Finding Purpose In Your Storm | Carter Conlon

father thank you so much God for the touch of heaven this morning in this sanctuary thank you Lord for meeting us and powerfully in our time of worship thank you for bearing witness Lord to the word that you placed on my heart God Almighty prepare us for the days that are just before us help those Lord today that are already in a storm the coming storm means nothing to them they're already in a storm help them to find purpose in the middle of it and show us how that is found God it's important to know how I pray for clarity with in my thinking I pray for open hearts for those that are gathered Lord teach us guide us let it not just be an accumulation of knowledge but God let the knowledge bring us to the place of your power and Father we thank you for it with all our heart this morning in Jesus name Acts chapter 27 beginning at verse 20 now when neither Sun nor stars appeared for many days and no small tempest beat on us all hope that we would be saved was finally given up and this of course happened because they embarked on a journey at that time that they were warned by the Spirit of God not to undertake God used the Apostle Paul gave him the word he warned them they wouldn't listen very similar to this generation the Word of God clearly warns that the direction we're taking as a nation is fraught with peril but in as much as they didn't listen and ended up in a storm you can almost set your watch by the reality that not listening to the Word of God at this time in our society we're headed for a terrible storm in the not-too-distant future but after long abstinence from food then Paul stood in the midst of them and said men you should have listened to me and not up sailed from Crete and encouraged this disaster and loss and now I urge you to take heart for there will be no loss of life among you but only of the ship further stood by me this night an angel of God whom I belong and whom I serve saying do not be afraid Paul you must be brought before Caesar and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you therefore take heart men for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me now there's a lot of instances of storms in the Bible this is not the first storm but there's something of God in this storm that is a lesson it speaks to you and I today it talks about God's ability to bring us to a place as we sang earlier where we walk above the storm the storm does not dominate our life it doesn't dominate our thinking it doesn't take away our purpose it doesn't steal the Word of God from us it doesn't cause us to run around in fear or hopelessness like so many were at that time and maybe in a circumstance even you're facing now or might be facing in the future now on another occasion in mark chapter 4 there was also a storm on a lake in a place of water and beginning at verse 35 it says on the same day when evening had come he that's Jesus said to them let us cross over to the other side now one thing I'd left the multitudes they took him along in the boat as he was and other little boats were also with him and a great wind storm arose and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling I want you to just think of the storm in contrast to acts 27 with the Apostle Paul so there they've got Jesus in the boat presence of God is there they're going on a journey to another place they're not traveling alone there are other little boats trying to make the same journey alongside of them maybe some in front some behind we don't know where they were but they were all out there and in the midst of it all a great wind storm arose and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling you ever been there are you there now in a place we're trying to get to somewhere that even you feel that God's called you to go to but the storm has beating so viciously against you it's be against your home your mind your family but he was in the stern asleep on a pillow and they woke him and said them teacher do you not care that we are perishing then he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm he said to them why are you so fearful how is it that you have no faith and they feared exceedingly and said to one another who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him now at this point in mark chapter 4 I think you and I can safely say from the testimony of Scripture that the following of Christ for these disciples was was largely about the initial let me call it the initial things the initial reasons why we begin to follow Jesus most of us who come to Christ we come because we're empty or hurting we're in trouble we are longing for something deeper than what we have known in life and I think it's safe to say that they're following of him was largely about miracles imagine mark mark chapter 4 verse 41 it says who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him and so they're following him because they see the miraculous power that he has they're following him also for power Acts chapter 1 verse 6 Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel they knew he had the power to push back darkness they knew he had the power to push back an encroaching ideology that was beginning to swallow their borders the nation of Israel the culture of Rome was marginalizing the people of God ridiculing their faith corralling and controlling them and they knew that this man had the power to push that whole influence back they followed him for excitement no doubt Luke 10:17 says then the seventy returned with joy saying Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name miracles power excitement they were following him for position mark 1037 you remember James and John when they said grant to us that we may sent one on your right hand and one on your