INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• How BIG is your God? Is He only big when times are good and situations easy?
• The NIV Application Commentary reminds us:
• We can easily claim to be courageous when everything is calm.
• We can have faith in God’s deliverance when we do not sense any urgent need to be delivered.
• When we come under extreme pressure, however, the courage and assurance that Jesus even cares for his own, let alone preserves them from ultimate danger, can fade fast.
• Mark wrote his Gospel for communities facing intense stress and a raging storm of persecution.
• There will be times in life where it seems hopeless, where it seems like there is no escape.
• When facing those times, we tend to circle our wagon and prepare for doom and failure.
• What do you do when things go awry? Who or what do you turn to when the ocean of life starts to sink your boat?
• The disciples are with Jesus as He is teaching the crowds some parables, He has been teaching all day. HE is on the Northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, at Capernaum.
• Jesus is in a boat that He is using as a teaching platform on the edge of the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
• SLIDE #2- Capernaum.
• The boat Jesus is on is a fishing boat that was typical of the time.
• SLIDE #3
• It was about 26.5 feet long, about 7.5 feet wide, and 4.5 feet high. One could get about 15 fishermen in one of these boats.
• SLIDE #4
• Here is an actual picture of Jesus on the boat to give you some sense of scale.
• SLIDE #5
• Actually here is a real boat found in 1986 I believe, on the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee about 5 miles south of Capernaum. It dates to the 1st Century. Who knows, given the dating and location, maybe Jesus was on this boat?
• Isn’t it amazing to think about that?
• THESE MEN ARE GOING TO FACE A CHALLENGE, A CHALLENGE THAT WILL TEST THE BOUNDS OF THEIR FAITH AND THE SIZE OF THE GOD THEY SERVE!
• How BIG is your God? Our God, the creator of all things, is big enough to see you through the storm.
• LET’S BEGIN in Mark 4:35-37
• SLIDE #6
• Mark 4:35–37 (HCSB) — 35 On that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. 37 A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.
• As we test the boundaries we set for the size of the god we serve, let first realize…
• SLIDE #7
SERMON
I. Everyone will face storms in life.
• It is now evening and Jesus asks the disciples to cross over to the other side of the sea with Him.
• They were going to head to the North Eastern shore into the area of Decapolis.
• Here is what we need to understand in these verses, anyone and everyone will face storms or times of testing and difficulty.
• These men are going to be in the boat with none other than Jesus Himself!
• What could possibly go wrong?
• When people or preachers try to tell you that if you follow Jesus, you will not experience troubles, suffering or pain, they are selling you some swamp land.
• These men at the invitation Jesus were going to go on a trip with Him, more or less, He was going to lead them into the eye of a storm!
• SLIDE #8- Sea of Galilee
• TO understand what is happening we need to realize that the Sea of Galilee is about 600-700 feet below sea level. It is surrounded by mountains.
• On the Northeastern shore line is Mourn Hermon, which rises to about 9000 feet above sea level.
• In the evening, the cold air sweeping down from the mountain hits the warm air rising from the Sea of Galilee, this combination can make for some treacherous weather, storms can hit quick and hard.
• The men on the boat were experienced fishermen, they knew storms could come fast.
• This storm was hitting them hard; it was flooding the boat. One would think experienced fishermen could handle a storm, yet panic was setting in.
• The disciples who were fishermen knew that the sudden squalls were a threat on the sea of Galilee, but that did not make it any easier to cope when they appeared.
• C. S. Lewis lectured others about suffering, but it did not make it any easier to endure when it became a reality in his own life.
• The death of a cherished loved one, the loss of a job, the betrayal of a friend, the onslaught of those bent on destroying everything dear to us churn our lives as if we were a tiny boat facing a hurricane. (NIV Application Commentary- Mark)
• In life we face a variety of storms.
• Some of the storms build over time, some hit us expectantly.
• KID IN VIRGINIA on the beach
• Sometimes no matter how well we are prepared, a storm will hit, the question then becomes, “HOW WILL I DEAL WITH IT?”
• Will you be able to stay calm and focused on God, or will you place your focus on the storm?
• Will you resort to unethical means? WOMAN AND THE PHARMACIST!
