The Providence of God in Redemption - Love's Restoration

Temple Baptist Church - 9-8-2019

Ruth 1:19-22

Introduction:

A.  The Typology of the Book of Ruth.

1.  The typology is so rich in the Book of Ruth that we could spend much more time preaching through it.

2.  Elimelech is a type of the Nation of Israel that chose to leave their spiritual roots by rejecting the Messiah, the Bread of Life.

3.  Elimelech’s leaving Bethlehem-Judah and going to Moab, a type of the world, brought the God of Israel to the Moabite people.  The breaking off of the “Natural Branch” and the grafting in of the “Wild Branch.”

4.  Some accepted, and some rejected.  Orpah, a type of the worldly who reject Christ, chose to return to her people and their gods while Ruth, a type of the Church, chose to follow Naomi.

5.  Naomi is a type of Israel’s return to both God and the land of Israel, the blessings of God.  Israel, in the Bible, is referred to as “the wife of Jehovah.”  John said that he was the friend of the Bridegroom who rejoiced in the purchase of a Bride.

6.  Through the choices of both Naomi and Ruth, we find the redemption that could only come through the Kinsman Redeemer.

B.  Naomi and Ruth have returned to Bethlehem-Judah!  They left God’s washpot, Moab, and returned to the “House of Bread.”  BUT, each was restored from something different.

1.  Ruth was restored from a sinful, lost condition to faith in the God of Israel as well as from “God’s Washpot” to His “House of Bread.!   Something that she had never known to something she would have never known had it not been for Elimelech’s family coming to Moab.  She is coming to her NEW HOME!

2.  Naomi was being restored to something that she had been removed from!  She is coming her previous HOME!  From the “House of Bread” to “God’s Washpot” to the “House of Bread!”

C.  We need to look at Ruth first.  This is all new to Ruth!  Ruth made a hard but right decision to leave Moab and return home with Naomi.  Her decision involved:

1.  Fidelity – Ruth “clave” to Naomi in verse 14.

2.  Friendship – “wither thou goest, I will go”

3.  Future – “where thou lodgest, I will lodge”

4.  Family – “thy people shall be my people”

5.  Faith – “and thy God my God”

6.  Funeral – “where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried”

D.  For Ruth, it was a new start to a new life.

1.  Her People were Different – she was raised in a different culture, different conditions, different convictions, and different circumstances.

2.  Her Past was Defiled – Moab was a wicked, filthy place.  (Psalm 60:8; 108:9)  People would be apt to judge her by her past and, therefore, rob her of her future.

3.  Her Present was Difficult – her husband was dead, she was destitute, Naomi tried to discourage her.  BUT, she made the right decision.

E.  Now for Naomi.  For Naomi, it was very different also.  She left behind in Moab three graves.  Though the people were “moved” at Naomi’s return, Naomi came back with bitterness in her heart.

1.  “Is this Naomi?”  The people of Bethlehem were thrilled to see her.  No one faulted her for following her husband.  Neither do I find that God faulted her.

2.  Ruth 1:20-21  And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.  (21)  I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

F.  Love’s Restoration!  How often we underestimate the love that God has for His children.  GOD LOVED NAOMI and allowed her to return home.

1.  God allowed Naomi to come home!  “So Naomi returned”

a.  God could have left Naomi in Moab to die there.  Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion died there!  Orpah went back and died there.  God allowed Naomi to return to her people and here land. 

b.  Aren’t you glad that, when we get out of the will of God, God’s will for us changes?  It was not His will that we go to “Moab,” but it is God’s will that we return to the “House of Bread.”

c.  I am so glad for the love of God that allows us to come home!  When we choose to go to our “Moab,” God is so gracious to forgive us and restore us to where we belong.  “Lord, I’m coming home!”

2.  God allowed Naomi to bring Ruth with her!  “and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her”

a.  She would soon realize the blessing of a young, Moabite girl named Ruth!

b.  David’s great grandmother who no doubt held him in her lap and helped in his upbringing.

c.  When we return from our “Moab,” God will sometimes allow us to bring someone with us.

d.  Even in the worst of our decisions, God can still bring something clean out of something unclean.  He can “draw a straight line with a crooked stick.”

