Elevation with Steven Furtick - Yes You!

Episode Date: October 25, 2021

Don’t stay stuck where you started. In “Yes You!” Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church reminds us that sometimes, we have to push through our current situation to find out who we really are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Well, we're going to get to the message in just a moment, but I wanted to make sure you knew about elevation nights. It's going to be amazing. Eight cities, October 26th through November 4th. You've got to go to elevation nights.com to see if we're coming to a city near you. It's going to be me, elevation worship, a few friends, and you.

I want to see you there. I want to see you and everybody that you know there. Go to elevation nights. I can't wait to see you soon. Here's the message. Most of all, Lord, we ask you to give us the faith to receive your grace in this moment. And we believe that it's already ours in the name of Jesus. Put it in the chat, say it with your mouth, is already mine right now.

It's already mine right now. Come on, clap your hands like you know your heart. Father left you some good gifts. You know what I feel, dude. I feel that pre-tour anointing. It's that pre-tour anointing. We're getting ready, man. By the time you see this, we'll probably already be in Atlanta.

We're taking Elevation Church on the road this week. How many of you will pray for us at least once? Come on now, you can pray once. You pray over your french fries once. Lord, bless these fried potatoes to the nourishment of my body. That's a miracle. But just pray for us this week. We want to have a good time.

I don't want any of them fighting on the buses and you know what I mean? I don't want Jenna and John Salle having marriage problems when they get back from tour. What happened to your marriage? We went out to leave worship. Y'all sharing a bunk? You should talk to somebody. That'd be pretty good strategy. Share a bunk.

You might get to cuddle. But it's going to be amazing. It's going to be amazing. We'll be, for those of you who still want to come, there are still some tickets left. And if you know somebody in the following areas, there's still time to tell them to come out. Atlanta, Tuesday, one month is this, October 26th, Nashville the next night. Then I don't want to give them the nights, just the towns. Tulsa.

Dallas. Dallas. Houston. Houston. So that's going to be awesome, because when I'm in Atlanta Tuesday, I'm going to say go Braves. When I'm in Houston, I'm going to say, go Astros. Because I'm a hypocrite, Kerry.

I will pander. I will. I won't even know I did it. I guess they will now, but I'm going to do it anyway. Houston, Fort Worth, Houston, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville. So if you can make it, Elevationnights.com, we are going to bring, it's going to be game seven every night. The World Series, the World Series of worship.

That's what we should call the tour, the World Series of Worship. But no, seriously, we're so excited. Pray for us. It's going to be amazing, absolutely amazing. And today, guess what? There is a word from the Lord for you in the house. I'd like you to say that by faith and say, there is a word from the Lord for me. Now look at somebody else and say, there is a word.

Put it in the chat. Why are you not putting it in the chat, all right? Everybody in the room saying it on every location, there is a word. Look at your neighbor. You can't catch coronavirus looking at them. They're so insulated. There is a word from the Lord for you. Yes, you. Yes, you.

That's my title today. We're going deeper. We're going to pick up on last week. We're going deeper. This message is called Yes, You. Look at somebody else say, yes, you. You may be seated. Yes, you. Did you get to hear the word from last week? He's nodding. He really heard it. That was the message. It was about the God nod. How God chooses you. Yes, you. Dirty you. Sorry. Beautiful you. I want to affirm you today. But seriously, it took me back to... I'm going to be in Luke 5, 1 through 11 to start.

with again. That won't be where we end, but we'll start there. The best sermon I think was ever preached here was the one Holly preached for the church anniversary. It was still before everybody was able to come back in the room fully and all of those things. So, you know, it's weird times. But I usually come over with her when she preaches and listen to her, do the sermon before she does it. And then I coach her afterwards, but I've learned not to try to coach her to preach it like I would preach it, just to help her find, you know, the best. And yes, there have been tears during those coaching sessions, and we have gone home in separate cars before, after those coaching sessions. Now, I'm just kidding. It's usually pretty good. But when I came for that one,

I don't even remember what she called the message, but I remember one part about it, was she was standing in the pulpit looking so attractive and anointed. They're not mutually exclusive. And she said, in the middle of her message, she's preaching about Gideon and God calling him a warrior when he felt like a whim. And he had to become what God saw that he already was. And she said, during the run-through, she said, yes, you. And I couldn't take any more notes after she said that. Because, you know, you've ever been in church where it felt like God was speaking just to you. So when she preached it, she said, put it in the chat. Yes, you. Go and do it right now. Put it in chat. Yes, you. And when she said that, I thought they can put it in the chat all they want,

but that's my word. She's talking to me right now. I think what made it powerful really was not only what she spoke, but who spoke it. Because I also know what it cost her to stand in front of our church and preach with such power. I go back to life. like these outtakes in my mind of her telling me, I'll never preach like so-and-so. Oh, I know that I should be able to be a leader, but I'm really not a leader like so-and-so. And to see that one, I'm not going to lie, y'all, it was kind of sexy and spiritual at the same time to see her up there going, yes, you, but I knew that for her to say that to the whole church, she had to first say it to herself, that she had to push through all of these

