# Faith To Stay

An episode of [Elevation with Steven Furtick](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/216015753), 22 Mar 2026, 56 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/cbb40a38-726f-4243-a86e-b0ed01477640/0d864822-a954-49e7-bd2b-b41501400735/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=ff9164b2-aa64-410d-9ee1-b0ed0147765c

When we’re going through a season that’s uncomfortable or uncertain, we often look for a way out. But Jesus demonstrates another way that leads to lasting transformation and fulfillment if we have the faith to follow His example. If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References: John 1, verses 35-42 John 4, verse 6 John 11, verses 1-6 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:04] Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.
[0:06] Speaker 2: I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast.
[0:09] Speaker 3: Be sure to subscribe so we can get you these
[0:11] Speaker 3: new sermons every week. I hope you're blessed today.
[0:20] Speaker 2: We're about to go into week two of our new
[0:22] Speaker 2: sermons series. Everybody got something for you today. Welcome to
[0:31] Speaker 2: all of our campuses, Welcome to our epam watching all
[0:34] Speaker 2: over the world. I want to take a moment and
[0:36] Speaker 2: greet you to let you know that there is no
[0:38] Speaker 2: distance in the spirit, that wherever you are, the Lord is,
[0:42] Speaker 2: and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
[0:45] Speaker 2: So I pray that today you might feel free to
[0:47] Speaker 2: worship God, that you could just have a distraction free environment,
[0:51] Speaker 2: just to come before Him today and hear from him.
[0:54] Speaker 2: How many are glad that you made it to the
[0:56] Speaker 2: House of the Lord another day?
[0:58] Speaker 4: Raise the Lord.
[1:03] Speaker 2: So many beautiful faces, so many wonderful stories and testimonies.
[1:08] Speaker 1: Just look around this room for a moment. Just look
[1:12] Speaker 1: around the room. I said, everybody that you're looking.
[1:16] Speaker 2: At today they had a time in their life where
[1:18] Speaker 2: they didn't think they'd make it, but they did.
[1:22] Speaker 1: Would you just touch your neighbor real quick, Just touch
[1:24] Speaker 1: them real.
[1:24] Speaker 2: Quick and say I just wanted to see what a
[1:26] Speaker 2: miracle feels like.
[1:30] Speaker 1: Come on, tell your neighbor you look like a miracle.
[1:35] Speaker 1: Turn to your other.
[1:35] Speaker 2: Neighbors, say you look like you need a miracle. Tell
[1:42] Speaker 2: them it's a good thing you're sitting next to me,
[1:46] Speaker 2: because when I start singing, prison doors fly open.
[1:50] Speaker 5: When I start phraising, let me test my microphone.
[1:53] Speaker 6: When I say Holly, you say. When I say God
[1:58] Speaker 6: is good, you say, And all the time when I
[2:02] Speaker 6: say thank you, you say, Jesus, we came to see
[2:08] Speaker 6: King Jesus.
[2:13] Speaker 2: Now, your outfit looks beautiful, but I didn't come to
[2:16] Speaker 2: see your outfit. I came to see King Jesus. Your
[2:22] Speaker 2: hair is pretty, I can tell you got it cut
[2:24] Speaker 2: in color.
[2:25] Speaker 1: But I didn't come to see your hair.
[2:27] Speaker 2: I came to see King Jesus.
[2:31] Speaker 1: I like your jeans, whether they're baggy or skinny. I
[2:34] Speaker 1: think you're wearing them.
[2:35] Speaker 2: Well, I didn't come to see your skinny jeans or
[2:37] Speaker 2: your fat jeans. I came to see King Jesus. So
[2:43] Speaker 2: let's take a moment and put all the attention on him.
[2:46] Speaker 2: Come on, come on, come on, come on. I came
[2:49] Speaker 2: to see him high and lift it up and shine
[2:53] Speaker 2: it in the light of his glory, and the train
[2:56] Speaker 2: of his room filled the temple. I saw the Lord
[3:00] Speaker 2: set it on a roll see the King. Today, we're
[3:09] Speaker 2: going to go right back to John chapter one. I've
[3:13] Speaker 2: got a special message to share with you today from
[3:15] Speaker 2: the Lord's heart in John chapter one. It is so
[3:19] Speaker 2: funny to me how I outline all of my message
[3:23] Speaker 2: series for nothing. I was going to move to John
[3:27] Speaker 2: chapter two this week, but the Lord directed me to
[3:30] Speaker 2: stay in chapter one, and I think I know why,
[3:33] Speaker 2: as he has been speaking to me during worship. This
[3:37] Speaker 2: message will be something you can talk about at home.
[3:42] Speaker 1: All right.
[3:43] Speaker 2: I'm going to give you some stuff today that you
[3:45] Speaker 2: will need to unpack with some friends. So if you're
[3:47] Speaker 2: not a part of an e group in the church,
[3:50] Speaker 2: we don't charge for it.
[3:51] Speaker 1: So what's your excuse?
[3:53] Speaker 2: What is your excuse for not getting together with these
[3:56] Speaker 2: wonderful people who'll get together and discuss the Word of God.
[4:00] Speaker 2: But at the very least, today, I believe the Lord
[4:02] Speaker 2: is going to give you something to meditate on. And
[4:05] Speaker 2: I want to start in verse thirty five.
[4:08] Speaker 4: A little bit before where I read yesterday, Jesus Christ
[4:13] Speaker 4: is collecting his first five followers, and the Bible says
[4:19] Speaker 4: the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples,
[4:26] Speaker 4: and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said,
[4:31] Speaker 4: behold the Lamb of God.
[4:34] Speaker 7: I love that.
[4:36] Speaker 2: A lot of people saw Jesus walk by, but John
[4:38] Speaker 2: recognized who he really was.
[4:41] Speaker 1: You know, Jesus is walking up and down these isles.
[4:44] Speaker 2: Today waiting for somebody to recognize him for who he is.
[4:48] Speaker 2: Jesus is walking up and down these isles today looking
[4:51] Speaker 2: for somebody to be honest enough to say, I need
[4:53] Speaker 2: your help, Lord, I can't do this on my own.
[4:56] Speaker 1: God, I'm exhausted today.
[4:58] Speaker 2: Did you know Jesus is looking for a head to
[5:00] Speaker 2: live today. Jesus is looking for somebody today who will say,
[5:03] Speaker 2: come home with me, Lord, I need you to get
[5:05] Speaker 2: in the car with me. I need you to help
[5:07] Speaker 2: me to deal with this situation in my house. I
[5:09] Speaker 2: got a lot of strife, I got a lot of friction.
[5:11] Speaker 2: I'm not even sure if we can make it. John said, look,
[5:16] Speaker 2: behold the Lamb of God.
[5:19] Speaker 1: And I watch this.
[5:20] Speaker 2: The two disciples, his two disciples, John the Baptist two
[5:25] Speaker 2: disciples heard him.
[5:27] Speaker 1: Say this, and they followed Jesus.
[5:31] Speaker 2: Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them,
[5:36] Speaker 2: what are you seeking? Like I say to my kids
[5:40] Speaker 2: when they're being nice to me, What do you want?
[5:43] Speaker 2: You didn't come in here just to give me a kiss.
[5:45] Speaker 1: I know better. What do you want?
[5:48] Speaker 2: And they said to him, Rabbi parenthetically, which means teacher,
[5:53] Speaker 2: where are you staying?
[5:56] Speaker 1: He said to them, come and you will see.
[5:57] Speaker 2: So they came and saw where he was staying, and
[6:00] Speaker 2: they stayed with him that day. And they stayed with
[6:07] Speaker 2: him that day, for it.
[6:09] Speaker 1: Was about the tenth hour.
[6:12] Speaker 2: One of the two who heard John speak and follow
[6:14] Speaker 2: Jesus was Andrew Simon, Peter's brother. He first found his
[6:18] Speaker 2: own brother, Simon and said to him, we have found
[6:22] Speaker 2: the Messiah parenthetically, which means Christ. He brought him to Jesus.
[6:28] Speaker 2: Jesus looked at him. Now, a lot of people looked
[6:31] Speaker 2: at Simon, but they didn't see him for who he was.
[6:35] Speaker 1: Y'all are slow today, Remember a.
[6:37] Speaker 2: Lot of people looked at Jesus, didn't see him for
[6:39] Speaker 2: who he was, a lot of people looked at Simon.
[6:42] Speaker 1: And didn't see him for who he was.
[6:44] Speaker 2: But Jesus looked at Simon and said you are Simon,
[6:47] Speaker 2: the son of John. You shall be called Cephiss, which
[6:51] Speaker 2: means Peter. I want to talk to you today about
[6:55] Speaker 2: something very important. The title of this message is Faith
[7:00] Speaker 2: to Stay, Faith to Stay.
