Of Eyes & Storms
Believing What
You See
Instead of What
You Know
35 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?”
Foreword
On 9/11/2001, when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were bombed, we were attacked as a nation. Our ability to have faith and trust in God was challenged, and it was a Storm of Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual proportions.
Let us take a moment to remember that in the face of this tragedy – this overwhelming calamity – we turned back to God and had a Spiritual Awakening that was Powerful, Wonderful, and much Needed in this nation.
Please bow your heads, and close your eyes, and remember that event, and those involved, and thank God for all those that turned to Him and were saved because of this terrible event… Saved through witnessing the strength, the courage, and the way those that love ran into the teeth of this terrible storm, for the sake of others… Let us remember the unity and the good, that God worked in the aftermath of this storm.
Please. Bow your heads and remember.
Introduction
Okay. This sermon is entitled: Of Eyes & Storms: Believing What You See, Instead of What you Know. I gave it this title, in light of the actions of the Disciples in Mark 4:35-41, and because we have the overwhelming predisposition for allowing the things we see coming against us – engulfing us – to blind us to what we, as Christians, know: That God is with Us, that He Loves Us, that He will never leave or forsake us, and that He has Authority over all things and IS in Total Control — working all things to the good.
This sermon is not about the Eye of a Storm. It is not about the calm in the middle of the eye of the storm. This sermon takes a spiritual look at storms and faith and at our automatic tendency for allowing what we see to blind us to what is promised.
We will be looking at the disciples and Jesus in the boat, while crossing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and dissecting the spiritual lessons that God and Jesus placed before us in allowing that storm to rage so suddenly upon them.
Let us pray:
Lord, God, shine your face upon us, as we partake of the timeless lessons you demonstrated on the Sea of Galilee, with the storm and the fisherman’s boat, all those years ago.
Let us not be blinded by the visual aspects of our calamities, but directed by Your Spiritual Certainties, and let us take hold of the promise that we, too, will get to the other side — no matter how devastating the storms may be that suddenly erupt in our own lives.
Speak through me Lord, that Your Truths may calm the fears and anxieties and loneliness and heartbreak and hopelessness and rage and all the other harbingers and effects of the storms that you allow to suddenly descend upon us.
Help us trust in Your Promises and have faith in what is unseen, as opposed to fear for what we do see.
We Give You Thanks, Lord. We Honor You. And we Love You.
Amen.
I
Now — in this sermon we will take a look at the scriptures of Mark, chapter 4, which depicts the crossing of the Sea of Galilee and the storm encountered before reaching the other shore. Specifically, we will be looking at:
Mark 4:35-41
35 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!”
Jesus seemed a little bit frustrated when He asked the disciples, do you still have no faith… But we need to remember that leading up to this point, they had witnessed him perform miracle after miracle… stunning miracles and they had been personally taught the meaning of all the parables, with which he had delivered the Good News… and yet they feared both, the storm and Him personally…
In the face of their fear… in the face of what they saw, they forgot what they knew… they even forgot who Jesus was and is. This is proven by their question, Who is this?
In the Book of Mark, scripture provides the public pronouncement of Jesus and the beginning of the Good News Ministry: His Baptism, His 40-day isolation, in which he was tempted in the wilderness, by satan, himself, and where the angels attended Him.
Mark shows how he announced the Kingdom of God and the Good News. He shows how Jesus picked His 12 and how He taught, on the Sabbath in the synagogue, with all Authority. Mark proclaims that the people were amazed at His teaching and, Mark 1:21-26, shows how Jesus was recognized as the Holy One of God, and how He communicated with, commanded, cast out, and was obeyed by an unclean spirit.
Mark demonstrates the publicity involved with the Miracle-ministry of Jesus, all the way up to the boat-ride. In Mark 1:27, he cites the people as having asked, What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.
In Mark 1:28 it is announced that, News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. His ministry of miracles was very public and broadcast by the word-of-mouth of people everywhere, so that no matter where He went, people gathered in huge numbers.
Prior to the Boat-ride Jesus performed many, very public, and controversial miracles. Let’s look at some of them:
- He was baptized by John the Baptist and when He came up out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended and God spoke from Heaven, proclaiming that He loved and was pleased with His Son.
- He Healed Simon’s Mother-in-law.
- He healed many sick and drove out many demons from the possessed, with the whole town at the door.
