"On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus
Himself 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 got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
Good Morning my beloved,
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We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a privilege it is to study God's Word with you today.
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One thing is certain life storms happen to us all, and usually at the most unexpected times. When the chaos and disruption catches us unprepared it can leave us feeling overwhelmed. When the anxiety seems to linger, we often find ourselves asking the questions, "God, I can't take much more, how long is this going to last? When will life ever return to normal?" Perhaps you’re in the midst of one now, sickness, disease, death, financial hardships, family problems. Overcoming adversity is not always easy, but with God’s help we can survive the storms.
As some of you know, my family has been hit hard with one storm after another for the last several years. We didn’t know what God’s plan was, but as we would begin just begin to pick ourselves up and get back on our feet, another storm would hit, knocking us back down again. I must confess, there were times when I wondered if it was even worth the effort of getting back up, maybe I should lay there and wait to drown. But I kept reminding myself of Jesus promise, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," then I finally figured the key to surviving these storms, is to remain securely on my knees, anchored to the One Who has overcome the world and everything that we have to deal with in it. When life's storms become intense, pray, and don’t focus on your fear. There’s no reason for worry or anxiety no matter how hopeless it looks. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, Who has the power to control the storm and stop it in it's tracks.
Let us pray
In Jesus' name we ask and pray
Amen
Today's Message: Calm in the Storm
Open your Bibles to Mark chapter 4, as we come to the end of this chapter, verses 35-41. I encourage you
to follow along with me as I read these verses to you to
set the text in our minds. I pray that the Lord would help us to hear
and apply what He has to say to each of us today. Mark 4:35-41.
"On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus
Himself 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 got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
Let’s look at verse 35, "On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, "Let us go over to the other side." It has no doubt been a long, exhausting day for Jesus and for the disciples, He had been teaching the crowds, which became so massive, to the point they drove Him into a boat to prevent Him from being crushed. He was speaking to them in parables, then pulled the disciples aside, and explained the meaning of the parables to them privately. It had been a full day of teaching, which in itself can be very mentally draining, and if He had been healing as He typically did, it would had been very physically exhausting as well. Now it's evening and Jesus says to His own disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." It would be reasonable to assume He needed get away from the crowds and go to the other side to get some rest. He did that on many occasions at the end of a long day.
Verse 36, "Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him." The boat probably belonged to Peter and Andrew or possibly one of the other fisherman, James and John. Then Mark says and they took Him "just as He was," meaning that He didn’t go anywhere. "And other boats were with Him." The boats that were used for fishing were relatively small, so there were other boats to transport His disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and John and probably the other disciples who were following Him. So, they were all headed to the other side in these little wooden fishing boats which were equipped with a mast and sail for when there was wind and oars for rowing when there was no wind.
Then verse 37, "And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up."
Scripture does not record it here, but this is the Sea of Galilee, which is interesting because it really isn’t a sea, it’s a fresh water lake. Today it’s known as Lake Kinneret. The Sea of Galilee is 682 feet below sea level, it is the lowest fresh water lake in the world, surrounded by mountains If you are in a boat, it can be a very treacherous place to be when the cold air hits the warm air out of nowhere. It can be terrifying when the waves reach as high as ten feet. Luke adds in chapter 8 verse 23, "They were sailing along." The water was calm, they were sailing along to the other side probably relaxing at the end of a long and tiring day when all of a sudden, there "arose a fierce gale of wind," which we noted before come out of nowhere, "and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up." Luke, being very specific, says "And a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger." Matthew chapter 8 says "The boat was being covered with the waves."
The word "lailaps," is very strong language, telling us that once those winds hit the lake, they were hurricane force winds, this is a very frightening situation, especially in the dark. It's worth mentioning, this was a God-ordained storm in order to teach them a valuable lesson, that He can be trusted in the most dangerous, life-threatening circumstances. I believe that all of us would all do well to pay close attention to His lesson as well for those times when we're caught in the darkness of uncertainty as we face the most difficult situations in our own lives.
