July 18, 2025 • 59 mins
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"Don't let the darkness disturb you." These powerful words launch us into a riveting exploration of faith amidst life's fiercest storms. Drawing from Paul's harrowing sea journey in Acts 27, we discover how to navigate our personal tempests with unwavering trust.
Have you ever felt completely surrounded by darkness, unable to see even a glimmer of hope? Through vivid storytelling and passionate delivery, Pastor Griffiths reveals three critical elements we encounter in every storm: the violence that threatens to overwhelm us, the voices that attempt to destroy our faith, and the divine visitor who never abandons us in our darkest hour.
The sermon builds to a profound revelation: "God never intended for the storm to rob you, but to mold you." This perspective-shifting truth helps us understand that our storms aren't just chaotic events to be endured, but transformative experiences designed to reshape us. As the passionate message unfolds, we learn that while "the boat's in the storm," we don't have to let the storm get inside us.
Perhaps most moving is the closing illustration of a dying woman who requested to be buried with a fork in her hand—a powerful reminder that "the best is yet to come." Just as dining guests hear "keep your fork" when the main course ends and dessert approaches, we too can hold onto hope knowing something sweeter awaits beyond our present suffering.
Ready to transform how you view your personal storms? Listen now and discover how to find God's light in your darkest moments. Remember, your storm isn't the end—it's taking you to a brand new beginning.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hello, this is Austin Griffiths, the pastor of Open
Praise Fellowship HolinessChurch in Easley, South Carolina
.
Thank you for listening toHoliness Preaching Online.
Let's take these truths ofGod's Word with us and apply
these biblical doctrines to ourlives.
I know you'll enjoy this sermonfrom a holiness preacher.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
I'm not a sinner.
I'm going to tell you I'm not asinner.
I'm going to tell you I'm not asinner.
I've been to Calvary.
I don't sin every day because Igot saved from sin.
Amen.
(01:03):
I feel the Holy Ghost in heretonight.
I'm generally have a littlemore singing, but I feel like
preaching.
Got your Bibles.
Go with me to an old, familiarstory in the book of Acts,
chapter 27.
And I pray God to help me topreach to you.
You should be good and restedup this afternoon, amen, amen.
(01:28):
And you should be ready tochurch.
Acts, chapter number 27.
Very familiar text.
I'm not going to read theentire part of the text because
you already know it, but I wantto pull something from this text
.
I'm not going to read theentire part of the text because
you already know it, but I wantto pull something from this text
(01:49):
that I've been wanting topreach for almost two weeks and
I shoved it back a few times ina few services and I thought I'd
let some of the youngerpreachers preach tonight.
Service rocks on God begin todeal with me.
So here we go, acts, chapter 27, verse number 18.
(02:12):
And we being exceedingly tossedwith a tempest, the next day
they lightened the ship, and thethird day we cast out with our
own hands the tackling of theship.
And the third day we cast outwith our own hands the tackling
of the ship and when neither sunnor stars in many days appeared
(02:34):
, no small tempest lay on us.
All hope that we should besaved was then taken away.
We'll read you one passage ofscripture.
Word of God said I willinstruct thee and teach thee in
(02:57):
the way which thou shalt go, andI will guide thee with my eye.
Hallelujah, I'm gonna preachtonight If the Lord will help me
.
Don't let the darkness disturbyou.
Don't let the darkness disturbyou.
(03:20):
Would you lift your hands?
Ask the Lord to help us here.
Amen.
(03:48):
It is a very familiar story toall of us.
If you've been in church at anylength of time, you have heard
the story of Paul's journey andthe Heraclodon that confronted
his life.
It is so moving at so manytimes in our lives that when we
were at our breaking point weturned to this text and we have
(04:12):
wept and cried and saidrepeatedly God, you brought them
through that storm, you canbring me through mine.
Amen.
It is so familiar until thegeneration that you and I live
in has lost the impact of whatthat situation was like and how
(04:35):
it applies unto our generation.
It may not be wind and rainthat you're facing, but it feels
like wind and rain.
It may not be an earthquakethat you're facing, but it feels
like wind and rain.
It may not be an earthquakethat you're facing, but it feels
just like you're up againstsomething and you don't know how
(04:56):
to come out of it.
Amen, but can I tell you thatthere is a God that understands
storms?
I don't know if you're going topreach with me or not.
Amen.
There's nothing no worse than toknow where you are today and
(05:17):
tomorrow.
I can't tell what the day'sgoing to be.
Like you ever been in that spot?
Let me ease into this.
And today you're standing herewith your hands raised, your
heart pumping with joy, yourspirit, and you're crying out I
love God.
But then, all of a sudden, outof nowhere, there comes a
(05:41):
Heraclidon in your life, comes aHeraclidon in your life, and
then you begin to wonder how isthis going to happen?
How's the end of this mattergoing to turn out?
Can I drop into your ear andlet you know the end belongs to
God.
It doesn't belong to you.
(06:02):
It's not meant for you todecide how the end is.
It is meant for you to bewilling to trust God all the way
to the end of it, hallelujah.
The devil is not only adeceiver of mankind, but the
(06:27):
devil is a master at suddenstorms.
But can I tell you again, hemay be a master at sudden storms
, but I know a God who is themaster of all sudden storms.
It ain't never took God bysurprise that you're in the
(06:48):
chaos that you're in.
It's never took God by surprisethat there is a wind blowing in
your world.
But can I tell you in thishouse, he's so big, he's so
mighty, he walks on the wings ofthe wind.
He knows how to handle the wind.
(07:20):
Hallelujah, oh, help me.
Tonight.
I am comforted with the fact.
Hallelujah, oh, help me tonight.
I am comforted with the factthat, out of all storms and
chaoses, that there is a passageof scripture.
I quoted it this morning.
He said I'll never leave younor forsake you, but I will go
(07:42):
with you always.
But I will go with you always.
Even somebody say amen, even tothe end of it, lift your hands.
I want you to help me, but.
(08:04):
I want you to help me, but Iwant you to listen to me.
You're in this storm.
You're in this place in yourlife where you wonder if God is
going to show up.
God, it's not a God that willwalk off and leave you because
(08:26):
your storm has come to crowdyour life.
I generally don't do this.
They'll get it fixed in aminute and I'll be happy and it
will make us all happy.
But can I tell you in thishouse, nobody in this building
is above storm life Nobody.
I don't care how long you'vebeen saved, I don't care how
(08:50):
long you've been in it, I don'tcare how much experience that
you feel like you have, you'restill not the master of the wind
or of the rain.
But there is a God in heavenwho says I'm not afraid of the
rain.
But there is a God in heavenwho says I'm not afraid of the
wind, I'm not afraid of thestorm.
(09:11):
I feel like preaching tosomebody.
You may say this is the worst,but God says it can be turned
into the best.
Lift your hands, love God.
Lift your hands, love God.
It's dark where you're at andvoices of discouragement speak
(09:39):
so loudly.
There's voices in that darknessthat screams at you.
You'll never see the end ofthis.
You'll never come out of this.
I want to tell you something inthis house.
It's only by the power and thespirit of God that we are able
to hear him.
Even in the storm there'svoices.
(10:09):
I feel like God dealt with mewith this two weeks ago.
There's voices in that storm.
There's voices in the darkness.
There's voices to be heard, andthat's the sad part about it
it's the fact that I can hear it, but I can't see it.
(10:29):
I can hear the voices, but Isure can't see it.
That is where torment sets in.
That's where the chaos startsriding high.
Can I tell you in this housethat there needs to be a
generation that has anexperience with God, that says I
(10:53):
hear voices, but I hear thevoice.
Amen, man, I wish I couldpreach how I feel.
