Transcription
Foreign. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27. Acts, chapter 27.
I want to read the verses 21 through 26 in Acts chapter 27. You have the same man, and even after reading this, I want you to let your Bibles remain open.
But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, "Sirs, you should have hearkened unto me and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss."
"And now I exalt you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship."
"For there stood by me this night the angel of God, the whose I am and whom I serve, sing, 'Fear not, Paul! Thou must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God has given thee all them that sail with thee.'"
"Wherefore, serves, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit, we must be cast upon a certain island."
We'll stop at that point. I want to talk to you about a word from God concerning your storm.
Oh, I know that some people say, "Preacher, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not in a storm!" But praise God, you're one of the rare creatures, because most people today are in some kind of a storm. Those who are not in the storm just came out.
[Applause]
And if you did not just come out, you're just getting ready to enter, for life is filled with storms.
Well, you know the thing about the weather: the weather never pleases us. But the one thing that we know that's going to happen while we're in this transition period between winter going into spring, we have been blessed thus far. But we know that we are going to hear, right in the midst of our newscasts, in the midst of those different programs that you watch on television, you're going to hear "beep, beep, beep, beep!" And you're going to see the crawl across the screen letting you know, "Severe thunderstorm warning for various counties!"
And when they say Shelby and Crittenden and the soda, this tri-state area, you know to get ready because a storm is coming. You never know what the severity of the storm will be, because what starts out to just be an afternoon thunder shower can develop into a full-fledged tornado.
Storms are disruptions in the atmosphere, huh? It's a turbulence in the atmosphere, and you will find that a disturbance comes into your quiet atmosphere of life. Everything may be going well, and you go to work only to find out that they are getting ready to either shut the plant down, have massive layoffs, or something that once it is done, it is going to create uncertainty as it relates to your economic status.
And when storms come, whether they be financial, whether they be storms in our health, storms in our domestic relationships, storms in our employment, even storms in the church. I praise God, we just celebrated two weeks ago 28 years of Temple of Deliverance. And I cannot say, and I don't believe any pastor can say it and be truthful, that they have pastored a church for any length of time and have had no storms. We have had storms, but there has not been a storm strong enough
[Music]
to tear things apart.
Reason being that even today, and this morning I mentioned that in service Tuesday night, and it's been on the air on our station, that for the next several Sundays, 7:45 a.m., I'm going to be ministering concerning the Miracles of Christ. And this morning God medicine such a powerful way, and then here at 11 o'clock, through the prayer, the Lord has just released the cloud of his glory.
And what a lot of folks don't understand, that you have come lately, you have come since the lodge building has been built, but at the beginning and prior to the beginning, the roots of the ministry are prayer, fasting, teaching of God's word. And therefore, the roots have gone deep enough that when the storms have come, oh yes, we've lost a few leaves, lost a limb now and then, Hallelujah! But when the tree bends with the stormy breeze, because of the rip, when the wind gets through blowing, the tree always stands back up.
I'm here to tell you, you're gonna have storms in your life. That's why you need some roots that go down beneath just the emotion of the moment. Fasting in prayer and reading of God's word and being taught by sober teachers causes the root to go down deep enough that when the storm comes, you may have a few leaves that fall off, but the tree will not be destroyed.
He's on board the ship; he is on his way really to Rome because he has appealed his case to Caesar. He tried to reason with the military officer, Julius the Centurion, that was over a hundred soldiers, and with the captain of the ship, to not release from Fairhaven, but to winter there. They said, "This preacher doesn't know anything about sailing!"
And I know that's the general attitude when the preacher starts talking in different areas, you know, "preaching to preaching, stop meddling!" But when you preach the word of God, you get in everybody's business. Paul was such a man that although he was not a member of the crew, he was really a prisoner. But when God spoke to him, he had no problem speaking to the military officer, the captain, or anybody else. So once they released from port, sailing against Paul's advice, the next thing they find themselves in a storm.
If you look in verse 14, it says, "But not long after, there rules against it a tempestuous win called uroculidum." They ended up in the urocolum storm, and the ship got caught in the midst of the storm. And so unsteady was the vessel, reeling and rocking from the wind and from the waves, that people were not able even to steady their plates and their food long enough to eat.
It says here, verse 19, "The third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship." They began to do stuff trying to lighten the load and trying to make the ship more manageable. And verse 20 says, "When neither Sun the stars in many days appeared, and no small Tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away."
Somebody today, you in a storm and have been in it so long until you've just about abandoned hope. But I want to tell you, God has a word for you in your storm.
Paul says here, "after long abstinence," and this talking about abstinence meant had been long without food, not because he was purposefully fasting. But you know, when you get into... I never will forget when the sister Patterson and I got married, and we went on a Bermuda trip, sail to Bermuda on the honeymoon. And I was wanting that the wind was just too, too calm for me. I said, "You know, we out here in this big old ship, 695 people on board, and not in including the crew, and I've always heard about being out at in the ocean and folk getting seasick, and I just don't believe it'll happen to me."
