Nahum, the book of Nahum, chapter 1, verse 3, says that the Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked.
The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm and the clouds the dust of His feet.
I've had a lot of storms recently, a lot of water, so much so that my front yard has become that of a marsh.
I think if I wanted to start a rice farm, now would be a perfect time to do so.
But over the week, as we made the trip upstairs and downstairs and back upstairs and downstairs for all of the multiple tornado warnings that came through, I couldn't help but
think of storms that were witnessed and that came throughout the Bible.
Storms of judgment, storms of correction, storms of mission, and storms of revelation.
There's lots of different storms and types of storms showcased all throughout the Bible, and that's what we're going to take a look at this evening.
We're going to start in the book of Genesis and jump around a little bit.
Storms in the Bible, however, are more than just weather.
They're instruments used by God for various purposes.
But in every storm, whether in biblical antiquity, our antiquity, or in today, God is always in control.
First, we're going to look at the storm of judgment that fell upon the entire world, of Noah and the great flood, starting in Genesis chapter 7, verse 17.
We're going to read through 23.
And the flood was 40 days upon the earth, and the waters increased and bare up the ark.
And it was lift above the earth, and the waters prevailed and were increased greatly upon the earth.
And the ark went upon the face of the waters, and the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered.
Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered.
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beasts and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man, all in whose
nostrils was the breath of life, and all that was in the dry land died, and every living substance was destroyed, which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and
the creeping things and the fowl of heaven, and they were destroyed from the earth, and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him
in the ark.
The storm of judgment.
Have you ever thought when reading this passage that God knew about the storm before the rain ever fell?
God is in control of everything, not just in nature.
but that of outside of nature as well.
He also sees the storms coming as he did in nature, as in the storms in our hearts.
We have storms through life.
We have periods of following God and doing what we should.
And we have tumultuous times, termetuous times.
I'm messing up on the word, tumultuous.
There we go, nailed it, first try.
There are times when we're not acting the way that we should and those are spiritual storms.
In Genesis chapter 6 verses 5 through 6, we see mankind's rebellion and when sin filled the entire earth.
This storm in particular was not one that happened randomly as they happen today, but it was one that was sent forth by God for a judgment against the sin of the world.
It had gotten so bad, it says, that the hearts, the thoughts and intents of every man was only evil continually.
Save eight.
that were on the ark.
The righteous found refuge.
If we read Genesis 6 verses 8 through 9, we can see it.
the clean beasts and of the beasts that are not clean, and of the fowls and everything that creepeth upon the earth, then went in two and two unto the ark unto Noah, the male
and the female, as God had commanded them.
Not only was Noah and his family spared, but we see the animals spared as well.
Noah found grace in the eyes of God.
But it's important to note that Noah didn't earn this grace.
This was something that was a gift of God.
But just as one wins a car at a automobile dealership, they could call you up and say, hey, you've won the car.
It's here.
I have the keys in my hand, but you have to come and get them.
They're not going to deliver the car to you.
You have to put in at least a little bit of work to walk over to the dealership and get the keys.
That doesn't mean that that truck was earned.
It's still a gift.
Your walking to get the keys did not make it any less so.
But Noah had to the commandments of God.
in order to be saved on that boat.
He took the steps that were necessary so that he could come in contact with that grace.
Even in the face of so much unbelief, the entire world laughing and mocking him, he stood against the grain and did what he should.
So I want to look at the ark that withstood the storm.
In 7 and verse 1, the Lord said to Noah, Come now and all thy house into the ark, for thee I have seen righteous.
before me in this generation.
Now let's admit, this Ark was not a cruise ship by any means.
Stuck in a wooden boat, probably poor ventilation.
Might have been good if you've ever went to the Ark Museum, they have artistic illustrations of how they might have moved air in and out, but we know that there was one
door that was shut and a window.
And with all those animals, I can't imagine that it would smell too nice.
Definitely not a cruise ship, but it was a lifeboat.
It was a lifeboat of mercy, a lifeboat of grace that took them out of the sin-riddled world.
The boat, when I look at this story, doesn't save them from the waters, but in a way the waters saved them from a world full of sin.
And Christ can do the same thing for us today.
He's a type of lifeboat for us.
No one in his family were sealed inside the ark by God's grace.
The ark was their protection, not because of its design, but again because of God's grace.
