we thank you for your presence today God we do not take it for granted that we can call upon that name that name that moves mountains that name that saves Souls that Name That Forgives sin that name that rolls away shame that name and that name alone the name of Jesus is our Banner today I'm thankful for thousands of people who are not ashamed to praise the name of Jesus today who are not shy or quiet it or too tired to praise the name of Jesus I thank you for the chain breaking power of your son Jesus today I thank you for the Yol destroying anointing of your son Jesus today I thank you for the grave robbing presence of the almighty God The Great I Am the person in the work of Jesus today and we expect miracles in that name healing in that name breakthrough in that name but we didn't come today just to see what we could get out of that name we came to give that name the praise today for your name is worthy Jesus your name is worthy always has been always will be no matter what we go through you're worthy no matter what we're facing you're worthy never changes never fails your great love grab the hand of the person on either side of you we're going to make a a connection right now by faith and if you're watching online and you're not at one of our physical locations that's all right just squeeze the hand of the person next to you and now say this out loud God is God Is In This Moment In This Moment father we thank you and invite you into every single situation represented in this room good bad in between epic or boring you are the Lord of it all I thank you for the wonderful time we've had today singing your Praises but worship is more than a song so now Lord we bring you our lives ourselves every single part of us I pray for the person on my right the person on my left I don't just pray for myself today would you touch my brother touch my sister touch them enough to let them know they can make it another week touch them enough to know that it's already worked out in heaven and it will be done on Earth as it is in heaven touch them enough to know that there is nothing that escapes your allseeing eye and that the wings of el Shai the most high God are hovering over your children today I thank you Lord for your promise that he who dwelleth in the secret place of the most high will abide under the shadow of the almighty and I thank you that no weapon formed against your children will prosper we thank you that the Church of Jesus Christ is being built and the Gates of Hell will not Prevail have not prevail aail cannot Prevail for we know a name that is greater than Satan greater than Darkness greater than cancer greater than depression greater than diabetes greater than sickness greater than guilt Grace that is greater the name of Jesus give him praise children [Applause] all right that's your polite praise give him your party praise give him your M it praise give him your some kind of way he's going to do it PR hey well happy 2025 everybody I thought I would give the year a catchy slogan this is my first year of 2025 so I thought i' give you a range of options if you really aren't that goal oriented just survive in 25 touch your neighbor say survive if you uh if you had a little more faith than that look at them and say thrive in 25 if you got a little more faith than that if you got faith like Lazarus if you got faith like the women who went to the tomb with the spices when they said it was over look at your neighbor and say dead things come alive in 25 oh oh oh I felt that when I said it in 25 yeah come on Brandon come on Chris we we're not going to sing anymore cuz I feel like preaching this my first sermon of the year we're going to put that song on on we're going to get it out as soon as we can I know a name we're not going to hold it hostage for 2 years like we do sometimes that song is going into your ears so it can go into people's homes into people's hearts so you can call on the name of Jesus do we have a date boys February 14th Valentine Valentine's Day Valentine's Day that's coming alive that thing's coming alive on Valentine's Day Val can I get an amen said be like that's great you can be singing like I don't have a date but I know a name give it up for the great Brandon Lake the great Christopher Brown we got hey we got new music coming your way Friday sonjo Sunday God did get it on Napster it's good to be back I had seen y'all in a few weeks praise the Lord everybody I want to thank you also stay standing I want to thank you for your amazing remarkable once in a the generation generosity for our church giving in our year-end offering over $10 million over $10 million at least praise him on a 10 for $10 million that's so many people we can help that's so many schools we can build that's so many people we can come to with water and with food and with clothes and with the gospel building and blessing and touching the world and preaching Jesus we're going to build a campus in Greenville South Carolina we're going to build a campus in Raleigh North Carolina we're going to build a campus in uptown Charlotte we're going to preach the gospel everywhere all around the world and we're doing it together high five your neighbor say I'm alive in 25 and the church is alive praise the Lord feeling good Gavin feeling good Graham feeling dangerous today feel a Revival Spirit [Applause] today you know the Lord led me to a passage of scripture that I thought was so strange that I was nervous to preach it but I find sometimes it's in the simplest pictures that he gives us that the greatest and most strategic breakthroughs occur I want you to join me for a moment today in 2 Kings chap 6: 1-7 I took a poll of 10 Christians 10 people who went to Bible School 9.7 of the 10 said I've never heard that story preached before so that means today this will be the best sermon on 2 Kings 6 1-7 you've ever heard so I'm stacking the odds in my favor you can't say anything else you say well that's the best sermon I've ever heard about that scripture CU it's the only one I've heard about that scripture now I am rested but I might be a little rusty so I need your grace amen today while I'm preaching I said I Need Your Grace amens today we're going to get our timing down in the first 10 minutes so we can go to church here I don't want you to miss anything that the Lord has for you so lean in from the very beginning because I'll read you just three verses and then I'll tell you this very peculiar story in the scripture and you'll wonder like I wondered why that scripture that's what I wondered to but then God showed me let's look together at 2 Kings chapter 6 vers one and two just those two verses for now and by the way shout out to our Charleston South Carolina popup today do you know we're meeting in Charleston today welcome welcome they're still shouting Valentine's not that excited they don't care what is it matter to them you came out in the cold you know you get an extra dose of the Holy Ghost for coming out when it's below 