Impact Wednesday - Fearless because of God's presence.

Let me ask you a question about your life. Have you ever done something because you genuinely believed it was the thing God wanted you to do in a certain situation but then things didn’t end up going the way you thought it would go? Have you ever faced something frightening or seemingly overwhelming as you follow Jesus? I have. We see that happen in our passage today. Let me also ask you this: How did God’s sovereignty and authority over life and death teach you during that time? Today we are going to watch the disciples get into a situation that seems scary and overwhelming and in the midst of it we are going to see Jesus’s divinity and humanity displayed, God’s sovereignty, and we will see a Savior who can be trusted. Let’s read from Mark 4:35-41.

READ

Mark 4:35–41 ESV

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 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?” 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. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 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?”

This is the Word of the Lord. Let’s pray and ask God to help us understand and apply it to our lives.

This passage is one of the most misapplied passages in the entire Bible. You know that’s a bit of any issue for me. I want to make sure we are correctly handling the Word of God. This passage is not about how Jesus calms the storms in your life. This passage ultimately is about the fact that Jesus is God and therefore has authority and is able to save. It’s not about you and me. We are far to quick to try and put ourselves in the story. The Bible is not about you. It’s about God. We have to take the text as the text is and not add any of our preconceived notions to it.

So what is going on here? Jesus has been teaching and it sure seems like he’s tired. It was evening so he tells the disciples to go across to the other side with him. They get in the boat and there are other boats with them. They get out into the water and a great windstorm arose. Now, these were not abnormal for the Sea of Galilee. It was surrounded by mountains and wind would drop down in and circulate violently. Remember, you have experienced fishermen who were used to being out on the water. But they were terrified. The waves are breaking into the boat and it’s starting to fill with water. At this point, we see the first standout point on display here:

I. In this passage we see both Jesus’s divinity and humanity on display.

They go to Jesus, who is ASLEEP on a cushion in the stern of the boat which is where the rudder is located. It’s where the person who steers the boat would have likely sat. He had been teaching and he was tired. He was not worried. He was resting. Sometimes the most Godly thing you can do is take a nap. When you’re so sure of your Heavenly Father that you can sleep soundly when the world is flailing around you… Amazing. Anyway, they wake him up and accuse him of not caring that they’re going to die. This man who was teaching them and they had left everything to follow, this man who would ultimately die on the cross in the place of them as payment for their sins, and here they were doubting if he even cared that they were dying in this storm. He wakes up and rebukes the wind and tells the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And everything was calm. He asks them why they are so afraid. He then says something that just stings. “Have you still no faith?” Then the text tells us they were filled with great fear. Literally, they feared a great fear. They were in awe of the one who could still the wind and the waves.

All the good little Jewish boys of that day knew that there was exactly one person who had control over the wind and the waves, one person who had authority over nature. It is written about in Psalm 107. Let’s look at specifically verses, 23-32.

Psalm 107:23–32 ESV

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

God has authority over nature because He is the Creator God. Jesus has authority over nature because He is God. Now imagine you’re sitting in that boat and you know that only God controls nature and boom, here’s a guy in your boat doing the same thing. They feared a great fear.

So we see Jesus’s divinity on display. It reminds me of a story I heard about a missionary over in Africa or some third world country. He told this story to the people in this more primitive culture. Now we have americanized it and made it about us. In America as I mentioned earlier, you tend to hear a devotional, me centered explanation of this story. But the people in this other country were not struck by that. There was no talk of oh, Jesus calms the storms in my life, or Jesus goes through the storms of life with me. No, their comment was “He must have been a very powerful man.” They got it. The point was Jesus and His power and authority because He is God.

His humanity on display

He was tired. He went to sleep. We see throughout the gospel accounts that Jesus got tired, he got hungry, he got angry, he cried, and he died. The Christian church has always believed that Jesus was 100 percent God and 100 percent man. The God man. The only qualification that is ever put on His humanity is that He had no sin. He never sinned. He was perfect. He lived a perfect human life that none of us could possibly live.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

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.

Jesus must have been exhausted from all of the teaching and being around the crowds and so he was sound asleep in the stern of the boat right through a storm. One commentator notes that this is the only time in the gospels when we read about Jesus sleeping. But that did not change the fact that He was still God and still in authority over the very water that was carrying them to the other shore. He could rest with complete trust in the care of his Heavenly Father. Jesus knew there was still work for him to do so he rested to be energized for the work ahead of Him.

So we see both Jesus’s humanity and divinity on display. We now need to look at the storm itself and in that we see God’s sovereignty in our circumstances.

