Elevation with Steven Furtick - Try Higher

Episode Date: August 27, 2023

Don’t try harder. In "Try Higher," Pastor Steven Furtick shows us that no matter what obstacle stands in our way, we can bring it to the One who has the power to overcome it. 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: Luke 5, verses 17-26See 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. Holly said to tell you about my hype track, but it's not a hype track. It's a hope track.

I'm actually going to use it to get into my sermon today. I used to do these videos at the time. the beginning of every year, I did it a few years, and it was designed to help you when you need motivation from God's Word, and you need to listen to something that will fire you up, but also at the same time not make you feel unspiritual. So I started making these, and then I quit for years. And this year, my oldest son Elijah, who just went to college last week, he and I had been talking for years about working on one together and that he would make the big.

beat and that I would do the track. And so I was like, I really don't want to do these anymore. I'm too old to be doing those. People think I'm trying to be a rapper. They start calling me M&M. They start making fun of me. And so he's like, no, no, no, let me just try to make a beat. So he and Josh got together, made a track and they brought it to me.

And when I heard the track, I was like, I'm on it. And I put this together. So I want to use it. If you want to hear it, I mean, I can play it for you right now. Just to get us into the message because last week we said he's the God. of a way we were singing he will make away and this track says with God there's always away with God there's always away nod your head like this and say always now look at your neighbor say by faith I will find it all right y'all take a seat and

watch the screen let's go the great I am no limits exist therefore my potential to glorify him is endless I'm moving forward in the light of what he's spoken and every other voice must let go because I know with every step he gives me strength. Almighty God is fighting for me. His spirit is my guide. His strength is my supply and every need will be provided by his hand at just the right time. I don't need to see it to believe it. I know the truth and I will do it and do it and do it until my life comes the See he hid me in his quiver, prepared me in his shadow for such a time as this. I'm a weapon, not a hostage.

I'm on an assignment. Nothing can stop it. It's time to take back my mind and take back my life and break every lie with the promise of God. With God, there's always a way. By faith I will find it. With God, there's always a way. By faith I will find it But a giant waiting to fall

What is a mountain To a God who does impossible What is an obstacle To a God whose word turns ceased to walls What is a set-down What is set up for a miracle What is an enemy To a God who shuts the lion's mouth

What is a fire To a God whose hand can set me out There's always a way I will find There's always a way By faith I will find I hope you can use it. You can go stream it or whatever like that, do some push-ups or some burpees or some kettlebell swings or some Bulgarian split squats. Come more. Special thanks to Jalen Ramsey for being in our video. Appreciate that, praying for you.

They'll bring you back better than ever. David, I think I want you in it next year. You do the next one. Can we sign a contract? I want to preach right from that thought. Look at your neighbor and say, with God. God, there's always a way. And by faith, I will find it. Beginning of this year, I was making myself a bunch of little statements, affirmations that were scriptural. And then I started sharing them with people, and that was one of them. Just to encourage myself past the hurdles and discouragements that life offers us, and sometimes

the hurdles in my own head, you know. How many of you have hypothetical hurdles that you create as if the challenges that life gives you are not enough, you just make some in your spare time? And that one came to me one day. I was driving somewhere and I was thinking about something that I couldn't do. And I said, with God, there's always a way. And by faith, I will find it. And it felt like both parts were important.

The first part lets me know that even right now in my life, God is, it is. is clearing a path for his purpose to be accomplished concerning me and my family and our church and our ministry and your family and your seed and everything that God has called you to do. He's right now working on your behalf. Give God praise if you believe that. The harder part for me to get out of my mouth is and by faith I will find it because sometimes I just want him to make it so obvious and so easy. And the scripture that I want to share with you, very familiar story. I won't be long today because what I want to say is actually

very clear to me. God gave me a word for this moment, for your life. It's in Luke chapter 5, and you can sit. We don't have to stand back up. But let me read you the whole story and then show you something in two verses. Say it again, with God. There's always a way. Now say by faith, I will find it. This story in Luke chapter 5, verse 17, was probably the most vivid illustration of of that confession that I could find. The Bible says one day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem,

