WEBVTT - I Don't Think I'm Ready For This (Holly Furtick) 0:00:02.120 --> 0:00:04.680 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.920 --> 0:00:07.160 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.200 --> 0:00:10.479 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:12.559 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:17.560 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:20.320 Holly is going to share our anniversary message. She's never 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:25.280 preached on the church anniversary. She always makes me work 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:28.360 on the church birthday because here it's her turn. All 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:30.080 over the world right now, people are joining us and 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:33.199 they're hungry to hear from God. And God has sent 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:36.080 us somebody today who lives the Word of God, and 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:38.559 that's going to make it so much more powerful. Her 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:42.200 authenticity only gets deeper the closer that you come. Matter 0:00:42.240 --> 0:00:45.040 of fact, she was all this week watching old videos 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:47.760 of the church crying, and we were sitting around a 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:50.280 table and shall be North Carolina getting ready to get started, 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:52.479 even before you were here autumn, and that's how you've 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:55.040 been here a long time. But even before that, when 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:57.640 we were sitting around the table and shall be North Carolina, 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:00.280 and she said, come watch some of these. It'll touch 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:01.920 your heart. I said, I don't want to watch it. 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:04.600 I don't you know, like there's a there's a fine 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:08.640 line between like getting back to your core and then 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:12.160 cringing at everything that you know, like my how my 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:14.959 voice sounded and everything. But I stuck in and watched 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:17.400 one of the clips. I wanted them to show it 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:19.160 real quick with mute. I'm not going to let them 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:21.720 hear my voice or what I was saying. But what 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:26.000 I want you to notice is that that guy in 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.160 the three size is too big, button down, who didn't 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:32.880 deserve this, this woman that God gave him notices on 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:37.000 August fourteen, two thousand and five, just about six months 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:40.360 before we had our first public service. I believe that 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.560 in just a moment, here comes somebody in the room. 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:48.440 What's he doing? He's he's moving back for the person 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:51.520 who's supposed to be sitting beside him. And there's Elijah, 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:56.720 who's fifteen now the OG of the Elevation Core team. 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:59.080 And what I want you to see is her smile. 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:06.240 And I want you to see how she carried Elijah, 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:09.680 and how you've carried well. God has put in your 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:12.200 heart for our ministry with grace and poise and dignity 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:16.680 for fifteen years. You did it. Smiling, and you did 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:20.040 it kindly, and we're thankful for the word that God 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:24.440 gave you for us today. Last year Bishop Jakes preached 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:28.520 my anniversary. There's only one person I'd rather hear from. 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:47.040 Let's thank God for Hollyferdick. Happy birthday Church. I wish 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:52.400 everybody could have Pastor Stephen Verdick introduced them. That's just 0:02:52.560 --> 0:03:00.239 the best. Welcome to everyone worship being with us, happy anniversary. 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:03.840 I know you're worshiping from your campus, or your living 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:07.640 room or your watch party all over the world. I 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.040 know you may have already typed in the chat where 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:13.000 you're joining us from, but let's do it again. Say 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:19.560 hi to me, give me a little way. I'm just 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:22.760 so excited to be here today and be celebrating the anniversary. 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:26.200 It's always one of my favorite weeks in our church. 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:30.079 You guys worship team, thank you, You're amazing. And by 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:35.480 the way, Maverick City, you guys have led worship the 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:38.800 last three times that I have preached, so I just 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:42.800 want to say we should. You know, keep going. Can 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:49.800 make it a thing, Make it a thing. And by 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:54.920 the way, that little collab that he was talking about, 0:03:54.960 --> 0:04:02.200 can I say collaboration I can't wait for you to 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:09.720 hear it. It is unlike anything out there. It is anointed, 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:16.279 it is fresh, it is incredible, and I'm so excited 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:19.760 for it. On's it coming out soon soon. That's all 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:22.440 you need to know. Okay, if you're in the room, 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:27.480 you can sit down. It's been fifteen years and earlier 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:29.960 this week I got to spend some time with our 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:34.520 staff just listening to stories and testimonies of how God 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.279 has moved in each of our lives to this ministry, 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:41.240 and I'm just I'm so grateful that I get to 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:44.560 be a part of this church. And as I was 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:48.480 personally reflecting this week, I was watching old videos and 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:53.320 looking through old pictures, I just I couldn't be more 0:04:53.400 --> 0:04:58.880 grateful for the faith of our pastor, because he has 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:04.600 taught me about what faith actually looks like more than 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:08.360 any other person, more than any Bible verse. He has 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:11.680 shown me that there are two sides to faith. That 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:15.480 there's the faith that has the confidence to speak up 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:20.000 in the moment and declare something or decide something like 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:23.000 he just said, this is just the foundation. I can't 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.400 tell you how many things I've heard him say from 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:28.479 the front row that I was like whoa like. One 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:30.360 time he said that we were going to give the 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:34.719 entire weeks offering back into our community, and we didn't 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:37.360 have a lot of extra money or any extra money 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:40.360 in the bank at that time. One time he declared 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:44.000 that we would reach ten thousand people by twenty ten, 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:46.760 and I don't remember how many people we had at 0:05:46.760 --> 0:05:51.320 the time, but it wasn't close to ten thousand people 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:55.000 in attendance. Or when he decided that we needed to 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:58.960 move all of our online worship experiences to YouTube. There's 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:02.000 all these decisions that I've watched him make over the years, 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:04.080 and that's one side of faith, and it's the side 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:08.200 of faith that's backed by an intimate relationship with God, 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:13.320 one that here's an act. But then there's this other 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:15.680 side of faith. And you get to see the hear 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.240 and act side of Pastor Stephen. But there's this other 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:21.080 side of faith, and we all experience it, but we 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:25.560 don't know that it's normal. And that side of faith 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:30.120 is the side that actually looks and feels like fear 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:34.840 and doubt. And you don't know how many times I 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.719 have heard my husband say, do you think we're doing 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:41.960 the right thing? Is this irresponsible? Is this going to work? 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:47.720 Is this gonna? Is this right? Why did I say that? 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:52.960 And you've taught me over the past fifteen years that 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:57.279 if there's no fear, it doesn't really require very much faith. 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:04.880 And you've taught me that faith requires work, and it 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:10.360 requires grit and perseverance even though you're throwing up behind 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.920 closed doors when no one else knows. You've taught me 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:18.000 that it's okay when what you believe you heard from 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:21.600 God doesn't necessarily line up with what you feel or 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:29.040 see in your current circumstances. I think about our Matthews campus. 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:31.080 If you're part of our Matthew's campus and you don't 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.560 know the story of your campus, you'd better ask Larry Brye, 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:36.360 because I don't know. I have so many memories. But 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:39.360 I'm also thankful for all the people who have come 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:43.280 alongside us over the years and have joined their faith 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:47.280 with ours, whether it's people who are on our staff 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:49.880 and who have come alongside or people who've just given 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:54.320 faithfully and volunteered week after week. And I just know 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:58.840 that you would agree with me that as I stand 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:02.720 here and say faith, thank you, Pastor Stephen, for letting 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:09.920 us ride your spiritual coattails. Your faith has allowed us 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:13.080 to see what God can do through us. Type it 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:16.880 in the chat. If you're watching, God is just getting started, 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.000 and I believe that the next fifteen years is going 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:30.680 to be just as extraordinary as the last. I love you? Okay? 