3.  God would restore to Naomi the blessings of Bethlehem-Judah.  “which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem”

a.  Her bitterness would turn to Joy as she would become nurse to Obed.

b.  The ending was far better than the beginning for Naomi.

c.  Our return to the Lord can be the beginning of something far better than we have ever known.  I am glad that the Lord doesn’t “throw the clay away!”

4.  It was the beginning of barley harvest!  “in the beginning of barley harvest”

a.  Naomi came home with nothing in her hand, but God had something else in mind for her.

b.  God had both Naomi and Ruth’s lives “mapped out” before they ever returned.

c.  I am so glad that God knows the end from the beginning and can both use and bless those who choose to return to Him.

d.  Our last years can become our best years.

Adam-Who Is The Figure Of Him That Was To Come

Temple Baptist Church - 1-28-2018

Romans 5:12-21

Introduction:

A.  The biblical doctrine of Hamartiology is the study of sin and its consequences.  Verse 12 is a much-quoted verse when explaining how sin came about, how we are born sinners—yet innocent, personal sinfulness, and consequences.

B.  In its context, we find the justification by faith of the believer.  Verse 12 explains to the justified why salvation is required.  There are several words or phrases that explain our salvation: born again, saved, justified, redeemed, etc. that set forth different aspects of our salvation.  When Peter wrote to the “strangers scattered,” he used the word “redeemed.”  It means to be bought back.

C.  The Origin of Sin.  “Sin entered”  We often fail to realize the deceitfulness and deception of sin.  Sin began in two perfect environments and was precipitated by the same personality.

1.  Sin was found in God’s heaven  and in the heart of one of God’s most trusted servants, Lucifer.

Ezekiel 28:14-15  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.  (15)  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.  (Along with the fall of the “anointed cherub that covereth,” sin brought down a multitude of God’s angels.)

2.  Sin was found in God’s Garden and in the heart of the first man, Adam.

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

D.  The Definition of Sin.  

1.  Sin epitomizes the eternal principle of Dualism:  1)  To stand outside of God  2)  To be independent of God.  These two principles can be perfectly defined as Humanism.  Humanism wants nothing to do with God and operates independently from God.  That is where most of the world now stands.  If man can “DO AWAY” with God, then there is no accountability to God.  Therefore, man becomes his own “god.”

Romans 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

2.  Sin is a Violation of God’s Law.  To trespass or overstep a boundary.  The sin nature is the capacity and inclination to do those things that can in no way commend us to God.  Sin can be willful or found in ignorance.  Sin can be commission or omission.

Romans 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

E.  The Penalty of Sin.  “Death by sin”  Sin’s wage has never changed.

1.  Physical Death.  Though we are saved, death is sure unless the rapture takes place soon.

1 Corinthians 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

2.  Spiritual Death.  To the unbeliever, both physical death and spiritual death in the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:14-15  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  (15)  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

F.  The Endurance of Sin.  “Death reigned!”  Every man, everywhere, in every dispensation.

a.  All are born sinners though born in innocence.

b.  All are sinners by choice and therefore guilty before God.

G.  Adam, A Beautiful Type of Christ and His Substitution For Our Sin.  Romans 5:14

           

1.  Adam Understood God’s Commandment – Genesis 2:15-17a

1 Timothy 2:11-15  Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.  Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Genesis 2:16-17  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

2.  Jesus Understood God’s Commandment

Ezekiel 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

John 10:35  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Matthew 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

3.  Adam Understood God’s Judgment For Sin – Genesis 2:17b

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ezekiel 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

4.  Jesus Understood God’s Judgment For Sin

Matthew 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Mark 15:34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

5.  Adam Loved His Bride – Genesis 2:21-25

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make[one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

6.  Jesus Loved His Bride

Ephesians 5:25-29  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:        

John 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

           

7.  Adam Gave Up His Glorious Residence For His Bride – Genesis 2:7-8

Genesis 3:17-19  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

8.  Jesus Gave Up His Glorious Residence For His Bride

John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

2 Corinthians 8:9  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

9.  Adam Tasted Death Willingly For His Bride – Genesis 3:6

                       

10.  Jesus Tasted Death Willingly For His Bride

Hebrews 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Hebrews 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

1 Peter 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

11.  Adam’s Sacrifice Brought Eternal Life To His Bride – Genesis 3:15

12.  Jesus’ Sacrifice Brought Eternal Life To His Bride

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:19  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Romans 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

2 Corinthians 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Conclusion:  Adam chose to die for his bride, Eve, and Christ chose to die for His bride, the church.  In Adam, all tasted death; in Christ, all live.

