Steven Furtick - Don't Quit Before God Moves
This is an excerpt from: "Not Now" Is Not "No"
I decided to set this sermon up by giving you a little personal anecdote from my life experience. I have never coached one of my children in sports. I just decided that my enthusiasm about being their dad shouldn’t punish the other children on the team with my lack of expertise in sports. I think you know what I’m talking about. I think you’ve all had that coach, cussed out that coach, and complained about that coach. I always coached them personally on the sidelines.
Graham said something so devious the other day, because he’s a good little wrestler now. A good big wrestler now. He’s not little. He’s the same size as me. He said, «I thought you were so OP as a wrestler when I was little, but now that I look back and realize how little you actually knew about wrestling, it’s amazing to me how much you coached me, knowing almost nothing about the sport». That’s funny. I try to coach my kids for the challenges of their life. Of course, you know they didn’t sign up to be on your team, so they don’t care much to listen to your advice, and you can’t kick them off, so you are limited in your coaching. But, all joking aside, I have found it to be one of the greatest and most stretching challenges and privileges of my life just to be there for them, especially in those moments…
My oldest son Elijah called me from college last semester. This is one of those moments. I think in the transition of being a freshman in college, he just wanted to hear my voice on a few things, but I could tell he was down and he was low. That happens to all of us. After we pushed past that a little bit, I said, «I’ll tell you what. Do you want to call me back at, like, 3:00 and have something to write with, and I’ll coach you up a little bit? I’ll coach you as if you paid me to do it». He said, «I would love that». So he called me at the scheduled time of the appointment. We did. We set up an actual appointment.
I said, «Okay. What I think you’re feeling right now is you are feeling like all of the resources you relied on when you lived at home… You’re still resourced, and you still have us at college, but everything is new to you. When I get in that place where, in my personal life, I feel like I have reached the end of my resources, and I get in that funk… You know, the Devil starts telling me the same things he’s telling you as a college student, but he tells me them as a grown man, that I have nothing really to offer or that my best is behind me or that I’m no longer relevant or that the things my critics have said about me are right. You know, the list goes on and on. I don’t want to bore you with it. When I get in that place, I’ve learned to make a list».
So I told him, «I’m going to take you through this today of how to make a list when you feel low». I said, «One list that I, of course, make that I’ve taught you about is gratitude, things to be grateful for. You’ve heard about that». There’s nobody who has a TikTok account who hasn’t heard the importance of a gratitude list. I said, «There’s another type of list I like to make, and it’s when I’m basically telling myself I’m in this alone and nobody is there for me. I know that’s not true, but it feels true emotionally. I’ll make a list of every person who is in my life who has in a past time or even recently said they would be willing to help me or who I think might be willing to help me even in the smallest way. If they ever helped me before or if I think they might help me or if they mentioned one time that they would help me, I will just start writing a list».
I said, «Now, the hardest part is going to be to start the list, because right now you’re feeling like, 'Well, nobody cares about me. Nobody likes me.' But that’s just recency bias. That’s just the last thing that happened to you posing as the biggest thing that happened to you. It’s not. As you begin to write, what you’re going to find is… When you start writing with no discretion, with no editing, you’ll have a hard time stopping writing the list. Don’t qualify anything. Don’t asterisk anything. Don’t 'Yeah, but they might, but then if they do that for me, I’ve got to do that for them.' Then, if you can’t do that, how about somebody you could do something for»? Y’all are quiet. Y’all liked the first part of the list better.
I said, «Sometimes it’s better to even say, 'Well, who’s somebody I could encourage? Who’s somebody I could send a text to? '» I said, «When you start the list, you’ll have to stop yourself because once you start… Trust me». So, we did it together on the phone. What I said would happen, happened, because I’m a good coach, just not at sports. So, he starts writing the list, and he’s like, «This is crazy. This is amazing. You’re right. This is crazy. And they know them, and I know…» I said, «See? See how it happens»?
«Now you have to stop, because now I’m going to tell you the next hardest part of this. I’m going to need you to act on at least one of them and reach out because you feel low. I want you to learn the pattern in your life that when you feel low on resource, reach in, and then reach out. You don’t have to reach out to everybody on the list, and you don’t have to ask them to do something, and you don’t have to stand there and stare at the bubbles. The third hardest part of this, and the hardest part of all, is after you reach out, I need you to release your need for them to respond, because they might not. If you predicate your happiness or your strength on their response, you could end up worse off after this exercise than you were before you did it, because now it will have served to have reinforced your insecurity that 'Nobody is there for me.' So I need you to reach and release. That’s what we’re going to do».
And he did that. I told him, «You might reach out to somebody and say, 'Hey, can we get together? Hey, remember when we talked about…? '» Because he was in a state that we’ve all been in before, like, «I don’t really have anything, and I don’t have that many people, and I don’t have enough». I said, «Well, the first thing you need to do is remind yourself of the resources you have and then reach, but then release, because they might get your text but it’s just a bad time. It might just be a bad time. You might create stories in your mind that 'They don’t like me. They don’t care about me. Something horrible happened that they didn’t tell me about. They’re dead.' No, they’re not dead. They’re just asleep, taking a nap. It might just be a matter of timing».