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:35.520 Can I preach today? I cannot wait to share with 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:38.480 you the things that God has been teaching me. I 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:41.200 knew that I wanted to preach this when I read 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:44.400 this story, and literally everything that Steven has been preaching 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:46.560 for the last two months just kept leaping off the 0:08:46.600 --> 0:08:49.240 page at me, like something from every sermon. So I'm 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:52.080 so excited. Are you ready? Okay, I got my my 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:58.280 preaching pans. I'm gonna tighten my belt. Let's pray. Lord. 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:02.120 We thank you for this church. We thank you for 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:07.160 your church. Fifteen years seems like a lifetime when we 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:11.760 think about all that you have done. Most of all, 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:14.360 we thank you that this is the place. I thank 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.360 you that this is the place where you speak to me. 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:20.640 And no matter where we're watching from, whether it's in 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:24.720 our living rooms or on our computers, driving in our cars, God, 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:29.880 we're here, We're here, We're listening. Would you comfort us, 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:32.880 would you encourage us? Would you inspire us? Would you 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:37.800 challenge us? Today? We want a touch from you, Lord, 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:40.559 We want to hear from you. Speak through me. Now. 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:45.080 It's in Jesus name. I pray Amen before I read 0:09:45.320 --> 0:09:47.800 our scriptures. Judge is six. You can make your way there. 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:50.800 It's in the beginning of the Bible. I want to 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:53.480 take a poll, so let me know in the chat. 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:58.480 Do you put stickers on your car? Just give me 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.559 a thumbs up or a thumbs down. My dad never 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:05.959 ever let us put stickers, you bumper stickers on his 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:09.640 car and I so I never put stickers on my 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:15.160 car until until this sticker. All, well, that's your folder, 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:23.840 this one's mine. Tell this one. By the way, these 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:26.880 are free if you ask your campus pastor from one, 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:29.360 or you can order one online. I don't know if 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:34.079 they're free online, but they're free, I guess. Anyway. Nothing 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:37.839 against all other stickers, And sorry dad, but I had 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.640 to put a sticker on my car, and I started 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:43.360 thinking about other stickers that people put on your car, 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:46.640 on their cars. It's kind of funny what made you 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.320 When you see people stickers, you're like, what made you 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:51.080 want to put that on your car? So some of 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:53.320 them you can understand, you know, like like this, I 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:55.160 never put one of these on my car, but let 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:57.040 me know in the chat if you ever put one 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.079 of these on your car. Most of these belonged to 0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:05.000 first time parents. Then you move up in the world 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:11.320 and you get one of these and well, we don't 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:15.160 have a dog. But here's the funny thing about these, 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:18.640 like these are cute, you know, but then some people 0:11:18.679 --> 0:11:28.640 get really carried away with these, like the fish, the 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:33.800 sound really permanent. You know, this is your car. Okay, sorry, 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:35.559 I got a couple more. I'm gonna go a little faster. 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:47.840 We have these, no comment, Just here's when I'm never 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:54.400 gonna put on my car. If you have one of 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:58.360 these on your car, congratulations, we are so proud of you. 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.400 That ain't happening for me. And then okay, here's here's 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.560 one more, because you know, you see these statements that 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:07.560 people put on their cars and you just wonder, like here, 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.760 I'm gonna show it to you first, see if you 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:17.360 can the standstill, like what happened to this guy? What 0:12:17.559 --> 0:12:19.720 happened to him that he was like, I'm getting a 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:29.520 freaking sticker. So recently though, I joined like a club 0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:32.920 of sorts and I had to put another sticker on 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:45.320 my car next to my elevation one and it's this one. 