Who Is This Man That Winds & Waves Obey?

“WHO IS THIS MAN THAT WINDS & WAVES OBEY?”

Mark 4:35-41

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: HONESTY IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY

1. Today is Shirley and Ben's 30th wedding anniversary. Shirley said to Ben, "Please tell me, how do you think I look after 30 years of marriage?"

2. Ben looked at Shirley for a minute, then replied, "You're A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K." "And what does all that mean?"

3. "It means," replied Ben speaking slowly, "that you're ... Adorable, Beautiful, Cute, Delightful, Elegant, Foxy, Gorgeous, and Hot."

4. Shirley's face lit up. "Wow! That's so romantic! But tell me, what about the I, J, K? What do they stand for?"

5. Ben replied, "I'm Just Kidding!" [Note: The swelling under his left eye is going down.]

B. TEXT

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 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?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mk. 4:35-41.

C. THESIS

1. Jesus had told them, “Let us go over to the other side”. Mk. 4:35. To cross the lake was His will. This trip was also representative of the church, which WOULD pass through storms, but arrive at its destination, victoriously. The Church cannot fail! The Gates of Hell shall NOT prevail against the Church!

2. HUMOR. Charles Schulz, the cartoonist who made Peanuts, had Charlie Brown address confusion about adversity. Charlie Brown spent 3-4 hours building a beautiful sandcastle. Just then a tsunami-size wave came rolling in and washed it into a shapeless mass. Charlie Brown stood there shocked and said, "I know there’s a lesson in this, but I’m not sure what it is!" We feel it too!

3. OUR TRIAL DO HAVE PURPOSES: Some...

a. Test the metal we’re made of.

b. Give us the opportunity to rise up in faith.

c. Some drive us to God.

d. Others give us a new revelation of Jesus.

4. Title of this message is, “Who Is This Man, That Winds & Waves Obey?”

I. CHRIST - ASLEEP DURING THE STORM

A. DOES JESUS CARE? SOMETIMES IT SEEMS LIKE GOD IS ASLEEP (only place it said He slept)

1. Sometimes it seems like, when our trials hit, that Christ is asleep. We don’t hear His voice; we see little of His face; His eyes appear closed.

2. Mk. 4:38, “Master, don’t you care if we drown?” At times we doubt God’s love for us. But Jesus was in the boat.

3. ILLUS. In pioneer days, a father sent his son alone to school, though he had to walk through thick woods. The boy felt vulnerable & afraid. But over time fear left him. One day, a bear approached him. Suddenly a shot rang out. His dad stepped out of the brush. “I followed you every morning, and came back every evening. I’ve been with you the entire time.”

B. THEY CRIED TO THE SAVIOR

1. Mighty distress often leads to mighty prayers.

2. How slack, complacent, compromising the church has been until the Lord has allowed some persecution.

3. The Lord didn’t hear the sound of the storm, He heard their cry for help; ours too.

4. ILLUS. A man visited a sheep farm in Australia & asked a shepherd, “Have you ever seen anything noteworthy about sheep?” He replied, “Yes! Watch this”.

He took one little lamb from the weaning pen (where they are encouraged to get off milk) and took it to a pasture with thousands of sheep. The noise of all those sheep bleating and baahing was almost deafening. He placed the little lamb down and walked away.

The lamb remained still for a while, then it cried, and its cry was answered by its mother at the other end of the pasture. Instantly, the mother and the little lamb began approaching each other and met in the middle.

The lesson the man learned was, “Don’t think that you are beyond the reach of God. He sees and hears you as if you were His only child in the world”.