Beyond Control: How the Holy Spirit Works Beyond Our Plans

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Today we're looking at the uncontrollable nature of the Holy Spirit.
[00:00:06] So if we're saying the Holy Spirit is uncontrollable, that means one thing for us as Jesus followers today, that we have to give up control.
[00:00:16] Have you ever had that moment in your life where you're like, man, I just want to know my calling on my life.
[00:00:21] I just want to know what to do next.
[00:00:24] But here's what happens is we want the Holy Spirit to lead us, to guide us, but we want to hold on to control of all things.
[00:00:35] So today we're just going to break that down.
[00:00:37] We're going to look at it about the uncontrollable nature of the Holy Spirit.
[00:00:40] We're going to break down three truths for us today.
[00:00:44] Now I would say that between here at the Mooresville campus and across all of our campuses today, some of you like to have control of things in this life.
[00:00:54] Can we go ahead and let's have some crowd participation today?
[00:00:58] How many by a show of hands love to have control?
[00:01:01] Some of y'all shot your hands up before I even said it.
[00:01:03] Come on.
[00:01:04] That means you wanted to control the situation already, see?
[00:01:08] But here's what we want to do, even for some, that we are so control freaks that we, have you ever looked at somebody and said, just let me do it.
[00:01:18] Just let me take control.
[00:01:21] And we think that we have the formula.
[00:01:25] That we have everything in this life that if you would follow me, then everything would run smooth in our home.
[00:01:35] That everything would run a lot smoother in our workplace.
[00:01:39] So we want control.
[00:01:41] Ladies, I'm going to speak to you for just a moment.
[00:01:43] How many of you ladies in the room would say, husband, if you would just follow my formula, we would have a better relationship, amen?
[00:01:57] I had three ladies say amen.
[00:01:58] Come on, I know y'all.
[00:02:00] Y'all were like, yes, follow the formula.
[00:02:02] Now guys, if we were being truthful today, how many of you would say,
[00:02:07] Sweetheart, just give me the formula and I will follow it, please.
[00:02:13] So we love formulas.
[00:02:16] We always think that, hey, A plus B should equal C. You know, I love talking to like young couples like we're going through premarital counseling.
[00:02:28] I just love sitting with them because they think they have the code cracked to a better relationship.
[00:02:35] You know what I'm saying?
[00:02:36] They're just in love.
[00:02:39] Like everything's gonna be good.
[00:02:40] Everything's gonna work out.
[00:02:42] They have everything planned.
[00:02:43] They know how many kids they're having.
[00:02:45] They know the house they're gonna live in.
[00:02:47] They know the vacations that they're already gonna take as a family together.
[00:02:51] And I just sit back and I'm like, you guys are so adorable.
[00:02:55] You're so cute.
[00:02:57] But for most of us who have been married for any amount of time know that things change.
[00:03:04] that there are different seasons that we go through that life and relationships are just not plug and play and everything works out see I fall into this category as well a few months ago I was going through a counseling session premarital counseling with a young couple and we're talking through some things and I'll be honest with you guys I was going through here and I was like you need to put God at the center of your life
[00:03:31] You need to do this.
[00:03:32] You need to follow him this way.
[00:03:33] And I'm thinking, I am killing this counseling session right now.
[00:03:36] Like, I am killing it.
[00:03:38] This is going so good.
[00:03:39] And I'm driving home, and I thought, my wife, Andrea, and I never go through this anymore.
[00:03:44] Because what they're going through, we already have worked this out.
[00:03:48] We have cracked the code to this formula.
[00:03:50] This is great, so I don't have to worry about it.
[00:03:53] Here's what happened.
[00:03:55] I go home, I walk into the door, and five minutes later my wife and I are having a discussion of the thing that I thought we already cracked the code to.
[00:04:04] I didn't know we were going back to that.
[00:04:06] And here's why.
[00:04:07] We always think that we have the formula to a relationship.
[00:04:11] The same is true for us when it comes to following the Holy Spirit.
[00:04:16] So often we think, hey, A plus B equals C, but it needs to matter to me.
[00:04:24] It needs to work out for me.
[00:04:27] So if I'm a Jesus follower and I'm going to be led by the Holy Spirit, I don't really want to give up control.
[00:04:33] I want to lead in what I want and when I want.
[00:04:37] And I want to take a moment right now, because we've been talking about those already, as we've begun this message, about those who are following Jesus, those who are living with the Holy Spirit inside of you.
[00:04:50] And maybe you're here today and you don't have that relationship with Him.
[00:04:53] Maybe you've never accepted Jesus to be the leader of your life.
[00:04:57] Can I tell you right now, I am so glad that you're here.
[00:05:00] I've been praying for you before you even walk through these doors today, not only here across our campuses.
[00:05:05] This is a place right now I want to let you know that you can belong before you believe.
