The Best Is In Between!

In your life, the miracle is going to be in between. It's not going to be when you get there. It's not going to be back where you came from. That's what I see you doing this week. I see you walking. I see you walking toward your next season. I see you walking even though it's uncertain, even though it feels off balance. We are so fixated on how it's going to be when we get there. We are so focused on how it was where we came from. But in between is the place where Jesus promises to be. I love worshiping the Lord with you. I don't need you with me for me to worship, but I prefer it. Because it's so amazing. One thing that I want you to get better at is weaving worship into your week. I want you to not wait until you get here to see what songs we're going to sing to worship. I want you to begin to weave worship into the difficult parts of your week, the weary parts of your week. And we'll talk a little bit about that a little more in the sermon. But for right now, just hug 10 people and tell them it is well with my soul. Welcome to all of our campuses. Welcome to Elevation Blakeney. Celebrating a 16 year anniversary. Wow, happy 16th anniversary, Elevation Blakeney. Are y'all going crazy over there at Blakeney right now? Come on, Blakeney, make some noise. Ohhh, Elevation Blakeney to all of our campuses. Elevation Columbia, Elevation Concord. Elevation wherever you are, hey, if you're watching online, put, I'm watching from Elevation and then put the name of your city or your town. We have 90 of our e-fam volunteer leaders here with us today. See, that's why the room feels so good.

You came all this way to give God praise. And you're not going to waste a single minute. Somebody over here came to give God praise, and they're not waiting. Wow, wow. Just one question to those of us who are local. What if we were that excited every week when we got here? That's amazing, thank you. Thank you for all you do to serve in this church. I'm so honored that you would consider this your church, even though some of you live in other countries. Other nations like Texas. Such a dumb preacher joke. And even just to be together today, you know, God unites us by His Spirit. I'm so excited about what He's going to do. As the comments are coming in right now, I want us to get ready for the word of the Lord. And I would like for you to remain standing. I'm going to be back in John chapter 21 for this. Probably the last week I'll be in John 21. I'm kind of stuck in John 21. I didn't plan to be stuck in John 21 for three weeks. I wish I could tell you there was some deep reason that I'm in John 21. Like this is our 21st year of ministry. So I'm finishing the year in John 21. I wasn't anything smart or strategic like that. Just where the Lord has been speaking to me. And I just want to read a few verses. We read them last week, but we weren't really able to focus on them because we were talking about some other things. But in John chapter 21, Jesus is having a conversation with Peter

and he's giving him his next assignment. And it's such a happy moment for Peter because he's been living under the shadow of the mistake that he made when he denied Christ. And as Jesus is feeding Peter, he's also preparing Peter to feed others. And after he gives him that assignment, he says something kind of strange in verse 18. And it's going to sound depressing, but it's not. When I unpack it, you'll see it's not fatalistic. It's a statement of faith. He says in verse 18, John chapter 21, "Very truly I tell you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." else will dress me. But that's not what it means, obviously. He's talking about how as faith increases control off and diminishes. Think about that for a moment. And he's preparing Peter for that. Verse 19 says, Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me." So, this is surprising in verse 20, Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, "Why are you looking at him? You're supposed to be looking at Jesus." This is what we said last week. He said that, "You can't follow Jesus while you're facing John." And so we're seeing in this moment Peter is making a decision. When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." And that's where I want to take off and preach from. You must follow me. Now last week, my message was called, "The best is not behind you." No matter what you've been through, the best is not behind you. No matter how uncertain the future is, the best is not behind you. So as a follow-up message to that, you would think I would preach, "The best is ahead." That's what I thought too. And then I prayed about it and I thought, "Well, that's what I want to say. But what the Lord gave me to say today is a message called, "The best is in between." The best is in between. Not behind you, not yet ahead, but the best is in between. "Lord, I thank you for what you showed me. Help me to feed your sheep as you have fed me." I give you all the praise for what you speak in this pulpit today. In Jesus' name, amen. The best is in between. Tell three people on your way to your seat. The best is in between. Now again, that's not what I want to call the message. I want to call it, "The best is yet to come." I love all that Ephesians 3.20 energy. How unto him was able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, but fidelity to the text required me to call the message today, "The best is in between." And honestly, the experience of my life led me to preach this message called, "The best is in between." And I hate it because that's my least favorite place to be, is tween. I don't want to be between, I don't want to be between in anything. I don't want to be in traffic.

