In the Deep, Your Never Alone
Notes
Transcript
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Text:
They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,
Which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:
Their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,
Which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:
Their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
And he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm,
So that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet;
So he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Text:
They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,
Which lifteth up the waves thereof.
The command module went dark. Earth was 200,000 miles away.
Illustrations: I remember when I was your age saying the phrase to my friends as we played, “Uh, Houston, we have a problem.” We used it as a fun phrase to throw around, but many years ago Astronauts who launched out into space said those words and they said it because they were in big trouble. On April 13, 1970, the Apollo 13 mission to the moon was surprised by a large explosion on their space ship. The lights where they were went off and they realized they were in big trouble. They were 200,000 miles away from earth and they didn't know what happened and more importantly they didn't know if they didn't know if they would make it back to Earth alive. That’s when an astronaut on the spaceship radioed back to mission control saying those famous words, “Uh, Houston, we have a problem.”
The Astronauts of the Apollo 13 mission experienced great Helplessness when then Launched out into the deep, but thankfully when they cried out for help to missions control, they eventually and thankfully experienced a great deliverance.
An astronaut radioed mission control: “Houston, we have a problem.”
While I know your theme this year for VBS is Launch Out with a kind of a space theme to it, when we think of space, we tend think about the now and future travelers using the stars to navigate and explore the unknowns of the universe. Tonight we find ourselves in talking about some travelers of the past who launched out, not into space, but launched out into the deep blue sea. And these travelers, these sailors as they are called, when they launched out into the deep they found themselves in great trouble, but when they were in Great Trouble they called upon the Great God, who heard their cries for help and He gave them Great Deliverance, He rescued them.
In the Deep, You’ll Experience Great Trouble. (v. 26b-27)
Let’s open our bibles to
Explanation:
These sailors went out into the deep because the business was worth it. And as they embarked and headed out into the deep, they were able to see some amazing big things happen.
Exegetical Explanation:
But here in this verse 26-27 we see that these sailors also, Experienced Great Trouble.
When we open up to we discover many different stories and that all end with the same conclusion.
The Bible describes to us, in detail, what these sailors felt when they were experiencing their great trouble. The Bible says, “26b their soul is melted because of trouble.27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.”
Its starts off with verse one. The Psalmist is declaring a truth to us about God. Vs. 1 says, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good.” And as you look through this passage you will notice after every story this truth is repeated.
The Sailors Condition
The phrase is found in
vs. 8,
They were tossed to and fro by the waves and the wind. They were terrified, not knowing if they would survive and see another minute of life.
vs. 15,
And as we just saw in the last point, in the deep, you will see big things happen.
You will see amazing things. Things that you have never seen before. But we need to remember, that these big things are not always positive things.
vs. 21,
Of course, we would like to think that these big things will always be great victories, but we need to be real and realize that these big things can also be big valleys as well. Times of tribulation. Times of Distress. And that's exactly where these sailors found themselves.
and at the end of our passage today, in verse 31.
We first of all in this verse that, letter A, these sailors experienced great disability
The phrase, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,” is repeated again and again. This clearly shows to us the purpose of this passage.
And this phrase begs the question, why?
They experienced great disability.
When you read this verse, you can understand why they experienced great disability. The verse says their “soul is melted because of trouble.27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
“Why should men praise the Lord for His goodness?”
Even these experienced mariners, who were familiar with the sea, they can neither shake off nor forget about their situation.
This passage provides to us 4 answers to why men should praise the Lord for His goodness, but today we will focusing on the last illustration given.
28 min
Bible Verse:
The Conclusions they were Disabled
In the deep these sailors truly experienced great helplessness.
23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Their souls were melted, they were emotionally in trouble.
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24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
They reeled to and fro about the ship like a drunk, they were physically in trouble.
25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
And they were at their wit’s end. Mentally they couldn't think of a way out.
These sailors experienced great trouble, but thankfully
26a They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:
This feeling of great disability was also how the people of London felt as War was looming over the horizon in the early part of 1939.
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26b their soul is melted because of trouble.
They experienced great deliverance.
Illustration:
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
------------------------------------------
In the months leading up to World War II, the British government printed several posters designed to encourage the people during what they knew would be a long and difficult war. The most famous of these now is the red and white sheet that simply says, “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
In fact, although more than two million were printed, very few of these were posted during the war itself and the sign was largely forgotten.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
It was not until 2000 that a newly discovered sheet was posted in a bookstore. That generated so much attention that reprints began being issued, and it became known around the world.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
The key to the message during the war, however, and the principle that holds a parallel meaning for us as Christians, was not in the words, but in the single image that appears on the poster.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
The Image on the Top
Pray
Above the plain white words is a picture of the crown of England. The message was this—
Illustration: Whaling in Hawaii
“whatever happens, there is an authority that is in control and can be trusted.”
When we recognize this truth in the spiritual realm, we realize that no matter what our circumstances may be,
During the rise of the of the whaling industry in the early 1820’s the islands of Hawaii became a centrally located hub for these ships.
