The Sea of Galilee is notorious for its storms. They literally come out of the blue with terrifying suddenness. I’ve been on that body of water four times and heard the story that’s told in this text every time I was there.

It was in December when I had this experience. It’s moderately cold in Israel at that time of the year. The sun was shining when our boat pulled away from the shore. The seagulls were there en masse, as they usually are, and the passengers were cheerfully sharing some things they remember about the ministry of Jesus in this area. He lived in Capernaum, a little town on the northern edge of this same body of water.

The vessel I was in was not a luxury liner by a long shot, but it wasn’t a fishing boat either and certainly not a canoe. I had great faith in the travel company who put us on the boat, faith in the company that made the boat (they have a long history of quality production, so I was told), and faith in the fact that this very boat had been through these same kinds of storms many times before. Furthermore, it never crossed my mind that I would ever see this weather phenomenon in my own experience.

Most of the guests were inside the boat sitting at tables, drinking coffee or whatever and just enjoying each other. Then we noticed that a cloud cover had taken away the sunshine we were enjoying. It began to get dark, not just cloudy but dark, shortly very dark. I had never seen that before on the Sea of Galilee. The winds began to blow, strong winds that rocked the boat. Then the rain came, a driving rain.

Every person on that vessel began to talk about our text for today. You couldn’t see out of the windows for a while because of the driving rain, but all of us tried to see if we could find anybody in a fishing boat out there. Then some ten or fifteen minutes later, the rain began to stop, the winds noticeably were reduced in their intensity. It began to get lighter, and shortly an unspeakably beautiful rainbow seemed to arch itself across a little town up on the hill. I raced to get pictures of as much of this as I could, with the boat rocking and with so much darkness over us and the rain pelting down. I did get some, and the one I treasure most was of that rainbow over the city set on a hill.

I must say that even though we were on a strong ship during this storm, it was clear that this was not a spring shower. There were some big waves out there. It got your attention, and everyone I talked to said, “How do any of those fishermen’s boats weather this kind of storm?” It certainly would be possible for a fisherman to leave home in the morning with a beautiful day on his hands and not return home at night with this kind of weather.

Now my purpose in telling you this story is to highlight the fact that anyone going through this in a fisherman’s boat had ample reason to be afraid. Those boats, you may be sure, were rocking and rolling in those waves, and it would be easy to turn one over in a storm.

There are two interesting if not confusing questions in this text: “Why are you afraid?” and “Who is this?”

In verse 40: "Jesus said to his disciples, 'Why are you so afraid?'" When the Greeks wanted to emphasize a word, they would take it out of the normal word order and bring it up to the front of the sentence. This would be like taking a red pencil and underlining it several times. That's what you have here: "How is it that you, of all people, are afraid?" The nature of that question is not clear to most of us. Anybody of normal intelligence would be afraid in that kind situation. Since they are amazed that he quietens the winds and waves, it is certain that they didn’t expect him to do it. We wish Mark had given us more of the discussion, don’t we?

The other question is seen in this account: "They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'" “Who is this?” These men had already been with Jesus when he healed a paralytic, a leper, and a host of other issues. (Mark 1-3.) Why would they ask such a question? Maybe what they’re saying is, “We really don’t know as much about this man as we should.” They marvel even more at his power.

John Wesley, the originator of the Methodist denomination, could hardly have been called a faint-hearted stay- at-home. But there were times when even he lost his nerve. During one of Wesley's several Atlantic crossings, a frighteningly fierce storm broke out, pitching and tossing the ship about like a bathtub toy. While Wesley and others clung to their bunks and hid their heads, a community of Moravians, traveling to their new homeland, calmly gathered to hold their daily worship service and sing praises to God.

Watching these Moravians apparently unperturbed by the howling winds and crashing waves, Wesley realized he was witnessing a truly waterproof faith. From that moment on, John Wesley prayed that God would give him the ability to likewise ride out life's storms with as much confidence. That experience changed Wesley’s life forever.

The first truth implied from this text is that living in a sinful, imperfect world, we are in for some rough times. This gospel story confirms that the boat in which Jesus and his disciples found themselves went through a real storm, a real threat.

The storm doesn't blow around their boat and miss it just because Jesus is on board. It hits them full force. Nowhere does Jesus promise his followers anything different. A peaceful voyage is not the ticket Christians travel on. Jesus Christ's promise is not to sail us around every storm but is to bring us through all storms -- still in one peace and in one piece.

