Faith or Fear? - Fear to Faith - Matthew S3E1

🎵 When we've been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we first begun 🎵 Our God is one, there is no other Let it come down like a sword To pierce the hearts of His own We are astonished by Your grace Our hearts undone, drowning in wonder 🎵 Hey Church Family, my name is Phil and this is Evan. We are so excited that you are here with us today. And hey, we want to know where you're watching from today. So there's a chat, go in there and let us know where you're watching from and also how we can be praying for you and some things that Pastor Jobian may be speaking to you. Go in the comment section, we want to interact with you because you belong here. And here at the Church of 1122, we are a movement for all people to discover and deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ. And Evan, we've got so many fun things that are going to be happening in our church life this next week. So many amazing things. Coming up is Easter. It is such a great time. We have been intentionally praying and fasting and preparing for all God's going to do. And one thing that we're doing to prepare is actually having a Passion Service.

This is happening on Tuesday, March 31st at a 522 and a 722 service. It's going to be amazing. It's a chance for us to really remember and reflect on what Jesus did at the crucifixion so that we can celebrate with His resurrection. That's right, Evan. And Easter is coming up. I know you love celebrating. I love it. I love celebrating. What's better than celebrating our risen Savior? So we want to invite you to one of our many Easter services. And if you are within driving distance of any of our campuses, we want to invite you in person to one of our services. And we also will have plenty of services online with the church community. And we also want to invite you into this. Easter is a great time to reach out to your one more. And one more, is there anyone in your life who is far from Jesus that doesn't know the gospel and you want to see come to a saving faith and surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? So we want you to take that next step. You have no idea what hangs in the balance, Evan, when you reach out and invite your one more. And Evan, one of my favorite things is baptisms. We're doing those during Easter services. So Evan, what do we need to know about baptisms? Yeah, if you feel like God is asking your next step to be a step of faith in baptism, we would love for you to do that with us at Easter.

We're doing it at every single service. And so here's what I want you to do. I want you to text the word CLASS to 44-1122 so someone from our team can reach out to you and get you plugged in. That's right, and baptism is just an outward profession of the inward belief that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. And if you have any other questions about Passion Service, Easter services, baptisms, and times those things are happening, all you have to do is text NEWS to 44-1122 and they'll give you all the information. Now we're in a series right now in the book of Matthew. Evan, what's in store? Well, we're in Season 3, Fear to Faith, and it's been incredible. I've personally just been so reminded of the goodness of God through Jesus' own words, how He is our firm foundation bringing us from death to life in our good and our bad in the moments that we're struggling. He is always there for us, and He is always with us as that firm foundation. That's right, church family. Now we invite you to grab your Bible, grab your pen, and it's time to worship. Let's get ready. We're gonna turn to you, stand to your feet as we enter into a time of worshiping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords for all He's done and all He will do. Come on, we say. Come on, with all of heaven we say. ♪ Praise the Lord in all my soul ♪ ♪ All that is within me, praise the Lord ♪

♪ Praise the Lord in all my soul ♪ ♪ All that is within me, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord in all my soul ♪ ♪ All that is within me, praise the Lord ♪ Come on. ♪ From song to victory, it rises up in style ♪ ♪ It rises up in style of mercy ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord in all my soul ♪ ♪ All that is within me, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord in all my soul ♪ ♪ All that is within me, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ This is my rebel cry against the storm ♪ ♪ In crashing waves, in oceans of war ♪ ♪ My anger holds me and my hope endures ♪ ♪ In the face of fear, with the world bespoke ♪ ♪ I will lift my voice and sing out all the world ♪ ♪ All the world, praise the Lord in all my soul ♪ ♪ All that is within me, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord in all my soul ♪ ♪ All that is within me, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ I'll praise Him anywhere ♪ ♪ On the mountaintops, in the valley low ♪ ♪ I'll sing it on the mountaintop ♪ ♪ I'll sing it in the valley low ♪ ♪ Cause I'll sing it like I'm waging war ♪ ♪ Against the walls of Jericho ♪ ♪ Cause I'll sing it for the lowly Christ ♪ ♪ I'll sing it for the empty grave ♪ ♪ I'll sing it for the one who rose from death ♪ ♪ Until life will come again ♪

♪ Cause I'll sing it on the mountaintop ♪ ♪ I'll sing it in the valley low ♪ ♪ Cause I'll sing it like I'm waging war ♪ ♪ Against the walls of Jericho ♪ ♪ I'll sing it for the lowly Christ ♪ ♪ I'll sing it for the empty grave ♪ ♪ I'll sing it for the one who rose from death ♪ ♪ Until life will come again ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ And all that is with Him, praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Command your soul to sing, praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ And all my soul, all that is with Him, praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ And all my soul, all that is with Him, praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ And all my soul, all that is with Him, praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, we praise You Lord, oh, You're worthy Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, we praise You Lord, oh, You're worthy Jesus ♪ ♪ I have sung so many songs ♪ ♪ I've cried out at the top of my lungs ♪ ♪ My heart's still reaching for something deeper, something more ♪ ♪ Give me old, give me new, I just wanna sing the truth ♪ ♪ Here in these places, let me see Jesus ♪ Come on, sing to me. ♪ Isn't He wonderful, isn't He glorious, isn't He powerful? ♪ ♪ Oh, isn't He good to us, He's brighter than any sun ♪ ♪ He's greater than any storm, He's faithful forevermore ♪ ♪ Oh, let me see Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm through with the open door ♪ ♪ That leads to where You are ♪ ♪ Angels cry holy now, and all heaven bowing down ♪ ♪ At the center of one throne, the only one they belong to ♪

♪ Holy Spirit lead us, and we will see Jesus ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit lead us, we worship Jesus ♪ ♪ We worship Jesus, isn't He wonderful? ♪ Come on, sing. ♪ Oh, isn't He glorious, isn't He powerful? ♪ ♪ Oh, isn't He good to us, He's brighter than any sun ♪ ♪ He's greater than any storm, He's faithful forevermore ♪ ♪ Oh, let me see Jesus, oh, isn't He wonderful? ♪ ♪ And isn't He glorious, oh, isn't He powerful? ♪ ♪ Oh, isn't He good to us, oh, He's brighter than any sun ♪ ♪ He's greater than any storm, He's faithful forevermore ♪ ♪ Oh, let me see Jesus, oh, isn't He wonderful? ♪ This is our surrender. Come on, sing this prayer of surrender to Him. ♪ Oh, it's all for You, my heart's ovation ♪ ♪ My heart's ovation, it's all for You ♪ ♪ Heaven's procession, it's all for You ♪ ♪ The Son of creation, You are worthy, You are worthy ♪ You are worthy. Come on, let's join with heaven and sing. ♪ Oh, it's all for You, my heart's ovation ♪ ♪ My heart's ovation, it's all for You ♪ Yes, it is alive. ♪ Heaven's procession, it's all for You ♪ ♪ The Son of creation, You are worthy, You are worthy ♪ ♪ You are worthy, You are worthy, You are worthy of it all ♪ ♪ You are worthy of it all, You are worthy of it all ♪ ♪ Oh, isn't He wonderful, isn't He glorious ♪ ♪ Isn't He powerful, oh, isn't He good to us ♪ ♪ He's brighter than any sun, He's greater than any storm ♪

