If Jesus Is In The Boat
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Scott Anderson
In his sermon, Pastor Scott emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's presence and promises through life's inevitable storms, using the biblical story of Jesus calming the sea as a metaphor for facing challenges with faith. He encourages believers to deepen their relationship with God, assuring them that this foundation will provide peace and stability no matter the turbulence they encounter.
The core takeaway from Pastor Scott's sermon is that despite the storms we face in life, whether they come from obedience or challenges, anchoring deeply in a relationship with God and trusting in His presence and promises will carry us through and lead to ultimate victory and peace.
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Introduction: The Unseen Anchor in Life's Storms
This sermon, delivered by Pastor Scott, beautifully ties into the gospel account of Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8:22. In our lives, storms are inevitable—situations that shake our foundations and test our faith. But the question remains, how do we respond? Pastor Scott’s insights provide us with a roadmap to not just endure these storms but to navigate through them with our faith intact.
A Prayer for Change
Pastor Scott began his sermon with a poignant prayer, setting the stage for a transformative experience. He didn't just call for routine worship but for a profound change in us. This moment of invocation highlighted a universal truth: in our gatherings, whether physical or virtual, we should seek encounters that leave us changed, challenging us to grow deeper in our faith.
The Storm on the Lake: A Metaphor for Life
The core of the sermon centered around the familiar biblical narrative of Jesus and His disciples caught in a fierce storm on the lake. This story, found in Luke 8:22, serves as a metaphor for the sudden and often severe storms we face in our lives. Pastor Scott pointed out that just as the disciples faced their fears on the water, we too confront fears that threaten to overwhelm us unless we have a solid anchor.
Anchoring Away from the Shore
Drawing an analogy with teachings given to new navy recruits, Pastor Scott emphasized the importance of anchoring away from the shore. This principle teaches us to avoid seeking safety in the familiar and comfortable. Instead, we should anchor ourselves deep in the truths of God, where true safety can be found. This lesson is particularly resonant for anyone feeling adrift in the face of personal or global crises.
The Deep Calls to Deep
The sermon also touched on the depth of our relationship with God. Pastor Scott challenged us to examine the depth of our own faith: Is it superficial or deeply rooted in daily practices of prayer and scripture reading? By cultivating a deeper relationship with God, we ensure that when storms come, we are not easily shaken.
Conclusion: Staying Anchored in Faith
In concluding his sermon, Pastor Scott reassured us that though the seas might rage, the boat will not sink if Jesus is in it. This powerful assurance is what I want to leave you with today. No matter how fierce the storm, remember that you are not alone. Jesus is in your boat, and with Him, you will reach the other side.
Reflection and Call to Action
I encourage you to reflect on the depth of your own faith. Are you anchored securely enough to withstand life’s storms? Let this message be a call to deepen your spiritual practices and trust in the promises of God. Share your thoughts in the comments below or reach out if you need prayers or support during your storms.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
What does it mean to you to have Jesus in your 'boat' during life's storms?
How can we deepen our relationship with God to ensure our faith is anchored securely?
Can you share a personal experience where you felt God calming a 'storm' in your life?
How can we maintain our faith and trust in God when we're in the middle of a tumultuous 'sea'?
What practical steps can we take to prepare ourselves for life's inevitable storms?
Discuss how our obedience to God's will might lead us into challenging situations and how we should respond.
Why do you think Jesus chose to calm the storm, and what does this teach us about His character and power?
How can we help others navigate their storms by pointing them to the peace found in Jesus?
In what ways can our faith be a testimony to others during difficult times?
What role does community play in helping us weather life's storms?
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Connecting our kids to what we as adults are learning and hearing on Sundays is vital to passing on our faith to the next generation. Use the summary below as a great way to talk about the message we heard with your kids.
Imagine you and your friends are in a small boat in a big, scary storm, and you're all really scared. But guess what? Jesus is there with you! He's so powerful that He can even tell the wind and waves to be quiet, and guess what? They listen! So, even when things get really scary, remember that if Jesus is with you, there's nothing to be afraid of because He's super strong and can make everything okay again.
