3 - When the Storm Comes

Welcome church! Today, as we continue our Anchor series, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve already covered together. In week 1 we introduced Hebrews 6:19 and the idea of being anchored to hope. Last week we talked about the necessity of having a firm and secure hold on the anchor of hope. And today we are going to speak bluntly about the fact that we live in a world where storms will come, which highlights the necessity of having an anchor.

It’s not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. The storms are coming and there will be adversity, suffering, and pain. When we are faced with any of these we need to be prepared beforehand, ready for whatever may come our way.

I can’t imagine a ship ever leaving port without an anchor on hand… So why are so many of us just floating through life with no real direction, no greater plan for adversity, and no anchor on board? Maybe we don’t see the need for an anchor, maybe we’ve never really had to plan ahead, or maybe we’ve had a relatively easy life, and we don’t think too often about hardship or suffering.

Whatever the case may be, it’s not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. When the storms come, what are you going to do?

Thankfully, Jesus had some thoughts on the matter.

Main Teaching

Last week we looked at Matthew chapter 6 and how it relates to the hope we have in the kingdom of God. This week, we’re going to take a look at Matthew chapter 7 and how it relates to having hope in the midst of a storm.

Read Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 7:24–27 (NLT)

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

In this section of scripture, Jesus is putting an exclamation point on the previous teaching in Matthew chapters 5-7, which is called the Sermon on the Mount. There are many who believe that this is, for many reasons, the greatest sermon ever preached. For hundreds of years it has been commented on, scrutinized, picked apart, and had countless books written about it. And at the conclusion of Jesus’ greatest sermon, he gives us this short section at the end of chapter 7 which compares 2 builders.

One of whom builds on solid rock and the other who builds on sand.

Make a Choice

In both cases, the builders heard the words of Jesus. Unfortunately, only one builder acted upon them and responded to the teaching of Christ.

A.T. Robertson said in Word Pictures in the New Testament, "Hearing sermons is a dangerous business if one does not put them into practice…"

And I think we would all agree that it’s easy enough to listen to something, harder to really dig in and hear, and even harder to put what you’ve heard into practice.

And yet it would seem this is the exact choice Jesus lays out for us at the end of Matthew chapter 7. We’ve got to hear and respond to His teachings.

The Experiment of Franklin Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, often had to endure long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. To test his theory, he decided to try an experiment during a reception.

As each person passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like “Marvelous!” or “Keep up the good work!” It wasn’t until the end of the line, when the ambassador from Bolivia actually listened, that someone responded appropriately. The ambassador leaned in and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”

This story highlights how often people listen just to respond, rather than truly paying attention to what is being said1. It serves as a reminder to practice active listening, where the focus is on understanding the speaker rather than preparing a reply.

SLIDE: Make A Choice

Like I said, it’s easy enough to listen, harder to hear, and even more difficult to put what you’ve heard into action.

But if this resonates with you then be encouraged about this fact; even the closest disciples of Jesus, who traveled and lived with him, took years upon years to really put into practice all the things they’d learned. So, there is grace for the process and at the same time, there’s encouragement to listen and respond. Choose to be like the wise builder who built on solid rock and not like the foolish builder who built on sand.

----> ADVANCE

That way, when the storms do come, which they will, you can make the most of it knowing your hope is firm and secure in Christ.

Sufficiently Supplied

This next story is a longer one, but it highlights the beauty and freedom of living life anchored on Christ. It should come as no surprise that the story comes from the missionary journey of Paul the Apostle, who said in Philippians 4:11,“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” For Paul, that contentment included being shipwrecked at sea and stranded for months on a strange island. Here’s how the story begins:

Read Acts 27:1-11

Acts 27:1–11 (NLT)

1 When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. 2 Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province. 3 The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs. 4 Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland. 5 Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia. 6 There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board. 7 We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone. 8 We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it. 10 “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” 11 But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.

In this first part of the story, we learn Paul is a prisoner and is being transported via ship to Italy. By verse 9, after many exchanges, we learn that the journey has already been a difficult one and that they had lost “much time.” Then in verse 10 Paul says, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” Paul is not saying, if disaster comes, he’s saying when disaster comes. But, as you’d imagine, they don’t listen to him, and they keep going along their way.

