Steady | Part 1 | Jon Colyer | Gateway Christian Centre

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to Gateway's Weekly Service. We are so glad that you are here. We pray that this message inspires you, it encourages you, and that God speaks to you in new ways. Now, on with the message.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Jesus, we worship you. Thank you that you are our champion. All we need, we find in you. All we'll ever need. I love what Tim said. We're not looking for the next best thing. There is no greater thing. He is king of every king, he's lord of every lord. He's he defeated every foe. There's nothing greater coming. He is all in all. And he's my champion and he's my friend. Amen. Awesome. Praise the Lord. Okay, go ahead and take your seats if you would for a few moments. Is everybody still okay? I'm a little sweaty up here. I don't know how Delroy's as cool as the other side of the pillow. Were you trying hard, Delroy? Why are you not sweating? Okay. Turn with me, please, in your Bibles. Over to let's go to Mark chapter 4. We'll st we'll head there in just a second. Had a really good time in check. Thank you for those of you that were praying into that. I enjoyed myself very much. It's a beautiful, beautiful place. In my head, I was staying in a bit of a campsite, so I was preparing myself. Turned out not to be at all. It was a beautiful hotel. So the Lord loves me and shone upon me. And the view out the window, oh my goodness, was stunning. And so we had a great time on the Wednesday night. So it was a little bit of hair-raising getting there. I landed in plenty of time, reasonably plenty of time. I landed at about quarter to five. The service started at seven, and it was two hours away. So that gives a calm 15 minutes. But there was an accident coming. So the person picking me up was about 45 minutes late. So I got there at 7:52, literally walked straight in the door, straight up to the pulpit, and said, Hello. And uh, but God is gracious, and that night went really well. The next night I enjoyed, but I felt like there was more. And so Thursday, I really just kind of pressed in, and uh, as did they, and the heavens opened Thursday night. We had a beautiful time in the presence of the Lord, very, very intense. I ministered to the sick at the end, and there was one guy. I see, I can't tell you his testimony. I can only tell you my observation. Because he didn't tell me his testimony. He was kind of rushing around the next morning. But there was a guy, I believe he was one of the pastors, and I'm guessing he'd had surgery on his leg because he had crutches, was walking very slowly, big swollen leg, big scar going down, you know, kind of from I think knee to the sh, you know, shin down the shin, that sort of thing. Looked looked a bit of a mess. Anyways, the power of God touched him on Thursday night. He went down on the floor, stayed for ages. I left before he was done. And um, I don't know his story. All I know is the next morning as I'm having breakfast before we're getting ready to leave. So we're staying in a hotel and they've taken over the entire hotel for the conference. And so we're having breakfast, and this guy comes scurrying over to me and says, John, I've got something for you. And so he kind of went to the side and he gave me an offering, which was really kind. And and he said, Um, just appreciated the meetings and his very broken English. And I didn't think to ask him, and I didn't know enough Czech to ask him, How are you doing? But all I know is I'd seen him hobbling around through all my sermons, his foot was elevated, you know, and swollen and whole leg swollen. And then on the Thursday, he's I mean, running after me, no crutches, didn't seem to be limping or any pain. So I don't know his testimony. I can only tell you what I saw. There was a number of things that the Lord did, and it was a really powerful time. So thank you for sending me. When you minister, you want to be like an arrow that hits the target, but there's a bow that fires you. And my first bow that fires me is Angela and Levi, but Gateway is very, very much part of that bow. So thank you. I want to start a series today called Um Steady. And really, in many ways, I'm talking about faith, but not, I don't want to come at faith from sort of the traditional angle. The traditional angle when you teach on faith is what I would call the ABCs of faith. What faith is, how faith comes, and faith must be released. Those are incredibly important. We need to know those things. But I want to come at faith from a different angle, almost more as sort of a practical life application mindset of how do we walk by faith. And so we've called this series steady, and I want to talk about living unshakable in a shaking world. We've seen some people, I won't name them or highlight them for sensitivity's sake, but we've seen some people in our own congregation in the last few months that have gone through some pretty significant storms, but they have remained steady. And they have been unshakable when everything around them was shaking. And many of us have looked at situations and thought, I don't know that I would handle it as well as they have handled it. Anyone else beside me thought the same thing? Thought, wow, I don't know that I would go through what I see some of our church family members recently and over the years have gone through and they've remained steady, and we all think, Lord, please, if if I'm ever in a battle like that, I pray that I am as steady as they are. See, God never promised a storm-free life, but he promised his presence, his word, and his peace in the middle of a storm. I want to read um Hebrews chapter 12. This isn't our main text, but I want to read it to you from the New Living Translation. It says, Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the one who is speaking, speak to the Lord. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the one who speaks to us from heaven. When God spoke from Mount Sinai, his voice shook the earth. But now he makes another promise. Once again, I will not only shake the earth, but the heavens also. This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a kingdom that is unshakable, thing the King James says that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe, for our God is a devouring fire. There's a contrast between the shakable world and the unshakable kingdom. And I think most of us assume if we're walking with God and obeying him and doing our best to follow Jesus, life should become increasingly stable. But then suddenly a storm hits. We get a diagnosis we weren't expecting. A redundancy happens, a broken relationship, a false accusation, a difficult season with our children, an unexpected loss or a crisis in the nation. Recently, a global pandemic, wars, economic uncertainty. And if we're not careful, we start asking questions like where is God? Why is this happening? Why is it happening to me? Did I miss God? Am I in sin? Have I done something wrong? Does God still care? And the reality is many believers don't lose their faith because of bad theology. They lose their faith because they had unrealistic expectations about storms. We thought faith meant we would avoid storms, but Jesus taught that faith means we could remain steady in them. And the goal of this month's teaching isn't simply to help you survive difficult seasons. The goal is to become the kind of believer who remains unshaken because your life is anchored somewhere deeper than your circumstances. The world is shaking and it's gonna get worse. I want to tell you something. I've read the Bible, it is gonna get worse, not better. It is gonna get harder, not easier. People's emotions are shaking, economies are shaking, governments are shaking, and in many places the church is shaking. But Hebrews says we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And the Bible says he's placed that kingdom in our hearts. So in a shaking world, God wants a steady people. And we'll say, That's me. I'm one of them. That's me. So all right, let's read our let's read our verse. Mark chapter 4, verse 35 to 41. I want to teach out of this passage today. It's a simple message, but a buildup. This whole month we're gonna be looking at this. Now I just want to let you know, Ans and I are gonna be away for a little bit. We're going on holiday in a few weeks, looking forward to it. It's been a while, so we won't be here. I'm asking you, make sure you're here, make sure you're here, full of faith, full of fire. And everyone say, I'm gonna be steady. I know that was a mean segue, but I'm just throwing it out there. Be steady. Mark chapter 5, verse 35 and 41. And then one of the weeks went away, Gabriel's preaching. Gabriel Modesto, he's part of Gateway and a friend of this house, but a a I mean a revivalist, like you wouldn't know. So get ready for a shaking, a holy shaking. Here we go. Mark 4, 35. On the same day when the evening had come, he said to them, Let us cross over to the other side. Now, when they had left the multitude, they took him along in the boat as he was, and other little boats were also with him. Pause there. At this moment, the problem the disciples are probably thinking, This is gonna be easy. Jesus has given us an instruction start a business, marry that person, start a church. What could possibly go wrong? Go on a mission field, uh, go pray for that person, and what's even more wonderful is, and I am aware his he's come with me. I mean, he's in the boat, he's at the first church service, he's he blessed our marriage. He's what could possibly go wrong? Verse 37. And a great wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so it was already filling. In other words, it's gonna sink in a minute. Now, question were they doing what Jesus has said? Yes, had Jesus left them, no, then how on earth is there a storm? Because they're on earth, and in this world, Jesus said you'll have troubles. Verse 38. It gets worse. But he was in the stern asleep. You ever been there? It's like, God, seriously, wake up. Don't you see? We're perishing, Lord. This is going horrible. Everything is going wrong, every report is getting worse. I am losing money by the second, it's barely the tenth of the month, and I'm out of money. But he was in the stern asleep on the pillow, and they woke him and said to him, Teacher, don't you care that we're perishing? Strange question to ask the savior of the world, isn't it? Then he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He is able to calm the storm. But verse 40 it gives us an indication of his mindset. But he said to them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? In other words, he was expecting them to do it. There is an action that Jesus is looking for from us when we're in a storm. And in fact, one of the reasons storm comes, storms come is because it's the only place that we can walk by faith and not by sight. When everything's going just peachy, you can walk by sight. Your house is fine, your marriage is fine, your car's running fine, your children are happy, your dog's barking at all the right things. Everyone's coming to church, the sound system works. But when it's not going well, and they said, feared exceedingly, said to one another, Who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey him? So the disciples were asking the question. They were saying, Lord, do you care? And this is the question every storm eventually asks. Do you care about my marriage, Lord? Do you care about my children? God, do you care about my finances? Do you care about my health? See, storms don't just test our circumstances, they test our theology. And but faith begins by settling who God is: that God is good, that God is faithful, that God is present. Bill Johnson often says this I cannot afford