Steven Furtick - The God Of Also
When we were out on Elevation Nights this week, every night I wanted to preach off that song "Same God" and really share something from that. The Lord kind of spoke to me on the last night and said, "Do it when you get home". I'm home, so we're going to do it today. I think it's really going to be special for you. I believe that. On your way down to your seat, just high-five or hug five people and tell them, "I'm glad you're here today". Thank you, team. Y'all sound fresh. You never get tired. "Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength and mount up on wings like eagles". Thank you so much.
I'm going to share from two Scriptures today. The first one is from the New Testament. These just happen to be two of my favorite Scriptures. Romans, chapter 8. I really love this passage. Romans 8:28-32 and then Exodus 3:13-15. These two Scriptures go together really well. You'll see that. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things"?
As if that weren't enough, God gave us another Scripture to consider from Exodus 3:13-15. "Moses said to God, 'Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is his name"? Then what shall I tell them?' God said to Moses, 'I Am Who I Am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I Am has sent me to you".' God also said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob…"'" "I'm calling on the God of Jacob…" This is where we get it from. It's in the Bible. "'…has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation".
Since today we sang to the God of Jacob, the God of Moses, the God of David, and the God of Mary, I kind of want to take it one step farther today, and I want to talk to you about the God of also. "I've never heard of that guy. Is he in Exodus 4"? No. No, I want to talk about the God of also, the God who also said to Moses… Look at this in verse 15. "God also said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you".'"
Now, God and Moses are having a conversation, and it's going back and forth. Moses is stuck on his own limitations, and God is trying to speak to Moses about his power and his purpose. This back and forth happens all throughout the third chapter of Exodus. I didn't give you all of it today just for time's sake, but you can read it on your own time. You'll find Moses really… This is something. I can't believe I never saw this before. Moses didn't call on God; God called on Moses. So, in the song we were singing, if you weren't watching the worship set earlier, we said, "I'm calling on the God of Moses," but even that is powerful if you get inside this thought with me for just a moment today. Before Moses ever called on God, God called on Moses. I believe God has called us all. I don't believe God just selects a special few to work for him and serve him. I believe God calls us all in particular ways at certain times in accordance with his purpose.
That's kind of why I read you Romans 8. I wanted you to get a picture that you don't have to lead a whole nation out of captivity to be called by God. You certainly don't have to be some preacher or some kind of amazing billionaire mogul or a singer to be called by God. You can be called by God and nobody else really know the calling he has put inside of you. He knows. The biggest comfort in my life is that God knew it all when he called me. I'm grateful for that. Even as I send my oldest son off to college in a few weeks, I try to tell him, "You know, God knows it all. So, this next step you're going to take in your life, as you turn 18 on Tuesday… It's going to involve things you never saw coming, but God saw it all when he called you. Not just called you to do something but when he called you into the earth". He foreknew.
Go back to Romans 8 for a minute. Can we study this? It's so good. Everybody always reads Romans 8:28. "All things work together for the good". The other stuff, what comes after, is really good too. I want to show you this too. It says, "All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose". Now go to verse 29. "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…" Ah! So, God's calling is really about character. God's calling is less about what college you go to and more about who you're going to be when you get there. Tell somebody, "God is calling you…to be nicer".
I know a lot of people are like, "I don't know what God is calling me to do. That's fine if you know what God is calling you to do. I don't know what God is calling…" He's calling you to be kind. He's calling you to apologize when you're wrong. He's calling you to be generous. He's calling you to be more submitted and surrendered to the moment he has placed you in and not so anxious about the future you can't control. He's calling you. Somebody shout, "I'm called". I'm called to be like Christ. This whole sequence the apostle Paul gives us, which is demonstrated in the life of Moses… It tells me (verse 29) that God knew you when he called you, and he called all of you. God knew you when he called you, and he called all of you away with a half-hearted commitment to a God who called all of me and gave all of himself so I could be saved and redeemed and conformed to the image of his Son.
