Steven Furtick - When God Shows Up in the Middle of Nowhere (06/19/2017)
In Genesis 35, God calls Jacob back to Bethel—the place where He first met him in the middle of nowhere during flight and fear. The preacher urges believers to return to their own "Bethel" moments of divine encounter, remembrance, revelation, and response: remembering God's faithfulness, opening eyes to His present presence ("He is now here"), and building an altar of surrender as a living sacrifice, laying down self and negotiating for total yieldedness to God's will.
Introduction – Falling in Love with God's Word Again
If you brought your Bible, turn to Genesis chapter 35. I want to share with you some things from my heart today. I hope I can show this to you the way that God gave it to me. It's very powerful.
This series has been... I love God's Word, but it's been making me fall in love with God's Word at a deeper level. Like I told somebody the other day, it's like I'm 16 again, reading the Bible through for the first time, just seeing stuff that... I guess it was always there, but I was too dumb to see it. And it's just making me come alive.
Because we're taking this character in the Bible named Jacob, and he was a rascal. And God used him. And I think we tend to put ourselves in categories as useful or unusable to God based on what we do and the things we struggle with. But hopefully you're seeing in this series that even with all the shadow selves that you carry around, the Lord still has a plan for you. And he still loves you, and he still called you by name.
Jacob's Journey – Toward the End
And this week, we're going to join Jacob toward the end part of his journey. He's almost 100 years old in Genesis 35. He's been through a lot of blessings. He's also carried a lot of burdens, and he's fought a lot of battles. He's seen it all and done it all. And God gives him an instruction to return to a place he's been to before.
So I don't really want to preach a sermon, I guess, as much today as I want to take you on a trip. A little bit of a journey with Jacob from Genesis chapter 35. I'll read verses 1 through 7.
The scripture says, Then God said to Jacob, Go up to Bethel and settle there and build an altar there to God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau. So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let's go to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.
So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. How many of you know before you can go forward, there's some stuff you need to Bury in your past. There's some stuff that you need to do away with. Some areas of your life that God wants to strip away. Things that aren't helping you. Things that aren't serving you. Things that are enslaving you.
And so they dump all their stuff. And then they, then, verse 5, They set out. And the terror of God fell on all the towns around them. Wow. So that no one pursued them. The people recognized the presence of God with this group of people.
And Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz. That is Bethel. See, it was called Luz the first time Jacob went there because this is a return visit. But while Jacob was there, he experienced something. And he renamed the place where he was based on what he saw when he opened his eyes to the presence of God in that place. And so it was called Luz the first time, but now it's called Bethel in the land of Canaan.
And there he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, which is also a Mexican restaurant in the ancient Near East. You can still visit it today. Delicious burritos. Because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
The Subject – When God Shows Up in the Middle of Nowhere
I want to speak to you for just a few moments today on this subject. When God shows up in the middle of nowhere. When God shows up in the middle of nowhere.
And I think this is really going to minister especially to somebody today who is in transition or who is in trouble. Because Jacob was in both of those predicaments both times that he went to this place that he named Bethel. He was in transition in Genesis 28 the first time he went to Bethel. He was running from his brother Esau. You saw it in the text. Running for his life. A fugitive. Headed to his uncle Laban's house where he'd never been before.
And in chapter 35, some family dysfunction that's almost too graphic to describe, but is in the Bible for us to see, has landed. And once again, leaving. Headed for a place called Bethel for a return visit.
And I want to speak to you who might be in transition or trouble in your spirit and your soul and your emotions or in a situation in your life today. about what happens when God shows up. Write this title down. When God shows up in the middle of nowhere.
Why the Refrigerator on Stage?
I should probably, while you're writing that down, I should probably tell you why I have this refrigerator on our church stage. So, you know, like when I was walking out to preach this message, how many of you keep all kinds of stuff on your, um, refrigerator? You know, like pictures of family members, in-laws, out-laws, and like that. Come on, raise your hand if you keep stuff like crappy drawings that your kids made that you told them. It's beautiful art. That you're supposed to do. Anybody? Anybody?
I just grabbed a few things off our refrigerator in the house. And, uh, it might seem a little random, but just go with me here. Um, here's like... Is this the most recent Christmas card? Yeah, this is our most recent Christmas card. Abby is reigning supreme over her brothers in this Christmas card. She's infinitely more intelligent, uh, and more charming. Um, here's an old Christmas photo. This is pretty cool. With Graham and Elijah, no Abby yet.
How many of you were at Elevation Church when my hair was some shade of this color? Anybody? Can you see that? How many? That's the hardcore elevators right there. Through many dangers, toils, and hairstyles. We have come. Amen. Will you stay with me till I'm gray? Hey, hey, man. Amen.
