NEED MEETERS | Pastor Steven Furtick

kind of unintentionally went into a miniseries from Philippians I want to share from Chapter four Holy Spirit give me accuracy and precision to speak this word may it get through my mouth but may it come from your heart Jesus name Amen Philippians chapter 4 and I want to link this message with the other messages from Philippians 1 I'm not gonna be dragging anybody across the stage in a chain this week I figured it's a bad pattern but I do want to go to this this great passage of scripture that was originally like a PS that Paul put in his letter to the Philippians and he just kind of tagged it on at the end to thank them for the gift that they sent to help him with his defense his legal-defense and from a prison cell he writes and he's like full of joy which is counterintuitive that you'd be in jail and have joy or lose your job and still trust God and call him your provider or be single but still know that you're not alone or maybe be wronged but know that God is even using that to ultimately bless your life and to use you and all of this is is taught in the book of Philippians but I find myself coming back to this section which is like a PS not only a postscript PostScript to use an old letter writing term but also it's a perspective shift so we're gonna see the the power of a perspective shift today Philippians chapter 4 verse 10 through 19 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that you at last renewed your concern for me I was laughing when I read that he's like thanks I got your gift it's about time I didn't think that was very good etiquette very good thank you no dedicate I got the I got the gift finally but then he clarifies indeed you were concerned but you had no opportunity to show it I'm not saying this because I'm in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances just touch the person next to you and say I'm good I promise I know what it is to be Annie and I know what it is to have plenty I have learned the secret of being content I wasn't born this way I was born screaming my head off I was selfish when I was too but I'm maturing and I have learned to be content I've learned that you can complain but it won't do any good and people won't like you so I'm learning amen to be content whatever the circumstances because I know what it is to be a need I know what it is to have plenty I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well fed or hungry whether living in plenty or in want and I can do all this through him who gives me strength I call that the international bench press verse where you see these posters in every Christian school weight room all over the world but it's got a little deeper meaning than that it's about the sufficiency of God's Spirit in every situation I just feel good today I feel I feel I feel relaxed and happy about this message verse 14 yet it was good of you to share in my troubles moreover as you Philippians know in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel when I set out for Macedonia not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you only you were there for me you were there for me and I won't forget it for even when I was in Thessalonica you sent me aid more than once when I was in need it's kind of confusing cuz he keeps going back and forth like I don't need anything yet thank you for meeting my needs but I don't need anything and I'm like well Paul if you don't need it can we have it back because we need it you know look not that I decide desire your gifts what I desire is that more be credited to your account I have received full payment and have more than enough I am amply supplied now that I have received from a Pafford itis that gives you sent there a fragrant offering an acceptable sacrifice please to God and my God will meet all your needs I wonder if Paul was just saying this to the Church of Philippi or will he say it to Elevation Ballentine today to an elevation Toronto and my god in fact I wonder would you say this to the person next to you my God will meet all your needs and this part is important according to the riches of his glory in Christ because I don't have what you need and I can't always be what you need because I got my own needs and that's why I'm tired all the time is because people want me to meet their needs and I've got so many of my own if you only knew how much I needed you would leave me alone how many want to say this to your kids every once in a while not me I love my kids they're delightful but I think that's the most misunderstood verse in the whole book of Philippians and I want to spend some time with it today my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus and see if we get a fresh hearing for this verse in Paul's presence and I want to speak to you today about need meters need meters some things you learn about your spouse very quickly after marriage some things you know going in some things you find out progressively I will never forget on our honeymoon learning I learned a lot about Holly on our honeymoon and yeah and then and so and but in church the thing that I learned about her that I want to tell you about today is we have we have very opposite vacation personalities when she gets relaxed she gets quiet and and boring and when I get relaxed I get playful some would say silly some would say obnoxious but I say playful and the reason I knew that this is gonna be interesting in our relationship is because I thought she was mad I thought she didn't like the cruise ship and I was like well I know I couldn't afford the balcony room but at least this a Princess cruise I was proud of it proud of the princess cruise and no but she was happy and she said something to me I just remembered it when I was preparing this message when I was jumping