Following Jesus When Life is Challenging (John 6)

The Christian life is full of challenges. Some people may try to lead you away from God’s will for your life or influence you to quit. Jesus teachings or His timing may be hard to understand. And the storms of life can paralyze us with fear. Listen and  be encouraged from John chapter 6 to find courage to keep following Jesus even when life is challenging.

Notes:

Rockwell Church     June 16, 2024     Pastor Chris Teien
Following Jesus When Life is Challenging 
John 6

#1 People may try to lead you away from GOD’S WILL for your life (v.15)
#2 Jesus may seem distant as you WAIT on Him  (v.16)
#3 You will FACE storms in your life (v.17-18)
#4 You must OVERCOME fear and trust Jesus (v.19-21)
   A. Trust Jesus Teaching even if it is hard to COMPREHEND (v.60)
   B. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you UNDERSTAND (v.63)
   C. Beware of those who INFLUENCE you to Walk Away (v.64-66)
#5 COMMIT to Stay Faithfully Following Jesus (v.67-69)

Helping you apply God's Word and follow Jesus in everyday life. Learn more at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.church  Find episode transcripts at Well.faith 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Chris T 0:16

Lord, we pray that we would grow as a group, that you would grow your church, and that you'd be glorified in all that we do. We commit this worship, this message to you, and we ask us in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so in John chapter 6, following Jesus when life is challenging. So we're in John chapter 6. Last week when Jesus fed the 5,000, and the people really like that. So Jesus went from just being a mysterious teacher to all of a sudden they want to, they want him to be king because he's got the free lunch program. So um, but Jesus fed 5,000. Uh, he taught that he was the bread of life, and so now we are going to learn more about the challenges. Primarily, uh, the storm that came, and we'll jump into besides just John, we'll look at some of the other gospels and look at Peter walking on the water and how that worked for a minute. And hopefully you'll be encouraged, hopefully you'll be challenged, and um, hopefully you will see that you can trust Jesus through the storms of life. All right, so my first point is people may try to force you to do things that are not God's will for your life. So people may try to get you to do things that are not God's will for your life. Um I've seen the young men go to Bible college to be pastors and seen lots of distractions and temptations and things to pull them away from that goal, from that mission, to try to get them to get kicked out of school or give up or find something else. Uh many people will be excited to serve in ministry and then find some uh distraction or find uh something that they they trade that for. And people may try to force you and give you opportunities to do things that are not God's will. So here in John 6 15, it says, Jesus, knowing that these people, uh the people he just fed, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. The multitude, the people that were fed, said, We really like this, Jesus. And so we really need a king because the Romans, you know, they've taken over and we need to fight back. And if Jesus has this power to do food and Jesus has this power to heal people, he probably has war powers too. So we should make him king, conquer those Romans, kick them out, and uh get back to the good life that we were looking for. Uh what the Old Testament promised of a Messiah King coming. That's what we want, and we think this Jesus is the guy. So um Jesus knew that, and he didn't come to be that kind of king. So he didn't come to be. You'll remember actually that Satan tempted him earlier uh while he was fasting for 40 days and said, You know, I'll give you all the kingdoms if you just bow down to me. And Jesus is like, No. Um, so nonetheless, Jesus has got the disciples now, and it says, When evening came, the disciples went down to the lake. So um, but there's more to the story if you read the other gospel accounts. Um, and I mentioned a book called The Harmony of the Gospels or computer stuff sometimes puts it in order, or there's chronicle um Bibles. Like I think there's a Chronicle Life Application Bible. That's pretty good. So, anyway, uh another translation says that evening Jesus' disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. But actually, actually, it was more it was more than that. So Jesus was concerned, I believe, that the disciples might hear of these people wanting to make Jesus king, and knowing that if Jesus was king, his disciples too would be in places of authority and honor, and they might try to tempt the disciples to try to take political action and get them off track. And so Jesus, like a good parent, is all right, guys, um, they want me to be king. I say no. I'm going up to the mountain to pray, and you are getting out of here. So you need to leave right now. Matthew 14, 22 says, immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up to the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. So Jesus knew that this wasn't gonna be good for the boys. So he's like, All right, you guys, out of here right now. So it's the best thing for you for you, trust me. It's it's good for you to go. And so it was night, it's gonna become nighttime, and so Peter was an excellent fisherman, took the took everybody fishing at night. So they're like, okay, yeah, we'll do that. We'll get in the boat. Nighttime's not a big deal for us. We're