A. Philippians 4:7 (READ)
1. How many of you saw the movie “The Perfect Storm”?
ILLUSTRATION:
It was a GOOD MOVIE—ROTTEN ENDING. It’s a TRUE STORY, and sometimes TRUE LIFE doesn’t END the way we like. It starred George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. For those of you who may have missed it, it was the story of an incredible storm of 1991 that struck the northeast coast. The story chronicled the fateful events that led to the SINKING of the fishing boat, ANDREA GAIL, and the LOSS of its SIX-MAN CREW, captained by BILLY TYNE—played by Clooney in
the movie. (PHOTO OF THE REAL “ANDREA GAIL”)
The “PERFECT STORM,” was actually called the “HALLOWEEN STORM OF 1991.” It was called the PERFECT STORM because of the extraordinary way it formed. Three massive WEATHER SYSTEMS came together in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. A massive COLD FRONT had moved south out of Canada. An EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE had formed about 300 miles east of Nova Scotia. And the subtropical HURRICANE, GRACE, was moving north from the south. These three SYSTEMS met in the PERFECT PLACE, at the PERFECT TIME, to make the PERFECT
STORM.
It is reported that ANDREA GAIL faced repeated WAVES reaching around 75 feet. The winds would have been anywhere from 80-120 miles per hour. It is believed the ship was hit by two MONSTROUS, ROGUE WAVES, one at EIGHT O’CLOCK and another at MIDNIGHT that reached 100 feet or more—that’s the HEIGHT of a 10-story building. There was no way to PREDICT which
DIRECTION the WAVES would come as they FIERCELY pounded the SHIP.
We can’t even begin to imagine the level of FEAR and ANXIETY the six men of the ANDREA GAIL must have experienced before the boat SANK.
2. You don’t have to be in a BOAT out in the MIDDLE of the SEA to experience a PERFECT STORM.
a. The PERFECT STORM comes when PROBLEMS begin to POUND you from every DIRECTION.
COMMENT:
You LOSE your JOB, your HEALTH INSURANCE lapses, and your CHILD gets CANCER.
You get DIVORCE PAPERS in the MAIL, your CHILDREN are taken AWAY, and you are
EVICTED from your HOME.
Or, like the apostle Paul, “who is in PRISON for nothing he did wrong but preach Jesus, people are STIRRING up TROUBLE against him while in prison, and he’s waiting to be TRIED and possibly EXECUTED”- Philippians 1:12-21.
b. And, yet, in the midst of his PERFECT STORM, Paul writes, “…the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding will GUARD your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
B. Along with the PERFECT STORM comes PERFECT PEACE.
1. The “PEACE” that Paul writes about is not achieved by HUMAN EFFORT. It is a GIFT from God.
a. In John chapters 14-16, just hours before going to the CROSS, Jesus prepares His disciples for the
impending STORMS that will come their way as a direct result of FOLLOWING Him.
b. He WARNS them that they are going to be “HATED by the WORLD, but to keep in mind that the world HATED Him first”- John 15:18.
2. Twice, Jesus told His disciples that He will be their PEACE in the midst of TROUBLES.
a. John 14:27- “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
b. John 16:33- “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
COMMENT:
Jesus is the “PEACE that transcends all understanding”. This PEACE is not the CESSATION of WARS and the ABSENCE of TURMOIL, but the PRESENCE of Jesus. The PERFECT STORM may be raging around us, but Jesus is our PERFECT PEACE that CALMS our hearts and our minds.
MESSAGE:
I. PEACE IN THE STORM- Mark 4:35-41 (READ) (Take a deeper look at the PHRASES in this story)
A. “Let us go over to the other side.”
1. Jesus had been SERVING all day long—TEACHING, COUNSELING, HEALING, CASTING out
DEMONS.
COMMENT:
Undoubtedly, He was EXHAUSTED and needed to GET AWAY from the CROWDS of PEOPLE, even if it was just LONG enough to CROSS to the other side of the SEA. Jesus LOVED people, but like anyone else, there were times He needed His REST.
Once they started SAILING across the SEA, Jesus goes to the BACK of the BOAT where He finds a CUSHION to lay His HEAD, and falls fast ASLEEP.
2. The SEA was very CALM when Jesus and the disciples began CROSSING, but then suddenly a FIERCE STORM began to DEVELOP.
B. “Teacher, don’t you care if we DROWN?”
1. One can only imagine what the disciples are going through as the WIND and the WAVES come
CRASHING against the BOAT from all DIRECTIONS tossing them around like RAG DOLLS.
a. And what is Jesus doing while the STORM is raging around them? He’s SLEEPING peacefully.
b. This is the only EXAMPLE we have of Jesus SLEEPING, and I think it’s significant that we see
Jesus SLEEPING in the MIDDLE of a STORM.
