It is easy to speak these words but it is not always easy not to be afraid.
Illus: Have you heard about the man who owned a parrot that swore like a sailor? This parrot was so terrible, it could swear for five minutes straight without repeating itself. One day the man finally got tired of this parrot's horrible speech, and decided to do something about it.
He grabbed the parrot by the throat, shook it really hard, and yelled, "QUIT IT!" every time the parrot said something ungodly. But this just made the parrot mad, and it swore more than ever.
Next the man tried locking the bird in a kitchen cabinet. This really aggravated the parrot, and it clawed and scratched furiously until the man finally let him out (upon which the bird released it's fury in a torrent of language so horrible it could never be repeated).
At that point, the man was so frustrated that he threw the parrot into the freezer. For the first few seconds the parrot made a terrible amount of noise in protest to this treatment, kicking, clawing, and thrashing about. But after a few moments it suddenly went very quiet.
As the silence grew longer the man started to think that the parrot may be hurt. After a couple minutes of silence, he became so worried that he opened up the freezer door. The parrot calmly climbed onto the man's outstretched arm and said, "Awfully sorry about the trouble I gave you. I'll do my best to improve my vocabulary from now on."
Of course, the man was astounded. He could not understand the transformation that had come over his unruly parrot. Then the parrot asked, "By the way, what did the chicken do?"
It does not matter how big a man might be there are times in his life when he is fearful.
Illus: A big man had a fear that he was afraid to tell anyone about. However, this fear got so bad at night he could not sleep so he finally decided to go see a psychiatrist.
? The psychiatrist asked, “How can I help you?”
? The man said, “Doc, I have this fear every night that someone is hiding under my bed and I cannot sleep. Do you think I'm going crazy?"
? The doctor said, “No, you are not going crazy, just put yourself in my hands for one year. Come talk to me three times a week and we should be able to get rid of those fears."
? "How much do you charge?"
? "Eighty bucks a visit," replied the shrink.
? The man said, "Wow, that's expensive, I'll sleep on it."
? Six months later they met on the street. "Why didn't you ever come back to see me about those fears you were having?" he asked.
? I finally broke down and told my problem to that old man that lived across the street and he cured me.
? "Is that so!” The psychiatrist said, “What kind of advice did he give you to cure you?
? "He told me to cut the legs off the bed! Ain't nobody under there now!"
Illus: A man went to the psychiatrist because he had a fear of thunder.
? The man said, "Doc, I don't know what to do!"
? The doctor replied, "That's ridiculous. Thunder is a natural phenomenon - nothing to be afraid of. Whenever you hear thunder, do like I do: Put your head under the pillow and it will go away."
We all have to deal with fears.
The disciples had to deal with fear. They encountered a PHYSICAL STORM and a SPIRITUAL STORM at the same time. They were on a boat when a dreadful storm came. It was so bad, that those experienced fishermen thought that they were all going to a watery grave that day.
But the Lord appeared before those FEARFUL DISCIPLES, and when He was finished with them, those FEARFUL DISCIPLES became the PEACEFUL DISCIPLES.
As these disciples faced this deadly storm, notice three things that the Lord dealt with:
I. HE DEALT WITH THEIR FEAR.
Look at their fear in verses 47-50. We read, “And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, BE OF GOOD CHEER: IT IS I; BE NOT AFRAID.”
WHY WOULD HE TELL THEM NOT TO BE AFRAID?
It was obvious that the ship was about to sink, why shouldn’t they be afraid? They did not have to be afraid because He is-
A. GREATER THAN THE STORM.
That is, the Lord never once looked at the storm and said, “I think I can whip it, I hope I can whip it!” He knew that all he had to do was say to that raging storm, “Peace be still,” and that storm would become calm.”
No matter what kind of storm we might be facing and no matter how big that storm might be we serve a God that is bigger than the storms we face each day.
THEN WHY WERE THESE DISCIPLES AFRAID?
Evidently they did not know that God was bigger than the storm they were facing.
These experienced fishermen were doing everything they knew to do to save themselves. They were in a mess! They felt-
(1) The storm was bigger than they were,
(2) The storm was bigger than the God they served.
They were in a mess!!!
Listen, anytime the storms in our life, the giants in our life, become bigger than the God we serve we are in a mess!!!
There is a song that goes like this, “Our God is an awesome God!” THAT HE IS! But if you do not know He is an awesome God you are in a mess.
Illus: Isaiah describes His “awesomeness.” Look at Isaiah 40:12. We read, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?”
OUR GOD IS INDEED AN AWESOME GOD!
I can assure you that as we face the storms of life, there are times we are OUT OF CONTROL. But I can also assure you, there never is, nor has there ever been, a time when He was OUT OF CONTROL!
HE DEALT WITH THEIR FEARS and told them not to be afraid, because He is GREATER than the storm they faced. But He also told them not to be afraid because He had a…
B. PLAN FOR THE STORM.
Look at verse 45. We read, “And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.”
At no time did the Lord look up and say, “Oh no! A storm is coming, and I sent them into the midst of it!”
Illus: The Lord is not like these weathermen who say, “There is a 50% chance of showers tomorrow.” They can’t lose.
• If it rains they say, “I told you there was a 50% chance it might rain.”