and the power of the Lord was with Jesus. The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came, verse 18, carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way, when they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat. through the tiles into the middle of the crowd right in front of Jesus. And when Jesus saw their good intentions, when Jesus saw their hearts, when Jesus heard their pretty songs, no, when Jesus saw their faith, and incidentally, this is the first time that the noun faith is mentioned in Luke's gospel. It didn't say faith when Peter put his nets down for a catch. It didn't say faith about the truth. It didn't say faith about the word. the man who was cured of leprosy just before this. It didn't say faith about the man who had a demon

driven out in the synagogue. But here it says, when Jesus saw their faith, he said, friend, your sins are forgiven. And the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, why are you thinking these things in your hearts? which is easier to say your sins are forgiven or to say get up and walk. But I want you to know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. So he said to the paralyzed man, I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home. Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on, and went

home praising God. I just saw a preview of somebody's future. He went home, praising God. You know you came in kind of slow today, but you're going home, praising God. Just elbow your neighbor in their rib cage and say, you're going home, praise him. One more verse. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with all and said, we have seen remarkable things today.

Thank you, Lord, for your. your word. Now, this encounter between Jesus and the paralyzed man is really hiding a deeper encounter between Jesus and the religious system. The Pharisees, the teachers of the law, these ruling class elites in Judaism had come to not necessarily learn from Jesus, but maybe they came to see if he was done. doing things the right way according to the law. And Jesus did not come to abolish the law like it was bad. He came to fulfill it because we can't.

One of the scriptures I memorized in college said that what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature. God did by sending his son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. So whenever you read about Jesus doing something in the Bible where he's healing or feeding or teaching or teaching or teaching. Remember, his primary purpose for coming to the earth was to pay the price for your sin. To establish his kingdom so that we could be forgiven and free. In the process of this, he taught amazing things and he healed people who were indeed very grateful for their healing, but his

primary purpose was to demonstrate that he was the son of God so that he could die, rise again, and be forever glorified and exalted. This passage of scripture always got my attention because I'm a person who's prone to extremes. And that's why I don't do many things in life because if I do it, I want to really be good at it. I don't want to suck at anything. And that's kept me very limited in my life. I don't hunt. I don't fish.

I barely even watch TV because I don't know if I can find the best show to watch. I'll shop for three hours and not watch anything just because I wanted to be the best one, the right one, the good one. I don't think I've ever really been short on effort and drive. So that's why I was drawn to this particular verse. I don't know what part caught your attention in the passage. And I don't know if you've ever heard this story before. But the thing that really got me this time around reading it was in verse 18 where it said, some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.

So, like, I have the benefit of having preached this passage many times. I know that it's recorded in Mark's Gospel, Matthew's Gospel, and Luke's Gospel. In Matthew's Gospel, it doesn't say anything about the removal of the roof. Because that wasn't really the whole point of the passage. You know, roofs come and go, apparently. But the righteousness of God endures forever. Something like that. The passage in Mark is a little bit more exact.

It talks about how many men there were. There were four. Well, there were five. Well, there were six. There was the four men that carried the one man to bring him to the other man who wasn't just a man, but he was God in the flesh. His name is Jesus. Somebody shout, he's the man. Okay, let's don't get it confused.

He's the man. Jesus is the man. And he's so popular, he's preaching, and nobody can get in the room. And that's what got me, okay? Because if you be honest, there are certain things in your life right now and areas of your life. And I don't know if you're going to look at me with that really confused look like you do sometimes where you pretend like everything in your life is working and everything in your life is straight and organized and together. I don't know if you're going to do that to me on this particular sermon or if you're going to be honest with me. There are some areas of your life where you are blocked.

There are some areas in your life where you are running your head. up against the same habit, the same wall, the same way of doing it over and over again. And even if you experience short-term victory, it seems to be just a precursor to a deeper point of disappointment when you fall back into the same thing again. So y'all are going to do like that today, that real confused thing. Okay, this is okay, it's okay, it's okay, I have areas in my life where at certain times before I have been blocked. And that's exactly the scene here, right? They're trying to bring this man to Jesus, and they are blocked outside the door.

Now, here I should differentiate. What the Bible says here is really important because this is a specific word. This is not just a generic Bible sermon on you can do it, you can make it, chin up. This is not a go-get-em tiger kind of sermon. This is a custom-tailored message to a certain type of block. Because in verse 18, put that back up there for me, it says that some men came, four of them, carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. They did what?

They came, well, back all the way up. They came carrying a paralyzed man and tried. They tried. There have been times in my life where I said I tried, but I only kind of tried. There have been certain things that, certain tasks, certain responsibilities, certain goals that I kind of tried at. And you know exactly the kind I'm talking about. You know, oh, I tried to call them. You didn't want them to pick up.

