April 4, 2025 • 38 mins
The greatest pain and greatest pleasure of your life will be experienced in the context of relationship. So, what’s the secret to successful ones? Discover how the cross makes it possible for us to not only have a loving relationship with God, but for us to also have thriving relationships with others.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation
Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank
you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope
it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to
see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message.
We are in the middle of something and that's where
God is. That really blesses me to know that, because
(00:25):
waiting for the finished product until I can have joy,
have peace, trust God, be happy. That doesn't sound very
promising to me. But if God is at ever present
help in trouble, in times of trouble, That's one thing
the Bible says about God. If he'll walk up to
me in the middle of a storm, if he'll be
(00:47):
with me in the middle of the fire, if he'll
split the sea so I can walk through it and
drown my enemies behind me, I can keep moving.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Forward with the faith that God has my back in
every situation.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
So I think the idea of process has really been
challenging us and celebrating our progress rather than awaiting our perfection.
Is revolutionizing. Like me and Autumn talk every week, She's
been in our church eleven years, and she's like, I
never have seen Jesus in the way that I've been
seeing him in this series. And she grew up. She's
such a church girl, y'all. I mean seriously, she's got
(01:24):
Leviticus memorized in Hebrew and she's like, it's just opening
my eyes. And that's the revelation factor revelation. Today, I
want to talk about revelation in the context of relationship.
Please write this down. The greatest pain and pleasure that
you will experience in your life will be in the
context of relationship. I did you kind of dirty. I
(01:46):
didn't give you a chance to get your pin out,
your thumbs warmed up. So I'm going to try to
say it again. The greatest pain and greatest pleasure in
your life will be experienced in the context of relationship.
So one of the words that Jesus spoke from the
cross is commonly called the word of relationship. We're going
to deal with that today. But I've been using a
(02:07):
flashback technique. I try to be creative in the way
I present the word. I don't know if it makes
sense to everybody else, but just ways that make it
exciting for me because I figure i'd like my own sermons.
If nobody else does, I'll subscribe to the podcast. But
I've been looking at Luke twenty four. These two people.
(02:27):
One is called we call him Cleo. His full name
is Cleopus. He has an unnamed traveling companion. They're going
the wrong way to a no name village called a Maus.
I mean it has a name, but you can't find
it if you go to the Holy Land today. They'll say,
we think this is where a Mais was, but they
don't even really know where it was. It wasn't some
(02:48):
metropolitan major area where commerce happened. It was where they lived.
And they were going back from the scene of the cross,
where they had watched their hope extinguished, and they had
watched the one that they thought might be the one die,
and they were burying their dreams along the road when
the one whose death they were morning walked up right
beside them, and they didn't know it. And so they're
(03:12):
like walking back the wrong way. And there's this whole
thing about why would Jesus follow people who are headed
in the wrong direction, Why would he leave the ninety
nine righteous to find the one? Why would he come
for the sick and not stay with the well. And
I think that's one thing that we misconstrue about God's
presence in our lives, is that He's going to be
with us as long as we're doing what he told
(03:33):
us to do and going where he told us to go.
And yet we're surprised by the grace of God just
like busting up in the middle of our conversations and
our hopeless situations and chasing us down to the wrong
destination so he can turn us around. And when they
got where they thought they were going, they saw who
Jesus really was. And I think they saw it in
(03:54):
his scars when he broke the bread, which is an
everyday event. You know, you eat every day, and God
is often found in the common marks of our lives.
I'm teaching already if you didn't know, this is not
a review. So seeing where he had been wounded and
now seeing his scars, which were the greatest demonstration of
his strength that proved his resurrection, they had their eyes
(04:17):
open and he was revealed and recognized by them in
that moment. One thing I didn't point out that I
think is very important. And I'm going to read the
text and I'm going to emphasize certain words and see
if you can find the theme. The Bible says in
verse thirty two that after they recognized Jesus, you know,
you have these moments where you're like, oh, yeah, that
was God. Oh yeah, that was God that had him
(04:41):
break up with me. He was broke. God was looking
out for me. But sometimes you don't see it on
the road. You only realize it in reverse. You like,
see their picture ten years later and you're like, oh,
thank you, love Mary now. So they're like, oh, that
(05:01):
was him, that was the one we were crying over.
But he's not dead, he's risen. And look at this.
I'm going to emphasize certain works. Verse thirty two. They
asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us?
While he talked with us on the road and opened
the scriptures to us, are you noticing anything? Okay, one
(05:27):
more verse? Make sure you get it. They got a
and returned it. Once to Jerusalem, they found the eleven
and those with them assembled together. Their revelation of Jesus
was completed not in the context of their conversation with him,
(05:50):
but in the context of their conversation with each other.
This message is called complete the cross and it is
meant to confront some of the things that we say
in church that sound spiritual but really make no sense
in real life, things like, you know, all I need
(06:10):
is Jesus. As long as I've got Jesus, I don't
need anybody else. And I understand the spirit of that
that he is the most important, and seek he first,
the King, to God his Righteous. All these things be
added under you and my mother and Father for save me,
then the Lord will take me up. I know those
Bible verses too, But even Jesus needed a team, and
(06:34):
it is significant I think, maybe you don't think so,
that he revealed himself to two people and they talked
with each other, and it was in talking with each
other that they figured out who he was. Because for
all of us who think all we need is God
and all we need is Jesus. The last time I checked,
the cross had two beams. This one that's the main one.
(07:01):
Got to get that right. But it's not a cross
until it does like this. And sometimes the reason we
like to say things like all I need is Jesus
and all I need is God is because as long
as we keep the context of our relationship limited to
(07:22):
an invisible God. We don't have to deal with people,
and we can kind of manipulate our image of God
into somebody who is comfortable for us to relate to.
And then you'll start saying things like, well, nobody else
gets me, but God does. And so you're all this,
(07:44):
all this, and that's awesome and I love it. But
I want to talk a little bit about this, the relationship.
The relationship that is a little bit harder. So to
do it. I want to remember what happened on the cross.
