The Storm and the Rock

i want to read a short passage of scripture matthew chapter 7 very familiar story you've been around sunday school all your life you've probably even sang songs about this you're a little kid matthew 7 beginning to verse 24 therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them i will like him into the wise man which built his house upon the rock and the floods came and the winds blew and they beat upon that house and it fell not because it was founded upon a rock and everyone that hears these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened into a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and the rains descended and the floods came and the wind blew and it beat on the house and it fell and great was the fall of it now lord we're thankful god for your word we're thankful for the power of the holy ghost that is already in this place thank the lord for the anointing of your spirit god asks that you will bless your word as it goes forth your word promises us it will not go forth void you know exactly lord like an era where you are going to send it to today god i pray that it will impact hearts lord that it will change lives hallelujah to encourage us in jesus name thank you lord thank you lord hallelujah and you may be seated this morning i don't want to start with a negative picture amen but we are living in a day when the forces of hell have leashed themselves against the church amen we

see it everywhere don't we so we approach the end of this age we see sin abounding as we've never witnessed it before certainly not in my lifetime i mean the way we see things today satan is launching his final battles with individuals with families with churches with society the name of diversity our society is promoting and requiring or expecting acceptance of things that the bible clearly caused sin and satan knows his time is short and he's working overtime to do what he can and unfortunately i can't preach that things are going to get easier down here because the bible does tell us evil men seducers they're going to wax worse and worse deceiving being deceived that is going to happen but that lets us know it's not a time to let down our guard amen we're not stopping just because the world decides they want to go a different direction we're not changing we're not going somewhere else we're going to heaven amen we know the way to get there right right here in his word and so it's time for god's church to rise to the occasion

now i know when we look at the battle sometimes it seems like it is the roughest but here's the thing when it is the roughest god is the strongest amen it doesn't matter how bad the world gets we got a god that is greater it's been said however the darker the night the brighter the light shines and we know that that is true and it is time for the church to take up weapons of our warfare to fight the good fight of faith we will be victorious we will overcome amen god will have a church in this last day i'm not discouraged about what i see around us there's opportunity to say you know what i got a god that can deliver you from that it may look bad but you know what it doesn't matter there's a bright light there's still a god that is pouring out his spirit there will be revival god is pouring it out in these last days we have a promise the gates of hell will not prevail against the church so whatever satan's agenda is it really doesn't matter the church will be victorious now here's the thing anytime you're in a battle it's always to a great advantage if you can have the enemies battle plan i think of the time when they were coming to get the prophet and he was sitting up on a hill and the armies would come and call down fire from heaven he already knew they were on their way another army would come he already knew they're on their way and they said why do you need me because every time we go to battle it seems like you know everything that's going on i don't know how you go get somebody that knows how what's going on in their life anyway because he knew elisha knew what was happening there but when the enemy's strategies are known they're much more easy to thwart that enemy

now our devil the enemy see he has a problem i know he he thinks he's all that but what he intends for bad somehow god just flips it around and makes something good out of it when satan thought you know what i've got jesus nailed to a cross it's all over god provided salvation you know that wasn't an accident it wasn't god just said oops how'd that happen we better take care of this it was all in the plan saying you had to kill him he had to have his blood shed why so that i could cover sins of all the people that need this aren't you thankful god had a plan and here's the thing the devil never learns his lessons because at the end of the age he's going to rally his armies around jerusalem expecting to capture it and when he does the lord is going to come back with ten thousands of the saints and guess what the satan is going to be bound and he's going to be thrown for a thousand years into a pit and then they're going to loose him and he said you know what i'm going to try again and he gathers armies against jerusalem from from the armies of gog and magog surround again and fire falls from heaven and he ends up being cast into the lake of fire forever and ever so his plans are going to be for thwarted it doesn't matter how hard he tries he is going to be thwarted and

