Steven Furtick - Unblock It (11/01/2018)
The preacher dives into 2 Corinthians 10:13-16, highlighting Paul's frustration with opposition from false teachers while pushing to spread the gospel further. Paul refuses to boast beyond his God-given sphere but hopes the Corinthians' growing faith will enlarge his influence to reach beyond them, urging believers to unblock God's blessings by removing unbelief, blame, and self-limitation.
Paul's Heart and Frustration in 2 Corinthians 10
I want to take a look at something with you today. The Lord was really speaking to me in Second Corinthians chapter 10. And I just want to give you like four verses where Paul is trying to get the gospel out and he's encountering some opposition. And I think it'll be relevant to each of our lives, but you can really hear his heart and how much he loves Jesus Christ and how much he loves the church at Corinth. And you can also hear some frustration. You can hear a man who has been pushed to his limit.
Have you ever been pushed to your limit? Every parent should be nodding. Some of you are crying. Have you ever just found yourself, parents, just… You hear yourself screaming and you're not even conscious of the fact that you're screaming. And some of the words that are coming out of your mouth, you know you're going to have to ask God to forgive you for them, but you just can't stop them. It just happens sometimes. You just get pushed to your limit. Everybody has a limit.
And Paul apparently has been pressed to his limit by false teachers and preachers who are trying to undermine his authority. And they're saying he's not a real preacher and he's not a real pastor. And he's the one who started this church in Corinth. He's the one who took the gospel past the boundaries of the Jewish faith and into the Gentile community. He's the one who broke the barrier so that the gospel could be with us today. And usually those who break the barriers have to fight the fiercest battles. Usually the pioneers have the most pain.
Paul's Determination and Desperation
And yes, it is. You know that I know your voice out of 25,000, right? You are my one-woman amen section. If I turn to you, just, you know. Now listen. He says, But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us to reach even to you. Touch your neighbor and say, If God can reach you, he can reach anybody.
For we… Paul has had it with these people, because they're resisting him now, and they're withdrawing from him, and he's trying to take up an offering for the Jewish Christians, and they're playing hard to get. And he's having to beg them to be a part of it. And he says, Listen, we came to you. Nobody else would come to you, but we came to you and preached the gospel, and it changed your life.
Now you want to back away? Look at verse 14. We're not overextending ourselves as though we did not reach you. Quit trying to act like God has never done anything for you. Quit trying to act like it was anything but grace that got you where you are in life. We were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ.
We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. This is where I want to spend the rest of my time, but our hope is that as your faith increases, as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you. I'll stop there.
The Power of Modern Tools to Spread the Gospel
Quick survey. How many of you use social media? Hands. Hands. Okay, put them down. Isn't it amazing how Paul and his boys got the gospel out so well and didn't even have YouTube? What do you think it's going to be like if we meet Paul in heaven and he looks at what we got done in our day compared to what he got done on a donkey in his day? With our planes and trains and automobiles and Snapchat and Facebook and Pinterest, just an exciting time to get the gospel out. Wouldn't you agree?
Where somebody in Cincinnati or Tokyo could watch online and illegally pirate some of the free resources that we've made generously available for believers across the world. And it's a cool time, man. I mean, I just don't take it for granted. I don't take it for granted that we get to reach like we get to reach, how long our arms are in this day. And to him, much is given, much is required.
So I'm kind of nervous if I ever get to meet Paul, if I get to heaven, and I'm sure he's going to be there if I make it and we get a chance to interact. I'm going to be kind of timid when I walk up to him because with everything that I have at my disposal compared to everything that he had at his disposal, I don't know if I want to, uh, I don't know if I want to give an account for it, but, but I want to maximize how many want to maximize the time you've been given, the resource you've been given and, and see what God can do through you.
And Paul is getting the gospel out at an incredible rate of speed, considering the limitations that he faced, not only the illegality of proclaiming the Christian message where he went, which didn't seem to stop him. We get all worried about religious Liberty in a democracy. Paul was under a Caesar that would take your head off for preaching it, but somehow he still got it out. He would not be stopped. He was unstoppable because he served a God who was unlimited.
