Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.
I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast.
I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith.
Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving.
In your life.
Enjoy the message two King's thirteen fourteen through twenty. This parable in action, where we have been looking at an object lesson and from this simple little archery instruction where the Prophetyli show pulls out a sermon prop and makes me feel better about all the props I've used over the years, because here the prophet Elisha, one of the most powerful preachers that the Bible has ever recorded the
life of. He instead of speaking to the King about what he needs to do, he shows him because sometimes actions speak louder than words, and sometimes it's not in what we understand or declare, but in what we do that are measure of successes determined. And this passage is cool because he uses.
A boat and an arrow.
And earlier today they were playing some old clips of my preaching and showing me with a water gun, and I had some grown men on a seesaw. One time to talk about giving weight to God's word and how many of you were there for that when yeah, And I love how our teams through the years, when I think of something crazy, they don't look at me crazy. I said, I need a seesaw for my sermon, and Joe and the team built a seesaw, and we've done
all these things over the years. And I used to feel like that was probably because I was a shallow preacher, that I didn't have enough substance, so I had to do all this silly stuff to keep people's attention. But I don't really see it that way anymore, because you know, Jesus was the Word made flesh, and when he came to preach, he would often point at stuff to illustrate his point. He would use objects to get his message
or his lesson across. So when he was talking about worry, he point to the birds and say, if God can feed them, what are you worried about? Now one of them falls to the sky without him knowing it, and you think God doesn't have his eye on your life. He's watching over you, and he would point to the birds to prove that. Or he would contrast. Sometimes you see that big mountain. You can move it with faith the size of a mustard sea.
If you would believe a little bit, you could do a lot.
One time, he wanted to show them how he was the bread of life, so he told the disciples.
To feed the people. They said, we can't.
He says, exactly, but when you bring your I can't, and bring it to the one who is and was and is to come. Anyway, y'all, don't feel like you're in all this today. Would you not make me work so hard on my birthday to preach those of you who never say amen, who just look at me like bless me. If you dare, can we do this together today?
Come on?
One time Jesus wanted to show how he was the resurrection, so he let Lazarus die. Why he needed a prop And when he pointed to the tomb and said, Lazarus, come forth, he was pointing to every dead thing in your life.
When the word of.
God hits dead places, disappointed places.
I feel dreams coming alive in the presence of God. So it just makes me feel good that when the King came.
To see Elisha, he he used to a prop and I want to read it in case you're new to the series, I really want to pull you in. I really I want to do my best, whether you've just come in here, whether you've been here for the whole thing.
It's always my aim to pull.
Everybody in, whether you have the Book of Philippians memorized, or whether you dated a guy named Philip one time and.
It didn't go well. Look at verse fifteen.
Elisha said, get a bow, Get a bow and some arrows, and he did so. Take the bow in your hands, he said to the King of Israel. And when he had taken and now when he looked at it, not when he considered it, not when he prayed about it, when he had taken it, when he had taken it, when he took action on the word that was spoken. Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. God's guidance is awaiting your participation. When he did what he was told to do. I'm thankful that God guides my life.
That I just saw a picture of how God's.
Hands have always been on my.
Hands, even in seasons when I didn't want him to lead me, he led me. And when he put his hands on the King's hands, he gave him an instruction and it's kind of been our theme for the series, hasn't it. When he told him open the east window, and he opened it, he did not open the window for the king. He pointed in the direction of the battle that God would give the victory if the king
would dare to face it and fight it. And when he opened the window, the prophet told him to shoot, and he shot, and then the prophet declared the Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, that confederation of nations that had been oppressing God's people, the arrow of victory over Aram. The arrow represents victory, and it's the Lord's victory.
It's his strength, his arm.
This is a lesson for us to see, to see the victory before we seize the victory. All of these things I've mentioned to you, but on this final week I want to focus in real, particularly on appointing this passage.
He said, you.
Will completely destroy the Arabians at Aphax, and then he said take the arrows, and the king took them, and Elishah told him strike the ground, and he struck it three times and stopped, and the Man of God was angry with him and said, you should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you could have had everything that God wanted.
You to have.
But you quit too quick. You quit when you don't feel it. You only worship God when he gives you a goose pomp.
