Trusting Jesus in the Storm

“Trusting Jesus in the Storm”

Matthew 8:23-27

Preacher: Rev. Mark Bartsch Kobe Union Church March 16, 2025

Today, I will be using Matthew as my primary text, but I will also reference a little from Mark’s Gospel. A lot of people are eager to follow Jesus when the sun is shining, the waters are calm, and life is going well. In North America, we call these people "fair-weather fans." They’re the kind of people who don’t even like a sport but will buy jerseys of teams just because they are winning. A few months ago, I saw a guy wearing a Purdue University football hat. (Just for your knowledge, Purdue is a great university, but they have a terrible football team.) So, I said, "Nice hat." His face lit up as he asked, "Do you like Purdue?" I said, "No," and told him my team was Penn State. We started talking, and he told me that he loved his team even though they weren’t very good. He was not a fair-weather fan. But a lot of people are. The same is true in life. When everything is going well, people stick around. But when storms hit, people leave. The Prodigal Son had lots of friends when he had money, but none when the money ran out. What happens when the storm hits? Do people stay, or do they disappear?

In John 6, just after Jesus preached the sermon where He declared, "I am the Bread of Life," about 6,000 people walked away. (He lost a megachurch in a single morning!) But then He turned to Peter and asked, "Are you going to leave too?" To Peter’s credit, he responded, "Lord, where else can we go? You have the words of eternal life." He wasn’t saying it wasn’t hard teaching. He didn’t say he didn’t want to go. What he said was that outside of you there is no life because you have the words of life not just for today but for every day. Mark 4:36 gives us an interesting detail: "Leaving the crowd behind, they took Jesus along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him." These other boats started the journey with Jesus and His disciples, but after the storm, they are not mentioned. Isn’t that how life works? We call people fair-weather friends. And unfortunately, there are fair-weather followers of Jesus.

Paul says in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." You can say a lot about the Apostle Paul, but he was not a fair-weather person of faith. Even when dealing with thorns in his flesh he clung to the Lord. Jesus describes fair-weather followers in Matthew 13, comparing them to seeds that sprout quickly but wither when the sun (troubles) comes out. Storms reveal who we really are and who the people around us are. Sometimes I do not like what the storms of my life show me about me. Charles Spurgeon said, "I have learned to thank the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages (Jesus)." From my own experience (all 60 years), I can tell you that the best response is to trust Jesus. Storms are not meant to destroy us but to lead us closer to God.

Paul says again in Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." What can separate us from the love of God? It is a real question. It isn’t trouble. It isn’t demons. The only thing that can is our own choice to walk away from God. But here is the good news: if you are tired of walking away, you can make a U-turn and come back to God. And God will welcome you back. Psalm 46:1-3 reminds us, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Jesus never said we wouldn’t face trouble. In John 16:33, He tells us, "In this world, you will have trouble. (Oh crap.) But take heart! I have overcome the world. (Oh yeah!)"

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee were (are) famous for their suddenness and there strength. And isn’t life a lot like the Sea of Galilee. Just minding your own business going about your daily routine and then bam. Your whole world gets turned upside down. The storm in Matthew 8 wasn’t just a small disturbance; it was a furious storm. The Greek word used here is seismos, meaning an earthquake-like storm. We remember this last Tuesday, the 14th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake. One day people were going about their business and the next moment people were running for their lives. Storms. At first, the disciples must have felt pretty confident (don’t we all). Jesus was in their boat. Other boats were sailing alongside them. The waters were calm. Then the storm worsened (but they still had this). Then suddenly it was too much and their confidence was gone. Where are you Jesus? Wake up! Jesus, where are you?!" They didn’t just ask for help; they accused Jesus of not caring: "Lord, don’t you care if we drown?" Like Jesus wasn’t in the boat too.

The disciples had faith in Jesus as a preacher, teacher, and miracle worker, but they had not yet learned to fully trust Him in every aspect of their lives. And we often do the same thing. Lord I do not just need you on the challenging days I need you every day. Jesus was asleep. Some speculate whether He was truly asleep or just waiting for the inevitable need. Before He got in the boat, Jesus had been ministering to large crowds, healing the sick, casting out demons, and teaching with authority. He was physically exhausted. This reminds us of Jesus’ humanity. A.W. Tozer put it this way: "Christ knows the worst about us. Nonetheless, He is the one who loves us the most." How often do we rely on our own abilities, thinking we can handle life’s challenges, until we find ourselves overwhelmed?

