Sermon: Rooted & Grounded In Love: Grounded When Life Strikes (It Was Meant To Destroy Me, But I’m Still Standing)
Lesson Text
Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Psalm 91:1–2 (KJV)1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Introduction
Last week we began our latest series on the Power of God’s Love, “Rooted & Grounded.”
Ephesians 3: 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Last week we learned that before God ever produces fruit, He first develops roots. Today we want to move from an agricultural term to an architectural term, from rooted to grounded!
Now my first take on this message was to talk about being grounded from the perspective of having a solid foundation for the storms of life. But we already looked at that in our previous series when we looked at the 7th chapter when building love on a rock or on sand.
So today we want to look at a specific type of foundational grounding during construction for a specific type of storm, namely a lightning storm.
A single lightning bolt can reach temperatures of around 50,000°F (27,000°C)—about five times hotter than the surface of the sun—and carries enough electrical energy to cause catastrophic injury or death.
A large oak tree stood through decades of hurricanes, windstorms, and heavy rain. But one summer afternoon, a single lightning strike hit the trunk. The intense heat instantly turned the tree's sap into steam, causing the trunk to explode and split down the middle. A tree that survived countless storms was destroyed in a fraction of a second by lightning.
Whenever a thunderstorm approaches, most people focus on the lightning. But construction engineers focus on something completely different. They focus on the ground!
Because lightning can carry millions of volts of electricity, no building, no appliance, no person is strong enough to withstand that kind of power on its own. The only protection is proper grounding.
Grounding doesn't stop the lightning; it gives the electricity somewhere safe to go.
Without grounding, buildings burn, electronics are destroyed, and people die.
Likewise, life can bring us storms we cannot control. It’s not just your typical storm of wind, rain, and floods; but a dangerous thunderstorm with lightning strikes.
Storms that strike our families, storms that strike our health, storms that strike our finances, and storms that strike our faith.
The question isn't whether the spiritual thunderstorms will come, but whether you are grounded!
Paul prayed that believers would become "Rooted and Grounded in Love."
Why? Because God's love becomes the grounding system that keeps our lives from being destroyed when life's storms strike us.
Psalm 118:17 (KJV)17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
Series and Sermon: Rooted & Grounded In Love: Grounded When Life Strikes (It Was Meant To Destroy Me, But I’m Still Standing)
(Structural Grounding, Emotional Grounding, and Spiritual Grounding)
- Love Protects The Body (Structural Grounding)
Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The first thing that love does is it protects our building/temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (KJV)19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
A building may be beautiful, tall, expensive, and modern; but if it’s not grounded, one lightning strike can destroy everything.
Grounding gives dangerous power a safe place to travel. The building survives because the current goes into the earth.
When life strikes your family it can produce anger, bitterness, and betrayal. When life strikes your finances it can produce stress, depression, and fear. When life strikes your faith it can produce doubt, disappointment, and disbelief.
And if you are not grounded, these strikes will have no place to go, destroying your temple!
But the Love of God grounds us in the workmanship of Christ Jesus!
1 Corinthians 3:9–11 (KJV)9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Grounded love gives our burdens someplace to go!
Matthew 11:28 (KJV)28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Instead of exploding, we surrender. Instead of collapsing, we trust. Instead of panicking, we pray.
- Love Protects The Soul (Emotional Grounding)
Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
The next thing that love does is it protects our soul; the equipment that’s in our building/temple.
Your house is not just an empty structure, but it has equipment and appliances that make if functional; Televisions, computers, refrigerators, air conditioners, water heaters, and so on.
And if lightning doesn't just destroy the building, it can destroy whatever is connected inside.
That’s why surge protection exists. They absorb the full force of the lightning strike.
Spiritually, our body has internal systems that make our building/temple functional; our faith, joy, peace, hope, and relationships. They power our everyday lives.
Life’s lightning storms may not destroy us, but they may destroy what’s in us.
They may overload our faith, short-circuit your peace, burn out our joy, and destroy your hope.
But the Love of God grounds us with a surge protector of God’s Peace!
Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
God’s peace absorbs the lightning strikes of life that come to destroy your soul.
John 10:10 (KJV)10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Philippians 4:6–7 (KJV)6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The storm may still rage outside, but our inside continues to function.
- Love Protects The Spirit (Spiritual Grounding)
Psalm 91:1–2 (KJV)1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
The final thing that love does is it protects our spirit; the purpose for our building/temple.
We weren’t just built; we were built for a reason. We weren’t just called, we were called with a purpose.
Romans 8:28 (KJV)28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
During a lightning storm we are told don't become the tallest object, don’t stand in an open field, don’t trust yourself, but find proper shelter.
Why? Because exposed people become easy targets for lightning.
Many Christians when they are going through the storms of life, they make themselves easy targets for a lightning strike.
They isolate themselves, quit going to church, disconnect from the people of God, stop reading the bible, and stop praying. They become spiritually exposed!
But the Love of God grounds us within the secret place to protect us!
Psalm 91:1–2 (KJV)1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Proverbs 18:10 (KJV)10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
The safest place isn't outside trying to fight the storm, but in the secret place abiding in Christ.
Jesus never promised there would be no lightning, but he did promise there would always be shelter.
God’s Love doesn’t stop the storm, it redirects the power of the lightning strike. It redirects the anger, bitterness, and betrayal. It absorbs hatred, depression, and trouble. And it hides us in his secret place to protect us.
Midweek Study Lesson Plan (Sermon: Grounded When Life Strikes (It Was Meant To Destroy Me, But I’m Still Standing))
Lesson Text
- Ephesians 2:10, Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 91:1-2
Sermon Outline
- Love Protects The Body (Structural Grounding)
- Love Protects The Soul (Emotional Grounding)
- Love Protects The Spirit (Spiritual Grounding)
Questions: (What was your main takeaway from this message?)
- Getting To Know “Me”
- We’ve all had one! Tell us about a time you took an unexpected fall or had an embarrassing moment. Which one hurts more… the physical fall or your feelings?
- When you realize you’ve hurt someone or made a mistake, is it easy or difficult for you to say, “I’m sorry”? Why do you think that is?
- Into The Bible
- Read John 14:27. What is the difference between the peace the world gives and the peace Jesus gives to believers?
- What does 1 Corinthians 3:11 mean when it says “no one can lay a foundation other than Jesus Christ”?
- Life Application
- What is a comforting Bible promise that you can focus on to anchor you when you feel overwhelmed?
- How do your everyday thoughts and words prove you rely on God to keep you safe during hard and stressful times?
