Louie Giglio - The Power of a Promise
Anyone ready for the word of God? So, on Friday, I went to meet this guy. We were going to meet about an hour from my house; I live in the neighborhood, as you know. I’m driving outside the city, uh, north for an hour, and we were supposed to meet at four o’clock on Friday afternoon. Maybe not the best plan, but that’s the way it worked out. He said, «Hey, I gotta be out by five,» so that’s the window of time we have to meet in. We’re going to meet really quickly on a project we’re working on.
So, it gets around three o’clock, and I start wrapping things up and adjusting some things to head up to meet this guy. Lo and behold, I get on 400, and it’s just stopped. I don’t know why; you know how it is in Atlanta. I don’t need a reason, so everything’s bogged down. But finally, that opens up a little, and I’m going north on 400. Then they decided, I guess a few days ago, to move all of 400 from over here to over there; I don’t know if anybody noticed that or not. So that all bogged down again, and then it started raining right as I’m on the way. This is an outdoor project, and I’m like, «Great, I might be late; it’s raining. I’ve got an hour to go, and it’s not the right time of day.» I’m looking at the southbound traffic going, and I’ve got that to look forward to on the way back, so this is going to work out great.
But anyway, I just keep on going, no matter the traffic, no matter that the road’s not there, no matter now that it’s starting to rain really hard. I drive all the way to the place where I’m supposed to meet the guy at four o’clock, and when I pull up, what do you think happened? That dude was standing right there. It’s kind of weird, isn’t it? It was just a little bit of a setup because we’re living in uncertain times. So, the answer would be, of course, the guy didn’t show up, and I drove all the way there. But he was there, and the reason I drove there—and this is a small example, mind you—was because I had faith in this guy. I knew him; I had met him before. He always showed up; he was a person of reputable character. He was a guy who keeps his word. He’s just kind of like a salt-of-the-earth guy you can depend on. I had high confidence and faith that if I kept on driving, he was going to be there when I got there at four o’clock.
As it turns out, he actually was there a little ahead of me. I was thinking of going into this collection of talks called «By Faith.» If anybody here is driving, believing that you’ve heard from God, you know enough about God that you can trust Him. You know that God has a good character and is dependable. You’re confident in Him based on things that have happened in the past. If He has called you to step out and walk on a path, you are sure that, when you get there, He’s going to be there at the end of the journey He has called you on, and right now you are committed to living your life by faith.
We were talking about this journey, and Grant, Brad, and I will be carrying these talks together over the next few weeks. We knew we wanted to come out of Hebrews chapter 11. I don’t know, maybe some of you grew up in church. A lot of you are in a younger demographic, but any older person here who’s been around church long enough knows that Hebrews 11 is where you go if you want to hear a message on faith. We called it, growing up, the «Hall of Faith» because it’s all these people who lived by faith. We needed a hall because the world had a Hall of Fame, so we had the Hall of Faith, and that was Hebrews chapter 11.
We knew this chapter would provide some of the fuel for what God wanted to do in our house over the next few weeks together. As I began to dig in and study the text, lo and behold, the person who put the little headers in the text so we could find our way along put the header at chapter 11: «By Faith.» So, I knew we were on the right track because we’ve already decided we’re going to call this collection «By Faith.» We’re going to call people to walk by faith. I get to the chapter, which is the Hall of Faith, and right above it is a little header called «By Faith.» The first verse defines what faith is: it says this in verse 1. It says, «Now faith is being sure,» can you say «sure» with me, «of what we hope for, and certain,» can anyone say «certain» with me tonight, «of what we do not see.»
Now, if you find a «sure» and a «certain» person, they’re going to stand out in this world. If you can get around someone who’s got «sure» in their vocabulary and «certain» in their vocabulary, you’re going to know something interesting has happened to them, especially in the climate we’re living in today. When you see a verse like this, it sounds like the faith that the world thinks faith is really about. You know, it’s like those believers or those religious people, and they just live by faith. Their definition of living by faith is taking a leap in the dark. But when we come to the text tonight, we’ll understand that walking by faith isn’t taking a leap in the dark at all. Walking by faith is taking a step into the promise.
