Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP210032S
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00:01 Hello, friends, welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:02 I'm John Lomacang. 00:04 Thank you for joining us from week to week 00:06 as we walk through God's Word together. 00:09 We're now starting lesson number six, 00:11 Finding Rest in Family Ties. 00:13 And we're talking about dysfunction at home. 00:16 What an amazing title? 00:18 I'll be covering that one. 00:20 But this lesson is going to challenge you. 00:22 It's going to talk about the places 00:24 that we need to be strengthened more 00:25 in our family ties, 00:27 husband with wife, children, with parents. 00:29 So you don't want to miss this. 00:31 You want a copy of the lesson, go to ABSG.Adventist.org 00:36 and download a copy 00:37 or better yet 00:39 go to one of our local Seventh-day Adventist churches 00:41 and join in an energetic study with brothers and sisters. 00:45 But nonetheless, join us now as we talk about 00:48 how to find rest in families 00:50 and how to deal with all those dysfunctions. 01:25 Welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:27 Once again, I'm John Lomacang. 01:29 We have some amazing panelists today. 01:32 You know them all, 01:33 but we're going to have fun talking 01:34 about this amazingly challenging topic, 01:36 dysfunction. 01:39 Is your family a dysfunctional family? 01:41 I don't want to know, but if it is, in fact, 01:44 I don't think there's a family on the planet 01:46 that has more than one person in it 01:48 that doesn't have some kind of dysfunction to deal with. 01:51 It's a serious topic. 01:53 You might smile, you might laugh, 01:54 but you might frown and say, wow, 01:56 I need to get this thing under wraps 01:59 and God need to give me direction. 02:02 But before we do any of that, 02:03 let's go ahead and meet our family members today. 02:05 To my left is the incomparable lady from Texas, 02:08 Shelley Quinn. 02:09 It's funny how you still consider yourself a Texan, 02:12 even though we've been here nearly 20 years. 02:16 Oh, I love Sabbath School. 02:17 We're so glad that you're joining us. 02:19 We study to share with you, 02:21 but we also share with each other 02:22 and learn so much. 02:24 So thanks for joining us. 02:26 And my sis from New York, Yvonne Shelton. 02:29 Good to have you here, Sis. 02:31 Thank you, my dear brother. It's wonderful to be here. 02:33 I love being on the set with all of you, 02:35 because it's such a blessing. 02:37 Like there's always something new to get to gain. 02:40 And so, thank you so much for the invitation to be on. 02:44 That's right. 02:45 And I say this with a smile 02:46 until I found out Jill's name was Jill. 02:48 I used to call her Julie. 02:50 And now she is the Vice President of 3ABN, 02:55 Head of Operations and so many other gifts. 02:57 Good to have you here, Jill. 02:59 Thank you, Pastor John. 03:00 Privileged to be here and we have a list today. 03:02 That's right. That's good. 03:03 And my, hey, my basketball buddy. 03:05 And we've been in the trenches together so many times. 03:07 Good to have you here, Danny. 03:08 It's good to be here as always. 03:10 And I always feel like I'm kind of out-manned 03:13 when a woman, I guess you'd say that, 03:15 set with all of you, 03:17 but I learned so much. 03:18 I'm happy to be here 03:19 and happy to be with you at home. 03:21 Okay. Well, why don't you have our prayer for us today? 03:23 I'll do it. 03:24 Lord, we thank You 03:25 for Your blessings and Your love. 03:27 And as always, we thank You for Your plan of salvation. 03:29 Now, Lord, we pray for a special anointing 03:31 of the Holy Spirit 03:33 upon each one of us 03:34 that's taking part each one at home 03:36 that's taking part in 03:37 and Sabbath School teachers around the world. 03:40 And so today is something that we all need. 03:44 It's from You. 03:45 We thank You for, Lord, for the answers 03:47 that You're going to give us. 03:48 John's talking about dysfunction. 03:50 This whole world is not functioning right, 03:53 but soon and very soon, 03:55 when you come back in the clouds of glory, 03:57 all the old things will be passed away 03:59 and behold all will become new. 04:01 We look forward to that. 04:03 Until then, Lord, thank You 04:04 for Your blessings and Your love. 04:05 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 04:07 Amen. Wow. 04:09 You know, the writers of this lesson 04:11 really tackled a topic 04:12 that does need to be talked about 04:14 because the healthier the family, 04:16 the healthier the church, 04:17 the healthier the marriage, 04:19 the healthier the church, 04:20 the healthier the children, the healthier the church. 04:23 So why would the devil not want to cause 04:25 the family to be dysfunctional? 04:27 How can we say I'm so glad 04:28 I'm a part of the family of God, 04:30 but we're all crazy? 04:31 And somebody once said, 04:34 "The church is a hospital for sinners." 04:35 I sometimes think as an insane asylum. 04:38 When you think of some of the things 04:39 that we have to deal with as church leaders, 04:42 but you know, that's true 04:43 because sometimes you can come to church 04:45 and feel like you are glad to be there. 04:47 Sometimes you can go to church, whatever the denomination, say, 04:50 what am I doing here? 04:52 All of us at one point or another 04:54 deal with some kind of challenging dysfunction. 04:57 But the piece that we find is 04:59 the Lord knows that 05:01 whoever we were in Christ, we can all be a new creation, 05:05 new husbands, new families, new relationships. 05:09 And the Lord looks at us where we are 05:10 and is not content to have us stay there. 05:13 The memory text for this week is in 2 Peter 3:17-18. 05:18 Listen to what the Lord says in His Word. 05:21 "You therefore, beloved, 05:22 since you know this beforehand, 05:25 beware lest you also fall 05:28 from your own steadfastness, 05:31 being led away with the error of the wicked, 05:34 but grow in the grace and knowledge 05:36 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 05:38 To Him be the glory both now and forevermore." 05:42 And I'm dealing with Joseph. I think that says a whole lot. 05:45 The children of Jacob, 05:47 Joseph was one of the children of Jacob 05:49 and the 12 children came from four different women 05:54 from an impatient man 05:56 and a wife who made the most ridiculous suggestion. 05:59 My wife will never make that recommendation. 06:01 Can't have a kid, well, here's my maid. 06:04 You know, it started out crazy. 06:06 How can something that started out that way 06:09 become corrected just very quickly? 06:11 Well, I'm not going to read all of it 06:13 because it's very, very long, 06:15 but I would challenge you to read Genesis Chapter 34. 06:19 And it talks about Dinah, 06:21 the daughter of Leah and Shechem. 06:24 How Shechem saw Dinah. 06:27 He saw that she was a beautiful young woman. 06:30 He wooed her. He... 06:33 I'm going to say this the way the Bible communicated. 06:35 He took advantage of her sexually 06:38 and brought dishonor to her. 06:41 Her brothers found out about it, 06:43 Simeon and Levi, 06:44 and the father Jacob found out about it. 06:47 And he tried to fix it by saying, well, you know, 06:49 now that we have become inappropriate, 06:54 let me try to find a way to fix this. 06:56 Why don't you let me marry her? 06:59 And they said, 07:00 "Well, you're not circumcised. 