I hear the thunder, but I heara thunder above the thunder.
Hey, hallelujah, I feel likepreaching to us that God's voice
is higher than the voice ofhell.
(11:13):
It's more mightier than all thevoices of the enemy.
Come on, get it right,hallelujah.
(11:44):
There's voices of defeat.
There's voices of defeat,there's voices of discouragement
, there's a voice of discontent,there's voices of
dissatisfaction, there's voicesof disbelief, there's voices of
despondency and there's voices.
I just want you dead.
All of these forces I feel likepreaching here All of these
(12:14):
forces come only with the impactto make you doubt God,
hallelujah.
It's amazing to me and I'mgoing to hurt your feelings.
It's kind of like that onelittle woman, woo.
She went to the doctor and shesaid I got physical problems,
(12:41):
brother Billy, and the doctorsaid we'll run tests to find out
what your problem is.
They put her in the hospitaland they ran every test that
they could run on her and theyall came back negative.
All came back negative.
And the doctor looked at herand said ma'am, I'm very sorry,
(13:04):
I wished I had something to tellyou, but what I do have to tell
you you're not dying.
Hey, I wish I could preach.
I come to tell somebody.
You may have heard a voice thatsaid you're going under, but can
(13:29):
I tell you that there is avoice in the middle of a storm
that says you can't go under.
I'm riding on a boat with you.
I dare somebody to shouthallelujah, I'm going somewhere.
(14:12):
Where's Canaan?
Listen to me, don't you listento me?
A doctor walked in that room,brother Rob and man I don't mean
listen to me.
A doctor walked in that room,brother, rob and man, I don't
mean to be critical, I don'tmean to be hard.
I had family members just likethis.
(14:33):
They wanted something to bewrong and I mean they spent
thousands of dollars just tohear what their fear was telling
them.
I said they'll spend thousandsof dollars to just hear what
(14:55):
their fear is saying.
I feel like Paul's in a prisonright there.
If you ride the voice of fear,you're going to ride in chaos.
But can I tell you you may notshout with me.
The waves of conflict and thewaves of chaos has never wet the
feet of the master hallelujah.
(15:17):
I wouldn't serve a God who wasfighting the same wave I am.
I want to serve a God thatknows how to get up and walk on
the water.
I want to get past it.
(15:42):
Would you listen to me?
When he walked into that roomand he told her?
He said, ma'am, all I want totell you, every test we ran is
totally negative, mister.
That's when negative soundsgood, and they, some of you,
(16:03):
mister.
That's when negative soundsgood, and there's some of you.
I said there's some of you.
You hate it when a doctor looksat you and says there's nothing
there, it ain't even existing.
And then you ask yourself howis it?
(16:25):
I want to tell you something.
I felt the Lord a couple ofweeks ago.
Deal with me.
It's a dark line, julian, butI'm the light of the world.
It's never diminished him, it'snever made him less light.
Hallelujah, look at this littlefat place of mine.
The darker it is, the brighterthe light shines.
(16:46):
Hallabos shandarabokorrabasande, you've got to
(17:13):
understand.
It's midnight, but it'sdaylight.
In my boat, when he walked intothat room, they scared to crank
me up.
When they walked into that roomWhile she anticipated defeat
and there's some of you liveWith that agnostic attitude
while she anticipated defeat andthere's some of you live with
that agnostic attitude I toldyou so.
(17:35):
You hate it when it ain't so.
Hallelujah, you ain't sayingamen.
Now are you mama?
I want to tell you, if fearruns the rudder of your life,
it's going to drive you into therocks.
(17:56):
It's going to dash your boat.
I feel like saying it Pray forme, honey.
Just because it happened before,it doesn't mean it's going to
happen again.
I'm not being vicious.
(18:22):
I'm not being vicious at all.
But I want to tell yousomething.
I'm not trying to be mean.
I know what it's like to lay onthe ground in the country of
Haiti with my skull wide open Ididn't know if my eye was in my
head, my arm broken, my teethknocked out and a gash across my
(18:45):
forehead.
I just looked over and I lookedstraight up in the sky and I
told the Lord, with bloodrunning down my face while it
was raining, and I said I stilllove you.
Ah, you ain't helping me preach.
You gotta love in spite of yougotta be committed in spite of.
(19:10):
If you're ever gonna come outof that storm, you gotta know
how to wash up in a storm.
Three things, and I hurry.
(19:30):
God spoke to me.
I pulled down commentaries andread commentaries.
I preached this scripture offand on for 42 years.
There's something God gave me acouple of weeks ago with this
text that I feel like preachingtonight.
When I pulled down commentaries, they couldn't feed the theme
(19:52):
that God was putting in me.
They wrote the history of it,but they couldn't read the theme
and I had trouble trying totrack with them.
But when I touched him I gotpast their theme of what they
were thinking and I got into themain vein.
(20:13):
God spoke these three words tome.
He said the violence of thestorm, the voices in the storm
and the visitor in the storm.
He said that's what I want youto preach.
I want you to know that theremust be a trusting in the storm
of our lives if there ever is tobe a coming out of the storm.
(20:36):
I'm telling you, it doesn'tmatter how you feel about it,
money can't buy peace, moneycan't buy joy.
Success is not born on the powerof good looks and fame and
fortune, but it is found in thepower of surrender.
It is found while beingexceedingly tossed.
(20:59):
There is a calmer who livesinside of me, the text said, and
being exceedingly tossed,exceedingly.
(21:26):
You understand that it can'tget no worse than this.
It can't get no worse than this.
Right here, boy, I feel likepreaching.
You gotta understand.
This ain't no bass boat.
This is a boat that housed 276prisoners, besides the staff and
(21:49):
the captain.
Hallelujah, I want to tell yousomething.
This was the village, this wasthe main ship, but I want to
tell you it ain't the size ofthe boat that matters.
It's the God that's watchingthe boat.
Hallelujah, listen to it.
(22:15):
The violence that's in thestorm.
Notice.
Paul said the ship had sufferedmuch damage from the storm.
Have you ever been in a stormwhere you felt like I'm standing
in the middle of this and I'mwatching it all fall to pieces.
I feel like I'm preaching tosomebody.
(22:36):
It ain't coming apart.
The boat around you may shaketo pieces, but the ship that the
captain's in it ain't comingapart may shake to pieces, but
the ship that the captain's init ain't coming apart.
Notice what he said.
(23:03):
He said after being exceedinglytossed with the tempest, the
storm that was chaotic, afterbeing exceedingly tossed with
the tempest, the storm that waschaotic, the wind that was out
of control and theuncontrollable forces that I
can't do nothing about.
And I'm going to preachsomething that's going to make
some of you mad.
It's going to make some of youglad.
You better shout happy that youcan't get involved in it.
(23:24):
Hallelujah.
Only those that understand aregoing to say amen to that.
What do you mean?
I can't get involved in it.
There's some storms God doesn'twant you to control.
God doesn't need yournavigation ability.
(23:47):
Hallelujah.
Somebody ought to say amen.
It doesn't matter what the nameof your real octodon is.
It's not important that youname it.
It's important that yousurrender in it.
(24:13):
The Bible says I love the wordof God, I'm trying to hurry.
Nahum said.
Chapter 1, verse 3, the Lordit's slow to anger, great in
power, and he will not acquitthe wicked Sinner.
You ain't getting by, coldheart.
(24:40):
You ain't getting by.
Your Heraclidon hasn't hit yet.
Hey, I got something to preachright here.
The Bible said that Paul got inthat boat and when he got in
there he said they obtained that, we had smooth sailing.
(25:00):
But then all of a sudden, outof nowhere, there came a storm
by the name of.
