It's only when our faith has been tested that it can become perfected and complete.
Jesus doesn't just tell us who He is — He shows us, often in the middle of the storms He leads us into. Those storms aren't proof that God has abandoned us; they're the very place our small faith gets tested, proven, and grown into something complete, while Jesus Himself stays right there in the boat with us.
A story from life
Story about neighbor David's surprising kickball kick in the cul-de-sac, used to illustrate that showing beats telling
“It's only when our faith has been tested that it can become perfected”
— Pastor Daniel Goulding
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 1 of 7
Jesus was leading the disciples, not led by the crowd, and He deliberately walked away from popularity to take them somewhere that didn't make sense.
Pastor Daniel notes that large crowds had followed Jesus after His healing miracles, but at the height of His popularity Jesus tells the disciples to leave the crowd behind and cross to the other side. This shows a life led by the Spirit of God rather than by public opinion or the desire to build a following.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 2 of 7
The disciples' journey began with a promise, not just a threat — Jesus said they were going 'to the other side,' meaning the storm would not destroy them.
Pastor Daniel points to Mark's account, where Jesus says 'let us go over to the other side,' and argues this establishes a promise of arrival before the storm ever hits. He applies this to the listener: our hard seasons are temporary and we too have been promised we'll get to the other side.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 3 of 7
A fierce, possibly supernatural storm hit while Jesus slept, showing that God sometimes leads us into hardship on purpose because storms have revealing, faith-testing purpose.
He explains that the disciples were professional fishermen who knew ordinary Galilee storms, yet this one convinced them they would die — suggesting something beyond a normal squall. He uses the illustration of hurricanes uncovering old shipwrecks and archeological finds to show that storms reveal what's really there, both weaknesses and strengths, and quotes Charles Spurgeon and James on trials producing endurance and completeness.
“we are exempt from storms without purpose”
— Pastor Daniel Goulding
“Storms help to make sailors sturdy and trials help to make Christians strong in their faith”
— Pastor Daniel Goulding
Illustration
Archeological discoveries revealed by hurricanes, including a sunken boat uncovered on a beach after a storm
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 4 of 7
Jesus was asleep right beside the disciples in a tiny boat, not distant or careless, modeling a rest that is available to believers even while the world panics.
Correcting a common mental picture of a large ship, Pastor Daniel notes Mark records the boats were small, meaning Jesus was inches from the chaos, not hiding from it. He connects this to his own airplane turbulence story about a sleeping pilot, arguing that if the One who controls the storm is at rest, we can be at rest too.
A story from life
Story about severe turbulence on a flight and noticing a sleeping pilot two rows ahead
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 5 of 7
The disciples' desperate cry, 'Lord, save us,' is what moves Jesus to act, showing real spiritual maturity is shortening the time between panic and crying out to God.
He walks through verse 25 where the disciples finally wake Jesus and cry out, framing this as the pattern of the gospel — God meets us in the middle of our mess when we call out to Him. He redefines spiritual maturity not as how many verses we know but as how quickly we move from panic to peace, illustrated by his kids memorizing Bible books.
“If you look up and Jesus is in a panic, you should panic. But if the God of the universe who's in your boat is at rest, you can also be at rest”
— Pastor Daniel Goulding
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 6 of 7
Jesus calms the storm with a word, showing His disciples He has divine authority, and reminds them that even little, mustard-seed-sized faith is enough for God to work with.
Pastor Daniel walks through Jesus rebuking the wind and waves and the disciples' amazed question, 'who is this man?' He ties this to Jesus' mustard seed teaching in Matthew 17:20, arguing God doesn't need big faith from us, just a small amount that He can grow into something massive.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 7 of 7
The disciples' question — 'who is this man?' — is the most important question anyone will ever answer, because if Jesus really is God, He can calm the storms raging in and around us.
He closes by pressing that recognizing Jesus for who He actually is, not who we hope He is, changes everything, since only God can command the sea. This becomes the hinge into the invitation to cry out to Jesus in the storms people are currently facing.
“Little faith is an okay place to start but little faith isn't where we stay”
— Pastor Daniel Goulding
“Who is this man? They asked. Even the winds and the waves obey him”
— Pastor Daniel Goulding
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Take it into your week
Pastor Daniel's invitation is to bring whatever little faith you have straight into the storm and cry out to Jesus, trusting Him to step in.
Application
Stop expecting a storm-free life
Recognize that following Jesus doesn't exempt you from hard seasons, but it does mean those storms are never without purpose.
Let the storm reveal what's in you
Instead of just praying for a hard season to pass quickly, ask God to show you what He's teaching you and to grow your endurance through it.
Shorten the distance from panic to peace
When trouble hits, practice crying out to God sooner rather than trying to control everything yourself; that shrinking gap is what real spiritual maturity looks like.
Bring your mustard-seed faith to Jesus
Don't discount the small amount of faith or hope you have right now — offer it to God and watch what He can do with it rather than waiting until you feel you have enough.
Cry out to Jesus in your current storm
If you're facing a storm today, whether caused by others or by your own choices, invite Jesus into it right now in prayer and trust Him as Lord and Savior of your life.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI