SEEK26 – Psalm 126:1-6 & Ephesians 3:20-21

SEEK 2026 – Week 1 – Look at What God Has Done!

Psalm 126:1–6

¹ When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter then, and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
³ The Lord had done great things for us; we were joyful.

⁴ Restore our fortunes, Lord, like watercourses in the Negev.
⁵ Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.
⁶ Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy, carrying his sheaves.

Ephesians 3:20–21

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—

²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

I want to talk this morning about “Look at what the Lord has done”

PRAY!

SEEK Explanation:

• Before we dive into these verses today,
• I want to take a few minutes
• To share what SEEK 2026 is all about
• Especially for those
• Who may be new to our church family
• Or hearing about SEEK for the first time.
• SEEK is more than a sermon series.
• It’s our annual season of Vision,
• Prayer and
• Generosity.
• Since June of this year,
• Individuals from across every part of our church
• Staff, elders, D3 leaders, City Group leaders,
• Volunteers and ministry teams
• Have been praying
• And seeking the Lord for what He wants us to do next.
• We’ve spent months listening, discerning, and asking,

“God, what are you calling New City Olathe to focus on in 2026?”

• This series
• Is the culmination
• Of that time of prayer and discernment.
• And in your hands today is the fruit of those months
• A clear, prayer-saturated 2026 Ministry Plan
• That represents
• What we believe
• God is asking us
• To pursue together
• In this next season.
• Now, as a whole church,
• Each of us gets to participate in what God is doing
• Through prayer,
• Through serving, and
• Through giving.
• At New City Olathe ,
• Our mission is to inspire you to trust in and live like Jesus.
• That’s what SEEK is all about.
• It’s not a fundraiser;
• It’s a faith builder of generosity
• It’s not about what the church can get
• It’s about what God wants to do through us.
• I know that in today’s world,
• The topic of giving can make people nervous.
• Some churches avoid it out of fear,
• And others talk about it for the wrong reasons.
• But I believe you can hear our heart in this:
• This isn’t just about money—it’s about mission.
• We talk about generosity
• Because generosity is the heartbeat of God.
• We give
• Because He first gave to us.
• We invite you into this
• Because we want everyone
• To experience the joy
• Of seeing their resources
• Turn into ministry impact
• Lives changed,
• Families strengthened,
• Disciples made, and
• Jesus lifted high.
• Through SEEK 2025,
• We watched God do incredible things
• People were saved,
• City groups met,
• New families connected,
• Discipleship deepened,
• And generosity strengthened.
• We can honestly say,
• Just like the psalmist:

Psalm 126:3

“The Lord has done great things for us; we were joyful.”

• Now, as we begin SEEK 2026,
• We’re believing God for even more.
• Our theme comes from

Ephesians 3:20–21

“Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think.”

• This season will call us to pray boldly,
• Give sacrificially,
• And live expectantly
• Trusting that God can do more through us
• Than we could ever imagine on our own.
• And I want you to know
• My family and I are right there with you.
• We are not asking for something of you
• That we are not willing to lean into ourselves
• Last night we met as a family
• And Jen and I shared with the kids
• What we believe he is asking us to give
• (It’s more than a stretch…it will cost us)
• In order to obey
• We have chosen to make some sacrifices
• Along with saving
• And putting some money aside
• We are making some family commitments, Like
• Not eating out anywhere
• For the entire month of November
• My desire is to model for you what we are about to ask
• Because that’s what worship looks like:
• Giving in a way that costs us something,
• Yet brings us joy because we’re doing it for Him.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll:

• Look back at what God has already done,
• Seek Him for what He wants to do next, and
• Step forward together in faith and generosity.
• Each Sunday we will preach a biblical message
• That reminds us of who God is
• And what He’s calling us to.
• Each week, we will look at parts of our ministry plan
• And each week, I will do my best to make a Compelling Ask
• So that you can be prepared to be your most generous
• On our Commitment Sunday, in just 4 weeks
• Where will we bring our gifts and commitments together
• To fully fund the ministry vision for 2026.
• So what is our goal?

Our Goal 

• The total goal for SEEK 2026 is $36,560…
• That’s a big number
• It’s A faith target
• That allows New City Olathe
• To fully fund our 2026 ministry plan,
• Supporting outreach,
• Discipleship,
• Next-generation ministry,
• And mission expansion.
• Before I tell you how we tackle such a big goal
• Let me tell you quickly what it is not
• This SEEK plan is 100% ministry
• None of those dollars go to what we call Operations
• Operations is all the stuff like rent, light bills, and salaries
• Your faithfulness
• To give weekly tithes throughout the year helps with that stuff
• All of SEEK goes to fund every ministry we do
• (i.e. Kid City, Outreach)
• So now let’s look at the goal
• When something is this big
• How do you handle it?
• Let me share with you a leadership principle
• That you can put into practice
• It’s Called “Eating an Elephant”
• How do you eat an elephant?
• One bit at a time
• Here is what that looks like

Here’s how that goal breaks down:

• 1 person or family giving $10,000 – launching new outreach and leadership development.
• 2 families giving $5,000 each – fueling discipleship and care ministries.
• 2 families giving $2,500 each – strengthening weekly ministry rhythms and training environments.
• 5 families giving $1,000 each – resourcing next-generation and community engagement.
• 8 families giving $500 each – supporting worship, city groups, and local outreach.
• 10 families giving $250 each – sustaining foundational ministries that keep New City moving forward.
• Together, those gifts total $36,560
• But more importantly,
• They represent hearts saying,

“God, use what I have for Your glory.”

• It’s not about equal gifts;
• It’s about equal sacrifice and shared faith.

So here’s your personal step as we start this journey:

• Pray – Ask God to show you how you can participate in His vision
• Listen – Ask Him what He would have you give in faith.
• Respond – When He speaks, obey with joy.
• We believe
• That when God’s people
• Pray, seek, and step in together,
• He does “above and beyond all that we ask or imagine.”
• Now, with that in our hearts,
• Let’s turn to Psalm 126
• And see what happens

Psalm 126:1

¹ When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion

Introduction

• According to Psalm 126
• When the exiles of Israel returned home from Babylon,
• They could hardly believe it.
• The city walls were broken,
• The temple lay in ruins,
• Yet God moved.
• They said, “

Psalm 126:1

we were like those who dream.

Thats what happens when God restores.

• It’s what happens when prayers long prayed are answered,
• When prodigals return,
• When revival breaks out,
• When a church plant begins to see
• People saved, baptized, and discipled.
• Psalm 126 is a song of memory and hope
• Looking back at what God has done
• And pleading for Him to do it again.
• And that’s where we stand today.
• We’ve seen God move in 2025,
• And we believe He’s not done yet.
• Today’s message is simply this:
• Look at what God has done
• And believe He will do it again.
• So let’s start here:

– We Remember the Great Things God Has Done

Psalm 126:3

“The Lord has done great things for us; we were joyful.”

• You can almost hear the excitement in that verse,
• The psalmist isn’t whispering this
• He’s declaring it.

Psalm 126:3

“The Lord has done great things for us.”

• Not, “We figured it out.”
• Not, “Look what our hands built.”
• But, “The Lord did it.”
• This song was written
• By a people who had been through it.
• They’d spent seventy long years in exile
• Displaced,
• Discouraged,
• Wondering if God had forgotten them.
• And then, suddenly,
• He brought them home.
• Their captors let them go,
• Their land was restored,
• And the only explanation
• Was that God Himself had moved.
• So they sang,

Psalm 126:1

“We were like those who dream.”

• Have you ever had God do something
• So surprising,
• So gracious,
• That it almost felt unreal?
• That’s the picture here
• God’s people
• Standing in the middle of a miracle saying, “

Is this really happening?”

• (possibly the story of Jen and the car)
• That’s what remembering does
• It brings the story of God’s faithfulness
• Back to the surface of our hearts.
• Remembering fuels gratitude.
• When we stop long enough to look back,
• We realize how much He’s already done.
• That’s why the psalm says, “

Psalm 126:2

our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy.

• Gratitude naturally turns into praise.
• When we look at what God has done through SEEK 2025
• The salvations, the growth in generosity and the lives changed
• We get to lift our hands and say,

“The Lord has done great things for us.”