left in your glory they were following him for provision John 16 John 6 13 it says therefore they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets they knew that the supply of food necessary things for the for life were in his hands and so we see the disciples in this early season we're following him for the same reason that many people who are new to the faith also follow Christ there's there's a time for this there's a time when we have to recognize that he has miracle power there's a time that we have to understand that he can push back kingdoms of darkness and bring light there's a time when we get excited about this new life in Christ about going out and with spiritual authority to be part of a kingdom that cannot be conquered there's a time when we gravitate even to positions even in the church and we begin to aspire to serve God maybe sometimes in a public way we aspire to provision we follow him because we begin to realize that God is the provider thank God he is and no matter how much we give we can't outgive him he gives back to us again as the scripture says pressed down shaken together and running over yet in spite of all this which they had or we're about to experience when the storm came they accused him of not caring about them after all this after everything that happens they woke him up and said teacher do you not care that we are perishing are you indifferent to our struggles you know their fault you know when you and I are following him for only these previous reasons when the storm comes our prayers can actually become an accusation some of you are on your knees last night saying Lord don't you care about me don't you see me don't you know the struggle I'm in don't you know the trials I'm enduring are you too busy to help me and we end up praying exactly like they prayed do you not care that we are perishing and later on when Jesus spoke of being given for the sake of others and asked some to pray with him in the garden they fell asleep that's why Jesus had to say to Peter in Luke 22 32 when you are converted strengthen your brethren Peter Peter was sincere he was he was sincere in his boasting in a sense of I'm going to live for you I'm gonna die for you I'm gonna follow you others may deny you but I'm not going to deny you of man you can count on me I'll be there and Jesus looks at this man and says Satan has desired to sift you as wheat but I prayed for you that your faith does not fail and when you are converted that's quite a thought he's already believer in Christ now Christ has not died for him yet on the cross we understand that but he already fully believes in Christ and what Jesus was saying to Peters Peter you have good intentions but without the new mind without the new heart and the new spirit promised to you by God you will eventually only live to preserve yourself in spite of all the reasons that Peter had followed the son of God and that effect he walked on water in spite of all this when I came down to actually giving him actually following the Son of God in being given for the sake of others who needed a savior he drew back warmed himself by the wrong fire and began to curse and deny that he'd ever met the man because ultimately without the Spirit of God we will all live to preserve ourselves that is the reality of the human condition but when the heart of God is in you it's then you will find the strength to help others through the storm that is the difference the natural man has not the strength that is needed to care about anybody but him or herself in the storm those that are empowered by the Spirit of God when the Spirit of God has finally gotten ahold of us when the Spirit of God has a hold of my heart and your heart we are no longer serving God just for what we can get we're serving him for the sake of others are serving him to be involved in his mission on the earth that the lost should be saved that those who have no helper might find help in God that we might become a testimony of this incredible grace of God that sent his son to a cross to die for all people that they might have eternal life at this early time of following Christ in mark chapter 4 in verse 36 they cared little or nothing for the others trying to also make it to the other side remember it says they took him in the boat as he was or maybe may I paraphrase it and says they knew him and there were other little boats also with him and when the wind storm arose and the water began to beat in the boat they awoke him and said do you not care that we are perishing the reality is they didn't care that they were perishing a self focused Church does not have the heart of God at its center core when we are meeting in the house of God or opening our Bibles or praying or worshiping and it's all just about me it's about my provision my power my miracle that I need my position my excitement then we're going to find ourselves in a storm one day without purpose and you need to hear me on this because we are going into a storm my brother my sister this society has is degenerating very very quickly around us you have to know that by now you have to see that by now we're moving into a storm we're moving into difficulty unparalleled perhaps except for the civil war in this country we're moving into a season of difficulty in this nation a storm is going to affect you it's going to affect me in spite of the storm you might already be in there's a bigger one coming and you and I have to learn to find purpose in the midst of the storm as Paul did Paul was not living to preserve himself he had a higher purpose and he had a higher calling on his life and in the midst of the storm in acts 27 while chaos was gaining momentum all around verse 21 it says after long ABB's from food pay stood in the midst of them while everybody's