God in the Turbulence | Brian Myers

Let's lean in as we lift our voices to Jesus. Over my heart and mind, I'm healed by your stripes, your blood declares that I am free. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Calling on the power of heaven, I proclaim. Every weapon formed against me must break. In the mighty name of Jesus, I draw a permanent boundary line. The enemy has no right to come near my family. No, no scheme could ever undo God's plan. No matter the circumstance, the cross has sealed my destiny. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Calling on the power of heaven, I proclaim. Every weapon formed against me must break. In the mighty name of Jesus, in the mighty name of Jesus. Oh, I know all the power of fear and darkness. It must go, it's every key to every fatal. I hold in the mighty name of Jesus. I will not fear, I will not fear when the enemy comes near. The dark frame of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ. I will not fear, I will not fear. There's an army of angels here. Protected on all sides. I will not fear, I will not fear when the enemy comes near. The dark frame of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ. I will not fear, I will not fear. There's an army of angels here. Protected on all sides. The blood of Jesus Christ. In the mighty name of Jesus. Come on.

I pray. Calling on the power of heaven. Calling on the mighty name. Every weapon formed against me must break. In the mighty name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus. Oh, I know all the power of fear and darkness. Oh, you're good in my soul. Every key to every victory that I hold. In the mighty name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus. Come on, can we put our hands together for our Lord? Father God, we trust in your mighty name. We worship you this morning. Oh, yeah. We trust you. We trust you. The blessed assurance. Jesus is mine. He's been my fourth man in the fire, time after time. Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. Perfect submission and all is at rest. I know the author of tomorrow's order, my Savior. This is my story and this is my song. I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day long. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. He will never fail. He will never fail. He will never fail.

Sing this out, I song the Lord. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. That's why I trust Him. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. That's why I trust Him. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. That's why I trust Him. That's why I trust in God. My Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. I trust in God. My Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. No, He won't. Lord, you trusted me today. He's a God who has been faithful, and every time I sing that song, the Holy Spirit takes me back to an opportunity I had. It was last fall at our Allred campus. I got to go lead those men in worship. It was a baptism weekend. Hey, I want to say hey to you guys at Allred. Would you welcome them here today? And after the message, as men were being baptized, we sang that song, and when we got to that part where it says, I song the Lord, and He heard, and He answered, it was like every time they sang it, it just got louder and louder. So loud that it was louder than the microphone. and the speakers and the guitars that were plugged in, they were just out singing everything. And I felt the presence of God in that moment like I've never felt before. And it's because those men had sought the Lord in a dark and difficult time, and he heard and he answered. And so they just sang it with all their hearts. Sought the Lord and he heard and he answered. That's why I trust him. And I wonder if you have sought the Lord in your life before. I wonder if you've had a moment of deep loss, of deep sorrow, a moment of depression, a moment of loneliness,

where all you've known to do is to cry out to the God of the universe, to seek the Lord, and then to find out that he hears and he answers our prayers. And I think it's because of those moments that we worship. When we come together as a church, it's because of those moments that we sing with all of our heart, that we lift our hands, that we respond to God. And so I just wanna give you a moment this morning to ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of those moments in your life. So just close your eyes, take a big, deep breath, and just say, Holy Spirit, would you remind me? I don't wanna just sing it, I wanna be reminded of the time that I sought you and you heard and you answered my prayers. And then with that in mind, we'll continue to worship together today. ♪ I am an instrument of exultation ♪ ♪ And I was born to lift the name above all names ♪ ♪ You hear the melody of all creation ♪ ♪ There's a song of praise that only I can bring ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus ♪ ♪ You are the God of the age ♪

♪ Yeah, you chose to make my heart a dwelling place ♪ ♪ You healed my brokenness, showed me your glory ♪ ♪ So I have songs and things I need to be dressed in gold ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus ♪ In Philippians chapter two it says that every knee in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord. And so let's join with all of creation and sing this out to him today. ♪ And let not a noisy one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne above ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, righteous one ♪ ♪ Holy, righteous one who shed his blood ♪ ♪ To prove to us the father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ be lifted up ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, sacred man of God ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne above ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, righteous one who shed his blood ♪ ♪ To prove to us the father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ be lifted up ♪ ♪ As we lift it up

♪ Who else is worthy ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ There is no one ♪ Only you Jesus ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ There is no one ♪ Only you Jesus ♪ There is no one ♪ Only you Jesus ♪ There is no one ♪ Only you Jesus ♪ And how great ♪ Is our God ♪ Sing with me how great ♪ Is our God ♪ And oh we'll see how great ♪ How great ♪ Is our God Come on church, sing that out, how great. ♪ How great ♪ Is our God ♪ Sing with me how great ♪ Is our God ♪ Oh we'll see how great ♪ How great ♪ Is our God ♪ You're the name above all names ♪ You are worthy of all praise ♪ Oh my heart will sing

♪ How great ♪ Is our God ♪ How great ♪ Is our God ♪ Sing with me how great ♪ Is our God ♪ And oh we'll see how great ♪ How great ♪ Is our God Come on, let's give Him our praise today. Hello everybody, my name is Brian and I have the pleasure of serving on staff at Compass Church, where I get to serve on staff there as one of the pastors. And man, welcome to today's message. We do a ministry out at what we call our Allred Campus, James V. Allred Unit. So shout out to you guys. We love you guys. I personally miss you guys. I haven't been there in a couple of weeks. So I really look forward to getting back this weekend and sharing this message with you. You know, I decided to record outside rather than in a studio today. You know, in a studio, I can control everything. I can control the color and the light and the sound and all that. I have no idea what's gonna happen here. I have absolutely no control.

In fact, this is the third place I set up today, this morning, to try to get this recorded. I had a much more beautiful place, I thought, that would be cool behind me. But then I get there and there's tractors digging holes right there, where I was gonna do that today. I had literally no control. So there might be cars and golf carts going behind me here. There's a golf course back here. And we just don't have any control over that. And one thing that I think life has taught me is that I don't like not having control. Like, I don't like that. I don't like feeling out of control. Like, I think we want stability, don't we? And answers. We want to know that what is coming next in our day, in our season, in our life. But life just doesn't really work that way now, does it? There's been seasons in my life where everything has just felt chaotic, shaky. Times that I prayed for peace, but I still had to walk through chaos and pressure and tension and confusion and fear. I was on an airplane a couple of weeks ago and the pilot came on and the pilot said, hey, you know, this flight, when we get to a certain elevation,

there's gonna be extra turbulence today. It's like more than normal for a long period of time. time. And when that did occur, when we got to that, I had my snack out on my little tray table. I had my drink sitting there and it was starting to shake and spill snacks falling onto the floor. I had a movie playing. Uh, that was my little peaceful place by listening to a movie and on my phone and it started going around and falling and I just found myself having to reach and grasp at all these different things, trying to keep everything afloat, trying to keep everything under control. Sometimes life feels like that, doesn't it? Like sometimes life feels like turbulence where everything starts shaking and you're just trying your best to keep it all under control and you're just trying to hold it all together. Maybe some of you are feeling that way today right now and you look strong on the outside, but on the inside you're shaky. Maybe you're waiting on a court decision, a family member to contact you or something's happening. Uh, you know, with some friends that you're just waiting on answers. Maybe it's a medical report. Maybe you prayed for change and you're praying for an answer to something, but it just seems to be getting worse when life gets turbulent, our fear sets in and we start asking questions. Where is God and all this? Like, does he even care? Does he even see me? Like, I don't even know if I'm gonna make it through this and I don't know what or where God is. The Bible doesn't shame us for asking that. In fact, scripture is filled with people who are crying out in fear and in confusion. But what we feel in that storm is not always the full truth about what God is doing. Today we're in Mark four. If you want to flip to that,