No Limits on What God Can Do
And I hear him saying in this passage that there's more to be done. I hear him saying in this passage that there is no cap ceiling limitation or lid on what God is able to do. And you'll remember last week because you were all here, you come every week, you don't skip church ever, but we were talking about how he is able to do immeasurably more or above and beyond what we ask or imagine.
And one thing that I said in one of the worship experiences is that your ability to believe or your capacity to believe will never catch up with God's ability to perform. And that's true of you. And that's true of our church. We will never be able to imagine a scenario wherein we are getting the gospel out that God is not capable of exceeding.
And yet Paul is frustrated because this unchained gospel, this unlimited God seems to have been confined in some way.
The Block Button Analogy – Blocking God's Word
Again, how many use social media of any kind, just any kind, even if you only use it every once in a while? How many of you particularly have ever... Because I use social media. I love using it sometimes. And I like sometimes going on and reading the comments. I have to be in a certain mood. Because if I do it late at night, I might respond in a way that is not a blessing. You know, but most of it's nice. Most people are very encouraging. It's always like one out of 200. But it's that one. It's that one.
I found, for me, and maybe I'm a negative person, but it's that one. But there's a tool that's really helpful to me anyway. I found it on Instagram. Here's my little Instagram profile where I post inspirational tidbits. And there I am right there. You can follow me if you want. I'm not trying to plug anything right now, y'all. I'm just using a sermon illustration.
I was reading this comment a couple of weeks ago, and I remembered how much I love this one button. Because sometimes I like to go through, and I really don't always go on there and see everything everybody puts. But sometimes I do, and sometimes I get to respond to people. That's cool. But I forgot how useful this one button could be. And I'm going to show it to you.
Let's see who's made a comment here. Okay, here's Meredith Brock. Do you know Mac Brock? He's a worship leader who used to wear the hat all the time. And then he cut his hair off. His wife's name is Meredith. I love Meredith. She commented. And I'm just going to do this because I love Meredith, and she won't be offended by this. But do you see this function? This button is right at the top. Do you see what it says? Block user. And I'm going to do this just as an illustration, Meredith. Just as an illustration. I'm going to block Brock just for a minute.
And then it says… Look at this. It wants to know, Are you sure? Yes, I'm sure. Can I tell you how good that feels to my soul every once in a while? Because some people will get on saying crazy things. I even had somebody say something crazy about my kid a few weeks ago on Instagram. Yes, I did. And my baser instincts told me to do something more drastic. But I was good about it. I didn't say anything back. I just blocked them.
You would not… How many of you have ever had to use the block button? Have you ever had to block somebody? Doesn't it feel good? Doesn't it feel powerful just to block some… You know what? I don't have to read what you… This is my feed, and I don't have to hear what you have to say. Just to block.
Just do it one time. Just pretend. Just get that person on your mind. Wouldn't it be nice if in real life people had a block button right there on their forehead, everybody you worked with? Wouldn't it be cool if there was a block button right there on their mouth?
I'm a long way from 2 Corinthians 10. And now you can say whatever you want, but I won't see it. I won't hear it. It's very convenient for me to not have to be exposed to the comments that I don't want to see.
And I was thinking about the fact that a lot of people who come to church here have inadvertently blocked the Word of God. I set you up for that, and you didn't even see it coming. I slid right in.
So the title of my message, because the Word of God is coming to you, and the peace of God is coming to you, and the power of God is coming to you, and I want to encourage you to unblock it.
How We Block God's Blessings
What happens in our lives is that God speaks to us in all kinds of ways. Well, some of the things that he says to us we like, and some of the things he says to us are encouraging, and some of the things that he says to us are uplifting. And so we scroll through that. And even when you come to church, you know, certain things the preacher preaches sound really good, and when he tells you you can make it, and when he tells you to keep your head up, and when he tells you that there's nothing too hard for God, and when he tells you that your setback is a setup for a miracle, it sounds real good.
And so you scroll through that, and I like that. Ooh, double-click that. I like that. But then you come up on something that God speaks, and it doesn't feel so... Yeah. I don't know if I'm going to double-click this particular word. And so here's what you do. You block it. You block it.
