WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:01.040 All right, church. 00:00:01.280 --> 00:00:03.759 Well, you know how we do here. 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:13.199 Get your Bibles open to Mark chapter four as we finish off the last six verses of this great gospel. 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:18.640 Now, as again, you're getting yourself turned there and pens ready and notes ready and all of that thing. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:20.000 Got a question for ya. 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:28.160 Are there anything, is there anything in your life that causes irrational amounts of fear in you? 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.079 You got anything like that? 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:41.520 You know, in other words, I'm talking about things that like freak you out, creep you out, but when you stop and really kind of think about it, you realize, yeah, these these things aren't really a big, a big deal. 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:45.679 They probably shouldn't, they probably shouldn't make me as afraid as they do. 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:49.679 You know, like some people are, some people are like petrified of clowns, right? 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:57.600 They're really rattled by that, or it's, you know, scared of the dark, you know, things that when you stop and think about it, you know, again, it's not that scary. 00:00:57.759 --> 00:00:59.439 Maybe clowns are, okay? 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:05.120 But uh I've I was kind of checking this out a little bit this this week, and and some of those, some phobias that people have. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:08.799 Have you ever done kind of a look at this and seen, you know, what's out there? 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:10.560 The list is not short. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:12.000 Okay, here's here's one. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.439 People have uh this it's called nephophobia. 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.879 It's uh it's fear of clouds. 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:20.640 Fear of clouds. 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:24.079 I'm so sorry if this is you here today, because we're kind of taking a shot at this a little bit. 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:29.280 We're speaking lightly of this, but literally like the fluffy white clouds uh in the sky. 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:30.799 Scared of those. 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:32.400 Um here's another one. 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:38.959 Ideophobia, which is it's the fear of ideas. 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:47.439 Like literally, like, don't invite these kind of people to a brainstorming session or something like that, unless you really want to rattle their cage. 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:54.000 Uh, my thing, okay, so I've got a thing uh that kind of rattles me a little bit, and it's uh we got a picture for you. 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:56.959 Moths. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:00.239 Don't give me that look, like really. 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:02.079 We've all got our things. 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:03.359 We've all got our things. 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:32.080 And I and I think this for me started when I was, when I, I don't know, I was in like junior high, I think, and I went on a camping trip with uh with a friend and his family, and we stayed in, you know, one of those tent trailers that pop up, and we happened to leave the door open for too long at night with the lights on, and it turned into, you know, I swear it was like the the 13th plague of Egypt in this tent trailer, and we were kind of like laughing and giggling, but at the same time, like so creeped out. 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:37.280 Because these things are hairy and big and gross, and you know when you hit them, they just kind of turn to dust. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:41.199 What's going on with this, these demonic like beings? 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:42.479 I I don't know. 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:50.719 Now, perhaps most of us have something kind of like this, or you're just judging me straight up right now for my fear. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:58.639 Um, but it's something kind of weird like this that causes some kind of some type of fear response in us, and maybe it's something that at the end of the day you can kind of laugh it off. 00:02:58.719 --> 00:02:59.759 It's really not that big of a deal. 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:02.800 That's what I'm I'm trying to do when it comes to moths, okay? 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:06.800 But but what about fear when it's legit? 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:07.759 Right? 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.599 Like what about when fear is real and it's serious? 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:17.120 You know, the kind of the kinds of fears that that dictate how we live, right? 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:23.439 Like the kinds of decisions that we make or or or don't make in life. 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:31.759 You know, what about those those moments that we all experience, you know, where we feel so afraid. 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:43.840 You know, for you it might be, it might be financial instability, it could be some kind of health crisis or you know, a family dilemma that is just shaking you to the core, right? 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:49.840 Where we feel so afraid that we we just have a hard time functioning properly. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:56.800 And and in the midst of that, even as believers, we we kind of stop trusting the Lord, don't we? 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:01.120 Yeah, unfortunately, that's kind of part of life, right? 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:08.800 We we face these kinds of situations uh from time to time, and and maybe for some of us more than that. 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:17.360 And and we find ourselves so affected by by very real fear that it can become, it can get to the point where it's like all-consuming for us. 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:17.759 Right? 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:33.199 It's kind of taken over our life in so many ways, and you know, we're trying to live, we're trying to go to work and and and care for our kids and just kind of do everyday functions, but this thing has become so all-consuming over us that we can't even just focus on the task at hand. