(Breath of Life Theme Music)
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Breath of Life
Ministries Presents:
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Sermon #B618 -
When Life Is Unfair
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PB: Genesis chapter
37 and verse number 18.
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If you have it, let
me hear you say Amen.
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All right. The word of God says,
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and the man said, Genesis,
“And when they saw him,”
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rather, “afar off, even
before he came near unto them,
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they conspired
against him to slay him.”
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Verse 19: ” And
they said one to another,
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Behold, this dreamer cometh.”
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Verse number 20:
“Come now therefore,
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and let us slay him, and
let us cast him into some pit,
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and we will say, Some
evil beast hath devoured him:
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and we shall see what
will become of his dreams.”
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Today I want to just
speak with you, not long,
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but challenge
you with the message,
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“When Life is Unfair.”
Father, bless us now. Speak.
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Your servant's
hearing. Have your way.
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And we praise you in advance
for what you're going to do.
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So Lord God,
may your Holy Ghost,
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may some drops fall
on us. And, and Father,
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I pray right now that even
before we get to the appeal,
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that when the
appeal time comes that
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you would move by
your power, by your spirit,
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and break chains
in this place today.
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Forgive us of our sins,
hid me behind your cross.
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In the name of Jesus we pray.
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Let everyone say Amen. And Amen.
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“When Life Is Unfair.”
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Now, if I were to go
into the sanctuary today,
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and I were to ask everybody,
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“Who is your
favorite Bible character?”
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I'm sure I would
get a sundry of answers.
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Now, some of you
would probably say Noah.
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You would say Noah
because of faith, because,
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after all, it took faith
to preach about rain coming,
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and it had never rained before.
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Some of you
probably would say Esther,
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that Esther was
courage personified.
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And probably may
daughters would say,
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“Esther would be good, because
Esther represents girl power.”
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But then there'd be others of
you who would probably say Job.
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You would say Job was your
favorite biblical character
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because Job had faith
and praised God even through
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adversity; because it was Job
who said, “Naked came I in this
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world. Naked I
will leave this world.
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The Lord giveth and
the Lord taketh away,
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but blessed be
the name of the Lord.”
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But then there's
Daniel. I like Daniel too,
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because Daniel had
courage. Daniel had faith.
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Daniel had perseverance.
Daniel had strong will.
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Daniel prayed.
Daniel just had everything.
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But then, of course,
after we talk about Noah,
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after we talk about
Esther, after we talk about Job,
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after we talk about Daniel,
somebody's gonna say Jesus.
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[Aud. reaction]
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Teacher, preacher, healer,
savior, redeemer, deliverer,
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bondage breaker, cancer killer,
bridge over troubled waters,
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problem solver, heart
fixer, and soon-coming king.
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But because I think we
all would admit Jesus is
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our favorite Bible character,
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let's take Jesus
out of the running.
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Is that all right, everybody?
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And let's leave it with biblical
characters other than Jesus.
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So we come to my
favorite biblical character.
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My wife's favorite biblical
character. His name is Joseph.
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Here is a man who was hated
by his brothers, put in a pit,
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sold into slavery,
lied on by his boss's wife,
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forgotten by a butler, a man he
had befriended, put in prison.
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Then he could have had his
sweet revenge on everybody,
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but he still served God, loved
God, and loved his brothers.
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Joseph is my favorite
Bible character because
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the light of Joseph
more closely parallels
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the life of Jesus than
anybody else in the Bible.
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Now, the Bible never says that
Joseph was a type of Christ,
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but listen to some of the
similarities between Joseph and
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Jesus. For one, both
were special objects of their
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father's love. Number two, both
were rejected by their brothers.
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Joseph his sibling brothers,
and Jesus His Jewish brothers.
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In both cases, their
brothers conspired to kill them.
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The life of Joseph was,
was resurrected to reconcile
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his brothers to himself,
just as Jesus was resurrected
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to offer pardon and reconcile
his brothers to himself.
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Both of them were
dealt with unfairly.
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Joseph was thrown in a pit.
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Jesus didn't deserve
to be hung on a cross.
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And so when I think about
the lives of Joseph and Jesus,
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it helps me to understand
what to do when life is unfair.
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You see, let me make this plain,
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because
somebody's not getting it,
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so I have to make it practical.
