Let’s read this morning from Mark 4:33. We are not only giving honor to God’s Word, but we are also giving attention to God’s Word. “And with many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.” Some of you will be able to hear what I say, and some of you won’t; and the ability to hear is the season or the place you are in at this time. Certain messages aren’t important to you because you haven’t yet arrived at that season in your life, but you will. So, Jesus is teaching in parables.

Parables are allegories where you take a physical truth and relate a spiritual truth to it. That is what Jesus just taught. In Mark 4, Jesus has been teaching and then explaining parables.

Verse 34: “But without a parable He did not speak to them, and when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” He would speak all day long in parables, and then would begin to explain the parables just to the 12 disciples.

Verse 35: “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’” Everybody is on a journey. Verse 36: “Now when they had left the multitude (on the shore), they took Jesus along in the boat as He was, and other little boats were also with Him.”

I would not have wanted to have been in one of those other little boats, because Jesus wasn’t in any of those other little boats. I don’t know about you, but I want to be in the boat that HE is in, especially if I know what I’m heading into! When I’m heading into a tsunami, I want to make sure I’m in the right boat, and just any old boat won’t do. In Noah’s day, just any old boat wouldn’t do. So you had better be in the right boat!

Verse 37: “And a great windstorm arose and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.” The King James Version says the boat “was now full.” The boat was full of water, and when a boat is full of water, it sinks.

Verse 38: “But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.” This is the only time I could find recorded in the Word where the disciples are awake and the Master is asleep. “And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher (Master, Rabbi), do You not care that we are perishing?’”

Verse 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.” The sea became like glass. Verse 40: “But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’” They had been listening to Jesus speak parables all day long (and faith comes by hearing); yet, they had no faith.

Verse 41: “And they feared exceedingly.” Wait a minute! Is the storm still raging? No, the storm is over. The sea is calm, but they are exceedingly fearful. They are now more afraid of Jesus than they were the storm! “And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’”

Has anyone here ever experienced a long day? Jesus has had a long day. Jesus had been preaching to thousands, so it’s no wonder He is asleep. He was describing in parables the kingdom of God. In Mark 4, Jesus says, “and the kingdom of God is like,” and He tells a parable. So, all day long, Jesus had been describing the kingdom of God.

You cannot have a kingdom without a king. I think some of our leaders are trying to be kings, but I have only one King. So now Jesus is going from describing the kingdom to demonstrating the power of the kingdom.

A lot of people want to see miracles. It’s one thing for you to have listening faith. It’s another thing for you to have living faith. You come to church and, prayerfully, you listen. These disciples had listening faith all day long, but it’s going to take something for that listening faith to become living faith.

There is a storm coming to America. This afternoon, we had better pray that the elected leaders in our country do the right thing. How many of you pay taxes? If you are paying taxes, that means you are giving your money to the federal government. Today our leaders are voting on a health care package, and I’m against it. Let me tell you why.

In that package, they are going to take our money to pay for abortions. That means, if that bill is passed, my wife and I are going to be giving our money to kill babies. You may be for that, but I’m not. If our country starts taking money from the people to pay to kill babies, and you think God is going to bless this country, you are crazy! A storm is on the way. If there is one element in that package that I’m against, that’s it. You have to know what you’re for, but you also have to know what you’re against.

Go back to Verse 37 and look at (1) THE POWER OF THIS STORM. It says, “and a great windstorm arose.” The Sea of Galilee is 650 feet below sea level and is surrounded by mountains. It’s cool at the top of those mountains. The wind blows the cool air down into the valley where the Sea of Galilee is, hits that humid air, and storms come up; and as we look at this storm, we see the suddenness of the storm. It came fast.

Do you know that in our lives things can be fine one moment and a mess the next? One phone call can bring a storm to your life. In one 24-hour period, you can be in a storm. One report from the doctor can bring a storm. Whether we realize it or not, we are one heartbeat away from death. It’s a sudden storm.

Storms can also be severe. They can be vicious. I’m talking about the storms in your life. The ship in Verse 37 is rocking, and it’s dark. The waves are high, and the boat is full of water. When we’re in a storm, it’s personal. There is anguish and pain; because, when you’re in a storm, it’s severe and it’s personal.