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:42.480 It's it's continually crowding out these things and and kind of rendering us in certain ways paralyzed. 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:44.720 Okay, so what do we do? 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:45.360 Right? 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:49.519 What do we do as people when we when we face this? 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:55.279 Well, I think many of us here in this room, we know what the right answer is. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:56.160 Right? 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:58.079 We could all spout that off. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:03.839 If we had a quiz right now, you could all jot this down and get the chuck uh the check mark, right? 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:05.920 It's it's to trust the Lord. 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:06.480 Right? 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:07.759 To trust the Lord. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:24.879 But I sometimes wonder uh for myself, okay, but for for all of us as well, if if that answer has sunk down deep enough uh into our hearts to the point where it's actually making a difference. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:26.079 Right? 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:27.519 Is is that us? 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:43.360 You know, where our where our fears have have truly uh been replaced by by that calm and that that peace and that confidence that we get when our hearts trust the Lord. 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:47.680 Now, I don't know about you, but but that's what I'm looking for. 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:48.240 Right? 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:50.160 That's that's what I want. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:50.879 Right? 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:55.199 I'm not interested in trite answers. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:00.879 I'm I'm not interested in platitudes and easy believism and all of that kind of stuff. 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:03.519 I I'm looking for substance, right? 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:06.480 I'm looking for something's real, uh, something that's real. 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:10.079 I I want to know why God is worth trusting. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:11.519 Do you not want that? 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:15.920 I don't just want to say, yeah, trust the Lord and then walk away from it all. 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:22.720 Yeah, I want to I want a God who can handle me. 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:24.639 Because I'm complicated. 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:25.519 You're complicated. 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:27.920 We live complicated lives sometimes. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:34.560 I want a God that that I can anchor myself to when I'm afraid. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:42.959 Well, that's the that's the very thing that our passage uh talks about here this morning, and so uh we're gonna read it. 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:50.079 If you would join me, Mark chapter 4, uh starting in verse 35, and we're gonna read to the end there, verse 41. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:51.199 Hey, follow along. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:51.839 This is what it says. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:59.120 It says, On that day when evening had come, he said to them, This is Jesus, let us go across to the other side. 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:04.319 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:06.560 And other boats were with him. 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:14.000 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so the boat was already filling. 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:18.720 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:23.759 And they woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we're perishing? 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:30.720 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Be still. 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:36.079 And the wind ceased, and there was great calm. 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:39.759 He said to them, Why are you so afraid? 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:42.720 Have you still no faith? 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:50.399 And they were filled with great fear, and they said to one another, Who then is this? 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:54.959 That even the wind and the sea obey him. 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:09.199 God, we look at this scripture right now, and even at a glance, even as we skim it, Lord, we can see, whoa, you have power. 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:14.720 Lord, you have the power to control nature. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:19.600 Which means that you have the power to control anything. 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:25.680 You have control, you have power over our lives, over every single situation that we face. 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:42.480 And Lord, as we struggle in this life and struggle in our relationship with you, and struggle with fears and uncertainty and all kinds of different things, Lord, I pray that we would learn as your church to give these things over to you. 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:58.480 Lord, I pray that we would learn to not fret and stress and have full-on meltdowns because we fail to cling to the God who is able to take care of all of this for us. 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.519 And so, God, would you have mercy on us, your church? 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:04.879 We are but children, Lord, who are who are learning this, Lord. 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:06.559 We need a word from our Father. 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:08.080 We need power from you. 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:12.320 So, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, would you please move and work in our lives? 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:17.120 Lord, I would imagine here this morning there are people uh up against it. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:22.159 Lord, they are facing massive difficulties, massive problems. 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.360 And Lord, I pray that you would draw near to them. 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:51.440 Lord, for the rest of us here who maybe uh can't point to one specific kind of crisis in our lives, Lord, we're still dealing with everyday stress and everyday kind of worry and anxious thoughts and fear about other things that we may kind of say are smaller than trials, but God, at the end of the day, we're to give all of that to you too. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:55.840 And so, God, help us to see that you are worthy of being trusted here this morning. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:59.360 God, we pray all these things in Jesus' name. 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:00.320 Amen. 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:01.360 Amen. 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:04.480 Well, I gotta say, I am like extra excited. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:26.559 I don't know if I can say that, but I'm extra excited to get into this passage with you here today because uh back when I was uh in my twenties, in my early 20s, and the Lord was uh essentially just putting me through a bout of discipline and humbling me and breaking me down of pride and pointing out some major uh sinful areas that uh needed to get sorted out. 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:44.000 I remember this was one of the passages, uh one of the very first passages that just had such a huge impact on me because I was faced with a lot of uncertainty, and I was faced with a lot of big, big changes uh in my life, and it was all kind of happening at once, as the Lord sometimes uh chooses to do in our lives. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:49.039 And I remember this was just it just brought me a lot of peace and a lot of calm and a lot of joy. 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:54.960 So I'm excited uh to get into this, and I trust that you are as well, and so um let's go. 00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:56.000 You good with that? 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:57.279 Here's the first thing. 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:04.480 Uh, when I'm afraid, I will trust the Lord, because he's intentionally leading me somewhere good. 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:06.000 He's leading me somewhere good. 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:11.279 Take a look at verse 35 now as we kind of unpack these verses here. 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:21.200 It says this on that day when evening had come, he said to them, his disciples, let us go across to the other side. 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:24.159 Yeah, that's important, and we'll come back to it. 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:30.960 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:33.120 And other boats were with him. 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:35.279 Okay, see you remember this from last week. 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:43.679 We looked at the first 34 verses of Mark chapter 4, and we saw that Jesus, he was being pressed in on by the crowd. 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:51.919 Remember, he got into this boat, and he actually went out a little bit into the bay, and he spoke and taught the people as they were on the shore. 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:55.600 And so our verses now kind of pick it up right from that moment. 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:56.480 That was done. 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:00.639 He had already done the you are loved, and so people were kind of leaving, all right? 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:09.519 And he was now uh leaving, uh leading the scene in the boat, and there was apparently a bunch of other boats that were with them. 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:12.639 Now, we just read our verses today, right? 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:18.639 We've read the rest of uh of Mark chapter four, and so we know exactly where this is all headed. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:20.639 We know what's coming next. 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:23.919 We know that pretty soon the wind's gonna be kicking up, right? 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:29.039 And it's gonna be like full-blown panic, right? 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:33.279 Pandemonium meltdown here, and in just a sec. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:41.440 Okay, but notice before we get to all of that, I said we'd get back to it, take a look at Christ's words here. 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.480 He says, Let us what? 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:47.840 Go across to the other side. 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:57.519 Okay, now that's something that we can easily kind of, I don't know, breeze over real quick, but it's it's worthy of a highlight in your Bible for sure. 00:12:57.759 --> 00:12:58.559 You may be like, why? 00:12:58.639 --> 00:12:59.759 Why is that so significant? 00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:08.320 Well, because Jesus, listen, Jesus is is guaranteeing by saying this that they will arrive at their destination. 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:10.320 You catch that? 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:11.840 That's kind of a big deal. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:33.200 I think if the disciples had had stopped for just a second as the wind starts to pick up here a little bit and as waves start to crash over, you know, the sides of the boat here, I think it it would have probably made their fear, you know, a little bit a little bit easier to manage. 00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:42.480 Because it would have put that wind and and those waves and and all of that really into perspective. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:43.200 Right? 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:49.200 Because Jesus, okay, Jesus had told them. 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:49.759 Right? 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:51.519 He's already promised them. 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:54.639 Listen, we're going to the other side. 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:55.200 Right? 00:13:55.360 --> 00:14:00.000 Jesus wasn't just throwing that out there as you know to waste some words. 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.600 He was telling them, this is this is happening. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:04.240 Right? 