Peace During a Storm – Radical Discipleship Part V

Sermon Title: Peace during a Storm

Good News Statement: Jesus comforts us with peace

Preached: Sunday, February 06, 2022 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Mark 4:35-41 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Mark chapter four verses thirty-five thru forty-one. Listen to the words of the Apostle Mark…

Jesus Stills a Storm

³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷ A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, Amen.

 

Introduction:

          I came across these church announcements this week… 

           Volunteers needed to help relocate our choir loft. We need an organ transplant!

            Next Sunday, Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on “It’s a Terrible Experience.”

            During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon from Kevin Leffler and Rondel Boyd (and Bob Harris).

            Thursday at 5 p.m., there will be a meeting of the little mother’s club. All ladies wishing to become “little mothers” will meet with the pastor in his study.

            Brown spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.

            Weight Watchers will meet at 7 p.m. Please use the large double doors at the side entrance.  Jean will be leaning a weight management series 

            A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church. Music will follow.

           Thursday Night—Potluck Dinner. Pray and medication to follow.

            At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice.

With everything going on in our life, while dealing with continuous trials and temptations, and trying to overcome the many storms that we find ourselves in, it’s difficult to find a moment to laugh. And it’s even more difficult to find peace—a peace that reminds us that Jesus is with us, a peace that will ease our pain, a peace that will surpass all understanding, and a peace that will calm any storm. The peace that we seek is the peace that Jesus leaves us and gives us (John 14:27). But are we making an effort to seek the peace of Christ? Or are we letting Jesus sleep in the boat while we try to do everything on our own?

The disciples, caught in a horrendous storm—a storm that they have never encountered before—are in fear and their fearless leader lay sleeping in the boat. Again the faith of the disciples is being tested. The title that Jesus gives them in Mark 9, “a faithless generation,” seems to be prevalent even here in this story. The reaction from the disciples, to be scared and terrified and to appear faithless, resembles how we act today when a storm enters our life that we cannot control. In times of terrible, fearful, and horrendous storms, Jesus comforts us with peace. Jesus comforts us with peace.

Opening Prayer:

            Let us pray…Dear Jesus, life is not always easy. Life is difficult. Life is challenging. Life is filled with many storms. But with our faith in you, we can experience a peace that not only surpasses all understanding, but also comforts us and gives us strength. Help us today to remember that we can wake you up when we are experiencing a storm. I pray that my words fall to the ground as your words settle in the hearts of those before me. In your name we pray, Amen.

Body:

In Mark 4:35-41 we come to a familiar story that pushes us to ask an important question: Who do we believe God to be? And along with that a related question is: how does our understanding of who God is impact the way we respond to difficult seasons in life? The story of Jesus calming the storm is a story about the revelation of Jesus as God. In addition we have the reminder that He can be trusted. Like the disciples we must consider whether we will respond to the situations of our lives with faith in God or with fear of our situations. Will you let Jesus sleep or will you wake Him up in times of trouble?

The story of Jesus calming the storm takes place after the parable of the sower and before Jesus cast out the legion of demons from the man living in the tombs that has been repeatedly shackled and chained throughout his life. What is interesting about both of these stories, as well as the story of Jesus calming the storm, is that they begin by noting that Jesus is either in or coming out of a boat.          Curious about Jesus’ fascination with boats, I did some research. The word boat appears in the Bible approximately fifty-four times; and of those fifty-four times forty-seven of those times appear in the New Testament and are associated with Jesus in some way. In Greek, the word boat is translated as either ploio, skaphos, or ploiario. Now, ploio and skaphos are usually translated in English as meaing “ship, vessel, or boat.” There is no discrepancy with these words. However, the word ploiario does not only mean “ship, vessel, and boat,” but it is also translated to mean “launch.” Besides using a boat to get from point A to point B, Jesus is also using a boat to launch his ministry, to bring the good news from shoreline to shoreline, from “sea to shining sea,” from region to region. Jesus is launching his ministry, the good news, throughout the lands surrounding the Sea of Galilee so that the people will be revived with the Good Word, with love, grace, and peace. Jesus is launching his ministry to save us from the storms and temptations in our life. When was the last time you “launched” the ministry of Jesus in your life or in the community?