(08:08):
And I wonder when Cleophus and his unnamed companion are
walking back, because the Bible says they got up, they
turned around, they thought it was the end. It was
really the beginning. They had watched Jesus die on the cross,
watching him die, they thought this is it. But Heaven
is watching and saying no when he said it is finished,
(08:30):
that was just the beginning. Come on, I need somebody
who travels six hours or more to know that where
you are right now is not the end of what
shall be in your life. I feel like preaching to
somebody who's got your head hung down. You've been in
a mayis long enough. Come on, you got a round
(08:52):
prim ticket and they turned around and they went back,
And the Bible says that the road they walked was seven.
So we've been using each of the seven miles to
represent a different word that Jesus spoke from the cross,
and there were seven of them, the word of forgiveness, Father,
forgive them they know not what they do, or the
word of salvation. Today you will be with me in paradise.
(09:15):
And I wonder where they have a flashback of what
happened on the cross. And that's not a bad thing
to do, by the way, to have a flashback every
now and then, to strengthen your faith, to remember what
really happened on that cross. I mean, what really happened
beyond the crown of thorns that marked his brow, beyond
(09:38):
the sign that Pilot put above him in three different
languages that said king of the Jews, the title that
he used to mock him, which was actually announcing him.
Because sometimes the insults that people will say about you
are the greatest compliment they can give you. I mean,
beyond that, what really happened on the cross. I've been
(10:00):
telling my soul, when my shackles fell off, when my
same was nailed to those beams, when the chastisement that
brought my peace was upon him. On the cross, somebody say,
on the cross, On the cross, that's where my sin is.
On the cross, That's where my mistakes are. On the cross.
(10:21):
That's where my second guessings and second givings. That's where
all of my regrets are redeemed. On the cross. That's
where I hung all my fears and all my talents
and all my failures that happened on the cross. And
I wonder did they reflect on the road on what
(10:41):
happened on the cross? And I wonder, now, in the
light of his resurrection, did they reflect on his death
differently to know that what had caused them to hang
their heads and walk away was actually the greatest proof
of his love. When I need to know that God
loves me, I don't look at what's happening in my life.
I flash back to what happened on the cross. That's
(11:04):
where it was settled. That's where it was nailed down forever.
He's always good and he does good, and he showed
it to me on the cross. On the cross, that's
where that thing that the devil is tormenting you with,
(11:27):
that's down deeper than anybody else can see, that's where
it should be hanging. It shouldn't be hanging around in
your heart and in your soul, it should be on
that cross. I feel kind of old timey today. I
don't feel very modern today. I feel like going and
putting my eyes on the middle man, the one who
hung there because he loved me, the one who could
(11:49):
have dissed that's twelve legions of angels, but homed there
on that cross for me. Well, it was his love
that held him there on the cross. So that's the
first picture I wondered, did they remember what happened on
the cross? Because they were actually at the cross. Maybe
not actually in the general vicinity, but they were at
(12:13):
the cross. And you know, I've heard sermons, seen movies
about what happened on the cross, and sometimes it makes
you feel kind of sentimental. Sometimes it makes you feel
kind of sick. What happened on the cross went far
beyond what a film camera can present. In twenty four
what happened on the cross is the release of the
(12:35):
freedom that God wants to produce in my life. But
I think there's something to be seen not just what
happened on the cross, but who was at the cross.
I mean, we know who was on the cross between
two thieves, but at the cross. Now, to get a
clear picture of this, you kind of have to do
(12:56):
a little bit of study. And don't worry, I already
did it for you, so I'm gonna tell you don't
have to look anything up. I looked at all up
this week while you were doing your real job. It
was interesting because I was putting together what Matthew said
and what Mark said, and what Luke said and what
John said, and so Matthew, who is one of the disciples,
(13:18):
they're all telling the same story but from a different perspective,
and they're describing the cross. And when it came to
exactly what happened at the cross, Matthew didn't have a
lot to say because he wasn't there. Okay, he was
there for the fish and the loaves, so he can
tell you about that. He was there for that water
walking thing where Peter got out of the boat because
(13:39):
he's kind of crazy and didn't content to just sit
in the boat. He has to do something special and spectacular.
He was there when Peter almost drowned himself and Jesus
gave him CPR and but when it came to the
isn't it funny how the cross will thin out a crowd,
(14:00):
Because it was really loud on Sunday when Jesus came
into Jerusalem, I mean deafening. They were crying out something.
They were saying, Hosanna, it means save now, and that's
what they wanted him to do, to save now. But
when he died, it deferred their hope. And so as
(14:21):
he hung there at the cross, the crowds that were
there to be fed and taught by his hand were
kind of quiet at the cross, kind of quiet where
he died, kind of quiet where he suffered. It was
(14:41):
real loud when he was teaching, preach Jesus. Can you
imagine Jesus's front row, blessed of the poor and spirit
preach Jesus. I mean, if the word was preaching the word,
that would be kind of cool to witness. It'll probably
be exciting. I'm just saying you probably shall you probably
jump up. But when he came to his cross, crowd
(15:06):
wasn't so loud. Oh. By the way, something that Peter
proofs to us is that those who are the loudest
are not always the most loyal. Because when it comes
to the cross, Matthew tells us something so disturbing. I
(15:29):
imagine it must have hurt him to write this, you know,
because Jesus had done so much for them and they
really believed in him, and I think they really wanted
to follow him, but they can only go so far.
And then he came to the cross, and the cross
is confusing because it's not supposed to end like this.
And the cross is confusing because if he really is
(15:52):
who he says he is, how can he be hung
up there to die in this kind of humiliation? And
so Matthew says that at the cross, everybody deserted him
all twelve because remember he had a team, a really
(16:15):
big team, a really big team, touch somebody say, a
really big team until it came to the cross. And
then sometimes circumstances in your life will show you who
was really with you because they loved you, and who
was really with you because there was something that they
got from you in the moment. They don't get from
(16:36):
you what they wanted from you. Now, that's really painful.
That's a hard thing. Some people will be with you,
what's the saying. They'll ride with you in the limo,
but they won't take the bus when the limo breaks down.
(16:58):
I don't know who said that. I think that's from
the Book of Oprah. But but Matthew says it is
a good one. But Matthew says, they all left him.
