Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. These overwhelming circumstances, these fears and crisis come to all of our lives and the The question we're thinking is how do we who are followers of Jesus Christ call? How do we survive? in the crisis of life. This is the verdict.
The Bible Teaching Ministry of Pastor John Monroe. In the middle of life storms, how do you find peace and hope that isn't grounded in just wishful thinking?
Well, today on the verdict, we're going to consider what it means to have the promise of God's presence to carry us through any crisis.
Now, continuing in Matthew, here's Pastor John Monroe with his message: surviving the crisis. Crisis of life come to all of us. They can come very suddenly with the death of a loved one, being fired at work, a serious illness, a personal betrayal. Last time we saw the disciples in an overwhelming situation. They're at sea in the middle of the night and they're exhausted, struggling against a strong wind.
It is Jesus who told them to go to the other side. but it looks as if they're not going to make it. But it was at their lowest and weakest point At the darkest time of the night, that Jesus comes to them and dispels their fears. God is always with his people. He never leaves us.
He never forsakes us. and he will not abandon you.
So let's go back.
So this wonderful story. And if you have your Bible, I ask you to turn to Matthew chapter 14, verse 22. Immediately, He, that is Jesus, made the disciples get into the boat. and go before him to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by himself.
to pray. When evening came He was there alone. But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them walking. On the sea.
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. and said it's a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, take heart. It is I do not be afraid.
And Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come.
So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water. and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me. Jesus immediately reached out his hand.
and took hold of him, saying to him, O you of little faith, Why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, The wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God. And when it crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick.
and implored him that they might only touch The fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it. were made well. Isn't that an outstanding Passage. of scripture.
First of all, I want to ask to learn. A truth that you already know. And it is this. In the crisis, Jesus is with you. I want you to get that.
I want you to grasp that. And I want you in your life To put that into practice and to integrate this into all of the circumstances of life. that in the crisis jesus is with you secondly in the crisis Jesus is greater than your circumstances. Do you get this? He's with me.
But Jesus is also greater than my circumstances. You say, John, you don't understand my situation. My situation is absolutely hopeless. Bear with me. Give me a chance, right?
This passage is for you if you feel that. Who is the one who's with us? Who is this Jesus? That in a sense is why Matthew is writing his gospel. Matthew is telling us who Jesus is.
He's the all-powerful God. He's the Christ. As the disciples say when he comes in their boat in verse 33, truly you are the Son of God. What have we learned in our study of Matthew? This one heals the leper.
This one gives sight to the blind. This one can heal at a distance. This one can raise the dead. This one can take five loaves and two fish and feed thousands and thousands of people, so there's an abundance left over. Such is the grace of our magnificent Lord Jesus Christ.
He calms the storm. He walks on water. Demonstrating not only his presence in the crisis, but his power over the crisis. When you're in that crisis, remember this: that God. Is greater than your circumstance.
That Jesus is God and He's greater than your circumstances. And here, in a majestic way, in the storm, don't you love this passage? That Jesus reveals His deity to the disciples. He comes to the disciples in a totally unexpected way, walking on water, walking on the sea. Verse 26.
They think it's a ghost, they think it's a phantom. What does he say? Verse 27. Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. It is I Translation of two little Greek words, ego, emi, ego, you know the word for ego, the Greek word for I, emi, I am.
His answer is, I um Don't be afraid. Who is this one who comes walking in water? It is Uh yeah. Um Who is this one who walks on water? Who is this one who calms the storm?
Who is the one who takes five loaves and two fish and feeds thousands? It is. God incarnate, it is I am. Therefore, he's in control of the storm. Therefore he is, my dear brother, Greater than your circumstances.
He is the sovereign. God.
So in that crisis If you're like me, you tend to scheme. You tend to strategize, you try to wonder what's going on, understand this. that Jesus is greater. Then your circumstance. And his timing is different from ours.
He has his reasons that we don't always understand. He has his purposes. He has his will. But Jesus is a God who comes to his people. He's not a remote God.
He's a God. who comes to us in our crisis revealing His power and His love. His delays are not his denials. And so often, at our time of deepest needs, some of you have experienced this, haven't you? The time of your deepest need, Jesus comes to you.
And surprises us. with his grace. Comes in unexpected and miraculous ways. Peter, whatever you Want to say about him, I admire the man. Yes, he's outspoken.
Yes, he gets it wrong sometimes, but of all the disciples, he's the one who steps out. It's got faith. He sees the Lord walking on water. And so he Gets out of the boat and actually walks on water. Yeah.
