Standing the Storm

Scripture ()

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Introduction

Many of us, have experienced or is experiencing situations in our life today that makes us wonder, do you care? With all the senseless killing in our streets, the impoverish of people of color, discrimination of women and Black America, someone who wants to get ahead is asking the question, Does Jesus care? When you can’t even pay your last respects do to the fear of gun violence, it makes you wonder. Someone may be saying, I prepared myself for a better life for my children, but we see that the care we have, is not the genuine care of our peers. When we looked at the fear in our communities, some do not even feel safe in their home. I can understand, you worked so hard, went to church, do your best by everyone but yet sometimes, you still may utter these words – Do you care?

It’s your health, one sickness after another, one health issue after another. Good report, bad report, good report, bad report. These situations will make you feel like, does Jesus care? Jesus was Fatigue and Exhaustion.

Jesus and the disciples were on a course for rest and relaxation. They had been serving the multitude all day. They were on the sea, headed to the other side and they encounter a storm These disciples were master fishermen, highly experienced, had fish on the Galilee many times before and yet they were caught by surprised. They had been on the sea before in storms but something about this storm had them fearing for their life. Somebody here today is going through a storm in their life and it has them fearing the worst. Storm maybe health, children, work, relationship, financial, death. Whatever, it is this storm has you fearing the worst. You may be just like these disciple’s question Jesus, asking him do he cares.

1. Sudden Storm - Unexpected storms will catch you by surprise. Its one thing when you can expect and its another to not expect. When I’m expected something, I can prepare for it. I can brace myself but when it Unexpected, I’m left vulnerable. Sudden storm will expose your position It don’t matter how Christian you are, certain storm can catch you by surprise. The storm will expose your vulnerability and everything you have going on in your life. If you have hatred in your heart, a unexpected storm will exposed it. If you have a bad relationship, a unexpected storm will expose it. If you don’t know Christ, a unexpected storm will expose it. Sudden Storms will make you change position and your course. An unexpected storm will expose your position and kill where you headed. The storm exposed their fears on the Galilee and took them off of course for the other side. They were headed there for relaxation. But they are now facing fear. Sudden Storms will knock you out of position and change where you headed. Somebody is going through a storm right now; they came today to give it to God. They are at a breaking point. Nowhere to turn, it has affected their giving, affected their service to God and have affected their attendance. The storm has affected their evangelism, they want even invite someone to church. See storms will make you assume. We assume people done want to come to church, don’t want to hear about Christ. We walk right past them because storms in our lives have taken our courage. says, “ Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (King James Version) These disciples being masters in their profession, experienced in the storm had become fearful. Do you still have courage in the mist of going through? One metric I’ve learned to use to evaluate our Christainship. “People love to say they don’t need to go to church” or the Church is in my heart. Now they may feel that it is true, I’m not here to debate that. But – That person has experienced a storm that made them change their position and course. Ask yourself what is it about this storm?

Theses apostles were masters at their craft, they were experience with the Galilee and its storms and yet they were afraid.

We cannot be so judgmental on God’s people. It doesn’t matter how prepared, you are, how educated, How religious you are. We all will face some storms.

Don’t matter how well you pray, How well you sing, how well you preach. You will face some storms, and they that will catch you by surprised.

Certain storms will expose your faith and kill your belief. A certain storm will expose your position and kill where you headed.

There is so much foolishness going on around us today. People and their storms have created their own spiritual perspectives. Their storms has created and define new Christian and religious movement as pre and post modernity movement and the post-truth area. Listen, Stop allowing your storms to create perceptions that you think exist. Who cares if they talk about you? Who cares if they don’t like you? Who cares if they not for you? You have a charge by God. They ole hymnl says “A charge to keep I have, A God to glorify, A never-dying soul to save, And fit it for the sky.”

A never-dying soul to save, And fit it for the sky.”

We are allowing the outside to influence the inside instead of allowing the inside govern the outside.

What is your position and where are you headed?

Some of us are allowing our storms to kill our faith. Our storms are affecting our level of spiritual activity, decrease our spiritual participation and blinding our wiliness to serve.

Storm you cannot and will not kill me.

Don’t care how much hell they raise,

how they treat you,

What they say, storm you will not win.

The song writer said-

We better tell the storm, says ”I told the storm to pass”

Storm you can't last

Storm – you will not last.

