WEEK 2 – DR. THOMAS WEST
THE POWER OF JESUS: Mark 4:35-41
Life is full of good and lighthearted moments. Yet, the storms of life will come. When they do, can you say, “It is well with my soul”? How can you be calm in the middle of the storm? Hebrews 6:19-20 says Jesus is a firm and secure hope and anchor for our souls. Jesus is all you need to make it through the storms of life. Here are three reasons why…
1. Jesus has real and reliable power.
This story of Jesus calming the storm is not a myth or a fable. It is written so well, with so much detail. There are only 152 words in the story, and the details of the story provide credibility. This is an eyewitness testimony of real events. This actually happened. Someone experienced these things and wrote them down. If you were to make up a story, you’d be hard-pressed to create these details. The authority of Jesus is not legendary.
What area of your life needs to be surrendered to the real and reliable power of Jesus?
2. Jesus has the power of peace.
Jesus brought peace to the situation by speaking a few words (4:39). Think about the power on display for us to see. There’s no conjuring, no pleading with the Father, Jesus simply wakes up from a nap and rebukes the storm to bring peace into the situation. Jesus has complete authority because he is God. Throughout the Bible, the sea and storms represent more than the weather. They represent distress and chaos. The sea is the place of the unknown and uncontrollable. Jesus demonstrates his power over the unknown and unique ability to bring peace.
What part of your life needs the peace of God?
3. Jesus is Lord over the storm.
It’s important to see that the disciples didn’t go from being scared to happy. They went from being scared to terrified! They were scared in the presence of the storm. They were terrified when Jesus brought peace because they were in the presence of God and saw his complete power. Jesus allowed them to go through the storm so he could be with them in the midst of the storm. In our lives, there are certain aspects of God’s character that we don’t get to know unless we are in need. We don’t get to know God has comfort until we are in pain, we don’t get to know him as a provider until we have a need, and we don’t get to know him as a healer unless we are sick with disease. Jesus possesses complete authority over the storm.
Do you call out to Jesus in the middle of the storms of life?
This storm points us to another storm. This storm was not the only storm that Jesus would encounter. On the cross, Jesus threw himself into the storm of God’s wrath against our sins. That storm had been building since the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve turned their backs on God’s Word and Way. God is full of fiery love for his people. Jesus graciously allowed himself to be consumed by the storm against our sins so that we could have peace with God. This means we can run to Jesus with our fears, call out to Jesus and be saved, and trust Jesus in the midst of every storm we face.