No wonder in the Gospels he's such a uh a a strong witness. He walks. On weather. But did you notice he only walked For a time. When did?
Peter began to sink. Verse thirty But when he saw the wind He was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord. Save me, don't you love her? Keep your eyes on Jesus and you'll find Peter.
Look at the storm and the wind and the circumstances, and you're walking on water. It's not a smooth lake, don't think of that. And this is a storm and he's walking above it. He's Jesus Christ is giving him the power to actually walk on water. And he sees the storm and he begins to sink.
And then the Lord gets us Gets on board. with Peter. John, in his account in John 6, says the disciples were glad. to take him into the boat. Of course they were.
They knew the Lord. They knew now they were saved.
Now the Lord is on board. He is greater than their circumstances. In the crisis, Make sure Jesus is in your boat. Stop focusing on the wind. Stop that whining.
Stop that self-pity. That discouragement of your difficult circumstances, keep your eyes on Jesus. Trust him. He's with you. He'll guide you.
He's greater than all of your circumstances. He's in control. And with Jesus on board, what seems to be a huge problem becomes very, very small. What does it say here? Verse 32, when they got into the boat, The wind Ceased.
Dramatic. One minute, there's a fierce, fierce wind. Jesus comes on the boat. the wind stops. Play that.
No wonder they said, truly. This is the Son of God. In the Christ says Jesus is with you. In the crisis, Jesus is greater than your circumstances. Thirdly, in the crisis, This is difficult.
But this is very, very important. In the crisis. Practice the presence. of the Lord. Practice the presence of the Lord.
If you're like me, the crisis can be so overwhelming. that that becomes your total focus. Don't do that. I'm saying to you, this is difficult. But you need to spend time with the Lord.
Practice The presence of God. The disciples had followed Jesus. They knew him. They'd listened to him. See, the more you're in the presence of Jesus, the more you will be like Him.
Reading his word. Particularly the Gospels. Person. to Jesus. Pray.
Look around. Give thanks for the way God And His grace has saved you, it's helped you over the years. That will deepen your faith. Daily trust Jesus. You get up.
Perhaps after a sleepless night. You go into the shower. Praise God. If you can sing, sing. If you can whistle, whistle.
But you can pray. And thank God. And say this day. Lord, I need your help. This day, I'm going to trust you with all of my heart.
I'm not going to lean on my understanding. I want you to direct my ways. What am I doing? I'm practicing the presence of the Lord. I'm inviting the Lord, as it were, into my situation.
You have a difficult marriage? Why have you never invited The Lord into your marriage. Why are you so slow to get down on your knees with your wife or your husband and ask for God's help? Your personal life is a mess. What's going to change it?
Invite the Lord into your life. Repent of your sin. Get back. in a right relationship with God. Trust the Lord with all of your heart.
Bring him into that confusing situation. At work, pray. Your God, fellow believers, they pray with them.
So that you are inviting the Lord Jesus Christ into your situation, into your family, into your life, into every aspect of your life. What a difference that will make. Yes, the wind is against you. The crisis is tough. You feel you've been rowing for hours.
You sometimes feel, don't you, that you just can't go on. Another Minute. Spending a lot of energy, and you feel Hopeless. Hopeless. There are people in these circumstances that in fact feel so hopeless that they take their lives.
You know some of them. Yes. I've known believers in Jesus Christ. in a situation which had been so overwhelming. I got deeper and deeper.
You ever felt you've been sucked into a hole? And you can you can't get out of it. And there's people in these circumstances. Take the life. Brother Sister, don't do that.
I'm telling you. The Lord Jesus Christ is greater than your circumstances. Will you hear his voice? Take heart. Be strong, be courageous.
It is I, do not be afraid. Do you hear that? Jesus is saying, as you face that situation, don't be afraid. That surgery, that difficult business situation, that personal crisis. That thing you want to avoid.
Don't be afraid. You got fears? He walks on fears. He walks on water. He's the all-powerful God and He can do all things.
I'm reminding you, as Matthew is reminding you, who Jesus is. He's not an ordinary man. The psalmist says, your way was through the sea. your path through the great waters, yet your footprints were not seen.
Sometimes God's at work in our life. Often, God's at work in our life, and it's unseen, we don't realize it, do we? God's working behind the scenes. Orchestrating things. for his glory and for our Good.
Charles Spurgeon said, He who counts the stars and calls them by their names is in no danger of forgetting his own children. Fathers Mothers, you don't forget your children. And we certainly don't forget our grandchildren, do we? Here is our wonderful God. Calls us.
Those are names. The good shepherd John 10 tells us he knows their names. He knows the names of the sheep. He knows you. He loves you, He cares for you.
