SPEAKER_01: Hey, I'm Pastor Forrest, and welcome to the Multiple Church Podcast.
SPEAKER_01: Each week we open God's word together to help you meet God and multiply Him in your everyday life.
SPEAKER_01: We're so glad that you've taken time to join us for this week's sermon.
SPEAKER_01: And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media so you never miss a message.
SPEAKER_01: Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.
SPEAKER_02: My name is Patrick.
SPEAKER_02: I'm not from, but coming from Tallahassee, Florida, where I get to serve as one of the executive pastors on staff at a church called Bradfordville First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_02: And my wife is Kylie Joe.
SPEAKER_02: She's with me, man.
SPEAKER_02: We're really honored to be here today.
SPEAKER_02: Let me show you a little bit about me and my crazy before we get started so you can understand why I'm screaming at you, okay?
SPEAKER_02: This is my family.
SPEAKER_02: Alright, look at the flow.
SPEAKER_02: It is really going there.
SPEAKER_02: That kid in the back with his hand up and like the kiss tongue out.
SPEAKER_02: That's Theophilus Armin Waco.
SPEAKER_02: That's my that's my dog right there.
SPEAKER_02: That's Theo.
SPEAKER_02: He's nine.
SPEAKER_02: He's crazy.
SPEAKER_02: I love him.
SPEAKER_02: Uh right next to him is my seven-year-old.
SPEAKER_02: That's Phoebe Joe.
SPEAKER_02: That's little Jojo.
SPEAKER_02: She's great.
SPEAKER_02: And then in the arms over my shoulder of Kylie Joe, that's Zurielle.
SPEAKER_02: And she's perfect.
SPEAKER_02: She's never done anything wrong.
SPEAKER_02: She's never gonna do anything wrong.
SPEAKER_02: And before I left and came here, we had a sit down, and she said, Dad, I've been praying.
SPEAKER_02: I said, Okay.
SPEAKER_02: And she said, I'm gonna live at home with you forever.
SPEAKER_02: And I said, Yes, Lord.
SPEAKER_02: So she's gonna she's gonna live with me forever.
SPEAKER_02: It's amazing.
SPEAKER_02: And so um I told you you could sit down, but we're gonna do something, whether uh it's comfortable or uncomfortable for you.
SPEAKER_02: Um, here's what I wanna do: I want to honor your senior pastor.
SPEAKER_02: So if you would, would you stand to your feet real quick?
SPEAKER_02: And can we honor Pastor Forrest Coleman who had a vision for what multiplied could be when it was nothing but a dream in his heart, when God put a spark of faith in his life to put his yes on the table, and here we are! And if you know the vision, we exist to see the grace of God multiplied in the city and in the world, and and that's what we're seeing right now.
SPEAKER_02: So if you would just stay standing real quick, I know it's okay.
SPEAKER_02: You're gonna sit for like 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_02: It's fine, all right?
SPEAKER_02: Y'all stay standing with me and let's honor God's man for God's time.
SPEAKER_02: And it's a big deal uh for you to share this platform with me, and so honor you.
SPEAKER_02: Let me pray and we'll jump in together.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus, thank you so much for multiply church.
SPEAKER_02: God, thank you for Pastor Forrest.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for the the story here.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for the people who serve.
SPEAKER_02: God, thank you for baptisms and amazing worship.
SPEAKER_02: But God, mostly thank you for you.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for being what's good, thank you for being what's powerful, thank you for being what brings the results.
SPEAKER_02: And so, God, we praise you.
SPEAKER_02: I pray for this second service.
SPEAKER_02: God, just like we saying, would you give a now word, not a first service word, but a right now word.
SPEAKER_02: And God, would you enlighten our hearts to see it and understand it through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us if we have put our faith and trust in Jesus?
SPEAKER_02: And it is in his name we pray.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: Now you can sit down.
SPEAKER_02: I promise I won't make you stand back up.
SPEAKER_02: So good again to be with you.
SPEAKER_02: You know, Kylie Joe and I have never been in, well, I mean, we have now, but we've never been in the room before.
SPEAKER_02: I was telling Pastor Force when we talked, I said, Man, I've never been to Multiply, but I feel like I know the multiply story.
SPEAKER_02: See, ten years ago, God was good and he allowed the Wykel's path to cross with Dave and Sally Sandlin's path at a little place called Foothills Church, and um Kylie Joe and Sally were pregnant at the same time together, and we have raised kids together, and we've been through some crazy down times together, and man, so I've always been behind the scenes watching the multiply.
SPEAKER_02: Any lurkers in the room, any like social media just stalkers?
SPEAKER_02: Y'all are judging me, but I know you do it, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Like that's what I've done to y'all.
SPEAKER_02: Like, I've just scrolled and watched, and it's amazing, like this is an amazing place.
