WEBVTT 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:22.085 Welcome to the Sandals Church podcast. My name is McKay, and I'm a part of the online team here at Sandals Church. We are so happy to have you join us today as we listen to this message with pastor Matt, teaching from our series, the gospel of Matthew. If you've enjoyed our content, consider leaving us a rating to help this podcast reach more people. Now, let's get into the message. 00:00:26.165 --> 00:00:40.460 How many of you guys have ever been through a difficult phase in your life? Raise your hands. Okay? And if your hands aren't up, I'm gonna pray the Lord blesses you this week with some difficulty. And so here's the thing is difficult times will make or break our faith. 00:00:40.940 --> 00:01:02.940 Difficult times will deepen our faith, or for some of us, difficult times will cause us to abandon our faith. And so we're gonna talk about how how do we trust Jesus in difficult times. And so I want you to open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 14 verse 22. And I want you to write this down. I want you to have this in your mind as we go through this text. 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:15.955 Jesus... Look at this. Jesus may lead me through things that I want to avoid. Like he's Lord. There's no verse in the Bible that says, you're Lord. 00:01:15.955 --> 00:01:30.870 There's no verse in the Bible that says, you're king. We're following him. He's leading us. And sometimes, he wants to lead us through something I would rather avoid. How many of you guys have gone through things in the past that if you had your choice, you wouldn't have gone through? 00:01:30.870 --> 00:01:38.710 Raise your hands. Come on. And if your hands not up, you're dumb. Like you're a fool. Read Proverbs. 00:01:39.105 --> 00:01:52.520 There are all things that we've gone through that we would just say, hey, I I I would rather I would rather avoid that. You know, this this last week I was at a conference in Oakland, California. Anybody been Oakland? Yeah. So I was nervous. 00:01:52.520 --> 00:02:01.720 You know what I'm saying? I'm born, bred, raised California, love California. Oakland, get it together. It's... You are the scariest city in our state. 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:20.740 And so I was in Oakland and I was at a conference and I went to the hotel. It was 11:00 at night and I go to check-in and Marriott lets me know I'm at the wrong Marriott. And I'm like, Lord, why are you why are you testing me? I'm your servant. And so, you know, what I said is, well, you have a room here? 00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:28.980 You know, I could just I could just stay here. It's a Marriott. She's like, no. We don't have any rooms. She said, the good news is, you know, the hotel that you're registered at, it's only 500 yards from here. 00:02:28.980 --> 00:02:42.285 I said, great. I'll walk. And she goes, she's all get you. I'll get you a cab. I took a cab 500 yards, you know, and ran into the Marriott safely. 00:02:43.340 --> 00:03:04.395 But I went to bed and I was just so irritated and so upset because you know what? Sometimes life happens. There's your plans and then there's reality. And the problem is we're all upset because we're comparing our real life to our friends and family's Instagram highlight real life. And and you have no idea. 00:03:04.395 --> 00:03:22.510 You know that family photo that they took at Disneyland? They just beat their kids to get them to smile for that moment. But Instagram says, it was the greatest day of our life. And so so that's the that's the problem. That's why a lot of us are bitter because we say, I I want you to bless me like the fake life I'm looking at on Instagram. 00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:36.965 And Jesus doesn't wanna bless a fake life. He wants to bless your real life. In order to do that, he may, he may not, but he might lead you through something that you don't wanna go through. So let's look at Matthew fourteen twenty two. So immediately after this. 00:03:36.965 --> 00:03:48.180 So remember, we have the p ditty Jeffrey Epstein party. Remember that? It's wild. Good job, Fredo. Then we have the feeding of the 5,000. 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:58.825 And immediately after he feeds everybody after this, Jesus is tired. Right? Look at this. He insisted... You can translate this forced, coerced, made. 00:03:59.545 --> 00:04:15.170 Jesus insisted that his disciples get back in the boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he sent the people home. So the disciple... This isn't their idea. This isn't their plan. They weren't like, you know what we should do after a long day's hard work? 00:04:15.170 --> 00:04:32.715 Sail back across the Sea Of Galilee. Jesus is telling them to do this. After sending them home, he went up to the hills to pray by himself, right? He's God, he can do what he wants. Night fell while he was there alone. 