Mark 4:40

Mark chapter 4. If you would kindly turn that up. Mark 4 and verse 40. Just over the page. He said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?

Mark 4 · chapter mention

!

And the Lucas translation of that is, Why are you so dreadfully frightened? Can you still not trust me? Can you still not trust me?

And how often, sadly, the Lord has to say those words to his people, me included.

Well, as ever, it's so encouraging to be with you on a Sunday evening and to hear news of progress and much besides.

And it's always an encouragement to consider with you God's powerful word.

So we turn again to the Gospel of Mark, which is rather the Gospel of Jesus as told by Mark.

It's a special book for me. I think one or two of you will know. At least 35 years ago, I think it was, our staff at St. Helens started it together and were so encouraged by it that we decided to start a course for all the students who came to us from the various hospitals and student residences around.

And we found that even then, 35 years ago, they were astonishingly ignorant.

And so we decided that we would get them to study at least one Gospel before they left us.

And we chose this Gospel of Mark.

And we also thought that in doing that, we would introduce them to the real Jesus Christ.

So that was our aim.

And it's gone on ever since.

It's a very simple aim.

And I think it's been very effective.

And I hope it's led that they would know a great deal more than one Gospel and the person of Christ.

Actually, I remember very little of that beginning.

That course is still going strong.

But my stage of life, memory is not one strong suit.

As that great philosopher of life, Norman Wisdom, once said,

when you get old, three things happen to you.

Your memory goes first.

And I can't remember the other two.

So, because I can't really remember very much of that original study,

I've decided for my own nourishment and progress to revise Mark on my own.

And it's been a slow and delightful journey.

And I've arrived at chapter 4, verse 35.

And I found ahead of me, and I want to share with you some of the things I've found,

I found here a typical Mark section on miracles.

Four great miracles, making three sections.

If you like, the chapter division is not really very helpful.

I suppose the people who published ESV didn't have the authority to change the chapter divisions.

But I suppose, really, it should start.

Chapter 4, verse 35 should be the beginning of chapter 5.

So, this unified section contains three scenes.

First, of course, the furious scope.

Just watch it as I say this.

First, the furious storm.

4, verse 35 to 41.

Then, Legion.

This wretched poor man possessed by the devil.

5, 1 to 20.

And then, thirdly, the dead child and the sick woman,

which stand as one great miracle.

Or, there are two.

5, 21 to 43.

Now, these are, for many of you, I know, familiar stories.

But they have a unifying theme that runs through that whole section.

They tell of overwhelming destructive forces before which we human beings, whether in the 1st century or the 21st century, are absolutely helpless.

So, why does Mark tell us these stories?

And what is their message on the basis of our helplessness?

Well, we can be quite sure that there were many miracles that Jesus did.

I should think of hundreds, even not thousands.

Would you not think?

And he has chosen these with a purpose.

What is that purpose?

And what is his message?

Well, message number one, every Christian can recognize.

Mark has been plugging it from the beginning of his gospel.

And I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it.

You know it well.

It's the foundation of the Christian faith.

And Mark is recording how the disciples learned it until they came to a firm conviction about it.

And that is that Jesus is Lord.

He is none other than the God-man.

That with him nothing is impossible.

And that he possesses all authority in heaven and earth.

You knew that?

Of course you knew that.

That's fundamental to the Christian faith.

You can't be a Christian without believing it.

That is number one message in Mark.

No Christianity without Christ as a foundation.

We won't stay long on that.

But we'll just get the pattern of it quickly together before we go on to matter that is not quite so well known.

First let's look at the destructive forces of nature.

Chapter 4, 35 to 41.

I'm not going to look at all the details.

You know them well.

Here are elemental forces before which everybody is helpless.

Today as ever.

Just think of tsunamis sweeping away.

Homes and hundreds of people in Japan recently.

Think of hurricanes.

They know that better in the Midwest of America.

Think of earthquakes.

Perhaps we're more aware of these things in modern times because of communication.

Only this week I saw a picture of people in their cars racing away from a dark typhoon that was approaching.

Hoping that it would not overtake them.

Must have been a terrifying feeling.

The control I think of the forces of nature.

Then the restoration of suffering people.

And what we're being told by Mark in this very simple story is that our Lord had complete command over them.

Look at verse 39.

Just a simple word.

Just a simple word.

Peace be still.

For I suppose in colloquial English she looked down at the storm and said, shut up.

And an unheard of result.

The wind stopped.