running around to throwing the tackling over the ship they're blaming one another they're cutting off their own supply they're doing all kinds of things to try to figure their way out of the storm there is a man in the midst of all of this who's fasting and praying and asking God for a word that's where you and I need to be right now by the grace of God whether you're in a storm or whether you're going to be in a storm in the days ahead we need to start phat and don't wait for the terms to lead you into a fasting time you fast you seek God on it you begin to pray as Paul did God had one man there that was able to defeat the power of death that wanted to swallow 276 people on that ship there was one person there you think of the people in your office you think of the people where you work the people in your community your apartment building where you live they are in a crisis many of them are going down they don't know how to get through tomorrow but all would be to God there would be one person in the midst of that whole mess that's fasting and praying and seeking a word from God as Paul began to pray when all hope was gone in verse 20 it says all hope that we would be safe was finally given up and the verse 25 it tells us that Paul said therefore take heart men for I believe God it will be just as it was told me when all hope was gone he had a message of hope for others in the storm that's what God will do it doesn't mean you're not in the storm Paul was also in the storm do you understand but he was praying he was fasting and God gave him a word not just for himself but for others God gave him a word and you don't need to tell the people you worked with the whole Bible sometimes you just lead over so I just want you to know God spoke to my heart if you trust him you're gonna make it through if you trust him he's going to be with you if you do it God's Way you're going to get to that place of safety and this is the word that Paul had for those that were on this ship and he had a word not just for the present storm but also far into God's purpose for his own life and for his own future he was praying in the storm now some of you today are in the storm and you're asking God do you not care the Lord says not want to draw you deeper by the Spirit of God I want to show you something way beyond just your circumstance your trial your difficulty that you're going through right now he says now I urge you to take heart and verse 22 there will be no loss of life among you but only of the ship further stood by me this night an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve saying do not be afraid Paul you must be brought before Caesar and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you he had a word for his future you see one of the ways you get through the storm is God speaks to you about your future you remember jesus said it the Holy Spirit when he comes he will take what is mine and he will show you things to come I have a word in my heart about my future do you know that so I'm not afraid of the storm today I'm not afraid of the trial that might face me next week because I have a word from God about my own future I know that my life is not over until this thing is fulfilled that God said he's going to do when you are living for something a little higher than comfort when you're living something for a little bit higher than just the excitement of that initial following of Christ and the miracles and the power and the provision and all these things when you begin in a sense to follow Christ and you start to live for the sake of people all around you that's when heaven begins to open that's when fear loses its grip on your heart that's when faith starts to take over why is that he said to his early disciples that you have no faith I told you you're going to the other side I already said it I don't need to repeat it at what point are you going to believe it and follow me on this journey which is not about you and why didn't if you were going to pray why weren't you crying out for these other people in these other little boats that are trying to make the same journey but they don't have the Son of God with them call out for them call out for those that are going to Paris call out for those that don't have the voice call out for those that don't know there's a God call out for them let that be the source of your prayer and God will begin to show you your own future begin to speak a word into your heart of something he's going to do through your life amazing and the Lord said to Paul not only are you going to appear before Caesar but I've given you I've given you all those who sail with you isn't that amazing wouldn't that be great to be your testimony in mind you walk into your office on Monday morning and yes it might be a storm in that place it might be tough you might be relegated to the belly of the ship they might not be listening to your words and rumors even might be abounding about the powerlessness of your God but isn't it something that if you and I could walk through that place wherever it is that you have to go and God's whispers and said I've given you all those that sail with you I'm taking you on a journey but I'm commanding life I'm commanding this blessing of life everywhere you go I'm gonna give you such an influence in your community I'm going to give you such an influence in your workplace I'm going to give you an influence because you're the only one that's going to have a solution and a purpose in the midst of the storm you're the one who's going to know the voice of God you're the one who's going to speak for God your words will not be condemning they will be encouraging that will be filled with hope I love the fact that I wrote about it in another book I wrote quite awhile back that