"The Storm Breaker"
Overcoming Anxiety and Depression • Sermon • Submitted
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· 54 viewsI have to learn to be anxious for nothing but in all things let my request be made known unto God and He shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.
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“ The Storm Breaker”
“ The Storm Breaker”
Text: Matthew 8:23-27
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 8:23–27). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Introduction: The storms of life keep on raging but my soul has been anchored in the Lord. That should be your testimony this morning. Come hell or high water, I know that God will take care of me. This current storm has come to steal our joy and to take our peace but we have to know that our souls have been anchored in the Lord. Our souls or minds are so anchored in the Lord that He will not cause me to suffer with anxiety and depression.
Satan is doing his very best to keep us anxious and uptight so that we will not be focus on God.
He wants to be sad and depressed all the time with our heads hung down in defeat. He is definitely on his job and therefore we need to be on our job by praying and believing and having trust in God that He’s going to give us the victory in every situation of life. I am persuaded this morning that nothing shall separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. And I am also persuaded that no weapon formed against me shall prosper and ever tongue that speaks against me shall be condemn. I have come to this conclusion that even this storm that we’re in right now will not overtake us if we stay focus on Him.
I have come to the conclusion that this too shall pass if we can just hold on and hold out.
I have to learn to be anxious for nothing but in all things let my request be made known unto God and He shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.
We need to be led by the Spirit and not led by our wishes. As a nation we have become too anxious and we could be falling into a trap by reopening our economy too soon. All of this is being done because of anxiety and fear. We fear the unknown and we fear not being in control. Whether we want to admit it or not we’re not in control but God is in control. And nothing is going to change until He cause it to change. So we might as well be patient and seek His face for answers.
It’s true that people need to eat and people need to work but more importantly people need the Lord. David said I’ve been young and now I’m old, but I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. Clearly the Bible tells us the answer to all of our current situations that’s causing anxiety is found in Matthew 6: 33, which tells us to seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto us. But even in the midst of a pandemic some of us still can’t get focus on God first. He’s given us more time than we have ever had to seek His face, but instead we are overly indulge into worldly and carnal things that have no spiritual value. We can’t wait to get our lives back doing what we enjoy and what we want to do. But we need to take advantage of reprioritizing our lives and putting God first while there’s no school, no work, no sports nor recreation competing with Him. But our flesh want let us do that. We have been given the time to pray and fast, but still we fall short too often in this area. And so we wonder why do storms keep raging in our lives, when nothing seems to get our attention.
In our text we see that storms can come suddenly upon us and when we think Jesus isn’t aware or that He doesn’t care, He’s only trying to get us to take authority over the storm or situation.
In our text we see Jesus accomplishing more ministry in one day than most of us could accomplish in a lifetime.
Let’s focus in on Matthew 8:
The Leper is Cleansed
Mark 1:40–44; Luke 5:12–14
8:1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.
2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
The Centurion’s Servant is Healed
Luke 7:1–10
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.
Peter’s Mother-in-Law is Healed
Mark 1:29–34; Luke 4:38–41
14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.
15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”
Demands of Discipleship
Luke 9:57–62
18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.
19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
The Sea is Stilled
The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 8:1–23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 8:23–27). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
This brings us to ask the two main questions of the text:
Why do storms suddenly come upon us.
A great deal of ministry has taken place by Jesus in one day and He’s tired and His body needs time to recuperate and become refreshed, so He makes the decision to get away from the crowds momentarily by borrowing a boat to cross over on the other side of the Lake called the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew says, “a great tempest arose on the sea. Dr. Thomson in (“Land and Book”) says a tempest is a sudden storm, a shaking like an earthquake. “Such winds are not only violent, but they come down suddenly, and often when the sky is perfectly clear.… To understand the causes of these sudden and violent tempests we must remember that the lake lies low—six hundred and eighty feet below sea level; that the mountainous plateau of the Jaulân rises to a considerable height, spreading backward to the wilds of the Haurân, and upward to snowy Mt. Hermon; that the water-courses have worn or washed out profound ravines and wild gorges, converging to the head of this lake; and that these act like great funnels to draw down the cold winds from the mountains.”
Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 53). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
You see storms suddenly appear when the conditions are just right. The conditions around the Sea of Galilee were conducive to storms. In the same way our world today is conducive to sudden storms. Things are happening suddenly while the sky is clear, because we have forsaken God’s word and we have allow the enemy to slip into our atmosphere. The conditions were just right for a pandemic to occur. When so many where ignoring God as if He didn’t exist and the Church was playing with God and taking Him granted, and being luke warm, and all of a sudden here comes Corona virus, Our lives have been turned upside down and there’s nothing we can do about it unless God allows it.
Storms also suddenly appear when there is enough chaos. Our world has not experience this much chaos since WWII. The conditions and atmosphere are just right for a tempest or sudden storm. This pandemic is shaking the foundations and systems of our society. God is using it to let us know that we aren’t in control and He is almighty God. And besides Him there is none other. However this is not the end yet but we better take advantage as a human race to get ourselves together and turn back to the true and living God. (2 Chronicles 2.14)
2. Why is Jesus asleep during the storm.
The text says the boat was covered by now with the waves and Jesus was asleep while the storm was raging.
Jesus was asleep because He was not worried about the storm. Everyone else, was filled with anxiety and fear because they were focused on the storm. They couldn’t see their deliverance that was right there with them on the boat.