[7:05] Speaker 1: Father.
[7:06] Speaker 2: I honor you and I bless you in advance for
[7:07] Speaker 2: the way that your word will speak and the testimonies
[7:09] Speaker 2: I will receive as it goes forth.
[7:11] Speaker 1: Your word does not return void.
[7:12] Speaker 2: It accomplishes the purpose which you sent it to do.
[7:15] Speaker 2: I thank you that not one drop will be wasted today,
[7:18] Speaker 2: that it will water the soil of what you've already
[7:20] Speaker 2: been doing in this person's life, and that it will
[7:22] Speaker 2: bring forth through it an abundant harvest in your time.
[7:25] Speaker 2: We thank you, and we trust you in Jesus' name. Amen,
[7:29] Speaker 2: you may be seated.
[7:31] Speaker 1: Did you enjoy last week's message? Amen? If you missed it,
[7:37] Speaker 1: go get it online. It's all there.
[7:39] Speaker 2: I'm not sure if it was the same online. It
[7:41] Speaker 2: was good in the room. It was good in the
[7:47] Speaker 2: room to where sometimes you got to be there. You know,
[7:51] Speaker 2: you got to be in the room, the room where
[7:52] Speaker 2: it happens. Good job coming to church today. If you
[7:56] Speaker 2: didn't make it today because you couldn't that's all right
[7:58] Speaker 2: if you didn't make it.
[7:59] Speaker 1: Because you didn't, you need.
[7:59] Speaker 2: To get here sometime, come and see what the Lord
[8:04] Speaker 2: will do. And I think right here in John chapter
[8:08] Speaker 2: one are two of the most important questions that adorn
[8:12] Speaker 2: the entire Holy writ In other words, some of the
[8:15] Speaker 2: most important things in the Bible get said right here
[8:17] Speaker 2: in John chapter one. I'm gonna break them down for you,
[8:20] Speaker 2: one by one, and.
[8:21] Speaker 1: Then we'll go get some lunch if you're so inclined.
[8:26] Speaker 2: But the first thing is the thing that Jesus asks,
[8:28] Speaker 2: and the second thing is the question that these two
[8:32] Speaker 2: disciples give Jesus in response to his question. I'll pull
[8:37] Speaker 2: your attention back to the screens for just a moment
[8:41] Speaker 2: where Jesus turned around and asked his disciples, his soon
[8:44] Speaker 2: to be disciples, who were just following him for the
[8:46] Speaker 2: first time, what are you seeking?
[8:50] Speaker 1: And then when they asked him back a question, they said,
[8:53] Speaker 1: where are you staying?
[8:55] Speaker 2: Those two questions will form the skeleton of my sermon today.
[9:00] Speaker 2: The first one is about the most important question that
[9:03] Speaker 2: you can ever answer correctly, what are you seeking? The
[9:07] Speaker 2: first question that Jesus asked wasn't do you believe in me?
[9:11] Speaker 2: The first question Jesus asked wasn't will you follow me?
[9:16] Speaker 2: The first question that Jesus asked in John's Gospel is
[9:19] Speaker 2: what are you seeking? And I found out the reason
[9:23] Speaker 2: that question is so important is that because whatever you
[9:27] Speaker 2: answer that question with is exactly what you're going to find.
[9:33] Speaker 2: One of Jesus's most popular teachings goes like this, seek
[9:38] Speaker 2: and you will find. He was talking about the Kingdom
[9:41] Speaker 2: of heaven. But did you know that seek and you
[9:44] Speaker 2: will find is not only true of the kingdom, it's
[9:46] Speaker 2: also true of complaining. If you seek something to complain about,
[9:53] Speaker 2: you'll find it. If you seek something wrong with my
[9:57] Speaker 2: outfit today, you'll find it. I tried to iron it,
[10:01] Speaker 2: I tried to smooth it out.
[10:03] Speaker 1: I tried to make sure it fit.
[10:04] Speaker 2: But I'm sure for somebody is too tight, for somebody
[10:06] Speaker 2: else's too baggy. If you seek something wrong with what
[10:09] Speaker 2: I'm wearing, you'll find it. If you seek something that
[10:13] Speaker 2: I say today that makes no sense, you'll find it.
[10:16] Speaker 2: Somebody was recently telling me about a part in my
[10:18] Speaker 2: sermon that they didn't understand. I said, that's the only
[10:20] Speaker 2: part you didn't understand. I can give you three more.
[10:22] Speaker 2: I didn't understand, and I'm the one who said it.
[10:24] Speaker 2: If you seek something that you don't understand in this sermon,
[10:27] Speaker 2: you'll find it. But if you seek something that you
[10:30] Speaker 2: do understand, that you don't want to do, but you
[10:35] Speaker 2: understand it almost so well that you focus on something
[10:40] Speaker 2: that you don't understand to avoid having to do something
[10:42] Speaker 2: that you do understand, you can find something in this
[10:45] Speaker 2: sermon that will point.
[10:46] Speaker 1: Right to the situation that you're dealing with. What are
[10:50] Speaker 1: you seeking?
[10:51] Speaker 2: I've often taught in marriage two of the most important
[10:55] Speaker 2: tools are the magnifying glass and the mirror. I didn't
[11:01] Speaker 2: bring a mirror, but I did ask them to get
[11:03] Speaker 2: me a magnifying glass today, and I'm not going to
[11:07] Speaker 2: use it much.
[11:07] Speaker 1: But just how in marriage, if you.
[11:10] Speaker 2: Look for something to be offended about, you find it.
[11:15] Speaker 2: If you look for something that your partner doesn't have
[11:18] Speaker 2: that you wish they had, you'll find it. If you
[11:21] Speaker 2: look for something that they didn't reciprocate or something that
[11:24] Speaker 2: they didn't appreciate, you'll find it.
[11:27] Speaker 1: Some of you found a few of them on the
[11:28] Speaker 1: way to.
[11:28] Speaker 2: Church today, just a few things to be frustrated about.
[11:32] Speaker 2: You know, if Holly wanted to turn this on me.
[11:34] Speaker 2: I'm so thankful that she doesn't. There's all kinds of
[11:37] Speaker 2: reasons that she could find not to be on this
[11:40] Speaker 2: front row.
[11:41] Speaker 1: But when she sits and listens to me preach every.
[11:44] Speaker 2: Week with her notebook open, it's not because she's married
[11:46] Speaker 2: to a perfect man. It's because she's made a decision
[11:49] Speaker 2: to have a perspective that, in spite of all the
[11:52] Speaker 2: faults she could find in me, she can also see
[11:56] Speaker 2: something so beautiful that comes through a vessel that she
[11:59] Speaker 2: knows is so flawed. God, can you find something that
[12:03] Speaker 2: is beautiful in a vessel that is flaw The Bible
[12:07] Speaker 2: says we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that
[12:10] Speaker 2: the power of the excellency might be of God and
[12:13] Speaker 2: not of us. It means God puts it in a
[12:15] Speaker 2: cracked clay pot so that what's inside gets more attention
[12:18] Speaker 2: than what's on the outside. And I wanted to remind
[12:21] Speaker 2: you as we begin this sermon today, to focus a
[12:25] Speaker 2: little bit more on the favor that is in your
[12:28] Speaker 2: life than the flaws that are in your life. And
[12:32] Speaker 2: I wanted to remind you of that about this church,
[12:34] Speaker 2: because the favor of God is on this church I said,
[12:37] Speaker 2: the favor of God is on this church.
[12:40] Speaker 5: I don't know if you feel that way, but I
[12:41] Speaker 5: feel that way.
[12:42] Speaker 1: The favor of God is on this church.
[12:44] Speaker 2: Not a week goes by hundreds of people getting saved
[12:48] Speaker 2: every single week. Not a week goes by that at
[12:50] Speaker 2: least one hundred people aren't saved in this church.
[12:52] Speaker 1: The favor of God is on this church.
[12:55] Speaker 2: When we have a small baptism in this church, it's
[12:57] Speaker 2: three hundred people getting baptized, little tiny baptism at Elevation Church.
[13:02] Speaker 1: The favor of God is on this church. The favor
[13:05] Speaker 1: of God is on this church.
[13:07] Speaker 2: You know how I can tell all kinds of different
[13:09] Speaker 2: people worship God in this church. Millionaires worship God in
[13:13] Speaker 2: this church, right next to people making minimum wage. The
[13:16] Speaker 2: favor of God is on this church. We worship the
[13:19] Speaker 2: name of Jesus. We celebrate the name of Jesus. We
[13:21] Speaker 2: are not the same, but we worship the name that
[13:24] Speaker 2: makes what we have in common way more important than
[13:27] Speaker 2: what we have. This controversial or divis sit The favor
[13:31] Speaker 2: of God is on this church, and if you want
[13:33] Speaker 2: to see it, you can find it.
