|
Series: Mark, #11 August 12, 2007
FAITH AND FEAR Mark 4:35-41
Mark 4:35-41 NIV That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." [36] Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. [37] A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. [38] Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" [39] He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. [40] He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" [41] They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
On October 29, 1991, weather conditions off the northeastern seaboard created what meteorologists came to call “the perfect storm.” The fishing boat Andrea Gail was caught in that storm and capsized. Here’s a clip from the movie based on that event [The Perfect Storm, 1:51:30 – 1:53:00. The scene where they encounter the monster wave that finally capsizes the boat. End with the capsize, when they are gone under the waves.]
I’m sure the waves on the Sea of Galilee in the passage we just read weren’t that big, but I’m also sure the disciples were every bit as scared as the fishermen on that boat in the movie. Apparently, the Sea of Galilee is subject to violent storms that spring up very quickly, and even though four of the disciples were experienced sailors, they were still terrified. But Jesus was asleep! Incredible! How could anybody sleep through all the noise of the wind, and the waves, and the disciples yelling? Finally, the disciples couldn’t stand it any longer. They shook him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
I. “Don’t You Care?” “Don’t you care?” That is often the question that comes to our minds when we are in hard times. The underlying assumption behind that question is that if God loves us, if He cares about us, He will always make our lives easy, comfortable, healthy and wealthy, not too hot and not too cold, but “just right”, the way Goldilocks liked her porridge. Really—isn’t that what we tend to believe, deep down? Especially here in America, we think that the normal Christian life—the way things are supposed to be—is safe, comfortable, and easy. If things are not going well, we tend to jump to the conclusion that God doesn’t care about us, He doesn’t really love us. The Bible says otherwise. It says, first of all, that we should expect hardships in life. A. Expect hardships We know that because Jesus calls us to follow Him, and He suffered more hardships than most of us ever will. If the servant is not greater than the Master, how can we possibly think that we have a right to a life free from difficulties? God’s people all through history have endured great hardships. And the Bible tells us plainly that we live in a fallen world. This world is not the final version. God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth, because this one is broken, and we experience that brokenness in all sorts of ways: planes carrying sick children to the hospital go down, bridges fall into rivers, mines collapse, we get sick, we get laid off, storms capsize ships and people are lost. Life is filled with hardships, and we should expect them. But in almost every case, in spite of how bad some of those things are, we can see how God intends to use them for our good. B. Hardships used for our good Romans 8:28 Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” It’s not that everything that happens is good—far from it—but that God is at work in everything for our good. The hard truth is that God is more interested in our character than our comfort, more concerned about our holiness than our happiness. There have been plenty of times when I have said, “OK, Lord, thanks. I’m as good as I want to be; you can stop the pain now; you can get me out of this situation.” But God loves me more than that, and He usually leaves me in the crucible a little longer. A godly character is like a diamond—it takes a lot of heat and pressure to produce it. God takes the dirty, messy charcoal of our lives, subjects us to pain and suffering, allows terrible things to happen to us, all for the sake of making us into someone who will be like Him in His beauty and holiness. We could never become holy without those hardships. Doesn’t God care? we ask. Oh yes, He cares. He cares about our character far more than we do. C. God demonstrates His love Romans 5:8 I think it is painful to Jesus when we ask whether He cares about us, because He has demonstrated His love to us in so many ways. Did you have a parent who loved you? Have you had enough to eat most of your life? Do you have a home to live in, and clothes to wear? Has your health been reasonably good most of your life? Do you live in a free country? Do you have friends? A loving church to belong to? Work to do? Time to play? All of these things which we so often take for granted, are good gifts from our heavenly Father. Yes, He cares. And when you run out of that list, then look at the cross. Because (Romans 5:8), “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” There is no greater love than this, Jesus said, that a man would lay down his life for his friends. If you are ever under the pile, really hurting in some way, terrified about what might happen to you like the disciples were in that storm, look at the cross. There is incontrovertible proof that God loves you. Yes, He does care.
II. “Quiet!!” Jesus cared about His disciples, so He got up and calmed the storm. Now, when they woke Him with their complaint, what do you think they expected Him to do? I think they just wanted Him to share in their panic. They were afraid for their lives, and they couldn’t stand having Him just sleeping like a baby in the stern of the boat. It was sort of a desperate cry to say, Wake up! Row! Bail! Pray! Do something other than sleep through the worst storm any of us have ever seen! But I will bet you that none of those men expected Him to do what He did! Who would ever think of speaking to and rebuking inanimate forces of nature? It just doesn’t make any sense at all—unless you are the Creator of nature. If you can create matter out of nothing, I guess you can order it around. Jesus was never ruffled; He just got up from the bench in the stern, stood up in the wildly rocking boat, looked out at the wind and waves and said, “Quiet! Be still!” And it was. The wind stopped howling and blowing spray off the whitecaps, and the waves settled down to a dead calm, and it was very quiet in the boat. The men are dumbfounded. They can’t believe what their ears just heard Jesus say, and they can’t believe what their eyes just saw happen. No one says anything. They just look in astonishment from Jesus to the water to each other, and back to Jesus. Nothing makes sense. This isn’t possible!