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches you. Practice the presence of the Lord. Thank God for that. Look to Him for His help. And remember this: the disciples were as safe in the middle of the storm as they were ashore.
You are always safe. But I want you to practice the presence of the Lord. Psalm 46, the mountains are tumbling into the sea.
Furthermore, the enemies of Israel are against it. The nations are against Israel. Psalm 46. How does it begin? God.
Yeah. That's it. It begins with God. God is a refuge and strength, a very present help in. Trouble, therefore we will not fear.
Verse 10, be still. and know that I am God. Stop fretting, stop worrying. Do you hear me? That's what Jesus is saying.
Don't be afraid. Stop it. Be still and know that I am God. You will survive the crisis. Jesus is with you.
and he's sovereign over the circumstances. And as you commit it to the Lord, You will know that peace. We sometimes sing the old hymn, oh. The peace. My Saviour gives.
Peace I never knew before. And my way has brighter grown since I learned to trust him more. The brighter your way, the more you trust Him. No, it doesn't immediately mean the crisis will go, but it does mean He'll give you a peace. And the more you trust them, the brighter your way.
If you want to go your own way, The way of selfishness, the way of the world, your way will get. darker and darker, but the more you trust Christ. The more you commit your way to him, the brighter the way. will be. He's promised.
And to be with you. in the crisis. He's promised to bring you to the other side. No authentic follower of Jesus. No child of God.
Not one of the redeemed will ever be lost. He holds us with his powerful hand. He says, I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. Listen to the words of Jesus. In John 6.
All that the Father gives me will come to me. And whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. If you're not a follower of Jesus Christ, I'm asking you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not cast you out. I realize you're sinful.
I realize you're messed up. Otherwise you don't deserve salvation.
Some of our new members write Ephesians 2, reminding us that it is all of grace, and he will receive you, he will not cast you out. Jesus says, I've come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son, And believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. How wonderful.
Have you come to Christ? Have you come to Christ? The sailing may not always be smooth, but the landing is always safe. If you commit your way to the Lord. It will not necessarily reduce all the problems in your life.
That's not the promise of the gospel. The promise of the gospel is that if you come to Jesus Christ, He'll forgive your sins, He'll give you eternal life, and you'll never perish, and He'll be with you forever. And in every circumstance of life, He can deal with it. And not one of the redeemed, not one of them. will be lost.
Because we're kept. by the power of Almighty God Himself. Finding yourself sink sinking under your crisis. Do what Peter did. When you began to sink.
I like Peter, don't you? He actually woke some water. What would that felt like? Yeah. You say, but his faith was weak.
Yes, the Lord said that. Oh, you have little faith. But he did have faith. And one of the things Peter did, I want you to do when he was sinking. He doesn't look to the disciples.
He didn't Be overcome by self-pity. He said, Lord, saved me. That's what you have to do. Look to the Lord. for salvation and for help.
And while Peter wasn't always looking at Jesus, You look too much at the wind. But when he looked at Jesus, Jesus was looking at him and stretched out his hand. And Peter took it. Will you take his hand? We invite them into your boards.
We read in our passage about those who touched the fringe of his garment.
Well, you just reach out. And touch the fringe of his garment. Trust him in the dark. Trust him when the winds are against you. Trust him and do not doubt.
Isaiah the prophet writes: fear not. There it is. You're listening to this today. Fear not. For I have redeemed you.
We're redeemed with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You're last life, you're a follower of Christ, you're redeemed. For I have redeemed you. I've called you by name. The Lord Jesus calls us by name.
Peter, follow me. John, follow me. Joan, follow me. Evelyn, follow me. He calls us by name.
You are mine. We belong to him. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you. My brother, my sister, that difficult crisis, that storm of your life will not overwhelm you.
That is the promise of the gospel: that Jesus is with you. Here is how to survive the crisis. No Christ. Reach out and take his hand. Every day look to Christ, the author and the perfecter of our faith.
Trust them. Invite them into your board. And do you hear again his words? Did you hear that? As he comes to us, it is I.
Do not. Be afraid. Do you hear him? It is I. Do not.
Be afraid. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God.
To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world.
And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Isn't it wonderful to know that the all-powerful God is with us. I love the quote from Charles Spurgeon. He who counts the stars and calls them by their names is in no danger of forgetting his own children. That's wonderful, isn't it?
So be encouraged. The Lord knows you. He's with you and He's for you. I make sure. that you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior.
Invite them into your life. And trust them when the winds are against you. He is with you. in the crisis of life. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict.
I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
