Have you ever had one of those days? Perhaps you can
identify with this fellow:
I am writing in response to your request for additional
information. In block number 3 of the accident reporting form, I put “Poor planning” as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, and I trust that the following
details will be sufficient.
I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a ten-story building. When I completed my work, I discovered I had about 500 pounds of bricks left over.
Rather than carry them down by hand, I decided to lower
them to the ground in a barrel by using a pulley, which, fortunately, was attached to the side of the building at the tenth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the roof, loaded the 500 pounds of bricks, then went back down to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure the slow descent of the 500 pounds of bricks. (You will note in block 11 of the accident reporting form that I
weigh 135 pounds.)
Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so
suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the fifth floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured skull and broken collarbone.
I continued by rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to
the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same
time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed
approximately 30 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11 of the accident reporting form.
As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the fifth floor, I met that barrel coming up again! This
accounts for the two fractured ankles and lacerations to of my legs and lower body. The second encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks, and fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked.
I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks – in pain and unable to stand – watching the empty barrel ten stories above me – I again lost my presence of mind – I LET GO OF THE ROPE.
Think you’ve got troubles?
Jesus’ disciples were having a great day. They had just finished a revival with Jesus. The crowds were eager to listen; the preaching was inspiring, many people had been healed. Now they were on their way across the lake with a regatta of companion vessels to another stop in their itinerary. The sea was smooth as glass; they were enjoying a few sea ditties and
smooth sailing, when all of a sudden, a furious wind kicked up.
Here’s how Mark tells the story in chapter 4, beginning
with verse 35: That day when evening came, he 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. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?" 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!" They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. NIV
STORMS COME TO EVERYONE! They are a part of life. In
James 1:2 it says "When you face trials..." It does not say “If you face trials.” Count on it! You will face storms in life. They are inevitable. Jesus said
in 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.” This is a BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS kind of message -- The BAD NEWS IS you WILL have trouble. Jesus didn’t say you might have trouble, or you will only have trouble when you’re out of God’s will –– He said you WILL have trouble. The GOOD NEWS IS if you’re going through troubling times right now, YOU’RE GOING THROUGH trouble. You will get to the other side as long as
you stay in the same boat with Jesus.
Storms are unpredictable. They come suddenly. They
come unexpectedly. In this story the Bible says that,
"Without warning a furious storm came up". The great
storm wind was typical of the Sea of Galilee, situated in a pocket, as it was, with hills on every side. The rising of the warm air of the day allowed the cooler air from the hills to rush down the ravines onto the lake with twisting, whirlwind action that churned the waters into an angry tempest. The word that describes the storm in this passage is the Greek word “seismos” from which we get the word “seismology” or “seismograph,” which is an instrument that registers the intensity of earthquakes. This was a major, major storm.
Storms are impartial. They happen to good people, they
happen to bad people. They happen to believers, they
happen to unbelievers. They happen to all of us. Matthew 5:45 says, "He sends the rain on the just and the unjust." Storms came to Jonah when he disobeyed God. Storms came to Jesus’ disciples when they obeyed Jesus. Jesus said, “Get in the boat.” They got in the boat and they sailed right into a storm. They were
obeying God. They were in the center of His will. The disciples got into a storm because they obeyed God. When you’re going through a tough time, don’t automatically assume, “I must be out of the will of
God.” You may be exactly where God wants you to be.
Being a Christian does not exempt us from being in
storms. No one is immune to storms, because storms are
impartial. They come to everyone.
The Bible teaches us that God is all-powerful. If that is so, then God could eliminate storms from our lives, so we’d have it free and easy for the rest of our days. So why doesn’t God do that?
Sometimes God permits and even leads us into storms so
that we can learn what we could never learn if we only
had fair weather. Even Jesus was led of the Spirit into the desert to be tempted or tested of the devil. That doesn’t mean God tempted Jesus to sin, but he went with him into that experience. He did not abandon him in the time of trial. Neither will he abandon us in our own troubles.
What are some of the lessons that storms have to teach us?
1. Storms can actually benefit us. They can help us mature and grow strong in our faith. “Maturity comes from trusting God when there is no evidence of his presence.” I think it was Anne Frank, who died in the
Holocaust of WWII, who said, “I believe in the sun even
when it is not shining.” Sometimes these directions
are written on a bottle of medicine: Shake well before
using. That is what God has to do with some of his people sometimes. He has to shake us well before we are useful for the healing of the world.
Illustration: For two years, scientists sequestered
themselves in an artificial environment called Biosphere 2. Inside their self-sustaining community, the Biospherians created a number of mini-environments, including a desert, rain forest, even an
ocean. Nearly every weather condition could be simulated except one, wind. Over time, the effects of their windless environment became apparent. A number of acacia trees bent over and even snapped. Without the stress of wind to strengthen the wood, the trunks grew weak and could not hold up their own weight. Weathering storms is what builds our strength.
