(Breath of Life Theme Music)
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Sermon #S030 - It's
Hard Being Chosen - (Part 1)
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Snell:  So this time I'm going
to invite you to stand to your
feet for the word today.
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I'm going to invite you to stand
to your feet as we go into the
scriptures of Matthew chapter 2.
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And we will begin together here
around verse 11. Matthew chapter
2, and verse 11. When you get
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there, let me hear you say amen.
Okay, let me just, I don't know
what's happening here. We are
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unequally yolked today. Like I'm
all turned up and excited to be
here in the house of the Lord
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and you're all mad because it's
a little cold. Now I need you to
know, if you had been moving
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during worship, you wouldn't be
cold, [Congregation: Amen] but
because you are sitting still,
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you're icy. So come on and wake
up. Let's get ready for the
word. Get ready for the word.
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I'm excited to be here and I'm
glad to see you and those who
are joining online. Matthew
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chapter 2, we are going to begin
together at verse number 11.
When you get there, let me hear
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you say amen. [Congregation:
Amen]. Matthew chapter 2 and
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verse 11. Now you're here with
me. And before we read, I do
just want to share a quick
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birthday shout-out to brother
David Mahoney, one of my good
friends from the Northeastern
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Conference, happy birthday. Glad
you're watching with us today.
Matthew chapter 2 and verse 11.
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We're picking up in many ways
where we left off last week with
the wise man. Matthew chapter 2,
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in verse 11, the Bible says, and
when they had come into the
house, they saw the young child
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with Mary, his mother, and fell
down. And what? Worshiped him.
And when they had opened their
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treasures, they presented to him
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then being divinely warned in a
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dream that they should not
return to Herod, they departed
for their own country another
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way. Now when they had departed,
behold an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream
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saying, arise, take the young
child and his mother and flee to
Egypt and stay there until I
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bring you word, for Herod will
seek the young child to destroy
him. And when he arose, he took
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the young child and his mother
by night and departed for Egypt
and was there until the death of
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Herod that it might be what?
Fulfilled, which was spoken by
the Lord through the prophet
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saying, out of Egypt I have
called my son. Then Herod, when
he saw that he was deceived by
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the wise men, was exceedingly
angry and he sent forth and put
to death all the male children
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who were in Bethlehem and in all
of its districts from two years
old and under, according to the
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time which had been determined
from the wise man. Then was
what? Fulfilled that which was
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spoken by Jeremiah the prophet
saying, a voice was heard in
lamentation, weeping and great
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mourning, Rachel weeping for her
children refusing to be
comforted because they are no
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more. Now when Herod was dead,
behold the angel of the Lord
appeared in a dream to Joseph in
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Egypt saying, arise and take the
young child and his mother and
go to the land of Israel for
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those who sought the young
child's life are dead. Then he
rose and took the young child
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and his mother and came into the
land of Israel. But when he
heard that Achalias was reigning
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over Judea instead of his
father, Herod, he was afraid to
go there, and being warned by
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God in a dream, he turned aside
into the region of Galilee and
he came and dwelt in a city
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called Nazareth that it might be
fulfilled, that which was spoken
by the prophets, that he shall
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be called a Nazarene. Today,
saints, I want to talk to you
for a little while about the
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subject, being chosen is hard.
Let's pray together. Father, as
we've gathered today, one of the
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last weekends of the year, we
are in need of an express word
from you. And so Father, I ask
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in a special way that you would
overwhelm this service with your
presence, would you make your
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spirit so dense that it smothers
all rivaling principalities? And
so Father, we ask in a very
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special way that in the hearing
of the word, that faith would be
multiplied exponentially. So,
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Lord, I'm praying that Lord, it
may be cold on the outside.
Lord, would you warm us on the
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inside? Hide me in the shadows
of the cross that Jesus alone
might be seen, that Christ alone
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would be heard. And at the end
of our time together, may Jesus
alone be praised. We ask this in
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the name of him who is
altogether lovely, it is in the
name of Jesus that we pray. Let
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God's people say together, amen
and amen. You may be seated in
the house of the Lord. Again,
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talking to you under the subject
today, being chosen is hard. Let
me ask you a question. By show
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of hands, how many us want to be
chosen or favored by God? Amen.
And it is a good thing to desire
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God's favor or God's election.
