The Danger of Decisional Salvation: Anchoring Faith in Grace

• Faith as Action vs. Reaction [00:07:12 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that believers must move from being passive spectators who react to problems to active participators/disciples who act on faith.
• Theological Consistency in Suffering [00:12:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > Addressing the confusion of why God saves people only to let them face tragedy, the pastor explains that faith must remember God's previous faithfulness rather than assuming current pain is punishment.
• Biblical Hermeneutics (Connection Phrases) [00:11:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the phrase 'Now it happened after these things' in 1 Kings 17 and Mark 6 to illustrate that God intentionally links stories so lessons from previous victories carry into current struggles.
• God's Character vs. Human Circumstance [00:19:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The core teaching that 'Truth doesn't change when life does,' urging listeners not to let pain, fear, or circumstances override the truth of God's unchanging nature.
• The Nature of God's Forgiveness [00:18:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts a 'wrong theology' that God kills those He saves with the truth that God is a loving Father who does not hold grudges and completely releases believers from their mistakes.
• Faith vs. Circumstances [00:19:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that truth does not change when life does; believers must not let circumstances steal their theology or shrink their view of God, emphasizing that the object of faith (God) is more important than the size of the faith.
• Joy and Trials [00:22:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using James 1, the pastor explains that joy is a deliberate choice ('consider it all joy') distinct from feelings, serving as the 'glue' that connects past lessons to present trials to produce patience and endurance.
• Endurance and Prayer [00:29:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor illustrates enduring faith through the story of Elijah and the widow, showing that real faith prays and trusts even when God is silent and the 'why' is unknown, focusing on God's character rather than immediate understanding.
• Faith vs. Understanding [00:33:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that true faith acts despite a lack of clarity or answers, contrasting it with the cultural desire to understand everything before believing.
• Frustration and Prayer [00:33:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor validates frustration as a component of faith, using Elijah's example to show that one can pray and act faithfully while still being frustrated and lacking answers.
• Total Commitment [00:36:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes 'laying it all out' to God, using Elijah and the woman with the issue of blood as examples of risking everything rather than holding back.
• Discipleship vs. Belief [00:35:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between 'believers' who quit early and 'disciples' who follow through, urging the congregation to move from spectator status to active participation.

• Sermon Illustration [00:08:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about switching from a digital Bible on his iPad to a physical paper Bible, requiring him to install a new light in his office because he needs glasses to read small print.
• Sermon Illustration [00:09:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the biblical story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, where God miraculously provides flour and oil, but then the widow's son dies, leading her to question Elijah's presence. He contrasts this with the disciples in Mark 6 who fed 5,000 people but then faced a storm, failing to remember the lesson of the previous miracle.
• Sermon Illustration [00:14:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a humorous analogy comparing the miracle of feeding 5,000 people with 'five biscuits and two fish' to a 'number two combo from Long John Silvers,' noting that even 'holy food' can be fast food, and mentions his wife's favorite fast food place is Long John Silver's.
• Sermon Illustration [00:20:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'scrapbook' or 'Pinterest page' to describe how real faith keeps receipts of God's past actions. He also references the mustard seed parable, noting that while the seed is small, the object of faith (God) is what matters. Finally, he shares a personal anecdote about his wife's 24-hour labor and C-section, describing the 'joyful pain' of childbirth as an illustration of how suffering produces a positive outcome (a child), mirroring how trials produce endurance in faith.
• Sermon Illustration [00:32:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The story of Elijah raising the widow's son, where Elijah prayed and acted without receiving an explanation from God for the tragedy.
• Sermon Illustration [00:35:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The biblical account of the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9), who risked being stoned and spent all her money on doctors before touching Jesus' garment to be healed.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > A reference to Jacob in Genesis wrestling with God and refusing to let go until he received a blessing.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > A quote from a preacher: 'if you can wait until you get to heaven, you won't have to wait that long,' illustrating the necessity of enduring trials now.

• Pastoral Charge [00:00:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > Engage in a communal declaration of readiness with a neighbor.
• Pastoral Charge [00:08:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > Physically locate and open the Bible to the specified scripture passage.
• Pastoral Charge [00:09:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > Record key points from the sermon.
• Pastoral Charge [00:19:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > Resist allowing current hardships to alter one's core beliefs about God.
• Pastoral Charge [00:19:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > Actively recall and reflect on past instances of God's help during current difficulties.
• Pastoral Charge [00:26:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > Congregation members who are pregnant are asked to physically raise their hands.
• Pastoral Charge [00:41:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > Place hand on chest as a physical sign of commitment to Jesus or recommitment.
• Pastoral Charge [00:42:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > Verbally commit to prayer, faith, action, and service to God.
• Pastoral Charge [00:43:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > Recite a prayer of total life commitment, service, and worship.

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Yeah!
[00:00:53] Yeah!
[00:00:55] Game on!
[00:00:56] Turn to your neighbor and say, game on, game on, game on.
[00:00:58] Good to see everybody.
[00:01:00] I'm proud of you for making your first Sunday a church Sunday.
[00:01:06] It's very important.
[00:01:07] You know, I'm a big proponent of what you do first matters.
[00:01:10] Like the first thing you do, the first thing you do in the morning, the first thing you do with your money, the first thing you do with your year.
[00:01:17] And for you, I believe God's gonna bless the rest of your year because you gave him the first of your year.