That's between where I left and where I'm going. I don't want to be between, I don't want to be in a mid-life crisis. At least let me have silver fox wisdom or something like that and dashing good looks. Don't call it a Christ. I don't want to be in the mid-clock crisis. I'm be in between. I don't even really like the part where I get my message from the Lord. And it's like a few days until I get to preach it. That's the hardest part for me. If I could just get the message and then we could just magically throw up the elevation logo, bat signal into the sky and everybody could descend upon the church. The hardest part for me sometimes is holding something and being in between. Like, I got this word from the Lord and I still got all this stuff I got to do between now and then. It's the between. That's where my battle is. It's the between. That's why I got to lay out my clothes when I'm in a good mood because I might not go if I don't plan the wardrobe before because something in between might maybe not want to go and then I'm not going to go but if I got my clothes laid out then I got to go because my clothes are laid out. I hate to waste the planning of a perfectly good outfit just because my mood changed because I have to fight this battle in between and yet the Lord gave me a message the best is in between. And I thought it was just me that hated in between but pray for Holly. Y'all pray for Holly. Y'all think she's perfect and y'all spend all your prayers on me but Holly said the worst hot take the other day. She said this out loud. She said it like it was something she needed to say out loud.

She announced this to everybody in the car. She said, "Fall is the most overrated season. Blasphemy." Spirit and know that fall is God's favorite season? Is our favorite season? You live in Charlotte and you hate fall. How can you hate fall? Y'all, we have a big long driveway. The trees are so beautiful. How can you hate this season of change and possibility and the removal of the humidity of this horrible season that you celebrate called summer? I said it's so pretty. How could you not like it? She says pretty for a minute. She said, but it's only like three days that fall is great and then winter. So watch this. I realized why she doesn't like fall. It's an in-between season to her. It represents not a beautiful time of transition or a perfect crisp temperature and the availability of Starbucks beverages that are seasonally otherwise unavailable. Note to her it represents the end of summer, the beginning of winter. She loves summer. She hates winter. So fall is just the in-between. So she's saying, even while the leaves are turning, I know that they're about to fall and it makes me sad because I like the leaves. So you get three weeks of pretty followed by, she said this, three months of barrenness. So dramatic. Pray for her. Just enjoy the beautiful colors. So dramatic. But in-between seasons can make you feel that way. Certainly it can make you feel that way when you are in-between seasons of your life. You know, I'm trying to speak more to you're in-between. That's why I said we've worshiped into your week because I can't do everything for you that needs to be done for you on Sunday in one concentrated dose of 40 minutes. Let's be honest, 55 minutes. But even if I spent the entire day preaching to you, you need God in-between. This is not in my notes, so it must be supposed to come out right now. You are spending too much of your time between Sundays without God speaking to your heart. And it won't work like that. But we understand that God is in every season and so, you know, for everything there is a season in all of this. But there are certain seasons that feel in-between, which is why when Jesus says to Peter something that on the surface sounds like it's, you know, very morbid, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands. Someone else will dress you where you do not want to go and lead you where you do not want to go to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he said to him, this is the important part, follow me. Those two seasons that Jesus describes, those two, when you were younger and when you are older, one is your past and one is your

