Mark Batterson - Why Not You? Why Not Now?

The world has yet to see what God can do through one person wholly consecrated to Him. Why not you? Why not now? Welcome to National Community Church! What a joy to be here, in person or online, Nova DC! Here we go. One of my heroes is Stanley Tam. I had the joy of calling him on his 107th birthday. That’s a lot of candles, y’all! You’re going to have to buy a bigger cake. You could heat a small home with those candles on that cake. Stanley, by the way, have you ever had a person who is 107 years old pray for you? That’s a moment I will never forget.

Now, Stanley was the founder of the United States Plastic Corporation, and I dare say that the defining moment of his life was January 15, 1955. Because that’s the day, after several attempts at finding a lawyer who would or could do it, he made God his senior partner by transferring 100% of the shares of his company to God and became a salaried employee of the company that he started. Over his lifetime, Stanley would give more than $120 million to Kingdom causes. Now, did he know he was going to make that much money? I doubt it; he probably didn’t know he’d give that much. But when you consecrate yourself in that way, there’s nothing that God cannot do. If you stay humble and stay hungry, there’s nothing God can’t do in you or through you. The only ceiling on your intimacy with God and your impact on the world is consecration.

Friends, we live on borrowed time, with borrowed breath and borrowed money. Am I in the right room? Consecration is just a recognition; it’s a revelation that it’s all from God and it’s all for God. What is consecration? I think it’s going all in with God: time, talent, treasure, past, present, future, heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s Jesus, «Take the Wheel,» right? I won’t sing it! It’s living for the applause of nail-scarred hands. It’s seeking God first—not second, third, or seventh. In the Kingdom of God, every success story, every miracle, every breakthrough, every move of God, and every turnaround begins with consecration.

So would you meet me on the banks of the Jordan River? Joshua 3, and we’ll pick it up in verse 5. Here we go! One of my favorite, if not my favorite, verses in the Old Testament. This is the tipping point. This is the turning point. Come on! 400 years of slavery and then 40 years of walking in circles in the wilderness, and finally, you can see the promised land on the other side of the river! What a moment this is. Joshua 3:5: «Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.» And that’s our memory verse this week. Would you get it from here to here and then maybe even let it get in your gut? I’ve got some good news today.

Now, how many of us want to do something amazing for God? Hands go up, and my hand goes up, but it’s a trick question because we aren’t the ones who do amazing things for God; God is the one who does amazing things for us. Well then, what’s our job? Our job is consecration. And when we do our job, God is going to do His job! In fact, you could even say it this way: If you consecrate yourself today, amazing is on the way!

So let’s dig a little bit deeper. Romans 12 says, «In view of God’s mercy, present your bodies as a living sacrifice.» Now, the problem with living sacrifices is you can crawl off the altar. Right? And so, consecration is something that you have to do every single day. You have to keep consecrating yourself to the Lord. And that little verse in Romans 12, do you remember what it says next? «Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.» Can I suggest today that consecration is the difference between conforming and transforming? Our confidence comes from consecration. And it’s not self-confidence; it’s a holy confidence.

Courage comes from consecration. I’m just going to say it like it is: If you are not consecrated with God, you will compromise with culture. It just will happen. Why? Because then you fear people more than you fear God. And so, consecration is just saying, «God, you can have the most important part of me. I submit my will to the good, pleasing, perfect will of God—Your will, Your way, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.» I will not bow to Nebuchadnezzar. By that, I mean political correctness. I mean trending hashtags. I mean relativism, where right is wrong, and wrong is right.

This past January, I had the joy of hosting Robert Medu at our annual Revival Dream 24. Do you remember this? And one of my favorite things that Robert says is, «Mediocrity is the trophy that jealousy gives to excellence.» Let that catch up with you a little bit. You want to hear it one more time? Okay, one more time: «Jealousy is the trophy that mediocrity gives to excellence.» What I mean by that is we want other people’s success without making the sacrifices they made.

Right? So Robert preached, and then we did a pastors’ gathering, and he shared that before planting the church at Pastor Social Dallas, he did a 21-day water-only fast. Can I just ask, has anybody ever done a water-only fast that long? I mean, if that’s not consecration, I’m not sure what is. Like, that’s serious! You might want a doctor consulted for you in that process, right? Like, that’s a big deal. So I asked the obvious question: «Robert, why would you do a 21-day water-only fast before planting that church?» Here’s what he said: He said that the Spirit said to him, «Your current level of discipline will not sustain what I want to do.» Can I say that one more time to you? Your current level of discipline won’t sustain what God wants to do.

