Fight The Battle!- Part #2

This is Hans Schile from the Finishing Well Podcast.

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This is part two of a special two-part episode. Do you feel like you're on a religious treadmill? Do you feel like Christianity is just a system of rules and regulations?

I can do this, but I can't do that. Do you feel like your efforts to reach God, find God, and please God are futile? Do you feel like your faith is dead or alive? Today, Pastor Russ Andrews will walk us through Scripture to answer these questions. Join us on Finding Purpose, glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living. For more information and to connect with Russ Andrews and Finding Purpose, you can visit us online at findingpurpose.net or connect with us on Facebook.

Now, let's listen to Russ Andrews as he teaches us how to be a Christian without being religious. Since the fall back in Genesis 3 and famines that are, they said that Europe right now is going to have shortages of food because of what's taking place in Ukraine. We could have shortages of food here.

You better stock up. You see, these are all the result of the fall that occurred back in Genesis 3, and Satan is ultimately behind all of it because what he wants to do, he wants to destroy everything God created. He wants to destroy the physical world that God created, said it was what?

Good. And he wants to destroy you and me because we are image bearers. We bear the image of God. And he wants to make sure that you don't have any of that image left in you by the time you die.

And the only way he can do that is he's got to get your mind, and then he's gonna get your body, and then he's gonna get your soul. So here in Luke, we find these disciples out in the midst of a storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. Where is Jesus? He's asleep in the back of the boat having probably sweet dreams, not worried about a thing.

Look at verse 22. One day Jesus said to his disciples, let us go over to the other side of the lake. So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall, literally a mini hurricane, came down on the lake suddenly so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

Literally, they were in great danger, but not really. The disciples went and woke him up saying, master, master, we're going to drown. He got up and rebuked the storm and the raging waters. The storm subsided and all was calm. You'll see the ocean after the storm passes through.

It's like glass, and if you've got some swells, it's the best time to go surfing. Where's your faith? He asked his disciples. And then it says in fear and amazement, they asked one another, who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him. Now listen, from this one story, I want to show you four truths about the storms in life that we all have encountered, maybe encountering right now. You may sit here right now dealing with a horrible storm, and you don't even know what you're doing right now.

You're lost and in turmoil. And listen, if you hadn't faced a storm and hadn't been in one, guess what? Storms are coming for all of us.

Here's truth number one. These storms often come suddenly and with little warning. By the way, the Sea of Galilee is actually known for sudden and violent storms that that come out of nowhere. And so that's why sailors, they always check, just like we do down at the beach, you check to see what the wind's doing, what the forecast is, and when you're at the end of the water, you're always looking to see where the clouds are and if any thunderstorms coming up.

And if you see one, you kind of keep an eye on it, and you move your boat away from it, don't you Lee? And you can get trapped out there. The Sea of Galilee is a fresh water in the lake, and it's only about 12 miles long and about six miles wide, and the River Jordan flows through it from north to south, and then it empties itself into the Dead Sea. Now the thing that's so unique about the Sea of Galilee is that it's almost 700 feet below sea level, and therefore in the summer months, the water temperature can get almost too hot. You don't even want to be in it. So when you have the warm water, and you have these cool layers that come blowing in over the hills, and literally, I stood right there on the Sea of Galilee for about two or three days back in 2018.

It's glorious. We never saw any storms, but there are hills across things called the Gullen Heights on the other side, and those cool winds will just come rushing down, and if they're forceful, they can cause, you know, it hits that warm air, and all of a sudden you've got wind ripping through there, I mean with hurricane force, and huge waves, and those, and listen, all it takes is one wave, a good wave, to break over a boat. I was talking to Mike about that, and you boaters know that, and that way, that boat can be swamped in a minute, because there's so much volume of water in one wave, and that's what happened here. They got swamped by at least, by probably multiple waves, and they were filling up, and that boat was probably on the verge of sinking. What was Jesus doing all this? He's asleep in the back of the boat. Here's truth number two, but he was in the boat.

Here's truth number two. For believers, I have to emphasize this, for believers, the storms that come in your life are divine storms, and there's always a purpose in the storm. You see, nothing, listen, this is so true, nothing can come into a believer's life that doesn't first pass through the hands of God, and he says, it's okay, let it be. I have a purpose in that storm. You may not like that, but there's the same reason you discipline your children.

You're trying to make them what? Good sons and daughters. I want you to notice that Jesus, he didn't say, maybe we should go there, he said what? Let's go to the other side. In other words, he sent them into the storm, and he knew full well what was getting ready to take place. Verse 22 says, one day Jesus said to his disciples, let's go over to the other side of the lake. So they got into a boat, and they set off for the other side of the lake.