[00:01:24] And I want to encourage you, you know, this entire week we are fasting together.
[00:01:28] Now, you know, I know you see a lot of churches online or Instagram, they do 21 days of fasting, which I think is fantastic.
[00:01:35] We decided many, many years ago to do seven days because it really encourages everybody to participate.
[00:01:41] I mean, everybody can give seven days.
[00:01:43] It's much easier than 21.
[00:01:44] 21 seems a little daunting.
[00:01:47] Sometimes you're like, 21 days?
[00:01:48] Oh my gosh.
[00:01:49] Now for the hardcore Christians, you know, the ones that are sitting in the first three rows, they can probably handle that.
[00:01:55] Just saying.
[00:01:56] But it's difficult sometimes to make a commitment for 21 days.
[00:02:00] Very difficult.
[00:02:01] But you can commit for seven days, can't you?
[00:02:04] You can do something for seven days.
[00:02:06] I mean, you can make a commitment for seven days.
[00:02:09] Maybe you can pray with us for seven days.
[00:02:11] Matter of fact, we have somebody that decided, and we challenged each other in this, that on Monday of this week, we're gonna pray for 24 hours straight.
[00:02:21] and we'd love you to participate.
[00:02:22] Where's Christian Stahl at?
[00:02:23] I saw him earlier.
[00:02:24] Stand up, Christian.
[00:02:25] Everybody wave at Christian.
[00:02:28] I challenged him.
[00:02:29] He is somebody that shows up every time we have prayer.
[00:02:32] And I said, hey, I would love for us to pray for 24 hours.
[00:02:35] And he says, I'll do it.
[00:02:36] I'll show up and do the whole 24 hours myself.
[00:02:39] And I was like, okay, Christian, I'm not gonna be there for the whole 24 hours, but I'll be there in spirit.
[00:02:47] but also I'm gonna show up and online on one of the group me's you can go online and find out thanks Christian give it up for Christian isn't it great you can connect with him but also you could just maybe participate at some point during the day between 8 a.m. tomorrow morning and 8 a.m. Tuesday morning and just pray
[00:03:07] Just spend 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour.
[00:03:11] But also, I want to challenge you to fast in some way.
[00:03:15] Now, the best way you can fast is to fast food.
[00:03:18] Now, not go to Burger King or not go to fast food.
[00:03:22] To fast food.
[00:03:24] To remove food out of your diet completely.
[00:03:28] My wife was at the hair salon yesterday and she said, she was talking to a young lady and she said, are you gonna fast?
[00:03:34] She goes, I can't fast food, I like it too much.
[00:03:36] that's the whole purpose is to remove something that you're dependent on and then replace it with who you can be dependent on and that's God and so you don't want to just fast food and then just skip meals and complain about it oh I'm starving I'm starving no replace the time that you would spend eating with time in God's Word time and prayer and connect with God so in other words you're sacrificing something in order to get closer to God
[00:04:06] and there's reasons to fast.
[00:04:07] Sometimes you can fast for a specific purpose.
[00:04:10] The Bible's very key about that.
[00:04:12] You can fast specifically to get closer to God.
[00:04:15] And so let's dedicate some time as a church.
[00:04:18] All of our campuses are participating.
[00:04:20] I'd encourage you to participate.
[00:04:21] Don't just skip over this week and go, oh, that's for other people that are really on fire for God or doing something big for God.
[00:04:29] No, this is for everybody.
[00:04:30] Matter of fact, the Bible doesn't say,
[00:04:33] You know, if you fast, it says when you fast.
[00:04:36] In other words, this should be a regular part of your life.
[00:04:40] I've been doing this for 35 years where I commit some time to really get closer to God and spend time just pulling things away and then connecting with God.
[00:04:53] You know, our staff, our team, everybody, all of our leaders have made commitments.
[00:04:58] And I believe God's gonna do something big in your life, big in our community, big in our nation as a result of the sacrifice that the church makes to see God move.
[00:05:07] Can I get an amen?
[00:05:08] Hey, several years ago I was playing golf.
[00:05:10] I love golf.
[00:05:11] Some of you know that I like to play golf.
[00:05:13] I'm pretty decent at golf.
[00:05:14] And so I was playing this professional athlete.
[00:05:17] I'm not gonna say his name because you would know who he is.
[00:05:19] He lives here in North Carolina.
[00:05:20] and I get to play with these guys sometimes.
[00:05:23] He's not a professional golfer, but he's a professional athlete.
[00:05:26] He was a basketball player, went on to play for the NBA, which is a very small group of people.
[00:05:31] So we were playing golf together and I was kind of kicking his butt a little bit, Ronnie, and I started talking some smack to him.
[00:05:38] Anybody ever talk smack before when you're playing a sport?
[00:05:40] Smack, if you don't know what smack is, it's the Greek word.
[00:05:43] No, I'm just kidding.
[00:05:46] Smack is when you get ahead of somebody and you start kind of jeering them a little bit and challenging them.
[00:05:50] Well, I don't know what happened, but about the 13th or 14th hole, this professional athlete turned into another person.
[00:06:00] And he completely dominated me for the next like five holes.
[00:06:07] There's something inside of a professional athlete that they can just turn on and turn off that is different than a regular person.
