Wednesday Night Bible Study

praise the Lord everyone the Lord we greet you tonight I don't need anything else pastor this is fine I'm I'm fine we we I appreciate you offering to get me a chair and all that I'm going to I'm going to Brave it and stand up tonight excuse me we GRE you in the wonderful name of Jesus that high and holy name that is above every name and it's great to see uh such a good crowd here for Bible study we love preaching and we love singing and we love shouting this is all part of our walk with God but it's very important that we assemble together to study the word of God and I'm happy that we have a church that loves to study the word of the lord we are studying tonight we got a great lesson incidentally Jesus comes the storm Matthew 8:23 through 27 and when he was entered into a ship his disciples followed him and behold there arose a great Tempest in the sea and in so much that the ship was covered with the waves but he was asleep and his disciples came to him and awoke him saying Lord save us we perish and he said unto them why are you fearful oh ye of little faith then he arose and rebuked the winds and the Sea and there was a great come but the men Marvel saying what manner of man is this that even the winds and the Sea obey him back in 1912 Rose fin nony mcquery was immigrating to the United States from her native Ireland she book passage on the maiden voyage of the remarkable new White Star Line steamship the world's largest one that had been been receiving tremendous Advanced publicity to say she was excited would be an understatement called the Titanic but when it sailed from Southampton with 2,223 passengers and crew including such celebrities of the day as John Jacobs Aster Benjamin gutenheimer STW archal W but and FD millet 20year old non was not aboard why because her Godly father saw a sign on the boat boasting that not even God could sink this ship she forthrightly cancelled her reservation and book passage on another ship leaving a day later the unsinkable Titanic hit an iceberg at approximately 11:45 on the night of April the 14th 1912 and within 2 and 1/2 hours was resting on the bottom of the Atlantic non arrived happily the next in New York aboard the less safe ship the very next day oh yes non died on June the 16th 1989 at a Fort Worth nursing home just 3 days under the century mark at the rip old age of 97 the Titanic is still Taking Lives M the polar Prince departed St John's Newland 16th of June 2023 and arrived at the dive site on the 17th of June 2023 where Titan was deployed and began this decent sent the next day on the 18th of June 2023 Titan a submersible operated by the American tourism and Expeditions company Ocean Gate imploded during an expedition to view the wreckage of the unsinkable Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Finland Canada aboard the submersible uh Stockton Rush the American Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Gate Paul Henry a French deep sea Explorer and Titanic expert Hamish Harding a British businessman a p a Pakistani a British businessman and Daywood son solman communication between Titan and his Mothership in the polar Prince was lost 1 hour and 45 minutes into the dive authorities were alerted when it failed to resurface at the scheduled time later that day after the submersible had been missing for 4 days a remotely operated underwater vehicle discovered a debris field containing parts of Titan about 1,600 ft from the bow of the Unsinkable Titanic I'm adding my words of the unsinkable around the time Communications with the submersible Seas suggesting the pressure Hull had imploded while Titan was descending resulting in the instantaneous deaths of all the occupants let me look back at our scripture now that says but the men marveled what manner of man is this that even the winds on the Seas obey him too bad Titanic didn't have Jesus aboard too bad Titan didn't have Jesus aboard I want to tell you something we're talking about a great God we're talking about a Jesus that controls the element there's no wind and blows too hard for him there's no sea too strong there's a God that controls the elements and I'm glad he lives in my heart tonight it came down and filled the soul of a little sharecropper boy 11 years old in 1948 the one that rules the sea the land and all that is there and aren't you glad you know him tonight Hall when he entered the ship he went laid down and went went to sleep and we'll read another version of this in another of the gospels said he he laid on the pillow and he went to sleep well I got news for you if Jesus can sleep in a storm I don't have anything to worry about in my storm if Jesus if Jesus can sleep in a storm I don't have to worry about my problems during the storm and then when he AR the disciples woke him and I I want you to notice what they said and and uh they said the the disciples came to him and awoke him saying Lord save us we perish and he said unto him why are you fearful oh ye of little faith now the next version of that has a another line this and uh they asked the question don't do you care if we perish well Jesus answered them somewhat in the tone in which they addressed him and he said to them oh ye of little faith why are you afraid don't you know that I'm aboard this ship if you believe in me you don't have to worry about the storm and I want to tell this congregation tonight if we really and truly believe in him and have him dwelling in us and in our church and in our life you don't have to worry about the storm because he is the controller of all the storms it don't matter what kind of storm you're in now it might not be actual wind and water but it could be another storm just as deadly to you and I can tell you this the men Marvel saying what manner of man is this this then he arose and rebuked the winds and there was a great come and the men said what manner of man is this that even the winds and the Sea obey him I don't know about you there's not enough money to hire me to go on an expedition to view the Titanic I want to have nothing to do with the Titanic now uh KN only the young lady when she and her father saw the sign this ship even God can't sink it that was a challenge that had to be it didn't take much for God to put an iceberg out there and let them run into it but let me tell you something you and I have a great God that controls our lives and if we'll just put our lives in his hands he'll say peace be still when the storm is is Raging in your life it could be a financial storm it could be a storm on your job it could be a storm with a neighbor it could be any kind of disturbance in your life I want you to know that Jesus can say peace be still now we have the same account in Mark 4 starting at verse 37 and there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full and he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow and they awake him and say unto him Master carest thou not if we perish that sounded just a little bit sharp to me how about you carest thou not if we perish well in essence he turned around and said carest thou not if you're a bunch of doubters no wonder you're going to drown you don't believe in me he now I say that to say this there's a lot of things in the scripture that tells us something that's but the the saying goes between the lines you remember me telling you the story through Jesus had just told them that uh some of you going to be called into court and you're going to be tried said don't even give any thought as to what you're going to say because the Holy Ghost is going to tell you what to say God's going to give you words and and and boy that that that's some great that's some great teaching for him to say that and a fellow there in in the crowd I'm imagining this he raised his hand go a question what do you want to know about being delivered from what do you want to know about God he said Master said would you tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me Jesus said man now I'm using my tone that I kind of believe Jesus answered him in after all this great spiritual teaching his mind was on money his mind was not on the spirit of God telling him what to say but his mind was on money he said tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me and Jesus said man who made me a divider over you well I think a lot of times we approach Jesus with some things that needs to be left alone in the in the home of Mary and Martha when he when he brought uh 12 other Uninvited unexpected guests in the house and and they filled the house and Mary and Martha was uh in the house and Martha was a fastidious person and she probably started wiping up the the tables and sweeping the floor and getting everything all right and then try to prepare for a dozen people or 13 uh extra people could be quite a job do you have enough food in the house and she looked at and the one thing you don't get by with in the house when there's two women one doing all the work now you might get by with that if it's a man and a woman my great granddaughter was visiting us we enjoy her all of our great grandchildren so much and one day she was there at our house and she stays busy with drawing or something and she stopped and looked at her mother or her grandmother and said Mama why do you do all the work around sh be quiet be quiet dear but Jesus when Mary just sat down or at the feet of Jesus and were listening to him and Martha came to him and said Master said do you not care that that my sister's let me do all the work and Jesus said Martha Martha you're cumbered and troubled about many things but one thing is needful now he who can feed 15,000 with five barley Loaves and gather up 12 baskets full of fragments don't worry about having enough food he's he's going to take care of that and and Mary hath chosen the good part that shall not be taken away I want to tell you non mcquary chose the good part when she and her father saw that sign the ship that even God couldn't sink and they decided not to get aborted and to get a ship that was leaving the very next day was considered less safe as the Titanic and as I said the Titanic is still Taking Lives it took five or six just uh back a few months ago and you better put your life and your actions and your behavior your business your marriage your whatever you're do you better put it in the hands of Jesus all right and There Rose a great storm of wind and waves had beat on the ship so that it was now full and he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow and they wake they wake him and say him Master carest thou not that we perish well now let's be realistic and and get the tone of this paragraph here and then let's talk to ourselves do you ever feel sometimes that um the Lord's asleep he's he he he's not paying attention to what I'm going through you ever wonder why why can't I get a prayer my prayer don't go no further than the ceiling praying seem like I'm praying against a brick wall God I've prayed and why don't you answer be truthful have you ever felt that way I have I have why can't I get an answer I've told you many times about laying flat of the in in the Floor of that pink trailer we had and uh old it was black and pink uh venol lenol rug or whatever it is and and I wept puddle tears God let me hear God am I where you want me to be I was in Knoxville starting a church couldn't get many people together in that little Flatt top basement that you couldn't keep from leaking and and waiting down through the mud that was before the miracle steps were built and and and of course uh brother mckenny told the story of his his one of his grandsons came up with with the family he was just a little boy and they came up and and drove up in front of the church and he looked at said my what a dump well how can you start a church like that yet that's what we did in a in a Flatt