God is still in control.
Whaling in Hawaii
The effect it had on Hawaii's economy was dramatic and it had a great impact on the islands’ history.
This allows us to live in faith, continuing to do what is right regardless of the circumstances.
The point of the poster was not to promise that bad things wouldn’t happen, but to remind people what to do when they did.
Over the next 20 years, during the height of the whaling industry, the Pacific whaling fleet went from 2 ships in 1819 to a total of 736 whaling ships in 1846.
Application:
With that number of ships, times the average crew of a ship being 26 men. If you do the math, that was a lot of people.
Conditions for the Men
Even though we saw that these sailors experienced great trouble in the deep, we are about to see they were going to experience great deliverance as well.
The Bible says, “28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”
But these men, who a majority were not from Hawaii, sailed away from their Home on the continental US and sailed away from all they knew and was familiar to them.
We see here in vs. 28, these men were not spiritually troubled. The Bible says, they cried unto the one who can make big things happen.
These men sailed away from the known into the unknown.
When people, like these whalers, ventured out into deep waters, it was a dangerous endeavor and it still is today.
The All powerful, Creator God was the one who these sailors cried to. And this verse shows us that no matter what our circumstances may be, God is still in control.
There are so many unknowns in the open ocean,
And we need to understand that God is Greater than our Circumstances, greater than the troubles in our life, and this
He’s the one who maketh the storm a calm.
but even though the deep is scary and full of unknowns, doing business in the deep is definitely worth it. Especially, if you were a whaler.
You look at the stats from th0at time in our country and we see the whaling industry was a big portion of the US economy.
He’s the one who brings us to our desired haven.
On average,
And with this understanding that God, our Creator, is Greater than our Circumstances, greater than these troubles in our life, this
nearly 1 out of every 10 people worked on a whaling ship back in 1846.
allows us to launch out by faith trusting our Great God, accomplishing something Great for Him.
but actually launch out by faith, accomplishing something great for the Lord.
The industry contributed about 15% to the US economy
And the thing is when we launch out into the deep we will see big and amazing things happen.
and that was enough to make it the fifth largest sector of the United States economy.
Many good but also many scary things as well.
So there was money to make.
And that’s why these whalers took the chance and went out to do business in the deep. Even though this business was risky and the job that they were doing was precarious, financially it could be worth it.
but we will also see great valleys as well. And in these tough times we will experience great trouble.
Just like these sailors experienced great trouble there will be situations in our lives where we just look at our troubles and feel helpless.
For us today, just like it was back then for these whalers, when we get into a boat and travel out into the deep, we go into the deep with a purpose.
We head out into the deep because we have a reason to be in the deep.
“I don't know. I don’t know what to do.”
People like
I don't know how to feel,
Columbus,
I don't know what to say,
Magellan,
I don't know what to think.
Jacque Cousteau,
I just don't know.
And it's especially in these situations that we need to cry unto the Great God who makes big things happen, because even in these tough and hard times, we can give glory to God because of his great deliverance.
They all traveled into the deep for a reason. They had a mission to accomplish.
The many nations from ancient times to modern, when they venture out into the deep to sail and trade goods, they do it for a reason.
And we, even in these tough and hard times, we can give glory to God because of his great deliverance.
God can bring us out of our distresses.
And even in our American culture today whether it’s for personal or commercial fishing or whether it’s for leisure with something like a cruise.
He can maketh the storm a calm.
The common denominator is that when anyone heads out into the deep, they head out into the deep with a purpose. They have a reason. They have a mission to accomplish.
He can deliver us from the storms, the great and scary troubles, that we will face in our lives.
Declaration:
And today, we as Christians, we have a mission to accomplish.
And because of this Great Deliverance we too can truly say as the Psalmist says time and time again in this chapter, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.”
God has a plan and purpose for our each one of our lives. God has charted out a perfect path for each of us to follow.
And this statement is what we will lastly focus on and God will display His Goodness.
He has not called us to go out into the deep, to go into life and just wander around. To randomly and aimlessly sail accomplishing nothing with our lives, No!
Illustration:
God has
In 1957, a professor at Johns Hopkins University named Curt Richter published the findings of a study he had conducted on rats to measure the effect of hope on response to hardship and difficulty.
a map,
First Experiment
a course,
a plan for each and everyone of our lives.
He placed a number of rats in water, and took note of how long they could swim before drowning.
The Bible says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” , “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Second Experiment
He orders our steps.
Then he took a second set of rats and put them in the same conditions.
This time, just before the average time of survival was reached, his team would take the rats out of the water.
He directs our paths.
After they had rested a while and dried off, the rats were placed back into the water.
God has a purpose for our lives,
This time, they were able to swim for a much longer period of time. “In this way,” Richter reported, “the rats quickly learn that the situation is not actually hopeless. After elimination of hopelessness the rats do not die.”
He has a reason for us to launch out into the deep, He has a mission for us to accomplish.