♪ He's faithful forevermore, oh, let me see, let me see You, Jesus ♪ ♪ Isn't He wonderful, yes, He is ♪ ♪ We're in clover, we're in dirt, Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, He's brighter than any sun, He's greater than any storm ♪ ♪ He's faithful forevermore, oh, let me see, let me see You, Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh let me see you go ♪ Come on, sing to me. ♪ Isn't He wonderful ♪ ♪ Isn't He glorious ♪ ♪ Isn't He powerful ♪ ♪ Oh isn't He good to us ♪ ♪ He's brighter than any star ♪ ♪ He's greater than any storm ♪ ♪ He's faithful forevermore ♪ ♪ Oh let me see Jesus ♪ ♪ From every people and tribe ♪ ♪ To every nation and tongue ♪ ♪ He has made us a kingdom and priest of God ♪ ♪ To reign with His Son ♪ ♪ From every people and tribe ♪ ♪ To every nation and tongue ♪ ♪ He has made us a kingdom and priest of God ♪ ♪ To reign with His Son ♪ ♪ Oh and every people and tribe ♪ ♪ To every nation and tongue ♪ ♪ He has made us a kingdom and priest of God ♪ ♪ To reign with His Son ♪ ♪ From every people and tribe ♪ ♪ Let me be sure again ♪ ♪ He has made us a kingdom and priest of God ♪

♪ To reign with His Son ♪ ♪ Is He worthy, is He worthy ♪ ♪ Of all blessing and honor and glory, sing ♪ ♪ Is He worthy, is He worthy, is He worthy ♪ ♪ Worthy of it, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ He is worthy, He is worthy, yeah, oh yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ He is worthy, He is worthy, He is worthy ♪ ♪ He is worthy, He is worthy, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ Oh, we praise you, Jesus. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, Jesus. You are the Lion who conquered, you are the Lamb who was slain, and you are worthy of it all. You are worthy of our every song. You're worthy of every room in our heart, our future, our family, our everything. You are worthy of obedience that is costly. You are worthy of surrender that sometimes feels like stretching. God, you are worthy of it all. So Lord, let this be a night of surrender because who else is worthy? Only you, Jesus. Come take up residence in us. It's in the mighty name of Jesus we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen, y'all can take a seat. Amen. Welcome to The Church of 1122 where we are a movement for all people

to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's a joy to get to be here at San Pablo with all of you guys here and with all of you worshiping with us online. I don't know if you're aware, but next week is Easter, which is kind of a big deal. It's particularly a really big year here and the life of the Church of 1122. And I wanna make sure that you know all of the things that are happening next week, not just because I really wanna worship with you multiple times next week, but also because there's people in your life that God has strategically put their friends, neighbors, coworkers, CrossFit people, maybe people even at the hospital that he's put in your life that you need to let them know there is hope because of the empty tomb. So we're gonna kick everything off on Tuesday, March 31st with our Passion Service. This is like a Good Friday service if you've ever been to one where we are going to spend the time together that night thinking about the cross and the burial of Jesus because we really wanna lean into what he's done for us before we celebrate that empty tomb on Sunday. So we're gonna do that Tuesday at 522 and 722. I'd love to have you join me at either of those services. And then we are going to have Easter services

starting on Thursday at 522 and 722. And then Saturday at 322 and 522. And then Sunday at 722, 922, 1122 and 422. So there's a lot of these services because there's gonna be a lot of people here. Praise Jesus. And I wanna encourage you to join me either on Thursday or Saturday or Sunday morning at 7. 722 for you early risers want to see you there or at 422 Sunday afternoon because be a lot of people here And we want to make sure that there's a seat for all of our one more so those people that we're praying for Also, we're gonna be baptizing in every single one of those services and maybe you know Maybe you know what Jesus has done for you, and you've never taken that step to go public with your faith We want to help you do that as soon as service is over you can head out to the lobby There's men and women who'll be holding signs to say baptism or you can go to the connect Center Honestly you can go to the connect Center for anything. They'll help you with anything there We want to help you take that step right now. We're gonna continue to worship through baptism So grab your Bible grab a pen and I want you to listen to Courtney and Ryan as they share their testimonies I Wasn't raised like in a religious household at all When I graduated college, I felt like pretty lost and I got depressed I like feel like I didn't necessarily have a purpose that's when I really knew that like I needed to find some sort of comfort and peace and so I got a mentor and I started talking to her and we would go to church together and Then I started going to a disciple group through 1122 and I started meeting the girls there But just over time like I'm just like wow the Lord really has been there for me and like I couldn't imagine how I would be right now if I didn't decide to like follow the Lord and Like ever since like finding the Lord. I've never really Felt this happy before and this like this much at peace I'm getting baptized because I just wanted to publicly like show that I Was able to find the Lord and he's able to do so many things and I do love Jesus

And Jesus is there with me Amen Church, this is Courtney Courtney's part of our 1825 ministry. You have a lot of people here that love you Can I hear those people look at all that? They're all over the place. I got a couple questions for you Do you renounce the sins of your past the ways of the world anything dark and demonic you've been connected to and do you pledge Allegiance to Christ alone. I do and who is Jesus Christ to you. He's my Lord and Savior Amen based on that public proclamation. I baptize you my Christian sister in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit I Did go to church went a little while back but not as much since like I was like in school and after I graduated When I started going to church more before I knew Jesus, I was like suffering for like anxiety and depression during saturated 2025 that I wanted to come up to the altar and And pray to God that he will lead me towards a brighter path. So now that I know Jesus I am going to discipleship group once a week and also just like basically Having like a community around me and it's been like really really remarkable Once I knew Jesus Wanted to make a change and like be better and like opening up So I wanted to get baptized because like I've never Publicly declared my faith before but this will be a really really great step for me to do this Hey mentors, this is a really great step Ryan Church, this is Ryan Ryan. This is your faith family. Got a question for you Are you turning away from the sins of your past the ways of this world anything dark or demonic and are you gonna live your? life for Jesus And who is Jesus Ryan? Amen buddy because of your profession of faith, we baptize you my brother in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit I'm Zach and this is my wife Hannah. We've been married 11 years Once we got married I mean, I think we both wanted kids one day and then probably like two or three years and we were like, all right

