More Than Miracles (Holly Furtick)

0:00:02.000 --> 0:00:04.560 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:07.040 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:10.400 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.440 it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:15.160 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:22.439 Are you excited about God's word today? Holly's gonna preach. 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:24.280 But before she does, no, hold on, I didn't tell 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:26.439 you this. She's walking toward the stage to stay there. 0:00:27.200 --> 0:00:29.920 I want to bring up. Both of the boys are 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:33.760 wearing a suit. Graham's is safety pind because the tailor 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:36.199 is quarantined a safe depend at the bottom, so don't 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:38.880 look at that. And Elijah had some yogurt on this lapel, 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:40.280 but I think we baby wiped it off. And Abby 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:42.199 looks perfectly. She always does. Say you'll come on up 0:00:42.240 --> 0:00:52.199 for a minute, and Abby's gonna introduce you. So handsome, 0:00:53.640 --> 0:01:04.040 so handsome, so good, so good. Hey baby, all right, 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:06.800 go ahead and bring out her pulpit. We've got to 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:12.160 be ready at the table, coffee table, whatever here, let's 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:14.720 make up. Let's make a line together. Who stands where? 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:17.960 All right? You hold her mike, then you go on 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:20.720 the other side. You hold her hand and just face 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:22.319 right that way where Holly's about to come up. Don't 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:25.000 don't step back, the table's coming. I did that one time. 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:27.240 I tripped over that table so bad? Did you bring 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:29.800 it out the week I tripped over sixteen sixty sixtet? 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:35.240 Did you thank God for your biceps? Man? You've been 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:42.720 taking a creatine on quarantine? Haven't you creatine on quarantine? Anyway? 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:44.280 Just hold that might you want to hold it yourself? 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:47.960 You hold it? Hold her hand? Boy? How strong would 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:50.840 you you want to hold his hand? All right? Just 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:57.480 read the pig? Yeah, go ahead. I want to tell 0:01:57.520 --> 0:01:59.560 you a little about my mom before she preaches to 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:03.080 you today. You probably already know that she likes to read, 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:05.120 but I bet you didn't know that she doesn't read 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:07.960 the books on paper, but she listens to them on audible. 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:11.760 She probably doesn't want you to know that. She's loved 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:14.040 backs and purses since she was about three years old 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.200 and used to take her mom's purses and grocery bags 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.239 and put her toys in them. She always takes time 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:23.280 to cook delicious, healthy meals for our family. But my 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:25.880 favorite thing about her is how she tucks me at 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:29.079 night and reads me and prays for me. So Elevation 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:32.680 Church all over the world, let's welcome my mom Holifredick. 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:39.639 Surely I look like I sent out a dress a 0:02:39.680 --> 0:03:04.959 little remember better than marka for I don't know. There's 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.240 not a lot of people, but the ten who are 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:10.360 here really love you. I'm gonna sit down in a minute, 0:03:10.400 --> 0:03:12.800 I promised, But you've got something exciting coming up, and 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:15.440 I wanted to make sure the entire church family knew 0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:19.560 about it, so share it. Okay, So this Wednesday, I 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:25.040 am starting a live, open enrollment of missus better half. 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:29.000 It's a Bible study that I wrote several years ago. 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:33.280 It's actually something that was sort of birthed out of 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:35.920 our house. Exactly. I was going to say that I 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:39.600 would watch her welcome all of these women into our home. 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:41.880 I had to take the kids, and you'll remember we 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:44.880 would go to a movie or go to what's that 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.960 restaurant Highway fifty five, and we would bug out while 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:49.800 she would teach the women the study. And remember the 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:51.800 house would always be full of women and she'd be 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:54.680 teaching them about being a wife and not really trying 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:57.040 to lecture, but just sharing from experience. So I had 0:03:57.040 --> 0:03:59.280 one group and then another group and then another group, 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:03.000 and was like, you should do this as an actual study. 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:06.200 And you, from my perspective, you're too humble sometimes so 0:04:06.240 --> 0:04:08.160 you're like, well, I don't do Bible studies. And then 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:09.960 you did it and God has used it in a 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:13.480 great way. And we were taking a walk the other 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:17.640 day and I said, people right now that either if 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:20.120 they're quarantined or if they're just like they've been spent 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:23.039 too much time with people that they're with, you should 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:26.440 do becoming this is better half study for the whole world, 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:28.919 and do it on Facebook live and and do it 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:31.640 each week. And so she committed to do that, and 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:33.840 I think it's going to be absolutely amazing to share 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.919 this with our family. At this time, I'm really excited. 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.960 So it's going to be live every Wednesday night on 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:42.640 Facebook and all you have to do to be a 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:45.880 part is completely free, is go to Hollyfordick dot com 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:49.920 and register because it is a Facebook group, so it's 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:52.719 not just like open to everyone, it's a group, so 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:53.800 you have to ask to be a part of the 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:56.599 group and we will let you in and you don't 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:59.240 need a book. Some people will have a book, but 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:01.320 we'll have a digital of the book available for you 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:05.920 within the Facebook group. And I'm kind of nervous about it, 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:08.840 but I'm also really excited. All Right, if you're coming 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:10.560 to the study, say I'm in in the chat so 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:13.119 she can know she's not going to be better half along. 