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READ: Mark 4:35
CHALLENGE: Encounter God in the Waves of Life
Vv35-41 – 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!”
If the disciples did not know how divine Christ was before this, they certainly will afterwards. They encounter a vicious storm but a powerful miracle as well. And in the miracle, they encounter the divinity of Christ. Who is this that wind and waves obey him? There’s only one answer to that question.
They will encounter Christ in a way that would be impossible apart from the storm. And that’s how it is at times. Does your faith strengthen more in problems or on perfectly calm days?
Remember the story of Jonah? He was asked to go to Nineveh and he went to Tarshish instead. He disobeyed and encountered a ferocious storm. The sea miraculously settled when they threw Jonah overboard. It shouted that God was involved and everyone saw it! It was clearly a God thing.
That terrifying storm happened because Jonah was disobeying. This storm happens when they’re obeying and you can encounter problems in both scenarios! It’s one of the quirks of this life. You’re going to encounter storms but hopefully who we’re really encountering is God!
A. WALK WITH JESUS
This story starts with Jesus leading the way when He says, “Let’s go to the other side”. He wants to go to the opposite shore and the reasons will be apparent in the next chapter of Mark. He’s headed to rescue a man who has become a resort for demons. Jesus just asks them to go and they do.
Guess what? We don’t need to know every detail before taking the next step. When God calls us to move, we move without having all the answers! This is life! There have been plenty of situations in my life where I was moving forward far ahead of even knowing if it would work. If you have to wait for every last detail before you’ll move, you’ll see far less of God’s movements.
Let’s note that Jesus is not asking them to go somewhere He’s not going. He said, “Let’s go” meaning “let’s go together”. He will do the heavy lifting and they will be there in support. This is all of life and ministry. Jesus does the heavy lifting in life changes and we’re here in support. And when you’re walking with God you have that assurance that He is with you and that’s a beautiful thing.
If we are raking leaves, it’s nicer to hear, “Let’s rake leaves” than it is, “you rake the leaves”. We are in it together with God and we move as one. This is the way that families and teams ought to move. I much prefer to do things together than by myself.
- Following Jesus Requires Leaving Some Things.
They left and let’s look at what they left behind. The safety of day, crowds, comfort in familiar territory.
- Leaving Convenience of Your Own Timing
When evening came, Jesus said, let’s go. Like right now?? In the dark? When you ask your children to do something it’s the most common response? Do I have to do it now? Why now? But obedience has a NOW factor.
They left the daylight behind and entered the darkness. Is evening really the best time to sail? If you gave me a choice as to when to cross the lake, I’d say, let’s go in daylight. I’ve kayaked to watch fireworks where we paddled 3 miles in light. The paddle back was in the deep dark. That was a much harder trip.
When God asks you to do something, let’s not ask “why now”. Be like the disciples and go. The Bible says, today if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart. Do not put it off. Morality, honesty, saying no to porn. Whatever it is, do it now.
- Leaving What’s Easier
They left the crowds behind. They had a lot of company and that’s comforting. They were ministering and it was going well. Jesus is successful. Yet He’s leaving that and He’s about to go and heal a man possessed by a legion of demons which has got to be harder than staying with the crowd.
Christianity is the narrow way. Obedience is the harder thing. For instance, staying and working through problems in a marriage may be the harder way. Harder doesn’t mean worse, sometimes it means better.
I remember steel head fishing and everyone wanted to go to the waters nearest the parking lot. The farther up river you hiked the fewer people you saw. Some of us did what was harder, but it was better.
Following God is not about what’s easier, it’s about what’s better. When God led Israel away from everything they were used to, it was harder. It was also far better because they could have never become a nation with leaving Egypt.
Service and helping people and giving is harder than sitting on the couch. Unselfishness is harder than selfishness. So we leave the easy and strike out for what’s harder and you’ll get stronger doing what’s tougher.
- Leaving Comfort Zone
They left the side of the lake that they were on. They would know this area way better as it was all Jewish. The region of the Gerasenes was more Gentile. This isn’t their normal comfort zone at all.
Example
Example
When God is calling, we’re leaving something. You’re going to lose your security blanket and that’s OK. You’ll be stronger because of it.
