A Helper In The Time Of Storm
Chuck Sligh
April 25, 2010
(NOTE: 5 MIN. BEFORE START: Show “The Storm” video downloaded from SermonSpice.com as intro to the sermon’s subject.)
TEXT: Matthew 8:23-27 – “And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
INTRODUCTION
Unless you’ve never been in a boat in a truly dangerous storm, you cannot fully comprehend the situation the disciples were in in this passage of Scripture.
Illus. – When I was a teen living in Okinawa, I remember some of my friends and I taking a boat from the main island of Okinawa to visit one of the smaller islands. It was during the typhoon season and though we were not in a typhoon, it was a really, really scary storm.
We were in a ship much more modern and technologically superior to anything the disciples would have been in. Yet, with each wave, our boat was like a plastic toy bobbing in that raging Pacific Ocean, which at that point in time was anything BUT “pacific”—which means “calm, peaceful.” We were engulfed by waves sometimes at least five times higher than our boat! I got right with God real quick—because I just knew that my number was up!
That’s a lot like the storm the disciples were experiencing in our text here in Matthew 8:23-27. And, remember now, with the exception of a few landlubbers like the former tax collector, Matthew, among the disciples were several seasoned seaman who were used to the sea. And yet, even these experienced fishermen were terrified, as depicted in our video. They were caught in a storm that they could not handle with their own experience and knowledge and ability. Perhaps no other passage in the Bible pictures so well our helplessness handling our own problems in our own strength—and the power of God to overcome anything.
Several years ago, Susan and I and our boys went through several terrible storms of trials in a succession while we were in Wiesbaden, Germany. It was during that time that God gave me this message, and the truths of this Scripture have been a tremendous blessing in my own life.
Now let me tell you this: You WILL go through MANY significant storms in your life as a Christian. I’ve often said, every one of us here this morning are either going through a storm of some kind and intensity right now, or you’ve recently come out of one, or you’re soon heading into one because storms are part of life, whether we are saved or lost.
--Job was right when he said in Job 5:7 – “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.”
--Later, in chapter 14, verse 1, he said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”
--Solomon wrote these dark words as he described a person’s life on this earth: “All his days also he eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.” (Ecclesiastes 5:17)
There aren’t a lot of things we can be sure of in this life, but besides death and taxes, one other thing IS for sure: We are going to go through many trials in this life.
Let me share with you some wonderful truths about surviving storms and understanding a little bit of HOW and WHY God works the way He does in our lives through them.
I. FIRST, SOMETIMES GOD WILL LEAD YOU INTO THE STORM
Note in verse 23 where we read, “…when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.” As omniscient God the Son, Jesus knew full well what was in store for His disciples as they boarded that ship. As you follow the Lord, you will find that the Lord often leads us into testings to mold us and mature us in our Christian lives—and often to fit us better for His service.
When we enter into a storm in our lives, we naturally recoil from it. Who in his right mind wants to experience pain, or suffering, or discomfort, or fear, or bewilderment, or some difficult trial in our lives or in our families?
And though often our trials are the results of our own mistakes (that is, we are reaping what we’ve sown by our own actions); and sometimes trials come as part of God’s discipline in our lives because of sin—the truth is that often our storms have nothing to do with reaping OR receiving discipline.
Sometimes, in fact, it’s as we are following the Lord Himself, as these disciples did, that we find ourselves following him…RIGHT INTO THE STORM. In other words, it is HE to leads us into the storm.
Why would God do this?
1. First, He might do it to make you stronger and more dependent upon God.
Illus. – My wife, Susan, is an amazing example of this. I remember the first set of harsh trials we went through in our lives together—the time when Susan lost 80% of the vision in her right eye so that she became legally blind. I thought Susan was going to lose it!—She was an emotional basket case.
But somehow she got through it, and over the years she has been through many, many more storms, some the church here has shared with us. It’s amazing the resilience she now has. She’s one of the strongest individuals I have ever met!
That strength, that resilience, that persistence—that didn’t come through a life of ease and comfort. It came through the crucible of trials.
Paul said this about trials: Romans 5:3-5 – “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope makes [us] not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.”