• And then we will also realize
• How this kind of remembering shapes our identity.
• Notice verse 2:

Psalm 126:2

“Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’”

• Even outsiders noticed God’s work!
• Their testimony became their reputation.
• That’s exactly what we want for our church
• That when people in Olathe hear about New City Olathe,
• They wouldn’t just talk about our programs or Block Party
• But about the God who is clearly at work here.
• When people see joy, unity, and generosity
• Overflowing in God’s people,
• It preaches louder than any sermon.
• So, first,
• We remember the great things God has done.
• But remembrance alone
• Isn’t where the story stops.
• The psalmist doesn’t just look back in gratitude;
• He looks forward in faith.
• God’s past faithfulness
• Becomes fuel for present trust
• Which leads us to our second point…

– We Trust God to Restore and Multiply Again

Psalm 126:4

“Restore our fortunes, Lord, like watercourses in the Negev.”

• Verse 4 shifts the song from memory to prayer:

“Restore our fortunes, Lord, like watercourses in the Negev.”

• The psalmist is using a picture
• That would’ve meant a lot to the people of Israel.
• The Negev is a vast desert
• In the southern part of the country
• Dry, cracked, silent.
• For most of the year it looks lifeless,
• But when the rains come,
• Something miraculous happens.
• In a matter of hours, those dry riverbeds
• Those empty channels
• Fill with rushing streams.
• The land that seemed dead bursts to life.
• The psalmist is saying, “God, You did it before. Do it again.
• Take what’s barren and make it bloom.
• Take what looks hopeless and flood it with life.
• That’s where many of us may find ourselves
• We’re thankful for what God has done,
• But there are still areas of life that feel like the Negev
• Dry ground that desperately needs His touch.
• Maybe it’s your faith,
• Maybe it’s your marriage,
• Your finances,
• Your family,
• Or maybe it’s our church as we look to the year ahead.
• The question we all have to answer is this:
• Can we trust God to bring life to the dry places again?
• (SLOW DOWN)
• Faith lives right there
• In the tension between gratitude and need.
• It doesn’t deny what’s unfinished;
• It believes God can finish it.
• It doesn’t ignore the pain;
• It believes God can redeem it.
• Faith looks at the desert and says,
• “Lord, send Your rain again.”
• And notice how the psalmist expresses that faith
• Not with a plan, but with a prayer.

“Restore our fortunes, Lord.”

• Before the rebuilding begins,
• Before the strategy forms,
• There’s a cry from the heart:
• “God, we need You.”
• Restoration always begins there.
• Before any move of God in history,
• There’s always been a moment
• Where His people humbled themselves,
• Prayed, and sought His face.
• Every revival begins on our knees.
• That’s the same spirit we’re carrying into SEEK 2026.
• Last year’s vision started in prayer
• Before there was a goal,
• Before there were numbers,
• Before there were results.
• A small group of people gathered and said,
• “Lord, would You move through us?”
• And He did.
• He answered beyond what we could’ve expected.
• Now this year
• The praying is not limited to a few
• All of us have been invited by the Lord
• To join together in weekly prayer
• Where part of the praying is
• “God, restore and multiply what You’ve started.”
• The psalm continues:

Psalm 126:5

“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.”

• That’s one of the most honest
• And hope-filled promises in Scripture.
• God sees your tears.
• He knows the cost of faithfulness.
• Sowing isn’t glamorous.
• It’s hard work,
• It’s buried seed,
• It’s unseen obedience.
• You plant with faith
• That someday, somehow, there will be a harvest.
• That’s why we’re stepping out in faith again as a church.
• We’re sowing seeds for the next story God wants to write.
• We give, we serve, we sacrifice,
• Not because we see the full harvest yet,
• But because we trust the One who promised it.
• We believe that just as He sent rain to the Negev,
• He will pour out His Spirit again here
• In our homes, our city, and our church.
• And when He does,
• It won’t be small.
• It never is with God.
• When the rains came in the desert,
• The flood didn’t trickle—it rushed.
• The landscape changed.
• That’s how God restores.
• He doesn’t just repair;
• He renews.
• He doesn’t just refill;
• He overflows.
• He does, as Paul says,

Ephesians 3:20

“above and beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

• So, church, here’s what that means for us today:
• We don’t just remember the miracles of the past;
• We prepare for the miracles of the future.
• We pray like people who expect God to move.
• (Are you praying for God to move?)
• We give like people who believe the harvest is coming.
• (Are you giving to see the harvest come in?)
• We serve like people who know the Kingdom is worth it.
• (Are you serving because you think His kingdom is worth it?)
• The psalmist dared to ask God to restore again.
• Are we daring to do the same?
• I dare you to join us in weekly prayer
• And see God move across Olathe
• I dare you to give your most generous offering in a few weeks
• And see God bring a harvest of souls
• I dare you to serve with your time
• And see God bring his Kingdom through your life
• Or as my middle school self would have said
• I double-dog dare you!!
• Which brings us to our third point

– We Join God in the Work He Is Still Doing

Psalm 126:5

“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.”