all of us want a God who calms the storm immediately, don't we? Like if we're being honest, we want to pray and just see the wind stop right there. We want to see it. We want God to open up the door to family, to restore relationships and to remove pain and to give us what we want. And sometimes he does. But sometimes God does something much deeper within us. Sometimes he calms the storm. Sometimes he calms us in the middle of the storm. You see, faith becomes real when everything shakes and we still can say, God, I do not understand, but I trust you. I cannot see what you're doing, but I believe you are working. See, God's peace is not reserved for people whose lives are going perfectly. It's not reserved just for those people. His peace is available in the storm and his presence is available in the times of uncertainty. So Mark chapter four, verse 35, on that day when evening had come, he told them, let's cross over to the other side of the sea. So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat and other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose and the waves were breaking over the boat so that the boat was already being swamped. He was in the stern sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, teacher, don't you care that we're going to die? He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, silence, be still. The wind ceased and there was a great calm. Then he said to them, why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? They were terrified and asked one another, who then is this?

Even the wind and the sea obey him. After teaching near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus told his disciples, let's cross over to the other side. They didn't enter the boat because they were running away from Jesus. They entered the boat because they were following Jesus. They were obeying Jesus and while obeying Jesus. They entered the storm. Following Jesus does not mean avoiding the storm. We sometimes assume that that the following God should make everything smooth and but the disciples were not in the storm because of obedience. They were in it while obeying Jesus. In fact, John recorded in John 16, 33, Jesus saying, you will have suffering in this world. Be courageous. I have conquered the world. Jesus never, never promised a storm free life. He promised that the storm would not have the final word. To be honest, sometimes to follow Jesus means you're walking right into the storm, just like the disciples did that day. And sometimes, you know, it's painful and pain is not pleasant, but it's also not pointless when it's in God's hands. You can love God and still receive really bad news. You can follow Jesus and still face disappointment. You can have faith and still have some fear, feel fear. You can be forgiven and still have to live with consequences. The presence of a storm does not mean the absence of God. Mark says a fierce wind storm arose, wave broke over the boat and it was already being swamped. You know, several of the disciples were very good fishermen. They were very experienced. This was not their first time on a boat and not their first time in a storm. Yet this storm frightened them. See, we're not trying to say, I'm not trying to say that, let's pretend your storm isn't happening. It's just that our faith in Jesus tells the truth about the storm and about God. The danger and the fear, they're real, but Jesus was there. He was right there, sleeping, but he was right there. And that's my next point. God's silence does not mean God's absence. We read that Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. Now we don't know the details of the boat, but don't think about it some huge cruise liner, okay? Archaeologists found a first century fishing boat near the Sea of Galilee where Jesus was teaching that day. And it was 27 feet long, seven and a half

feet wide, four foot deep. So if that is similar to the boat that Jesus and the disciples were on, they would have been crowded inside there, nowhere to escape, nowhere to find respite from the wind and the storm. And being swamped means that water was just, I mean, it would have been flooding in. It's only four foot deep boat anyway. And so the weight of everybody and the waves would easily come over and Jesus was sleeping. The disciples were fighting to survive, fighting to stay afloat. And Jesus appeared to be doing nothing. Do you know someone who's trying to stay afloat, who's fighting to stay afloat, who's fighting to stay alive? And it just seems like maybe Jesus is doing nothing. And I think that's the hardest part, really. Jesus seemed silent. And I think it's pretty easy to get upset. I mean, if it was just an ordinary guy sitting back there, I would be upset. Like here, we're all like trying to do this thing together and you're just lying there. I'm sure you've prayed for God to change something, change something, change something and think, man, God, do you even see me? The disciples, they woke him and they said, teacher, don't you care that we're going to die? Storms create that type of chaos in our minds. Storms create doubt, okay? Storms can make us start to question things that we really never need to question. Notice the storm caused the disciples to question. They questioned whether Jesus even cared. And even today, the enemy still works in those ways. During storms, he uses storms and hardship to make us question God's character. If God cared, this wouldn't be happening. What we end up doing is questioning God's character, don't we? We end up questioning God's character through the circumstances that we are experiencing, but it really needs to be the other way around. We really should interpret our circumstances... through what we know about the character of God. We don't need to question God's character. He already proved it. Romans 5, 8 says, but God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The cross, the cross settles whether God cares. He already proved it. And you may not understand his actions, but you don't need to question his love. Jesus was asleep. He was on the boat. He wasn't worried, but he was still in the boat. He was silent, but he hadn't left him. Like we know he could walk on water, could have just gone on up and walked away to someplace peaceful, but he didn't. He didn't leave. The promise that he gives us, a promise of the cross is that he does not leave. The promise is presence. God's presence is way more powerful than life's turbulence.