[13:34] Speaker 1: On the other hand, if.
[13:35] Speaker 2: You want to find a reason not to come back
[13:37] Speaker 2: next Sunday. You could probably find one in the parking lot.
[13:41] Speaker 2: You could probably find a driver with an elevation sticker
[13:43] Speaker 2: on their car who looks like they need to go
[13:45] Speaker 2: back to driver's ed and they're forty three years old.
[13:48] Speaker 2: You could probably find a reason to flip somebody the
[13:51] Speaker 2: bird when you leave here, or you can find a
[13:53] Speaker 2: reason to lift your hands and say thank you Lord
[13:55] Speaker 2: for the word.
[13:55] Speaker 1: And I don't mind waiting in traffic. I'm just trying
[13:58] Speaker 1: to say, what are you saying? Seeking is not a
[14:01] Speaker 1: question to be skipped over. It is so.
[14:03] Speaker 2: Important what you attune your mind to. It is so
[14:06] Speaker 2: important that you look for Where is God working in
[14:08] Speaker 2: this situation. I know you're in the hospital. God is
[14:12] Speaker 2: in the hospital. I know you're in rehab. God is
[14:15] Speaker 2: in rehab. I know you're in trouble. God is in trouble.
[14:18] Speaker 2: I know you're depressed. God is in the lowly, in
[14:21] Speaker 2: the contrite heart. I know you're going through a divorce.
[14:24] Speaker 2: God is with you while you lay your head on
[14:25] Speaker 2: your pillow alone at night. I know you're in the
[14:27] Speaker 2: middle of a custody battle. God is helping raise your kids.
[14:30] Speaker 2: You're not a single parent at this moment, you are
[14:32] Speaker 2: a parent in co parenting relationship with the creator of
[14:36] Speaker 2: the universe.
[14:37] Speaker 5: Because if I seek, I can find.
[14:39] Speaker 2: But if I look for a reason to believe that
[14:41] Speaker 2: God is not with me, I could get one of
[14:43] Speaker 2: those two. I could collect evidence for either verdict.
[14:46] Speaker 1: In my life.
[14:47] Speaker 2: I could either make up my mind that my best
[14:49] Speaker 2: days are behind me, and I could collect evidence to
[14:51] Speaker 2: prove that my best days are behind me, and I
[14:53] Speaker 2: could point to the stiffness in my joints and the
[14:56] Speaker 2: grayness in my beard and the lack of energy in my.
[14:58] Speaker 1: Life and the people who have left me.
[15:00] Speaker 2: Or I could turn around and look at all the
[15:02] Speaker 2: people who didn't leave me, and all.
[15:04] Speaker 1: The strength I still do have left, and.
[15:06] Speaker 2: All of the ability that God gave me that did
[15:09] Speaker 2: not diminish, and all of the wisdom that I have
[15:11] Speaker 2: gained from the valleys that I have traversed through.
[15:14] Speaker 5: The Lord is with me, Joseph said, The Lord is
[15:17] Speaker 5: with me. How do you know that?
[15:19] Speaker 1: In the prison? Because I looked for him in the prison.
[15:22] Speaker 2: I got out my magnifying glass. I decided I was
[15:25] Speaker 2: gonna search in every nook and cranny until I found Jesus. Now,
[15:30] Speaker 2: the good news about Jesus that I told you this
[15:33] Speaker 2: week is that he doesn't look like something you can
[15:36] Speaker 2: fit in your pocket. The Bible says in the beginning,
[15:39] Speaker 2: what's the word? You won't be needing this to look
[15:42] Speaker 2: for Jesus. You just be needing this. You'll only be
[15:45] Speaker 2: needing this. All you gotta do is say, show me Jesus.
[15:49] Speaker 2: I need to see you in my situation. I need
[15:52] Speaker 2: to see you in my life. I need to see
[15:54] Speaker 2: don't be offended. I threw Jesus down. He's high and
[15:57] Speaker 2: lifted up. He ain't going nowhere.
[16:00] Speaker 1: You can't let him down.
[16:01] Speaker 5: You were never holding him up. I feel like preaching.
[16:04] Speaker 2: I came to see as anybody.
[16:12] Speaker 1: Ask your neighbor what you're looking for?
[16:15] Speaker 5: Yeah, because if you look for a reason to be miserable,
[16:18] Speaker 5: I'll help you find five.
[16:20] Speaker 2: I'll give you some addendums, I'll give you some footnotes.
[16:23] Speaker 2: If you want a reason to think that the world
[16:25] Speaker 2: is a dumpster fire, I'll give you a reason to think.
[16:28] Speaker 5: That the world is a dumpster fire.
[16:29] Speaker 2: But if you change your feed, you'll change your focus
[16:32] Speaker 2: and you will see there is a favor of God.
[16:41] Speaker 2: Look the lamb of God. When John said that the
[16:44] Speaker 2: world was not perfect. When John said that.
[16:47] Speaker 5: Justice was not established for Israel, he was pointing to
[16:51] Speaker 5: the lamb of.
[16:52] Speaker 2: God and recognizing him as the king of kings.
[16:58] Speaker 1: How many of you really love deep Bible stuff?
[17:01] Speaker 2: I put this point in for you. It takes faith
[17:03] Speaker 2: to look at a lamb and see a king. It
[17:11] Speaker 2: takes faith to look at a lamb and see a king,
[17:16] Speaker 2: just like it takes faith to look at a broken
[17:19] Speaker 2: situation and see an open door of opportunity. Just like
[17:24] Speaker 2: it takes faith to look at your kids when you
[17:26] Speaker 2: know they're on drugs and declare that they're delivered. It
[17:28] Speaker 2: takes faith. It's a focus. I don't know if I
[17:35] Speaker 2: can get past this point. Lord, you gave me more
[17:36] Speaker 2: points than this, But do you want me to stay
[17:38] Speaker 2: right here? Because I will look the lamb That requires
[17:46] Speaker 2: a lens? Doesn't it a lens? When day I was
[17:53] Speaker 2: looking out my window and I had a funny thought.
[17:55] Speaker 2: The trees were dirty, The house that I could see
[18:00] Speaker 2: through the window was dirty. The car that I could
[18:03] Speaker 2: see in the driveway was dirty. Of course, you understand
[18:08] Speaker 2: that it wasn't the world that I was looking at
[18:10] Speaker 2: that was dirty.
[18:11] Speaker 1: It was the window.
[18:19] Speaker 2: Seek and you'll find, and sometimes you need to clean
[18:23] Speaker 2: what you're looking through. So for me to see King Jesus,
[18:33] Speaker 2: sometimes I have to change my lens and.
[18:37] Speaker 1: Look at a lamb and see a king.
[18:39] Speaker 2: I haven't given you much background on this passage yet,
[18:41] Speaker 2: have I. When Jesus says to these two disciples.
[18:47] Speaker 1: Who are you seeking skin?
[18:48] Speaker 2: Or I don't know if you knew this, and you
[18:49] Speaker 2: know everything about the Bible, one of the disciples is Andrews,
[18:53] Speaker 2: Simon Peter's brother, and it says that. But there's a
[18:57] Speaker 2: detail in this text that suggests who the other disciple is,
[19:01] Speaker 2: and it blessed me to recognize it. Today, it can
[19:03] Speaker 2: be kind of confusing to read the Bible if we're
[19:05] Speaker 2: just throwing out all these names, because even in this
[19:07] Speaker 2: passage here, I told you to turn to the Book
[19:08] Speaker 2: of John, and then I told you that John pointed
[19:10] Speaker 2: at Jesus.
[19:10] Speaker 1: But it's not John that wrote the book. As to
[19:12] Speaker 1: John the Baptist, and.
[19:13] Speaker 2: John the Baptist, by the way, is not like his
[19:15] Speaker 2: nickname or something like that, like Pete the Presbyterian, Ernie
[19:18] Speaker 2: the Episcopalian. It's not like John the Baptist that was
[19:21] Speaker 2: actually what he was out there in Beth, and he's
[19:22] Speaker 2: doing is baptizing people. He's trying to repent, repent, repent.
[19:25] Speaker 2: The Kingdom of God is at hand. One is coming
[19:26] Speaker 2: who is mightier than I, and I'm not worthy to
[19:29] Speaker 2: untie his sandals. And so he's saying all of this,
[19:31] Speaker 2: and then he sees what he's been saying. Yeah, and
[19:35] Speaker 2: he points the attention and he says, look the lamb
[19:37] Speaker 2: of God, and he gives us a great, a great
[19:40] Speaker 2: object lesson. In the times where God will require you
[19:44] Speaker 2: to take a step back by faith, we always talk
[19:48] Speaker 2: about stepping forward in faith, but there are times where
[19:52] Speaker 2: God will strip you of your main character energy and
[19:56] Speaker 2: tell you to step back in faith, and you'll find
[19:59] Speaker 2: your saying things like he must become greater, I must
[20:02] Speaker 2: become less, and in order for somebody to see King Jesus,
[20:07] Speaker 2: I have to step aside.
