I want to read to you today and share a
message that I'm gonna call it survival kit from while in quarantine we turned
last few messages into a series and we're gonna call it while in quarantine
and so if you have if you're on internet you can actually have all the notes
given to you on hungrygen.com/notes or you can go to Bible app
and click on events and find them there they will disappear within one week but
they will still be available on our website under the sermon page Acts
chapter 27 verses 23 and verses 24 for there stood by me this night an angel of
the Lord of whom I belong and whom I serve saying do not be afraid Paul you
must be brought before Caesar and indeed God has granted you all who sail with
you therefore take heart men for I believe God and it will be just as
it was told me I think that this season of people dying in being infected fear
lingering in our nation everywhere and I think one of the worst sufferings for
those of you or of us who don't get this disease is that we are suffering and
will be suffering the consequences of financial recession with a lot of jobs
that are being closed down with a lot of businesses laying people off and with a
lot of employees losing their income and being able to tap into their
savings if they have any I think that is a suffering that most of us will come
under also even if we're not infected or we don't come in contact with
coronavirus every person to some degree is suffering we have to understand where
suffering came from God didn't plan suffering God did not intend
suffering Satan used sin to infect the world
with suffering all the suffering can all be linked to sin in the garden but I
find it interesting that God used suffering to bring salvation to humanity
see devil uses sin to get us into suffering and God uses suffering to get
us into salvation if it wouldn't be for suffering on the cross there will be no
healing there will be no salvation there will be no peace there will be no
Redemption and so while suffering came because of sin we must understand
there's a redemptive healing power in suffering in Jesus's suffering it took
his death it took his pain it took him dying on the cross it took
him experiencing extreme financial poverty where they took his clothes away
from him when the Bible says he went thirsty because he says I thirst he was
hungry for at least 24 hours because when he got arrested they didn't feed
them he went through abject poverty he went to rejection he went through
isolation he went through betrayal and he went through abuse he went through
that suffering and it was that suffering God used to bring Redemption salvation
and healing to humanity so while I hate suffering while I know that suffering
really comes from sin I also understand that he was suffering God used to bring
healing to bring deliverance and to bring blessing on earth and Paul says to
Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 3 he says you therefore as a good soldier
of Christ endure suffering the Bible says those who believe in God they will
experience suffering now we're not talking about the suffering that we are
experiencing right now because these sufferings God helps us to overcome the
suffering that is mainly talked about in the New Testament is the suffering of
persecution the suffering we experience is not the suffering of persecution it's
the suffering of protection because we are trying to we're not stuck
at home we're safe at home and that's what we have to change our perspective
you're not stuck you safe but there is suffering in it as well
financial problems maybe health issues emotional problems that are really not
causing us pain because we're in the community but right now being
disconnected from community it surfaces insecurities it surfaces rejection and
loneliness in the way that many people have never faced it before you know my
good friend one of our team members who whose dad passed away you know it's it's
a really really painful suffering because you can't have a funeral you
can't experience the comfort of the community because everybody's hunkered
down at homes and so if you are in that situation today and you are suffering I
want you to take courage I want you to suffer well I want you to not waste this
suffering and remember that God used suffering to bring salvation he may use
even this suffering to bring something good out of it I don't know what that
could be Romans 8:28 it says for we know that all
things work together for good for those who love God and to those who are
called according to his purpose but God is faithful God is true and God loves
you and that part of living in a broken world is that we come under sometimes
the consequences of sins of others part of living in a broken world is that we
experience pain we experience suffering suffering of rejection suffering of
loneliness suffering of fear suffering of financial calamity suffering of a rug
being pulled from under our feet and Apostle Paul went through suffering
in this particular story that I read to you Paul did nothing to deserve it in
fact he was in Chains for the gospel he was arrested in
Jerusalem and then he went from one trial to another trial he was moved from
one city to another city there was an attempt upon his life and Paul literally
lived like a fugitive arrested and arrested a prisoner and that's painful
no longer had a job no longer had influence no longer had family
