Let The Dirt Do It's Work

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Let The Dirt Do It's Work" – Elevation with Steven Furtick

Podcast Information:

• Title: Elevation with Steven Furtick
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
• Episode Title: Let The Dirt Do It's Work
• Release Date: May 9, 2025

---

1. Introduction

In the episode titled "Let The Dirt Do It's Work", Pastor Steven Furtick delves deep into the Parable of the Sower from the Gospel of Mark (Mark 4:26-29). He emphasizes the importance of trusting God's process, even when the outcomes seem uncertain or invisible. Furtick encourages listeners to focus on their role in sowing the seeds of faith without being burdened by the need to understand the intricate details of growth and manifestation.

2. Biblical Context

Furtick begins by setting the stage with the passage from Mark 4:26-28:

"He also said, this is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground night and day. Whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain. First the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head." ([01:55])

He connects this scripture to the broader narrative of Jesus' ministry, highlighting how Jesus' teachings naturally created opposition alongside their impactful spread.

3. Main Message

Trusting the Process: Furtick underscores that trusting God involves allowing Him to orchestrate the growth and results. He draws parallels between the farmer's actions and the believer's journey:

"God knows the order in which things need to happen in our lives. Trusting Him is in one sense just allowing Him to do not only what He wants to do, but when He wants to do it." ([02:05])

Obedience Over Understanding: A central theme is the concept that believers do not need to comprehend how God works but must remain obedient. Furtick illustrates this with everyday struggles and how faith persists despite uncertainty.

"I don't know how I'm going to make it, but I don't have to know how." ([28:37])

4. Key Insights

Parable of the Sower Revisited: Furtick revisits the Parable of the Sower, interpreting it beyond agricultural metaphor to a profound spiritual principle:

• Seed as the Word of God: Represents faith and divine truth being sown in one's life.
• Soil as the Heart: Symbolizes the individual's receptiveness and openness to God's word.

"The seed is always going forth. God is always speaking to you. Stop asking God to speak to you and start listening." ([12:22])

God's Sovereignty and Human Role: He emphasizes God's sovereignty in the growth process, asserting that while humans can sow and nurture, the actual growth is in God's hands.

"Let the dirt do its work." ([25:02])

Handling Doubt and Uncertainty: Furtick addresses common human tendencies to seek control and understanding, advocating for faith despite the unknown.

"Let the dirt do its work. The greatest growth happened not when the farmer was doing his part, but when the dirt was doing its part." ([25:10])

5. Practical Applications

Embracing Humility: Listeners are encouraged to embrace humility, recognizing that their understanding is limited and that obedience is paramount.

"God is looking for... people who don't know how. That's what God is looking for. Humble people." ([25:11])

Sowing Without Fear: Furtick urges believers to sow seeds of faith, kindness, and obedience without the fear of not seeing immediate results.

"All I have to do is Sow. Find 12 disciples and tell them, you don't have to know how." ([28:37])

Faith in Adversity: He reassures that adversity is part of the growth process and that believers should trust God through seasons of difficulty.

"Let the dirt do its work. Don't fight it, don't run from it, and don't pluck up the seed because you don't like the season." ([34:18])

6. Conclusion

Pastor Steven Furtick concludes the episode by reinforcing the message that faith requires action without full understanding. By sowing seeds of faith and allowing God to handle the growth, believers can witness profound transformations in their lives, akin to the harvest described in the Parable of the Sower.

"Don't let what you don't know keep you from sowing. The farmer didn't know how it was going to happen, but he knew what to do. I have to keep sowing. I have to keep praying. I have to keep believing. I have to stay in this house. I have to be present. I have to show up. All I have to do is Sow." ([28:37])

Furtick's message serves as a powerful reminder that faith is not about having all the answers but about trusting the One who does. By letting the "dirt do its work," believers are invited to experience the fullness of God's plan and purpose in their lives.

---

Notable Quotes:

• "Let the dirt do its work." – Steven Furtick ([25:02])
• "I don't know how I'm going to make it, but I don't have to know how." – Steven Furtick ([28:37])
• "God is looking for... people who don't know how. That's what God is looking for. Humble people." – Steven Furtick ([25:11])
• "Don't let what you don't know keep you from sowing." – Steven Furtick ([28:37])

This episode serves as an inspiring guide for those navigating faith amidst uncertainty, encouraging a deep trust in God's sovereign process.

