May 18, 2025 • 53 mins
The devil wants to keep you overwhelmed by your situation, but God wants to show you how to deal with it piece by piece. And as you learn to praise God for the piece you have, you’ll experience the peace you’ve been praying for.
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Scripture References:
Philippians 4, verse 9
Acts 27, verses 41-44
Mark 6, verses 41-52
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast.
I wanted to thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving
in your life.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Enjoy the message. I'm gonna do something I never did.
Holly preached so good last week. I hate if you missed.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
It, and she preached so good that for the first
time I ever, I want to take the verse that
she ended on and do a tag team off of
the verse that she ended on. Okay, so come tag
me bed.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
I used to watch wrestling.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
I'm gonna come flying off the turnbuckle, maw the fabulous Ferdick.
So I'm gonna drop an elbow on the devil's head today.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Praise the Lord, and I'll give you one verse to
start with. Would you go? Ah, didn't bring out my
screen please so I can really put the verse in context.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
This screen is my way of pretending like you and
I are having a conversation together and we're just looking
at the Bible and studying it together. So I pray
that it'll feel that way to you. Let's welcome our
Epham all over.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
The world joining us online.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Here we come, and I'm going to share with you
from Philippians chapter four, the last verse she read.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
She read several verses, but the.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
One that she ended on is the one I want
to pick up on. In Philippians four, chapter nineteen. Excuse me,
chapter nine, verse nine.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Let's try that again.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Philippians chapter four, verse nine.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
The Word of the Lord Philippians, chapter four, verse nine.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
A little message that I know is going to help
you today.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Right there, Paul says, whatever you have learned or received
or heard from me or seen in me, put it
into practice, and the God of Peace will be with you.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
And the God of peace.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Last week Holly spoke about the peace of God, and
she was speaking about the peace of God. But today
I want to take a little bit of a different
approach to what she shared, and I want to talk
about this verse and the God of Peace will be
with you and remind you that he is the God
of peace. He can speak peace to every situation in
(02:49):
this room, no matter how scattered or chaotic your life
is right now.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But I want to talk about the God.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Of Peace will be with you, and I want to
speak about how the God of peace is also.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
The God of pieces.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I want to talk to you today for just a
few moments about the God of peaces.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Pieces.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Father, when you speak, wind and waves, obey speak Now,
still our hearts before you make every storm in this
room a sanctuary where your presence can be felt.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
I think of each person that you brought here today.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I thank you that you know their situations, and I
thank you that you have solutions. Moreover, I thank you
that you are the solution, the God of peace, the
God of peaces.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
In Jesus' name, Amen, you may be seated, You may
be seated.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Me and Holly got in a fight Friday of my fault.
We don't fight that much, but we fought Friday, only
about a five minute fight.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
But it was you know, I'll scale a one to ten.
It might have been a three. But I didn't like it.
And I didn't like it because I knew I caused it.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
And the reason I caused it is because I did
not practice what she preached last week. Last week, Holli
was preaching about peace and she asked a very important question.
She said, do your practices promote peace? And she shared
a little extra biblical illustration about the instrument of torture
(04:49):
known as Instagram.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
The one that the devil invented.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
You know, I know that God created the heavens and
the earth, but the Devil's created a lot of stuff
since then, Instagram being one of the platforms that he created. Amen,
And I post sermons on it, but I know.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Not to go look at the.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Comments, and I never do except Friday. I went on
those comments Friday, and I thought I can handle it.
I just looked for a minute, and of course I
couldn't handle it. And I was very worked up about
(05:29):
some of the things that I saw. And I'm just
starting my sermon in a very candid place because it's
interesting to me how I live with a preacher who
just preached about peace, and even in her message, she said,
you've got to be careful that your practices don't pollute
your peace.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Do you remember when she said that.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
She didn't say that exactly, but I added it on
for my message today. She said, she said, make sure
that your practices don't pollute your piece. And the reason
that we were getting into an argument, to me closely,
was because it's very hard to have peace when you
drink poison. And I'm not telling you whether or not
(06:10):
you should ever look at Instagram or any of the
social media platforms. In fact, I'm going to try not
to mention social media for the rest of this message.
I just wanted to set up for you that what
Paul is saying here, he says it is the things
that you put into practice, that you learn, receive, and
hear or see that produces the peace of God. And
(06:37):
since we're going to go over here and take a
Nibbel on verse six real quick, where it says, do
not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
God, and the peace.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. And something that's really convicting
to me lately is that I think we all want this,
the peace of God, but sometimes we resist the God
(07:10):
of Peace.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
And so the question becomes, how can I.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Expect the peace of God in my life if I
reject the God of Peace when he comes to show
me how to live. In other words, that he's showing
me something that I need to let go of. If
he's showing me something that I need to keep limited,
if he's showing me something that I need to walk
around and not engage. If he's showing me something that.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I need to add or subtract from.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
My life, and I insist on being stubborn, How can
I expect the peace to come to my heart if
I ignore the source who gives it, the peace of God.
We all want it. Everybody in here wants to feel
better about your future. Everybody wants to feel confident that
(08:01):
things are coming together. Everybody in here wants to feel
like I'm on the right path. Things are going to
work out. Everybody in here wants to peace of God.
Paul makes it very clear that in order to experience
the peace of God, and I just want to lay
this foundation one more time, you must embrace the God
(08:22):
of Peace. And I want to remind you that he
is Jehovah Shalom. Shalom means peace or wholeness, and he
is the God of peace. He is the God of
peace in the midst of panic attacks. He is the
god of peace in the midst of downsizing in your industry.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
He is the God of peace.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
When your best client just didn't sign up for another year,
and you don't know how you're going to make up
the contract.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
He is the God of peace.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
When thoughts assail you, telling you that your life has
reached its zenith and everything from here is just going
to be nothing but less than what it was.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
He is.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
I feel like reaching to somebody today that the God
of Peace is in this place.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Say it. The God of Peace is in this place.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
And you can say that about any place you ever
find yourself. You can say that in the third row
of church on a Sunday morning. You can say that
when you're pulling out of your driveway on Monday going
to the job, to look at the people that try
to steal your peace. I'm not walking into this office
by myself. I'm walking in with the God of Peace.
He said he would be with me. He said he
(09:30):
would walk with me.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
He said he.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Would never leave me nor forsake me. He is more
than enough for me. He is the all sufficient one.
There's nothing I will ever encounter that will surprise him.
He doesn't scratch his head or shake his head or
hang his head. He doesn't turntail and run when the
enemy surrounds me. For when the enemy surrounds me. God
surrounds the enemy. I'm fenced in by fire, even in
(09:55):
my darkest night, even when I wake up and didn't
expect the attack. Have God who anticipated the attack and
put the provision in place, because he is the God
of peace and he's in this place. We saw a
testimony how the God of Peace reached in a prison
cell and rescued a brother in a prison cell. The
(10:16):
God of Peace will make a prison visit. The God
of Peace will pull up alongside a hospital bed. The
God of Peace will show up in a divorce court.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
The God of Peace.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Will reach your child that isn't living under your roof
right now, the God of Peace.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Is in this place now.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
The process by which we experience this peace is what
Paul is talking about in Philippians for nine and now.
I want to give you this principle and then give
you two or three pictures. Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me or seen in me, think
about this.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Paul says.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
If you do what you saw me do, you will
have the peace that only God can give. And I'm
afraid I couldn't say that about my life A lot
of the times, even as a leader you know. Graham
said something really interesting a few days ago. He said,
when I look back on when I was a little
boy and I first started wrestling, For those of you
(11:20):
who haven't heard yet, we like to brag about it
every chance we get. He is a two time state
champion in the state of North Carolina for the sport
of wrestling, not tag team wrestling, like wrestling, like real wrestling.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
And when he first started wrestling, I've been a wrestler
for a few years when I was in middle school,
and so he thought I was the man because I
didn't tell him any different.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
And that's really fun.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
When they're little, their understanding of you is limited, so
you can kind.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Of build it all up to be whatever you want
to be.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
And he said something he goes, now that I'm really
more advanced as a wrestler, and I look back on
when I was little, it's crazy how much you coached
me with.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
How little you knew.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
And I don't think he meant that as a compliment,
Like man, Dad, you really went all in, and I
appreciate it. I think what you're saying is, now that
I know something about what I'm doing, I can't believe
that I thought the stuff you were screaming from the
stands had any merit or value whatsoever. You really just
screamed the same things over and over again.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
But it worked for that stage, isn't it crazy?
Speaker 3 (12:35):
He said, how much you coached me with how little
you knew. And if you look at your life, there
are some things about your life that are amazing how
far God has brought you.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
If you really think about how little you started with.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I'm going to say that again, and the devil can
pop my mic and I'll say it a third time.