connection no longer had friends connections that could come and visit
him no longer able to do what he could do and that was painful and it was in
those moments Paul would ride to other churches and he will say I say to you
rejoice and again rejoice and he was asleep all your situation is
difficult and his difficult situation just became extremely difficult he goes
on this ship and Paul through common sense and probably through the Holy
Spirit he is foreseeing that this voyage they're about to take is going to land
him in a really bad place He is giving advice to the captain of the ship and he says please we can't take this voyage right now because we might come
under heavy storms You see, when you're a prisoner your influence is very low to
influence somebody in the position of leadership and the captain ignored the
advice of Paul and went ahead in impatience to reach Rome faster and as
paul predicted the problem started to happen and a Bible says for fourteen
days they did not see the sun and now this pain that he went through of being
a prisoner and he's about to be tried by Caesar in Rome and things get so
complicated when honestly Paul the Bible says and here they despaired of
life meaning they didn't even think they're gonna make it they didn't think
they're gonna make it people stopped eating for 14 days people start throwing
stuff overboard because honestly they were facing dead end
they're gonna die in the midst of all of this being a prisoner and dying being in
the ship that lost its ability to move forward
because of the storm that was coming upon them everything is dark the angel
of the Lord comes to Paul at night and he says this he says don't be afraid
I like what Paul said he said the angel of God whom I serve and to whom I belong
he said don't be afraid if you're taking notes I want you to write this down
there is no reason to be afraid but you have greater reasons not to be
afraid there are reasons to be scared to be worried there are reasons right now
to honestly to fall into depression and despair there are reasons to feel
rejected and to feel isolated there are reasons and if you will look for them
right now there are plenty of them but there are reasons not to be and you have
a decision which reason are you going to take into consideration today the angel
of the Lord comes to Paul and reminds them Paul you belong to me Paul you're
serving alongside with me and as the angel of God I was sent to serve you and
I want to tell you something Paul don't be afraid you must be brought to Caesar
meaning where you are headed to you got to get there the vision that you have it
will come true yes this ship is not gonna make it to Rome but Paul you are
gonna make it to Rome you must you will see the things you believe for Paul you
will see your family serving God you will see healing you will see
breakthrough you will you must be in front of Caesar in Rome
therefore this ship is gonna die this ship is gonna crash but Paul you're
gonna still get to your destination Paul you must be in Rome
the book of Romans must be written Paul that our books need to be written to other
places you must be in Rome this is not gonna end here Paul I'm an angel of the
Lord and you belong to me and I'm reminding you if I brought you
to this I'll get you through it you will be there the only thing is that where you're
headed to you're not gonna get how you intended to you planned that this ship
this little comfortable thing that you had going this job this idea of how are
you gonna get the Paul unfortunately that is gonna fall away but I want to
remind you you are still going to be in Rome sometimes we're so attached
to a ship sometimes we're so attached to our ideas of how things need to be
turned out and how things will be that honestly when things are shaken from
under us we feel like our dream our vision in the promises of God our God
but remember God's promise is never connected to your ship it's connected to
God and therefore even if your ship disappears God says listen you belong
to me and if I give you a promise I am with you and the angel of God does not
need the ship to get me to Rome my god even if your idea your dream begins to
fall apart please understand God's promise for your life will still happen you must be brought to Caesar indeed God
has granted you all those who sail with you you have a reason to be afraid
you have a reason to feel down but you have a greater reason not to be
you belong to an angel of the Lord you belong there is an angel of God who
encamps around those who fear God this angel is assigned to you right now not
only the Spirit of God lives in you not only God is your father not only you
were called by God to be his son and his daughter but right now the Bible says is
that the angel of the Lord who does not need a ship to move from point A to
point B and he came to Paul and I believe he's coming to you and he says
fear not I belong to you you belong to me and you will get to rome but
differently than this ship will make the rome that business moment might not
make to rome that the idea of how your family and how your finances and how
your marriage is going to be that idea might not make it but please understand
can God offend you and your methods and still get you to your destiny and you're
not gonna get offended can we give God that right to get us to Rome to a
different needs and not get attached to the things that got us to this place I
