Living Above the Storm
After World War II ended, a group of German students volunteered to help rebuild an English Cathedral in London. The team of students worked tirelessly to restore the cathedral since it had undergone severe damage during the war. They did well with all the repairs except for one marble statue of Jesus Christ that had been shattered into many pieces during the war. The statue once stood tall with arms and hands outstretched with an inscription beneath it that read, “Come unto me.” The team was able to restore most of the statue, except the hands of Jesus.
They were stumped at what to do with the statue. Should they leave the statue as it was? Should they try to create new hands for Jesus? After much thought and deliberation, they decided to leave the statue standing there with no hands, but they changed the inscription beneath it. It now reads, “He has no hands but ours.” In other words, you are invited to be His hands in this world! I’m grateful that this church is an example of people who are the hands of Jesus. We know that our adversary, the devil, is active to deceive and destroy. He does not want people to learn and grow in the truth.
HE HAS NO HANDS BUT OURS. I’m thankful that this church is the hands of Jesus in the community… Thank you for having me here to share the Word with you.
I remember a time on the Big Island shortly after I had moved there for school in 1994, when some friends and I went to the South Point. How many of you have been there before?
Are you familiar with that high cliff area with the big drop into the ocean and a scrawny ladder that helps you climb out of the water onto the cliff? How high is that cliff? 40 feet? (last time I told the story it was 30 feet)
Anyways, as often happened in my younger days when a group of us got together, we would encourage each other to do something stupid, like jumping off the cliff into the water. Somehow, of the group, only I and a friend named Liz were even considering making the jump. She said she would go if I go, but I was smarter… I assured her that I would go if she would go… I knew she wasn’t’ really going to jump! We really were not the brightest people in the world.
After a long time of contemplation and deep meditation, we decide to take the plunge. Liz goes first. Off the cliff and into the water!
I remember standing at the end of the cliff looking down considering the jump. Everyone is behind me yelling. "Jump! Jump! Jump!" I think to myself, "Why do I have to conform to everyone else? Why do I have to impress others? Doesn’t the bible say not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind? I put together all the logic in the world, but what drove me off the cliff was that the logic saying, "If a girl did it, I can too." I've now come to realize what a dumb idea that is. Ladies, if you want to jump off cliffs, you go. I am not following. I didn’t learn that lesson at the time however. I remember stepping off the cliff, and you know those times in the movies when your life flashes before your eyes and time slows down? It is true. I remember seeing scenes from my childhood and hearing the theme of Titanic (not really), and I remember looking down thinking, "I change my mind. I want to go back! I don’t want to do this anymore!"
I had already made the leap and I was not going back. There was no turning back at this point. Sometimes in life, you cannot go back. Sometimes in life, after you make the jump, you can never be the same again, and you have to just keep going forward. There are times in life, as there are times in our journey with God that you cannot go back. You make a leap for God and there is no going back to who you were before. Jesus challenged the disciples back then to make the bold decision to recognize Him for whom He is, and to not look back, and He would empower them to NEVER be the same again. He challenges us today to do the same! Sometimes when you jump, you just can’t go back!
We see in Mark 4 a time when the disciples made a jump and could not go back. They got into the boat with Jesus and they did not understanding who Jesus is and who they were in Jesus Christ.
They had enjoyed a GREAT DAY with Jesus. They had listened to Jesus teach and share stories concerning the POWER of FAITH and the PRINCIPLES of the KINGDOM of God. As the day was coming to an END Jesus said,
“Let’s go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.” ??
Keep in mind… Jesus was the ONE who suggested the “Boat Trip.”
Have you ever FELT like God was asleep in your storm? – Have you ever felt like you were in a STORM? Why does God allow us to experience “Storms” during our life? ?
This particular time Jesus was in the boat when the storm hit. – Everything had started out fine. – Jesus was even going with them on this trip. – But then the STORM hit. Did you know that storms hit, EVEN IF JESUS IS ON YOUR SHIP??