[00:06:15] I don't know what it is and I've met a lot of them and I've you know kind of participated in sports with a lot of these guys and they have another gear that they can step into well I believe Christians can have another gear you know there's a moment in every game when everything changes the whistle blows the ball is tipped the clock starts warm it's over talking is done and this is when it all counts
[00:06:39] Our faith has a moment like that.
[00:06:43] And I want to talk to you about your faith.
[00:06:45] Everybody say, my faith.
[00:06:46] Now our game is not golf or football or whatever.
[00:06:50] Now I know you know a lot of us have our sports jerseys on because we're really talking about how to get in the game.
[00:06:57] But our game is life.
[00:06:58] It's our family.
[00:06:59] It's our marriage.
[00:07:00] It's the kingdom of God.
[00:07:02] and the impact of heaven in our everyday life.
[00:07:06] Not just a future destination that we'll spend with God, but right now, our inheritance right now.
[00:07:12] Game on is the moment our faith moves from belief to action.
[00:07:19] And I want to talk about that action in our lives.
[00:07:21] Most believers spend their life reacting to life.
[00:07:24] They have a problem and then they react.
[00:07:26] They have a sickness that happens and then they react.
[00:07:30] We get some bad news and then we react.
[00:07:32] We're really just spectators in this thing instead of participators.
[00:07:37] That's not God's plan.
[00:07:39] Matter of fact, we need to get off the sidelines into the game
[00:07:43] From a spectator to a participator.
[00:07:46] Or another way to say it is to go from being a believer to a disciple.
[00:07:52] And one of the most important tools a disciple carries in their toolbox is your faith.
[00:07:59] Your faith impacts everything.
[00:08:01] And I am tired of Christians with weak, flimsy, lacking strength faith.
[00:08:09] And so I'm committing this entire year
[00:08:12] as your pastor to help equip you to have the faith that can stand strong.
[00:08:18] You know, our word this year as a church is arise and build, arise and build.
[00:08:24] And it's not just about building another campus, and it's not just about building a building.
[00:08:28] No, it's about building the fabric of who we are as believers to withstand in this evil day.
[00:08:36] So if you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to 1 Kings chapter 17, 1 Kings 17.
[00:08:42] I got my old faithful paper Bible which I've been I've been reading as opposed to my phone I've kind of moved away from the phone and the iPad and started which I've realized that I have to wear glasses which I believe God can heal me today of having to wear those glasses I'm not wearing them right now because I can see under this light
[00:09:05] I put a new light in my office just so I could read with my regular paper Bible as opposed to a digital Bible.
[00:09:13] And I want to read a story out of 1 Kings chapter 17.
[00:09:16] Take some notes, write some things down.
[00:09:17] I'm going to teach for a little while this morning.
[00:09:20] Look at verse 17 with me.
[00:09:21] It says, Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick, and his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.
[00:09:34] okay now this is the story of Elijah and a widow's son verse 18 so she said to Elijah what have I what have what have I to do with you O man of God have you come to bring my sin to remembrance and to kill my son verse 19 and he said to her give me your son so he took him out of her arms which means
[00:09:56] He was probably a child, probably a younger child under the age of five or six and carried him to the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his own bed.
[00:10:06] Then he cried out to the Lord and said, O Lord, my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge by killing her son?
[00:10:18] and he stretched himself out on the child three times and cried out to the Lord and said oh Lord my God I pray let this child's soul come back to him then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came back to him and he revived and Elijah took the child
[00:10:37] and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his son and Elijah said, see your son lives.
[00:10:44] Then the woman said to Elijah, now by this I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord is in your mouth is the truth.
[00:10:54] Now I want you to go back to verse 17.
[00:10:55] Can we throw back verse 17 back up there?
[00:10:58] There we go.
[00:10:59] I want you to notice these first few words.
[00:11:00] It says, Now it happened after these things.
[00:11:03] Will you read that with me?
[00:11:04] One, two, three.
[00:11:04] Now it happened after these things.
[00:11:07] Now whenever you see that in the Bible, I want you to make a note of that because this is a connection phrase.
[00:11:13] This is basically a bridge between two stories.
[00:11:17] And you'll see this all through Scripture.
[00:11:19] And God does this on purpose because He is teaching us that there is something significant in the previous story that needs to be carried over into the new story that you're reading.
[00:11:33] Now, what is significant?
[00:11:36] Now this is the beginning of an introduction of who Elijah is.
[00:11:41] If you go back to the beginning of the chapter, he deals with Ahab, he commands there to be a drought, and then he goes after God told him to a place called Zarephath.
[00:11:52] Zarephath was a town that had this woman and her son who, at the time when Elijah shows up, are gathering some sticks so she can make a fire to make a cake so she can die.
[00:12:04] That's basically it.
[00:12:05] She told Elijah, she goes, listen, I'm getting ready to make a meal, our last meal, and then me and my son, we're going to die.
[00:12:11] And Elijah said, no, no, no, no, you're not going to die.
[00:12:13] No, no, no.
[00:12:14] What's going to happen is, is you're going to give me the cake first, and because of your faith in the Word of the Lord, then you're going to survive.
[00:12:24] And the Bible says that her flour and her oil never ran out.
[00:12:29] Now, here's the interesting thing.
[00:12:31] The second story is the woman's son becomes sick.