Um, so, it's pretty cool. Uh, here's a old, uh, retro Love Week magnet from Love Week 2012. A little bit more, uh, serious, nostalgic. Here's mom and dad. My mom and dad. My dad, of course, went to be, uh, with Jesus. He's in heaven. He went to be with Jesus last year. And, uh, it's an interesting photo because my mom, who is in this worship experience, is a horrible picture taker. You can never catch her with her eyes open. Beautiful woman, horrible picture taker. And my dad is, was always, uh, mad when we took pictures about something. And, um, usually about the bill for Christmas. And so, it's rare to find a family photo with both of them smiling with their eyes open. So, I treasure that very much. It's on our fridge.
Here's another cool picture. This was, uh, a little snapshot of our life. This is Tushabi Martin. Tushabi is a kid that we sponsor through Compassion International. We sponsored him for about 11 years. I remember when the Lord spoke to me before, Holly and I had very much resource. We, um, had to, uh, not have cable in our house. I know, huge American sacrifice. But for us, it was a big deal at the time. So, we could sponsor this child. And we started that and continued the journey. And I just, uh, actually wrote a letter to him again this week. And he still writes to me. And so, that's cool. I got to meet him when I went to Uganda with our outreach. Team from the church a few years ago. So, it was pretty cool. We get a picture of him every now and then. And it's a neat thing.
And then this is probably the most, um, sentimental picture of all. There's from Elijah's, you can see. What a good dad. You know, like, it was his pirate birthday party. Do you remember the party, Elijah? And I made a treasure map and a riddle. And just, so, so that's a few of the things that are on our fridge. Our fridge is very cluttered. And we consider that to be a sign of a successful life. Because it reminds us of all the good times, bad times, and all of the people that make it special.
The Refrigerator Lesson – Remembering vs. Only Looking Ahead
Well, I want to show you that. One time, um, I went to a guy's house. And, um, and he, he didn't have any pictures of people on his refrigerator. And I thought that was really strange. Because he has a family. He has kids and a wife. But there were no pictures of, like, his kids or wife. There was, like, no people on the fridge.
Instead, what this guy had done, he had postcards all over his refrigerator of all these different, you know, relatively exotic places. These are not the exact postcards, of course. I don't remember. But just approximating it. And just crazy, wonderful places that most people would like to visit. That people put on their bucket list and stuff.
And so I said, man, that's really cool. On your fridge, are those all the places that you've been with your family? Is this all the places you've gone? And he was like, nope, I've never been to any of those places. And so I was different. But then I said, well, okay, so these are places that people that you love and that you know have been. And they put their, sent you the postcards and you put the postcards. Nope, nobody that I know or anybody in our family has been to those places.
He said, and it kind of stopped me in my tracks. He said, these are all the places I would like to go one day. He said, see, I keep my eyes on where I'm going, not on where I've been.
Well, I kind of thought it was good at first, but then I thought, is it really? Because if you don't reflect on, appreciate, and enjoy where you've been and where you are on the way to where you're going, maybe you'll never get there. Or maybe you'll think life is all about getting there, only to find out when you get there, it doesn't feel like what there was made to look like on the commercials and in the magazines and in the movies. A place called there, and it kind of bothered me because I thought, well, you know, that's good that this guy is aspirational, like he wants to go places, but is there not anything in your life that you've already done, a place you've already been, that's worth putting on the refrigerator and being like, that was awesome?
So I'm glad you're not complacent. That's good. But I've also got to be content while not becoming complacent. Do you see what I mean? I think this is part of what drives selfishness and self-centeredness and a sense of panic in our lives is that we are so destination-driven. It's all about where we're going and what we're going to do.
I preach about this often because I think it's the spirit of our age. We often want to be anywhere except where we are, and what can happen in your life is you can actually be so destination-driven. that you actually arrive where you always wanted to be and don't even know that you made it.
I came to announce today, I love your Guns N' Roses t-shirt lady in the back. I came to announce today, I came to announce today. that you might have made it and not even know it. You might have made it and not even know it. You might be in Tahiti and not even know it. But more about that in a moment.
The 30th Birthday Conversation – Gratitude vs. Comparison
But first of all, I want to tell you about a conversation, another conversation I had with another friend of mine who turned 30. And I took him out to celebrate. He's been one of my best friends, like, since middle school. And now he's a part of our church. He was one of the original members of the core team that started Elevation Church. And I need to be careful how much detail I give, because you'll figure out who I'm talking about, some of you, if I keep going. And I would never want to embarrass Eric Phillips, like, online and in front of thousands of people.
But we're sitting there on his 30th birthday. And, you know, God's been good to him. God's been good to me. We're both sitting there with our wives in a beautiful restaurant. And I'm paying. And I've just given them an expensive gift. And we're sitting there at the restaurant. And I asked him a question. I said, are you happy? How do you feel? You're 30. Are you happy?
