A HOPE & A FUTURE

There used to be a Wendy's commercial somewhere back around 1970.  In that commercial, this little old lady goes into one of the competitors hamburger joints and gets a hamburger.  When they give it to her, it has two big buns and a little tiny piece of hamburger.  She looks at the man and with a very nasty look on her face, she says, “Where’s the beef?” That line caught on quickly and everyone in America started saying that about everything.  

But the trouble is that story is very true.  It seems the world promises us much, but when we go to get it, it delivers very little.

There was another such line in the movie “Forrest Gump.”  In that movie, Tom Hanks, who played Forrest Gump, was sitting on a park bench sharing chocolates with another person and in a deep philosophical moment, he said, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.”

No matter who you are, or what age you are, you can look back over your life and see that he was telling the truth.  Life is not all sweet and good, is it?  Your life can be changed from one moment to the next, and that change can throw your whole world upside down and turn it inside out.

It seems that any time the wind starts blowing; it blows in some kind of a storm for us to go through. It might be an unexpected shower, like overhearing someone make a hurtful remark about you, or it might be a full-fledged tornado, demolishing your entire life for a season; like the loss of a loved one or the doctors telling you to get closer to your God because they have know idea what is wrong with you or how to treat you.

We all have storms in our lives. Have you ever seen a campfire? When those logs starts burning, the sparks start flying, don’t they? And, where do they fly? They never go in any other direction than up.

 In JOB 5:7, we are told that man will have troubles just as surely as sparks fly upward. That is a pretty good indication that we are always going to have storms that come into our lives. What are we supposed to do when we have storms?

In JAMES 1:2, we are told to consider it a joy that we do have storms. Have you ever though why on earth would we be told that? The reason is very clear.

We are to rely upon God for everything, at all times. To do this, we need to have faith that is strong. And, just like muscles, faith will never grow strong unless you use it. And, the one place we are able to put it to use more often is in our storms. So, we do not feel joy because we have another storm in our lives, but because it gives us another chance to develop our faith to make it stronger.

We have all known people that say one thing and then do another. Their words simply do not match their actions. How do we feel abut these people? Don’t we tend to wonder if everything they say is a lie, too? Don’t we start questioning everything they do once we find out they don’t tell the truth?

Now, think for a minute about how others might see you. As a Christian, you are looked at by just about everybody around you. They put you under a microscope and judge everything you do, just to see if they can see you slipping.

During our storms, it is particularly important that we act, talk, and think like a Godly person. It is our actions in storms that paint a vivid picture to others about what is really in our hearts. So, let us be very mindful that we do not do or say anything that would allow others to call us hypocrites.

There is the story of a wise and kind king who had one narrow road leading into his city. He wanted to see if anyone in his kingdom was as kind as he was, so he had his men put a rather large and heavy stone in the middle of that road to block it. Then, he hid in the bushes so he could see people’s reactions to this unexpected roadblock

All day long people passed back and forth but nobody bothered to move it. They would just go around it, all the while cursing the king for allowing that stone to be there. Finally, late in the day, an old and poor farmer came by. He was on his way to the market place to sell a few vegetables.

When he got to the stone, he laid down his load and began to move it. It took all his strength, and a good amount of time, but he finally got it moved to the side of the road so others could go through unobstructed

He was very tired by then, so he sat down on the stone to rest and catch his breath. As he sat there, he saw a purse that had been under the stone. He picked it up and opened it, to see if he could find who it belonged to, but all he found was a note and 50 pieces of silver. The note said the money belonged to anyone who was kind enough to move the stone so others could have a clear road.

Because the farmer did what he knew he should do, without griping and muttering, he was handsomely rewarded by the king. Did you know that when Christians do what they are supposed to do, without arguing or muttering, we are rewarded by our King, too?

Please turn with me to LUKE 8:22-25.

’One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” He asked His disciples.’

There are three basic lessons I think we can get from that passage. These lessons will help us as we learn to develop our faith to a stronger level.