Now here's what's interesting. There's one disciple. His name is John,
and I love John because he gave himself a nickname.
There's a lot to love about John. Because at the
(17:18):
Last Supper, when Jesus is telling the disciples, you're all
gonna leave, Peter's like, not me, a gotzi bro. And
John isn't saying much. But John, he saw himself a
(17:40):
little differently. Here's what he called himself. Okay, how many
of you have a nickname that your friends call you
and stuff? How many of you gave yourself a nickname? Okay?
John is so confident he gave himself a nickname. And
let me tell you what he calls himself when he
writes about himself in the Gospel. According to John, he
calls himself, how's this for a nickname? The one Jesus
love so not Hey, I'm John, Hey, I'm his favorite.
(18:09):
I love John. It's a certain kind of confidence that
he has that he doesn't need to say much with
his lips to prove his loyalty. He's just there. And
so when John writes his Gospel, he's like, hey, wait
a minute, Matthew, we didn't all run. And he describes
(18:30):
for a moment who was at the cross, and it's
not who you would expect, because you're looking for Peter
at the cross, but Peter isn't at the cross. He
couldn't get past the courtyard the moment it became scandalous
to stand with Jesus, and Jesus didn't do it like
he thought it ought to be done.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Peter started cutting people out.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
And maybe you're looking for Andrew at the cross, because
Andrew was Peter's brother. He's the one who came and
got Peter and said, hey, you gotta meet this man.
He's amazing, and he was amazing until it came to
the cross, and then Andrew was absent. And so on
the day that Jesus did what he came to do
to begin with, he's calling the roll and no one
(19:17):
is present. That's a bad day for the teacher when
the whole class is gone, and the loneliness of hanging
there all alone no Bartholomew, No Nathaniel.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Because when I read it, John tells us who was
at the cross, everybody say, at the cross, there's soldiers
gambling for his garments at the foot of the cross,
everybody grabbing what they can from him, just like they
did while he was living, Just grabbing what they wanted.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
From him, just like sometimes we come to church, just
grab what we want from God. Just grab a goosebump,
just grab a word. Oh I came to get a word,
but when it came time to it was kind of quiet.
Nathaniel Andrew Simon, the Zealot, James, son of Thunder. John here,
(20:27):
don't you appreciate the people who are just there likewashes.
It's not who you expect. It's not even the loud ones.
Look us at the cross. Look, John tells us. Because
he was there, Matthew can't quite tell us because he wasn't. Again,
he can tell you how delicious the bread was, He
can tell you how delicious the fish tasted. But John
(20:51):
tells us who was at the cross. I'm gonna give
you something right now. God gave me something to give
to you. You're about to be set free from some
things that you didn't even though had locked you inside
of yourself. You are about to get something from God
that is going to release you to love like you
haven't been able to love and enjoy the life he
died to give you. So John says that near the
(21:16):
cross of Jesus, remember he's on the cross, and now
let's see who's at the cross. First of all, his mother,
the one who carried him now had to watch him
carry her cross that she deserved that he did not.
And I think there's a whole message. Maybe I'll preach
Mother's Day on this verse one time, because it'd be
(21:38):
a great Mother's Day scripture. What kind of strength does
it take for a mom to stand there and watch
her son die, completely unable to do anything about it,
just standing there. It says that near the cross of
Jesus stood his mother. It does not record one word.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
That she spoke, but she stood with him.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
She stood with him. Sometimes the greatest testimony of your
loyalty is not what you will say to someone, but
how you will stand with them. Because we've all got
a cross, we've all got seasons that we will go
into that will divide those who are loud from those
(22:25):
who are really loyal and who I see at the
crosses and who I expect to see at the cross
Here's Mary, the mother of Jesus. There's her sister, there's
Mary the wife of Clopus. And there's Mary Magdalene. She
had a rough life. Jesus really helped her. He cast
(22:47):
some demons out of her that nobody else had been
able to deal with, and that created a kind of
loyalty within her that she was like, even if all
I can do is stand here and cry, I'm not leaving,
could you get there with God? That, even if all
I can do is stand here and wait to see
what will becolm, you can't run me off. You've been
(23:12):
too good to me and done too much for me.
I'm not going anywhere. You have the words of eternal life,
I'll say it near the cross. And when Jesus saw
his mother there, John tells us and the disciple whom
(23:33):
he loved, John says, as me standing nearby, He said
to her, woman, here is your son, and then watch this.
He looked at the disciple whom he loved, the self
proclaimed favorite, and gave him a job. Here is your mother.
(23:55):
Let's skip the fact that none of us in the
room would be able to put us on our own
self elfishness enough if we were suffering like that to
think about anyone else, because you know, when you're going
through something, you don't ask anybody how their day is,
and if you do, you really don't want to know,
and you hope they don't answer you. All you can
really handle is fun. I'm telling you when you're going
through something, and you really need to watch for this
(24:16):
because I went through something a couple of years ago
with my dad, and somebody gave me good advice. They said,
don't tell a lot of people what you're going through.
Find a few people you can tell what you're going through.
Most people are going to ask you. They really don't care.
That would have been worth your trip to church today,
just to know that they really don't mean tell me
all about it. They really don't. They see you coming,
(24:38):
they dodge you. Because your niece have been hurting six
months and it's all you talk about your sore back,
it's all you talk about how hard it's been with
your kids. Most people don't want to know all that
because they've got their own stuff. They've got their own
things they're dealing with, and to me the the presence
(25:00):
of mind of Jesus. And I want to be more
like this because I'm really not here yet, nor am
I in the vicinity of this kind of christ likeness.
But that he was able to look to the needs
of others while he died for them, not after he
got up.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
While he's bleeding for their sins.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
He says, hey, look out for her, and you look
out for him. And he's doing in his death what
he did in his life, bringing them together as he dies. Hey, John,
I need you to do something for me. Look out
for her, and and he's he's your son. Now that's crazy,
(25:45):
isn't that crazy? Because I would have been up there,
I would not have even seen John standing at the
cross because I would have been so mad at Peter.