Now, you don't say you block God. Who's going to admit that they block God from their heart? The Corinthian church claimed to be opposing Paul, and so they started blaming Paul. They started saying all kinds of reasons that they weren't going to follow Paul. But it really wasn't Paul they had a problem with. Through Paul, God was challenging the Corinthian church to a greater faith.
He was challenging them to step away from petty Christianity, self-centered consumer Christianity. And as Paul was proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, there was a lot of it that they liked. They liked that forgiveness stuff in their feed. They liked that favor of God that God bestows upon us graciously. They loved that part. But then Paul steps up and challenges them to repent of some attitudes and to incline their hearts in some ways that may be hard. And they block God.
Now, here's the thing. As they're blocking God, they're blaming Paul. Did you know that you block the blessing of God when you play the blame game in your life? When you start blaming what they did, what they didn't do.
I'm working with one of my children who shall remain nameless. But y'all, this particular oldest child did something so funny the other day. And I told him I was going to use it as an example. And he's almost a teenager, so I won't get to use him in my sermons much longer. But I can tell you now while he's 11, Elijah picked up this cup. It was a cup, a frozen cup, on the table last night. And he picked it up, and he was being silly because we were having fun because Holly was gone, and we were being boys.
And I might have been playing the new Bruno Mars album, or it might have been Hillsong Worship. I don't really remember. But I picked up the cup, and I was acting like I was drinking it. And he picked up the cup, and he did it like this, and the water went everywhere. And I swear to you, that boy, Holly, I haven't even told you this yet, he sets the cup back down, and he says, Why was there water in this cup?
Exactly. Because it's the cup's fault, son. It's not that you took the cup like that. No, it couldn't possibly be. It's the cup's fault. Me and Graham were laughing so hard. For the next 15 minutes, we were reenacting it. I got some video clips. Why was there water in this? Mad at the cup. Mad at the cup. Mad at the circumstance. Mad at the trial. Mad at the preacher. Mad at… Oh, I got quiet. Mad at the other Christians.
See, I don't really care too much if I make you upset. I'm more concerned if I offend God by not challenging you to the level of the standard that he called you to. And I want to say that the blessing of God has been trying so hard to flow to some of you, but you keep blocking it. You keep blocking it because you blame others.
You even sometimes blame your lack of giftedness for your lack of growth. Well, I'm just not that smart, or I'm just not that talented, or I just don't pick up on things that quickly.
Faith Growth and Kingdom Expansion
I refer back to the text because Paul is talking to a group of believers, and he says, Our hope is that as your faith increases—this is 15, guys—as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged. Here's the dynamic. They have to grow together. Okay? They have to grow together.
Let me show you what I mean. I know it doesn't make any sense yet, but it will in a second. I promise you. I've been studying all week. I didn't just come up here. I promise you it's going to make sense in a minute. Do you trust me? You're in good hands. This plane will land safely. I promise you. I'm going to get you on the ground safely.
But some of you have been blocked. It's a frustrating thing to be blocked. It's a terrible thing to be blocked. Here's why they're blocked. See, as the Corinthian church's faith increases, the church grows. As the church grows, their faith increases.
Now Paul wants to preach beyond the church in Corinth. He wants the gospel to go forth even further. But you've got a stubborn church who is satisfied and set in their ways. Now that they have been reached, they no longer want to do any reaching. Now that they have been blessed, they want to stay right where they are. Now that they don't want to go beyond. Why would I want to go beyond? I've got everything I need right here, but the essence of blessing is that it always looks beyond itself.
Ask Abraham. Ask Abraham. God said, I'm going to bless you, and you'll be a blessing. The point of the blessing of God on your life is not just that it would flow to you, but that it would flow through you. And if we stop here, we get stuck here. But if we look beyond, hope beyond, preach beyond, believe beyond… I believe somebody is breaking out of limitation in this season.
But they have to grow together. They have to grow together. Touch somebody and say they have to grow together. They have to grow together. So Paul says, as your faith grows, the kingdom grows. Watch this. As the kingdom grows, your faith grows.
I don't take a year-end offering just so we can build a building. I take a year-end offering so God can build your faith. It's your faith God is after. God wants to break you out of the box of what you think is normal. God wants to break you out of the box of what you think is extravagant. God wants to break your limited belief system.
