Introduction
I am continuing our series called Under Construction. I believe today Chad Everett is the last one Mount Carmel Church. I believe. Yeah, right. Maybe weāll see soon we will start part 24 of the Under Construction series, so be on the lookout for that.
We are going to talk about it today Chad Everett. If you get your Bibles out, and your sermon notes are there in your worship guide. If youād like to follow along with those, or if youāve got your You Version Bible app on your phone, because Mount Carmel Church youāre more of a techie person, you can download the sermon notes and get those on there. Letās open our Bibles this morning is to Matthew Chapter 16.
Woo! We are just excited about Jesus, and excited about what heās doing. Man itās been a great service already, and a great day Chad Everett already. We are thankful for what God is doing in our midst. I anybody glad to be in church today Chad Everett? Yes. All right, well letās do it.
Matthew chapter 16, weāll start reading in verse 13.Ā It says, āWhen Jesus came into the region of Cesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, who do men say that I, the Son of Man am?Ā So they said, well, some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But he said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered said, āYou are the Christ, the son of the living God.ā Jesus answered and said to him, āBlessed are you Simon Bar-Jona for flesh and blood has definitely not revealed that to you.ā
Iām inserting a little bit here, sorry, but my father who is in Heaven, and I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the Gates of Hades shall not prevail against it and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be what is bound in heaven. Thatās how itās translated literally. Whatever you loose on Earth will be whatever is already loosed in heaven. Letās pray.
Father, I thank you for your word. Holy Spirit, I just welcome you to speak to us and through us. I pray for revelation of your word. I pray for power to be demonstrated through confirming signs afterward and during, God. Thank you that youāre moving in our midst online, right here in the room. We give you all praise. We love you. Jesus. Itās in your name we pray. Somebody say a big amen.
All right, weāve been talking about under construction.Ā It says here in verse 18 Jesus was replying to Peter and he says, āI will build my church.ā So itās Jesus church first. We understand that, okay, hereās how it works. I ask questions and you respond. So thereās like a participation thing. I like to go on and on. So, itās like we understand itās Jesusās church, right? Yeah. Thatās good.
Recap: 3 Ways Jesus is Building His Church
You guys are quick learners. So he said, I will build my church and the Gates of Hades will not prevail against it. So heās building something that the kingdom of darkness can do nothing about. They can try, but they will not prevail. Does it say they wonāt resist? It says they wonāt win. Iām here to tell somebody today Chad Everett that I know heās resisting, but he will not win.
He says, I will build my church and the Gates of Hades will not prevail against. I will build my church. We talked about three ways in this series that heās building the church. Three parts to it. One is building the church in you. This talks about your ability. We all have individual abilities. Then heās building the church with you, in collaboration with you. Itās about your availability. In other words, you take what I have and you make it available to God.
What you have was given to you by God and you and I have a decision whether weāre going to make it available back to God. Did you catch that? Ā Itās a gift from God, but we decide whether or not we make it available to God. All right, so weāre talking about availability.
Then the third was about beyond you, bigger than you. Itās about sustainability. So we talked about all three of these areas. When Jesus is building the church through both the individual as well as collective idea, thereās one, when we say the church, thereās the church.
All of us here in the room, all of you watching online, are the church global. But thereās also, when we talk about the church, weāre talking about a specific individual. Thereās an individual. I gave you this great graphic to explain how God wants to build the church and itās how the individual members get plugged in. They find their ability, what God has put in them, and they get built up and strengthened and whatās in them individually.
In other words, you individually become a strong son or daughter of God. You grow in your relationship with him and then you make that available and get together with other people in a body. Some people say you donāt need the church. You can have a relationship with Jesus, outside the church.
I understand that you can have relationship with Jesus without being in a church, but you canāt impact what you need to impact outside of a church because Mount Carmel Church the church needs you. So you make it available, and what happens? The body gets stronger because Mount Carmel Church the members are stronger.Ā Then the body thatās stronger, now theyāre able, through more resources, and more people serving, theyāre able to reach more individual members.