in one instance of time because of the crisis Paul is taken from captive to captain of the ship he's down in the belly of the ship sloshing about with whatever was down there and in just a moment of time he's on the deck of the ship and he's giving all the orders and telling everybody what needs to be done that they might be safe oh I'm telling you I'm telling you folks people might ridicule you now but one day one day soon they'll be calling for you they'll be calling for your voice you and I are called just as Paul was to bring hope to others in theirs and our coming storm let's not accuse Christ in Sisson someone stead of not caring but let us celebrate in the storm as Paul did for the great privilege of being a testimony to others and this is what I just love so much about the story it's crafted a picture in my spirit where Paul it says when the everything now is finally falling apart the ship is going down the Word of God now has preeminence a man who had touch with God through prayer and fasting is now the only voice other voices are all silent everybody's now listening to this man of God and he takes a loaf of bread and breaks it on the deck of a sinking ship and the scripture says he gave thanks oh you can't do that until you're living for something higher than yourself you can't do that until you're lifting up this broken bread and saying God as the Son of God was broken for me that I might have eternal life as his plans were yielded and he left the throne of heaven and came down to this world not to do his own will but the will of the one who had sent him oh god what a great privilege it is Paul could say that my life might be given for the sake of these 276 on this ship and even one day to have the knowledge that I will stand before Caesar a lunatic who thinks he's God but I have the privilege of standing before him one day to advise him that he's not God there is only one God to advise him with compassion to hope that his heart will turn from its evil to the ways of God but only a man given for the others only a man living for the will of God and for the sake of other people could give thanks can you give thanks in the midst of your storm can you give thanks for the office that you're in right now can you give thanks for the family that God allowed you to be born into can you give thanks for your neighbourhood instead of living to move out of it can you give thanks that God knew where you needed to be can you break that bread at home can you do that tonight when you get home and you buy yourself a loaf of unsliced bread stand in your living room and break it into and lift it up and say God thank you for putting me in this neighborhood thank you Lord for letting me live through the storm so that I know in my heart how others are feeling thank you for the power not just to survive thank you God for a word that can give people hope and direction in my circumstance for the future thank you God for her faithful you are thank you Lord that I'm gonna get to the end of my journey no devil if hell's gonna cut it shark no storms gonna take it down little wave it's gonna cause me to drown you numbered my days the day I was born when I drew my first breath you knew the day I would take my last and no weapon if help can change that no power of Darkness can change that I'm going through I'm going to the other side and I'm taking a multitude of people with me I'm not going alone by the grace of God but sons are going mad daughters of God my grandchildren are going mad wife is gone your husband is going mad family is going we are all going I'm taking the people in my neighborhood I'm taking the people in my workplace I'm taking the people on my street they're not going and I'm not going without them by the grace of God we're all going together it can't be just Paul that God gives 276 to these stories are not just stuck in the Bible just so to entertain us and let us gather knowledge without power no the clear thought is that when we're living now for the will of God and for the sake of those who are lost and we're willing to say God wherever you have to take me whatever you have to put me through Oh Lord don't let me lose my perspective on life don't let it all be about me Oh God give me a word Lord for people who need you give me a word for those who are crying out my god I'm tired of reading about people committing suicide every day in the news and I'm tired of it Lord when the your people are everywhere God let the redeemed to the Lord now begin to say so open our mouths deliver us God from self focus and timidity and let us open our voices in our hearts as we begin to pray Lord show us our future and give us those who are on this journey with us help me to escape living only for my own concerns and give me the courage I need and give me your heart praise be to God praise we sing the song so eloquently if I'd never had a problem I wouldn't know that God could solve them but we'd rather not endure it just sing it but God allows us you see if Paul hadn't been on that ship 276 people probably probably be in hell today I don't know how many of them receive Christ as Savior but I do know they got a chance to know that Christ is real and alive they saw the power of God not just in Paul's speech but through his hand when they landed on that island and healing began to flow through his hand praise be to God it's time folks for the church to pray it's time for us to be the church again it's time for us to step beyond those days of just following Jesus for all that we can get for ourselves and God allows it because we have to know who he is before we can actually take that final step of saying Lord not my will but thine help me Lord to take up my cross and follow you and don't let me fall asleep when you need me you see those