COMMENT:
In the Old Testament, SLEEP was a BLESSING—a GIFT! It symbolized CONFIDENCE, TRUST, and PEACE. Psalm 4:8- “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord,
make me dwell in safety.”
Regardless of the STORM, Jesus is at PEACE. The disciples are FRANTIC, but Jesus is sound ASLEEP because He knows who is in CONTROL. The disciples should have known it, but they’ve FORGOTTEN who was in the BOAT with them when the STORM hit.
2. They interpret Jesus’ SLEEP as UNCARING: “Teacher, don’t you care if we DIE!”
COMMENT:
That’s an HONEST cry, isn’t it? We, too, when FACED with the STORMS of LIFE—ILLNESS, DEATH of LOVED ONES, FINANCIAL DISASTER, LOSS of a JOB, TRAGEDY—ANXIOUSLY cry out, “God, don’t you CARE if we SUFFER?” “Don’t you CARE what happens to your CHILDREN?”
ILLUSTRATION:
When I was preaching in North Texas, a group of us from church went on a FAMILY RETREAT to Fin and Feather Resort near Tulsa, OK. One of the scheduled ACTIVITIES was CANOEING seven miles down the Illinois River winding through the Oklahoma Ozark Hills. (PHOTO of another GROUP of CANOERS on the Illinois River)
I had never been CANOEING before, but I was looking forward to the ADVENTURE. Everybody piled into their CANOES. There were two to three people per CANOE. I put Steven, who was almost 3-years-old into our CANOE, and then CLIMBED in. And as Brenda tried to get in, the CANOE TIPPED and threw us all into the WATER. So, I had Brenda and Steven get into the CANOE, and as I tried to CLIMB in—the CANOE TIPPED and threw us all into the WATER.
Finally, a couple of GUYS from our GROUP steadied the CANOE so we could all get in and then they PUSHED us OFF. And after a FEW MINUTES of learning how to PADDLE and STEER the BOAT so we wouldn’t go around in CIRCLES anymore, we were MOVING down the RIVER fairly well, and then it happened. We TIPPED the BOAT again and threw us all into WATER. I quickly PLUCKED Steven out of the WATER and put him back into the CANOE. Then Brenda and I had to PUSH the CANOE to the BANK so we could CLIMB BACK in again, after TIPPING it over a COUPLE of more times.
By this time Steven was WORN OUT, so he laid his head down on a life jacket trying to get some SLEEP. About a half-an-hour later some from our GROUP came PADDLING by and asked if we were doing okay. Then Steven (three-years-old) quickly POPPED up his HEAD and PLEADED, “Can I RIDE with you? They’re going to KILL me!”
2. The DISCIPLES thought they were going to DROWN. Undoubtedly, what made this even more
DIFFICULT for them, is that they were CROSSING the SEA at the COMMAND of Jesus.
a. They are being OBEDIENT to their LORD, and a STORM COMES!!
ILLUSTRATION:
Has that ever happened to you? You TELL the TRUTH about an INCIDENT that happened at WORK and your co-worker LIES about it, and yet your BOSS believes your CO-WORKER and you get REPRIMANDED.
b. We tend to think when we OBEY God, that “SMOOTH SAILING” is our RIGHT and any STORM that comes our way should be REMOVED by God out of DEBT for all that we have
DONE for Him and His church.
COMMENT:
This STORM is just the beginning of many STORMS that will come the DISCIPLES’ way as
a direct RESULT of OBEYING Christ!
C. “Quiet! Be still!”
1. After Jesus is aroused from His SLEEP, before He says or does anything else, He REBUKES the
WIND and CALMS the SEA!
a. Jesus is GREATER than any STORM that may come our way.
b. He’s our PEACE during TROUBLESOME TIMES.
COMMENT:
This doesn’t mean that all of our PROBLEMS will SUBSIDE, but we know that with the STRENGTH and GUIDANCE of Jesus we will be able to RIDE through the ROUGH WATERS of PAIN, SORROW, STRUGGLES, and TEMPTATION.
2. Again, the DISCIPLES forgot WHO was in the BOAT with them!
ILLUSTRATION:
Now, my 3-year-old son Steven KNEW who was in the boat with him—his INCOMPETENT
PARENTS who kept TIPPING the CANOE. No wonder he wanted to RIDE with someone else.
But the DISCIPLES have the Son of God in the BOAT with them. They have the One who CREATED the WIND and the SEA right there with them.
COMMENT:
When faced with DIFFICULTIES we often forget all about Jesus. We allow the SEVERITY of the PROBLEM to cause us to FRET and FEAR and FORGET about the GREATNESS of the MASTER. We will stay AFLOAT during the STORMS OF LIFE as long as our FAITH in Christ doesn’t SINK. But once it’s GONE, we will DROWN in our DESPAIR!