here's the thing we already know what he's going to do because the bible tells us they're all recorded in the word of god no wonder paul wrote it this way he said you know unless satan would get advantage of us he could he said but we are not ignorant of his devices so yeah he thinks he's being sneaky but we know exactly what he's going to do and as we see the darkness increasing around us and as we're met with adversity on every side we've got to remember you know what this is just his battle plan and god is going to give us victory so i read a parable earlier and jesus spoke of the those who heard his sayings he said there's basically two kinds of people there's the wise people and they're not wise because they're smarter than everybody else they're wise because they do what the word of the lord has to say they follow the reading in fact that parable if you look in matthew where we read it comes at the end of the sermon on the mount where jesus is given instruction saying here's how you're supposed to live

here's the things that you should do here's a way to live here's a way to approach your life and he gets to the end of it he said you know okay i've given this long dissertation if you will i've sat down and told you about the kingdom of god now there's two things you can do you can either say wow that was a great sermon and you can go on your life and do what you wanted to do or you can start doing the work of the lord you can start following what the word of god has to say and so this parable he said there are two it makes it clear this it's not enough to hear the word we must be doers of the word those who hear he said you're like those that build on sand it's just a not a foundation that you want to build on but he said those that here and those that do are like those that build on a rock i only be built on a rock don't you now here's the important thing to remember about the devil his battle plan is the same for both hearers and doers notice we read that in the parable it really doesn't change it's the same pattern for the doers the rains came the floods came up the winds blow and nothing happens because they're built on a rock for those that do here and don't do same plan the rains come the floods come the wind blows so you

see the outcome is not determined by what the devil does there is no the devil made me do it folks the old folks laugh because that was a big thing in the 70s the devil made me do it no he didn't he just put the opportunity out there you made the choice you see nothing satan will do can defeat us paul said it this way i am persuaded death life angels principalities powers things that i'm facing today things that i'm going to face tomorrow height depth any other creature nothing is going to be able to separate us from the love of god which is in christ jesus our lord devil you can't do it satan you can't do it and i submit that those who experience defeat are those who hear the word preach and they don't allow it to change their lives they hear the word of god and they listen to the sermon and they leave and say wow that was great that convicted me that was this that was that and they go back and they do the same thing they were doing when they walked in the door we've got to be doers and not hearers of the word

now jesus talked about three elements in this storm and often they converge on us just as they did in jesus parable you see satan's plan is always to attack us when we're most vulnerable and we can see this in jesus words now the first thing it said was the rain descended now i have to stop here for just a minute because we just sang reign lord send it down nowhere in scripture is satan ever responsible for rain look through there get a concord and search every word your use your phone or whatever you're using type in rain and look and god says i will send rain i will send rain upon this i will send rain upon that or he'll say i will withhold rain and i will hold it from there i will send it i will withhold it the devil never gets credit for sending the rain i think we need to understand that god uses rain sometimes it's for natural blessings he said i'll send it on your crops told israel that and he said and sometimes it is for spiritual blessings like we sang about rain lord let the holy spirit reign on us he will send it sometimes it says judgment is in noah's day he pours out rain to produce crops he withholds rain sometimes to cause a famine and in the negative sense as in this story the rain is adversity that is common to all of us we have to understand yes rain is going to fall in our lives and when it does don't just turn around and give up on god because you

see god doesn't pick and choose who will even get wet the bible tells us he makes his sun to rise on evil and good and he sends rain on the just and the unjust it's just part of life and there are many things that we face in this life and because of the fall because of sin because of the fact that we're now mortal we're all subject to adversity are physical bodies they're prone to all manner of disease aren't they sickness we've got to deal with mortality on many fronts they're aches and pains that come with aging we face broken bones we face cuts we face scrapes we experience headaches and stomach aches and toothaches and heart aches and we face pandemics and sorrow sometimes even death we see reign of economic hardship loss of jobs loss of investments stock market corrections sometimes loss of homes we face the consequences of sin sometimes sin that we do sometimes sin somebody else did that we had no control over and yet it affects our lives that is the rain we deal with natural calamities sometimes floods sometimes earthquakes tornadoes different kinds of things that can happen no wonder job said you know man that has borne a woman is few days and it's full of trouble but we need to understand it is just rain is it any surprise that paul felt it necessary in that verse we just read a few minutes ago to include life in the things that could not separate us from the love of god what he was saying is just the things that happened to us in life don't let it separate you it can't if you don't let it but don't let it push you away from god you