This exchange reminds me of one of the most sobering Proverbs you’ll read which says, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.” - Proverbs 29:1… Why are we so stubborn to the wisdom of others? Why don't we just build our proverbial homes on solid rock? Why didn’t the centurion listen to Paul’s warning on the ship?

Read/Skim Acts 27:13-44

Acts 27:13–44 (NLT)

13 When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. 15 The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale. 16 We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us. 17 Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind. 18 The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. 19 The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. 20 The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. 21 No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. 22 But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26 But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” 27 About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near. 28 They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep. 29 At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight. 30 Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship. 31 But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away. 33 Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said. 34 “Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” 35 Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. 36 Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat—37 all 276 of us who were on board. 38 After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard. 39 When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. 40 So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. 41 But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart. 42 The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. 43 But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. 44 The others held onto planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.

In this section we see the storm comes, the ship is wrecked, and all the people involved are terrified except for Paul who has complete faith and assurance that all will end well.

As the story transitions to Acts chapter 28 we learn the island they’ve been stranded on is Malta, “where the islander showed unusual kindness.”

Read Acts 28:1-6

Acts 28:1–6 (NLT)

1 Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. 2 The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. 3 As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. 4 The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” 5 But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. 6 The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.

A venomous snake darts out of the campfire and bites Paul, and still, he seems unbothered by it all, shaking the snake off his hand. The people are suspicious then amazed and finally in awe.

Read Acts 28:7-10

Acts 28:7–10 (NLT)

7 Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. 8 As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. 9 Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. 10 As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.

As the story comes to a close, Paul meets the local Roman official and proceeds to start a healing ministry on the island of Malta where their ship has wrecked, and everyone is stranded. After 3 months another ship had been secured and as the crew was ready to leave, the people of Malta “honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.”

SLIDE: Sufficiently Supplied

Through this story we see what can happen when you’ve made a choice to build your home, your life, on Jesus. We see what can come from a life that is firm and secure, anchored to Jesus.

Here are a few things I saw in the story, and maybe you’d add some others:

Paul was completely content through the violent storm, the shipwreck, and being stranded. In fact, he seemed to take it all in stride and never once complained that his plans were ruined. He was very open handed through it all.

Paul took advantage of the time he had while on Malta. He preached the gospel and healed the sick. He could have pouted and moped for 3 months, but instead he made the best of the situation and treated it as an opportunity instead of a hindrance.

God supplied, through the people of Malta, everything the crew needed. They had food, a place to stay, a new ship, and the provision to continue their journey. God worked it all together for good (Romans 8:28).

----> ADVANCE

Through the storms, shipwrecks, snakebites, and sufferings of life you can trust God will be faithful. He will work all things, according to His will and purpose.

So, when the storms come, choose Him.

Choose His ways above all others.

Don’t stiffen your neck and reject good wisdom.

And like Paul, who knows where the journey may take you. You just might end up on a remote island somewhere for 3 months, ministering to people and growing in fellowship with others.

Conclusion

As I’ve mentioned many times today, it’s not a matter of if the storms of life come, it's a matter of when they come. Will you be ready? Will you have a firm and secure anchor for your soul?

Maybe that’s you today.

Maybe you don’t see the need for an anchor.

Maybe you’ve never really had to plan ahead, or maybe you’ve had a relatively easy life, and you don’t think too often about hardship or suffering.

SLIDE: Truth for Life

Whatever the case may be, and wherever you find yourself today, I want to encourage you to choose Jesus.

Choose Him over any other thing, even if it sounds good, and sounds like a secure way.

I can assure you, if it’s not Jesus, it’s not going to hold fast through the fiercest storms of life.

When the storm, or suffering, or adversity arrive, make sure you’ve got a firm grip on Christ… the solid rock.

Let’s pray together.

Prayer: “Lord please help us to trust you and put our faith in you always. Through every trial and storm, success and suffering. We need you Jesus.”

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