Peace in the Middle of Chaos | Phil Kniesel

Life often feels chaotic. Unexpected problems, uncertainty, and pressure can make it seem like everything is spinning out of control.

In Mark 4:35–41, the disciples find themselves caught in a violent storm while crossing the sea with Jesus. As the waves crash around them, they panic while Jesus sleeps. In this powerful moment, Jesus reveals something deeper than just His ability to calm the wind and waves. He shows that even when life feels chaotic, He is still fully in control.

In this message, Pastor Phil Kniesel explores what it means to trust Jesus in the middle of life’s storms and how true peace comes not from the absence of chaos, but from knowing the One who commands it.

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Transcript

0:16

- Hey, this is Phil kl, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- The other morning I was making my usual double shot Americano and I went to grab the finished full cup of coffee and it tipped, spilling all over the counter, down beside the counter and in between the fridge and the counter, which then meant it went all under the fridge, like coffee was everywhere. And for a split second, I just stood there in early morning shock, watching it slither into every space it could reach. It was a little chaos and a full roll of paper towels later and zero coffee in me. I was done. You know, life at times can feel chaotic. It's kind of like you've opened 47 browser tabs in your brain and one of them is playing music, but you can't figure out which one. Think about it. Our new cycle refreshes instantly and technology promises to simplify our life, but all it does is constantly send us notifications. There's so much coming our way all the time, and I know most of you, you're trying to balance work, relationships, errands, family life, social life, church life and more. And sometimes it just feels chaotic. There's chaos, but then there's chaos that isn't just busy, it's scary. It's the kind that turns your stomach a little bit. Headlines can feel alarming. The economy seems shaky. The price of gas is insane. Certain relationships feel fragile. The future, it can look daunting. And these are the kind of things

that make you lie awake at 3: 2:13

17 AM And it feels like your brain has subscribed to a streaming service called worst case scenarios. Anyone ever been there? You're awake, thinking about and replaying conversations you already had and worrying about things you probably can't control and won't happen. And then you start this mind game of what if? What if I lose the job? What if the diagnosis is serious? What if my kids drift? What if the world keeps unraveling? What if? And here's what that kind of chaos always does. It steals your peace. It makes your heart race over things you can't control. It convinces you that uncertainty equals danger and eventually fear feels rational. Anxiety feels normal and calm feels almost irresponsible. And maybe you know this all too well. The thing is, Jesus never promised a life without hardship. He said, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. So there it is. You're gonna have trouble, you're gonna have hardship, you're gonna have a little bit of chaos. And when Jesus says, I've overcome the world, he means he has defeated the entire fallen system that stands against God in his people, meaning he has overcome sin. Satan fear, death, political oppression, cultural hostility, all of it. And Jesus did this by what he accomplished on the cross. And so he can say to his followers, take heart. Because anxiety doesn't get the final word. Political chaos doesn't get the final word. Your failure doesn't get the final word. Your diagnosis doesn't get the final word. Death doesn't get the final word. Chaos doesn't get the final word Jesus does, which means then we don't live for victory. We live in victory. And so friend, if you're lacking peace today, if you're living in chaos, then lean in. This is Jesus. He calms the chaos. We're in a series answering the question, who is Jesus and what is he like? And we're doing this because everything in our faith hinges on what we believe about Jesus. Is he the way, the truth and the life? Is he truly God or is he just another great teacher who had some influence? We're going through the New Testament book of Mark and Mark would be the fast-paced account describing who Jesus is in comparison with the other three books that tell about his life, teachings, death and resurrection, namely Matthew, Luke, and John. Mark gives us many facts. He gives us the action scenes. And I wanna take us to one of those scenes. Jesus and his disciples are in a place called Kaepernick and Jesus is teaching to a massive crowd. And then we read this, mark writes the following in chapter four, verse 35 that day when evening came, he said to his disciples, this is Jesus. Let us go over to the other side, leaving the crowd behind. They took him along just as he was in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. 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? He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, quiet, be still. Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? They were terrified and asked each other, who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him. This is um, it's one of those scenes that feels cinematic. The sky darkens is nighttime on the sea. The wind starts to howl. We've got professional fishermen panicking and Jesus sleeping. Now they were on the sea of Galilee, which was 13 miles long and eight miles wide. It's considered the lowest fresh water body on earth and it's surrounded by mountains. And so when the cool air comes down from those mountains and hits the warm waters, it can be explosive. The waves can get as high as 10 to 12 feet. Surfers dream fishermen's, nightmare. And so I want to take us back to how this started. Jesus says this, let us go over to the other side. And two things I want you to notice right from the start. First this whole thing was Jesus' idea. He sent the disciples onto the lake and into the storm. He being God knew what was coming and yet it was his idea to get into the boat. This speaks of the sovereignty of Jesus, meaning Jesus is in complete authority even when things feel out of control. Meaning the storm that feels dangerous and chaotic is not outside of his purview. Nothing surprises him. Secondly, notice Jesus didn't send them alone. He's going with them. It's not, Hey, you guys head over to the other side and I'll meet you there. He said, let us go. And this disrupts shallow theology that says, if I obey God, my life will be great. Or when things go bad or if I'm in a storm, I must have missed God in some way. Neither makes sense because neither is right following Jesus isn't a get out of my problems card. You can follow him and still have a hard life. In fact, you probably will because he said you need to take up your cross to follow him. He may even lead you into things that are difficult. And that's what happened here. Obedience led them directly into a storm. And the Bible doesn't really shy away from this idea. We have a great example in the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. He obeyed multiple times and because of that, he experienced a shipwreck had to face jail time. He had intense persecution and more. And some of you are in a storm today, not because you disobeyed or because you made some wrong choices, but because you followed what you believed was God's next step for you. You said yes to ministry, you said yes to marriage, yes to the job, yes to integrity, yes to leadership. And suddenly you're saying the wind has picked up, the tension has increased, the chaos is overwhelming. And friend do not interpret turbulence as abandonment. Obedience doesn't equal a storm free life. And so when Jesus says, let us go, he's indicating something. It's presence language, it's language that says, I will be with you when you pass through the waters. I will be there. You do not have to fear because I am present. I once read that Jesus doesn't promise smooth sailing. He promises shared sailing. So let's go back to Mark and see what happens next. It says a furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. So this boat was nearly swamped. And those two words suggest being overwhelmed with a large amount of water. It's engulfed. So it's not just an inconvenience, it's a crisis. An inconvenience is having a small hole in the bottom of your boat and just a little bit of water's getting in. These words suggest water was quickly filling the boat and the disciples couldn't keep up. It was a crisis. If things didn't change, they would eventually sink. And some of you, you're feeling overwhelmed. You are nearly swamped, you're swamped, emotionally swamped, financially swamped, relationally swamped, mentally swamped, circumstantially. You're overwhelmed to the point that you feel like, man, I can't keep up. King David in the Old Testament in the Bible was going through a similar intense time and he wrote this, save me, oh God, for the waters have come up to my neck. Maybe that's you. I'm about to drown here. God, this is feeling too much for me. I'm nearly swamped. Chaos and storms always exposed to things, things our weaknesses and God's authority, our weaknesses, that those are pretty easy to see. God's authority sometimes harder. And in the Old Testament, the Hebrew name used for God is Yahweh. And it's commonly believed that one meaning of Yahweh is he brings into existence whatever exists. And so Psalm 89 says, who is like you Lord God Almighty. You Lord are mighty. And your faithfulness surrounds you. You Lord being Yahweh. You rule over the surging sea. When it's waves mount up, you still them. Chaos waters represent all that is in disarray and all that can threat. And when Jesus rebukes the sea, mark is showing us something massive that Jesus isn't just a miracle worker as the disciples and many others at that point would've witnessed. But he is also the Lord of creation. He is God incarnate. And what was God incarnate doing in the storm? Mark notes Jesus was in the stern sleeping on a cushion. And this detail seems somewhat comical to me'cause talk about a juxtaposition. The disciples were panicking, excuse me. And Jesus was sleeping on a cushion to top it off. Like what a vivid picture of Jesus's full humanity. He was tired from the teaching, from the miracles and