future. There are two words between those two seasons that will give Peter everything he needs. Follow me. Those two words cover three decades of ministry that are still to come for Peter. Because let me just point out the obvious. When Jesus is saying to Peter, when you're old, you're going to experience things you don't experience. This is still three decades in the distance. Between the moment that Jesus spoke this to Peter and reinstated him to be his disciple and reaffirmed his love for him would be 30 years of amazing ministry. So then isn't it interesting that Jesus just says, when you were younger, you did what you wanted. When you're older, you're going to lose control in between. Follow me. And see, that's not very much detailed to cover three decades, is it? Just two words to cover three decades. Think about it. We want God to give us every single plan. We want God to give us every single outcome. We want God to give us every single instruction. We want God to give us every single what if and what about. And Jesus gave Peter two words to cover three decades. Follow me. You know, that's not much instruction, but you can get there the whole way on it. That's not very much to go off of, but if you do it, steps become strides, strides become seasons, is why I loved it, because I can preach this if you're going to college, and I can preach this if you are, what's the opposite of going to college? If you can't even remember where you went to college some days, if it's just all a haze in your mind, I can preach, "Follow me." I can preach, "Follow me," if you're sitting in a prison right now, I can preach, "Follow me," if you're in a palace. I can preach, "Follow me," if you just got the best news of your life this week and your creativity is flowing about the future ideas, I can preach, "Follow me," if you just hit the bottom of the idea that you thought was going to work, but now you fell. I discovered that some of the greatest seasons of following God come when I feel like I am falling. See, it's an interesting thing about following. Can I preach this a little bit, zoom out and get it wide. Following Jesus one step at a time is a lot like falling just with a controlled next step. If you think about the very act of walking, and I didn't make this up, but a psychologist named Adam Grant said that, "When you are walking forward, there is a moment where you

make a moment between every step where you are unstable." Picture this. At this moment, when I'm doing this, Chris comes and tackles me from the front row. When I'm doing this, I am powerless to resist because I am between steps, and that's why this is my least favorite thing to be and this may be how you feel in this moment of your life. We had some kids over at the house last night. Holly started asking each of them, "Where are you going to college? Where are you going to college? Where are you going to college?" I can almost feel the fear on these kids that we're putting on them these days. It's not just curiosity anymore. It's pressure. It's like, "Where are you going to college?" "I don't know. I'm 12." Better figure it out. If you're going to get into Duke, and it's an unstable place to be, it's an unstable place to be. I don't know. My next sermon is going to be. It's an unstable place to be. I don't know how this conversation is going to go. It's an unstable place to be. I don't know how I'm going to manage and re-manufacture. The thing that we don't understand about following Jesus is that every step is going to feel a little unstable. If you don't take the step, you're stagnant. If you do take the step, you don't feel stable. What I've had to learn about Jesus is that it's either stay stagnant and stay stuck or

feel unstable and follow Him, even when I don't know where this next season is leading me. Give God praise that two words, just two words, follow me. When He says, "Follow me," and Peter turns around immediately, how many of you heard the message last week? The best is not behind you. I literally illustrated it with my own children. I was walking with Abby, and I was pretending like she was Jesus. I pretended I was Peter, and I turned around, and I faced Graham, and pretended like he was John. I gave that posture just to say that sometimes we get distracted. The biggest thing that can happen in your life that the enemy can use to attack you when you're in between seasons is to get you distracted. I want to use, for my first point of this sermon, distracted disciples. We are distracted disciples, distracted disciples. Now, I'm talking about Peter and John, but I'm also talking about me and you. We are distracted disciples. Sometimes we spend more time in a comment section than a prayer closet. We are distracted disciples. I'm going to stand flat-footed and say what I came to say. You can't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about. We will talk about people that we have never prayed for. We will talk about people that we have never met. We will say the worst things about people as if we are called to judge their motives. It's all summed up in this phrase that Peter uses. What about him? What a weird thing to say when you're not the master. Why are you doing a job evaluation on somebody else's employee? What about him? Jesus said what is that to you?

Now I have noticed three tactics that the devil uses to distract his disciples. I'll give them to you quick because we've got a lot to cover today. your version of your past. Or number two, he'll use your vision of your future. Or number three, he'll use your voice of what about. So your version of your past, that's when you were younger, your vision of your future, that's when you're older. And then your voice of, well, what about? Let me break it down even more. The first one, your version of the past, is called back then. So sometimes you get distracted by back then. You are comparing what's happening in your life now to back then. You're comparing how God moved in your life yesterday to how God moved in your life last year. God is not going to continue to provide for you the same way in every season. And so when you evaluate God's provision today by God's provision yesterday as your frame of reference, you will come to some unhealthy conclusions. Everybody say back then. Put it in the comments, say back then. 'Cause back then is a bad place to get trapped. You should have seen me when I was younger. You should have seen me back then. Well, I could really break it down on the dance floor. Back then, I could get down back then. I could really, and I tell you back then, I was an animal. If you would have seen me back then, I mean, it was really something powerful.

