Kingdom in Motion | Guest Speaker Skyler Farley

Devotional

Day 1: Sleeping on the Storm’s Pillow

The disciples gripped oars as waves crashed over the boat. Salt stung their eyes. Peter shouted over the gale at Jesus, asleep on a cushion. “Don’t you care?” Panic choked their words. Jesus stood, raised His hand, and said, “Quiet. Be still.” Instantly, wind and waves froze like scolded children. The men trembled at a new kind of fear—holy awe. [06:20]

Jesus didn’t rebuke the storm first. He rebuked their fear. His power over creation proved He’s Lord of every chaos. The storm obeyed His voice because all things exist for His glory—even waves that threaten to drown us.

When your boat fills with water, do you fixate on the storm or the Sleeper in your boat? His presence transforms panic into worship. What storm have you been shouting about instead of surrendering to His authority?

“He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Silence! Be still!’ The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
(Mark 4:39, CSB)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal His lordship over one specific fear raging in your heart.
Challenge: Write down three “waves” overwhelming you today. Pray “Silence. Be still” over each.

Day 2: Legion and the Herd’s Descent

The man ran at Jesus, chains dangling from scarred wrists. “What do you want with me, Son of God?” Legion’s voice rasped through torn lips. Jesus commanded, “Come out,” and 2,000 pigs plunged into the sea. The townspeople found the man clothed, sane—and begged Jesus to leave. Only the healed man begged to stay. [19:17]

Demons flee at Christ’s word, but human hearts often prefer familiar bondage. The Garasenes valued pigs over freedom, safety over transformation. Jesus’ authority disrupts economies of sin we’ve tolerated.

What brokenness in your life or community have you labeled “too normal” or “too costly” to confront? Where have you subtly asked Jesus to depart rather than dismantle strongholds?

“The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’”
(Luke 8:38-39, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one area you’ve resisted Jesus’ invasive healing. Ask for courage to want Him more than comfort.
Challenge: Identify one “herd” (habit, relationship, thought pattern) destroying you. Pray aloud: “Jesus, command it to go.”

Day 3: Fringe of His Cloak

Twelve years of bleeding left her weak. Doctors took her money; shame took her voice. She pressed through the crowd, thinking, If I touch just His robe… Power surged through her veins. Jesus stopped. “Who touched Me?” Trembling, she confessed. He smiled: “Daughter, your faith healed you.” [26:35]

Jesus didn’t scold her for “stealing” a miracle. He honored her desperate faith. Her uncleanness couldn’t taint Him—His holiness purified her. Even a furtive touch, fueled by faith, releases His power.

What shame makes you hide instead of reaching for Christ? What brokenness have you decided is “too messy” to bring near Him?

“And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.”
(Mark 5:29, ESV)

Prayer: Name one hidden hurt. Ask Jesus to meet you in it as you “touch His robe” today.
Challenge: Text one trusted believer: “Pray I have courage to reach for Jesus in my ______.”

Day 4: Talitha Koum in the Mourning Room

Jairus’ daughter lay cold. Mourners wailed. Jesus took her hand: “Talitha koum.” Her eyelids fluttered. The room gasped. Jesus, undeterred by death’s finality or others’ laughter, turned a dirge into a birthday. [31:27]

Resurrection isn’t a metaphor here. Jesus reverses death’s curse physically, proving His ultimate authority. Every healing is a down payment on the New Creation where “no more death” reigns.

What situation feels “dead” in your life—dreams, relationships, hopes? How would believing Jesus still says “Talitha koum” change your posture today?

“Taking her by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha cumi,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ And immediately the girl got up and began walking.”
(Mark 5:41-42, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for His past faithfulness. Ask Him to resurrect one “dead” area you’ve stopped praying about.
Challenge: Share a 60-second testimony of God’s power with someone today: “Let me tell you what Jesus did…”

Day 5: Not My Own, But His

The demoniac sat clothed. The storm stilled. The bleeding stopped. The corpse breathed. Each miracle shouted: Jesus owns what He saves. The Heidelberg Catechism echoes: “I am not my own, but belong—body and soul—to my faithful Savior.” [14:14]

Surrender isn’t loss—it’s liberation. When waves rage or demons roar, our confidence rests in Christ’s ownership, not our control. His blood buys back what chaos steals.

