Calming The Storms Of Life

Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
5/3/98 pm

Calming The Storms Of Life

Reading – Mark 4.35-41

Access a Bible and turn to Mark chapter four and five. We spent the day at Cave Springs. Their theme was I can.. We can... With Jesus’ help. During the first service, we talked about evangelism, We Can, With His Help, Take The World For Christ. In the second service, We Can With His Help, Calm The Storms Of Life. I want to use our notes for that service for our thoughts tonight. Because you have heard me preach for twelve years, you’ll find that this is a combination of materials I have used before. But they are concepts that we need to be reminded of from time to time.

I want to tell four stories noting the power and presence of God in our lives. Then we’ll make four applications we can use in calming the storms of life.

It came all of a sudden, like most storms in life do. It was calm one moment, then all of a sudden we are being tossed on a tempestuous sea. But it happened often on the Sea of Galilee. Strong warm winds would rush down the steep mountain slopes onto the cool water. Afternoon heating would spawn moisture laden clouds. And before you knew it, a storm was in progress. Often catching small boats by surprise in the middle of the lake.

The King James says, a great storm. The NIV, a furious squall. The Greek could be translated whirlwind. In fact, this Greek word is translated thus in the Septuagint, when God answered Job out of the storm. Matthew, in his narrative, calls this storm a tempest.

This is not just a gust of wind, but a storm of life threatening proportions.
- The boat begins to fill with water... The Apostles panic. These are not novices, some are experienced fishermen... They have been here before. Some of them have sailed this sea since childhood. They know what could happen, what was gonna happen if this storm was not calmed.
- In their fear,
- In the panic of the moment,
- In their efforts to keep the boat afloat... To keep it from capsizing, They apparently forgot that Jesus was asleep in the stern. Mark says,
- When the waves had filled the ship,
- When it was evident that all that could be done, was done
- And that they were going down,
They awoke Jesus by saying, Master, Master, get up, don’t you care, can’t you see, we’re gonna drawn, we’re gonna perish in this storm.

Church, what happens next? Jesus says three words... What are they?... PEACE BE STILL. Just that quick the winds stopped blowing.
- The waves subsided,
- The lake is as flat as a mirror.
- Not just calm.
- Not just quiet.

The King James says what?... A great calm.
- Not a zephyr in the air.
- Not a breeze on your cheek.
- Clouds are gone.
- Moon and stars are shining.

Question!... How would you have felt, if you had of been there?
- Psst... Thomas did you see that?
- Peter, what’s happening?
And they said one to another, Who is this?... What manner of man is this?

What could man do with this storm?... NOTHING... NOTHING! Did they try?
- They bailed out the water, but it came in faster than they could bail it out
- They struck the sails, but the wind kept blowing the ship about anyway.
- They rowed and rowed, and rowed, but the waves were stronger than the rowers.
- They even became angry at Jesus, because He wasn’t pitching in to help.
They did all they could do, but they could not control the storm.

What did Jesus do?... HE CALMED THE STORM!  Who is it that calms storms? If He can do what no man can do he must be... God!  This is why this book is called gospel... Good news... Good news indeed! I wonder about those men and about us. Why didn’t they wake Jesus first? Why don’t we turn our storms over to Jesus?

- If Jesus can calm the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He can calm storms in our lives today.
- If he can calm this storm, He can calm my storm.
- If he could calm their fears, He can calm ours?
GOOD NEWS.. GOOD NEWS.

Well, just what kind of storms can Jesus calm?  Jesus has power over sin.
What time of day is it?... Night... Note chapter five. Now and the boat lands where?
- In the region of the Gadarenes.
- But specifically where?... In the area of the tombs... The cemetery.
The storm is over... The lake is calm... They’re safe. Give me some license with the text, we can imagine:
- They get out of the boat,
- They hug one another.
- Boy, Philip, we made it!
- Andrew, I thought we were goners, what a relief!

POW! Another fright... Another scare!... Just that quick another storm. A wild man! A man who lives among the tombs. He has cut himself, so he is scary looking, bleeding. He has been bound with chains. But he broke them.... Probably still had chains hanging to wrist and ankles. What does this tell us?... He not only crazy he is strong... He is dangerous.

No man, no group of men can control this man... This Satan-driven individual. Here he comes running at this little group screaming at the top of his lungs. Jesus commanded the evil spirits to come out of the man and they did.

Look at verse 15. The next morning the townsfolk come to see Jesus and there he is:
- The crazy man.
- The demon possessed.
- The sinner who lived in the cemetery.
- The one who lived an out-of-control, Satan-filled existence was there.
Note what the text says about him. Do you see it? Verse 15. Sitting... Not running, not out of control, but calm. And he’s dressed, (KJ says clothed)... He is no longer naked, no longer shackled. He is in his Right Mind. Jesus can do this for us... To us... with us. Jesus can deal with the sin in our lives... GOOD NEWS!

