1299. Does God Really Care About Me? Part 1

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina today on The Daily Platform will your sermon preached by Pastor Joe Fant of community Baptist Church in South Bend, Indiana today.

Sermon will be part one from Mark 435 through 41 titled does God really care about me back to the gospel of Mark chapter 4, you and I take your Bible out go to the Scriptures on your device.

Mark chapter 4's were really be tonight a passage begins in verse number 35, we find Jesus after speaking on the sea around the Sea of Galilee Mark records the same day when the evening was, he saith unto them, let us pass over onto the other side. Jesus says the side of the Sea of Galilee. When they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was as tired as he was in the ship and there were also with him other little ships and there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full and he was in the hinder the back part of the ship, asleep on a pillow and they woke him and set him to him master carousel not to be parish and he arose, and rebuked the wind and said to the sea piece be still and when ceased. There is a great calm and he said unto them, where you so fearful. How is it that you have no faith feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the seas obey him if he ever asked yourself the question, does God really care about me but I know that God cares are some people right, but does God really care about me with everything I've been through the trials as hard as they are life. The pressures of life descending on my shoulders and descending on my life and it seems like I'm all alone in this and in the darkness. I'm tempted to believe a lie to that answer. Does God really care about me and the question that any honest Christian would admit that at some time in their life has come up. They wonder if if if God is maybe distracted by all the other people. Or maybe he has too much to do. Perhaps his plan is being worked out somewhere else but in the throes of life.

Does God really care about me the passage before us tonight.

Answers that question in a very comforting way, as it reveals to us that there's nothing that exists outside of God's rule and reign that God is totally and completely sovereign in every respect as we approach this passage Jesus is been walking and teaching all day on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

His message is been very simple at the beginning of his ministry is the message that preachers still proclaim today if their true Scripture and its this message. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. God is building his spiritual kingdom in the hearts of all of those who would common repentance and faith to look to Jesus alone as their Savior and as the crowds begin to amass Jesus teaches them in parables and the crowds get bigger and bigger is the key. Olson does miracles and signs and wonders, and so he he amasses probably close to 10,000 people in this huge cove called Cova sewer.

You can still see it.

If you go to the holy land today and he teaches this massive group of people in this natural amphitheater that God created for that purpose.

Exhausted by a day of teaching.

He tells his disciples and those that are traveling with him in his group. We need to go across the sea of Galilee, to the other side. You know it's interesting in this passage that it brings how the humanity of Christ, we often maybe neglect the reality of Jesus's humanity in defense of his deity. But we must remember that Jesus was truly God and truly man in every respect of being God in every respect of being man in his human nature here in chapter 4 is pictured so beautifully for us that as humans we get tired Dolly God created you that way to remind you that your human that you need sleep and in his human nature. We seek Jesus here getting tired and needing sleep in Mark chapter 11 we see that Jesus got hungry and John chapter 4 tells us that Jesus got thirsty. After 40 days of being tempted in the wilderness by Satan. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus and his human nature was physically weak and was ministered to by angels. We see Jesus and his human nature being overcome in the throes of depression and anxiety in the garden of Gethsemane when he expresses his human will that he would not go through the throes of Calvary. Father let this cup pass from me in aligning his human will. Under the divine will the father, not my will but yours be done. And I'm not. I'm not saying that Jesus was not divine divine in every respect is bringing out this passage shows us his humanity. Sick. Pastor Joe why is that important. Well, it's vitally important for us to understand that right now we have a man interceding for us in heaven. One who is fully human truly man truly God having experienced every temptation just as you and I and interceding on the father's behalf.

As we heard in chapel this morning making intercession for us.

He understands what you're going through his human nature having been brought through the waters of trial, just like you just like me. So when sometimes you go to pray in its ear. You're in the throes of grief or suffering and you can't even speak the words in the spirit of God carries those prayers to Jesus Christ who intercedes for you the right hand of the father.

Jesus exhibiting his full humanity gets exhausted from teaching all day knowing that more ministry lays ahead of him.

He tells his disciples. We have to cross the lake they get in the boat and they begin to sail across the Sea of Galilee about 7 miles in length. It was Jesus's idea to travel to the other side. And so it's usually 13 miles in length, seven, 8 miles wide. The trip from Capernaum on one side of the lake all the way to the other side of the lake where they were going to get there on the Guerra zines was the full length of the lake in the middle of the strip storm arises.

Storms were common in the Sea of Galilee wanted to have these tall mountains, the Golan Heights with a cool weather descends down below sea level and Capernaum when air meets together you just get out raging storm and so it's not uncommon for the storms to spring up out of nowhere on the Sea of Galilee. If you were to take a tour today and only land they will even tell you this that make it a little bit rough. Out of nowhere, is that the warm air in the cooler collide and so they sail out of the Sea of Galilee and a hurricane force wind storm comes out of nowhere and starts striking the boat. The disciples are are terrified of any other member.

These are professional fishermen here.