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.359 That's going to be amazing. And you can jump in 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:18.800 this Wednesday. If you're watching this later, you can jump 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:21.800 in later on as well, completely free. Our gift to 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:25.600 you during this time, ye preach the word you look amazing. 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:29.359 Thank you, you are amazing. I mean that, and I 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.280 thank God that God gave you a husband that cleans 0:05:32.320 --> 0:05:34.320 up as well as me. I love you, you look good. 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:42.280 Preach the word come on, let's give it up for Holly. 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:46.359 So that was very special, guys. I wanted to go 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:49.400 on record and let everyone know that it was Elijah's 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:53.080 idea for them to dress up and wear suits and 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:56.119 so not his dad, and his dad said yes, let's 0:05:56.160 --> 0:06:00.640 do it, and Graham said are we we want to 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:04.719 do that? And guys, thank you, thank you for dressing 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:07.960 up and being here at Abby, thank you for introducing me. 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:12.160 That was so special. I love you, guys, I love 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:17.320 you too. Everybody watching Hi. Before I start, I have 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:21.920 to say my piece about the Blessing because I am 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:25.599 just continually amazed. I don't know if you are, but 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.279 I just can't seem to get used to the fact 0:06:28.320 --> 0:06:33.039 that God is continually using this church and this ministry 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:36.440 all across the world. I love how almost every video 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:39.600 showcases people who are part of the Elevation family all 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:43.280 over the world. And the music, the freaking music. Can 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:46.880 I say that God is taking these songs that my 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:49.919 husband and Chris and our Elevation Worship team have written 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:52.960 in He is using them to bring hope and peace 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:56.960 during such a crazy time of uncertainty. And what I 0:06:57.000 --> 0:06:59.320 can't believe is that we get to hear them first. 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:03.120 Whether you're in the building or you're watching online, we 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:06.320 get to hear these songs first. They're birthed here and 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.640 they're sung here. And the Blessing, all of those people 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:12.160 that were singing the Blessing, we got to sing it 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:16.120 here first on this stage. And I don't I've never 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:19.000 had a song that gets me every time like that 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:21.320 one does, and I can't seem to listen to it enough. 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:25.240 Yesterday I was walking down this greenway and I was 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:27.600 listening and I was like, I was I think I 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:30.720 was by myself, but I was like lifting my hands 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.880 and I was singing. And I have to say, personally, 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:37.480 my favorite part of the blessing the live version that's 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:39.840 on the Elevation album Graves in the Gardens. If you 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:43.960 don't have it, you're dumb. But my favorite part of 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:47.280 my favorite part, Babe, is when you say you take 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:49.160 the stage. Do you know what I'm about to say? 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.280 And he comes up, and you know, everybody's singing and 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:55.120 it's you wanted to go into the blessing one more time? 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:59.080 And he goes put another blessing on him? Carrie, do 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:01.239 you know that you do that? It's my favorite part. 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:06.320 So anyway, thank you Pastor Stephen for pushing so hard 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:09.240 and writing such incredible songs in Elevation Worship. Where have 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:12.720 you guys went? You are blessing us in this season. 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:16.200 So Happy Mother's Day. It's my turn to say Happy 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:19.240 Mother's Day to all of the ladies who are watching. 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:23.160 My mom is watching. I love you Mom. This year 0:08:23.400 --> 0:08:27.640 I sent my mom a beautiful little framed print of 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:30.920 a church and the title of the print was called 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:33.679 Vincing's My soul, and I wrote her a little letter 0:08:33.800 --> 0:08:37.240 and told her that I was grateful for her for 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:41.280 raising me in the church. Some of my earliest memories 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:44.120 are at church, and it's now the thing that I've 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:46.760 chosen to give my life to. So thank you, Mom 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:51.679 for planning those seeds in me. I love you. I 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.640 also feel like Mother's Day is a day to celebrate 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:59.480 all women. A woman's touch is a beautiful thing in 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:02.000 this world, and so I also want to take the 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:04.800 opportunity to say to all of the ladies under the 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:07.640 sound of my voice, that I honor you today and 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.960 I want to thank you for loving and nurturing and 0:09:11.040 --> 0:09:13.920 caring for all of those that God has placed in 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.600 your life. I love that they use that scripture Proverbs 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:19.360 thirty one where it says her children rise up and 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.200 call her blessed. And I hope that everyone watching today 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:24.520 will take a moment to reach out to a few women. 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:26.520 I mean, I know you've already reached out to your mom, 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:28.640 but if you'll take a minute to reach out to 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:31.440 a few women who've impacted your life today and just 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:33.760 thank them. It could be a teacher, or a friend, 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:36.040 or just a woman that you look up to. And 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:41.080 let them know how they have impacted your life. You know, 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:45.120 I feel like I feel like these past two months 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:48.840 have been particularly hard on the women, and so I 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:51.080 want to take a second to honor some of the 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.920 hero moms that I feel like need to be shouted 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:58.520 out today. Okay, so shout out to the mom whose 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:02.840 kids cannot fix it own cereal. If that's you, just 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:05.559 type it in the chat, yes, Lord, and we all 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:08.280 salute you. All of the moms whose kids can fix 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:11.600 their own cereal. We we're sorry that you're still in 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:14.040 that stage, but we shout you out. Shout out to 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:16.960 the mom who thought she had an empty nest, but 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:19.760 all your adult children came back to invade what would 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:22.120 have been a very peaceful quarantine for you, and you're 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:24.439 cooking food for an army of people. If that's you, 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:28.240 type yes Lord in the chat. Okay, Shout out to 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:32.200 the mom whose kids cannot read the directions that were 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:35.720 sent to them by their teacher. If that's you, I'm 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:40.360 so sorry. Just say yes Lord, and we will. We will, 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:43.480 we will give our blessings to you and call you 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:47.000 our hero. This one's for me. I'm shouting myself out. 