• You can almost see the farmer
• Walking slowly through his field
• With tears running down his face,
• Hands full of seed,
• Planting what little he has left.
• He’s weeping,
• But he’s still sowing.
• He’s broken, but he’s still believing.
• And that’s what faith looks like sometimes.
• There are moments
• When we plant the seed
• Not because we feel strong
• But because we trust the One who sends the rain.
• We keep serving when it’s hard.
• We keep giving when it stretches us.
• We keep praying and loving people
• Even when it costs us something.
• That’s the heart behind SEEK 2026.
• This isn’t just a season of reflection
• It’s a season of participation.
• We’re asking God to move,
• But we’re also saying,
• “Lord, here we are. Use us.”
• Every year,
• Through SEEK,
• We get to be part of what God is doing in real time.
• We don’t just pray for revival;
• We help build the conditions where revival can happen.
• We don’t just hope for transformation;
• We step into the work of transformation.
• When the psalmist says,

Psalm 126:5

“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy,”

• He’s saying there is a cost to obedience
• But the cost is never wasted.
• Every tear shed in prayer,
• Every dollar given in faith,
• Every act of service offered in love
• All of it is seen by God.
• None of it is forgotten.
• None of it is wasted.
• And here’s the promise:

Psalm 126:6

“He will surely come back with shouts of joy, carrying his sheaves.”

• The picture is of that same farmer,
• The one who planted with tears,
• Now walking back through the field
• With arms full of harvest.
• The joy outweighs the sorrow.
• The harvest outweighs the hardship.
• The laughter replaces the tears.
• That’s the pattern of the Kingdom
• Sowing and reaping,
• Weeping and joy,
• Sacrifice and reward.
• Jesus said in

John 12:24,

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.”

• In other words,
• Life comes through surrender.
• Multiplication comes through sacrifice.
• That’s what it means to join God in His work.
• Church,
• God’s not finished with us yet.
• He’s still writing His story through this church,
• Through your family,
• Through your faithfulness.
• Every person here has a role to play.
• Many of us will sow by serving.
• Many will sow by discipling others.
• Many will sow by giving generously.
• But together,
• All of us are part of the harvest that’s coming.
• We don’t always get to see the full results of what we plant.
• Sometimes we sow what another generation will reap.
• Jesus told His disciples in

John 4:38,

“I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”

• That’s a humbling reminder
• Somebody before us prayed for this church,
• Gave sacrificially,
• And sowed in faith so that we could be here today.
• And now, it’s our turn.
• We get to take our place in that same story.
• We get to invest in what God is doing now
• So that others can experience it later.
• We’re building something that will outlast us
• A legacy of faith, generosity, and discipleship
• That will continue to bear fruit for years to come.
• This is why we give,
• Why we serve,
• Why we stay faithful
• Even when it’s hard.
• Because every act of obedience
• Is a seed that God can multiply.
• Every single one.
• And when that harvest comes
• When we see lives changed,
• When we see baptisms,
• When we see families restored
• And children learning to love Jesus
• Those moments are our shouts of joy.
• Those are the sheaves in our arms.
• Those are the visible signs of God’s invisible grace.
• We sow because He is worthy.
• We sow because the harvest is certain.
• We sow because we believe what the psalmist believed
• that those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.
• So let’s not grow weary.
• Let’s not shrink back.
• Let’s not settle
• For what God did last year
• When He’s calling us to trust Him again this year.
• Let’s join Him in the work He’s still doing
• In our city,
• In our church, and
• In the lives of people He loves.
• And this is where the whole psalm
• And really,
• The whole story of Scripture
• Comes full circle.
• Because ultimately,
• This pattern of sowing and reaping,
• Tears and joy,
• Sacrifice and glory
• It all points us to Jesus.
• He’s the One
• Who sowed His life in tears
• So that we could be the harvest of joy.
• That’s why we can trust Him,
• Follow Him, and
• Give our lives to Him.

