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"Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you
pass through the waters. I WILL BE WITH YOU, and when you pass through the rivers, they
will not sweep over you!" Isaiah 43:1-2
2. _____________________________________________
"The disciples said to Him, `Teacher, don't You care if we drown?'" Mark 4:38
LESSON #2:
"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you!" 1 Peter 5:7
3. _____________________________________________
"Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, `Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died
down and it was completely calm." Mark 4:39
LESSON #3:
"Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and
outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You." Jer. 32:17
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We want to look at one of the most famous miracles in the Bible. We're in a series called, "When You
Need a Miracle." and today I want to talk about "What To Do When Your Ship is Sinking".
Matthew 8 is the story of Jesus calming the storm. It made such an impact on the disciples that it's
recorded three times in the Bible in different books -- Matthew, Mark, Luke. Today in addition to
looking to the passage in Matthew we want to see how the other two stories tie in because they also
give a fuller picture of exactly what happened.
Matthew 8:23 "Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning a
furious storm came upon the lake so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him saying, `Lord, save us. We're going to drown.' He replied,
`You of little faith. Why are you so afraid?' Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the
waves and it was completely calm and the men were amazed and asked, `What kind of man is
this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him.'"
Jesus never wasted a miracle. He never did a miracle just to show off. Every miracle is done to teach a
point. In this story we find some principles on how to deal with a crisis. Before we look at the text I
want to explain to you what the Bible says are three different kinds of storms that we face.
1. Situational storms. This is when circumstances seem to plot against you and everything seems
to go wrong. Murphy's law is in full force. Proverbs 1:27 "Sometimes calamity strikes us like a
storm." Everything seems to go wrong at once. Situational storms.
2. Relational storms. This is when there is tension between people. When a relationship has
been strained to the breaking point -- parent and child, husband and wife, friends. David says in Psalms,
"I feel all alone and my enemies are ganging up against me and nobody's with me." He was in a
relational storm.
3. Emotional storms. These are often hidden on the surface. We have a nice smile, but inside
we're seething and boiling and all in distress. A number of years ago there was a soap opera on
television called "Secret Storm". That's a good description of a lot of people. Remember when a guy
walked on the stage of a TV news set and put a gun to David Horowitz's head? Afterwards, Horowitz
was interviewed. He said, "On the outside I was calm, but inside I was a bowl of jelly."
Many times there's a storm going on inside of us that doesn't even show. Paralyzed by fear. Overcome
by guilt. Raging with anger. Consumed with worry or jealousy. Those are the storms of life.
The Bible says three things about the storms of life, three facts I want you to get before we look at the
text.
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How much does He care? Read the Bible. Read the 7000 promises in this book. Then you tell me
that God doesn't care. He does. 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for
you." The one thing that the disciples did right in our passage, when they got afraid they took their fear
to Jesus. They didn't start praying to Mary. They didn't start chanting. They didn't call on some saint.
They took their fear to Jesus. Why? Because He's the only one who can do anything about it.
Remember God's closeness and relax in His care.
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