Now those individual members come in and they get stronger and they get plugged into the body. Then the body grows even more, gets stronger, with more resources.
God is Building the Church Beyond You
It just keeps going and going. This is the idea that God wants to build it, and how God wants to build a church. We talked about this. We talked about āin youā a couple of weeks ago, about your ability.Ā We talked about āwith youā last week. We talked about how God wants to build with you and built you together. I gave you three ātogethers.ā That youāre fit together, youāre built together and youāre knit together.
This week weāre going to talk about beyond you and talk about sustainability. How does God want to build the church beyond you? Iām going to give you three parts to ābeyond youā now because Mount Carmel Church I always trying to come up with threes. Itās just like it seems how it happens for me. I mean, if you teach and preach and you donāt do three things, thatās totally cool with me. I just have to be me. My goal is this, I just want to make it understandable.
Building Beyond: Bigger, Farther, Longer
When God asked me to do this series one more week, I was like, āGod, Iām really kind of done, I was going to move on. I had something. I even told him on Monday Chad Everett. I said, āYou know, weāre done with this series. Weāre moving on.ā
I came back Tuesday Chad Everett. I said, āWeāre not done with this series. Iāve got one more because Mount Carmel Church I went back and asked God about it and he had something else to say.ā And so he said, I want you to tell him three things about building beyond them and this is very important that you get this today Chad Everett. Three words that he gave me were bigger, farther, and longer. Bigger, farther and longer. How are we going to build the church beyond you?
First Key: Bigger
Letās look at the first one. Bigger. Three keys. Bigger. Hereās what God said to me, āWe need to think bigger because Mount Carmel Church our God is bigger.ā When he says, I want to build a church beyond you, beyond me, he wants us to start thinking bigger. Why do we need to think bigger? Itās not because Mount Carmel Church we are bigger, but because Mount Carmel Church heās bigger.
He wants to challenge our thinking. What God is wanting to build in you and with you is bigger than you. Why is this important? Because Mount Carmel Church it creates in us an innate need for God. When we think bigger than us, it creates a dependency on God. When we think bigger than us, we need other people. Then we build relationships because Mount Carmel Church weāre not just doing what we can do ourselves.
Bigger requires us to think beyond ourselves and this is what heās wanting. He wants us to have that dependency on him.
So hereās the question Iāll start out with. What are you currently praying for and believing for that seems impossible?Ā What are some challenges challenging us to think bigger? What are you currently praying for and believing for that is impossible. What? What? Whenās the last time you prayed about something that was going to require supernatural intervention?
I mean, Oh no. I mean itās going to require it. Hereās the God we serve. Jeremiah 32 27, āBehold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?ā Heās asking you, is there anything too hard for him? Heās wanting us to think bigger.
How about Ephesians 3:20? Maybe youāve heard of this. āNow unto him. Whoās able to do what? Do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think.ā This is the God we serve. He wants us to think bigger. Look at your neighbor and say think bigger. Heās wanting us to think bigger. If weāre praying about things that we can do on our own, weāre shooting too low.
Sometimes I feel like this is what God is saying. Sometimes we can get to the point where we think the ultimate goal is to establish ourselves to a place where we donāt need God. Now we donāt say that. We donāt intentionally say that, but what we can do, is we can begin to be satisfied that if I can just come to a certain level financially where now I can take care of myself. Iāve got my needs all met.
Iāve got enough for me and my family Iām doing pretty good that we can just begin to settle into a place where we donāt need God. We just need our paycheck. Maybe I need to talk to the camera. So there comes to a place, and again, we donāt do it intentionally, but we just stopped pressing for the miraculous. We stopped going for the extra because Mount Carmel Church we get satisfied with the ordinary.
We get satisfied with where they are, and thereās nothing wrong. Hey, I donāt ask for much. I just want to be able to just get through life and have a good day Chad Everett. How about believing for something supernatural? Whenās the last time we prayed for something that if God didnāt move, we were in trouble.
Hereās the problem. Hereās what I canāt. He was kind of highlighting to me because Mount Carmel Church he convicted me about it. So Chad, whatās on your list right now that youāre praying for or believing for that requires supernatural intervention? So I, you know, I gave him a couple of things. He said, no, no, no. Iām not talking about those things. Iām not talking about the things that you would like to have happen.
