bibleteacher.org: Sermons by Dr. Mike Willmouth

"Finding Comfort In The Midst Of The Storm"
Mark 4:35-41

This work was written and submitted by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Eastview Baptist Church, Kentucky. This contributed article is copyright protected, and the sole property of the contributing author. It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included. Document expiration: indefinite.

(This sermon was preached at Eastview Baptist Church on March 14, 2004. All Scripture
references used in this sermon are based upon the NKJV®, unless otherwise stated)

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. 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?" 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?" 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

Introduction: A little boy had diligently rehearsed for his role in the Easter play. His one line was, "It is I, be not afraid." He kept saying it over and over again to himself. "It is I, be not afraid."

On the day of the program he was a nervous wreck. His stomach churned as his teacher reviewed the line with him one more time backstage. Finally he stepped in front of the glaring spotlights and peered out at the silhouettes of dozens of faces. He panicked, and his mind went blank. Finally he blurted out, "It's me, and I'm scared to death" (SermonCentral.com).

We are all a lot like this little boy. When everything is normal, we think that we have a handle of life and all that it includes. But when a the pressure is turned up unexpectedly, we all want to cry out, "It's me, and I'm scared to death."

The Disciples of the Lord did this very thing when they found themselves confronted with a situation that was out their of their control - and yet they found comfort in the midst of the storm.

I. The Storms Will Come (vv.35-37).

1. The Lord had spent the day teaching from one of the Disciple's boat, and at the end of the day He had his Disciples to set sail across the Sea of Galilee.

A. The lake only eight miles wide, and one wouldn't seem difficult at first glance (NIBC).
B. But because of the sea's unique geography produces a greatly varying climate (NIBC).
1) The lake is situated seven hundred feet below sea level and is surrounded by mountains that rise three to four thousand feet above sea level on the west, north, and east.
2) Tropical conditions prevail around the lake's surface, where even bananas are grown today.
3) Yet the higher elevations can produce chilling night air.

C. It is not unusual even today for a sudden great windstorm to appear on the Sea of Galilee during the evening hours (NIBC).
1) The warm tropical air from the lake's surface rises and meets the colder air from the nearby hills.
2) The resulting turbulence stirs up great waves which make boating extremely treacherous.

Transition: Like the Disciples, if we live long enough, we will all face some type of storms in our own lives. . .

2. The storms of life come in many forms, but there are some things that remain constant.

A. They usually come when we least expect them.
B. They are always overwhelming, because they take us beyond our control and ability to handle them alone.
C. There are many types of storms that we may face in this life.
1) Sometimes they come in the natural realm, like tornados, hurricanes, fire, or floods.
- Just as the Disciples had faced here.
2) Sometimes they come in the physical realm like, debilitating diseases or injuries, cancers, and even death.
3) Sometimes they come in the form of a personal loss of a job, the loss of finances, or even a broken family.

Application: No one is exempt from these storms of life, because we all live in an imperfect world that has felt the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve. Sometimes people question God because they say that He allows bad things to happen to good people, but when we do this we fail to understand that it isn't God, but man who has brought death, pain and suffering into this world, not God. It is God, in His love and mercy, who has reached out to us in our hour of need. The real question isn't if we will face storms, but how strong they will be and how we will respond to them. Charles Swindoll said this about the trials we face, "I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to it" (Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 2.).

Transition: This is exactly what Jesus was about to teach His Disciples. . .

II. Where To Seek Safety In The Midst Of A Storm (vv.38-41).

1. Turn to the Savior for help (v.38).

A. The Disciples, in their fear, cried out to the Lord for help.
1) "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
2) Let me translate for you, "Lord It's us, and we're scared to death."
3) When the storms of life come your way, don't be afraid to go to the Lord in prayer or how you pray - the Lord understands.
A) David said this about going to God in prayer in Psalm 86:5-7, "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me."
B) Prayer also brings peace to a turbulent situation.
- Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

B. Stay in the boat with Jesus, don't abandon the Lord's ship.
- The storm described here must have been especially fierce if it frightened experienced fishermen like the disciples (BEC).

Application: Often when the winds of life are blowing at hurricane force, and the boat looks like it is going to sink, our first response is to abandon ship - every man for themselves. But instead, we need to stay in the boat together and go to the Savior in prayer. Remember you have the Lord's promise in Hebrews 13:5b, that He "will never leave you nor forsake you." We also have another wonderful promise given to us in Romans 8:35, 37-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?. . .Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." When the storms of life come your way, it is a time to draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

Transition: The next lesson that Christ was about to teach His Disciples was to. . .