And he goes, oh, yeah. It kind of surprised me, because I was having a good time. And I said, what do you mean? Well, eh. He said, no, no, I'm grateful. God's done a lot of great things for me, no doubt about it. He said, but I thought I'd be a lot further along than I am right now.
I said, what do you mean? Like, what are you even talking about? You thought you'd be further along than you... We're, like, sitting here with beautiful women that we're married to, that we're going home with, separately to separate homes. We're going... We're, like, what do you mean? You thought you'd be further along than this right now.
And he said, well, I thought that I'd have a certain number in the bank account by now. And I thought I'd be a certain place, and I thought I had a certain stuff. And it got downright depressing, so I wanted to slap him across the table. I didn't slap him physically. I slapped him verbally.
And what I said to him, I said, look, boy, if they would have told us when we were in middle school, growing up, that we would be where we are now with wives that are, like, ten times better looking than us in a nice restaurant. I mean, like, look how far you've come. Are you kidding me? Like, you thought you'd be further along by now? Like, I know you've got postcards and things that you want to do, and that's great. But if anybody would have told us that we'd be here right now, wives and kids, and I know that you've had several different jobs, but you've always had a job, and I know you might not be where you want to be, but some kind of way God always provided for you, and you've never… Come on. I mean, like, really? Really?
And I reminded him how in college, he was so messed up in college before he met Christ, that one Christmas we were hanging out together at home, and he had brought home that semester a 0.8 GPA. What 0.8? No, just 0.8. I didn't hear the first number. No, no. Point was the first number. The point is not supposed to be the first number on your transcript.
And I said, but some kind of way God delivered you from drugs and alcohol and promiscuity, and not only did he bring you through college and you got your degree, but he gave you a good woman who's faithful to you. And I just was telling him across the table, man, sometimes you've got to stand in the middle of where you are, even though it's not ultimately where you believe you want to be, but sometimes you've just got to learn to praise God even when you feel like you're getting nowhere, when you feel like you're going nowhere, when you feel like nothing is happening, when you look at what others have compared to what you have, and it looks like nothing.
Have you ever had to thank God in the middle of nowhere that he brought you through? Some of y'all have been so good all your life that you don't know what I'm talking about, but some of us were lost in our sin and in our confusion and in our selfishness and in our greed and in our lust, but some kind of way God reached down and pulled us up out of the pit, out of the miry Clay, and set our feet on a rock and gave us a firm place to stand because he snatched us out of nowhere.
People say, I found God. No, you didn't. He wasn't lost. You weren't even looking for him. You were looking for something else at the club, and he came in and found you and snatched you and saved you and redeemed you. You weren't looking for God, but he snatched me from out of nowhere. And the people who really are good worshipers and good praisers and people who are really faithful in their commitment to Christ are people who remember that he snatched me out of nowhere. Out of nowhere.
Jacob's First Visit to Bethel – Genesis 28
I read this the other day. It touched me where Jacob was praying one time. in Genesis chapter 32, verse 10. And he said to the Lord, I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan. Like the first time Jacob went to Bethel, he was all alone with nothing but a stick in his hand. But then he said, now I have become two camps.
And so he goes back to Bethel. He goes back to Bethel. Because Bethel is that place for Jacob where God showed up in the middle of nowhere. I want to show you the account from Genesis 28, the first time Jacob went to Bethel. Because to understand where somebody is, you got to understand where they came from.
Well, Jacob in Genesis chapter 28 is running, as we read from his brother Esau, who wants to kill him. Because as you learned in the first two weeks of this series, because you attend church every week faithfully, Jacob is on the run because he stole the birthright and the blessing from his older brother who has guns. Okay. And so Jacob verse 28, chapter 28, verse 10. This is 21 years before Genesis 35, which I read at the beginning.
It says Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. Okay. That's an important verse because he left his home, the place he was comfortable with, and set out for a place he had never been because he was going to seek refuge with his uncle Laban, who he had never met, who he knew nothing about. And it was as he, as he set out that he saw God like he had never seen him before.
Did you know that God will show up in the transitional moments of your life? God will show up in the unsure moments of your life. God will show up in the discombobulating moments, the confusing moments, the how did I get here and where am I going moments of your life. And some of you are in transition today. A career transition, an emotional transition, something that you lost, someone that you lost, a relational transition, perhaps a financial transition. It doesn't matter. God knows how to meet you in the middle of your nowhere.
When you don't know where you're going and you can't go back where you came from, God says, I'll meet you in the middle of nowhere with only a staff in your hand on the run because of the things you've done wrong. I'll meet you in your transition. I'll meet you in your trouble. I'll bless you in between places. You don't even know why you're in Charlotte. You don't even know why you're in Raleigh. You don't even know why you're in Toronto. You don't even know why you're in the city you're But I'll meet you in the middle of nowhere.
