Lord of the Storm
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
I am so glad to be back in church today! It feels like it haas been a month since we have gathered together.
Fasting and Prayer this week
Evangelism this afternoon at 2:00
Communion and Potluck March 30th (this is going to be a casserole potluck. Bring your best dish)
INTRODUCTION:
In John chapter 6, we come to another miracle that we area all very familiar with, “Jesus walks on water”. Most everyone equates Jesus with this miracle while not really understanding what it means. Yes Jesus did walk on water but what this really teaches us today is that Jesus is Lord of the Storm. The physical storms yes, and also the storms that come into our lives and put us in despair as the disciples were that night they saw Jesus walk on water.
You may think this message will not apply to you right now because things are going great in your life. I’s going to give you some advice, enjoy every minute of it. And that is because life is like the weather here in Kentucky. You can go from 70 and sunny to flood waters washing everything away and wake up with 2” of snow on the ground.
THIS IS WHAT IM TRYING TO SAY: If you are not in a season of difficulty right now, you just wait because it’s coming. It is inevitable for us to face hardships and difficulties. And these difficulties can make you and they can break you if you do not know the Lord of the storm and remember these truths we are going to discover today.
2,000 years ago the disciples found themselves in difficult situation. Caught in the middle of the Sea of Galilee in a storm. They paddled and paddled, the winds and waves beat against the boat and it was chaos until Jesus entered the boat, and brought peace in the midst of chaos.
We find this story in John chapter 6:16-21
Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
Explanation:
After Jesus had fed the 5,000, He went back to the mountain to pray. The disciples go down and get into a boat and begin to cross the Sea of Galilee, by themselves, and a storm rolls in upon them:
It was dark
Jesus was not there with them
And the storm was upon them
I don’t know if you ever been on the water when it is dark, but things can become very unsettling very quick. The water is different at night than it is during the day and especially when the unexpected happen and you wind up in the middle of it.
I remember I time years ago when I spent many weekends at the lake. Just about every weekend since I was able to drive I was out on the water.
One night we were all down camping and all I had at that time was a John boat. We had thrown some jugs out at about dark and so me and another guy decided to go out and check them and it was late.
Well once we got out there, we realized there was a heavy fog on the water and I had never been on the water in the fog like that. So juts being ignorant we kept on going out further and further looking for our jugs in the that thick fog until we realized were weee in trouble. No matter where we shined that spotlight, all we could see was fog. It was like being lost in the dark without any direction whatsoever.
My buddy who was with me began to scream for help, but no one heard us. We decided to try to go in the same direction and eventually crossed that bay and found a bank and followed it back to camp. And we got out of that boat and stayed out the rest of the night.
Well that’s where the disciples were. They got into the boat, and this massive lake, routine like many times before, had just seen Jesus turn a handful of foods into a giant banquet to feed a multitude of people, everything is going along just about as good as it could, and out of no where they find themselves in a boat, in the dark by themselves, and a storm pressing against them. Wind and waves beating against the boat, and Jesus no where in sight.
Bridge:
Does that sound familiar to you? Have you ever been going about your life and everything seems to be going as well as it could, and out of no where things seem to just crumble in your hands. Life can get difficult very quickly and unexpectedly
You may be experiencing difficulty now and you may say I have never had any difficulties. Listen to me: If you genuinely follow Jesus you will have circumstances enter your life, beyond your control, things that shake you to the core.
Application:
Difficulties are an inevitable part of your life as a disciple of Jesus
How do we get that principle from this story? Because Mark tells us that Jesus is the One who put them in the boat and sent them out in the sea KNOWING a storm was brewing and would hit them dead on
Mark 6:45 (NASB95)
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away.
This storm that hit these disciples was no accident, it was no surprise to Jesus, IT WAS PLANNED by Jesus…..JUST LIKE THE SEASONS of difficulties that find their way into your life and my life.
These things are not surprises to God like they are us. They hit us and take our breath away, but to God its all a part of His discipleship program.
God will so arrange the circumstances in our lives, that will challenge us, cause us to weep and cry, cause great heartache and pain.
And if we are not careful, And if we do not keep our hearts consistently in the Word of God, we will conclude that God does not love us, and that He only wants trouble for us.
But that’s not true at all. It’s not that God does not love, but God brings the perfect divine difficulties TAYLOR FITTED FOR OUR LIVES because it is those specified difficulties that cause us to grow and mature and become more like Jesus.
Why does God bring difficulties in our lives? Why did God make those disciples get into that boat?
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”. James 1:2–4 NIV
What is perseverance?
It is the ability to hold out, stand firm in the face of difficulty.
And perseverance requires patience. It is the unwillingness to quit or until God changes those circumstances.
“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete”
Have you ever thought about perseverance as a tool used by God upon wielded upon your life like a chisel to mold you and shape you into spiritual maturity?
God is the master potter, and we are the clay vessels. And the Potter takes the clay and by using circumstance, He shapes us and molds us into the image of His Son.
That difficulty that we experience, over time, it will make you more loving, it will make you more grateful, it will make you more tolerant to pain and difficult people, it will make you more humble, it will make you more like Jesus!
Do you know why some Christians are just more solid and godly than others? Its because they have trusted the Potter to to shape and mold the clay. It because they choose to endure the storm, rather than run from it.
What do you do when the storm comes? What WILL YOU DO when the storm with your name on it comes?
If you are wise, you will Persevere and cling to Jesus.
WHY?
Jesus is the Lord over our circumstances
Jesus is the Lord over our circumstances
Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Jesus is clearly in full command of this storm. The disciples are distraught, but Jesus is in it, over it, and walking around in it.
