Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10161 - Spiritual Growth is Slow and Steady - Genesis 48

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#10161 - Spiritual Growth is Slow and Steady - Genesis 48 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the Study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co To learn
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more about the many resources available through Abounding
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Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services, visit us
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online at Calvary, Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
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Church app. Now here's Pastor Ed to take us
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into our study. Amen.
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Open your Bibles. Genesis Chapter 48.
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Genesis Chapter 48. The title of our Bible study
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today is Spiritual Growth is slow and steady.
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Jot that down in your life so you know that your own spiritual
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growth is slow and steady. And here we are in Genesis 48,
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in the last moments of Jacob's life, Jacob's like part of the
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family. We're there with him.
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Remember in the delivery room when the little heel catcher
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popped out? We were there, watching him
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become the mama's boy that he was.
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We were there with all his schemes and tricks.
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We were there at his wedding. We felt bad for him.
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When he woke up to find Leah in the tents, we wrestled with him.
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We enjoyed his dream. We were there for the birth of
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his kids. We were there for the loss of
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his son. We were there for the transplant
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of his life to Goshen. And it's just one of those
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things that you may not realize, but you need to be reminded.
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There's great value in studying through the Bible verse by
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verse. You get to learn the entirety of
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what God wants for you to learn the way he put it there, the way
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he laid it out. He wants you to know Jacob.
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He wants you to follow along in his life.
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There is a reason why we spent so much time looking at Jacob
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and looking at Joseph. Why?
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Because that's God's desire. That's how he wrote the Bible
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for us. It's not just a drop in, you
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know, get a little sting and then come on and drop in again.
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We want to follow his life as God has given to us and His life
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is encouraging to us. He made.
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If you anything you learn about Jacob at the end, you've got to
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come to the conclusion, and I hope you do, that He made great
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spiritual progress. He grew through the years he
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grew up. Now of course he's 147 years by
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the time we get to chapter 48. It took some time for him, and
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it's important to remember our spiritual growth isn't some
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sensational moment that is just going to happen or some
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immediate spurt, although those do happen in our lives.
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There's great moments of growth, great moments of V1, great, but
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but living for the Lord is more like 1 great victory than three
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big defeats and then one to get victory and then five defeats.
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And that's why I believe one of the reasons God described the
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Christian life as a walk. For those of you new to the
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Bible or new to living for Jesus, that's a popular word in
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the Bible. To describe your relationship
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with him, that you have a Christian walk.
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That's an important word that was chose very carefully.
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It's measured. You know, when you walk, it's
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measured. It's steady.
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It progresses gradually. And of course, we all have
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different ways that we walk, different strides, different
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looks. If you watch, you know, put 10
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people up here and watch them walk, they're all walking, but
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they all have a unique gate about them or how they carry
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themselves. The Bible reminds us that we're
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not in a Christian Sprint, but more in a lifetime marathon.
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Hold your place in Genesis 48. I want you to.
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I have it in my notes, but I want you to see it.
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Turn over to second Peter, chapter one.
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Second Peter chapter one, you need to see this for yourself in
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the in your own scriptures because it's such an important
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passage of the Bible. Second Peter and he would know
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about spiritual growth. He would know about great
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victory. He would know about defeat, the
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ups and downs of the Christian life.
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Second Peter, chapter one. When you get there, pick up in
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verse 5 and notice what he says about this thing we call the
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Christian walk He says in verse 5, but also for this very reason
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giving all diligence. Add to your faith, virtue and
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virtue, knowledge and knowledge, self-control, and to
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self-control perseverance, to perseverance, godliness, to
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godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love.
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But if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be
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barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
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Christ. Verse 9.
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For he who lacks these things is short sighted even to blindness,
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and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
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Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your
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calling an election. Sure, for if you do these things
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you will never stumble, for so an inheritance will be supplied
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to you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord
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and Savior Jesus Christ. As I was reading through the
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text for this particular Bible study, reading Second Peter
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again, that word short sighted, jumped out at me.
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We don't want to be short sighted.
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Our walk with the Lord is going to be a long, however low,
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however long God gives us is going to be much longer than
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some people treat it. It is more like a marathon
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rather than a quick race. The most important part of your
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Christian walk really isn't how you begin, but how you finish
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and everything in between. You get a strong start, but then
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there there needs to be a steadiness in your life,
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recognizing the your own personal responsibility, how you
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respond to the Lord more a real specific date.