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:51.200 God as my witness. No one could have prepared me 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:56.280 for this stage of parenting. I've heard people say that 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:59.280 teaching your kids to drive is hard and scary, and 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:05.400 there's a lot of yell But guys, to date, fifteen 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:07.800 years I've been a mom. To date, this is the 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:10.320 hardest thing that I have done. I'm not throwing Elijah 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:14.559 under the bus. He's doing a great job, but this 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:19.040 is like, it's like getting in a roller coaster, getting 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:24.640 on a roller coaster that could actually crash, and we 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:28.880 have three kids. Thank god we stopped at three because 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:30.880 I have to do this two more times. And I 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:33.680 will never forget the day that we walked out of 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:36.640 the DMV. I don't know who was more proud of 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:39.319 Elijah or me. It was such a great moment, a 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:42.640 little bit drama because you know, there's a pandemic going on, 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:49.720 and let's just be honest, the DMV was rough before COVID. 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:56.079 So this was our second trip to the DMV, and 0:13:57.280 --> 0:13:58.840 I just I'm not gonna go into deals about why 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:00.520 it was a second trip, but it just say I 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:05.280 did go back in. The sign said do not come 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:06.760 in because you had wait outside, and I did go 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:10.160 back in. I was like, I need help because it's 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:14.680 just anyway. So Elijah gets his permit and he's completed 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:18.400 the states required thirty hours in the classroom, he's done 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.800 six hours behind the wheel with the instructor. He's passed 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.400 his test, and he was ready to get behind the wheel. 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.800 And as we walked to the car, I just confidently said, 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:31.560 all right, you're driving us home. And he looked at 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:34.200 me and he said, I don't think I'm ready for this. 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:39.160 So inside I was not confident at all. But I 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:41.760 really I got in my head that I wanted him 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:45.280 to have this memory of us, of him driving away 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:49.000 from the DMV. So I mustered up all my courage 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.480 and I said, of course you're ready. This is how 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:55.040 you learn to drive. Let's go. So we got in 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:58.960 the car and he adjusted his seat and we made 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:02.120 sure the mirrors you were right, and he put the 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:07.360 car in drive. And I just, seriously, I cannot cannot 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:12.800 reiterate enough. Handing your child the keys to your own 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:17.560 vehicle you've paid money for and letting them drive you 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.520 is it's like a loss of control that can only 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:23.920 be experienced. But I put on a smile and I 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:27.800 was like, you got this. But I didn't really think 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:29.440 it all the way through because I don't. That's I 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.960 don't always think things all the way through. And we 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:33.800 had to get on I eighty five to go home, 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:40.120 so I'm like, it's okay, it's okay, everything's okay. And 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.720 so our entrance came up, and I prayed and I 0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:47.320 stayed calm, and I talked him through it, because that's 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:48.760 what you have to do when you're teaching a kid 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:50.960 how to drive. You have no idea how much stuff 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.320 you do without thinking while you're driving. So I'm like, 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:56.360 speed up, not that fast, slow down, but don't break. 0:15:56.520 --> 0:15:59.360 Look to see if anyone's coming, and remerg And so 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:04.280 we picked up speed and we're going. And just when 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:07.200 I was at a level of threshold of fear and 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:11.840 anxiety that I could possibly stand, it started to rain. 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.440 I promise you, and I said, pull over. I'm not 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:20.000 ready for this. That's the title of my message today. 0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:26.400 I don't think I'm ready for this. Have you ever 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:29.120 felt like you had to do something that you were 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:32.720 not ready for, but like you're already in it. We 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:36.320 encounter situations like this every day. Sometimes it's a season 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.440 of life that you weren't ready for, but here you are. 