He [The LORD] caused the storm to stand still, so that its waves were hushed. - Psalm 107:29
Hello friends. I am so glad to see each of you this morning. Your presence here encourages my soul and testifies to the priority God has in your life. I pray that He will speak to each of us today, as He does every week, through the faithful proclamation of His Word.
This is the 12th message in our current sermon series on “The Miracles of Jesus” and is the 18th entry on our list of the Lord’s miracles. The miracle we’ll cover today is recorded in all 3 synoptic gospels, but we will use Mark’s account as our main text. I’ve titled the sermon, “Calming the Stormy Sea”.
I. A STORM ARISES (Mark 4:35-37; Matthew 8:23-24a; Luke 8:22-23)
Jesus had been teaching the crowds along the sea shore throughout the afternoon. When evening came, He asked the disciples to go with Him “to the other side”. So they got into their boats and started out across the Sea of Galilee. As they were crossing a terrible windstorm arose. High waves were crashing into the boats and filling them with water.
This is now the 3rd occasion we’ve encountered in this series where Jesus was preaching to the crowds at the sea shore. Apparently this was a somewhat common practice for Him. Perhaps He used this location so that the people wouldn’t surround Him. He could use a boat as a floating platform to face and better address His audience. I would imagine the acoustics would be good in such a setting as well.
It seems likely that these boats belonged to Peter, Andrew, James, and John - the fishermen whom Jesus had called to follow Him as His disciples. If so, we can reasonably assume that they set sail from Capernaum, and that Jesus was aboard 1 of the boats. Neither Matthew or Luke even mention the other boats in their tellings of this story, choosing to concentrate only on the boat that Jesus was on.
The Sea of Galilee is actually a large freshwater lake. It is about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide at its farthest points. The Jordan River flows through the sea from north to south. It is approximately 700 feet below sea level making it the 2nd lowest body of water in the world (after the Dead Sea). The surrounding landscapes rise high above it, especially the mountains on the eastern and northern sides. Colder air from these higher elevations spills down and collides with warmer air over the surface of the water generating storms. The sea is also relatively shallow which allows waves to be stirred up more easily. These conditions make it notorious for sudden and violent windstorms, as described in today’s story.
II. JESUS SPEAKS (Mark 4:38-39; Matthew 8:24b-26; Luke 8:24)
As the windstorm raged, Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat. The terrified disciples woke Him up and urged Him to save them from perishing. They feared that they were about to sink in the turbulent sea. Having been awakened, Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the waves. They immediately became still and calm.
Picture the scene. The boat is tossing up and down, rocking side to side, and the howling winds and crashing waves are deafening. The disciples are frantic, probably shouting cries of desperation and despair to one another. And in the midst of all this chaos and turmoil, Jesus is sound asleep. Amazing! Now I am a heavy sleeper, and I often sleep through thunderstorms, sirens, and other loud noises, but this takes the cake!
This is the only instance in the gospels where it specifically says that Jesus was asleep. Of course He slept at other times, just like all people do, but in this particular passage it is an important part of the story. While everyone else was panicking and afraid, Jesus was sleeping. The lesson? Jesus doesn’t fear storms, He calms them.
III. THE DISCIPLES MARVEL (Mark 4:40-41; Matthew 8:27; Luke 8:25)
After stilling the winds and the sea, Jesus turned to the apostles (those who were on His boat at least) and asked, “Why are you so cowardly? Where is your faith?” They had been completely overcome by fear. The disciples marveled over Jesus’ power to quell the terrible windstorm and quiet the troubled waters.
The Bible includes several embarrassing stories, in both the Old and New Testaments, about God’s people. Their presence supports the truthfulness of God’s Word, for who would include such stories about themselves if they were making them up? This is such a passage. Let me explain…
The people on the boat(s) with Jesus were not merely spectators in a crowd or casual followers. They were the 12 apostles who walked with Jesus everyday, heard His teachings, and witnessed the many miracles He performed. They should have had the strongest faith of all, yet they were easily shaken by the mighty windstorm. In the same way, though we as Christians have faith in Jesus Christ, we still succumb to fear all too often.
The Bible teaches that God’s children should not fear the things of this world (Isaiah 41:10). God is in control. We can trust in Him to care for us, to deliver us, and to help us either endure or overcome all of the persecutions, storms, obstacles, and difficulties of this life.
CONCLUSION
Jesus’ calming of the sea, which we covered in today’s sermon, is categorized as a natural miracle. It is the 3rd such miracle in our series thus far. The first was when Jesus turned water into wine. The second was when Peter, Andrew, James, and John caught nets full of fish. These and a few other miracles we’ve yet to discuss show Jesus’ power over nature, the weather, and creation.
Jesus performed this miracle by speaking. He rebuked the winds and waves and they became still and calm. Jesus performed this miracle to reveal His power as the Son of God that His disciples might believe in Him. As is quite obvious by their reaction, they were still struggling with fear and doubt.
Friend, as I close the message this morning, I can’t help but wonder what storms you might be going through in your life right now. We all encounter storms from time to time. Rather than cowering in fear and living a life filled with stress and worry, why not turn to Jesus? He is just a prayer away. Jesus can rescue you out of the violent waves and still the stormy seas of life.
In next week’s message, Jesus and the apostles will complete their journey across the Sea of Galilee and reach the opposite shore. Upon their arrival, they will have an encounter that involves crazed men, demons, pigs, and much more. Until then, may God richly bless you!