familiar with these waters. We're we've got it, we're good. And so um, and remember, because I read in a Bible commentary, and it was incorrect, I believe, that said that the disciples got tired of waiting for Jesus, so they got in the boat and headed across the waters to go home. And that's not what I just read here. So it very clearly says Jesus said, You get in the boat and you head in that direction. So um you'll remember too that the disciples, uh, Jesus 12. So in this passage, it talks about disciples and then the disciples. So there's the 12, you know, Jesus posse, and then there's like thousands of other people that now believe in Jesus that are followers that could be considered disciples too. But uh the disciples are supposed to get in a boat and get out of there. And in Luke 9.46, it says that his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest, but Jesus knew their thoughts. So this is at a different time. This isn't in this time right here, but in another time, just so we remember the characteristics of the disciples. So they began arguing about which of them was the greatest, but Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side, and he said, Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest. All right, so we need to be aware that there may be temptations in our life to do something else besides follow Jesus, to serve something else, besides serve Jesus, something else, to commit our lives to following Jesus with what we do with our time, with our resources, with our money, with our um with the things that are important to us. There's always something else that comes along, that's second best, something more that seems like it'd be fun for the short term, but in the long term doesn't have the same results as following God's will. So don't settle for a second best, don't be a sellout. So, all right. Number two, Jesus may seem distant as you wait for him. Jesus may seem distant as you wait for him. I am learning to wait on Jesus. It's been a lifetime process. So I've always been impulsive. So there I mentioned one time that we were short on rent, and I'm like, no problem, Lord, I bet I can just charge this and you can help me make payments. And that was dumb. So now I look back and I'm like, you know what? I should have prayed about it, and I should have let the landlord know that I couldn't make the payments, and I bet that she probably would have said, It's okay, don't worry about it. I don't really need the money. So I didn't realize that though until later in life. But nonetheless, pray and wait. Pray and wait. Now, in John 6, 17, it says the disciples got into a boat and set off across the lake for Caternum. Now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. So Jesus is praying, they're heading across the lake, doing what he said, and they're waiting for him. And the Bible says, Psalm 27, 14, wait on the Lord, be strong, take heart, and wait on the Lord. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 31 says, But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. And you and I need to wait on the Lord. So now if we look at Mark chapter 6, verse 47, which also is talking about this same event. It says late that night the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land, and he saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves, about three o'clock in the morning, and then Jesus came toward them. So think about this, okay? This is a pretty big lake. I mean, these these guys are miles out, and so it's nighttime, and Jesus can see them. He's got supernatural vision. So he he could see them. He knew what they were going through. He knew that they were in a difficult circumstance. He probably knew in advance that they would end up in this situation, and he wanted this to be a time of testing, a time to build their faith, a time for them to go through a difficult storm so that they would be able to realize who Jesus was and what he could do. But this wasn't the first storm that they had been in. This wasn't the first time that this had happened. In Mark chapter 4, verse 35, before this happened, said that day when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, Let us go over to the other side. Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along just as he was in the boat, and there were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. 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? And he got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, Quiet, be still. And then the wind died down, and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? And they were terrified and asked each other, Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him. So this isn't their first storm. And actually, this lake was known for storms. You know, it was kind of surrounded by hills, and it's a deep lake, and it's a pretty big body of water, and so these types of storms uh would come up. But they were fearful and they called on Jesus at that time, and then he came up and he silenced the storm. And um they should have learned from that. They could have learned from that. It is so easy for us to have God answer a miraculous prayer in our life and say, that was so awesome. God is so faithful. But then, you know, months or years later, we come into the same situation and we're like, I just don't know if I can trust him. I just don't know if he's gonna. And you know what? There might be storms in our life that Jesus does not answer the way we want to answer. There are difficult things that happen to good, solid, godly Christians