have a reason to be afraid but I have a greater reason not to be afraid and I
choose the greater reasons father I just thank you right now for your presence
Holy Spirit I thank you the your angels are encamping around
those who fear you lord I thank you that you are saying that to me today and
you're saying that to every person when your idea falls apart of how things were
supposed to happen this year you will still stand before Caesar you will still
reach your destination it might be longer it might be through detours it
might be through different paths but you will still get to that place this is the
Lord and I want to see what happens next when Paul is encouraged not to be afraid
the Bible says in chapter 28 of verse 10 they honored us in many ways and when we
departed they provided such things as were necessary after three months we
sailed in Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the twin brothers which
had wintered at the island if you take notes I want to highlight a second truth
from this if you lose your ship you will not drown if you lose your ship you will
not drown and here it says and I skip that part where the ship actually fell
apart that whole ship that they were on was broken into pieces but they did not
die in fact God granted every person to Paul and nobody died everybody survived
everybody made it on the island few months later after they were provided by
the people on the island they no longer had the provisions of the ship they no
longer had the provisions that they had on this boat but instead these natives
provided for them they treated them kindly and the scripture says is after a
few months there was a ship parked on the island
it was Alexandrian ship with some kind of a head with the twin brother head and
the Bible says is this ship was given to Paul and was given to the captain and to
the rest of people to get back to where they were
supposed to go this ship represents your finances this ship represents our jobs
this ship represents a safety of our job now for some of us today this ship is
being tossed but it's safe but there is a majority of American people that are
watching me right now that your ship is being broken in fact in the next week or
something it would be completely broken and it's gonna get worse before it's
gonna get better and when your job fails you must you must have this revelation
right now your God doesn't God is Jehovah and him being Jehovah he doesn't
need that job to be Jehovah he is Jehovah when you have a job or when you
got unemployed and here it says that Paul no longer was provided from the
ship but the Islanders provide maybe the unemployment check will become your
Island maybe somebody else will become your Island for the next few weeks or
even next few months maybe something else by God promises to Paul and God
promises to you that not only that we will survive without a ship but there is
a new ship that is already parked at the island that God is going to give us
access to as some of you you will go to a new season in your business you will
go into a new season in your finances and that you will go through a very
difficult time maybe in the next few months as people are gonna seek less to
do less business they're gonna try to buy less they're gonna try to really
reserve and the businesses that they will struggle for the next few months
but we must understand in these three months they were still provided by the
people on the island and the scripture says they got a new ship get ready
because even if this ship fails God has an Alexandrian ship he has a different
one he has a different job for you
why because he is Jehovah Jireh and he will still provide even if the job does
not if my resource my job stops my source is faithful
you know one of the ways I also receive compensation is through travels is when
I travel and so now that everything is closed down you know and I said lord I
trust you for the things that I have which is some commitments that me and my
wife has made to give each month that will be very difficult to keep some of
these commitments but I said Lord I trust you and in fact and we're gonna
take a step further and give our book for free because we get royalties from
the Amazon and give our book for make the book available for free why because
I never want to in my life connect God's provision to my job my job
whether it's books whether it's even working at the church whether the stuff
that is a resource the God is the source and these are not just preacher words I
live like this and I want you to live like this that if the ship gets broken
God still got you in the palm of his hand
he will get you through but we have to keep one thing in mind in here it says
that the natives provided for necessities not luxuries that means
God's provision when the ship is gone is not in luxuries but in necessities and
we cannot go in and start complaining because when we get used to luxuries
luxuries are a lot of things that we had before this thing and right now when we
are going through this if you have necessities and what is necessities a
roof over your head food to eat a shelter clothes to wear and the family
to enjoy your time with if you have necessities you should thank God for
that God's provision in the storm is not in
luxuries but in necessities and you have to learn to thank God for just enough
manna in the wilderness yes in the promised land
