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Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000146S
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00:06 #S076 - “A No Win Situation” (Part 1)
00:20 I won't invite you to go with me quickly. 00:21 And your Bibles to the Book of Genesis. 00:25 The Book of Genesis. Chapter 39. 00:28 And I'll actually pick it up here at verse number 00:31 seven, Genesis Chapter 39. 00:33 And together we'll look at verse number seven. 00:35 Let me ask 00:35 the question, 00:36 has anybody in this room 00:37 ever been tempted before anybody ever been tempted? 00:40 Okay. Yeah. 00:41 So so today, from the word 00:42 we want to give you some instruction, 00:44 especially as you begin this new semester, both young 00:48 and aged, on how we can manage the temptations of this life. 00:53 Because one of the things you're going to find 00:54 is that you don't outgrow temptation. 00:57 You can't out pray temptation. 00:59 You never out age temptation. 01:03 You simply get the strength from God to refuse and resist it. 01:06 Can you say amen? 01:08 And so having said that, let's go to Genesis 39 01:12 and we'll look together it verse number seven for context. 01:14 Joseph, the son of Jacob, has been betrayed 01:18 by his brothers, sold into slavery. 01:22 He works in the home of a man named Potter, 01:25 and God gives him great success there. 01:28 And then we'll pick it up here, Genesis 39 and verse seven. 01:31 When you get there, just say, Pastor, I'm here. 01:35 Genesis 39 and verse seven, 01:37 the Bible says, and it came to pass after these things 01:42 that his masters wife cast 01:45 longing eyes on Joseph. 01:48 And she said, Live with me. 01:52 But he refused and said to his master's wife, Look, 01:58 my master does not know what is with me in the house. 02:01 And he has committed that to all that he has to my hand 02:05 there is no one greater in this house than I. 02:09 Nor has he kept back anything from me 02:12 but you because you are his wife. 02:15 How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against who? 02:20 So the trespass is not just 02:22 against Potter for the nation of Israel. 02:25 He realizes that this is a trespass against God. 02:29 And so it was, as he spoke to Joseph day by day, 02:32 that he did not heed her to lie with her or to be with her. 02:36 But it happened about this time when Joseph went into the house 02:40 to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside 02:45 that she caught him by his garment 02:48 saying, Lie with me. 02:51 But he left his garment in her hand 02:54 and fled and ran outside. 02:57 And so it was when she saw 03:00 that he left his garment in her hand 03:04 and fled outside, that she called the men of her house 03:09 and spoke to them, saying, See, 03:11 he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mark us. 03:16 And he came into me to lie with me 03:19 and I cried out with a loud voice, I need you to know 03:21 Karen's didn't just be born in recent years. 03:26 You had some Karen's all the way back in Egypt, 03:30 and the 03:31 Bible says, and it happened when he heard that. 03:33 I lifted up my voice and cried out 03:35 that he left his garment with me and fled and went outside. 03:40 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 03:44 Then she spoke to him with words like these, say, the Hebrew 03:47 servant whom you brought to us came in to mock me. 03:51 So it happened as I lifted my voice and cried out 03:55 that he left his garment with me and fled outside. 03:58 And so it was when his master heard the words 04:00 which his wife spoke to him saying, Your servant did to me 04:04 after this manner that his anger was aroused. 04:09 Then Joseph's master put him into the prison, 04:13 a place where the king's prisoners were confined, 04:16 and he was there in the prison. 04:18 But thank God, the Lord was with Joseph 04:23 and showed him mercy and gave him a 04:27 in the sight of the keeper of the prison 04:30 and the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph 04:33 saying all the prisoners who were in the prisoner 04:37 and whatever they did there, it was his doing 04:41 today states for just a little while 04:42 I want to talk to you under the subject. 04:45 A no win situation, 04:49 a no win situation. 04:52 Let us pray together. 04:54 Father, 04:56 would you grant me full might to be able to preach your word? 05:01 And Lord, would you give those of all ages 05:03 the strength of mind and the resolve 05:07 to not just receive it and affirm it, 05:11 but to live it in between the Sabbaths? 05:13 So, Lord, I'm 05:15 praying that your spirit would not just sit upon me. 05:18 Lord, let your spirit set upon the service. 05:21 Would you hide me in the shadows of the cross 05:23 that Jesus alone might be? 05:25 See, that Christ alone might be heard, and at the end 05:31 of our time together, let Jesus only be praised. 