The Faith Walk

Announcer: Today, with Pastor Jonathan Evans.

Jonathan Evans: Many people come to church and get the word and are excited about it. Not realizing that you need the word to keep close, to tattoo on your heart, because you need it in preparation for life's storms.

You can get excited about a word and not be prepared for the storm that the word was given to you for. So many Christians today in church will get excited and still leave unequipped.

Announcer: You're listening to the Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. In a moment, Jonathan will continue today's message. But first, to thank you for your support of this ministry, Jonathan has two gifts for you. The first is the audio series that you're currently hearing called All Eyes on Jesus, helping you refocus on the one who changes everything. The second part of this gift is a book by Dr. Tony Evans called The Power of Jesus' Names. Discover how the names of Jesus reveal His character, His purpose, and His power in your life today. How can knowing Him more deeply transform your faith? I'll tell you more about these later in today's program, or you can call right now at 1-800-800-3222 or visit tonyevans.org to learn more. Now, let's get started with Jonathan's message Under the Sun.

Jonathan Evans: The disciples are about to enter a storm, and they're going to need Jesus.

Matter of fact, when you go out and you face life's storms, don't forget His name. You called His name in church, but don't forget His name in culture.

It starts out by saying on that day. This was a day where Jesus was on the seashores of the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, and He was teaching the crowd. There was a crowd that was out there. It was a crowd kind of like this, and all over the country and the world. It's Sunday, so crowds show up. And He was teaching the people by way of parables about the Kingdom of God.

And He was teaching them these parables on that day before evening came, and He was saying things like a sower went out to sow. And when the sower went out to sow, He sowed some seed, and some seed fell among the roadside and got eaten up by birds. Other seed fell amongst rocky soil, sprung up for a second, but then quickly went away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and then other seed found its way into good soil and reaped a hundredfold. He was saying things like a lamp that is bought should not be hidden, but that which is hidden is only hidden for a second, only to be revealed again. He was saying other things like a mustard seed is smaller than the rest, but when that thing takes root and is planted, it grows up much bigger than everything else. So much so that the birds of the air perch on its branches and are covered by its shade.

He was teaching them by way of parable. The reason why he was teaching the crowd by way of parable is because the crowd likes that kind of stuff. So, He only preached to them based on the level of their belief. Because the crowd likes stories. The crowd likes illustrations, the crowd likes the lights, the camera, the action, even if they leave the same as how they came in.

So, He only gave them according to their ability to hear. That's why often he would say, he who has an ear, let him hear, because you can have ears and not be listening. So, He would just give them a parable and some stories. Matter of fact, John chapter 2 verse 24 and 25 says, many believed on Him, but Jesus Himself would not commit Himself to them because He knew what was in them. So, you can be in church, you can be committed to coming to church, and Jesus not be committed to you.

So, He gave to them based on their ability to take in, based on their ability to believe, based on the faith that they had. He gave them the stories, but to the disciples, He gave the mysteries. Verse 34 says in this chapter that He gave to the disciples a clear understanding. In other words, everybody didn't get that clarity because everybody's not the same.

All over America and the world, you have fans and you have followers. Fans love the lights, the camera, the actions. Fans get excited, but it doesn't take root for very long. Followers want to understand clearly because they're trying to follow. They're not just coming to an event. They're not just treating church like it's a conference that I come to once a week to get a little bit of encouragement only for the gas to run back out, to come back up, to fill up again. So, there was a delineation even here between crowd and disciples.

And all this day, He was teaching the people and giving the disciples a clear understanding. And then when evening came, He gave another sermon. In verse 35 and 36, He gave a clear sermon. Verse 35 is in red in your Bibles, what Jesus said. And here's the sermon. Let us go over to the other side. Now, if Jesus were in the house today, we'd be hyped. If Jesus were standing on the stage and He looked at the crowd and said, let us go over to the other side. There's hope in that statement.

We would be in here talking about other side, other side, other side. Amen. Hallelujah. Take me over it. We would be doing all types of stuff. Because when Jesus tells you we're about to go to the other side, people get excited and are ready to go. That was the sermon that He gave after giving sermons all day and giving clarity to the disciples. He said, now let's move on what we just talked about. Let's now go to the other side. This is going to be an important sermon because little did the disciples know that going to the other side would get met with a hurricane caliber storm.

In other words, these disciples didn't just need the word to get excited to follow. These disciples needed the word to gird themselves up for the incoming storm. Okay, let me say it again. Many people come to church and get the word and are excited about it. Not realizing that you need the word to keep close, to tattoo on your heart, because you need it in preparation for life's storms.

You can get excited about a word and not be prepared for the storm that the word was given to you for. So many Christians today in church will get excited and still leave unequipped. This is why tomorrow when you ask somebody what the sermon is about, they're going to say, um, um, um, um, it was good, but, um, um, um, um. First of all, I'd be studying hard for these sermons. I'm going to need you all to remember what we talked about.