These sailors experienced great helplessness in the deep. But even though they experienced great disability, because of God’s Goodness, they also experienced great deliverance.
Proposition:
But in order to accomplish the mission that God gave to us, today we need to decide, “Where are we going to stand?”
God, Letter A, heard their pleas there in vs. 28 and this display of God’s Goodness showed to these sailors, that when storms batter the ships and toss them to and fro,
I will feel helpless, but I will not be hopeless.
Will you be the one standing on the docks, watching as others head out into the deep to accomplish the mission God gave to them?
Dealing with Helplessness
Or will you be the one on the boat, launching out into the deep, by faith, accomplishing his Mission for your life?
There are many that watch others launch out into the deep, people do it all the time, but what about you here tonight?
Most, if not all, of us know the feeling of enduring a trial or time of suffering that feels like it will never end.
It is tempting for us to lose hope and give up, or to blame God and become bitter against Him.
Who are you going to be? Will you be a Spectator or a Sailor?
Transitional Sentence:
But these sailors saw something that they would never forget - God’s Goodness.
And God’s Goodness is something the we should never forget as well.
Tonight, let us discover why it is worth choosing to be a sailor accomplishing God’s will for our lives and why it's worth launching out into the deep, braving and navigating the amazing and unknown waters of life to accomplish God’s mission for our lives.
And by the end of this message you see why the Psalmist praises the Lord and says time and time again, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness?”
Our God hears our pleas, He sees the storm that we are going through, God hasn't lost us in the waves.
And of course, this does not
7:03
mean that our storms and trials that we will face are not going to hurt.
In the Deep, the Business is Worth It. (v. 23)
This doesn't even mean that things will automatically improve.
Text: 23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Explanation:
But, what it does mean, is that there is hope.
We, as born again believers, we have a loving Father who hears our pleas and He will never leave nor forsake us.
We see here first of all, in the deep, the business was worth it. But this makes you ask the question why?
35
Why was the business of going out into the deep worth it?
We clearly see that, letter A, God hears our Pleas and because of this, Letter B, God deserves to hear our Praise.
Today Using Amazon Prime
The cartoon character Popeye made his first appearance in 1929 just before the start of the Great Depression.
Today, the way that we trade domestically and internationally are obviously very very different from the ancient ways of doing commerce back in 500 BC.
Today, not only are we at the point where we can order things online from anywhere in the world to be sent practically anywhere in the world, but with things like Amazon Prime and others, we don’t not struggle with sending and receiving items like those in ancient times did.
First introduced as a character in another comic strip, Popeye quickly became one of the most popular fictional characters of the 1930s.
The spinach-eating sailor dispatched bad guys and saved himself and the day, while singing his famous theme song:
Ancient Trade
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man,
Back in the Ancient times, things definitely took a little bit longer to get to you.
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man…
These sailors in were no Popeye and neither are we.
Traders and Merchants in the days of the Old Testament, heavily relied on Greek & Phoenician ships to do business.
Just as the Astronauts of Apollo 13 and just as these sailors were powerless to save themselves,
Stability of the Ship
none of us, today, have the power to save ourselves or anybody else as well.
These ships were very short, nothing like the cargo ships we have today, but they were also very deep.
Being very deep not only allowed for these ships to carry more items, but it also kept them very stable in bad weather conditions because of buoyancy.
We are Sinners
And while this stability meant that it was difficult to sink the ship even with the most ferocious waves, it didn't mean that the ship and its crew wouldn't be kept from rocking to and fro violently.
This is because of our sin. , “ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”. , “For the wages of sin is death;”
Because of our sin, the Bible says, the thing that we deserve for our sin is death. This is talking about a spiritual death. Spending eternity, not in heaven with God, but separated from God for eternity in hell.
But these seafarers braved the wind and the waves, venturing out into the deep only because the business was worth it. They risked their lives venturing out into the Mediterranean. While this passage doesn't really give us much information about sailing in the Mediterranean we do know from other Bible accounts that sometimes the seas could be very treacherous and even deadly.
There’s no work that we could do to forgive ourselves of our sins. The Bible says in says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…”
Illustration: The Apostle Paul in (Talk about Acts )
God showed mercy to us. God showed kindness and concern for us because we were in serious need.
Paul was on his way to trial in Rome itself, and after sailing a while with mild conditions. They came upon what the Bible calls, “Euroclydon.”
Verse 14 says, “But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.”
We were helpless and stuck in our sin. Destined to pay the penalty for our sin, spending eternity suffering in hell. We were helpless, but because of God’s Goodness we were not hopeless. If you read the rest of , you’ll see some Good News, the Bible says, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Crazy Dog Name
In , the Bible says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Christ paid the final and complete price for our sin. Now, we do not have to pay the price for our sin ourselves and spend eternity seperated from God in a place called hell. because of God’s Goodness, salvation is provided to us all
Isn't that that a crazy name!
I mean it sounds like a great name for a dinosaur or even like an attack dog.
And just like sailors cried unto the Lord for help, We all need to do the same as well.
