When Jesus Says 'Peace, Be Still' — God Still Commands the Storms

The title of my message is this, God Still Commands the Storms.

God Still Commands the Storms. And as we enter the storm season in the natural,

you know, the lightning, the thunder, the hail, the wind.

There was a bit of a storm last night, I think, wasn't there?

There was some fairly good rain last night.

But have you noticed that storms actually don't ask permission before they come?

They don't knock politely on your door saying, Storm's on its way,

batten down the hatches. They burst in.

They howl. They shake. And they terrify, don't they? They're storms.

But storms don't always come with thunder and lightning and hail and wind, do they?

Sometimes they come in the form of anxiety.

Sometimes they come in the form of stress.

Sometimes they come as uncertainty, and sometimes they come as silent battles in your mind.

Who's ever experienced those sort of storms before?

Some storms can start with a phone call. Who's had a phone call that started a storm in your life?

Sometimes they can come with a diagnosis.

Storms come with a diagnosis.

Sometimes they come as a betrayal. A storm can start in your life because you've been betrayed.

Some with disappointment so deep that you feel as though the ground has been

pulled out from under your feet. These are the storms that happen in our lives, aren't they?

But I came with good news for you this morning in relation to our storms.

Storms never surprise Jesus. They never surprise Jesus.

The waves might surprise you. The diagnosis might surprise you.

The financial pressure of a storm perhaps might surprise you.

The betrayal might surprise you. but the storm never catches Jesus off guard. Amen?

And not only that, Jesus not only sees the storms, but he speaks to the storm.

Jesus speaks to the storms. And this is the really good bit.

When Jesus speaks to the storms, you know what the storms do? They listen.

They listen. When Jesus speaks to the storms, the storms listen.

Now, I want to read from the book of Habakkuk. Say Habakkuk.

Who knows a little bit about the book of Habakkuk? Who knows something about the prophet Habakkuk?

Okay, let me give you a little bit of background about this tarot of Habakkuk.

I hope my grandson's name is not Habakkuk. It's a.

It's a good name, isn't it? Habakkuk. Okay, so Habakkuk was a prophet of Judah from around 600 BC.

Okay? Bit of background. He was known, Habakkuk was known for having an honest dialogue with God.

Okay? He was known for wrestling over injustice.

Who likes to wrestle over injustice?

Kelly? Yep. injustice.

He loved to, and he did wrestle over injustice.

Habakkuk had a prophetic vision of Babylon's coming judgment and his powerful declaration of faith.

Habakkuk had a powerful declaration of faith.

He lived during one of the most turbulent periods in Israel's history, Habakkuk did.

Habakkuk is a book that teaches believers how to trust God, even when we cannot understand his way.

That's Habakkuk. What an awesome guy Habakkuk must have been.

So let's read from Habakkuk this morning. I want to read from Habakkuk 3 verses 8 to 10.

Habakkuk 3:8–10

And it's actually Habakkuk's memory of God's path deliverance.

So Habakkuk 3 verses 8 to 10. And then I hope I can stops tying abacus.

Habakkuk 3:8–10

Verse 8, was it anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers and parted the seas?

Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation.

You brandished your bow and your quiver of arrows. You split open the earth with blowing rivers.

The mountains watched and trembled.

Onward swept the raging waters. The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands

in submission. So verse 8 asks whether God struck the rivers and the seas in anger.

But the prophet actually answers his own question there. He said,

no, his actions were actually for salvation.

They were for salvation. Habakkuk says, Lord, this wasn't random rage.

You were directing history towards salvation.

Habakkuk sees God not as

a distant spectator But as a God who

rides into battle for his people God

rides into battle for his people God's intervention

in scripture is what Habakkuk was referring to He was referring to the crossing

or the parting of the Red Sea He was talking about crossing the Jordan River

into the promised land And they were demonstrations of God's authority over chaos.

Habakkuk isn't talking about a small God either.

He's talking about a God so powerful that we, as we just read,

God is so powerful that the mountains tremble.

That the seas respond, and that chaos lifts its hands.

When God shows up, creation doesn't argue.

Creation responds when God shows up.

So the ancient world, when we talk about seas and ocean, the ancient world actually

viewed seas and oceans as symbols of evil and danger and uncontrollable power.

Yet scripture repeatedly shows

God taming those waters okay read

and let's read Psalms and Psalm talks about that

Psalm 93 verse 3 and 4 says

Psalms 93:3

the floods have risen up O Lord the floods have roared like thunder the floods

have lifted their pounding waves but mightier than the violent raging of the

seas mightier than the breakers on the shore the Lord above is mightier than thee.

God talks to the storms. The psalmist is not just giving us comfort there either.

