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[ Music ] Careth thou not that we perish? How canst thou light us with each moment so madly ♪ He's treading ♪

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♪ A grave in the angry deep ♪ ♪ Away, away, away, away, away, away ♪ ♪ Peace be still, peace be still ♪ ♪ Peace be still, peace be still ♪

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♪ Whether the rattles of the stout old sea ♪ ♪ Or deep in the river, wherever I may be ♪ ♪ No water can swallow the sea ♪ [Music]

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♪ Oh, when the land is dark ♪ ♪ May all such people obey thy will ♪ ♪ Peace is death, peace is death, peace is death ♪ ♪ Master, with anguish of spirit ♪

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♪ I bow in my grief today ♪ ♪ The depths of my sad heart are troubled ♪ ♪ Awaken and save, I pray ♪ ♪ Torrents of sin and of anguish ♪

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♪ Sleep on my sinking soul ♪ ♪ And I perish, I perish, dear master ♪ ♪ Oh hasten and take control ♪ ♪ Oh, the wind and the waves shall obey ♪

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[ Music ] [MUSIC] Our demons are near now, but here where you lead, No water can stop the sea where life is.

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The passion of ocean and air is guiding ♪ We watch as we play our game again ♪ ♪ This is me, this is me ♪ ♪ This is me, this is me ♪

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♪ We watch as we play our game again ♪ ♪ Peace be, peace be ♪ - Amen. Let's all say amen.

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Our scripture text today is Psalm 29, verses 10 and 11. I shall read using the translation in the Jerusalem Bible, Psalm 29, verses 10 and 11.

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"The Lord sat enthroned over the flood, "and the Lord will sit enthroned as king forever. "The Lord will give protection to his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

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The subject of the message, Lord of the Storm, Lord of the Storm. A storm in nature is a disturbance in the atmosphere. It's manifested by winds of unusual force and direction. Storms are often accompanied by dark clouds, fierce winds, rain, snow, sleet, hail, thunder

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and lightning, flying sand and dust. Stormy weather is something we may expect with a considerable degree of certainty. Storms seem to indicate discard and disruption. nature seems to be at war with herself. Since the earliest times the human family has been agonized and tormented by storms. Storms cause fear. I can remember as a little child when there was a thunder

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enlightening. Many times we would run underneath the bed and my grandmother would say be quiet for the Lord is talking. Now here the psalmist calls attention to storms, something everybody can identify with because storms affect us all. Young, middle-aged, elderly, everybody is affected by the storm. When it rains, it falls on everybody. Young and

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old, rich and poor, learned and unlearned. The wind blows on everybody. Dark clouds affect the vision of all. The rumbling of the thunder and the flashing of the lightning affect us all. When the earth quakes it affects every person that walks on the face of this globe. God reveals himself, the psalmist suggests here, through the marvels of nature. God has not abandoned

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nature to demonic forces. God is in control. I remember when I was a boy we used to say that when it was raining and the sun was shining that the devil was whipping his wife. But God has not left the control of nature to demonic forces. This is my father's world and to my listening ears all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spears.

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We sing of America's beauty. We praise God for his handiwork expressed in nature all around us. America, thy name I love. I love thy rocks and reels, thy woods and temple hills, my heart with rapture feels like that above." God reveals himself in nature in a wonderful way, but there are storms in nature. There is catastrophe, there is calamity, tornadoes, avalanches, floods,

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volcanoes, earthquakes cause considerable suffering and loss of life. We're troubled by the storms and we are helpless in the face of the storm because one thing for sure we know, we do not control the storm. A lot of times we just take things for granted till we find ourselves in a storm. When you're in a plane as I was the other day and you and

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it begins to get somewhat bumpy you you realize full well that you're completely in the hands of the Lord. And when you're on the highway and the wind gets unruly and the car begins to shake you know when you're driving it you know that there's nothing you can do to stop the wind. You're helpless. It's in the

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hands of forces that we do not control. Now here the Psalmist recognizes the reality and certainty of the storm and points to the fact that God is Lord of the storm. Others may worship Baal, a false god. They may say that Baal controls the elements. They may think that Baal controls the wind, the rain, the

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thunder and lightning. Others may think that their fertility, their prosperity, and security depend on Baal, but the Psalmist trusts in the Lord, for the Psalmist, the Lord God Yahweh, Jehovah, is Lord of the storm. One of our spirituals refers to the voice of God in the storm. The words, "My Lord, he calls me. He calls me

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through the thunder, the trumpet sounds within my soul. Steal away, steal away to Jesus. I ain't got long to stay here. These words express an awareness of the storm. God speaks through the storm.