- He traveled throughout Galilee preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
- He healed a man with leprosy, who then disobeyed Jesus and His desire that it temporarily remain hidden, by telling everyone that Jesus had healed him.
- He was pursued and surrounded by the sick and the possessed, everywhere He went; the people came to him from everywhere, as the word of His Supernatural powers and love of the people was spread.
- He went to Capernaum, where crowds gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left.
- He forgave the sins of, and healed, a paralyzed man that had been lowered through the roof, because the place was too packed with people to enter and bring him in.
- He went beside the lake and began to teach the large crowds and call His disciples.
- He rebuked the Pharisees who saw Him eating with tax-collectors and sinners.
- He spoke and taught in parables.
- He healed so many that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.
- Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out You are the Son of God.
- He appointed 12 that they might be with him and have the authority to preach and drive out demons.
- He was followed by crowds everywhere He went and He announced the family of God by asking and answering: Who are my mother and my brother — These are my mother and brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and
- He was surrounded by a crowd so large, as he taught by the lake, that he had to get into a boat and preach from it, while the people filled and lined the shore at water’s edge.
- He, Personally, taught the Disciples and explained to them, the meaning of the parables He had preached.
I mentioned all of these things that had transpired prior to the boat-ride across the Sea of Galilee, to show that everyone knew that Jesus was the Son of God — the Disciples certainly did. They knew that He was God with Us. They knew, and had witnessed, that He had Supernatural Authority over the Physical Realm of and in this world.
He did all those miracles in front of people, not to Display His Supreme Power, but only that they might believe that He was the Messiah, The Son of God. Fully Human and Fully God.
He did all those miraculous – very public – healings and supernatural uses of power, that the people witnessing them could believe in Him and have Faith… that they could be saved because of their belief.
Remember: He had been preaching and teaching all day long, in front of the Disciples and the huge crowds of people that followed and accompanied Him — everywhere He went. He had been utilizing parables, and we know this to be true because of:
Mark 4:33-34:
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.
34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
The boat-ride, and the storm, immediately followed His explanation of the parables to His disciples. But let us consider the storm for a moment.
II
The disciples, in obeying Jesus by getting into the boat and by simply being in His presence, were very definitely in the center of God’s Will. Yes?
I mean Jesus said, Let us go to the other side, and they left the crowds and got into the boat with Jesus. The obeyed. So, we can know – absolutely – that they were in the center of God’s Will. Yes?
So, let me ask you, did being in the center of God’s Will prevent the Storm from suddenly, without warning, and with great magnitude, descending upon them? No, it did not.
Did having Jesus with them prevent the Storm from engulfing them? NO. It did not.
Could the Disciples control the Storm or its effects? No. They could not.
Let me ask you something else — right here:
When the storms of life are overwhelming; when everything falls apart, or, comes against you in your own life, have you ever thought that you must have done something wrong, in order to be forced to endure such tragedy, such calamity?
What about the Disciples? They had been in the direct presence of Jesus all that day. They had been listening to His wisdom. They’d had that wisdom personally explained by Jesus… They had, in effect, been in bible study and church all day, with Jesus in their very midst, as Teacher, Preacher, and Master of All Things Physical and Spiritual; of All Things Natural and Supernatural…
He had issued a command: let us go to the other side, and they had obeyed by going away from the crowds with Him, and by getting into the boat with him… Can you imagine having Bible Study with Jesus, having Church in His very Presence All Day, witnessing never-before-seen displays of healing and power over demons… Well, I think it is pretty safe to say that the Disciples were in the very center of God’s Will and that they had done nothing wrong…
Wouldn’t you agree???
So, storms can come against you even when you are in the very center of God’s Will… In point of fact, they can come against you because you are in the center of God’s Will and so He can use your endurance to bring strength and hope and courage to others (as the depiction of the boat-ride has done for thousands of years and thousands of people since), and they can be sent to build and grow your faith — as was, very definitely, the case for the disciples in the boat with Jesus.