up and down on the bed in that little room that they give you on the cruise ship jumping up and down on the bed maybe one to arm-wrestle and making animal noises she looked at me and I've heard her say this to our kids but this was the first time I heard her say she said do you need attention and you know what I want to say publicly holla yes yes I need your attention your affection your tender mercies I need it all all of it anything got need it all I know I don't know what I need that's one thing I know at age 38 that I didn't know earlier on and I don't even know what I need I don't she wants to be a doctor so she's like well where does it hurt and I don't know I just it's hurt she'll ask me this what kind of headache the kind that hurts and then she wants to know you know what do you need what do you need and the frustrating thing about it is somebody can really love you and want to meet your needs but two things one if you don't even know what you really need how in the world would they know what you need and meet your needs that you don't even really know I can see we've got some work to do today because some of us won't act like we have no needs you know I almost thought that's where Paul was going I don't need but thanks but I mean I don't need it sorry and some people you can't even compliment them real good it's terrible to try to compliment certain people they'll make you feel so awkward especially in church good sermon it was God Wow it wasn't that good pastor it was just okay and when we come to Christ there's often an expectation unrealistic expectation that he's going to take away our needs and he doesn't fact if you are a Christian you still have the same needs now that you did before you met Jesus the same needs but they are now met in a different way in other words you still have the same need for approval but now instead of trying to get it from another human who doesn't even fully like themselves you are getting it from the all-sufficient all-knowing all-seeing ever-present everliving God who gives you breath and who intricately knit you together in your mother's womb so it's not that I don't have needs it's it's not that I don't have once the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want that doesn't mean I never want anything never need anything it doesn't mean my appetite went away it just means I go to a different buffet now Amen that means I eat off a different menu now and sometimes we are so focused on people's behaviors that we can't discern the needs that drive the behaviors and a lot of Christian teaching and preaching is focused on condemning behaviors without understanding the need there is no need that you are currently meeting in your life that is an evil need or a bad knee and many of us who have various addictions need to hear this exact point and maybe you can even leave after I say this because this may be the whole reason God brought you here you're not meeting the wrong need you're just meeting it with the wrong means [Applause] this applies to overspending overeating over talking over bragging and yes I hear you Facebook over sharing it applies to every sexual addiction you know there's a certain shame that comes with sexual addiction but there shouldn't be because all the addiction is is a valid need trying to express itself it's a it's a need for connection which is very good and very God it is not good for man to be alone but loneliness if left untreated becomes lust that's all lust is is the need for connection being met through something that has no ability to satisfy the need that it is trying to meet so it becomes more and more and more and more and more and Paul says my God shall supply all your needs or meet all of your needs not according to your resources but according to his and I'm I'm glad about it I'm glad that the only one who has what I need happens to be the only one who knows what I need how many are glad about that let's give God five seconds a praise for knowing what we need and for being what we need the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid listen lately when the wicked even mine enemies came upon me even they stumbled and fell he prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemy no he doesn't take the need away he becomes what I need he meets my need some of us are waiting for God to remove the need but if he removed the need he would remove the means by which he meets the need to remind you that he is what I need he not only gives it he is it let's back up a little bit and let's talk about your need meter you know spell it different this if we spell it like this need not that meters but the other one need meter like how needy are you like what's your meter read we could read the meter on your need today if it was right there on your forehead when you came in the house of God what would we see if we could read your meter what we can read your joy meter today not your happy meter happy meter might be just caffeine Starbucks can make you happy and and and yet there's this there's this joy this contentment is described in the scripture don't let people smile confuse you because some people's bone structure is just arranged in their face they look like they're smiling okay some people just have you know resting blessed face and they just look happy but it's covering up a lot of stuff don't worry about that I'm saying like the the thing that we can't see if we could see it if you had a peace meter on your forehead today and we could see your peace meter would it be like or would it be like the the gas gauge of a 16 year old who fills up five dollars at a time you know filling up five dollars at a time a click at a time I like at a time a comment at a time if we can see your meter I'm gonna help you next week and trigger it