyst for Jonah’s repentance.

Now we look again at the storm Jesus and the disciples faced. What I find interesting is that while Jonah faced the storm because of his disobedience to God, Jesus and the disciples faced the storm because of their obedience - because they were doing God’s will. What does that mean for us? It means that no matter what, you are going to face storms. There are going to be challenges that are going to rock you to the very core of who you are and you cannot avoid it. But there is good news. While storms are inevitable, our future is secured. Paul says to us,

Romans 8:38–39 NLT

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

and Jesus even tells us in John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.””

I wonder if sometimes, we expect life to go easy. To a degree, we often equate the ease of life with blessing and approval of God - as if we were saying that “if it’s God will, it will be easy.” That’s not how it works. We have to learn to expect the storm that will come for us and remember that just because it’s a hard season, doesn’t mean that we aren’t in the will of God. God may be doing something in you through the storm, just as he did in Noah and and just like he did in the disciples.

2. Storms prove your faith

Stories in the Bible are not always ordered chronologically. Sometimes the authors have grouped stories together to illustrate a point and that is what we have here. This story about Jesus calming the storm comes shortly after another story about faith. In Matthew 8: 5-13, a Roman centurion approached Jesus and begged him to heal his young servant. Jesus says, “sure thing” but the officer says, that he understands authority and he believes that all Jesus has to do is say the word and the servant will be healed. Jesus marvelled at this Roman’s faith in him and he told the man that because of his faith, the servant is healed.

Matthew, the author, wants us to contrast this story about the amazing faith of the centurion with the weak faith of the disciples, who followed Jesus everyday for three years. The soldier believed in Jesus so much, that he didn’t even need Jesus to come into his home to heal his servant. The disciples were with Jesus and they allowed their fear to overrun their faith. Look at what Jesus says to them in verse 26: “Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!”

Just like the disciples, when we go through our storms, our faith is revealed. Before the struggles we experience can grow our faith, they reveal the depth of it. The apostle Peter, perhaps remembering this event, wrote a letter to the churches of Asia Minor (which is modern-day Turkey) to encourage them while they were facing deep persecution for following Jesus. Peter writes:

1 Peter 1:7 NLT

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Think back to the last storm you went through - the last time you went through a crisis. Did you live by faith through it? Or for those who are in the middle of a storm right now and you feel like you’re barely hanging on, how is your faith? Are you putting your trust in the Lord, or in someone or something else?

We can grow deeply through storms. But before they strengthen us, they prove the real depth of our faith.

3. Storms submit to Jesus

Jesus doesn’t just sit there and judge the disciples for being afraid. He, in mercy, helps them. With a word, he settled the storm and calmed the waters. And I think that this is so important to remember. The storm was powerful, but not as powerful as Jesus. Our saviour, whom we follow and we pattern our life after, may have been meek, gentle and loving, but he is also El-Shaddai, the Lord Almighty.

Revelation 1:8 NLT

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

Isaiah 41:10 NLT

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Ephesians 3:20 NLT

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

The power of that storm you are going through, or the one you will go through, is nothing in comparison to power of Jesus. So often, we become afraid of what we see because the storm seems so big, so scary and it threatens to destroy us. But Jesus is called our “Emmanuel” which means “God with us.” The God who created the sun and the moon, the earth and stars, who created each person uniquely and who sovereignly reigns over all things is on your side and has promised to be with you through the storms. At the right time, if you don’t give up on God, he will calm the storm and bring you peace.

There is no storm, no trial, no crisis that is too big for God because the storm submits to Jesus and Jesus loves you.

Conclusion

I want to close with a story. Missionaries Dick and Margaret Hillis were caught in China during the Japanese invasion of the 1940’s. The couple lived with their two children in the inland town of Shenkiu. The village was tense with fear, and every day brought terrifying reports of the Japanese advance. At the worst possible time, Dick developed appendicitis, and he knew his life depended on making the long journey by ricksha to the hospital and on January 15, 1941, with deep foreboding, Margaret watched him leave.

Soon the Chinese colonel came with news. The enemy was near and townspeople must evacuate. Margaret shivered, knowing that one-year-old Johnny and two-month-old Margaret Anne would never survive as refugees. So she stayed put. Early the next morning she tore the page from the wall calendar and read the new day’s Scripture. It was Psalm 56:3 “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”

The town emptied during the day, and the next morning Margaret arose, feeling abandoned. The new verse on the calendar was Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.”

The next morning she arose to distant sounds of gunfire and worried about food for her children. The calendar verse was Genesis 50:21 “No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” An old woman suddenly came to their house with a pail of steaming goat’s milk, and another straggler arrived with a basket of eggs.

Throughout the day, sounds of warfare grew louder, and during the night Margaret prayed for deliverance. The next morning she tore the page from the calendar to read Psalm 56:9 “My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!” The battle was looming closer, and Margaret didn’t go to bed that night. Invasion seemed imminent. But the next morning, all was quiet. Suddenly, villagers began returning to their homes, and the colonel knocked on her door. For some reason, he told her, the Japanese had withdrawn their troops. No one could understand it, but the danger had passed. They were safe.

We all have storms that we go through. Some are storms of our own making from bad decisions we have made. Some are storms that other people, in their sinfulness, have made for us. Some storms just are: they aren’t anyone’s fault. But no matter what kind of storm you are in, you don’t have to be afraid. Jesus is with you - just have faith that he loves you, that he is for you, not against you, and that he will, at the right time, calm the storm and see you to the other side.

Let’s pray.