And Jesus, he stood up, he rebuked the wind and he told the sea, silent, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Jesus spoke and creation obeyed its creator. The storm, it was powerful, but Jesus more powerful. The disciples thought the storm would determine their ending, but Jesus was always in charge. Psalm 46 says, God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in the times of trouble. Therefore, we will not be afraid. Though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the sea, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil, even if the earth trembles and mountains fall into the sea, like that sounds pretty bad. And we are told not to fear. God is present. Your circumstances may seem powerful, but they're not more powerful than God. Your past may carry consequences, but it is not greater than the grace of Jesus. Addiction is not stronger than the spirit of God. Anger and lust have no power over the power of the cross. Shame does not have more authority than Jesus Christ. A prison can control where your body goes, but it can't control where the gospel goes. Walls can limit movement, but they cannot limit God. A locked door can lock you in, but it cannot lock out the Holy Spirit. After calming the storm, Jesus asked, why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? The disciples had focused so much on the storm that they forgot who was in the boat. Fear often makes the storm appear much larger than it really is, and it tends to shrink our view of God. And walking in a faith is knowing that your situation may not be what you want. Walking in faith is knowing that whatever happens, Jesus will remain faithful. At the end of our text today, the disciples asked, who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him. And I think that's the central question today. Who then is this? The question should not be, how big is the storm? The question really is, who is Jesus? And so often turbulence teaches us whatever, and so often turbulence teaches us what we cannot learn in calm water. The grace of Jesus is sufficient. His peace does not depend on perfect conditions, and we can trust the one in the boat. To be honest, I think it's easier to talk about a storm when you're not really in it. Right, like maybe like right outside the storm, it's a little easier I think to talk about it. But what if you're in it right now? What if I'm in a storm right now?

Like what do we do when life gets turbulent? Well, the first thing is be honest with God. Did you notice something in our text today? The disciples brought their fear directly to Jesus. Throughout the entire Bible, people are bringing their concerns directly before God. If we just open the book of Psalms, we find prayers and petitions to God in a very raw and real way. Tell God when you were angry. Tell God when you were confused or scared or tired. Faith is bringing your real heart before a real God. You do not have to perform for God. You don't need big fancy words. You don't have to pretend that you have it all together and that you're all right. Bring him the truth about what is happening in you. Remember who was in the boat. Don't let the storm become the only voice speaking into your life. Like we do that a lot, don't we? Like we allow our situation to speak louder than our salvation. Open the Word. God is here. Remind yourself, God is faithful. God is near to me. God has not forgotten me. Jesus is still Lord. The apostle Paul was completely incarcerated in a Roman prison when he wrote this in Philippians 4.

Don't worry about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Paul's peace did not come from having control of a situation. His peace came from knowing he belonged to Christ. I think some of you have told yourself that I can't have peace until I go home. I can't have peace until the staff person leaves. I can't have peace until I get transferred to this other unit or until I get a new celly. I can't have peace until my family forgives me. I can't have peace until I get the answers that I want. Listen, if your peace depends on your circumstances, your peace will be fragile. You will be fragile. The peace of God is not found in controlling everything around you. It is found in knowing that the one who does control everything is with you. He is still in the boat with you. He hasn't left you. He hasn't abandoned you. If you're in the storm, here's the next thing to remember. Keep obeying what God has already made clear. Turbulence can tempt us to stop praying or to try to isolate ourselves.