But there's a judgment that could not be withstood.
Once the flood began, the opportunity for repentance for the world was gone.
Judgment always is coming at some point.
God is long-suffering.
He wills that none should perish, but all should come to Him under repentance.
But there comes a time when God shuts the door.
We can't wait for the rain to fall every single time.
One thing that me and my wife do, and this is just something we do, but we have a bag, it's basically our storm bag, and we prepare.
We know a tornado's coming in the next hour or two, a really bad storm.
We get our important paperwork, maybe a few choice things that we'd like to keep, memorials, mementos of our lives together, and we put them in this bag so when it comes
time to run down into the storm shelter, we have them.
hair.
The person that's unprepared when the storm comes will run into the storm shelter with nothing.
And unfortunately, sometimes they come out still having nothing.
It's not so with Christ.
If we take the time to prepare, learn His word or baptized into His family, we're prepared when that judgment comes.
We don't come up out of that with nothing.
In fact, we have a greater reward that we come out into.
And what a great blessing that would be.
Next, we're going to go over to Jonah and we're going to look at a different storm.
We're gonna start in Jonah chapter one, and we're gonna look at the storm of correction that we see.
As God's command was clear, Jonah ran.
Going from verse 4 to verse 12, we read, But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship.
He lay, and he was fast asleep.
So the shipmaster came to him and said,
What meanest thou, O sleeper?
Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not.
And they said, Everyone to his fellow, come, let us cast lots that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us.
So they cast lots, and the lot was upon Jonah.
And they said unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us.
lost my place.
So there we go.
What is thine occupation?
And whence comest thou?
What is thy country?
And of what people art thou?
And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this?
The men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
And then they said unto him,
What shall we do unto thee that the sea may be calm unto us?
For the sea was wrought and tempestuous." There's another T word.
And he said unto them, take me up and cast me forth into the sea.
So shall the sea be calm unto you.
For I know that for my sake, this great tempest is upon you.
God knew.
Jonah knew God's will, yet he chose to go against that and flee into Tarshish.
We know, of course, that you can't flee from God's will.
Unlike a storm that comes through so many times, we have storm chasers that will either go south, north, east, or west of the storm, follow alongside, but be outside of the reign of
its effect.
There's nowhere we can go to get out of the effect of judgment from our God.
We can run from the assignment like we did,
like he did, but we can't run from God.
But it's important to note that this storm was sent by God, not Satan.
Not all storms in our lives, things that happen that are bad to us, are necessarily caused by Satan.
And they're not necessarily always God's fault.
Does God sometimes use hard times in our lives to make us stronger, to build us up, to strengthen us, to get us more well-rooted into Him?
What can seem at a time to be almost a curse, when you wipe away the dust off the top, you read the word blessing.
So many times I've heard the don't judge a book by its cover.
We shouldn't judge our situations by how they look either.
We don't know what's coming in the future, but our God does.
And God disciplines those He loves.
And we can read about that in Hebrews 12 and verse 6.
Sometimes storms come not because we're doing wrong, but because God wants to see us grow.
Jonah wouldn't have grown if he simply let him leave unto Tarshish.
He would have kept running from his problems.
And I understand he didn't want to go preach on Ininovah.
They were terrible people at the time, did things I'm not going to mention up here because of how grotesque they were.
And yet they needed it.
And when He did preach into them, they repented in sackcloth and ashes.
That storm helped Jonah grow.
The storm helped the people of Nineveh grow.
And while we always talk about Jonah and the fish or in the little kids books lots of time we see Jonah and the whale.
So many people think of the fish as punishment for Jonah.
I think it was protection.
It's another way of looking at it because it protected Jonah from the deep.
God had mercy upon him and put him where he needed to be for his growth.
But at the same time, if you're cast off of a boat by all of your buddies out in the middle of the sea, what are your chances of surviving?
Close to zero.
But with God's help, all things are possible, aren't they?
And in this situation, we see a large fish come up, swallow Jonah, protect him from the crushing pressures of the depth, and deliver him where he needs to go.
Again, I'm not saying it was pleasant.
Don't take me wrong.
I would do anything else other than be swallowed by a giant fish.
I can barely walk down the fish aisle of Kroger and stand to smell.
Jonah accepted the consequences.
In verse 12, he took responsibility for the storm.