see life can be difficult life can be disappointing and when the reigns of life beat hard against our home it's easy to become discouraged or depressed paul said even this way he said the whole creation sometimes it's just groaning and travailing in pain until now why because of sin that is in the world so life brings that situation he even said in not only the world but we ourselves we groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption waiting for the redemption of our body to get out of this mortal flesh that sometimes hurts and aches and goes through things he said we're waiting for that and it's only after this corruption will put on incorruption and this this mortal puts on immortality that that redemption will be complete we know we've been redeemed by the blood of jesus but it's realized in this life when because we know our soul has been redeemed but this body is still here and we're still going to face things until that next life when we meet jesus christ and until that day we are going to experience rain

now those that have built their life on the rock understand that the rain is going to come just expect it when you get the holy ghost it doesn't change the rain when you get filled with the spirit of god yes there's joy to get through situations but it's still going to rain amen you've all faced it but because you're doing the word of the lord and because you're doing and what you need to do and you're being faithful to god and you're doing the kinds of things that you know you need you're praying and fasting and studying his word and you're living right you're doing those kind of things you're hearing the word but you're putting them into actions you understand that when the rains come i'm not backsliding when the rains come i'm not just going to throw up my hands and say well it ain't worth it to me but you got to determine that's why i look across here there's people that have lived for god for many years some of you just a short time but there's a determination that says you know what i am going to make it and it always hasn't been easy and things do happen in my life and the reigns have come but i'm not leaving what i know is right i'm going to keep doing his word a relationship of hearing only will not withstand the rain but when you build your life on jesus christ and you develop that race relationship by doing his word you will stand no wonder peter wrote it this way he said wherefore brethren give diligence to make your calling in election sure and then he said this for if you do these things you shall never fail not if you believe these things not if you've heard these things and you're thinking about it but if you do it give diligence church stay in the word and you will not fall the second assault is this and then the floods come

now i said we had rain sometimes rain comes down it all just kind of runs off and it's no big deal you know if you're serving god the rains can come and it may be difficult but you can let it run off your back you can wade through it but the second assault is this the floods came you see satan he's an opportunist he looks for opportunity he looks for the chance that he can get in i said we're not ignorant of his devices let me give you this warning when you start feeling the rain stay prayed up because the devil's looking for an opportunity let's flip it around want to give you one other example every man sins when he's drawn away by his own lust and enticed we're still in the flesh and there are fleshly and carnal desires that we have to keep control over but when you don't the devil says ah here's an opportunity and he will make every opportunity he can for you to go astray in the same thing here when the rain begins to happen he is looking for the right moment to provide the temptation he waits until it seems like we're at our weakest to launch his attack they're really going through it i'm going to bring in some doubt they're really going to do it i'm going to start putting some questions in their mind they're really facing the rain it's being poured out in their life they're going through coven they don't know what's going on and they've just had to sit in their house for a year and they're they're just beside themselves and they i'm really go and he waits for that opportunity it is seldom that he engages a red hot on fire holy ghost filled child of god i mean when you're filled up and he comes around you say just get behind me saying get out of here and you go on in vic victory but when the rains are coming and you're not feeling quite so good and here he come you know what you need to have the same response and if you're doing the word you will and if you're not you're going to start listening to the wrong things and so he waits until the thinks the flames begin to flicker a little bit many times his attack will come when those reigns are falling when we're already facing the hardships and the heartaches and the cares of this life then he comes in with a flood of temptation when we're at our lowest he will hit you the hardest he's always the one that likes to kick when you're down you know it's hard to kick when somebody's up here and they're shouting and praising running away hard to catch up but boy when you're down oh poor me oh my this has been a terrible week and this is he's ready

