S1: God knows how to bring you back to himself and
S1: some of us right now, what we're going through. It
S1: is a storm that has divine design on it because
S1: God wants to push you back to himself.
S2: Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford Jr,
S2: senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm
S2: Steve Hiller. Glad that you're with us today as we
S2: continue our look at acts chapter 27 and a message
S2: called The Perfect Storm. You know, we began to look
S2: at last time how God very often will allow storms
S2: into our lives for a number of different reasons. One
S2: of those reasons may be to bring us to salvation.
S2: Other times, it may be to get us, in a sense,
S2: back on track with him when things are going well
S2: in life. It can be very easy to, in a sense,
S2: hit the cruise control and just coast for a while.
S2: We're no longer spending the time with God that we
S2: once did. Maybe our hearts begin to feel a little
S2: bit calloused. We begin to unintentionally, slowly kind of grow
S2: in pride because you're thinking, look at how well my
S2: life is going here. God must think I'm doing things
S2: right because he's allowing all these good things in my life.
S2: And at other times, it may just be flat out
S2: rebellion that we begin to drift into. And so God
S2: very often will allow some sort of storm into our lives,
S2: so that we begin to recognize that our dependence really
S2: needs to be upon him and him alone. You know,
S2: for the person who's struggling with pride, when that storm
S2: hits and you come to the end of yourself and
S2: you realize you don't have it all together, that might
S2: be just the very thing that God wanted to have
S2: happen and why he allowed that storm into your life.
S2: For the person who maybe has been slowly walking away
S2: from their faith, and the rebellion seems to be growing
S2: a little bit each and every day. It may be
S2: that storm that causes us to recognize that what we're
S2: actually experiencing is God's loving discipline. Yeah, loving discipline because
S2: he wants what's best for us. Sometimes he does have
S2: to discipline us, just as a parent may discipline their
S2: child to bring them back into right behavior and relationship,
S2: to ultimately be getting good consequences down the road, they
S2: may have to experience some short term negative consequences. Very often,
S2: God will allow us to go through negative consequences and
S2: storms of life because he ultimately loves us and has
S2: our best in mind. He wants to conform us more
S2: into the image and the likeness of His Son, and
S2: he may just use a storm to do that. We're
S2: going to continue to look at that today from acts
S2: 27 as we continue the message, the perfect storm. Here
S2: is Pastor Ford.
S1: What is missing in chapter 34 that you have in
S1: chapter 33 and chapter 35. God speaking because God is
S1: not going to speak when we're in disobedience. He's silent.
S1: When we're in disobedience. You say, how do you know
S1: that every passage we've looked at that has that? Like
S1: when we looked at Abraham, right. He was in Haran
S1: five years and God didn't say anything. That's at the
S1: end of chapter 11. But then at the beginning of
S1: chapter 12 and the Lord said unto Abraham again, God
S1: speaking to him. Now why? Because he's on his way
S1: to where God told him to go. And the person
S1: who was impeding and stopping him from going was terror.
S1: His father. And it says, And Terah died, and Abraham
S1: looked to the Negev. Wonder who or what gotta die
S1: in your life for. You're ready to listen to what
S1: God has to say. And so what happens? God says,
S1: okay now. And God said unto Jacob, Jacob begins to obey,
S1: and God continues to answer. And so what happens? Because
S1: when we are being corrected at least two two areas
S1: in this text, uh, it affects us emotionally and it
S1: affects us experientially. Let me just walk through the text
S1: here and let me show you what happens there, designed
S1: to emotionally correct us and to experientially correct us. If
S1: you are taking notes, just write these down. I want
S1: to walk you through real quick. Uh, 14 through 20
S1: and show you what's going on. So then what are
S1: they designed to correct? Because the storm, uh, they were
S1: lost totally for 14 days. They had no destination. And
S1: problems do that to you? You can lose all your bearings.
S1: You know, they're coasting, going in the wrong direction, but
S1: you can't coast uphill. And so what happens here it is.
S1: Storms want to correct us, to stop us from drifting
S1: like we don't have a compass. Here's the second one.
S1: Storms correct us by causing us to be desperate. These
S1: guys get desperate. Look what they're doing. Uh, in verses
S1: 16 through 18. Look what they're doing. They're doing all
S1: these kinds of things to try to help themselves and
S1: is not working. Verse 20. Because storms cause you to despair.
S1: Here's the last one. Storms cause you to draw in.
S1: That is to prioritize. So they tighten up on some
S1: stuff and they discarded some stuff. So they threw some
S1: baggage overboard. They threw aboard overboard all the non-essentials. Wait
S1: a minute. They threw over their cargo. What's their cargo?
