Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
FORGET ABOUT BAILING, JUST KEEP PADDLING
A man stood beside the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had already been a tiresome but exciting day and some wonderful things had happened. While most did not know this man, there were a few men, listed among his closest friends, that traveled with him. Throughout this long day he had been harassed by the Scribes and Pharisees because he had broken the ancient custom of the Jews doing things on the Sabbath that was forbidden in Jewish Law. He was considered as a heretic and branded as a traitor to Israel and a troublemaker to the Roman Occupational Government.
All day long he had been thronged by the crowds who considered him to be a great Rabbi and he loved to teach concerning the things of God. It seemed that there was something very convincing about the words that he spoke so that wherever he went he drew a crowd. It was this ability to draw followers that troubled the Romans the most. Their thought was that a man with this much influence could easily raise an army and cause a rebellion so they watched him very closely.
The crowds that followed were hungry for knowledge so they drew every bit of physical strength from him, continuing to press for more even when he became extremely tired.
Late in the day he escaped the crowds for a few moments to disappear into a nearby home to take refuge with his friends but even there he didn’t get much rest because they too were hungry for knowledge that he could give.
After a long time he once again emerged from the house only to find that the crowds had not dissipated. As quickly as he stepped out, he was immediately thronged again. It was like a scene that we see so often where the famous are followed and thronged with admirers wherever they go.
Mentally he wanted to continue to teach but physically he was absolutely worn out, after all just how much punishment can the body take, so he indicated to his friends that he wanted to get away from the crowds for a time to rest and relax. The only means of escape was to get into a fishing boat and cross the Sea of Galilee to the land of the Gadarenes so that’s what he did.
Almost the instant the boat cast off from the dock, he searched for a secluded place to take a nap and get some much needed rest.
Mark 4:35-41, "And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
Just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, that man who was so very tired and weak in his physical body was Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I wanted to make the point that he was very much a man and still very much God.
Jesus had an ulterior motive for crossing Galilee in that boat that night. He knew what lay ahead, a great trial of the faith of his disciples. He also knew the miracle that lay just across the water when he would cast the demons out of the demoniac in the cemeteries of the Gadarenes. Knowing that all of these things would begin to happen very quickly didn’t bother Jesus in the least. He found a place to lay down and rest and was asleep almost immediately.
The point I want to make here is that even when we know that a test or trial is coming we should be able to rest in the Lord. Even so I see so many Christians who are supposed to have their faith in Jesus, who live in a constant state of anxiety over what tomorrow may hold.
Matthew 6:34, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Why should God’s people live under stress and worry? The only time we need to worry is when we are living in direct disobedience to the will of God! When we walk in his will and live according to his purpose, placing God first, then everything is going to work out to our good, right? So why worry about nothing. God can and will take care of you.
Not long after dark, while Jesus was sleeping soundly in the stern of the boat, a sudden storm began to blow. One commentator that I studied called the storm LaeLaps. These storms could gather in a flash and they were fierce in their power.
The winds were very powerful as they rushed upward, then downward, then in a tight circle. It was as though they were caught in a waterspout or a hurricane. The waves were crashing over the little fishing boat and it was being swamped. Every effort to bail the water out was futile because the waves were coming in faster than they could bail. The boat was floundering and the decks were all flooded. The disciples had done everything in their power to keep the ship afloat but it was a hopeless situation and they began to fear for their very lives.
Have you ever been swamped by a trial that appeared suddenly out of nowhere? Troubles crashed over you like a Tsunami and there seemed to be no way out. You tried everything in your power to solve the situation but nothing worked. You were down for the count and going down for the third time.
How often does God have to allow us to reach the bottom before we finally turn to him and cry out in a nearly dead faith?
Where was Jesus while all of this was going on? He was sound asleep, having sweet dreams of his kingdom in glory. He lay on a pillow, perhaps it was a wooden step, a board or maybe the anchor ropes that he made into a pillow. Whatever it was, he slept like a log.
Oh that we could have that kind of confidence in God. Would to God that we could just go on like nothing was happening, with the joy of the Lord shining in us, and with a smile on our faces, even in the middle of a trial that seems as though it will finish us off.
Sad to say that’s not the way most of us handle things! Christians, who are supposed to trust in God, fall apart at the seams at the slightest hint of trouble. Instead of continuing on in victory, we stop to wallow around in our self pity for a while. We stay there and keep our eyes on the trial as the waves get higher and higher and our soul gets lower and lower and our faith is nearly washed overboard. Instead of paddling for the other shore where Jesus said that we are going, we stop paddling and start bailing out.