But I do think friends that we
need to do a more complete job
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of explaining what it means to
experience God's favor. In fact,
there are some amongst us who
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are frustrated because we were
not chosen for a particular
thing or favored in a certain
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way. But you should know saints,
that when God is dispensing
favor, he is not just measuring
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your worthiness, he's actually
measuring your capacity. He is
testing to see if you can handle
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everything that comes with being
chosen by him. Because how many
of us understand that favor
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comes with a weight and a
responsibility? There is
actually a hardness that comes
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with being chosen by God. In
fact, think through the
scriptures with me, through all
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the experiences of those who
have experienced God's favor.
You see, Joseph experienced
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divine favor, and yet he was
permitted to be thrown into a
pit and into a prison, that Job
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was favored by God and yet he
was permitted to lose everything
that he loved. Moses was favored
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by God, but his life was not
filled with appreciation, but
rather it was filled with
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complaint and murmuring, that
David was chosen by God and yet
he lived as a fugitive and an
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exile before he took the throne.
That Daniel was favored by God
and yet he still had to go
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inside of a lion's den. The
three Hebrew worthies were
favored by God, and yet they
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still had to face a fiery
furnace. That Mary was favored
by God, but she didn't live in a
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mansion, but she was aimed in
the slums of Nazareth. And even
though Jesus was favored, it did
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not allow him to bypass the
cross. So that when God gives us
favor, he doesn't just evaluate
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your desire, he's actually
looking at your capacity to bear
it. And the problem is friends,
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that we only see favor as an
advantage. But how many of us
know that favor is a
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responsibility? And see, it's
quaint to say favor ain't fair,
it's in style. But how many of
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us know that those who don't
have favor feel like it's not
fair and even those that have
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favor feel like it's not fair?
In fact, what Job will tell you
is that favor is not who God
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loves the most, favor is who God
trusts the most. Let me say it
again, that favor is not just
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who he loves the most, it's
actually who he can trust the
most. And the truth is that
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there are some of us that ought
to celebrate not being chosen in
a way because it just means that
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what God would give you would be
more than you can handle in this
season. And there are some of us
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that need to reinterpret the
data of what you're experiencing
as a chosen child of God. You
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see, for some of us, we only
think favor is blessing. We only
think favor is advantage, we
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only think favor is our right
circumstance. But some of us
need to reinterpret our
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hardships and our horrors
because sometimes your adversity
is just the proof that you are
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in the difficult side of divine
favor. In other words, let me
say it this way, it's crazy. I
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have three kids and my oldest
son has certain advantages as
the oldest. As the oldest, he
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gets to stay up a little later.
As the oldest, he can ride his
bike a little further without
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supervision. As the oldest, I
let him watch some things that
the others don't get to see, but
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he doesn't understand that you
can't have certain advantages if
you're not willing to have the
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hard assignments. You all not
with me yet. In other words,
whenever the trash has to be
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taken out, whenever heavy
furniture has to be moved,
whenever somebody's got to go
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outside in the dark, that's the
one I'm going to call on. And I
need him to know that you can't
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have the advantage if you're not
willing to take certain
assignments. And do I have 7 or
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8 folks that know that God can't
trust you with certain
advantages if you are still
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complaining about hard
assignments? In other words,
when you complain about a hard
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assignment, it's just proof that
you are not ready for certain
advantages. And whenever God
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gives you the hard assignment,
it's actually an endorsement of
your character. It's a belief
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that you've got the capacity.
It's the trust that what he's
going to give you is not more
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than what you are able to bear.
Are you with me today, saints?
