Elevation with Steven Furtick - The God Of Again

Episode Date: July 30, 2023

Get ready for what’s next. In “The God of Again,” Pastor Steven Furtick reminds us that God isn’t against us — He keeps coming back for us over and over again. If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: http://ele.vc/tIepfr To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: http://www.elevationchurch.org/giving/ Scripture References: John 21, verses 1-17 Hebrews 11, verse 6 Luke 15, verses 21-24, 31-32See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast. Be sure to subscribe so we can get you these new sermons every week. I hope you're blessed today. Welcome our eFAM around the world, our global community of men and women, boys and girls, cats and dogs. Fish and lizards.

Whoever's watching. All of y'all, welcome, welcome. Let us know where you're watching from in the country. comments. I have a word for you today. God has really been speaking to me. I shared last week a message about how God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses. And then I said he's the God of also, also, meaning that God is bigger than your box. Whatever you have seen him as so far, he's more than that. Your past is not greater than your potential. He's the God of also, who you are still unfolding, you're still becoming, and that God's purpose is bigger than your plan. And so we talked

about the God of also. This week, I'd like to continue in that same theme. And so also, not only is he the God of also, but there's another thing I want to show you. And the Holy Spirit showed me how to do it. He told me to use one verse and that this one verse would help me launch my talk, and then we'll talk about it. And we'll talk about some more. And we'll talk about some more. But the verse I want to show you to get started is John chapter 21, verse 1. Just real quick setting this foundation. The writer says, afterward, Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way. Afterward, Jesus' appeared again. So today I want to talk to you about the God of again. The God of again.

I think this is going to help you with some of the heaviness you've been feeling from regrets and fears. He's the God of also and he's also the God of again. Spirit of the living God have your way now. I yield myself to you. You are the music. I am the instrument. Reach your people through me. I offer myself to you. Speak to them through me. You get the glory. You get the praise in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. May be seated. I'm just something I don't normally do. I'm going to give you all three of my points at the beginning of my message. Number one, God is really into repetition. That's point number one. I'll give you a minute to write that down. is really into repetition. All right, you got that? Number two. God is really into repetition.

And point three, God is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really into repetition. Prove it to you. We'll go to Jericho and ask the Israelites if God is into repetition. When they had to walk around those walls, not only seven times, but they're not only seven times, but, seven days. Boom, taking a lap, seeing nothing happen. Boom, taking a lap, seeing nothing happen. Boom, taking a lap, seeing nothing happen. Like on that fourth day, are you sure you heard from God, Joshua? Are we marching around the right walls? But God is really into repetition. Or, if you don't believe those people that God is really into repetition, ask Neiman the Syrian

commander who had leprosy. You know what I'm going with this? He had to dip in the Jordan River seven times to be healed of his leprosy. You know about the fifth dip you'd be kind of embarrassed if you still had the same spots on your skin that you had when it got started. But God is really into repetition. Or ask that servant of the man of God Elijah. Now this story is in 1 Kings 18. There's been a drought and Elijah the prophet says, hey, there's a cloud starting to fill up with rain. And the man is like, where? He's like, go look. He's like, there's nothing there. He's like, there's like, look again. He's like, there's nothing there. He's like, look again. There's nothing there. Seven times he

looked. Seven times. God is really into repetition. I bring it up because Maybe you're frustrated that you're still going through something in your life, that you thought you would have gone through by now. No? Zero percent frustration at Elevation Church today? Just me? I'm going to repeat that again. Maybe you're frustrated because there's something in your life. Maybe you're like Graham.

Graham's real picky. Holly is such a good cook that our kids have gotten really picky. Let me explain how that works. She's too consistent in the kitchen. I told her she needs to clear the pantries and shut down the kitchen for a month to get Graham to shut up. Because she said the other day, we're having chili tonight. And he goes, really? Again, chili.