Let's start trying to have kids We tried for probably like five years and then nothing I mean you feel sad because you're looking around that you know Your friends that you're growing up with are having kids and raising kids. I think it was probably To that I like something just snapped like I really want kids. I don't know why it's not happening. So we need to like dive in We Just started laying out options So one option would be adoption one option would be fostering going to a fertility clinic And then we just kind of wrestled with that for probably like maybe two years Even through the hope and the fear both things brought us super dependent on the lord I had to grapple with if god doesn't give us kids. Is he still good? And is he still enough? One day I just said it god if you don't give us Children, you are still enough no matter what circumstance we're in and so then I just kept saying it every day out loud You recognize In every step. Okay lord if this is the next step you're putting in front of us Then you're still gonna have to make it happen if you're not in this like just make it no and we won't do this And so months keep going by And then we find out oh, we're pregnant and i'm like, yes so excited We're super excited and then a few weeks go by we go into the ultrasound and then there's no heartbeat So When this miscarriage happened this was a big Attack of the enemy of is god good, but i'm just like having to like totally rely on the bible That's like all I have, you know is like do I believe the bible is true? Yes, I do. So he is good I don't understand how he's good right now, but I know he is Through this process we ended up losing two babies before our boys were born And you're pregnant now, too. That's pretty crazy. And i'm pregnant now, too Charlie and sam are seven months old now. They're Crazy and awesome. It does slowly just illuminate different facets of the love of god in it, too I'm this baby to the lord I feel

Overwhelmed by the kindness of the lord and like what he has surrounded me with in my life right now But like I trust you so much and you are sovereign king of the universe who like loves us so much Even if we are not feeling like you're being good to us you are And so in this season right now, i'm just like so grateful The lord is good in the fact that he provides he provided strength and peace and he provided kids And the lord is good because he grew our faith in ways. We could not have imagined before Amen and amen Hey, if you got your bibles, I hope you do grab them. We're going to be in matthew chapter 8 In a second we'll get to verse 18 The text that we are studying this week is that it's sandwiched in between what we've studied last week So just in case you forgot I know you didn't I know you remember everything that we do every single week for all time Please but last week jesus goes on this healing spree. He begins to heal all these people Heals a leper and then a roman centurion servant and then peter's mother-in-law And then many oppressed people by demons And then we're going to get to our text today at sandwiched in and then we also covered the two demoniacs that he healed And then we prayed that he would heal you And so last week was an amazing week around here a whole bunch of you Humbled yourself and came and asked for prayer. And so I would love for you If god had moved in some kind of significant way in your life Then I would love for you to share that testimony find somebody on staff and share it with them Because the bible says in the book of revelation that they the church will overcome by the blood of the lamb And the word of their testimony It's a really really big deal when god moves that you would share what god has done in your life And then right in the middle of this This is where we skipped over these verses because I wanted to do all the people healing in a row And so now we're going to come back to another miracle if you pick it up in verse 18 The bible says this it says now when jesus saw a crowd around him and the reason there was a big crowd around him is because All of these people were being healed It says and when jesus saw a crowd around him. He gave orders to go

Over to the other side this will be very important in understanding What happens in just a little while when he does a miracle so underline that in your bible he gave orders To go over to the other side And again, the reason that the crowds are getting bigger and bigger and bigger is because people will show up when lives get changed one of the biggest reasons our church has grown like it has is because god has saved people and God has changed lives and that's why people are showing up because they want what God has done in your life. Verse 19, an ascribe. Ascribe is a Jewish religious leader. He's like trying to be a Pharisee, trying to be a Sadducee. He's a religious leader and here's what he says. An ascribe came up to Jesus and said to him, teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Now you would think Jesus would be like, sweet, that's why I'm here, sweet, let me tell you where to sign up, sweet, this is easy. We have this thing called the discipleship journey and all you gotta do is take one step at a time and here's what Jesus says to him. Again, the guy says, teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. The disciples are like, sweet, the ministry's growing. Jesus' answer, verse 20, and Jesus said to him, foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. And I think the guy's like, so is that a yes or a no? Like, am I in or am I out? Here's one of the things that you're gonna see with Jesus. Jesus doesn't recruit. At no point does Jesus is like, hey, listen,

let me tell you all of the positive aspects that are gonna come if you become one of my followers. No, no, no, that's not what he does at all. In fact, he tells him exactly what it's gonna cost him. He's like, yeah, you like it that I can do miracles, but if you follow after me, I need you to know I ain't got nowhere to sleep. I got nowhere to stay. It is going to cost you everything to follow Jesus. Jesus is not an add-on to your life. That we don't follow after Jesus because he is an addition to our life and maybe he can help our finances and help our family and help our social status. Jesus refuses to simply be an add-on. Jesus is not an accessory to your life. He is either your whole life or he is not in your life. And I am not here to water down what it means to follow after Jesus. We don't do that here. It costs you everything to surrender. In fact, if you'll remember, we go back to the Sermon on the Mount when he says, blessed are the meek. That means that what it means to be a follower of Jesus is first and foremost, you gotta be poor in spirit. You gotta realize I ain't got this. I need for you to do for me what I cannot do for myself and to be a Jesus follower, to call him your Lord, is to turn the reins of your life over to him.

That is what he requires. Verse 21, another of the disciples said to him, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. Here's what he's saying. Jesus, I'll follow you as soon as I do what I need to do first. Now, don't look ahead. What do you think Jesus is gonna say? Well, that must be a very tough time for you. So maybe you need to go deal with that first and then after you deal with that first, then you can come follow me. That's not what Jesus says. Jesus says, Jesus said to him, follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead. So you don't wanna go to Jesus for counseling. Look at this. Is that brutal? Seems brutal, doesn't it? Let me explain a little bit. What are this now? The guy comes up to Jesus and says, I've got some stuff that I need to do in my life and when I'm finished with doing some things in my life, then I will follow you. And Jesus goes, that's not how it works. That would have been very different if the guy comes up to him and says, Jesus, I understand you're the son of God. You are my Lord.

