Faith in the Storm - Trusting the Object of our Faith - Mark 4:35-41

You're listening to the Christ Our Cornerstone

podcast, a ministry of Christ Our Cornerstone

Church in O 'Neill, Nebraska. I'm Pastor Logan

Merrick, and it's our prayer that this message

strengthens your faith and draws you closer to

Christ. Let's dive in. All right. Good morning.

It's it's late. I apologize. We rolled in late.

So we're going to just rock and roll. If this

is your first time here. Welcome. My name is

Pastor Logan. I get the great opportunity to

pastor this congregation. And we have been walking

through the Book of Mark. And now we get to a

spot in Mark where we're pretty familiar with

the story. If you want to turn to Mark, Chapter

four and start in verse thirty five, we've got

Bibles in the back. Would love for you to turn

there. If you're unfamiliar with the scriptures,

we have two testaments in the Old Testament and

the New Testament. And Mark. is in the New Testament,

and the New Testament is kind of towards the

back. There's no shame in looking in the table

of contents either. But if you're don't want

to do that, we will have it right up here. But

the title of my sermon this morning is Faith

in the Storm, Trusting the Object of our Faith.

And the big idea that I'm going to kind of drive

home this morning is this. In the storms of life,

it is not our faith's strength but the strength

of Christ in whom we place our trust that sustains

us. Now, this morning I have to just kind of

put some stuff out there to you guys, okay? It's

going to be a little bit of a gut punch to some

of you and I understand. But I have a confession

to make and that confession is this, I'm a sinner.

and I'm unfortunately not perfect. I know that

surprises many of you guys, especially my wife

and my children. They're shocked to hear that

confession come from my mouth. But there are

many times when I will stand here in the pulpit

and I will preach something and I will say to

you, hey, this is what we need to do and this

is who we are as believers and yada, yada, yada.

Having faith in Christ and clinging to Christ

and all those things are true. The problem is

that life hits me too and by the time we pull

in the driveway back at our house, I can't even

live out the thing I just preached three hours

ago. Can anybody else identify with that? Like

you hit the driveway and you're like, man, I've

already been reminded that I'm a center. But

this past Thursday night was Tracy and I's anniversary.

Now I'm going to paint this picture for you guys

because I really did it up. OK. Micah had a baseball

game, his first baseball game. So so it was late

before we could go to dinner. And I was kind

of in a grumpy mood and. I load my wife up for

a posh date, okay, to the Wendy's, all right?

We pull in, but we don't even go inside because

I want to really set the mood as a husband that

has been married for 21 years. So we go through

the drive -through and then I pull into the Hy

-Vee parking lot next door. And as that parking

lot light glow just really illuminates my beautiful

wife's face, And I dig into chicken nuggets and

a burger. We're having this conversation. And

my wife just has to like kind of give me a spiritual

punch in the face because I'm like spinning out

because I'm like worrying about life. And so

I was asking things like, what are we going to

do with Noah? Like, like, what's he going to

do with his life? And then I'm like, will we

have enough money for this or that by next year?

But if my kid is my gonna be able to keep playing

sports next year like that Yeah, you know thinking

all these things why and this is another one.

Why are boys interested in my daughter This this

is making me angry Well, we have enough money

for retirement and then I'm like I'm praying

that Eli grows up and is a millionaire to take

care of us and in our time like is that gonna

happen, you know, and And I seriously would say

these things but like I'm saying in tongue -in

-cheek, of course But like when I say I was a

total downer on our anniversary date, I was a

total downer. And if you have ever had a conversation

with my wife, she is very good at the way I put

it is she she's really good at just being saying

the thing, but saying it very gracious. And the

way I always put it is she has a really good

way of telling you that your that your baby's

ugly and you thank her for it. You know what

I mean? And so in her very loving and direct

and gracious way, she says this, and I believe

I have this up here, Micah, if you want to pull

this up. So if you guys would, you can write

this down. But it is easy to preach about faith.

It is easy to talk about trusting God and resting

in his will. It is much harder to actually live

it out. Amen. And so it's easy when things are

easy. When money is good, when the kids are healthy,

when the house isn't falling apart, when work

is going well, but when sickness comes, when

jobs are lost, and when money gets tight, it

becomes very easy to start asking a very different

question. That question is this. Where are you?