So, the question tonight is: what has God promised you, and are you willing to take a step into the promise of God? God’s not asking one person in this gathering to take a step or a leap into the dark. He’s asking you to take a step into the promise that He has spoken over your life. Now we find ourselves in Hebrews chapter 11 and are already in the middle of an unbelievable story. The story begins in the very first verse of the very first chapter, and this is not going to come up on the screen because I’m just coming up with it on the fly right now. But I want you to see a little bit of the story. This is Hebrews 1:1. It says: «In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir over all things and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins—that’s His death, burial, resurrection—He, Jesus, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty,» capital M, «in heaven.»
So this story we’re in, as we journey over to chapter 11 and talk about faith, «Now faith is to be sure of things we’ve hoped for, is to be certain of things we haven’t seen yet.» We’re not stepping into the dark; we’re in a story that started with a revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ, who made the universe and sustains all things, who saved the world by His mighty power, and now is seated with the Majesty in heaven.
So we’re in a story, and now we’re being called to live by faith. But what is faith? Faith is stepping into a promise. And what is the promise? The promise is right above, beginning in verse 35: «So do not throw away your confidence.» Remember, «sure» and «certain,» «confident.» I know if I keep tracking on the road, if I don’t take the fact that they moved the road, or the fact that it’s raining, or the fact that there’s traffic, or the fact that the journey may not be a straight line, I don’t take that as some weird sign that maybe I’m not supposed to meet this guy after all, or maybe I should just bail or turn around. No, I’m going to keep on going by faith. If I keep going by faith and have that confidence, I’m telling you tonight, God’s going to be there when you get there. He’s going to be right where He said He was going to be, and He’s going to do exactly what He said He was going to do.
He tells them, «Whatever you do, do not throw away your confidence.» What a word for this generation! What a word for right now! What a word for the people of God! «Do not throw away your confidence. Remember what God has promised you. Remember what He’s spoken over you, and take Him at His word.» Why? Because His character is good, and you can trust Him. It says if you don’t throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere. Now there’s a word we need so that when you’ve done the will of God, hello, you will receive what He has promised.
Now this is taking promises to a whole new level; this is putting things on a far bigger scale. This is us parachuting in, if you will, to an epic story and hearing God say, «Don’t give up on what I’ve called you to, and don’t give up on what I promised you.» For He says in verse 37, «In just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay; but my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back or she shrinks back, I will not be pleased with them.» But we are not those who shrink back and are destroyed; we are those who believe and are saved.
And then He says, «Now faith,» this is what it is; it’s being sure of what you’ve hoped for and being certain of what you haven’t seen, which is that the God who started it all, the God who created it all, the one who stepped into it all, redeemed it all, sustains it all, is going to fulfill it all and be the consummation of it all. That God’s on His way right now; He’s coming back, people, and He’s not going to delay. Put your confidence in Him. Whatever He’s called you to, put your confidence in Him. Whatever He’s called you to, keep faith in Him.
Then He gives us the lenses of people like you and me that we can look through. You know, we called this, like I mentioned, the Hall of Faith, but I’m telling you these are ordinary people like you and me. When we first started down the road, like as a middle schooler, they say, «Now this is the Hall of Faith,» and there’s Enoch, and there’s Noah, and there’s Abraham and Sarah, and Moses, and there’s Rahab. And then you get a little bit older, and you start learning who these people are and you’re like, «Whoa, wait a minute. There are some interesting characters in the Hall of Faith. There’s a prostitute in the Hall of Faith. Samson’s in the Hall of Faith, and he blew his life up pretty well. David’s in the Hall of Faith, and though he was a warrior, he crashed big time.»
