Things our kids teach us
1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4inches deep.
2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3. A 3-year old’s voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42-pound
boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 10x10 ft. room.
5. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn’t stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it’s already too late.
8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, a lot of smoke.
9. A six-year old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 33-year old man says they can’t.
10. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
11. Super glue is forever.
12. VCR’s do not eject PB&J sandwiches.
13. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
14. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
15. You probably do not want to know what that odor is.
16. The fire department in Mebane, has a 10-minute response time.
17. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
18. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
19. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy
20. It don’t matter how much jell-o you put in a pool, you can’t walk on it.
(from www.Bible.org)
Don’t Bail, Just keep paddling !
Text: Mark 4:35-41
We must learn to overcome fear by trusting in Jesus in the mist of our storms
TS: Every Christian must learn to always trust the Lord.
Introduction: Things we’ve learned from our kids:
Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons. Isn’t it funny how the best remembered lessons are the ones learned during heartaches, trials, suffering and pain.
Jesus used many ways to teach His disciples, one of which was trials. We all face trials today and we are to learn important lessons from each trial we face. One of the most important things to learn is not to let our fear keep us from doing God‘s will. So often times we let our fears keep us from a living productive Christian lives.
Why do we fear? We fear because: 1. We fear being out of control. 2. We feel alone.
3. Because we feel powerless in the face of our trials.
Jesus in verse 40 rebukes his disciples for being shaken by the storm. Jesus here is telling his disciples that there faith should have overcome their fear of the storm. In other words, it is not the stilling of the storm that determines my peace, but whom I have in the boat of my life.
It’s trusting in Jesus’ power, His presence and His leadership that we are able to overcome fear.
I. Since Jesus is in control, we must trust Jesus in the midst of life’s trials (v.38).
A. Trials are the result of living in a fallen world.
1. Everyone will have trials.
2. It is only a matter of time.
3. Were either going through, coming out of or going into a trial.
B. Jesus uses the trials of life for my good, and I must trust his character.
1. The disciples question his character and that is what we tend to do when we are in the same situation.
2. Jesus lead them out into the storm.
3. Jesus put them there to teach them dependence on Him.
C. Jesus put us in the trial to grow our faith.
1. What about Stephen? He had enough peace to pray for those killing him. (Acts 7:56-60)
2. We must quit fearing the trial and learn the lesson of the trial.
3. We must ask, What do you want me to learn?
4. We must learn to quit struggling and lean on Jesus.
D. Jesus will not lead us to any trials that He will not give you the grace to handle.
1. 1 Cor 10:13 God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
2. He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
3. Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to them that love
God…”
II. Since Jesus is present, we must trust Jesus in the midst of life’s trials (v.36).
A. Fear comes because we fail to recognize Who is with us (“what manner of man” 41).
1. So we feel alone and helpless
2. We feel like our lives are about to be swamped.
B. Jesus is never far away when we are in a trial (“hinder part of the ship”…38a).
1. Even if Jesus is not physically present, He is always with us.
2. "I will never leave thee; nor forsake thee (Heb. 13:5)”
3. “Low I am with you alway…(Matt.28:20)”
C. Jesus is only a prayer away. “Master, carest thou not that we perish?”(38d)
1. If Jesus delays, it’s because he is awaiting our cry.
2. Prayer is an expression of our need.
a. God’s purpose is that we be dependent upon Him.
b. It is only there that we find the grace that is sufficient for our need.
c. Prayer connects us immediately to Jesus who has the power to help.
III. Since Jesus is all powerful, we must trust Him in the midst of life’s trials (v.39).
A. (inscription to lord Lawrence) “He feared men so little, because he feared God so much.”
B. When we fear God as we should, all other fears will seem just silly.
C. When Jesus displays His power our fear goes from things to Him. (v.41a)
D. Since Jesus has the power, I can be assured that He is able to deliver on His promises (v.39c),(v.41c).
Conclusion: Let me tell you a true but tragic story:
A woman was once walking along a riverbank with her child. Suddenly the child slipped into the river. The mother screamed in terror. She couldn’t swim, and besides, she was in the latter stages of pregnancy. Finally, somebody heard her screaming and rushed down to the riverbank. The utter tragedy was, when they stepped into those murky waters to retrieve that now dead child, they found that the water was only waist deep! That mother could have easily saved her child but didn’t because of her fear. (from sermoncentral.com)
Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child.