07:02 If you've got to marry her, 07:04 you've got to at least qualify." 07:05 So they finally agreed 07:08 if you and your men all get circumcised, 07:11 maybe we could get something done. 07:13 So Shechem decides to do that. 07:15 And Hamor his father and, which was a Hivite. 07:19 They decided to follow along in the pattern. 07:22 But Simeon and Levi said, 07:26 "I don't like what they did to my sister." 07:29 While they were healing from the circumcision, 07:32 Simeon and Levi took it upon themselves 07:35 to kill Hamor and Shechem, 07:38 and all the men that were with him. 07:40 And Jacob found out about it and said, 07:42 "You have brought dishonor to me." 07:45 The Perizzites and the Canaanites 07:47 are going to hear about this. 07:49 And now our name is going to be dirt. 07:50 He used the word, actually the Bible uses 07:52 the word obnoxious 07:53 among the inhabitants of the land. 07:56 And they're going to try to find a way to deal with us. 07:59 What a dysfunction. 08:01 You can't unkill someone. 08:03 You can't undo dishonor. 08:06 And this was something that 08:08 the Bible begins by sharing 08:09 how the dysfunction was permeated 08:11 through the family. 08:12 Let's go ahead and add some more to that. 08:15 You look back on the rival between the mothers, 08:19 the mothers in that family. 08:20 I cannot imagine 08:22 how Jacob was able to hold that together. 08:25 How do you please? 08:27 And then Solomon, well, let's not even go there. 08:30 That's just a whole complete dysfunction altogether. 08:33 What gives me courage is 08:34 the Lord can look at dysfunctional people and say, 08:36 that's where you are now, 08:38 but that's not where you're going to be 08:39 when I'm done with you. 08:40 But why did Simeon and Levi do what they did? 08:44 You know, Genesis Chapter 49 lists 08:47 all the characteristics of the sons of Jacob, 08:50 and Simeon and Levi were two of the worst. 08:52 Genesis 49:5 says, Simeon and Levi are brothers, 08:57 instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place." 09:02 They were cruel, 09:05 not lightly cruel. 09:07 The word cruel there means violent. 09:09 So it was nothing for them 09:11 to take this matter into their own hands. 09:14 It was nothing for them to consider 09:16 to perpetrate murder 09:17 and as they thought to honor my sister 09:22 because of what had been done to her, 09:24 but it goes further than that. 09:26 Let's go to Genesis 35:22. 09:29 The Bible talks about 09:32 another strange dysfunction in the family. 09:36 Genesis 35:22, it says, 09:38 "And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, 09:41 that Reuben went 09:42 and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, 09:46 and Israel heard about it. 09:49 Now the sons of Jacob were twelve." 09:51 What happened is, Reuben figured, 09:54 well, my dad is old now. 09:56 No big deal. 09:57 And he went ahead and went to bed 09:59 with his father's concubine. 10:00 One of the mother of some of his brothers. 10:06 How dysfunctional is that, 10:08 incestuous relationships in the family. 10:10 Let's keep going. 10:12 Now Jacob adds fuel to the fire 10:14 by showing preference to Joseph. 10:17 Look at Genesis 37:3, 10:19 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, 10:24 because he was the son of his old age. 10:27 Also, he made him a tunic of many colors." 10:29 And when you read the story, Joseph had a problem. 10:32 He had dreams. 10:35 And he said, you know, last night I dreamt that 10:37 you're going to kneel to me today. 10:39 I mean, how many wouldn't want to choke a brother like that? 10:41 You, how many brothers did you have? 10:42 Three. Okay. 10:44 I mean, you're the youngest, right? 10:45 Yeah. 10:46 So you know what it's like to be tormented? 10:48 Well... I can torment too. 10:49 You can torment too. 10:51 They can give and take. 10:52 And it's still the same way today. 10:54 You guys still love having fun together, 10:57 but Joseph was one of the hated ones. 10:59 And I could imagine they said, "We need to get rid of him." 11:02 So they put him in a pit 11:03 and they sold them to the Midianites 11:05 and he ended up in Egypt, 11:06 ended up in prison needlessly 11:08 for something being falsely accused of. 11:12 But later on, God turned that around 11:14 and saved his family. 11:16 Well, let's even go further now. 11:18 We have Judah 11:20 and his dysfunction in Genesis 38:15. 11:24 And, Shelley, I'm going to, in a moment, 11:25 I'm going to pass you 11:26 a whole lot of stuff to unravel. 11:28 All right. Okay. 11:29 But we're talking about dysfunction right now. 11:30 Genesis 38:15, 11:33 it talks about Judah impregnating his sister-in-law. 11:37 Daughter-in-law. I mean, sorry, daughter-in-law. 11:38 Thank you. 11:40 Thinking that somehow she was a harlot 11:42 because of her disguise. 11:44 Genesis 38:15, 11:46 "When Judah saw her, 11:48 he thought she was a harlot 11:50 because she had covered her face." 11:52 She knew she was, she knew who she was, 11:55 but what is strange to me is she understood 11:57 the relationship to the family 11:59 and did not disclose her identity. 12:02 Dysfunctions, we're just getting started. 12:04 When you look at Genesis Chapter 49, 12:06 you'll find the dysfunctions 12:07 are continually talked about there, 12:10 but let me bring out three very important points 12:12 before I pass the broken torch to Shelley. 12:16 One is, let's go to John, 1 John 3:1-2. 12:21 And this should give all of us 12:22 that are part of some kind of dysfunction. 12:24 I was born in a dysfunctional home. 12:26 My mom and dad were not married. 12:27 My dad's name was not on my birth certificate. 12:30 My mom left me at a babysitter house, 12:31 how about that. 12:33 And I was raised by a babysitter 12:35 till she was, till I was 12. 12:36 She passed away. 12:38 I was left to raise myself from that point on. 12:39 A lot of dysfunction, 12:41 but praise the Lord, look at me today. 12:43 God can do amazing things with those He calls. 12:46 This text always gives me encouragement 12:48 because it talks about who we were 12:50 and who we are becoming. 12:51 1 John 3:1-2, 12:53 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 12:57 that we should be called children of God!" 12:59 Think about what we just talked about 13:00 and then think about being called children of God, 13:03 because these are the 12 tribes. 13:04 All the dysfunction I talked about, 13:06 these were the 12 tribes of the children of Israel 13:09 that are indicators of what we must overcome. 13:12 The Bible says, 13:13 "Therefore the world does not know us, 13:15 because it did not know Him." 13:16 But look at verse 2. 13:18 "Beloved, now we are children of God," 13:21 when? 13:22 Now. 13:24 But look God is not done, 13:25 "And it has not yet been revealed 13:26 what we shall be, 13:28 but we know that when He is revealed, 13:30 we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 13:34 God chooses us not because of us, 13:37 but in spite of us. 13:40 Secondly, God chooses us 13:42 and changes our standing before Him. 13:45 1 Peter 2:9, 13:46 "But you are a chosen generation, 13:48 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 13:51 His own special people." 