Wind vs. Word (Trusting God's Timing)

0:00:02.080 --> 0:00:04.600 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:07.120 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:10.480 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:12.520 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:16.760 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:19.439 I'm going to share one verse and then I'm gonna 0:00:19.520 --> 0:00:22.680 let you be seated. And the verse is actually an 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:27.200 Ecclesiasties eleven. I have unintentionally been working my way backwards 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.680 through this passenger of scripture, and I haven't started a 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:34.960 series lately, but I've unintentionally just been using these thoughts 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:38.560 from Solomon, who has us enrolled in the school of wisdom, 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:40.919 and he has the right to do it because some 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:44.159 people called him the wisest man who ever lived. He 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:49.080 was like Elon Musk of the Old Testament. But the 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:53.120 only difference between Solomon and Elon Musk is he wrote 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:56.600 his treatise to help us see that if you succeed 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:00.400 but you're not fulfilled, or if you succeed but you 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:04.400 don't have peace, or if you succeed but you're succeeding 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:07.080 at things that don't have real meaning, you will come 0:01:07.160 --> 0:01:09.840 up empty in the end, and so he helps us 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:12.800 with that with a few principles from the Word of God. 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:15.160 And this one today I want to share is very, 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:18.960 very simple from the school of Solomon. Ecclesiastes, Chapter eleven, 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:24.160 verse four says this, whoever watches the wind will not plant, 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:31.320 whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. So I 0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:33.560 know I told you it's going to preach today, but 0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:38.560 really this is more like an announcement of a fight. Okay, 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:41.920 So really we came to watch a fight today. And 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:48.480 the title of this message is called wind versus Word. 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:56.560 In this corner is the wind and his opponent is 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:59.600 the Word. And I believe this message is for someone 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:04.640 today who is conflicted between the wind and the Word 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:07.680 of God. And I believe today God is going to 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:12.919 speak to your heart. Do it Lord in Jesus' name, Amen, 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:18.120 touch somebody, say ding, ding, Amen, you may be seated. 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:28.280 One thing that is interesting to me, and the verse 0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:33.680 really suggests the same reality, is how when your spirit 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:37.560 makes a decision to do something, your mind will find 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:44.640 reasons not to do it. Now, now, if you decide 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:49.120 to do something like go on a diet, your mind 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:53.240 will immediately start calculating why it's not a good idea 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:55.840 to go on a diet. Now, some of y'all are 0:02:55.880 --> 0:02:58.280 already doing the math. Well, you know, Christmas is right 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:02.640 around the corner. It's like months till Christmas, but you 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:06.120 already got the countdown timer, because it's easy to find 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:09.760 a reason. And really, the way that our human minds 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:13.840 work sometimes is in opposition to our spirit, which is divine. 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:16.680 And that's why you could find yourself even with the 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:19.920 apostle Paul, who lamented one time, what I want to do, 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:23.360 I don't do. What I don't want to do, I do, 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:28.239 because often your mind will contradict your spirit. And it's 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:31.840 actually deeper than that, because the way this works in 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:36.960 daily life is that your heart reaches a verdict and 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:41.320 then gives evidence to support the verdict, whether or not 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:44.520 the verdict was true. In a court of law, this 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:47.960 would be a mistrial, but in our lives this is 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:52.560 often just standard operating procedure. Is that we come to 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:56.200 a conclusion, and then once we've come to that conclusion, 0:03:56.920 --> 0:04:01.160 our mind is brilliant, like some kind of you know, 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:05.440 four hundred dollars an hour attorney to find evidence to 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:08.840 support the conclusion, and in so many areas of our 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:11.560 lives we find a reason. I mean, you can find 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.280 a reason. And this is what Solomon is saying. If 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:18.000 you look for a reason not to sew, or if 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:20.240 you look for a reason not to reap, you will 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:24.640 find one every time. It's very true, because right now, 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:27.880 I promise you you can find a reason. Your mind 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:31.840 can find a reason to complain, even though your spirit 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:35.159 knows that God has been good to me. How many 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:36.960 of you, in your spirit you know that God has 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:41.479 been good to you and better than you deserve, And 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:45.000 yet you could find a reason, couldn't you. I'll give 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:46.800 you one. You want one. If you just need a 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:48.760 reason to complain, I'll give you a reason right now 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.159 to complain. For some of y'all, it is too cold 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:55.719 in the auditorium. If you just need a reason to complain, 0:04:55.960 --> 0:05:00.640 if the praise songs of the Most High God didn't 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.200 give you enough reason to praise, let's find something for 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:05.400 you to complain about. Some of y'all, This sermon is 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:07.400 going to be too long for you. Some of you, 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:09.520 it's going to be too short for you. Some of 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:12.080 you don't like a preacher in type briches, and some 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:14.880 