I want you to come back and we'll discuss all of this in depth because here's what I've learned about this when when joy is low usually it's because entitlement is high [Applause] that's why the most joyful book in the Bible according to many was written in a prison cell because Paul has come to the point where he says I don't need it I don't need it and he really means it it's not like the one preacher who got up you know I don't preach for the praise of men amen hey man hey man he's really he's really found a place he's really found a place of freedom from what he thinks he deserves and once he's set free from what he thinks he's deserves and what he expected it to be oh that's good that's good God just gave me that for this particular worship experience I didn't say it any other time once he set free from what he expected he can receive what he needs and sometimes what blocks us from receiving what we need is what we expected we would get and when it doesn't show up like we expected we can't receive what we need can I move a little deeper into this teaching good okay find Acts chapter 16 if you can find it in your Bible or if you want to look it up on your phone I always have a back-up plan on the screen for you just in case in case it was hectic getting out of the house it'll come up on the screen but we're flowing with last week's message and we're linking that message of how sometimes God uses a know in our life and I know yes sounds better but sometimes the know is more important sometimes what God doesn't give you and what God won't allow is just as important as what he has given you and what he does give you permission to do and that was a really really interesting message even I could feel it as I was preaching it this resistance to receive God's know with this same faith that you praise him for his yes and when we get to married to our plans we can miss God's purpose and so God does something unusual in acts 16 as Paul is taking the gospel out and you have to understand that Paul isn't riding the principles in Philippians in a vacuum he's writing them in the context of historical relationship with people in a church and he loved him and he's right and saying thanks got the gift gonna use it don't need it what I'm excited about is how God is going to use your gift to bless you that's what he's saying and it goes all the way back to how he met them to begin with and how many would say that some people in your life right now don't understand you properly because they don't know your background and they expect you to be further along in certain areas but you're like if you only knew how good I'm doing to even be as far along as I am I mean I still cost but I used to beat people [Applause] and why I think we really do Philippians 4:19 a disservice is because we strip it of its context so I want to take you through something hopefully it won't be boring but one thing I love about you is you let me lay a foundation when I teach I I don't feel the pressure to perform antics to keep you engaged and I thought we needed to look at this real quick to understand the supper shout over my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches and I'm sad but that verse sounds great so I'm gonna shout over top of my sadness it's because we don't understand the means we don't understand the means so let's go back several years earlier Paul is is trying to get somewhere verse 7 when they came to the border of my SIA he's got Timothy with him and they tried to enter both Enya but the spirit of Jesus would not allow them to wouldn't allow them to what wouldn't allow them to preach about Jesus Jesus stopped his own PR campaign that's very very very unusual very difficult for me to get my mind around until I get to the the next verses and sometimes you do not understand at all what God is doing in the moment Graham is so funny we're coming to church today and a lot of our staff kids went to camp last week and we had a staff advance last week and I was sharing with the staff all weekend it was just a family event and family affair and Graham got to play Joseph in a skit in a small group at camp so he had the story of Joseph the Old Testament Joseph on his mind and they sent me a video of him down on the ground when Potiphar's wife is accused in Joseph Potiphar's wife is called hot offer and she was the cute and she was accusing him of trying to make advances and Graham was on the ground saying no I didn't do it but grandma's nice and he said do you think when the Bible says God was with Joseph you think Joseph felt that way at the time I don't know it doesn't say how he fell it states the fact after the fact but you can't really know what God is doing until he's done it and you don't really know what you need until you get what you want and find out it isn't even what you thought it was so Paul wants to go to Asia blocked Paul wants to go to my SIA blocked and he does something that you got to learn to do when you don't know what to do instead of going home he goes into the place of active waiting it means God I'm not just waiting for you to do something I'm waiting on you like we used to not call them servers it was waiters I'm waiting on you God what would you like me to do in this season so I'm praying for a new job but I'm being nice at this one y'all don't want to help me preach I'm praying for my kids behavior to improve but I'm not gonna exemplify the exact behavior that I'm trying to correct by going off on them and demonstrating anger while I'm trying to correct anger I'm actively waiting and this place is called TRO ass Bible says that since they couldn't get into my SIA they went down to trow ass this is a place of transition a support city Asia Minor one side Europe on the other where are we going what's God doing I