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Life isn't fair when you
don't study on the Sabbath,
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but somebody else
studies on the Sabbath,
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but they get the
A and you get the F.
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Life isn't fair when you're more
qualified than somebody else,
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but because they know
the boss and you don't,
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they get the job and you don't.
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Life isn't fair when
you're dieting, exercising,
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and you can't lose weight.
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But your neighbor eats what
they wants, when they wants;
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they won't exercise, but
they still don't gain a pound.
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Does somebody know
what I'm talking about?
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[Aud. reaction]
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Life isn't fair when you're
a vegan, plant-based diets.
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You drink eight glasses of
water per day. You, however,
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contract cancer and you're told
you have six months to live.
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But somebody else drinks,
smokes, eats any and everything,
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and they live until
they're 90 years old.
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Life isn't fair
when you return tithes
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and offerings but
you're still broke.
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And then somebody else
doesn't return anything to God,
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but they have the big
house. They've got the nice car.
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They don't have a
financial care in the world.
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And so you ask the question,
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why do the wicked prosper? Why
is it that the forces of wrong,
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the doers of dirty deeds, the
fat cats and the slick mamas,
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why is it that they seem to
do better than anybody else?
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Why is life unfair? Does anybody
know what I'm talking about?
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But I love the story of Joseph
because it helps me to deal
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with the issue of
fairness in the world. In fact,
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the life of Joseph is a great
story about life being unfair.
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Look at the life of Joseph.
Joseph was hated by his brothers
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because, for one, they
knew their father, Jacob,
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loved him more
than he loved them,
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and because of his love for him,
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Jacob was given a
coat of many colors,
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which caused his brothers to
burn in hot jealousy toward him.
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To make matters worse, Joseph
told his brothers that he was a
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dreamer, that one day he dreamed
that they would bow down to him.
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So, you know the story,
one day Joseph's in the field.
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His brothers say,
“We've had enough of this.
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Here comes the
dreamer. Let's get him.”
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The Bible says they
stripped him of his coat,
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smeared goat's blood in it, and
they threw him in a pit to die.
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Now, it was not Joseph's
fault that Joseph's father,
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Jacob, loved him more.
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It wasn't Joseph's fault
that he dreamed what he did.
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But his brothers, his
own flesh and his own blood,
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they throw him in a pit.
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What do you do when
you're thrown into life's pits,
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and it's not because
of you, anything you did,
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but it's just because you're
blessed? Just because you're
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chosen. Just because you're
God's favorite, you've been put
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in a pit. Everybody has been in
a pit. And if you haven't, keep
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on living, because you will have
your pit. Do you know what I'm
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talking about? Through no doings
of his own, Joseph was chosen.
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And chosen to be the
heir of his father's riches.
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Study the story.
Reuben, the eldest brother,
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had forfeited
his right by incest.
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Simeon and Levi
were next in line,
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but they were ruled out because
of their violence at Shechem.
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So then we come to the fourth
son, Judah, and he was the next
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heir. Joseph was 11th in line.
Joseph was Jacob's first born
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by his favorite wife,
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Rachel, and Joseph was
Jacob's pick. So apparently
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it sparked Judah's anger
and made Joseph his rival.
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Let me tell you something
today. Let God start using you.
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And watch how many people the
devil will stir up against you.
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He's not all that.
She's not all that.
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If I had that, I
could do that too.
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When God starts blessing
you, you become a marked man.
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You become a marked woman.
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But don't hate on somebody else
because God is blessing them.
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Remember what I always say:
Learn how to be a cheerleader,
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because if God is blessing him,
God must be in the neighborhood,
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and it's just a matter of time
before God starts blessing you.
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When people try to hurt you,
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when people try to harm you
and hate on you and destroy you,
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they don't realize
they're actually helping you.
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The Bible says God will make
your enemies your footstool.
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Which means God will put
your haters under your feet.
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Which means your
enemies are actually pouring the
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concrete that
you're going to walk on,
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so your haters are your
elevators to make you walk
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higher in Jesus. Now, I've
learned, somebody else can lead
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you to the pit. What else,
Pastor, can lead me to the pit?
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Telling your dream to the
wrong people. Genesis 37:25.
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Genesis 37:5 says,
“And Joseph dreamed a dream,
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and he told it to his brethren,
and they hated him even the
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more.” So I've learned in
my ministry, 24 years now,
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I've learned you can't
tell everybody everything.