S1: This is how they make their money. Okay. So let's,
S1: let's let's walk through this real quick before I go
S1: to the next one. Um, number one, God send this storm.
S1: And at first, this storm causes them all kind of trouble. Why?
S1: Because when you are in disobedience, you lose your moorings
S1: in the word of God. Now they're desperate. Hey, look,
S1: somebody say that's a good thing. Why is that a good?
S1: The storm made them desperate. Okay, see? See y'all looking
S1: at me like y'all don't know what I'm talking about.
S1: But you done been in a storm where you didn't said, God,
S1: this thing is really bad. I can't deal with this.
S1: If you get me out of this, I will. That's
S1: what the storm is designed to do. To make you
S1: so desperate that you're ready to do what God and
S1: I tell people all the time. Like, like a lot
S1: of times it's the ladies. Sometimes it's the man. But
S1: most of the time it's the lady. He won't come
S1: to counseling. He won't do this. And he won't do that.
S1: He ain't desperate enough yet. It's still going too well
S1: for him. Let God have him for a little bit more.
S1: Well how long? I don't know, but God knows how
S1: to bring you back to himself and some of us
S1: right now. What we're going through. It is a storm
S1: that has divine design on it, because God wants to
S1: push you back to himself. That storm is designed to
S1: bring you back to him. That's what he's trying to do.
S1: And so what do they do? Let me get to
S1: the cargo for a minute. The cargo is their livelihood.
S1: But when the storm comes and there's a danger, they're
S1: willing to throw away their provision so that they can survive.
S1: Now get this. This is why I want to bring
S1: it out. Because what at one time was so very important.
S1: We can't let this go. God can put you in
S1: a situation where it's not as important to you as
S1: it used to be. And some of you know what
S1: I'm talking about. He is not as important to you
S1: as he used to be. She is not as important
S1: to you as she used to be. That thing, that job,
S1: that car, that house is not. As you begin to realize.
S1: What should it profit a man if he gained the
S1: whole world and lose his own soul? You begin to
S1: realize I have to seek first the kingdom of God
S1: and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
S1: unto me. It's like this storm is designed to correct us.
S1: Storms change you. You're no longer to be who you are,
S1: but you can't become who you're supposed to be until
S1: you let go of who you are. Mm. Go ahead,
S1: look back, take a retrospective analysis and see you wouldn't
S1: be who you are now or where you are now
S1: without them storms. Mm. So the storms help them to
S1: cancel what was behind them so they could get what
S1: was ahead of them. How many of you your past
S1: is keeping you from your future? They threw some baggage overboard. Yeah. Yes.
S1: He takes from us to give to us. And so
S1: then he takes something from them and they get something
S1: that they've never had. Here's the third one. Then I
S1: got to stop. So God has storms to inspect us,
S1: to correct us. Here's the third one to protect us.
S1: So notice what goes on 21 through 25. But after long. Abstinence.
S1: Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, sirs,
S1: you should have hearkened unto me, and not loosed from Crete,
S1: and to have gained this harm and loss. In other words,
S1: some loss is because we didn't listen. Then he says,
S1: and now I exhort you to be of good cheer,
S1: for there shall be no loss of any man's life
S1: among you but of the ship. For there stood by
S1: me this night the angel of God, whose I am,
S1: and whom I serve, saying, fear not, Paul. Thou must
S1: be brought before Caesar. And lo, God hath given thee
S1: all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of
S1: good cheer, for I believe God, that it shall be
S1: even as it was told me. Wow! He says the
S1: storms come to protect us. Here's what I find about storm.
S1: In the storms of life, God is still in control. Amen.
S1: I know it's Bible study, but Amen. Remember, it may
S1: be over your head, but it's under his feet. And
S1: so sometimes we see their problems can be blessings in disguise.
S2: I know it is so hard to have that perspective
S2: as we're walking through storms, but Pastor Ford is so right.
S2: And we're going to get back and explore this a
S2: little bit more deeply in just a moment. But if
S2: you're walking through a storm right now, you may want
S2: to listen to this teaching again. You can do so
S2: by coming to our website, Treasure Truth Radio. Stream the
S2: programs download or order copies of the broadcast on CD. Again,
S2: you'll find that at Treasure Truth Radio. If you're just
S2: joining us, we're in acts 27 Again, here's Pastor Ford.
S1: I want you to notice something with me. Notice in
S1: verse 23 they have the presence of the Lord. Notice
S1: in 22 and 25 they have the promise of the Lord.
S1: Notice in verse 24 they have the purpose of the Lord.