SPEAKER_02: The story of multiply is incredible, you know, from meeting in like government building or small and and then like theater setup and teardown.
SPEAKER_02: Anybody glad setup and teardown is over any in the room?
SPEAKER_02: Y'all didn't aim in enough.
SPEAKER_02: That's fine.
SPEAKER_02: But like set up and teardown to like, man, just trusting God, like things feeling like they're in the way, but then God breaking through, like that's the story of multiply, like watching his grace just again and again and again multiply and bring favor and forward movement movement, like running on campus at KSU, trying to get in, seeing people finally come to faith and respond, baptisms, all of those things.
SPEAKER_02: I love the story of multiply because it's really a story of grit and faith, like that there are moments where it feels like the situation is maybe beyond belief.
SPEAKER_02: It's it's too big to see or believe in the moment, but you just persevere.
SPEAKER_02: And actually, that's what I'm titling my message today.
SPEAKER_02: If you're taking notes, not because I'm good, but because you believe God is gonna speak, and so you want to hear it again when you leave, you can write that down in your notes.
SPEAKER_02: Today, the the title of today's message is Beyond Belief.
SPEAKER_02: And I really think that that's the story of this church.
SPEAKER_02: But if I could be bold and honest with you this morning, if we could sit in some tension together, I think the reality is that those stories don't just happen in the life of the church, they happen in your life too.
SPEAKER_02: Like I know they happen in my life.
SPEAKER_02: It's like, Pastor, what are you saying?
SPEAKER_02: I'm saying that there are moments in our lives, like if I got to pass the mic around and we had time and we could tell testimony and we could tell story, that the truth and the reality is that we all have these moments that I call beyond belief moments, where there's something in the way or something we're encountering, or something we're going through.
SPEAKER_02: And if we're honest with ourselves, we wrestle with this idea of like, God, this just feels bigger than what I have belief for right now.
SPEAKER_02: Like it's the moment where the doctor gives you the diagnosis and says the cancer word you never thought you would hear.
SPEAKER_02: Or the moment where you have the big blow-up fight with your spouse, and then afterwards you're sitting in the silence and you're like, man, I don't know if we can recover from this.
SPEAKER_02: I think the relationship's over, or when you're sitting down and you're looking at the numbers and the math isn't mathing, and you're like, God, you are going to have to show up here because I can't do this.
SPEAKER_02: Those moments where suddenly it feels like it's beyond belief.
SPEAKER_02: Like, God, I'm praying, I'm asking, and I have this idea that I think I know you can do this, God, but right now it feels beyond belief.
SPEAKER_02: And hear me clearly multiply.
SPEAKER_02: I'm not questioning your faith, and and I'm not questioning my own.
SPEAKER_02: I think there's times where we legitimately believe in God, right?
SPEAKER_02: And you still know that He's able, you still read the scripture and say that's true, but you just can't see how.
SPEAKER_02: Been there?
SPEAKER_02: I just don't know how, God.
SPEAKER_02: I just don't know how this time you're going to make it happen.
SPEAKER_02: And it's like maybe sometimes you Romans 8, 28 yourself to death, right?
SPEAKER_02: Like, God, I know you can work all things for good, but like I'm praying.
SPEAKER_02: You ever been there?
SPEAKER_02: I'm praying, I'm asking, and God's just not answering.
SPEAKER_02: And this moment of life, this season that I'm going through, man, it is full of beyond belief moments.
SPEAKER_02: And if I could be honest with you, as the guy with the mic, the pastor, right?
SPEAKER_02: Like I have these moments in my own life true.
SPEAKER_02: There, there have been seasons where I've watched God do more than I could ever imagine.
SPEAKER_02: Like in my family, in my ministry, uh, just in my personal relationship with Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: And then there's times where like I've prayed for clarity and gotten silence.
SPEAKER_02: There's times where I've been going through like sin struggle and stuff I'm trying to defeat, but I'm supposed to be this guide of spiritual enlightenment for people around me.
SPEAKER_02: And it's like, God, how are you gonna do this?
SPEAKER_02: How are you gonna work this out in me so I can help other people find life in Jesus?
SPEAKER_02: There's times in my life, in situations, in my own church, in my own home where I've stopped and thought, God, this thing that's in front of me, it feels beyond belief for you to do anything with it, for you to do anything about it.
SPEAKER_02: And I don't know how you came in today to multiply.
SPEAKER_02: Like if it's just another Sunday for you, or if you're really wrestling with something.
SPEAKER_02: I think the reality that we gotta do business with together is that it could be right here, right now, in that seat.
SPEAKER_02: You are right there.
SPEAKER_02: You are right in the space, standing between what I've heard God can do and how I need him to show up right now.