preferences and even push through what she considered to be her own personality to step out of her comfort zone and to walk in her calling. Yes, you. But it hit me right in my heart. I struggle with the same thing, like I tell you all the time. And it was like we were just right there and she was saying, you are the one that God has chosen to do the thing. that God assigned for you to do. Yes, you. She just said it as one line. I'm going to make a whole sermon out of it today from Luke chapter 5, verse 1 through 11. And I want to read it again. And if you come out to elevation nights, I might still be in Luke chapter 5, because this is really good to me. Of course, we were noticing some things about the text last week, but let me just read it through briefly. One day, as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Ganesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God, and he saw at the water's edge two boats. How many boats? Also, he can get in either one he

wants to, but he got in the one belonging to Simon. Now notice what it says. They were left there, verse 2, part B, by the fishermen who were washing their nets, mending their nets. Kind of like calling it a night. We didn't catch anything. Let's just get the nets ready. We'll go again. Get them next time. Slugger.

Good game. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon. That's the phrase right there. The one belonging to Simon. The one belonging to Simon, whose name was changed later to Peter. So if you're a little confused right now, you're like, I thought that Jesus used Peter's boat. He did, but he's still Simon.

Because we sing a song at church here a lot called Waymaker, Miracle Worker. We didn't write it. I wish we did. That's a good song. But it says, a promise keeper. It lists all these things that God is. He's a waymaker. He's a chain breaker.

But I'm going to tell you what. We could write another verse on it. He's a name changer. He's a name changer. Something people have called you all your life. God will get down on the inside of you and show you that you're something else. Something totally different. Name changer, miracle worker.

I like it. Let's work it up. But he gave an instruction, and this is cool. Look at verse 4 is what I was just describing when God speaks directly to you. When he had finished, verse 4, when he had finished speaking, he said, to Simon. So that's the personal word. You've got to listen for that. When the sermon ends, sometimes that's where God will speak the most to you. So Jesus is teaching all these deep things. Oh, the kingdom of God is like a pearl. The kingdom of God is like a... The kingdom of God is like... And then he turns to Simon and says, there's something that I want you to do based on what you've just heard.

And a lot of times when I stop preaching, you stop listening, and that's where God would give you the breakthrough. So you got to listen real good and be careful who you go to lunch with after I preach. Because they'll be talking about something so stupid and something so off subject. And sometimes you need to be like, I need 15 minutes. I need 15 seconds. It doesn't even take God long. He's speaking. The kingdom of God is like he sits down in the boat.

He teaches the crowds, and then he turns to Simon, who will later be named Peter. But he's already Peter, but he's still Simon. And the process of discipleship is not God changing you into something else. It's him revealing who you've been all along. So he tells Simon, amen. If you put out into the deep water and let down the nets, There's something down there. You can't see it, but I can. And so this is kind of freaky because God sees things we don't see. Notice he didn't speak the fish into the water at that moment.

He just knew they were already there. It wasn't about God putting something there that wasn't there. It was about him alerting Simon to what was there beneath the surface. And that's how it is in your life, there are things that God is bringing forth. Everybody say bring forth. That's what God spoke to the earth. He said, bring forth vegetation. Bring forth. He didn't speak something that wasn't there to the earth. He brought forth what was in the earth all along. And he's doing that in your life right now. He is bringing forth. Even the word parent is from the Latin, which means to bring forth. And our job as a parent is not to make our kids a better version of us. It's the partner with God in bringing forth the unique thing that he put inside of them.

If one more person tells me, Abby's going to be a preacher, I can tell. You can't tell nothing. She might be. She might run. She might be the president. I'm not going to limit her potential based on what I did up here. shout bring forth. God has been bringing forth in your life lately some stuff that you really didn't want to see. God has been bringing forth in your life lately, some issues you didn't want to deal with. But he brings those things for a greater purpose. And this is what we see with Simon. You all with me so far?

I'm just reading my scripture, reviewing from last week. There is a word from God. for you. Yes, you. Right now. So he goes, Simon, if you'll do what I say, you can have what I see that you can't see. And so Simon answered, master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. And when they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that they're nets. began to break. So they signal, the word is nod, because their hands are full. So Peter nods at John. Hey, get over here and help me, man. I need some backup. And by the way, some of us can only receive so much of what God wants to do because we don't have the right partners. Or we don't have the right network to use a little play on words. The nets we're breaking.

Well, you need more nets. Y'all weren't ready for me today. But the partners came over to help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. This is the surprising part of the text, okay? And this is where I want to pick up. When Simon Peter, which one? Both. The one that he was before he met Jesus?

And the one that he can be as he follows Jesus. Simon Peter. You thought that was like a first name and a middle name? Uh-uh. He's a name-changer, a miracle worker. And the miracle of it was that God saw the Peter in Simon even before Peter did. And God sees the patient, kind, loving, joyful, free you before you even believe that you exists. And the surprising part of the text is that Simon Peter, they're both in the same boat, kind of represent. presents the flesh and the spirit to me when I think about it. When he sees all the fish in his boat, you would think he'd be happy.

