Key Scriptures: Mark 4:35-41
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 with them in the boat, just as he was. And 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 that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 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?”
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Main Theme: Knowing who Jesus is and experiencing what he has done, will help us to endure life’s darkest of days and fiercest of storms.
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3 PURPOSES FOR THE STORM
Lesson One: The storm reveals the depths of who we are.
• Storms reveal faithlessness and unbelief—the things that can truly cause us to perish.
• God will use the storm to destroy the things in our lives that do not belong.
Mark 4:38-40, The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
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Lesson Two: The storm reveals the depths of who Jesus is.
• Jesus has the power to stop the storm.
• Because he loves us, Jesus uses the storm for our good.
Psalms 107:29, He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Psalms 89:9, You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.
Psalm65:7, Who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.
Nahum 1:4, He rebukes the sea and makes it dry.
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Lesson Three: The storm comes to turn our faithlessness into faithfulness.
• Jesus did not abandon us in the ultimate storm of Calvary—and will not abandon us in the storms that we face in this life.
• Experiencing Christ will turn our cries of doubt into cries of faith.
James 1:2-3, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Isaiah 43:1-3, This is what the sovereign Lord says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.