Why You Should Be Scared of Jesus, Part 2

Perspective from Judy Greer in this story Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves, and then he turns around, he rebukes the disciples will be afraid he's rebuking them and that means that they're doing some mission been going by the honest, it seems to me that their fears a legitimate. They thought they were going to die just as you understand that, but when I'm in the boat with you.

Even that is the Bible teaching ministry of JD Greer.

As always, I'm your host Molly benefits you ever considered that when artists tried to depict Jesus and him wearing a clean white robe and Lanman walking through a quiet green pasture. It's peaceful and comforting to remind us that Jesus is our friends and he's our good Shepherd. There's nothing wrong with those images in and of themselves, but they don't capture the full picture of Jesus today.

Pastor Jenny is drawing our attention to another aspect of Jesus's character that might surprise you and he's encouraging us toward a different kind of response picture. He titled this message why you should be scared of five when needed, Jesus said to them let us go across to the other side. Now the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the Sea of Galilee was the little body water that separated the Jewish territory in Palestine from the Gentile territory.

Verse 36 leaving the crowd but took him with them in the boat.

Just as he was, and other virtual with him right when storm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat. The boat was already filled.

He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion will come up as a teacher, do you not care that were perishing. Verse 39 and he awoke and he rebuked the wind and he said that the CPC still rebuke is a word that means in Greek exactly what it means in English, it is a word that you use for somebody that's underneath you that you have authority of Jesus stands up and he rebukes the weather like is nothing more than a rowdy kid.

The wind ceases and that was a great call. Not only did the storm died down immediately. The waves died down, but my favorite part of the story.

The terms of the disciples and says are you so afraid. Well, we thought were about to die and then you stood up and you rebuke the way I like it was an angry toddler and it shut off. I thought we got because Jesus continues will have you still no faith what this than they were filled with great fear and said to one another, who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him. Great fear when they were in the storm and thought there about the die feel just plain old regular fear, but after Jesus had stilled the storm open that fear went to great figure he possesses the power in himself is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him marks very clear answer is it's got to be God. This is one of the three stories that Mark tells right in a row about amazing and bizarre things that obey Jesus story of Jesus who heals the disease and raises a little girl from death you got this story where he commands the weather when he gets over the Gentile area is not throw out a whole legion of demons and Mark puts these three stories together asking this question.

The demons disease, death, and the weather all obey Jesus. Why don't you disease doubt whether all over you, to defy him.

Three important implications from the story number one. There is a good and necessary kind of fear is a good necessary kind of fear that a lot of people think the concept of God, that you should be afraid of is outdated, but that's just foolish. You understand anything about the power of Jesus and not feel fear whenever anybody glimpses the power of Jesus in the Bible are overcome with fear. One of my favorite examples of this is Revelation 1 where the apostle John sees Jesus gets a glimpse of Jesus for the first time after he has been ascended from Earth into heaven. He is now glorified. Now keep in mind Jesus and John had been BFFs when Jesus was on earth. So what's this, you look like, what would you act like if you'd seen a cherished friend. Then they left in your getting together with them for the first time I let John himself described in Revelation 1 verse 17 when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. That's not a figure of speech. By the way, when he laid his eyes on the glorified Jesus and finally saw him in all of his power. John literally thought he was going to die. All he rebuked the weather and it obeyed. He commanded disease and death, and they yielded he spoke to demons and they fled to disobey you to disobey me or people listening to me each weekend retrieve the commands of Jesus so casually. I get to it one day is not a good time alive for me just to make this a priority. Too much going on at work how you know just be so inconvenient obey these commands. I prefer my sexual preferences to his will for my lifestyle. I'll do it later to you know the one you're speaking you to defy the one who commands the winds and the waves the demons disease and death itself number two. Fear does not exclude one, there's a good and very important on fear number two. Fear does not exclude love. Whenever we talk about the fear of God be will be in the subject like well what is this referring to God right perfect love casts out fear her that Mercer got the meat tender soft brown haired Savior. The placement kids yes yes but then you get pictures of Jesus like this that make that tenderness much more amazing and much more comforting our forgiveness is supposed to. In many ways intensify our fear not less than it. That's why you see strange verses in the book of Psalms like this one, but with you there is forgiveness that you may be fear what forgiven so that we might fear in the point of forgiveness to take away our fear if we really been forgiven.