Transcript

[Steven Furtick]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast. Member Week is here at Lowe's. Don't miss your chance to get up to 40% off hundreds of items like paint, outdoor and home essentials and more. Shop our exclusive deals happening in store and online now through May 14th. Not a rewards member? Join for free today and get ready to save more Lowes. We help you save loyalty programs subject to terms and conditions. Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change hey, it's.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this spring. Refresh your spring personal care Items and earn 4 times points on all your favorites when you shop in store or online. Earn 4 times points when you shop for items like Pantene shampoo, Gillette Fusion 5 razors, secret body spray, Always Pads, Loves Diapers, Pepto Bismol and Nervive Nerve Relief Cream. Then use your rewards for discounts on groceries or gas. Offer ends May 20th. Restrictions apply. Promotions may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Steven Furtick]

Did you know Women are more likely than men to develop dry eyes which may be due to hormonal changes during.

[Unknown Speaker]

The menstrual cycle or after menopause and the use of oral contraceptives.

[Steven Furtick]

Give your dry burning or irritated eyes.

[Unknown Speaker]

A daily refresh with Refresh Optive Mega 3 Lubricant Eye Drops, a preservative free formula that provides fast acting, lasting relief. Refresh Optive Mega 3 is safe to use as often as needed. Find refresh online or in the eyedrop.

[Steven Furtick]

Aisle at all major retailers. Hey, this is Steven Furtick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

[Unknown Speaker]

Enjoy the message.

[Steven Furtick]

Mark 4:26 he also said this is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground night and day. Whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain. First the stalk, then the head than the full kernel in the head. God knows the order in which things need to happen in our lives. Trusting him is in one sense just allowing him to do not only what he wants to do, but when he wants to do it. There's an order to this. That's what we preached about last week from Mark 3. We said that when you get things out of order, they stop working. That's why spending your money before you tithe is a bad idea because it's out of order. Too early, too soon. That's why sex before marriage is a dangerous proposition. Too much, too soon. Now he doesn't value you. Instead, he objectifies you. There's an order to things. There's an order to things. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. My time with God goes a lot better if I start with, thank you for what you've already done. I have some things I need. I have some unresolved issues I want to bring before you. But first of all, God, I just want to thank you because somebody is lying on a ventilator this morning and I'm not. And I have breath in my body. And you said, let everything that has.

[Unknown Speaker]

Breath praise the Lord. I have breath to praise you with. So God, right now, in spite of how I feel or what I'm going through, I just want to give you about 16 seconds of praise.

[Steven Furtick]

There's an order. There's an order. Then comes the result. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it. Some of us put the sickle to stuff too soon before it has the chance to take root. We spend money to impress people because we don't know when to use what God has given us. We end up ruining the very provision. Anyway, I'm just reading the Scriptures. It has nothing to do with my sermon. But I'll be honest with you, when I walked around the corner, Ballantyne was singing like they love Jesus. And I just got excited and the Holy Spirit just kicked me into gear. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it because the harvest has come. But the real focus of this message is going to be verse 27b and 28a. It says, the seed sprouts and grows night and day. Whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. That's the key phrase. He does not know how. Then it says, all by itself, the soil produces grain. To me, that made me think about grace and that made me think about God's sovereignty. That made me wonder if I'm staying up stressing about stuff, that if I would get out of my own way and let God deal with it the way he knows how to deal with things, I would be so much better off. What I came to tell you today, this is my sermon title. Let the Dirt do Its work. You may be seated. Let's work on this scripture for a moment. I did preach from this passage two years ago. @ that time, I was taken by the temporal implications of this text and the timing of God. I believe the title I gave that little message was called the Seed is On Schedule. I was using it to illustrate how things in our life in some ways show up. Like the wise teacher said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. That's what I was trying to say two years ago. In the last two years, either this text has gotten better. I'm being sarcastic. The text didn't change, but God has opened my eyes to see it in a little different way. Since we've been going through Mark's Gospel very slowly, at a leisurely stroll to talk about savage Jesus. All I keep hearing from people as I see you out and about is, don't stop preaching savage Jesus. This series, just keep it going until the Rapture. I don't know about that, but I thought we should at least take one parable. Mark gives us so much about the context of Jesus ministry, but we also want to take a moment now and pause and look at some. Some of the content of his ministry. We see that his teaching is creating opposition at the same time that it is making an impact. By the way, that's always the case. Everything that makes impact creates opposition. You know that, right? Touch somebody and say, if the devil isn't messing with you, he doesn't consider you a threat. So we've seen now five different examples of controversy in the ministry of Jesus, which makes me want to go back and have a conversation again. One pastor, I said, what's your goal in ministry? He said, my goal is that on the Wikipedia page. He doesn't have a Wikipedia page. But he said, if I have a Wikipedia page, this is already weird. A hypothetical Wikipedia page is your goal for ministry? He said, I hope there's no controversy section. He said, that was his main goal in ministry. By that standard, Jesus Christ was the ultimate ministry failure.