don't know but I'm not going home I don't know but I'm not giving up I don't know but I'm not losing sight I don't know but I'm not gonna go into despair I don't know I don't know I mean I thought it was God and I thought it was this and I moved to Charlotte or I moved to Raleigh or a move to Winston and I had this idea and I had this plan but God's purpose is greater than my plan so I am in I am in the place I'm positioned to hear God's voice and God speaks to Paul in that place God speaks to Paul I believe he's gonna speak to somebody here today too during the night verse 9 not in the daytime when everything is pretty and you can see what you're doing during the night this is a theme in scripture some of the greatest stuff God will show you will be when you can't see with your eyes and when you can't feel with your emotions and you can't understand with your mind during the night Paul had a vision of a man a man of Macedonia this big region in Europe with people who were not yet reached by the gospel there were a lot of Jewish people in Macedonia but not many believers yet and certainly no church and now I understand why God told Paul no because God knew the real need the plans of a man are in his heart but his steps are ordered by the Lord God has a purpose and you have a plan and sometimes he has to do away with one to get to the other I'm preaching right to your heart today trying to get you to see this vision that Paul saw it was a man of Macedonia a what of Macedonia a man of Macedonia standing and begging him come over to Macedonia and help us Paul was looking for an opportunity God showed him a need could it be possible that you've been asking God for an opportunity and God is showing it to you in the form of your greatest need would you be willing to receive that maybe the way God is speaking to you in this season is not by what you feel and not by what you think and not even by what you want when you try to figure out your life and how others should act and how it needs to be have you got to the place like Paul where you say I don't know what I really need I need you to lead me God somebody say leave me Lord I don't want to lean on my own understanding I need God to leave me I don't need to lean on what I think I need because I don't think I need one thing when I really need another that's how I gain weight when we got married I thought I needed an Oreo and I really needed exercise sometimes sometimes we think we need food we really need a nap sometimes we think sometimes we think we need another person what we really need to do is pray and ask God to get our minds right sometimes we think we need people to treat us different when what we really need is to see people not as trees for us to pick the fruit from but for soil for us to sow in and God speaks to Paul and says you want an opportunity here it is and it's in the form of a need God is trying to lead you through your need and my God will meet all your needs how with a need God is God he meets needs with meets he he's better than ChristianMingle God is a match maker he's better than farmers only in Christian farmers only and God is in the business of meeting needs with needs as your joy been low lately has your focus spin off is your meter reading need meat meat meat meat meat meat meat meat meat maybe God is gonna show you a need that you can mean so that you can see what you had all along that you have not been using the plot thickens now Paul's like God give me an opportunity God give me wisdom God give me God God give me you know the person we pray God give me God give me God gave me come on kid give me give me give me give me give me give me come again we give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me grace give me mercy give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me chill bumps give me give me give me give me give me give me I don't like the song God give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me and Paul there's no evidence that he's praying that but I'm just I'm imposing what I would be doing on Paul I'd be praying God give me give me give me the rope check never give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me and God gives him a need of a man standing in begging him come over and help us no Paul Paul needs help so god help Paul and the way God helps Paul is by showing him someone who needs help y'all are quiet y'all want me to get back to and my God will meet all your needs Paul wasn't saying that about himself Paul was in prison thinking about somebody else's needs because he knew if I focus on my needs right now I'm gonna be depressed because I am going to shrink my spirit to the size of my situation so God instead of focusing on what I need what I think what I want what I don't give me give me give me give me give me give me give me give me I'm changing my prayer show me show me be something show me show me show me show me show me what you're doing in the world show me what you put in my kids show me what you're calling me to be in the season that I'm in somebody who I can bless show me who I can encourage show me ten people I can text and tell them you got this cuz I'm waiting on somebody to tell me you got this but maybe the real way I'm gonna get it it's to give it give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down shaken together and run it over if you want joy rejoice if you want purpose give praise give it if you want it [Applause] I'll mean to holler at you sit down I just caught up in the moment get me him and give me give me give me give me give me and the man came in the dream and then it makes a interesting turn how many of you love the little details that we slow down and point out in the Bible when you read this thing slow and stop skimming you'd be amazed how to come