[00:12:35] and he's about to die matter of fact he does die now here's the question why would God save me yesterday and then kill me today that's a great question sometimes we read over a verse and we go we don't even pay attention that okay God just saved this woman and her son and now her son is dead what the heck is going on
[00:12:59] What in the world is happening?
[00:13:01] Why would I have victory yesterday and then defeat today?
[00:13:06] Why would I win yesterday just so I can lose today?
[00:13:11] How many ever been in that situation where we prayed, God answered, and then the bottom dries out anyway?
[00:13:18] Come on, y'all with me?
[00:13:19] So why in the world would this woman go through all of that problem to get saved just for God to kill her son the next day?
[00:13:28] See, if you've walked with God long enough, you realize that there are things that you need to carry from a previous victory into the problem that you're facing right now.
[00:13:42] There is a bridge that you need to make.
[00:13:45] Here's what this story teaches us.
[00:13:47] Lessons of faith must be remembered.
[00:13:52] Faith doesn't erase the questions.
[00:13:54] Faith remembers who God is while we wrestle with them.
[00:14:00] In other words, if you want to write this down, real faith remembers.
[00:14:04] Real faith remembers.
[00:14:06] Let me prove it to you out of the New Testament.
[00:14:09] If you hold your finger here.
[00:14:11] We're going to come back here and we're going to go to Mark chapter 6.
[00:14:15] There's a story where Jesus begins in verse 33.
[00:14:19] And you know the story.
[00:14:19] He feeds 5,000 men, including their wives and their children.
[00:14:23] So anywhere between 20 and 25,000 people, God, Jesus, miraculously feeds with the number two combo from Long John Silvers.
[00:14:32] Five biscuits and two fish.
[00:14:34] He didn't even get the upgrade didn't even get like an extra side of fries it was just five biscuits and two fish and he feeds 5,000 plus their families and then he tells his disciples I want you to go to the other side in other words I want I'm sending you on another mission after you just saw this miracle okay and then you know what happens
[00:14:56] It says that they go out into the water, they go across the Sea of Galilee, they're on their way to Judah and Judea and they face a storm.
[00:15:05] Now here's what it says in verse 45.
[00:15:06] Immediately after this, does that sound familiar?
[00:15:11] Does that sound like a familiar phrase?
[00:15:14] okay verse 17 of 1st Kings 17 says now it happened after these things this is the exact same phrase because what he's trying to do is get his disciples to understand the lesson of the miracle of the five loaves which will carry over into the miracle that he wants to do by dealing with the storm it says Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across to Bethsaida while he sent the people home now here's what's interesting
[00:15:44] In verse 52 of that same chapter, Mark chapter 6, it says, For they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the love.
[00:15:52] Their hearts were too hard to take it in.
[00:15:56] One translation says this, They didn't learn the lesson.
[00:16:01] See, could it be that the reason why your problem still exists is because you haven't learned the lesson of the previous story of God moving in your life?
[00:16:12] This is where our faith has to kick in.
[00:16:15] When God takes you out of one thing into another, what can you take from the first into the second?
[00:16:22] What can you take from yesterday and add it to your today?
[00:16:26] Did you learn anything?
[00:16:28] Because faith, real faith remembers.
[00:16:31] It remembers the character of God.
[00:16:34] It remembers the character of God.
[00:16:37] For the disciples, they needed to remember that he basically was taking care of them.
[00:16:42] He just fed 5,000 people with the number two combo.
[00:16:46] Chick-fil-A was closed because this was Sunday.
[00:16:49] So it wasn't even holy food.
[00:16:51] It was Long John Silver's.
[00:16:53] Which, by the way, my wife says is her favorite fast food place.
[00:16:56] I don't understand why, but I asked her the other day, what's your favorite fast food place?
[00:17:00] As I was prepping this, she said Long John Silver's.
[00:17:02] I said, you're stupid.
[00:17:04] I didn't say it out loud.
[00:17:05] I said it in my head.
[00:17:11] Somebody say, Real Faith Remembers.
[00:17:13] Real Faith Remembers the character of God.
[00:17:15] Notice what she said after her son's breath was taken out of her.
[00:17:20] She said to Elijah, What have I to do with you, O man of God, you representative of God?
[00:17:27] Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and kill my son?
[00:17:31] Look, you represent God.
[00:17:33] You represented Him in the previous story.
[00:17:34] You represented Him when I was in Zarephath.
[00:17:36] But now, my son is dead.
[00:17:38] What the heck is going on?
[00:17:40] Why did you do this?
[00:17:42] This was a challenge to her theology.
[00:17:47] Because what she's basically saying is that because of my sin, you came into my life to remind me of the mistakes that I've made.
[00:17:57] Because my mistakes, according to my theology, have consequences and that consequence is the death of my son.
[00:18:07] Which is a wrong theology.
[00:18:10] Because why in the world would God save them and now kill them?
[00:18:17] God is a loving Father.
[00:18:20] He's just.
[00:18:20] He's righteous.
[00:18:22] Now, does God deal with sin?
[00:18:23] Absolutely.
[00:18:25] But when He forgives you, He doesn't hold a grudge.
[00:18:31] Now this is so important for us as Christians, as followers of God, as disciples, because you can't get hung up in what you're going through and think that God is causing it to happen when He saved you yesterday.
[00:18:49] This is important for your faith.
[00:18:51] He doesn't carry grudges.
[00:18:52] Now we do, right?