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters". That's talking about Jesus. It says, "Those he predestined, he also called…" It's about to get good. I'm telling you, man. Your neighbor had better watch out because you might start praising God when I show you this. Somebody watching this in your apartment, they're about to call the cops when they hear what's happening. They're going to think it's a crime scene. Oh, but it's an amazing chain of events. It says, "Those he predestined, he also called…" Here's where I want to spend a moment with you. "…those he called, he also justified…"
Here's what happens. God called you to do something. God called you to be something. God called you to move into a certain new position he put you in. God called you to raise a family. God called you to glorify him in a difficult situation. No matter what the situation we would name, God gives a revelation in every situation of who he is. And it is changeless, but it is ever-expanding in our consciousness, because we will never know all there is to know of God. So, the first thing we have to understand when we come to God is we must not box him in with our broken understanding of who he is or our limited language. That's why when Moses said, "Who do I tell them has called me"? he said, "I Am". "Well, that leaves a lot of room".
Right, because you are going to need God to be a lot of different things in your life at a lot of different times. Sometimes you might find yourself in a wilderness, and you might need water for your soul. He will be what he will be: living water. Sometimes you might need guidance from God, and it might be dark, so you need a pillar of fire to guide you. God will light up the sky to show you your next step. No, he won't show you the next 10 years, because then you would think you didn't need him and you would dismiss him from his role in your life. You would start living by reason rather than revelation. So, he'll show you by fire at night enough to take your next step, and that's really all you ever need. As a matter of fact, if it gets too hot in the day, he'll take the fire down and put the cloud out on the day shift, and he'll guide you by a cloud cover in the daytime so that the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon at night. He will preserve your soul forevermore. He is God, and he'll go with you in every season of your life.
That's why he said, "I Am". God does not have many identities. He only has one identity, but he has infinite expressions. So, you will never exhaust God by your own human knowledge. That not only includes the nature of God but it includes the nature of you. What I love about God's conversation with Moses… By the way, it is so good to be preaching here today. I love preaching God's Word to you. I mean that. I love it. I love being able to talk through things with you that seem simple on the surface, but really, if you dig down deep, they're very complex. When Moses is called by God, he doesn't immediately agree with what God says about him. It takes time for that to happen. One of the things I'm realizing about each and every human being I speak to is that your potential is a mystery. Not to God, but to you and to all of us who are watching you, your potential is a mystery. It is a mystery that will be revealed with maturity.
So, the more you decide to grow into and go forward in what God speaks to you, the more we will see what was there all along. This is why it's very important that you never limit God by speaking about your potential from the point of view of your past. Moses was a great man of God. He went on to be one of the greatest leaders the nation ever knew, but he was also a murderer. Moses had a great passion to lead God's people, but he also had a past. That's why I thought he was a good example for us to talk about the God of also. Moses was born as a Hebrew, but he was also raised as an Egyptian. He was called to lead people forward, but he was living in Midian in the mistakes of his past.
Have you ever been called to something but caught in something at the same time? Like, I know God is calling me forward. I know God is speaking to me about my future, but I'm also caught in something. I believe all of that, that all things work together for the good. I believe all of that, that God has a purpose for me. I believe all of that, that God is great and he can be anything. I'm called to this, but I'm caught in that. The beautiful thing about it is God knows exactly what he called you to, and he knows exactly what you're caught in. God knew what you would be caught in when he called you to what he called you to. All of the people who have some funky stuff in your life right now, make some noise and praise God. He knew what I'd be caught up in. He called you up even as he saw you caught up in the things you're walking through in your life right now.
So, the truth of it is you're here today, and you're praising God because "I am forgiven". You are forgiven, but it is also true that you may be frustrated. Although you are forgiven of certain things, you are not free of those things yet. So, I'm forgiven, but I'm also frustrated, because although I'm forgiven completely by Christ and I know that's done and he knows I'm his and he knows what he has called me to… He knows what he has called me to, but I don't, so I'm frustrated because I'm forgiven, but I'm not completely free yet. So, God says, "Moses, I'm sending you to do a big work, and I'm sending you in my name. I'm sending you because I've called you, and I chose you". Moses says, "Suppose I go and they ask, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them"? God says, "I want you to tell them 'I Am.'"
