When The Storm Comes

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:58

The title of my sermon today is When the Storm Comes. We're going to be looking at Luke chapter 8, verse 22 to 25, and seeing how Jesus and his disciples encountered a storm and how they handled it and navigated it. And today we'll look at life lessons on how we can overcome life storms. So let's read Luke chapter 8, verse 22 to 25 from the English Standard Version of the Bible. One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, Let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they set out. And as they sailed, he fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, Where is your faith? And they were afraid, and they marvelled, saying to one another, Who then is this that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him. We may not encounter many weather storms like this, but in life we will all face storms, storms of health, financial storms, and relationship storms. I believe you are either in a storm, have just come through a storm, or about to go into a storm in life. And today we're going to look at four life lessons for when the storm comes. I want you to notice the title of my sermon today is not if the storm comes, but when the storm comes. So number one, following Jesus includes going through storms in life. Let's read Luke chapter 8, verse 23. It says, And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. There are times following Jesus where we will go through storms in life. It's better to be with Jesus in a storm in the middle of the lake than without him safe on the shore. I've learned that following Jesus is not always easy, but it's always worthwhile. I've been through many storms in my life, and I know that if Jesus is with me and I am aware of his presence and I hold on to what he's promised, I am able to go through that storm a lot easier than just hanging on for dear life. Today you may be in a storm, and today we are going to look at keys on how you can come through that storm stronger in your faith, more in love with Jesus, and ready to minister to others. So number two, remember what Jesus said to you before the storm. So first of all, verse 22, it says, One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, Let us go across to the other side of the lake. I want you to notice in that verse, he didn't say, You go to the other side of the lake, or I will go to the other side of the lake. He said, Let us go together. And he wants to be with us, and he wants to lead us, and he's given us promises. What promise has he given you before you enter the storm of life? We need to hold on to those promises. Let's look at verse 25 now. Luke 8, verse 25 says, He said to them, Where is your faith? Now many people are quite shocked that Jesus would say something so direct, like, Where is your faith? But we have to understand that faith is taking God at His Word, it's an obedient response to what God has said. In fact, I believe that faith is part of relationship, and if we take Jesus at his word and believe in him and don't doubt what he said to us, we will be in faith. Listen to how the Passion Translation puts Luke chapter 8, verse 25. It says, Then Jesus said to them, Why are you fearful? Have you lost your faith in me? You see, that's what faith is. Faith is taking Jesus at his word. Faith is based on a relationship. If I have a relationship with someone and they they promise to meet me somewhere, I go there fully expecting them to be there at that particular time. And we know that Jesus is always true to his word. Don't doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. Don't doubt in the middle of the storm what Jesus told you on the shore at the beginning of your journey. Whatever storm you're facing today, I want to encourage you to reflect on God's promises to you. For example, perhaps you're facing a stormy season in your marriage. What promises did God give you for your marriage when you started off? Reflect on those and begin to ask God for those things to come to pass. You see, faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. And as we rehearse and feed ourselves on God's promises, our faith begins to grow and develop. The same applies whether you're facing a parenting storm or a financial storm or a storm in your health. What are God's promises? And let's hold on to those great and precious promises. Number three, we must awake the presence of God in the midst of the storm. Let's look at Luke chapter 8, verse 24. It says, And they went and woke him, saying, Master, Master, we're perishing. And he awoke. It's important for us to awake the presence of God in our lives through praise and prayer. Remember, God has not gone anywhere. We are just not aware of his presence. And there are times when we feel like he's asleep. But we know from God's promises that he does not slumber or sleep. We know that he is not a man that he should lie. But what he said will come to pass. He is faithful to his promises. And it's important for us in times of difficulty or challenge to spend time in worship, in praise, and in prayer. A great example is Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16. They had had a difficult day. They saw a servant girl set free from a demonic spirit, and as a result of that, they were beaten and imprisoned. And in prison, we see that in the inner prison in stocks, having been beaten in the middle of the night, in the darkest hour, they began to sing hymns and praise to God. They were singing so loudly that the other prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was an earthquake, the prison doors were opened, and the result was they were free, and the jailer and his household became followers of Jesus, and the whole region opened up for the gospel. Now we might not see an immediate, suddenly like that, but as we spend time in prayer and praise, we become more aware of his presence in our lives. And we know that his peace and joy begin to bubble up on the inside. That peace that passes understanding, that joy unspeakable and full of glory becomes a strength in our lives to keep us steady through life's storms. Now, when we read about Paul and Silas, or we read about the disciples with Jesus in the boat in the midst of the storm, it all makes sense to us. But remember, we're looking back, they were living it in real time. They had not experienced this before. And uh, you know, you may be in a season that you haven't experienced before, but I want to say today that God is faithful. What he's done for others, he will do for you. Finally, my fourth point today is that Jesus can bring calm in the midst of the storm. Let's look at Luke chapter 8, verse 24 and 25. Reading the second half of both of those verses, it says, And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a great calm. Let's look at the Passion Translation of this verse. I love the way the Passion Translation puts this verse. It says, With great authority, Jesus rebuked the howling wind and surging waves, and instantly they became calm. I love that. What wonderful authority our Lord and Savior has. Let's look at verse 25 now. And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him. My experience is that Jesus is with us, and he will bring us through the storms of life. So let's review. Number one, we've seen following Jesus includes going through storms in life. Number two, remember what Jesus said to you before the storm. What are his promises to you? Number three, awake the presence of God in the midst of the storm. And we saw that we do this through praise and prayer. Keep praising, keep praying until there is a breakthrough. And finally, number four, we saw that Jesus can bring calm in the midst of the storm. Today, are you in a storm? If you are, make sure that Jesus is in the boat with you. Is he in your marriage? Are you including him in the decisions you're making in your career or your business? What has Jesus said to you? Hold on to his great and precious promises. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to tell us what to do as a result of what we've heard in today's sermon. Let's pray. Father God, thank you that you are faithful to us. That when we go through life storms, that Jesus promised to never leave us or forsake us, but to be with us always, even to the end of the age. Help us to remember what you've promised us through your word or perhaps through prophetic words before we went into the storm. Your promises for our relationships, our finances, our future, our health. We thank you that we can awake your presence in our lives through prayer and worship. And thank you that one word from you can bring calm into a storm. And we ask that you today would speak into storms that people are facing and bring peace, joy, hope, perspective, faith. We ask these things now. Holy Spirit, speak to us as individuals in Jesus' name. Amen.