SPEAKER_02: God, this is what I know you can do, but this is what I need you to do right now.
SPEAKER_02: And it's so big, it's so scary, it's so tense that maybe it feels just a little bit beyond belief.
SPEAKER_02: So the question that I want to ask, and name it what we're maybe all feeling in the room today.
SPEAKER_02: The question I want to ask, and maybe help you ask for yourself is this What do you do when the things you're facing feel beyond belief?
SPEAKER_02: What do you do, multiply church, when the things you're facing in your life and around your life, maybe in your church, feel like they're so big, so scary, so tumultuous that it's just beyond belief that God could do anything about it.
SPEAKER_02: I think that's a really good question, not because I came up with it, but I think that's a really good question because I think it's a question that the Bible answers.
SPEAKER_02: So if you have a copy of God's word, here's what I want you to do.
SPEAKER_02: I want you to take your copy of God's word out and turn to Mark chapter 9, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Uh whether you have a physical copy or you want to pull it out on your phone and open up the UVersion Bible app, like whatever, the best Bible for you to use is the one you'll actually use.
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so whatever copy you have, if you don't have one, don't sweat it, it's gonna be on the screens and you can follow along with me.
SPEAKER_02: But I believe that that question, man, what do you do when things you're facing feel beyond belief?
SPEAKER_02: It's too big for God to do anything about it.
SPEAKER_02: What do you do?
SPEAKER_02: And it's a question I think we get an answer to in Mark chapter 9.
SPEAKER_02: So let's start there in verse 14 together.
SPEAKER_02: When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of the religious law were arguing with them.
SPEAKER_02: And when the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe and they ran to greet him.
SPEAKER_02: Now, let me give you some context.
SPEAKER_02: Okay, this story takes place right on the heels of the Mount of Transfiguration moment.
SPEAKER_02: And if you don't know what that moment is, it's okay, I'm gonna tell you.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus takes his favorites, so sidebar, there is such a thing as favorites, and it's biblical, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Jesus has got 12, but he's got three boys that he gives VIP experiences to, right?
SPEAKER_02: And so Jesus takes his favorites, Peter, James, and John, up on top of a mountain, and there, while he's praying, talking to God, he's transfigured.
SPEAKER_02: He's glorified, his countenance changes, his body changes.
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
SPEAKER_02: I don't know how it happens, but it happens, okay?
SPEAKER_02: And not only is Jesus changed, but Elijah and Moses show up representing the law and the prophets.
SPEAKER_02: And Peter, James, and John, they freak out.
SPEAKER_02: They're like, this is incredible! You know?
SPEAKER_02: It's like the multiverse of madness, timelines are lining up, and like it's a time warp of quantum physics.
SPEAKER_02: Now, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02: It could just, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02: But it's there, okay?
SPEAKER_02: And so they're freaking out, and Jesus says, Hey, it's good that you would see this, but go ahead and shut up about it, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Don't tell anybody.
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna go down the mountain, and I don't want you to say a word about what you've seen, okay, till later.
SPEAKER_02: And so Jesus and the disciples, Peter, James, and John, his favorite, right?
SPEAKER_02: The three amigos, they come down the mountain.
SPEAKER_02: And this is a literal like mountaintop to valley experience, okay?
SPEAKER_02: You ever had one of those?
SPEAKER_02: Where it's like Monday was great and Tuesday was hell on earth.
SPEAKER_02: Anybody?
SPEAKER_02: Just me.
SPEAKER_02: Cool.
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so Jesus comes down and he walks into an episode of the Real Housewives, right?
SPEAKER_02: Everybody's fighting.
SPEAKER_02: They're arguing, they're bickering, and they're pointing fingers, and Jesus commands attention of the moment.
SPEAKER_02: And look at verse 16, what he says.
SPEAKER_02: This I love this.
SPEAKER_02: This is so real.
SPEAKER_02: He says, What is all this arguing about?
SPEAKER_02: Jesus asked.
SPEAKER_02: There are times in my life where like, you ever, if you got kids, you ever like walk into a room and your kids are like fighting?
SPEAKER_02: Y'all are better than me, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Tell me what I'm doing wrong.
SPEAKER_02: But sometimes I walk in and there's like knives involved, right?
SPEAKER_02: And it's like we're about to go to war.
SPEAKER_02: And they're arguing, and I just got to be like, hey, what's going on?
SPEAKER_02: And then they like freeze and look at me.
SPEAKER_02: That's that's what's happening here, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Jesus, he shows up, he says, What is all this arguing about?
SPEAKER_02: Verse 17.
SPEAKER_02: One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, Teacher, Rabbi, I brought my son so you could heal him.
SPEAKER_02: He is possessed by an evil spirit that wouldn't let him talk.