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:06.720 You you can you can take this to the bank. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:08.639 Okay, this is guaranteed. 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:11.279 I am I am taking you across the lake. 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:15.919 Dry land will be under your feet soon enough. 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:22.159 Okay, don't you think that if they had thought about that a little bit, again, it would have put everything into perspective? 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:28.000 Not that they would have been like, oh, well, you know, we can you know probably do nothing as you know, water is filling up our boat. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:41.919 No, like they still would have had to figure out how to deal with these problems and they would have had to bale water and all of that, but but it again, I don't think it would have sent them sent them over the edge. 00:14:42.799 --> 00:15:13.519 Now listen, I you know I have no interest in minimizing your life's challenges, uh, you know, or in any way I I don't want to be insensitive about you know the fear in your life and the difficulty that you're coming up against, but but I do believe that far too many Christians spend far too much time with you know engaging in a lot of kind of needless hand-wringing, right? 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:33.039 A lot of panic and worry and fear and really faithlessness, all because that we either don't realize that in our storm, God's intentionally leading us somewhere good through it. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:33.679 Right? 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:40.639 He's got a very specific purpose in our pain and and in that in that difficulty. 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:48.480 We either don't realize that or or we forget that he's got some kind of good destination in store for us. 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:49.039 Right? 00:15:49.120 --> 00:16:09.440 We've you know, we've heard the verses many times that you know God promises you know hope and a bright future, and you know, we've got that, you know, Jeremiah 29, 11, you know, verse stenciled on a piece of wood in our living room at home, and we see that all the time, or it's are you sure that all things work together for good? 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:10.639 Amazing verses. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:13.440 That one's from Romans chapter 8. 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:21.679 Okay, but in the heat of the moment and in the midst of the fear, we don't we don't cling to those words, do we? 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:31.120 And I think it actually, unfortunately, goes even beyond forgetting those promises from God. 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:33.200 I think it's actually worse. 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:36.480 I think we actually just straight up don't believe them. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:37.360 Right? 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.000 We lack faith. 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:43.679 We simply we simply don't trust God. 00:16:45.200 --> 00:17:02.399 Listen, if God has you in a storm kind of right now, and that's you know what your life is kind of entails right now, and and you're afraid, realize here today, as we look at this scripture here, that this is not random. 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:06.480 Okay, this is this is not senseless. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:15.920 He is intentionally using this by design to do something, to rot something good in you. 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:18.880 So trust him. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:23.599 Now, maybe you're still skeptical. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:25.920 And maybe you're thinking, yeah, right. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:33.119 Well, like what possible good could come from the living nightmare that is my life right now, Pastor? 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:34.720 Would love to hear it. 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:40.079 Because you have no idea how awful it really is right now. 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:44.960 We've got a couple of things here, and these are gonna be up on the screen for you. 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:49.440 What possible good can come from my storm? 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:51.200 Here's the first one. 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.279 I end up realizing that he's all I have. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:56.960 Like, what? 00:17:57.039 --> 00:17:57.839 That's good. 00:17:58.480 --> 00:17:59.119 Yeah. 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:00.960 Yeah, it's really good. 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:09.119 I heard a great line this week that God is not just what we need, he's not just all we need, he's actually all we have. 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:19.279 You know, we live in Canada, one of the most abundant, plentiful nations on the planet in the history of the world. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:22.640 We literally have everything we need. 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:27.279 No wonder there's not that much of a neediness among even Christians. 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:30.880 And we're not that desperate for the Lord, and we don't really care. 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:38.319 And we we come into church and we're we're so cold, and it takes us seven songs to warm up for worship sometimes. 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:41.200 We don't even play seven songs on Sunday. 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:42.319 Right? 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:51.200 And and and and things happen and we panic, and we think we need more money than we really need, and we think we need the perfect body, and we think we need health. 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:53.279 We think we need all of it. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:19:00.480 And sometimes when we go through problems, it's because God is trying to needle those things and show us, hey, listen, these things have become idols for you. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:07.440 They these are things that you worship, these are these things, the things that you think you need more than you actually need me, and it's wrong. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.519 These things will not satisfy you, these things will not fulfill you. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:19.759 And so sometimes in the storm, sometimes in the difficulty, what God is showing you is that He is all you really have. 