Title: In the storm Christ brings peace!
Text: Mark 4:35-41
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.38 But [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
There is an old saying ... a very old saying from 42 B.C. that says:
“Any one can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
Publius Syrus (42 B.C.)
How appropriate it is to know that:
It is in the storm that Christ brings true peace!
35 On that day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
A bit of a caravan of boats began crossing the Sea of Galilee, the one with Jesus and a few others. There was no preparation or additional provisions just Jesus as he was and those with him going to the other side … as evening was upon them. The crowd that had heard Jesus speak the parables he shared were left behind and Jesus was tired – probably from the day and all the speaking but also true man born of woman … sharing our humanity. We know this because as the storm arose and the waves were breaking over the boat …
38 [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
The storm was upon them, it is evening, the boat is filling and Christ is sleeping … were those with him fearful or did they think Jesus just doesn’t care? Or, was it both …
In the storm Christ brings peace!
Ill.
One summer night during a severe thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small son into bed. [We all know how storms can be frightening] She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a [small] trembling voice, "Mommy, will you stay with me all night?" Smiling, the mother gave him a warm and reassuring hug and said tenderly, "I can't dear. I have to sleep in Daddy's room." A long silence followed. At last it was broken by a shaky little voice saying, "The big sissy!"
Unknown.
Why worry … when you can trust. It is like a rocking chair … it gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere.
Source Unknown.
We all fall victim to the thought that Jesus doesn’t care about our troubles. And in the storms of life will all fear that God is silent, uninterested and unaware. We worry because we don’t know what God intends and even assume that we are set adrift during the storms of life to fend for ourselves. At times, as a pastor, I am called upon to bring peace and stillness to a raging heart and a life looking for answers … in the midst of the storm … or called to bring comfort as life’s trials rage and the answer is always Jesus.
As we talked about last week, our lives are divided into the temporal and the eternal; the here and now, verses the heavenly home that waits in the future. For some the eternal comes all too soon, for we who are left behind to grieve. But the eternal is as real and it is now and it is yet to come because we walk by faith and not by sight.
Jesus as both true God and true man, while sleeping on the boat, was in control. In the midst of the storm he had all things under control and with you and me … we are held in the palm of his hand, and he promises to never leave us nor forsake us.
Ill.
I was making shut in visits this past week. One person I visit has a care giver who is a Christian, but always seems to be burdened with the signs of the end times and when Christ will return. She always has some radio show or prophet she is listening to and following that is pointing to when Jesus will return.
I am so thankful that the Lord by his Holy Spirit always gives me a word of calming comfort to those I visit. A scripture or word of peace comes to calm the heart. The lady I was visiting deals with some dementia and though her care giver seems concerned about when Jesus will return, word of comfort and the Lord’s Supper are Christ’s gift to calm the troubled heart.
I told the care giver that God’s word says:
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Heb 13:5 and that Jesus says he will go and prepare a place for us, and that he will come back and take us to be where he is. John 14:3
And all the while the lady I’m visiting is saying:
“That’s right pastor, that’s right.” “That’s right pastor, that’s right.”
And I concluded as gently as I could: Who knows, we may be called to our heavenly home even today … so Christ’s return for the Christian is not something to fear but to be joyful in.
Because In the storms of life Christ brings true peace!
39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Not just calm … but a great calm! There was instant peace for those on the boats. No wind, no waves no worries. This tired Jesus, true man, sleeping on the pillow stands and as true God rebukes the wind, waves and storm flees and … there is peace.
On Tuesday afternoon I was in Clarkston visiting with Trudy Berousek when I received a call from Beth Schreiner that Her Grandmother Lucille had taken a turn for the worse. I went right over to see Lucille after finishing with Trudy and visited with Lucille as she slept in bed. I had visited with Lucille only two weeks ago and had a nice conversation with her and gave her communion. Even with some dementia and memory issues Lucille remembered the words of confession and always said them from her memory as she did with the Lord’s Prayer as well. The storm of these last few years had taken its toll on her. When I would ask if she had a visit from her family, she might respond … I don’t remember. But in the storm of Lucille’s last day Jesus was there. Lucille had a peace and calm about her as I held her hand and prayed. She wasn’t worried about when Christ would return because she had the comfort of the Holy Spirit in her pointing to all that Jesus did for her and Lucille knew that where Jesus is she too will be with him and all who believe forever.
In the storm Christ brings peace!
40 [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Friends, there is no fear of Jesus or his return for we who know him and have been brought to faith. Christ Jesus has made us his own and has promised to be with us now and forever more. Comfort and peace follow us in the midst of the storm and we know that the peace of God passes all human understanding.
Have no fear.
For in the storm Christ brings peace!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit
Amen
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