SPEAKER_02: And whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.
SPEAKER_02: So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it.
SPEAKER_02: I asked the people of God to give me some Jesus, and they couldn't do it.
SPEAKER_02: There's something in there, but that's a different sermon.
SPEAKER_02: 19.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus said to them, You faithless people, how long must I be with you?
SPEAKER_02: How long must I put up with you?
SPEAKER_02: Bring the boy to me.
SPEAKER_02: So there's a moment, it's crazy, it's chaos, we're arguing.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus steps in and he calms the chaos and says, Hey, what's going on here?
SPEAKER_02: And a dad from the crowd steps out and says, Hey, I brought my son to be healed.
SPEAKER_02: And what we learn about this son is that he's afflicted by evil spirits.
SPEAKER_02: Now, listen, if we read this like real human beings, not like church people, like if we just forget what we know and we come to it fresh, this is a raw moment.
SPEAKER_02: Like if you have kids, you can feel this.
SPEAKER_02: Like, this dad has got to be desperate.
SPEAKER_02: He's desperate for his son.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus, I brought my son to you.
SPEAKER_02: He's controlled by the spirit, it overcomes his body, it's wrecked and ruined our lives.
SPEAKER_02: You think he's tried everything?
SPEAKER_02: Would you have tried everything, mom, dad, in the room?
SPEAKER_02: He he's probably gone to the ends of the earth of what he knows, and he's heard enough about Jesus, say, if if I can just encounter Jesus, then this could change.
SPEAKER_02: He's right where we are in that tension of like there are there are things in my life that maybe I've heard about that God could change if I could just get there.
SPEAKER_02: And he finally gets there, and what happens?
SPEAKER_02: He's let down.
SPEAKER_02: It's like, gee, I took him to your disciples, I took him to the people that you've empowered, I took him to the people that I've heard have been doing miracles in your name in the past, and they couldn't do anything.
SPEAKER_02: And now what's the dad feeling?
SPEAKER_02: He's going from feeling desperate to feeling dejected.
SPEAKER_02: Oh no, not again.
SPEAKER_02: Like, there's nothing that can be done for my son.
SPEAKER_02: And Jesus responds, Hey, y'all ain't got enough faith.
SPEAKER_02: So bring the boy to me.
SPEAKER_02: And look, look at verse 20.
SPEAKER_02: So they brought the boy.
SPEAKER_02: But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
SPEAKER_02: How long has this been happening?
SPEAKER_02: Jesus asked the boy's father.
SPEAKER_02: And he replied, Since he was a little boy, the spirit often throws him into the fire and into water, trying to kill him.
SPEAKER_02: Have mercy on us and help us if you can.
SPEAKER_02: What do you mean, if I can?
SPEAKER_02: Jesus asked.
SPEAKER_02: Anything is possible if a person believes.
SPEAKER_02: And the father instantly cried out, I do believe then, but help me overcome my unbelief.
SPEAKER_02: Did you see where this started?
SPEAKER_02: Did you catch it?
SPEAKER_02: Because I think sometimes, maybe for someone in the room, it's good for your faith to hear that sometimes when you come to Jesus, things get worse before they get better.
SPEAKER_02: So the Father is at the feet of Jesus and he's describing what's happening to his son, and Jesus is ten toes down face to face as this boy gets thrown into another convulsion.
SPEAKER_02: And I just love this picture that God will enter into your mess.
SPEAKER_02: God will enter into your darkest day and stand there, and he is not intimidated by it.
SPEAKER_02: Because what does the father say?
SPEAKER_02: The father's heart must break again as he's standing in front of Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: He's like, What's been happening?
SPEAKER_02: This, this Jesus, this is what's been happening.
SPEAKER_02: Can't you see this right here?
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes it's around fire and water, and my boy is helpless.
SPEAKER_02: And if you can do anything, Jesus, would you?
SPEAKER_02: I I love that realness.
SPEAKER_02: And I love Jesus' response.
SPEAKER_02: What do you mean if I can?
SPEAKER_02: It's like Jesus is taking back and say, excuse me, you know.
SPEAKER_02: Um so cool thing here.
SPEAKER_02: Like in the beginning was the word John 1.
SPEAKER_02: You should read it, you know.
SPEAKER_02: Like he's like, no, like, what do you mean if I can?
SPEAKER_02: I can do anything.
SPEAKER_02: And I love the response of the dad.
SPEAKER_02: It's like an immediate mind shape where he says, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02: I do believe that, but help me when I don't.
SPEAKER_02: And man, there's such a picture in here for us multiply.
SPEAKER_02: There's such a lesson to learn if you find yourself in a situation that feels beyond belief because this is the moment that the Father is wrestling with.
SPEAKER_02: Man, it feels beyond belief.
