Elevation with Steven Furtick - Never Stop Knocking

Episode Date: February 7, 2022

In the absence of answers, choose faith. In “Never Stop Knocking,” we learn how to be persistent in the face of doubt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. And I want to turn that around before we get into the sermon, and I want to say how thankful I am for you. And you are an answer to prayer, is what you don't realize. We started praying for you before we ever had our first church service, that the Lord would send us people who, first of all, that he would send people that needed Jesus. And do you qualify? I'm like, God, send people who need you in their life as much as I do.

And then we prayed that he would send us people. You remember the scripture where Jesus said, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. And so we ask the Lord to send people who would not just want to pull up to the all-you-can-eat-legged buffet and just consume but would really want to bring to God an offering. That's prayer, that's giving, that's service, that's worship, but you know who you are, the thousands of you that actually make it happen, that don't just come and go, I wonder if Pastor Stevens preaching today or is it one of them guests.

Some of them are pretty good. I don't like all of them, but they're all right. Some people just show up and they're like, it doesn't matter who's preaching. Because I know, and you know, that it's not about a preacher, a personality. It's about the purpose that God has given us to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ into all the world. So, all right, get it out of your system. 21 seconds, I mean 22. 22 seconds.

A brave praise. The scripture of the Lord gave us for today, stay standing, is from Acts chapter 12, one of the coolest Bible stories that you ever will read. Now they're all inspired, but some of them are more intriguing than others. at least to me. This passage, I preached to you back in 2019. The only reason I know that, because I forget, you know, I'm always on to the next sermon, because Sunday happens every seven days. But I do write down when I preached certain things. The sermon I preached in July, 2019, was from this passage called Knock Knock. All right. Well, this is, of like a sequel, but I see it differently now in the context of just what we're celebrating

today and kind of the redefinition that the church is going through and the world is going through. So I hope that you'll find an admonition. I believe by faith you will find an encouragement for yourself through this today. It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James the brother of John put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.

This happened during the festival of unleavened bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. He must be powerful to be under this much attack. You must be powerful to be up under this much attack. Wow. Verse five. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church, but the church, but the church, but the church,

But the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentry stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. It's the last minute, down to the wire, sudden death overtime. And here comes the angel. He struck Peter on the side. What kind of angel hits you while you're asleep?

Blindsided and woke him up. Quick, get up! He said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrist. Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals. You can't leave naked, cover up. I got somewhere for you to go. Touch somebody say, get dressed for what's next. Get dressed for what's next.

Get dressed for what's next. And Peter did so. Wrap your cloak around you and follow me. The angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison. But he had no idea that what the angel was. was doing was really happening, he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards, came to the Iron Gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went

through it. They went through it. That could be about you. How many of you went through it? You don't even have to tell me what it was, but you went through it. Iron Gate opened by itself, and they went through it. And when they had walked the length of one street suddenly, The angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, now I know, now I know, without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen. Everything my enemies thought would happen. but it didn't work. That's what Peter said. How many of you have the same testimony that no weapon that was formed against you?

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Just a few more verses. Stay with me. Peter knocked at the outer entrance. A servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. And when she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed and excited. She ran back without opening it. And exclaimed, Peter's at the door. Peter's at the door.

Y'all, Peter's at the door. Shut up, Rhodo. We're praying for Peter. But Peter's at the door. You're out of your mind. They told her. And she kept insisting. She kept insisting.

There's a pattern in this passage. I'm about to show you. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, it must be his angel, because he's already dead by now. Wow. More faith to believe that his angel came to the door than that God actually answered their prayers. for him. But this is the verse I'll stop on. Peter kept on knocking. You like that? I love that. Peter kept on knocking. And when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. So I'll give you three titles for this message, depending on what kind of sauce level you want.

If you want the mild message title, it's called Waiting for an Answer. That's if you're a first-time guest and you need something. kind of appropriate to write down. If you want something a little bit more, just a little bit more attitude on it, it could be called God's going to shock you. Y'all sound like y'all want the tongue torch sweet 16 anniversary title. All right, here it is. Never stop knocking. Never. If there's one thing I've learned, if there's one thing it taught me, getting up here in this pulpit to preach Jesus Christ, crucify, buried, risen from the dead, and soon to come again and present in this moment is never stop knocking. So put it in the chat.

