Pastor Wayne Cordeiro & Pastor John Tilton
April 11, 2021 - W2115

In the Midst of the Storm

Divine Appointments, God's Unfinished Work

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro & Pastor John Tilton

April 10 & 11, 2021 

[Video - Pastor Wayne Cordeiro from Oregon]

There is somebody right now in the midst of an earthquake, tsunami, windstorm, or firestorm and you can't hear God--there's too much noise!  However, your future may hinge on a whisper; and the next three generations of your legacy may depend on whether or not you respond to a whisper! What will you do when God whispers?  You won't always hear Him when there's too much noise; that's the reason...  

Psalm 46:10 NKJV says, "Be still, and know that I am God."

God's power can be discovered in the midst of a storm, but you can only discover His will in the stillness!  God designed it that way because in order to listen to His whisper, you must tune your heart; and the more you tune your heart, the more you can hear His voice!

Life brings storms in our lives the moment we wander, wonder, and doubt!  The journey doesn't stop, but the progress does--and it can be lonely and painful.  Sometimes we think we can just stare it down and come out the other side unscathed--but we forget just how small we are!   

Storms are inevitable, but when they appear, we have a protector (our Savior), who knows a thing or two about calming storms. He is a stronghold in times of trouble:  In our weakness, He is strong; in our fear, He is courage; in our desperation, He is our peace.  Yes, storms are inevitable, but our God is invincible!   

[End Video] 

PASTOR JOHN TILTON:  We are launching a new series called, "Divine Appointments, God's Unfinished Work." We have learned that we are living in the last chapter before Jesus Christ returns to earth--we don't know the date of His return, but we know that He is coming soon! Pastor Scott Hogle shared recently that we are to occupy and multiply until Jesus returns! Our assignment is to bring in those that God is calling to be part of the family of the Lord Jesus Christ and do the following three things:  

1. Answer the Great Commission:  Matthew 28:18-20 NASB says: "¹⁸ ...Jesus...spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to follow [obey] all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2. God is working in each of our lives. Ephesians 2:10 NASB says: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works."  Through different teachings we will learn what God is doing in our lives through good times, bad times, and testing times!  It will be hard work and heart work.  

3. To press on and persevere.  Many are ready "to throw in the towel" on their marriage, work or no work, finances, and other things because of what is happening in this season. They say, "I give up!" But God is calling us to press in, press forward, and persevere. Philippians 3:14 NIV says: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me."

What an honor to have that call and appointment on our lives and to know that God will work in us as we press in and persevere! Pastor Wayne filmed the first teaching of this series, "In the Midst of the Storm."  Welcome, Pastor Wayne!

[Video] 

PASTOR WAYNE CORDEIRO:  The apostle Paul was caught in a violent storm as a prisoner aboard a ship headed for Rome.  It was late in the sailing season and travel was extremely risky because of possible bad weather, but the captain of the ship and Paul's centurion decided, "Let's go for it!  Let's beat the odds and make our way to Rome!"   

Here is an overview of Acts 27:  When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so, they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.  Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called a Northeaster, swept down from the island.  The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so, they gave way to it and were driven along.  As they passed to the lee of a small island called Clauda, they were hardly able to secure the lifeboat, so the men hoisted it aboard and passed ropes under the ship to hold it together. As they were afraid of running aground on the sandbars, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. They took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began throwing cargo overboard; on the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard.   

After two weeks of being tossed at the whim of an angry sea, they couldn't see the sun, or the stars, and it was impossible to navigate the ship, and everybody lost hope! That is, everyone but Paul.  Paul had remembered what God had told him earlier, "You must be brought before Caesar in Rome." As he was reassessing his identity and assignment, Paul knew that no matter what happened he would survive the storm! You may be going through what seems like acrazy storm, but remember God has His hand on you!   

IN THE MIDST OF LIFE'S STORMS, CHECK YOUR COMPASSES! 