milk and honey but in a wilderness God's great provision is
providing necessities necessities Elijah when the rain came down there is a great
harvest and everything incredible but when the famine happened when the
drought came the Bible says that the Ravens came twice a day imagined
Elijah had to skip lunch no three meals but he was that story is
seen as a great miracle of God until you're in that story then you're like
where's my lunch because see before the drought three
meals is God's provision in the drought God's provision is necessities and God
is looking Elijah he says you got a king belly you can get that little bit shaved off
enough so I'll cut you to two meals your necessities is my provision please
understand in the drought God's provision is not in luxuries but in
necessities and therefore when you take that bread when you take that sandwich
when you drink that tea when you eat that breakfast those pancakes those
waffles rejoice in God thank God yes you cannot
go to a restaurant yes taco trucks are closed yes other things are closed but
at the same time when you have your necessities to say god I thank you why
because you're providing for us you might say but it's not what we used to
have because in drought in the storm God provides through necessities not luxuries
to re adjust our gratitude to readjust our faith can somebody say Amen what I
learned is there is a great reason to fear but there's a greater reason not to
be afraid that even if the ship fails God will still get me through to my
place that provision is not always in luxuries but provision is in necessities
I want to share to those people right now who are not being affected by this
storm at all and honestly me saying this you're like yeah yeah yeah somebody
needs to hear this somebody needs to hear this I'm just so glad it's not me I
have a word for you as well in 28 verse 2 it says the natives who were not
affected by the storm watch this showed us unusual kindness natives the storm
didn't affect them why they didn't live on a ship they lived on the island their
financial structures were different their safety was different these other
people they lived on the ship and therefore the storm wrecked them these people
they had the savings account these people their business did not depend on
all of this happening in fact they thrived in it the storm came they were
not affected and they didn't stand on the island and they said well sucks to
be you today well guys that's why we don't do ships that's why we live on the
island yeah we saw that storm coming you guys all lost everything yeah sucks to
be you man I'm so sorry the Bible did not say they just felt sorry for people
who survived the storm they didn't say well these are not our family or
members these are none of our people we don't know these people by the way
they're most of them criminals and they're going to Rome we don't like Rome
so you can just hang out on the island but kids come let's close the doors and
let's hide from these crazy people who just survived the storm
that's not what natives did they showed unusual compassion unusual kindness how
does that look like in this season if you come in contact with somebody who is
suffering right now financially but you're not this is not a moment to close
your heart this is the moment to look at what you have extra and say how can I
show unusual kindness not just how can I send a text message to say I'm praying for
you but they don't need a prayer they need food but to say hey I'm sending
some food to your house hey I'm gonna help help you with this show unusual
kindness if this storm did not affect you
some people truly need prayer they don't need food some people truly need
somebody to zoom them in and FaceTime them or go on the Google hangout and
just spend 30 minutes just encourage them say hey I'm here for you I'm here
with you I know you're going through a very difficult time you're alone over
there some people need that kindness and we need to ask the Holy Spirit to show
in which way that kindness need to be shown but I invite hungry join family
invite our staff our pastoral team and our leadership team if you were not
affected by this storm show unusual kindness
let our city receive unusual kindness who are affected let the doctors the
first responders the nurses the police officers the day care workers
the people who are on the front line let them experience from the natives unusual
kindness who are coming in contact with this pandemic and in here it says that
chapter 27 the fourth thing I want to share is that Paul told them after 14
days of not eating he says I urge you to take nourishment for this is for your
survival since not only not a hair will fall from the head of any of you and
when he had said these things he took bread and gave thanks to God in the
presence of them all and when he had broken and they began to eat the fourth
thing I want to share so the first thing I mentioned there's a reason for fear
there's a greater reason not to be afraid a second thing I mentioned is
that even if your ship falls apart you're not gonna drown God's gonna
provide for you it might not be in luxuries but he will provide for you a
third thing I mentioned is that if you were not affected by this it's a moment
to be somebody's miracle show unusual kindness the next thing that I wanted to
mention is that we need to eat at this time Paul the two things broke bread and
