Stilling The Storm
Text: Mark 4: 35-41
Introduction: As we open the pages of our Bible to Mark 4 we find that Jesus continued teaching by means of parables. We have considered the parable of the sower, and the parable of the candle. Later he taight about the seed and also of the mustard seed, but I want to push on now toward the end of this chapter and consider and consider the dramatic miracle of the stilling of the storm. Here we have a striking picture of the Christian life. The Christian life is never plain sailing. It is rarely a smooth ride, it is a roller coaster journey of faith. A journey from earth to Heaven. A journey of ups and downs. Sometimes it becomes very stormy and our faith fails, and our Lord seems to be sleeping. We are tempted to ask - does He care? Sometimes life can be very fearful, and we feel like the storm will swallow us up, we are overwhelmed, we feel besieged, consumed, crushed and beaten. Storms are never easy, they can be very very frightening.
I wonder are you going through a storm tonight. I wonder if the waves of life’s sea are hammering your vessel and you feel as though you are sure to go under. That is exactly how the disciples felt in the story of tonight’s miracle, and that is where we begin our study.
I. The Storm Is a Crisis For The Saints.
A. Now we must remember that many of the disciples were fishermen, in that regard we might say they were a little foolish to set out to sea without thought of the weather.
1. But fishermen in Bible times did not have the skill of meteorology to help them gauge the conditions.
2. The depended heavily upon the prevailing conditions as they left port.
3. It looked like a clear night, the sea was not unduly rough, and there was no indication that the short crossing over Galilee would be anything but safe.
4. But then this storm came apparently out of nowhere.
B. The word translated “storm” indicates something peculiar about this storm.
1. The Gk. term indicates no ordinary wind, not even to a strong wind or gale force wind, it actually refers to a whirlwind, a wind with violent and furious gusts accompanied by floods or rain, and throwing everything topsy turvy.
2. There was no way these disciples with their limited resources could have foretold the coming of this storm.
3. That’s life.
4. Life can be just fine, everything seems sunny and clear, and we are progressing nicely, when suddenly a raging storm descends upon us.
a. That storm can be channeled in a moment by a phone call bearing bad news.
b. That storm might threaten everything you hold dear, your home, your family your marriage.
c. That storm may come as a bolt out of the blue, without warning, without mercy, without respect to you or your goals and dreams, with favour of person.
d. The storm is a crisis of life. Any crisis - call it what you will - redundancy, cancer, stress, depression, bereavement, divorce - its a crisis, and when you are in it, there seems no way out of it.
C. There is certainly no immunity from storms because we are Christians.
1. Indeed, if we belong to the Lord trouble and testing are inevitable
2. “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” (Philippians 1:29).
3. This world is a world of trouble and hardship and hurting and suffering and you are not going to escape it.
a. “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7).
b. “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1).
4. These sinking disciples were in trouble. They were bailing water out as fast as they could, but their boat was fast filling up.
5. They were staring death in the face, and all the while the Lord was sleeping.
6. It seemed to them that He was in some way indifferent, uncaring, and unresponsive to their need.
a. They cried out, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
b. “Jesus, don’t you care? Don’t you love us? Aren’t you moved by our situation?”
c. I wonder is that how you feel in your crisis? Is that how you think in your storm? I wonder do you feel as though God is indifferent to your plight, or ignorant of your need, or uncaring of your crisis.
7. The storm is a crisis for saints.
II. The Storm Is Of Concern To Sinners.
A. Mark makes an interesting little observation in vs 36.
1. “And there were also with him other little ships.” (Mark 4:36).
2. But Jesus wasn’t in those ships.
3. Lost people have storms too. They have problems also, they have heartaches and hurts and difficulties.
4. Sometimes we think we would be better off with the unsaved. The grass looks greener. Do you really think the unsaved have it better?
5. They were experiencing the same storm in their little boats as the disciples, but Christ was in the disciples’ ship.
a. “With Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm!”
b. I’d rather have been in the storm with Him than be in the storm without Him!!
c. And that is where so many are tonight. The hearts are about to explode with anguish, their spirits about to be crushed under a burden, their lives are in tatters, their minds are in fear, and Christ is not in their boat.
d. Rather them than me. My storm may be furious, but I would rather ride the storm with Jesus than face the storm without Him.