that you just wonder why. What was the purpose of that? Why did that happen? And so in Grand Rapids years ago, um, a youth lead, I think he was a youth pastor, um was out with the kids on a youth event, and one of the kids was struggling to swim. So uh this married youth pastor um swam out to try to rescue the kid and in the purpose in the in the process drowned and died. That was a storm, and there was, as far as you can see with your own eyes, no great solution. But maybe there was something of great eternal value that came. And we know that this godly man went to be in the presence of Jesus, but still he wasn't there anymore for his family, for his wife. And that is a sad thing. And sometimes in the storms of life we just have to trust. And sometimes I go through difficulties or near-death experiences, and I'm like, is this it? Is this sickness? Is this it? Is this how the script of my life goes? Is this it? And then I find out later, no, this is not it. But you and I need to remember to wait on Jesus, even when he seems distant, even when life is difficult. So there's a also in Mark, in um Mark 6, 48, when it talks about uh Jesus seeing them from the New American Standard Bible, it says, seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them at about the fourth watch of the night, so about 3 a.m. He came to them walking on the sea, and he intended to pass by them. What is Mark reporting? I think he's reporting that Jesus has kind of got a sense of humor. It was like a test. It's like, okay, so um they're straining and there's a storm and there's all these difficulties, and so Jesus just comes strolling right past him. And they're like, it's a ghost, it's a ghost, and they're so afraid. And then Jesus says, Don't be afraid, it's it's me, it is I. And so Jesus is like, was he just gonna walk by if they didn't say anything? I mean, if they knew it was Jesus, they'd be like, Jesus, what are you doing? Save us because you remember what you did when you talked to the storm before. And could you do that again, please? Because, you know, we're pretty tired. It's been a long night. And I think we need to give the disciples a lot of credit because Jesus told them to go, and they did. They just kept out then the storm. They're like, okay, we're just gonna keep going and going. We're just gonna keep, we're gonna do everything we can to reach this destination. Because if they weren't being faithful, they could have just turned around and followed the wind right back where they came from. And so it wouldn't have been following Jesus' will, but it would have been a lot easier than what they were going through. So, but they were trying to be faithful as they were waiting, but they were confused. And I always want to point out that it seemed like when the disciples were with Jesus, their minds were kind of veiled to everything that was truly going on, and they didn't realize a lot of it until after Jesus had ascended into heaven. Um, and that probably was good on some accounts because um Jesus had to teach and live among us so that he could teach us about the way that things work in the spiritual realm and about God and the Holy Spirit and everything without ending up being crucified before his time. All right, so wait for circumstances, wait for God's perfect timing, wait as you prepare, wait as you pray, wait on Jesus. Jesus often answers in the way that you want him to, but sometimes it's not according to your time frame. He often shows up at the last minute, he often answers that prayer after your resources have been exhausted and you don't think there's any way that it's gonna work out, you don't know what to do, and you just wait. You just wait. And you will face storms in your life. So everybody faces storms, and so when I say storms, I'm talking about problems, different problems in your life. So um relationship problems, financial problems, legal problems, health problems. Sometimes people we love die suddenly, um, rebellious children getting laid off from work, a conflict situation at work or even at church. People may accuse you of stuff that you never said or did. Uh, you may be misunderstood. Um, there can be lots of different storms in your life. I mean, there's lots of natural storms that you don't expect, like for all the people that were in the Walmart parking lot um this last week that got their or lived in Mountain Iron, got their cars pelted with hail. That wasn't expected for the day. No one woke up in the morning and said, Well, I think I'll just get my car damaged and see how my insurance works out. But storms come. One morning, I was in a different country, but one morning I'm sleeping, and the next thing everything's shaking, and I'm like, okay, was that the snow plow? But no, it was an earthquake. Didn't see the earthquake coming. Um, a family had invited my family out onto their uh to their lake house, and we were out in the boat in the middle of the lake, and when we headed out, it was pretty nice out. And all of a sudden, this dark cloud showed up, and there was this torrential rain, and it was just pouring so hard as the guy was trying to get the boat back to shore. It was just sheets of rain. I literally couldn't breathe. I had to like cup around my mouth to try to keep the water from coming in. That storm came out of nowhere, and it was only there, that little squall was only there for just a little bit, and then it was gone. Storms can come. One minute you're healthy, the next minute you're not. Uh, literal accidents happen and storms that you will face in your