Let me preach to a backslider,let me preach to a sinner of the
path to hell.
It's going to be smooth asglass, but somewhere before you
(25:21):
get to hell, there's going to bea rock of dawn that's going to
come up in your world.
You better have Jesus on theboard of your life, the
(25:42):
consolation that's in the textthe Lord is slow to anger and
great in power and will notacquit the wicked.
Just in our land.
Sorry to bore you, but just inour land.
I ain't got no proof, just myown feelings.
(26:04):
Is that alright?
I believe OJ did it, I believeKarenJ did it, I believe Karen
Reed did it.
I believe there's a lot of junk.
That goes on.
They did it, and I read theheadlines where it said she's
acquitted.
(26:24):
That means there's no charges.
Sinner, backslider, don't readhell's paper.
It's full of lies.
Somebody say amen.
I said when he tells you it'ssmooth sailing, you better
(26:48):
listen to the preacher that'sstanding and saying hey, it may
look good, it may feel good, butthere's a storm out on the
ocean.
And he said he shall not acquitthe wicked.
(27:10):
That means you ain't getting by.
The Lord has his way in thewhirlwind I love this.
And in the storm, the cloudsare the dust of his feet.
You ain't gonna preach with meright here.
If God creates the storm, hemasters the storm.
(27:32):
He in turn looks believe it ornot, I love the Bible.
He not only proves himself tobe strong in the chaotic moments
of my life, but he proveshimself to be strong in the
chaotic moments of my life, buthe proves himself to be personal
(27:54):
in the trouble.
You ain't going to get it justyet.
God knows what to do with theworld.
Let me drop this in.
You can fake it until you makeit, but if you don't have it,
(28:17):
the wind's going to reveal it.
Somebody ought to say amen,hallelujah, hallelujah when God
tears down your little playhousebecause you wanted to have
something.
Now you realize you can't haveit.
You better be happy that youknow who he is, who knows how to
(28:39):
make you happy, who knows howto keep happy, who now has to
keep joy.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
I want to tell you the joy thatI have.
The world didn't give it to meand the world can't take it away
.
I want to tell you I feel likepreaching, you're afraid to say
it, but let me say it.
(29:00):
I may face you, rock of Dawn,you may face it, but the joy
that I have, the world didn'tgive it to me and the world
can't take it away.
Come with me quickly.
(29:28):
The voices that are in the storm, the violence of the storm and
the voices of the storm.
Have you ever been in themiddle of the wind?
I have.
I've been there when the windwhistled so strong until it
sounded like it had a voice init.
Physically, physically, I'veheard the wind whistle Until I
(29:54):
thought I heard something and Ilooked around and said it's just
wind.
Boy, howdy.
I wish some of you would lookat the devil and say my feet are
planted on solid ground.
Amen, our planet, on solidground.
(30:16):
You ever heard the wind and thevoices of the storm and lost
direction, and the only thingyou see is the howling of the
storm and the voices that arescreaming from the storm.
The devil wants you.
I jotted this down when it cameto me.
The devil wants you to hear thewind so he can drown out the
(30:41):
voice of hope inside of you.
He wants you to hear the voicethat speaks out of the whirling
wind and says chaos is your plot.
Hallelujah, brother.
Mickey, I want to quote what yousaid this morning, if it's all
(31:03):
right.
My wife told me about it, so Ithink it's legal for me to quote
it.
Ld Moore was the first one thatsaid it.
It's one thing to be in a stormand it's another thing to have
a nagger in the storm with you.
Come on, say amen.
(31:25):
She said why don't you curse Godand die?
Ld Moore said it many years ago.
He said why don't you curse Godand die?
Elie Moore said many years ago.
He said why don't you go first?
I wish that some of you wouldlook at the devil.
When he says why don't you quit?
Why don't you say you try first?
You ain't saying nothing whenthe devil says it ain't never
(31:54):
gonna work out If you keep going.
Why don't you tell him Go aheadand see, go ahead and try it.
I'm gonna tell you why I'mgoing on, because from this book
I have seen the end of it.
I may not see it tonight, I maynot feel it like I want to feel
it, but I have been prophesiedby this blessed book.
(32:17):
The saints shall win, theyshall overcome, they shall
triumph, and they that wait uponthe Lord shall man up with
wings, as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not die.
Hey, do the waiting.
(32:41):
Hey Do the waiting.
Let God handle the win.
You'll never see God Staring atyour toes, toes, but I heard
(33:33):
him when he said I'll neverleave you nor forsake me.
Sir ma'am, that's enough totread water.
That's enough to hold on in thewind.
That's enough to tell the rainthe sun is coming up in the
morning.
You know, there's some, as myold pastor says, they gripe that
their ice cream was cold.
(33:55):
There's just some folks youcan't make happy.
It don't matter what you givethem, no matter what you tell
them, happiness is just not inthere.
You put a little green back intheir hand, they get a little
(34:18):
happy, but it's like a drugaddict it's only for a little
while and they're back to grumpy.
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me.
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me.
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me.
(34:38):
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me and the
world can't take it away.
This joy that I have, my lostchildren didn't give it to me.
This joy that I have, thebackslider didn't give it to me.
(35:00):
This joy that I have, theworldly church didn't give it to
me and the worldly church can'tgive it to me, and the wily
(35:20):
church can't take it away.
Hallelujah, if you got the HolyGhost, you ought to have a shed
in your feet.
You ought to have a leap inyour heart and say I got to
(36:05):
hurry.
Don't you listen to me?
Don't you hear me?
Well, I've got pages of notesand I ain't got time to go in
them.
I'm going to hit the highlightand roll up past it.
I want to hit the third thing.
I want to deal with the visitorin the storm, because this is
where what makes preaching good?
(36:26):
Not because I'm preaching, butbecause he gave me something to
preach the violence of the wind,the voices in the storm, but
then, last but not least, thevisitor In that storm you going
(36:57):
to focus with me.
God never intended for thestorm to rob you, but the storm
to mold you.
Somebody I don't know who it wasaltogether sat in my office
today, said the worst thing inthe world that happened to
Albany, georgia, was the 1994flood.
(37:20):
I'm sorry, whoever that wasthat sat at my ear called it.
I disagree 100% with you.
The best thing that everhappened to Albany was the flood
.
You know why.
I ain't prejudiced.
If you are, you need to getsaved.
(37:41):
But let me tell you whathappened After the flood.
I saw flowers that I never saw.
I saw greener trees that Inever saw, hallelujah.
I saw grass that looked almostlike the book of Psalms in the
(38:08):
green pastures.
Man, oh man.
Sometimes a storm is the onlything that'll bring the beauty
out of your life.
I'm sorry I'm gonna make threequarters of you mad at me.
(38:31):
I wish I could crawl into thispiano and say it.
Some of you love darkness betterthan light.
Some of you would rather besick than whole.
Some of you would ratherbelieve a doctor than the Bible.
Some of you would rather take apill.
I'm not against you takingmedicine, but, man, I know
somebody better than medicine.
(38:52):
Go to that window.
I went into the hospital oneday.
When I went to the hospital Iwent to see a lady that went to
(39:16):
our church and when I got thereI knocked on the door.
The lights were on in thehallway, the sun was shining
outside.
I was feeling pretty good.
They want no rain and they wantno clouds.
They want no wind.
(39:36):
They want no storm.
Hey, some of you are scared toworship without a storm.
Y'all gonna help me, or?
Get mad Pick and choose rightquick like.
(40:00):
I knocked on the door and Iheard a weak voice on the other
side.
Come, in Come in.
I pushed the door open.
I said I pushed the door openand it was high noon outside.
(40:21):
It was midnight in the room.
I went in there and I said howyou doing?
