What Are You So Afraid Of? Series

WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF?

Mark 4:35-5:43

INTRO:

1. What are you afraid of? Recently my 6 year old, DJ, said ¡§my problem is arachnophobia.¡¨ Everybody has fears ¡V public speaking, spiders, caves, other people knowing they have fears. These fears, unless the go to the extreme of being phobias, may be inconsequential. But others are not.

2. Some fears, of course, are good: fear of being run over keeps you from playing on the highway; fear of being attacked keeps you from walking the streets at night. I want my daughter¡¦s date to have a healthy fear of me. The Bible encourages a fear of the Lord, which it calls the beginning of both wisdom and knowledge.

3. But many of our fears are not good. They really affect our lives. We limit our lives, where we go, what we do. It changes our behavior ¡V we act differently when we¡¦re afraid. Has fear of travel ever kept you from going someplace? Maybe the fear of what others think has kept you from pursuing a job or a passion. Fear of rejection may keep you from meeting that ¡¥someone special.¡¦ Fear of commitment may keep you from experiencing the goodness of another¡¦s love. Fear can keep us from doing what God wants, being and experiencing all he has for us. Maybe fear of disease, of the future, of death is robbing you of peace and joy. Fear makes us miserable, sucks all the joy out of life. It keeps us from accomplishment, and sets us up for failure.

4. Is there a permanent solution to our fears? How can we overcome them? How can we be free from fear?

PREV:

Today we will tackle our fears and discover the antidote to fear. We will show you the solution, the cure for what you are afraid of. Whether or not you take the antidote will be up to you...

Turn with me to Mark 4:35. As I read Mark 4:35-38, notice who is afraid, and why.

35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ¡§Let us go over to the other side.¡¨ 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ¡§Teacher, don¡¦t you care if we drown?¡¨ Mark 4:35 through Mark 4:38

A. The disciples were afraid of the storm

An exhausted Jesus fleeing crowd, extending his mission

Jesus accompanied by seasoned sailors...

Admirers following in their boats.

A sudden, violent storm comes up. Sea of Galilee prone to these strong storms.

A serious situation ¡V waves were swamping the boat.

Jesus¡¦ humanity shown here ¡V he is asleep!

Some people can sleep through anything!

The disciples are afraid (even the fishermen!)

They were afraid of the storm, of natural events.

It affects their behavior:

Frantic, rude awakening of Jesus ¡V They rebuke him!

¡§Are we to drown for all you care?¡¨

They are frightened by what is happening to them.

B. Sometimes we are afraid of the storm

Maybe that¡¦s your fear ¡V the storms of life.

Maybe other natural events have you afraid:

A possible war with Iraq

Being a single parent.

A financial crisis, a job crisis.

The effect of the stock market on your ability to live.

All you have to get done.

Kids ¡V raising them, having them.

Car wreck.

Maybe these are some of your fears, and its robbing your joy, making you no fun to live with, keeping you from God.

What is the answer? What is the solution?

Let¡¦s look at it as we see what happened in the boat...

Read Mark 4:39.

39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ¡§Quiet! Be still!¡¨ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39

C. Faith in Jesus¡¦ power is the antidote to our fear

Back in the boat, Jesus wakes up and stops the storm!

A demonstration of power ¡V only God can do this!

Cf. Ps. 65:5-7; 107:25-30

Sudden immediate calm ¡V must have been eerie!

Look what he says to them as I read Mark 4:40.

40He said to his disciples, ¡§Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?¡¨ Mark 4:40

¡§What are you afraid of?¡¨ ¡§Don¡¦t you have any faith?¡¨

If you had faith, you wouldn¡¦t be afraid!

Faith in what? Not faith in faith, or faith in their own ability to hang in there, overcome.

Faith in the saving power of Jesus. Faith in his power to calm the storm!

Faith in Jesus¡¦ power is the antidote to our fear.