God Works In Mysterious Ways (Rich Wilkerson Jr.)

not that God is not with you. He's always with you. You don't have to be at church to know that He's with you in your car, he's with you at work, He's with you in that difficulty. But the scripture says that He inhabits the praises of his people. And there's something about praise and worship that makes me aware. Come on, anybody, aware today that God is with us and God is working. Come on, I want you to clap your hands. I want you to behave today like you are, glad you're

in the house of the Lord. What an honor it is to be back at Elevation Church and always just so grateful to stand behind this pulpit. It is never ever lost on me just the work that is taking place right here at Elevation Church as it goes from this room to all over the world. And it's not by coincidence, it's not by accident, it's by intentional leadership.

And I'm so grateful, honestly, when I come. One of my greatest honors is just to get behind this pulpit and just to say thank you so much to I think two voices that have been raised up for such a time as this. Anybody thankful for Pastor Stephen and Hally. I'm telling y'all, these are two of God's finest and their life, their leadership has so impacted me, so changed me. I'm so thankful for who they are. I think they're trailblazers.

What that means is that they go into the tough areas and they make a way for others to follow, and there's so many of us that are following behind them. I always just come to say, take good care of them, Pray for them, love on them. They're doing a lot of work. They need your prayers, they need your support, they need your encouragement. You are blessed with good leadership. Let me just tell you there's a blessing on them, and when you get under them, come on, that blessing

flows on you. Let's clap our hands and thank God for amazing, amazing leadership. Hey, yo, what about this new song? I know when nay dead things coming back to life, I could just close right now. I already got more than what I came for. In fact, someone right now at Voo Church back in Miami's watching the service and we are illegally taking that song. It's gonna be in our worship set next week. No one can sing like Chris, but we're just gonna bring your vocals in and fake it,

lip sync it. Anyone grateful for another brand new, beautiful song that just ministers to us. Who I know a name, I know a name. If you got a Bible, Luke, Chapter seven is where I want you to turn. You can stay standing for a moment as we read the word of God. Merry Christmas, everyone, Christmas came early. I'm covered by the blood of Jesus. This is very red, I think extremely red. But it's a bold move for a bold sermon. Luke Chapter seven, starting in verse eleven,

it says this. Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Name, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. And 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. Can we just say that outloud? Say don't cry. Then he went up and he touched the beer they were carrying him on, and the bearers

stood still. He said, young man, I say to you, get up. The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and they praised God. A great prophet has appeared among us. They said, God has come to help his people. And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea, and the surrounding country. I don't know about you, but I know a name today. I know a name today. I don't know what you walked in here with today,

but I believe God's presence is here. God's power is here all of you watching online right now. I know a name today, and he's getting ready to reveal himself like never before in your life. I'm already getting excited just reading this passage. I got a good sermon today, but I already feel it springing up on the inside of me. I want to preach for a few moments if I can today from the subject. God works in mysterious ways. God works in mysterious ways, And would you

pray me. Lord. We thank you for your word. We thank you that it's a lie, that it's active God. We thank you that it's more relevant today than it ever has been. God. In shaky times and scary times and uncertain times. Lord, we look to your word for something stable and true that we can stand upon. Lord. I pray for everybody that's here at Elevation today, the entire EPAM who's joined us by way of online. Lord.

Today we asked that you'd minister to us, that you'd speak to us that you would remind us of that powerful name, the name of Jesus. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. And if you agree with that prayer. All of God's people said, all of God's people said, if you love Jesus one more time, give him a big, big shout all over this place, all right, high five. A few people tell them God is working. Say God is working in the chat right now,

tell him God is working. God is working. Would anybody agree with me that life is a mystery? I mean, life is a mysterious I think about that old expression. The more I know, the less I understand. Some of you all say amen, pastor honestly. It's like I just turned forty this past year. Thank you, Honestly. Even though older I get sometimes I'm like, man, some things are just still complicated. I'm still learning stuff. I'm still trying

to understand stuff. And I could give you a lot of examples, but let's just use one right down in front of us. It's like airplanes, for instance. H I fly on airplanes a whole lot. In fact, I have flown three million air miles with American Airlines. I'm pretty much on staff except I pay them and they don't pay me. And uh. But it's like like I fly all the time, but I'm still like, I still don't guess if I still have questions. That's probably a good

