Elevation with Steven Furtick - This Is Then (God Uses Stupid)

Episode Date: November 24, 2025

Some things look “stupid” to the world… until God uses them to change everything. If you’ve been holding back because you need everything to make sense, this will call you to trust what God promised and practice gratitude in the hard place. If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References:Genesis 28, verses 13-22Matthew 21, verse 42See 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. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message. Nothing like the Lord. Nobody beside him. Nobody like him. Can't contain him, can't describe him. You know, I can tell you about the river, or we can just step right in. And that's the way it is with the Lord.

I can tell you, but sometimes you've got to taste and see that the Lord is good. Open your mouth wide and let him fill it today. Open your mouth wide and let him fill it today. Glory, glory, glory. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for my health. Thank you for my strength. Thank you for my salvation.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for keeping me. Thank you for my sanity. Thank you for clothes on my body. Thank you for food in my belly. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for my wife.

Thank you for my three kids. Thank you for my mom. Thank you for this church, God. Thank you for the ministry that goes forth from this place. This is holy ground. You're a worthy God. You're a mighty God. You're a magnificent God.

You're an all-sufficient God. You're a wonderworking God. You're a way-making God. There's nothing too hard for you. I trust you. You're God. I love you. You're God.

I worship you. I believe you. Take you at your word. I respect you. I need you. Come Holy Spirit. For the moments that we share together, speak to every heart. I give you all the credit in advance.

I know that anything good that happens today won't be because of an idea that I had from my human mind. It'll be because you used my vocal chords and my lips of clay. But God, they've got to have an open heart. It won't do any good for us to sing all this beautiful music and say all the profound words with all of the correct theology if their heart isn't open. So I thank you that heaven is open. May our hearts speak to. Every distraction, every disappointment. Got to go out the room right now. Because Jesus is here. You have our attention, Lord. Have your way. Jesus' name. And all God's people said together.

Come on, from Valentine to Riverwalk, all God's people said together. All over the world, our EFAM, we want you to know you're welcome here. Welcome to church. Come on, Ballantyne. Let's set the atmosphere for all of those who are joining us today. I want to go back to Genesis chapter 28 as we study God's word together today. I'm so excited about the word that the Lord has given me to give to you. I pray that I won't mess it up. I don't want to dilute it. I don't want to dilute it. I don't want to take from it. I don't want to add to it. Just what he said. And I pray that in these moments that you would just create that quiet place inside of you, away from all the noise.

I know you got three people you need to text back. I know you got somebody you don't want to see that you got to meet up with at 245 today. None of that matters right now. The Lord is in this place. And wherever you are, I say it with equal confidence. You say, well, I'm not in a church building. The Lord is in that place. You say, well, I'm not in a really good place right now, man.

I really haven't been doing good. really just been struggling back with some old things again. The Lord is in that place. So as we receive God's word and we stand on God's promise and we thank him for his presence. Let's study together in Genesis chapter 28, 13. Y'all think when I preach a scripture two weeks in a row, it's because I didn't want to study the second week. It's really just because I didn't get it done the first week. I'm going to read some of the first half where Jacob is running from his brother Esau, who wants to kill him. And Esau is good with a bow and arrow, by the way.

Jacob is good with kitchen utensils and Esau is good with weapons. So when Jacob steals the blessing from Esau, he gets blessed, but. Have you ever been blessed? But? That's why Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday. Man, it's such a blessing to have all of our family together. But I'm going to let you all of our family together. Thursday. This is the day that the Lord has made everybody put in the chat, blessed, but. Tell your

neighbor real quick, I'm blessed, but he's blessed, but he's also in a time of isolation. And he's on his way 400 miles from his father's house to stay with his uncle Laban for a little while until he figures out exactly what he's going to do next. And I preached last week on your next messy step, just to let you know that it's not always clear and that's okay. If you just be strong and courageous, every place you set your foot, God will give it to you as you go. But you can't get paralyzed now. And you can't let the fact that you can't see the next 500 steps keep you from taking the next one. Now, as Jacob is trying to get some sleep on the hard ground with a pillow made out of a rock under his head, the Bible says,

that there was a ladder that came from heaven, and there above it, verse 13, stood the Lord. And he said, I am the Lord, the God of your father, Abraham, and the God of Isaac. Notice he does not yet say I'm the God of Jacob, because Jacob has not made that decision yet for himself. That's what we're going to find out. Is he going to be your God too? And he told him, I'm the generational God who made a promise to your grandfather and your father. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. It makes me think chunks about all these campuses that God has given us all over the place.

The Lord even gave us one in Canada. Happy month, late Canadian Thanksgiving to our Toronto campuses. But just God is going to do something so mind-blowing, something so much bigger than just our church or our campuses. This is God's original promise to his people, to his nation, Israel. And now, of course, we're standing in that promise today as most of us, who are maybe Gentiles by birth are grafted in through Christ. So that promise is being spoken over Jacob. He said, you're going to spread out like dust. It's going to be messy, but I'm going to do it.