13:52 When God chooses us, 13:54 young man, young lady, husband, wife, 13:56 God never chooses us and leave us 13:58 the way He found us. 14:01 And finally, God accepts us as we are, 14:03 but does not become content with leaving us that way. 14:08 Philippians 1:6, 14:10 "Being confident of this very thing 14:13 that He who has begun a good work in you 14:15 will complete it 14:17 until the day of Jesus Christ." 14:18 As the songwriter says, 14:20 one day, these hands of mine will touch the hands of God. 14:24 Hold on. God is not done yet. 14:26 Amen. 14:27 Thank you. That was a great opening. 14:30 Monday's lesson is Choosing a New Direction. 14:33 When you talk about dysfunctional families, 14:35 I think you all know 14:36 JD was working on his doctorate in psychology 14:38 when he quit school. 14:40 But, when he met me 14:41 and got to know my family, he said, 14:43 "I thought I'd seen it all." 14:45 He said, 14:46 "Your family is the most dysfunctional 14:47 I've ever met." 14:49 So we all come from dysfunction. 14:51 But as Monday's lesson is talking about 14:54 choosing a new direction. 14:57 Man, that's what it's all about is when you wake up 15:00 and choose a new direction. 15:02 You know, sometimes life can change 15:05 directions on a dime. 15:08 I mean, you know, your personal status changes, 15:12 circumstances around you are completely unfamiliar. 15:17 It is emotionally disorienting. 15:20 So just imagine the emotional pain 15:23 and trauma of Joseph. 15:26 Here he is the favorite baby boy 15:28 and by the way, parents, 15:30 you create dysfunction 15:32 when you show preference for one of your children. 15:37 And so Joseph had been shown preference 15:40 by his father, Jacob. 15:42 His 11 brothers hated him and he was a little showy. 15:47 But what, what's going on 15:50 is think of how he had gone from this coat of many colors 15:54 that's now been torn from him, put in a pit. 15:57 Now he's in change and he's on his way to Egypt. 16:02 Think about the change, the sorrow, 16:06 his, he, how he must have felt about his change in status. 16:12 He worried about daddy back home, 16:14 his loving father, who was so doting on him, 16:18 who would be suffering from pain, 16:20 but here though Jacob made a mistake 16:25 in showing preference. 16:26 There is something that Jacob did that was right. 16:30 Jacob had taught Joseph about the God of heaven. 16:35 Jacob had told him how he had been in a fugitive, 16:41 basically an exile 16:42 and how God had turned it around. 16:45 So here as Joseph is on his way to Egypt, 16:51 something happened, 16:53 he's going in a different direction, 16:56 but he chooses a new direction 16:59 because he chose to make a personal commitment 17:05 to the God of heaven. 17:06 I have to tell you something. 17:08 Spirituality is not faith 17:13 or spirituality is not passed on genetically. 17:17 God has no grandchildren. He only has children. 17:21 And it requires that we make 17:25 a personal commitment to choose our direction. 17:29 So what I'd like to do is take you through six points 17:34 about a personal commitment. 17:36 If you want to choose a new direction, 17:39 you've got to make this personal commitment. 17:42 Point number one, 17:43 personal commitment requires sincere prayer. 17:47 Deuteronomy 4:29, God says, 17:51 "From there you will seek the Lord your God, 17:53 and you will find Him 17:55 if you seek Him with all of your heart 17:59 and with all your soul." 18:01 Wow. 18:02 Are you seeking God 18:04 with all of your heart and soul? 18:06 I want to add Jeremiah 29 to that. 18:09 I'm going to read verses 11 through 13, 18:11 but I love... 18:13 Well, I remember when I was first reading, 18:15 I'd always read 11. 18:17 And then when I get to 12, I think, wait a minute. 18:20 Listen to that. 18:21 Eleven says, God speaking, 18:24 "I know the plans I have for you 18:26 declares the Lord, 18:29 plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 18:32 plans to give you a hope and a future." 18:35 Now look how verse 12 begins. 18:38 "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, 18:43 and I will listen to you." 18:45 What do you mean then? 18:47 When is then? 18:50 When you recognize that God has a plan for your life, 18:54 that's what wakes you up 18:56 to seek Him with all of your heart. 18:58 And I'm telling you today, God has a plan for your life. 19:02 And He says, you will seek Me. 19:04 You will find Me 19:05 when you seek Me with all of your heart. 19:08 God has always provided us the grace 19:11 by which we can believe, which we can repent, 19:15 turn around and come to Him, 19:17 but we've got to call upon Him in sincere prayer. 19:20 Number two, 19:21 personal commitment should be unwavering. 19:26 Love Joshua 24:15. 19:28 I have a plaque on my wall at home with this. 19:31 Joshua says, 19:33 "If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, 19:36 choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, 19:41 whether the gods, 19:43 your fathers served 19:44 that were on the other side of the river," 19:46 these little G pagan gods, 19:49 or the gods of the Amorites, little G pagan gods. 19:55 "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." 19:59 That has to be a daily decision. 20:02 That's part of your personal commitment. 20:06 Colossians 3:1-3 says, 20:08 "If you then were raised with Christ, 20:11 seek the things which are" 20:13 where? "Above." 20:17 He says, 20:18 "Where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 20:20 Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth. 20:26 For you have died 20:28 and your life is hidden with Christ." 20:30 Number three, 20:32 personal commitment requires a daily fellowship. 20:36 In 1 Chronicles 16:11, it says, 20:41 "Seek the Lord and His strength. 20:44 Seek His face forevermore." 20:47 You know, the Psalmist David said, 20:49 "Oh, Lord, when You said seek My face, 20:52 I said to you, Your face, I will seek." 20:56 So what does it mean to seek God's face? 21:02 This means that we're turning to God 21:04 in total 100% devotion, 21:08 desiring intimate fellowship with Him 21:12 that we are coming to know God 21:16 and God's face 21:18 is just His personal presence in our life. 21:21 Okay. 21:22 Number four, personal commitment 21:23 recognizes accountability to God. 21:27 Psalms 14:2, 21:30 "The Lord looks down 21:31 from heaven upon the children of men 21:33 to see if there are any who understand, 21:37 who seek God." 21:40 Now, this is depicted in human terms 21:43 as far as the Lord looking down from heaven 21:45 and surveilling the human race. 21:48 Actually God knows the hearts of all, 21:51 but you know what I love about God. 21:54 He is not ignorant of my actions, 21:58 but He always remembers I am but dust. 22:00 Yes. That's right. 22:02 Isn't that wonderful? Yes. 22:03 His intimate knowledge of us recognizes our frailty 22:08 and our helplessness if we're left to ourselves. 22:11 So He is always there to give us help. 22:14 Number five, 22:15 personal commitment requires 22:18 gaining insight to God's standard of truth. 22:25 Proverbs 8:10 says, 22:28 "Receive my instruction, and not silver, 22:33 and knowledge rather than choice gold." 22:37 Receive. 