[Sermon]
God Uses Distance
[Speaker]
Steven Furtick Pastor
[Scripture]
Joshua 3:5
Joshua 3:15-17
-
Are you feeling distant from God right now?
You are not the only one who feels this way.
We are all struggling.
I want to tell you that you are not alone.
We all pray like this when we face difficult situations.
"God, I want to know your sign right now. I feel uneasy."
It's normal to feel that way.
God distances himself from our emotions,
He also calls us to deepen our faith.
So, we have to keep our distance due to COVID-19.
God is calling us into spiritual depth.
"God, Why won't you do a miracle?"
You may have been thinking this while watching this sermon on your device.
However, this very moment is a 'miracle'
It is not a miracle that something happens only when COVID-19 is over.
God acts through every moment of our lives.
"He is positioning you for a miracle"
[Pastor Steven Furtick's anecdote]
A few years ago, I was invited to Australia for the first time to give a sermon.
I stayed in a hotel room with a view of the harbor.
Before heading out, I wanted to show this view to my family. so I made a video call.
It was bedtime in local time in the USA, so Holly (my wife) and the kids were huddled together on the bed.
While we talked for a few minutes, it was time to go to the sermon.
Steven said, "I guess I'll have to go preach now"
Then one guy said something that made me stop.
Elijah said "Dad, before you leave, can you tell me what's happening tomorrow?"
.
.
'You are already there. He is my father.'
Joshua 3:5
This verse tells us that there is God's role and our own role.
"Tomorrow is God's job" and "Consecrate yourselves"
God knows tomorrow,
The Bible says that today we must purify ourselves.
To give a simple example,
'It is difficult to go to church now due to the COVID-19, but I will not stop coming before the Lord wherever I go.'
Something like this.
Joshua 3:15-17
Look at what God does in the bible.
"God is saying stop"
The people led by Joshua and the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant reached the front of the Jordan River.
By the time the priests's feet were submerged, God stopped the water flowing down the Jordan River.
Soon the flowing waters became dry land and all the people could cross.
When something happens in their hearts,
He told me to stop.
Are we swayed by something, anxious, and feeling distant from God?
What is God telling us to stop doing?
"Stop right now and Say"
Nothing is ever taken for granted to us.
Rather than worshiping God after solving a problem,
We must be able to worship God even in the midst of problems.
From the sermon 'When God Says Stop'
Full sermon : youtu.be/QgM-jiIfzIs