In this sermon, the preacher shares a powerful testimony of a family who faced financial difficulties but refused to sue for help. The media became interested in their story, and it became national news. The preacher emphasizes that even in the midst of trials, God can use our situations to spread the gospel and bring glory to His name. He warns against relying solely on self-motivation and highlights the importance of relying on God's Spirit for deliverance. The sermon concludes with a call to give thanks and praise to God, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the Sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, P.O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas, 75771, or calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends. My message this morning, when the boat sinks. When the boat sinks. Go to Luke, the eighth chapter, please. Eighth chapter of Luke. Starting at verse 22, please. Luke 8, 22. Now it came to pass on a certain day that he went into a ship with his disciples, and he said unto them, let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed, he fell asleep. And there came down a storm on the lake. They were filled with water and were in jeopardy. And when they came to him and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the waters, and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, where is your faith? And they were afraid, wondering, saying one to another, what manner of man is this, where he commandeth even the winds and the waters, and they obey him. When the boat sinks. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the peace of God in my heart. I thank you for the touch of the Holy Spirit that's been promised. Lord Jesus, I come with what you have prepared for me to give to this people. And I pray, Lord, for that special unction and anointing that comes only from your hand. I acknowledge my total helplessness and total weakness to get through to this people. There's nothing I can say in my flesh that will have any impact on anyone hearing me. Now, I pray, Holy Spirit, that that impact come from you, that it come from the marvelous work of the Holy Spirit in a broken heart. And I pray that the word of the Lord will find its mark in our hearts. In Jesus name, amen. Jesus gets in the ship, in the boat of the disciples, and said, here we go, gentlemen, to the other side. And they launched forth, the Bible said. Automatically, we think, well, if Jesus is in the boat, he can't sink. Reminds me of an account I heard of a gentleman who got on a plane going toward Atlanta, and he noticed Billy Graham in the front section of the plane in the first class, and he was moving back, and he sat down, and in a sigh of relief, he said, I know there's going to be a good trip, God will never let this plane go down with Billy Graham on it. Must have been a good day when they started out on this sail across the sea. These were experienced sailors, and they knew how to read the sky. There was no dissent from anybody. And so what if a storm comes? Jesus is there, and nobody would believe that a boat can go down with Jesus on it. You don't believe a boat would go down with Jesus on it, do you? Shouldn't have said that. There came down a storm of wind on the lake. Sudden. Wind intensifies. The waves mount, pouring over the ship. Mark recorded, said the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. Full of water. Folks, the boat was sinking. Matthew called it a great tempest. He said the ship was absolutely covered with water. And they were filled with water and were in jeopardy. This was life and death. Their lives were at stake. They were in great peril. Now, you know the boats going down when experienced sailors say, we are dying, we are perishing, Master. We're going down. The ship is going down. They awaken him. He rises, faces the gale winds, and rebukes them. And, you know, the Father said, command ye me. He's commanding the Father, even though the Father sent the storm. And I'll prove that to you in just a moment. And the Bible said there's a great calm. And they arrive at the safe harbor on the other side and all is well. Now, we love these kind of Bible stories. We just love them because they have happy endings. Happy, happy endings. We just love it. It's a wonderful Bible story. The kids cheer when they find out that Jesus calmed the storm. And we say, how could, looking back, how could those disciples have ever doubted? Why the terror when Jesus is in the boat? Don't you know a boat can't go down with Jesus in it? In our minds, we assure ourselves. Now, look, the Lord is with me. I'm his child. I'm his servant. I have all the promises in the word of God. He's aboard my ship. The winds of adversity can blow, and these problems that come to my life, that's well and good, but I'm never going to be cast into those swirling waters because Jesus is on board my boat. Jesus is on my boat with me. Just at the right moment, the nick of time, Jesus will speak the word, and I'll be