Viola Solid Rock Assembly
Focus in the Storm
now that all the commercials are out of the way, let's get into it. Why, you know, have you ever thought about that when you start going through a trial or storm or a battle, why do we automatically think it's because we miss God in some way? You know, we got to start going through a trial, we start going through something and immediately, it's like, they must have missed God, they're going through that, they must have missed God. We think of it that way. We're like, what did I do, what did I do wrong? Why is God mad at me? Why am I going through this? Why is the devil attacking me? 'Cause we give him so much credit. One of the things that I found is, you know, we've been talking all year about being obedient, listening to God and acting out what he asked us to do. And one of the things that I found is being obedient and walking things out with God doesn't necessarily mean that it'll be smooth sailing. In fact, sometimes it takes us right into the eye of the storm, so to speak. The thing is, is that the storm is not always a bad thing. Most of the time, a storm in my life has served a purpose. It might not have been a purpose that I particularly enjoyed. But it's served a purpose. Second Corinthians chapter one, verse four says, he comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others when they're troubled. We will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. Essentially, he's saying we go through storms and he comforts us so that we can comfort others as they go through the same stuff. In that grand, we have to go through things so that we can comfort somebody else. We can go from, we can go from today though, all the way back to when Jesus was walking on earth and every new generation of believers has been influenced by the generation before them. So in a very real sense, storms that the disciples went through then, that God comforted them, we are being comforted today. The impact of those same storms is still being felt today. Matthew chapter 14 tells about one of those storms. In verse 22, it says, immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake. And while he sent the people home, after sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. And meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land for a strong wind had risen and they were frightened, they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. And when the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, it's a ghost, but Jesus spoke to them at once. Don't be afraid, he said, take courage, I am here. Then Peter called to him, Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water. Yes, come, Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. Saved me, Lord, he shouted. And Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. And he said, you have so little faith. Jesus said, why do you doubt me? When they climb back into the boat, the wind stopped. This is right after they fed the 5,000, right? With a fish, fish stick sandwich and a few pieces of bread. And he feeds all these people, and Jesus tells them, now after we done this, I'm gonna send these people away. Y'all go get in the boat, go to the other side. Now, at what point do the disciples go, how's he gonna get there? He just told us to leave. How is he gonna get there? They eat in the boat and they're leaving, and they get out in the middle of the lake, the sea, and the wind is blowing and the waves are crashing around them. They did that, they went because of obedience. They would have stayed with Jesus to show the people away. But he said, go get in the boat and go to the other side. They were being completely obedient. They were walking out what Jesus was telling them. And yet they found themselves in the middle of a storm. And then Jesus taking a casual stroll on Sunday afternoon, comes walking out there on the water. What? What is going on here? How is this happening? They heard his voice, they were walking it out and found themselves in the middle of the storm. No one, not one person that I know likes adversity. In fact, a universal trait that all humans have is the tendency to avoid difficulty and resistance. We love our comfort zones. We do everything in our power to stay there. But everyone goes through storms in life. Everyone faces adversity. Some of those storms are a result of our own decisions. And some have zero connection with our decisions. Not all storms in life are a result of disobedience. Sometimes we're in the middle of the storm because we are completely obedient to what God was asking us to do. Here they are in the boat and Jesus comes walking to him and then Peter, he's like, hey, if he's really you, I want to go. I want to walk on water. In the middle of the storm, right? Sometimes following God will take us right into the pathway of adversity. The disciples were doing exactly what they were told to do, but they got out of their comfort zone. When the further you get out of the way from the shore, the rougher the water gets. They were out of their comfort zone. And then Jesus is there and he's looking at them there, saying, if it's really you, if it's really you, Jesus, tell me to come to you. And so he says, come on, Peter, come on out here. So he steps out into the water, right? Well, what happened? He began to sink. The storm around him began to swallow him up because he took his eyes off of Jesus. And Jesus had fed this