alive you can't read this like BuzzFeed the Bible is not BuzzFeed when you treat it like that you miss the blessing of it slow down and watch what's happening here watch what's happening here verse 7 when they came to the border of my seea that's where they wanted to go look at verse 10 after Paul had seen the vision we got ready why did he shift from bank to we this is when Luke who wrote the book of Acts got on board with the mission when Paul saw a vision and what got me was it took faith for Paul to go out on a mission after seeing a vision how much more faith did it take for the people who didn't even see the vision Paul saw to go with him sometimes it's hard to follow something that you can't see for yourself and Luke's like Paul said he saw a man in Macedonia so we got we packed up and went we didn't debate how many of you would have at least asked God for one confirmation before you got back out on the sea Paul you had a dream and I think there's a blessing and immediate obedience when we set straight out and just give I I don't understand people who I'll meeting they'll go I've been coming to church for years do you serve no you're in a group no you invite friends no I don't usually ask them if they give that's a little too personal you know that's a weird thing to ask isn't it but then they'll say let me know if you ever need anything and I'm like do you come do you see the people that God is bringing each week you see how some of them come in with a look in their eyes like they might not make it do you see how God is unifying this church from so many different backgrounds not just skin color but even belief system ideology and how God is centering us on Christ in a culture that has never been more divided do you not see the need the harvest is here and the laborers are few what do you mean if I need anything is right in front of you let's go let's do this let's build a church [Applause] if you brought a friend with you in the last couple months invited somebody to come with you to share it with you god that's that's not gonna meet your needs independent of you he's gonna meet your needs through your willingness to meet someone else's I want to spend the rest of my life preaching like this to help us see then my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches Paul said that after he thanked the Philippians for meeting his needs he said now that you've met somebody else's needs God is gonna meet yours and I I just couldn't get over it how they they had the faith to go out to Macedonia there's like 300 thousand people in Macedonia and Paul saw one man in a vision he's like let's go let's go find that man that I saw in my vision how tall was he I don't know this is eye color I don't know got it Ghana's gonna show us when we get there so they go so they go and verse 11 describes it from Troy as we put out to sea and sailed straight for some motorist and next day we went to the Apple s sidenote God doesn't take you there all at once it's little stops along the way is this it is this it is this it is this it it's just let me can testify God doesn't just take you there all at once and he doesn't meet every need all at once cuz then he knows you'd start thinking you didn't need him so what he does is he leads you step-by-step a little bit of light thy word is a lamp unto my feet watch me and a light unto my path next step next step next step next step imma bend down and buckle my shoe back cuz that's gonna annoy me it's probably been driving somebody crazy on the front row it's just the little things and God speaks through the little things and he meets big needs watch this through small acts of obedience we went here we went there what you're looking for Paul I saw a man in Macedonia and I'm looking for him and they end up watch this from there verse 12 we traveled to Philip I Philippines that's the city that's the place that's where the first church in Europe or the Western world was started this is how it started this right here through someone you've never even heard of I know you've heard of Paul I'm really not here to preach about Paul today I'm gonna show you somebody who doesn't get listed Sampson all he ever did is get a haircut and we preach about him all the time no I want to introduce you to a woman let's hear it from the women this is this is like the ultimate women's Bible Holly right a Bible study about this because the Bible says that they they traveled to Philip I a Roman colony where a lot of the Roman generals would go to retire about twenty to thirty thousand people lived in this one city and then there's four districts of Macedonia so Paul's really looking for a needle in the haystack and there's not a lot of not a lot of Christian if there are any believers here they're hiding and there's not that many Jews either I'll show you how I know that in a moment but he gets there and God uses a need to lead him there lead me Lord how did God lead with a need how is God gonna lead you into what he has next for your life with a need how is God going to choose who he uses through the people who are broken he can't meet a need through someone who doesn't have a need and he will often use you to alleviate the same pain that you yourself are experiencing cuz God leads with me God is leading me what do you mean when you say that you mean you feel good about it Jesus didn't get to the cross feeling good about it in fact he prayed father if it's possible take this cup from me I don't want to do it I don't feel like doing it but leave me Lord if this is what they need to be redeemed then let's do it if you need me in Philip I I wanted to go to my Xie I wanted to go to Asia I wanted to be married I didn't want to be in this this situation I don't even like this right now but God lead me show me the need