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[0:00] Good morning, One Harbor Church. We want to welcome you and particularly everyone that is watching throughout East and North Carolina.

[0:13] My name is Fricke and I'm one of the pastors at One Harbor. This coming weekend is a huge weekend for us and it is for Christians all over the world. It's our Easter weekend and it's where we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

[0:30] We're going to have our Sunday Easter service online for you to watch. But in addition to that, we're going to have a Good Friday service as well on Friday.

[0:41] And you'll be able to watch it anytime from Friday afternoon. So we want to encourage you to join us as we make much of Jesus. We're going to be worshiping Jesus this morning.

[0:53] And our first song is going to be, Our God is a Lion, the Lion of Judah. He's roaring with power and fighting our battles. Now you and I both know that we're in a huge battle.

[1:05] It's called the coronavirus. And there's a lot of emotion going on right now. But there is a Christian author called Chip Dodd and he writes the following.

[1:16] When you refuse to deal with your fear by either not acknowledging it or expressing it, fear gives way to anxiety, which at the core says God won't get it right.

[1:32] Anxiety gives way to control, which in essence says I will need to take care of it. Control gives way to anger, which says I can't get it right.

[1:45] Dear friends, I have been experiencing all of these emotions. Anxiety, control, anger, and I'm sure you have as well. But we don't have to get all the way to anger to get it, that we cannot get it right.

[2:02] We can start with this song this morning, which declares he is roaring with power and fighting our battles. He is the one who's got it right.

[2:16] He's got it for us. And so we don't have to go to anxiety, control, and anger. So I want you to just join me today as we pray and we start this morning off.

[2:27] Lord Jesus, I want to thank you that you have conquered sin, death, hell, and the grave. I want to thank you that you got it right with our sin.

[2:41] You got it right with death. You got it right with all of our enemies. And I want to thank you that you are the great conqueror, the Lion of Judah. And we hide in you.

[2:52] We run to you today. You are our strength, Lord. Father, we thank you that as we make much of Jesus, we are lifted up. We are strengthened. And many are encouraged.

[3:04] Lord, we pray your blessing this morning on everything we do in Jesus' name. Amen. Good morning, 1 Robert.

[3:19] You can stand or sit wherever you are. Let's worship together. Let's worship together.

[3:56] Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah. He's warring with power and fighting our battles.

[4:07] Every knee will bow before Him. Our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain.

[4:18] For the sins of the world. For the sins of the world. His blood breaks the chains. And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb.

[4:29] Every knee will bow before Him. So open up the gates. So open up the gates. So open up the gates.

[4:42] So open up the gates. Make way before the King of kings. Our God is the Lion of kings. He's warring with power and fighting our battles.

[4:53] Our God is the Lion of kings. A God who comes to save Is here to set the captives free For who can stop the Lord Almighty Our God is the Lion The Lion of Judah He's running with power And fighting our battles Every knee will bow before Him Our God is the Lamb The Lamb that was slain For the sins of the world His blood breaks the chains And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb Every knee will bow before Him Who can stop the Lord Almighty

[5:59] Who can stop the Lord Who can stop the Lord Almighty Who can stop the Lord Who can stop the Lord There's no one more Who can stop the Lord Almighty Who can stop the Lord Our God is the Lion The Lion of Judah He's running with power And fighting our battles Every knee will bow before Him Our God is the Lamb The Lamb that was slain

[7:01] For the sins of the world His blood breaks the chains And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb Every knee will bow before Him Oh Every knee will bow before Him Oh Let's just sing Who can stop together Who can stop the Lord Who can stop the Lord Who can stop the Lord Almighty Who can stop the Lord Almighty?