What's their love to be afraid of when you see what Jesus had to go through to save you it makes you realize the holiness and the perfection of the God that you have rebelled against. You see, it is the blood he cross that gives you the greatest earthly picture of what the wrath of God actually looks like people say why was the cross of blood. He why was it so terrible, it was because it was exactly exactly the price that your sin deserved how you have lived, I have lived, was displayed for us on the cross of Jesus Christ, you got a glimpse in the cross of hell itself did in that same sacrifice. I also see that I am safe within God's love is no longer a threat to me, and there is no more condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus cannot experience of all and fear combined with tenderness and salvation that moves me worship because the true worship. True worship is a mixture of awe and intimacy.

Or maybe even intimacy that grows out of all awe at the size and the power of God in the holiness of God, intimacy, and realizing that he is paid your full sin debt and brought you close one without the other will lead you to a deformed spirituality. Then there are some of you to have the fear of God, but no intimacy and therefore you have no warmth or love in your relationship to God. Some of you have the intimacy without the all and so you are lazy or casual in your obedience.

There are all kinds of areas of compromise were sluggish in your worship you show up late with your hands in your pocket you don't engage in. The reason for that is because you have no all of God's true worship, life-giving worship worship that pleases God is all that is mixed with intimacy. There is number three we see from the story Mark shows us that those who fear Jesus really fear nothing else is when you realize how powerful Jesus is and you realize that he's in the boat when you want and you will be afraid of anything else in this story Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves, and then he turns around, he rebukes the disciples were being afraid now if he's rebuking them, then that means that they're doing something they shouldn't of been doing but I can be honest it seems to me that there fear is a legitimate. They thought they were going to die like that is the time for fear just as you yeah I understand that but when I'm in the boat with you, even that fear is irrational, well known as like to cease my with an irrational fear.

I thought everybody in my family has at least one irrational fear, my italic 19-year-old when she up to the age of six was terrified of the movie The Incredibles. Oh, what is there about the movie The Incredibles. I don't know if you watch other movies that I thought were worse now but just like me just terrified.

I remember her bowling one night we were about to come to our prayer meeting here because she thought there were to be shown. The Incredibles and the kids ministry.

All the kids pastoral psychical research some missiles incredible because my daughter is not coming because of The Incredibles seemed irrational my wife have gotten permission to share the story is irrationally afraid of spiders. I mean nobody likes spiders understand that her creepy but it's what you hear this the screen that makes me think like you know like she seen a demon of stairs to run upstairs and will you and she's like slider. You know, I don't think my Frisbee size like we run the microwave too much and it's mutant and it's like you and I get my compound bow and I'm going to like or is it and in any system like and I look for it. I can find this little tiny thing on the side I'm like where is that you like. That's it. It's like a flycatcher mashup so we're what we all know what it's like to see somebody with an irrational fear. What Jesus is showing these disciples listen, every fear with the presence of Jesus in your life. Every fear is irrational. Jesus was in there about didn't really think the dog is to let the boat sinking what Jesus die that with that with that with that would be dumb.

So here's the reasoning. If Jesus is in the boat this boating going down and I'm about with him.

I'm not going out either because they didn't understand the power of Jesus over the storm. They were afraid of the storm, but had they really fear. Jesus understood his power they would not of been afraid of the storm because it would look rather small in comparison to him is yet I feel like this Jurassic Park.

Like the original version 1995. Remember that the scene right at the very ends where all the rappers have surrounded the people. The ferocious rappers and their about to eat them and that don't member this and and right as you think about the die what happens. The T Rex comes through the roof smashes through the roof and gobbles of all directors and so your watch and I'm like okay so the T Rex is really going to be afraid of because rappers and nothing compared to the T Rex and here's a question. What if you knew the T Rex was on your side if you knew the T Rex was on your side and you would not be afraid of the rafters because of the T Rex is for me who can be against me right if the T Rex is on my side. What can rappers do to make Jesus is the truer and better T Rex. That is how you should watch Jurassic Park right so what you got is you got a sense of of how large Jesus is suddenly make the waves in the storm that were going to kill you. It makes it look rather small, which is exactly what is in Paul's mind when he says of God is for us who can be against us was there to condemn it is God who justifies the charge against God's elect is Christ Jesus who died and more than that was the.raised again and now makes intercession for you. If God is on your side. If he is for you and there is literally nothing else that you have to fear, worry in our lives comes listen to this from either a forgetting the power of Jesus over the storm or be doubting his commitment to you in the storm. They come from one of those two places every single time she Mark tells this story because it depicts how we often feel in life.

We since the storm is brewing around us and it seems to us like Jesus is sleeping.

If he exists at all. Or maybe we look around and we see the size of the waves and the other coming up over the side of the boat may seem overwhelming, the waters filling up our boat.

We feel like were being drowned by by bills or by our about my concerns in our marriage or problems with our kids or issues at work are too much, or try and balance with school work schedules or health problems, and you ask, to make it when you look up at Jesus and say do you even care markets tell you when that happens. Three things for us to know first realize that those feelings are our natural, even the disciples were the future leaders of the church.

That's what they felt.

The second and and just as important. We don't listen to those feelings but your eyes on Jesus, put them on his power, his commitment and his ability over the storm salvation doesn't come from getting on top your circumstances to come from believing God's promises to get your eyes off your circumstances and put them on the promises of Jesus third when you feel like you're drowning, it's okay to wait Jesus made one irritated by being woken up. He was only he was only angered by their lack of faith.

He wants you to wake him up. He put you in situations intentionally so that you will wake him up so wake him up and say I know that you care, so I know that you can work in this situation because you promised you would not you asked what Jesus really loves us why we keep you from the storm that's a great question in verse 35 I showed you was his idea across the sea to begin with I when it when a bad situation. They got themselves into that he's now trying to fix the whole thing was his idea. He could very easily have had them avoid this situation. Why did he knowingly send them in the storm. Why does he knowingly send you into the storm you seen people celebrating how God healed somebody from cancer, but your question you want to ask was why Goggin cancer. To begin with what he let them go through cancer really love them and he can heal my knee is keen from it. Here's why. Because there's something more important than God keeping you from all storms and that is God teaching you his faithfulness in the storm and see there are certain things about God. You can only learn in the storm so God sends you into storms because storms are his laboratory in which he teaches you about himself and the knowledge of God is the greatest thing you can never possess on earth it's even better than not storm free life. God says let go through storms so they can see my faithfulness and my power in their storms. Here's what I've learned. Everybody wants to see miracles everybody wants to see miracles in their lives. Nobody wants to be in a place where they actually need one right, but until God put you in a place where you need to sustaining power you're never going to experience it all. After after long meticulous study of the New Testament PhD level study in the original languages I've come up with this dazzlingly brilliant conclusion. You every miracle that Jesus ever did started with a problem Oya 13 years of school right there. Every single miracle that Jesus is started with a problem.

That's good news and bad news, good news, good news is you got problems in here you a candidate for a miracle. That's good news, bad news is you're gonna promise you we see in a miracle you see it is his intention to show you his ability so he allows you to go through them so that you will look upward to him and you will feel to sustaining a miraculous power in the storm, Jesus will always do one of two things always know either show off his power by delivering you from the storm or he'll show off his power by his ability to keep you in the store.

Sometimes you look at the storm and say, peace be still, and sometimes will turn around you in the boat and say, peace be still, because the peace that passes all understanding is not always nor is it usually is calming the storm. The peace that passes all understanding is his sustaining presence in the storm. Jesus is the Prince of peace. Peace is not a set of circumstances. It is a savior that unites himself to you so worry in our lives for the storm of fear. That's the real storm in our hearts that comes from either forgetting the power of Jesus over the storm or doubting his commitment to you in the storm, which leads me to the last and most important insight from the story because it shows us why we never have to doubt his commitment dies to see another some of you listening say well maybe the disciples could depend on that maybe use a pastor could depend on that many really good Christians could depend on that announcement like a very good of a Christian. I asked like a really consistent and I don't think I'd be want to.

Jesus favored one, so Hamas was to know that he's doing this for me that's a great question. You see, the stories told in such a way that is supposed to remind you of another prophet who had another incident with the sea nonprofits name was Jonah and see Joe not just like Jesus had been on his way to the Gentiles that Jesus is headed to the Gentiles.

Jonah said in the Gentiles, both Jesus and Jonah go into a storm and both of them were asleep in the storm. Both of them awoken out by scared sailors who say you care that we perish, and when Jonah is thrown overboard in Jonah chapter 1 and he calls lessee down. Mark uses the exact same phrase in March up before the wind ceased, and there was a great call. Her work is so interesting.

There are some differences. Jonah columns the storm by plunging himself into it.

Jesus calls us storm.

However, by simply speaking to it.

Why the distinction. Here's why.

Because this was not the place for Jesus to plunge himself into the seat you see the sea throughout the Bible represents God's wrath. That's the image of the seat. That's why the book of Revelation.