In John 1:3, we are told that "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." Since Christ is the Creator of everything, certainly He has the power to control even the most adverse conditions. While death is a very scary concept for a lot of people, however as Christians, we need not be afraid for even death is not the end for us. Paul assures us in 2 Corinthians 5, to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.
Verse 38, "Jesus Himself 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?" I love this picture of Jesus' humanity, I find it so encouraging that He understands my weariness. Here we see that Jesus is so tired that He remains sound asleep in spite of the violent winds, and the crashing waves that are pouring into the boat. I can certainly recall there have been times in my own life when I've been so exhausted, so worn out that I was utterly oblivious, completely unaware of the chaos that was occurring around me. I remember when I was traveling frequently to Central America after a busy day, there was one particular time when as soon as the plane took off from the airport, I fell asleep and while we were about 3000 feet in the air, the engines just quit and we had to make an emergency landing. I didn't even wake up when the wheels slammed onto the runway. I was totally startled when the stewardess woke me to exit the plane to board another flight. Perhaps there have been times in your own life that you can identify with that level of exhaustiveness.
Mark goes on to say "And they *woke Him and *said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" I believe most of us have all experienced this feeling when we're going through the most fearful situations of our lives, perhaps a devastating health diagnosis, a major financial crisis, feeling lost and alone, crying out "Lord, I know You see what is happening, don't You care?" I suppose it's comforting to us to find even those who were the closest to Jesus found themselves in the same situation, isn't it? We often assume because they have witnessed the many miraculous things that Jesus has done, they should have known better, but they saw this as inevitable death. How many times have you and me faced what appears to be the end, with no human way out in sight and we too have forgotten that the Sovereign Lord is in complete control, neglecting to remember all the times that He has already come through for us? Shouldn't we too know better? I can tell you this, when I look back at the most difficult times in my life, there has never been a time He wasn't there right in middle of my storm. This text is such a tremendous reminder, that sometimes the only way to get to the other side of a storm, is right through the middle of it, trusting in the only One Who has power over both the natural and supernatural storms in life, Jesus Christ!
Look at verse 39, "And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm." I don't believe they expected Him to stop the storm, but that the point is in their state of panic, they didn't know where else to turn. If there was going to be a way out of this, Jesus was the only way, if they were going to survive this, it had to be through some divine intervention, even though Jesus had never delivered His own from danger and death, until now. I've often wondered why people turn to Jesus as sort of a last ditch resort when everything else has failed. In my own personal experience, it didn't take me long to recognize, He is my first and only resource no matter the situation.
I know when I found out I had stage 4 colon cancer and the doctors advised me to get my affairs in order as quickly as possible, that time was of the essence with just a few weeks left to live, they were quite shocked by my calmness, afraid I was either in a state of denial or didn't comprehend the severity of the situation. So, they asked if I understood what they had just told me. I smiled and explained to them I was completely aware of what they had told me and that I was curious why they would ask me such a question. They explained it was because I didn't reacted in they way they anticipated. Then, I explained that while I was thankful for their diagnosis but that their medical license stated they were practicing physicians and now I knew exactly what to pray for it taking the situation to the Great Physician. needless to say, nearly 10 years later, I'm still here with no medical explanation as to why. Still, unless Jesus returns before we die, we need to be prepared for that moment, because the truth is, we never know when that day may come that we will take our last breath. With everything going on in the world, it's
not difficult to see the end is rapidly approaching, Scripture calls us
to be prepared and ready. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord
and Savior, if you do not have a saving relationship with Him, I'd like to
encourage you to consider it today.
In their desperation, they woke Jesus from His sleep, "and He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm." I love that, Jesus demonstrates His tremendous miracle power over creation simply by speaking. To put it another way, "And then God said." Isn't that how the world was created in the first place, He simply spoke it into existence. I love what Matthew says, "The men were amazed, and said, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" Let me tell you something, if Jesus were just a man as some have said, that wouldn’t have happened! There is no human being on this planet that has the capability to command nature to change. Only God can do that! He is the Creator, the Sustainer and the One Who brings it to perfection. The wind and the water recognized the voice of their Creator and they both stopped! God often uses desperate circumstances to get our attention, I've seem Him use health, financial and even tragedy. I know He has to get mine!