I would have been so mad at Anne. And don't
even get me started on Judas. Oh my God, I
would not have seen John because I would have been
(26:07):
making up my plan for how I was gonna get
back at Judas. Sometimes we don't see those who are
with us because we can only think of those who
left us. But I want to declare over your life today,
God will always leave a John at your cross.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
You got who you need. You got what you need.
If they left you, who was that for it? Be
honest about it.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
You have been so upset about the encouragement that you're
not getting from somebody. You are tripping over the encouragement
of sixteen other people because you're mad at Bob. Well
what about Bob?
Speaker 3 (27:01):
If Bob left the cross, reach out to John.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
There's a John, it's a cross. Feel something happening in
your heart right now? That just sets you free.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
You don't have to worry about who left.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
If they left their God, if John is at the cross. Besides,
why would Jesus be mad at Judas? He needed John
to be there at the cross, but he needed Judas
to get him to the cross. This is a hard one.
(27:41):
This is a hard one. You might have to realize
that some of the people that you hate the most
actually helped you get to the place where you need
it to be to do what God called you to do.
Do you believe that?
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Can you receive this? This is a hard say that's
the kind of stuff Jesus would say and people would
just walk away.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
But Jesus wasn't cursing Judas. It took Judas, It took
a broken heart. It took a betrayal.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Some of the people that left you were teaching you
to love.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
The people who are still there. It took that. It
doesn't justify what they did. But maybe I'm gonna get
mature enough one day where I can be like Jesus
(28:34):
and I won't miss John cursing Judas. Yes it is.
I'm gonna say this about six different ways before I
close to make sure you get it, because that's my
message is that it takes two. It takes two. It
(29:01):
takes two. I want to rock right now. Touch somebody
say I'm not internationally known, and see when you got
it like this? Come on, somebody say I got it
like that.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Jesus so knew who he was, and he had so
received the affirmation that could only be given in the
baptism at the Jordan.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
This is my son, and I am pleased with him that,
no matter who wasn't there, he was so convinced about
who was that he could look at John and look
at Mary and give like that. And when you really
(29:56):
get it like this, I mean, when you wake up
in the morning and know that God has blessed you
to see another day, you will not be needy anymore. Okay,
(30:16):
I'll say it just like that. You're too needy and
you're too blessed to be this needy. I'm just telling
you what God told me. You think it's hard for
you to hear. I had to hear it all week.
(30:38):
God kept me out all week getting this message ready
for you, and he said, I need for your validation
not to be in somebody else's mouth. I need your
validation to be in that cross. I need you to
be complete in that cross, so that if you don't
(30:58):
get it from your mom, if you don't get it
from your daughter, Listen, sometimes people are giving you all
they can give you. They can't give you anymore. And
if you don't get it like this, you will never
get it like that. You need to set some people
free today from not giving you keys to your freedom
(31:23):
that they don't hold. You. Have got to release some
people from the expectation of perfection. They can't be everything
to you. Even John couldn't get him down. All he
could do was stand there. So I don't want to
(31:44):
look to people to do for me, but only God can.
I don't want to be grabbing for garments at the
foot of the cross. If I got it like this.
I can give it like that. Whoever this is for,
(32:07):
you've been trying to get affection from the wrong direction.
You've been reaching for validation and all the wrong places.
You're not going to get it like this. That's where
you give. That's where Paul said, if there's any comfort
from being united with Christ, what she's drawn across. He's saying,
this Philippian Church. You can look at U Philippians one
in chapter two, verse one and two. Something like that
(32:28):
is in Philippians. Somewhere google it says you got it. Oh,
if there's any encouragement from being united with Christ, somebody say,
I got it like that. Okay, that's the part we're
good at in church. He forgave me, he saved me,
he loves me, he accepts me. But Paul says, if
you got it like that, any comfort from His love?
(32:50):
How many are comforted by the love of Christ in
your heart today? If you got it like that, having
the same love, being one inspirit and of one mind,
I love this next instruction, then make my joy complete.
If you got it like that, give it like this.
(33:17):
So I want to wake up this week and I
want to see all of my shame my need on
that cross. I want to receive all of my validation
at that cross. I want to carry whatever cross God
has given me and not resent the people who didn't
(33:37):
give me what I thought I needed. Because I am
complete in that cross. I don't need you to tell
me that I'm loved. Maybe it's time for me to
tell you that you're loved. Maybe I've lived my life
(34:00):
doing this long enough. Maybe it's time to live like
he died at the cross. There's job on the cross.
(34:23):
There's Jesus in the cross. Here's us. That's where our
strength is. You know, not in what people say or
don't say. You feel the release in that. When I
receive it, I can release it. God show me who
(34:45):
to encourage today. I don't need anything from you today.
Here I got mine at the Cross. I got mine
in the presence of God. In His presence is the
fullness of I am complete in Him. I am the
righteousness of God. I am comple. Somebody shout, I am complete.
(35:08):
I am complete. I don't need you to complete me.
I am complete in the Cross of Jesus Christ, where
he led is still flowing today, and it is flowing
through me.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Come on, give him sixty seconds of praise for the crown, for.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
The cross at the cross. I got it in the cross.
I got it at the cross. I got it in
the cross.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Last I know I love I got it in the cross.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
The world didn't give it, and the world can take
it away. Received this ministry. God is trying to get
you to release what you have received. You've been doing
(36:05):
it the wrong way. You've been trying to receive it.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Release it, receive it, release it, receive it, release it,
receive it, release it.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Receive it from him. Don't try to receive it from them.
They are unpredictable and they got their own stuff and
their own reasons. Receive it. Release it. If you receive
this word, lift your hands. Lift him high, like you
(36:44):
have a father who loves you and made up his
mind about you, and isn't trying to decide whether or
not to accept you on the basis of your performance.
Somebody say, my righteousness is in the cross. Keep your
hands stretched. This is how you live. This is how
(37:04):
you get it. This is how you get it. This
is how you get it. This is how you get it,
not when a group accepts you, not when a promotion comes.
This is how you get it. You're going to go
into this week with something to give. You're gonna go
into this week knowing who you are. Lift your hands,
(37:28):
thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of
you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of
you that this ministry is possible. You can click the
link in the description to give now, or visit Elevationchurch
dot org slash podcast for more information and if you
enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it
with your friends. You can click the share button, take
(37:49):
a screenshot and share it on your social stories and
tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God
bless you.
Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation
Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank
you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope
it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to
see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message.
We are in the middle of something and that's where
God is. That really blesses me to know that, because
(00:25):
waiting for the finished product until I can have joy,
have peace, trust God, be happy. That doesn't sound very
promising to me. But if God is at ever present
help in trouble, in times of trouble, That's one thing
the Bible says about God. If he'll walk up to
me in the middle of a storm, if he'll be
(00:47):
with me in the middle of the fire, if he'll
split the sea so I can walk through it and
drown my enemies behind me, I can keep moving.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Forward with the faith that God has my back in
every situation.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
So I think the idea of process has really been
challenging us and celebrating our progress rather than awaiting our perfection.
Is revolutionizing. Like me and Autumn talk every week, She's
been in our church eleven years, and she's like, I
never have seen Jesus in the way that I've been
seeing him in this series. And she grew up. She's
such a church girl, y'all. I mean seriously, she's got
(01:24):
Leviticus memorized in Hebrew and she's like, it's just opening
my eyes. And that's the revelation factor revelation. Today, I
want to talk about revelation in the context of relationship.
Please write this down. The greatest pain and pleasure that
you will experience in your life will be in the
context of relationship. I did you kind of dirty. I
(01:46):
didn't give you a chance to get your pin out,
your thumbs warmed up. So I'm going to try to
say it again. The greatest pain and greatest pleasure in
your life will be experienced in the context of relationship.
So one of the words that Jesus spoke from the
cross is commonly called the word of relationship. We're going
to deal with that today. But I've been using a
(02:07):
flashback technique. I try to be creative in the way
I present the word. I don't know if it makes
sense to everybody else, but just ways that make it
exciting for me because I figure i'd like my own sermons.
If nobody else does, I'll subscribe to the podcast. But
I've been looking at Luke twenty four. These two people.
(02:27):
One is called we call him Cleo. His full name
is Cleopus. He has an unnamed traveling companion. They're going
the wrong way to a no name village called a Maus.
I mean it has a name, but you can't find
it if you go to the Holy Land today. They'll say,
we think this is where a Mais was, but they
don't even really know where it was. It wasn't some
(02:48):
metropolitan major area where commerce happened. It was where they lived.
And they were going back from the scene of the cross,
where they had watched their hope extinguished, and they had
watched the one that they thought might be the one die,
and they were burying their dreams along the road when
the one whose death they were morning walked up right
beside them, and they didn't know it. And so they're
(03:12):
like walking back the wrong way. And there's this whole
thing about why would Jesus follow people who are headed
in the wrong direction, Why would he leave the ninety
nine righteous to find the one? Why would he come
for the sick and not stay with the well. And
I think that's one thing that we misconstrue about God's
presence in our lives, is that He's going to be
with us as long as we're doing what he told
(03:33):
us to do and going where he told us to go.
And yet we're surprised by the grace of God just
like busting up in the middle of our conversations and
our hopeless situations and chasing us down to the wrong
destination so he can turn us around. And when they
got where they thought they were going, they saw who
Jesus really was. And I think they saw it in
(03:54):
his scars when he broke the bread, which is an
everyday event. You know, you eat every day, and God
is often found in the common marks of our lives.
I'm teaching already if you didn't know, this is not
a review. So seeing where he had been wounded and
now seeing his scars, which were the greatest demonstration of
his strength that proved his resurrection, they had their eyes
(04:17):
open and he was revealed and recognized by them in
that moment. One thing I didn't point out that I
think is very important. And I'm going to read the
text and I'm going to emphasize certain words and see
if you can find the theme. The Bible says in
verse thirty two that after they recognized Jesus, you know,
you have these moments where you're like, oh, yeah, that
was God. Oh yeah, that was God that had him
(04:41):
break up with me. He was broke. God was looking
out for me. But sometimes you don't see it on
the road. You only realize it in reverse. You like,
see their picture ten years later and you're like, oh,
thank you, love Mary now. So they're like, oh, that
(05:01):
was him, that was the one we were crying over.
But he's not dead, he's risen. And look at this.
I'm going to emphasize certain works. Verse thirty two. They
asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us?
While he talked with us on the road and opened
the scriptures to us, are you noticing anything? Okay, one
(05:27):
more verse? Make sure you get it. They got a
and returned it. Once to Jerusalem, they found the eleven
and those with them assembled together. Their revelation of Jesus
was completed not in the context of their conversation with him,
(05:50):
but in the context of their conversation with each other.
This message is called complete the cross and it is
meant to confront some of the things that we say
in church that sound spiritual but really make no sense
in real life, things like, you know, all I need
(06:10):
is Jesus. As long as I've got Jesus, I don't
need anybody else. And I understand the spirit of that
that he is the most important, and seek he first,
the King, to God his Righteous. All these things be
added under you and my mother and Father for save me,
then the Lord will take me up. I know those
Bible verses too, But even Jesus needed a team, and
(06:34):
it is significant I think, maybe you don't think so,
that he revealed himself to two people and they talked
with each other, and it was in talking with each
other that they figured out who he was. Because for
all of us who think all we need is God
and all we need is Jesus. The last time I checked,
the cross had two beams. This one that's the main one.
(07:01):
Got to get that right. But it's not a cross
until it does like this. And sometimes the reason we
like to say things like all I need is Jesus
and all I need is God is because as long
as we keep the context of our relationship limited to
(07:22):
an invisible God. We don't have to deal with people,
and we can kind of manipulate our image of God
into somebody who is comfortable for us to relate to.
And then you'll start saying things like, well, nobody else
gets me, but God does. And so you're all this,
(07:44):
all this, and that's awesome and I love it. But
I want to talk a little bit about this, the relationship.
The relationship that is a little bit harder. So to
do it. I want to remember what happened on the cross.