It's going to be dirty, but I'm going to do it. And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. When are you going to stop just coming to church to be blessed and start asking God, make me a blessing? I want to be a blessing today to somebody, God. He said, all the nations of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring, even though you don't have children yet. God will speak about things that have not even started yet in the natural. And he'll speak it supernaturally.

And this is the promise I want you to receive for yourself today. Verse 15, I am with you and will watch over you, wherever you go. And I'll bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you. When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, surely the Lord is in this place. It just took me a while to catch up with it. He was afraid and said, how awesome is this place? This is none other than the house of God.

This is the gate of heaven. Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone. He had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. We didn't talk about any of this last week. We didn't talk about all of it. today. He called that place Bethel, which means house of God. Yeah, there's not just a worship ministry out there in California. That's in the Bible. The place was called the house of God. That's what it's named after. And it's not just in one location. It's anywhere that God visits. Yeah. He called

that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. And Luz means almond tree. Wow, that's a big jump. from a nut tree to the house of God. Tell somebody next to you, this is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy. Now verse 20, then Jacob made a vow saying, if God will be with me and will watch over me on the journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's household, then the Lord will be my God. and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house and of all that you give me God I know you're my source of all that you give me I have nothing without you of all that you give me I will give you a tenth amen verse 11 is where I want to take my title from so that I return safely to my father's household then the Lord will be my God then the Lord will be my God then the Lord will be my God then the Lord will be my God then the Lord will be God. The Lord told me to preach to you today three words. This is then. This is then.

And I can tell that's a little bit like mystical or whatever. So just turn to your neighbor. Give them my subtitle. Tell them, God uses stupid. Yeah, tell them this one might be for you because God, I have a strong feeling. Father, if you can speak through a donkey, speak through me in Jesus' name. Amen. Touch three people say, this is your word today. This is then. God uses stupid. Now, Pastor Steve, I wish you wouldn't say words like stupid up there in the pulpit.

That's not a sanctified word, and I don't appreciate it. I bring my kids into service. We ought to drop them in eat kids. We have excellent volunteers. And juice boxes. Do we give them juice boxes and e-kids? I don't know I hadn't checked. You know how our ministry seems so strategic when you see it up there on the screens,

and we have e-groups and E-Kids and E-teens and e-bikes and no e-cigarettes yet in the church. But it sounds so strategic. I said something last week, and I got a testimony of a miracle from one of our campus pastors, so I want to say it again to you because miracles are already happening in this. season. Miracles are already happening in this season. And he was telling me a very difficult season that he's been through, and then God began to bring some resolution and he saw it. And the thing that I said that helped him for his faith is that a lot of times what you explain later as strategy, you experience as surrender. How many heard me say that last week from this very

pulpit? And I'm going to say it again. You experience a lot of things as surrender in real time. What I mean by surrender? You don't know what else to do. And then when you get through it, you look back and you start saying, well, step one, step two, step three, step four. You know, somebody else might struggle with an addiction that you came through and you're kind of coaching them later. And now you're kind of arrogant because you've got nine or ten years under your belt. And you're like, well, the first thing you need to do, and then the second thing.

And I found it very helpful. And you may mean well, but just make sure you tell them that the first thing you do is help. God, I need you. I don't know what to do without you. And some of the things that look strategic in your life you actually stumbled into, if you'll be honest about it. It was the hand of God guiding you. It was the voice of God calling you. It was his net that caught you.

It was His word that kept you. Many of the things in our ministry that felt very strategic in year 5 and in year 10 were actually things that at the time just felt like, what do we do next, God? We are a multi-site church. Let's welcome all of our locations today, all 20 locations, our EPAM all over the world. We strategically place these locations on a multi-site church with the campuses that we have and the model that we have so we could reach people right. was strategic. No, it was surrender. We were out of space. No more room to put people. What can we do? Well, maybe we can get another high school auditorium down the road. It was surrender. What do we do? Who do we bribe? Who do we pay off? How can we get that other auditorium? Why isn't the video working?

Why isn't the video working again the next week? And it's messy like that. And it's steps like that. And it's trusting like that. And it's falling like that. And it's standing like that. And it's waiting like that. And it's moving like that. And it's zigging and it's zagging, remember, and it's zigging and it's zagging and it's having and it's losing and it's getting back. And this is what growth feels like. More like surrender. Less like strategy.

Later you can explain it as strategy. You can write your book, Seven Steps to a healthier marriage. But the truth is, you got down on your knees that third month of marriage and said, God, I don't believe in divorce. But I don't know where I am on murder. And if you don't help me, with this white man. And the strategic explanation often camouflages the surrendered experience.