look out thank god we're not ignorant of his devices you know what since we know how he's going to operate it ought to give us a greater diligence when facing the trials of this life you know when i go through that's just an opportunity you know what i know he's coming around i'm going to be ready for him i'm not saying it's going to be easy but i'm saying be ready david said it this way the sorrows of death compassed me about so he was already facing rain he said you know i'm almost i'm in a terrible position and he was running from saul and all things are happening against him and he said the sorrows of death are compassing me and i'm going through life and i'm struggling and it's raining in my life and then he said and then the floods of ungodly men made me afraid the devil saw that david was at a low spot and here comes the ungodly men david why are you even living for god david why do you believe that david who do you think you are when he was facing death when he was facing his own mortality the reigns of this life satan comes in with floods of ungodly men he is that master tempter it was when jesus was weak in his flesh from 40 days of fasting and prayer that here comes the devil you

notice he didn't follow him into the wilderness right when he first started he waited to 40 days of no food hungry and thirsty and probably very weak in his body and here he comes this is my opportunity rain's been fallen jesus said just get behind me devil i'm going to do the word of god he never you notice he never learned his lesson jesus is hanging on the cross and what are the words well if he be the king of israel why don't you just come down if you're who you say you are why don't you just get off of that cross you did miracles for everybody else let's see another one when we're at our weakest when we're at our lowest satan always promised jesus you know what there's here's a shortcut you know there are no shortcuts in living for god jump down from the temple everybody will see you the angels will bear you off and they'll all make you king no i'm not going to do that come down off the cross no not going to do that he said this i came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me he said you know what i've got a job to do i come to do the will of my father we're here to do the will of our god aren't we and if you will do the word if you will continue to live in the word if we focus on doing the will of god we will not succumb to the temptation we will not fall into the trap of an easier way well just forget all that stuff and just do it this way you know sometimes i'm trying to be real today sometimes when we face the floods we wonder you know is godly living really necessary is it really necessary for me to do this is it really necessary for me to live a holy life we

look around at the lives of others and we wonder is the sacrifice i'm going through really worth it we might wonder does it really matter how i live my life but when we're focused on doing the word the answer is yes it's worth it yes it's worth it i'm not going to let my circumstances dictate my walk with god i'm not going to say you know what because i'm going through this and because i don't understand that it looks like they're really being blessed and they're not and maybe i should just give it all up this life is worth the effort church i said this is worthy of we're gone somewhere we got something in my place in our eyes we gotta fight the fight we gotta live that life as we used to say we got to keep on keeping on not going to give up amen we have the assurance that we can make it through the flood the bible tells us when the enemy comes in what like a flood because that's what he likes to do but when he comes in like a flood if we're doing his will the spirit of the lord lifts up a standard and said no way satan you can't have them their mind i'm thankful you don't have to fear the flood of the enemy know that it's going to come expect it even if you will but rest assured when it comes the lord is gonna fight for you if you're building your house on the rock if you're doing his will and following after him don't fear the flood he said don't fear the flood and then the third distress on the house in jesus parable was the winds not only did it rain and not only did it flood but the winds began to blow

