What If I Got It Wrong? | I Know That Voice | Steven Furtick | Elevation Church

You doubt? That's good. Doubt is a door that  God can come through and take you deeper in   your faith. It's not that you doubt what God  can do. You are wondering why he won't do it for   you. I am not going to allow myself to believe  that just because I'm facing resistance I did   something wrong, as if God speaks something and  it's always easy. The proof that God speaks it   isn't that it's easy; it's that he's with me  when it gets hard. God hasn't forgotten you;   he has favored you. The hand of God has always  been on your life and is still on your life. I   don't listen to prisons; I listen to him. Come on, Columbia, Riverwalk, UC, Toronto…all of  our campuses. We're going to be sharing from Luke,   chapter 7, today in our fourth  installment of the series I Know   That Voice. I know a name, and I know that voice.

you so much systematically, like, "Three steps  to hear from God" or "Seven steps to hear from   God," because I figure God is way bigger than  seven steps. One time in the Bible God spoke   through a donkey. So, I figure if we start  listing all of the ways that God could speak,   we'd be here too long. We would miss lunch. give you some pictures from the Scripture  of the times when the Lord spoke. Then,   as we paint that picture, hopefully you will  see specifically something that God is speaking   to you. How many have felt God speaking to you  in the last few weeks as we've been journeying   through his Word together? Now, in Luke, chapter  7, I'm going to read two stories. The first one   I'm not going to preach on, but it will be so  helpful for us to understand the second one.   In Luke 7:11 (that was easy for me  to remember where to start today),   the Bible says, "Soon afterward, Jesus went to a  town called Nain, and his disciples and a large   crowd went along with him. As he approached the  town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the   only son of his mother, and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the town was with her.   When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to  her and he said, 'Don't cry.' Then he went up   and touched the bier they were carrying him on,  and the bearers stood still. He said, 'Young man,   I say to you, get up!'" Watch this. Verse 15:  "The dead man sat up…" Even a body that isn't  

breathing knows that voice. I said, even a  body that has ceased breathing knows that   voice. "Don't even have a pulse, but I know  that voice." Being carried out of the gate.   Then the Bible says he sat up and began to talk.  Jesus was talking, and then he was talking. "…and   Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all  filled with awe and praised God. 'A great prophet   has appeared among us,' they said. 'God has come  to help his people.' This news about Jesus spread   throughout Judea and the surrounding country." about. Here's what I want to talk about today.  Verse 18: "John's disciples told him about all   these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to  the Lord to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come,   or should we expect someone else?'" What kind  of crazy question is that? You just heard that   he raised somebody from the dead, and you  want to know, "Are you really who you claim   to be?" What kind of crazy question to ask  from John of all people. John the Baptist.   I can understand Mark the Methodist, Ernie the  Episcopalian, but this is John the Baptist,   talking about, "Are you the one or should  we expect someone else?" Verse 20 is funny   to me. "When the men [whom John sent] came  to Jesus, they said, 'John the Baptist sent  

us to ask…'" Do you get it? "Are you the one…?"  "Like, we totally believe, but John just wanted   to know. John just wanted to know." or should we expect someone else?' At that very  time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses   and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who  were blind. So he replied to the messengers,   'Go back and report to John what you have seen  and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk,   those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf  hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is   proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone  who does not stumble on account of me.'"   We're going to go back to that verse 19 for our  message today. "Are you the one who is to come,   or should we expect someone else?" The title of  my message today is a question: What if I Got It   Wrong? Have you ever wondered that before? "What  if I got it wrong?" I know you can't nod too much   because you came to church with them, but what  if…? You drove to church in it, and the salesman   told you it was a good deal, but "What if I got  it wrong?" We're going to talk about it today.   Father, I know what you spoke to me, but I  ask, God, would you use me to speak it to  