When Jesus enters someone’s life, that person is no longer suited for a normal life. When Jesus becomes the King of a heart, rarely does He lead that person down the path of least resistance. I’m not sure where or when we got the idea that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things. In the Bible, God consistently sent His people to dangerous places to do difficult things. I cannot find a place in the Scriptures where the Holy Spirit entered a person’s life and let him or her live just like others in the world.
When have we been taught that going to church is simply our religious duty? Why is it that we live as if the invitation Jesus gave was, “Come and listen?” It’s hard to imagine that Jesus endured the brutality, pain, shame, and agony of the cross to see His people sit in a pew for ninety minutes every Sunday listening to a sermon and singing a few songs. Sadly, we have gotten into the practice of learning more and doing less. What if God’s plan for us was not just to learn more, but also to do more?
When it comes to following Jesus it’s not always an EASY TRIP.
Some of the MOST DIFFICULT times of my life have come since I’ve been a Christian.
THIS MORNING WE ARE GOING TO LEARN THREE LESSONS FOR LIVING ABOVE THE STORMS.
Let’s stand in honor of God’s Word.
Mark 4:35-41?
4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."
4:36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.??
4:37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.??
4:38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"??
4:39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.??
4:40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"??
4:41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
This is the Word of the Lord…
This morning we are going to talk about the subject Living Above the Storm.
Let’s take a moment in prayer…
I’ll give you some points on Living Above the Storms, then we’ll explore those points further.
1 – Take Jesus as He is.
2 – Trust His Word.
3 – Don't be in awe of the storm but in the One who calms the storm.
1 – Take Jesus as He is…
Jesus is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is God. Take Jesus as He is.
• ? Not as we wish He was.
• ? Not as others present Him.
• ? Not as you see Him in the lives of others.
• Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and Great I am. He is the third person of the Trinity. He is God and He requires our everything.
Being in the church for a while, I have heard many people teach the idea of having vertical alignment or the idea that God is to be our first priority, followed by our spouse, kids, then work, and ministry. While I understand the concept, and I recognize it can be a helpful illustration for some people, I don’t think God ever intended His people to place Him as first on a list of many competing priorities. I have been learning in the last few years that LIVING ABOVE THE STORM means not placing God first in your life – BUT PLACING HIM IN EVERYTHING.
When I made the commitment to marry Laura, I didn’t only make a commitment to her, I also made a commitment to forsake all others for her. In no way did I commit to her that she would be my number one priority followed by other options. She would not be happy if I told her, “Hey, Laura, I am committed to you. I love you. I am placing you first in my life. You are my number one!” and then turned to her friend and said, “But, Kelly here, she will be my number two. I’m committed to giving Laura the first and best of my love, attention, and care … then I’ll give some to Kelly … because she is my number two! You will always be my number one, but she will be my number two.”
If I were ignorant enough to communicate that to her (which, thankfully, I am not), I’m confident Laura would have shot me before we even reached the altar! Why? It is simple. When we entered into marriage, Laura didn’t want me to put her first in my life and have others placed as second, third, or fourth! She wanted to be my all and everything, and rightly so. The commitment I made when I married Laura was not that she would be the first priority in my life followed by a list of others. Rather, my commitment to her was that I would be totally and completely set apart for her.
As with my wife and I, God doesn’t want first place in your life. He wants to be your center and everything. He wants you to be totally and completely set apart for Him. I’ve recently heard about a phenomenon called the Titanic myth. The Titanic was called the unsinkable ship before its maiden voyage. Why? The Titanic was the first ship designed in a new, innovative design of a compartmentalized hull that was said to be unsinkable. Prior to Titanic, other ships were built with one big empty hull. If the ship ran into an iceberg or a rock, the hole in the hull would cause the ship to take on water and inevitably sink. The makers of the Titanic came up with the idea of compartmentalizing the hull so that if the ship were to hit a rock or iceberg, that compartment of the ship could be closed off from other portions of the hull. Theoretically, the ship could take on water in a certain number of compartments and still not sink.