Why you tell me that? Because I know right now you don't know what to do about this thing in your life. And yet I would suggest to you personally and pastorally that God has already done enough for you to trust him. I met with a financial advisor and the first time I met him he said, I just need you to trust me. I said, whoa, buckaroo. We ain't about to build a trust off of one meeting when you get paid on commission. The only way trust is going to be built in this relationship is through results. And that's going to take years, not months.

So if you need me to trust you from this meeting, just know, I don't trust you one bit. I don't trust you. I don't get paid to trust you. And as a matter of fact, I want you to know that I am operating from a fundamental distrust of you. Because I am not going to work this hard to provide for my family. And then just because you have a nice smile and a button-down shirt, I'm supposed to just trust you. I got button-down shirts. Serial killers have button-down shirts. I don't trust you. You've got to show me something to trust in. Is that good wisdom for business? Is that good wisdom for fate?

Jacob seems to be saying here at this threshold of his own journey, I don't know if I can trust you yet, God. I don't know you like that. I don't know yet if I can fully believe what you say to me. Oh, Jacob, how dare you doubt the sovereignty of God? People, he's far from home. He doesn't have a Bible to read. He just had a dream or a vision in which he saw a staircase that went from earth to heaven. And he supposed to just wake up and say, let's go, God, wherever you take me.

I'm with you. So he does something very interesting. And I want to show it to you because as I studied it, two words stood out to me in the text. And a lot of you have been listening to me preach for a long time. Show of hands or just put a raised hand in the chat. How many of you have been listening to me preach for at least one year? How many you've been listening to me preach for about three years or more? Raise your hand.

Keep them up. Five years or more. How many you started listening to me preach before you wanted to, but somebody in your house had me preaching and you had to listen to them because they wouldn't turn it all? That's all right, too. I am not going to take this a step further and ask if you even want to be here today. I'm drawing the line. But by the time you've heard me preach, maybe you can pick up my rhythm.

There's something Jacob says, and I want you to catch it. It's two words. It's kind of like a continuum that he establishes here. And I believe it's the continuum that we're living in as well. In verse 20, Jacob makes a vow. And in that vow, he said, if God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear, so that I return safely to my father's household,

then the Lord will be my God. The two words are in those two verses. And I wonder if you've been listening to me preach, Jim and Livy, for like 13, 14, 18 years. Can you guess which words just went to me? Because I'm picturing this congregation that I'm preaching to. Remember, some people lost their job this week. Some people got a promotion. Some people are complaining about their job. Some people would love to snatch up the job that that person is complaining about. Somebody right here this week is saying, I got to lose some weight. Somebody's trying to put on some weight drinking all the protein they've got.

somebody is wishing they were single again. Somebody is saying, God, rescue me from this season of singleness. Somebody is saying, God, I know what to do. Somebody's saying, God, I know what to do, but I don't want to do it, so I'm going to do it so I can continue to pretend like I don't know what you want me to do so I can continue to pretend like I'm waiting for direction when really I'm procrastinating my faith and calling it patience. Everything is happening in this room. And what I saw in the text, it was just two little words. Let's read it again. He said, if that was the first one, if God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear. Now remember, God just told him, I'm going to give you the

north, the south, the east, and the west. But that's going to come later. Jacob says, I don't even need you to give me real estate right now. If you will just give me food to eat and close to wear, everybody say if, if you'll do that for me, if you will be with me and give me food to eat and clothes to wear, if you will be with me, give me food to eat and clothes to wear, if you will be with me, give me food to eat and clothes to wear, so that I return safely to my father's household. Then the Lord will be my God. The second word is then. If, then. If, then.

Sounds like the boy thinks he can bargain with the most high. Sounds like the boy thinks that God is trying out to be his financial advisor. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to sit down and have a quarterly meeting. And if you're profitable to me, then I'll serve you. I don't read it that way. at all at this stage in my life. I think Jacob is saying, it doesn't take much for me to trust you. I just need you to show me enough, just enough, that I'll know three things. One, that you're with

me, one that I've got something to eat and something to wear I can't run through this desert naked, and I can't go to the next stop hungry. So I need you to be with me, I need you to feed me, and I need you to watch over me. I need you to be with me. I need you to watch over me. I need you to feed me. And if you'll do that, that much, that much, if you'll do that much,

then you'll be my God. If you'll be with me, that's a prayer for God's presence. When you pray your Thanksgiving prayer this week, thank God for his presence. When you sit down to eat a big old ham, what you're going to have? this week. You know by coming to church to Sunday before Thanksgiving, your calories are automatically divided by three. Give the Lord a praise for that fake word I just gave you.

I say that every year on this Sunday. Every year on this Sunday. For every amen that you say, all of the sugar is translated into protein to build your... Wouldn't that be cool? If it worked like that? And when you sit down to pray, whoever's going to pray say, Lord, I want to Thank you, first of all, for your presence. You've been with me. How many know the truth that God has been with you when nobody else was? You might be there right now. It might have been last night.