delivered. He's going to calm my storm in my home, in my life, my career. He's going to be right on time. We always sing about it. We preach about it. We talk about it. You say, well, that's what faith is all about. Faith is to motivate Jesus. Our faith, this is what it's all about, to be delivered from our storms and from the hardships and never to be overwhelmed and never be dumped into the sea of adversity. From our pulpits, we seem to be saying, and at times I think I have seemed to be saying, yes, a great storm is coming in these last days. There's going to be the storm of all storms coming, and the winds and waves are going to blow. The economy of the world is going to be broken. The former finance minister of France yesterday said that the United States stock market, in fact, he said it in more blunt terms than I ever have, that it is doomed. He said, and the economies of the whole world are doomed, setting us up, and he's talking about not knowing it, setting up a whole antichrist system of commerce. You can make sure that it's coming, and there are some people believe that we are not going to suffer. We're not going to, at the right time, just the right moment, God's going to deliver every one of His Christians. We're all going to be delivered. We're not going to suffer. We're not going to lose our homes, but that, folks, God forgive if that's the kind of impression I've left in my preaching. You see, the disciples, Paul talked about those who lost everything, the spoiling of all of their goods. And the time is coming, folks, in this storm that many, many people are going to suffer. But we Christians are like David, and when it comes to thinking about enduring a storm, he said, I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. And we perceive that that's what faith will do for us. It will deliver us from every tempest, every moment of suffering that this nation has gone through, that somehow we are going to be delivered while everybody around us is going to suffer, and we'll not have to suffer or endure anything. Now, please understand, it was God Himself who whipped up this storm. The devil had nothing to do with it. I'm going to show it to you and prove it to you beyond any shadow of a doubt. The Scripture said, He, speaking of God, commandeth and raises the stormy wind, which lift up the waves thereof, they mount up to heaven, they go down again to the depths. This is not the devil trying to kill Jesus and His disciples. God was going to use this storm to teach the Lord's disciples some marvelous lessons they could have never learned except in a life and death situation. They're going to learn, first of all, that they have to be stripped of all confidence in their abilities and their strength to get themselves out of a mess. You may be here right now in a real mess in your life, you've got a binding lust, you may be hooked on Internet sex, it may be anything. Two million Americans now hooked and it's getting worse, they say it could be ten million on the verge. And what about this self-motivation that is so common and popular today? If you just motivate yourself, get the right book, get the right tape, get to the right seminar, you're going to be able to pump up your flesh, you'll be able to conquer anything. That's a lie. And sometimes the storm comes to teach us that very lesson, and we are brought into an absolutely hopeless situation where we are driven to lesson number two, that if I ever get out of this mess, if I'm ever delivered, God has to do it by His Spirit. This is a hopeless situation, the boat is sinking, it's about to go down, and they are absolutely helpless, and the only thing they have left, the only option left is a cry to the Master. And that's what the New Covenant is all about, that's what the Holy Ghost has been teaching us in this church, and all willing to listen to it. The psalmist confirms that the storms are sent to bring us to our wit's end. For He commandeth and raises the stormy winds, they reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and they are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of all their distresses. Those who battle a besetting sin, those who are entrenched in some kind of a habit that has you bound, folks, it will bring you to wit's end. It will bring you to a place where you say, Father, I hate this. It will bring you, eventually, God will bring you to your wit's end. He'll allow a storm in your life to bring you to that place. He will bring a storm into your life to bring you to wit's end. And He does it out of love to bring deliverance to drive you to the cross and to the promises of His covenant. I can assure you, if you've not yet learned how impossible it is to conquer your own sins, if you've not learned that you can't do it in your flesh, if you haven't yet learned that your willpower cannot see you through the hardest temptations that are coming to this world, then be sure a storm is coming. God's going to bring you to your wit's end. And then at wit's end, when