2. Trust in His abilities (vv.39-40).

A. The Lord answered their pleas, and rebuked the wind and commanded the sea to be still, and then their was total claim.
B. Know that the Lord is capable of providing you with all that is needed to see you through any storm that you may ever face.

Illustration: Helen Roseveare, writing about "living faith" for Today's Christian Woman magazine shared this story, "As I came home from church one evening, I was struggling to recognize God's guidance for my life. Suddenly, I drove into dense fog and could see nothing. Poking my head out the window, I noticed a tiny light from the road ahead. As I inched my car forward, it blinked out and another set of oncoming headlights took its place some yards ahead. I crawled along, following just the short distance I could see--one light after another--until the fog cleared. Then I realized that this is how God guides me. He shows me how far I need to go at any given moment. And step-by-step, I move from one light to the next. Confident of God's guidance, I let go of the need to see his complete plan" ("Heart to Heart," Today's Christian Woman).

Application: This is how we are to trust God in the storms of our life, step-by-step. We don't always need to know or understand God's plans, we only need to put our trust in Him, every step of the way. J. Vernon McGee says that God sometimes puts us into the storms of life in order that we might grow closer to Him and that we might know Him better. The reason for this, is simply because it is during these trials of life that we discover how helpless we are, and how desperately we need the Lord. The Disciples got a lesson in faith, and they learned that fear is the absence of faith. The Disciples learned that the greatest danger was not the wind or the waves: it was the unbelief in their hearts (BEC). When we put our trust in Christ, we learn that He is indeed the Master of every situation and all our fears will pass away. King David wrote in Psalm 23:4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." There is comfort that comes when we put our trust in the Lord. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 73:28, "But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works."

Transition: The third lesson that the we can learn from the Lord's lesson with the Disciples is that we are to. . .

3. Be transformed (v.41).

A. The Disciples where left in awe of what Christ did, and who He was.
1) This event transformed them and their faith in the Lord.
A) They went from a terror type of fear (vv.38-40), to a awe struck fear (v.41).
B) This storm helped to transform their faith and walk with the Lord.
- It helped to define who they would be, their Christian character.

2) They already knew that He had the authority to forgive sins, to cast out demons, and to heal diseases (BEC).
A) Now they discovered that He even had authority over the wind and the sea.
B) This meant that they had no reason ever again to be afraid, for their Lord was in constant control of every situation.

B. Recognize that God sometimes allows us to go through the storms of life in order that we might grow closer to Him and that we might know Him better (McGee).

Application: Earlier that day, Jesus taught from the boat of one of His disciples and now He took them from the classroom of knowledge to the application of it in life. The Apostle Paul gives us some insight into why we sometimes face trials in our lives; 2 Corinthians 1:4-11, "who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many." Let's not miss the lesson here, Paul gives us three reasons why God allows the storms of life to blow through. First, it happens for a purpose, so we are able to comfort others who will someday face the same storm (vv.4-7; i.e., ministry to others); Second, it happens so that we will learn to put our trust in God and not ourselves (vv.8-10); and Finally, we go through storms in life so that we will learn to pray for others (v.11).

This is exactly what the Disciples learned by going through this storm with Jesus. If we are willing to learn from the storms that we go through in life, then they will help transform us into better servants of the Lord. We will be better equipped to minister to others who are going through the same type of storms in their life. You never know, the result may be that someone may discover Jesus Christ can make a difference in their life too.

Invitation:

1. I want to encourage you to go to Jesus when you find yourself in all the storms of life, knowing that your boat will never sink when Jesus is in it (BBC).

- He may not deliver you out of the midst of the storm, but He'll stay in the boat with you until the storm safely passes.

2. When facing the storms of life remember these 3 things;

A. Turn to the Savior for help, go to God in prayer.
- Drop in on Christ - not out.
B. Trust in Christ's abilities, and not your own.
- If we trust in our abilities, we'll only rock the boat - only Christ can stabilize it.
C. Allow the event to transform you so that God can use you, instead of becoming bitter or paralyzed.

3. If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, you're in a leaky boat without a life jacket.

A. When we lived on the Mississippi Gulf coast, almost every time that someone drowned it was because they refused to ware a life jacket - and I promise you that none of them expected anything to happen.
B. In who's riding in your boat?
1) In whom are you putting your trust this morning?
2) On whom are you going to call upon when a storm blows your way?

C. In Galatians 3:27, the Apostle Paul speaks of putting on Jesus Christ and we are told how to do this in Romans 10:9-11, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
1) We put on Christ, by making Him the center and focus of our lives, as He dwells in our heart.
2) This is the kind of faith that will see you safely through any storm of life that blows your way.
3) The biggest disaster that a person could ever experience is to reject Jesus, because it has eternal consequences that they will never get over.