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Be careful who you share
your dreams and visions with.
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Many times God gives
us a vision to accomplish,
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and as soon as we
share it with others,
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there are people waiting
to kill it. Vision killers.
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Success slayers.
Vision assassins.
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[Aud. reaction]
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Let's build a new building.
Well, we don't have enough
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money. News flash! We
will never have enough money.
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If we had enough money, we'd
say, “Look what we've done.”
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So let me tell you something.
I say it all the time.
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I've never had a vision for
ministry that I could afford.
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If I could afford it, I wouldn't
need God. If I could afford it,
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I would have a big head
and think, look what I've done.
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If I could afford it,
my nose would be so high
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in the air that if
it rained, I'd drown.
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So God will make it so
that I can't afford it,
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so when He does it,
I'll know it wasn't me,
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but it was nobody but God.
Are you hearing what I'm saying?
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God always makes
provision for the vision.
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If it's God's
will, it's God's bill.
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If it's God's
choice, it's God's invoice.
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But remember, you can't
share everything with everybody.
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Do I have a
witness in this place?
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[Aud. reaction]
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Now, there are some things that
will get us thrown in the pit,
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and we'll ask God, “Lord, if
you love me like you say you do,
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why are you allowing this
pit experience in my life?”
00:12:42.52\00:12:46.49
But God doesn't
shelter us to the point that
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He doesn't permit us to
go through life experiences.
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Remember, no cross, no
crown. No pain, no gain.
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No valley, no victory.
No battle, no blessing.
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We think it's unfair that we
have to be put in life's pits.
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But sometimes God has a
reason for your pit experience.
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I've learned that sometimes God
allows pit experiences because
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He's trying to
teach us patience.
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Many times God can't
do what God wants to do
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through us because we're too
impatient. But the older I get,
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the more I understand
that you can't hurry God.
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Sometimes you've to wait. Wait
on the Lord, be of good courage,
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and He shall
strengthen thine heart.
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God may not come
when you want it,
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but He's always right on time.
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God gave Joseph those
dreams--think about it.
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But Joseph had to wait at
least 13 years for the dreams
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to come to fruition.
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[Aud. reaction]
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They that wait upon the Lord,
God shall renew their strength.
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They shall mount up on wings as
eagles, run and not get weary.
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Sometimes you got to wait.
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So God permits pits to come into
our lives to teach us patience.
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But not only that.
I've learned, number two,
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that God permits pit experiences
to rid us of our pride.
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Many times the pits of life can
rid us of the pride that's in
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us. I don't know,
but maybe, just maybe,
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Joseph had a little pride
when he went to his brothers
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and he told them the
dreams that God was giving him.
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Notice verse number
9 of the same chapter:
00:14:22.09\00:14:24.13
“And he dreamed yet another
dream, and he told his brethren,
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and said, Behold, I
have dreamed a dream more;
00:14:27.20\00:14:29.26
and, behold, the
sun and the moon and
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the eleven stars
were bound down to me.”
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Maybe, just maybe,
Joseph needed a pit experience
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to rid him of
his arrogant spirit.
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Because if you're
having a pit experience,
00:14:38.67\00:14:40.11
it could be because God is
trying to get pride out of your
00:14:40.14\00:14:44.18
system. Number three,
I've learned that sometimes God
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allows us to
have a pit experience
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because He's trying
to get us to talk to Him.
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Now, think about it, you all.
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You all are Bible scholars.
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The Bible does not tell us
how long Joseph was in the pit.
00:14:56.09\00:15:01.03
So we don't know if Joseph was
in the pit one day or one week.
00:15:01.06\00:15:04.43
The Bible doesn't tell us
how long he was in the pit.
00:15:04.47\00:15:07.07
All that we know is,
however long he was in the pit,
00:15:07.10\00:15:10.04
Joseph began talking to God.
If you're in a pit right now,
00:15:10.07\00:15:16.85
let me suggest that you
need to begin to talk to God.
00:15:16.88\00:15:23.49
Somebody in this sanctuary,
somebody watching by television,
00:15:23.52\00:15:28.06
knows that some of the
best prayer you'll ever
00:15:28.09\00:15:31.89
have in your
life is from the pit.
