The Best Is In Between!
Pastor Steven Furtick
Sermon Summary
What if the season you're eager to get through is actually where God wants to meet you? It's easy to fixate on your past, your future, or someone else’s progress and miss what's happening right now. But God’s present here in the middle, too, and He’s up to more than you may realize.
Sermon Highlights
“‘Follow me’ is not much instruction, but it's enough to get you where God is leading you.
Every step is gonna feel a little unstable, but if you don’t take the step, you’re stagnant.
Three things that happen in the in-between:
Distracted disciples
The devil’s three tactics to distract you:
“Back then” (Your version of your past)
“But when” (Your vision of your future)
“Better than” (Your voice of “what about…?”)
Divine disruption
Jesus interrupts what Peter has always been to make him what he was called to be.
It may not feel the best, but that’s when you get to know Him the best.
The miracle is going to be in between. The best is in between. That’s where God reveals Himself.
Praise Him on the way.
Undeniable demonstration
When the passage started, the man was begging at the gate. When the passage ended, he was standing in between.
You’re not broken, you’re just in between.
In between is the place where Jesus promises to be.
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!
Do you agree with Pastor Holly’s hot take that fall is overrated? Defend your answer.
Do you agree with Pastor Steven’s hot take, that 3:00PM is the least productive time of day? Defend your answer.
Discussion Questions
“‘Follow me’ is not much instruction, but it’s enough to get you where God is leading you.” Where have you been wishing God would give you more direction, and what would it look like to trust Him with the next step instead?
“The devil's three distraction tactics: Back then, But when, Better than.” Which of these three distractions have you been most tempted by lately: looking back at how things used to be, looking ahead to how you wish things would be, or comparing your life to someone else's?
“It may not feel the best, but that's when you get to know Him the best.” What part of God's character have you come to know more deeply through a difficult or unexpected season?
“The miracle is going to be in between. The best is in between. That's where God reveals Himself.” What has God been showing you or teaching you in the middle of a season you're still waiting to get through?
“In between is the place where Jesus promises to be.” What's one way you can be more intentional about recognizing and spending time with Jesus in your current season?
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!
God, thank You that even when we're on the way, and even when we're not there yet, the best is in between. Please protect us from the enemy’s distractions of “back then,” “but when,” and “better than,” and help us fix our eyes on You instead. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us in the in-between. Thank You for the miracles in the in-between. And thank You for the glory that’s on the way. 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: Related Sermon
Feeling stuck in an in-between season that you wish you could skip? Revisit this message from Pastor Steven as a reminder that what you're going through is not bigger than the God who’s bringing you through it.