It is amazing how far God has brought you in
some of the things that he has done in your life.
When you consider where you came from, how little you
started with, it is amazing. Look at somebody and say
it's amazing. Come on, tell them, say it's amazing that
(13:19):
you're in church today. Now, just clap your hands for him,
give them a little round of applause.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Come on, look at him. Say after the week you've had, after.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
The news you got, after the mounting to do lists
that you have to go home to, it's amazing. It's
amazing the progress that you've made when you consider the
pattern that you were exposed to. It is amazing that
you even stayed as a dad when your dad didn't.
(13:56):
It is amazing that you are apologizing as a husband,
even though you get mad when you never saw the
pattern of apology in your own home.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And the truth of it.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Is, if some of us were honest, and if we
could do way with the shame that the devil throws
on us. For just about five minutes, Yes, there is
a long way we still have to go, but it's
pretty amazing the advancements that we've made to be here today.
Stand up if you never would have thought you'd be
in church on a Sunday morning three years ago.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Stand up if there was a season in.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Your life where you thought God was done with you,
but you feel something starting to beat in.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Your heart again. Stand up.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
If you're praising God today was a miracle because you
went through a season of depression where you couldn't lift
your head off the pillow.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Let alone lift your hands.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
In church, somebody shout, it's amazing. And the enemy wants
to keep us from being amazed at the ways that
God has made in our life. He wants to keep
us from being amazed from the place that we stand.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
And so Paul says.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Look, when you don't know what to do, and you
don't know what's next, and you're standing in a place
where you don't really have the full picture of how
your life.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Is going to turn out, listen to me.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Remember what you heard, learned and saw in me, and
practice that, and the God of Peace will be with you.
And I thought that was even better than him saying
the Peace of God will be with me, because it
means that even if I don't feel the Peace of God,
I can believe that the God of Peace is with me.
(15:38):
That's the principle. Now let's break it down for just
a moment or two. If he says this, whatever you've
learned or received, or heard or seen in me, put
it into practice, and the God of Peace will be
with you, it stands the reason that we are not
going to learn, receive, hear, or see everything about God
(15:59):
all at once. He's telling us that this is going
to take practice. And so sometimes we need more patience
with ourselves to realize that even God reveals himself to
us progressively.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
God never grows, but he does.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Not give you every glimpse of Him all at once,
and that's a mercy because we could never see His
glory and live. And so what God is doing in
your life right now is he's showing you things in stages,
and he is teaching you things. Watch this in pieces,
(16:37):
in pieces, He's teaching you in pieces. I'm so glad
you came today because when you first start showing me
to play tennis, you did not show me all the
cool stuff. I remember the first thing you said to
me was show me how you hold the racket. I'm like, dude,
I am not out here with seventy five dollars for
you to say, show me how you hold a racket.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I know the price has gone.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Up since then, but I get in on that bottom rate,
and I'm thinking, like, if we're going to spend twenty
minutes holding the racket.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
I was trying to learn to play tennis.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
I thought, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna never get
anywhere with this. But it was a kindness of him
that he didn't show me Roger Federer highlight clips on
my first lesson. And it is a kindness of God
that he teaches you in pieces so that you can
get a piece and practice and get a piece and practice,
(17:31):
and get a piece and practice.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
So this time we learned how to hold the racket.
In about three weeks, I'll show you how to swing it.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
And I'm doing this for your own good, because if
you swing it but don't know how to grip it,
that ball is gonna fly every direction every time.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
So Paul is teaching in pieces.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Not only is he teaching them in pieces, but he's
teaching them.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Without his physical presence.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
He's writing this letter from a prison, so he's teaching
in pieces from prison. Now this church that he founded
is having to put into practice things that they've heard,
learn or seen from his life, but he is not
present to show them the practice. They are having to
draw from what they saw, even though right now they
(18:19):
can't see it. And I wonder, is there anybody in
here today who is having to draw from something right
now even though you can't exactly see what God is
doing in your life, even though you don't have an
exact model for it in your life, even though you
don't have somebody to look at it and say, I'm
going to imitate or emulate that. Paul says, I'm teaching
(18:40):
you in pieces, And think about all the pieces that
Paul had to teach from, not only the fact that
he was writing the Bible. So when Paul said, like,
you can do all things through Christ to strengthens you
Philippin's four thirteen, they were like, how do you know that?
He's like, because it's in the Bible, what's gonna be.
(19:03):
It's going to be in the Bible in just a
few verses. But to teach like Paul, that's very different
than teaching like you, because for those of us who
are parents in the room, we are trying to coach
them knowing so little and still wrestling ourselves. And so
(19:23):
Paul is teaching us the great apostle, Paul who was
writing the illuminated inspired word of God, the great missionary statesman,
and he's telling this church at Philippi, whatever you saw
and heard and learned from me, do that and the.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
God of Peace will be with you. Well, that's different
for us, because we're not writing the Bible. As far
as I can tell, we're not.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
The example of grace that God has raised up for
this century. I think I think that for the majority
of us in here, it's amazing how much we're coaching
with how little we know. But if Paul was coaching you,
he could teach you about pieces that I couldn't teach you.
So when Paul says, hold on to what you've heard
(20:06):
from me, hold on to what you've learned from me,
hold on to what you've seen in me.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
There were scenes in Paul's life.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
That we are privy to that would have served as
examples for them to follow.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
And so when he's telling them, hold on and.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
The God of Peace will be with you, you got
to understand that Paul is speaking this from.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
A place of deep experience.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Paul is like a Division one NCAA champion showing you
how to wrestle. Paul survived stonings and still stayed stable
in his faith. Paul survived a shipwreck even just before
he wrote this letter. Let me tell you a story
real quick. In Acts, chapter twenty seven, Paul tells about
(20:54):
a trip that he was making as he was awaiting
his sentencing for preaching the gospel. And while he was
on the ship, he had a meeting with an angel
and the angel said, Paul, don't be afraid.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
I'm going to.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Preserve your life. The boat that you're on is going
to go through a storm, but you are going to
make it. I don't know who that was for, but
that was just the whole word right now, just that
the boat that you are on is going to go
through a storm, but you're going to make it. It's
(21:30):
going to be rocky for a little while. You might
have to take some dramamine, but you're going to make it.
There might be some jonahs that have to go overboard,
relationships that aren't good for you, but you're going to
make it. It might not look like exactly what it
looked like when you set out.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
You might not be able to do it like you
did it when you did it like you did it.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
But if you'll do it like God is telling you
to do it right now, you are going to make it.
And you might have to vomit over the side of
the boat, and you might have to hold your stomach
for a little while while it rocks and reels, and
you might have to spend some time praying a little extra.
The boat is going to go through something, but you're
going to make it.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Tell your neighbor you're going to make it. Tell them,
I prophesy, I prophesy.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Look them in their eyes, right in the pupils, and
say you're going to make it.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Tell them you've got to make it. Yeah, you got
to make it.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Because God has something for you to do on the
other side of this, and the God of Peace is
with you. So if the God of Peace is with you,
watch this. In Acts, chapter twenty seven, verse forty one,
the Bible says that after they had gone through the
(22:47):
storm for a period of three weeks, the ship struck
a sandbar and ran aground. The boughs struck fast and
would not move.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
That's bad.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
And the stern was broke to pieces by the pounding
of the serf. Now, if you're out in the ocean
and the ship is carrying you and the ship breaks
to pieces, that means you're not going to survive unless
you have a god who is the God of.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Pieces.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Put my verse back up there and let me get
somebody happy.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
I know your ship broke apart.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
I know it was pounded by something you didn't see coming.
I know your kid's not speaking to you right now.
I know it's been three days since you had an appetite.
I know some things look really really sketchy right now.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
But in the name of.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Jesus, the God of pieces, can get you there. The
God of Peace is with me. The God of Peace
is with me, Verse forty two. So the soldiers plan
to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from
swimming away and escaping, but the Furian wanted to spare
(24:01):
Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan.
He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first
and to get to land, and the rest were to
get there on planks or on other.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Pieces. I'm preaching to somebody who's holding on to a
peace to the shore today. I'm preaching somebody who's holding
on to a board to the shore today.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
I'm preaching to somebody who's wondering, how am I going
to make it with who I have left, what I
have left? How am I going to make it now
that they went away? How am I going to make it?
If they don't support me. You forgot about the God
of pieces, that if he is with me, one piece
(24:52):
can get me to the place. If He is with me.
How many believe.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
God is with me?
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Get an attitude about it, Get Christian cocky about it.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
If you know God is with.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
You, this peace, that I have, this peace, that I'm
holding on to, this peace that's in my soul.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
The world didn't give it.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
And the world.