So apparently, you don’t have to be perfect to be in the Hall of Faith. It’s not the hall of perfection; it’s the Hall of Faith. And God isn’t looking for people who can say, «I’m perfect.» He’s looking for people who say, «I believe Your word is true, and I believe You’re going to do what You said You’re going to do.» And then He gives us these examples, and we can see how this works through the lens of their lives. Take for example Abraham in verse 8: «By faith Abraham.» Now when we say «by faith,» you can just either do a little amen or you can not. Or just touch your neighbor: By faith, did you do anything? Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went.
What if that were the sermon? The end team’s going to come now; we’re going to pray. What has God said? What has God promised? What has God called you to? All right, let’s go; let’s obey and let’s go. He obeyed and went, and you’re like, «Well, that’s probably because he was smarter than all of us or had some insider information.» No! Even though he did not know where he was going. Now can I just ask a question tonight? Is there anybody in this room that doesn’t know where you’re going right now? Anyone? Could I just see a show of hands? Hold them up high as you can. Wow, okay, we’re all in. We’re all candidates to be in the Hall of Faith. You’re like, «Yeah, but I don’t know where I’m going.» Congratulations, that doesn’t disqualify you as long as you have a promise over your life, and you’re willing to take a step with God, and obey God, and go with God, even though you don’t know where you’re going.
He obeyed, and he went, even though he didn’t know where he was going by faith. Okay, okay, I’m not losing steam. I don’t feel anything up here losing steam. By faith, he made his home in the promised land, like a stranger in a foreign country. Anyone feel like you’re living in a foreign country? Amen? Anyone unpacking and saying, «You know, we’re going to be here forever?» Uh-oh. He lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise, for he was looking forward—that’s important—to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
I can’t wait to see that city. I remember flying into Dubai one night, and it seems like just because of schedule, whenever you go to Dubai, you’re coming in and going out in the middle of the night. You know, Dubai has the tallest building on planet Earth that’s built on sand, by the way. There’s another sermon in that for another time. We’re flying into Dubai, and you can start seeing the city way in the distance because it’s flat as desert, and it’s a huge city. I was so excited the first time I flew there because I had the right seat on the right side of the plane. Don’t you love when that works out that way? You’re not trying to peek out somebody else’s window shade that’s open just a little or down all the way because they’re watching a movie again while you’re flying across the entire world. Hashtag shades up!
No, I’m serious; I’m serious. It’s a thing. If you get on a plane and start watching something on Netflix, you and I are not going to get along in life. If you’re flying over the Grand Canyon while you’re in the middle of a six-part series, you and I are not on the same page. If you’re watching animation while you’re flying into Dubai, I have nothing to do with you. I can see on the horizon the city is coming; it’s getting closer and clearer. I’m telling you it’s stunning and beautiful. I’ve done that in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Sydney, and Vancouver, and I’m telling you, the cities of the world, they’re stunning; they’re amazing; they’re mind-boggling to me.
But it says that Abraham was on his way and looking forward to another city whose architect and builder… So he didn’t have to get an architect to dream it up and a contractor who could build it; we’ve got a God who can dream it up and build it up at the same time. I’m thinking, what kind of city is our God going to build? If a man or woman can build Dubai in a desert, what kind of city can God build? And Abraham was looking forward to that city.
It says in verse 11, «By faith Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was unable to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.» Now you may remember that God created, it says in verse 3 of this chapter, that we believe that God made everything out of nothing. A few verses later, if you want to please God, you’ve got to have faith that God exists and that He’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
In other words, the thing that moves the heart of God is faith—faith that He exists. It’s a big question right now: does God exist? I’m like, I don’t know; what do you think? «Well, I don’t believe God exists.» Man, I respect that faith. And this is not simple Christian talk. «I just think all this emerged out of some boil somewhere along the way, and the most intricately designed thing I’ve ever seen was staring at me in the mirror today.» Oh wow, that’s huge faith, bro; thank you for that! That just inspired me, and it helped me understand that I’ve got less faith than you.
