And amen! It was truly amen. I had an extremely amazing good time. And you know what Dorothy says? That there's no place like home. There's no place like home.
So this makes our probably seventh missionary trip overseas somewhere. And say whatever you want to say about our country, and we'll see you next time. Our world here in the USA always gives me joy to be able to see our plane land back on USA soil. Because again, there's no greater country than the USA, and so it is always grateful to come back home.
Folk are always afraid to go overseas anywhere, and it's like, I hope y'all gonna make it back. I mean, there were some folk who were really afraid that it's dangerous over there. But when you, first of all, when you understand that Africa is not a country; Africa is a continent, and there are over 54 countries on the continent.
I got enough common sense to know where not to go on the continent of Africa. And so there are some places we would never subscribe or desire to go in the continent of Africa. But we always pray, seek God's face, and we always have people on the ground who are there to be with us the entire time.
So just super excited about what God did and what the missionaries who went with us did on the trip. Can you guys stand up on your feet real fast? Just real fast. Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you.
All right, I'll see you next time. There's a few who are not in this service right now, but I am happily reporting to you that everybody made it back safely, and no one got sick. Y'all could be seated.
Let me just give a few fun facts. I'm gonna burn some time today. You know, I was hearing people say, "No, you got to eat what they give you when you go over there." And that's one of the reasons why some people say, "I'll never do a mission trip because I can't eat all of that."
But the reality is, this makes our seventh mission trip, and we never eat anything that we do not want to eat. I think it's a courtesy to walk in people's houses to receive what they give you, but our team who goes on the ground before us always sets the temperature for us that they will not be eating outside of their hotel.
For us, it's one of our safety precautions to make sure no one gets sick in that country, and we all make it back home safe. And when you let the people know why you're doing what you're doing, they tend to be okay with that.
And so glad no one got sick on the trip. False normal, so you need 30 shots? That is totally false. I had not one shot. A few of us got one or two shots. So my point is, don't allow nothing to cause fear to be in your heart to do something you have an idea and desire to do because you hear a lot of stuff that may not actually be true.
I told someone today, in regards to safety, there was not a day—and I think the team can also attest as well—there was not a day that we were afraid for our lives over there at all. I would go so far to say that it's no different than being here in Savannah.
There are just some places you're not going to go in Savannah for somebody, and you ain't gonna go at night. And so it's no different over there as well. You just ain't going everywhere.
And so we really enjoyed ourselves. We have two more trips scheduled already for 2025. We're going back in June as well in September of next year. God has already given me a personal vision to take a thousand people back to Africa over the next 10 to 15 years, and so I'm excited about that.
I put a small little dent of 18 people on that over the past two weeks and just looking forward to see what God would do over the next months and the years to come. So if it's in your heart to really do overseas missions, as our mission director—I wish she was here—girl, come here. Lady, come here.
Are you just come up here? We have this lady here, Kathleen. Give me a microphone, somebody. And I say girl respectfully. I mean, she ain't no girl; she could be my mama. But I say that respectfully. Girl, are you well?
I couldn't have done this without you. Come on up here. Not only couldn't I have done this without you, I wouldn't have wanted to do it without you. I thank you for your leadership. I thank you for your wisdom.
I mean, you led this team in a way that was with ease. You made my job easy. I really—I showed up like I did everything. I ain't do nothing; she did everything. And everybody over there are thanking me, "Thank you, Pastor Corey." Thank you. I'm like, "You're welcome, you're welcome." She actually did it all.
But you know, it's always interesting; the pastor gets so much credit for a lot of stuff because he's often the face of the thing. But at the end of the day, it was her and that amazing team of 17 people.
If you ever heard a statement here in the USA, "If you can't stand the heat, get out the kitchen." Listen, though, that was hot. We could not endure some of that heat for two or three minutes. The smoke and the thought of these women cooking these meals every single day for hundreds of kids—my hats were totally off to them.
And just make sure what trip you're—I mean, just international trip as relates to mission trip over. Yeah, Isla does like naturalana, and they did. And our team was really so—what it's when we really got to go back and explore to things that are—this is something like ハハ and vent this.
This is not just because you've just been—you go to Haiti, in Portugal, or you go to Europe, you go to any other country in the world, and they're all—that's because there's a like this kind of thing happening. But it's so much different tomorrow, right?
