Rhema Ehiemere - I Have Something to Prove

On your way to your seat, tell your neighbor, «God has something to prove.» Then I want you to laugh like that, because God has something to prove. You’ve got to add the laughter; that’s how it makes sense. Come on, some of you couldn’t make it in Hollywood, and now I’m giving you your five minutes of fame, and you don’t want to look at someone and say, «God has something to prove!» Ha! Some of you can’t even laugh—jeez, so uptight! Haha! Jordan, you can keep the regular background, just the plain one. I have something to prove; I have something to prove. One of the most interesting things about God—God is so interesting. But one of the most interesting things about God is that—now I want the plain one, the plain one. We’re going to get to this later. One of the most interesting things about God is that God doesn’t just know the beginning from the end; he does, but listen, he doesn’t just know the beginning from the end, he is the beginning and the end. Have you ever thought about it? God doesn’t just know the beginning from the end; he is the beginning and the end. You know, it’s one thing to know the beginning; it’s another thing to be the beginning. If I have people lined up here now, I can say that Karen is the first person here, so I know she is the beginning of the line. Just because I know that doesn’t mean I have to stand there—I just know it, right? But if Karen is the beginning of the line, that means she has to stand there, because she is the beginning of the line. That means God knows everything, but he is also everywhere. It talks about his knowledge and his presence, so God doesn’t just know the beginning from the end; he is the beginning and the end. So, this is very important that I lay this foundation, because when we begin to talk about God, we need to understand that there is no incident—do you hear me? There is no incident in your life that is an accident to God. There is no incident. God is not surprised by your success; God is not disappointed by your dysfunctions. God is not amazed at your accomplishments; God is not shocked by your struggles. He is not thrilled by your talents, and God is not just, «Oh my goodness,» he’s bothered by your blunders. He just knows you. Why is this? Because he is God. Before you were born, he knew you. There is nothing that would ever happen in your life that is a surprise—even what you’re going through, because he’s God. Before you had a problem, he was the answer. Before you were sick, he was the Healer. Before you needed advice, he was the Counselor. Before you even sinned, he was the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. Now, I understand, and I know I didn’t tell you to do a pew check, but if this is your first time here at Lighthouse, every now and then we do what we call a pew check, just to be sure you’re sitting beside someone who can respond. So I’m sorry if I didn’t do a pew check, but help me look at them and ask, «Are you the right person to sit beside in service today?» What did they say? The only way we can know that they are the right person is if they can testify that before they had a problem, God was the solution. So maybe we should just do a praise check and pause here for station identification, to understand and acknowledge that if it had not been for the goodness, if it had not been for the faithfulness, if it had not been for God who was by my side… oh, it feels like some of you are sitting beside the right person! It feels like some of you are sitting beside the right person—the right brother, the right sister—that knows what to do with this type of atmosphere. I don’t have to get to the climax of the service; I’m in God’s presence, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you, Jesus! We just sang about the name of Jesus. Something happens when you call the name Jesus, whether you’re thanking him or calling on his name. The Bible says that there is a name that is above every other name, that at the mention of his name—whether you’re saying thank you, Jesus, or in Jesus' name—at the mention of his name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. Somebody say thank you, Jesus! Oh, say it like you mean it—thank you, Jesus! Somebody say thank you, Jesus! So, watch this: we know that God is the beginning and the end, and he knows the beginning from the end. So the problem, team, is not whether we’re going to make it to the end, because we know we will. The bigger question is: can you survive the middle? The bigger question is, between the beginning and the end, can you make it through the shifts and the seasons? Can you make it through the transition? Can you make it in between? That’s where the problem is. Can God trust you with transition? Can you handle the process? Oh, I’m going to take my time this Sunday morning. In our text, we see the children of Israel stuck in between where they were and where they were hoping to be. They were in between; they were stuck in transition. They had been slaves in Egypt for 430 years.