I mean, right now I'm struggling a little bit, but back then it was amazing. Boy, I'll tell ya, I like Elevation Church, but I liked it better back then. It was simpler when it was smaller before all the campuses and all of the multi-side. I mean, I know people have to go to heaven and I know we're supposed to preach the gospel, but boy, it was just simpler back then. You know, kids these days, I see them on their phone, just screenagers, just scrolling left and right. Boy, back in my day, back then. All we needed was a ball and a broom, a ball and a broom. We could go outside and a ball and a broom, and mom used to whistle for, what are you, OP? (audience laughs) Shout back then. (audience cheers) And we can glorify back then to the blindness of right now. Okay, but if it's not back then, you know what I'm gonna say next. It's a, but when? Man, I'm not very happy right now. But when, I meet that special someone. Boy, I'm really stressed right now. But when, I get this house paid off. What when you get the house paid off? You get the house paid off, they're still gonna charge you for the water. (audience laughs)

You ever heard of property taxes? They don't cancel those 'cause you paid off the note. What then? Back then, but when? I wanna spend the moment on but when because last week was back then. But some of us are stuck in but when? You know, oh, I got all this drama with my friends right now. But when I get to college, you know the drama will get in the car with you and go all the way to college. And the drama will get in your luggage and pop out on the first day of college. And now you just got college drama. Now your college drama has just taken the place of your high school hysterics because wherever you go there, you will be. There is no version of your future that does not include you. So you might as well work on you in between. Y'all are quiet up here in this section. You've been doing this thing but when? You know, I'm not really praying a lot right now but when I get more time. But when I get more time. You know, Lori called me to write a book 12 years ago. I can't do it right now but when we get these kids out of the house. Well, the time you get the kids out of the house, you're not gonna believe anything

you wanna put in the book anyway 'cause it's gonna completely reorient your belief system right now. I'm saying, I'm saying that the best stuff happens in between. And we are blind to it because of back then and but when. But then notice something about Peter, okay. When I say Peter was a distracted disciple, notice this. He turned around and faced John. He wasn't distracted by something bad. He was distracted by something he thought was better. (audience chattering) See, there are bad distractions. Let's list a few. Porn, bad distraction. Drugs, bad distraction. But when Peter turned around, he wasn't facing a drug car. He was facing his brother. He was distracted because he thought his brother was going to have a better life than him. So as Jesus is saying, "Hey, we've got work to do. "You're gonna glorify me." This is amazing. Peter peeks back behind his shoulder. Remember I said, "Purpose doesn't peek." Well, there's two meanings of that. One is peak and one is peak. And so Peter peeks over his shoulder

and he gets distracted, not by something bad, not by something evil, not by something unholy. He actually gets distracted by his own brother because if the enemy can't get you with back then or but when he'll get you with better than. I was feeling pretty good about my life until I saw their car and it was better than mine. You know, sometimes I feel pretty good about a sermon and then I mess around and watch one of my friends preach and their sermon was better than mine. I have certain friends I have learned not to watch on Monday because whatever I tried to do up here, they did that in the first five minutes. So I need to keep my peace a little bit because I preached the best that I knew how. And if I get on there and start scrolling, that's what I told you, don't put Instagram back on your phone. You're too susceptible right now. When you're walking through things in your life and you're off balance in certain seasons, the worst things that you can do when you're off balance is look bad. Now you're off balance and looking back and this is why the comparison game is killing you. It's not because your life is bad, it's because you're looking at something that you think is better than the life that you have. But what if better than is just a frame of mind?

What if better men, what if their life isn't better? What if they don't have a better life? What if they just have a better filter? What if they don't have a better life? What if they just put a better part? And I'm seeing too many people who God is blessed, but you're looking at something that you think is better or imagining a future that you think is going to be better or looking back at a past that you think is better. But my, don't scream, don't scream, don't scream. Save your voice, save your voice, save your voice. But my Bible says that Jesus is superior to the old covenant. So that means watch this, that as Peter as walking through his next step of his life and as you are walking through this next season of your life, you cannot afford to be distracted by something that God has not given you that you think is better. The devil is tripping you up over better. You're looking at somebody else, they got a better opportunity. They got a better job. They have a better husband. Holly's never said that. They have a better wife. Come on, they have a better gift. Their gift isn't better. Their life isn't better. Their job isn't better.