[Unknown Speaker]

Why are y' all looking shocked? What do you think the cross was? Do you think it was jewelry? You think the cross was a celebratory moment? The Roman Empire used that tool to torture people who represented a threat. Everywhere Jesus went, people were threatened. The Pharisees, the teachers of the law, were threatened by Jesus. He was upsetting their entire system. Were you here last week? Their entire system was being overturned by the things he was speaking and the things he was doing. Not only that, but the demons were threatened by Jesus every time he got in the presence of an impure spirit and started shrieking and crying, convulsing and begging and falling down at his feet. It's a funny thing, because the demons knew better who Jesus was than the teachers of the law did. Isn't that crazy? The demons saw Jesus and they fell down at his feet. The teachers of the law saw Jesus and they crossed their arms to judge Him. Sometimes we should be more like the demons than we should be like the religious people. At least the demons knew this guy is in charge. At least the demons knew he has all power. At least the demons knew he's not ordinary, he's not average, he's not common. This is the Son of God. I wonder, do we really worship him today? I wonder, do we really regard him as the supreme authority in our lives, or is he just an accessory? This is what we've been studying, and.

[Steven Furtick]

It all fits within the context of all of the controversy and all of the compassion of Jesus. They were both growing together. Both grow together. The wheat and the tares. That's one parable Jesus used. It's not our parable today, but he was talking about the wheat grows, and right beside it, all the weeds grow that want to choke out the wheat.

[Unknown Speaker]

What we tend to want to do.

[Steven Furtick]

That is reflected in that parable in Matthew 13 is to separate the weeds from the wheat. Jesus said both grow together. They have to.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's an eschatological principle he's using to.

[Steven Furtick]

Talk about the harvest at the end of the age.

[Unknown Speaker]

But it also has practical implications in our lives that both grow together as.

[Steven Furtick]

God is drawing you into a deeper relationship and a more consistent communion with Him.

[Unknown Speaker]

There will also be a more consistent sense of conflict to accompany the communion, because both grow together. Don't be confused about it. And don't try to separate what you think is the good stuff from what you think is the bad stuff. Because God uses both in our life. The tares he uses for our humility so that we will trust him, and the wheat he uses for our sustenance so he can sustain us and bless us and both grow together.

[Steven Furtick]

Now, with that context established, we have a parable. Jesus taught in parables. Mark shares here several of them. Remember, he's not compiling these in the order they happen. He's giving us a curated account of the ministry of Jesus. He's building for us what he believes to be an accurate picture of the purpose of the ministry of Jesus. Now Jesus is teaching us about the nature of the kingdom of God and our faith. Maybe you've heard the parable of the different types of soil he starts with in Mark, chapter Four, he's getting into this idea that there is always seed going forth. God is always speaking to you. Stop asking God to speak to you and start listening. It's the weirdest thing we pray.

[Unknown Speaker]

God, speak to me.

[Steven Furtick]

Speak to me. Speak to me. Speak to me. Speak to me. If you'd shut up, you'd hear that I already am.

[Unknown Speaker]

The seed is always going forth.

[Steven Furtick]

But while my Bible calls it the parable of the sower, it's really the parable of the soils. It's really about our hearts. The soil is our soul, our mind, our will and our emotions. In this passage, he shares with us how there are some seeds that fall on the path and the birds come and snatch them up. How many of you have some seed snatchers in your life? Joy thieves, People who want to ruin your day. And it's not 9:30 yet and here they come. How many of you have some seed snatching apps on your phone? Do you know that one with the bird, what's it called? Twitter? Jesus said the birds of the air will snatch the seed and grab your attention.

