Calm In The Storm | Scripture: Mark 4:35-41 | 22 March 2020 | 09 40 11 AM | Pastor Eric Peters

[Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh we bless you Lord you're the one who never leaves the one behind we will still worship you will still praise you will still bless your name because you're God you got all by yourself you're still on the throne we worship you and we praise you because you still care about us all we love you Lord we love you Lord today hallelujah hallelujah I want to invite each and every one that's looking on CBC or by our Facebook feed to just worship God today that although there is a storm around God is the cam in the storm he is still there he is still there to take care of you he is there to provide that strength that you need in this season he's there to provide that grace that you need in this season he's there to provide the comfort and all the wisdom that we need for this season and we lean upon him today hallelujah hallelujah we thank him we thank him I want to share with us today from the Word of God from mark chapter four from verse 35 to verse 41 and I want us to focus on the calm in the storm and the calm in the storm today is not a thing but the calm in the storm is a person and it's no other person than Jesus Christ himself we acknowledge today as the National Day of Prayer for our nation blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord I thank God that we can set aside at this time that our leaders can recognize that God is our only source at this point and that we agree together as initial wherever you are pray speak to God in your own way speak to God from your heart and let him know just what you feel he knows what you're going through right now he knows that you're confused he knows that we're afraid we're a nation largely in fear but today we trust God and we speak against fear and we will see every opportunity in this situation and we look forward to coming out of this season greater and better as a people the Word of God tells us that that same day when even was come he said to them his disciples let us pass over to the other side and when they had sent away the multitude they took him even as he was in the ship and there were also with him other little ships and there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full and he was in behind a part of the ship asleep on a pillow and they'll wake him and said to him master carest thou not that we perish and he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm and he said unto them why are ye so fearful how is it that he have no faith and they feared exceedingly and said one to another what manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him we thank God for the reading of his word I want to speak to you today on the calm in this storm the calm in the storm the truth of our topic lies in the fact that even in the midst of the storm there was calm because we are all flustered and confused does not mean that God is not there it doesn't mean that this is all to what is happening because our environment may be chaotic doesn't mean that there isn't come there wherever Jesus is there is calm but we must acknowledge and receive it while many read and make light of the reaction of the disciples because they found themselves in crises and being scared how many times in our own lives we end up in the very same place we are there right now how many not many times in our lives we begin with Jesus but somewhere during the journey we forget that he is there until we are faced with unexpected turbulence and after we have done all that we can in ourselves we reach for him I can't resist the typological realities of this episode let us look at the sea the sea represents for us not just a body of water but in Scripture the sea is usually a representation of evil death and chaos you see it reminds us that regardless of what we do we are simply a speck in it and we have no control over life the boat as it were presents us with the reality of a constructed system that we have designed for ourselves to remain safely afloat and to get to our places where we're going successfully but we forget sometimes that danger elapse below but the disciples today represent each and every one of us you that are looking at this you that are looking and wondering what is coming out of this word today we are represented in this text as I read this I can't help but seeing myself as an individual and seeing humanity presented here in the picture of the disciples let us look firstly at the fact that the journey belongs to God Jesus Christ tells them let's go over to the other side many times in life we believe we believe that the journey belongs to us but this journey of life belongs to him the reality is there were at one place in the life there might have been safe there they were outcome there there was no problem there but Jesus says to them let's pass over to the other side the reality of life is that we must remember that doing or progress we will encounter storms you see remaining at the same place because of the possibility of a storm we'll all imprison you and I it's better the storm comes when we are in the process of God's will rather than stuck in the same place of our disobedience you see Jesus is a part of this excursion because he says let's go we are going you see this episode reveals a critical issue first with us as Christians because many of us we begin with Jesus Christ in the boat but sometime during the journey we cease engaging with him and so much so that he is virtually asleep in our lives I want to assure you that Jesus is being asleep has nothing to do with the fact that he is asleep as God because he isn't but it is the reality to you and I that because we have shut him out about the issues of our lives for so long that to us he is asleep this is the reason for this is because we take every journey as the same and we forget that there is no guarantee that it will be as the one will last took or any other no doubt these individuals would have traversed these waters many many times but somehow on this occasion it was different no