(08:08):
And I wonder when Cleophus and his unnamed companion are
walking back, because the Bible says they got up, they
turned around, they thought it was the end. It was
really the beginning. They had watched Jesus die on the cross,
watching him die, they thought this is it. But Heaven
is watching and saying no when he said it is finished,
(08:30):
that was just the beginning. Come on, I need somebody
who travels six hours or more to know that where
you are right now is not the end of what
shall be in your life. I feel like preaching to
somebody who's got your head hung down. You've been in
a mayis long enough. Come on, you got a round
(08:52):
prim ticket and they turned around and they went back,
And the Bible says that the road they walked was seven.
So we've been using each of the seven miles to
represent a different word that Jesus spoke from the cross,
and there were seven of them, the word of forgiveness, Father,
forgive them they know not what they do, or the
word of salvation. Today you will be with me in paradise.
(09:15):
And I wonder where they have a flashback of what
happened on the cross. And that's not a bad thing
to do, by the way, to have a flashback every
now and then, to strengthen your faith, to remember what
really happened on that cross. I mean, what really happened
beyond the crown of thorns that marked his brow, beyond
(09:38):
the sign that Pilot put above him in three different
languages that said king of the Jews, the title that
he used to mock him, which was actually announcing him.
Because sometimes the insults that people will say about you
are the greatest compliment they can give you. I mean,
beyond that, what really happened on the cross. I've been
(10:00):
telling my soul, when my shackles fell off, when my
same was nailed to those beams, when the chastisement that
brought my peace was upon him. On the cross, somebody say,
on the cross, On the cross, that's where my sin is.
On the cross, That's where my mistakes are. On the cross.
(10:21):
That's where my second guessings and second givings. That's where
all of my regrets are redeemed. On the cross. That's
where I hung all my fears and all my talents
and all my failures that happened on the cross. And
I wonder did they reflect on the road on what
(10:41):
happened on the cross? And I wonder, now, in the
light of his resurrection, did they reflect on his death
differently to know that what had caused them to hang
their heads and walk away was actually the greatest proof
of his love. When I need to know that God
loves me, I don't look at what's happening in my life.
I flash back to what happened on the cross. That's
(11:04):
where it was settled. That's where it was nailed down forever.
He's always good and he does good, and he showed
it to me on the cross. On the cross, that's
where that thing that the devil is tormenting you with,
(11:27):
that's down deeper than anybody else can see, that's where
it should be hanging. It shouldn't be hanging around in
your heart and in your soul, it should be on
that cross. I feel kind of old timey today. I
don't feel very modern today. I feel like going and
putting my eyes on the middle man, the one who
hung there because he loved me, the one who could
(11:49):
have dissed that's twelve legions of angels, but homed there
on that cross for me. Well, it was his love
that held him there on the cross. So that's the
first picture I wondered, did they remember what happened on
the cross? Because they were actually at the cross. Maybe
not actually in the general vicinity, but they were at
(12:13):
the cross. And you know, I've heard sermons, seen movies
about what happened on the cross, and sometimes it makes
you feel kind of sentimental. Sometimes it makes you feel
kind of sick. What happened on the cross went far
beyond what a film camera can present. In twenty four
what happened on the cross is the release of the
(12:35):
freedom that God wants to produce in my life. But
I think there's something to be seen not just what
happened on the cross, but who was at the cross.
I mean, we know who was on the cross between
two thieves, but at the cross. Now, to get a
clear picture of this, you kind of have to do
(12:56):
a little bit of study. And don't worry, I already
did it for you, so I'm gonna tell you don't
have to look anything up. I looked at all up
this week while you were doing your real job. It
was interesting because I was putting together what Matthew said
and what Mark said, and what Luke said and what
John said, and so Matthew, who is one of the disciples,
(13:18):
they're all telling the same story but from a different perspective,
and they're describing the cross. And when it came to
exactly what happened at the cross, Matthew didn't have a
lot to say because he wasn't there. Okay, he was
there for the fish and the loaves, so he can
tell you about that. He was there for that water
walking thing where Peter got out of the boat because
(13:39):
he's kind of crazy and didn't content to just sit
in the boat. He has to do something special and spectacular.
He was there when Peter almost drowned himself and Jesus
gave him CPR and but when it came to the
isn't it funny how the cross will thin out a crowd,
(14:00):
Because it was really loud on Sunday when Jesus came
into Jerusalem, I mean deafening. They were crying out something.
They were saying, Hosanna, it means save now, and that's
what they wanted him to do, to save now. But
when he died, it deferred their hope. And so as
(14:21):
he hung there at the cross, the crowds that were
there to be fed and taught by his hand were
kind of quiet at the cross, kind of quiet where
he died, kind of quiet where he suffered. It was
(14:41):
real loud when he was teaching, preach Jesus. Can you
imagine Jesus's front row, blessed of the poor and spirit
preach Jesus. I mean, if the word was preaching the word,
that would be kind of cool to witness. It'll probably
be exciting. I'm just saying you probably shall you probably
jump up. But when he came to his cross, crowd
(15:06):
wasn't so loud. Oh. By the way, something that Peter
proofs to us is that those who are the loudest
are not always the most loyal. Because when it comes
to the cross, Matthew tells us something so disturbing. I
(15:29):
imagine it must have hurt him to write this, you know,
because Jesus had done so much for them and they
really believed in him, and I think they really wanted
to follow him, but they can only go so far.
And then he came to the cross, and the cross
is confusing because it's not supposed to end like this.
And the cross is confusing because if he really is
(15:52):
who he says he is, how can he be hung
up there to die in this kind of humiliation? And
so Matthew says that at the cross, everybody deserted him
all twelve because remember he had a team, a really
(16:15):
big team, a really big team, touch somebody say, a
really big team until it came to the cross. And
then sometimes circumstances in your life will show you who
was really with you because they loved you, and who
was really with you because there was something that they
got from you in the moment. They don't get from
(16:36):
you what they wanted from you. Now, that's really painful.
That's a hard thing. Some people will be with you,
what's the saying. They'll ride with you in the limo,
but they won't take the bus when the limo breaks down.
(16:58):
I don't know who said that. I think that's from
the Book of Oprah. But but Matthew says it is
a good one. But Matthew says, they all left him.
Now here's what's interesting. There's one disciple. His name is John,
and I love John because he gave himself a nickname.