Oh, thank you, Jesus. Ptel, praise emojis. But he fell at Jesus' knees and said, verse, say, go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man, for he and his companions were astonished at what God saw beneath the surface and brought forth to his boat. They were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken. And so were James and John, nobody expected this, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, don't be afraid from now on, you will fish for people. That's not what you want him to say, you know. You want him to be like, don't be afraid, Peter.

From now on, I'm going to go fishing with you every time, and I'm going to show you every spot. You're not going to have to fish all night and catch nothing anymore. We're going to have some five-minute fishing trips. I'm going to just tell you where to put down the nets, and boom, because that's what we want God to do, right? That's what we want God to do, right? No, Pastor Stephen, I want God to take 15 years to fix my problem. No, Pastor Stephen.

but I give Simon credit. I give Simon Peter credit for his self-awareness. Self-awareness is a wonderful thing. Self-awareness will save you from doing stupid things. But self-awareness, as you're about to see in this text, it can only take you so far. Because Simon is aware of his sinfulness, but he is not yet aware of his peterness.

I'm making up a word just to make a point. Simon says, go away from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man. And he's scared because you would be too. How did you see that at the bottom of the ocean? We've been fishing here all night. We've been fishing our whole lives. You're a rabbi.

You're a carpenter. You know more about the water than we do and you've worked with wood your whole life. If you saw that beneath the surface, I wonder what you see in me. Most of us are still scared of God. We are. That's why we pray fake.

You use some words when you pray. Well, I just never heard you use those words till I ask you to say the blessing. Thoust, thou'est prayed. That is mightiest, goddess. I prayest that thou would visitest us in this momentistestest. What is this superlativistness that you are. I never even heard your voice drop that loud, Almighty God. You're a soprano.

You're a bassist, fake prayer you pray. God, I just want your glory, God, your glory, God. No, you don't. Not yet. You have to start where you are when you come to God. I praise Peter for his awareness of how Simon he still is. His first instinct was not. That's right, Jesus.

You picked the right boat this time, brother. And I'll tell you what, this boat's going to carry you all around. I'm going to take you places to preach. You pick the right boat, Jesus. You've got the right captain. He said, I'm a sinful man. I'm a sinful man. You spoke about what was beneath the surface of the waters.

But I don't want to let you too close. You might see what's beneath the surface of me. I don't get to see the real you when I'm preaching. I see the surface Sunday sanctify. You're sitting in that seat. My preaching began to change when I realized I'm really preaching to. to use, Simon and Peter. Help me preach this, please.

The Peter was praising God in you during worship. You turn graves into gardens. The Simon you will try to turn a garden into a grave and kill something that God is growing in your life before it has the opportunity to manifest. And this is why we spoke last week about the importance of knowing that both are in the boat. And what attracted me to the text was not like, oh, pull up the nets and you'll have a catch. Pull up the nets and praise them and you'll get a promotion. You might not.

That's not what attracted me to the text for our study. It was the contrast. It was the contrast between Jesus who knew everything and needed nothing. And Peter, who needed everything and knew nothing, he didn't know. He didn't know the fish were down there. He didn't know that the power was in him to be a rock that God could build on as he took the gospel to Cornelius, which unleashed the Word of God into the Gentile world. He didn't know any of that in that moment.

And yet Peter was already in the boat. was already in the boat. That preacher that was in Peter, he was in the same boat with Simon. But you know, you could spend your whole life playing Simon says, like we said last week. Simon says, touch your nose, Simon says touch your ear, Simon says touch your head, but Simon, my inner Simon tells me much worse stuff than that. You know, Simon says, cuss him out. Simon says, don't call him back. Simon says, don't try to do it, you're going to look stupid. Simon says, give them a piece of your mind. And we use excuses. Here's what we do. We use excuses and we say, I'm just being me. You are being the me that you have seen. But that's Simon. And Simon

doesn't get to say who you are. That's called immaturity, not self-awareness. Now, I'm a fan of self-awareness. I think it's great if you brush your teeth. I think it's great to have people who will say, you know, your zippers down, or you're talking too loud, or you're talking too much. That's great. Self-awareness is amazing. It'll make you walk in a room and go, you know what? I'm probably taking this the wrong way right now. They probably don't mean anything by it. Self-awareness is a wonderful baseline. A lot of us don't really know ourselves. We're filled with prejudices like Peter was when he was Simon, when he thought it was only for the Jewish people, and he didn't know that God wanted to use them as an instrument to the Gentiles. Yeah.

You. The you you knew before Jesus showed up is not the only you that you can be. This is so good. This is so good. I'm so glad. Self-awareness will tell you about your proclivities. It'll tell you about your past. It'll tell you about your background. It'll tell you which way you lean. Self-awareness is an awesome baseline. So you'll tell you. You can know where you're starting, but it's a horrible ceiling to show you how far you can go. Now this is what I put on a pink sweater to say today, like pink. You haven't really met you yet.