The waves were calm.

I wonder how many of you are sailors.

I'm sure there are sailors here.

I was compulsively forced to go in the Navy for three years.

I quite enjoyed it.

And one thing you learn there, I was in the Mediterranean for three years, is that the wind can in fact stop suddenly.

But of course what never happens is that the waves are completely calm immediately.

The waves go on.

What is called the swell goes on.

And if you're a sailor and not a very good sailor, you will know that it is that that makes you ill.

It's not the wind.

It's the waves that will take two days to go down after a storm.

So here is an astonishing demonstration of the power of Christ over the destructive forces of nature.

Next, we look down, what, 20 verses of it again.

I won't look at the details.

It's the destructive forces of Satan.

Now you know as well as I do that he is a very powerful influence in the world.

Jesus tells us he's the God of this world.

So his power is very great under the sovereignty of God.

And Mark goes out of his way in a number of details to tell us what a helpless and hopeless situation the devil is talking about.

Just look at verses 3 and 4.

We won't look at it anymore.

He lived among the tombs.

No one could bind him anymore.

Not even with a chain.

For he'd often been bound with shackles and chains.

But he wrenched the chains apart.

He broke the shackles in pieces.

No one had strength to subdue him.

Mark alone mentions that.

But I think he wants us to know that this was an impossibility.

People have tried and failed.

Yes, the devil has people in his group.

And I think this story is meant to be an example of his power in the world.

I note that the increasingly apostate Church of England is removing any mention of the devil from the baptismal service.

And we're trying to remove any mention of sin.

It's very difficult to know what's left, isn't it?

Well, there's been an outcry about sin, but not about the devil apparently.

I think this episode stands for the reality of the world that Satan is the cause of all the misery.

That there is.

I've only got one cross-reference for you.

So keep a finger, if you will, there.

If you want to know what the devil is responsible for in the world today,

and you want it summarized in one sentence,

you'll find it in John 8, 44.

Will you turn to that, and will someone sing out to me,

in a loud voice, because I'm not only shrinking, but I'm getting death,

what are the two marks of the devil in the world?

In fact, I will give you a hint by reading the verse.

Verse 44, John 8.

You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth,

because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and father of lies.

What are the two things, please?

Lies.

Murder.

And murder, violence, death, terrorism.

Right.

Now, would you not say that those two things are actually right at the root of our modern world?

If you read the papers, or if you look at your television, you'll see them every day, won't you?

Imagine you could get rid of all the lies in the world.

The lies in your office, the lies in your paper, the lies that politicians tell.

And imagine you could get rid of all the terror, the fighting, the murder, the wars.

It would be a totally different world, but it's not going to happen.

Until Christ returns.

So, what did Jesus do?

He said, verse 8, come out of them.

That was all.

And the result was lovely, isn't it?

Verse 8, verse 15 must be a very favorite verse for all of us.

When the people came to investigate what had happened to this poor man,

they saw one who had been in the legion sitting there,

clothed, no longer naked, in his right mind, no longer insane,

and they were afraid.

And sitting peacefully, resting, as we were thinking of the children just now.

Almighty power.

The destructive forces of nature, followed by the destructive forces of Satan,

the devil, the demon, forget it.

The world of demons.

Thirdly, the destructive nature of sickness and death.

Which means that ultimately we all succumb to this great force.

And what is needed for that in the last section, which is verse 21 to the end,

all that is needed is that Jesus gives a gentle word,

get up, little girl.

And with a grasp of her hand, he helps her to her feet.

Verse 41.

Taking her by the hand, he said to her,

to lead her kumai, which means, little girl,

I say to you, get up.

And immediately the girl got up and began walking,

because she was 12 years of age,

and they were immediately overcome and astonished.

Would you know, please?

Impossible.

Now, in the light of these miracles,

which are carefully chosen by Mark,

these destructive forces overcome by the power of Christ,

an honest person is bound to ask the question,

which is the fundamental question of the early Mark's gospel,

chapter 4, verse 41.

And they were filled with great fear,

and said to one another,

who then is this?

Well, indeed, who then is this?

And this week I was reading a serious verse.

I often pick him up,

sometimes late in the evening.

It's lovely to have this very clear mind,

that your mind is feeling muddy and confused.

If you'd gone to Buddha and asked him,

are you the son of Brahma?

He would have said,

my son, you're still in the veil of illusion.

If you'd gone to Socrates and asked,

are you zeaths?