You were saying, God, I sure am lonely, but even in your greatest loneliness, there was light, wasn't there? Come on, even when you were a little girl and you were 12 or 13 years old and you just felt so weird and so strange, there was something inside of you that you knew you weren't alone even though you felt alone. That even though you didn't get invited to the parties, there was something in you that knew that I have a purpose. You were never alone, not for any of it. He is present. And I don't need a feeling to prove his presence. You know, I don't need more proof of his presence than I already have. He told me he was with me, so he is with me.

It's just a matter of me becoming aware of it. Surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it. So thank God for his presence. Number two, thank him for his protection. His protection. He said, Lord, if you'll be with me and if you'll watch over me, if you'll protect me, God. What does it mean that God protected me? It doesn't mean that you never broke your toe and said, ouch.

It doesn't mean that he kept every weapon from being formed. It means that in spite of whatever weapon was formed, you had the faith to endure it. And I want you to thank him for your shield and your buckler. I want you to thank him that there have been angels around you that kept you from car accidents that you didn't see coming. I want you to thank him for slow drivers that got in front of you and you cussed at them, and they kept you from getting to the next intersection where there was going to be a drunk driver. But you were too busy cussing at the slow driver to know about the drunk driver.

So I want you to thank God for the protection that you haven't even recognized yet. I want you to just go back over your life and realize that there were some things that God did. I want you to praise him for the crazy person that you asked him to make fall in love with you because you had not turned the corner and seen their crazy yet. And you found out four years later that when God said no, when you said please, God was doing you the greatest favor of your life. He was protecting you. Don't you see that? He wasn't punishing me because he hated me. He was punishing me to protect me. There is a punishment, a discipline that comes from God that is meant to protect. If God is convicting you right now of a sin in your life, I want you to praise him for his protection. He's looking out for you. He hasn't given up on you. He's not going to let your heart get so hard that your

You keep on doing it till you die from it. I want you to praise God for his protection. I want you to thank him that he kept your mind from going absolutely buck wild over 2025. Your mom lost her mind? You didn't lose yours. You kept your sanity. He brought you here.

He woke you up. Look at your neighbor and say, you know what's crazy? I woke up this morning. on my table, clothes on my back. I thank God for his presence. Watch. I thank God for his protection and I thank him for his provision. How many know God to be a good, good father? Reigns on the righteous and the unrighteous, the just and the unjust. He blessed me when I did it right. He blessed me when I turned left. He provided for me. He gave me some things. He opened some doors that Nobody could shut. He closed some doors and nobody could open. He provided for me. He didn't always give me what I wanted, but he gave me what I needed. He is my Jehovah Jira. I had the blade in the air, but there was a ram in the bush. God made a way for me. Didn't look like it would work. Felt like it shouldn't work. Probably wasn't going to work. All right. It planned out my speech.

But he left me in the middle of the road. And he gave me a ring, and he gave me a rose. So I praise him for his... Oh, yeah, I'm trying to get you to praise God. I'm trying to get you to praise God. I'm trying to... You know how they use rage bait to try to get you to go off and crash out? You know that?

Rage bait. How my kids will rage bait each other? Well, the Lord told me today I have an assignment for you, Ferdick. I want you to praise bait my people and try to find if you can finally push the button because some of them are waiting like they don't have anything to praise me for. But if you can get them to look back, don't even have to look back that far. Just look back over your last stuff. And you'll see that if it had not been,

Come on, high-five three people and say, I'm past two. I'm past two. I'm past two. What you mean? I owe God this praise. I'm a praise, Bader. Trying to get you to think about how good he is. Trying to get you to think about the mercy he showed you.

Trying to get you to think about what you have left. Trying to get you to think about how the rain came and the wind blew and the storm rose. But my house didn't fall. I've murdered my faith. Grace. And now I'll praise you. You know, somebody probably thinks you look stupid praising him like that. Somebody probably thinks you look stupid praising him like that.

But look at your neighbor and say, after all I've seen, I'd be stupid not to. After all he does for me, I'd be stupid not to say, Thank you. I'd be stupid not to give him. I'd be stupid. Looks pretty stupid if you hadn't seen him make a way. But if you were coming up on something and you didn't see a way, and all you had in your hand was a staff, and you saw him take something as stupid as a staff and split something

as big as a seat, it'll make you shake your tambourine when you get on the other side. And by the way, one time the Lord really spanked me, the Lord really checked me, the Lord really corrected me. Yeah, he's got a rod in a staff. One is to comfort and one is to confront. And I was telling the Lord one day, I'll be so thankful when I get through this. When I get through this, then I'll be so thankful. The Lord says, switch it.

When you get thankful, you'll get through this. the way you're thinking right now, you ain't going to make it. You ain't going to make it unless you get a little crazy, get a little stupid, start thanking God for stupid stuff. I want to take it a little bit further. Not only did the things in my life that now look the most strategic at the time seemed the stupidest, but some other people said they were stupid. I told my friends that one name the church elevation.