to have a thought in my head about God that he doesn't have about himself. See, the storm may be real, but God's nature is more real. It's a higher reality. So three simple points today. Number one, storms are not evidence that God has abandoned you. Everyone say, God has not abandoned me. In Mark chapter 4, we just read it, the disciples were exactly where Jesus told them to be. They were in the center of God's will, yet they still found themselves in a storm. And this is important because many believers subconsciously think if I have enough faith, bad things won't happen. But the Bible teaches something different. Joseph had storms, David had storms, Paul had storms, Jesus had storms. Storms are not proof that you've missed God. Often they are simply proof that you are still living in a fallen world. Jesus said, In this world, you and me will have tribulation. Not might have, will have. Storms are inevitable. Abandonment is impossible. That's why the Bible says in Hebrews 13, verse 5 and 6, let your conversation, your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me? Aren't you glad he said, I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you. See, my friend, the storm may be real, the pain may be real, your questions may be real, but God's presence is a more powerful reality. You may not understand what he's doing, but you can trust who he is. And here's the thing we've got to understand: the devil wants your storm to become a commentary on God's character. Don't let your circumstances tell you who God is. Let God's word tell you who God is. God has told you this is who I am. Never doubt it. Never doubt it. Number two, I'm going quickly because we're running shy on time. The word of God must become more authoritative than your circumstances. We see things like, well, I know the word says, but. Yeah, well, I know the Bible says that, but well, I know the Bible says I'm supposed to do this with my life or my time or my money or treat people that way. But John, you just don't understand. If I if I don't, I'll get passed over at work every time. If I don't, my friend, the word of God must become more authoritative than your circumstances. On the same day, verse 35, when the evening had come, he said to them, Let us cross over to the other side. That sentence should have settled the whole issue. Jesus didn't say, Let's go and drown. He said, Let's go to the other side. The storm was loud, the waves were real, the fear, understandable. But none of those things had greater authority than the word that Jesus has spoken. And this is what Paul means when he says we walk by faith and not by sight. The world walks by what it sees, believers walk by what God has said. This is why we are peculiar and um upside down or right side up in an upside down world. Sight says the economy is bad. Faith says, My God shall supply all my need. Sight says, I'll never change. Faith says, He who began a good work in me will complete it. Sight says the church is in decline. Faith says, I will build my church, and the gates of hell won't prevail against it. See, a believer who is steady in a storm asks one question. And the question is, What has God said? Not what do I feel? What does social media say? What does the news say? What does everyone else say? But what has God said? And the word of God becomes the anchor of our soul. The first little part of Hebrews chapter 6, verse 19 says this this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, it is both sure and steadfast. See, the storms of life will pull at your emotions, but the word of God keeps you steady. The storms will have you shaking, the world will have you sleeping. The storms will have you anxious, the word will keep you at peace. And great peace have they that love thy word, and nothing will offend them. See, when you don't know what to do, return to the word. When fear comes, return to the word. When confusion comes, return to the word. When emotions are all over the place, come back to the word. A steady person builds their life on what God has said. Steady Eddie. Oh, you're supposed to say that too. Steady Eddie. Number three. The Holy Spirit. Oh my goodness. Talk about a game changer when you're going through a storm. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to remain calm in the storm. Jesus slept, the disciples panicked. Same boat, same storm, different perspective. One of the great ministries of the Holy Spirit is not merely to empower us for service, but to empower us, excuse me, to stabilize us in our walk with Jesus. When I was flying back the other day, I read the book of Acts at the airport and then on the airplane. And I got right to the end just as we landed. Perfect timing. And the second half of the book of Acts is basically a biography about the Apostle Paul's life and his missionary journeys. And I did something I hadn't done for probably 30 years. Went to the back, I looked at the maps and saw where he went. All over the place is the answer. I mean, he put in some frequent camel miles to his account there. I mean, the guy was everywhere. But what he went through, but yet he remained steady. And Paul was the one that made the statement like that none of these things move me. I've learned to be content, whatever state I'm in. I'm pressed, that's my circumstance, not crushed, that's my mindset. Struck down, not destroyed. Um, cast aside, not abandoned. And he contrasts his circumstance between his attitude and therefore he was able to fulfill all that God had him to do. He didn't come a nation short or a revival short or uh a prison short. He was steady eddy through everything he was supposed to do. Believe me, that takes the word and the spirit. And the Holy Spirit brings you back to the word. He reminds us of what God has said. He illuminates certain scriptures. The Bible says he strengthens our inner man. Strengthen with might by his spirit in your inner