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:49.600 Shout out to the moms of teenage boys who cannot 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:53.280 get enough to eat. My boys do not accept cereal 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.560 for dinner as an answer. Cereal is like a post dinner, 0:10:56.640 --> 0:10:59.640 pre dessert thing in our house. A box of cereal 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:04.560 law one day and poor Abby, you guys, Poor Abby, 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.520 She's going to have some serious foodishes because she's always 0:11:07.640 --> 0:11:10.600 hiding food in her room from her brother so that 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:12.560 they don't get it. Do I have any moms have 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:15.560 teenage boys out there to support me? I cooked dinner 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:18.440 last night. I made the same recipe that I made 0:11:18.600 --> 0:11:20.680 like I probably made it three months ago, and we 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:24.079 had leftovers, and last night there was there was no 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.360 food left and my husband went to get seconds and 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:30.199 he was like, guys's where's the I'm telling you, the 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:34.880 food is an issue in our house. Shout out to 0:11:34.880 --> 0:11:37.839 tell the working moms out there, because I cannot tell 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.120 you how many zoom calls I've been in where a 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:43.880 mom is walking a baby or kids come in and interrupt. 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:47.319 And I'm also shouting myself out on this one because 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:50.360 my kids just come in the room like they don't 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:52.560 check to see, they don't listen at the door to 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:54.640 see if you're like talking to yourself or anything. They 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:57.040 just walk in the room talking to you. Anybody, any 0:11:57.160 --> 0:12:00.439 working moms out there, you feel my pain. And Abby 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.760 came into my office the other day and I was 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:04.679 on a zoom call and she was like the fourth 0:12:05.080 --> 0:12:07.640 person that interrupted me. And my husband wasn't one of them. 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:10.080 I mean, they just kept coming into the room and 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:12.559 she comes in and I turned around and I was 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:17.719 so done, and I looked at her like what and 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:21.560 she goes, you obviously don't want to talk to me 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:23.960 right now, and she stopped out of the room like 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:26.200 I was the one who was being rude. Anyone out 0:12:26.240 --> 0:12:29.720 there with me on this Okay. Shout out to the 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.360 moms of the kids who have special needs. I just 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:35.760 want to say, your sacrifice is an example to all 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:38.760 of us and you are a hero. And one last time, 0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:41.600 one last shout out. Shout out to all the moms 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:44.480 who have missed milestones these past few months, whether it 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:47.720 was a graduation, or the birth of a grandchild, or 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:51.040 even a wedding. I am I'm so sorry, and I'm 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:54.840 praying that God would multiply back to you everything that 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:58.319 you have missed during this season. Ladies, wherever you are, 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.959 whatever stage of life you're in, You're doing better than 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:05.040 you think you are. That is one of my favorite 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.679 lines from a Stephen Ferdick sermon. How many of you 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:11.160 want another throwback Thursday? I want another throwback Thursday, and 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:14.440 I'm calling for them to play my husband's sermon. The 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:18.080 most encouraging message you've never heard, and it's a word 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:20.920 for all the moms, because you are doing better than 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.880 you think you are. And I'm praying over you today 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:26.360 that no matter what this Mother's Day is like for you, 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:29.160 that you would feel encouraged and that you would feel comforting. 0:13:29.200 --> 0:13:31.800 Am I losing the guys out there? They're like, hello, 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.360 I promise that my message is for everyone today and 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:39.199 I'm about to get to it. So right now, I'm 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:42.160 really excited to bring this word today. I have the 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:45.320 privilege of thinking about my sermons for a lot longer 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:48.520 than Pastor Stephen does. He has an average of six days, 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:51.920 and I, on the other hand, have the ability to 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:55.040 just gather, gather, gather, and mentally think about next time 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:56.760 I preach what I want to preach about. So this 0:13:56.800 --> 0:13:59.199 sermon that I'm bringing you today, I actually started taking 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:02.880 down little notes on it in October and so I 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:05.440 feel like everything came together this week as I've been preparing, 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.320 and I'm really excited about what God has to say 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:10.520 to us today. So will you pray with me before 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:12.360 we get started. God, First of all, I just want 0:14:12.400 --> 0:14:14.400 to lift up all the women under the sound of 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:16.800 my voice. And I pray for those who have lost 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:19.360 their mom. And I pray for those who want to 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:21.440 be a mom, and I pray that you would comfort 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:24.400 them today. God, I pray for the woman that is tired, 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:27.560 that you would encourage her today. And God, I'm just 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:31.120 so thankful for all of the women in my life 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.280 who have impacted me and encouraged me and prayed for 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.080 me and pushed me. And I'm just so grateful for 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:39.920 their touch in my life. And so now, Lord, would 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:45.200 you speak to us. We are listening, our ears are open. 