Yeah, some personally, Isla was really something like a lot of things that were hoping we would like. We had the opportunity because each of us really just found our unique, really center. We got a chance to actually dance.
Y'all can say I can't dance, or the African people say I can dance. Let's make that very clear. I got some pep in my step when I got back from Africa. He did a little two-step thing. We figured it out. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Let's give it up for her. I have one big ask, and I'm going to sit down for a quick minute. I know it's hot. Thank you, Pastor David, for acknowledging that they got the ACs here apart. We're still missing.
Tuesday, our AC issue in this area should be resolved. You guys give faithfully here at Hope City Church. I don't want y'all saying, "What are they doing? At least give us some AC." AC should be fixed on Tuesday. Amen.
Let me just give one quick announcement in regards to the Africa trip, and then I got a few more as it relates to here at Hope City. While we were there, there's going to be one more video I want to show you quickly, but there was a pastor there.
Her husband, the pastor, had passed away. I met him last September when I went to Africa myself for the first time. He had just passed away a few months prior to us coming, and the weight of the church was now on her shoulder.
As you're going to see here in just a moment, this building that she's in, she actually lives in the church now. She can't even live by herself. And so we were just talking about some vision and some things she wants to actually see come to pass.
Now, let me just quickly say a house in the USA can cost you— a $360,000 house here can cost you $86,000. Over how much? $40,000. So she's a realtor. She was looking at it. She was on the trip with us, and now she's already plotting on how to get some houses over there.
$40,000, and so, but for her case, where she lives at in the rural areas there, it would cost $4,000 to have her house built. She lives in the church. They have services, obviously, in the church, and there are some things that the church wants to do that they can't do in the middle of the week because that is her living arrangements-wise.
Me and one of the pastors here had a crazy idea that would it be between both of us, Hope City and his church, that we could somehow raise $4,000 to pay for a house to be built. And I said to her, I said, "Hey, do me a favor. I want you to share your vision with Hope City Church."
And she got it on a video here, and one thing I want you to notice, she said nothing about her house. She just talked about the vision of the church and what she wanted to see come to pass.
And I just want you to watch this video. I want you to talk to God and pray at the end of the service, the middle of this week here. Ask God to lay on your heart what seed that he would have you to sow to give towards this house.
I believe here at Hope City, we're going to raise $4,000 to literally, by September, she will be able to walk into that new house that will be built on that same property with her church. She has a field out there that literally she wants to turn into a garden and use that as a source to meet needs in the community for the young people.
And so, I'm not going to ask you what to give. I'm just simply asking you to pray. Ask God if he touched your heart and say, "Yes, this is what you should do." I asked you to do that today at the end of the service. You can give it online. There will be a tab online that will say Eswatini Africa, and all those funds will be going towards that.
And last but not least, it's in your heart to go with us in 2025 to Africa. We'll probably be going every single year for the next 10 years for sure, but I would encourage you to sign up because folks are already interested in that.
Watch this video, and I'll come right back up and give three announcements and jump right into the word. It is so good to be home that I can say what I want to say right now. It feels good to be home, so I got some makeup work to do. I'm going to finish on time, but I got some makeup talk work to do.
Watch this video real fast. I hope we get a chance next week. I'm not sure if they showed that last week while we were away, but hopefully next week to get a chance to introduce you guys to a young boy by the name of Nelson.
It was absolutely an amazing story. We walked up almost what felt like an hour. I'm pretty sure it was pretty close to an hour, walking up what we thought was going to be a 10-minute walk up a hill to meet this young boy.
I wanted to find out. It took us, I mean, just, it was a drastic, painful walk to meet that paraplegic boy up there, literally laying on a mat. Had no friends. We were his first guests, if you remember.
I forgot exactly how long it was. We talked with him, prayed with him, his mother. The translator said to us that he said to us that he now had 17 new friends. If that didn't touch a heart, boy, it just jacked us all up.
He wanted us desperately to see his house. We asked to go in, and he wanted us to see his house. We went into the house, and the house, you guys, was no bigger—like I said, no bigger than probably from—and I'm probably exaggerating—from this side of the stage to that end, but I feel like that is, it's more like from here to the end of the stage.
There was a whole house. And walked in the house, no lights, and he was just excited to just show us his bedroom. And they would pay for one of our worst days. Whatever your worst day is, I promise you, he would pay for your worst days.