Then in verse 15 comes the thing that touched me the most, where, as Moses is going back and forth with God about what he's not… I mean, he gives God a whole list of his limitations. "I'm not a good speaker and you want me to talk. I'm a murderer and you want me to go back. I'm a fugitive and you want me to go back to the place where I'm wanted". He gives him a whole list of what he can't do, like we all do. I wish I could read your list out loud right now just to see how you'd feel about it if we read your list. List of limitations and list of labels. Moses says it all. What got me was the beginning of verse 15 where it said, "God also said to Moses…" "Who do I tell them sent me, God"? and God also said to Moses…
That in itself is powerful because he gives his name. "The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Israel". Read them again. Get it right this time. It's on the screen. "The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel". Why do y'all keep saying, "Jacob"? Jacob was his old name. In the Old Testament, there was a man named Jacob, and his name meant deceiver because he was tricky. They named him after his behavior. He was tricky. But God changed his name, and he called him Israel. That's what the whole nation Moses is being called… This is hundreds of years later now. Moses is being called as a continuation of what God started hundreds of years earlier, and God says, "Go back and tell them and remind them this is a continuation. This is a generational thing".
God didn't just get started when you got born. Your calling is a continuation of something much greater. I need you to believe that. It's not just about you. So, he said… I love it. Let's try it one more time. "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and…" No! He said, "Jacob". That's the revelation. You would expect for God, when he was identifying himself, to identify with Israel, which doesn't mean deceiver; it means prince. If God who is all-powerful is identifying himself with someone, he should identify himself with Israel, the prince, but he didn't. Why would God who is mighty; why would God who is high and lifted up; why would God who is all-encompassing… Why is God who is perfect, why is God who is holy stooping down to call himself "The God of Jacob"?
Maybe he wants you to know he doesn't just want to be your God when you're living like a prince. Maybe he wants you to know that he is also… Somebody shout, "Also"! He is God when I've got it together, but he is also God when I don't. He is God when I feel his presence, but he is also God when I don't feel a goose bump at all. So, I will praise him when I feel his presence, but I will also praise him when I don't feel his presence. I'll do it when I feel it, but I will also do it when I don't, because he's no less worthy. He's no less holy. He's no less capable. He's no less God. He's all God. He's water. He's fire. He's cloud by day and fire by night. High-five as many people as you can reach and say, "He's all that". The Great I Am is all that. He's all that. Those he foreknew he also predestined.
Can I tell you a secret? You really didn't choose to come to church today; you were predestined to be here. Can I tell you a secret? Your YouTube algorithm did not recommend this video; the Holy Spirit of God served it in your feed because you needed it. Because where you're going, God is calling you out of something you're caught in. I don't care what it is you've been caught in. You're still called. You're still chosen. You're still anointed. You're still blessed. You're still favored. Nothing in the world can stop it! I'm talking about the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of also. He said, "Come here, Moses. I'm your God too". Say your name out loud. We'll put it in the song. "I'm calling on the God of…" I'll make some right now. Give me a name. I'm going to need just one. It sounds like the Tower of Babel in here. Hugo? We've got to do Hugo. "I'm calling on the God of Hugo; he'll be with you wherever you go".
I'm doing my best. See? I'm not just a preacher; I'm also a songwriter. I'll tell you something funny about God. Listen. God is so creative. God is so kind. God is so wise. Which one is he? He's creative. He's also kind. He's also wise. All of those things work together. Remember my first Scripture? "…for the good of those who love him". I remember sitting in the airport in Charlotte, flying out to Nashville 18 or 19 years ago. At the time, I wanted to write songs, and then God called us to start the church way earlier than I thought we were going to start it. I thought I would start this church when I was about 45. So, that would be two years from now we'd be having our launch service. Oh, by the way, just like it says God foreknew, you don't foreknow. You don't even know how long it's going to take you to get to work. You drive in the same traffic every day, and you're still late. Okay? So, that's how much we don't know.
