Mark 4:35-41
“At first there was the fear that this terrible storm and awesome terrain might claim your life. But then you found a refuge and gained the hope that you would be safe. But not everything in the feeling called fear vanished from your heart. Only the life-threatening part. There remained the trembling, the awe, the wonder, the feeling that you would never want to tangle with such a storm or be the adversary of such power…The fear of God is what is left of the storm when you have a safe place to watch right in the middle of it…Oh, the thrill of being here in the center of the awful power of God, yet protected by God himself!” - John Piper
Communion Reflection Questions:
Am I more likely to lose sight of the terrifying holiness and righteousness of God?
Or to lose sight of the boundless, endless mercy and grace of God?
Am I likely to rejoice in Jesus without trembling before him? Or to tremble before him without rejoicing in him?
Discussion questions:
Over the course of this passage, the disciples ask two separate questions. The first - in 4:38 - reveals something of what they believed about Jesus. (Or what they sought from Jesus.) How do they interpret Jesus’ sleep? What do they think it is a sign of? What does this accusation reveal?
How, or in what ways, are you tempted to accuse Jesus of the same things?
Jesus stills the storm with a command. Why are the disciples even more terrified after he does this? Why is the question they then ask - in 4:41 - a better question than the question they raised in 4:38?
The sermon described the fear of the Lord as holding onto both the holiness and righteousness of God and the tender love and mercy of God. This should produce rejoicing and trembling before God. Are you more likely to lose sight of (or “forget about”) God’s holiness and righteousness or his tender love and mercy? Why? How do you do this?
What practical things can we do to set before our own hearts both the holiness and mercy of God? How can we grow in the fear of the Lord?