LibertyChurch

Sermons / Mark

October 4, 2015

Lord of the Storm

Dr. David J. Vaughan · Mark 4:35–41

Sermon Transcript

The following is a lightly edited transcript generated from the audio; it may contain small errors.

Mark 4:35–41

Mark chapter 4, we’re going to start in verse 35. It says, on the same day, when evening had come, he said to them, let us cross over to the other side. 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. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But he was in the stern, and they awoke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? 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. But he said to them, why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And they feared exceedingly and said to one another, who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Interpreting Biblical Narratives

By way of introduction, I wanna say a word about biblical interpretation. And particularly as it relates to interpreting narratives. Now, you know what a narrative is? That’s the big word for a story. Now, when I hear the word story, I think fiction. But when I say story, I don’t mean fiction. I mean, a biblical story is history, really. It’s a narrative. It’s a description of events that happened. So much of the Bible is history. Much of the Bible is biography, autobiography, poetry, proverbs, a variety of genres of literature really all combined together into one. And it’s very easy to read a narrative and get things out of the narrative that are not there. It’s called eisegesis. Eis is the Greek word for in. It means you’re reading things into the text that are not there. And what you’re supposed to do when you study the Bible is exegesis, that is, take out of the text what is really there. Now narrative is tricky because here we have a text and as you ponder the text there could be many secondary or tertiary applications, many lessons that one might draw from the text. Well we must be careful because sometimes people draw things out of the text that are not in the text. [audio unclear] a pretext, a sermon on how to be successful. And that is very common in a lot of exegesis—really eisegesis— when we’re dealing with narratives in the Bible, whether it’s Old Testament stories or New Testament stories, to draw things out that are not really there. So we have to be careful when we read narratives and when we read parables and things of that nature. There’s a very simple principle that we have to apply, and it’s this, that any passage like a narrative or a parable must be interpreted in light of the plain declarations of Scripture. In other words, you interpret narrative by what are called the didactic portions of Scripture. Didactic is a big word for the passage where there’s plain instruction or plain teaching. So if the Bible says something plainly, for example, in one of Paul’s letters, we cannot draw a lesson out of a story that contradicts what he says there. You understand what I’m saying? So the plain always interprets the obscure or the figurative. Very simple lesson, but a lesson that’s often violated in our approach to Scripture. Now I’m not suggesting the Holy Spirit can’t take a text and speak to you through it in a way that doesn’t apparently have any direct link to the text. He’s done it in my life before. He’s spoken to me through Scripture, and I’m like, well, that’s not really what the Scripture’s saying primarily, but I know the Holy Spirit’s talking to me. But you have to be careful here, okay? So as we go through the Book of Mark, we will encounter this. I mean, this is basically biography or something like biography. It’s a mix of biography and didactic sections. So we have to be careful in how we, the lessons we pull out of the text. So why do I make this point, at this point, in our study of Mark? One reason is because I believe this very text is often misinterpreted. And we often read into this particular passage something that’s not there. So let’s look at this passage and I want to make three points today.

Storms Will Come

And the first point is this. Storms will come. Storms will come. This passage is often misinterpreted to teach that if we just call on Jesus, we will have calm and peace.

So the implication of the passage is that if we live the Christian life and if we’re good Christians, then our life will be one of relative ease.

Life will not be hard. We will not have to endure storms. In other words, if you follow Jesus, all will go well. This is a fairly common message that we hear today in the church. Yet, that’s not what the text is teaching us. Quite frankly, it’s teaching us the opposite. It’s not teaching us that. [audio unclear]

Even the Twelve Faced Storms

How much closer to Jesus could you be than the 12? They lived with Him, ate with Him, ministered with Him, there, on the boat with him, there’s a small group of boats following, they were not in the other boats, they were in the Jesus boat. They got to be with the master, in close quarters with the master. Yet, in spite of being close with Jesus, they still encountered a storm. Thirdly, they were loved by Jesus. When Jesus gave his great commandment, what he called the new commandment, when he said, he said, to love one another as I have loved you, as I have loved you. These men were the object of Jesus’ great sacrificial love, just as we are.