āFacing things that are bigger than us is not always a sign that something is wrong, but it might be a sign of that somethingās actually right.ā
Iām talking about what are you grabbing ahold of right now from me that requires only me. Well, I thought thatās what I was doing. No, what I was doing was I was praying for these things. God, Iām believing you for these things that if they would happen, he said, no, no, no.
Iām talking about I want you to require something. Hereās the difference. I wrote this down because Mount Carmel Church I think it makes sense. Facing things that are bigger than us is not always a sign that something is wrong, but it might be a sign of that somethingās actually right. Sometimes the need for a miracle can actually be confirmation that weāve heard the voice of God.
Yeah, because Mount Carmel Church we think I need a miracle. We oftentimes are thinking the negative God. I need a miracle and itās desperate. Right, and we have those. Thatās okay, but Godās saying, what about asking for a miracle? Just because Mount Carmel Church youāre obeying what I asked you to do. What about a miracle? Hey, whatās going on? Well, Iāll tell you what. I need a miracle. I need a miracle.
Most of the time people know, say that in a positive light. I need a miracle. Yes, man. I need a miracle to come up. Usually we think miracle as desperation āsave meā instead of miracle, like ordinary relationship with God. Heās supernatural. Weāre praying about things we can do. God, I just pray that you help me have a good day Chad Everett today Chad Everett.
God, I just pray that I donāt blow my top and lose my temper right now in Jesus name. I get praying for those things, but Iām just saying whatās on your list that you cannot do? Youāre like, Iām serious. I canāt hold my temper, so I need God. Let me be. Thatād be the case. Godās just wanting us to think bigger.
Think of it this way. One time Jesus sent the disciples across the sea on a boat and the big storms coming up and Jesus starts walking on the water beside him. He catches up with them. Theyāre over there rowing some distance off. Itās the fourth watch of the night, so itās late at night. He comes walking on the water, so the disciples are over here and they see this dude walking on the water.
The Bible says they were in some translations, astounded, some translations say troubled. In 2019 they would be freaking out. I mean, you see somebody walking on the water and like, itās a gospel. But then Jesus said, Hey, donāt be afraid. Be of good cheer. Itās like heās got an English accent. Maybe all of a sudden be of good cheer.Ā So the disciples are like, this is crazy. I donāt know whatās going on. Itās got be a ghost. Peter, listen to what Peter did. Peter said, hang on guys, and let me try something.
Lord. If itās you, āifā did you catch that? He said, āIfā itās you, if itās, you bid me to come out on the water. Listen, to this guys, that guy, Jesus, okay, Iāll be your huckleberry. Come. You know? Heās like, okay. So Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking. Jesus asked him to come. It was a commandment. He was following the direction of God and to obey that direction of God, it required a miracle to do what Jesus told him to do. Itās going to require a miracle.
Weāre getting afraid of miracles. We should be embracing miracles. We should be expecting miracles. Weāve got to think bigger. Why do we have to think bigger? Because Mount Carmel Church our God is bigger. Just obeying the voice of God. Sometimes he says, go big or go home. We have to think bigger. No matter what weāre facing. We have to think bigger.
We have to Think Bigger Because Mount Carmel Church Our God is Bigger
Weāve got to realize our God is bigger. In 1st John chapter 4 verse 4 it says this, āYou are of God little children and have overcome them because Mount Carmel Church he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.ā That word greater is the Greek word, meizon. What does mega mean?
The word mega. If you get a mega deal, thatās a big deal. So what its saying is youāre of God, little children, and you have overcome them. Why? Why have we overcome? We have not overcome because Mount Carmel Church we donāt have big problems. We donāt overcome because Mount Carmel Church we donāt have big issues. We overcome because Mount Carmel Church we have no issues that are bigger than our God. Thatās what heās saying.
You have overcome them because Mount Carmel Church heās bigger. He didnāt say, youāre bigger. He didnāt say, Iām bigger. He said heās bigger.