Storms can come against you because of things you have done outside of the Will of God, as well — you can also be in the middle of a devastating storm and not be in the center of God’s Will… And you can know whether you are in the center of God’s Will, by your actions or non-actions…
So, the next time a life-storm engulfs you, do not waste time wonder why the storm has stricken you; do not focus on seeing all the fearful attributes of the storm and the conditions of the things raging around and through you… Instead, rely on what you know… Jesus will calm the storm and get you to the other side… It is the very promise of God, Himself and He is capable…
Storms. Life Circumstances. Fair. Unfair. Controllable. Uncontrollable — It is not the Situation that matters. It is not the Circumstances of the Situation, that is important… It is the knowledge of God’s Promise to get you to the other side, and His willingness to go the whole way with you… That’s what is important… Whether the other side happens to be speaking of the storm or the next life — God will be with you and He will see you through… THAT is the wonderful certainty that we should know, when all we can see is the elements of our terrible circumstances…
The Disciples went through this storm that suddenly and ferociously burst upon them – through no fault of their own, mind you – to serve as an example, a lesson, on how and why we should trust God – have faith in God – when storms engulf our own lives…
They went through this storm, this very serious challenge of their faith, for the spiritual impact it would have upon them and the thousands that would hear of their predicament and their endurance.
And I promise you that God is in the storm with you. Whether He sent it (as with the Disciples), or He simply allowed it; the storm is designed to grow your own faith, as well as to instill it in those witnessing you go through it in the center of God’s Will…
So, when you are in the middle of a storm, how do you know if you are in the center of God’s Will, or that you are not??? Are you obeying Him; doing what God has said? Are you practicing faith, perseverance, and trust in God? Or, are you falling apart, overwhelmed with fear, anxiety, grief, anger, depression, or panic???
Are you drawing strength from God, who is right in the middle of the storm with you, or, are you doubting Him — forgetting that He is there and doubting that He will see you through…? Are you drawing upon the lessons taught the Disciples, or, are you not??? That is how you know where in God’s Will you stand when life falls apart…
So let us get to the meat of the remainder of these verses and study the Disciples, and the lessons being hard-pressed upon them — for their own benefit and for ours, thousands of years later. Let us look at their reactions; both right and wrong.
III
In verse 35, Jesus says let us go to the other side. In this simple phrase is the promise that He will go with them and the statement that they will get there.
In verse 36, the Disciples’ response is clearly to obey their Lord and Master – to obey God With Us – by leaving the crowd behind, and taking Him just as he was, into the boat. They began, immediately to do the Will of Jesus… They got in the boat with Him and set off for the other side with Him.
It is easy enough to do the Will of God when you are on an emotional high from spending time in His presence and witnessing Him at work in the lives of others and in your own. Yes??? I mean you find yourself automatically praising Him, trusting Him, and joining Him in His work, when you are already on a spiritual high because of the experience of Him moving in your own life and/or in the lives of others around you. Yes???
Ah, but then the storms hit us, do they not?
In verse 37, a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Ever been there? You know, where the weight of circumstances came suddenly upon you and very nearly drove you under??? Drove you to your knees under the shear magnitude of their weight???
If the storm drives you to your knees for prayer, you can know that you are in the very center of God’s Will, even in the midst of your storm.
If you are driven to your knees in response to the weight and fierceness of the storm and your inability to stand – without drawing closer to, and relying upon, God, who is in the storm with you – you are outside of His Will.
In verse 38, we find Jesus asleep in the stern of the boat. It is very interesting that the depiction of this event took time to specify that Jesus was in the stern. The stern is the rear of water-going vessels. It is the back of the boat.
Do you know how boats are steered??? They are steered from rudders in the back of the boat, in the stern. The vessel’s travel is directed from the stern.
So, Jesus, in the stern, makes perfect sense. Can you think of anywhere else that He should be to navigate a storm, to set the path or route of travel in your own storms??? Yeah. Me neither.
So, the Disciples wake him up, and you will notice that in the face of a dilemma, they do not recognize Him as Master, for they asked: Teacher don’t you care if we drown?
They had spent all day witnessing His love and care for people… they had spent all day listening to Him, and then having Him personally explain the parables and wisdom behind them. They had witnessed many supernatural healings and events, and the first thing they did when confronted by serious trouble was to forget that He is Master of All things…
They took their eyes off of Jesus and put them on the conditions of the storm engulfing them.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty much like my own responses in the not too distant past.
Then, in verse 39, He immediately: got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be Still!” and just has they had repeatedly witnessed the natural give way to the supernatural in all of the miracles that had been performed in front of them, at every command of Jesus; the wind died down and it was completely calm.