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The story of Jesus calming the storm, found in Luke chapter eight, takes place on the Sea of Galilee, a location known for its sudden, violent storms due to its geography. Surrounded by mountains, the Sea of Galilee sits below sea level, creating perfect conditions for unexpected and fierce weather changes. This historical and geographical context adds depth to the narrative, exemplifying the disciples' real and understandable fear during the storm and highlighting the miraculous power of Jesus' intervention, both in its immediacy and in its defiance of natural expectations.
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God's presence is already here.
I don't know if you knew that or not, but I'm going to go ahead and pray now, regardless. Father, I don't want this to just be another service where someone proclaims your word. We sing a few songs, we pray, and then we go on about like nothing happened.
God, I'm asking for you to change us today. Yes, Lord. And I mean that.
Change me. Change who I am. Change every single person in this room.
God, you knew exactly who was going to be here before this day ever came. And so, God, I'm praying that something that would be said in this service today would be a benefit to someone here that would give them that word of hope, maybe that they need. Father, I proclaim your word today with boldness and authority that it has.
And, holy spirit, we know that you are here, but we ask that you keep coming, even in this moment, in Jesus name. Amen and amen. If you have your bible, I'd like for you to open it to Luke, chapter eight, verse 22.
Luke, chapter eight, verse 22. If you forgot your bibles at home, no problem. We'll have the scripture for you up on the screens, and here's what it says.
One day he, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they set out, and as they sailed, he, meaning Jesus, fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.
And they went and woke him, saying, master, master, we are perishing. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. And they ceased and there was a calm.
He said to them, where is your faith? And they were afraid. And they marveled, saying to one another, who then is this that he commands even the winds and water? And they obey him. I want to tell you something this morning, friends, that is not going to get a whole lot of applause or amens in the crowd, but it's the truth in this life, we're going to face storms.
But it depends on where we anchor, whether we survive or whether we perish. The evangelist whose ministry I got saved under her name is Marilyn Weeks, once shared in a message that she shared that new recruits in the navy are taught early on in their training where they should anchor. They are discouraged from anchoring to the shore because doing so is sure destruction.
See, when a hurricane is coming, people will often that have boats, they will often tie their boats up to their piers inland, and they think their boat is safe, and they'll tie it up real tight and they'll think, this boat's not going anywhere. But guess what? After the hurricane, they will find their boat is now on the bottom because as the tides rise, their boats are not able to rise with it because of the tightropes keeping it bound to the pier. And so water will begin to capsize and enter their boat.
But here's what the navy teaches. When storms come, go out into the deep and anchor. You see, that's the problem with many christians today.
Their relationship with God is a superficial one. But let me tell you, when you get in the habit of spending time with the Lord every single day, when you feel like it and when you don't, when you see him come through before your very eyes, let me tell you what happens when you see a storm on the horizon. People will not find you anxious.
They will not find you shaking in your boots. They will not find you doubting God's plan. They won't find you looking at your horoscope for advice and suggestions on what you should do next.
They'll find you in your easy chair with your feet up because you know your father has got this. Let me tell you a few things, though, about the deep. Not everything is cupcakes and unicorns, as my wife likes to say, in the deep.
If you've ever been on a cruise ship or been on a charter boat and gone way out to sea, when you first get on that ship, you will see people everywhere by the harbor. Many workers, they're loading, the porters are loading your bags onto the ship. They're bringing all the groceries on that you're going to eat and admire and love, and you're going to eat way too much of it, and they know that.
That's why they pack all of it on there. But many workers are at the harbor, people on the sidelines watching as the ship pulls out and heads out to sea. Something happens when you get out from that harbor and you get out into that deep blue sea.
When you look out, you won't see a soul out there other than you and those that are on that ship with you. And let me tell you something. When nightfall comes, you look out into that vast ocean and it gets real dark and it gets very freaky.