of you, you know you can find one if you 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:17.520 need one, And it's really not that hard to find 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:19.960 a reason to complain. In fact, if we want to 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:21.919 go even deeper than that. And I don't mean to 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:24.160 take a dark turn early in the sermon, because it's 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:25.840 really good atmosphere in here, and I don't want to 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:28.000 mess it up. But if you wanted to, you could 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:31.000 find a reason to go into a whole depression. If 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:33.080 you wanted to think about a certain problem in your 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:37.120 life right now, you could distract yourself with a problem 0:05:37.200 --> 0:05:39.400 that is not in this room, to the point that 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:41.720 you don't hear another word. I say this whole sermon 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:46.240 because your your mind will collect evidence for a verdict 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:49.440 that you've already decided on. And that's why when you 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:51.440 wake up some mornings like I do and say is 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:54.119 just going to be one of those days, you will 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:57.719 find every reason why it's one of those days, because 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:00.120 your heart reached a verdict, and now you sent your 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:04.280 mind in investigative search of the support. Y'all know I'm 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:09.360 preaching in my introduction. I'm rested for this message. And see, 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:11.159 even if you want to try to be tired, you 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:13.400 can try to be tired. If you want a reason 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:14.960 to be tired, you can have a reason to be 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.279 tired right now. I mean if you want to find 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.760 a real if you just need a reason, you can 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:22.920 find a reason when you need a reason. And that's 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:27.279 why it's a bad idea. Watch the sharp turn to 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:34.880 sit around watching the weather. My least favorite thing about 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:41.000 being a pastor is when inclement weather. And by inclement weather, 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:44.760 here's what I mean. For church people. I'm about to 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:50.279 have some group therapy. Inclement weather means it could mean 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:54.880 that is so beautiful outside that we can't possibly go 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:56.960 to church. We need to take this time to go 0:06:57.040 --> 0:07:00.280 be outside. I'm not talking to y'all talking to the 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:02.359 people who skip church. Let me look at the camera, 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:05.440 because y'all are safe. Y'all are here right now. Inclement weather. 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:08.640 It's not too cold. We don't have to go out 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:10.960 in the rain. It's not too perfect. We're not missing 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:14.480 anything outside. It is perfect church weather. We actually have 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.480 a little joke on our staff when it's just it's 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:19.640 just a little too cold for you to be outside. 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:21.960 But it's not too cold where you have to, you know, 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:24.680 suffer for five seconds before your seat warmers kick in. 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.440 Is perfect church weather, and it's really hard to be 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:34.120 a pastor, especially when they are forecasting, you know, torrential 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.240 weather that may or may not even hit our state. 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:41.680 And what's really difficult about it, and I promise you 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:45.440 this is in the text, is that sometimes all the 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:49.960 milk and all the bread will be off of the 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:54.800 grocery store shelves and there will be no snow on 0:07:54.840 --> 0:07:59.280 the ground. But it was the it was the threat, 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:02.600 or I could say like this, it was the forecast 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:08.400 that created fear of something that was never even in 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:13.320 our future. Now you went to Sam's and Costco bought 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:16.360 out all the batteries, and the sun was out and 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:20.000 it was seventy seven degrees. Now. One thing that I 0:08:20.040 --> 0:08:23.680 love about our church is when a real tragedy happens, 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:27.480 we've already got supplies on the ground in the Bahamas 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:31.119 because of your giving. We've already got supplies moving toward 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:38.720 people when there's an emergency. And that's not the part 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:41.040 that I struggle with as a pastor. The hard part 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:47.280 is knowing that so many people see my dad used 0:08:47.280 --> 0:08:50.560 to wake up every morning and watch the news and 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.040 he would always I thought this was so weird. Growing up, 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:59.439 he would always cuss out the weathermen. And I need 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:00.760 to give you full the closure because this is a 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:05.280 very complicated part of my personal psychology. I did not 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:07.680 want to be a preacher when I was a little boy. 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:12.400 I wanted to be a weatherman. I think it was 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:17.560 a form of rebellion because I would stand with my 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:20.080 sesame street globe and an antenna that I broke off 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:22.560 my TV so I could point at the globe and 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:25.160 I would forecast the weather. This is like six years old, 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:27.840 seven years old, and I would forecast the weather in 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.679 places in the world that I couldn't pronounce. I liked it. 0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:35.520 I liked the ability to predict the future. But then 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:38.960 my dad he would cuss out the weatherman, and I 0:09:39.040 --> 0:09:47.600 was conflicted. And what made him so mad about the 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:52.359 weatherman was that he understood that even though I respect meteorologists, 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:54.000 remember I could have been one. If it had just 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:56.760 gone a little bit different, just a little different path, 0:09:56.760 --> 0:09:58.680 I could