INTRO.- The devastating tornado in Joplin, MO. They are saying it was the deadliest in the history of the US in nearly 60 years. Why? Because of the many deaths (142), over 900 injured and 100 unaccounted for, and 8,000 structures damaged. At least 300 businesses and 4,000 jobs were affected by the tornado. It was an EF5 tornado and only 1 percent of all tornadoes ever reach that number with winds over 200 mph. They are so destructive that experts said they can turn a house into a missile. It was also the 8th deadliest tornado in the history of the US.
ILL.- You perhaps remember my sister and her husband Mike. He has three brothers living in Joplin. One of them suffering no damage since he lived in the north part of Joplin. The oldest brother had roof damage and lost his car to a tree that feel on it. Mike’s youngest brother, David, lost his home entirely and also suffered some cuts but his wife is in a hospital in Springfield with internal bleeding and fractured vertebrae.
ILL.- Gerald and Sally Griffin were taking care of their grandchildren while their daughter and son-in-law went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Clint and Bethany never made it to dinner. I talked to Sally and she told me what happened. They looked outside, heard sirens warning them of a tornado and then they all went to the bathroom in the center of the house. They felt the pressure of being lifted, heard glass breaking and all kinds of loud noises and things breaking. I asked, “What did you do?” She said, “We screamed!”
ILL.- Tina Brady is Truman Brady’s wife. She’s an RN and was working on the 7th floor of St. John’s Medical Center when that tornado hit last Sunday night. Apparently, they had a few minutes of warning because she said they were able to push the patients into the hallways. And it’s a good thing. She said if they hadn’t they would have been sucked out the windows!
Here is Tina’s words of what happened to her: As I was slammed to the floor and pinned against a wall by a hospital bed on the 7th floor and swaying building, I thought, " This is it, I am going to die in a tornado." I always wondered what I would think or feel. I guess I was relatively calm, as I was forcefully, repetitively, and loudly prayed, "GOD save us, GOD protect us!!!!!!!!!"
My patient lying in that bed began to pray with me, then the wind began to slow for a moment I thought is this the "eye of the tornado", then it started again instantly. My next chanting prayer was "Thank you JESUS!!!" thinking it is almost over and the building is still standing. During all of this my eyes were squeezed tightly together and I could feel my stomach being pelted with debris. I realized my shirt was being sucked off of me, I pulled it down then my face was being hit, I opened my eyes for a second then instantly wished I hadn’t, seeing the ceiling and wires down, and walls missing inside the building. I just thank GOD my patient and I were not seriously injured and we were able to make it to safety. My prayer now is for all the families that have lost loved one and some are still looking.
And we’ve all seen the pictures, over and over. Massive devastation, destruction and sadly, death.
PROP.- What must we do? We should do something in the midst of any tragedy.
1- We must pray
2- We must help
3- We must seek
I. WE MUST PRAY
James 5:13 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.” It is natural for us to pray when we’re in trouble.
ILL.- I saw many different people interviewed in Joplin who were in the midst of that tornado and one thing they said all they did was to pray. NO WONDER. Who wouldn’t?
One young father said he covered his wife and baby and prayed, “Dear Jesus....” I am sure that many others prayed similar prayers.
I heard one man say that he thought they were going to be carried away and killed in the tornado. He prayed, “Lord, let it happen quickly and with little pain.” Of course, it didn’t happen. He and his family were not carried away and killed. The Lord spared them, but many others were taken and killed.
What do you do when you’re in trouble? YOU PRAY. That’s what these people are doing and that’s what we must do only we need to pray for them!
Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
This verse speaks of compassion. We must feel for others! We must hurt for others and if we do, how can we not pray for them?
Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Pray on all occasions. Good occasions and especially bad occasions. In the good times, we rejoice and praise the Lord. And we pray on bad occasions. How? We ask for mercy for those who are hurting and for grace to endure.
Hebrews 4:14-16 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Because we have a great high priest in Jesus who sees and cares, we can come to Him boldly in prayer. Or we come to the Father boldly in His name since Jesus asked us to pray to the Father and ask in His name. This is why we always pray “in Jesus’ name.” He is our Savior. He is our mediator, go between and link to the Father. No one approaches the Father except through Him.
Since the Lord sympathizes with us and with all who are devastated in life by tragedies like this tornado, we can pray and ask for Him to demonstrate mercy and give them His powerful grace to endure and go forward with life. We can ask Him to take care of them, protect them and provide for them.
Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
When you ask for others that’s the best you can ask for! Don’t you think God will answer that prayer? Any time we demonstrate unselfishness and ask for others, He is quick to bless and answer.
II. WE MUST HELP
Romans 12:13 “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
ILL.- A preacher friend on an Indian reservation wrote me recently and said he was out of money and out of food. What do you do in a case like that? You do whatever you can. One other church member and I sent money. That’s what we did.