[00:05:09] But my hope, come on, but my hope and my prayer is for you today that you understand that there's a man named Jesus who loves you so much that he came to this world and he died on a cross for you today.
[00:05:21] That is unconditional love.
[00:05:23] So my hope and prayer is that you choose him, that you accept him and allow the Holy Spirit to move in your life today.
[00:05:30] So whether you are a Jesus follower or an unbeliever in this place today, we all love control.
[00:05:38] But we know formulas change.
[00:05:40] We know there's different seasons in this life.
[00:05:42] It doesn't always work out how we want, when we want.
[00:05:45] So we gotta let go of control.
[00:05:47] And so we're gonna look at something really quick in the words of Jesus.
[00:05:50] And this is in John chapter 3 verse 8.
[00:05:53] This is how He describes the Holy Spirit.
[00:05:55] The wind blows wherever it wants, just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going.
[00:06:02] So you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit.
[00:06:05] Did you catch that?
[00:06:07] What does Jesus say?
[00:06:08] Who does He say the Holy Spirit is?
[00:06:10] He says He's like the wind.
[00:06:13] We all know.
[00:06:14] that we can't box in the wind that we can't catch the wind so for the Holy Spirit we can't control him when we allow him to lead when we surrender we can't put him in the box we can't track him on a chart you can't predict his every move you may not see him you may not understand him you can't control him but he is always moving in our lives if we allow him to
[00:06:41] If we don't resist His work and moving in our life.
[00:06:44] He's always active.
[00:06:45] He's always working.
[00:06:47] Even when it doesn't feel like He is sometimes.
[00:06:53] And see, that's the good news.
[00:06:54] Because the Holy Spirit that can't be controlled, He can't be controlled, but He can be trusted today.
[00:07:03] He can be trusted in your life today.
[00:07:07] So point number one, if you're taking notes,
[00:07:10] Here's the first truth for us today.
[00:07:12] The Holy Spirit cannot be calculated.
[00:07:16] He cannot be calculated.
[00:07:17] So he's not a formula.
[00:07:21] And can we just say that we are addicted to formulas in this world today?
[00:07:25] In this culture today?
[00:07:27] Like we think and we see everything that we may see on TV, everything that we see on social media is a formula.
[00:07:34] You know, if you're into health or if you're watching these commercials or social media and it's like, hey,
[00:07:40] All you have to do is this formula.
[00:07:44] A plus B will equal C. If you eat this, work out this amount of time, you will lose 45 pounds in three weeks.
[00:07:56] Maybe it's in finances.
[00:07:59] It's, hey, if you invest here, if you do this, then that is the key to success.
[00:08:06] That is the key to wealth.
[00:08:09] Maybe even in relationships, you see all you have to do is swipe right and you will find your perfect soulmate.
[00:08:19] And see, we live in this idea of formulas that if we do this, then this will happen and it bleeds into our faith in following Jesus and following the Spirit because it's not something that can be calculated.
[00:08:34] It is not A plus B equals C. And you may think,
[00:08:38] But I pray.
[00:08:39] But I read the Bible.
[00:08:43] But I actually serve.
[00:08:46] And those things are so important, guys.
[00:08:48] Praying is very important.
[00:08:50] Reading Scripture, very important.
[00:08:52] Being gathered in front and together with God's people is so important.
[00:08:56] But it's not something that we use as a tool to get what we want.
[00:09:01] If we're always praying to get what we want, if the only reason we serve is to get what we want, if the only reason that we read Scripture every now and again is because it's something that you need, here's the thing, the Holy Spirit is not a tool that we can use to get what we want when we want.
[00:09:19] So that's something that we have to understand and look at today.
[00:09:23] And I want to share with you in Acts 16, this is Paul and Silas as they're going and spreading the gospel.
[00:09:31] Because things happen in this life.
[00:09:34] And look what happens to them.
[00:09:36] Next, Paul and Silas traveled through Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the Word in the province of Asia at the time.
[00:09:46] Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.
[00:09:55] That night, Paul had a vision.
[00:09:58] A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there pleading with them.
[00:10:03] Come over to Macedonia and help us.
[00:10:06] So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once having concluded that God was calling us to preach the good news, the gospel there.
[00:10:19] Here's the thing guys, Paul and Silas had plans.
[00:10:24] They had
[00:10:26] An idea of where they were going, where they thought they should go next.
[00:10:30] But what we see in this passage is two times the door was actually closed.
[00:10:36] The Spirit said no.
[00:10:38] And only then were the doors opened to Macedonia where they went and they spread the gospel.
[00:10:45] And this is a gospel in Macedonia that spread all across Europe.
[00:10:50] If anyone that we look at in Scripture would say, they had the formula.
[00:10:57] They had everything.
[00:10:58] Think about Paul for a moment.
[00:11:00] He was called.
[00:11:01] He was trained.
[00:11:02] He was passionate.