And I'm like, yeah, really. Again, chili. The chili is good. If she wants to cook it every night, but he's gotten picky because she's too consistent. She's so consistent that he's gotten picky with it. And the truth is, some of us, God has been too good to us, if I can say it that way,

that he's so consistent and he's so good at business. being God, that it's hard for us to stay grateful because of all the stuff he just did. They're like, the sun came up this morning and nobody praised him for it. I mean, most of us walked into church today. Our legs got us in here. And, you know, and then three songs in, my feet are hurting. When are we going to sit down? Are we going to sing the same thing over and over and over?

How much more does he? How much more? How much more? How much more? How much more? Tell me how much more are we going to sing? But God is into repetition. So sometimes I think it's good when we just sing and give thanks to the Lord. You know, Paul said, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. And sometimes we have to rejoice again and again in order to remind our souls that God has been good again and again. I mean, how many have the testimony that he kept on blessing me?

He kept on blessing me. Many times I even tried to push God away, but he kept on blessing me. Sometimes I ran so far I thought I couldn't receive it, but a lot of times I was actually living a life that was completely contradictory to the character in his word, but he, I'm using repetition to talk to you about the repetitious nature of the grace of God. I mean, thank God he's into repetition. Thank God he's into continuing to wake me up every morning and start me on my way. Thank God he's into just over and over again.

Watch this. Breathing out so that I can breathe in. That's why I don't mind praising him because let everything that has praise you. the Lord. And I figure that if he's good enough to give the breath, I ought to be grateful enough to give it back. I don't mind giving him glory. I don't mind singing it one more time. God is really into repetition. If you don't ever know what to say to God, just start saying thank you Jesus. And then just say it again. Thank you, Jesus. And then if you can't think of anything to thank him for it, just say thank you, Jesus for your love. Thank you Jesus for the cross.

because God is into repetition. Now, I don't just mean vain repetition where we just say a lot of stuff, but I mean that kind of, I need to slow down. God is into repetition, and I'm glad that he is, because the fact that he's into repetition means that he will keep on sustaining me and keep on blessing me over and over again. That's why I read you the scripture that I read you. you that afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples. I prayed today that he would show up again to you.

I assume that you want to be his disciple and that you want to see him, so I prayed that he would show up again. Everybody say again. That's the thing about it. He's resurrected from the dead. he already showed up two other times to his disciples. They were kind of scared, so they were hiding behind locked doors, and he just walks through. So he shows up again to see Thomas, because Thomas wasn't there the first time. And then John said afterward, Jesus appeared again to his disciples,

which kind of makes you wonder. How many times do you have to show up after you're raised from the dead to get somebody convinced that you're the son of God. We remember in a funny memory with Elijah this week because he turned 18 and we were talking about all this birthday parties in the past and that got us talking about family pictures and that made me traumatized. I hate nothing more than taking family pictures. I'm telling you, man, I, I, well, I'll just tell you one example. There was one time when they were real little and Elijah kept picking on Abby and

and Holly looks at him and you know when Holly's in front of y'all she's very sweet there's another side she looks at him and I was scared and she wasn't even talking to me she said my sister he's terrified he's only like you know seven at the time

he's terrified he looks at her and goes three times I don't know oh it's so funny three times like how many times will it make for you to hear the words that are coming out of my mouth.

He's like, oh, no, maybe three. And I wonder how many times does God have to tell us certain things? Why'd you just squeal? Maybe God has been trying to tell you something. And this is a central question I really want to ask. This will probably send some of you off and you won't hear anything else in the sermon, but it's fine because I want to give it to you. What does God keep repeating that you keep resisting?

He said, say it again. I love when people say that in my sermon. Sometimes they'll say it again, and I'm like, I don't know what I just said. I'm just following the Holy Spirit. But I will say that again. What has God been repeating that you have been resisting? In the passage that I read you, Peter has gone fishing even though. God is going to call him to be a great apostle like Peter is going to go on to be kind of like a Pope to the church in that day you would have seen it that way Peter is going to go on to preach on the day of Pentecost

None of that has happened yet the Holy Spirit hasn't come He's already seen Jesus but Peter still needs something else and it's called Restoration Restoration not only does he need to see that Jesus is resurrected, but he needs to personally be restored. The Holy Spirit said that I would be ministering to people today, who you have seen the revelation of God, meaning that you know him. You've experienced him in your life.