way to say it. At the end of the day, I was flying and this was just like two weeks ago, and I had my iPad. My iPad is one of those keyboards and I'm out typing on my iPad and the stewardess she walks by and she says, sir, you're gonna we're getting ready for landing. You got to put the iPad. You can keep the iPad out, but you got to put the keyboard away. And I was like why, and she goes, oh, it's not safe. I go, not safe. I don't understand. What's what's that jeopardy here with the

keyboard being out? But this happens all the play. Great thing about like I usually fly, I don't fly. I usually fly second class. You know, don't talking about in the back hello second class? And uh sometimes when you're in second class, you know, you got the seats and they don't give you much room. Right, It's like here and here preaching to someone to day here and here same thing. I got questions. They walked by, Sir, you have to put your seat up for landing. Why, oh,

it's not safe. Excuse me, Yeah, it's not safe. You mean safe, unsafe, safe, unsafe. These are questions. Just a few weeks ago, I took off forty five minutes late, but we landed on time. I'm walking out. I say, oh, man, we took off forty five minutes late. How did we get here on time? She said, Oh, that's easy. The pilot just flew faster. He can do that. How come he doesn't always do that? Is there a speed limit we're all unaware of? All right, So so four weeks ago,

I'm flying back from Birmingham. It is a true story. The unthinkable, the unmanageable, the unexpected took place. This has never happened to me. I've been flying with this airline for twenty some years. I get up to go to the bathroom, and friends, when I go into the bathroom, I get locked in the bathroom. Now, let's just be honest, like, none of us are usually go to the bathroom. One Oh, I'm never gonna get out of here. I'm in the lavatory,

that's what they call it. On an airplane and I'm stuck. I'm trying to get out, but like I'm kind of putting some pressure on the door and like I don't know for you, like how long before you cry out for help? I'm like, I can figure this out. I can figure this out. Well, I don't know. It's probably only like a minute, but it felt like I start having a panic attack, like I gotta get out of here. I start, you, guys, I start screaming out, somebody help me.

I'm stuck in the bathroom. To my amazement, and to my shock, an elderly woman flat attendant came and I don't know if she was like a she starts hitting this door with a with a force that like boom, but she breaks through the door. You guys, When I come out of the bathroom, the entire plane is clapping. I didn't know what to do. I just embraced her and said, thank you, my savior. Questions things, this is a mystery. How come the more I know, the less

I understand, and it leaves me in this place. And honestly, it's funny, but this is sort of how life works, that you can just kind of be going on your journey thirty years, forty years, fifty years, sixty years, and you might be getting a handle on life. Then all of a sudden, something comes, something happens, and you find yourself stuck. You find yourself trapped, You find yourself in a place. And sometimes we have the strength to break

through the silence. But some of us, even in this room today and some of us watching online right now, we find ourselves in a place that what we're going through is so difficult that we can't even muster out a whisper. It's not just life that's mysterious. I mean,

I know faith is mysterious. Like what I'm discovering is that the closer I get to God, the more I recognize just how far away I was to begin with, which means that, like maturity in Jesus ought not to lead to spiritual superiority, maturity in Jesus leads us to a place of deep humility. And I think a humble thing that you and I both can do is humility,

is when our faith actually has questions. Maybe you're here today and you are going I'm going through life and I have faith, but I have questions, So do I I do this for a living I have questions sometimes I look around and going, yeah, why do bad things happen to good people? How about this? Why do good things happen to bad people? How Come some doors open automatically and then some just stay shut It seems like forever. How Come sometimes I can pray and pray and pray

and nothing turns around. But then there's other areas of my life where there's great breakthrough or great miracles and there wasn't even a petition uttered. How about this? This one hits home for me? How Come I can go and preach on stages of thousands of people and watch hundreds of people respond to the gospel. It's sometimes the people closest to my life, it's like their heart stays hard. Come on, anybody ever got some questions when it comes

to faith? I do not think that questions are offensive to God. I want to encourage someone the day who walked in here with some questions in their faith. That you're going through a difficult time. God is not intimidated by your questions. In fact, as you begin to serve the Lord, what you'll realize is that questions don't have to define your faith. They can refine your faith. In fact, when it comes to questions, it's that yo. Faith does not eliminate questions, but faith re routes where I take

my questions too. Come on, anybody believe that we have the answer, we have the hope, we can bring them to God. After all, a question mark is just an exclamation mark been out of shape. I'm hoping by the end of this message that some of you who've walked in here with questions. It's not that your question will be immediately removed, but you might be saying why am I here? But by the end of this message, you're going to take that question and turn it into a declaration.

