1300. Does God Really Care About Me? Part 2

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina today on The Daily Platform, Pastor Joe fan Mindy Baptist Church in South Bend, Indiana will continue his sermon from yesterday where Jesus calms the storm in Mark four, and here the disciples were paralyzed by the storm because they fear the storm more than they feared Jesus first question why are you so afraid second question, have you still no faith with this question. Jesus addresses the real issue they were putting their faith in their sailing expertise and they fail they were putting their faith in their ability to bail water and they fail they were putting their ability to their faith in their ability to maintain their own safety, and they fail this question. He doesn't say your faith is small.

He says do you have any faith what is faith. Faith is interesting is an interesting concept that we talk about a lot, but often is very misunderstood. Did you know that it's not about how much faith you have.

False teachers in this world who will tell you that things are happening in your life because you didn't have enough faith in this question. How can you have more faith do you just need to like you mean it more close your eyes squint a little bit more faith in the Scripture says that if you faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains faith is interesting because it's not about the amount of faith that you have. It's about the object of the faith you have. If I'm climbing a tree and I have a lot of faith in a really small branches can hold me. I can believe that as much as I want and is not to change anything. But if I have a little bit of faith in a large branch, it will hold so let me ask you question this evening.

What is your faith resting on for your salvation. Pastor Joe when I was three years old I prayed a prayer next to the dishwasher and whenever I doubt my parents remind me that I prayed that prayer and because of that prayer. I'm saved know you're not because prayer doesn't save people a lot of good things I've always believed in Jesus. I try to be the best person that I can I get dressed up in court hi makes me godly and and I cut my hair and I I am a church. I give money to the church I go to a Christian school. What is the object of your faith. If somebody asked you why are you saved, how do you know that your saved, would you explain the concept in something that you done or would you explain the concept in a person. You see, you can't save yourself.

Salvation is always seen as a passive action a passive event because remember English 101 English 102. You know why the school makes you take English 101102 because they hate you. That's why you notice how what they do that so that you can better understand English language. Let's go back to English class for quick what is a is an active event. I did this in an active voice and I hit you. Hopefully that's not true but if it was, that would be a an active statement it's it's the person doing the action. How are you saved. I saved myself. I prayed a prayer I go to church. Did you know that every time Scripture uses the concept of eternal salvation. It's not active it's passive you received salvation. You didn't earn it. It was given to you. Salvation is all of God. The only thing that you brought to the table was yours said you are totally and 100% a sinful creature. There is not one molecule of your being that is not affected by sentencing these in chapter 2. You were born in sin by nature a child of wrath and there was not a good thing residing in you and anybody who tells you that there was a part of you that was good is lying to you. It's not in Scripture. There is nothing about me nothing about you that is not been affected and tainted by sin, we come to the book of Ephesians in your Ephesians 1 Ephesians 2 God gives this beautiful picture through Paul's pan of the resurrection that happens when you're saved and God raises you from the dead. What can a dead body do nothing but stink right when I was a kid we had a dog named greasy.

We got Reese. He is a puppy receive was brown and black. Hence the name Reese's cup I believe and we picked the dog up from the pound was not a crooked beetle.

It was a pound dog and we picked the dog up from the pound and I believe the lady told us of the guy told us that it was half his half collie and half Labrador retriever.

Okay, that's great. But as the dog got older it became obvious that that was not all debris that this dog was because it had been told of a Rottweiler in the features of the government is very different and I remember my dad is here tonight by the way my mom and I'll make day my dad praying Lord. If this dog is going to be an issue because it had begun to show maybe a little sign of aggression at this dogs can be an issue of harm either my family or someone else would you just take it out of our family and later that week, and then he left on my way later that week. Our neighbor came and said I think your dog is on the road literally on the road because he got hit by car and sure enough we went out to the road and found that receipt had turned into a pancake very thin and long road and so I decided that I was in a try to help. So I went and got a bottle of a bowl of water and some food.

Come on baby you can do it essential oils tried everything in frankincense. This is no hope for receipt of that .0 chance because the dog was dead, gone and guys that's a picture of you before you were saved you had no chance you were dead in your trespasses and sins, and without some supernatural influence on your life you would remain dead and then a glorious thing happened. If your child of God. God saved you. God breathes life into the dead soul and even the faith that you have given to you by God.

And that's why you can't lose your salvation is because of the supernatural eternal faith place within your heart. You trust in the Lord for salvation in your active responsibility of choosing God and even your faith is a gift from God. And that's why it's not about the amount of faith you have. It's about the object of your faith is God. The object of your faith and for the first time in your life. There may be lightbulbs going on in your mind that that's why the Christian life seems so frustrating to you because you're not even say because you have been trusting in some event that you can't even remember that you did for salvation.

