Where is God in this Storm? (Mark 4:35-41; 6:45-51;) | 7/14/19

Mark 4:35-41; 6:45-51; 7/14/19 | Will DuVal

Today we’re gonna be in (Mark 4:35-41 & 6:45-51); two passages with striking similarities that go BEYOND even the fact that both are accounts of Jesus calming storms for his disciples. And the tough question that is raised and then answered in both stories, is right there in our sermon title: Where is God in this storm? Now I want to acknowledge from the outset: there is no reason to take these accounts as anything LESS than literal, factual events that occurred 2,000 years ago involving the historical person Jesus of Nazareth... YET, if we STOP at MERELY a literal, factual reading, I think we will MISS much of what God has for us today in these beautiful texts. If our takeaway is ONLY that Jesus has the power to literally walk on water, the authority over physical thunderstorms, we will have MISSED the point. I think God wants to communicate something to us here not ONLY about his power and presence in some past, physical storms in this world, but about his power and presence in the present, personal storms in OUR lives, as well. Let me say that again: these 2 passages are not just about Jesus’ intervention in some past, physical storms in this world; they are about his ongoing work in the present, personal storms in OUR lives, as well. And we discover SIX truths arising out of BOTH these passages, that God wants us to keep in mind, that He wants to BURY within our HEARTS, that will help us process and navigate the storms of our lives. SIX biblical truths, for weathering the storms of life. That’s our subtitle. Okay?

• Would you stand with me as you’re able for the reading of God’s word, Mark 4:35-41 and 6:45-51.

MARK 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

MARK 6:45-51

 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night[g] he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.

 This is the word... Let’s pray...

Biblical Truth #1 for weathering life’s storms: Jesus ORDAINS our storms. (4:35; 6:45,48) 

• Look with me first at Mark 4:35 – whose idea was it to get in the boat and cross the lake? JESUS’. The point is made even STRONGER in ch.6, v45: “immediately, he MADE his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side”. And why were the disciples having such a hard time making it across, v48? Because “the wind was against them”. Now, keep in mind, part of the point of the story, is that Jesus has authority over the storm; ch4,v41 – “even the wind and the sea obey him!” Jesus wasn’t passively subject to the whims of Mother Earth here; he was and is at every point SOVEREIGN over EVERY facet of his created world. According to Scripture:

  • God is sovereign over our plans: Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”

  • God is sovereign over the “rulers” of this world: Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”

  • He’s sovereign over our disabilities: Exodus 4:11 “Then the LORD said to [Moses], “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?””

  • He’s sovereign over EVIL: Isaiah 45:7 “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.”

  • He’s sovereign over life and death: Deuteronomy 32:39 “there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”

  • He’s sovereign over our salvation: Romans 9:15-16 ““I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. ”

  • God is sovereign over EVERYTHING: Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” Ephesians 1:11 “[God] works all things according to the counsel of his will. ”

• And that means He’s sovereign over natural phenomena as well: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

• Our atheist friends have one thing right about the God they reject: He really is sovereign. They are right to question God’s goodness when the storms in their lives come, because if God had no control or authority OVER their life circumstances, then it would be a moot point. But he DOES have control; he IS sovereign. And yet, you can’t HATE a God who doesn’t exist. So if you’re here this morning, and you would be honest enough to admit that you are mad at God, can I just comfort you in 3 ways: #1) join the club; everyone in this room has been there at some point in our lives; and even if we haven’t, JESUS has: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””! #2) Let me assure you this morning that God is big enough to handle your questions, your doubts, and even your anger. Read the prophets! Read the book of Lamentations! Read a THIRD of the Psalms, they’re songs of LAMENT. God can take it. You don’t have to pretend. You can get real with God this morning. This church is a safe place to do that. And you might as well; because God’s got the authority to read your mind and heart anyway; you’re not fooling Him. And #3) if you’re upset with God this morning, take comfort that you are by definition NOT an apostate atheist, b/c you can’t be mad at God if he doesn’t exist. Do you remember what the name “Israel” meant in the OT? Read Genesis 32. Israel means “God wrestler”. God names his PEOPLE, not after our faithfulness to trust Him perfectly and never question or doubt, but rather our faithfulness to keep wrestling and not give up even when we DO question and doubt. “The struggle, as they say, is REAL.” And God, of ALL people, knows it. Because He ordained it. God ALLOWS our trials in this life.