[Unknown Speaker]

So you don't act on what you heard, but you forget what you heard. Because a lot of us have a stash of seed we've never put in the ground. We've gotten to be professional seed collectors who know how to highlight our Bibles.

[Steven Furtick]

And fill notebooks with information.

[Unknown Speaker]

But without application, without soil, the seed only represents unused potential. To me, that's a sad thing. Wouldn't it be sad for God to show you in heaven how much seed you sat on while you were here on earth? Do not merely listen to the word. Instead, do what it says. You are not blessed by the word.

[Steven Furtick]

You hear, but the word you do. A lot of times we think we need to know more. I found out that I already know enough. Let me give you a few examples. I know not to talk bad about people. If I would just do that, I think I'd be working 70 hours a week. Just that that alone.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know I'm supposed to consider others.

[Steven Furtick]

As more important than myself. I know that. And you know that. Touch somebody and say, you know this. If you know how to say man after it, you could say man after it. But if you don't know how, don't try. It'll be embarrassing. You know this. In fact, look back at them one more time. I need your help because everybody looks a little bit resistant to this point. We always want to know more. I want to grow spiritually, look back at them and say, if you would.

[Unknown Speaker]

Do.

[Steven Furtick]

What you knew you would grow. Spiritual growth. It's always been a tricky concept to me because I thought spiritual growth required more knowledge. I don't have many regrets in life, but I do have a few. One thing I regret, I wish I would have written a parenting book before I had my kids.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's just something I think about often. How awesome my parenting book would have.

[Steven Furtick]

Been if I had written it before parenting.

[Unknown Speaker]

Because the time that I knew the most.

[Steven Furtick]

You know what I wish?

[Unknown Speaker]

The same thing. Here's another regret. I wish I would have written a book about being a pastor before I started this church. It would have been so profound. It would have had diagrams and informational concepts. It would have been 773 pages of how to be a pastor. And then you showed up and screwed up all my theories about how to be a pastor. People messed up my ideas about how to be a pastor. What's up with that?

[Steven Furtick]

Now?

[Unknown Speaker]

It would just be a pamphlet. It would just be illustrated. The whole book would be prayer. You know, the emoji with the prayer hands. That would be the whole book. How to be a parent, how to be a pastor. But I knew so much. You notice those are the people who give the most advice, those with the least experience.

[Steven Furtick]

When I went down, I tell you what I would do if it were me. And I know.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm not judging, I'm just saying.

[Steven Furtick]

No. Okay, so three things. It's right here in the text. I know you think I'm confused or lost. It says that the farmer. This is crazy. The farmer who puts the seed in the ground. Not the seed on the shelf, but the seed in the soil. Let's look at the verse on the screen again. He experiences the maturation of that seed, though he does not know how. What kind of farmer is this? If you don't know how the seed grows, you could at least Google it. There you would find that the seed needs light or the correct temperatures and water. Then it needs to be planted in the right place. I can tell you exactly how the seed grows. That's exactly how it grows. I can explain that to you. If the scripture says this parable, which is always used to get us beneath the surface to the deeper meaning. If the parable is included in Jesus illustration of what the kingdom of God.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is like, he said, this is what.

[Steven Furtick]

The kingdom is like. Now we're expecting something spectacular. Because the kingdom of God is a new concept. Jesus is the first one to use this term. Since they are not familiar with this particular concept, Jesus is giving them an earthly Illustration. Yet he does not talk about the kingdom of God being like Wakanda.

[Unknown Speaker]

He does not talk about the kingdom of God being like. He does not talk about the kingdom of God being like a rocket. Instead, he says, and this must have been anticlimactic for those who gathered to.

[Steven Furtick]

Hear his message on this day. The kingdom is like a seed.

[Unknown Speaker]

On this alone, we understand that often.

[Steven Furtick]

What God does in our life will feel insignificant.

[Unknown Speaker]

And then it will go into the soil where it will be invisible. That a lot of times when God is working in our lives in the greatest ways, we won't even know how he's working.

[Steven Furtick]

We will be ignorant. That's three I's. It makes an outline.

[Unknown Speaker]

Write it down.

[Steven Furtick]

Three things about the Kingdom of God. It often seems insignificant.