[7:57] Who can stop the Lord? You were the Word at the beginning One with God, the Lord most high Your hidden glory and creation Now revealed in you, our Christ What a beautiful name it is What a beautiful name it is The name of Jesus Christ, my King What a beautiful name it is And nothing compares to this

[9:00] What a beautiful name it is The name of Jesus You could have had heaven without us But Jesus, you brought heaven down My sin was great, your love was greater And what could separate us now What a wonderful name it is What a wonderful name it is What a wonderful name it is The name of Jesus Christ, my King What a wonderful name it is And nothing compares to this What a wonderful name it is

[10:02] The name of Jesus Death could not hold you Death could not hold you The failed door before you You silenced the ghost of sin and grave The heavens are roaring The praise of your glory For you are raised to life again You have no rival You have no equal Now and forever God you reign Yours is the kingdom

[11:04] Yours is the glory Yours is the glory Yours is the name And all the names What a powerful name it is What a powerful name it is And the name of Jesus Christ, my King What a powerful name it is And nothing can't stand against What a powerful name it is The name of Jesus What a powerful name it is The name of Jesus What a powerful name it is The name of Jesus Jesus, you're more powerful than the situation we're in.

[12:12] Sometimes it doesn't feel like it, that in the midst of the storm, we have a tendency to just not look at you and hold fast to you and who you say you are and who you say we are.

[12:24] And Father, I just would ask that you would center our hearts and our affection on the only steadfast thing that we can hold on to. We proclaim that you are the king.

[12:38] You are the good one. You are above all. You're above this virus. You're above the momentary trouble of today. And so we just give you our hearts and we say we trust you and we thank you.

[12:52] You've been good. You're going to be good. And we love you. Thank you for worshiping with us.

[13:03] We're going to transition into a time of prayer. But before we do, if you want to just text or call some of the people that you normally get to worship with and that you don't get to be around, now would be a great time to do it.

[13:15] And we're going to transition to a time of prayer now. All right. What's up, Wind Harbor? My name is Doug, and I'm one of the pastors here. And just, yeah, really miss seeing you guys and gathering together.

[13:27] But this morning we're actually going to gather and we're going to pray together in unity. So as Christians, this is one of the greatest privileges we have, actually our conversations with God, our prayers with God. And Philippians 4 reminds us that not to be anxious, but actually bring these petitions, bring these requests in front of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

[13:45] And that's just a great privilege that we have. And one thing's for sure, we always are too busy for prayer. No matter if things are normal and we're not confined to our homes, we're too busy. And I'm sure right now you find yourself even too busy to sit down and pray.

[13:57] And I would encourage you, if you're finding yourself in this area, just, I would encourage everyone actually to go and watch a video we put out this Wednesday, Growing in Isolation. Jesse Kinster talks about the intentionality and importance of prayer, and he does an amazing job.

[14:11] So I'd encourage you to go find that and watch that. So now we're going to have actually some forced prayer time together. We're going to pray for the following three things. The first one is let's pray for those on the front lines and those that have been financially affected by COVID-19.

[14:25] So maybe that's the doctors and the nurses and those grocery clerks and those tirelessly and sacrificially putting their lives in harm's way every single day. Pray for a cure for this.

[14:36] Pray that God would protect and provide for them during this time. Pray that those have been financially affected. Maybe they lost their jobs or their businesses taking a hard hit. Pray that God would bring comfort and peace and that God would provide during this time.

[14:50] Luke reminds us that God cares so much, even deeply for the birds. And man, he cares for us too. We are his children, and he will provide for us. The next thing we're going to pray for is we're going to pray for God's saving grace.

[15:03] So just I specifically call out to God for two or three people by name that God would reveal himself to during this time, that he would show the love of Jesus. Ephesians reminds us that this is not by our works, but it's actually a gift from God.

[15:18] So pray that God would grant that gift to somebody during this time. And the last thing I want to pray for is pray that the Holy Spirit would lead us to love others with compassion.

[15:29] This posture of loving others and being the hands and feet of Jesus is so counterculture to us, and we need to ask God for help. And it might seem a stretch to some of you.

[15:40] Well, I'm isolated in my home. How can I be the hands and feet? And maybe that looks a little bit different during this time. Maybe it's just encouraging a friend or sending a text or an email or a phone call and praying for somebody.

[15:51] Or maybe God highlights somebody in your life that you need to be praying for and interceding for. And so just pray that the Holy Spirit would lead us to love others with compassion during this time.

[16:02] So now let's just take five minutes. We're going to pray over these three things. And I would just encourage you right there where you are. If you're by yourself or with your family, pray aloud for these things and pray together.

[16:15] We're going to pray together.

[16:45] We're going to pray together.

[17:15] We're going to pray together.