and lead me through the valley of the shadow of death God being my leader doesn't mean I won't go through anything it means he won't leave me alone and there's a reason I'm going through what I'm going through god knows what I need and so he says we ended up in Philip I the leading city of that district of Macedonia and we stayed there several days and he doesn't talk about what they did over those couple days and I wonder you know what do you do when you get to Philip hi it's twenty thirty thousand people in the town and you saw one man in a vision do you walk around looking for him like hey I saw a man are you Lari him what do you what do you do one time me and buck went on a mission trip and Bucks on staff now he's been on staff God guess about coming up on eight years on staff but we've been friends since college we were on this mission trip and he's a buck some bucks a funny guy but he doesn't like to show it a lot he reminded me of this guy that we went on the mission trip with this dude was country oh no I don't mean like monks corner country this dude was from Louisiana and he was big country and he would walk up and talk to anybody and he had these little country sayings that I still don't know what they mean he used to we'd be getting ready in the morning and be like you ready and he say you waiting on me back now and in the first part was understanding what he actually said like please say that again and then he'd say what he said if you're waiting on me you're backing up and I still wouldn't know what it meant even though I understood what he said but I had this flashback preparing this message we were at a gas station and there was another guy named Clint that was on the team and he was from Australia but he wasn't with us at the time there they were somewhere else and and a van full of people rolled up and this guy imma call him Bob in case he watches he's a pastor now and Bob just walked up and talked to anybody and they didn't understand a word he was saying but he just walk up and talk to anybody and he's walking up to him where y'all from and they said Australia mate and he liked that to him that was exotic you know a van full of foreigners I just got back from Australia so that's the best accent I can do I've kind of this kind of austra if you want to do Australian accent just leave off random syllables all the time there's they just leave crap off all the time and shorten everything straight mate he said house fry yeah hey Australia y'all know a guy named Clint from Australia and the poor guy driving the van gogh's Australia's a pretty big place mate there's more than one Clint so Macedonia is a big place you know it's not Paul sees this vision but he's not exactly sure you ever knows how many times you're not exactly sure like your sense God is leading you to do something but it's a needle ooh I need a needle in a haystack so I'm here but I dunno what I'm looking for I'm raising these kids but I know if I'm doing it right I'm trying to discipline them and be their friends sometimes I don't know which one to be at each which time and I wanted to love me but I need them to fear me so I don't know which one to be right now and I'm trying to be patient but I'm also trying to be proactive and sometimes I don't know what's waiting on God what's pushing ahead because I hear both I hear step out the boat my hair stay in the boat and I don't know what to do with boat and boat I don't have a goal I'm in like the water [Music] so you got to look for a synagogue right that's where Paul would always start his preaching and to have a synagogue you need everybody need you need ten men at least but there's not ten Jewish men to form a synagogue in Philippi that's how desperate the city is for what Paul had and that's why God had to tell him know about my SIA and know about Asia because there was a more desperate need somewhere else I wonder if God told you know for a reason I wonder if God left you there for a reason Paul's looking you seen Clint Clinton it's big place mate I saw a man and a vision and they go out one Sabbath and watch this since they knew that there wasn't a synagogue verse 13 on the Sabbath we stayed outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of Prayer you'll find what you're looking for by the way if you look for a place God is working you will find it in every situation ask Lanny if God will show up in a hospital room ask him if God will show up in a desperate situation oh yeah God will show up at a custody hearing oh yeah God will show up in a bankruptcy God will show up in a divorce God will show up in a broken heart God will show up in a season of the spawn deceit God will show up in a crisis God will show up in national turmoil God God is here I'm just looking for it so Paul says I didn't find what I expected and I didn't get what I wanted but my God will meet all my needs now here's what God knew I've been waiting all week to show you this so please be merciful if I'm too excited and you don't like my level of energy because I've had all week to get ready for this there was a a woman let's hear for the women one more time who was what the Old Testament called a God fear now a God fear is a Gentile who believes in the Jewish God so she's ready to receive the message about Jesus Christ the Messiah but she needs somebody to explain it to her well good news there's somebody in Philippi who needs somebody to preach to so somebody who needed the message got together with somebody who needed a congregation God is a neat meter God is a matchmaker God knows how to put you where you need to be to release what he gave you to care don't leave yet I'm not done and some of you needed this word today and that's why you almost didn't get to church that's why you almost hell no go to the line