In theory this made great sense. It suggested that if accidentally breached, Titanic’s hull would minimize water intake and the ship would still be able to remain afloat. Sadly, however, we remember the lesson of the Titanic is that a hole in the boat is still a hole in the boat; and a hole in the boat will still sink the ship in the end.
Like the innovative designers who made the compartmentalized hull, far too many believers try to live compartmentalized lives. They are willing to surrender parts of their lives to God, but not all. They are willing to give God their Sunday mornings and maybe Wednesday evenings, but they don’t want to allow Him to invade their work lives, marriages, finances, or other areas.
God wants His Spirit to be fully immersed in you, and He wants you to be all in with Him! He does not want you to compartmentalize your life and be a Christian only at church. Rather, He wants you to be faithful to Him at home, at work, at school, with your friends, family, free time, and in every area of life. He wants His Spirit to affect what you think, what you say, how you relate to people, how you parent your children, what you watch on television or see on the Internet, and how you live your life. Someone once said, “Jesus does not just want to be resident in you; He wants to be president in you.” He wants you to allow His Holy Spirit to permeate and invade every area of your life to empower you to fully accomplish His work in you.
2 – Trust His Word…
It was not their fear of the storm that made Jesus say they had no faith. A small boat in a big storm is a scary place, and the initial fear itself isn’t wrong. What the disciples chose to do with the fear made all the difference.
Jesus said they had not faith because they did not believe His Word. They heard Him say, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake (Mark 4:22).” Jesus did not say, “Let’s do the best we can and maybe we won’t drown.” He promised safe arrival and the disciples could have chosen to trust that promise, but they didn’t. In this sense, they had no faith. The disciples did not believe His word… do you?
One of the great Christian writers of the early twentieth century, G.K. Chesterton, was once asked if he was marooned on a desert island and could have only one book to take with him, what he would take. Given his reputation, one would expect that he would select the Bible. That wasn’t Chesterton’s response. He chose Thomas’ Guide to Practical Ship-Building.
The logic of his selection makes a lot of sense. If you’re trapped on a desert island, he argued, you’d want a book that would help you get home. You don’t want a book to entertain, inform, or educate. You want a book that will teach you to be saved.
The Bible is a book that helps us to be saved and to get home. It is not meant to entertain, inform, or educate us. It teaches us how to be saved. It is a sad fact that many Christians today try living out their faith without even picking up the Bible and exploring the Scriptures that were inspired and breathed by God Himself. Just as we need to continually breathe fresh air to survive, we need to continually be spending time in the pages of the Bible to grow and receive a fresh touch from God.
Imagine for a moment what would happen if we treated our Bibles like our cell phones? What if we carried it around in our pockets, purses, and jackets like we carry around our cell phone? What if we flipped through our Bibles several hundred times a day like we do our cell phones? What if we were quick to share with others the new apps (or applications) we find in our Bibles? What if we turned back to get our Bibles when we forget it in a place? What if we used our Bibles not to receive text messages, but to receive messages from the text? What if we gave Bibles to our kids as gifts rather than cell phones? What if we used our Bibles in case of emergency? What if we asked others in our homes; “Has anyone seen my Bible?”
3 – Don't be in awe of the storm but in the One who calms the storm.
It is only in the storm that we really know who Jesus is.
What woke Jesus up – the cry of His people.
In this story, it is interesting to note what woke Jesus up. It wasn’t the wind that woke up Jesus. It wasn’t the arguing of the disciples that woke Jesus nor was it the water splashing over the boat. But at the cry of His disciples, He instantly awoke. Jesus is like the mother who sleeps through all kinds of racket, but at the slightest noise from her little baby, she instantly awakes
Are you ready to live a life fully empowered by God?