I love Elisha. He was a straight shooter, get it arrow. He told him what he needed to hear.
You have, you could have, you would have, but now you will defeat it only three times. And I was talking to my sixteen year old self, you know, this week, and I was imagining how he would preach this passage and sixteen year old Stephen. He wouldn't have just preached about the arrows. He would have brought an arrow up on the stage and used it for a prop. I wonder did anybody on the front bringing.
These spare arrows to church today?
Oh, Jonathan Joseph, it's our campus pastor.
Y'all give it up for JJ. Always prepared. You see that he was prepared with those arrows. That's why I love you JJ.
That's why you're one of my top fourteen favorite campus fastors.
Sitting on those arrows ready for him.
I wonder what you're sitting on that you're not using today?
Should have used all of your arrows. You should have.
Taken everything God gave you and kept striking until you saw it, until what you see in your life reflects what God has spoken over your life. It was not a deficiency in the artillery that cost the king to be defeated. It was his lack of drive. Can I say that that he wouldn't drive every arrow into the ground. You should have kept pushing. You know, we all need
a push every now and then, don't we. I mean, we all come to the place in our life where we need somebody to help us, motivate us to do what we can't do, and to get us started in the right direction.
I feel like it's my job in some ways to give you a push as you go into your week.
You know, just a little nudge, just a little push. That's what the worship leaders are doing. They're giving you a push. You know, you come in some weeks and you don't feel like praising God, and you know you cussed at your kids in the van on the way to church and said praise the Lord when you saw the Parkers. But what I'm saying today really doesn't have as much to do with that as it does with the other instrument because I was praying. You know, we
talked about the power of precision. You have to aim at something. We've talked about the power of preparation, that the ground must be plowed for the harvest to be plentiful. Y'all miss that nobody wrote that down in the whole church. The ground must be plowed for the harvest to be plentiful.
Why move the elevation pin bro across the paved back and forth.
He even talked about the power of potential and the power of provision, all of these things we've talked about using these arrows.
And as I was praying about how.
Do we close this series, it was almost like I heard the text talking to me. It was almost like the text was talking because I've been preaching so much about these arrows and how you can't leave any of them in your quiver. You cannot quit with arrows left in your quiver. We've been preaching so much about the arrows. But it's like I heard the text talking to me, and it says if the text said, how about the bow, because the whole thing started with a bow.
J J, you got a boat. How about that? He's got a bow and some arrows.
Now, of course we worked this out ahead of time. This is Graham's bow, and he didn't even know where it was. I told him this week to get his bow that Uncle Max gave him a couple of Christmases ago, and he couldn't even find it. And I thought, well, that's a sermon illustration in itself. You're like a lot of Christians. You've wrote it down in a notebook, but you never anyway. Uh whoa Oh, But.
He brought me the bow, and I was thinking.
In the context of what we've learned about all of these principles from God's word, and quick, I promise you, I know way better than to point this at any of you. So let me turn my back on you for a moment. She looks so scared. I promise I would never. I would never. I'm extreme, but I'm not crazy. Get a bowl, get some arrows. On the count of three, we're gonna shoot it.
You're ready, you ready, LJ one?
Two?
Three? Shoot?
Well that didn't go very far. Let's try again. Colt me down, all right, you ready, get a bow? Everybody say yeah, but get a bow, get some arrows, take the shot on three.
Here we go.
One two three.
You like that.
I feel kind of stupid up here because in my mind I saw the row flying through the air, you know, the Lord's aerro victory.
I saw it like a grave illustration. Am I doing something wrong? Oh?
So, in order for the arrow to fulfill its purpose, the bow has to be I want to preach today for twenty five minutes on the power of the poll, because if you go out of this series trying to live out these principles in your own strength, you are going to look as stupid to the devil as I do with this little banshee. But once you understand the power of the pull, once you understand that the power of God is not in your effort, It is not by your might nor by your strength, but by His spirit. See,
it's good to get a push. It's good to get a push. It's really really good to get a push. And some people, like this king, they will do what they're told as long as somebody is pushing them. Everything Elisha told the king to do, he did it. Get a bow, he got it, Get some arrows, he got him, strike the ground.
