Jesus Calms the Storm

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 24th of May, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service, also streamed live, due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

In our scripture last week, we read of a man possessed by a legion of unclean spirits, demons that drove the man mad.  Jesus rid the man of the demons and then left him there in that region to tell everyone of the good thing the Lord did for him.  I mentioned that this incident came when Jesus and His disciples reached the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, after a great windstorm had arisen during the night while they crossed the sea.

Well, family, today we are being tossed about by a great storm.  So I’d like to take a closer look at the events of that night, what Jesus did and how His disciples reacted to it all.  And I’d like to turn to the Apostle Matthew for his account of that tempestuous sea passage.

Please listen and follow along to what Matthew recorded for us in his Gospel account, from chapter 8 verses 23 through 27, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

--Matthew 8:23-27 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for the four men who faithfully recorded the things Your Son said and did during His ministry on earth.  Through their eyes, we can see our Lord work His great signs.  Through their words, we can come to know Him even more.  Thank You, Father, for giving us the wonderful gift of our Bible.  Please help us make better use of what it tells us in our daily lives.  Remind us of our need to pray before making any decision.  And please help us to completely trust in You and not be fearful.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us in these trying times.  Speak to us of fully trusting in You and Your Son Jesus.  Help us be more obedient to His voice. This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Dr. Eli Stanley Jones, American missionary and theologian, once wrote:

"I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear.  Fear is not my native land; faith is.  I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil.  I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety.  In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath - these are not my native air.  But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely - these are my native air.  A John Hopkins University doctor says, 'We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.'  But I, who am simple of mind, think I know;  We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear.  God made us that way.  To live by worry is to live against reality."

Worry and anxiety are the results of fear.  I guess you could call them by-products.  No matter what we call them, they shorten our lives and make us more miserable.  According to Dr. Jones, this is not how we were made, not how we were intended to go through life.  We were created for faith, and then given faith as a gift, to help us through this tumultuous life.

But sometimes our faith falters, and we give in to fear.  That’s when we should run to our Lord and cry out, “Save us!”.  That’s when faith is most important, most needed - when our fears begin to take hold.


Like I mentioned last week, Jesus had been teaching along the Sea of Galilee when evening came and He decided to head to the other side of the lake.  And as they sailed, a great windstorm arose and blew across the waters, threatening to fill and sink their boat.  Jesus slept – Mark tells us in the stern of the boat - as the waves washed over the deck.  His disciples awoke Him, fearing for their lives.  He stood and told the wind to be still, and the storm died down and the waves calmed.

His followers were stunned, left wondering just who this might be, that even the wind and sea obeyed Him.  A literal translation of verse 27 is “What sort of man is this that even the winds and sea obey Him?”.  What sort of man is this…  It took them a while to finally understand the truth.


Today’s scripture reading is actually in two parts.  Let me read the second part now.  It comes a little later on in Matthew’s Gospel account, in chapter 14, verses 22 through 33, after the feeding of the five thousand…

22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

--Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV)

Here, during the height of the storm, Jesus walked across the raging sea to come to His disciples.  Amazed, Peter wanted to join Him on the water.  And He was doing OK, until he took his eyes off Jesus and began worrying about the stormy sea.  He lost his focus on Jesus, and began to sink.


I’m sure you noticed the commonality in these two events.  Both took place on the Sea of Galilee.  And in both, Jesus rebukes His followers for having so little faith, for being fearful, for not fully trusting Him.  And once again, His very presence calmed the wind and the seas.  But at least by now the disciples were beginning to understand.  They worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Do we understand that?  Do we fully understand that as the Son of God, Jesus can do anything?  Can He calm the storm?  Sure!  As the Creator of everything there is, He can control everything there is.  We can see all the signs of what He did, as recorded in our Bible, to show that Jesus is the Son of God, is indeed God.

So what it comes down to is do we believe Him when He says He will do what we ask when we ask in His name?  Do we believe that God is working all things to the good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose?  Do we believe Jesus will reach out and pull us from the water, save us from drowning in the stormy seas of life if we only cry out to Him for help?

If so, then why are we fearful?  Why do we sometimes have so little faith?


I guess one reason is that we don’t have to look very far or hard to see a good, God-fearing Christian suffering through some trial, some illness, some struggle.  The storm is raging all around us, threatening to sweep us overboard and into the sea.  And storms are fearful things.

Right now the waves of COVID-19 are washing over our deck and the winds of death blow hard against the hull.  And we worry and wonder, in our hearts or even out loud, “Where is Jesus now?“  “Why doesn’t He calm this storm?”

Well, family, sometimes our Lord calms the storm.  And sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms us, His believers, God’s children.  For the greatest storms are the ones that rage within us, the storms of worry and fear.  They may be caused by the tempests swirling in the world around us, but the ones that really cause us the most harm, the most damage, are those churning within.

Let’s keep our faith, trust in the Lord, keep our eyes on Him, and let Him calm the storm within us.  Blessed be Jesus our Christ, our Savior.  In the glorious name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Master.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for the great love You have for Your children and Your creation.  You love us so much that You sent Your own Son to save us from ourselves and to show us how to live.  You offer us salvation, not only in the next life but this one as well, if we would just remain faithful.  Father, please help us understand that You will always be with us, seeing us through this life.  Help us to put all our trust in You and in Jesus.  And help us follow Him always, even when we may be fearful of the path we walk.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, by the many signs and indications You gave, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that You are indeed the Son of God, and capable of anything, including calming any storm.  We accept You as Lord, and we truly believe You can do anything, but where our doubt comes in is whether You will do anything for us, whether we are worthy enough to deserve Your help.  Jesus, help us, please, to be less fearful in this world, of this world.  Help us to place all our trust in You.  Lord, if it is not in Your will to calm the storm that is raging all around us, then please calm the one raging within.  Help us keep all our focus on You, and not on the storm.  And please, Lord, see us safely through these times of great trial and tribulation.  Help us remain faithful through it all.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.