[17:45] We're going to pray together.

[18:15] We're going to pray together.

[18:45] Thank you.

[19:15] Thank you.

[19:45] Thank you.

[20:15] Thank you.

[20:45] Thank you.

[21:15] My name is Travis. I'm one of the pastors here at One Harbor Church. I know that we have an assorted online audience these weeks. I know that many of you are tuning in from different aspects of life.

[21:29] And so if you're with your family in the living room gathered around, welcome to you during this time. If you're listening on your phone or maybe in your car, welcome to you as well.

[21:41] We are in such interesting times in this cultural moment that we're in. I know that there are so much that we read every day and so much news that we follow along with that's happening in the world around us that we are bombarded with more and more information.

[21:58] It feels like every day that leads us to fear and strikes fear in our spirits. And so I find it very timely that we as a church are in a series about the peace of God.

[22:10] We're calling it Prince of Peace. And we've planned to do this series for months. You just can't know this stuff leading up, but God knew. And so for months we've been planning on doing a series, going through some stories, following Jesus as he brings peace to unthinkable and even harrowing situations.

[22:30] And so it seems so timely to remind ourselves during this time of the peace that Jesus offers to those who follow them. And so last week we learned that peace does not come just by form of principle or platitude, but actually Jesus gives us peace by giving us his presence.

[22:52] It is the presence of God that actually brings peace to us in any situation. And I was reminded just listening to that of how many times that Jesus tells his people to fear not or to have no fear because he is with them.

[23:07] And I've always found that statement very interesting and very bold. I mean, how can you tell someone to not feel something that they're not even wanting to feel in the first place?

[23:18] I mean, it's not like people are yearning to be afraid, but yet Jesus says multiple times to fear not and do not be afraid. And what does he mean by that? And I think it's important for us as Christians or anyone that is not a Christian that's leaning in to understand that this command from God is not for you and I to feel numb to feelings of fear, like you're some kind of machine that never gets scared of anything.

[23:46] But his aim to us in this command is for us to be faithful to him who is above anything and everything that we are humans could ever possibly be afraid of, even death itself.

[24:01] That no matter how big or bad a storm in life gets, whether personally or socially like we face at this time, that we can be assured that the God of peace, the Prince of Peace is still on the throne and he's still in heaven ruling perfectly over his creation.

[24:18] And this drives our fear into faith. It realigns our spirit. This actually turns something that was meant to confuse us, fear, and strike us to the core into an apparatus that allows us to exercise faith and thus making that faith stronger.

[24:37] And when fear is looked at this way, it transforms it into something that's actually useful for us as Christians. Fear becomes to the spirit a lot like what weights are to the muscles.

[24:49] It gives us a context and a platform in which we can exercise our faith in the power and presence of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. And so that said, I want to look at another story in this installment of the series this morning.

[25:05] This story is one of my favorites in the Gospels, not only because it's a story of fear and faith, but it involves so many things that I, for me, personally love in life.

[25:18] Jesus, wind-driven boats, and weather. If you could somehow throw my wife into this story, then it would be like all the things that I love in life in one story.

[25:29] And so I'm going to read. If you want to turn with me to your Bibles, we're going to be this morning, or whenever you find yourself watching this video in Mark chapter 4, we're going to be in verses 35 through 41.

[25:45] And so as you're making your way to that, the scripture will be on the screen. Just to give you a little bit of context for this passage before we read it, Jesus has been preaching and ministering all day at this point.

[26:00] Many of the great and famous parables, the parable of the sower and of the seed and of the soil that we have come to learn and love has been communicated in this previous chapter.

[26:14] Jesus, at this point in his ministry, had already amassed a rather large following. So there was crowds that would gather everywhere he went. And the crowds had become crushing to him to the point that he had already had to get into a boat, maybe even the same boat that we're about to read about already in this chapter, to create some space to push back from shore so that he could minister and teach to people.

[26:39] This was the type of day that left the human side of Jesus, the side of him that needed rest and sleep to be exhausted from the day's events.

[26:51] And so we know that's what had taken place just before. We have the ability to fast forward the story by studying the scriptures. And we now know that looking forward to the other side in Mark chapter 5, that Jesus will be met with one of the most extreme situations that he will deal with in his ministry when he meets a demon-possessed man at the beginning of the next chapter.