I am here for such a time as this. Can I get a witness in this house if you got some faith in the room today. Life is a mystery. Faith is a mystery, and really all of meaning in life is when you lean into the mysteries, when you bring your questions before God and you find meaning in whatever mystery you are up against. I believe our text today is a beautiful, beautiful story around the mystery of God.

To put into some context really quick, Luke, chapter seven, our texts begin saying soon afterward, and I think that's important that when you start studying the Bible, you always go what just happened? Well, Jesus was in Capernaum. We didn't read it today, but he was in Capernaum. And while he was there, that's his ministry headquarters. He's preaching and teaching. And a Roman official centurion sends word to Jesus that his servant is sick, and he says, can

you come to my house. Well, Jesus starts making his way to the centurion's house, and then all of a sudden, the centurion sends out more leaders or servants, and he sends the word and saying, hey, I know who you are, and I believe you have great authority. And I don't even need you to come to my roof. If you'll just say the word, I believe my servant can be made well. Which, by the way, this is a great lesson, because leadership is never seen in your presence. It's always

seen in your absence. Great power is not that I have to shout and yell at someone. Great power is when I can whisper and it begins to change things around. The Bible says that Jesus was amazed at this man's faith. In fact, he's so amazed that instantly he heals the man, although he doesn't even go and pray for the man. Would you believe there's only two times in scripture that Jesus is amazed. It's this moment right here. The second

time is in Mark chapter six. He's amazed because he's in his hometown, and in his hometown they're very familiar with him, and they got questions, isn't this the carpenter's boy. Isn't this the guy who is from Nazareth? He can't be the Messiah? And the Bible says that Jesus was unable to do many miracles and he was amazed. Listen to this at their lack of faith. There's only two ways that you amaze Jesus. It's either faith or no faith. And I want to encourage someone because maybe you think

faith is measured by your church attendants. Maybe you think faith is measured by how many scriptures you have memorized. Maybe you think faith means I never fall or never have a question. No, my friend, that is not the surement of great faith. Great faith is simply measured when you take God at his word. God, if you said it, I believe it. Jesus, if you said I could do it, I want to do it. I believe today that in

this room there is great faith. If that's you in this house, clap your hands, make a little bit of noise. I want great faith. If you said it, I believe it's going to happen. And so the Bible says that soon after this moment, this great miracle, Jesus and his crew start heading twenty miles away to another town. And the town is called name. Everyone say name. And as Jesus is entering into the town of Name, there is another crew exiting the city. So just get this picture.

Jesus's party is entering the city, and then we see there's a funeral party exiting the city. Two conflicting crowds colliding. This crowd that Jesus is encountering is far different from his crowd. Jesus' crowd is celebrating, they're happy, they're excited, but this other crowd is a funeral procession. Nine, by definition means a beautiful place. And I think sometimes about my city. They say about Miami that Miami is sonny

on the outside but shady on the inside. But I think Nane like Miami like Charlotte, like wherever you're tuning in from today is a picture of life that so often we can look good on the outside, but on the inside there's deep affliction. There's deep brokenness, there's deep affliction by definition means be stuck in a state of suffering. Help, I'm locked in the bathroom. Are you afflicted today? Are

you stuck in something today? I want to remind people I love the spirit in this house, and I love the spirit that's honestly right now going through these cameras as people are watching, but we're living in name that in this room, even right now, this is life. Someone can be winning, and someone can be losing. Someone could be really happy, and someone can also be really hurting.