It takes less faith to believe that a designer made this earth than it does to believe that this earth just happened to be the way it is. And we’re going to get a glimpse of that. I won’t get into it too much tonight, but James Webb’s found its place in Lagrange Point 2. If you don’t know about that, check it out; it’s going to change your life. You’re like, «I don’t know about that stuff; I don’t care about astronomy, and please don’t talk about it one more time here, because I’m really not into it.»
It’s going to change your life! You’re like, «How will the Webb telescope change my life?» Because it’s going to be able to see things that are going to cause humanity to wonder and stand in awe! Three times the size of a mirror of Hubble—Hubble, 340 miles above the Earth; this guy’s sitting a million miles out with the technology and sophistication to see certain kinds of rays of light that are going to, as scientists say, allow us to see right back to the time after the Big Bang.
Can you imagine that? Imagine getting that on your device: «Look at this, guys! We’re getting closer and closer to the Big Bang!» And I’m like, «And how did the Big Bang bang?» «Well, there was just stuff.» Okay, great; where did it come from? I don’t know. Wow, that’s a great philosophy to build your whole life on when He says God created. Man obliterated, but God had mercy, and then man just shoved it right back in His face. So God judged through the flood, but He spared a family so life could flourish again.
Then He called Abraham and said, «You’re going to be my guy. I need you to take a step of faith because I’m going to bring together a people who are going to be called the people of God, and through that people, I’m going to bring together you. I know you’re old; I know your wife can’t have kids. I get all that. But I’m promising you, you’re going to be the father of a mighty nation. Your descendants are going to outnumber the stars and the sky and the grains of sand on the beaches of the world. I’m going to do this, Abraham, and I need you to take a step of faith with me.»
Because out of these people, the people of God, is going to come a person: He’s going to be the God-man, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and He is going to redeem humanity and put everything right and make a way for everyone who has faith in Him to come into a relationship with Me. He’s going to establish His Spirit and build His church, which will be light in a darkened world, and then He’s coming back soon and very soon. Don’t you doubt my promise, and He will gather up His people and take them to the city I’m building.
This is the story of God. So Abraham lives in the Ur of Chaldeans, and says, «Okay, God says I need you to leave it all, and I need you to follow Me.» He takes the step. When we follow his journey, it looks something like this: He comes out of the Ur of Chaldeans, which is present-day Iraq, and then he goes to Iran, and he’s there for quite a good season of life, which would be in southern Turkey. Eventually, his father dies, and he does journey down and cross, as you can see right there, the Jordan River. He enters into the promised land, to Shechem, to Bethel, to Jerusalem, where, on Mount Moriah, he offers this one and only miracle son that comes into his story to God. But oh, there’s a ram in the thicket because Jehovah Jireh always provides.
I tested the heart: God came through. I see that you are a man who believes in the promise of God. What we’re missing on the map is they have a famine in the land, so Abraham ends up going down to Egypt, and the story continues. That’s why Moses comes into the story. When you look at it now, you go, «Oh, okay, that’s how it all worked out for Abram.» But all Abram knew was «Leave Ur with Me.» He had some kind of encounter with God; we don’t know what the call was like; it’s not described in great detail.
But it was a powerful enough encounter with a powerful enough God that he said, «If you’re asking me to leave it all and take a step with You, I’m taking a step with You.» Once you take the step, God will unfold the promise. See, what we want is the map. You’re like, «If you could only put my map up there and not Abraham’s map because I’m not that interested in Abraham’s map. I can probably find that and Google that myself.» But Louie, if you could put my map up there, that would be awesome.
I’m telling you, God isn’t interested in giving you a map; He’s interested in you taking a step. God gave most of us a map; He never sees us again. God didn’t create you for a map; He created you for a relationship with Him. If He told you what the next 10 miles are, He probably wouldn’t hear from you for 10 miles. But if He told you what this next step was, you take hold of His hand and say, «Okay, if you’re going to call me to take one step, I’m going to take one step.»