you cry out to the Lord, He said, I'll deliver you. That simple. What if Jesus had allowed the boat to sink? What if God wanted to refine their faith in even a greater fiery trial than they're going through now? Suppose He allowed the boat to capsize, and you see the boat go down, and suddenly everybody grabbing for an oar, they're grabbing for anything, and now some of them are experienced sailors, and I'm sure they could swim. There may have been some that could not swim, but suppose God, Jesus, had slept right through, and it's going down, it's sinking, the hull is already under water, it's going down, and they're all bobbing in the water. And Jesus is right there with them. And the Lord says, brethren, swim. Everybody swim. You can't picture Jesus swimming, can you? You can't picture Jesus sweating and huffing and puffing and sharing the problem and the pain and the suffering of these men now because they're going through a storm and He's trying to teach them something. See, it's one thing to see the majesty and omnipotence of Almighty God. It's another thing when you see Him sweating with you. It's another thing when you see Him walking through the storm with you, and you come up the other side drenching wet, and there He is embracing you with the same drenching wet, and He went through the problem with you. I thank God for the omnipotence of God who can speak the Word and calm any storm. And yes, you do learn of the omnipotence of God, and it rejoices you praise God you worship. But it's another thing to so fall in love with Him and see the human side of our Almighty God in the flesh of Jesus Christ who in your storm says, we're going through this together, your boat's going down, but I'm going to touch you and empower you. You're going to swim ashore, not in your strength, but in mine. Would it have been any less of a miracle to be delivered from the storm or through the storm? To have survived the storm in a shipwreck, and to know that you have experienced something with Jesus of fellowship and suffering because He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, and how is He touched with the feelings of our infirmity unless He's swimming with us? Hallelujah. Am I saying to you this morning that a Christian who's walking in purity and holiness, walking in the Spirit, fully trusting God, can end up in a sinking ship and cast into a raging sea? Absolutely. That's exactly what my message is about when the boat sinks. You see, Jesus did go down with one of His chosen, a boat that He allowed to break up. Jesus went down with a ship. You say, heresy. No, no, no. One of the most exciting chapters in all the Bible is Acts 27. Go there, please. Acts 27. I'll show you. Jesus went down in a boat. 27th chapter of Acts. Just keep it open there, if you will, please. 27th chapter of Acts is all about a boat that sank with Jesus on board. The same Christ who calmed the sea for the disciples now allows the storm to continue and finally sink the ship. Now, folks, in this chapter, verse 1, when it was determined that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners onto one named Julius, the centurion of Augustus' band, and entering into a ship, we launched, meaning to sail to the coast of Asia. Now, the purpose is, he is to go, he's appealed to Caesar, and the Lord has said, really mandated him. He said, Paul, be of good cheer, for as you have testified of my... This is Acts 23.11. For as you have testified of me in Jerusalem, so must you bear witness also in Rome. Look at me, please. Many scholars believe that Luke was with him, and Luke was the one who recorded all these details. We do know that there are 276 people, including Paul, on this boat, and they're headed toward Rome. Now, I want you to know that God selected every prisoner. He selected the captain, he selected the boat, he selected the centurion, because he got a purpose. There's something going on here beyond anything our minds can conceive. There's an incredible plan unfolding in the 27th chapter of this. We know that before the ship leaves the port to get to Rome, it's going to land there, because God said, you're going to go before Caesar. Now, God can't lie. If he says, you're going to go to Rome, you're going to testify to Caesar, he's going to end up in Rome, and he's going to end up testifying to Caesar. You know he's going to get there. Now, you know now from what I've read to you that God commands the winds, correct? He's the one who lifts the waves and lowers the waves. He's the one that whips the storm. He's going to go there, the Bible says, to witness for Christ. Oftentimes, and listen closely now, oftentimes the severe storms are raised upon the most righteous. Did you hear it? The most severe storms are usually reserved for the righteous. Somebody going through a storm, you think the devil's doing it. No, no, no, no, no, God's doing it. God's accomplishing something far beyond you can conceive of. When you see it, you'll rejoice in it. I'm going to show you how Paul rejoiced while the boat was going down. You see, Paul is the one who unveiled the new covenant. Here's a man who's totally dead to the world. He's walking in full revelation power. He lived for nothing but the gospel. He's pure. He's holy. He's given to prayer. He's full of faith. He's obeying God. He's in the center of God's will. And yet a tempestuous storm is called, is raised, called your Rockland, your Rockland. And it swamps the ship. Acts 27, verse 14. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Eurocliden. They must have named their hurricanes way back then. This was some hurricane. Now, please fix it. Mind that Jesus is on that boat. Didn't Paul say, Nevertheless, I'll live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Didn't he say he was joined to Christ, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, that he's a part of his body, the body, the heads in glory, and he is on the boat so that he's connected to the head. Jesus is on that boat. How many can agree with that? A good amen, perhaps. Jesus is on that boat. You say, If Jesus is on that boat, he can never go down. And being exceedingly tossed, verse 18. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day we lighted the ship. They lighted the ship, verse 19. And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. The ship is in trouble. The ship's about to go down. And verse 20, And all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. Now, folks, God is whipping up this storm. He's allowing a furious agitation. That's what a tempest means, a furious agitation. Are you going through a furious agitation? Your husband, you say, Yeah, he's, I've got a furious agitation. My wife, my family, my job, yeah, furious agitation. The tempest. What's this all about? Is Paul being chastened? Absolutely not. He is not being chastened. Is God teaching him lessons? No, God's not teaching Paul any lessons. This man's been through this kind of stuff before. He's not being taught any lesson. Now, if you doubt that God whipped up that storm, then you listen to these verses. Perfectly clear. Psalm 135, 7. He maketh lightnings for the rain. He brings the wind out of his treasuries. Psalm 147. He giveth snow. He cast forth his ice. He causes the wind to blow and the waters to flow. Psalm 148. Fire, hail, snow, vapor, stormy wind fulfilling his word. The storm is fulfilling his plan and his purpose in Paul's life. For he, the Lord, hath gathered the wind up in his fist. I could go on and on. There's scripture after scripture proving that God controls the winds and the waves. At what point now, the boat's in trouble, it's about to sink. At what point is Christ in Paul going to rise up, wake up? And when is Paul going to go out to the bow of the ship and look into that gale's face and say, Calm! Peace! Enough! And the calm comes just as it did on the sea with the disciples. What is that just nicotine deliverance? No, instead, Jesus did appear to Paul. He did speak to him. And this is what he said. Verse 22. Now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life, but of the ship. What he's saying, Paul, the ship's going down. The ship is going to sink. Uh-huh. With Jesus and Paul, maybe Luke on board. Uh-huh. The boat's going to be broken into pieces. So, he gathers everybody on deck. He gathers everybody on deck. And he says, there stood by me an angel of God, whose I am and who I serve. All of the prisoners, all of the soldiers, the centurion, the captain, everybody is there. And Paul said, I've heard from God, the Lord appeared to me. He stood by me an angel. Now, that is Jesus, because Paul's worshiping me, and you don't worship an angel. That has to be Jesus. And he calls to me, he says, brethren, everybody be of good cheer. The boat's sinking. Good cheer. My boat, the captain says, my boat, tons of wheat. That's my livelihood. All going down. Good cheer. The boat's going to sink. But, not one of you will get lost. Every one of you is going to come out of this. Good news and bad news. Good news for those who can swim. Bad news for those who can't. Folks, I can't swim. When I was a kid, somebody threw me in the water, and I almost drowned. They had to pump me out, and I've been afraid of the water ever since. I don't even like to look at it. And if I'd been on that boat, and I'll tell you that God led that boat right into a sandbar, and the waves are coming, and it's stuck, and the back end of the boat broke, and the Lord broke it in enough pieces to handle 275. There had to be at least 275 pieces of boat. Because the command came from the captain, everybody can swim. Jump and swim for your life. Go to the shore. I would have grabbed the biggest piece of lumber I could find. And I'd be in that. I'm not trying to be facetious, but I'd be there in the water, and Paul's there swimming, praising the Lord. Thank you for the word, Lord. We're all going to be saved, not one. 276 heads bobbing in those waves. And if he passed me by, I'd say, Paul, wait a minute. This is not Luke 