No, no, no, that's not a golf clap line. You haven't really met you yet. I'm clapping. I'm excited to meet the me God sees. All right. All right. Let's work on this. Turn to somebody and say, nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. But I understand as I'm meeting you, I'm really meeting two U's. I'm really meeting two U's. I'm meeting the nice, polite you that just looked at me and said what the pastor said to say. But I understand if I get stuck behind you on 485 tomorrow in traffic, I might meet Simon. A lot of preachers, their sermons are so plastic, so candy-coated. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But we don't need to just preach to Peter.

I got to talk to Simon, because you've got to walk this out. And they are both in the same boat. Both in the same body. Pull out your phone. You got apps on there that can grow you in your faith. You got apps on there that can lead you off a cliff. Go to your contacts. You've got contacts in there that can strengthen you in faith.

You got contacts it. You got Delilah in that phone somewhere who will cut your hair and leave you shaking and blind. Yes, you do. In the same phone, in the same boat, in the same Stephen. Now, let me tell you, this is how it works for me. It's not all this space for me either. It can be like, before I came out here today, I was walking around the ground. room, speaking in tongues, just wanting to get out here so bad.

Three minutes later, I thought, oh, God, oh no. Before I could even get the microphone on, my batteries wanted to die. Not the batteries on the microphone, the batteries in me. But that doesn't cancel what God spoke. Because Peter, Simon, had enough sense to say, because you say so, it doesn't matter how I feel about it. I can go off your word. Oh, yeah, by the way, I want to tell you something, Jesus didn't need Peter's boat. That's why it was so powerful when Holly was looking, talking to me and y'all were listening,

she said, yes, you. Y'all are like, oh, that's my word. And I'm like, that's cute. It's my word. Because what I heard in that word was, he wants you. That's hard for me to believe. don't use you because they want you, they use you because they need you. I give Peter credit for his self-awareness. I'm a sinful man. Now, that's exactly what Jesus knew when he went

to the cross. All that was in you, that's what he died for. He's going to take care of that in Jerusalem. But for now, and I may say it this way on Elevation Nights tour this week, He stepped in. Grace got in the boat, knowing, knowing. Jesus needed nothing, knew everything. He knew Peter would sleep in the Garden of Gethsemini while he was over there praying like drops of blood. That's not how it is for us. We wouldn't let people close if only we had known what they were going to do.

So Peter, Simon Peter, is like, Jesus. It's like, Jesus, go away. If I let you close, I will let you down. Go away. If I let you close, I will let you down. Jesus said, let down the nets. That wasn't the only let down in Peter's future. Jesus knew at the moment he got in Peter's boat

that Peter would deny ever knowing him. Why I praise God, Is He God in any way? Fully knowing what Peter thinks he's telling Jesus. No, Jesus, you don't know. I'm a sinful man. You should get in John's boat. John will lean on your chest at the Last Supper.

I'll cut off an ear. I'm a sinful man. I'm a crazy guy. Get away, Jesus. You don't want that I promise you. My boat's good, but my heart isn't. I want. I want.

I don't need. Can I prove it? to you that Jesus didn't need Peter's boat? Because I know you don't believe me. You're like, he totally needed the boat. The crowd was pressing. It says that in verse one. He needed the amplification to be out on the water because there was no microphone or battery pack.

He totally needed Peter's boat. But I saw in Matthew 14 something, just that one little verse in Matthew 14. Give it to me real quick. Give it to me real quick, real quick, real quick, real quick. This is later in the ministry of Jesus. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them walking on the lake. So, I know this might not feel good to say it, but say, God doesn't need me. That sent me free, man.

Because when I thought he needed me, it felt like a burden to serve him. When I thought he needed me, I thought, I'm letting him down. God needs me so much. Not really. Not really. He wants me. Ha ha. You hear that devil?

He wants me. Stephen Ferdt. Larry Stevens Ferdick, Jr. He wants me. He wants me. That is a revelation. Y'all, y'all, y'all, y'all, y'all. Self-awareness can only get you so far. You need divine guidance. You need a God who spoke the sea into existence to show you where the fish are. You need a God who knit you together in your mother's womb. Before you were born, I formed you and set you apart. Simon, I got in your boat knowing. I got in your boat knowing.

I wasn't feeling my way around. I didn't need me, any, mighty mo. I knew what was in your boat. I knew what was in your heart. I knew what was in your bloodline. I knew what was in your background. I knew what was in your temperament. I knew what was in you.

And I got in because I wanted to. When you can walk on the water, you don't really need a boat. It would be a much more effective way to preach if you were standing on top of the water versus sitting in the boat of the dude who didn't even catch anything five minutes earlier. And he got in and he sat down and he said something. When Peter did what he said, Simon saw something that scared him to death. Now, I don't know if I've been explicit about this, so let me make sure I get my point across. He's still Simon, and he's already Peter.

You already got it. You already got it. Go away from me. I'm a sinful man. I'm a petty person. And then we brag about it. Oh, that's just how I am. That's just how I am.