00:15:31.93\00:15:35.23
Are you hearing what I'm saying?
00:15:35.26\00:15:36.80
Some of the best prayer
you'll ever have in your life is
00:15:36.83\00:15:40.67
when your back is against the
wall. What am I talking about?
00:15:40.70\00:15:44.44
Come here, brother
Daniel. Tell us about it.
00:15:44.47\00:15:47.64
He says, “I was
in the lion's den,
00:15:47.68\00:15:49.64
but I found out that God answers
prayer in a pit. Come here,
00:15:49.68\00:15:55.25
brother Jonah. From the belly of
a whale, I cried out unto God.
00:15:55.28\00:16:00.66
Some of the best
prayer comes from a pit.
00:16:00.69\00:16:03.93
Come here, Paul and
Silas. We are in a jail cell,
00:16:03.96\00:16:07.83
but at midnight God
answered our prayer.
00:16:07.86\00:16:11.97
Some of our best
prayer comes from a pit.
00:16:12.00\00:16:15.97
There's somebody in this place
right now, you're going through
00:16:16.00\00:16:21.01
it. And it looks
like God isn't there.
00:16:21.04\00:16:24.68
But I'm here to tell you that
some of your best prayer comes
00:16:24.71\00:16:31.62
from a pit. You may
think the pit is unfair.
00:16:31.65\00:16:35.32
And sometimes God allows
it, because He's teaching you
00:16:35.36\00:16:42.46
patience. He's getting the
arrogance and pride out of you.
00:16:42.50\00:16:46.43
He's getting you to talk to Him.
00:16:46.47\00:16:49.40
And the good news
about our God is that
00:16:49.44\00:16:52.14
although God allows you
to have a pit experience,
00:16:52.17\00:16:55.48
the pit is not your destiny.
00:16:55.51\00:16:58.31
No matter how low you are,
no matter how bad it might be,
00:16:58.35\00:17:03.35
don't you let the
devil convince you
00:17:03.39\00:17:06.32
that you're going to
always be in a pit situation.
00:17:06.35\00:17:09.79
[Aud. reaction]
00:17:09.82\00:17:10.79
God is too much a God
to leave you in the pit.
00:17:10.83\00:17:14.03
God is a God that will
move you out of the pit
00:17:14.10\00:17:17.20
because God never
delivers you from something
00:17:17.23\00:17:20.34
unless He's
delivering you to something.
00:17:20.37\00:17:23.34
Are you hearing what I'm saying?
00:17:23.37\00:17:24.21
Let me say that one more time.
00:17:24.24\00:17:25.87
God never delivers
us from something unless
00:17:25.91\00:17:27.81
He's delivering us to something.
00:17:27.84\00:17:29.44
So in Genesis 39, Joseph winds
up in the home of Potiphar,
00:17:29.48\00:17:33.95
captain of the Egpytian guard.
00:17:33.98\00:17:36.62
While in the
service of Potiphar,
00:17:36.65\00:17:38.29
you know the story, Potiphar's
wife has her eye on Joseph.
00:17:38.32\00:17:43.19
She makes advances at him, but
he doesn't yield to temptation.
00:17:43.22\00:17:47.03
He says, I can't do this
wickedness and sin against God.
00:17:47.03\00:17:53.30
So what does she do? The
Bible says she lies on him.
00:17:53.34\00:17:56.37
That's why everybody--
everybody comes running at you,
00:17:56.40\00:17:58.94
check your source. Are
you hearing what I'm saying?
00:17:58.97\00:18:01.44
She lies on him and tells her
husband Joseph was trying to lie
00:18:01.48\00:18:06.58
with her, when in reality
she was trying to lie with him.
00:18:06.61\00:18:09.82
Joseph ends up in
prison. He's charged, tried,
00:18:09.85\00:18:14.46
and convicted on false charges.
00:18:14.49\00:18:17.13
Here's another
example of life being unfair.
00:18:17.16\00:18:20.63
Joseph was in a pit,
00:18:20.66\00:18:22.26
but now he winds up
worse yet in prison.
00:18:22.30\00:18:24.83
Now, remember earlier
when I said being chosen,
00:18:24.87\00:18:27.54
being favored,
can lead to a pit.
