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Episode 13

Steven Furtick

December 16, 2016

27:31

Steven Furtick: Unqualified

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Episode 13

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If you've ever wondered
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If you've ever wondered
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If you've ever wondered
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If you've ever wondered if
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If you've ever wondered if y
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If you've ever wondered if you
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If you've ever wondered if you'v
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If you've ever wondered if you've
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If you've ever wondered if you've go
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If you've ever wondered if you've got
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If you've ever wondered if you've got wh
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If you've ever wondered if you've got what
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If you've ever wondered if you've got what i
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If you've ever wondered if you've got what it
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If you've ever wondered if you've got what it ta
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If you've ever wondered if you've got what it take
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If you've ever wondered if you've got what it takes
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to live the life God's called you to,
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I want to share with you why I believe you do.
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The "(Un)qualified" series is for every person
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who's tired of dealing with the frustration and insecurity
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of feeling inadequate, and ready to discover
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that God still uses broken people to do big things.
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(female announcer) They are the heroes of the Bible.
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They are immortalized, sanctified, revered.
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They were God's chosen people, the founders of the church.
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What were their qualifications?
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A speech impediment, a denial of faith, an affair.
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Who were these heroes?
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A murderer, a prostitute, a liar and a schemer.
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In the eyes of the world, they were unqualified.
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But God has a history of using broken people to do big things.
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And he still does it today.
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Been having the best time teaching
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in this "(Un)qualified" series.
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And in our final episode today,
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I want to give you just a challenge,
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a really simple challenge, a practical challenge,
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hopefully an inspiring challenge that will bring
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some of the concepts that we've been learning together.
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Hopefully, if you've missed some of the episodes,
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you can go back and watch them.
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But even if you didn't,
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I know this is going to speak to you
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because my challenge very simply to all of you today
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is to take the words that you've heard,
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take the things that God has taught you,
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take the faith that God has put inside of your heart,
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the gift that God has given you, and put it to work.
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That's my title for this final session, "Put it to Work."
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Put it to work.
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It's not thinking about it more, or even praying about it more,
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or waiting until the right time.
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You know, Ecclesiastes says,
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"If you want for the right conditions,
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"you'll never get anything done.
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You've got to sow when you can sow, and go when you can go,
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and put it to work
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even when you don't understand where you're going.
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You've got to make movement, forward progress,
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and put it to work.
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Now, I'm somebody who doesn't mind working hard
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if I have a reason to work hard.
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I'm somebody who doesn't mind expending effort
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if I know that the outcome is going to justify the labor.
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What I don't like is working at something that's worthless.
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I don't mind paying a cost
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if what I'm doing is going to count.
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So, I want to know that my work is worthwhile.
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I love to know that I'm making a difference.
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I love to know that it matters.
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It motivates me to know that what I did matters
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because I get frustrated when stuff doesn't work.
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If anything doesn't work,
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like I was teaching a session in this series,
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and I was trying to pull up my material on my iPad.
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This thing is great most of the time,
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but sometimes it doesn't work right.
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And the only problem with the times when it doesn't work is,
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well, since I don't know how it works--I mean, to me,
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this is magical that stuff is just supposed to appear.
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I'm supposed to be able to put my notes in my computer,
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and hit a button,
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and it shows up on my iPad like presents under the tree
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when I'm 8 years old.
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So, when that doesn't happen, I know that it didn't work,
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but I don't know why it didn't work.
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That's the most frustrating thing in the world.
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We have a staff member at our church
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that helps me sometimes with issues like this.
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He oversees our technology, and his name is Nick.
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And some of our audience knows Nick.
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Nick is somebody we call on at church when things break.
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And since I'm the boss, I just call Nick all the time
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when stuff isn't working.
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And one day, he was working on something,
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and he was helping me with an issue that I had,
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some technology issue I'm sure.
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I am technologically challenged.
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And so, he came in, and he was doing his thing,
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and I was so impressed.
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And I was kind of watching him work.
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You know, just watching him work his magic.
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And I was wondering how he got good
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at just fixing stuff generally because I can't fix anything.
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And I asked him the question,
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"When did you realize that you're a genius?