[20:08] Speaker 1: Now.
[20:08] Speaker 2: For me, at different seasons of my life, sometimes that's
[20:11] Speaker 2: looked like knowing who I'm not and staying in my lane.
[20:16] Speaker 2: One of the things that I realized early in my
[20:19] Speaker 2: ministry is that although I loved worship and love writing
[20:23] Speaker 2: worship songs, I am usually more effective writing songs than
[20:27] Speaker 2: I am singing them, and I can sing them too
[20:29] Speaker 2: if I choose to. But through realizing that God gave
[20:32] Speaker 2: me a primary gift and God gave me a secondary gift,
[20:36] Speaker 2: and that my passion isn't always my gift, I've been
[20:39] Speaker 2: able to be a part of preaching God's word in
[20:41] Speaker 2: this church and helping to write songs through all of
[20:44] Speaker 2: the awesome singers that we have here. Don't you believe
[20:47] Speaker 2: we have awesome singers here? And I'm just using that
[20:55] Speaker 2: as an example here of a time where God might
[20:58] Speaker 2: call you to in your lane and to know what
[21:02] Speaker 2: you're called to do. And so as John is pointing,
[21:05] Speaker 2: John the Baptist is pointing, there are these two disciples.
[21:09] Speaker 2: One is Andrew, and I'm going to show you in
[21:12] Speaker 2: just a moment how I know that the other one
[21:15] Speaker 2: was John, who wrote the book. Now he doesn't say
[21:18] Speaker 2: that because John, when he writes his Gospel, he keeps
[21:20] Speaker 2: calling himself this nickname. He says, the one that he loved.
[21:25] Speaker 2: It's one thing is think about yourself in the third person.
[21:27] Speaker 2: But this takes it to an entirely different level of confidence.
[21:30] Speaker 2: In Swag, when they went to see Jesus, it says,
[21:35] Speaker 2: I don't know if you noticed this when I read
[21:37] Speaker 2: the text. It was about the tenth hour. And the
[21:41] Speaker 2: reason that detail is in the text, why would you
[21:43] Speaker 2: take the time to say that.
[21:44] Speaker 1: It's not symbolic or anything.
[21:46] Speaker 2: It simply means counting from six am, which is when
[21:48] Speaker 2: the Jewish day started, that it was about four in
[21:51] Speaker 2: the afternoon. But the reason that it was included in
[21:53] Speaker 2: the text as a detail is because whoever is writing
[21:58] Speaker 2: it was there and just hear about it.
[22:01] Speaker 1: They were there. It is an eye.
[22:04] Speaker 2: Witness account written by none other than the disciple that
[22:09] Speaker 2: Jesus loved, at least that's what he called himself.
[22:12] Speaker 1: I personally think I'm the one he loves. I don't
[22:14] Speaker 1: know about you, but I'm God's favorite. Kid.
[22:16] Speaker 2: Would you tell your neighbor real quick, I'm God's favorite.
[22:20] Speaker 2: Tell him be careful how you treat me because I'm
[22:24] Speaker 2: his favorite. You cuss me out? You got to talk
[22:27] Speaker 2: to my dad about it. Because I'm his favorite. He
[22:30] Speaker 2: really likes me, so you might want You might.
[22:33] Speaker 1: Want to say nice things to me because I'm his favorite.
[22:36] Speaker 2: And John, who is in his own mind, the favorite
[22:40] Speaker 2: of Jesus, is following Jesus. Can we take a moment
[22:44] Speaker 2: and appreciate watch this the faith that it would take
[22:49] Speaker 2: to follow someone on the basis of one sentence that
[22:53] Speaker 2: was said about him.
[22:55] Speaker 5: I thought that was amazing.
[22:57] Speaker 2: However long they've been following John the Baptist. All it
[23:01] Speaker 2: took was one directive and they became the disciples not
[23:05] Speaker 2: of John, but of the one that John was pointing to.
[23:09] Speaker 2: How much faith do you have for the unfamiliar? How
[23:14] Speaker 2: much faith do you have to detach from the way
[23:16] Speaker 2: you've always defined yourself? Do you always have to go
[23:20] Speaker 2: to a white church? Do you always have to go
[23:22] Speaker 2: to a black church?
[23:24] Speaker 1: Or will you go to the.
[23:24] Speaker 2: Church that God sends you to regardless of how people
[23:28] Speaker 2: may define it. Do you always have to go to
[23:31] Speaker 2: a Pentecostal church? Do you always have to go to
[23:33] Speaker 2: a quiet church? Or will you go to the church
[23:36] Speaker 2: that God calls you to? Does it always have to
[23:40] Speaker 2: look like the lens that you have for you to
[23:42] Speaker 2: recognize the lamb in it?
[23:44] Speaker 1: Are you able to adapt?
[23:46] Speaker 2: And when God says change, change? It takes a lot
[23:49] Speaker 2: of faith to change. It takes faith to change how
[23:52] Speaker 2: you parent the kid. It takes faith because you've been
[23:54] Speaker 2: watching over them when they were little, making sure that
[23:57] Speaker 2: they didn't get hurt. But you can't keep them when
[24:00] Speaker 2: they're twenty three from climbing in a tree.
[24:02] Speaker 1: They might fall down, and.
[24:03] Speaker 2: The best you can do is help them with the bills.
[24:05] Speaker 2: It takes faith to let them try new things. It
[24:08] Speaker 2: takes faith to change the relationship. It takes faith to
[24:12] Speaker 2: let go of some of the control. It takes faith
[24:15] Speaker 2: just to completely change. I mean, they pivot on a
[24:17] Speaker 2: single sentence to a person that they know nothing about
[24:22] Speaker 2: except that they know that John has called him the
[24:27] Speaker 2: Lamb of God. And when John said, look the Lamb,
[24:32] Speaker 2: they followed Jesus. They did not ask permission, They did
[24:36] Speaker 2: not interview him, they did not submit a questionnaire, they
[24:40] Speaker 2: did not check yelp. They simply followed Jesus. That's what
[24:44] Speaker 2: it says in verse thirty seven. They followed Jesus. That
[24:48] Speaker 2: takes faith to follow Jesus.
[24:50] Speaker 5: I'm gonna say it again until you get it.
[24:52] Speaker 2: This is not following Jesus like you and I follow Jesus.
[24:54] Speaker 2: Our definition of follow is based on Instagram TikTok and
[24:58] Speaker 2: the artist.
[24:59] Speaker 1: Formerly known as Twins.
[25:00] Speaker 2: We follow somebody on x we follow somebody on Instagram.
[25:04] Speaker 5: It is as simple as hitting a button.
[25:06] Speaker 2: For them, this required a complete shift in their belief system.
[25:10] Speaker 5: This was not a button, This was a belief.
[25:12] Speaker 2: And to transfer all of your belief into someone you've
[25:16] Speaker 2: never seen, and to follow somewhere you've never.
[25:18] Speaker 1: Been, that takes faith.
[25:20] Speaker 2: And so we celebrate the fact that they stepped behind him,
[25:24] Speaker 2: perhaps quietly. How many steps they took before they were
[25:28] Speaker 2: addressed by the rabbi? We don't know how long did
[25:31] Speaker 2: Jesus let them walk before he turned around and acknowledged.
[25:34] Speaker 2: How long did he check to see that they were
[25:36] Speaker 2: still coming? How long did Jesus continue to keep his
[25:39] Speaker 2: stride unbroken because he was on a purpose for a purpose,
[25:44] Speaker 2: with a purpose, not turning off of his path for anybody,
[25:48] Speaker 2: until he finally broke the silence silence, turned around and.
[25:51] Speaker 5: Said what do you seek?
[25:57] Speaker 2: And the disciples didn't say anything very deep back. In fact,
[26:03] Speaker 2: they didn't answer him at all. They said, where are
[26:06] Speaker 2: you staying?
[26:09] Speaker 1: John is so clever.
[26:12] Speaker 2: The word staying that he uses here is the same
[26:15] Speaker 2: word that he uses in John fifteen, where he says
[26:19] Speaker 2: abide stay in me, and I will abide stay in you.
[26:28] Speaker 1: It's the same word, not a letter different.
[26:31] Speaker 2: So what seems on the surface so simple is setting
[26:35] Speaker 2: us up for a revelation that's so deep. It is
[26:38] Speaker 2: that they had the faith to take steps with the Savior.
