In that.
People are often marked by storms.
When I was in college, I preached at churches primarily around the Charlotte area, but all over North Carolina.
! And one weekend, I stayed with a family overnight.
And I had arrived to their home in the dark.
And the next morning, when I looked out the window in the bathroom, I looked out in the backyard.
I was stunned by the damage that was in their backyard.
And they shared with me how Hurricane Hugo had devastated them.
And over breakfast that morning, they told me about that story.
I went on to New Orleans Seminary.
And while I was in seminary, shortly after I got there, Hurricane Andrew hit South Louisiana.
That's how they say it.
We say Louisiana.
But anyway, if you live there, you'll understand why they call it Louisiana.
But anyway.
But Hurricane Andrew had done a tremendous damage to them.
And I went down and helped clean up and helped tear down houses so they could rebuild them.
And I saw that devastation up close for, I guess, the first time.
I pastored in South Mississippi.
And I always heard people talk about Camille.
And I didn't know who she was at first.
And then I quickly learned she was not a person.
It was a storm.
A catastrophic storm.
A catastrophic storm that hit in 1969.
But at that time, more than two decades later, it had left its mark still.
And people talked about, well, that was either before Camille or after Camille.
I pastored in South Carolina.
I moved back to North Mississippi.
And I heard story after story about Hurricane Katrina.
Yeah.
The news covered New Orleans and the mess of New Orleans at Katrina.
But it went way beyond that as well.
And the Mississippi coast was hit hard.
And the church that I pastored had teamed up with several other churches in that area
and had traveled tirelessly in the aftermath to walk through that.
One of the greatest ministry efforts that that church had ever produced in missions
was through Katrina.
And they've been marked by it.
In September 2024, our whole region was rocked by Helene.
North Carolina still is hurting from it in some parts.
Many of you were marked by that.
Storms mark our lives.
But it's not just natural storms that do it, that leave scars.
There are health storms that do it.
There are relational hurricanes that happen in our life.
There are career tsunamis that hit.
And the kind of earthquakes that come when someone we love, life unravels before us and falls apart.
And we strive to help them put it back together.
I don't need to give you a lot of examples because you already know that.
Because storms mark us.
In our passage today, the disciples are in a storm.
And they had Jesus with them.
But even with his presence, they were still in a storm.
It's found in Mark chapter 4, beginning in verse 35.
And it says,
And they woke him and said to him,
Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea,
Peace be still.
And the wind ceased and there was great calm.
And he said to them,
Why are you so afraid?
Have you still no faith?
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.
When you look at the previous chapters that we've covered,
you find out that Jesus and his disciples had been crowded by people.
And although there would be ministry on the other side of the water,
all indications were that Jesus was looking to get them away from that crowd
as urgently as possible.
Jesus was warned.
They placed him in the stern on a cushion.
That was the seat of honor of sorts.
It was as if they said,
Listen, you rest.
We got this.
They were fishermen.
They felt like they were on their turf.
However, violent storms on the Sea of Galilee are not unusual.
It's not a large body of water.
It's 13 miles long and it's 7 1⁄2 miles wide.
However, its natural setting makes it dangerous.
It sits nearly 700 feet below sea level
at the bottom of a rift between the Arabian Desert
and the Mediterranean Sea.
And it is surrounded by sheer cliffs on the east.
When cool air rushes down from Mount Hermon,
which stands 9,200 feet tall,
and it funnels through the narrow passes around those cliffs,
it collides with the warm tropical air over that lake
and it leads to sudden and violent storms.
That is apparently what happened to them.
After I preached the morning of the early worship,
somebody came to me afterwards and said,
When I was taking a tour in Israel and I got out on that boat
and went out on the Sea of Galilee,
just a little water hit the side of the boat
and the guy turned the boat around and started coming back shore.
And he said, Now, you wonder why I'm doing that,
but if we don't respond quickly, we may not make it back.
And he said, By the time we got back,
he said it was worse than anything I've ever experienced on Joe Cassie.
Just that quickly it happens.
So it's a setup for that,
and apparently that's what happened to them that day.
The waves overwhelmed the boat and water began to fill in it
and they were terrified,
and they were terrified for good reason.
We're not talking about an overreaction here.
These are fishermen, seasoned fishermen.
They're used to such storms.
They're accustomed to the violent temper of this sea.
In reality, even modern-day captains on powered vessels
watch the weather patterns closely on this sea
to avoid the very thing that we read about in this passage.
But what they didn't realize at that time was this.
They had sailed into that storm for a reason.
It was going to be a lesson for them.
And it was not only a lesson for them,
but I believe it's also for us.