have been one. But the thing that my 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:02.600 dad couldn't stand about it was to watch how people 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:06.080 would go into a frenzy over something that was in 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.720 a forecast. And now my dad is no longer living, 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:10.800 but I just want to say to him, if he's 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.600 watching this on a heavenly celestial livestream broadcast channel, that 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:19.640 I get it now, because it's frustrating when you're trying 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:24.440 to plan church and people don't come, not because it's snowing, 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:31.400 not because it's raining, but because it might You know 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:34.880 how many things that the devil has kept you from 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:38.280 doing in your life that God called you to do 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:44.760 because of what might happen if you did. And a 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:48.000 lot of us, the enemy doesn't even have to fight 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:53.880 us with real events or circumstances. Just even the suggestion 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:56.760 of a disaster is enough to send some of us 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:00.760 into retreat. And so just even the thought that what 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:02.760 if they don't like you is enough to keep you 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:05.760 in the house, or just even a thought if what 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:07.960 if they break my heart is enough to keep you 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:11.560 from extending yourself in relationship, or just even a thought. 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:14.079 You know, many of you are reluctant to get involved 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:17.199 in this church because you had a previous bad church experience. 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:20.520 And I understand that because once you have been through 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:23.559 a storm. I lived through Hurricane Hugo. I was eight 0:11:23.640 --> 0:11:26.520 years old when Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, South Carolina. It 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:29.839 terrified me. I didn't want to spend the night away 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:33.160 from home for two years after that as a little boy, 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.880 because one thing. After you have survived a storm, after 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:40.680 you have survived bad weather, after you have survived abuse, 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:43.440 what people don't tell you about is that even after 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:47.080 the storm is over, it still rages on on the 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:50.520 inside of you. And the saddest thing in the world 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:53.839 is to see a Christian who has been set free 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:56.880 by the love of Christ, to know that neither height, 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:02.760 nor depth, nor anything else in all, neither death nor life, 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:06.960 neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:09.840 nor any other power shall be able to separate me 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:12.800 from the love of God that is in Christ. Jesus, 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.880 my Lord. What I'm trying to say, some of us 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:18.880 need to fire the devil as our weather man. We 0:12:19.000 --> 0:12:21.880 have been consulting the wrong source to find out what 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:25.239 our future looks like. And so now we stay indoors, 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:31.640 and we stay in fear, and we stay in paranoia, 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:37.280 and we never plant, and we never reap. Solomon said, 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:42.440 because we watch the wind, what a weird image. You 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:45.600 really can't see the wind, You can only see the 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:49.320 effects of it. And he says, when you watch the wind, 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:55.640 you know, like, is this a good time? I'll give 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:57.679 you one. This one looks like to watch the wind. 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:00.680 Causing about that phrase watch the wind, and I was like, 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:02.480 this is not a literal message. I'm not using it 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:04.880 to talk about physical storms. I'm using it to talk 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:08.280 about when the sewer goes to sew, he wants the 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:11.320 wind to work with him, and when the wind is 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:14.400 blowing the opposite direction, all your seed smacks you in 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.040 your face. But you never feel like everything you so 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.839 just you ever feel like stuff just backfires on you. 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:22.680 You're trying to be nice to somebody. That's the last 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:24.520 one of those I'm doing. I got appreciate this twice 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:28.000 tomorrow any my brain cells. But you ever just been 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:30.520 smacked by your own seat, Because that's what he's saying. 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:34.000 When the wind is blowing against you. Some of you 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:36.960 have had the wind against you your whole life. You 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:39.400 didn't have the right shoes, your parents didn't make a 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:41.360 lot of money. You had to learn to fit in. 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:43.120 You had to learn how to be tough, you had 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:44.960 to learn how to be hard, and you learned how 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:46.960 to survive a storm. But the problem with that, the 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:50.120 only problem with that is sometimes the wind isn't even 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:54.360 against you, but you still feel like it is because 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.480 your mind is collecting evidence in support of a verdict 0:13:58.280 --> 0:14:04.120 that is no longer accurate. See watch the wind, try 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:13.360 to find out what's popular, it's not popular. I'm apprecious 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:16.080 to our students. They've got Rhythm Night coming up next 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:18.720 next Sunday night. And I want you to talk about 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:23.600 this in some form. Tim is that watching the wind 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:29.160 is like trying to determine what's going to gain you clout, 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:37.800 and then you let clout overrule character. And watching the 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:40.040 wind is trying to be like, oh, do they like me? 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:42.480 Do they like me? Is this what I need to be? 