Topic: CALMING THE STORM – Church of God Mission International – Above Only Daily Devotional 17 September 2023
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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
DATE: SUNDAY 17th SEPTEMBER, 2023.
HYMN: S.S & S 61 “Master The Tempest is Raging”
CENTRAL THOUGHT:
The best way for a believer to handle any storm of life is to hand it over to Jesus Christ.
TOPIC:
CALMING THE STORM
TEXT:
MK 4:35-41
INTRODUCTION:
Storms typify different problems/challenges that people face in life. Nobody, believers inclusive, is spared the storms because they are part of human existence. These challenges may bring different forms of discouragement, hopelessness or even pose as threats to life. These threats may confuse our minds and produce negative thoughts and perceptions of impossibilities. From our text, the Lord Jesus and His disciples were crossing the sea of Galilee in a ship when the tempestuous storm arose suddenly. Violent waves rose from the sea, crashing into the ship and threatening to capsize it. The disciples out of fear and despair quickly woke the Lord Jesus up, “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.” (Verse 39)
In this lesson, we will be looking at what this miracle teaches us about who the Lord Jesus is and how to trust Him in the middle of life trials.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
This topic is intended to explain:
- What constitutes storms in the life of believers
- How some believers react to storm of life and
- The lesson to learn from the episode
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1. WHAT EVENTS LED TO THE LORD JESUS CALMING THE STORM ? MK 4:35
Jesus said to His disciples “let us pass over unto the other side”. While on this journey the storm came. Being a believer does not exempt one from experiencing storms.
When the disciples saw that the tempest was raging and the billows were tossing high, they flew into frenzy, scared for their lives, thinking they were going to perish. They cried out, woke Jesus up and said to Him, “Master, carest thou not we perish?” (Verse 38)
Our Lord Jesus Christ is never perturbed by any form of storm in the lives of the believers, He promised to be with us in whatever situations we find ourselves. (Heb 4:15). In Isaiah 43:2, the scripture says “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.” He is ready to respond when we call upon Him
“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.” (Mark 4:39)
QUESTION 2. WHAT CONSTITUTES STORMS IN THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS ?
Many storms abound in the world; believers are not excluded. They can be part of life encounter, or self inflicted or as a result of satanic attack. We have the example of Job, whose affliction was satanic in origin but allowed by God, the experience of the disciples on the sea of Galilee, and the example of Jonah who was disobedient to God’s instruction. Also, a believer who may be living in obedience to God, like Paul in Acts 27 on the trip to Rome but encounter a storm. In Luke 13:16, the Lord Jesus healed the woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years as a result of satanic affliction.
Some of the storm may also include marital challenges, joblessness, unemployment, poverty, sickness and diseases etc.
THE CLASS SHOULD MENTION OTHERS
QUESTION 3. HIGHLIGHTS SOME NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO STORMS OF LIFE.
It is normal for a natural man to react negatively to challenges of life. Like the disciples, some believers, when threatened with diverse kinds of storms, become fearful, apprehensive, and may get defeated. Some seek ungodly means of calming their storms, and may even abandon their fellowship with God and eventually backslide.
QUESTION 4. HOW SHOULD THE BELIEVER RESPOND TO THE STORM OF LIFE ?
God is our constant helper, our anchor during the ranging storms of life, and so we are not moved or swayed by negative happenings around us. Helpful measures include:
A. FAITH IN GOD (Heb 11:6; Gal 3:11; Isa 43:2; Ps 46:10) Faith is an important weapon to overcome any storm. Heb 11:6 says that “..without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
B. MEDITATING ON GOD’S WORD AND PROMISES (Josh 1:8) The word of God is a very strong weapon (2Cor 10:4). It goes beyond human devices and weapons. The Lord Jesus calmed the storm by His word (Matt 4:39). Josh 1:8 admonishes us to ” meditate therein day and night”. Then can we have good success.
C. PRAYERS (1Thess 5:17) It is in prayers that we demonstrate that indeed we believe in God to handle every issue concerning us. Consistent prayers and faith in the word of God guarantees victory over the storms of life.
D. FELLOWSHIP (Psa 133) Genuine fellowship with other brethren produces strength and confidence in God’s ability to fight our battles (Prov 27:17) “for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life evermore”
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Storms/challenges are inevitable in life. Through faith in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are all surmountable. From our text, the disciples went directly to Jesus their master. It is only in prayers (by recognizing His presence in our situations of life) that we can overcome. Therefore, we should pray, exercise faith, rebuke the devil in the name of Jesus and he will flee. We should also make sure we are not suffering from our own error, if so we should sincerely repent and return to God for He will abundantly pardon
MEMORY VERSE
Mark 4:39
“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.”
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