This is what we got to realize that no matter what weāre facing in life, weāve got a bigger God. Weāve got to think bigger because Mount Carmel Church nothing weāre facing is as big as him. Heās bigger. I have just come to your court, somebody thatās facing a big situation, Godās bigger.
Youāre facing big, depressing thoughts, big discouraging thoughts, big relationship challenges, big financial challenges. It doesnāt matter what you face, God is bigger. Thereās been times all through scripture. The Bibleās filled with times where people came up against something bigger, but God was still there with him. You could talk about Abraham when Abraham and Sarah was promised a child at 90 plus years old. Thatās bigger.
I didnāt understand the extent of the miracle. Maybe when I was younger, but 90 plus years, you get God coming to you saying, āHey, youāre going to have a baby as well Sarah.ā Did she laugh? Why did she laugh? I donāt know. Was she laughing? Because Mount Carmel Church I mean, maybe she thought, yeah, okay. I understand you can do with me, but have you seen a, I donāt know if she was laughing at herself laughing about Abraham, but she didnāt believe it. It was bigger.
Itās bigger. Itās almost impossible. What? Yes. It sounds like God. Now we get familiar with these stories and we donāt remember the significance that God wants to plug it into our life in 2019. Because Mount Carmel Church to Moses and the children of Israel, the red sea was bigger. David Goliath was bigger to Daniel. The lionās den was bigger to Cedrick.
To Bendigo, the fiery furnace was bigger. So Iām not trying to tell you today Chad Everett that youāre not ever going to face a fiery situation thatās bigger than you. Iām just promising you. Youāre never going to face a fiery situation thatās bigger than him. Heās bigger.
I donāt know what youāre facing today Chad Everett. You may be in the midst of something fiery, but look at your neighbor. Encourage them and say, heās bigger. Heās bigger. We serve a bigger God. He wants us to think bigger. He wants us to pray bigger. He wants to recognize that he is bigger.
Second Key: Farther
Now letās look at the second point. The second point versus going to build the church is bigger. Next one. Heās going to build it farther. Farther. God wants to stretch us beyond our limits, but not his limits. Isaiah 54 verse 2 says, enlarge the place of your tent, this is something heās telling you.
Understood your subject here in grammatical application. You enlarge the place of your tent, but notice the next part and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings. Now let me just get what stretch means. The word stretch means to spread an object or a person out to its full extent beyond what is comfortable.
Hereās what I didnāt notice before, and Iāve talked about this many times and got excited about this and also discouraged about this all at the same time. He says, enlarge the place of your tent.Ā God was to take us farther. So heās saying, Jeff, I want you to enlarge where you live. Youāre thinking in large where you live and let āthemā stretch your curtains. Who does the stretching? Them. Itās not you.
Whoās Stretching Us Farther? āThemā
I want to be in control of all my stretching, donāt you? We all want to be in control because Mount Carmel Church the word stretch means to push beyond your level of comfort. God specifically said in his word when it comes to stretching; Iām going to put someone else in charge of your stretching.
Why? Because Mount Carmel Church he knows us. He knows how we love our comfort. He knows that if weāre in charge of our borders, weāre going to keep it right in a safe spot. But when he puts it in charge of others and you get connected to other people, have other relationships, and now theyāre in charge of your stretching. All the sudden now people take you places you donāt want to go.
They bring you to feelings you donāt want to have. Iām stretching you. This is why Godās saying, I want you to go farther while you get plugged in with other people because Mount Carmel Church theyāre going to stretch you.
You need to be in relationships with people. This is why you get on a team and serve. Why do you get in a connect group and be a part of that. Why? Because Mount Carmel Church we help stretch one another. We help each other go farther. Thereās times when youāre safe and youāre secure in this part of your relationship with God. You say, okay, Iām comfortable right here, and then someone comes along and just blows your mind and says, you know what?
Letās go a little bit farther. Youāre like, no, Iām kind of comfortable right here. We need other people to stretch us. Other peopleās faith will stretch your faith. Other peopleās prayers can stretch your prayers. Other people stretch us. It says stretch out the curtains of your dwellings. Do not spare. Donāt hold back. Godās telling somebody right here. He said, I want you to come farther.