But here's what I want to tell someone listening to this message today. You may be in here or you may be online while you may feel like you're in this middle of the storm, in the middle of the night, and it's dark and you feel you are all alone and you don't see anyone around you in your struggle. I want you to know something.
Jesus is in that boat. He's not just on the sidelines watching you, friend. He's in the boat with you.
And let me tell you, if Jesus is in that boat, that boat is going to float. Let me say that one more time for the people in the back that fell asleep already, wake up. I said, if Jesus is in that boat, that boat going to float.
The seas may warp, the winds may blow, but that boat is not going down if Jesus is in it. So when you are faced with a situation, let me assure you of something. It might be a trying time.
Trust me, we've all been there. You might have to face obstacles that you didn't see coming that you didn't want to face. But just stay in that boat with Jesus, friend, and watch as that boat is going to sail right through that storm.
And yes, it will come out the other side victorious. I want to reread verse 22 for us. One day he, meaning Jesus, got into a boat with his disciples and he said to them, let us go across to the other side of the lake.
So our first point this morning is this. Sometimes the storm is a result of our obedience. Many people in the church believe that as long as someone does exactly as God wants me to do ABC, then we will be free from negative consequences.
But, friends, I have some bad news for all of us. The rain is going to fall regardless. And sometimes the rain will fall even though you are doing exactly what God told you to do.
As one theologian put it, Jonah ended up in a storm because of his disobedience. But the disciples got into a storm because of their obedience to the Lord. What did the disciples do? They did exactly what Jesus told them to do.
Jesus told them get into the boat. Did Jesus know what was going to happen? Possibly. But here's what we know for sure.
The disciples did exactly as they were told. That is not up for discussion. It's not up for debate.
They did as they were told and I feel today that some of you have done exactly what God has told you to do, and you have found yourself in a position that seems like a literal hell on earth. And I just want you to know that sometimes it is our obedience that leads us into the storm. But you should not be afraid, because, again, Jesus is there with you.
Let me tell you, it doesn't matter if you live your life for Jesus or not. You are going to face storms in this life. The question is, do you want to go through these storms on your own, or do you want to do it with someone that has a proven track record of always being on time, always persevering, always coming through, the one that has never lost a battle, the one that has always provided, and the one that is always faithful.
If I've got to go through the storm, friends, I'll do it with Jesus. You can do it on your own. That's your prerogative.
But I'm gonna do it with Jesus. I want you to understand something today, friends. You should not be surprised when storms come.
The disciples were used to these storms on the Sea of Galilee. They were a very common occurrence. And if you look at the geography around the Sea of Galilee, you will find that the Sea of Galilee is 13 miles long at its longest point, and it is 8 miles wide at its widest point, and it is surrounded by mountains all around.
So when the wind blows across the sea, it creates a very turbulent sea. This is a daily occurrence, and they were very used to this. The disciples should not have been surprised by a storm.
This should not have caught them off guard. But yet we see that it startled them to the point of complete desperation. But what they forgot was Jesus made them a promise.
When he gave them orders to get in that boat, he said, let us go across to the other side of the lake. Jesus didn't say, let us perish in the middle of the sea. Galilee.
He told them, we're going to the other side. There was not a question in his language. And I want to tell you something.
Jesus has not abandoned you, and he has promised you, and he will fulfill his promises, that he's gonna get you to that other side. Now, you may have to go through some things between here and there, but I am telling you, Jesus is gonna get you through to that other side. We are going to the other side.
I feel like I need to tell you, Jesus is promising you today you're going to get to the other side, if you will just trust him. I know it may look bleak. I know Satan is shouting doubts and negativity.
But let me encourage you today, friend. Do not listen to the author of lies. Start listening to the one that cannot lie.
Stop listening to the one that wants you dead, and start listening to the one that gave you life and life more abundantly. It's a shame that it seems like we have more people in the church that get caught up in focusing their attention on Satan instead of the lost all around them. Friend, you don't need to worry about the plans of Satan.
I could care less what Satan is planning because I've read the end of the book and I know his destiny. There isn't a plan that Satan can come up with that will throw God off and catch him by surprise. How many of you are thankful for that? I don't care what Satan is up to.