They were loved by the master, but they were still in a storm. Don’t we often think that if Christians, or if we seek the Lord, He will spare us hardship?

Don’t we often think that, surely, since Jesus loves me, nothing bad will happen to me. But that is not so. The storm will come. So we, even if we don’t say so doctrinally, often sneak into our thinking this notion that because God loves me and because I’m serving the Lord, that all will go well for me. So, when things do not go well, we say, what’s going on here? Hey, Lord, I’m serving you. Why aren’t things going good for me? Hey, Lord, the Bible says you love me. Why aren’t things going good for me? In other words, we act surprised when we’re in a storm. And yet the Scripture tells us storms will come.

J.C. Ryle: Service Does Not Exempt Us

J.C. Ryle says this, a great comment on this text. He says, he says, let us learn in the first place that Christ’s service does not exempt His servants from storms. Here were the twelve disciples in the path of duty. They were obediently following Jesus wherever He went. They were daily attending on His ministry and hearkening to His Word. They were daily testifying to the world, that whatever scribes and Pharisees might think, they believed on Jesus, loved Jesus, and were not ashamed to give up all for His sake. Yet here we see these men in trouble, tossed up and down by a tempest and in danger of being drowned. Let us mark this lesson well. If we are true Christians, we must not expect everything smooth in our journey to heaven. We must count it no strange thing if we have to endure sickness, loss, bereavement, and disappointments. Free pardon and full forgiveness [audio unclear] By affliction, He teaches us many precious lessons, which without it we should never learn.

By affliction, He shows us our emptiness and weakness, draws us to the throne of grace, purifies our affections, weans us from the world, makes us long for heaven. In the resurrection morning, we shall all say, it is good for me that I was afflicted. We shall thank God for every storm. Amen.

It Is Good That I Have Been Afflicted

The storms come to the Christian, even to the obedient Christian, the faithful Christian. Psalm 119 verse 65, David says, “You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law.” Notice verse 71, it is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver. And then in verse 75, he says, I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. So God often brings the storm in our life, and we’re told that He uses trials to test us.

Trials Produce Character

James chapter one is the well-known passage, didactic passage, which teaches us that God uses trials in the life of His people.

In James chapter 1 verse 2 he says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience or endurance. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Romans 5, Paul agrees with James. Notice this in Romans 5. Paul says after giving us a very full description of redemption of Jesus Christ and how we have salvation through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, he says in chapter 5 verse 1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” In other words, we have a standing before God. We stand in grace. We have access to the Father because the Son has, through his blood, removed from us all condemnation. Amen? There’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and they have access to the Father in grace. But then notice what he says: and not only that, verse 3, we also glory in tribulations. Oh wait a minute, I thought I stood in grace. Doesn’t that mean well? No, we think that way. But we glory. We boast in tribulations. Why? Knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character, and character, hope. So what we learn in Scripture is that the storms will come. Storms are intended as a trial, as a test that we might grow in our Christian character, that we might be mature, that we might be complete, that ultimately that we might be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