They're, and I'll tell you how I know that because what God gave you is what God will sustain you for, you must follow Jesus. Y'all got enough on point one, distracted disciples. Touch somebody say it's a distraction, it's a distraction. It's a distraction. It's not bad, but it's a distraction. It's not a bad thing. It doesn't have to be a bad thing to be a distraction. And the moment that you start turning around between steps to see how God is leading someone else, look at me, you got to parent your children the way God calls you to parent your children. Well, they're homeschooling their children. Perhaps I should homeschool my children. Perhaps there would be homicide if you homeschooled your children. Have you ever thought about that? I'm just using examples as they come to my mind. Pray for me that I don't say anything inappropriate. I didn't plan on saying that. It just sounded similar, homeschool homicide. It sounded like one thing to lead to the other. If you're trying to look at John, hey, how you all doing better? Are you going to fall over? Because you were not intended to do it that way. It's not bad, but it's a distraction. It's not bad, but it's a distraction. I found myself judging somebody so much this week,

so much. And the Lord rebuked me for it. It was just in my heart. Why are they saying that? Why are they doing that? The Holy Spirit spoke to me. They, that person that you are so quick to think you know about their motives, or they have to follow me. And so do you. So it was as if the Lord said to me, I'll use them how I want to. I'll use you how I want to. And everybody that you're jealous of, this making more money is paying more taxes. And you're like, I'd like to try that by, personality and you are so distracted right now. Look at me confused but I know you are distracted right now. Looking back at John, remember Peter made John his problem but God wanted John to be his partner. You see what I'm saying? You can be distracted by bad or you can be distracted by better and be blind to the thing that God has put right there. Why was John following Jesus and Peter? I kind of wondered that myself. I thought that's kind of stalker behavior. Jesus and Peter having a conversation. John's back there just creeping back there. Talk about me. And then Peter and then so we've got distracted disciples and then number two we've got divine disruption. Write that down please. If you're watching this on YouTube or at a later time, put the points in the comments. Distracted disciples and divine disruptions. Divine disruptions. You see what it is? It's Jesus interrupting what Peter has always been to make him what he was called to be. He's between a fisherman and a shepherd. How many would say that's a career shift? One is in water and one is on land. One you catch him and clean him and eat him and one you care for him. He said feed my sheep when Peter is used to fishing. What's Peter in between? Everything significant that happens in your life is going to be in between and you think in between

is bad. Why? Because I don't like the way this feels. I don't like the way I like how this feels. Well, I'm ready for you. Come at me right now. Come on right now. Come on right now. I'm ready for you. But if you catch me like this and sometimes we are so afraid of this that we just do this and we don't follow Jesus. We don't take the next step. Who am I preaching to? We get stuck in and in between season because we won't take the next step. But what I love about God is that as Peter is transitioning, John is right behind him. And these are two very different people, right? John is the one leaning back on Jesus' breast at the Last Supper. Peter is the one cutting off Malchus' ear in the garden. And Jesus is like, y'all two need to work together because I need one person who can cut it off, one person who can put it back on, one person who can lean, one person who can lead, right? So here are Peter and John. And notice that Jesus says, Peter, this is how you did it when you were young. This is how you're going to do it when you're old. And he doesn't get any details about the in between. Just two words. Follow me. Just two words. Follow me. That's it. That's all you get for this season. That's all you get for this step is to take the next one. But the beautiful thing about God is that he had already forecasted Peter's future into every step with which he had commanded him to follow. So when Jesus says, follow me to Peter, he sees everything that's going to happen in Acts chapter one. When Peter looks at the whole group and says, we got to replace Judas, we need to get busy. The Psalm says another needs to take his place. Jesus said, follow me. And he saw all of that. Follow me. Follow me. Follow me. Follow me. Because I got something for you to do in Acts chapter one. Jesus, when he says, follow me, sees Peter in Acts chapter two. When they were waiting in between when Jesus ascended into heaven and the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. And he saw Peter standing up among the 12th. And he saw Peter standing up in front of the crowds on the day of Pentecost and preaching. And he preached so hard. And he preached so convicting. And he preached so much with the Holy Spirit's power that 3000 were saved that day. Peter saw none of that. Jesus saw all of that. Peter knew none of that. Jesus knew all of that. Peter's going, I'm not so sure about that. Jesus is going. Come on. Next step. Come on. Acts one. Come on. Acts two. Come on. Acts three. Peter did not see John chapter four when they would throw him in prison because of a miracle that he was a part of. But Jesus saw Peter getting out of prison saying, we got to obey God, not men. I've got to preach the gospel. Not listen to y'all. Peter didn't see that. Jesus saw that. Peter didn't see in Acts chapter five when there would be an opportunity for