And perhaps in the pages of Scripture.

The Holy Spirit is implanting this question on your heart and asking you the question.

Have you no faith friends turn to God for salvation. Placing your faith and trust on him and him alone as the object of your faith, because he will never fail is a great piece and after the great Piso. She looked down in Scripture verse 41, we see a great fear same prefix in the Greek and they feared exceedingly, and begins with the mega feet great the great call because of Jesus's questions turned into a great fear. Why, because when you get accurate picture of who Jesus is.

Because a sphere in your heart.

That's why because in that moment in the midst of their trial. They turn around and they saw Jesus for who he really was just like John in the book of Revelation comes face-to-face with incarnate Christ, and he falls flat on his face is dead just like Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 6 sees God on his throne, piloted up in a stream filling the temple and he falls flat on his face. So these disciples when they saw Jesus for who he really was. When they got a view of God that was accurate. They couldn't care less about the storm anymore because their fear of God was so they feared exceedingly in Mark leaves his readers hanging on this one question. Look at the end of verse 41, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey the fear of their storm had been replaced by a fear of God. Their eyes had been opened to the supernatural power of Jesus, can I encourage you this evening that no matter the storm in your life you can cling to the promise that God is in control, that God is using the storm in your life to accomplish your good which is your sanctification, and his ultimate glory you think the disciples had a different view of Jesus in the back of the boat after the storm before the storm. You backdated.

I tell you, you have some faculty members and some teachers and even some students here who have weathered some great storms and the testimony of a child of God at the end of that trial or even in the midst of that trial is that God has worked it for good in their life and their closer to him than they've ever been in your storm God is working members. His it's his back to his historians, his play here on this earth.

And so he's working this trial in your life to show you how big he is.

Some of you are. If you study this passage before, or perhaps you consider yourself to be a deep theologian in your saying okay – Joe I know something of thing about this passage that is that some commentators believe this was a demonic storm. There were demons coming after him and I could be true because Jesus is going across the lake and he's going to get Darrell where there's at least a couple maniacs over there who are breaking chains and cutting themselves and inhabited by a legion of demons and there's a swarm of demons that had the storm to come after Jesus and just think about so that he wouldn't get to give Darren he wouldn't cast those demons out and so this was actually a demonic storm a supernatural storm.

I would say that's fine.

It doesn't really matter to know why because Jesus is.

That's why because it doesn't matter what kind of storm, it is Jesus. When this deed takes care of all supernatural forces there's no temptation taken you but such as is common to man and God provides a way of escape escape because of the power the Holy Spirit, the Christian can live a victorious life because God sits on the throne and he is Artie one will know the battle is raging.

Jesus wins it doesn't matter how hard your life seems right on trying to belittle your suffering because many of you are going through things in your life that I've never had to deal with and I can empathize and I can sit with eyes because I don't understand.

But Jesus God is and can I tell you the you have a high priest who sitting at the right hand of the father to make intercession for you who can sympathize with all of your infirmities and all of your weaknesses.

So run to him. The author of Hebrews says to find how to find mercy in your time of need. Because Jesus wins every time, say pastor Joe I've been diagnosed with something that I will never recover from like my father-in-law with a 19 month battle with brain cancer and we prayed for healing and God healed him because he's in heaven right now free from all worries and all sickness and all pain and Jesus one in his life because he always wins. It doesn't matter how bad the storm is Jesus always wins. Whether it's a force of nature or supernatural force of demonic oppression. No storm is too powerful for the God who created all the supernatural forces and created every natural law that you and I experience no storm is too powerful for God. I like to leave you with three application points to ponder this evening. Number one God will allow storms to enter your life but going further than that God will lead you into them. No, I think we have this concept that everything I shouldn't say we some people I did for a long time in my life have this idea that somehow bad things come from Satan and good things come from God.

You know like the bad things in my life, and it's like Satan is on the heavy tonight and give me 100 bucks and I'm like, man.

God is now, but is not an Scriptures whose idea was it across the lake. It was Jesus's idea. Jesus knew what was coming. He took them in any way, and afterwards they had a greater view of God than they did before and so you have to understand in your life that when storms come that it's under the sovereign control of God. God is not the author of evil, nor is he the author of sin. So your sin is never excused, but nothing happens in your life by accident.

There's no such thing as luck, there's no such thing as karma.