them? I would be so honored if you would use  me, Lord. So, here's my voice box. Here's my   mind. Everything I've got is yours, Lord. Use me  in their life, because you know what they need.   In Jesus' name, amen. Since my oldest son Elijah has been home now  from college for a year, we can reminisce on   when we went to college without having too much  trauma. When he went to college… I have this very   vivid memory of me sitting in the passenger  seat as we drove to Lynchburg, Virginia,   where I was going to drop him off at college. going to college over the next few days or the  next few weeks or if you plan to go to college   at a future time in your life. I don't know  if anybody in this room is questioning that   decision or not, but I could just feel how heavy  he was. As Charlotte got farther and farther   behind and Lynchburg got closer and closer,  he was thinking, "What if I got it wrong?"   I could tell not by anything he said; I could  just tell by how quiet he got. I mean, first I   was playing John Mayer in the car to try to cheer  him up, and then I even switched over and played   some music I hated. I even resorted to playing his  playlist in the car, but I still couldn't get him   to smile, and I could tell what he was thinking.  "I've never been this far away from home before.  

I tried to make the best decision I could. I  know it's a good school. I'm going there, and   I know my girlfriend is going to be there. What  if this is terrible? What if I make no friends?"   Now, the interesting thing about that isn't,  of course, that he was thinking that. Of course   you think that when you're going off to college,  leaving home for the first time. What he didn't   know is that I was in the seat thinking the same  thing right next to him. Not "What if you got it   wrong?" Not "What if you shouldn't go to college  here?" Because to me, I'm just like, "You could   drop out." You know, "This is not life or death.  I hope we got it right, but we can fix that."   What I was thinking more about is, like,  "What if I got it wrong raising you? Like,   what if I didn't do enough? I did the best I could  as a dad, but this is my test run. You are my lab   rat. What if I got it wrong?" I firmly believe  that when you have your first child, you should   set up not only a college fund but a therapy fund  for all the mistakes you will make on them that   you will correct before you raise the other kids.  So your firstborn gets an extra savings account.   I'm thinking in the passenger seat, "Did I do  it right? I mean, I did the best job I could   as a dad. I tried to be at every baseball  game. I tried not to push him too hard,   but did I push him hard enough? What if I got  it wrong? What if I coddled him too much? What   if I didn't comfort him enough? What if I  was too soft? What if I was too strict?"  

It's this ping-pong of possibilities and  potentials of pain that I might have caused   him and mistakes that I may have made that I may  not even be aware of, even doing my best. "What   if I got it wrong? Because this is my first  rodeo. I have no idea how to raise one up,   and I have no idea how to send one off. I have  never shipped this product into the world before.   So, what if I traumatized you and didn't  know it? What if your friends one day in   college are going fishing, and because I  never taught you to fish, you don't have   any friends? And what if because you don't have  any friends you lock yourself in your dorm room   and refuse to eat? And what if they call me  and say, 'You've got to come get your son'?"   Your mind can spiral pretty quickly. I'm being  silly, but not by much, because once this question   starts in your mind… You know exactly what I'm  talking about. "What if I got it wrong? What if   I started the business thinking I was stepping  out on faith, but it was really foolishness?"   The ones that really get you on the inside  aren't just "What if I got it wrong and it's   going to cost me?" but "What if I got it wrong  and I'm dragging others along in the wake of my   decision?" I thought it was kind of poetic, you  know, with somebody maybe watching this going to   college or maybe sending somebody off to college  or maybe getting married or just got married or   just got pregnant or just welcomed a third child  into the world or just bought a new house or just  

downsized or just upsized or just rightsized. I got it wrong? Because there is no Bible verse  that tells me how much my monthly payment should   be. There's Dave Ramsey, and he's kind of a  prophet, but I didn't find the exact verse to   tell me the specificity of the decision."  So, you've got Elijah driving to college,   going, "What if I got it wrong?" and me sitting  next to him, going, "What if I got it wrong?"   He's going, "What if I'm not ready?" I'm  sitting next to him going, "What if you're   not ready? Because I think it was my job to get  you ready, but how do I know if you're ready,   because I've never done this before?" How many  feel this in an area of your life right now?   Come on. I'm sharing my personal baggage up  here with y'all. I could use a little backup.   "What if I got it wrong? I thought I was  supposed to quit that job in faith to step   out for something new, but they haven't  exactly been lining up with offers from   other jobs. What if I got it wrong? What if  I just quit because I was frustrated, not   because I had faith? What if I got it wrong?"