He would have laughed at you.

Listen to this.

If you'd gone to Mohammed and asked,

are you Allah?

He would first rent his clothes,

and then cut your head off.

Which is probably why a lot of working class young men

in this country like Islam,

because that's how it deals with its opponents.

If you'd asked Confucius,

are you heaven?

I think he would have probably replied,

remarks which are not in accordance with nature,

are in bad taste.

The idea of a great moral teacher saying what Christ said,

or doing what he did,

is out of the question.

In my opinion,

the only person who can say the sort of things

is either God or a complete lunatic

suffering from that form of delusion

which undermines the whole mind of man.

He was never regarded as a mere moral teacher.

He did not produce that effect on any of the people who met him.

He produced only three effects,

hatred, terror,

and adoration.

There was no trace of people

expressing mild approval.

When I first read that some years ago,

I thought,

no, that's not quite right.

It's apathy,

terror,

and adoration.

But now,

I've come back to the original.

Hatred.

Yes, hatred.

We're beginning to see that,

aren't we,

in our culture.

Not apathy,

but hatred.

Hatred of what he stands for.

Hatred of his moral stand.

Hatred of his claims to be the only way to God.

Well, now we come to the crunch

of what I want to say tonight.

So, if you've not been paying attention,

please be with me now.

We Christians,

like everyone else,

unlike the Lord,

are helpless

in the face of these great

universal destructive forces.

Because we believe in Christ,

because we've received and rested

in Jesus Christ,

as the children were taught just now.

And I trust that every one of us here

has received him

and rests in him.

We can't opt out of tsunamis.

We can't opt out of the world of terror

that is all around us.

And we're warned

that some of these young men

are coming back to this country

determined to do ill.

And we can't avoid

incurable sickness and death.

Every one of us will die.

So, how are we believers

more privileged than the unbelievers?

Well, in a sense,

sharing a common humanity,

we are not.

We live in this present evil age

and therefore these great

destructive forces

are destructive in our lives too.

Nevertheless,

certain great blessings are ours.

And this is where I want to ask you

to recall these,

if you can,

in the midst of a very destructive

and evil world.

We've been given

at least three privileges

that the unbeliever

doesn't have

faced with these destructive forces

all around us.

The first great privilege

that we've been given

in this fallen world,

full of destruction and evil,

is we have been given

understanding.

And this understanding here

in Mark

lies actually in chapter 3,

but I want you to wait a minute

before I tell you what it is.

I want to mention,

first of all,

a man called Mr. Christopher Mayhew,

who was the father

of one of the girls

who came to us

some years ago

at St. Helens.

He was a very fine man,

an agnostic,

but thoughtful.

He was actually

Secretary of the Navy

for a while.

I think you would call him

not an atheist,

but a questioning atheist,

agnostic.

And I recall him

articulating

the fundamental case

for agnosticism,

which is worth, I think,

getting clear.

What the agnostic,

with a certain amount

of goodwill,

will say to us

is something like this.

You Christians say

God is all-powerful.

You Christians say

that God is all-loving,

and we say yes,

yes, we do say that.

But if this is so,

Mr. Mayhew said,

and many follow him,

it is inexplicable

that he does not

abolish those things

that destroy

human happiness.

Therefore, he says,

I must conclude,

since he does not

do this,

and these destructive

forces are still

in the world,

and God seems to do

nothing about them,

he is asleep in the boat.

I conclude,

if he is all-powerful,

as you say,

then he is not

all-loving.

And if he is all-loving,

then he is not

all-powerful.

And from this dilemma,

said Mr. Mayhew,

there is no escape.

It is quite a powerful

attitude,

and thousands of people

in our country

have got stuck there.

Now, the answer lies

in chapter 3.

The fact that all such men,

however clever,

fail to take into consideration.

And I am not going to ask you

to look at it,

because I think everybody

knows what happens

in Mark chapter 3.

Mark 3 · chapter mention

And that is that the

people of God

reject their Lord,

their Messiah,

their Savior.

And we now live,

therefore,

in a Christ-rejecting world.

It is more than

a Christ-rejecting world,

he has rejected them.

Chapter 3 is taken up

with the fact that

Christ has rejected

the people who have

rejected him,

and that he is making

a completely new start

in the world,

and therefore he appoints

12 apostles

on which he is going

to build his new church

and his new universe.

And therefore,

from chapter 3 onwards,

we have a remarkable

picture in Mark's gospel

of how this new universe

is going to be brought

into being.