SPEAKER_02: It's happening right here in front of you, Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: Nothing's changing.
SPEAKER_02: The disciples couldn't do it, the God people couldn't do it, the church couldn't do it, and I'm standing right here in front of you, and nothing's changed, Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: I do believe, but help me when it feels beyond belief, help me overcome my unbelief, and you get this picture right here.
SPEAKER_02: That is, Jesus stares in his eyes and doesn't dismiss him.
SPEAKER_02: It's that present doubt and belief can exist in the same space.
SPEAKER_02: You get that?
SPEAKER_02: Like you look at what the man is saying, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Here's what it is I believe.
SPEAKER_02: That's present trust.
SPEAKER_02: But help my unbelief.
SPEAKER_02: That's present doubt.
SPEAKER_02: And what I love about Mark chapter 9 is that Jesus says they can exist together.
SPEAKER_02: That because he's the God who can do anything, he's not intimidated by everything that's standing in your way.
SPEAKER_02: And Jesus stands there and looks at the Father, looks at the Son, looks at the doubt and the faith that's intermingled.
SPEAKER_02: And can I tell you, like, that's actually how faith works?
SPEAKER_02: Faith is not like this clean line of certainty.
SPEAKER_02: It's not like God came to Pastor Forrest and said, hey, plant, multiply, and in a couple years you're gonna be in this building, you're gonna be running a couple services, and it's all gonna be great.
SPEAKER_02: You're gonna baptize like three people, it's gonna be awesome.
SPEAKER_02: No, like how many of you know that faith is a step into the dark, to the unknown?
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes, can I tell you this?
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes God doesn't give you the plan of what he's going to do because then you trust in the plan more than the person who gives the plan.
SPEAKER_02: And so Jesus is standing there seeing all this, seeing present trust, seeing present doubt, mixed together, living in the same human.
SPEAKER_02: And he doesn't dismiss the dad.
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
SPEAKER_02: He doesn't dismiss me.
SPEAKER_02: He's saying, hey man, well, that's tough because if you would have said you trusted me completely, we could have done something cool here.
SPEAKER_02: So go home and come back later when you're a little bit better.
SPEAKER_02: No, he doesn't do that.
SPEAKER_02: He just, well, this is what he does.
SPEAKER_02: Let's look at it together.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 25.
SPEAKER_02: When Jesus saw the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit.
SPEAKER_02: Listen, you spirit, that makes this boy unable to hear and speak, he said.
SPEAKER_02: I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again.
SPEAKER_02: Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him.
SPEAKER_02: The boy appeared to be dead, and a murmur ran through the crowd as people said, He's dead.
SPEAKER_02: But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
SPEAKER_02: Pause.
SPEAKER_02: I said this the first server, so I'm gonna say it again.
SPEAKER_02: Can I say something to you as a church and not to you as an individual listening to a sermon?
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
SPEAKER_02: Do you notice in the scripture that there are times where Jesus is working and good religious people still murmur?
SPEAKER_02: They're standing around.
SPEAKER_02: The religious people they come back, oh, here's Jesus, he's working again.
SPEAKER_02: What's going on?
SPEAKER_02: Oh, he's a possessed boy.
SPEAKER_02: Oh, he's done this before.
SPEAKER_02: What's he gonna do again?
SPEAKER_02: Didn't work out, did it?
SPEAKER_02: This must be the one that Jesus couldn't come up against.
SPEAKER_02: He says he look he looks dead, and they start to murmur.
SPEAKER_02: And all the while, what's God doing?
SPEAKER_02: God is on the move.
SPEAKER_02: And so sometimes there's gonna be temptation to murmur.
SPEAKER_02: Oh man, Pastor Force must not have thought that one out.
SPEAKER_02: Oh, we did that initiative, we tried that thing, we tried that.
SPEAKER_02: It's not really going well, is it?
SPEAKER_02: And what looks dead to you may look like life on the move to God.
SPEAKER_02: So for your own self and for the church, trade your murmur in for words of affirmation and faith and belief.
SPEAKER_02: Man, God must be on the move here.
SPEAKER_02: And if he hasn't revealed all the behind the scenes to me, it's okay because I'm not in charge.
SPEAKER_02: You got you with me?
SPEAKER_02: It's like that's in the Bible, okay?
SPEAKER_02: That's just good.
SPEAKER_02: All right.
SPEAKER_02: So, but Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet and he stood up.
SPEAKER_02: Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with the disciples, they asked him, Why couldn't we cast out the evil spirit?
SPEAKER_02: This gets me too.
SPEAKER_02: Let me finish this.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus replied, This kind can only be cast out by prayer, and some versions say prayer and fasting.
SPEAKER_02: But this gets me too.
SPEAKER_02: Because Jesus' disciples, they come to Jesus and they're like, Let's go, Jesus, you healed this guy.