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:45.640 To be like that? That's watching the wind? Can I 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:49.240 give you another one that's watching the wind. Is needing 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:52.200 to be in a good mood to keep your commitments. 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:58.760 That's watching the wind. Because some of my weather systems 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:02.720 are internal, and I found out a long time ago 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:06.600 that usually the mood that you're in when you make 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:10.440 a commitment will not match the mood that you're in 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:15.520 when it's time to keep the commitment. And so to 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.640 watch the wind is for those of us who sometimes 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:23.960 need to feel it in order to fulfill it. And 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:30.040 Solomon says, the wisest man, the richest man, the man 0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:34.520 who said that to do things for Vanity's sake is 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:38.440 like chasing after the wind. He uses this metaphor lot 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:43.840 in his book Ecclesiastes the Collected Teachings, which are like proverbs, 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:46.520 but it's written in such a way as to convince 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:50.160 the knowledge of the universe and the futility of vanity. 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:53.960 He uses this image of the wind. Why because it 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:57.440 is an invisible force. And he says, if you are 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:02.360 always checking with and con insulting how you feel, you 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:10.880 will always find a reason to contradict your responsibility. So 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:14.600 there will always be a reason watch this that you 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:18.960 don't feel like forgiving people. But if you want to 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:23.840 be free, you might have to go against your feelings. 0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:28.520 In order to live in freedom. I'm saying you might 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:32.960 have to walk against the wind. You might have to 0:16:33.040 --> 0:16:38.800 forgive against the wind, especially in marriage. I love Holly 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.680 so much because she decided a long time ago that 0:16:42.920 --> 0:16:46.280 I was the man for her. She reached the verdict 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:54.200 on verdict before she ever took my name as her own. 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:57.520 And because she reached the verdict that she loves me 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:01.440 and I'm a good man in our marriage. She works 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:05.080 to collect evidence to support that I'm the man for her. 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:09.440 She could just as easily do the opposite. She could 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:13.000 find fifteen reasons. Well, he's only five foot nine, he's 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:16.400 bigger on screen, you know. She could find fifteen reasons 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:18.960 I'm usually moody three and a half days out of seven. 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:23.200 She could find fifteen reasons not to feel that way 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:33.040 about me. But sometimes commitment means facing resistance with resolve 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:37.200 in your heart. You can find a reason to leave 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:41.840 this church in the next three days if you want one. 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:46.160 Matter of fact, the law of average says that there's 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:50.360 somebody on your row right now who if you get 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.320 to know them, they will give you a reason to 0:17:53.440 --> 0:17:57.520 leave this church in the next three days because they 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:01.280 will disappoint you with their lack of Christian character. But 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:03.920 if you move one person over on the same row, 0:18:04.680 --> 0:18:08.240 I bet you there's somebody on that row that loves Jesus. 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:12.080 There's somebody on that row who is honest. There is 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:18.840 somebody on that row that is sincere. But you'll never sew. 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:22.480 We'll see. I'm gonna get my I'm gonna do I'm 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:24.720 gonna get my I'm gonna do the tithing thing, but 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:27.160 I'm gonna do it after I get my thing, because 0:18:27.160 --> 0:18:29.760 the thing after the thing is gonna do the thing. 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:32.840 And then this thing happened. There was the thing, but 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:36.520 the economy, but the presidential election. You see how we 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:40.639 do it consulting the forecast instead of consulting our faith. 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:45.160 He who regards the wind or observes the wind will 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:48.280 never sow, and he who looks at the clouds will 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:52.840 never reap because it always looks like it could rain anytime, 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:56.000 and you can't get the harvest in when it's wet. 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:03.840 And Solomon didn't have a weather channel. And Solomon didn't 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:07.400 have a weather channel. He's dealing with people who would 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:14.280 consult the conditions before keeping their commitments watching the wind. 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:18.679 How many people have not started what God told them 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:25.160 to start because they've been watching the wind, been waiting 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:31.000 for more spare time. I'm gonna write a book one day. 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:35.080 You don't even keep a journal right now. I'm gonna 0:19:35.080 --> 0:19:38.359 write a book one day where you're gonna write it. Well, 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:40.400 I'm gonna build a cottage in Maine. It's the thing 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:43.040 I'm gonna do one day. You got some family landmope. 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:50.119 It's an imaginary scenario that keeps you from an actual opportunity. 0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:55.800 Do you see it? Watching the wind is wishing that 0:19:55.880 --> 0:19:59.000 you had a different wife instead of loving the one 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:06.879 that you've got, Like Christ loves the church. This is 0:20:06.920 --> 0:20:10.000 getting good. This message is going to be better than 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:12.240 your beard by the time I finished with it, my brother, 0:20:12.880 --> 0:20:17.720 And that's saying a lot. But you know, Peter knew 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:21.840 something about watching the wind though, didn't he? Peter the 0:20:22.520 --> 0:20:28.320 apostle who was always wanting to do something impulsive. Sometimes 0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:32.240 it worked for him, sometimes it worked against him. But 0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:34.040 one thing that you got to love about him, he 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:37.840 did not wait for perfect circumstances to say. He didn't 0:20:37.840 --> 0:20:41.960 wait until he had knowledge to give his opinion. You 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:45.000 ever lived with somebody like that, it's terrible. And I 0:20:45.119 --> 0:20:46.879 noticed something about God, and I wanted to give this 0:20:46.920 --> 0:20:49.200 to you because they have these things in church. They say, well, 0:20:49.280 --> 0:20:53.120 God is an on time god. Yes he is. He's 0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:57.840 an on time god. He's seldom early, but he's never late. 0:20:57.960 --> 0:21:01.080 Ask Lazarus if he was ever late, Laszar, he is 0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:04.760 about four days late. Decomposing body worms working their way 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:07.840 into the eye socket by the time Jesus got there 0:21:08.000 --> 0:21:10.520 and Mary and Martha had set their watch by it. 