- Take time to pause, catch your bearings, recalculate your path, according to God's call on your life!  Pray for His guidance through this season.  When a storm lasts longer than you think it should, don't complain and lose hope! God never allows anything to happen without a very good reason; storms have a purpose!  Hardship often brings us back to where we need to be; and a storm will cause us to rid distractions. 

- Lighten your load to hear God more clearly and obey him more fully.  The storm Paul encountered forced the crew to toss overboard extra baggage. Although we can't avoid storms, we can find course settings and navigational coordinates to help us go through the storms--not around them!  If we understand that there are benefits to storms, we'll respond by choosing to go on our knees and learn life's lessons from it. A friend once said, "Wayne, never despise anything that takes you to your knees!"   

Three course settings that will help: 

1. Storms will test what's in your heart.  

Storms have a purpose; they reveal the true nature of your heart. God doesn't cause the storms, but He allows them to stir up what's deep inside our heart, such as, anger, insecurities, fear, lack of faith, blame, and excuses! The Lord reveals these because He wants them eradicated and thrown overboard! When they surface, you have...

            Two Options: (a) You can rationalize your character flaws or 

                                  (b) Repent and be transformed. 

Transformation occurs when everything you own is gone, but your heart is still strong for Jesus--something changed inside of you!  It's not about the storm; it's to reveal what's in our hearts--our heart is like a mirror.  Storms have an amazing effect of stripping our lives bare; it's at that point that God exchanges our pride for His plan!  He takes the wind out of our sails so He can replace it with the wind of His Holy Spirit.  Storms also strip away hidden motives.  The Lord knows that if you're not genuine to the core, He won't be able to build something of substance and character in your life.

2. Storms compel us to depend on God.

We often learn to depend on God when He is our last option!  Storms strip our lives to remind us that Jesus is all we need. Allow him to do that--it's the fastest way to your destiny!  You may be going through a storm right now, but it's not about the storm--it's about what it reveals!  Ask God to reveal any character flaws in your life and toss them overboard and build a strong character that will make you a person of legacy!

3. In the midst of a storm, God reminds us to get back to our original God?given call! Storms also remind us of who we are and what are we doing on earth--then you'll be able to go through any storm!   

WHERE YOU ARE IS NOT WHO YOU ARE! You may be a new believer and wondering why you're still in the midst of hardships--your finances are short and your health is still suffering from an illness or disease.  Always remember that God doesn't save us from the storms, He goes through them with us and strengthens us!  God does what He does because He loves us.  You must believe that! We're facing some of the toughest times in history, sailing through the tempest of a pandemic; and there may be more treacherous waters ahead.  But our God Emmanuel is with us and reminds us of our original call. It's important to know why we exist. Remember your God?given assignment, and you'll weather the tough times.  Depend on Jesus!

[End Video]

PASTOR JOHN:  I want to encourage you with two words: "heart" and "mind."  Your actions and words are a result of what your mind takes in and processes; they affect your heart, the filter. If your heart is in the right place and is processing things which are from the Lord, then the way you respond, will be of the Lord and transformation takes place. Everything you say, do, and think, is not from your mind--it's from your heart, the filter.

The mind causes us to speak and act, but the source is from your heart!  If your heart is in the right place and is processing things which are from the Lord, then, you will respond according to the will of God--and transformation takes place! 

Being transformed will cause your heart to be changed to the way the Lord wants it when you spend time in the Word of God, in prayer, and just sitting before the Lord. Oftentimes, God wants us to just sit before Him and let His Word filter into your head as you pray.  When transformation takes place and your heart is changed, you will respond to God in a way that is right; but our mind and the enemy of our soul want us to think negatively--in a wrong way.  So, daily start reading the Word, praying, and meditating before the Lord--and you will be transformed, and your heart will look at everything with hope, peace, and potential!  

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

STUDY QUESTIONS: 

1.      What does the Great Commission tell us to do?
2.      Share your experience of being in a storm. 
3.      How did being in a storm compel you to depend on God?
4.      What are three course settings that will help you when you are in a storm?
5.      Storms reveal what's in your heart; when they surface you have two options. What are they?