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"When did you have the revelation
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"that you had this brilliant ability to fix anything at all,
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"mechanically, technically?
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When did you realize that?"
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And he answered really humbly,
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but what he said was actually--
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there was a lesson in it.
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He said, "From the time I'm a little boy,
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"I remember always being curious about how things work.
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"I don't remember a time when I wasn't taking something apart,
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"putting it back together just to see how it worked.
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"Whatever it was, a toy, a tool,
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"even cars when I got a little older,
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I'd want to take it apart and put it back together."
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And that's when I realized I am nothing like Nick.
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I don't remember a single time in my life
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that I have ever voluntarily taken something apart
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to see how it worked.
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Now, I might have thrown something against a wall,
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and made it fall apart when it didn't work,
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but I don't care how it works, I just want it to.
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I just want it to work.
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I think a lot of us have this approach
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to our lives and our faith.
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I mean, like, I just want it to work, God.
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Just fix it, God.
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Nick, God, fix it.
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And then, when things aren't working in our lives,
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we resort to prayer,
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and read a Bible verse, or maybe hit church,
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or catch an inspirational program on TV.
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And it's like, "I hope this works."
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You know, it's kind of a wishful spirituality.
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But God is a God of process.
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That's what we've been learning is that he'll often
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take your life apart,
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and it'll feel like it's broken down into pieces
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when something's not working.
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We see in John chapter 5
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a picture of this kind of ministry,
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a picture of this kind of mindset.
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There's a colonnade where sick people are gathered together,
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and all of them are trying to get healed.
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Maybe there's a blind guy, he can't see,
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his eyes don't work correctly.
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Maybe there's someone whose hand doesn't work properly.
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Maybe there's somebody who has an internal issue,
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and nobody can see it,
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but there's something on the inside that's not working.
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All of these characters are gathered around this pool,
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the pool of Bethesda it was called.
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And they're gathered there because, well,
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the way it works is when an angel
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would trouble the waters at the pool,
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the first one who got into the water,
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according to the urban legend, could get healed.
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Whatever wasn't working would function again.
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Whoever was first, whoever got there,
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that's the way it worked until Jesus showed up.
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(announcer) Discover why unqualified is God's favorite qualification.
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Call or click to receive Steven's new book
00:07:00.080 --> 00:07:02.140
"(Un)qualified" as our thank you for your gift of any amount.
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Call...
00:07:05.290 --> 00:07:08.260
or visit tbn.org/unqualified.
00:07:08.270 --> 00:07:11.220
The Bible says in John chapter 5, verse 1,
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"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem
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"for one of the Jewish festivals.
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Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool."
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How many of you would like to be at a pool near the Sheep Gate?
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Let's not get a vacation there.
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"In Aramaic it's called Bethesda,
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and it's surrounded by five covered colonnades."
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I already told you that, but remember that in the Scriptures,
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five is always symbolic of grace.
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So, there's going to be a contrast here between works,
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the system of the law, and grace,
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which is what Jesus embodies in perfect form.
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So, grace shows up on the scene, and it says in verse 3 that,
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"Here a great number of disabled people used to lie,"
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we just mentioned some,
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"the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed."
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Hold on to that phrase "paralyzed"
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because that describe you at some level.
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There is something in your life right now that's not working.
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I wish I knew exactly what it was, I would speak to it.
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Something that's not working.
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I could guess.
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It could be in your life, your prayer life isn't working.
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It could be in your life, your self-control isn't working,
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in your eating and your exercise.
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It could be that your patience isn't working,
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just irritable all the time, exploding over everybody.
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You might even be out of a job.
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You might not be working.
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You might not be providing for your family.
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But everybody has something that isn't working.
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Some are easier to spot than others.
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Everybody has something in their life that isn't working.
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When I teach a series on how God uses broken people
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to do big things,
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I could really leave out the first part.
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I mean, who else is God going to use but broken people?
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What else does he have to work with?
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Aren't you glad that God works with you where you are,
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with your preexisting conditions?
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That he doesn't boot you off the policy of salvation
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like an insurance company?
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So, he shows up into a situation full of preexisting conditions,
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paralyzed people.
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And it says that, "One was there who had been an invalid
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for thirty-eight years."
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He was broken, a broken person.