1.     WE WILL HAVE STORMS – GET USED TO IT

Many preachers say that if you have storms in your life, your faith isn’t what it should be. I don’t think that is entirely accurate. I believe that if you have storms in your life, it is because you are a human, and we all have storms.

In our text for today, the disciples had Jesus in the boat with them, but they still had a very dangerous storm. And, just because we have Jesus with us does not mean we won’t have storms, too. James says that we should consider it a joy WHEN we have storms in our lives. He didn’t say, IF we have storms.

There are only three categories of humans. Those getting ready to enter a storm; those currently in the middle of a storm; and those just getting out of a storm.

Even Christians fit into one of those categories. There might be some here today that are experiencing a torrential downpour in their lives, and they might be wondering if their boat is going to finally sink.

If this describes you, let me assure you right now that God will never abandon you! Now, you have the choice to walk away from Him, but He will never leave you. He will allow you to get very wet in storms, and sometimes it will seem like you are drowning, but in ISAIAH 40:10, we are promised that God will uphold us with His righteous right hand. The only true God of Heaven, our God, will always save you.

Storms come into our lives for a variety of reasons. Jonah went through a terrible storm because he tried to disobey God and run away. But when he finally became submissive to God, the storm went away, didn’t it? I think we should all pause here and just thank God that He has never let any of our storms come in the form of a hungry whale. Amen?

We bring storms into our lives, too, don’t we? We might have had a very rough time lately, and just like our military men and women, we find that we need some R & R. So, we take a few bucks and go to the casino and play the slot machines. After a while (usually a very short while), the money runs out so you go over to Mr. ATM and get a few more bucks.

Well, pretty soon Mr. Slot Machine has eaten all the money you got from Mr. ATM so you decide to go home. The next day, you realize you don’t have enough money to pay all your bills this month because you overspent at the casino.

This is a storm that you brought upon yourself, isn’t it? God is going to let you get wet in this one, and it might be very wet, but as long as you continue to walk with the Lord, He will not let you drown.

Sometimes, we can be doing exactly what God wants us to do, and we will still have trouble in our lives. For instance, it is God’s perfect will that each of us marry another Christian. But does that mean your troubles are over? Not by a long shot! Just ask any couple in here who has been married more than a day.

Why do Christians have as many, and as bad a storm as non-Christians? We read in MATTHEW 5:45 –

‘ … He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.’

It is very important that you do not listen to those who tell you that you are having storms because you lack faith. Jesus asked His disciples where their faith was, but that was not to say the storm would not have occurred. But, with proper faith, they would not have thought they were going to perish.

According to the Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C., a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a height of 100 feet is composed of less that one glass of water.  That amount of water is divided into about 60 billion tiny droplets.  Yet when those minute particles settle over a city or the countryside, they can almost blot out everything from your sight.

Many people as well as those people that call themselves Christian live their lives in a fog.  They allow a cupful of troubles to cloud their vision and dampen their spirit.  Anxiety, turmoil, and defeat strangle their thoughts.   

You will always have troubles come into your life.  There is nothing you can do about it, but it is not because you lack faith. During those troubles, however, it is important to remember that in your faith, you will know that you will not perish.  God has promised.

The second lesson we can learn from our passage is –

2.     STORMS WON’T MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

The Sea of Galilee is about 600’ below sea level and is surrounded by very steep table rock mountains. The ravines that carry water down the sea, act as wind tunnels when there is no water, and by the time the wind hits the water, it is ferocious.

So, it can be clear and calm one minute, and within about 10 or 20 minutes, be embroiled in a raging storm that has waves whipping around at 20’ tall. That is what the disciples encountered as they crossed the sea with Jesus aboard.

Now, to show you how bad the storm really was; the disciples were professional fishermen. Yet, they were so scared they thought they were goners for sure. That storm gave no early indication of arriving, and the storms in your life will not call you ahead of time to see when it would be best for you for it to come over. They will be totally unexpected.

