Sermon Tone Analysis

SWIMMING IN THE DEEP

*TEXT:* *Isaiah 43:2** */"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee//¼//”/

*INTRODUCTION:* The California coast was shrouded in fog the morning of July 4, 1952.

Twenty-one miles to the west, on Catalina Island, a thirty- four-year-old woman waded into the water and began swimming toward California, determined to be the first woman to ever swim the twenty-one-mile strait.

Her name was Florence Chadwick, and she had already been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.

The water was numbing cold that morning, and the fog was so thick that Chadwick could hardly see the boats in her own party there to scare away the sharks.

As the hours ticked off, she swam on.

Fatigue had never been a serious problem; it was only the bone-chilling cold of the water that was threatening.

More than fifteen hours later, numbed with the cold, the swimmer asked to be taken out.

She couldn't go on any longer.

Her mother and her trainer, in a boat alongside her, urged Chadwick to go on, as they were getting close to shore.

Yet all she could see was dense fog.

A few minutes later, the swimmer was taken out of the water, and later, realizing that she had been within a half-mile of the shore, she blurted out, "I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the shore, I might have made it."

Florence Chadwick had been licked, not by the cold or even by the fatigue, but by the fog!

The fog had obscured her goal; it had blinded her reason and her eyes.

As Christians, we must be careful not to allow ourselves to be blinded by other matters, so that we are prevented from reaching our goals.

*A.

GETTING INTO DEEP WATER*

        1.

Sometimes we get into what we could call "deep water"

        2.

We can’t touch bottom.

3.

It seems like we are about to drown.

         4.

It seems like we might not make it back to safety this time.

*B.

GETTING OUT OF DEEP WATER*

        1.

But we have assurance that God is with us.

        2.

He says, "I will be with thee¼¼ they shall not overflow thee."

        3.

God intervenes and delivers us.

!

I.          "WHEN THOU" - MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE

!! A.        You Will Pass Through the Waters

!!! 1.      Notice that it does not say, "IF thou passest through the waters..." It’s not just a possibility, it is inevitable.

!!! 2.      It does not say, "When SOME pass through the waters¼¼" Everyone will pass through deep waters at some time.

!!! 3.      It does not say, "When SINNERS pass through the waters¼¼" Deep water is not just something that happens because of sin.

!!! 4.      God did not say, "When HIS ENEMIES pass through the waters¼¼" Deep water is not a punishment from God.

!!! 5.      God said, "WHEN THOU¼¼" "WHEN YOU¼¼"

.

Mark it down, YOU WILL go through the deep waters of life.

!! B.        The Bible Teaches That We All Face it

!!! 1.      */Job 14:/*/1 "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble."

/

!!! 2.      */1Thess 3:3/*/ "//¼¼//such troubles are a part of God’s plan for us//¼¼//" /

!!! 3.      */Acts 14:22/*/ "//¼¼//we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." /

!! C.

You Have to Go Through the Flood

!!! 1.      Today there’s a tendency to try to escape from our problems.

!!! 2.      People would rather run away from their problems than to face them.

!!!! a)      Some try escaping through drugs.

!!!! b)      Some try escaping through alcohol.

!!!! c)      Some try escaping through divorce.

!!!! d)      Some just avoid confronting their troubles.

!!! 3.      They are always on the run.

!!! 4.      But, after a while, they find out that their troubles follow them.

!!! 5.      Nevertheless, as we pass through the flood, we can be comforted by the thought that God is with us.

!

II.

"I WILL BE WITH THEE" - MEANS GOD WILL BE THERE

!! A.        The Devil Wants You to Be Afraid

!!! 1.      */John 14:27/*/ "//¼¼//Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

/

!!! 2.      If Jesus says, "Don’t be afraid," then what do you think the devil is going to want you to do?

!!! 3.      God wants you to swim in faith - 2 Tim 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear.

!!! 4.      The devil wants you to drown in fear.

!!! 5.      The devil wants you to think that what you’re going through is so big not even God can get you out of it.

!! B.        God Saves in the midst of the Flood

!!! 1.      Does it seem like you’re not going to make it?

!!! 2.      Does it seem like all hope is lost?

!!! 3.      Does it seem like all of your dreams have been destroyed?

!!! 4.      You need to realize that God saves in the midst of the flood.

!!! 5.      God doesn’t save on the outskirts.

!!! 6.      God doesn’t save on the shore.

!!! 7.

He doesn’t say, "I’ll be watching from the shore while you get washed down stream."

!!! 8.

He doesn’t say, "If you find yourself in the flood, it’s already too late, I don’t leave the shore."

!!! 9.      NO!

God says, "When you walk through the waters, I will be there!"

!! C.        Jesus Walks on the Water

!!! 1.

In the gospels you see Jesus walking on the water because that was where he had work to be done.

!!! 2.      We don’t want to get in the water.

!!! 3.      We especially don’t want to get out in deep water.

!!! 4.      We want God to deliver us before we get that far, but God is saying, "Come on out here and learn to swim."

!!! 5.

You see, if you never get into water that’s deeper than your ankles, you will never learn to swim.

!

III.    "NOT OVERFLOW" - MEANS YOU WILL LEARN TO SWIM

!! A.        Being in the Flood Makes Us Stronger

!!! 1.

Many Christians only think of God when they are in deep water.

!!! 2.      They get in a jam and they scream for God.

!!! 3.      They get out of trouble and they run back to their sin and rebellion.

!!! 4.      When we take a stand for God, the flood waters start rising.

!!! 5.      It always gets worse before it gets better.

!!! 6.      Jesus mapped it out for us in the parable of the sower.

!! B.        We Get Persecuted for the Word’S Sake

!!! 1.

The devil comes to try to steal the word, but we don’t give it up.

!!! 2.      The devil sends persecution and affliction for the Word’s sake¼¼

!!! 3.      The devil sends worldly pleasures and the lust for other things¼¼

!!! 4.      Finally, he gives up and we reap a harvest for standing on the word.

!! C.        When You Think You’Re Weak, You’Re Strong

!!! 1.

We are only strong when we realize our own weaknesses.

*                     /2 Corinthians 12:9-10/*/ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

/

!!! 2.      When we realize that we can't do anything, we will finally let Christ do something through us.

!!! 3.      When we turn lose and let God take over we become strong.

!!! 4.      It’s a lot like swimming.

!!! 5.      As long as you are afraid, you beat the water and flail your arms, and you go under.

!!! 6.

When you quit fighting the water and let the water hold you up, then you can swim.

!! D.        God’S Grace and Presence Is All We Need to Swim

!!! 1.

He gives us provision when we are needy.