And Pastor that we just met just there, I'm sure she would pay for one of our worst days here, like this heat in the building right now. She would love to have this issue right now.
So I just want to encourage us as a church, as a family, who God has called Hope City Church as a global mission church. Every church won't do what we do in the area of global missions, but that is our calling, not just locally.
We're going to be rolling out some amazing things in the month of August as it relates to our local ministry here, local missions here in the states. But I do want those of you that feel called to global missions to really be open to what we're about to roll out in the days and the weeks ahead.
And at the end of the service today, as we get ready for our offering, I would encourage you to not only give your regular offerings today, but also to give towards us just paying that house off for her. And I believe Hope City Church by itself will raise $4,000 in conjunction to whatever they're going to raise at the other church as well. Amen?
Amen. And a couple quick announcements. It's already in August. School's already back in, y'all. It's like these kids just got out of school, and school's already back. I mean, it is almost August already.
So as we roll back into the month of August, I want you guys to know we're going to be rolling out an entire discipleship program in alignment with our small groups here at Hope City Church. A lot of people are on different stages of their growth, and I want to make sure that those who really want some more Bible teaching will have access to some sound classes that will give that during the month.
So more details on that will be rolled out over the next week or two to be launched in August. Also want to just encourage you, our Dream Team Rally is on August the 10th. So if you're serving here at Hope City Church in any capacity or desire to join the Dream Team, I want to encourage you to attend our Dream Team Rally, which we do every August.
It's going to be a big event, food and all that here, talking about the vision and culture of Hope City Church. And one thing I want to share in that meeting is vision, how vision leaks, how vision can drift, and how we can have a vision here at Hope City Church, a vision in a certain department.
But if that vision is not managed, vision can leak. You can say what the vision is today, and people forget what the vision is in days and weeks ahead, and they begin to implement something that goes against the vision.
So I want to talk about vision that day, and how vision leaks, and how vision also drifts, like a boat that's not tied down at the dock. That boat has the potential to drift away, and as God continues to increase Hope City, as His church continues to grow, it is incumbent upon me and those who are in leadership here that where I can't see and they can't see that the people they've given authority to and leadership to, that they're not drifting away from their original vision of what God has called us to do in that particular area.
And so, do know in various ministries here at Hope City Church, we're going to be actually stepping in and looking in and seeing how much, how far, if at all, these departments are drifting away because I believe it's the reason why people are coming to Hope City Church. They like our vision and they like our culture, and if we don't store that vision, store that culture, it could drift away from what God has called us to do.
So I'm excited about that. And last but not least, we will be announcing a few job opportunities that we'll be opening up here at Hope City in the days ahead. That information will be on our Instagram page, Facebook page, as well as the church website.
We are starting in-house first. After that, we will begin to look on the outside if we do not get those positions filled. The only thing I ask you, do not call me and ask me about the job. I am not answering any questions.
Go to the Facebook, go to Instagram, go to the website. I will not answer any questions in regard to that because just in case you don't get the job, you don't get mad at me. Come on, somebody. I want you to still be able to hear your pastor preach on Sunday morning versus saying, "Oh, he didn't hire me."
So go to the website, go to Facebook, go to Instagram. If you have any questions, there will be an email address in which you can forward information from there. Can I get an amen for that?
Amen. For the little time that I do have—and I'm not going to use it all—I want to jump right into the word today, talking about broken ships and powerless snakes.
Brokenships and powerless snakes. I want to just look at what the Bible says here in Acts chapter 27, verse 1. I'm going to read a lot of scriptures today, but I'll make sense of this as we go along.
It says here in Acts chapter 27, beginning in verse 1, "And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band."
It says that entering into a ship of Arminium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coast of Asia, one Arsicus and Macedonia of Thessalonica being with us. It says in verse 3, "And the next day we touched at Zidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul and gave him liberty to go unto his friends, to refresh him."
Now get the picture. This is a big boat of a couple hundred guys who are now going to see Caesar who has gone before Caesar. They're about to be in prison.
And it says in verse number 4, "And when we had launched from there, we sailed under Cyprus because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea of Sicilia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia."
It says, "And there the centurion found the ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy, and he put us therein." It says, "And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against us, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete over against Samon."
Now just get the picture. They're leaving region after region. Storm after storm is coming. Things are getting darker and more difficult as they began their journey.