She said not too good, I justcan't hardly.
She's the same one that got madat me, like some of you do.
Come on, help me, jesus, bereal sweet right here.
(40:47):
She missed church a few times.
Am I telling it right?
Finally, I called and told her.
I said hey, what's the matter?
Where you been?
She said I've been sick.
I said you're sick more waysthan one and I said well, I
didn't know it.
She said God tells youeverything else.
(41:09):
I thought he'd tell you I wassick.
I said apparently I didn't knowit.
She said God tells youeverything else.
I thought he'd tell you I wassick.
I said apparently you must notbe sick.
Huh, she was in the hospitaland I walked into that room and
(41:29):
she was weak and feeble.
I mean the devil could tell youyou're going to die tomorrow,
been reading the bible all yourlife and not even pay attention
that he owns the keys to death.
Hell and the grave.
Come on, perk up, you can wakeup in a minute.
(41:51):
To death, hell and the grave.
Come on, perk up.
You can wake up in a minute.
I walked straight over to thewindow where she was at laying
in that bed and I grabbed theold blind.
You know why we got them inthis church just like right now
(42:12):
someof y'all didn't like the
sunshine.
Huh, you know what she did,just like you just did.
That's bright.
I said that'll make you feelbetter if you get out of the
darkness of your mind, thedarkness of your emotions and
(42:36):
the darkness of your fears.
I said you ain't got it.
But listen to me Before I leftthat hospital room.
(42:57):
She wasn't weak voice, she wastalking loud.
I feel like telling somebodyyou can live in the Arachidon
and pay attention to thedarkness.
Or you can say I got a light onthe inside.
(43:27):
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
I want to talk to you before wesing the visitor in the storm.
Here is the consolation thatgives us all the assurance From
here on out, here on out, it maybe tough, but I'm not going
(43:52):
under.
They didn't say I wasn't goingto fight it, but it ain't going
to defeat me.
Anybody got another chair?
Hallelujah, come on, set itdown right down there in the
middle of the floor.
(44:12):
I'm trying to hurry and close,hallelujah, you know what makes
shouting really good?
It's what you got to want to toshout when you're in it.
You don't shout because you'reout of it.
You're shouting because you'reout of it.
You're shouting because he keptme through it.
(44:32):
I could just about see it.
Stay with me, the visitor inthe storm.
And I'm going to close.
Listen to what he said, verse23.
For there, stood by me In thestorm and I'm going to close.
Listen to what he said, verse23.
For there stood by me thisnight An angel of God, whom I am
(45:01):
, whose I belong to, whom Iserve, saying Fear Not Paul.
My shirt saying fear not Paul.
I'm telling you, the angelknows your name.
So how does that angel know myname?
(45:23):
Because I got a father whocares.
I was standing up in the porchof glory and he looked at me and
he said go tell Paul, don't beafraid.
It may be what the text said.
We didn't see no sun or stars.
It was midnight where we wereat, but the angel knew my name
(45:47):
and he knew where I was.
I could just see it.
(46:09):
If you know anything about theRoman ships, they were in stops
in the bottom of that ship andthey were chained to the oars
and they had to row for thatship to move.
Man, I'd rather be a prisoneron a boat with a promise than to
stand on the land with a devillying to me.
(46:32):
Ben, I need you to help me,because I'm about to close this
down in a second.
I need you to act like you'reout there on that boat.
I need you to follow me.
Being're out there on that boat, I need you to follow me being
exceedingly tossed with thetempest.
(46:54):
When you're tossed, you ain'tsitting still, but he said
somewhere in the middle of thatstorm.
It didn't say it touched him,he just told him.
He said Paul, I come to tellyou, don't be afraid, the boat's
(47:17):
rocking.
But you ain't.
The boat's in the storm, butyou ain't Paul.
Thank God, anyhow.
(47:46):
He said for an angel of God.
Thank God, anyhow.
He said for an angel of Godstood by me, whose I am and whom
I serve.
When I say this part and I callPaul, I want you to scream your
(48:07):
name as loud as you can.
Saying Fear not Paul.
Say it again.
That was weak as water.
Saying fear not Noah, noah.
(48:29):
I got a promise and a storm.
Listen to me, I gotta drop thisin before I close.
(49:11):
The Bible said hope deferred,making the heart sick.
But when desire cometh, it isthe tree of life.
Hope drives the fishermen tofishing all day.
Why?
Because my next cast may be mybest.
(49:32):
Hope May be my best.
Hope motivates the mostathletes to push in spite of the
pain and go on past thetraining and hope to be the
(49:54):
champion.
Hope drives the prisoner of warto dig tunnels and at risk
being caught, tormented, killed.
But hope, he said, will help meescape.
I ain't got time to read it all.
(50:15):
They said that thispsychiatrist.
I ain't got time to read it all.
They said that thispsychiatrist.
I love this.
I love this.
Cal Minglerger pointed out inhis dialogue about hope.
I told you this morning he said, of all the writings of the
(50:38):
Encyclopedia Britannica, he saidthere is not a column on hope.
He said there's one on love andthere's one on faith.
But, mister, you need hope tocome through the storm.
I'm going to lose threequarters of you right here.
I got to drop this in.
(50:59):
You say it's too much, but thestatement was made, two great
men that were novel writers, hgWells and George Bernard Shaw,
who were famously known for menthat were able to write.
Yet they rejected the message ofthe Bible and they trusted in
(51:20):
their own system of belief,which was based upon human
reasoning.
They could not find peace andlost confidence in what they
believed in.
Wells at his final end of hislife, labeled a screamer of
despair in 1950.
Shortly before Shaw died, hepenned the words I trusted in
(51:46):
science, and science is bankrupt.
Everything I ever hoped for,everything I'd ever put faith in
it's gone.
I love Hebrews for everythingI'd ever put faith in.
It's gone.
I love Hebrews.
Our hope is in Christ, hissteadfastness and His ability to
(52:19):
deliver me.
I normally don't read a lot.
1942, in his devotional of theabundant life, e Stanley Jones,
a missionary and a doctor toIndia, wrote these words.
The early Christian did not sayin dismay look what the world
(52:39):
has come to, but in greatdelight they said look what has
come to the world.
If you'd quit griping aboutyour storm and tell everybody on
your boat we're in it, butwe're coming out of it.
My last statement Come help meout here.
(53:12):
I've been holding this forweeks.
This is where I feel likeclosing.
(53:34):
The best is yet to come.
A woman diagnosed with aterminal illness.
She called on her pastor toplan her funeral and to set her
arrangements in order, had someideas about what she would hope
(53:58):
would happen, but she wasinsistent on but one thing while
he come to plan and talk, songsand message.
She had one goal, one purposeand one thought.
She said Pastor, I want to beburied with a fork in my hand.
(54:23):
He was startled at it.
He didn't know what to say toher and demanded an explanation.
And she said oh, it's quitesimple.
The woman said in all my yearsof attending church and church
socials and potlucks, I alwaysremember that when they clear
(54:50):
the dishes someone would saykeep your fork.
Someone would say keep yourfork.
It's my favorite part of thedinner because I know something
better is coming.
So I may be sick in body and Imay be in trouble, but put a
(55:13):
fork in my hand because I knowthe best is yet to come.
And with that the pastor made asolemn vow, a promise.
I promise you, when you leavehere, I'm going to place a fork
(55:39):
in your hand.
You can't see it now, but can Itell you in this house, when
that angel came by, where Paulwas sitting in that boat Come
here, angel Hallelujah.
And where Paul was sitting inthat boat.
I come to tell you in thishouse.
He didn't just show up to makeappearance.
(56:02):
He looked at him and said here,paul, here's your fork.