[00:11:03] He was obedient.
[00:11:04] Surely he would get the green light to go wherever he wanted to go.
[00:11:08] But no, what do we see?
[00:11:10] The door was closed two times.
[00:11:12] I can imagine that Paul was probably a little bit frustrated in that moment.
[00:11:18] With the doors being closed.
[00:11:20] But it wasn't until he was obedient and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit did they see the gospel spread like they never thought it would be before.
[00:11:29] So I want to ask all of us a question today.
[00:11:33] Has there ever been a time where the door has been closed for you in your life?
[00:11:40] Where you thought you had it all figured out.
[00:11:43] You thought you had the plans in place.
[00:11:46] And you thought, this is going to work out.
[00:11:48] This is going to be perfect.
[00:11:49] And all of a sudden, the door was shut.
[00:11:52] It was closed.
[00:11:52] Maybe you got frustrated.
[00:11:54] Maybe you were angry.
[00:11:55] Maybe you had a plan.
[00:11:57] But now it's closed.
[00:11:58] Maybe it was a job that you thought that you wanted.
[00:12:03] And maybe it was taken away from you
[00:12:06] But the mission that He's calling for you right now, the Spirit is leading you to be where you are, to share your story, to spread the gospel, to reach a co-worker, to reach another student, another peer with the message of Jesus and how He's changed your life.
[00:12:22] Maybe that relationship didn't work out for you, but could it be He's preparing you, even though you're frustrated and you're lonely and you're angry, could it be He's preparing you for someone that is better suited for your heart?
[00:12:36] and for your season right now the prayer that hasn't been answered because sometimes the not yet is a gift of timing so the blessing when it comes will have maximum impact on your life see but in these moments this is where it's a struggle let's be real this is where we want to take control
[00:13:01] We don't want to be led by the Spirit in these moments.
[00:13:05] We want to take control.
[00:13:07] And I don't know if you've ever heard the saying that, hey, if God closes a door, He opens a window.
[00:13:18] Can I tell you, that is not biblical.
[00:13:22] What He does when He shuts doors, He redirects.
[00:13:26] He closes.
[00:13:29] And sometimes, guys, closed doors are not
[00:13:32] Denials.
[00:13:34] Sometimes they are divine detours.
[00:13:37] They can be moments of protection.
[00:13:39] They can be moments of preparation.
[00:13:41] They can be moments of positioning you to something new.
[00:13:47] You know, years ago when I was in high school, I had a buddy and he had got a brand new single cab pickup truck.
[00:13:55] And him, myself, and another guy was going to go for just a ride.
[00:13:59] We were going somewhere.
[00:14:02] I always I tried to honor my mom the best I could at times at times and so I was like well let me go ask my mom I've been in the vehicle with this guy several times so it wasn't anything new but I just like I need to call her so I called her from a pay phone come on anybody in the room know what a pay phone is let's go google it if you don't know what it is guys anyway so I called her from a pay phone I said mom hey I'm going to get in the
[00:14:31] We're going to go down the road.
[00:14:33] It's not very far.
[00:14:34] And she just says, I just don't think you should do that.
[00:14:38] I was like, Mom, come on.
[00:14:39] What's wrong with it?
[00:14:40] I've been in a vehicle with him before.
[00:14:42] It's not a big deal.
[00:14:43] He's got a new truck.
[00:14:43] We want to go for a ride.
[00:14:46] I don't think you should go.
[00:14:47] Now, can I tell you, in that moment, I was angry.
[00:14:50] I was very frustrated with my mama.
[00:14:54] And I had a moment there of what do I do?
[00:14:57] Do I listen to my mama?
[00:15:00] Or do I listen to what I want to do?
[00:15:03] And I was so angry and I was frustrated.
[00:15:05] But you know, I was like, guys, I can't go.
[00:15:07] And here's the thing.
[00:15:09] About an hour later, I believe it was, I get a phone call that my two friends were in an accident a half a mile down the road from our house.
[00:15:20] And they had went off the road, veered off the road, and went over this embankment.
[00:15:24] Neither one of them got hurt.
[00:15:26] But here's the thing.
[00:15:27] I was going to be in the middle of that pickup truck, in the middle of them.
[00:15:31] He had a three-ton floor jack that was in the back of his truck that when they wrecked that floor jack come flying through the middle of the back window and went completely through the front glass.
[00:15:42] Where I would have been.
[00:15:43] Thank God I listened to my mama for once.
[00:15:50] But can you imagine if I would have forced my way?
[00:15:55] Can you imagine if I wouldn't have listened?
[00:15:58] See, often when the Holy Spirit is leading us and guiding us, we have to understand that it's for our protection.
[00:16:07] That it's for a purpose.
[00:16:10] But we have such a hard time of just letting go and letting Him work and move in our lives.
[00:16:19] So maybe something to ask yourself today.