now not the wind we talked about god almighty let the wind blow through the house this was a different kind of wind this is the wind trying to blow the house down winds of doubt will always accompany the flood jeremiah said it this way he said the house of israel the house of judah they've been utterly unfaithful to be in other words they weren't doing the will of god but he said they have lied about the lord and their prophets here's what he said they were he said they are but wind and the word is not in them when you start hearing wind and it doesn't line up with the word of that's all it is it's wind if it doesn't line up with this it's just wind if it's a word that says you know what you don't have to do that to live for god and it don't line up with this it's just wind just ignore it if it says you know what there's an easier way and you don't have to do all that speaking in tongue stuff when you get the holy ghost it's just wind my bible said they were all filled with the holy ghost and began to speak with other tongues of the spirit gave utterance when they say oh you don't have to be baptized in jesus that's just a bunch of wind oh you don't have to live a life that's pleasing and holy that's just wind and you're going to hear it in fact he said this way hosea chartered he said ephraim you just feed on wind and because you do that you increase not in well-being and not in health he said you increase in lies and desolation when you feed on the winds of the devil and you feed on false doctrine and you feed on things that don't line up with the word of god it will increase into lies and desolation that's why paul said nope be no more children toss to and fro carried about with every wind of doctrine the winds will blow and when the rain has fallen and the floods are rising there will always be false doctrines and winds of lies and winds of doubt that will assault your house and when you're weak satan tries to make you get out you know it's did god really say that eve and when we're distressed he comes with lies to undermine our faith david said it this way but as for me my feet were almost gone my step said why not well i slipped i was in a bad place already and i saw the prosperity of the wicked and i thought to know this it was too painful to me what happened was there was some wind saying david why are you believing this david why are you still living for god

look at these guys they're not and there seemed to be there really being blessed he said and it became painful he said until i went into the sanctuary of god until i went back to doing the will of god if your life was built on shifting sins of a life and you're not committed to jesus christ you will be blown away you see knowledge is not enough just knowing what the word of god has to say is not enough there are many people who know the scriptures there's some that know it better than than any of us in here they can quote it they can say it forward and backward they've studied they've memorized they can quote it in the greek they can quote it in the hebrew they don't care they know the word of god but peter asked a very simple question what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel not them that know not the gospel those that don't obey it do you know the gospel today you've heard it many times you can know the gospel but you've got to obey the gospel you know we like to talk about the gospel we know the gospel that's the good news that's what that word means it's a good news that jesus came to save us it's the good news that he was died on a cross it's good news that he was buried in a tomb but not that he was buried but that he rose again that's good news the world knows that whether they believe it or not some do some don't but that doesn't mean they obey just because you know does not mean you obey the gospel is more than just the historical fact paul said

here's my gospel it's the death it's the bear on the resurrection of the lord jesus christ but he didn't stop there he said when we repent we die to our sins we die with him when we repent of our sins we die out to self we say you know what i'm not going to live that way anymore i'm going to live for god and that's what repentance it's a turning around it's killing our old man and then when you kill him you've got to bury him in water baptism paul said we are buried with him in baptism that's something you got to do that's doing the gospel not just knowing that he died and he was buried for me but then he said and then you have to rise to walk in a newness of life when the holy ghost fills your life don't let winds of false doctrine steal the gospel build your house on the rock we will face rains the floods will come the winds will blow but the house does not have to fall only one of them in this parable did was the one that was on sands but when we build our lives on jesus christ we can withstand the onslaught of the wicked one but thanks be to god paul said which give us us the victory through jesus christ our lord satan we're not ignorant of your devices there's victory i'm not ignorant because the rain's falling i know what's going on i know what happens when the floods come in i know when the wind starts to blow and the the false teachings and doctrines because i'm built on a rock you know when you're looking at a building you often

