Cornerstone Church August 14/15, 2010
“A HARD DAY’S NIGHT:
OVERCOMING LIFE’S DIFFICULTIES.”
Mark 4:35-41
Most people (including many of us here) have difficultly comprehending why trials, difficulties and storms come to our lives.
Many believe that “nothing good could ever come from pain.”
James MacDonald, Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago says:
“‘Nothing good could ever come from pain.’ Really? Nothing? Like the birth of a child, or the renewal of a forest after a fire, or the signaling that something is badly wrong in my health and needs to be attended to?
No good from pain? What about the salvation of mankind?
Fact: Pain is often a central part of God’s purpose in this world. God allows and even causes pain in our lives. It’s one of His tools He uses regularly to get stubborn sheep to greener pasture.
I’m fond of saying that ‘God’s love is not a pampering love; God’s love is a perfecting love.’ God doesn’t say, ‘Here Billy. Have some more cupcakes. Take the one with the extra icing.’ That’s not God. Your grandma, maybe, but not God.’”
Dr. James MacDonald, “When Life is Hard”, pg. 28
Are you presently in the midst of “The Perfect Storm?”
Are the waves of doubt and the winds of fear crashing fiercely against you life or your family?
Does it seem like you might go under at any time?
There is hope! Jesus is with you in the midst of the storm! He cares for you! He is all-knowing, all-powerful and everywhere present!
This morning we are going to learn how to “Go for the Gold!”
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me,
I will come forth as gold.”
Job 23:10 NIV
All of us are well acquainted with trails, difficulties, and storms in life!
We like a little rain. We understand the need for it! Without rain we know we are in trouble!
“All Sunshine makes a desert”
Arab Saying
What puzzle us are the storms of life!
* As common as they are to our lives, trials still surprise us!
* It is hard for us to comprehend why bad things happen to “good people.”
We are wired to look at difficulties and immediately call them unpleasant!
Have you ever thought that from a divine perspective adversity is good?
Let’s take this a step further! These difficulties for the Christian are allowed or ordered by the Lord!
“Hey, wait a minute; I thought that being a Christian meant
my life would be problem-free!”
Sorry, you received some bad information on that one!
“The trails and testings that come to our lives as Christians are not accidents–they are appointments.”
Warren Wiersbe, Be Quoted, pgs. 171-172
It is easy for us to manifest faith when circumstances are going well!
The Lord aspires for us to manifest faith and joy even when circumstances are difficult and hard!
THE SETTING
Mark 4:35-36 NIV
That day when evening came, he [JESUS] said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
Either earlier in the day or the days before:
* Jesus had a major confrontation with the Religious Leaders who accused Him of being possessed by Satan.
* Jesus’ family members also came for an intervention to take Him away because they thought He had “gone over the edge”.
It has been another long hard day of ministry.
The crowds were getting so large that Jesus had to teach from a boat pushed off from shore. As you might imagine, by the end of the day everyone was tired!
Jesus gives the following command:
“Let us go over to the other side.”
The disciples do not have a problem with this request! Many of them were fisherman. They have spent the better part of their life around the sea.
So, they raised the anchor, cast off, and set sail for the other side.
* It is the end of a day filled with ministry to masses of people!
* The water is like glass.
* The sun is setting.
* The sound of the boat sailing through the water is relaxing.
As fishers of men, it might have been a pretty good day of fishing.
Have you ever been on a successful ministry venture for the Lord? If you have, you’ll recall the sense of peace, joy, and satisfaction the Lord places in your heart!
I’m sure that the disciples were busy talking to one another about the events of the day. Reminiscing with one another about the difference Jesus was making in the lives of the people they were ministering to!
It was in all probability during these moments that Jesus fell asleep in the boat. He might have thought, “Okay hot shots, talk on!”
Jesus knew that His class in Discipleship 101 wasn’t over for the day. So the professor (Master Teacher) nodded off.
Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
All is well! It reminds me of the beginning of Gilligan’s Island. The crew of the Minnow set sail for a three hour tour!
THE DIFFICULTY BEGINS
Mark 4:37
A furious squall came up, and the waves broke
over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
It looks like we have all the makings for the Perfect Storm!
“The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minnow would be lost!”
The Sea of Galilee sits at about 628 ft. below sea level. It was also surrounded by mountains. Under the right conditions winds would funnel down and churn up The Sea of Galilee.
I have seen something like this happen at Lake Tahoe before.
* The Lake is calm.
* Suddenly, the winds blow over the Lake and churn it up.
Out of nowhere, a killer storm rises up! This is a picture of how fast the storms we face in life rise up!
How suddenly do storms rise up? They can be one phone call away!
I remember hearing the news about an elder at a church I served at who was killed in a car crash.
* His name was Larry Luft.
* He and his wife Marge were founding members of the church.
* Larry was in his fifties and was killed on the job.
This storm hit Marge, suddenly!
