Elevation Blakeney Sermon notes March 12, 2015 Pastor Steven Furtick Sermon title: (Un) qualified Part 3: I am and Me Too. Scripture: Ex 20:7: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Deuteronomy 32: 44 to 52 2 Corinthians 12:9 Philippians 1: Life Worthy of the Gospel: 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[e] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Pastor Stephen spent some time at Mike and Courtney B egroup in the lake Norman area as part of the third installment of (Un) qualified. Pastor Steven met with meet with Mike and Courtney and ask questions relating to (Un) qualified with Pastor Steven Question from egroup: A young husband askes the following question: I know I have areas that I am broken in and I am just as jacked up as the next person yet I am supposed to lead my wife and family, deal with financial stuff, resolve family issues unconsciously, we men have to have it all together before we can lead. What do we do? How am I supposed to lead here when I have troubles on my own? Answer per Pastor Steven: o Leadership is progress not perfection. o Picture a perfect leader in your mind (a Pastor Steven Classic): This 6 ft 9 Greek God that has the pecks of The Rock. This guy speaks in perfect parables. This guy gets up at 4:30 AM and makes bacon and eggs in the shape of bible verses for his children. o Yet, when we see the bible characters that we read in scripture and we ask: wait a minute this is guy that God chose? Hu? Not only was Moses a murderer, he was not able to enter the promise land. Moses died on the edge of the river. See Deuteronomy 32. o But now we read about Moses this mighty man of God. So we want to be a leader like Moses? Oh really? That can t right. Yet when we look at a definition of a good leader and the definition of a good husband, it is impossible and the enemy likes it that way. In one place in the bible, Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. o When we try to do something good as a Dad/husband, it is often in competition with something else. This leads to accusation where spending time with one child is spending less time with a spouse. The answer is that we have to silence the accusations and go to bed every night knowing that we did all that we could and God will make up the difference. If you are expecting straight A+s across every category every day for the rest of your life, you are setting yourself up for internal failure. Do not expect to kill-it every day. Pastor Steven lives by a little moto: You don t win everywhere at once. o So, you have to diversify your effort and give up on this idea that every day - in every area of your life - you are going to turn-in a perfect score. It is not going to happen. Once you set yourself free Page 1
of this expectation, you are projecting a more realistic expectation to those that love you and are around you. Plus, those that depend on you are probably not expecting perfection either. o So, change your score card on this one don t judge yourself based on an imaginary or fictitious version of what you think you ought to be - that does not exist and will kill yourself and your selfesteem in the process. The essence of this question of leadership has to do with identity how do I honestly deal with my deficiencies? But not allow my deficiencies to become my identity. God wants to give us the gift of identity. His identity. His sufficiency. His qualifications. When you see that God wants to give you - in your situation - in your weakness and your need, this thinking will change your life. Crash The Chatterbox Revisited I am : We read how God used Moses anyway. How Moses led his people across the red sea doubts and all dis-function and all deficiencies and all. We read about how God called Moses up on a mountain and give him 10 commandments. In Ex 20:7, we read one of those commandments where you shall not take the name Lord God in vain. I never fully understood the significance of this commandment. Where God says I am and this will be my name for all generations I am. Growing up, we always think that this commandment had a very specific application don t say Oh my God! or don t say JC as a swear word and I am with that and we have to honor that. However, this is not just a commandment as to how to use God s name. It is also a commandment as to how you take His name. Here is an analogy about taking someone s name providing a better understanding as to how this Hebrew scripture better translates for us: o In the greatest day of her life, Holly became part of the Furtick family. What happened? Not only was her driver s license changed, her passport was changed. However there is a deeper meaning: When she took her husband s name, she became one with her husband. o What we do - we do together. What we have we have together. A Pastor Steven Classic: We did not sign a prenuptial agreement we did not need a pre-nup with only $35 in a savings account. o She took my name and we are in this together. o On the greatest days of your life is when you became a Christian. When you call out the name of Jesus. You took his name. You became one with him. o What He has - you have. There