And it says in verse 8, "And hardly passing it, it came unto a place which called the Fair Havens, near whereunto was the city of Lycia."
Verse 9, "Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already passed, Paul admonished them."
And look what the Apostle Paul says in verse number 10. "And he said unto them, 'Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the ship, but also of your lives.'"
Look what it says in verse 11. "Nevertheless, the satyrian believed the master and the owner of the ship more than they the things which were spoken by the Apostle Paul."
And the reason why they were willing to listen to the words of the Apostle Paul or the words of the master more than the words of the Apostle Paul is because this master has taken this route before. This God, he knew when to sail and not to sail, and because of his ability to understand the sea, instead of them listening to the discernment of what the Apostle Paul was trying to say, it says that they listened to the master and the owner of the ship more than they did that of the Apostle Paul.
Listen, you need people in your life who can foresee storms. You need some men, some women in your life who can foresee a storm that is on the way that you're willing to listen to and heed to their advice.
I'm reminded of when we were on our way to Africa last week. We left Savannah and we got to Newark, and when we got to Newark, our flight was supposed to leave at eight o'clock. The plane was loaded; all x amount of hundreds of people were on the plane.
The captain got on the microphone and he began to say to us, "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, we will not have an on-time departure today. There's a storm in a certain region, and we will not be allowed to leave. I'll check back with you in just a few minutes."
This went on for 30 minutes. This went on for an hour. It went to two hours. It went to two hours and a half. It went to three hours. It went to three hours and 15 minutes. It went to three hours and 30 minutes, and it ultimately went to three hours and 45 minutes.
We found ourselves sitting on the runway in Newark on our way to do what God has told us to do. What do you do when you find yourself heading in a direction that God told you to go, and you find yourself stuck on the runway?
When you look at everything that was around us, the atmosphere literally on the plane, you can see a beautiful serene environment. Nothing looked wrong, but the captain had insight that we could not see.
I wonder what would have happened if we said, "No, still go, still go." I am confident that many of our lives would have been greatly impacted by this.
It said, "Nevertheless, the satyrian believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul."
What is it in your life that you need somebody who can see further than you can see? Where is it? Where is it you're about to go? What decisions are you about to make in your life?
And look great right now. The man looks good right now. The woman looks like the right person right now. But somebody said, "Hey, I perceive you may want to wait a minute."
How often do we get ahead of our skis when making a business decision? How often do we get ahead of our skis to relocate from this region to that region? And because it looks good and the money looks good and the information looks great, but God sees something you can't see.
A year from now, you may get there; everything is great, but God sees something that you cannot see. He's Alpha and Omega; he's the beginning and the end. He's in your present and he's in your future, and you gotta have somebody in your life, in your boat in this season here who can see storms when you cannot.
It says in verse number 14, "But not long after there arose against it a tumultuous wind called the Euroclydon." This is probably one of the worst storms that could arise during that time. It was a dangerous storm.
It was almost like you can tie a herd of sheep to a hurricane and an earthquake at the same time. It says, "And when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive."
In other words, when we could no longer control the thing, we had to get our hands off it and let the boat do what the boat was going to do based on what the wind was doing to the boat.
Have you ever been there before? You find yourself in a tumultuous storm, and you're trying to control it in everything, and sometimes you got to get your hands off of the situation. You got to step back and let the wind do what the wind needs to do.
It says here in verse number 18, "And we've been exceedingly tossed with the tempest. The next day they lightened up the ship."
Have you ever been there before? You had some stuff in your boat, in your life, certain people on your team, but you have to, in order to preserve your life and protect your life, you have to let some stuff go.
I mean people you like and things you like and places you love to go. God has said, "No, cut that out. You can't do that no more." These are things they brought with them on the journey because they needed this stuff, but because they found themselves in the midst of a storm, they had to let some of that stuff go.
It says in verse 19, "And the third day we cast out our own hands with our own hands the tackling of the ship."
"And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away."
And that's some people's marriage right now. That's some people's health right now. That's some people's financial status right now. That's somebody's job right now. They don't see no way out.
The storm has been going for days. The commotion has been going for days. The storm has been going for days. Just like that boat being tossed to and fro in that storm, no sun to the point you can't even see the stars for days.
And this was someone you are right now. Your situation is dark. It looks hopeless. All fear of help is gone. But I love the fact that sometimes in order to preserve your life, you have to throw some things overboard.