[26:43] Speaker 2: And boy, don't we love to see somebody take a
[26:45] Speaker 2: step of faith. Don't we love to see somebody get
[26:48] Speaker 2: baptized and take a step of faith. Don't we love
[26:52] Speaker 2: to see somebody raise their hand at the end of
[26:54] Speaker 2: the service and say, I am giving my life to
[26:57] Speaker 2: Jesus today.
[26:58] Speaker 1: And we love it so much we stay the end.
[27:00] Speaker 2: We don't slip out and get to our car early
[27:02] Speaker 2: just because we want to get out before everybody else.
[27:05] Speaker 2: We stay because we care, and we celebrate that they
[27:08] Speaker 2: are starting their relationship with Jesus.
[27:12] Speaker 1: I know, I know, I know, we celebrate that.
[27:18] Speaker 2: We celebrate when somebody goes you know, I'm just gonna
[27:21] Speaker 2: move there by faith. I'm going to Saint Louis. I'm
[27:24] Speaker 2: stepping out in faith Saint Louis. I know there's a
[27:28] Speaker 2: lot of unknowns, there's a lot of uncertainty, but we
[27:30] Speaker 2: will celebrate somebody who can step into uncertainty because most
[27:35] Speaker 2: of us are creatures of comfort, and we stay in
[27:37] Speaker 2: areas of familiarity. And when we watch somebody break free
[27:41] Speaker 2: and audition for American Idol, or we watch somebody break
[27:44] Speaker 2: free from the cage and just step out and do
[27:47] Speaker 2: something completely different. And I'm gonna be a chemist at
[27:49] Speaker 2: age sixty three. I've never studied chemistry in my life.
[27:52] Speaker 2: I don't even know how to use Plato. But I'm
[27:54] Speaker 2: gonna be a chemist at age sixty three. I'm going
[27:57] Speaker 2: back to school. I'm gonna start this. We celebrate that
[28:00] Speaker 2: so well. But can I tell you something staying is underrated.
[28:08] Speaker 2: Staying is underrating because the same way that you think
[28:13] Speaker 2: it takes faith to step, I think it takes faith
[28:15] Speaker 2: to stay. And I will prove it to you not
[28:18] Speaker 2: from my own mind or experience. I will prove it
[28:21] Speaker 2: to you from this text. When they said where are
[28:25] Speaker 2: you staying? He said, come and you will see. And
[28:27] Speaker 2: verse thirty nine is the clearest verse that gets across
[28:32] Speaker 2: my message today in this entire passage.
[28:36] Speaker 1: So they came and saw where he was staying. And
[28:38] Speaker 1: watch what they did next.
[28:40] Speaker 2: Applaud them for stepping out, Applaud them for following the lamb.
[28:43] Speaker 2: It takes faith to be led by a lamb. It
[28:46] Speaker 2: takes faith to look at a lamb when you can't
[28:48] Speaker 2: see a King. All of that takes faith. To give
[28:50] Speaker 2: up on your plans, to give up all of that
[28:52] Speaker 2: takes faith. But I want to celebrate something different today.
[28:55] Speaker 2: Look at it in verse thirty nine. So they came
[28:58] Speaker 2: and saw where he was.
[28:59] Speaker 5: Staying, and they stayed with him that day.
[29:05] Speaker 2: I celebrate that they had faith to stay, and you
[29:11] Speaker 2: celebrate that they had faith to step. But I celebrate
[29:15] Speaker 2: that they had faith to stay. And could it be
[29:19] Speaker 2: that in this season of your life, with all of
[29:23] Speaker 2: the turmoil, with all of the trauma, with all of
[29:27] Speaker 2: the unknowns, with all of the transformations and metamorphosis that
[29:31] Speaker 2: you're going through, God is calling you to a greater
[29:34] Speaker 2: level of faith. And this season of faith will not
[29:38] Speaker 2: be defined by your step.
[29:40] Speaker 5: It will be defined by your stay.
[29:44] Speaker 2: And God said today, if I would preach this message
[29:48] Speaker 2: like he gave it to me, he would put your
[29:51] Speaker 2: focus in your eyes on Jesus and give you the
[29:54] Speaker 2: faith to stay. I don't know who this is for,
[29:58] Speaker 2: but you're where you need to be.
[30:00] Speaker 1: I don't know who this is.
[30:01] Speaker 5: For, but don't move a muscle.
[30:03] Speaker 2: I'll know who this is for, But pillow your head
[30:06] Speaker 2: on the lion and take a nap. Because God is
[30:08] Speaker 2: going to be shining through about four hours from now.
[30:12] Speaker 1: Stay where he puts you.
[30:14] Speaker 2: Blessed are those who are planted by the streams of water.
[30:18] Speaker 2: I feel like preaching because if you quit, we'd give
[30:21] Speaker 2: you a going away party. If you started, we'd give
[30:24] Speaker 2: you a showing up party. But I want to give
[30:26] Speaker 2: somebody a stay and put party today. And the fact is,
[30:30] Speaker 2: it would have been easier for you to leave.
[30:33] Speaker 1: It would have been easier for you to walk off.
[30:35] Speaker 5: It would have been easier.
[30:36] Speaker 2: For you to wring your hands and throw in the
[30:39] Speaker 2: towel and give up on God. It would have been
[30:42] Speaker 2: easier for you to switch churches thirteen times in the.
[30:45] Speaker 1: Past fifteen years.
[30:47] Speaker 2: It would have been easier for you to say, let
[30:49] Speaker 2: me find a younger woman. It would have been easier
[30:51] Speaker 2: for you to say, let me find a richer man.
[30:53] Speaker 2: You could have tried your chances out there on the
[30:55] Speaker 2: open market, but.
[30:57] Speaker 1: Instead you stayed.
[30:59] Speaker 2: And I elebrate the stayers today because it is since
[31:03] Speaker 2: staying that you see you're telling me not to take
[31:12] Speaker 2: the job.
[31:12] Speaker 5: I don't know what's the job you.
[31:15] Speaker 1: Might should take it, but I'll tell you one thing
[31:17] Speaker 1: about the.
[31:18] Speaker 5: Job that you take.
[31:19] Speaker 2: You are going to be going to work at that
[31:22] Speaker 2: company with you. So make sure that before you go
[31:26] Speaker 2: to work to somebody else, you let work for somebody else,
[31:30] Speaker 2: You let God work on you enough that you like
[31:33] Speaker 2: the person that you go to work with when you
[31:35] Speaker 2: go to work. Because if you go to work and
[31:37] Speaker 2: you don't like who you work with, I'm talking about you.
[31:39] Speaker 1: If you don't like who you.
[31:41] Speaker 2: Show up with, you can turn a vacation into a hell.
[31:44] Speaker 2: You can turn a mansion into a ghetto, you can
[31:46] Speaker 2: turn anything. Oh God, if you don't learn to stay,
[31:52] Speaker 2: you will never seem king. Jesus, can we stay with
[32:02] Speaker 2: you for a day? Jesus said, all right, you can
[32:06] Speaker 2: say you can stay.
[32:10] Speaker 1: Come stay with me.
[32:12] Speaker 2: I thought that was so cool that the first thing
[32:15] Speaker 2: we see about Jesus in the scripture is through staying.
[32:20] Speaker 1: And I'm all for steps of faith, right, but.
[32:24] Speaker 2: I think that today that the majority of us in
[32:26] Speaker 2: the church aren't being called so much to a step
[32:30] Speaker 2: as a stay. I'll break it down more. I know
[32:34] Speaker 2: it's kind of confusion. Where are you going to go
[32:38] Speaker 2: to college when you graduate high school? I don't care
[32:42] Speaker 2: so much where you go to college as the fact
[32:46] Speaker 2: that you stay close to God when you get there.
[32:52] Speaker 2: So so go to the one that you can afford,
[32:57] Speaker 2: go to the one that you make sense to. You,
[32:59] Speaker 2: go to the one that you have an offer for you. See,
[33:01] Speaker 2: I'm talking to you because it's more important that you
[33:04] Speaker 2: stay pure when you get there than it is that
[33:09] Speaker 2: you select.
[33:11] Speaker 1: Correctly where you're going to go.
[33:14] Speaker 2: And so much of our agony in life is about
[33:18] Speaker 2: going and getting it right.
[33:19] Speaker 1: And oh Jesus, am I following you? Right?
[33:21] Speaker 2: Am?
[33:21] Speaker 1: I doing the right thing?
[33:22] Speaker 2: And we get so paralyzed by that when they saw Jesus,
[33:27] Speaker 2: because they stayed. I told you you're going to talk
[33:31] Speaker 2: about this message at home, and what I thought was,
[33:33] Speaker 2: you'll probably use this message against each other, you know.