2. Sleeping Savior The text says: 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. In mist of this storm, and Jesus is sleep. What a dangerous situation to be in a storm and Jesus is sleep?

The text says: 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. In mist of this storm, and Jesus is sleep. What a dangerous situation to be in a storm and Jesus is sleep?

St. Augustine said, “If Jesus were not asleep within thee, thou wouldst be calm and at rest. But why is He asleep? Because thy faith is asleep,” etc. The sleep of Jesus was natural and right; and it answers not to our spiritual torpor, but to His apparent indifference and non-intervention in our time of distress. When your faith is sleep, you will overlook the resources you have. Stop looking Jesus is right there. Storms will make you look over your resource. Jesus want me to tell someone right now, you worrying about the wrong thing.

Because, “he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep”.

See the text says, “that Jesus was asleep in the stern (which is the bottom of the boat).”

Jesus is in the bottom of the boat and they’re at the top, and the waves from the storm are filling the boat with water. So what happens when you pour water in a glass, does the water fill the top or the bottom first. When your faith is a sleep, you will tend to overlook the resources you already have. A lot of times in our storms we are so daring, that we expose our self to more danger. The disciples were so fearful that they went to wake Jesus. Jesus is not “Sleeping on You, You Sleeping on Jesus”. says, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." The water from the storm will fill the stern before it can get to you.

Here is the shouting part. The storm will have to drown Jesus before it will drown you

says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” (KJV)

Before the storm kills you – Jesus will lift up Jesus says in , "If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. (King James Version)

3. Supernatural Stranger : And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (King James Version) In the storm, you must watch who you have around you. Everybody that says they for you isn’t for you. Everybody doesn’t want to see you successful. Everybody don’t really know you are.

Some people will never see your potential. They will always remember what you done and been through but never see your potential of making it through. They caught up on what you been and not what you can be. They don’t want to see you healed nor doing well. They give you purposeful bad advice. Watch who you have around you! Some of us have bunch of strangers, they with us while its good but they useless when bad. They witness you in your good days but in your bad days they will not encourage you. The song writer said, I've had some good days

I've had some hills to climb

I've had some weary days

And some sleepless nights

But when I look around

And I think things over

All of my good days

Out-weigh my bad days

I won't complain The disciples had witness Jesus heal the sick, make the blind see but they had never seen him control nature. The disciple where strangers to Jesus supernatural capabilities. Some of us today are strangers to Jesus supernatural abilities. We don’t believe in his miraculously healing power and miracle. If you don’t believe in his power of healing, you will never be healed. Do you believe today? I believe in miracles.

This is Man vs Nature. Humanity vs Nature

Jesus is transitioning you to where you need to be.

It’s hard to move when you don’t believe. He shifting you out but you wanting to stay park.

Conclusion Storms of life come into our lives frequently. They come in many different fashions. It can be a natural storm with torrential rain, lightning, devastating winds, a heart wrenching message from your doctor, a spouse who surprisingly says that he/she wants a divorce, a child that has become addicted to drugs, a terrible accident and many other scenarios that people are faced with every day.

None of us would be able to sleep comfortably when these things come upon us, but there is a place of refuge for Christians who have accepted the wonderful, free gift of God and established a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Christ, who can do all things, has promised in to never leave nor forsake His children. Does this mean that all of our prayers will be answered just the way we want them to be? No, but we must remember that God's wisdom is infinite and He knows what is best for His children, as the bible points out in . We are also told in that God's children have a "peace that passes all understanding. The final thing I want you to know

Everything that God allows to happen to you, is because, he is trying to get you to a certain place.

He allows the heart ache, because he is trying to get you to a certain place

He allows Heart breaks, because he is trying to get you to a certain place

He allows the storms to, because he is trying to get you to a certain place

Where was Jesus trying to get the disciples to go.

He trying to get the disciples to shift from where they were, to where they need to be. Are you willing to shift today? Are you willing to welcome him in? Are you ready to go higher in the Lord? Well walk in your blessing? Tell the Lord, “I’m Your Lords” Use Me Lord. Be not dismay, whatever betide you, God Will… Weeping may endure for a night but joy Coming in the morning.

Your Blessing is coming, Just hold on… But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Right were you are. Turn around 3 times for me. Every time I turn around, God keeps blessing me