should never ask that question, you should  always be confident, and those people are   confidently wrong. Even when they are wrong,  they are never in doubt. By the way, most of the   sermons I've heard in church about doubt only  have one point. You ready? Write this down.   "We're going to talk about doubt today. Ready?  Write this down. Don't. Don't do it. The Bible   says don't do it. God has been good to you. How  could you doubt him now? You can't make me doubt   him; I know too much about him." That rhymes, but  it's not very real, because if you never have any   questions about the God you encounter in the  pages of Scripture, you are cherry-picking.   There is some stuff in here that'll spin  you around so quick. You'll be so dizzy,   talking about, "Did I really just read that? Did  that really just say that? Can I really do that?   Can I really believe that?" In the Scripture that  I read you, in Luke, chapter 7… It's interesting,   because the person who is doubting is not one of  the twelve disciples. Instead, we find a person   who actually had a job that preceded and, in some  ways, was priority above the twelve disciples.   See, the twelve disciples that you read  about…Matthew, Luke, you know, all these   guys you read about…Peter and Andrew…all the guys  you read about. They follow Jesus. This character  

came before Jesus. In fact, the Bible calls him  a voice in the wilderness. We're talking about I   Know That Voice. Before the voice of Jesus spoke,  the voice of John spoke, and here's what he said:   "Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight  the crooked path." In fulfillment of Isaiah's   prophecy, he came declaring, "Repent, for the  kingdom of God is at hand." That was John.   It was John, you may remember, who  baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. Oh,   yeah. John's voice was powerful. He would stand  out and preach with no microphone, no PA system,   no screen support, nobody really to give him  an "Amen," because what he was preaching was so   controversial it challenged their lifestyle. heaven is at hand," the people would stream  out into the wilderness, into the desert,   to be baptized by John. Imagine his shock  when Jesus, the one who his voice was meant   to herald into the earth as a human…when  Jesus showed up to be baptized by John.   Let's look at that for a moment in Matthew,  chapter 3, before we go any further. When   Jesus came to be baptized by John, he was already  busy baptizing others. In Matthew 3:11, John said,   "I baptize you with water for repentance. But  after me comes one who is more powerful than I,  

whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He…" Talking about Jesus. "'…will baptize   you with the Holy Spirit and fire. he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his  wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with   unquenchable fire.' Then Jesus came from Galilee  to the Jordan to be baptized by John." How can   he who had no sin be washed in the water for the  remission of sin? That's what John is wondering.   "But John tried to deter him, saying, 'I need  to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?'   Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is  proper for us to do this to fulfill all   righteousness.'" Jesus was not being baptized so  that his sin could be washed away; he was being   baptized so that yours could. In other words,  he's perfectly fulfilling all of the righteous   requirements because he knows that we can't.

baptized, he went up out of the water. At that  moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of   God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven…" The voice of the Father   from heaven with the Holy Spirit alighting. whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"  John heard it. John heard it in the Jordan.   He heard the affirmation. I mean, you  talk about confirmation, affirmation,   knowing it's God. John heard  a voice from heaven saying,   "This is the one." So, how in Luke  7:18-19 is John calling his disciples…?   Remember, John sent his disciples away to  follow Jesus. When he saw Jesus, he said,   "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of  the world. I'm not worthy to carry his sneakers.   I can't carry his flip-flops. Follow him." And  they did. So, not only was John certain but he   was sacrificial. He gave up the ministry he had so  Jesus could have the ministry that he couldn't.   Now the Bible says that John called two of his  disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, "Are  

you the one who is to come, or should we expect  someone else?" I could understand this question   if he had just received reports that Jesus was  taking long naps and teaching boring lectures,   but remember what we read right  before this. The disciples just   saw Jesus raise a boy from the dead. right up to his bier and touched it, and  when he touched the stretcher, he said,   'Get up!' and the kid just sat up, and Jesus  handed him back to… Jesus just ruined a funeral,   John. They were having a perfectly good funeral.  They were about to bury that boy, and Jesus said,   'You won't need this grave plot today. You  can save this for later, but not today.'"   Tell somebody, "Not today. Not today. Not  today. Not today." Because when Jesus speaks,   resurrection happens. Because dead things  come alive. Dead things come alive. I know   a name. I know a name. I know a name! I know  a name! (I can do a run.) I know a name that   if he speaks to a grave, it'll be empty by the  time he gets done saying it. That's what I'm   talking about. He just raised somebody  from the grave, and John said, "That's   interesting. Go ask him, 'Are you the one?'" text? How can he be so confused  when Jesus' identity is so clear?  