I'm going through this very difficult time. My father has died. What should I do? These are very different things. Because when he comes up and says, Jesus, I'll follow you, but first, Jesus essentially goes, that's not how it works. You don't tell me how you're gonna follow me. That's not how it works. The sheep do not direct the shepherd. And I'm just here to tell you, there's a bunch of people listening right now and you've got some but first in your life. You're like, Jesus, I'll follow you, but first I gotta make some money. And once I make some money, then after I get my house kind of in order, then I'll follow you. Jesus, I'll follow you, but I'm dating right now, not in a way that honors you. So once I figure this kind of part of my life out, then I'll become your follower. Jesus, first, I gotta have some kids. And then I know you're gonna help me out when I have kids, because of course I wanna raise them in the church. But first, let me get that part of my life in order and then I'll follow you. Some of you are like, I'm in college. And there's some stuff I wanna do in college and I need you to forgive me of it

when I get done with this. So first, let me just wild out here and then I'll come. and follow you. And here's the thing, man. If you have a but first in your life, then Jesus is not first in your life as Lord. This is what he's saying. And if that hurts your feelings, I don't, email Jesus. And so then, he kinda gets over it. Because he tells the disciples, hey, get in the boat, you're gonna go to the other side. And then he has these very abrupt conversations with these kinda would-be followers, these conditional followers. Verse 23. And when Jesus got into the boat, and the reason he got into the boat is because Jesus gave orders to go to the other side. Again, this is the second time now in this little passage of scripture that you have to pay attention to. And here's what you have to pay attention to. Jesus said that they're getting in the boat and they are going to the other side. This is key. And God always keeps his promises. That's what you have to understand. So if Jesus got in the boat and he said,

we are going to the other side, then I don't care what happens, you're going to the other side. When he got into the boat, his disciples followed him and behold, there arose a great storm on the sea. The Greek word here for great storm means like high winds, big waves, it's a hurricane. This is what it is. So they're standing at the Sea of Galilee. If you've ever been, if you ever get the opportunity to go, it's really just a big lake, it's not a sea, but you know, God's chosen people are really into their stuff, so they call it a sea. But you can see the other side. This is right over, this is a few miles over. And it's very common because the Sea of Galilee is between two really steep mountain peaks. And the winds swirl and happen there and seemingly out of nowhere, so from a calm, glassy sea could be eight, 10 foot waves just out of nowhere and that's what happens here. And behold, there arose a great storm, so the boat was being swamped by the waves. Now a first century fishing boat that they would have been in is not like your sweet center console, okay. It's about six feet wide and the sides are really low. This is not the kind of boat that can take on these kind of waves and all of a sudden out of nowhere,

at the command of Jesus, the boys get into the boat and then a storm just erupts and Jesus knows it's coming and they have no idea that it's coming. Now every single one of us can make the connection here. When you talk about this storm that they're in, some of us are in a storm right now. And quite honestly, some of you are in this storm and you did not see it coming. And some of you are in this storm and it's not your fault. And this is sometimes the hardest one to deal with and some of you are in this storm because you listened to the voice of Jesus and did what he told you to do. He is the sovereign king of the universe. So why are there storms? Why do bad things happen in this world? There's all kind of reasons, man. There's all kind of reasons. Sometimes it's because of the fall and it's collateral damage and we live in a broken world. Sometimes it is because of your sin. I'm not here to just make it feel okay. If you play dumb games, you win dumb prizes. That's just true. Sometimes it's an attack of the enemy. Sometimes it's demonic oppression. And no matter what the reason behind it is, there is no thing on this planet that does not pass through the sovereign hands of the almighty God.

So Jesus is not surprised by the storm that's coming and he tells the boys, get in the boat, we're going through it. Now the reality is, sometimes when you're in the middle of the storm, spending all your time wondering why this thing happened doesn't really help you a whole lot. And in fact, here's one of the most aggravating things if you're a believer in Jesus and you hang out with church people and you walk through a storm. A storm begins to rise up in your life out of nowhere. You ever have some well-meaning church folk and they just point out to you that you're in a storm? Is that helpful at all? It's not helpful at all, is it? Well, you shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have gotten in the boat. Did you not check your weather app? Well, I appreciate it there, bro. I need help out of this thing now. And some of you feel like your marriage is in a storm. It's taking on water, right? And you didn't see it coming. And it wasn't your fault. You stood in an altar and you made a vow and you made a promise. And I'm not saying you're perfect, but you did your part.

And the one that promised for better or for worse, And again, you've trusted God with your first and best. You thought this thing was a good deal. And then things turned upside down. For some of you, man, you got a sick kid. And it doesn't matter what you talk about, it's the only thing you can think about. Some of you have broken relationships and it feels like a storm. Some of you have a business deal that went south. Some of you lost somebody that you love very, very much and the feeling that you're not gonna get back together is the only thing you can think about. You've lost somebody that you love very, very much and the feelings of that loss just overwhelm you. Like the video, some of you are struggling with infertility. Or you've got a habit that's just overtaking you if you feel hopeless and you feel helpless. And the idea of a storm makes a lot of sense because when a storm hits, it's wave upon wave upon wave upon wave. And you just think, if I could just catch my breath for just a second, if I could just get a second of peace, because that's how storms come, right? If you're dealing with a health issue, it's not just a singular doctor's appointment. It's appointment after appointment. And you're waiting on the readings and you're waiting on the next step.

Or if you've got a prodigal child, it's not just like one dumb decision, it's decision after decision after decision. It's just wave upon wave. And you're just thinking, if I could just catch my breath, if I could just get a little bit of peace, and that's what you're looking for, peace. And that's why you are here right now, to find peace, because that's what we're all looking for. So the storm rises up out of nowhere. And then look at this next verse. But he, that's Jesus, was asleep. Anybody ever feel like you've got a storm in your life? And from your perspective, it seems like God's asleep? I mean, the disciples, we're gonna see it in a minute, they're freaking out. And maybe you're freaking out, because you're overwhelmed by the conditions in your life, and yet you're praying like crazy, and you're not hearing anything back. And you're thinking, all right, Jesus, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? Why are you letting this happen to me? Are you asleep at the wheel? What are you doing? Now, the verse I told you to memorize, of course he's asleep, why? Because what did he say he was gonna do? He said, get in this boat, we're going to the other side. So he is not controlled by his circumstances,

he is in control of all the circumstances. He knows what his Father's will is, and he knows that his Father still has the whole world in his hands. So while everybody else is panicking, Jesus is at peace. And they went and woke him up. Can we just agree, nobody should wake up anybody from a nap unless the house is on fire. And they went and they woke him up, and here's what they say, save us, Lord. We are perishing. There's a lot here. One of the things I love to do when I do Bible study is this is written by Matthew, he's an eyewitness. We've told you from the beginning, Matthew was born an insider, he was born of the Jewish people. He chooses to be an outsider, he's a tax collector, and then we're gonna see in a few chapters that Jesus goes and finds him and calls him to be a disciple and so he is writing this text to help his Jewish brothers and sisters understand that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, that the Old Testament pointed to. Well, if you were to flip over to the Gospel of Mark, Mark was not an eyewitness, and Mark interviewed Peter to get his information, who was an eyewitness, and there's some details that Mark gets from Peter that Matthew doesn't include. So if you go over, you don't have to go over there,