You know, now we got a lot of cool church names. But there weren't churches called things like elevation. Not that many. There were some. I'm not saying I'm the originator. But I just thought, wow, it would be great to call it elevation. You know, lift up Jesus, lift up people. You're going high.

You know, elevation. Remember one dude looked at me and said, sounds stupid. Sounds like the name of a youth group. It sounds like if you two had a youth group. That's what he said. That's a fine line. I said, I don't like it. I like it.

I like it. There's such a stupid name for a church. Elevation. That never worked. I had a flashback the other day. I don't know if y'all remember this, Janet. This dude, because think about now, you got Jacob, and he says this thing, I'm going to take this rock and I'm going to pour oil on it.

He's just freaking out, man. And this rock is going to be your house, God. I'm going to turn this stone into your house. And of everything you give me, I mean, he's just disoriented. He doesn't know what to do. So he just says, if you will show me enough, if you give me your presence, your protection, your provision, I will trust you. And he pours this oil on a rock.

Well, it made me think about some of the things we did that seemed stupid at the time when the church was young, because I want to share it with these lovely people because God still wants to use stupid today. In your family, in your athletic career, in your business, in your business, in your children. spiritual life, in your emotions. God wants to use what people call stupid. One of the first things that I remember was when the man came to give us a strategy on giving. He said, the strategic move when you're starting a church. Now listen to this. Tell me this doesn't sound strategic on the surface. Because the world's wisdom sounds strategic on the surface.

This is how you do it and this is what you get, right? And then you'll be blessed, but. So here's what he said to do. And to me, it felt like a compromise of my integrity. He said, you're not going to have any money? That was true. He said, you don't have that many members, and that was true. He said, so each of you know somebody who is a member of another church. Ask them for the next 24 months to redirect their tithe that they would give to their church

and give it to you instead. Their church won't miss it, and it'll make or break you. I thanked him for his time. At the time, we were so broke, I didn't even have any money to pay him to come and give us the speech. So I gave him a Chili's gift card. And I said, thank you for coming. That's how broke we were. So in a way, what he said sounded really good. I do know some people. I've been traveling, doing ministry. I've got some contacts. Maybe I should reach out and do it that way. You ever had the spirit tell you to do something that seems stupid? See, that seems smart.

But here's what the Lord told me to tell our team instead. I shut the door. I let him leave. I said, what he just said, if we do it that way, it might work for a while. But it's going to set up a pattern where we did not build it on the rock. We got to trust God. Tell your neighbor, I got to trust God. So I asked them, didn't I? I said, so can we do this instead? While we're still at this church waiting to go start our church, we were being sent from a church with permission and blessing.

I said, while we're still under the covering of this church, let's keep giving 10% of our income to this church, and let's give an additional 10 to the one we're starting. And they all did it. As far as I know, I didn't check the W-2s to do the math, but they all did it. So when I say to you today that it is my desire as a pastor that every single family in this church, every single individual in this church, would put God first through the tithe and give 10%. I'm not telling you that because of a need we have. I'm telling you that because it's the foundation that everything you see today was built on. And I say it with confidence and I say it with clarity.

Well, I like that first part of the sermon you were preaching Pastor Stephen. That was really good and fun. Like that calorie cancellation blessing. Can we go back to that? No, we can't because now I've got to talk to you. We all love the part where God. God said to Jacob, I'll be with you. But what about the part where Jacob said to God, if you'll be with me?

Then I'm with you. I always thought 10 percent sounded like a lot until I figured out that it all came from God. And maybe the 90 that he lets me keep is a lot. And maybe the 10 that he asked me to give isn't that big. I'm just talking to you about trust in God. Trust in God is not because you sang the chorus really loud. Trust in God is not because you clapped your hands on the beat. Trust in God is not because you have a good feeling about this.

Trust in God is when you say, I'm in. And I know it looks stupid, but you gave it all to me. You gave it all to me anyway. Another stupid thing. Can I just tell you a little bit of a testimony of stupid stuff that God used in our life? This might help you. How many of y'all are kind of newly married? You say like a year or two or something like that.

Just raise your hand at me real quick. Newly married. How many of y'all hope to be raising your hand when I ask that question in three years from now? All right. Check out the market research in here. This is a great place to come to meet all of your life needs. I came to her and I said, woman, the Lord don't want us to be in debt. The Lord don't want us to have cars we can't afford.

The Lord don't want us to have furniture that we haven't paid for yet. What's the thing that they have where you can pay for a jacket and put it $18 a month and be paying for it for 18 years? Clarnia. You say it's called Clarnia? You said karma? I said, we're not clarnia. We're not laying away. The only way we're going to buy for something is if we can afford it.