I remember sitting in the airport, flying out to Nashville for a songwriting appointment, and I was going to give God my songwriting dreams and lay them on the altar, like Abraham laid Isaac. I remember praying this really dramatic prayer about it too. I'm like, "Lord, you know the dreams I have, but you know the plans you have for me in accordance with Jeremiah 29:11, plans to prosper me, not to harm me, and give me a hope and a future. So, I just lay my Isaac on the altar, like Abraham laid Isaac". It was so deep. Right? Sometimes we want to use these epic stories. Abraham was about to kill his kid, and all I was doing was saying, "All right. I'm going to put the songwriting thing aside and be a pastor and start a church, because I believe this is what God is calling me to do".
I did think he was calling me. So, I remember telling God, flying out from Charlotte to Nashville, "All right. I'm giving it to you, God. I guess I'll just give you this dream of writing worship songs". When we were standing in Nashville for Elevation Nights Friday, singing songs that came out of our church, this church, I literally laughed at how I thought I was giving something to God. You've got to get the picture. I can't tell if you're getting what I'm trying to say. I thought I was giving God something. "Okay. I won't be a songwriter. I'll just be a pastor. Here's Isaac". God was like, "Cool. Go preach my Word. Go reach the city I've called you to reach for Jesus, and when you do that, I will…" Here's your word for the week: watch for the also. Sometimes the also God will give you, what he'll throw in for free, will be bigger than the thing you came seeking. I love Matthew 6:33. I love it in my bones. I love how it says, "Seek first the kingdom, and all these things will be given to you".
God is rich, so he could just give you stuff thrown in if you seek him, but if you seek stuff, you miss him and are left with nothing. So, we call on God. We don't call on things; we call on God. He's our source. We depend on God. We trust in God, and he also… You can't get so worried about the way you thought things were supposed to happen, because all things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose. It's about the purpose of God, not just your preferences in any given moment. It's about the purpose of God, not just your plan according to your limited knowledge. God said someone needed to hear this message today because you are so caught up in what you thought your life would be at this moment, like Moses, that you need to meet the God of also this morning. He knows what you're not. The thing about God who knows what you're not… Because you can't put in what God left out.
Do you know how many times I've told God stuff I needed to do the assignment he gave me, and he didn't add any additional equipment to it, like he'd just love me to strengthen what I do have? Well, God knows all of that, but not only does he know what you're not; he knows what you are also that you haven't discovered yet. Now, this is kind of deep. Can I give you a seminar point? All right. All self-development is really self-discovery. "I don't believe in self-development. I believe in the Holy Spirit's development in my life". Well, the Holy Spirit wants you to work on yourself. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control. That's in Galatians. I love the way we justify stuff. You know what I mean? So, we want to find out not only "What have I known myself to be at this stage in my life?" but "What am I also that God knows that I don't"?
Remember it says, "Those he foreknew he also predestined, those he predestined he also called, and those he called he also justified". Y'all need to see it again on the screen. I can tell. I am not going to skim over this. It's too life changing. It's too rich. Sometimes I just skim over stuff, and it doesn't get down deep, but I'm not going to do it today, because the Holy Spirit wants you to hear this. Verse 30: "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called; he also justified…" So, here's what it is. He predestined you according to his purpose for you. He created you before he called you. It stands to reason that he would have created you to be exactly what he needed you to be for what he would call you to do. So, all of the arguments you give yourself about how you're not what you need to be are wrong, because you are called by a God who created you. He would not have created you to be less than or different than what he would call you to be in another season of your life.
