Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, Pastor Aaron Cordeiro
April 29, 2018 - W1817

PASTOR AARON: Welcome to New Hope!  I have the privilege of tag teaming with Dad today while Pastor Jon Burgess is in Japan speaking at our Ohana retreat, as well as, our New Hope churches in Narimasu and Tokyo.  He took his oldest son Elijah with him, isn’t that so cool?

When I was 7 years old, my dad took me around the world with him and I thought it was so neat. I grew up seeing God’s faithfulness around the world.  It was such a treasure and I’m so delighted for that.

This weekend we will finish our Table series.  Throughout scriptures when you hear about the table of God, it means you’re coming into the presence of God (dining with God, family, and friends) and there’s an interaction of friendship and fellowship. God is always steering us, to not just do the right things, but to do things right!

There are many cheap counterfeit distractions in this world and we can get caught up in it and miss the main thing that God has for us. For example, last night we had our Ho’ike (Show) here at New Hope and my daughter was performing in a Tahitian dance. I was sitting in the front row—she was so amazing!  But at the same time, I thought to myself, she is growing up way too fast and I didn’t know what to do. I was getting nervous and distraught and started laughing uncontrollably because that’s what I do when I get nervous!  My wife hit me because I was in the front row laughing!

We are troubled in different ways: Maybe it’s your kids growing up too quickly or your finances.  We need to know how to get back to the presence of God because it’s only in His presence that we find stability, righteousness, and wholeness.

The problem is that we live in a world with broken expectations—broken promises. We can get used to these broken promises and develop a psychology that makes us skeptical and critical.  If we’re not careful, it can lead on a downward spiral of redefining God’s promises for our life. In those times, always remember that God’s promises are based on His character. The Holy Spirit is a living person and has the inside scoops on our future…

John 16:13 NLT says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

The scripture is saying...

I. TRUTH NEEDS A GUIDE (HOLY SPIRIT).

Luke 24:49, NASB says, "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

God is saying that we need to stay and wait because Truth needs a guide. How many people have bailed out before God showed up in their marriage, relationship, or a tough situation? God wants to give us His best and He tells us to wait on His promise for three reasons: 

WHY WAIT ON THIS PROMISE?

1. HE (HOLY SPIRIT) KNOWS GOD’S PLANS.

Before anything was created, the Spirit of God was there. Genesis 1:2 NASB says, “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God wasmoving over the surface of the waters.”

1 Corinthians 2:11b NASB says, “Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

God promised us the Holy Spirit so that when we are going through the craziest things in life       we will be okay if we get before Him and hear His voice.  If we don’t learn to wait on God, we just might miss the plans He has for us!

When I was about seven or eight, Dad knew that some day when I grew up, I would face many challenges in life and that daily devotions would be important for me. So he would wake me up super early (5 a.m.) and manipulate me with going to McDonalds for our devotions!

After watching him for about a month doing his devotions (while I sat across the table eating my egg McMuffin), I saw that he had such a good relationship with the Lord, and I said, "Dad, would you teach me whatever you're doing there?" And he taught me to how to do daily devotions and to hear the voice of God for myself.  It's the greatest gift dad has ever given me!

If you don't know what the voice of God sounds like in this topsy-turvy world, how would you hear Him in the greatest storm of your life as He calls out to you? I'd encourage you to do your daily devotions and get to know the voice of God.

PASTOR WAYNE: We’ll be talking about Holy Spirit, how important He is in our life, and how He works. Without a relationship with Holy Spirit, it's like being in a foreign land without a GPS—hoping you'll get it right by trial and error! Life is too short to live by trial and error.

As Christians, we need a guide, a coach—He’s the Holy Spirit! When you were born, you didn’t start there.  You ended up there!  You started in God’s Divine Design room. 

Jeremiah 29:11, NIV says, "I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans not for your calamity, but for your welfare in order that you might have a future and a hope.”

The hope in you is the potential that you can become all that God created you to be in the future. He put hope in you—the yearning to be what God called you to be. Paul the apostle says...

2. HE CAN FULFILL GOD’S DESIGN IN ME.

Philippians 3:12, NCV says, “ I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his.”

Holy Spirit is assigned to come alongside to coach and guide us into all truth. Our relationship with Him is very critical; otherwise, we would not be able to fulfill God’s design for us by our own power and strength—but with the assistance of Holy Spirit we can!

Ephesians 3:20 NLT says,“ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

In other words, God wants the best for our life so He designed us in His image. Everything God has is potentially in us; but we must keep pressing on.  God knows that our relationship with Holy Spirit is critical…

3. BUT WE MUST BE WILLING TO OBEY.Acts 5:32 NIV says, ^“ We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

God gave us a gift of choice: We are free to choose to obey or not to obey.  He will not force us to obey, but Holy Spirit will move our life around to help us get to a place where we will want to obey. Obedience is a matter of the heart, so He will position us—sometimes using pressure and weight. 

God’s glory is the weight of God. He puts weights on different areas of our life, such as, mind, heart, conscious, or family and as we cooperate with Holy Spirit, He is shaping us to become all that He created us to be! 

Sometimes weights will come at a price, such as, going through a storm…

TWO TYPES OF STORMS:

• Correcting Storms - to intercept and intervene.

   

  Romans 8:6, NIV says, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”

  When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah instead went to Tarshish and hit an uncanny storm—a correcting storm! He went overboard and was swallowed by a big fish. There are other times when God will correct you through a…

• Perfecting Storm – to rescue and save.

In the book of Matthew, Peter sees Jesus walking on water and Jesus tells Peter to come and join him; Peter joins Him and begins walking on water! But when Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and sees the storm and waves, he begins to sink.  Then Jesus grabs his hand and pulls him up and tells him not to doubt. Jesus perfected Peter’s faith.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT says, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

There will be many perfecting storms that will come our way (we will suffer and be challenged), but God perfects us as we repent and be reconciled and rectified. In the end, we’ll be a better person because of it. I encourage you to obey Holy Spirit because He knows what’s best.  You have a choice to push Him aside, but He will do everything He can to help you make the right choice because He knows your future and loves you more than you even love yourself!

Keep a fresh and current relationship with Holy Spirit. Welcome Him every morning into your life. Ask Him to be a part of your marriage, your day, and your job. When Holy Spirit prompts you, obey immediately!  When He puts weight on an area of your life, obey.  Once you get used to it, you’ll begin to develop a relationship with Holy Spirit and He will guide you into all truth.

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. What do you think God’s plan is for you?   What is your divine purpose in life? What do you think He came up with in His design room for you?

2. How does Philippians 3:12 apply to you? Although you may not have reached perfection, what are some things you feel you need to achieve to become what Christ wants of you?

3. What are some correcting storms and perfecting storms you have overcome and are thankful for today?

4. How do you feel God’s potential in you is taking form? How do you react when He is putting pressure and weight in different areas in your life?