Take Your Notes On The Boat!
Pastor Steven Furtick
Sermon Summary
Have you ever wished God would explain why you're going through something? You don't always need a new word from God — sometimes you need to remember the one He's already spoken. If you've been looking for peace, clarity, or confidence in a difficult season, discover how God's Word can help you trust Him even before you have all the answers.
Sermon Highlights
There is a difference between hearing an explanation and having a demonstration.
God has a word for you, and it can be personal and it can be powerful, but it cannot be either of those if you do not process it. So take notes.
I am going to take the investment of God's Word and see a return on it.
He teaches deeply… But He does not always give the details.
You’ve got the Word that you need for the wind that you didn’t even know you were going to face.
We have to take what God gave us on the shore and apply it in the storm.
I know it feels like we’re going under, but He said we’re going over.
“Take your notes on the boat” has two meanings:
Learn what He’s trying to TEACH you in this storm.
Take what God TAUGHT you into your next challenge.
There’s something God’s trying to teach you in the storm that He couldn’t teach you on the shore.
The wind is a gift, it’s God’s whiteboard; that’s where He starts teaching you the greatest lessons.
If you feel like God’s not speaking to you, He might be speaking to the storm instead.
You keep waiting for an explanation. What if He wants to give you a demonstration instead?
Scriptures
Read this week’s Scriptures. Ask your group what stands out to them.
Sermon Discussion
Conversation Starter
Choose the one that works best for your group!
Take turns sharing your favorite LOVE Week memories from this past week!
Pastor Steven talked about how hard it can be to describe a movie to someone who hasn't seen it. What's a movie you love so much you could give the perfect elevator pitch for it?
Discussion Questions
"God has a word for you, and it can be personal and it can be powerful, but it cannot be either of those if you do not process it. So take notes." How do you usually process what God is teaching you — through prayer, journaling, Scripture, conversations, or something else?
"You've got the Word that you need for the wind that you didn't even know you were going to face." Share a time God used a verse, sermon, or previous season to prepare you for a challenge you didn't see coming?
"Take your notes on the boat." What's one lesson from this season that you want to carry into whatever comes next?
"If you feel like God's not speaking to you, He might be speaking to the storm instead." Share a time that you looked back and realized God was working through a difficult season, even when you couldn't see it at the time.
"You keep waiting for an explanation. What if He wants to give you a demonstration instead?" Where have you been waiting for an explanation from God, and what might it look like to trust Him enough to watch for His demonstration instead?
Prayer Prompt
Ask your eGroup if they have any prayer requests or praise reports they’d like to share, and include them in your closing prayer.
Pray this prayer over your eGroup to close, and/or send it to them throughout the week to let them know you’re praying for them!
Lord, even when it feels like we’re going under, You say we’re going to make it. Thank You for always delivering us to our next destination and teaching us through every storm. Please help us take notes as You teach us and return to our notes whenever we need evidence of Your faithfulness. In the absence of explanations, when we’re feeling confused, uncertain, or frustrated, please speak to the storms in our lives and command them to be still. We love You and we trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Additional Content
Here’s some additional content you can use to encourage your group this week.
Go deeper: It Is Well With My Soul
Take some time as a group to read aloud these lyrics to the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul,” written by Horatio Spafford in 1873 while mourning a tragic loss. Which lyrics impact you most deeply right now and why?
When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!