That's what it is. That's what keeps us stuck. That's what keeps us blocked. We blame everybody and everything, but it is our own BS that keeps us in the box. Belief system. What did you think that stood for? A bunch of degenerates at Elevation Church. And all this time, I thought it was something else blocking me. All this time, I thought it was somebody else blocking me.
What if the only thing blocking you is just a question, and you can get mad at me, and that's fine. But what if the barrier was your own belief? Your belief that God can do it, your belief that he can use you, your belief that he's bigger? What if the real barrier is your belief?
Because Paul seems to say that if your faith increases, nothing can stop the gospel. If you have enough faith, if you believe big enough, there is absolutely nothing that can stop the purpose of God, but you've got to unblock it.
The purpose of God cannot be stopped, but your unbelief can block it from operating in your life. Do you hear this? This is heavy. The plan of God cannot be stopped, but you can block it from being activated in your life because you won't believe it.
The provision of God cannot be stopped. God is more than enough. He's Jehovah-Jireh. He's always a provider. He's always sufficient. He's always more than enough, but your unbelief can block it. The power of God cannot be stopped. If you don't believe me, ask that stone that had an assignment to keep Jesus in that tomb. They thought they had blocked him, but they found out when the Word of God comes forth… I feel like preaching on week two of this series.
Nothing can stop the purpose of God except our unbelief. What the stone couldn't do, your hardened heart can. Keep Jesus locked in. Come on. Touch somebody. Say, unblock it. Unblock it. Unblock it. Tell them again. Say, unblock it. Look them in the eye. Say, unblock it.
God has been trying to deliver his Word to you. He's been trying to get his purpose through you. He's been trying to get his plan accomplished in your life, but you've got to unblock it.
Unblocking Praise, Generosity, and Faith
Now I understand why Paul was frustrated, because he saw all these people that could be reached and a complacent church at Corinth who had already been reached themselves but had now stopped reaching. In his best pastoral tone, Paul says, I want you to grow up so the gospel can go forth.
I understand Paul's frustration. I really do. I get frustrated with myself, because I know there's so much more that God could do in me, but I block it. Do you do it? I block God all the time. I'm not saying I'm bigger than God, and I'm not saying he can't knock me over and do what he wants to do through somebody else, but I block him from doing it through me.
I know there are times where God wants to encourage somebody, but I block him from working through me because I'm too stuck on myself, and I hate that I know there are times where God wants to use me to lift the atmosphere of a room, but I don't do it because I come in and let the atmosphere of the room set my internal temperature, and I hate it.
I know there are times when I come to church and God gives me an opportunity to praise him, but I'm so self-conscious I won't lift my hands because I'm so worried about what other people think about me. And if I would just open my mouth and sing hallelujah, even off key to the Lord, it would unblock the joy of the Lord in his presence. It's the fullness of... Come on, you see. It is presence. Come on, Lake Norman. It is presence. Come on, Ballantyne.
If you would open up your mouth and praise God, the presence of God would flow to you. Unblock it. Praise unblocks the blessing of God in your life. I wonder would you give him praise right now for his faithfulness? For his goodness. For his grace. Praise unblocks the glory of God. It opens up the airwaves. It opens you up to receive the blessing of God.
This is why God was frustrated in the book of Malachi, because the word of the Lord had gone forth, but the people had blocked it. God has been pushed to his limit with his people, not because he stopped loving them, but because there's so much he wants to bless them with, but they keep blocking him from blessing them. And he begs them. He begs them, Unblock me, he says in Malachi 3.10. Unblock me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. Bring me what is mine. And when you bring it, there will be food in my house. Put me to the test and see if I will not.
Something is blocking the people from the blessing of God. It is their refusal to put God first. He said, But if you would unblock me, I would bless you. I would put it back up. I would open the windows of heaven. There's no shortage of supply, but you keep blocking me. There's no shortage of joy, but you keep blocking me.
There is no limit to how many people we can reach if we would stop blocking God. If more than 23% of the church would tithe, there would be no limit to how many campuses we could build. But every week when that word goes forth, you know, that offering time, we just keep blocking God. Nah, I'll do that other stuff. I lift my hands extra high. I want to pour out a blessing until there is no more need.