8, 22, 24. Paul, what about Psalm 91? All those promises that he'd deliver me. This is not deliverance. Paul said, David, thank God for your board. You better kick and get to shore. Came to pass, they all escaped, all safe to the shore. All right, folks, these things were recorded by the Holy Ghost for our learning. What are we going to learn from this story? Now, let me share what I believe the Holy Spirit showed me on this. I have sought God diligently. You're not a storyteller. There's a purpose. What divine scheme? What is this all about if it's for our learning? Now, folks, please remember the time frame on this. The devil already got his proclamation that God was going to build his church. And he's building a church on the testimony of men just like Paul and the apostles. The New Testament church was going to be built on Christ the Rock. His gospel was going to be preached to all the world. And Paul's been called to minister to the Gentiles. Here is the chief planter of churches. A man with a divine purpose who's been trained to suffer for the sake of the gospel. He's been chosen to go to the Gentiles. And the Lord knows that the devil, this is warfare. He's going to come against the church. He's going to come against every one of God's chosen. He's going to come against men like Paul. He's going to come against every child of God who seeks the Lord, every member of his body. Those who walk in righteousness and holiness. The enemy is going to come with winds of adversity. He's going to come with all kinds of difficulties and problems. And try to kill and destroy with messengers sent to buffet. And I believe God has masterminded a glorious theater. Paul said, we are made spectacles to man, to angels, and to the whole world. That word spectacle in Greek is theater stage. A play. Now, once you know and listen closely, some of you may wonder that you may not see it, but I see it. Because Paul is not being taught a lesson. The devil's being taught a lesson. This is a stage where every demon in hell, every prince of power and Satan himself is commanded to attend. And God has the script all written out. I call it sea spectacle. Or Paul's trip to Rome. And every prince of power and power of darkness is called to watch this scene. And they sit and watch as this is not the devil at work. The devil is being taught a lesson. God's going to show something. Because he knows the devil has plans and devices against his church. And he takes a man, just as he did with Job, to set an example. You talk about theater. That was great theater. Of Almighty God to show the devil and all the imps of hell. Even though you're slamming, you're going to trust the devil. You're going to trust me. God sets this stage. He puts Paul in the middle of this sea. And he allows a raging storm to come. And these devils and demons and folks, surely there's conversation in that spiritual world. First of all, they see this stage, this theater being opened up. And Paul is getting on board with 270-some prisoners and hard-bitten soldiers. And a centurion who is determined to get these prisoners to Rome. And I imagine if they could clap, they were clapping. Good. Paul's going to get mocked and stomped and ridiculed by these. Let's see how much religion he gets. How much religion Paul has. And the devil doesn't know the next scene because he's not omniscient. He doesn't know what God's about to do. He doesn't know Paul's going to enter shipwreck. But all the witnesses, the Bible said there are witnesses in the spirit world. These witnesses watch as the Lord takes every device of the devil. He's not using the devices of the devil. He's exposing the devices of the devil. And can you imagine the consternation when suddenly every demon in hell, devil himself, said, This is not fair. This is not good fighting. This is unfair. Because now nobody's going to be ignorant of our devices. What does he do? He puts him in the middle of a shipwreck. The Lord puts him right there in a shipwreck and they say, Wait a minute, that's our job. We're the shipwreckers. All hope is gone. We are robbers of hope. If you follow the story, you will see every device of the devil being exposed. All hope is gone. That everything that the enemy could throw at you is being thrown at Paul. Shipwreck. Can you imagine the consternation of all the powers of hell? And the boat is breaking and Paul goes down to the water and the powers of hell say, He's going down. This will get him. He's going to be overwhelmed. And suddenly, hell is shaking because Paul's not going down. And they're getting the message now. They're getting the message. All hell is getting the message that God is saying to the devil, You come against my people. I'm going to show you what happens. When all through eternity till I return again, every time you come against my people, every time they go down in the waters of swirling waters of turmoil, despair, whatever it may be, I'm going to put a promise in their hands and send them right through to the