It looked like a beautiful day probably, maybe some storm clouds in the distance, and then bam. So here's the question, why? This is the question that leads many people astray. Why does God allow storms, difficult storms, into the lives of his children, those whom he loves? I thought he was our shield and our refuge. I thought he was going to protect us. I thought when you come to Jesus like Joel Osteen said, and every day's a Friday.

This must have been a Friday when the storm came, probably a Monday morning. Well, Warren Whisberg is about the best answer you can give. Faith must be tested before it can be trusted. And you know who needs to trust your faith?

You do. And if it hasn't been tested, that's why these basketball teams go through great practice because they test to see how good they are against the defensive players on the same team, or maybe all American defensive players. And if you can go hard against your teammate who's trying to stop you, well maybe I can win that test when I go over there to Cameron. That's why you work hard in practice, and you test yourself. And if it hasn't been tested, that's why these basketball teams go through great practice because they test to see how good they are against the defensive players on the same team, or maybe all American defensive players. And if you can go hard against your teammate who's trying to stop you, well maybe I can win that test when I go over there to Cameron. That's why you work hard in practice, and you test yourselves, and you put yourself through rigorous workouts. Here's from an anonymous source, the diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.

Johnny Erickson taught a man who is one of my heroes. She's been through so much suffering that it's ridiculous. When she was 17, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay thinking that it was about 10 feet deep, and it was about three feet deep, and she snapped her neck, and she was floating upside down. The only thing that saved her was her sister Dari was walking up on the beach, the shore, and she stepped on a crab, and she turned around, hey watch out for the crabs, and she saw a sister back there floating. Now I think God put that crab there, but you could say well why didn't he just stop her from jumping?

I don't know. That's the way God works. I'm not God. His ways are higher than our ways.

We cannot understand God, but for some I know why. We would never have heard of Johnny Erickson taught if she hadn't broken her neck. She might not be a believer she hadn't broken her neck. Johnny Erickson taught her she's been a quadriplegic man for 50 years, and then recently not too long ago she had breast cancer. She says, God uses suffering to refine, perfect, strengthen you, and to keep you from falling. Did you hear that?

To keep you from falling later when you have a horse test. Hebrews 2 10 says, now listen to this carefully, in bringing many sons to glory, you and me, it was fitting that God for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation... Who's he talking about? Who's the author of our salvation? Jesus. That God, the Father, should make God the Son, the author of the salvation. Perfect through suffering. This is above my pay grade, but apparently Jesus had to go through so many suffering to be made perfect.

You know what it was? It didn't, he was already perfect. This is why you take an automobile and you test it, so that Ford can tell you it's perfect. The test was not for the automobile, there I knew it was perfect. The test is for you.

I mean that thing's perfect. That's why Jesus was tested so that we would know he's perfect. He stood the test, the onslaught of Satan. He said that he was going through a test so that you and I would know he's perfect. God takes us through tests.

So if Jesus had to be made perfect through testing, suffering, what do you think we need to do? It's suffering guys that makes you into a gym that God can use. And this is why Jesus sent them into a storm. You know why he sent them in that storm?

They had a whole lot greater storms coming. They were going to be persecuted. Paul would be stoned. Now he wasn't in that storm, but Paul had plenty of storms. These disciples would be facing loneliness and depression and persecution and they would all be martyred. Jesus was getting them ready.

Here's truth number three. Jesus will always be with you during whatever storm you're going through. Are you going through a storm tonight? If you're in Christ, then guess what? He's with you.

He's in the boat. And from the book of Daniel, one of my favorite stories in all the Bible, we learn about Daniel's three Hebrew friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. All of whom they'd been captured. This was the, they were part of the southern kingdom known as Judah. The northern kingdom had already been carted off by the Assyrians and now the Babylonians had come in led by King Nebuchadnezzar and they took an early group back to Babylon and included Daniel and these three Hebrew boys and some others and they wanted to conform them into little Babylonian children. So they gave them, they changed their names and they dressed them like Babylonians and they taught them like Babylonians.

But guess what? You can't change Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because they were true men of God. In Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar has this great idea. I'm going to make a statue 90 feet tall and I'm going to come, it's basically a statue so people can worship it but they're worshiping King Nebuchadnezzar. He saw himself as a god. He wants the people to bow down and worship him. And he commanded everyone in all the kingdom, Hebrews and Babylonians, you got to bow down and worship this idol. Well guess what? Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could not do that.

Do you know why? It'd be breaking the first commandment which says, thou shall have no other gods before me. Now when word got back to the king that these three refused, Daniel must have been somewhere else. He's not in this story but he didn't bow down either, I can tell you that.

But this is about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When the king heard that these three refused to bow down, he was furious with rage like Herod was when he had all these children in Bethlehem killed under the age of two, boys. He was furious and he summoned them and when he got them in his presence he warned them, if you refuse to bow down, I'm going to give you a second chance, if you refuse to bow down, we've got a firmness over there. I'm going to have it heated up ten fold and you will be cast in there. And then with great arrogance he said, then what God will be able to rescue you from my hand?