Hold on, something better'scoming.
Well, there's a promise comingdown your dusty road From the
holy hand healing virtues flow.
(56:23):
He knows he holds the key towhat you need.
I feel like telling somebodythe storm is not the end.
Speaker 1 (56:54):
It's taking me to a brand new beginning.
Would you lift your hands?
Speaker 4 (57:05):
This is Pastor Philip Steele from Pentecostal
Lighthouse in Pekin, illinois,and one of the contributing
members of the HPO team.
We're so glad that you joinedus today.
We pray that you've beenblessed, encouraged and uplifted
through this message.
May you continue to walkvictoriously in the hope of his
calling.
God bless.
Hello, this is Austin Griffiths, the pastor of Open
Praise Fellowship HolinessChurch in Easley, South Carolina
.
Thank you for listening toHoliness Preaching Online.
Let's take these truths ofGod's Word with us and apply
these biblical doctrines to ourlives.
I know you'll enjoy this sermonfrom a holiness preacher.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
I'm not a sinner.
I'm going to tell you I'm not asinner.
I'm going to tell you I'm not asinner.
I've been to Calvary.
I don't sin every day because Igot saved from sin.
Amen.
(01:03):
I feel the Holy Ghost in heretonight.
I'm generally have a littlemore singing, but I feel like
preaching.
Got your Bibles.
Go with me to an old, familiarstory in the book of Acts,
chapter 27.
And I pray God to help me topreach to you.
You should be good and restedup this afternoon, amen, amen.
(01:28):
And you should be ready tochurch.
Acts, chapter number 27.
Very familiar text.
I'm not going to read theentire part of the text because
you already know it, but I wantto pull something from this text
.
I'm not going to read theentire part of the text because
you already know it, but I wantto pull something from this text
(01:49):
that I've been wanting topreach for almost two weeks and
I shoved it back a few times ina few services and I thought I'd
let some of the youngerpreachers preach tonight.
Service rocks on God begin todeal with me.
So here we go, acts, chapter 27, verse number 18.
(02:12):
And we being exceedingly tossedwith a tempest, the next day
they lightened the ship, and thethird day we cast out with our
own hands the tackling of theship.
And the third day we cast outwith our own hands the tackling
of the ship and when neither sunnor stars in many days appeared
(02:34):
, no small tempest lay on us.
All hope that we should besaved was then taken away.
We'll read you one passage ofscripture.
Word of God said I willinstruct thee and teach thee in
(02:57):
the way which thou shalt go, andI will guide thee with my eye.
Hallelujah, I'm gonna preachtonight If the Lord will help me
.
Don't let the darkness disturbyou.
Don't let the darkness disturbyou.
(03:20):
Would you lift your hands?
Ask the Lord to help us here.
Amen.
(03:48):
It is a very familiar story toall of us.
If you've been in church at anylength of time, you have heard
the story of Paul's journey andthe Heraclodon that confronted
his life.
It is so moving at so manytimes in our lives that when we
were at our breaking point weturned to this text and we have
(04:12):
wept and cried and saidrepeatedly God, you brought them
through that storm, you canbring me through mine.
Amen.
It is so familiar until thegeneration that you and I live
in has lost the impact of whatthat situation was like and how
(04:35):
it applies unto our generation.
It may not be wind and rainthat you're facing, but it feels
like wind and rain.
It may not be an earthquakethat you're facing, but it feels
like wind and rain.
It may not be an earthquakethat you're facing, but it feels
just like you're up againstsomething and you don't know how
(04:56):
to come out of it.
Amen, but can I tell you thatthere is a God that understands
storms?
I don't know if you're going topreach with me or not.
Amen.
There's nothing no worse than toknow where you are today and
(05:17):
tomorrow.
I can't tell what the day'sgoing to be.
Like you ever been in that spot?
Let me ease into this.
And today you're standing herewith your hands raised, your
heart pumping with joy, yourspirit, and you're crying out I
love God.
But then, all of a sudden, outof nowhere, there comes a
(05:41):
Heraclidon in your life, comes aHeraclidon in your life, and
then you begin to wonder how isthis going to happen?
How's the end of this mattergoing to turn out?
Can I drop into your ear andlet you know the end belongs to
God.
It doesn't belong to you.
(06:02):
It's not meant for you todecide how the end is.
It is meant for you to bewilling to trust God all the way
to the end of it, hallelujah.
The devil is not only adeceiver of mankind, but the
(06:27):
devil is a master at suddenstorms.
But can I tell you again, hemay be a master at sudden storms
, but I know a God who is themaster of all sudden storms.
It ain't never took God bysurprise that you're in the
(06:48):
chaos that you're in.
It's never took God by surprisethat there is a wind blowing in
your world.
But can I tell you in thishouse, he's so big, he's so
mighty, he walks on the wings ofthe wind.
He knows how to handle the wind.
(07:20):
Hallelujah, oh, help me.
Tonight.
I am comforted with the fact.
Hallelujah, oh, help me tonight.
I am comforted with the factthat, out of all storms and
chaoses, that there is a passageof scripture.
I quoted it this morning.
He said I'll never leave younor forsake you, but I will go
(07:42):
with you always.
But I will go with you always.
Even somebody say amen, even tothe end of it, lift your hands.
I want you to help me, but.
(08:04):
I want you to help me, but Iwant you to listen to me.
You're in this storm.
You're in this place in yourlife where you wonder if God is
going to show up.
God, it's not a God that willwalk off and leave you because
(08:26):
your storm has come to crowdyour life.
I generally don't do this.
They'll get it fixed in aminute and I'll be happy and it
will make us all happy.
But can I tell you in thishouse, nobody in this building
is above storm life Nobody.
I don't care how long you'vebeen saved, I don't care how
(08:50):
long you've been in it, I don'tcare how much experience that
you feel like you have, you'restill not the master of the wind
or of the rain.
But there is a God in heavenwho says I'm not afraid of the
rain.
But there is a God in heavenwho says I'm not afraid of the
wind, I'm not afraid of thestorm.
(09:11):
I feel like preaching tosomebody.
You may say this is the worst,but God says it can be turned
into the best.
Lift your hands, love God.
Lift your hands, love God.
It's dark where you're at andvoices of discouragement speak
(09:39):
so loudly.
There's voices in that darknessthat screams at you.
You'll never see the end ofthis.
You'll never come out of this.
I want to tell you something inthis house.
It's only by the power and thespirit of God that we are able
to hear him.
Even in the storm there'svoices.
(10:09):
I feel like God dealt with mewith this two weeks ago.
There's voices in that storm.
There's voices in the darkness.
There's voices to be heard, andthat's the sad part about it
it's the fact that I can hear it, but I can't see it.
(10:29):
I can hear the voices, but Isure can't see it.
That is where torment sets in.
That's where the chaos startsriding high.
Can I tell you in this housethat there needs to be a
generation that has anexperience with God, that says I
(10:53):
hear voices, but I hear thevoice.
Amen, man, I wish I couldpreach how I feel.
I hear the thunder, but I heara thunder above the thunder.
Hey, hallelujah, I feel likepreaching to us that God's voice
is higher than the voice ofhell.
(11:13):
It's more mightier than all thevoices of the enemy.
Come on, get it right,hallelujah.
(11:44):
There's voices of defeat.
There's voices of defeat,there's voices of discouragement
, there's a voice of discontent,there's voices of
dissatisfaction, there's voicesof disbelief, there's voices of
despondency and there's voices.
I just want you dead.
All of these forces I feel likepreaching here All of these
(12:14):
forces come only with the impactto make you doubt God,
hallelujah.
It's amazing to me and I'mgoing to hurt your feelings.