00:18:27.57\00:18:29.80
Well, being prospered by
the Lord can also lead you to
00:18:29.84\00:18:34.81
prison. When it rains, it pours.
00:18:34.84\00:18:37.11
Genesis 39, 2 and 3:
00:18:37.15\00:18:38.85
The Lord was with
Joseph. He was a prosperous man.
00:18:38.88\00:18:40.75
He was in the house of
his master, of the Egyptian.
00:18:40.78\00:18:43.69
And this master saw
the Lord was with him,
00:18:43.72\00:18:45.65
that the Lord made all that
he did to prosper in his hand.
00:18:45.69\00:18:49.32
Have you noticed, friends,
00:18:49.36\00:18:51.53
how people like to
label and speak against those
00:18:51.56\00:18:55.63
who are prospered by the Lord?
00:18:55.66\00:18:58.60
Who do they think they are?
00:18:58.63\00:19:01.10
That'd can't be of God;
00:19:01.14\00:19:03.34
they've got too much!
But they've forgotten first,
00:19:03.37\00:19:06.54
“Seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness
00:19:06.57\00:19:08.61
and all these things
shall be added until you.”
00:19:08.64\00:19:10.25
But not only that.
I've learned, being favored
00:19:10.28\00:19:12.45
and praised by those with
influence can lead you to a
00:19:12.48\00:19:19.32
prison. Anybody ever been
promoted, and your coworker
00:19:19.35\00:19:25.79
wasn't? Anybody ever got to
church, and your coworker or
your friend didn't?
00:19:25.83\00:19:33.40
Joseph found grace
in Potiphar's sight.
00:19:33.44\00:19:37.34
He served him, and he
made him overseer of his house,
00:19:37.37\00:19:39.67
and all that he had, the Bible
says, Potiphar put in Joseph's
00:19:39.71\00:19:43.45
hands. But some people can't
stand to see you favored and
00:19:43.48\00:19:48.95
blessed. But
when God blesses you,
00:19:48.98\00:19:52.39
no devil in hell can stop the
blessings of God on your life.
00:19:52.42\00:20:01.30
Joseph is put in a prison,
00:20:01.33\00:20:03.80
and as a result of his
standing up to sister Potiphar,
00:20:03.83\00:20:06.67
but don't ever
forget what the Bible says.
00:20:06.70\00:20:08.37
The Bible says that even though
he stands up to Potiphar's wife,
00:20:08.40\00:20:10.47
what I love about the word of
God, the Bible says God is with
00:20:10.51\00:20:14.81
Joseph. [Aud. reaction]
00:20:14.84\00:20:15.94
The Bible says it three
times in chapter 39: in verse 2,
00:20:15.98\00:20:18.58
in verse 21 and verse
23.  Let that be a reminder.
00:20:18.61\00:20:22.08
You just might be
put in an earthly prison,
00:20:22.12\00:20:24.39
but if God is with you, no
weapon formed against you is
00:20:24.42\00:20:28.79
going to prosper. So
while in prison, in chapter 40,
00:20:28.82\00:20:31.76
it tell us that Joseph
makes friends with the butler
00:20:31.79\00:20:35.23
and the baker who are
on death row with him.
00:20:35.26\00:20:37.40
Talk about life being unfair?
00:20:37.43\00:20:39.27
They discover that Joseph has
the ability to interpret dreams.
00:20:39.30\00:20:42.54
They dream dreams; Joseph
interprets them.  Their dreams
00:20:42.57\00:20:46.14
come to pass. The baker is
hanged, just like the dream
00:20:46.17\00:20:49.08
said, but the butler gets out of
prison on parole just like the
00:20:49.11\00:20:52.55
dream said. But he forgets
what Joseph has done for him.
00:20:52.58\00:20:55.75
That's common for us,
because the people you help
00:20:55.78\00:20:57.82
the most
appreciate it the least.
00:20:57.85\00:21:01.76
But here is Joseph.  He has
to deal with life being unfair.
00:21:01.79\00:21:09.60
His father loves him.  His
father gives him a coat of many
00:21:09.63\00:21:16.27
colors. He dreams dreams, but
his brothers can't stand him.
00:21:16.30\00:21:21.04
[Aud. reaction]
00:21:21.08\00:21:22.41
His brothers throw him in a
pit, sell him for 20 pieces of
00:21:22.44\00:21:27.95
silver. He's seduced by a
woman.  This woman lies on him.