the crowds and anyone who can sleep in a storm in that weather must have been exhausted. And I know some of you're like, bro, that's my spouse. Nothing wakes them up. Not the baby, not the smoke alarm, not me yelling, not even the dog barking. Sleeping through a storm demonstrates Jesus's complete trust in God and his protection. It's being more than calm. It was the exact opposite of the disciples. And so friend, when you are feeling swamped, when you are feeling overwhelmed, it is possible that a restful confidence and trust is available. That even in the middle of chaos you can find quiet and peace. Peace is not denial. It's a settled confidence in God's rule. And I like how the prophet Isaiah says it. He says, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord. The Lord meaning Yahweh himself is the rock. Eternal the disciples, they saw the waves and panicked. Jesus knew who his father was and rested. He was iner peace, which tells me something. Our peace doesn't depend upon our circumstances. Because if peace requires calm conditions, life shows us, then you may never rest. True peace is not the absence of chaos, it's the presence of confidence. Confidence in who God is, confidence that he's in control. Confidence that you don't have to go at it alone like Isaiah says, it's full trust, full confidence in the Lord and listen to what the disciples say next they say, teacher, don't you care if we drown Jesus? Don't you care if we die? And notice they didn't question his power. They questioned his heart. They asked him if he cared.'cause to them his silence and current disengagement meant lack of care. And I'm sure if you're anything like me, at times you've uttered something similar. God, don't you see what I'm going through? God, don't you see what's going on? God, where are you? Silence can feel like indifference. Delay can feel like neglect. But Paul writes something to the Christians in Rome that helps when we feel like this. This is what he writes. He says, he being God who did, who did not spare his own son Jesus, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? So Paul is talking about Jesus going to the cross. And the cross forever answers the question of care. If God did not care, he would not enter the boat of humanity and absorb the ultimate storm of sin. If God didn't care, he wouldn't have given his own son to die on the cross. And the cross forever stands as a picture of the massive gracious, unbelievably kind and caring posture of God toward you. And so the disciples asked, Jesus, don't you care? And I'll read again what happens says he got up, rebuke the wind and said to the waves, quiet, be still. Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Creation instantly obeys. And don't miss this, the storm that threatens the disciples is subject to the voice of Christ, which means you being swamped. Yeah, it's definitely real, but it's not the ultimate because the ultimate authority does not lie with you. It lies with Jesus. The disciples. They were professional fishermen. Storm management was literally their um, their LinkedIn skillset. And yet they were panicking. Even experienced people can lose composure in a crisis. You can have decades of faith and following Jesus. And when that swamp moment comes, you can still think, oh man, this might be it. I'm not sure I got it in me to get through this one. Friends, that doesn't make you faithless, it just makes you human and real. But all it took was one word from Jesus. And creation instantly obeyed. And Mark is deliberately showing us that all things bow to the name of Jesus. That the one who created the sea is the one who commands the sea. And maybe today, maybe today, you just need to hear one word from Jesus. You're in the storm, you're feeling swamped, you are overwhelmed and in chaos. And he's saying to that circumstance, quiet, be still. He's saying to your heart, fear not. He's saying to your mind, my grace is sufficient for you. He's saying, I will never leave you. Trust me, I am in control. One word from him outweighs a thousand waves. And Jesus calm the storm. And then he asked the disciples two questions. Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? It's like he verbally smacks 'em. Faith is not emotional or situational calmness. Faith is relational calmness. So even though they had seen miracle, the miracles from Jesus for others, they had still yet to experience his power for themselves and friends. Here's the reality. Theology untested by crisis always remains theoretical. Storms force you to put faith into practice. Chaos in your life reveals functional faith. You either know it or you know it and you live it. And so Jesus asked those questions and then Mark writes this next, they were terrified and asked of each other, who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him. This is interesting. They were afraid during the storm and they were terrified after Jesus calmed it. Why? I think it's because now they realize Jesus was far greater than they understood the storm revealed their weakness. But Jesus calmed the store, reveals his identity. And that question, who is, this is really the central point of the whole passage because faith is always connected to knowing