Connect Church
Faith Over Fear
  • Blessed Be Your Name
  • Build My Life
  • Trust In God
  • Worthy Of It All
  • Have you ever noticed how many different kinds of fear people have? Some fears are almost funny.
    There’s Arachnophobia—the fear of spiders. Some people can see a tiny spider across the room and suddenly they’re standing on a chair yelling for help.
    There’s Acrophobia—the fear of heights. For some people, just walking near a balcony railing makes their knees shake.
    And then there’s Nomophobia—the fear of being without your phone. Some people panic if their battery drops below 10%.
    But the truth is, those fears are usually manageable. They might make us uncomfortable… but they don’t shake our lives.
    The fears that really affect us are different. They’re the fears that keep people awake at night.
    The fear that comes when the doctor says, “We found something.” The fear that comes when the job is uncertain. The fear when a marriage is struggling. The fear when you don’t know how you’re going to make it through the next season of life. Those are the storms of life.
    And if we’re honest, every single person in this room has faced moments where fear felt overwhelming.
    That’s exactly where we find the disciples in Mark chapter 4. They weren’t dealing with a small inconvenience.
    They were in a storm so violent that experienced fishermen believed they were about to die. And in the middle of that storm, Jesus teaches them—and us—a powerful truth:
    Faith isn’t the absence of storms.
    It’s learning to trust Jesus in the middle of them.
    Go to Mark chapter 4 and we will begin reading at verse 35.
    Mark 4:35–41 NIV
    35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
    This morning I want to give you four truths about the storms of life.

    1. Storms are Inevitable

    To understand the fear in this story, we have to understand the setting.
    The disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee. This lake sits about 700 feet below sea level and is surrounded by steep hills and valleys. Because of that geography, cool air can rush down from the hills and collide with the warm air sitting over the water. When that happens, storms can form suddenly and violently.
    Even today fishermen on the Sea of Galilee say a calm lake can turn into a dangerous storm within minutes.
    So when the storm hits in Mark 4, this isn’t just a little wind and rain. Waves are crashing into the boat, water is pouring over the sides, and the boat is starting to fill.
    And here’s what makes it even more significant: several of the disciples were professional fishermen. Men like Peter the Apostle, Andrew the Apostle, James the Apostle, and John the Apostle had spent their entire lives on this lake.
    These weren’t amateurs who panicked easily. These were seasoned fishermen who knew how to handle rough water. If they thought they were about to die, this storm was extremely serious.
    And the boat they were in wasn’t very large. Boats used on the Sea of Galilee were about 26 feet long, 7 feet wide, and about 4 feet deep. Archaeologists even discovered a first-century fishing boat in 1986 that gives us a good picture of what it looked like. Boats that size could easily be swamped by large waves.
    In other words, this was a real storm with real danger.
    And here’s the important truth for us: the disciples were in this storm because they obeyed Jesus. In verse 35, Jesus said, “Let us go over to the other side.” They did exactly what He said—and still ran straight into a storm.
    That reminds us of something we don’t always like to hear.
    Following Jesus does not mean life will be storm-free.
    Storms are part of life. There are health storms, financial storms, family storms, and seasons where everything feels uncertain.
    Faith doesn’t mean storms never come.
    Faith means trusting Jesus when they do.
    Some of you may be going through a storm right now and you may not see anyway out.
    Jesus had already told the disciples that they would make it through the storm.
    Let me encourage you today. You will make it through this storm. Jesus will help you get through it.

    2. Storms Reveal Our Fears

    How many times do we let fear get in the way of what God wants to do?
    God never said that you wouldn’t go through storms, He just promised that He would help you get through it.
    Look at verse 38.
    Mark 4:38 NIV
    38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
    First of all, Jesus already promised them that they would make it to the other side.
    Whatever storm you are facing right now, Jesus promised that He would help you through that storm.
    Sometimes storms will bring out the worst in us.
    We begin to ask questions like…
    God, do you see this?
    or God do you care?
    Is this really what we believe about God? Do we really believe that God doesn’t care? He’s brought you this far hasn’t he.
    2025 was one of the hardest years I have ever had to go through in ministry. I knew that I would make it through the trials that I was facing, but during those moments it was hard to see it.
    Can I tell you that so far 2026 has started out pretty good? I never thought I would get here, but God was with me each step of the way.
    When life is calm faith is easy.
    But when that storm hits, our trust is tested.