Then Jesus interrupts their amazement: III. “Why Are You So Afraid?” Mark 4:40 A. Do you still have no faith? “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). We struggle with that, too, don’t we? We say we believe, but we’re still afraid. I was reflecting a couple of weeks ago on just how much my life is driven by fear. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but it’s true. · Fear in the form of insecurity makes me want to avoid people in certain situations. My earliest memory of that feeling was when my parents and I were on our way to my grandparents’ place, and we stopped in a shopping center parking lot. My Dad gave me some money and told me to run in to the five and ten cent store to get something. I was terrified because that meant I would have to talk to the cashier. · Fear of conflict sometimes causes me to make bad decisions because I can’t bear not being liked or approved of by people who matter to me. · Fear of not having enough resources sometimes makes me fret over my retirement spreadsheet. · Fear of failure has prevented me from trying new things if I was not sure I could succeed at them the first time. I think there’s a hint in our text of how we can build our faith in Him. Jesus says, “Do you still have no faith?” implying that He has already given them reasons to trust Him. It’s as though He said, “You’ve seen me heal many people at Peter’s house, including his mother-in-law; I healed a man with leprosy, one with a crippled hand, a paralytic lying on a mat; I have cast demons out of several different people. Do you still have no faith?” So maybe it would help if we took the time to reflect on what we have seen Jesus do that would bolster our faith that He can and will help us in this situation that’s making us fearful. · I think of creation, which speaks volumes to me about God’s power and beauty and orderliness. · I remember how He called me to Himself and saved me almost 48 years ago, and the difference He has made in my life from the trajectory I was on. · I think of other people He has intercepted and saved and changed dramatically. · I know of marriages that were absolutely on the rocks, but Jesus intervened and changed the people’s hearts, and saved their marriage. · I think of this church, and how God has built this from a rag-tag bunch of 100 refugees from another church to what we have today. · I remember the amazing ways God worked to get us the financing for our first loan on this building. And when I think of those things, it helps me to believe that Jesus is willing and able to do whatever I need in my current situation. You can do that, too. When you are afraid, remind yourself of all that you have already seen Jesus do, and take heart.
Since I was reminded of my fears a couple of weeks ago, I have been studying the relationship between faith and fear in the Bible. God and His spokesmen say to people hundreds of times, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus did not want His men to be afraid; He wanted them to trust Him, and He implied that if they had faith, they would not have fear. God does not want you to be afraid. He not only tells us not to be afraid, but He often gives a reason why we should not be afraid. Those reasons tend to fall into two categories. B. Do not be afraid, because 1. …God is with us Deut. 7:21; Josh 1:9; 1 Chr 28:20; Ps 23:4; 46:1-3; John 14:27 The most common reason given in the Bible for why we should not be afraid is that God will be with us no matter what the situation. Remember that time when you were little, and you were afraid because you had to sing a song or recite a play on the school stage? But your mother said, “It’s OK. I’ll be right there in the first row with you. Just look out and see me there, and you’ll know it’s OK.” And it was, because just the presence of the one who had always protected you before gave you confidence to do what you had to do. Or remember when you had a bad dream, and when you cried out, your mom or dad came into your room and sat on your bed and stroked your hair and told you it was alright because they were there? And after a little while, the comfort of their presence put your little heart at ease, and you could fall back asleep in peace. That’s what God is doing when He says things like this to His people: · Deut. 7:21, Do not be terrified by [the Canaanites whom you are going to have to conquer] for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. · Joshua 1:9, [God said to Joshua before he took command of the Israelites after Moses died] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." · 1 Chron. 28:20, David also said to Solomon his son [as he commissioned him to build the temple], "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. · Psalm 23:4, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. · Psalm 46:1-3, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear… · John 14:27, [Jesus told His disciples just before He died] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you…Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
All of these passages and many more like them offer us the promise of God’s presence. Who He is makes all the difference. He is great and awesome; He is the good shepherd who goes through the dangerous and scary places of life with us; He is our refuge and strength; He is the ultimately Peaceful One. He is like the policeman who shows up just when someone is breaking into your house. He is like the father who holds his little boy’s hand as they walk through a bunch of bullies on the playground; He is like the husband who comforts and coaches his wife through her first childbirth. God’s presence makes all the difference. But there is another set of reasons given in Scripture why we should not be afraid, and they have to do with the things God has done or has promised to do for us. Here’s a sample: 2. …of what God does Gen 46:3; Ex 14:13; Deut 3:22; Is 41:10; Matt 28:5 · Genesis 46:3, [to Jacob] "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.” · Exodus 14:13, [When the Israelites were terrified by the oncoming Egyptian army and they were pinned against the Red Sea, Moses said] "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. · Deut. 3:22, [When Moses was challenging the people to go in and conquer the Promised Land of Canaan, he said] “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you." · Isaiah 41:10, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