The Sea of Impossibility

Temple Baptist Church - 5-25-2014

Exodus 13:17-14:29

 

Introduction:

A. Last week, we looked at the seas found in the bible.

1. By way of application, seas are a type of troublesome times in the lives of God’s children. Life is hard at best and we are continually going into, going through, or coming out of the valleys of life.

2. Seas are not all the same in depth, width, or turbulence. So it is with our problems. Most problems are short lived and, though they may be hard, we can easily handle them but, on occasion, problems are over our heads and beyond our ability to handle. I call these “seas of impossibility.”

3. I often say, “Do the best you can and trust God with what you cannot.” Easy to preach but hard to live! There are times when only the Lord can help.

B. In chapter 13 of the Book of Exodus, Moses has delivered the children of Israel after 430 years of bondage. In chapters 13 and 14 of Exodus, we find possibly the greatest miracle ever performed by the invisible Jehovah God!

1. The Lord is leading His people with the Pillar of Smoke and Fire and the bible says that they came out of Egypt with a “high hand.” They are excited but not expecting the challenge to come.

2. The easy route from Egypt is to the north and takes just a few days to travel but the Lord is leading them to the southeast towards the Red Sea. “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.”

3. Notice that God’s people were “harnessed.” Their leading was not a matter of choice but providence.

Psalms 77:19-20 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. (20) Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

C. Israel is being led to a place between two mountains with the Red Sea before them.

1. Pharaoh has harden his heart once again and is not behind them with his army. The situation is desperate and impossible! Pharaoh said, “They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.”

2. The people were afraid and complained but God was in control! There are several things I want us to see this morning that will help us in our seas of impossibility!

1. The People of the Sea.

a. God’s Children. Psalms 77:20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (God loves His children and wants the best for then.)

b. God’s Enemies. Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

2. The Person of the Sea. “The LORD shall fight for you!” (14:14) God created the seas before He ever formed man. God knew what was ahead of Israel when He led them “harnessed” before it. God knows and God provides.

Psalms 121:1-8 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. (2) My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. (3) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. (4) Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (5) The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. (6) The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. (7) The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. (8) The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

3. The Providence of the Sea. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way.” (13:21) I do not know all I know about the omniscience and providence of God but I believe that He controls our lives and, therefore, our destinies! God knew before He ever created the world that Israel would one day stand at that precise place because it was the “hand of God” that led them there. It was a place of God’s choosing. God brought Israel out of Egypt to bring them into the land of promise. It is not always the way of comfort! It is often the harder way! It is often the long way! It is not the way of our choosing! It is often the only way! When you have no choice, you can make no wrong decision!

4. The Protection at the Sea. “And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.” (14:19) God kept the army of Egypt at bay!

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

5. The Power of God over the Sea. Exodus 14:16, 21-22 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea … (21) And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (22) And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

6. The Purpose of God in the Sea. (14:22) God delivered His children and destroyed His enemies. I will not pretend to know everything about problems but I have learned a few things in my years.

a. Problems hurt!

b. Problems do not always come out the way we want them.

c. But, God’s presence is always with us.

d. God always loves us before, during, and after them.

e. And, it will be alright!

The Seas of Life

Temple Baptist Church - 5-18-2014

Psalm 107:23-31

 

Introduction:

A. There is much said in the Bible concerning the sea. The word “sea” is found 400 times in the Bible while the word “seas” is found 25 times and the words “great waters” is found 16 times. A total of 441 references.

B. The seas and oceans of planet earth are vast in their proportion to land.

1. 71 percent of earth’s surface is covered by water and 96.5 percent of that is made up of oceans and seas. 140 million square miles!

2. The volume of these bodies of waters are 310 million cubic miles! An estimated 25 million species of life possibly live there.

3. The highest mountains on planet earth are to be found there. Mauna Kea, a mountain in Hawaii, from its base in the Pacific Ocean to its peak (10,000 meters) is 1,152 meters taller than Mt. Everest (8,848 meters).

4. The Marianas Trench is over 36,000 feet deep!

C. The seas or oceans of planet Earth are vital to its ecology. Ecclesiastes 1:7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. (Salt is a cleansing agent and when rivers run into the sea, the pollutants remain in the sea and fresh water is evaporated and brought back to show by clouds. I call the oceans and seas the earth’s septic tank.)

