Stand and lift up your bible and repeat after me.
This is my Bible.
I am what it says I am.
I can do what it says I can do.
I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be.
Today I will learn more of the word of God.
The indestructible, never ending, living word Of God.
I will never be the same.
I will never be the same.
In Jesus Name.
Storms
I am going to try to encourage you all today.
Recently, I have encountered a person who’s going through an incredibly severe storm. You’re in the midst of, probably, the darkest time of it. I want to thank you Lord because today you’ve put Scripture into reality. But because I’ve sat for 1 hour with a brother who has no fear and no regrets, who has peace, joy and anticipation with his life.
In fact, he kept saying, “Pastor David, the ones I feel sorry for are those left behind. All my life, I’ve lived to be with Jesus, and I get to go to be with Him when I die.” I’m thinking, “The world wouldn’t understand this.” The world would see that peace and joy and courage, and they would give anything for it. What am I talking about?
Being in the midst of the storm and yet at the same time having the grace and the power of Jesus Christ as such a reality in your life where you can say, “The storms may rage, but through the power of God, they can’t destroy me.” Amen?
Statements about storms:
1. Storms allow us to see ourselves
Adversity has a way of introducing us to our real self. Folks, we live in a cosmetic world. People are bouncing through life, never willing to allow the storms to stop them long enough to get a real perspective of who they are and what they’re encountering.
Every once in a while, I’ll run into somebody who’ll say, “Well, you know, Pastor, I’ve really never had any storms in my life.” And every time they tell me that, I say to myself, “Self, you’re looking at a very shallow person who has never allowed the storms to let them see themselves as they really are.”
Now, let me tell you something about storms, because if you’ve lived in a place like Southern California all your life, you don’t know anything about storms. I lived in Pennsylvania most of my life. I know what storms are like. I mean, I’m talking about wind and lightning and thunder and rain.
I’m talking about thunderstorms and hurricanes. I remember, we knew what to do during the storm. One of the first things you learn about storms of life is that when you go through one, things aren’t where they’re supposed to be when it’s over. One of the things God does for you and me when we go through the storms of life is shuffle the deck.
He lets us see life, not in our cosmetic view, everything in the right place, and everything for a right reason with a right label on the right shelf. He blows it all around. Messes things up. And He shows us our life as it is, not as what we had planned it to be or pretended to be.
That’s exactly what He did with the disciples, in the upper room. Before the storm, Peter thought he had his act together. He had his testimony already written out, and it was a good one. Peter had his doctrine already stated, and it was good. But when the storm came in, it blew that thing all over the place. He woke up and thought, “I don’t love God as much as I thought as I did. I’m not as faithful as I thought I’d be. And I didn’t follow through on my promise.”
The storms of life have a way of knocking the props out from under us and helping us see ourselves as we really are. And, it’s okay to come to this church and not be perfect. I learned a long time ago: storms take away all of the cosmetic appearance of life. They clear the façade. They cut out all the junk.
2. Storms are times of restoration
They are times, if I allow them to be, of renewal. They are times that allow me to draw real close to God.
Every parent will understand this illustration. Just think of your high-energy children. They may be full of a lot of mischief, but if they get sick, all of a sudden, all that energy leaves their body and they become pliable and dependent.
I remember one time when I was little, we were going to drive to Florida. I always dreaded trips in the car because I got car sick. I mean, I’m sorry, but it wasn’t a complete vacation without me getting car sick.
We went to Florida anyway and you know what? I did not get sick. I changed my eating habits and sucked on mints and guess what?
I did not get sick. I adapted.
3. Storms can bring spiritual growth in our life.
And I say, “can bring” because that’s your and my determination. They don’t automatically bring growth, but if we encounter the storm with the right mindset, we really grow from it.
A. They bring us into conformity with Him.
B. They bring happiness in our Christian experience.
C. They yield the fruit of righteousness.
D. They glorify God.
E. They produce praise, glory and honor to Him.
Look at Hebrews 12:11 with me. “All discipline, for the moment, seems not to be joyful…” Isn’t that the truth? “Yet to those who have been trained by it…” Underline the next word, “afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Do you notice when the peaceful fruit of righteousness comes? After the storm. A sculptor cuts, sculpts, and afterwards, there’s a perfect image. The potter is patient and presses the clay and afterwards, a beautiful vase. The jeweler grinds and polishes the stone and afterwards, a beautiful gem. Now I don’t know about you, but even though I realize I’m being polished by God in the storm, I will honestly admit to you that I always think the storm should be done before it’s done.