Verse 40, "And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Immediately after He stops the storm, He points out the littleness of their faith. "Why are you panicking, haven’t I already proven that you can trust Me?" I've often wondered how many times that Jesus has said the same to us today. How far are you willing to trust Jesus? Enough to step outside of your comfort zone and risk something to help others? Shouldn't our love for the One Who gave His all, Who died for you and me
cost us something? In John 15:13, Jesus said "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." I have frequently mentioned there is a cost to following Jesus. Are you willing to lay down your life for Jesus? It may be hard to fathom, but it may soon come to that as Christian persecution continues to rise, we're witnessing a lot of "firsts" in the world we're living in today.
I'm here to tell you that powerful forces are at work, and they are being led by Satan. Lawlessness in our nation has reached levels I've never before seen in my lifetime, the arrival of emerging technologies have made a cashless society not only possible, but it's expected to become the "norm," as more and more businesses no longer accept cash. Revelation 13 tells us when the Antichrist comes and "no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark." The normalization of mutilating innocent children's bodies with reassignment surgery, without any real push back from the adults who are supposed to be protecting them.
All of the events we are witnessing today are bringing us closer and closer to Christ's imminent return, yet, these tell tale signs are seemingly going unnoticed.Tragically, fewer and fewer pastors have the courage to stand up and the boldness to speak the truth for fear of being cancelled. If
you’re committed to serving the Lord Jesus Christ, faithful teaching
God’s Word, you can expect that you're going to encounter resistance
from ungodly people, even those from within the church. After all, it
was the religious people who thought they knew God that killed Christ.
That brings us to verse 41, "They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" "They became very much afraid," interestingly enough, it's the same word "deilós,"used in Revelation 21
which says "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and
murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars,
their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
That’s the reaction you would expect from somebody who doesn't know Jesus. However, it was a rhetorical question; it didn’t require an answer, they understood there was only one answer; they were in the presence of the divine power of the Son of God, there's no other explanation. Realizing that you are in the divine presence of the Living God, fear is a normal response throughout Scripture. How could anyone not be frightened when you see His glory, realizing that He sees your sin. Do you remember Peter's response in Luke 5? "He fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" And in Revelation 1:17-18, when the Apostle John saw the first vision of Christ, "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."
In Closing..
At sometime or another, I believe we have experienced the mighty works of the Lord for ourselves, this same Jesus who can conquer disease; who raises the dead and who can handle the greatest storms of life, yet, when it comes right down to it, we seem to have a distrust in God’s ability to handle our problems. Have we forgotten the psalmist's words of Psalm 46? "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride."
And Psalm 55, "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
Many today will drive themselves to the point of exhaustion and being emotionally drained just to satisfy their need to be relevant. Jesus wasn’t motivated by notoriety or accolades to make a reputation for Himself, He faithfully delivered the message the Father gave Him to bring eternal life to those who were perishing. In John 15, He reminds us, "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours." I believe that truth needs to be proclaimed today again and again with emphasis to those who faithfully follow Christ, so that we will be equipped to meet the challenges that arise in proclaiming the Gospel, because the world will feel judged by your life, when we stand firm in the faith, they can't help but resent the fact that you are not willing to make concessions for them and the lifestyle that makes them comfortable. Even those within our own families will oppose us because they cannot understand help but to feel judged for their life choices when we don’t love them more than we love the Lord.
I love that our Lord reminds us that we will be better equipped to meet those challenges when we are adequately rested and our spirits are refreshed in the presence of God Who gives us His spirit.
Even though the wind and waves may seek to destroy us, as long as Christ is in our boat, we will never sink, but we can find rest in the Lord of the Storm.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen