The Storms of the Night
Text Matthew 14
Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV) 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
Made = NT:315 anagkazo (an-ang-kad’-zo); from NT:318; to necessitate: KJV – compel, constrain.
NT:318 anagke (an-ang-kay’); from NT:303 and the base of NT:43; constraint (literally or figuratively); by implication, distress: KJV – distress, must needs, (of) necessity (-sary), needeth, needful.
(Jesus had just fed the thousands)
Matthew 14:17-21 (NKJV) 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Then
23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
contrary. = NT:1727 enantios (en-an-tee’-os); from NT:1725; opposite; figuratively, antagonistic: KJV – (over) against, contrary.
(If they went to the north the wind was there, south, there. Ever have days like that, no matter which way you go it seem that there is a storm brewing) (but remember who put them there)
25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
(The fourth watch, toward three o’clock in the morning,)
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
(PRAY Please always pray before doing any Bible study)
Introduction:
There are some 35 separate miracles of Christ record in the Gospels and are divided into two categories One are healing miracles where He ether healed the sick or raised the dead… the next are miracles of nature, where He said peace be still and the storm stops, or turns water into wine, the one we just read is of nature. all the miracles of Christ point to the future they point to truths that are listed in the book of Revelations, e.g. the raising of the dead says that all death one day will be done away with, the casting out of demons’ signals to God invasion on Satan and his ultimate defeat. The healing of the sick and the provision of food tells us that someday all suffering will be done away with. But now we see Christ walking on a stormy sea, and this too points forward to a time of complete victory over the kayos of this earth. But it also speaks to us for today for the Storms that we face each and every day. And everyone has storms in their lives.
There are bright sunny days of summer and there are the cold windy days of winter,
There are days abundant flooding and there are days of drought.
There are days of joy but there are also days of sorrow.
There are times when our highest hopes are blasted, our noblest dreams are shattered.
There are times when our brightest sunrises are turned to our darkest nights.
The storm of adversity will rage, the wind of disaster will blow, and the tide wave of grief sometimes will beat in against our lives, and emotionally we find ourselves beat to shreds. And as one preacher put it, sometimes we must go to the kitchen of sorrow and lick every pan.
God does not build for us bridges over trouble water that the easy way out.
Sometimes God calms the storm but sometimes He calms the believer and lets the storm rage on.
Now we see Peter and look at who is already in the stormy sea, Jesus.
28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
(Look what happened when you take your eyes off Jesus)
30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
(Pray your heart and your needs.)
31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Mark 6:52 Marks account of the same miracle
52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
They forgot what Christ a few hours earlier had just done, do not forget what he has already done for you, look back and know that he is already there.
or as Dr. Tony Evans said, “We often doubt what God will do because we have forgotten what God has done!”
Hebrews 13:5-8 (NKJV)
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Heart was hardened, over exposure under response to the truth. It’s that You hear the truth over and over and walk out and never do anything with it.
James 1:23-25 (NKJV) 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
We see the three Hebrew boys were not saved from the fire, but in the fire. Jesus was there with them.
Daniel was not delivered from the lion’s den but delivered from a den of lions.
And look at the apostle Paul at his trouble,
2 Corinthians 11:22-33 (NKJV) 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? –I speak as a fool–I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness– 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.
Jeremiah was in a storm of exile and percussion and tears that his prophecies came out.
Hanna (the mother of Samuel) in a storm of infertile that she emerged as a Godly mother.
It was a storm of exile at Patmus that John wrote the book of Revelations
When it looks so dark and there is no way out, know that God is at work.
There are some things that God can do in a storm that he cannot do in fair weather.
God know that we play in the calm but we Pray in the storm and most Christians will tell You that their closest time with God is in the storms. Understand God controls the storms.
Why Trials come our way.
By Norma Head
It seems when times are getting hard.
And things are looking bad,
That’s when we call on the Lord the most.
When we are very sad,
But if you stop and think a while
We need Him most of all.
When things are good and we can smile
But then we seldom call,
Why trials come our way.
They help to keep Him in our hearts
When on our knees, we stay.
The best example in the Bible is Joseph Gen.37: (Potiphar) Butler saves Baker killed,
He was never going down he was going up, from the pit to a palace.