Where are you still clutching the illusion of control? What would it look like today to live as “not your own”?

“What is your only comfort in life and death? That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
(Heidelberg Catechism Q1)

Prayer: Repeat the catechism’s answer aloud as your declaration. Surrender one area you’ve withheld from Christ.
Challenge: Memorize Heidelberg Q1. Whisper it when anxiety strikes today.

Sermon Summary

Mark announces “the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,” and the narrative refuses to float above real life. The text rushes straight into storms, demons, sickness, and death, showing that the good news lands where the world actually hurts. Jesus Himself says, “Let us go over to the other side,” so the disciples enter danger by obeying Him, not fleeing Him. The storm howls, the boat fills, and the disciples cry, “Don’t you care?” Jesus rises, rebukes the wind, and says to the sea, “Quiet, be still,” and the chaos collapses into great calm. The instant calm unmasks His identity. Creation hears the voice that ruled it at the beginning. “Who is this?” Psalm 89 answers, He is the One who rules the raging sea. His question, “Do you still have no faith?” presses the difference between a fair-summer religion and a faith that sings in the storm. True comfort speaks Heidelberg: body and soul, in life and death, belong to Jesus.

On the far shore, the tombs spit out a man no chain can hold, a walking picture of hell’s vandalism. “My name is Legion,” he says, and the shoreline trembles. Jesus binds the strong man nobody else can bind. The demons beg to stay. The pigs stampede to their ruin. The people then beg Jesus to leave, performing a reverse exorcism by sending away the only Deliverer they have. God comes where He is wanted. The healed man begs to go with Jesus, but Jesus sends him home as a seed in hard soil. Even hard places must be sown with the gospel, and testimony becomes his first mission.

Back across the water, Jairus falls at Jesus’ feet for his dying daughter, and a woman twelve years unclean pushes through the crowd to touch the fringe. Her daring touch makes contact with a holiness that is not defiled but makes clean. “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” News then lands like a hammer: “Your daughter is dead.” Jesus replies, “Don’t be afraid, just believe,” keep believing when hope feels spent. He takes the child’s hand and says, “Talitha kum” - honey, get up - and she stands. These are foretastes, down payments of a coming world where no more sin, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more death will stand. The question remains, Who is in the boat? If Jesus is present, the boat is not going down. The right response is repentance and faith, resting in the sufficiency of the crucified and risen King.

Key Takeaways

1. Obedience can lead into storms True discipleship may steer a life into headwinds, not away from them, because Jesus sometimes says, “Let us go over to the other side.” Storms then uncover what lives in the heart and relocate security from control to Christ. A faith that only thrives under blue skies will fracture when the clouds gather. Jesus aims to form storm-singing saints, not fair-summer admirers. [06:46]
2. Jesus stills creation with a word “Quiet, be still” is not a technique, it is the voice of the Creator reclaiming His world. The immediate calm shows authority, not merely assistance, and exposes fear as forgetfulness of who is in the boat. Reverence replaces panic when the sea learns its limits before the Lord. The question “Who is this?” is answered by the hush itself. [06:20]
3. Welcome Him, avoid reverse exorcism The demoniac begs to stay near Jesus while the town begs Jesus to leave, and that contrast still judges the soul. When Jesus’ kingdom presses into money, sex, and power, the heart either opens the door or escorts Him out. God comes where He is wanted, and testimony grows where desire makes room. Refusal preserves demons, not dignity. [19:55]
4. Touch Him unclean and be clean Shame usually hides, but faith reaches, even when hands shake and rules say keep your distance. The woman’s touch receives cleansing because Jesus’ holiness is not fragile, it is contagious. He names her “Daughter” and turns private pain into public peace. Holiness moves toward need and makes wholeness from defilement. [26:35]
5. Resurrection hope steadies daily faith “Don’t be afraid, just believe” is a summons to keep believing when timelines die and news darkens. “Talitha kum” previews the day when every grave that belongs to Him hears its name. Present courage grows from future certainty, not from odds improving. The down payment of resurrection hope funds endurance now. [29:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:37] - Campus update and gratitude
[02:20] - Mark’s opening line: good news
[03:41] - Storms, demons, sickness, death
[05:36] - Crossing the lake into a storm
[06:20] - “Quiet, be still” - great calm
[11:43] - Wesley and storm-tested faith
[14:14] - Only comfort in life and death
[15:34] - The Gerasene madman meets Jesus
[19:55] - God comes where He’s wanted
[20:48] - Sent home to testify
[22:46] - Jairus and the bleeding woman
[28:38] - “Do not fear, only believe”
[30:59] - “Talitha kum” and resurrection hope
[33:50] - Who is in the boat?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 4:35-41 (ESV)
Mark 5:1-43 (ESV)