Their expert sailors and as the wind starts to tip to come in the rain starts to beat down on the ship and the waves are crashing, Scripture tells us that the boat fills up with water. In verse 37 it was full and you can imagine the 12 disciples bailing water as fast as they can. Ways break over, they bail water they take down the sale there just trying to survive there felt that way. All right, I thought I can't fight it anymore storms are coming in life and I'm just gonna buckle down and just go try to survive this in the Best Way, Sir bailing water. They didn't know that this storm even though they had been on the lake hundreds if not thousands of times this storm would be different than anyone.

They can ever imagine.

Matthew emphasizes the nature of the storm in his parallel passage by using the word size modeling of earthquake saying everything was shaking. I don't know if you have been outside in the middle the storm I don't I don't mind lightning and thunderstorms love them inside when we lived in North Carolina in the mountains would often have these massive thunderstorms come through with driving rain and huge lightning is actually kinda cool to be on the front porch really inside and see all around you is very different to experience that. If you're camping on a backpacking trip. One time we were two days into a five day backpacking trip in the storm blew in and I'm in this little tent in this clearing and spinach is going crazy round and I there's nothing I mean there's metal temples would make it even worse. Right and be exposed that much less being in the middle of a body of water. That's tumultuous they thought they were going to die.

It didn't slowly start and nobody saw it coming if it if they could've seen it coming, they would've never sailed they were seasoned fishermen. The boat they were in was probably about 25 feet long held 12 to 15 people and they realized quickly that nature was too strong because nature bends to the will of no man you can do what you want when you can't control nature in a rush and chaos of the moment. All of a sudden they realized.

Wait a minute. Where's Jesus and all effects they look around and there frantically trying to looking and looking around and sure enough, Jesus is normally found to get washed overboard what happened and they look to the back of the ship and there is Jesus sleeping like a baby but your grandfatherly things and that nothing is waking him up right in his La-Z-Boy's on logs and is that is a you know his hearing aids out and and you have a bomb go off nearby sleep right through and there's Jesus's head on a pillow in the back of the ship fastest one disciples approaches him and then another and there shouting at him about the wind and above the rain in there there shaking him master Rabbi Laura Greg and how could he sleep in the midst of all this was he was he in different did he know what was happening as Jesus wakes up he is not panicked. Maybe they miss understand his calm demeanor as indifference and so they look at Jesus and Mark records their words from the memory of Peter who was on the boat and want you look at verse 38 with me will take your eyes look at a verse 38, they woke him up there question is this Jesus, don't you even care that we are all about to die carousel.

Not that we perish in this emotional moment. The question that comes to mind is a question that we've all struggled with Jesus, don't you even care how he obviously knows everything. He knows what I'm going through. Don't you even care that I'm about to die when faced with the storms of life. Perhaps you've asked this question God, don't you even care about me. Maybe you come into the service this evening and because of the things that happened over Christmas break this morning prayer requests were asked for believe it was three of your classmates who have lost family members in the last several weeks and maybe in your life you come in many new meals even knows your bearing burdens you're asking.

Don't you even care about me. I like to encourage you this evening that Matthew chapter 6 records that God cares for you because of your value. Don't be anxious about your life know more about what you eat what you drink, don't worry about what you put on his body more than food and clothing. I look in the words Lookout God provides for them and then versus 26 of Matthew six, Jesus asked aren't you of more value than they are we having cold winters in Indiana when we moved into our house.

I was unpacking the truck and the weather. It was -10 outside in the windchill made it -35 that's almost a sin for it to be that cold. So much so that there were alerts on the radio and on the TV that said don't spend more than 10 minutes outside for fear, frostbite, and somehow every spring, animals survive.

How is that even possible because God protects them, because God's woven it in to their their very nature to have a way of provision during the winter months. Don't you think that if God does that for birds that he cares for you as well, aren't you have so much more value that he chapter 10.

A few verses later.

Even the hairs of your head are numbered, arguing that of God in the lesser to the greater of God cares about your hair doesn't make sense that he would care about all of you and what you're going through because you carry so much more value. Why are you valuable to God are valuable to God because you made in his image. If you're Christian you one of his children and writer says it this way, does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply from Earth or song has the burden suppressed in the cares distress in my way grows weary, and long. Oh yes, he cares. I know he cares his heart is touched with my grief when the days are weary the long nights, dreary.

I know my Savior cares. Romans eight gives us the promise that nothing can separate you from the love of God there's nothing that can come across in your life that will separate you from God's love tribulation famine peril nakedness armies sword's supernatural natural whatever would be nothing can separate you from the love of God, you may be crying out Jesus where are you will you please wake up, do you even hear me don't you even care that I feel like I'm about to die. You have value. Not only that Jesus is with you the entire timing of Jesus was always there when the storm immediately hit the way this is worded it seems as though they battle the storm for a long period of time before turning and asking Jesus for help and is it so that way with us that life gets hard in your suffering and you're going through trials and they are like women immediately to pray about this is with you the entire time it's his presence that will never leave you nor forsake you. One of the most comforting passages of Scripture that I have found during times of trial in regards to God's presence is John chapter 14 we normally turn that passage to say that the court rightfully John 14 six I'm the way the truth and the life no man comes a father but through me. But we forget the context of that passage in the disciples are freaking out because Jesus said I'm I'm leaving you like will why where you going where and how can I get there, why are you going what is really what we're doing it on and Jesus is you know where I'm going and Thomases.