[00:16:24] Am I trusting the Spirit's detours?
[00:16:28] Or am I trying to force my own way?
[00:16:31] Have I treated closed doors like punishment rather than protection?
[00:16:40] You see, life with the Spirit so often doesn't work how we want it to work.
[00:16:48] Maybe you've prayed for healing, guys, but the diagnosis hasn't changed.
[00:16:54] Maybe you've given faithfully but the bills keep piling up on you.
[00:16:59] You've read your Bible but you still feel spiritually dry on the inside.
[00:17:05] Here's what I want you to know about the Holy Spirit.
[00:17:08] Just because you can't see what the Spirit is doing doesn't mean that He's not working behind the scenes.
[00:17:16] It doesn't mean that He's not moving behind the scenes.
[00:17:19] That He's making plans for you to be led and to follow in these moments.
[00:17:26] Your obedience is not being wasted.
[00:17:30] And you thought, wait a minute.
[00:17:32] A plus B should equal C.
[00:17:36] This is the tension for every single one of us today.
[00:17:40] But look at Galatians.
[00:17:42] Galatians is a great reminder for us today.
[00:17:45] So let's not get tired of doing what is good.
[00:17:49] At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.
[00:17:58] I want to tell someone today, maybe you feel like you're about to give up.
[00:18:02] Do not give up.
[00:18:05] Do not give up.
[00:18:07] Continue to allow the Holy Spirit to work and to move in your life.
[00:18:12] See, this verse is such a powerful reminder for all of us that He's at work when the doors seem closed.
[00:18:21] The Spirit doesn't move through control.
[00:18:26] He moves through surrender.
[00:18:28] Not through control, but through surrender.
[00:18:32] Which leads to the second truth today.
[00:18:35] The Holy Spirit cannot be commanded.
[00:18:38] The Holy Spirit cannot be commanded.
[00:18:40] This means we cannot order or direct the Holy Spirit to what?
[00:18:44] To move when we want.
[00:18:47] Where we want.
[00:18:48] For Him to do what we want Him to do.
[00:18:51] What happens is we will stop stepping out of alignment with how He is wanting to lead us.
[00:18:59] And here's another thing.
[00:19:00] The Spirit cannot be manipulated and the Spirit cannot be manufactured.
[00:19:08] We see one of the craziest stories in Scripture and it's in Acts chapter 19.
[00:19:14] We have some guys who are trying to manipulate.
[00:19:19] They are trying to manufacture for the Holy Spirit to move how they want Him to move.
[00:19:27] to do what they want him to do.
[00:19:30] And check this story out, it's wild.
[00:19:31] A group of Jews was traveling from town to town, casting out evil spirits.
[00:19:37] They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out.
[00:19:47] Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this.
[00:19:52] But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied.
[00:19:56] Here's where it gets scary.
[00:19:57] I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?
[00:20:01] Now that would be a little bit frightening.
[00:20:05] If we were in that position.
[00:20:08] He says, who are you?
[00:20:08] Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, attacked them, really crazy now, with such violence, they fled from the house naked and battered.
[00:20:23] What a story.
[00:20:24] I have heard about someone getting the brakes beat off them, but to get your clothes beat off you?
[00:20:30] Look, y'all, that's crazy.
[00:20:32] If I had a buddy and he went through that, I'm laughing.
[00:20:35] Like that is absolutely humiliating.
[00:20:38] It's a crazy story.
[00:20:39] But what did they do?
[00:20:40] They tried to use the Holy Spirit as a magic formula, but without the relationship.
[00:20:46] They tried to use the name of Jesus without the authority of Jesus.
[00:20:51] They tried to command the Holy Spirit without knowing the Holy Spirit.
[00:20:56] There's a difference between using Jesus' name and living in Jesus' name.
[00:21:01] Amen?
[00:21:02] There's a world of difference.
[00:21:05] See, we can quote the right words.
[00:21:08] We can sing the right songs.
[00:21:10] We can pray the right prayers.
[00:21:12] But if our heart isn't surrendered, then there's absolutely no power behind it.
[00:21:20] So we as believers today have to come to the place that I can't control, that I can't command, that we have to actually fully surrender.
[00:21:31] The Spirit's power is not found in performance.
[00:21:35] It's not earned through effort.
[00:21:37] It's received through relationship.
[00:21:42] And see, we have to look at when we are walking in the Spirit, what it looks like
[00:21:48] To really walk and to be led by Him.
[00:21:51] And if we look at all these scriptures that we're looking at, it can't be manufactured, it can't be manipulated, it can't be commanded.
[00:21:59] As Jesus followers, so often we fall into this trap because what do we want to do?
[00:22:03] What we've already said, we want to be controlled.
[00:22:08] And here's the thing, we treat sometimes the Holy Spirit like a genie in the bottle.
[00:22:15] We look at prayer like a bargaining chip.