Verses thirty-five and thirty-six read, “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him” (Mark 4:35-36). Jesus had spent much of His day sitting in a boat and teaching large crowds that were gathered on the shore (4:1-34), and as evening came He instructs His disciples to sail across the Sea of Galilee. Notice that Jesus is not travelling alone: the disciples along with other boats were with him. It’s not very often that we see Jesus by himself. Even when he does get the chance to escape and find peace, he is found, interrupted, and brought back to the crowds. Jesus is never alone. This is a powerful reminder to us all that we are never alone. Even in the toughest and scariest of storms, we are never alone because Jesus is walking beside us and holding our hand and guiding us towards peace. Jesus comforts us with peace through his presence.

So, Jesus is travelling with his disciples and others who have chosen to help launch (or challenge) his ministry like he travels with us. Mark continues the story: “A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:37-38). A great storm has disrupted the journey across the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is known for its’ sudden and severe storms. The geography of the area makes it ripe for quick and violent storms and that’s exactly what happened as Jesus and His disciples were crossing the sea.

The severity of the storm is evident not only by what Mark says, but in light of the reaction from the experienced fishermen who have undoubtedly experienced storms before while at sea. They feared for their lives as waves crashed against the side of the boat, as water began to fill the hull, as the sail possibly began to tear, and as lightening danced from cloud to cloud. The experienced fishermen feared for their lives. Have you ever experienced a storm like the fishermen experienced: waves were crashing against you, your boat was being tossed about, and water was bringing you down? You felt as if a life-persevere wasn’t going to be enough… The Titanic, the unsinkable ship of 1912, took only two hours and forty minutes to sink. Just think about how quickly we would sink if we didn’t reach out to Jesus and ask for help. Jesus comforts us with peace when we are being beaten down by the storm around us.

Amid the chaos of the storm there is one thing that is out of place; Jesus is asleep in the rear of the boat. For some of you, you are probably thinking that Jesus was a deep sleeper like you: sleeping through anything so this not a problem. My parents once slept through a malfunctioned fire alarm while my sister woke up, packed her trophies in a suitcase, and walked to Grandma and Grandpa’s. Jesus’ sleep is a reminder both His humanity (He required rest) and also of the sovereign plan of God. Jesus needed rest: he was tired and weary. God planned to use Christ’s sleep to reveal both the weakness of the disciples’ faith and the true identity of Jesus.

The response of the disciples reveals both their fear and their lack of trust in Jesus. They are frustrated and angered by His apparent disregard for their situation and they tell Him so, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 5:38). God cares; after all didn’t He send his only Son so that we would not perish but have everlasting life. The disciples will later learn that anything is possible for the one who believes (Mark 9:23) and that nothing is impossible for God (Mark 10:27); but for the time being, the disciples are a faithless generation.  At times we may find ourselves echoing the sentiments of the Psalmists and doubting God’s presence and watchfulness (Psalm 13:1-2, 22:1-2; 10:1) in our lives.

Psalm 22:1-2 states, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest” (Psalm 22:1-2).

It’s a common temptation to blame God for the storms in our life, but most of the time we are the sole creators of our own storms—we just want to put the blame on someone else. Have you ever blamed someone else for your own storm? Have you ever felt like Jesus forsakes you, abandoned you or deserted you, in a time of need? What did you do? Did you question Jesus’ authority? Did you cry out to him and blame him for what has happened? Or did you put your trust and faith in him and wake him up so that he could help you? Did you forget that Jesus is the steadfast anchor of the soul that keeps you grounded in hope and peace (Hebrews 6:19)? Jesus comforts us with peace.