Where are you, God? Don't you care that I'm drowning?

Has anybody asked that question before? Me too.

Some of us have asked that question with tears

running down our face, feeling completely alone.

Others of us have asked it quietly, keeping it

to ourselves and not wanting anyone to know that

we're struggling, but either way, we've all been

there. And this morning, we're actually gonna

look at that passage where the disciples ask

the same exact question. So let's go ahead and

read that text now, if you will. So starting

in verse 35. On that day, when evening had come,

he said to them, let us go across to the other

side. And leaving the crowd, they took him and

with them in the boat, just as he was. And the

other boats were with him. Now, I want you to

kind of highlight that portion. And the other

boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose

and the waves were breaking into the boat. so

that the boat was already filling. But he was

in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they

woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not

care we are perishing? And he awoke and rebuked

the wind. And he said to the sea, Peace, be still.

And the wind ceased. And there was a great calm.

And he said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have

you still no faith? And they were filled with

great fear and said to one another, Who then

is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Now, this isn't in my notes, so generic, you

just have to follow along with me for a second.

We walked through the book of Jonah, right? What

did we say the sea represents in the scriptures?

You guys remember? It's all right, it's been

a while. But the sea represents chaos, right?

And so if you can think about this, the Sea of

Galilee, there is Mount Hermon is a very large

mountain and the wind will come down off that

mountain and onto the Sea of Galilee and it will

create some pretty chaotic wind storms. Now,

we know that many of the disciples were fishermen.

They were used to being on the Sea of Galilee

when there's crazy wind storms, right? So this

had to be something that was completely and utterly

crazy. for them to be freaking out. And so as

we dive into this, we're going to look at point

number one. If you're taking notes, setting sail

into storms, notice that it's Jesus that says,

let us go across to the other side. So I don't

want you to miss that. This was not the disciples

idea. This was not poor planning. This was not

bad luck. This was Jesus who said, let's go.

Get in the boat boys Which means Jesus knowingly

led them into a storm Which can kind of mess

with us just a little bit You can be like well

hold on pastor Logan like wasn't Jesus fully

man. Yes, and he was still fully God Okay Also,

if you know where they're going next This is

when we're gonna get into this next week, but

they go and he goes to Legion the demoniac man

who lives in in the cemetery. So Jesus knows

what he's going to do, what's on the other side.

And do you think that the enemy is like just

gonna let that happen? No. And so this can kind

of mess with us that Jesus is the one that leads

them into the storm. And we think, though, in

our minds, if we're following Jesus, if we're

with Jesus in the boat, if we're walking along

Jesus with Jesus, if we're in His will, then

life should be smooth, right? It should be that

way, right? Am I wrong? Yeah, well, I mean, we

all, we, okay, theologically, we know the right

answer, but let's be honest with ourselves. We

want smooth. We don't want rough, right? And

so we believe that obedience leads to comfort.

But here, obedience leads straight into chaos.

They get into the boat, they start crossing the

sea, and out of nowhere, a great windstorm arises.

The waves are crashing into the boat, into the

point where it's filling with water. As I said,

these are seasoned fishermen, so this is terrifying,

obviously. Tracy and I, we went on our honeymoon

and we took a cruise. Have any of you guys ever

been on a cruise? Okay. Have any of you guys

ever been on a cruise when a hurricane is coming

through the waters? Tracy and I have. It's one

thing to, as a Floridian, live out a hurricane

on land. It's a whole other thing to be in a

gigantic boat and you're literally walking to

dinner like this. Weren't we, babe? And we couldn't

even eat because we were so sick. And so I'm

like, OK, I was on a huge ship and it's getting

moved like that. These dudes were on a fishing

boat. I can see why it's pretty terrifying. So

here's where we need to pause and make a connection.