40° in the South I'm going tell you good things are going to happen your car is going to get extra gas mileage this week cuz you came in the cold as long as it's a Tesla now second Kings 6:1 the company of the prophets said to Elisha look the place where we meet with you is too small for us let us go to the Jordan where each of us can get a pole and let us build a place there for us to meet and he said go everybody shout go let me read that one more time before I give you my subject for today 2 Kings 6 verses 1 and two the Bible says the company of the prophets said to Elisha look the place where we meet with you is too small for us now that's a problem so verse two they said let us go to the Jordan where each of us can get a pole and build a place there for us to meet and he said go today I want to talk to you for a few moments about where you meet with God where you meet with God and get you to think about that because I believe it is the key to so many other things that you're worried about this year where you meet with god father we thank you that you're already here don't have to beg you to come or entice you and I pray that now you would make your presence so manifest that not a single one of us us can excuse it or explain it away when they leave Lord may they say not the music was good may they not say they kept it cold in that Auditorium may they not say it was crowded we got to get out of here and get out of the parking lot may they say surely the presence of the Lord was in this place in Jesus name Amen on your way to your seat touch your neighbor and say God is here God is here and I'm glad you're here too never been easier to Pretend We're places that we're not Tim I had a zoom meeting with a professional that I pay the other day I put that in because it's important he has all kinds of trophies and awards every time we meet because we meet regularly and I can always see all his trophies and awards kind of like an ego wall so he can keep me convinced I need to pay him I get it I'm not judging it and the other day I was meeting with him and while I was looking I was like oh man maybe maybe something's wrong with my eyes because some of the awards started like disappearing I was like that's weird let check my I know I'm 44 now so I know stuff's going to start just quitting I'm like is it the is it the zoom connection is it just midlife what's happening right now and then another award kind of started moving and then it started moving around I was like when that's not the connection and they were pixelating and they were moving positions all over the wall and I called his name I'm going make up a name I said brother I said why are the trophies moving around the wall I said is that a zoom background are those not real trophies that I've been looking at the whole time and he dropped his head and I knew that wasn't true because I know his credentials he said I just didn't want to distract you I had a flood in the regular place we meet and I didn't want to cause a disruption so I just recreated that background and I've been putting it up the next weeks and I promise you those are real and then the next time we met I made him pick up stuff and show it to me to prove that you really did earn it and I came away with a valuable lesson it's never been easier to pretend like you're in a place and hope that nobody stops to ask you are you really here all this stuff that you show online it's never been easier to show it on a screen even when you know you don't really have it in your life to be going through a flood in one location but to make it look like everything is fine in another and again I don't say this as a judgment but just sometimes when we come to Little obscure text in the Bible that maybe we say why of all the passages Pastor Stephen I need a word for 2025 this is your first sermon of the year maybe you're watching this in 2038 maybe I'm a hologram floating over you preaching this right now I don't know what they'll do in the future but you're like why this we got a whole Bible full of big Miracles with big old Red Seas and towering Jericho walls and filthy Graves and blind eyes being open and you would choose to preach about a text as simple as the company of the prophets said to Elisha look the place the place where we meet with you is too small for us let us go to the Jordan where each of us can get a pole and let us build a place there for us to meet and he said go so why would the Holy Spirit select this scripture for us on this pivotal week in our lives and I have a reason that I think the Holy Spirit wants you to hear about this today is first of all because most of the things that you struggle with in your life have Small Beginnings the better that you get with identifying and recognizing your struggle in the small stage the less effort you will have to spend when that thing is full grown to sabotage you in the future and I love these men in this passage okay here's the situation they are students of a great prophet everybody say great prophet great prophet not a pretty good Prophet not a minor league Prophet a great prophet the prophet of Israel who could call for God to intervene supernaturally and he would who could locate enemies supernaturally and God's people would get the victory a great prophet Elisha and he has gathered unto himself a great company of students and the students are kind of looking around for a little while as this movement starts to grow Please be aware that if God really blesses your life blessing creates just as many problems as struggle does so at some point they begin to meet with one another meet with one another and they say this sucks man it's crowded this is ridiculous this was fine when there were 50 of us but who knows how many there were by that time right Elisha has has fixed uh a complete water system in one city he has fixed a drought for several Kings and turned the tide of the war he's he's supplied a food supply for a widow he's given a baren woman a child and then raised that child from the dead when the child died all that's already happened he healed a a Syrian commander of leprosy by telling him to go dip in the Jordan River so you got to imagine that it was at least double what it had been to start with right because he had a double portion of Elijah his predecessor Spirit on him and he worked great Miracles and so they look at each other one day like man somebody ought to do something about this it's crowded you don't shower there's no deodorant hasn't been invented we got to do something about this and I want to focus in for just a moment on verse one to show you where the Holy Spirit convicted me about my life he told me that I live in verse one too often and verse one is where they give the complaint look the place where we meet with you is too small for us and that's the whole verse one and I wonder did you live most of last year in verse one and never make it to verse two on what do you mean make it to verse two verse two they