• But take heart, Christian, because the fact that He ALLOWS the storm, that He is actually SOVEREIGN OVER the storm, means He’s also got the POWER to make good on His PROMISE that He is working all things together for your good if you are one of His beloved children - Romans 8:28.

The second truth we lean on through life’s storms is #2 - He provides us with FELLOW SUFFERERS to go through the storm WITH us. This is a minor point in the text, so I won’t major on it, but look back quickly at verses 4:36b and 6:45b: we read that...

• “other boats were with them”, with the disciples and Jesus as they’re sailing in ch.4 (4:36b); and then in ch.6, that Jesus “dismissed the crowd”, as he’s sending his disciples ahead of him to Bethsaida; presumably at least some of those in attendance in the crowd had to sail back home to Bethsaida too.

• So not only is JESUS with us through life’s storms, but He wants us to look around and realize we’re not the only boat in this caravan being tossed about. God designed us for relationship, not JUST with him, but with one another as well. And some burdens are too heavy to carry on your own. You need friends to come alongside you. Ecclesiastes 4: “Two are better than one... 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ...a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Two are better than one; you NEED JESUS by your side, to pick you up, when you go through life’s storms; you DEFINITELY can’t do it alone. But a THREEFOLD cord is even stronger.

• Friends, there is REAL POWER in community. And if you need to begin praying this morning about signing up for a life group when we relaunch them for the new year here in a few weeks, please do that. Maybe you need community specifically geared towards your particular storm. My wife got connected with a group of women who all battle with infertility. What’s your storm? Whether it’s Divorce-care for those going through divorce, Grief-Share for those who have lost a loved one, AA for alcoholism, First Light for sex addiction, the support group that meets here Monday nights for folks battling mental illnesses – WHATEVER your storm, I promise you’re not alone. There are other boats in the caravan, fellow travelers and sufferers. You don’t have to go it alone; you were never MEANT to. There’s POWER in community, but you’ve got to look around, and reach out. And while we’re not a church big enough... yet... to offer our own ministries for every single one of those storms, we are well-connected and would love to help resource you. Please come talk to me. Totally confidential. Might change your life.

Biblical truth #3 - Jesus LETS us struggle. Not only does he ALLOW the storm; he allows us to continue to battle it. To fight and wrestle. To struggle. Look with me at ch4,v38...

• What’s Jesus doing while the storm is raging? “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.” Don’t you love the “on the cushion” detail Mark adds – just to emphasize how at peace Jesus is. You picture him all cozied up, nestled delicately into his little cushion, meanwhile up on the deck, the disciples are getting KNOCKED off their feet, thrown overboard by the waves, they’re DRENCHED, SCREAMING orders at one another, frantically trying to bail water overboard...
  And the camera cuts back to a shot of Jesus peacefully dreaming on his cushion. Soft music gently playing in the background.

• Look at ch.6: Mark goes out of his way AGAIN to inform us that as Jesus walks out towards them on the water, he “meant to pass them by...” (v48). Why? Why was Jesus gonna just keep WALKING right by them on the water - Is Jesus that cold-hearted? That uncaring about our struggles, our suffering? The disciples themselves question him: “Jesus: don’t you care that we are perishing?!” Why does Jesus let us struggle and suffer? I’ll offer you 2 reasons, biblically:

• #1 - Our suffering GROWS us. Friends, if God’s aim in this life were our comfort, he would be doing a pretty terrible job. If God’s ultimate goal was to keep us comfortable and happy at every turn in life, he’d be a miserable failure. Whose life here, does that describe: completely happy and pain-free? And none of US even has to worry about where your next MEAL is coming from. Or whether the rebel militia is going to come through our village and murder us in our sleep. We’ve got it GOOD here, relative to the rest of the world, and God STILL hasn’t managed to save us from all our pain and suffering.
  BUT... if His aim... is our sanctification, our growth in Christlikeness, our being conformed to the image of JESUS more and more each day... then our suffering gets reframed not as an oversight or a failure on God’s part, but as the very INSTRUMENT of his good purpose and work in our lives. Because every believer who has been through real hardship knows that God can and WILL use those trials in unique, powerful ways to grow you, to mature you, to test and purify and refine and ultimately STRENGTHEN your faith.