I think Mark is the only

gospel who brings

the rejection of Christ

right down to the

beginning of his story,

rather than at the end.

So, when we get to

chapter 4,

we ask the question,

as these 12 men

go into the world,

to start to build

a new church,

which is going to be

the new Jerusalem,

which is going to be

the new heaven

and the new earth.

What is the weapon,

what is the equipment

that God gives them?

And you know

the answer to that.

In chapter 4,

the three parables

of the ser,

he gives them

the seed of the word

of God,

the power of the gospel.

That is all that

he gives them,

but it is sufficient

for them to begin

to build a new world.

But,

what does he give them

after that,

in this world

which is under judgment?

Though it's a restrained judgment,

our world is under judgment,

it's a world marked

by frustration,

by turmoil,

by suffering,

by all these things

that we've been thinking about.

Well, we've been given

understanding.

We've been given

understanding that

the reason why

this world is as it is,

is that it is

a world that has

rejected Christ.

He is here by

his Holy Spirit

amongst us,

thank God,

but he,

as we've sung just now,

is at the right hand

of God.

When we speak of Christ,

we will never talk

too literally

of Christ being here.

We talk of Christ

on the cross,

we talk of Christ

at the throne of God,

we talk of Christ

coming at the last day.

But we mustn't talk

of the real presence

of Christ here now.

He's here by his Spirit,

but he himself bodily

is at the right hand

of God.

And because this world

has said no

to its Creator,

and because the people

of God said no

to their Messiah,

we must live in a world

which is under

the judgment

of Almighty God

because of our attitude

towards his beloved Son.

We have been given

that understanding.

therefore,

when we open

our daily paper,

but of course we don't

now because we all

have these wonderful

machines that we don't

have to buy a paper

any longer.

But whatever you do,

whenever you listen

to what's happening

in the world,

I don't know how you do it.

It's all very marvelous,

isn't it?

The way we can listen

as soon as we should

be able to listen

to the news

on our watches,

I'm told.

Whatever you do

to listen to what

is happening in the world,

you have a clue

that other people

do not have.

that these awful things

that make you tremble

and step back

and say,

how could it be

like this in Sudan?

How could it be

like this in Libya

at the moment?

Which is a hell hole.

How could it be

like this in Iraq?

I know Christians

working in Iraq,

I know Christians

working in Sudan,

you probably do the same.

They're living in places

which in many ways

mark a hell on earth.

But they have the clue

and you have the clue

as to why God

allows these things

to continue.

Because it is a mark

of a world

under the displeasure

of a God

whose son we have

rejected.

And we cannot live

in this world

without realizing it

and knowing that

his hand is upon us

for judgment.

This is the explanation

of all the destructive

forces of nature,

the destructive forces

of the devil in our world,

lies and murder,

and the destructive forces

of incurable sickness

and death.

They all flow

from our rejection

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And we Christians

first and foremost

have been given

an understanding.

It's a wonderful thing

to have, isn't it?

A clue.

We don't know everything,

of course.

But we do have this clue.

We do have an understanding

of why God

acts as he does

in judgment

as well as salvation.

We do tremble.

We ought to tremble

because of these facts.

As the world goes by,

hardly aware

of this at all

and yet suffering

because of it.

Yes, a God

who is all-loving

and a God

who is all-powerful,

but a God

who is righteous

and will not allow

a world that has

rejected his son

and crucified him

to continue gaily

as though nothing

had happened.

We have been

given understanding.

Secondly,

we Christians

have this

extraordinary privilege

that we've been

given a task

to do.

I'm not thinking

of being a pastor

or a preacher

or anything of that kind.

You'll find this task

in chapter 5,

verse 18.

I love this little part

at the end of the story.

It's a fairly

unsettling thing

to have Jesus around

as you may have known

in your own life.

And the people

decided to ask him

to leave their region,

verse 17.

That's a picture

of our world, really.

And as he was

getting into the boat,

the man who had been

possessed with demons

begged him

that he might be with him.

And Jesus did not

permit him,

but said to him,

Go home to your friends

and tell them

how much the Lord

has done for you

and how he said

mercy on you.

And he went away

and proclaimed it.

This is one of the

very rare cases

in the early part

of Mark's gospel

when Jesus is in

heathen territory,

the cities of the

Decapolis.

It's one more of those

signs in early Mark

that the Gentiles

are one day

to be reached

with the truth

from a remarkable

early sign.