And that meant that our house was filled at the beginning of our marriage with furniture that came from Eric's dad's trailer. And he was over the trailer park so he would repo people's furniture and save it. And so our marriage was built on the foundation of furniture from the trailer park that was repoed from people who didn't pay the rent. That's who your pastor is. That's how smart I am. Follow me as I follow Christ. That's who I am, buddy. That's who I am, buddy.

But I paid for everything we ever put in our house. And I don't mean that to say if you're in debt that you did it wrong. I'm just telling you, as a matter of fact, it would feel stupid sometimes when I knew we could just put it on a card. See what the world calls wise. What the world calls strategic, God calls stupid. And what the world calls stupid, God calls strategic. Isn't that crazy? And as a matter of fact, once Brother Dave Ramsey got me convinced on the emergency fund,

how many of y'all did the emergency fund that Dave Ramsey talked about? It's a great practice, man. It's like, save, what is it, three months to six months of your living expenses. and put it away so that when the tire goes flat, you don't have to go in debt to replace it. So we did that, like in our first two years of marriage. And I was so proud when that number hit. I figured out what the number would be. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

This is how much we need to save, saved it up, got to the level. And that night when I went to tell her in the kitchen that we've hit our emergency fund, I felt a prompting from the Lord that I tried to rebuke as Satan. And the prompting said, give it all away. I said, that's stupid. Not to the Lord. I thought it was the devil. I thought it was the devil because Dave said I had to save it.

Full disclosure, now many times over the Lord has blessed us and I have not kept my savings at zeros every time since that day. But I remember walking in and saying, you know that emergency fine? It's about to be a mission's gift. Stupid, isn't it? I don't know you tell me because when we wrote those checks at that kitchen table, I remember the place. See, you never forget the place where God makes you a promise. That's why Jacob named the place Bethel. He said, this is God's house. You say, it's stupid to call a rock the house

of God, not when God spoke to you there. Stupid unless you've had God speak to you there. And the Lord spoke to me two sentences. He said, if you keep your hands open to me, then you will always have everything you need. You will always be able to do everything I've called you to do. He spoke that to me, that kitchen table that came from the trailer park, repossessed furniture that was scratched up and dinged up, and I had money to buy a new one. And the Lord said, this time I want you to give it. We didn't have kids yet. It wasn't like we were being irresponsible.

You're like, I can already see people misapplying this message. Do you know what I mean? The Lord said he would use stupid. And, baby, that's the word I've been waiting for. Did you hear what pastor said today? I'm getting a boat! God said I can get a boat! Don't pervert this word.

You know what I'm talking about. Keep me in context. And I want to ask you a question. Was it stupid? I don't know. One of the things we gave to was this. Look around. Some of your kids have been baptized here.

I don't think it was something. stupid. Some of you had your life put back together here. I don't think it was stupid. Some of you pray to receive Christ here. I don't call that stupid. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. You call it stupid. I call it surrender. And Jacob takes the oil. Remember, he has very little with him. He's on the run. And he takes the little bit of oil that he has and pours it on the rock. The rock is stupid. The oil is stupid. The whole thing is stupid unless God is in it. But God uses stupid. And he says this. He says, I'll trust you and I'll give to you if you will be with me and if you will give me food and if you will give me clothes

and if you will watch out for me and watch over me. If, then you will be my God. So I want to ask a question, and I need some participation on this. How many of you, if we take Jacob's rubric, if we take Jacob's grid, if we take Jacob's prayer, if we take Jacobs, not negotiation, but if we take Jacobs surrender to the Lord as a template, how many of you would say that God has been with you? Make some noise. How many of you would say that God put food on your table?

Y'all are cheering a little soft about that one. Maybe you're hungry right now, but I'm saying you're going to have something to eat before the sun goes down. How many of you have clothes on your body? Even if the waist fits a little tighter in November than it did in January. Come on, I got clothes on my body, food on my table. many would say God has kept me alive. Jacob said, if you will be present, if you will protect, and if you will provide, if verse 21, then you will be my God.

And the Lord said to tell you, if he's been with you, presence, if he's provided for you, food and clothing, if he's watched out for you, protection, if he's done that for you, Then this is then. You don't need more proof. This is then. Say it. This is then. And I know you've been postponing your joy.

Oh, I'll be happy then. No, this is then. When my kids come back to God, I'm going to throw a big party and celebrate. No, no, no. God is working in their life. Right now, I'm going to go. go down this road with a praise for the prodigal, because this is then. When I get this amount in the bank, I'll be secure.

No, you won't. You'll pay taxes. So the fact that you have enough, you had gas in the tank to get here, you had energy in your body to get here. This is then. You better take that rock that you got and that oil that you got. you got and pour what you've got on where you're at and praise God at a kitchen table that was repoed from somebody's trailer park and ask God what would you have me to do next

for you? This is then. The Lord made Jacob a promise I'm going to bring the blessing of the Lord through your offspring. He had no kids. But then he had 12. And then those 12 had some. And those became nations. And the nations became a tribe.