And then, oh great, we’re going to have to do this again because you’re going to have to show me the next step because I don’t know anything but one step. But I’ve got you in an encounter with You, and I’m willing to take that step with You. What an amazing story! United, this family that we’re called to bring a little boy into their home on short notice through the power of adoption didn’t have the 40 grand it took to pull this thing off. So they posted and said, «Hey, if you could help us through the week,» wasn’t that amazing just hearing that? And 250 people jumped into the post and said, «Not only can we help you through the week, but they gave the 40 grand that would allow them to do the thing that God had called him to do.»
But I think the story went like this: «We got the little boy. We took the step,» and then God fulfilled the promise of what He called us to do. God didn’t give him the 40 grand and say, «Oh, by the way, I’m going to drop 40 grand on you, and then you can easily just take a step of faith.» He said, «No, I need you to take a step of faith, and then know that I’m going to be the one who is going to provide the ram in the thicket once you step out in faith.» And that’s what God’s going to do in your life—the very same thing He did in the life of Abraham.
He wants to put us in a story, but you’ve got to take the step. And here’s the thing tonight: you are so far ahead of Abraham. If I can just cut it down to this, we honestly have no reason not to walk by faith. Notice what it says about Abraham in this next paragraph, coming down in verse 13. It said, «All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they’re looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were looking for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, man, what a verse! If you want to highlight something and stick it on your mirror: „Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.“
Come down to the end of the chapter: „These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us,“ hello, „so that only together with us would they be made perfect.“ They’re in the middle of a story. There are all kinds of detours; there are all kinds of reasons why the road seems like it’s been moved, or the weather’s shifted, conditions have changed, and circumstances aren’t what they expected. But they kept on going by faith. Even Samson, who’d blown his whole life up, at the very end of the day, when they were making a mockery of him in the Philistine temple, put his hands on the pillar and said, „Dear God, if one more time You’ll use me, I want to bring glory to You.“ And the last thing he did was give himself in belief that God had put a calling on his life to bring glory to God, and God did and fulfilled that promise.
What promise has He spoken over you, and are you willing to fight the fight of faith? I believe that the church, in a lot of ways, has gotten the entire faith equation backwards. We have believed that faith is the thing that activates God doing for us what we need when none of these people got everything they were believing for, but yet they’re all in the Hall of Faith. They all died still living by faith, still looking for that city, still believing in that promise. What promise? That the one who’s coming is coming quickly, and He will not delay. And you’re like, „Well, that’s a long time ago. Why didn’t he come? It didn’t seem that he came too quickly.“ We did that talk a few months ago: „Jesus is coming soon.“ Asterisk! Go check it out; the asterisk is very important and helpful.
But these people were hoping for what we have seen. They didn’t know that His name was called Emmanuel, the one born in Bethlehem, Jesus, who would save us from our sins. They didn’t know that the Magi came and bowed down and the angels sang, „Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men on whom His favor rests.“ They were just looking off in the distance, believing the prophets had told them God’s putting everything back together, and He’s sending someone who’s going to sit on the throne of thrones.
But we have seen the cross, and we have tasted resurrection power. We now know Jesus Christ and are filled with the very Spirit of Almighty God. So, are you willing to fight the fight of faith? We talked about it so many times here. I almost didn’t at this gathering today; I did in the morning, but I think I’ll talk about it probably until we arrive at the holy city.