There's a lot to love about John. Because at the
(17:18):
Last Supper, when Jesus is telling the disciples, you're all
gonna leave, Peter's like, not me, a gotzi bro. And
John isn't saying much. But John, he saw himself a
(17:40):
little differently. Here's what he called himself. Okay, how many
of you have a nickname that your friends call you
and stuff? How many of you gave yourself a nickname? Okay?
John is so confident he gave himself a nickname. And
let me tell you what he calls himself when he
writes about himself in the Gospel. According to John, he
calls himself, how's this for a nickname? The one Jesus
love so not Hey, I'm John, Hey, I'm his favorite.
(18:09):
I love John. It's a certain kind of confidence that
he has that he doesn't need to say much with
his lips to prove his loyalty. He's just there. And
so when John writes his Gospel, he's like, hey, wait
a minute, Matthew, we didn't all run. And he describes
(18:30):
for a moment who was at the cross, and it's
not who you would expect, because you're looking for Peter
at the cross, but Peter isn't at the cross. He
couldn't get past the courtyard the moment it became scandalous
to stand with Jesus, and Jesus didn't do it like
he thought it ought to be done.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Peter started cutting people out.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
And maybe you're looking for Andrew at the cross, because
Andrew was Peter's brother. He's the one who came and
got Peter and said, hey, you gotta meet this man.
He's amazing, and he was amazing until it came to
the cross, and then Andrew was absent. And so on
the day that Jesus did what he came to do
to begin with, he's calling the roll and no one
(19:17):
is present. That's a bad day for the teacher when
the whole class is gone, and the loneliness of hanging
there all alone no Bartholomew, No Nathaniel.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Because when I read it, John tells us who was
at the cross, everybody say, at the cross, there's soldiers
gambling for his garments at the foot of the cross,
everybody grabbing what they can from him, just like they
did while he was living, Just grabbing what they wanted.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
From him, just like sometimes we come to church, just
grab what we want from God. Just grab a goosebump,
just grab a word. Oh I came to get a word,
but when it came time to it was kind of quiet.
Nathaniel Andrew Simon, the Zealot, James, son of Thunder. John here,
(20:27):
don't you appreciate the people who are just there likewashes.
It's not who you expect. It's not even the loud ones.
Look us at the cross. Look, John tells us. Because
he was there, Matthew can't quite tell us because he wasn't. Again,
he can tell you how delicious the bread was, He
can tell you how delicious the fish tasted. But John
(20:51):
tells us who was at the cross. I'm gonna give
you something right now. God gave me something to give
to you. You're about to be set free from some
things that you didn't even though had locked you inside
of yourself. You are about to get something from God
that is going to release you to love like you
haven't been able to love and enjoy the life he
died to give you. So John says that near the
(21:16):
cross of Jesus, remember he's on the cross, and now
let's see who's at the cross. First of all, his mother,
the one who carried him now had to watch him
carry her cross that she deserved that he did not.
And I think there's a whole message. Maybe I'll preach
Mother's Day on this verse one time, because it'd be
(21:38):
a great Mother's Day scripture. What kind of strength does
it take for a mom to stand there and watch
her son die, completely unable to do anything about it,
just standing there. It says that near the cross of
Jesus stood his mother. It does not record one word.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
That she spoke, but she stood with him.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
She stood with him. Sometimes the greatest testimony of your
loyalty is not what you will say to someone, but
how you will stand with them. Because we've all got
a cross, we've all got seasons that we will go
into that will divide those who are loud from those
(22:25):
who are really loyal and who I see at the
crosses and who I expect to see at the cross
Here's Mary, the mother of Jesus. There's her sister, there's
Mary the wife of Clopus. And there's Mary Magdalene. She
had a rough life. Jesus really helped her. He cast
(22:47):
some demons out of her that nobody else had been
able to deal with, and that created a kind of
loyalty within her that she was like, even if all
I can do is stand here and cry, I'm not leaving,
could you get there with God? That, even if all
I can do is stand here and wait to see
what will becolm, you can't run me off. You've been
(23:12):
too good to me and done too much for me.
I'm not going anywhere. You have the words of eternal life,
I'll say it near the cross. And when Jesus saw
his mother there, John tells us and the disciple whom
(23:33):
he loved, John says, as me standing nearby, He said
to her, woman, here is your son, and then watch this.
He looked at the disciple whom he loved, the self
proclaimed favorite, and gave him a job. Here is your mother.
(23:55):
Let's skip the fact that none of us in the
room would be able to put us on our own
self elfishness enough if we were suffering like that to
think about anyone else, because you know, when you're going
through something, you don't ask anybody how their day is,
and if you do, you really don't want to know,
and you hope they don't answer you. All you can
really handle is fun. I'm telling you when you're going
through something, and you really need to watch for this
(24:16):
because I went through something a couple of years ago
with my dad, and somebody gave me good advice. They said,
don't tell a lot of people what you're going through.
Find a few people you can tell what you're going through.
Most people are going to ask you. They really don't care.
That would have been worth your trip to church today,
just to know that they really don't mean tell me
all about it. They really don't. They see you coming,
(24:38):
they dodge you. Because your niece have been hurting six
months and it's all you talk about your sore back,
it's all you talk about how hard it's been with
your kids. Most people don't want to know all that
because they've got their own stuff. They've got their own
things they're dealing with, and to me the the presence
(25:00):
of mind of Jesus. And I want to be more
like this because I'm really not here yet, nor am
I in the vicinity of this kind of christ likeness.
But that he was able to look to the needs
of others while he died for them, not after he
got up.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
While he's bleeding for their sins.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
He says, hey, look out for her, and you look
out for him. And he's doing in his death what
he did in his life, bringing them together as he dies. Hey, John,
I need you to do something for me. Look out
for her, and and he's he's your son. Now that's crazy,
(25:45):
isn't that crazy? Because I would have been up there,
I would not have even seen John standing at the
cross because I would have been so mad at Peter.
I would have been so mad at Anne. And don't
even get me started on Judas. Oh my God, I
would not have seen John because I would have been
(26:07):
making up my plan for how I was gonna get
back at Judas. Sometimes we don't see those who are
with us because we can only think of those who
left us. But I want to declare over your life today,
God will always leave a John at your cross.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
You got who you need. You got what you need.