Speaker 6 (25:16):
Can't take it away. I thought your neighbors say, I
got a peace. I got a peace. Don't got a boat,
but I've got a peace. Don't have a degree, but
I've got a peace. Don't have a full answer, but
I've got a peace. Don't have a ten year plan,
(25:37):
but I got a peace.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Got a peace. Preach for that. I got a peace.
I got a peace.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
I lost some stuff, but I got a peace.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
I feel the wind, but I got a peace.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
I'm dealing with some insecurities.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Right now, but I've got a peace.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Got a peace about this? I got a peace about this.
What you feel all right now? I don't feel alright.
I faith alright.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I float alright because the God of Peace is with me.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Now. Maybe to you this is just a word play,
but I'm trying to work.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
This word into your spirit. One person told me you
do too much word play when you preach. I said, no,
I do word work. You understand what I'm saying. The
worlds were framed by the word of God. So I
figure if the word of God could frame the worlds,
that can frame your life. Right now, this season of
your life right now, Peace in the storm takes on
(26:51):
a little different meaning when we think about pieces.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
In the storm. I give you one one more picture
and we'll go home. One more peace.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
You want me to give you another piece of this message. Okay,
Paul wasn't the first one to go through a storm
in the scriptures.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
We know this.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
He was different than Jonah, who I mentioned a moment
ago in that God sent the storm because Jonah was disobedient,
and Paul was sent into the storm because he was obedient.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So in either storm, we need a picture of peace.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
So now, the Disciples of Jesus, if anybody had a
good example to follow, if anybody had a good coach
to show them how to wrestle against demons and devils
and fear and anxiety.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
It was the Disciples.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
In Mark chapter six, there's a story about a storm,
and I'm going to read it to you because you
tell a story about your storm today, wave at me.
If you could tell a story about your storm today,
and in this storm that they were in, which was physical,
we get some principles that will help us not only psychologically,
(28:15):
but spiritually and theologically.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
That's the most important part, because I'm not teaching.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
You peace today only from a pragmatic perspective.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
That's wonderful. And do all your breathing exercises. Do a
red light therapy.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Do a red light do a red light sauna, do
a red light sauna, and I do an ice bath
in the sauna.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Do everything that helps you and breathe and sip and
water and do it all. But I'm just saying, the
theological is my department today. So I want to show
you something.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
About the God of peace, the God of pieces. Now
in this particular scripture, it's different because the boat that
they were on did not break. Jesus was not on
it with them. It didn't break, but Jesus was not
on the boat with them. And look at Mark chapter six,
(29:08):
verse forty five. Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into
the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethseda
while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went
up on a mountain side to pray. Later that night,
the boat was in the middle of the lake and
he was alone on land.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
He saw the disciples straining.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
At the oars because the wind was against them. Shortly
before dawn, he went out to them. Catch this walking
on the lake, he was about to pass by them.
This shows me that Jesus even physically revealed himself in
pieces to the disciples. He did not identify himself immediately.
(29:54):
He revealed himself in pieces. I point that out because
you don't all always know that it's God at first.
In fact, sometimes the presence of God in our lives
is met with the feeling of fear, like the disciples
in this passage, because the Bible says that he was
(30:16):
about to pass them by, but when they saw him
walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.
They cried out, not for him to save them, but
because they all saw him and were terrified because they
had never seen him in this exact situation before. Now
(30:38):
I need to stop and tell you something. They had
seen him calm a storm before in Mark chapter four,
but that time he was on the boat the whole
time with them. So now they're in a different situation.
They're dealing with a different predicament. And every time God
allows you to face a new problem, he's trying to
(30:59):
show you a new peace, a part of Him.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
That always existed that you never saw. So if Lazarus died.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
He wants to show you that there's a resurrection piece
if a blind if a blind eye needs to be open,
he wants to show you that.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
He is the light.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
There is a peace that God is trying to show
you of himself through every problem that he allows in
your life. I believe that he is the God of pieces.
And as they are screaming because they think he's a ghost,
they're terrified of the one who has the power to save.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, take courage, it
(31:44):
is I. Don't be afraid. And then he climbed into
the boat with them, and the wind died down.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
They were completely a maze beast four.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
This part's going to seem out of nowhere. They had
not understood about the loaves. Their hearts were hardened. So
I want to ask you a question, What in the
world does bread have to do with a boat? What
does what does they had not understood about the loaves
(32:27):
have to do with the fact that they were.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Afraid in the storm.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
In order to put this in context, I want to
show you one more picture and give you one more peace.
When the Bible says immediately Jesus made his disciples get
into the boat and go on ahead of him to Betseeda.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
It does.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
It does not say in that verse what has just
occurred before Jesus sent them on this trip.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
But if you back up just a few verses.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Jesus has just finished feeding five thousand men and women
and children who were starving. Instead of allowing them to
starve or sending them away, he told the disciples, bring
me the bread that you have, bring me the fish
that you have. But Jesus, we only have pieces. But
(33:16):
when they brought him five loaves and two fish, which
is nothing but a piece when there's five thousand people
that need to eat, and they brought him the peace,
the peace that they brought him became provision that fed
not only five thousand men, not only fifteen thousand women
(33:38):
and children.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
With them, But it resulted in leftovers. So the Bible
says verse forty one, and now I'm ready to preach.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking
up to Heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Then he gave.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
Them to the disciples to distribute to the people. He
also divided to fish among them, and they all ate
and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls
of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of
(34:23):
the men who had eaten was five thousand. Five thousand
men fed and broken pieces to carry away. So now
we go to the storm and we see it with
different eyes, because we realized that even though Jesus is
not physically in the boat with them in this storm,
they carried a basket into the boat that was full
(34:45):
of the pieces of leftovers that came from the touch
of the Master just a few minutes ago. In other words,
Jesus sent them into the sea knowing that there would
be a storm. But he did not send you into
this storm empty hand.
Speaker 6 (35:00):
If you check your boat, I want to let you know.
You got some baskets, you got some bread. You got
some baskets, and you've got some bread. I came to
remind somebody there's bread in your boat. There's bread in
your boat. It's bread in my boat. What do you
(35:23):
mean by that? I don't need food when I'm in
a storm.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Yeah, you do to sustain you.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
Until God shows up and stops it. There have been
moments in your life that God could have stopped the storm,
but he didn't. There's a storm some of you are
in right now, and God's not stopping it, and you're wondering,
what do I do about this? I didn't see this
storm coming. Jesus isn't even in this boat with me. Yeah,
(35:52):
but bread is.
Speaker 7 (35:57):
These were big baskets, y'all, twelve big baskets, so that
every time the wind would blow, they would see the
bread and remember that they ended up with more than
they started with when.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Jesus touched it. Check the bread.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
Next time the devil starts telling you it's not going
to happen, You're not going to make it.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Check the bread.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
And by the way, God sends you into a storm
so the bread doesn't get stale. He doesn't just let
you depend on him in one circumstance. He allows you
to experience another storm so that storm can become your.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
School to teach you to be a student, to put
into practice what He showed you.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Through his last act of provision. And so the storm comes.
But the pieces are right there, because even in the storm,
I have pieces. And I need to give you thirty
seconds to praise God for the pieces that you have,
(37:07):
for the pieces, for the pieces. I'm not praising him
because my life is perfect.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
Don't get me wrong. I'm praising him for.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Pieces, sometimes broken pieces. And is there something for us
to learn from the example of Jesus that he blessed
broken bread and gave thanks for what wasn't enough so
that it could become enough. Is he showing you and
showing me that if we can't praise Him for the
(37:44):
peace that we do have, we're never going to have
the peace that we're praying for.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
This is the God of pieces.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
And so if all you're holding today is the remnant
of the regrets of your sins and decisions, bring them
to the God of pieces. If all you're holding today
in your life is broken plans, bring them to the
God of peaces, the God of peace. The God of
(38:18):
Peace is the God who pieces all things together. And
sometimes you are in between what God just did and
what God is going to do, and you got to
trust God in between those pieces, in between those pieces.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
So something happens and.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Then nothing happens and something else is going to happen.
This is for some of you in your career. Something
happens and then nothing happens, and something else is going
to happen.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
You see, God do a miracle in your life.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You walk away with twelve basketballs of pieces and the
testimony of what God has done, and you put it
on the boat. And then the boat that is filled
with the baskets of the bread that God multiplied in
your life hits a storm.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Have to praise him for the pieces.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
I want the God of peace in my life, and
I trust him with the pieces.