no you needed this word so you got in your car and you got to this church because you have a need well God gave me the word and he gave you the need and I declare that my God shall supply all your my stuff and so said that we expected to find a place of Prayer but I bet they didn't expect this we sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there what did Paul see in his vision a man from Macedonia what did he see when he got to his assignment a woman God's not gonna do it how you thought he was [Applause] [Music] it's not gonna feel like you thought it would feel he's not gonna do it who through you who you is not gonna do it through the people that you wanted him to do it through cuz then you'd worship them not him no synagogue let's find a place of Prayer that's where they could gather informally and they they would do it by the river let's go to the river let's go to the place we we didn't find what we wanted but God's gonna give us what we need remember when can I do a Bible study with JJ real quick I want you preached a sequel to this next time unipampa do it from first King 17 do it from the widow at Zarephath Elijah needs food she needs food he sends somebody with the need to somebody with the need when he gets there he says to the widow meet my need she said no you meet mine and then Elijah says something that we can learn from when you meet my need God will meet your needs then that sound like Philippians 4 and my god I got what you sent I got what you supply and now my God is gonna meet your needs because you stopped thinking so much about your needs and focused on somebody else's my god will meet all your needs and there's one woman and we need to put her in the list you know good for Daniel good for Noah that old drunk boatbuilding drunk but let's put let's put Lydia in the list because one of the people listening there's always somebody listening you never know who's listening you see I'm preaching today like I fighting something or like you see see because I never know who's listening I never know who's listening and this week somebody very famous was texting me about a message that I preached him one of my kids was like how cool is that I was like it's really cool you never know who's listening but it might not be a celebrity that God wants to speak to the most today it might be somebody I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hand but if I did 90% of this church has never heard a sermon about Lydia and yet if it weren't for her there would have been no church in Philippi it was just as important who was listening as it was who was preaching and we've got to do away with the celebrity culture where God only uses people who have a certain number of followers or who have reached an elevated status in the world sighs we are not all Paul I'm not Paul you're not Paul but there was a woman named Lydia and God was shown me this week in my study you've got a church full of Lydia's some men some women but they're unlikely people who see themselves as unlikely but they are the missing link [Applause] and when they began to see themselves as a vessel and not just a receptacle and when they begin to see themselves as the conduit through which I want to bless the people around them Europe will not be able to contain the increase of the measure of the glory of the Lord God is looking for Lydia God shut down a whole Apostolic tour because he was looking for Lydia Paul didn't know her name but he went where he thought he was supposed to go because sometimes all you can do is obey the best you know how let that let that set you free Paul didn't even know what he was looking for but he was doing his best to be obedient are you because if you will you'll always find a Lydia Lydia was a woman verse 15 excuse me 14 from the city of Thyatira formerly known as the kingdom of Lydia so her name probably wasn't Lydia but that's where she was from and that's how they often referred to women in those days she was a dealer in purple cloth so Purple's the expensive stuff if you deal purple cloth you make Bank and I know it's cringy what I just said Elijah I don't even need to hear about it after the sermon Lydia didn't need money she needed a message Paul had the message she had the money and when his knee and her need met the church in the West was born because God is a neat leader but God does not need meat needs independently of his people he uses us there's a tendency in a church this size to look around and go I don't think they need me here so then you get all focused on yourself you know how is the sermon today yeah a little long that's alright what do you talk about some guy named Philip I think this name gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme but there's a perspective shift there's a PS there's a Paul said my God will meet all your needs he said I didn't even need the money you needed the message and so Paul shows up Lydia's sitting down he saw a man in the vision but he sees a woman by the river God shows up how he wants to show up their disappointment sometimes through what seems to be a setback sometimes two unexpected people a dealer in purple cloth she was a worshipper of God or a God fear she was close you know there's people in your life who are close to the kingdom and they're waiting on somebody who would have the willingness there are people in your circle who need the presence of God and God put you in their life and you're part of a church at many of our locations we have so many seats available everybody could bring somebody next weekend we'd be full of everybody found one person who needed Jesus last week our church would double in one week and not even thinking about the impact of our efan that's watching online I mean we use social media to spread everything why not