• If it does not rain, they can say, “I told you there was a 50% chance it might not rain.”
The Lord knew that there was a 100% chance that the storm was coming, and He knew how big a storm it would be. He dealt with their FEARS by telling them not to be afraid, because He had a purpose in that storm’s coming.
Listen, there is not anything that will enter our life that God does not know about and does not allow to enter.
Before the disciples ever faced that storm, the Lord had a purpose in its coming.
We all need to beware of these preachers, who tell us we can know we are in the will of God because things always work out well for us. They do not know a thing about the will of God. Those disciples were in the will of God in the midst of that storm as much as they were in carrying out the great commission.
God allows storms to come our way to help us realize that God is God of THE MOUNTAINS, but He is also GOD OF THE VALLEYS!
In Romans 8:28, we read “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
He DEALT WITH THEIR FEARS and told them not to be afraid…
• BECAUSE THE LORD IS BIGGER THAN THE STORMS WE FACE
• BECAUSE THE LORD HAS A PURPOSE IN THE STORMS WE FACE
But He told them not to be afraid for another reason. He told them not to be afraid because-
C. STORMS COME AND STORMS GO.
Look at verse 51. We read, “And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.”
Illus: We all should have the same attitude towards storms that we have toward grandchildren. The reason they call them grandchildren is because, “It is grand to see them come, and it is grand to see them go!”
Illus: We often look back on physical storms we have faced and talk about how severe they were, but now they are just memories.
As we face these storms in life, we can rest assured that God is going to help us through every one of them
In 1 Cor. 10:13, we read, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
NEVER FORGET! The storm that you are in today, or the one you may face tomorrow, did not come to stay. One day, God is going to tell the storm in your life, “Storm, cease as of now!” The storm is going to settle down, and you are going to discover a quietness you have never experienced before.
The Lord Jesus DEALT WITH THEIR FEARS by telling them not to be afraid. He was there to help them. Also-
II. HE DEALT WITH THEIR FAITH.
Many times, we think only children are afraid of the dark, but sometimes the roughest looking, and the toughest man in the county, can be so afraid that his knees begin to shake.
Illus: During World War II, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, "Sir, I am not a brave man -- the truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands."
I want to remind you that these were experienced fisherman. But when the Lord came, walking upon the water, to the disciples, they thought He was a spirit, and they almost went berserk! What a comfort it must have been, when they recognized His voice. Because then they knew that help had arrived.
When Jesus got there, He quickly identified Himself to the disciples. Notice, this is an Emphatic Personal Pronoun! He said, "It is I" a statement of identification.
Illus: It is like Jesus saying, “Hey fellows, why are you afraid. I am greater than the storm you are facing, THE GREAT I AM IS HERE!”
He was reminding those men of just who He was.
Illus: We used to sing the Chorus with these words,
“Got any rivers you think are uncrossable.
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel though.
God specializes in things thought impossible
And He will do what no other can do.”
How fortunate we are to serve such a wonderful God.
And as we face the midst of the storm, he says:
• Matt. 28:20b “...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
• Heb. 13:5b “...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
He was also saying, I am not one of these fair weather friends that stick with you during the sunshine but forsake you in the midst of the storms.
Illus: When the Lord says that He will not forsake us, the term literally means that He won't run out on us when the chips are down. You can trust Him; He is present to help.
All we need to do is place our Faith in the God who loves and cares for us.
? HE DEALT WITH THEIR FEARS,
? HE DEALT WITH THEIR FAITH, but also-
III. HE DEALT WITH THEIR FUTURE.
These disciples were like many of God’s children today. They had a very bleak outlook on life. Look at these verses one more time. In vs. 48-50, we read, “And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.”
They were convinced that they were all going to a watery grave, until the Lord Jesus appeared.
He showed them that he did not want them to DIE FOR HIM at that time. He was wanting them to LIVE FOR HIM!
We can see that HE DEALT WITH THEIR FUTURE in verse 45. We read, “And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.”
Notice, he used these words when He told them to get into the ship, He said, “…And go to the other side…”
It does not matter how much that storm might blow, that ship could not have sunk for anything in this world.
Illus: When the Titanic made it maiden voyage they said it was un-sinkable, but it sank. But this ship could not have possibly sunk because the Lord had said they were going to the other side.
Notice this Present Active Imperative - He said, "Be not afraid".
Which literally meant "Stop fearing now, and never fear anything else ever again!" He is able to help us in all the storms of life.
Conclusion:
When the storms of life are raging, always remember that Jesus is there for you. He longs to comfort your heart, and to replace your fears with His perfect peace.
So often, we are like the man who had to cross a river of ice. He was afraid it was thin ice and it might cave in. He began to crawl on his stomach, inch by inch, and almost got to the other side, when a man came by him riding a sled. He then realized that all his fears were in vain. It will be the same for us. One day we will see the Lord Jesus in all His greatness, and we will realize that all our worries were in vain.
I want to leave you with this verse of Scripture. The psalmist said in Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
The best place to be in the midst of a hurricane is in the eye. In the midst of the storm, there is a stillness and quietness that is unbelievable. God wants us to find that quietness!
I. HE DEALT WITH THEIR FEARS
II. HE DEALT WITH THEIR FAITH
III. HE DEALT WITH THEIR FUTURE