STORMS COME UNEXPECTEDLY TO INDIVIDUALS
STORMS COME UNEXPECTEDLY TO CHURCHES
TYPES OF STORMS PEOPLE FACE
A Financial storm – where your outgo is greater than your income.
A Health storm – the doctor calls after your test and you have a serious health problem.
A Family storm – conflicts are raging throughout your home.
A Marital Storm – conflict with your spouse.
A Business Storm – conflict with your employee, conflict with your employer, concern as to whether your business will survive or a sudden transfer to another location!
The death of a loved one.
The loss of a job
Storms vary in intensity and degree (like the different levels found in Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Earthquakes). Some of you might be encountering a 2.0 Earthquake right now that seems like a tremor. Others here might be experiencing a full blown F5 Tornado!
Once a storm hits it is hard to remember the first sound of thunder
The situation was getting critical!
“…and the waves broke over the boat,
so that it was nearly swamped.”
This was the Perfect Storm. The water in the sea was sloshing as if an earthquake were taking place! The boat was taking on water. We all know that when a boat, even one as big as the Titanic, takes on enough water, it sinks!
THE CALL FOR HELP
Mark 4:38
Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
These fishermen had run out of ideas. Remember, they were rugged men!
While the text does not say this, I read between the lines that they had exhausted all human effort by this time.
This wasn’t the first storm these men had been in on this Lake! Throughout the gospel records we sea the Sea of Galilee churning.
Some probably bailed water.
Others might have tried to drop the sail
Others were trying to steer the rudder.
They couldn’t muscle their way out of the storm
They couldn’t buy their way out of the crisis
They couldn’t scheme or plan their way out of the calamity
KEY POINT:
Having Jesus in the Boat with you doesn’t stop a storm from developing!
“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
THEY WERE FREAKED!
The ship isn’t going to hold together!
We are not going to survive!
Do something!
Don’t just sleep, help us!
Have you ever felt this way?
In the midst of the storms of life we are tempted to ask, “where are you, Lord?”
Why is this happening to me?
Why is this happening to my family?
Why is this happening to my friend?
Why is this happening to my business?
Why is this happening to my church?
Irony: While the disciples are upset that Jesus is sleeping during their hour of need I wonder what He thought when they were sleeping during His hour of need in the Garden of Gethsemane?
JESUS TEACHES THEM
Mark 4:39-41
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,
“Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down
and it was completely calm.
Literally: Be Muzzled!
A raging sea, being churned by the wind, and suddenly, silence! No wind, and no ripples! Great Calm = water smooth as glass.
No more storm! Just Jesus and His disciples with their full attention fixed on Him!
Can you imagine the restraint Jesus must have had as God the Son being questioned by the disciples?
Now that He had their attention He asked them some questions! The storm was part of God’s sovereign plan for them.
“WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID?
DO YOU STILL HAVE NO FAITH?”
Afraid (timid = fearful and cowardly)
Here is James or John’s reply: Well, you see! Um! I don’t know, Ask Peter, maybe he has an answer!
Jesus expected faith to be their response! Isn’t that clear from the text?
“DO YOU STILL HAVE NO FAITH?”
What do you mean we are going to perish?
Didn’t I tell you we were going to the other side?
If Jesus told them to go to the other side, you can rest assured that they would have made it.
He is implying, haven’t you guys been paying attention?
WHAT DID I PROMISE YOU IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT?
I would provide your Daily Bread for you if you asked!
If I take care of Sparrows and Lilies, and you are worth much more, don’t you think I’m in control of your life and trial now?
Have you been listening to my teachings?
Didn’t you see the miracles I performed?
What they had been seeing and hearing was not yet a part of their life!
Jesus wasn’t the least bit concerned about the storm. It wasn’t the disciples’ greatest problem.
Their lack of faith and trust in God’s ability to provide and protect them was a much more serious problem!
REMEMBER: Living independently from God is the greatest sin we can commit.
WHY DO STORMS, TRAILS AND DIFFICULTIES COME?
I gleaned these truths from several authors! Hopefully they will help us to see God at work in our lives!
GOD USES STORMS TO GET OUR ATTENTION
Every good teacher knows that they must get their students attention before they can teach them.
God uses circumstances and situations to get our attention
400 Years of Slavery in Egypt
40 Years of Wandering in the Wilderness
70 Years of Captivity in Babylon
GOD USES STORMS TO LEAD US TO SELF-EXAMINATION
Ps. 139:23-24 NIV Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Without trials and testing we would easily drift away from trusting in the Lord!
Dr. Kent Hughes contends we would become: “Spiritual pygmies, insufferably self-centered, proud, empty people, without adversity.”
Kent R. Hughes, Commentary on Mark, pg. 114
GOD USES STORMS TO REVEAL HIS LOVE FOR US
“When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. His loving heart knows how much and how long.”
