Intro Story:

I want you to think of a time when you were preparing something. Perhaps it was a meal, perhaps it was changing oil on a vehicle. You’re grabbing everything and getting it together, perhaps removing pieces so that you can get to the part you’re changing. For me I imagine the time we were at the Thompsons and I was changing the brakes. I was teaching Jeff and Will how to properly change brakes.

So you have all the ingredients laid out, or the parts removed and ready. You have begun the setup process. Now you look around and it looks like a literal storm has gone through the room. For some of you this is what your day to day looks like in general… Your room, your kitchen. In fact you had to fix this storm before you could start the process.
You could stop here because of the chaos. You could look around at all the mess, and you may very well be overwhelmed with it and the process no longer seems as appealing as the solution, but if you keep your mind on the solution. If you keep your mind on the end result you may muster enough desire to continue the process. 

That’s what I want to show you today, the Setup, The Storm, and The Solution, but in a Spiritual sense
Setup Definition: a situation that has been arranged for some purpose
My premise: When God begins a setup it’s shortly followed by what looks like a storm. All it takes to get to the other side is trusting the solution.We could give up, and think it’s not a setup but a setup. 

Synoptic Gospels… They are different versions of the same story to tell a different point.

Resources:

https://overviewbible.com/four-gospels/
There are video break downs of the books, overviews of ALL the books, etc. Very nice so far (I haven’t checked ALL of his information)

https://www.agapebiblestudy.com/charts/Focus%20of%20the%20Four%20Gospels.htm
Book charts 🙂 For those of you who like this kinda stuff

Gospel: Matthew
Audience: Jews
Focus: Jesus is the Messianic Davidic King who fulfills the Old Covenant prophecies.

Gospel: Mark
Audience: Romans
Focus: Jesus is the authoritative Son of God. He is God’s triumphant envoy who comes to suffer and die in order to claim victory over sin and death.

Gospel: Luke
Audience: Hellenists
Focus: Jesus is the perfect Son of Man, the Messiah prophesied by the prophets, who came to save and to minister to people of all nations through the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Gospel: John
Audience: Greco-Roman World
Focus: Jesus Christ is the fully divine God who existed before Creation. He is the true Lamb of sacrifice through whom we receive the gift of eternal life.

The setup

John 6:1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

*Jesus’ ingredients talk back. So when you look around your kitchen imagine your flour, your sugar talking back. Imagine your rotors, wheels and rims looking around and begin panicking. 

The Storm

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

The solution

*I will do what you saw as impossible* 

*The ingredients cannot, but the creator can.* 

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

*In your setup, don’t focus on the ingredients*

** Noticed something interesting… EACH SETUP/STORM/SOLUTION IS A SETUP FOR THE NEXT SETUP

The Setup

*God knows where they’re going, and develops a situation that has been arranged for some purpose:

Matthew 14: 22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. 

The Storm

Mark 6:47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

*Enemy has set them up* Preparation vs Punishment

*Sometimes we can trust God for sustenance but not confidence*

The Solution

50 Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

*Stop fearing what you think you see, and trust what you’ve seen*

The Setup

Matthew 14:28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

*AHHH That was what I was thinking, I need that part, I need that ingredient to be moved over here*

29 “Come,” he said.

*I’m about to have you put your life right in the palm of my hand*

The Storm

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

The Solution

*Jesus says the solution is the same!*

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Why? (Video Plays)

John 6:14 (after the first setup) After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Mark 6:54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Storms can Amplify the Solution and bring clarity to the Setup. Or
Storms can Cloud the Solution and bring defeat to the Setup

When you look at all the pieces that were needed for a project, and then see what was made from it, it truly amplifies the project or discourages you from doing it. 

1 Peter 1:7 ESV So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

*Maybe you’re in the storm, maybe you’re looking around and thinking: this is impossible!*

The ingredients cant, but the creator can.
Evaluate what God is teaching you, and jump on it, don’t focus on the ingredients/ or the storm. 

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5