00:04:32.795 --> 00:04:56.785 So Jesus is praying, the disciples are sailing. Sometimes listen to me, you have to go through a storm to become the person that God has called you to be. So many of you parents, you're ruining your children by protecting them from every storm. If you solve every problem that they have as a child, they will never know how to solve problems when they're an adult. Okay? 00:04:56.785 --> 00:05:16.315 And if you're married and you have kids, fight in front of your kids appropriately. I'm not saying like involve the police. I'm saying your kids need to learn that couples have conflict. And sometimes conflict is necessary and listen to me, sometimes it's good. It's good. 00:05:16.315 --> 00:05:33.050 It actually provides clarity, it brings us together. Okay, it can be unhealthy, it can be violent, it can be sinful. But sometimes, you know, I think a lot of us think, oh, the best marriages are the ones that never fight. Well, could just be a shallow marriage. You might you might need to deepen your relationship. 00:05:33.050 --> 00:05:42.730 So kids need to see healthy conflict resolution. Okay. They also you know, you're like, why are they fighting all the time? They're learning how to get married. That's what that's what children are doing. 00:05:42.730 --> 00:05:58.275 Okay. And you're like, no, we don't hit each other because in marriage you go to jail. So kids are learning how to get along. It's the same reason people leave church and this is the problem. Oftentimes we leave a church and go to another one and we miss out on what Jesus was trying to teach us. 00:05:59.960 --> 00:06:27.080 And so in today's age, you can jump from church to church to church to church and never work through the conflict that's actually going to reveal what Jesus wants to fix in your life. And so that's unfortunate. So I just want you to know, he may lead you through something. And here's the thing, remember last week it's for your good. You may not want to go through it but it's for your good. 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:37.240 Next, this is this is beautiful. And not just because I wrote it. This is this is beautiful because it's true. Jesus will always be there for me especially when I need him the most. I... 00:06:38.440 --> 00:06:48.345 You know, I'm a Dodger fan. It's been a rough week. I know everybody else is happy. But here's what cracks me up. Here's what cracks me up on TV is all the Dodger fans doing this. 00:06:49.465 --> 00:07:05.240 Like they they have never been more spiritual in their life. Praying over something that God could care less about. You know? And that'd be amazing though if you know God's in heaven. Don't you wish that they cared about world hunger like this game? 00:07:05.320 --> 00:07:24.040 You know? But here's the thing is, Dodger fans, God might be saying, hey, you've been dodging me and I don't care about the game, but I do care about your life. I don't care about the score, but I do care about your marriage. I don't care who wins the World Series, but I do care about you getting into heaven. And so that's the thing. 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:40.575 When we really need him over things that really matter, and it's okay to love sports, but at the end of the day, a thousand years from now, we're not gonna be talking about the game. We're gonna be talking about things that really mattered. And and we and we gotta deal with that. Jesus will be there for you. Listen to me. 00:07:40.575 --> 00:07:48.575 When you need him the most. And some of you say, well, pastor Matt, you have no idea what I went through. I know you're still here. And you know what that means? You weren't alone. 00:07:48.735 --> 00:07:52.815 You survived. Amen? You survived. You're here. He was with you. 00:07:53.300 --> 00:08:02.180 Amen? And so we gotta go back. We gotta go back to last week. I'm not saying he caused it, but he did allow it. So Matthew fourteen twenty four. 00:08:02.900 --> 00:08:21.560 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble. Anybody been there? Like, feel like that's where I live, in trouble. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land for a strong wind had risen and they were fighting heavy waves. Now I'm a surfer. 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:34.280 I love to surf. I I'm grateful to God that in my mid fifties, I'm still able to surf better than all of my children. Amen. You know what I'm saying? I mean, you gotta take the wins as you get them when you're older. 00:08:34.935 --> 00:08:45.575 I love telling them, maybe one day you'll be as good as me, but not today. But but I love to surf. I love being active. And people... The first question people always ask me about is, aren't you afraid of Sharks. 00:08:45.655 --> 00:08:53.780 Sharks. No. I'm afraid of the water. The water is what kills people. Water is powerful. 00:08:53.940 --> 00:09:19.050 I was surfing a couple of weeks ago and we had a hurricane that had come up from Mexico and the surf was great. But the surf was so big, Harbor patrol came out and was telling sailboats to get get rid of their anchors and go out deeper. Here's what Harbor patrol was saying, the waves are too tall for the length of your anchor. Ain't that crazy? And I saw a couple waves where I thought that boat is not gonna make it. 00:09:19.050 --> 00:09:31.370 We're talking 35, 45 foot sailboats, and I'm like they're gonna snap. So I was out there surfing. It took me an hour to have courage to drop into a wave. And I was evaluating. Is this ego? 00:09:31.370 --> 00:09:46.910 Is this stupid? Am I supposed to have faith, know. And so ultimately I decided that God was calling me to have faith and so I dropped into the wave and caught one of the the greatest waves of my life. But you know, wait, listen to me, water is scary. It's scary. 