And by the way, I've heard this before,
and I've said this before,
and I'll probably say it again, and it's still true.
So I want you to let your guard down and hear it, okay?
All of us are either coming out of a storm,
going into a storm,
or right now in the middle of a storm.
This is common ground.
And we do a lot from Sunday to dress up and look pretty
and look like we got all right together.
All right.
But the reality is,
I learned a long time ago,
there's a pain on every pew.
A storm is common ground.
You don't have to act like you don't know what we're talking about today
because you do.
Or you will
because it's common ground.
So the lessons that they learned that day,
I hope we can learn as well.
When in the storm,
remember some things.
One, remember this.
When we don't think that he cares,
he does.
These were fishermen.
They had been in storms before.
This storm was different.
It was at night,
which makes it worse.
But this storm was extremely violent.
Mark calls it a great windstorm.
Matthew calls it a great shaking.
Even literally a sea quake.
And this matters.
It wasn't like they had caused the storm.
They had not disobeyed.
They had left when Jesus told them to leave.
They went where Jesus told them to go.
Listen to me.
Storms even come when we are obedient.
When they looked to Jesus,
he was asleep.
And they misunderstood that.
They assumed that he was indifferent to the matter.
And they asked him,
Teacher, don't you care that we're perishing?
Now we know that now he never sleeps
and he never slumbers,
but sometimes his silence feels like he's sleeping.
Have you ever felt like you were trying to
wake God up asking him,
don't you care?
I mean, it could be when we feel friendless.
Or it could be when our car breaks down.
It could be when a loved one's sick.
Or when a family's crumbling.
Or when a job's played out.
Or our bank account's drying up.
Or our test result is pending.
And maybe it's not even a prayer.
Maybe it's just a thought.
Does God really care about my circumstances?
And he quickly answered the question in his action.
By the way, in their world and in their culture,
a sleeping deity was not a sign of weakness.
It was a sign of control.
It was not that Jesus was unaware of the storm.
He was at rest in the midst of the storm.
Listen.
He is at rest in our storms.
He's not panicked by the things that panic us.
The storm did not expose his indifference.
The storm showed their spiritual immaturity.
We're not alone when God is silent in our storms.
Actually, he's in the boat
through every wave that we face along the way.
And of course he cares.
And never think that you're alone.
God may be quiet, but he is in your boat
through every wave that you face.
When you don't think he cares, he does.
Second thing to remember in a storm is this.
When we don't think he's in control, he is.
Now, can you imagine this is a sturdy fishing vessel
able to hold several men,
but it was actually no match for a 10-foot wave.
And the boat plunges, nose first, into a wall of water.
The force of the waves tip it dangerously
until the bow feels like it's pointing straight up.
And just when you think that you're about to be
thrown backwards, it pitches you forward
into a valley of another wave.
And hands are everywhere, gripping the mast,
grabbing the rails, desperately trying to pull
everything together, all but one set of hands.
And he's asleep.
He's sawing laws in the stern of the boat.
They're amazed, maybe a little angry,
and they wake him and they ask him if he cares.
And with his voice, the storm is gone.
He simply stands up and says,
peace, be still.
Literally, he's saying, be silent.
Even stronger than that, the text tells us,
literally, it'd be, be muzzled.
It is the same command that he used for the demoniac
in Mark chapter 1 that we looked at a few weeks ago.
God's in control.
And the disciples would have known Psalm 107
a whole lot better than we would,
where it says,
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
as were at their wit's end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man.
Only the Lord does that.
When he speaks, things change.
And I'll tell you another story
that must have echoed in their mind,
and it's echoed in mine, it may echo in yours,
and that's Jonah, who was running from God.
He got in a boat that went the opposite direction
that God told him to go.
A mighty storm came.
All the men called upon their gods,
but Jonah was asleep.
They wanted to do everything they possibly could,
so they woke him up and said,
why don't you call on your God?
And when they realized that he worshiped the real God,
they panicked.
They didn't know what to do with him,
and Jonah invited him to throw him overboard.
They were afraid to do that
because the God who had caused the storm
was the same God they wanted to appease,
and so they didn't quite know what to do.
He had convinced them to do that.
They threw him over,
and there was a great calm.
I want you to notice in verse 41,
it says that they were filled with great fear.
They were terrified,
terrified, and that's after the storm's gone.
The storm was gone,
yet they were terrified.
Terrified of what?
Of Jesus?
Of his power?
They were no longer concerned about the weather.
They were now focused on Jesus.
They were now beginning to see who he really was.
Only God himself can calm the storms,
and the rain,
and the sea,
and suddenly as they're in that boat,
it dawns on them maybe like it never had before.
He is here,
right here with us,
and he's in control.