Speaker 1 (39:13):
And I praise him for the pieces, the ones I
can see, the ones I can't see.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
I thank him for the pieces that he's putting together
back in order right now in the life of somebody.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
In this room.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
And I praise him that he knows the picture of
your life. He knows the picture of your family, he
knows the picture of your future. He knows the picture
of his purpose for your life, and you don't. And
it comes in pieces.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
And so.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
The Bible gives us a very specific prayer to pray,
give us this day our daily bread. The devil wants
you to get overwhelmed by the pile, but God says, no,
you just take it piece.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
By piece. I thought I would minister.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
To you today on the power of pieces, because even
some of the songs we sing in this church, the
songs of praise that we sing that end up touching
people all over the world. They start as pieces. I mean,
Chandler and Leland come on back, boys, I mean these boys, Yeah,
(40:33):
they are amazing songwriters. But I had to tell you something, Church,
I gotta tell you some of the songs that we
put out they start as pieces. And let me tell
you this, the pieces usually aren't pretty. I mean, how
many times has Holly heard me sending a voice memo
in the bathroom to Chandler?
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Sound bad when I said it like that?
Speaker 3 (40:54):
But I mean, I was just going through today because
we talked about ending my sermon in a way that
would give you a picture of the pieces.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
And I found this.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
There's two thy six and thirty three voice memos on
this phone.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
Pieces.
Speaker 3 (41:13):
Most of them do not need to be heard by
human ears. Ever, most of them are an offense that
they ever recorded.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
Like this one is your Micael. Listen to this. I
just heard this.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
This is so random, but this is a song idea
that I sent him a few days ago. Boom boom
boom boom boom boom foo.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
You mm. And then it ends that's the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
And somehow I thought he needed to hear that, and
I sent.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
It to him.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
I'm saying a little piece over here today because you
never know what starts as a piece might become a praise.
So let me demonstrate. I was sitting in a songwriting
(42:19):
session with Leland and we were finishing up a song.
And as we're finishing up that one song, he plays something.
And I'm always paying attention in a songwriting round, trying
to scabage something that somebody else is throwing away like
a little scrap, and I grab that sucker and break
(42:40):
it and give thanks and feed twenty thousand people at Elevation.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Church with it. Uh huh. So this guy, we're just literally.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Setting up a microphone and he does something with his
right hand. Listen to this he goes, and I got
chills doing it, and I got chos, give me chokes
he did. He does it and I go.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
What's that? He goes, Oh, it's not that.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
I'm just I'm just recorded real quick and save it
for something later. And I says, save it for nothing later.
You are going to.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Give that to me right now and we're gonna write
something to it. Do it again. Listen to these chords
he played. I feel the Holy Ghost.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
When he plays those chords, he could sing Mary had
a little lamb over those chords.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
And I would feel the Holy Ghost.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
I think it's ting about the Virgin Mary and the
baby Jesus. But when he played it, we said, man,
what does that sound like? And eventually we said.
Speaker 8 (43:43):
Gave me mama, Yeah, one more day.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
And then it's like what if It's like, no, you
gave me more say?
Speaker 3 (43:56):
And then so you know, there's other guys in the room,
Davs and Jonathan, all of them, and so we write
this whole chorus the song that we sang earlier in church,
this song called one more Day?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
All right?
Speaker 3 (44:06):
So we finished that and I'm like, cool, Wait, I
got this piece.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
That Chandler sent me.
Speaker 3 (44:15):
And Chandler and Leland had never even met, but on
my phone I got pieces pieces, you see what I'm saying,
Lja and he had sent me a piece a few
months ago that we had talked about.
Speaker 8 (44:32):
And his piece goes, I just really want to pray.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
We didn't have those words.
Speaker 9 (44:42):
You mean everything, everything everything to me.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
And so then do the other part again, the chorus.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
Maybe, And I was like, what if this piece, say,
what if this piece that we just God goes with
this piece that we've had for three months that we
don't know what to do with. And what if a
song is waiting to be sung from pieces.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
From pieces? And what is God? What if the Lord?
What if the.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
God of pieces is standing over your life today waiting
for you to praise him for the pieces?
Speaker 1 (45:36):
You can do better than that?
Speaker 5 (45:38):
What if you put your hands together and begin to
believe that the God of.
Speaker 6 (45:45):
Pieces with me?
Speaker 5 (45:48):
Just send the list and ways obay his voice given, pray.
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Listen, that's said singer sing over those basis.
Speaker 9 (46:06):
I just really want to prize should be anything, everything, everything.
How does really want to pray?
Speaker 1 (46:28):
She brings all together?
Speaker 9 (46:30):
Do me everything, every everything.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
When we're talking to church, we say, now is.
Speaker 9 (46:45):
Your name on the bride? Shall be be everything everything.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
My daily bread.
Speaker 8 (47:01):
Lord, see you have probab me all this?
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Wee mm hmmm tested fire Oh one mom can I
see hallelujah?
Speaker 3 (47:21):
What a bank?
Speaker 8 (47:26):
Geez, sir geez bring it all again like cue, bid
me one word, oh one mold one lord, one Lord.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
It's about ice closed.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
I want you to take a moment and offer your
broken pieces to the Lord today. And even if you
want to just lift your hands like this and close
your eyes and his presence and say, here are my
peace is God.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
I heard you were the God of peaces. I heard
that you could take.
Speaker 3 (48:18):
What has been shattered and turn it into something amazing.
I heard that you can steal storms. I heard that
you could give peace in a storm.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
God.
Speaker 3 (48:30):
I'm in a storm right now. I'm in a storm
on the inside. I've got winds raging on the outside.
But I heard about the God of peace, the God
of peaces, the God who, even if the boat breaks,
will see me safely to my assigned place.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
So I offer you all of these plans.
Speaker 3 (48:49):
I offer you all of these problems, and I remember
that I'm coming into the presence of a sovereign God
who can speak to a storm. But until you stop
the God, I believe you have stocked me for this storm.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
You have given me your peace.
Speaker 3 (49:12):
So I'm not anxious about anything, because with prayer and supplication,
I'm making my request known to you, and the peace
of God that passes all understanding will guard.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
Your heart and your mind.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
In Christ Jesus, I want to give an invitation for
someone today to make peace with God in your personal life.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
The Bible says that Jesus.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
Christ became our peace so that we would no longer
be enemies of God. But through his blood shed on
the cross, you and I can have peace with God.
We can be brought into His family. We can be
forgiven and called sons and daughters. We can have a
brand new beginning. So, if God has led you to
this place today and he's speaking to your heart and
(49:57):
you want to give him the pieces of your broken life,
say here it is God.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
I've tried doing it without you. Now I need you
to take over. If you are ready to give your
life to the Lord.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
Today, I'm going to lead you in a prayer, not
a prayer that you're going to do better or be perfect,
but a prayer that says, here are my broken peaces. God,
give my life to you. And if you're ready to
do that today, then you repeat after me. If you
pray this prayer, mean it from your heart. God will
hear you from heaven. He will heal your sentence and
give you a new beginning. We're praying out loud as
(50:29):
a church family for the benefit of those who are
coming to God or coming back to God. Repeat after me,
Heavenly Father, today.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
Is my day.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
I am a sinner in need of a savior. And
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
and the savior of the world. And today I make
Jesus the Lord of my life. I believe he died
that I would be forgiven and rose again to give
(51:03):
me life. I receive this new life. This is my
new beginning. Shoot your hand up on the count of three.
If you prayed that one, two, three.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
In Jesus' name.
Speaker 3 (51:15):
Welcome to the family of God's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (51:20):
I see God bless you. Come on anybody else. If
you put your name in the chat right now, We'll
break for you. Our team will break for you. We
celebrate you. The God of Peace is with you. Thank you, Jesus,
Thank you Jesus.
Speaker 3 (51:38):
Hug three people and tell them God is with you
in this storm. The God of Peace is with you.
Put it in the chat right now, say the God
of Peace is with me. After you've given out all
your prescribed hugs, campus pastors, you can take it here
in Valentine. I want to close, grab hands and block
(51:59):
the exit so nobody gets out till I say this
close in prayer. Come on up with me. Holly tag
team partners. You preached on the peace of God. I
preached on the God of pieces, and together we make
a good team. Squeeze your neighbor's hand and say we
(52:22):
make a good team too.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Tell him I got a peace. I got a peace,
You got a.
Speaker 3 (52:28):
Peace, peace, and we got a peace making God. I'm
telling you, when you get back to your boat in
this storm, you look for.
Speaker 1 (52:38):
Leftovers at your feet.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
You begin to rehearse the goodness of God in your life.
And now, unto Him who is able to do immeserably
more than you ask for, imagine to him.
Speaker 1 (52:51):
Be glory through Christ.
Speaker 3 (52:52):
Jesus is the.
Speaker 9 (52:54):
Church pass forever.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Hey man, how will you beas this week?
Speaker 2 (53:03):
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
(53:25):
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.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast.
