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INTRODUCTION
If you have your Bibles with you, let’s open them up today to Mark, chapter 4. I’m beginning an important and new series today called “Miracles”. For the next few weeks we’re going to journey through the gospels and examine some of the miracles of Jesus.As we start, I’d like to tell you a story that happened a few years ago. Back in our first few years of ministry hear at HPC Kerryanne and I had two vehicles that we drove around. Nothing fancy, an old van that some people had graciously given to us as a vehicle to transport our growing family and an old two door Mercury Topaz that was Kerryanne’s first car she got while we were at Bible college. Those who know me well, know that I tend to be a bit of an absent minded guy. We originally had two keys for the Topaz but I went and lost one set at the beginning of one week and we were down to one key for the Topaz. Now I usually kept the car keys on a separate chain from the van keys and one day I decided to go and run some errands. Because the van was parked last in the driveway I took it. To make a long story short I arrived home and at some point during the next day I realized that I didn’t have the car keys. No problem, I thought to myself, Kerryanne has them. But just to be sure I asked and after rummaging through her purse – no keys. Now ordinarily this wouldn’t be a big problem but of course I had gone and lost the last set of keys for the car. Really smart right? And yes, with the beauty of hindsight I know we should have got another copy made but at the time all I was thinking was oh great – way to go Darren…with my wife’s fervent agreement…
I was starting to freak out. I sometimes do that when crisis hits. I racked my brain trying to think of where I put those dang keys. Calmly (as she often does when I’m freaking out…), my wife suggested that we pray and ask God to help me find the key (notice she still didn’t let me off the hook for finding them). So, we did that. Just a simple prayer, “God, I know you can, and it was kind of stupid of me to lose my keys, but if at all possible could you help me find them?” While praying I thought well, I’ll just go to all the places I had visited the previous day during my errands and see if they turn up. I did that. I checked Canadian Tire, I checked Home Hardware – and then I made my way to Walmart, with that sick feeling you get when what you hope for doesn’t look like is going to happen. I parked close to where I thought I had parked the day before when I went to Walmart and headed into the store looking all over the ground as I had in the previous two stops to see if by any chance I had dropped them. Without finding them I headed into the store and asked to see if any keys had shown up. Nope. Oh well, serves me right for not being careful with them.. I sadly made my way back to the van when my feet kicked something across the pavement on my way back. I looked down to see what I had kicked and guess what it was? Yeah, I’m serious, the truth – not a lie – it was our car key. I couldn’t believe it at first. But I picked them up and it was it all right! Needless to say I thought it was pretty cool that God indeed had answered my prayer and performed this miracle of helping me find my car key! (of course I went back into the store and had a copy made immediately )
So, anyway, you can ask me – “Darren, do you believe that God still does miracles?” And my answer to you is, absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I believe that God still does miracles today. Then you might ask me, “Darren, do you understand why He does some miracles and then doesn’t always do miracles?” And my answer is, “No, Not at all.” It bothers me sometimes to think that I could pray for some lost keys to show up and God would, for whatever reason, make them appear, and yet, I go to the hospital and pray for someone who is sick and they die. I don’t understand it at all. As we study some of the miracles of Jesus, I pray that God will not only give us understanding, but that God will expand your faith to just believe Him for things that others would say are absolutely impossible. Let’s start today with the miracle of the calming of the storm.
In Mark 4:35 it is recorded,
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
Mark 4:35 (NIV)
Now, let’s pause right here for a moment. This body of water that Jesus was referring to was actually the Sea of Galilee, which was some 680 feet below sea level surrounded by mountains. Because of the terrain and the weather in that area, this place was known (and still is today) for being beautiful one moment and then, “Boom!” the next moment a storm could appear, apparently out of nowhere. This will give you a little bit of context for what’s about to happen.
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.
Mark 4:36-37 (NIV)
How many of you are boat people? I mean you love going out in a boat and boating? Now, what about big boats…one of the more well-known “big boats” in this area is the Chi-Cheemaun…how many of you have ever been on that ferry? I don’t know if any of you have ever been on the Chi-Cheemaun in a big storm but I have. Ordinarily I can handle a little bit of roughness – and you usually experience this when crossing Lake Huron on the Chi-Cheemaun regardless of what kind of day it is. I’ll never forget the one day I was with my Grandpa, my Dad, and Chris (my brother-in-law) and we took the ferry on our way up north to go fishing…(or share experiences in canoe as a possible illustration, i.e. the one time on a lake with a makeshift sale, or the one time on a lake on Manitoulin Island when a storm moved in…)
…That’s my experience. Now, I could not even imagine what it would have been to be in a little boat with twelve other men, thinking to yourself as the waves crash over, “This could be it. This could be the end.” That is exactly what the disciples thought… “We’re not going to get to say bye, bye to mom.” Those who might have had kids say, “I won’t get to see my kids grow up.” This is exactly what’s going on in their minds.
Now if you are like a lot of people, you might be thinking, “Hey, dude. Now I’m in a boat with Jesus, the Son of God. This shouldn’t be happening. He should keep me safe. I know a lot of people who are Christians and they will say, “You know what? I became a Christian and life got hard!” Just because you are a Christ follower does not mean that you are exempt from the storms of life.
