Jesus Is The Answer To Despair Series

Jesus Answer to Despair: Jesse Bennett

Let me introduce you to an old friend you’ve know for a long time.

A friend is someone that makes you a better person.

Sometimes a friend loves you so much he will even hurt you to help you.

Proverbs says the wounds of a friend can be trusted, but the kissed of an enemy are deceitful. Like iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another>

How would you like to have a friend that would help you live a clean life?

How would you like to have a friend that would bring you closer to JESUS?

How would you like to have a friend that would give you strength?

How would you like to have a friend that would help you lead your loved ones to Christ?

How would you like to have a friend that would make you a mature believer?

You already have that friend his name is trouble: now I know most of you don’t consider trouble a friend but it is (sometimes)

John 6:16-21

It was the evening time when this took place and Jesus had just fed the 5000, they wanted to make him king, but He didn’t want to be that kind of a king. He sent the disciples to go across the sea. They set sail because Jesus told them. These were seasoned sailors-but they are sailing into the teeth of a storm.

The Bible says a wind arose.

1. Have you ever been there just sailing along, full of joy and peace full of the Lord Jesus?

2. That’s the way his disciples felt so full of joy, following there master, after all He is a miracle worker. Beside that they had eaten and were full of bread and fish.

3. Then the wind came, greedy waves seeking to devour them at the darkest hour of the night

4. They are rowing, back hurting; they can’t go back, hands hurting.

I. They are about to find out Jesus is God answer to mans despair.

I’m going to give you six anchors of the soul.

1. I am governed by his providence! (Jesus is the one who created to storm and the sea)

A. They were in the storm because of the will of God.

B. Is that you today?

C. Are the icy waves of this life coming up to devour you?

D. Are you felling as though you are in your darkest hour?

E. Every wind contrary to you, your little boat sinking?

(Answer) There is nothing that comes to you unless God allows it or causes it!!!!

I. (anchor of the soul) I am governed by his providence.

He commands the seas!

Weather I can see it or not

Weather I can understand it or not

It is a fact; God has not relinquished His rule on His universe.

II. (Anchor of the soul) I am growing by his plan.

What is God’s plan for you?

He wants to enlarge you not indulge you.

God is not nearly as interested in making you happy and healthy as he is making you holy.

So God is in the habit of putting you into trouble to grow you.

The Lord Jesus engineered these problems for his disciples so he could develop them.

Palms 4:1 Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distressed.

Think about this; that’s when you grew the most as a Christian: that’s when you grew the most when God sent you trouble. When you overcame diversity by the power of God. That’s when you have been enlarged.

I can testify by my own experience when I experienced trouble I became a better person because of it.

Poem:

I walked a mile with pleasure she chatted all the way, but left me none the wiser for all she had to say.

I walked a mile with sorrow, but not a word said she, but oh the things I learned from sorrow when sorrow walked with me instead.

Isn’t that true.

The things I’ve learned in sorrow are the things I’ve learned the best!

Faith like film is developed best in the dark! I don’t know why that is, but it is true!

Remember when God sent Joshua and Caleb into the land (he sent 12 spies) only two came back with a good report….There is fruit trees and rivers and fertile planes and pomegranate trees and wonderful abundance…but there are giants in the land called Amalekites the descendants of Anak…the other 10 reported there are giants and we are like grasshoppers in there eyes….We can’t go to war with these people

What did Caleb say? Num 14:9 do not rebel against the Lord nor fear the people of the land for they are bread for us.

What happens when you eat bread you are strengthened? Caleb understood when they overcame this challenge they would be strengthened.