top basement and and God what what do you want me Lord if you want me to stay here I will but but let me hear from you Lord if you want me to Evangel brother JT pay uh he stayed after me to come and be his assistant pastor or associate pastor and he said I'll have an office on this side of the platform and you'll have an office over here and uh uh when you need to go out and preach I'll be taking care of the church when I need to go out and preach uh you can take care of the church and and we'll be co-pastors and well I'd forgot about that until this time and I said God if you want me to go have brother pay to call me right now bone didn't ring I didn't hear it from God all I could hear is my own voice praying begging God sometimes God is going to let us walk through the valley David said yay though I walk through the valley of The Shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me let me tell you something he's the master of every situation now Romans 8:28 says for we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and who are the called according to his purpose my twin brother his son and daughter-in-law they were expecting a child their first uh pregnancy and uh they' driven down to Louisiana where her family lived and uh the babies came unexpectedly and uh before time and they were so small and uh so young uh they had to put them in the intensive care and and days and days and days and days went on Bobby and Shirley they drove down there and Bobby would let him go in and he would talk to him and tell them he loved him and and he would sing a little song to him and they were amazed at at the hospital they they said when he would begin to say the other babies in the nursery there might be crying but when he started singing one of those love songs for babies they would stop crying and it would get peaceful and and we all were praying and uh they named them they were Twins and they named them of course Billy and Bobby and um that went on for days and weeks and I think a couple of months and by and by Bobby uh passed away and at the cemetery uh brother the Bob couldn't he said I just I don't understand he said I fasted I've prayed I've sought God and and why why didn't God why didn't God answer my prayer and uh he said the Bible says we know that all things work together to them that love God and he said there was the there was another preacher there walked over and put his arms around brother Bob and wanted to comfort him and brother Bob said you know the Bible said all things work together and the preacher said brother MCL yes the Bible says all things work together but brother Bob you don't see all things now you just see what's here right now but all things are in the hands there are things that you do not see and will never see until we reach heaven all things work together you and I have got to put our faith in God no matter what happens what comes or what goes live or die he is in control and he knows what he's doing and all things work together for good to them that love God what kind of storm are you going through well he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the Sea peace be still and the wind ceased there was a great Cal and he said unto them why are ye so fearful how is it that you have no faith and they feared exceedingly and said one to another what manner of man is this that even the wind and the see obey him what kind of well for one thing they didn't understand it when they I preached Sunday morning about after Easter what then and I didn't realize after all these years of preaching until I studied extensively uh what the disciples did the Bible said they all for forsook him I mean Peter that did the most is the one that Jesus healed his mother-in-law that had a fever un death and they had seen him walk on the water they had seen him multiply Loaves and Fishes and and and every and even told him that they deny him and Peter denied and even cursed and when they uh put him on the spot cursed Pro it well what I'm getting around to say sometime we can think we're so so strong we can't be shaken and he said to them why don't you have faith and then they said this what manner of man is this that even the winds and the Sea obey they had it wrong it wasn't a man doing that it was God becoming a man and God became man that that he could walk among us that he could steal our storms that he could uh steal our fears and can deliver us when we need it most and I want to say to you here tonight no matter what you're going through and I will promise you out of a crowd this size there's got to be folks that's going through some unpleasant things but I've got news new for you this man we're talking about is a God man and he has all power and he can and will give you Deliverance now Luke tells the same story in Luke 8 23 but as they sailed he fell asleep oh here we go again with Luke's version and he said he had perfect knowledge of what Jesus had done but as they sailed he fell asleep and as I said a few minutes ago there's been times in my Ministry that it just seems like Jesus fell asleep we were building at 123 West Colombia and we' been in a flat top basement started out on a dirt floor finally we got the money to put we put some gravel down then by and by we eventually got the money to put a concrete floor in and um it uh we we didn't have enough money to pay the light bills many times and brother mullin's he's one of the few men in the church there and uh we'd s he'd open his bill for after service and and and you've heard me tell this before but here we go um I'd open mine and I might have three or four5 dollars he and we'd put it together to have enough to pay the light build and it it was it was so rough it was so rough go to conferences and meet preachers and then how are you doing brother M how how you what kind of car are you driving I used to drive oldmobile but I took a l to I used for and how many are you running in Sunday