multitude that disciples had seen what he had done. They'd seen the distributing of the food. I mean, every time they broke another piece, another piece was there. It was like, how many fish sticks are in this sack? Have you ever had it? Have you ever had something so many times and you're like, I am not praying over this food again because I do not want it to get any more blessed. I want it to be done and over with. They were pulling out with, look, he blessed it way more. Look, it's still coming. And they saw this, yet they were in the storm and they were terrified. Where was their faith? It just seemed God knew this. They just saw Jesus do this incredible miracle. They were a part of it. They were distributing. They were the distribution of this miracle. Yet they're in the middle of the storm and they're like, terrified. And I think about that. I think about Moses. God tells him to step out of his comfort zone and return to Egypt. He obeys and goes back to free the people out of slavery only to face obstacle after obstacle after obstacle with Pharaoh. Finally, Pharaoh's like, all right, get out of here. And he sends them away only to change his mind and they get to the edge of the Red Sea and Pharaoh's nipping at their heels. And I'm sure at that moment, Moses was thinking, I've done everything that you've asked me to do. I was happy on the other side, on the back side of the desert with my sheep. I came all the way back here to free these people who I know are complainers to get to the sea and where are we gonna go now? It doesn't say this in scripture anywhere, but I'm telling you, this was playing out in his head. I didn't sign up for this. I didn't sign up to be trapped with a bunch of complainers. I'm being obedient. This is supposed to be easy. When we choose to step out in faith and obey God's instructions, a time of testing typically follows every time. It follows in our, and he follows in our life and we can do exactly what he's asking us to do only to face obstacle after obstacle. And in those moments, we move forward or we think I've missed it. I must have missed God. God must have not really asked me to do that. I mean, I felt like he asked me to do it and I start doing it and then something bad happens. Must be God, it's a sign, I'm not supposed to do it. That's not the way that it works. The testing comes to see if we're able or willing to press through. What if Moses would have got to Pharaoh and after he told him no, after no, he looked and said, "Nah, no, thanks. I'm going back to the backside of the desert." What if when he got to the Red Sea and Pharaoh was there, he turned around and said, "Y'all wait here for a minute. Let me go talk to Pharaoh. Pharaoh, I'm bad, we made a mistake." You know, how can you fault us? We just wanted to be free. We'll come back. Oh, you want us to make triple the bricks, no problem. But that's not what happened. He pressed through. The thing we have to understand is sometimes the obstacles and pathway of adversity is there to shake some things out of us. It's not just there to happen. It's not just there to be there. It's there to shake us to remove some things, to get us prepared for the next thing God has for us. I think about Daniel chapter three. I think about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and they're standing before Nebuchadnezzar. And he's trying to get them to bow down to this idol, right? And they're like, "We're not going to do it. We're not doing it." And he said, "If you don't do it, I'm going to throw you in the furnace." Okay, we're not doing it. We are not going to bow down to this idol. And it may Nebuchadnezzar so mad that the scripture says that he turned the furnace up seven times hotter than it had ever been. I don't know how he did that. I don't know if they had a dial over there. And he was just like, throw some more wood in there. But it says it was seven times hotter than it had ever been. It says that the men who carried these boys burned up. Nothing left, poof gone. They throw these guys in the fire, all tied up. And then it says in verse 24, "But suddenly Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and explained to his advisors. Didn't we tie up these three men and throw them in the furnace?" Yes, your majesty, we certainly did, they replied. "Look, I see far-mount men unbound walking around in the fire unharmed. And the fourth looks like a God. And then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted, "Shagrat, make shag and a bendigo. Servants of the most high God come out. Come here." So Shagrat, make shag and a bendigo stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials and governors and advisors crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them, not a hair on their head was singed and their clothing was not scorched and they didn't even smell like smoke. I've been standing half a mile away from a fire and smell like smoke. Now think about this for a moment. How did they get unbound? Did the fourth man untie them? Or did he allow the fire to burn the things that bound them while protecting them from any physical harm? I can't say for certain. It doesn't say in the scripture. But I've seen in my own life and the lives of others, if we choose to keep our eyes on the Lord instead of the flames, he can use the flames of adversity to burn away the things in our lives that bind us while protecting us from destruction. Have you ever