  • Isa 48:10 “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
    I have tried[a] you in the furnace of affliction.”

  • 1 Peter 1:6-7 “you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

God uses suffering, not just to TEST, but to REFINE and PURIFY our faith, to burn away the dross and imperfections, and make us more like Jesus, more perfect in our faith, and that brings God more praise and glory and honor, which is why we are alive in the first place.

• And the SECOND reason that God allows us to suffer – is it makes us more fully dependent on Him. In the long-term, our suffering STRENGTHENS us, #1, and in the SHORT term, #2, God uses it to humble us and BREAK us and force us to our knees where the only place we have left to look is UP. 2 Cor 12:9-10 “[God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

• When I get to heaven, I want to ask Jesus “How long did the disciples FREAK out, scream at each other, bail water... before they finally gave up and woke you up?” Friends, maybe you’ve been trying to bail water on YOUR own for too long now. And it’s time to go down in the stern, and invite Jesus to help. He’s already on board. He never left. He’s not REFUSING to help; He might just be waiting for you to ask. To turn to him, HIS strength, in your weakness.

• But maybe you HAVE asked. Maybe you’re sitting here thinking, “Thanks for the tip, Pastor, but I’ve been trying to shake Jesus awake for YEARS now and he’s still asleep; he still hasn’t calmed MY storm.” And maybe he WON’T. Notice that nowhere in either of these stories, or anywhere ELSE in Scripture for that matter, does Jesus promise to calm every storm. God’s goodness does not bind him to calm our every storm. And he may still allow our storms to rage, still allow our thorns in the flesh to remain – 2 Cor 12 – so as to GROW us, and HUMBLE us in reliance on Him. I know that doesn’t make your suffering right now easy, friend. And I want to be sensitive to the fact that I know we have some people going through IMMENSE suffering right now. I see your prayer requests. And more importantly, GOD knows them. It is NOT easy. But brothers and sisters: it is WORTH it. God promises that he will not WASTE our suffering. He does not WASTE our tears: Psalm 56:8 “You have kept count of my tossings,[c] put my tears in your bottle.” What a BEAUTIFUL promise: God doesn’t waste a single tear. And we can trust that He is still GOOD even through our suffering.

Because here’s where things get really good, #4 - not ONLY is Jesus SOVEREIGN over our suffering, and not only does He promise to USE it for our good, but truth #4 is that - Jesus is WITH you, and He CARES, so you can CRY OUT to Him. (4:36a,38; 6:48-49,51)

What’s the answer to today’s sermon title? Where IS God, in the storm? Mark 4:36 – Jesus is WITH them in the boat. Mark 6:51 “he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased.” The disciples question him: “Teacher, “don’t you CARE that we’re perishing?!” And Jesus’ responds and PROVES his concern for them by rebuking the wind and stilling the storm. OF COURSE he cares about them; he was just waiting for them to get desperate enough to CRY OUT to Him. To realize they COULDN’T do it on their own, and to turn to Him in faith.  And rather than give you a lot of extra commentary on this point, let’s go straight to the word and the promises of God himself, as reminders and encouragement for us this morning:

GOD IS WITH YOU:

• Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.””

• Joshua 1:9 “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””

• Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

• Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

• Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

• Psalm 139:7-10 “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

• John 14:16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever... You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

• Matt 28:20 “behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

• Hebrews 13:5 “God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

• Romans 8:38-39 “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

GOD CARES FOR YOU:

• Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

• Psalm 103:8 “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

• Isaiah 43:4 “you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you,”

• Isaiah 46:4 “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

• Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

• Matthew 6:26, 31-32 “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ...your heavenly Father knows what you need.”

• 1 Peter 5:7 “cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

GOD WANTS YOU TO CRY OUT TO HIM:

• Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

• Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you”

• Psalm 57:2-3 “I cry out to God Most High to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me”

• Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

• Psalm 77:1 “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.”

• James 4:2 “You do not have, because you do not ask.”