I want to take you farther in your relationship. I want you to go beyond just Sunday Chad Everett morning attendance. I want to take you farther into a relationship with God. Godās got more for you. He wants to do more in you, more through you. Will you go farther with him? Itās an invitation.
He said, listen, Iāve got more out there for you. Hereās what it says in Genesis chapter 13. The Lord is talking to Abraham and he says, after lot had separated from him, lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward and westward for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. Lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are.
Sometimes we canāt see beyond where we are so we donāt allow God to stretch us farther. He said, hey, sometimes all we can see is our current circumstances, our current situation, our current disappointment, and all we can see is whatās going on all around us.
God says, lift up your eyes and see beyond whatās in front of you, because Mount Carmel Church as far as you can see, I will give to you. It doesnāt say as far as God can see, it says heās telling Abraham as far as you can see Iāve given to you. Weāve got to lift up our head and look beyond where we are and go farther. Godās wanting you to take us farther, but we will never go farther than what we can see. As long as I can only see, this is all my marriage is ever going to be.
This is all my relationships are going to be. This is all my mind is always going to be. This is all my finances are going to be, and all my health is going to be.Ā Whatever it may be, this is all that I can see.
I canāt see anything else. This is all itās ever been until I lift my eyes and look at what God wants me to go farther. He has more for you, but you have to be able to see it. Youāve got to see beyond where we are and this is the invitation that heās given. Hey, letās go farther. Letās donāt be stuck where we are.
Theyāll still be stuck with what weāve always been comfortable with. Whenever Jesus entered the garden of Gethsemane to pray, it says he dropped the disciples off and he took Peter, James and John and went a little a little further. I believe Godās asking you and me, are you willing to go a little further, or are you comfortable where you are? I want to go farther than where I am right now. I want to go farther than what Iāve seen. I want to see more than what Iāve experienced.
Roads Church, will you pursue God and go farther? Are we comfortable? No, letās stretch. Letās stretch farther. Why? Because Mount Carmel Church he has more for you. He has more for your family, and has more for your own heart. He has more, but he said, youāve got to see it and if we canāt get past what we see in the now, weāll never see farther.
Third Key: Longer
So one way he wants to build, he wants us to think bigger. Number two, he wants us to go farther. He wants to take us farther, but weāve got to lift your eyes from the place where we are. Letās go to the third point longer. He wants to build bigger because Mount Carmel Church God is bigger. He wants you to think bigger. Number two, letās go farther and wants to stretch us. I mean, heās comfortable being stretched. How many have you ever tried to go back to exercising? Maybe you havenāt for a while and you went to stretch out.
There we go. Iām stretching right now. You know youāre like, just going to stretch. There we go. Itās going past the comfort zone, but the third part is really important. The third part just wants to go longer. This deals with spiritual stamina. Hereās what Godās wanting to build in the church, some spiritual stamina.
The word stamina means in the Websterās dictionary, the moral or emotional strength to continue with a difficult process. Anybody ever had any difficult processes? Hereās what weāre talking about in this point. Godās willing to build something in us. Itās called staying power. Itās one thing to be excited in the beginning. Thereās one thing to jump in a ball of fire for Jesus in the beginning. Itās one thing to still be doing it 30 years later.
Iām talking about staying power. Godās willing to build something that goes beyond the emotion in us, beyond the hype, beyond the event. He wants to build staying power that all by yourself, youāre still burning with the fire of God. Youāre still serving God. 20 years later, 30 years later, 70 years later, youāre still serving Jesus.
Spiritual Maturity Comes When We Are No Longer Lead By Feelings
Hebrews chapter 6 verse 11 says this, āAnd we desire that each one of you show the same diligence.ā Everybody say diligence. The same diligence to the full assurance. That diligence means to be eager to do something, or to accomplish something, to be zealous for. Be excited about it to the fullest. Sure just means to be absolutely sure and certain persuaded. The full assurance of hope until the what? Until the end.