I don't know where you're going.

I don't even know the way to get to where you going about will follow you, Jesus, as I am the way the truth and the life. And then he goes on to tell the disciples little bit later on that passage, he says I'm leaving you, but it's actually to your benefit because I will not leave you as orphans. I'm sending my spirit and he will never leave you is that presence of God. That's always with us. It is such a comfort in the midst of these trials look at this passage I want you to see for greatness if you're taking notes you write these down if not there very easy to find the first grade is the great storm that arises there out about this great storm arises and then after this great storm we see a great piece Jesus looks at the fear in their eyes, and he loves them.

He's been with them the entire time they've been with him. Their eyes were on the storm. They were scared to death when there is no logical reason to be afraid. I mean they had just seen Jesus heal people. They have seen Jesus do incredible miracles they had seen Jesus do wonders and signs in the entire city of coming on the heels person after person after person I'm in this business.

Jesus really is.

At this point in their eyes is something that is spirit of God is all over him. Little do they know what was the common scene Jesus as God himself. They had no logical reason to be afraid, other than the fact that even though they had seen a blind person given site and even though they had seen a man lowered down by a cot into a room and pick up that cot and walked out the door. This was different because this was their trial. It wasn't watching someone else go through difficult things. It was actually experiencing it himself, you know, it's one thing to pray for someone else suffering until that suffering comes to your front door. You should pray and intercede for those who are going through difficult times, but friends listen. This was their turn to suffer in the storm enters into their life in Jesus stands and he says peace peace be still. Their eyes were not fixed on Jesus in faith because they were distracted by fear distracted by fear and yet Jesus and his love commands the storm to stop. He gives to commands here. Peace and be still or be silent.

The first command literally means to be still to be quiet.

The second command is really interesting. It means to be muzzled like like to be crude, but like shut out okay that's a lot more harsh than would you please stop talking. Okay if it that be muzzled. Sees what's happening. It's the same word that's used earlier in chapter 1 Jacob I want her back to Mark chapter 1 just a few pages back Mark chapter 1. Begin reimbursed 23 and there is in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit that the demon in this demon cried out, saying, let us alone.

What we do with the Jesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy us. I know the without heart are the holy one of God.

This is a demon who is professing the truth and Jesus in verse 25 says this, Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold by piece say more be muzzled. Stop with this one command to the demon. He shows his unconditional authority over all the supernatural forces of evil and back in Mark chapter 4 he gives the same command to the storm. He says at least silent, and immediately the storm ceased. It's not like it slowly slacked off or started to rain. The last of the lightning moved off in the distance. The way this is worded it means that immediately. The wind ceased. In verse 39 and there was a great call's a great call. A great piece measuring the disciples at this point in the boat and everything's going nuts around his going chaos boats get rocked back and forth and then all of a sudden it's like glass. Everything stops silent and Jesus looks at them and he asks two questions but with me on your Scriptures.

Verse 40 he said to them, why are you so fearful.

Why are you afraid, and if I am a disciple, my answer would be because there was a storm to remember that or not but we almost died. These is why why are you so afraid I was here the entire time. The waves were big and the winds were strong. Jesus you weren't doing anything and so I was fearful you know fear is an interesting emotion psychologist will tell you that fear is the greatest emotion that can drive you to do things that you never thought possible. If an animal is chasing and trying to EE you will probably run faster than you've ever run in your life. How many of you afraid of spiders. Transient like you hate spiders so let's say that you are in your and in your dorm and a spider comes across the floor right you freak out and let's let's put the scenario you have a lady who is in her living room and she scared to death of spiders and a spider comes in and the best she can do is is a carburetor something to her husband gets home and then he'll come in beaded today. I think you look she stared at the spiders just freaking out, climbing up on the some of you know what that's like me, could you see a spider and you just can't handle it, or maybe snakes right I snakes are cool. A lot of people hate snakes but if you put that same person in a room with a spider crawling across the floor and that spider is walking towards that lady's newborn baby. That woman turns into a super ninja immediately. I mean she will smash that thing so hard and not even think twice about it. Why, because the only thing that conquers fear is a greater fear say that again because I want to understand this. The only thing that conquers fear is a greater in that fear of her child being bit by that spider overwhelms the fear of the spider and it motivates her to take action and hear the disciples were paralyzed by the storm because they feared the storm more than they feared Jesus first question why are you so afraid second question, have you still no faith. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have for today's sermon titled does God really care about me. Be sure to listen tomorrow as will hear the conclusion of the sermon from Pastor Joe fan preach from the Bob Jones University Chapel platform