I wanted to thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving
in your life.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Enjoy the message. I'm gonna do something I never did.
Holly preached so good last week. I hate if you missed.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
It, and she preached so good that for the first
time I ever, I want to take the verse that
she ended on and do a tag team off of
the verse that she ended on. Okay, so come tag
me bed.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
I used to watch wrestling.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
I'm gonna come flying off the turnbuckle, maw the fabulous Ferdick.
So I'm gonna drop an elbow on the devil's head today.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Praise the Lord, and I'll give you one verse to
start with. Would you go? Ah, didn't bring out my
screen please so I can really put the verse in context.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
This screen is my way of pretending like you and
I are having a conversation together and we're just looking
at the Bible and studying it together. So I pray
that it'll feel that way to you. Let's welcome our
Epham all over.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
The world joining us online.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Here we come, and I'm going to share with you
from Philippians chapter four, the last verse she read.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
She read several verses, but the.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
One that she ended on is the one I want
to pick up on. In Philippians four, chapter nineteen. Excuse me,
chapter nine, verse nine.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Let's try that again.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Philippians chapter four, verse nine.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
The Word of the Lord Philippians, chapter four, verse nine.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
A little message that I know is going to help
you today.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Right there, Paul says, whatever you have learned or received
or heard from me or seen in me, put it
into practice, and the God of Peace will be with you.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
And the God of peace.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Last week Holly spoke about the peace of God, and
she was speaking about the peace of God. But today
I want to take a little bit of a different
approach to what she shared, and I want to talk
about this verse and the God of Peace will be
with you and remind you that he is the God
of peace. He can speak peace to every situation in
(02:49):
this room, no matter how scattered or chaotic your life
is right now.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But I want to talk about the God.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Of Peace will be with you, and I want to
speak about how the God of peace is also.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
The God of pieces.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I want to talk to you today for just a
few moments about the God of peaces.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Pieces.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Father, when you speak, wind and waves, obey speak Now,
still our hearts before you make every storm in this
room a sanctuary where your presence can be felt.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
I think of each person that you brought here today.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I thank you that you know their situations, and I
thank you that you have solutions. Moreover, I thank you
that you are the solution, the God of peace, the
God of peaces.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
In Jesus' name, Amen, you may be seated, You may
be seated.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Me and Holly got in a fight Friday of my fault.
We don't fight that much, but we fought Friday, only
about a five minute fight.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
But it was you know, I'll scale a one to ten.
It might have been a three. But I didn't like it.
And I didn't like it because I knew I caused it.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
And the reason I caused it is because I did
not practice what she preached last week. Last week, Holli
was preaching about peace and she asked a very important question.
She said, do your practices promote peace? And she shared
a little extra biblical illustration about the instrument of torture
(04:49):
known as Instagram.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
The one that the devil invented.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
You know, I know that God created the heavens and
the earth, but the Devil's created a lot of stuff
since then, Instagram being one of the platforms that he created. Amen,
And I post sermons on it, but I know.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Not to go look at the.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Comments, and I never do except Friday. I went on
those comments Friday, and I thought I can handle it.
I just looked for a minute, and of course I
couldn't handle it. And I was very worked up about
(05:29):
some of the things that I saw. And I'm just
starting my sermon in a very candid place because it's
interesting to me how I live with a preacher who
just preached about peace, and even in her message, she said,
you've got to be careful that your practices don't pollute
your peace.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Do you remember when she said that.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
She didn't say that exactly, but I added it on
for my message today. She said, she said, make sure
that your practices don't pollute your piece. And the reason
that we were getting into an argument, to me closely,
was because it's very hard to have peace when you
drink poison. And I'm not telling you whether or not
(06:10):
you should ever look at Instagram or any of the
social media platforms. In fact, I'm going to try not
to mention social media for the rest of this message.
I just wanted to set up for you that what
Paul is saying here, he says it is the things
that you put into practice, that you learn, receive, and
hear or see that produces the peace of God. And
(06:37):
since we're going to go over here and take a
Nibbel on verse six real quick, where it says, do
not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
God, and the peace.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and minds in Christ Jesus. And something that's really convicting
to me lately is that I think we all want this,
the peace of God, but sometimes we resist the God
(07:10):
of Peace.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
And so the question becomes, how can I.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Expect the peace of God in my life if I
reject the God of Peace when he comes to show
me how to live. In other words, that he's showing
me something that I need to let go of. If
he's showing me something that I need to keep limited,
if he's showing me something that I need to walk
around and not engage. If he's showing me something that.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I need to add or subtract from.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
My life, and I insist on being stubborn, How can
I expect the peace to come to my heart if
I ignore the source who gives it, the peace of God.
We all want it. Everybody in here wants to feel
better about your future. Everybody wants to feel confident that
(08:01):
things are coming together. Everybody in here wants to feel
like I'm on the right path. Things are going to
work out. Everybody in here wants to peace of God.
Paul makes it very clear that in order to experience
the peace of God, and I just want to lay
this foundation one more time, you must embrace the God
(08:22):
of Peace. And I want to remind you that he
is Jehovah Shalom. Shalom means peace or wholeness, and he
is the God of peace. He is the God of
peace in the midst of panic attacks. He is the
god of peace in the midst of downsizing in your industry.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
He is the God of peace.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
When your best client just didn't sign up for another year,
and you don't know how you're going to make up
the contract.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
He is the God of peace.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
When thoughts assail you, telling you that your life has
reached its zenith and everything from here is just going
to be nothing but less than what it was.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
He is.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
I feel like reaching to somebody today that the God
of Peace is in this place.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Say it. The God of Peace is in this place.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
And you can say that about any place you ever
find yourself. You can say that in the third row
of church on a Sunday morning. You can say that
when you're pulling out of your driveway on Monday going
to the job, to look at the people that try
to steal your peace. I'm not walking into this office
by myself. I'm walking in with the God of Peace.
He said he would be with me. He said he
(09:30):
would walk with me.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
He said he.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Would never leave me nor forsake me. He is more
than enough for me. He is the all sufficient one.
There's nothing I will ever encounter that will surprise him.
He doesn't scratch his head or shake his head or
hang his head. He doesn't turntail and run when the
enemy surrounds me. For when the enemy surrounds me. God
surrounds the enemy. I'm fenced in by fire, even in
(09:55):
my darkest night, even when I wake up and didn't
expect the attack. Have God who anticipated the attack and
put the provision in place, because he is the God
of peace and he's in this place. We saw a
testimony how the God of Peace reached in a prison
cell and rescued a brother in a prison cell. The
(10:16):
God of Peace will make a prison visit. The God
of Peace will pull up alongside a hospital bed. The
God of Peace will show up in a divorce court.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
The God of Peace.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Will reach your child that isn't living under your roof
right now, the God of Peace.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Is in this place now.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
The process by which we experience this peace is what
Paul is talking about in Philippians for nine and now.
I want to give you this principle and then give
you two or three pictures. Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me or seen in me, think
about this.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Paul says.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
If you do what you saw me do, you will
have the peace that only God can give. And I'm
afraid I couldn't say that about my life A lot
of the times, even as a leader you know. Graham
said something really interesting a few days ago. He said,
when I look back on when I was a little
boy and I first started wrestling, For those of you
(11:20):
who haven't heard yet, we like to brag about it
every chance we get. He is a two time state
champion in the state of North Carolina for the sport
of wrestling, not tag team wrestling, like wrestling, like real wrestling.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
And when he first started wrestling, I've been a wrestler
for a few years when I was in middle school,
and so he thought I was the man because I
didn't tell him any different.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
And that's really fun.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
When they're little, their understanding of you is limited, so
you can kind.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Of build it all up to be whatever you want
to be.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
And he said something he goes, now that I'm really
more advanced as a wrestler, and I look back on
when I was little, it's crazy how much you coached
me with.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
How little you knew.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
And I don't think he meant that as a compliment,
Like man, Dad, you really went all in, and I
appreciate it. I think what you're saying is, now that
I know something about what I'm doing, I can't believe
that I thought the stuff you were screaming from the
stands had any merit or value whatsoever. You really just
screamed the same things over and over again.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
But it worked for that stage, isn't it crazy?
Speaker 3 (12:35):
He said, how much you coached me with how little
you knew. And if you look at your life, there
are some things about your life that are amazing how
far God has brought you.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
If you really think about how little you started with.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I'm going to say that again, and the devil can
pop my mic and I'll say it a third time.
It is amazing how far God has brought you in
some of the things that he has done in your life.