This is where I'm glad we have four  gospel accounts…Matthew, Mark, Luke,   and John. John wasn't written by John the  Baptist; it was written by the humble disciple,   the one who said he was the one Jesus loved. also wrote the book of Acts. Mark was written  as an action gospel from Simon Peter's memory,   but Matthew was written with some  details that the others left out. See,   when you read Luke, chapter 7, it says, "John's  disciples told him about all these things,   and calling two of them…" He had questions. He  had confusions, and, yes, one of the most powerful   men in Scripture had doubts. Doubt. Doubt. to make sure you know. If you have doubts  and come to this church, we won't kick you   out. In some churches, they will make you  feel like you don't belong if you're having   trouble believing. I don't understand that. I  definitely don't understand it, because I know   how much doubt there is out there that people  are just pressing down and not talking about.   The number-one rule in church is "Don't have  doubt" and number two rule is "If you do,   don't say it out loud," but the number one rule  in this church is "Bring it to Jesus." Bring it   to Jesus. Can we give John a hand? Can we give  him a hand instead of judging John that he had  

doubts? Notice what he did. Luke, chapter 7, verse  19: "He sent them to the Lord to ask." See, that's   all you've really got to do with your doubts. or shake them out or pray them… Just take  them to the Lord. Touch somebody and say,   "Take it to the Lord. Take it to the Lord." It's  so important in times of doubt, whether you are   doubting your faith, whether you are doubting  your future, whether you are doubting yourself,   whether you are doubting your decision… that you shrink your circle and only  talk to people about your doubts who   are the Lord or who will take them to the  Lord with you. I need to say that again,   because if you start talking too much about doubt  with people who don't have any faith themselves   and won't agree with you, it won't be long before  they will talk you out of believing altogether.   But I need some people in my life that I can  talk to and I can say, "I'm struggling with   something right now. Will you believe with  me that I can get my act together before   I blow my life up? I'm having a lot of shame  right now. I'm in some patterns right now. I   don't even like them, but I can't break them.

don't want to leave my wife and kids, but I keep  feeling like I don't want to come home, and maybe   I can't keep doing this." I need some people in my  life who will help me take my doubts to the Lord.   What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sin and grief to bear;  What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer.   He didn't just ask his disciples,  "Do you think he's the one?" He said,   "Go ask Jesus directly. Ask the Lord  directly. 'Did I get it wrong? I thought   you were the one when I baptized you  and gave up my ministry to follow you,   but did I get it wrong?'" Why would you wonder  that when you're hearing things so wonderful?   Brother Matthew steps in to give one little  detail that may help us to understand.   In Matthew 11, Matthew includes something in  his account that Luke left out. Matthew 11:2:   "When John, who was in prison, heard about the  deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to   ask him, 'Are you the one who is to come,  or should we expect someone else?'" Luke   tells you what he asked: "Are you the one?"  Matthew tells where he asked it from: prison.  

Now I understand something. You can't understand  my doubt if you don't understand my dungeon. This   prison was built by Herod, and it was built on  a mountain cliff. On one side of the property,   you had the palace where all the parties  would happen, and then beneath the palace,   carved into the cliff, you had a prison. to dungeons. He was used to open air. And  before you judge him for being in prison,   he was there for preaching. Sometimes you're wrong  because you've sinned. Sometimes you end up in a   tight space because you did something wrong, and,  hey, there's grace for you there. When you get it   wrong and God shows you that you're wrong…  By the way, learn to look for God's warnings   in your life as blessings, not curses.