[00:22:18] If I do this, then He has to do that.
[00:22:21] We treat worship like a switch.
[00:22:24] If I sing the right songs, then the Spirit has to show up.
[00:22:29] And I want to be real today.
[00:22:31] Sometimes we're chasing goose bumps.
[00:22:36] Sometimes we're in a worship service, and it's like, well, if I don't have the little goosies and my hair don't stick up on my arms, the Spirit wasn't here.
[00:22:47] And we get caught up in that so often that was like, man, when I walk into a service, it has to be that because I need that.
[00:22:54] Here's the thing, the spirit doesn't always move like that.
[00:22:58] Spirit doesn't always move in that way.
[00:23:00] Years ago, Vertical Element is our middle school and high school summer camp.
[00:23:06] There was one week, especially on this Thursday night, and I will tell you this, it was one of probably the most powerful services I have ever been to at a Vertical Element.
[00:23:16] or even in general.
[00:23:19] There was students laying flat on the floor.
[00:23:26] Adults were crying on their knees.
[00:23:29] And it was so powerful.
[00:23:31] And we left that place that night.
[00:23:34] And can I tell you, lives have been changed and transformed by the power of Jesus.
[00:23:41] Students who once were
[00:23:44] Just doing what the world said to do.
[00:23:46] We're now walking and being led by the Spirit.
[00:23:51] But here was the problem.
[00:23:53] The next year, we get there the next year, students who had been there the previous year said what?
[00:24:00] Hey, you gotta wait till Thursday night.
[00:24:06] And then the next year it was, oh my goodness, you gotta wait till Thursday night.
[00:24:11] Here's what we had to do.
[00:24:12] We had to actually talk to the students and say, hey guys, the Holy Spirit doesn't just show up one day on a Thursday night in July.
[00:24:22] And what was happening was starting to try to manufacture
[00:24:27] For the Spirit to show up on a Thursday night in July.
[00:24:30] Now you would have thought that I would have learned that, but here's the thing.
[00:24:34] I struggle with the same thing sometimes.
[00:24:36] I think sometimes there is some manufacturing that I struggle with because we, I think three, four years ago, we had a worship night in Statesville.
[00:24:44] Same thing.
[00:24:45] Powerful.
[00:24:46] People were sitting.
[00:24:47] 45 minutes after the service was over, they were sitting in the front.
[00:24:51] Just sitting.
[00:24:53] Like literally just in the Spirit, sitting.
[00:24:57] and here's my thought okay if we had this on Wednesday night oh I can't wait till Sunday because we're going to have the exact same thing can I tell you we got to Sunday and we didn't have the exact same thing and I was frustrated but see this is the thing this is a problem when it comes to the Holy Spirit this is like I want to control that I want to manufacture that
[00:25:23] But here's my thing that maybe you are even sitting in right now when it comes to following Him.
[00:25:28] It's like, what does that even look like?
[00:25:31] And maybe the Holy Spirit has been talking to you over the last year, ten years, to move, to go, to do something, and you're still resisting.
[00:25:42] Here's the thing for us today.
[00:25:44] We have to obey the Spirit even when we don't feel it.
[00:25:48] Serve when there are no goosebumps.
[00:25:51] Worship even when the atmosphere isn't electric.
[00:25:55] Stop and pray with someone when He's calling you and leading you to pray with Him.
[00:26:00] And today, what did we talk about earlier?
[00:26:01] We're talking about serving.
[00:26:03] Maybe you already feel that, or not feel, maybe you're being led by the presence of the Holy Spirit and He's nudging you to step out and to serve, to pray.
[00:26:12] Baptisms are coming up, but you're resisting, you're holding back.
[00:26:18] The Spirit so often shows up most clearly on the other side of obedience.
[00:26:27] But once we start to lean in, once we start being led, this is when freedom starts to take place in our lives.
[00:26:36] This is when breakthrough starts to happen.
[00:26:39] And this is my last truth today, the third point.
[00:26:43] The Holy Spirit cannot be contained.
[00:26:47] It cannot be contained.
[00:26:48] Look at 2 Corinthians.
[00:26:51] For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
[00:26:56] So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.
[00:27:01] And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.
[00:27:09] The Spirit cannot be boxed in.
[00:27:12] He cannot be limited by our schedules or our expectations or even our understanding because He moves beyond our plans and He moves beyond our fears.
[00:27:24] But something powerful happens when we let go of control.
[00:27:29] When we surrender all things to Him.
[00:27:34] Because this is great guys gathering together and worshiping together
[00:27:38] But the Spirit just doesn't move in this room.
[00:27:43] The Spirit can move in your home.
[00:27:48] The Spirit can move in your car.
[00:27:50] The Spirit can move at your work.
[00:27:53] The Spirit can move at your school.
[00:27:57] See, we can't box Him in.
[00:28:01] Look at what Romans 8 says.