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:17.879 Ask Peter if Jesus was ever late, Ask him, Ask 0:21:17.960 --> 0:21:22.080 him if one time they did not get sent out 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:27.879 into a storm by the instruction that Jesus gave to 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:31.120 go to the other side. Now, this has been really 0:21:31.119 --> 0:21:34.440 exciting to me as I've studied it this week, because 0:21:35.080 --> 0:21:39.840 the real thing of faith is do you trust God's timing? 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:44.520 You know that, right? And that was the test for 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:47.080 Mary and Martha. Jes said, I am the resurrection and 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:49.600 the life. And she said, well, you know, I am 0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:51.800 the resurrection. And she said, well, I know my brother's 0:21:51.840 --> 0:21:53.320 going to rise again at the last day. He said, no, 0:21:53.400 --> 0:21:57.800 I am the resurrection. It wasn't that she didn't trust 0:21:57.800 --> 0:22:00.840 what he was able to do. It was are you 0:22:00.960 --> 0:22:03.600 able to trust when God is going to do it? 0:22:06.160 --> 0:22:10.679 You can trust somebody's intention, but not trust their timing. 0:22:12.600 --> 0:22:15.320 And since I already talked good about hollyod the sermon, 0:22:15.960 --> 0:22:21.040 let me just say I trust her with my life. 0:22:21.119 --> 0:22:25.879 I trust her to be faithful to our marriage vows. 0:22:26.880 --> 0:22:29.720 I trust her if she cooks for me or orders 0:22:29.720 --> 0:22:31.760 for me off of a menu, I trust she knows 0:22:31.760 --> 0:22:33.840 what I want to eat more than I want to eat. 0:22:33.880 --> 0:22:37.199 She knows me like that. I trust this woman with 0:22:37.400 --> 0:22:44.439 everything but time. When she says it's going to be 0:22:44.520 --> 0:22:49.520 thirty minutes, I allot three hours because she taught me 0:22:50.320 --> 0:22:56.000 that her concept of time is different than mine. One 0:22:56.240 --> 0:23:01.600 is correct, one is delusional. And I trust her, I 0:23:01.680 --> 0:23:04.520 really do. I trust her. I put her in a 0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:08.720 room full of supermodels, men calendar men and trust her 0:23:08.760 --> 0:23:10.760 in there. But if she said we're going to leave 0:23:10.800 --> 0:23:13.600 in an hour, I would set three alarms because I 0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:19.720 trust her with everything but time. Some of us trust 0:23:19.920 --> 0:23:22.080 that God is going to get us to heaven one day. 0:23:22.680 --> 0:23:25.240 Some of us trust that he died on the cross 0:23:25.280 --> 0:23:29.440 for our sin. We trust him with everything, but let 0:23:29.520 --> 0:23:32.040 him not do something at the moment that we want 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:34.600 him to do it. Let him leave us in the 0:23:34.720 --> 0:23:39.359 fiery furnace. Four seconds too long and we'll be screaming, God, 0:23:39.400 --> 0:23:42.200 get me out of this. But God said, the real 0:23:42.359 --> 0:23:48.560 test for a mature Christian is do you trust me 0:23:49.640 --> 0:23:55.359 with my timing? Trusting him in the meantime is where 0:23:55.440 --> 0:24:03.160 maturity is developed. And Jesus was always doing stuff at 0:24:03.160 --> 0:24:09.680 a bad time. He was always going to Jerusalem at 0:24:09.720 --> 0:24:12.040 the time when they all wanted to kill him. That's 0:24:12.040 --> 0:24:15.320 a bad time to show up. When they're looking for 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:20.359 you to execute you. It's a bad time. Five thousand men, 0:24:20.680 --> 0:24:23.679 women and children show up on the other side. Now, 0:24:23.720 --> 0:24:25.600 this is right after John the Baptist. I just want 0:24:25.640 --> 0:24:28.280 you to know how often God does things in our 0:24:28.320 --> 0:24:32.040 life at a bad time, because some of y'all are like, 0:24:32.280 --> 0:24:34.359 right now in your life, like, well, this is a 0:24:34.359 --> 0:24:36.719 bad time for me. God. And I used to have 0:24:36.760 --> 0:24:38.440 this friend. Every time he called me on the phone, 0:24:38.480 --> 0:24:40.800 he was so respectful. He would say good time or 0:24:40.800 --> 0:24:43.000 a bad time. Always wanted to know that before he 0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:45.359 said anything else. And I believe the Holy Spirit is 0:24:45.359 --> 0:24:47.680 say him to somebody today, good time or a bad time, 0:24:47.800 --> 0:24:49.679 and you're like, this is a bad time. I'm too 0:24:49.720 --> 0:24:51.680 old to be doing this now, I'm too young to 0:24:51.720 --> 0:24:53.600 be doing this now, I'm too busy to be doing 0:24:53.600 --> 0:24:55.320 this now. I used to have a better job, I 0:24:55.400 --> 0:24:57.400 used to have more money. It's a bad time. But 0:24:57.440 --> 0:25:02.399 God likes to bless people at a bad time. He 0:25:02.680 --> 0:25:07.240 likes to raise people. On the Fourth Day. And when 0:25:07.480 --> 0:25:10.520 Jesus had heard that John the Baptist had his head 0:25:10.560 --> 0:25:13.919 cut off by heard it was a bad time, and 0:25:13.960 --> 0:25:16.000 he wanted to get away from the crowds. So he 0:25:16.040 --> 0:25:19.159 went over to the other side with the disciples, and 0:25:19.200 --> 0:25:21.560 when they got there, there was a crowd waiting to 0:25:21.600 --> 0:25:24.240 get autographs and healing and fish and chips and all 0:25:24.320 --> 0:25:27.280 this stuff. As a matter of fact, when he did 0:25:27.320 --> 0:25:30.920 the miracle and feeds the five thousand, the first thing 0:25:31.000 --> 0:25:35.399 the disciples said was, what it's late. It's a bad time. 0:25:36.560 --> 0:25:41.920 It's a bad time. And Jesus when he took the bread, 0:25:41.960 --> 0:25:44.240 blessed it, broke it and gave it to them. He 0:25:44.280 --> 0:25:51.080 did the miracle at a bad time. Now I'm divorced, 0:25:51.080 --> 0:25:53.439 Now I'm a single mom. Now it's a bad time 0:25:53.920 --> 0:25:55.840 for me to be believing God. It's a bad time. 0:25:57.040 --> 0:25:59.040 I really wasted a lot of years. It's a bad 0:25:59.119 --> 0:26:01.720 time for me to be doing I think I made 0:26:01.720 --> 0:26:04.080 the wrong decision. I don't even think I'm supposed to 0:26:04.160 --> 0:26:06.040 live in Roanoke. I don't even think I'm supposed to 0:26:06.080 --> 0:26:08.240 live in Charlotte. I even it's a bad time. It's 0:26:08.240 --> 0:26:10.520 a bad place. That's what the disciples said. They said, 0:26:10.720 --> 0:26:13.800 it's a remote place, and it's already late. So send 0:26:13.880 --> 0:26:18.359 the crowds away and Jesus said, no, I want to 0:26:18.359 --> 0:26:23.080 bless him when it's too little and when it's too late, 0:26:25.240 --> 0:26:28.000 because I want to bless you when you think it's 0:26:28.000 --> 0:26:32.000 a bad time. So I can teach you how to 0:26:32.080 --> 0:26:37.880 consult your faith instead of consulting your forecast. You got 0:26:37.920 --> 0:26:41.919 the wrong weather man. You keep watching the weather, and 0:26:41.960 --> 0:26:44.240 so now you live in fear of everything that could 0:26:44.280 --> 0:26:47.040 happen and everything that has happened. And as long as 0:26:47.119 --> 0:26:49.440 you watch the weather, as long as you you keep 0:26:49.480 --> 0:26:51.320 that wrong weather man. This is what God showed me. 0:26:51.640 --> 0:26:57.120 The weather is meant to be checked, not watched when 0:26:57.200 --> 0:27:01.000 you sit. When you sit around and watch it all day, 0:27:01.400 --> 0:27:04.320 it scares you. Oh everything. It's good to plan, it's 0:27:04.400 --> 0:27:07.320 good to make provision, but don't watch the weather. If 0:27:07.359 --> 0:27:10.600 you watch the weather, you'll get in your feelings and 0:27:10.640 --> 0:27:13.480 you'll get out of your faith. And now the wind 0:27:13.640 --> 0:27:19.480 watch this will work against you to contradict the word 0:27:20.160 --> 0:27:26.240 that God spoke to you. So this is the point 0:27:26.520 --> 0:27:31.120 where Jesus, after feeding the five thousand, sends the disciples 0:27:32.119 --> 0:27:35.159 into a storm. And I want to read this to 0:27:35.200 --> 0:27:38.520 you for everybody who's been watching the wind in your life, 0:27:39.960 --> 0:27:45.720 worrying about uncertain situations that you cannot control. I'm not 0:27:45.760 --> 0:27:47.320 talking about those of you that are trying to make 0:27:47.320 --> 0:27:51.640 a plan to pay off your debt. That's good, that's 0:27:51.680 --> 0:27:55.800 not a lack of faith. That's a that's a presence 0:27:55.800 --> 0:28:01.560 of wisdom. But watching the wind is trying to calculate 0:28:02.200 --> 0:28:07.159 something that you can't control. You are worried your kid 0:28:07.480 --> 0:28:09.879 is going to end up dropping out of school, and 0:28:09.920 --> 0:28:12.639 they are three months old, and they don't like Baby 0:28:12.640 --> 0:28:16.880 Einstein enough yet, and you are worried that they won't 0:28:16.880 --> 0:28:19.040 get into Harvard. You watch in the wind trying to 0:28:19.080 --> 0:28:23.400 figure out stuff that's in the future. Now watch this. 0:28:23.400 --> 0:28:27.760 This is so weird because it says immediately after Jesus 0:28:27.760 --> 0:28:30.760 blessed all the multitudes and the crowds at a bad time, 0:28:32.000 --> 0:28:35.479 he made them go into the boat twenty two and 0:28:35.560 --> 0:28:37.640 go on ahead of him to the other side. Well, 0:28:37.680 --> 0:28:40.600 he dismissed the crowd. So at some point during his 0:28:40.680 --> 0:28:43.280 instructions he told them, I will meet you on the 0:28:43.320 --> 0:28:49.160 other side. He gave them his word. He gave them 0:28:49.400 --> 0:28:54.080 his word. I will see you on the other side. 0:28:55.400 --> 0:28:59.680 He gave them his word. Touched somebody next to you 0:28:59.760 --> 0:29:04.040 and say he gave you his word. No, I need 0:29:04.040 --> 0:29:05.800 you to help me preach this, not look at me 0:29:05.840 --> 0:29:09.120 with a little church face. Tell him he gave you 0:29:09.280 --> 0:29:14.040 his word. But the challenge is not believing that you 0:29:14.080 --> 0:29:16.200 will see him on the other side. Is how long 0:29:16.280 --> 0:29:19.200 is it going to be before I get there? He 0:29:19.320 --> 0:29:22.080 gave me his word that he would never leave me 0:29:22.600 --> 0:29:27.080 nor forsake me. He gave me his word in this corner, 0:29:27.480 --> 0:29:34.640 weighing in at unlimited pounds, hailing from eternity made flesh 0:29:34.680 --> 0:29:38.600 by the will of the Father to redeem humanity. Is 0:29:38.680 --> 0:29:44.120 the living, breathing logos word of God, Jesus Christ. In 0:29:44.200 --> 0:29:48.120 the beginning, what's the word? And the word was with God, 0:29:48.560 --> 0:29:52.080 and the Word was God, and all things were made 0:29:52.280 --> 0:29:56.120 by him and for him, for he was with God 0:29:56.400 --> 0:30:06.000 in the beginning. He gave me his word. After he 0:30:06.040 --> 0:30:08.000 had dismissed them, he went up on a mountain side 0:30:08.000 --> 0:30:11.280 by himself to pray. And when evening came he was 0:30:11.280 --> 0:30:13.880 there alone. But the boat was already a considerable distance 0:30:13.920 --> 0:30:18.959 from land, buffeted by the waves. Because why the wind 0:30:20.560 --> 0:30:28.680 was against and his opponent raging on the storm tossed 0:30:28.760 --> 0:30:34.320 sea the wind. And we came to church really today 0:30:34.400 --> 0:30:39.280 to find out which one's gonna win the calling that 0:30:39.360 --> 0:30:42.360 God put on your life for the circumstances that contradicted 0:30:46.720 --> 0:30:53.560 your faith or your fear. The wind versus the Word, 0:30:55.960 --> 0:31:01.440 the Challenger, you ever watch him in may Sometimes I 0:31:01.560 --> 0:31:03.400 like to preach the Word and then watch people beat 0:31:03.440 --> 0:31:05.720 each other after death on Saturday nights. This shah a 0:31:05.840 --> 0:31:13.200 recovery method. It's kind of my own spiritual cry of therapy. 0:31:14.680 --> 0:31:19.560 But the challenger and then you got the undefeated, undisputed 0:31:21.720 --> 0:31:25.040 heavyweight champion. Anyway, I'm gonna get back to the text 0:31:26.320 --> 0:31:31.080 because it said the wind was against the boat, and 0:31:31.160 --> 0:31:34.760 the boat did not represent disobedience like it did for 0:31:34.880 --> 0:31:38.920 Jonah who was going away from God. They were going 0:31:39.120 --> 0:31:46.560 into their assignment, which led them into a storm, which 0:31:46.600 --> 0:31:53.239 meant that they had to keep moving forward against the wind. Now, 0:31:53.240 --> 0:31:57.640 if you watch the wind, you'll never set out. If 0:31:57.640 --> 0:31:59.840 they would have had a weather channel app they would 0:31:59.880 --> 0:32:03.320 have never gotten in the boat. Sometimes we know too much, 0:32:04.080 --> 0:32:06.640 Sometimes we overthink things. Who's this message for? If you 0:32:06.640 --> 0:32:13.200 are a chronic overthinker, you are a wind watcher. Well, 0:32:13.200 --> 0:32:14.640 and Mike did a flat tier. They've been doing a 0:32:14.680 --> 0:32:16.400 lot of construction. I don't know if I should take 0:32:16.400 --> 0:32:27.200 this job or not so? Verse twenty five. The fourth watch. 0:32:27.240 --> 0:32:29.600 The Romans divided it up into four quarters all right 0:32:30.080 --> 0:32:32.720 six pm to six am, four watches, three hours each 0:32:32.840 --> 0:32:36.479 six pm to nine pm. First watch nine pm to midnight, 0:32:36.520 --> 0:32:41.480 Second watch midnight to three am. Third watch. And when 0:32:41.480 --> 0:32:46.200 does Jesus show up? I mean, this dude, is that 0:32:46.320 --> 0:32:48.440 disrespectful to call him that he was fully God and 0:32:48.520 --> 0:32:52.960 fully man? And he shows up not the first watch 0:32:53.000 --> 0:32:57.600 of the night, second watch, third watch. What I like 0:32:57.640 --> 0:33:01.960 about the text is even the term watch has significance 0:33:03.320 --> 0:33:06.160 because if you remember what I just read you, it 0:33:06.280 --> 0:33:10.440 said that he went up on a mountain side to prey. Now, 0:33:10.520 --> 0:33:14.880 the sea was situated well below the mountain, which means 0:33:15.280 --> 0:33:19.120 that as they went through the storm, even though he 0:33:19.240 --> 0:33:24.200 didn't stop it, he saw them in it. I want 0:33:24.280 --> 0:33:28.600 you to be encouraged today, my sister, my brother, my 0:33:28.760 --> 0:33:33.000 fellow child of God. Just because the storm is raging 0:33:33.120 --> 0:33:36.840 doesn't mean God has left the scene. And just because 0:33:36.880 --> 0:33:40.080 he hasn't stopped it doesn't mean he doesn't see it. 0:33:40.520 --> 0:33:43.800 And just because the devil started it doesn't mean he 0:33:43.880 --> 0:33:47.040 won't use it. And just because I don't know how 0:33:47.160 --> 0:33:50.400 long until we get there, doesn't make me doubt his 0:33:50.560 --> 0:33:55.120 presence in the middle of it. He was watching the 0:33:55.160 --> 0:33:58.760 whole time. He knew just when he wanted to step 0:33:58.760 --> 0:34:01.040 in so they could see him as he had never 0:34:01.120 --> 0:34:04.560 been seen. And I believe God is speaking over somebody's 0:34:04.600 --> 0:34:08.200 situation today, that his eye is on you. I believe 0:34:08.200 --> 0:34:10.680 that He has numbered the hairs on your head. I 0:34:10.719 --> 0:34:12.880 believe that even the bad things that have happened in 0:34:12.920 --> 0:34:15.520 your life, he kept every tear in a jar. And 0:34:15.600 --> 0:34:18.560 I don't believe that one of them is beyond redemption. Now. 0:34:18.560 --> 0:34:20.720 The Bible says that when it got to the last 0:34:20.840 --> 0:34:23.680 watch of the night, after they have rowed four to 0:34:23.800 --> 0:34:27.520 five miles in their own strength, Jesus went out to 0:34:27.600 --> 0:34:31.399 them walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him 0:34:31.440 --> 0:34:35.360 walking on the lake, they were at peace. Nope, First, 0:34:35.360 --> 0:34:38.840 when you see God, your first response is fear. Why 0:34:39.040 --> 0:34:42.000 you don't know if this is really him. That's the problem. 