Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Have you ever been through a storm in your life?

I’m sure the first thing most of you thought about was a hurricane or a tornado.

When you hear the word storm some think about Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it caused in the New Orleans area.

You think about seeing all of the people trapped on the Highrise, trapped on their rooftops.

You think about seeing the people helpless and you felt helpless because there was nothing you could do to help them.

Not only did you feel helpless, you wondered if your family members, your love ones who live in that area were safe.

So, when I ask the question, “have you ever been through a storm I’m talking about the storms of life, and there are not many who can truthfully say they have never faced a stormy life experience.

Sometimes we create the storms ourselves, and at other times, storms just happen.

Storms can't be predicted although we know that they are coming, and often time without notice.

Some storms of life are like a hurricane and they give us time to take shelter.

Some storms of life are like a tornado and they give no warning or time to take shelter and prepare.

There are financial storms, seasons when your money is funny or non-existent.

You know what I’m talking about, when your monthly bills are more that your monthly income.

There are health storms, when you are facing a major medical challenge.

Your diabetes is out of control and it is affecting your eyesight, and your kidneys start to fail.

Your health storm might be heart problems, cancer, high blood pressure, back pain or a liver condition.

Your health storm might be as simple as “Arthur” visiting you on a daily basis.

There are family and marital storms, in which the safety and security of your family is in question.

Your child is strung out on drugs, your husband is unfaithful.

Your wife has a girlfriend giving her advice on marriage and she has never been married before.

And these storms seem to last forever.

There are career storms, during which our jobs and careers are in jeopardy.

There is a reduction in force and you have devoted your entire career to the company and they let you go and keep someone who has only been there for a year and don’t even know how to put paper in the copier.

There are also spiritual storms; times when our faith is tested as problems swirl all around us.

My brothers and sisters we have all experienced one type of storm or another.

Each day we wakeup we have no way of knowing whether a storm will break out before the day ends.

But is there anybody in the house this morning who approaches each day confident that no matter what happens in the course of a day, God will work it out because he has promised that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Is there anybody in the house this morning who had a momma or grandmother that would get Halleluiah Happy when the old church would sing: “Beams of heaven as I go, through the wilderness below, guide my feat in peaceful ways, turn my midnights into days…” There would be benches turned over, running and shouting when the choir would take it up a notch and sing: “I do not know, how long it will be, nor what the future holds for me, but this I know, if Jesus leads me, I shall get home someday.”

My brothers and sisters no matter how much the storms of life rages, stay on board!

And stay Anchored in the Lord!

(Pause)

Since we know that storms constantly rise in our lives, we need to be prepared for them both physically and spiritually.

It is important for us to be ready, anchored and ride out any storm that occurs in our marriage, family or life.

One way to do that is preparation in advance.

We should take actions before the storms to prepare for them.

It is always interesting to watch us who lives here in Louisiana, who are frequented by storms run to the stores to stock up on supplies when they hear the first storm warning.

Storms come frequently here, so why not keep the cabinets stocked, have the plyboard for the windows, gasoline for the generations and supplies of bottled water?

That's preparation.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I had an aunt that lived in Gretna.

My aunt was disable and needed assistance in order to evacuate, but my aunt never contacted anybody with the city to help her.

She didn’t contact family for assistance and those that wanted to help her she told them “no.”

But when the storm approached, when the wind started to blow and the rain started to fall; when the darkness of the night took over, she was afraid.

My aunt called Donaldsonville to my mother and said she needed help, she needed someone to come get her, because she was afraid.

With all of the family in New Orleans, she called my mother in Donaldsonville.

My mother’s fear of losing her sister made her call me and asked if there was anything I could do as the mayor to get help for my aunt.

I told my mother I wasn’t the mayor of Gretna but my mother insisted on me doing something.

I made phone calls after phone calls and finally the Gretna authorities sent emergency personal to get her.

But when they got to my aunt’s house, she refused to leave because they weren’t going to bring her to Donaldsonville.

My brothers and sisters, don’t wait until you are in the mist of the storm to call for help.