Galatians 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
What can we do for the people of Joplin, MO? We can’t go there and help. You can get to Joplin but you can’t drive through tornado alley. Unless you live there and have proof of who you are, you would just be in the way. Of course, if you were a part of a search and rescue team, etc. that would be a different matter.
What can we do? We can send supplies, give aid to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, IDES, etc.
ILL.- The Christian Valley Christian Church has a young man living in Joplin whose apartment was destroyed. So they have some reason to help. Last week they collected items such as bottled water, diapers, formula, first aid kits, blankets, etc. to be delivered to Ozark Christian College which would distribute these items to needy people.
If you don’t know of anyone personally, you help through these various organizations. If you know of someone personally, you can help them in a personal way. Find out what their needs are and help. Send money, etc.
Our church board decided to send $1,000 to OCC to help with the families that lost their homes, etc.
Everybody can do something. How can we turn a deaf ear to hurting, needy people? I’ve always thought like many people do: What goes around, comes around.
Or as scripture says: Galatians 6:7 “A man reaps what he sows.”
Proverbs 11:17 “A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.”
III. WE MUST SEEK
Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
People really need to seek the Lord God from wherever they are! It matters not where people are in the world or in life. They can find Him if they will seek Him! They can and should seek Him in the midst of tragedy. They can and should seek Him in the bad times, but also in the good times.
That’s one of the problems that we have here in America. Many people have it so good that they don’t see their need for God and Christ. And it’s only when they suffer some kind of tragedy that they look up and ask for help.
ILL.- It’s like: Is God like your steering wheel or your spare tire? Do you only seek God when you have a flat tire or a tragedy in life? Or do you seek the Lord always and let Him steer you in life?
I told Elaine the other day that I bet there were few atheists in Joplin last Sunday night!
Psalm 27:4-5 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
This is what I seek.
Everyone can say, “This is what I seek.” But what are they seeking? Most don’t seek the Lord until they are in deep trouble or in hot water. David wanted to seek and know the Lord so he could dwell in His house all his life.
David wanted to seek the Lord always and then he confessed that the Lord would keep him safe. He wanted to be in the Lord’s presence continually. DO YOU? You are right now anyway.
Psalm 27:7-9
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
Does your heart say, “Seek the Lord’s face”? If not, maybe we have a heart problem. When we seek the Lord He will not hide from us. He will not turn away from us. We may feel like that times, but He won’t turn away.
Psalm 34:9-11
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Some lions may go hungry but we are far more valuable than animals. If we seek the Lord He will provide for us and we will lack no good thing.
Psalm 40 1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
Seeking the Lord may require some waiting on the Lord as well, but we’re not too good at that. We want answers and help right now. The Lord knows best and does best, therefore when we seek Him we must also trust Him and wait on Him for answers.
Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”
Basically, the text is saying that we seek the the Lord first in life He’ll provide for us and take care of us. The problem is that most people don’t seek the Lord “first” in life. He is not a priority to most folks.
II Peter 3:10-13 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
Some people are not ready for the Lord to come back. Some people are not ready for the destruction of a tornado or the destruction of earth in any form. Some are not ready for death!
This is why they need to seek the Lord and humble themselves before Him. Seek Him, seek His will, obey Him.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
ILL.- Paul Harvey’s For What It’s Worth Department once told of a great escape! Gary Tindle was in a California courtroom charged with robbery. He asked and received from Judge Armando Rodriguez permission to go to the bathroom. While the bathroom door was guarded, Mr. Tindle climbed up onto the plumbing and opened a panel in the ceiling. Sure enough, it was a dropped ceiling with a space. So he climbed up into the crawlspace and headed south. He’d gone thirty-some feet when the ceiling panels broke from under him and dropped him to the floor....right back into Judge Rodriguez’s courtroom!
It’s hard to escape man’s judgment but it’s impossible to escape the judgment of God! Some people may think they will escape facing God but it won’t happen. WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you ready?
CONCLUSION----------------------
ILL. Some time ago, a father and his daughter were walking through the grass on the Canadian prairie. In the distance, they saw a prairie fire devouring the field and eventually, they realized, it would engulf them too. The father knew there was only one way of escape. Quickly he started a fire right where they were and burned a large patch of grass. When the huge fire drew near, they then stood on the section of grass that they had already burned. When the fire actually did approach them, the girl was terrified by the raging flames. But her father assured her, “The flames can’t touch us, honey. We are standing where the fire had already been.”
The same is true of God’s judgment. You see, Jesus has already gone through the flames before us. And if you’ve trusted in him and put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you are standing where the fire has already been. As long as we are in Jesus, we never have to fear the fire of Judgment.
Are you afraid or secure? Our salvation and security is in Jesus.
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