is no prenuptial agreement. o Whatever His had got, you have got. o You can now participate in the divine nature of His world. o When you say I am and you start filling in the blanks with stuff that contradicts what God says about you, you are taking God s name in vain. o Because you are one with God and you are in a relationship together. o When you walk around in insecurity and say stuff like I am so stupid, I am such and idiot, or I am such a loser, I am such a terrible Mom. God says: I am not. God says: I am not any of those things. God also says: If I am in you, you are not stupid, an idiot, a loser or a terrible Mom either. o God says: What I am, you are. Stop taking my name in vain! o Where we say: But God, I am so dysfunctional! God says: But I am so gracious. o When we say: But God I am so deficient! God says: But I am so sufficient. Where my grace is sufficient for you. (See: 2 Corinthians 12:9) o When we say: But God, I am do doubtful! God says: But I am so faithful. Page 2
o o Whatever you are not, whatever you need, whatever you did not get from your parents, whatever you are not getting from someone else, God says I am. Say this: In Him, I am. Elevation Worship: Yahweh (The great I am): Spirit of Jesus Living within us Never to fail or forsake. Unending promise. Heaven inside us. Whispers the sound of Your name. Holy Holy is the Lord Worthy to be praised, YAHWEH. Fire rising in my soul. All consuming flame. YAHWEH. Filled with Your wonder, Here I surrender. Held in Your mystery of grace, Calling me closer, Waking desire, Coming alive in Your name, Holy Holy is the Lord, Worthy to be praised, YAHWEH. Fire rising in my soul, All consuming flame, YAHWEH, He who was and is to come, Is the One who lives in us. The great I am. YAHWEH Additional guidance from Pastor Steven: The more you declare that He who was and is to come - is the one who lives in me, the more you begin to shape your identity not by what you see in you, but rather by what God says about you, you will have a holy confidence going forward. Question: How does one prevent confidence from becoming arrogance? How do we handle this? How do we stay grounded? Answer per Pastor Steven: o I struggle with discouragement more than I struggle with the sense of pride that says: I have arrived. o We all need to prayers to be humble. And we also need prayers to be confident. o As the church started to grow, the stupider I felt. I did not know want to do next. o A Pastor Steven Classic: I had all of these involved plans for ministry and then people got involved. o We need confidence in order to deal the storms from critics. o There are many moments on Friday afternoon where I ask: God, what do you want me to do here? And then fear takes over. o I have these moments of fear, pride, and low confidence and you have them to. o During a meeting with other leaders, I made a comment that quieted the room: Secretly, all of us in here feel like we are faking everyone out. And we are going to find out one day that everyone is going to realize we have no idea what we are doing. o And all of the men said Amen. o Because some of our over confidence is merely over-compensation for some perceived deficiency. We convey outward toughness, but really at the core it, we ask this question: I wonder if understands how clueless I am - That I can t change a tire - That I am a broken person. o Key point: Your brokenness is how you connect with others. Where vulnerability creates connection. o God give us these two words to connect with him. I am. o God said this to Moses. o God also give us two words to connect with others that are very powerful. Queue the tape. Me Too revisited - April 18, 2015 sermon "The struggle is the same for me too." By Pastor Steven: The church has been known for two words: You should. Then we add a third word and say you should not. Then we re-state things in the King James bible and say: You Shalt not or Thou Shalt not. When writing a book, the reader does not want to hear You should. The first thing that a reader wants to hear is me too. And we need to learn about your struggle and say me too. The two most powerful words to minister to somebody are not you should they are me too. Half the time, folks already know what they should be doing (and not be doing). The two most powerful words to give to someone that is hurting: Me too. You can also provide good advice, however, you have to start with Me too. Page 3