I don’t fall into that legalism trap of just saying, «Well, then I just need to try harder.» No! We have a theory of everything around here: The answer to every prayer is more of the Spirit, right? So what we need is more of the Spirit that produces more of the fruit and more of the gifts. And so, we need more of the Holy Spirit. But what I’m suggesting today is there’s something about consecration that gets us ready for what God wants to do. So here’s the question: What do you need to consecrate today so that God can do something amazing tomorrow? And I can’t tell you what it is because I don’t know what it is, but the Holy Spirit does. There are parts of us, pieces of us that He wants to have consecrated to Him.

Alright, let’s go down a couple of levels. 1 Timothy 4:4 and 5: «Everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude because it is consecrated.» It’s what? Because it is consecrated by the word of God and by prayer. So there are two catalysts for consecration: the word and prayer. The word of God, and we’re in a series called Word because, man, this book has a consecrating effect on my heart and on my mind. We don’t just read the Bible; the Bible reads us. The goal isn’t just getting into God’s word; it’s getting God’s word into us. So if you want to change your life, here’s the deal: you have to change your story. Some of us are living the wrong story. And that’s where I would remind us that this is the story of God.

And so what happens is when we get into God’s word, we begin to step on stage and into the story. How exciting is that? And then if we have the courage to give the author and perfecter of our faith full editorial control of our life, now He begins to write His story in and through us. Simply put, scripture is our script cure. It’s the way that we rewrite negative narratives. It’s the way that we begin to overwrite false narratives. The new cycles are coming fast and furious right now; you almost have to be a lawyer to keep up with all the trials. Is that okay for me to say? Like, I need some good news.

I’m going to say something you’ve heard me say a hundred times: God is writing a big story. God is writing a better story. And so if you’re stuck in a story that isn’t working, come on, let’s give the author full editorial control and see what He can do! Begin to rewrite that story, and part of it, I just need to sometimes go to the back of the book. Okay, it’s G-rated. I need to remind myself of the end goal and the end game. The day is coming when every nation, tribe, and people will be worshiping around that throne—a new heaven and a new earth. Come on! No more mourning or sorrow or pain or death. This is getting better, isn’t it? I mean, even glorified bodies! Come on, you’re going to have a six-pack in heaven, I’m pretty sure.

I don’t know where that came from! Oh man, so we’re consecrated by the word. That’s what 1 Timothy 4 says. But then we’re also consecrated by prayer. Can I just say that the House of Prayer has quadrupled my holy confidence? Because when you get in a room with hundreds of people who are testifying, praying, believing, and worshiping, whoa, the river begins to rise! There’s a rising tide of faith as we borrow faith from each other. Why is it that we’re seeing miracles, divine appointments, and healing—things that doctors can’t explain? Why are we seeing open doors that God is opening for us in places where we have no business being, but we’re about our Father’s business?

So then God opens the door and says, «Watch this! I’m going to put you there.» Why is that happening? I think it’s because of prayer. Now, I want to be careful because remember how we started the year—like, our primary prayer, if we’re being honest, is, «Lord, change my circumstances,» right? And then if that doesn’t work, «Change others!» It’s so much easier than changing me. But what I’ve learned is the primary purpose of prayer is, «It’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer!» Change me! Change my perspective in these circumstances! Change me in the way I treat other people who aren’t treating me the way I want to be treated! Change me!

And so let me have a little bit of fun with this: At the base of the brain stem, there’s a cluster of cells called the reticular activating system that’s responsible for determining what the brain notices and doesn’t notice. When Jesus said, «Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength,» I think it includes the reticular activating system. Well, how do you consecrate the reticular activating system? Okay, stick with me. I think goal setting does it. And can I just say, you know, hopefully they’re God-honoring goals, like being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

But I think when you have a goal, what happens is you begin to notice anything and everything that will help you move in the direction of that goal. A goal without a goal is just going to be sideways energy all over the place, right? And so I think goal setting has a way of consecrating the future and helping us notice things. I would say the same thing about a gratitude journal. We don’t see the world as it is; we see the world as we are. If you are looking for an excuse, you will always find one. If you are looking for something to complain about, you will always find one.

