Storms

Have your Bibles with you to review if you would to Mark chapter 4. Looking at verses 35 to 41.

On that day when even in a calm he said to them let us go across to the other side leaving the crowd. They took him with them in the boat. Just as he was another boats were withing the great wind storm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so the boat was already feeling he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion and they were came and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing, and he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea piece the steel and the wind ceased. There was a great calm and he said to them, so afraid that he still no faith. There were field with great fear and said to one another, who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey spray heavenly father.

Today we are looking at the subject of storms as times in life that shake us garrison sometimes shock us as are times that we can't figure out easily times that we can't prepare for when those storms come upon us, we realize that we can get hurt physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are like those times but they enter our lives, whether we like them or not this passage we learned that you were with us through the storms. We are told increase our fear of God and decrease our fear of everything else. Help us to do that. It's easy to talk about it easy to give advice to others who are who you are when we're not going through it. Sometimes it's hard to see through the rain, the ways the wind. The focus on you. Father, please give us grace.

Lord I pray for those this morning who are physically struggling. Pray for Scott Starcher and Linda Katherine's ear recovering from surgery.

Pray for Fran releasee's diagnosis week with esophageal cancer. Pray for K recall through suffering with respiratory problems and pray for Nicole Lohse still fighting vertigo, have mercy on these Lord please keep my lips from air this morning.

Please open our ears that we may learn of you, what is the precious holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. You may be seated. As we have been studying through the gospel of Mark.

I'm sure that you have noticed that I have referenced on many occasions, both the gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. Why is that well the gospel of Luke, the gospel of Matthew much longer Gospels.

They have much more information in them is very interesting that in this particular incident that we are reading about today that Mark has more information and more details than either Matthew or Luke and why is that will Mark had a source for his gospel and the source for his gospel with Simon Peter Mark found out that Peter was in prison and they were going to crucified. They did upside down and he went all the way to Rome so that he could be with Peter. He went into Peter's prison sale sat down with Peter and Peter through the power the Holy Spirit gave him exactly word by word. What he needed to write is what we know is the gospel of Mark. Peter was a fisherman. He spent much of his life on the Sea of Galilee, he knew all about storms. Try to avoid them every chance he got, but in this particular story we read about a storm that Peter would never forget.

Noel chewed up picture this in your mind.

If you can for second picture Peter Sitton in the in the prison sale went with this with Mark and the sharing with Mark about what's happened in this part of his life with Jesus and his eyes get big. His hands began to shake with excitement and he says we round the boat in the middle of the sea of Galilee, and Jesus was there with us and and a storm came up. It was the worst storm that I've ever seen in my life and the waves were 10 feet high and the waves were crashing into the boat.

It was a horrible situation.

It look like there's no way that we could survive this terrible storm.

It looks like death was imminent. And then he said Jesus did something that changed my life to Jesus was asleep in the boat and while he was asleep in the boat said we as the disciples came over to him and we shucking and we rebuked him for sleep and when he should be in helping us and then Jesus did a miracle. Peter says that shook me all the way down to my toenails 35 years later in Peter's prison sale Mark is given by Peter recollection of that storm and of exactly what happened and so Peter was excited about it and his Peter as it is filled with excitement.

Mark's heart is filled with excitement and so Mark is able to give us more detail than either Matthew or Luke now me ask you something. Why was Saint Peter so cranked up about this one miracle of in my goodness, Peter seen lots of miracles before facing Jesus do lots of miracles miracles of healing that the blind will see in the death were hearing the lame walking the day and will be erased from the dead. Not only that, but Peter saw Jesus power over the demonic Jesus would speak to a demon possessed person and command the demon to come out and that demon would come out and come out very quickly. I mean this was enough right there to have your head spinning. But now some other things are are taking place in the miracle that did Jesus does here in this story shows that Jesus not only has power over disease over death and over demons. He also has power over nature. I have four points want to share with you this morning. First point is, is this piece before the storm liquid near versus 35 the 36 on that day when even a calm he said to them let us go across to the other side and leaving the prow they took him with them in the boat. Just as he was in other boats were whipping it been a long day of preaching for Jesus. Jesus, he been preaching the parables to the great crowds he preached the long parable of the sower and the sea. He preached kingdom parables, the parable of the mustard seed, the parable of the will of the lamp on the lampstand and probably a whole lot others, and then when he was finished with the cry out he got the disciples off to the side and he preached to them explaining to them the meaning of all these parables Jesus started preaching about sunrise and he continued preaching all day long to sunset before I went in the ministry. I work for associated grocers mutual and I worked in the meat division. One of our responsibilities was to unload carcass beef carcass before there were sides of beef that will hang it up and in the long tractor-trailer trucks and they weighed usually between 250, 300 pounds. Sometimes we would unload three of those trucks a day and and let me taste something when you when you came to the end of that day. You were absolutely worn out.