See Paul s letter to the Phil 1: Paul says the following while in prison: Just like you are chained emotionally, I am chained physically. Our situation is not identical but our circle is. It must have shocked them - that this great and mighty apostle Paul would get down to their level and get down to their struggle. Is not this the same guy that wrote most of the New Testament? Paul says: We are all is this together. You cry some times? Me too. The hardest thing to do as a preacher is stay on the stage. What we really want to is be on the floor in the audience and violate people s personal space. Part of a good sermon is to get down on the floor and say me too. You mean that you yelled at your kids this week? Me too. You yelled at your kids this morning? Me too. You yelled at your kids just before church? Me too. You mean that you do not understand some of the stuff that you read in the bible? Me too. You are struggling with the fact that you have to trust God even though you do not understand? Me too. You lose your temper? Me too. You tried to pray this week and fell asleep? Me too. You ate a whole bag of Doritos by yourself at 11:30 PM? Me too. You are not crazy. You are not the only one. You are not in this thing by yourself. Our goal is to be a me too church. We should be glad that Paul did not get his ministry instruction from the Pharisees where a preacher would stand up on the stage and tell people what they were not doing right. Paul learned how to minister to the people by watching Jesus. Jesus did what the Pharisees did not do. He got down from the main stage of heaven and came down to earth in the form of a little baby. And he stepped down the staircase of heaven and he walked on their earth where he suffered like we suffered where he struggled like we struggled where he was tempted as we are tempted. And He came down where you are so that you could know that you have a God who does not stand on a stage but steps into your situation and says me too. Additional thoughts from Pastor Steven: Our business as Christians is acceptance of others. This is a key message in the book (Un) Qualified. Accepting God s acceptance of you. Accepting yourself as you are. Accepting Gods process of change. Where you share your struggles as well as your victories. We overcome things by the nature of our testimony. What has God done for you? For example: The Don t stop at Six sermon saved a marriage. Elevation Worship Song: "O Come To The Altar" Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling. Have you come to the end of yourself. Do you thirst for a drink from the well. Jesus is calling. O come to the altar. The Father's arms are open wide. Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Leave behind your regrets and mistakes. Come today there's no reason to wait. Jesus is calling. Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy From the ashes a new life is born Jesus is calling. Oh what a Savior. Isn't he wonderful? Sing alleluia, Christ is risen. Bow down before him. For he is Lord of all Sing alleluia, Christ is risen. Page 4
KH bonus for egroup: Notes from April 15, 2015 a great sermon by Pastor Steven: Elevation Blakeney Sermon Notes by KH April 18, 2015 Title: "The struggle is the same for me too." By Pastor Steven Restated another way: We all have the same struggle. (Pastor Steven rejoins us after returning from a leadership conference where he preached about six times in Australia - preaching to church leaders from 23 different countries.) Scripture: Philippians 1:27-30, Acts 27:25 Pastor Steven Warm UP: The bible says that Jesus has the same fullness as God. The bible also says that we have the same fullness as Jesus and we need to bridge this gap with this thing called faith. May we be filled with the presence of God in everything that we do this week. Summary from the last few weeks: 32K attended Elevation Easter, Over 1.9K attempted Christ during eastern. Over 1.7K baptized during the Raised to Life series last week. The Typical life pattern is as follows: Old problems reveal themselves in new ways. Recall our study "Death to Selfie" of the story of Jacob from the summer of 2014. Not everyone that God uses is noble and righteous. Although Jacob was a bit of a rascal, God still used him for important things. At the age of 97, Jacob attempts to reconcile with his older brother Esau (recall that Jacob tricked his brother into giving up his birthright). The same brother he fought with in his mother s womb while trying to enter the world before his brother. At the age of 97, Jacob is now trying to fix something that he tried to out run. If a problem is left un-confronted, it will appear stronger and more deadly in the next season of your life. The weed will eventually grow into a tree. Better to address the matter early so that you will not have to deal with it later in life - when the problem re-appears in stronger form. A phrase that we hear often: "It is something that always had to deal with." Scripture: Philippians 1:27-30 In Phil 1: Paul is fighting to be free while in prison. His circumstances are different vs. his calling. He is struggling with the situation. He should be advancing the cause of Jesus Chris and yet he is stuck in prison. Now he is preaching and converting to those that are chained with him. Like all of Paul's letters, he speaks to a particular struggle for a city (Pagan influences, sexual lust, receiving grace, etc). The point of Paul's message is to state that we all struggle and we are better off to struggle together. Acts 27:25 Paul says keep up your courage men for your strength comes from within and your faith will prevail. The enemy wants to us to struggle alone without support and community. God wants to us to strive and struggle together. Analogy: Tandem bike in Sydney Aust. It is more difficult to struggle together and share each other burdens. Forsake not the struggles together. We are this together. We are doing this together. The situations are different; however, the struggles are the same. We share a lot of the same struggles regardless of the situation. The same message can speak to the homeless as well as to seasoned church leaders. Pastor Steven: I am not up here by myself since we struggle together. Paul: VS. 28: I want you to know that we are struggling together. Who are those that oppose these Christians that reside in this area now called part of Europe? Historians do not know. Yet, Paul still talks about those Page 5