I care about the lost, because that's what Jesus told me to be concerned about. But so many people are so concerned. Well, Scott, don't you.
Aren't you afraid of what you see in the world today? No, I'm not. Because I know my destiny. But you know what? I need to bring as many along with me as I possibly can.
That's what my eyes are fixed on. Don't be fixed on the storm around you. That does not matter.
Let Jesus take care of that. You focus on the lost. Now, let me tell you why many don't spend time sharing their faith with the lost.
People don't share their faith because it's not the easy thing to do. It's inconvenient. Have you ever been in a Walmart or in a checkout line and the Holy Spirit nudged you and said, hey, that person ahead of you, talk to them and you think, well, I'm in a hurry.
I ain't got time for this right now. It's not the easy thing to do. See, the Holy Spirit is often like that.
He nudges us at times when is least convenient. But church, just because it's difficult doesn't mean that God is not in it. We have too many sissified christians in the church, church today that believe that if it's difficult, then it must not be of God.
But I want you to show me in the Bible church where a person that was after God's heart and yet they never faced adversity. Show me someone. I'll wait for a name.
Because there's no one in the Bible that did not face some kind of adversity. God expects us to do our part. And when we do our part, when we do that, God steps in and begins to add his super to what we can do.
Our natural. The disciples in this passage had a role to play. They had to be obedient.
But their obedience landed them directly in the middle of a storm. And I'm gonna tell you, during my time at Southeastern University, I kept hearing students. From the time I stepped foot on that campus, I kept hearing the name of a professor.
I didn't know what he taught. I didn't know anything about him. But there was one thing that I heard over and over and over again.
Even those that were not taking Bible classes knew this. They told me, they said, if you want to pass, do not take any class taught by Doctor Joseph Davis because you will fail. It was just a matter of fact.
Students that normally get A's in every single class fail his class. And I'm gonna tell you something. He was known as the hardest professor on that campus and he still teaches there today.
In case you would like to go back to college, I'm gonna tell you something, he enjoys that reputation. So guess what I did? Being the go with the flow type that never goes against the grain, I signed up for his class. He was teaching theology one.
And I'm here to tell you that was the most intense, stressful, uncomfortable class that I have ever taken in my entire college career. It even tops college algebra two. And I thought I would never pass that class to the glory of God.
After three times I passed it. Why did I take his class? I took his class because I thought to myself, you know, I would rather take a class that challenges me, stretches me enough to the point that if I was asked a theological question by an unbeliever, I would be able to answer it and be a better witness for Christ. I grew more than words can express because of that class.
I didn't get the best grade in that class of all of them. But I'm gonna tell you something. I got my money's worth out of that class.
I got what I came for. I wanted to learn more about him. And when it came time to sign up for theology too, guess who I picked? Doctor Davis.
Now am I saying that I came away from the class with all the right answers? I'm here to tell you no. I came away with more questions than I did answers because it began to create in me a deeper way of thinking about God that I had never thought of before. But see, just because it's difficult doesn't mean that we should tuck our tails under and run away.
Many people want you to believe that if you're facing difficult times, then you must have sinned against God. Ever heard that before? And this is God's way of getting even. People said the same thing to Job.
But what did God say about the storm that job was facing? In essence, God told job, you are not in control. And unless you know all things, you have no right to accuse me of wrongdoing by allowing this storm to come into your life. Let me be clear about something.
If you are facing a storm today, I don't know why God has chosen to allow it to come into your life. But here's what I do know. If you'll just stand and be faithful to what God asks of you, he will get you through, and you'll come out the other side with more just like you, just like job did, than what you had when the storm started.
So just stand on God's word, because the storm has a purpose. You are either going to grow, you are going to realize how insignificant you are and how magnificent God is. You are going to realize how weak you are and how great God is.
Or here's another one. Others around you are going to witness your faith and God's faithfulness and be encouraged and drawn to him. So our first point, sometimes the storm is a result of our obedience.