wondered why these guys didn't try to get out of the furnace? After they were loose, they were walking around unbound in the furnace, they could have walked out, they could have got out, but instead they remained in the furnace. It took Nebuchadnezzar coming and asking them to come out. They didn't just walk out on their own, why? I've often wondered why they didn't climb out. But they were in the presence of God and in his presence, we find peace and we find joy. Psalm 16, Levis says, you will show me the way of life granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasure of living with you forever. Then in his presence, there is joy and there is peace. And we know he's with us in the storms, trials, adversity, because he says in Second Corinthians chapter one, verse four, he comforts us in all of our troubles so that we can comfort others. He is with us in our troubles, our storms. When we face adversity, he's with us. And if we keep our eyes on him, we can experience peace and joy in the midst of the storm. I want that. I don't like going through storms where there's no peace. Hey, how can you go through the storm where there's peace? I don't know how to explain it. Things happen, it doesn't make me happy. I'm definitely not happy, but I know that there's a peace, I'm not worried. There's a peace about it. I have went through my share of trials. Things that don't make any logical sense. And I am not always happy in the moment. In fact, hardly ever. But I'm also not worried or stressed because I know that at the end of the day, God is still in control. And at the end of the day, there's peace because even in the midst of the storm, he's with me taking care of my troubles, comforting me. Even though I don't always want to be comforted. Y'all know what I'm talking about. Y'all do something and you don't want to be comforted by anybody. It's like a little kid and they do something and you're trying to comfort them and they're like, get away. That's how we are with God sometimes. But he's there still comforting us, still taking care of us, still watching out for us, still saying, I got you. I'm gonna help you through this because on the other side, there's something else. Look at Paul and Silas, they're prime example of God's presence in our trials. Paul and Silas encountered a slave girl who had a spirit in her. She could predict the future and her masters were going to use this spirit to make a profit. And this little girl was following behind Paul and Silas and she's going, these men are sent from God. They were, she was being a pest. And Paul got tired of it. And he turned around and looked at her and said, get out and freed her from that demon, the demon left. And then you think people would be excited and happy. This girl just got free, but instead David, they were mad. Because they lost their mil ticket. And so they had them locked up, severely beaten. It says that they were stripped and severely beaten with wooden rods. They were beaten, they were chained up in the inner dungeon. But look at their response. It says in verse 23 of chapter 16, they were severely beaten. And then they were thrown into prison and the jailer was ordered to make sure they didn't escape. So the jailer put them in the inner dungeon and clamped their feet and stocks around midnight. Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. And the other prisoners were listening. And suddenly there was a massive earthquake and the prison was shaken to its foundations and all the doors, all the doors immediately flew open and the chains of every prisoner fell off. The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open and he assumed the prisoners escaped. So he drew his sword to kill himself, but Paul shouted out to him, don't kill yourself. We are all here. The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And then he brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" This wasn't a holiday in prison. This was a musty, nasty basement dungeon prison. There was raw sewage floating around all around them. There was rats everywhere, but instead of throwing a pity party, they began to worship the Lord. Instead of complaining, they began to worship. It said it was that midnight. And midnight is often portrayed as the darkest, the darkest of darkest, the deepest aspairs. And so in the deepest, darkest aspairs of their life, instead of throwing a pity party, they began to worship the Lord. They began to cry out to God and they began to worship Him. And they began to praise Him. Instead of complaining, they began to worship and sing and they had a captive audience, quite literally. If you can worship God in the middle of your despair and storms and adversity, it will impact the lives of everyone around you. It will impact the lives of everyone around you. If in the middle of your despair and in the middle of your adversity and in the middle of your trial and in the middle of your storm, 'cause they don't care, I'm gonna worship anyways. People take notice. People take notice of how you respond and react to situations. How they're gonna respond? How are they gonna react? Are they gonna get on and rant on social media? How are they gonna do? Are they gonna remain silent and worship the Lord? Verse 26 says, "Suddenly there was a massive earthquake." This is, they began to worship God and pray. And suddenly there was a massive earthquake and the prisons were shaken to its foundations