[00:28:03] It says, the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you.
[00:28:08] And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will what?
[00:28:13] Give life to your mortal bodies by the same Spirit living within you.
[00:28:19] Here's the thing, the same Spirit that rolled the stone away on the third day, now as a Jesus follower, resides in you.
[00:28:28] That means that resurrection power isn't just a past event.
[00:28:33] It is present reality in our lives.
[00:28:37] The Spirit who raised Jesus doesn't just visit our life.
[00:28:41] He inhabits our life.
[00:28:44] And He's not waiting for perfect conditions.
[00:28:48] He's waiting for our full commitment.
[00:28:50] He's waiting for our full surrender.
[00:28:54] See, we have the Spirit, that much power living inside of us, but so often for us, for myself, we walk around and we have the new iPhone 17 Pro Max with all that power in the palm of our hands, but we're treating it like a flip phone.
[00:29:15] And it's like we're not using
[00:29:18] We're not allowing the Holy Spirit to be used in our life to work and move through us.
[00:29:25] You know, I shared this story just a couple weeks ago with our Statesville campus.
[00:29:32] I feel really led to share it today.
[00:29:35] You know, years ago, I think it was a year or two after my wife Andrea and I got married, I really wasn't, I went to church, I was a Jesus follower,
[00:29:48] But not really.
[00:29:48] I still, when it came to the Holy Spirit, I still wanted to control things in my life.
[00:29:54] I still wanted to hold the reins to everything in my life.
[00:29:57] And my mom and dad said, hey, there's this pastor that's going to be preaching at one of the Charlotte Coliseums at the time.
[00:30:06] And they said, we really want to go, but we don't want to go by ourselves.
[00:30:09] So it was like, Andrew and I was like, yeah, we'll go with you.
[00:30:12] and so we go and we're at the very top balcony of this Colosseum.
[00:30:17] Gotta tell you, I did not want to be there, guys.
[00:30:20] I was, the worship was going and everybody was worshiping with their hands up and I'm just like this with my arms crossed.
[00:30:28] Like man, I really don't even want to be here today.
[00:30:31] So the worship got done, still had my arms crossed, I'm sitting there, and then the pastor gets up and he preaches, and he's preaching, and everyone across the room's excited, they're shouting, they're doing Amen and everything, and I'm just standing there like, man, well how much longer is this gonna be over?
[00:30:45] And then in this moment, he asked everyone to stand to their feet.
[00:30:49] And everybody stands up, and I stand up, I'm like, okay, it's almost over.
[00:30:53] And as I'm standing there, I have no idea what this pastor said, but he does an altar call and he says, Hey, I want you today to surrender, to let go of some things in your life you've been holding on to.
[00:31:08] And he said, I want you to move to the front.
[00:31:11] I want you to move down to the altar.
[00:31:14] And people started moving.
[00:31:16] And in that moment,
[00:31:18] The Holy Spirit was moving and speaking to me in my life I think like never before.
[00:31:26] And as I'm standing there, I'm like resisting.
[00:31:29] Because I'm like, what is my wife going to think?
[00:31:31] What's my family going to think?
[00:31:33] I'm already a Jesus follower.
[00:31:35] Why would I need to walk down to the front?
[00:31:37] Why would I need to go down to the altar?
[00:31:39] But it was very clear in that moment that I needed to go.
[00:31:44] So I stopped resisting.
[00:31:47] And I took that step and can I tell you when I took that step it felt like I was running.
[00:31:51] I grabbed my wife's hand.
[00:31:53] She had no idea what was even happening.
[00:31:55] And I just felt like I was running down these steps.
[00:31:58] And we could only go so far because it was so crowded.
[00:32:01] So I'm halfway down this coliseum and I'm standing on these steps and I'm just standing there.
[00:32:07] And the Holy Spirit is just speaking to me of the things that I need to let go.
[00:32:11] The things I need to quit holding on to.
[00:32:15] And in that moment
[00:32:19] He spoke to me about how to be a better husband.
[00:32:23] About how, if I'm a Jesus follower, how to be led by Him.
[00:32:28] He even spoke to me in that moment, because I had yet to be baptized, guys.
[00:32:33] That your next step is baptism.
[00:32:35] And in that moment, I surrendered everything to Him.
[00:32:39] And it was one of the most powerful things that has happened to me in my life.
[00:32:45] And it was one of those things, yeah.
[00:32:47] It was one of those things that I was resisting.
[00:32:49] And for some of us today, we need to stop resisting and we need to start taking a step with where He is leading us.
[00:32:58] Where He is guiding us.
[00:33:00] And ask ourselves, what areas am I trying to contain the Spirit?
[00:33:05] What fears or insecurities keep holding me back from fully surrendering to Him?
[00:33:10] And what might the Spirit want to do through me if I stopped holding Him back?
[00:33:18] Because if you're a Jesus follower, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is in you right now.
