Frustration. It’s born in the space between our expectations and our actual experiences. “This isn’t what marriage was supposed look like.” “I thought this job was going to be different.” “I never thought my kids would act that way.” We have all been there. Overcome with frustration and left with nothing but unmet expectations. How are we supposed to respond? Do we suck it up and get on with life? Do we just lower our expectations? Or is there another way? In the first part of our series The Expectation Gap, Pastor Steven uses Mary and Martha to teach us about the source of our greatest frustrations, and what our response should be, in light of who Jesus is.
Archive for the ‘Sermon Recap’ Category
There is a big difference between hearing a sermon on Sunday and applying it to our lives on Monday. What happens when what we hear doesn’t fit neatly into our life circumstance? What if we still have questions? To close out our series God’s Will Is Whatever, Pastor Steven sat down with our church and answered specific questions about God’s will, covering everything from dating to finances to finding God’s will when He closes doors in our lives.
It is not enough just to discover the will of God. That’s only one step. Besides, many of us are educated well beyond our level of obedience. So what do we do once we understand God’s will for our situation? And how do we do it the next time? And the time after that? In part three of our series God’s Will Is Whatever, Pastor Steven teaches us how over time, the will of God can become the desire of our heart.
Chances are most of us aren’t hearing from God with an audible list of instructions when we are seeking direction for our next steps. We want to trust Him and step out in faith, but there’s no burning bush or blinding light. So how are we supposed to hear from God when it comes to the important decisions in our life? In part two of our series God’s Will Is Whatever, Pastor Steven uses the life of Jacob to explain the different channels God can use to reveal His will to us.
When we become Christians and accept Christ as Savior, we make the single most important decision of our lives. But once we make that choice, we open ourselves up to a seemingly endless amount of new decisions, all centering on one over-arching question – what does God want us to do with our lives? Trying to decipher the will of God can be a frustrating prison of fear and second-guessing. But in the first part of our new series, Pastor Steven explains a life-altering perspective shift that changes the way we approach our place in God’s will.
All the best stories have it. The right setting. The climactic action. The memorable characters. And the greatest story forever told is no exception.
For our Easter Worship experiences, we closed out our IN•FIN•8 series by looking throughout scripture – from Genesis to the Gospels to the book of Revelation – using worship, creativity, and preaching, and connected the dots of a plot of weaved together from the dawn of time. A story centered around one perfect character and one climactic event – the death and resurrection of Jesus.
And as a church, we celebrated and thanked God for His faithfulness and mercy as over 1,600 people accepted Christ as their Savior this Easter weekend.
There’s comfort and freedom knowing that we weren’t made this way by accident. We are who we are on purpose. There is a divine design to each of us with a unique set of abilities and opportunities. In this clip from our series The Prodigy In Me, Pastor Steven explains how God has fully equipped us with all we need to fulfill what He’s created us to do.
We all want a strong faith. We feel like if we had better faith we’d make it through the storms of life in one piece. If we had more faith our marriage would improve, our kids would be better behaved, we’d get that promotion we want. But in part six of our series IN•FIN•8, Pastor Steven uses the story of Peter walking on water to show us that the point of the storm isn’t to prove our faith, it’s to prove God’s faithfulness.
We all want to know what God wants us to do with our lives. We want Him to clarify our calling. Where do we go? How do we do it? But our calling is much more than just a set of directions. And it rarely caters to our convenience and comfort. In part 4 of our series INFIN8, Pastor Steven uses the story of Jonah to help us understand our calling, how to respond to it, and the ultimate purpose of what God has called us all to do.
God did not bring us into existence so that He could only reign over certain areas of our lives. God did not send Jesus to rescue a sinful, broken world so that He could just be one of our options. So why do we treat Him that way? Why, as Christians, do we want God to reign over our spiritual lives, but then often choose to follow other options when it comes to our job, our relationships, or our finances? In part three of our series IN•FIN•8, Pastor Steven shows us, though the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel, the problem with keeping our options open.
If all we want is a life of convenience and only convenience, then God’s way is not the best way. Because when it comes to God’s will and His plan for our lives, His way is not always the shortest way or the easiest way. It’s better than that. In the second part of our series IN•FIN•8, Pastor Steven uses the the story of Moses and the Red Sea to show us that God’s way is the way that causes us to press in towards Him, stretching our faith and increasing His glory.
