Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV
Squall over the Sea
Mark 4:35-37 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
Storms
Jesus went through storms.
Jesus was Tempted
Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.
Jesus Cares
Mark 4:38
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?”
Disillusioned
When Jesus doesn’t move like we want him to, we can get disillusioned.
- A storm in your life isn’t an indication that …
- God doesn’t love you.
- God isn’t aware of your need.
- God is powerless.
Jesus’ Calms
Mark 4:39
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
Jesus is the calmer of storms.
In the Beginning
Well the simple answer to that question is, "He is God because only God has such power over wind and waves." We shouldn't be surprised about that since we hear the testimony of John in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word," meaning Christ, "and the Word was with God, the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." That is to say that Christ, the Word, is the Creator of everything that exists. If He has the power to create it, He has the power to control it.
Christ Sustains
In Hebrews chapter 1 it speaks of God's Son who is appointed heir of all things, verse 2, "Through whom also He made the world." And then in verse 3 He upholds all things by the Word of His power. Here we are told that God made the world through the agency of Christ and Christ sustains it by His power.
All Things
In Colossians chapter 1, there is a similar testimony from the Apostle Paul where it tells us in verse 16, "By Him," that is by Christ, "all things were created both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible. All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. He is the Creator and the sustainer of the creation." That is the testimony of Scripture. And those are only samples of the kind of testimony that is repeated in the New Testament regarding Christ. Another one is 1 Corinthians 8 which tells us similarly that He is the one who has made everything that has been made. "There is but one God, one Father from whom are all things. We exist for Him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we exist through Him." He is the Creator of the universe, all things exist because He made them and all things are sustained because He sustains them.
Mighty, Faithfull, and Calming
Psalms 89:8-9
Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
The storm or the Follower
Sometimes Jesus calms the storm first, sometimes he calms the follower.
Wind and Waves obey
Mark 4:40-41
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Who Is Jesus
- It is only in storms that we see who Jesus really is.
- Healer - It is in the midst of the healing process where we see the healer.
- Reconciler - It is in the separation that we see the reconciler.
- Out of Ashes - It is in the ashes where we see him make things beautiful again.
- Redeemer - It is in the ruin where we see the redeemer.
- Calmer - It is in the storm where we see the calmer of the storm.
Action in the face of the Storm
Our understanding of Jesus will define our actions in a storm.
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