00:09:47.230 --> 00:09:51.470 And there's always... Well, I ski. Well, the mountain doesn't move. That's called an avalanche. Okay? 00:09:51.470 --> 00:10:07.805 And that's what surfing is like. Imagine when the mountain is moving. So so so these are these are seasoned fishermen and they're afraid. These are big waves. About 03:00 in the morning, Jesus came toward them. 00:10:08.205 --> 00:10:19.810 And that's the thing I want you to know. When when life storms come towards you, God moves closer to you. He doesn't run from you. Now we we may run from God. God does not run from us. 00:10:19.890 --> 00:10:36.125 He runs towards us. So about 03:00 in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. Now that's... I think we all gotta admit that's pretty special. Like this isn't magic. 00:10:37.005 --> 00:10:47.550 This is power. This isn't illusion. This is a miracle. Now when the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were filled with faith. No. 00:10:47.550 --> 00:11:04.895 They're terrified because guys, that's creepy. Like if you're on a cruise in The Caribbean and you just see some dude out there, you know, like you are... Right. You're gonna go, that is freaky. So it's already a scary night. 00:11:04.895 --> 00:11:22.840 You already think you're gonna drown and then you see something supernatural. Something supernatural. And some of you, you're in church and you're not sure if the supernatural exists. I want you to know that the Bible says it does. It does. 00:11:24.255 --> 00:11:44.800 So they see something supernatural, and I love this, in their fear. They cried out, it's a ghost. Now if I was writing the Bible, I would have loved to encourage you all with this little note. I would have said this since it's Halloween this week, and we know that ghosts aren't real. I would have put that in the Bible. 00:11:45.040 --> 00:11:50.000 It's not there. It's not there. It doesn't say that they are real, but it just... That would have been... Can we all agree? 00:11:50.000 --> 00:12:06.350 That would have been a great place to say, don't be afraid they're not real. Is that what it says? Like, I'm gonna talk with Matthew in heaven. Hey, I would have loved some clarification on this point. And some of you guys that go to palm readers, you know, you're all into spooky stuff. 00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:20.350 Look, you don't you don't know who you're calling on the other side. But it probably isn't your mom. Now they may know your mom. They may know a lot about your mom. And I mean, demons don't even have to work that hard because they're probably on Facebook. 00:12:20.350 --> 00:12:31.575 You know what I'm saying? They they know everything that you're posting. But that's what people always say. Well, know things that only my mom would know. Well, you don't know what they know. 00:12:31.575 --> 00:12:48.800 So they... The disciples say, this is a ghost. But Jesus spoke to them. At once, don't be afraid, he said, take courage, I am here. So I want you to underline these three truths in your Bible. 00:12:49.895 --> 00:13:09.080 And these are important truths to remember when you feel like you're drowning. And I don't know if you've ever felt like you're drowning in your marriage, you're drowning in your finances, you're drowning in your health. But let me tell you something, is a terrifying feeling to feel like you're drowning. Do you know what makes drowning more likely? Fear. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:22.145 Fear. That's why most people drown. Most of you, I love you, you're buoyant. You feel... You interpret that word however you want. 00:13:23.665 --> 00:13:42.880 Like you have to work really hard to drown, but you know what? Fear will do that. So look at what Jesus says, don't be afraid. Now I want you to hear me, storms are not always a choice, but fear is. You are never better as a parent when you're afraid. 00:13:43.600 --> 00:14:02.530 You are never better as a spouse when you're afraid. You are never better as a Christian when you're afraid. Fear is not your friend. Fear makes you do stupid things and say stupid things. Fear fear is fear is an enemy. 00:14:02.690 --> 00:14:10.290 Did you know the Bible 365 times says don't be afraid? That's one verse for every day of the what? Year. The year. Yeah. 00:14:10.290 --> 00:14:17.075 A couple of you guys are like, I don't know how many days there are. Yeah. It's 365. And every fourth year, know the smarty pants. What about leap year? 00:14:17.075 --> 00:14:18.275 I know. Know. I know. I got it. Got it. 00:14:18.275 --> 00:14:32.030 Thank you. Coat, here's why you don't wanna wanna be afraid. My fear only makes the storm bigger. You ever had like a lump? Oh, I I should Google that. 00:14:32.830 --> 00:14:51.185 And now it's worse, you're asking AI, what could this be? You have a thirty three point four percent chance of dying. You're like, thank you, Grock. Fear only makes the storm bigger and the water deeper in my mind. Now, years ago, Tammy and I... 00:14:51.185 --> 00:15:09.055 You know, when when I was younger, you know, I thought that Tammy and I had to be best friends and so that meant that we had to like do everything together. And I've learned that's how you get divorced. That's, you know, you just you just... There's just some things where you just you're just not friends at. You just don't do it, you know? 00:15:10.015 --> 00:15:17.135 Like ladies, I'm never gonna watch true crime. I don't like it. I think it's insane. I don't get it. We all know the husband did it. 00:15:17.135 --> 00:15:28.990 Fast forward, let's move on. My wife doesn't get sports. She doesn't. The other night at the Dodger game though, she did ask me a question. How long do these games go? 00:15:30.110 --> 00:15:54.730 And I told her, said forever. They could go forever. But know, for those of you who don't know, was was tied for the longest game in World Series history. But, anyways, my fear only makes the storm bigger and the water deeper in my mind. So when I was younger and way more stupid, I decided that Tammy and I, as a bonding exercise, get certified diving, in open water diving. 00:15:54.810 --> 00:16:05.425 Because I love the water so much and she absolutely hated it. She was clear about that the whole time. She doesn't like cold, she doesn't like sharks, she doesn't like the ocean, she doesn't like water. And probably after this event, she didn't like me. You know what I'm saying? 00:16:05.425 --> 00:16:27.290 Like like, I mean, so we got certified and she did it because she's, you know, was younger and not as wise as she is now. You know, now we've been through counseling and she's realized she can say no. So we got certified and this was our first dive without an instructor. So I was in charge. Right? 00:16:27.290 --> 00:16:53.460 What could go wrong? So we go diving, we we we dive down, we don't die, we pop up and a summer storm is hit. And it's bad. We're on a boat with about 200 other divers and probably about 10 guides that are teaching people how to dive, taking people on a guided dive, which is what we should have done. But it's just me and a couple of our friends in this huge storm, and it's terrifying. 00:16:54.275 --> 00:17:01.875 K? And my wife's spiritual gift is we're all gonna die instantly. Like that's... Like you don't wanna be sitting next to her on the airplane when it's bumpy. She's like, this is it. 00:17:01.875 --> 00:17:18.970 This is it. You know? So she she automatically loses her mind. But as I'm looking around I'm looking at the other guides right because that's what I do on an airplane I only freak out if the flight attendants freak out right? You know if they're like you know praying that that's when I start praying. 00:17:20.010 --> 00:17:28.375 But you know what I see? I see flares shooting. These are rescue flares. Do you know who's shoot... Who's shooting those? 00:17:28.375 --> 00:17:49.190 The guides. So experienced diving guides are shooting flares saying we need to be rescued. It's my first dive unaccompanied by an expert. It's me, Tammy, and our two friends, and and he doesn't agree with my version of the story, but he swam away. That's all I'm gonna say. 00:17:52.525 --> 00:18:09.290 Ladies, her husband left him. So I got my wife who's going insane and his wife who's looking at me like, I'm getting divorced after this event, but what what do we do now pastor? My wife is my wife is out of her mind. We're gonna die. We're all gonna die. 00:18:09.290 --> 00:18:15.610 Let's just kill ourselves right now. So you know what I had to do with her? Had to flip her upside down. I just flip... Not upside down. 00:18:15.610 --> 00:18:24.105 On her back facing backwards, and I grabbed her BC, and I just started dragging her. And she's like, we're all gonna die. We should just die. It's over. God hates us. 00:18:25.225 --> 00:18:37.340 Now here's the thing. Here's the thing I want you to know. I was afraid. I was afraid. See the lie is, oh, well you weren't afraid. 00:18:37.340 --> 00:18:49.275 No, no, no, I was just as scared. But what am I gonna do? Here's what Jesus says, take courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is acting in the midst of fear. 00:18:49.275 --> 00:19:05.050 I was just as afraid. I didn't know what to do. This is my first dive without an instructor. I have no idea what to do and I made lots of mistakes. But we survived because I was able to work through my fear. 00:19:05.370 --> 00:19:13.450 Like is it helpful if we both go nuts? Does that does that does that help our marriage? Are our kids... Do our kids benefited but of... From both of us drowning? 00:19:13.530 --> 00:19:30.220 You know? Courage is moving forward even when I'm afraid. Here's what I knew, dads. My kids were little, and they needed their mom. Like, they like to wrestle with me, but they need their mom. 00:19:30.460 --> 00:19:48.845 I need their mom. I don't wanna be stuck with those three monsters for the rest of my life alone. Like, we're in this nuthouse to the end. So here's the thing is, listen to me. Courage is not something you find, courage is something you take. 00:19:50.365 --> 00:19:59.830 We all experience fear. We all experience scary things. We all experience storms. Courage is a choice. It's a choice. 