Come up, Abbey. I'm calling Abbey to the stage right now. I am calling Abbey, my daughter, to the stage for a purpose. I wanted to call her to the stage because I wanted to use her for a purpose. She is wearing a shirt that, if you zoom in on the camera, says, "I'm calling on the God of Jacob, Moses, Mary (your verse), and David". All of that is on her shirt. What a coincidence. Nope. That must be God. She was at the right place on the front row. Look at how great that worked out. It's almost like I told her to wear it. It's almost like I had a purpose for preaching. So, when I told her, "I need you to wear that purple shirt that says, 'I'm calling on the God of Jacob and Moses and Mary and David,'" it's almost like I predestined her for this purpose for this moment. Of all of the people in this room, there are only three I had a part in creating, a small part, the fun part.
So, let's follow the sequence. Created…called. Predestined…purpose. So, what is God calling you into right now? Wouldn't it make sense for you to stop being so doubtful and stop second-guessing his sovereignty and stop telling him excuses and just come on up and do and be what you were created to be, believing that "If he called me, then he created me and positioned me for the purpose he predestined me for"? All I'm trying to say is the God who called you also created you. So, if you don't have it, take it up with him. He must not want it from you. That's why he created other people. That's why comparison is a thief and a liar and a drug we take to talk ourselves down from our high calling. I didn't call Graham for this illustration. I didn't call Elijah for this illustration. They are bigger in stature, but she was better for this purpose because I put her in what she needed for this moment.
Now I'm going to preach and prophesy to somebody. God knew what he would need you to do before you ever got to this people planet. "Why are you screaming, Preacher"? Because God gave me breath for this message for somebody to know that there's breath in your lungs for this assignment. The God of Jacob, that deceiver. The God of Moses, that murderer. The God of Mary. A virgin to have the baby Jesus? A peasant to give birth to the preeminent Word of God? The God of David, the eighth son? Ooh, God just gave me this. Listen to this. When the prophet came to anoint the next king, Jesse lined up seven sons who he thought were the right choice. Samuel said, "None of these are the right ones. Don't you have any more"? Jesse said, "Well, there is also…" So, yeah, he's the God of Jacob; yeah, he's the God of Moses; yeah, he's the God of Mary; yeah, he's the God of David, but he's also the God of Abbey. High-five somebody and say, "He's my God too. He's my King too. He's my Savior too. He's my Shepherd too".
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He's the God of the mountain, but he's also the God of the valley. So, I don't care where you find yourself lately. He is also! What if everything you've gone through…? What if everything God has allowed your life to be up until this point is preparation for what you are predestined for? What if your name belongs on that shirt too? What if we put your name on that shirt too, believing what Romans 8:28 says, that all things…good things, bad things, everything in between… "All things work together. All things work together. Good things, bad things, everything in between…" All right. We'll work on it later. We're going to try it out. What if the things in your life that are happening are not random? Do you ever wonder? So, when they say, "You're sending your kid to college? Isn't college a waste of money"? I'm like, "Nah, not really".
You can go to college and God can use you. You can also not go to college and God can use you. He's the God of also. Open doors, closed doors, PhDs, and post hole diggers. (PHD…post hole digger.) I'm going to ask you something, and I'm really wanting to know what you think about it, because I've been thinking about it a lot. Let's say you made a mistake and went down a wrong path. Can God not be down the wrong path also? If the answer to that is "No," then what was he doing looking for Peter after his resurrection when Peter went back fishing after denying him? He was right there. He appeared to the disciples who waited for him, but he also appeared to Thomas who didn't believe. I think we shouldn't box God in to think he's only as big as our good decisions. Who did that just set free?
When I went to college, I was paralyzed by the idea "What if I'm at the wrong college? What if I'm at the wrong college? What if I'm at the wrong college"? Well, I did my four years. I got my degree. Let me tell you what else I got in college. Have you ever heard of Holly? I got her in college. Which one do you think I enjoy more…the degree, the thing I came to achieve and accomplish, or what I got also? That's why I'm saying, "Watch for God in the also". You know when your kids come, and they're being really nice to you? "How was your day? Can I do anything for you, Dad? I'm praying for you as you approach this sermon. I just know the Lord is going to move in power, like he does. That's what he does. He's a way maker God".