I'll just read it. According to Mark, here's what the disciples say. And they woke Jesus and they said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are all perishing? There's a lot here. You see, one of the things that can happen when we are in a storm, there's a lot of bad things that can happen. For one, they say, these are professional fishermen, Peter was, James, John, and they say we are perishing. Well, how perishing could you be if Jesus is taking a nap in this circumstances? Have you ever overestimated the circumstances that you find yourself in? Ever? Oh my, this is the worst thing I've ever been in, and I am not trying to belittle the feelings that you have, I just need you to understand, you shouldn't trust your feelings. Now, feelings are not bad, feelings are a gift of God. Feelings are given to us by God so that we can navigate this thing called life, and there are no bad feelings. See, Ecclesiastes three, there's a season under heaven for everything. But feelings make an okay gauge, they make a terrible God. And so Jesus is napping and they are saying, we're perishing. And they take it, they make it theological. They're like, Jesus, do you not care that we are perishing?

You see, they think that Jesus' apparent absent in this situation must mean that he doesn't care. You ever been there? You ever pray and pray and pray and you sense silence from God and you take that silence as if he doesn't care about you? Or you ask God for something and ask God for something and ask God for something and you perceive his lack of cooperation as his non-existence. And Jesus is not freaking out, although the disciples are. So what do you do when you find yourself in that kind of place? Is it okay to go to Jesus and freak out? I've got some good news. It is. It is, man. He is not intimidated by your prayers. He is not offended by your prayers. What he actually wants is for you to bring the real you to him. You don't have to fake it and pray some little G-rated prayers. You don't have to do that, okay? In fact, how about this prayer? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That's a strong one. And before Jesus ever quotes it on the cross, David, the psalmist, he feels like he's being attacked in every direction because he is

and he writes this in his journal. He writes this as a prayer. My God, my God, what are you doing? I'm perishing and you don't even care. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And God does not show up on the scene to David and be like, shut your mouth. He's actually like, that's a good one, Dave. Jot that one down. We're gonna put that one in the book. There's gonna be some people for generations and generations and generations that need to pray that prayer. And then sometimes, you ever get around people? You're really dealing with some stuff, man. A kid, a marriage, finances. I mean, it's just wave upon wave, right? And then you get to the disciple group and somebody's like, I just need to give a praise report. The Lord's answered my prayers. Be like, all right, Tammy, what's going on? Be like, I just prayed at the prayer and anointing, came down, dear God, can't find my keys and the Lord answered my prayer. Turns out I left them in the door. Be like, Tammy, Lord, I got like a real thing and you helping dumb Tammy. Be very, very careful. You see, Christ being at peace with this situation does not indicate a lack of compassion for our situation.

Like Jesus has never sat up in heaven and be like, oh no, what's happening in the world? He is in charge of it all and the amount of peace that you experience will be directly proportionate to how much trust you have in God. And God the Son has ultimate trust in God the Father and he knew God's plan for him. And he said to them, why are you afraid, oh, you of little faith? You see, this is why we gotta take it back to what Jesus said. Why are you afraid, oh, you of little faith? Did you not hear what I said we were gonna do? I said we were going to the other side and if I say it, it happens every single time because God cannot break a promise. He is a promise-keeping God. I've taught on this 100 million times. It's the most commanded thing in the entire scripture. At least 366 times in the King James version of the Bible, there is some version of do not be afraid. It's the most commanded thing. And I don't think it's coincidence, but there's at least one for every day of the year, including leap year. It'll say take courage, be anxious for nothing, don't be afraid, fear not. That three times before Joshua goes to take over the promised land,

God looks at Joshua, speaks out loud to Joshua and says be strong and courageous, strong and courageous, strong and courageous. Why? Because he's weak and afraid, weak and afraid, weak and afraid. But what God does not say to him is be strong and courageous because Joshua, you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, I like you. That's not what he says. He doesn't want Joshua to look at Joshua for Joshua's strength and courage. He says be strong and courageous for I am with you. The reason that Jesus is like why are you afraid, oh you of little faith? I'm right here with you. And the difference between fear and faith is simply this, when you look into the future. future, who do you think's in control? Because if you look into your future and you think it's your circumstances, if you look into your future and you think it's you, you will be crippled with fear because you know you don't have what it takes. But if we look into the future and we realize that the sovereign king of the universe still has the whole world in his hands, then we will be filled with faith. There's this account way back in the Old Testament. After God blesses Abraham, we've talked about it

a million times, in Genesis 12. God says, I'm gonna make you the father of many nations. Through you, I'm gonna give you a promised son. He was 80 years old. And through this promised son, the whole world is gonna be blessed. Every family around the world is gonna be blessed. 20 years later, the promise comes to fruition and his boy Isaac is born. And then God tests Abraham and says, Abraham, I want you to take your son, the son of your love, your only begotten son, and I want you to take him up on a mountain and I want you to sacrifice him. And Abraham goes through with it. He doesn't sacrifice him because God's gonna show up and go, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, that was a test, you trust me. But here's the thing, here's the key to understanding how Abraham was able to do that. Because he believed that God is who he says he is and he always keeps his promises. And God's promised that this boy was gonna be a blessing and this boy was gonna have a bunch of kids. And if this boy doesn't make it off the mountain, then how in the world is God gonna do that? So even though he didn't understand how God was gonna accomplish it, he knew God was going to accomplish it. And before they went up on Mount Moriah,

eventually where the temple would be and eventually where Jesus, where God would give his son to be sacrificed, he looks at the servants and he says, my son and I will go up and worship and we will return. We will return. Why? Because he knows that God is a promise-keeping God and that he's gonna do what God is telling him to do and he's gonna trust God with the consequences. So Jesus is saying, why are you afraid, O you of little faith? And then he rose, and the Bible says, and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. Mark tells us exactly what he says. It's translated in English, peace, be still. Literally in Greek, what he says is, be quiet and stay quiet. That's what he says. And I think, the Bible's over there, so I'm making this part up. I think he's looking at the disciples. He's talking to the wind and the waves, but he's also looking into the heart of the disciples. And they're freaking out. Oh Lord, do you not even care? We're perishing. He says, be quiet and stay quiet. And the wind and the waves