05:35 Praise blesses. 05:36 To this end 05:37 we ask in the wonderful name of Jesus, our Lord, 05:41 let them that believe, say together, amen. 05:43 And a man. You may be seated 05:46 in the House of the Lord 05:47 again, talking to you 05:53 under the subject. 05:56 A no win situation. 06:02 When asked if we could 06:05 come on in quickly or exit quickly 06:10 so as not to disrupt our neighbors again, 06:14 talking to you under the subject, a no win 06:19 situation. 06:22 You know, friends, one of the things I've come to believe 06:27 is that as a Christian, 06:29 you cannot have flexible ethics. 06:33 We should be flexible 06:35 in our preferences, but we should be rigid 06:39 in our convictions and in our principles 06:43 so that I should never come to the conclusion 06:46 about the right thing based upon 06:49 the situations that touch my life. 06:53 And the reason we sometimes have this drifting morality 06:58 is because we find ourselves in real time 07:02 trying to decide the right thing 07:04 while circumstances emerge when the truth 07:08 is that your understanding of right ought to be pre 07:13 decided and pre arranged and pre determined. 07:18 And the why of this dialog is because at times 07:23 we look at the Scriptures as if it was a Hollywood script 07:27 where good triumphs over bad 07:30 and righteousness always beats evil. 07:34 But how many of us know that every now and then 07:38 God allows His people to encounter 07:41 what looks like a no win situation? 07:45 You see, a no win situation is where 07:48 there is a cost for doing right and there is a consequence 07:52 for doing wrong. 07:54 It is where there is a penalty for integrity 07:58 and there is a cost for canceling integrity. 08:02 And there will be times where the winning situation 08:05 is hard to see. 08:07 In other words, there will be days where electing not 08:12 to work on the Sabbath may cost you your job, 08:16 while working on the Sabbath, might cost you your peace. 08:19 We're sometimes taking the high road 08:22 with your ex may embolden their behavior, 08:26 but putting them on blast may harm your kids. 08:29 There will be times 08:31 where not going to the party may cost you your friends, 08:35 but going may actually put you in danger. 08:38 There are times where neglecting the advances 08:42 of your superior may stifle your career. 08:46 While placating those advances may embolden their advances, 08:51 they're going to be times where dissolving the marriage 08:55 will feel like it is pointless while remaining in the marriage. 08:58 It causes many horrors and health. 09:02 Has anybody ever been in what looks like a no win situation? 09:06 And the brief word to somebody today is this 09:10 is that when there is a penalty for both good and wrong, 09:14 always side with the penalty of righteousness. 09:17 In other words, it is a matter of disappointing 09:20 man or disappointing God always let a man 09:25 get upset with you 09:26 and the truth is that when there is a penalty on both sides, 09:31 you've got to side with the penalty of righteousness. 09:33 Are you here with me today? 09:35 In other words, the penalty of righteousness is passing, 09:40 but the penalty of wickedness is permanent. 09:43 The cost of integrity could move you forward, 09:47 but the cost of canceling it keeps you in circles. 09:51 And the thing I want to say to somebody today, 09:54 when you can't see which way is the winning situation, 09:58 just find out where God is standing. 10:02 In other words, don't look just for the most favorable outcome. 10:06 Recognize that the favor of God is all over your life. 10:10 And when you don't know where to stand, just stand next to God. 10:13 Are you all with me today? 10:15 If I had this happen 10:17 just a little while ago, I was in a hotel this summer 10:21 and while I was there I was by the local pool 10:25 and when I was there there was a family with their little girl. 10:27 The mom was on the edge sunbathing. 10:30 The dad was in the deep in swimming, 10:34 and the little girl was in the middle on her flotation device. 10:36 And as she began to drift there 10:38 toward the deep end of the pool, she got out of her 10:41 flotation device and began to swim around. 10:46 And while she was swimming, the floating device 10:48 went into the deep end of the pool 10:51 and she got to a place where she could not stand up 10:53 in the pool. 10:54 And so she was badly able to keep her head above water. 10:58 And she began to cry out to her mom. 11:01 And her mom said, come back to the edge. 11:03 And she said, 11:05 The edge is too far to get to that sand to go to the device. 