I mean when I got home I went to sleep and I slept good. Well went to seminary. After that, and I'll never forget Dr. Green, Leah Green. He was my Old Testament professor and something he said one day, he said, preaching a sermon correctly with study with passion with a broken heart for those that you're preaching to is more tiring than working eight hour day and he said if you're preaching not only Sunday morning, but you're preaching Sunday night. He said this is my advice to you, he said, you go home as soon as you get three preaching of the morning service. You eat a very quick lunch. You go to your bedroom, but a pull down all the shades take all your clothes off, get into the bed and cover up with the covers and sleep for at least an hour and 1/2.deep sleep and get up and study and get ready for that night service and I thought to myself, Dr. Green, you probably never unloaded carcass beef before and that's work that demand sleep preaching idleness is what I thought well three months later I got called Alligood Baptist Church and I preached my first sermon that morning and I preached the night service that evening and I knew this was going to be my pattern from here on out, and I remember saying Dr. greeting.

I was wrong and you were right. You were right.

Preaching is work for me preaching is work for Eugene preaching his work for Sinclair Ferguson preaching is work for Charles Stanley preaching is work for Charles Spurgeon preaching was work for Jesus.

It's exciting work. It's thrilling work. There's nothing in the world that I would rather do limitations tiring.

I've had people say to me that Doug is God's called you to preach it's going be easy baloney, brothers, sisters, if you can preach, and you can preach as God would have you to preach and it doesn't where you're out and you're not preaching. Rest assure this preaching tire Jesus. Jesus is God, but he was also fully man and so when they got hot.

He sweated when his heart got filled with sorrow the way out when he cut his finger. He bled and when he preached although he was totally completely filled with the Holy Spirit. He got tired and so in this situation he got in the boat. He pointed the the disciples to indirection which they were to go and he lay down with his head on a cushion in the stern of that boat. The rear of the boat and he shut his eyes in order that he might try to get some good sleep. Here's a question. If a horrible storm is about to come crashing down on the sea of Galilee and the Holy Spirit of God knows exactly the moment when that storm is going to hit the sea of Galilee, and Jesus is completely dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God. And then, then why, why in the world wouldn't they just get up on shore. Stay on the shore and so will wait this when I out until until tomorrow we get to storm out of the way, it will stay on the shore here were were safe is the answer.

God Almighty wanted them in the storm.

It was not an accident. It was not a mistake. It was God's providential timing now. Not all the disciples could get in that one boat Scripture says here, there were other little boats that were long with them and they had the.

The rest of the disciples, and those other little boats probably some very close followers of Jesus along with them. They were on the sea of Galilee sometimes is called the city of Ganesh Rick. Sometimes the sea of children.

Sometimes the sea of Tiberius always assesses the same sea of Galilee and its 690 feet below sea level. It's the, the, the fresh water. The very lowest below sea level freshwater body of of of water that is in the entire only entire globe now poured the water come from some of that water came from mountain streams that just I went right down into the into the sea of Galilee most of the water came from the Jordan River flowed south into the river and then continued to flow through the river and went all the way down to the Dead Sea boats. This was a this this was important. Some of its water sources are mountain storms. Most of it came from the from the Jordan River first award was a primary drink and source for the people of Israel. It was also of field with good tasting fish 1976 I had the privilege of going to Israel and I we went to a little restaurant in Capernaum and we ate what they call St. Peter's fish man this is good.

What is it never heard of it before it was tilapia and they distribute tilapia nail all over the world, but it's it was first found right they are in the sea of Galilee was a sea of Galilee has steep heels and has mountains that that calls us real strange wind currents when currents that can get so strong that they can just they can turn a train pull Lake into a raging sea just a matter of moments, the storm still occur. 1990 to 1 of the storms hit the sea of Galilee. It had waves that were 10 feet tall.

It was an amazing thing. The city of Tiberius is not is right off the shore and it caused a flood in the city that flooded the whole city out and what is a sea of Galilee look like everything like Norman of the city.