It represents a world

that rejects Jesus

and yet,

what happens?

He sends the man

who's been wonderfully

liberated to be a witness

amongst them.

It's just one of those

lovely little touches

that there the world

rejects him,

God is continually

sending those

who experience

his mercy

to go and tell

the heathen,

the Gentiles,

what God has done

for them.

That's your job

and my job.

Yes, no,

pastors aren't

accepted from this.

Pastors aren't allowed

just to go around

preaching as though

they didn't have

any part in it.

All of us

are to go back

to our own people

and tell them

what God has done

in having mercy

upon us.

Isn't that a great

and wonderful ministry?

That's the task

of every single Christian,

old or young.

We've been given

a deep understanding

of why the world

is as it is

and we've been given

a task of what

we are to do

in this heathen world

and amongst

heathen churches.

Everywhere,

in the darkness,

God commands

his lights

to shine.

That's what lights

are for in the darkness.

And I would say

the darkness

should not surprise you.

And the fact

that God lights

people's lives

so that they can

go and be a light

in that world

shouldn't surprise us

either.

God has given

us understanding.

He's given us

a task,

every one of us,

in this heathen,

godless world.

And thirdly,

God has given us

confidence in

his beloved son.

What a lovely,

lovely lesson that was.

We adults need it

just as much

as the children.

What is the first

work of God

the Holy Spirit?

It is to uplift

Christ so that

we put our trust

in him.

A saving faith

is a gift of God.

To believe in

Christ as Lord

in the midst

of a heathen world

is because the

Holy Spirit

is a work in you.

Do you believe

in Christ

with all your

heart?

Then the Holy Spirit

is a work in you.

That is his

particular joy.

Now that's the

force, isn't it,

of verse 40

in chapter 4.

Why are you

so frightened?

Do you

have no faith?

Have you no faith

any longer?

Are you not,

as we were taught

just now,

are you not

resting in faith?

No, they're not

resting in faith

at all.

Why?

Because he's asleep.

And therefore

they say these

words that the

other gospel

writers don't

like very much.

Don't you

care for us?

Well, that's

typical of all

of us, isn't it?

Every one of us

has said in

moments of despair

or difficult,

Lord, don't you

care?

And not Jesus

says, has your

faith run out

already?

Don't you care

even though I

seem to be asleep?

And that's often

the case, isn't it?

When these crises

happen in our

life and we

cry out to God,

it seems as though

the heavens are

brass and the

Jesus is asleep.

And they don't

trust him.

And they're

frightened.

And we're

frightened too.

The lesson

today for the

children is a

lesson for all

of us.

It is receiving

Christ, but it's

more than that.

It's resting in

him.

Well, we mustn't

be surprised.

These were

experienced fishermen.

And they knew

all about storms

and squalls and

forced ten winds

and all the rest

of it.

And they knew

that they were

dying and

perishing.

And therefore

they cry out,

don't you care?

And so do we.

And we receive

the rebuke.

Why are you

afraid?

Are you still

really unbelieving?

And that's the

message, isn't it,

of chapter 5,

verse 36.

Your daughter

stayed.

Why trouble the

teacher any

further?

It's quite

useless.

But overhearing

what they

said, Jesus

said to the

ruler of the

synagogue, do

not fear,

only believe.

Our precious

and gracious

God is saying

that to us

daily, isn't

he?

Don't be

afraid, only

believe.

And we

need that so

much because

we're so

afraid.

So, my

dear Christian

friends, this

evening, it's a

very simple

message we have,

isn't it?

The message the

children received

in the trials

that we

experience in

this present

age.

We can't opt

out any more

than the pagan

can opt out.

We're all in it

together.

But, as

believers, we

have understanding,

we have a

task to do,

and we have a

faith that should

sustain us

until the

Lord returns.

And then, if

you know, in the

book of

Revelation, there

will be no

more sea.

I always love

that symbolism,

because sea in

the Bible is

the symbol of

primal chaos and

the trials of

the righteous.

And there

will be no

more.

And there

will be no

more Satan

because he

will be thrown

into the

lake of fire

with the

beast and

the false

prophet.

And best

of all, no

more sickness

and death,

no more

mourning, no

more crying

or pain.

The old

order passed

away.

What a

prospect,

isn't it?

We don't

have it now,

but we do

have understanding,

we do have a

work to do,

and we do

have saving

faith in which

we can rest.

Amen.

God bless you.

Let's pray.