Storms in this passage are not just about weather,

they represent unexpected trials, fears and pressures

that hit us in life. And notice when it happens,

write this down. Storms hit us. It happens while

they're with Jesus. It happens while we are obeying

Jesus. And it happens while we are going exactly

where Jesus tells us to go. My dear friend and

mentor, his name is Robert Beckman. He said this

to me when As soon as I answered the call to

go into ministry, he said, Logan, don't be surprised

that when you've heard God tell you where to

go and what to do, don't be surprised once you've

decided like you've heard God, you're moving

in a direction and he's even confirmed it. Don't

be surprised when a storm comes. Don't be surprised

when doubt creeps in. It happens. And he's right.

Every time we've ever trusted God for something

and he knew he was, we knew he was calling us

somewhere, a storm always kicked up and now always

crept in. For example, I've told you guys a little

bit about how we came here to Nebraska and we're

driving down the road. Tracy and I both just

randomly start talking about as we're going to

Arkansas about. We feel like God's getting ready

to move us from St. Joe. And we couldn't believe

it. So then we grab each other's hands. We just

start praying. And my wife prays a very simple

prayer. Lord, we just say, yes, whatever it is,

we say yes to it. We pray that it's it's to stay

where we are. But we just will say we're saying

yes to it. That night, we finally get to Arkansas,

a pastor who I know don't know really well says,

hey, after we're done with this, I want to talk

to you. He says, hey, so check this out. Our

association has been praying for the state of

Nebraska. We've been praying for a church planter

and every time we pray, God just shows your face

to me. Would you consider going to Nebraska to

plant a church? A week later, we find ourselves

here in Nebraska. It is a terrible ice storm

in Lincoln. Nobody is out but us. And they're

doing a church planter's assessment. and you

have to stand up and give a vision for a church

plant and Micah at this time as a baby and I

stand up to give this vision of a church plant

and then all of a sudden Micah just pukes all

over my wife and she's like holding it you know

in her hands and she's like get me a paper towel

now. I'm like I'm kind of busy. That's how it

happened. And then you told me to give. That's

not how I remember it, but that's not how I remember

it. If you're watching online, just know my story.

So anyway, I will never forget. It's it's an

ice storm. Like everything is just going terribly.

And we're driving home and I'm like white knuckling

it because like there's nobody on the roads and

you're not supposed to be on the roads. We're

trying to drive the two and a half hours back

to St. Joe, and I'm like, no way, God's not calling

us here, there's no way. And I'll never forget

my wife saying to me, why wouldn't he be? Like,

pretty crazy things have gotten us here. Just

because it's hard right now, you think that that's

not God? It's not, you don't just sign up for

easy things, right? And she was right. There's

a quick little literal ice storm and I all of

a sudden start doubting God. And so we need to

kill the lie that says, if I follow Jesus, my

life will be easy because this is not the gospel.

The health and wealth message that says, if you

have enough faith, you will always be healthy

and always be rich is not just wrong. It is a

complete twisting of scripture. And if that were

true, then God owes an apology to all of the

apostles and especially Paul. But following Jesus

is not the end of difficulty, it is the beginning

of a whole new journey. In fact, many times when

you say yes to Jesus, you're stepping out into

the wildest ride of your life. It's like the

way I tell people, it's like a roller coaster.

There's a lot of twists and turns, there's a

lot of highs and lows. There are moments where

you're shouting with joy and there are moments

where you're just gripping tight wondering if

you're gonna make it through. That was my wife

when she rode this roller coaster with Eli a

couple years ago. There are moments where you

want to throw your hands up and enjoy the ride

and there are moments where you're just screaming,

stop and let me get off. Yeah? That happened

to me actually when I was 10, we went to the

county fair with my cousins. And there's this

thing called the Gravitron. You guys ever seen

that before? One person, great, fantastic. Well,

let me explain the Gravitron to you real fast.

You get into this container and it's got these

mats against the wall like this. And can you

guess what it does? It goes up in the air and

then it turns sideways and it's going really,

really fast like this all the way around. And

my cousins and I looked at that and we were like,

man, that looks like a lot of fun. Until you're

literally upside down in this metal container

and I remember screaming, let me get home, please.

I mean, that ride literally broke me, like from

running to rides ever again. But it looked fun,

but was in fact, it was super terrifying. And

that is what the calling of God is like. Love

the stories of missionaries, preachers and big

faith stories, but nobody focuses on the parts

that can break you. We love the highlights, but

don't want to sign up for the low lights. But

here's what we cannot miss. The same Jesus who

said, let's go to the other side is in the boat

with them. They're not alone in the storm. And

that changes everything because it's in the crossing.