What was their response? They said, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we're thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.

But even if he does not, we want you to know, king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you set up. He was so furious. He had that furnace so heated up that when the guards threw them into it, the guards were consumed with the blazing fire.

Do you know what happens next? The king looked into that furnace and he then leapt up from his throne in amazement and he asked his advisors, hey weren't there three men that we tied up and threw in there? They said, yes, O king, there was only three. We said, look, I see one, two, three, four and they're unbound and they're unharmed and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. Who do you think that was? It was the son of God, the pre-incarnate Christ. The king summoned them to come out and they did. They just walked out. All those standing around were amazed when they saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their head singed.

Their robes were not scorched and there was no smell of fire on them. I've got a friend right now that I met back in the 1990s named Ira. I don't think I've told you about her, have I? Her husband's name is Sergei. She came to our house back in the 1990s because I was in touch with this ministry and I wasn't going to tell you this story but I will real quickly. When she was born at birth, the birth mother, I think, yanked her body out and it pulled one of her legs, the hip, out of its joint and that's how she grew. And so this friend of my Greg Gully said, Rusty, you know any surgeons that might could help her?

And my next door neighbor was Brad Vaughn, who's one of the greatest hip surgeons in Raleigh. So I talked to him and said, yeah, we can take care of her. So Greg said, we need a place for her to stay. I said, that's, you know, her mother will be coming.

They can't speak any more. That's fine. I think stay with us. I forgot to check with my wife. And Crecy, I had to, she took, Crecy told me, said, Russ, if the Lord tells me to do it, I will.

I'm not doing it because you're telling me to do it. I said, yes ma'am. You guys ain't got married yet, that's what you always say. Yes ma'am.

Anyway, my wife, this is another part of it, she was reading Hebrews 13 one night and it said, be careful how you treat strangers because you might be treating angels unaware. And my wife came and said, Russ, it's okay. She was a sport. See, I got to go to work every day. She was back in the house with a 13 year old and a mother from the Ukraine.

Couldn't say, speak a word of English. You know what TV show they fell in love with? I Love Lucy because you don't have to understand the words.

They loved I Love Lucy. Anyway, so Ira now is 41. Her husband Sergei is 41. They've got a son Artem who's six and they've got a daughter Alana who is 13. And she and I are friends on Facebook. Ira, her mother Galia died. Her father's still alive, but they are in Kharkiv. That's right on the edge of the Russian border.

That's the place that's been pounded for the last 13 days. And she and I have been texting back and forth on instant messenger. And a few days ago, I sent her Isaiah 43 one and two, which says the Lord says, fear not. And man, I want you to hear this guys. If you're going through a storm, this is what God is saying to you right now.

Fear not. For I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name and you belong. You are mine. You are mine, he says. You are mine. You belong to me. Stefan, don't you know that?

I know that. I belong to God. So what do I need to fear? He says, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.

The flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, Peter. Your God, Tim, Tom, Lee, Jeff, Jim.

I could go all around the room. He's your God. He says to you, you're mine. I own you. I bought you.

You belong to me. I'm with you. What kind of storm are you facing? I mean, storms are horrible.

I don't want to go through a storm. I love Psalm 91. It says, he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.

Is that what you're dwelling? Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty because you'll be under his wing. I will say the Lord, he's my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. Guys, listen, if you're in bed at night and you're hurting and you're lonely and you're afraid. I've told you before guys, I just take my Bible sometime to put it right here. Lord, God's Lord. Help me.

You ever done that? Here's truth number four. Believers should not fear the storms of life. In the Mark account, gosh, forgive me, I'm going a little bit longer here. In the Mark account of this same storm, we learned some other things Jesus said. Mark 4 38 through 40 says, Jesus was in the stern sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, teacher, don't you care if we drown? And he got up, he rebuked the winds and said to the waves, quiet, be still.

Then he, then the wind died down and it was completely calm. And then he looked at his disciples. This is what we don't pick up in Luke. Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? I'm in here to boat with you. Don't you realize I created you?

Don't you realize I can snap my finger and the waves will die down? Why does the Bible tell us repeatedly, men, don't be afraid? Do not be anxious. Don't worry. I mean, it's from Genesis to Revelation.

Why? Because he knows us. He knows that we're made of dust and he understands us. And he goes, he knows that we're going through moments where we're just terrified. But that's why he keeps telling us, do not be anxious.

Do not be afraid. What's the greatest storm that most people think we face in life? Death.

Guess what? Death, we should not have to fear it. Death, when you die, it's just a doorway and you step into paradise. It's just boom, paradise. Boom, paradise.

James Dobson said, death is the great, a grand beginning to a life that will never end. Now you may think, Russ, that's great. I have ALS. Russ, I'm facing personal bankruptcy.