I’m coming into Passion this year. That’s what it was about; at least, I can say that, you know, for my journey, it was about the fight of faith. If you map it from start to finish, because it’s got a short history, well, it’s got a long history, but Passion 2022 really started in May when the Benz called and said, „Hey, football season is settled; this has happened; our schedule; there’s this little window of two days. If you guys would like to do Passion, we’d like to have you.“ We were like, „You’ve got to be kidding. You don’t do stuff like this on six months' notice. You don’t jump into something like this in this kind of global climate, so no, we don’t want to do that.“
And then it was like, „Well, wait a minute; we should pray first and inquire of the Lord.“ So we did, and everything about Passion 2022 made no sense. We don’t know what the climate’s going to be; we don’t know where the pandemic’s going to be; we don’t have any money. Contrary to popular opinion and some very well-informed opinions apparently all throughout the social media universe, we just make a lot of bank at the Passion conference. But Passion conference had zero money in May—zero! We’d refunded every ticket, we’d told every event for the last year and a half. Our team was in major transition, like almost every team you’re a part of has been in the last year and a half. We really were not in fighting shape to do an event on that scale, and neither was anybody else on planet Earth.
Honestly, we didn’t have enough run-up; we didn’t have a kickstart; we didn’t have hardly any reason why. All the reasons were no way we’re going to do that. But when we prayed and sought the Lord and went with our leaders, our elders, our board, and sought God, we sensed God clearly say to us, „Go for it! The world needs it! Go for it! Go stand on your corner. If they’re giving you a two-day corner, go stand on it and go proclaim the name of Jesus and call a generation together.“ I’m telling you, He said, „I’m going to do it, and I will be there when you get there. I will be there if you’ll take the step.“
We said, „Okay, we’re in.“ Then we fought like crazy, of course we did. We worked hard because faith without works is dead, so there was a lot of effort and a lot of energy, but mostly it was a fight of faith. It was a fight of faith to believe that God said He was going to do this. God said that He would do this. God said He would do it, and we’d heard from God.
And it wasn’t hearing from God in some weird way where I was on a walk one day, tracking along with God, and a branch fell out of a tree and landed on the ground in front of me. When I looked at it from an angle, it looked like the Mercedes Benz Stadium, and I thought, „Oh, I have a word from God. We’re supposed to gather a generation together on January 2nd and 3rd.“ No, it was a solidified „We“ from the leaders of our organization to say God’s done it in the past, and He’s going to do it again. We’ve seen Him do it in the past; we’ll see Him do it again.
We did see Him do it on the very first night of a 17-city global tour in Kyiv, Ukraine, and we’re going to see Him do it again. We took a step—just a step. I don’t know what the whole map is going to look like from May to the end, but I do know that it’s going to end up with arrows that are flaming for the name of Jesus all around the earth. I do know that when we walked through the door, it looked like this. As many times as I see that, I just think God does what He says He’s going to do.
There were so many times I know for me that I was getting a little fishy in that faith—a headline, a phone call, a circumstance, a shortage somewhere—things that weren’t adding up as quickly as we had hoped. There would be a little crack, and I’d be like, „I’m going to fight so hard for this crack!“ Because I don’t believe that faith is just getting you to do what I need you to do in my story. I believe more like these men and women that faith is having someone who will stand on the corner and be a witness in the world that they believe that God comes through on His promises.
And the only thing that really, really mattered was I wanted to walk in the door and say, „God, we made it here, and we believed You.“ Because without faith, it’s impossible to please God. God’s heart isn’t moved by people who can figure out how to do something big; God’s heart is moved by people who believe that He will do what He says He will do.
And you heard me give the talk at Passion; many of you, but I watched it the other night for the very first time, which it’s all weird and kind of jumbled up, but I might not have watched 50 of my messages in my lifetime. So that’s rare! I watched the whole message, and I came to the end of it, and I said to Shelly, „If something happens to me today, and there’s one talk of mine that can be played for the rest of time on earth as my voice is witness to the Church and to the people of God, let it be that one.“
You know the story—moving here in 1995, all of our world turned upside down as my dad dies of a heart attack, not too far from here, just as we arrived in Atlanta to help my mom take care of him after seven years of disability, acute confusion, and the crazy season. But then this vision is birthed and our hearts: this promise is given to us. „I’m going to do something in this generation of students. I’m going to do something among college students that’s going to blow your mind, and you’re going to be a part of it.“ We’re like, „What is it?“ He goes, „I just need you to take a step.“
„Can you show us how it works?“ „I just need you to take a step.“ „Can you explain it all?“ „I just need you to take a step.“ Because if I try to tell you about this thing that’s going to happen in 2021 going into 2022, you’ll bail on me right now. I just need you to take a step and believe the promise that I’m going to move in a generation. I’m going to awaken a generation. I’m going to awaken a whole new wave. I’m going to do something no one else can do, and you’re unemployed; you’re in a confused state. You don’t know where you’re going, and you don’t know which end is up; you’re a good candidate for me to use and invite you into this story.»