He has seen you through certain seasons. But you are finding yourself in a season today as I speak this message, that things have been so different and so difficult that you need to see him again in order to go forward. And the good news is he is the God of again. He's the God who will show up once and walk through locked doors. Show up twice so doubting Thomas can believe. And if that's not enough, he'll show up how many times? times, three times if that's what it takes to get Peter to see, not who Jesus is, Peter already

saw that. But what if what Peter needs to see in this moment is who Peter is? There are times in your life where God needs to show you again who you are because you forget. God needs to show you what you're capable of because you've talked yourself out of it. God needs to show you that there's a future ahead of you, greater than anything that is behind you. He's the God of again. And he will tell you as many times as he needs to tell you in order to get you to see this

truth. And that's because he's full of grace and he's full of mercy. He will bless you again and again. The same thing that is true of the blessing of God is also true of the lessons of God. He will do it over and over again until you get it. God will teach you things over and over again until you learn them. I don't know if you want to hear that or not, but He will. God will allow certain things in your life to stay that way until you finally learn what

He actually wants you to learn. God doesn't cancel the class because you burn the books. God doesn't advance you to the next level because you're tired. There are certain things in our lives that God will teach us over and over again. In this passage here is a pretty cool example of that because let me read you a little bit more of it. It said, afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples. By the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way.

I read you that verse, but let's hear what happened. Simon Peter, Thomas, also known as Didomis, Nathaniel from Cana and Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. I'm going out to fish, Simon Peter told them, and they said, we'll go with you. So they went out, got in the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, friends, haven't you any fish? No, they answered.

He said, throw your nets on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved, that's John who's writing this gospel, said to Peter, it's the Lord, you think? As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, it's the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him, for you taking it off and jumped in the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about 100 yards. And when they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it and some bread. And Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish, you have just caught.

So Simon Peter climbed back in the boat, dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153. But even with so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, gave it to them. This wasn't the first time they'd seen him do this, by the way.

Jesus came, took the bread, gave it to them, did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples. How many? Third time, three times. This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter. Now here's the moment. Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?

Yes, Lord, he said, you know I love you. Jesus said, feed my lamps. Verse 16. Again, Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And Peter said, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Is this like a riddle or something? Pete and repeat were on a boat. Pete fell off.

Who was left? Pete and repeat were on a boat. Pete fell off. Who was left? Pete and repeat were on a boat. Are you messing with me, Jesus? Is this a riddle? No, it's not a riddle.

It's a restoration. Follow me. How many times did Peter deny Jesus? So how many times? times does Jesus restore him to his first love. Somebody shout again. I hear God saying again over your life. Again.

We're going to do this until you get it. I'm going to prove that I'm powerful until you believe me to be faithful. I'm going to show you that there's nothing too hard for me until you stop worrying about stuff that I'm already working out in your life. Shout again. Shout again. I'm using the message to preach the message because I want you to get this word in your spirit. He's not the God of one time you better get it right. He's not the God of, well, if you haven't learned it by now, I guess you're just stupid. I mean, in that what we tell ourselves, that's what I tell myself sometimes. How do I not know this by now? How am I not over this by now?

How can I not do this by now? That's usually why we stop getting smarter, because we stop asking stuff, because something in us thinks I should know this by now. That's why we stay broke. Because we think we shouldn't know this about money by now. So we pretend like we know, rather than admitting that we don't know, and because we think we should know by now, we never know because we won't ask. we think that God is frustrated with us. And you know, we get this for a good reason, because we're

frustrated with us. So then we project the same attitude on God that we carry within us. And for many of us, the figure of God that we have is an exasperated father, saying, really? Again? You're praying to me about this again? You lost your temper again? Really? You're asking me to help you with this again? That's kind of how God sounds in my mind when I'm in a bad place. When I haven't been spending time in his presence, when I've just been letting the devil get the best of me.