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You know how you walk, what what, what do you do when you
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fall? How do you get back up?
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Though A man falls seven times, he'll rise again.
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And here's the thing. Over the years, and I've been
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looking at, because we have our 25 year celebration coming up
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this year. It's 25 years as a church.
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I've gone back to find all kinds of old pictures that I can look
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for and getting all these old CDs.
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And of course we're cleaning our house now.
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So I'm finding all kinds of things.
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And by the way, one other thing I found this is going to be
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amazing. I don't think I'm gonna share it
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with you, but I found it. The very first cassette tape of
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the teach, my very first teaching in the the school that
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I had that I went to at Calvary Chapel and Downey.
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I was saved in 1991, and I had my first teaching in 1992.
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That's how confident I was. I think this is God's call for
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my life. So now I need to listen to it,
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and I'm. I want to listen to it.
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And I was talking to Marie about it.
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I was talking to Marie and I go, you know, I don't think I really
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want to listen to it. I don't think I could take it.
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I'm sure it was just and it's just just bad and and Marie,
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like being the encourager she was.
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She goes, you know, Ed, I bet you don't think, I bet you it's
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not as bad as you think because there were people early on that
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heard something of God using me even in in a teaching the Bible
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without even really knowing how to teach the Bible.
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There were people already hearing me at such an early time
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in my walk that were telling her and telling me, I think you're
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going to be a pastor. And like, I don't know, I don't
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think I want to be a pastor, but I, you know, I know I want to be
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faithful to the Lord. And then Marie was going and
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they were telling me, you better be ready to be a pastor's wife.
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You married a pastor? She says, no, man, I married a
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drunk. I didn't marry a pastor.
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But God does a great work, huh? And so I we got to get it.
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It's a cassette, so we got to get it first.
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I got to find a cassette player. But I was so excited because
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I've been looking for it because I don't know quite what I'm
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going to hear or what I'm going to receive.
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But I do want to be encouraged in the Lord on how far I've come
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and and Even so whatever it is, what however I hear, I'm not
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going to be critical about or anything, but I am going to be
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thankful that now from 1992 here into the year 2024, I still get
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to serve the Lord, I still get to teach the word.
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And he's been so faithful. And, you know, that's what
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longevity does in your walk. I'm so grateful that I haven't
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fallen into some temptation that's come my way.
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Or you haven't woken up one morning and opened up your
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browser. And then there it is on the
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Denver Post. Pastor fallen away or pastor did
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something. No, God has been faithful.
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And the thing that the thing that is helpful for you is that
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if God has been faithful in my life, he's faithful in your life
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and you're going to make it through.
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But you got to keep your eyes on the Lord.
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It's kind of the theme that we're going to be in this month
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and this coming year. You, you, it.
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It doesn't come without its perils.
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It doesn't come without its warfare.
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It doesn't come without its attacks on your family, on your
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kids. It doesn't come without the the
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real, the relational issues that happen in church and all the
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tension and all the hurt and all the pain.
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The enemy loves division. He loves to destroy lives.
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He loves to destroy churches. And the way above that is to
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walk in the Spirit. Keep your eyes on the Lord and
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he'll show himself faithful. And though a man falls seven
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times, he'll rise again. And so the encouragement that I
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have for you is clean your house.
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You'll find all kinds of things. Clean your house spiritually.
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Clean your house physically and you'll never know.
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So you might find you start cleaning your house like a deep
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clean. And you might find some book
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that someone gave you 10 years ago.
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And it's like, man, the Lord's been faithful all these years.
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I remember when this brother was thinking of me and praying for
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me and was so nervous and gave me a gift.
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And maybe it'll just stir up love and good works in your
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life. You know, they say that you
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usually find what you're looking for.
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So when you're looking for the good, you're going to find the
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good. And when you're looking to bless
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someone, you're going to bless someone, and you're looking to
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encourage someone, you're going to encourage someone.
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And so make that decision this year to seek the Lord.
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Here we are back in Genesis in chapter 48147 years.
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But Jacob made it. That's encouraging.