1Peter 4:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
In the Book
Intense Moments with the Savior by Ken Gire
INTRODUCTION
“Our Savior’s life was not an unbroken succession of intimate moments that changed people’s lives, or incredible moments that captured their attention, or instructive moments that challenged their thinking. There were intense moments too. Moments when he overturned the tables of moneychangers and moments when money changed hands and his enemies turned the tables on him.
As we focus on these intense moments, we see the Savior as a son who learned obedience through the things he suffered. But through this apprenticeship of suffering,
Jesus learned something else.
He learned to feel.
He learned the feeling of hunger from his forty days in the wilderness and thirst from his feverish hours on the cross. But he learned to feel a greater hunger in the wilderness than bread alone could satisfy and a greater thirst on the cross than mere water could relieve. He learned the pain of rejection and the sorrow of unrequited love.
We learn to feel in much the same way. We learn to feel when our faith is tested in some wilderness. When our best-laid plans go awry and our bravest prayers go unanswered. When we’re belittled by a crowd or betrayed by a colleague. When we’re deserted by our friends or done in by our enemies.
Whether it’s a single thorn in the flesh or a crown of them mashed on our heads, suffering teaches us to feel.”
Do You ever wonder why bad things happen as we see in John 11?
John 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died.
John 11 :32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died.
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
This is why.
2 Corinthians 4:8-18 (NKJV) 8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 5:1-11 (NKJV) 1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
Back to: Intense Moments with the Savior
But learning to feel carries with it both a blessing and a curse: a blessing, because those feelings are what lead us out of ourselves; a curse, because once out we can never again go back and enjoy the simple pleasures of a self-absorbed life. For suffering sensitizes us not only to the world around us, which is needy, but to the world within us, which is needier still, and ultimately to the world beyond us, which we long for in so many ways. Yet in so few ways do we ever fully realize it. Until we suffer.
We go through Storms so the world will see how God’s people will react!
Matthew 27:38-42 (NKJV) 38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
Why do we go through such things, so others can see Christ Jesus in us.
As Dr. Charles Stanley said “Nothing speaks louder to an unsaved world than a Christian that suffers successfully!”
Matthew 27:54 (NKJV) 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Back to: Intense Moments with the Savior
Then we realize that this is not our home, that our home is with him who suffered and died and left this earth to prepare a place for us. Once we understand that and who it is that keeps a candle burning for us in the window, then the road ahead, however long, however difficult, is infinitely easier to travel.
The Story of Paul and Silas locked in a jail and look at the outcome.
Acts 16:22-34 (NKJV) 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Til the Storm Passes By
Artist: Bill & Gloria Gaither, Album: Turn Your Radio On
Lyrics
In the dark of the midnight
Have I oft hid my face.
While the storm howls above me
And there’s no hiding place.
‘Mid the crash of the thunder
Precious Lord, hear my cry.
“Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by.”
‘Til the storm passes over
‘Til the thunder sounds no more
‘Til the clouds roll forever from the sky
Hold me fast, let me stand.
In the hollow of Thy hand
Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by
Many times, Satan tells me.
“There is no need to try.
For there’s no end of sorrow
There’s no hope by and by.”
But I know Thou art with me.
And tomorrow I’ll rise.
Where the storms never darken the skies
‘Til the storm passes over
‘Til the thunder sounds no more
‘Til the clouds roll forever from the sky
Hold me fast, let me stand.
In the hollow of Thy hand
Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by
Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by
How to Sleep on a Stormy Night
Matthew 7:24-29 (NKJV) 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
What kind of foundation are you built on, and can you sleep on a stormy night.
I saw this story in Instagram:
A farmer was looking for a new farm hand, so as he was interviewing a young man, he asked him what was his qualifications were? The young man replied “I can sleep through a storm. This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, so he hired him. A few weeks later the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm ripping through the valley. He leapt out of bed and called for his new hired hand, but the young man was sleeping soundly. So, they quickly began to check things to see if all was secure, the found the shutters on the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The farmer and his wife then inspected their property, they found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements, the bales of wheat had been bound and wrapped in tarpaulins, the tractor had been moved into the garage, the barn was properly locked tight. Even the animals were calm and had plenty of feed. All was well. The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words “I can sleep through a storm” because the farmhand did his work, Loyally and faithfully when the sky was clear. He was prepared for any storm. Moral, preparation and diligence during calm times leads to peace and security during difficult times.
Just always remember:
God is too good to be unkind, to wise to be mistaken, and when you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.