11:09 But she was afraid to go to the deep end. 11:12 In other words, it looked like a no win 11:15 because she didn't have the strength to get to the edge 11:18 and she was afraid to go in the deep end. 11:21 But because that was already swimming in the deep end, 11:24 inherently, she swam in the deep end 11:27 just to get to where her daddy was, 11:30 and can also just sense that when you can't see 11:32 help on the shore and the water is too deep, 11:37 even if your daddy is in the deep end, 11:40 I just need you to find out where daddy is 11:43 and swim toward him. 11:45 Because in Jesus, you find your help. 11:49 Are you hearing me today? 11:50 Thanks. 11:51 And so go with me back to Genesis 39 11:55 as we unpack the word of the living God. 11:58 Genesis 39 And I want you to look together 12:01 with me at verse six, Genesis 39. 12:04 In verse six, when you say, Pastor, I'm here, 12:07 the Bible says thus he left all that 12:10 he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had 12:15 except for the bread which he ate. 12:18 Now the Bible says that Joseph was handsome 12:20 in form and appearance, and it came to pass. 12:25 What after these things that his master's 12:29 wife cast longing eyes on Joseph. 12:34 And she said, lie with me now understand. 12:37 Today, friends, 12:38 there are four brief principles I want to espouse to you today. 12:43 But the first thing this story teaches 12:46 is that your natural gifts make you noticeable, 12:50 but it is your spiritual gifts that make you irresistible. 12:52 Let me say it again 12:54 that it is your natural gifts that make you noticeable, 12:59 but it is your spiritual gifts that make you irresistible. 13:03 Now, to be clear, Saints, that the Scripture essentially 13:06 gives us the macro of the event, but it doesn't give us 13:10 every detail that leads to this particular occasion. 13:15 Now, when you look at Genesis 39, remember 13:19 that Joseph has been killing it in the house of Potter 13:23 for in fact, God has given him the Midas touch 13:28 so that everything he touches gets blessed. 13:32 In other words, every assignment he oversees prospers. 13:37 Every objective he has goes to the next level. 13:41 And the Bible says, Notice it that after these things 13:46 that Potter for his wife, casts longing eyes upon him. 13:51 In other words, the implication is that she 13:54 doesn't just see him one day physically and have to have him. 14:00 There is a progression that takes place. 14:03 In other words, the Bible says that she cast 14:06 longing eyes upon him. 14:09 In fact, 14:10 that word cast in the Hebrew is a very strange construct. 14:15 It literally means to lift up your eyes 14:18 or to lift up one's hair. 14:21 In fact, what it literally implies 14:24 is that there is a lifting of the veil from her eyes 14:28 so that she changes the way that she sees Joseph. 14:33 Over time, she begins to look upon him in a different way. 14:38 In other words, his good looks make him noticeable, 14:42 but it is his character that makes him irresistible. 14:46 You see, understand that if this attraction 14:50 was just physical, there were a thousand 14:53 brothers in Egypt that would scratch this. 14:56 It's that Potter for his wife has. 14:59 But a part of this attraction 15:01 is that he isn't just good looking. 15:04 There is something about Joseph 15:07 that is unquantifiable that draws her into him. 15:12 In other words, Joseph's success 15:14 is actually an aphrodisiac, 15:18 and his innocence has a way of drawing her in. 15:21 When Joseph talks, he just makes sense 15:25 and his wisdom is causing arousal. 15:28 And understand that Joseph's anointing is so powerful 15:33 that Joseph becomes sexy even to a woman who is wicked 15:38 and understand that there is 15:40 an unconscious chemistry that begins to build over time. 15:45 Because she begins to see Joseph not just as a slave 15:48 or a houseboy, but she sees him as someone 15:53 that is worthy of her company and companionship. 15:56 So much so that she puts him on the same plane 16:00 with the heads of state 16:01 and means of power in the land of Egypt. 16:05 And you know how it is with attraction that most time 16:08 it starts out unconscious or involuntary so that it first 16:14 she just finds herself unconsciously checking her hair. 16:19 Whenever Joseph walks into a room. 16:22 After a while, whenever she hugs Joseph, 16:25 she lingers to inhale his cologne. 16:28 After a while, she creates encounters 16:31 just to be in Joseph's company. 16:35 But now this attraction develops into a broil, where it goes 16:39 from an unconscious attraction to an outright demand. 16:45 And understand young people. 16:46 The larger idea is this that his natural gifts get him noticed. 16:52 But it is who he is that makes him irresistible. 16:56 And let me just say this to be clear, 16:59 that there is nothing wrong with having swag. 17:02 There's nothing wrong with having a good physique. 17:05 There's nothing wrong with having a wardrobe. 