It's like I almost want to go to God for stuff, but I almost picture him going, again? You need me to fill you? again. You need to walk you through this again? How many times are you going to come to me and ask me to forgive you for this? But I found out that every time I come to God, it's a compliment to him. This changed my life. Because when I come to him and say, oh, I need more grace, he goes, I'm good at grace. And when you ask me for grace, you presume my power that I'm good at what you asked me for. High five the preacher, J-J. I need some encouragement out there. Because when I come to God, he's not up there going, again.

I got to show you again how to go and apologize. I've got to show you again how to work through this insecurity. I've been teaching you this since you were 15. Are you stupid? That's not the language of heaven. God goes again. You hear the difference. Jesus appeared again, again.

One of my kids who shall remain nameless. Asked Holly when they were really little, she was telling them, when's the last time you change clothes? They said, four days ago? And she said, does that include your underwear? And this particular kid of ours said, you mean I have to change my underwear every day? When you do something over and over again in behavior, it's called a habit. When you do something again in music and it's a pattern that is pleasing, it's called a hook.

When you do it again and again and again and again, it's a whole. hook. And it just so happens that I'm preaching today about fishing. And they weren't fishing with a hook. They were fishing with a net. But the principle is the same, is that God wanted Peter to know, I've hooked you. I've got you. I'm not letting you go. I'm not letting you off the hook, and you keep coming back to God telling him over and over again in your mind why he should choose someone else. And as many times as you give him an excuse, he's going to give you a truth again and again and again and again and again and again and again.

How many times you're going to say it, preacher, as many times as it takes for you to respond of this word that I'm feeling in my heart. And again, and again, and again. Oh, there's a famous quote that they attributed to Albert Einstein, but I looked into it, and I don't think he really said it, but still a great quote. It said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. Okay, I got a different version of that quote. Immaturity is doing something once in a while and wondering why it didn't work.

If God is the God of again, what makes you think you're going to quote one scripture and the devil's going to run off of everything in your life you need him to leave? If God is the God of again, what makes us think we could just come to church once on Sunday and put a space of six days between us and God and just be okay. I'm going to need God to get in the gaps between Sundays for me to fight against the stuff that I'm struggling with because he's the God of again. That's why I put these messages on YouTube for free

so you can get it. Some of you talk too fast when you preach, you need to slow down. No, you need to rewind and get it again. It'll be that has a slowdown flops! There's no excuse! You don't and get this world. I'll go as slow as you need me because I got something for you and I want you to get it. Oh, sometimes he will leave you in a season a little longer and you'll think that he's being slow.

what you call his slowness is actually his love, because his slowness, as you perceive it, is his steadiness to prepare you by his sovereignty for something that your eyes cannot see. I preach him. He's the God of again. Don't be so discouraged by what you're still working through, because I guarantee you, it takes all of us time. It takes everybody time. In marketing, they used to have a rule called.

the rule of seven. Have you ever heard of this? This is way back from like the 30s and stuff, way before social media. They said you have to touch somebody seven times with the message before they act on it. Seven times. Seven times before they see the product and you have to show it to them here, show it to them there, show it like this, show them that. They said on average, this isn't completely scientific, but on average, it's at least seven. The walls of Jericho. It's at least seven. Name and dipping in the Jordan. It's at least seven. There's a cloud the size of a man's hand. It's at least seven. So do you want to dabble in seeking God? Because Hebrews 116 says, without faith, it is impossible

to please God because he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, not them that haphazardly dabble in him. They don't like me today, Holly Ferdick. You want me say that again? Should I say it again? Pete and repeat were on a boat. Pete fell off who was left? Peter was following Christ.

