Jesus calms the storm - Nature obeys our God

When Jesus spoke to the storm, He was proving so much more than the fact that nature is His to command. From Aug. 16th 2020

---

If youve been with us for a few weeks, you’ll know that we have been talking about the miracles of Christ.

After today, we’ll only be talking about 2 more miracles, and then we’ll be taking 2 weeks to conclude the series

Last week we talked about Jesus walking on water, and how no matter what situation may arise in our life, from death to rebellion, we can be sure that Jesus will walk across it all, to be there for us.

Today, were going to be taking a look at the time when Jesus calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee.

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!”

( → → Opening Prayer ← ← )

When we first started in this Sermon Series, we mentioned John 20:31 which says:

“31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Jesus performed miracles, so that we could have the needed proof to believe that He is God, and so that once we believe, we can have a life beyond ourselves. We can have life in His name.

So when we look at all these miracles, and see that Jesus cares for people, we can also see the deeper more profound reality, that He has authority over the things involved in His miracles.

When He healed the woman with an issue of blood:

He was saying that HE has authority over sicknesses and illness

Not the devil

Not our sin

Not our past

When He cast demons out of people:

He was saying that HE has authority over the supernatural world

Not the devil

Not us

When He healed paralzyed people:

He was saying that He has authority over our physical bodies

When He brought people back from the dead:

He was saying that He and He alone has authority over death

And now, we have another instances where Jesus is showing everyone who witnessed it, and everyone who reads His words today….another aspect of reality that He has authority over.

Our God, has authority over nature.

----------

When this happened, it is pretty early in His ministry.

His disciples hadnt seen Him do anything of this scale before.

They had seen Him cast out demons, and heal the sick, but now….He’s doing something different.

You see before this the disciples didnt really grasp who Jesus was.

They knew He was a man of God

They knew He had power and authority

They knew He could do amazing supernatural things that other people couldnt

They knew there was something special about Him that wasnt with other people

Maybe they thought He was simple a prophet or that God was with Him in a special way liek He was with people in the Old Testament.

They knew there was something different and special about this man, that walked with them that was unlike anyone else.

And then our story this morning happens.

----------

Now before what we read this morning, the immediate context of Jesus stilling the storm, was:

That He had been teaching through a bunch of parables about the Kingdom of God

He was telling all these little stories about what it means to be a Christian, how it happens, why it happens, and so on

People were hearing His teachings, learning, and the disciples too, were hearing these things, and asking Him all these follow up questions to try and learn as much as they could.

The disciples had been spending days soaking in the presence and words of Jesus Christ.

Their hearts being immersed in His words

Their souls reacting to the voice of Him who made them

This was a good couple of days.

A good week

No craziness

No adversity or oppression // no death // no rebellion

No one was attacking or hurting them

Everything was going good in their life, at that point.

So Jesus s done with His lesson, and has them follow Him out to a boat to go to the other side of the sea of Galilee

----------

Now, a little bit about this sea.

It’s surrounded on all sides by mountains and cliffs so it sits down in a bowl

And because of its geography, it’s subject to some crazy storms.

Cold air blows down in from the mountains, and mixes with the warm air, and creates these huge storms.

And because it’s only 8miles across, the waves crash on the shore, and then push back in, crashing with the other waves that are pushing out, creating these monster waves, that at one point in history, reached up to 2oo yards inland.

The sea of Galile can have some crazy storms.

----------

So Jesus tells His disciples to follow Him into the boat, and sail with Him across the northern end, and a huge storm comes in.

----------

And Jesus gives the storm a good talking, the storm backs down and everyone is amazed.

The End.

----------

Like I said, up until this point the Disciples didn’t really have a firm grasp on who Jesus was.

And then He speaks to a storm and it listens to Him.

Becausae of the unique geography surrounding the sea, the storms that happen on the sea of galilee, can have winds up to 70mph, capable of picking people up, rippings trees down, and creating serious damage and serious waves.

----------

The God who we worship is not only one who can sit in the quiet and teach the poor and abused about the things only holy people used to know-----

He is the God whose mere voice can immediately stop 70mph winds.