[00:18:56] Because we forgive people and then when we even smell the same thing that they did before, we immediately remind them of what they did before.
[00:19:07] Now God does not do that.
[00:19:09] He has the capacity to completely release you of all your mistakes.
[00:19:14] Matter of fact, the Bible says in Psalms 103, as far as the east is from the west,
[00:19:19] He has removed our transgressions from us Listen to me very carefully, followers of God, disciples Don't let your circumstances steal your theology Truth doesn't change when life does
[00:19:37] Truth does not change when life does.
[00:19:40] Circumstances shout.
[00:19:42] Pain shouts.
[00:19:43] Fear shouts.
[00:19:44] And if we're not careful, the loudest thing in our life becomes the truest thing in our life.
[00:19:51] Truth doesn't change when your life does.
[00:19:54] Just because you're going through some hard times, remember what God did yesterday, no matter how small.
[00:20:01] No matter how insignificant.
[00:20:03] We can't allow what's going on in our life to tell down who God is.
[00:20:08] Real faith builds a scrapbook.
[00:20:11] Real faith has its own Pinterest page.
[00:20:14] Real faith keeps receipts.
[00:20:16] Real faith doesn't drift.
[00:20:17] Real faith is anchored in God's truth.
[00:20:20] Real faith actively chooses to remember what God did yesterday, no matter how small or how big.
[00:20:27] Have you ever wondered why God said in Matthew 17 that faith is like a mustard seed?
[00:20:34] It's so small.
[00:20:35] It's tiny.
[00:20:37] It's little.
[00:20:38] Just little.
[00:20:40] In that culture, that was the smallest seed.
[00:20:43] If he were saying this today, he would say it was an orchid seed because the orchid seed is the smallest seed now.
[00:20:48] But they didn't have orchids over there.
[00:20:50] He said this is the smallest seed.
[00:20:51] Now why would he make that statement?
[00:20:53] Why would he say this?
[00:20:56] In essence, your faith's size is really insignificant.
[00:21:03] Why would he say that?
[00:21:05] Because the object of your faith is what's important.
[00:21:09] If you have big faith in a small God, you're not going to have any results.
[00:21:14] But if you have small faith in a big God, then you're always going to have results.
[00:21:19] Are y'all with me today?
[00:21:21] So let me ask you a question, disciple.
[00:21:24] How big is your God?
[00:21:26] Because if your circumstances shrink Him down, then it doesn't matter how much faith you have.
[00:21:33] You can have all the faith in the world, but Jesus says all you need to do is have a mustard seed side of faith and you can move the biggest mountain because God is bigger than any mountain.
[00:21:44] Faith remembers that He's my Jehovah Jireh, He's always a healer, my provider, He's my Jehovah Rapha, He's my healer, He's my protector, He's my savior, He's my forgiver.
[00:21:56] When God is bigger than any of your circumstances because you've carried over what He did for you yesterday,
[00:22:03] Man, your faith will always remember.
[00:22:05] Trials are never meant to tear down, but are meant to build up.
[00:22:08] Don't let your theology get twisted by the test.
[00:22:11] Number two, real faith is tested.
[00:22:15] Real faith remembers, real faith is tested.
[00:22:19] James chapter one, verse two and three, it says, My brethren, count it all joy.
[00:22:23] Look at your neighbor, say joy, joy, joy.
[00:22:26] You might even sing to your neighbor.
[00:22:28] I got the joy, joy, joy, joy.
[00:22:32] Where?
[00:22:34] Where?
[00:22:36] That's good.
[00:22:37] See?
[00:22:37] I'm telling you, these first three rows?
[00:22:41] They went to kids' church.
[00:22:43] Pastor Michael Ott.
[00:22:46] My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, endurance, perseverance, resilience, lasting power.
[00:23:00] Count it all joy.
[00:23:02] There's no way
[00:23:04] When this woman, her son has died, is smiling.
[00:23:11] Right?
[00:23:13] Hello.
[00:23:15] Do you think she's happy that her son is dead?
[00:23:19] Absolutely not.
[00:23:22] So then why could James say, count it all joy?
[00:23:25] Joy, if you want to write something important down, joy is the joiner.
[00:23:32] Joy allows us to hold on to a lesson.
[00:23:36] To carry our faith into another level.
[00:23:40] Joy is the glue that connects.
[00:23:43] Now listen to me very carefully.
[00:23:45] Joy has nothing to do with how the trial or the test feels.
[00:23:54] Let me say that again.
[00:23:55] Because you need to get this.
[00:23:57] Because we confuse our feelings with joy.
[00:24:02] Joy has nothing to do with your feelings.
[00:24:06] What am I saying?
[00:24:07] You can feel frustrated and still have joy.
[00:24:10] You can be angry and still have joy.
[00:24:14] You can be misunderstood and still have joy.
[00:24:17] You can feel sad and guess what?
[00:24:20] Still have joy.
[00:24:22] You can feel abandoned
[00:24:24] and still have joy.
[00:24:26] We don't deny our emotions, but joy is knowing that God is up to something.
[00:24:35] Listen, when we count it all joy, one translation says consider it all joy.
[00:24:41] The word consider means to have deliberate intent.
[00:24:44] You have to decide to have joy in the midst of your trial.
[00:24:49] Why?
[00:24:50] Because of the loaves and fishes he did last time.
[00:24:53] because I cooked a cake for you, Elijah, and you took care of my family for however long.