When you consider where you came from, how little you
started with, it is amazing. Look at somebody and say
it's amazing. Come on, tell them, say it's amazing that
(13:19):
you're in church today. Now, just clap your hands for him,
give them a little round of applause.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Come on, look at him. Say after the week you've had, after.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
The news you got, after the mounting to do lists
that you have to go home to, it's amazing. It's
amazing the progress that you've made when you consider the
pattern that you were exposed to. It is amazing that
you even stayed as a dad when your dad didn't.
(13:56):
It is amazing that you are apologizing as a husband,
even though you get mad when you never saw the
pattern of apology in your own home.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And the truth of it.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Is, if some of us were honest, and if we
could do way with the shame that the devil throws
on us. For just about five minutes, Yes, there is
a long way we still have to go, but it's
pretty amazing the advancements that we've made to be here today.
Stand up if you never would have thought you'd be
in church on a Sunday morning three years ago.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Stand up if there was a season in.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Your life where you thought God was done with you,
but you feel something starting to beat in.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
Your heart again. Stand up.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
If you're praising God today was a miracle because you
went through a season of depression where you couldn't lift
your head off the pillow.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Let alone lift your hands.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
In church, somebody shout, it's amazing. And the enemy wants
to keep us from being amazed at the ways that
God has made in our life. He wants to keep
us from being amazed from the place that we stand.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
And so Paul says.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Look, when you don't know what to do, and you
don't know what's next, and you're standing in a place
where you don't really have the full picture of how
your life.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Is going to turn out, listen to me.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Remember what you heard, learned and saw in me, and
practice that, and the God of Peace will be with you.
And I thought that was even better than him saying
the Peace of God will be with me, because it
means that even if I don't feel the Peace of God,
I can believe that the God of Peace is with me.
(15:38):
That's the principle. Now let's break it down for just
a moment or two. If he says this, whatever you've
learned or received, or heard or seen in me, put
it into practice, and the God of Peace will be
with you, it stands the reason that we are not
going to learn, receive, hear, or see everything about God
(15:59):
all at once. He's telling us that this is going
to take practice. And so sometimes we need more patience
with ourselves to realize that even God reveals himself to
us progressively.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
God never grows, but he does.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Not give you every glimpse of Him all at once,
and that's a mercy because we could never see His
glory and live. And so what God is doing in
your life right now is he's showing you things in stages,
and he is teaching you things. Watch this in pieces,
(16:37):
in pieces, He's teaching you in pieces. I'm so glad
you came today because when you first start showing me
to play tennis, you did not show me all the
cool stuff. I remember the first thing you said to
me was show me how you hold the racket. I'm like, dude,
I am not out here with seventy five dollars for
you to say, show me how you hold a racket.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I know the price has gone.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Up since then, but I get in on that bottom rate,
and I'm thinking, like, if we're going to spend twenty
minutes holding the racket.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
I was trying to learn to play tennis.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
I thought, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna never get
anywhere with this. But it was a kindness of him
that he didn't show me Roger Federer highlight clips on
my first lesson. And it is a kindness of God
that he teaches you in pieces so that you can
get a piece and practice and get a piece and practice,
(17:31):
and get a piece and practice.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
So this time we learned how to hold the racket.
In about three weeks, I'll show you how to swing it.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
And I'm doing this for your own good, because if
you swing it but don't know how to grip it,
that ball is gonna fly every direction every time.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
So Paul is teaching in pieces.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Not only is he teaching them in pieces, but he's
teaching them.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Without his physical presence.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
He's writing this letter from a prison, so he's teaching
in pieces from prison. Now this church that he founded
is having to put into practice things that they've heard,
learn or seen from his life, but he is not
present to show them the practice. They are having to
draw from what they saw, even though right now they
(18:19):
can't see it. And I wonder, is there anybody in
here today who is having to draw from something right
now even though you can't exactly see what God is
doing in your life, even though you don't have an
exact model for it in your life, even though you
don't have somebody to look at it and say, I'm
going to imitate or emulate that. Paul says, I'm teaching
(18:40):
you in pieces, And think about all the pieces that
Paul had to teach from, not only the fact that
he was writing the Bible. So when Paul said, like,
you can do all things through Christ to strengthens you
Philippin's four thirteen, they were like, how do you know that?
He's like, because it's in the Bible, what's gonna be.
(19:03):
It's going to be in the Bible in just a
few verses. But to teach like Paul, that's very different
than teaching like you, because for those of us who
are parents in the room, we are trying to coach
them knowing so little and still wrestling ourselves. And so
(19:23):
Paul is teaching us the great apostle, Paul who was
writing the illuminated inspired word of God, the great missionary statesman,
and he's telling this church at Philippi, whatever you saw
and heard and learned from me, do that and the.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
God of Peace will be with you. Well, that's different
for us, because we're not writing the Bible. As far
as I can tell, we're not.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
The example of grace that God has raised up for
this century. I think I think that for the majority
of us in here, it's amazing how much we're coaching
with how little we know. But if Paul was coaching you,
he could teach you about pieces that I couldn't teach you.
So when Paul says, hold on to what you've heard
(20:06):
from me, hold on to what you've learned from me,
hold on to what you've seen in me.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
There were scenes in Paul's life.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
That we are privy to that would have served as
examples for them to follow.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
And so when he's telling them, hold on and.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
The God of Peace will be with you, you got
to understand that Paul is speaking this from.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
A place of deep experience.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Paul is like a Division one NCAA champion showing you
how to wrestle. Paul survived stonings and still stayed stable
in his faith. Paul survived a shipwreck even just before
he wrote this letter. Let me tell you a story
real quick. In Acts, chapter twenty seven, Paul tells about
(20:54):
a trip that he was making as he was awaiting
his sentencing for preaching the gospel. And while he was
on the ship, he had a meeting with an angel
and the angel said, Paul, don't be afraid.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
I'm going to.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Preserve your life. The boat that you're on is going
to go through a storm, but you are going to
make it. I don't know who that was for, but
that was just the whole word right now, just that
the boat that you are on is going to go
through a storm, but you're going to make it. It's
(21:30):
going to be rocky for a little while. You might
have to take some dramamine, but you're going to make it.
There might be some jonahs that have to go overboard,
relationships that aren't good for you, but you're going to
make it. It might not look like exactly what it
looked like when you set out.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
You might not be able to do it like you
did it when you did it like you did it.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
But if you'll do it like God is telling you
to do it right now, you are going to make it.
And you might have to vomit over the side of
the boat, and you might have to hold your stomach
for a little while while it rocks and reels, and
you might have to spend some time praying a little extra.
The boat is going to go through something, but you're
going to make it.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Tell your neighbor you're going to make it. Tell them,
I prophesy, I prophesy.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Look them in their eyes, right in the pupils, and
say you're going to make it.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Tell them you've got to make it. Yeah, you got
to make it.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Because God has something for you to do on the
other side of this, and the God of Peace is
with you. So if the God of Peace is with you,
watch this. In Acts, chapter twenty seven, verse forty one,
the Bible says that after they had gone through the
(22:47):
storm for a period of three weeks, the ship struck
a sandbar and ran aground. The boughs struck fast and
would not move.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
That's bad.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
And the stern was broke to pieces by the pounding
of the serf. Now, if you're out in the ocean
and the ship is carrying you and the ship breaks
to pieces, that means you're not going to survive unless
you have a god who is the God of.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Pieces.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Put my verse back up there and let me get
somebody happy.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
I know your ship broke apart.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
I know it was pounded by something you didn't see coming.
I know your kid's not speaking to you right now.
I know it's been three days since you had an appetite.
I know some things look really really sketchy right now.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
But in the name of.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Jesus, the God of pieces, can get you there. The
God of Peace is with me. The God of Peace
is with me, Verse forty two. So the soldiers plan
to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from
swimming away and escaping, but the Furian wanted to spare
(24:01):
Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan.
He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first
and to get to land, and the rest were to
get there on planks or on other.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Pieces. I'm preaching to somebody who's holding on to a
peace to the shore today. I'm preaching somebody who's holding
on to a board to the shore today.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
I'm preaching to somebody who's wondering, how am I going
to make it with who I have left, what I
have left? How am I going to make it now
that they went away? How am I going to make it?
If they don't support me. You forgot about the God
of pieces, that if he is with me, one piece
(24:52):
can get me to the place. If He is with me.
How many believe.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
God is with me?
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Get an attitude about it, Get Christian cocky about it.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
If you know God is with.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
You, this peace, that I have, this peace, that I'm
holding on to, this peace that's in my soul.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
The world didn't give it.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
And the world.
Speaker 6 (25:16):
Can't take it away. I thought your neighbors say, I
got a peace. I got a peace. Don't got a boat,
but I've got a peace. Don't have a degree, but
I've got a peace. Don't have a full answer, but
I've got a peace. Don't have a ten year plan,
(25:37):
but I got a peace.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Got a peace. Preach for that. I got a peace.
