## It Was A Dark And Stormy Night…

## Mark 4:35-41

Charles Schultz will be missed, although he continues to live on in the characters of his comic strip 'Peanuts'. One of the more notable of those characters is Snoopy. As a would-be writer, he sits at his typewriter and begins with "It was a dark and stormy night…" From there the strip moves into some area of humor.

Storms in reality are not humorous at all. They can be frightening and dangerous, as well as destructive. In our text tonight, the disciples have entered into a ship to pass over the Sea of Galilee and find themselves in the midst of a storm.

(Mark 4:37) "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full."

Tonight, I want to apply some thoughts concerning actual storms to personal storms we find ourselves in the midst. What is your storm? Family problems? Financial struggles? Trouble at work? Friends letting you down?

I. Thoughts about storms.

A. Storms are not always predictable.

B. Storms come in all shapes and sizes (they even categorize hurricanes!).

C. Storms usually involve many factors converging in the right (or wrong!) "mix".

D. Storms are - by definition - intense!

E. Storms are temporarily out of control!

F. Storms preoccupy us!

G. Storms prepare us!

H. Sometimes…storms pass over!

II. How To Get Through A Storm

A. To survive a storm we must have a strong foundation.

(Mat 7:24-25) "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: {25} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."

1. Two vital dynamics - hearing and doing the Word.

2. James reminds us that if we do not do both, we are just fooling ourselves.

(James 1:22) "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

3. Our foundation must be the Word of God.

4. It is unchangeable…when all else is shifting sand, the Word of God stands like the Rock of Gibraltor.

5. A good foundation requires:

a. A real relationship with Jesus Christ.

b. A rich relationship with His Word that includes:

1) Devotional reading

2) Bible study

3) Pastoral teaching (ephesians 4)

4) Practical application

5) Personal proclamation

B. Faith

1. Listen to Jesus' question in v40.

(Mark 4:40) "And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"

2. Faith is believing in God's character.

3. It is taking God at His Word.

a. Believe that He sees the storm

b. Believe that He is sovereign over the storm

c. Believe that all storms will pass

d. Believe that storms prepare us for "the other side…"

C. Fear

(Mark 4:41) "And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

1. The meaning of 'Fear'.

a. Some form of the verb "fear" is found over five hundred times in our Bible.

b. Sometimes the word means "reverence."

1) This is the kind of fear that we should have for our God.

2) When pharaoh of Egypt ordered the midwives to kill baby boys, they "feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them" (Exodus 1:17).

3) God honored the midwives for their response to Him and gave them children of their own.

4) Later, the Israelites "saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord" (Exodus 14:31).

5) The prophet Samuel taught his people "to fear the Lord and serve him in truth" (I Samuel 12:24).

6) And King David prayed, "Unite my heart to fear Your name" (Psalm 86:11).

c. But "fear" is most often used to mean "terror." (as in v40)

1) In this sense it is a negative response.

2) Today many people live in fear.

3) But Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God to us, and to show us His power over all these things.

4) There is no need to fear.

5) He taught His disciples-and us-that fear is the opposite of faith.

2. We need a healthy fear of God to get us through the storm.

(Psa 25:14) "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant."

3. This holy and healthy fear is a sense of God's presence and power that leads to an extreme reluctance to obstruct his will and work.

4. This fear will motivate us to victory and will keep us from foolish attitudes and actions that will harm His Work.

- Our Foundation Upon God's Word
- Our Faith In The Character
- Our Fear

Jesus is in the storm with us! He cares about us and He will get us through the storms!

(Mark 4:39) "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."