[00:25:00] We don't even know how long he took care of it.
[00:25:02] See, joy reaches back to the last lesson, the last miracle, the last thing that God did and always brings it forward.
[00:25:11] You may not feel like it's happening right now, but joy pulls that lesson over into my life right now.
[00:25:18] and I'm able to believe doesn't matter how I feel God you're doing something it doesn't matter what's going on around me God you're doing something joy is based on the character of God now if you let your circumstances determine God's character in your life you'll never have joy it will be very difficult for you to live with joy
[00:25:39] The test is producing something.
[00:25:42] The pain has meaning.
[00:25:44] The suffering has significance.
[00:25:47] The pressure on my faith is doing something in me.
[00:25:51] Pain doesn't cancel God's purpose.
[00:25:54] It often carries it.
[00:25:56] So how do we keep our joy?
[00:25:58] What's the rest of the verse say?
[00:26:00] Knowing that the testing of your faith produces.
[00:26:06] That's a key word.
[00:26:07] Produces.
[00:26:09] how many ladies in here right now now we have in our church we believe in the book of genesis be fruitful and multiply i have never seen in the last six months as many babies being born in my entire life i don't know if it's just the size of our church and you know everybody's getting pregnant or y'all married people just love sex i don't know what it is but in this room right now how many
[00:26:37] These moms are pregnant right now.
[00:26:38] Raise your hand if you're pregnant.
[00:26:39] Look at that.
[00:26:40] I mean, look at that.
[00:26:41] Isn't that awesome?
[00:26:42] All over here.
[00:26:48] You know, my wife has given birth to three children.
[00:26:53] And I've watched the whole process, the nine months of pregnancy.
[00:27:00] And for nine months, and I'm sure all of these women would agree with you, they are extremely uncomfortable.
[00:27:07] It doesn't feel good to sit down.
[00:27:08] It doesn't feel good to stand up.
[00:27:09] It doesn't feel good to lay down.
[00:27:11] The couch doesn't fit.
[00:27:12] The chair doesn't fit.
[00:27:13] The car doesn't fit.
[00:27:15] This doesn't taste good.
[00:27:16] This tastes good.
[00:27:19] Ladies, do you agree with me in some way, shape, or form?
[00:27:24] Okay.
[00:27:24] Now, I am not a woman.
[00:27:27] Never experienced childbirth.
[00:27:29] Matter of fact, at this church, we don't believe men can get pregnant.
[00:27:32] Just saying.
[00:27:33] Just making it clear.
[00:27:39] But I have known many ladies, and my wife included in that, that the whole process, those nine months, it's not good.
[00:27:47] And then I have been in the room with my wife only as she is giving birth.
[00:27:54] And my wife was in labor for 24 hours and then ended up having a C-section.
[00:28:00] And I can tell you right now, during that labor, she was in excruciating pain.
[00:28:05] And I was blamed for all of it.
[00:28:13] Why did you do this to me?
[00:28:16] But here's the thing.
[00:28:19] This is a joyful pain.
[00:28:24] Because she knows what the end of the pain is going to produce.
[00:28:31] What do they even call it?
[00:28:32] A bundle of
[00:28:35] See a woman experiences and goes through all of that excruciating pain because in the end after those nine months all of that is going to produce something and one day I remember when our first son was our first son was born and she held that baby she looked at me and smiled she actually changed her tune like I am glad you did that to me because of this right here
[00:29:04] Faith, real faith, is an enduring faith.
[00:29:07] Count it all joy when you fall into various trials because the testing of your faith produces patience.
[00:29:18] See, there is a payoff at the end of this problem.
[00:29:23] And that payoff is that your faith now has the ability to endure.
[00:29:31] I know this may be just skipping over your head right now but I'm gonna tell you right now you're gonna need this one day you may not be going through anything right now but you will be you may be in the middle of something right now and you need to know that your faith can endure why because of the previous thing that God did in your life this is so important
[00:29:56] So what God does is He shows us the miracle of the fishes and loaves.
[00:30:01] He shows us the miracle between the woman and her son and the cakes and the flour and the oil so that when we get into the next situation, the next painful suffering circumstance,
[00:30:15] that our faith has the ability not just to wait because that word patience it doesn't mean i'm just i'm just sitting there just waiting for god to move no no that word wait or patience means to keep under to be able to stand under the circumstance it's a powerful word that no matter what pain you might go through my faith has the ability to endure and i can tell you right now christians today need to have a faith that can endure
[00:30:45] because it's only gonna get worse.
[00:30:46] It's not gonna get easier.
[00:30:48] And your faith needs to be able to stand, not hide, but stand.
[00:30:53] Faith, real faith is an enduring faith.
[00:30:55] Real faith is a lasting faith.
[00:30:57] Real faith is a persevering faith.
[00:30:59] The longer you live as a disciple, the more this component is required, the ability to last.
[00:31:06] When people hurt you, when it feels like God has left you, can you last?
[00:31:13] Can you make it?
[00:31:16] So key.
[00:31:19] Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, resilience, staying power.
[00:31:29] Elijah comes back to her and says to her give me your son so he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his bed now not only was this woman going through her own her own own faith journey Elijah was going through his as well because when he gets up to the room he doesn't just do his deal as the man of God oh Lord hey God um
[00:31:57] You also brought this tragedy.