the message of the only name this saves why would you sit on a message why would you sit on something that has the power to say Paul took the message across the sea and sometimes I'm burdened that we just come to get our needs met and we don't get a met because God doesn't meet your needs through thinking about your needs you got to get outside of yourself and outside of your customs and outside of your traditions and outside of your expectations and outside of your entitlement Paul said it's not even about me and this woman Lydia I don't know a whole lot about her except for I'm thankful for her and I feel like there are many Lydia's watching me today whose names may never be known but whose purpose is important and watch what happened when Paul's need to preach met her need to hear this woman who was sitting by the river says the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message that means she decided to become a follower of Christ and when she and the members of her household see is never just about you it's not just about you the first thing she did when she was touched by the power of God was to think about somebody else God who have you connected me to that needs you that that needs hope that that needs Jesus and I love the language that says after those who were in her household were baptized the people closest to her she invited us to her home if you consider me a believer in the Lord she said come and stay at my house and she persuaded us and the Lord told me like this he said I opened her heart and she opened her house and some of the people that you've preached to I've opened their heart and I've blessed them but they haven't opened their house yet and they're in this big church just thinking about me and my needs and it's so easy to do and I do it all the time and so we sing about breakthroughs and blessings and it's good it's good it's good I promise man I helped write the song I know a breakthrough is coming by faith I see God my god God told me to tell you be the breakthrough be the breakthrough be the breakthrough be the breakthrough be the breakthrough for somebody else and watch how God will breakthrough for you be the breakthrough for someone else it's time to turn to pain you've been you've been rehearsing it over and over again it's time to release it and ask God to use it God lets you go through that for something God didn't just keep you through all of that so you could just be a survivor you are to be an agent of change and the world needs what we have but we've got to give it and God God is looking for Lydia and I want to pray for you right now I was intentional about this message going into my new series because it's gonna be so helpful for people who are fighting demons they don't even know they're fighting they don't even know how to name but the best thing we can do is not just come and get our needs met but ask God to open our eyes to the needs of those who are around us the harvest is plentiful and I want to take a moment as the pastor of this church this is not a performance this is a partnership i'ma say it again this is not a performance I can't do this by myself this church was built on sacrificial people Dan Horner and Eric Miller and guys have been with me for a long time who are willing to open their lives and say yeah there's people in my life who need Jesus and there's things I have and there's resources and and the answer is yes and I want to stand you up right now with no one leaving and disrupting the moment for someone and I want you to get someone on your mind at every location campus pastors I want you to get near the stage so you can agree in faith with this prayer and I want to agree with you and faith concerning someone in your life who needs Jesus someone who needs the Lord that God has put you in contact with and I want to pray that you would have the eyes to see other people's need this week that this week God would open your eyes Oh God forgive us we've been praying and meet my needs and you've been trying to open our eyes to see the blessing that we already have in you the only way for our needs to be met or to meet the needs of the world that you love and God we ask you now to use us we want to see what you can do through us we've seen what you can do for us and we lose sight of it when we close our hearts and so we offer ourselves to you as instruments God puts somebody on their heart this week somebody that they work with or live next to or something in maybe they'll have to ask a few times but would you bring people here next week for this new series who need you and use us to meet those needs we can't save them that's not our job but we can be a link we could be a Lydia we ask right now that you would do a great work through us in this series and you would supply and meet every need according to your glorious riches hey thanks for watching the Elevation Church YouTube channel if you enjoyed this message take a minute click the subscribe button on your screen that way you won't miss a single video and if this ministry has impacted you and you'd like to partner with us to continue to reach others you can click the link in the description below to give now thanks again for watching and don't forget to subscribe

Channel: Elevation Church

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Keywords: Elevation Church, Pastor Steven Furtick, elevation church steven furtick, elevation church sermons 2018, steven furtick sermons 2018, sermons 2018, need meeters, need meters, steven furtick need meeters, god will meet all your needs, god meets needs, elevation charlotte nc, the elevation church, the elevation church charlotte nc, steven furtick need meters

Id: xDlwuDRLVoE

Length: 57min 24sec (3444 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 06 2018