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"And when Jesus saw him lying there
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"and learned that he'd been in this condition
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for a long time--"
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this isn't when your iPad stops working for a minute.
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This isn't when you have a bad night with your husband.
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This isn't when you have a rough day at work.
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This is something broken that you don't know how to fix.
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This is when you can't get it to work.
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You've prayed, and it just won't work, it won't--
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this isn't working.
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That's the situation that's represented here.
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And when Jesus found out, he asked a question.
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The question on the surface seems rude to me
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and a little bit obvious, "Do you want to get well?"
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There is only one correct answer to this question, by the way.
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"Yes, please. How? Just tell me what to do."
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Yet the man doesn't respond that way.
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And the reason he doesn't respond that way
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is because he doesn't yet know who he's talking to.
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See, God can be involved in your life,
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and you don't even know it's him.
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The man didn't know much about Jesus.
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Had he heard about him? Well, no.
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Had he seen a picture? Probably not.
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He was standing face to face with the one who had healing
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in his wings, and he didn't know it yet.
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So, he starts making excuses.
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You know, he starts giving valid excuses.
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Hey, these are real reasons.
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This man has a real problem, a real paralysis.
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He's not making this up.
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"Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool
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"when the water is stirred.
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"While I am trying to get in,
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someone else goes down ahead of me."
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I'm in a system that isn't working.
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Now, here's what happens when you have an area of your life
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that isn't working.
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You surround yourself with people that comfort you
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about what's not working in your life.
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Instead of getting around people that challenge you,
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you hang out with people who can comfort you.
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And now you're with him, and his eyes don't work.
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And you're with her, and her feet don't work.
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And so, now you start feeling better
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about what doesn't work on you.
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But you can get trapped in your own excuses.
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Now, here comes empowerment.
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Jesus said to him, verse 8, "Get up!
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Pick up your mat and walk."
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I don't know how he said it,
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I'd like to imagine a couple different ways,
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one's a whisper, "Get up. Pick up your mat."
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He slaps him on the butt, "Walk. Get out there.
00:11:44.070 --> 00:11:48.120
Go get them, tiger. You got this."
00:11:48.130 --> 00:11:52.210
The other one, he's hollering at the man, you know,
00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:54.170
"Get up. Pick up your mat. Walk."
00:11:54.180 --> 00:11:58.190
I don't know how he said it, I don't know.
00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:00.090
I don't know how he spoke to him.
00:12:00.100 --> 00:12:01.190
I know whatever tone he used, it was enough to get the job done.
00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:07.190
You know, God can speak to you in a lot of different ways.
00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:11.010
But if you will take action on his Word
00:12:11.020 --> 00:12:14.140
and put his Word to work, it will work in your life.
00:12:14.150 --> 00:12:18.270
It's not going to work if you don't work it.
00:12:18.280 --> 00:12:22.100
I can teach you the truth, and you can learn the truth
00:12:22.110 --> 00:12:25.050
from the Pope himself,
00:12:25.060 --> 00:12:28.190
but it's going to require your response.
00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:32.110
One guy said that God's Word is like a can of paint.
00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:36.200
The value is in the application.
00:12:36.210 --> 00:12:41.200
It's what you do with the Word of God that makes it work.
00:12:41.210 --> 00:12:47.210
And the Bible says, "At once the man was cured;
00:12:47.220 --> 00:12:52.210
and he picked up his mat and walked."
00:12:52.220 --> 00:12:56.270
I think I'll stop there
00:12:56.280 --> 00:12:58.290
because I like the picture that the man got cured.
00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:03.070
He met up with the one who had--
00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:09.060
shoot, I can't stop right there in the middle of a verse.
00:13:09.070 --> 00:13:14.120
Well, we just may as well read the rest.
00:13:14.130 --> 00:13:16.160
It says, "At once the man was cured;
00:13:16.170 --> 00:13:19.080
he picked up his mat and walked."
00:13:19.090 --> 00:13:22.040
This doesn't seem important, but I'll read it
00:13:22.050 --> 00:13:23.150
because it's in the same verse.
00:13:23.160 --> 00:13:25.030
"The day on which this took place was a Sabbath."
00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:29.240
Maybe there's--maybe there's something to that, Sabbath.