look at the outside or the external you go to buy a house you look for some wow look how it sits on the street you know any realtor can tell you what are you gonna do give it a fresh coat of paint make sure the lawn looks good put in some new cheap carpet that looks like it's brand new it'll all help the sale price because we're just looking at things on the outside but you better walk around and look at the foundation you better see if that door doesn't close right because it's sitting in the frame like this better check if those windows open or not because it isn't sinking because the foundation isn't right or there's cracks that run down it and you look for water spots and you you look around and smell if it's musty down in there and you you you gotta look at the foundation but it looks so good from the street it's got that curb appeal that's what we're after perfect house for growing families you can always turn the attic into an extra room look at the foundation the spiritual house that you're building must have the proper foundation if you're going to withstand the rain and the flood and the wind and what is that foundation it's building on a rock it's living for jesus christ with everything you've got it's following after his word i'm thankful the bible says that we are built on a foundation not of just what i know in my head and not just what i've said you know okay i believe this but a foundation of the apostles and jesus christ himself being the chief cornerstone some try to ignore the foundation some try to hide it and cover it up but the true rock church is founded on a rock the old song said on christ the solid rock i stand everything else is sinking sand you build your life any other way you try to do it any other way it's not going to last trying to help us today it's not going to last if you walk away from the church i'm going to tell you it's not going to last if you walk away from what you know to be doing in the word of god it's not going to last when the rains and the floods and the winds assail us sometimes we're left and it feels like we have no strength and we feel like we can't make it any longer and like job and elijah sometimes we say you know what it's enough

now lord take my life not any better than anybody else and the battle goes worrisome and we lose our will sometime to fight and victory can seem far off i don't know preaching to somebody today and it seems like i don't know if i can make it and the storm is raised raging around me but rest assured if you're on the rock of jesus christ if you continue doing his word if you continue to say i don't understand where i'm at and i don't understand what i'm going through but i'm going to do the word of god i'm going to believe i'm going to pray i'm going to seek your god man sometimes those prayers they only feel like they're going right here and they're going right here and they're going right here and i'm praying and they're not seeming to go on you keep doing the will of god you keep praying the word of god you keep believing the word of god i mean the psalmist said in god is my salvation and my glory he's the rock of my strength he is my refuge and is my god there's strength in the rock don't give it up don't get off of it don't quit living for god don't creep keep quit doing what is right are you weary the storms left you with little strength i'm inviting you today to go to the rock he will be your strength

see the other thing we have to understand is no i can't make it on my own no i'm saying do the word of god but you can't just do the word of god and get to heaven if you're not built on a rock if your faith isn't in jesus christ they go hand in hand you got to depend on him and then you got to do what you can do now what you can do by yourself is not enough and it's not going to get you there but when you have faith in jesus christ and you know he's going to then you just keep doing your part well my part don't look very big my part don't look like it's getting the answer my part don't look like it's going to get me there and it's not you just keep believing god and you do your part you know if we had the hard part aren't you glad he gave you the easy part think about it he gave you just keep believing me and doing your doing my will instead we want to take care of the situation i'm going to fix this and then i'll keep believing god afterwards and he's saying why don't you just do the word and let me fix it get it backwards don't we that's why the lord had to tell paul hey paul stop just a minute my grace is sufficient for you you quit worrying about that thorn in the flesh and trying to take care of it you quit begging me to ask to get rid of it i'm good enough paul my grace is enough for you when it

finally sunk in after the third time paul finally said paul finally said okay most gladly therefore will i glory in my infirmities okay i realize this is my lot but here's what i know the power of christ rests on me i'm not doing this on my own i'm not going from town to town and getting stoned here and getting whipped here and getting beaten here just because i'm a tough guy no it's because god is with me every step of the way he said therefore i take pleasure and affirmatives and re approaches i don't think he was glad about any of that stuff in necessities and persecutions in distress here's what he said but here's what i know when i am weak then because of him i'm strong because he his grace is sufficient there's enough strength in god to see you all the way to eternity church there's enough strength you don't have to wonder am i going to make it amen he said i'm being confident of this very thing he which began a good work he is going to perform it until the day of jesus christ here's my question are you going to perform your part are you going to do the word of god are you to continue to follow his will and his plan he's doing his he said i'm going to perform it there's a promise for you today get a hold of that i don't understand it but he said you know what i'm doing my part you keep doing yours sometimes when we're facing a storm i know okay he's going to perform it until the day and but that's eternity that seems far off that's abstract but i want to tell you there's strength to the next moment there's strength for when you walk out of this building there's strength for the next hour the next day the next trial the next two days the next month the next year whatever it happens to be there is strength that is there and when you can't