When we have storms of suffering, does anybody know that suffering causes heartache? When you’re in a storm of suffering, you have heartbreak, and it’s personal.

We have storms of sorrow. Preachers are preaching today that when you get saved you are insulated and isolated from storms. You’re just blessed all the time, but here is an example of being in a storm of sorrow. Someone you love has died, and you’re grief-stricken. You now are in a storm of sorrow.

Sometimes you’re in a storm of sorrow because of divorce. A divorce separates homes. It separates families. Being grief-stricken, sad, and shaken does not always come because of death, but it does come when there is a separation.

There are storms of sickness. There are storms of sin. Storms of sin are severe, because we reap what we sow. The Word says, “The wages of sin is death,” but sin leaves a trail of damage and destruction. Some of you here today are living in sin. I thank God you’re in church, but you are going to get in a storm because of your sin. The devil may be painting that sin to look good right now, but the end of it is death. “There is always a way that seems right, but the end is death.”

Let’s look at the source of the storms. Sometimes the source of our storms is self. Sometimes we make our own storms. Jonah caused his own storm because of disobedience. There are also Satan-produced storms. When Satan causes a storm, he does it to discourage us. He is trying to stop your progress and sink your dreams. He wants to sabotage your destiny. Satan-produced storms come because he wants us to give up.

So, there are storms that are produced by self, storms that are produced by Satan, and then there are storms that are produced by the Savior.

Jesus told His disciples to get in the boat and go to the other side. They were in the boat, going to the other side, they were in God’s will, but now they are in a storm. So the storm they were in was produced by God.

Storms are the birthplace of miracles. AMEN! You won’t know what a miracle is until you get in a storm, because you are not going to have a miracle without a storm! The first requirement for a miracle is a need. So storms are the birthplace of miracles.

Storms are also the birthplace of maturity. If you give your child everything your child asks for, that child will become spoiled. If you have everything you want, you’re spoiled; but in life, there has to be some no’s. In life, there are going to be some disappointments and setbacks.

People are always wanting to “go to the next level.” You go to the next level when you get in a storm and grow up. We mature when we go through storms, and we learn to wait on God. Does anybody know that God doesn’t come early? He doesn’t come late. He is always on time. It’s tough when you’re in a storm and waiting on God, but that is where you learn to grow up.

In Verse 38 let’s look at (2) THE PROBLEM OF THIS STORM. The disciples came to the Master who is asleep. The boat is full of water, and they were in a panic.

Remember that Peter, James, John and Andrew are all fishermen. They had been in storms out on the water, but this storm must have been the storm of all storms. For these men to have been so shaken up, this had to be a big storm. They are shouting, and get this. They are shouting at God! What were they shouting? “Don’t you care about us?”

It is night time, the wind is blowing, the waves are high and splashing against the boat. The boat is full of water, and the night is full of doubt. When we get in storms, we start being filled with doubt. The first doubt they had was the Lord’s concern for them. Fear had overtaken them. They began to doubt the Lord’s concern.

Have you been to that place where you began to doubt that God cared? Have you ever questioned why something happened? Fear has torment, and this storm has made these men fearful; and when you’re fearful, you will say and do things that seem strange.

It’s dark, the storm is raging, and fear has overtaken them. They were focused on the sea, the sea was screaming at them, but the Savior was asleep. You have to get your focus off the sea and get your focus on the Savior. If He was at rest in that storm, that meant that everything was going to be alright.

Here is the problem. We start looking at the facts. Some of you love facts, but you focus on the facts when you ought to be looking at your faith. This may sound crazy, but faith does not always accept the facts. There is a thin line between facts and faith. I don’t want you to be stupid, but I want you to be balanced. God gave us a brain and a heart, but sometimes you have to ignore the facts.

The facts are the ship is going to sink, the boat is full of water, and I guarantee the devil was saying, “Sink ship, sink!” A ship full of water ought to go down, but a ship with Jesus on it can’t sink! Facts tell you this, but faith tells you this. Whose report are you going to believe?