[00:33:25] You don't have to live in fear anymore.
[00:33:27] You don't have to live in doubt any longer.
[00:33:29] You don't have to keep trying to earn what's already been given.
[00:33:32] Freedom isn't something you fight for.
[00:33:34] It's something you receive through the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:33:38] So don't leave here today still trying to control.
[00:33:42] Don't cling to your formulas.
[00:33:46] Your timelines.
[00:33:47] Don't hold on to your fears.
[00:33:49] Release them and surrender them all to Him.
[00:33:53] Because without the Spirit, there is no conviction of sin.
[00:33:58] But with the Spirit, there is power to be made new.
[00:34:02] Without the Spirit there is no comfort in suffering, but with the Spirit there is peace that passes all understanding.
[00:34:10] Amen?
[00:34:11] Without the Spirit there is no transformation in your life, but with the Spirit there is resurrection power living inside of us.
[00:34:19] Without the Spirit there is no power for mission, but with the Spirit there is boldness for us as Jesus followers to change the world that we are living in.
[00:34:31] to change the communities that we are living in, to change our families that we are living with, to change our schools in this world today.
[00:34:41] And I want to speak right now to those of us who say, I am a Jesus follower.
[00:34:49] We need to stop holding back.
[00:34:52] The church, if we would stop holding back
[00:34:59] The church would stop holding still.
[00:35:05] The church would stop holding still.
[00:35:07] When a church stops containing the Spirit, revival begins to breathe.
[00:35:15] When the Holy Spirit fills surrendered people, families are healed, communities are changed, chains are broken, people are being set free,
[00:35:26] And the gospel begins to spread faster than this world can ever contain it.
[00:35:34] That's what happens when we fully surrender.
[00:35:38] Here's the deal.
[00:35:39] Because an uncontained spirit in an uncontained church will always lead to an uncontainable move of God.
[00:35:49] Amen?
[00:35:51] And this is how we as Jesus followers
[00:35:56] should be walking, being led by the Holy Spirit and stop holding on because the Holy Spirit cannot be contained.
[00:36:08] He can't be contained when you let Him move.
[00:36:13] And guys, neither can you.
[00:36:15] You cannot be contained.
[00:36:18] You have so much to offer if you allow Him to lead in your life today.
[00:36:25] I want us to go to him in prayer here and across our campuses.
[00:36:31] Heads bowed, eyes closed today.
[00:36:36] Here's the thing, we're not going to have this like last week.
[00:36:40] I loved it when Josh did this.
[00:36:42] We're not having any keys played.
[00:36:43] We're not having any music played.
[00:36:45] We're not manufacturing anything in this room today.
[00:36:49] This moment right now for you is letting the Holy Spirit lead you.
[00:36:57] This is letting control right now and I'm talking to those of you who are Jesus followers in this room.
[00:37:04] That there are some things in your life, no matter if you've been a Jesus follower for the last week or the last 30 years, there are some things in your life that you're holding on to and you need to let go of.
[00:37:17] There's some things in your life that you are trying to control and you need to let go of and allow the Spirit to move.
[00:37:24] He has been leading you to serve somewhere.
[00:37:26] He has been leading you to get baptized.
[00:37:29] He has been leading you to tell that story and share your faith with a co-worker or someone at your school.
[00:37:35] He has been leading you to do that and you have been resisting.
[00:37:39] You're allowing fear to stand in the way.
[00:37:43] But my prayer for you, my prayer for us today, is that when you walk out of this room today, that you fully surrender all things to Him as a believer.
[00:37:53] and you allow him to lead you and guide you.
[00:37:56] Maybe it's even in a relationship right now.
[00:37:58] Maybe he is leading you in this moment to grab your wife or your husband's hand.
[00:38:12] Maybe there needs to be forgiveness within your family.
[00:38:17] Maybe he is leading you to talk to that family member that has hurt you
[00:38:26] But pride is getting in the way.
[00:38:28] What are you holding on to that you need to surrender?
[00:38:32] And I want to pray for you as Jesus followers in this room right now.
[00:38:36] God, I just come before you.
[00:38:39] God, first, we're always going to thank you and praise you.
[00:38:42] But I want to lift up those who are in this room who are Jesus followers but are not allowing the Holy Spirit to move, to lead them, to guide them
[00:38:55] I'm praying right now in their life that there is breakthrough that takes place.
[00:39:00] That they will walk out of here allowing you to lead them and guide them like never before.
[00:39:08] No holding back.
[00:39:13] So Father, we already thank you for what you're doing in this room across our campuses right now.
[00:39:18] We thank you and we praise you for that.
[00:39:20] But as we still stay in this moment of prayer,
[00:39:24] Maybe you're listening to this message and you don't have a relationship with Him.
[00:39:28] Maybe culture has been trying to control you or saying that, hey, you can only trust yourself.