00:13:29.250 --> 00:13:37.030
That's the day when the Jewish people
00:13:37.040 --> 00:13:39.090
weren't supposed to do any work.
00:13:39.100 --> 00:13:44.200
Now, God gave them that command for their own good,
00:13:44.210 --> 00:13:48.120
but they turned it into something different.
00:13:48.130 --> 00:13:51.090
They made it so stringent and so strict that, well,
00:13:51.100 --> 00:13:54.050
they had actual laws about how heavy something could be
00:13:54.060 --> 00:14:00.050
before it would be counted as work
00:14:00.060 --> 00:14:01.240
when you lifted it on the Sabbath.
00:14:01.250 --> 00:14:05.010
Like, if it were a certain number of ounces,
00:14:05.020 --> 00:14:08.260
you almost had to put it on the scale
00:14:08.270 --> 00:14:10.240
before you picked it up because if it weighed too much
00:14:10.250 --> 00:14:13.220
and you picked it up, that was counting as work, work, work.
00:14:13.230 --> 00:14:21.260
And I wonder why Jesus would call that man
00:14:21.270 --> 00:14:26.140
not only to get up, but to take with him a mat
00:14:26.150 --> 00:14:31.250
that he no longer needed.
00:14:31.260 --> 00:14:33.140
(announcer) Most of us look in the mirror and see our weaknesses,
00:14:35.140 --> 00:14:37.260
our flaws.
00:14:37.270 --> 00:14:39.260
But what if we could see ourselves the way God sees us?
00:14:39.270 --> 00:14:43.040
What if our thoughts reflected God's thoughts?
00:14:43.050 --> 00:14:45.220
In his book "(Un)qualified," Steven Furtick helps you
00:14:45.230 --> 00:14:48.130
face the good, the bad, and the unmentionable in your life,
00:14:48.140 --> 00:14:52.010
and learn to let God use you right where you are.
00:14:52.020 --> 00:14:54.260
In appreciation of your gift of any amount in support of TBN,
00:14:54.270 --> 00:14:58.000
we'll rush you a copy of "(Un)qualified."
00:14:58.010 --> 00:15:00.170
Discover why unqualified is God's favorite qualification.
00:15:00.180 --> 00:15:03.290
Call or click today.
00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.290
The system was broken.
00:15:08.020 --> 00:15:09.180
The people were sitting around a pool that couldn't heal them.
00:15:09.190 --> 00:15:12.120
They were married to a religious system
00:15:12.130 --> 00:15:14.140
that was devoid of power to save them.
00:15:14.150 --> 00:15:16.150
So, Jesus took the opportunity on the Sabbath--
00:15:16.160 --> 00:15:19.030
realize he could have healed this man any day.
00:15:19.040 --> 00:15:21.030
What was Jesus doing going to the pool at Bethesda
00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:24.050
around sick people on the Sabbath day?
00:15:24.060 --> 00:15:26.120
He wanted to start something.
00:15:26.130 --> 00:15:28.040
He wanted to go to a place
00:15:28.050 --> 00:15:29.230
where he wasn't supposed to heal people,
00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:31.230
and heal somebody just to see what would happen when he did.
00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:35.000
Now, watch what happened when he did.
00:15:35.010 --> 00:15:36.130
You would think everybody at the pool would throw a party.
00:15:36.140 --> 00:15:38.160
"Hey, pool party."
00:15:38.170 --> 00:15:40.200
You would think everybody would start rocking.
00:15:40.210 --> 00:15:42.280
But instead, they started accusing and pointing.
00:15:42.290 --> 00:15:46.130
Look what they did in verse 10.
00:15:46.140 --> 00:15:47.230
"The Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed,
00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:49.260
"It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
00:15:49.270 --> 00:15:53.000
Really?
00:15:53.010 --> 00:15:55.280
We're talking about a mat?
00:15:55.290 --> 00:15:58.220
And God just healed a man?
00:15:58.230 --> 00:16:01.160
You're more worried about the mat than the man?
00:16:01.170 --> 00:16:04.270
That's religion, more worried about your brokenness
00:16:04.280 --> 00:16:10.280
and your crippled condition than your calling.