say let us go to the Jordan where each of us can get a poll and let us build a place there for us to meet and he said go verse one contains the problem it's too crowded this isn't working anymore we don't fit here anymore we don't like this y'all need to build a parking deck at elevan church this is too much y'all go too long and the services overlap and it's crazy y'all need to get us out of this High School auditorium and get us in a real building you know we got problems around here and the only thing about the problem problem is that God caused it cuz I bet you they prayed for people to come and be a part of their team and now they're complaining about something that they prayed for oh you better wear your steel toe this year don't wear your Crocs to this church this year I'm walking up and down those rows this year looking for the person who's like me now this this is my default setting to pray about something possess what I prayed for complain about what I prayed for but they didn't do that they said the place is too small watch this verse two let us go so here's a challenge for you now I hope you'll accept it but maybe you won't and that's okay too because I can just give you the challenge I can't make you do it every time you are tempted to complain it is an invitation to create instead every time you are tempted to complain it should be a trigger or an invitation for you to create I know the Bible says do everything without complaining but sometimes the complaining stage is the stage you have to make it through to get to the change stage right they were not rebuked for complaining but they were blessed for continuing again they were not rebuked for complaining this place is too small prophet said be grateful for what you had no he was more than willing and that's a word I want us to come back to a few times today he was more than willing to give them permission and some of the things that we're praying about complaining about worrying about and calling it prayer God has already given us permission to fix you ever worried about something and said you prayed about it you ever talked to everybody about it but the one who to do something for you may this be the year that you stop complaining to people who can't change it anyway maybe that's where I need to be preaching from back there in the back where this is my year where the Bible says the company of the prophets verse one said to Elisha and I got to show you how cool the Bible is a prophet speaks for God right a prophet represents God a prophet we don't have prophets like this today because we all as Believers have the Holy Spirit Jesus is our great high priest the Holy Spirit lives in you you don't need me to get a word from God if I'm off any day God is still on if I don't give you the word that you need go back and read the scripture I read and God will preach it better than I did if I fall down dead preaching this sermon today somebody else will pick up the mic and preach it before I can get out of the the door with the EMS because God's word is eternal it does not originate with men it originates with God and not only oo not only is it internal Eternal internal Eternal and when we say the place where you meet with God I want you to understand that that place is never meant to be a building when I said I want to talk to you today about where you meet with God you're like great they're starting a building campaign no we already did that I told you we already building we already built the building we already here and even you don't have a building we could put it on YouTube so we don't need all that but maybe I am starting a building campaign today where you begin to build new patterns and Recruit new people if necessary so that the presence of God permeates your life this year I want to talk to you about where you meet with God now let me slow down cuz I get excited because y'all start y'all start drawing it out of me and it's your fault when we think about a prophet we think about somebody who speaks for God and Prophets do that in the Bible prophets can prophesy doom and judgment you see this a lot in the Bible prophets can also prophesy Reign and blessing and life and increase but in this situation didn't you find it interesting that in verse one it says the company of the Prophet said to Elisha not Elisha said to the company of the prophets why is that significant because sometimes God commands you to do something clearly clearly there are some things that God has commanded you to do clearly yeah these are not opinions suggestions or advice these are not influencers giving you their tips and techniques these are the truths of God's word yeah they are Eternal and so God commands you clearly to flee sexual immorality amen you don't have to pray about the affair that you're on the edge of having you got to run flee sexual immorality that's clear right yeah I know another clear one that people don't like U forgive others just as God in Christ forgave you that's clear but Lord which city should I live in should I live in Charlotte or Atlanta or Rono or Raleigh the Lord don't the Lord is going to use you in the city that you obey the clear thing that he showed you in so if you don't forgive in Charlotte when you move to Atlanta you're going to have just the same sewage that you had in Charlotte when you get to Atlanta cuz you didn't do what was clear wherever you go there you are and so a lot of the prayers we pray about moves we should make when we can't get ourselves to obey what God has clearly spoken we create confusion so that we don't take responsibility for our decisions I'm not going to be like this the whole time I will be hopeful in a moment but I just want to spend more time this year in verse two where they said let us go to the Jordan where each of us can get a poll and let us build a place there for us to meet honestly if this is my prayer I'm saying God this place where we meet with you is too small make us a bigger one God these people you put around me are not talented enough give me more talented people God this situation you put me in it's not important enough it's not exciting enough God mve me to another place but I want you to notice in verse two they didn't ask the prophet for anything except permission let us go to the place by the Jordan the transitional body of water where the people of God crossed over into Jericho let us go to the place where the vegetation is and the wood is and the tools are and the resources are and let us go build a place there for us to meet put that verse on the screen verse two and whoever is circling back there Circle the following words say let us Circle us go to the Jordan where each of us Circle us again can get a poll and let us Circle us again build a place there for us Circle us again to meet that's their plan we got a plan somebody shout I got a plan I got a plan this is my year I got a plan I thriving 25 I got a plan I'm eating carnivore I'm doing cardio I'm drinking collagen and then 