The ‘Rest’ of the Story
Series: Markers Along the Narrow Path
December 9, 2012
One of the most famous miracles of the bible is the story of how Jesus calmed the raging storm. In fact, this miracle had such an impact on the disciples that they wrote about it 3 different times in 3 different books of the bible. (Matthew, Mark, Luke). Since we’re studying the book of Mark, we’re going to look at how Mark tells the story this morning. So turn with me in your bibles to Mark 4:35-41. (READ)
Now 1st of all, you need to know that Jesus never wasted a miracle, or used them as a way to “show-off” His power. But that every miracle He performed was done for a specific purpose…to teach a spiritual reality, or illus. a point. In this miracle, Jesus has just finished teaching the crowds of people who were coming to hear him. Since he was already in a boat, He turns to His disciples and says, “Let’s go on a ride to the other side of the lake.” The ‘lake’ He was talking about is better known as the “Sea of Galilee”, but the Jews referred to it as Lake Kinneret, or Lake Tiberias.
Unfortunately, their leisurely “boat ride” turns into a disaster! They get caught in a storm so bad that the waves are coming up over the sides of the boat threatening to sink them. Now remember many of the disciples are lifelong fishermen. So I’m sure they’ve seen their share of bad storms…but even THEY are freaking out at this one! In fact, the word “furious” in vs.37 in the grk. is ‘seismos’. It’s where we get our English word for ‘seismology’: the study of earthquakes!
Meanwhile, (you’re probably wondering) “Where’s Jesus during this crises?” Oh…he’s up in the front of the boat…SLEEPING!!! He’s probably exhausted from his preaching schedule, so He’s taking this opportunity to slip in a little catnap. (I can understand that…It’s more tiring than you think it is to preach! I’m worn out after every Sunday and take a nap!) If you’re surprised that Jesus can sleep through a major storm like this…you’re not the only one! The disciples are outright horrified that He’s sleeping…while they’re drowning!
Have you ever been in a storm like this? Maybe you haven’t necessarily been out on a boat when it happened, but we’ve ALL been in one kind of storm or another… We’ve all been in what I’d call, Situational Storms of life, where just like this one…we’re sailing along just fine when all the sudden our whole world gets turned upside down!
• We or somebody we know gets into a serious car accident. (been there, done that!)
• The doctors report comes back positive (JO?)
• We lose our job.
• Our mate files for a divorce (ever been there?)
And just like the storm that Mark describes here… … situational storms are so violent that they threaten to swamp our lives! Prov.1:27 describes them well…READ
Now…there are also what I call, RELATIONAL STORMS. That’s when your marriage blows up in an argument, or a relative or a friend calls you up and regurgitates all over you. Maybe you find out that someone you trusted betrayed your confidence. Relational storms can sink your boat quicker than anything I know.
And then there are the EMOTIONAL STORMS of life. These kinds of storms can fool you, because on the outside you may look peaceful, but underneath, below the surface…a storm is brewing! You may be dealing with fear or overwhelmed with guilt, consumed with worry or grief, or jealousy…anger…and all it takes is a little bump to set us off and we’re in a full scale emotional melt down! If you’ve ever suffered through an emotional storm…it feels like you’ve been plowed over by a 20ft. wave!
How many of you have experienced one of those kinds of storms recently? (Wow! We need to pray for each other!) If you haven’t…don’t worry…YOU WILL!
See that’s the strange thing about life’s storms…they’re INEVITABLE! Which is the 1st of 3 facts about lifes storms I want to share with you this morning. In otherwords, they’re gonna happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop them! Try as you may…you can’t avoid them! James 1:2 says…”WHEN you face trials of many kinds”… It’s not IF…it’s when!
Which leads to the 2nd fact you need to know about life’s storms…they’re UNPREDICTABLE! vs. 37 tells us that “a furious squall came up”. In Matthews version he says, “Without warning, a furious storm camp up” –(Mt.8:22). You say, “Well, how can a big storm like this just sneak up on them without warning? Surely, they could have seen it coming for hours and avoided it, right?” WRONG!!! What you may not know is that
the Sea of Galilee is notorious for it’s sudden storms. See, the lake is 700 ft. below sea level, and so cold winds will rush down through the valleys from the summit of Mt. Hermon, (9,200ft. in the North)…and when the cold air collides with the warm air…BAM! Instant storm! In fact, it can be perfectly peaceful on one minute and the next minute you’re in the middle of 10 ft. waves!
Well, the storms of life aren’t much different are they? They hit suddenly…they hit unexpectantly…and they hit us with a ferociousness rolls us over!