Someone can be celebrating, and somebody can be mourning. I think about some of you just here right now, Like, let's just never ever forget all the people in the room. Let's never forget all the people that are getting this ministry today. Someone today, a baby is being born while somebody else is burying their father. Someone's getting ready for a marriage this week, and somebody else just got a divorce this week. Somebody is celebrating a birthday and somebody

else is headed to a funeral. I see it because it hits me. And every time we walk into a room like this, we've got to be aware that there's all sorts of different stories colliding and conflicting. But I don't know about you. If you're like me, I'm looking at this story and I'm saying, Yo, what a divine appointment? Because if you're headed to a funeral, can you imagine you're headed to a funeral that somehow you have a

collision with Christ. See this is prophetic for someone today because many times when you collide with Jesus, you don't even know that he's on the way to you. You're headed to the funeral, but he's headed to invade your life. See today, we didn't come just to tell you about the problem. We didn't just come to talk about your affliction. We came to remind you that there is an answer

to your affliction. Come on, there's an anecdote to your affliction. Oh. I know a name, and his name is Jesus Christ, King of Kings, and he can turn your story around. I want to encourage you. Maybe today you're stuck in something and you feel like I don't see any help on the way. I remember when I was in college, I had this experience where I saw this, I saw this guy get hit by a car. Now that doesn't sound funny, but it was actually hilarious. He said, tell me, well, okay,

so here's the story. So I'm in college, probably my sophomore year, and this dude is walking with his with his girlfriend, and I can tell just by the way he's walking that it's like puppy dog love, you know, those early stages love. That that that's a real mystery right there, that kind of love. You know, they're walking and you know he's just got way too much swagging his step. You know, falling in love is is crazy because how many you know, like guys, we all have a different

voice when we're falling in love dudes. Where I was like, yeah it, what's up?

just celebrated eighteen years of marriage. Holler at your boy. And I remember when I was an eighteen year old fallen in love with her. We're on the phone at night. Yeah, I miss you, No, I miss you. It's like, all right, we gotta go. No, no, no, no, never say no no, don't go. All right, we gotta hang up. Oh I hate it. Okay, on three, we're gonna hang up. You promise, I promise. Okay, babe, No, I miss you? Okay, ready? One? Two, three? Are you still there? It's fall in love. It's mysterious.

So so this dude is totally in love. Okay, they're walking. How do I know their love? Because he's walk They got their fingers laced. That's always a sign, right, how man, y'all know you you only laced fingers with your girl. You ever been in a church service the pastor's like, hey, join hands with your neighbor. You're like, nah, bro, married, I don't want to. Don't lace fingers with me? You know, like that's stop there. They're walking. This this is true story.

They're walking. Gets to the crosswalk, He's like, all right, I'm across the street. Bye. Girl walks out on the crosswalk. Way too cool. A car. A car hits this man. When it hits him, he rolls over the hood, falls and somehow, by the grace of God, lands on his feet. The only thing is is he tried to act like he didn't get hit by a car. He tried to walk it out like nothing just happened. Yo, you can't do that. You can't be walking up over the thing. Land on your feet. Now, walk it out, get out.

I'm way too petty for that. I had to run across the here like grow you just got hit by a car. And what he said to me has always stuck with me. He said, I know, I didn't see it coming, and so many of us that's how life happens. I didn't see it coming. I wasn't expecting it. I didn't anticipate it. I didn't see that suffering. I didn't see that pain. I didn't see that affliction. And there is no doubt that pain can hit your life fast. But I want to encourage you today that God can

hit your life even faster. Do you know we serve the God of suddenly that when God shows up, he shows up without warning. When God wants to do something in your life, he does so in an unexpected way, in an instant. He can invade your darkness all at once. He can interrupt your funeral, and he can show up and say, I've come to cancel the funeral. Somebody give God some praise in this place. He cancels funerals and know a name. So here's this moment. It's not a coincidence.

Fifteen minutes earlier, fifteen minutes later, he would have missed them. One crowd's headed to the cemetery. Jesus is headed to the city, and it's not a car crash, but rather it's a collision with Christ. She didn't even see it coming. She wasn't even expecting it. And the Bible says that when Jesus sees her, his heart begins to break for her. In fact, he looks at this woman and he says, don't cry. This is the heart of Jesus. Please notice

she hasn't even opened up her mouth. This woman's crying, and I think that we ought to just take a moment and say, she's got good reason to cry as we find out this isn't our first funeral, this isn't her first setback. She's already buried her husband, which in that time period, to not have a husband is one of the most difficult, tragic things you could go through because all of your power, position, all of your livelihood would have come from your husband. But this woman has

a plan. She has a one and only son that all of her hopes, all of her dreams are in this boy. But now her plans have died. What do you do when your plans and your dreams die?

that he doesn't say that. That's nowhere actually in the Bible. Now, the word mysteries all over the Bible. Colossians would remind us that we have this mystery, which is Christ in us. Revelation would remind us that God will accomplish his will, and it's a mystery. Mysteries all throughout the Bible. And although this phrase never shows up in the text, we can see this truth all over it. The phrase actually comes from an English poet in the late seventeen hundreds.

