Freedom From What’s Holding You Back | Steven Furtick

God is so much bigger than you could possibly imagine — big enough to remove sin’s power over your life. No matter what you’re facing today, don’t give up, get up. This is an excerpt from “The Restriction Has Been Lifted.” To watch the full message from ‪@elevationchurch‬, click here:    • The Restriction Has Been Lifted | Pas…   #faith #peace #hope #stevenfurtick #elevationchurch #limitations #healing #breakthrough #faith Chapters: 0:00 – Breakthrough Jesus 3:07 – You Quit Too Quick 5:14 – God Can Do This 8:21 – The Restriction Has Been Lifted 10:21 – Why This Is Good News 11:50 – That’s A Lie Scripture References: Luke 5, verses 17-21, 24-25

I want to go to the Christmas Scripture
that you’ve never heard before on Christmas,

where we meet not baby Jesus but breakthrough
Jesus. In Luke, chapter 5, the Bible says he had

come to Capernaum. Now, the baby Jesus was born
in Bethlehem. Breakthrough Jesus… If you want to

meet this Christ, he can be found in Capernaum.
That’s where he based himself to do his miracles.

The Bible says when he got to Capernaum he
was teaching and preaching. Why? Because he

is the Word. Wouldn’t you love to hear the
Word preach the Word? I’ll bet that would

be good. I’ll bet that would be awesome to
hear the Word preach the Word. It was such

an attraction that they gathered,
and nobody could get in the door.

They closed it, and they tried to send these guys
to overflow. I want you to watch what happened in

the meantime. In Luke 5:17, the Bible says, “One
day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers

of the law were sitting there. They had come from
every village of Galilee [all of the surrounding

zip codes] and from Judea and Jerusalem.
And the power of the Lord was with Jesus…”

Well, of course it was. He’s Jesus. Power is
attracted to presence. Since he is God in human

flesh…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…it
makes sense the power would be where the presence

was. God is here, and anything can happen. God
is here, and all things are possible. God is

here. Chains might break any minute. God is
here. Joy might flood your soul any minute.

God is here. Something can happen
right now because God is here. So,

the power of the Lord was with
Jesus to heal the sick. Verse 18:

“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a
mat and tried to take him into the house to

lay him before Jesus.” But they couldn’t. “When
they could not find a way to do this because

of the crowd…” Watch what they did. They went
up on the roof, and they lifted their friend.

So, when they said, “There’s no way.
You can’t do it…” The moment they said,

“There isn’t a way,” it sparked creative
faith in the minds of these committed friends,

and they looked all around for a little
while. They tried to find somebody who

was sleeping at the door, maybe an
usher who wasn’t paying attention,

but since they couldn’t sneak past a sleepy
usher, they devised another way on the roof.

There were many that day who came to the same
door needing a miracle from the Son of God,

but they turned around and left, not
because they couldn’t find a way,

but because they didn’t commit to find
a way. You quit too quickly. You give up

too easily. You go home too fast. You get
too discouraged by one person telling you,

“You look stupid.” You quit too
easily. You give up too fast.

These men didn’t leave; they lifted.
They said, “If we can’t get through it,

we’ve got to go over it. We’ve got to find
a way because our friend needs Jesus.” So,

they go up on the roof. They went up around the
restriction. “You can’t go in.” When they got up,

they lowered their friend down,
and watch what baby Jesus did.

Let me hold you right here for a
moment. You’ve been praying the baby

Jesus, little Jesus you can carry around like
a good luck charm, talking about, “O Jesus,

I thank you for your presence with me. It’s
just so good to know you’re with me.” I love

baby Jesus too, but I’m at the stage of my life,
and I assume somebody else is too or else God

wouldn’t have given me this message… I don’t
need to carry him; I need him to carry me. I

don’t just need him to show me where to go; I need
him to help me do it, because I can’t without him.

Now, this man in the passage is physically
restricted. There is a physical limitation,

but it isn’t always. It isn’t always a
physical limitation. It isn’t always a

physical restriction. Sometimes it is
emotional. Sometimes it is familial.

Sometimes it is the pattern of the way
you have processed your past experiences

that will lock you up tight like a
jail cell and say you can’t go out.