Hello friends. I am so glad to see each of you this morning. Your presence here encourages my soul and testifies to the priority God has in your life. I pray that He will speak to each of us today, as He does every week, through the faithful proclamation of His Word.
This is the 12th message in our current sermon series on “The Miracles of Jesus” and is the 18th entry on our list of the Lord’s miracles. The miracle we’ll cover today is recorded in all 3 synoptic gospels, but we will use Mark’s account as our main text. I’ve titled the sermon, “Calming the Stormy Sea”.
I. A STORM ARISES (Mark 4:35-37; Matthew 8:23-24a; Luke 8:22-23)
Jesus had been teaching the crowds along the sea shore throughout the afternoon. When evening came, He asked the disciples to go with Him “to the other side”. So they got into their boats and started out across the Sea of Galilee. As they were crossing a terrible windstorm arose. High waves were crashing into the boats and filling them with water.
This is now the 3rd occasion we’ve encountered in this series where Jesus was preaching to the crowds at the sea shore. Apparently this was a somewhat common practice for Him. Perhaps He used this location so that the people wouldn’t surround Him. He could use a boat as a floating platform to face and better address His audience. I would imagine the acoustics would be good in such a setting as well.
It seems likely that these boats belonged to Peter, Andrew, James, and John - the fishermen whom Jesus had called to follow Him as His disciples. If so, we can reasonably assume that they set sail from Capernaum, and that Jesus was aboard 1 of the boats. Neither Matthew or Luke even mention the other boats in their tellings of this story, choosing to concentrate only on the boat that Jesus was on.
The Sea of Galilee is actually a large freshwater lake. It is about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide at its farthest points. The Jordan River flows through the sea from north to south. It is approximately 700 feet below sea level making it the 2nd lowest body of water in the world (after the Dead Sea). The surrounding landscapes rise high above it, especially the mountains on the eastern and northern sides. Colder air from these higher elevations spills down and collides with warmer air over the surface of the water generating storms. The sea is also relatively shallow which allows waves to be stirred up more easily. These conditions make it notorious for sudden and violent windstorms, as described in today’s story.
II. JESUS SPEAKS (Mark 4:38-39; Matthew 8:24b-26; Luke 8:24)
As the windstorm raged, Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat. The terrified disciples woke Him up and urged Him to save them from perishing. They feared that they were about to sink in the turbulent sea. Having been awakened, Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the waves. They immediately became still and calm.
Picture the scene. The boat is tossing up and down, rocking side to side, and the howling winds and crashing waves are deafening. The disciples are frantic, probably shouting cries of desperation and despair to one another. And in the midst of all this chaos and turmoil, Jesus is sound asleep. Amazing! Now I am a heavy sleeper, and I often sleep through thunderstorms, sirens, and other loud noises, but this takes the cake!
This is the only instance in the gospels where it specifically says that Jesus was asleep. Of course He slept at other times, just like all people do, but in this particular passage it is an important part of the story. While everyone else was panicking and afraid, Jesus was sleeping. The lesson? Jesus doesn’t fear storms, He calms them.
III. THE DISCIPLES MARVEL (Mark 4:40-41; Matthew 8:27; Luke 8:25)
After stilling the winds and the sea, Jesus turned to the apostles (those who were on His boat at least) and asked, “Why are you so cowardly? Where is your faith?” They had been completely overcome by fear. The disciples marveled over Jesus’ power to quell the terrible windstorm and quiet the troubled waters.
The Bible includes several embarrassing stories, in both the Old and New Testaments, about God’s people. Their presence supports the truthfulness of God’s Word, for who would include such stories about themselves if they were making them up? This is such a passage. Let me explain…
The people on the boat(s) with Jesus were not merely spectators in a crowd or casual followers. They were the 12 apostles who walked with Jesus everyday, heard His teachings, and witnessed the many miracles He performed. They should have had the strongest faith of all, yet they were easily shaken by the mighty windstorm. In the same way, though we as Christians have faith in Jesus Christ, we still succumb to fear all too often.
The Bible teaches that God’s children should not fear the things of this world (Isaiah 41:10). God is in control. We can trust in Him to care for us, to deliver us, and to help us either endure or overcome all of the persecutions, storms, obstacles, and difficulties of this life.
CONCLUSION
Jesus’ calming of the sea, which we covered in today’s sermon, is categorized as a natural miracle. It is the 3rd such miracle in our series thus far. The first was when Jesus turned water into wine. The second was when Peter, Andrew, James, and John caught nets full of fish. These and a few other miracles we’ve yet to discuss show Jesus’ power over nature, the weather, and creation.
Jesus performed this miracle by speaking. He rebuked the winds and waves and they became still and calm. Jesus performed this miracle to reveal His power as the Son of God that His disciples might believe in Him. As is quite obvious by their reaction, they were still struggling with fear and doubt.
Friend, as I close the message this morning, I can’t help but wonder what storms you might be going through in your life right now. We all encounter storms from time to time. Rather than cowering in fear and living a life filled with stress and worry, why not turn to Jesus? He is just a prayer away. Jesus can rescue you out of the violent waves and still the stormy seas of life.
In next week’s message, Jesus and the apostles will complete their journey across the Sea of Galilee and reach the opposite shore. Upon their arrival, they will have an encounter that involves crazed men, demons, pigs, and much more. Until then, may God richly bless you!