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Dunlap SDA Church

P. Gerard Damsteegt

How to Experience Peace in the Heart - Part 1

Heavenly Father, we ask you to send your Holy Spirit in a special way, that I may be anointed with that Spirit and share what you have impressed upon my heart, and may this day bring us closer to you than ever before, that we may find the spirit and power of Jesus.

And so may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable, O Lord, Savior and Redeemer.

Some of you may think that today I will address the fathers.

I could address the mothers, But today I'd like to address the whole family, because each 1 of us needs the power of Jesus.

And so I chose the nice story, Mark 4, the storm on the Sea of Galilee.

And there are many, many lessons that we can get out of this.

And specifically, I would like you to focus on Jesus' disciples' experience.

And not only his experience, but we can see here this morning that the disciples' experience is very close to the experience of each 1 of us.

It's a study of revival, a survival experience, and we all struggle with that.

Then their strength and their skills avail nothing.

And Jesus was laying asleep, undisturbed.

How is it possible for Jesus in this rough weather?

The boat is about to sink and he is sleeping.

Oh we can say yes of course you know he is he is a special person he is God and so Jesus can do it but what about us?

The disciples said Lord save us we perish And then Jesus stands up and speaks to the angry sea, Be still.

But for us, however, the spirit of prophecy has an interesting comment that I didn't think about.

He rested not in possession of the almighty power.

It was not as the master of earth and sea and sky that he reposed in quietness.

Remember, when Jesus came to the earth, he had laid down this power.

And he says, I of my own self can do nothing.

He trusted in his father's might but not in himself.

It was in faith, faith in God's love and care, that Jesus rested and the power of that word, which stilled the storm was the power of God.

See, it was in faith that Jesus reached out.

You know, frequently say, yeah, Jesus is different and whatever.

And yes, yes, he was just like us, but it just doesn't click like this because we are so different and we fail so many times.

So this morning, I like to reflect upon how Jesus' experience can be yours and mine.

Jesus rested by faith in the Father's care.

And so we are to rest in the care of our Savior.

If the disciples had trusted in him, they would have been kept in peace.

Their fear in a time of danger revealed their unbelief.

In their efforts to save themselves, they forgot Jesus.

And it was only when in despair of self-dependence, they turned to him and that he could give them help.

But only when nothing else helps, they turned.

We try to use any means And finally, yes, we get it.

Now the stilling of the storm, how does it work?

White says there is a spiritual lesson in this miracle of the sealing of the stampest.

Every man's experience testifies to the truth of the word of scripture.

The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest.

There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.

Or are you stimulated by all kinds of other thoughts?

And while self is unsubdued, we can find no rest.

And so now how are we going to take care of self?

The masterful passions of the heart, no human power can control.

We are as helpless here as were the disciples to quiet a raging storm.

Why is often the disciples experience ours?

When we battle with storm alone, forgetting that there is 1 who can help us, we trust to our own strength till our hope is lost and we are ready to perish.

And I know there are several here in this congregation that have that experience.

And their willpower is like ropes of sand.

And if you call upon him to save us, we shall not cry in vain.

Yeah, but you know, I'm a man, I'm strong and whatever.

I mean, you know, I'm a man or I'm a woman.

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How to Experience Peace in the Heart - Part 1

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