SWIMMING IN THE DEEP
TEXT:
Isaiah 43:2
"When thou passest through the waters, I
will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee…"
A. GETTING INTO DEEP WATER
1. Sometimes we get into what
we could call "deep water"
2. We can’t touch bottom.
3. It seems like we are about
to drown.
4. It seems like we might not
make it back to safety this time.
B. GETTING OUT OF DEEP WATER
1. But we have assurance that
God is with us.
2. He says, "I will be
with thee… they shall not overflow thee."
3. God intervenes and delivers
us.
I. "WHEN THOU" - MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE
A. YOU WILL PASS THROUGH THE WATERS
1. Notice that it does not say,
"IF thou passest through the waters..."
It’s not just a possibility, it is inevitable.
2. It does not say, "When
SOME pass through the waters…"
Everyone will pass through deep waters at some time.
3. It does not say, "When
SINNERS pass through the waters…"
Deep
water is not just something that happens because of sin.
4. God did not say, "When
HIS ENEMIES pass through the waters…"
Deep
water is not a punishment from God.
5. God said, "WHEN
THOU…" "WHEN YOU…"
6. Mark it down, YOU WILL go
through the deep waters of life.
B. THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT WE ALL FACE
IT
1. Job 14:1 "Man that
is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble."
2. 1Thess 3:3 (LB) "…such
troubles are a part of God’s plan for us…"
3. Acts 14:22 "…we
must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of
God."
C. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE FLOOD
1. Today there’s a
tendency to try to escape from our problems.
2. People would rather run away
from their problems than to face them.
3. Some try escaping through
drugs.
4. Some try escaping through
alcohol.
5. Some try escaping through
divorce.
6. Some just avoid confronting
their troubles.
7. They are always on the run.
8. But, after a while, they
find out that their troubles follow them.
9. Nevertheless, as we pass
through the flood, we can be comforted by the
thought
that God is with us.
II. "I WILL BE WITH THEE" - MEANS GOD WILL BE THERE
A. THE DEVIL WANTS YOU TO BE AFRAID
1. John 14:27 "…Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
2. If Jesus says,
"Don’t be afraid," then what do you think the
devil
is
going to want you to do?
3. God wants you to swim in
faith - 2Tim 1:7 tells us that God has
not
given us a spirit of fear.
4. The devil wants you to drown
in fear.
5. The devil wants you to think
that what you’re going through is so
big not
even God can get you out of it.
B. GOD SAVES IN THE MIDST OF THE FLOOD
1. Does it seem like
you’re not going to make it?
2. Does it seem like all hope
is lost?
3. Does it seem like all of
your dreams have been destroyed?
4. You need to realize that God
saves in the midst of the flood.
5. God doesn’t save on the
outskirts.
6. God doesn’t save on the
shore.
7. He doesn’t say,
"I’ll be watching from the shore while you get
washed
down stream."
8. He doesn’t say,
"If you find yourself in the flood, it’s already
too
late, I don’t leave the shore."
9. NO! God says, "When you
walk through the waters, I will be there!"
C. JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER
1. In the gospels you see Jesus
walking on the water because that was
where
he had work to be done.
2. We don’t want to get in
the water.
3. We especially don’t
want to get out in deep water.
4. We want God to deliver us
before we get that far, but God is
saying,
"Come on out here and learn to swim."
5. You see, if you never get
into water that’s deeper than your ankles,
you
will never learn to swim.
III. "NOT OVERFLOW" - MEANS YOU WILL LEARN TO SWIM
A. BEING IN THE FLOOD MAKES US
STRONGER
1. Many Christians only think
of God when they are in deep water.
2. They get in a jam and they
scream for God.
3. They get out of trouble and
they run back to their sin and rebellion.
4. When we take a stand for
God, the flood waters start rising.
5. It always gets worse before
it gets better.
6. Jesus mapped it out for us
in the parable of the sower.
B. WE GET PERSECUTED FOR THE
WORD’S SAKE
1. The bird comes to try to
steal the word, but we don’t give it up.
2. The bird sends persecution
and affliction for the Word’s sake…
3. The bird sends worldly
pleasures and the lust for other things…
4. Finally, he gives up and we
reap a harvest for standing on the word.
C. WHEN YOU THINK YOU’RE WEAK,
YOU’RE STRONG
1. We are only strong when we
realize our own weaknesses.
2 Cor
12:9-10
9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will
I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon
me.
10
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:
for
when I
am weak, then am I strong.
2. When we realize that we
can't do anything, we will finally let Christ
do
something through us.
3. When we turn lose and let
God take over we become strong.
4. It’s a lot like
swimming.
5. As long as you are afraid,
you beat the water and flail your arms,
and you
go under.
6. When you quit fighting the
water and let the water hold you up,
then
you can swim.
D. GOD’S GRACE AND PRESENCE IS
ALL WE NEED TO SWIM
1. He gives us provision when
we are needy.
2. He gives us peace when we
are troubled.
3. He gives us perseverance
when we are struggling.
4. He gives us healing when we
are sick.
5. He gives us comfort when we
are grieving.
6. He gives us strength when we
are tempted.
E. MANY HAVE LEARNED TO SWIM THE
FLOODS BEFORE US
1. Sir Walter Scott was
supposed to be a helpless cripple
2. George Washington’s
career almost ended when his troops were
buried
in the snow at Valley Forge
3. Abraham Lincoln was raised
in abject poverty
4. Franklin Roosevelt was
stricken with infant paralysis as a child.
5. Albert Einstein was labeled
a slow learner when he was a child.
CONCLUSION:
A. IT NEVER GETS TOO DEEP FOR GOD
1. When I was little my parents
used to take me swimming.
2. Sometimes, I would get in
deep water where I could not touch
the
bottom, and my mother or my dad would take hold of me
and
carry me to the shore.
3. We never went swimming where
the water was over their heads.
4. Let me tell you, there is no
water that’s over God’s head!
5. There is no problem that He
can’t handle!
B. GOD LEADS HIS DEAR CHILDREN ALONG
"Tho' sorrows befall us and Satan oppose,
God
leads his dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God
leads his dear children along.
"Some thro' the waters, some thro' the flood,
Some
thro' the fire, but all through the blood,
Some
through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the
night season and all the day long."
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