His name was William Cowper, and William Kwper, as he tells his own story, was dealing with a deep depression. He was stuck in affliction, and one night he decided he was going to end his life, and so he marched down to the River Thames and he was going to drown himself. But while he was there, he kept seeing a figure walk on the ridge line. Somewhat feeling like he wasn't in a place of privacy, he decided, I'm going to go back to my house and I'll

do the deed in my own home. And as he recounts his story, he would say that three different times he tried to take his life, but every time listen this, Every time he attempted to take his life. He said something was stopping him from doing it. He described it as the invisible hand. Some years later he got saved.

He ended up being discipled by Jonathan Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace, and Newton would encourage him to take his gift of poetry and give it back over to God and to begin to write melodies by putting theology to melody. And his greatest hymn is a hymn called God Moves. And the first stands of that hymn is God works in mysterious ways. I don't know if it ministers to you, but it ministers to me, because the invisible hand is a great way to describe God at work.

Who else placed the stars in the sky the invisible hand? Come on? Who else sets the tides in mo Who else has them rise and fall perfectly? Who set the clock the invisible hand did? God is at work? I just look all over nature and see the mystery. You ever thought about a butterfly? I don't know if you know. You know a butterfly starts as a caterpillar. No, rich, we didn't know that. Well you ought to know it. But who told this this caterpillar?

the story is all over. But then the invisible hand reaches down into that dirt and reminds that seed, you're not buried. Come on, somebody, you're planted, and I will bring you out, David said. And he lifted me out of the myrie pit, out of that slimy pit. He'd put my feet on a solid rock. He put a new song in my mouth. Anybody got a new song today? Go ahead, lift up your praise.

for you outweighs your faith in him. What if I told you that Jesus even acts even when you don't ask. My Bible says he's close to the broken hearted. He's always with us. But I think when you're in pain, when you're in suffering, he gets even closer than some of us today were people of faith. I believe faith speaks, I believe faith talks, I believe faith proclaims. But I just want to remind you about a God who's always been acting on your behalf, long before you ever asked

him to do anything. You didn't ask him to rise the sun this morning. My Bible says it rains on the just and the unjust. You didn't ask him to put air in your lungs, but every breath you take, he put it there. That's what I love about praise and worship. We're just giving God his breath back. That's why I gotta say something. That's why I gotta sing. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly, when we were cursing his name, when we were running

from him. Jesus Christ hung from that tree, shed his blood. We stretched him wide, we hung him high, But he said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they're doing. Somebody, thank God. If you're grateful, then he acts even when you don't have to strength to ask. And he walks over. And as he walks over, the Bible says that he touches the stretcher. The invisible hand becomes the physical hand. It's mysterious, and everybody stops. What's happening. Wait a minute,

you can't touch this dead thing. This is the theology of the day. That a rabbi can't touch something dead because that would make them unclean. The only thing is that Jesus is not some regular rabbi. The only thing is that ge Esus is not just some mere man. The only thing today is that we haven't gathered for principles, we haven't gathered for philosophy. We've gathered to encounter the living God. That Jesus Christ is the son of God

and he can do what he pleases. And when he touches the stretcher, he's telling you and I I'm not afraid of your affliction. I'm not afraid of the thing that's decayed, the thing that you've been hiding. I know some of us, we've exposed our hurts, we've exposed our pains, and people have run from it. But Jesus says, with just one touch, I can handle your pain. I can touch your mess. In fact, God works greatness through our mess. And he touches the stretcher, and everyone stops. Watch what