Note one more thing... What does the end of verse 16 say? They were afraid saying, What manner of man is this? Question?!! What could man do with this Satan infused, life in ruins, sinner? Nothing. Absolutely Nothing. Did they try?... Sure! They chained him... Did that work?... Did they tame him?... No! What man could not do. Jesus did. No man can conquer Satan. The O. T. is about mankind’s failure to deal with sin and Satan in their lives. In Romans 8, Paul concludes this... If we could conquer sins and Satan, there would have been no reason for Jesus coming to die for our sins. Good news... Good news... Jesus has power over sin.

Ever feel you are such a sinner; that you are so caught up in a sin or sinful circumstance that there is no way out? Ever feel trapped... Helpless... Hopeless, due to sin in your life?
- Mom and dad can’t help.
- Spouse can’t help.
- Friends,
- Preacher,
- Elders can’t help. Who can?

Audience, listen to these GOOD NEWS scriptures:
- Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
- Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do ... God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.
- In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
- If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, continues to cleanse us from all sin.

GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

THIRD STORY, JESUS HAS POWER OVER DISEASE.
Look at the narrative. Chapter 5 verse 21. They are back on the other side of the lake. A crowd has gathered. People are pressed about him.
- Some sick.
- Some devil possessed,
- Others hungry; physically and spiritually.

We are going to meet two of these people, one is Jairus, a synagogue ruler. His daughter is dying at home. Jairus falls at the feet of Jesus.  I want you to notice that position.
- He pleads,
- He implores,
- He prays.

Jairus is desperate... So, Jesus heads toward Jairus’ house.  But before they’ve gone very far; in the press of the crowd, we meet someone else in need. Someone else in a storm. Note verse 25... A woman in her own private storm. What is her storm? She is bleeding.. Hemorrhaging. Today we call this condition advanced endometriosis. She has suffered with this for over 12 years. Has she been to the doctors? Spent all her money with the doctors. And was she any better?... Worse! The text says. With a desperate faith, she reaches out and touches the hem of His robe. Verse 29 says, immediately her bleeding stopped and she was freed from her suffering.

Question!... Could men do anything with this lady in her 12 year distress?... No. If Jesus did what man could not do, He must be God. Jesus has power over disease. QUESTION!... How many feel this is Good News for us?

We almost forgot about Jairus and Jesus’ power over death.
What do you suppose Jairus was thinking? Don’t you know he became impatient?
Have we ever become impatient with God?... I know I have! We must understand that His time table is always perfect.
- God never gets in a hurry.
- He always knows what He’s doing.
- His timing always works to our benefit.

We need to learn to live like we sing, “Let Him Have His Way With Me.”  Jairus was probably saying, Please hurry, my little girl is dying... Please, please. Then the word comes verse 35, Jairus, your daughter is dead. Oh no!... Why did we take so long... If only we had not stopped... I can’t deal with this. What did Jesus say, verse 36? Do not be afraid... Just believe... Jairus, just have faith... A disparate faith. As they enter the home, mother is in the room. Jesus walks in with Jairus and three of the apostles... Peter, James and John. Everyone else is asked to leave. Jesus takes the hand of the girl and says in Aramaic, Tel-eth-a-kum... Little girl, get up. And slowly the girl opened her eyes, slowly she began to move... Is that what the Bible says? Immediately... Not slowly!... Not gradually! The color returned to her cheeks... She stood right up... Walked around... Jesus said, feed her. Question!... Could any man living raise this girl? What man could not do, Jesus did. He must be... God.

Listen as I read I Corinthians 15.50-58, I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter.
- A few months later Lazarus;
- Then he raised himself from the dead.
- One day he will raise us from the dead!

Jesus has power over death... GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS INDEED!

Now, let’s make an application of these three Biblical narratives.
How many here tonight are facing a storm? How many of us feel we are on a sinking ship? How many of us have that empty, sinking feeling of fear in the pit of our stomach? Be honest now.
- Anything ever make you afraid?
- Are you scared about your health?
- About some sin in your life?
- About what’s going to happen to your children or grandchildren?
- About the cancer the doctor recently discovered.
- The heart condition you’ve been living with?

Some of us may be facing the storm of:
- A failing business,
- A lost job,
- Perhaps our fear is bankruptcy,
- Or a marriage in distress.