One translation says that you won't have room enough to receive it. Remove the block. Receive the blessing. Remove the block. Receive the blessing.
I sat Holly down when we had been married less than two years. We had put $5,000 into ING Direct Savings Account. I researched the one with the best interest rates because Dave Ramsey told me to start an emergency fund. He said $5,000 is a start. Now, let me tell you something. Anything in your life, you've got to start somewhere. You've got to start somewhere.
And so, we had this $5,000 saved up and the Lord, I don't know how you feel about this because it may sound irresponsible, prompted my heart to give the whole emergency fund. Now, understand, at this point, we didn't have three kids. And so, I figured, worst case scenario, me and Holly can make it. You know what I'm saying? We can do this.
And so, I felt like God was giving me an opportunity to unblock my heart and to trust him beyond. We were already tithing. I started tithing, which is 10% back to the local church. I started tithing right around, I want to say, right around the time I was going off to college. And for a season there, I got kind of lazy about it.
And one day, my roommate Alex Early, he was scrambling around the dorm room and he said, he was frantic, he said, do you have an envelope? Do you have any stamps? I said, what's wrong, man? And he said, I'm three months behind on my tithe. And he went to a church in Georgia and the pastor had taught him to tithe the first 10% to God and he'd gotten behind on it.
And we went to a Christian school and a chapel speaker had spoken that morning on bringing the tithe and it convicted Alex. And I think his tithe for those three months was only about $7. But he was crumbling up the money in cash and looking for an envelope to put it in to send it off. I think he had this fear that God was going to strike the dorm with lightning if he didn't or something like that.
You know, it was a Baptist school but he had to get that tithe out and the Lord spoke to me about it right then and I said, you know what? Whatever it is that God blesses me with no matter how large or how small. I want I want my finances and my faith tied together. and I want them to grow together and as my finances grow I want my faith to grow. They got to grow together.
because if the blessing grows but your generosity doesn't it will spoil and you will become prideful and self-sufficient. And I think that's why God was so wise to establish the tithe. It's a fixed percentage. It's the first 10%. Some people say that's Old Testament. Fine. Start higher. Because why in the world would you go lower when you have the grace of God exhibited by Jesus Christ on the cross? We're not under the law. We're under grace. That means we can do more. Not less. Come on. Somebody shout beyond. Beyond. Beyond.
And so I was tithing and all of that but this was the first time to really give an offering. And the Lord spoke to me. I'm back at the kitchen table now. Remember the emergency fund. Me and Holly are married and I'm a tither 10%. And that first 10% to the church and that's the first decision. You make that decision. You make it with whatever amount you have and you say, God, I trust you.
And as this grows, as your blessing to me grows, my generosity will grow. And then you get a chance to give an offering. And that was our first offering. God spoke to me to give the whole $5,000. And we did it and it was cool. And I liked it. And I got addicted. Because it felt kind of good. It felt kind of good to know that me and God are in this together. And it felt kind of good to feel like whatever comes in my life, I can trust God with it.
If I can trust him like that, I can trust him whatever comes. And we've had the opportunity now many times in this offering in our own church. I won't tell you how much we've given in this church, but it's a pretty lot. It ain't $5,000. It's more than that.
I see everybody on social media hashtag goals, relationship goals. How about giving goals? You got any of those? Why are our goals always about what we want to get? Why don't we have any goals about what we want to give?
And Paul says, I want your faith to grow. You know, some of us have been stuck at 10% for so long. I wonder what would happen if we went beyond. I wonder what would happen if we really challenged our capacity in this season and unblocked the blessing of God.
And I would like for you to pray about it. I'd like for you to pray about what I'm speaking. And you can pray about it on any level that you want to. Because for some of you, this will be a message about an offering. And for some of you, this will be a message about forgiveness.
See, it's not just our refusal to put God first in our finances. Sometimes it's somebody that you won't extend grace to and you block the forgiveness of God from flowing into your life. This is not just a money message. This is a life message.
Paul says, when you release it, you receive it. When you release it, you receive it. It's true for finances. It's true for forgiveness. It's true for encouragement. And this is a season of release. And there are some things that we need to let go of. God can't bless closed hands.