The Curse of the Fall Remains

Look at Romans 8 for a moment. Romans 8, 28 is one of those well-known passages that is quoted very often and unfortunately very glibly. In Romans 8, 28, he says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. But if you look at the context of things working together for good, Paul is talking about the curse of the fall that is still on the creation. He says in verse 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. And we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. And not only that, but we also have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption that is the redemption of our body. But we are saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. So Paul is saying the all things that are working together for good include all of the sufferings of the present age that are due to the fall. So we have to make a distinction between the curse of the law and the curse of the fall. And this is where many people get confused. Jesus Christ has removed from us the curse of the law. It says in Galatians, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree,” referring to Jesus. Jesus hung on the tree for us. He removed from us the curse that we might receive the promise to Abraham of the Spirit of God. and we are no longer under the curse, we are no longer under condemnation. Nevertheless, Paul teaches us here, in spite of that we still experience the effects of the curse of the fall. Now Christ has removed those also for us, but those are yet future. He says we are waiting and we are hoping in verse 23 for the adoption that is the redemption of our body. If the curse of the fall had been removed, then we would never die. We wouldn’t die. We wouldn’t even age. in the sense of aging being a bad thing. But the creation is still subject to vanity. Or here it says bondage or corruption. And so Christ, through his finished work, will remove the curse of the fall. It will be removed. There will be a new heaven, and there will be a new earth. But it’s not yet. We still have a mortal body. We still have a mortal body. We could add, in addition to trials afflictions, the effects of the fall, we could talk about chastening, we could talk about spiritual warfare, we could talk about the conflict of flesh and spirit. All of these things teach us that the Christian life is not a life of ease and comfort. We are told by Paul, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. You know what soldiers do? Soldiers fight. And the Christian life is a life where we must fight. We must wage war against the flesh, against the devil, against the world. We must fight, if, if you will. That means we must, as Paul says, we labor and we strive because we trust in the living God. Not that we sit around and relax. Faith doesn’t mean we’re just passive and we just receive all these blessings from God and there’s nothing we need to do and everything will go well. That’s not how it works. Those that grow in grace and those that grow in holiness, those that actually mature, in the biblical sense of the word, are those who actually are enduring, they are striving, they are fighting the good fight of faith, as Paul calls it. Storms will come, but by the grace of Jesus Christ, they are intended for our good. And if properly responded to, they will work for our good. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

Jesus Is Lord of the Storm

The second lesson I want to point out from this text in Mark is, not only will storms come, but Jesus Christ is the Lord of the storm. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the storm. In our passage, it says that Jesus was so tired that he was asleep on a pillow in the stern of the boat. He was fatigued from all of his labors, all of his ministry, so tired that Mark uses this phrase and it says in verse 36, and they took him along in the boat. They took him. And the picture, most commentators agree that what is being communicated here, Jesus was so exhausted at the end of the day that the disciples basically had to carry him into the boat. And then he just fell asleep. He was so tired, so fatigued. So, weak in the flesh. So the disciples see the storm come, and we know it’s a bad storm because Mark says water is going into the boat, right?

So the waves are starting to go over the bow of the boat, into the boat. But we also know that this is a bad storm because many of these guys were seasoned fishermen. They had fished on this lake many times and for them to be scared means it was a bad storm. And we know that there’s snow in the region up on the mountains and so the cold air probably came down and hit the warm air and it created what’s called a squall. It’s almost like a tornado on the water. So it’s a frightening storm even for men who were very seasoned on the water. Jesus appears to be unconcerned. Jesus appears to be, although physically present, in effect Jesus was absent to them.

Yet what we learn from the passage is that Jesus was Lord of the storm.

All Power and Jurisdiction

Jesus Christ, according to the word of God, is now, not just then was he Lord of the storm, he is now Lord of the storm. Jesus Christ now, we’re told in the Bible, has been given all might and all authority. We’re told that Jesus Christ is now reigning in heaven over the entire universe. Do we believe this? He has both power and jurisdiction. He has all power and might. That means there’s no power, whether it’s natural, human, or angelic, which is greater than or even equal to the power of Jesus Christ. Neither Satan nor all the demons of hell can equal the power of Jesus. And we’re going to see this in the next chapter in chapter 5. No political power is greater than Jesus, neither the sun, the moon, the stars, all the vast energies of the universe, any storm. None of these are equal to the power of Jesus because Jesus Christ, according to the word of God, is Almighty. He has all power and all authority. And Jesus Christ is preserving and governing the world through His power. Through the work of Jesus Christ, He, He is now seated on the throne next to the Father. And the Word of God says that by Him all things consist or they hold together. Whether these things are animate or inanimate, whether they are living or dead, they are upheld in their very existence by Christ’s power. He is preserving, but He is also governing. He not only upholds, He also governs. That is, Jesus Christ rules all things, to the effect of the Father, so that all things fulfill their appointed purpose. That’s why the scripture says that upon him or upon his shoulders will be the government and the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. So Jesus Christ has almighty power and authority but he also has universal jurisdiction. It’s not just that Jesus is Lord of the church or Lord of your life, he is the Lord of all. He is the Lord of all. This means that every sphere in every area of life is under his jurisdiction, not only of the church or of the family or of the individual, but of all society, indeed of all the world. His jurisdiction covers all of nature. This is displayed here in this text. Jesus spoke to the storm and it ceased. He spoke to the waves and they became calm. Nature was under and is under, stressing the present, nature is under his jurisdiction. His jurisdiction extends also to men and women, people in every sphere and capacity.