gave thanks do not stop your devotional time with God during this time I know
it's more difficult to maybe pray because some of you you got kids at home
now some of you maybe you got you have to work from home and the work kind of
calls on you maybe you used to come to church to pray and now you know you
can't find because there's no room there but Paul did this thing after 14 days
he realized guys we need to do this for our survival he took bread and then
he gave thanks I just want to challenge you is I send even to some of our leaders
this morning I said guys you gotta get back into the word during this time do
not let the reading of the scriptures and giving thanks to God spending time
with the Holy Spirit be skipped right now just because in the quarantine feed
your soul you might not control what you're feeling but you are responsible
for what you're feeding yourself with feed yourself with word take the bread
and break it and somehow someway I don't know how Paul could do it but the Bible
says he gave thanks he gave thanks he didn't thank God for the storm he thank
God in the storm he didn't thank God for the storm he thanked God in the storm he
says god I thank you because you're faithful
and so right there in your situation you might be able to do exactly the same
thing it's begun to break the bread and after you break the bread of God's Word
begin to say God I thank you for good health I thank you for my salvation I
thank you for the angels that are encamping around those who fear you god
I thank you that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life god I thank you
that you saved me and delivered me from drugs and alcohol and sin I thank you
that you delivered me from demons I thank you God that my home is secured in
heaven god I thank you you are watching over me
I thank you that you are providing for me I thank you you find pleasure in the
prosperity of your service god I'd make it of many are the afflictions of the
righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all and God I'm a righteous man
I thank you Lord God I thank you give thanks in the storm feed your spirit
when you cannot control your feelings control your feeling can somebody say
Amen and lastly
in the 27th chapter verse 44 last verse it says the following
I'll read the verse early but since the centurion wanting to save Paul kept them
from their purpose which was to kill the prisoners and commanded those
who could swim should jump overboard first and the rest to land and the rest
some on boards and some on parts of the ship and so it was that they all escaped
safely to land he's gonna give you one pastoral very simple advice learn to
swim in the places you used to sail there were three major storms in the
Bible Jonah's storm the way he overcame it he sacrificed himself to it
Jesus's storm the way he overcame and he spoke to it and this is another very big
storm in the Bible and the way Paul overcame this storm old-school way
swimming typically that's what we get ships for but when the ship fails guess
what you learn to do you learn to swim where you used to sail in other words
you learn to work out from home or you used to work out in the gym you learn to
do work from home where you used to do it from the office you learn to do
things at home develop routines to keep your rituals that you used to have it's
difficult I don't like swimming and swimming is not our preference but if you
cannot sail God says learn to swim learn to do that thing that you used to do in
a different way from home you know how do they swim the Bible says
they every person grab hold of a piece of a board not gonna use anything in
here in the stage because everything is not broken they took the piece a broken
piece of the board they hung on to it and then they swam with it and I really believe that what we need to do in this season
is get hold of a piece and swim with it what does that mean focus on the
blessings not on the problems count blessings not issues focus on what you
have left not on what you lost count God's blessings did not take the small
little pieces and say god I thank you for that a lot of other things are still
not working out I'm stuck in these areas but God I think yeah I think you that I
have a place to live god I thank you that I have a car lord I thank you that
I have clothes I thank you that I am healthy Lord I thank you that I have a
spouse and I have healthy children Lord I thank you that I have a calling lord I
thank you that I have salvation lord I thank you that I have friends lord
thank you that I have a counselor or therapist lord I thank you that I have a
life group leader I thank you that I have a pastor Lord I just want to say I
thank you that both of my feet can walk I thank you that I have a dog in my life
what I thank you that I have access to coffee in my house take the small piece
it's not a ship it's just a small little piece and through that piece get to the
other side begin to count your blessings not your problems begin to count your
blessings not your problems focused on what you have left instead upon what you
lost and swim and swim your way to the shore somebody give God some praise
right now hallelujah hallelujah that's right stand to your feet for those of you
at home you can sit as the worship team has come up coming up right now I want
to remind you that the early church went through a heavy persecution and the