2 weeks in you got a cold and where did that get [Applause] you I got a plan we're going to go down here and build a place it's going to be bigger it's going to be better it's going to be amazing I got my plan I have I have my plan now I had the plan last year yep but this is different I had this plan I had the other year before that too and the year and and the year before that but that was Co that doesn't count I mean this year is different so we're going somebody shout let's go let's go and I give them credit for their initiative cuz I think sometimes when we're waiting for God to speak he's waiting for us to step yeah yeah sometimes when we're waiting for God to move he's waiting for us to multiply what we've already been given and so I congratulate these men for their initiative they didn't just complain about the thing they were willing to change the thing to work toward the thing to collaborate toward the thing are you or are you waiting for something to happen externally when the word of God is internal right internal and eternal nothing can stop it and it can't be seen with human eyes and so they get fired up one of my friends who is an athlete tells me I don't know if this is going to encourage you but I come to church because it helps me feel like I can do anything for about three days I said that's pretty good three days that's pretty good shelf life three days that's pretty good flowers can die quicker than three days that's pretty good he said yeah I feel like I could do anything for 3 days I said but what happens on day four he said well that's where it gets tricky I said no it doesn't because you can you can go back to God between Sundays you can go back to God you can go back to God between hours you can go back to God you can go back to God as much as you want in any situation that you're in and I think as simple as that sounds we don't really practice that yeah that's right we don't really really practiced that I saw something here that was to be celebrated let's go we're going to build a bigger school and Elisha the prophet is going to teach us we're going to build something amazing for you God and many of us have started this year with good motives I'm going to build something for my family I'm going to build something so I can take care of my kids I'm going to build something for God I'm going to build something to make a difference I'm going to work on my body I'm going work on my mind I'm going work on my future I'm going to work on my career I'm going to work on myself I'm going to work on my temper I'm going to work on my yoga I started doing yoga last year just so I can keep it moving as much as I need to up here I just I'm just increasing the Arsenal this year and you know what the thing about it is Holly's better at it than I am and I can live so much more pounds than she can but the instructor that's working with us she always is saying beautiful Holly beautiful Holly and comes over to me and says uh it it gets better Stephen like the only word she has for me is the word of false encouragement and delusional hope that I'll one day be flexible and and I found out something when when you're doing something new it helps to have somebody who can give you personal attention so you don't get confused and quit and maybe the reason you had a plan last year and it fell apart in 3 days three 3 weeks 3 months maybe the reason that your motivation sometimes only last 3 minutes maybe the reason it lasts too short sometimes is because you only get permission and a plan but this is a year where your plan will not be enough because the most important things that will happen in your life this year will not be in your plan the greatest things that God will bring into your life will not be on your vision board they will not be manifested from the Contours of your human mind or imagination you will not see them coming so you won't have time to plan a parade you will not see them coming so you won't have time to get in your stance the most important things and I'm going to show you in the text what I'm talking about the most important things that will happen in your life this year will not be a part of your plan how many can testify that there has already been an unplanned event that has superseded your planned year this year and we're just getting started so they're excited man we're going to go build a place we're going to get a pole we're going to build a place and Elisha's going to teach us and it's not like they're going to build a strip club they're not doing something terrible they're not even doing something neutral they're building something for God okay we're going to build this for God and God's going to bless us I I just need to stop right here and take a poll how many you have something you want to do for God this year in your life shout out what it is on three one two three all right cool God heard all that I don't need to and some of what you said you're going to do for God this year God was like that's right go do it and some of it God was like why are you making a plan for a purpose that I didn't call you to just because you saw it in somebody else let me tell you something Hall I don't want to build anything in my life from this point on that God gave somebody else the blueprint for because I've spent too much time too much energy lost too much joy forfeited too much contentment and peace trying to build something that isn't even in my blueprint and the prophet Elisha now I need to tell you something about Elisha Elisha is a little Moody you can't call a man of God Moody I sure can cuz one time some boys called him baly and he called she Bears out of the woods to devour them that's temperamental that qualifies so I think it would have taken a lot of nerve don't you to come up to the prophet and say man this place you got us meeting respectfully we need to do a relocation project and and Elisha says go and they look at each other like this amazing he said we could go he's letting us do it so he's going to let us use the stuff let's go let's go let's go and they're fired up let's go we're going to build a house for God on three house on three house on Me 1 2 three house let's go and suddenly watch this I hav read you this part of the story yet but it's the best part of the story all of a sudden as they're going to build something for God with good intentions with the permission of the prophet he said we could do it God said I'm a conqueror God said I can do it God said this is my year he chains break this is the year dead things come alive we're going we're going we're going put up verse three best verse I've read this year so far then one of them said now this is the kid in the class who raises his hand and says uh excuse me teacher how about that homework assignment this is that kid and not only that I can't prove it to you but I think he was the smartest one in the whole group I don't know his name but what he did was so important but he didn't know was important it seems