It does the Sea of Galilee looks a lot like like Norman is freshwater. Usually when I think of the sea of finca Atlantic Ocean. Think of of of saltwater the huge you can even see Crossan and thus not so with the sea of Galilee sea of Galilee looks a lot like like Norman so I want you to think for just a minute.

If you've ever seen like Norman of what 10 foot waves would look like on like Norman. That's what's going on the Sea of Galilee. So Jesus and the disciples sailed off Luke eight tells us that immediately Jesus went to sleep like that takes us to point to peace during the storm.

Look at verse 37 through 38, and a great winter storm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already feeling but he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion and they woke him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing with these hurricane force winds, man, you better believe they were they were there they were creating waves that were crashing over the top of that boat and the disciples were trying to bail the water out but it was a losing battle. They couldn't get the water out fast enough and and they knew that this was this was danger picture the utter chaos on that boat.

The disciples were yelling and screaming.

The wind is howling though the water is crashing onto the boat and there's just panic and pandemonium that boat everywhere except one place. In this Jesus.

Jesus is sound asleep. The howling winds don't waking the the crashing waves I don't waking the shouts of the disciples don't waking the water splashing all over him does not waking seven of these disciples were fishermen. They had navigated these waters for many many years. Seven. Several limbs, decades, and that they were not novices and they were not alarmist. They'd seen lots and lots of storms but this one was very unusual. They knew it was deadly and they knew that if that ship sank.

They didn't were not to be able to swim all the way to the shore to safety. They knew that if that ship went down they would die, so they started shaking Jesus. Why got Jesus wake up you not care that we are perishing, nontitle this point peace during the storm who could have peace. In a time like that.

The wind was tossing that boat on the waves like a Styrofoam cup on the water. The disciples would stand up and immediately they fall right back down into the bottom of that boat water was filling the boat faster than they could bail the water out the prospect of drowning was not just possible, but it was probable.

So where's the peace that I'm talking about the pieces in a person pieces line in the stern that boat is drenched with water. His body stretched out his hands on the cushion and and he saw and logs. I mean he snoring. I how do you have peace in a time like that one know that is God but is also fully man and this is how I did it.

His faith was in his father, God the father and his faith was in the power of the Holy Spirit. You see, Jesus knew something.

Jesus knew that he was not gonna die in that in that boat. He knew it because he knew that he was going to die at Passover season, he was the Passover lamb. He was not gonna die by being drowned in a in a sea of Galilee, he was going to die by crucifixion. He also knew that the disciples were not gonna die here because they were going to carry on his ministry after his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension.

They weren't dying, and neither was he which we need to think about this. If God is sovereign and he is then he has your death planned out, it will not happen. One second before his predestined time as a Christian should you fear death.

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. The Lord is planted out perfectly. Jesus also knew that God sovereignly orchestrated this moment so that he could do a miracle that would shake those disciples like they had never been shaken before after the miracle that Jesus did. Here, they could never view him quite the same again because now they're looking at him as bigger and more authoritative and more powerful and more glorious than they had ever seen him before. So the cycle started shaking. Jesus and in their fear and frustration. They cry out teacher. Do you not care that we are perishing, then sound like a request to me that sounds like a rebuke done it. I'm either jumping on Jesus sent Jesus you not care about us what's going on here. One, why are you sleeping through this you should be helping us through this terrible crisis may ask you something ever happened to you, you get a time of anxiety you get in a time where you just fear feel terribly fearful and all of a sudden you start telling Jesus how to fix it everyday that met maybe it's a situation where you got unanswered prayer, maybe even praying for a loved one for a long time in this. Loved ones lost you been witnessing to that love one. I don't care there heart is a rock there, and they're not making any kind of response to you whatsoever and you've prayed you cry the river of tears you begged God to do something you said, Lord, you promise that which we ask anything in your name that you would give it to us. Why are the heavens brass. Why aren't you doing something or don't you care about us. Don't you love us, don't you care. Don't doesn't matter to you.

Listen, the situations are great opportunities to get dead serious. With the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. I don't know why God often says no but I do know this. I know his character and everything that God does is right, the disciples in that boat were questioning Jesus's love for them.