And Passion in 1995 was born. We took that first concrete step on January 1st, 1997, that came around the idea of a generation of students that would live for the glory of God sitting in a living room in Roswell, Georgia, with four people. The road hadn’t been easy; it hadn’t been a straight line all the time. There have been a lot of times that we’ve really had to fight for faith because what we wanted to unleash in the world is not an event. And so we had to fight for faith that God could do what He said He would do.
In the confusing season of 1995 when He made this promise, we had to fight. We were going to believe God; He’s not going to give you the map. Even tonight, it would probably honor Him if you just said, «God, I don’t even want a map. I don’t need to know how I’m going to get from Tennessee to…» Then I was in Florida for a minute, and then I was out on the West Coast, and now here I am in Atlanta. «Can you show me where I’m going to go from Atlanta, and how long I’ll be there, and where I’ll go from there, and can you let me know where I’m going to end up maybe for a minute?»
And then show me how things… Just tell Him tonight, «I don’t even want a map; I just want you, and I want to take a step.» And if you’ll do that tonight, I promise you He will give you signs along the way that you are on the right track, and He will be with you along the way, like He was with me the night I gave that message at Passion.
Can I just tell the story again? So I’m watching the Peach Bowl on my TV. There comes the photo. I’m just knowing as soon as this football game ends, they’re going to clear the stadium and give it to us. A few hours after the game ends, they do. Somehow, our team takes a photo of the field right before they begin to put the cover on the field. They put the cover on the field first so we can build a stage and put the shard in the middle and do all these things. Eventually, all that stuff is put on top, and Passion begins. Then it’s my turn to serve. I walk up onto this little thing we call the shard at the middle of the field on the 50-yard line, and I already know it’s coming.
It happened to me once before, and it caught me off guard in the Georgia Dome, but it didn’t catch me off guard this night because I saw it coming a few months before. Then, I saw it coming when I took that picture of the football bowl game that was happening the night before our load-in for Passion. I’m like, «God, You are doing it again!» The odds of this are very low. But here’s a guy that you called in 1995 to take a step. Now I stand on top of the beloved logo of America—the Chick-fil-A logo—the sponsor of the Peach Bowl, and I’m going to preach my sermon on top of that beloved, wonderful logo that my father created in 1964 in our living room in Smyrna, Georgia, working a freelance job after hours with a tracing pad and a pencil in its hand, sitting on the sofa. My dad created what is the Chick-fil-A logo, and now here I am standing literally on top of it!
In this moment, I’m hearing my Heavenly Father not give me a blow-by-blow: «Here’s why your dad got sick; here’s why he got the brain virus; here’s the first surgery, the stroke, the second surgery, the hardships, the difficulties, all the seven years of suffering. Let me explain all that to you, Louie.» No, I didn’t get that. But what I did get was the applause of a Heavenly Father who is saying, «Louie, thank you for taking a step of faith with Me. I want you to go and do the thing I’ve called you to do tonight. I want you to go and share the message I’ve given you to share tonight. I want you to preach in boldness tonight knowing that I am with you.»