[27:12] And so this epic story is bookmarked before and after by Jesus being full bore into ministry and teaching and healing.

[27:23] But stuck right in the middle of these events is this little story at the end of Mark chapter 4 about what happened as Jesus and the 12 disciples crossed the sea that evening and how Jesus showed us that he really is truly the Prince of Peace that is in control of all things.

[27:41] And so I'm going to read and then we'll go from there. Verses 35 through 41. On that day when evening had come, now that's a very important detail, he said to them, let us go across to the other side.

[27:58] I feel like all of us are on a journey with Jesus to the other side. Amen. Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And the other boats were with him.

[28:10] And a great windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling. He was in the stern, being Jesus, asleep on a cushion. And they woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?

[28:25] And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

[28:36] And he said to them, why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?

[28:51] That is the word of the Lord. What an incredible story. There are few things as gripping as a storm at sea.

[29:02] Of all the extreme things that I personally have done in my life, There are not any of them that even come close to being subject to a weather system That has overtaken you while offshore in a wind-driven vessel.

[29:17] As I've said to a lot of people before, Before I was a pastor, I spent many years as a mariner and a sailboat captain And still spend a lot of time offshore even to this day.

[29:28] And I unfortunately know all too well the unexplainable intensity That comes from this type of situation. Now in our modern world, Most people are so far removed from this type of situation.

[29:41] I mean, few people ever find themselves in a storm out in the ocean. I mean, why would they? The vast majority of people that would ever be in a body of water Big enough to be caught in a storm Would likely be in a modern powerboat with powerful engines Able to outrun the storm Or at least be subject to it just for a few moments As they retreat back to shore.

[30:03] And on top of that, With advanced radar and weather technology, Our ability to avoid altogether low-pressure systems And thunderhead systems, It grants us the ability to not even be in that situation in the first place.

[30:18] But these guys, They didn't have that advantage. They had to learn to navigate and master their own waters And develop trust in their boat And most importantly, In their own skills to have a fighting chance Of not only making a living as a fisherman and a waterman, But to stay safe and return home to their families night after night Through the inevitable storms that were going to come Working on the Sea of Galilee.

[30:46] You see, there are no seas without storms. They just don't exist. But this particular body of water Is unique in many ways. When I first studied the Sea of Galilee, I was amazed by how small it was.

[31:00] At only 13 miles long And 8 miles wide, It's a stretch to try to call this a sea By definition. I mean, I have to admit, When I thought to myself When reading this story for the first time years ago, I mean, how bad could this storm really have been?

[31:15] I mean, it's more like a lake than a sea. In fact, the Sea of Galilee has been renamed To the Lake of Galilee or Tiberias Lake. A lot of times it's referred to as a lake.

[31:27] I mean, there's no point on this whole body of water That you would even lose sight of land, At least during the day. And so crossing this Should be simple work for an experienced sailor.

[31:38] In which we know there was at least four on board. Peter, James, Andrew, and John Were known, experienced sailors and fishermen. And we know that there was probably at least three other That were very competent among the crew that night.

[31:53] So what is the problem here? On this small lake. What's unique about this particular body of water in Israel Is its topography. The Sea of Galilee is the lowest body of fresh water in the world.

[32:07] At 695 feet below sea level. Not only is it low. But it's hemmed in by two great mountain ranges To the northwest and the southeast. One peak is over 1500 feet.

[32:21] And the other peak is over 3000 feet. And that makes the entire sea one large bowl. What's cool about this. And what's interesting about this.

[32:31] Is the weather that it causes. What's known as the catabactic winds. We have a picture here. To the north they come from the Mediterranean Sea. During the winter and during the summer they come to the southeast from the desert.

[32:47] And these winds come rushing over a mountain. And they cool and they shoot down onto the lake. Which is met with the warm winds. That's hovering on top of the water from the Middle Eastern sun all day.

[32:59] And this is known as a catabactic wind. And this area is known for it. And this creates a nightmare of wind turbulence. Thus causing the seas to often rage in the evening.

[33:11] I mean the place is known for it. This small body of water is known to take out small boats that get caught up in it. Even to this very day. And so when this passage starts off by saying.