Even though we may not feel like it,
he's in control.
And when we don't feel like he's in control,
he is.
The other thing I think we need to remember is this.
When we don't know if we can trust him,
we can.
These men had reasons to not be overwhelmed by the storm,
yet they were.
Storms are a part of life.
They're going to come,
and when they do,
the question is,
are we going to trust God enough
to not lose our faith through those storms?
I think some things that we need to do,
they need to do as well.
One is remember his promise.
He told them in verse 35
that they were going to the other side.
He didn't say,
we're going to try to get to the other side.
That's not what he said.
He said,
we're going to the other side.
Isaiah 43 verse 2,
the prophet said,
when you pass through the waters,
I'll be with you.
That's what God says to us.
It don't say around the waters,
it says through the waters.
The psalmist says in Psalm 56,
three and four,
when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God,
whose word I praise,
in God I trust,
I shall not be afraid.
When you do not think you can trust him,
I want you to remember his promise
to you.
But also,
I want you to recognize his presence.
He was with them.
He might have been silent.
It might have felt like he wasn't interested,
but however,
their impression of him
did not change the reality of him.
Did you get that?
Our impression of him
does not change the reality of him.
He was on it.
When I read this,
it reminds me of the upper room.
Christ is in the upper room
with his disciples.
He has ministered to them
for three and a half years,
ministered with them
for three and a half years.
In the latter part of those days with them,
he began to prepare them
for a day when he would no longer be with them.
And he told them
that they were going to come after him
and that he was going to die,
but he'd rise again.
And he began to tell them those things
and they didn't really want to hear it.
They couldn't imagine a change like that.
And so that night
before he goes to the Garden of Gethsemane
and is arrested,
he takes them into the upper room
and he tells them
about how he will soon
no longer be physically with them,
but that does not mean
he would leave them.
He says in that
longest discourse we have
of Jesus at one time anywhere,
it's in John 13 through 17,
most of which at least
was in the upper room.
And he says there,
I will not leave you comfort
lest I'll come to you.
He promises them that.
They may feel like they're alone,
but he's not going to leave them like that.
F.B. Meyer was a great theologian,
contemporary in London
with Spurgeon,
good friends with D.L. Moody.
And he said this,
he said,
they that bear Christ's company
must prepare for squalls.
Yet why should we fear
when the master is on board?
When we don't think
we can trust him,
we can.
We just kind of need
to remember his promise.
He didn't bring us this far
to let us fail
and just recognize his presence.
He will never leave us
nor forsake us.
And when you don't think
we can trust him,
we need to be able
to rest in his peace.
By the time the storm stops,
something else has started.
The wind is quiet,
the waves have laid down,
the danger has passed,
but the disciples
are not relieved.
They are unsettled.
And Mark tells us
that they are filled
with great fear.
They're not fearing
the storm anymore,
but they fear the one
who's standing
in the boat with them.
Storms are terrifying.
But a Savior
who speaks to storms
and stops them,
that's something else
altogether.
Isn't it interesting
that the very storm
that made veteran fishermen
panic made the Lord Jesus
drowsy?
That what put fear
in their eyes
put him to sleep?
That the boat
that felt like a certain tomb
to his disciples
was a steady cradle
to Christ?
It's wasn't that Jesus
was unaware of the storm.
Jesus was at peace
in the midst of the storm.
He also tells them
in the upper room
in John 14, 27,
Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give to you,
not as the world gives
do I give unto you.
Let not your hearts
be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
The peace he gives,
and I want you to get this,
is not an absence
of storms or trouble.
The thunder is going
to roll in our lives.
It's not the absence
of tough times.
It is the presence
of Christ
through all of us
and Jesus could have
rebuked them harshly.
He could have pointed out
their immaturity,
but instead he patiently
asked them two questions,
not to shame them,
but to invite them
to see what this moment
had revealed.
He said,
why are you so afraid?
Have you still no faith?
The storm did not create
their fear.
It exposed it.
The storm did not reveal
who Jesus was.
It confirmed it.
And the greatest storms
that we face
are not wind
and they're not waves.
They're not even the losses.
They're not even
the disappointments.
They're not even
the diagnoses.
The greatest storm
that we face
is the unbelief
that reveals itself
in our hearts
in the midst
of our hardship.
And the question
of whether we can
really trust the Lord.
And that is the question
that the storms
bring to light.
Isn't it interesting?
Did Jesus know
this storm was coming?
Before they ever
stepped in the boat?
If you go back
and look,
he had been sharing
with them how faith works.
He had been telling them
how the kingdom grows.
He had been
telling them,
talking to them
about trusting God
with things
that we cannot control.
