Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning!

If I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you my name is John Lee and I serve Mission Church as the Lead Pastor.

Our mission and vision is to partner with God to see His Kingdom come in Las Vegas as it is in Heaven.

And we will accomplish this as we Love Jesus, Live like Jesus, and Lead others to Jesus.

Now…this morning...... we are going to press pause on our series through the book of Ephesians.

But... don’t worry....after Christmas....we’ll pick it back up.... right where we left off.

Today we are looking at a familiar story from a first hand account of the life and ministry of Jesus found in Mark 4. Most New Testament scholars believe that Mark records for us Peter’s authoritative eyewitness account of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

Our story…beginning in v35.... is the first in a series of episodes that reveal Jesus’s sovereign authoritative power demonstrating His identity as God and as the One we can trust.

If you would......Please grab a Bible and open it to Mark 4. If you don’t have a Bible we have some available for you on the book shelf in the foyer.

I will give you a moment to turn there and when you have it…and if you are able…please stand for the reading of God’s Word.

Mark 4:35–41 (CSB)

35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat.

And other boats were with him.

37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion.

So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher!

Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!

Be still!”

The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid?

Do you still have no faith?”

41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this?

Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

This is the word of the Lord.

You may be seated.

Pray.

Who then is this Jesus that even the wind and the waves obey Him!?

The disciples asked this fundamental question right after they experienced what could have been one of the scariest moments of their lives.

It was in this frightful, confusing, and stressful moment….A moment in which these disciples had no power or control .....that they experienced the unlimited power, the authority, and the loving care of a sovereign God.

Tell me……..Have you ever experienced something difficult?....something painful?….confusing or stressful?

Maybe it was a circumstance in your life….or a broken relationship with a family member or a friend….maybe the death of a loved one……have you ever gone through something in your life that caused you so much anxiety….so

much stress…..that you began to not only question who God is…but you began to question wether he cared……wether he was good……and even wether or not he loved you!?!

This reminds me of several instances that have occurred throughout my life.....but most recently ....I am reminded of last year when my youngest fell down the stairs.

The dog came barreling down the stairs behind her…took out her legs and she hit the base of her skull on the corner of the stairs.... causing her to have an impact seizure and go completely limp and unresponsive.

Juniper and my wife rode in the ambulance while I raced to meet them at UMC.

Once there they rushed her into the ER where they cut her clothes off and began running tests.

Next to her was a man screaming in pain and on the other side as a man who had just been shot multiple times yelling an cursing …and there laid my baby girl unresponsive and almost lifeless.

And .....as I sat there in the ER..... holding my wife as she cried....we were both scared.....

I tried to be strong for her while holding back tears of my own …….I began to question God.

Why?

Why would you do this?

Why are you silent?

Why does it feel like you’re not here?

Why aren’t you doing anything to help my baby girl?

Now…in moments of difficulty…..How do you answer questions like these?

Moments when God seems silent.

Times when God is not responding as quickly as you want Him to?

Situations when.....what you expected life to be like is not lining up with the life you are currently experiencing?

Well….if

you’re human…….and

if you’ve ever had a rough day…then your’e in good company!

In our text….we

see a group of guys…who were the closest to Jesus when he physically and visibly walked this Earth……and they are experiencing those same emotions…….you

see….as

followers of Jesus we are not immune to suffering or trials…We are not immune to difficulty.

In fact the Bible emphatically declares that as we walk through this life with Jesus....we will encounter suffering…we will encounter trials.

And as we live in this world broken and marred by sin we will endure hardship and difficulty.

It is inevitable!

Consider 1 Peter 4:12

1 Peter 4:12 (CSB)

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.

Remember ....Peter was one of the guys in that boat with Jesus.

And...I think it’s safe to assume that as Peter writes these words …memories of his many trials and suffering flashed before his eyes……specifically that moment when He was on a boat in the middle of a storm....that moment when his life hung in the balance and he questioned Jesus…saying .“Hey

……Jesus…I thought you loved me…….why

aren’t you doing anything?!?! Don’t you care?!?” But...... on the other side of the storm…..what was it that gave Peter the confidence to say….look…when troubles come…don’t be surprised……don’t stress?? Well…let’s look back Mark 4 and find out.

Mark 4:35–36 (CSB)

35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat.

And other boats were with him.

We pick up the story at the end of an extremely long day.

Jesus and His disciples have been out ministering…they were out teaching people all day….and

they’re tired……and not only tired from walking around and from teaching but also tired from being constantly surrounded by crowds of people……so in order to get rest…in order to get away from the crowd….Jesus asks his boys…He asks the disciples to take him by boat across the Sea of Galilee.

So Jesus…just as he was...tired…maybe hungry…and possibly in great need of a shower ……..He gets in the boat …he grabs a cushion…he heads for the stern…and he falls asleep.

So... you have Jesus and his disciples in a boat headed for the other side of the Sea of Galilee…and understand… the Sea of Galilee is a shallow lake… it’s a lake that is known for its violent storms.

The weather in that region has a bad reputation and to this day …the weather can change drastically…it can change in a blink of an eye….from a sunny cloudless sky to ....a dark sky and hurricane like winds…..and that’s the scene as we look at v37.

Mark 4:37 (CSB)

37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

Suddenly everything turns upside down.

The words “great windstorm” speaks of hurricane-type winds The boat is being violently thrown around and overwhelmed with water…….

I imagine Peter yelling and cursing at the storm with one fist in the air and scooping out water with the other hand…while John... the emotional disciple... is crying and holding on to the boat for dear life……..These seasoned sailors and fishermen suddenly find themselves in a storm unlike anything they have ever experienced.

Now…… before we continue ……there is a crucial detail that we have to take note of……You see…… it was Jesus who led them into the storm!

This was not an accident.

This storm did not catch God off guard.

Which tells me that we should not be alarmed by the storms that rage in our lives……because those storms and even those small ...everyday....unideal circumstances that we experience…….those

are moments in which God is working to reveal to us who He is….. who we are……and who we need!

Bad days, rough situations, difficulties, and desperate moments are when God does His greatest work in our lives.

For that’s when He brings us to the end of ourselves……it’s in those moments were we are driven to Him and Him alone as our Savior and Rescuer.

However…in this moment these guys have yet to see this truth… look at at v38

Mark 4:38 (CSB)

38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion...

I love this detail in the text... because.... if Jesus can take a nap in the midst a chaotic busy time….then

maybe that means that I can too….and

the truth is…… sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do in times of stress is take a nap.

You see…….this

verse speaks to the humanity of Jesus.

The Bible teaches, and the church has always believed, that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, two natures united in one person.

He is 100 percent God and 100 percent human..He is the God man.

And it’s important to note that…the only qualification related to Christ’s humanity is that He is without sin.

He has no sin nature....

He never committed a single sin— not one.