III. The Storm Is Contained By The Saviour.
A. Now, I want you to notice in this account is how the Lord responds.
1. Think about the scene.
a. The roar of the wind.
b. The pounding of the waves
c. The cries of the disciples.
d. The crash of thunder
e. The crack of the lightening . . .
f. And Jesus is asleep. – Don’t tell God how big your storm is; Tell your storm how big your God is
2. But it was none of these sounds that awoke the Saviour, no. He arose when one of the disciples asked for help.
3. The Lord may not respond to the storm, but he will always hear the call of His people above the storm.
a. “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” (Psalms 50:15).
b. “In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” (Psalms 86:7).
c. “Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.” (Psalms 107:13).
d. “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalms 34:6).
4. Our Lord knew the storm was coming, but He did not delay their departure.
a. He permitted the storm and led them into it.
b. He allowed them to feel the fury of the storm.
c. He appeared to be unconcerned about the storm
d. But He was with them in the storm, and as long as He was with them there was hope and they were safe.
B. So the Lord answers their cry and He stills the storm.
1. “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, . . .”
2. Now think about this for a moment. Isn’t that apparently a ridiculous thing to do - to rebuke the natural world?
a. Illus: King Canute
3. The word means to censure, to reproach, to chastise.
4. How can you censure an insensible thing like the wind. It is like rebuking your car for not working, or rebuking a light bulb for not glowing brightly enough - it makes little sense until we realise that there is one who has influence over the air.
a. “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2).
b. There was something in this wind that was unseen to the human eye, but well seen by the Lord.
c. Friends, Satan is at work in the storm!!
5. Look at how Jesus rebuked the storm Jesus, or the power behind the storm.
a. “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.”
b. Do you know how that lit. trans? “Muzzle it.”
(i) He spoke to the elements as though they were a fiercesome dog in need of muzzling.
(ii) But understand more than that, this is a phrase that technically relates to dispossessing a demon of his power.
• See Mark 1:24-25
• There were demonic forces at work in the storm.
• All the while we may be blaming God, Satan may be at work in the storm.
IV. The Storm Is A Comment On Our State.
A. The storms of life are very revealing.
1. Storms expose weakness, they reveal human frailty.
2. We have all experienced the power of storms.
a. What did those storms do?
b. They tore roofs of buildings, they flattened fences, they blew over trees.
c. The storm exposes poor workmanship, shallow roots, decaying timbers.
d. The storms of life are no different.
B. They reveal our faithlessness.
1. The Lord said “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
2. That might seem a little harsh perhaps, but think about it for a moment.
a. They failed to trust His Promise: He had said, “Let us go over unto the other side.”
(i) He had promised they would safely arise.
(ii) And He has promised us that we will get there too.
• If you are in the storm, if the waves are beating around your head, and your feel like you are going to sink and are ready to abandon ship - don’t - you’ll get there. You will arrive.
b. They failed to rely upon His Presence: He was there with them.
(i) He is with us too for He has promised “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
c. They failed to take account of His Power: Could He not perform a miracle?
(i) Let me ask you a question: Is God up to your storm? Do you really feel your circumstances have beaten Him, that He is as overwhelmed by it all as you are.
(ii) Not a bit of it. He can just say “Peace be still, and the storm has passed.
Conclusion: In 1873 a fine Christian lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford, waved good-bye to his wife and four daughters as they left the shores of America to visit relatives in Europe. There was excitement in the air, and they all looked forward to their husband and father joining them in the trip of a life time as soon as he tied up some business at home.
Half way across the Atlantic the passenger ship collided with another steam ship, and began to sink. The mother prayed with her daughters as they feared for their lives. This was the last time she was to see them on earth. All four drowned. Mrs Spafford was rescued and brought safely to shore in Britain. She went to the local post office and there she wired her husband a telegram which carried the terse, but telling message “Saved Alone.”
At that time the great American evangelist D. L. Moody and his song leader Ira D. Sankey were conducting a gospel campaign in Scotland. They were personal friends of the Spaffords and so they travelled to London to meet with and console the grieving mother. Not knowing her state they were naturally apprehensive about how they would find her, but to their surprise Mrs. Spafford was in good spirits, she was strong in faith, and though her heart was broken she said through the tears “It is well, the will of God be done.”
Here was a mother and father in the storm. Three years later, his heart still hurting Horatio G. Spafford sat down, and wrote in memory of his children
When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows, like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
With Jesus, the Spaffords rode the storm. May God help us to have faith in the storm.