[33:37] Speaker 1: See, I told you we weren't supposed to move. See
[33:39] Speaker 1: I told you we weren't supposed to sell the house.
[33:40] Speaker 5: God said stay.
[33:41] Speaker 1: Well, that's not what he meant that. No, that's not
[33:43] Speaker 1: what I mean.
[33:45] Speaker 2: I am talking about the faith to stay even when
[33:50] Speaker 2: everything inside of you is telling you to.
[33:53] Speaker 1: Rebel and run.
[33:54] Speaker 2: Yeah, many of you will not be here in this
[33:57] Speaker 2: church this time next year. And if that's because God
[34:00] Speaker 2: has moved you somewhere else and you're being fed there,
[34:03] Speaker 2: then I celebrate. But if it's because you found it
[34:06] Speaker 2: hard to follow Jesus and you thought that stepping out
[34:11] Speaker 2: was what it meant to have faith, then I did
[34:13] Speaker 2: not correctly teach you that it takes faith to stay.
[34:20] Speaker 2: It doesn't take faith for you to be into the
[34:23] Speaker 2: Bible one month, and then into New Age crystals the
[34:25] Speaker 2: next month, and then into self help and motivational teaching
[34:28] Speaker 2: the third month, and by the fourth month, we can't
[34:30] Speaker 2: even keep up with your location anymore. And we've got
[34:33] Speaker 2: you on life three sixty, but we don't know what
[34:35] Speaker 2: weird part of the map you've gone to because you
[34:37] Speaker 2: won't stay anywhere, and you won't build anything.
[34:40] Speaker 1: And the first time you hit a.
[34:41] Speaker 2: Question in the scripture and the first time you hit
[34:44] Speaker 2: something you don't understand about God, you think you got
[34:46] Speaker 2: to run from God. But what if the thing you
[34:48] Speaker 2: don't understand about God is just the reinforcement that.
[34:50] Speaker 1: You're not him.
[34:51] Speaker 2: What if the thing that you don't understand about Jesus
[34:53] Speaker 2: as the invitation to come deeper into him. Do you
[34:56] Speaker 2: really think that when you found Jesus you were finished.
[34:59] Speaker 1: You weren't finished when you found him.
[35:01] Speaker 2: In fact, you didn't even really find him He found you,
[35:04] Speaker 2: and he found you a mess, and he cleans you
[35:06] Speaker 2: up and he welcomed you home. And you've got to
[35:08] Speaker 2: learn to stay this time. You cannot keep running to
[35:12] Speaker 2: the hog pen every time it gets hard. You cannot
[35:14] Speaker 2: keep running to escape mechanisms that leave you a slave
[35:17] Speaker 2: every time it gets hard. You've got to stay somewhere.
[35:20] Speaker 2: You've got to stay positive surrounded by problems. You've got
[35:24] Speaker 2: to stay looking for the lamb of God. You've got
[35:27] Speaker 2: to stay looking for redemption. You've got to find a
[35:30] Speaker 2: reason to forgive, a strength to forgive.
[35:32] Speaker 1: You've got to find something.
[35:34] Speaker 2: To say to yourself to get yourself up in the morning.
[35:36] Speaker 1: You've got to.
[35:37] Speaker 2: Stay in faith when everything inside of.
[35:39] Speaker 5: You is screaming fear.
[35:41] Speaker 2: I'm gonna tell you how I get my messages from God.
[35:44] Speaker 2: I stay in the chair till he speaks.
[35:47] Speaker 1: If he doesn't speak.
[35:47] Speaker 2: In the chair, I get on my face on the floor,
[35:50] Speaker 2: and I stay on my face still he speaks.
[35:53] Speaker 1: If he doesn't speak.
[35:54] Speaker 2: When I'm on my face on the floor, I pace
[35:56] Speaker 2: around the house and I stay pacing. But even if
[35:59] Speaker 2: I'm moving and I'm staying, I might have to change locations.
[36:03] Speaker 2: But I'm staying. I might have to change clothes, but
[36:06] Speaker 2: I'm staying. I might have to downsize some of my life,
[36:09] Speaker 2: but I'm staying.
[36:10] Speaker 1: I might have to change some.
[36:11] Speaker 2: Affiliations, but I'm staying because you keep saying that faith
[36:15] Speaker 2: will bring you out.
[36:16] Speaker 1: But I believe God can give you the.
[36:18] Speaker 2: Faith to stay rooted, planted, more fruit, much route, abounding
[36:24] Speaker 2: fruit if you abide it. And they stayed with him
[36:32] Speaker 2: that day. Oh that's an important detail. Don't miss that
[36:37] Speaker 2: they stayed that day. God doesn't call you to have
[36:40] Speaker 2: the faith to stay for ten years, just that day,
[36:44] Speaker 2: just that day. You can follow Jesus the whole way.
[36:48] Speaker 5: That way.
[36:50] Speaker 2: I talked to somebody who was sober one time. They've
[36:53] Speaker 2: been sober seven years.
[36:54] Speaker 1: I met him just this past the Elevation Night's tour.
[36:58] Speaker 2: They said, I've been sober seven years. I said seven years.
[37:02] Speaker 2: How they said, No, I didn't stay sober seven years.
[37:05] Speaker 1: I stayed sober.
[37:07] Speaker 2: One day and another day, and another day, and another day.
[37:15] Speaker 1: You see what I'm saying.
[37:16] Speaker 2: I stayed another day, I stayed another day. That's how
[37:21] Speaker 2: you do it. You stay another day, Tell your neighbors
[37:23] Speaker 2: stay another day, stay another day. That's all you got
[37:25] Speaker 2: to do. You have to forecast out into the future.
[37:28] Speaker 2: You are losing your strength because you are projecting too
[37:31] Speaker 2: far into your future. Stay another day, stay another breath,
[37:35] Speaker 2: stay another moment, Stay another day.
[37:38] Speaker 1: That's all I've got to do.
[37:40] Speaker 2: Is stay another day. And that day they stayed with Jesus.
[37:45] Speaker 2: And the Bible does us so dirty? All John didn
[37:49] Speaker 2: as dirty. He just completely cuts to the next scene.
[37:54] Speaker 2: And they stayed with him that day. And they ran
[37:59] Speaker 2: to Peter and said, we have found the Christ. I
[38:02] Speaker 2: want to know what happened in that house? What did
[38:06] Speaker 2: he say? What did he do? We know he didn't
[38:09] Speaker 2: do a miracle, because the first miracle isn't until John
[38:12] Speaker 2: chapter two. It says in John chapter two, this was
[38:15] Speaker 2: the first of the signs that Jesus performed in Cana,
[38:17] Speaker 2: which is where Nathaniel was from, who we preached about
[38:19] Speaker 2: last week, who Jesus told, you'll see greater things than these.
[38:21] Speaker 2: And then the next thing he saw was a miracle
[38:23] Speaker 2: of water becoming wine in his own hometown at a wedding.
[38:27] Speaker 2: But he wasn't turning water into wine in that house,
[38:29] Speaker 2: said day he did that. In John chapter two, they
[38:32] Speaker 2: weren't drinking wine in the house. What was he saying
[38:35] Speaker 2: in that house that day? And we don't know except
[38:39] Speaker 2: that they stayed. And sometimes I can't explain it to you,
[38:44] Speaker 2: but just.
[38:45] Speaker 1: By staying, you get to see it. And that true. Chris.
[38:53] Speaker 1: Where's Chris?
[38:55] Speaker 2: He'd always in here, been my worship leader for eighteen years.
[39:10] Speaker 2: He's won two Grammys, had a bunch of babies, you like,
[39:25] Speaker 2: I said, he had them.
[39:29] Speaker 1: Bet is right by his side.
[39:33] Speaker 2: He told me, he told me, he told me, he
[39:38] Speaker 2: told me about seventeen years ago. I don't care if
[39:40] Speaker 2: I ever win a Grammy, he said. I don't care
[39:43] Speaker 2: if I ever get to go on Good Morning America.
[39:47] Speaker 1: And he's done that too.
[39:51] Speaker 2: I don't care if I ever have a platinum record,
[39:53] Speaker 2: gold record, he says. If this so perful, he said,
[39:56] Speaker 2: I want to see what my life can be if
[39:57] Speaker 2: I planned it in one place and serve God.
[40:08] Speaker 1: I'm gonna stop again because my heart is not.
[40:11] Speaker 2: The heart of just a speaker, but a pastor. I
[40:14] Speaker 2: am not saying that you were wrong to change jobs.
[40:18] Speaker 2: I'm not saying that you would be wrong to break
[40:20] Speaker 2: up with your boyfriend. In fact, some of you need
[40:23] Speaker 2: to end it with him so you could.