Turbulence can tempt us to return to old habits. Listen, a storm is not permission to abandon obedience. Keep obeying what God has already made clear for you to do today. You may not know what God is gonna do next, but you do know what he has called you to do today. To forgive others, to tell the truth, to live with integrity, to resist the temptations, to encourage other people, to serve others, to take responsibility for yourself and be held accountable. Do you have an accountability partner in with you that you can confess your sins to? Just everything, brutally honest, and be held accountable to that. And then repent. And be held accountable to that. And then repent. Repent from those sins and remain faithful to God. You may not control the outcome, but you can obey God today. Next, decide who gets the final word. Some of you have lived with words told to you like you will never change. You are no better than your crime. You are far too gone. Listen, those voices, they don't get the final word. Jesus does. Romans 8.35 says, who can separate us from the love of Christ?

Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No. in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." If Jesus says you are forgiven, the past doesn't overrule Him. If Jesus says you're a new creation, your old identity does not overrule Him. If Jesus calls you His child, that is your identity. An inmate number, that does not overrule Him. Make God's voice louder in your life. When God speaks, it's with all power and authority. And since Jesus speaks with all power and authority, then why are you listening to a voice of somebody that you let in your boat that you should never let in your boat? Like, why is that guy in your boat? You know who I mean? That man or woman that you allow in your boat that should have nothing to do with you? Who's not rowing in the same direction as you? Who gets the final word in your boat? The greatest storm that we face is the storm created by sin. Sin separates us from God, and sin it sometimes feels like freedom because you get to go and do something that you think you like, okay, or feels good at the time. But what begins as a choice actually becomes a chain. Sin enslaves us, and no matter what we do, we cannot free or save ourselves. So Jesus entered the storm. Jesus entered our storm at the cross. He took the judgment of sin that we deserve. He was condemned so that we could be forgiven. He was tortured and killed as an innocent man, a sinless man, and put hung on a cross to die, and was buried, and three days later, rose again. Jesus defeated sin. He defeated death. Sin and death didn't have the final word. Jesus has a final word. Jesus. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about good people trying to be better. The gospel is that sinners like you and me can be saved. We cannot save ourselves. The gospel is that Jesus saves you and me and gives us peace for eternity. When you turn from sin and trust in Jesus and surrender your life to him, you are saved by that blood of Christ. But it does not mean that you will never face another storm. What it does mean is that you will never face another storm alone. I don't know

what kind of storm that you might be struggling with right now, that you're carrying as you listen to this right now, or what part of your future just is so uncertain and it scares you. But I do know this. Jesus is still Lord over the wind. Jesus is still Lord over your past. Jesus is still Lord over your future. The storm is not in charge of your story. Jesus is. The boat may shake, but Jesus is present. The answer you want may be delayed, but Jesus is faithful. God's presence is more powerful than life's turbulence. So we will pray, we will obey, we will worship, and we will declare that my circumstances may be uncertain, but my God is faithful. My future may be unclear, but my God can see it. The storm may be powerful, but Jesus is more powerful. Today, some of you need to release what you've tried to control. Some of you need to trust God with your family, to trust God with your future, and some of you need to surrender your life to Him. to Jesus for the very first time. Peace is not about having control. It's about surrender. Peace in that turbulence and and and in the chaos is found in knowing Christ. Can I pray for us? Father God, thank you that you did not abandon us in the storm. When life feels out of control, remind us that you are still on the throne. For every man carrying fear and grief and anger and regret or disappointment. Make your presence known, Lord. Give peace to the anxious. Strength to the weary and hope. To the discouraged. Help us, Lord, not to judge your goodness

by the size of the storm, but to judge the storm by the greatness of our God. Teach us to trust you when we cannot see you working and to obey you while we wait. When the wind rises and the boat shakes, remind us that Jesus is still with us. Your presence is more powerful than life's turbulence. In Jesus name. Amen. And Amen. Thank you all for watching. God bless you.