It's kind of like that onelittle woman, woo.
She went to the doctor and shesaid I got physical problems,
(12:41):
brother Billy, and the doctorsaid we'll run tests to find out
what your problem is.
They put her in the hospitaland they ran every test that
they could run on her and theyall came back negative.
All came back negative.
And the doctor looked at herand said ma'am, I'm very sorry,
(13:04):
I wished I had something to tellyou, but what I do have to tell
you you're not dying.
Hey, I wish I could preach.
I come to tell somebody.
You may have heard a voice thatsaid you're going under, but can
(13:29):
I tell you that there is avoice in the middle of a storm
that says you can't go under.
I'm riding on a boat with you.
I dare somebody to shouthallelujah, I'm going somewhere.
(14:12):
Where's Canaan?
Listen to me, don't you listento me?
A doctor walked in that room,brother Rob and man I don't mean
listen to me.
A doctor walked in that room,brother, rob and man, I don't
mean to be critical, I don'tmean to be hard.
I had family members just likethis.
(14:33):
They wanted something to bewrong and I mean they spent
thousands of dollars just tohear what their fear was telling
them.
I said they'll spend thousandsof dollars to just hear what
(14:55):
their fear is saying.
I feel like Paul's in a prisonright there.
If you ride the voice of fear,you're going to ride in chaos.
But can I tell you you may notshout with me.
The waves of conflict and thewaves of chaos has never wet the
feet of the master hallelujah.
(15:17):
I wouldn't serve a God who wasfighting the same wave I am.
I want to serve a God thatknows how to get up and walk on
the water.
I want to get past it.
(15:42):
Would you listen to me?
When he walked into that roomand he told her?
He said, ma'am, all I want totell you, every test we ran is
totally negative, mister.
That's when negative soundsgood, and they, some of you,
(16:03):
mister.
That's when negative soundsgood, and there's some of you.
I said there's some of you.
You hate it when a doctor looksat you and says there's nothing
there, it ain't even existing.
And then you ask yourself howis it?
(16:25):
I want to tell you something.
I felt the Lord a couple ofweeks ago.
Deal with me.
It's a dark line, julian, butI'm the light of the world.
It's never diminished him, it'snever made him less light.
Hallelujah, look at this littlefat place of mine.
The darker it is, the brighterthe light shines.
(16:46):
Hallabos shandarabokorrabasande, you've got to
(17:13):
understand.
It's midnight, but it'sdaylight.
In my boat, when he walked intothat room, they scared to crank
me up.
When they walked into that roomWhile she anticipated defeat
and there's some of you liveWith that agnostic attitude
while she anticipated defeat andthere's some of you live with
that agnostic attitude I toldyou so.
(17:35):
You hate it when it ain't so.
Hallelujah, you ain't sayingamen.
Now are you mama?
I want to tell you, if fearruns the rudder of your life,
it's going to drive you into therocks.
(17:56):
It's going to dash your boat.
I feel like saying it Pray forme, honey.
Just because it happened before,it doesn't mean it's going to
happen again.
I'm not being vicious.
(18:22):
I'm not being vicious at all.
But I want to tell yousomething.
I'm not trying to be mean.
I know what it's like to lay onthe ground in the country of
Haiti with my skull wide open Ididn't know if my eye was in my
head, my arm broken, my teethknocked out and a gash across my
(18:45):
forehead.
I just looked over and I lookedstraight up in the sky and I
told the Lord, with bloodrunning down my face while it
was raining, and I said I stilllove you.
Ah, you ain't helping me preach.
You gotta love in spite of yougotta be committed in spite of.
(19:10):
If you're ever gonna come outof that storm, you gotta know
how to wash up in a storm.
Three things, and I hurry.
(19:30):
God spoke to me.
I pulled down commentaries andread commentaries.
I preached this scripture offand on for 42 years.
There's something God gave me acouple of weeks ago with this
text that I feel like preachingtonight.
When I pulled down commentaries, they couldn't feed the theme
(19:52):
that God was putting in me.
They wrote the history of it,but they couldn't read the theme
and I had trouble trying totrack with them.
But when I touched him I gotpast their theme of what they
were thinking and I got into themain vein.
(20:13):
God spoke these three words tome.
He said the violence of thestorm, the voices in the storm
and the visitor in the storm.
He said that's what I want youto preach.
I want you to know that theremust be a trusting in the storm
of our lives if there ever is tobe a coming out of the storm.
(20:36):
I'm telling you, it doesn'tmatter how you feel about it,
money can't buy peace, moneycan't buy joy.
Success is not born on the powerof good looks and fame and
fortune, but it is found in thepower of surrender.
It is found while beingexceedingly tossed.
(20:59):
There is a calmer who livesinside of me, the text said, and
being exceedingly tossed,exceedingly.
(21:26):
You understand that it can'tget no worse than this.
It can't get no worse than this.
Right here, boy, I feel likepreaching.
You gotta understand.
This ain't no bass boat.
This is a boat that housed 276prisoners, besides the staff and
(21:49):
the captain.
Hallelujah, I want to tell yousomething.
This was the village, this wasthe main ship, but I want to
tell you it ain't the size ofthe boat that matters.
It's the God that's watchingthe boat.
Hallelujah, listen to it.
(22:15):
The violence that's in thestorm.
Notice.
Paul said the ship had sufferedmuch damage from the storm.
Have you ever been in a stormwhere you felt like I'm standing
in the middle of this and I'mwatching it all fall to pieces.
I feel like I'm preaching tosomebody.
(22:36):
It ain't coming apart.
The boat around you may shaketo pieces, but the ship that the
captain's in it ain't comingapart may shake to pieces, but
the ship that the captain's init ain't coming apart.
Notice what he said.
(23:03):
He said after being exceedinglytossed with the tempest, the
storm that was chaotic, afterbeing exceedingly tossed with
the tempest, the storm that waschaotic, the wind that was out
of control and theuncontrollable forces that I
can't do nothing about.
And I'm going to preachsomething that's going to make
some of you mad.
It's going to make some of youglad.
You better shout happy that youcan't get involved in it.
(23:24):
Hallelujah.
Only those that understand aregoing to say amen to that.
What do you mean?
I can't get involved in it.
There's some storms God doesn'twant you to control.
God doesn't need yournavigation ability.
(23:47):
Hallelujah.
Somebody ought to say amen.
It doesn't matter what the nameof your real octodon is.
It's not important that youname it.
It's important that yousurrender in it.
(24:13):
The Bible says I love the wordof God, I'm trying to hurry.
Nahum said.
Chapter 1, verse 3, the Lordit's slow to anger, great in
power, and he will not acquitthe wicked Sinner.
You ain't getting by, coldheart.
(24:40):
You ain't getting by.
Your Heraclidon hasn't hit yet.
Hey, I got something to preachright here.
The Bible said that Paul got inthat boat and when he got in
there he said they obtained that, we had smooth sailing.
(25:00):
But then all of a sudden, outof nowhere, there came a storm
by the name of.
Let me preach to a backslider,let me preach to a sinner of the
path to hell.
It's going to be smooth asglass, but somewhere before you
(25:21):
get to hell, there's going to bea rock of dawn that's going to
come up in your world.
You better have Jesus on theboard of your life, the
(25:42):
consolation that's in the textthe Lord is slow to anger and
great in power and will notacquit the wicked.
Just in our land.
Sorry to bore you, but just inour land.
I ain't got no proof, just myown feelings.
(26:04):
Is that alright?
I believe OJ did it, I believeKarenJ did it, I believe Karen
Reed did it.
I believe there's a lot of junk.
That goes on.
They did it, and I read theheadlines where it said she's
acquitted.
(26:24):
That means there's no charges.