[40:29] Speaker 1: Stay with him.
[40:33] Speaker 2: Okay, that'd probably be real confusing if you were listening
[40:40] Speaker 2: to this and not watching the video.
[40:42] Speaker 1: Wouldn't it.
[40:44] Speaker 2: Stay with God? And I thought it was interesting that
[40:50] Speaker 2: fruit that Chris didn't even care about came to him
[40:54] Speaker 2: because he stayed planted in what God cares.
[40:56] Speaker 1: About that day.
[41:03] Speaker 2: It's almost like there's foreshadowing in this text. They stayed
[41:06] Speaker 2: with him that day, But what happened the next day, Well,
[41:09] Speaker 2: the next day he decided to leave for Galilee. They
[41:11] Speaker 2: found Philip and said follow me, and then they found
[41:16] Speaker 2: Nathaniel and then they took off and went to the
[41:18] Speaker 2: wedding and all of that.
[41:21] Speaker 1: Do you know that more would.
[41:22] Speaker 4: Be revealed to these disciples through where Jesus stayed then
[41:27] Speaker 4: where he stepped.
[41:30] Speaker 2: I was thinking about this because we're in a series
[41:33] Speaker 2: called Sea King Jesus, right, and these disciples were so
[41:38] Speaker 2: surprised to see Jesus at a wedding turning water into wine, like, hey, Jesus,
[41:42] Speaker 2: we got to get out of here. The wine's gone,
[41:43] Speaker 2: And Jesus is like, now, this is what we came for.
[41:46] Speaker 2: We showed up to stay after the wine is gone,
[41:48] Speaker 2: so that after everything seems to be over, we could
[41:51] Speaker 2: turn what seems to be nothing into something. But then
[41:55] Speaker 2: their next stop was at the temple where Jesus made
[41:57] Speaker 2: a whip and started driving out the people who were
[42:00] Speaker 2: charging the people for an exchange rate and charging them
[42:02] Speaker 2: for sacrifices and lying the people in the house of God.
[42:05] Speaker 2: And he said, you're robbing the people instead of praying.
[42:09] Speaker 2: So now notice this all. In John chapter two, they
[42:12] Speaker 2: go from wine to whips, And it's the same Jesus
[42:16] Speaker 2: doing both. And one represents provision and one represents correction.
[42:23] Speaker 1: And it's the same Jesus doing both.
[42:26] Speaker 2: And sometimes we'll stay with him through the provision, but
[42:29] Speaker 2: we won't stay with him through the correction. But it's
[42:33] Speaker 2: the same shepherd of the stars who orders both. And
[42:36] Speaker 2: sometimes we will follow God because he's.
[42:39] Speaker 1: Ordering our steps. Yes, Lord, let me make the right decision.
[42:42] Speaker 1: Yes Lord, let me make the right investments. Yes Lord,
[42:44] Speaker 1: let me meet the right people.
[42:46] Speaker 2: Yes, God, bring the right opportunities, the right scholarships. And
[42:49] Speaker 2: as long as he's ordering our steps, we're good. But
[42:51] Speaker 2: what about when he orders your stay? For example, in
[42:56] Speaker 2: John chapter four, Jesus shows up to a place called Samaria,
[43:00] Speaker 2: which is a place where the Jews wanted to go around,
[43:04] Speaker 2: but Jesus went through it. And not only did he
[43:07] Speaker 2: go directly through Samaria, which was a place of great political, economic,
[43:11] Speaker 2: and social tension. But the Bible says in John chapter four,
[43:14] Speaker 2: verse six, that when he got there, his disciples went
[43:16] Speaker 2: to get lunch, and he sat down on a well
[43:19] Speaker 2: and stayed.
[43:21] Speaker 1: In the heat of the day.
[43:23] Speaker 2: The Bible says at noon or the sixth hour, the
[43:25] Speaker 2: way they counted, he stayed in the sun waiting for
[43:29] Speaker 2: a woman who had become an evangelist to.
[43:32] Speaker 1: The area see it.
[43:34] Speaker 2: They saw something of him as he walked, but they
[43:37] Speaker 2: saw even more when he stayed.
[43:42] Speaker 1: On his way to the temple.
[43:43] Speaker 2: In John chapter five, he stopped by the pool of Bethesda,
[43:47] Speaker 2: and there was a man there who had been stuck
[43:48] Speaker 2: there for thirty eight years. And Jesus, who had more
[43:52] Speaker 2: important things to do, and more important people to see it,
[43:54] Speaker 2: more important places to go, he stayed by this man
[43:58] Speaker 2: until this man was able to walk. You can see
[44:01] Speaker 2: a lot about the Savior by when he chooses to stay.
[44:04] Speaker 1: In John chapter six, the multitudes have come.
[44:07] Speaker 2: To hear him preach, and he taught so long they
[44:09] Speaker 2: got hungry, and the disciples said they gotta go they
[44:11] Speaker 2: gotta leave. We gotta get out of here. Man, there's
[44:13] Speaker 2: not enough food. And Jesus said, no, they can stay.
[44:17] Speaker 2: They can stay. You don't have to feed him, but
[44:21] Speaker 2: I'm going to They can stay. You can see a
[44:24] Speaker 2: lot about a savior who won't turn a hungry soul away.
[44:28] Speaker 2: You can see a lot about a savior who says, no,
[44:30] Speaker 2: she can stay. He could stay. I know they made
[44:32] Speaker 2: some mistakes, but they can stay. I know you didn't
[44:35] Speaker 2: plan for it, but they can stay. You can see
[44:37] Speaker 2: a lot about the Savior from where he stays. In
[44:40] Speaker 2: John chapter seven, when his brothers were like, you gotta
[44:42] Speaker 2: go up and prove yourself, got to go to one
[44:44] Speaker 2: of the feast, and Jesus said, no, I'm good in Galilee,
[44:47] Speaker 2: y'all go, I'm gonna stay. You can tell a lot
[44:50] Speaker 2: by the Savior from where he stays. In John chapter eight,
[44:53] Speaker 2: there was a woman who came to him who was
[44:55] Speaker 2: caught in the act of adult tree, and Jesus, who
[44:58] Speaker 2: had the right to throw a rock at her and
[45:01] Speaker 2: punish her by penalty of the law of Moses for
[45:03] Speaker 2: adulterree got down in the ground. You could tell a
[45:06] Speaker 2: lot by a savior who stoops and stays in the
[45:11] Speaker 2: dirt while others.
[45:12] Speaker 1: Are casting stones.
[45:13] Speaker 2: You can tell a lot by a savior by where
[45:16] Speaker 2: he stays. In John chapter nine, there was a man
[45:18] Speaker 2: who was born blind. He was blind from birth, and
[45:22] Speaker 2: Jesus said, it's a sabbath, but I'm gonna heal you anyway,
[45:25] Speaker 2: because I'm going to stay and heal you, even if
[45:28] Speaker 2: it cost me controversy. You could tell a lot by
[45:31] Speaker 2: a savior who stays. In John chapter eleven brings us
[45:34] Speaker 2: to the pinnacle of this message, the faith to stay,
[45:38] Speaker 2: because the Bible says in John chapter eleven, verse one,
[45:41] Speaker 2: Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethaning,
[45:46] Speaker 2: the village of.
[45:46] Speaker 1: Mary and her sister Martha.
[45:49] Speaker 2: This Mary, whose brother Lazareth now lay sick, was the
[45:53] Speaker 2: same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped
[45:56] Speaker 2: his feet with her hair. So send word to Jesus, Lord,
[46:01] Speaker 2: the one you love is sick. And when he heard this,
[46:05] Speaker 2: Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. No,
[46:08] Speaker 2: it is for God's glory, so that God's son may
[46:12] Speaker 2: be glorified through it.
[46:15] Speaker 5: Now Jesus loved Martha.
[46:18] Speaker 2: He loved her sister, and he loved Lazarus, so when
[46:24] Speaker 2: he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two
[46:31] Speaker 2: more days. You could tell a lot about the Savior
[46:34] Speaker 2: from where he goes. You could tell a lot about
[46:37] Speaker 2: the Savior from what he says, But you can tell
[46:40] Speaker 2: even more about the Savior from where he stays. And
[46:44] Speaker 2: now we are confused, and we are forgiven for being confused.
[46:48] Speaker 5: Because why would verse six say?
[46:51] Speaker 2: He loved them and they needed him, so he stayed
[46:55] Speaker 2: two more days. Imagine the confusion of John and Andrew.