sick people to be brought down the street. And Peter's anointing was so powerful. so they would lay them out on the streets in hopes that Peter's shadow would pass by and cast over them and they could be healed. Peter was unsure, but Jesus already saw the potential in Peter's shadow, that even the shadow of his uncertainty, even the shadows God can use. Jesus sees all of that in me in John 21. Peter did not see that in Acts chapter nine, he would look at a man who had been bedridden for eight years and say, "Get up in the name of Jesus," and it would work. Peter did not see that when a lady named Dorcas would die, who had been good to the Lord's people, that Peter would say, "Tabitha Kum," which sounds like Talitha Kum, which is what Jesus said when he healed a little girl, but this was a different example of the same power that walked with Jesus when he walked the earth. Peter didn't see that in Acts chapter 12, he'd be praying on a roof and the spirit of the Lord would call him to go into the home of a Gentile named Cornelius and bring the good news beyond barriers. Peter didn't see that he would be sleeping in prison and an angel would open the doors and he would come out of the prison and the gate would open by itself. All he knows in John 21 is follow me. (audience applauds) So I share this with you because the best is in between.

It may not feel the best, but that's when you get to know him the best. Are y'all bored or introspective right now? Kind of feels the same. You know, we're processing pastor. Okay, process, but give me a little amen every now and then so I can know. Okay. In between. In between. In between. You've been in between. You've been in between a night trying to go to back then, but when, better than. No, no, no, no, no, no. God promises to be in between. Because the first miracle that they did without Jesus in Acts chapter three starts this way. One day, Peter and John. (audience applauds) So the thing that he was distracted by. God used because Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer. Watch this at three in the afternoon. This verse could be a series because everything in it is in between. (audience laughs) Everything in Acts chapter three is in between. For one, they're going to the temple.

That was the old place of worship. But they're carrying the gospel. That's the new covenant. So now you've got two men going together to a temple that no longer works, but it's the place they have to go. Have you ever been there? Have you ever had something inside of you change, but the situation hasn't reflected that yet? Preach pastor, Stephen. Be preaching pastor, we don't even think about lunch right now. This is so good. God is so good. Going up to the temple together. So we've come a long way now. The spirit has been given. God is about to do a miracle, but watch where the miracle is going to be. It's going to be in between. The miracle is going to be in between, in your life. The miracle is going to be in between. It's not going to be when you get there. It's not going to be back where you came from. It's not going to be like it used to be. It's not going to be like you think it's going to be. It's not going to be like your imagination. Your imagination is idolatry. You have made a future that does not require God. You have made a future in a carbon copy of your past. That is not God telling you that your life

is going to be easier. That is God telling what you follow me. And I'll be with you. And not only is follow me a command, follow me is a promise. 'Cause if he says follow me, that means he's going to be there every step of the way. So I declare over whatever doctor's appointment you've got this week, God's going to be in the doctor's office. I declare over what conversation you've got to have with your team. (applause) Everything is in between. Everything is in between. Peter is a fisherman who's learning how to become a shepherd. They're going to a temple, but they're carrying the gospel. They've got Jesus a new and living way, but they've got an old community. Everything is in between. And we expect a rival in our lives. No, the best is in between. That's where God reveals himself. Not only are they going to the temple, but notice the time, three in the afternoon. That is my least productive time of the day. At night, I can sleep. In the morning, I have coffee. At three in the afternoon, I can't drink the coffee 'cause now I'll be up all night. I'll tell you middle-aged problems. I can't drink the coffee 'cause I'll be up all night.