22:38 We've got to order our lives by God's instructions. 22:43 And that will bring us rest. 22:46 His rest is not found in wealth and worldly pursuits. 22:50 Listen, I've got rich relatives. 22:52 I know a lot of rich friends 22:54 who don't find any joy in their money. 22:57 They don't have that peace of mind. 23:01 Covetousness, greed, envy 23:04 and fraud disturb our thinking. 23:08 You know what the Bible says? 23:09 No one can serve two masters. 23:12 He go, you can't serve God and mammon. 23:15 So number six, 23:18 we, personal commitment. 23:20 Here's the sixth point. 23:22 We should not procrastinate 23:25 on making a personal commitment. 23:28 Isaiah 55:6-7, 23:36 "Seek the Lord while He may be found, 23:41 call upon Him while He is near. 23:46 Let the wicked forsake his way, 23:50 and the unrighteous, 23:52 unrighteous man forsake his evil thoughts. 23:58 Let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him." 24:03 Choose a new direction. 24:05 "And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." 24:09 Mercy and grace is available to all who seek God, 24:14 desiring forgiveness, deliverance from sin. 24:17 He, if we cast ourselves on God's mercy, 24:21 He will give us rest. 24:24 We can return to the Lord, repent, 24:27 turn around and choose a new direction. 24:31 Amen. Amen. 24:32 Amen. I like that. Thank you. Yeah. 24:33 So where you are is not your final frontier. 24:36 You can choose a new direction. 24:38 Don't take that out of the equation. 24:40 We'll be right back in just a few moments. 24:41 Don't go away. 24:47 Ever wish you could watch 24:49 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:51 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:54 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:59 A clean design makes it easy 25:01 to find the program you're looking for. 25:03 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:07 so you can follow along. 25:09 Sharing is easy. 25:10 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 25:13 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:18 Welcome back to our Sabbath School Panel. 25:19 We're going now to Tuesday's lesson, 25:21 Finding True Self-Worth. 25:23 Yvonne? 25:24 Thank you. 25:26 So far, these lessons have been just so rich. 25:29 My lesson is Finding True Self-Worth. 25:33 And we've been studying Joseph 25:35 and the dysfunctional environment 25:37 in which he was raised. 25:38 Think about it. 25:40 Joseph grew up feeling special because of his dad's favoritism 25:44 and hated 25:45 also because of his father's favoritism. 25:47 We see this in Genesis 37:3-4, which says, 25:52 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, 25:55 because he was a son of his old age. 25:58 Also, he made him a tunic of many colors, 26:01 but when his brothers saw that their father loved him 26:03 more than all his brothers, 26:05 they hated him 26:06 and could not speak peaceably to him." 26:10 So here you have it, father, kind, brothers, mean. 26:14 Father, affectionate, brothers, distant. 26:18 Father, provider, brothers, selfish. 26:21 Father, protective, brothers, murderous. 26:25 Where do you think Joseph sense of self-worth came from? 26:29 Often, we derive it from our families 26:31 and close relationships. 26:33 Joseph's situation yielded mixed signals, 26:36 beloved and hated, cherished and rebuffed. 26:40 And then to add insult to injury 26:42 at the hand of his hateful brothers, 26:44 he became a slave to be bought or sold at will. 26:47 He was sold into a family 26:49 of a new language, culture, and religion. 26:52 So let me share three points that stuck out to me 26:55 in relating Joseph's situation to his sense of self-worth. 26:59 Point number one, 27:01 your condition is just your position. 27:04 In other words, 27:06 if you find yourself 27:07 at the bottom of the heap today, 27:09 it's just a temporary situation. 27:11 Where you are today 27:13 doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be there tomorrow. 27:16 Amen. 27:17 Don't let your current situation 27:19 define who you are. 27:21 I love Psalms 28:13-14, where it says, 27:26 "I would have lost heart 27:28 unless I had believed 27:29 that I would see the goodness of the Lord 27:31 in the land of the living. 27:33 Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, 27:36 and He shall strengthen your heart. 27:39 Wait, I say, on the Lord." 27:43 Joseph found himself in a world of trouble, 27:47 hated by his brothers, 27:48 falsely accused by his boss's wife, 27:50 incarcerated, a foreigner in a strange land 27:53 and alone. 27:55 And yet in the end, Joseph was on top. 27:58 He had a position of leadership, 28:00 a beautiful wife, power, status in his community. 28:05 And he was on top. He was on top of the world. 28:09 Joseph would have been a very confused guy 28:12 if he's solely relied upon his earthly relationships 28:15 to determine his sense of self-worth. 28:17 Instead, he knew that his God had taken care of him 28:21 and he was accountable to Him, 28:23 as you mentioned, Shelley. 28:25 Ellen White in Patriarchs and Prophets says, 28:28 and I quote, 28:29 "Joseph served the Lord with an undivided heart. 28:32 He met the trials of his lot with fortitude 28:35 and performed every duty with fidelity." 28:39 He didn't bemoan his position when he was down. 28:42 He just continued to be faithful 28:44 to his God and his duties. 28:46 Thus, his position at rock bottom changed. 28:50 He was consistently elevated 28:53 until he was second in power to the Pharaoh himself. 28:57 This kind of consistent elevation 28:59 can happen for any child of the king 29:02 if we're faithful in our duties and responsibilities. 29:05 That's good. 29:06 Point number two, 29:07 your sense of self-worth must be rooted 29:10 in your relationship with God, not man. 29:13 How does God see us? 29:16 Isaiah 43:1 says, 29:18 "Fear not, for I've redeemed you, 29:20 I've called you by your name, you are Mine." 29:24 There is something so intimate 29:26 about being called by your name by the Creator of the universe. 29:31 Imagine that the most powerful prestigious being 29:34 ever wants a deep relationship with you. 29:38 Why wouldn't that boost your feelings 29:40 of worth and value? 29:42 In Micah 3:17, it says, 29:46 "They shall be Mine says the Lord of hosts 29:48 on the day that I make them my jewels." 29:51 He calls us His. He calls us His jewels. 29:55 And in Romans 8:14, Paul says, 29:59 "That if we're led by God's spirit, 30:01 we are sons and daughters of God." 30:04 And in 1 John 3:1-2, it says, 30:06 "Behold, what manner of love 30:08 the Father has bestowed upon us." 30:09 Pastor John, you read this. 30:11 "That we should be called children of God. 30:13 Therefore, the world does not know us 30:15 because it did not know Him. 30:17 Beloved, we are now children of God 30:20 and it has not yet been revealed 30:22 what we shall be, 30:23 but we know that when He is revealed, 30:25 we shall be like Him, 30:27 for we shall see Him as He is." 30:30 Had Joseph derived his sense of worth from men, 30:33 he would have lost. 30:34 He would have been most miserable. 30:36 He had no earthly familiar report, support, 30:40 for many years of his life. 30:42 Joseph knew his God. 30:44 He knew that, 30:46 although he didn't have 30:47 his beloved earthly father with him, 30:49 his heavenly Father 30:50 was watching over him constantly. 