Each of the nations became their own tribe. And then those tribes, they took the land that God had promised to Jacob, that he had promised to Isaac, that he had promised to Abraham. God is a promise keeper. He's a promise keeper in your life. He's not just getting started in your life. It's already in progress. The thing that you're praying about is already in progress.

The thing that you're worried about he's already working on. The thing that you need, he already knows it. The thing that you lack, he already supplies. The thing that you're not, he already is. God's already working on this. Because then that nation gave birth to a Savior. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, and the Messiah was born, and the Messiah died on a cross. And the Bible says something very interesting from Jesus' own mouth in Matthew 21, verses 43.

and 44. He said to them, have you never read in the scriptures? Forty-two. The stone, what did Jacob lay his head on? The stone, the builders, rejected, has become the cornerstone. Somebody shout, the Lord has done this. And it is marvelous in our eyes. I see it now. I see it now. I I see that Jacob's rock was pointing to Jesus. I see that Jacob, who was the second born, not the chosen one, was the one who was blessed, was pointing to Jesus, who was born of a virgin, who became the rock on which the church was built. And now I see what Jesus means when he says that God selected what man rejected, because

Jesus was what the people rejected, but it's what God wanted all along. So Jesus is saying that the thing that you need is right in front of you, but you are rejecting it, and you cannot expect the blessing of God and reject the way he sins it. So God says, I know you're in a hard place right now, a rocky place right now, a place that you can't fully call home right now. I understand that. Look at me, look at me, look at me. I've been praying for you this week.

I've been praying that God would say what it is right now that he wants you to anoint. because you can anoint a rock and it can become a place where God meets with you. That means you're anointed for the hard place. That means you're anointed for the difficult thing. That means God is teaching you to trust him in transition. And I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying, What more do I have to do to get you to trust me? When is it going to be then for you?

If experience was going to teach us to trust God, we would have trusted Him by. now. He's done enough for you to trust him. He's done enough for you to trust him. He can be trusted the fact that he put you on this planet, the fact that he kept you to this day, the fact that he provided for you through every season of your life, he's done enough. And if he never does anything else, I trust him. If he never does any, he died for me. He forgave me he cast my sins from the east to the west and you don't need more proof to trust him you just need more practice need more practice saying God I trust you you know how we get through something really hard and we get through it

and then we forget that we told God if we got through it we would serve him not not not this time baby this is then You said if God would give you the responsibility, you would shoulder it. Well, this is then. You got it, baby. You're the one for the job. You said that if God would give you the blessing, you would take care of it. This is then, and God is calling you to trust them with it because it didn't start with

you. And it's not on you to sustain it. But I'm praying that you would show up with oil to every hard place in your life this week. And I'm praying that you would do something. stupid to see God do something supernatural. That is the word of the Lord. Give him praise and glory in this house. Give him praise and glory and thanks.

If he's been good to you, then lift up a shout of praise for your own self, For your own journey, everyone's standing, no one moving. We'll dismiss altogether. This is then. This is then. Jacob said, if you'll just be with me, watch over me and provide for me.

Then you'll be my God. And I'm here to tell you he's done all three for me. Thank him for his presence. Thank him for his protection. Thank you for his provision. Everybody in this church that ain't a titherto be online setting up your tithing when I finish this message, and I ought not have to beg for it. God's been too good to you. What would it take?

How much more would God have to do to get you to trust him? I can't afford not to trust him. He's my God. He's my God. I've seen too much. This is the Lord's doing. Aren't you glad God uses stupid? that I don't have to figure it out, just have enough faith to move forward.

I want to pray, I was thinking about how to I close this message. This is such a personal thing to talk about. It's such a festive season to be in. It's festive, it's fun, it's all that, but it's also so full. Start getting panic attacks just seeing Rudolph, you know what I mean? Just want to shoot Rudolph and be like, leave me alone. Come back next December. I'm not ready for you yet.

And I know we're all feeling all those different things. And here I am challenging you, you're like, this, this dude, this preacher. Coming up here talking about giving to God. Doesn't he understand how stretch we already are? Exactly. That's why you need God in this situation. And until you put him first, you're never going to figure it out. I think it's significant that Jacob had to anoint what he had before God could give him

what he promised. if all you have isn't that much. What did Jesus say when the disciples said we don't have enough food to feed all these? What do you have? Bring them here to me. And when they brought him the fish in the loaves, he took it, he blessed it, he broke it, he gave it to them. And the Bible says, then they gave to the people as much as they wanted.