Do you relate to this? I’ve never had a storm of life where when God was finished, I said, “Oh, I think I need a little more.” Never have I thought, “God, could you put me back on the table and do a little bit more operating? No, about halfway through the operation, I’m getting up and saying, “Thanks, God, we fixed it.”
And God says, “Get back on the table. We ain’t fixed nothing yet. You’re so far from being what I want you to be.”
How to grow during a storm:
1. Learning from storms requires a decision.
A. The Lordship issue
The lordship issue says, “God, I’m willing to let you have control of my life. I’m willing to let you run my life. I’m willing to let you be sovereign, God, and I’m willing to take my hands off my life. It is your life and now, you run it the way you want.” Lordship means obedience. Lordship means, “God, no longer am I going to fight for control.”
You need to make that decision before the storm of life because, if you don’t, then when you get in adversity, you will scramble for rights and control. The inward fighting will be as great as the outward storm, because we haven’t settled the issue, “who’s going to run my life?”
B. Anything I encounter is for my benefit.
Once I settle the Lordship issue in my life, from that point on, anything that happens to me is going to help me because I’ve already let Him take control of my life.
Now, let’s go back to that first decision for a moment. If I have not made Him Lord of my life, I’m going to encounter some storms on my own. Good luck. Because if you’re not in the center of God’s will and you’re not obedient, can I tell you what’s going to happen to you? You’re going to disobey and go the wrong way. You’re going to have the Jonah problem in your life. God will say, “Go ahead.” You’re going to get into some storms, and those storms are because of you.
But the moment I tell God that He has control and give up my rights and obey him in every area, then when I encounter a storm, it’s because that’s exactly where God wants me. I’m not in the storm because of an independent stubborn streak in my life. I’m right where God wants me. When Jesus said, “Go in the boat and get out on the Sea of Galilee,” and the storm came, the one thing the disciples could say is, “We’re right where Jesus told us to go.” Now, when you obey God, then when you’re going through a storm, the one thing you can be assured of is that God put you in that storm. Therefore, you can say, “I’m in the midst of the storm, the waves are pouring in on the boat of life, the winds are howling, and God, you have a problem.” And you can rest right there because you’re right where God wants you to be. There are some of you going through some major storms in your life. I can tell you right now, it’s okay, my child, because you’re right where God wants you. Hold steady. He’s doing a work. There are others encountering storms, and I can tell you right now, it’s your fault. It’s your problem. Good luck. Whenever we disobey God, we get out on our own. And when we get out on our own, it’s a whole different scenario.
2. Learning from storms requires dedication.
You see, God understands what is happening to me.
Job 23:10, “He knows every detail of what is happening to me. And when he has examined me, he will pronounce me completely innocent, as pure as solid gold. God knows my load limit.”
1 Corinthians 10, “You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted, but God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much. And he will show you how to escape from your temptations.”
3. Learning from storms requires humility.
When I talk to Christians about humility, I get the sense that they think it is given to them by God. Can I tell you something? God doesn’t give you humility. It’s a choice. There’s a passage of Scripture you just want to write it down. You don’t have time to look it up. But, I’ll read it to you. It’s 1 Peter 5:5-6. Here’s what Peter says: “God gives grace to the humble…,” Now, watch this next phrase, “Therefore,” he said, “humble yourself.”
Do you know what Peter said? Peter said that it’s our responsibility to humble ourselves. And he ought to know.
Do you know what Peter’s saying? Peter says, “When I was a disciple of the Lord when He was on earth, I had all kinds of times and experiences where I could have been humbled. But let me tell you the day I was humbled. After the resurrection when Jesus met me on the beach and started a breakfast and had a fire and he said, ‘Peter, come here. Let me ask you a question. Do you love me?’ He asked me that three times. Cut to my heart. That is the day I began to humble myself.” You see, the storms of life can cause us to be like Pharaoh. They can harden our hearts. The Bible says, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.” When he had storms, instead of being humbled, he chose to have a hard heart. It’s a choice.
4. Learning from storms requires living with a sense of destiny.
Storms are just a part of our lives. They aren’t the only thing in our lives. We have to have the pig picture. And the only way that we can ever endure the storm is to realize that something comes after it. Just as Jesus endured Calvary, because He realized that on the third day there would be a resurrection, there would be Easter.
We’ve got to go through the storms of life. We’ve got to go through a death before we have a resurrection. So many Christians want to have resurrections and sunshine and laughter and a wonderful life, and they don’t realize that they never can have that until they come through the storm first. It’s death and then resurrection. There has to be a Good Friday in your life before an Easter.
5. Learning from storms requires the prayers of saints and the help of the Holy Spirit.
Here’s what Paul said in Philippians about his imprisonment: “I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.”
We’re going to do a test, so don’t look at me; get your pens out right now.
You may flunk, but that’s all right; take it. Remember if you flunk, it’s because you have a bad teacher. It can’t be your fault. Are you ready? Very simple test. If you answer yes, give yourself 2 points, and if you answer no, give yourself 1 point.
1. Do you think that there is any storm that touches your life that God doesn’t know about?
2. Do you think there is any storm that touches your life that God cannot handle?
3. Do you think that there is any storm that touches your life that doesn’t have a purpose?
4. Do you think that there is any storm that touches your life that shouldn’t teach you something about yourself?
5. Do you think that there is any storm that touches your life that shouldn’t teach you something about your Lord?
If you’re all done, look at your answers. Remember, you get 1 point for each no and 2 points for each yes. If your score is over 5, you don’t trust the Lord enough. Now listen very carefully to what I’m going to say. The Psalmist said concerning God, “You have been a shelter for me.” And Isaiah, when referring to the Lord said, “You are my refuge.”
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve gone through the Psalms, and I’m finding out a lot about God. And, if you’ll just listen, I’m going to share with you very quickly what the Psalmist says about the God that is our Father.
He says that God is my King.
He’s the Glory and the Lifter of my head.
He’s righteous, and He is my Lord.
He’s my Strength.
He’s my Rock.
He’s my Fortress.
He’s my Deliverance.
He’s my Shield.
He’s my Stronghold.
He’s my Support.
He’s my Savior.
He’s my Redeemer.
He’s my Shepherd.
He’s my Light.
He’s my Salvation.
He is my Help.
He is my Hiding Place.
He is my Delight.
He is my Refuge in time of trouble.
He is my Lover.
He is my Strong Tower.
He is my Deliverer.
He is my Father.
He is my Portion.
He is my Comfort.
I want to ask you a question. How do I know God is my Fortress until, with arrows flying around me, I have to run to his open gates?
And, how do I know that He is my Hiding Place until I hear the enemy crashing around me, his breath on my back as I cry out for refuge?
And, how do I know that He is my Portion until the treasure that I hold very dear to myself is either threatened or taken from me?
And how do I know that He is my Father until I feel orphaned, abandoned, and left alone?
And how do I know that he is my Deliverer until I step outside the boat, like Peter, and try to walk on the waves?
CONCLUSION:
I believe that storms have a way of helping us know our philosophy of life.
In Florida, you can be out and the sun will be shining, and all of a sudden, a storm will blow up and it will start raining. A lot of times, people just keep their umbrellas with them. As soon as the rains come, the first thing you do is grab your umbrella and open it up. I believe the storms of life force us to literally open up the umbrella of our philosophy of life. It’s during those tough times that we find what we hang onto in life. And so, during the storm, some people eat, drink, and be merry. It’s the best they’ve got to look forward to.
Some people look at the things of life they they’ve accumulated and say, “Well, you know, the one who dies with the most toys, wins.”
God, as we walk out of this place today, regardless of the storms that we are encountering, regardless of the darkness of the hour, help us get the fat out of our lives, remove the dross, cut out the nonessentials and get grounded.
May our song be “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”
In a cosmetic world, God, filled with froth, there is One we can go to that’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hallelujah. And God’s people said, “Amen.” I love you.
Let us close in prayer.