I got a peace.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
I lost some stuff, but I got a peace.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
I feel the wind, but I got a peace.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
I'm dealing with some insecurities.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Right now, but I've got a peace.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Got a peace about this? I got a peace about this.
What you feel all right now? I don't feel alright.
I faith alright.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
I float alright because the God of Peace is with me.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Now. Maybe to you this is just a word play,
but I'm trying to work.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
This word into your spirit. One person told me you
do too much word play when you preach. I said, no,
I do word work. You understand what I'm saying. The
worlds were framed by the word of God. So I
figure if the word of God could frame the worlds,
that can frame your life. Right now, this season of
your life right now, Peace in the storm takes on
(26:51):
a little different meaning when we think about pieces.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
In the storm. I give you one one more picture
and we'll go home. One more peace.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
You want me to give you another piece of this message. Okay,
Paul wasn't the first one to go through a storm
in the scriptures.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
We know this.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
He was different than Jonah, who I mentioned a moment
ago in that God sent the storm because Jonah was disobedient,
and Paul was sent into the storm because he was obedient.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So in either storm, we need a picture of peace.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
So now, the Disciples of Jesus, if anybody had a
good example to follow, if anybody had a good coach
to show them how to wrestle against demons and devils
and fear and anxiety.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
It was the Disciples.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
In Mark chapter six, there's a story about a storm,
and I'm going to read it to you because you
tell a story about your storm today, wave at me.
If you could tell a story about your storm today,
and in this storm that they were in, which was physical,
we get some principles that will help us not only psychologically,
(28:15):
but spiritually and theologically.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
That's the most important part, because I'm not teaching.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
You peace today only from a pragmatic perspective.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
That's wonderful. And do all your breathing exercises. Do a
red light therapy.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
Do a red light do a red light sauna, do
a red light sauna, and I do an ice bath
in the sauna.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Do everything that helps you and breathe and sip and
water and do it all. But I'm just saying, the
theological is my department today. So I want to show
you something.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
About the God of peace, the God of pieces. Now
in this particular scripture, it's different because the boat that
they were on did not break. Jesus was not on
it with them. It didn't break, but Jesus was not
on the boat with them. And look at Mark chapter six,
(29:08):
verse forty five. Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into
the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethseda
while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went
up on a mountain side to pray. Later that night,
the boat was in the middle of the lake and
he was alone on land.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
He saw the disciples straining.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
At the oars because the wind was against them. Shortly
before dawn, he went out to them. Catch this walking
on the lake, he was about to pass by them.
This shows me that Jesus even physically revealed himself in
pieces to the disciples. He did not identify himself immediately.
(29:54):
He revealed himself in pieces. I point that out because
you don't all always know that it's God at first.
In fact, sometimes the presence of God in our lives
is met with the feeling of fear, like the disciples
in this passage, because the Bible says that he was
(30:16):
about to pass them by, but when they saw him
walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost.
They cried out, not for him to save them, but
because they all saw him and were terrified because they
had never seen him in this exact situation before. Now
(30:38):
I need to stop and tell you something. They had
seen him calm a storm before in Mark chapter four,
but that time he was on the boat the whole
time with them. So now they're in a different situation.
They're dealing with a different predicament. And every time God
allows you to face a new problem, he's trying to
(30:59):
show you a new peace, a part of Him.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
That always existed that you never saw. So if Lazarus died.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
He wants to show you that there's a resurrection piece
if a blind if a blind eye needs to be open,
he wants to show you that.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
He is the light.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
There is a peace that God is trying to show
you of himself through every problem that he allows in
your life. I believe that he is the God of pieces.
And as they are screaming because they think he's a ghost,
they're terrified of the one who has the power to save.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, take courage, it
(31:44):
is I. Don't be afraid. And then he climbed into
the boat with them, and the wind died down.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
They were completely a maze beast four.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
This part's going to seem out of nowhere. They had
not understood about the loaves. Their hearts were hardened. So
I want to ask you a question, What in the
world does bread have to do with a boat? What
does what does they had not understood about the loaves
(32:27):
have to do with the fact that they were.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Afraid in the storm.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
In order to put this in context, I want to
show you one more picture and give you one more peace.
When the Bible says immediately Jesus made his disciples get
into the boat and go on ahead of him to Betseeda.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
It does.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
It does not say in that verse what has just
occurred before Jesus sent them on this trip.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
But if you back up just a few verses.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Jesus has just finished feeding five thousand men and women
and children who were starving. Instead of allowing them to
starve or sending them away, he told the disciples, bring
me the bread that you have, bring me the fish
that you have. But Jesus, we only have pieces. But
(33:16):
when they brought him five loaves and two fish, which
is nothing but a piece when there's five thousand people
that need to eat, and they brought him the peace,
the peace that they brought him became provision that fed
not only five thousand men, not only fifteen thousand women
(33:38):
and children.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
With them, But it resulted in leftovers. So the Bible
says verse forty one, and now I'm ready to preach.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking
up to Heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Then he gave.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
Them to the disciples to distribute to the people. He
also divided to fish among them, and they all ate
and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls
of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of
(34:23):
the men who had eaten was five thousand. Five thousand
men fed and broken pieces to carry away. So now
we go to the storm and we see it with
different eyes, because we realized that even though Jesus is
not physically in the boat with them in this storm,
they carried a basket into the boat that was full
(34:45):
of the pieces of leftovers that came from the touch
of the Master just a few minutes ago. In other words,
Jesus sent them into the sea knowing that there would
be a storm. But he did not send you into
this storm empty hand.
Speaker 6 (35:00):
If you check your boat, I want to let you know.
You got some baskets, you got some bread. You got
some baskets, and you've got some bread. I came to
remind somebody there's bread in your boat. There's bread in
your boat. It's bread in my boat. What do you
(35:23):
mean by that? I don't need food when I'm in
a storm.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Yeah, you do to sustain you.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
Until God shows up and stops it. There have been
moments in your life that God could have stopped the storm,
but he didn't. There's a storm some of you are
in right now, and God's not stopping it, and you're wondering,
what do I do about this? I didn't see this
storm coming. Jesus isn't even in this boat with me. Yeah,
(35:52):
but bread is.
Speaker 7 (35:57):
These were big baskets, y'all, twelve big baskets, so that
every time the wind would blow, they would see the
bread and remember that they ended up with more than
they started with when.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Jesus touched it. Check the bread.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
Next time the devil starts telling you it's not going
to happen, You're not going to make it.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Check the bread.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
And by the way, God sends you into a storm
so the bread doesn't get stale. He doesn't just let
you depend on him in one circumstance. He allows you
to experience another storm so that storm can become your.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
School to teach you to be a student, to put
into practice what He showed you.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Through his last act of provision. And so the storm comes.
But the pieces are right there, because even in the storm,
I have pieces. And I need to give you thirty
seconds to praise God for the pieces that you have,
(37:07):
for the pieces, for the pieces. I'm not praising him
because my life is perfect.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
Don't get me wrong. I'm praising him for.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
Pieces, sometimes broken pieces. And is there something for us
to learn from the example of Jesus that he blessed
broken bread and gave thanks for what wasn't enough so
that it could become enough. Is he showing you and
showing me that if we can't praise Him for the
(37:44):
peace that we do have, we're never going to have
the peace that we're praying for.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
This is the God of pieces.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
And so if all you're holding today is the remnant
of the regrets of your sins and decisions, bring them
to the God of pieces. If all you're holding today
in your life is broken plans, bring them to the
God of peaces, the God of peace. The God of
(38:18):
Peace is the God who pieces all things together. And
sometimes you are in between what God just did and
what God is going to do, and you got to
trust God in between those pieces, in between those pieces.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
So something happens and.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Then nothing happens and something else is going to happen.
This is for some of you in your career. Something
happens and then nothing happens, and something else is going
to happen.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
You see, God do a miracle in your life.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You walk away with twelve basketballs of pieces and the
testimony of what God has done, and you put it
on the boat. And then the boat that is filled
with the baskets of the bread that God multiplied in
your life hits a storm.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Have to praise him for the pieces.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
I want the God of peace in my life, and
I trust him with the pieces.
Speaker 1 (39:13):
And I praise him for the pieces, the ones I
can see, the ones I can't see.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
I thank him for the pieces that he's putting together
back in order right now in the life of somebody.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
In this room.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
And I praise him that he knows the picture of
your life. He knows the picture of your family, he
knows the picture of your future. He knows the picture
of his purpose for your life, and you don't. And
it comes in pieces.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
And so.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
The Bible gives us a very specific prayer to pray,
give us this day our daily bread. The devil wants
you to get overwhelmed by the pile, but God says, no,
you just take it piece.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
By piece. I thought I would minister.