00:20:00.550 --> 00:20:14.095 So when I'm afraid, why can I take courage? Here's the answers. I'm here. As a Christian, I'm never alone. Jesus is always with me. 00:20:17.055 --> 00:20:38.785 Now some of you are not Christians and this is why you should be. Because if you don't have Christian, if you don't have Christ, listen to me, you are alone. You are. And the world is a scary place to be alone. Deuteronomy thirty one six, be strong and courageous. 00:20:39.825 --> 00:20:52.865 Do not fear or be in dread of them. Why? The world is scary. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. 00:20:53.160 --> 00:21:11.575 How many of guys been through some hard times? Raise your hands, anybody? One of my favorite poems of all time is a poem called Footprints. Nobody knows who wrote it. And for those of you who've seen it, it's just a painting or a picture of an empty beach with a set of footprints. 00:21:12.215 --> 00:21:44.995 And the guy's talking about his life and how Jesus was with him his whole life. And he said, as I noticed and I reflected upon my life, I noticed that there were two sets of footprints. But when I I went to that divorce, when I I battled cancer, when I I filed for bankruptcy, when all my friends abandoned me, when my dad died, There was only one set of footprints. And he says, why did you leave me when I needed you the most? And for those of you who know the poem, Jesus says, I didn't leave you. 00:21:45.395 --> 00:21:58.100 That's when I carried you. And amen? I mean, that makes you wanna cry. There's one set of footprints because there's one guy doing all the work. All the heavy lifting. 00:21:58.100 --> 00:22:15.970 And if you're in your marriage and you're ready to give up, Jesus wants to carry you if you let him. If you're raising kids and you're like, I got the three psychos, he wants to carry you. If you don't know how you're gonna pay your bills, that's not when you abandon God, that's when you run to him. He wants to carry you. But even better than that, look at this. 00:22:16.210 --> 00:22:27.970 Jesus wants to teach me how to rise above the storm. The disciples are seeking, what what's Jesus doing? Chilling. Hey, guys. Not afraid at all. 00:22:29.435 --> 00:22:41.515 He's not afraid at all. Matthew fourteen twenty eight, look at this. Then Peter called out to him. Now this is confusing in the English. It says, Lord, if it's really you. 00:22:42.635 --> 00:23:01.755 Probably the better way to translate this is this, since it's you. Right? Since it's you. But it's it's it's a it's a difficult phrase to translate the intent because Peter has a question. But Peter's fairly certain. 00:23:01.755 --> 00:23:19.500 Right? He says, then Peter called out to him, Lord. So Peter has some confidence. He didn't say, hey, ghost. He says, Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water. 00:23:19.740 --> 00:23:42.830 Peter is saying, if you're really Jesus, help me learn how to do what you're doing. Help me learn how to not go through storms. Listen to me. Help me learn how to rise above them. And if you're a Christian today, these are some of the most beautiful words you will ever hear. 00:23:43.550 --> 00:23:51.615 Look at this. Yes. Yes. Come. Do you understand that? 00:23:51.615 --> 00:24:03.730 There's so much that Jesus wants to teach you if you ask him. Lord, I wanna know how to get through this relationship. Yes, come on. Lord, I wanna know how to trust you with my finances. Yeah, yeah, come on. 00:24:03.730 --> 00:24:26.535 Lord I wanna know how to be a better mom, better dad, a better friend, a better roommate. Lord I wanna learn how to glorify you as a single man, as a single woman. Yes, come on. I'll teach you. We we rip on Peter because he's going to sink, but at least he asked. 00:24:26.615 --> 00:24:50.275 There were 11 other guys in the boat that were like, you know. Yes, come Jesus said. And man, we love to rip on Peter, but look at this. So Peter went over the side of the boat. Man, you gotta give him credit. 00:24:50.435 --> 00:25:05.070 He trusted. He jumped out of the safety of the boat. And look at this. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked... Let's go back. 00:25:05.070 --> 00:25:13.710 And walked on the water towards what? Jesus. Wow. Towards Jesus. He he just did it. 00:25:14.705 --> 00:25:34.530 He just did what Jesus did. How many of you are missing out doing things in your life that Jesus wants to do through your life? Wouldn't that be great if the story ended right there? And Peter walked on water. Don't you wish that's a... 00:25:34.530 --> 00:25:47.465 I mean, that's that's a Disney movie. That's not real life. And they lived happily ever after. I mean, not not current Disney movies because those are depressing, but I mean the old ones. The old ones when we used to feel good when we walked out of the theater. 00:25:47.465 --> 00:26:05.910 You know what I'm talking about? But what happened? But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and he began to sink. Save me Lord, he shouted. Man, save me. 00:26:06.550 --> 00:26:32.660 You see when my focus is on Jesus, I can rise above the storm. When my focus is on the storm, I will begin to sink. One of my favorite people that I read about, I follow, follow him on TikTok. I I follow everything he does is doctor Amen. That's a pretty cool name. 00:26:32.900 --> 00:26:49.105 Like your last name is Amen. And it's literally spelled just like that, but he calls them ants. He says the problem with human beings is ants and not the things that you kill in your home, but they're the thoughts in your head. Ant stands for automatic negative thoughts. And that's how we're all pre wired. 