- August 26, 2020
To all the saints of Grace Baptist Church of Dallas, Oregon
Greetings to you in the confident and courageous name of Jesus our Lord!
Once again I would like to say “Thank you” to the many who have been so kind in providing meals for us while Pam is undergoing radiation treatments. This has made us feel appreciated and loved. The meals have been so delicious—you guys are good cooks! Wow. Of course we all know that from the many potluck dinners we have had in the past. How I wish that we could once again share a meal together like we used to. I’m sure that day will come soon.
This week we upgraded our internet and phone services. The installation was a breeze once we had the trench put in. This means that we will have faster internet speeds available for you. It also means that we will have to construct a new website, since our old one will no longer be available. Julie Williams is researching that and has brought a recommendation to our Elder Team. It looks good, but it will take about a month to get everything taken care of. So, we will be under construction for a while. I also want to say thanks to Jeff Marshall for his help in installing WiFi in the church. We had to get a new system since CenturyLink owned our previous one. I told you in the service last week that we expected our savings to be about $70.00 a month—but I had not taken into account the cost of the new web host. That will be about $50 per month. So in the end we should see a $20/month savings with dramatically improved internet and a fresh new Web experience. I’m glad for all of this.
As I prayed and meditated on what to write this week, the topic of fear kept coming up. It seems we live in a time of much uncertainty and unrest? The news is troubling, Covid is troubling, Politics is troubling, masks are troubling to people. With all this trouble there is a growing fear in the hearts of people—even Christian people who are all wondering what will come of all this? But I want to assure you today that Jesus “has this.” Do not be afraid, my friends. Be confident in His love for you. Let me take you to Mark chapter 4:35-41. Listen to this story again…
“35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
In verse 35, “That day” referred to what had been going on—it was the same day that Jesus had spent teaching the disciples and the gathered crowd. They learned about the kingdom of God. Jesus taught about the Parable of the Sower; A Lamp on a Stand; The Parable of the Growing Seed; and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. It says that He taught many similar parables to them and that “when He was alone with His own disciples, He explained everything,” Mark 4:34. Class was in session and I’m sure that they were all nodding their heads in agreement and telling Jesus what a fine message He had. And that is when He tells His disciples that it is time to go over to the other side of the lake. This was a very normal kind of day—no problems. But now we will see if the disciples really learned what Jesus was talking about?
So, in verse 36 we see that they left the crowd behind. Now, it is just Jesus and the 12 in the boat. Yes, there were some other boats with Him. It should by all accounts be easy to get to the other side. It always had been? That is the way it was supposed to happen. But today was different. Why? Because a furious squall came up. A squall by definition is a sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm. In this case it sounds like there is all of a sudden heavy wind, so much so that the waves broke over the boat. That isn’t supposed to happen. Where did it come from? It doesn’t say. No doubt the disciples thought they could handle the problem on their own. After all they were fishermen and had spent a lot of time in the boat. But when the boat was nearly swamped—that’s when they got nervous.
In our lives we do much the same as the disciples, don’t we? Everything goes along as it is supposed to. We can handle the day to day activities. And when the weather gets a little rough we think we can handle it. Like, we are supposed to handle it. Right? God made us to handle everything coming our way! But when the ordinary turns to extra-ordinary we begin to get nervous. We take things in our hands. And sometimes blame others for the difficulty. Just like the disciples did. Notice what happens next.
In verse 38 it says that “The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’” It’s not until they were afraid for their lives that they wake Jesus up. And it doesn’t sound like they were very happy about Him not noticing their problem. They throw an accusation at Him in the form of a question… “Don’t you care if we drown?” At that point they figured they were going to drown. The implication is that if Jesus really cared for them—then the storm of life wouldn’t happen and their impending death would never happen. It is the same age old thinking of “If God is loving—then why do bad things happen to good people?” They couldn’t reconcile their lives with the program of God.