He was willing to face it.
God's discipline is not destruction.
It's designed to bring us back to Him.
For the next storm, we're gonna go over to Mark chapter four.
Mark chapter 4 for the storm of testing.
We read here about Jesus calming the sea in verses 37 through 39.
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 that we perish?
And He arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace.
Be still, and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
ever think that the storm came while the disciples were actually following God's commands?
Here they are doing what they're supposed to.
They're traveling with Jesus, they're learning what they can, teaching who they can, but the storm came anyway.
This storm was about testing.
In verse 35, the storm came...
I just said that.
Being on God's will, just because we're Christians, does not exempt us
from storms in life.
It doesn't exempt us from being tested, and it won't protect us from all the aches and pains that this world's had to offer.
Christ Himself died on a cross and suffered the worst shame anyone ever could for us.
We can't think that we expect any better when we're sinful beings while He was sinless.
Now the Sea of Galilee is known for sudden violent storms.
It sits at about 690 foot above sea level.
But then surrounding this you have all of these hills and mountains making kind of like a dip, almost a bowl.
And so what you have in this large area in the Sea of Galilee is a place where the sun can shine and beat on the water and that heats up the water and the air a lot.
So that when incoming storms over the mountains curl the air over the top,
and it floods down, there's a massive temperature change.
It's almost like shocking taking boiling water and throwing some ice cubes in it.
You hear the ice cubes sizzle and pop.
You see them crack.
There's a violent reaction before it all goes still.
The Sea of Galilee works very the same way and storms can come out of nowhere.
Now this storm, I can't say for certain or not, but I think it was sent for the meaning of testing.
God often allows situations where we can lose control.
Even today, sailors lose control on the seas of Galilee, where sunshine and not a cloud in the sky an hour later can be lightning and thunderstorms because of temperature changes.
But we have to remember that while we may lose control, God never does.
In fact, God never does so much.
He never lost control even while He was asleep in the rear of the ship.
Christ had his head on a pillow, laying down in the back of the ship, and he didn't lose control.
We see him resting in the storm.
And this is a good analogy for today because while we'd no longer have miracles and signs, God speaks to us plenty through His inspired Word.
But if you don't read it, that silence does not necessarily mean that He is still not present today.
Jesus rose with authority when He woke up.
In verse 39, He calmed the storm with His words.
I always think of this as Him rebuking little children making noise upstairs.
He'd take the little broomstick, maybe it's a neighbor whenever He lived in the apartment complex.
He'd take the broom, whack it up against the ceiling, and tell them to quiet down.
It works better with children because you have authority over them.
You wish you had authority over your neighbor.
But here we have,
in image of Christ doing the same thing through the winds and the storms telling them, be still.
And they immediately quiet up because he has the authority to do so.
The storm was a storm of testing because it revealed their lacking of faith.
They were afraid.
They could have remembered that Christ was on board and that he could take care of all things.
But they feared.
How many times do storms today reveal where our faith is anchored?
So many people take faith in how their buildings are built, the structural integrity, how thick the concrete is.
I know of many a people that still won't even go down in this storm cellar, because they say, hey, I'm getting a free ticket, I know where I'm going.
And what a great thought and assurance that is.
I'm not saying don't go down in the storm cellar.
I was up and down.
six, seven, eight times last week.
Because I trust, but I'd like to stay here.
I've got more work to do.
The storm gave the disciples a deeper understanding of Jesus' power.
You'll never know Jesus is the peace seeker until you've heard him in the middle of the chaos.
It's funny how people will ignore Christ and what He says, never even think about the Bible until the storm really hits.
You hear the lightning and the thunder, and all of a sudden it's made apparent how powerful our God is and how tiny we are.
But now we're gonna go to Acts chapter 27 for the next storm.
In Acts chapter 27, we read of a storm of mission.
And we're gonna take a look at Paul's shipwreck in verses 18 through 25.
In verse 18, and we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship.
And the third day we cast out with our hands the tackling of the ship.
And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest laid on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
But after long abstance, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said,
ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for thou shalt be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
For there stood by me this night the angel of God, where I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar.
And lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Therefore, sirs, be of good cheer.
For I believe, God, that it shall be even as it was told unto me." The storm came when the crew thought they were safe.
Storms often happen when we least expect them, especially if you're on the Sea of Calvary.