doubt you may be saying today that you haven't been living life for seventy years and and fifty years and thirty years and this has never happened because that's the nature of life we forget that Jesus is in the boat the other point we need to remember is that others are on that very same journey as I paid careful attention to this text I recognize that the Bible says there also other little ships with him how significant is that you see we forget sometimes that there are others involved we forget sometimes that there are other persons that are affected by the very same thing that we are affected by we can become so selfish in life that Jesus is in our boat and that's all we care about and we forget sometimes that there are individuals who may not have Jesus Christ in their boats and they are facing the very same situation that we are facing as it stands today in our nation Christians are freed members of the clergy are fearful and so it is that every person who doesn't name the name of Jesus Christ is also fearful that while we may have Jesus Christ in the boat fear does not discriminate fear still grips us in the heart fear still causes us to wonder why and causes us to have sleepless nights yes we must recognize in that text that while we forget the involvement of others that others are always present in our lives the Word of God says there were other little ships it stands to reason that they had the bigger boat and no doubt we may think in life that we have the bigger ship that that that the ship the thing that I've constructed for myself or my survival is big it is bigger than someone else is then the sea can affect others and I want to say to us that while smaller conditions may affect the smaller boats there's a storm coming that each and every board regardless of its size will be shaken you see this states to us two clear truths and listen to me that the sea of life on the sea of life there are many others even if we become selfish because we have Jesus in our boats they are there this morning you may have you may be going out you may be looking all your windows and understand that the neighbor next door while you are not spoken to them they are still in that same condition that you're in the next truth we must recognize it that's in this journey we may be the ones through whom safety comes to others when you have Jesus in the boat he's not just there for your safety alone brother but he's there also that because of you safety can come to others imagine all of them all the other boats get going through that storm and being in that very same situation but here it is Jesus is in their board and because of his presence in their lives things change for everyone I want to encourage you as a child of God today you may not think much of this you may be thinking that it's going to pass over and that maybe you because your boat is very big but you need to understand that things may quickly get to a place that will overwhelm even your boat but there's someone that is waiting there is an individual who right now needs you that person is about to sink and they need you to call upon the God that you know that situations can change not just for you but for them he said the question can be reasonably asked or have we considered these ships why were they in the storm what happened to them after the storm what was going on while the disciples were in this big ship and then they became fearful what was going on in the minds of those individuals who are in the smaller ships if it can do that to my boat what is it doing to theirs what was happening to them and today we can understand from this that if as people of faith many of us can be so fearful that what is happening to those who have absolutely no hope you see the reality is that we're not the only ones in parallel many individuals that are connected to us are in parallel also but the significant thing is that they all know something about us that we know ourselves that Jesus is in our boats and I want to say to us today as children of God whether or not your posture whether or not your bishop I don't care what tightly hold there are people around you that I've heard you profess Christ then know Jesus is in the boat with you and they are looking at you for an answer they're looking at you for rope they're looking at you for faith they're looking at you for a word of encouragement this is a season for you as a child of God to be responsible to understand your God to know your God and never be fearful to share him with other others they need him in this season the other thing we need to appreciate is that because something worked before doesn't mean it will always work these men were fishermen that boat was most likely built by them they understood this boat inside out as it were this man were on the sea with that board they made their living with that boat these were seasoned of fishermen that worked in that boat it provided them with a livelihood they could tell you where every nail was put they could tell you who put every every piece of wood in that boat it was familiar the place where they were was familiar they were used to the sea they knew that portion of the sea they have been there before but there comes a time in life when the thing that we think we know best fails us now the very thing that has worked for time and time and time again it has worked for grandmother it worked for our parents but it may not work for you it might have worked for you all your life but you get to a point in life where you face a storm where the thing that worked yesterday is not working today you see they ought to have had some faith in it because it never failed them today you may have faith in your business you may have had faith in your employment you may have had faith in your intellectual abilities you may have had faith in your qualifications but today none of these things matter we are all in the very same boat all the things that never failed us before now they are failing us we think of the world we think of the economies of the world have they ever failed us we think of the great militaries we think