Whenever You Are Afraid...
Mark 4:35-41
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - October 17, 2010
*One of the words that best describes people today is “fear.” -- People are afraid.
*I was a kid growing up in Florida during the Cuban Missile crisis. We school kids were taught to “duck and cover” in the event of a nuclear attack. Lots of people had bomb shelters in their back yards. But I don’t remember people being afraid like they are today.
*Why are we afraid? -- We can find several good reasons in God’s Word, but let me single out the fact that storms are real. This was a raging storm here in the Word of God. At least four of these men were professional sailors, but they were scared to death, because they were well aware of the danger they faced.
*There are a lot of storms raging in the world today. What about our economic storm? How bad is it? -- Take a look at this little clip that shows the rise in unemployment over the last few years. It goes month by month. The color scale on the right shows goes from yellow to red to black as unemployment goes up. There is a big, dark economic storm over our nation. And that is by no means the worst of our problems. (1)
*People are afraid because the storms are real. And all of us will go through storms in life. Sometimes we will feel like the waves are crashing over our heads and our boat is about to sink.
-What can we do when we are afraid? -- Let’s look into God’s Word to see.
1. First: reflect on why you are in the storm.
*If you are in a storm, it might be a wise thing to ask why. -- Why am I in this storm?
[1] The answer could be that you are obstinate, stubborn, hardheaded, rebelling against God.
*That’s not the case in this story, but Jonah could tell you about the time it happened to him. It’s what the Bible calls being stiff-necked: The “I’m gonna do what I want to do” attitude.
*Like the dad who was driving his family in a remote camping area. They came across a large sign that said, “Road Closed. Do Not Enter.” Well, the man drove right on around the sign because he was sure it would save them time on their journey. His wife didn’t want to do it, but there was no turning back for this know-it-all.
*After a few miles of success, he began to brag about his gift of direction. But his big smile quickly turned into humble sweat when they got to the washed-out bridge. He turned the car around and drove back to the main road.
*When they got back to the original warning sign, he hated the huge hand-painted words he saw on the back.
-You know what it said? -- “Welcome back, stupid.” (2)
*Why am I in this storm? -- I might have been obstinate. If that’s the case, God is trying to tell you to turn around and head in the right direction.
[2] Other times though, the answer is obscure. Terrible things happen, and we don’t know why.
*Last Wednesday at Prayer Meeting, Debbie Black requested prayer for a coworker named Richardson. Both of his parents had passed away that morning. Who can explain why?
*Why am I in this storm? -- The answer could be obscure.
[3] And it could be an object lesson.
*Do you think that Jesus knew the storm was coming?
-There is no reason to doubt it. Jesus was trying to teach them that they could have absolute faith in Him in every situation.
-This is the lesson we must learn for the storms in our life.
*Why am I in this storm? -- The answer could be an object lesson.
[4] And it could be obedience. That was certainly the case here. We see this truth in vs. 35&36:
35. On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side.’’
36. Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
*These disciples were in the storm, because they were obeying Jesus. They were in the storm, because they were trying to stay as close to the Lord as possible. Jesus said, “Let’s go to the other side.” And they said, “Let’s go!”
*May God deliver us from believing that following Jesus will put us on easy street! Sometimes following Jesus will put us on the hardest road we have ever walked.
*Allen Gardiner was one of God’s faithful missionaries in the early 1800’s. He was a true hero of our faith. Allen went through many difficult hardships as he served the Lord. But he said, “While God gives me strength, failure will not (overwhelm) me.”
*In 1851, Allen Gardiner died from disease and starvation while serving the Lord on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. He was 57 years old.
*When his body was found, his diary laid nearby. It described a life of hunger, thirst, injuries, and loneliness. The last entry in Allen’s little diary showed the tremble of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly.
-But with all of his suffering and all of his hardship, here are the last words he wrote: “I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God.”
*Allen Gardiner repeatedly went to South America. He even gave his life trying to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the lost people of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. He died of starvation without seeing a single soul saved. But the South American Missionary Society he founded has been sending missionaries and winning souls for over 150 years. (3)
*Allen went through the storm because of his loving obedience to Jesus Christ.
-Whenever you are afraid, reflect on why you are in the storm.
2. But also remember what Jesus has said.
*Remember what the Lord has said to you. We see a good example in vs. 35: “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’”
*Jesus said, “Let us cross over to the other side.” And if Jesus says we are going to the other side, we are going to the other side! You can count on it!
*Remember what the Lord has said to us!
-In John 3:16-18:
16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
-In John 10:10. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
-In John 11:25-26:
25. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
-In John 14:1-2:
1. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
-In 2 Cor 12:9. “My Grace is sufficient for you.” -- Or as the New English Bible says, “My grace is all you need.”
-In Heb 13:5-6, the Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So that we may boldly say: “The lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
*Remember what the Lord has said to you.
*The great pioneer missionary, David Livingstone surely did. When Livingstone first sailed for Africa, he was met at the dock by a number of his friends. They were very fearful for his safety and tried to persuade him not to go. But Livingstone opened his Bible and read Jesus’ final words in Matthew 28:20: “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
*Livingstone turned to his friends and said, “That, my friend, is the word of a Gentleman. Let us be going.” (4)
*Whenever you are afraid, remember what Jesus has said.
3. And rush to the Lord for help.
*This is what the disciples did in vs. 37&38:
37. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’’
*“Jesus, Don’t you care about us?” -- Well, of course He did! -- And of course He does! Jesus proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt, when He died on the cross for our sins.
*But sometimes it may seem like the Lord is asleep in your boat.
-When it does seem that way, you keep reaching out to Jesus!
