Sleeping Through the Storm by Pastor Abidan Shah

SLEEPING THROUGH THE STORM by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction: As many of you know, we’ve been in our series on the Life of Christ from all four gospels. This morning we come to a very familiar passage where Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee. The message is titled – “SLEEPING THROUGH THE STORM.”

Mark 4   35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Bridge: As all of you know, Winter Storm Helena hit us over the weekend. About 7:30 Saturday morning Nicole and I woke up to a loud crashing sound. We jumped out of bed and ran to the window. A big pine tree had fallen on the house. We put on some warm clothes and ran outside to investigate and then climbed into the attic to see if anything had come through. Thankfully, nothing had. Again, all I could say to Nicole was – “We really didn’t need this…we really didn’t need this…” How many of y’all have ever said that during or after some storm in your life – “We really didn’t need this?”

Context: In this message we will look at a windstorm that came upon the Sea of Galilee while Jesus and his disciples were sailing across. What makes this so puzzling is that it was Jesus who had instructed them to travel at this time! Question: If he was God, was he not aware of the coming storm? Not only that but he fell asleep during the storm! Another Question: Was Jesus so tired that he was oblivious to the storm or was he just so callous that he did not care about what was happening to his disciples? There are many other questions that we’ll answer in this passage that will help us face the storms in our lives.

Question: Are you going through a difficult storm in your life? Does it seem like this one will drown you? Do you wonder – if God knows all, why did he allow this storm in your life? And, if God is all-powerful, why doesn’t he calm this storm in your life? Here’s a question that you definitely need to answer – Is Jesus in the boat with you? Is he in your life? Have you ever accepted him as your Savior?

3 principles about sleeping through the storm:

I. GOD NEVER ABANDONS US, ESPECIALLY IN THE STORM. 

35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

Background: Why did Jesus want to go to the other side of Galilee? When you read the whole context you see that so many people were coming to him from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, other side of the Jordan, Tyre, and Sidon. Mark 3:9 tells us that he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him because of the huge crowds, “…lest they should crush Him.” It was so bad that Mark 3:20 tells us, “…they could not so much as eat bread.” Jesus needed a break from the crowd. But listen again to that verse “…He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Keep in mind – Jesus was/is God. If he wanted to get away, he could have easily teleported himself to the other side. He didn’t need a boat to do that. But Jesus knew that the disciples needed a break too. They were stressed out as well and needed to get away. The boat was not for him. It was for them.

Understand the difference between physical and spiritual stress: The stress on Jesus and the disciples was not as much physical as it was spiritual. Physical stress comes when your body runs down and you have to take a nap, go for a dinner out, or even take a mini-vacation. Your mind and body need time to rest and recuperate. What Jesus and his disciples were facing was spiritual stress. They were constantly preaching, ministering, healing, and setting people free. They were spiritually drained. It needed a different therapy altogether. By the way, what happens if spiritual stress is not handled? People have spiritual breakdowns. Have you seen many godly people and leaders fall into scandals and devastating sins? They become spiritually fatigued, loose sight of God, and fall into the Enemy’s traps and sins. Jesus knew that his disciples were at the verge of losing their vision of him in the midst of working for him and with him. They needed a fresh vision of God.

36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. Meaning: Jesus was not sending them off on some adventurous retreat to learn more about God. He was with them. That’s the sign of God. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Application: Do you realize that God never abandons you in the midst of the storm? In fact, he allows the storm to come into your life for a reason. It is his way to deal with spiritual stress in your life. In fact, the very last words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 28:20 “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”

How do you see the storms in your life? Can you see God’s real purpose in your life? Can you see how he is the divine architect behind the storm? Do you see that he is doing this for your spiritual benefit and not for your loss?

II. STORMS CAUSE US TO TURN TO GOD IN DESPERATION. 

37 “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.”

Background: Now keep in mind that these guys were expert fishermen. They had navigated the Sea of Galilee innumerable times. They knew how the lake was susceptible to sudden storms. But for some reason, this storm was different. It was getting worse and worse. They were about to sink! As they are becoming increasingly aware that they are going down, just then it hits them – Jesus is with us! But where is he? 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow…” Listen to how they addressed him – “And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Let’s stop here for a moment – Can we agree that Jesus was aware of the storm before it struck? Of course! He was/is God. In fact, I would argue that he orchestrated this storm for a reason. Now, my finite human mind says – “if someone is stressed, the last thing they need is a storm.” Have you ever said – “God, I’m already at the end of my rope. I really don’t need this”? Why does God allow the extra stress in our lives? Listen carefully – God allows storms to come into our lives to awaken us out of our self-sufficiency and rut. He allows storms to come into our lives not to break us down but to bring us closer to him. Storms are not God’s torture chambers but his retreat centers to come to him so he can replenish and rejuvenate us with his power, his wisdom, and his grace. You say, “If God loved me, he won’t allow this…” He loves you too much not to allow this.