And now on the water
is a great object lesson
for the disciples.
This storm
is not punishment.
I want you
to understand
something today.
If you've given
your heart and life
to the Lord Jesus Christ,
if you're a Christian
that's dedicated
to following him,
God does not punish you.
Your punishment
has already been taken.
Do you know
who took on
your punishment?
Christ Jesus
took on your punishment
on the cross.
God's not mad at you.
God's not punishing you.
This is not a rebuke.
It is a living illustration.
This is the curriculum
of God.
Not because we deserve storms.
Not because every storm
is caused by sin.
Don't misunderstand me.
Sin causes huge storms.
But not every storm
is caused by sin.
This storm
was not caused
by their sin.
It was not.
But because storms
are often
where our faith
is clarified
and our trust
is formed,
he teaches us
in that.
He teaches us
that we can trust
Jesus
in the storm.
That when we think
he don't care,
he does.
And when we think
he's not in control,
he is.
And so Mark
ends this account
the way life
often happens.
Not with an explanation,
but with a question.
He says,
they ask,
who then is this
that even the wind
and the sea
obey him?
and no answer
was given.
Their eyes
are fixed
upon him
as they marvel
at who they look to.
Their eyes
are fixed
on him
and that is
exactly
where
they needed
to be.
And it's
exactly
where we need
to be.
Fixed on him.
Because folks,
once you know
who's in the boat
with you,
the storm
is not the focus.
The focus
is upon the Lord
who's right there
with you
in the midst
of your storm.
there's some
storms here today.
I know of some.
I know of few.
I don't know of most.
But I know
the storms.
Been doing this
long enough
and praying
for people
long enough,
praying with people
long enough,
talking to people
long enough
to know
there's some storms.
And I want you
to know
that if there's
never been a time
in your life
when you surrender
your life
to the Lord
Jesus Christ,
I don't know
how else
to help you
except to bring
you to the one
who can calm
your storm.
If you've never
asked the Lord
Jesus to forgive
you of your sins,
to come into
your life
and to change
you,
I want you to know
that is the next
step that you
need to do
in your life,
period.
That's where
a relationship
starts.
And if you feel
alienated from God
as if you're
separated from God,
do you know
why you feel that?
Because you are
if you don't have
a relationship
with it.
So it starts there.
and then if you do
know that you have
a relationship
with him,
if you've surrendered
your life to the
Lord Jesus Christ,
you need to remember
some things
for the storms.
You might be in the
middle of one.
Some of you are,
I know.
Some of you are
coming out of it
and you're walking
with a limp.
And then who knows
what tomorrow holds
except the one
who holds tomorrow.
You might just need
to lay your storm
down before the
Lord today.
You've been trying
to control it
yourself.
And you need
to surrender
to him.
I'm here to pray
for you
if you'd like
for me to.
You can lay your
storm down
at this altar.
You can do it
where you stand.
But let's don't
go through these
things alone.
It always amazes
me
that oftentimes
when people go
through difficulties
and storms,
they'll tell me
when we get
through this
we'll be back
to church.
Now I'm not
talking about
something that's
a health crisis
that won't allow
you to be in public.
I'm just talking
about somebody
who's going
through something.
We feel like
everybody can see
straight through us
and they know
everything that's
going on in our
lives and we
just can't face
anybody.
And I'm just
telling you,
there's a Greek
word for that,
baloney.
There's so much
going on in
people's lives
today,
they don't know
what's happening
with you.
And they got so
much stuff going
on.
They ain't got
time to worry
about you.
I mean,
they may pray
for you,
don't misunderstand
me about that,
but I'm just
telling you,
people aren't
sitting back
drinking a
checklist,
are they going
to show up
or not because
I know what's
going on in
their life.
It's just not
true.
That's the
evil one.
God's going
to show up.
And I'll tell
you what he
does,
he loves to
polarize us,
he loves to
isolate us,
he loves to
get us alone
in the hardest
of times so
he can beat
us down.
And the
reality is,
what we need
to acknowledge
more than
anything else
is the one
that is the
master of the
storm is right
there with me.
And he's got a
whole crew of
people that
love me
dearly,
that will love
me through
what's going
on in my
life.
Just drop a
facade.
Be honest
with God.
Be honest
with ourself.
And look
to him.
Heavenly
Father,
I love you.
I thank you
Lord for your
love for us
and I ask
today that
we'll lay our
storm down
before you,
oh God.
That we'll
trust you.
Whether it
appears you're
asleep,
whether we're
waiting for you
to say peace
be still.
God, I pray
that we'll
trust you today
with all of
our lives.
Lead us,
Lord,
to follow
your lead.
In Jesus'
name,
amen.