I'm just like, "Get to it. I'm not saying you didn't come to tell me these things, but what did you also come into this room to ask me about"? "Yeah, I just wanted to know… Can I have your old phone"? "Ah! That's it. That's what you came in here for". He came in so excited about the wrestling yesterday. I said, "Tell me about it". "Oh, it was great. It was great". I said, "And what else"? He said, "Well, I was just wondering, that old phone that you…" Yeah, it's the also. God is kind of like that too. You have to watch him for the also. "For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose".
But Romans 8:29 also says, "Those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…" What if the things you're going through are all so that you can be more like Jesus? We don't say it's good when you go through suffering, but what if you adopted a view of your life that said, "This is all so God can make me more like his Son, Jesus"? You would be undefeatable by the Devil. Because what is he going to bring against you if it's all so that you can be more like God who is for you? What can he do now? That's what I think Paul got to, because he goes down this chain. "…he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…"
So, he knew Moses would have this hesitation, but he chose Moses because he knows Moses. He knows what Moses is not. He knows what Moses was. He knows what Moses will be. He knows what I'm not. He knows what I was. He knows what I will be. Say all of that. "He knows what I'm not. He knows what I was. He knows what I will be". God is the only one who knows all three of those. Some of us don't even know what we're not yet. We are trying so hard to be something and somebody we were not created to be that it is killing us, but we could get content if we'd just go, "God, you know what I'm not. Show me what I'm not. You know what I was, so you see where I've been. You've marked out my steps, and you are the only one who knows what I will be".
So, those he predestined he also… What does it say? "…that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified…" That's talking about the cross. That means he made you right. So, you can't be the wrong one for it because he made you right for it. He would not call you to, he cannot call you to, something he did not create you for. "…those he called, he also justified…" That's how I know I have what it takes. "…those he justified, he also glorified". Look at all of these "alsos" in the Bible. Look at the God of also. Look at how he doesn't just set you on your path and say, "Well, I've saved you and forgiven you. Now it's up to you to work it out in your life". No, no, no. The God who saves will also sustain. He who began a good work in you will also be faithful to complete it.
Verse 31: "What, then, shall we say in response to these things"? We all stand like Moses, trying to respond to the revelation of what God is calling us to do next, but here is our power. "If God is for us, who can be against us"? Here's my verse I'm hanging on to in this season of my life. You can feel free to borrow it. It's my verse, but you can hold it for a minute. I'm going to loan you my verse. "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all…" All. You get the same grace Jacob got. You get the same grace Mary got. He who did all that… If he did all of that for me, died for me, gave his Son for me, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Now, I read this verse wrong all week studying it. I thought it meant he will also give me the blessings of life along with Jesus, who is the greatest blessing. I thought that meant I get Jesus and I get other things too, but that's not what the verse means. The verse actually means that he who gave us his Son will give us freely also, along with him, all things. What does that mean? It means God has decided to give me everything that Jesus rightfully earned through his life. "Along with him". So, if Jesus is loved by his Father perfectly, I am also loved by my Father perfectly. If Jesus can pray and his Father hears him, I also can pray and my Father hears me. If Jesus could break chains of oppression and he is in me, then I also can expect chains to be broken. I wanted to remind you what God you're calling on today: the God of Jacob, the trickster, the deceiver.
Stop hiding from God when you're going through hard times. Stop hiding from God when you're feeling ashamed. Come to him and thank him that "There's no shame on Jesus so there's no shame on me". I can see I need to teach this stuff a little more, because I'm watching your eyes. You're going like, "Wow, that's really true. Yeah, that's really true". You are also loved by God, just like Jesus was. The Lord doesn't see any difference. He says he's the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. That means God accepts Jesus because Jesus paid the price, and because Jesus paid the price he also accepts you. That's the craziest thing in the world to me. Y'all, I just got a Jeep a couple of months ago, and I'm enjoying my Jeep. I had a Jeep when I was 23 or 24, around there, and I figured it was time, in this midlife crisis, to revisit that youthful stallion energy and get a Jeep. I'm enjoying that Jeep.