Our second point, this morning, Jesus isn't afraid of the storm that you're facing, so you can relax. Verse 23 says, so they set out, and as they sailed, he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger, and they went and woke him.
It would make sense if Jesus fell asleep before the storm came. But I want you to notice that even when the storm was raging, the waves were coming in. I just want to point something out to you.
You may have in your mind that this is that the disciples are on this ginormous, wonder of the seas cruise ship. They're not on a cruise ship, friends. They're on a rowboat, okay? We're talking a long time ago.
So let me. If you've ever been on a cruise ship that's been in the middle of a storm, you might think there is no way you're gonna feel a single thing. This cruise ship is huge.
Oh, no. You feel stuff. Have you ever been in the dining room and you got your glass of water there on your table, and you just see that thing doing this? If you've never been motion sickness before, you will on a cruise ship.
But the amazing thing is, Jesus was in this tiny boat. Just imagine how much they were feeling as the waves were pounding into that. But Jesus stayed asleep through it all.
It would make sense if he fell asleep before the storm, but even while the storm was going on, he was still asleep. Now, I know some people are heavy sleepers, but friends, this is on a whole nother level. This isn't sleeping like we know sleeping.
This type of sleep only comes when a person is at complete peace, knowing that God has it all under control. And I'm going to be honest with you, friends. I should be able to sleep like that.
We all should be able to sleep like that. But truth be told, we don't. Because the spirit would often lead Jesus to minister to people wherever he was along his journey.
He was. Often he would catch sleep wherever he could. And sometimes those places were a little unorthodox.
But here's what I want us to notice. Jesus's mind and heart were peaceful enough, trusting in the love and the care of his father in heaven, that he could sleep in the midst of that storm. I believe Pastor Craig Grishel said it best when he said this.
Never let the presence of a storm cause you to doubt the presence of God. Jesus knew, no matter what, he was safe in the presence of his father. Friends, we need to stop giving the devil more credit than he deserves.
He does not have authority over your life. And while he may be able to create storms in your life, here's what you need to do. Just take a seat in your la z boy chair, put your feet up, get comfortable, get a nice cup of coffee or in my case, of soda, and watch jesus go to work on your behalf.
There is no need to get anxious about the things that Satan threatens you with. I've gotten to the point in my life, friends, that when Satan threatens me, I just stand, laugh in his face and I say, go right on ahead. That may seem a little egotistical, but I'm not bragging on myself and my own abilities.
I am bragging on my God. Satan is under God's authority. And the only way something is going to happen is if God allows it to.
And I know that if God allows it to happen, it is for my good. So can I be at, so I can be at peace even while the seas around me are raging, even while those. Those are around me or against me, even when I don't know what.
What to do. Because I know that as long as I stand firm with God, I will be blessed. We need to stop wasting energy on fear because it's not worth our time.
Instead, we should be praying. Here's what Pastor Craig Grishel said. Prayer reminds us we are not in control and keeps us close to the one that is.
I want to be close to him because the closer that I am to him, the more I am assured that all is well with my soul. Can I tell you something that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me? Some people fear storms, but they have absolutely no fear of God. Pastor Jim Rayleigh recently said, when the church gets a fear of God, the devil will get a fear church.
I have made up in my mind, friends, that the devil is going to fear oaG. If you want to go to some spiritually sissified church, you're in the wrong church on the wrong Sunday with the wrong preacher standing behind this pulpit. This is going to be a praying church.
This is going to be a giving church. This is going to be a fasting church. This is going to be a church that binds the devil and takes authority over demons because we have that authority.
This is going to be a church where people get saved, saved, healed, delivered and filled with the Holy Ghost. When we decide to operate like that, there is not a single thing the enemy can do. And he knows better than to touch that church.
Jesus was at peace in the midst of that storm because he was close to the father. It is time for us to get close to the father. Friends, I want you to take notice of something else.
When jesus awoke, what did he say? He rebuked the disciples and said, where is your faith? Jesus didn't say, my, my, my. Look at this terrible storm. What are we gonna do? The storm did not disturb Jesus.