He's declaring a spiritual reality.

God is sovereign over whatever overwhelmed us.

God is sovereign over whatever overwhelms us.

Habakkuk not only saw chaos, that God was moving chariots of salvation.

So too in your life. We've spoken about storms.

The storm you fear may actually be the very vehicle that God uses to deliver you.

Now, imagine this with me, a tapestry. Any people done any tapestry here yet?

Have a listen to this. A man once visited a weaver creating a beautiful tapestry.

From beneath the tapestry, all he could see were tangled threads.

No pattern, no meaning. But when the weaver turned the tapestry around,

the man gasped at the beauty.

Something like this. Have a look at that first picture. That could be the back

of a tapestry, okay? Look familiar to you people who have done tapestry before.

Next, Toto. That's the front.

Go back to that first one, Josh. That's underneath.

That's on top. Okay? When life looks like chaos from above or from below,

when our life looks like chaos from below, God sees the completed masterpiece from above.

God looks at us from above. When you face storms in your life,

when there's storms impacting your life, don't assume that God's punishing you

for anything because he's not. Okay?

Don't believe the lie that God's forgotten you either.

Remember, God's purposes are bigger than your perception.

Let's read another story of a storm. Mark 4.

I had to read from Mark 4, didn't I? Since we didn't read from Mark 4 on Wednesday night.

But Mark 4, verses 35 to 41.

Mark 4:35–41

Angela's already referred to it as a storm.

As evening came, Jesus said to the disciples, let's cross to the other side of the lake.

So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind,

although other boats followed.

But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat and

it began to fill with water.

Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.

The disciples woke him up shouting, Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Silence, be still.

Suddenly the wind stopped and there was a great calm.

Then he asked them, why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?

The disciples were absolutely terrified.

Who is this man, they asked each other. Even the wind and the waves obey him.

Now, this was no ordinary storm on the lake that day either.

The original Greek describes it as a whirlwind, a tempest, a violent atmospheric disturbance.

It wasn't just a storm, like a Saturday afternoon summer storm coming in.

It was a violent atmospheric disturbance.

Fishermen who had grown up on the lake were petrified. Yet, Jesus slept.

Get your head around that. Jesus was asleep.

Jesus was asleep for this reason, because he didn't care about the storm.

He was asleep because he wasn't afraid.

He wasn't stressed. He wasn't nervous. He wasn't pacing around the boat.

Why? Because the Prince of Peace was present.

Panic was unnecessary. When the

Prince of Peace is present and is in your life, panic is not necessary.

The disciples ran to Jesus, shaking him, panicking, crying out,

Teacher, don't you even care that we're about to drown?

And I want you to see this.

Jesus' presence on the boat that day was the guarantee that they wouldn't sink.

Jesus' presence there that day on the lake during that violent storm was guaranteed

that they wouldn't sing.

And when Jesus woke up, what did Jesus do? He rebuked the storm.

That word rebuke is the same word used when Jesus rebuked demons.

It was an atmospheric disturbance. It was a spiritual disturbance that Jesus rebuked.

Jesus treats the storm as an intruder trespassing against the will of God.

Jesus stood up. He didn't scream.

He didn't panic. He didn't beg. He simply spoke silence.

Be still. Instantly, the wind stopped.

Instantly, the waves flattened and the chaos bowed before Jesus.

The storm wasn't impressed by the disciples' fear, but it responded to Jesus'

authority. Did you hear that?

The storm didn't care about the disciples' fear.

It immediately responded to Jesus' authority.

This is divine authority. Psalm 107, verse 29 says, He calmed the storm to a

Psalms 107:29

whisper and stilled the waves.

So that was the Psalms. That was before Jesus even came here.

So I was talking about God. The Psalm describes what God did, and then Jesus did it.

The Psalm describes what God did, and then Jesus does it.

Jesus is doing what only God can do. This moment is a declaration of divinity from Jesus.

Still and be silent because I am God.

Then Jesus turned to them and said, why are you afraid?

Do you still have no faith? Notice he rebuked the storm and then he rebuked their fear.

He rebuked the disciples' fear. Fear magnifies the storm, while faith magnifies the Savior.

Sometimes the storm outside isn't even the worst storm either.

Sometimes the real storm is inside our minds.

We need to rebuke that. Jesus may not always calm the storm around you,

but he will always calm the storm within you if you let him.

We need to trust him. Not because you understand the storm, but because Jesus

commands the storms. He commanded it.

Isaiah 43 and verse 2 says, when you go through deep waters, I will be with you.

When you go through the storm, I will be with you.

God doesn't promise life without storms, does he, Carolyn?

You spoke about it during communion. He doesn't promise a life without storm.

The storms but what he does promise is his presence in the midst of them.