shore. They're going to reach their destination. But that's only half the story. Here's the real hooker. Here is what sends shivers through all the caverns of hell. Every prince of power and power of hell had to shake and tremble because Paul crawls out of the water and he holds a communion service and he begins to praise the Lord. And there are 276 people praising God. Now, folks, I want you to listen to me now and listen closely. God really put this on my heart. Paul is led to the house of the leader. This is just a little isolated island. Melita. And there's a little, I call him a tin horn leader. I'm not deprecating him. These are the barbarians and they take him to the leader to publish his house. And Paul is asked to pray for the father and he's healed. And you know, for me, I said, Lord, you said Caesar, not here. You said Rome, senators, politicians, the leader of the whole world, the most powerful leader of all. You said, I'm going to testify before Caesar. And here you are putting me on an isolated island with a bunch of barbarians. And I want you to know that when God detours you from some great plan he called you to, and that plan seems shipwrecked to you and you're on some detour. I'm telling you that that detour is going to be the greatest seeding time of your life. Paul doesn't know it, but he's seeding the whole Roman Empire with the gospel because now when he goes to Rome, he's got 276 witnesses to the healing power of Christ. He's got 275, 276 witnesses to deliverance from the powers of hell. They have all seen how God can keep his children. And when Paul finally gets to Rome, it's not just one man. He's got an army of witnesses. The captain goes to the owner of the ship that was lost in all the hundreds of tons of wheat. And he tells the story, this amazing story. And all the other captains gather around. Can you imagine all the captains? Can you imagine that whole seaport abuzz? Can you imagine when the centurion goes back to his captains and his leaders and his sergeants and he tells this amazing story? This man served a man called Christ. His God was Christ. This Christ delivered us. Every prisoner, I'll tell you, there's an underground in prison. It spreads like fire. It has nothing to do with prison, but gossip. And I'll tell you, that gossip went all over every prison in Rome and every prison in the Roman Empire, every trader that came by, every ship that went out of port. This amazing story, this amazing story was told. 276 witnesses. You see, he was seeding the Roman Empire. Paul never complained. Through it all, he believed God. Are you seeing what I'm seeing? This spectacle unfolds now. Everybody swam for the life. And this final act of the spectacle, this final act of theater now ending in a healing crusade, they brought people from all over the island to be healed. Can you imagine those soldiers watching the cripples walk? Can you imagine? I honestly believe that many, many of them were genuinely saved. No wonder Paul, when he was there, he said, many are preaching Christ with contention. Who were these many that were preaching Christ with contention? In other words, they were still contentious, but they were telling the story. Where would they have come from but from this experience with Paul? God is saying, you touch my anointed, you put my anointed in the hospital, and they're going to testify to every doctor, they're going to testify to every nurse, they're going to get the whole place all ablaze about Jesus. You take away from my children their houses and their lands and their furniture and all their possessions, and they're going to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and people are going to see that good cheer in spite of the loss of everything, and they're going to want to know who this Christ is, and I'll just use that experience to spread the gospel to neighbors and to everybody else. Devil, go ahead and try it, but you're going to cause a revival. You're going to cause a great moving and stirring of my spirit. A pastor friend of mine in Colorado sent me newspaper clippings. In fact, he's on my staff, works with me in Colorado on our newsletters that go out throughout the country. He sent me a copy of headlines in Colorado. A man and wife, wonderful godly people in their church, had two teenage daughters crossing the road early in the morning. It was still dark, a four-lane highway to get to the bus stop, the school bus stop across. A police officer, a Christian, coming up over the hill, didn't see them, killed them both instantly. And the newspapers came down on the policemen. They came down, and everybody was saying, sue them for everything you can get, make millions, get after this guy. You see, this police officer was a Christian who went to schools teaching kids about drugs, to stay off drugs, and also about traffic problems. And he was beside himself in despair. You see, the boat sank. But rather than sue, they asked him to come visit their home. And they knelt and prayed, laid hands on him