Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
March 22, 2020 - W2012

"Beauty In The Ashes"

When God Asks More of You

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro

March 21 & 22, 2020  

Welcome, New Hope and those online! Jesus didn't come into a cushy world, did He? He came during a political upheaval: The Jews were at odds with the pagan society of Rome, Jesus’ parents were refused lodging when He was born, and King Herod was killing all Jewish males, under the age of two!  

It was in the midst of crisis and fear that God decided to deliver the greatest message the world has ever seen—a message of hope and redemption!  That's the way of God, isn't it?  That's His MO (modus operandi/mode of operation). The DNA of God is to bring something good out of chaos—light into darkness.  Even creation itself was born out of chaos!

The Bible tells us that in the beginning of creation, things were a mess! If we rewind the Bible to the beginning in 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 was moving over the surface of the waters.” 

You see, even in chaos, God’s Spirit is moving in ways that we cannot understand.  God just said, “Let there be light,” and, ah?ha, now things make sense!  But before that, only chaos.  I was wondering, why didn’t Jesus come into the world during the Internet Age—He could have sent His message around the world in seconds; but, instead, He came at a time when the quickest way to deliver a message was by a fast donkey!  

1.The Spirit of God Is Moving

Even during the COVID?19 crisis, I declare to you that the Spirit of God is still moving!  Most of us won't recognize Him moving, but if the truth be told, we’re hardly ever able to see His hand and purposes in advance of the chaos—we only see it in reverse—after it's all done!  

Remember: Faith is living in advance what you will only understand in reverse! Isaiah 61:3 MEV promises: “God is able to preserve those who mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…”

Now, COVID-19 must not be an ordinary virus for the U.S. to be injecting two trillion dollars to stop its potential spread, and to help those who have been affected.  This epidemic is risking bankrupting thousands of businesses and, maybe, even cities.  Large events that were planned for years have been canceled in unprecedented ways.  

Something beyond what we know must be taking place so we must trust Jesus and, no matter what one thinks of the government or who started it, we must trust God—I mean, we have no other choice!   

There's an interesting story in John 19 verse 11 when Pontius Pilate was getting ready to crucify Jesus:  Pilate began to interrogate Jesus, but He wouldn't answer him.  And Pontius Pilate said to Jesus in a condescending way, “You don't answer me.  Don't you know that I have the power to free you or crucify you?"  Do you remember what Jesus said?  Something very profound that we need to hear as a word for us.  He said to Pontius Pilate and to the Roman government, "You wouldn’t have any power over me if it were not given to you from above."

To some, the government was completely unjust in those days, but Jesus saw something beyond the government, far greater—there was a larger plan at work!  I mean, if I were there, I wouldn't be able to see it either, but His words, “You have no power over me if my Father had not already granted it to you,” would have brought relief to me. God’s word is the same today.  

In 1527 during the Reformation, a deadly bubonic plague was ripping through Wittenberg, Germany, the hometown of Martin Luther.  Everyone was scampering, running into the hills, getting away from everybody.  Someone asked Luther, “What should we as Christians do?”  In a letter to his friend, we find faith mixed with good sense!  He said, "I shall ask God mercifully to protect us.”  Then I will fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it.  I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed.  However, if my neighbor needs me, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely.  If God should wish to take me, He will surely find me, and I will have done what He's expected of me.”  I see this as a God?fearing faith because it's neither brash nor foolhardy.

Sounds like that letter could have been written today, huh?  It's good sense for us too.  We don't always understand what God is doing or how the Spirit is moving in advance of chaos—so, I want us to look through chaos to see what God is doing!  

2. We Look at the Circumstance When God Is Looking Through the Circumstance  

Isaiah 55:9 NASB says: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” 

God is still on the throne.  We may not be able to see His hand, but I know for sure that in the end, we can trust His heart. So, I ask myself: “How can I make something good out of this chaos, that God is making beauty in the ashes!” “How do I become a more creative person because of this circumstance?”  “How can I train my eyes to see things into a higher state rather than to a lower state and be held hostage by fear?”  “What resources do I have that are accessible to me?”  “How can I make myself better during this season that seems so chaotic?”  

Some of us need to take a surfer's parlance: To paddle hard to get in front of the wave because we were caught off?guard; now we're behind the wave and must catch up to get on the front of it!  If not, we'll be held hostage to its force; or if we can get on the front of it, we can use it!

3. The Good News Is That Events or Circumstances Don't Determine Your Destiny—GOD Does!

The environment you're in right now; what the news says; or what the state of our country is in, cannot keep you from your eternal purpose!  Sure, you and I must make some adjustments, and some will be made quicker than others; but the first adjustment that we make must be our eyes—how we see things because that's what determines how we respond to our circumstances.  

God has already taken into account every detail of your life: Every bad break, every negative event, how you were raised, or what somebody did to you.  He's factored all of that into His plan for you—nothing takes Him by surprise.  If you'll just stay in step with God instead of allowing your circumstances to hold you back, everything you went through could propel you forward! Instead of defeating you, it will make you stronger.  God knows how to take what was meant for your harm and use it for your good!

The question is:  How can we make something good out of this mess?  You may not see how it could ever turn out for good now, but you have the most powerful force in the universe on your side:  God created us to rise above, to break chains, and to be more than overcomers.  You may think the circumstance will detonate you into a pile of scrap metal but, instead, you're God's masterpiece!

The good news is that viruses, economic peril, or governments don't determine your destiny—only God does, and He is still on the throne.

The circumstances that we're in now cannot keep God's purposes from being fulfilled in our lives; so, when you're in the middle of chaos or going into it, remember:  

1. No matter what it looks like—God is still on the throne!  Even Pontius Pilate had no authority, unless it were given to Him from above.  

2. Nothing will keep you from God's purposes for your life—not even a crisis!  Keep pressing through, God has a plan and a purpose for you!

3. Make something good out of this.  It is what it is.  We don't know what the future holds,but we know who holds the future.  So, turn the tables.  That's God’s DNA in you and me. That's His MO, and that tendency should be inherent in us, too.  We’ve got to make something good out of this!  

God is working through you and me.  Make it count.  For many, the price or the cost of this class of hard knocks (this season) might be difficult, but you know what's even more criminal is if we go through this class, pay the price, and learn nothing from it; or worse yet, we're no better off after it's done!

Make something good out of this season!  That's what God is doing.  He's giving us Beauty in the Ashes.  Watch for Him. Cooperate with His Spirit; His Spirit is hovering just above the chaos.  He's in the midst of the mess! 

But don't just look at the mess or you'll miss His message!  Look through the mess.  You'll see what He's doing.  He's moving.  You'll hear His message when you're able to look beyond the mess through the mess; and when you do, you just might see what He's been trying to communicate all along to our nation, our families, and to the church.  

He's speaking.  He's has our attention.  It's a megaphone.  Let's listen!

God is speaking about your family, your life, your faith and your perspective.  What's His message to you?  Let’s be a people of God who understand what it means for God to give us Beauty in the Ashes!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

1.      How are you coping with the current stresses of the COVID-19 virus?
2.      What are you doing to get right with God these days?
3.      How are you sharing God’s words with others?
4.      How are you bringing something good in the midst of chaos?
5.      How are you recognizing God’s moves in these tough times?