school well we're running about a 100 well we had 14 50 at 25 but we was running after a hundred we was running to to catch them but it was so hard and then finally we got able to uh to in fact it sister Janette Lynn's dad uh he was a brick layer and and I got him to lay brick for us and he laid the brick up and we got the walls up and had a brick building with no top on it and we were still worshiping in the basement and uh so we got enough money together to buy some trusses the building was 35 ft wide and 70 ft long and the trusses of course they were uh 35 ft wide plus a couple feet on each side and there was four of us brother Nukem uh brother uh U brother DeForest craze and the other brother I forget his name name uh but anyway there's four of us and um we'd carry the trusses up there and get them between and then I would climb up and they'd take a pole with a a wire on it and they would push it up to me and I would nail it off to a bracet had the back wall of a the the block wall I laid that up and and I would nail it off with a two before and we had 36 of those trusses up and of course I would brace them one against the other once we got them uh braced against the back wall and it was the end of uh March I believe it was it was near early April and March was going out like a lion and they was pushing those up to me and I was nailing them off and finally it was blowing so hard uh they said brother M come down cuz it's too dangerous you you don't need to be up there and I said well push me another minute or two and they pushed another then finally they just stopped they said we're not seeing it anymore come down because it's it's too windy and I had no morning got down from that a a big gust of wind came up that Valley happy holler and over that uh peanut City and and and I heard things started cracking and the back wall gave away we had had in the block it all came down and and 36 trusses came down and it was like matchsticks just all tied together and brother Nukem he's an elderly gentleman that was such a help to us and he was right in the middle of that the other brother brother uh craze and the other brother they ran to the sides of the building and I looked and then the thing oh brother nuke about oh dear God what a horrible thing we've got here his pre ious man is here helping me and now he's been killed with this terrible wind storm and the uh trusses that shouldn't have been worked on at that time and when the thing stopped cracking popping and something moved and papy n's head stuck up between one of those v's and the trusses like that his glasses was like this he had a little scratch like this and I said pppy are you all right he said well I think so I think so as He adjusted his glasses and he climbed out and he had just a little small scratch but after that we backed off and I looked you talk about a sad sight looked at that building with all that bunch of Timber Just Like matticks falling and and you you talk about a storm I thought we were doing so good getting ready to put a roof on that building and now everything fell in and then on top of that when I called her insurance man he said you're not insured said your insurance is no good for that it's for other things but not that and here we got that pot of wood and lumber and all that and so I took the insurance policy and gave it to the adjuster and I said you read over this and look at that and I said our agent said that it would not covered he read that he said you tell your agent he's wrong the insurance will cover every bit of it we uh cover getting the crane out here and lifting all them off the out of the building and let you build it and he sent a crane out there and we were able to lift him up and put them up about four at a time and sit on that building now tell me that the man that come the storms of Galilee tell me he wasn't at 123 tell me he wasn't at 123 West Columbia oh yes he was he didn't steal the storm but he steal the insurance situation he saved Pap's life don't tell me there's not a God that's Watching Over Us he's still still alive he's still alive he's still alive [Applause] today sometimes Faith almost seems like foolishness even this property we're on brother Jee wadell so brother MC there's a piece of prop was looking at you've known the story about uh how when we got the building built and and breaked and moved upstairs with pews and all that it was just like that the building just filled up and we didn't have enough room and I told sister M that looks like God's telling us to build a larger building I said but if the Lord wants us to build a large building he'll send us a Bary for the old building I shouldn't have said that that very week the pastor of the Assembly of God the Scott Street assembly God called me and said brother mcco would you folks be interested in selling your building here I'd already opened my mouth and God has said oh you have a little faith where where is your faith and you know the story I told him $38,000 and that was a big Prospect then and he said well he had his meeting and and he said we'll pay you in advance $38,000 and give you six months to build that new building well the rest of the story you know how it goes about the Marines God sent out here and what I'm trying to tell you tonight is that God is still still he is still stealing our storms if we'll just trust to him verse uh uh but as they say he fell asleep and there I felt like he fell asleep and that Windstorm blew our trusses down and there came down a storm of wind on the lake and they were filled with water and were in Jeopardy and they came to him and awoke him and said master master we perish then he arose and rebuked the wind and the Raging of the water and they ceased and there was a cal and it said unto them where is your faith and they being afraid wondered saying one to another what manner of man is this for he commandeth even the winds and the water and they obey