[00:39:37] Maybe you've heard about Jesus dying on a cross, but you don't have a relationship with Him.
[00:39:42] Maybe you even doubt.
[00:39:44] But I want you to know that the Holy Spirit is not contained by your doubt.
[00:39:48] He's not contained by your past.
[00:39:50] He's not contained by your failures.
[00:39:52] Even now He is drawing you, convicting you, and stirring in your heart today.
[00:39:56] The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is ready to raise you from spiritual death to a new life today.
[00:40:03] And when you surrender to Jesus, you're not just forgiven, but you're filled.
[00:40:07] You're not just cleansed, but you're changed.
[00:40:09] The Spirit takes residence.
[00:40:11] And from that moment on, your life becomes a living testimony that cannot be contained.
[00:40:18] The Holy Spirit cannot be contained today.
[00:40:20] And when you let Him move, neither can you.
[00:40:25] So if you are here and you do not know Jesus to be the leader of your life, Acts chapter 2 says, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
[00:40:37] It doesn't say you better get your act together first.
[00:40:40] It doesn't say you better clean up first.
[00:40:42] It doesn't give you any other hoops that you have to jump through.
[00:40:45] He says whoever believes will be saved today.
[00:40:49] And today the Spirit is already moving in your life, over your life.
[00:40:54] And He wants to take residence in your life today and have a relationship with you.
[00:40:58] And your life will be forever changed today.
[00:41:04] And today is a decision.
[00:41:09] Do I still hold on or do I let go and accept Jesus to be the leader of my life today?
[00:41:17] And while we're in this moment of prayer and no one is moving around, can I tell you, if you don't know Jesus, once again, He died for you guys.
[00:41:26] He loves you right where you are.
[00:41:30] Even in your faults and your fears and your doubt and your failures, He wants a relationship with you.
[00:41:39] And all you have to do is choose Him.
[00:41:40] I don't want you to walk out this door trying to control.
[00:41:47] Today is your day to put your yes on the table.
[00:41:53] I don't want to be all whatever about this while we're in this prayer.
[00:41:57] Guys, eternity is at stake in your life.
[00:42:05] At Denver, your eternity is at stake.
[00:42:08] In Statesville, your eternity is at stake.
[00:42:10] In watching online, your eternity is at stake.
[00:42:14] And what do I mean by that is one day, guys, we're not going to be here.
[00:42:20] The next day is not guaranteed.
[00:42:22] The next second is not guaranteed.
[00:42:28] But I want you to have the freedom in knowing that no matter what happens, that you will know that you know that you know.
[00:42:38] that you can spend eternity with Him and not be separated from Him.
[00:42:46] So if that is you today, here and across all of our campuses, if you are ready to receive the Holy Spirit's power, I just want you on the count of three to have the courage to raise your hand because I want to pray with you.
[00:43:01] One, two, three.
[00:43:02] Would you just raise your hand?
[00:43:04] And I want you to keep those hands up.
[00:43:06] Don't worry about anyone around you.
[00:43:08] This is here.
[00:43:09] This is at Denver.
[00:43:10] This is at Statesville.
[00:43:11] This is watching online.
[00:43:13] Keep those hands up.

[00:43:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Amen.
[00:43:16] Amen.
[00:43:16] Amen.
[00:43:17] Amen.
[00:43:19] Amen.
[00:43:20] Amen.
[00:43:21] Amen.
[00:43:21] Amen.
[00:43:22] Amen.
[00:43:22] Amen.
[00:43:25] Amen.
[00:43:26] Amen.
[00:43:27] Amen.
[00:43:33] Amen.
[00:43:37] Amen.
[00:43:41] Amen.
[00:43:43] Man, God is good.

[00:43:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
This is all you have to do.
[00:43:48] You have to pray this prayer.
[00:43:50] And we're doing something different today.
[00:43:52] So if you want to accept Jesus, this is your prayer to Him.
[00:43:57] But I want us to do something as a church together today.
[00:44:00] I want us to pray this prayer together today.
[00:44:02] I want us to encourage those
[00:44:03] who are praying around you today to accept Jesus for the very first time to come alongside them to pray this prayer together today because whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
[00:44:16] So I want us to pray this together here and across all of our campuses right now.
[00:44:19] God, today I am confessing with my mouth that Jesus is Lord.
[00:44:27] I am believing today
[00:44:31] That God has raised him from the dead.
[00:44:36] God forgive me of my sins and today I want to thank you for saving me and setting me free.
[00:44:48] Come on.
[00:44:49] Father we love you, we thank you, we praise you in this moment and we celebrate your word.
[00:44:55] today and we celebrate you because this is all about you it's not about us it's about your word and your power you are the king of kings and you are the lord of lords and we praise you in this place today and we give this day to you and it's in jesus name and everybody in the house said amen amen come on one more time let's celebrate jesus in this place today