– Jesus Is the Greater Restorer Who Brings the True Harvest

• Every part of Psalm 126
• The remembering,
• The trusting,
• The sowing,
• The reaping
• Finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus
• He is the center of this story.
• He is the One
• Who takes everything we’ve just talked about
• And brings it to completion.
• The psalm begins with joy after exile,
• But the greatest exile humanity ever faced wasn’t physical
• It was spiritual.
• We weren’t just far from a city;
• We were far from God.
• Sin separated us from the Father,
• And no amount of effort could bring us home.
• But Jesus came to do what we never could.
• He is the greater Restorer
• The true Redeemer
• Who leads His people
• Out of bondage,
• Not from Babylon,
• But from sin and death.
• Through His life, death, and resurrection,
• He brought us back into right relationship with the Father.
• When you think about it,
• Jesus lived out Psalm 126
• In the most profound way.
• He sowed in tears—literally.
• In Gethsemane
• He prayed in anguish
• His sweat like drops of blood.
• On the cross
• He gave His life
• As the seed that would fall to the ground and die.
• But three days later,
• He reaped with shouts of joy
• As He rose from the dead,
• Carrying the sheaves of redemption in His hands
• The salvation of everyone who would believe in Him.
• That’s why we can live with confidence.
• That’s why we can give with boldness.
• Because the gospel guarantees
• That our labor in the Lord is never in vain.
• Every act of obedience,
• Every seed of generosity,
• Every step of faith
• Participates in what Jesus has already accomplished.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “

Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think…”

• That means there is no prayer too big,
• No God size dream too bold,
• No obstacle too strong for our God.
• But notice where Paul says this power is at work

Ephesians 3:20

“according to the power that works in us.”

• That same resurrection power
• That brought Jesus out of the grave is now living in us.
• The Holy Spirit enables us
• To believe,
• To give,
• To serve,
• To endure,
• To rejoice,
• And to keep sowing
• When it would be easier to give up.
• That’s not our strength
• It’s His power working through us.
• And here’s the purpose behind it all:

Ephesians 3:21

“To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations.”

• That’s what this whole SEEK 2026 season is about.
• It’s not about budgets or numbers or buildings
• It’s about the glory of God being displayed through His people.
• It’s about our city seeing Jesus
• Through the way we live,
• The way we love, and

The way we give.

• When Paul says “to all generations,”
• He’s reminding us that the story doesn’t end with us.
• What we do today
• Has ripple effects into eternity.
• Every dollar given,
• Every life touched,
• Every disciple made
• It all echoes
• Through the generations
• As a testimony of God’s faithfulness.
• And maybe most of all,
• This passage reminds us
• That Jesus’ joy is our joy.
• He sowed in tears,
• But He now reigns in glory.
• And one day,
• When we see Him face to face,
• All of our tears will be wiped away.
• That’s the final harvest
• The moment when every seed of faith
• Becomes sight,
• When every sacrifice turns into celebration,
• And when every tear
• Becomes a shout of joy in the presence of Jesus.
• So church,
• As we step into SEEK 2026,
• We do it not in our strength
• But in His.
• We trust in the One
• Who has already done above and beyond
• All we could ask or imagine.
• We believe He will continue to restore,
• To multiply,
• And to bring glory to His name through us.
• As we close today,
• I want to invite every person and every family at New City Church
• To take a sacred step of prayer.
• (invite everyone down front)
• Psalm 126 reminds us that

“those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.”

• SEEK 2026 is our next season of sowing
• An opportunity to plant seeds of faith
• That will become future stories of joy.
• As we look back, we can honestly say:

“The Lord has done great things for us.”

• God has shown Himself faithful
• Through every challenge and every step of obedience.
• But Psalm 126 doesn’t end with looking back
• It ends with a prayer for more: “

Restore our fortunes, Lord.” (not some prosperity thing)

• That’s our prayer for SEEK 2026.
• Ephesians 3:20–21 reminds us
• That God’s power
• Is not limited by our imagination or resources.
• He can do above and beyond
• In our church,
• In our city,
• In our families, and
• Through our generosity.

So, as we launch SEEK 2026:

• Let’s remember His faithfulness with gratitude.
• Let’s trust Him to move again with expectancy.
• Let’s join Him with open hands and willing hearts.
• Pray in groups!