• WELL, here are the disciples, the men who walked with Jesus, watched Him perform miracles, they listened to His sermons, they heard His claims.
• They are in the boat with Jesus! One would think they would be calm in the midst of the storm.
• Let’s look at what these men did!
• SLIDE #9
• Mark 4:38–39 (HCSB) — 38 But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• SLIDE #10
II. Jesus is BIG enough to see you through the storm.
• They are in the boat, the storm is raging, the boat does not look like it is going to hold up, the disciples think they are going to become fish food.
• Where is JESUS!
• He is ASLEEP!
• Are you kidding me, Jesus is ASLEEP as these men are about to plunge into the depths of the Sea of Galilee to their deaths!
• Let’s be honest, how many times have you felt Jesus was asleep at the wheel when you were in the midst of your storm?
• You reached out and felt there was no answer, you surmise that God does not love you because He did not deliver you in the manner you sought.
• The disciples are in full panic mode! Death is closing in on them like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!
• So what now? The wake Jesus up. Then not only do they wake Him up, they proceed to say, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”
• Think about that one. Have you ever felt that way? These men did and they were in the PRESENCE of Jesus!
• Not excusing feeling that way, but it is understandable when these men were with Jesus and they still felt abandoned. We will talk about WHY they felt that way in a few moments.
• The disciples thought they were going to die, and they further thought Jesus was going to sit back and watch it happen. It was like they thought Jesus was going to get some popcorn and watch the show!
• What happens next is astounding, when we look at verse 41 it appears that what Jesus does scares them more than the storm did.
• Jesus calms the storm.
• Notice we are told Jesus got up and rebuked the WIND and the SEA!
• He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• Here is a another subtle yet astounding part of this miracle, when the wind stopped, the sea IMMEDIATELY became as smooth as glass, A GREAT CALM!
• These fishermen knew that once the wind died down, the sea would take a bit longer to calm because of the momentum and force of the waves.
• Now one could say the stopping of the wind was a coincidence, it just HAPPENED to stop when Jesus arose and spoke, in other words, He got LUCKY with the wind.
• However, there was no explanation for the IMMEDIATE calming of the sea!
• Jesus saved them.
• Jesus left NO doubt as to what just happened.
• Jesus can see you through the storm as He did the disciples.
• Let’s look at verse 40-41
• SLIDE #11
• Mark 4:40–41 (HCSB) — 40 Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” 41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
• SLIDE #12
III. Our level of confidence in God is tied to our level of faith in God.
• Once the storm was calmed, Jesus turns to His disciples as asks them why they were fearful?
• Jesus does not reproach the disciples for their lack of knowledge, however, but for their fear, the Greek word for which means “losing heart” or “cowardice” (see 6:50–51). The real threat to faith comes not from lack of knowledge but from doubt and fear. (Pillar New Testament Commentary)
• Jesus asks them, DO YOU STILL HAVE NO FAITH?
• Still no faith; that is, no faith in spite of all that you have seen, heard, experienced?
• This little word “still” must not escape us.
• By using it Jesus is teaching that the experiences of life are sent to men with a purpose. They must be used to good advantage, for furtherance in sanctification. (Baker NTC)
• In the Old Testament, Joseph understood this principle. His brothers thought they were toast when dad died for what they had done to Joseph.
• SLIDE #13
• Genesis 50:19–21 (HCSB) But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
• There are other examples.
• The disciples were fearful in the midst of the storm because their confidence level in Jesus was low in comparison to the storm they caught in.
• In other words, the storm was BIGGER than Jesus to them.
• When you live in fear, it is because you are not confident that God can deliver you.
• As our level of confidence in God grows, our faith will grow and we will be able to experience true peace in life.
• The disciples were terrified when Jesus calmed the storm, they had NEVER seen what they just experienced, EVER!
• The asked, WHO THEN IS THIS? EVEN THE WIND AND SEA OBEY HIM!
• This situation helped them to gain confidence in Jesus, which in turn would later give them a foundation to continue to build their faith!
• The disciples went from men of fear to men of fearless faith after the resurrection!
CONCLUSION
• Are you confident that God can carry you through the storm?
• Let your faith and trust grow and you too will be able to calmly walk through the storm with Jesus at your side!