It's in the middle of the storm that we have

to remember that we have a savior in the boat

with us. And that leads me to the next point.

Write this down. We have a sleeping Savior's

assurance. So in verse 38, it says that the storm

is raging and the boat is filling with water

and the disciples are panicking. And where is

Jesus? Asleep. Where is he asleep? Come on, you

guys. Where is he asleep? In the stern of the

boat, right? He's asleep on a cushion. Does that

sound familiar? Go ahead, say it louder. Jonah,

right? But what do we say that Jesus was? What

does Jesus declare himself? We walked through

the book of Jonah. You guys know this answer.

He is the better Jonah, right? So the wind is

howling. The waves are crashing and water is

coming into the boat and the disciples are thinking

to themselves that they're about to die and Jesus

is asleep. And at first glance, it almost feels

a little confusing, maybe even frustrating because

if we're honest, that's exactly how we feel in

our own lives. The storm is loud, the pressure

gets real and the fear in us begin to rise and

it feels like Jesus is silent. It feels like

he's not doing anything and it feels like he's

just asleep at the wheel. But what looks like

indifference is actually something very different.

It's the perfect peace of God. You see, Jesus

is not asleep because he doesn't care. He's asleep

because he knows. He knows the end from the beginning.

He knows the storm does not have a final say.

He knows that they are going to the other side

because he has something that's got to be done.

So this is not a perfect picture, or this is

not a picture of weakness. This is a picture

of complete trust in the Father's will. And this

is where we connect what we saw in the book of

Jonah, because this should automatically, if

you're like, okay, yeah, but Jonah came into

a storm because he was not in God's will. How

in the world could he have a storm? Can Jesus

and the disciples be in a storm if they are in

God's will? Pastor Logan, help me out here. And

so we have, Jonah is asleep for the reason, but

the reason Jonah is asleep and the reason Jesus

is asleep could not be more different. Write

this down. Jonah is running from the will of

God. Jesus is perfectly walking in the will of

God. Jonah is asleep in disobedience. Jesus is

asleep in obedience. Jonah is hiding from God

and Jesus is resting in God. And remember Jesus

himself said that he is the greater Jonah. So

when we see him asleep in the storm, this is

not avoidance. This is not indifference. This

is confidence in the father. And it all shows

us his humanity. Why does it show us his humanity?

Because he's asleep, he's tired. He's been ministering,

he's been teaching, he's been pouring himself

out and he's resting. And it's funny because

he is not caught unaware of a storm and he's

like, I'm still resting in the father's will

though the storm would rage. And we talked a

few weeks ago about rest is not a lack of faith,

right? We talked about the importance of rest.

Rest is often an expression of faith. Jesus is

resting in the sovereignty of the Father while

chaos is happening all around him. Meanwhile,

the disciples are doing the exact opposite. They

are consumed by what they see. They are focused

on the wind, they are focused on the waves, and

they focused on the water that is filling the

boat. And the more they focus on the storm, the

more their fear grows. Isn't that exactly what

we do? My wife told me this one time because

when I'm anxious and I'm fearful, I will rant

a lot. Does anybody else rant when you get mad?

For women, psychologically and emotionally, that's

actually therapeutic for them. To get that out

for men, it actually does the exact opposite.

I didn't know that. So when a man, when I, I

tend to focus on all the things that are going

on around me instead of focusing on the Father,

and so the more I focus on the things around

me, the more God diminishes in my sight and in

my spirit, and the more the things around me

and my fear begin to grow. Does that make sense?

And so that's what the disciples are doing. When

the storm hits, our attention locks onto the

problem. We lock into the diagnosis. We lock

into our bank account not having enough money.

We lock into the situation at work or the tensions

in our home. And the more we lock into them,

the bigger the storm looks and the smaller our

faith feels. So what do they do? What do the

disciples do? But they run to Jesus. They wake

him up. with a question that reveals everything

that's going on in their hearts. Teacher, do

you not care that we are perishing? And that's

not just a question, that's actually an accusation.

