Mark 4:35-41

Jesus is teaching by a lake, what we call the Sea of Galilee. The crowd is so large that Jesus went onto a boat to teach. At some point He took a break and explained some parables to His disciples, but was teaching the rest of the day. Eventually they, even Jesus, got tired so they pushed off in the boat and headed for the other side of the lake. Jesus fell asleep. A storm raged. The disciples assumed Jesus didn’t care about the situation as He slept. Jesus rebukes the storm and it ends. 

Ask yourself the two questions at the end of this story:

1. Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? (Mark 4: 40). … Are you afraid of something? Having financial troubles that have you worried? Health problems that scare you? … Even though the disciples had seen many things that should have grown their faith, they still lacked it and were scared. What has God done in your life that should have grown your faith? … Paul was in multiple shipwrecks. In one of his trips there was a great storm and the crew grew scared. God told Paul that everyone would survive. And they all did survive. Why didn’t God just stop the storm? God doesn’t work the same way very often. He is unpredictable and seems to like to use different methods.
   See Isaiah 43:2
   Jesus does miracles in some of your storms so that you will learn to trust Him in all of your storms. 

2. Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him (Mark 4:41). … Humans have tried to control the weather many times. It’s never been proven to be successful. Sometimes the results have been the opposite of the desired results. But Jesus has the power to command the weather.
   See Psalm 89:8-9
   Jesus is revealing He is the Lord God Almighty. … Whenever Jesus controls nature, it is through His voice. Consider this: all of creation was created through the Word of Jesus. He created everything and has the power to command everything. 

This week we look at three miracles involving fishing. Simon (who they called Peter) is also involved in each one. 

Luke 5:1-11: A Large Catch of Fish … Jesus was preaching and then He tells the fishermen to drop the net on the other side. Peter responds that they’ve already worked hard that day and had little to show for it. But since it was Jesus giving the order, they would do it. Well, they caught more fish than they could handle and had to get help from a second boat. Peter fell at the feet of Jesus and Jesus called him to be His disciple and to become a fisher of men. 

Matthew 17:24-27: A Fish with a Coin in Its Mouth … Peter was asked if Jesus, his teacher, paid the temple tax. The temple tax is one that the religious teachers had to pay. Whether or not Peter knew for sure, we don’t know, but he answered that Jesus does pay it. It seems as though Jesus knew about this conversation because when Peter gets back to Jesus, Jesus asks him about taxes and who should pay them to whom. Then He says that even though He doesn’t have to pay this tax, He will so He doesn’t offend and cause conflict. So He tells Peter to go fishing in a specific location where he will find a fish with a coin in its mouth that will more than cover the tax. 

John 21:1-11: Another Large Catch of Fish … Jesus tells more fishermen, including John and Peter, to cast the net on the opposite side of the boat. So they do, and they catch 153 fish without breaking the net. Peter realizes it’s Jesus and jumps of the boat, swims to shore, and runs to Jesus. 

These are miracles of providence or guidance. Jesus directed the creatures of His creation to fulfill His purposes … One thing about these miracles is that they are relatively small things. Jesus catches fish and pays taxes. This shows us that Jesus cares about the little things. God provides even in the little things. 

Do you believe Jesus still performs miracles of providence?

John 2:1-11

This series is going to cover 15 miracles in 15 weeks. The miracles will be broken down into 4 groups, so we should one group per month. The first group covers miracles that affect the natural world.

We start with the first recorded miracle of Jesus: turning water into wine at a wedding. 

The wedding party had likely been going for days by this time since that’s how they celebrated weddings. Running out of wine would be a big deal. Marey, Jesus’ mother, appears to have had some type of role in this wedding and told Jesus the party had run out of wine. Jesus tells her that His time has not yet come. He still needed to train His disciples and do His ministry. Mary was persistent though and told the servants to do whatever Jesus said. They took barrels full of water and Jesus turned the water into wine, apparently better wine than what they had before. 