You heard about the guy that was out walking his dog who threw a stick into the lake? The dog took off, ran across the surface of the water, retrieved the stick, and brought it back. Unbelievable! So unbelievable that I’m losing my mind! He thought, «I better invite my friend to go for a walk with me.» So they took a walk, threw the same stick, and the dog just ran right across the surface of the water. The dog owner said to his friend, «You notice anything different about my dog?» His friend said, «Yeah, he can’t swim!»

If it’s funny to me, you’re going to get it! When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t, they don’t. And I don’t believe they’re coincidences; I believe that they’re providences. This prayer walk challenge—maybe put up that slide—we’ve got 760 people, at last count, prayer walking neighborhoods. Laura and I are doing it with our dog who doesn’t walk on water. But what’s interesting is when you walk with a different intention, and you’re just kind of circling your neighborhood, you just see people you would totally ignore. You say hi to them and actually smile. It’s a small step but it’s a big thing.

I think when we begin to prayer walk, it’s about our spaces and places. Pastor Joel, how did you say it a few weeks ago? Footprint theology! I love that! And so if you’re a teacher, why not pray over those desks before the students show up? If you’re a coach, why not pray over the lockers? If you’re an entrepreneur, pray over your customers. If you’re a doctor, pray over your patients. If you drive an Uber, keep your eyes on the road and pray while you’re driving.

But there’s something about prayer that consecrates and turns ordinary moments into holy moments and ordinary places into holy ground. Come on! Is this your testimony? And if it’s not, it can be! I think part of what inspires this—just pop up this map. It’s a map that we’ve shared many times, but man! I think August 16, 1996, when we prayed this 4.7-mile perimeter around Capitol Hill—I’ll be honest; it was kind of a desperation move because we had 13 people the weekend before. It was like, «Lord, let your kingdom come; your will be done in DC as it is in heaven!»

We weren’t praying for the properties that we now own on that perimeter; we were just praying for people. But I was thinking about it this week. You know what I think the Lord did? I think He consecrated Capitol Hill in some form or fashion. He consecrated a crack house that would become a coffee house. He consecrated an 1891 Navy Yard car barn that would become the Capital Turnaround. He began to consecrate those places. Why? Because prayer consecrates things.

So why don’t we keep getting into God’s word and keep praying and let God do what He does? Joshua 3:8: «Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant, when you reach the edge of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stand there.» Okay? We read right over this! This is where many of us get stuck because, okay, hindsight bias—we read the Bible with hindsight bias. We know how every story ends, and so it loses the element of surprise. Like, we know that God’s going to make a sidewalk through the Jordan River.

But if you’re a part of that group that arrives at the Jordan River, you took a wrong turn somewhere 'cause there ain’t no bridge! There’s no way to the other side unless you know the Waymaker! And so sometimes the right place feels like the wrong place. Sometimes the right time feels like the wrong time, and this is one of those moments. Let me kind of make this personal because I think we get to the river, and we think, «Well, we’re going to head on back. Let’s go this way.»

I don’t know why—why did I just do that? Laura and I had a session with our counselor this week, and she’s amazing; she’s a systems therapist. And you know what I’ve learned through systems theory? It’s a lot like physics: For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. That if you start trying to change a system, be it a family of origin or a workplace, there’s going to be a reaction to it. And so I don’t know how else to say this, but I was trying to interrupt a pattern and change a little dynamic in one of my relationships, and it backfired.

That’s where I felt like, «Well, maybe I just retreat and just kind of go back to status quo.» So we were talking about it, and our therapist said, «Mark, when you operate outside the pattern, the system will kick you in the butt and say, 'Stay the same! '» And so I thought, «I’m just going to go back to status quo.» And she encouraged me not to—maybe actually step into that river again.

See, I think what happens is we experience a little bit of disappointment; something doesn’t work the way we want it to—and so we revert to default settings, old defense mechanisms go up, old negative narratives come back, and the impostor syndrome rears its head again. But that’s when you need to press in and pray through! And so, the therapist said, «Doing something different will get you kicked in the teeth.» And she said, «Keep doing it!» «Wait, keep getting kicked in the teeth?» Well, yeah, until we get to the other side of this and figure out how to change the equation!

If you’re taking notes, jot this down: Faith is taking the first step before God reveals the second step! In August of 1996, we were nine months into this church plant, averaging about 20 to 25 people, with about $2,000 a month in income as a church. It cost $1,600 to rent that DC public school where we met, and that left $400 for our salary and all other expenses. And so along with preaching, I was leading worship; and that’s where you should laugh. The only thing worse than my voice is I was making a joyful noise to the Lord. We encourage that at NCC, okay? Just not on stage.