sometimes it starts to beep at me. It kind of  annoys me that it beeps, but I'm glad it beeps,   because the beep means I'm about to back  up into something. Even if it's annoying,   I don't want it to go away, because it is  telling me, "Hey, you might want to slow   down." The faster it beeps, the more it means you  need to pay attention because there is something…   Touch somebody and say, "The beep is a  blessing." That's what I'm trying to say.   The beep is a blessing. When God's Spirit  convicts you of something in your life,   that's a blessing, just like when he comforts  you. When God starts beeping and says, "Don't   text them back…" When God starts talking to you  and says, "You'd better block them real quick…"   When God starts talking and says, "You know  you can't watch seven hours of that and then   pray for peace…" They're all running around on the  screen. Everybody is having sex with everybody. If   they're not having sex with them, they're killing  them. If they're not killing them, they're cussing   them out. If they're not cussing them out… pray for peace. God will say, "Beep! Beep!  Beep! Back up off of that. You don't need   all of that." That is not condemnation; that is  the kindness of God that leads me to repentance.   When God shows you something that's wrong in  your life… I don't know who this is for, but   there are two things. You can repent and redeem.

wrong…"Hey, you were harsh how you talked to  them"…you can repent and redeem. You can even   open up a door to have another conversation  about it. When God shows you something he   wants you to change, when God says, "Hey,  you got that wrong," God will always show   you where to repent with the goal of redemption.  That's the difference between God and Satan.   God will take you through things and show you  what's wrong through reflection. That's his   tool to bring you to repentance. Repentance is  his tool to bring you to redemption so he can   take what the Enemy meant for evil and use it  for good. The Enemy doesn't use reflection; the   Enemy uses regret. That's his weapon. He wants to  show you not only was it wrong but you're wrong.   In the case of John, he has done nothing  wrong, only righteous. Matthew says he   was in prison. When he heard from prison  about the deeds of the Messiah, he said,   "Are you the one or should we expect someone  else?" You know what I think, church? Look   at me. I think he had been isolated so long  the prison walls had started to talk to him.   I think it was clear to him who Jesus was in  the Jordan, but it was cloudy in the jail.  

You ever had something that was clear to you  in one moment and cloudy in the next? That's   John. He's doubting, but he's in a dungeon.  Sometimes you will judge someone for doubting,   but you don't understand their dungeon. "It's hard for me to believe what you're saying  when I'm facing bankruptcy and you're saying,   'Jireh, you are enough.' Jireh needs to help  me pay off my light bill and my gas bill,   and then it'll be enough. It is hard for me  to hear you talk about second chances. It's   even hard for me to hear you talk about college  when we're trying to have a kid, and we've been   trying seven years, and we can't have one." my declaration through the filter of your  dungeon. It can be hard for you to believe,   not because you doubt what God can do. They were  telling him, "Jesus is raising the dead. Jesus   is opening the eyes of the blind. He is doing  miracles, and it's amazing." It's not that you   doubt what God can do; you are wondering why  he won't do it for you. This is the tension.   When I say, "I know that voice," it is that I  heard their testimony, but I'm going through my   test. I am hearing the party on the hill,  but I am not in the party in the palace.  

I'm down here underneath it. I'm still trying to  recover. I'm still trying to mend my relationship   with my own daughter. I'm still trying to  heal from things that happened seven years   ago. I'm in a dungeon dealing with my doubts. this message might be for, but I want to give you  three points, and the first one is this: listen   to him, not the prison. Listen to him, not the  prison. John sent his disciples to ask, "Are you   the one or should we look for someone else?" And  he did the right thing, you know, because when you   try to make sense of your situation in isolation,  you always come to the wrong conclusion. Have you   been doing that lately? Wave a pinkie at me. tell you that what you see is all there is.  "I'm in this prison." What you see is all   there is. "I'm alone again on a Friday night.  All of my friends are at the party." What you   see is all there is. "I served that company  for eight years, and they just let me go.   Claude took my job, and now I'm out here with  no education, and what I see is all there is."   This is where it's so important that you know  that voice, because if you listen to your prison  

in these moments, your faith will die. John  told his disciples, "I've been listening to   this prison long enough. Go ask Jesus." I hear  the Spirit of the Lord saying, "Go ask Jesus."   He knows the plans he has for you, plans  to prosper you and not to harm you,   to give you a hope and a future. Go ask Jesus.  Don't ask your emotions if God is still with   you. Your emotions will fluctuate. Your emotions  fluctuate with your blood sugar. You'd better go   ask Jesus. Don't even ask your friends what  they think about it when it's really serious.   You've got to have friends, but you've got to  have friends who can go with you to Jesus.   "What do you say about it, Lord? I'm going  to open my Word." Come on. "I am not going   to take what the Devil is telling me in this  prison cell. I am not going to believe every   thought I think. I am not going to allow myself to  believe that just because I'm facing resistance,   I did something wrong." Can I preach about that?  We think resistance means we did something wrong,   as if God speaks something and it's always easy.  The proof that God speaks it isn't that it's easy;   it's that he's with me when it gets hard.

