"peace Be Still"

“Peace, be still!”

Mark 4:35-41

Credit is given at the end of the sermon.

“One of my favorite commercials of late has been the “Mayhem” commercials by Allstate. Mayhem is everywhere. It is the teenager texting, the storm blowing a tree on your house, the person in a hurry that doesn’t put out a grill at a tailgate event and blows something up. The point of the commercial is that you cannot escape the mayhem in this world, so you need good insurance to protect you.

Life is full of mayhem, and we have no control over the weather, other people, our health. It’s so relatable to us...

There will be times in life:

where it seems hopeless,

where it seems like there is no escape.

When facing those times come, we need to REMEMBER:

God is big enough to see you through any storm life throws at you,

The only question is, will you have the faith to trust God in the STORM?

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV)

The disciples have been with Jesus:

as He is teaching the crowds some parables,

He has been teaching all day.

on the Northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, at Capernaum.

Jesus is standing up in the boat and teaching the people on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

THESE MEN ARE GOING TO FACE A CHALLENGE THAT WILL TEST THEIR FAITH

Smooth sailing Mark

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.” Mark 4:35-37 NKJV

It had been a long day:

They left the crowds Jesus had been teaching

They were ready to rest

They made plans to cross to the other side of the lake

But their plans were interrupted by a Storm:

It was no small storm

The boat was tossed about and slammed by waves

And it began to sink

Interrupted plans come in a 1,000 unwanted flavors

Maybe found out there was nothing “Golden” about the Golden Years.

You worked hard to get ahead and one bad thing led to another and now you are broke and broken

Maybe a surprise baby changed what the rest of your life looks like

Your spouse died, and you are left growing older alone.

Illness has taken the place of health

When Smooth Sailing turns to Rough Waters:

We might think we’ve done something wrong

Is God mad, doesn’t He care anymore?

Why is God letting this bad thing happening to me?

Be encouraged:

God is not mad at you

We all face storms in this life

Think of who is in the boat with the Disciples:

The disciples are in the boat with Jesus

And the storm still came,

They were bounced around, soaked and scared.

Jesus was with the Disciples

And if you are a Christian, HE IS WITH YOU TOO!

Even in the midst of a STORM

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

When people or preachers:

try to tell you that if you follow Jesus,

you will not experience troubles, suffering or pain,

They are lying…

Storms are coming, make sure Jesus is in your boat.

Rough waters

“But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38 NKJV

I’m reminded of a line from the Theme song for Gilligan's Island:

“The weather started getting rough, The tiny ship was tossed,”