But
But what this Euroclydon is, in our normal vernacular, would be something like a Hurricane.
In Roman 10:9 the Bible says, “9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
That is a promise directly from God that if you will pray to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and turn to Him alone to be your Saviour;
While Jonah experienced an intense storm in Jonah chapter 1 , this Euroclydon was on a whole different level.
He promises to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. And if you’re sitting saying preacher, I don't know for sure if I'm on my way to heaven,
In v. 20 after battling with this storm
I'm here to tell you, because of God’s Goodness you can get that settled today.
after not 1,
not 2,
When we get saved God brings a change into our lives, making us more like Christ. Equipping us and enabling us for a life of service. All that we are, for good and for God, is a result of God’s goodness.
but after 3 days!
Truly understanding this fact allows us both to remain humble and to recognize and praise God for His goodness to us.
After battling with and in this storm for 3 days, the people of ship were ready to give up. V.20 says, “ And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.”
They wanted to give up, but Paul encouraged the crew to stay in there because God’s will was for Paul to be in Rome and God was going to make it happen
Conclusion:
If your lost here tonight the first thing that you need to do is get saved.
and God would keep them safe if they listen and stay with Paul.
2 Weeks in the Storm
For the born again believers here tonight, in order for you to accomplish the mission and purpose that God gave for your life you need to launch out! And when those troubles come, and trust me, they will eventually come, when these Great Troubles come you need to do as these sailors did and call upon the one and only Great God who is able to provide to you a Great Deliverance.
Will you be the one standing on the docks, watching as others head out into the deep to accomplish the mission God gave to them?
And after two weeks of battling in this storm, light began to appear, and Paul encouraged the men to take some food. The effects of 2 weeks of battling the storm, are clear as you read the rest of Acts chapter 27.
Or will you be the one on the boat, launching out into the deep,
Here in , God doesn’t reveal to us in great detail the conditions of the mediterranean that day
Seeing big things happen, experiencing great disability, but also experiencing great deliverance being able to praise God for his Goodness accomplishing something great for Him?
and while it doesn't present to us the risks that those sailors faced,
There are many that watch others launch out into the deep, people do it all the time, but what about you here tonight?
these examples from God’s Word clearly show to us just how furocious and unforgiving the Mediterranean can be.
Who are you going to be today? Will you be a Spectator or a Sailor?
Why do Sailors go in the Deep?
But I still find myself asking the question, “Why did these sailors go into the deep?” “Why did they sail into the deep where they knew anything could happen to them?”
I hope you will decide and say today, “It’s a sailor's life for me.” What a wonderful passage in Scripture that shows to us God's Goodness and that, in the deep, we never sail alone.
But the same questions can be asked about many professions today.
Why do Miners go down into the depths of the earth?
Why do loggers head out into the middle of the woods to harvest logs?
Why do fishermen go fishing in the Bering sea?
The people in these professions and more, do their job because the business is worth it!
When they signed up for the job, Im sure they were told of the danger, but they also saw the reward that they would have as well.
A paycheck,
a sense of adventure,
doing something that only few do.
To those who go out into the deep the business is worth it and same is true for us born again believers as well.
Application:
For us today we are in the business of
being the tools God can use to bring people out of that horrible pit of miry clay.
The business of being a laborer in the fields that are already white unto harvest.
We are in .the business of being fishers of men.
Spreading the Gospel all across our globe and establishing local New Testament churches and seeing lives changed.
We know from God's Word that the doing the Lord’s Business is definitely worth it because… Letter A, it pleases the Lord.
12:30
It worth doing the Lord's business because it Pleases the Lord.
Hebrews chapter 11 is the Hall of Faith chapter. And within this chapter God gives us example after example of men & women of God who followed God by faith and obeyed Him.
And we find in verse number 6 a very interesting verse. The Bible says in “But without faith it is impossible to please him:” We see clearly in this chapter person after person after person launch out by faith obeying the Lord commands.
The Christian Today
And for us today, whether its launching out by faith and obeying God’s call to be a missionary to a foreign field or whether its launching out by faith doing door to door Soulwinning giving the Gospel to a neighbor, family member, co-worker,
when we launch out by faith to accomplish something great for God, obeying the Lord, by fulfilling the great Commission our actions are pleasing to the Lord.
Doing the Lords business pleases the Lord.
But the cool thing is, Doing the Lord's business is not only vertically rewarding, but it is also horizontally rewarding as well. This is because, doing the Lord's business, it also provides Salvation to the Lost
It's worth doing the Lord's business because it Provides Salvation to the Lost
Jesus describes in , a parable about four types of soils each representing 4 different ways people respond to God’s Word. In verse 20, Jesus explains,
“And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”
Look the thing is if you are stepping out by faith and obeying God by fulfilling the Great Commission
You will not only be pleasing the Lord, but you will also be planting the seed of the Gospel and you will see fruit.
You will see souls saved.