him you see Jesus is the Lord who rules the Raging Sea storms in our life may look different than they did for the disciples but their storm in Matthew 8 was as actual storm was an actual storm of wind and waves rain thunder lightning certainly we still have thunderstorms but we also have storm shelters umbrellas windshield wipers and sandbags to Stave off the storm's effect but windshield wipers cannot save off a terminal illness or a divorce notice or a four closure or a termination notice or a policeman and a chaplain on our doorsteps at 3:00 a.m. delivering devastating news we roll through the storms in our lives but just as God Ste the storms for the psus he still Stills our storms even if you hear the Roaring waves and feel this stinging rain ask God to steal the storm in your heart he certainly can do that he can give us peace he can give us confidence and comfort I'm looking for a place to uh shorten our Bible study and let me go to this place right here Jesus did care he was on the boat with him Jesus fully appreciated the danger they perceived they were in however he knew what they did not he knew that he could speak a simple sentence and Cal the storm as far as we know from Biblical history the miracle had never happened before of God using nature in the Old Testament to do his work we discovered last week that God may have called on the weather to help deliver his people out of Egyptians bondage let me give you this in 1st Samuel 7 starting at verse 10 and as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering the Philistines Drew near to battle against Israel but the Lord thundered with a great Thunder on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them they were smitten before Israel and the men of Israel went out to misp and pursued the Philistines and smote them until they came under bethar pastor preached about God sending hornets and drove them uh the enemy out but he he said I'll just do it a little by little can't do it all at one time because you can't take care of the blessings I'll send the hornet in and they'll do it a little by little judges 520 they fought from Heaven the stars in their courses fought against CIS the river of kishan swept them away the ancient river the river kashan oh my soul thou has trotten down the strength now uh CES he ruled and pestered and tormented Israel for 20 years the Bible said he had 900 Chariots of iron but now then God sent a deliverer and they were trying to forward this kashan River and when they started to try to cross that River with their 900 chariots God let that River sweep down and swept them all away God had proven he can send the storm but the disciples had not heard the story where he had steal the storm novelist Charles Dudley Warner equipped that everybody talks about the weather but nobody ever does anything about it Jesus did he he CED the storm it was Paul harvy that said the easiest job in the world is being a weather forecaster everybody perked up he said they tell you that there's a 50% chance of rain said if it rains it hits it said if it don't rain he still hits it 50% well Jesus didn't give the forecast 50% he said peace be still wind stop and the Seas you stop that's the god that we're talking about we just adding your feet with us please the writer tells this story when my wife and I learned much to our surprise that our family was in crisis it seemed to me that we came to the end of our rope very quickly the crisis invol of the disillusion of the marriage of one of our children we did everything we could with everything that we could think of to try to intervene so that the divorce would be avoided nothing seemed to help tensions developed not only between us and our in-laws but between us and our parents the storm raged with ever increasing Fury it seemed to me that my Ministry had come come to an end since our family was falling apart and credibility would I what credibility would I have left who would want to listen to anything I had to say as I sat in our house one Saturday afternoon the phone rang I did not recognize the caller's voice he identified himself he was calling from about 2,000 miles away I didn't know him he he said God had awakened him during the night about two weeks before his call and strongly impressed my name upon him God given him two verses of scripture for me here's the first one Isaiah 43 and2 when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and though the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest to the fire Thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame Kindle upon thee I was amazed as a student of scripture I realized Isaiah wrote these words to Israel but it seemed they perfectly described my situation but there was a second verse here it is Isaiah 45:17 but Israel shall be saved and the Lord with an everlasting salvation ye he shall not be ashamed or confounded World Without End if God loves Israel he loves you and me regardless of the kind of storm that we may face God knows all about it don't let your faith wne don't doubt the Lord whatever you're going through I can I wouldn't embarrass anybody for anything in this world but there's people in this very audience that have been at the end of their rope not for sure where we're going to have a place to live next month not for sure how we're going to pay a car payment not for sure but God saw fit to bring through it how many of us can say God has C my storm many many times before and he's still going to do it father we thank you tonight for the Blessed word of God I pray Lord that you will let this word sink deep into our hearts and may it give us faith and strength and comfort to know that you are going to be there to take care of our every need I pray Lord you'll dismiss us from this place but not from your presence bring us back back at our next appointed time in Jesus name we pray amen shake hands and be friendly you're dismissed in Jesus name