The first thing he acknowledged was the unfaith, the unbelief of his disciples. The storm did not disturb Jesus, but the unbelief of his disciples did. Friends, difficult circumstances.
Storms are not evidence of unbelief. Unbelief is the rejection of a promise or a command that God has given us relevant to our particular situation. And in this situation, Jesus told them they were going over to the other side.
But when the storms rose, they started to doubt. They believed Jesus enough to get in the boat. In the beginning, when the storm, when it was, everything was calm, but when the waters started raging, then they began to question it.
Don't start to doubt God when you see the waves come. Just allow them to grow your faith. I believe some of you need to get alone with the Lord.
You see, if you don't, if you don't spend time with God and in his word, you will forget what he is capable of and what he has already done. He has a proven track record. Friends.
Pastor Jim Rayleigh said, david sat alone before he sat on the throne. He was alone in the wilderness. He went to bypass.
A lot of people want to bypass those days. You see, isolation often precedes elevation. God will get you all by yourself, where you've got no one else to depend on, no one else to count on, no one else to rely on.
And it is in those moments, moments, that you find out that he has always been your source. Sometimes you've got to leave the herd in order to be heard. I don't want to sound like everyone else.
I don't want to preach like everyone else. I don't want my worship to be like everybody else. I'm not slamming anyone else.
But I have made up in my mind that I want more of God. And I will run alone if that's what I have to do. Who is behind me? Church.
So our third point this morning. Now, if I was a true pentecostal preacher, this would be it. Assembly of God.
We have three point sermons, and that's it. Our third point. Today we serve a God that is in control.
Verse 24. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased and there was a calm. Friends, we serve a God that is in control of it all.
It's a bit comical to me if you read this passage, that the disciples were first fearful of the storm, but then once Jesus did exactly what they asked him to do, which was calm the waters, then they became fearful of Jesus. Verse 25. And they were afraid, talking about Jesus here, after Jesus calmed the storm, and they marveled, saying to one another, who then is this? That he commands even winds and water, and they obey him.
The calm of the sea should have been. Should have been a great, peaceful sign to them. But instead they were just as afraid when he calmed the storm as when they were in the midst of the storm.
We should not be surprised when Jesus answers our prayers. We need to remember that God hears us, that God cares about us, that God loves us. And when we pray, we are actually talking to the father.
This is not a I hope you get this message, Lord. No, he hears you the second the thought comes into your mind and you utter that word even before you pray. A single word.
That thought got to him. This is not a I hope you get this message. He got it.
Our God is in control. Some theologians that are much smarter and wiser than I am suggest that Satan might have been behind this. Storm.
And here's why they suggest this. Number one, the disciples were fishermen, and as I've already said, they encountered storms almost daily in the sea of Galilee. So they should not have been surprised by a storm.
It tends to suggest that this storm was unlike anything they had ever encountered before. Second, according to scripture, Jesus rebuked the winds in the raging water. He didn't just say, peace be still.
Scripture tells us that he rebuked them. Third, when Jesus and the disciples made it to the other side, just as Jesus said that they would, Jesus was immediately confronted with a demon possessed man who called himself legion because he was possessed by many demons. Regardless of what your thoughts are, whether this storm was created by Satan or not, one thing is certain.
Jesus has the final say. If Satan was behind it, he probably thought to himself, here is a perfect opportunity to take out Jesus and all his little preachers by drowning them and defeating the purposes of God and thus preventing salvation from coming. This was certainly an opportunity of the century for the enemy of the human race.
But God had the final say. There's a new worship song that came out recently that I have been obsessed with because the lyrics of this song are greatly anointed. Here are some of the lyrics.
For me and my house. We're going to serve you for me and my house. You'll get the praise for me and my house.
We're going to love you always. We have set our homes apart for you. Let your glory come and fill each room.
Pour out your peace. Move in your strength. Flood with your healing stream.
We have set our homes apart for you. For me and my house. We're going to worship for me and my house.
You'll get your way. For me and my house. We're going to love you always.