incidental but it's not they're on their way everybody shout let's go let's go put it in the comments let's go let's go look at your neighbor say let's go let's go tell them this year this year let's go let's go little louder say this year this year let's go let's go right now right now let's go let's go get free get free let's go let's go rise up rise up let's go let's go be more be more let's go let's go verse three one of them said I'mma ask him wait wait wait wait wait wait no no no he said we can go yeah yeah yeah I know he said we can go I know but I'mma ask him you can't ask him that yes I can and yes you better let go me right now I'm asking him cuz I don't just want his permission come on pray for me I don't just want his permission I don't just want his provision I don't just want my plan one of them came back and said Elisha Elisha I might be out of line I don't know if you want to I know you're busy you gotta kill little kids with bears and save Kings but um verse three won't you please come with your servants you can't ask him that this is the Prophet this the man of God got time to swing an axe with you chop down a tree with you relocate to the messy Jordan banks with you this is Elisha are you crazy you ask him if you want I'm not getting killed by a bear I'm leaving well enough alone no no no no no I'm asking him I'm asking him hey Elisha I appreciate the fact that you gave me the opportunity I appreciate the fact that you're letting us go build that's real kind of you because you could have just told us to shut up and be content with what we have but I'm not content with what we have if we don't have you now remember the prophet represents what the word of God yeah the presence of God and so what I'm trying to say to you today is I don't want you to go for your goal without your God I don't want it to feel like you can do anything for three days and then on the fourth day it falls apart and you start thinking Faith didn't work it wasn't that Faith didn't work you put your faith in the faith rather than the God who gave the faith because this year I have a plan I have provision I have permission but this year my plan is his presence this year my plan is that everywhere the soul of my foot shall Tread Like Joshua I believe that God is giving me this place as Holy Ground this is the year where I move the church outside of a physical location and I move it to my car and I move it to my home and I move it to my I move it to my unchangeable situation and I move it touch somebody say move it move it they came to Elisha oh it's getting good now and they said the place we meet with you is too small and they were right but not how they thought that they were right it wasn't only too small in the physical dimensions of it it not only needed to be expanded physically but the place where they thought they could meet with God was too small in their perception because God doesn't just want to come when you build it he wants to be with you as you build I don't know if this makes sense it does to me is helping me get my confidence for this year because I've been in this is too long to think that my plan is going to go down how I plan for it this year so guess what presence is my plan this year yeah pre somebody say presence is my plan my ask them what's your fiveyear plan ask them what's your fiveyear plan tell them presence ask them for your 10year plan what's your 10-year plan presence what do you mean by that when I'm 10 years down the road or 10 minutes down the road The God Who is with me in this moment will not leave me nor forsake me until everything he spoke concerning his purpose for my life has been fulfilled so this year I got a plan and the plan is his presence watch this when I walk through the fire I'm not alone when I walk through the storm I'm not alone he's with me on the boat he's with me in the bowels of the Furnace he's with me in this mhm that's the word of the Lord presence is the plan presence is the plan presence is the plan God says you need a plan B this year uhhuh a plan B everybody say Plan B Plan B Plan B that means if I need if I'm in the wilderness he'll be my water yeah yeah if I'm in a hard place he'll be my pillow if I'm in a sick bed he'll be my physician I got a plan B this year The Great I Am is my plan B this year his presence The Great I Am this is a shift in mentalities for all of us control freaks who think we are going to perfectly design our life and I'm going to chop down a tree and I'm going to build a building but the thing that you never saw coming is going to require the god that you keep forgetting to bring along beautiful Holly be Stephen would you like a few adjustments I'm like yes I would I'm not trying to twist my lumbar like a pretzel in here I'm not trying to walk out of here like I'm 91 years old I already already walking like I'm 89 I'm I need some help in here come over here and help me help me God help me I'm using it as an analogy you understand I'm not getting into New Age mysticism and telling you to do yoga I'm just saying just like the Holy Spirit I need you to come along this year and I need you to go with me this year God and God I can't walk in this house without you and God I can't get on this Zoom without you and I'm tired of putting up plaques and trophies on a fake green screen back behind me pretending like I'm doing better than I am come with us Elisha come with me word of God come with me on the waters come with me in the wave come with me back to school come with me into this divorce come with me into this Addiction come with me into this crippling State come with me into this contention come with me into this argument come with me into this text thread come with me into this feed come with me into this step come with me into this heartbreak verse three will you come with us won't you come with us we don't want to go without you God I don't want to preach without you I don't want to teach without you I don't want a dad without you I don't want a husband without you I don't want a man without you I don't want it without you I don't want want a plan without the Great I Am I want a plan B cuz I don't even know what I need him to be till I get there that's why he said I am that I am so when you run up on a Red Sea you got a plan B you don't understand what I just said you got a plan B you don't even know you need him to be a parter of the waters till you're looking at a sea so the se you didn't plan for you got a plan B God said I'll be what you need me to be when you step your foot where you're going with an awareness of my presence and the thing is so good he's already in you so good it's an issue not of ability it's willingness that really blessed me how the prophet said I don't even think I can do this like I want to not in this setting I'd have to be talking to a small group of people who felt like you've been in situations where you felt unwanted and and you notice the prophet said in verse two he said go but what touched me