“God Is Telling You He Is Bigger Than This Storm!” (How To Hear The Voice Of God pt. 8)

Pastor Jim Lowe III

Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 08/20/23 (3rd Sunday Message)

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#guidinglight #pastorjim #givingthanks #hearinggod #hearing #voiceofGod

#faith #whatdoesGodsay #forgiveness #Godworks #savedtoserve #healer #protector #Godforgives #worry #Springfavor #deliverance #listeningears #Godspeaks #stormsoflife

 

{All scriptures are “NIV84” unless stated}

Message Title:

“God Is Telling You He Is Bigger Than This Storm!” (How To Hear The Voice Of God pt. 8)

 

If you’re going though a trial right now.

 

And the trial is keeping you from hearing God clearly, Prayerfully this is for you.

Memory Verse:

Job 33:14

14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it.

 

Trials can get in the way of how we hear God.

 

Like Peter, we can take our focus off of Jesus and focus on our problems. Here’s another example:

Mark 4:35-37

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

 

Jesus had said to his disciples to go over to the other side.

They took him in the boat. The disciples were there.

Some in other boats were there also. A “furious” storm comes up.

The waves are coming over the boat and it’s taking in water. The boat is moving all around AND taking in water.

It is a real possibility that the boat could turn over because of the wind and waves. or it could sink because it’s taking in water.

With all this going on:

 

Verse 38

38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

 

They become hysterical.

 

They think they’re going to die. They wake Jesus up.

But Jesus says to the storm to be quiet and still. and it did.

Verse 40

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

 

This passage teaches us a few things:

• Even When You Are Listening To God You Can Have A Difficult Storm Come Up In Your Life!

 

Many times we think if we’re doing the right thing… we won’t go through anything.

That’s not how this works.

 

John 16:33

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 

This was Jesus’ idea.

 

“Let us go over to the other side.”

 

Why would this be a problem?

 

These men were not strangers to the water. They were fishermen.

highly likely they were good swimmers!

 

They had seen a bad storm or two or ten. They learned what to do during bad weather.

But this storm was different.

 

Mark 4:38

38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

 

“Don’t you care if we drown?”

These were the experts!

 

If this were a small storm…would they be worried?

 

If you were on an airplane and they run into some light turbulence…

 

you wouldn’t expect the pilot to yell over the intercom “We’re gonna die!”

 

{Meme video of lady cooking:}

 

she had a small grease fire.

 

she doesn’t panic and puts it out immediately.

 

husband sees it and grabs his daughter and runs.

 

These disciples were NOT prepared for this storm!

 

• Remember Some Of The Biggest Storms May Come Up When You ARE Listening To And Following God. But If He Sent You To It, He Will Carry You Through It!

 

Through all of this, Jesus is asleep.

 

Verse 38-39

38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

 

Jesus! Help us through our storm! Just like Peter from last week:

“Lord, Save Me!”

• If You Are Needing God To Work On Your Behalf, Tell Him!

 

Peter was sinking…he asked for help.

 

Immediately Jesus grabbed him. The disciples ask Jesus for help…sorta.

Jesus get’s up and calms the storm!

 

Matthew 7:7-8

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

 

John 14:13

13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

 

1 John 3:21-22

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

 

“Well doesn’t God see me struggling??” Yes God sees us struggling.

But he’s waiting on us!

 

Some Of Us Are Waiting On God To Act, But He’s Waiting On Us To Ask!

 

This leads us to the 4th thing about storms.

• We Try Our Best To Make It THROUGH Our Storms. Don’t Forget God Has The Power To END Those Storms!

 

This storm that required all hands on deck emergency… Only took 3 words from Jesus to end.

Some of us take our storms day by day.

 

if we can just make it to the end of the day… we can rest some and start again tomorrow.

God is telling us that there can be an end to these storms!

 

There Are Some Problems We Can’t Solve On Our Own. Don’t Forget We Serve A God Who Has Power Over Everything!

 

{2 wks ago}

God started the storm for Jonah when he got on the boat.

 

God STOPPED the storm when Jonah got off the boat.

 

{last week}

The storm stopped for the disciples when Jesus and Peter got into the boat.

 

{today}

The storm stops when Jesus tells it to be quiet. from last week:

Our Storms Are An Opportunity To See How Big God Is!

 

God is saying we can ask him. God told us he would be with us. After Jesus calms the storm:

Mark 4:40

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

 

Jesus asked them why were they so afraid?

 

• If You Have God With You, You Don’t Have To Be Afraid Of Anything!

 

Why are we afraid?

 

What do we have to fear?

 

Is God not bigger than our problems?

 

Psalm 56:3-4

3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

 

What can anyone do to you if God is with you? What storm can stand up to your God:

on your job in your body

 

in your home in your mind

 

at your school in your spirit

in your accounts in your investments in your relationships/friendships even your enemies

 

Psalm 23:4

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

 

Each Day, Remind Yourself That God Will Take Care Of You!

 

{finishing the story}

Mark 4:41

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

 

This was something they didn’t know.

 

They had spent time with Jesus…

 

but didn’t fully know what he could do. How would they know if they hadn’t seen it?

• Sometimes You Can’t See What The Storm Was For Until God Brings You Out. But Don’t Worry! God Is Doing Something!

 

If the Disciples were going to be “disciples” they needed to know the power of God.

How else would they have “faith” in him?

It’s the same with us:

 

We know we serve a big God…but how? Because we’ve seen God in action.

We’ve seen time and time again how God can deliver us through our trials. We’ve been able to see him perform miracles for us.

we’ve been able to be an example of his goodness and favor.

 

For God does speak now one way now another.

We’ve been talking of how God speaks through his actions. But sometimes God isn’t speaking to us.

- He’s speaking to our storms. -