30:53 He knew that he had to be accountable 30:56 to the Almighty. 30:57 And point number three, 30:59 our confidence should be in Christ 31:02 more than in ourselves. 31:03 Jeremiah 17:7 says, 31:06 "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord 31:08 whose confidence is in Him." 31:11 The whole idea of self-esteem 31:14 emerged out of a movement 31:15 that swept through the United States 31:17 like a whirlwind in the 80s and 90s. 31:20 A recent internet article that I read said 31:25 that it changed how countless organizations were run, 31:29 how an entire generation millennials was educated 31:32 and how that generation went on to perceive itself 31:35 quite favorably, as it turns out. 31:38 As it turned out, 31:39 the central claim underlying the trend 31:42 that there's a causal relationship 31:43 between self-esteem 31:45 and various positive outcomes 31:47 was almost certainly inaccurate." 31:51 The leading proponent of this line of thought 31:54 was a guy named John Vasconcellos. 31:56 I'm going to call him John V because it's a hard name. 32:00 He was a California legislator for 38 years 32:03 and was said to be an idealist 32:05 who was convinced that 32:06 humans had untold, untapped greatness, 32:09 but his idealism emerged out of his own long attempts, 32:14 long running attempts to control his anger problems. 32:18 He discovered research on self-esteem 32:20 that showed that people 32:21 with high versus low self-esteem 32:23 reacted in different ways to various challenges 32:26 and instances of adversity. 32:28 John V felt that 32:30 if low self-esteem 32:31 is tied to so many maladaptive responses, 32:34 to so many forms of underachievement 32:36 and bad behavior, 32:37 then surely raising kids in adult self-esteem 32:40 could bring with an untold benefits. 32:43 He began to lobby Sacramento 32:45 to launch a statewide self-esteem commission 32:48 to study the public policy implications of self-esteem. 32:52 And that commission, as it turned out, 32:55 just got off to a slow start. 32:58 It picked up steam 33:00 with a steady stream of research 33:01 purporting to confirm John V's theory 33:04 that self-esteem lay at the heart 33:05 of many personal and societal difficulties. 33:09 The problem with this research was 33:12 that it was fairly anecdotal and low quality. 33:15 There was a social scientist, 33:17 a social psychologist by the name of Roy Baumeister, 33:20 who studied self-esteem 33:22 and very likely authored a lot of this research. 33:25 He found that there were problems 33:28 with the research. 33:29 And so, what we find is that Joseph, 33:33 we go back to Joseph here, 33:35 and we know that 33:37 Joseph himself found his self-esteem in God, 33:43 his confidence in God. 33:47 Joseph had a sense of his value 33:51 as a result of his intense relationship with God. 33:54 He relied on Him 33:56 to give him the answers to properly interpret dreams. 34:00 He knew that the gift wasn't just something innate. 34:04 It was from God Himself. 34:07 In Genesis 41:16, 34:11 Joseph, when told by Pharaoh 34:13 that he could interpret the dream, 34:15 corrected him and said, 34:17 "It is not in me. 34:19 God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." 34:22 Joseph's confidence was in God, not in himself. 34:27 He knew the source of all wisdom 34:30 was to be found in God and not in men. 34:34 So, no matter what we're going through, 34:37 no matter where you are right now, 34:39 you can trust God. 34:41 We can know that we have value 34:43 because He gave His life for us. 34:46 We matter 34:48 because we're created in His image 34:51 and He loves us. 34:53 Ephesians 2:10 says, 34:55 "We are His workmanship 34:56 created in Christ Jesus for good works, 34:59 which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." 35:04 In God and in God alone, 35:08 in God only can we find our true self-worth. 35:13 Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. 35:16 Thank you. 35:17 Thank you, Pastor John and Shelley and Sis Yvonne, 35:19 powerful. 35:20 I love that. Not a pseudo self-esteem... 35:23 That's right. But biblical self-worth. 35:25 It's powerful. 35:26 I have Wednesday's lesson, 35:28 which is Doing Relationships God's Way. 35:31 So, let's flip over to Genesis 39. 35:33 We're going to walk through 10 verses there. 35:35 Genesis Chapter 39 35:37 as each member of the panel already brought out so well. 35:40 Joseph grew up in a dysfunctional home. 35:43 There was envy and jealousy. 35:45 There was hatred and bitterness. 35:47 There was a desire for revenge and a desire for power. 35:50 There was lust and sexual sin. 35:53 And somewhere on that journey, 35:55 when he was sold as a slave from the land of Canaan, 35:58 as he traveled to Egypt, he made a choice. 36:02 He would serve the God of his fathers 36:05 and he also discovered his self-worth in God. 36:10 So, we pick up the story in Genesis 39:1, 36:13 we're going to have five takeaways 36:15 from these 10 verses 36:16 and then five lessons 36:18 for how you and I can deal with temptation. 36:21 Verse 1, 36:23 "Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. 36:25 And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, 36:27 captain of the guard, an Egyptian, 36:30 bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there." 36:35 I want to tell you right now, when all seems lost, 36:38 God is still in control. 36:40 You might be in your Egypt experience. 36:44 You might feel as if you have been sold as a slave, 36:47 God is still in control of your life. 36:51 Verse 2, 36:52 "The Lord, He was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, 36:57 and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian." 37:00 Takeaway number two, when you least expect it, 37:03 God will intervene in your situation. 37:07 He thought he was alone. 37:08 He thought he was in Egypt. 37:10 He thought everything was against him. 37:12 And yet God, God blessed him. 37:14 God showed up. 37:16 Joshua 1:5. This is Joshua, right? 37:18 When he takes over the people from Moses and God says, 37:22 "No man shall be able to stand before you 37:24 all the days of your life. 37:26 As I was with Moses, I will be with you. 37:29 I will not leave you, nor forsake you." 37:32 Are you alone? God will never leave you. 37:36 Jeremiah 1:19. I love this promise. 37:38 And I think it's a new promise that I've found, 37:40 it's not new, but I just discovered it recently. 37:43 It says, 37:44 "They will fight against you, 37:45 but they shall not prevail against you, 37:48 for I am with you, says the Lord to deliver you." 37:51 Are you in battled? God will deliver you. 37:55 The next verse, Genesis 39:3-4, 37:59 "And his master saw that the Lord was with him 38:01 and that the Lord made 38:02 all he did to prosper in his hand. 38:05 So Joseph, he found favor in his sight, 38:07 and served him. 38:08 Then he made him overseer of his house, 38:11 and all that he had put under his authority." 38:14 Takeaway number three, 38:16 when you faithfully serve God, God will honor you. 38:21 Proverbs 22:29. 38:23 I really like this in King James. 38:25 It says, 38:26 "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? 