00:21:27.98\00:21:32.99
He's imprisoned
on false charges,
00:21:33.02\00:21:35.02
and he's forgotten in
jail by the one he has helped.
00:21:35.06\00:21:39.53
Life is unfair.  But
God didn't forget him.
00:21:39.56\00:21:47.20
[Aud. reaction]
00:21:47.24\00:21:48.64
God remembered his faithfulness.
00:21:48.67\00:21:53.04
God raised him up; in a
pit, but God raised him up.
00:21:53.07\00:22:01.12
In slavery, but God
raised him up.  In a prison,
00:22:01.15\00:22:06.59
but God raised him up.  No
friends, no family, but God
00:22:06.62\00:22:11.96
raised him up. He
didn't do it, but God did it.
00:22:11.99\00:22:14.73
God raised him up to be
in the president's cabinet.
00:22:14.73\00:22:18.40
He became the
secretary of agriculture.
00:22:18.43\00:22:21.64
God raised Joseph up to be
in charge of Egypt's modern-day
00:22:21.67\00:22:26.84
Publix at a time when the
food had run out in Israel.
00:22:26.88\00:22:31.48
Fast forward.  I'm
almost done. Genesis 41.
00:22:31.51\00:22:35.72
Joseph's brothers come
to Egypt for some food.
00:22:35.75\00:22:39.22
And the same man that
they put in that pit that day,
00:22:39.25\00:22:45.56
the same man that they hated on,
00:22:45.59\00:22:49.86
the same man
that they had envied,
00:22:49.90\00:22:53.64
the same man that
they had been jealous of,
00:22:53.67\00:22:56.47
the same man that they had
sold off into slavery one day,
00:22:56.50\00:23:00.41
is now the same man
in charge of food stamps.
00:23:00.44\00:23:02.91
[Aud. reaction]
00:23:02.94\00:23:04.21
Now, Joseph's brothers
come to him--I'm almost done--
00:23:04.25\00:23:08.75
and they say, we know we've done
wrong.  We know we've sinned.
00:23:08.78\00:23:17.29
But we're sorry.  Now, I have to
admit, at least they said they
00:23:17.33\00:23:27.54
were sorry. And at least they
acknowledged their wrongdoing.
00:23:27.57\00:23:31.67
How many of us do wrong, know
we're wrong, plan to be wrong,
00:23:31.71\00:23:34.28
and we're not worried about the
consequences of wrong, and we
00:23:34.31\00:23:37.41
have no shame? [Aud. reaction]
00:23:37.45\00:23:39.11
See, back in the day, I can
remember when a child did wrong,
00:23:39.15\00:23:42.72
the first thing the parents
would say to that child would
00:23:42.75\00:23:45.29
be, “Shame on you.
00:23:45.32\00:23:46.65
You brought shame to your
family.  You brought shame to
00:23:46.69\00:23:51.36
God. You brought shame
to yourself. Shame on you.”
00:23:51.39\00:23:53.66
At least these brothers were
ashamed of what they had done.
00:23:53.70\00:23:58.57
Not only were they ashamed,
00:23:58.60\00:24:00.07
but they were willing
to admit they were wrong.
00:24:00.10\00:24:02.17
Some of us'd rather
die than say we were wrong.
00:24:02.20\00:24:04.74
[Aud. reaction]
00:24:04.77\00:24:06.81
Joseph, he could have taken
his revenge on his brothers.
00:24:06.84\00:24:12.28
He could have gotten
even with his brothers.
00:24:12.31\00:24:15.35
He could have thrown his
brothers in prison.  He had
00:24:15.38\00:24:19.72
power. But I like
what he says in Genesis 50,
00:24:19.75\00:24:23.46
when God closes out
the book of Genesis.
00:24:23.49\00:24:26.46
He says in Genesis 50, verse 19:
00:24:26.49\00:24:29.30
“Brothers, fear not, for am I in
the place of God?”  I'm not God.
00:24:29.33\00:24:43.45
I'm not even in
the place of God.
00:24:43.48\00:24:46.55
I'm  not your maker,
I'm not your creators,
00:24:46.58\00:24:48.95
I'm not your
judge, I'm not your jury,
00:24:48.98\00:24:50.89
I'm not the one who
sits high but looks low.