Peter fell away. But who came to get him? And how many times did he come back for him? How many times did he restore him? I would suggest to you that even if you are not diligently seeking God, he's diligently seeking you. Don't you see it how he kept coming for you all your life? Don't you see it how when people gave up on you, he was there? Don't you see it how even when your nets came up empty, even the empty nets were preparation

for the greater blessing? Don't you see how even the rejections in your life were making room for something you did not know to expect that was next? Somebody shout next. I don't know what's next, but I get a sense in my stuff. spirit that God is getting somebody ready for next. Because he's the God of again. I don't think he brought you this far to leave you. I don't think he gave you this much to abandon you.

I don't think he brought you into this earth to step back from you and have you figure it out on your own. I think he's going to show up in a great way in this next season of your life. So I was talking to this friend the other day and they were stuck in regret. They just kept expressing over and over again their regret. And they said this fission term, they said, I just feel like it's the one that got away. It's the one that got away. Now, they were taking this as a sign that it was over, and they would never get it back. And it was painful, and I could tell it was painful, because it was an opportunity that they lost,

and they couldn't get over what they lost, and they couldn't even think about what they had left because of what they lost. And I never like to just say stuff that sounds like a fortune cookie because I'm a preacher. I don't talk in sound bites. If you ever meet me and you say I'm having a hard day, I will not say, rejoice on the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. I do that up here because I have a different role up here. But this was a friend I was talking to, and I'd walked with this friend through some of it. And I could see that while they were saying the one that got away, they were literally like Peter, fishing, fishing, fishing, like empty, empty, empty.

And they couldn't find an explanation. And they couldn't find a way forward. And so I let them say it a few times and I just listened But like on the third, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh time they said the one that got away Something hit me and I said it and I don't know if I made it up I don't know if God gave it to me I don't know if it was arrogant I don't know if it was right or good or whatever But the Lord said to say it to you today so I'm gonna say it to you

They said I just keep feeling like this is the one that got away and I look back and said Stop saying that It's not the one that got away it's the one that got you ready. Got inside. It's not the one that got away. Every time you let the nets down and it came up empty and you let them down and it came up empty and you let them down and you let them down and it came up empty, all it was doing was holding the place. So when Jesus shows up, you'll be ready for what's on the other.

Side. Body shot, I'm ready now. You're ready now. Your nets are ready. Your heart is ready. You're humble now. You're wiser now. You're whippet now. You're wider than snow now. You're watch now. You're clean now. You're open now. You're hopeful now. I'm ready now. Glory to God. High five them again and say, I'm ready now. I'm ready now. I'm ready now. I'm ready now. In basketball, they say nothing but net. And that's what Peter had as long as he was fishing without Jesus. But when he got to the other side of that bow, watch this. I came to say, stop focusing on the one that got away. God said to tell you, don't focus on anything in this season, nothing but next. Because what's coming, what is yet to be is greater.

He's going to do it again. He's going to do it again. I'm going to preach this thing until you believe it. How many times will he have to part water before you take the step when your ankle deep? How many times will he have to kill Goliath before you get your rock and start swinging? At everything in your life that is in front of you. There is something that God already did. He will not do it the same way.

So stop expecting to part seas with rocks. The rock is for Goliath. The staff is for the sea. God will use different tools in different seasons. But there is no one that got away. Not with God. Prove it, Pastor. He came back to get Thomas.

He didn't let Thomas get away, and he won't let you get away. And anything that's truly for you in your life, God won't let get away either. I think my favorite passage about the God of again, and I probably should stop preaching right now because I think you already got enough. You know, one of the biggest things that God has been teaching me lately is we can come back together next Sunday and we can do it again. But I can't let you go because you might, you know, you might, you might sleep in next Sunday, so I've got to give you this while I got you.