We declare our homes our holy ground. Sons and daughters are arising now. Let the young see.
Let the old dream till joy has been released. We declare our homes are holy ground. And here is the bridge of the song.
This is my favorite part. We speak to the enemy. You can't have my family because we belong to the Lord.
With heaven's authority, we take back our destiny because we belong to the Lord. That's the stance we need to take against the enemy church. He has no power over us.
He tells us every day that he does. But I am telling you, you can take this to the bank. He does not.
And he knows he has nothing. God is in control. So relax today, knowing that God has got you.
Here's what I hope you take away from this simple message today. In relation to whatever is causing you anxiety, fear and tribulation, one of three things is going to happen in the end. Number one, it may never happen.
Number two, it may happen, and it will not be as bad as what you thought. Number three, it may happen, but God is going to carry you through it. While I know some of you are facing very real and ongoing battles, pray that this empowers someone.
And I say this almost every day to myself, don't let the devil rob you of the present by convincing you to worry about the future. Satan so many times wants us to worry about what's coming ahead. But I want you to know something today, church, the same God that is with you today is standing in your future, and he's got it all worked out.
I don't need to be concerned about what's coming down the road. I have no idea what that is. But God does.
And if he has gotten me this far and he's holding me in the palm of his hand, I trust he's going to get me through it. And whatever it is, whatever I may face along that journey from here to there, if I face obstacles, I'm just gonna lift my hands and say, God, I know you have this. That's not the easy thing to do.
But you know what? He's got it. Matthew 626. A very familiar passage.
Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? Drop down now to verse 34.
Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself, sufficient for the day is its own trouble. For those of you that are hurting today, remember that your valley is not your destination. God never says that we will not go through valleys and turbulent times, but he does promise that we will not go through them alone.
We may enjoy God on those mountaintops. Been there, done that. But I'm going to tell you something.
I have learned that it's in those valleys that I get closer to him than I've ever been before. There is no storm that he will not bring you through. There is no obstacle that he will not help you overcome.
There is no enemy that he will not defeat, and there is no heartache that he will not heal. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Now this would be a great place to wrap up this message. And to be honest with you, when I was working on this and praying through this, I felt like this was it, until God nudged me and wanted me to go just a little bit deeper. We've talked about faith and how we should always trust in the plans of God, no matter what we see around us.
But this morning, I want to be transparent with you, and I pray that this minister to someone. I believe God is real beyond a shadow of a doubt. How many of you believe that? I believe he loves me.
I believe he can heal me of any disease, anything that I overcome, anything that comes into my life. I believe he can make the anxiety go away. I believe he'll always be there for me.
I believe he will supply my every need, because he has time and time again. I believe I can find rest in him. I believe in all of these things.
And therefore, you would think nothing could deter my faith. But if I'm being honest with you, there are some days when I just don't feel it. You see, there is a difference between believing it and feeling it.
Maybe you are more spiritual than I am, and if so, go you. But I want to be transparent with you, because I believe we have enough preachers that stand behind pulpits saying one thing and living another. I'm committed to not be one of them.
I want to be real with you. I don't want. I don't want to wear a mask up here and pretend like I have it all together.
Because I'm telling you, news flash, this guy is not perfect. I have days when I feel like I had the faith to conquer the world, and then I have days when it's tough just to get out of the bed in the morning. Listen, if you're sad about one thing or fearful about one thing, it's manageable.
But when you've got it coming from all different directions, all sides at the same time, and it all just seems to be piling up, you cannot even resolve it. You have someone ask you what is wrong, and you tell them, I don't even know. I can't tell you because it's just so much.
The weight is so heavy, and trying to manage our emotions is like pulling the Christmas lights out of the attic. It is all tangled and bundled up, and we don't even know where to begin. Listen, if that's you, today, I have some good news, and I'm preaching this to myself.
God is not a feeling. So here we go. Because God is not a feeling.
Your feelings are not dependent upon his presence. The Holy Spirit will make you feel, but he's not a feeling. You see, here's what God wants us to do.