They could not understand the peace that he had in a time when they were filled with hysteric panic, they cannot see in the future. They had no idea that Jesus was getting ready to do a miracle that was going to solidify their understanding of the deity of Christ, they they probably believe that he was. He was the son of God. At this point in time, but there were doubts. I think after this miracle. They were much much more assured that Jesus was God and that despondency, they would've they would have done well to recall the few of the of the of the Psalms you know what if they had memorized some of the Psalms will share some of them with you. I think it if I had memorized some of the songs and they knew the words were not that water started crashing in over their head. I think they would had a whole bunch more peace. We share a few with you some 65 or spout the seven but also deed you answer us with righteousness of God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the father. See the one who by his strength. Establish the mountains being girded with mind who steals the roaring of the season.

The roaring of their ways. The tumult of the People's Psalm 89, nine you rule the raising of the sea when its way waves rise, you steal them and listen to this one. Psalm 107 verse 23 through 31.

This sounds exactly like what's happening here with these disciples of Jesus in the boat and yet it was written over thousand years before Jesus was even born, says this somewhat down to the sea in ships doing business on the great waters.

I saw the deeds of the Lord his wondrous works in the deep 40 commanded and raise the stormy wind which lifted up the ways of the sea. They mounted up to heaven. They went down to the depths their courage melted away in their evil plight. They reeled and staggered like drunken men and rather wincing in and they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the stormy steel in the waves of the sea were hushed, then they were glad that the waters were quiet and he brought them to their desired haven within. Thank the Lord for his steadfast love for his wondrous works to the children of men. Jesus had total peace in the storm. He knew some 65 Psalm 89 Psalm 107. In fact, it was his fear. The Holy Spirit of God that inspired those great words listen when I hand you to study the word of God when I hand you to meditate on Scripture when I hand you to memorize the word of God is not just preacher talk is the key to success and I don't mean financial success. I mean joy and peace and contentment study to show yourself of a workman that need is not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God .3 piece after the storm. Look at verse 39, 340, and he awoke and revoked. Rebuke the wind and said to the CPC steel and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, why are you so afraid that he still no faith after being awakened and then rebuked by his disciples. Jesus stood up in the boat. I can imagine his hair being blown back, his eyes are being hit by that powerful powerful lien and he looks out over the water and says to the wind rush. Peace be steel yes the same thing he said to the money acts we wanted the demons to zip it up he said – please be steel and they obeyed the wind also obeyed. This is absolutely amazing. He spoke to nature and nature abating. He spoke to 100 mile-per-hour wind and that wind stopped just like that and perfectly abating century and 1/2 ago.

Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon on this passage, he entitled it tries to sleep in the boat and listen to what he said. The result was instantaneous. In a moment the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. The towering ways vanished to handling customer silence in the surface of the lake became like glass.

There was no trace of storm. Another moment after he had been awakened. The most blustering of the conflicting we and slept like a baby's mother's bosom. The waves were like marble when Christ rebuked the wind and the waves they did not subside gradually until calm was restored. Both disappeared immediately. The storm may have risen suddenly but it banished even faster than it came.

Mark's use of the words. May God's meaning great translated perfectly indicates the absolute stillness that characterize the sea of Galilee is a wind quit blowing in the waves quit crashing in the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus ask a question. He said guys are you afraid that cycles are put yourself in their shoes. A minute sit there and their eyes are about this big hands are shaking and trembling Jesus, why are you afraid and before they can get get an answer out of their mouth. He ask another question.

Do you still have no faith and they did have some faith because they have seen Jesus do miracles they had seen Jesus reach over and touch a man's eyes who had been born blind with been in darkness all his life and never seen the light of day, and as soon as Jesus touched him. His got 2020 vision I saw that it seen Jesus kill a man with leprosy a man's got holes in the side of his cheek that go all the way down to his jawbone is got scanned that is fallen off his bones.

It is got legs that can even move because the tissue in the muscles have been so attacked. Jesus asked him to be healed and all of a sudden there's holes in his cheeks are filled up with perfect flesh his scans just as clean and pure as a baby skin is legs are strong as an ox is perfectly whale. They saw that they also so Jesus turned water into wine. This miracles different.

Jesus spoke to nature and nature obeyed Jesus.

He told 100 mile an hour wind hurricane force when to stop and it stopped immediately. Hurricane Hugo hit a live close to the Catawba River out in South West Mecklenburg and few remember us back in 1989, but the storm came into Charleston went right up the river by the time he came to us there in Southwest Charlotte. The winds were still hundred miles per hour I never seen anything like that before.