I'm excited about it because it says in verse 11, when he reached a certain place… Look, Jacob's on this journey. He's on the run. It doesn't even say where he is. It's just a layover. This is just Minneapolis on the way to somewhere better. than Minneapolis. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. And you're about to see Jacob have one of the most profound visions of God in the whole Bible, but it happened in the middle of nowhere.
The sun had set, and he got tired, so he takes a stone, he gets a rock, and he puts it under his head, and he goes to sleep. This is horrible for your spine. And then he had a dream, so he goes to sleep in the middle of nowhere with nobody, just a staff in his hand, and he goes to sleep in a place that hasn't even been named yet. He doesn't even know where he is at this point, and he has a dream. He has a dream.
And in the dream, he sees a stairway resting on the earth, and its top was reaching to heaven. And I don't have time to even mess with this because I preached about it at the live recording, and you have to buy the DVD because you missed it. But it says that there was heavenly activity, divine activity, going up and down on the staircase.
And then verse 13, it says, There above it stood the Lord, and God is always above whatever situation you're in. And there's always an access point from earth to heaven, from heaven to earth. And the Lord was standing above it. Like, Jacob, I've got this. And he says, I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac, and I'll give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying, the place that you're just passing through now.
Now I will give you as a promise and as a sign of your inheritance, because I'm the Lord, and I'm in this place. And then he continues making Jacob some promises. He says, Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
Let me pause right here and say, the reason God brings you somewhere isn't so you can think you're somebody, but so you can bless somebody. We are blessed to be a blessing. It is not about us. It is not about our church. It is not about our thing. It is about blessed to be a blessing.
And he said, I'm with you, verse 15, and I will watch over you wherever you go, wherever you go, and I'll bring you back to this land, and I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
And then in verse 16, it says that Jacob woke up from his sleep, and he thought, dude, dude, this is trippy. Surely the Lord is in this place. This place. I wasn't planning on stopping here. I didn't have this on my itinerary. I just found a rock and went to sleep. It was the best place I could find. But surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.
Verse 17. And he was afraid. Of course he was. He's running for his life. He doesn't know where he is. He just saw angels coming up and down a staircase in his dream. And then he said, how awesome is this place? This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.
Verse 18. And early the next morning, Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head, poor pillow, and set it up as a pillar. Ooh, the pillow became a pillar. I don't know. And poured oil on top of it. Oil always represents the presence of God. In the New Testament, it represents the Spirit of God.
And he called that place Bethel, which means, check it out, the house of God and the gate of heaven. Though the city used to be called Luz, Loserville. Nowhere. And in the place where Jacob was just passing through, God made him a promise and revealed his presence.
Why? Because God will show up in the middle of nowhere when you're down to nothing and you have no one, and he'll say, I'm with you. You might not have people, but you have my presence. You might not have possessions, but you have my presence. You have my promise.
And so Jacob said, I don't know what this place used to be called, but I'm not calling it Luz. I'm calling it Bethel. Why? Because God is in this place. You know you can rename the place that you're in when you know the presence of God is with you wherever you go. You know you can rename situations that you're facing, and instead of calling it a setback, you can call it a set up to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Some of you need to take naming rights over situations in your life and say, I know what it used to be called, but I'm not calling it that anymore because I got a promise. Wow. Wow. Everybody say, wow. Jacob woke up. He said, wow, and God met him in the middle of nowhere. That's Genesis 28, but we didn't read from Genesis 28. I just wanted to give you that. so I can show you this.
Returning to Bethel – Genesis 35
When Jacob went back to Bethel, that's when the deepest encounter with God happened in his life. For the remainder of our time, I want us to go back to Bethel with Jacob today. God said, I'll bring you back to this land you're lying on. I'll be with you. I'll fight for you, and I'll bless you. 21 years later, Jacob goes back to Bethel. Let's go back to Bethel for a moment today.
The word of the Lord for your life today is this. You need to go back to Bethel. Go back to that place in the middle of nowhere where God met you and brought you out of nothing. Touch the person next to you and tell them, I'm going. Come on. I'm going. Going. Back. Back. To Bethel. Bethel.
Five percent of y'all got it. I said, I'm going. Going. Back. Back. To Bethel. Bethel. I'm going. Going. Back. Back. To Bethel. Bethel. You can cross-reference this in the book of Second Biggie. I'm going. Going. Bless your soul. I'm going. Going. Back. Back. To Bethel. Bethel. Everybody. I'm going. Going. Back. Back. Back. To Bethel. Bethel. University, I wish you would get up on your feet and say it. I'm going. Going. Back. Back. To Bethel. Bethel.
Going back. Going back to that place. Because you've got to learn how to go back to Bethel in your heart on the way to where God is taking you that you haven't arrived yet. Yeah. Yeah. You just learn how to go back. That's what Jacob did. That's what God told him to do. He said, go back to that place in the middle of nowhere where I met you. Go back to Bethel.
