Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Dismiss Children

One of the pastors

Thank you to those who have been faithful to the Lord in the stewardship of their time, talents, and treasures this last year as it relates to local and worldwide evangelism.

We focus on local evangelism here to ensure we can continue to exist to support the worldwide efforts of our missionaries.

I’m glad you are with us this month as we are in our missions emphasis month where we put a focus on local and worldwide evangelism each Sunday this month.

Two weeks ago I preached on the one mission we have and while it can be understood as simply as to say “Disciple” we must understand that in order to live that, we must have our hearts impacted by the message of the gospel we are called to preach to every creature.

Last week Pastor Tim Owens delivered a powerful message where I know I was, as he said, wrecked.

What a powerful statement from Him that I loved and will be using from time to time “If you aren’t saying yes to what Jesus tells you to do, stop saying you are a follower of Jesus.”

Today I want us to look at a situation Jesus put the disciples in and how we find ourselves in that same siuation today.

Turn in your bibles to Mattew 14:22.

While your getting there let me ask you something, Have you ever been scared?

I don’t mean by a haunted house or a scary movie…I mean have you ever felt the fright associated with not knnowing how thingns are going to work out becuase of the situation you are in?

I have.

Maybe you are scared because you don’t know how a loved ones health is going to improve.

You are scared because you don’t know where the next paycheck is coming from or how a bill will be paid.

You are scared because you don’t know how the relationship you are in is going to go.

You are scared because for whatever reason the current circumstances of life that you face leave you questioning the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God, or the power of God and you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

You ever been there?

(raise hands) I have.

What do we do when we are there?

What does that have to do with us being on mission and supporting worldwide evangelism?

It presents the one problem we all deal with when it comes to making a commitment to God.

Fear.

Billy Graham said “Fear can paralyze us and keep us from believing God and stepping out in faith.

The devil loves a fearful Christian!”

Billy Graham said “Fear can paralyze us and keep us from believing God and stepping out in faith.

The devil loves a fearful Christian!”

Fear will cripple you from having faith in God.

It is in the moments of greatest fear, the Lord shows up in the greatest ways.

Follow along with me in Matthew 14 and see what the disciplies experienced

Matthew 14:22-24

Exegete:

This event is following a miracle feeding of the 5 thousand + people.

The disciples have also witness other miracles and teachings from Jesus up to this point.

Following the feeding of the great crowd here, Jesus sent the disciples to the boat to go ahead of him.

Jesus Himself stepped away to be alone and it’s believe to pray and rest after engaging so many people.

The discicples obeyed Him an went to the boat and they began to row.

After rowing for a few hours…they encountered a storm.

Strong winds were blowing and keeping them from really going anywhere.

They had rowed for hours and had only went a short distance.

Put yourselves in their shoes for a moment.

They are obeying the Messiah, they are rowing in the pitch black night.

With a storm there is most likely a lot of cloud coverage.

No lighthouses, no lights on the boat, just pitch black darkness with the winds beating against you.

Ever felt like life is this way?

ONe thing after another?

It’s like a bad country song “My dog died, my car broke down, my wife left me, my coffee pots broke, and my boss fired me.”

All in the same day.

Let’s pause and ask a question: Did Jesus know the storm was coming?

yes

Did Jesus tell them to row into the storm?

yes

But He told them to go anyway.

He sent them out into the storm knowing the fear and the difficulty they would face.

Illustrate:

When Jesus said

“Take up your cross and follow me” He knew what your cross would be

When he said

Matthew 6:19-21

He knew about inflation, He knew about bills, He knew bout taxes

When He said

Acts 1:8

He knew the languages that would have to be overcome, He knew the perecution the early church would face, he knew the problems that would be in the way of making it happen.

When he formed you in the womb of your mother he knew the difficultues your life woudl have in it.

He knew trials you would face.

He knew about the health problems, He knew about the financial strains, he knew…and yet he said Go.

He said lose your life for my sake and you shall gain it.

He aid forsake everything and follow me.

He didn’t say it would be easy, He said it needed to be done.

Apply:

What are a couple things we can learn from this?

I. God will send you into a storm

Don’t sit back and say “God will never give me more than I can handle.”

Yes He will.

In fact, over and over again we see people in the Bible put in situations too big for them.

The disciples, 12 mortal men were sent into a storm at sea, David was put in front of a Giant, Noah was faced with a global flood, Jacob faced slavery, prison, and the responsibility of feeding a nation during a famine.

James wrote

James 1:2-3

Count it all joy when the storm comes.

Becuase we know who controls the storm.

The diciples were right whre you are, in the midst of a storm of life.

Then what happened at the darkest point.

The men had been rowing for hours and only went a few miles.

They had been fighting with all they had.

They were mentally and physically exhausted.

Burnt out and emotionally drained.

They didn’t know how they would make it.

They didn’t know if they could give anymore to the work, to each other, or to the cause for which they had given their life.

It was in this moment, it was at their lowest...

Matthew 14:25-27

Exegete:

That fourth watch is from 3-6am.

It’s the darkest point of the day.

It’s right before dawn.

It’s the coldest part of the night because no heat from the Sun has touched that area of the world in hours.

He appeared to them and spoke to them but notice something…The storm didn’t stop.

Illustrate:

The storm you as an individual face is still raging…but Jesus is there, He’s speaking to you, but it’s not over yet.

The storms of life are always raging.