[33:22] On that day when evening had come. He said to them. Let us go across to the other side. You see this was no mystery to the experienced sailors and fishermen with Jesus that day.

[33:38] They knew the exact risk they were facing. But heading out to this lake in the evening. In these particular waters. I mean these were familiar waters to these men. They knew the risk.

[33:49] But at the same time. They had just seen Jesus do unthinkable things. Unbelievable things. That very same day. And I have to ascertain that they had to develop at least some trust in him.

[34:04] At this point in the ministry. And in the story. There's no way though. That they knew what was coming. You see we got to remember at this time. It was still calm out. And the seas were still flat.

[34:15] And I can't help but think during this point in the story. That so many will not deny Jesus. And will follow him. When the wind is fair. And the seas are still.

[34:26] But our God is a God that wants the deepest arenas of our hearts. And he often calls us into uncertain waters. At uncertain times. To deepen our faith. And dependence on him.

[34:38] And I see that Jesus asks us to follow him. Into unsure situations. Where we are required to trust fully in him. You see oftentimes it takes deep waters.

[34:50] And uncertain times. To see the true depths of our hearts. I mean the 12 were. We're starting to trust him on shore. But what about offshore. Where they're not really sure what would happen.

[35:02] So he asked them to come on this journey. The scripture says to the other side. During an unlikely time. And I can say from my own experiences. That you often find out what a person.

[35:15] Is truly made of. Offshore. Their core character is revealed. When they're really pressed by the sea. I've seen it many times. And so they went. The Bible says that there were other small boats.

[35:26] With them. This is indicative of so many people. That were impacted by Jesus. And what he has said so far. That they too were willing to face. The danger of crossing this rugged sea.

[35:36] At this unlikely hour. This whole decision. For any mariner. Would seem unwise. It wasn't for the fact that Jesus. Was the one making it.

[35:48] You see the 12 had no idea. What laid ahead of them. On the other side. But Jesus did. He knew the exact time. He wanted to meet a demon possessed man. In Gerasenes.

[35:59] That he would do a great work. As soon as the boat came to shore. In the next chapter. And I see that Jesus knows. The exact time. For trials. And faith building moments.

[36:11] This is not a story. Of random choice. To go out to sea. That ends up turning bad. This is a divine appointment. For Jesus. And his disciples.

[36:23] Jesus wanted to bring them. To a deep place. In their faith. To trust him. As their Lord. Because he was preparing them. For a work. That they could not. Yet know. He was preparing them.

[36:34] For a people. That they. That did not. Yet know. He was preparing them. For future storms. That they could not predict. He needed their faith. Not only on shore. But he needed their faith.

[36:46] When they faced. Unthinkable uncertainty. Because he knew the uncertainty. That they faced. Ahead of them. When he was gone. And he used a small boat. And a big storm. To do it.

[36:58] This kind of famous. Part of the story. Verse 37. And a great. Windstorm. Arose. And the waves. Were breaking. Into the boat. So that the boat.

[37:09] Was already. Feeling. One thing I see here. Is Jesus being in the boat. Does not guarantee. An easy passage. And so if you're here. And you're not a Christian.

[37:20] Man. And you're checking this thing out. For the first time. And you're tuning in. And you're not even really sure why. It's good to know. That Jesus calls us. Out of tough times. But in. To some others. He brings situations.

[37:32] In our life. Because of his deep love for us. His deep love for his children. That require faith to increase. And grow more robust. I have the great honor. Of helping to lead.

[37:43] One of the evening services. At one of the. One Harbor locations. And over the last few months. I've been walking. With a young man. Who had never. Been to church before. And decided that he wanted. To follow Jesus. And man.

[37:54] It was amazing. We got to pray with him. And he decided to follow Jesus. And over the first few weeks. And even months. Man. This guy was on cloud nine. He was so excited.

[38:05] The newfound joy. And peace he had in his life. But so many storms. Started to arise in his life. That he didn't have before. Because of this faith. He would text me.

[38:15] And still does. Of the friends he's struggling. To walk away from. Because of the unhealthy relationships. He had to make the decision. To leave the job he was in. Because of his boss. Being unhealthy.