Do you not care? And if we're honest, we've asked

that same question, maybe not out loud, maybe

not in those exact words, but in our hearts,

we've thought it. God, do you see this? Do you

care what I'm going through? Are you going to

do anything about it? And here's what's so important

for us to see. Their problem was not that they

went to Jesus. Their problem was that what they

believed about Him when they got there. Did you

hear me? The problem was not that they went to

Jesus. That's the good part. The problem is is

what they were thinking about Him when they went.

So they were in the boat with the Son of God

and still thought that they were going to die.

Why? because they were measuring their situation

by the storm instead of measuring the storm by

their Savior. I want you to write that down.

I don't have it up here, but that's important

that you hear that. They were measuring their

situation by the storm instead of measuring the

storm by their Savior. And that's the shift that

this passage is calling us to make. not to pretend

that storms aren't real, not to act like things

don't hurt, but to fix our eyes on Christ in

the middle of it. Because the same Jesus who

is resting in the boat is the one who has authority

over everything that is happening around you.

If he is at peace, you should be too. Not because

the storm is small, but because our Savior is

great. That brings us to the next point. And

the last point, silencing the storm. So it says,

Jesus gets up and he rebukes the wind and he

says to the wind, peace, be still. Now I don't

want you to rush past that part because here's

what you need to hear. Because this is what,

Jesus is not just like calming weather, okay?

If you can focus in for just one second, I want

you to hear this because this is important. Jesus

is actually flexing his muscle. He's exercising

authority. And Mark is doing something very intentional

in the scriptures right here. Because who is

Mark writing to? I want to, who is Mark writing

to? Huh? The Gentiles in the church of? Rome.

And in the Roman world, In the Gentile culture,

they were surrounded by what? A pantheon of gods,

right? They worshiped a pantheon of gods. Maybe

you've heard of some, Zeus, Hercules, Diana.

There's literal hundreds of them. And what are

these gods supposed to rule over? Nature, storms,

war, fertility, chaos. In other words, the very

thing that this storm represents. So when Mark

tells us that Jesus stands up in the middle of

the storm and speaks to it, he's making a bold

claim. Jesus is not one God among many. He is

not competing with nature, he commands it. And

here he is and what he says, he says, peace be

still. And here's what's funny, the actual translation.

It's not really peace be still you want to know

what it is shut up and be muzzled Keith Probably

shouldn't say that to Vicky man He gave me a

thumbs up right that's pretty that's pretty hardcore

right peace and or shut up and be muzzled It

carries this sort of force. It's showing who

Jesus is. And immediately the wind stops. Immediately

the storm stops. Not gradually, not over time,

but it immediately stops. And Mark says there

was a great storm. The water was so calm that

the stillness was like glass. If you've ever

been on a lake when it's completely still and

you look over and you can see your reflection,

that's what it's like. Creation itself just froze

in submission to Jesus. And so I want you to

think about that. If you have ever been on a

lake or an ocean and there's been a storm, it

takes a while for those waves, even when the

storm has stopped, it takes a while for those

waves to stop really crashing in pretty hard.

But here it says it just goes completely still.

So write this down. Here creation obeys instantly

because creation recognizes its creator. And

this is the point Mark is driving home. Jesus

is not merely powerful in word or teaching. He

is Lord over reality itself, which is why Jesus

turns to his disciples and says, why are you

so afraid? Have you still no faith? Here's something

about that. This is probably the most important

part of the entire thing that I'm preaching this

morning. So just give me give me two seconds

here Jesus isn't saying to them because how many

of you have ever heard someone say if you just

had enough faith Okay, if you just had enough

faith if you had more faith that person would

be healed or they wouldn't have died Brothers

sisters, I want to I'm gonna tell you this That's

not the gospel. That's putting faith on you.

Pastor Logan, what are you talking about? Aren't

I supposed to have faith? Yes, but focus in right

here. This isn't about the faith that the disciples

have in themselves, okay? The question is not

simply, do you have faith in general? The question

is this, focus in. Where is your faith placed?

Is your faith in something else or is it in me?

And that is the real issue in the storm because

Jesus is exposing that their fear is not just

about the waves, it's about misplaced trust.