For us born again believers the business of obeying God and fulfilling the Great Commission
is definitely worth it because in the end, it's what really counts. It’s what really matters.
Invest in the Eternal
When our life here is over, it's not going to be
how big your bank account is
or how lavish your house or car was.
It's not going to be how famous you are
or how many friends you have.
Temporal things like that are not worth it.
Think about this statment, “All of our earthly possessions will one day be destroyed or belong to somebody else.”
Isn't that a crazy thought.
Our house,
our car,
our money,
our collection of starbucks mugs from around the world.
They all will either be destroyed or belong to someone else.
Christian, we need to, by faith, obey God and fulfill the Great Commission, investing in eternal things.
Heading out into the deep to do the Lords business. This is because the Lords business is not only worth it because it's vertically rewarding by pleasing the Lord, but it also horizontally rewarding as well because we have opportunity to point sinners to the Savior. Providing salvation to the Lost. The Lord’s business is definitely worth being a part of and doing!
But not only is the Lord's business in the deep worth it, . But we also see number 2 In the Deep You’ll see Big things happen.
16 min
In the Deep, You’ll See Big Things Happen. (v.24-26a)
Text: “24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. 25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26a They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:”
Explanation:
These sailors as they embarked and ventured out into the deep, they saw that the business was worth it, but that's not all they would see on their journey.
They would also see that big things happen in the deep and if you’ve done any sailing you would know that this is a true statement.
Today, we know, the ocean is absolutely filled with life and filled with a lot of unusual things that we “land lovers” don't see on a daily basis.
This fact would be even more true for typical ancient person in .
The works and wonders of the Lord would have absolutely amazed and blown their minds.
The
size,
the depths,
the makeup of the creatures of the deep.
They are all amazing and all unique!
These sailors saw, Letter A, God’s Creation. They saw God’s Creation.
They Saw God’s Creation:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” and within 6 literal 24 hour days, God created all that we know and all that we don’t know when He was finished with Creation. And from that day forward beginning with Adam and Eve, mankind has been surrounded by the works and wonders of the Lord.
Illustration
On land, we have many works and wonders of the Lord.
The Works
Creatures like the
African Elephant,
giraffe,
rhinoceros,
The Wonders
To even the natural wonders of the world. Everything from the heights of Mt. Everest in Asia to the Falls of Victoria falls in Africa. To even here in the United States with the Grand Canyon.
On land we are able to see the works and wonders of the Lord, but in the depths of the seas the works and wonders of the Lord are on a whole different level.
They blow the works and wonders of the land out of the water.
Haha get it!
Deep Works & Wonders
In the deep we find very very large creatures. The biggest of them being the blue whale. Measuring at 111 feet long and with the heart the size of a small golf cart, the blue whale is the largest animal in the world and there are many more amazing creatures.
But while the works of the Lord in the deep are amazing, the same is true about the great natural wonders of the deep as well.
The Marianas Trench Facts
The largest and greatest wonder in the deep is the Marianas Trench.
This trench is the deepest part of the earth's oceans.
It reaches a maximum-known depth of 36,000ft at a spot known as the Challenger Deep. That's nearly 7 miles straight down.
And to kind of put that into a comparison if took the entire Mt. Everest and dropped it into the trench at this Challenger Deep point, the peak of Mount Everest would still be over 1 mile underwater.
Application:
As discovery and science has shown, we are able to see that in the deep there are many great works and wonders of the Lord, but even though these facts are true, I don't think that is what God wanted us to focus on in this passage
The Psalmist Focus
I don't think he wanted us to focus on the many creatures of the deep and the natural wonders of the deep.
He didn't want us to be wowed and amazed by the creation.
The Focus
God wanted us to be wowed and amazed by the Creator of that Creation - God Himself.
So while these sailors, letter A, saw God’s Creation. They also saw, letter B, They saw God’s Control. They saw God’s Control of Creation.
They Saw God’s Control of Creation
As a sailor in ancient times, even though the business was worth it and there were many opportunities to see the amazing works and wonders of the Lord in the deep,
the journey that they embarked on
wasn't always sunshine and smooth sailing.
They did see some amazing big things while out at sea, but as we read on in this passage big things are not always good things.
But, as I think God points out, as we read on, let us not focus on the the Creation, but rather let us keep our focus on the Creator of that Creation and notice His Control.
Verse 25, For HE commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:
Vs. 28 the sailors cry to the Lord and HE brings them out of their distresses
Vs. 29 God makes the storm calm
Vs. 30 HE bringeth them unto their desire haven.
Explanation:
That word commandeth in verse 25, shows to us the authority of God. When someone has authority it means they have the legal and formal right to make decisions, give orders, and give commands to others to perform a particular task. In this passage we see the authority of God found in that one word “Commandeth” and I love it.
I love it because it literally gives you the picture of a general giving commands to his soldiers in battle.
Daniel and the King
Its like what we see in Daniel when King Nebuchadnezzar gives orders to his subjects. says, “Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.”