Bible says everywhere they went they preached they realized we can't preach
freely now but we're gonna preach even under persecution in other words they
said we are still going to swim even if we can't sail we are still going to
evangelize even if we don't have the freedom it would be different but it
will still happen I want to challenge every live group leader still have your
life group on Tuesday still swim even though it's not real because you're not
in the room but you can do it in the zoom that rhymes you can still do it in
the Zoom even if it's not in the room you can still swim even if you can't sail
leaders we are going to come together tomorrow night
yes it's gonna look a little bit different it's not gonna be in the big
ship it's just going to be with a bunch of screens but we're gonna swim what we
used to sail we're not pausing our life doesn't stop
the God doesn't end anything God wants us to continue he just says you can't sail
let's swim and how do you do that but I've hold of a piece take if depression
kicks your heart if you're reminded of what's not working right now of
everything that's going bad switch your frequency switch the frequency and take
a piece of a board that's left and hold onto it and think about it take
a testimony if you don't have one piece our YouTube has 2,000 of them borrow one
of them and swim with it watch testimonies
don't just watch more negative things watch things that God is doing look at
your life of what God is doing I remember recently I was encouraging
person who just got a really nice car but this person doesn't have a job and
this person you know doesn't have money to a car is almost paid off but there's
no money to to continue to do other things and I looked at this person's to
listen I'm like look at this you have an Apple watch you got an iPhone it's not
broken you have an MacBook I said look I know
it's material things so is the board that Paul was swimming on and said you
got a car I know you don't have a ship but look at the things that you have I
was like force your focus on things you got your faith positive thinking and
like all of us have certain things right now that we don't have all of us have
certain things they were like ah but we know in three months we're gonna get an
Alexandrian ship and it's all gonna be past but for right now we're gonna get
hold of the things that God is doing and focus on them and say Lord we praise you
eat the food and give God the praise as we're gonna worship we're going
to pray for you right now but before we pray for healing before we
pray for healing which we are going to do in just a moment I would like to ask
those people who are watching us an Instagram Facebook or YouTube who have
not given their life to Jesus Christ who does not know Jesus maybe like Jamie
you used to be Catholic he became agnostic then you became
atheist or maybe you're completely unchurched you have nothing to do with
God Christianity Jesus Christ is reaching out today to you through the
means of media last week we saw many people who got healed and receive Jesus
as the personal Lord and Savior through a means just like this and this week it
could be you it doesn't matter if you are watching from India or you are watching
from Canada or you are watching from Australia or South Africa or you
watching down the street in Pasco Jesus Christ is there where you are at right
now and right there where you are maybe feel like you are in the lockdown
the Lord is reaching out to you all you have to do is place your trust in Jesus
confess him as your Lord and Savior and repent of your sins and if you would
like to do that with me right now and say Vlad I am NOT there what I supposed
to be with God I don't know Jesus as my Lord and Savior
and I would like to get saved today I would like Jesus to come into my heart
right now you can do that with me right now
whether you are re watching this or watching this live pray this with me
pray this out loud it's okay that your family can hear it they've been praying
for you to be saved they can all start praying for you and be happy for you
let's pray together say this with me say Lord Jesus I am a sinner please forgive
me of all my sin and wash me with your blood I repent of all my sin of my
rebellious ways deliver me from the grip of sin and the grip of Satan I surrender
my life the best I know how come and live in me
give me your peace give me your light and your salvation I'll receive you
right now in Jesus name the Bible says if you confess with your mouth and
believe with your heart Jesus Christ is Lord you receive the gift of forgiveness
I would like you to pull out your phone even if you're watching us on live stream go to
hungrygen.com/ God saved together there's gonna be a link right
now below hungrygen.com/God saved like God milk but God saved together go
there fill out your cards so that we can connect with you in the next few days to
congratulate you on the decision you made to follow Jesus it's the best
decision I can encourage you to get plugged into a local church after all of
this is over read your word and pray to God daily because he wants to hear from
you hey this is pastor Vlad and thank you
for watching this sermon please click on the subscribe so that you can be a part
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watching and God bless you
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