Never knock it. Put some knuckles in the chat. I will never stop knocking. You said, Lord, asking it will be given, seek and we will find. knocking the door will be open. We're asking in this moment that you would speak, infuse, and impart faith and courage like only you can. We thank you that we're standing in front of an open door this day. We bless you for it in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. I made y'all stand a long time, didn't I? That's all right. Love you, Christian. Good man. He's been with me almost all 16. I met him. Listen to this when I was 16.

I've known him that long. Isn't that crazy? Asked him to start a church with me. He said, nope. He did. We were actually not the start. We were kind of already started. I said, Chris, come out here and be my worship leader.

When the church started, I'm going to tell you a few old man stories today. Just once a year. But I was the worship leader singing songs like. These are the days of Elijah declaring the word of the Lord. These are the days of somebody else in the Bible. It was too much, though, like trying to lead worship. Plus, I knew that God would send people. I asked Chris, he said, nope, I'm going to Nashville.

I told him, why don't you come here, build the church, and make Nashville come to us. That's true, isn't it? They're looking at me like I'm some kind of liar up here. You didn't say that. I did. I say, you can go to Nashville and maybe you make it or maybe you're a roofer in three years. And come here and build a church. Write songs for people that they can sing that will make them.

And the first songs that we wrote here sucked, but they've gotten better. And better and better. Never stop knocking. Because he told me no. But I just, you know, I have techniques. And here we are now. That dude's been nominated for multiple Grammys. You know what I'm saying?

He said, can I change my answer? I said, yeah, I'm desperate. I'll still take you. I have no pride. Everybody I started, well, it's kind of a contrast. We're Skinner. Yeah, I had him on standby. Come here, because I was like, I told him to be on standby.

I told him, be ready to preach today. But I'm going to use him to preach, but he's not going to have to say anything. I asked him, I said, I'm going to start a church, and here's the kicker. I don't know where. And it is what he said, I'm going with. Not I'm going with you. Just some Minnesota grammar. I guess that's how they talk in Minnesota.

Bad grammar, great faith. I'm going with. Now this guy, Chunks, come here. Can you make it up the stairs? Y'all, he's only like 45, but he's got so many injuries. This is like my hero, man. I love him so much. He's like my guy.

If he ever told me he would stop doing it, I would tie him up and not let him leave. I'll put him in the trunk. But he was different. I said, I want you to start the church with me. And he was like, I'll pray about it. You remember that list? You pulled me in the Sunday school room and you had a list. Now, how about this?

And how about that? He wanted answers, right? I need some answers. What about this and what about that? But it was amazing because even though I couldn't answer, give him any of his answers that he wanted. In the absence of answers, he chose faith. At the last minute, like in the passage where the angel showed up on the night, couldn't you have showed up three nights before I was about to get my head cut off angel?

But sometimes at the last minute, and I had already given up on you, and Holly said, wait for him. He's worth waiting for. He's supposed to be your guy. He's worth waiting for. I said, I need an answer. How many of you have been in a position lately where you say, I need an answer. I need an answer from God. I need an answer from someone. He said, I'm praying about it. I said, I need an answer by noon on Thursday. I got to have an answer because I got to move. on because God's called me to do this. If you want to do it with me, I really want you to do it with me, but if you don't do it with me, I've got to find somebody else. And they'll be my second choice, but I got to do it because God told me to do it.

You got to noon Thursday. 1157 a.m. on that Thursday, my Motorola rang. This is an anniversary, so we're just telling old stories. And I said, hey, he said, I'm in. We're in. We're in. And he and Amy have been with us ever since. That's cool.

Y'all give them a little bigger hand in that for all the faith that it took to do with them. Pretend like y'all are those two guards that Peter was chained to, all right, for a moment. Just go with me here. And think about what kind of faith it took for Peter in the passage to sleep while they were deciding whether or not he would live. And think about who Peter was and the kind of personality that he had in other passages of Scripture and realize what a miracle it is for the same disciple who ran down into the stern of the ship

one time in a storm and said, Jesus, why are you sleeping? We're about to die and you don't care. Think about the transformation that has happened in these years and the spirit. that has empowered Peter to be able to sleep between two guards. Actually, it was 16 guards, wasn't it? Did I read that right? It wasn't a sweet 16. It was four squads of four soldiers that's 16 guards, 16 people for one Peter. What kind of power was in Peter? What kind of power is in? What kind of power is? in you because you've been through some things and you've been asking God for answers. Faith is the ability sometimes to lay down and sleep and let faith answer the questions. I'm picturing Peter sleeping and I'm realizing in scripture.