and prayed that God would comfort him. Now, we got involved, this church got involved to help some financially with some expenses. They refused to sue. Newspaper reporters came from everywhere, radio, television. Everyone couldn't believe that this family, this police officer who spoke at the funeral, with tears of the grace of God and how God brought them together through the whole thing. And these people testified to all the school, to everybody. It hit the whole, it was on national news. You see, the devil tried to come, sink the boat, throw them in the sea, destroy them. But God said, no, no, no, I gave you an example, devil. You remember, Paul? You remember this? I showed you what would happen. And the gospel spread everywhere. What a testimony it was. Hallelujah. Now, I want to get to the point, and I'm going to close in just about four or five minutes. This spectacle is for our learning also. This theater, this divine theater is for your learning and mine. You may be on a sinking ship right now. Your marriage could be sinking. You may have already gone through this. Your boat broke up a long time ago, and you're still swimming for your life. You're swimming, though you know it's not in your own strength. You know that God is giving you that strength. Did your marriage break up? Did you survive the shipwreck of the loss of a loved one? Was a loved one taken from you? I was on a plane coming from Florida this past year. And a lady, a young lady sat next to me, and she was crying. And I said, could I help you? Is there a problem? I said, I'm a minister. I would like to help you. And she said, well, my father is 75 years old, and I just visited him in Florida. He was healthy, never a sign of pain or anything. And suddenly, I find he's cancer ridden, and he's full of cancer, and he's dying. He just has a few weeks to live. And she said, you're a minister? I said, yes. She said, I can't serve a guy who does that to people. Takes a healthy man. He's a good man. My father's never hurt anybody. I can't understand. I can't serve a God who would take my father. And she had a bitterness, and she had an anger in her heart toward God. Did God give you a word, and he told you of some important work he wanted you to do for his kingdom? He said, I'll equip you. You'll be able to do it. And now, it could have been a dream. It could have been something in your career. I don't know what it is, but the Lord has put this on my heart that someone needed to hear this this morning. All week, I felt that there would be people in this service this morning who feel like you're in a sinking ship. Or maybe your ship is already broken up. And you know God spoke a word to you. God made you a promise. And something he wanted you to do or something we're going to use you to do. And here you are now detoured. You're in an isolated situation like Paul. Isolated. And it's not that dream at all. It's not even an image of it. There's some ferocious agitation taking place. There's a tempest that came. And now here you are wondering if you even heard right. I want to tell you something. Our part when that happens is to trust in God completely that the goal is important, but the journey is just as important. Getting there and how you get there matters to God. You know you can get there if you're going to go calmly and get there. When you get there, you just praise the Lord. But oh what a powerful testimony. When you've been tested and tried. Isolated. Your dream dies. Everything seems to be gone. And now you're in a very small circle. Wondering if you're doing any good. Wondering if you're ever going to reach that goal. I'll tell you what the Bible said. If you will believe as Paul did and be of good cheer. Cheer up. Let everybody around you see the smile of the Holy Ghost in you. Don't go around murmuring and complaining. God made me a promise it didn't work out. Everything I do turns wrong. It's never working right. Everything is out of control. That is not the testimony. The testimony. You and I are. The Bible said we're spectacle to angels, to the whole world, to the devil. We are spectacle. We are stage. And they're watching you. Men are watching you. People on the job. Your family. They're watching how you react when your boat sinks. Can you get along with him as Paul? And come out and say, I heard a word from God. No matter what happens, I'm going to survive. And I'm going to reach my goal in Jesus' name. I'm going to reach it. Will you stand, please? Hallelujah. Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness. You will deliver your people. Out of the storm. Through the storm. Through the waters. Lord, there's some people that have lost their job. Lost their career. People, Lord, that are on the verge of losing their vision. Some, oh Lord, who can't understand the path that you're leading them into. Lord, everything was going so good. It looked like the goal was in sight. And then suddenly this diversion, oh God, help us to understand that that diversion is the perfect will of God. That the steps of a righteous man or woman are led of the Lord. God is leading. God will not forsake. Deliverance is not out there. Deliverance is now, right now, in what I'm going through, this hardship. Jesus is with me. God is with me. The Spirit of God is with me. And I'm moving on in faith. Moving on in faith. Hallelujah. You may be here for the first time. You may be a visitor. Or you may be a part of this body. But you've been going through it. You have been really going through a storm. A hard time. And you've had a fear that you're going down. That everything's going to be lost. You just have a fear, that sinking sensation, that you're going down. And you need a touch from the Lord. You need your faith to be built. Your faith is just wavering right now because you say, Pastor Dave, I am going through it. You know, you can be a tourist here, visiting New York, looking at all the buildings and stuff at Broken Heart. You can have people all around. You can laugh and they think everything's all right. But deep inside, you're going through it in your home, your marriage, your job, finances. There's something going on and God knows it. He wants to deliver you. He wants to go with you. Pardon my expression, but swim with you. Now, I know that there can be, sometimes God allows storms to chasten us. Because of our disobedience. That's what he did to Jonah. I don't care if the storm is because of a chastening process. I don't care. If you're a holy, righteous person, you're going through it. If you'd like to have our prayers, step out of your seat and come and stand here now. And with those that are coming, come also those of you who are not right with God. Those who are backslidden. Those who don't know Jesus. Those who just say, Pastor Dave, something in this service this morning was meant for me. And I'm not leaving here until I have the fullness of what God intended for me to receive by coming here this morning. Get out of your seat and come and join these. Move in tight and make room for those. And in the annex, will you please go forward and go between the screens right there. So I can pray. I'll pray with you. Don't go in front of the screen, but on the side. So you won't block the view of those around. It never ceases to amaze me how the Holy Spirit knows right where you'll be. At the right time. At the right place. Hear just the word he wants for you. I am amazed at that constantly. Some of you hear it now. God just wants to encourage you. He wants to remind you of his faithfulness. That no matter what comes, don't accuse the devil of everything from now on. Say, Lord, anything that comes my way. The testing and the trials and everything. You hold the winds in your hands. But oh God, you also hold me in your hands. You hold me in your hands. Hallelujah. I'm going to ask all of those who came forward. In fact, everyone listening to me right now before we close this service. I want you to lay hold of most of you who go to church and faithful in the house of God. You have scriptures that God gave you. There may be a favorite one that you've had. You've forgotten. I want you right now to lay hold. That's called getting a hold of a plank. Get a hold of a board right now. Get a hold of a piece of a broken ship, whatever. And get a hold of a promise of God right now. And lay hold of that promise right now. If you don't have one, I'll give you one. All things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to his purpose. Lay hold of it and claim it right now. If you're here now to receive Christ, if you're here now to confess that your faith has been weak and you're asking the Lord, touch my faith. You know, that's what the man prayed, Lord. Heal my faith. Encourage my faith. Give me faith. He'll do that this morning. Heavenly Father, I pray for a miracle now. I pray that you will help us to not worry about getting above the storm, but just getting through the storm with you. Getting right through the storm, Lord Jesus. And let us not get angry with you because the storm continues. Lord Jesus, if it continues, if the storm goes on, there's a greater testimony coming. There's something glorious going to come out of it. Hallelujah. If we will trust you, pray, seek your face, you will deliver by your power and by your grace. I want everybody, everybody that's a Christian, everybody going through a battle, everybody going through a storm, just lift both hands, Lord, and pray this prayer with me right now. Dear Jesus, I've been in a storm. I've been in trouble. I've been abused by the devil. But I know you're on the throne. And the Bible says, you sit king over the flood. You're king of all the floods. Take all fear out of my heart. Put faith in my heart. I believe you, Jesus. Put cheer in my heart that I can share it with others. And be the testimony you want me to be. Now just thank him. Give him thanks. Lord, I give you thanks. I give you praise. Blessed be the name. Greatly to be praised. This is the conclusion of the message.