Observation Questions

What did Jesus say to the wind and waves during the storm, and what was the immediate result? ([06:20])
How did the townspeople react when they saw the formerly demon-possessed man healed, and what did they ask Jesus to do?
What did the woman with the bleeding issue do to receive healing, and how did Jesus respond to her? ([26:35])
What phrase did Jesus use to raise Jairus’ daughter, and what happened after He spoke it?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus asked the disciples, “Do you still have no faith?” after calming the storm? What does this reveal about the relationship between faith and fear? ([06:20])
The demon-possessed man begged to stay near Jesus, but the townspeople begged Jesus to leave. What does this contrast teach us about how people respond to Jesus’ authority? ([19:55])
The woman with the bleeding issue was considered ceremonially unclean, yet Jesus called her “daughter” and healed her. How does this redefine what it means to approach God in our brokenness?
Jesus told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just believe” after hearing his daughter had died. What does this reveal about the kind of faith Jesus calls us to in hopeless situations? ([28:38])

Application Questions

When facing a “storm” in life, what practical step can you take to shift your focus from fear to trust in Jesus’ authority? ([06:46])
Are there areas of your life (finances, relationships, habits) where you’ve been asking Jesus to “leave” instead of surrendering them to His authority? How might you invite Him into those spaces this week?
The healed demoniac was sent home to testify. Who in your everyday life (family, coworkers, neighbors) needs to hear your story of how Jesus has transformed you?
The woman with the bleeding issue risked shame to reach for Jesus. Is there a hidden struggle or sin you’ve been avoiding bringing to Him? What would it look like to “touch His garment” in prayer today?
Jesus’ words “Talitha kum” (“Little girl, get up”) point to resurrection hope. How can remembering Jesus’ power over death change the way you grieve losses or face fears about the future? ([30:59])
The disciples asked, “Who is this?” after the storm. How would you answer that question for someone unfamiliar with Jesus, based on His actions in these passages?

Sermon Clips

37s

“If Jesus be in the boat, then the boat is not going down. Jesus has all authority so we can entrust ourselves fully to his care. We can choose to trust him and allow fear to lose its grip on our lives. Jesus is the alpha and the omega. He's the first word and the last word. He's the lord of heaven and earth. He has conquered sin, sickness, death, and the grave. He battled the forces of darkness on the cross, and he won. He's the messiah, the son of god, our savior, and our king. So I ask again as the Heidelberg catechism ask, what is thy only comfort in life and death?”

39s

“How about you? Do you have a fair summer religion or a faith that sings in the storm? Our faith does not mean the absence of troubles. It means confidence in the one who commands the wind and the waves. Jesus probably knew that if his disciples never faced difficulties while he was with them, they wouldn't be prepared to face them after he ascended to heaven. They would have a fair summer religion as Wesley called it. But Jesus wanted his disciples to have a faith that was strong enough to endure the storms of life, imprisonments, persecution, and even martyrdom.”

33s

“Faith, again, is not belief that we are immune from difficulties. Faith, as some wrongly pose it, does not put us in control of the circumstances of life. Faith allows us to trust in Jesus regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Faith in Jesus teaches us to trust that he sees us, he cares for us, he loves us, and he is in ultimate control. This type of faith brings steadiness to our hearts and stills the storm within.”

39s

“In this life, we will face storms. Jesus said, in this world, you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world. We will battle the forces of darkness. We will face sickness and death. But you know and you know what all these things have in common? They're outside of our control. And things that are outside of our control tend to breed anxiety, worry, stress, strain, fear. But the good news is that they are not outside of Jesus' authority. Therefore, when we face these things, we have the opportunity to respond to Jesus in faith.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Mission Community Church | Charlotte, NC This sermon · AI assistant

How does Jesus demonstrate authority over creation?

What is the appropriate response to suffering?

What does faith look like during overwhelming trials?