FLOWER VASE AND BUCKET
Sometimes when I teach at different churches or ministries, I like to use the following example to illustrate the kind of faith God desires of us. I’ll bring on stage two very different items. First I’ll reveal a nice clean flower vase. I’ll ask what the vase could be used for. Because it is polished and nice to look at, people quickly recognize that it would make a great piece of decoration. It would be a wonderful ornament to stay in your home and place in the corner so others could admire it. While the vase surely looks nice, it doesn’t do much otherwise. I explain that all the efforts made in caring for this vase go into making sure it continues to look presentable.
I explain that some of us have a faith in God that is similar to the vase. What is its primary goal? Look nice and presentable. Too many people have the idea that their faith in God is simply to make them appear righteous or religious. There is not much life application. They don’t want to become fanatics. They don’t want their faith to affect their friendships, how they do their jobs, or how they interact with people. They simply want their faith to be put in a nice corner of their lives to put up a nice image.
Secondly, I bring out an old worn-out dirty, rusty bucket. I’ll ask what the bucket could be used for. I have heard people share some very practical ideas for the use of a bucket and some less conventional ideas. Listeners suggested the old bucket could be used to wash a dog, wash a car, haul rocks, or whatever else you want to use it for. At every youth ministry I’ve shared this at, someone always suggests the bucket could be used as a toilet. I suppose it could, so I try to keep the bucket far away from the youth. The point is, the rusty old bucket could be used for whatever you want it to be used for. You want to wash your car? Take out the bucket. You need to wash your dogs? Take out the trusty old bucket. You need water to put in your vase? Take out the trusty old bucket.
I explain that the goal of the bucket is not to look nice. Its goal is simply to be used by its master for whatever purpose he has. If there is a job to be done, use the bucket. There is no job too dirty and there is no job beneath it. If there is something that the master has need of, he knows that he can pull out and call upon the trusty old bucket.
Which type of faith do you think Jesus empowers and calls you to have? Do you think God wants you to have a faith like the flower vase that has only the appearance of success and looks nice, or do you think He wants you to have a faith like the old rusty bucket that is faithful to do whatever the Master wants? By the way, which is the goal of your faith? Is the goal of your faith simply to look nice to other people, or do you really long to be used and empowered by your Master to do anything He pleases? Living your life as more than a conqueror means you’re not only convinced that Jesus is Savior, but also Lord. Corrie ten Boom said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to an all knowing God.” Be committed to following Him! Don’t make God first in your life. He needs to be your center, your all, and your everything!
How different would your life look if you refused to settle for a flower vase faith and instead made the commitment to live your life like the old rusty bucket, fully surrendered and empowered by God? How different would your marriage be if you allowed the Holy Spirit to empower it daily? How different would your friendships be? What about the relationships with your children?
Let’s make this a bit more personal. What about you? What would happen if you allowed the Holy Spirit to invade every area of your life? How would your life be different if you were fully devoted to following Jesus Christ? What would happen if you invited the Holy Spirit to saturate every part of your life, whatever your age, occupation, marital status, temperament, family background, or season of life? What if you had total confidence that the same promises that were made throughout the Scripture were available to you today? How different would your marriage be? Would you feel empowered to walk in obedience to Christ? Would your prayers be bolder? How much greater would your courage be to try that new business, start that new ministry, overcome that addiction, or persevere at your job if you submitted to the Holy Spirit’s leading? How different would your life be if the power of Holy Spirit from the upper room were flowing into your living room? Your destiny as a Christian is to be more than a conqueror and to grow up in your faith in Jesus Christ.
1. Admit you have sinned and commit to turning away from your sin.
2. Believe Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sin and rose from the grave to give you new life.
3. Confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and surrender to Him as Lord of your life.
4. Through prayer, receive Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior.
Pray a prayer like this one. The words of the prayer are not as important as your heart and sincerity behind it.
"Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, thank You that You came to give Your life in my place. I confess I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I turn away from my sins. I confess You as my Savior and surrender my heart and life to You as my Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
If you prayed to receive Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, the Bible says...
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13
PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN A STORM AND NEED PRAYER TO LIVE LIFE ABOVE THE STORM