I can just image the exasperation Jesus must have felt… Or, maybe not, because He is utilizing this storm to teach the Disciples lessons of faith and trust and the hope that Jesus was and is… They were correct in calling Him Teacher because He surely was a teacher and is, but they lost their knowledge of who Jesus actually is – God, Almighty – in the face of their calamity…
Again. I don’t know about you, but I can see myself in exactly that mode of operation in the not too distant past… And the Disciples did not have their own example to remember and draw strength and hope and promise from… but I did, and still I found myself forgetting that Jesus was in the stern of my boat, that He has command of every situation and circumstance, and I did not remember His questioning of the Disciples — the questions He often has had to ask of me:
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They had continually and repeatedly witnessed His Mastery over the laws of physics; regrowth of limbs, instantaneous healing of terminal, incurable, disease – miracle after miracle of such magnitude – just hours before, and yet they were in a crisis of faith, when their own troubles burst upon them.
Sound familiar? Well, it certainly does to me.
In verse 41, they showed their lack of faith by their fear, and that demonstrated that they still did not fully know and accept who He was, and perhaps more importantly, how much He loved them and was able to see them through the fiercest of storms, for scripture says: they were terrified (and fear is the opposite of faith), and that they asked: Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
After all they had witnessed. After all He had taught them. After all He had proclaimed and explained to them; they suffered a crisis of faith and failed to believe in, and draw upon, His Authority over – not just their lives – but every thing, and every elemental force of the universe.
What they did not forget, was to call upon Him, to wake Him up and seek him out — which I have done and always to bad ends, in the not too distant past.
IV
Here, I would like to stress that the storms in your life – whatever they may be – do not prove that you are either in God’s Will, or out of God’s Will. Just because you are going through tough times does not mean that you must be living, or doing, something that is out of God’s Will. It does not mean that you are being punished.
God rains on the Just and the Unjust. What a storm does mean, whenever it comes, is that you have an opportunity to either exhibit your faith, or grow it — whether, or not, you brought it upon yourself. You have the opportunity to trust God, believe God, rely on God, and – in so doing – serve to provide all of those things for others, who find themselves in seemingly hopeless situations, circumstances, and emotional or spiritual crises…
And the purpose of storms in our lives??? Every storm has the purpose of demonstrating that we are not in control; that bad things can – and often do – happen to both, those inside of God’s Will and to those living outside of it… In this regard the storms that come upon us are designed to remind us of our need of God and to make us turn to Him for power over those things we have no control over.
The purpose of the storms in our lives is to have us (as commanded in James 4:8) draw near to God, so he will draw near to us. It is also to remind us that we cannot control everything but that God can and does, and they are to demonstrate, to those watching us persevere, that this is so.
You, see? Sometimes it is not even about us. Sometimes it is for the benefit of others… If one, single, person was inspired and strengthened to endure a storm, with Jesus, that would have otherwise destroyed them, through suicide or loss of sanity or ruined health, would it be worth your having to go through whatever it is that God has allowed to befall you???
One soul that comes to God because of what you suffered? One soul that escaped the fires of eternal destruction because they witnessed you going through your calamity with Jesus and through faith in Him; through knowing Him… would that make your storm worth while? And what if multiple people came to God because of your example in a storm??? Would your suffering be worth it???
What if one of them saved a nation, multiple nations??? What if one of them became a Billy Graham because of what you endured??? Would that make your suffering worth it???
And how much is your suffering worth to God???
And what if the storm you are currently enduring, is necessary because God knows that a bigger storm lies in your future? What if the storm that lies ahead is one that you could not survive without having gone through this one and without having learned the lessons of faith and hope and strength that it is teaching you???
In the midst of that storm, would you not look back with sincere gratitude for the things you endured that provided you with the strength, the hope, and the certainty, that you not only can but will endure whatever is thrust upon you???
The story of Job is proof that God has purpose in allowing us to go through immense struggles and storms. It is proof that God knows that our great enemy is constantly seeking to destroy us, and proof that he cannot.
Job suffered loss of material wealth, loss of loved ones. He suffered life-threating disease, betrayal of friends and wife. Job was angry. Job was afraid. Job doubted God… Yet, in the end, Job was rewarded with peace, prosperity, and blessings from God Almighty… and thousands of people, for thousands of years, were given hope and saved from the storms of their lives, and perhaps saved from the very pit of Hell.