That’s what I saw in John, chapter 2, this time. In all of my sojourns through this text, joining the milieu of students of the Scripture through the millennia who have wondered about this question: «Why is Jesus at a wedding when he only has three years to change the world»? You will recall that his life was cut short at the age of 33. You will recall that for the first 30 years of his ministry there is no record of his ministry activity, meaning everything we have that was written about him, other than him getting lost at the temple one time and sitting around with the older teachers… Well, it simply isn’t there for our records.
So, the question becomes, «Jesus, do you really have time to stop by a wedding when you only have three years to change the world? And, I might add, your discipleship team is not exactly executive, world-class material. You’ve got a lot of work to do with these boys. Are you sure you want to take them to a wedding on the first week that they’re your disciples»? Did you know that? This is the first week that they’re following Jesus. Everything in the text makes me think about the timing of Jesus. «On the third day a wedding took place…» You’re like, «Oh, yeah, the third day…resurrection». Not yet. We still have a long way to go until Jesus gets up from the grave. He hasn’t died yet. He hasn’t healed blind Bartimaeus yet. He hasn’t taught the Pharisees and the Sadducees with authority and rebuked them for their stiff-necked adherence to traditions of men rather than the ways of God. None of that has happened yet, and it says, «On the third day he went to a wedding».
The third day of…what? The third day after he selected his disciples. For years, I read this and thought it was the third day of the wedding feast, because in these days they would party for a week at a wedding. So I thought it meant the third day of the wedding. That’s not what it means. «On the third day a wedding took place at Cana…» So, we realize from the very beginning of this text it’s not happening on our timeline; it’s happening on his. Not your schedule. It’s happening on his. That is one of the most difficult lessons for us to learn. Sometimes, when we believe a promise from God, we expect that promise to happen according to our plan, but it’s not happening according to my plan. It’s not happening on my say-so. It’s not happening according to my preference. It’s happening according to his purpose.
That being said, don’t you want to kind of tell Jesus to read a leadership book and learn how to say no? Read the Scripture. It says, «On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding». So, you’re running Jesus' scheduling. You’re his administrative assistant, and you’re going through all of the possible things that the Son of God, the perfect Word of God that was made flesh and dwelt among us, the one through whom and by whom and for whom all things were created that were created… He’s sitting down to plan the week, and they say, «Jesus, we’ve got this wedding in Cana, but I told them no,» and Jesus says, «No. Actually, we’re going». «But, Jesus, it’s a wedding, and we’ve got to change the world». «Yeah. No. We’re going».
What I took from that that I want to pass on to you is you might be surprised where Jesus would show up if you would invite him. We do think we have to be almost going under to cry out to him for help, and then he’ll come. We do think we have to be going through the fire of hell to call, and then he’ll come. But what if he wants to join you in your moments of celebration to make them even sweeter? I don’t mean you have to be weird and stop at the ball game. «Lord, we thank you for that base hit, for, God, you are the basis of every base hit, and on Christ the solid rock we…» No. Just shut up and, in your heart, have a moment.
What God can do in one open moment might change the rest of your life, but if you are waiting on what you perceive to be a God moment, which means, «I can call on him in the prison cell…» Why not call on him and ask him to come to the wedding feast too? He has time for this, and I think that’s amazing. I think it’s amazing that he came to the wedding. I think it’s amazing that he took the time to stop by. I think it’s amazing that we don’t even know whose wedding it was, because who was at the wedding becomes even more important than who was married at the wedding. Jesus goes from the plus one to the miracle worker in the eyes of the disciples, and that is where we pick up. He was invited to a wedding, and verse 3 says, «When the wine was gone…»
It would seem to me that if he was already at the wedding and intended to replenish the supply, it would have been better to do it when the wine was getting a little low. He did not step in when the wine got low. It would seem to me that if he was coming to the wedding and he is God in the flesh, he could have brought wine to the wedding, because he knew they would run out if he’s omniscient. Herein lies one of the great mysteries of the mercy of God. He lets the human supply completely run out before he steps in. Just because you’ve run out doesn’t mean he won’t still step in. I could preach a whole revival on that.
I’m preaching to somebody out of energy, out of answers, out of ideas, out of innovations, out of people to call, out of people to text. «I made my list. I went through my list. Nobody hit me back. I’m out of time. I’m out of opportunities. I’m out». Just because you’re out doesn’t mean he won’t step in. Now you know why we were singing earlier that he’s always on time. Even though there were some times where he didn’t show up right when we wanted him to, there were also some times when we learned some things in the lag time that we would not have learned… Oh, I have to break this down. If he had stepped in immediately… If the wine never ran out, it would have been about the wine. If the job never dried up, it would have been about the job. If the relationship would have always stayed intact and always been easy, it would have been about that person. So he let it get hard. He let it run out. He let it run dry. He let it lag a little bit so when he stepped in there would be a revelation.