of all the political leaders of the world we think of a great man we think of all the big banks and all all the big nations we think of them that never failed up to this point because they've never faced a storm like this they ought to have had some faith not just in the boat but they had some faith in themselves after all I can be considered an expert on what I do I've been on this business that this see so many times from the time I was a young man I've I've been there my father trained me I've been training my own children but here it is on that very place there is a problem you see therein lies the challenges that bring crisis you see there are times when what you trusted in four years begin to fail you there are times when the familiar environment begins to show some manifestations that you have never seen before what do you do what do you do you see these are the times when God gets our attention these are the times when we begin to reduce our interests in life and we begin to do elimination and recognize that the things that we held on to are not the most important are not the most valuable and not the most safe things in life you see you thought that we had some it's in our lives capital i capital T it represents different things to each and every one of us we all have an it in our lives that we have made an idol that we have chosen to rely upon you thought that the job you had was it until this season comes and the circumstances around begin to enter into that very thing and affect the security that it provides oh you thought that the company you started was it until the global economy starts to threaten it and its ability to remain afloat you see what do you do when the conditions on the outside begin to no manifest itself inside it's only a matter of time before what is outside begins to come inside the Bible tells us the boat begins began to fill up with water that no more it was an issue of outside but now it became an issue we were dry all the while but now the conditions outside begin to affect us inside you see you thought your family was it until the stress of the entire environment begins to come home and it manifests itself in anger and misunderstanding for simple things that's what stress does the stress of this season is going to pull on your family you see you thought you are it until the challenges and questions begin to overwhelm you that you feel now you are drowning in a sea of uncertainty and there is nothing you can hang on to you see that's a time where we know Jesus is there I come to my final point you see the calm was present even before the storm the calm was present even before the storm what I've recognized in my own life even as a Christian leader I've recognized that over the last two years when I look back at all the sermons that God gave me when I look back at all the things that we've done as a church I can only thank God and realize what he was doing was putting us ahead of the curve he was there even before the storm even before the storm and many of our members who remember just out of the blue God dropped it in my spirit that we should treat the Lord's Supper in a different way that there's a revelation to the Lord's Supper that when we take the Lord's Supper it's not just about us today but we recognize where it came from it was about protection and covering in times of death and I encouraged our folks I said please this as often take this as often as you can because this is not a simple thing not knowing that the Lord was preparing us because what do we rely on now we rely on nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ what can wash away my sin nothing but the blood of Jesus what can make me whole again nothing nothing by the blood of Jesus what can protect you in this season nothing but the blood of Jesus I know you've heard about a blood of Jesus for a long time you're heard preachers talk about it you have heard Christians call the name of Jesus but I'm saying to you this is the only thing that can protect you in this season you see what we recognize too late many times is that God prepared us for what we're going to meet oh he prepares it he prepares it he's in too many cases God has been preparing us as a nation God has been preparing us as a nation God has been protecting but many times we ignore the efforts of Almighty God the text tells us something very interesting he says Jesus retreated to the hind parts of the ship in this case Jesus in essence has retreated to behind the parts of our lives so as to not be in or we're to become a bother to us we've been so busy with all lives that that he has basically been relegated to the back of our ship but it makes sense that if he knows the way if he's in charge of the sea that he should be at the front of the very ship you see he's asleep not not because he doesn't want to he doesn't want to commune with us but he doesn't want to disturb your focus because we've been focused on everything else in our lives but God he doesn't want to get in your way of focusing on your family that new marriage that you have he doesn't want to get in your way because he's that he's a graceful God he's a gracious God he doesn't want to get in your way of the new job that you had of that new business of that new adventure that new thing that you've started I was going so well he doesn't want to get in your way so he's still in your life but he's somewhere in behind apart but I thank God that regardless of what we do he is still present he has not left the ship you see he has the ability to step out of our ships and walk out of our lives but he still remains there because he knows that somewhere down the road there's a storm coming that you need him or what a great Savior that even after being relegated even after being put demoted to the back of the ship instead of being the front a guide by his very presence we recognize that he's there because there's a coming reality when we recognize that Jesus is in this it brings a coming reality that you need not worry anymore somehow you have tried your best you have ordered and you have done all that you can