Warren Wiersbe quoted by David Jeremiah in “Bend in the Road”, pg 5
GOD USES STORMS TO CONQUER OUR PRIDE AND INDEPENDENCE
James 4:6 NIV But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Ps. 34:17 NIV The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
If you want to prolong your trial, keep trusting in your own game plan!
The Lord wants us to take our hands off of the steering wheel.
GOD USES STORMS TO REMIND US OF OUR WEAKNESSES
2 Cor. 12:9-10 NIV But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Remember, He wants to receive the glory! He doesn’t like sharing His glory with us!
GOD USES STORMS TO CAUSE US TO CHANGE OUR BELIEF,
OUR BEHAVIOR OR TO REALIGN OUR PRIORITIES
James 1:5-8 NIV If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
WHY DID JESUS REBUKE HIS DISCIPLES?
When believers worry, it equals their trying to control the outcome of the circumstances or situation. We are saying that our situation is too difficult for God to handle and so we need to help Him out!
Our lack of faith negates our testimony and witness to the world of God’s greatness and power!
Lots of predicted storms never materialize!
I learned this first-hand in the Midwest. The weatherman would predict a major winter storm of up to 30 inches of snow. That day, the shelves in most of the stores would be emptied of milk, bread, batteries and candles.
The storm wouldn’t come! The big ones were always a bust! But on the days they predicted sunshine, wham, the storm hit closing everything!
98% of what we worry about never materializes or cannot be changed!
“We mature in our faith, not by listening to weather reports, but by going through the storm.”
Warren Wiersbe, pg. 45 YOUR NEXT MIRACLE
STORMS GET US TO TAKE OUR EYES OFF OF THE LORD
LORD, DON’T YOU CARE?
LORD, AREN’T YOU CONCERNED?
CAN A STORM STOP OMNIPOTENCE?
NO!
CAN A STORM STOP SOVERIGNTY?
NO!
He is it! “I AM that I AM!”
The End Result:
“They were terrified and asked each other,
“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
They Worshipped God!
“Contemporary Christianity tends to define worship by activities or styles of music. But when the disciples “became very much afraid” (Mark 4:41), they demonstrated what true worship is – the reverent fear of One whose power and authority exceeds even the violent forces of nature. To realize one is in the presence of the Person of absolute authority instinctively draws worship from the soul.”
Dr. Ed Glasscock – Moody Gospel of Matthew Commentary, pg. 197
So then faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17 NKJV
If you want to love God you need to know God
We come to know God more through:
* His Word
* Prayer
* Walking with Him daily
* Discovering His Word and promises are true!
Worship is our response
to knowing Him and Loving Him!
ALL POWER BELONGS TO THE LORD!
He has all power to provide for you!
He has all power to protect you!
He has all power to heal you!
The One who spoke the entire Universe into existence, instantaneously, by His Word, has no trouble speaking a Word to answer your need!
HOW MANY THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD?
Some things? A few things?
Rom. 8:28 NIV “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”
DOES JESUS ALWAYS CALM THE STORM IMMEDIATELY?
No! Could He? Yes! Sometimes He waits! Why?
James 1:2-4 NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
WHERE IS OUR FOCUS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED?
Hebr. 12:2 NIV Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Can we trust Him? Absolutely!
Mr. Spafford was a well known Christian Lawyer in Chicago, who also had great holdings in real estate in the fastest growing frontier town. He had been brought into a deeper dedication of his life and wealth to the Lord through his association with D. L. Moody and Henry Moorehouse, the English Bible Teacher who had come to Chicago and preached seven sermons on John 3:16. In 1871 the great tragedy of fire struck Chicago and in a matter of a few hours much of Mr. Spafford’s real estate holdings were nothing but ashes. A greater test awaited him.
In November of 1873, some two years after the fire, many of the schools in Chicago had not yet been rebuilt and so Mr. Spafford decided that he would take his family to England where his children could enroll in an English Academy and not be held back in their education.
[Business kept him from going with them. He would send them on ahead]
The Spafford family arrived safely in New York and boarded the ship Villa de Harve. Midway the ship collided with another ship taking to the bottom most on board including his four daughters. Mrs. Spafford barely conscious drafted this short note. It read: “Saved, Alone.” Mr. Spafford penned these words:
“When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
There is no doubt storms make us anxious. Having lived in the Midwest, I am well acquainted with the anxiety that exists when a Tornado watch or warning is issued.
The question is where are we going to place our focus?
FEAR IS LOOKING AT THE STORM.
FAITH IS LOOKING AT THE SAVIOR!
FEAR IS LOOKING AT CIRCUMSTANCES.
FAITH IS LOOKING AT GOD!
TRUST IN HIS POWER – NOT YOUR POWER!
BELIEVE HIS WORD – NOT YOUR OWN SPECULATIONS AND IDEAS!
RELY ON HIS STRENGTH – NOT YOUR HUMAN WEAKNESS!
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Col. 1:15-18 NIV
Go for the Gold!