You have to lighten your mind. You have to lighten your heart. You have to lighten your soul. You have to lighten your life. And sometimes it's difficult letting go people and places and things that have been with you so long.
But hey, I'd rather preserve my life than lose my life because I'm unwilling to let go of some things that I need to let go. You need to write down a few things you need to let go today. A few places, a few people, a few mindsets.
What is holding you back? What is causing your boat not to settle? But if you take some stuff off the boat, you'll get some peace in your life.
Maybe it's about us; maybe it's about you. But if you take some stuff off the boat, you'll get some peace in your life. But if you take some stuff off the boat, you'll get some peace in your life.
Marriage going back and forth right now, and if you let go your right to got to be right all the time—come on, married folk. It's overrated, the right to be right all the time.
It is 22 years of marriage right now. The right to be right is overrated. I'd rather be able to go to sleep than have to be right about every decision you're going back and forth arguing about.
If one of y'all just say, "You know what? I will do it. I will do it. I will do it." It's wrong, but you got to have the last word. I'm trying to go to sleep up in here.
A couple got to throw some things overboard. Throw some mindsets, some habits, some patterns overboard. It says, "But after long abstinence, the storm got worse."
Paul said what he said at the beginning, "Brothers, I perceive that this journey will be with both harm to this boat but also harm with our life."
Fast forward the storm got back. Get the verse 21, and Paul says, "But after"—the Bible says, "After long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, 'I wish I was Paul, y'all.'"
I bet Paul came out, I said, "Stick his chest out. I told y'all not to move from this place here, but y'all ain't want to listen. Now you got this big old storm out here, and y'all out here crying. Shut up! What you crying for? I told you not to do it.'"
Uh-huh, yeah, you're gonna listen to me today. You're gonna listen to me today. Now that's what I would have did. I'm just being honest.
I would say, "Yeah, uh-huh, sick him, God. Sick him, get him, get him." But that's not what Paul did. It says Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, "Sirs, you should have listened to me and not have loosed from Crete and to have gained this harm and this loss."
Listen, don't trust your feelings when you're going through a storm, right? The master was probably going with his gut to what he was accustomed to happening every time he went through a storm.
"I ain't lose nothing before; I ain't gonna lose nothing this time here, so let's keep on sailing." He went with his feelings, and Paul said, "You should have listened to me and have not gained this harm and loss."
But the next verse he said, "But now I exhort you to be of good cheer." You know Paul, Paul the bad boy. I wouldn't have said that. I thought you were gonna pay for what you just did.
Your day of reconciliation is coming. Paul said, "No, I exhort you to be of good cheer." That's a great leader. That's a high road leader.
Can I just pause for a second as we get ready to go into our political season here right now? It's gonna be a lot of low road leadership going on, and I don't care what side, the left or the right, it's going to be low road all the way until November.
And I want to encourage you to be a high road leader. Don't get down in the mud and the dirt. I'm not saying speak truth to power, but what I'm saying is don't be mud-slinging.
Not only does our world, our nation need a high road leader, but you know what? Our churches need more high road leaders. It's too many low road leaders in the church right now. Businesses need high road leaders right now in the education system.
We need some high road leaders. Paul right here, he's been a high road leader because I'm just saying I would have been low road that day. I would have clapped back. I would have been petty.
Paul said, "I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there should be no loss of any man's life among you but of the ship."
When you get a leader that steps in like that, even in the midst of the storm, you don't see nothing change, but a confident leader steps in and says, "Hey, we're going to lose a few things. You know the boat's going to get lost. You lose some stuff, but you're going to make it through it."
Time out for the days that when you make some mistakes, you're going to lose some stuff, but you're going to make it through it. Mistakes people tell you, you're going to—everything's going to be all right.
Sometimes everything ain't going to be all right. Sometimes you are going to lose some stuff. You may make it out of it, but you may very well lose some stuff when you make certain decisions.
Come on, somebody. I'm just trying to pastor you right now that there are some decisions that we do make that we will lose the boat, but losing the boat don't mean I will have to lose my life.
Paul said, "Be of good cheer, for there should be no loss of any man's life among you but of the ship."
A few more verses here, verse number 28 or 29. "Then fearing that we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast our anchors out of the stern and wished for the day."