He struck it.
But it was the moment that Elisha took his hands off the King's hands seat. Some people have to be pushed to praise God. Other people have something on the inside of them that you don't have to prompt.
Oh God, you don't have to prompt me. I don't need you to tell me to lift my hands. My hands are lifting up. My mouth is still afraid. It's the power of the pull.
See before I was armed, but now I'm dangerous. The devil doesn't fear you with your little I can see you right now coming out of here, you know, trying to push yourself to live for Jesus. Come on, devil, I got something for you, And the devil is scared.
But I guarantee you.
With a little bit of leverage. I said, all you need is a little bit of leverage.
I said, all you need is a little bit of leverage. Come on, how many are seated.
In heavenly places with Jesus?
Somebody shout? I got pulled.
That's what Paul was saying in Second Corinthians ten, verse three. He said, though we walk in the world, we don't wage war.
As the world wages war, We're not throwing our own arrows. We have heavenly leverage. The weapons of.
Our warfare are not Carnival, but our mighty somebody shall power, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
You've been pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing.
And that's why it's not working. But God said, if you would pull Pruvis, it's a big difference. This is motivation. It'll work. If I'm motivate you in church, it'll work till Wednesday. I mean, the era went somewhere, but not where it could have gone, not all the way over Aaron, not complete victory.
Motivation. But if there's something on the inside of you, and.
That's what Jehosh didn't have, that's called inspiration. There's something pulling on me from the inside that made me want to preach on my birthday. I could be on the beach, but something pulled me to this pulpit. I wanted to do it, not I had to do it. I want to do it, I love to do it. I want to serve him. I love to serve him. I want to worship I love to worship him. I want him, I need him, I gotta have him. And I look back on my little life, even though it's not been a long life yet.
But God has been pulling me.
According to his purpose. Now, sometimes I didn't see it that way at the time. Sometimes it felt like life was pushing me around. I don't know if you've ever felt that way. I don't know if you've ever felt like life had pushed you past your breaking points, so much pressure on you that you didn't know what to do.
But I found out that the power comes from the pressure.
I could use a lot of biblical examples of this, but I chose Joseph because he said, at the end of his life, after he saw what God's purpose had been all along, fully fulfilled, and he saw the portrait of it, not just one little part of it. He saw the whole panoramic view. He was able to say to his brother, you minute for evil, because see his brothers had pushed him into a pit. Have you ever been pushed around? Ever been rejected? Just wave at me? So okay, So you might need to know this verse.
He said, you meant it for evil. You were pushing me, But while you were.
Pushing the hand of God was pulling it. He was pulling me.
When it didn't go the way I wanted it to.
When they talked about me.
They were pushing, God was pulling it. The hand of God has always been on your life. While people were pushing with one hand, God was pulling with the other. It's the power of the pool to know that God was positioning me for exactly where He wanted me to be. And when you understand the power of the poll, life doesn't seem so random anymore. You understand that there was a purpose behind all of it. If you look out here,
you can't see it. But if you look back, If you look back, you'll see that your dad didn't make you come to church that night. You thought he made you come to church that night, But it was that your dad pushing you.
To come to church that made you come to church. God was he used your dad. Your dad's in heaven now. My dad's in heaven.
Now they're probably eating some carb free angel food cake to celebrate my birthday together thirty seven candles Jesus.
But Cody.
Cody bugged me to get me to church the night I got saved. He was He was pushy about it too. He showed up in his pickup truck, and in my mind he was being pushy. But while he was pushing me, God was pulling me. On February nineteenth, nineteen eighty I came into the world because.
She pushed me. Is this too graphic?
But at the same time she was pushing, God was pulling. I wasn't born on accident, and neither were you. God knew you needed to be here. God brought you here.
Right here, right now.
It was his hand.
Your car didn't bring you to church. God brought you to church.
Get a boat, get some arrows, and let me give you an object lesson on the way God works. God is pulling you. God is drawing you to himself. God has drawing you into purpose. Yes, sometimes it's painful. Yes, sometimes it feels like.
You're going backwards.
But wait till you see the trajectory of God's purpose.
Come on a shut o to God pulling me.