life. Sometimes the storms in our life are because we've made the wrong choice, because we're doing the wrong thing. In the Old Testament, remember Jonah was supposed to go to the Ninevehites and tell them to repent, but the Nineveh were Israel's enemy, and Jonah really wanted to see God destroy them. So he's like, no, I don't think that I will go. And so he gets on a boat and heads off in the other direction, and there's a storm. And the guys on the boat are calling out to their God, small g. And then Jonah finally takes responsibility, and they, you know the story. They throw Jonah overboard, and he's swallowed by a great fish, and eventually he's puked up on the shore, and then he decides to give in and do God's will. But that storm in his life was caused because he made the wrong choice. And God said, uh, no, you are not going to do that. So Daniel, however, in the Old Testament, he had to spend the night in the lion's den. And so that's because he kept praying to the Lord and he wouldn't stop doing that. He wasn't going to compromise. So he could have avoided that storm in his life if he didn't obey God's will and do what was right. But God rescued him in that storm. And you and I suffer through many difficulties and many storms. And we we claim Romans 8.28 that God works all things together for the good of those that love God and are called according to his purpose. And we're like, okay, so this must have a purpose. Something good's going to come of this. But then Romans 8.29 continues on that yes, everything works out together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Um, for those whom he foreknew, he also did predestine to be conformed into the image of his own dear son. So when we go through storms and we go through difficulties and we go through circumstances, it's often to make us more like Christ. It can give us more compassion, it can give us a stronger testimony, it can build our faith, it can give us a story to share with others to encourage them in their time of need. And when we go through the difficulties, if we've had storms in the past, we with great confidence say, Oh, I've been through that storm in the past, I can handle it. However, there are times when the storms are pretty bad. John 6.18, a strong wind was blowing in the waters, grew rough, the storms in life. So there are times when the storm is overwhelming, and you don't know how you're going to get through that. But um I think that I'm a pretty good winter snow driver. So I've been driving all my life in Minnesota and snow, and uh most things don't get to me. But there was one time when I had to take somebody home across this road that for some reason the farmers dug moats in between their cornfields and the road, and I just knew that there was no shoulder, and if you went off the road, it was like straight down, and you'd hope that you'd hope that you didn't hit the drainage culvert because that would be even worse. And so there's this huge snowstorm. I can't see a thing, I have no idea where the road is. Um I like roll down the window so I can like try to get some sense of what's going on, and I'm terrified that I am gonna like go off the side of the like I said, I couldn't tell where the road was. It was night. I couldn't tell where the road was. I tried everything with my highlights, my headlights, I tried turning them off, I tried fog lights only, and it was like the one of the first times that I was like anxious. I had like snow driving anxiety, and I wish that someone could have like gotten out of the vehicle and walked on the road in front of me, but I wasn't gonna ask anybody in the car to do that. I'm like, could you just guide me and let me know where the road is? And I I prayed, and I'm like, please help me through this. And so then we got to the end of the road, and then the the storm kind of disappeared. Boy, but I feel tired after that. I don't know how much anxiety or whatever that was, but uh that was way more than I could handle. And sometimes in our life it's way more than we can handle. And so we must overcome fear and trust in Jesus. We must overcome fear and trust in Jesus. It says, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat walking on water, and they were frightened. But he said to them, It is I, don't be afraid. And it said, Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately they reached the shore where they were heading. But there's more to that story in Matthew chapter twelve or Matthew chapter fourteen. It says, Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them walking on the water, and when the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified, and in their fear they cried out, It's a ghost. But Jesus spoke to them at once, Don't be afraid, he said, Take courage, I am here. Then Peter called to him, Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water. Jesus could have said, You know, that's kind of a silly request. But no, Jesus says, Yes, come. So Peter went over the side of the boat and And walked on the water towards Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. Save me, Lord, he shouted. And Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. You have so little faith. Why did you doubt me? When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped, and the disciples worshiped him. You really are the Son of God. They exclaimed. So to trust, to trust, when we can keep our eyes on Jesus through the difficulties, he can get us through those difficulties. So there's nothing wrong with praying with your eyes open. There's nothing wrong