But the amazing thought we find here in and the other verses is, that here the Psalmist is not talking about a king or general with authority commanding and ordering his subjects.
The authority we find here is over Creation itself and we clearly see as these sailors will see - God’s Control of Creation.
Illustration:
A guide took a group of people through an atomic laboratory and explained how all matter was composed of rapidly moving electric particles.
The tourists studied models of molecules and were amazed to learn that matter is made up primarily of space.
During the question period, one visitor asked, “If this is the way matter works, what holds it all together?” For that, the guide had no answer.
But we as Christians, we do have an answer and that answer is, God Controls Creation.
All Power Run
When talking at this cellular level, God has all power. You wanna talk about demons and angels, He has all power.
He has all power
over the stars,
and the galaxies,
and the planets,
and over the weather systems,
and the wind,
and the rain,
and the lightning,
and the hurricanes,
and the tornados.
He has all power over all things.
He has all power over
everything that are plants and animals.
Everything big, everything little.
Over everything great, over everything small.
All power over whales, redwoods.
Power over the Body
He has all power over every part of every function of your body.
Even at this very moment right now.
Every beat of your heart falls under his control.
Every breath that fills your lungs falls under His control.
Every firing of a tastebud on the back of your tongue is under His Control.
God has all power, He has all Authority, He has all Control over Creation.
We saw in the morning service ”Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” God Control’s Creation.
These sailors not only saw in the deep, the works and wonders of the Lord, but they also saw the One who controls all things.
These sailors truly saw that in the deep, Big Things Happen and the same is true with us today.
Application:
When we realize that the business is worth it and submit to God's call and step about by faith, asking God to make things happen, we too will see that in the deep, Big Things Happen.
We will see great victories, but we will also see great valleys as well.
But idea that we need to remember is that while we are out in the deep, we need to keep our focus on the Creator rather than on the Creation.
We need to take our eyes and our focus off our circumstances and put them on the God who Controls those circumstances.
When we step out of the way and allow the One who controls all things, to control all things, we will then see big things happen.
Isn't it awesome that we serve the God who commands winds to cease and winds obey.
Princess Pick Up
I can’t get my daughter to pick up all of her princesses when we need to clean up, but our God commands Creation and it obeys.
God Controls Creation and He controls our circumstances as well.
Truly we can say as the Psalmist says time and time again in this chapter, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.”
Lead to the Valleys
In the deep we will see big things happen, but like I said earlier, we will see big victories. Times that we will cheer and praise the Lord for being good to us,
but what happens when we go through the valleys of life? Can we still praise the Lord for His Goodness? And that's what we will be taking a look at in point number 3, In the deep, you will also experience Great Helplessness.
26 min
In the Deep, You’ll Experience Great Helplessness. (v. 26b-27)
Explanation:
These sailors went out into the deep because the business was worth it. And as they embarked and headed out into the deep, they were able to see some amazing big things happen.
But here in this verse we see that these sailors also, Experienced Great Helplessness.
The next verses describe to us, in detail, what these mariners felt and were going through. The Bible says, “26b their soul is melted because of trouble.27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.”
The Sailors Condition
They were tossed to and fro by the waves and the wind. They were terrified, not knowing if they would survive and see another minute of life.
And as we just saw in the last point, in the deep, you will see big things happen.
You will see amazing things. Things that you have never seen before. But we need to remember, that these big things are not always positive things.
Of course, we would like to think that these big things will always be great victories, but we need to be real and realize that these big things can also be big valleys as well. Times of tribulation. Times of Distress. And that's exactly where these sailors found themselves.
We first of all in this verse that, letter A, these sailors experienced great disability
They experienced great disability.
When you read this verse, you can understand why they experienced great disability. The verse says their “soul is melted because of trouble.27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
Even these experienced mariners, who were familiar with the sea, they can neither shake off nor forget about their situation.
28 min
The Conclusions they were Disabled
In the deep these sailors truly experienced great helplessness.
Their souls were melted, they were emotionally disabled.
They reeled to and fro about the ship like a drunk, they were physically disabled.
And they were at their wit’s end. Mentally they couldn't think of a way out.
These sailors experienced great disability.
This feeling of great disability was also how the people of London felt as War was looming over the horizon in the early part of 1939.
They experienced great deliverance.
Illustration:
In the months leading up to World War II, the British government printed several posters designed to encourage the people during what they knew would be a long and difficult war. The most famous of these now is the red and white sheet that simply says, “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
In fact, although more than two million were printed, very few of these were posted during the war itself and the sign was largely forgotten.
It was not until 2000 that a newly discovered sheet was posted in a bookstore. That generated so much attention that reprints began being issued, and it became known around the world.
The key to the message during the war, however, and the principle that holds a parallel meaning for us as Christians, was not in the words, but in the single image that appears on the poster.
The Image on the Top
Above the plain white words is a picture of the crown of England. The message was this—
“whatever happens, there is an authority that is in control and can be trusted.”
When we recognize this truth in the spiritual realm, we realize that no matter what our circumstances may be,
God is still in control.