D. The seas, in the bible, are a type of trouble or trials. I want to look at these verses for a few minutes in order to make applications of spiritual truths concerning the seas of life or troublesome times.

1. We “land lovers” sometimes go down to the coast and look out over the ocean with little realization of the size and power that makes it so great. As we have seen, the oceans and seas are vast beyond our comprehension. Just look at the futile efforts of our best technology to find a plane that went down over the Indian Ocean.

2. Those who “do business” in these great waters have “seen it all!” I am not talking about the vastness of the seas but the power: the suddenness and intensity of great hurricanes, currents, and 100+ foot waves with unbelievable power. We get a glimpse as an occasional hurricane comes in and we retreat inland to the safety of distance where these great storms die but, in the great waters, they draw their strength!

3. Four times in verses 8, 15, 21, 31, we find the words: “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” The central message of this Psalm is that God is good all of the time. Until we are in the power of the storm, we never pay attention to the “works” of the Lord in our lives. We take the good times for granted and look to Him when in great waters. No, He does not always keep His people from problems but He is always good to His people in their problems!

1. Seas are Importance Places – vs 23 - “go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great water.

a. Seas Are Prepared Places – Vs. 23 “sea … great water!” God created the seas and knows every part of it like the “back of His hand!” He made and knows every mountain and every valley in the seas.

b. I believe that God knows every trial that we will face in our lives. It is not that God creates troubles and problems but I believe that He controls their limitations.

c. It is not that God creates sinfulness nor does He condone it, but I believe that God still controls its limitation!

2. Seas are Busy Places – vs 24 – “see the works of the LORD”

a. Seas Are Purposed Places – His Plan! Psalms 77:19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. (His purpose is to deliver the children of God! God does not purpose that we be destroyed and He will show up on time to deliver. When we get to the end of life and look back, we will see the hand of God in our lives.)

b. His purpose is to destroy the enemies of God! Exodus 14:27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. (As God destroyed Egypt; as God destroyed Haman; God will destroy those who oppose Him and refuse to get right. Egypt could have been spared if, at any time, they had turned around but God hardened their hearts and they continued until they perished.)

c. His purpose is to purify the saint and bring praise and glory to God! Exodus 14:21-22 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (22) And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. (In the sea, God is still God! Just let God be God, trust Him with all that you have, and He will be glorified.)

3. Seas are Powerful Places – vs 24 – “his wonders in the deep”

a. They are Turbulent – vs 25-26 – “and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. (26) They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths” (When I think of the turbulence of the seas, I think of 100+ foot waves and hurricanes that so often plague shipping routes and shorelines. Life is turbulent at best. Thank the Lord for the great calms that sometimes affected the sail ships but they seem to be rare, especially the older that we get.)

b. They are Fearful – vs 26-27 – “their soul is melted because of trouble. (27) They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man … at their wit’s end”

Mark 4:35-38 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. (36) And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. (37) And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. (38) And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

c. They are Purging - Jude 13a Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; (I liken the ever churning of the oceans to the agitation of a washing machine. The polluted waters of the earth are purified in the raging brine of the seas and the sun evaporates fresh water from the surface and bring fresh water back to the land in the form of rain.)

4. Seas are Controlled Places – vs 28-30 – “Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. (29) He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. (30) Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”

a. The Lord gives peace in the Sea - Mark 4:39-41 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (40) And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? (41) And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

b. The Lord gives deliverance from the Sea - Psalms 114:3-4 The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. (4) The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

c. The Lord sets the bounds of the Sea - Jeremiah 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

5. Seas are Reflective Places – vs 31 – “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (During the storm, we go through a myriad of emotions which are common to most of us. But, after the storm, we can get help if we will just accept the sea and properly reflect back upon it.)

1. In the beginning of the storm We Find Confidence – “God Will!”

2. In the midst of the storm We Find Confusion – “God Hasn’t!”

3. In the depths of the storm We Find Complaining – “God Won’t!”

4. In the length of the storm We Find Contemplation – “God has turned His back on me”

5. In the end of the storm We Find Consideration – “God has been here and done it before”

6. In the reflection of the storm We Find Confidence – “God has done it before and God will do it once more”