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.600 You are such a good God, and we counted a 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:50.480 privilege every time that we get to open up your 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:52.800 word and hear your voice. And is in Jesus' name 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:57.480 we pray Amen. All right, if you have a Bible, 0:14:57.560 --> 0:15:04.800 will you turn to John six. In the Book of John, 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:10.640 Jesus makes seven statements. And last month when I preached, 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:13.040 I talked about there's seven I Am statements. And last 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:15.480 month when I preached, I talked about when Jesus said 0:15:15.560 --> 0:15:18.320 I am the Way. Today, I want to go back 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:20.880 and talk about the very first I AM statement that 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:24.280 Jesus presented to his followers, and that is I am 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:29.280 the bread of life to me. This is perhaps the 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:32.120 best description Jesus could have given himself. Do I have 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:36.520 any other fellow bread lovers out there? I love bread. 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:40.480 I love bread. I think sourdough is my favorite, but 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.240 really any warm bread with butter on it, and I 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:46.240 will throw any diet out the window. Bread it gives, 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:50.479 It gives comfort, and it gives fullness, and it represents 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:53.680 life and sustenance. And today I want to show you 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:57.320 how when Jesus shows up in your life, he starts 0:15:57.360 --> 0:15:59.640 often with the things that he can do for you, 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:02.800 but he wants to move you in a space of 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:06.440 who he can be to you. All right, So let's 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:10.200 look at John chapter six, verse twenty eight. We're going 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.920 to pick up just after Jesus has performed the miracle 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.040 of feeding the five thousand, and here's what it says. 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:21.400 Then they asked him what must we do to do 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:25.480 the works God requires? Jesus answered, the work of God 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.240 is this to believe in the one he has sent. 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:32.120 So they asked him, what side, then, will you give 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:34.840 that we may see it and believe you. What will 0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:37.840 you do our ancestors eight manna in the wilderness. As 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.400 it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:44.160 Jesus said to them, very truly, I tell you, it 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:46.920 is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:49.520 but it is my Father who gives you the true 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.360 bread from heaven. For the Bread of God is the 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:55.280 bread that comes down from Heaven and gives life to 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:59.320 the world. Sir, they said, always give us this bread. 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:03.680 And then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:07.680 Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:12.280 believes in me will never be thirsty. Today, I want 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:17.000 to talk to you about moving past miracles. My title 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:23.640 is More than Miracles. Several weeks ago, Pastor Stephen started 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:27.040 this series called Looking Forward to Normal, and this series 0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:30.800 has just been mind blowing to me. I feel like 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:34.439 every week he comes with the exact words that I 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:36.840 didn't even know that I was needing to hear, Like 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:40.080 he's on this special tap with the Holy Spirit that 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:42.800 just goes right into my soul. And ever since he 0:17:42.880 --> 0:17:46.040 began this idea of looking forward to normal, I've been 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:49.600 reading the Bible differently, and I've been seeing that all 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:53.119 throughout Jesus's teachings, he was actually trying to get the 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:56.360 people to look forward to normal. But they had such 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:59.200 a hard time with this, And in this particular passage 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:02.560 of Scripture and the crowds coming to Jesus and expecting 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:07.320 him to repeat the miracles of Moses and actually physically 0:18:07.440 --> 0:18:10.719 lead them out of Roman oppression. But Jesus came to 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:13.400 do so much more than that. He came to bring 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:17.200 a new life. He came to bring a living hope. 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:20.719 He came to bring a freedom that went so far 0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:25.439 beyond their physical captivity. He came to bring them a 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:30.120 relationship with the Living God that would go so far 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:35.680 beyond their traditional religion of following the law and making sacrifices. 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:38.600 The problem with this is that the people could not 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:42.159 see beyond what they thought the Messiah would do, and 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:46.800 they were disappointed. Have you ever been disappointed because following 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.800 God didn't turn out the way that you thought it would. 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:53.359 I mean, we've all been there. Maybe you've asked God 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.840 for something and he didn't do it. Maybe you thought 0:18:56.920 --> 0:18:59.720 God would change something in your life and he still 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:03.160 hasn't done it. It's easy for me to stand here 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:06.360 and tell you when God doesn't do something for you, 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:08.639 it's because he has something that he wants to do 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:11.800 in you. But it's harder to believe that when you 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:14.679 can't get past why God didn't do the thing that 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:17.000 you were expecting him to do in the first place. 0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:20.360 It's Mother's Day, so I said, okay if I talk 0:19:20.400 --> 0:19:23.600 about being a mom, because being a mom has been 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.720 one of the most disappointing experiences of my life. Now, 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:31.440 don't get me wrong, it's also been guys. Sorry, it's 0:19:31.520 --> 0:19:35.280 also been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:38.960 But it just didn't turn out the way that I 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:43.359 imagine that it was. You see, I wanted to be 0:19:43.400 --> 0:19:47.440 a mom from the very beginning. From my earliest memories. 