He pulled me out of some relationships I didn't need to be in.
Yes he did. He pulled me.
Out of some pits that I fell into with my own dumb decisions. How many are grateful for the hands of God that pulls you out.
Pulling it? He's pulling.
What was Elisha doing when Elijah threw his mantle on his shoulders. Does anybody remember in verse Kings nineteen. Now, remember Elisha wasn't looking to become a prophet. Elisha was a plowman. He was simply driving plows in a field one day, and he wasn't pointing himself out to be used by God. Because when you are in position of your purpose, God will point you out.
You don't have to self promote. You don't have to get somebody to like you or notice you when you are pulled.
According see, Elijah wasn't even looking for Elisha until God spoke his name and showed him the exact physical location. I got to calm down, but I'm excited London because I saw it in an illustration.
I realized.
That what Elisha was telling the King to do with the bow at the end of his life was an illustration of what God had been doing to him his whole life. He was drawing him, was pulling him. He was pulling him the power of him, the pull. And one day come here here he's driving. He's driving. It says that he was driving twelve yoke of Oxen.
Now we're gonna act this out. You'd be the ox and I'll be the man of God.
Seems appropriate, and I gave him the verse I be honest with you, I preached the sermon a third time I preached. I haven't preached it like I wanted to yet, And I'm gonna get it right this time because I gotta go eat some cake. Then I can't eat cake until i'm pre scre Now, what's in First Kings nineteen nineteen. It says put the scripture. I just sent this to them. I hope they got it there. This Elijah went from there and found Elisha.
Okay, you missed it. The only reason he found him is because God led Elijah. He pulled. Okay, okay, I gotta I gotta work on this.
So he found him in a field plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving.
The twelfth pair. So let's let's go.
And you know how ox oxen are, because all of you have had experience with oxen.
Oxen are kind of slow. So you gotta drive them, drive them. They'll just stop on you. You know, you gotta drive them. You gotta drive them.
And he's driving them, and verse twenty stopped for a second, and Verse twenty it said you like this.
It says that in verse twenty that.
When Elijah passed by, which represented Elisia's purpose, that he wasn't even looking for yet. How many of you weren't even looking for God and he found you.
That's my story.
I wasn't looking, but he was, and he drew me to himself. And in verse nineteen it says that he was driving the oxen, but it says in verse twenty, if we can go to verse twenty, that Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. So now the one who was driving just stay there. You're out of the illustration now because now the one who was driving is being drawn. The one who was driving the oxen plowing the field is being drawn by purpose.
And so now.
Elisha is being drawn into the purpose of God for his life. He's been driving the oxen up until this point, but now the one who had been doing the driving is being drawn. And this is what happens when grace comes into your life. This is what happens when purpose takes us place.
This is what.
Happens when you let go of your way, when you stop trying to push, when you stop trying to manipulate, when you stop trying to call your own shops and you say, Lord, leave me where you want me to go, what you want me to do.
He drew me. He drew me. He drew me to himself. He drew me.
I had to be in the choir. It wasn't Arturo that recruited me for the choir.
It was God. God knew I needed to pastor a multicultural church. How can I pastor a multicultural church.
If I can't step into the church.
God was getting me ready. God is getting you running.
I don't know who.
This message is for money, This is for you shall right now. My moody's drawing you. He's drawing you. Pull on, somebody, say he's drawing me. He's drawing me.
I've got to leave some doubts behind. I've got to leave some dysfunctions behind. He's calling me now. I can't spend the rest of my life looking at the backside.
Of an ox. He's drawing me. He's drawing me.
My bow broke while I was appreciated.
Yeah, yeah, it don't have to be pretty for God to use it.
I feel like prising today.
I feel like precian like is my parthdect breaks faster, pulling down of strongholds. I'm not pushing my way through life. I've got pull God brought me here.
See, a sense of purpose will pull you.
There are there are teenagers under the sound of my voice who are being who are being.
Pushed, pushed by popularity.
Yes, you're being pushed to fit in with a certain crowd. You're you're being pushed. And see, popularity can only get.
You so far.
