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Sermon #5250

He Makes the Storm a Calm

A Sermon on Psalms 107:23-32

Originally preached Feb. 6, 1955

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Scripture

Psalms 107:23-32 ESV KJV
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went …

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Sermon Description

It is not hard to see that humanity is in a state of suffering and evil. Everyone experiences death, sickness, and suffering in their lives, but why is this? Many do not consider this question because they claim that humanity will inevitably progress until all evils have been extinguished and that man is the master of his own destiny. But the Bible presents a very different picture of the world than the triumphalist. In this sermon on Psalm 107:23-32, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that Scripture teaches that humanity is fundamentally sick and weak, and in dire need of salvation. No one is master of their own destiny, but all are subject to what happens in the world. When the gospel comes, it does not make humanity the center of the world, but it restores them to their rightful place as creatures of God. The gospel brings true and lasting peace for all that believe. This sermon calls each and every person to flee from sin and to come to God in repentance and humility to be saved. This sermon brings the vital message that all need salvation and that Jesus is the Savior.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon text is Psalm 107:23-32 which describes a storm at sea and God delivering people from it.
  2. The psalmist uses four pictures to convey one message: that all troubles are due to sin and the only salvation is in God.
  3. The fourth picture in Psalm 107 is of a terrible storm at sea threatening to sink a ship. This represents the violence and turmoil of sin.
  4. Life is not smooth sailing. There are many storms that shake us: passions, temptations, trials, illness, loss, war, etc.
  5. These storms show that we are not in control of our lives but are at the mercy of sin and circumstances. We “reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man.”
  6. We try to steady the ship of life with human wisdom but are “at our wits end.” Nothing we do works. Only God can save us.
  7. When all seems lost, we should cry out to the Lord, and he will deliver us from our distress. Jesus is the pilot who can calm the storm and guide us to the haven.
  8. When Jesus comes into our lives, we find calm and peace. He forgives our sins, is with us, and gives us strength and direction. He brings us eternal joy.
  9. We should ask Jesus to be the pilot of our lives, to hide us in the storm, and guide us to the haven of heaven. He will receive all who come to him.
  10. We should praise God for sending Jesus to save us from our sin and pilot us to heaven.

Old Testament

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.