Jesus Calmed The Storm

JESUS CALMED THE STORM

Mark 4:35-41

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. A doctor called a man into his office and said, "I've got some bad news and some worse news. The bad news is, you have a terminal disease and have only 10 days to live."

2. The man looked at him in astonishment and finally said, "What news could be worse than that?" The doctor replied, "We couldn't get a hold of you for nine days!"

3. There are times in our lives when we feel that things really aren't going very well.

4. It’s Hurricane Season. If a hurricane comes, thousands of people will flee from their homes and stay in hotels as far north as Tyler, Texas. Why? Fear. That’s why we’re looking at a passage of Scripture that speaks about a storm and has a lot of revelation about how to handle times like these.

B. TEXT

35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" 39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

C. THESIS

1. Jesus and His disciples were on a literal sea, facing a literal storm. This storm also represents storms of trials and difficulties we experience.

2. All of us are, at times, storm-tossed. Some of you today may feel like you’re about to go under. Well, there’s a solution for you – the Prince of Peace is near!

I. “THERE AROSE A VERY GREAT STORM” Vs. 37

A. JESUS COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS STORM

1. Let’s remember that the disciples were led into this storm by following their Master. They followed Him right into a storm.

2. Some believe that storms come for the Christian only when they rebel or disobey God, but that’s not true. God’s will isn’t always smooth sailing.

3. This kind of a storm is not out of the ordinary on the Sea of Galilee. I’ve actually been there…it’s really more of a big lake—13 miles long and 8 miles wide. It’s surrounded by mountains and hills. The cool air comes over the mountains and mixes with the warm sea air and violent storms can erupt without much warning.

4. And that’s just how the storms of life come, isn’t it?! One minute the sun is shining, and the next the lightning is flashing, thunder booming, and the winds and the waves go wild. The phone rings and in seconds your life is changed, you’re in the midst of a storm. You have a routine Dr. visit that was to be quick and simple, but the look on his face tells the story even before the words are out of his mouth…you’re in a terrible storm!

5. It can happen as you go thru an intersection in a flash, or when your boss calls you into the office, or when you open that hospital bill. Storms arise suddenly and violently, and without warning.

B. STORMS COME DUE TO A VARIETY OF CAUSES

1. Sometimes we blow up our own storms. These storms are of our own making, like in Jonah’s case. He decided not to do God’s will. It’s amazing as you read the story how many times it says that Jonah ‘went down.’

2. After he decided to go his own way it says he went down to Tarshish, down into the heart of the ship, down into the sea, down into the belly of the whale. And once you decide not to follow God’s best there’s only 1 way to go and that’s ‘down!’

3. This storm was brought on Jonah himself by his stubborn will, and he holds the distinction of being the first man in history to spend the night on a foam blubber mattress! But in the end you can’t keep a good man down and though he was spiraling down, down, down, he eventually came up!

4. Some storms God creates Himself. Such as in John 6, after He fed the 5,000, the people wanted to make Him a king. Oh how tempted the disciples must’ve been to give in to the pressure of popularity but Jesus said, no, get in the boat and go to Capernaum, and along the way they again ran directly into the middle of another storm. Why? I believe He did it to divert their attention from something that would have created a bigger problem in their lives. Sometimes God sends us a little storm to keep us from heading into a bigger one