A question I would ask you today as we start this study is, “What storms are you facing in your life? What is it you are in the midst of?” Most of us, we have different storms. For some of you, it’s job related. You’ve got a job that you just can’t stand. The people you are with drive you crazy or you feel like you couldn’t do it another day, and you are like, “Ahhh, I just hate this job,” and the person sitting next to you is like, “Dude, you are just lucky you have got a job, ‘cause I don’t” And so, some of you have that challenge. A lot of people I know are fighting to stay alive financially. Others are dealing with bad news from a doctor. You know how it is. You are cruising along, and life is fine. And then, you go in to get something checked out, and boom. All of a sudden life is on hold. What’s the doctor going to say? Some of you, it’s someone you love. A family member has gotten bad news from a doctor, and you are thinking, “I just never thought we might do life without this person!” There might be some of you where your marriages are hurting or your family is hurting. So many people that are just trying to hang on. I know some people who are just depressed, some with obvious reasons – others who are depressed and don’t really know why. Some of you on the relational end of things, have kids – you raised your kids right and now they are doing screwy things, and you are going “I could help you stay out of this trouble, but you are going down the wrong road…” And it just hurts to watch your kids go down the wrong road. Some of you got really jazzed up about the holidays, “Whoo hoo, Christmas is here – New Years!” Others of you have been saying, “Crap, they are here again.” Why do you say that? Because you’ve got to deal with family members, psycho family members. Those of you who are laughing, you are laughing because you have psycho family members. Those of you who are not laughing, you are the psycho family members…”why are they laughing? I don’t understand”….j/k .
What storms are you facing in your life? Because we all face them.
Today as we study this miracle, I pray that God will speak to you in a way that builds your faith, but at the same time, does something very, very profoundly spiritual on the inside.
Three things to remember when you are in the storm. When you are in the storm…
1. You are in the storm by God’s appointment…
God knew before you were born what was going to be happening during this season in your life. Look at verse 35 again – “That day when evening came,”…who was it that’s speaking to the disciples? Would you say it out loud? I was Jesus who said to his disciples, let us go to the other side of the lake. Now, check this out – The trip was Jesus’ idea and being the Son of God, God in the flesh, certainly He knew that a storm was coming. It was Jesus’ idea so from that we can conclude that the disciples were in the storm, not because they were out of the will of God, but they were in the storm because they were in the will of God, following Jesus’ direction.
You may be in a storm right now and you are saying, “I wish I wasn’t here.” God knew you were going to be here! You might say, “Well, where did the storm come from?” Three possibilities:
i. Bad decisions
There are a lot of storms that come from bad decisions. You may have had experience with this. We make a simple decision, or a stupid decision, and boom – we’ve got some nasty consequences to deal with.
ii. attack of satan
You may be experiencing a storm from the enemy, the evil one, satan, the dark one, the prince of darkness – Lucifer, whose mission is to steal, kill and destroy. Maybe you are under satanic attack
iii. broken world
Sometimes we experience storms simply because we live in a broken world – a world that has been corrupted by sin. Jesus is the one who said, “In this world, you will have trouble”. Just a simple, broken world, but Jesus also said, “Take heart, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Are you in a storm? God knew you were going to be in a storm! I personally believe that God isn’t the author of most of the storms we face in life but nevertheless He does know when there’s one coming your way. Even though He may not cause them, nevertheless, God allows the storms to enter our lives because He wants to use it because He knows that on the other side of the storm are the greatest blessings that you could never imagine and that you would never know without going through the storm.
You might be some place you wish you weren’t, and God may be taking you some place that He really wants you to go. “Let’s go to the other side,” Jesus said, fully understanding that there would be a storm. Let’s reread verse 36-37…
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.
Mark 4:36-37 (NIV)
Next time something like that happens to you, hopefully it won’t, but chances are it will. You will get a phone call and on the other end you will hear some news and everything will change [snap fingers] just like that. You will get a report and everything will change instantly. You will say goodbye to someone and you will think you are going to see them again, and you won’t, and everything changes just like that. When that happens, remember that you are in the storm by His appointment. He knew it was going to happen, and God is a good enough God to bring about good in all things, in all things to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
You are in the storm, number one, by His appointment. Secondly…
2. You are in the storm with His presence
Never forget that!
Verse 38 says that “Jesus was in the stern,” and what was He doing? Would you say it out loud? Jesus was in the stern and what? He was…he was sleeping! I like that. He wasn’t waking up. The disciples, they were freaking; He wasn’t. Think about this – do you realize that God never calls an emergency meeting? “Quick! Get me the other members of the Trinity. Get Jesus and the Holy Ghost in here. We didn’t see this coming. What are we going to do? I don’t know how to handle this.” God never panics. In the middle of the storm, think about this. Though unseen, where was Jesus? Underneath the stern. Though unseen, He was there.
You are in a storm right now, perhaps. Though unseen, realize He is with you. He is there the whole time. Though unseen, in the middle of your storm, there is One who is much greater. The son of the Living God through the presence of the Holy Spirit is with you. Be encouraged. Find hope. Find peace.