All the evil empires arise out of the seat or it's like the end of the book of Revelation says that there is no more see in heaven, which is new, was mentally depressing as some of you shall come under the beach and have it it's not that they're not to be a beach in heaven. It's that there's no more wrath of God. There's no more wrath of God and so so what you got is the sea which represents the wrath of God and at the cross, Jesus, plunge himself headfirst into the sea of God's wrath where he is to be swallowed up like Jonah by death for three days so that when he is resurrected he can preach salvation to the people, the wrath of God was terrible. It was like a raging sea. It was terrified it would scare us to death. Jesus faces the terror and he silences it in love.

You see what God did is the ferocious terror of his wrath. That was directed at you and me, which we deserve was poured into Jesus because God's love overcame his wrath so that if you and I are in Christ, we are safely sheltered from it, and we stand with a sense of Christ all and we put our hands up and say with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared and we begin to worship and praise and saying you show me somebody does learn how to worship and I'll show you somebody that's in touch with the salvation that Jesus was given you socially somebody lazy in their worship and offer you somebody who has no concept of what they've actually been saved from.

You want to know why your hearts are dry as you don't know what you can forgive enough to know what Jesus said to the Pharisees the prostitute comes answers we been at his feet take her perfume Bible poured over his feet all the Pharisees what was she doing why she let her do that much is certain what you say don't leave her alone because those were forgiven. Much love much the fact that you love shows that you don't know what you can forgive enough you've never developed the fear of God, which is why the love of God is in your heart to emotion. You see, you got to have intimacy that grows out of all you gotta have faith that grows out of fear as he once you know that you're assured of that love.

You begin to look at the storms of your life, you'll say, what if it if he didn't forsake me amount storm it he points himself in the sea of God's wrath for me. Then, of course, is to take care of me in this one. I mean he's united himself to you in your boat to let his own boat sank minimal.

Paul said in first Timothy, when we are faith less, he is faithful why because he cannot deny himself.

In other words, even when you're doing a terrible job about you not like about sink is a unit is not getting with what is radiology night he's in the boat. He's in the boat and that means that when he is united himself to you. If you have trusted him a savior and received him that your life is now his possession and he cares more about your life, what it supposed to be that even you to know here's a question here's a question who really gets woken up in the story Jesus no kissing awoken up new. From the very beginning will happen if the disciples get woken up right. Psalm 121 four. Fear not all Israel. He who watches over you will never slumber sleep. If you recall when Jesus went to the cross. It was Peter, James and John, the disciples who slept on him that he on them.

So when he went into the real storm they were asleep. Not him, so that they can be assured that whatever storm they were going through. He was always wide-awake to see so we know that as we go into the storms.

We are are awake to the love of Jesus who gets woken up in the story is not Jesus at the disciples have you been woken up to the love of God because being woken up usually consist of a storm that rattles your foundation and then you being aware of what God did for you on the cross. Have you been woken up to the love of God in your life right there.

Learn you've ever experienced a few since that last and would like to learn more about his love for you and what it means to surrender to his Korean be sure to visit us@jdgreer.com today's program as part of our teaching series called the whole story. We think this series will change the way that you read the Bible for ever.

JD one of my favorite things about a series of how you are challenging us to take a fresh look at these familiar Bible stories yet and I think sometimes, especially for those of us miniature for a while so familiar with these Bible stories that they sound a little bit cliché there right like were no longer looking for God to use them to speak. So in this series I'm hoping you'll be able to set those preconceived notions aside and just see the stories that include new lands in a fresh way and show you. Maybe this is the greatest thing show points to the cross to go along with the series and help with that perfect resource simply called the books of the Bible part a set of cards that will help you as you read books of the Bible to connect that book with the contents of the original audience.

Maybe even more importantly, the overall scope of the one store. The Bible is telling details about it is written to when it was written truth that are gleaned from the book where the book points to Jesus and reflection questions. I can promise you, you want to keep these handy as you are in the books of the Bible in your life who is this for what are they saying what biscuit is Cardinal help you connect what you're reading to that the bigger picture of what God is saying we do not think he was sent today. So when you get $25 or more will send you a copy of the books and I don't current way of saying thanks for your generous you've been going through this program deeper into the message of what you give that gift to someone else by donating today. Give us a call at eight 663-3520. Remember to ask for years that the books of the Bible cards that number again is eight 663-3524. You can get the cards online here.com hi Molly, bit of ancient time something we shouldn't do anything and next week we were talking about the true message. We grabbed a friend and join us Monday on my rear ministry