Sinner, backslider, don't readhell's paper.
It's full of lies.
Somebody say amen.
I said when he tells you it'ssmooth sailing, you better
(26:48):
listen to the preacher that'sstanding and saying hey, it may
look good, it may feel good, butthere's a storm out on the
ocean.
And he said he shall not acquitthe wicked.
(27:10):
That means you ain't getting by.
The Lord has his way in thewhirlwind I love this.
And in the storm, the cloudsare the dust of his feet.
You ain't gonna preach with meright here.
If God creates the storm, hemasters the storm.
(27:32):
He in turn looks believe it ornot, I love the Bible.
He not only proves himself tobe strong in the chaotic moments
of my life, but he proveshimself to be strong in the
chaotic moments of my life, buthe proves himself to be personal
(27:54):
in the trouble.
You ain't going to get it justyet.
God knows what to do with theworld.
Let me drop this in.
You can fake it until you makeit, but if you don't have it,
(28:17):
the wind's going to reveal it.
Somebody ought to say amen,hallelujah, hallelujah when God
tears down your little playhousebecause you wanted to have
something.
Now you realize you can't haveit.
You better be happy that youknow who he is, who knows how to
(28:39):
make you happy, who knows howto keep happy, who now has to
keep joy.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
I want to tell you the joy thatI have.
The world didn't give it to meand the world can't take it away
.
I want to tell you I feel likepreaching, you're afraid to say
it, but let me say it.
(29:00):
I may face you, rock of Dawn,you may face it, but the joy
that I have, the world didn'tgive it to me and the world
can't take it away.
Come with me quickly.
(29:28):
The voices that are in the storm, the violence of the storm and
the voices of the storm.
Have you ever been in themiddle of the wind?
I have.
I've been there when the windwhistled so strong until it
sounded like it had a voice init.
Physically, physically, I'veheard the wind whistle Until I
(29:54):
thought I heard something and Ilooked around and said it's just
wind.
Boy, howdy.
I wish some of you would lookat the devil and say my feet are
planted on solid ground.
Amen, our planet, on solidground.
(30:16):
You ever heard the wind and thevoices of the storm and lost
direction, and the only thingyou see is the howling of the
storm and the voices that arescreaming from the storm.
The devil wants you.
I jotted this down when it cameto me.
The devil wants you to hear thewind so he can drown out the
(30:41):
voice of hope inside of you.
He wants you to hear the voicethat speaks out of the whirling
wind and says chaos is your plot.
Hallelujah, brother.
Mickey, I want to quote what yousaid this morning, if it's all
(31:03):
right.
My wife told me about it, so Ithink it's legal for me to quote
it.
Ld Moore was the first one thatsaid it.
It's one thing to be in a stormand it's another thing to have
a nagger in the storm with you.
Come on, say amen.
(31:25):
She said why don't you curse Godand die?
Ld Moore said it many years ago.
He said why don't you curse Godand die?
Elie Moore said many years ago.
He said why don't you go first?
I wish that some of you wouldlook at the devil.
When he says why don't you quit?
Why don't you say you try first?
You ain't saying nothing whenthe devil says it ain't never
(31:54):
gonna work out If you keep going.
Why don't you tell him Go aheadand see, go ahead and try it.
I'm gonna tell you why I'mgoing on, because from this book
I have seen the end of it.
I may not see it tonight, I maynot feel it like I want to feel
it, but I have been prophesiedby this blessed book.
(32:17):
The saints shall win, theyshall overcome, they shall
triumph, and they that wait uponthe Lord shall man up with
wings, as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not die.
Hey, do the waiting.
(32:41):
Hey Do the waiting.
Let God handle the win.
You'll never see God Staring atyour toes, toes, but I heard
(33:33):
him when he said I'll neverleave you nor forsake me.
Sir ma'am, that's enough totread water.
That's enough to hold on in thewind.
That's enough to tell the rainthe sun is coming up in the
morning.
You know, there's some, as myold pastor says, they gripe that
their ice cream was cold.
(33:55):
There's just some folks youcan't make happy.
It don't matter what you givethem, no matter what you tell
them, happiness is just not inthere.
You put a little green back intheir hand, they get a little
(34:18):
happy, but it's like a drugaddict it's only for a little
while and they're back to grumpy.
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me.
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me.
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me.
(34:38):
This joy that I have, the worlddidn't give it to me and the
world can't take it away.
This joy that I have, my lostchildren didn't give it to me.
This joy that I have, thebackslider didn't give it to me.
(35:00):
This joy that I have, theworldly church didn't give it to
me and the worldly church can'tgive it to me, and the wily
(35:20):
church can't take it away.
Hallelujah, if you got the HolyGhost, you ought to have a shed
in your feet.
You ought to have a leap inyour heart and say I got to
(36:05):
hurry.
Don't you listen to me?
Don't you hear me?
Well, I've got pages of notesand I ain't got time to go in
them.
I'm going to hit the highlightand roll up past it.
I want to hit the third thing.
I want to deal with the visitorin the storm, because this is
where what makes preaching good?
(36:26):
Not because I'm preaching, butbecause he gave me something to
preach the violence of the wind,the voices in the storm, but
then, last but not least, thevisitor In that storm you going
(36:57):
to focus with me.
God never intended for thestorm to rob you, but the storm
to mold you.
Somebody I don't know who it wasaltogether sat in my office
today, said the worst thing inthe world that happened to
Albany, georgia, was the 1994flood.
(37:20):
I'm sorry, whoever that wasthat sat at my ear called it.
I disagree 100% with you.
The best thing that everhappened to Albany was the flood
.
You know why.
I ain't prejudiced.
If you are, you need to getsaved.
(37:41):
But let me tell you whathappened After the flood.
I saw flowers that I never saw.
I saw greener trees that Inever saw, hallelujah.
I saw grass that looked almostlike the book of Psalms in the
(38:08):
green pastures.
Man, oh man.
Sometimes a storm is the onlything that'll bring the beauty
out of your life.
I'm sorry I'm gonna make threequarters of you mad at me.
(38:31):
I wish I could crawl into thispiano and say it.
Some of you love darkness betterthan light.
Some of you would rather besick than whole.
Some of you would ratherbelieve a doctor than the Bible.
Some of you would rather take apill.
I'm not against you takingmedicine, but, man, I know
somebody better than medicine.
(38:52):
Go to that window.
I went into the hospital oneday.
When I went to the hospital Iwent to see a lady that went to
(39:16):
our church and when I got thereI knocked on the door.
The lights were on in thehallway, the sun was shining
outside.
I was feeling pretty good.
They want no rain and they wantno clouds.
They want no wind.
(39:36):
They want no storm.
Hey, some of you are scared toworship without a storm.
Y'all gonna help me, or?
Get mad Pick and choose rightquick like.
(40:00):
I knocked on the door and Iheard a weak voice on the other
side.
Come, in Come in.
I pushed the door open.
I said I pushed the door openand it was high noon outside.
(40:21):
It was midnight in the room.
I went in there and I said howyou doing?
She said not too good, I justcan't hardly.
She's the same one that got madat me, like some of you do.
Come on, help me, jesus, bereal sweet right here.
(40:47):
She missed church a few times.
Am I telling it right?
Finally, I called and told her.
I said hey, what's the matter?
Where you been?
She said I've been sick.
I said you're sick more waysthan one and I said well, I
didn't know it.
She said God tells youeverything else.
(41:09):
I thought he'd tell you I wassick.
I said apparently I didn't knowit.
She said God tells youeverything else.
I thought he'd tell you I wassick.
I said apparently you must notbe sick.
Huh, she was in the hospitaland I walked into that room and
(41:29):
she was weak and feeble.