and the hearts of the disciples, there's a great calm. Verse 27, and the men marveled, saying, what sort of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him? That word marveled, it means like a reverent fear. And what they did is they just replaced their fear. They had a fear of the consequences, they had a fear of the circumstances, and then Jesus is Lord over the circumstances. And what's more scary than a hurricane that can kill you? The one that can tell the hurricane, stop, and it has to listen. So the question is, so what do you do when you find yourself in a storm? Because some of you right now, man, the sea is glassy, everything's going great. God bless you, man. Enjoy it, enjoy it. Because a storm is coming. If you've lived any life at all, you understand. You're either in one, coming out of one, or one's coming your way. I mean, you may feel great today. The 24-hour virus is coming your way sometime. So what do you do? I'm gonna give you four things. The next time you find yourself in a storm, the first thing is this, look up. You see, all of their attention

was on the storm around them. And I'm not saying that you don't notice it. I'm not saying that you are oblivious to the things that are going on in your life, but quit fixing all of your attention on the storm and look up and fix your eyes on the one that can calm down the storm. Now, we skipped a part of the Sermon on the Mount because we're gonna teach it in the fall. We're gonna put a bunch of texts together and teach it together. But when Jesus comes off of the mountain on which he gives the Sermon on the Mount, this is just one page before this. He just taught this. They're freaking out about their circumstances. They're worried about their conditions. And he's just taught this. taught these words, Matthew 6, 25 to 34. Therefore, I tell you, don't be anxious about your life. He just taught this. Now they're in the boat and they're anxious about their life. He says, don't be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will eat. Wait, I read all that, let me start over. Therefore, I tell you, don't be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.

Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing? He says, look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. And then he asked this question. Listen, if you're a PETA person, you're not here, but if you're watching online and you're a PETA person, Jesus says, are you not of more value than birds? The answer is yeah. Can you imagine if you could interview a bird? Say, hey, man, what are you worried about? The bird's like, nothing. What about where do you live? Oh, we live over there right now, but if that one falls out, we'll just move over here. What about what you're gonna eat? Are you not worried? Nah, man, we just get up and God provides every day. Are you not worried about your children? Like how they're gonna turn out? Like no, actually, right before they're ready, we kick them right out and be like, good luck! How? How? They're like, oh, God takes care of us. Jesus is like, you're gonna let a bird have more faith than you? He says, and which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life?

You know, actually, the opposite is true. Worry and stress will kill you. Do you realize this? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spend, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these, but if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into an oven, will he not much more clothe you? Oh, you of little faith, therefore, do not be anxious, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after these things. And your heavenly Father knows that you need them. And when he says Gentiles here, he doesn't just mean non-Jewish people. He goes, when your life is full of worry and anxiety and your circumstances are the biggest thing in your world, you're acting like a person that doesn't even believe in God. You're being a practical atheist. You're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm not an atheist. I'm at church. I just sang the song. I'm gonna pray the prayer. I raised my hand during the thing. Well, that's adorable. But the way you're living your life,

you're acting as if God is not in charge. I mean, think about, if you're a believer in Jesus, if you're a believer in the scriptures, okay, if you believe this is the holy and air and inspired word of God and everything it says is true, think about the things that you say you believe. You believe God spoke all things into existence. Uh-huh. You believe that Moses parted the Red Sea and the people of God walked through on dry ground. Uh-huh. You believe Elijah called fire out of heaven and burned up 850 prophets. I do. You believe that God the Son was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, walked on water, brought dead people back. You believe all that. Like, I do. You believe that Jesus came out of the tomb. Mm-hmm. And that one day he's gonna return with a sword out of his mouth, tattoos on his quad, on a horse. Like, that's what I believe. And you don't think he could handle your sophomore year at UNF? No. That don't make no sense. You might not understand the storm

that you're going through. No problem, man, there's all kind of things we don't understand. But do you believe that God is good, that God always keeps his promises? For the Father knows that you need them all. In verse 33 he says, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, don't be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself, sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Look up. Get your eyes off of the storm and you get your eyes fixed on the author and the creator of all things who loves you and is for you. The second thing is look around. So look up, get your eyes fixed on him. Get your eyes above the horizon and fix your eyes on him. And then secondly, you gotta look around. You need some people in your life with you, man. For one reason is that when you were praying like crazy and God's not answering your prayers the way you were hoping that he would, if you were in the right kind of community, one of the things that will help. help you spur your faith on is you'll begin to see God at work in all kind of people's life. I'm telling you, man, the faithfulness of some brothers

and sisters here at 1122 encourages my faith. Because even if I don't see God at work in a particular situation, all I gotta do is look down these rows and I see God at work in that situation, in that situation, in that situation. Another reason too, man, you gotta look around and surround yourself with some mat carriers. We're gonna talk about this next week. But we were not meant to do this life alone. And can you imagine if the disciples, if they just had one person of courage? See, it's okay to be scared. You just can't be full of fear. Fear paralyzes and faith produces action. Scared is just an emotion. But when you are scared and then by faith you begin to take steps forward in obedience to Christ, that's called courage and we need more courage in the church. And so if there would've just been one disciple in the boat to be like, hold on, hold on, hold on, he's the Lord of the universe, this is gonna be okay. Because courage can be contagious and sometimes you gotta look around and make sure you've surrounded yourself with some faithful men and women of God so that when you don't feel like you have the faith to do what you need to do, then you got some brothers and sisters and they've got their shield of faith and you can borrow some of their faith for a little bit.

We're gonna talk about it next week. But when the mat carriers bring the guy and tear the hole in the roof, Jesus sees the faith of the friends and the man on the mat gets healed because of the faith of his friends. The Bible says he who walks with wise grows wise but the companion of fools suffers harm. And some of you are suffering harm because you're running around with fools. I mean, my daddy used to say, boy, if you always run with dogs, you smell like dog stuff. Isolation is a key tactic of the enemy, man. Look around, look around. All of Hebrews chapter 11 is what we call the hall of faith. It talks about the faithfulness of the men and women who have gone before us in the Old Testament. And after it says by faith, by faith, by faith, and it tells all these stories with a real redacted history. After it talks about the faithfulness of the men and women who have gone before us, the book of Hebrews chapter 12 verses one and two says, therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and is seated at the right hand of God the throne. Seated at the right hand of God on the throne. Listen, do you notice that there are no like individual pronouns there? It's all us, it's all our. We are in this thing together. Make sure that you are surrounded by the kind of witnesses that are helping you fix your eyes on Jesus. So you look around, you look around, and you're surrounded by people that help you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. And then, this is gonna be a tough one, you look up, you look around, and you look ahead. Because if God is not sovereign, there's no purpose in your storm. But if God is who he says he is, and he is in control of all things, and he is Lord of all, then God is at work in all things. And all means all. And God never wastes the hurt. That sometimes storms are for correcting. Like see Jonah? And sometimes storms are for creating character in you. James, the brother of Jesus, says it this way, this is a hard, it's an easy verse to read, it's such a hard verse to actually live. He says, count it all joy, my brothers,