Job suffered a circumstantial storm, an emotional storm, and a spiritual storm. His health and finances were ruined. His friends accused him of unrighteousness and wanted him to believe that God was punishing him. His wife wanted him to curse God and die…
And the storms of your life are just the same. The storm that rocked Jesus’s boat was physical, elemental — it was a storm of circumstance. The disciples were terrified, so it was a storm of emotion. It was also a storm of the spirit – a storm against their faith; one that caused them to doubt the Doctrine of the Love of God. Questioning whether Jesus cared — they doubted whether the Author of Love, the very Essence of love, even cared about their condition.
It was a three-fold storm: One of physical circumstance, one of emotional instability. And one of a crisis of faith — none of which they could overcome without the very power, and trust, and belief, of and in God… Sound Familiar???
Well, it should… it is the very position we sometimes – and perhaps even often – find ourselves in, while living this troubled-filled life. If you have not yet experienced these types of storms, then you had better be prepared, because in this trouble-filled world, the days are sometimes long and filled with calamity…
Financial crisis. A bad doctor’s report. Loss of loved ones. Doctrinal and Spiritual attack, and everything – and anything – else that forms or accompanies the whirlwinds in our lives…
Whether or not of our own making, storms are opportunities to prove to a Godless world, and to remind Christians, that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (which includes enduring the unendurable) Philippians 4:13, and nothing apart from Him… John 15:5.
What we should do is trust God in the hottest, heaviest, part of our storms, and what we should not do in the midst of our troubles, calamities and confusion of fear is Lose Faith, and become overwhelmed with fear and doubt …
These are the lessons of the Storm that God allowed to rage against their boat. This was the very reason the storm came upon them, even though they were in the very center of God’s Will and gladly, happily, obeying Him, after having spent all day in ministry and miracles with Him…
This Storm was not only allowed, but actually brought to bear upon the boat. It happened in order to teach and encourage and strengthen and remind anyone and everyone that hears of, or bears witness to this example, that God has total control. It was a display of God’s Power and Love and Authority over the physical, emotional, and spiritual and every single circumstance, element, or power, in the entire Universe…
It was a reminder that we are not alone in our struggles; that fear has no place in our faith and belief in God Almighty.
Jesus was sleeping soundly, while a terrifying storm raged, because He knew He was in control. Jesus was asleep because He trusted God, the Father, and knew that He had a plan; a purpose, in all that Jesus would endure, and that purpose was to bring hope, courage, and faith in Him, to any and to all who would hear and believe — and to prove His authority over the storms of our lives…
I had a brief, but very good, friendship with a man who barely spoke English. The 3 words he knew best? Well, he used them repeatedly and always, in his witness and advice to others — Just Trust God. He believed it to be the answer to every dilemma, and he was exactly right.
This was the reason for the storm that came upon Jesus and the Disciples. This is the lesson taught by Mark 4:35-41 and this is the example set for us; that we might have hope and trust and certainty that God is working all things for the good, as declared in Romans 8:28, when the storms of life ravage and rage against us…
Please pray with me:
Lord, we do trust you. We do Love you. We do want to obey you. We are lost without you. We are prone to terror, anxiety, and doubt, when calamity befalls us… We do forget that you are with us, during those times we need you most, and we are afraid when you seem to be asleep while storms rage against us…
As with the Disciples, we know the miracles you have performed and still we doubt you care, and we forget that you are present with us; that you are in the boat with us and that you have purpose in what we are enduring…
Lord, we do believe, but please help us with our unbelief, as you did with the father of the demon-possessed son in Mark 9:14-29.
Give us strength and courage and hope and certainty in our times of distress. Give us power and authority over the enemy and the storms that rage against us…
Calm the storms within us, until you calm the storms surrounding and engulfing us.
Give us power over fear and anger and frustration and depression and sadness and grief and help us to know that you are ever-present; that you will never leave or forsake us, and, Lord, help us endure in a way that brings you glory in the midst of our calamity, and that serves as a witness and testimony of our faith in you to all that witness, or hear of, our ability to endure the unendurable because of our trust and love and faith in you.
Let us carry your light in and before the world, and let us rely on it in our Darkest of Hours. Let us Love and Obey you in all things and forevermore.
Amen.