17:07 That is not me. 17:08 But be clear that what you have naturally makes you noticeable. 17:15 But it is who you are that makes you irresistible. 17:18 In other words, your physical gifts 17:21 may give you a good first impression, 17:23 but it is your character that gives you a lasting impression. 17:28 And I want somebody to understand that this doesn't 17:30 just show up in your romantic exchanges. 17:34 It's actually true for every area of your life. 17:38 In other words, it is your natural gifts 17:41 that may make you noticeable to an employer, 17:44 but it is your competence that makes you irresistible 17:47 to the employer. 17:48 You are human. 17:49 That network may get your foot in the door, 17:53 but it is the favor of God that keeps you in the door. 17:57 It may be natural gas that give a good first impression, 18:01 but it is 18:02 the character of Christ that gives you grace over time. 18:06 You are not here with me yet. 18:07 In other words, it is that dude in the gym 18:11 that gets the good first impression. 18:13 But it is the brother 18:14 on Dean's list that has a lasting impression. 18:18 In other words, it may be the guy that works out 18:22 that gets the girl freshman year, but it is the man 18:25 with work ethic that has her senior year. 18:29 In other words, this it may 18:31 be thirst trap pictures that get him in your team, 18:36 but it is your character that gets him on one knee. 18:38 Not here. Me yet. 18:39 Oh. In other words, it may be being a Delta 18:43 or a Kappa that gets the door open, 18:47 but it is serving the Alpha and Omega 18:49 that gets you serving before keys. 18:52 And what I'm saying to somebody today 18:55 is don't deal from the outside in, 18:58 but you got to build from the inside out. 19:02 Do I have a witness that it is the anointing that breaks 19:04 the yoke? 19:06 It is the anointing that breaks the tie. 19:09 It is the Holy Ghost that puts you over the top. 19:12 And don't just focus on the natural. 19:15 You got to make investments in the spiritual level 19:18 with me today church 19:19 and so friends, as we unpack this thing today. 19:23 The second thing I need somebody to get is never worsen 19:27 a bad situation through bad selection. 19:32 No, no, no, no. 19:32 Let me say it. We all hear it. 19:34 Never worsen a bad situation 19:38 by making bad selections. 19:41 Not now. 19:42 What somebody needs to get is not if it's not 19:45 bad situations that destroy you. 19:49 It's the bad selections you make in the situation 19:53 that destroy you. 19:54 In other words, a bad situation may put you to the edge, 20:00 but it is poor selections that puts you over the edge. 20:04 And young people hear me on this. 20:05 You should never let your selections mirror 20:09 your situation. 20:11 In fact, the worse your situation, 20:15 the better your selections need to be. 20:18 In other words, when you find yourself 20:20 in a pinch, you've got to avoid what I call embracing 20:26 might as well syndrome. 20:29 In other words, what might as well syndrome is, 20:34 is when you have a bunch of bad things break your way 20:39 and you get discouraged, it's because of the bad things 20:42 you say, I might as well do a bad mistake or selection. 20:48 So let me give you an example of this job's wife 20:51 had might as well syndrome and other words 20:54 remember that Joe now has lost all of his money. 20:59 He has lost all of his career. 21:01 He has lost all of his kids. 21:04 And Job's wife, as he is sick, says 21:06 you might as well just curse God and die. 21:11 Abraham and Sarah might as well syndrome. 21:15 Because they were both up in number 21:18 and none of their machinery was working 21:20 and God was taking too long to repair that. 21:23 They said, we might as well form 21:26 a threesome with our handmade Hagar. 21:30 Remember that Judas had a might as well syndrome 21:34 when he realized that he could not undo what had been done 21:38 and they would not give him not take the money back. 21:41 Essentially, instead of repenting, he said, I 21:43 might as well just kill myself. 21:47 Instead of repenting and turning to the Lord. 21:50 It was bad selection that worsened the situation. 21:55 And see friends, I need you to see this 21:58 in the life of the story of Joseph, because understand that 22:02 Joseph's life has been nothing but 22:05 one of concentrated traumas. 22:09 Do you all remember now that because of the favor 22:12 he had with his father, 22:14 he experiences the rejection of his brothers? 22:18 You realize that he has survived the assassination attempt 22:22 of his own flesh and blood. 22:23 He has been put into a pit and left to die. 22:28 He has been sold into slavery and a land that is not his own. 22:33 And understand that these are not minor offenses. 