Picture with me, I give you this. You came all the way from New York for this? Did you really? All right, New York. So I'm in a reference a familiar Bible story. You've probably heard it before, but you need to hear it again. There were two sons, one father. The younger son went to his father and said, I want my inheritance now, and he left and started

living a while. This in Luke chapter 15. How many of you've heard this story before, the story of the practice of son? Well, you need to hear it. So this young man goes off, spends everything that he has once he sees that his friends aren't really his friends, but they are only with him as long as what is attached to him is flowing. Once that falls away, he realizes, man, I'm living. beneath what I had back home. He goes home with the speech prepared. And he's really worried,

because he's been gone a long time, long enough for his dad to assume that he's dead. The older brother's back home doing his job. When he's getting to the place, and I want to start at about verse 21 of Luke 15, if I don't finish this today, I'll put it on YouTube this week for you, and me and Holly will sit down and break it down. I've been doing these little sermon breakdowns on YouTube, and I might do one on this. And you're going to listen to the message again Monday. Anyway, right? Now, this is something that is something that is really pivotal to me explaining and unpacking to you what I mean when I say he's the God of again.

Because the contrast of it is found here. When this younger son who has run away from home is thinking about coming back, like you might be thinking about coming back today, like I'm going to try to get sober again. I'm going to really try this thing again of opening up to people in my life. I'm going to really commit to this path again. I'm going to pick up my Bible and start simple reading Bible plan again. Whatever. It doesn't have to be so deep.

But whatever it is that you're about to do again, this is this boy's fear. He has a hurdle to cross because he's thinking about his father and all the harm that he's caused. So when he's getting to the place, verse 21, please. The son said, them, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Notice the word there in the verse, against, against. In his mind, he has made his father out to be against. Him. Against him. Against him. He has something against me. In this case, it's true. The father could

have very easily chosen to disinherit this boy. He had the legal right. So he's thinking about what his father has against him. And that's what stops us. We think about what's against us. And if we assume that at the heart of it all, God is actually against us or life is against us, then we turn against ourselves. So we don't try again. because of what's against us. Watch the story unfold because it's shocking. Verse 22. But the father said to his servants,

Quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Next verse. Bring the fat and calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive. Say it. Say it again. Say it again. He thought he was coming to the God of against, but he found the God of again.

Give him his robe back. Give him his ring back. Give him his name back. Give him his seat back. For this son of mine was dead. Wait, no, he wasn't dead. But I thought he was. And now he's alive again. Some of the things that God wants to bring alive again in your life, they're not really dead. They're just waiting for you to recognize them. Sometimes it's not about something that God needs to add to our lives. It's about something that we need to remember again.

So as many times a day as you need to say to yourself, I'm fully forgiven by the blood of Jesus. Say it again. If you leave church in five minutes after Pastor Stephen is preaching your cuss and ask God for forgiveness again. And again, and again. Mid cuss word, cut yourself off between syllables and say, Father, help me not cuss like that anymore. I know my tongue needs to be tamed. Tame it again. Amen.

Taman takes time. Help me with this again. And God doesn't go, again, he goes, again. Again. Let's get you walking right again. Let's drill this again. If God is a good teacher, that means he knows how to get through to me. That means he knows how to make the adjustments.

If God is a loving father, that means he will never run out of what I need more of. So when I come to him, he doesn't stand against me. me, he is there again for me as many times as I need. So I stumbled upon something in my own life to help me recognize what God has already done for me. I share it with you in the spirit of encouragement. Many days in my life, I have a complaining and grumbling spirit, and that leads to my anxiety, and it leads to me feeling resentful of all of the pressures in my life.

I've had to learn how to deal with that again and again and again. I thought by now it would be easy. It still isn't. I thought by age 43, I would have a permanently set perspective. Maybe it happens when you turn 44, but it definitely doesn't happen at 43 in my case. So I have to make all of these things that I say to myself again and again and again. Now, notice what the boy in the story was saying to himself again and again, walking to his father, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. When you walk around saying that in some form to yourself day after day, year after year,

you begin to become what you believe and you believe what you repeat. Shall I say that again? You become what you believe and you believe what you repeat, especially what you repeat within yourself. But the father gives him a better word and he says, come back home again. He was dead and now he is alive again. Let's celebrate. Sometimes you have to celebrate what remains in order to move forward in what hasn't been revealed. So I go into this place and forgive me if this is kind of dark or weird. But sometimes I ask myself the question, if I lost what mattered most to me, what would I give to have it back? And it's an exercise that I do.

