Our All Sufficient Savior

Our All Sufficient Savior

The Book of Mark

Mark 4:35-41

I. Introduction

A. We have all had those times in our lives when we get into situations that seem hopeless.

1. You have done everything in your power to straighten things out and still everything seems lost.

2. Those experiences are called by various names; trials, valleys, tribulations, testings, storms.

B. God allows trials or storms to come into our lives and for good reason.

1. James 1:2-3

2. It is important for us to realize that we cannot succeed in our own strength. 2Cor.12:7-10

3. This concept is so contrary to our “normal” way of looking at difficulties.

a) How can this be happening to me?

b) How can God allow this to happen?

C. Our text addresses just such a matter in an incident that occurred immediately after one of the longest days of Jesus’ ministry.

D. The disciples had seen many profound and exciting things since they started to be with the Master.

1. They had seen many miraculous healings.

2. They had heard profound statements.

3. They had been given divine insight into the teachings of the Master.

E. They had seen Christ demonstrate His divine power and authority in:

1. Academics

2. In His dealings with evil spirits.

3. In the physical realm

4. And His power to forgive sins.

F. Up to this point their trust in Him had not been tested.

1. Up to this point they have only been confronted by the religious leaders and Jesus had intervened.

2. In our passage today the disciples are tested as they have never been tested before.

3. Not a test of their intellect but their very lives.

G. The question then is were they and are we willing to totally trust God even in the most difficult circumstances.

H. Is God able to see us through even in the most difficult even life threatening situations?

I. I want to look at our text in three parts to answer that question.

1. The storm

2. The reaction of the disciples

3. Our all sufficient savior.

II. The storm.

A. The occasion vs.35-36.

1. As I said this was know as the busiest day in our Lord’s ministry in Galilee.

a) Jesus had dealt with blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.

b) He had spent time teaching in a house.

c) He had also spent time walking along the lakeshore talking to the people.

d) At the same time He healed a great number of people.

2. There was a need for rest and the only way to achieve that was to get away from the crowds vs.38.

3. A small flotilla of boats went along for the voyage vs.36.

B. The suddenness of the storm vs.37a.

1. The word used here describes a fierce storm or hurricane.

a) This type of storm is not uncommon on the Lake of Galilee which is located some 682 ft. below sea level and is surrounded by hills.

b) Macgregor: “On the Sea of Galilee the wind has a singular force and suddenness; and this is no doubt because that sea is so deep in the world that the sun rarefies the air in it enormously, and the wind speeding swiftly above a long and level plateau, gathers much force as it sweeps through flat deserts, until suddenly it meets this huge gap in the way, and it tumbles down here irresistible.”

c) Robertson suggests that the storm fell suddenly from Mount Hermon down into the Jordan Valley and hit the Sea of Galilee violently at its depth of 682 feet below the Mediterranean Sea. He explains that the hot air at this depth draws the storm down with sudden power.

2. The situation quickly becomes too much for the disciples to handle vs37b.

a) I am sure they had been working on the problem all along.

(1) Bailing

(2) Trimming the sail

(3) Lightening the boat as much as possible to keep it from floundering.

b) However they were only working on the symptoms so they were limited in what they could do.

c) The real problem was outside of their capability.

3. Let’s look at how they reacted when they had exhausted all of their resources.

III.The disciples’ reaction.

A. They became defeated and discouraged vs.38b.

1. They had expended all of their own effort and strength and had failed to resolve the problem.

2. They even felt betrayed by Jesus; “don’t you care?”

B. We often react the same way don’t we?

1. We come up against some seemingly insurmountable problem in our life and when we have exhausted all of our effort and can’t resolve it we become discouraged and defeated and often blame God for not helping us.

a) Some people get so discouraged that they stop praying.