No Risk No Story | Pastor Brandon Beals | Venture Church
What do you do when God is clearly stirring your heart, but taking the next step feels risky?
This week, Pastor Brandon continues our Ruins to Revival series through Ezra and Nehemiah with a message called “No Risk, No Story.”
When King Cyrus gave the Jewish people the opportunity to return to Jerusalem, only about 50,000 people made the journey. The invitation was available to everyone, but most stayed behind. Why? Because following God often requires us to leave what is familiar, comfortable, and predictable.
Pastor Brandon unpacks three reasons we often resist taking the risk God is calling us to:
Fear — What if I fail? What if it doesn’t work?
Comfort — What if I’m already happy with where I am?
Uncertainty — What if I can’t see what the future looks like?
The good can become the enemy of the best when we allow fear or comfort to keep us from stepping into what God is stirring us toward. Sometimes God doesn’t give us the entire picture — He simply asks us to trust Him and take the next step.
No risk, no story.
SCRIPTURE:
Ezra 1:5
Ezra 2
Ezra 3
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome to Venture Church
00:45 – Continuing Ruins to Revival
01:08 – Ezra 1:5: God Stirred Their Hearts
02:01 – Brandon’s Grand Canyon Story
02:43 – “No Risk, No Story”
04:03 – Playing It Safe Is Risky
04:20 – God Will Ask You to Take a Risk
04:51 – God Opens the Door for Israel to Return
05:54 – Who Actually Returned to Jerusalem?
08:08 – 50,000 People Make the Journey
10:39 – Why Did Only 50,000 Return?
11:16 – God Will Challenge You to Take a Risk
11:49 – The Good Is the Enemy of the Best
12:39 – Why Are We Unwilling to Take Risks?
13:03 – Reason #1: Fear
16:26 – Stop Letting Fear Dictate Your Choices
17:59 – Reason #2: We Get Settled
20:17 – Comfort Can Keep Us From Moving
21:13 – The Israelites Settled Before Starting the Work
23:06 – God Starts Stirring When We Get Comfortable
24:36 – The Risks Venture Has Taken
25:26 – What If It Actually Works?
26:09 – Reason #3: The Future Is Too Foggy
27:29 – Sometimes God Just Says, “Trust Me”
28:16 – Israel Reestablishes Worship
29:15 – Fourteen Months Before the Work Begins
29:56 – The Temple Foundation Is Laid
30:28 – One Generation Weeps, Another Celebrates
32:33 – The Future Rarely Looks Like We Expect
32:56 – Brandon’s Original Vision for Venture
33:28 – The Achilles Illustration
34:30 – No Risk, No Story
35:11 – Prayer for Courage to Take the Next Step
37:02 – What’s Next
37:41 – Worship Night and Groups Week