[46:59] Speaker 2: Didn't you hear Jesus he's sick? Why are we staying
[47:03] Speaker 2: when he's sick? And perhaps Jesus pulled John aside, you know,
[47:07] Speaker 2: because John is the one he loved the most. John
[47:10] Speaker 2: is the teacher's pet. And maybe he explained to John
[47:13] Speaker 2: off the record. See if I go while he's sick,
[47:17] Speaker 2: they will know me as healer.
[47:18] Speaker 1: But they already know me as healer.
[47:21] Speaker 2: And there is something I want to show about my
[47:24] Speaker 2: nature that I can only trust to someone that I love,
[47:29] Speaker 2: and I know they love me. And since I know
[47:32] Speaker 2: they love me enough, I can stay here because they
[47:37] Speaker 2: will love me even if I'm late.
[47:40] Speaker 1: Abide in me.
[47:41] Speaker 2: Abide in me, and you will bear much fruit. Abide
[47:45] Speaker 2: in me through anxiety. Abide in me though friends forsake you.
[47:51] Speaker 2: Abide in me with sickness in your body. Abide in
[47:55] Speaker 2: me when the worst things happen. So he's stayed because
[48:01] Speaker 2: he had faith get ready for this. He had faith
[48:05] Speaker 2: to know that I can stay two more days. And
[48:09] Speaker 2: when I show up Jesus, the Son of God, Jesus
[48:12] Speaker 2: the Lamb of God, Jesus who is the Resurrection new.
[48:17] Speaker 2: When I get there, I'm going to speak the word.
[48:20] Speaker 2: And there is enough power in my word that when
[48:23] Speaker 2: I say Lazarus, get.
[48:25] Speaker 5: Up, he can't stay. So I have faith to stay
[48:29] Speaker 5: right where I.
[48:30] Speaker 2: Am, because when I say his name, he's coming.
[48:33] Speaker 1: Out off the grain. We could have had church right there,
[48:46] Speaker 1: but you missed your Q.
[48:49] Speaker 5: God is not staying away.
[48:51] Speaker 2: In your situation because he forgot about you.
[48:55] Speaker 1: God did not.
[48:57] Speaker 2: Get lost on the way to Bethany. Jesus did not
[49:01] Speaker 2: have bad cell signal and and unfortunately not get your message.
[49:07] Speaker 2: There are times in your life that God shows his
[49:10] Speaker 2: love for you by the fact that he trusts you
[49:13] Speaker 2: enough to stay. He knows you will stay, He knows
[49:19] Speaker 2: you are like job. They will not curse God no
[49:23] Speaker 2: matter what afflicts their life. They will not walk away
[49:26] Speaker 2: from Me, no matter who walks away from them. And
[49:29] Speaker 2: God knows those who have faith to stay.
[49:42] Speaker 7: So God, God faith to stay, because Jesus have faith.
[49:57] Speaker 2: To stay on the cross Us when he could have
[50:02] Speaker 2: called legions of angels, and Peter said, don't you have
[50:08] Speaker 2: enough fight faith to fight back Jesus? And Jesus said,
[50:12] Speaker 2: don't you have enough faith to stay? Don't you have
[50:17] Speaker 2: enough faith to trust me in this situation? And I
[50:23] Speaker 2: believe that the greatest faith in this room today is
[50:28] Speaker 2: in the faith that somebody asked.
[50:31] Speaker 7: To stay, to stay abide.
[50:37] Speaker 1: They stayed with him that day. By the way, when
[50:42] Speaker 1: Jesus went to the cross, only one stayed. His name
[50:46] Speaker 1: was John, the one who wrote it had the.
[50:50] Speaker 7: Faith to stay.
[50:52] Speaker 1: You celebrate Peter who got out the walk on the water. Great.
[50:56] Speaker 2: I celebrate John who had the faith to stay at
[50:58] Speaker 2: the foot of the cross. Want everyone's standing, heads bowed
[51:08] Speaker 2: and eyes closed. Father God, we receive your word today.
[51:15] Speaker 2: You are an amazing God. You are an incredible God.
[51:20] Speaker 2: You are a wonder working God that never changes.
[51:25] Speaker 1: I bless you today, God, because you stayed.
[51:29] Speaker 2: By my side so many seasons where others left, and
[51:34] Speaker 2: you stay. My prayer today is for someone whose branches
[51:39] Speaker 2: are being shaken by the storm of their life, someone
[51:44] Speaker 2: who may have moved to that John chapter eleven.
[51:47] Speaker 1: Moment.
[51:49] Speaker 2: I pray that you would give them the faith to stay.
[51:55] Speaker 2: I thank you that you called Peter the Rock long
[51:57] Speaker 2: before he ever was, because you knew that your purpose
[52:00] Speaker 2: for him would stay. Lord, I thank you today that
[52:06] Speaker 2: there is a name that when that name is mentioned,
[52:11] Speaker 2: dead things come alive. So Lord, we want to take
[52:21] Speaker 2: just a moment and look at the lamb of God,
[52:27] Speaker 2: the one who is worthy of all praise, the one
[52:31] Speaker 2: who is worthy of all worship, the one whose name
[52:35] Speaker 2: never fails, the one who went to the grave on Friday,
[52:40] Speaker 2: stayed on Saturday, and.
[52:42] Speaker 1: Got up on Sunday. God give us that Saturday faith
[52:45] Speaker 1: to stay. Today.
[52:47] Speaker 2: We want to see King Jesus high and lift it up.
[52:51] Speaker 1: We want to see King Jesus.
[52:53] Speaker 2: But we're looking at the lamb of God today, heads bowed,
[52:58] Speaker 2: eyes closed all.
[52:58] Speaker 1: Over this room.
[53:00] Speaker 2: I believe there is someone today who God is giving
[53:03] Speaker 2: you the opportunity to become.
[53:04] Speaker 1: A follower of Jesus Christ.
[53:07] Speaker 2: And I want to invite you right now, by the
[53:08] Speaker 2: power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus,
[53:12] Speaker 2: on the authority of the Word of God, to place
[53:14] Speaker 2: your faith in Jesus, to make that.
[53:17] Speaker 1: First step of faith, to become a follower of Christ.
[53:20] Speaker 1: And you know when you.
[53:21] Speaker 2: Make that step of faith, you're not stepping out on
[53:24] Speaker 2: your own. The Spirit of God comes in to be
[53:27] Speaker 2: your helper. The spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
[53:31] Speaker 2: The blood of Jesus Christ that pardons all sin, will
[53:34] Speaker 2: come and wash your soul and make you a new creation.
[53:38] Speaker 1: Has bowed eyes closed.
[53:39] Speaker 2: You say that's me today, Pastor Stephen. I believe the
[53:42] Speaker 2: Lord is calling me to this moment to follow him.
[53:45] Speaker 2: Or maybe I have fallen away. There was a time
[53:47] Speaker 2: I was following Christ. But today I'm coming back. If
[53:51] Speaker 2: that's you, we're going to pray a prayer right now.
[53:53] Speaker 2: We're praying it out loud as a church family for
[53:56] Speaker 2: the benefit of those who are coming to God. Are
[53:59] Speaker 2: coming back to God. Repeat after me, Church, Heavenly Father,
[54:03] Speaker 2: today is my day of salvation. I am a sinner
[54:10] Speaker 2: in need of a savior, and I believe that Jesus
[54:15] Speaker 2: Christ is the Son of God and the savior of
[54:19] Speaker 2: the world.
[54:20] Speaker 5: And today I make Jesus the Lord of my life.
[54:26] Speaker 2: I believe he died that I would be forgiven and
[54:30] Speaker 2: rose again to give me life. I receive this new life.
[54:36] Speaker 2: This is my new beginning. I am a child of God.
[54:43] Speaker 2: On the count of three shoots your hand in the ear.
[54:45] Speaker 2: If you prayed that one, two, three celebrates you right now.
[54:51] Speaker 5: Praise the Lord.
[54:53] Speaker 1: Praise the Lord.
[54:54] Speaker 2: Everybody.
[54:58] Speaker 3: Hey, I hope you enjoyed the podcast, and if you did,
[55:01] Speaker 3: make sure to share it and subscribe so we can
[55:04] Speaker 3: get you all of these new messages as soon as
[55:06] Speaker 3: they're available. I also want to take a moment and
[55:09] Speaker 3: thank all of you who are a part of Elevation.
[55:11] Speaker 3: Whether you support us financially, or serve with us, or
[55:15] Speaker 3: just share these messages, it's because of you that we're
[55:18] Speaker 3: able to reach people all around the world. And if
[55:21] Speaker 3: you want more information on how to be a part
[55:23] Speaker 3: of Elevation, click the link in the description. Thanks again
[55:27] Speaker 3: for listening. Make sure to leave a review, share the message,
[55:30] Speaker 3: and subscribe.
[55:31] Speaker 1: God bless you.

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