I’m telling you, I have never felt more confident in my life and so happy that I didn’t take a U-turn and throw away my confidence too soon. And that’s what God’s saying to you tonight! Do you understand that you know more than David, more than Moses, more than Abraham, more than Samson, more than Rahab, more than Jephthah? You know more than the prophets; you’ve seen more, tasted more, experienced more. You’re filled with more; you are aware of more. You are closer to the Heavenly City than they were!
And do you understand tonight? Do we understand? The King is on the horizon. Come on, church! Do you understand we were singing this morning this new song that Sean has brought to the church, which is bringing back the word «Maranatha,» which somehow got jettisoned from the lexicon of our faith? The last word in the Bible: «Come, Lord Jesus.» We were singing today that this earth is not our home. I know we know the words, but do we act like it? Do we think like it? Are we hopeful like it?
You’re like, «Louie, the world’s falling apart.» That only means the Heavenly City is getting closer and closer. Jesus said, «When you hear all these things…» What things? He named them in Luke. He said, «Wars and revolutions and pestilence and plague and earthquake and famine. When you hear all these things, stand up and lift your eyes because your redemption is drawing nigh!» Stand up because you know the birth pains are getting closer and closer and closer together, meaning the baby’s coming sometime soon.
So stand up and look up. Don’t look around at whatever voices are coming and get shaken up. Stand up and look up and go, «Yes, the world is falling apart. That means the Holy City, whose architect and builder is God, is near.» This is the promise—the promise wasn’t that we were going to have this amazing life. The promise was if we endured, we would arrive at the Holy City. And when we got there, we would know for sure that we made the right decision; we didn’t throw away our confidence.
Do you believe it? I mean for real, do we believe it tonight? And do we have enough confidence in God? The little Instagram post always says the windshield of the car, or the windscreen, if you’re watching from another part of the English-speaking world, is way bigger than the rear-view mirror because that’s what’s ahead and that is what is in your past. That gets a lot of likes, and I’m not knocking it, but let’s not undervalue the rear-view mirror, because yes, all our pain and hurt of the past are in it, but also all of God’s faithfulness is in it.
If you don’t see God’s faithfulness in the rearview mirror of your life, how are you going to trust Him in confidence for all the vision that is in the windshield of your future? Do you know that at the end of the day, the windshield of your future is not just about you having a more fulfilling life on earth; it’s about you being faithful and a witness to the promise of God no matter what comes, no matter what season, no matter what circumstance. I’m going to be a witness to the faithfulness of God because He’s building a city, and I’m going to it. He is building a city, and He’s coming back for me.
He’s building a city that’s more glorious than anything we could ever imagine, and we’re going to be in that city with Him. This is not what it’s all about; this is an opportunity to walk by faith. Where we’re going, people, there is no depression—where we’re going! Oh, come on! Can I get a witness from anybody here that where we’re going, there is no depression; there is no anxiety in the city of God; there is nothing to fear in the city of God.
There is no evil there; there is no darkness; there is no night; Jesus is in that city. There is no lack; there are no broken bank accounts; there are no hospitals in the city of God. The one thing they did not build in the eternal city of God was a jailhouse; they did not build a rehab center because there is no addiction where we’re going! In the city of our God, there’s no weeping there; there’s no mourning there; there’s no dying there; there’s no sickness there; there’s no cancer; there is nothing there that can come against the people of God!
It is a land of milk and honey, for real. It is a land of supernatural abundance! It is the final land of racial harmony because in that land, there’s going to be unity and diversity, every nation, every language, every people, every tribe—together with one voice in the human race acknowledging one Savior, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we sing the song of the redeemed, we will be people who are there because a man who was old and a woman who was barren believed the promise of God and stepped out in faith. Because they did, we will dance on streets of gold, and we will sing hallelujah to the King of Kings! This is the promise of God over your life, and it will not be broken, and it will never fail. Take a step; take a step tonight in faith. This promise will never, ever fail. If you believe it, say amen! If you believe it, say yes tonight! I don’t need a map; I’ve got Jesus! I’ve got Jesus!