And here's what he wanted the disciples us to do. We need to separate our feelings from our faith because we need to have faith regardless of what we are feeling. God is not afraid of our feelings, nor is he limited by them.
And here's the last point that I want to make today. God is with you forever, but feelings are with you temporarily. Praise team.
If you can come back now. Listen to me, friends. Feelings change.
And they change very frequently throughout the day. One person says something to you and you would go from having the best day to having the worst day, all because of something that one person said. Can I give all of us, including myself, some advice? We need to stop investing in something that is going to change so quickly.
The issue is, if we're not careful, we will allow the way we feel one day to dictate the amount of faith that we have. But our faith is not based on how we feel. Church.
Our faith is based on nothing less than Christ and Christ alone. The unchanging solid rock. I've got some good news and some bad news.
Here's the good news. The feeling that you're feeling right now will not last long. That's something to praise God for.
The depression that you're feeling will not last long. The anxiety that you feel will not last long. The pain that you feel will not last long.
Young people, you went through a breakup. Don't worry, it's not going to last forever. You will move on.
You'll probably break up from ten other people. The pain will change. That's the good news.
But here is the bad news. You are investing a lot of time, energy, worry and thought into something that's not going to last long. Listen to me.
The pain that you are experiencing today will pass. But can I tell you what will never pass away? What is an ever present help in your time of need? What will be present long after your current feelings? Take a hike. His name is Jesus.
If you're going through a battle like the disciples were in that boat that day, and it's causing you anxiety to the point that your faith is wavering, can I remind you of something, and I've already said this, but I want to say it one more time. God is not a feeling. So if you'll just start to lift your hands and start focusing on the one that is eternal, I promise you that investment will return a good dividend.
Because even when you don't feel him, he's working. Even when you don't see it, he's working. Even when you are sleeping.
He's working. Come on, someone. Don't make me stand up here and preach and preach and praise all by myself.
I don't care what you feel. He is faithful. That's who he is.
He is a way maker. He is a miracle worker. He is a promise keeper.
Regardless of what your feelings are telling you this morning, it is time for us to speak to our feelings and say, get in alignment with God's word or get out. Let me tell you, the greatest thing you can do in the middle of a storm, like the disciples were facing that day, is to lift your hands and say, God, I worship you regardless of what I see around me. I may see torment, I may see storms.
I may see raging seas. But, God, I'm keeping my eyes fixed on you because I know you're going to get me through this. God is the same.
Yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. He's not controlled by emotion.
He's not controlled by a feeling. Pastor Jeff and the worship team is going to lead us into the song way maker. And if you need to get your feelings into alignment with who God really is, I want you to come down to the altar.
And I believe, because I have prayed it, that as you praise at this altar, those shackles are going to come off. And let me tell you, I am not interrupting the spirit. We are a pentecostal church, and God is going to have his way when I preach.
Because none of you have come to hear from a man, you have come to receive and hear from the Lord, and that you will. So I am not going to close the service like we typically do. I'm not going to have a formal closing.
I'm going to have a very informal closing because I don't want anyone to feel rushed. If God is ministering to you, you can stay here all afternoon. It does not bother me one bit.
So here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna pray, and I want you to come to the altar. If God is drawing you, God, break out in this house.
Fall on this place, God, we want to see a move that will forever change us into being better witnesses for you. We don't want to be controlled by our feelings and emotions. We want to be compelled by the Holy Spirit.
We don't want you just to give us goosebumps so that we can go home and say, that was a great service. I feel so great. We want to be transformed into people that care for the lost.
The Holy Spirit was given to make us a powerful witness. And God, unfortunately, many of people in the church have made it more about a feeling instead of empowerment. God, you are faithful, and we are going to praise you regardless of what we see coming around us, regardless of what we see on the horizon, because you are worthy of it.
And we know that as long as we keep our eyes on you, you promise to keep us in the palm of your hand. Holy Spirit, come and have your way in this place in Jesus name. If you feel led to come to this altar, the altar is open for you right now as we sing this song.