So when they didn't pick up, it was a sigh of relief. Just enough to say when your boss asked, I tried. Or as me as a teenager, I only had one or two chores. My parents didn't make me work very hard around the house, but I did need to cut the grass sometimes. And then guess what? I tried to cut the grass, dad, but there was no gas in the lawnmower. And that man showed me. He showed me the difference between trying.

and trimming the grass. You like that? Because he showed me, this is where the gas is. This is how you put it in. Until you put the gas that I bought in the first place, in the lawnmower that you claim is empty, don't say, I tried, but I was only 12. Now, now I'm much more responsible.

I'm much better at this. And this passage of scripture is not about a teenager who said, Well, I tried to do the test, but I left my book at the thing and the dog and the thing and the dog ate the, my dog ate my mom so I couldn't do my homework. These men, I just need to give you this, these men carried another grown man. Who knows how many miles to try to get him to Jesus. So this is not, they said, oh, yeah. I'll pray for you about that problem in your life knowing good and well. You're not going to pray.

You're just trying to wrap up the conversation. You just don't want to give them any money. You just don't want to help them get in rehab. You just say, I'll pray for you. This is not that type of situation. And I want to point that out because there are some times in your life where you haven't really tried. Reading the first chapter of the book about the diet is not trying to diet. I'm into church three times in 12 months is not really trying to build your relationship

with God. That's a frequent attendant right there. She's got the membership card. And I'm not saying it to shame you, because I'm telling you, there are areas in my life where I say I tried, did I? Where I say I listened, did I? I have this friend who coaches professional athletes, CEOs. He does all this mental coaching.

He says, when he hears somebody say this phrase, he loves it because he sets them up. They say, I want to do it. I've tried everything. And when they say that, he goes, oh, everything? You've tried everything? Okay. Let me see the list. And they go, what list?

And he goes, well, I mean, if you tried everything, certainly you kept a spreadsheet. of everything you tried. Because if you really tried everything, then you had to list everything so you could evaluate what worked and what didn't. So if you tried everything, bring me the list. Because if you tried everything, then you had to combine certain things in certain sequences to say, I tried everything. So you tried this and that, and that didn't work.

So then you tried this, then that. So then you tried this and that. Let me see the list where you tried. everything and he said at this point they crumble okay not everything not everything there are some things in our lives where we have a desire I like to call it a cycle it's a cycle where I get inspired I try I get tired and now well I tried let me walk you back through that real slow. Y'all can do this on digging deeper and you can break this down. I'm inspired. I'm trying. I'm tired. I tried. I talked to a lady. I said, you should come to church.

She said, oh, I tried. She said, yeah, I came. They made me go in a different room. It was like the room was full. I said, what time did you get there? She said, 943. I said, you know it starts at 930. So you know if you had tried like even 10 minutes earlier, you probably could have snuck in the top. But she tried. Do you have an area of your life right now where you have said, I tried, or you're telling yourself, I tried everything to get through to my kid. I tried everything to make that better. I tried everything.

Everything? Show me the list. And yet, for those of you who are like, God, I should have skipped today. He's making me feel terrible. The message that I came to bring you today. is not that I don't think you're actually trying or that you just need to try harder. Because that's where we take this a lot of times, right? Like, all right, I'm a workout eight days a week, nine days a week.

With God, there's always a way. By faith, I will find it. I'll make another day in the week. I'll put another star in the sky. I'll do another one. Y'all, I don't think you can try much harder than these men try. They carried a grown man all the way to see this wonderworking rebel priest named Jesus who was healing people and teaching the kingdom and laying down the authority of the word of God in an incarnate way that amazed everybody that hurt him. And they bring this man on a mat and he can't do it.

anything for himself, and there were only four of them, and I don't care what you bench. Four people carrying one grown man who can't move for any distance counts as trying. So they tried to get in. And the Bible says something very interesting. It says because of the crowd, they couldn't find a way. And so I don't think this is a passage talking about how more effort will bring greater results. And I think a lot of times the reason we go from inspired to trying to tired to tried is because we try harder, harder, harder, harder, harder. What happens as you try harder and harder and harder and harder? It gets heavier and heavier and heavier and heavier. And some of you are here today and you're going, well, I did try or I would try. But every time I try to try, I can't even try to try because I trip on the things that I tried for in the past and I'm trying now. But it's what happened then that makes me unable to try. You don't see the injuries that I've been through to know that I'm trying. Say trying.

