Why God Chose You Pastor Steven Furtick

Now watch this. This is funny. Possibly illegal, what Jesus

does next.

I think so.

Because Jesus, who.

Is the word of God, who spoke the world into existence,

Colossians 1.16, needs a way to get out into the

world that he made the message that he is.

He needs a way.

This is crazy because the maker in the beginning was

a word and the word was with God and the

word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made that were made and

without him nothing has been made that has been made.

That one, the maker, needs a way to get the word.

The word needs a way. The maker needs a way

to get the word into the world that he so

loved that he came wrapped in flesh.

He needs a way.

And it says that he saw two boats at the

shore and one of them was belonging to Simon.

Watch what he does.

Verse three. He got into one of the boats.

Okay, you're looking like that's normal.

No conversation. No lease agreement.

You don't think if you don't think if you don't

think this.

Is weird, try it when you leave church today. No,

I'm serious.

If you don't think this is weird, just find the

nicest car that you like in the parking lot. Just

the nicest one. Don't do a Camry. There's nothing wrong

with Camrys. But if you're going to steal a car,

pick the nicest one in the parking lot.

And just do what Jesus did.

Just get in it.

And when they come up to the window and ask

you what are you doing in my car say i

noticed your elevation sticker i figured you're a christian i.

Need to use it.

Can i have your keys because.

It's essentially what jesus does he sits down in the

boat the one belonging to simon peter okay why did

jesus pick peter you ever thought about that i have

because i can think of a lot of reasons why

he wouldn't pick peter A lot of reasons why he

wouldn't pick Peter.

Peter was impulsive. Peter was a know-it-all. Peter was.

Violent.

You don't cut off people's.

Ears if you had a normal upbringing.

That's not something that.

Peter had a filthy mouth. Peter, Peter, Peter.

I heard one preacher, he said, because Peter was bold.

That's why Jesus liked him. He was bold. I don't

think so.

Because remember, the Bible was written pre-Uber. And Jesus had

a lot to accomplish in three years.

The word had to get out. Touch somebody and say,

we've got to get the word out.

How are we going to get it out? No Facebook.

No YouTube. No Instagram.

No Instagram. You know why I have come to believe

that the reason Jesus picked Peter is because he had

a boat.

How else? Okay, let me preach point number two.

I want to talk about creative collaboration because now here

is the creator partnering.

With his creation. Here is the word of.

God who has the ability to.

Walk on water. Don't forget that.

If Jesus had wanted to just get.

Away from the crowd and preach and create a little.

Distance, we know from Matthew chapter 14 that if a

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

storm comes up and the boat is not.

Available and Jesus needs to get somewhere, he.

Will just suspend the laws of buoyancy that he himself

created in the beginning was the word and the word

was with God. If Jesus can't find a boat to

ride on, he'll speak a word and walk on the

word that he is to the place that he is.

But you don't want to do it like that. And

I would have done it like that because this is

early in his ministry. And if you moonwalk back on

the water and then preach to the crowd, they'll pay

more attention.

Don't you think?

He said, no, I want a boat. I want a boat.

I want his boat. I want her boat. I want

to use their life. I want to.

No, I want to use their weakness. I want to

build a church. I want to call people together from all.

Different nations around the world who will be a part

of the EFAM. I want to call people from different backgrounds.

I want to call people of different kinds, different types.

I want some people who own their own businesses. I

want some people who are unemployed. I want some people

who suffered great abuse in their childhood. I want to

bring them together. I want to use your boat. It's

the hardest thing for us to understand sometimes. Why would

the one who can walk on water have any use

for our boat? And I think the devil uses it

to give us excuses why we don't offer God what

we have.

Because my boat's not as big as his. My boat,

my boat, my boat's dirty. My boat, come on, my boat.

I fished all night, I caught nothing. What would you

want with me, Jesus? So I went from thinking.

That Jesus needed Peter's boat to realizing that Jesus didn't

need Peter's boat.

Peter needed Jesus' blessing on his boat.

Because that same thing happened to me in the area

giving when we give the offering I Thought that giving

was the way that we supported the church to keep

the lights on to keep the salaries paid Forgive me

for being so naive. I thought God needed my boat.

I thought he needed my gift a Little bit of

life rolled by and I realized that God was God

before I ever showed up And I'll put this out

to you there were two boats on the shore So

I believe if Peter had said no, Jesus would have

gotten the other one. It means he doesn't have to

use us. He chooses to use us. It's in verse 3.

It says that he got into the boat belonging to Simon.

And I love the phrase. It says, and he asked him.

You want to do this?

I mean, you don't have to.

I can totally do this without you. But I like

your boat, bro. I like your boldness. I like your brokenness.

Can I borrow your boat? Can God borrow your boat?

The gifts that he gave you? Can he use them

for his glory? Or did you get so confused about

who made the trees that That you lost sight of

the fact that everything that God gave you is on loan.

You can't take it with you. Giving releases me to

remember that it was his boat to begin with. In

the beginning was the word. And the word was with

God and the word was God. He was with God

in the beginning. Through him, all things were made. Peter

had a boat. But the boat had to be made

of something. Peter had a boat, but the boat had

to come from somewhere. And now the one who spoke

the cedars and who spoke the cypress into existence, the

one who spoke the ocean and the chemical balance of

the ocean that would create and sustain the life of

the fish, the one who put the gills on the

fish that Peter was looking for at the bottom of

the ocean unsuccessfully said, can I get on your boat?

Because it's a cool thing when God becomes your partner.

He knows the best spots to fish. It's a great

thing to have the Son of God on your boat.

It's a great thing when you don't have to fish alone.

It's a great thing when you say, God, all I

have is yours.

It's a freedom to it.

I can't explain it if you've never experienced it, but

it's a freedom to it. When you come to the

end of yourself and your boats are pulled up on

the shore and Jesus says, now that you've done all

you can.

Do, will you give me a push?

And all Peter had to do, watch this, no 10

year plan. All he had to do was obey and

give Jesus freedom. Now, when he pushed that boat out

into the water, he thought he was loaning Jesus the.

Boat for an hour. He did not know because God

will trick you into stuff. Somebody said there's a catch.

There's always a catch. He did not know that he

would spend the.

Next three years taking this crazy miracle work. He didn't

know that the deaf ears would be opened after they

got off this boat. He didn't know that blind eyes

would see because Jesus got a ride on his boat.

You never know what God will do until you let

him on your boat.

You don't know. You can't know.

And that's what faith is, is pushing out into the

deep when you don't know the result. And it's letting

down the nets for a catch. Touch somebody and say,

there's a catch. There's a catch. There's a catch. Oh,

Jesus said, I know you can't see it, but I

can see it because I stock these waters you're fishing in.

There is a catch. See, I think Tom Lehman was

telling me this. He said, fishing is like the Holy Spirit.

You can't see the fish, but they're there. And the

more you learn about it, the more you will know

how to fish in the right places.

The more you follow him, the more you hear him.

The more you get acquainted with his voice and say,

I don't see it.

I don't feel it.

But God, if you speak it, I'll do it. Not

because I feel it. Not because I see it. Not

because I understand it. And not because it makes sense.

But if you say so, I will. If you say

do it, I'll do it. I want the obedience of

God to be the guarantee of my inheritance.

Yes.

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