when you are in the most significant moments of  your life. I will prove it to you. Last week,   I preached about Jesus in the storm. Do you  remember that? And how he told the disciples   to get in the boat and go to the other side, and  he sent them into the wind. Don't you think they   felt that wind and thought, "Maybe he didn't  really say, 'Go to the other side.' Maybe he   didn't really tell us to get in this boat"? there was something so significant on the other  side of the storm they had to get to, because   resistance is an indication of significance.  Let me break it down to the smallest level. If   a neighbor that lives next door to me steals my  Wi-Fi, I'm not going to resist it. I'm not going   to even say anything about it. That is not a  battle worth fighting. It's just my Wi-Fi.   If they jump on my Wi-Fi signal, I'll probably  let it go. I won't resist it at all if they steal   my Wi-Fi. If they steal my wife, that's  different than my Wi-Fi. Now we have got   to access a different part of my anointing, and  this part of my anointing isn't the praying part;   this is the laying on of hands part, because you  can have my Wi-Fi, but my wife is important to me,   and that's worth fighting for. You can tell  what's significant to me by what I resist.  

Has the Enemy been resisting you? I suggest to you  that it may be that the favor of God is so strong   on your life the Enemy knows he has to fight  you lest you get through this and do something   significant. I'll fight for you, girl. from Tanzania. Why are y'all cheering? I was  almost through every pack of ramen noodles I   could find at the grocery store when she  got back. I'll fight for my wife because   it's the most significant relationship I have. like some of us. The prison walls are saying, "Why  is everybody else getting to see the miracles?   Why is everybody else getting married? Why is  everybody else having babies? Why is everybody   else praising God for their testimony? Why  did their kids come back home to God and yours   didn't? Why have they been three years sober  and you can't make three months? Why has the   fight been so strong?" God hasn't forgotten  you; he has favored you. The hand of God has   always been on your life, and it's still on your  life. I don't listen to prisons; I listen to him.   How are we doing? Are we doing all right? Listen  to him. What does the Lord say? What does he  

speak about my situation? But it's not only  John's situation that we've got to understand;   it's his expectations. See, John was  raised in a belief system that said,   "When Messiah comes, he is going to  judge our enemies and free our people."   So, here comes Jesus. You've got to remember  John and Jesus had a special relationship.   The Bible actually says that when Elizabeth,  John's mom, was pregnant and Mary, Jesus' mom,   came to visit Elizabeth, her relative, when  Mary said hello to Elizabeth, the baby in   Elizabeth's womb (John) started jumping. John started jumping just when Mary said  hello. Jesus didn't even say hello. Somebody   who was carrying Jesus said hello, and John  started jumping. John took a praise break in   the sixth month of his mother's pregnancy when  he heard that Jesus was here. Jesus is here.   Jesus is here. Jesus is here. Jesus is here.  Jesus is here. Jesus is here. Jesus is here.   Reach seven people and say, "Jesus is here.  Jesus is here. Jesus is here. Jesus is here."   And if you know him, it'll make something  inside you jump when he shows up. Huh? It'll  

make something inside you get excited when he  shows up. John was excited when he saw Jesus,   excited enough to say, "Look! The Lamb of  God who takes away the sins of the world."   But then Jesus starts to do his ministry. the Jordan (give me Matthew 3:12 again, please),  he said, "His winnowing fork is in his hand,   and he will clear his threshing floor,  gathering his wheat into the barn and   burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." you thresh the wheat and throw it up and then  let the chaff fall off and burn in the fire,   and John was like, "That's what Jesus is going to  do to all of you who don't believe. You see that   chaff in that fire? You see that fork? My God is  strong and mighty, and he's about to burn… You'd   better turn or burn. Get right or get left. Get on  the bus, Gus. Don't cuss. Don't discuss much. He's   going to burn you up in the fire with the fork."