And so I want us to just unpack
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this word today. Go back with me
if you don't mind, to Matthew
chapter 2, as we look and unpack
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the scriptures. Matthew chapter
2, and we're going to look
together at verse 16. The Bible
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says, then Herod, when he saw
that he was deceived by the wise
men, was exceedingly angry and
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he sent to put forth to death
all the male children who were
in Bethlehem and in his
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districts from two years old and
under according to the time
which had been determined by the
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wise man. In other words,
friends, I want you to get that
the entire life of Jesus Christ
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actually personifies why it's so
hard to be chosen. And see, the
first thing that this story
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teaches us is that when you are
chosen, certain people will be
threatened by your very
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existence. Let me say it again,
that, when your chosen certain
folk will be threatened by your
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very existence, it's amazing
friends that just the news of
the potential birth of a new
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king has sent Herod into high
alert. In fact, he is so
irritated by the news that he
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sends the entire nation on a
manhunt for a baby. And it's
crazy because no baby can be a
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threat to an established king,
but his goal is to eliminate any
potential rivals to his
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posterity on the throne. And so
his hysteria is ignited and he
goes into a mode of protecting
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what is his and it's crazy
friends that all Jesus does is
be born. His only crime is
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showing up. His only offense is
being chosen by God. In other
words, the baby does not lead an
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insurrection. He doesn't call
folk to a coup. He doesn't lead
a campaign. As a baby, all he
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does is nurse and burp and sleep
and poop. You all mighty quiet
with me today. And see what the
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birth of Jesus teaches is that
when you are chosen by God, it's
going to put you on the wrong
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side of people [Congregation:
Amen]. And see, this is the
irony of the whole thing that
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your boy Herod is protecting his
path to the throne, but the
throne that he's trying to
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protect is not the throne that
Jesus wants to occupy. Remember,
Jesus, says that my kingdom is
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not of this world because if it
were, I would have fought for
it. But understand friends that
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when you are chosen by God,
insecure folk will begin
fighting against things that you
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are not even trying to get. In
other words, friends of mine,
when you've got favor in the
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workplace and people see God's
favor over you, people will
start fighting against you
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because they'll assume that you
want their position when you
don't even see that as a part of
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your future. Isn't it crazy,
ladies, that when you are
beautiful on the inside and on
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the outside, there are insecure
women who going to think that
you are after their man when you
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didn't even notice him? They
just got mad because they notice
him noticing you. You all mighty
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quiet. In other words, an
insecure cat is going to want to
fight you over a woman that you
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wouldn't even look at if you
were still single. You all might
not hear your boy today. In
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other words, when they can see
God's favor over your voice in
the choir, they're going to get
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insecure thinking you are coming
for their part in the alto
section and they assume you
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automatically want what's
theirs. And see the problem with
insecure people is they see your
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potential as a threat to their
position, their possession, and
their ambition. And because they
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can't imitate your favor,
they'll then assassinate your
character. Oh, let me say it
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again [Congregation: Clapping].
In other words, when they can't
imitate what God has given you,
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they'll try to assassinate what
God is doing in you. In other
words, because Saul couldn't
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imitate David's favor, he tried
to assassinate his person. When
Joseph's brothers couldn't
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imitate his dreams, they tried
to assassinate his life. When
the magicians couldn't imitate
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Daniels favor, they tried to
assassinate his assignment. The
other apostles couldn't imitate
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Paul's anointing, so they tried
to assassinate his character.
And I need you to get to a point
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where you see assassination
attempts as a compliment
[Congregation: Applauding].
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Okay. In other words,
assassination attempts are
always uncomfortable, but
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assassination attempts are the
proof that they just know they
can't compete with the power
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that God has placed all over
your life. In other words, folk,
when folk try to assassinate
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your character, when they try to
come for your reputation, when
they form alliances against you,
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don't you tuck your tail and run
away. It's just a proof that
they know that greater is he
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that is in you than he that is
in the world. And how many of us
know that when you are called by
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God that you don't have to
defend yourself, you don't have
to fight for yourself, you don't
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have to go tit for tat because
the battle is not yours, but the
battle belongs to the Lord.
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You've just got to stand still
and see the salvation of the
Lord [Congregation: Amen] See,
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let me just pause and just say
to somebody that's under attack,
I need you to know that when
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you've been favored by God, you
can't be foiled by men
[Congregation: Amen]. In other
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words, I need somebody to digest
this. I need somebody to know
that when God has set you up,
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that there is no slander, there
is no lie, there is no snare,
there is nothing that man can do
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to disrupt the favor that God
has put all over your life. In
other words, when you look at
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the story of Joseph, there was
nothing that his brothers could
do to disrupt God's plan. When
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you look at Saul, there was
nothing he could do to disrupt
God's favor. When you look at
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the story of Joseph, he is the
testimony that God will take
what your enemies meant for bad
00:18:45.12\00:18:49.79
[Congregation: Yes]. He'll
re-injure, reverse engineer the
circumstance so that what was
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meant for bad, God will turn it
around and use it for your good.
And see, I need you to know
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friends, that when you've got
God's favor, he'll put the
attacks on a seesaw
00:19:06.94\00:19:14.42
[Congregation: Applauding]. In
other words, anybody old enough
to remember the seesaw on the
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playground where when you mash
down one side, it raises up the
other side because it's got
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something holding in the middle.