In Scripture, that this is not the first time that we've seen Peter asleep in the Bible. In the Garden of Getsemone. Y'all remember it? Raise your hand if you remember the Garden of Gassimony. That place before Jesus went to the cross where he gave his father an unqualified. Now, remember, he asked God, if it's possible, take this cup away from me. As he went to pay the price for your sin, my sin, as he went to take on the punishment that we rightly deserved, as he went to be the sacrifice to atone for our sin, not trying

to use a bunch of fancy words just to let you know that he canceled the debt that was stood against us, but it cost him. It cost him. And as he considered and counted that cost, he prayed and he asked God if there's any other way. Take this cup from me. God did not answer by removing the cup of suffering. He answered by filling Jesus with the strength to endure what he had to do.

And so for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising its shame, and then sat down at the right hand of God. So if Jesus is seated, I can sleep. My goodness. I feel like preaching today. Oh, I can sleep through anything when I know that he's seated. I can sleep through anything. I can rest through anything. In the Garden of Gassimony, while Jesus prayed, Peter slept.

And he said, wake up. My soul is in anguish. He's sweating like drops of blood, and Peter's sleeping. He said that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Peter was sleeping out of weakness in the garden, but he's not sleeping out of weakness in Acts chapter 12 he's sleeping from a place of knowing that I am seated in heavenly places with Jesus and if I'm seated with him it doesn't matter what Herod has planned it matters what God has purpose for my life that's how he slept all right I need to sit y'all down before

LB tackles me on this stage. I'm good with y'all. I might call you back. I might not. I hadn't decided yet. But no matter what we come to this text in Acts chapter 12 looking for, we certainly find an incredible picture of persistence. Persistence. On one hand, the passage is about peace, that Peter has peace to sleep on the worst night of his life. And y'all, they didn't have lunesta in Acts chapter 12. Isn't that the sleep medicine? Peter didn't even have a white noise on his iPhone to put on the white noise app. I'm thinking that this is a passage about peace and persistent.

Remember, it said the church was earnestly praying. I think the word earnestly is important. Let's be honest. And I know there's like five prayer warriors in this room, but for the other thousands of us, we passively pray. Okay, I'm going to say it stronger because y'all are real fake right now. We worry out loud and call it prayer. Too strong. Back it on, back it off. It's a day of celebration.

We give God our grocery list like he's Instacart. Holly said last week or whatever week she preached, she said. That was such a good thing she said. She said, telling God what to do is not prayer. I was like, who are you? I like what you just said, and you are right, and I have done that. And it's exactly right. You know, the church is praying for Peter, but it doesn't say what they were praying

about for Peter. And remember, although the passage gets kind of funny, it doesn't start funny. It not only takes place in the time of famine, there was a famine in X chapter 11 you can read about, but if this is chronologically, if this is chronologically the next thing in sequence, then at the same time that the church in Jerusalem is recovering from famine, Herod is persecuting the church and he has just killed James. Do you think the church prayed for James? So understand, when it says they are earnestly praying for Peter, that takes more faith when

you've just lost James. Have you ever had to pray and ask God and believe God and trust God when he didn't answer the last thing that you prayed for? That's hard. Whether we will admit it or not, our faith deteriorates when our expectations are not met. I wrote a book called Sunstand Still early in the church. Y'all didn't even read that one? Go get that book.

You will hear my version of faith before I lost my dad to ALS. I don't take it back. I believe God can do anything. I haven't changed what I believe about God. It's just that on the other side of some unanswered prayers, because I don't take it back. you don't think I asked God to heal my dad? You don't think I asked him for a miracle and sat by his bed and watched him breathe his last breath anyway? And then it becomes a challenge.