And so Simon says, throw a fit, you throw a fit because that's just how I am. Simon says for you to isolate yourself and hide and just kind of like set yourself over here because you're defective, oh, that's just how I am. That's just my luck. That's just the way it's always been. If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all. But he's permanently Peter, temporarily Simon. And so God brings the partners, God mends the nets, all the things I talked to you about last week.

Did you hear last week? God gives you the nod to say, yes, you. I'm going to mend your nets. I'm going to bring you partners. I'm going to show you where to fish. And by the way, I'm not going to just show you how to catch more fish. I'm going to teach you to fish for something different. I'm going to teach you how to fish for what really matters.

That's what you're going through right now. God is drawing out, bringing forth. God is parenting you. They say that Jesus was teaching Peter, but really he was parenting Peter. He was bringing forth Peter. Peter means Petros. Peter means rock. Peter means solid.

And that's you. Yes, you. Not John this time. I don't think Peter ever really understood this, though, because after Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus looked back at John, who was kind of like stalking them. John's kind of creepy, you know, he isn't saying something a lot of times. Calls himself the one Jesus loved and stuff like that in the scripture. And the Lord is telling Simon Peter, he's still both.

You know, you think he can come this point in your life? I don't know. Maybe you never thought this. I'm going to a place where I'm going to be completely Peter, completely solid, on Christ the solid rock I stand. And that's be wonderful. And if you have the book that tells me how to always be Peter, would you please autograph it Jesus and hand it to me and I will buy it?

I'm so sick of fake people I've been like they are never Simon. I wish I had five minutes to find your Simon and then I could expose you in front of a whole e-fam. But Jesus is so good to Peter. He said, don't be afraid. Give me verse 10. From now on, Luke 510, from now on, there you go, from now on. From now on. He's already Peter, but if he stays stuck in Simon, he will now. ever see Peter. Jesus sees Peter in every Simon. Yes, you. Jesus sees the Peter. You think he can see the fish at the bottom of the Lake of Ganeseret and he can't see the Peter at the bottom of you? But he's going to have to draw it out. Peter looked back at John and said, what about him?

And Jesus said to Peter, what about him? You leave that to me. You must follow me. You. Yes, you. Yes, you. Do you have a little thing in you that says not me? I do.

Sometimes I hear somebody, even another preacher, will be saying, you're more than a conqueror. And my inner assignment is like, not you. I think that's a good place to start because it puts you on your knees like Peter at Jesus' feet, which is something God can use. But I think it's a bad place to stop. And the Lord gave me a message today to preach to somebody who feels stuck where you started. stuck where you started. Stuck in Simon.

Stuck. I'm a sinful man. You are, but he died for you. So that's what you were. Now you're a saint. A holy saint. Still got some patterns. That's called the flesh.

Simon never leaves. You just have to tell him where to sit. I'm glad I learned this. I thought if I had doubt in the car, I couldn't go anywhere. I found out you can have doubt in the car, just don't let it drive. Just don't let it drive. Look at somebody and say, just don't let it drive. I'm confiscating your driver's license.

All the lies you've been telling yourself, all the limitations you've been telling yourself, all the labels that have been given you, all the sinfulness that is keeping you from seeing. You can ride, Simon, but you can't drive. You can stay around, but you can't tell me how far to go. You can have a word, but not the last word. And see, this is the season that some of us have been in. We've been stuck where we started, but God said something very powerful to me. He said, remind them, you're not stuck where you started.

You're stuck where you stopped. Play my own organ. You are not stuck. I'm a sinful man. Jesus said, don't be afraid of what you were. That's what you were before I stepped in your boat, knowing exactly what you are, knowing exactly what you did, knowing exactly where you've been, knowing exactly what you're not. I want the boat belonging to Simon. Yes, you!

Shaky Simon, yes, you! You're not stuck where you started. I'm a sinful man. Yeah, but you are also the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Because what happened on that cross was more than a physical act. It was a new name. You are only stuck where you stop. I just got to be me.

Well, there's a new me I need to meet. Oh, man. Peter has so much potential. Simon has so much baggage. Peter has so much purpose. Simon has so many problems, and they're both in the same boat. So all week I've been telling Simon, sit down. Peter needs to pilot this boat.

That's what Jesus called him, is Peter. Okay, so Simon says, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus said, flesh and blood did not reveal this to you. Simon, son of John. But I tell you that you are Peter. And upon this rock, I'll build my church. Let's clap that he gave him a new name, a new name, a new name. All right.

But y'all look in Matthews 16 later today. A minute later, Jesus said, I got to go to Jerusalem. I'm going to need about three days for y'all to think everything went wrong. And then I'm going to get up out of the ground. Peter said, never, Lord. This isn't going to happen to you. Jesus said something real weird. Now, he's already called him Peter.

just a minute earlier. But then he looked at him and said, get behind me, Satan. Oh, God. We're going backwards. This is the wrong direction. I started as Simon, then I was Peter. Now I'm Satan. Lord, this is going the wrong way. You've been feeling like you've been going backwards lately, right? Right? I'm speaking to somebody, maybe not everybody, but somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody. I'm feeling like I'm going backwards. Oh, God, I'm feeling like more tempted now. Oh, God, I'm feeling like it's harder now. I'm feeling less sure.