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So when we recognize that, the fact that God speaks through the storm, there's no need to run and hide. God is saying something to his people. even in the midst of the storm is creating and making new. In the midst of

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the storm of chaos, when the waters are roaring, in the midst of all of the disorder of our times, God is speaking. The voice of God is present in the storm. Now Psalm 29 refers to the voice of God in the psalm seven times. If you read that psalm carefully and closely you will note that the voice of God is

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mentioned seven times. The fact that the voice of God is present in the psalm tells us that there is no condition or circumstance in which the voice of God may not be heard. Even in the midst of the storm, when so often people are inclined to think that demonic forces are in control, even in the midst of the

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storm the voice of God may be heard. The seven times that the psalmist mentions the voice of God correspond to the seven words of God in creation. Seven words of God spoken in creation as we read the Genesis story and here in the midst of the storm there are seven mentions so to speak of the voice of God.

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Let's look at Genesis for a moment. There is darkness, there is chaos, and God said the voice of God speaks in the darkness. Whatever the darkness may be and wherever it may occur and however disastrous it may appear in our lives, the voice of God speaks in the darkness. God said that the waters be gathered together and the

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firmament was created and God divided the waters from the waters. God said, God speaks. Let the earth bring forth grass, God said. Let there be light in the firmament, lights in the firmament, God said. And God said let the waters bring forth moving creatures, God said let the earth bring forth living creatures. In

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In every instant God said, God speaks. It all begins with disorder, it all begins with chaos, it all begins with a storm, but God speaks and order takes place.

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Creation occurs because God speaks. In every situation it is the voice of God that is present, creating and making new. voice of God in the storm. That's an important thing for us to remember today,

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to be able to hear the voice of God in the storm. Oh to be sure we are in the storm as we consider our times. One only needs to listen to the news, read the newspapers and we are made well aware of the storms of our times, but the voice of God speaks in the midst of the storms of our times. The voice of God

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speaks in the midst of the storms that we encounter in our nation. The voice of God speaks in the midst of the storms that we encounter in our personal lives and every one of us encounters storms in our lives. We need to be made aware also the fact that God speaks in the midst of the storms. Sometimes that storm

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may be sickness, sometimes it may be disappointment, sometimes it may be controversy, sometimes it may be depression, sometimes it may be defeat, sometimes it may be death, but the voice of God speaks in the storm. The Lord also thundered in the heavens and the highest gave his voice. Hail stones and coals of

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fire is the word that is recorded in Psalm 18 and 13. God speaks in the storm. Consider the life of Job with all of the changes that occurred in his life, with all of the difficulties that he encounters, that God speaks to Job through the thunder and the lightning he answers him out of the whirlwind. God

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speaks to us today in the storms and suffering. It's important for us to hear the voice of God. I say again it's important for us to hear the voice of God. You know so often we get the voice of the people confused with the voice of God, but the voice of the people is not the voice of God. The voice of God.

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Amidst all of the clamor of our times, it's important that we hear the voice of God. For the voice of God is above the clamor of our times, where cross the crowded ways of life where sound the cries of race and clan above the noise of selfish strife we hear thy voice oh son of man the voice of God in our time

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My beloved, God speaks in the storm. Secondly, God provides shelter in the storm. You know we can't get rid of the storm. We have no control over it. It just invades our lives. We are helpless in trying to prevent the storms. They come in spite of all of our efforts and we

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don't understand why. We don't know why. One popular song puts it, "I don't know why there's no sun up in the sky, stormy weather." Stormy weather. And since we can't prevent the storm and we must learn to live in the storm and with the storm we need shelter, we need refuge, we need protection in the storm from the

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storm. And the way to live in the storm to be safe and secure is to work with God, work with God. Doctor said to a patient, "If you cooperate with me I will not have to operate but if you don't cooperate I'll have to operate. Well if we cooperate with God we can make it through the storm. One of our gospel song

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puts it if you can't make it through the storm how can you say that Jesus is the captain of your life if you can't make it through the storm. The storm somehow is the test not only of your character, the storm is the test of your strength. The fact that you can make it then you have to have shelter, have to have a place

