Spiraling Up | Levi Lusko | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Spiraling Up

Fresh Life Church • May 12, 2025 • 39 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In times of trial and crisis, believers often feel disoriented and assume that something has gone wrong. However, Pastor Levi Lusko teaches that in God's upside-down kingdom, spiraling can actually take us up rather than bring us down. Through fiery trials, God comes near to the brokenhearted, uses difficulties to produce spiritual maturity, and equips believers to encourage and serve others.

Themes

Finding God's Presence in SufferingSpiritual Growth Through TrialsRedemptive View of PainGod's Near and Manifest PresencePost-Traumatic Growth and ResilienceAnointing to Serve Others

Pastor's Points

1.

How near God is to you

2.

What God is producing in you

3.

What God is getting ready to do through you

Key Points

1.
How near God is to you
2.
What God is producing in you
3.
What God is getting ready to do through you
4.
Believers should not be surprised or disoriented by fiery trials, as suffering allows us to share in Christ's sufferings and leads to exceeding joy.
5.
Pain and trials are never pointless; they open believers up to a deeper knowledge, tenderness, and experience of God.
6.
God's omnipresence becomes an experienced manifest presence when trials break down self-reliance and humble our hearts.
7.
Spiritual and personal growth rarely occurs in a smooth straight line; it often happens in jerky spurts where hitting a wall is actually taking a step up a spiral staircase.
8.
The testing of faith produces perseverance, which ultimately leads to spiritual maturity and wholeness.

Sermon Moments

“Pastor Levi falling down a flight of basement stairs as a baby in a rolling saucer, illustrating how sudden and disorienting life's crises can feel.”

“God taking Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind and speaking to Job out of the whirlwind to elevate his perspective.”

“Actor Jeremy Renner's recovery after a horrific snowplow accident, sharing that he returned mentally and spiritually better—110%—receiving priceless gifts through the trial.”

“The realization that growth is not a straight line going up, but stairs where hitting a wall is often taking a step on a spiral staircase.”

“The metaphor of olive oil: it takes the crushing of a situation to produce the oil God pours over a believer to serve others.”

“A.W. Tozer quote: 'It is doubtful whether God can use a man greatly until he has wounded him deeply.'”

“Humpback whales in Alaska creating a bubble net spiral by breathing out to trap fish and feed right in the center.”

This Week

Reframe current painful circumstances by asking how God might be using them to draw you closer to Himself rather than assuming something has gone wrong.

Turn to God in brokenhearted situations with faith and surrender, inviting His manifest presence into your pain.

View personal growth plateaus or emotional "walls" as stair steps on a spiral staircase calling for a new step of trust.

Allow trials to develop endurance, character, and spiritual maturity in your life rather than rushing to escape or blame God.

Look for ways your past or present battle notes and trials can encourage and support someone else going through a similar struggle.

In times of emotional crisis, open your heart in prayer to let God spiritually feed and sustain you.

Apply wisdom and diagnostic filters to examine whether suffering stems from living in a broken world or from self-inflicted choices.

Remember This

In God's upside-down kingdom, life's spiraling seasons can take you up rather than bring you down, producing maturity and drawing you closer to Him.

A Challenge for You

Right in the middle of your spiraling, look up, set your eyes on God, open your mouth and heart wide in humble surrender, and let Him feed, sustain, and touch you.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.