see the outcome and you don't know the end gods will give you the strength for the journey you notice he said in his word that the steps of the righteous man are ordered by god here's what i want lord the whole map the whole journey is ordered by you and why don't you just lay it out you know what i like to do before i go somewhere some of you all use your gps i like to look at a map some of you don't like maps because you look at the lines going so i don't know what that means i look at the map and i say okay now i know where i'm going so yesterday i looked at the map we went somewhere and said ah we must have missed it and i turn around back the other way and my daughter pulls out her phone look says no dad you're going the wrong way you know maps should go north and you get on your phone and they flip it around the other direction in this way and i'm looking at a map and it had it wrong and i'm going the wrong way okay but what i want to see is a map lord how am i going to get from here to heaven okay well you're going to go this far and then unfortunately you're going to have to make a left turn and you're going to go over here and you're actually going to have to go back here a little bit and then back and then i'm going to take you over and then

finally you're going to come back this way and then you'll be going back to say okay so when i get there i'll know okay i know i got to do this left turn i got to go this way and i really didn't want to but that's okay because i know where i'm going we don't get that we get one step and it's here and all of a sudden it's here and say what in the world is going on in my life i'm supposed to be going that way this isn't right lord this ain't worth it going 10 miles out of my way this isn't worth it i should be going there that's life keep doing the word and i understand there are times in this journey when we just feel we can't go another step the storms have beaten us and we feel i can't go any further and although i understand in my mind there is strength of the journey and i understand that i'm doing sometimes you just have to have a break from the storm sometimes you do have to get out of the rain sometimes you do have to try to get above the flood and get shelter from the winds but

here's what we know the lord is my defense and my god is the rock of my refuge don't try to get away from it by going somewhere else there are times in our lives and we need shelter for the storm and there is a hiding place the bible says for the people of god and if you're weary of the battle today can i tell you there is a refreshing in the holy ghost for you we sang and now that's we're talking about reigns of adversity but sometimes you just need that rain we sang about this morning rain lord on my situation reign lord the power of the holy ghost on my life blow something in there that's going to blow this rain out and the bible says there is a refreshing in the holy ghost it said it is the rest wherewith you can cause the weary to rest aren't you thankful that every journey isn't non-stop you get to take breaks unless you're riding with me can you pull over for a little bit sometimes life just seems that way it's just going and going and going and going and going and sometimes you just have to stop but there is a rest for the people of god and isaiah promised talking about jesus he said there's a man that shall be a hiding place from the wind and he's going to be a culvert from the tempest as rivers of water in a dry place and it's a shadow of a great rock in a weary land aren't you thankful for the protection of god when the winds of false doctrine blow there is a hiding place in jesus christ build on that true rock and the winds and the floods and the rains will not move you he said it's a covert from a tempest that word literally means a gush or a flood of water but that rock or that secret place is a protection from the flood there is a place where the enemy will not find you you probably find it in your prayer closet i don't think he wants to be there he doesn't want to be there and when the floods are all about you there's a place where they cannot reach you just as god spared noah from the flood by instructing him what to do god can help you ride the flood of the enemy to victory if you need a reference this morning from the flood if you seemed overwhelmed in your spirit and i tell you there's a covert hidden place for you moses found that place he had seen the glory of god he had seen so many things and god said you know what there's a place in a cliff of the rock and i'm just going to cover you with my hand i think he wants to cover someone here this morning i said i think he wants to cover someone this morning you're facing rains you're facing floods you're facing winds doubts questionings things are going on in your life but i tell you there is a great rock it casts a shadow so the hot and weary traveler can find a place of refuge why not run to that rock why not let him be the refuge for your soul and