This allows us to live in faith, continuing to do what is right regardless of the circumstances.
The point of the poster was not to promise that bad things wouldn’t happen, but to remind people what to do when they did.
Application:
Even though we saw that these sailors experienced great disability in the deep, we are about to see they were going to experience great deliverance as well. See this great deliverance their in vs. 28
The Bible says, “28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”
They were emotionally, physically, and mentally disabled, but we see here in vs. 28, these men were not spiritually disabled. The Bible says, they cried unto the one who can make big things happen.
The All powerful, Creator God was the one who these sailors cried to. Just like the message of that WW2 poster was whatever happens, there is an authority that is in control and can be trusted, this verse reminds us that no matter what our circumstances may be, God is still in control.
He’s the one who brings us out of our distresses.
He’s the one who maketh the storm a calm.
He’s the one who brings us to our desired haven.
And with this proper understanding of our Circumstances in comparison to our Creator, this
allows us to not only say that the business is worth it,
but actually launch out by faith, accomplishing something great for the Lord.
And the thing is when we launch out into the deep we will see big and amazing things happen.
Great Victories = Some of these will be great victories. Seeing impossible situations happen and we will give God all the glory and all the praise for those victories,
Great Valleys = but we will also see great valleys as well. And in these tough times we will experience great helplessness.
Just like these sailors experienced great disability there will be situations in our lives where we just look at our circumstances and say,
“I don't know. I don’t know what to do.”
I don't know how to feel,
I don't know what to say,
I don't know what to think.
I just don't know.
And it's especially in these situations that we need to cry unto the One who makes big things happen, because, as the song says, “even in the valley, God is good.”
And we, even in these tough and difficult times, we can give glory to God because of his great deliverance.
God can bring us out of our distresses.
He can maketh the storm a calm.
He can deliver us from the storms that we will face when we head out into the deep. Bringing us to our desired haven.
Truly we can say as the Psalmist says time and time again in this chapter, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.”
And this statement is what we will lastly focus on and God will display His Goodness.
4. In the Deep, God will display His Goodness (v. 31)
Illustration:
In 1957, a professor at Johns Hopkins University named Curt Richter published the findings of a study he had conducted on rats to measure the effect of hope on response to hardship and difficulty.
First Experiment
He placed a number of rats in water, and took note of how long they could swim before drowning.
Second Experiment
Then he took a second set of rats and put them in the same conditions.
This time, just before the average time of survival was reached, his team would take the rats out of the water.
After they had rested a while and dried off, the rats were placed back into the water.
This time, they were able to swim for a much longer period of time. “In this way,” Richter reported, “the rats quickly learn that the situation is not actually hopeless. After elimination of hopelessness the rats do not die.”
These sailors experienced great helplessness in the deep. But even though they experienced great disability, because of God’s Goodness, they also experienced great deliverance.
God, Letter A, heard their pleas there in vs. 28 and this display of God’s Goodness showed to these sailors, that when storms batter the ships and toss them to and fro,
I will feel helpless, but I will not be hopeless.
Dealing with Helplessness
Most, if not all, of us know the feeling of enduring a trial or time of suffering that feels like it will never end.
It is tempting for us to lose hope and give up, or to blame God and become bitter against Him.
But these sailors saw something that they would never forget - God’s Goodness.
And God’s Goodness is something the we should never forget as well.
Our God hears our pleas, He sees the storm that we are going through, God hasn't lost us in the waves.
And of course, this does not
mean that our storms and trials that we will face are not going to hurt.
This doesn't even mean that things will automatically improve.
But, what it does mean, is that there is hope.
We, as born again believers, we have a loving Father who hears our pleas and He will never leave nor forsake us.
35
We clearly see that, letter A, God hears our Pleas and because of this, Letter B, God deserves to hear our Praise.
The cartoon character Popeye made his first appearance in 1929 just before the start of the Great Depression.
First introduced as a character in another comic strip, Popeye quickly became one of the most popular fictional characters of the 1930s.
The spinach-eating sailor dispatched bad guys and saved himself and the day, while singing his famous theme song:
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man,
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man…
These sailors in were no Popeye and neither are we.
Just as these sailors were powerless to save themselves or the day,
none of us have the power to save ourselves or anybody else as well.
We are Sinners
This is because of our sin. , “ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”. , “For the wages of sin is death;”
Because of our sin, the Bible says, the thing that we deserve for our sin is death. This is talking about a spiritual death. Spending eternity, not in heaven with God, but separated from God for eternity in hell.
There’s no work that we could do to forgive ourselves of our sins. The Bible says in says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…” The word mercy in this verse means, “to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need.”
God showed mercy to us. God showed kindness and concern for us because we were in serious need.
We were helpless and stuck in our sin. Destined to pay the penalty for our sin, spending eternity suffering in hell. We were helpless, but because of God’s Goodness we were not hopeless. If you read the rest of , the Bible says, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
In , the Bible says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Christ paid the final and complete price for our sin. Now, we do not have to pay for our sin ourselves And By His grace, salvation is provided to us all
And just like sailors cried unto the Lord for help, We need to do this as well.