I know this does not sound like some deep theological point, but it is the point of verses 19-21 and it is one that we need to hear over and over again
Explanation:
The Jesus Boat: This a boat found in 1986 at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee dated to around the time of Jesus and would be very similar to this boat the disciples were in.
Can you imagine 12 men stacked in this boat and trying to row 8 miles across the Sea of Galilee. A boat this size (27’) would have weighed over 2 tons and trying to row against a storm.
Mangrove Kayak rowing
A couple of years ago, we took a vacation down to Florida and Ashley had set us up for a kayak tour to see the mangroves. And it as supposed to be one of the greatest experiences Florida had to offer.
So our family of six paid a ridiculous amount of money to get in these kayaks to see the mangroves. We rented three kayaks, and somehow I lucked out and had Judah in mine, Bailey had Luke with her, and Ashley had Bentley with her.
The mangrove tree must have been about about 14 miles from where we took off from because by time we got to them all we could think about was that row all the way back to the dock! Our arms were burning and we were exhausted.
Then a storm began to roll in, lightening, thunder, and we had to paddle all the way back in a hurry. Bailey and Luke ended up having to be towed in by the guide and by time we got back I swore I’d never get in another boat without a motor on it.
Storms will come, and if we think we can row ourselves out of them, we are only fooling ourselves. We start rowing, and rowing, pushing and pushing, trying anything that we can do to get ourselves free of our situation not considering that Jesus Christ is sovereign over it all.
Three things I want you know here:
1) Jesus is present over your troubles
1) Jesus is present over your troubles
Notice He did not leave His disciples. He was there the entire time. Maybe not in the boat with them, but He has His eye on them the entire time.
Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them.
What was Jesus doing? He had His eye on the 12 the whole time.
And the Lord is always keeping na eye upon us as well. You are not walking alone, you are not suffering alone, you are not persevering alone!
You may not “feel” like God is with you but He is! He is watching you and is watching over you! And He is saying to you, do not be afraid!
“for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,””
I cannot tell you of a greater comfort just top know that Jesus is present in my troubles. That when I feel like the entire world is against me I can rest assured that the Lord will never leave me.
2) Jesus is Lord over our troubles ~ “But He said to them, ‘It is I’
2) Jesus is Lord over our troubles ~ “But He said to them, ‘It is I’
This is the same phrase that was spoken to Moses in the burning bush when Moses asked His name, God said, “I am who I am”
In other words, what Jesus is saying is, “Do not fear, God is here”. And by walking on water He is doing what only God can do.
He is the one who can start, stop, override, control any means of nature, difficulty circumstances that we find ourselves in.
TRUTH: If God wanted to stop the waves from beating against your life then all He has to do is speak the words, “peace, be still” and every difficult thing that is afflicting you and I right now would instantly cease!
DO NOT BUY THE LIE THAT THE STRUGGLE IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW IS PERMANENT! God is a God of surprises. God is the One who controls circumstances and can change them instantly!
Even Jospeh who was thrown into prison for life spent his life in the palace when he walked with the Lord!
Application
Ecc 3:1: “For everything there is a season, and la time for every matter under heaven…(v 9-11) “What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
The Bible says our lives are divided into seasons, not life sentences!
If you want the most out of this life, then you let the Lord God choose your seasons, and you let the Lord God choose the length of time you will stay in those seasons! If you want the fullest, most satisfying life, then you trust God to determine your seasons and not yourself!
“He has made everything beautiful in its time”
There is not a better place that you could be right now than exactly where God has you at right now.
If God is taking you through a valley of suffering its because God wants to do something in you that you cannot get any other way!
Do not remove yourself from a circumstance God has called you to, lest you will be certain to repeat it all over again.
3) Jesus wants to lead you through your troubles
3) Jesus wants to lead you through your troubles
So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Notice the dramatic change Jesus made in this entire situation.
These disciples went from not knowing where Jesus was at all, worn out from rowing against the winds, fearful of what could happen to an overwhelming peace and being immediately at the bank.
When Jesus entered the boat the entire situation changed, from chaos to wonder and worship
The difference in you and I ending up at the right place totally depends upon whether we receive Jesus into our predicaments
What do I mean? I mean that we are willing to put aside what we think is best for our lives, what we want for us personally, and trust God to lead us through.
It means that no matter what we think about what we are dealing with, Jesus knows better and we are willing to put ourselves under His authority, under His Word, and let Him be in command.
That may mean the call for more perseverance, that may mean there will be ridicule from others, that may mean we will not get everything we want, BUT it does mean we will get what we need the most and what we cannot get any other way.
CONCLUSION: I want to close with this verse, because I think it is a fitting end to this scene.
Matthew 7:24–27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
What do you do when the world closes in around you? When you find yourselves drowning in the difficulties of this world?
We make sure our lives are built upon the Word of God. That is, we take these promises, rebukes, instructions, precious truths and we build our lives upon them! We live them out! do them!
That’s what faith is. It is taking God at His Word.
Have you done that? I don’t mean try for a period of time, I mean indefinitely! Fore now until death do us part have you trusted the Words of Jesus.
If you do, when the storms come, you will remain standing. The rains will beat and the winds will blow but nothing will knock you down because you are anchored to the Lord of the Storm.
If you haven’t, I plead with you to start today. Your house will fall, and great will be its fall. What part of your life is out of line with God’s will?
Change it entirely, NOW. Receive Jesus into your circumstances and He will bring you safely to the other side.
~PRAYER~