[00:32:00] I don't know if you remember, God, but just like a few weeks ago, I was in Zarephath and you helped this lady.
[00:32:09] So this is the man of God, Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of all, having a frustrating time with God.
[00:32:18] I want you to notice this, because this is important when it comes to our faith.
[00:32:22] And he cried out to the Lord and said, Oh Lord, my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodged by killing her son?
[00:32:30] Notice there was no answer.
[00:32:36] God didn't go, Oh yeah, let me just explain this to you.
[00:32:39] Because that's what we want, don't we?
[00:32:42] Before I'm going to do anything, God, I need you to give me the why.
[00:32:47] But what if he doesn't?
[00:32:49] He never told Elijah why.
[00:32:52] He never told him anything.
[00:32:53] But look at verse 21.
[00:32:55] And he stretched himself out on the child three times.
[00:32:59] He took her, took the child from his mom, took him up to the bedroom and laid down on top of him three different times
[00:33:09] and then he came back to life.
[00:33:11] See, real faith knows how to pray.
[00:33:15] Elijah still had questions.
[00:33:17] I don't understand what's going on.
[00:33:19] I don't have this all figured out, God.
[00:33:21] But I'm frustrated, God.
[00:33:23] Is it okay to be frustrated?
[00:33:25] Absolutely.
[00:33:27] Absolutely.
[00:33:28] I just helped these people because you told me to and now the boy is dead.
[00:33:32] But see, faith, real faith knows how to pray in spite of the questions.
[00:33:37] This is key.
[00:33:38] Real faith knows how to pray in spite of the frustration.
[00:33:41] Real faith knows how to pray even when you don't understand it all.
[00:33:43] Let me say it this way.
[00:33:44] Real faith doesn't need to understand in order to trust and believe and act.
[00:33:52] Is that the kind of faith you got?
[00:33:54] Or do you need to understand it all?
[00:33:58] Because this is the challenge we live in right now.
[00:33:59] I need to understand it all.
[00:34:01] I need to understand everything that's going on with me before I can act in faith.
[00:34:05] Before I'm going to give my life to Jesus, I need to know it all.
[00:34:10] Wrong answer.
[00:34:12] That's not faith.
[00:34:14] Matter of fact, I think sometimes the less you know, the more your faith has to come into action.
[00:34:23] Look, I don't know a lot of things.
[00:34:25] Matter of fact, the longer I'm a Christian, the more I realize I don't know.
[00:34:30] And people come to me and ask me questions.
[00:34:32] You know what I say?
[00:34:33] I don't know.
[00:34:36] I don't know.
[00:34:37] And I'm okay with that, but I'm not going to quit living for God.
[00:34:42] Just because ChatGPT hasn't given me the answer to my question yet.
[00:34:46] Are you following me?
[00:34:49] Just because you don't know, and you don't know why, you still need to act in faith.
[00:34:56] That's what a real disciple does.
[00:34:59] Believers quit early.
[00:35:01] Disciples follow through.
[00:35:05] Even when it hurts.
[00:35:07] Real faith doesn't wait for clarity before it moves toward God.
[00:35:11] Real faith isn't blind denial.
[00:35:15] It's belief and trust in the middle of the questions.
[00:35:20] God never responded to Elijah.
[00:35:22] He never gave him the why, but he still acted in faith.
[00:35:25] You know, it reminds me of the story in Matthew chapter nine of the woman with the issue of blood.
[00:35:30] She was sick for 12 years.
[00:35:32] 12 years, man.
[00:35:33] 12 years she was sick.
[00:35:35] She exhausted every option that she could have.
[00:35:40] She gave all her money to the doctors.
[00:35:43] And finally, the Bible says that she heard that Jesus was coming to town.
[00:35:47] She had heard, read on Instagram, that Jesus had been healing people.
[00:35:52] She was probably old school, maybe Facebook.
[00:35:55] It was a neighborhood thing where she went on, Jesus is coming to my town.
[00:36:01] And she risked it all.
[00:36:04] In order to get her prayer answered.
[00:36:08] Risked everything.
[00:36:09] She was a woman with the issue of blood.
[00:36:11] She could have been stoned.
[00:36:13] They should have killed her for being even in public.
[00:36:18] Same thing with Elijah.
[00:36:19] Did you know that you were considered unclean if you touched a dead body?
[00:36:24] But see, Elijah gave everything in his prayer.
[00:36:30] In other words, by him laying on the boy,
[00:36:33] He was saying, all that is in me, God, I'm giving to this boy.
[00:36:39] I'm giving it all to him.
[00:36:41] I'm giving everything that I have to him.
[00:36:45] Are you fully committed to your prayer?
[00:36:48] Or is there some little part of you that still has a plan, a way out?
[00:36:54] Well, you know, I don't know about this tithing and giving.
[00:36:58] I don't know about this real commitment to God because, well, if it doesn't work out, Mom and Dad will bail me out.
[00:37:04] That's not real commitment.
[00:37:07] No, real commitment is you're laying it all out to Him.
[00:37:10] See, real faith knows how to pray.
[00:37:13] Jacob in Genesis met God and said, I'm not letting you go until you bless me.
[00:37:23] Is that the kind of faith you got?
[00:37:27] Would you be willing to hold on to the promise no matter what pain you go through?
[00:37:35] Count it all joy.
[00:37:39] Maybe it's more than nine months.