I have told before that you need to be ready to take advantage of every opportunity that would be presented in a revival. I said that if we wait until the revival gets here to start getting ready, we will miss every opportunity for us to do God’s work.

Likewise, we need to be prepared before a storm hits us so that when it does, we will not be caught totally off guard. It is vital to our safety that we learn how to rely on God for the fix to all of our problems, especially those found in a storm.

How do you get prepared beforehand for something like that? You stay in His Word. You read the Bible every single day, no matter what the circumstances. Everybody here has at least 15 minutes every day that you can spare if you want to.

Read those verses about faith and God’s promises.  Write them down and tape them to the bathroom mirror or the refrigerator door.  Say them allowed.  If you will get into the habit of reading His word, and then speaking them allowed, you will start seeing amazing results.  Speak what isn’t yet, as though it were – and you will find that it will be.

There is power in speaking God’s word.  When we speak the positive, there is Godly power that is released into our lives.  But we must be careful, because there is also ungodly power to be found in speaking negatives.

In other words, when you tell a toddler that he can walk, he ends up believing it and he finally takes his first few steps.  But as we grow older, what happens?  We are told we cannot do that, or we should never do this.  We begin by hearing positives and that spurs us to do things we could never do before.  And we end up hearing negatives that keep us from doing what we were created to do.

God wants us to have an abundant spiritual life.  The enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, looking to steal, kill, and destroy.  He does not want you to have any abundance in life. 

God spoke the universe into existence with what?  His voice.  And in that tremendous voice were sound waves.  Scientists have broken the molecule down and inside every molecule is one sound wave.  Is that coincidence, or is that proof that God is in everything?  And if you receive His Son into your life, God is also in you.

So the lesson here is simple.  There is power in words.  More power than any of us ever realize.  So be very aware!  Speak the words of power, which are the promises of God, and do not speak the words of destruction, which are negative words that are given by Satan.

Remember our faith. Faith is not believing the worst because of our circumstances, but believing in God in spite of our circumstances. Instead of looking out and seeing the fear of the storm, let us look inward and see the calm of Jesus on our souls.

The third lesson in today’s text is –

3.     JESUS IS WITH YOU & HE REMAINS CALM

You pray for a promotion at work. Then, you go to work and find out the boss wants to see you in his office. You get all excited and start thanking God all the way into the office, just to find out that the company is losing money and is going to start downsizing by eliminating your job. And, as you clean out your desk, you start asking God why He would do that to you.

In the boat, Jesus slept. He was calm while the disciples panicked. We can see the folly in their way of thinking, can’t we? We can see where they had nothing to worry about because Jesus was with them. But, when we go through storms, don’t we tend to do the very same thing the disciples did? Don’t we call out to God in panic just like they did?

It is easy for or us to believe in those things that we can see, feel or hear, but we need to believe totally in God, even when we see no evidences. That is faith.

Will the Praise Team please come back?

Let us remember that God will not always calm the storm that is raging all about us. But, because of our faith in Him, when we cry out for help, He will calm us as we go through the storm.

A family was awakened in the early hours by a fire in their home. The smoke was so thick, the father could not run upstairs to get his son, so he ran outside and stood under the boy’s bedroom window.

“Jump!” the father yelled. The boy yelled back that he could not see where to jump, and he was afraid. The father yelled, “It’s okay, son! Jump anyway! I can see you and I will catch you!”

You might not be able to see God this morning, but He can see you. And, He will never let you drown. I referenced ISAIAH 41:10 a moment ago. Let me read it to you.

“So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

There is a hymn where one line says, “thou will find a solace there.”  What a promise! We shall find our solace in the heart of Jesus. What a promise!

We are given another promise in -

JEREMIAH 29:11.  God says,

‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declare the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’

If you want to have that glorious hope and wonderful future, all you need to do is receive it through Jesus Christ.  And once we have received Jesus as our Savior, we need to actually start depending on Him for what we need, especially as we go through storms.

INVITATION