The next time you're faced with something that seems impossible, you are tasked with having to believe God on the other side of your last unanswered prayer. I think what really draws me into this text for our anniversary on this day, because I prayed a lot about it. I mean, I think I've got sermons for the next year, just that I went through looking for this one for today. Because I wanted to see God, what do you want me to say to our church? What do you want me to say to them as individuals? What do you want me to say about the moment that we're in kind of on the other side? Maybe of a pandemic? Maybe.

My favorite word of 2020 and 2021 and 2022 is maybe. Now I got that maybe faith that it may be this or it may be that. And the problem is, as a leader, people want answers, and we don't have any right now. In the absence of answers, what grows? Could be either one for you. Could be cynicism. Some of you have gotten really, really mean over the last. last two years. Because in the absence of answers, you have allowed anger to grow. I'm mad that

I can't control it. I'm mad that nobody will tell me what to do. I'm mad that I'm wearing a mask and they're not or they're wearing a mask and I'm not. I'm mad that I don't know whether to wear a mask. I'm mad that you're looking at me because I'm wearing a mask. I'm mad that you're looking at me because I'm not. I'm mad because I can't figure out. Would somebody tell me what to do? It answers. When's the church going to open back? I heard that for a year. I was like, it's still open. It's still open. I said that all through the pandemic. What you mean? When is, oh, oh, oh, we've never been through anything like this before. Herod was cutting off heads in the church prevail. We are so silly. I think it's the first time that

there have ever been unanswered questions in the history of the Christian faith. That's one reason I like this passage is because they're still praying in the face of a prayer that God just didn't answer. The miscarriage, the end of the relationship, the addiction that they went back to, the relapse. Gives it a little different shade of meaning, doesn't it, when I said, the church is earnestly praying to know that James just had his head cut off. And there's no expectation that anything different will happen to Peter. That's a dangerous place. Because in that place, if the devil knocks in that place and tries to tell you, this is how it will always be, you can't really believe all that stuff that you were singing about mountains moving and chains breaking. God doesn't really do that stuff or he does it for other people or not for you.

It can deteriorate your faith. I am impressed by how this church in Acts 12 and this global body of believers that I'm speaking to around the world never stop knocking in the midst of a global pandemic. That's amazing to me. It might not be amazing to you. But I have other friends who pastor churches, and they're not pastors anymore. because while they were pastoring in the pandemic, their church wasn't supporting them. I don't have that testimony.

That's why I can cry if I think about it, because y'all kept knocking. That blesses my heart. Do you know what that means to me? To know, we'll go online, we'll go in the building, we'll do whatever we have to do, we'll do whatever needs to be done. And so what can the devil do with the devil? the church that won't stop knocking even if James Head gets caught off. Question, what can the devil do with a believer that won't stop believing even when the worst case scenario is on your

doorstep? What can the devil do with a faith that can sleep between 16 soldiers? Stop. Never stop. Because sometimes you've got to knock and say, God, it's me again. Remember me? Sometimes you've got to get on God's nerves. Sometimes you've got to call God until you think he's about to block your number. Sometimes you got to stalk the Holy Spirit. Don't take your joy from me. I will not approve it to you with the Bible.

Jacob said I will not let go unless you bless me. If I wrestle all night, if it costs me my popularity, if I have to let go of some things, I want to see God's kingdom come in my life. Never stop knocking. Never stop knocking. Never stop believing that it can still happen. I said, still. That means you have a reasonable. reason to believe it can't now. Jesus said, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will

find, knock, and the door be open. Here's problem, Matthew chapter 7, verse 7. You read that like it's a one-time thing. You read that like he said, tap. I didn't come to preach about a soft knock. This is a message for the hard knocks. When you have had the crap beat out of you, when you have had the mess beat up, when you have had your faith tried. It's trying bring everybody together. I don't want to be divisive. When you have been through it, don't try to get God to explain it. What blew my mind about this text, sit down, JJ. He's excited. Is that if Peter had been me, I don't think he would have gotten out of prison. And if Peter had been some of us, he would have stood at the door for three days.

The 16 soldiers would attract him down and cut off his head even though God set him free. But it said Peter kept on knocking. When it really matters to you, you knock even through the no. When it matters, Peter had been with Jesus. He'd been filled with the Spirit. He preached on Day of Pentecost. He's come too far to just knock three times. Peter's knocking.