was he wanted to come he was waiting to be asked because you keep assuming what God want to do it he'd do it what if he's waiting to be asked what if he wants you to involve him Elisha didn't say to the school of the prophets build a bigger place they said to him can we do it Elisha didn't say mind if I tag along they said will you come it took me back to something this is why it touched me from when Elijah was very little my Elijah not the prophet I don't know I don't know about when he was that Prophet was little but my Elijah he's he's so convincing and he's so persuasive and he always has been and then he started watching Ben Shapiro and now he just wants to argue all the time but but when he even wants to be sweet I remember he wanted me to see The Avengers movie I don't like superhero movies I think they're stupid so I um I'm like man we're not going to the Avengers and I'm telling you he wasn't above like seven years old or something like that he's very very way too young to be out this late because it was showing at 10 o'clock at night and he's like can we go can we go see the 10 o'clock I'm I'm not taking you to Avengers at 10 o00 I don't like I don't like superhero movies I don't like 10:00 I don't like you after 10:00 we're not doing this that boy didn't say a word he went away I'm like okay good we got that done he comes back doesn't say a word and brings me my shoes and puts them down at my feet and he didn't say anything till he was almost all the way out the door he said I'll be in the car if you change your mind how how do you not take that kid to Stone Crest and buy him popcorn and coke and caffeinate him and sugar him up and he's up till 7 a.m. but I got a sermon illustration out of it bring God his shoes bring God oh bring God God I know you hadn't done it yet and if you don't want to I trust you but I'mma be in the car if you change my mind I'm going be in my seated elevation if you change your mind I'm going be in therapy if you change your mind I'mma be working on this when you come ask your neighbor will you come you'd be surprised what God would say yes to if you'd get in the vehicle you'd be surprised what God would say yes to if you bring him in shoes yeah you'd be surprised where God would meet with you if you bring him along why wait until you've built the place to learn from the prophet why wait till you get the degree to celebrate the progress why wait till the chains are all the way broken to show somebody how to smash the first link like you did why wait for the presence of God when he is a very present help in the time of trouble I'm trying to tell you he wants to come he wants to come he wants to come stop trying to rebuke anxiety in the name of Jesus you don't get through anxiety by rebuking anxiety in the name of Jesus you receive the grace of Jesus for your anxiety and the grace of Jesus in your anxiety becomes watch this the place where you meet with God wow put your feet on the ground and sit there and do your breathing exercises and do a downward dog in a Hallelujah and make it the place where you meet with God because you're gonna need him let's let's talk along the way Elisha you have so much to share God would you show me along the way things that I think I'm going to learn when I get there I think that's so important CU I'm perfectionist and I'm a complainer I'm guess I'm supposed to be helping you but this is helping me I just saw not only do I get stuck in verse one where I say it's too small it's not working I don't like this it's terrible I'm confined and I complain but sometimes I get stuck in verse two let us go down and let us do it let us try and here's my plan and I never get to verse three his presence because when they got down there look how Elisha responded he didn't call a bear to kill this boy he didn't he didn't tell him you're ridiculous for wasting my time you know how sometimes you think that God is too small you think that what you're dealing with is something God can't handle and we all think that we watch the news and we see crazy things that are happening in the world and it's not that we think God is too small but it doesn't seem like he's doing anything about it sometimes I don't think we realize how small God is willing to be to show how big he is and that's why I chose this passage for my first sermon of this year because I thought if we talked about Goliath going down you would wait for a big giant to trust God and it's not the Giants all the time that cause you to lose your momentum man I know how it is I can do anything for three days but that fourth day I really love Jesus till about 9:45 a.m. and then 9:46 the devil meets with me I know that feeling but I believe that not every day presents a Red Sea a Goliath a burning bush I mean all these things are wonderful and you know I love to preach about them but I started my year with the sermon called I don't know what your Bible heading says there Autumn but mine says uh an axe head recovered that's all it said on the subject an ax head recover really man you got a whole Bible full of 9- foot Giants and raging seas and you want to preach about an ax head yeah because I think the little moments with God that he wants you to have are the ones that are slipping away and I think that's why the other stuff gets so big and takes you down because the prophet said I'll go with you and verse four records what happened next he went with them wonder what they talked about wonder if they talked at all wonder if they were able to ask him more specifically how you think we should build it you know you can ask God stuff more specific God is there another way to say that now I have an advantage over you in this because every week I have to try to talk for God to you and I'm dumb so I get a lot of practice of just God is there another way to say that I don't know said I ever said that before are they going to hear they're going to get us that make any sense but that's just the skill you need for your life too not just to preach that's the skill you need for your life the skill you need is the presence of God just right there in the middle of your Zoom meeting with your fake trophies and your shorts your underwear going on under the desk your tie up top you don't have to say it out loud you don't have to go off the screen just right there God I need you for I speak just those little moments I really believe that because watch why did God include this boring story in the Bible you think Elisha didn't do more fantastic Miracles he did but the Lord wanted us to have seven verses to know what happens to us sometimes and this is what I see for so many of the people that I Pastor who I meet and when I meet you when I meet you when when I meet with you you you meet with God in your own time but when I meet you sometimes I hear about the things that the enemy is tormenting you with and it goes something like this he went with them verse four they went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees is going and good I'm making progress I apologized I said I'm sorry I actually sent the text I actually looked up the help I actually joined the gym now I'm not going to go till about January 21st when it clears out that's just strategic but I'm I'm making I'm making my steps I'm clearing out that room I'mma do it this time now I got some food in the pantry I got to clear out I can't waste it I mean I'm going to eat the peanut butter but after that jar is gone it's no more peanut butter I'm me kale the rest of the year year kale collagen cardio carnivore I'm going to do it all this year I'm going to be a vegan carnivore this year and I'm going cut down this tree and they began to cut down the tree now watch this as one of them is cutting down a tree the iron ax head fell into the water and all of a sudden we go from let's go to oh no have you ever [Applause] oh yeah be honest or I'll prophesy have you ever been doing pretty good let's go I got this and in the middle verse 5 again please of doing what you believe God gave you permission to do oh no oh no you're like it's not a big deal it's an ax head when it's a big deal to you it's a big deal stop telling people that God doesn't care about this and God doesn't care about that he numbers every hair on your head he cares about everything that pertains to his child and even Elijah the rough and rugged Prophet who had no time for any nonsense as as this this young man it says one of them you know I wonder somebody look this up for me on chat GPT later and send me a send me a text about it I wonder was it the same one that asked him to come or was it a different one altogether because the one that's cutting down the tree they don't have many tools you understand this is not a very sophisticated operation as he's cutting down the tree Boom the head goes off the stick and and it flies into the Jordan and iron isn't supposed to be in water iron is supposed to be on wood and when iron meets wood it makes progress but when iron meets water you need presence because the first thing he did when the ax head flew he said oh oh no my Lord who's he talking to Elisha who do you talk to when it falls off who do you talk to when you fall who do you talk to when your momentum slips this is so important oh no my Lord he cried out it was borrowed oh this is bad I can't pay this back some of us are in situations this year that we can't afford to waste another day that we can't afford to waste another another year that we can't afford to just get through a month just barely hanging on he said I I need help and thank God help was there remember if one of them hadn't gone back and asked him to come there would have been no one to help when their plan stopped working sir sir and this is what I'm saying about where you meet with God and the prophet the great prophet Elisha who had the power to turn the tides of Wars had the time to help a boy get it back God said he wants to help you get it back this year God wants to help you get it back this year if it's Joy he wants to help you get it back this year if it's Integrity he wants to help you get it back this year if it's the character to keep your commitments he wants to help you get it back this year if it's a vision for your family he wants to help you get it back this year if it's a perspective on what really matters he wants to help you get it back this year and I want you to notice very carefully what the prophet did in verse 6 and this is what I see the Lord doing for us the man of God asked the boy where did it fall a't that amazing he could have said anything the boy says oh no it was borrowed well that was stupid why did you borrow it you shouldn't be borrowing stuff anyway hadn't you heard Dave Ramsey on the radio you're not supposed to be in debt anyway you need to go drive a u eats and get it paid for don't worry about that that's a good thing because if that's popping that means the devil does not want you to hear the next part of this message so I'm very encouraged by that and I want y'all to fix it at the same time the man of God said where did it fall and when now this is the this is the message this is the message I was tricking you I told you the other part was message this is the message when he showed him the place Elisha cut a stick threw it there and made the iron float thanks but no thanks I'm rocking on I'm moving through I'm walking on in Jesus name I want both of my hands to preach this part cuz the Bible says the Bible I don't care about what your fear says I don't care about what your generation before you says I don't care about what a political party says I don't care about what your wired mind says the Bible says he didn't condemn him he just guided him to the place and helped it to surface what he needed he took a stick he threw it there and made the iron float aren't you grateful for the stuff that God is bringing to the surface just this year in your life now hang on y'all got six minutes and I'll finish this if y'all don't have six minutes I'll just preach this I'll just preach this to I'll preach it to Abby today and she can sit there and give me an offering afterwards y'all got six minutes I want to finish this I really want to finish this I really don't want to go home holding this because when he said when he showed him the place verse six when he showed him the place where where it fell that is where the miracle happened right so I want you to see what happened he was building and it broke that is some of us in the room while we were building what we felt like we were supposed to build it broke our Focus broke our momentum broke our streak broke our days of sobriety broke it broke the relationship broke the heart broke the passion broke it broke because he was building now when it broke it flew into the water so now it has been a functional ax head and now it has fallen into the water it does not belong in the water thank God for verse three where he says come with us because that means that God is with me not only when it's functional but when it's falling and so now I understand the key of this message and the key of this year and the key to Restoration in your life is that God does not only want to be with you when you build it he wants to be with you when it breaks and I want you to invite God into the places where it breaks this year I want you not to pretend like you've got the trophies pretend like there hasn't been a flood pretend like you're in a great place I want you to make the place that you struggle the most the place where you meet with God and what is that place because notice there is a part that God does and there is a part that God does not do the word of the Lord brought the iron verse 6 please to the surface but it did not bring it to the shore verse seven lift it out he said I'm showing it to you I'm revealing it to you there are things that the spirit of God will supernaturally reveal to you but they must be practically recovered lifted out you can't make iron float