Steven Furtick - God, What Comes Next?
This is an excerpt from: Found Fishing
God has had you in a season where you haven't known what's next. God has had you in a season where perhaps you even thought it was over. Maybe even other people said it was over. Maybe you think there's no way forward after what you did, and here comes Peter to tell you, "No, no. If you will go back to the place where you saw him do a miracle…"
If you will go back to a place of childlike faith… If you will go back to the word you know to do… You know enough. You just have to get back to Galilee and go fishing. You just have to praise him. You just have to rejoice in him. You just have to thank him. You just have to wait for him. He's looking for you. He's not waiting for Christ to come find him on the couch. He said, "I'm going fishing. I'm going to do some stuff". You know, you can psych yourself out sometimes and be like, "I don't know what to do". You do. If you don't know what to do about that, you know what to do that will help you know what to do about that. I'll give you an example, a great example, if I say so myself. I think getting in a place of gratitude is one of the most important skills you develop as a grown-up person in life or as a growing Christian.
How many of you know I'm right about that? Don't make me work too hard. You might not even believe in the crucifixion and the resurrection, but just speaking from a human, practical wisdom standpoint, the best way for me to make a decision about what I don't have or what I don't know is to be thankful for what I do have and what I do know. All right. So, how come we know that, but we don't do that? Why do we get up in the morning sometimes…? I'm just asking the question because it is Easter Sunday morning, and Jesus did appear in the morning. Why is my morning routine sometimes looking at stuff that's going to stress me out? Why do you get on Facebook first thing in the morning and fish for something to be offended about? If you know that going on your phone first thing in the morning, scrolling past the app that says "Holy Bible" and scrolling to that hellhole called Facebook or Twitter or… I can't even say, "Instagram". The spirit of Saul comes on me. I feel spears flying at my head.
I'm saying that you will find what you fish for in this life. I'm saying if you're looking for a reason to be down today, you can find six, and the Devil will line them up and put them on a buffet. But if you're looking for a reason to praise him, if you're looking for a reason to give him glory, do this. "And let everything that has breath…" Let everything that's still standing, and let everything that's not tied down, and let everything that has been forgiven, and let everything that has breath… Come on, we're fishing! Let's pour out praise. Let the Devil know it's the third day! He got up! God is looking for a praiser. God is looking for a worshiper. God is looking for a grateful daughter, a grateful son, a grateful fisherman. I can do it anytime I want. I learned the secret of being content.
If I'll go down inside of me where God is… You say, "No, God is up there". You missed the whole point of Easter. He got up so he could send the Spirit back down. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world! So all I have to do is fish for it. High-five Bartholomew next to you and say, "We're going fishing". Come on, you're going with me. You're not staying down in that pit. I see you crying, but you're not alone. This is church. This is the body of Christ. God sent a word into this house to raise you up! Come on, you be Paul, I'll be Silas, and let's give him a praise! Confuse the Enemy. Give him a praise! I'm going fishing. This is great, because when you talk to your friends who don't like church or think Elevation is a weird cult church, or whatever like that, you don't have to tell them you came to Elevation today for Easter. Just say, "I went fishing on Easter". "What did you do Easter Sunday"?
You don't even have to brag to them and say, "I heard a hermeneutical masterpiece of a sermon out of John 21, which transposed the resurrection of Jesus Christ over the restoration of Simon Peter, his beloved disciple". Just tell them, "I went fishing". When they ask, "Well, did you get anything"? ask them, "How long do you have? Because what I got I can't contain in a cute little two-minute list". I got goodness. I got mercy. I got healing. I got joy. I got the oil of gladness. I got blessings, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over! My nets are heavy. My heart is full. My life is saved. I've been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! That's what Easter is. I feel like fishing now. God, thank you for waking me up this morning. God, thank you for giving me another chance. Thank you that everybody doesn't know all the dirt they could know on me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for clothes on my body. Thank you for food on my table. Thank you for those snacks in my pantry. Thank you for it, Lord.
Somebody say, "Thank you, Lord". Thank you for songs to sing. Thank you for a melody at midnight. Thank you for my wife in her hot pink Easter suit, looking good, giving the word of the Lord. She's holy and hot. She's burning up hot. I'll catch you like a fire. Woo! I've got something on the line, y'all. Help me pull it in! Thank you for my big print Bible. Thank you for a size 50 font word from almighty God! That's why he went fishing. That's why he showed up. Jesus had an appointment with Peter. Peter wasn't the only one fishing that Sunday. Do you know how I know? Because what Peter did when he realized it was Jesus… Nobody does this stuff if they're in their right mind. Nobody does this stuff if they're in control of themselves. That's why some of you all are like, "I didn't plan on standing up during church today. This is not normally how I worship God".
When that Holy Ghost gets a hook in you… You can try to look mad, but I see joy coming up. You can try to look hateful, but I see hope coming up. You can't fight it. Can I show you verse 7? Watch what Peter did. Peter went fishing. We know that. But watch what else happened. Verse 7: "The disciple whom Jesus loved…" Humble brag. "…said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he wrapped his outer garment around him and jumped into the water".
Question, Easter Sunday church Elevation 2023. Question, eFam around the world. Question: Did Peter really jump in or did something pull him? Question: Was Peter the only one fishing? So, who else was fishing? When he looked on the shore, he saw somebody. He should have known who it was the moment he heard his voice. He knew that voice. That's the voice that said, "Lazarus"! and a dead man got up. He should have known that when this voice speaks, you can't stay where you are.
All of a sudden, something happened to Simon. He no longer was fishing for what he did wrong. He no longer was fishing for what might go wrong next. He no longer was fishing in the sea of forgetfulness where God had cast all of his sins. All of a sudden, when he heard it was Jesus, something started pulling on him. I think Jesus is the real fisherman in John, chapter 21. I think while Simon was doing this with his nets, Jesus was doing this. Because he knows how to reel me in. "Oh, Pastor, there's no reel in the passage". You're wrong. You're just spelling it wrong. You're spelling it with two Es. I'm saying R-E-A-L. God is bringing the real me in, the new me, the one that not only knows he got up… I feel the Spirit of God pulling on someone right now, saying you thought you were going to church, but you're really not even the one fishing.
It's God who drew you here. It's God who wants to give you a reset, not just so you fish on the right side of the boat but so you live on the right side of the empty tomb, so that you live forgiven, so that you live free, so that you live knowing there's a God who knows all that is in you, and he's greater than all of it. I see Jesus still on the shore today. It has been 2,000 years since he pulled Peter in, but maybe today is the day he's pulling you into his kingdom too, because he has an assignment for you. He wants to change you and remake you, and this is your moment. This is your moment. He's reeling you in.