00:16:10.290 --> 00:16:13.190
Always pointing to your problems,
00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:15.100
never seeing your potential.
00:16:15.110 --> 00:16:17.000
That's the accuser, that's the adversary,
00:16:17.010 --> 00:16:19.220
always showing you your broken places.
00:16:19.230 --> 00:16:23.140
But Jesus, being intentional, had set this man up,
00:16:23.150 --> 00:16:30.020
and sent this man away knowing full well
00:16:30.030 --> 00:16:33.220
that the religious leaders were going to see him
00:16:33.230 --> 00:16:36.230
walking away from the pool with his mat,
00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:41.220
obviously calling attention to the fact that the man
00:16:41.230 --> 00:16:45.120
was working on the Sabbath.
00:16:45.130 --> 00:16:49.040
Why did he do it?
00:16:49.050 --> 00:16:50.240
Well, one theory is that he wanted the man to do some work
00:16:50.250 --> 00:16:56.010
on the Sabbath so that the people would see
00:16:56.020 --> 00:16:59.020
that what wasn't working before Jesus showed up
00:16:59.030 --> 00:17:02.100
was working now that the man had received his touch.
00:17:02.110 --> 00:17:06.050
If the man hadn't carried the mat,
00:17:06.060 --> 00:17:08.000
perhaps he would have slipped away from the pool unnoticed,
00:17:08.010 --> 00:17:10.220
but it was the mat that got the attention of the people
00:17:10.230 --> 00:17:14.100
to see the miracle so that they could know that the Messiah
00:17:14.110 --> 00:17:17.250
was on the scene, and the message was in full effect.
00:17:17.260 --> 00:17:21.230
I want to let you know that God desires to put whatever
00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:25.070
was paralyzing you to work in your life.
00:17:25.080 --> 00:17:28.100
Once grace showed up, I found a God who would work my paralysis
00:17:28.110 --> 00:17:34.040
toward my potential, turn my paralysis into purpose.
00:17:34.050 --> 00:17:39.240
Don't you understand that the man with the mat was serving
00:17:39.250 --> 00:17:43.000
a purpose, and even the thing that he had lied on for 38 years
00:17:43.010 --> 00:17:46.190
was now pointing to the one who came to fulfill the law?
00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:51.200
What's your mat?
00:17:51.210 --> 00:17:54.130
What's your weakness?
00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:57.220
What's the thing in your life that wouldn't work?
00:17:57.230 --> 00:18:01.170
Would you offer that to God too?
00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:04.250
Would you say, "God, if I have to carry my mat
00:18:04.260 --> 00:18:08.210
"the rest of my life, even if it's 38 more years,
00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:14.180
"I'll use not only my blessings, but my brokenness
00:18:14.190 --> 00:18:21.270
so people can see who you are"?
00:18:21.280 --> 00:18:25.120
(announcer) Paul was a murderer.
00:18:28.050 --> 00:18:29.160
Rahab was a prostitute.
00:18:29.170 --> 00:18:31.110
Peter denied Jesus.
00:18:31.120 --> 00:18:33.040
And Jonah was fish food.
00:18:33.050 --> 00:18:35.010
By any standard, these guys were unqualified.
00:18:35.020 --> 00:18:37.260
And yet, God entrusted them with some of the most
00:18:37.270 --> 00:18:40.270
important tasks in human history.
00:18:40.280 --> 00:18:42.190
Just like these Bible greats,
00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:44.030
we struggle in the space between our weaknesses
00:18:44.040 --> 00:18:46.160
and our dreams, between who we think we are
00:18:46.170 --> 00:18:49.000
and who God says we're meant to be.
00:18:49.010 --> 00:18:51.060
Feeling unqualified?
00:18:51.070 --> 00:18:52.200
Welcome to the club.
00:18:52.210 --> 00:18:54.000
In his encouraging book "(Un)qualified,"
00:18:54.010 --> 00:18:56.110
Steven Furtick reveals the inspiring truth
00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:58.140
that being unqualified is God's favorite qualification.
00:18:58.150 --> 00:19:02.290
This book is about understanding your identity
00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:04.220
in light of who God is.
00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:07.060
It's about coming to terms with the good, the bad,
00:19:07.070 --> 00:19:09.290
and the unmentionable in your life,
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.040
and learning to let God use you right where you are.