disciples in the garden to get cemani it was now he was speaking about being given now he was speaking about dying for others he was speaking about redemption for Humanity and and suddenly there was nothing in it for them suddenly it was it was now everything was shifting to it there's going to be a cost to this journey and he asked them to join with him and pray and they fell asleep and when it's quite often when it's not about us we can't pray it takes a maturity it takes the Spirit of God it takes a fresh touch of heaven so Lord I'm asking you today God with all my heart I'm asking you for a fresh baptism of your Holy Spirit God for this church and this church age we so fell into the trap of self seeking from coast-to-coast across the nation so many churches are oblivious to the things that I've just been given of you to speak everything is about me my comfort my life my power my future god there's so little of it that's about others now I'm asking father God that you would deliver your people deliver us from childishness and infancy and bring us into the work that you commissioned us to do on the earth God said is free from the timidity of seeking your will and the passion lessness of always being focused on our own struggles Thank You Lord God for every trial that you've ever allowed into my life for it is work something in me that nothing else could thank you for a compassion for the struggling thank you God for a fervency to see them find you a Savior thank you Lord for delivering all of us God at this time from just seeking our own comfort in the midst of this that we're all going to face help us Lord to be light and salt in this present society and in this soon to crumbling moment in history we're living in God I thank you Jesus I pray God for the people of this church that you would open every one of our mouths Lord as you did Paul's he would teach us how to fast and pray you would guide us and lead us Lord into something deeper than living for our own comfort and father I thank you for it God with all my heart and praise you in Jesus name here's my ultra call very simple this morning Lord give me courage and give me your heart God I've heard the word give me the power to live outside of my own concerns give me courage to seek your will and give me a heart to care about those that are perishing around me that's the altar call father in Jesus name god I pray like Paul did and I ask you Lord that that none here in this church traveling on the same journey together through the same storm would end up drowning in their sin I pray God that they would listen to your voice and turn from trusting in themselves and begin to trust in you I pray Lord Jesus Christ as they did on that ship that they would cut off all escape from truth and cast themselves wholly on your word and on your mercy I ask you Lord Jesus Christ that wherever you take the voice of this church collectively across the nation and around the world through our prayer meeting through the radio stations that you would grant that multitudes too numerous to count would be safe from their sin and brought into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ we recognize Lord that it's not by might nor by power but by your spirit alone that this will happen Oh God have mercy on a wayward society have mercy on a wayward nation have mercy Oh God because we are moving every day towards evil have mercy lord have mercy have mercy Lord God you've shown us in Scripture the patterns that when you find a praying people anywhere you can turn everything that's evil to good in just a moment of time thank you lord I pray that you'd raise up this church to be voice every person every person everyone speaking for you everyone given to your work everyone praying for the sake of others Lord everyone's seeking opportunities to do good God let it be Lord let it be that we'd be found doing your work Lord your way at this time and again Lord we just ask for mercy mercy Lord mercy God mercy on a wayward world Lord that is headed for hell and has no idea where they're going they have no idea what awaits them god help us to live for their sakes Lord so that they may find he was Lord and Savior and again I ask that you stretch out your hand to power as you did in the early church and begin to heal everywhere we travel everywhere we go heal with our words our gestures Lord just even the way we look at people but healing begin to flow when we walk through an office if it's a place of weeping make it a place of joy change circumstances God and the directions of people because we choose to live for you and for their sakes deliver us God from immaturity from all of our seeking of you just for our own benefit Lord deliver us God and give us the grace give us the grace not to fall asleep at this time Lord we thank you I thank you for these men and women at this altar and what great good you will do through every one of their lives thank you that you hear the hearts cry you're not looking for a resume you're not looking for any great strength in us Lord you're the strength you're the resume you are everything what it's all about you it's all about you we just offer ourselves to you as a sacrifice it's got to be your fire that takes the sacrifice Lord and uses it for your glory so god we thank you protect this church Lord from complacency protect us Lord from falling asleep at this time keep us alive keep us moving forward keep us in prayer god we thank you for all of it and praise you for it in Jesus name Amen and amen [Applause]

Channel: Times Square Church

Views: 41,109

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Keywords: Carter Conlon, Sermon, Times Square Church

Id: yN1Hkhs4R2I

Length: 33min 34sec (2014 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 23 2019