What Manner of Man Is This? Finding Faith in the Middle of Your Storm -June 7th, 2026

What Manner of Man Is This? Finding Faith in the Middle of Your Storm

📖 Mark 4:35-41

✝️ Town East Baptist Church – June 7, 2026
👤 Pastor Bill Allred

After a long, exhausting day of preaching, Jesus needed a break from the massive crowds lining the shore. The people had been hanging on His every word, listening to parables about the sower, the seed, and how the tiny mustard seed grows beyond measure.

When evening finally came, Jesus turned to His disciples with a simple invitation: 📖 "Let us pass over unto the other side" (Mark 4:35).

What started as a routine boat ride quickly turned into one of the most dramatic adventures in the New Testament. In Mark 4:35-41, the disciples witness a terrifying storm, an unbelievable miracle, and a moment of total astonishment. Frozen in awe, they ask a question that echoes down through the centuries:

📖 "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41)

If you are facing an unstable season or a raging storm in your life right now, that same question demands an answer. Who exactly is Jesus in the midst of our trials?

1. He Is a Man to Be Taken Just as He Is

When the disciples prepared to leave the crowd, Mark notes a beautiful, unfiltered detail: 📖 “they took him even as he was in the ship” (Mark 4:36).

If only we would grasp this truth today! Jesus is to be taken exactly as He is.

• He doesn’t need our modifications or adjustments.
• He doesn’t require additions, subtractions, or modern updates.
• He doesn’t need human accreditation.

Jesus is the perfect, unchangeable Son of God. As Malachi 3:6 says, 📖 "For I am the LORD, I change not."

Too often, people look at the Bible or the character of Christ and treat it as outdated, trying to alter the truth to fit their lifestyle. But Jesus is the Word (John 1:1). He is perfect, without flaw or blemish. When we try to change God's truth—just like the devil subtly added a single word to twist God's instructions to Eve—it only leads to our own spiritual compromise.

Jesus doesn’t need to change; He came to change us. He changes our sin condition through salvation, our sinning condition through sanctification, and eventually, our sinful condition when He brings us home to glory.

2. He Is a Man Who Invites Us to Journey With Him

When Jesus said, 📖 "Let us pass over unto the other side," He gave the disciples a picture of the Christian life. In this world, the water represents the instability of life. We are all just passing through from one destination to another. But the most exciting part? Jesus wants to ride with us.

This invitation to walk with the Creator of the universe should motivate, energize, and excite us. Yet, so many people accept His salvation but refuse His service. We want the blessing of being His, but we don’t want to be bothered by His commandments or His concerns for others. We live lives that are simply "too important" for God.

Growing up, if one of my sisters delivered a message from my dad telling me to get something done, it didn’t have the same effect as when he told me himself, face to face.

If we truly caught a glimpse of Jesus face to face, our worldly ambitions and self-made "castles" would melt away. We would cry out, as the old poem says: "Oh, make me meet to follow the marks of Thy wounded feet."

When you accept His invitation to journey together, He gives you three incredible promises:

• The promise of sweet fellowship on the open water.
• The promise of safe passage to the other side.
• The promise of a deeper, rewarding relationship when the journey is complete.

3. He Is a Man Who Is With Us In the Storm

Following Jesus does not insulate you from hardship. Mark tells us that 📖 "there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full" (Mark 4:37). Meanwhile, Jesus was in the back of the boat, fast asleep on a pillow. Terrified, the disciples woke Him, crying, 📖 "Master, carest thou not that we perish?"

Jesus explicitly told us, 📖 "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). Tragedies, health crises, and sudden losses will come. God does not cause every storm, but He absolutely uses them to teach us, shape us, and reveal who He is.

Look at how God uses different storms in Scripture:

• Jonah’s storm was for correction. He ran in defiance from God's will, and God used a storm to get his attention and point him back to the work.
• Paul’s storm was for direction. It blew his ship off course to an unintended island, opening brand-new doors to witness and bring salvation to people who were lost.
• The Disciples' storm was for perfection of faith. They had been riding high, feeling proud to be in the company of the miracle worker. This storm exposed their weakness and reliance on their own strength.

No matter what kind of storm you are sitting in today, remember this: He is in the boat with you. He has committed Himself to you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you.

4. He Is the Man Who Can Handle Your Storm

When Jesus woke up, He didn't panic. He simply rebuked the wind and spoke to the raging sea: 📖 "Peace, be still."

Instantly, the wind ceased. The waves flattened out. The moon broke through the clouds, and the only sound left was the gentle rocking of the boat and the rapid thumping of the disciples' hearts.

They went from being terrified of the storm to being completely overwhelmed with holy fear of the One who could calm it.

Our God is the Almighty God. When we are walking with Him, we don't have to fear the external storms of life. The only thing we need to hold in high regard and respect is the Lord Himself. He can calm your financial storm, your marital storm, or your internal emotional storm with a single word.

Bringing It Home

What manner of man is this?

• He is a Savior to be taken exactly as He is.
• He is a Companion who invites you to travel through life with Him.
• He is a Friend who stands by you in the worst weather.
• He is the Lord who is completely capable of handling whatever threatens to sink you.

The ultimate question for us today isn't about the strength of the winds or the height of the waves in our lives. The question is simpler, and much more personal:

Do you know this Man? And do you trust Him with your boat?

If you are walking through a difficult season and need someone to stand in faith with you, please reach out to our prayer team or join us for worship this Sunday. You don't have to navigate the waves alone!