Three Things Bethel Represents
Three things Bethel represents, and then I'll be out of your way. Number one. Write these down. Bethel is a place of remembrance. Remembrance. It's a place of remembrance. A place where you remember how God set up shop in the desperate situations in your life and made a way through the wilderness.
I'm going back to Bethel today because I need to remember some things. You know, one of the most oft-repeated commands in Scripture is remember. We're always wanting to learn something new. But sometimes the key to where we're going and who we're becoming is not something that we need to learn, but something we need to remember that we've already seen.
And so God tells Jacob, I know you're 100 and you've been through some things, but go back to Bethel. Go back. That's part of what was so cool about our live worship recording for me. And for those of you who may be watching this on television or at a later time, listening on a podcast, as of the preaching of this message, we just recorded our latest worship album at Time Warner Cable Arena, the largest venue in our city, indoor venue in our city.
And our church came together, and we sang songs of praise, and it was amazing. And it was amazing on many levels. One, because it was just cool, and it was just great. But secondly, for me, it was a trip back to Bethel in my heart. Let me explain. If you'll indulge me for a moment, some of y'all just come to church here, and you have no idea what kind of stones we used to have as our pillow when the church started.
And I knew that to really communicate this message, I would have to share a thing or two autobiographically. See, when we're in worship as a church together, I'm always doing two things. One, I'm worshiping Jesus like I'm supposed to. But then I'm always looking around at people. And at the arena on Friday night, while we were worshiping for the first couple of songs, I was watching the stage. But then it didn't take long for me to start doing a little panoramic 360 of the arena.
And I would see people that have been with us on the journey, and it would touch me so deeply that it would produce a praise in my heart and faith in my heart. Because different people's faces would take me back to different places that I've been and how God was there with me in those places. So I'm just looking around, you know? And I know it's somewhat like an invasion of your privacy to be watched while you're worshiping, but it's a pastoral privilege, okay?
So I'm like totally looking around and watching people. I'm seeing all the people who have meant so much and people who have been there through so much. So, like, for instance, I'm looking around the auditorium, and I see, first of all, of course, on the stage, the worship leaders who are up there. And you don't know this about Mack Brock and Chris Brown and Wade Joy. We have so many worship leaders. I hate to call names, but those are the three that I asked to come and meet with me seven years ago.
And they didn't know why they were coming, because I'd met all of them at little youth events that we had been at together where they were playing music, and I was preaching all over the place, and I'd met them through the years. And I called them together, and they all had a different plan for their life. They were like, you know, one of them was going to Nashville to do music. One of them was going to L.A. to do something creative. One of them was going to try to start a church.
And I said, hey, you know what? You three guys, you can all go do that. Or you could be in the will of God and come to Charlotte and start a worship ministry that will bless our city and hopefully touch the world. And so when I was at the worship recording, you might have been thinking about the song or something like that or what somebody was wearing or something, and that's fine, or the lights or the thingy with the stuff or whatever. But what I was thinking about… I went back to Bethel in my mind, and I remember sitting in that little back room in the Italian restaurant where I called them for the meeting.
It was kind of Godfather. And I called them back there, and I was like, you know, you need to come and give your life to building a church. And I believe if you'll do that, God will make all your dreams not only come true, but he will exceed your wildest dream if you'll lay down your life and build his dream, the local church. And when I saw him up there, you know, all just singing and worshiping God and leading our church, it took me back, you know?
Sometimes you need to go back and just remember those key moments where God did the unexpected and he blessed you in the middle of nowhere. And then, of course, I turn around, and right behind me is Chunks, Corbett, our CFO, a big bald head, his burly biceps lifted high in praise, with an outstretched arm, trying to sing, trying to sing. His pitch is decent, his tone is terrible, terrible, and it took me back to Golden Corral in Shelby, North Carolina.
You don't know nothing about Golden Corral in Shelby, North Carolina with your city self, but at the Golden Corral in Shelby, North Carolina is where we used to go, and we would go after breakfast, just as breakfast was closing, because if you go right when they're closing the breakfast buffet, you can get the lunch buffet too, and you can get two… Y'all know.
And I remember when I sat across the table from Chunks, and his name is Chunks, at Golden Corral, and he actually had his name changed. His name was James, and it used to be called Luz, but now it's called Bethel. It used to be James, and now it's called Chunks. And he had his name changed, and I'd look at Chunks back there worshiping, and I would think… I remember when I said, Hey, I know you're a successful physical therapist, but why don't you move your wife, you know, your wife who was soon to be great with child, and why don't you move with me to start a church?
And he said, Okay, where would you want to start the church? And I said, I don't know. So there's nowhere that I can, like, point to, but God put this vision in my heart, and why don't you just, like, give up on this whole thing? You know, you probably are going to be a partner at the physical therapy thing you're part of in a couple of years, but don't do that. Instead, come start a church with me for free. No salary, can't pay you. Come on.