Look, I'm not preaching to a person today who's not trying, because you chose to bring your heart into an environment where you could hear the word of God. Even if you did skip church and watch it later, sometime you're hearing this because you are trying. They tried to bring him to Jesus. They tried honestly. They tried valiantly. I didn't see anybody else in the passage carrying a paralyzed man I didn't see the Pharisees carrying anybody on a mat. I didn't see the religious teachers trying to help anybody. You know, the truth of it is you haven't really struggled. You haven't really experienced struggle until you stepped in to try to bring somebody else with you along the journey. So they tried. And I want to do something right now. that may seem sacrilegious, but I need to do it to get the point across because there's

somebody I'm preaching to you and you are blocked, but you've tried. You've been blocked, but you have tried. It's very different than I just didn't even try it, I just didn't even do it, I just didn't. It's very different. It's a different kind of tired when you've really tried. That's why I like to preach to youth sometimes. They haven't even really tried yet. They haven't even got tired of themselves yet.

They're not even sick of themselves yet. You know, I don't even have to do half the work I have to do with you when I preach to you. All y'all, over 30 people, over 40 people, over 50 people. I'm tired of this. I tried everything you're up there talking about. I tried all of that. Now look, they tried, and verse 18 says that they couldn't get in, but they tried to take

him into the house to lay him before Jesus. And here's what I want to show you in verse 19, is what they did and what they could have done. When they could not find a way to do this, what? To bring this man to Jesus. Because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd right in front of Jesus. Now I love that. What I love about it though is it says.

when they could not find a way to do this, what they originally intended to do, because of the crowd, and then there's a comma, it doesn't say that they started a fight in the parking lot so their friend could get in. I love that. Do something for me real quick. This might disturb you. But I want you to take away the second part of that verse. So when they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, comma, now take away the rest. What would you do next in that situation? What are you doing in that situation? Because if we make a few substitutions here, we're not talking about four men that lived 2,000 years ago anymore. We're talking about you. When they could not find a way because of the crowd, comma, they looked at each other and said,

Well, we tried and turned around and went home. This story would probably not be in the Bible if the men brought the man all the way to Jesus encountered resistance at the door, tried, begged, bribed, I'll do anything. Don't you see this man needs help? Now, see, you're wondering the same thing I wondered. Why wouldn't somebody else give him their spot? but paralyzed people were not given special access in this time. There were no handicap spots in this time for people in this condition.

In fact, it was often seen as a sign of God's divine displeasure on your life if you had something physically wrong. So they assumed there's something that you are not doing right that has caused your legs to not be able to work. So they would actually ostracize you rather than including you, they would exclude you. So the man on the mat didn't get a special spot for having no ability to walk. In fact, he had more obstacles.

The one who needed it the most had the least access to it. And might I just ask a question, church, why do we make it so hard for people to come to God sometimes? Why do we put up so many restrictions for people to come into the presence of God? Why do we judge others for struggling with stuff that if we were in a situation, We might have the same struggle or truth be told Why do we judge people for stuff that we haven't been even free from ourselves for five years? Why do we judge people for stuff that if they showed everything we thought about on a movie screen?

We would be embarrassed about it too So I'm glad these men didn't start a fight Because if they start a fight they go to prison and their friend doesn't have a ride home How do you deal with it? Put the half verse up again because I want you you to think about how you're going to finish this sentence in your life right now. When they could not find a way because of the crowd. When they could not find a way because of the debt. When they could not find a way because of the genetics. When they could not find a way because of the addiction. When they could not find a way because of the broken heart.