That sounds great, but you know, my wife just left me. My son was killed last night in a car wreck. This goes on and on. These are difficult storms. But remember, if you belong to Jesus, He's in the boat with you and He'll get you through it. He'll give you what you need when you need. Yesterday, I got a call from a very close friend of mine. He's actually my second cousin. We grew up in Bethel. His name is Donnie Carson. Anybody know Donnie Carson from Bethel in here?

Lee? You know Donnie. He's a great guy. He's a little bit older than me, but he loves my family and I love his family.

We're very close. But over the last 10-15 years, he just had bad health. He doesn't take care of himself.

I'm not gonna say all that, but he's just facing bad health. And he called me yesterday and his family's been asking for prayers on Facebook. I talked to his sister, Jackie, by text and she said, would you mind calling Donnie? He just wants to talk to you. So I called him a few days ago. Then he called me yesterday morning and told me they're getting ready to move him to the hospital. I was kind of shocked. I didn't know he was going down here that quick. He just wanted me to pray with him. But I asked him. I said, Donnie, do you mind if we talk about death for a minute?

He said, no Russ, go ahead. Listen, about 15-20 years ago, I got invited to go preach at homecoming down in Bethel. Lee, you may have been there. And at the end, in my home church, I gave an altar call. Donnie gets up on the left side of it, then comes down. He was walking down. He's going.

So I met him right over here. He got down and he said, I just want to pray with you Russ. Just make sure I'm saved. Donnie's saved. I got no doubt about it. So I talked to him about death and I reminded him that for the believer, death is not referred to in the Bible as death.

It's referred to as what? Sleep. Remember Jesus said Lazarus, he's just asleep.

They all laugh. He's just asleep. In 1 Thessalonians 4-15 it says, according to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left to the to the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. I said, Donnie, when you fall asleep, you would wake up in paradise. I said, if that happens in the next day or two, I'm gonna be envious of you. And then he asked me the greatest honor he could ever ask me. He asked me if I'd do his funeral service.

I said, I'd be honored too. And then he told me, Russ, I may die in a month. But he said it like, yeah, I may go, I may go to sanitary seafood market, get something to eat in a month.

That casual. He spoke of death like it was just a doorway. And then we prayed. Philippians 4 6 and 7 says, Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Present your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding, men. The peace of God which transcends all understanding, regards your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Guys, I don't have time to talk about the last storm which is the one is so important that I'm going to tell you briefly. It's the demon-possessed man. What he represents is what happens to a man after Satan has your mind and then he gets your body so that you're just into your mind.

You're crazy. And then what he does, he just sensed demons. I'm talking about an unbeliever, okay? This can't happen to a believer. You cannot be possessed by a demon. Did you know that if you're a believer?

But you can be influenced by them. But you cannot be possessed by one. So this is what he does to the lost. He gets their mind, body, and then he gets their soul and he's got them. And Satan sent about a thousand demons.

He's a legion. John 10 says, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus said, But I've come that they may have life and have it to the full. You see, Satan wants to destroy your soul. He wants to destroy your life.

Jesus wants to give you life. That's what Satan does. He comes after your mind with doubt and unbelief. Then he comes after your family physically, you physically.

He attempts you to do things you shouldn't do and he, you know, he just destroys your life. And then if he's got you, he just, you know, threw drugs off and he'll just feed with demons and you're just lost. And this demon-possessed man was totally without hope except for one thing. Jesus is greater than any demon. He's greater than all the demons.

If they came all after him, he could just wipe them out with the breath of his mouth. And Jesus saved this man. He set him free from those demons. And that's what God wants to do with you and me. If you are addicted to something, God, well, Jesus can set you free, man.

Jesus came to set us free, to have liberty in him, freedom. So guys, remember the words from a man of God who's been given a voice at one of the greatest basketball schools around just because of, you know, the history of the school, Hubert Davis. And guys, I know you state fans don't have to pull for the team, don't, but pull for him in this sense that God will use him at that campus and really in the sports world to shed light in a dark world. And remember this man, what he said to his team, plant your feet, stand your ground, and fight back with this weapon right here. Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for your word. Thank you for these men. Lord, we continue to pray for those in Ukraine. Watch over them.

Protect them. Lord, help us protect us from the enemy. And Lord, those men who are going through battles, storms, Lord, remind them that you're with them and that if they will lean on you, you'll get them through. You always do. In your name I pray.

Amen. Being a Christian is not about being religious, but about having a dynamic, alive relationship with Jesus Christ. You've been listening to Finding Purpose with Pastor Russ Andrews, glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living. You can discover more about finding your purpose in life by checking out the resources at findingpurpose.net or connect to Finding Purpose on Facebook. Pastor Russ would also like to extend a special invitation for you to join him and over 300 other local men to study God's Word together every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in downtown Raleigh. Find out more at findingpurpose.net.