I mean the devil could tell youyou're going to die tomorrow,
been reading the bible all yourlife and not even pay attention
that he owns the keys to death.
Hell and the grave.
Come on, perk up, you can wakeup in a minute.
(41:51):
To death, hell and the grave.
Come on, perk up.
You can wake up in a minute.
I walked straight over to thewindow where she was at laying
in that bed and I grabbed theold blind.
You know why we got them inthis church just like right now
(42:12):
someof y'all didn't like the
sunshine.
Huh, you know what she did,just like you just did.
That's bright.
I said that'll make you feelbetter if you get out of the
darkness of your mind, thedarkness of your emotions and
(42:36):
the darkness of your fears.
I said you ain't got it.
But listen to me Before I leftthat hospital room.
(42:57):
She wasn't weak voice, she wastalking loud.
I feel like telling somebodyyou can live in the Arachidon
and pay attention to thedarkness.
Or you can say I got a light onthe inside.
(43:27):
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
I want to talk to you before wesing the visitor in the storm.
Here is the consolation thatgives us all the assurance From
here on out, here on out, it maybe tough, but I'm not going
(43:52):
under.
They didn't say I wasn't goingto fight it, but it ain't going
to defeat me.
Anybody got another chair?
Hallelujah, come on, set itdown right down there in the
middle of the floor.
(44:12):
I'm trying to hurry and close,hallelujah, you know what makes
shouting really good?
It's what you got to want to toshout when you're in it.
You don't shout because you'reout of it.
You're shouting because you'reout of it.
You're shouting because he keptme through it.
(44:32):
I could just about see it.
Stay with me, the visitor inthe storm.
And I'm going to close.
Listen to what he said, verse23.
For there, stood by me In thestorm and I'm going to close.
Listen to what he said, verse23.
For there stood by me thisnight An angel of God, whom I am
(45:01):
, whose I belong to, whom Iserve, saying Fear Not Paul.
My shirt saying fear not Paul.
I'm telling you, the angelknows your name.
So how does that angel know myname?
(45:23):
Because I got a father whocares.
I was standing up in the porchof glory and he looked at me and
he said go tell Paul, don't beafraid.
It may be what the text said.
We didn't see no sun or stars.
It was midnight where we wereat, but the angel knew my name
(45:47):
and he knew where I was.
I could just see it.
(46:09):
If you know anything about theRoman ships, they were in stops
in the bottom of that ship andthey were chained to the oars
and they had to row for thatship to move.
Man, I'd rather be a prisoneron a boat with a promise than to
stand on the land with a devillying to me.
(46:32):
Ben, I need you to help me,because I'm about to close this
down in a second.
I need you to act like you'reout there on that boat.
I need you to follow me.
Being're out there on that boat, I need you to follow me being
exceedingly tossed with thetempest.
(46:54):
When you're tossed, you ain'tsitting still, but he said
somewhere in the middle of thatstorm.
It didn't say it touched him,he just told him.
He said Paul, I come to tellyou, don't be afraid, the boat's
(47:17):
rocking.
But you ain't.
The boat's in the storm, butyou ain't Paul.
Thank God, anyhow.
(47:46):
He said for an angel of God.
Thank God, anyhow.
He said for an angel of Godstood by me, whose I am and whom
I serve.
When I say this part and I callPaul, I want you to scream your
(48:07):
name as loud as you can.
Saying Fear not Paul.
Say it again.
That was weak as water.
Saying fear not Noah, noah.
(48:29):
I got a promise and a storm.
Listen to me, I gotta drop thisin before I close.
(49:11):
The Bible said hope deferred,making the heart sick.
But when desire cometh, it isthe tree of life.
Hope drives the fishermen tofishing all day.
Why?
Because my next cast may be mybest.
(49:32):
Hope May be my best.
Hope motivates the mostathletes to push in spite of the
pain and go on past thetraining and hope to be the
(49:54):
champion.
Hope drives the prisoner of warto dig tunnels and at risk
being caught, tormented, killed.
But hope, he said, will help meescape.
I ain't got time to read it all.
(50:15):
They said that thispsychiatrist.
I ain't got time to read it all.
They said that thispsychiatrist.
I love this.
I love this.
Cal Minglerger pointed out inhis dialogue about hope.
I told you this morning he said, of all the writings of the
(50:38):
Encyclopedia Britannica, he saidthere is not a column on hope.
He said there's one on love andthere's one on faith.
But, mister, you need hope tocome through the storm.
I'm going to lose threequarters of you right here.
I got to drop this in.
(50:59):
You say it's too much, but thestatement was made, two great
men that were novel writers, hgWells and George Bernard Shaw,
who were famously known for menthat were able to write.
Yet they rejected the message ofthe Bible and they trusted in
(51:20):
their own system of belief,which was based upon human
reasoning.
They could not find peace andlost confidence in what they
believed in.
Wells at his final end of hislife, labeled a screamer of
despair in 1950.
Shortly before Shaw died, hepenned the words I trusted in
(51:46):
science, and science is bankrupt.
Everything I ever hoped for,everything I'd ever put faith in
it's gone.
I love Hebrews for everythingI'd ever put faith in.
It's gone.
I love Hebrews.
Our hope is in Christ, hissteadfastness and His ability to
(52:19):
deliver me.
I normally don't read a lot.
1942, in his devotional of theabundant life, e Stanley Jones,
a missionary and a doctor toIndia, wrote these words.
The early Christian did not sayin dismay look what the world
(52:39):
has come to, but in greatdelight they said look what has
come to the world.
If you'd quit griping aboutyour storm and tell everybody on
your boat we're in it, butwe're coming out of it.
My last statement Come help meout here.
(53:12):
I've been holding this forweeks.
This is where I feel likeclosing.
(53:34):
The best is yet to come.
A woman diagnosed with aterminal illness.
She called on her pastor toplan her funeral and to set her
arrangements in order, had someideas about what she would hope
(53:58):
would happen, but she wasinsistent on but one thing while
he come to plan and talk, songsand message.
She had one goal, one purposeand one thought.
She said Pastor, I want to beburied with a fork in my hand.
(54:23):
He was startled at it.
He didn't know what to say toher and demanded an explanation.
And she said oh, it's quitesimple.
The woman said in all my yearsof attending church and church
socials and potlucks, I alwaysremember that when they clear
(54:50):
the dishes someone would saykeep your fork.
Someone would say keep yourfork.
It's my favorite part of thedinner because I know something
better is coming.
So I may be sick in body and Imay be in trouble, but put a
(55:13):
fork in my hand because I knowthe best is yet to come.
And with that the pastor made asolemn vow, a promise.
I promise you, when you leavehere, I'm going to place a fork
(55:39):
in your hand.
You can't see it now, but can Itell you in this house, when
that angel came by, where Paulwas sitting in that boat Come
here, angel Hallelujah.
And where Paul was sitting inthat boat.
I come to tell you in thishouse.
He didn't just show up to makeappearance.
(56:02):
He looked at him and said here,paul, here's your fork.
Hold on, something better'scoming.
Well, there's a promise comingdown your dusty road From the
holy hand healing virtues flow.
(56:23):
He knows he holds the key towhat you need.
I feel like telling somebodythe storm is not the end.
Speaker 1 (56:54):
It's taking me to a brand new beginning.
Would you lift your hands?
Speaker 4 (57:05):
This is Pastor Philip Steele from Pentecostal
Lighthouse in Pekin, illinois,and one of the contributing
members of the HPO team.
We're so glad that you joinedus today.
We pray that you've beenblessed, encouraged and uplifted
through this message.
May you continue to walkvictoriously in the hope of his
calling.
God bless.
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