D. “Why are you so AFRAID?”
1. After Jesus REBUKED the STORM, He then REBUKES the disciples.
a. The WAVES didn’t SWAMP the disciples—FEAR and ANXIETY did!
COMMENT:
In this BOAT are Peter, Andrew, James and John, SEASONED FISHERMEN, who had SAILED these waters on many OCCASIONS, and, undoubtedly, had WEATHERED many
STORMS. Yet, this STORM must have been extremely SEVERE for them to be AFRAID!
Even so, I believe Jesus REBUKED them for only ONE REASON. He was in the BOAT
with them and they lost FAITH.
2. I just don’t believe Jesus is REBUKING them for their natural EMOTIONS, but simply because
they FORGOT who He was.
COMMENT:
Jesus understands our FEARS, CONCERNS, and FRUSTRATIONS whenever
DIFFICULTIES come our way. But He doesn’t want our EMOTIONS to CRIPPLE us.
He wants us to look for STRENGTH in our WEAKNESS, JOY in our SUFFERING, and COMFORT in our SORROW! He wants us to remain FAITHFUL despite any DIFFICULTY.
E. “Do you still have no FAITH?”
1. Jesus didn’t ask: “Where’s your COURAGE?” or “Where’s your SEAMANSHIP?” He asked,
“What happened to your FAITH?”
a. The disciples hadn’t been with Jesus long, but He thought they had been with Him long enough
to PASS the TEST!
b. Jesus- “Do you still have no CLUE who you’re with when you are with Me?”
2. We really don’t know what a person THINKS about Jesus until a STORM HITS!
ILLUSTRATION:
You don’t find out how a person feels about Jesus just by SITTING in a CHURCH PEW on
Sunday mornings.
You find out at FUNERAL HOMES, UNEMPLOYMENT CENTERS, HOSPITALS,
AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS.
It’s easy to be FAITHFUL to Jesus when everything is SMOOTH SAILING. But when a STORM HITS and begins to SINK your BOAT, it becomes more DIFFICULT.
3. But if you think the STORMED SCARED the disciples, re-read v. 41 (READ)
COMMENT:
The disciples now realize that the One in the BOAT with them is more than a mere Jewish RABBI. He SPEAKS and the WIND and SEA obeys. They have come to the TERRIFYING
CONCLUSION that God is in the BOAT with them and they had NO FAITH in Him!
a. Jesus’ POWER is AWESOME!
b. When we allow the STORMS OF LIFE to threaten our FAITH, and then after the STORM SUBSIDES, we feel extremely FOOLISH and even FRIGHTENED that we have allowed anything to come close enough to DESTROY our FAITH in Jesus.
II. HOW DO WE FIND PEACE IN THE STORM?
A. Turn to God in PRAYER
1. Philippians 4:6- “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
2. Whatever STORM is RAGING in your LIFE right now, TALK to God about it.
COMMENT:
Just POUR your HEART OUT to Him and specifically tell Him what your STORM looks like. Describe the SITUATION. List the NAMES of those involved. Tell Him how you FEEL. Present to Him the OUTCOME you are looking for. And then, ACCEPT His WILL in the END no matter what it is, remembering that “HE CARES FOR YOU.”
B. Get into God’s Word.
1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17- “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work.”
2. Whatever is stirring up the PERFECT STORM of ANXIETY in your LIFE, God’s Word has the
ANSWER to bring about PEACE and CALM.
COMMENT:
Is your MARRIAGE on the ROCKS? Is FINANCIAL TROUBLES escalating? Do you have PROBLEMS with your BOSS? Are you faced with a debilitating or life-threatening ILLNESS?
Is TEMPTATION and your STRUGGLE with SIN intensifying?
The SOLUTION to these and any PROBLEM you may be going through that keeps you in a constant turmoil of FEAR and ANXIETY, is found right here in God’s Word.
C. Focus on Jesus.
1. Hebrews 12:2a- “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith...”
2. FEAR and ANXIETY intensifies when our FAITH wavers.
COMMENT:
After CALMING the STORM, Jesus asked His disciples is, “Why are you so afraid? Do you
still have no faith?” They took their EYES off of Jesus, and FOCUSED on the STORM. (I’VE
BEEN GUILTY OF THAT, TOO. HAVE YOU?)
3. Please understand that following Jesus doesn’t mean the end of PROBLEMS and DIFFICULTIES.
COMMENT:
Jesus will not always SILENCE the STORMS that come our way, but He will SILENCE our FEAR and ANXIETY if we only put our complete TRUST and FAITH in Him.