I know he was yelling too because it said that she recognized his voice. God is waiting to hear your voice. He's waiting for you to call on him. Your grandmother's prayers can only take you so far. God wants to hear your voice. Quits, may 2022 be the year that you stop standing there during worship thinking it's a concert. I don't care who's up here singing. God wants to hear your voice.

Off key. Jira. One note. You are enough. One note. One note. How many one note knockers do I have? Somebody say,

because God is not looking for my melody. What wants to see me move? So let me pretend like I'm the angel for a minute, okay? They were the guards. Peter, now I'm the angel. This is the only time in the whole week that I would compare myself to an angel. Trust me about that. But that's what the angel did. You know that picture of the angel that you have up in your house, that little precious angel? This angel looks like a UFC fighter. All right. Get up. Get dressed. I want to show you this verse, because I want to show you

why most of us stay in prison. We stay in prison to ourselves. We stay in prison to our, we stay in prison to our past, we stay in prison to our preferences, we stay in prison to our pain. Am I preaching? Is it just that anniversary anointing? Because I read through what the angel told Peter. And I noticed something about the interaction that's different than how I relate to God. This angel, by the way, I want to be serious about the angel for a moment. It represents an appearance of God. But Peter doesn't know that yet. And that's important to point out. You won't always know that it's God. In fact, sometimes you'll think the opposite. If somebody hits me, I don't think it's an angel.

Isn't that crazy? God shows up and the first thing he does, and some of us have been through the bat. Have you been through the bat? What if that's not the devil? What if that's the angel? What if that slap across the face lovingly is from your good good above father?

What if he loves you enough that he would rather strike you than allow the enemy to slay you? Now don't try this. home. But this is an aggressive angel. It's an aggressive attempt to get Peter free. And the angel doesn't have time to explain to Peter. So Peter just has to move forward by faith without explanations. Say all three of those. Move forward? By faith, without explanations. And here's what it says. He struck Peter, seven part B on the side woke him up quick get up he said and the chains fell off Peter's dress and just had to put on your clothes and sandals Peter did so wrap your cloak

around you and follow me the angel told him so I wrote some notes about that here's what I would have said to each of those commands there are three quick get up I would have said how I'm chained to these cars. How do you expect me to get up when I'm chained to something bigger than me? Have you ever felt like that? How do you expect me to get up when I'm chained to something bigger than me? So I would have said, how? Notice this. Peter got up and then the chains fell off. Not the other way around. You know how I wanted to work?

The chains fall off, then I'll get up. God, just give me the desire and I'll obey. No, no. You obey and you develop the desire as you obey. That's why you can't say things like, I'm just not one of those kind of people, and limit yourself to your current state of progress, because the freedom comes through obedience. How many of you have been delivered from something in your life that one time you thought is stronger me?

I'll never be free of this. And now, by the grace of God, you're free. You didn't get free by asking more questions. You got free by taking action. True? So you reached out to somebody. You knocked. You went to God with it.

You prayed. You knocked, but you did more than that. There was something that you did. And there is something that God is giving you to do right now. Now, not an explanation, because Peter could have said, how am I supposed to get up? I'm half asleep. The guards are here. No, he got up and the chains fell.

He didn't get an answer. He just took an action. How good is that? How good is that? Because he could have waited for an answer until his head was rolling on the floor next to James. But he acted. I don't know what that means to you, but I know that I never get anywhere by waiting for God to explain everything. Never.

Oh, I do actually get somewhere. It's a nice little town called Depression, USA. Anxiety, North America. That's where I end up. That's the only place it ever takes me. Then the angel says something else. Makes no sense. He said, put on your clothes and sandals.

Now I'm going to ask, why. for what? So I can look good for my execution? So then we ask why. Now, what's the point? Why? Why? Well, Peter has learned a lot because he used to be that why guy. He used to be the one always questioning, confronting Jesus. This passage is so much richer if you know Peter's natural personality, because it gives you hope that anybody can change. He was the craziest one of all. All of these disciples, he was the dumbest one too sometimes. He was telling Jesus stuff like, you can't go to Jerusalem. They're going to kill you.