38:29 He shall stand before kings, 38:31 he shall not stand before mean men." 38:34 Joseph faithfully served his God 38:37 in the midst of overwhelmingly difficult circumstances. 38:42 And God honored that. 38:44 Next verse, verse 5, Genesis 39:5, 38:48 "So it was, from the time 38:49 that he had made him overseer of his house 38:51 and all that he had, 38:53 that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house," why? 38:57 "For Joseph's sake, 38:59 and the blessing of the Lord 39:00 was on all that he had in the house and in the field." 39:02 I love this one. 39:03 Takeaway number four, 39:05 when you belong to God, other people are affected. 39:08 You see, no man or no woman is in island. 39:11 We all have influenced. 39:13 And because God was blessing Joseph's life, 39:17 God blessed the household of Potiphar as well. 39:19 Potiphar wasn't a believer. 39:21 He didn't honor the true God, but what happened? 39:24 God blessed the entire household. 39:27 If you read in 1 Corinthians 7, we won't turn there, 39:30 but there's this whole passage of marriage 39:33 of believing spouses with unbelieving spouses. 39:37 And the Word of God says that 39:40 the unbelieving spouse can be influenced 39:43 or won to the Lord 39:45 through the influence of a believing spouse. 39:48 So, are you in a home that's divided? 39:50 Do you have children that don't walk with God? 39:53 Are you in a work environment 39:55 where your coworkers don't know God? 39:58 Guess what? 40:00 God blesses your life, 40:02 and other people will be affected 40:05 because of the Holy Spirit anointing coming out of you. 40:08 Let's look at verse 36, Genesis 39, 40:11 the first half of verse 36, 40:13 "Thus, he left all that he had in Joseph's hand. 40:17 And he, that's Potiphar 40:19 did not know what he had 40:20 except for the bread, which he ate." 40:23 Takeaway number five, 40:24 when you follow God, other people will trust you. 40:28 Potiphar trusted Joseph 40:30 with everything that was in his house, 40:33 except for the food. 40:34 Now we see a turning point in the story 40:36 and trouble in paradise begins to come up. 40:39 Let's look at the second half of verse 36. 40:42 Now Joseph was, thank you, 6. 40:45 Genesis 39:6, the second half. 40:48 Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 40:52 Now I don't know, it's very interesting 40:54 why the Word of God mentions what Joseph looks like. 40:56 We don't know what Elijah looks like. 40:58 We don't know what Elisha looked like. 40:59 We don't know what Jeremiah the prophet looked like. 41:02 We don't know what Mary, 41:03 the mother of Jesus looked like. 41:04 And why? 41:06 Because God says it doesn't matter 41:07 on the outward appearance, 41:08 the Lord looks at the heart. 41:10 That is what matters. 41:11 Why does it even reference this? 41:12 And it says, form and appearance. 41:14 Did you notice that? 41:16 Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 41:18 If you look at those two Hebrew words, 41:20 form literally means the form or the figure. 41:23 Appearance means the countenance, the face. 41:27 So, Joseph was a good looking man. 41:29 He was handsome. 41:30 His face was good looking, 41:31 and he had a good looking body as well. 41:33 So, Potiphar's wife took notice of this. 41:37 Let's look in verse 7, 41:38 "And it came to pass after these things 41:40 his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, 41:44 and she said, 'Lie with me.' 41:45 But he refused and said to his master's wife, 41:48 'Look, my master does not know 41:50 what is with me in the house, 41:53 and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 41:55 There is no one greater in this house than I, 41:58 nor has he kept back anything from me but you, 42:00 because you are his wife. 42:03 How then can I do this great wickedness, 42:06 and sin against God?' 42:09 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, 42:12 that he did not heed her, 42:13 to lie with her or to be with her.'" 42:16 So, let's look at some lessons 42:17 just that I see from this passage 42:19 and how we can deal with temptation. 42:23 Lesson number one, make decisions on principle, 42:27 not by how you feel. 42:29 Did Joseph desire Potiphar's wife? 42:31 We're not told that specifically, 42:33 but we do know she came on to him. 42:35 We also know if you study what the Egyptian woman wore, 42:38 I would say probably 42:40 there was some sort of desire going on there. 42:43 You know, the Word of God says in James 1:14-15, 42:48 "Each one is tempted 42:49 when he is drawn away of his own desires and enticed. 42:53 Then, when desire has conceived, 42:55 it gives birth to sin, 42:57 and sin, when it is full-grown, it brings death." 43:01 You see, sometimes we feel like the feelings are wrong. 43:04 Feelings aren't wrong. 43:05 It is when we cherish. 43:06 It's when we dwell on them. 43:08 That is when it turns into sin. 43:11 You know, there's this analogy I always loved. 43:13 You can't stop the birds from flying over your head, 43:16 but you can certainly stop them 43:17 from making a nest in your hair. 43:20 Another words, it goes in one ear, 43:22 it can go out the other ear. 43:24 But when we dwell, when we linger, 43:27 when we make decisions based on how we feel, 43:29 and we indulge in that decision, 43:32 that becomes sin. 43:35 Lesson, number two, 43:36 make decisions on how it affects God, 43:40 not yourself for others. 43:41 What did Joseph say? 43:43 How can I do this wickedness and sin against God? 43:45 Well, clearly it would be against Potiphar and the rest, 43:47 but how can I do this and sin against God? 43:50 I think about Adam and Eve in the beginning, 43:52 they took a fruit 43:53 and what could they have said? 43:55 It didn't hurt anybody else. 43:56 Do you ever say that? 43:57 Oh, I'm not hurting anybody. 43:59 This is only affecting me. 44:01 It has nothing to do with, 44:03 or if we both agree, it's just between us. 44:05 It doesn't impact anyone else. 44:07 Look at the untold misery. 44:09 Look at what happened 44:10 as a result of Adam and Eve's one choice to step into sin. 44:15 It clearly affected the entire world. 44:17 And when we sin, it is not against ourselves. 44:22 And clearly sin can be against self, 44:24 but is most importantly, it's against God. 44:27 Lesson number three. 44:28 Once you've made your decision, stick with it. 44:31 Potiphar's wife tempted Joseph, the Bible says day after day, 44:35 but he did not change his mind. 44:36 Sometimes we make a decision, 44:38 we say, God, I want to do it Your way. 44:40 And then we turn around 44:41 and, oh, I'm going to change my mind today. 44:43 No, every day, make that decision for God. 44:46 Principle number four and five 44:48 are not implicitly in the Word of God, 44:50 but it's there. 44:51 Number four is to accept the power of the Holy Spirit. 44:54 Joseph could not in his own strength 44:57 resist this temptation. 44:59 Galatians 5:16. 45:01 "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, 45:02 and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." 45:06 Principle number five, 45:07 utilize the power of the Word of God. 45:10 If we hide God's Word in our heart, 45:13 you and I can be victorious over temptation. 45:16 Amen. Wow. That's great. 