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:43.520 Sometimes it's a pandemic and you find yourself doing a 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:46.840 job that you weren't really hired to do. Sometimes it's 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:50.120 things beyond your control that happened. Maybe you're now caring 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.560 for an elderly parent or fighting an illness that you 0:16:52.600 --> 0:16:56.960 didn't expect. How many of you would agree that if 0:16:57.000 --> 0:17:01.080 you waited until you feel ready or qualify to do something, 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:09.240 you're never gonna do it. This is life. So today 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:12.680 we're gonna look at the life of Gideon, a young 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:17.880 man who was minding his own business. He was trying 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.680 to survive, just like everyone around him. But God came 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:25.720 to him and he called him out to lead his nation, 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:32.400 even though he didn't think he was ready. Let's look 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:39.360 at this Judges, chapter six, verse one. The Israelites did 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.520 evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord handed them 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:46.560 over to the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites were 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:50.800 so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:55.320 in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted crops. 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.400 Marauders from Midian Amelek and the people of the East 0:17:58.400 --> 0:18:03.120 would attack Israel in the land and destroying crops as 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:07.240 far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:11.919 to eat, taking all of the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:15.560 These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:19.880 as thick as locusts. They arrived on droves of camels 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.800 too numerous to count, and they stayed until the land 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:29.520 was stripped bear. So Israel was reduced to starvation by 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:34.159 the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:41.920 for help. Stripped bear, reduced to starvation, they cried out. 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.960 Sad thing about this is that it's only a few 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:52.440 generations after Israel fled slavery in Egypt, and here we 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:57.879 find them hungry and hiding in their own land. Have 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.200 you ever been hungry and hiding when you were supposed 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:05.760 to be flourishing and free. Maybe something happened to you 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:12.600 and you feel stripped bare. It's funny how unexpected circumstances 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:14.600 can just come and knock us off our feet. They 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:18.000 just come from nowhere, and it can be a job. 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:20.880 It could be an illness. It could be the end 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:24.439 of a relationship, or some of us have experienced a 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:29.000 sudden onset of anxiety, and it could It could even 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:32.000 be a change that you thought was gonna be awesome, 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:34.960 like maybe you went away to college, but now you're 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:36.879 just struggling to find your place, like you thought this 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:39.360 was gonna be amazing, and how you're like lonely and 0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:42.000 maybe maybe this isn't where I was supposed to be 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:46.520 and could be even like Israel, a series of your 0:19:46.520 --> 0:19:52.080 own poor decisions that led you to this place of 0:19:52.600 --> 0:19:57.959 confusion and pain. And I think when things like this happen, 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:03.320 our natural instant is to withdraw. I don't want to 0:20:03.359 --> 0:20:06.320 admit to others that I need help. I don't even 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:08.359 want to cry out to God because I feel like 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:12.080 I should be doing better than this. We feel like 0:20:12.119 --> 0:20:16.080 it's our own fault that we're suffering. And the thing 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:20.480 about hiding is that it feels right at the time, 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:24.240 but then it only makes you feel more isolated and alone. 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:27.560 And for whatever reason that we find ourselves in this place, 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:30.679 we start to convince ourselves that no one understands, no 0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:34.359 one cares, and so we just pull away even more 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:40.639 and we become starved for meaningful interaction with others, in 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:44.960 hungri or acceptance, and it makes you kick into scavenger mode. 0:20:45.000 --> 0:20:48.120 You've ever been in scavenger mode and you're mad at everyone, 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:51.760 You're mad at the world, and you're trying to satisfy 0:20:51.760 --> 0:20:55.399 your soul and all the places that never really fulfill you. 0:20:55.720 --> 0:20:58.320 And that's where we find Israel at the moment. I 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:01.200 just wonder if you can relate, if you've ever experience 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:05.280 this feeling. They know they shouldn't be in this place. 