Thinking about they were wishing for a day, wishing for sun, wishing for light, wishing that the day is going to be great. You know, it's like that single man or single woman that wishing the man gonna show up, wishing the woman gonna show up.
"I'm gonna be the man gonna show up. I'm gonna be the man gonna show up." Single all my life by myself, all my life just wishing he gonna come. Come on, single folk, he coming, she coming.
But when you make a bad decision, you can get hooked up with the wrong one. You can go the wrong direction. It said they were wishing the day come that marriage coming was a couple was wishing the day would come they got peace in their marriage.
That businessman was wishing the day would come in which he could get the loan or she can get the loan that she needed to expand her business, but all they see is losses and no gains.
All they see is the possibility of having to shut the doors and wish for the day. It says, "And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship when they had let down the boat into the sea under color as though they would have cast anchors out of the ship."
It says, "Paul said to the satyrian and to the soldiers, 'Except these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved.'"
Just Paul said, "Hey, except they stand the ship, they cannot, will not be saved." What do you do when the boat looks bad but this water is just as bad?
You ever heard somebody say, "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place?" It can be that way sometimes. If I stay in the boat, I may die. If I get out of the boat, I may die.
What do you do when your options are limited? You listen to Paul. You listen to the voice that God has placed in your life. You find that anchor voice, that man, that woman that God placed in your life, not to lord over you, but somebody who is a trusted voice in your life that can guide you and be a hope and could be a light in the midst of your darkness.
He says here, "And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, 'This is the 14th day that you have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.'"
"Wherefore, I pray you to take some meat, for this is for your health, for there shall not a hair fall from any of your head."
Paul said, "Go in and eat. You're going to be okay. I know it don't look like it. I know this looks like an impossible situation, and some of you are there right now. Your situation looks impossible.
"Pastor Corey, how? They sent the eviction notice. Pastor Corey, I just got the repo. How? I don't see how I can get this college debt. How, Pastor Corey? I don't see any hope."
You got to stand. You got to stand on something bigger than your emotions and your feelings. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. It is the evidence. It is the proof of things that you cannot see.
God says, "When I return, I'm going to be looking for faith in the earth." Will he find faith in you?
Let's jump down a little bit more here. It says in verse 41, "And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground."
And it says, "And at the forepart stuck fast and remained unmovable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves."
Imagine that boat being your life. Imagine this is you. It says here, "And the soldier's counsel was to kill the prisoners lest any of them would swim out and escape."
Because he understood if I did not get them over to Caesar, Caesar is going to kill me. And before I lose my life, I'm going to make sure that they're dead, and I can take all of their bodies back to Caesar.
Watch this here. It says here, "And then Paul says," or Paul jumps in and began to give some very powerful words. It says here, "But the satyrian, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose."
And what was their purpose in that moment? It was to kill people. It says, "But willing to save Paul kept them from their purpose and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and get onto the land because there was much, much more closer now."
It says, "And the rest, some made it on boards, some made it on broken pieces of the ship, and it came to pass that they escaped all safe to the land."
Listen, my word is you're going to make it even if on broken pieces. You're going to make it. That dream, that vision, that marriage, that thing that's in your heart, I don't know the specificity of what it is you believe in God for.
I don't know the mountain. I don't know the valley, but I'm telling you, you're going to make it even if you make it on broken pieces. You're going to make it to the other side.
I'm reminded of the story that when Jesus found himself in the boat or the apostles or his disciples, he said, "I'm going to make it to the other side."
And the disciples found themselves in the ship, and Jesus said to them, "Let's go to the other side." They got in the boat. Jesus got in the boat and went down to the bottom part of the boat, and Jesus took a nap, y'all.
And that's the lesson to even learn with that. When Jesus takes a nap, you take a nap. Come on, somebody. If Jesus is sleeping, ain't worried, you go to sleep and don't worry.
But then it says that boat found itself, and the boat began to be tossed to and fro with the wind, and they got afraid, and they began to say, "Master, care is not that we perish."
Listen, if the master, if the person is on the boat with you, if you said Jesus is on here, I know we ain't going nowhere because he ain't going nowhere.
I remember on the plane, I think it was with Quinn and a couple other people. And we prayed at the airport, leave him. And when it was time to come back, we didn't pray together, but I had prayed.
I said, "Oh man, we didn't even pray." So I prayed. And at a certain point on the flight, a couple of the ladies, Brenna and Quinn, we didn't pray. I said, "Well, I prayed, and I'm in good standing with God, and I'm on the plane, so we going to make it back to Savannah, Georgia."