S1: Let me say it again in verse 23. There's the
S1: presence of the Lord in 22 and 25 there's the
S1: promise of the Lord in verse 24, there's the purpose
S1: of the Lord. What should we do? Verse 25 and 26,
S1: three things. Number one, stand on the promise. Surrender to God.
S1: Strengthen your faith. All three of these, that's what they do.
S1: You say, what do you. What do you mean? Well,
S1: with the promise of God, we stand on a promise.
S1: That's what he does. In verse 24, he stands on
S1: the promise. Then 25, Surrender to God. Uh, then 22
S1: and 25. Based on the promise, you strengthen your faith.
S1: God sent an angel. Why? Because when you've done everything
S1: that you can do, God will always do what you
S1: can't do. And so God sent an angel to do
S1: for them what they could not do. Look for your angel.
S1: Look for your. You're going through a storm. Look for
S1: your angel. And so God will not save you until
S1: you quit trying to save yourself. They stopped three times.
S1: Verse 22, the ship will be lost. Verse 26, you'll
S1: be cast on an island. In other words, it won't
S1: be all fun and games. But Imma get you out
S1: of this, huh? I was in the Marine Corps. I
S1: found out the hard way. Uh, because you have to.
S1: You have to qualify to swim. Let me show you
S1: how they do you in Marine Corps. Teach you how
S1: to swim. They throw you in water. So they threw
S1: me in the water and I said, can't swim. You
S1: better start. Start moving them arms or something. So I
S1: move my arms. I'm. I'm beating the water. And then
S1: it's my arm choking. My drill instructor got in and
S1: swam around me. I'm thinking to myself, man, these people
S1: are going to kill me. He's standing around swimming around
S1: me instead of grabbing me, and then I could feel
S1: myself losing consciousness. Then I felt his arm and he
S1: took me out. They pumping water out of me and
S1: I'm saying, man. So I didn't ask him. Then when
S1: we were graduating 13 weeks later, I said, I want
S1: to know why you almost let me drown. He said, no,
S1: I didn't. You say you don't know anything about swimming?
S1: Did I swim? He said I had to let you
S1: see struggling. Because if I would have grabbed you while
S1: you had strength, you would have pulled both of us down.
S1: So I had to wait until you were helpless in
S1: order to help you. You better get tired of helping
S1: God out because he don't want your helping. He don't
S1: need it now. He does want you to do everything
S1: you can do, but the things that you can't do,
S1: he wants you to do those things. And listen, listen,
S1: listen listen listen, listen I love this, I love this,
S1: I love this because when you look at what's going
S1: on here, it's amazing to me. Let me tell you
S1: the story first. I might have told it to you before,
S1: but anyway. Corrie ten boom and her sister. The hiding place.
S1: I don't know if you've read it. Great book. And
S1: they were hiding Jews from the Nazis. Uh, she's Dutch
S1: And they found the Jews, and they put her whole
S1: family in prison, and her and her sister were put
S1: in prison. And in the barracks there were nothing but fleas,
S1: and the fleas were biting them. And, uh, Corrie would
S1: have devotions, uh, with the barracks every day. And when
S1: her sister said, I can't stand these fleas, God has
S1: allowed this to happen to us. And then he brings
S1: us to a place with fleas. She said, we have
S1: to thank God because the Bible says in everything give
S1: thanks not for everything. In everything give thanks. For this
S1: is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
S1: And so she said, Thank God for the fleas. I
S1: can't do it. I can't do it. So Corrie did it.
S1: She thanked God for the fleas. Well, they found out
S1: later on none of the women in their barracks were used, uh,
S1: in the experiment rooms. They were taking women and doing
S1: all kind of things, experimenting on their bodies. The Germans did.
S1: If you've known anything about the Holocaust, you know what?
S1: Some of the things they did, and then they would
S1: do some things to women and and then murder them
S1: and all that kind of stuff. They were doing all
S1: kind of things, but not one woman from the barracks,
S1: because they found out that the German soldiers didn't want
S1: to come and told those barracks because of the fleas.
S1: And so here you have this. And then here's what
S1: God said. Watch this. Where does God want Paul? Rome.
S1: How does he get there? He gets there on a
S1: prison boat. Not the love boat, Paul. All of this
S1: is designed for you to fulfill your destiny and your purpose.
S1: Remember what happened. Why is he on that ship? Because
S1: they wanted to kill him. And he said, I'm a
S1: Roman citizen. He was wise as a serpent, harmless as
S1: a dove. I'm a Roman citizen. So he had to
S1: appeal to Rome. I'm appealing to Caesar. So he gets
S1: on a boat. That's a prison ship that to go
S1: to Rome, huh? Isn't that amazing? God used his haters
S1: to become his elevators. That he gets him to Rome.