[Unknown Speaker]

It often appears invisible, and often you feel ignorant. So the greatest proof that you are growing in your relationship with God is sometimes the fact that you don't feel like you are growing in your relationship with God. I'm sorry for everyone who always needs a goosebump to feel like God is with you. But sometimes the greatest growth in your life is not going to be on the surface of your emotions, your feelings or your senses. Sometimes the deeper work God will do is much greater than the highest work God will do. For what is the building without the foundation? Jesus said the kingdom is like this. It's something so small, seemingly so insignificant. It goes through stages that are so invisible. A lot of the times you will feel so ignorant. Like the farmer who puts the seed in the ground and doesn't know when he'll see it again.

[Steven Furtick]

Sure, he can water it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Sure he can plow the ground. Surely we have a part to play in our relationship with God. But there is this other element of faith that I want to talk about today that I don't hear about enough. I'm hungry to hear about it because I see a lot of Christians listening to cute sermons and we're telling you to do things that sound really big, to forgive people and to be free of addiction. But I hear the response from the people when the pulpit is echoing forth these lofty ideals and the people are sitting in the pew saying, how? You're telling me what? But you're not telling me how. I don't know how. I don't know how to read my Bible. I don't know how to pray for over 13 seconds without thinking about my need for cereal at the grocery store. I don't know how.

[Steven Furtick]

That's the most spiritual thing you've said all week.

[Unknown Speaker]

Who did God pick to be the disciples of Jesus. Religious professionals.

[Steven Furtick]

With academic know how he.

[Unknown Speaker]

Picked the people who did God pick.

[Steven Furtick]

To carry his son?

[Unknown Speaker]

What's the first thing Mary said when the angel said the one born of.

[Steven Furtick]

You is the Holy One of God? What exactly how?

[Unknown Speaker]

What's the first thing the disciples said when Jesus said feed these big crowds even though you didn't pack a lunch.

[Steven Furtick]

What's the first thing they said that is the starting place of spiritual growth to admit I sorry I'm screaming, but sometimes it screams inside of me when.

[Unknown Speaker]

God calls me to do something. But I don't know how. I don't know how to raise these kids. I don't know how I did before I had them. But now they're here and I don't know how. I read the book, the baby book. It told me that if you swaddle the child. But I found out my firstborn child was unswaddle able. I don't know how I hear you preaching these great sermons. Keep your eyes on Jesus and don't look at the wind and don't look at the waves. But how do I look at something that's invisible? I hear what you're saying and I want what you got. But I don't know how. How many don't know how. Just see I'm preaching to and who I can leave alone. I don't know.

[Steven Furtick]

I don't know how to forgive somebody. But then make sure I keep an appropriate distance so they don't continue to violate me. I don't know how. I don't know how. Here's a farmer who doesn't know how to make a seed grow. Jesus says it's like that. Growth is like that. There's a part you will play and you will know what to do. You sow, you water, you plow. But you don't have to know how. This is the dirty little secret of the kingdom. They don't want me to tell you.

[Unknown Speaker]

They want you to think God chooses.

[Steven Furtick]

And uses and blesses people who are experts and who are the epitome of perfection.

[Unknown Speaker]

But I want to tell you who.

[Steven Furtick]

God is looking for. Fishermen like Peter, prostitutes like Rahab.

[Unknown Speaker]

People who don't know how. That's what God is looking for. Humble people. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Not those who are so full of their own wisdom. Wisdom that they cannot receive the wisdom of God. So if you came here today with an I don't know how hard God can fill what you will empty before him. I don't have to know how. I don't have to know how it works. If I did, I'd still be at the house. I drove my Maxima here, and I have no idea how that button told my tires to spin. I have a little bit of a concept, but not much. I found out something about my car that I found out about God. I found out. I don't have to understand it. See, it got me from here to there and from there to here. And here I am preaching, but honestly, I don't know how. I have an iPad. I put my notes on my iPad. I turn on my iPad, the notes appear on my iPad. I preach to you. I understand what button to push. I push it. I know what letters to type. I typed them. But as to how the words appeared on the iPad, I don't know how. It didn't stop me from preaching. It didn't stop it from working. There may be somebody here today who is in a situation where you don't know how. God. I'm not smart enough. God. I wasn't trained for this. God. I've never been this way before. God. This is new to me. God. I feel like a root rookie. God. I've never. God said from heaven, you don't have to know how when you know who. Take 20. Come on. Five seconds. Four seconds. Three seconds. Two seconds. Now let's praise him like we know who he is. He's the Lord of the harvest. The seed is mine, but the harvest is his. I don't have to know. I just have to sow. Don't let what you don't know keep you from sowing. The farmer didn't know how it was going to happen, but he knew what to do. I have to keep sowing. I have to keep praying. I have to keep believing. I have to stay in this house. I have to be present. I have to show up. All I have to do is Sow. Find 12 disciples and tell them, you.