00:26:50.500 --> 00:27:13.515 Human beings are pre wired to think negatively, to see the storm and not see Jesus. So if you're not a Christian, I wanna tell you here's the benefits of living your life looking at Jesus. And these are not my ideas. This is independent research verified by psychologists who have said in a very very fragile society. I mean, and just so you know as Americans we're getting more and more fragile. 00:27:15.275 --> 00:27:29.540 People who regularly attend church and have faith in Jesus are resilient and stronger. Do you know what that means? They're rising above the storm. We're all living in the same culture. So people who demonstrate committed church attendance. 00:27:30.825 --> 00:27:49.480 Listen to this, it boosts mental health and reduces loneliness. We live in a society that is lonely and not well. Have you been out lately? Like if you don't agree with me, go ride a city bus and just start talking to people. It's super fun. 00:27:50.600 --> 00:28:00.155 Our society is not well. People who regularly go to church and are committed to Jesus are doing better psychologically than people that don't. Raise your hand if you're married. Raise your hand if you're married. Okay? 00:28:00.155 --> 00:28:16.150 Look at this. For married couples, listen to me, it strengthens commitment and communication. And committed Christian couples have the most sex of any other relationship group. We're number one, baby. Come on. 00:28:20.790 --> 00:28:44.360 And if your husband won't come to church, I would share this message with him. Do you want to be number one? Okay. If you're single, you should not be having the most sex. Listen to me singles, It reduces loneliness and increases social support. 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:56.445 Do you know what else it does? It builds meaning and purpose. This is like Harvard. They hate Jesus. But here's what they're saying. 00:28:56.765 --> 00:29:10.750 Hey, there's some benefits here. Now raise your hand if you have kids. Kids are not doing well. They're not doing well. I mean, I was raised in the eighties. 00:29:10.750 --> 00:29:22.830 We were tougher. We wish we wish we were. Like, kids today can't handle the word moist. You know what I'm saying? And it's like, that feels, That's awkward. 00:29:25.505 --> 00:29:40.160 It's like, relax. But here's the thing, listen to me. If you want to raise better kids and all your friends, you know what doesn't produce better kids? Sports. More time in better schools. 00:29:40.160 --> 00:30:00.435 Here's what the research shows, kids who regularly attend church are more resilient. Do you know what else it does? It reduces anxiety and depression. Listen to this, church life helps kids develop a healthy sense of identity. This is not me. 00:30:00.675 --> 00:30:19.310 They are also better at building relationships. And listen to this parents, they have the highest levels of self control. Because you know what God teaches us? There are things that we shouldn't do. There are attitudes that we shouldn't have and there are desires we shouldn't act on. 00:30:21.655 --> 00:30:33.175 Kids are not taught that anywhere. Listen to me very carefully. Jesus is an anchor in the storms of life. And you either have that or you do not. And so here's the problem. 00:30:33.175 --> 00:30:55.685 Here's what happens at church. People run to us wanting to save their families, save their kids, but they've never raised them with the anchor. And then they want me in a conversation to say and do what the parents should have been doing for the last ten, twelve, twenty years. And I can't do that. Only you as a parent. 00:30:55.765 --> 00:31:07.570 And here's the thing, I got adult kids and you know what I have? Zero control. Like some of you complain about at least you can control them. You know? I got a 22 year old. 00:31:07.570 --> 00:31:13.250 The best I can do is pray and coach. You know? That that that's it. You gotta teach them. No. 00:31:13.250 --> 00:31:20.370 No. No. God's important. Church is important. And here's the thing you gotta tell them. 00:31:20.715 --> 00:31:39.570 Mom and dad go through storms and we need Jesus. You will go through storms and you will need Jesus. Amen? It's one of the things I I don't think we tell kids enough is why they have to learn that. You know, my son didn't wanna learn math. 00:31:39.570 --> 00:31:50.530 Why do I learn math? I just said because you're dumb and this will make you smarter. It's the truth. You know, no one... Why do we need to learn algebra helps you think around problems? 00:31:50.770 --> 00:32:01.685 It does. And some of you just keep trying to run through the wall, running... Wondering why it doesn't work. Math, bro. It's physics, man. 00:32:02.165 --> 00:32:15.660 Okay. Here here's the good news. My storm is never more powerful than Jesus. Man, I was I was praying with... I wasn't praying. 00:32:15.660 --> 00:32:27.125 I was talking with a guy from church this week and his his wife is having a double mastectomy this week. She's got cancer. That's scary. And you know what I said? We got a big church. 