·
Matthew 28:5, [On the Sunday the women went to
Jesus’ tomb] “The angel said to the women, "Do
not be afraid, for I know that you are
looking for Jesus, who was crucified. [6] He is not here; he has
risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”
It’s important for us to bolster our faith by reminding ourselves of who God is and what He does, because fear cannot exist in the presence of faith. C. Fear cannot exist in the presence of faith If we think of fear as the darkness in a dark room, and faith as the light, the instant we turn on the light, the darkness flees. Now there are degrees of faith, just as there are degrees of light. So a little faith in God, like a very small match flame, may only make the room a little lighter, but it won’t be completely dark anymore. Jesus said you don’t have to have lots of faith—a mustard seed size faith will do, as long as it is faith in a great big God. We can trust God, because He is trustworthy. He deserves our trust and our confidence, because He has proven it to us over and over again. We see it in the Bible, and we have seen it in our own lives. So we do whatever we can to brighten the little light of our faith, to push the darkness of fear further back. Keep going back to the Scriptures—study what they tell us about God, about His faithfulness, His love, His power. Yes, He cares; and yes, He is able to help. Keep focusing on Him, and not on the source of your fear. When you find yourself asking God, “Don’t you care?” stop and recount for yourself all the evidence you have seen in your life of God’s tender care for you, personally. Where have you seen His hand working on your behalf: providing, protecting, upholding, empowering, blessing in a thousand different ways? Remind yourself of all that God has already done in history. Remember His promises to you in the Scripture, and do not be afraid. Memorize some verses that speak of God’s presence and power, where He encourages you not to be afraid, and say them over and over again when you are afraid. There is something really calming about hearing God speak to you from His Word, like your mom or dad telling you it’s going to be OK. He is the great and mighty God—and He is with you to the end of the age. He will never leave you or forsake you.
IV. “Who Is This?” In the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman and Robert Redford are a couple of train robbers who are being chased by a posse of lawmen. They try every trick known to man, and still the posse is there, tracking them over rock and through rivers, hunting, pursuing, getting closer. All along the way, they keep trying to figure out who it is who is chasing them. Who could possibly be that good? This clip begins when they finally think they have eluded their pursuers. [Clip from 51:10 (Paul Newman falls into the pool of water) – 52:02 (“Who are those guys?”)] They just can’t believe that anybody could track them that far that well. Who could do that? Who are those guys? That’s the question the disciples ask themselves: “Who is this?” Who can make the wind and waves obey Him? This is Jesus, a man like us; we live with Him; we eat with Him; we know He sleeps (even in a storm!); He goes to the bathroom; He gets ticked at us sometimes; He can tell jokes. But He speaks to the wind and it obeys Him? This doesn’t make sense. They thought they were afraid before! And they were—they were afraid for their lives. But in the face of Jesus’ authority over the forces of nature, they were terrified. The Greek says literally, “they were afraid with mega-fear.” Who is this? Who can do that? That is the right question. Jesus did everything He could to convince His disciples of who He was. At this point in their lives, they were having a hard time grasping that someone who was so obviously a man was not just a man. By the end of His time with them, they had come to the intellectual conviction that He was, as Peter said, “The Christ, the Son of the living God.” But even so, they still cut and ran when the authorities arrested Jesus in the Garden, and only one dared to show himself at the crucifixion, and afterwards, they all hid behind locked doors for fear of the Jews.
V. The Holy Spirit and Faith Luke 11:13 It wasn’t until the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples that their faith in who Jesus was banished all fear. Then they were out on the streets preaching about Christ; then they were actively defying the strict orders of the authorities not to preach in His name; then they willingly went to their own deaths rather than deny their Lord. We are so like the disciples. We have our theology all straight; we can give you solid biblical answers to the question of who Jesus is; but we often do not experience that in our emotions. We believe, but we are still afraid. It’s a long way from the head to the heart. So we should ask for what changed the disciples. Even though they had their theology right before, it took the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to make them fearless. Ask God for more of His Spirit. He invites us to ask. He says, Luke 11:13, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" So let’s ask. Because when the Spirit of God fills our lives with faith, we will not be afraid.
|