Have you experienced any storms lately?
Did you go through them, survive through them, or grow through them?
A VERY LARGE OAK was uprooted by the wind
and thrown across a stream. It
fell among some Reeds, which it thus addressed:
"I wonder how you, who are so light and weak, are not entirely
crushed by these strong winds." They
replied, "You fight and contend with the wind, and consequently you are
destroyed; while we on the contrary bend before the least breath of air, and
therefore remain unbroken, and escape."
Sometimes we have to be blown by the small
storms in life so that we won't be crushed and destroyed by the big storms in
life! From Bible Illustrator
Scripture
Text:
Mat. 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed
him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the
ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came
to [him], and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith
unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and
rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men
marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea
obey him!
I.
What is a storm in
life?
*Caution there is a storm ahead!
Man made disasters!
The Storm of Time will take it’s
toll.
Natural Disasters!
Car Crashes!
Just
Hanging on!
Hail storms, windstorms, rainstorms, earthquakes,
these are losses over which we have no control.
Deaths, natural disasters, divorces, and disappointments in life are a
part of our existence. Sickness,
disease, no money, too much money, no time, too much time, too many people
around, no one to talk to, bored to tears, too much to do, Somebody’s always
in the way, why can’t they do it my way, all these and many others are just
a few of the difficulties we face in life.
Life’s problems and tribulations that each of us must face are a
difficult part of living. These
are the storms that we all face.
II.
*Facts about storms.
a.
Storms
affect everyone. We know that
we must go through them. No one
is immune or exempt. Storms are
no respecter of persons. It rains
on the just and the unjust. Everyone
must die. Bad things do happen
and often times it happens to good people.
Storms affect everyone differently.
The amount of devastation is different and the way you respond to the
storms in your is different. How
have you responded?
b.
Storms often cause great fear of the unknown.
Fear of the unknown is the factor that often causes us more problems
than the actual problem does. The disciples were afraid of dying in the ship.
Bomb shelters were built for the big one.
The only thing we have to fear is fear it self.
Fear is crippling.
c.
Storms can help you to realize your need of having some help.
Some may feel that they have had about all the help they can stand.
But when the big storm hits you between the eyes you will begin again
to realize your need in this fragile world that we live.
Fred Sanford kept looking for the “big one” that never came.
The “big one” is going to come.
d.
Storms will cause you to take refuge.
Find somewhere to be protected from the storms that are coming.
Run for cover. We need someway to save ourselves from the storms of life.
Yes, but how?
III.
*How can you grow through a Storm?
Face to Face.
a.
Prepare for it: Do you have insurance is
Jesus in life. Recognize His
presence in your life. Roll
up windows. Turn on Wipers. Slow down. Stay
on the right road. Are you on Rt.
9? Are you ready for the “Big
One?”
b.
Live
through it with the Lord.
Experience the new birth. Don’t
become bitter, but become better. Get
the Master in your ship and ask Him to get to work to calm them.
c.
Grow through it. We can grow
in faith, in peace, in love for God and for one another.
d.
Learn
from it:
Experience is the best teacher. Learn
not to try to make it on your own. Let
Him carry you through. Remember
the footprints in the sand.
e.
Move on out of it: Don’t dwell
there. Admit your stuck, call
AAA. Let Jesus bring you out of
it. Let God lift you out of it.
Call on the name of the Lord and He will lift you up.
Psalms 46:1-2. He is a
very present help in the time of need.
f. Remember Him. Don’t
wallow in it Use it to help others. Do
you remember the storm that Jesus went through?
It was a storm of human indifference, hatred, and greed that eventually
led the people in Jesus’ life to crucify Him.
Yet, He loved the people and asked the Father to forgive them.
This is what He will do for us today.
"The floods washed away home and mill--all the poor miller had in
the world. But as he stood on the scene of his loss, after the water had
subsided, brokenhearted and discouraged, he saw something on the bank which
the water had shed bare. 'It looks like gold,' he said. It was gold. The
floods which had beggared him had made him rich!" --Courtland Myers
When the call for service comes, too often we give the excuse of
weakness, inability, or lack of training.
Christians fail to count on the omnipotence of God to take their small
talents and use them for the accomplishment of His purposes.
D.L. Moody told the story of a passenger on an
Atlantic steamer who lay in his bunk during a raging storm with a severe case
of seasickness. Suddenly he heard the cry, "Man overboard!"
"May God help that poor fellow," he prayed, "but there's
nothing I can do." Then he thought, "I can at least put my lantern
in my small window," and with an effort he did so.
The man was finally rescued. In
recounting the story the next day, he said, "I was going down in the
darkness for the last time when someone put a light in a porthole.
It shone on my hand, and a sailor in the lifeboat grabbed it and pulled
me in." Weakness is no
excuse for not putting forth the little strength we have.
Who can tell how God will work? (1
Corinthians 1:27) From Bible
Illustrator.