You Didn't Lose It; God Moved It | Steven Furtick

humiliate me I was like, Oh no, no, no, no. I believe that life will humble me. God will humble me. My children will humiliate me. Five foot six will humiliate me. 40 will humiliate me. But when it comes, I almost call this message the Joppatunity of my life because I... I

didn

't call it that. I almost called it that. Because I thought that's what you do in Joppa. Peter said: I was in Joppa praying. So three things the Lord gave me, don't be nervous. This is the conclusion of the first part, Joppa. Three things that the Lord gave me and come on, that he gave to Peter.

When Peter was praying in Joppa, he

didn

't look for something new, he didn't pursue something new, he didn't leave jobs or leave marriages, but he just stayed. The Lord showed him four corners. It was a vision that God showed him. The vision came to him. God, what do I do? You fulfill God's purpose and pray and are who God has called you to be. And the sheet came down from heaven. Heaven comes to you. You don't go up to God. This is the new covenant. This is the new way of relating to God. God comes to you.

While he was praying, the sheet came down from heaven and he said, "He came down to where I was." Verse six: "I looked into it and saw four-legged land animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds." The next verse: "And I heard a voice saying to me, Arise, Peter, kill and eat." And watch Peter resist the tension. I thought it was like that, but maybe it is like that. I thought God was going to do this. Maybe he's going to do that. I thought God was going to use this one, but maybe he'll use someone different. I thought God gave me this opportunity, but maybe he is opening a door.

I thought God had opened that door, but then it c

lose

d. Maybe God c

lose

d that door to show me another door that I wouldn't have seen if the one he wanted to go through hadn't closed. For whom is this? And Peter said, "Surely not, Lord. I don't like it. I don't want to make room for it. I like last year's harvest. I like the way it was. I like the tabernacle. I liked the old way." . I like fighting. I like that. Surely not, Lord, nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” And the voice spoke from heaven a second time, saying: Do not call anything impure that God has cleansed.

Then he went to Cornelius and gave him the gospel and the Gentile world was opened to the purpose of Jesus Christ because of what happened in Joppa. I wonder what is at stake at this Joppa moment in your life. And if I could give you three things before I send you, it would be one, don't limit yourself by a label. God said, don't call things what I didn't call them. You keep calling him impure or unclean. You have your categories for life. You have your categories for people. You think you know what is a blessing and what is not.

I read a Japanese proverb from a long time ago that said: One day a farmer had a horse that ran away and the neighbors came over later that night and said, "We're so sorry for your loss. That's horrible." He said, "Maybe." The next day the horse returned with two other horses. The neighbors came up and said, "Congratulations. That's wonderful. You have two new horses." He said, "Maybe." The next day, his son went out trying to train one of the two new horses or one of the horses. I don't know which one. He doesn't say it in the parable, but he fell and broke his arm.

The neighbors came up and said, "It's horrible that his son broke her arm." He said, "Maybe." The next day, army recruiters came to recruit someone to fight in the war, but the son's arm was broken. The neighbors came over that night and said, that's wonderful. Your son doesn't have to go to war." He said, "Maybe." Oh, that's the end. You all are waiting for the punchline. That's where we have to live the church. We have to live in the space called, Maybe. This is the tension of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What blessing? What if they are the same?

I want a miracle. I have to close. the microphone. I can't stop preaching this because God said let's make room. God can use someone you don't even like to bless your life. What a daylight saving time anointing. an hour. You can't limit yourself with a label. And number two, don't be loyal to a lie. Some of us hold on to something that's old because it feels comfortable, like sweatpants with holes in it, but you look stupid wearing it. something you should have thrown away a long time ago. Some of us would rather believe what people say about us because that's what we're used to believing rather than assuming who we really are.

So don't be loyal to a lie. And as you stand up, I want to tell you something that I will tell everyone at the next service. Do not be late. Do not be late. You will continue to eat last year's harvest when you will have to remove it to make room for the new one. So the prophetic statement goes like this. You didn't lose it. God

moved

him.