humanly do you have exhausted yourself and at your last breath when you are breathless you cry out to Jesus the Sun is david says i cried to the lord and he heard me and he delivered me from all my trouble you see jesus steps forward gracefully he steps forward gracefully although being relegated although being demoted he steps forward gracefully because he is a forgiving god he steps forward in our time of greatest need and speaks peace you see this revelation here is profound because with all of the chaos tom was present i want to say to us as my billions today and I want to say to those of us that are looking all over this world with all of the chaos in this world God is still present he is the calm in the storm you see Jesus was never bothered by the storm because he knew he was to come you see coming this season is not a state of affairs coming this season is not about an environment but come in this season is about a person that regardless of what's happening around you he is the Prince of Peace you see Barbara Fairchild sings a song that was made popular by the great Jimmy Swaggart and the chorus goes like this he was there all the time he was there all the time waiting patiently in line he was there all the time when we tried this and he tried that or he went to that option and that alternative he was there he was waiting in line he didn't promote himself he didn't push his hand up and say I'm right here choose me he was simply waiting in line see in conclusion as this episode had draws near to a close Jesus asks a very pointing question he asked this question like he doesn't already know the answer but finally some conversation has begun now we're ready to speak to him and he asked the question why are you so fearful how is it you have no faith the Bible doesn't articulate an answer but as humans these questions are for us today and they demand an answer why are you so fearful today how is it you have no faith what's happened to your faith you see your answers may vary listen to me carefully and your answer may be one of these Lord I was in your presence but I was never intimate with you lord I was in your presence but I was never intimate with you and no doubt many of us are in his presence many of us come to church but this is a season for intimacy now you isolated now you don't have a choir no you don't have a worship team no you don't have a pastor no you don't have congregants now it's all about you and God it is a time for intimacy you are the answer maybe Lord I mean your presence but my life was not right with you that yes I came to church but I was just going through the motion yes I came to church but I was doing my own thing yes i sat and I heard sermon after sermon but I was still having sexual affairs that I was still doing all that I wanted to do I was never serious about you my heart is not right with you well today you can't make it right your answer may be Lord I trusted in many other things and never really trusted you that Lord I trusted in my money I trusted in my business I trusted in my education I trusted all of these things I never really trusted you but now I recognize that all of these things are failing me I need to trust you today another answer may be Lord when he was speaking I was not listening that may be the case for many individuals I can say without a doubt that it might be the case right here at pouring a blood assembly because God has been speaking to us but were we listening to him you've been listening to all the preachers on television all the persons on Facebook and YouTube but have you been listening to God another answer may be Lord I trusted in my own strength and abilities to make to take me through this journey you may confess City Lord when I heard about this thing I thought I can make it on my own until I recognize that I can't do it on my own I need you I need your help you may confess to the Lord I have seen you do many things but never believe that you'll do it for me that God I've seen you heal I've seen you deliver I've seen you set free but I've never believed that you could do it for me I'm here today to tell you he can't do it for you and he will do it for you if only you will choose him final answer may be Lord I did not really know you as I should for the times I've been with you I was distracted Lord I should have known you better you tried to get my attention you tried to fellowship with me but I decided I'm going to have home Church I decided I'm too busy to pray and he said I'm too busy to read the Word of God I decided I'm too busy to go to a group meeting I'm too busy Lord but he's a forgiving God he's a God of mercy of God of grace and he is the calm that you need right now in this storm you see what you need to understand is that the future and destiny he has promised you is still certain that he has not changed his mind about your destiny it is still a certain one you need to understand that you are not alone in this journey but you play a significant role in the life of someone you need to understand that the storm we are facing right now is in direct proportion to our destiny and our promise that where God has you going his destiny for you is so great that you are tested in this moment because it will require great faith when you get there we need to understand more than anything else that is not about a ship but it's about who is in the ship we need to understand that there is an opportunity to know God more in every storm we need to understand that in this season we must redefine our focus to the most important thing in life and that is a relationship with Jesus Christ you see many of us today are recognizing the hard way that faith is not based on being in his presence but faith is based on knowing his person and his power many people have been in his presence but very few have been healed many people can say I saw God do things but they can't say that he's done it for me but finally at the end of everything the Bible says they feared exceedingly and said to each other what manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him what happened out of all of this