II. We See God’s sovereignty in our circumstances.

Many times as we live our lives, we encounter circumstances that surprise us or aren’t what we expected. Often, as I asked you about earlier, we are doing something that God has commanded us in the scriptures and then it doesn’t end up going the way we planned. The thing we have to understand is that God works through our circumstances. Not only do they not come as a surprise to Him but further, He wants us to go through them as a means of helping us trust Him more. He brings events into our lives to mold us. Think about this passage of scripture. Jesus told them to cross to the other side. Do you understand. Jesus led them straight into the storm. He knew it was coming and led them right into it. He wanted them in the middle of the wind and the waves. In the storm was right where God wanted them. He had a purpose in it. He was about to show them more about Himself.

Now, Jesus had further work to do. He was resting peacefully.

Here are three why the disciples should not have been so disturbed by the storm.

3 Reasons they should not have been disturbed by the storm.

1, They had been commanded by Jesus to go to the other side.

2. The Lord Himself was with them.

They did not yet understand that He was the Master of EVERY situation.

3. They could see that Jesus was perfectly at peace.

Instead, what was their reaction?

Don’t you care?

1st time Jesus is addressed as Teacher.

Mark emphasized Jesus as an authoritative teacher.

The disciples mistook Jesus’ trust in God for apathy.

Their fear is not mentioned (oddly) until after the storm has been calmed.

It was exam time. Had they been listening to what Jesus had been teaching and what would their response be to seeing His divinity and divine power on display?

What is our response to this?

Wiersbe: “faith must always be tested… It is not enough to merely learn a lesson or repeat a teaching.  We must be able to practice that lesson by faith.” - Not so God could see something about them. He knows it all already. But so they could see Jesus as divine, God, who He claimed to be, and who could trusted.

And that brings us to the third of what we see displayed here. We see a Savior who can be trusted.

III. We see a Savior who can be trusted.

The activity of the disciples and their accusation about Jesus possibly not caring about their lives being at stake showed that they didn’t have faith in Jesus. He knew this. But now they knew it. They were panicking about their lives.

When we lose faith in the one we should trust, the result is PANIC!

The greatest danger facing the disciples was not the storm. The greatest danger they faced was unbelief in their hearts. This miracle validates everything that Jesus had spoken about in His previous teaching. It was the first of four miracles that demonstrate His Lordship. The disciples were filled with a great fear. They were in awe of the power Jesus displayed. It was a validation of everything they had just heard Him teach.

Mark is likely intending to indicate that faith is more than learning or intellectual assent but is trust in a specific person - Jesus the Christ of God. So the question we have to bat around in our hearts is, do we really trust Jesus? Have we truly believed the gospel, that He is who He says He is? When God leads us through a storm it becomes evident where our faith stands.

Imagine you are in that boat. You have just witnessed this amazing display of authority and power. Now, time passes and this same man, the very Son of God, their authoritative teacher, their compassionate leader, would lay down His life for them even though He had the very power of God available to Him.

Yet this man would endure the pain, the humiliation, the death of crucifixion as a substitute for them because of their sin. And as a substitute for you and me because of our sin. Imagine you’re there three days later when you hear reports that the tomb where they laid his lifeless body is now empty and that He has risen.

They could and we can have a faith in Jesus that perseveres because we know the one who not just calms the storms but commands their very existence.

Conclusion:

I know a lot of pastors would probably go the route of simplifying this passage into saying that Jesus calms the storms of life or that Jesus is with you even in the storms of life.

That’s nice but it’s bigger than that.

We have to get away from thinking everything is about us. That’s really what we talked about in the stewardship series but it’s true all the way around our lives. We can’t live me centered for Jesus. Our lives must be centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s the only thing that changes us.

He sends us out into the storm knowing that He is always in full control of every situation.  He wants us to trust Him in these very troubling circumstances.  He is not worried or afraid because He knows who holds the power.  We should too. When we trust in Him, in this, in His sovereignty, total authority and control, we experience a much deeper resolve, a deeper relationship and trust. He is in complete control and reigns supreme so I can obediently walk any path He lays before me…. even one that leads through suffering.

Yes He is with His people.

Yes He can calm the storm.  But as the old song says, “sometimes He calms the storm and sometimes He calms His child.”

We can have complete confidence in His authority and control in all of life.  Trust and do not fear.  Do not worry.

So---- Where is your faith?

Have you ever put your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation? Have you trusted that he died willingly on the cross in your place as a perfect sacrifice to atone for your sin? Have you believed that He rose from the grave and have you repented of your sin and trusted in Him alone for salvation?

Have you been a believer in Christ for a while and never been obedient in believer’s baptism whereby you tell the world through the symbol of baptism what has happened to you? If you haven’t I would love to talk about that and set up a time we can do that.

Have you been toying around with serving Christ in a deeper way but you’re scared? Maybe now is the time you need to trust who He is. I’d love to talk with you about that as well.

We have heard the truth. Now is the time when we respond in our hearts to the Lord’s calling. What is He leading you to today?