that oppose you. Do we really need to know the historical reason why? No. You know why? It does not matter; we do not need to know. Jacob learned this as well. If you win the internal struggle, you win the external struggle. Great quote by Pastor Steven regarding criticism that he would experience as Elevation Church was expanding: "The outward criticism has only ever affected me as to how my internal insecurities have allowed." The only real struggles that you have are within. Some external situations will amplify the internal struggle. At the age of 97, Jacob had to wrestle with God before he had to meet with his older brother. Life tends to recycling of the same old struggle and the struggles are very similar. Example: Pastor Steven shares story of his frustration with one of his kids playing an ipad game. Per Pastor Steven's Mom: 26 years ago, you were upset with a different (non-ipad game). Different system, however, the same struggle. When preaching in other countries, we have the same basic struggles (however, different degree of struggles). Example of JK Rowling: She is still scared that she might end up broke. Her net worth = $500M British Lb. She was homeless before she wrote the Harry Potter series. She has not yet arrived at a point where she has the strength not to struggle. Yet, we still struggle. Think about High school. We say that things will be better when I leave middle school and go to high school. Oh really? Paul does something so interesting: See vs. 28. Your struggle is a sign. If God has loved you this much, this is a sign that God is 100% committed to taking you the rest of the way. See Vs. 29: You are going thru the same struggle. Greek translation from Strong's Concordance: Agṓn (a masculine noun, and the root of the English words, "agony," "agonize") properly, a contest (struggle), a grueling conflict (fight); (figuratively) positive struggle that goes with "fighting the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12) which literally states, "Struggle (75 /agōnízomai) the good struggle (73 /agṓn) of the (life of) faith." Same struggle and at a different stadium. Paul: Vs. 30: You are going thru the same struggles that I have. Paul is providing empathy (I feel you) vs. sympathy (I hear you). I know that you are struggling and I am with you. "You should and thou Shalt" are great ministry terms, however not every effective at conveying empathy. The two words that are most effective in ministry is "me too." Start with "me too" before you say Thou shalt. The two most powerful words: "Me Too" Paul was the spiritual leader his generation. The best thing that he can do for the people of Philippi is to come off of the stage and say - I am with you in your present struggle and say staying "Me Too." We need to be a "meet too" church. You get frustrated with the same stuff that keeps coming back? Me Too. Where did Paul learn this? Jesus did not stay on the stage of heaven and preach from there. Jesus did not stay on the stage and yell "thou shalt" down upon us. We have a high priest that can dip down into our situation/circumstance share his struggle so that we can share his strength. Share in His struggle and share is His victory. Are you willing to struggle like He struggled? Page 6
If he got up from the grave, I am getting up and being and overcomer. We made it if he lives in me. We keep circling around stuff that we should have crossed over. Pastor Steven's story with his counselor: When the church was growing, he asked this question: How do I grow without imploding? Why am I so sick of myself? After all of this counseling, I am still circling? Why? Response from counselor: Perhaps you are circling the same issue but you are not circling at the same level? You are now circling at a deeper level. You are now looking at motivations and looking at things from a better perspective. You are now looking at things from a higher altitude where you do not drop so far when the same struggles re-appear. Sometimes we lack the perspective to see our own successes. 100 years of struggle it took Jacob to final address the issues. Why are we surprised at the struggle? Jesus never struggled. It was not hard for him to heal. However, he did struggle once: When he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray for sacrifice. "Never the less, Is there any other way?" The great struggle of your life is surrender and surrender of your pride. That is the struggle. It is within you. Will you take up the cross? If you suffer with him. If you share with his struggle you can share in his resurrection. Page 7