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:50.359 I loved playing with dolls as a little girl. I 0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:53.960 loved playing house with my sisters. I always fought it 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:56.960 to be the mom and my older sister Emily would 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:59.960 be the dad. And I'm ashamed to say that sometimes 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.040 we would make our little sister Joy play the dog, 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:06.359 sorry toy. But even as I grew up, I loved 0:20:06.440 --> 0:20:09.800 babysitting and I loved working in my church nursery. And 0:20:10.240 --> 0:20:13.240 when I married the man of my dreams, I wanted 0:20:13.280 --> 0:20:16.440 to start a family right away. And my husband helped 0:20:16.480 --> 0:20:18.840 me off for a couple of years because he was 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:22.680 smarter than me. And finally I got pregnant at the 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:28.199 mature age of twenty four, and this beautiful baby was 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:32.000 placed into my arms. And guys, when I tell you 0:20:32.040 --> 0:20:36.040 that he came out crying, he came out screaming, and 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:39.960 he did not stop, like for five years, he did 0:20:40.040 --> 0:20:43.199 not stop. And the doctors and the nurses would come 0:20:43.200 --> 0:20:46.560 into our hospital room and they'd say, wow, he's got 0:20:46.600 --> 0:20:50.359 a great set of lungs. We thought that was a compliment. Really, 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:54.360 it's code for your baby's crying really loud. And then 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:57.440 we took him home and he kept crying, and then 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:02.200 I started crying, and nothing was the way that I thought. 0:21:02.200 --> 0:21:03.800 I have a meme that I want to show you. 0:21:05.680 --> 0:21:08.320 This is what you thought motherhood would be like versus 0:21:08.440 --> 0:21:14.520 what it's actually like. This one really ministered to my soul. 0:21:15.080 --> 0:21:19.440 This baby came out and there were no flowers, that 0:21:21.040 --> 0:21:23.760 this wasn't the way that I pictured it. But the 0:21:23.920 --> 0:21:29.080 problem wasn't the baby. The problem was my expectations of him. 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:34.160 Babies crying, that's what they do, and so I started 0:21:34.200 --> 0:21:37.879 asking God to make him stop crying. And God wanted 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:42.040 to draw me closer to him. And God was building 0:21:42.080 --> 0:21:45.240 an inner strength in me that I would need for 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:49.960 every stage that would follow. So much of what I 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:52.639 dreamed about when it came to being a mom was 0:21:52.800 --> 0:21:57.360 actually based on my ego. Sorry, this isn't turning out 0:21:57.400 --> 0:21:59.359 to be the most comforting Mother's Day message, is it. 0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:00.760 That's not the thing that we want to hear on 0:22:00.800 --> 0:22:06.440 Mother's Day. But I had to realize, and I'm still 0:22:06.480 --> 0:22:10.920 fourteen years later learning this that raising kids is mostly 0:22:10.960 --> 0:22:17.280 about releasing your expectations and embracing who God has created 0:22:17.320 --> 0:22:21.800 them to be. Have you ever been disappointed because something 0:22:22.040 --> 0:22:24.840 didn't turn out the way you thought it would. I 0:22:24.880 --> 0:22:27.800 think we all feel that way about twenty twenty. God, 0:22:27.880 --> 0:22:31.600 this is not the way I pictured this going. And 0:22:31.760 --> 0:22:35.120 that's how the Jewish people felt in John six. They 0:22:35.119 --> 0:22:39.840 had spent four hundred years waiting for the promised Messiah. 0:22:40.119 --> 0:22:43.840 They had memorized the old Testament prophecies, and they had 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:48.400 built up in their mind what they thought the Messiah 0:22:48.440 --> 0:22:51.800 would do when he finally came to rescue them. So 0:22:51.880 --> 0:22:55.520 here they are under Roman rule, and they view themselves 0:22:55.600 --> 0:22:58.960 much like the Israelites when they were under Egyptian slavery. 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:01.560 They even had this prophecy that said that the Messiah 0:23:01.600 --> 0:23:06.719 would call down manna from heaven like Moses had. So 0:23:06.840 --> 0:23:11.560 can you imagine their excitement when Jesus does this miracle 0:23:11.840 --> 0:23:14.399 and he feeds the five thousand, and the people thought, 0:23:15.560 --> 0:23:18.920 this is it, this is him, This is the man 0:23:18.960 --> 0:23:21.760 who's going to start a revolution and lead us to freedom. 0:23:21.760 --> 0:23:24.880 And so they chase Jesus down the very next day 0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:27.359 and they say to him, look at what it says 0:23:27.560 --> 0:23:32.320 in verse thirty. They say, what sign will you give 0:23:32.400 --> 0:23:35.600 us that we may see it and believe you? What 0:23:35.680 --> 0:23:39.080 will you do our ancestors eight mana in the wilderness. 0:23:39.119 --> 0:23:41.760 As it is written, he gave them bread from heaven 0:23:42.000 --> 0:23:44.800 to eat. But Jesus was trying to get them to 0:23:44.880 --> 0:23:48.040 look forward to a new normal. He wanted them to 0:23:48.080 --> 0:23:51.520 see that yes he is the Messiah, and yes he 0:23:51.600 --> 0:23:55.320 does miracles. And let me just say, God delights in 0:23:55.400 --> 0:23:58.480 showing up in miraculous ways, and God still does miracles. 0:23:58.680 --> 0:24:02.639 He's our heavenly father, and he loves you. He loves 0:24:02.680 --> 0:24:05.640 it when you pray about your job and your children 0:24:05.840 --> 0:24:08.800 and your finances. He loves to show up in your 0:24:08.880 --> 0:24:11.119 life and make a way when there seems to be 0:24:11.240 --> 0:24:15.359 no way. He gave them bread to eat. He satisfied 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:19.359 their physical needs, but that is not where he stops. 0:24:20.200 --> 0:24:23.400 And the beautiful thing about following Jesus is that he 0:24:23.600 --> 0:24:28.080 offers so much more than just meeting our physical needs. 0:24:29.640 --> 0:24:32.800 And so he begins to teach them, and he wants 0:24:32.880 --> 0:24:36.920 them to understand that he's offering more than just physical 0:24:36.960 --> 0:24:40.439 bread that goes into your belly, that he is the 0:24:40.520 --> 0:24:43.680 bread who has come down from heaven. He tells them, 0:24:43.880 --> 0:24:47.959 I am all that you need. I am the one 0:24:48.080 --> 0:24:52.520 who satisfies the hunger in your soul. I am the 0:24:52.680 --> 0:24:57.320 bread of life. They wanted Jesus to fit within their 0:24:57.400 --> 0:25:02.600 formula of religion, but Jesus came to completely change everything. 0:25:02.960 --> 0:25:07.040 The old standard was works and sacrifices and following the law. 0:25:07.080 --> 0:25:12.160 The new standard is simple faith and belief and an actual, living, 0:25:12.640 --> 0:25:17.199 breathing relationship with the God of the universe that was better? 0:25:18.200 --> 0:25:21.720 What matters most in the Christian life? If we could 0:25:21.880 --> 0:25:24.080 just get this today, this is the thing I want 0:25:24.080 --> 0:25:26.800 you to get. What matters most in the Christian life 0:25:26.880 --> 0:25:30.359 is not what Jesus can do for you. Yes he 0:25:30.600 --> 0:25:34.840 still does miracles, but what matters most is who he 0:25:35.000 --> 0:25:39.360 is to you. Maybe you know Jesus is the one 0:25:39.359 --> 0:25:43.720 who provides physically, but have you moved to knowing him 0:25:43.800 --> 0:25:48.240 as the one who satisfies your soul? Because I'm standing 0:25:48.280 --> 0:25:51.200 here today and telling you that that is a real 0:25:51.560 --> 0:25:55.240 thing in my life. He is the one that satisfies 0:25:55.480 --> 0:25:59.560 my soul. So what does this look like practically? Because 0:26:00.560 --> 0:26:02.920 it's great to talk about how Jesus is the bread 0:26:02.920 --> 0:26:05.560 of life, but what does that mean in your everyday life? 0:26:05.600 --> 0:26:07.480 Y'all knew I used to be a teacher for three 0:26:07.600 --> 0:26:10.359 very long years of my life. Is it r? And 0:26:10.359 --> 0:26:12.360 if I teach you a little bit today, I want 0:26:12.400 --> 0:26:15.240 to teach you about what it looks like to access 0:26:15.280 --> 0:26:19.240 this bread of life, this bread that Christ offers to us. 0:26:19.440 --> 0:26:21.800 And I would like to dedicate this sermon to my 0:26:21.840 --> 0:26:24.679 low carb eating husband and all of his Keto friends 0:26:24.720 --> 0:26:28.639 out there. Bread is biblical, So this sermon is dedicated 0:26:28.680 --> 0:26:31.600 to all of you. The first thing that we need 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:34.000 to do before we can identify what the bread looks 0:26:34.040 --> 0:26:35.920 like in our everyday life is we need to figure 0:26:35.920 --> 0:26:40.040 out what it is not. Jesus said, I am the 0:26:40.160 --> 0:26:43.520 bread of life. He even quotes to them from their 0:26:43.560 --> 0:26:48.679 prophecy in Isaiah fifty five, verse two. It says what 0:26:48.960 --> 0:26:51.960 the prophecy says, Why spend money on what is not 0:26:52.160 --> 0:26:56.399 bread and labor your labor on what does not satisfy. 0:26:56.560 --> 0:26:58.919 Listen to me and eat what is good, and you 0:26:58.960 --> 0:27:04.400 will delight the richest affair. It's important that we identify 0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:10.000 the things in our life that are not bred. One 0:27:10.080 --> 0:27:12.960 day this week, I saw I came out of my 0:27:13.000 --> 0:27:15.080 office from having a meeting, and I saw that Graham 0:27:15.119 --> 0:27:20.000 eight cocoa puffs for lunch. Coco puffs are not inadequate lunch. 