Every week, people, good church members, friends, relatives, just ordinary folk like us come into my study seeking, asking for prayers in these kinds of storms. If we are fortunate, we may not be presently in a storm. But it won’t be long, until we are called to visit the hospital, the cemetery, the emergency room. We’ve all lived long enough to know, that even if life is calm this morning:
- Tomorrow,
- Next week,
- Next year,
- Maybe on the way home, something could happen...
Life is like that. A storm could strike at any moment.

Now, we must know tonight that some storms can be calmed;
- By reading our Bible,
- By reading the right self-help book,
- By seeing the right counselor,
- By going to the right doctor,
- Perhaps it is as simple as a loan from the bank
- Or just encouragement from the church, elders, spouse, parents, etc.

But, folk, there are some storms over which we have NO control. There are storms that man can’t do anything with. But Jesus can... Jesus can. Listen to Jesus in:
- Matthew 19.26, with MAN some things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.
- Mark 9.23, everything is possible for him who believes.
Paul contends that we can do all things through Jesus who gives us strength.

Notice now, how can we access God’s power and presence?
FIRST, WE MUST BRING OUR STORMS TO JESUS.
If Jesus has:
- Power over nature,
- Power over sin,
- Power over disease,
- Power over death, then He can calm any storm in my life and yours. Have you turned your storms to Jesus? James, Jesus’ brother, tells us how in James chapter five. Listen, beginning with the verse numbered 13, Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Did you notice what he said?
- If you are in trouble.
- If you are happy.
- If you are sick.
- If you are caught up in sin.
PRAY... PRAY!

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!

Church, we must return to a belief in prayer. Paul in Philippians two, tells how God healed Epaphroditus when he was sick, near death. I don’t know how God chooses to heal people:
- Perhaps through a counselor,
- Through a doctor,
- Through a surgeon,
- Through some medicine,
- Through some new medical technology,
- Through nature,
- Through some self-healing disciplines,
- Or through His own supernatural grace.

Let God choose. We don’t have to explain God’s healing, just accept his answer to our prayers. Ask God to intervene and heal our diseases... Forgive our sins... Lift our burdens... Then allow him to choose the method.

SECONDLY, WE MUST KNOW THIS MORNING THAT SOMETIMES JESUS CHOOSES NOT TO CALM THE STORM, BUT TO STRENGTHEN THE INDIVIDUAL, SO WE CAN WEATHER THE STORM.
Remember Jesus in the garden the night before His death on the cross? Jesus prayed that the cup of suffering be removed if possible. God’s will was that Jesus:
- Face the storm,
- Experience the storm,
- Suffer the cross.
So Luke says, after he prayed, angels come and ministered to him, strengthened him, so he could endure the cross.

Paul prayed for his thorn in the flesh to be removed. The answer was.
- My grace is sufficient,
- I will give you strength to overcome.
- I will calm you, Paul, not remove the storm.
Later we hear Paul say:
- If this is the strength, I am going get,
- If this is God’s grace at work,
- Give me more thorns.
That’s Second Corinthians 12.10... Read it again! He says, “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” You see, sometimes God gives us inner strength and calm for our storms.

WE MUST HAVE A DESPERATE FAITH.
In all four of these narratives the people had a desperate faith. They did all they could do and then trusted in Jesus for the rest.
- The Hebrews’ writer says, without faith it is impossible to come to God, impossible to please God.
- James tells us, we must ask in faith without doubting. Why is it that we can see God working in the lives of Bible greats in the Old and New Testaments, yet we can’t believe He is at work in our lives today.
- In Ephesians 3.20 Paul says, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us Church, God is not dead or retired... He is still powerfully active in the lives of his people.

THEN FINALLY, WE MUST DO WHAT JESUS ASKS.
At Jairus’ house it was: Put the people out... Tel-eth-a-cum, little girl get up.
- The woman with the 12 year struggle of illness, Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.
- The blind man in John nine was told to go wash in the pool of Siloam.
- The woman taken in adultery was told to go her way and sin no more.

We must be willing to do what Jesus asks

Well, what kind of storm are you in tonight?  Right now we have an opportunity to calm our storms... By becoming a child of God.

But we must do what Jesus asks... What does He ask?
- First, He says we must believe, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- Secondly, He says we must Repent, I tell you, nay! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
- Thirdly, Jesus says, if you will confess me before men, I will confess you before My Father in heaven, however, if you deny me , I will deny you before the Father.
- Then He speaks to us of baptism in Mark 16.16, He that believes and is baptized will be saved, he that believes not will be condemned.

Paul tells us this in Galatians, 3.21-22, We are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, have been clothed with Christ.

Are you willing?  Perhaps we are a child of God and we have some storms that need calming.  The Elders are here, the church is ready to pray with you and for you.