Now you have to ask yourself, “Why was Jesus sleeping in the boat?” Well, He had a long day teaching the disciples and the crowds. Maybe He was emotionally drained? Personally, I often feel like I need a nap after a Sunday morning. Preaching and teaching is emotionally and mentally draining, and a nap is a restorative thing. Yet when you look at the life of Jesus, you don’t find Him sleeping on people. You’ll recall that on the night He was betrayed—it was Jesus that was awake and praying in the garden while the disciples were sleeping. Jesus didn’t ask them, “Don’t you guys care?” Rather, He asked them, “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Matthew 26:40-41. You see, there was something else going on. These men were to avoid temptation. So what is the temptation? I think it is the temptation to believe that we can get by without having to go to Jesus. You see, we weren’t made for independent living—only calling on God when our life is on the line. Rather, we were made for dependent living, because we need Him every hour. And that is the truth. Perhaps Jesus went to sleep to provide a test for His guys. Now that class was over for the day—could they pass His “life exam”? They didn’t.
Now of course Jesus cares. It is foolish to think otherwise. But when we are afraid, we tend to throw our beliefs out the window. The enemy will plant doubts in our minds and use the circumstances around us to bring fear that will grip our hearts. We think, “Maybe God doesn’t really care today? I thought that He did—but now I see that I was wrong!” And the enemy will steal your faith and trust away, and you will become fearful and faithless. We go through “life exams” all the time. Jesus isn’t really asleep, it just feels that way. But when we go through the storm, we need to remember what Jesus did.
What did He do for the disciples? He got up and rebuked the wind and waves. All He needed to do was to tell them “Quiet! Be still!” vs. 38. He isn’t worried about drowning, He’s not out of control. Jesus knows who He is and He calls us to trust in Him for our lives. Both during the storm and during the everyday stuff. Notice what He asks of them: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Earlier He taught about the faith of a mustard seed—I think Jesus was surprised they didn’t have that much. Do you see His implication? If they would have had faith—they wouldn’t have been afraid. Why? Because they could trust in the One who was in the boat with them.
When we are afraid about what all is going on—the Savior might well ask us, “Do you still have no faith?” He is not talking about religious concepts; or biblical knowledge; or even if we believe in God. It is the deep and settled conviction that God is with us. That He has got this. It has been said, “We hold beliefs—but convictions hold us.” So when Jesus asks you if you have no faith… He is really talking about a deep and abiding conviction. It is trust in Him—not some theory of knowledge about Him. The proof is whether or not you are afraid, and whether you are quick to run to Jesus for His comfort.
So how do the disciples respond to Jesus now? Well, they were afraid for their lives before—but now it says they were terrified. Not because of the water swamping the boat but because of who Jesus IS! Even the wind and the waves obey Him! He is God incarnate. Just like His name says, Immanuel. Which means, “God with us.”
Now friends, you may be thinking that this story took place a long time ago and that you haven’t actually seen Him calm the wind and the waves the way the disciples did. But I want to tell you that in your darkest, and scariest time, that Jesus is right there with you. In fact, Jesus is closer to you today than when He was with the disciples in the boat. Why? Because now Jesus is “IN” you. Not just in the same boat. He is in you. That is made possible by His Spirit that was poured out for us. Jesus told His disciples on the night He was betrayed these words, “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:19-21 (NIV2011)
That same night Jesus was arrested, tried, and convicted. The following day He was crucified for the sin of the world. On the third day He rose from the grave. That is good news. And now He prays for you and is available to every child of God through His Spirit. Don’t neglect the precious relationship you have with Jesus. Go to Him regularly! And when you come to a “life exam” I pray your deep abiding conviction with hold you steady in the storm. 365 times in the Bible we read “Do not be afraid.” And the reason we are given is because “He is with us.” And now through the resurrection of Jesus we know that He is closer yet—He is “IN” us. Like what the Apostle Paul said in Colossians 1:27: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Fear not my friends. Listen to this Hymn again:
“It Is Well with My Soul,” by Horatio G. Spafford
“When peace, like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll—
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is will with my soul.
It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
“My sin—O the joy of this glorious thought—My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul!
It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
“And, Lord, hast the day when my faith shall by sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll:
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, “Even so”—it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Benediction:
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen,” 1 Peter 5:10-11.
Pastor Russ Hilsinger
Grace Baptist Church of Dallas, OR
P.S. I pray the Lord will keep you all well during this pandemic. May you be filled with joy as you find Him in your daily experience and look for His return.