Our electricity was already off 4 o'clock in the morning, dark as it could be we had 17 trees that were broken down in our front yard and it was absolutely amazing and so I said I gotta feel what this is like and I went outside and my goodness it.

The roller was like a locomotive, and the air and not only that, but the wind felt like paeans needles that were hitting me is what the disciples had experienced.

They were in the water. I was on solid ground.

Next morning I walked around to the back yard in the night before I had taken a cup is about half-inch or watering school Styrofoam cup and put it on the handrail of of our back porch and so walk back around there there was a tree about probably 20 yards 20 feet from layer that had broken off in half and fallen down and that little cup with steel sit in the player on that handrail. I thought how in the world did that happen carpeting stay there through that terrible windstorm that happened all of a sudden it hit me. God is sovereign. If he wants that if he wants that cup to stay there. It's going to stay there, come hell or high water. It's gonna stay there.

It reminded me when we are in the midst of the storm.

If God wants to protect us, you can rest assured of this you will be protected in one split second, Jesus said to the winds. Hush when no more ways no more noise absolute peace peace in nature was a lesson for the disciples was a lesson for us. Listen carefully. We can trust Jesus even in the most treacherous and seemingly hopeless times.

It's easy to talk about faith when life is running smoothly.

But our faith is tested during the time of storms. Jesus does not want his people to be anxious is on his people to be living in fear. He wants us to deal with that. How we deal with it we trust his word is utilizer 365 times in the Bible with the Scripture says fear not, that's a different command for every single day of the year when God says fear not.

In Hebrews chapter 13 versus 5 to 6 Jesus said I will never leave you nor forsake you. So, we can confidently say the Lord is my helper, I will not fear what can man do to me.

First Peter chapter 5 verse seven says cast all your cares upon him for he cares for you. Listen we need to think about death was could happen to you if your doctor says to you. You've only got days to live, was to happen if we get to the point in this country who your government says to you, you either reject Christ or face the firing squad.

Are you gonna freak out in fear you to glorify God in peace.

I have watched countless Christians die. I watched many people from this church die and so many of them have died whale I think of Bob Beauchamp. I think of Johnny Presley think of Martin Hayford. I think of my dad.

They died not in fear, they died in faith, either healed great preacher preached his wife's funeral service. I listen to that service, and he made the statement about his wife.

He said my wife died whale present sisters. I don't know about you, I want that testimony, I want not not only live whale. I will be able to died whale and you know what I believe. I believe that if Jesus is who he said he was and I know he is in every single child of God in this congregation can get to the point where they can no that they're going to die whale my last point very quickly is a storm after the peace. Look at verse 41 and they were filled with great fear they said to one another, who then is the is that even the wind and the sea, obeying fears, the natural response to God's of human billions went. When we experience a miracle of God, or we experience the presence of God only give you a few biblical examples, the Lord spoke to Abraham and Abraham said I am but dust and ashes. The Lord spoke to Job, and Job said Lord before I just heard of you with a hearing in my ear, but now my eyes have seen you Lord spoke to Manolo who is they think the father of Samson and Manoa cried out and said to his wife were going to die because we have seen God. Isaiah I went into the temple Lord. He saw the Lord high lifted up on his throne his train filled the temple and Isaiah's it was going to be from an unclean man with unclean lips all live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

I've seen the king I've seen the Lord of hugs think of Paul who fail in the dust of the Damascus road and said, Lord, what would you have me to do I think of the of John on the island of Patmos writing the book of Revelation. God gives him a vision of vision of Jesus Christ in it so great that he falls at Jesus feet as if he were dead white all his people that I just mentioned are people of God and yet all of them were expressing fear, fear wasn't. It was fear of God.

But if we fear God, we don't have to fear anything else for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Spray heavenly father from a human perspective, it would seem that we have much to fear Russia's threatening to use nuclear warfare to finish off the Ukraine put fear into the heart of the US and NATO. China is drawn militarily and technologically and is threatening the put Jesus before government reexperiencing food shortages, skyrocketing gas prices, double-digit inflation, our crime rate is soaring. Our culture is rotting with immorality and sexual nonsense. How can we not fear.

Lord help us to make a determination to fear nothing but God. Lord help us to see that you are Lord over death, disease, demons, depression, and cultural delusion. Help us to live with this truth ruminate in our hearts that you will never leave us nor forsake us. Help us to remember this Jesus is in the boat ports in Christ name we pray.

Amen