2. Second, God might take you into storms to teach you important truths in His Word.
The Psalmist said, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)
Some truths we can learn only through the storms in our lives. The storm drives us to Jesus and His Word, and it’s THERE that we learn those truths that stay with us the rest of our lives.
Illus. – I’ve shared with you my experience with cancer in 1979. I was told I had six weeks to live.
For six weeks I was GLUED to God’s Word. Thinking I would go to God was a tremendous catalyst in my life to know more about where I was going.
It was in that time that God made me long for heaven, a longing I have never lost. It was in those moments in God’s Word that God HIMSELF became so real and personal to me. I still have the Bible I used back then, and sometimes, when I can’t find my current Bible, I’ll pull out the old one and see a note in the margin that says, “Claimed on such-and-such-a-date, 1979” and some sweet morsel of truth from the banquet of God’s Word comes back to me—a truth I may not have learned but for the storm God put me through. It is then that I am able, as Paul said, to “glory in tribulation.”
3. Sometimes God will lead you into storms to make you more fit for service.
Illus. – I grew up as a military brat and later my dad was a missionary to the military. When I was growing up, I was never exposed much to suffering. When we lived overseas, if someone got too sick, they shipped them back to the States, or (when we were stationed in the U.S.) to a bigger military hospital somewhere else in the U.S. So I just had never been around sick or suffering or elderly people. In fact, I’d never even been to a funeral until I was a sophomore in college!
Because of this, when I entered the ministry, I had a very hard time dealing with hospital visitation. I couldn’t relate to people’s suffering and pain. But after having cancer, going through a difficult surgery, spending two weeks in the hospital and experiencing a long and painful recovery, I could relate to sick people in a way I never could before. In fact, now I enjoy hospital visitation because now I know what to say and I can feel for those there because I’ve BEEN there and I’ve EXPERIENCED what they are experiencing. God fitted me for greater service through suffering.
This is what Paul had in mind when he said in 2 Corinthians 1:4 – “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God.”
There are other reasons God might bring you through a storm, but let’s move on. Our first point is this: Sometimes God will lead you into the storm.
II. SECOND, GOD WILL SOMETIMES ALLOW STORMS TO SEEMINGLY ALMOST OVERWHELM YOU TO BRING YOU TO HIM
Verse 24 says that “there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves
Matthew tells us that it was a “GREAT” storm. The ship was almost overwhelmed by the storm and the waves. They seriously thought their lives were in peril. They saw no way out of this storm. It was not a typical storm, but a GREAT storm, a really, really BAD storm. It was what one best-seller of recent years called a “the perfect storm.” They were being battered and beaten and fearful and in danger of their lives!
If you’ve ever been in a major storm in your life, you understand what that feels like. The worst storms are often the ones most precisely designed by GOD for His purposes in our lives.
III. THIRD, OFTEN GOD WILL NOT INTERVENE IN YOUR STORM UNTIL YOU GO TO HIM FOR HELP
Verse 24 says “…but He was asleep…”
God usually will not save us from a particularly trying storm until we come to the point that we realize our need for His help. If we insist, He’ll just let us try to handle the crisis on our own, in our own strength, and with our own resources until we come to Him for help. Well, God in heaven is never asleep, so why does God do this?—That leads me to point number 4…
IV. GOD WANTS TO BRING YOU TO WHERE YOU RECOGNIZE THAT WITHOUT HIM YOU CANNOT HANDLE THE STORMS IN YOUR LIFE BY YOURSELF
In verse 25, the disciples said, “Lord save us; we perish…”
The disciples didn’t come to Jesus at first; they tried to handle the crisis on their own. It was not until things looked hopeless that they came to Jesus for help.
That’s just how we are in our Christian lives. We try to handle our problems in our own strength until there is seemingly no hope. Unfortunately, so often it is then and only then that we come to Christ for help.
Illus. – Once I told a missionary friend about a minor problem I was going through and I said, “I’m really going to have to pray about this.” to which he sarcastically responded, “You mean it’s come to THAT?!!!”
That missionary jokingly identified a problem we all have—an independent spirit…a sense that we can handle our own problems…that if we need God, we’ll call on Him…and we feel—even if we don’t say it out loud—“God, I got this covered. If I need you, I’ll call. Don’t call me, I’ll call you.”