But now this is not baby Jesus you’re dealing
with, is it? “We beheld his glory, the glory as

of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth.” So, when they couldn’t find a way in,

they went up. When they couldn’t find a way
through the crowd, they went on the roof, and when

Jesus… I love this part. “When Jesus saw their
faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.'”

Now watch these Pharisees, how
they think about Jesus. Verse 21:

“The Pharisees and the teachers of
the law began thinking to themselves,

‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy?
Who can forgive sins but God alone?'” They

didn’t know who they were dealing with yet. Their
limitation was the very truth Jesus was proving.

He was God alone, so he can do this.
They’re saying, “Uh, you can’t do that. Uh,

you can’t heal him like that. Uh, you
can’t forgive him like that,” but the

restriction on God that you put on God only
limits you. It doesn’t limit him. Who am I

to deny what the Lord can do? Let me tell you
something else. Even if people don’t like you,

they can’t limit what God does through you.
Trust me, I know. If God wants to use you,

he will. He can forgive you, he can cleanse
you, and he can save to the uttermost.

“Who do you think you are, Jesus? Who do
you think you are? You’re the carpenter’s

son. Who do you think you are? You
were born of a virgin. Nobody really

even believes her story anyway. Who do
you think you are, Jesus?” “Let me show

you who I am,” he said. “So that you may
know that the Son of Man has authority…”

This is my Christmas Scripture this
year. It’s an unusual one. It’s an

unorthodox one. It’s not a common
one, but it’s powerful. It said,

“Immediately [the man] stood up in front
of them, took what he had been lying on

and went home praising God.” Why did he
do that? Go back to verse 24. Jesus said,

“‘I want you to know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins.’

So he said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you,
get up, take your mat [what was restricting

you]…'” “Lift what you were lying on, and
walk out of here healed and forgiven and

with a second chance and a new identity.” “So
that you may know God is with us.” I don’t know

what you were lying on when you came in, but
it has been lying to you. God is bigger than

this. God is bigger than it. God is bigger than
your box. God is bigger than your background. The

restriction has been lifted. Jesus said, “If
I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me.”

I’m preaching the cradle. I’m preaching
the cross. I’m preaching the empty tomb.

I’m all the way in Easter to tell you
that the restriction… “But I can’t.”

But you can if you will. Get up and live
into what Christ died for for your life.

That’s Christmas. I’m talking about
breakthrough Jesus, not baby Jesus.

Thank God for baby Jesus. Thank God for
your baby faith. Thank God for the point

that you met God at 17 years ago. Why are
you still in that wilderness? Why aren’t

you moving? Why aren’t you growing? Why
are you still replaying that? The Bible

says that when Jesus saw their faith he
said, “I want to show you what I can do.”

“So get up. I know you came in restricted, but I
want you to get up. What you were lying on when

you came in is a lie, an excuse that is moving you
away from the very gift I died to give you.” So,

now when I tell you Moses had a cloud that
lifted up, but you have a Christ who came down,

do you see why this is good news? Do you see why
God had me preach this message to you before the

year ends? Because the restriction isn’t real
anymore. Sin has no more power over you anymore.

I keep seeing that guy in my mind. He said, “I
can’t lie to you. I told you I didn’t think I

could come, but the truth is I wouldn’t, and
the issue is that I won’t.” If you, my brother,

my sister, can receive this Christmas sermon
and believe in your heart that God has raised

Jesus from the dead, this could be the best
Christmas of your life, not just to celebrate

and spend and consume but to really know that
God is able to do immeasurably more than you

ask or imagine…exceedingly, abundantly
above. The limit you put on God is a lie.

I’m going to speak to a few. “I’m too old.”
That’s a lie. Abraham was 100. Shut up. “I’m

too young.” Timothy tried that. God said, “Don’t
let anybody say you’re too young.” “I screwed

up.” Rahab was a prostitute. Shut up and do
what God gave you to do. “Oh, I’m not bold;

I’m timid.” Gideon was a wimp. God called
him a warrior. The restriction has been

lifted. Let me try one more. “I don’t have
anything in me.” Mary was a virgin. Shut up,

get up, take your mat, and walk in the
favor of almighty God. The restriction

is lifted! The grave couldn’t hold him!
Herod couldn’t kill him! And he’s here.