Week 14 Not Alone in the Storm
“God hears and He sees, and you are not alone in your struggles. Remain firm and stable, for God has your deliverance planned.”
Joyce Meyer
Passage
9You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
10‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11“Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
12“You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
13“For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
Isaiah 41:9–13 (NASB95)
"Empty tomb in Groom Texas" by Geo Lightspeed7 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Background
Quote-Pauline Joyce Meyer (née Hutchison; June 4, 1943) is an American Charismatic Christian author, speaker, and president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Joyce and her husband, Dave, have four grown children and live outside St. Louis, Missouri. Her ministry is headquartered near the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri. Meyer also reports that during an intense prayer while driving to work one morning in 1976, she heard God call her name. She was born-again at age nine, but unhappiness drove her deeper into her faith.
Passage-The book of Isaiah is Narrative History, Prophetic Oracle, and even a Parable (chapter 5). The prophet Isaiah wrote it at approximately 700 B.C. (Chapters 40-66, written later in his life approx. 681 B.C.). Isaiah is the first book in the section called Major Prophets. They are called Major Prophets because of the large amount of material they wrote not because their message was more important than any other prophet’s was. Key personalities are Isaiah, his two sons, Shearjashub and Maher-shalal-jash-baz.
Isaiah contains some of the most incredible prophecies of any book. It contains foreknowledge, in incredible details about the Messiah, and the future reign of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the book of Isaiah was to call God’s nation, the nation of Judah, back to faithfulness and to declare the coming Messiah “Immanuel”. God calls and commissions His prophet to declare to Judah and Israel condemnation, conviction, and ultimately great hope.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
Storms, difficulties, and hardships of life; we are surrounded by them. The world can be a lonely place. But what if we didn’t live in the world? What if we lived in the Kingdom of God?
Ask: Do you believe you are a servant of God?
Point: If we claim the title of Christian it means we follow Jesus Christ.
Ask: Do you follow Jesus Christ? Is He in charge?
Point: Yes, He is, or He should be if we say we are Christians, followers of Jesus Christ.
12So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
16“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
John 13:12–16 (NASB95)
Ask: Are we greater than Jesus?
Point: No, we are not. So, then, we are servants of God.
Ask: Why does it matter if we are servants of God in the context of being in a storm we didn’t start, don’t control, and can’t figure out a way out of?
Point: Please read the following from Today’s Passage:
9You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.
10‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Isaiah 41:9–10 (NASB95)
Ask: So, you are a servant of the Lord, but do you believe “…I am with you…” and “…I will strengthen you…” and “…surely I will help you…” and “…Surely I will uphold you…?”
Point: Just because the outcomes of events in your life haven’t been what you had hoped for, prayed for, or worked for that doesn’t mean you are alone, or God is not with you.
Ask: “I’m in the middle of difficulty and hardship. I need real help in a real world I can touch and feel right now. How does God being with me help me in that?”
Point: Please read the following:
36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
37Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
John 18:36–37 (NASB95)
Ask: How does the above scripture answer the question before it about worldly help?
Point: It doesn’t directly, but it begins the answer when we acknowledge we are Jesus’ and God’s servant and His kingdom is not on earth.
Ask: How does accepting that we are Jesus’ servant to a kingdom not of this earth lead to help on this earth?
Point: Please read the following:
25And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.
26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.
27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
28Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
Matthew 14:25–28 (NASB95)
Ask: How does Jesus coming to Peter in the storm and Peter’s question lead servants of Jesus to a kingdom of the spirit to help on this earth?
Point: Please re-read verse 28 above:
28Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
Matthew 14:28 (NASB95)
Ask: What did Peter just do?
Point: Peter asked Jesus to give him instructions on what he should do but more importantly, Peter asked Jesus to “command me.”
See Definitions for the word Command
Ask: What did Jesus command him to do?
Point: Please read the following:
28Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
Matthew 14:28–29 (NASB95)
Ask: What did Peter do?
Point: Peter’s physical action was to get out of the boat but his spiritual action was different.
Ask: What was Peter’s spiritual action?
Point: Please read the following:
8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:8–11 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
I can say it no better than Paul as he continued in Philippians:
12So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
14Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
15so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
16holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
Philippians 2:12–16 (NASB95)
If we are servants of the Master Jesus Christ, and the servant is not greater than the Master, then it is our obligation and duty to be obedient to whatever Jesus and God want us to do. We have then to earnestly ask the Holy Spirit to reveal and guide us in this world, even in the midst of our storm.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 What does it mean to work out your salvation with fear and trembling?
Question 2 Does that carry responsibilities with it?
Question 3 List those responsibilities you believe come with your salvation.
Question 4 Make a list of people you know who can help you with those responsibilities in either a direct or indirect way.
Definitions
Command
kuh-mand, -mahnd
verb (used with object)
to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order: The captain commanded his men to attack.
to require authoritatively; demand: She commanded silence.
to have or exercise authority or control over; be master of; have at one's bidding or disposal: The Pharaoh commanded 10,000 slaves.
to deserve and receive (respect, sympathy, attention, etc.):He commands much respect for his attitude.
to dominate by reason of location; overlook: The hill commands the sea.
to have authority over and responsibility for (a military or naval unit or installation); be in charge of.
verb (used without object)
to issue an order or orders.
to be in charge; have authority.
to occupy a dominating position; look down upon or over a body of water, region, etc.