And so that little bit of, you know, Tempest that we encountered en route to Bermuda, she got sick, and I was laughing at her because it wasn't bothering me. I caught some kind of rhythm whereby I was breathing with the waves, and it just didn't get to me. Coming back was a different story; we won't talk about that. But you can understand that if you are out there and the ship is moving, and the motion is of such that you are motion sick, then certainly you're not able to eat.
And I think that's what happens to a lot of folks: you come and the word of God is being preached, but you still can't eat 'cause you motion sick. I mean, this stuff got you, you're so messed up from what you're going through, that the preacher is trying to serve you a meal out of the word of God, something to settle your spirit, but your soul caught up in what you're in, and you're listening to your friends telling you that prayer won't help in this situation.
Yeah, somebody with a, you know, smart mouth back in the time when we was in the 1968 garbage strike, the sanitation situation that led to the death of Dr. King. And we had an infiltration of those persons who were against our non-violent movement. And whenever somebody talked about praying and said, "Well, you know, prayer is all right, another prayer meeting, but prayer won't work in a bad meeting," you know, and they talking about it ain't no time to pray. But it's always time to pray. It doesn't matter what you're going through; you need to take time to get in communication with God. And Paul took the position that it doesn't matter how bad this europism storm is, if I can get in touch with God, if I can get a word from God, a word from God will help everybody right out the storm.
And after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, "Sirs, you know, first, that's kind of characteristic of preachers that when we warn you until you don't do such, and you do it and get in trouble, you know, we're gonna always have to tell you, 'I told you so!'" He said, "Sirs, you should have Hawken under me and not have lustrum creep, and then you would not have gained all of this harm. Hallelujah!"
And now, since that's behind us, let me give you God's word. Now, "I exalt you, be of good cheer!" What a word in the midst of a storm! But he says, "Be of good cheer!" I want to say that to you today: you may be caught in the storm, your marriage look like it's about to break up. Glory be unto God! But I want to tell you, be of good cheer! Your job look like it's about to close, but God's word to you is, "Be of good cheer!" You just left the doctor and he told you some discouraging things concerning your health, but whatever storm you according, I want you to know now, God would have you be of good cheer.
What do you mean? Break up your pity party!
[Applause]
You may have some pains in your body, you may be going through a domestic storm, you may be going through a storm on your job, an economic storm, but whatever storm you're going through, I'm here to tell you, break up your pity party! Tell somebody, "Be of good cheer!" Dismiss your pity party! Oh, Hallelujah!
Now I exalt you, be of good cheer! Why? For there shall be no loss of any man's life that is among you. Now that ought to give you some courage: what you're going through is not going to kill you.
[Applause]
Yeah, and the words of scripture, "This sickness is not unto death." You may be in the storm, but you're not going to be swept away. Now he adds, "though there will be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship." Now he's saying that the ship, you're not going to be able to save it. The thing you're sailing in, it's going to tie up, but you're going to still survive.
What is the ship? The ship is the vessel that is being used to carry them from where they are. Glory to God! Hopefully, they will go on the sale in it all the way to Rome, but they are not going to be able to make the journey because the ship is going to get broken up. But although the ship breaks up, the Lord is saying, "You are still going to be saved!" You are it because you've been hearing about that place where you're working that the job may close. You thought that that was the vehicle that was going to carry you to the peak of economic success.
Their years ago, that was a industry here, you know, Firestone was a big thing, and there were people that thought Firestone was going to take them where they wanted to go. Others thought International Harvester was going to take them for where they wanted to go. Later on, we got FedEx. Now we got a lot of folk that's been feeling for years, "FedEx will take me where I want to go!" But now they're making changes. Hallelujah! Delta Airlines is making changes in Northwest and making changes. The thing that you are dependent on, it may get torn up, but you're still going to make it to your destination.
Yeah, the ship's gonna reel, and the ship's gonna rock, and the ship might even get broken in pieces, but the word of God is, "You will not die! You will not lose your life!" Whatever is happening in the storm around you, it may tear up the vessel that you're in, but you're gonna make it! Oh, Hallelujah! Oh, my God! If you really got that message, you'd be shouting about now.
Don't worry about the vessel; God can build another vessel. God can put you in another vessel. The wonderful thing is, you shall not have harmed. And then what do they say? And I'm almost finished. Paul, how do you know this, man? What you're saying is deep. We're in the midst of a storm, and you're going to tell me that the storm is going to tear out the ship, but it's not going to hurt me? How do you know that?