Three in the afternoon, that's not morning. That's not night. That's in between. And they're going to the temple. Okay, I'll act it out. If y'all would be nicer, I wouldn't have to act this stuff out, all right? I'm just doing this to get this point across to you. I don't really want to do this, but they're going up to the temple at the time of prayer, three in the afternoon. And verse two, now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he's put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked him for money. What's that? That's a distraction? No, that is a divine disruption. Because this man, watch what's about to happen. He is about to be the first miracle that is going to be performed by the apostles without the physical presence of Jesus. And it did not happen when they got to the temple. It happened while they were on the way. (congregation applauding) Or in other words, the miracle was in between. The miracle was in between. Boy, when we get to the temple, we're going to pray.

Boy, when I get this house paid off, I'm going to celebrate. You better praise him on the way. You better praise him with every payment. You better praise him with every, you better praise him with every good, you better praise him with every sunny day. You better praise him with every day. You don't take a drink. You better praise him with every good conversation. You better praise him on the way. You wait 'til you get there. That's an illusion. You better praise him on the way. And watch what God does on the way. High five, three people say it's on the way. It's on the way. That's where God does it. On the way, on the way. It's in between. It's not when you get there. It's not where you came from. It's on the way. It's on the way. So, they're on the way and there's something in the way while they're on the way. But what God put in the way while they were on the field like preaching this sermon. (audience cheering) I'm trying all four. Trying to contain myself.

This is really like five sermons in one sermon. This is really like a conference message. This is really like a breakthrough word. 'Cause I came to tell somebody, it's on the way. God is not through. (audience cheering) Next step, it's on the way. Next breath, it's on the way. Next phrase, it's on the way. High five, three more people say it's on the way. Three people for Acts chapter three. Acts chapter one, two, three. Now it's three in the afternoon. In Acts chapter three. And I got Peter and John, that's two. But I got Jesus as three. So now I'm in the middle of a transition where they're going to the temple but they're filled with the Spirit. They're going to the temple but they're carrying the gospel. And they see a man who looks like a distraction but he is actually a divine disruption. Verse four on the screen, please. We're getting there. Mm, no, I'm not going to rush it. I'm not rushing, nothing. I study way too much. 'Cause you want some chipotle.

I'm supposed to wrap this sermon up. You better eat something out your purse. You better get a snack in between. (audience cheering) You better chew on some gum or some glue. You better chew on your fingernails. (audience cheering) (audience cheering) No, no, no. This man was in their way. They're going to pray. But see, Jesus saw Peter preaching while Peter thought he was going to pray. Verse 4, "Peter looked straight at him as did John. Then Peter said, 'Look at us.' So the man gave them his attention." That's the most powerful exchange of currency, by the way, attention. Distracted disciples. Do you think this miracle would have happened if Peter and John had just got an iPhone duo and they were coming to the church at the time of prayer? They wouldn't even have seen the man. We're distracted disciples. But the Lord brought you here today for a divine disruption, a disruption of your thought patterns that are staying stuck in back then, a disruption of your thought patterns that are projecting out to butt wind, or the better than thing. Now we've got Peter and John working together. You see, we don't see in John chapter 21 that Peter follows Jesus, but we see it in Acts. And this first miracle happened with two men. Peter and John threw a man who wasn't even at the gate yet. Everything is in between. The best things happen in between. Peter said, "Look at us." So the man gave them his attention expecting to get something from them. One time, 15 years ago, I preached on he was expecting change. Like he was shaking his cup, expecting change. Oh, he got change all right. Watch this. Tell somebody I'm expecting something. I'm expecting something. I'm expecting something. I'm expecting something. I'm expecting something. I'm expecting God to do something. I don't know what it's going to be, but I'm expecting God to move in my situation. I'm expecting God to work this out. I don't know how he's going to work it out. I don't know when. Looks like he's a little late right now. Feel like I've been calling on him a long time. This, I guess, is not going to change, but I'm expecting something. I'm not there yet. I'm in between, but I'm expecting something. I don't have it all figured out yet.