man, the Bible says. He gives a peace that transcends understanding. The Holy Spirit is your best friend in a crisis and in a storm. And when you're going through something, one of the best prayers you can pray is Holy Spirit, help. He is the helper, one called alongside to help you. Help you see Jesus, help you glorify Jesus, help you think like Jesus, help you respond like Jesus. Holy Spirit, help. I'm going through this thing. I'm in this situation. Everything around me is shaken. Bring me back to an unshakable word that I can stand on so that a thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand my right hand, but it won't come near me. Only with my eyes will I see, but I won't experience the destruction that's all around me. See, many believers are trying to survive storms through sheer determination. A can-do attitude, a winning smile, a couple of memes from Pinterest or Instagram. But God never intended you to do that. The Christian life is a Holy Spirit life. Social media is like the fast food of motivation. God's word is a fire shut up in your bones. It's a rock that will never be shaken. Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will endure forever. The Holy Spirit steadies us, he strengthens us, he comforts us, and he reveals Christ to us. What would Jesus do in the middle of that situation? He teaches us to see beyond the storm. See, many times where when we're in the midst of something, all you can see is the storm. Have you noticed how small your world gets? You don't want sleep, you don't want food, you don't want TV, you don't want a friend, you don't you all you can see is the storm, and the Holy Spirit lifts you up to a whole different perspective. You know, one of the things I love about flying, it's not the free pretzels. What I love about flying is no matter how stormy it is, no matter what is going on in the earth, when you take off and you go higher and higher and higher, and you start going through those clouds for a little a little while can be a bit intimidating because you can't see anything and you know, nor can the pilot. They're trusting the instruments. But then you go higher still, and all of a sudden you break up above those clouds and you're looking at them, but there's no storm when you go that high. There's no rain, there's no lightning, there's no thunder, there's no hurricanes, there's no tornadoes, there's no earthquake. Earthquakes, you go up above the storm and you soar right over the top of it. There is a perspective that God will give you when you mount up with wings like an eagle and you rise higher and higher and higher, and you see how God sees. That's why Smith Wigglesworth said, You've not prayed till you prayed from heaven. There's a thing about mountain praying. And Paul, he saw beyond the storm. That's why he could endure beatings and imprisonment and persecution, because he learned to see another reality. Outwardly he was wasting away, but inwardly being renewed day by day. See, the Holy Spirit renews the inner man. And this is why prayer matters. This is why waiting on God matters. This is why being filled with the Spirit matters. Because the more deeply rooted we are in the presence of God who brings us to the Word of God, the steadier we are. People who are up and down and here and there and gone, and they've not learned how to anchor themselves in the word and lean on the Holy Spirit. See, storms reveal foundations, they don't create them. A storm cannot destroy a life that is anchored in God's word and sustained by his spirit. Again, look at the Apostle Paul as a shining example. How many times did they kill him? I mean, what do you do with someone like that? Shipwrecks, imprisonments, beating. They killed him twice and he just kept coming back to life. What do you do with that guy? In the end, they just put him in prison and left him there because getting rid of him was not an option. And he remained steady. What did he do in prison? Well, the Bible says in Acts chapter 10, no, Acts chapter 16, thereabouts says at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, and the prisoners heard them. They weren't complaining, saying, Well, Lord, I thought, Lord, we were preaching your gospel. Lord, I thought you told me to go there. Lord, you sent me. Lord, but what about me? Lord, it's not fair. No, he said, I'm gonna praise you in the prison. I'm gonna praise you in the cancer ward. I'm gonna praise you in the cemetery. I'm gonna praise you in the funeral. I'm gonna praise you in the exam. I'm gonna praise you when it's easy. I'm gonna praise you when it's tough. And everyone's gonna hear me. I'm not ashamed because I know there's a whole lot of shaking that's about to go on around me. Because inside my heart is steady. I want to be unshakable in a shaken world. I don't just want to have a theology of faith. I want to have a faith that's got some teeth, that knows how to fight, knows how to push back. My battle's not against flesh and blood. I'll smile sweetly at you, but I am not smiling at the devil. No, sir. I'll be lovely to you. I'm not being lovely to my storm. I'm commanding it where to go and how to get there in Jesus' name. Satan, bite the dust. Some of you are in a storm today, others have just come out of one. The rest of you are about to go into one. Not prophesying, just saying. But the message of Jesus is the saying: don't be afraid. I am with you. You're going to the other side. Amen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. You're going to the other side. So I've written some take-home points. If you're a homeworky type person, you're going to enjoy this next few minutes. If you're not, just smile sweetly. Let me tell you the pre-homework points. Number one, storms are inevitable, abandonment is impossible. You are not alone. Number two, the word of God has greater authority than your circumstances. It is bigger. It came before your storm. It'll