I'm feeling less certain. I don't know what to do. I used to know. I don't know anymore. You're not going backwards. That's called the sifting. The sifting. When Jesus got in Peter's boat, he not only knew there were fish in that spot where there

weren't a little while ago. He knew about the sin that was in Simon. And Simon's only thing. speaking about the sin he knows about. Jesus knows the future ones you didn't even think to include on your resume. And he still got in. So I want to take you for a moment to pass overnight before Jesus goes to the cross to die for Simon and James and John and Judas and you too. Yes, you. Well, no, see they're preacher. I've been going to church since I was about six years old in my Mama used to take me over there to the vacation Bible school.

I'm not really one of these sinners. You ever heard of self-righteousness? That's a pretty good sin too. Now you can't see it on the surface, but if you let down the nets far enough, there's a signment inside all of us. Don't let anybody make you feel inferior, like you can't praise God, like you can't worship God, like God can't use you. Don't you ever let them do that to you?

And at the moment you think Peter is so self-aware, he's seen miracles, he's seen blessings, blessings. He's seen healings. Jesus healed Peter's own mother-in-law. Did you know that? That's why many scholars think Peter denied him. Okay. Okay, just joke. Just joke. He's checking you out. So, but he really did. He healed his mother-in-law. He saw him heal blind people by spitting in the ground, putting mud on their eyes. Other times, he'd see Jesus just speak a word. Any way you put it, Peter had seen a lot. Because God's was drawing out. What was there all along? Drawing out. Oh, y'all, it's a baby. Stay with me. Stay with just a baby crying. It's all right. God was pulling out. What was there all along?

Now, this is a blessing of what God brings up out of you. But here's something I never quite saw it like this before until I was studying for this message called, yes, you. In Luke 22, give me that real quick. Luke 22, and I didn't mean to do a whole series on Peter in one week, But that's apparently what we're doing today. Jesus looks at Simon, who has been named Peter, but he's still Simon, and says, do you remember last week? Simon Simon, twice as covenant. Simon, Simon, who you were, you're given name, who you were before I got in your boat, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you.

That means to tear apart to separate the useful from the useless. to separate who was truly the followers of Jesus from those who were just the fans. So now let's be Peter for a moment. Peter, Jesus just says to you, Simon, Simon. First of all, you're like, you're talking to. I'm Peter. Remember you told me, Cephas, Peter, Dwayne Johnson, the Rock. He's still calling him Simon because he's still Simon.

You're still flesh. Faith still has weak moments. He said, Satan asked to sift all of you. He's talking about the cross. He's talking about the testing. He's talking about those crises of faith that we all have. Do I really still believe that God is with me? Will I really still follow even through the Villalorosa, the way of suffering?

He asked to sift all of you as wheat. And then I'm thinking, Peter, you're Peter you like, and you told him no, right? I didn't tell him. No. But look at verse 32. Oh, this beautiful. But I prayed for you, Simon. I'm going to let you go through this season of sifting, but not alone. Not alone. Just like I didn't leave your boat, I'm not going to leave you now. You're going to be sifted, all of you. But I prayed for your weak place, Simon. It's one thing to pray for Peter. But how many thank God that you do you do. You have a Savior who will pray for Simon. Now, God said you needed to hear this. I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.

But didn't it? Didn't Peter deny knowing Jesus three times? Didn't Peter look at the servant girl and say, I don't even know what you're talking about? I'm not one of them. Yes, you. Not me. Weren't you one of his followers?

No, not me, not me. He has gone from saying to Jesus, even if everybody denies you, I won't. Do they say, weren't you following this guy? No, not me, Wendy, your boat, no in mine. And yet Jesus says, I prayed that your faith would survive the sifting. Receive this word, you will survive this sifting. I'm not playing with you. I'm not playing with you.

I'm prophesying to you. You will survive this sifting. God said, I'm not going to stop it from happening. I'm going to allow it, but you will survive it. Oh, God, I feel like we should just praise God right now for what we're going to survive. And watch this, watch this, watch this, who we're going to be on the other side. Jesus said after you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. So God said, not only are you going to survive it, you're going to have strength to

shoot for it, and I'm going to use it. Yes, Lord, I received that. That's my word. That's my word. That's just for you, Simon. Simon? I'm going to get testimonies for this for months after I preach it. I'm the Simon you were talking to. I'm the shaking one. I was being sifted. The devil was coming after my kids. The devil was coming after my mind. The devil was coming after everything I ever knew myself as.

The devil came after my career. The devil came after my sleep. The devil came after my sanity. The devil came after my memories. The devil came after everything I was carrying. And I survived. The sifting. I survive. The sifting. This is the sifting. And if you survive the sifting, Simon, you can be Peter.