0:34:42.200 --> 0:34:44.160 I don't know if this is God, or I don't 0:34:44.200 --> 0:34:45.960 know if this is the devil, or I don't know 0:34:46.000 --> 0:34:48.040 if I'm supposed to do this, or I don't know 0:34:48.080 --> 0:34:50.600 if I'm supposed to do that. And the challenge is 0:34:50.719 --> 0:34:54.200 trusting God in uncertainty, and you got to believe that 0:34:54.200 --> 0:34:57.000 the disciples were wondering, did we hear him right? Did 0:34:57.040 --> 0:34:59.440 he really take it in the boat? Surely he wouldn't 0:34:59.480 --> 0:35:01.960 have sent usen to a storm like this. And now 0:35:02.160 --> 0:35:04.960 enters the mythology that the Jewish people would have believed 0:35:04.960 --> 0:35:08.080 at this point that underneath the sea was controlled by 0:35:08.080 --> 0:35:11.560 an evil spirit. So when Jesus comes walking to them 0:35:11.560 --> 0:35:14.720 and they can't fully trace his silhouette because it's still dark, 0:35:15.080 --> 0:35:18.319 and because it's foggy and the wind is against them, 0:35:18.560 --> 0:35:22.360 their first instinct is it must be a ghost. See, 0:35:22.400 --> 0:35:24.920 you keep thinking, when God shows up in the situation, 0:35:25.080 --> 0:35:28.120 it's gonna feel better all of a sudden. But this 0:35:28.160 --> 0:35:31.160 will blow your mind. The Bible doesn't say they were 0:35:31.280 --> 0:35:39.319 scared at all until Jesus shows up. Now you see 0:35:39.360 --> 0:35:44.560 why you can't go by your feelings. Sometimes the moment 0:35:45.040 --> 0:35:50.960 when he's closest is the same moment when the wind 0:35:51.040 --> 0:36:00.280 is blowing the strongest. So they were terrified. It's a ghost, 0:36:00.320 --> 0:36:07.600 they said, and they cried out in fear. Now Jesus, 0:36:09.000 --> 0:36:13.880 instead of rebuking them for their fear, responds to their initiative, 0:36:15.800 --> 0:36:19.759 and he said, remember, this is a significant term. Yahweh, 0:36:19.800 --> 0:36:23.000 I am the name of God. It's a name that 0:36:23.120 --> 0:36:25.840 Jesus embodied in flesh. God is that in spirit. But 0:36:25.920 --> 0:36:29.120 Jesus shows us that in flesh. And when he says 0:36:29.160 --> 0:36:32.520 take courage, it is I. It's more than him just 0:36:32.560 --> 0:36:39.920 saying it's me. Boys. He's identifying his presence and connecting 0:36:39.960 --> 0:36:44.839 it to the eternal God and the eternal Word. When 0:36:44.880 --> 0:36:49.880 he speaks it is I don't be afraid. Peter, in 0:36:50.680 --> 0:36:56.040 equal parts doubt and equal parts curiosity because he just 0:36:56.080 --> 0:37:00.000 got to participate in a miracle of feeding five thousand, 0:37:00.920 --> 0:37:03.399 is like, I want to get in on this one too, 0:37:04.400 --> 0:37:06.560 And I'm tired of being in this boat with John. 0:37:06.600 --> 0:37:10.880 He gets on my nerves. He doesn't row, you know. 0:37:10.960 --> 0:37:13.960 John was laid back, and Peter's like, if it's you, 0:37:15.040 --> 0:37:18.640 get me out of this boat, tell me to come. 0:37:19.080 --> 0:37:21.200 I preached this for a long time the wrong way, 0:37:21.640 --> 0:37:24.440 and I've corrected it since. I used to say that 0:37:25.000 --> 0:37:28.439 Peter walked on water. But if you look at verse 0:37:28.560 --> 0:37:33.120 twenty nine, Jesus said come, and then Peter got down 0:37:33.160 --> 0:37:37.080 out of the boat and walked on the water, but 0:37:37.200 --> 0:37:49.680 he was really walking on the word. I'm gonna just 0:37:49.760 --> 0:37:53.080 ask you something. This is not a preachery question. Have 0:37:53.160 --> 0:37:56.640 you ever had to just walk through something just on 0:37:56.800 --> 0:38:01.040 sheer faith that if God brought me out here, he 0:38:01.080 --> 0:38:03.600 will not leave me? Now, that's what it means to 0:38:03.640 --> 0:38:07.040 walk on the word. Have you ever had to move 0:38:07.239 --> 0:38:09.879 towards something in your life that scared you to death 0:38:10.880 --> 0:38:13.960 and you don't have any experience for it, and your 0:38:14.080 --> 0:38:17.759 nautical knowledge did not prepare you for this incident, But 0:38:17.840 --> 0:38:23.400 all of a sudden, the sea became a hardwood floor 0:38:24.520 --> 0:38:28.399 underneath your feet with each step. That's what I mean 0:38:28.440 --> 0:38:32.480 by walking on the word. Have you ever had to 0:38:32.520 --> 0:38:35.520 take a promise from God's word and just hold on 0:38:35.600 --> 0:38:39.359 to it for dear life? A promise for someone that 0:38:39.400 --> 0:38:42.440 you love who's sick, A promise for provision when you 0:38:42.440 --> 0:38:45.719 don't see where it's coming from, a promise that God 0:38:45.800 --> 0:38:48.319 is going to fulfill his purpose for your kids, and 0:38:48.400 --> 0:38:49.960 even if you don't know how it's going to. Have 0:38:50.000 --> 0:38:52.440 you ever had to hold on so tight to something 0:38:52.760 --> 0:38:55.279 in the fourth watch of the night, That's what I 0:38:55.320 --> 0:39:00.799 mean by walking on the word. And Peters walked on 0:39:00.920 --> 0:39:05.440 the word. But he's walking against the wind, and so 0:39:05.520 --> 0:39:13.200 are we see Jesus didn't stop the wind. He gave 0:39:13.719 --> 0:39:29.319 the word come. He said, that's no more instruction than 0:39:29.400 --> 0:39:35.120 you give your golden retriever. Come. And maybe a golden 0:39:35.200 --> 0:39:38.920 retriever is smarter than some of us, because a golden 0:39:38.960 --> 0:39:43.239 retriever doesn't question the Master. But yet some of us 0:39:44.080 --> 0:39:49.480 the first trace of wind the first trace of disappointment. 0:39:52.000 --> 0:39:55.000 And I always thought Peter fell down walking to Jesus, 0:39:55.000 --> 0:39:57.760 because you know, he gets out there a little waves, 0:39:58.520 --> 0:40:01.360 and most of us do. We get out there a 0:40:01.400 --> 0:40:04.560 little ways, and we ingrain to have it for a 0:40:04.560 --> 0:40:07.799 little while, and we go in and do direction by 0:40:07.880 --> 0:40:12.000 faith and trust God for a time. But at somewhere 0:40:12.080 --> 0:40:16.359 during the process, the Bible says that after Peter had 0:40:16.480 --> 0:40:20.640 walked on the water and came toward Jesus verse thirty, 0:40:20.960 --> 0:40:27.080 he made a critical mistake. He saw the wind. Which 0:40:27.120 --> 0:40:32.879 one is stronger, the Word or the wind? I want 0:40:32.920 --> 0:40:39.799 to say, it depends which one you watch. I want 0:40:39.840 --> 0:40:42.680 to say that the wind did not have the strength 0:40:42.960 --> 0:40:46.240 to knock Peter off of his feet. The only reason 0:40:46.360 --> 0:40:50.480 he went down is because he took his eyes off 0:40:50.520 --> 0:40:55.960 of the Word and started watching the wind. See, faith 0:40:56.080 --> 0:40:59.120 is not an imaginary state where I get myself worked 0:40:59.200 --> 0:41:01.799 up into a deluge like nothing's ever going to go 0:41:01.880 --> 0:41:05.160 bad again, and then I'm surprised when bad stuff happens. 0:41:05.640 --> 0:41:10.080 Faith is a focus. Faith is the ability to say, 0:41:10.440 --> 0:41:13.840 I'm putting my eyes on the goodness of God in 0:41:13.920 --> 0:41:16.880 this moment, and I'm not looking back, and I'm not 0:41:17.000 --> 0:41:20.680 looking forward, and I'm not looking around. My mind has 0:41:20.760 --> 0:41:24.640 already reached a conclusion. God is for me. God is 0:41:24.680 --> 0:41:27.799 with me. If the wind be against me, if the 0:41:27.840 --> 0:41:32.000 world be against me, if all hell power nails him 0:41:32.000 --> 0:41:39.640 to a cross, in three days, he will rise because 0:41:39.760 --> 0:41:45.239 my faith is focused on the Word of God that 0:41:45.280 --> 0:41:49.520 I'm walking toward. And I want to prophesy over somebody 0:41:49.560 --> 0:41:53.040 today and declare over your life. The wind doesn't have 0:41:53.120 --> 0:41:56.840 to stop for you to keep walking toward Jesus, and 0:41:56.920 --> 0:41:59.719 the situation doesn't have to get better for you to 0:41:59.719 --> 0:42:02.600 see the glory of God. I'm telling you what I know. 0:42:03.000 --> 0:42:07.280 If everything goes worse, if everything gets crazy, if everything 0:42:07.400 --> 0:42:10.719 rises up against you, God is an army. God is 0:42:10.760 --> 0:42:13.560 a second circle. God is an ever present help in 0:42:13.600 --> 0:42:21.400 the time of trouble. And if your life is built 0:42:21.400 --> 0:42:24.440 on the foundation of His word, there is no wind 0:42:24.440 --> 0:42:28.359 that can rage against you. That can shake it off 0:42:30.560 --> 0:42:35.960 because I'm not walking on water and I'm not watching 0:42:36.000 --> 0:42:42.240 the wind. I love how the Old Testament prophet Elijah 0:42:42.320 --> 0:42:44.960 he went up on this mountain and there had been 0:42:45.000 --> 0:42:48.120 a drought in the land for like three and a 0:42:48.160 --> 0:42:53.880 half years, and he heard something. He heard the sound 0:42:54.719 --> 0:43:00.759 of the abundance of rain. He heard a prophetic indication 0:43:00.920 --> 0:43:03.320 that God was about to sin blessing on the land again. 