who Jesus is. Their fear on the lake wasn't just a weather problem, it was a worship problem, a theology problem, a Jesus problem. They did not fully yet understand who is in the boat with them. And isn't that so often true with us? We think our biggest problem is the storm around us. The pressure, the fear, the uncertainty, the diagnosis, the conflict, the financial strain, the chaos. But many times the deeper issue is our view of Jesus. Because when your view of Jesus is small, your storm looks huge. But when your view of Jesus grows, your storm is put into perspective. And that's what's happening here. The disciples are not just asking, how did he do that? You're asking what kind of person is this? That creation obeys him. It was their tip that this truly is God.'cause in their scriptures, the one who rules the sea is God alone. Psalm 1 0 7 says, he's still the storm to a whisper. The waves of the sea were hushed. That's talking about Yahweh God Almighty. And so when Jesus stands up and rebukes the wind and the waves almost like disobedient children, mark is making a huge statement. Jesus is not merely helped by God. Jesus is God in the flesh. This is not just a teacher with unusual gifts. This is not just a miracle worker with unusual power. This is the Lord of creation standing in the boat. And that's why they were terrified because now they realize the one they were questioning is the one the storm will obeys. They one, the one they thought was sleeping through it all was actually sovereign over it all. The one they wonder didn't care is the one holding all things together. So the question, who is this reveals their level of faith.'cause here's the bottom line, your faith will never rise higher than your view of Jesus. You can only trust the Jesus you actually know. See, chaos and storms, they don't create your theology, they expose it. They reveal what you believe about God. When the music stops, when the room gets quiet, when the prayer seems unanswered, and when the pressure gets real.'cause it's easy to sing about the goodness, the goodness of God when you got a paycheck coming in, when your body feels strong, when your kids are doing well and when the future looks bright. But what about when the phone call comes? When the bad news comes, when your marriage crisis comes, when anxiety comes, when chaos comes, it's in those moments that what lives in your heart rises to the surface. And if storms instantly drive you into panic that then you just don't have a circumstance issue, you have a faith issue. And follow me here. If you have a faith issue, then at the deepest level you have a God issue. Meaning you need to know God better. Because when your view of Jesus grows, your storm is always put into perspective. And so hope city, do you need a bigger vision of Jesus? Do you need to be reminded that he's not only loving but sovereign, not only near but mighty, not only kind, but reigning not only compassionate, but commanding over all things. You see, fear feeds on a diminished view of God. That's why the answer to fear is not always just trying harder to calm. The answer to your fear, to your chaos, and to real peace is seeing who Jesus is more clearly. Because the better you see him, the more steadily you trust him, the better you see him, the more your storm is put into perspective. I once read a line, feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. Now I wanna show you something that speaks of growth in the disciples lives, the gospel of Matthew. It has this beautiful contrast. We have another boat, another storm, another moment of chaos. But this time Jesus sent the disciples into it without him. And at the peak of their stress, he comes walking to them on the water. And after he calms the storm, Matthews says this, then those who were in the boat, that's the disciples worshiped him saying, truly, you are the son of God. See the difference. First boat story ended with a question, who is this? Second boat story ended with a confession. Truly, you are the son of God. The first storm exposed uncertainty. The second storm produced worship. That means they had grown, their theology had deepened, their understanding of Jesus had sharpened, their faith had matured. They went from panic to praise, from fear to faith, from questioning to worship. They saw Jesus for who he really was and their chaos for what it really was. See, worship is not pretending the storm is small. It's declaring that Jesus is greater worship, lifts our eyes above the waves, it recenters our soul. Worship reminds your heart who is actually in charge. It says this is scary, but Jesus is Lord, I don't get this, but Jesus is Lord, I don't want this, but Jesus is Lord. The waves are real, but Jesus is Lord. And listen, Jesus always gets the final word. And so friends, that same voice has said, quiet, be still to the wind. And the waves is the same voice we carry into every storm we face. And so when fear fills the room, we speak Jesus. When chaos surrounds us, we speak Jesus. When anxiety starts shouting, we speak Jesus because there is power in his name, there is peace in his name, there is authority in his name. Jesus is Lord. So hope city, I don't know what you're going through. I don't