And Jesus is like, news sledge. I told you three times I have to die. That's why I came because you're a sinner and I got to save you. If I don't bleed, you don't get a breakthrough, so you better let me go. Now he's just doing what God's telling him to in the absence of answers. The angel didn't say, good news. We're getting out of jail. He just said, get up.

Then show you everything all at once. One guy asked me the other day, this is funny. So what's the 10-year plan for Elevation Church? I wanted to say, back, I'm looking for a 10-minute plan for Elevation Church. Because it's crazy right now. And none of us really know all of the outcomes of how things are going to be. It takes faith to stand up here and preach to you people every week because you want answers. And all I have to give you is commands from God's word, not from my mouth.

But the promises of God are not automatic either. So he acts on the first one. He acts on the second one. I think that's a beautiful scripture. Put on your clothes and sandals. Verse 8, and Peter did so. I would have said, why? He just did so.

This is how we can take as a model for our unanswered questions. Could be anything. God, when am I going to have somebody? Or God, when is this going to turn around? Or, God, when is it going to happen? But you'll get your head cut off. If you stay stuck in how, and if you stay stuck in why, this is the third thing. This might be the biggest, the hardest one of all, y'all. Wrap your cloak around you, verse 8, and follow me.

Now, what would you have asked? Where? He said, I'm going with. I would have been like, as long as the temperature is good and the job market is solid and the cost of living is low. But I love L.B. Because he just said, I'm going with. And that's what reminded me of Peter, L.B. You remind me a Peter because you do dumb stuff sometimes.

This man almost drove through the gate of a storage unit to get a prop that I needed one Sunday because he couldn't get the code in. He was backing up the truck to run into the gate. So you're kind of dumb. But I like you because you will do it. You will do it. You will do it. He said, I'm going with.

Where? With. Peter is going with. is going with the angel. So you've got to let God know. I'm going with. I'm going with. Even if Psalm 23 becomes a reality. Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? Because you are with me. Say it out loud. God is with me. And that's my confidence. And that's what I know.

And that's how I hold on in this season. And that's why I'm not going to let my head hang low. That's why I'm not going to have a panic attack about this. I'm not going to control the situation by human means and flesh. That's why I'm not going to send in Abraham to sleep with Hagar and try to produce a promise from God in human strength. Because God is with me. And the angel took him out of the gate,

let's don't even stop and preach about the gate opened by itself, how it was motion-activated. I wonder if some of the things, I'm not going to preach this point, but I could, that you're standing there waiting for an answer, and God is waiting for an action. And it's like, the church is praying, knocking. That's how prayers described in Matthew 7. Ask it, be given, seek you a fine. Knock the door be open. They're praying, which is a kind of knocking. While they are knocking on God's door, God is knocking on theirs. Now, Peter's at the door, and he knocks, and there's no answer. They have no idea that what they're praying for actually happen. So I'll tell you why I really was crying when I came up here for the little opening song,

and I don't want to talk about it, but I will. Because I'm standing in and answer to prayer. Not only this church that the Lord Jesus allows us to pastor, but all the times that I stood in this church with you, and I needed God too. Preachers have prisons. Peter's not the only one. You're not the only one.

I stood and had to sing songs of lyrics that I wrote while I was laughing at the reality that they could even be church. It's almost laughable, that they're praying for the one who's standing at the door, and they don't want to interrupt their prayer meeting to praise God for the answer. And the Lord said to me today, because, you know, hey man, I got a sermon to preach, and I got another one to preach after that, and another one to preach. He said, pause for a moment in between Knox about what's next. and take a moment to notice what I've already done.

In other words, open the door. I prayed for Holly while she was going through things, and I was standing next to her holding her hand today while we were singing Do It Again, and we sang that song all different times. We sang it when the media was saying that we were a cult and that we were putting liquor in the communion cups or whatever people said about us through the years, putting water slides in the church, all kind of crap people would say. And really y'all, really, really, really, really?

If they can pray through that, surely we can make it through anything together if we don't stop knocking. Some things you need to sleep through other things you need to act on. Some things you need to pray about, other things you need to act on. Now, what if the Lord, this is my final question, I really could preach all day because I get excited. I didn't hear much enthusiasm about that. Wrap it up, pastor.