I want us to all to show the same diligence, the full assurance of hope. We can all get it, and get excited about something. In the beginning Iāve been in church of while and Iāll use the churches example, but you can use it in anything.
I could use the lyrics. I could use all kinds of examples. I could use work. Iāve seen people come into the workplace in different careers and different places. Iāve been coming in, on fire day Chad Everett one and Iāve seen people thatās been there for several years and theyāre like, Oh, Iām here. Itās Monday Chad Everett.
Yeah, it happens all the time. I see it in church. The people you know have God and can do something in their life. They get excited about him and theyāre fired up for him. And you notice certain things. I donāt want to call them out because Mount Carmel Church I donāt want to embarrass anybody.
But you see certain trends when youāre up here, and youāre watching people. You see people and they go from a certain state to a different state, to a different state, and itās almost, itās not, itās nothing about anybody setting in the back of the front. But sometimes you can actually see their progression move back in the room. And itās not because Mount Carmel Church of, again, people sit in the back are less spiritual or anything like that.
But what Iām talking about is itās one thing to be excited about God in one season in my life, but itās one thing to endure the lack of feeling and still serve God. Maturity comes when feelings donāt lead me anymore. In maturity is when feelings donāt lead me. Iām still dealing with immaturity. So just so you know, Iām still dealing with loads of immaturity. So pray for me in Jesus name, right?
But itās what he says here, to show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith. Letās try it together. Faith and patience, faith and patience. Donāt we all want patience? We pray for patience.
God just give me an opportunity to grow in patience said no one ever. Right? Because Mount Carmel Church we know what happens when we start praying and asking God to give us opportunity for patience. Usually when I get an educational moment to grow in the fruit, which is a fruit of the spirit.
I get the opportunity to grow in the fruit of the spirit, and I fail miserably and I recognize it in the moment. I recognize that, oh, wow, thatās something significant. Thatās an opportunity for me to grow in patience. Thatās an opportunity for me to walk in love and thatās an opportunity for me to not let this bother me.
Thatās an opportunity that just flew by because Mount Carmel Church I got mad. I was praying this week about something and I donāt want this to sound intimidating or super spiritual, so hear me when I when I say this, I was in prayer. I was praying and I felt like God spoke something to me.
Some people, when you hear that you get intimidated because Mount Carmel Church you think God doesnāt ever speak to you. You like if someone would say, well, the Lord showed me in prayer, youāre like, I get so sick of hearing that, God never speaks to me. Iām going to encourage you.
God is speaking to you all the time. Heās talking to you all the time. He wants to talk to you more than you want to hear from him. Thereās things you donāt want to hear. Youāre like I canāt hear that again.
Heās talking all the time so donāt be intimidated by this. Iām just sharing that God, while I was praying about something, I started having these thoughts. Okay, it wasnāt an audible voice. I just started having these thoughts and hereās the thoughts that started coming to me.
So, I have one. I want you to start walking in the power of my love. Sounds generic, sounds basic. Iām like, okay, check, heard that right. You know, move on. Itās like, no, no, I want you to walk in power and to walk in power requires for you to walk in my love. Because Mount Carmel Church I was praying about a certain situation and he said whatās happening is you are. Iām just trying to think how the thoughts came, but I was in, Iām subservient to that situation because Mount Carmel Church I wasnāt walking in a place of power of love.
The place of love is a place of proactivity. A place of love means Iām not controlled by you. I do what he tells me to do, a place of love. When I walk in love, I walk in a place where I go further beyond my feelings and further beyond emotions.
Now Iām internally driven to not externally reactive. So now in a place of power, I donāt let other people control what I do. If Iām in that place, Iām not trying to get there. So please keep praying for me. Iād say in that place of power I choose what Iām going to do in a situation.
I donāt wait and see a place of love. Itās what God wants to take us farther in our relationship. So you can understand that I can endure longer when Iām operating from an internal motivation. He says in verse 15 of Hebrews chapter 6, āAnd so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise patiently endured.ā
God wants to Create Staying Power In Us
How many know thereās some things that weāre going to have to endure? Hereās the part Christianity. Point three is one that we donāt like to talk about. Some things are going take longer. We donāt want to talk about that.