So God takes us up on that. He brings storms into our lives to let us know we CAN’T handle things in our own power and strength. He puts us into situations where we find ourselves CALLING OUT TO GOD.
But it shouldn’t have to come to that before we look to God. God wants us to come to the place in our lives where we realize our dependence upon Him daily, moment-by-moment—before a storm even BEGINS; not just after we’re overwhelmed. God wants us to recognize our NEED of Him always.
V. FIFTH, NOTE THAT YOU NEED NEVER FEAR OR FRET IN A STORMY TIME IN LIFE, FOR CHRIST HAS COMPLETE CONTROL OVER ALL THE FACTORS AND ELEMENTS OF YOUR STORM
In verse 26, Jesus said, “Why are you fearful…then He…rebuked the winds and the sea.”
Has it ever occurred to you that when you go through a storm, it doesn’t catch God by surprise? When you go through a crisis, God doesn’t call an “emergency meeting of the Trinity” to determine what needs to be done. No, every element of your storm is carefully orchestrated by a God who is never caught off guard—who is always in complete control.
Illus. – We used to have a song leader in our church in Wiesbaden named Steve who whenever I saw him, I’d ask, “How’s it going Steve?” His response was always the same—he’d say, “God is still on the throne!”
He was almost always happy and on top of things when he’d say that. But one day he came in discouraged, and when I asked, “How’s it going, Steve?” he replied, “Not too good Pastor.”
I don’t know why I said it, but without thinking I just asked, “What happened Steve? Did God step off the throne?” He smiled sheepishly at me, straightened up and said, “No, Pastor, you’re right God IS still on the throne.”
What I thought might be a little bit of an insensitive statement was actually just what he needed to hear to help him through a difficult storm.
Are you going through a storm today? – Don’t worry, God hasn’t stepped off His throne!
Are things going bad for you right now? – Why are you worried?—GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE, and God not only KNOWS what you are going through, but He’s CONTROLLING what you are going through.
As the all-wise, all-loving God, He knows exactly how strong the winds should be; exactly how high to allow the waves to roll over your boat; exactly how much water to let in; and exactly when to calm the sea.
VI. NUMBER 6, WHEN YOU TURN TO GOD FOR HELP, HE BRINGS PEACE AND CALM
Verse 26 says “and there was a great calm…”
In your time of trouble, Jesus can bring peace and rest—if you’ll just come to Him, bring Him your burden, and leave your burdens with Him.
Peter says 1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.”
Paul says this in Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (EXPAND AS LED)
By the way, God does not always deliver us FROM the storm. As often as not, He simply helps us THROUGH the storm. And even then, Philippians 4:6-7 is STILL true! He does calm the storm and restore tranquility in our hearts IF we bring our burden to Him by prayer and supplication. Then “the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
VII. FINALLY, GOD’S WORKING IN YOUR STORMS PRODUCES A SENSE OF WONDER IN SO GREAT AND POWERFUL A SAVIOR
Verse 27 says “…But the men marveled, saying, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’”
God’s working in your problems ought to produce in you a greater appreciation and love for Him for His working in your life. This, in turn, ought to produce greater faith.
As you look back on your storms, you’ll be able to recall how JESUS CAME TO THE RESCUE—how He made you more reliant upon Him; how He taught you greater faith; how He fitted you for service; how He nourished you through His Word. And it will cause you to marvel and say, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
CONCLUSION
Are you going through a storm today?
Illus. – Do you know what an eagle does in a storm? It sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle doesn’t escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.
And you know what?—When your storms hit, you can rise above them by trusting in God and waiting on Him. The storms don’t have to overcome you! You can allow God’s power to lift you above them. It’s not the burdens of life that weigh us down; it’s how we handle them.
Isaiah 40:31 tells us how to handle our storms: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Dear storm traveler: If you’re one of God’s kids, He’s at work in your storms—even when you don’t recognize it or understand it. He’s in the storm with you for He promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) He’s calling you to rise above it…to be A WATER-WALKER, not a boat person! Keep your eyes on Him during the storm and He’ll help you to rise above it and be victorious in your storm!
(If interested in the PowerPoint used in this sermon, you may request it from me at chucksligh@hotmail.com.)