I was making a joyful noise to the Lord; the only thing worse than my voice was my rhythm, and we didn’t have a drummer. So our primary prayer that first year was «Lord, send us a drummer! Send us a drummer! Save people, but Lord, what we really need is a drummer for people to get saved!» And so, you know, I probably prayed that like a hundred times.

And then there was a moment where I just felt like—and Jacob, welcome back! One of our amazing drummers, and Ethan in the house today, bringing the rhythm! Praise God! Where were we? «Send us a drummer!» So I had prayed that probably a hundred times, and then I felt like the Lord said, kind of in that inaudible yet unmistakable voice, «Mark, why don’t you go out and buy a drum set?» Okay, this is how it’s going to be. I’m like, «Lord, just as soon as you send us a drummer!» Because I want God to go first because then it doesn’t require any faith!

Right? You know what we wish the Lord’s Prayer was? «Give us this week our weekly bread!» Even better! «Give us our monthly bread! Yearly bread! Lord, a lifetime supply of bread!» Why? So that we don’t have to trust you every single day! I remember, this was pre-Google. I had to go to the newspaper; I think it was like the «W ads.» Whatever. I found a drum set in Silver Spring. Anybody want to guess how much it cost? $400! Yeah! God was like, «I’m going to test you all the way! Every penny you got!»

And so I remember driving up to Silver Spring thinking to myself that this is crazy! Like, second-guessing it because I’m buying a drum set with money we don’t have for a drummer who doesn’t exist! That was a Thursday. I’ll never forget it! That Sunday, a kid walks in, clean-cut—you could tell he was military, stationed at the 8th and I Drum and Bugle Corps! God didn’t just send us a drummer; He sent us a rock star! Like, if you play an instrument for the president, you don’t have to audition for our team. You’re on our team immediately!

But the lesson here… the lesson here is, come on, some of you need to take the first step! Some of you need to step into the river! You need to buy the $400 drum set! Right? You need to set up the counseling appointment! You need to download the training plan! You need to fill out the application! You need to make the call! You need to set up the 501c3! You need to make the move! You need to maybe just give yourself a deadline! What is the one thing you need to consecrate today for God to do something amazing tomorrow?

Verse 15: Now the Jordan was at flood stage—terrible timing, right? «Well, let’s put the parking brake in! We’re going to wait until the waters recede!» Because we want perfect conditions! If you are waiting for perfect conditions, you’re going to be waiting the rest of your life! If you are waiting until you’re ready, you’re going to be waiting the rest of your life! I’m not saying you don’t do your due diligence, but I don’t think you wait for the circumstances!

If you struggle with the sin of procrastination, sometimes it’s a sin! Because if God says go, delayed obedience is disobedience. And so if you struggle with that, can I give you a prescription that I’ve given to many people? It’s Ecclesiastes 11:4, and what I recommend is that you pop that pill twice a day for 40 days. Here it is: «Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.» And then verse 6: «Sow your seed in the morning.» In other words, wake up today! What can I do today? What can I consecrate today so that amazing is on the way?

Go! Set! Ready! Now let me show you a map. Do a little bit of teaching right here because I find this fascinating. A map of the Jordan River Valley is satellite, because it gives a little bit of the topography. So the Jordan River, you can kind of see up north, flows through the Sea of Galilee, about 156 miles, and then into the Dead Sea. Now, the Dead Sea, not on the map, but right below the map is 400 feet below sea level. It’s the lowest elevation on earth. But I want you to notice Aam, right there, and then notice kind of the cliffs that form around that Rift Valley.

So here’s what it says: «Now the Jordan was at flood stage, yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge…» Ready? «The water from upstream stopped flowing! It piled up in a heap a great distance away at a place called Adam!» By the way, about 16 miles upstream. Can I suggest that the miracle always happens 16 miles upstream? That the miracle always happens 16 years upstream?

But what I find fascinating is that in 1927, there was an earthquake in Israel that caused a landslide that dammed the Jordan River for 21 hours. Things that make you go, «Hmmm.» Anybody want to guess where it happened? Adam! Am I saying this is how God did the miracle? Listen, far be it from me to tell God how to do miracles! The same God who made the laws of nature can break the laws of nature!