SPEAKER_02: Man, now this dude believes in you more than ever, and the mission continues.
SPEAKER_02: The kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven.
SPEAKER_02: Nope.
SPEAKER_02: They come to Jesus, like, Jesus, cool.
SPEAKER_02: Why couldn't we do it?
SPEAKER_02: Like, why?
SPEAKER_02: Like, we've done it before.
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's like they can't celebrate the God op the God win.
SPEAKER_02: It's like worship was great, but why can't I be on the worship team?
SPEAKER_02: That's enough.
SPEAKER_02: I'm done step on toes.
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
SPEAKER_02: But the disciples, they come to Jesus saying, they miss the miracle.
SPEAKER_02: And they're like, well, why, why?
SPEAKER_02: Why didn't why can't we do it?
SPEAKER_02: And here's why.
SPEAKER_02: And here's where I think we start kind of descending and land in the plane together, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Stay with me.
SPEAKER_02: Here's how I think Mark chapter 9 answers that question how how what do you do when what is in front of you or what you're experiencing feels beyond belief, too big for God to do something.
SPEAKER_02: Here's where we start to get this answer because Mark chapter 9 gives us a picture of two different types of faith.
SPEAKER_02: And the first picture is the disciples.
SPEAKER_02: And what's that picture?
SPEAKER_02: Well, it's a picture of the confident and determined.
SPEAKER_02: The disciples, confident and determined.
SPEAKER_02: Where they're relying on things they've done before, but they don't see God do it again.
SPEAKER_02: But the second picture that we get is the picture of the Father's faith.
SPEAKER_02: And where the disciples are confident and determined, the Father is desperate and dependent.
SPEAKER_02: And he's honest, not only about his doubts, but about his own helplessness to do anything in the situation.
SPEAKER_02: And you notice the miracle doesn't happen because someone has perfect faith.
SPEAKER_02: It's not like the dad says, and I have the faith of a mustard seed, and in Jesus' name he's healed, and the Holy Spirit moves.
SPEAKER_02: No, it's like this is the dad who's saying, if you can do anything, I don't believe in you all the way, but help me there.
SPEAKER_02: And so there's this beautiful picture that miracles don't happen.
SPEAKER_02: God doesn't move when we have perfect faith and we just nail it all ourselves because we're determined.
SPEAKER_02: No, we get this picture that miracles happen and God moves when people bring imperfect faith to a perfect Savior.
SPEAKER_02: Not faith that's beyond a shadow of a doubt, but faith that held on.
SPEAKER_02: Faith that held on when it felt like it was beyond belief.
SPEAKER_02: Man, this situation feels beyond belief, but God, I'm not gonna let go of who I know you are and what you can do.
SPEAKER_02: And instead, I'm gonna believe.
SPEAKER_02: Not a faith that presents life like it's got everything all together.
SPEAKER_02: Not a faith that never wrestles with doubt.
SPEAKER_02: A faith that actually brings doubts honestly, depends on God desperately and trusts Jesus completely, even when everything is falling apart right in front of your own eyes.
SPEAKER_02: So maybe a better question than what do you what do you do when things in your life feel like it's beyond belief?
SPEAKER_02: Maybe that's a bad question.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe a better question is this how do you walk in faith when the things that you're facing feel beyond belief?
SPEAKER_02: How do you do it?
SPEAKER_02: Multiply?
SPEAKER_02: How do you walk in faith when the things in front of you and around you feel like they're so big, so tumultuous, and so scary that it's beyond belief for you to believe that God can do anything about it.
SPEAKER_02: I I got three ways you can do it.
SPEAKER_02: You want it real quick?
SPEAKER_02: Three ways.
SPEAKER_02: Top shelf things taken off, put onto bottom shelf.
SPEAKER_02: You can literally walk out of this room today and do these things in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and experience a different life.
SPEAKER_02: You ready?
SPEAKER_02: I do believe that it can change your world.
SPEAKER_02: Okay, here's number one.
SPEAKER_02: Well, you're gonna have to admit weakness instead of faking strength.
SPEAKER_02: Easy step one, right?
SPEAKER_02: You're gonna have to admit weakness instead of faking strength.
SPEAKER_02: I mean, this is what you see in the dad.
SPEAKER_02: The dad confessed it.
SPEAKER_02: I don't believe there, God.
SPEAKER_02: I have unbelief there, God.
SPEAKER_02: I have doubts there, God.
SPEAKER_02: And you don't have to fake it, multiply.
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to come into the lobby and shake hands and be like, man, how you doing today?
SPEAKER_02: Good?
SPEAKER_02: Everything's good, we're good, everybody's good.
SPEAKER_02: No, you're not.