Since Jesus drank wine and turned water into wine, does this mean it is ok for Christians to drink alcohol? 

Three reasons for Christians to avoid alcohol:

1. Addiction (Proverbs 23:29-35). … Today’s alcoholic beverages have a higher percentage of alcohol in them. This makes them more addictive and addiction can lead to serious issues in life. 

2. Self Control (1 Peter 5:8; Proverbs 20:1). … The Bible tells us several times to be alert and in control of ourselves. Alcohol affects our ability to maintain self control. A lack of self control today has more opportunities for negative effects thanks to the vehicles we drive as opposed to riding donkeys.

3. Influence (Romans 14:21). … We are accountable for our influences on other people. Just because something doesn’t affect you doesn’t mean it’s not affecting someone around you. 

Ephesians 5:18 gives hope to those who struggle that they can overcome their issue and replace it with the Holy Spirit

John only includes seven of Jesus’ miracles in his gospel. Why does he include this story? What is its significance? 

In Old Testament prophecy, an abundance of wine was the sign of the Kingdom of God (Joel 3:18; John 10:10). … It is a sign that the kingdom has come. Jesus makes a lot of wine in this miracle and He makes the best wine. Jesus came so that we might have life and have it abundantly. Jesus makes the best at whatever He does. 

What is the purpose of the miracles of Jesus?

Jesus’ miracles are signs pointing to who Jesus is. Jesus reveals His glory so that we might believe in Him (John 2:11; 20:30-31). … John calls these “signs:” instead of “miracles” because they serve the purpose of directing us to faith in Jesus. John wrote his gospel and included seven signs so that we would believe Jesus is the Messiah and that we might believe in Him.

Psalm 119:9-16

We all forget stuff. Whether it’s our keys or wallet being left somewhere or forgetting why we came into a room, we all forget stuff. There’s also some things that we never forget. Maybe someone said something that will stick with you forever, a piece of advice or a funny moment that impacted you. Marriage proposals, weddings, births of children are all things that we never forget. 

Let’s make 2020 start off with a declaration that we will make God’s word one of those things we never forget. 

Eight Messages from Psalm 119

1. Submit so you can commit (Psalm 119: 9). … Living out God’s word begins with submitting to God’s word. The psalmist assumes we are walking the path of purity, but many of us have not submitted and are trying to travel with one foot on the path of purity and one off it. That doesn’t work. We end up feeling out of place at church and guilty when we sin outside it. 

2. Declare your desire (Psalm 119: 10). … God gives us the desire to know Him and His word. However, sometimes we spoil that appetite with worldly things. Is something spoiling your desire to know His word? What is it? 

3. Treasure the word (Psalm 119: 11). … We don’t treasure it just so we can hold it over others and act better than them. No, we treasure it so it can change us and we might not sin against God. 

4. Love to learn the word (Psalm 119: 12). … When we learn to love the word, we are learning to love its Author too. 

5. Find Your voice (Psalm 119: 13). … When we learn to treasure the word, it fills us up. And when anything fills us up, it must come out. Let your voice be filled with the word. Fill your heart and mind with as much as God’s word as you can, so that when the time comes it just flows out in your words. 

6. Anticipate the celebrate (Psalm 119: 14). … We know that one day we will celebrate something much greater than anything in this world. What act of obedience has had the biggest cost for you? Consider that the payoff will be infinitely better. 

7. Carefully consider God’s word (Psalm 119: 15). … There is a cost to obedience and also a cost of inobedience. However, one leads to eternal joy and the other doesn’t. 

8. I will not forget God’s word (Psalm 119: 16). … What in God’s word are you most likely to forget? If you can answer that question, that is probably where the devil is attacking you currently. 

Final question: How would your life look different if you did not forget God’s Word? 

Consider spending time in the word and trying to understand it for yourself. Read through a book of the Bible. Follow devotional plans. Study the Bible with the intent of remembering it and knowing the Author.