We want to talk about the suddenly season like fill out for my suddenly and suddenly got praise. You got bam! I pray bam! Itās like, thank you Lord. I want things to happen. Fast like a microwave. I want to pray about him, man. Two, three day Chad Everett.
Resurrect from the dead. Iāll wait three day Chad Everett, but after that somethingās wrong. But Godās saying, I want to build something in you called sustainability, staying power, that youāre not moved by feeling. Youāre not moved by waves of the spirit of waves of other people. Youāre not moved by that.
Youāre moved by this. Youāre moved by the promises of God. If it takes longer, it takes longer, but Iām trusting him. If itās takes a little longer, Iām still in it. Iām in it. Iām committed to this for the long haul. Patiently endured. Iām going to obtain the promises. Iām going to obtain him, not because Mount Carmel Church Iām trying to get them quick, Iām going to get them because Mount Carmel Church heās promised me.
Heās saying, I want you to be able to go longer. Any American Ninja warrior fans? Hello to my warrior fans. Thereās a lot more than the first service, but thatās alright. American Ninja warrior.Ā I watch this show and Iām doing something here where you catch yourself sometimes youāre like, let me grab hold of stuff. Theyāre like swinging and hanging onto stuff and they got these men and women have incredible grip strength and they can just hang onto little ledges and swing and pull themselves up.
Theyāre hanging there and sometimes you can see them and their fingers are starting to let go of the bar and right before they may fall in the water. Maybe they swing and they hang off, but I feel like this is some people in situations that youāre like this. Youāre barely hanging on and God is saying to you, hang on a little longer. Godās wanting to put staying power in us.
Not fleeting emotional power, but Iām talking about sustainability that you can just endure. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy is coming in my morning. I know thereās going to be times that Iām going to endure hardships, but the Bible says to endure hardships as a good soldier. I donāt want hardships any more than you do.
Iām just saying, when the hardships come, we donāt quit. Galatians says, Iāll quit with this one, āLet us not grow weary while doing good for in due season we shall reap.ā We shall reap. We shall reap. If we do not lose heart, Iām going to encourage somebody. Donāt lose heart. Donāt quit. Believe in God for your situation. You may have to wait a little bit longer, but that doesnāt mean itās not.
Recap
Weāre going to come in the church. We need to realize Godās building us in these three ways. Itās beyond you. Itās beyond me. Number one, he wants you to start thinking bigger Roads Church. I believe God wants you to start praying bigger, start praying miraculous prayers like unbelievable prayers like, God, Iām going out further with you.
Iām stepping out of my comfortable boats and Iām going after something more.Ā If I step out here on this thing and if youāre not there, Iām going to save.Ā Heās like sometimes we prayed. We were like, God, okay, Iāve done all I could do. I canāt take it anymore. I canāt take it anymore. God, I need a miracle and I believe Jesus is like, āYes, itās my turn. Itās my time.ā
He wants to lead us into a miraculous situation and we try to avoid it. We try to stay comfortable. God wants us to live uncomfortable, and put ourselves into the risky position where if God doesnāt come through, itās going to fall flat on its face.
Think bigger. Will you come farther? Will you? Will you reset the invitation today to come farther? Not everybody will. Not everybody will. I was talking to an individual recently and theyāre in a situation. I said, āHey, are you willing to leave them behind and go farther even if they donāt want to go because Mount Carmel Church you can decide are you going to go further or are you going to be caught in the bondage that theyāre willing to stay at?ā
You can go further, but you have to choose to ask God. Only you can decide that. Let me encourage you to hang on longer like, āChad Iāve been hanging on a long time.ā I get it. Thereās some things on my list that have been there a long time, but Iām not quitting. Iām not giving up. Iām not going to stop praying for him now because Mount Carmel Church Iām better because Mount Carmel Church heās bigger. I believe heās bigger. I believe heās bigger than what Iām facing.
Website:Ā https://theroads.church
Podcast:Ā Under Construction Part 7 Podcast
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