Do you see their dilemma? They began to doubt the Lord’s commitment to them. Have you ever done something God told you to do and it didn’t work out? They began to doubt the Lord’s commitment to them.

In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This scripture is so crucial in what we are talking about today. The word “leave” means “to let sink.” Jesus said, “I will never let it sink.” The word “forsake” means, “I will not abandon you. I will not desert or leave you under any circumstance.” Wow!

The facts tell me I’m going under. The facts tell me I’m not going to make it, but Jesus says, “I’m committed to you. I’m not going to let you sink. I’m not going to desert you, and I’m not going to abandon you in the middle of the storm.” When you doubt God’s commitment to you, go to Hebrews 13:5 and read that promise.

They began to doubt the Lord’s concern for them. Then they began to doubt the Lord’s comments to them. He told them that they were going to the other side. When God tells me I’m going to the other side, I know I’m going to arrive there. He will get me to the other side. He said it. I believe it. That settles it. Don’t doubt what God says. When He says it, believe it.

Lastly, let’s look at (3) THE PURPOSE OF THIS STORM. In Verse 39, Jesus got up, rebuked the wind, and spoke to the sea. He literally muzzled the wind and the waves. He called the Sea of Galilee to get in order. He said, “Peace, be still, and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” The sea became like glass. Jesus controlled the weather! He was letting the water and the wind know who its Creator was.

So, at that moment, His disciples make some discoveries. They discovered something about His power. These disciples saw Jesus healing people of leprosy. No doubt, they saw fingers and noses grow back, but they had no faith. They had heard Him teach from morning until evening, yet they had no faith. Now, they see Him controlling nature.

Elijah prayed, and a child came back to life. There were great men who performed great miracles in the Old Testament, but none of them controlled nature. You have to realize that in Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All authority (power) has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” You need to get hold of that!

Ephesians 3:20 says, “My God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I can ask or think according to the power that works in us.”

So, the disciples made discoveries about His power, and they made discoveries about His promises. Romans 4:21 says, “And being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” You have to be convinced that He is able to perform what He promises you.

If you’re ill, go home and read Jeremiah 30:17. It’s a promise from God, and He has the power to keep that promise. He is a promise-keeping God! When you don’t feel Him or see Him, when it’s night and there is a storm raging, He still keeps His promises. These men learned that that night.

They made discoveries about His peace. I believe that Peter was the one that woke Him up. The Word doesn’t say it was Peter, but he was always the one out front doing all the talking. Go to 1 Peter 5:7 and read what Peter wrote out the experience he had on that stormy sea. This is what he said. “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Sometimes God will tell the storm to hush, but sometimes He will tell me to hush.

Let me give you the miracle of a storm. When someone can look at you and see peace in the middle of your storm, it can only come from God, because it’s a “peace that passes all human understanding.” In the midst of the storm, I discovered peace.

Sometimes your situation will not change, but in the midst of that situation, God will change YOU. “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” That is how you make it through. Your situation might not change, but YOU will. God lets us know that He cares because of the peace He brings on the inside.

The disciples made discoveries about His presence. Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The greatest discovery, however, that He gave them that night is found in Mark 4:41. They discovered something about this Person called Jesus.

In Verse 41 the disciples said, “Who can this [Man] be?” Who is this Man behind the messages we heard all day long? “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus asked His disciples one time, “Who do you say that I am?” He is more than a Man. He is God! Only God can tell the wind and the waves to stop; only Deity, only the Divine One. I believe that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Who do YOU say that He is?

Verse 41 says that those men were exceedingly afraid. The storm had stopped, but they are more afraid now than when the storm was raging. Who were they afraid of? Jesus! When you are afraid in the storm, you will have torment; but when you fear God, it’s the beginning of wisdom.

Do you know why you don’t change? You don’t fear God. Do you know why you can live in sin but go to church every Sunday? You don’t fear God, but God is holy. These men are now trembling on this boat, because they realized they had God on their boat! When you begin to see who this Man is behind the message, you will start living a different life.