Disclaimer: Concepts and source material for this sermon has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledgethese sources whenever possible.
HE WILL NOT FAIL YOU
PSALM 89:33-34
INTRODUCTION: Little Suzie finished her prayer and said: “Dear God, before I finish, I want you to take care of mommy, take care of daddy, take care of my sister and my brother and please, God, take care of yourself, because if you don’t we’ll all sunk. Amen!” (Contributed by: Mike Hamilton) Have you ever felt like you were “sunk”? Do you feel like the storm clouds have gathered around you filling your heart with sorrow leaving you in a hopeless situation? If you are a child of God, this morning realize that He will never fail you!
I. When the storms come, He will not fail you
A. Matthew 4:35-40 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. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 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. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"
B. Job 14:1 “"Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.”
C. Matthew 5:45 “…He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”
D. A hurricane had struck. People were huddled together. A preacher was praying with great oratorical effects in the midst of this violent storm, crying out "Send us the spirit of the children of Israel, the children of Moses, the children of the Promised land." At this, an old man with less oratory but more directness prayed, "Lord, don’t send nobody. Come yourself. This ain’t no time for children." – Contributed by: Randy Aly
E. Isaiah 43:1-3a “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…”
F. The storm was raging. The sea was beating against the rocks in huge, dashing waves. The lightning was flashing, the thunder was roaring, the wind was blowing; but the little bird was sound asleep in the crevice of the rock, its head tucked serenely under its wing. That is peace: to be able to sleep in the storm! In Christ we are relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life. The storm rages, but our hearts are at rest. We have found peace-at last! - Billy Graham (1918- )
G. In adversity we usually want God to do a removing job when He wants to do an improving job. To realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the storm. – unkown
H. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9a “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
I. Not until each loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the pattern and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful in the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver for the pattern which he planned.
J. You will have no test of faith that will not fit you to be a blessing if you are obedient to the Lord. I never had a trial but when I got out of the deep river I found some poor pilgrim on the bank that I was able to help by that very experience." - A.B. Simpson
II. When sorrow befalls, He will not fail you
A. Revelation 21:4 says that “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
B. That is all fine and well in the sweet by and by; but what about the heartache, pain, and sorrow we experience now?
C. Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses…”
D. John 11: 32-36 “Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"
E. John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
F. Having lost in a fire virtually everything they owned, the Spafford family made new plans, including a move from Chicago to France. Horatio Spafford planned the trip for his wife and four daughters to be as trouble-free as possible. To transport them from America to France, he booked passage on a huge ship, and made sure they had Christians with whom to fellowship in route. He planned to join them a few weeks later. In spite of much careful preparation, Mr. Spafford’s plans suddenly dissolved when the ship carrying his loved ones was rammed by another vessel and sank, carrying his four beloved daughters to the bottom. Anyone who has ever had their plans disrupted by the hand of God can understand Spafford’s plight. The next time you are in church,turn to the words of the great hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul"--words he penned as his ship passed over the watery grave of his four daughters! - Today in the Word
G. Lamentation 3:22 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”
III. In any and every situation no matter how hopeless it may seem, He will never fail you.
A. Psalms 139:7-11 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
B. Deuteronomy 31:1-8 “Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ’You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment, which I have commanded you. Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."
C. Hebrews 13:5 “Let 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."
D. In 1939 Britain was at war with a formidable enemy. It was a time when the future was uncertain and foreboding but King George VI brought hope to the nation in his Christmas message: "I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, ’Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown’. And he replied, ’Go out into the darkness, And put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, And safer than a known way’" - Contributed by: Owen Bourgaize
E. Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
F. He never fails the soul that trusts in Him; Tho’ disappointments come and hope burns dim, He never fails. Tho’ trials surge like stormy seas around, Tho’ testings fierce like ambushed foes abound, Yet this my soul, with millions more has found, He never fails; He never fails. He never fails the soul that trusts in Him; Tho’ angry skies with thunder-clouds grow grim, He never fails. Tho’ icy blasts life’s fairest flow’rs lay low, Tho’ earthly springs of joy all cease to flow, Yet still ’tis true, with millions more I know, He never fails; He never fails.