Maybe you haven’t been around church that much in your whole life. You may still know this verse. King David in the Old Testament, who was once a shepherd boy, said this in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Why did he say it? He said, “For thou art,” what? Say it with me…He said, “For thou art with me.” Thou art with me. He’s with you. He’s with you. In the book of Hebrews it says this,
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)
God says to you that you can be content in the fact that God has promised to never, ever, ever leave those who are His! Yes, you are in a storm. You are there by His appointment. He knew it would happen. You are there with His presence and number three…
3. You are there for His purposes
Why? Because God is going to do something in you that He couldn’t do any other way.
Think of the disciples. They were about to face one of their greatest fears. What was their fear? “We don’t want to die.” What does Mark record? The disciples shouted, “Teacher, don’t you even care if we are about to drown? We don’t want to die.” Think about this. Think about the journey the disciples were in the midst of and that they would face. What happened? In a few moments, they get to see the power of Jesus. Later on, they get to see the character of Jesus. Later on, they get to experience the death of Jesus. They get to see Him after His resurrection, and through all this, God did so much in them that the very guys who here are horrified to die, ten of them are willing to die later and indeed do die… willing to die for the cause of Christ. Not only would they face their greatest fear, but they would surrender willingly to death saying, “I will never deny the One who gave it all for me.” The thing that had the biggest stronghold on them, they became free of, because God did more than just a miracle in calming a storm, He did a miracle right here in their hearts. Now, some of you, you can relate to what the disciples say. “Teacher, don’t you even care if we drown?” Okay? “SOS – I am in trouble and you are not helping God!”
Maybe there are some of you who have prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and you are thinking to yourself, “Okay, God, how hard would it be? You’ve done some pretty big things. All I’m asking for is this, and You won’t even do this! Where are You? Are you really there? Are You really able? If You are really able, why don’t You? If You could and You don’t, then are You even good? Do You still love me? Are You silent? Are You just a crutch that I’ve made up? God, if You could, why don’t You?”
Remember, by His appointment, with His presence, and for His purposes! Maybe that’s why James wrote this verse in His letter. It is a troubling verse in some ways. James 1:2-4 – “Consider it,” what? Say it out loud. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face,” face what? “Trials.” Think about that. Okay, “I’ve got a praise report. Praise God. I’m facing a bunch of crap.” Okay? Right? “Oh, hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus. Glory!”
But let’s finish this, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Why? “Because you know that the testing of your faith,” What does it do? “…develops perseverance” …and perseverance must do what? It must, it must finish it’s work…”complete its task so that it will make you mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This is what some person said once, it’s in your notes,
In storms, we want God to do a removing job, but He wants to do an improving job.
– anonymous
We want Him to remove the storms. Maybe He wants to improve something in us that He couldn’t do any other way.
Here’s the miracle. The disciples are like, “Don’t you care? We’re falling apart.” In verses 39 and 40 Mark records that Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind, and says to the waves…what? Would you say it out loud? He said, “Quiet! Be still!”
There are some of you that God is going to speak to your storm. He’s going to heal you. He is going to heal your marriage. He’s going to miraculously provide for you financially. He’s going to answer your prayer, and He’s going to say to your storm, “Be still!” Others of you, your storm will continue to rage on, and He will say to your heart, “Be still!” And it will, and both will be miracles. Maybe the one where you have peace and all hell is breaking loose, that might be a more impressive one. Be still and know that He is God. No matter what happens, Love Him. Worship Him. Praise Him. He says, “Peace, be still” In this case,
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?”
Mark 4:39-40 (NIV)
CONCLUSION
Will Sangster was a preacher that told this story from his childhood. Really impacted him. He and some other guys went on a vacation and they all ran out of money, so they all sent a telegram home to their dads saying, “Dad, give us some more money.” William’s dad, also a minister, deeply loved his son, but agonized, “Should I bail him out again, or should I let him learn from his mistake,” and the father lovingly decided not to help his son, even though he had the power to do so. All of the other boys got help from their father, and William’s sitting there and didn’t get any help from his father, and all the other boys said, “Well, obviously, your dad doesn’t love you. He could help you and he didn’t, and your dad doesn’t care. You know, your dad is not a good father,” and William said, “Oh, no, no, no. You don’t understand. I know the heart and character of my father. I know that he is a good father and he loves me, and he has my best interest at heart, so I will wait until I get home and he will explain his reasons to me face-to-face.”
Hopefully not, but likely so, one day, if not now, you are going to face a storm. And one miracle will get you out of it. God might do it – God might not. If He doesn’t, those voices might say to you, “God is not a good God. If He could do it, He would. If He can and could and doesn’t, then He doesn’t love you. Maybe He can’t. Maybe He’s not good. Maybe He’s not there at all,” and you will say, “No, no, no, no, no. You don’t understand. I know the heart and the character of my Father. He is good and He has my best interest at heart. I believe in Him and if He doesn’t do what I think He should or could, I will wait until I get home, and then my Father will explain it to m” By His appointment, with His presence, and for His purposes.
PRAY.