and all the doors, all the doors, every single door in the prison immediately flew open and all the chains of every prisoner fell off. Not just Paul and Silas' chains, all of them, everyone's. Paul and Silas, the way the scripture reads, they were the only ones singing. Yet everyone around them was affected by it. Everyone around them felt it. Everyone around them felt the earthquake and everyone around them saw that the doors and the chains were undone. Yet no one left. The prison was just thrown wide open, chains are loose, and nobody ran out. Because they were in the presence of the Lord. And when we choose to worship in the midst of the storms, the burdens will fall, the chains will fall off and we will remain because in his presence there is where joy abides. It impacted everyone around them, including the guard. You know he had to have heard them singing. He wasn't at home, he was there in the prison. He didn't know that the doors flew open immediately because he was trying to take cover, there was an earthquake. And then when he saw it, he said, they're all gone. Maybe there was a rock that fell and hit him on the head or something. They're all gone. There's no way for me to capture all these men again. It's over. Paul said, "Don't do it. We're all still here." "We're all still here." And it impacted the prisoners and it impacted the guard because he ultimately gave his life to the Lord. You think that was it for him? You think that was the end of the guard? We don't know his name, but I have a good feeling that the guard went home and told his family. And you know what happened? His family got saved. And you know what happened next? His neighbors got saved. That guy told everyone. And we are in the middle of the storm. And in the middle of the storm, a little revival happened where people's lives were changed forever. God is with us in our troubles. If we'll keep our eyes on him and not on the problem, he'll take care of us. Hebrews 13.5 says, "For God has said, 'I will never fail you and I will never abandon you.' He is with us through every trouble and every every trial." The thing that we misunderstand sometimes is that we think that if we're being obedient, that we won't face storms. And what happens when we then face those storms is we almost get this anger at God. Because we're like, we're being obedient. We're doing exactly what you're asking us to do. And yet we're still facing trials. We're still facing the storms. I remember one time you told me, I'm not going to fast anymore because every time I fast something bad happens to me. Because that's not supposed to happen. When we're serving God, when we're doing exactly what we're supposed to do, we aren't supposed to go through trials. We aren't supposed to go through storms. We aren't supposed to go through adversity. We're not supposed to have troubles because we're doing exactly what God has asked us to do. [BLANK_AUDIO] And we misunderstand it. We think we shouldn't face them, but all the examples that we've just shared is it was due to obedience that they ended up where they were. Obedience to God and His instructions led them to the challenge. We need to remember that the Lord never guaranteed us a life of smooth sailing because God's divine destiny for us often requires a pathway through the storm, not around the storm. As evidence, first Peter chapter 4, verse 12 says, "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through. As if something strange were happening to you." Pretty clear that we're just going to have to deal with it because Peter says, "Don't be surprised by it. Something strange isn't happening to you." It happens to everyone. Jesus said, John 1633, "I have told you all of this so that you may have peace in me here on earth. You will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart because I have overcome the world." When we abide in Christ, we can be at peace in the middle of the storm. We can be at peace in the middle of the storm. Back to the disciples in Matthew chapter 14, they were there, right? Peter's like, "If that's you, let me come." He said, "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind in the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord," he shouted. And Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why do you doubt me?" "You have so little faith." He was actually, he didn't say those words. He didn't say, "Oh ye of little faith." He actually used one word, and it was a word of mocking him because of his little faith. He was making fun of him because he didn't have faith. "Where's the faith?" "Where's the faith?" "What's going on with you?" "What happened to you?" Verse 30 says, "But when he saw the strong winds and waves, he was terrified and began to sink." Peter was obedient. First Peter was obedient by trying to get to the other side, right? He got in the boat because Jesus told him to. They didn't know how Jesus was going to get there, but they got in the boat to go to the other side. And then he was obedient when Jesus said, "Come on out in the water," and he stepped out, right? But he took his eyes off Jesus, and he put it on the waves and the wind and the storm, and in the moment, in that moment, he began to sink. Sometimes we can be doing everything right. We can be walking with the Lord through the storm, right? We're doing it right. We're abiding in him. We're walking with Jesus. We're in the middle of the storm. We're