And when I saw him worshiping and I saw him singing the songs that are now going out around the world to places on the globe that we'll never even visit, I'm telling you, it just took me back. Sometimes you need to go back. I'm sorry, Brian. I love you, but you weren't here. You weren't here. You were not here.
I used to hide out in the bathroom at the community center where we met before we would meet on Sunday nights for our vision meetings. Why were you hiding? Because no new guests were coming. And I had told this precious team of seven families who all sold their houses and set out from their comfort zones that if they would believe God with me, we would see a great movement.
But when they were inviting people and people just thought they were weird to come to this new church that we started called Elevation, evolution what? And I found out there's no first-time guest. I'd go hide in the bathroom because I would think, you know, I would think, what am I going to say to these people? They've already heard all my sermons. There's nobody new to preach to.
And so when we were in worship at the arena Friday night, you know, my oldest son, Elijah, was standing behind me for the first two songs, beating on my back as if it were a drum kit. And that's why he was only there for the first two songs, because it was endearing at first. And then it became incredibly annoying. Incredibly. But for the first two songs, I'm thinking, I remember, boy, when you were just a couple months old and we were moving to Charlotte and we had no salary, and the people that said they were going to pay our salary pulled out on us at the last moment.
But me and your mom, we moved anyway to the city with these families who had no guarantees, but we believed we had a big God who is as good as his promise, and what he speaks will come to pass. And I remember moving to the city with you crying in the backseat with your colicky self, and now look what the Lord has done, and look at all these people that God has brought, and look at the impact.
Sometimes you have to go back to Bethel. And then I saw Buck. Buck is amazing. I met Buck on a mission trip to Hohat. Hohat is in China, Inner Mongolia, Autonomous Region. Hohat. Man, talk about nowhere. Talk about nowhere. I met Buck in China. We would go around and teach English at night. Is this all right if we just go back to Bethel for a moment? Because I'm trying to teach you how to do this in your own life.
Sometimes you have to look at stuff and people and places that God has brought, the things that God has done. So I looked at Buck, and I saw Buck worshipping. Now, Buck, you need to know Buck is an angry worshipper. He was a college wrestler. In fact, I have a picture of Buck worshipping at our recent staff advance. Look at that. That is a devil. I'm going to break your neck, praise.
And I saw Buck worshipping. And I thought, you know, when I was in Hohat, I never knew that the reason God wanted me to go through Hohat… I didn't get it at the time. I didn't even have fun on the mission trip, to be honest with you. I missed home. But there was a Buck that I had to meet in Hohat. Now Buck has been with me on five different continents, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I saw Buck. And it took me back to Bethel. It took me back. It took me back.
Sometimes you have to go back to go forward. Sometimes you have to go back to the place when the money was low and the bills were due and you didn't have anything. But you had God, so you had enough. You have to go back. Back. Come on. Back. Go back.
I looked over at my mom and I thought about how she had her hands lifted even though she lost her husband a year ago and she's still declaring the goodness of the Lord. And I thought about how she raised me in a Methodist church where I learned some of those old hymns that are still in my heart. So when I'm going through hell, I can sing. I can sing stuff like on Christ, the solid rock. I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness seems to hide his face, I rest on his unchanging grace in every high and stormy Gale. My anchor holds within the veil. I'll go third verse on you if you mess with me, because I know all those hymns. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. I was singing about bulwark, didn't know what a bulwark was, but I know now it's something that stands and you can't knock it down.
And I started to thank God for a foundation that he put in my life and it took me back to all the places where God has blessed me. Then I saw Jamie Williams. Jamie Williams was a youth pastor in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, and he took the time for me and he would meet with me and he would ask me questions of accountability, like, how are you doing in your thought life? Because if God's going to use you and he is, you're going to have to have the right mindset in your sexuality. So Jamie would sit with me and talk with me and listen to me. And Jamie was there at the concert. And so when I walked by Jamie to go do my little devotion on the stage, I gave him a big hug and I kissed him three times on his cheek, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. And I'm secure enough to give him a kiss in front of 13,000 people. It's cool because when I go back to Bethel, when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me and all the people that he's brought into my life and all the ways he's made, you have to go back to Bethel sometimes. Go back to Bethel, that place, that season where God made a way somehow. It's a place of remembrance.
Bethel – Place of Remembrance, Revelation, and Response
I looked and I saw Huey, Larry Hubecka. We call him Huey. We call him Huey Lewis. In my phone, it says Huey Lewis and the news. And I saw Huey Becca and I remember the first time, come here, Huey. Remember the first time him and Kelly came to the court team meeting? And this is how his wife introduced... That was brilliant. That's definitely going to be in the staff Christmas party videos. Mark that on the table. And it only gets more embarrassing for him.