Jesus says. Jesus says, get up. Someone say get up, someone say get up, because this is a prophecy for your life today. Get up. You do know that when God wants something done, he just speaks. Like when God wants to create something, he speaks it to you. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the earth. And what did God do? God said, let

there be and with his words nothing became something. One that he's on a storm and he's asleep on a cushion, and the disciples are freaking out. Oh, we're gonna die. We're stuck, We're stuck. This is bad. Where's Jesus? They find Jesus asleep? Do you even care if we drown? Jesus wakes up, doesn't shout comes out in the front of the boat. Peace be still and immediately, someone say, immediately the storm settles. In fact, the text says that they were afraid in the storm, but then they became

terrified when it was completely calm. Afraid in the storm, terrified in the calm. Why would that be. Maybe it's because they just witnessed the storm's match. I need to speak to someone today who's hurting. God is not mean, but he is dangerous, and storms have to stop. When he simply speaks. He doesn't have to let out more

than a whisper. But if he whispers into your situation, that which is turbulent, that which is full of obstacles, that which looks like it is dead, Jesus can whisper, and that thing can settle, that thing can come back to life. I need to build your faith today. Can you clap your hands and make a little bit of noise if you're receiving this word. Jesus gets word that his best friend is so sick he's about to die.

They send a letter the one you love is about to die, and Jesus says, this sickness will not end in death, and then he waits two more days. Can you trust that God is working even while you're waiting. He waits two more days. When he finally shows up to the home of Lazarus, we discover that Lazarus has been dead for four days. And when he gets there, Martha's one. If you had only been here, my brother would not have died. I love the scripture. It's the

shortest scripture for looking one to memorize. You can still memorize one in twenty twenty four. Jesus wept. It's a powerful scripture because what you see as you see Jesus say, before I exercise my authority, I'm going to exercise my empathy, because authority without empathy is cheap. I don't know what you're going through, but Jesus weeps. You might be going through hell and high water, but Jesus weeps. He knows how you feel. He senses your pain. He's drawn to it.

He cares about it. And he looks at Martha and says, Yo, Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. What does that mean? It means I don't just do resurrection. No, it's my very nature. When things get around me, I don't care how long they've been dead, four days, fifty days, twenty years. They have to come back to life. Am I preaching to anybody? On a Sunday morning? Dead things coming back to life? And he gets to the cemetery and he says, roll the stone away, and then he looks into that

tomb and what does he say? Lazarus come forth. It's important that he was so specific with naming Lazarus. Had he not named Lazarus, every dead thing in that cemetery would to come walking out like a Michael Jackson thriller video. I'm trying to preach to someone dead things are coming back to life.

Why am I doing I'm changing my position so I can shift my perspective. So much of life wants to bury you, So much of life wants to USh you to the funeral. But if you're notice like down here, down here, I can't see all that good down here. I have one perspective. Down here, I feel the weight of the world. I'm not gonna make it. I'm over whe But then God says get up, and I get up. Can I say, wait a minute, Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

Down here, I'm just trying to survive. Oh Jesus, bring Friday. I gotta get to the weekend. Yo, I'm not gonna make it. But then God says, get up, and I go, wait a minute, I'm not a survivor. I'm more than a conqueror. I'm appreciate it till somebody else feels this. Down here, I don't have the strength. I'm not enough. I feel thin, I feel anxious. I'm too weak. But then God says, get up, and when I get up, I get his perspective. Wait a minute, I can do

all I said, all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Oh, we're gonna get someone that I Down here, I'm overcome by fear down here. I don't know what's gonna happen to America. Down here, I don't know what's gonna happen to my family. Down here, I don't know what's gonna happen to my kids. But then God says, get up, and when I get up, my perspective is shifted. Yay. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death,

I will fear no evil. God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and a sarmind baby, Someone say it up. Oh, I know about a God who's taken me to mountaintops. I know about a God who's taken me to grace. I know about a God who's taken me to miracles. But I also know about a God who's taken me down into the valley. But let me testify from the valley. He's only ever taken me to the valley. He always has brought me through. He always brings me to the

other side. Anybody got some faith God's bringing you through? Someone say, get up. You gotta get up to get a new perspective. You can grab a seat. I promise I'm finished. I'm finished, but grab a seat because I'm gonna really preach it. Get up, Get up, Get up, Get up, Get up, Get up, Get up, get up. I can't help but lift my hands. I'm not lifting my hands because I feel it. I'm lifting my hands because I know it. I can't help but shout. I'm

not shouting because I've got goosebumps. I'm shouting because I'm putting my faith as an exclamation mark in a declaration that, although it's not done yet, I believe God is working. He's mysterious. And the Bible says the boy starts talking. I don't know what he said, doesn't tell us in the scripture, but I imagine it's something like this. Thank you for all of our Spanish speakers. Can I see as my favorite nation in Brazil? But all put that in