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:10.720 They know they don't have to continue to live this way, 0:21:11.560 --> 0:21:13.720 and the Bible tells us that they got to the 0:21:13.760 --> 0:21:17.440 point where they were so impoverished that they cried out 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:19.600 to the Lord for help. And I think it's so 0:21:19.840 --> 0:21:24.240 interesting that sometimes we have to get so low before 0:21:24.280 --> 0:21:28.560 we finally cry out to God. Don't worry, this sermon 0:21:28.640 --> 0:21:34.000 is not depressing, because God hears our Christ. That's what 0:21:34.080 --> 0:21:38.840 you have to know today. And in my experience, God 0:21:38.880 --> 0:21:43.600 here is my cries. But usually relief comes in the 0:21:43.640 --> 0:21:47.359 form of action on my part, something I'm gonna have 0:21:47.440 --> 0:21:49.080 to do, and that's where I want to spend the 0:21:49.080 --> 0:21:52.360 bulk of our time today. An angel comes to Gideon, 0:21:52.840 --> 0:21:57.480 and he's gonna call him to action. Gideon is going 0:21:57.560 --> 0:22:01.400 to be the one to lead the nation of Israel 0:22:01.680 --> 0:22:05.760 in a fight against their oppressors. And their oppressors are big, 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:10.640 and we're gonna watch Gideon question and doubt, but then 0:22:10.680 --> 0:22:13.399 we're ultimately going to see him put his faith into 0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:17.040 action in an incredible way. Spoiler alert, because I'm not 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:18.440 going to get to the end of the story. I'm 0:22:18.440 --> 0:22:21.240 just going to tell you about it now. Gideon and 0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:26.600 only three hundred men defeat the Midianite army of over 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:31.960 one hundred and fifty thousand men, and Gideon lives to 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:35.280 be an old man today. I want to talk through 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:39.160 the events that led up to this epic victory because 0:22:39.160 --> 0:22:40.960 you know, we love to sing I'm going to see 0:22:40.960 --> 0:22:45.240 a victory for the battle. You know, we like the 0:22:45.280 --> 0:22:48.760 battle does belong to the Lord. But that doesn't mean 0:22:49.359 --> 0:22:52.679 that you get to sit up in the stands and 0:22:52.840 --> 0:23:00.680 watch like a spectator. So what do you do when 0:23:00.720 --> 0:23:03.879 you know your entery into a new season, a new battle, 0:23:03.920 --> 0:23:07.280 a new calling, a new role. How do you shift 0:23:07.880 --> 0:23:12.760 from how you're currently surviving to actually living out that 0:23:13.040 --> 0:23:16.679 faith that's inside of you. God never wants us to 0:23:16.720 --> 0:23:19.840 live in hiding. He never intended us to live with 0:23:19.960 --> 0:23:23.680 fear looking around every corner. He doesn't want us scavenging 0:23:23.760 --> 0:23:28.840 for scraps of encouragement on social media. When you cry 0:23:28.840 --> 0:23:33.240 out to him, he hears you and he helps you, 0:23:34.119 --> 0:23:40.040 but he doesn't do it for you. Because it's in 0:23:40.119 --> 0:23:44.200 that place of crying out and questioning and acting even 0:23:44.200 --> 0:23:46.639 when we aren't sure, even when we don't feel ready. 0:23:46.920 --> 0:23:50.200 That's where God does some of his greatest work within us. 0:23:51.920 --> 0:23:56.160 And as we talk through this story today, I'm going 0:23:56.240 --> 0:24:01.240 to give you four things to remind yourself about God 0:24:01.960 --> 0:24:04.480 when you're facing a new situation and you don't feel ready. 0:24:05.400 --> 0:24:07.719 Not for things to remember about yourself. Yes, you can 0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:10.119 do all things through Christ's strengthens you, but when it 0:24:10.160 --> 0:24:13.679 comes time to put your faith into action, we have 0:24:13.800 --> 0:24:18.399 to remember who is really on our side. That's what 0:24:18.440 --> 0:24:20.280 I want to talk about today, So let's get down 0:24:20.680 --> 0:24:24.280 verse eleven. Then the Angel of the Lord came and 0:24:24.320 --> 0:24:27.440 sat beneath the great tree at Oprah, which belonged to 0:24:27.520 --> 0:24:30.840 joe Ash of the clan of Abiazar. Gideon, son of 0:24:30.920 --> 0:24:33.480 joe Ash, was threshing wheat at the bottom of a 0:24:33.520 --> 0:24:36.760 wine press, to hide the grain from the Midianites. The 0:24:36.840 --> 0:24:40.000 Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, mighty hero, 0:24:40.720 --> 0:24:45.120 the Lord is with you. First thing that you must 0:24:45.160 --> 0:24:50.879 remember is that when God calls you, he calls according 0:24:51.080 --> 0:24:57.479 to your potential. I don't know much about wheat, I 0:24:57.600 --> 0:25:01.280 like to eat it or wine presses, but I'm pretty 0:25:01.320 --> 0:25:05.159 sure that you're not supposed to thresh wheat in a 0:25:05.160 --> 0:25:10.160 wine press. Gideon was hiding from the enemy, and he 0:25:10.280 --> 0:25:13.960 was just trying to get enough food, enough wheat to 0:25:14.040 --> 0:25:17.240 feed his family. He was just trying to get by 0:25:17.640 --> 0:25:21.159 one more day, just an ordinary day for him in hiding, 0:25:21.960 --> 0:25:25.160 and an angel comes to him, and some translations say 0:25:25.359 --> 0:25:31.720 that the angel calls him mighty warrior. There's nothing mighty 0:25:31.920 --> 0:25:37.760 or warrior about Gideon in this moment. He's hiding, he's starving. 0:25:39.200 --> 0:25:43.639 Aren't you grateful that God calls us according to the 0:25:43.680 --> 0:25:48.639 potential He sees in us, not our past decisions, not 0:25:48.800 --> 0:25:53.560 our present circumstances. Don't you wish you could actually see 0:25:53.600 --> 0:25:57.120 yourself the way God sees you? And I think back 0:25:57.119 --> 0:26:01.560 to starting this church. I remember Stephen and I dreaming 0:26:01.640 --> 0:26:06.440 and planting, planting, dreaming and planning about one day planting 0:26:06.480 --> 0:26:08.800 a church, and we would say things like, you know, 0:26:08.840 --> 0:26:11.840 one day when we're older, maybe when we're forty, maybe 0:26:11.880 --> 0:26:15.040 when we're wiser, when people would actually want to follow us. 0:26:16.080 --> 0:26:20.399 But very clearly God just spoke to us and he 0:26:21.640 --> 0:26:26.119 was just we just knew it was time for us 0:26:26.200 --> 0:26:29.720 to start this church. We were twenty five years old, 0:26:30.680 --> 0:26:32.600 and we put that into perspective. For some of you, 0:26:33.280 --> 0:26:35.359 we'd only been out of the college dorm room for 0:26:35.400 --> 0:26:39.800 three years. We were not pastors, we were not church 0:26:39.920 --> 0:26:48.320 planning experts. We were children. God doesn't see you as unemployed. 0:26:49.320 --> 0:26:54.240