Listen to what Jesus handled did. 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Keep in mind that these guys had just seen Jesus perform miracle after miracle. They had just seen Jesus free many people from unclean spirits. They had just seen him heal multitudes of sick people. They had just heard Jesus talk about the kingdom of God and his purpose in coming. But all that went out the window or the boat! This was the end of everything! They really thought that after all that Jesus was going to end up at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee and they were going to drown with him.

Storms have a way of revealing the depth of our faith. We see miracle after miracle in our lives. We know that God is behind all that we are and we are doing. But then the big one comes and we forget everything. We revert back to the familiar and the visceral. We really don’t know God as well as we thought we did.

Application: Are you going through a storm? Have you called on God yet? How is your faith level? Do you throw out all your beliefs and bible studies and sermon notes during the storm? Do you revert back to the familiar and the visceral? Or do you take the time to remember what God has taught you about faith? Many years ago I heard someone say – “Don’t forget in the dark what God has taught you in the light.” Are you willing to turn to God in desperation?

III. GOD REVEALS HIMSELF IN A NEW WAY IN THE STORMS.

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Background: Sometimes people have a very simplistic understanding of the miracles in the gospels. Either they don’t believe them or quickly jump to the conclusion that Jesus was God because he did miracles. All that’s true but there’s more to the miracles than we think. There are 2 things I want to highlight in this miracle: the Sea and the Sleeping Jesus.

1. Sea – To start with, we need to understand what the sea represented to the ancient peoples, especially the people of God. For the ancient peoples like the Babylonians and the Ugarits, the sea was a symbol of chaos that the supreme deity had to keep his control over. The Bible gives us the true account of how God has controlled the sea through the ages. Genesis 1   1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. You can picture the chaos and the darkness of the waters at creation. On the second day, God separated the waters into 2 parts – the waters above and the waters below – and brought order from chaos. During Noah’s flood, God removed the separation temporarily and water came from the top and the bottom and chaos ruled the earth again. Then God made a covenant with Noah that he would never destroy the world with a flood again. Once again there was order from chaos. At times, this chaos of the waters is referred to as a dragon in the Bible that God had to defeat. Psalm 74   13 “You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters. 14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces…” Psalm 89   8 “O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD?…9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them. 10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain.” I can go on and on but jump over to the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation. Revelation 13:1 “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.” Here we see the beast coming out of the sea to wreak havoc on the earth. But listen to the promise in Revelation 21:1 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.” Don’t misunderstand: There will be water in the new heavens and new earth but the threat and chaos of the sea will be gone forever.

Here’s the point: Storms bring demonic chaos into our lives. They try to shake our beliefs and our behavior. We lose our stability. We find ourselves disheveled.

2. Sleeping Jesus – Next, we need to understand what a sleeping god meant for the ancient peoples, especially the people of God. Among the Babylonian, Akkadian, and Egyptian myths, a sleeping god was a sign of control and power. Of course, the Bible gives us the true meaning of this. What did God do after he created everything? On the seventh day he rested. Was he tired? Of course not. It was a sign that he was supreme and in charge. Repeatedly in the Old Testament the people of God called on God to awaken.

Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD! Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old.”

Psalm 44   23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. 24 Why do You hide Your face, And forget our affliction and our oppression?

I can go on and on but here’s the point: Jesus sleeping in the midst of a sea storm, a demonic chaos, was a sign that he was none other than God in flesh.

Check out this passage and see how much this was a fulfillment of a prophecy – Psalm 107   21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing. 23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, 24 They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. 26 They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. 29 He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. 31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders.

Invitation: How is your vision of God? How is your vision of Jesus? Are you growing in Him? Do you realize how much you don’t know Him? Are you saved?

#Peace is not the absence of #storm. It is the #assurance that God has allowed the storm and will use it for His glory and my growth