When they could not find a way because of the divorce, when they could not find a way because of the betrayal, when they could not find a way because of their boss. Oh, I'm coming all through this crowd. I'm coming all through this crowd. I'm coming all through this crowd until I find that place where you've been blocked. Because I came with a word from God today. There's always a way. with God

somebody shout with God there's always a way and just because I don't see it when I first show up and just because I can't point to it yet and just because it's not obvious and just because I can't really get my truck through there and just because I can't get there dancing and just because I can't get there in style

and just because I might be a few years late and just because somebody told me you can't go this way And people like you can't do that and people from our background can't rise there With God there's always a way Yeah Five your neighbors say always means always And if the first way didn't work there must be another one because with God There's always

Now imagine you show up and you're like okay well I mean this is the way we're supposed to go through and this is the way we're supposed to go through and this is is the way it's supposed to work, and the Pharisees and the teachers in the law are more important than us anyway, and so if they've got the good seats, we might as well go away. This is you stopping your miracle, your maturity, your ministry, your legacy, your freedom, because you stop mid-sentence. How does this sentence in? Give me the half-sentence again. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd. They turned around and went home, which they had every right to do. Because they already did more than anybody else in the whole passage except Jesus. They already did more than the Pharisees. What were the Pharisees doing again? Let me look

at verse 17. But verse 17 up there. I just want to see what the Pharisees were doing. The ones that were supposed to be teaching the law. Why did they do they're saying the Pharisees teachers of the law were sitting there? Like they're about to judge Jesus. Yeah, like they're about to judge Jesus. Like they're about to catch him doing something wrong. I don't know whether to say this or to save it. You think I should say it? I don't know if you can handle it.

I don't know if you can handle it. It's the same verse. They were sitting there. They were teaching the law. They had come from every village of Galee and Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus. I told you you weren't ready. The power of the Lord wasn't with them.

Power of the Lord was with. I think you need to take your power back from people. And bring that thing to Jesus. Because the power is not with them. The power is not with them. I'm not saying God can't use people. I just told you to join an e-group. But what I am saying is that there have been times in your life where you have thought that people needed to give you permission

People needed to cheer you on people needed to understand you Do you know what I would say in this pulpit if I needed every person to vote before I said it? The sermon would be so short? We wouldn't even need to come So there has to come a point in your life where you decide that I'm not going to spend another minute trying to convince people of what I need to believe Jesus for. I don't mean don't be nice. I don't mean don't make friends.

I don't mean don't be congenial. I'm just saying that there's nothing that these teachers of the law can do to stop God from doing what God has made up his mind to do. The power of the Lord is with Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God. If Jesus is in the house, healing is in the house. If Jesus is in the house, freedom is in the house. If Jesus gives the command and faith makes the move, then the glory of God will be the result. How many are glad that the power is with Jesus.

So they try to get in, they can't get in. This is me every time I try. I'm inspired. I'm trying. I try harder. I try harder. It gets heavier. It gets heavier.

This is what keeping the law is like. This is what trying to be right with God through your works is right. This is what discipline without actual grace in your life. This is what not accepting your current lot in life and being grateful for it while aspiring to what you go. This is trying harder, harder, harder, harder, harder, harder, heavier, heavier, heavier. Inspired. Let's take our friend to Jesus. tired, he was heavy.

Well, we tried. Give me my half sentence again. Watch what they did. Oh, I love the Bible. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, that's what's right in front of you and you can't push through it and you can't go over it. Can't go on. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, now finish the verse.

They went up. The Spirit of the Lord says, don't try harder, try higher. Holly Ferdick, I'm preaching this thing. If it's just for me and you, I hear God saying, try higher. Try higher Try higher Try higher Because see

There's plenty of room on the roof See there's plenty of room on the roof I said there's plenty of room on the roof It's not that you hadn't tried hard enough You've been trying You got dirt under your fingernails You came a long way You did a lot of stuff

It's not that you haven't tried harder is that you haven't tried higher. And I know a man. Camera so I can preach it. I want to preach it from Milwaukee. Whether you come or not. Now I get it. It's not that I wasn't doing enough.

It's not that I wasn't trying enough. It's that I wasn't trusting enough. Because I kept thinking if I couldn't get in the way I wanted to get in, it wasn't it to be. No, it's not trying harder. I don't have to force it. I can make it by fake trusting him who was and is and is to come. That means I don't go by what I see.

I don't try harder. If I just had to try harder than Christ died for nothing. The gospel isn't try harder. It's try. Because if you ever call his name, he will reach down and pick you up. Do I have three witnesses in the whole church that if you ever humble yourself and say, Almighty Father, I need you right now, he'll look upon you with mercy and grace and compassion and your time of me.

That's the word I needed, man, because sometimes it gets heavy because I try harder, harder. But God said, try higher. Be like these dudes who said, Can't get in, can't get in, can't get in, got to go up. I'll give you the picture again. Can't get in, can't get in, can't get in, got to go up.