A Season to Unblock and Receive Beyond
So what is this season about? Beyond. Well, Paul says, we want to preach the gospel in lands beyond you. I don't know if you all got to see the video earlier about all the buildings and all the outreach that we're going to give away a million dollars just in this one offering that we're giving away beyond our walls, beyond our buildings.
In celebration of 10 years, we're giving 10 partners $100,000. I'm going to show you a video about that next week. And you'll see all of that. And we're going to keep building campuses. That's awesome. But the real project that God is working on is probably that place in you where he wants to stretch you beyond what you thought was possible.
God doesn't want you to be blocked. It's the worst thing in the world to love somebody and they won't receive it. Have you ever tried to love somebody and they wouldn't receive it? Have you ever tried to help somebody and they wouldn't receive it? Have you ever tried to encourage somebody but no matter what you said they wouldn't receive it? They were blocked.
And God says, I've been trying to get some things to you. I've been trying to do some things in you. I've been trying to push back the boundaries and blow apart your box of what you think life can be. But you keep blocking me because you won't believe.
But if you would just come to him in childlike faith and open your heart and open your life, I believe in this season God is unblocking some things. I believe there are some blessings that God is going to unblock in your family and in your life. Some blessings, some borders, some boundaries. That God is going to push back and pour out a blessing that you won't have room to receive it.
I don't know if you believe this kind of reason. You can block me if you want to. But if you receive it and if you believe that he's able to do immeasurably more than you... Come on, unblock it right now. When you clap your hands, you unblock your pride. Come on, unblock your heart. Give God grace in this place. God is trying to unblock your heart. Unblock it. Unblock it. Unblock your heart.
Stop trying to have this one part of your life that you won't let God in on. Unblock it. Stop trying to go through all the stuff that you like that God speaks to you, but when you come to that one thing that challenges you, you block it. Unblock it. Unblock it.
Stop being so prideful and don't let people help you. The very people that God sent to help you, you keep on trying to be so self-sufficient, and God is trying to answer your prayer, but you keep blocking it. Unblock it.
This is not just an offering. This is an unblocking. This is a season for you to receive from the Lord. It's not just what you're going to give. It's what he wants to pour into your heart.
I want to pray for you where you stand right now. I feel the presence of God in this place, and I feel that the word has gone forth with clarity. And even that God has spoken some things through me that I didn't even say, but he said to you through what I did say. And I believe he knows exactly where those blockages are, exactly where those places are.
And it's frustrating to your father when he has so much to give, but you don't give him enough room. God is enlarging you now. He wants to enlarge your heart. He wants to enlarge your vision. He wants to enlarge your perspective. He wants to enlarge your world.
The world of the generous gets larger and larger. The world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. We don't put God in a box. We put ourselves in a box, and we can't receive what he has to give. But this is a season to take the lid off.
That's what happens under an open heaven in the presence of God, and the presence of God is in this place with your heads bowed and your eyes closed. I want to pray for that place in your heart, that priority in your heart, that thing in your heart that you need to give over to God.
It very well may be the financial part. It very well may be a relational issue. It may be something you need to surrender to God or a place where you need to be authentic, where you've been fake. God knows what's blocking you, and it would be a shame for you to have so much to give but be blocked.
Writer's block is nothing compared to believer's block. When believers get blocked, the gospel doesn't go forth, and the purpose of God isn't fulfilled through your life. And there's so much God wants to do through you, but you have to let him in. And you can only let him in with open hands and an open heart.
Would you lift your hands to heaven right now? Repeat this after me. Say, Father God, I open my heart. I want your will to be done and your kingdom to come in my life, in my family, on my job, in my school. Let it come, God.
God, I release everything in my heart that has been blocking your blessings. You can have all of me. Say it again. You can have all of me. Have your way. You can have all of me. Have your way. I surrender all in this moment. All that I have is yours. All that I am is yours. Everything I hope to be is yours.
God, we believe you for miracles in this season. We believe you under an open heaven for your blessing to come forth in this season. We will not be blocked. The gospel will go forth. We are your children. We are your church. Your kingdom has come. Your will shall be done.
We give you the praise under an open heaven. Pour out your spirit. Pour out your power. O Lord our God, let it fall right now. Fall fresh. Holy Spirit, have your way, Lord God. In Jesus' name.