Some bail out of the boat without a life vest. They simply walk away from Jesus, out into the trials on their own, blaming him for allowing them to drown in the waves.
Some bail the blessings out of their lives by casting their faith overboard, failing to fulfill the service to God’s kingdom that they have been entrusted with.
Some bail out and try to swim for another ship as though it was the ship that would make the difference not realizing that every ship on that sea was in the same condition.
Too many of us cast our faith overboard and then dive into our fears, forgetting that Jesus is still sleeping in the boat with us. He is still sleeping because he knows that this too shall pass and that you will never be given more than you can overcome in faith.
Oh if we could only learn to quit bailing and just keep on paddling for the other shore. Our only hope is in keeping on and being faithful to the call of God. Cast off every weight that holds you down. Get rid of every thing that will hinder you from paddling, then grab and oar and help keep the ship moving.
Have you ever been in a boat that was leaking and filling with water while you were fishing or boating? If you can get that boat moving fast enough you can pull out the plug that is designed to keep water out and the water that’s in the boat will drain out. The only way that your trial will drain quicker is to paddle faster and harder. Put your trust in God and keep paddling.
The disciples finally reached their breaking point. They had come to the end of their knowledge as professional fishermen. They had finally given up on solving their own problems in their own ability. They had finally given in to their worst fears and now they were desperate enough to look for Jesus.
They looked around as though they were going to say their last goodbyes to one another. I believe that they fully expected to drown at any moment as the ship was about to sink.
But where was Jesus? Had he been washed overboard by the waves? Had he drowned in the water that stood upon the decks? They frantically searched for him!
Jesus was there all right and he was still sound asleep. Talk about being at perfect peace! I only pray that one day I will know that perfect peace. He was still asleep, resting in the knowledge that everything was under control.
They rushed Jesus to wake him – talking to him in almost angry tones! What are you doing still sleeping? We are about to drown and you aren’t even helping us bail! What kind of man would sleep through all this turmoil anyway? Don’t you even care about us at all?
Doesn’t that sound like some people you know who face troubles and trials? They are almost angry with you because you have a smile on your face? How can you be so happy when things are so bad? I know that your trials are just as bad as mine so why aren’t you upset about them like me? They fail to understand that you have faith in the man who is resting in your heart!
Jesus was awakened by the screams and hands of his disciples. Oh how he would have wanted to rest longer but they would not allow him to do so. The body of flesh that Jesus was living inside of was dead tired but the spirit within was absolutely all powerful and alive. There was no weakness in his spirit and power.
He arose and grew angry at the storm. He rebuked the wind! It was as though the wind had overstepped its bounds as Satan had caused the wind to blow strong enough to nearly destroy Jesus and his disciples, thus bringing a quick halt to the growth of Christianity and a defeat of God’s plans for redemption of man.
I can just see Jesus as he stood on the edge of the deck, looked out angrily at the wind that had disturbed and threatened him and shouted at the wind to quit blowing!
The wind stopped immediately! This was no eye of the storm. It was dead calm. No breeze and no tempest. Can you imagine what the disciples thought?
Then Jesus spoke to the waves and said simply, “Peace be still” and the waves leveled off into a glassy sea. Normally, even after the storm passes and the winds stop blowing the waves take a long time to settle down, but not this time. The waves stopped immediately.
One minute there was a hurricane blowing and in lest than a minute there was no wind, no waves, no clouds – just beautiful clear starry skies and smooth seas.
It’s easy to see life’s application here. No matter how hard the wind may blow and the storms of life may attempt to overcome you, Jesus needs only to speak a word and it will all come to an end very quickly and in ways that we cannot understand.
Every storm is simply a test on our resolve to continue paddling for the shore and to place our whole trust in God to bring us through. But, like the disciples who were quick to forget the miracle working power they had just witnessed the day before, we are quick to forget the promises of God too.
The disciples were shocked, amazed and astonished at the power of Jesus’ words. What kind of a man can command the wind and waves? This was no ordinary man and they were learning more of this every day.
Jesus was more than man, he is God! He spoke the seas into existence and created the wind with a single word. If he created it then it must be under his command.
Remember this! When the storms of life feel as though they are going to take you down don’t bail out, keep paddling. The storm will pass and everything will change soon enough. Jesus is not sleeping, he is alive and living in your heart and he will never let you be defeated.