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:27.839 Everything, and I'm not trying to be super dark about this, but the reality is everything you have can be taken away. 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:35.680 You can lose it, you can lose your family, you can lose that fat bank account. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:40.400 You can lose your home, you can lose your health, you can lose everything. 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:44.640 He is all you have, and that is what he's trying to show you. 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:54.000 And once you receive that, and once you kind of let down your guard and you humble yourself before that, you realize that is the greatest thing ever. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:59.359 And in the midst of that, as you receive that Christ is all I have and that is awesome, and I'm clinging to him. 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:01.279 Guess what happens to fear? 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:04.240 It begins to drift away. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.440 Even if our problems haven't. 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:10.559 What possible good could come from my storm? 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:11.839 How about this one? 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:13.599 I radically transform. 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:16.559 I think sometimes we forget. 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:22.240 We forget that this is God's mission. 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:24.559 This is what he does. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:36.319 Again, being in North America, we think it's all about happiness, and we think that what the world has to offer will give us that happiness. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:37.759 I love the line. 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.759 I think about it quite often. 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:47.359 Not that I've figured it all out for myself, but God cares much more about our holiness than he does our happiness. 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:53.920 And when I say that, when I mention happiness, I mean it in a worldly comfort type sense. 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:58.559 God cares very much about true happiness, which the Bible paints as joy. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:05.359 That's what God is trying to forge in you and create in you through the difficulty, through the storm that you're going through. 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:08.079 He wants to radically transform you. 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:14.000 He doesn't just want to kind of add a little bit of Jesus to what your life is already all about. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:20.079 He wants to insert Jesus into all of it, which impacts everything. 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:26.799 He wants to transform your very character, your very purpose in life, who you are. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:29.519 That's what he does through the storm. 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:31.920 What possible good could come from my storm? 00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:33.039 Last one here. 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:35.519 I see his glory displayed. 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:41.920 Sometimes what God wants to do through your storm is straight up show you how awesome he is. 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:43.839 That's what he wants to do. 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:50.079 And sometimes it's in the form of answering the prayer, the way that we have prayed it, the way that we have asked. 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:51.839 Lord, would you bring the healing? 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:53.519 Would you provide the finances? 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:55.200 Lord, would you save my child? 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:58.079 Would you do all of these things that I need so much? 00:21:58.240 --> 00:21:59.759 Sometimes that's that's what he has you going through. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.119 Trial for, so we can just come in and answer those prayers. 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:06.559 Sometimes he answers those prayers differently, though, doesn't he? 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:10.720 But it's no less his glory on display. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.440 That's what God wants to do. 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:18.000 And these are the good things that he wants to accomplish through our storm. 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:21.119 Write these things down, pray through these things. 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:23.279 They're important. 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:25.680 Listen, take courage today. 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:27.440 Trust the Lord. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:40.799 Because sometimes I think what happens is our storms and our fears, they actually last longer sometimes and cause us more pain. 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:46.079 And the fear kind of builds up because we kind of refuse to let God have his way. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:55.920 And we're still trying to kind of control things and manipulate God into answering the prayers the way I want and to kind of control our lives the way that we want. 00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:02.319 And listen, resisting God will always delay the good that he intends to show you. 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:03.839 Don't resist him. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:04.960 Trust him. 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:09.039 When I'm afraid, I will trust the Lord. 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:10.640 Here's the second thing. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:14.880 Because he cares, even though it may not appear that way. 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:17.359 Verse 37. 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:18.160 Check that out. 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:21.200 It says this, and a great windstorm arose. 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.559 Okay, now this was quite common on the Sea of Galilee. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:36.319 I was like 900 feet, I believe, behind below sea level, and storms, crazy storms even, uh, regularly happened on this sea here, like hurricane-like winds. 