Jesus is on the boat with us. He knows what’s going on. He sees everything that Corona virus is doing. He see the waves coming in and out; going up and down; but He’s not afraid and He’s resting. He’s resting because He knows it’s time to rest and allow the Heavenly Father to take care of Him. Sometimes we just need to rest and let God do His work.
The Serenity Prayer is a prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr. It is base on Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever- help in trouble and goes like this:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.[1]
Jesus is asleep on the boat because He had taught the disciples that they had authority over the storm. He taught them that if they had faith they could speak unto the mountains and the mountains would be remove and cast into the sea. He taught them that if they had faith in God that all things were possible. That nothing was too hard for God. It was up to them to use the authority He had given them against the storm.
It is up to us to use the authority that Jesus has given us to exercise our faith. As wave after wave of Corona virus threatens to flood our boat and turn us totally upside down to drown, we need to stand up and begin to speak unto this storm that we’re in and say enough is enough.
But the third question is our text is not asked by the disciples but it’s directed to the disciples and it’s being ask by Jesus. Which brings me to my third question:
3. Why are we fearful during the storm?
The disciples were fearful for the same reasons that we are fearful today. They were focused on the problem rather than the solution. Like so many today can’t see how Jesus is the solution to Covid19. They focused on the problem rather than the solution. Covid is getting all the attention. Covid is getting all the news coverage. Covid is in the newspapers. Covid is all over the internet. And so whatever you are focus on is what you will see. But I challenge you this morning to take you focus off the problem and put your focus on the solution.
We are fearful because we know we have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And God is justified in allowing to go through as a human race.
If truth would be told, none of us is innocent and we all have sinned and come short of His glory, but God is so faithful.
I feel like preaching:
I believe this morning, that He will look beyond all my faults and meet my needs.
I believe this morning that we all need to get off the sideline and get back into the game.
It’s time that we all went back to work for God.
It’s time that deacons keep deaconing,
Singers keep singing,
Preachers keep preaching,
Sunday school teachers keep teaching,
I feel like preaching!
We got to figure out a way to do everything we were doing before Corona virus.
My job is not to entertain you, but to inspire you. How are you going to serve God during this pandemic?
The world has changed: And some things may never be the same.
Let’s use the internet, use zoom, and use technology to do everything we were doing before Covid19.
There’s no need to make any more excuses.
Let’s get to work for God inspite of Corona virus.
Let’s speak to this storm and cause it to cease.
Matthew said: O you of little faith.
Mark said: How is it that you have no faith.
Luke said: Where is your faith?
Each writer shows us that there is a level of faith that won’t get the job.
If we are going to get the job done, we have to believe that we can. Little faith won’t get the job done. No faith won’t get the job done. And wondering where is your faith definitely won’t get the job done.
So Jesus arose. He got up. Brothers and sister let’s rise up. Let’s say for God I’ll live and for God I’ll die. Rise up and let the world know that God is greater than Corona.
He rose up.
Then He rebuked the source of the problem which was the wind.
And He rebuked the outcome or the systoms of the wind which was the raging sea.
This morning we have to rebuke the source of Corona, which is corruption, greed, sin, and chaos. And we have to rebuke the symptons which is sickness, death and disease. And say enough is enough. We have to use the authority that God has given us.
So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 8:27). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
The problem with the disciples was that they really didn’t know who He was because the asked “Who can this be, that even the winds and sea obey Him?”
Do you know Him?
Do you know that He’s King of King,
He’s the Lord of Lord,
He’s the bright and morning star,
He’s the great I am,
He’s the Lillie of the valley,
Alpha,
Omega,
The beginning,
The ending,
It’s time for this storm to end, but the believers must rise and take your places of authority.
Jesus is the Storm Breaker!
Let Him break up every storm in your life.
He’s able. He can do it. He just God all by Himself!
3. I have assurance in adversity because God is upholding me. Ps 71:5-6.
Come what may, hell or high water, Lord you are my hope. The great preacher and theologian, Charles Spurgeon preached, “Songs in the Night” will help others but they will also help us. From this Ps. 71, Jonathan Nelson and others sing:
I’m not afraidFor you are with meGod you are my hopeGod you are my hopeAll day longGod you are my joy, my strengthGod you are my lifeMy joy, my strengthMy joy, my strengthAll day long
The Lord is my hope and blessed assurance:I’m sure come hell or high water, my name has been written in the Lambs book of Life.I’m sure of my position in Christ.I’m sure that I’m seated with Him in heavenly places.I’m sure that I’m an heir and a joint heir with Jesus.I’m sure that the Holy Ghost is praying for me.I’m sure that He’s interceding for me.Most of all I’m sure that I’m destined to be like Jesus.
Therefore I can closed with an all time favorite. It goes like this: “Blessed Assurance”
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mineO what a foretaste of glory divineHeir of salvation, purchase of GodBorn of His Spirit, washed in His bloodPerfect submission, all is at restI in my Savior am happy and blessedWatching and waiting, looking aboveFilled with His goodness, lost in His loveThis is my story, this is my songPraising my Savior all the day longThis is my story, this is my songPraising my Savior all the day longOh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
Ain’t He alright?Ain’t the Lord Good?Ain’t He Worthy to Be Praise?Come On. Help Me Lift the Savior Up!Come On. Help Me Magnify His Name!
If He’s been good to you, you ought to say yes!ETC…
“GOD YOU ARE MY HOPE”