- Take Jesus as He Is
What does that mean to take Him just as he was”. Tired? Worn out? Sleeping? Jesus has been teaching from a boat, they just left in the boat and headed for the other shore. The Sea of Galilee is about 7 miles at it’s widest but in a boat like that, you’re not going to get to the other side right away. It is what it is.
We take Jesus and God as they are. Perhaps God seems quiet. Perhaps in the storm of your life, it seems like he’s sleeping. What do you do? Call out and keep believing. You may hit some snags. Keep believing. Sometimes we have to take it as it is.
Do we take Jesus as He is? Savior? Lord? The way, the truth, the life? He said a lot of things, do we accept that? Perhaps some of this is an acceptance issue.
If I’m sailing across the sea, I want Jesus in the boat with me.
B. NAVIGATE THE STORM WITH FAITH
They encounter a furious storm. Cold air would drop in from the mountains and down over the cliffs and hit the sea of Galilee with force. The temperature changes drive the wind and the wind drives the waves. We just saw pictures of the power of wind on Lake Erie where the winds emptied Maumee Bay and Put in Bay. It was unreal!
Sometimes you’re doing God’s work and there’s a storm. Just remember, Jesus is in the boat too so He’s in the storm with you. And if Jesus encountered a big storm, you will too. It’s part of life.
You mean Jesus is in a boat and God doesn’t protect Him from wind? Nope. Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn. Living life is not always easy.
There could be lots of reasons for this storm. Rotten luck as part of the weather cycle. Or Satan is trying to stop him from getting across the lake to rescue the crazed demoniac. Or it could be that God is about to use it to teach them a valuable lesson about faith.
Hitting a storm doesn’t mean you’ve been bad. It’s not the equivalent of coal in the stocking. You could be doing everything right and get sickness. It’s part of life.
- Expect Challenges
You set out to follow God, expect some spiritual push back. You decide you’re going to work on your marriage, expect some challenges. Satan certainly isn’t helping them rescue the demoniac. Satan isn’t letting a full moon shine over the dark waters so it’s easier for them!
I truly believe that opposition is part of the game at times. If my daughter was going to wake up screaming 8 times in the middle of the night, you can bet it was on Saturday night when I’d have to preach the next day.
You hit the unrest and sleepless nights and you know there is some disturbance that is beyond your understanding, but it could be that you’re about to reach someone. And that’s part of encounter as well. You see God in the storm and you see God on the other beach as well. He’s working in all of it.
- Keep Moving
The waves were coming over the boat to the point it was swamped. They are furiously moving in survival mode. It’s a furious storm and it’s rocking their world! The saving grace is that Jesus is there. While it’s pushing them to the brink, what can you do? You have to keep moving. Cope with it. Deal with it.
No matter what the storm, you need to keep moving. For some, it’s the perpetual gray days of winter. You have to plow through. You hit a more difficult period of life, you’ve got to plow through. Keep moving. Don’t quit.
You might be behind in money. Do the best you can and realize you might have to inch your way along, but do something. It’s not easy.
Life is not easy. Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him. Following Jesus does not mean everything goes smoothly. It can be hard.
- Stay Calm and Call on Jesus
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?”
What is Jesus doing? Sleeping. But it’s a furious storm. He’s calm. He’s not worried. This is about as telling as anything. He knows that He’s going to make it. He is asleep and waves are washing over the boat
There is no sense in panicking. It got to the point where they realized that they could not handle it alone. So they wake up Jesus and accuse Him of not caring. These are harsh words because clearly they are saying, you don’t care about us. You talk about the devil talking and the dark power that is beyond sight. Just buy into the fact that God doesn’t care. Jesus has just taught all day. He’s on his way to rescue a tortured soul. He loves them. Yet they interpret the situation as – you don’t you care! We’re dying!
Look how they jump to the worst case scenario. We’re going to drown. We’re not going to make it. Stop it. I’ve heard this over the years. We’re falling apart. We’re not going to make it.