And you are saying to me, Pastor Stephen, what exactly does that mean? Sit down, I'll tell you. Somebody say, try higher. Because I know there's a way, With God, there's always a way. By faith, I will find it. What is faith?

Faith is when I get my eyes above the waves and put it on the one who can speak one word to the waves and make them be still. You think God can't bring your kid back? You think God can't fix this thing? You think God can't turn an industry around? You think God can't raise you up in a famine? I said, try higher.

Try higher. Try higher. Maybe you ought to close a news app and open a Bible app every once in a while and try higher what does God say what does his words say I didn't come here to debate about it I came here to declare it God says I'm going over not under God says I'm the head and not the tail God said I'm above and not beneath he said I'm seated seated now high five your neighbor again because I'm gonna tell you five things I need some too come on I need some too don't leave me out don't leave me out don't leave me out don't leave me out don't leave me out

I got five. You want to write them down? God said, I'm going to tell you how to try higher. I'm going to try higher, not harder, so you don't just go and go. That was pretty good, and I think he blew out his vocal cords trying to tell me something and all that. I don't know what I think about preacher rapping or nothing like that on the thing on the video. I don't even know if he had much flow or anything like that. And I really don't know about that cardigan. What was that thing you're wearing?

I don't know about that. So you don't leave here just off some stupid stuff. I wrote down five things. I thought I had them in my pocket, but they're back there on the pulpit. Let's see if I can remember. One said, God said, it's going to take prayer. Now you know why I came over here? They put on my sheet, they said the online prayer team is coming today.

I said, I know I got the right word. I know I've got the right word. 42 of y'all, while we're having church, y'all, they're online praying for the people in the comment section. Every time I tell somebody, every time I tell somebody put your thing in the chat and we'll pray for you, I know they go, all right, tried to pray. Did you? Did you pray about it or did you, hold on, hold on.

Hold on, hold on. Did you worry about it and label it prayer? Because those are different. I had to sit down on the side of the bed the other day. I was having shortness of breath about some things that I was worried about. And I put my feet down and I said they're not moving until I say out loud to my father who I remember that he is and begin to get myself into a condition because I don't feel that right now. And I felt blocked. Yeah, I feel blocked. Anybody like me, sometimes you get so blocked?

You can't even breathe right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I had to put my feet on the ground. If you would ask me, I would have said, yeah, yeah, no, I prayed about this. But I didn't pray about it today. You got to keep praying. But you're going to pray once and say, I tried, it didn't work? You do that with restaurants?

No, I ate back there in 1997. I'm good. And so sometimes it's heavy because, remember what they did? They brought the man before Jesus. God, I don't want you just come out here and hear me preach and yell and scream and sing and all this stuff that we try to do. And then go home and wonder why you're blocked. It's going to take prayer for you to try higher. You need God.

You need God in your situation. You need angels in your situation. You need the Spirit of God to make it through some of the things we're going through today. You need prayer. I mean, not just pray louder. Because that's try harder. Pray louder. Oh, God.

Oh God, oh God, God I call on you now for peace. Peace. And it's not praying longer because I hear people say, well, I try to pray I fall asleep. Did you try it walking? That'll be real hard to do to fall. If you fall asleep prayer walking, come see me because you are a modern day Lazarus. Coming out like a zombie in prayer. But I'm serious.

I'm talking about praying larger. Because number two, it's going to take, there's only five of these. I can get them quick to try hire me. that God might need to deal with your priorities. Remember, it wasn't so significant who these men were because they weren't even named in the passage. It was what they were carrying. They were carrying somebody that Jesus wanted to use.

And notice something. I don't know if you caught this. When they laid the sick man down thinking Jesus would heal him like he was known to be able to do, the first thing Jesus did was say you're forgiven. But they weren't looking for forgiveness, were they? But sometimes God doesn't give us what we want the first time, does he? Sometimes he wants to do something deeper before he raises us higher, doesn't he? If y'all clap, I can move on to number three.