[00:37:40] Maybe it's a year, two years, five years, ten years, fifteen years.
[00:37:46] Maybe it's the rest of your life.
[00:37:48] I heard one preacher say, if you can wait until you get to heaven, you won't have to wait that long.
[00:37:53] Because sometimes that's what we have to go through.
[00:37:57] in order to get that prayer answered.
[00:37:59] So we gotta be willing to risk it all.
[00:38:03] Maybe the test or the trial is only as long as it takes to remove any doubt about God and how much He really loves you.
[00:38:11] I want you to stand with me today.
[00:38:16] I wanna close today with just asking you, what is your now it happened after these things moment?
[00:38:24] What is that thing in your life that you need to carry over in your life?
[00:38:29] What is that lesson that you need to learn from 2025 that you need to carry over into 2026?
[00:38:38] And then my follow-up question is this.
[00:38:40] How big is your God?
[00:38:44] How big is your God?
[00:38:47] Father, we just come before you today
[00:38:52] It's dangerous, Lord.
[00:38:53] I know it's dangerous to pray a prayer that says, increase our faith.
[00:39:00] Because the moment that we pray that prayer, we've set ourselves up for some pain, some challenge, some issues, some circumstances, some suffering.
[00:39:11] Because the only way to grow our faith is through a trial.
[00:39:18] Father, I pray that today
[00:39:21] You would speak to people's hearts.
[00:39:24] God, you would expose yourself as the big God that you are.
[00:39:32] Just like Pastor Stephanie prayed,
[00:39:34] Lord, You created the universe.
[00:39:37] You set the stars in their place.
[00:39:39] You spun the earth on its axis.
[00:39:42] You made our solar system.
[00:39:44] You created the universe.
[00:39:46] It's the span of Your hand, God.
[00:39:48] You are big enough to handle any situation, any problem, any healing that we need, God.
[00:39:55] You're big enough to do it.
[00:39:56] Any problem that we face, You're big enough.
[00:40:00] and Father we don't need to understand it all we don't even need to know the why Lord we're just going to put our faith in you the big God that you are every head bowed every eye closed if you're here today and you're ready to make a commitment to God you're ready to set aside the small God that you've been taught and receive the big God that he is I want to pray for you today maybe you've never given your life to Jesus Christ
[00:40:29] I need to figure it all out.
[00:40:30] I need to have all the answers.
[00:40:31] Look, you're not going to have all the answers.
[00:40:34] You're not going to know how it works.
[00:40:36] That's what faith is.
[00:40:37] Faith is taking the step.
[00:40:38] Faith is launching out on the journey and believing that God is going to take care of you regardless of whether you're going to have all the answers to all the questions.
[00:40:51] If you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, how about you start 2026
[00:40:57] With knowing that firmly.
[00:40:58] Or maybe you've followed Him at one time, but you know that your life is not pleasing to Him.
[00:41:05] You know you're not living right.
[00:41:07] You need to repent today.
[00:41:09] Repent of a lifestyle that's not following God.
[00:41:14] Repent of a lifestyle that doesn't meet the standard of a disciple for God.
[00:41:20] Repent today.
[00:41:22] It's okay.
[00:41:22] Just repent.
[00:41:23] Lord, I'm sorry.
[00:41:24] I'm gonna change my ways.
[00:41:25] I need your help, Lord.
[00:41:27] I need your grace.
[00:41:28] I need your mercy in my life.
[00:41:29] You know, the Bible says His mercies are new every single morning.
[00:41:32] I don't know about you, but I need His mercies to be new every day.
[00:41:37] Because I need His mercies every single day.
[00:41:41] if you're here in this room or maybe watching even online and you want to give your life to Jesus for the very first time or make a recommitment would you just simply put your hand right on your chest right where you are or maybe today just keep that hand right there or maybe today you want you want to fully commit this year to God fully commit
[00:42:07] I'm going to commit to pray.
[00:42:08] I'm going to commit my faith.
[00:42:10] I'm going to commit to believe.
[00:42:11] I'm going to commit to take the steps.
[00:42:13] I'm going to commit to ask.
[00:42:15] Act.
[00:42:16] I'm going to commit.
[00:42:18] Even when I don't understand, I'm going to make a commitment to you, God, to follow you, to serve you, to worship you.
[00:42:28] Just put your hand right on your chest.
[00:42:29] I'm going to commit to going from believer status to disciple status.
[00:42:35] I'm going to become a follower of Jesus no matter what.
[00:42:39] Give my whole life to you in every way.
[00:42:43] I'm going to get off the bench and into the game.
[00:42:46] I'm going to quit being a spectator and I'm going to be a participator.
[00:42:50] I'm not just going to take up space.
[00:42:52] I'm going to change my space.
[00:42:55] in the name of Jesus just put your hand right on your chest let's pray this together church family say this with me say heavenly father today i give you my life i commit everything to you i count it all joy when i fall into various trials knowing that the testing of my faith
[00:43:13] produces endurance, resilience, staying power.
[00:43:18] I commit my life to you, Lord.
[00:43:20] I'm going to serve you.
[00:43:21] I'm going to worship you like never before.
[00:43:25] 2026 is going to be the best year.
[00:43:29] My faith is going to exceed ever.
[00:43:35] anything that you've ever seen God I commit my life to you in the name of Jesus and all God's people said amen come on give God a big hand