45:18 All of it's been such an eye-opener. 45:20 I'm sitting here listening and it's like, 45:23 there's this old saying, if it weren't for bad luck, 45:25 I'd have no luck at all. 45:27 I mean, we all could sit here 45:29 and say that in our own lives, 45:31 but it's showing that there's victory. 45:33 God can give us victory over dysfunction 45:35 no matter where we come from. 45:37 Now, mine is The Great Controversy 45:39 Up and Personal. 45:40 And I think we could also entitle this lesson, 45:44 life just isn't fair. 45:45 I mean, but I'm going to use the but, 45:49 but the Lord is with you. 45:50 All right? Life isn't fair, but the Lord is with you. 45:53 Now, I grew up with three older brothers 45:54 and a younger sister 45:56 and it always seemed like 45:57 the older brothers got to do things I couldn't do. 46:00 So, I would say, I'd say, 46:01 "Well, dad, I want to do that too." 46:03 "Son, you're too young. Your day will come." 46:06 Then I'd see my little sister, eight years younger 46:09 getting to do some things. 46:10 I'd say, "Dad, I want to do that." 46:11 "Oh, son, you're too old to do stuff like that. 46:14 You're too old." 46:16 I would think life just isn't fair. 46:19 Well, Joseph was thrown in prison 46:21 for something he didn't do. 46:22 Now he may have asked where's God, 46:24 in course, you all set it up 46:26 that he had a relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ. 46:29 He could've said, I did not commit the sin 46:31 with Potiphar's wife yet why am I in prison? 46:35 You know, where's God when I need Him? 46:36 He could have done all of those things, 46:38 but he didn't. 46:39 The good news is he did not question God 46:42 or God's plan for his life. 46:44 Now Genesis 39:21 says, "The Lord was with him." 46:48 I want you to put your name there. 46:50 The Lord is with me, whatever your name is, 46:52 the Lord is with me. 46:54 Get that into your mind. 46:55 And I promise you, 46:56 you're going to find the victory 46:58 that you all have been talking about. 47:00 This is why it's so important 47:01 to develop a personal relationship 47:04 through prayer and daily Bible study 47:06 with the Lord. 47:07 We must live by faith and not by sight. 47:09 Some of you have already said that. 47:12 Now Satan is a master deceiver 47:13 and attempter and a master discourager. 47:16 Now I want you to listen to this one. 47:18 He loves to feed our emotional offended sign 47:21 that he can read all over our face 47:23 when something doesn't go our way. 47:25 I'm talking about facial and body expressions. 47:27 Satan can't read our minds. 47:29 But when we're like, somebody says something to you, 47:34 you know, you do this. 47:35 Now, you think he doesn't have a heyday 47:37 when you fall into that trap. 47:39 See great peace have they which love thy law 47:42 and nothing shall offend them. 47:44 So, we have to learn in this life 47:47 that on this planet, nothing, it just isn't fair. 47:50 Good is not always rewarded. 47:52 And evil is not always immediately punished. 47:55 So, there's a great controversy going on, 47:57 which we know about. 47:58 And it's the spiritual conflict, 47:59 our lives and relationships. 48:01 The lesson says this, I thought it was so good. 48:04 Our miniature reflections of the great controversy 48:06 between God and Satan, 48:08 that is raging through the ages 48:10 and were, folks, we're right in the middle of that. 48:13 And it's amazing to be here 48:14 in the closing moments of earth's history, 48:17 but there's some good news for all of us. 48:19 We never have to be discouraged. 48:21 You know why? Heaven's on our side. 48:23 We have God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, 48:25 literally all heaven is on our side. 48:28 So, when we trust God and His will for our life, 48:31 we can't lose. 48:33 Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. 48:35 I mean this is some good news, folks. 48:37 I don't care where you've been, what's your background is, 48:40 how downtrodden you seem, John, you left, abandoned 48:43 doesn't make any difference. 48:44 Greater is he that is in you now 48:46 than he that is in the world. 48:48 Satan has no control over you. 48:50 God has control 48:52 when you put your life into His hands. 48:53 In Joseph's case, 48:55 he could find rest even in prison. 48:57 I can't imagine that, I would hate prison, 48:59 but he found rest even in prison 49:01 because the Lord is with him. 49:04 Remember that, stick, don't lose that. 49:06 In prison he could have meditated 49:08 on the unfairness of his situation. 49:10 He could have been withdrawn. 49:12 He could have given up on God, but what did he do? 49:15 He made the best of his circumstances, 49:17 but there's a reason. 49:18 Joseph had peace in the midst of the storm. 49:20 And you all established that while ago. 49:22 It was because of his relationship 49:25 that he learned about God from his father. 49:28 Now, was he probably unhappy at times 49:30 for being thrown in prison for something he didn't do? 49:32 He wasn't guilty. 49:34 I absolutely, I'm sure he was. 49:36 But while in prison, the lesson says, 49:38 Joseph works with the real and not the idea. 49:42 And, so that's a great lesson 49:44 for how we should deal with unfairness 49:46 because things aren't fair that's all there is to. 49:49 Deal with what's real. 49:50 We can't re-imagine everything, right? 49:52 And make it real the way we want it to be. 49:54 That's a new word I've been learning, re-imagine. 49:57 So, we can't just re-imagine everything and it changed. 50:00 But because of Joseph's stableness of mind 50:03 and character, 50:04 because of his trust in God, 50:06 Joseph did what? 50:07 He flourished. 50:09 He didn't just get by, he flourished. 50:11 Now, where did, where was he when he flourished? 50:13 He was in prison. 50:14 It wasn't like he was out on his own. 50:16 It says, the Bible says, he flourished in prison. 50:20 And how is that possible? 50:21 Genesis 39:21-40. I won't read it all. 50:24 But it says, 50:25 summary tells us that Joseph says 50:28 that the prison keeper gave Joseph charge. 50:31 And I think you mentioned that over everything, right? 50:34 Over all, or at least all the other prisoners 50:36 and even trusted him. 50:38 I mean, this is amazing. 50:39 Now Potiphar could have ordered Joseph killed 50:42 for what he was accused of. 50:44 He could have, but he didn't. You know why? 50:47 Because it's probably, we're going to say 50:50 probably Potiphar didn't believe what, 50:52 that he knew Joseph 50:53 probably knew his wife, I would assume. 50:55 So, he didn't really believe it, 50:57 but they had to worry about his reputation. 50:59 So, he, the family's reputation, 51:02 so, you know, put him in jail. 51:04 We don't have to know all behind the scenes, 51:06 but we do know that Joseph's commitment 51:08 to serve God at all costs found favor in the prison, 51:11 found favor in the eyes of the Lord and the Pharaoh. 51:14 And later he was restored 51:15 and became a great leader in Egypt. 51:17 I mean, what more could you want 51:20 when you're following God. 51:21 You see, we've got to worry about 51:23 our life is not what we want 51:24 is what God wants for our lives. 