Steven Furtick - Asking God For Clarity
This is an excerpt from: Plot Hole
I’m speaking to somebody today who feels like, «I’m in a plot hole right now, not knowing how this will make sense and pretty sure it never will». «He just walked out on me. He did not explain it, and I did not deserve to be abandoned like that». To be in that kind of moment in your life… It does not satisfy to give spiritual sucralose to say to you in those moments, «Smile. Everything is going to be okay. God’s got your back,» because while it may be a plot twist, I experience it as a hole.
When you’re living in it, it doesn’t feel like a twist, because it hasn’t turned around just yet. Who am I preaching to today? Added to the trauma they are still recovering from of watching the innocent one be treated as a criminal… To us that’s a plot twist, because we understand that we were criminals treated as innocent ones. He was an innocent one treated as a criminal. To us that’s a twist. To them it was a hole. To them it was the end. To them the cross meant the end of his mission, yet what they saw as the end of the mission from his perspective was really its fulfillment.
I wonder if that could be true of some of the things you’re going through in your life right now too. These apostles, who are waiting for the Holy Spirit… Let’s talk about waiting for the Holy Spirit. You don’t have to do that. He already came. Now imagine this. Jesus is not here anymore, and neither is the Spirit that he said is coming. Put yourself in that position. This is what’s really crazy about it. You want to talk about a plot hole, a plot hole when something happens that’s completely random and ridiculous, a plot hole when something happens that you completely don’t expect, and it doesn’t make sense? All right. Let me show you how little sense this makes. Maybe this will encourage you for your own situation today.
In Acts, chapter 1, that I just read you, the Bible says something that, if you don’t trust the author of this story, you might think is a plot hole. You might even stop reading the Bible. It says, «'For, ' said Peter, 'it is written in the Book of Psalms…'» If you’ve been reading your Bible up to this point, we have seen Peter… I don’t mean to bring up his lowest moment. When Jesus was being crucified, he was cussing. So, we have seen Peter cussing while Christ was being crucified. Now this guy, who was cussing while Christ was being crucified, is quoting not only the Bible but the most beautiful book of the Bible, the book of Psalms. That’s almost a plot hole, that somebody could be cussing one moment and quoting Psalms the next moment. But won’t God do it? It can go the other way too.
Some of you who are singing really beautiful songs in church today… Let’s see when the traffic hits tomorrow if you are still quoting «The Lord is good». «I sought the Lord, and he heard… Hurry up»! That’s a plot hole right there…Christians who don’t act like Christians and sinners who start acting like saints. You can change. That’s what I heard when it said, «'For it is written in the book of Psalms, ' said Peter». I was like, «Oh! If the one who was cussing can start quoting the Scriptures, then there is hope for everybody I’m going to preach to today». I don’t care if you’re watching this in prison. I don’t care if you’re watching this addicted. I don’t care if you’re trying to reach for a pill while I’m preaching. This powerful grace of almighty God can twist the plot. I lift you up out of your pit.
That’s what I’m talking about. That’s who I’m praising: the plot twister, the page turner, who I can be cussing one minute and preaching the next. Get ready for a revolution in your life! Your kids might shock you yet. Your kid might not even have graduated high school, and they might end up doing a TED talk that people who are professors at Harvard end up watching on YouTube. This is a twist. From cussing to quoting. It’s a twist. From sorrow and mourning to the oil of gladness and joy. It’s the twist.
Now, some people twist the truth, but sometimes the truth will twist you. That’s why Jesus said to Peter before he left the earth to send the precious Holy Spirit, «After you have turned back…» «After you have turned back…» He hadn’t even messed up yet. The Lord was predicting the comeback before the fall even occurred. How does that make you feel? How does that make you feel about your failure?
Now you ought to feel a little bit better about your future, because God saw your failure from the future, and he’s still with you in it. We have to go quicker than this, y’all. We’re on the first verse of the same passage I preached last week. But I think if I can show you this, you’ll really understand the heart of it for the moments in your life that feel like a plot hole. I was thinking about several categories. I was thinking about how a plot hole is not only when somebody drives the car through the glass and they act like it never happened. It’s not only the event; it’s when the individual does something that’s completely out of character, like this in the text. That could mean for you that you were doing so well and then hit a setback. You were sober so long, and then one night, one business trip… That could mean for you that you thought people who treated people with kindness received kindness in return, and you didn’t.
