Jesus Calms the Storm

Psalm 77:13-14  (NLT)

¹³ O God, your ways are holy.
    Is there any god as mighty as you?
¹⁴ You are the God of great wonders!
    You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.

John 21:25 (NLT)

25 Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4:35-38  (NLT)

35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 

36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 

37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

Matthew 8:26-27  (NLT)

26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

1. Jesus calms physical storms.

2. Jesus calms emotional storms like fear, worry, and impatience.  

3. Jesus calms spiritual storms.  

Storms reveals our depth of our relationship with God.  

What if the miracle wasn't the storm that Jesus calmed on the outside, but the storm on the inside of his disciples?  

Hebrews 6:19  (NLT)

19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.

1. We must be anchored with God's presence.  

Psalm 91:1-4 (NLT)

¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

2.  We must be anchored with God's promises.

Psalm 119:81  (NLT)

⁸¹ I am worn out waiting for your rescue,

    but I have put my hope in your word.

Don't let your circumstance peak louder than God's Word. 

3. We must be anchored by understanding God's process. 

Romans 5:2-4 (NLT)

2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 

4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Trouble doesn't build character, but reveals it. 




https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/anchors-in-the-storm/

Stuck in the Middle

Job’s First Test

Job 1:6-12 (NLT)

6 One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. 

7 “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

8 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 

10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! 

11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

12 “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

This is what Job didn't know.  He didn't know about this conversation between God and the Devil.  

Sometimes crisis comes without context.  Sometimes a crisis will cause us to question God.  We must not underestimate the strength and power of God within us.  

Job was living in a dream into living in a nightmare.  Job lost it all.  

Job’s Second Test

Job 2:1-10  (NLT)

2 One day the members of the heavenly court came again to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. 

2 “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

3 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.”

4 Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 

5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

6 “All right, do with him as you please,” the Lord said to Satan. “But spare his life.” 

7 So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot.

8 Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. 

9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

10 But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

This is what Job did know.  

Job 19:25-26  (NLT)

²⁵ “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
²⁶ And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!

A redeemer means to convert something meaningless into something that counts.  

1. Job knew that God is good. 

 The character of God must not be interpreted through our circumstances.  God is good even when bad things are happening.  

2.  Job knew that God is sovereign.

God is not confused by what's happening to us.   

3. Job knew that God is trustworthy.  

Job 13:15  (NKJV)

¹⁵ Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

We must decide in advance that we will trust God.  

This is what Job did.  

Job 1:20-22 (NKJV)

20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 

21 And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Job first worshiped.  

Worship is about putting God first.  God is shaking things up.  Things have become our idols.  God is looking for purity.  You can't look for a full time God with a part time commitment.  

Job filtered out wrong voices.  Job's wife told him to curse God and then die.  Job's friends accused him of sin.  We must attach all difficulty to sin.  

Job kept moving forward.  

Job 17:9 (NLT)

⁹ The righteous keep moving forward,

    and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger

Don't get stuck in the middle.  Have the best day that you can have today.  

Job 42:10 (NLT)

10 When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!

God's will is for us to come out better than we started.

The God of Miracles

Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy

Luke 5:12-16 (NLT)

12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 

14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

15 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 

16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

The prerequisite of a miracle is an impossible situation.  

A miracle is an extraordinary event manifesting a divine intervention of God into human affairs.  

The leper was quarantined.  He was untouchable.  He was in utter need.  

1. Jesus noticed him. 

2. Jesus touched him when he was untouchable.

3.  Jesus's touch has the power to heal.  

We must seek Him.  He is not only able to heal, but willing. 

Lord, please reach out and touch us, and save us from ourselves.   

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/miracles/

Facing Fear (during the time of the Corona Virus).

John 16:33 (NLT)

33 I (Jesus) have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

1. The fear of loss.

2. The fear of failure.  

3. The fear of rejection.  

4. The fear of the unknown.

2 Timothy 1:7  (NLT)

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

We must face our fear.  David did when he fought the giant, Goliath.  Read 1 Samuel 17.  

1. We must convert our fear into faith.  

Since our God is able, act like it.  

2. We must change our perspective through faith.    

Compare the size of your problem to the size of your God.  

Colossians 2:7 (NLT)

7 Let your roots grow down into him (Jesus), and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Maturity brings new perspective.  

David's brother saw the size of the giant compared to them.  

David saw the size of the giant as compared to his God. 

David smelled like a shepherd, but thought like a king. 

Feelings are real, but they are not always true.  

You may feel alone, but they are  not true for God is with you.  

Deuteronomy 31:8(NLT)

8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Psalm 23:6  (NLT)

⁶ Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

If you know Jesus, you may be in trouble, but God's goodness and unfailing love will chase you down. 

At some point, you've got to fight in thoughts in faith.  

God is big enough to handle our problems.  

Pray that God  will eradicate this virus.  

This virus is bringing God's church to the world.  

Either your theology conforms to your reality, or your reality conforms to your theology or your God.  

When we give God our will, He gives us our way.  We must change to receive from God.  

We must move forward in faith.  We must find a way to keep moving forward.

We must keep moving forward.  Our God will come.  

When you can't out, our God can get in.        

We must trust that He is able. 

https://hopecity.com/sermons/hope-city-watch-party-facing-fear-pastor-jeremy-foster/