Drop the Christian Clichés and Let the Word Actually Work

Sermon outline

The Holy Spirit is the believer's strategic partner: like Jesus asleep in the boat after saying "let us go to the other side", a believer who spends time as a priest before God can rest in the storm, speak to it, and let it train them for storms still to come.

1. Love and honour people where they are

   Overseas she ministered in meetings, though not from the pulpit because that church did not believe women should preach, and she learned to love people beyond what she expected of them rather than judge them. Being called by her first name by an eighteen-year-old gave her the chance to teach the principle of honour, which touched many. Respect is learned at home and through the Holy Spirit: respect for children, for those below you and for those above you.

   “Most of us will only love to the expectation that people will meet in our lives.”

2. The Holy Spirit, my strategic partner

   You are not accepted because you are good; you are accepted in the Beloved and made righteous, and only the Holy Spirit can change you from the inside out so that you can touch others. For many He has become a silent partner, a visitor or a stranger, when He wants to be a friend. Even Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, so pressure in your life is not God hating you but forging you like gold. You are saved and blessed not just for yourself but as an ambassador with a unique gift.

   “The day you got born again, the Holy Spirit came in. But to many of you, he became a silent partner.”

   • Ephesians 1:6
   • 2 Corinthians 5:21
   • 1 John 1:9
   • Acts 1:8
   • John 14:15-17
   • Matthew 4:1
   • 1 Peter 1:7
   • 2 Corinthians 5:20

3. A priest in the morning, a king in the marketplace

   Each morning she tells Jesus He is Lord of the day and welcomes the Holy Spirit, because willpower is good but His dynamic power changes you. Do not be shaken by the strange doctrines on Facebook and YouTube; become established, so that when the enemy comes in like a flood you raise the standard of the Word, as Jesus answered the devil with "It is written". Do your priestly duties first and God will empower you to be a king in the marketplace, where strategy comes to you in meetings and the greatest miracles happen.

   “Miracles are not only for church. The greatest miracles is in the marketplace.”

   • Psalm 118:24
   • Isaiah 59:19
   • Hebrews 4:12
   • Matthew 4:4
   • Colossians 1:27

4. "Let us go to the other side": words build the bridge

   After a full day of ministry, Jesus did not just climb into the boat; He spoke words ahead of Himself, building a bridge from where they were to where they were going. Say "I'm a failure" and you build a bridge to failure; keep declaring success and that bridge grows. Jesus was mission minded and did not ask the fishermen whether the boat had holes.

   “You build your own bridge by your words.”

   • Mark 4:35
   • Proverbs 18:21
   • Matthew 12:37
   • Luke 2:49
   • Philippians 2:5

5. In the storm, natural ability fails

   The fishermen took the boat for granted, leaning on their natural gifts, until a fierce storm, rising like a whirlwind from beneath, filled the boat with water. Jesus was asleep because He had already said they were going over. When the doctor gives a bad report, do not let your mind swirl with the waves; stand on the Word, which your prayer time has built up in you. Stay God-inside minded, and ask the Holy Spirit to put His super on your natural even in what you know you can do.

   Illustration: If you are too lazy to read, get an audio Bible and play it while you drive.

   “Keep your consciousness on God. Be God inside minded.”

   • Mark 4:36-38
   • 1 John 4:17
   • Philippians 2:10
   • 1 Peter 2:24
   • Psalm 119:105

6. Uncomfortable in your comfort zone: training for future storms

   Jesus was preparing the disciples for storms He would not be physically present for. He stilled the storm but did not empty the boat, so they finished the crossing sitting in water and would remember it. Do not let the storm inside you, and do not be so busy complaining about the storm that you miss the mission on the other side, where a man with a legion was waiting. Jesus set fear against faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God.

   Illustration: Speak blessing over a child who is struggling with maths or physics, lay hands on them and break the stronghold, instead of calling them stupid.

   “What you have in your boat is not important. Who you have in your boat is very important.”

   • Mark 4:39-41
   • Mark 5:1-2
   • Mark 11:23
   • Romans 8:11
   • Revelation 12:11
   • 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
   • 1 Corinthians 10:13
   • Hebrews 11:6
   • John 15:7

7. Others are watching how you face your storm

   Other little boats crossed with them and came through the same storm, and people are watching you the same way. A daughter whose father never shouted at her mother will not accept a man shouting at her. Peter learned from the boat: chained between soldiers the night before his execution, he slept, until an angel struck his side. Pray God's will for your children rather than your own plans, and let adult children find God and still their own storms, while you pray and intercede.

   Illustration: The mother of James and John asked for her sons to sit at Jesus' right and left hands. Parents can pray children into places God never called them to.

   “Their storms are stilled by their words. Not your words.”

   • Mark 4:36
   • 1 Corinthians 11:1
   • Acts 12:1-11
   • Matthew 20:20-23
   • Philippians 4:7
   • Proverbs 22:6
   • Acts 16:31

In this message