The truth that Jesus wanted to show them was not the miracle of calming the storm but the miracle of calming them in the storm.

This was the faith those Moravian travelers showed to John Wesley -- the faith that knows that with Jesus there is no storm too fierce, no opponent too great, no crisis too complicated.

Now let’s talk frankly about storms in our lives.

Sometimes we create our own storms

1. When we do things that are self-destructive

One of the most difficult things I do in my work is dealing with people who are doing self-destructive things. An example is that ever present issue— drugs. It is not an issue that is going away. I’m always interested in discussing how the individual I’m addressing got started with the problem. They invariably know that what they’re doing is a violation of law. You have just committed a crime when you start using or handling drugs. How do you justify committing a criminal act as a Christian? The answer is invariably, “My friends are doing it.” You hear the same answer when you talk about underage drinking or other destructive issues that one chooses to be involved in. “Everybody does it” is not an explanation; it’s an excuse. Do something about it. Don’t keep on with it. And furthermore, things that harm your body are a violation of God’s instruction for us. Romans 12:1

Life is hard enough without adding to its issues and creating our own storms, but we often do.

2. When we knowingly violate God’s basic rules of behavior.

Where do we get the idea that in our case the laws of “cause and affect” don’t apply or that God’s laws for moral behavior are meant for everybody else but us? The Bible warns us, “…be sure your sin will find you out.” Num. 32:23. We’re not going ignore that word without consequences. Rules are made to make things work better, not to complicate them. God does not give us rules, instructions, to make us miserable. They are designed to make our existence happier and everyone else’s. They are immutable laws of character and behavior, and they cannot be ignored with impunity.

3. When we plant bad seed and then ask God for a crop failure.

Galatians 6:7-9 gives us this word:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [a legitimate paraphrase of that is—“Don’t kid yourself. No one thumbs his nose at God.”]; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

When you run around with people who don’t have a similar faith orientation to yours, you may be sure that you’re planting seed that is going to develop into something other than what you want your life to be--if you are trying to develop a character and a lifestyle that honors Jesus Christ. They are going to change you, not you change them. When you—if you are a Christian—have as your best friends people who do not have a Christian orientation—you are asking for trouble. They will not bring you closer to God. They will not make you a maturing Christian. And you can bet your life that they will in all likelihood start influencing you to compromise your faith commitments. You may say, “Well, that’s being judgmental.” Call it what you like, that’s reality. Write it down; that’s what’s going to happen. There are times when we have to make decisions about who or what is going to be the primary influence in our lives. If we don’t it, others will do it for us.

Sometimes our storms result from our culture

When we buy into what culture tells us what is right, we’re asking for trouble. Our culture would have you believe that you are more important than anybody else in the world. “Make yourself the center of your world,” it would tell us.

The things of the world are rarely the things of God. The Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil. It says, “The love of money is root of all evil.” (1Tim. 6:10) Our government right now is saying, “Spend more money. Spend more money. We need you to spend more money.”

Our culture invariably encourages us to be self-centered, to jettison any spiritual claims as being a “goody-goody.” Who wants to hang around a “goody-goody?” Our culture does not teach us to be a caring person, to be concerned about other people.

Recently I saw an ad from a men’s clothing store that said, “Buy one suit and get one free.” (Men’s Warehouse) Another is advertising now: “Buy one and get TWO suits free.” (Jos. Banks ad) I wonder what we would do if the ad said, “Buy one suit and we’ll give one to a needy person somewhere in the world who doesn’t have clothes. How do you think that would go over. Forget it! That’s not our culture, and it’s not going to happen.

Self-centered behavior is ultimately destructive behavior. We begin to spiritually dry up when we let this mentality become a part of us.

Sometimes God allows our storms to come upon us

We don’t always know why they come, but they come. God brings storms into our lives because we don't develop your faith in the calm. You develop your faith in the crises of life. You develop your faith when you have no other way to look but up to the only worthy object of faith.

There are many things in life you cannot learn by a lecture; you have to walk through it. But the promise of God is that there will never be a valley that you walk through that he will not be with you.

The storms of life will come. If you haven’t faced them yet, just wait; your time is coming. There’s no life that goes through its span of years that doesn’t know storms. But here is the great truth of the matter: the one who walks with God in the daylight will have little trouble finding him in the dark.

A sermon by Dr. Fred R. Skaggs
Preached at County Line Baptist Church
Ruther Glen, VA 1/04/09