“He has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately he falls away.” Matthew 13:21
On the morning of August 10, 1628, the Swedish war ship Vasa set sail on her maiden voyage. Sweden was at war with Poland, and Gustavus Adolphus, the king of Sweden, ordered the construction of this ship as a symbol of his ambitions for Sweden and for himself. Outfitted with 64 guns, the majority of which were brass cannons, this ship was destined to be one of the greatest warships of its day. However, a gentle wind filled the sails and caused the Vasa to list to one side, and then water began filling the portholes until she sank, only 1300 meters into her maiden voyage. The main problem was determined to be that there was no ballast in the hull.
If you have been attending this church for any length of time, you know that there is a great emphasis placed on the preaching of the Word here. The primary design of the sermon is not to make people feel good in the short term, but the goal of every sermon is to open up the particular passage so that we may come to see our God for who He truly is! It is in knowing something of the power of God, of His absolute sovereignty over all things, of His grace and mercy, and of His great, great love for His children, that we continue to grow to maturity in our faith!
Sadly, there are many whose faith has capsized when they have encountered a terrible storm in their lives. Like the Vasa, they did not have the ballast in their hull to keep them facing upward. The faithful, expository preaching from this pulpit, as well as the devotions of our own lives, and the many opportunities we have to receive the Word of God daily, continue to add ballast to our souls, as we receive the Word in faith. Paradoxically, it is as we grow in our faith, that we come to understand more of our own weakness, but also the strength of the One who is able to carry us safely through the storms. “I am weak, but He is strong! Yes, Jesus loves me!”