0:27:20.760 --> 0:27:23.080 Cocoa puffs are going to fill you up for about 0:27:23.080 --> 0:27:25.320 an hour and then leave you coming back for more 0:27:25.400 --> 0:27:28.280 junk that does not nourish your body. And I got 0:27:28.320 --> 0:27:31.840 to thinking, are there any coco puff Christians out there? 0:27:32.960 --> 0:27:35.400 Are there any things in your life that are not 0:27:35.640 --> 0:27:38.560 nourishing you, but you keep going back for it. Maybe 0:27:38.600 --> 0:27:42.080 it's a habit that you just can't seem to stop doing. 0:27:42.119 --> 0:27:44.960 Maybe it's an offense that has caused you to become 0:27:45.000 --> 0:27:48.400 bitter and kind of blocked you from experiencing what God 0:27:48.440 --> 0:27:51.199 wants you to experience in your life. Maybe it's a 0:27:51.240 --> 0:27:54.800 person who always pulls you away from the things that 0:27:54.840 --> 0:27:57.640 you know that God is trying to do in your life. 0:27:57.720 --> 0:28:02.680 Here's one for me. Gossip Proverbs twenty six twenty two 0:28:03.040 --> 0:28:06.120 gets me so good every time it says the words 0:28:06.359 --> 0:28:10.240 of a gossip are like choice morsels. They go down 0:28:10.320 --> 0:28:12.679 into the innermost parts. Have you ever noticed how it 0:28:12.720 --> 0:28:16.119 feels good to talk about someone in the moment, But 0:28:16.240 --> 0:28:19.200 it's like kind of like those garlicky breadsticks. They feel 0:28:19.240 --> 0:28:22.840 good going down, but then later you start to worry 0:28:23.320 --> 0:28:26.160 that maybe you went too far. And then deep down, 0:28:26.160 --> 0:28:28.600 I don't know if there's any like over analyzers out there, 0:28:28.640 --> 0:28:30.360 but deep down you start to wonder if the person 0:28:30.400 --> 0:28:32.760 that you were gossiping too will trust you less because 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:34.919 they're like, well, if she would talk about them to me, 0:28:35.160 --> 0:28:39.000 she might talk about me to them. I need to 0:28:39.000 --> 0:28:42.240 get past that one quickly. Sometimes I buy things that 0:28:42.280 --> 0:28:44.440 I don't need to impress people who aren't even looking. 0:28:46.000 --> 0:28:49.680 I need to keep moving. Sometimes I depend on others 0:28:49.800 --> 0:28:53.960 around me to fill me. What a heavy burden to 0:28:54.040 --> 0:28:56.960 place on the people that God has placed in my life. 0:28:57.200 --> 0:29:00.480 Spiritual bread can never come from another person, and good 0:29:00.640 --> 0:29:04.240 or bad, because anytime that you try to find nourishment 0:29:04.320 --> 0:29:08.240 from an earthly person, you will be disappointed. Because people 0:29:08.280 --> 0:29:12.719 are imperfect. People will always let you down. People have 0:29:12.800 --> 0:29:15.640 their own flaws and their own failures. And if you 0:29:15.800 --> 0:29:19.200 think that your spouse, or your child, or your friendship 0:29:19.320 --> 0:29:24.240 will fill you, you will ultimately be let down. Sometimes 0:29:24.520 --> 0:29:27.760 God does use others to fill us, of course he does. 0:29:27.800 --> 0:29:30.800 God speaks to me through the amazing people that He's 0:29:30.840 --> 0:29:33.480 placed in my life. But you can't get it backwards. 0:29:33.840 --> 0:29:37.760 You can't confuse the source. He is our bread, and 0:29:37.840 --> 0:29:40.800 if he chooses to speak to me through a person 0:29:40.880 --> 0:29:43.000 in my life, it's still the Holy Spirit who is 0:29:43.040 --> 0:29:46.880 comforting me, not that person. When he is my bread, 0:29:47.080 --> 0:29:49.360 I know where to go when I feel let down. 0:29:51.120 --> 0:29:53.560 So what does the bread look like? If that's what 0:29:53.600 --> 0:29:56.080 it's not? What is it? What does it look like? 0:29:56.200 --> 0:30:00.760 First of all, bread is now very eaten, stale bread. 0:30:01.160 --> 0:30:03.840 It's not good. My mom used to take me to 0:30:03.920 --> 0:30:06.320 the store called the day old bread Store. At least 0:30:06.360 --> 0:30:08.000 that's what she called it. Anybody ever go to the 0:30:08.080 --> 0:30:12.160 day old bread store. One day is okay, but stale 0:30:12.200 --> 0:30:17.560 bread is not good. When you know Jesus, you know 0:30:17.840 --> 0:30:23.080 that he speaks right now to your situation. Sometimes he 0:30:23.200 --> 0:30:25.719 only gives you enough to sustain you for a moment, 0:30:26.440 --> 0:30:29.200 sometimes for a day. The Bible tells us that his 0:30:29.320 --> 0:30:32.280 mercies are new every morning because they aren't meant to 0:30:32.400 --> 0:30:34.840 last forever. They're meant to make you coming back to 0:30:34.920 --> 0:30:38.000 him for more and for more. What if you had 0:30:38.040 --> 0:30:41.080 a relationship with someone that you never spoke to, that 0:30:41.120 --> 0:30:44.720 wouldn't be much of a relationship. God has a fresh 0:30:45.200 --> 0:30:49.480 word that can sustain you moment to moment. It's now. 0:30:50.000 --> 0:30:54.440 He gives you a word in season. Proverbs fifteen twenty 0:30:54.480 --> 0:30:58.000 three says a word spoken in due season, how good 0:30:58.320 --> 0:31:01.320 it is. Back in March, God led me to Psalm 0:31:01.360 --> 0:31:04.480 twenty three. I didn't know why. I just started reading it, 0:31:04.720 --> 0:31:08.560 and then coronavirus came and it became my anthem. For 0:31:08.600 --> 0:31:10.960 the next several months. I read it over and over again, 0:31:11.000 --> 0:31:13.120 I read it in different versions. I shared it with 0:31:13.320 --> 0:31:17.160 everyone because it was getting me through all of the 0:31:17.200 --> 0:31:20.920 emotions and the uncertainties of quarantine. It was a word 0:31:21.040 --> 0:31:28.000 in season for me. Jeremiah fifteen sixteen says this, let 0:31:28.080 --> 0:31:32.840 me find it. When your words came, I ate them. 0:31:33.240 --> 0:31:38.440 They were my joy and my heart's delight. You don't 0:31:38.480 --> 0:31:42.800 need signs anymore. Maybe a sign or a miracle brought 0:31:42.800 --> 0:31:47.440 you to Christ, but mature faith doesn't need constant signs 0:31:47.680 --> 0:31:51.480 and wonders. Sometimes God doesn't get you out of a 0:31:51.560 --> 0:31:54.959 situation because he wants you to go through. But he 0:31:55.200 --> 0:31:58.560 is going to give you everything that you need to 0:31:58.600 --> 0:32:00.920 push through, and He's I'm going to go through it 0:32:01.200 --> 0:32:03.840 with you, and you're gonna come out on the other 0:32:03.960 --> 0:32:08.840 side stronger. But sure faith knows that the bread is 0:32:09.040 --> 0:32:12.120 right there in front of them, right now, in this moment, 0:32:12.280 --> 0:32:14.640 right now, I just have to access it. I just 0:32:14.720 --> 0:32:18.840 have to open my eyes. His bread is also normal. 0:32:20.400 --> 0:32:23.800 So often we think that coming to God means that 0:32:23.880 --> 0:32:26.600 He has to always speak to us in this big 0:32:26.720 --> 0:32:30.120 thunderous clap or like the writing on the wall. I 0:32:30.120 --> 0:32:32.480 think that's a Bible verse somewhere, like I don't know 0:32:32.520 --> 0:32:34.920 God wrote on a wall. People use that phrase a lot, 0:32:36.080 --> 0:32:38.760 or maybe we think, oh, I don't need writing on 0:32:38.800 --> 0:32:42.920 the wall. But God mostly speaks to me at church. Look, 0:32:43.520 --> 0:32:46.840 don't get me wrong, God speaks to me at church. 0:32:46.960 --> 0:32:50.680 God speaks to me through the songs and the sermons 0:32:50.840 --> 0:32:53.400 that come out of Elevation Church, no doubt about that. 0:32:54.080 --> 0:32:57.760 But God is not limited to songs and sermons. And 0:32:57.840 --> 0:33:02.200 I wonder if one of the main reasons that we 0:33:02.320 --> 0:33:05.480 hear God speak to us when we're at church is 0:33:05.560 --> 0:33:09.680 because we come expecting it. We come looking for it there. 0:33:10.280 --> 0:33:13.000 But what if I woke up in the morning expecting 0:33:13.000 --> 0:33:16.160 God to speak to me? What if I expected God 0:33:16.200 --> 0:33:19.720 to speak to me through every mundane moment. God can 0:33:19.880 --> 0:33:23.360 speak words of encouragement to you. The moment that you 0:33:23.520 --> 0:33:26.720 open your eyes in the morning. God can whisper words 0:33:26.720 --> 0:33:29.320 of peace to you while you lie awake at night. 0:33:29.520 --> 0:33:33.040 God can speak directly to you when you open up 0:33:33.120 --> 0:33:35.680 His word. You know, you can read the Bible when 0:33:35.720 --> 0:33:38.720 you're not at church, right, and you don't have to 0:33:38.840 --> 0:33:41.719 start in the weird place. Start with what you know. 0:33:41.840 --> 0:33:45.000 Start with Psalm twenty three, Start with the Lord's prayers. 0:33:45.080 --> 0:33:48.480 Start where you know what God will speak to you 0:33:48.600 --> 0:33:53.240 right there. Remember a few weeks ago when Pastor Stephen 0:33:53.280 --> 0:33:55.880 told us. Faith is not a lever that you pull. 0:33:56.480 --> 0:33:59.480 I'll never forget that he said, we don't worship jack 0:33:59.520 --> 0:34:03.600 pot Jesus. Faith is a lens. And when I decide 0:34:03.720 --> 0:34:07.400 to open my eyes and see God at work all 0:34:07.440 --> 0:34:10.320 around me, my perspective changes, and all of a sudden, 0:34:10.360 --> 0:34:14.040 I see Him showing up in all the small moments 0:34:14.080 --> 0:34:18.440 of life. It's normal, it's now, and you know what else, 0:34:18.800 --> 0:34:24.040 it's near. God is constantly speaking to you. He's close. 