S1: But he uses people that don't even like him to
S1: do it. That's another sermon for another day. Yeah, God
S1: used the folks that were against Paul to get Paul
S1: where God wanted him to go. I saw that movie life,
S1: and at the end I wrote it down. I said, oh,
S1: that'll preach one day because Eddie Murphy and and and
S1: Martin Lawrence, Ray and I forgot the other guy's name. Uh,
S1: but anyway, uh, there is a fire. Next thing you know,
S1: he runs in Ray Ray, and the place burns up
S1: and falls down. Next scene, they're in Yankee Stadium, and
S1: they're watching the game. Here's what I wrote down. They
S1: got where they had been talking about where they want
S1: to go all those years in prison, Risen, but they
S1: had to go through the fire to get there. Y'all
S1: ain't going to pray with me. Mhm mhm mhm. Yeah yeah. Shadrach,
S1: Meshach and Abednego who remembers who remembers what happened. The
S1: only thing was burned was the ropes that bound them.
S1: So while they were in that fiery furnace, the only
S1: thing God allowed to be burned is the ropes that
S1: the world had on them that bound them. God burned
S1: them off. He set them free in the midst of
S1: the fire. God's trying to set you free, in other words,
S1: to strengthen your faith. The old song used to say,
S1: keep your head up and never give up. Verse 22
S1: good cheer. Do you know that the nightingale only sings
S1: in the darkness? But it's the sweetest song in the night. Mm. Yeah.
S1: And so there it is. We begin to understand God
S1: is doing something in our lives. Well, my time is gone. Uh,
S1: but when you look at what's going on here, let
S1: me quote the Harvard Hooper again. I love this guy.
S1: This is not original with me, but I love quoting
S1: him because what he said was so powerful. I just
S1: use it all the time. And at the Harvard, Hooper
S1: is at a church in Detroit. Uh, he went to Harvard,
S1: and he's a hooper. That's why they call him the
S1: Harvard Hooper. And here's what he said. Now, I can't whoop.
S1: I'm just going to read it. Well, he starts off
S1: by saying, uh, that all of us go through trials
S1: to get us somewhere that storms are designed by God
S1: to carry us somewhere. And then he begins his little run.
S1: It was not until John Bunyan was in Bedford Prison
S1: that his mind broke free to etch upon the pages
S1: of History of Pilgrim's Progress. It wasn't until J.S. Bach
S1: was stone blind that he was able to see how
S1: to write the B minor mass. It wasn't until Rembrandt
S1: was flat broke that he made the world rich with
S1: his art. It wasn't until Beethoven was death that he
S1: heard the Ninth Symphony and wrote it down. It wasn't
S1: until George Frideric Handel was paralyzed on the right side
S1: that he was able to reach up with his left
S1: hand and pull down the Hallelujah Chorus out of the clouds.
S1: And it wasn't until the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King
S1: Jr was jailed in 1963 that he became eligible for
S1: the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In other words, we
S1: look at this thing. Here's what the Scripture says that
S1: you need to study it for yourself. I am, you know,
S1: I said, okay, I've been quoting it, but I never
S1: studied that. I need to study that verse. Here's what
S1: it says. Hebrews five eight even though he were the son,
S1: yet he learned obedience by the things that he suffered.
S1: Now the thing I do know that's talking about his humanity,
S1: not his deity, that Jesus in his humanity learned obedience
S1: through suffering. Now, if Jesus can learn it through suffering,
S1: don't you exempt yourself from it? And the Bible says,
S1: And Jesus grew in wisdom, stature in favor with God
S1: and with man. Let me ask you something. If there
S1: were 14 words to summarize your life, uh, 18 years
S1: of your life, what 14 words would they be for Jesus?
S1: It was. He grew in wisdom and stature and favor
S1: with God and with man. Perfect storm.
S2: Why wouldn't all of us want those 14 words to
S2: describe our lives. You're listening to Treasure Truth, a message
S2: called The Perfect Storm. Really? A look at the majority
S2: of acts chapter 27. And we're going to continue this
S2: teaching on our next broadcast. But if you can't be
S2: by your radio, come to the website right now. Sign
S2: up for the podcast or download the Moody Radio app.
S2: Both of those are free, and it makes it possible
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S2: Thanks for doing that and for listening today. Thanks also
S2: to our producer, Amy Rios, I'm Steve Hiller. Treasure truth
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S2: Bible Institute.