But the reason why it's hard for us to remember is because we got excited with no plan for implementation. See, when you already know a storm is coming, you get prepared for that thing. Okay, how many of you keep an umbrella in your car? Why? It's sunny. It doesn't matter if the weatherman says it's going to be 100 degrees, ain't no cloud in sight. You know what you're going to have in your car? An umbrella. Because just in case something changes. Just in case the tide turns, just in case the weatherman didn't know what he was talking about. Just in case something comes that I wasn't expecting, I am still ready. You don't want to have to get ready, you want to stay ready. Stay ready.

If you ever see somebody out in a storm and they're not ready, they look crazy. When they get out of a car, they get out of the car like this. And you're going to see that the disciples were panicking because the storm made them forget to hold on to God's Word. When you're in a storm and you have this thing with you, it looks a whole lot different than the people who don't. Because while they're running and panicking, you're just walking. You're in the same storm, but the storm is not on you. You're able to navigate the storm differently simply because you were prepared for the storm that you're now navigating. The disciples didn't realize that they were being given a word that they needed to hold on to to cover them in life's storms.

What am I saying? When you come to church, get ready. Get ready for life's storms. Don't applaud, say His name Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and then panic as soon as you walk out of the door. That means you sang the songs, that means you clapped, that means you stood up, and you left the umbrella in the church. This is what has happened to the disciples is that they got a powerful word. That word has hope and promise embedded in it. Let us go over to the other side.

You know where that means we're going to go? We're about to go to the other side. And it details that they were excited because it says that the disciples took Jesus along with them as He was. They got ahead of the word, they were so excited. Because they were ready to follow and left with a word, totally unprepared. And immediately in verse 37, it says, and arose a fierce gale of wind.

This is not just reading the Bible and you say, oh, they hit a storm. No, this is hurricane season. It wasn't a long distance from where they were going, but there arose a fierce gale of wind when they got in the boat. Now, Luke chapter 8 verse 23 gives you more detail and it tells you systematically how things happened. Luke 8:23 says this, as they were sailing along, Jesus went to sleep and then there descended a storm on the lake.

Now let me take you through Luke's progression because this is interesting. Mark tells you they got in the boat and a storm hit them. Luke tells you, no, there was actually a period of time where they were sailing. It says as they were sailing along. So, when they started following Jesus, they were on the boat toasting. They were on the boat sailing, the wind was hitting the sail at the proper speed, the water was glass. They were just hanging out, having a good time. And while they were hanging out and sailing and everything was okay, it details and tells you that that's when Jesus went away and went to sleep.

The next time you see the disciples looking for Jesus is only when they thought they were going to die. While they were sailing along, Jesus went to sleep. They didn't care. But when they needed saving, all of a sudden, they were worried about their proximity. It's amazing because many Christians don't care where Jesus is when things are going well. As long as we're sailing, we don't care where He is. But if something goes bad, we use Jesus like a spare tire. We only pull Him out when life goes flat.

You need to know while we're up here saying His name over and over and over again, you need Jesus in the winter and the summer. You need Jesus in the fall and the spring. When it's up, when it's down, we always need to have tenacity when it comes to our proximity. We need to be with Jesus because when that thing turns, we need to be right where He is.

Announcer: More of the Faith Walk with Pastor Jonathan Evans in a moment. When life leaves you feeling spiritually dry, pressured by culture, or unsure of your purpose, All Eyes on Jesus will help you refocus on the one who changes everything. Today, with a gift to support the ministry of The Urban Alternative, Jonathan wants to give you a copy of his eight-part audio series, All Eyes on Jesus. What could happen if you fixed your eyes on Jesus in every area of your life? Also included with your gift is a book by Dr. Tony Evans, The Power of Jesus' Names. Discover how the names of Jesus reveal His character, His purpose, and His power in your life today. Both the book, The Power of Jesus' Names, and the eight-part audio series, All Eyes on Jesus, are a gift for you to thank you, to show our appreciation for your continued support. It is listeners like you who make this program possible. Our 24-hour resource request line is open at 1-800-800-3222. Let one of our team members help you. 1-800-800-3222, or get all the details at tonyevans.org. How can knowing Him more deeply transform your faith? Now, let's get back to Jonathan with the rest of today's message.

Jonathan Evans: We need to be with Jesus because when that thing turns, we need to be right where He is. It says, and in that moment, as they were sailing on the lake, the storm descended on them. They're looking straight ahead. It's it's sunny. Everything is fine. They're toasting their glasses. They're hanging out. And then it says, descended means from up there. That's called a sudden storm. Arose gives the connotation in the Greek to happen upon suddenly, to come about.

I don't know if anybody's ever experienced any storms that just happen suddenly. It seems like it just descends on you from nowhere. Everything was good, and you were sailing at the proper speed. The waters were glass. Everything was sunny. You just got through telling somebody at church, God is good all the time, and all the time God is good, with a smile on your face and a minute, and as soon as you walked out the door. Suddenly something happened to you or upon you or in your family. It's when you get that sudden call that you weren't expecting about someone in your family who was hurt, injured, or worse. It's when your job all of a sudden is downsizing when you thought you were just about to get a promotion. It's when you suddenly get the call, or you find out that there was infidelity in your home, and it knocks you off your feet when you thought your marriage was going in the right direction. These things happen, and they happen suddenly.