0:34:24.880 --> 0:34:31.319 The problem is you aren't always listening. Isaiah prophesied that 0:34:31.360 --> 0:34:35.360 the Messiah would come to open blind eyes and unstop 0:34:35.520 --> 0:34:37.040 deaf ears. Did you know that you don't have to 0:34:37.160 --> 0:34:40.480 kneel down and close your eyes and fold your hands 0:34:40.520 --> 0:34:45.400 to hear God speak? And the Old Testament the bread 0:34:45.560 --> 0:34:51.120 represented the presence of God. He's near, He's here, he's 0:34:51.280 --> 0:34:54.719 in your home, he's in your hospital room, he's in 0:34:54.760 --> 0:34:58.520 your car. If we haven't learned anything from twenty twenty, 0:34:58.840 --> 0:35:01.239 I hope to God that we can learn that He 0:35:01.360 --> 0:35:04.760 will speak to us everywhere, even in our own home, 0:35:05.080 --> 0:35:08.920 even when we're walking through our neighborhood, even when we're alone. 0:35:09.520 --> 0:35:13.960 I think a lot of times I'm not listening because 0:35:14.239 --> 0:35:16.880 I don't want to hear what God is speaking to me. 0:35:16.960 --> 0:35:18.600 Have you ever really got to speaking to you something 0:35:18.680 --> 0:35:22.120 You're like, MM, I don't want to hear that. But 0:35:22.200 --> 0:35:25.239 I think also sometimes I'm just too busy to be 0:35:25.480 --> 0:35:29.080 present in a moment long enough for God to speak 0:35:29.120 --> 0:35:32.879 to me. God can speak through your children. God can 0:35:32.920 --> 0:35:36.120 speak through your spouse, Yes he can. God can speak 0:35:36.120 --> 0:35:39.279 through your friends. He can speak through a memory, he 0:35:39.320 --> 0:35:42.600 can speak through a moment of gratitude. He can speak 0:35:42.600 --> 0:35:46.840 in a thunderstorm. He's always speaking. He's constantly trying to 0:35:46.920 --> 0:35:50.359 remind you of his great love for you. But I 0:35:50.400 --> 0:35:53.600 have to learn to incline my ear to the Lord. 0:35:53.640 --> 0:35:56.880 I have to train my eyes to see him. And 0:35:56.960 --> 0:35:59.879 the more I see him, and the more I hear him, 0:36:00.000 --> 0:36:02.440 the more I see him, and the more I hear him, 0:36:02.480 --> 0:36:05.120 and the more I see him, the more I hear him. 0:36:05.320 --> 0:36:09.040 It's about getting in a rhythm of seeing and hearing God, 0:36:09.239 --> 0:36:11.560 because He's all around and he's speaking to you. And 0:36:11.600 --> 0:36:14.919 that's the beautiful thing about knowing God is that He's 0:36:15.000 --> 0:36:21.440 always speaking to us, all around us. And finally, God's 0:36:21.520 --> 0:36:28.719 bread is new. God loves to work in new ways. 0:36:28.760 --> 0:36:34.440 Isaiah forty three, eighteen and nineteen says forget the former things, 0:36:34.800 --> 0:36:36.960 do not dwell on the past. See I am doing 0:36:37.000 --> 0:36:40.200 a new thing now it springs up. Do you not 0:36:40.320 --> 0:36:43.160 perceive it? Do not see it? I'm making a way 0:36:43.239 --> 0:36:46.880 in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. This is 0:36:46.920 --> 0:36:50.080 not one of my favorite passages in the Bible. And 0:36:50.160 --> 0:36:55.000 if I'm honest, I don't want God to do a 0:36:55.080 --> 0:36:59.799 new thing. I want him to fix an old thing. 0:37:01.239 --> 0:37:03.520 I want a better marriage, but I don't want to 0:37:03.600 --> 0:37:07.319 change anything about my habits to make it better. I 0:37:07.360 --> 0:37:09.880 want a less hectic life, but I'm not willing to 0:37:09.920 --> 0:37:13.360 say no to any additional social commitments or activities that 0:37:13.400 --> 0:37:14.799 my kids want to do. And I think about going 0:37:14.840 --> 0:37:17.799 out of quarantine. I don't want this hectic pace of 0:37:17.840 --> 0:37:20.080 life anymore, but I haven't said no to anything yet. 0:37:21.200 --> 0:37:22.680 I want to lose weight, but I don't want to 0:37:22.680 --> 0:37:25.440 make any changes to my health and my habits. I 0:37:25.440 --> 0:37:28.000 want God to use me, but I can't seem to 0:37:28.040 --> 0:37:31.680 move on from my past. There are new steps that 0:37:31.760 --> 0:37:35.480 God wants me to take in order to make progress 0:37:35.520 --> 0:37:38.200 in my life. But if I'm willing to accept the new, 0:37:38.320 --> 0:37:42.680 I'm always gonna feel stuck. The Jewish people wanted the 0:37:42.760 --> 0:37:46.640 Messiah to fit within their pretty little rule. Following box 0:37:46.680 --> 0:37:49.239 and Jesus came to do something new. He came to 0:37:49.280 --> 0:37:56.200 do something better. My daughter Abby, she's the best. Everybody 0:37:56.239 --> 0:38:00.320 loves her. She's funny, she's kind, She just brings life 0:38:00.360 --> 0:38:02.799 into every room that she's in. She loves to talk 0:38:02.840 --> 0:38:05.799 to anybody, doesn't matter if you're two or twenty two 0:38:06.040 --> 0:38:09.719 or seventy two. She's got something to say. And she 0:38:09.920 --> 0:38:14.160 is such a gift to our family. But sorry, Abby, 0:38:14.239 --> 0:38:18.840 Abby is not perfect. And one thing that Abby does 0:38:18.920 --> 0:38:23.680 not like is new food. And my gosh, this girl 0:38:23.760 --> 0:38:26.920 can be stubborn and her mom can be stubborn too, 0:38:27.320 --> 0:38:29.800 So in our house, if you don't eat your food, 0:38:29.840 --> 0:38:32.279 the rule is you don't get anything to eat the 0:38:32.320 --> 0:38:36.200 rest of the night. And unfortunately, Abby has chosen to 0:38:36.280 --> 0:38:40.680 go to bed hungry many many nights. Now, before you 0:38:40.760 --> 0:38:43.560 start feeling sorry for Abby, I want you to understand 0:38:43.760 --> 0:38:47.120 that I put the tiniest portions on her plate. We're 0:38:47.160 --> 0:38:51.760 talking about a bite of broccoli. It's a tasting menu. 0:38:52.239 --> 0:38:56.720 But there are still so many nights in the Furdick household, 0:38:56.719 --> 0:38:59.080 and you guys know, I love to cook, and the 0:38:59.120 --> 0:39:01.759 food that I cook, I think it's pretty good. But 0:39:01.800 --> 0:39:04.080 there are so many nights that I have sat at 0:39:04.120 --> 0:39:08.759 the table and I have begged Abby, Abby, please just 0:39:08.960 --> 0:39:12.000 taste this. I promise you'll like it. It's not cheese 0:39:12.040 --> 0:39:15.240 all over it and bacon. It's good, and she will 0:39:15.520 --> 0:39:19.080 refuse to even taste it. She would rather go to 0:39:19.080 --> 0:39:22.040 bed hungry than taste something green. Don't have any moms 0:39:22.040 --> 0:39:23.959 out there that feel my pain right now, or maybe 0:39:23.960 --> 0:39:26.160 some picky grown ups who still don't like to taste 0:39:26.160 --> 0:39:29.560 anything green. One of my favorite verses in all of 0:39:29.600 --> 0:39:31.200 the Bible. Do I say that a lot. I have 0:39:31.239 --> 0:39:33.240 a lot of favorite verses, But one of my favorite 0:39:33.280 --> 0:39:37.160 verses is Psalm thirty four, verse eight, and it says 0:39:37.560 --> 0:39:43.239 taste and see that the Lord is good. And I 0:39:43.280 --> 0:39:46.279 think so many times I'm just like Abby, and God 0:39:46.400 --> 0:39:49.439 stands before me and he's trying to get something new 0:39:49.520 --> 0:39:53.720 in my life, and he's saying, Holly, taste this season. 0:39:53.920 --> 0:39:57.040 You might actually like it. But I don't like change. 0:39:57.400 --> 0:39:59.560 I mean, I really don't like change. I don't change 0:39:59.560 --> 0:40:01.760 the furniture in my house. I don't change the colors 0:40:01.760 --> 0:40:03.799 on my wall. I have driven the same style car 0:40:03.920 --> 0:40:07.120 for fourteen years. My husband just keeps changing the color. 0:40:07.160 --> 0:40:09.600 I've had four different colors of the same car. I 0:40:09.640 --> 0:40:13.680 don't like change. I don't like things to interrupt my plans. 0:40:14.880 --> 0:40:17.960 But I believe that we will look back on the 0:40:18.040 --> 0:40:21.520 disappointments of twenty twenty and they will be some of 0:40:21.560 --> 0:40:27.720 our best memories. I know they will. Maybe you needed 0:40:27.800 --> 0:40:31.240 everything to stop so that you could hear God's voice 0:40:31.280 --> 0:40:34.520 through all the noise and that hectic pace of life. 0:40:34.719 --> 0:40:36.759 Maybe you had to lose your job so that you 0:40:36.760 --> 0:40:40.560 would go looking for a better one. Maybe through your fear, 0:40:40.960 --> 0:40:44.200 you were able for the first time to experience God's 0:40:44.239 --> 0:40:47.880 presence in a new way in your life. His thoughts 0:40:48.040 --> 0:40:52.080 are not your thoughts, His ways are not our ways. 0:40:52.640 --> 0:40:56.960 Taste and see that the Lord is good. He's standing 0:40:57.000 --> 0:40:59.279 here saying, you won't even know if you like it 0:40:59.360 --> 0:41:03.439 unless you try it. We gotta try it. You've got 0:41:03.440 --> 0:41:06.200 to see that God is good. And he may not 0:41:06.400 --> 0:41:08.719 fit into my plans, and it may not be the 0:41:08.760 --> 0:41:11.080 way I thought that it would be, but God is 0:41:11.160 --> 0:41:14.200 good and he has good things for you. Coming out 0:41:14.400 --> 0:41:19.800 of this season, John six has a really sad ending 0:41:20.760 --> 0:41:25.160 because the people received the miracle, but they missed the 0:41:25.239 --> 0:41:30.000 point because they couldn't let go of what they thought 0:41:30.520 --> 0:41:36.560 Jesus would do. They didn't want to change. So for 0:41:36.640 --> 0:41:40.680 these people to follow Jesus, to truly believe in him 0:41:40.719 --> 0:41:43.200 the way Jesus was asking them to, it meant that 0:41:43.239 --> 0:41:46.640 they had to let go of something old and reach 0:41:46.800 --> 0:41:49.840 for something new. They had to let go of traditional religion. 