You can stand flat-footed and know that the rain fell and the winds came and the streams rose. But the rock stays solid and God is faithful. I got to make it through this to find out who I. really am. I got to make it through this to find out who my kids can be. I got to make it through this to set an example that you can survive the sifting and come out solid. You can survive the sifting and come out praising. You can survive the sifting. How else would God reveal Peter if he didn't sift Simon? And even if he had to use the enemy to do it, he who began to a good work in you will be faithful.

All I'm trying to say, if he got in the boat, he's not getting out. That's all I'm trying to say. After you have survived the sifting, Simon, you know what's amazing? From the moment Jesus saw Peter's boat, he knew about it. everything that Peter would go through. And even at the worst moment, all right, maybe this word didn't for you right now. Put it on standby. Put it on standby. I had a pretty good week. I ain't clean this week. I don't care about this week, because I'm telling you faith fluctuates. And one more thing. Do you want this little teaching thing or you want me to

go on to Atlanta and give it to them? Because I got one more thing I want to show you. All right. I swear, man. I want to be obedient to the Lord. And there was one thing he showed me that totally surprised me from 2nd Peter 1. Now, so Pastorstein, why are you going to 2nd Peter? Because I want to show you what was in Simon, even as he sat by the fire and denied Jesus. Now, listen to Peter.

Not 16-year-old Peter. Not shaky Simon, senior citizen swagged Peter. Come on, praise God, like you're 83 and you already made it through all your trials. Come on, praise them like you've got a bad hip, but you limp like Jacob on into the promise. A lot of people that walk with confidence, it looks like swag, but it's really a limp. All right. Now, when you've been through enough, you can say stuff like this. This is what God is doing in me and you.

I want to make it really clear, because we're not just talking about boats and fish and nets and metaphors. I'm talking about character. I'm talking about you. Yes, you. Not the stuff. They didn't even eat the fish they caught. They left it on the shore and followed Jesus. It wasn't about what was in the water.

It was about what was in them. Here's Peter encouraging a struggling church. In 2 Peter, this letter that he wrote after he'd been sifted as Simon. And after he had stood solid as Peter, he goes, for this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith. How many have faith? I'm talking about even a little dropy, drippy, dropy faith, a little like, boop. You got a boop faith, okay? If you got that much faith, you said, faith of a mustard seed size.

on that scale can move a mountain. And watch how it happens. This is the word. This is the word. You're not stuck where you started, Simon. You're stuck where you stop. Judas hung himself. Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. It is still not decided yet what your life will accomplish. You have no idea. You don't know any more than Peter knew when he said, go away, I'm a sinful man. You don't know. know what's under your boat. You don't know. You don't know what God's going to bring forth out of you in a future season. That's why the enemy wants to kill you right now.

But Jesus prayed for you, Simon. He prayed for you, Simon. He prayed for you, Simon. He prayed for you, Simon to bring forth Peter. And Peter's looking back on it and he said, I want to encourage you, make every effort to add. Everybody say add. Add.

You're not stuck where you started. You're stuck where you stopped. Add to your faith. Now raise your hand if you need a little help with one of these. I'm going to list it. Goodness. How many need a little more goodness? All the negative people like me who see the glass not half full but want to slap in the

face who ever spilled it, all right? I don't see the glass half empty. I see it as spilled and I want to know who did it. I can be very negative sometimes, but I need some goodness. I am preaching deeper than y'all are shouting today. I need a shouting Simon on them. I need some goodness? All right, all right, you need that?

It's into water, but it's got to be drawn out. Because he said, you've got the faith. If you've got the faith, you can get the goodness. Give me next one. This is just the Bible. I didn't make this list up. Add to your goodness. Go back to the other verse.

There's some more in the other verse. Yeah, yeah. And to goodness, knowledge. How many of y'all did something stupid in the last six days since I last saw you in church? Something so stupid. I mean so stupid you don't even want to think about it again. It's like, ah, trigger, trigger, ah, did something stupid? You can get smarter.

You can read the book you bought that's still on your phone unopened. Leave the verse up. I want to show you this from the Bible. I'm not just making it up. I'm not a motivational speaker. I'm telling you what is in you by the Word of God. the implanted work that's in you. But you've got to draw it out.

You've got to let down the nets for a catch. It's down in you. You can get more knowledge. You need more knowledge. How many need more knowledge? I need more knowledge. Because I know God, I don't even know what to believe anymore on the news or anything like that. I don't know what's true.

I don't know who did it. I don't know who didn't do it. I don't know if they're about to do it. I don't know if Elon Musk is going to fly a car over my house and drop a Kim trip. I don't know anything anymore. I don't know about any of it. but I need the knowledge. God said, I'll put my spirit in you and I'll give you the knowledge,

but it's beneath the surface, silence. Oh, God. What else, Peter? What else, Peter? Peter's talking so, so mature now, and to knowledge, self-control. Is this Peter? No reckless that Peter just said everything he ever wanted to say when he was walking with Jesus. But watch this. You're not stuck where you started. Peter said, I used to have have no self-control. Jesus was praying on the mount of olives, and I was sleeping. I ate the whole bag, Peter said. I was just going to have one. I ate the whole bag. And stop saying stuff like this, by the way. Oh, I'm just not a morning person or I'm just not a night person or whatever. They make caffeine for that, y'all. You can get up. Stop saying,

I'm a sinful man. That's where you started. That's not where it stops. That's not where it stops. I feel the Lord is speaking to me about that thing I've been saying lately I'm not an author. I've been saying it again. It gets back in you. I'm not an author. I can't write. I hear the Lord speaking to me, it's not yours yet. Oh, God.