He said, "For thou stood by me this night, I got a message from the Lord, the angel of God, the angel of The God Who I belong to." That's what it says: "whose I am, the angel of the god that I serve." That angel, yeah, you know, the wrong angel may give you another message. Salem's got some angels, but I don't listen to that message, because when I hear that message, I know where it came from, because that message is always doom and destruction. But the angel of the Lord, he brings me a message from God, and the message I get from him is, "God wants you to live!" It doesn't matter what's going on around you. He said, "I came that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly."
Don't worry about the ship being broken up. I want you to know, I got a message from heaven, and that message says that you are going to make the journey. And therefore, Paul says, "where for sirs be of the chill five believe God that is going to be just like I was told." And then it goes on to say, "how be it we must be cast Upon A Certain Island."
Also, I don't really understand all of the ramifications of this. You're going to survive, ship is going to be torn up, but in the midst of it all, we're going to be cast on some island. I don't know where the island is located; I don't know who inhabits the island, but somewhere in our future there is an island.
And you know the story that after a while, when the Mariners saw that they were getting close to land, and they sounded the alarm that would let them know how deep the water was. First it was 20 furlongs, then it was 15, and they saw they were getting close to the land, so they started to let down the boats. And didn't nobody know what they were doing but Paul. Paul knew that the Mariners were letting down the lifeboats so that they could escape in the night and leave everybody else on the ship.
But Paul says, "unless these abide and the ship," and all the words, "I got to tell you, Roman military officer, don't let the Mariners escape!" They are the ones that know how to handle the ship, and if you let the folk who know how to handle the ship, if they get off the ship, then nobody is going to be saved. So unless these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved. So Julius, the military officer, he had them to cut the ropes, and the lifeboats will set adrift. Let them know, "You can't get out of here! You're locked in, and you've got to ride out the storm!" Some of y'all trying to get off the ship, but you may as well stay on more. Hallelujah!
They landed the ship; it got hung up on the rocks, and one end of it seemingly was saved, but the waves dashing against the back end told the ship in pieces. But I heard when the soldiers said, "Let's kill these prisoners before they escape!" But the military officer, who didn't want Paul to be destroyed, said, "No, no, no! Don't shoot them! Don't kill them! Don't pierce them through with an arrow!" But let everybody grab a piece of a boy, catch a hole to a piece of the ship. Those who can swim, swim, but if you can't swim, grab something that'll float.
You don't know, sometimes it look like whom your life is being torn asunder, but you got to know how to grab something that'll float. And I want you to know that when you hang on, maybe you can't get to nothing but choir rehearsal, but get in that. Maybe you can't get to nothing but Thursday night bible study, grab a hold to that. Maybe you can't get to nothing but Sunday school or maybe midday prayer meeting, but if you can grab a hold of anything that'll slopes, you'll make it to the land.
[Applause]
[Music]
When, and I got the clothes, when they got to the island, they didn't even know the name of it. They later found out it was called melitus a malatos. And when they got there, cold from the sea's water, cold from the wind blowing, cold from being exposed to the elements, The Barbarians, folk that didn't know Gods, hey, said, "We will build a fire for you, but you come on and help!"
Paul start Gathering sticks, picked up one stick, and that was a Viper, a poison snake that jumped out of the woodpile and caught a hope to his hand and bit him on the hand. Those that lived on the island knew how detrimental a bite from one of these serpents could be, because usually in a matter of moments, the person would swell up and fall down dead. And they already said, "Here, he must have been a vicious man! He escaped from the sea, but now the snake has bitten in! Watch, in a minute he's gonna fall!" Paul didn't do nothing but take it
[Music]
and Shake It Off in the fire.
I want you to know, when you live for God, you got enemies that's always saying, "this is called killing! This is gonna kill us! She ain't going no further! She's finally picked on the wrong one now!" And while the enemy is waiting to see you fall, that thing that was designed to kill you, God gave you something called the Holy Ghost Inside, and you can shake it off! What is what is it that the enemy is trying to destroy you will? What is it that the devil released from hell trying to destroy you? You got to learn to Shake It Off! I don't know what you're gonna do.
[Applause]
I'm through the storm, and I'm not.
[Applause]
Okay.
[Applause]
I'm
[Applause]
[Music]
fine. Anybody in here made it up in your mind, "I got a word from the Lord concerning my storm"? Let the wind blow, let the lightning slash, let the Thunder Roll! When it's all over, oh, when it's all over...
[Applause]
What is all over? I'm gonna make it! Jesus said, "I'm going to the other side!"
[Applause]
He's already brought me through. If I made it through the storms, oh, yesterday, what is one more stop?
[Applause]
Foreign.
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
Mm-hmm.
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
Please don't walk, please, please don't walk. We're going to be out of here in the next 10 minutes. Don't Walk, Don't Walk, Don't Walk, Don't Walk, unless you have to. Thank you, Jesus, who believes our report!