It extends to angels both good and evil. Jesus Christ is governing all as the head of the church and ultimately He governs all for the benefit of the church and the glory of His Father. For the glory of His Father. So the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the storm. That is to say we enter no storm that is not ordained by Him. The intensity of the storm, the duration of the storm, the beginning and the end of the storm are all subject to Jesus Christ. He tells us not a sparrow falls to the ground without his father. and then he attempts to reassure us, therefore, are you of not more value than a sparrow? If My Father and I are taking care of the birds, we’ll take care of you, He’s saying. And so we have to understand that the storms that we experience in life are not the result of the fact that we live in a random universe. The universe is not random. It is not impersonal. The Lord is working out His purposes on the earth and He is working out His purposes in your life.

And often He does that through a storm because those storms are designed to mature us and change us and ultimately make us more like Jesus Christ.

Storms for His Glory

You know, after Paul says in Romans 8.28, all things work together for good to those who love God. That’s the verse we quote. But he says that after God calls us and justifies us and does these things, he says the point of it all is that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That’s the point. And that through that Jesus Christ would be glorified. And so often when we’re looking at situations in life, we’re thinking how does this affect me rather than how does this glorify Jesus? How can Jesus Christ get glory out of the situation? You see the storm here became an occasion for a manifestation of the power of Jesus. The storm which the disciples saw as a threat for Jesus now became an opportunity that he could display his almighty power. He could display his deity. He could display his glory in the storm. So from that perspective, guess what? The storm was a good thing because it worked for Jesus’ glory. That’s how we need to see things in our lives. Are they working for God’s glory?

Is this situation such that it can bring glory to the Son, Jesus Christ? Not, do I like it? Is it comfortable? Does it hurt? We’re a coddled generation. Amen? And thus our theology has become soft. And our view of the Christian life has become distorted. And we begin to see life through the lens of how can I be most comfortable, when really what we should be asking is, how can I do life to bring the most glory to Jesus Christ? And if my suffering brings Him more glory, then I will choose rather to suffer. If my hardship brings Him more glory, then I would rather choose hardship.

You know, there is this thing in the Bible called the cross. And we have turned it into a symbol of success, but it is a symbol of shame and suffering. And so Jesus said that the path to life was what? Was it the broad way? It was the narrow way. Was it the easy way? No. He said it was the hard way. And I’ve shared with you many times Elizabeth Elliott, I heard on the radio years ago and she said, you know, whenever I have to make a decision and I can’t get a real sense of, I’m not really sure which way the Lord wants me to go. If I have to make a decision in that circumstance, that environment, I choose to do the hardest of the two. And then she quoted Matthew where Jesus said the way to life was narrow and hard. That is not what we do, is it? We have two choices, one’s easier than the other. I think God’s calling me to that one. Just saying it the way it is, right? You know, God’s will is always the pretty girl. God’s will is always the better job. God’s will is always the bigger house. That’s just an amazing coincidence. That God’s will happens to be my will. It’s amazing. The Lordship of Jesus is absolute in all, knowing no limit in soul or body, in time or eternity. Absolutely owning, possessing and disposing to his own uses all that we are and all that we possess. Each thing entirely and all things and all its relations.

The Proper Response: Faith, Not Fear

Third point, the proper response to a storm. Here in Mark, how did the disciples respond? Verse 38, Jesus was in the stern asleep on a pillow. They woke him and said, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? Then he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, be still, and the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But he says to them, why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Or a better translation there is, how is it that you do not yet have faith? Not yet. The disciples’ response, unfortunately, was that of fear rather than of faith.

You know, it’s easy for us as we read the Gospels or even various narratives in the Old Testament to look at the characters, they were real people in the Bible, and criticize their failures. So we can read this passage and we say to ourselves, gee, they were living with Jesus, they saw the miracles right before their eyes, they saw him do all of these wonderful things. How is it that they had not yet had faith? As if to imply that if we had been there, surely we would have not been afraid in the storm. That’s the implication. Well, the first thing to point out is this, is that seeing is not believing.