The Lord said, this is then. On December the 14th, we'll be taking an offering for our expansion. in our outreach and it'll be wonderful. But we're really taking an offering for your faith. Don't wait to do tomorrow what God is telling you to do right now. Whether it's in the area of your finances, which is thousands of you. There are thousands of people connected to this ministry who do not yet trust God in this way. Today is your day. But as I was praying how to close it, the Lord said, don't pray about the money. Pray about the trust. Pray about the trust. That you've seen God do enough to trust him. What else would he have to do? Come here, Eric.

Come here. This is my best friend since high school. Y'all give him a hand. Eric Phillips When we were boys I gave my life to Christ, he was still building his testimony. I love him to death, man. He was wild, buck wild. I sat down when and this was on Black Friday. We were 16 years old. I remember I was a very, very passionate evangelist even before I had a church, always telling everybody that they needed to get right or get left, turn or burn. And I'm telling this guy right across the table, I'm like, you know, the Lord wants you to get saved and you can't keep living like this. I said, what's it going to take for you to give your life to the Lord? What's it going to take for God to get your attention?

He said, I don't know. I'm having a lot of fun living my life. I think he's going to have to do something pretty dramatic. I said, if he does something dramatic, then will you give your life to Christ? If? The next night he went out and got so drunk that he had to go to the emergency room. He almost died of alcohol poisoning. The next Monday we were sharing a testimony at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where everybody

was crying about how God came into his life. A week later, he was back running from God again because the temptation was too strong. Two or three years later, he came and said, I'm finally ready now. I'm finally ready to give my life to Christ. I'm finally ready. I said, I've seen this song and dance before. You can have to prove it to me this time. He said, I'm really ready now.

I'm really ready to receive Jesus. And we prayed. And he was one of the first people who came here to start the church with us. And he's still here. But I heard the question, what's it going to take for you? What's it going to take? How much more will God have to do? And I'm asking you now, how much more is God going to have to do to get your attention?

How much more is God going to have to show you that he can be trusted and others cannot? How much more is God going to have to do to get you to see that he has you where he wants you and you are the one he chose to you? the one he chose for that situation. How much more is God going to have to do? What is your if? Hasn't he already done it? Hasn't he already proven to you his love? Hasn't he already shown you through every season of your life that he's enough? Didn't you have warmth in the winter? Didn't you have cool in the summer? Didn't you have his hand undergirding you? Didn't you have his love calling you back home? Do you not have the forgiveness? of your sins, do you not have the assurance of your salvation? What more would God have to do

to get you to trust him? I'm telling you, this is then. Bow your head and close your eyes. Thank you. I wanted to give that picture because there's somebody who's there right now. You need to give your life to Jesus. You need to trust him with your life. Some of you, you've trusted him with your life, but you're just not trusting him with this part of it. I'm going to say that again. That was the Word of the Lord to somebody's heart. You've trusted him with your life, but not this part of it. How much more is he going to have to do to show you he's the God of every season, the God of every generation? I pray that you would trust God. Why don't you just lift your hands to him right now? You don't

have to. I can't make you. Nobody can make you surrender. But if you will, if you give it to God, he'll tell you what he told me. If you'll keep your hands open to me, you will all always have everything you need to do everything that I've called you to do. For every season of your life, I speak that over you right now in the name of Jesus. So Father, here we are, rich and poor, great and small, happy and sad, gathered together against all odds built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. The one foundation that the storm can't shake, the foundation of your name. We came to say that this is then.

We're not going to trust you and rejoice in you and praise you and worship you and serve you when everything looks good, sounds good, feels good. No, no, no. Right now. Not when we see how it turns out right now, you're good. So I give you this right now. And tomorrow I'll give it to you again. And five minutes later, I'll give it back to you.

Surrender with every step. You can put your hands down, but keep your head bow and your eyes closed. I want to pray for somebody who needs to give your life to Jesus Christ. Please, right now, don't let this moment pass you by. What is God going to have to do to get your attention? What is God going to have to do to show you how much he loves you? He brought you here. So right now, I want to lead you in a prayer.

This prayer is you expressing to God your faith in Jesus Christ. It's not a magical prayer, but a miracle happens when you pray it. For the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. You will be saved. It'll happen right now. This is your then. This is the moment for you to give your life to Christ.

Stop running and believe. Stop doubting and have faith. God is here, and He loves you so much. We're going to pray out loud as a church family for the benefit of those who are coming to God or coming back to God. Repeat after me, Heavenly Father, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. And I believe that Jesus, Jesus, Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. And today, I make Jesus the Lord of my life.

I believe He died that I would be forgiven and rose again to give me life. I receive this new life. This is my new beginning. I am a child of God. On the count of three, shoot your hand up. One, two, three. If you prayed that prayer, praise the Lord. I knew it would be a lot today.

I could feel it when I preached. This is your homecoming, man. This is your homecoming. I praise God for you. So do all of these people. We welcome you to the family of God. Come on, give the Lord a great shout of praise. Thank you for joining us.

Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry is because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to give now or visit elevationchurch.org slash podcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe, you can share it with your friends. You can click the share button. Take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.