I'm in between, but I'm expecting something. I'm not completely free of it yet, but I'm expecting God to break a chain so I can break them for my children, so I can break them for the next generation, so I can have a testimony that look what the Lord is. I'm expecting something in between. See, you expect it when you get there. You expect it where you came from, but he was expecting something then Peter said. Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have, I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Hold on, hold on. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So, I don't know what's next, but I know Jesus, and he met me on the shore after I fished on night and caught nothing, and he told me to walk, and he walked with me through Acts chapter one, and he walked with me through Acts chapter two, and he walked me through this gate, and now Peter declares, "is the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth." Walk. Walk. Walk. Take a step right now in your seat. Walk. Put your foot down on something right there in your seat, and walk. This is what it means to be in between, and the man did something absolutely amazing church. When he took him by the right hand and helped him up, it says that instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong, and he jumped. He is doing the most, because when you've never been able to walk before, come on, when you've never been able to walk before, when you've watched everybody else, that's why y'all are praising God better, because you don't get to come in the room every Sunday, but when you get here, and God meets with you, and this is the place where he touched your life. So, he said in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Walk. That's what I see you do in this week. I see you walking. I see you walking. I see you walking toward your next season. I see you walking with your eyes on Jesus. Ooh, when have we seen Peter walking with his eyes on Jesus? Was it not during a storm when he saw someone across the waves? And a voice said, "Come." And Peter said, "I'm coming, I'm unstable, but I'm coming, I'm off balance, but I'm coming." Because this is a divine disruption. This is a moment in your life when the Holy Spirit has got you in between. He's changing you, he's working on you, he's rearranging some things. He's making you new, he's transforming you into the image of his beloved son. He's making you more like Jesus.

He's teaching you to depend on Jesus. He's teaching you to trust his heart, not just his hand. He's changing something in my life. The leaves are falling off the trees and there may be a winter, but every winter yields to spring. He's changing something. He's doing something. I'm just in between right now. And he jumped to his feet and began to walk. And then he went with them into the temple courts, walking, jumping, praising God. Verse 9 says, "When all the people saw him walking and praising God…" I'll show you one more thing. They recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called "Beautiful." And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. And this is what I leave you with, verse 11. All the man held on to Peter and John. All the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. So when the passage started, he was begging at the gate. When the passage ended, he had one arm around John, one arm around Peter. He was standing in between, and the people came running to see what God did with the man in between. So I want to say to you today, you're not broken. You're just in between. So you can hold on to him because this is an undeniable demonstration, an undeniable demonstration. You know if Peter would have preached, maybe it would have been effective, maybe it would have been. But when everybody came running and saw the man who was in between, the man who used to beg but started to walk, the Bible says that their number increased to five thousand that day because of something in between. I can't help but wonder, what are you in between today?

And whatever that is, I declare there will be glory after this. We are so fixated on how it's going to be when we get there. We are so focused on how it was where we came from. But in between is the place where Jesus promises to be. So in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up. Like literally, not symbolically like yes, I'm standing for the Lord, no like stand up right now and declare to the person next to you the best is in between. Come on, just reach around and tell about seven people the best is in between, the best is in between. You think God won't be in between? You are absolutely crazy. and your enemies God will be in between you think God won't be in between ask Daniel if you're looking at a lion's fangs won't God get in between you and the lions so that you never feel their teeth I'm telling you God will be in between you think God won't be in between ask Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego about a fourth man walking around the fire God will stand between me and the fire you think Jesus won't be in between ask the thief on the cross because there wasn't just one cross that day there was one for the future and one for the past and one for Jesus who stands between them say today you will be with me today today in paradise and the man held onto Peter and John why because just like Peter was walking and following Jesus I don't know how but I know who God I thank you today that even when we're on the way and even when we're not there yet and even when the residue of where we have been is still weighing us heavy with the regret of yesterday that the best is in between because you are on the boat and you sleep through the storm not because you don't care but because you already know what's on the other side I know you God I know you because I've seen you in my own life time and time again do what I couldn't do and I pray that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who I know that we will walk forward