[38:26] And these storms. That he had come into his life. Was because of his newfound faith. In Jesus. And Jesus brings us into fights. That we would not have engaged with. Otherwise. Jesus will cause holy tension.

[38:38] In our relationships. That bring resolve. In unity. That we would have not had. Otherwise. Following Jesus. Will cause you to fight your sin. And fight your flesh. In a way that feels like war.

[38:50] During some seasons. But we would not have done it. Otherwise. Jesus in the boat. Does not guarantee. An easy passage. But however. It does guarantee.

[39:00] A sure arrival. One day. He will welcome us home. One day. He will make all things new. Our safety is not always promised. But our inheritance.

[39:11] Is assured. Jesus does not provide protection. For every storm. But he provides his presence. In any storm. Verse 37.

[39:22] And a great windstorm arose. And the waves were breaking. Into the boat. So that the boat. Was already filled. He was in the stern. Asleep on the cushion.

[39:34] And they woke him. And said. Teacher. Do you not care. That we are perishing. And he awoke. And rebuked the wind. And said to the sea. Peace be still. And the wind ceased.

[39:45] And there was a great calm. He said to them. Why are you so afraid? Have you still. No faith. And it's in this moment. That he.

[39:56] This has been leading up. To this whole story. That this place. That Jesus wanted to finally bring. The disciples to. It says that the waves. Had began to. To fill the.

[40:06] Inside of the boat. There's an old sailors. Saying that says. If you keep the rig up. And the water out. Then you're likely. To make it home. The rig being. The apparatus. That allows you.

[40:17] To harness the wind. And actually make way. Through the water. And obviously the water. That will eventually sink you. And lead to a slow death. And it says. That they came to him. Terrified.

[40:28] Certain that they were. Going to drown. And I used to read this. And think they were being. A bit over dramatic. I mean. These guys are. Experienced sailors. Why are they acting like this?

[40:40] I mean. This is your home waters. This is your own boat. That you. That you likely. Built yourself. I mean. You're no stranger. To a storm Peter. You're no stranger. To a storm Andrew. And then upon studying this.

[40:53] I had this. Moment of realization. That God revealed to me. In the details. Of what was really going on. You see. These boats. Were working boats. I got a picture here. There were open double enders.

[41:04] It's kind of a. A known painting. But it's actually. Very historically accurate. It. They were. They were. Canoe. Stearns. With a. Skag hung rudder. And a tiller. And there'd be one tiller man. A couple people.

[41:16] Tending to the sails. And the rest of the boat. Was. Was free. For fishing. And handling. Handling nets. I mean. These were working boats. Think of it. Like a pickup truck.

[41:26] Not a. Not a sports car. I mean. These boats. Were never designed. To sail into the wind. That was their weakness. They were working boats. And worked best. When the wind and sea.

[41:37] Was to their beam. Or to their side. Or even behind them. They were perfect. For their intended use. As fishing boats. But what they. Weren't for.

[41:48] Is. Is. Is sailing into the sea. Upwind. At night. These are boats. That you waited for. For ideal. Sea states. To make longer. Passages.

[41:59] And then I had another realization. I had a picture. Of the Sea of Galilee. This is grace and ease. Where. Where they were. Where they were headed. This is Capernaum. Where they were. And.

[42:09] They were making the. The. The passage. Across the lake. And what's interesting. Is during this time of year. These. These winds. That we talked about. Would have been heading. To the northwest. But yet.

[42:19] They were trying to go. In the exact opposite. Direction. And it's only. When you gather. This data. That you realize. That Jesus. Took them. Into a situation.

[42:30] That they would have never. Gone on. On their own. And his experience. As they were. They had never. Likely been. In a situation. Where they were faced.

[42:41] To sail into the wind. In a raging sea. At night. In an open boat. Thus taking on water. Over the bow. As the passage tells us.

[42:52] I mean. This was a suicide mission. To try and make it. To Graysonese. That night. I mean. No wonder. They were so afraid. No wonder. They were acting. Like they were.

[43:04] I mean. This storm. And this story. Makes perfect sense now. I mean. They knew. Without a miracle. They would all. Certainly drowned. So they did. The only thing.

[43:14] They knew to do. Call upon Jesus. And it says. That they did that. In verse 39. And he awoke. And rebuked the wind. And said to the sea.