00:24:50.92\00:24:53.12
Yes, life has been unfair to me.
But I'm not in the place of God.
00:24:53.15\00:25:02.50
You brought evil against
me, But God meant it unto good.
00:25:02.53\00:25:12.07
Why?  So that on this
day many could be saved.
00:25:12.11\00:25:20.52
Friends of mine, it is
only when we get to heaven when
00:25:20.55\00:25:24.79
we will understand fully
why life at times was so unfair.
00:25:24.82\00:25:30.03
But God allows what He allows
because God is trying to save
00:25:30.06\00:25:39.13
us. And that's where somebody
is today.  Life has been unfair.
00:25:39.17\00:25:46.17
Life has been unjust. 
Life has been unreasonable.
00:25:46.21\00:25:52.78
Life has thrown you in a
pit. Life has thrown somebody
00:25:52.81\00:25:59.49
in Oakwood today in a prison.
00:25:59.52\00:26:02.79
But in the name of Jesus,
00:26:02.82\00:26:05.93
[Aud. reaction]
00:26:05.96\00:26:07.76
God, after the
pits, after the prison,
00:26:07.76\00:26:13.74
God is getting ready to take
somebody in the place to the
00:26:13.77\00:26:18.57
palace. [Organ music]
00:26:18.61\00:26:20.08
Just hang in there!  Continue to
trust God.  Like Joseph, God is
00:26:20.11\00:26:30.02
with you. God won't faill you.
 God is getting a raise somebody
00:26:30.05\00:26:37.06
in this place up. Let me tell
you all something. The intensity
00:26:37.09\00:26:41.60
of your praise is measured
by the intensity of your pit.
00:26:41.63\00:26:46.07
[Aud. reaction]
00:26:46.10\00:26:47.84
Let me say that one more time.
00:26:47.87\00:26:49.44
The intensity of your praise
is measured by the intensity of
00:26:49.47\00:26:55.11
your pit. In other words, if you
haven't been through anything,
00:26:55.14\00:26:58.18
then I understand why
you sit there and look cute.
00:26:58.21\00:27:01.92
I understand, then, why every
now and then you just say, Amen.
00:27:01.95\00:27:06.32
I understand better
now why you just sit there
00:27:06.35\00:27:08.76
and nod your head, or you just,
every now and then, sit there
00:27:08.79\00:27:13.50
and smile. But in the name
of Jesus, if you have ever been
00:27:13.53\00:27:20.04
through something, I'm talking
about you've been through it,
00:27:20.07\00:27:22.37
if the Lord has brought
you from the pits of hell,
00:27:22.40\00:27:25.87
if the Lord has brought
you out of the devil's dungeon,
00:27:25.91\00:27:29.44
if the Lord has been good
to you, somebody ought to say
00:27:29.48\00:27:34.72
something! [Aud. reaction]
00:27:34.75\00:27:35.82
If the Lord has been your
bridge over troubled waters,
00:27:35.85\00:27:38.59
somebody ought to say something!
00:27:38.62\00:27:41.19
If the Lord has helped you raise
those children by yourself,
00:27:41.22\00:27:48.16
you ought to say something!
00:27:48.20\00:27:49.63
[Organ gets louder]
00:27:49.66\00:27:50.53
If the Lord has
brought you out of a pit,
00:27:50.57\00:27:54.10
if the Lord has
brought you out of a prison,
00:27:54.14\00:27:57.47
if the Lord has picked
you up and turned you around
00:27:57.51\00:28:03.04
place your feet on solid ground,
00:28:03.08\00:28:04.98
[Music, audience reacts]
00:28:05.01\00:28:06.58
>: Thank you very
much for tuning in to
00:28:06.61\00:28:08.45
this week's
Breath of Life broadcast.
00:28:08.48\00:28:10.82
We hope and pray
that you've been blessed
00:28:10.85\00:28:12.89
by Dr. Byrd's
inspirational message.
00:28:12.92\00:28:15.49
If you would like to hear
this sermon in its entirety,
00:28:15.52\00:28:18.03
please feel free to visit
us at www.breathoflife.tv.
00:28:18.06\00:28:23.63
Or, call us at (256) 929-6460.
00:28:23.67\00:28:29.97
[END]
00:28:30.01\00:28:45.02