Or say out or something. Because a lot of times in my life, I've been more consumed with what it was costing me than what I was carrying. There was something significant about this man, and it was beyond any of their inkling of understanding what it would be. They thought maybe our friend will get a miracle. They didn't know that he would be a sermon illustration that we'd be preached about 2,000 years. later. Now, is it possible that try and hire is just about you saying, God, I know what I think needs to happen, I know where I think is supposed to be, I know what I think was supposed to be the outcome? Is it possible that the Word of God for you today might be? Let go of the outcome

and surrender to God in the process. Because that's how you try higher. Try it harder is just you're going to force it, force it, force it. And sometimes you can even force something through the flesh that you'll be praying for God to take away later. You hear me? I'm anointed for somebody right now and I don't know who it is. I hear God saying, do you have to pray louder, longer? Pray larger. Priority.

Priority. Who are you fighting for? They were fighting for their friend. So if you're not fighting for anybody, give me the half-first again. Verse 18. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they gave up and went home. There was something after the comma that they cared about. And it was something they were carrying.

It was somebody. There has to come a time in your life where you say, I don't even want to do it for me right now. But maybe God wants to do something through me that's bigger than me. Maybe it's not always about me. That's how you try higher. And I should come back over here because the third one I wrote down if you're going to try higher is partners. I said partners.

That's y'all's cue to shout. I said partners. Put in the chat right now what you need prayer for. for and they will pray for you before the next time you see. Will you do that? I don't care how strong you are. One man doesn't get another man up on the roof like that. It's not going to happen without partners. Trying higher in this season isn't just you going into isolation and gritting your teeth and getting it done alone. That's why I want you in this church as much as you can get here so we can get around each other. So you can pretend like you know how to sing because the person

the next you can. I want that for you. I don't want you just try harder by yourself and the devil just beats you half the death because you just think you can do it all in isolation and you don't ask anybody and you don't join anything and you don't listen to anybody. That's not trying higher. That's trying harder. Some men came carrying a man. Who is your crew to help you get it done, to carry it with you. You need to find somebody in your life who has figured out something that you are frustrated with and tell them I'm coming up there. I'm coming up there with you.

I'm coming up there because you know something I don't. And I'm not going to stay down here saying I tried everything when I didn't even ask anybody to help me. I'm not doing this one more day by myself. I need some real partners. And some of the people I thought were my partners, those people were actually the problem. So I need some new friends. Sorry, I do need some new friends every once in a while.

How am I going to get down? Pray for me. I love it. And then the Lord says something very interesting to me. He said, the fourth one is permission. permission permission isn't going to come from the Pharisees permission to live the way of Christ is not going to come from the culture they will always call you crazy but some of the things that you're praying about

right now you could make decisions about before the day is over when Jesus told this man take up your mat and walk if he gave him the command but did not give him the power it would have been cruel of Jesus so when Jesus told the man take up your mat and walk He was acknowledging the man's problem, but giving him the permission to live above it. I declare to you in the mighty name of Jesus that he has defeated death, sin, and the grave. Come on. That sin no longer is your master.

That it no longer has dominion over you. How do you know that, Pastor Stephen? Because when the man came in, he was lying on the mat. When he left, he was carrying it and he didn't need anybody to carry him If you're ready to get over some stuff that the enemy said you couldn't move past Give God a praise Because that's my fifth P is praise And God said if we're gonna do it in this season

Like we need to do it in this season If you want to see me make a way Give me a praise for who I am For what I've done for what I've brought you through Everybody that owes God the praise, give it to him right now. I'm going to give you 30 seconds. Open your mouth and bless the look and all. Because, I gotta tell you this, because they went higher, he got healed.

Everybody praised God, and everybody praised God, and everybody praised God, and everybody praised God, and everybody, from the brokest to the richest, from the shortest to the tallest, from the newest to the oldest. And everybody praised God. Because with God, there's always away. And by faith, I'll find it. You're going to find it. You just hadn't looked high enough yet.

It's there, is there, is there? I see a cloud the size of a man's hand. You just got to look up. And keep looking up. Father, I thank you for what I feel in this moment. I don't know who is for, but somebody's going home a different way than they came. I establish that right now by faith. I anticipate the testimony that I'm going to receive of people who came in, lying on a mat,

and went home, praising God, holding what used to hold them. I thank you right now that you're making ways for your children. As we praise, you are. Making. Worship him, worship him, worship. Oh, said all authority has been given to me. That means the devil can't hold you. Open your mouth. Come on. This is the highway.

Then get your mind on him. That's the highway. Isaiah said for his thoughts are higher than your thoughts. And his ways, there than your ways. Come on, praise makes a highway. Hope you enjoyed the 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 subscribe. God bless you. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.