You really should have known better, because Christians follow Christ, and he gave nothing but good and received evil in return and returned kindness and grace for evil. But even though it’s easy for us to see that in the story of Jesus, isn’t it so hard to see that in the story of you? Please tell your neighbor so they’re not confused, «I’m not Jesus, so it’s not easy for me to believe this stuff when I’m living in it». You’re living in a twist, but it feels like a hole. You’re living in a new beginning, but it feels like the ending. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. (I think that was a song from the 90s. I’m not sure who I just ripped off with that quote, but it felt anointed when I said it, so I said it, and I let it fly. «It’s closing time…» That’s what it is. I remembered it. Don’t copyright strike me.) Watch this. He said two Scriptures from the book of Psalms. He’s reaching back to go forward.
I want you to understand that. Sometimes I have to reach back to go forward. He reaches all the way back to David, and he quotes something David said in Psalm 69:25. That’s the first thing. David is talking about someone who took over the throne but didn’t have the rightful place, and David says, «May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it». In other words, he’s saying, «Get the wrong people out of the right places». How many want God to do that in your life? I don’t want the wrong best friends. I don’t want the wrong boyfriend. I don’t want the wrong confidants. I don’t want the wrong enemies in my mind. I don’t want to be pushing people away from me whom God is trying to send to me to help me.
So, now Peter has a plot hole. «I’m waiting for the Holy Spirit. I am a failure because of my lack of courage at the moment of his crucifixion». But he starts quoting Scripture and applying it to his life. Watch. Not just one Scripture. Look at the second one. «May another take his place of leadership». They’re talking about Judas, but David wasn’t talking about Judas. David was talking about something totally different. This is from Psalm 109:8. Peter had read some things. On the surface, it kind of looks like Peter is doing… Did y’all ever hear the old preacher story about the guy who needed God to help him make a decision, so he said, «All right, Lord. I’m just going to flip my Bible open, and the first thing it lands on, I’m going to point, and I’m going to do it».
So he flipped his Bible open and pointed, and the Scripture his finger landed on said, «Judas went and hanged himself». He said, «O Lord, let me turn the page and try another one». He did it again, and it said, «Go thou and do likewise». He said, «I’m going to try one more time». «Whatever thou doest, do it quickly». So he closed the Bible and said, «That doesn’t work». It seems like Peter is just trying Scriptures. Like, «Well, this one psalm says, 'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it, ' and 'Let another take his place of leadership.'» No, no, no. This is a very systematic student you’re watching here. Don’t get it twisted about Peter. These psalms were actually known as psalms that referred to the righteous sufferer, Jesus Christ.
So, not only were they pointing to Jesus, but they were pointing to Peter’s situation too. I need you to know that God has a «back then» word for whatever is your «right now» situation. «And may another take his place of leadership». He’s saying, «Lord, I need you to not only move the wrong stuff out». How many need God to move some clutter out of your life in this season, some wrong thoughts, some wrong paradigms, some dirty habits, some nasty thoughts, some things that are keeping you bound and in chains, and you smell like what you’ve been through, and you need a change of clothes? Not only is Peter saying, «Take all of that away,» but he’s also saying, «Put in what needs to be put in». «Let another take his place of leadership».
Put in what needs to be put in. That’s exactly what’s about to happen on the day of Pentecost. God is about to put in exactly what needs to be put in. What they need is not human resources. What they need is not just to have a nice, pleasant time about it. What they need is not for Judas to have never betrayed Jesus. Stop revising the way you wish it would have gone in your mind. It didn’t go that way. What they need is the power of the Holy Spirit. Say it out loud. «What I need is the power of the Holy Spirit. What I need is the presence of the Holy Spirit. What I need is the plan». I felt God on that one. I need the plan of the Holy Spirit. This is where it gets very interesting in your life.
It is amazing that Peter knew what was necessary. I’m going to spend a few minutes on this word necessary. I need God to show me in this season of my life what is necessary…where it is necessary for me to spend my time, where it is necessary for me to put my money, where it is necessary for me to invest in relationships that will be fruitful. I don’t just mean that people are supposed to always be helping me. Show me who I’m supposed to help. (Y’all don’t like that one as much.) Show me who to be a blessing to. Show me how to convert the bitterness of my regret into the wisdom of experience so that somebody else never has to hurt like I had to hurt. I need to know what’s necessary.