~

This is the audio and outline from the October 3, 2021 sermon, “Experiencing PEACE In the Storms”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text:  Mark 4:35 – 5:20

Life on earth is filled with troubles and “storms” of various kinds.  In fact, Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world.  But He didn’t leave it at that, He promised a peace that only He could give as the One who has overcome this world.  Our text today looked at two very different storms — the external storm the disciples endured while out with Jesus in a boat and an internal storm that a man endured because of demonic activity.  Jesus brought peace to both of these storms and He can help us overcome our storms as in Him we experience . . .

• Power.  Mark 4:39, Romans 1:16
  • A lack of peace in life is often experienced when we realize we are powerless in whatever our current situation is.  It is through experiencing the power of God in our life that we can not only find peace, but share that peace with others.  When we know the good news of God’s Word as “the power of God unto salvation”, we realize there is more to life than what we experience here on earth.  God’s power to prepare us for eternity should bring with it a peace that comes from knowing we are in His hands through whatever storms we may face.
• Education.  Mark 4:40, John 14:1
  • As Jesus spent time with His disciples, He was constantly teaching them about Himself, about His Father, and about the kingdom of heaven.  His purpose was that they would learn to trust Him no matter what.  The various types of storms they would go through, including the storm of His trial and crucifixion, would serve to teach them about trusting God in all circumstances.  Even as we pray for God to bring peace to us in the midst of our storms, we ought to also be asking Him to teach us all that we need to know for our faith and trust to grow.  It is through this process of education that we learn to have greater peace with each passing storm.
• Adjustment.  Mark 5:15, 1 Peter 3:10-12
  • Even when we know we need it, most people seem to find the process of making changes in their life to be an unpleasant task at best.  There are times in life when the storms simply won’t diminish until we are willing to make some adjustments to our thoughts and actions.  It is when we allow God to help us to “be fully clothed and in our right mind” that we find the storm replaced by a peace which surpasses all understanding.  When we use the education of God’s Word to direct the adjustments that need to be made in our thinking, we find adjusted actions soon follow which will both honor God and bring peace to our being.
• Courage.  Mark 5:19, Matthew 28:19-20
  • One of the purposes of experiencing the peace of God is to bring us to a point of sharing that peace with others.  While it may be comfortable to just hang out with Jesus and bask in our new found peace, His desire is to fill us with the courage needed to tell others about all that God has done in our life.  Jesus gave that instruction to the man set free from demonic activity and He gave it to each of His followers in what we often refer to as the great commission.  Our peace is meant to motivate us to make disciples wherever we go.  We are to overcome our fears and weaknesses and live with the courage of His Spirit helping us to share with others about the peace we have in Christ.
• Excitement.  Mark 5:20
  • With this peace that God wants us to have comes an excitement that we should not be able to contain.  When people see you living with a spirit of peace even as you experience the storms of life, God has created an opportunity for you to share the excitement that comes from living as a child of God.  Having peace before a storm, during a storm, and after a storm is possible when you realize the storms are always temporary and God’s love endures forever.  Living with this kind of peace ought to invoke a sense of amazement within your own life and in the lives of those that see the way God helps you to handle whatever circumstances come your way.  There is very little as exciting as living with true peace unless it is seeing others come to know that same peace in Christ because of your example.

Today, how do you need to experience God’s PEACE?

~

This is the audio and outline from the September 19, 2021 sermon, “Renewed As You PRAY”, shared by Tom Lemler at the South City Christian Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Text:  Colossians 4:2-6, Isaiah 40:30-31

While using the same outline as a sermon I preached at the Goshen Christian Church in August, this message was worked on specifically for the people of Lake Charles and the South City Christian Church to kick off a series on being renewed.  For me, one of the comforting aspects of the Isaiah 40:30-31 passage is the acknowledgement that even youths grow weary and tired.  It serves as a reminder that we all experience circumstances of life that wear us down and we find ourselves in need of renewal.  The good news is that God says those who wait upon Him, or put their hope in Him, will be renewed.  Learning to do that can be a complicated thing, but a great place to start is in learning to be renewed as you . . .

• Pause.  Colossians 4:2, Proverbs 24:32
  • Learning to pause can be a valuable tool to help us grow in a lifestyle of prayer.  It is often the lack of a pause that gets us into trouble as our nature has a tendency to want to respond out of the emotions that are stirred up by what we see and hear.  When we watch and pause, we take time to observe carefully and seek God’s perspective on what is really going on.  Practicing the pause is done when we spend time with God in prayer and His Word so that we are the sheep who hear His voice and know His voice.
• Request.  Colossians 4:3-4, Philippians 4:6
  • By beginning with a pause that seeks God above all else, our requests are refined to remove the typical selfishness that seems to be a part of mankind’s nature.  Watching what is really going on around us should lead us to requests that God would use us to speak boldly and lovingly about the good news of Jesus.  When we are devoted to prayer in a way that is watchful and thankful, our requests of God tend to have a more eternal perspective as we realize the temporary nature of this life on earth.
• Act.  Colossians 4:5, Proverbs 3:27
  • Learning to watch and act means that we are listening to God and being obedient when He calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people around us.  Many times we make our requests known to God and then we sit back and expect God or someone else to make them happen.  Learning to pause and request doesn’t negate the need to act — it just puts the action that we take into the proper perspective of being directed by God.  When you pray and make your requests known to God, especially requests for others, it is important that you also listen for the great possibility that God will call you to act in response to that request.
• Yield.  Colossians 4:6, Matthew 6:10
  • This may be the most difficult part of learning to watch and pray for many people.  Yielding to God’s authority in all things means that we are not in charge.  When we learn to let our words be seasoned with grace, we yield the need to be right about everything and we remove ourselves from the position of pretending we are God.  Even when we pause, request, and act, we must be careful that our will is fully yielded to God and that we are not simply using a false spirituality to push our ways on others.  Learning to watch and pray leads us to a point of joining in the prayer of Jesus, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

What do you need to work on in order to be renewed as you PRAY?

What could happen if you were to PRAY throughout your neighborhood?