be here after your storm. Just stand on it, and so will you. The Holy Spirit is steady if you will learn to lean on him. Two more. Peace is not found in the absence of storms, but in the presence of Jesus. And in a shaking world, God is raising a steady people. So here's your homework. You've had this homework before. Some of you have done it, and so will have an easy week. It's like when the teacher sets the homework a little bit ahead of time in the class and you'll finish your classwork until you race through and get the homework done. That lovely feeling you have walking out of class knowing you've already done the homework. Some of you have that feeling. The rest of you, get ready. Here is your homework. I want you to go home and get some storm verses ready. Get them ready. Verses you can get to know so well that you build a shield with them. Recently, some people went through a storm, and I had the opportunity to watch them and walk with them very closely. And someone asked me, How are they doing? And I said this. I hadn't really thought of this before. I'd never used this language before, but this is how I described them. I said, they have spent years building a shield. And in this storm, they've taken up the shield of faith. They're gonna be okay because their faith is their shield. We can either build a shield so that we are ready when the inevitable storms come, or we can get in the storm and start panicking and head to Google and try and find a verse or two. You need your verses. This piece of paper I've had for over 30 years. Had to laminate it because it was falling apart. Most of you can't read it because it's faded, but I know what they all are because I've been reading it for 30 years. You need your verses. Everyone wave your verses at me. Some of you are fake waving. I mean, actually, if you got a piece of paper in your Bible with or your notebook with your verses, wave it. Okay, there's a few. I some of you got on your phone, that's okay. I'll I'll give that one. You need your verses, and in life, you will invariably be attacked in one of four areas. Not in order of importance, but in one of four areas. Angela added a fifth for me, so I'll tell you Angela's one in a minute. My four are your finances, your health, your relationships, and your your righteousness. So, in other words, you will go through financial challenges, you will have health challenges, you will have relationship challenges where your love walk is tested, and you will find yourself going through times where you feel guilty and condemned and unrighteous, unable to stand in his presence without guilt, shame, and condemnation. And Angela added a fifth one, she said, and your identity. Okay. I didn't think anyone's gonna be excited about that one, but all the people saying yes. So well done, Angel. Thank you, my lovely. Thank you. Your identity, who you are in Christ and who Christ is in you. That's a big list. So write them down. Your homework is to get those verses ready and then start reading through them ideally every day, definitely six days a week. Read through them, spend time in them, wait till the Holy Spirit highlights one and stay with that one for the rest of the day. Faith isn't pretending the storm is real, faith is becoming so convinced of God's reality that the storm no longer gets the final word. When I'm in the storm, I'm aware of the storm, but I am not seeing anything but God. I'm still seeing from the same perspective as I would be if I wasn't in the storm because I know that's passing, God's word isn't. And I may not understand everything that's happening around me, but I know who God is, I know what he said, and by his spirit, I will remain steady. Stand up with me. Let's declare some things together. So next week, Answer's gonna teach, and she's gonna talk about how do we actually live by faith and not sight in a world that's trying to constantly shape our perspective. How do we actually do it? So everyone take your Bible. It's fine if it's on your phone or in your iPad. Take your Bible. I want you to wave it around a bit. John Osteen used to do this all the time, he did it for 30, 40 years. I love it. And he always says, make the devil mad. I think the devil gets a little bit nervous when we start waving our Bible around. And everyone says, This is my Bible. I love it. I am what God says I am. I have what God says I have. I can do what God says I can do. Today I've received the word with joy. My mind is being transformed. My thinking is conforming to God's word. I don't walk by fear, I don't walk by sight, I walk by faith. My faith came when I heard the word, and the word told me that I would never be left, I would never be forsaken, I would never be abandoned, that Jesus would always be with me, that his peace would be with me, that his joy is with me, so I am not afraid. I already have the answer, I already know the answer. In the middle of the storm, I declare the ending. Jesus will be glorified, he will win the victory, for the battle belongs to the Lord. So, Satan, take your fear, take your lies, take your acts, accusations, and bite the dust in Jesus' name. Because as for me and my house, we're serving the Lord in Jesus' name. Now let's give him praise for it. Come on, like him in it. Lord, thank you.

unknown 32:03

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

Your promises, your word are faithful to all generations, and we give you praise for it in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Everyone say I'm steady, Eddie. Unshakable, not stirred, in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

Thank you so much for joining us for this week's message at Gateway. We were so glad to be able to share it with you. If you would like to find out more about what is going on at Gateway or when our weekly services are, you can visit our website at www.igateway.org.uk. Thank you so much for joining us.