[Steven Furtick]

Don'T have to know how. You don't have to know how.

[Unknown Speaker]

You don't have to know how. I will make you fishers of men. All I need is your boat. All I need is your will. All I need is your want to. All I need is your surrender. All I need is your obedience.

[Steven Furtick]

But you stopped sowing because you didn't know how. You don't have to know how. Let's get it in our spirit. Say, I don't have to know how. I could be like Abraham, who set out from Ur without knowing where he was going. He didn't have to know how because he knows. Are you getting the lesson? It's not just one text. It's the principle of this parable that is illustrated. The kingdom of God is like a man who sowed. He did sow. Notice there is a part you play, but once you do what you know, there is a point you reach where you can't make it rain and you can't control the rate of growth of the seed. There are so many people who will hear this message online and in our campuses who are waiting to know before you sow, and it's out of order. As much as I want to preach theologically right now, I just want to minister to you personally. Let the dirt do its work. The greatest growth happened not when the farmer was doing his part, but when the dirt was doing its part. There's a cooperation that happens in each of our lives. It's between the things we can control. I can plow, I can water, and I can sow. I can speak words of encouragement. I can speak words of life. I can invest my resources into the kingdom of God. I can do all of that. But the part that produces the fruit is not attributed to the farmer. In the passage, I think we fall into an extreme where we either think it's all about what we know or it's all about what God does. In the passage, the farmer scatters, but the soil produces. The dirty little secret, if I can use that phrase of the kingdom of God that Jesus is comparing to a seed, is that your destiny will be revealed in the dirt. What do I mean? The disappointment, the insecurity, the rejection, and the trouble. Check it out. It spells dirt. The disappointment, the insecurity, the rejection, and the trouble. This would be an excellent lesson on its own because it illustrates principles that will apply to any area of our life. Right here we could tell you to make lemonade out of lemons. Right here, we could tell you it doesn't matter how many times you fall down, get knocked down, nine, get up 10. We could say anything we want right here, and the principle would be powerful. But this is not a principle. This is a parable. A parable is a picture that appears simple on the surface, but carries a deeper meaning. When I read the passage two years ago, I thought the farmer was Jesus and the seed was the word of God. The problem with this interpretation of the parable, upon further reflection and study.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is.

[Steven Furtick]

That Jesus can't be the farmer because the farmer doesn't know how. Jesus is the wisdom of God. So to Compare Jesus to the farmer who scatters the seed is to miss the parable that is beneath the principle. The principle is don't let what you don't know stop you from sowing. But the parable, the picture that Jesus is painting, is of something that hasn't happened yet. Everyone around him in his inner circle, which he has just selected in Mark, chapter three, everyone around him is trying their best to keep him from going to the cross.

[Unknown Speaker]

For him to go to the cross.

[Steven Furtick]

Means the death of the movement he came to initiate in their eyes.

[Unknown Speaker]

When he stood before the judges, both.

[Steven Furtick]

The Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman government prelates, he was silent as a sheep before the shearers. Everything in those disciples wanted to see Jesus come down from the cross to avoid being buried in the grave.

[Unknown Speaker]

Jesus stood before Pilate and allowed those.

[Steven Furtick]

Accusations to be heaped on him, although he was innocent, because he knew the dirt had a purpose to fulfill.

[Unknown Speaker]

So as he stood before those who.

[Steven Furtick]

Accused him, condemned him and sentenced him.

[Unknown Speaker]

To die, he could have stopped it. And he could have called for legions.

[Steven Furtick]

Of angels to come and rescue him from the rejection. But this is what he came for.

[Unknown Speaker]

He said with his silence something that is illustrated in the parable.

[Steven Furtick]

He said, let the dirt do its work.