As a child, I played baseball. I was a terrible hitter but good in the field. I had a friend who played right field while I played center. Whenever a ball was hit deep, my friend would always cry out, “I got it, I got it,” (even when it was in my area) and then at the last second, he would say, “You got it.” I realize now that I’m often like my friend. I tell Jesus, "I got this, I got this," only to realize at the last moment that I don’t and probably never did. How much stress would I have saved myself in life if I had relied on Jesus from the start?

Corrie ten Boom said, "You can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have." For those unfamiliar with Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983), she was a Dutch Christian who, along with her family, helped Jewish people escape the Nazis during World War II. She is best known for her book The Hiding Place (I read it in Jr. High), which tells the story of how her family provided a secret refuge for Jews in their home in the Netherlands. In 1944, the Nazis raided their home, and Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father were arrested. Her father died shortly after, and Corrie and Betsie were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Betsie died there, but Corrie survived and was released due to a clerical error—just days before all the women in her age group were executed. After the war, Corrie dedicated her life to Christian ministry, preaching about God’s love, forgiveness, and the power of faith even in the darkest times—especially in the darkest times. One of her most famous messages was about forgiveness. She once met a former Nazi guard from Ravensbrück and, with God's help, was able to forgive him. She faced storms I hope none of us ever have to face. But we all face storms. The storm stripped the disciples of self-reliance and forced them to rely on Jesus. And when Jesus spoke, the storm obeyed. And boy, this scared the disciples as much as or maybe even more than the original storm. We sing the song at Christmas, What Child Is This, but the disciples were asking themselves, (and we should ask the question too), What man is this? 

When the disciples woke Jesus, He rebuked them first—not the storm. The storm was inevitable (natural), but their lack of faith was controllable: "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" (Matthew 8:26). Too often, we have too much faith in our abilities and not enough faith in our Lord. Fear and faith cannot coexist in the same heart. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." The presence of Jesus should calm our fears, not increase them. Faith reminds us that even when the storm rages, Jesus is in control. Fear makes us believe that the storm is stronger than our Savior. Just watch the news at night and see how much fear-mongering there is. After rebuking the disciples, Jesus turned to the storm and simply said “Stop that now”, and "it was completely calm." The same voice that spoke creation into existence (Genesis 1) speaking order in to our chaos, now speaks peace into the storm. Psalm 107:29 says, "He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed." Whatever storm you are facing, Jesus has the power to bring peace. Sometimes He calms the storm around us, and sometimes He calms the storm within us. Either way, when Jesus speaks, the storm obey. But you have free will. You can keep on fretting and fretting or your can start trusting and trust.  After the storm, there is no mention of the other boats from Mark 4. They started the journey but were absent when it mattered most. This reminds us that in life, people will come and go, but Jesus remains. Hebrews 13:5-6 assures us, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’"

John Wesley’s final words before he passed away were, "Best of all, God is with us." In the storm and in the calm, His presence never leaves us. Is Jesus in your boat? Is Jesus in your boat? The disciples may have doubted, but they knew where to turn—it just took them too long. Jesus is the only one who has authority over the storms of life. The question today is not whether storms will come (they will), but who is in your boat when they do. So I will close with a song. It is also a challenge for all going through storms: Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water.Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea.Take a look at yourself, and you can look at others differently.

Possible Discussion Questions

  Fair-Weather Faith – The sermon compares some followers of Jesus to "fair-weather fans." What do you think it means to be a fair-weather Christian? Have you ever experienced a time when your faith was tested in a storm of life?

  Storms Reveal Character – The disciples were confident at first but panicked when the storm grew stronger. How do difficult situations reveal the true nature of our faith? Can you recall a time when a storm in your life showed you something about yourself or your relationship with God?

  Trust vs. Self-Reliance – The sermon includes an example from baseball, where someone says, "I got it, I got it," only to realize they don’t. In what areas of life do we tend to rely on ourselves instead of trusting Jesus? What practical steps can we take to trust Him from the start?

  Jesus’ Response to Fear – Before calming the storm, Jesus first rebuked the disciples for their fear and lack of faith. Why do you think He did that? How can we replace fear with faith in the midst of life’s storms?

  The Power of Christ – The disciples were amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed Jesus. What does this tell us about who Jesus is? How does recognizing His power help us trust Him more?

  Lessons from Corrie ten Boom – The sermon shares the story of Corrie ten Boom, who trusted Jesus even in a concentration camp. How does her story inspire us to trust Jesus in our own struggles? What lessons can we learn from her about faith and forgiveness?