it's amazing! He's opening blind eyes." John is  like, "That's nice, but what about the fork?"   "Yeah, it's amazing, man. People who were never  able to speak are speaking. He just loosens their   tongue and they're speaking. It's amazing!" In fact, when they were coming back to John, and  Jesus said, "Tell him that the blind see and the   lame walk and the mute speak and the deaf hear and  the dead live and the good news is preached to the   poor," he was quoting Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. So,  imagine you're John, and you're expecting a fork   and a fire. You're in prison, and  they come to you, and they're like,   "Okay. We got a message from Jesus. We asked  what you told us to ask him. 'Are you the one?'"   John is like, "Uh-huh. What did he say?" Look  at their report. They say, "Okay. The deaf hear,   the mute speak, the lame walk, recovery of sight  to the blind, the dead live, the good news is   preached to the poor." Now John knows that Jesus  is quoting Isaiah 61. "The blind receive sight."   Look at this in Isaiah 61. "The Spirit of the  Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has   anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor."

back, please, to Luke, chapter 7, when  they're telling him what Jesus said,   or when Jesus is telling them the message to  take back, please. "John the Baptist sent us   to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or  should we expect someone else?'" Then Jesus   starts talking to the messengers. Next verse,  please. "At that very time Jesus was curing   many diseases… So he replied, 'Go back and  report to John what you have seen and heard:   The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who  have leprosy are cleansed…'" This is Isaiah 35.   "…the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the  good news is proclaimed to the poor." Go back   to Isaiah 61. "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord  is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to   proclaim good news to the poor." So, John is like,  "Go tell Jesus that I said, 'Are you the one?'"   In other words, he's doubting. In other words,  "Are you going to do what I expect you to do?"   So, they said, "Okay. He said, 'The blind, the  lame, [da-da-da-da-da], and he said that the   good news is preached to the poor." And John  goes, "Oh, he's quoting Isaiah 61. This is   one of my favorite Scriptures. The good news is  preached to the poor." Look at what comes next.   "He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,  to proclaim freedom for the captives and   release from darkness for the prisoners…"  So, John is sitting there. He's like, "Oh,   he's about to get to the part about freedom for  the captives, which means he's coming to get me."  

But what do you do when God doesn't  say the part you want him to say?   Because Luke, chapter 7, says that Jesus said,  "Go tell John that the blind receive sight, the   lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed…"  This is Luke 7:22. "…the deaf hear, the dead are   raised, and the good news is proclaimed  to the poor." John is like, "Yeah, yeah,   and bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives  free. Right?" But Jesus doesn't say that part.   What do you do when Jesus leaves out the part you  wanted to hear the most? Because all he said is,   "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble  on account of me." In other words, "John,   I need you to let go of your plan and lock into  my purpose. I need you to let go of what you   thought." God is speaking to somebody today.

into God's purpose, because I'm not going to  do what you wanted me to do. I know you were   waiting on a fork. I know you were waiting on  a fire. I know you were waiting on freedom. I   know you were waiting on all of these things to  happen, but, John, I need you to know that you   are someone who is so significant I can trust  you enough to leave you in that situation.   I know that even if the situation doesn't  change, even if I don't come when you want me to,   even if I don't do what you want me to, even if  I don't answer your prayer like I'm answering   all of theirs, I know and believe you have  the faith to remain even when you don't see   the release you're praying for." So, John is  saying, "Where's the fork? Where's the fire?"   and Jesus is saying, "Where's the faith?" season of your life that I can still do what  you knew I could do when you were jumping   around before you were born." Touch somebody  and say, "I still believe it. I still believe   it. I still believe it." Somebody shout it at  the top of your lungs. "I still believe it."   "Where's the fork? Are you mocking me? I believe  this stuff. I believe every word of this is true.   I believe God can do something even in a dungeon  that all of the world's powers could not do in a  