when you meet trials of various kinds. Now I love me some Romans 828. Romans 828, for God is at work in all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose. And oftentimes, it's easier to see Romans 828 in the rear view mirror. Like there was some message in the back of the Bible in the rear view mirror. Like there was some mess back there, and after God brought you through it, you can look in the rear view and be like, oh, I can completely see how God used that pain in my life to bring me where I am, thank you, God. That's not what James says. James ain't talking about the rear view. He says, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. Like you're walking on your path, you can see clearly now, the rain is gone, it's nice and sunshine, and then a various trial comes up. And you're like, it is a joy to meet you. Because God doesn't waste a hurt, man. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Fastness, and let said fastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. What if Jesus is actually preparing you to do something? Because here's what's crazy.

If you read ahead, in just a few chapters, I think we get to chapter 14, they're gonna be in another storm. And Jesus is gonna walk on the water. And Peter's gonna be like, hey boss, if that's you, can I come out there with you? And Jesus is like, come on big boy. And Peter, boop boop, out on the water, why? Because he has experienced in the past that Jesus can calm the storm. So if he calls me out there, then I can come out there. This time when he calms the storm, they're like, who is this man that even the wind and the waves, listen, the next time he calms the storm, they say this is the son of God that he calms storms. And then the chapter after that, Peter is gonna be the one, when Jesus says, who do you say that I am? Peter's like, ooh, I know, you are the Christ, the son of a living God. Yeah, how do you know Jesus as savior? It's when you were stuck in the muck and the mire of your sin and that's what you needed. How do you know Jesus is healer? It's because you needed him to heal. How do you know Jesus is peace? Because your life was a train wreck and he brought you peace in that time of need. You see, maybe the storm you're going through is not punishment at all, but it's preparation.

I mean, think about David, when David's just a boy. And all of his other brothers are like in the lineup in the army and he's out there being a shepherd boy. He could have seen the field as punishment, but instead he treated it as preparation. And guess what, he got really good with a sling, he got really good with the harp, and he got really good at writing songs. And little did he know, he was not just an overlooked shepherd boy that was placed out into the field, he was being prepared to be a king. You see, God is preparing something in you. So if you're going through the storm, man, I know it's not the script that you would write for you, but thank God we don't get to write the script, amen? But it's not meaningless. Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 4, 16, so we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day, for this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen, for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. So whatever you're going through, man, it's not meaningless.

I know it hurts, I know you cry, I know you don't understand, it's not meaningless. God is preparing for you an eternal weight of glory. God never wastes a hurt. In Romans 8, 28, it says, for God is at work in all things for the good of those that love him. So if it ain't good, that means he's not done, because he is gonna work it for your good and for his glory. I know I've shared this 100 million times, but I see some of my old football players in here. When I was coaching at Providence, man, I was in the weight room with these jokers one day. Yeah, I'm talking to you. And we played football, man. And they're in there just like, working out like a women's yoga class. Well, what are we doing? They're just doing those, like, you know, they wanna look good at the beach. I don't care what you look like at the beach, that's not gonna help you in the trenches, you understand? And so everybody's in there just kind of, just not, just wasting time. And I get, you know, it made me agitated. And I'm trying to motivate them, and then eventually I just lost it. I was like, everybody wants to be strong, nobody wants to be sore.

And I thought, that's the church. Everybody wants this deep, abiding, Christ-like life. And sometimes we actually ask God to remove us from the very gym that he's put us in to develop the strength that we ask him for. Look ahead, God's got a plan for you. He's not caught off guard. So look up, fix your eyes on him. Look ahead, he's gonna use this. And look back, look back. You see, the major problem with the disciples is they just forgot that God is good. They said, do you not even care? Now, we have an advantage. Do you know how I know that God cares for you? That God loves you? Because Jesus is the proof. And Romans 5, eight says, but God demonstrates his love for us in this, that while we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us. Do you know how I know that God cares about you? Because before you ever did anything to straighten your life out, before you went to church two times in a row, before you quit drinking so much during the week and tried to be nice to your wife, whatever the thing is you're trying to be better at, before you ever did anything to move towards him, he demonstrated once and for all with an ultimate act of love that Christ died for you.

We have a great advantage. When you are wondering what God thinks about you, don't look at your circumstances, look at the cross. And if ever there was a picture of God using something that looks like he's completely lost control, if ever there was a picture of God being at work and all things for the good of those that love him are called according to his purpose, it's the cross. It's not your circumstance, it's the cross. I mean, think about it. If you were there the day that Christ was crucified, if you were standing at the foot of Golgotha and you had been following Jesus and you saw him calm the storm and you saw him bring the little girl back to life and you saw him walk on water and you saw him feed 5,000 people and you heard his teaching and you believed, I think this is the son of God, and you were standing at the foot of the cross and they had nailed the son of God to a tree, to a cross, and then you heard him say, Father, into the hands I commit my spirit, and then you watched him breathe his last, wouldn't you have the temptation to think, God, what are you doing? God, have you completely lost control? God, do you not love us? You let the Romans kill him, what are you doing?

And yet on this side of the resurrection, we know exactly what God is doing. He's redeeming the world. That what we would have understood with that limited perspective on that day as the worst atrocity in the history of humanity was actually God's greatest plan to demonstrate his love for his own glory and to redeem every single one of us. What was actually happening in that moment when it seemed like God wasn't answering our prayers and God wasn't doing what we thought he ought to do, what he was actually doing is God was so loving the world that he was giving his only begotten son that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. You see, here's the point, man. Oftentimes, when we face a storm, the storm in us can be greater than the storm that we're in. And here's what's cool, man, Jesus can calm them both because he has overcome all the storms. That's it, man. This is what Paul talks about. I talk about it all the time in Philippians chapter four, he says, be anxious for nothing but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests known to God and the peace of God that transcends understanding. Like maybe the waves are still rocking around you but somehow God gives you a peace

that doesn't even make sense on paper. That's what that means. And the peace of God that transcends understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In John 16, 33, Jesus says it this way. He says, I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. Leave that verse up there. Later in Philippians, Paul, the apostle Paul says this, I have learned the secret of being content in any situation. Imagine having that kind of peace. Whether you're single or married or used to be married or wanna be married or maybe you're married and don't wanna be married, whatever your thing is. Whether you got a bunch of kids and you got no kids and you want kids, whatever it is. No matter what your financial situation is, no matter what the next doctor appointment says, imagine for a second if you could have this, that you had learned the secret of being content in any situation. If you had learned the secret of being content, it is well in any situation. Jesus says, I have said these things that you could have that, that you could have peace. Now he does not promise cotton candy and Cadillacs and everything's just gonna be awesome. He actually promises the other, in this world you will have tribulation. Storms are coming.