God works everything in your life to the smallest detail for your spiritual good and for his glory. If you are a child of God here this evening and you're not a Christian suffering in your life has but one purpose and that is to bring you to your knees in repentance to recognize that there is a God and you are not him, and that God is a God of justice and mercy. And if you do not value or need to God here on this earth. Your suffering does not work out for good, because Romans 828 is not a promise to everyone everywhere for all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. If you're not a Christian and your suffering. The only hope that you have is to bow your need to God here because you will bow your need to God in heaven or in hell flipping chapter 2 says that all creation. Things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth will recognize and bow their knee and submission that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father, so you have a choice.

Bow your knee on this earth and find forgiveness from your sins, find mercy, as you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. Bow your knee by choice on this earth or bow your knee by force and eternity to experience health forever for the Christian, your trials are promised to work good that you would see God as never before in the you would grow in your faith and that's the second point. The purpose of your storm is to grow your faith you say will will passage of time paying attention and you said your faith can grow and then you just said is to grow your faith well that's right because you have to ask yourself the question, what is faith. Faith is placing your trust in an object and you either have it or you don't. It's very binary to the light is on.

It's off to either you have faith or you don't either trust God or you don't believe are your faith as you grow the knowledge of the object of your faith, and as your knowledge of who God is, grows so the your faith grows to match the knowledge of that object.

The purpose of your trials is to work good in your life by revealing God to you like you've never seen him before, and as your knowledge grows. Paul says knowledge in accordance with godliness, meaning knowledge grows in your faith grows to match that knowledge. And so as you grow older in life and as you suffer so you see God to be greater than you ever imagine. And so your faith grows to match that knowledge as you continue to place your faith and trust in Christ for your salvation and your faith is preserved by God. In your faith grows to match your knowledge of God. That's the purpose is to grow your knowledge of God and thus grow your faith. Thirdly, faith in the creator will bring peace and comfort to your heart in the midst of your storm flipping chapter 4.

Don't be anxious about anything but pray about everything.

Let your requests be made known to God as your thankful as you're not anxious and as you pray as you rehearse these thankfulness. This thankfulness the peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your heart and will keep your mind it will guard you ever met somebody who is in the throes of suffering and yet their faith shines through. And you say I have no idea how your so-called right now I have no idea how you weathering the storm because their faith, their faith.

Jesus did not immediately intervene in the disciple storm to bring home and often in the storms of our life.

It's the same.

He delays immediate intervention so that you can see his glory displayed in ways that you've never seen it before. This delay drives us to God and prayer works to develop patience and endurance in us and character, and hope this passage teaches us that there is nothing outside the rule and reign of God in everything that he brings into your life as a Christian has a purpose. Charles Spurgeon says that this way and address to his congregation and talking about trials. The pastor Charles Spurgeon says my dear brothers and sisters do you know that sometimes God works a greater wonder when he sustains his people in trouble than he would if he immediately brought them out of it for him to let the bush burn on and yet not be consumed talking about Moses and the burning bush is a greater thing then for him to quench the flame and save the bush God is being glorified in your troubles and if you realize this, you will be ready to say Lord keep him on the loads of trials.

If it is for your glory gives me but strength equal to my day. The pile on the burdens, I shall not be crushed beneath them. But I shall be made to illustrate your power and ends with this phrase. My weakness shall glorify your might be weak tonight. Do you feel it.

The whole world is coming down on your shoulders. Are you bearing under suffering, would you find comfort that there's nothing outside God's rule and reign, would you find comfort that God is in control.

If you're a Christian, would you ask that God would reveal himself in ways that you've never experienced before. So that at the end, you can say, like Job, I've heard you with the hearing of the ear before but in the midst of this trial. I actually see you with my hand and not a Christian, would you submit to Jesus Christ tonight. Would you turn from your sin and pleasure faith and trust in Christ alone for your salvation be like blind biomass. Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. Father, thank you so much for this passage that reveals to us. Your character that reveals what your power and your might. That shows us that you are in control of everything that reveals to us the true nature of saving faith that brings comfort in the midst of trials that brings purpose to suffering and I prayed he would reveal yourself as never before.

I don't know what suffering is happening in this room tonight father but you do Jesus I pray that you would intercede for my dear brothers and sisters in Christ were going through deep valleys in this room that she would intercede for them and reveal yourself to the pages of Scripture like never before. Father for those here who are unsaved that you would breathe life into their soul father give them a heart of flesh, that they might see you and be say you been listening to the conclusion of the sermon by pastor Joe Phan from community Baptist Church in South Bend, Indiana.

Thanks for listening and join us again next time for another sermon from the Bob Jones University Chapel platform