We have got to trust in God's word and God's power in those moments of ease and in the moments of storms.
In verses nine through 10, Paul warned them, but his advice was ignored.
God speaks through warnings, but not everyone will listen.
Does God warn us of spiritual storms today?
Of a coming judgment one day at the end of time?
Where the earth will be no more, the elements will burn up with a ferment heat, and in that day all will be judged?
He warns us.
Why are we not taking that moment to prepare what time we have?
The storm was uncontrollable by those
in the ship but Paul himself was under divine protection.
Paul remained calm, trusting in God's protection.
I can't help but think that God's promises are not just for us, but His promises for us impact others.
So it's our responsibility to share the news, share what God has told us.
The storm ended, but God's purpose was fulfilled despite the shipwreck in verse 44.
If we look forward to chapter 28 and look at verses one through two, everyone made it to shore.
He did exactly what he said he would.
And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melida.
And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness for they kindled a fire and received us everyone because of the present rain and because of the cold.
Not only were they spared from the shipwreck, but they arrived in a place where they were welcomed openly with heat and shelter and food.
God doesn't prevent the storm, but He redirects our journey for a greater purpose, that being His.
And finally, we're gonna go into Exodus chapter 19, where we find our last storm.
Not a conventional storm, not a physical storm as we know it, but the storm that we see on Mount Sinai, a storm of revelation.
We're gonna start at verses 16 and go through verse 20.
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceedingly
loud, so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
And Moses brought forth the people out of their camp to meet with God, and they stood at neither part of the mount.
And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire.
And the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly."
And the voice of the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder.
Moses spake and God answered him by a voice.
And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the mount and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount and Moses went up.
This storm was, in a way, a physical manifestation of God's holiness and glory.
When was the last time we looked up at the lightning and thought, again, that this is a small fraction of God's power?
I see trees split, complete communities washed away by a tornado.
And yet it's nothing compared to the power of our God.
The storm revealed God's power and the people's smallness.
I can just imagine now coming out of the camp, being told to stand afar off, don't go upon this mount or you will die.
Standing and seeing
the mountain off in the distance and a giant cloud, the thundering and the fire, having Moses in front of the group stand out there and get answered by a voice from the cloud.
revealing his will for Moses.
Come up to the mountain.
The storm reminded Israel of God's covenant.
God used the storm not just to reveal His power, but His relationship with the people.
And of course, later on, we see them call for intercession.
In Exodus 20 and verse 19, they sought a mediator.
They wanted someone to speak on their behalf.
Again, 20 and verse 19, and they said unto Moses, speak thou with us and we will hear, but let not God speak with us lest we die.
They were terrified of the power of God.
But today, we have a much better mediator, don't we?
One that died on the cross for our sins, spilled his blood so that we could come in contact with it through the waters of baptism.
We can put him on and be part of his family, a part of the Godhead.
set himself as a mediator between us and all that power.
We need to trust our God because He's the God of storms.
He's planned them, He's created them, He has power over them.
A storm of judgment, providing a way of salvation.
A storm of correction, redirecting us in His love.
A storm of testing, growing our faith and revealing the peace that passeth all understanding, Christ.
A storm of mission.
using us as witnesses to one another to spread the gospel and to teach.
And finally, a storm of revelation speaking to us in His power and His glory.
Again, we both go back to Nahum 1 and verse 3 that says, the clouds are like the dust on His feet.
The storms are tough.
They were scary for us when we heard the thunderings and the beatings on the wall of our house.
And I couldn't help but think that the storms are exactly what I should preach on.
Because while they are terrifying, while they carry a heavy weight, while we lose loved ones and possessions, if we have Christ...
If we have His Word, we have nothing to fear.
Being taken away in such a storm would be a blessing for a Christian because we have a much greater reward.
Again, we don't go into the cellar with nothing and come out with nothing.
Instead, we go into the cellar with sin and we come up new in life.
That's baptism.
That's how it works.
The old part of us dies and we're raised in newness of life, putting on Christ.
forgiven of our sins.
If you have a need tonight and you found out that you'd like to give your life over to Christ, if there's anything that we can help you with, even if it's simply prayers, we'll
help you, whether it's time of storm or time of peace.
God never leaves us.
He's always by our side.
And we want to be there for you, too, as we stand and as we sing.