finally he is not just a rock of refuge in a rock of comfort but he is the rock the bible says of our salvation when david was finally delivered from the hand of saul and all of his enemies all this had happened and he had lived in the wilderness he had ran from saul he lived in caves he lived in such he had to even go to live with the philistines for a while you know i killed your giant but can i come live there but when it was all over he said the lord lives and blessed be my rock exalted be the rock of my salvation you know what there was a praise on his lip and those that remain steadfast upon the rock there is a promise of salvation there is a promise of deliverance you will never have deliverance anywhere else it will only come when you abide on the rock we said earlier that the outcome is not determined by satan's action but by ours if you choose today to build on sand if you take what you've heard today and say that was that was so so that was good that was whatever i'll think about it the winds are going to blow the sands under your feet are going to shift and eventually you're going to fall but if you say you know what i want to be built on that rock i want my life founded on jesus then i'm going to encourage you do the word of god do the word of god if we build on our rock it won't matter what satan brings against you if he unleashes all the forces of hell he cannot defeat you because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world i said greater is he that is in you

notice i didn't say greater are you than he that is in the world but greater is he that is in you you keep living for god child of god you keep serving him you give it everything you've got and you let god do the rest don't be a hearer but be a doer of his word build your house on rock let's stand this morning i preached to all of us all of us in different places some of you are having sunshine and it don't look like anything's wrong in your life man things are great economy's booming jobs doing great all the bills are paid nothing to worry about you still need god you still need to keep in fact he had to warn israel he said this when you get to the promised land and you're eating food that you didn't grow and you're picking those grapes off of vineyards that you didn't plant and they've already planted the fields and you're just doing the harvest and picking it all up afterwards and then he said don't forget god and you might be in that situation everything is great in my life you may be seeing some raindrops starting to fall you may be looking ahead and you

see those dark thunder clouds that just kind of those shelf kind that come in you know you say wow something big is coming this guy is kind of green looking you see it coming at you say what am i going to do where am i going to go or you might just be in the middle and the rains are crashing on your life and the floods are rising you're saying i don't know if i'm going to make it there's hope today if you build on the rock and i want to open these altars right now if whatever situation you find yourself in or maybe you just want to come down and say you know what lord i want to keep doing your will i want to make sure that i am founded on a rock maybe you've never found the rock in your life and you've depended on other things and today the spirit is calling you to say why don't you come and build your life on me jesus say why don't you come and build your life around me why don't you let my word not only impact your mind but let it impact your heart and your spirit there are situations this place i'm sure that i know nothing about just because i know we're all people and i know there's things that we go through and things that you're facing and there's trials that you're going through why don't you bring them

now to the rock why don't you say lord i'm not quitting i'm not going back and i don't understand what tomorrow is going to bring but i'm going to live for you god and i'm going to trust you lord and i'm going to build on a sperm foundation hallelujah that's it let's seek god church hallelujah if you didn't have a need or a situation why don't you just come in if you're comfortable and pray with some of these others let's believe god right now in jesus name hallelujah hallelujah that's it seek him seek him right now he's there he's your strength he's a very present help the word says that means he's right there beside you he's right next to you he's walking with you church don't quit don't give up don't stop doing so be not weary and we're well doing in due season you will weep if you've never experienced a holy ghost in your life and you want it today it's for you just come and present yourself to god lord i need you hallelujah can't make it on my own but i know in you through you hallelujah is is is is is is is is that's it sing it we thank you for it lord thank you for your goodness god oh we're here today by it and because of it hallelujah hallelujah here am seeking a way into your life and situation but i will not push my way in but i patiently will wait and if you will open any entryway any entry point i will enter in with my spirit with my word with the power of my blood and with wisdom that is beyond man's and i will come into your life and into that situation and i will bring a settling peace and bring the res resolution and the resolve that comes as a result of my heavenly wisdom says the lord thank you for this god oh i thank you for this god we receive it we receive it lord we receive it