0:43:04.840 --> 0:43:08.120 So he did something that looked weird, is that he 0:43:09.200 --> 0:43:13.240 put his head in a prayer posture by his knees, 0:43:14.600 --> 0:43:17.600 and he sent his servant to go look to check 0:43:17.640 --> 0:43:19.640 and see if there was anything at the sky. Now, 0:43:21.360 --> 0:43:25.360 when I read that passage, I thought, how at that point, 0:43:25.400 --> 0:43:31.200 if Elijah had looked at the weather, if he would 0:43:31.200 --> 0:43:35.440 have looked at the surface of his situation, or if 0:43:35.440 --> 0:43:38.960 he would have consulted what he felt or what he saw, 0:43:39.719 --> 0:43:43.280 he would have lost his faith. And that's why he knew. 0:43:43.520 --> 0:43:47.920 You can't watch the weather. You can't spend all this 0:43:48.040 --> 0:43:50.919 time in your life. Look, man, the reason that you're 0:43:50.960 --> 0:43:54.920 stressed out might be over stuff. That is a hypothetical 0:43:55.000 --> 0:43:58.759 scenario that the enemy suggested to try to get you 0:43:58.920 --> 0:44:03.000 off track, because he knows if you walk on this word, 0:44:03.120 --> 0:44:06.200 no wind is strong enough to knock you off your balance. 0:44:12.000 --> 0:44:16.319 You're in a situation right now and it's wind versus word, 0:44:17.520 --> 0:44:20.319 and the one that is going to win is going 0:44:20.360 --> 0:44:24.640 to be the one that you focus on. Agree, And 0:44:24.680 --> 0:44:26.480 you can't afford to be doing like this to see 0:44:26.520 --> 0:44:29.480 if it's okay to serve God. Look, I can give you, 0:44:29.719 --> 0:44:32.279 I can give you ten reasons right now why you 0:44:32.320 --> 0:44:34.920 could question if God even exists. We could all do it. 0:44:35.920 --> 0:44:38.200 We see horrible things happen all the time. I could 0:44:38.200 --> 0:44:42.080 give you ten reasons. But see, I know that He 0:44:42.200 --> 0:44:47.640 is with me, and so I'm not collecting evidence to 0:44:47.680 --> 0:44:51.520 see if he's with me. I already know he's with me, 0:44:52.040 --> 0:44:55.399 because how would I have made it this far if 0:44:55.440 --> 0:45:00.520 he wasn't. How would I have life or breadth or grace. 0:45:02.880 --> 0:45:11.520 I know he is, and I just want us in 0:45:11.560 --> 0:45:16.120 this moment to be very sure that if he has 0:45:16.160 --> 0:45:20.520 spoken at that nothing you can see in your situation 0:45:20.719 --> 0:45:24.560 or nothing that you can see. Look, your eyes are tricky, 0:45:24.600 --> 0:45:26.920 your ears are tricky, Your senses are tricky. When he 0:45:27.120 --> 0:45:31.360 saw the wind, when he trusted his senses, he slip. 0:45:33.160 --> 0:45:37.840 Your faith will always slip. When you start consulting your feelings, 0:45:39.719 --> 0:45:44.720 it'll always slip. We just want to take a moment 0:45:44.760 --> 0:45:46.759 and do what the disciples did when they got back 0:45:46.800 --> 0:45:53.000 in the boat. Really interesting little phrase that Matthew puts 0:45:53.040 --> 0:45:56.359 in the gospel that he says that after Peter sank 0:45:56.400 --> 0:46:01.640 and Jesus helped him back up. You know, Jesus is 0:46:01.680 --> 0:46:05.800 so gracious. He doesn't hold him underwater for fifteen seconds, 0:46:05.800 --> 0:46:09.480 so he'll learn the lesson real good. You know that 0:46:09.600 --> 0:46:11.359 view of God that you grew up with that said 0:46:11.360 --> 0:46:15.279 that he was just looking for an opportunity to punish you. 0:46:15.360 --> 0:46:20.799 And nah, he was right there to catch him. Go 0:46:20.800 --> 0:46:24.560 go gadget arms or something like that. He could do anything. 0:46:26.600 --> 0:46:28.600 And when he asked him the question why did you doubt? 0:46:28.680 --> 0:46:32.320 Verse thirty one, the answer was the wind. He doubted 0:46:32.360 --> 0:46:36.600 because he lost focus. And focus is about what you 0:46:36.719 --> 0:46:40.280 choose to look at. It doesn't make anything go away. 0:46:40.360 --> 0:46:44.319 It just redirects your attention to what you need to 0:46:44.320 --> 0:46:46.319 be thinking about, what you need to be looking at, 0:46:46.360 --> 0:46:49.880 what you need to be considering. So when they climbed 0:46:49.880 --> 0:46:56.120 into the boat, the wind died down. The wind die 0:46:56.200 --> 0:47:01.120 down so that the miracle could happen. In fact, the 0:47:01.200 --> 0:47:04.680 wind was against them to prove that God's word was 0:47:04.760 --> 0:47:09.920 greater than the wind. So let's just take a moment 0:47:10.040 --> 0:47:14.040 right now and clap our hands that the wind may 0:47:14.080 --> 0:47:17.680 be against me. Come on, I'm gonna need you to 0:47:17.760 --> 0:47:21.040 stand up and worship for a moment, to get back 0:47:21.040 --> 0:47:24.600 in the boat and worship him that he is God 0:47:24.680 --> 0:47:38.440 in this storm. By your strives, I am here with 0:47:38.880 --> 0:47:46.240 one sets. I am made. You have. That's the word 0:47:46.560 --> 0:47:54.400 in the honor. You've been in a storm. Lift your hands, 0:47:55.440 --> 0:48:12.560 this cky in your you ha spoke Hona bad is so. 0:48:17.320 --> 0:48:26.879 By your starts, fi we wanted, I am made all 0:48:28.560 --> 0:48:39.279 you have spoke in the honor bady is so. And 0:48:39.520 --> 0:48:49.160 in this you have and you're all let me go. 0:48:50.800 --> 0:48:58.560 You have spoke Insera bad is so. I want to 0:48:58.560 --> 0:49:00.680 pray in this moment with your head by and your 0:49:00.680 --> 0:49:03.960 eyes closed, for those of you who have been working 0:49:04.000 --> 0:49:08.280 against the wind. I understand that the nature of life 0:49:08.320 --> 0:49:10.919 is that all of us will face challenges in any 0:49:10.960 --> 0:49:13.080 twenty four hour period, and so it kind of depends 0:49:13.080 --> 0:49:15.799 on when we catch you. But what I mean is 0:49:15.840 --> 0:49:18.120 that you've been in a season where, like Solomon says, 0:49:18.160 --> 0:49:22.120 you've been watching the wind instead of remembering the word 0:49:22.160 --> 0:49:25.280 of God and focusing on the things that He's placed 0:49:25.320 --> 0:49:27.440 in your life to help you. You've been thinking about 0:49:27.440 --> 0:49:31.360 things that didn't happen or might happen, and it's just 0:49:31.400 --> 0:49:33.239 got you watching the wind. I want to pray for 0:49:33.280 --> 0:49:36.879 you right now, fathering the name of Jesus. I lift 0:49:36.960 --> 0:49:40.400 up every wind watcher to you, because we're meant to 0:49:40.400 --> 0:49:43.759 be word walkers, not wind watchers, and we are meant 0:49:43.800 --> 0:49:46.439 to believe something deeper than what our eyes can see. 0:49:47.160 --> 0:49:49.400 And so I pray today that as this word that 0:49:49.480 --> 0:49:51.799 you gave me in my own personal time with you 0:49:52.280 --> 0:49:55.040 has gone forth to them, that they received it on 0:49:55.080 --> 0:49:58.239 the level that they needed it, that they received the 0:49:58.280 --> 0:50:01.000 word that they needed to walk on in the coming week, 0:50:01.600 --> 0:50:03.359 and they might just have to walk on it, one 0:50:03.400 --> 0:50:05.560 moment at a time, one step at a time, one 0:50:05.560 --> 0:50:08.640 moment at a time, because I can't see and because 0:50:08.680 --> 0:50:11.880 I can't feel. But I'm walking on the word of God. 0:50:12.320 --> 0:50:15.840 And so I will survive because he gave me his word. 0:50:16.480 --> 0:50:19.640 And I will make it because he gave me his word. 0:50:20.200 --> 0:50:22.920 And I will do it because God is not a liar, 0:50:23.440 --> 0:50:26.560 and I will see it on the other side, because 0:50:26.600 --> 0:50:30.319 the God I served has never failed. Come on, let's 0:50:30.320 --> 0:50:35.520 lift our voices in praise and worship and thanksgiving that 0:50:35.600 --> 0:50:40.319 he is God, that he is lord over every storm. 0:50:40.320 --> 0:50:43.840 Come on, Let's give him worship. Give him worship about 0:50:43.920 --> 0:50:48.160 the wind, give him worship about the warfare, give him worship. 0:50:52.280 --> 0:50:54.799 Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of 0:50:54.840 --> 0:50:57.840 you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of 0:50:57.880 --> 0:51:00.799 you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 0:51:00.840 --> 0:51:04.560 link in the description to give now, or visit Elevationchurch 0:51:04.719 --> 0:51:08.000 dot org slash podcast for more information and if you 0:51:08.080 --> 0:51:11.319 enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it 0:51:11.360 --> 0:51:13.640 with your friends. You can click the share button, take 0:51:13.640 --> 0:51:16.000 a screenshot and share it on your social stories and 0:51:16.040 --> 0:51:18.920 tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God 0:51:18.960 --> 0:51:24.360 bless you.