It's not yours yet. You don't know it yet. You haven't done it yet. You haven't broken it yet. You haven't been consistent with it yet. But if you want to put your faith in the water, there's not. There's a Peter on the inside of Simon. I'm telling you, there's a Peter on the inside of Simon.

I'm not a good dad yet. I can't keep a relationship together. Y'all are real slow to say what I'm telling you to say today. He said, I got some self-control. And this would have meant nothing to me if John had said it. I would have said, yeah, you are one of those enneagram nines or whatever it's called, the peacemaker or whatever. But when Peter is from my self-control, I'm like, oh.

Okay. I could get some, too? Yeah, you could get some too. Just don't let the sifting kill you. Just don't stop here. Just don't say, I'm a sinful man. Get out of the boat. Just let the grace of God keep working in your life. Can I say something to everybody in the room? Keep coming. You did good to come. You didn't come to church. You came to fish. God is pulling as I speak right now. He is pulling promises that you bury down deep to the surface and to self-control perseverance. Every quitter in here who's hanging up your nets for the night. God said drop them one more time. I don't care it didn't work five years ago.

It's not five years ago now. And you're not 25. You're 30. In 30, you can do everything. Right? Just because the fish weren't there a minute ago doesn't mean they aren't now. And to perseverance, Godliness. Peter.

Stay with it, Simon, because there is a Peter on the inside of you. That Jesus died to bring forth. died to bring it forth. So when Peter was sitting, Luke 22, 60-something, 50-something, 50-something, 60-something. Can you put it up, please? They took Jesus away to the house of the high priest, and Peter followed at a distance. And when Peter had, and when Sunday had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with him. This is the moment I want you to see while Peter was sitting by the fire denying Christ. And that may have been you lately.

I don't mean you deny believing in God. I mean you are denying his purpose in your life. You are denying what he spoke over you. You're not playing your part. You're not showing up. You're sitting by comfort, fire, waiting to see what's going to happen next. This was crazy to me. This was crazy to me.

I thought the message was prepared, y'all. I came out to preach it. The Lord said, look, one more time. Peter sat by the fire. Next verse, please. And a servant girl saw him and said this man was with him. Next verse. And he denied it, woman, I don't know him. Not me? Yes, you. A little later, someone said, you are one of them. He said, not me. Has that been the posture of your heart? I can't do it, God. I don't have that knowledge. I don't have that perseverance. have that self-control. I'm stuck. Nobody showed me how. A third time, a little later. Next verse, please. Another certain fellow was with him for he is a Galilean. Peter replied, man, I know what you're talking about just as he was speaking, the rooster crow. This is what I saw

verse 61. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. What did he see? Peter, even as Simon sat by the fire, even in your addiction, even in your mistake, even in your denial. Oh, he can't deny himself. If we are faithless, he is faithful. What did Jesus see when he looked at Simon sitting by the fire? He saw Acts chapter 2, verse 14. I'm going to tell you exactly what Jesus sees. In that moment he looks at Peter.

He doesn't look at him. What a failure, what a waste. I never should have saved him. I never should have gave him a chance. I never should have put him there. I never saw that come in. Jesus looks at Peter by the fire in the courtyard, outside the office of the high priest, and he sees the Peter in Simon.

Because Acts chapter 2, verse 14, says something amazing. Then Peter stood up. Then Peter stood up. Only Jesus can look at Peter and see through the Simon sitting by the fire and see the Peter who will preach the first sermon on the day of Pentecost that will build the church. So I wonder, will you stand up, Peter? No, I mean stand up. Like right now.

I'm closing. But see, when I finish speaking, sometimes that's when God starts talking. That's why I don't understand y'all who slip out when I'm doing this part of the message. Makes no sense to me. Because when I finish talking, that's when God starts. And he says, that was your word. Yes, you. I'm going to use you to preach on the day of Pentecost.

And I see it even while you're sitting by the fire. So, God, this is a moment for you to bring forth out of broken nets, amazing glory, amazing purpose, amazing grace. I have spoken today to the Simon, but you see the Peter. I thank you, Lord, that everybody under the sound of my voice right now is going to survive the sifting, because you're praying for him. Because you live to make intercession. Because you are a great high priest, Jesus. And just lift your hands right now and say, I will survive this sifting.

Not only that, but I'm going to get knowledge and self-control and perseverance. I went in Simon and I'm coming out, Peter, because God knows what's in me. Yes, me. Yes, you. I want you to claim it by faith right now. say that word was for me. Now receive it, receive it, receive it, receive it, receive it, receive it, receive it, receive it. I'm already chosen. I know who I am. I know what you've spoken. I'm already love.

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