Elevation with Steven Furtick – “The Potential of Pain”

Episode Date: April 3, 2026
Main Theme:
Pastor Steven Furtick explores how pain and struggle reveal potential and purpose, using Peter’s journey with Jesus as an example. He challenges listeners to view pain not as the end but as a catalyst for growth, reminding them of God’s unwavering promise: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

1. Introduction: Setting the Stage

• [02:13] Steven Furtick opens with a prayer for open hearts and changed lives, inviting everyone—whether in-person or watching on a screen—to stand in honor of God’s word.
• Reads from Matthew 16:13-23—Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus’ prophecy of his coming suffering.
• Announces the sermon focus: “The Potential of Pain.”

“I want to speak to you about the potential of pain. God, we pray for open hearts, pray for focused minds, and we thank you in advance for changed lives.”
– Steven Furtick [09:09]

2. Recognizing Potential—Peter’s Encounter with Jesus

Peter’s Insight—Faith Beyond Flattery

• [04:00-08:30] Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah—not out of social expectation or flattery, but with spiritual discernment.
• Jesus blesses Peter for this, declaring that God Himself revealed it.
• Steven relates Peter’s impulsive personality to our own: often misunderstood, yet his honesty allows deeper truths to emerge.

“He was that kid in class who would always raise his hand… but this time he gets it right.”
– Steven Furtick [03:50]

God Sees Our Potential, Not Just Our Performance

• Jesus calls Peter “the rock” despite Peter’s instability, showing that God assesses our potential rather than our present shortcomings.
• Illustration: Steven compares this to someone else trying to use your phone—they don’t know its full potential because they didn’t create or own it.

“God knows things about your potential that even in your greatest moments of triumph, you can only imagine. …He speaks to your life not from your performance, but from your potential.”
– Steven Furtick [10:15]

3. The Human Pattern: From Confidence to Crisis

Our “Never” Moments—False Certainty

• [12:00-19:00] Peter swings from profound faith to misplaced rebuke—telling Jesus His suffering “shall never happen.”
• Steven connects this to the ways we falsely cling to “never” (“I’d never do that”; “This could never happen to me”) until life proves otherwise.
• He humorously confesses his own “never” statements as a parent and how real life disproved his certainty.

“We can all get this kind of false confidence and life will challenge your concept of never.”
– Steven Furtick [15:45]

The Shock of Unexpected Struggle

• Many listeners find themselves in pain they thought they’d never face (anxiety, relationship breakdown, addiction, doubt).
• Warning: The areas we judge in others or deny in ourselves may become our own struggles (“Be careful what you judge me for; today it might be knocking on your door tomorrow.” — [17:03])
• Anecdote of a pastor who claimed “never” to doubt, only to be out of ministry two years later.

4. Resurrection Redefines the Meaning of “Never”

God’s “Never” Is Different

• [20:00-22:00] Steven identifies how negative voices, generational patterns, and personal history speak “never” (“You’ll never be free, you’ll never heal…”).
• Contrasts human “never” with God’s eternal promise in Hebrews 13:5:
  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

“When God says never, He means never. When will I withdraw my love from you? Never. No, never. When will I change my mind about you? Never. No, never.”
– Steven Furtick [21:46]

Memorable Moment: Plastic vs. Hard-Boiled Hope

• [23:54] Pastor Steven uses Easter eggs as a metaphor. Human hope can be fragile, hollow (“plastic purple Easter egg”), but hope in God is “hard-boiled”—tested, real, resilient.

“My hope is not hollow… My hope has been disappointed and still found a way to bounce back. Even if it cracks on the surface, it’s still good on the inside.”
– Steven Furtick [24:08]

5. The Cross and the Potential of Pain

Jesus’ Example: Purpose in Suffering

• [25:27-28:55] Many were crucified, but Jesus’ choice transformed His suffering into salvation—“it was what He did with His cross.”
• Jesus did not retreat from pain; He endured “for the joy set before Him.”

“It is what you do with the pain that determines what it becomes.”
– Steven Furtick [28:34]

God Hasn’t Changed His Mind About You

• Listeners are encouraged that their failures and pain do not overrule God’s purpose.
• “Your pain cannot negate [God’s promise]… He still sees you according to the original blueprint, no matter how much life has tried to layer it.”
  – Steven Furtick [26:17]

6. Call to Response: Embracing the Potential of Pain

• [28:56-30:48] Steven invites those who feel far from God and weighed down by pain or failure to step forward in faith.
• Leads the traditional prayer of salvation:
  “Heavenly Father, I am a sinner in need of a savior… I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world… This is my new beginning. I am a child of God.”

“I believe God is working a great purpose in your life in this season. It is what you do with the pain that determines what it becomes.”
– Steven Furtick [27:14]

• Celebration with the congregation for new beginnings and transformed lives.

7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “The grass withers, the flower fades, and your outfit goes out of style. But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
  — Steven Furtick [02:50]

• “The one who possesses the thing has an intimate knowledge of its potential.”
  — Steven Furtick [10:55]

• “Be careful what you judge me for, today it might be knocking on your door tomorrow.”
  — Elevation Church Worship Leader or Assistant [17:03]

• “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. The Greek word is ume. They might, but I won’t.”
  — Steven Furtick [21:46]

• “Many people died on crosses… it was what He did with His cross. He endured it for the joy set before Him.”
  — Steven Furtick [28:34]

8. Key Takeaways

• Pain is not wasted: It reveals potential and opens doors to new purpose.
• God’s promise surpasses performance: Human “never” is fragile; God’s “never” is unbreakable.
• Embrace the process: Even in disappointment or shame, God’s blueprint for our lives remains.
• The resurrection is a challenge to doubt: What seems impossible is possible with God’s intervention.

For listeners:
This episode is a powerful reminder that wherever pain or failure has defined your story, God’s promise stands unbroken. He sees beyond your mistakes to a future filled with hope and purpose.