00:32:27.125 --> 00:32:42.160 You know what I said? I said, would it be okay if I came and visited you guys and prayed with your wife? That be okay? And he, you know, he's like, Now do you do you wanna know why I like doing that? Because I've had cancer. 00:32:42.800 --> 00:32:56.585 I've had to have surgery. I've had to wait the eight to fourteen days to find out whether or not you're in real trouble or not. I get it. But you know what I know? Jesus is bigger than cancer. 00:32:58.105 --> 00:33:11.600 Jesus is bigger than divorce. Jesus is bigger than bankruptcy. Jesus is bigger than depression. Jesus is more powerful than anxiety. No matter what you're facing, Jesus is bigger and better. 00:33:11.600 --> 00:33:23.575 Matthew fourteen thirty one, Jesus immediately reached out. Don't you love that? Like if I was Jesus, how many of guys would have just given him like a little coaching lesson right there? Like you would. Come on. 00:33:23.575 --> 00:33:33.200 I've taught you. Swim. Roll over. Here's what here's what I want you to see. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. 00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:44.560 The second you call on the name of Jesus, he answers every time. Amen? He does. And then he coaches. You know what I'm saying? 00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:54.995 He saves and then he coaches. Parents, that's a good thing. Save and then coach. You know? Don't be like an eighties parent and well, let him put his finger in the socket and then we'll talk. 00:33:55.475 --> 00:34:05.640 That was the eighties. Right? You have so little faith Jesus said. Look at this. Why did you doubt me? 00:34:05.640 --> 00:34:29.730 And here's the thing is what was Peter doing? He was walking on the water. Some of you have forgotten what life was like when your faith was right and you were walking on water. You forgot what it's like to be in love with Jesus, love your life, be so grateful for what he did for you. You were walking on water and then you took your eyes off him, you put it on something else and you're sinking and here's the thing, blame God. 00:34:30.290 --> 00:34:56.330 You blame God. Do you know why young people today are so miserable? Because we've taught them to put their eyes on themselves. We have raised a generation of children and told them they're the most important thing in life. And we wonder why thousands of kids are such a mess. 00:34:56.810 --> 00:35:18.575 We've told them, you're the Lord. Jesus says, I'm the Lord. When they climbed back into the boat, look at this, the wind stopped and then the disciples worshiped him. Now in our church, we have a lot of ex Jehovah Witnesses. So I'm so glad that you guys are here. 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:28.520 And in your bible, in the translation that you grew up with, the word is not worshiped. It's ob... The omniscience. Omnience. I can't pronounce it. 00:35:28.520 --> 00:35:38.455 It's an English word that nobody knows what it means. That's why the JJW put it in the bible. I'll I'll I'll I'll put it in the the notes. Obeseence, there it is. There we go. 00:35:38.455 --> 00:35:47.940 Obeseence, that's the word. And it's it's a weird word that nobody uses. And so what obeseence means, thank you Jesus for bringing that word to me. Right now literally the Holy Spirit was like, should I help him? Should I help him? 00:35:47.940 --> 00:36:07.475 And the Lord Jesus was like, yeah, yes, send him. Phone a friend, obedience. I mean, most of you've never heard of that word in your life. But what it means is is this. To to bow, to kneel, to pay homage to respect. 00:36:07.475 --> 00:36:29.570 So it's it's a word that's used like you would when... If you sat before a king or in the feudal system in Europe. It could be translated to kiss the hand. But the Greek word is prosopuno. And here's what it means, to worship, to bow down and show allegiance. 00:36:31.305 --> 00:36:54.550 Now I'm not saying in this moment the disciples fully understood the deity of Jesus. I'm not saying in this moment they understood everything about who he is. They they did not have the benefit that you and I do because we know about the resurrection. They don't yet. But they know this, there was a storm and he just walked on water and then he told it to stop and it did. 00:36:57.110 --> 00:37:31.895 And here's the thing if you're a good Jewish rabbi. If you open your Bibles to Genesis chapter one, the first chapter, the few first verses says this, that the Holy Spirit was hovering, the spirit of God was hovering above the deep waters. And then God spoke to the deep water. What did Jesus just do? He was hovering above the waters and he just spoke to it. 00:37:31.975 --> 00:37:53.800 Then the disciples worshiped him. You really are the son of God. Now listen to me. Many of you have been in church your whole life and you know this story. And we can all talk about walking through storms and trusting God and trusting Jesus. 00:37:54.360 --> 00:38:15.910 When I was a kid, this is the coolest felt board stories. The most important part of this story is what I just told you. He's the son of God and they worshiped him. If you're not worshiping Jesus, you're not following Jesus. If you're not worshiping Jesus, you're not trusting Jesus. 