So I don’t know how He did it; I just thought that was interesting! However He did it, the miracle didn’t happen at Jericho; the miracle happened 16 miles upstream! We drink from wells we did not dig; we eat from fields we did not plant; we live in houses we did not build. Can I just make this corporately personal for us? What a joy to host that Easter sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial, right?

And part of what I love about it is it’s a sacred trust that was gifted to us by Amos Dodge, Capitol Church! I want to show you a picture. In 1979, I think there were 179 people. This photograph is so old because we had to take them with things called cameras! So 179 people showed up to that first Easter sunrise. I don’t think they could have predicted what would happen 16 miles downstream: that thousands and thousands of people would begin showing up from hundreds and hundreds of churches and denominations—people from all over—just to declare that the tomb is empty, that Christ is risen!

So fast forward to this year—a few more people! And what a joy then to be able to stand in that gap on that day and just proclaim it! But we are well aware of the fact the miracle happened upstream! In 1979, someone else made sacrifices for us to then take that sacred trust! I’ll show you one more because Chris Clap is a part of this church—an incredible artist! Chris painted that Easter Sunday morning and then kind of put the finishing touches on it. Do you see this little Easter egg right here? Resurrection City! Do you see that?

‘Cause we just felt like it was the title of the message! But then the Lord said, «No! It’s bigger than that! This is not just the capital city; this is Resurrection City! This is where people come to change the world! No! This is where people come to be saved, healed, and delivered! Come on! There is a hill higher than Capitol Hill—it’s a hill called Calvary! There is a court that’s higher than the Supreme Court—it’s the inner court! Right there! There is a house that’s more significant than the White House! I think it’s the House of Prayer!

In the White House and the Supreme Court and the Capitol! Thank God for Daniels, Esthers, Nehemiahs, and Deborahs! We anoint and affirm and pray, God raise up public servants to serve the common good! Especially in an election year! So, I honor… I’m just saying that what’s happening spiritually may be more important than what’s happening politically. Okay, and that was a little bit of a stream off of that river. Where were we? 16 miles upstream?

Let me kind of… don’t get too excited, but we’ll move towards landing this plane! When I was 22, I felt called to write. You know this story, but I didn’t write a book until I was 35! 13 years is a long time. And so there’s a proverb that says, „Hope deferred makes the heart sick, ” so does a dream deferred! Like, by year 10, 11, or 12, I started to despise my birthday because it was just an annual reminder of a dream deferred.

Looking back on it now, I’m grateful because if I had written a book at 22, I would have had to write a book at 2 or 3 to retract what I said at 22, right? But here was the key moment, and this is where I’m just getting in our business a little bit! Because if you don’t consecrate yourself today, well then, what are we waiting for? The key to amazing tomorrow is consecration today! And so at some point, here’s what happened: I said, „I’m going to leverage that 35th birthday as a deadline! A dream without a deadline is a wish!“

And so I’m going to leverage that 35th birthday as a deadline, and I gave myself 40 days. Was it the best book I’ve ever written? No! Did I try to get it out of circulation? Yes! But once a book is on Amazon, it’s forever; you can’t get it back! But I look back on it, and some of us, you cannot finish what you do not start! So what is the Spirit quickening? What is it that the Spirit is doing? And the longer you delay, the harder it’s going to get.

Alright, let me close with this: The world has yet to see what God can do through one person wholly consecrated to Him. You already said that? Yeah, I think it’s worth saying again! And I think it’s worth asking those questions again: Why not you? Why not now? Those words were originally spoken by a man named Henry Varley who challenged a young man named D.L. Moody with those words in 1867. Moody’s response? „By the grace of God, I aim to be that man.“ Fast forward to his funeral in 1899, right before the turn of the century, and he was eulogized this way: „Though he made no inventions and no discoveries, though he wrote no poems, painted no pictures, led no triumphant armies, this unlettered son of a poor woman in New England made an impression on the world that this dying century has seldom seen.“

The greatest ability is still availability! Here am I, send me! I was with the president of Pepperdine a few months ago, Jim Gash, and Jim said, „Most of us invert that little phrase from Isaiah: 'There they are; send them.'“ Don’t let what you can’t do keep you from doing what you can! Time, talent, treasure, heart, soul, mind, and strength! What if we just consecrated ourselves to the Lord all over again? Got up tomorrow, did it again! And on Tuesday, did it again! And Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday! Why not you? Why not now? In Jesus' name, Amen!