Amid the chaos and blaming coming from the disciples, Jesus does something that is extraordinary: he calms the storm. Mark writes, “He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm” (Mark 4:39). Other translations may say “there was a great calm.” Before addressing the disciples directly, Jesus shows His power and His true identity. With His words He does something that only God can do, He commands the wind and the waves and they obey Him. When Jesus speaks He uses words and commands that He previously used in silencing demons, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (Mark 1:25). Jesus is letting the disciples know that in times of chaos and storms, He is able to be their life-persevere and lead them to a shore of peace. Jesus is able to fulfill the words of the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). If Jesus can lead His disciples towards peace in a time of chaos, just think what Jesus can do for you when you lean on him during your own storms.

After rebuking the storm, Jesus then rebukes His disciples: “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40). I don’t know about you, but there have been moments in my life where it felt like I had no faith. I was questioning God’s decision for my life; questioning God why he allowed such a storm to disrupt my plans; and questioning God if God could actually bring peace during a time of chaos. I was afraid to be saved and experience peace. Have you ever been afraid of God’s miraculous doings because they disrupted your plans? The disciples’ response revealed that their fear of the situation was greater than their faith.

After describing the great storm and the great calm, now Mark acknowledges the great fear of the disciples as they consider who Jesus really is – they are in the presence of God Himself. Mark writes, “And [the disciples] were filled with great awe—[filled with great amazement or filled with great fear]—and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:41). At times during our walk with Jesus, we may ask ourselves, “Who is this? Who is this that can take away my pain and sorrow? Who is this who can lead me to paths of righteousness? Who is this who can walk with me through green pastures? Who is this that can walk on water, feed 5,000 people and still have leftovers, give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, rescue me during any storm, and love me even when I sin? Who is this?” Who is this? The answer is Jesus Christ. And it is Jesus Christ who will always find a way to bring you peace and to comfort you. Jesus comforts us with peace. (If time, say someone’s name and say Jesus comforts you with peace….Jesus comforts all of us with peace.)

Conclusion:

The story of Jesus calming the storm is our reminder that Jesus will always be with us to comfort us with peace. When waves crash against our boat, Jesus grants us peace. When water fills our boat, Jesus grants us peace. When the sky is dark and absent of steady light, Jesus grants us peace. Jesus grants us peace during any storm that we find ourselves in. He doesn’t promise to calm every storm, but He has promised that He will never leave us and never forsake those who trust in Him and have faith.

Paul writes, “…to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6), and “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Job reminds us during his time of suffering, “Submit to God and be at peace with him” (Job 22:21). And then John writes, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you” (John 14:27). Lastly, Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God…will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God is willing to give you peace. Jesus is willing to help you receive that peace. And the Holy Spirit is willing to make sure that peace lives in your heart.

In any storm that you may encounter, remember Jesus comforts you with peace. Don’t be afraid to wake Jesus up when you need him. Don’t be afraid to ask Jesus for help when waves are crashing against you. Don’t be afraid to get in the boat with Jesus. If Jesus is willing to launch his ministry so that others will be saved, then he is able to launch peace into your life as he calls out, “Peace! Be Still” and know that I am God. Know that God will take care of you, through every day, o’er all the way; He will take care of you. It’s time to ask Jesus for some peace in your life.

Communion Transition:

            Although what was to come for Jesus could be classified as chaos, Jesus took the time to offer a moment of peace when He sat with his disciples at the table. Through the bread and wine, his disciples received peace and protection—a promise that He will always be there for them. The promise that Jesus gave his disciples, is the same promise that He gives us today. May we all accept the peace of Christ as we battle life’s trials. Jesus turns our trials into triumphs; and He does this at the table…Please join me in the Communion Liturgy…

Benediction:

“Now may the Lord of peace…give you peace at all times and in every way…” and in every storm. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go, transforming lives as you live well and wisely in God’s world. Amen.