I heard there's pizza out there, some weird. And yet, maybe when I finished preaching today, you could take a moment in between all the knocking that you've been doing, all the changes that you've been doing. the changes that you need God to make, all the things that you're asking God. And you know, maybe you're not even asking God for it. I personally think that the church wasn't even asking God to keep Peter alive. I think they were asking that he would give Peter peace, and that's why Peter was sleeping. So my favorite verse, y'all, has been for years.

This is the one that I put in. Remember, JJ, when I signed your book, Ephesians 320. Is that what I put in your book? He stood in the back, he's the campus pastor at Valentine. He stood in the back of a book line at Liberty University where I was speaking because he wanted to say thank you for the Ministry of Elevation Church. He stood there for, I don't know how long, until everybody was gone. And I put Ephesians 320, and he said he was from Toronto, GTA.

And I took that as Greater Things Ahead, GTA, because I'm corny. I'm corny. And I put GTA, Greater Things Ahead, Ephesians 320. Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask. All right. Let he who has ears, she who has ears to hear, hear what I'm about to say next. Exceedingly more is at the door right now. Let he that has an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Because they're praying on this level. God help Peter before he dies to feel your presence. And God's like, nah, I'm a one-up you on that. Watch this. I'm going to give you what you didn't even think to ask me for because you didn't think it was possible. If you don't stop knocking, watch this. If you will be like Peter in this season of your life, you can't be like one of these little weak Christians that the first time something happens that you have to park at the back

of the parking lot in Target, you say, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This is my Gathemeny. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. You can't go out of this church, and the first time you feel a bad feeling or think a bad thought or get a temptation, you'll just give into it. You've got to be one of those who won't stop knocking by the grace of God. Something more at the door. I will live and not die of hell. Will not prevail. Let's give him 16 seconds of praise. Get your fist in the air like this. God said never stop knocking. Never stop knocking. Never stop knocking. Hey, Rhoda, answer the door. Peter is alive. I declare by the grace of God that upon this rock, God will build his church.

And guess who Jesus said that to? Peter, every time Peter knocked on that door, it let the devil know. God is still building. Now, I'm preaching to people today who are not perfect, but are persistent. And that's how I feel about this church. we can make a t-shirt that says this. Not perfect but persistent. Actually, don't make that. I sounded better in my head, but it's good for a sermon. And Peter kept knocking. God might shock you with some of the things that you thought were as good as dead. I know sometimes you have to let it go. James did lose his head, but God wanted to give us a side-by-side example. That whether it ends the way you didn't want it to or whether you have to have to have a

unanswered questions and you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow morning. Never. Stop knocking. No matter what you feel. Through mental illness, never stop knocking. Get a doctor. Get new friends. Get a new pattern.

Take some time. But don't stop praying just because you've been through pain. And in the absence of answers, sometimes the greatest faith. I want to sing, build your church one time on our anniversary again across all of our locations. I want us to sing it in defiance of everything the devil did to try to take you out, but to let it know we're still knocking. We're still knocking. Wow, Lord, you blessed me today.

I don't know who else the word was for, but I receive it. Lift your hands if you receive it. Father, I thank you for moms and dads and sons and daughters, who although like Peter might be sleeping between some situations to make them really scared right now and make them really sad right now, that between that place where the church was praying and the place where Peter was in, prison. Your grace made the difference. I just declare your grace over every home, over every person who's joining right now online. I speak your peace into their home. God, I speak your

power in our soul that we be strengthened in our inner man. I thank you, Lord, that strength up by faith through the preached word of God today. We're going to say it like Peter, said to the angel, we're going to say it like L.B. said it to me. We're going with. We're going with. We thank you that there are angels all around us right now. We thank you that your spirit is inside of us. We declare what Jesus said. Lift those hands high. Say it out loud. The gates of hell will not prevail. Upon this rock, you build your church. Let's sing at one time. like it's our birthday. Come on, church. Lift a mighty shout of praise. Well, if you enjoyed today's podcast, there are a couple things I'd love for you to do. Make sure to

subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. You can also help us reach others by investing today at elevationchurch.org slash give. And thanks again for joining us on the Elevation podcast. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.