the chat right now? How about of God? Oh, Brazilian flags all over the chat. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. They all started worshiping. The boy was resurrected, the funeral was canceled, and the future was conceived. It's mysterious, and the Bible says. They all begin to praise God, because that's what you do. That's what we do on Sundays when Jesus acts, praise reacts. I don't care if it's a new song or not. I got a song

in my heart. It's not my song, it's God's song. I can't stay quiet. I gotta lift my hands, I gotta lift my voice. Jesus has acted mightily in my life. They begin to praise, saying, a great prophet has come. Let me draw your attention to Luke chapter seven. This is Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, and it just spoke to me. I think it's gonna speak to you Luke chapter seven. See if you catch it. Verse sixteen. They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God

was at work among them. Watch this, they were quietly worshipful, and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves. God is back, looking after the needs of his people. And then the news of Jesus spread. It just lands right there for me that every week we gather this is mysterious. We have no idea what God is doing right now in the supernatural. We have no idea the seed of faith that's being planted in your heart wherever you're tuning in

from right now. It's a mystery. It's a holy mystery. It's a mystery in Charlotte. It's a mystery in the Epham, It's a mystery in Miami. And notice the marks of a mystery. Quietly worshipful and then noisily grateful. Do you ever notice this in worship? You ever noticed this? When God shows up? There's these times where it's just a whisper, Oh God, God, thank you, God, thank you. You saved my marriage. God, you saved my kids. Oh God, thank you.

But then there's other times I don't care if you're a Pentecostal or not, that you start getting noisily grateful. I can't help it. I've gotta testify. I have a reason to praise God. If I don't praise him, whoa, the rocks will cry out in my place. But other times, othertimes, Oh God, oh Jesus, be still A. No, I know you're with me. I know you're here. I know you're at work. It's mysterious. I know I can't see it right now. I know I feel stuck. I know I

don't have to strength to show. But God, I sense you. And then all of a sudden it flips around into a noisily grateful moment. Oh, I might not be where where I want to be, but thank God, I'm not where I used to be. I was dead, but now I hear. I was blind, but now I see. I was lost, but I've been found.

hide the room. You're gonna help me preach this t right here. Try to say God is here, and no whisper. Not you guys, you're way too aggressive. Say God is here one more time. Any Pentecostals in the room today, All right, you know your part. God is working one more time this side, Pentecostals. I'm doing that because I don't know how you need to hear it today. But God sent me from Miami to tell you. Whether it's a whisper or a shout, He's going to remind you

he's mysterious. This is my life, this is your life. I remember when we first started our church. We couldn't find a place to meet. We're up in my apartment just trying to start a church, and it was scary, it was frightening, but we had this sense. We were praying, we were hoping. All we can say is God is here. We finally found a building. We were so grateful, little

middle school in Wynwood. We started with one service and all we could say was God is here, but that thing began to grow in the invisible hand started to build that church. For if we labor in vain, it won't work, but God builds his house. They went from one service to two service, three, four, five, six. We had an eight pm cert. Y'all, you haven't been to church until you went to church at eight pm at night.

Trust me. Everybody at Vood Church was shouting. I remember my wife when she turned twenty five years of age. The doctor said, it's going to be almost impossible for you to have children. It was crazy for us to hear it because she's one of seven. I'm one of four, and it was scary and we were crying and we were worried, but we had this sense God is here. Here's went by. It wasn't like one Sunday and wow good. It was word after word. It was Pastor Stephen, write

another song, Pastor Stephen, I need another word. But we just kept saying God is here. But after eight years, eight is the number of new beginnings. New beginnings hit our house. My wife became pregnant. We were shouting and cannot just testify today at the ripe age of forty years of age. Four weeks from today, my wife will give birth to our fourth.

this past August. The doctors not understanding at all, unexplainable, unexpected, they gave him a clean bill of health. Trust me, everybody in Miami and all of the world is shouting. What are we shouting? What do you say? What do you believe? Say it louda say it so somebody could hear. God is working. God it is here, do works in my serious ways. And I've said something dead. It's coming back to life today. I know what Nay, hey, sit your hand may thank you for joining us.