00:19:12.050 --> 00:19:15.120
I believe that as you read it, you'll discover that God
00:19:15.130 --> 00:19:18.110
has a way of using our weaknesses.
00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:21.060
In fact, you'll be encouraged as you find out that God
00:19:21.070 --> 00:19:24.030
really loves and uses unqualified people.
00:19:24.040 --> 00:19:27.220
(announcer) In appreciation of your gift of any amount in support of TBN,
00:19:27.230 --> 00:19:31.040
we want to rush you your own copy
00:19:31.050 --> 00:19:33.020
of Steven's empowering book, "(Un)qualified."
00:19:33.030 --> 00:19:35.080
And if you're able to share a gift of support of $75 or more
00:19:35.090 --> 00:19:38.260
to help TBN keep this kind of encouraging teaching
00:19:38.270 --> 00:19:41.170
coming to you and others,
00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:43.110
we'll rush you the book and the box set
00:19:43.120 --> 00:19:45.110
of the entire 13-episode series on DVD.
00:19:45.120 --> 00:19:48.050
Take a moment right now to call...
00:19:48.060 --> 00:19:52.120
or share your gift securely online
00:19:52.130 --> 00:19:54.030
when you visit tbn.org/unqualified.
00:19:54.040 --> 00:19:57.200
My oldest son decided he wanted to play soccer.
00:20:00.250 --> 00:20:09.130
What a blessing.
00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:12.200
I've been out there on the soccer field,
00:20:12.210 --> 00:20:15.040
trying to cheer him on.
00:20:15.050 --> 00:20:16.280
It's tough.
00:20:16.290 --> 00:20:19.090
It's tough because I don't-- I don't know how soccer works.
00:20:19.100 --> 00:20:25.030
I really don't understand the basics of it.
00:20:25.040 --> 00:20:27.250
I know I can scream, "Goal."
00:20:27.260 --> 00:20:30.260
That only happens like once every four games.
00:20:30.270 --> 00:20:33.270
Just in the meantime, I don't know what to do.
00:20:33.280 --> 00:20:37.110
And Elijah came to me the other day, and he said--he said,
00:20:37.120 --> 00:20:41.170
"Daddy, do you think I can be good at soccer?"
00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:44.170
And of course I want him to, I want him to be--
00:20:44.180 --> 00:20:47.070
I want him to be good at soccer.
00:20:47.080 --> 00:20:50.140
But you're going to need somebody
00:20:50.150 --> 00:20:52.270
that knows how it works.
00:20:52.280 --> 00:20:55.250
I don't--I'll take you to the games.
00:20:55.260 --> 00:20:58.270
That's as far as I can get you.
00:20:58.280 --> 00:21:01.130
I'll be there cheering for you, that's all I can do for you.
00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:05.220
But you're going to need somebody
00:21:05.230 --> 00:21:08.120
who knows how the sport works.
00:21:08.130 --> 00:21:11.070
I don't know the mechanics of soccer.
00:21:11.080 --> 00:21:12.250
Run faster, get open, pass the ball, shoot.
00:21:12.260 --> 00:21:21.190
I don't know, I'm out of knowledge here.
00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:25.050
Religion can only take you so far.
00:21:25.060 --> 00:21:28.150
It doesn't work.
00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.160
It doesn't--don't you see the picture of John chapter 5 is not
00:21:30.170 --> 00:21:34.150
of a paralyzed man as much as it is of a broken system?
00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:42.270
And what the law is powerless to do,
00:21:42.280 --> 00:21:44.130
and that it was weakened by the sinful nature,
00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:46.030
God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man
00:21:46.040 --> 00:21:48.120
to be a sin offering.
00:21:48.130 --> 00:21:51.010
That's the gospel.
00:21:51.020 --> 00:21:53.010
That's the five covered colonnades of grace.
00:21:53.020 --> 00:21:56.200
That's the God who turns your brokenness into blessings.
00:21:56.210 --> 00:22:02.200
And perhaps he's calling you today to get up and walk.
00:22:02.210 --> 00:22:09.080
I mean, that's pretty simple, right?