0:41:50.200 --> 0:41:54.000 They had to stop following a formula and start following 0:41:54.080 --> 0:41:58.200 a person God in flesh. And they didn't want God 0:41:58.239 --> 0:42:00.799 in flesh. They didn't want to let go of their 0:42:00.880 --> 0:42:03.600 idea of what they thought God was, even though we 0:42:03.640 --> 0:42:06.360 know God in flesh is so much better than sacrifices. 0:42:06.880 --> 0:42:12.280 But they wanted miracle Jesus. They dreamed of seeing manna 0:42:12.400 --> 0:42:16.000 from heaven as their ancestors had seen it, and when 0:42:16.040 --> 0:42:20.040 it came in a different form, and they were asked 0:42:20.080 --> 0:42:23.279 to shift their mindset, and not just their mindset, but 0:42:23.360 --> 0:42:27.240 their daily patterns. No more sacrifices break the holy laws 0:42:27.239 --> 0:42:30.120 of our forefathers. Are you kidding me? But Jesus was 0:42:30.200 --> 0:42:33.800 offering them more. But most of them couldn't handle the change. 0:42:33.840 --> 0:42:36.360 They couldn't wrap their mind around it. And by the 0:42:36.440 --> 0:42:40.560 time that Jesus gets done. We started in verse twenty eight, 0:42:40.719 --> 0:42:43.000 and now I want to show you verse sixty because 0:42:43.040 --> 0:42:45.399 he's been teaching. He's been talking over and over again. 0:42:45.440 --> 0:42:47.120 I am the bread off life, and this is what 0:42:47.160 --> 0:42:49.520 that looks like. And by the time he gets done, 0:42:49.719 --> 0:42:52.640 this is really funny to me. The disciples, you know, 0:42:52.920 --> 0:42:56.200 they say some really funny stuff, like kids, you know. 0:42:57.800 --> 0:43:02.040 Verse sixty says this. They said, this is a hard teaching. 0:43:02.160 --> 0:43:06.200 Who can accept it? And if you skip down to 0:43:06.320 --> 0:43:09.840 verse sixty six, we find one of the saddest verses 0:43:09.880 --> 0:43:15.759 in the Bible to me, and it says this from 0:43:15.760 --> 0:43:20.120 this time on, many of his disciples turned back and 0:43:20.239 --> 0:43:24.800 no longer followed him. John tells us that after Jesus 0:43:24.800 --> 0:43:29.000 did this teaching, many turned away. And can you imagine 0:43:29.040 --> 0:43:32.839 the hurt that Jesus felt when all the crowds had 0:43:32.840 --> 0:43:35.880 come to him for something he could do, but when 0:43:35.960 --> 0:43:38.960 he tried to explain to them who he was, they 0:43:39.000 --> 0:43:42.440 didn't want that and they left. And I can't imagine 0:43:42.440 --> 0:43:44.959 how hurtful that was for Jesus. And the Bible tells 0:43:45.040 --> 0:43:47.799 us that he turned to the twelfth and he looked 0:43:47.800 --> 0:43:50.759 at them and he said, do you want to leave 0:43:50.800 --> 0:43:54.160 two and Peter speaks up. And you never know in 0:43:54.160 --> 0:43:55.799 the Bible when Peter speaks up if it's going to 0:43:55.800 --> 0:43:58.560 be good or bad. This time he comes through clutch 0:43:59.040 --> 0:44:02.520 and he says this verse sixty eight, Hasta's Lord, to 0:44:02.560 --> 0:44:06.760 whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 0:44:07.360 --> 0:44:10.640 We have come to believe and to know that you 0:44:11.000 --> 0:44:14.560 are the Holy One of God. You see, Peter had 0:44:14.680 --> 0:44:20.840 experienced true bread. And the more you see and hear 0:44:21.400 --> 0:44:25.399 and experience the true Bread in your life, the more 0:44:25.440 --> 0:44:27.719 you come to realize that you cannot live without it. 0:44:29.520 --> 0:44:32.760 That time when you were so alone and God whispered 0:44:32.800 --> 0:44:35.760 to you that He was with you that health issue 0:44:35.800 --> 0:44:38.960 that you battled for months, and if it weren't for 0:44:39.000 --> 0:44:41.600 that song, you don't know how you would have made 0:44:41.640 --> 0:44:44.840 it through when you went through the divorce. But you 0:44:44.920 --> 0:44:48.160 have that scripture that you clung to. The more moments 0:44:48.440 --> 0:44:50.920 that you have like that, the more you realize you 0:44:50.960 --> 0:44:55.840 can't live without them. The true Bread, the words of 0:44:56.000 --> 0:45:00.279 eternal life that Jesus brings to our soul a more 0:45:00.320 --> 0:45:03.520 precious than a miracle, because it gives you life, and 0:45:03.560 --> 0:45:06.040 he gives you energy, and he gives you joy, and 0:45:06.080 --> 0:45:08.920 it gives you hope. And Peter may not have understood 0:45:08.920 --> 0:45:11.800 all that Jesus was teaching them, but he had come 0:45:11.840 --> 0:45:15.839 to know firsthand that there was more to Jesus than 0:45:15.880 --> 0:45:19.759 his miracles. And I believe that Jesus stands before us 0:45:19.760 --> 0:45:23.200 today and he calls to you, and he invites you 0:45:23.280 --> 0:45:27.480 to a feast. He's near. He's here, and he's setting 0:45:27.520 --> 0:45:30.760 a feast before you, and he stands waiting, and he says, come, 0:45:31.680 --> 0:45:35.480 all you who are thirsty, Come all you who are hungry. 0:45:35.520 --> 0:45:38.760 If you're weary, come to me. Seek the Lord while 0:45:38.800 --> 0:45:41.759 he may be found. He's right here. Call upon and 0:45:41.800 --> 0:45:45.920 while he's near, his word will not return void in 0:45:45.960 --> 0:45:49.680 your life. There's a fullness that you've been missing, and 0:45:49.840 --> 0:45:54.120 Jesus stands before you offering it today. Will you let 0:45:54.320 --> 0:45:59.160 go of the old and accept the new that he's 0:45:59.160 --> 0:46:01.200 bringing to your life? Can you let go of what 0:46:01.280 --> 0:46:05.600 you thought following Jesus would be like and accept what 0:46:05.680 --> 0:46:10.440 he wants to do in your life, not necessarily for you. 0:46:12.600 --> 0:46:19.839 So God, we come to you, which please help us 0:46:19.880 --> 0:46:22.880 to move past the things that we want you to 0:46:22.960 --> 0:46:27.080 do for us, and see that you are doing a 0:46:27.320 --> 0:46:32.960 beautiful work in us God, your words to me are life, 0:46:33.520 --> 0:46:36.960 and I pray that you would speak to us this week. 0:46:37.040 --> 0:46:39.560 Some of us have never heard you speak outside of church. 0:46:39.600 --> 0:46:43.120 But this week, God, we are on alert. Our ears 0:46:43.120 --> 0:46:47.040 are open, our eyes are open, we're looking, we're listening. God, 0:46:47.320 --> 0:46:51.919 we are excited to hear more from you. You are 0:46:52.160 --> 0:46:55.880 our true bread, and we thank you for the sacrifice 0:46:55.920 --> 0:46:59.759 that you made to be able to be that to 0:46:59.880 --> 0:47:02.759 us us. I don't think we can ever wrap our 0:47:02.800 --> 0:47:04.800 minds around it, but we come to you with open 0:47:04.840 --> 0:47:08.600 hands and we say, okay, God, Okay, okay. I give 0:47:08.680 --> 0:47:10.880 up on all the things that I thought that this 0:47:10.960 --> 0:47:14.759 would be like. And I just want you. I just 0:47:14.920 --> 0:47:19.480 want you. I need you to speak to me. I 0:47:19.680 --> 0:47:24.919 need you to bring peace to my soul. God. I'm scared. God, 0:47:24.920 --> 0:47:30.640 I'm tired. Minister to us in this place right now. Jesus, 0:47:30.680 --> 0:47:36.960 we love so much. I love you so much. And 0:47:37.040 --> 0:47:38.959 while all of our heads are about and our eyes 0:47:38.960 --> 0:47:42.920 are closed, maybe you've never fully given your life to Christ. 0:47:43.920 --> 0:47:47.040 And I want to invite you to receive Him right now. 0:47:47.880 --> 0:47:51.360 So all across our homes, will you pray this prayer 0:47:51.400 --> 0:47:53.879 with me? If you're coming to God for the first time, 0:47:53.960 --> 0:47:56.759 or maybe you're coming back to him. Just pray this prayer. 0:47:56.840 --> 0:48:02.120 Heavenly Father. I am a sinner in need of a savior. 0:48:03.440 --> 0:48:07.120 I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God 0:48:08.680 --> 0:48:12.799 and the savior of the world. And today I make 0:48:12.920 --> 0:48:17.160 Jesus the lord of my life. I believe he died 0:48:17.200 --> 0:48:22.239 that I would be forgiven and rose again to bring 0:48:22.239 --> 0:48:26.560 me a new life. I receive this new life now. 0:48:27.480 --> 0:48:34.160 This is my new beginning in Jesus's name. Amen, if 0:48:34.200 --> 0:48:36.640 you just prayed that prayer, I am so excited about 0:48:36.640 --> 0:48:38.399 the work that God is doing in your heart. Will 0:48:38.440 --> 0:48:40.520 you let us know type it in the chat for 0:48:40.760 --> 0:48:45.160 celebrating with you right now. And I'm so excited about 0:48:45.200 --> 0:48:47.680 how God is going to speak to us this week 0:48:47.719 --> 0:48:49.839 and how our eyes are going to be open to 0:48:49.920 --> 0:48:54.879 hear from him. Thank you for joining us. Special thanks 0:48:54.920 --> 0:48:57.480 to those of you who give generously to this ministry. 0:48:57.800 --> 0:49:00.759 Is because of you that this ministry is possible. You 0:49:00.800 --> 0:49:03.240 can click the link in the description to give now 0:49:03.760 --> 0:49:07.600 or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more information. 0:49:08.160 --> 0:49:11.279 And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You 0:49:11.320 --> 0:49:13.400 can share it with your friends. You can click the 0:49:13.400 --> 0:49:15.680 share button, Take a screenshot and share it on your 0:49:15.719 --> 0:49:18.680 social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again 0:49:18.719 --> 0:49:24.880 for listening. God bless you.