2. Storms also teach us that we are not as in control and as strong as we sometimes pretend to be. When we’re hit with severe illness, or loss, or betrayal, or grief, we have to admit that we are limited. We
can’t control storms. They are beyond our power. Storms take away our illusion of immortality, independence, and invulnerability. Storms prove to us that we can’t see the future. We aren’t omniscient.
The disciples at first were likely depending on their skill as sailors and fishermen, their knowledge of the sea, their years of experience weathering the storms. Many of them had been piloting boats through these waters all their lives. They knew the currents, the weather patterns. And so as the wind picked up, and the sky began to darken, and the water grew choppy, it was natural for them to rely on themselves. No need to wake the teacher; he’s been working hard all day; we can take care of this. And even as the storm grew
more dangerous, they had no doubt of their ability to reach the shore. It wasn’t until they realized that they were about to go under, when they finally came to the end of themselves and saw that their skill and
experience couldn’t save them -- it wasn’t until then that they finally cried out to the Lord and were saved.
Why did God let it go that far? Why did he allow them to experience the terror, the fear, the panic? Because he needed to teach them that they weren’t as all-powerful and all-sufficient as they thought, that they were helpless apart from His power.
As Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -- John 15:5
Jesus knew they would have a storm that night, yet he still directed the disciples to venture out to sea. Why? Because his purpose was not to make their lives pleasant and trouble-free. His purpose was to transform their lives, to help them know God better.
He wanted to redirect their trust and confidence, from
themselves to Himself. He had to demonstrate to them, in a way they would never forget, their inability to save themselves. And even more important, he had to show them that where they were weak, he was strong. They needed to learn that he had the power to deliver them, even when every terrified bone in their bodies told them that all was lost.
Let me ask you a question: In what area of life are you most sure of your ability? Where do you think you need God’s help the least? All of us are at risk of being overcome in the very areas where we consider ourselves strong. As Paul warns us, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Storms are intended to break our pride in our sense of self-sufficiency and teach us humility. If that is the only thing we learn from the storm, we could become bitter and angry. But Jesus wants us to learn another lesson of the storm, that . . .
3. While storms are bigger than we are, God is bigger
than any storm. Although we can’t control the storms that enter our lives, we serve the one who is in control of everything, who has power to transform any storm into serenity.
Storms offer us two choices: to lash out at the storm, at each other, and even at God, or to lean on God, to press into God when we are under pressure. The disciples got stressed out by the squall; Jesus slept. The disciples were full of fear; Jesus was full of
faith. The disciples trembled, Jesus trusted. They felt panic; Jesus felt peace. They feared creation even when the Creator was in the same boat with them! It seems to me that if they had really understood who Jesus was, that he was more than a man, but that he also is God, they could have slept like babies, too. It took the storm for them to begin to realize just who Jesus really was. Ps 89:8-9 O LORD God Almighty,
who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your
faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. NIV Only God could still the wind and the waves; who then could this man be who silenced the sea and the storm? Sometimes it takes storms in our lives before we really get to know God for who he is.
When I battled chronic depression and had my faith
severely tested by the loss of nearly everything that was important to me, I found myself accusing God of not
caring, or of impotence. Though I didn’t want to be so
faithless, the pressure was too much for me, and I failed God. Like the disciples, I found my boat filling up with water, I was getting drenched, and
gasping for air, and it seemed like Jesus was just taking a nap, without a care in the world, not lifting a finger to help me.
Have you ever felt like that? Because of the strain of the storm, you deny God’s own revelation of his character as the all-loving, almighty God. You call God a liar. You say something like this, “God, I
need you to wake up, now, and change the circumstances. If you really love me, you’ll get me out of this mess. I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place were it not for the fact that I am
following you. It’s really your fault. You got me into this; you get me out of it. But at a minimum, if you don’t get me out of trouble, at least explain
what’s happening to my satisfaction. I need a sign
that you really are who you say you are, that you are not lying. Otherwise, I’m out of here.” That’s what I said, to my shame. But when I came to the end of myself, I repented of my pride and God forgave me.
The disciples had the same kind of reaction. After all, Jesus was the one who suggested the Boat Trip
in the first place. You’d think He’d feel obligated to bail water out of the boat, at the very least! But all he could do was snore!
In contrast to the disciples, Jesus was not worried at all by the storm. He was setting an example by the very fact of His sleep, teaching a lesson to His disciples. Nothing ever surprises God. Sleeping can
be a statement of faith. You say, “God, it’s too big of a problem. I can’t handle it. It’s Your problem now. I’m not going to worry about it. God, I don’t know how You’re going to work this out, but I’m going
to go to bed. I leave it in Your hands.” That’s a statement of faith.
When storms come, we can choose to accuse God, or we
can acknowledge that God is in control of the situation and ask him for help.
Another lesson we get from this passage is that no matter how bad things get, the storms will pass. Mark Twain and a friend walked outside one day in the rain. The friend said, “You think it will stop?” Mark Twain said, “It always does.” Storms of life don’t last
forever. The S-O-N came out and calmed the wind and the waves and the storm the disciples were so worried
about was over.