You know what? Your storm may actually be a platform for a testimony God will

use. Isn't that right, Dorothy?

Yes. Your struggle may become someone else's survival guide.

Your trial may be the stage for Christ to reveal his glory.

Stop asking, Lord, why this storm?

And start asking, Lord, what are you teaching me through this storm?

What are you teaching me?

The same Jesus who said, peace, be still, later actually said to his disciples,

you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

That means the same spirit, the very same spirit that calmed the storms on the

lake that day, now lives in you.

Now lives in you. You were filled to carry his authority, to speak into storms,

to stand in chaos, and hold peace in pressure.

We're called to do that and we have what it takes to do that.

So some of you today here and some of you listening in and some of you not here

today are in some real storms.

Not metaphorical, not imaginary, real storms.

Things like financial storms, marriage storms, health storms, mental storms.

And faith storms. You're praying. You're fasting. You're believing.

And sometimes it just feels like Jesus is still asleep during that thought.

But I came to tell you this. If Jesus is in your boat, it will not sink. You will not sink.

If he's in your boat, your storm is not your burial.

If he's in your boat, it's becoming your testimony this morning.

The disciples thought the storm was their end, but it became their revelation. Who is this man?

They feared the storm. Then they realized, who is this?

Who is this man? And even the wind and the waves obey him.

It was a journey for them. God, come on up for me.

What I would like everyone to do right now with me is stand.

Come on, let's stand. Because I sense the Holy Spirit moving in this place right now.

If you can, lift your hands with me. Holy Spirit is present here this morning.

I sense the Holy Spirit moving. We're not just talking about peace this morning.

We're not just talking about calming the storms this morning.

We're talking about releasing peace into those storms.

If you're in a storm, speak this with me. Peace, be still.

Say it again. Peace, be still. Peace, be still.

You have God's authority inside of you. You have the Holy Spirit inside of you.

Just as Jesus said to the waves and the wind and the storm, peace be still,

so too can we say to our storms, the storms that we are experiencing, peace be still.

Say it again, peace be still.

Now let me pray. Jesus, you're still the God who speaks to the storms.

You're still the God who speaks peace into chaos.

You are still the God who commands the storms.

Right now, speak to every storm in this room.

Calm every anxious and anxious mind. Heal broken bodies this morning.

Restore weary hearts this morning. Silence fear this morning, Lord God.

Break heaviness in Jesus' name this morning.

And let peace fall like a river in this place and into the rooms of wherever

you're listening this morning.

Let peace fall into that room this morning and into this room in Jesus' name.

Storms may rage, but Jesus still rules. And when he speaks, Everything listens.

He is still the God who commands the storm.

Trust God's plan, even when you don't know it fully this morning.

Here's a prayer for you. Don't pray for smaller storms.

Pray for stronger faith. Pray for stronger faith.

Tell somebody about the Saviour who commands the winds and the waves.

Choose obedience, even when it costs.

Worship God in the storms because he is worthy. Because he is worthy.

Hallelujah. And if you've never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ,

you're still in one of the greatest storms, the storm of sin.

But today, right now, Jesus stands before you ready to save.

Repent of your sins. Turn to Him and trust Him as Lord and Saviour. He will forgive you.

He will rescue you. He will cleanse you and He will give you eternal life.

If you call out to Him and say, Lord Jesus, save me.

I believe you died for me, that you rose again for me, and I surrender to you.

He will calm the storms in your soul. Hallelujah.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Jesus. He's speaking to storms right now.

He's speaking to chaos right now.

He's speaking to fear, anxiety.

He's speaking to depression right now in Jesus' name.

Not just in Jesus' name. Jesus is speaking to it right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Lord, I pray this week that every person here may walk this week

in confidence that the God who rides upon the waters of Habakkuk,

is the same God who calms the waves in Mark.

And he's the same God who will walk with us today. He's the same God.

So go in peace this morning, church. Go in peace.

Go in peace and command the storms around you to silence and be still.

Go in his strength. Go in his peace.

Go and trust the God who still commands the storms. Thank you, Lord.

Touch every person here this morning, Lord, with that peace that passes all understanding.

Speak to the storms in our lives, Lord God.

Rise up. And I'm talking, Jesus will do this, but I'm talking to everyone here as well.

Rise up and speak to your storms.

Get behind me, storm.

Submit to me, storm. I have the authority of Jesus Christ and I'm speaking to

you right now. This is how we need to speak.

I'm speaking to you right now. Peace. Be still.

In Jesus' name, in Jesus' name, hallelujah.

And everyone said, amen. Believe it. Go into this week and believe it.

Go into this week and command your storms to be silent. Hallelujah.

Amen. Amen.