Speaker 3 (40:08):
To you today on the power of pieces, because even
some of the songs we sing in this church, the
songs of praise that we sing that end up touching
people all over the world. They start as pieces. I mean,
Chandler and Leland come on back, boys, I mean these boys, Yeah,
(40:33):
they are amazing songwriters. But I had to tell you something, Church,
I gotta tell you some of the songs that we
put out they start as pieces. And let me tell
you this, the pieces usually aren't pretty. I mean, how
many times has Holly heard me sending a voice memo
in the bathroom to Chandler?
Speaker 1 (40:53):
Sound bad when I said it like that?
Speaker 3 (40:54):
But I mean, I was just going through today because
we talked about ending my sermon in a way that
would give you a picture of the pieces.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
And I found this.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
There's two thy six and thirty three voice memos on
this phone.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
Pieces.
Speaker 3 (41:13):
Most of them do not need to be heard by
human ears. Ever, most of them are an offense that
they ever recorded.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
Like this one is your Micael. Listen to this. I
just heard this.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
This is so random, but this is a song idea
that I sent him a few days ago. Boom boom
boom boom boom boom foo.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
You mm. And then it ends that's the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
And somehow I thought he needed to hear that, and
I sent.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
It to him.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
I'm saying a little piece over here today because you
never know what starts as a piece might become a praise.
So let me demonstrate. I was sitting in a songwriting
(42:19):
session with Leland and we were finishing up a song.
And as we're finishing up that one song, he plays something.
And I'm always paying attention in a songwriting round, trying
to scabage something that somebody else is throwing away like
a little scrap, and I grab that sucker and break
(42:40):
it and give thanks and feed twenty thousand people at Elevation.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Church with it. Uh huh. So this guy, we're just literally.
Speaker 3 (42:49):
Setting up a microphone and he does something with his
right hand. Listen to this he goes, and I got
chills doing it, and I got chos, give me chokes
he did. He does it and I go.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
What's that? He goes, Oh, it's not that.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
I'm just I'm just recorded real quick and save it
for something later. And I says, save it for nothing later.
You are going to.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Give that to me right now and we're gonna write
something to it. Do it again. Listen to these chords
he played. I feel the Holy Ghost.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
When he plays those chords, he could sing Mary had
a little lamb over those chords.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
And I would feel the Holy Ghost.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
I think it's ting about the Virgin Mary and the
baby Jesus. But when he played it, we said, man,
what does that sound like? And eventually we said.
Speaker 8 (43:43):
Gave me mama, Yeah, one more day.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
And then it's like what if It's like, no, you
gave me more say?
Speaker 3 (43:56):
And then so you know, there's other guys in the room,
Davs and Jonathan, all of them, and so we write
this whole chorus the song that we sang earlier in church,
this song called one more Day?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
All right?
Speaker 3 (44:06):
So we finished that and I'm like, cool, Wait, I
got this piece.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
That Chandler sent me.
Speaker 3 (44:15):
And Chandler and Leland had never even met, but on
my phone I got pieces pieces, you see what I'm saying,
Lja and he had sent me a piece a few
months ago that we had talked about.
Speaker 8 (44:32):
And his piece goes, I just really want to pray.
Speaker 3 (44:41):
We didn't have those words.
Speaker 9 (44:42):
You mean everything, everything everything to me.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
And so then do the other part again, the chorus.
Speaker 3 (44:51):
Maybe, And I was like, what if this piece, say,
what if this piece that we just God goes with
this piece that we've had for three months that we
don't know what to do with. And what if a
song is waiting to be sung from pieces.
Speaker 1 (45:15):
From pieces? And what is God? What if the Lord?
What if the.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
God of pieces is standing over your life today waiting
for you to praise him for the pieces?
Speaker 1 (45:36):
You can do better than that?
Speaker 5 (45:38):
What if you put your hands together and begin to
believe that the God of.
Speaker 6 (45:45):
Pieces with me?
Speaker 5 (45:48):
Just send the list and ways obay his voice given, pray.
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Listen, that's said singer sing over those basis.
Speaker 9 (46:06):
I just really want to prize should be anything, everything, everything.
How does really want to pray?
Speaker 1 (46:28):
She brings all together?
Speaker 9 (46:30):
Do me everything, every everything.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
When we're talking to church, we say, now is.
Speaker 9 (46:45):
Your name on the bride? Shall be be everything everything.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
My daily bread.
Speaker 8 (47:01):
Lord, see you have probab me all this?
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Wee mm hmmm tested fire Oh one mom can I
see hallelujah?
Speaker 3 (47:21):
What a bank?
Speaker 8 (47:26):
Geez, sir geez bring it all again like cue, bid
me one word, oh one mold one lord, one Lord.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
It's about ice closed.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
I want you to take a moment and offer your
broken pieces to the Lord today. And even if you
want to just lift your hands like this and close
your eyes and his presence and say, here are my
peace is God.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
I heard you were the God of peaces. I heard
that you could take.
Speaker 3 (48:18):
What has been shattered and turn it into something amazing.
I heard that you can steal storms. I heard that
you could give peace in a storm.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
God.
Speaker 3 (48:30):
I'm in a storm right now. I'm in a storm
on the inside. I've got winds raging on the outside.
But I heard about the God of peace, the God
of peaces, the God who, even if the boat breaks,
will see me safely to my assigned place.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
So I offer you all of these plans.
Speaker 3 (48:49):
I offer you all of these problems, and I remember
that I'm coming into the presence of a sovereign God
who can speak to a storm. But until you stop
the God, I believe you have stocked me for this storm.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
You have given me your peace.
Speaker 3 (49:12):
So I'm not anxious about anything, because with prayer and supplication,
I'm making my request known to you, and the peace
of God that passes all understanding will guard.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
Your heart and your mind.
Speaker 3 (49:25):
In Christ Jesus, I want to give an invitation for
someone today to make peace with God in your personal life.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
The Bible says that Jesus.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
Christ became our peace so that we would no longer
be enemies of God. But through his blood shed on
the cross, you and I can have peace with God.
We can be brought into His family. We can be
forgiven and called sons and daughters. We can have a
brand new beginning. So, if God has led you to
this place today and he's speaking to your heart and
(49:57):
you want to give him the pieces of your broken life,
say here it is God.
Speaker 1 (50:01):
I've tried doing it without you. Now I need you
to take over. If you are ready to give your
life to the Lord.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
Today, I'm going to lead you in a prayer, not
a prayer that you're going to do better or be perfect,
but a prayer that says, here are my broken peaces. God,
give my life to you. And if you're ready to
do that today, then you repeat after me. If you
pray this prayer, mean it from your heart. God will
hear you from heaven. He will heal your sentence and
give you a new beginning. We're praying out loud as
(50:29):
a church family for the benefit of those who are
coming to God or coming back to God. Repeat after me,
Heavenly Father, today.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
Is my day.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
I am a sinner in need of a savior. And
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
and the savior of the world. And today I make
Jesus the Lord of my life. I believe he died
that I would be forgiven and rose again to give
(51:03):
me life. I receive this new life. This is my
new beginning. Shoot your hand up on the count of three.
If you prayed that one, two, three.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
In Jesus' name.
Speaker 3 (51:15):
Welcome to the family of God's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (51:20):
I see God bless you. Come on anybody else. If
you put your name in the chat right now, We'll
break for you. Our team will break for you. We
celebrate you. The God of Peace is with you. Thank you, Jesus,
Thank you Jesus.
Speaker 3 (51:38):
Hug three people and tell them God is with you
in this storm. The God of Peace is with you.
Put it in the chat right now, say the God
of Peace is with me. After you've given out all
your prescribed hugs, campus pastors, you can take it here
in Valentine. I want to close, grab hands and block
(51:59):
the exit so nobody gets out till I say this
close in prayer. Come on up with me. Holly tag
team partners. You preached on the peace of God. I
preached on the God of pieces, and together we make
a good team. Squeeze your neighbor's hand and say we
(52:22):
make a good team too.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Tell him I got a peace. I got a peace,
You got a.
Speaker 3 (52:28):
Peace, peace, and we got a peace making God. I'm
telling you, when you get back to your boat in
this storm, you look for.
Speaker 1 (52:38):
Leftovers at your feet.
Speaker 3 (52:40):
You begin to rehearse the goodness of God in your life.
And now, unto Him who is able to do immeserably
more than you ask for, imagine to him.
Speaker 1 (52:51):
Be glory through Christ.
Speaker 3 (52:52):
Jesus is the.
Speaker 9 (52:54):
Church pass forever.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
Hey man, how will you beas this week?
Speaker 2 (53:03):
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
(53:25):
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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