If they left you, who was that for it? Be
honest about it.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
You have been so upset about the encouragement that you're
not getting from somebody. You are tripping over the encouragement
of sixteen other people because you're mad at Bob. Well
what about Bob?
Speaker 3 (27:01):
If Bob left the cross, reach out to John.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
There's a John, it's a cross. Feel something happening in
your heart right now? That just sets you free.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
You don't have to worry about who left.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
If they left their God, if John is at the cross. Besides,
why would Jesus be mad at Judas? He needed John
to be there at the cross, but he needed Judas
to get him to the cross. This is a hard one.
(27:41):
This is a hard one. You might have to realize
that some of the people that you hate the most
actually helped you get to the place where you need
it to be to do what God called you to do.
Do you believe that?
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Can you receive this? This is a hard say that's
the kind of stuff Jesus would say and people would
just walk away.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
But Jesus wasn't cursing Judas. It took Judas, It took
a broken heart. It took a betrayal.
Speaker 3 (28:11):
Some of the people that left you were teaching you
to love.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
The people who are still there. It took that. It
doesn't justify what they did. But maybe I'm gonna get
mature enough one day where I can be like Jesus
(28:34):
and I won't miss John cursing Judas. Yes it is.
I'm gonna say this about six different ways before I
close to make sure you get it, because that's my
message is that it takes two. It takes two. It
(29:01):
takes two. I want to rock right now. Touch somebody
say I'm not internationally known, and see when you got
it like this? Come on, somebody say I got it
like that.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Jesus so knew who he was, and he had so
received the affirmation that could only be given in the
baptism at the Jordan.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
This is my son, and I am pleased with him that,
no matter who wasn't there, he was so convinced about
who was that he could look at John and look
at Mary and give like that. And when you really
(29:56):
get it like this, I mean, when you wake up
in the morning and know that God has blessed you
to see another day, you will not be needy anymore. Okay,
(30:16):
I'll say it just like that. You're too needy and
you're too blessed to be this needy. I'm just telling
you what God told me. You think it's hard for
you to hear. I had to hear it all week.
(30:38):
God kept me out all week getting this message ready
for you, and he said, I need for your validation
not to be in somebody else's mouth. I need your
validation to be in that cross. I need you to
be complete in that cross, so that if you don't
(30:58):
get it from your mom, if you don't get it
from your daughter, Listen, sometimes people are giving you all
they can give you. They can't give you anymore. And
if you don't get it like this, you will never
get it like that. You need to set some people
free today from not giving you keys to your freedom
(31:23):
that they don't hold. You. Have got to release some
people from the expectation of perfection. They can't be everything
to you. Even John couldn't get him down. All he
could do was stand there. So I don't want to
(31:44):
look to people to do for me, but only God can.
I don't want to be grabbing for garments at the
foot of the cross. If I got it like this.
I can give it like that. Whoever this is for,
(32:07):
you've been trying to get affection from the wrong direction.
You've been reaching for validation and all the wrong places.
You're not going to get it like this. That's where
you give. That's where Paul said, if there's any comfort
from being united with Christ, what she's drawn across. He's saying,
this Philippian Church. You can look at U Philippians one
in chapter two, verse one and two. Something like that
(32:28):
is in Philippians. Somewhere google it says you got it. Oh,
if there's any encouragement from being united with Christ, somebody say,
I got it like that. Okay, that's the part we're
good at in church. He forgave me, he saved me,
he loves me, he accepts me. But Paul says, if
you got it like that, any comfort from His love?
(32:50):
How many are comforted by the love of Christ in
your heart today? If you got it like that, having
the same love, being one inspirit and of one mind,
I love this next instruction, then make my joy complete.
If you got it like that, give it like this.
(33:17):
So I want to wake up this week and I
want to see all of my shame my need on
that cross. I want to receive all of my validation
at that cross. I want to carry whatever cross God
has given me and not resent the people who didn't
(33:37):
give me what I thought I needed. Because I am
complete in that cross. I don't need you to tell
me that I'm loved. Maybe it's time for me to
tell you that you're loved. Maybe I've lived my life
(34:00):
doing this long enough. Maybe it's time to live like
he died at the cross. There's job on the cross.
(34:23):
There's Jesus in the cross. Here's us. That's where our
strength is. You know, not in what people say or
don't say. You feel the release in that. When I
receive it, I can release it. God show me who
(34:45):
to encourage today. I don't need anything from you today.
Here I got mine at the Cross. I got mine
in the presence of God. In His presence is the
fullness of I am complete in Him. I am the
righteousness of God. I am comple. Somebody shout, I am complete.
(35:08):
I am complete. I don't need you to complete me.
I am complete in the Cross of Jesus Christ, where
he led is still flowing today, and it is flowing
through me.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Come on, give him sixty seconds of praise for the crown, for.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
The cross at the cross. I got it in the cross.
I got it at the cross. I got it in
the cross.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Last I know I love I got it in the cross.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
The world didn't give it, and the world can take
it away. Received this ministry. God is trying to get
you to release what you have received. You've been doing
(36:05):
it the wrong way. You've been trying to receive it.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Release it, receive it, release it, receive it, release it,
receive it, release it.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Receive it from him. Don't try to receive it from them.
They are unpredictable and they got their own stuff and
their own reasons. Receive it. Release it. If you receive
this word, lift your hands. Lift him high, like you
(36:44):
have a father who loves you and made up his
mind about you, and isn't trying to decide whether or
not to accept you on the basis of your performance.
Somebody say, my righteousness is in the cross. Keep your
hands stretched. This is how you live. This is how
(37:04):
you get it. This is how you get it. This
is how you get it. This is how you get it,
not when a group accepts you, not when a promotion comes.
This is how you get it. You're going to go
into this week with something to give. You're gonna go
into this week knowing who you are. Lift your hands,
(37:28):
thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of
you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of
you that this ministry is possible. You can click the
link in the description to give now, or visit Elevationchurch
dot org slash podcast for more information and if you
enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it
with your friends. You can click the share button, take
(37:49):
a screenshot and share it on your social stories and
tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God
bless you.
Host
Steven Furtick
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