00:22:09.090 --> 00:22:12.090
He didn't tell the man to get up and run the 40-yard dash.
00:22:12.100 --> 00:22:17.110
He didn't tell the man even where to do.
00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:20.220
He just told him, "Get up on your feet, and take your mat,
00:22:20.230 --> 00:22:24.140
and come out and--"
00:22:24.150 --> 00:22:26.020
You know what I'm praying that you'll do?
00:22:26.030 --> 00:22:28.050
I'm praying that you would hold your mat high
00:22:28.060 --> 00:22:31.140
as a testimony of what God is delivering you from.
00:22:31.150 --> 00:22:37.080
Don't be ashamed of your mat.
00:22:37.090 --> 00:22:39.080
You know, your mat doesn't hold you anymore, you hold it.
00:22:39.090 --> 00:22:43.220
I've still got a mat, I've still got issues,
00:22:43.230 --> 00:22:46.080
I've still got things to work out in my life,
00:22:46.090 --> 00:22:48.140
but now because of this encounter with Christ,
00:22:48.150 --> 00:22:53.050
because I realize that his grace is operative in my life,
00:22:53.060 --> 00:22:56.120
because I realize that he's the God of Jacob too,
00:22:56.130 --> 00:22:59.170
not just the God of my victories,
00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:01.080
but the God of my defeats,
00:23:01.090 --> 00:23:02.190
because I realize that my words are defined
00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:05.110
not by what I see in myself in the mirror,
00:23:05.120 --> 00:23:06.280
but what God has spoken about me from eternity past,
00:23:06.290 --> 00:23:09.240
where he's made mention of my name
00:23:09.250 --> 00:23:11.130
before the foundations of the earth,
00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:12.270
and I'm like an arrow concealed in his hand,
00:23:12.280 --> 00:23:14.230
because I realize now who I am,
00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:16.240
and I'm accepting myself,
00:23:16.250 --> 00:23:18.160
and I realize that God embraces me,
00:23:18.170 --> 00:23:20.210
not the me that I long to be,
00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:22.080
not the me that I'm going to be,
00:23:22.090 --> 00:23:23.220
not the me that they wanted me to be,
00:23:23.230 --> 00:23:25.030
but the me that I am,
00:23:25.040 --> 00:23:26.130
and he is changing me from glory to glory,
00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:28.290
from strength to strength.
00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:30.190
He's working in my life, he's working in my life.
00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:33.190
I am a construction site.
00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:35.190
I am a work in progress.
00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:37.170
My life might be in pieces right now,
00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:39.210
but God is piecing together all the fragments of my life.
00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:43.030
Every experience, every disappointment, every success,
00:23:43.040 --> 00:23:46.030
and every failure.
00:23:46.040 --> 00:23:47.210
Every strength and every struggle,
00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:49.100
all things are working together
00:23:49.110 --> 00:23:50.270
for the good of those who love God,
00:23:50.280 --> 00:23:52.190
and are called according to his purpose.
00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:54.220
Even my paralysis serves a purpose.
00:23:54.230 --> 00:23:57.000
Even my problem serves a purpose.
00:23:57.010 --> 00:23:59.030
Even my proclivities towards sin serve a purpose
00:23:59.040 --> 00:24:02.000
because they lead me to the grace of God.
00:24:02.010 --> 00:24:04.130
And I believe that in your life, there is a new grace
00:24:04.140 --> 00:24:07.100
coming upon you this day in Jesus' name
00:24:07.110 --> 00:24:10.150
to take up your mat and walk, and put it to work.
00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:16.030
Put your weakness to work.
00:24:16.040 --> 00:24:19.040
His grace is sufficient for you.
00:24:19.050 --> 00:24:25.050
What comes to your mind when you hear the name Steven Furtick?
00:24:25.060 --> 00:24:30.110
That's what the interviewer asked the theologian
00:24:30.120 --> 00:24:32.160
at the beginning of our series,
00:24:32.170 --> 00:24:34.250
and the theologian responded with an insult.
00:24:34.260 --> 00:24:41.180
Unqualified.
00:24:41.190 --> 00:24:43.270
Well, that made a pretty good book title.
00:24:43.280 --> 00:24:48.100
I could have let that paralyze me, or I can put it to work.