with praying through the difficulty, praying through the storm, praying through the near accidents or results of the accident or whatever. Life is difficult. And as we go through, we just need to keep trusting the Lord. We need to remember that, you know, we could step out of this life into eternity, into the presence of Jesus at any time. So, all right, so we need to trust Jesus in the difficult circumstances, in the storms. And now we need to move on to a different part of John, towards the John chapter 6, towards the end. We need to trust Jesus' teaching, even if it is hard to comprehend. So in Mark chapter 6, verse 51, it says Jesus climbed into the boat and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. So they still don't get that Jesus is the miracle man. They still aren't able to comprehend. So again, they were faithful to try to accomplish what Jesus said, but Jesus needed to come and rescue them. So, all right, so if you were to skim over John chapter 6, verse 49 through 59. What time is it? I suppose I can read kind of fast. Alright, so Jesus is teaching the multitudes. He says, Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever, and this bread which will I which I will offer so the world may live is my flesh. And they're like, What? What did he just say? Are we cannibals? The people began arguing with each other about what he meant. How could this man give us his flesh to eat? So Jesus again said, I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you can not have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And I will raise that person at the last day, for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me. In the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestor did, even though they ate the manna, but will live forever. And he said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. All right. So the next verse says, Upon hearing this, on hearing this, many of his disciples said, This is a hard teaching, who can accept it? So these are the you know the thousands of people that are listening saying, This is strange, this is weird, I don't get it. And if their hearts weren't hardened, if they truly trusted that Jesus was who he said he was, they wouldn't have said, Oh, this is this is crazy, I can't listen to this anymore and walk away. They would say, Jesus, I trust you. I do not understand what you are talking about. Could you explain it? Could you help us understand what exactly that means? So, Roman Catholics have figured out that it exactly means that you must take the Eucharist, and if you don't take communion, you can't be saved. That's not what it means. So, um, what it really means is that you need to partake in what Jesus has done to sacrifice himself and to shed his blood, and by receiving Jesus, not eating communion, but by receiving Jesus into your life that you can be saved. And so Jesus was talking about the process. He did it in such a way, though, that it would cause difficulty, division, and confusion. And the right response, like I said, would have been to say, I don't understand. Please help me understand. And for us believers in Christ, um, we've got more than just a book. We've got the Holy Spirit to help us to understand the book. John 6, 63, the Spirit gives life. The flesh counts for nothing. The words I've spoken to you, they are full of the Spirit and life. And so we look at the statement, we look at what Jesus was saying, that we need to partake, participate, that we need to personalize what Jesus has done, and we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to understand. When we're going through a difficulty, we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand. When we're when we don't know what to do, we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand. Sometimes I have prayed, Lord, I don't understand this. When I first became a Christian, I didn't have anybody to disciple me, so I'd listen to Christian radio. So I'd listen to KTIS, which is the same as KDNW. And they used to have Chuck Swindah on the radio at night. And I literally would read through the Bible and pray, I don't get it. And then someone, Chuck Swindahl, or somebody else on the radio would be like talking about that in their message and like answering my questions, and it was a pretty frequent thing. But pray and ask. So during COVID, when things were really difficult and I didn't know what to do because we were told as a church we couldn't meet anymore, and I didn't know if we should like just like shut down and not spend any money or how to move forward. Um, this song, I get 30 new songs on Spotify every week that you know are suggestions. And I'd never heard this song before, but it was a song that said, I'm not gonna worry about finances, I'm gonna trust God to move forward. So instead of bat like saying, okay, we're not gonna do anything, instead, I started spending money and trying to figure out how we could use video better and doing all this stuff. And it's just a weird song. I don't even know if I agree with the guy theologically. I don't even know who he is, but the song came over the music over my headphones, and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna trust God and I'm gonna move forward, and I did, and the results were so much better than if I would have just shut down and not trusted God in that storm. See, beware of those who influence you to walk away. When other people get up and walk out, many times you are tempted to get up and walk out. And these people were tempted to give up. So John 6, 64, Jesus said, There are some of you that don't believe. For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. And it says, he went on to say, This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them. From this time, many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. That would be a terrible way to live your life. There's a guy in first, in 2 Timothy, verse 4, uh, no, 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 9, that gets called out as somebody that walked away. So in Paul's final words in 2 Timothy, he says, Timothy, please come to me as soon as you can. Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Demas. Don't be a demas. Don't walk away when you don't understand. Stay with Jesus and he can help you to figure it out. He can help you. I've got a video clip, we'll wait for a minute for it. And five, commit to stay faithfully following Jesus. Commit to stay faithfully following Jesus. Simon Peter had the right answer here when he said John chapter 6, verse 67, Jesus says to his disciples to his main crew disciples, You do not want to leave me too, do you? Jesus asked the twelve. And Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God. And they trusted. You know, an easy, comfortable religion isn't gonna make you right with Christ, and it might make you feel good now, but it's not gonna get you where you need to be in a right walk with Jesus. Some think that money and power and position is going to get them through, and that's all they need, but eventually they will die, and that's not gonna work. So, education, um, saving the environment, the arts, sexual pleasure, drugs, alcohol, um, those can be substitutes, but they won't get you where you want to go. And we need to trust in the Lord. We need to trust that He can provide. Um, I'm gonna show you a video clip in a minute that talks about how Jesus is our provider. I was gonna show it to you last week uh about the uh how Jesus is our provider, bread of life, but we couldn't because the projector didn't work. So, but um, you can trust that the Lord can help you through. You should pray that the Lord will help you through. So when I first became a youth pastor, I went down to Iowa and I was there for a little bit, and then to my surprise and everybody else's surprise, I got really sick. And so we had in the church, we had two of the doctors in town. Uh they were cool too, because uh, if you if I was sick, they would like go open the clinic for me on a Sunday and get me prescription or whatever, you know. It was pretty awesome care on their part. But they're like the doctors in the church, they're like, You're really sick, you need to get to the hospital. And so I was raced to the hospital, and so then I got fixed up, and then the medical bill came and it said, Oh, sorry, you were out of network, so we're not paying that big bill, so you should have called to have it pre-approved, even though it was after hours. You should have waited. And so it was this big mess, and this big medical bill was over my head, and I didn't know what to do, and I was praying about it. And so some people in the church prayed. One of the doctors in the church wrote a letter to the medical insurance place and to the hospital, and I prayed and I waited and I looked at the bills as they kept coming in. It was a storm. And then one day I opened the mail, and it was a letter from the hospital that said, We reviewed your account. Your bill is paid in full. And sometimes that's how storms end. Sometimes you're miraculously healed, sometimes your bill is paid off. Sometimes uh God just changes things right away. Sometimes you go through a process, and sometimes it's a lifetime of just trusting and walking with Jesus. But as fathers on Father's Day, um, whom we're supposed to be providers for our family, the God's word says if you don't, if a man doesn't provide for his family, he's worse than an unbeliever. That can be a real concern. And sometimes men, they don't want to be trusting in Jesus. They're like, I'll do it myself. But we can trust in Jesus, and we should trust in Jesus. And I encourage you to trust in Jesus. Next week we'll talk more about the Holy Spirit. Um, but let me show you this. Do you want to grab the lights? I'll show you the video, and then the worship team can come up and sing. And then after that, if you want to stick around, you can watch the vacation Bible school video, which is eight minutes long, and then there's cake out there uh to celebrate Father's Day. All right, here comes the video.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will be with you always, even to the very end of the age. I am working all things for your good. I will withhold no good thing from you. I am your shield in your great reward. I am your light in your salvation. I am the stronghold of your life. I will give you eternal life. I will give you abundant life. I will give you peace. I will give you rest. I will give good gifts to those who ask me, and I will give strength to the weary. Power to the weak. I am close to the brokenhearted, and I will comfort those who more. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. I will hear you, forgive you, and heal you. I will be found by those who seek. I will instruct you and teach you in the way to go. I will do whatever you ask. I will fight for you. I will step you and I will fight. I will redeem your life. I will finish the good work I have begun. I will never fly your name out of the local life. I will come back and take you to be with me. I will deliver you and you will honor me.