Because this is what his wife said to me the first time they walked in our meeting, and it was only 30 people. It was 30 people. He's now the creative pastor of the whole church. Everything you see is his leadership. This is what his wife said to me the first time. Hi. This is my husband, not my foreign exchange student. That's all I want you up here for. Take your time, take your time, take your time. Gracefully now.
He said, I came to check out your meeting because I like your website. I didn't know at the time that he would be the one who was over the people who were designing the website today. See, you got to go back in your mind. And then I looked at my wife, and that really did me in. Because I went back to the little cabin we were in. Calling it a cabin is kind of a... It's a polite way to say where we were staying at this camp we were speaking at.
And she said to me, it's time. for us to go start this church that God put in your heart. I said, well, if we do that, then we're not going to have. all the security that we have of what we're doing right now. She said, yeah, but if we don't do it, we might miss the opportunity. And then I looked at her, and then I looked at all of you, and I just did a 360. And I thought, surely the Lord is in this place.
The same God. I wonder, can you do a 360 in your heart today? See, you don't have to be in an arena full of people to do it. In fact, it works best if you do it in those moments where you don't know where you're going. And you just take a moment and turn around. and say, look what God has done. It's a place of remembrance.
See, it's a place where he set up a stone. He set up a stone. One time Samuel set up a stone in Scripture, and he said, Thus far, the Lord has helped us. The stone is the marker, and Bethel is a place of remembrance. Go back to Bethel, my brother. Go back to Bethel, my sister. Just for a moment in your heart today, go back to Bethel. Remember how he met you in the middle of nowhere. Remember, Jacob is out in a place he has never been on the way to a place where he has never been. He is in the middle of nowhere, and God blesses him.
He wakes up, and he sees verse 16, Genesis 28. On his first visit to Bethel, he sees, Surely the Lord is in this place. I'm not sure about where I'm going. I'm not sure about where I've been, but surely the Lord is in this place. And I was not aware of it. He is here. He is here. I guess you could say he's still here. After all you've been through, he's still with you. After all the times, he should have walked away, and you would have given up on you. He's still here.
What I love about Jacob is in chapter 28, he's talking about the Lord is in this place. That's cool. That's great. But by the time he goes back to Bethel… You're going to love this. In chapter 35, it's been 21 years. He's been through some things. He's been blessed in great ways. He's married two different women. That's a long story. I'm preaching about that next week. It's going to be amazing.
See, Jacob went to his uncle's house. I can't tell you right now because this is a spoiler for next week, but you're going to have to come back next week for student takeover because I'm going to preach this message about how Jacob… He fell in love with one of his uncle's daughters. Complicated. He fell in love with one of his uncle's daughters, and her name was Rachel, and he thought she was so hot. He was like, Hey, girl, let me water your sheep. He watered his sheep. And then he went to Laban, and he's like, What would I have to do to enjoy marital union with your daughter, Rachel? And Laban's like, This is very simple. Actually, he worked for me for seven years. I give you my daughter.
But what Laban didn't tell him is he was going to give them his other daughter. And so it's funny because Leah was the other daughter. I'm going to call this sermon, when I preach it next week, I'm going to call it Sister Wives because last week I preached about starving sons, and this week I want to preach about Sister Wives, but that'll be next week. But what Laban did, because he was real tricky. He's real deceptive because Jacob was a deceiver. Remember, when he came out, he was grabbing at his brother's heel, and he was stealing birthrights for bowls of beans, and he was stealing blessings by dressing up like Esau. But even if you're a good trickster and tricking your way through life, eventually life will out trick you.
And so the trickster met The trick that could out-trick him. And so Laban said, hey, here's what I'll do. Instead of giving Rachel to Jacob, I'm going to get Jacob real drunk before his wedding and I'm going to slip Leah in. Now, the Bible says that Leah wasn't very attractive. In fact, the actual word that it uses, the Hebrew word is ratchet. And so that's in the original language. And I'll preach more about this next week, so you should come back.
But when Jacob woke up the next morning after his honeymoon, the Bible says he woke up and Leah was next to him instead of Rachel. And Jacob said, whoa, what the? And he goes to Laban. He's like, hey, man, we had a deal. And Laban's like, oh, dog, you thought I meant Rachel. No, I'm talking about Leah. But it's cool. It's cool. Work another seven years. You can have Rachel too. So Jacob ends up married to these two women.
And then after 20 years of living with Laban, he sets out. He goes out. Laban chases him down, almost kills him. But the only reason he doesn't is because God met with Laban in the middle of the night and said, hey, if you touch Jacob, you've got to go through me, because I made him a promise. And so Laban has to turn back, and he can't kill Jacob. And that same thing applies to you as God's child as well. If God made you a promise, the enemy has to go through him to get to you.