in the middle of the trial. We're still walking with Jesus. We're doing everything right. And then a curveball comes, and for a moment, pity party happens. We get a curve thrown our way, and we lose focus on the storm. I mean, we lose focus on Jesus and get our focus on the storm again. And we begin to sink, and in that moment, we have to make a choice. When we take our eyes off of him and put it on the storm, we have to make a choice. Are we going to sit here and continue to sink and throw pity party? We're going to get focused back on Jesus. Oh, poor me, it always happens to me. Nobody likes me. Nobody cares. This always happens. This always goes on. I've been trying to do exactly what God wants me to do, and I'm still facing trials, and I'm still facing storms, and I don't understand it. Or we can look and say, wait, and do what Peter did when he said, save me, Lord, save me, Lord. And immediately Jesus reached out and grabbed him. You have so little faith. Why did you doubt immediately? The moment that he cried out to God, it says, Jesus immediately reached out. Immediately, not two days from now, not two weeks from now, not two years from now, immediately. He reached out and pulled him up. Immediately. Sometimes we miss the immediately because we're too focused on the storm. We've cried out for help, but we're still not looking at Jesus. We're looking at the storm and everything that's going on bad. And so we miss the immediately. He's got us. He's with us in the troubles and in the pains and in the storms. He's walking beside us. It says the Bible says that. And if I believe any of the Bible, I got to believe all of the Bible. But it doesn't always feel like it. It doesn't always feel like he's there immediately. Because we still got some stuff that we need to burn off. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about great faith. It's a gift of the Lord, right? Great faith is a gift, just like tongues interpretation is a gift of the Spirit. Great faith is a gift of the Spirit. And we talked about that. In that moment, Peter didn't have great faith. Jesus was saying to him, "Where is your great faith, man?" "Where's your faith, why did you doubt?" "I was right here with you." "How could he immediately grab him if he wasn't right beside him?" I mean, he's Jesus. He could have expected or gadgeted it, but still. He was right there next to him. "Why were you scared?" Faith is the currency of God. Fear is the currency of Satan. What are you going to let be more current in your life? I know that it's tough when we're going through storms. I know that it's tough when we're going through stuff. It's not easy. It weighs on us. It's not fun. But if we allow God, if we allow God to help us, he's already here. All we got to do is keep our eyes on him. I'll ask everyone that would just stand to your feet. Lord, I thank you for today. Lord, I thank you for what you're doing in this house. I thank you for great faith, God. I thank you that it's a gift. And Lord, I pray that you give everyone in this room their fair share. I pray that you give them more than their share of great faith, God. Lord, I know, I know that we all go through storms from time to time. We all go through troubles and trials. Your word says that we will. We don't always handle it the correct way, God. We don't always turn to you in those moments. And Lord, I just pray that this morning, I pray this morning that you begin to move in this house. I pray this morning that you begin to pour out your spirit in this place. Oh, there's no doubt in my mind that there's people in this room that are going through trials this morning. And Lord, I pray that today that you give them relief. If you're here this morning and you're going through one of those trials, you're going through trouble. You're going through adversity and you say, I just need relief. I just need God to show up. I need that immediate. I need that immediately. I want to invite you to come. This doesn't mean you're a bad person. This doesn't mean that anything is wrong with you. We all go through stuff. Are you going to be willing to allow him to take control of it? You say, I'm going through a trial right now and I just need God to show up. I need God to move in this situation. I know that he's here, but I need some help to get through this storm. I want to invite you to come. [Silence] Lord, I just thank you right now. I pray that you begin to move in their hearts right now. That you begin to touch, Lord, whoever this was for this morning, whoever is touching right now. God, I pray that you begin to move and you begin to touch them. Lord, I pray that you helped them to get through this trial. Lord, that you begin to heal their bodies, Lord, that you begin to meet their needs, Lord. Lord, whatever the trial or the trouble that they're facing, Lord, I pray that you begin to move and you begin to touch right now, God. Lord, I pray for great faith. I pray that we have a currency of faith here and not a currency of fear. Lord, I just pray that you move in the storms of our lives. Lord, as we all go through these storms, Lord, I pray that you move and you touch and make a way. Lord, we just thank you. We praise you. We thank you. We praise you. Lord, I pray that you watch over and you protect these people as they travel to their homes and bring them back here safely. Your name, we pray. Amen. We'll see you tonight at six o'clock in the gym.