There is a very real and present Enemy lurking in our lives. He wants to destroy us and our relationship with God. But Satan is crafty in his deception. Instead of showing us how he wants to ruin us, he asks us questions that cause us to doubt the instructions, intentions, and promises of God. In this first part of our series IN•FIN•8, Pastor Steven looks at the story of Adam & Eve to help us understand the questions Satan asks us – and the questions God asks us in return.
We all experience moments of doubt and defeat in our relationship with God. Why am I not growing? How does the Enemy keep backing me into a corner? Where is the victory over my flesh? As it turns out, it has a lot to do with our approach. To introduce part three of the New Rules of Resolution, Pastor Steven sat down with his friend, and former UFC champion, Vitor Belfort, as they discussed the parallels between MMA training and the Christian life Christ called us to live.
Click here to see the rest of this sermon, preached by our Worship Pastor Wade Joye and our Creative Pastor Larry Hubatka.
Many of us, as Christians, need a role reversal. We come to God, asking Him what we can do for Him. Our intentions are often good – but the harsh reality is that you can do nothing for God that He couldn’t do Himself. He’s God. If He wants it, He’ll get it. But that’s not why He called you in the first place. In this clip from our series Mr. & Mrs. Betterhalf, Pastor Steven reminds us of the attributes of God by explaining the purpose of His instruction in our lives.
Everyone likes winning. It’s how we’re wired. No one really enjoys the ‘moral victory’ that comes with a loss. But many of us have a misunderstanding of what it means to really win. What does victory look like in our daily lives? And is winning even the point? In the first part of our new series Banner Years, Pastor Steven gives a new perspective on victory by teaching us where it must begin.
At Elevation Church, we do student ministry a little different. We don’t have a “youth group” in the traditional sense of the word. Instead, we encourage our students to be a part of the weekend worship experience, join student small groups and serve in their church and the community. Why wait for them to grow up to be a part of what God is doing? Every year we take a weekend to celebrate our students as the men and women of God they are becoming in Christ. We call it Student Takeover. In part 3 of our sermon series I Know He Is, But What Am I?, Pastor Steven uses this year’s Student Takeover to speak directly to our students, encouraging them that no matter what they go through this school year, their identity is secure – when they know who they belong to. Click here to watch this entire sermon from I Know He Is But What Am I?
We all know the relationships that drain us. The ones that are exhausting to maintain. But why are some people so tiring to love? And how do we love them anyway? In the final message from the series “How to Hug A Vampire: Loving the People Who Suck The Life Out of You,” we discovered what it looks like to love from God’s overflow, instead of from our own limited, leaking reserve. Check out a few highlights below and click here to watch the full sermon and see for yourself how to suck-proof your soul.
Each week at StevenFurtick.com, the Elevation Staff will be walking through the weekend sermon to apply the teachings to our lives. This week, we revisit the weekend sermon from Bishop T. D. Jakes. Bishop Jakes is the Lead Pastor at The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, and is back at Elevation Church after preaching to us during Code Orange Revival in January.
Holly Furtick taught us last week that God can develop us extraordinarily if we allow Him to turn our waiting rooms into work rooms. Like Paul and Silas, He has a purpose for our prisons. Bishop Jakes continued the Waiting Room series with a timely message on forgiveness. As Pastor Steven said this weekend, “Not all waiting rooms are a result of God trying to teach us something. Sometimes, they are a product waiting for things that we need to let go of.
Bishop Jakes referenced Matthew 18:20-35, where Peter asks Jesus the question, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus responded with the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
You owed God a debt that you could not pay.
The servant in Jesus’s story owed a sum of money that seemed impossible to repay. However, when he simply begged for time to repay his debt, his master responded in overwhelming compassion and simply forgave the servant of his entire debt. As Bishop Jakes reminded us this weekend, God has done the same for us. He has forgiven us and washed us clean from our sin, despite knowing each and every secret sin in our lives that we try to hide. Bishop Jakes challenged us by asking, “How can we receive such flamboyant mercy and not extend it to those around us?” The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 says, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Do you really want God to treat you the same way you treat your mother-in-law? How about the co-worker that you just can’t stand? Or the sister you just can’t get along with? As Bishop Jakes concluded, “Where it really counts, sometimes we have difficulty giving the grace and mercy that we have received.”
Spend some time thinking today – what are you going to let go? What is dammed up behind that unforgiveness that is going to flow through after you let it go?
To watch the entire message from Bishop Jakes click here. To learn more about living a life of forgiveness watch the entire F-Bomb series.