See how many of us know that no
matter how far the enemy tries
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to push you down [Congregation:
Yeah] because you've got Jesus
in the middle [Congregation:
00:19:31.63\00:19:37.34
Amen], it's just going to raise
you higher on the other side. In
other words, don't try to stop
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them from pushing. God is just
going to reverse it and cause it
to start lifting you. Are you
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hearing me today? And see, I
want to just say a quick word to
the haters and the chosen
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amongst us. I want to first say
to the haters, you would be more
fruitful if you spent more time
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watering your garden than you
did poisoning theirs
[Congregation: Clapping]. Okay.
00:20:07.94\00:20:16.11
You all going to make me work
hard for today. I need you to
know it doesn't matter how much
00:20:16.14\00:20:24.52
poison you put on their garden,
it will not make your garden
more fruitful. In other words,
00:20:24.55\00:20:27.16
you'll find better use of your
time by watering what God has
given you than you do trying to
00:20:27.19\00:20:32.69
poison what God has given them.
And see, I need somebody to know
that living a life of insecurity
00:20:32.73\00:20:36.77
takes all the joy out of your
experience. There are some of us
that need to come out of the
00:20:36.80\00:20:45.01
pettiness business. You need to
come out of the slander
business. You need to come out
00:20:45.04\00:20:52.58
of the sabotage business. You
need to come out of the hating
business because it is no way to
00:20:52.61\00:20:59.55
live, having to avoid other
people's prosperity. You all are
mighty quiet today. In other
00:20:59.59\00:21:05.43
words, I want to be able to
rejoice with those who rejoice.
I don't want to have to hide
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from the goodness of God in
somebody else's life. Are you're
all with me today? In other
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words, put some water on what
God has given you. Put some
water on the visions inside of
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your spirit, and I need you to
know that if God didn't give it
to you, then sabotage can't
00:21:26.28\00:21:35.26
acquire it for you
[Congregation: Applauding]. In
other words, if divine favor did
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not give it to you, then guess
what? Earthly weapons cannot
take it from you. And see, and
00:21:41.00\00:21:50.77
this is why we've got to change
the way we do things, because
see, if you use the flesh to get
00:21:50.81\00:21:59.48
it, then you've got to use the
flesh to keep it. But I need you
to know friends of mine that
00:21:59.51\00:22:06.82
when God gives you something,
there is nothing they can do to
take it from you. Are you with
00:22:06.86\00:22:11.29
me today, friends? And let me
just say to somebody who finds
themself in a position of envy
00:22:11.33\00:22:14.03
where others are hating on you,
let me just say this quick word.
I want to free somebody in the
00:22:14.10\00:22:16.43
room. I want to encourage you to
stop using so much of the energy
of your mind, counting the folk
00:22:16.46\00:22:23.27
who are against you, numbering
the folk that hate on you and
trying to give credits to those
00:22:23.30\00:22:32.08
that seem to be against you. I
need you to know it is a
fruitless and pointless
00:22:32.11\00:22:37.09
activity. In other words, stop
calling out haters on Facebook.
Stop counting them on Instagram.
00:22:37.12\00:22:40.79
Stop looking at all the folk
that weren't there for you.
Because all you do by calling
00:22:40.82\00:22:46.29
out haters is make them
relevant. In other words, they
thrive on a certain type of
00:22:46.33\00:22:51.27
attention. And the more you
spend time looking at them and
trying to manage them, the more
00:22:51.30\00:22:57.31
you deplete your own self. And
that's why you need to live. How
Paul says in the book of Romans,
00:22:57.34\00:23:03.45
he says, as far as it depends
upon you to make sure that you
live at peace with all men. In
00:23:03.48\00:23:08.38
other words, don't spend your
time getting, even spend your
play space in forgiveness
00:23:08.42\00:23:13.92
because I need somebody to know
that haters can't defeat you.
All they can do is distract you
00:23:13.96\00:23:17.66
[Congregation: Yeah]. And in
other words, they can't take
down God's plan. All they can do
00:23:17.69\00:23:23.30
is distract you from God's plan.