• James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

• Romans 10:13 “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”

• And friends, if you STILL doubt God’s unfailing PRESENCE, his unconditional CARE, or his irrevocable OFFER of salvation, you need look no farther than Jesus. Because in the person of JESUS, God’s presence, his love, and his salvation reach their climax.

  • Want proof that God is PRESENT? Jesus is “the Word made flesh who dwelt among us” (John 1:14). HE is Immanuel – God WITH us (Matthew 1:23).

  • Want proof that God sees you and CARES about you? “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “God proves his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

  • Need evidence that God is ready and able and willing if you will but CRY OUT TO HIM? Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) HE says “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

• Friends, here the good news, the BEST news this morning, the GOSPEL: that while you were caught in the worst storm of ALL, your own SIN, that separated you eternally from your Maker and the Lover of your soul, God did not stay far off, he did not fail to take NOTICE and to CARE for you, your cries did not fall on DEAF ears, but God in his great love and mercy entered INTO your storm in the person of Jesus, and calmed it; Jesus calmed the STORM of God’s righteous wrath against your sin; he put the enmity between you and God to DEATH in his body on the cross and REMOVED the wall of separation your sins had built between you and God. And the ONLY thing you have left to do now - the only thing you CAN do now, to be made right with God and enjoy Him forever is to cry OUT to him in faith: confess and repent of your sins; and BELIEVE!

Because #5 - Jesus can CALM storms. (4:39,41; 6:51) 

• Mark 4:39 “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm....”

• Mark 6:51 “he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.”

• And friends, WHATEVER storm you’re facing this morning, and I know the weekly prayer requests represent just a FRACTION of what you all are going through right now, but without presuming to know all your struggles, whether it’s your own sin, or someone else’s, or sickness, or grief, or WHATEVER you are facing... Can I just tell you with confidence this morning that Jesus is BIGGER than your storm. He has the power and the authority to CALM it. And he might just desire to; Surrender it to him this morning.

• But even if he DOESN’T, even if His will is to use that storm in your life, to grow you by making you more dependent on His strength, you can still trust his ETERNAL promise that one day he will wipe away every tear from your eyes, that one day death and sickness and pain will be no more, because He will come and make ALL. things. NEW. And some storms in this life – like the murder of Alijah’s 16 y.o. best friend this past week; like the death of Aaron’s 36 y.o. cousin and father of 4 last week, to cancer – sometimes the best response, the ONLY response, to some storms is simply: “Come quickly, Lord Jesus”. Come take this mess that we’ve made of the world, and make it NEW. And he WILL, friends, he will. Hold on. Cling to that promise.

And even as we await that final, ultimate redemption of all things, we press on because #6 - Jesus moves us from FEAR to FAITH. (4:40-41; 6:50-51)

• Listen: It is OKAY to be afraid when you are in the middle of the storm. Notice the verb tense Jesus uses in 4:40 – He says, Why ARE you so afraid? He doesn’t ask them “Why WERE you afraid?” Because Jesus UNDERSTANDS that storms are scary. But once you cry OUT to him, and realize that He’s THERE with you, that He’s BEEN there with you ALL ALONG, that He cares, and says to you: “Take heart; it is I. You don’t HAVE to be afraid. I’ve got you, Son... Daughter... ”, then His perfect love begins to cast out fear, as he MOVES us from fear to faith. From terror to tranquility. From panic to peace. from HELP!!! to HOPE.

• I want to close with one of my favorite promises in the entire Bible. Philippians 4:6-7: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And what does God promise us? To GRANT our request? Does He even promise to ANSWER our request? Some of you have been BEGGING God in prayer for something for years now, and you feel like He’s not even ANSWERING you. What does He promise? Something even better than an answer. Even BETTER than a “Yes” to your will and your desire: He promises PEACE. The peace of GOD, PERFECT peace, which surpasses understanding; He says, “I know you think you need to be able to understand WHY I’m allowing this storm to continue to rage, but I’m gonna give you something even BETTER than understanding; I’m gonna give you PEACE, in the midst of the storm. And MY peace, will guard your heart. And your mind. In Christ Jesus. Amen, Lord: Let it be so, in our hearts today. Let’s pray...