Seeing Is Not Believing

Seeing is not believing. The fact that they saw the miracles before their eyes doesn’t guarantee faith. Many people that saw Jesus work miracles before their very eyes did not believe. Listen, after the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, it says that the Pharisees were coming up with the scheme to kill Lazarus and Jesus. The greatest manifestation of the power of Christ over nature was raising a man from the dead, and yet after he raised a man from the dead, still they did not believe. Seeing is not believing. And some of us harbor this thought in the back of our minds, well, if I saw, if I would see a miracle today, like someone coming back from the dead, then we’d really be full of faith. It’s not true. It’s not true. Seeing does not make you believe. We are told that faith is the substance of things not seen. Jesus, as we’re going to learn later in Mark chapter 6, marveled at the unbelief of his hometown and he says that he cannot do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. If you want to see then believe. But don’t say I’ll believe when I see because that is simply not the case. This text in Mark, which we often read as a text in which we attempt to comfort ourselves and say, well the Lord is in charge of the storm so he’ll take care of everything is actually a rebuke to us and our unbelief.

It is a challenge to us how we go through the storms of life.

And Jesus says in verse 40, how is it that you do not yet have faith? After all this time, after all the miracles you’ve seen, how is it that you do not yet have faith. And unfortunately, Jesus could say the same thing to many of us. But you’re thinking, well, but I wasn’t there. I didn’t see the miracles. Well, do you believe this word or not? Because if you believe this word, you’ve seen the miracles. Because you have reliable testimony. And not only that, you’ve not only seen the miracles of Jesus, you’ve seen Jesus himself come back from the grave. You say you believe that. You say you believe that Jesus Christ is alive today. You say that, you believe that. That He’s been resurrected from the dead. You say that you believe that Jesus Christ is now governing the universe because He is Lord. You call Him Lord, amen? That means He’s Lord, Lord of Lords. We say that we believe that Jesus Christ is present in His church through His Holy Spirit. We say we believe that. And yet how often when we encounter a storm do we not believe? How often in a storm do we respond by fear and not by faith? How common is that? Unfortunately, way too common, if we’re honest. So we can sit here and criticize the disciples as if we were in this situation and saw what Jesus did before our eyes we would believe, but I believe we have greater testimony. We have greater evidence because we have the entire record of both the Old and the New Testament and all the mighty works of God. And in addition to that, we have the Holy Spirit. [audio unclear] They didn’t even have that at the time. They didn’t have the Holy Spirit at the time. So we have greater advantages to believe than they did. So let us not criticize them. But let us ask ourselves the question that Jesus asked them. How is it that you do not yet have faith? What else must God do that we be a people that walk in faith? What else? The question I would ask is, what else can he do? What else can God do that he hasn’t done? If he’s raised Jesus from the dead and set him on the throne, what else can he do? If He’s put His Spirit inside our hearts, if He’s raised your soul from the dead, what else can He do that would make you believe? It’s all been done. It’s all been done. But it’s for us to believe. The Lord has done it all; it’s for us to believe. Let us realize storms will come, but they’re designed for our good. Secondly, let us remember that Christ is Lord of the storm, because He’s Lord of all.

And therefore, let us respond properly by responding in faith and not in fear.

Closing Prayer

Amen? Let’s stand together. Lord, I thank You that You are the faithful and true witness.

Lord, Your Word says in Revelation that You wear a robe that says Faithful and True on it. That’s who You are. It’s not just what You do; it’s who You are. you are faithful and you are true and your word is settled forever in heaven all of your judgments are right and true and Lord we believe You are the Lord of the storm. We believe that you are governing the world. That means governing our lives. That you’re watching over us, you are preserving us. And in your providence, you are caring for us. We acknowledge, Lord, that any storm you bring is designed ultimately for our good and for your glory. I pray, God, that through your spirit’s work and through the work of your word, You would give us eyes of faith to truly walk through the storms of life with eyes of faith and not walking in fear. We thank you, Lord, that you are good. The storm might tell us you are not good, but you are good. You do good. We praise you for that. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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