And what's bad about these sudden storms that we go through, what makes matters even worse on this boat is it tells you when they hit a hurricane, Jesus is asleep. Have you ever been in a storm where you need Jesus, but He's gone quiet on you? If it's just me who said, man, God, where are you? I'm praying, and you're quiet. I'm in church, and I still feel disconnected. I call my accountability, but I'm not getting any divine reassurance. I'm reading the Bible, but I'm still not experiencing any hope. This is what your word says. You're with us on the boat, but you're not with us on the boat. Where are you?

He's asleep, and that makes the storm even worse. It says the boat was already filling up. The boat was getting tossed around. They think that they're going to die. The situation is heavy. You can imagine that they themselves are taking a moment to try to save themselves to get the water off of the boat. And nothing is working. And Jesus is quiet. God is not talking. He is sleeping. Sleeping. Let me make it a little bit worse. He's sleeping on a cushion. You know what that means? That means He went to sleep on purpose. You went to sleep on purpose? You don't think He knew that storm was coming when He said, let us go over to the other side? And He went to sleep on purpose. God's not talking to me during the storm of my life? I'm not hearing Him, I'm not getting anything from Him. Where are you? Why would you not be speaking when I need you to speak? Why would you not be here when I need you to be here? And you're going to go to sleep on me on purpose? On purpose?

Ladies and gentlemen, when God goes to sleep on you on purpose, and you're not hearing from Him, and you're in the middle of the storm, it's because He is testing you. Your teacher doesn't talk either when you're taking a test. You cannot raise your hand and say, hey, I need some help. Take the test. The reason why the teacher doesn't talk while you're taking a test is because they are testing you on information you have already been given.

Let's go back. Let us go over to the other side. I've been preaching all day about the Kingdom. I've taken the time to explain it to you clearly. You've watched My miracles, and now I want to watch your faith. Because without faith, it's impossible to please the Lord. And I have to prepare you for storms because I'm going to tell you something else in the future that's going to bring about more storms. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations. And as soon as they listen, Peter was thrown in jail, James got killed by the sword. It was a storm doing what God told them to do. And they would have to believe later that what God said, He will finish what He started.

So, He's preparing them now for their future later. And if you don't want storms, what you're telling God is, don't give me a future because I want to remain unprepared. I've already given you the lesson. I told you, let us go over to the other side. Other side, other side, other side. Instead, the disciples panicked. Instead, the believers panicked. Instead, the church folk looked like the culture. Instead, there was no difference between the believer and the unbeliever. They were around Jesus, but evidently didn't have the faith in the Jesus they were around.

Now, this is very difficult. This is very difficult to not panic and trust when you're in a hurricane. To say it's not difficult, it means nothing as it relates to my humanity. I'm feeling just like you all. So, all that pedestal stuff you all got in your minds, get rid of that. I have to live life just like you all. My mom died just like some of you all. So, let me tell you where I got, when I got, when I shut all the lights off in the house. So, you know, we had eight people die. My mom died. Then my dad suddenly had to step down. And I'm like, what? So, we up here and we we stand. But behind the scenes, we got tears. We hit hurricane season, and we're like, God, why are you so quiet? And so, I'm frustrated, and I'm panicking because I'm like, uh oh. What is all of this mean? We had someone die in our family every four months, and we were wondering who's next? So, I literally started panicking like, what do I do? I'm reading, but I'm putting it to the side. I'm trying to fix it myself. I'm bailing out water. Trying to figure out who I can talk to or who can do something or who can make me calm, who can keep me from being depressed and anxious, who can keep me from fear and anxiety. Who can help me?

And so, but I came to a moment where I did just like this. There's nothing I could do. I couldn't do anything. So, then I just sat still in the house like this. And I just started reminding myself of what He said. Lord Nahum 1:7 says that you are my stronghold when I'm in trouble. Psalm 46:1-3 says you are my refuge, my very present in the time of trouble.

Announcer: That was Pastor Jonathan Evans. Before you go today, I want to remind you that we have a couple of gifts for you. An eight-part audio series, All Eyes on Jesus, and a book, The Power of Jesus' Names. How can knowing Him more deeply transform your faith? Through Dr. Evans' book, The Power of Jesus' Names, you'll discover how the name of Jesus reveals His character, His purpose, and His power in your life today. We are also including Jonathan Evans' All Eyes on Jesus audio series, helping you refocus on the one who changes everything. Discover how to deepen your faith, stand firm in difficult times, and live with confidence in God's calling. What could happen if you fixed your eyes on Jesus in every area of your life? Both resources are a gift to you to thank you for your donation to help support the ministry of The Urban Alternative. It's our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Call 1-800-800-3222 anytime, or get all the details online at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org, or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Thank you for listening to the Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. The Faith Walk is produced as a part of The Urban Alternative, a ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.