know what your chaos is. I don't know what your storm is, but right now, I want us to lift up the name above all names. I'm gonna ask you to stand if you are able to. And together we're gonna sing. We're gonna worship him because I know when you do this, something's gonna happen in your heart to help you face whatever it is you need to face. Something's gonna shift in your mind and in your spirit because when your view of Jesus grow stronger, your chaos moves into perspective. So worship team, come and lead us now and let's sing this song together. I seek Jesus,- I speak. I just wanna speak the name of Jesus until every dark addiction starts to break, declaring there is hope and there is free. I speak Jesus. Your name is, your name is name, strong. Shine through the speak, the- Name of- Jesus- Over fear and anxiety. To every soul I- Speak.- Name is,- Name is- Healing. Strong. Shine through the shadow. And name, power,- Name,- Power,- Name is shout Jesus from the mountains and Jesus in the streets, Jesus in the darkness over every enemy, Jesus. For my family, I speak the holy name- Of- Jesus.- Jesus Jesus in it. Your name. Your name is your name. Every strong shine through the shadow name, name is, name is,- I just wanna speak the name. Jesus. Peace. Within your presence, I speak Jesus. We sing the- Mighty name of- There's peace in your name, healing,- In your name,- In- Your name.- Salvation is in the name of Jesus who we declare the- Powerful name. Shout Jesus from the- Mountains and Jesus in the streets, our voices- Jesus. Jesus, holy- Over your chaos, friend, Jesus is Lord over your storm. Jesus is Lord over that problem that keeps you up at night. Jesus is Lord, let me pray for you. I thank you for this vivid picture, Jesus, of how we can trust you in the most difficult, hardest moments of our life. I thank you that you are alongside us and you are present and you are there. And I thank you that we don't face this alone. And so I pray for my friends today, for their view of you, Jesus, to grow. I pray that they may see you for who you are, the creator, the Lord God incarnate, the one who was and is to come. The one who controls every circumstance, every situation, the one who always gets the final word. And I pray that that may increase their faith. I pray that that may strengthen their heart. I pray that that brings endurance to their spirit today. That no matter what is happening, they know Jesus. They can look to you. And so friends, look to him, the alpha and Omega, look to him, your God and your king, look to him. Jesus, Lord of all, do not take your eyes off of him. Trust him. He always gets the final word. And so, Lord, I thank you for that. You might be joining us today in person online at one of our campuses. He might not know Jesus personally. Friend. I'm gonna say again. Jesus went to the cross to die for your sins. He rose to offer you life, both now and forever. And he wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to do life with you. And that just begins by you making what I would say is the best decision of your life. And so if you're joining us and you wanna make that decision, I'm gonna pray a prayer that helps you put into words the beginning of that. So let's pray. Jesus, today I see my need for you. And I thank you for going to the cross, for dying, for my sins, for rising, and offer me life and hope. And so today I put my faith in you. I put my trust in you, and I wanna follow you as Lord and leader of my life. Help me to understand what that means and help me to know what it means from this day forward. And so I thank you that I have the opportunity to do this. And Lord, I pray over every individual, every couple, and every family I ask as they go into this week, may they just know that God, you are greater than everything. That no matter what is in their life, may they keep their eyes fixed on you, the author and the perfecter of their faith. May their faith grow strong. May they see God that no matter what the waves bring or how high the waves get, they know Jesus, that you are sovereign, you are in control, and you are the Lord of all. And so encourage them today, strengthen them today by your mighty spirit. And I pray this in the wonderful, incredible and powerful name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. You know, if you prayed that prayer today of surrendering your life to Jesus, I wanna say where to go. I'm really proud of you for doing that. I'm gonna ask you to take a next step, and that is just to tap the disc on the seat back in front of you. We'd love to get a digital booklet inside your hand that talks a little bit more about knowing and following Jesus. And on top of that, in a big church, we want to get to know who you are. So we'd love for you to do that. Please, if you're here in the house at Millwood and you want prayer over anything, we're gonna have a prayer team available down at the front, left, right after this service you can head up. They would love to pray over. And for you hope city walk in the presence, the power, and the authority of Jesus this week. He calms the chaos, he gets the final word. Love you guys, lots praying for you. Thanks for being in church today. Have an incredible Sunday.