And Jacob meets back up with Esau. We don't have time for that story. They reconcile. It's a great story of grace and reconciliation, even though it wasn't perfect reconciliation. And then Jacob's sons do some really crazy stuff that we don't have time to get into, which brings us to Genesis chapter 35. Jacob is 21 years older. He's been tricked by life. He's wrestled with God. He's limping. He's limping. He's limping. The Bible says his hip is in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of doctor reports. In the middle of failed marriages. In the middle of relational corruption and dysfunction.
When God shows up in the middle of nowhere, you open your eyes. He's here. Now. He's here. Now. Surely the Lord is in this place. He was here all along. And now I see it. He's here. Now. He's now here. Where the Spirit of the Lord is. There is freedom. He is now here. He is now here. Here. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Here. Now. So see. So see. You're not alone. You're not by yourself. You're not lost. He shows up in the middle of nowhere so you can see that he is. He is now here.
I should have made this a Christmas message because in the Christmas story there were in the same country Shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night and suddenly the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid and the angel said unto them, fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord and the Shepherds in the middle of nowhere heard the announcement from heaven that God in the flesh Emmanuel the Messiah for whom you have waited he is now here he is now here he is now here he is now here
I wish I could get a church to confess it ...here, He is now. Here to meet needs, now. Here to heal hearts, now. Here, now. Here, now. Now, here. Here. Now. Here. Now. Here. Now. Here. Now. Hallelujah! This is the place. It's a place, it's a place. Go back to Bethel. It's a place of remembrance. It's a place of remembrance. It's a place of revelation. But church is also a place of... response.
Stand if you're not standing, it's a place of response. It's a place of response. The first time Jacob went to Bethel, he was running real good. By the time he came back, he was limping. The first time Jacob went to Bethel, he was making deals with God. I told you about the vision Jacob had, but I didn't tell you about the vow that he made.
See, after God appeared to Jacob the first time he went to Bethel, it says in Genesis 28 verse 20 that after Jacob had seen God, he made a vow saying, look at this, if God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I'm taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear. Look, he's making a contract with God. He's a negotiator. This is what Jacob does, making deals. This is what Jacob does, making deals. If God will, if God will, if God will, so that I return safely to my father's household, then the Lord will be my God, and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me, I will give you a tenth.
Now, I'll show you this and I'm done. When he went back to Bethel, limping, blessed but also broken, it's a little different this time. Because the second time he went to Bethel, when he went back to Bethel, it says in verse 14, Genesis 35, that Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him. And he poured out a drink offering on it. And he also poured oil on it, symbolizing the presence of God.
And Jacob called the place, watch this church, where God had talked with him. Bethel. The first time Jacob was doing all the talking, now he's been through some things. You know, we start our life, we're negotiating all the destinations and places we want to go, all the things we want to do. And sometimes we get to do them. And sometimes we don't. And sometimes what we have to go through to get to the place where we went makes the journey a whole lot different than we imagined it.
And when Jacob came back to Bethel, it's no longer the place where he's talking with God. It's the place where God talked with him. And so Jacob doesn't say a word this time. Not one word. He simply builds an altar in a place called Bethel.
Now when you and I think of altars, we think of beautiful furniture at the front of a church with a pad so that our knees aren't uncomfortable, where we can pray if we'd like. In the Old Testament, an altar was a place of sacrifice, where they would put that bull and that goat, or those pigeons or those doves, or that drink offering where they would pour out the lifeblood of the sacrifice for their sin. Or a thanks offering to acknowledge the God who had given it all to them.
And when it says Jacob built an altar, it represents a sacrifice. You know, the New Testament talks about in Romans 12, 1, how you and I, in view of God's mercy, look at this, are to offer our bodies, ourselves, as living sacrifices. It's a response. It says, this is your true and proper worship. One version says, it's your reasonable response.
It's time for you to build an altar in Bethel in your heart today. My brother, my sister, to take a good look at how far God has brought you, even with all the questions you have about what is ahead of you, to open your eyes and wake up. See, God didn't show up in Bethel when Jacob got there. He was there all along, waiting for Jacob to open his eyes and see what was there all along. He's now. here.
Will you open your eyes to him today and respond? Build an altar in your heart. Say, God, I didn't come to church today to negotiate with you for a better life. I came to give you my life as it is. You gave it to me to begin with. Now here's this life back. God, what do you want from me? I'm yours. I'm yours. Here I am, God. Here I am. I'm here in your presence. You were with me all along. And I just didn't see it. But now I do. And so here I am. Here I am. Take all of me, Lord. It's all on the altar. Here's my dreams, Lord. Here's my life. Here's my hopes. Here's my plans. Here's my will. I lay it down. A living. sacrifice.
Lift your hands in his presence. He's here. Lift your hands. It's a sign of surrender. He's here. The first time Jacob went to Bethel, he was in the posture of a negotiator. The second time was a posture of surrender. He's here.