Hey friends. I hope you are well today.

They’re calling for snow today in Iowa so…ugh. I’m a little melancholy. But I’m going to flip my focus today and remember that my kids love the snow and cold so it will be an exciting day for them! Ha.

Below you’ll find my sermon notes for Pastor Steven’s message at Elevation on 10.25.2020.

Before that though, I’m going to shamelessly plug eGroups. If you aren’t connected to an eGroup, what are you waiting for?! Especially during a time of such isolation, making a connection with others is vitally important. Head to elevationchurch.cc to find one that fits you today.

Now on to my notes. Just a friendly reminder that I take my notes in real time as Pastor is speaking, so you’ll need context. Be sure to watch if you haven’t already. Click here to watch this message on YouTube.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy.

Sermon Notes : Jump To A New Conclusion

• Luke 1:39-45
• Isaiah 55:8-9 
• Any time you need certainty it prohibits your ability to experience things that God has spoken over your life.
• The conclusion that you come to is based on the belief you start with.
• Is it easy for you to  be suspicious?
• Are there conclusions that you keep coming to?        
• If anything bad can happen, it’s gonna happen to me. <— Pastor said this – but I felt it.
• Bad news creates bad beliefs.
• Frame your life by faith, not fear.
• We need to get together with others to encourage each other in our faith.
• A lot of us have been going through the biggest things in this hard season by ourselves.
• It’s based in a belief.
• Where did those beliefs come from?
• Get around someone else who is carrying something significant.
• Some of the things that you know are not true.
• We are highly suspicious of the behavior of a God who we secretly believe doesn’t like us.                                              
• God started this before we ever got here.
• Matthew 3:11-12
• John 1:29-36
• There’s something in you that has always known God is there and that he loves you.
• One of the most disturbing questions in the Bible is Matthew 11:3.  
• The same one who pointed out Jesus is the one who started to doubt.
• If you start by believing that with faith you’ll never experience doubt, then the moment you start to doubt your faith will start to fail.
• When you don’t experience things first hand, or don’t see the big picture it gets hard to believe.
• Matthew 11:3-6
• John was expecting judgement based on what he had heard while he was in prison.
• God’s presence does not accommodate our preferences.
• We don’t know the difference between truth and our belief.  
• Don’t stumble.
• Jump.
• Some things can make us fall, but can also be things that can strengthen our faith.
• Are you staying away from God’s presence based on an offense that you believe has been committed against you?
• Are you tripping over something that isn’t true?
• I need to upgrade my vision of God.   
• Blessed is the one who believes that what God spoke, he will fulfill!