Wellspring Church Sermon Podcast · Wellspring Church

He Can Lift It: New Creation and Letting Go

November 24, 2025·28 min·2 clips

A contractor calls a former powerlifter to move a 600-pound bathtub, revealing how Jesus can lift what we cannot.

This sermon from Wellspring Church explores the biblical theme of new creation and the personal challenge of releasing past burdens. The pastor, drawing from his church community's context, frames the message around the Thanksgiving holiday and the story of Adam and Eve. He uses the Old Testament prophecy from Isaiah about God creating "new heavens and a new earth" as his central text. The pastor begins by humorously referencing a Facebook debate about the type of fruit Adam and Eve ate, sharing a joke from Senator John Kennedy about Louisianans simply eating the snake to avoid the fall. He argues that instead of obsessing over past failures or hurts, people must accept that "the crud happened." The sermon interprets Isaiah's prophecy as God's promise to redeem and recreate everything, not just isolated parts of a person's life. He illustrates this with a personal anecdote about the frustration of flight delays, stating he learned he cannot change his circumstances but can change his own attitude. The pastor suggests persistent problems may remain because God wants to address a deeper internal issue rather than just the external situation. A key insight is that people often build their entire identities around their wounds or victimhood, which he describes as preferring "the fallenness of Adam" over "the risenness of Christ." He claims this attachment to pain can become an idol. The pastor shares a story about his contractor friend, Uncle Don, who struggled to move a 600-pound cast iron bathtub until a famously strong, albeit diminished, friend arrived and lifted it with ease. He presents this as a metaphor: Jesus can lift the burdens we cannot. Another surprising claim is that the world's anger is rooted in fear, and Christians must not "fight fire with fire" by adopting that same anger. He asserts the true mark of a Christian should be joy, as listed in the fruit of the Spirit. The pastor concludes by emphasizing that all suffering is temporary and will be eclipsed by God's ultimate redemption, to the point where former pains "shall not be remembered." The tone is conversational, pastoral, and anecdotal, blending scriptural exposition with personal stories, cultural observations, and self-deprecating humor. It is an encouraging and exhortative message aimed at personal application. Listeners seeking a practical, story-driven sermon on spiritual renewal, forgiveness, and finding joy amidst hardship would appreciate this episode. Those preferring strictly exegetical teaching or who are uncomfortable with informal, culturally topical preaching might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A Thanksgiving-season sermon about appetite, trust, and handing over what cannot be carried alone.

The sermon starts with a Thanksgiving-week question about the fruit in Eden, then settles into appetite, restraint, and the plain warning that food is good but can still become an object of worship.

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Why you'd press play

Need a sermon that turns Thanksgiving stress into a call to loosen your grip?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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