But there’s one last thing I want you to notice about storms from this story…and that is… #3…
Storms are IMPARTIAL. In otherwords, storms don’t play favorites! They happen to bad people – good people, believers – nonbelievers, fat people – skinny people, conservatives – liberals, people who choose plastic - people who choose paper…even PASTORS face storms in life. I know a pastor who has a 17 year old son named Grant. He wasn’t getting over his strep throat…so they took him to the hospital and gave him a spinal tap. One of the side effects is a nasty headache, so they gave him pain medication. He fell asleep, but one of the side-effects of the pain medication is respiratory arrest. Looked like he was asleep, but he was actually not breathing. When they discovered the problem, they don’t know how long he hadn’t been breating. By the time they resuscitated him…he’d suffered severe brain injury.
Before the accident, Grant had a 4.2 GPA and was admitted to Point Loma Nazarene University with a full academic scholarship. He wanted to earn his doctorate in Psychology. Today he’s almost in a complete vegetative state. He can’t speak, can’t eat, and can barely move. Less than 6 mo. later this SAME pastor’s wife died of cancer, leaving him to care for his son by himself. You think you’ve got it bad? Would you pray for this pastor? His name is Mike Boswith.
Yeah, being a pastor…or a real good person definitely doesn’t exempt you from life’s storms. You know, some people get the idea that when they go through a bad storm it’s because God’s somehow trying to punish them…but I want you to notice that the disciples ran straight into this storm NOT because they were dis-obedient…but because they were O-bedient to God! Jesus told them…”Let’s get in the boat and go to the otherside!” …and that’s what they did! They were obeying God…they were in the center of His will…and they STILL ended up smack dab in the middle of the storm! So when you go through a storm, don’t automatically assume that you’ve done something wrong, you may be exactly where God wants you to be!
So if storms (by nature) are inevitable, unpredictable and impartial… I guess the real question we need to answer is…How am I going to weather a storm when it hits my life? What should be my response to the storms I face…when I face them? I’m glad you asked…because there are really 2 ways we can choose to respond to the storms of life…1. We can chose the “Disciples Way”…OR… 2. We can choose
“Jesus’ way”! When faced with a storm in my life, whether it be situational, relational or emotional…I can either Panic…or…I can be at PEACE. It’s my choice! The disciples decided to panic! They’re screaming at Jesus…trying to get Him to wake up! They’re crying out at the top of their lungs…”Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” That is soooo me! That is sooooo you!
One of the things we learned in the “ReStarting” class we took a few months ago was that when we are overwhelmed by a situation or trial, as a way of gaining some kind of security…we try and get people to SYNC with our emotions. For instance…if we’re anxious and worried about something, we try and get other people to be anxious and worried with us! (our friends, our family, our wife or husband). If WE’re upset…we want other people around us to get upset. We want to get as many others as we can find to jump in our sinking boat with us! WE WANT TO SYNC WHILE WE SINK!
In this case, the disciples wanted Jesus to SYNC with their fear!. “Jesus …Wake up! Don’t you care?” But Jesus didn’t choose panic… NO…instead, Jesus chose PEACE! He refused to “sync” with their fear! Instead Jesus wanted them to sync with HIS faith. In fact, Jesus will never allow you to pull Him down into your storm… instead, He’s always trying to get you to sync with His heart of trust and peace.
See what the disciples saw as Jesus’ indifference to their safety in the hour of danger…was actually a sign of ultimate trust in God! Here’s this MONSTER of a storm raging…and Jesus is calmly, serenely sleeping on ‘cushion’... (which was probably a sandbag used for ballast). I think it’s kind of ironic, because one of the signs that you’re in a storm is that you CAN’T sleep! HA! When we’re struggling with a trial or a relationship, or with some emotion…we lay awake tossing and turning, thinking about it..trying to work it out ourselves. Americans spent ½ billion on sleep aids last year! BUT NOT JESUS! He didn’t need a shot of “No DOZ”. He could lit. sleep anywhere! Now that’s peace. Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of peace this morning in YOUR storm?
MY STORY…I remember this past year when I was going through a storm. I found myself all worried and concerned about the churches finances, and the lease…on top of that, we were trying to work out the purchase of two different properties. It was crazy and I was taking on water! Now, I had just read this story of Jesus and the storm that morning, and so it was on my mind…but I was still stressing out. So that night, I’m taking a shower and praying (best place to pray)…I was pouring out my heart to Jesus, (trying to get Him to sync with my anxiety). When He led me back to this story in my mind… I thought about him sleeping in that boat, and all the sudden I heard His voice. Not loud, booming, audible…but it was the most calm, reassuring, gentle voice you’ve ever heard…and I heard him say to me… Chris (he called my name!)…Come over here. Come here. I want you to lay down right here next to me and I want you to rest!” At that moment all the pressure, all the worry, all the anxiety just melted off of me and went down the drain of my shower! And from that point on…I just had a trust and a peace that I can’t describe. It was a peace that Phil. 4 says…”…defies human understanding. That guards my heart and mind in Christ Jesus”! Do you need that kind of peace this morning? Why don’t you join Jesus in the front of the boat. Will you do that?