SPEAKER_02: Okay?
SPEAKER_02: Like we saw what your kids were wearing this morning.
SPEAKER_02: Yes, things, things aren't good, you know?
SPEAKER_02: Okay?
SPEAKER_02: It's like she had a rubber band in her hair, bro.
SPEAKER_02: Okay?
SPEAKER_02: It's not good.
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to fake it.
SPEAKER_02: And actually, here's what happens when you do.
SPEAKER_02: Can I just pastorally tell you as an outside voice, probably saying the same thing that your pastor says?
SPEAKER_02: You'll never experience the power and provision of God in areas that you're pretending to have it all together.
SPEAKER_02: And the reason that you won't is because if God gives you power and provision and breakthrough in the area you're pretending to have it together, you will take all the credit.
SPEAKER_02: And God will get none of the glory.
SPEAKER_02: And I am preaching to Patrick Weichel right now that there are areas in our life where we just have to go, hey, I'm addicted, hey, I'm weak, hey, I'm wrestling, hey, I'm not giving because I don't trust God to provide for me.
SPEAKER_02: Hey, I'm not serving because I don't see it as worth my time.
SPEAKER_02: Hey, I talk one way here and one way there because I have no control over my tongue.
SPEAKER_02: Hey, my eyes go to whatever they want, and I have no discipline over my own self in mind, and I need the power of God there so that way when you overcome, people don't go, wow, Pat, you're great.
SPEAKER_02: They go, Jesus is on the move in that dude's life.
SPEAKER_02: God is multiplying something in that guy's life.
SPEAKER_02: So admit weakness instead of faking strength.
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
SPEAKER_02: Second one.
SPEAKER_02: Choose dependence when you want control.
SPEAKER_02: Any control freaks in the room?
SPEAKER_02: Hey, I'm Patrick Wackle.
SPEAKER_02: Nice to meet you.
SPEAKER_02: Pastor Forrest is starting a recovery group for us after the service.
SPEAKER_02: And he said he can fix me, so maybe he can fix you too.
SPEAKER_02: Just kidding.
SPEAKER_02: He didn't say that at all.
SPEAKER_02: You have to choose dependence when you want control.
SPEAKER_02: Okay, this is the disciples.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus, why couldn't we do this?
SPEAKER_02: Here's what my pastor said a couple of Sundays ago, Pastor Luke Harper.
SPEAKER_02: He said this.
SPEAKER_02: He said, We don't experience the power of God because we're determined instead of desperate.
SPEAKER_02: He said, There are areas in your life where you are determined to just figure it all out yourself and try a little harder.
SPEAKER_02: Hey, men, especially in your room, can you look at my eyes for a second?
SPEAKER_02: When has trying a little harder got you where you need to go?
SPEAKER_02: When it comes to following Jesus, when has trying a little bit harder made you more like you can't do it on your own.
SPEAKER_02: There's no white knuckling yourself into submission of Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: It takes a desperation.
SPEAKER_02: See, the disciples, they had the right strategy, wrong spirit.
SPEAKER_02: Well, God, we were doing all this before.
SPEAKER_02: And look, here's what happens.
SPEAKER_02: Why did the disciples fail to do it if they had done it before?
SPEAKER_02: I'll tell you why.
SPEAKER_02: Because in the past, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they had the ability to go out in groups of people and see God-sized stuff happen.
SPEAKER_02: And in this situation, you know what they're doing?
SPEAKER_02: They're trusting what they did instead of who Jesus was.
SPEAKER_02: They weren't desperate like the dead.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, bring the boy to me.
SPEAKER_02: We got it.
SPEAKER_02: We do this all the time.
SPEAKER_02: Peter, James, John, they're gone.
SPEAKER_02: It's our time to step up.
SPEAKER_02: The three favorites are gone.
SPEAKER_02: Oh, dude, let's go.
SPEAKER_02: It's my time to earn some standing with Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: We have done this before.
SPEAKER_02: Here it goes.
SPEAKER_02: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
SPEAKER_02: Nothing.
SPEAKER_02: They weren't desperate.
SPEAKER_02: And so you you got to choose dependence when you want control.
SPEAKER_02: God, I can't do this.
SPEAKER_02: I'm fully dependent on you.
SPEAKER_02: Stop fighting spiritual battles with physical strength.
SPEAKER_02: Fast.
SPEAKER_02: Go make yourself weak.
SPEAKER_02: Biblical fasting is about food.
SPEAKER_02: Okay?
SPEAKER_02: Everything else is abstinence.
SPEAKER_02: You can abstain from social media and TV, but fasting is food.
SPEAKER_02: And it's meant to make you weak.
SPEAKER_02: So that way in your physical weakness, you can feel like you're dependent on God more.
SPEAKER_02: That's why Jesus went to the desert hungry, right?