In Roman 10:13 the Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
That is a promise directly from God that if you will pray to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and turn to Him alone to be your Saviour;
He promises to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. And if you’re sitting saying preacher, I don't know for sure if I'm on my way to heaven,
I'm here to tell you, because of God’s Goodness you can get that settled today.
But the cool thing is that God’s Goodness doesn't just stop there.
When we get saved God brings a change into our lives, making us more like Christ. Equipping us and enabling us for a life of service. All that we are, for good and for God, is a result of God’s goodness.
Truly understanding this fact allows us both to remain humble and to recognize and praise God for His goodness to us.
Conclusion:
If your lost here tonight the first thing that you need to do is get saved. In just a moment we are going to have an invitation time and during this time I would like to invite you to come forward and ask the one of the workers at the front, How can I be saved? How can I know for sure that I’m on my way to heaven? And they will show you from the Bible how to be saved.
For the born again believers here tonight, in order for you to accomplish the mission and purpose that God gave for your life, today you need to decide where will you stand.
Will you be the one standing on the docks, watching as others head out into the deep to accomplish the mission God gave to them?
Or will you be the one on the boat, launching out into the deep,
Seeing big things happen, experiencing great disability, but also experiencing great deliverance being able to praise God for his Goodness accomplishing something great for Him?
There are many that watch others launch out into the deep, people do it all the time, but what about you here tonight?
Who are you going to be today? Will you be a Spectator or a Sailor?
I hope you will decide and say today, “It’s a sailor's life for me.” What a wonderful passage in Scripture that shows to us God's Goodness and that, in the deep, we never sail alone.
Pre Sermon Stuff
Bible Passage:
General Topic: God’s Goodness, He Rescues, He helps when we are in need.
Big Idea of the Message:
God’s Word reveals to born again believers, that when we are doing God’s will for our lives, that he will take care of us and deliver us from the storms of life.
Throughout life, whenever we come up to a task that needs to be accomplished we ask ourselves the question, "Is it worth it?" Is it worth the time, the money, the effort. Is it worth me giving my all to see this task accomplished and this is the same question some Christians may face in the area of serving God. Is it worth the effort to attempt something for God? Is it worth the time, the pain, the suffering. Is it worth it? The answer is Yes! It is worth it. God has a special will for everyone's life, but while there is a special need for you address and while God has a plan address this need. The decision comes to us and we need to decide if its worth it. Today we will explore and see three facts that will, I hope, help you to see that it is worth the effort and we should go and do what God has called us to do. Going and Accomplishing His will for our lives.
Sermon Series:
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Passage Outline:
Sailors go into the deep ocean to do their business
These Sailors see the works and wonders of the Lord
They see His Creation
They see His Control
These Sailors experience great helplessness
They experience how powerless they are
They experience great deliverance
Praise the Lord for His Goodness
God hears our Pleas
God deserves to hear our Praise
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Exegetical Idea:
First: What is the author talking about? This is called the subject.
Why does the Psalmist exhort those who are redeemed, who go into great waters to Praise the Lord for his goodness?
Second: What is the author saying about what he is talking about? This is called the complement.
They should because He delivers them out of great trouble
Exegetical Idea: The Psalmist exhorts those who are the redeemed, who do business in great waters to Praise the Lord for his goodness because He delivers them out of great trouble
The Homiletical Big Idea: God’s Word reveals to us, born again believers, that when we are doing God’s will for our lives that He will take care of us and deliver us from the storms of life.
Exegetical Explanation:
When we open up to we discover many different stories and that all end with the same conclusion. Its starts off with verse one. The Psalmist is declaring a truth to us about God. Vs. 1 says, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good.” And as you look through this passage you will notice after every story this truth is repeated. The phrase is found in vs. 8, vs. 15, vs. 21, and at the end of our passage today, in verse 31. The phrase, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,” is repeated again and again. This clearly shows to us the purpose of this passage. And this phrase begs the question why, “Why should men praise the Lord for His goodness?” This passage provides to us 4 answers to why men should praise the Lord for His goodness, but today we will focusing on the last illustration given.
Bible Verse:
23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
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24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26a They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:
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26b their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.
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28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
In the book of Jonah chapter 1, we find Jonah running away from God. He figured he could run away from the omnipresent God by going to the other side of the known world. So he set on a boat into the Mediterranean, but we see in verse 4 that the “LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them.
These experienced mariners were absolutely terrified with conditions of the seas that day. describes the high winds as a mighty tempest. In our normal vernacular today we would say that this was a storm with severe winds. And of course when your out at sea big winds generate big waves. And while this storm was not quite at a hurricane level, it still was very intense. This of course would be magnified because you would be in a boat enduring this in the middle of the sea. These mariners here in were terrified to the point that they thought that the waves were going to break the boat into pieces. We find another instance all the way in the New Testament