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:40.319 This wasn't just like a common breeze, and these guys were being kind of crazy about it. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:41.359 They just needed to toughen up. 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:47.839 No, this was this was pretty serious, and it says there, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:51.039 Okay, but he, that's Jesus, was in the stern. 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:54.799 That's the rear of the boat, right? 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:57.680 And it says that he was asleep on the cushion. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:00.000 Now, why was Jesus asleep? 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:06.799 Well, it doesn't tell us, but that maybe it was because he was so exhausted from ministry. 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:07.200 Right? 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:21.119 We talked about the challenges of ministry a couple of weeks ago and how, again, people were crowding around Jesus and almost crushing him and constantly wanted a piece of him, and he had to like really, you know, fork out time to get away and pray and seek the Lord and be with his disciples and all that. 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:23.359 So maybe he was just wiped out. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:28.480 Perhaps it was that he was just so deeply at peace. 00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:29.119 Right? 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:30.960 He knew this was gonna be fine. 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:32.160 He was God. 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:33.680 He controlled all of it. 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:36.240 He knew that they were gonna get across to the other side. 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:38.079 He believed what he said. 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:39.599 Okay, keep going. 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:40.640 It says this. 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:47.680 And they woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:53.039 Can you kind of get the sense that they were, they're sort of like emotionally afraid at this point? 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:53.519 Right? 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:58.480 The waves have come over and stuff like that, and and they're just like shaken to the core here. 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:00.319 They're freaked out, right? 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:01.759 Which is saying something about the storm. 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:09.839 Because again, remember, some of these guys are experienced fishermen, and they'd spent time on these waters before and and and they've been through it, they've seen storms. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.079 And so this is obviously a particularly crazy one. 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:37.920 Now, of course, when when you and I are emotional because of the fear that that is kind of gripping, you know, welling up in the lump of our of our throats, and you know, when we're in that crisis, you know, and our nerves are shot and all of that, I mean, we sometimes respond in less than favorable ways as well, right? 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:43.039 You ever maybe like snapped on your kids for no reason? 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:46.160 Or for no reason that they created? 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:49.359 It's because of the stress that you're carrying with you from work? 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:55.279 It's from some kind of issue in your life, and you just kind of fly off the handle a little bit at your kids? 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:58.000 Like, not us, no, we wouldn't do that. 00:25:58.480 --> 00:26:02.240 Okay, but here, how do the G or how do the disciples respond? 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:14.160 Okay, well, by kind of sarcastically kind of in his face charging Jesus with not really giving a flip about their rather dire predicament here. 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:16.720 Now, question. 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:20.799 Does the Lord care about our problems? 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:23.599 Does he? 00:26:25.119 --> 00:26:26.480 Are you sure? 00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:33.440 Again, it's one of those questions, maybe I set you up, but it's one of those questions where it is kind of easy to give the right answer. 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:34.000 Right? 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:35.519 Yes, we can. 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:36.079 Okay? 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:40.799 But listen, do we actually believe that God cares? 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:42.160 Do we? 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:44.079 Are you holding to that? 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:47.599 Because let's be honest, it doesn't always feel like it, does it? 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:49.519 It doesn't feel like we go through it. 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:52.880 I've been praying about this for days. 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:58.160 I've been praying about this for weeks, months, decades. 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:01.279 And it doesn't seem like the answer's coming. 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:03.200 It doesn't seem like it's getting better. 00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:06.000 It seems maybe even like it's getting worse. 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:12.319 But listen, some of that might be the might be the problem. 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:17.200 It's that we follow our feelings too easily, don't we? 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:19.519 Our feelings about the situation. 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:28.799 Okay, and perhaps we're we're most susceptible to going down that road of following our feelings when when we're afraid. 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:33.680 Because the emotions associated with fear are so powerful. 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:34.960 You know what that's like. 00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:37.920 You've woken up in that sweat before, haven't you? 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:42.400 You you know that that stress and it's awful. 