51:27 We just have to be willing to trust Him. 51:29 Nothing can happen in your life 51:31 that's not God's will for your life. 51:33 Think about that. 51:35 Nothing's going to happen that's not God's will. 51:36 Yes. It may seem like it is time. 51:38 But the truth is God says, 51:40 and Shelley, I used the same scripture. 51:42 Didn't see it in my lesson, 51:44 but Jeremiah 29:11, 51:46 how can you do it, 51:47 "For I know the plans I have for you 51:50 declares the Lord, 51:51 plans to prosper, plans," to what? 51:55 "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you 51:58 and plans to give you hope and a future." 52:00 That's right. See, life's not always fair. 52:02 My dad would tell me when I complained about 52:04 not getting to do something with the older brother, 52:07 son, life is not fair on this earth. 52:09 Just that's the way it is. Get used to it. 52:12 That's what he would tell me. That's the way it is. 52:14 He would say, if everything were perfect, 52:17 we wouldn't be here, we'd already be in heaven. 52:19 So, get used to the fact life's not fair. 52:21 But what do we do? 52:22 We trust God with our life because the Lord is what? 52:26 He's with us. 52:28 I have to admit that it took many years for me 52:30 to understand really the statement my dad was, 52:32 what he was saying here. 52:34 But I really think I do now 52:35 because it's what's God's will for my life 52:38 and your life, not what our will is. 52:41 And so, I said, you know, I really think about it. 52:44 Matthew 5:45 says, 52:46 "That ye may be children of your Father 52:48 which is in heaven: 52:49 for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil 52:52 and on the good, He sendeth the rain 52:54 to the just and the unjust." 52:56 Now, I guess I'm kind of thinking like my dad, 52:58 because I haven't figured out 53:00 why we, Christians seem to think 53:02 that everything is supposed to turn out 53:04 the way we want it 53:05 just because we prayed about something. 53:07 That doesn't mean 53:08 God's going to make it turn out 53:10 the way you want it or the way I want it. 53:11 You know why? He sees the whole picture? 53:13 We don't. 53:15 In our, we pray for things it could, 53:16 we say, "Oh, He didn't answer our prayer." 53:18 No, He did. I promise you. 53:20 You can trust God. 53:21 He answered the prayer and what's best for us. 53:24 And Matthew 26, 53:26 I'm going to say sometimes 53:28 God answers prayers the way we want, 53:29 sometimes He doesn't. 53:31 But I think it's important to understand how Jesus prayed. 53:33 Matthew 26:39, 53:35 "And he went a little farther and fell on his face 53:38 and prayed saying, O my Father, if it be possible, 53:41 let this cup pass from me: 53:43 nevertheless not as I will, but thou wilt." 53:46 We should remember that when we pray, 53:48 we have to trust Jesus that He will answer our prayers 53:51 for what is best for our situation. 53:53 He sees all, He knows all, we don't, right? 53:57 So therefore, like Joseph, 53:58 we should never be discouraged 53:59 and always show complete trust in the Lord. 54:02 No matter what the outcome may seem 54:04 to the human eye, 54:06 we should walk by faith and not by sight. 54:08 We live in a sinful world. 54:10 Life will throw us some curves, 54:11 but we should never be discouraged. 54:13 The Bible says that all who live godly 54:16 shall suffer persecution. 54:17 So, for living godly, expect it. 54:20 But if we believe it, 54:21 then why do we doubt God every time 54:23 something doesn't go our way. 54:24 We should be praying, 54:25 "Lord, not my will, but thine be done." 54:28 There comes a point in our lives 54:29 that we like Joseph have to trust God. 54:32 And remember why we're here on earth 54:34 in the first place. 54:35 And that is to serve the Lord, be a witness to all nations. 54:38 The Bible says Matthew 28:18-20, 54:41 "Go ye therefore baptizing them in the name of the Father, 54:44 the Son and the Holy Spirit." 54:47 I cannot believe that our time is gone. 54:49 I've had so many notes here, 54:51 but the only way we can navigate 54:53 through this world of sin 54:54 and I wrote this down, because I never forget it. 54:57 I use it. I've used it for many, many years. 54:59 Only way we can get through, I can get through, 55:02 turn your eyes upon Jesus, 55:04 look full in His wonderful face, 55:07 and the things of earth will grow strangely dim 55:10 in the light of Christ's glory and His grace. 55:14 Don't give up, heaven's on your side. 55:16 Amen. Amen. 55:18 Well, thank you, Danny, Jill, Yvonne, Shelley. 55:22 Go ahead and summarize what you've covered today. 55:23 I was just thinking, choosing a new direction. 55:26 You know, the Bible tells us in Romans 6:16, 55:28 we are slave to whomever we obey. 55:30 We are either slaves to sin, 55:33 which results in death 55:34 or slaves to obedience, which will result in life. 55:38 So, choose you this day Jesus, 55:43 His gentle yoke. 55:45 And you can be saved by His grace and mercy. 55:50 Amen. 55:52 We are all looking to find out who we are and who, 55:58 whose we are is the more important question. 56:02 We know that we can find true self-worth in Jesus. 56:05 We don't need to look at ourselves, 56:07 look at Jesus. 56:08 Amen. 56:10 When you think about dealing with temptation, 56:12 your temptation might seem overwhelming 56:14 and you might be, I'm in the midst of addiction 56:17 or I can't break free. 56:19 Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed. 56:23 Look to Jesus and He can set you free. 56:26 Amen. That's right. 56:27 Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. 56:30 And while life is not fair on this earth, 56:33 remember that soon and very soon 56:35 we'll be able to look up in the Eastern skies. 56:38 We'll see them break. 56:39 We can say, 56:41 "Lo, this is our God whom we waited for. 56:42 He has come to save us." 56:44 Be faithful till the end. 56:46 Amen. Amen. 56:47 And all we've learned today in our lesson 56:48 is God can turn any situation around. 56:51 The beauty of the story of humanity 56:53 is not how we began, 56:55 but how we're going to end in Christ. 56:57 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 57:00 Old things have passed away, 57:02 behold, all things have become new. 57:05 And there's a passage 57:07 just kind of hidden in Isaiah 61 57:09 that I want to share with you. 57:11 When Isaiah focuses on the frailty of humanity, 57:14 he also focuses on the power of Christ. 57:16 He says, 57:17 "Instead of your shame, 57:18 speaking about Joseph and Jacob and all these dysfunctions, 57:22 instead of your shame, 57:23 there shall be a double portion. 57:25 Instead of dishonor, 57:27 they shall rejoice in their lot. 57:29 Therefore, in their land, 57:30 they shall possess a double portion. 57:33 They shall have everlasting joy." 57:34 Isaiah 61:7. 57:37 And so, we've seen the transition 57:38 from who we are in our own lives 57:40 and our own walk 57:41 to who we are becoming in Christ. 57:43 And praise the Lord, that's the double hander 57:44 as Danny would say, 57:46 but we don't want you to forget that 57:47 God is not done with you yet. 57:49 So, stay tuned for the next lesson 57:51 because as we continue in the trajectory, 57:54 lesson number seven is about Rest, 57:56 Relationship and Healing. 57:59 Look forward to seeing you then. 58:00 Amen. |
Revised 2021-08-05