In fact, you know what? Sleeping can sometimes be a statement of faith (NOT NOW!!!) Seriously, when you say, “Jesus, this storm is too big for me…so I give it to You. You’re going to be up all night anyway…so here you go. I refuse to lose sleep over it. Good night!” That’s a statement of faith! Do you want to learn how to live on that level of calmness no matter what the storm? Do you want a “piece” of Jesus’ peace?
Well, then here are 3 “Life Preservers” that are taught in this passage. If you’re going to make it through a storm, even when it ‘feels’ like your ship is sinking…you need to DO 3 things…
1. REALIZE God’s closeness
You know if they’d been thinking, the disciples would have realized that they didn’t have anything to fear, if for no other reason...that Jesus was IN the boat! There is no way God would allow that boat to sink with Jesus in it. And so you need to make sure that Jesus is in your boat. So ask Him! Right NOW! “Jesus, would you get in my boat?” Because listen…there is nothing you or I will ever face that we have to face alone! I’m still going to go through the storms…only with Jesus sitting right next to me…it’s going to be impossible to sink us!
Look around you…there are people on all sides this morning who are drowning. They’re drowning in guilt…remorse, depression, bitterness, financial bondage…they’re overwhelmed…and as a result they’re using all kinds of things trying to cope…to get some sleep…(alcohol, drugs, pleasure, food, medication …you name it!) But it’s NOT working. The only thing that works is asking Jesus to get in your boat with you, and then go over and lay down beside Him! When you “sync” with His peace and faith…instead of your worry and fear…and you’ll become UNSINKABLE!
And then…#2…
RELAX in God’s Care
What the disciples said to Jesus is exactly what we say to Jesus when we’re going through a storm…”Jesus, don’t you care?”
• Don’t you care about my health issues?
• Don’t you care about my bills?
• Don’t you care about my kids?
• Don’t you care that I’m hurting?
The answer is a resounding…YES! Peter was in the boat that day and later wrote in I Peter 5:7 (READ) One thing you can never do is accuse God of negligence. I think the one thing the disciples did right when they got into the storm was to take their worries to Jesus. That’s because when it’s all said and done, He’s the only one that can calm the storm in our hearts.
The last ‘life preserver’ is found in Mark 4:39 (READ). 3. RELY on God’s control. Jesus stood up in the boat, the wind blowing in his face and spoke 3 words (that’s all it took)…”Quiet, be still” and immediately (not an hour later)…the winds stopped and the sea was perfectly calm. Try that sometime and see if it works that way for you! Actually, the lit. grk. is a little more forceful…’Sit down and shut up!” (So next time, kids goofing off, tell them… “Peace be still!”) Jesus wasn’t “asking” the winds to stop…He was commanding them to stop. Like He was in control of the forces of nature…like He was God or something! And of course He was! If there was ever any doubt about whether Jesus was “God in a Bod”…this would have settled it! The disciples reaction was the same reaction you’d have if you saw what they just saw! “The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” The pt. is... God DOES care, and God DOES know about your situation. You may think He’s asleep on the job... but God knows just how long to allow the storm to rage in your life. When Jesus is ready, He can stop the storm, like that!... But until then, he wants to teach you endurance, patience, how to trust in Him.
Jesus able to transform a great storm into a great calm. In ancient world, the sea was always sign of turmoil and chaos. Jesus has mastery over the sea, the place of chaos and evil. With just a word, he has the power to do what only the God (who created the sea) can do. Now, if Jesus can do this for people without faith…think what He can do for people WITH faith! See Isa.43:1-10
We live in a fallen world that’s full of the power of chaos, out to destroy us. Whether you want to be or not…you are in the boat! There are no safe places, Christianity is not a refuge from pain and suffering, there are no stormless seas…chaos will hit our lives in a second, out of nowhere. It’s easy to be courageous when everything is calm, but true faith is when we turn to him in the MIDDLE of the storm.
Listen: God is in control of your storm! He’s with me…He cares about me…and He can keep me safe in the midst of your storm this morning. Can you believe that? When we find ourselves in a situation where we’re out of control…it frightens us. We freak out, panic, worry. We may THINK we can control them…and we try real hard…but it’s about as useless as telling the waves to stop. The good news is that things that are OUT of my control, aren’t beyond Gods control! So I need to hand them over to the one who has a proven record. He’s the MASTER of the seas! And if He can calm THIS storm…He can do the same to yours! Mark teaches us to trust in a Savior that doesn’t deliver us FROM storms of life…but is able to get us THROUGH the storms of life to the other side. Amen?
Prayer…