[Unknown Speaker]

If they accuse me of, then my Father in Heaven doesn't have to accuse you. So I'm going to take your accusations and your shame. I, the innocent, am going to absorb your punishment so you, the guilty, can go free. So when they heaped their accusations on him, he took it. When he died on the cross and they took him down and buried him in the grave, he did not resist the burial. Instead, he stayed dead three days to let the dirt do its work. We thought we were attending a funeral, but really what it was was an agricultural lesson. Jesus was not buried on Friday. He was planted because he was planted on Friday. There is the expectation of harvest. He is the firstborn among many brethren. So when he lay in the grave, it was. It wasn't over. It was just beginning. I came to declare today to everybody who has been going through a season of failure or depression or uncertainty or rejection or disappointment, let the dirt do its work. Don't fight it, don't run from it, and don't pluck up the seed because you don't like the season. Let the dirt do its work. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what the kingdom of God is like. There's nothing man can do to you that God cannot use for his good. I believe that all things work together for the good of them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. But.

[Steven Furtick]

I don't always know how. But I don't have to know how because I know who. The emphasis on Romans 8:28 isn't on things.

[Unknown Speaker]

All things work together for the good. The emphasis is not on good because it might not feel good and I.

[Steven Furtick]

Might not know how it's good while I'm in it.

[Unknown Speaker]

The emphasis of Romans 8:28 is that I'm called that I love God, and I'm called according to his purpose. So his purpose is the promise that lets me know that it seems insignificant, that to me it's invisible. And I don't know how, but I.

[Steven Furtick]

Know.

[Unknown Speaker]

Everybody who wants to praise God for it. I'm going to give you 30 seconds to to do what you need to do. Maybe your neighbor doesn't want this word. Maybe they want to let a bird snatch it or a thorn choke it. But there are some people here who have been in the ground for a little while. I prophesy resurrection to every person who has been in a depression. You've been in a funk. You've been in a failure. The devil said it was it. But Sunday came. Where you at? Matthews? Where are you at Ballantyne? Where are you at uc? You know what's crazy? I'm calling out all these campuses and somehow they see me on their screens. And I don't know how, but I don't have to know how. You know what? Somehow I'm preaching this word and it's getting in your heart, and God is going to use it, and it won't return void, but it will accomplish what God sent it to do. But his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts than my thoughts. I don't have to know. I just have to sow. I just have to go. I don't have to know.

[Steven Furtick]

I don't know how I'm going to make it, but I don't have to know how. I don't know who God is going to use to get me through this, but I don't have to know how. It might be manna that falls from the sky. It might be a widow at Zarephath God uses to feed me. It might be a little boy's lunch that I didn't even count in the official total because I thought he was insignificant. But the seed always looks small. God might use a little boy, a little thing, the littlest thing. I don't have to know how some of you are stuck because you need to know too much. You need to be perceived as someone who knows, so you remain in darkness. You want to be perceived as someone who understands things, that the soil represents uncertainty. I think it's good every once in a while for us to hear a sermon where the farmer admits, I don't even know how. Come on. If you had to call somebody who just lost their child in a car wreck, like I have to do often, and you were telling them, God is going to get you through this, you wouldn't be so quick to tell them how. I don't know how, but I pray right now in the name of Jesus that the God of all comfort, that's who would surround you with his angels. That's who.

[Unknown Speaker]

I don't know how.

[Steven Furtick]

But I know whom I have believed. So I pray, I sow, I scatter. Some seed gets snatched, some seed gets scorched. Some seed gets strangled. That would make a good sermon, wouldn't it? They all start with the letter S. The temptation is when the seed is scattered, but it does not produce, you never want to sow again. So then you prayed, and the cancer still ate their body. What's to make you ever want to pray again? So you stopped sowing, you stopped expecting, had a funeral and stopped expecting a harvest. The business failed, that one child is on drugs, and you got very confused about the difference between God's job and your job. Obedience is the job of the farmer. Jesus is not the farmer in this parable. He's the seed. He's the seed. He is the seed of God. He was planted in the soil of the earth for three days. His resurrection gives us an expectation that we don't have to understand the events of our life to walk in a posture. I think it's better sometimes that we don't know. I think it's better sometimes that we stay in a state of uncertainty so that we don't get confused and think we're the seed, that we're the source. I pray that this message has been practical today and you'll be able to take something from it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Your life.