And I find it helpful. Because in that what matters most to me, I start, of course, with my salvation. That Jesus paid the price for me and that I don't have to go to hell. I don't have to live in condemnation. I don't have to carry the shame of the things that I've done. I can't think of a better gift. Can you? Can you?

If you can, come up here and tell me about it. Just to know that it's all paid for by him. And I go down the list and I get technical because like right behind Jesus as Holly. They're kind of similar. They're both always there for me. They're both amazing to me. They're both better than me. And then you see I'm earning points multitasking up here in this microphone.

And I think about my wife. I think about my kids. And I think if I lost them, what would I give to have them back? And the answer is, everything. So what do I already have? You may be like, well, I have lost this person in my life, and I can't say that. You still have His grace. What would you give to have that grace back if it went away?

So what do you have right now? Everything. Sometimes you just need to remember again what you've already been given. Isn't it good for us? to sometimes just stand in a situation and say, Lord, I don't know what you're going to do next. But you already did this. You already gave me that. And if you did it before, it stands to reason you're going to do it again.

But even until you do, if I already have you, I already have everything. Try it sometime this week. When the enemy starts speaking to you about how you're not. not going to make it. And this time it's different, and you can't recover from this, and it will never be the same. And they're the one that you needed, and you can't live without them. Stop and say, wait a minute, if I have him, I have everything. That's what the father did with his older son, because the older son who stayed home, he was mad about the party. He said, I'm not coming in there to celebrate this hooligan. He spent half our inheritance.

Now you're spending money on beef patties making them some brisket out here. I'm not coming in to eat the brisket. I hate my brother. And the father said, look at verse 31. This is so powerful. He said, my son, you are always with me. And everything I have is already yours. Verse 32.

But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again. And the God of again is standing over your life today. I promise that he is. I don't know what you've got to walk through in this season. I don't know what doctors have told you, lawyers have told you, what the devil has told you, what insecurity has told you. I don't know what any of the symptoms in your body are saying

or any of the emotions in your soul are saying. But I know what the father is saying. Again, again, again. As a matter of fact, let's just walk back and look at it. If he told the sun went to rise and it did, he will again. How many believe he will again? Somebody shout, he will again. And if he told the storm to be still and

And it did, he will. He will. I need the whole church to agree with me. If he told to see where to split. And it did, he will. And if he told the walls when to fall. And they did. He will again.

And if he told the chains, when to break. He told the bones, come alive. And they did if he told the stone. It's not the one, no, no, no, it's not the one that got away. It's the one that got you ready for what's on the other side. I speak to every lost opportunity, every broken heart, every child of God standing in need of restoration through the Holy Spirit because of the regrets of your past. He is a redeemer and a rewarder of those who diligently

seek him. And if he told the sun wind to rise, and it did, he will again, he will again. And if he told the storm to be still, and it did, he will again. And if he told the seat where to split, and it did, he will again. And if he told the wall seven times, wind of fall seven times and they did he will again and if he told the chains when to break and they did he will again and if he told the bones come alive and they did he will again and if he told the song throw away and it did he will again and if he told the bread and it did and again podcast and if you did make sure to share it and subscribe so we can get you all of these new messages as soon as they're available. I also want to take a moment and thank all of you who are a part of elevation.

Whether you support us financially or serve with us or just share these messages, it's because of you that we're able to reach people all around the world. And if you want more information on how to be a part of elevation, click the link in the description. Thanks again for listening. Make sure to leave a review, share the message, and the message. subscribe. God bless you. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.