SPEAKER_02: So make yourself empty and let God fill you up.
SPEAKER_02: Okay?
SPEAKER_02: Here's an application question here.
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna be done, I promise.
SPEAKER_02: Write this down and ask yourself this or ask this to your spouse and let them answer for you.
SPEAKER_02: It will be revealing, okay?
SPEAKER_02: Where are you depending on hustle, talent, and personality instead of actually praying to God?
SPEAKER_02: Where are you depending on hustle, talent, and personality instead of actually praying to God about it?
SPEAKER_02: Because those are the areas that you're fighting for control instead of giving into dependence of the Holy Spirit in Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: Third thing, here it is.
SPEAKER_02: Shift from if you can to since you can prayers.
SPEAKER_02: The healing wasn't about the dad's faith, it was about who the dad's faith was in.
SPEAKER_02: And the dad comes and you says, if you can, and Jesus says, excuse me.
SPEAKER_02: It's since you can, son.
SPEAKER_02: Because I am the God that spoke everything into creation.
SPEAKER_02: Hey, listen, do we believe God raised a 33-year-old Middle Eastern man back from the dead and he now lives in the arena of heaven?
SPEAKER_02: Or are we just agreeing like about religious moralism and it doesn't really have power?
SPEAKER_02: Because I'm convinced there's areas in my life and areas in your life where we're living and struggling with beyond belief, and we're saying, God, if you could do something about that, God, if you could give me some time, God, if you could give me some attention, God, if, if, if, if, if, if, if.
SPEAKER_02: And God's like, if you would just say, since you can.
SPEAKER_02: Like, I don't, you don't have to pray multiple.
SPEAKER_02: God, if you would save one more, if you would allow us to see more baptisms, you can pray, God, since you want to save our city, would you do it again?
SPEAKER_02: God, since you want to see the kingdom be built here and now, would you lead us to a third service?
SPEAKER_02: God, since you own the cattle on a thousand hill, would you lead us to give in generosity so we could accomplish the immeasurably more than all we could ask, think, or imagine?
SPEAKER_02: And you can pray that for your own life too, because you serve and are loved by the God of since you can, not if you can.
SPEAKER_02: And here's the good news, multiply.
SPEAKER_02: The good news is that experience that we just read about between the Father and the Son is on the table for you today.
SPEAKER_02: You can have that today.
SPEAKER_02: God wants to encounter you like that right now, in this moment.
SPEAKER_02: Because here's the truth it doesn't take beyond belief faith, it takes faith in a beyond belief God.
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't take beyond belief faith, it takes faith in a beyond belief God.
SPEAKER_02: That's why Paul writes about it this way in Ephesians 3.
SPEAKER_02: If you have that beyond belief faith in God, then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.
SPEAKER_02: Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.
SPEAKER_02: And may you have the power to understand as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
SPEAKER_02: May you experience the love of Christ, though it's too great to understand fully.
SPEAKER_02: Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
SPEAKER_02: That's the goal of church, right?
SPEAKER_02: Right?
SPEAKER_02: Like the goal of church.
SPEAKER_02: I want to be made complete with all the fullness and power of God and knowledge of Jesus Christ, so I know how to follow him and do his will.
SPEAKER_02: And Paul's saying, yeah, but when you put your faith in a beyond belief God and trust in him, Jesus makes his home in your life.
SPEAKER_02: And when Jesus makes his home in your life, the Holy Spirit invades and lets you understand how much God loves you.
SPEAKER_02: And why does your trust in God go up when you understand how much God loves you goes up?
SPEAKER_02: Because when I understand how much God loves me, I trust him to move in ways that I didn't before.
SPEAKER_02: And so Paul's saying, hey, you need to get a bigger vision multiply of how much God loves you.
SPEAKER_02: If you put your faith and trust in Jesus and you're a son, you're a daughter, you're adopted, you were an enemy, and now you're in the kingdom, you were an alien, and now you're a people and you have a home, you were a sinner, and now you're a priest.
SPEAKER_02: God loves you that much, He will fight for you.
SPEAKER_02: And so we can come to God in the beyond belief moments and say, God, since you can.
SPEAKER_02: I know you can, God.
SPEAKER_02: I have struggles, I have doubts.
SPEAKER_02: There's times where I don't believe.
SPEAKER_02: Help me there.
SPEAKER_02: But God, since you can, would you work?
SPEAKER_00: We're so grateful you joined us for this week's message.
SPEAKER_00: At Multiply, we believe life was never meant to be lived alone.
SPEAKER_00: If today you made the decision to follow Jesus, we'd be honored to walk with you on this journey.
SPEAKER_00: Visit multiplyky.com to let us know.
SPEAKER_00: We love you and we'll see you again soon.