Don’t wait until you are in the mist of the storm to call on God.

You better know Him and have a relationship with Him before your storm.

And one thing I know if He is with you before your storm, He will be with you in the mist of your storm.

My brothers and sisters, the storms of your life can weaken your strength, try your patience and try your faith.

But here’s what you have to do, you have to speak to your storm, in the name of Jesus, and watch the hand of God as it pushes back the clouds of doubt and fear in your mind.

In the face of your storm, when all hope is gone, trust in the Promises of God.

Even while the storm rages, He will show you a brighter path.

When you talk to the storm in your life, you are actually defying the devil.

What do you mean Preacher?

You are serving notice that you are prepared for the long haul and that while he rages, you intend to keep your eyes on the Son, the S-O-N.

As Christians, we are aware that storms come and go, but we have to be determined to “Stay On board and remain Anchored in the Lord.”

Exposition

The text before us focuses on Paul assurances to the frightened sailors that despite the storm, they would not be lost, they will survive.

The Apostle Paul had been persecuted many times for preaching about Jesus and the kingdom of God.

He appeared before several courts and after a hearing before Festus, he was ordered to appear before Caesar in Rome.

Enroute to Rome, a great storm broke out on the sea.

At first it was a gentle south wind and the ship edged along the coast headed west to Phoenix.

After a while a strong northeastern wind, a hurricane called “(U-Rockly-Don) Euroclydon” appeared.

The wind pushed the ship off her course and the ship was powerless and could only go where the storm pushed it.

There was a small boat, a life boat that they pulled behind the ship, and in order to protect it they pull it up on the deck of the ship.

(Pause)

Some years ago, Mt.

Zion booked a 7-day cruise and I went on that cruse.

Now, a few weeks ago, when I preached, I told y’all that I was afraid of flying.

Well, I was a little bit worried about going on a cruise ship for 7 days and I had never been on a ship before.

Once we got on the ship, we all had to go on deck to receive instructions, and there were small life boats all along the ship.

We were informed that if something happened to the ship there would be an alarm and if you were staying in a certain section of the ship, grab your life vest and you had to go to a certain life boat, get in it and help to lower it down into the water.

The whole time the instructor was talking I was saying to myself “if the alarm goes off, I’m getting in the first life boat I put my hands on and nobody will tell me I can’t get in.

(Pause)

After the sailors pulled the life boat onto the ship, the hull of the ship began to give way so those on board passed ropes under the hull and tightened them to strengthen the ship.

When you are in the mist of your storm and the hull of the ship begin to give way, just Stay On board!

Stay On board and ride out the storm!

Stay On board and trust God to bring you through!

JUST STAY ON BOARD!

(Pause)

In 1965, Hurricane Bessie hit Donaldsonville.

We lived in a raggedy shotgun house on St. Patrick Street.

In preparation for Hurricane Bessie my daddy took some 6X6 post and nailed them from one wall in each room to the other wall of the room inside the house to help strengthen the walls.

When Hurricane Bessie hit, the winds were so strong that the walls were pushing in and out like an accordion and the only thing holding the house together was the 6X6 posts.

I remember my daddy being so afraid that he said, “Lord we will all perish.

The storm was so bad he said, “Lord if you save us this time, we will never stay in this house again during a storm.”

I’m standing here today; so, I am a witness that the Lord heard and answered my daddy’s prayer, we just had to stay on board!

(Pause)

The sailors on board fought fearlessly against the storm until it became obvious to them that they were fighting a losing battle.

The storm threatened to capsize the ship, then they discovered that the storm was pushing them toward rocky ground that would result in a crash.

To save the ship and their lives, they cast four anchors into the sea to steady the ship, and to stop it from drifting.

The anchors would prove ineffective against the storm, and the ship would ultimately be lost.

(Pause)

On the second day of being at sea and the storm still ragging, the sailors cast all of the heavy things over-board in order that the ship might ride the waves better.

And I just came this morning church to tell you that you have to get rid of some heavy stuff in order to lighten your load to make it through the storm.