Popularity cannot give you a sense of significance. But if you let the purpose of God pull on your I'm telling you God's purpose has been pulling on me all my life, sock to be here with you today. He's pulling on you and has always been on you. He was pulling you, directing your pads. Even when you wanted to wander. He pulled on you. That's why you're here. And when your car is out of alignment, it pulls
a certain way. And God brought us into this Worker Windows series at rock Hill and Concord and Gaston and all the other locations and online. God brought us into the series for alignment so that we won't constantly I'm telling you, if you change your patterns, it will change your pull The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. That means fleshly. Flesh is a pattern. It pulls you. It's what pulls you. Some of you, some of you had to make yourself come to church today.
That's all right. Make yourself come.
Back enough, push yourself to come back until something pulls you to car. I promise if you keep coming, eventually your car will pull itself into the Elevation Church parking lot like it used to pull into Chrispy Kreme when the hot side came on, pulling me according to his purpose. I'm pulled by my patterns. I'm pulled by my purpose, and I'm pulled by the possibility. It's the Lord's arrow of victory over Aaron, Get a bow, get some leverage.
Don't leave this series trying to live out God's will in your strength?
Were all of sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? You know what's interesting about the word sin. It's an archery term.
Yeah, it means to miss the mark, all of sin and fallen short of the glory of God. And maybe the reason that fell short is because it didn't have leverage.
You can't throw it far enough, not for these battles. That's what the grace of God has been for my life. I'm sorry I took your seat, but I feel I preach it.
The grace of God has pulled me and kept me at times in my life where or I didn't want to continue on. That's where grace kicked and it's the power of the pull. And I don't want to pastor a church full of people who are striking the ground in their own strength and wearing out because they didn't have a grip by grace. Right now, in the presence of God, there is grace available for whatever ram you're facing.
And I believe God has drawn somebody.
In fact, I want to give an invitation for you right now like I gave when Eric was at church. He was about twenty years old. You may be younger, you may be older, but God has drawing you. And I want you just to end to your feet at all of our locations so I can pray with you. I can't push you into this decision.
It wouldn't be your decision if you feel God drawing you right now and.
You fallen short of the glory of God, because all of sin and fallen short of the glory of God.
I really feel called right now to.
Well to facilitate the presence of God as he pulls you in the spirit. In the bride's say, come, God offers an invitation. God will never push you and pull you follow me. Jesus made it that simple. Just let me pull you. I know where I'm taking you. Uncharted waters. I know where I'm taking you, Abraham, just go to the land I will show you.
He leads me. Besides still waters.
I want you to bow your head and close your eyes and realize that God has been leading you all your life. He has been pulling you. He's been pulling on you. That's what you feel in your heart right now. It's not the music behind me. It's the words that I've spoken. It is the pull of God. It is the grace of God. It is the drawing power of
the Holy Spirit. God has drawn you in this moment to Himself on this day, for all who are far away from God and desire to be brought near by the blood of Jesus Christ, cleansed and forgiven, redeemed and renewed, restored and made righteous. In the presence of God. His grace is available, and his grace is enough. He's drawing you now. With heads about and eyes closed, We're going to pray as a church family for those who are coming to God for the first time. We're coming back
to God. This is a holy moment. I asked that no one move at any of our locations as we pray out loud for the benefit of those who are coming to God. We believe the miracle working power of the Holy Spirit is drawing now. Even as I speak, heads about, eyes closed. We're praying together as a family, Heavenly Father. Today is my day of salvation. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
And right now I am a new creation.
I believe that Jesus Christ died for me and rose again to give me life. I receive this new life from this day forward. I am a follower of Christ. Has still bowed, eyes still close. If you prayed that, shoot your hand in the air on the count of three.
One, two three.
At every location, hands are flying.
Up, hands are flying up. Come on, Church, you better celebrate better than that. Come on. That's the new beginnings. That's the new beginnings. That's a new start. Man. God bless me. I see you, man, I see you. This is your moment, this is your time. God brought you here. Anybody else, shoot your hand off. God is working in this moment. He's working in this moment.
I see the hera victory flying over Arab.
Come on, open your mouth to die. We gotta race and celebrate. Come on, we got a raser. Thank you for joining us.
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Thanks again for listening. God bless you.