is that he God worship what happened out of all of this is that he got worship I'm saying to us today I have never been more excited in a season than this because in this season God is going to get the worship that he deserves in this season Barbados is going to recognize God for who is in this season every individual that is of the right mind in this nation will worship God in the season what are you saying today I want to encourage you to have faith in God I want to encourage you to acknowledge him you might have been a member of a church you might have left church because of some offense well right now the offense peels to what is on the horizon forget all your fences forget all that you the people that have hurt you and get back to God forget what you have been told about the church and the church is for this and the church is for that and understand that the church is about one thing the church is about it about that God Himself is about preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ it is about a love of God get back where God wants you to open your heart for him today is our National Day of Prayer I see there's a very significant opportunity for us as a people that today as a people we can seek God but the Word of God tells us it my people he's depending on his people stop the crying stop the panic buying stop all of the fear and begin to call upon God and he will answer at this time as our musicians play for us still that regardless of the storm God is there hide me now under your wings cover me beneath your mighty hand when the oceans rise and thunders roar I will soar with you above the storm father your king over the flood I'll be still I know you are God while they're praying senator dr. Lynette holder he's going to come and she's gonna pray for us as a nation she's gonna pray for you if you have given your life to Christ this morning if this message has touched you feel free to call there are numbers on your screen you can go on to a Facebook page send a number put your number there are we gonna call you for sure but this is a time to get into God hallelujah hallelujah god bless you calm in the storm here's our calm this morning we're reminded that if there are financial storms if there are environmental storms we reminded and even in this time of health storms or even personal storms that God is always with us and that he comes every storm I'm here to encourage you say to God all who are watching us by a broadcast this morning then as the word reminds us if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and prayer and seek my face turned from their wicked ways God says I really hear from heaven and I really feel is a line and this morning as we reflect on this National Day of Prayer father in God we importuning you even now for the nation of Barbados mighty God become the first as your people those called by your names Lord be humble ourselves this morning father we seek your purse take me say God have mercy upon us of the Lord at times God and we did not honor your name in our nation the times Lord we did not promote your goodness we did not Lord demonstrate even faith in you we did not speak your word have mercy upon us today Oh God as a people we humble ourselves father we seek your face today Oh God when we understand that you are the sovereign one over the universe and that there is no storm Oh God that you are not aware of there is no storm father that you are not able or gardens to koala there is no storm father that is bigger than you for you are the creator of heaven and earth and so father reacts gotta Father we beseech you this morning to look upon our nation look upon our land today mighty God may there's fear all across this nation finally pray that you would dispel the fear for God be reminded that you did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a son mine so God we are praying that you've Lord what touch your children in the door that south east and west of this nation that is spirit of faith will arise Lord God in their hearts and in their minds that they may speak father the sense the law across our land and the car you will look upon our nation and that you would bring in and you bring healing from God upon these shores the you will heal order our leadership we pray for wisdom across this nation in our leadership that father we will see from the governmental authorities from business Lord and community leaders the kind of leadership father that you are well pleased the kind of leadership that is after your heart Oh God father we pray ilysm across our nation Barbados this morning in the mighty name of Jesus are spirits of God and those even who are in their homes this morning a father as they seek you you are a covenant-keeping god father that you in here and then you an answer their prayer and the Lord even in this time that men and women will come to know you as God let their americorps this nation a spirit of intercession of a spirit of prayer a spirit Lord God of praise that men and women will begin to understand in this moment that you are the sovereign caller that father our very lives are in your hands that God as we move across this nation are very steps father are in your hands God I pray that awakening come forth across this land that man will come to know you as Lord father bring comfort to those that are hurting today father I pray you strengthen those this morning that are weaker father even as we come together help us to be our brother's keeper father help us to look into those who [Music] [Music] thanks for Mueller broadcast hope you were truly blessed we would love to hear me our services our hell on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Tuesdays at 12 noon and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. you can also follow us on Facebook or YouTube join our growing network of community citizens as we seek to the sight of the nation's through evangelism and multiplication

Channel: Power In The Blood Church

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Length: 50min 2sec (3002 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 22 2020