palace. I still believe it. I still believe it.  I didn't get what I wanted when I wanted it,   but I still believe it." Then the Bible says  he turned around to the crowd and began to say   about John, "What did you go into the wilderness  to see? A reed swayed by the wind?" Not John.   "If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed  in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive   clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces.  But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes,   I tell you, and more than a prophet." Keep going.  "This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will   send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare  your way before you.'" Hold that frame. Hold that   frame. Hold that frame. "This is the one." deaf hear. The blind see." Do you remember  what John asked Jesus? "Are you the one?"   Look at what Jesus said about John: "This  is the one." Here's what I'm trying to   say. John stopped believing in Jesus, but  Jesus never stopped believing in John.   Isn't that good to know? If I'm faithless, he  remains faithful. By the way, John didn't stop  

believing long. The Bible records that he  was actually willing to give his life for   Jesus in prison. Even when they cut his head  off, he didn't turn back from what he knew   was right. That's the kind of faith John had. Some people think, you know, "If you  have great faith, God will always give   you everything you want." That's one version.  Another version says that God knows you have   the kind of faith that can remain and stay and  believe and trust even if he doesn't meet your   expectations. In human relationships, when an  expectation isn't met, one of two things happen.   One is it gets filled in that gap, and  it gets filled with grace. You know,   "Hey, you didn't meet my expectations, but I  understand." The other is it gets filled with   a grudge. Do you have a grudge against God that  you haven't mentioned in your heart right now   from what he didn't do for you that you wanted  him to do? He said, "I trust John enough that I   can give him my word, and that will be enough."

the worst prison story in the Bible, because  in Acts, chapter 16, they sing at midnight,   and the chains come loose, and everybody gets  free. I used to think that Joseph was in prison,   and then he got out of prison because he  interpreted a dream. I thought that was   amazing. When Peter was in prison and the angel  came and broke his chains off and got him out,   I thought it was amazing. But you know what? encourage my faith is that John never got out  of prison, but his faith never left either,   even though he doubted. Do you doubt? That's  good. Doubt is just a door. Doubt is a door   that God can come through and take you  deeper in your faith. That's all right,   but just, John, don't fall away. Don't fall  away. Keep trusting that he is enough even   when he doesn't do the stuff you want him to do.

when God does not do what I wanted that my  faith really has a chance to demonstrate.   With your heads bowed and your eyes closed all  over this auditorium, I have a message today   for somebody who thinks, "I got it wrong."  You know, God never looks at you and thinks,   "What if I chose the wrong person?" God still knew, "That's my man. That's  my prophet. I can trust him enough."   Father, my prayer for your people today is that  they would trust you enough that when you do not   do the thing they most wanted you to do… And I  know, Lord. I can feel it even in this message.   There's a part of me that wants to preach,  "And God is going to get you out of this. God   is going to come and open the prison doors."

God, when you allow us to stay in the situation  we're in, I believe there is a greater revelation   you want to give. So, show yourself strong,  God. Show yourself mighty on behalf of your   people. Show them a level of trust. Show them  that you are enough for their unmet needs.   Show them that you are still enough  even when they feel like they are not.   Father, may we have the faith like John to  say, "I must decrease; you must increase."   Everybody stand to your feet. There's  a little song we sing that I want   you to sing a little differently  after hearing this message today.   It says, "I trust in God, my Savior, the one  who will never fail." Hey, the fact that he   will never fail doesn't mean he always does  what I want; it means he promises to be with   me right in the middle of it. Clap your hands if  you believe that. Put a praise on this message.   Now would you lift both of your hands like you're  just saying to your Father, "I believe that you're   the one who will never fail. You cannot fail. You  cannot lie." Say this. "God, I know you've got me,  

and I trust you. I trust your timing. I know your  voice, and I trust your name." Can we sing a few   lines of that, "I trust in God, my Savior"? So, God, I still believe you. I believe you're  a shepherd who walks with me through the valley.  

Yes, God. Somebody say, "Amen." I still believe  you. I believe that even though you did not meet   my expectations you are worthy of my trust. a medical diagnosis, but I still believe you, no  matter what the doctors say. I know the Doctor who   made the doctor who made the doctor. I trust in  God." Somebody say it. "I trust in God." As I'm   waiting, I choose to worship. As I'm questioning,  I choose to trust. I trust in God. I trust in his   Word. I trust in his promise. I trust in  your name. I trust in what you say. God,   you're true and every man is a liar.

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