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of refuge in the midst of the storm. You have to work with God. Noah, Noah, make an ark. This is the voice of God. There's a storm coming, Noah, make an ark and make it out of the best material, make it out of gopher wood. Prepare for the storm. Oh, that was those around who laughed at Noah. Here this man is

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building a ship on dry land how foolish he is but Noah had heard the voice of God and he makes and ah and the rains come the thunder rolls the lightning flashes the flags come but they all floats up on the waters it's because Noah was cooperating with God. It's probably because Noah was so great but he served a great God and he was

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working with God. And you see what God is doing in the storm, he permits it. He doesn't always send it. A lot of things come into our lives, God doesn't send them. He permits them. And he is with us to provide a shelter for us in the midst of the storm. God creates his kingdom out of pain. God creates his kingdom out of suffering.

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God creates his kingdom out of floods, some through the water, some through the fire, some through great trials, but all through the blood God is creating his kingdom. Through the avalanches of difficulty, through our trials and tribulations and through sins forgiven God creates his kingdom when floods of

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afflictions press over the soul God provides a shelter and God is creating his kingdom he's creating and making new today just as he did yesterday yes God speaks in the storm, God provides shelter in the storm, and thirdly God is sovereign of the storm. That God saves us in the midst of the storm. You see, one

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thing you ought to be sure about in your in your faith, you ought to be absolutely sure no matter what happens you ought to be sure of the transcendent power of God a lot of things I'm not so sure about in this world but I'm sure about that I'm not really sure about what's gonna happen to me and you're not sure about

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what's going to happen to you but you ought to be sure of the transcendent power of God, that God is above all, He's above everything, and that God has absolute control of this world. He permits a whole lot of things but He has control. And that there is not anything from the top of high heaven to the bottom of low

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hell to prevent God from accomplishing his purpose. God is in control of the storm. He's in control. You know the name Noah means rest. So Noah is able to rest in the storm because God is not only in control of Noah's life but God is in control of the storm so no one can rest on the bosom of the deep. While the

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waters are roaring, he can rest and float upon the waters with the abiding assurance that God is in control of the storm. He's in control, he's in control of his world and after he speaks those seven words in creation, the Sabbath comes and it's a day of rest. God is in control. Baal does not control the storms.

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There's no room left for astrology when you really believe in God. You really don't have to go and find out what your horoscope tells you to do. You find out what God says to and you listen for the voice of God in the midst of the storm. You don't have to worry about ghosts lurking around and you need not be

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afraid. You need not have any superstitions to trouble you. Faith in God is the answer. For God redeems Israel out of the chaos of hell. He redeems Israel out of the bondage of Egypt and he makes a path through the waters and you see this psalm begins by saying glory. Glory! Glory! Glory to God because he's all

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powerful and he controls not only the storm that's outside me but he controls the storm that is within me. He's in control. He's in control and God provides peace in the storm, he rides upon the storm. He rides upon the storm. God is in control. God's in control and he provides peace. The storm is raging

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and there is fear, but the divine word is uttered and that word is peace. be still. Storm may be raging, but there is one who comes to us in the form of Jesus Christ and he speaks peace to our soul saying peace be still, peace be still. So in the midst of the storms of this life there is one who is Lord of the storm and they marvel, they marvel, they say he is able to control the wind and

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the waves. Well I've heard the thunder, I've seen the lightning flashing, but I've heard the voice of Jesus, I've heard him in the midst of the storm, and if you've ever heard the voice of Jesus amidst all of the storms that occur in your life, you can give testimony with the psalmist that God is Lord of the storm. We extend

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now the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life for the one who is with us when the storms of life are raging. We invite you to accept him on profession of faith by letter by Christian experience. We invite you to have the courage to stand up now in the midst of this congregation and to come

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forth and make it publicly known you've made the decision to become a part of the family of God here at Ebenezer. We invite you now to accept the invitation to Christian discipleship. [ Music ]

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We invite you to come. The door is open. The invitation is extended. [ Music ]

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When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea, Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.

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In the midst of tribulations, stand by me. ♪ In the midst of tribulations stand by me ♪ ♪ When the hosts of hell assail ♪ ♪ And by strength begins to fail ♪

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♪ Thou who never lost a battle stand by me ♪ When I'm growing old and feeble, stand by me. When I'm growing old and feeble, stand by me. When my life becomes a burden, and I'm nearing chilly Jordan,

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O thou lily of the valley, stand by me. [BLANK_AUDIO]