    3. Storms Remind Us Who is In Control

    Here’s something interesting about flying. When a plane hits turbulence, passengers often get nervous. The plane starts shaking, drinks rattle, and suddenly everyone looks a little uncomfortable. But if you watch closely, there’s usually a big difference between the passengers and the flight crew.
    Passengers grip the armrests. Some start praying. Others start wondering if something is wrong. But the flight attendants often remain calm. Sometimes they’re still serving drinks like nothing unusual is happening.
    Why?
    Because they trust the pilot. They know someone is in the cockpit who understands the storm, sees the radar, and knows how to navigate through it.
    The turbulence feels out of control to the passengers, but it’s not out of control to the one flying the plane.
    That’s exactly what’s happening in Mark 4. The disciples felt like everything was out of control. The wind was howling, waves were crashing into the boat, and water was filling it.
    But they forgot something important.
    The Lord of creation was in the boat with them. Remember, Jesus had already promised them that they would make to the other side.
    When Jesus Christ stood up and said, “Quiet! Be still,” the storm immediately obeyed. The storm felt out of control to the disciples. But it was never out of control to Jesus.
    That is what we have to understand when going through storms, just because life feels out of control doesn’t mean it actually is.
    Because the same Jesus who spoke to the wind and waves is still in control today.
    When your going through the storms, no matter what the outcome, know that God is in control. We may not understand everything, but we just need to know that God is in control.

    4. Storms Invite Us to Trust Jesus

    Look at what Jesus asks the disciples in verse 40.
    Mark 4:40 NIV
    40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
    Notice something interesting here. Jesus didn’t say, “Why is there a storm?” He asked, “Why are you afraid?”
    The issue for the disciples that day was not the storm. The issue for them was the trust.
    Just because you have faith doesn’t mean the storms will disappear.
    What faith does is it allows you to believe that as you are going through the storm you know that Jesus is there beside you. Faith tells you that you are going to make it.
    If you want to look at a life that went through one storm after another, look at Joseph in the book of Genesis.
    He was Betrayed by his brothers, Sold into slavery, Falsely accused, and Thrown into prison. For years it looked like everything in his life had gone wrong. But Joseph trusted God through every season. In the end, God elevated him to leadership in Egypt and used him to save countless lives.
    Joseph said in Genesis 50:20
    Genesis 50:20 NIV
    20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
    Sometimes storms are part of God’s bigger plan. We may not always understand all the storms that we go through. You just have to know that God is right there with you as you go through those storms.

    The disciples thought the greatest danger was the storm around them. But Jesus knew the greater danger was the fear within them.

    At the beginning we talked about different phobias people have. Some people deal with Arachnophobia—the fear of spiders. Others struggle with Acrophobia—the fear of heights.
    And psychologists say the way many people overcome phobias is through something called exposure. They don’t just tell someone, “Stop being afraid.” Instead, they gradually help them face the thing they fear.
    Someone afraid of heights might start by standing on a small step stool… then a balcony… then eventually looking out from a tall building.
    Why? Because fear begins to lose its power when you realize something important: The thing you feared doesn’t control you.
    But here’s the truth about life. There are fears that no amount of exposure therapy can fix. The fear of losing someone you love. The fear of a medical diagnosis. The fear of the future. The fear of walking through a season you never expected. Those are real storms.
    And the answer to those fears isn’t pretending the storm isn’t real. The answer is remembering who is in the boat with you.
    In Mark 4, the disciples thought the storm was going to destroy them. But they forgot something.
    The One who created the wind…
    The One who formed the oceans…
    The One who holds the universe together…
    He was sitting in the boat with them.
    And when Jesus Christ stood up and said, “Peace, be still,” the storm had no choice but to obey.
    So here’s the question for all of us today:
    What storm are you facing right now?
    Because the goal of faith isn’t living a storm-free life. The goal of faith is learning to trust that if Jesus is in your boat you don’t have to live in fear anymore.
    This morning, what are you afraid of.
    What is keeping you from putting your complete trust in God?
    This morning I have asked the worship team to come and sing I trust in God. I want you to come to the altar and make that your declaration today.
    If you have had a bad diagnosis, if your relationship is kind of rocky, if your finances are a problem. These things are real and only Jesus can help you get through them. As they sing this song, I want you to come to the front and make that your declaration today. Can you come this morning?

      • Mark 4:35–41NIV2011

      • Mark 4:38NIV2011

      • Mark 4:40NIV2011

      • Genesis 50:20NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 9:7NIV2011

Connect Church
connectchurchfs@gmail.com
4794525734
https://www.connectchurchfs.com
31 members • 3 followers