He is God over all creation.

The big bang is fake---

Evolution is fake---

God created everything from nothing, and has absolute authority over every:

Drop of rain // hydrogen molecule // oxygen molecule // every nucleus of every atom

Every rain cloud

Every bolt of lightning restrains its energy until it is given permission from the God who created it to explode across the sky, etching His signature across the backdrop of the sky He created.

There is no storm so strong, no wind so fierce, that our God cannot whisper at, without it bending its knees to His voice.

The God whom we worship, has authority and power over the elemental foundation blocks of everything in all of reality.

The periodic table and the very laws of nature itself, were created by Him, and exist for the singualr purpose of carrying out His will.

Nature is His and He can do with it as He pleases.

----------

When He did this, He was communicating to the disciples that He was far more than some holy man.

He was saying I am God---

I am the one who made the wood this boat is made out of---

I made the water that the boat is floating upon---

I made the clouds that are pouring out the rain that I created ---

I made the mountains whose cold air has caused this storm---

I made the very earth beneath the sea we now ride upon---

I myself created the physics that make storms possible----

I created everything in the world, it is mine, and it acts how I tell it to act.

I am God.

----------

And what was their response?

“They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The massive wind and massive waves were scary---

Covering their boat---

Filling it with water---

Threatening your life, drown you in darkness, scary---

And the only thing scarier than a storm outside of your boat, is God inside of your boat.

The very God who can speak to storms, was there---

The God who saved Noah while destroying the rest of mankind--

The God who rained destroying fire onto the perversion of sodomo and gomorrah

The God who delivered Israel---

The one who split the Red Sea, who brought plagues against an evil empire,

The God who spoke the enitre universe into being and who crushes wicked civilizations into dust----

Was there, with them on that boat, clothed in human flesh

-----and they finally understood who Jesus was.

----------

And just like I said last week, Jesus would have known that this storm was coming.

Because of the mountains and cliffs that are all around the sea, storms can suddenly descend, without warning.

Here in clyde we can look at the sky, look at the horizon, watch the clouds moving, and see if a storm is coming our way or if it will miss us.

It’s not like that on the sea of Galilee

Storms can roll in without warning

But Jesus knew the storm was coming before the sea He was on, was even formed.

----------

I want to tell you all this morning, to look at the context of this story, and see that even though their life was going good for them…..there was a storm brewing that would change their lives forever.

There will be times in YOUR life when everything will be going good.

When you are hearing from God--

Learning--

Growing--

Making decisions that help you grow--

There will be times when you are enjoying the blessings and beatuy of your life, and without the slightest warning ------ things will change.

You will expericne hard times

Scary times

You will go through situations in life, where your boat is continually taking on water----

Day after day

Week after week and

Month after month

And I pray that you will respond in the same way that the disciples did:

“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

God where are you?

God I need you!

Oh dear God life is too hard for me----

Im drowing Lord---

These waves are too much for me

This wind is breaking me---

Im stuck out here, in the middle of the sea, and I cant get to shore unless YOU intervene!

And--

He--

Will--

Answer--

You--

All who seek will find

If you knock He will answer

----------

In closing, id like to leave you with 2 things:

The way He answers, may not be what you expect----but it will always be what you need.

He didnt scream and bellow at the storm

He didnt yell like a madman and make sure His voice was louder than the storm

He spoke, and the storm listened.

Period.

And the second thing:

If you are following God---

Just like the disciples were----

And a storm descends on you---

Do not be afraid

It may seem like He is sleeping---

It may seem like He is not paying attention---

It may seem like God is doing everything else for everyone else---

But if God leads you into a storm, its because, right there….in the middle of that storm….. He is going to prove who He is….. to YOU

It wasnt when life was easy that they got it---

It wasnt sitting around learing, that they fully grasped it----

It was during a storm, that they learned that Jesus is God

Because if you cant accept who He is in peace time-----you'll have to learn during a storm

God proves Himself in storms

And it will be in that storm…..when your life will never be the same again, if and only if, you realize the storm is too much for you ----- and you respond how they did.

( → → closing prayer ← ← )