“Don’t you Care?”
Does Jesus Really Care?
Part 1
I wrote most of this sermon on 8/11/14 the day Robin Williams died. (I know depression) I also know what it is like to ask God don’t you care?
I also know what it is to walk with God.
WE NEVER WALK ALONE
Elvis Presley Lyrics
When you walk through a storm hold your head up high
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”
And don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone,
You’ll never, ever walk alone.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone,
You’ll never, ever walk alone.
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
C. S. Lewis
And now our text:
Mark 4:35-41
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus
(Matt 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25)
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, (What manner of man is this,) that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
NKJV
Jesus has been teaching parables all day and he is tired.
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
Jesus said let us pass over… when Jesus says you going to the other side, you are going to the other side.
Mark 4:36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
It is a lot easier to do God’s will God’s way, or we could do as Jonah did and have to have a fish ride back to where you need to be.
It’s a lot easer if we do it his way!
And we also see sometimes He (Jesus) leaves the multitude and deals with the few or with the individual.
When you are sitting in a church with a couple thousand people sometimes, He singles 1 person out of the crowd and it seems that He is only talking to that one person.
When I first started attending the Church that I now teach a small group for. I had just recently left my home Church of 40 years and felt as if I was all alone. I thought that God was done with me and I would never be used again. About the second or third time in the Church the youth pastor preached and said something along the line of “there is someone here that thinks God has discarded you to never be used again, and I’m here to tell you God is going to uses you like you never imagined.” With that said I began to weep, I felt there was no one in that building at that moment except me and the young pastor.
And other little boats were also with Him.
There is always someone watching, the good and the bad. And whatever we a going through others get caught up in our storms “And other little boats were also with Him.” It never, not ever just affects us.
Charles Stanley: How to handle your adversities “nothing speaks louder to an unsaved world than a Christian that suffers successfully ”
People are watching!
Whenever you think things are going just fine all of the sudden BOOM! A storm pops up.
Back to the text;
Mark 4:37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
Strong concordance says great storm is; NT:2978 ailaps (lah’-ee-laps); of uncertain derivation; a whirlwind (squall): KJV – storm, tempest.
NT:3173megas (meg’-as); [including the prolonged forms, feminine megale, plural megaloi, etc.; compare also NT:3176, NT:3187]; big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application):
KJV – (+fear) exceedingly, great (-est), high, large, loud, mighty, (be) sore (afraid), strong, to years.
exceedingly, great, high, large, loud, mighty (squall): – storm, tempest.
Life is going well then, the storms arise.
Don’t forget these were season fishermen and knew how to read the weather, they have fished on these waters their whole life. They were not expecting bad weather at all. The saying like; “red at night sailors delight” and “red in the morning sailors take warning.” Never came into play. There were no signs of bad weather or they might have warned Jesus. But don’t forget it was Jesus that said “Let us cross over to the other side.” Whatever you are going thru know that God is with you in the mist of the storm.
They weren’t warned at all about the arising storm. Their phones didn’t sound an alarm from the National Weather Service that bad weather was approaching. And then as the waves were getting worse and the rain was coming down the ship is filling with water and the circumstance cause them to forget who they are with.
Sometimes in the midst of our storms we seem to forget that Jesus is ALWAYS with us.
I don’t blame them I have been on the water and saw a storm coming across the lake. You could see the wall of water coming and, in those times, you do panic. That day I didn’t panic, I had a good friend with me and he knew more about bass boats than I did so I strapped my rods down and took the passengers seat and said “Tim get us out of here!” and he did just that.
Is your ship starting to take on water, you feel like you’re sinking and the world around you crumbling down? Remember turn to the one that has the control over everything, turn to Christ.
Back to our text: Big, Big Storm here BUT.
“But” means their story is not over and neither is your story over, He is not done!
Mark 4:38 But He was in the stern, (back) asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
NT:4403 prumna (proom’-nah); feminine of prumnus (hindmost); the stern of a ship: KJV – hinder part, stern.
Jesus in his humanity sleeping.
He laid down (His humanity)
Laid His head on a pillow, likely a sand bag used as a ballast
They forgot who is on the boat with them. We seem to forget way too often!
Next week; Can you sleep on a stormy night????