But take heart. That's another peace word. When you give your heart to Jesus, then he's gonna give you his heart and his heart is full of peace. Because when you look into the future, then you know that you know that you know that your circumstances don't rule the sovereign king of the universe rules. And he says, but take heart, I have overcome the world. My friend, Ryan Kwan, who has been through some kind of storm, man, he says this. If you worship something finite, it can't help you in the storm, it'll only sink with you. We need an infinite Christ who endured our storm. So what do you do when you find yourself in the storm? You look up, man, you fix your eyes on Jesus, the author, the perfecter of our faith. You look around, you need a band of brothers, a band of sisters, that when your faith is diminishing, I get it, that you can borrow theirs, you can lean on theirs, the kind of folks that would pick up your mat and carry you to him. You look forward, God's not done with you. There's something in you that he wants to develop, that he wants to use in the future. And you gotta trust him there. And then you look back. The best way to understand the faithfulness of God going forward is to look

at how faithful he's been in the past. All my life, he has been faithful. All my life, he's been so, so good, all the way back to the cross where he demonstrated his love for me in this. Then when I was screaming out with faithlessness, God, do you not even care, I'm perishing, that Christ died for me and for you. And he says, take heart. I have come that you may have peace. Sometimes he'll calm the storm around you. But when you surrender your life to him, when you give it over to him, he will definitely calm the storm in you. Will you please stand, let me pray for you. Our good and gracious heavenly Father, God, you know every circumstance. You know every situation. God, you know every medical thing and financial thing and relation thing. God, you know all of our kids and what they're doing and not doing. God, you know the struggles between our ears, the struggles in our hearts. And God, I thank you that you are greater than all of them. God, I thank you that you've given us feelings and emotions to navigate this life. But Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, may we trust you more than we trust our feelings. And God, may we have more faith

in the birds and the flowers. God, may we be actual believers that you're a good God. And we know that you're good because of what you did on the cross for us. And God, no matter what we're walking through, God, would you give us a sense of eternity and what that means? And it's not meaningless. As compared to what it'll be like with you one day, it'll be light and momentary, compared to forever and ever and ever and ever in your presence with no storms. And God, I thank you that you never waste a hurt. You are preparing for us an eternal glory. God, we don't even know what that means. But we know that you are good. And so God, in the meantime, may we not put our faith in our circumstances, but may we receive the peace that Jesus, our sovereign savior, offers to us. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. So we're gonna respond. And we're gonna look up. That's a big part of what worship is. A big part of what worship is is you take yourself out of the middle and you get your eyes up off of what's going on right now. And regardless of our circumstances, we say, Jesus, you are worthy of my worship. And even if you don't feel like it,

watch what begins to happen. Sometimes your heart can catch up with the true things you're singing to God. And we worship. And we look around. Maybe you're in a storm right now. Maybe grab a couple of people and be like, I need you to pray for me. And you come down here and you pray. And in your prayer, you look forward and say, Lord, I wanna be a willing servant and a follower of you. God, may you use this for your good in my life. And may you look back and fix your faith on the cross and the empty tomb. Let's sing, let's bring, let's pray. Let's respond. Let's sing, let's bring, let's pray. Let's respond. Amen. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I'm born again into your family, thank you Lord. Your blood flows through my veins. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God. I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.

I am surrounded by the arms of the Father. I am surrounded by songs of deliverance. We've been liberated from our bondage. We are the sons and the daughters. So let us sing our freedom. Oh, oh, oh, the deliverance is moving in. Oh, oh, oh, you split the sea so I could walk by the river. My fears were drowned in perfect love. You rescued me so I could stand and sing. I am a child of God. You split the sea so I could walk by the river. My fears were drowned in perfect love. You rescued me so I could stand and sing. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. I am a child of God. Even when I don't see that you're working. Even when I don't feel that you're working. You never stop, you never stop working. You never stop, you never stop working. Even when I don't see that you're working. Even when I don't feel that you're working. You never stop, I put my trust in you. Oh, you never stop working. Even when I don't see that you're working. ♪ Light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are ♪ ♪ Way maker, hey, way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are, hey, hey ♪

♪ Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are, oh ♪ ♪ That is who you are, that is who you are, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ That is who you are, that is who you are, that is who you are ♪ ♪ That is who you are, that is who you are, that is who you are ♪ ♪ That is who you are, that is who you are, that is who you are, that is who you are ♪ ♪ That is who you are, that is who you are, that is who you are ♪ ♪ I worship you, you are here ♪ ♪ Oh, you're working in this place, let them know ♪ ♪ And I worship you with all of me ♪ ♪ I worship you, you are here ♪ ♪ You're moving in on this ♪ ♪ And I worship you, I worship you, I worship you ♪ ♪ You are here, you're working in this place ♪ ♪ And I worship you, I worship you, I worship you ♪ ♪ Because you are a maker, a miracle worker ♪ ♪ A light in the darkness ♪ ♪ He's the one who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, a light in the darkness ♪ ♪ Oh my God, that is who you are ♪ ♪ He's a way maker, say, way maker, miracle worker ♪ ♪ Light in the darkness, oh that is who you are, yeah ♪ ♪ Way maker, miracle worker, a light in the darkness ♪ ♪ Oh my God, that is who you are, that is who you are ♪ ♪ That is who you are, oh that is who you are ♪ ♪ That is who you are, that is who you are, oh that is who you are ♪ ♪ That is who you are, oh that is who you are, oh that is who you are, yeah ♪ Amen, church. Are you in a storm? I hope you're encouraged tonight.

He knows and he's doing something. Listen, I don't want you to walk through it alone. I'll be out in the lobby after the service if I can pray for you. If you need help, text the word CARE to 44-1122 and let us get some people in the boat with you to weather the storm because we know God is doing something. We know that he's gonna turn it into goodness in your life, amen? Church, we love you like crazy. Can't wait to see you at Passion Service Tuesday. Be free. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