Stopped on Purpose [Scott Lehr]

·22 min·2 clips

When the state forced Pastor Scott to sell his church's land, he discovered God was stopping them for a greater plan.

This sermon by Pastor Scott Lehr explores why God sometimes stops believers in their tracks, even during obedience. Pastor Lehr leads Southbridge Fellowship in Raleigh, North Carolina, a church with a history of meeting in unconventional locations. He frames the message around two consecutive weeks of canceled in-person services due to weather, which he uses as a modern example of a divine "stop." Lehr recounts a pivotal moment about a decade into the church's life when the congregation planned to build a permanent home on purchased land on Glenwood Avenue. The North Carolina Department of Transportation unexpectedly informed him they would use eminent domain to buy the property, halting the building plans. He analyzes biblical stories where God intentionally stops people, starting with Abraham being stopped from sacrificing his son Isaac in Genesis 22. He references Elijah in 1 Kings 17, where God let the brook providing water dry up, stopping that means of provision. The sermon examines Acts 16, where the Holy Spirit stopped Paul and his companions from preaching in Asia, redirecting them to Macedonia through a vision. Lehr's central argument is that God stops motion not as punishment, but to expose and refine what people truly trust in their foundations. He delves into Exodus 14, where God deliberately instructed the Israelites to camp by the Red Sea, knowing Pharaoh would pursue them. Lehr notes the Israelites' fearful and accusatory response to this stop revealed they trusted circumstances more than God, despite having been told the plan in advance. A key insight is the distinction between trusting the "Giver" versus the "gift" or the "Provider" versus the "provision." Lehr warns against substituting a "good thing" for a "God thing," as Paul almost did by insisting on his preaching plans. He introduces the concept of the "illusion of control," where people believe they trust God while maintaining backup plans, a reality only exposed when all motion ceases. The sermon suggests these stops can serve for protection, redirection, or the revelation of heart conditions like anxiety or misplaced hope. A memorable moment is Lehr's personal admission that during the two-year "wilderness" period after losing the property, he would have been angry at anyone calling it God's better plan. He reveals that stop eventually led to a merger with another church on Strickland Road, a union for which neither congregation was ready years earlier. The tone is pastoral, instructional, and reflective, using personal narrative and scriptural exegesis to teach a theological concept. The style is conversational yet expository, directly applying ancient texts to contemporary life frustrations. This episode would deeply resonate with Christians feeling confused or frustrated by stalled plans, dead ends after prayer, or prolonged periods of waiting. Listeners interested in biblical character studies and practical faith application during disappointment would find it valuable. Those seeking purely theological debate or listeners with no interest in Christian teaching might choose to skip it.

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