The typical view of the Christian life is that it means
being delivered from all adversity. But it actually
means being delivered in adversity. Remember the 3
Hebrew children that were thrown into the fiery furnace? God didn’t keep them from the fire, he kept them IN the fire. “Our greatest crisis is not around us but within us.” Warren Wiersbe Sometimes God calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage on and calms us.
Storms teach us that STORMS MAY COME AND GO, BUT
JESUS ALWAYS REMAINS.
I like the little children’s song: JESUS REMAINS THE SAME (Words and Music by Anne Herring/(c) 1976 Latter Rain Music. ARR. UBP.)
Some things come and go,
but Jesus remains the same.
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow,
Jesus remains the same.
Love, love, His name is love.
Love, love, His name is love.
REST IN GOD’S PRESENCE If you have obeyed Christ’s call
to come, follow him, to go with him to uncharted waters
and new shores, rest assured that he is with you in your boat. You are not alone. Matt 28:18-20 God has promised every believer, "Lo, I am with you always." Heb 13:5 God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Isaiah 43:1-2 "Fear not…When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you!" Ps 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. NIV Safety consists not in the absence of danger but in the presence of God. Jesus is in the boat with
you. Lay down beside, Curl up next to him. Let him spread his arms over you, shielding you from fear of the storm. Hear him as he speaks his tender words to your heart - Peace, Be still.
RELY ON GOD’S PROMISES
Jesus told his disciples (v. 35) Let us cross over to the other side. He didn’t say, Let’s go out to drown in the middle of the sea. Now the very fact that He said we’re going to the other side, means it was inevitable that they were going to the other side. He
didn’t say it would be an easy trip. He didn’t say they
wouldn’t get wet. He didn’t say they wouldn’t have a
scare, a problem in the middle. He just said, “We’re
going to the other side.” And if He said it, they were going to make it. His commandments are always enablements. Whatever God has called you to do, He will bring to fruition. Phil 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. NIV
There are 7000 promises in the Bible for those who love
the Lord. Get to know those promises. Resolve to believe them and put your whole weight upon them. 1 Peter 5:7 - "Cast all your care on Him because He cares for you." The command is, Cast all your care on Him. Why should we do this? Because he cares for you. That’s the promise. If he didn’t care for you it wouldn’t make any sense to cast all your care on him. But he does care. That’s his nature. That’s his character. That’s why you can commit your concerns to his care. Place all your eggs in his basket and they will be safe and secure for eternity. As long as you are in the same boat with Jesus, no storm can destroy you.
REMEMBER GOD’S CHARACTER
God is aware of your situation and knows your needs.
God cares.
God is able to take you through the storm to reach
the other side. Jeremiah 32:17 - “Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You.”
And now here’s the verse that sums it up quite well Mark 5 vs. 1. "And they came to the other side of the sea."
So, my brothers and sisters, Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Amen.
Date: November 3, 2002
Text: Mark 4:35-41
Title: When the Storms of Life are Raging
Theme: Peace/Trust/Anxiety/Worry
Speaker: Rev. Joanna R. Loucky-Ramsey
Location: First Baptist Church of Potsdam
(The Little Church with the BIG GOD!)
Worship Suggestions:
Hymn: Peace Be Still (Master, the Tempest is Raging)
Medley 1: God Moves in a Mysterious Way
Give to the Winds Your Fears
Medley 2: Christ Beside Me
Emmanuel
Be Still and Know
Cares Chorus
Hymn: If You Will Trust in God to Guide You
Hymn: Through It All
Hymn: When Peace Like a River
Hymn: Count Your Blessings
Hymn: Stand By Me
© Joanna R. Loucky-Ramsey. All Rights Reserved.
Permission granted for use in sermon preparation only. For other purposes, please contact the author.
For further study, see the following sermons on Sermon
Central Website:
The Storms of Life by Chris Mason
When You Think You’re Going Under by Keith Linkous
The Perfect Storm by Tim Byrd
What Manner of Man is This? by Travis Campbell
Awakening Christ by Johnny Carver
Peace in the Storms of Life by Pastor Chris Gowen
Taking on the Storms by Stephen Carter
Peace In The Midst Of The Storm By Rev. John D. Miller
You’re Going Through It by David Yarbrough
Storms Happen by Mark Atherton
We Will Go to the Other Side By Oscar P. Lopez Jr.
Who is this Man? by Gregory Dawson
Tossed About by Robert Rust
Silencing Satanic Storms by Dr. Daniel K. Olukoya
Peace, Be Still by Kyle Meador
Praying in the Middle of a Storm by Alan Perkins
High Anxiety by Jeffery Russell
A Faith that overcome Fear by Steven Wenner
Dealing with Difficulties by J. David Hoke
Why Are You So Afraid by Steve Zeisler
Fear or Faith? By Coty Pinckney
Why Are You Fearful? By Dennis Marquardt