We’ve probably all been guilty. We might as well be right on the boat with the disciples. We’ve probably all wondered if God cared because we’re hurting. And many take it a step farther and they blame God, as if God is causing the pain. I have news, if God is causing you pain, count yourself fortunate because He’s bringing something great into your life. To abandon faith is not the right place to stand.
Sometimes when crossing treacherous terrain, the choice is this – where do you put your feet. Where’s the best place to stand? It’s not on the rock of “God doesn’t care”. That’s not solid footing.
It’s OK to wonder how you’ll make it as long as you know that you will. We don’t always know what’s going to happen and what if we did? What would life be without some tension? If we knew it all right now, we wouldn’t need faith.
There has to be some suspense from time to time. It’s in these moments that we encounter God most truly. Would they have ever encountered him if it were a calm day?
C. STAND IN AWE
- Jesus Has the Power to Handle the Storm
We see Jesus so tired that he is exhausted and he’s sleeping. Jesus had completely poured himself into His work. He taught all day and now he’s whooped. It’s the only passage in the Bible that talks about Jesus sleeping and the utter weariness shows the humanity of Jesus Christ. He’s human.
He is also divine! Look at what Jesus does! He gets up. He tells the wind and waves to be silent and to muzzle itself. It’s like there was a creature in the storm that he rebuked and as if the weather had personality. When Jesus Christ hushes this storm with just a word, it shows how powerful He truly is. It also shows divinity. He’s more powerful than the storm.
When you look at the Old Testament, it says that God is the one who stills the storm. The weather forecasters can predict a storm. They cannot alter the storm. They cannot get on national television and say to a storm, “STOP”. And if they did, they would be the most famous weather forecaster of all time. The clip would go viral and be seen millions of times.
Psalm 107:28-31 – Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Clearly, the power of God to still the storm is divine. It is in Psalm 107 and it is in the book of Jonah. The ability to instantly tame the sea is stunning! That Jesus did a God miracle mirrored in the Old Testament is a neon sign for his divinity. He was instant calm and only God can do it.
And why does He still the storm according to Psalm 107? God’s love in unfailing and he does wonderful things for mankind. Jesus continues this work and word of God. This is an enormous confidence booster.
So, the truth is that God’s love intersects storms, pains, and hurts. It’s not absent and that is calming to our nerves. If Jesus could stop the problem with just a word, what can He do for us? What are our problems when compared to the greatness of God?
I know it looks scary, but God can work it out. His power is what a hammer is to a nail. Our problems are grass and he’s the lawnmower. Our problems are snow and God is the snowblower. He is able. God has said this before. Nothing is impossible for me.
Do you believe that Jesus has the power to help you in your storm?
- Faith Overcomes Fears
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Why are you so afraid, do you still have no faith? Come on. Don’t lose sight of all that God has done. We need to look back and see what He’s already done in our lives. Let’s not question God, let’s question ourselves!
I read this comment in our psalms class. Unbelief cannot doubt. Only faith can doubt! The position of Job to Jesus to the psalmists is that we trust God. Even when we see the pain and the hurt, we trust God.
Lamentations 3:22 – Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 – they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.
A lot of things in my life change but God and His love never does. It’s an ever fixed mark. No matter what the tempest. Our anchor holds in Christ!
Some of the most beautiful concepts about love is that it’s fixed and unchanging no matter what. Even our love should be as dependable as that of God’s and thus something dependable. If we can love for a lifetime, what of God.
- Stand in Awe
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
They were awe struck by what they saw. Who wouldn’t be? Even the wind and the waves obey him. He has power over nature and only God does.
This storm is crucial to their growth. I’ve been through things that I hated and I didn’t know if I’d make it. What happened? I became stronger!
May we be in awe of God. May we be in awe of all the things that we see. We went to Ecuador in South America on a missions trip. There were two towering mountains that you could always see. Chodapaxi and Chimboraso. When we flew into the country, I asked the stewardess how high we were flying. She said, 20,000 feet. The mountain were above us. Unreal! You saw it from all points and constantly they loomed.
May this be the love and power of God. May we constantly be amazed by it all.
Walk with Jesus, Navigate storms with faith, stand in awe of God’s power. What a better way to handle it than with a bunch of complaining.