00:24:48.110 --> 00:24:56.240
You know, you have the same decision to make today
00:24:56.250 --> 00:24:59.240
about every hard thing that's happened in your life,
00:24:59.250 --> 00:25:02.160
about every hurt that's been handed to you,
00:25:02.170 --> 00:25:05.010
about every limitation that's in your life,
00:25:05.020 --> 00:25:07.180
about every disappointment and frustration that you faced.
00:25:07.190 --> 00:25:12.110
Are you going to lie down on it?
00:25:12.120 --> 00:25:14.090
Are you going to die here, and wait for somebody else
00:25:14.100 --> 00:25:17.050
to put you in the pool?
00:25:17.060 --> 00:25:18.280
Or are you going to get up in the presence of grace,
00:25:18.290 --> 00:25:22.210
and take up your mat, and walk?
00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:25.280
I pray that you would walk forward
00:25:25.290 --> 00:25:27.240
into the future that God has for you.
00:25:27.250 --> 00:25:31.210
And I pray that you would know now the love of God,
00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:36.020
and the plans that he has for you.
00:25:36.030 --> 00:25:38.170
Plans to prosper you, not to harm you.
00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:41.270
Plans to give you a hope and a future.
00:25:41.280 --> 00:25:45.050
And now, unto him who is able to do and measurably more
00:25:45.060 --> 00:25:48.220
than we could ask or imagine,
00:25:48.230 --> 00:25:52.170
to him be glory through Christ Jesus in the church
00:25:52.180 --> 00:25:55.020
now and forever, amen.
00:25:55.030 --> 00:25:58.060
(announcer) We hope you've been enjoying the "(Un)qualified" special
00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:02.230
with Pastor Steven Furtick.
00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:04.190
Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor
00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:06.240
of Elevation Church based out of Charlotte, North Carolina,
00:26:06.250 --> 00:26:09.280
as well as a New York Times bestselling author.
00:26:09.290 --> 00:26:12.190
His ministry focuses on equipping people
00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:14.200
for a life of faith,
00:26:14.210 --> 00:26:16.110
and bringing the hope of the gospel
00:26:16.120 --> 00:26:18.010
to people around the world
00:26:18.020 --> 00:26:19.110
in an authentic and creative way.
00:26:19.120 --> 00:26:21.120
We'd love for you to visit StevenFurtick.com,
00:26:21.130 --> 00:26:23.270
as well as join our Facebook page
00:26:23.280 --> 00:26:25.210
to explore a wide range of inspirational resources.
00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:29.000
(announcer) Jacob, Esther, Mary, and David,
00:26:29.280 --> 00:26:30.030
Their spiritual resumes didn't match up with their
00:26:33.120 --> 00:26:35.130
earthly assignments, and yet, God promoted these
00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:38.000
unqualified people to positions
00:26:38.010 --> 00:26:39.230
they never dreamed they would fulfill.
00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:41.290
The Bible is filled with unlikely heroes.
00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:44.170
If you've ever felt like you aren't right for the job
00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:47.010
God has called you to, then you're in good company.
00:26:47.020 --> 00:26:49.200
In his encouraging book "[Un]Qualified," Steven Furtick
00:26:49.210 --> 00:26:52.190
reveals the inspiring truth, that being unqualified is
00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:55.220
God's favorite qualification.
00:26:55.230 --> 00:26:57.270
I believe that as you read it,
00:26:58.120 --> 00:27:00.060
you'll discover that God has a way of using our weaknesses.
00:27:00.070 --> 00:27:03.240
In fact, you'll be encouraged as you find out that God really
00:27:03.250 --> 00:27:06.290
loves and uses unqualified people like you and me.
00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:12.240
(announcer) As our thank you for your gift of any amount
00:27:13.110 --> 00:27:15.010
in support of TBN, we'll rush you your own copy
00:27:15.020 --> 00:27:17.120
of Steven's empowering book.
00:27:17.130 --> 00:27:19.110
Call... or share your gift securely online at
00:27:19.120 --> 00:27:24.120
TBN.org/unqualified today.
00:27:24.130 --> 00:27:28.070

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Episode 13

Episode 13

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Episode 13

Episode 13

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