00:38:15.910 --> 00:38:38.895 If you're not worshiping Jesus, you don't know Jesus. The most important part of the story is this, take your eyes off the storm and bow and worship not before your anxiety, not before your fear, but before the feet of Jesus. Man, that's the story. That's the point. So Jesus leads me through storms so I can help others. 00:38:38.895 --> 00:38:53.100 Look at this, through theirs. They're the others, man. You guys... And that's what you're not doing. Look, if you just leave church today and you're so filled and you're so encouraged and you love the message, I mean, free to share that with me. 00:38:53.100 --> 00:39:14.600 That would boost my confidence. But listen to me, if you never share that with someone else, you're missing the point. Matthew 14, this tell the stories after they had crossed the lake and they landed. Now again, if I wrote the Bible, I would have put safely. Right? 00:39:14.600 --> 00:39:25.240 Safely. Anybody ever got an airplane when they clap when you land? Like that that that you know what that means? It was touch and go. If I was Matthew, would have put the word safely there because they were all gonna die. 00:39:26.135 --> 00:39:46.010 They were all gonna drown. After they had crossed the lake and they landed safely at Gennesaret, when the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area. And here's what many of you miss. In the preceding chapter, here's what the disciples told Jesus. Lord, there's a big crowd here, send them away. 00:39:47.850 --> 00:40:04.745 They did not worship him after he fed the 5,000. They worshiped him after he saved them. Look at this. And soon the people were bringing all their sick to be healed. And I want you to notice what's not in the text. 00:40:04.745 --> 00:40:29.485 The disciples do not prevent the crowds from coming to Jesus because they have a better picture of who he is. They begged him the crowds to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his rope. Do you understand what's happening here? Right? And look at this, and all who touched him were healed. 00:40:30.765 --> 00:40:56.465 Man, what has Jesus done for you? When's the last time you shared that with somebody else? For some of you, all your friends are Christian, all the people that you hang out with Christian, that's great. Who's the person in your life that's drowning that you need to throw a life raft to? And say, hey, can I tell you what helps me in my marriage? 00:40:56.625 --> 00:41:04.945 What helps me with my kids? What helps me when I'm overwhelmed? What helps me when I'm anguish? Can I tell you how I rise above the storms of life? His name is Jesus. 00:41:04.945 --> 00:41:16.220 Could I share that with you? And you don't have to argue about the bible. You don't have to give a defense for the crusades. I always love that. It's like Christians have done a lot wrong since the crusades. 00:41:16.220 --> 00:41:32.335 You don't have to go that far back. You just gotta say, can I share with you what Jesus has done for me? Because the purpose of the storm, listen to me, is for you to help somebody else through theirs. Amen. Amen. 00:41:32.335 --> 00:41:51.475 Amen. I wanna wanna close in prayer and I wanna pray two things. Number one, that if you're going through a storm right now, you would trust Jesus. But number two, if you're not, that you would find somebody in your life who's going through a storm and you would share Jesus. Amen. 00:41:51.475 --> 00:42:02.035 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray for every person in this room that's going through a storm. Lord, I don't know what it is, but you know what it is. You know their battle. You know their shame. 00:42:02.035 --> 00:42:18.520 You know their anxiety, their worry, their depression, their fear. Lord, whatever it is, Lord, would you just help them in this moment to turn to you? And Lord, for those of us who are just blessed right now. We're just we're just on a winning streak right now. Lord, we're we're we're in a seat just in a place of peace. 00:42:18.520 --> 00:42:39.860 Would you put somebody in our life this week that's going through a storm that needs Jesus? And would you help us this week to share the reason for the hope that we have and the faith that we live and help us as a church to be more evangelistic in sharing the truth of who you are? I pray this in Jesus name and all God's people said, amen. Amen. 00:42:44.340 --> 00:43:12.600 Amen. Put a word for us this week and may we be a people who can rise above the storm and trust in Jesus to invite other people as well to find him. Thank you so much for that. I wanna encourage you for those of you who are watching online, what an opportunity you have this week to reach out for him and to allow him to lift you wherever you might be drowning, wherever you might be feeling like you're sinking, may you experience Jesus and his power to lift you up. But also so that you can turn and invite other people as well. 00:43:12.600 --> 00:43:23.675 One of the most simple ways that you can do that is just by sharing this message. Also, if you have been encouraged by the work here, would you support that work by going to sandalschurch.com/support. Grace and peace.