22:37 These are actually view 22:38 shaping occurrences that have the capacity 22:43 to change him into something that he is not. 22:46 And see, friends, 22:47 this is what happens when there is mounting difficulties. 22:51 There is always a bit to what? 22:54 Whatever experience creates some relief or escape 22:59 from the troubles that I am actually facing. 23:03 And the reason I'm saying this about Joseph 23:06 is because if anybody, from a human standpoint, 23:10 had a right to look at what is happened in their life 23:15 and to evaluate everything that went wrong, 23:18 if anybody had a right to say, But God, 23:22 I might as well smash Potter for his wife. 23:25 It was Joseph. 23:27 Are you hearing me today? 23:29 And he might as well. 23:30 Syndrome is a reaction to a difficult circumstance 23:36 that informs our selection. 23:39 In other words, it is when we are romantically lonely 23:43 and we don't see any prospects 23:45 on the horizon and you don't see nobody in church. 23:50 And so you say, I might as well date outside of the faith. 23:54 It is where money is tight 23:56 and doors are closing and you don't see your way. 24:01 And you say, I might as well take my last 24:03 hundred dollar bill to the casino. 24:06 It is in that place where discouragement 24:09 is multiplied and sorrows are many. 24:14 And you sit literally at the bar stool and say, 24:16 I might as well get wasted on a plaster. 24:19 It is where 24:21 students you've waited till the last moment for the paper 24:25 and you feel like if you don't, I'm going to fail. 24:28 So I might as well let GPT write this term paper for me. 24:32 In other words, it is literally couples 24:35 that scenario where you're saying 24:36 he ain't giving me no attention and she ain't giving me none. 24:41 So I might as well step outside of my marriage 24:45 and it is where we allow a difficult circumstance 24:49 to be multiplied. 24:51 But the desperation of our selection and see 24:54 what makes my this well syndrome powerful is the belief 25:01 that it can't get any worse than what it is. 25:04 And see this is the word to somebody today, 25:07 because you are about 25:08 to make a decision that says, I might as well. 25:13 It can't get any worse. 25:15 I need somebody to know. 25:16 It can always get worse than what it is. 25:21 See, I know you to know that you may think that you hit 25:23 rock bottom, but the truth is, you can always go deeper. 25:28 That hole can always get wider. 25:32 The consequences can always be greater. 25:34 And you've got to be careful 25:36 not to let your selection worsen your situation. 25:42 Because remember, Church, God has promised that 25:45 he'll never place more on you than what you are able to bear. 25:50 In other words, it is not the situation that kills you. 25:54 It is the selection you make that overtakes you. 25:57 And other words, 25:59 notice that Joseph has survived his brother's betrayal. 26:03 He has survived the slavery in Egypt. 26:06 He has survived his assignments upon offer. 26:10 But the one thing he can't survive is the consequence 26:13 of laying down with that man's wife. 26:16 And see. 26:17 One of the things 26:18 I want to say to somebody who finds themselves in a jam, 26:22 who finds themself in a tough situation, you've got to 26:25 pray, Lord, earnestly, will you guide my selection? 26:29 Lord, would you please guide my decision? 26:32 Because God is saying 26:34 that I can change the situation instantly. 26:38 But what lengthens the trial of the selections 26:41 you make while you are in the situation? 26:45 In other words, friends of mine, 26:46 I need to say to somebody who is in a difficult circumstance, 26:50 when you got to make some selections, 26:51 you got to be careful about what friends you listen to. 26:56 Okay. 26:56 Yeah. Know, actually brand new today. 26:58 In fact, one of the worst things that can happen 27:01 is for you to be in a bad situation 27:04 with a bunch of friends 27:05 giving you advice that ain't never worked out for them. 27:10 In other words, I need you to hear me. 27:13 If you're in a bad financial situation, 27:16 don't take no advice from people borrowing money from you. 27:18 I hear me today. 27:19 In other words, if you're in an academic crisis, 27:22 don't get mentored 27:24 by somebody that's worse off in school than you are 27:28 when you find your marriage in trouble, 27:31 the worst thing you can do 27:32 is get advice from somebody who has never been married 27:36 or somebody that has already lost. 27:38 Are yall hearing 27:39 what I'm saying today? Thank you for joining us for The Breath 27:43 of Life Television Ministries broadcast with Pastor 27:46 Debleaire Snell. 27:47 We hope and pray 27:49 that you have been blessed by this powerful message. 27:53 Join us next week for part two of the message 27:56 “A No Win Situation.”You don't want to miss it |
Revised 2024-11-12