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:57.359 Okay, but these verses show us here that despite how things might feel or or or appear from our vantage point when we fear, okay, there's always more to the story. 00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:07.839 So listen, as you're dealing with fear, okay, a couple of things for you to kind of focus on here this week. 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:13.279 Okay, maybe a couple of these will be something that you can cling to. 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:15.039 How about this? 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:19.680 Just because God's been silent doesn't mean he's never gonna answer. 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:22.000 Does it ever feel like that? 00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:22.720 Right? 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:23.359 It does. 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:35.519 He's been silent for so long, and you know, I I read the scriptures where God seems to care and he answers people's prayers, and I see him doing that in other people that I know. 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:43.279 But he hasn't really done it here, and I don't know, maybe he doesn't really, maybe he doesn't love me. 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:47.440 Listen, just because he's silent doesn't mean he's never gonna answer. 00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:51.920 The Lord is maybe building up endurance in you. 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:55.440 We're an immediate gratification culture, aren't we? 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:57.599 I want it, I want it now. 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:00.000 We have smartphones for that very reason. 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:03.200 I've said it before, I always think about microwaves for that reason. 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:07.279 I don't want to have to like cook something in the oven, right? 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:10.400 I want it now, I want it in 30 seconds. 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:12.559 Yeah, about this. 00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:16.720 Just because God feels far away doesn't mean he actually is. 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:21.279 Don't trust your feelings too much in this, okay? 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:24.640 God is is near to you. 00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:34.400 I think you gotta, you know, ask yourself the question and think about is does God feel distant because I've got sin in my life that's hindering intimacy with him? 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:37.279 Maybe that's not it, though. 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:42.720 And maybe he's just being quiet because he's teaching me something that I don't quite understand yet. 00:29:43.359 --> 00:29:45.519 Right in those moments we need to trust him. 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:55.039 This one, just because it appears that God's given up on you, it doesn't mean he has God doesn't do that. 00:29:55.279 --> 00:30:03.200 He doesn't give up on people, he doesn't bail on you, he doesn't bring you part way and then let you try and figure out the rest of it. 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:06.480 Right, he's with you every single step. 00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:11.359 Don't go by how things maybe appear from your own position. 00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:13.200 Here's one. 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:17.839 Just because you feel like you're at the end of your rope doesn't mean you are. 00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:24.799 Have you ever been like, man, I am just so at the end of my rope here, and I need the Lord to come through. 00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:28.400 And then you realize the trial lasts like a long time after that. 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:32.880 Oh yeah, maybe I wasn't quite at the end of the rope the way that I thought I was. 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:35.440 And again, it's one of those endurance things. 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:40.079 We're kinda we're kind of soft spiritually sometimes. 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:46.480 And God's trying to toughen us up by showing us that we can endure much, much more than we thought we could. 00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:48.480 He's making us stronger for the next one. 00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:52.960 He's making you stronger so that you can be more useful in his kingdom. 00:30:53.839 --> 00:30:54.799 How about this? 00:30:54.960 --> 00:31:00.000 Just because you're facing problems doesn't mean that you necessarily did anything wrong. 00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:09.519 Okay, sometimes we attribute, we attribute pain and we attribute suffering and trials and storms and all of those things because I must have sinned. 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:19.519 And we rack our brains continually, and you know, we we beat ourselves up about you know what I have done, and I am thus, Lord, and please forgive me, and I must have. 00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:21.119 That's not what it is. 00:31:21.279 --> 00:31:23.200 The whole book of Job is about that. 00:31:23.599 --> 00:31:32.720 Job didn't do anything wrong, God just simply brought him to new depths in his relationship with him. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:35.519 It had nothing to do with his sin. 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:42.079 His friends thought that was the case, and they gave him horrific advice because of it. 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:42.720 Right? 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:48.319 Maybe the Lord is just, again, he's just teaching you some stuff that you've got to just be patient on and wait for. 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:49.519 Here's another one. 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:53.119 Just because you're in a crisis doesn't mean that God's out to get you. 00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:54.960 Now, here we go again. 00:31:55.200 --> 00:32:05.920 You know, God seems to love these other people in our church and these other people in our small group and answers all their prayers, but here's same classic God, out to get me, out to punish me, out to do me harm. 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:08.480 God's not vengeful. 00:32:08.960 --> 00:32:09.920 He's not. 00:32:10.960 --> 00:32:12.160 He's got a plan. 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:15.119