One of my friends said to me when I got it, "We need to teach you about the Jeep wave". How many of y'all have heard about the Jeep wave? I had never heard of it. Do you have a Jeep? Well, if you ever pass me, I'll try my best to wave at you. Do you do the Jeep wave? Am I allowed to tell it or is it like Illuminati? Is somebody going to come get me? Elon, Zuckerberg… Who's coming to get me if I say this? "I'm calling on the God of Elon…" Anyway, they said, "You've got to do the Jeep wave". I said, "Well, what is the Jeep wave"? They said, "It's very simple, but you really need to do it, because it's a lot of fun". At first, I was kind of contrarian to it, because I didn't like somebody telling me how I had to wave at anybody else. He said, "You pass another Jeep, you do like…" Just like that. That's all it is. Like that. I'm like, "That's so stupid".
Well, eventually, it's kind of compelling. You kind of just get into it. Then you start to feel judgmental of everybody who's not in a Jeep because they don't have a wave. So, now I'm riding around, and I do it every chance I get. The Jeep wave. Even now, I've come to the point where if you don't give me the Jeep wave back, it kind of offends me. It kind of makes me tempted to do a different kind of wave, a different kind of hand motion, because now I'm into it. I'm like, "We're in this together. We, the Jeep people, are supposed to stick together".
I was thinking about that driving home with Abbey last week. I said, "I've got to put that in my sermon". But I don't want to talk about a Jeep; I want to talk about how Jesus has given us all a gift that is common to us, but it is so specific to us. Our identity in him is the most important thing about us. Anything you can say about yourself that is negative, you can also say something about yourself that will let the Enemy know, "The God who knows me the most loves me the most, and that's who I am". So, for those of you who walked in today and are like, "Why do they lift their hands in worship? That's kind of weird…" No. That's our Jesus wave. That's our wave. That's us telling God, "O God, my God, I need you. I can't make it without your grace. Now I belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to me. I am his and he is mine".
Stand up on your feet and just lift your hands right now. Let's do our Jesus thing for a moment. Let's let the Lord know in his presence today that we are calling on his name, the name of Jesus, his name through all generations, the Great I Am.
Lord, I'm asking you today, for everybody who has been caught up, that you would call them back into the reality of who you are, what you've spoken. Father, I thank you today that Jesus is our big brother, our Savior, our true Vine. I thank you that he is our Bread of Life. Today, as we stand in your presence, we receive all that you are, more than enough for us.
You can put your hands down for a moment. I want to pray a special prayer. There's someone in here who has never joined their life to Jesus Christ. You have never given your life over to God. Or maybe you've done it and have wandered away, and God brought you back here today because he's calling you. He's drawing you. He's using everything in your life to bring you to this point so you can reach for him. He's not far. He'll be found. If you call on his name today, the God of Jacob, the God of Moses, the God of Mary, the God of David, the God of Jesus, he will be your God too. All you have to do is call on his name. The Bible says that if we call on him, he will save us, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
So, right now, we're all going to pray this prayer together, as a church family, for the benefit of those who are coming to God. I want you to repeat this prayer after me. If you desire to place your faith in Jesus today, be saved from your sin, and have a new beginning in him, repeat after me.
Heavenly Father, I come to you. I am a sinner in need of a Savior, and I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son and the Savior of the world. I believe he died to forgive my sin and rose again to give me life. I receive this new life. This is my new beginning.
On the count of three, raise your hand if you prayed that. One, two, three. Let's celebrate together. God bless you. The best decision you'll ever make. The best decision you'll ever make to call on his name. You know what? Never stop calling his name. You don't just call him one time. You call him in your high moments. You call him in your low moments. You call on the God of also. You give him praise when you're doing well, and you cry out to him with petitions when you're not. He is the God of also. You trust him when you can see the next step. You trust him when you've stumbled down the whole staircase. He is the God of also.