In other words, if they can get
you spending more time looking
00:23:23.33\00:23:30.81
at them, than you spend looking
at God, then you have yielded
your power over to them. Are
00:23:30.84\00:23:35.18
you're all with me today,
friends? They can't defeat. All
they can do is distract. Okay, I
00:23:35.21\00:23:47.96
think the brothers will hear me
on this like, how many of us
know the reason when older men
00:23:47.99\00:23:51.99
are playing younger men in
basketball? There is a reason we
talk trash. There is a reason we
00:23:52.03\00:23:58.43
hard foul. It's because we know
we can't defeat them. Come on
00:23:58.47\00:24:01.07
[Congregation: Laughing]. All we
can really do at a certain point
is distract them. In other
00:24:01.10\00:24:11.38
words, like when you playing
against a young guy, I need you
to know, but I'm playing
00:24:11.41\00:24:21.79
defense. I only got like three
slides, right [Congregation:
Laughing]. I got about five
00:24:21.82\00:24:27.46
slides left, and after that it
is going be a highway to the
basket. Can I get a witness out
00:24:27.50\00:24:33.67
there? In other words, I need to
go home with my knees and my
ACLs intact. Can somebody say
00:24:33.70\00:24:39.51
amen out there today?
[Congregation: Amen]. In other
words, so when I'm playing ball
00:24:39.54\00:24:47.38
with my son, like if he only
recognized me, if he just kept
his focus, the reason I'm
00:24:47.42\00:24:52.45
talking trash about his shorts,
the reason I'm talking trash
about his shoes, the reason I'm
00:24:52.49\00:24:58.86
hard fouling him is to distract
him because I can't keep up with
him. And you're all looking at
00:24:58.89\00:25:05.17
me like I don't love the Lord. I
love the Lord [Congregation:
Laughing]. This was done to me
00:25:05.20\00:25:13.81
by my dad and this is why I'm
doing it to him. Are you're all
with me today friends? In other
00:25:13.84\00:25:19.05
words, he can't defeat you, he
can only distract you. Are you
hearing me today? And so the
00:25:19.08\00:25:25.82
word says to us here in Matthew
chapter 2, I want you to look at
this. The Bible says here in
00:25:25.85\00:25:30.26
verse number 14, the word says
this, that when he arose, he
took the young child and his
00:25:30.29\00:25:34.83
mother by night and departed for
Egypt and was there until the
death of Herod that it might be
00:25:34.83\00:25:40.44
fulfilled that which was spoken
by the Lord through the prophet
saying, out of Egypt, I have
00:25:40.47\00:25:47.41
called my son. and tell the
truth The second thing this
teaches friends of mine is that
00:25:47.44\00:25:56.82
when you are chosen by God, you
don't get much detail. Okay, now
I need you to get a sense of how
00:25:56.85\00:26:06.83
disruptive this narrative is to
the family. You see, Mary has
come to the place where she has
00:26:06.86\00:26:13.94
come to the full term of this
pregnancy. And you would think
that even if God does not give
00:26:13.97\00:26:23.11
her stellar first-class
accommodations, you would think
he would at least provide a home
00:26:23.14\00:26:29.02
or a space where she could be
settled. In other words, as she
goes into labor, Mary needs a
00:26:29.05\00:26:37.56
space where she can begin the
nesting process, where she can
have the bottles in a certain
00:26:37.59\00:26:45.33
place and the rocker in a
certain spot and the pillows all
sterilized so that she can nurse
00:26:45.37\00:26:51.97
the baby during his early days.
But can you see how stressful it
is for them to march through the
00:26:52.01\00:26:58.71
city of Bethlehem, rejected by
every innkeeper in town that
there is no place for them to
00:26:58.75\00:27:06.92
rest? There is no place for her
to birth? In fact, I don't even
know if they got permission to
00:27:06.96\00:27:15.63
go to the manger. They may have
just gone into the first door
that they saw available for the
00:27:15.66\00:27:23.17
baby to be born. And you would
think that God would create a
space where they would have
00:27:23.20\00:27:27.21
privacy, where they could
nurture the baby in his early
days. But before they know it,
00:27:27.24\00:27:30.71
they hear a pounding on the door
from the wise man. And even
though it is good news, their
00:27:30.75\00:27:38.19
initial assumption is that
somebody's knocking to commence
an eviction notice. And as soon
00:27:38.22\00:27:45.49
as Mary catches her breath,
notice that the angel says,
arise and send the child to
00:27:45.53\00:27:52.67
Egypt. Watch this. Notice that
he doesn't say this 2 or 3 day
in advance. He waits till the
00:27:52.70\00:28:00.08
same night to tell them to go,
and she's got to take a newborn
in the middle of the night and
00:28:00.11\00:28:06.05
go all the way to Egypt. But
catch this, the Bible says that
they go into Egypt, the Bible
00:28:06.08\00:28:43.05
says so that it might be
fulfilled, that which was spoken
by the prophet that I will call
00:28:43.08\00:28:58.07