[Steven Furtick]

Really. I think it's supposed to be prophetic. That doesn't mean a crystal ball or a 900 number. To me, that means you receive this seed personally. It's all about the soil. If this seed gets snatched or scorched by the trials of life, or choked out by the deceitfulness of riches, the cares of this life, or the desire for other things, it will be as if it was never sown. It will be just Another seed. Just another pep talk, just another Bible lesson. If you receive this seed, though, I'm trying to tell you that God has set you free of the expectation to understand. Obedience is your job. Outcome is God's. Let him do his job. Let him do his job. Let the dirt do its work. Let the sufferings of this present time produce in you a glory that is not worthy to be compared in comparison. It's so much bigger than that dirt. Some of you are in a dirt stage right now of your dream. The first thing that happened to Joseph, when God gave him a dream, do you remember? They held a parade in his honor. He printed up his business cards and started handing them out. He got 4 million followers on Instagram.

[Unknown Speaker]

Huh?

[Steven Furtick]

They threw him in a pit. Every promise needs a pit. Every dream needs dirt. Your faith needs fertilizer all by itself. The ground produces grain, water, it plow it. Get your heart right and let the dirt. The rejection, the insecurity, the confusion. God is not the author of confusion. God did not reject you, but he will use Genesis 50:20, what you meant for evil. God intended it for good and the saving of many lives. Let the dirt do its work. I'm praying for people right now, in this moment, everyone standing who needed this word today because you have something in the ground, in your life, if it's you and you're not ashamed to respond to the word of God and you don't need to appear to have it all together. If you are in a situation in your life where you don't know how, you don't know how it's going to come together, you don't know how to do what you've been positioned to do. Your responsibility exceeds your experience. If that's you today, at every location, lift your hands to your father, Lord, Whoever's lifting their hands right now, they're saying to you without words, I don't know how. I believe this is a posture you can honor. Father, you said if we would humble ourselves in your sight, you would lift us up. But that when we're proud and that we're haughty, you have to oppose us. God, we want to line up on the right side today and understand that there's, there's a part of this process of our growth in our faith and our families and our psychology, our life experiences and our goals, our visions, our ideas that we just don't know how some of us are standing at the crossroads of multi million dollar business deals and we don't know how some of us tried to a next meal and we don't know how. Some of us are trying to figure out how to get married and we don't know how. Some of us are trying to figure out how to stay married and we don't know how. Pray the prayer, say I don't know how, God, but I know who. I believe that you are with me. I declare that by your sword, Spirit, I will rise. Like a seed planted in the earth, I will rise. I believe in resurrection.

[Unknown Speaker]

I don't know how, but I know who. Now let me tell you something about.

[Steven Furtick]

Resurrection with your hands still lifted.

[Unknown Speaker]

Resurrection is not an event. Resurrection is a person. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. So if you have a situation in your life that needs to be resurrected, you don't have to know how. I don't have to understand it. I know who is with me. I have the seed of the Word of God. I have the seed of faith. If I have faith the size of a mustard seed, I can say to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea, and it shall be done. Give God a great praise today.

[Steven Furtick]

Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. It's because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to Give now or visit elevationchurch.orgpodcast for more information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it with your friends. You can click the share button, take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag us levationchurch. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this spring. Refresh your spring personal care Items and earn 4 times points on all your favorites when you shop in store or online. Earn 4 times points when you shop for items like Pantene Shampoo, Gillette Fusion, five Razors, Secret Body Spray, Always Pads, Loves Diapers, Pepto Bismol and Nervive Nerve Relief Cream. Then use your rewards for discounts on groceries or gas. Offer ends May 20th. Restrictions apply. Promotions may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Unknown Speaker]

Not everyone who handles your personal information is going to be as careful as you are, and it only takes one mistake to expose it to hackers and identity theft. Maybe that's why there's a new victim of identity theft every five seconds in the United States. Fortunately, there's LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity if your identity is stolen. A LifeLock US based restoration specialist will help solve identity theft issues on your behalf, guaranteed or your money back. Plus all LifeLock plans are backed by the million dollar protection package, meaning LifeLock will reimburse you up to the limits of your plan if you lose money due to identity theft. You can't control how diligent others are with your personal information, but with Lifelock you can help protect it. Act now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Do you own a business that's ready to thrive? It's time to let Intuit QuickBooks take things like unpaid invoices and tracking expenses off your plate so you can take things to the next level. Intuit QuickBooks is an all in one business platform that can help with those day to day tasks like invoicing and expenses. Manage and grow your business all in one place. Intuit QuickBooks your way to Money Money movement services are provided by Intuit Payments, Inc. Licensed as a money transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial Services.

[Steven Furtick]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.