They said, "Okay, well, we good." My point is you just need somebody in your life who can give you some hope and some confidence.
Come on, somebody. When you ain't got it yourself, you got to find somebody who can give you hope, who can give you confidence, who could give you assurance.
It don't mean that they're perfect. Come on, somebody. But you need somebody who got more faith than you have, particularly when you're going through a storm.
Because when you're going through a storm, it's almost everything is there to cause you to lose your faith, you know, lose your joy and your peace. You're like, "Hey, I can't believe right now. Can you believe for us? Because I ain't got it in me right now."
Ever been there before? Like, "Girl, hey, man, bro, I ain't got no hope today. I ain't got no joy. Jonathan, man, can you believe for me? Because every time you need somebody who can intercede for you."
And that's what an intercessor does. An intercessor steps in between you and your problem and carries it as if it was their own problem. And they sometimes take the brunt of what you're going through.
Let me close this out here. We jump over to chapter 28, and I'm done right here. And the musician, he can come on up.
Verse number one. How do I make sense of my title? How do I make sense that this message is called Broken Ships and Powerless Snakes?
We jump down to the next chapter as we close that one out. We get over to verse, chapter 28, verse one. Look what it says here. They made it out of the storm. They made it through all of those 14, 15, 20 nights of disastrous storm.
Your marriage made it through. Your money made it through. Your mind came through. Boy, I thought we were about to lose our life. I thought the marriage was about to go under. I almost lost my business. I almost lost my job.
But you made it over, only to find yourself. Now I got to wrestle with a snake. Have you ever been there before? You got out of one situation. Now you got a little peace in your life.
And just a couple of days later, now you got to wrestle with something else. You ever hear folks say, "If it ain't one thing, come on somebody. If it ain't one thing, it's another."
It says, "And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Malta." It says, "And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness."
It says, "For they kindled a fire and received us, every one, because of the present rain and because of the cold."
Somebody say, "Oh, that's what's nice of them." You just made it through your storm, made it through your fire. Your small group rallied behind you. Your dream team rallied behind you. Your pastor, your friends, they warm you up. They cool you off.
That's good in the church. That'd be great. It says in verse 3, "And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand."
It says, "And when the barbarous people saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, 'No doubt this man is a murderer whom though he escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth him not to live.'"
Meaning, "Oh, he made it through that. He made it through that. He made it through that. He made it through that. He made it through that. But he ain't going to make it through this here."
Listen, it's some people counting on you to fail. It's some people counting on you not to make it out of the storm. And if somehow, some way you make it out of the storm, they already contemplated, already got another idea.
They made it through that, but they ain't going to make it through this next trial that's about to come their way. It says, "Yet vengeance suffereth him not to live."
But look at verse 5. It says, "And he shook off the beast into the fire, and he felt no harm."
And it came to pass, last two verses here. I just love the scriptures because the scriptures speak for itself. There's no power in my opinions. There's power in the word.
For the word of God is quick, it's powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword rightly divided. It says, "And it came to pass that the father of Publis lay sick of a fever and a bloody flux to whom Paul entered in and prayed and laid hands on him."
And he said, "And he shook off the beast into the fire, and he felt no harm." And he laid hands on him and healed him. Y'all see that?
God used the same hand bitten by a snake to heal the sick. Come on, somebody. I don't know what you're going through, but the same problem that was about to take you out is going to be a blessing.
See, they thought they needed the island of Malta as a place to reprieve and escape and to get some rest. But they didn't. They didn't. They didn't. They didn't.
They didn't get some comfort. But the reality is, it turned out that Malta needed them. Because in the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island whose name was Publis.
And he laid hands on him and prayed for him, and he was healed. What if Paul and the other men did not show up on that island? They wouldn't have received their healing that day.
I'm telling you, nothing just happens for the believer. In the mountains, in the valleys, in the sun, in the storm, all things work together for the good of them that love the Lord and who are called according to the purpose on their life.
Don't allow the storm that you experience cause you to forget that he is Jehovah Jireh, your provider. That he is Jehovah Shalom, your peace. That he is Jehovah Tishkanu, your righteousness. That he is Jehovah Shammah, our healer.