Now there’s a conversation between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Jesus, the Son of God. This is humorous. You have to see the humor in it, because I really can’t tell what’s going on at first. I really can’t. She turns to Jesus (verse 3) and says, «They have no more wine». Two words in Greek: no wine. It’s a very strange thing for her to say. She’s not exactly asking him to fix it, but I think she’s implying he should. It’s one of these. It’s like, «No wine,» and he goes, «Woman…» I’m like, «What»? He said, «Woman, why do you involve me»? This is hilarious to me. «No wine». «Woman, what does that have to do with me»?
Now watch this statement, because we’re talking about time. He said, «My hour has not yet come». Okay. So, she’s not exactly asking him to fix it, but she’s implying that he could. He’s not exactly refusing to do it, but he’s implying that he might not. I can imagine all of the responses that Mary, the mother of Jesus, would have had in this moment if she had had an attitude like many of us, because watch what he said. «It’s not my time». «Not your time? Son, I was a virgin». Think about this. «Not your time? You came into my womb. Talk about not time. Then I carried you for nine months. I was going to Bethlehem for a census, and, no, you couldn’t wait for me to get back home. I was on that donkey behind Joseph, and here you came in a barn. And you want to talk about your time. Let’s talk about time».
Maybe it’s not a problem. Maybe it’s not a controversy. Maybe it’s not an argument. Maybe it’s not a debate. Maybe it’s not manipulation. Maybe it’s not reluctance. Maybe there’s a pattern here. Let’s see. He’s asked to do something. There’s a request, there’s a refusal, and then there’s a revelation. In John, chapter 7, Jesus' ministry is really thriving. Many miracles have already been performed, many blind people have already received sight, many of the deaf have been able to hear, and Jesus is popular. His brothers come to him and say, «Now, if you really want to do this thing right, you need to get to Jerusalem where the festival is, because they’ll see you at the festival,» and Jesus says something interesting. He says, «Not now».
The Bible says Jesus' brothers went and Jesus showed up with some sunglasses on a little bit later in the week. He got there when he wanted to. Yeah, it’s weird, isn’t it? They said, «You need to go to Jerusalem and show everybody who you are». He was like, «Oh, I’m going to show them…on my time». He told them, «No,» but what he was really saying was, «Not now». There’s a difference. There were two sisters in a place called Bethany in John, chapter 11. Often, they would host Jesus at their home. One of them loved to cook, and one of them loved to listen. Jesus could speak and eat and speak and eat. He was in heaven in their home. Eventually, their brother Lazarus, who many believe had a physical impairment and that is part of the reason Jesus loved him so much… We know that whatever the case of his physical condition at birth, he was sick and to the point of dying.
So, the messenger sent a text to Jesus. (I’m modernizing.) They sent a message to Jesus. Since there was no communication via text message or Internet, it took a little while for them to get to Jesus. It took a little while, and he got worse. Now, the moment the message arrived to Jesus in John, chapter 11, he could have gone to Bethany, but he did not. «He must not have loved them very much,» you say. No, the Bible says because he loved them he stayed where he was two more days. So, here comes the message now. «Heal him». It’s a request.
Here’s the response of Jesus: He stays where he is. He refuses to move where he is needed the most. Why? They’ve seen him heal. They’ve seen him take a sick person, reach down, and raise them up. They’ve seen him speak the word, and his word was so powerful his word went where his body did not and healed, but in his delay Lazarus died. He died because Jesus delayed coming. When he finally got to the place, late, Martha was upset about it, saying, «Lord, if you would have been here…» John 11:21. Check this out. «…my brother would not have died». «Why did you refuse a request, Jesus, that would have resulted in a healing? You could have done something».
Do you have anything in your life today that you secretly feel like God could have done something about and he didn’t? Many times, it can be painful to praise God for being on time when you feel like he just stood back and watched stuff happen to you that didn’t happen to others, watched stuff happen to you that you know was evil, watched stuff happen in your life that he could have stopped. She said, «Lord, if you would have been here, he wouldn’t have died».
And Jesus (verse 22) hears these words from Martha: «But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask». What’s she talking about? It can’t be resurrection. We’ve never seen a resurrection before. But she understands something about Jesus. She has heard him teach. She has watched him work. She has seen him move. She has felt his presence. She has understood that he has this propensity, when you get in his proximity, to make things possible that seemed otherwise impossible. She said, «I don’t know why you said no when we asked you to come, but I know what I know that even now…»
I need you to high-five somebody and say, «I know what I know». «I don’t know why God didn’t do it, but I know what I know. He can still do it right now. I know what I know. I don’t know where it’s going to come from, but I know what I know. God has what I need. He can supply it even still». I feel God on that. «I know what I know. I don’t know what kinds of things you’re able to do that we haven’t seen yet, and my brother is in the ground. My kid is on drugs. My life is really in tatters. I’m in recovery. I have a brother in prison. I’m in the middle of this custody battle. I have some legal problems. I have an addiction I can’t quit. I don’t know what you can do about that, but I know what I know. You’re here right now. Do it, Lord»!