God can but sometimes something is floating but it's not fixed yet and this is where you meet God grace is where God meets you faith is where you meet God lift it out and then the man reached out his hand and took it it's broken but it's back it's broken but it's back it's broken but it's back my life ises not exactly what I want it to be at this age and Stage is broken but it's back I'm not on the right path that I set out to be on is broken but it's back and I I hear a calling from the holy spirit this year to somebody's life who thinks that you can only meet with God when you are in a perfectly manicured environment full of meditative promises and meticulously kept character no no no the place you meet with God is in the place you need him the most if the ax head had not fallen off there would have been no Miracle so I am telling you to stop waiting for a future place to meet God and experience his presence and take him to the place where the blade flung off your stick and watch him bring something up now now here's the thing I learned e you got to reach for it the ax head did not swim to the boy he reached for it and I believe that God has given you something today to show you something today that he's calling you to reach for he's not going to he's not going to make you dive down to the bottom and find it you can't do that that's what Grace does but what does faith do reach out and lift it up Grace reveals what faith retrieves may this be a year of recovery for you may this be a year of clarity for you for God to bring things out up out of the muddy Jordan River may this be a year that you don't stand swinging your stick knowing this isn't working anymore may this be a year that you don't just keep pretending like everything's fine when you know your Effectiveness is at the bottom of the water may this be the year that you meet with God in weird places may this be the year that you sneak into the bathroom and instead of pills you take a prayer may this be the year where you meet with God I had a friend tell me one time I said I'm having my quiet time in the car these days my devotion time with God Christians we call quiet time it's a little christianese for you I'm going to do a whole series one year called do you speak Christian EAS I'm going to take every little thing we say that we don't even stop to Define for people and say this is what that kind of means and I told him I was meeting with God in my car a lot lately and God was coming in my car and I was playing all my worship CDs John P key strength and Hezekiah Walker and The Love Fellowship Tabernacle I said I have the best times with God in my car Paul bash and Tommy Walker and all the Integrity boys too I said I had the greatest meetings with God in my car he said those don't count I said it doesn't count he said no it's not set aside time for God you got to set aside time for God God wants to know you're serious you got to set aside time for God I believe that the place that you meet with God is too small if you believe that put up verse one again the place where we meet with you is too small if you want to meet with God in your breakfast nook by all means play a Brandon Lake CD and do it if you can find a CD player but when you leave that place you better meet with God in the next place too because the place you meet with God is too small if the only place you meet with God is when you get a holy ghost Goosebump you you the place you meet with God is too small so everybody stand up on your feet and I want you by faith just to stretch your hands up like you're reaching for something that was lost that the enemy tried to steal and just say say this out loud God God will you come with me will you come with me now wait shh wait wait don't say anything answer's yes he already promised his presence it lives inside of you may this be the year where the place where you meet with God becomes the Mountaintop of your Victory and the valley of your midnight the place you meet with God has been too small if church is the only place you meet with God the place you meet with God is too small expand your expectation of God's presence I declare over your life a year of expansion not just that you would get more stuff but that you would get more him if you get more him you have everything if you have not him you have nothing may this be the year of his presence in your life God come with me to work this year God come with me as I as I struggle to sleep at night God come with me into the challenge this year God come with me into the uncertainty will you come and he says yes and he says when it falls I'll show you where to reach to get it back put your hands down right now there's somebody heads bout eyes closed and this is your moment to meet Jesus and be saved listen to me God is not waiting for you to come to him he came to you that is the message of the Gospel so anytime you spend thinking I'm going to work my way to God that's not how this works that's religion that is not the gospel the gospel is this God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God what am I trying to say to to you I'm saying God has already done it and now right now if this is your moment you say I don't want to go into this year doing it by myself I don't want to go into this year pretending like I've got it together I want the grace of God I want to receive Jesus I'm going to pray a prayer if you repeat this prayer after me and mean it in your heart the Bible says that God will hear you from heaven and if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead you will be saved everybody who's coming back to God today your life is broken but you can have it back in Jesus name repeat after me Heavenly Father heavenly father today today is my day my day of salvation Salvation I am a sinner I am a sinner in need of a savior in need of a savior and I believe I believe that Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the Son of God Son of God and the savior of the world savior of the world today today I make Jesus I Jesus the Lord Of My Life Lord my life I believe he died I believe he died that I would be forgiven I and rose again to give me life give me life I receive I receive this new life this new life this is this is my new beginning my new on the count of three shoot your hand up if you prayed that 1 2 3 all over the room on every location yeah yeah yeah reach out and take it it's the gift of God reach out and take it it's the gift of God let's celebrate them Church bring those Bibles around pass them down hey thank you for watching the Elevation Church YouTube I want you to subscribe that way you can know when we go live and post new content make sure leave me a comment let me know what spoke to you today where you're watching from and what we can pray for you about and if you'd like to support the ministry financially you can click the give button now and help us continue reaching people around the world for Jesus Christ thanks again I'll see you next time