Let me put it to you like this. If you're falling

off of a cliff and there's a branch coming out

of that cliff, you grab onto that branch. Is

your faith in yourself and your ability to hang

on or is your faith being placed in the thing

that is connected to the mountain and you're

going, I just hope this thing hangs on. It's

in the branch, right? You're putting as much

faith as you can in that branch to hang on and

to keep you from falling. And so your safety

doesn't depend on how strongly and what you believe.

It depends on the strength of what you're holding

onto. Write this down. So your faith is only

as secure as its object. And that is exactly

what Jesus is teaching them. The branch is not

your feelings, the branch is not your circumstances,

and the branch is not your ability to fix things.

The branch is Christ himself. He is the one who

holds all things together. So when he says to

the disciples, where is your faith? He's saying,

Is it in your ability to control the storm? Is

it in your ability to solve the problem? Is it

in your ability to make sense of what's happening

or is it in the one who stands in the middle

of chaos and says to it, shut up and be still?

Because I promise you this, the same God who

commands the wind and the waves is not distant

from you in your storm. He is actually in it

and he's ever present with you in it. And the

question is not whether he is powerful enough

to save, the question is whether your faith is

actually resting in him. Not the strength of

your faith, hear that, but the strength of the

one you are trusting. And that is the real place,

and that is where real peace is found. And I'm

closing here. I wanna close with a true story

here. In 1947, a young man named John Payton,

actually it's his son, I'm gonna bring this forward.

There was a missionary named John Payton, John

G. Payton, who served in the South Pacific among

people who were known for violence and constant

warfare between tribes. One night while translating

scripture and trying to reach a village that

had never heard the gospel, he and his family

were forced to flee to a small hut for safety

as a group of hostile villagers surrounded them.

Outside the hut, they could hear shouting, footsteps,

and what sounded like preparations for an attack.

His wife, being terrified, says to him, we're

going to be killed tonight. They're going to

burn this whole place to the ground. She begins

to hold her children close, and John Payton said

something that she didn't expect. He told her

to sit down, and he said, we are safe in this

hut tonight. because we are doing the work of

the Lord. And if God allows them to break through,

then we will be with Jesus sooner than we expected.

And then he did something even more striking.

He went to the door of the hut and he knelt down

and he began to pray. Not panic, not run, not

strategize, he prayed. And as he prayed, his

wife said something. happened inside that hut

that she could never explain. She said the fear

that she had had just completely gone away. And

it was not just that it went away, but it was

replaced by the strange sense of peace. And after

some time, the noises outside faded. The attack

never came. The next morning, they found out

something remarkable. The villagers had left

during the night without explanation. Years later,

when Peyton reflected on that moment, he said

this. in his writings, he said, we were never

in greater safety than we were in the danger,

than we were in danger because we were in the

center of God's will. And here's why I share

this with you, because the safety of the moment

was not in the hut. The hut wasn't the thing

that they were placing their faith in. It was

not in the silence outside. It was not in their

ability to defend themselves. It was in the presence

of God. And that is exactly what we see in the

Gospel of Mark chapter four. The disciples thought

safety meant calm water, and Jesus showed them

that safety is not the absence of storms, it's

His presence in the storm. And so the question

for us today is, will storms, is not will storms

come? But the question is, when they come, where

is my faith? Because if your faith is anything

other than Christ, the storm will always feel

overwhelming. But if your faith is in Him, then

even in the middle of chaos, you are not alone

and you're not sinking, you are being held. So

again, it's not about if you had enough faith.

The whole thing comes down to if your faith is

secure and the thing that holds and puts together

and calms storms and holds all of creation together,

I assure you, you'll be okay. Well, Pastor Logan,

what if I die? Then guess what? That's the best

news for you. That sounds very dark. No, it's

not. This is merely just a blip on the radar

screen. Pastor Logan, aren't you afraid to die?

Yes, I am. I'm afraid of the pain of it, but

I'm not afraid of what's on the other side waiting

for me. And if I don't die, guess what? Jesus

is in the stern of the ship with me and He's

moving things and He's taking care of things

and we will forever be okay. Let's pray.