[43:25] Peace be still. And the wind ceased. And there was a great calm. And as I close. Just want to say. One final thing. About this story. This is a story.

[43:37] Of men. Of little faith. Being brought. Into a place. Of deep faith. I mean. Jesus waited. For them. To be at the very end. Of themselves.

[43:48] In order to step into. The storm. And offer peace. Over it. And I used to question. Why did. Why didn't Jesus. Just allow the. The crew. To persevere.

[43:59] Through this storm. I mean. Why did he calm it? I mean. Would it not have been. A great discipleship moment. To just show them. That they can get through it. They can trust. In their own skills. And trust.

[44:09] In their own boat. I mean. Why remove all the trouble. All together. And that's what I would have done. After all. A smooth sea. Never made.

[44:20] A skillful sailor. Why not allow them. Just to see this. All the way through. I believe. That's the last thing. They needed. Was more confidence. In themselves. And their own skills.

[44:32] Not these men. Not that night. Not with the calling. And future. They had. Maybe a different crew. And a different story. But not these men.

[44:43] They needed to see Jesus. Bring complete peace. In a situation. Only bound. For destruction. They needed to see. That his peace. Was certain. Even in times.

[44:54] Of great uncertainty. This was not a lesson. In perseverance. Although that is a. Great virtue. This was a lesson. Of complete faith. And trust.

[45:05] In God. Even in the midst. Of an unthinkable. Situation. This was. And is. A reminder. That Jesus. Is above. Any and all fear. That riddles.

[45:15] The hearts. Of man. You see. There are some storms. That he uses. To grow us. And our ability. To get through them. On our own. But there are some storms. And there are some situations.

[45:26] In life. That will simply overtake us. And sink our boat. If we don't cry out. To Jesus. The prince of peace. Who can bring peace. In any situation. Pray with me.

[45:37] Jesus. We just thank you. That you are. Present. With us. In every season. Seasons.

[45:48] Of certainty. Seasons. Where. Things are. As normal. As we know. And seasons. Of great uncertainty. And even when we don't know.

[46:01] What to do. You say that we can be grateful. To you. And I'm just reminded. Of you. At the last supper. Which. And certainly. Was one of your. Your darkest hours.

[46:13] You broke bread. And you gave thanks. And you showed us. Lord. That even. In these times. That we're grim. That we can still lift. Our voices. And our spirits.

[46:24] To you. And so Lord. We thank you. For. Yeah. Just the peace. That you bring to us. Even in a storm. We know that we're. Going. And facing. Lots of different storms.

[46:34] Right now. And people are facing. Financial storms. And relational storms. But Lord. We lift our hearts. And our spirits to you. During this moment. As the prince of peace. Jesus name.

[46:45] Amen. So there's a few ways. That we can respond. To this. One. I'd like to encourage you. To. Respond to God. By giving. We know that a lot of people.

[46:57] Are in times. Of financial struggle. And so we want to encourage you. Not to give. During this time. But if that's not you. There's a few ways. That you can do that. One is by. Texting to give.

[47:08] I think we have some. Some information. Whatever site you may be at. You can also mail in checks. Or give online. Also. Want to encourage you. To take communion. At this time. Man.

[47:18] As a family. Or wherever you may be. Jesus reminds us. That when we take communion. That we do it. In remembrance of him. A lot of what we've been talking about. Even today. And he tells us to take the bread.

[47:31] And take it. As a symbol. Of his body. Broken for us. And do that. In remembrance of him. Not just as a religious tradition. But to set our hearts back. To what he has done for us.

[47:43] And also to take the juice. This represents his blood. And I always say. That one drop. Had my name on it. And one drop. Had your name on it. And all those years ago. Jesus decided.

[47:53] That he would go to the grave. That only we deserve. So we could have his place in heaven. That only he deserved. And this great exchange. Happened. All those years ago. And that hill. In Calvary.

[48:04] And so. Yeah. I just want to encourage you. That if you have the ability. To have the family moment of communion. To do so. I love you guys. And I hope you have a good week. There's going to be some questions. On your screen.

[48:15] To discuss together. God bless. God bless.

[48:41]  God bless.