-You will find He is always on the job, even when He seems to be asleep.
*Right now, you may be thinking, “If God is even aware that I exist, He probably doesn’t have a very good opinion of me!” Deep down a lot people may feel like that. But no matter how insignificant you may think you are God knows you, and you are important to Him. (5)
*God is surely paying attention to your life. At work and at home, day and night, asleep and awake, God is watching over you.
-As Ron Mehl says, “God works the Night Shift!”
*And Ron told the story of a mother named Carol who had a troubled teenage daughter named Heather. Mom lost count of the sleepless nights she spent on her knees praying for Heather. But Heather sank deeper and deeper into a promiscuous, drug-abusing lifestyle.
*Months turned into years. Mom’s friends encouraged her to forget about Heather. But Carol never gave up. She kept believing, -- right up to the day she heard that Heather had died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
*Carol wasn’t sure she had the strength to clean out Heather’s apartment. But as she opened the door, she was surprised to see that it was neat and clean. On the table was a stack of mail waiting to be sent.
*The top letter in the pile caught Carol’s attention, because it was addressed to her. And the first words were all she needed to read: “Mom, I have news for you. I just received Jesus Christ as my Savior. He’s changed my life, and I’m so thankful.” (6)
*It would have been so easy for that mother to think that God was sleeping through her storm. But Jesus came through for Carol and her daughter.
-And somehow, He will come through for you.
*Whenever you are afraid, rush to the Lord for help.
4. And rest in the Lord.
*Rest in the Lord, knowing that you can fully trust Him to take care of you. In vs. 39&40, the Disciples found out in a big-time way that they could trust in the Lord:
39. Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
40. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"
*It really looks like the whole point of the storm was to help us learn to rest in Jesus.
-Do you think it was hard for Jesus to calm the storm?
-Did He have to struggle or strain? -- No, of course not.
-It’s just 3 words in English: “Peace, be still!” -- That’s all it took.
*In the original language, it was just 2 words. The first was “hush,” like you would say to a whining child or a barking dog.
*It’s been a long time, but I can remember lots of times I’ve said hush to a little child, without too much result. And I love my dog, “Freckles,” but every time somebody walks by the front of the house, she goes a little nuts. And my “hush” doesn’t make much of a dint in her barking.
-But Christians, we trust in the Savior who can calm the fiercest storm, with a little “hush.”
*And just to make sure, that word for “be still” meant to put a muzzle on something. There is no storm too big for Jesus to muzzle!
-“Peace, be still!” He says. -- Nothing is too hard for God! And no matter what is going on in our lives. We can rest in the Lord.
*In 1994, Carolyn Johnson was a 73-year-old widow. That year she lost her house and all her possessions in flood. A reporter from “U.S. News & World Report” asked her how she was handling the loss.
-And Mrs. Johnson said, “I’ve never been in a situation like this. Everything I had in the world is in that house. I don’t have anything now, -- but Jesus.” (7)
*Christians, even if we lose everything else, we will still have Jesus!
-And we will never lose Him! -- So rest in the Lord.
-Whenever you are afraid, rest in the Lord.
5. And give reverence to the Lord.
*We see the Disciples begin to give reverence to the Lord in vs. 41: “And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”
*At first they were afraid of the storm. But now they are stuck in the boat with someone stronger than the storm!
-They had a righteous, holy fear of the Lord. And so should we.
*Jesus Christ is Almighty God. All power has been given to Him by the Heavenly Father. We must not take Jesus lightly.
*Thank God that Jesus is as good as He is great, and we can confidently give Him our praise and worship.
-Give Jesus Christ your reverence and devotion.
-Give Him your obedience.
-Give him your life. -- You are even safe in the storms with Jesus Christ.
*I don’t know anything about art, but Rembrandt is certainly one of the most famous artists ever. And this morning I would like you to see one of his most famous paintings. Finished in 1633, this painting is called “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” and it is based on this Scripture.
*I like this painting because you can see the raging sea, even as the storm begins to clear. Does Jesus look stressed out in the storm? -- Not a bit!
-And notice that the closer you get to Jesus, the more peaceful you will be.
*But there is something else special about this painting. And that is: there are too many people in the boat.
-The extra man is the fellow down in front, holding on to the rope, and holding on to his hat. It’s Rembrandt. He painted himself into the picture.
*I think he wanted us to know that if you have to go through a storm, the safest place to be is in the boat with Jesus.
-Get in the boat with Jesus.
*Trust Him, love Him, serve Him, follow Him, worship Him.
-You can get started right now as we go to God in prayer.
1. Updated 04.08.11 - The Decline: The Geography of a Recession by LaToya Egwuekwe (OFFICIAL)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwWGzQ_FUtQ&NR=1
2. Source: “In Other Words” - Summer 1998 - produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry - 6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706 (800) 553-4697 - www.iows.net
3. SermonIllustrations.com - GOD, goodness of
4. Lee McGlone in James W. Cox, “The Minister’s Manual 1995,” New York: Harper Collins, 1994, p. 307. (Adapted by SermonIllustrations.com)
5. SermonCentral sermon “Experiencing the Birth of Christ with the Shepherds” by John Hamby - Luke 2:7-20
6. “MEETING GOD AT A DEAD END” by Ron Mehl - Multnomah Books - Sisters, OR - 1996 p. 44-48 (03/31/03 illustration from Sermons.com)
7. Quoted in U.S. News & World Report, Jul. 25, 1994. (Cited in Current Thoughts & Trends, September 1994, p. 8) (Found in Dynamic Preaching sermon - April 2001 - First Sunday)
8. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art55016.asp