Don't let the storms you experience cause you to forget that he is Jehovah Jireh, your provider. Don't let the storms you experience cause you to forget the faithfulness and the power of who our God is.
I don't care what you're going through. I don't care what you've been through. I don't care what bit you or who bit you. Our God is more than able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or even think according to the power that worketh on the inside of us.
The Apostle Paul was bitten. People were watching him because they knew he was going to fall. And I close the book by saying this to you here. People are waiting for you to fall. They're waiting for you to swell up.
They're saying this is going to be the one that takes them out. But you're going to shake it off, and you're going to move forward into your purpose. You're going to move forward into your destiny. You're going to move forward into your assignment because God has a plan for you, and there's no boat, there's no snake that can take you out.
And if you believe that, give God a praise for his word. Stand to your feet. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you. Thank you for speaking to our hearts today. Thank you for speaking to our minds. Thank you for giving us clarity, for giving us direction, for giving us hope, even in the midst of some of our turbulent lives right now.
God called us to remember that there's so much that you have in store for us, and we can't be taken out right now. I want to say to somebody here, and I feel remiss if I don't say it.
These were the three things that God gave me at the end of this message. I want to remind you, it was never about the ship enduring the storm. It was about you enduring the storm.
It was never about the ship making it to land. It's about you making it to land. You're more caught up on what you lost than what you found.
I know you lost some stuff in this season. I know you like the thing you lost, but you're more caught up on what you lost. You found some good things in this season.
And I want you to begin to focus on the stuff you found and not the things you lost. And so, Father, we thank you today. Thank you for speaking to our hearts. Thank you for speaking to our minds.
And maybe someone is saying today, "Pastor Corey, I needed this word. I know church, and I don't know him." Shaking your hand, but I've yet to shake God's hand.
I got good religion, but I don't have a personal relationship with this God you're talking about. I want to know him for myself. I want him to be that one man that's in my life that I can depend on and trust him.
Not religion. I want to know. I want him to speak to my heart, speak to my mind. He said, "Jeremiah, before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you. I was intimately acquainted with you."
And the Bible says Adam knew Eve was to the point of giving birth. He said, "Jeremiah, before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you. I was intimately acquainted with you. And I'll drain some things for your life."
I want you to know God that way today. Not know me that way. You know me already. You know what we believe. But I want you to know God that way.
I want you to know the one that knows the hairs that are on your head. I want you to know him like that. So if you're in this place today, I'm not going to call you up, not going to call you out.
If you don't know God, you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, or if you're saying, "Hey, I need to make Hope City my church home today," you're welcome to do that as well.
You fall in one or two of those positions saying, "Hey, I want to make Hope City Church my home today, or I want to give my heart to Christ for real for the very first time."
I want to pray for you right there at your seat. Not going to call you up, not going to call you out, but just want to know who to include in this close-out prayer.
On the count of three, if that includes you, if that speaks to you, I want to give a heart to Christ for the very first time, or make Hope City Church your home. Two, three. Will that be you?
Let me just quickly see your hand. No pressure, no priming, no pumping. Will that be one? Just quickly see your hand. Lift it real high, real high, all over the building. Will that be one? Will that be one?
Amen. I see that one hand. Will there be another? Amen. I see that hand as well. Will there be another? Amen. Amen. I see that hand as well.
Amen. Do me a favor, all over the building, lift your hand towards heaven, if you will, and let's just say this prayer with me.
Say, "Lord God, I believe you sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins, but I also believe he rose from the grave with all power in his hand. Say, 'God, I ask you now to forgive me of any and everything that has separated me from your love.'"
Now say, "God, I don't fully understand what all this means, but I do believe, with your presence living on the inside of me, I will become the person you ordained me to be.
So I ask you now, so I ask you now to fill me with the power and the presence of your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, you are welcome to live in my heart for the rest of my life.
Lord God, your word declares any man being in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new.
I pray for those that pray their prayer for the first time and say they don't know who Jesus is, or they are separated from a church home.
I pray that everything they lost, God, in that season of separation, spiritually or physically from a church home, Lord God, that they move into a season of recovery and restoration.
And Father, I declare that everything that attached itself to them, that is sucking away at the quality of their life, every yoke, every chain, every burden is falling off right now, and who the Son sets free, they are free indeed.
If you received that, let's give God a praise all over this building for every decision made in this place on today.
on Jul 07, 2024