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Jacob made it. And even in his life, he didn't
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start out so well, but he made it.
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So it's not just how you begin church, it's how you finish.
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Because as I'm going through all those pictures and I'm going
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through all the past, I'm. I see people in those pictures
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that aren't walking with the Lord anymore.
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And they were sitting right where you were, or they're
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sitting over in the school, or they were out here serving in a
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key position in a very important position.
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Some they don't even call upon the name of the Lord anymore.
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Some of them that used to be here serving ministering, you
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know, they're they've taken an antagonistic approach to the
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church. They've taken an antagonistic
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approach toward this church trying to tear down the work of
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God. But they used to serve here.
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What happened? They're not finishing well.
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They've taken their eyes off the Lord.
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They've forgotten about the grace of God and about the
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goodness of God. And they began so well.
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And we're not going to edit them out of the pictures because God
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used them in a season. But they're there.
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You can pop them up and go, oh man, what happened?
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That brother and those guys are not even married anymore.
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And it's sad. It's sad.
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That's one of the things, you know, one of the benefits of
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longevity is you get to enjoy all sorts of things.
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And one of the difficulties of longevity is, man, there's a lot
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of people that started the race. They're not in the race anymore.
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So here you are and I'm admonishing you.
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I'm admonishing you. Hard things are going to happen.
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Difficult things are going to happen.
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You're going to face hardship in this church, in this world.
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And I'm just telling you, don't quit the Lord.
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Don't quit the Lord. Don't buy into the enemy's lie.
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Don't live a self deceived life. Don't ever take a position
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against God and his church. You don't want to be messing
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with the bride of Christ. You know it's his bride, the
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church belongs to him, and it's just man the enemy would love.
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You don't begin so well, don't get a good start.
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And then just quit and drop out of the race.
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In Hebrews chapter 12, the Bible says in verse one.
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Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud
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of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so
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easily ensnares us. And maybe the sin for some
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today, as we were praying, is anger.
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Maybe that's the sin you need to lay aside.
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Lay aside anger. It's no longer, and never really
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has been a tool that's benefited you.
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Never has your anger produced the righteousness of God ever.
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So lay aside that sin and let's run.
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The Bible says in Hebrews 12, with endurance, the race that's
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set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the
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finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him,
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endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
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right hand of the throne of God. And because all of those in the
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Hall of Fame made it, as you read through Hebrews 11, we can
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make it. They encourage us.
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It's slow and steady growth. Don't let it upset you.
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Don't let your slow and steady growth upset you.
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Expect it. Don't be deceived into thinking
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that you're not making any progress because it's not
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happening as fast you know, or the you have someday, where your
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flesh just goes crazy and you're like man, I don't even know if
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I'm saved or not. Like you wouldn't even be
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thinking about whether you were saved or not if you weren't
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saved. And if you're not saved, then
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repent tonight and let's take care of it right now.
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Like that. That reality of the old man and
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the old women showing up every once in a while is true.
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Is is can be a truth that you are saved and that you're
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fighting the good fight. But don't walk in the flesh.
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Don't live in the flesh and know that God's work is often done
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patiently but always perfectly, just like Jacob.
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So come back to the text 147 years old verse one.
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Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told.
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Indeed your father is sick and he took with him his two sons
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Manasseh and Ephraim. And Jacob was told, Look, your
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son Joseph is coming to you. And Israel strengthened himself
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and sat up on the bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, God
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almighty appeared to me, it was in the land of Canaan, and
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blessed me, and said to me, Behold, I'll make you fruitful
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and multiply you, and I will make you a multitude of people,
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and give this land to your descendants after you as an
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everlasting possession. He's an old man.
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His senses, he senses these are the last days of his life.
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He talks about the set, you know his sickness is known and they
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go and tell Joseph that his dad is sick.
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And remember Joseph, Jacob has been blessed with 17 years of
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life with Jacob and some look at that and go, well look Joseph.
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He had Joseph had the 1st 17 years of his life spent with his
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dad and now his dad gets to spend the last 17 years of his
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life with his son Joseph after all these years thinking that he
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was dead. And there was this point in
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Jacob's life where they thought he was going to die.
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They thought he was sick and in his last moments and they go and
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get Joseph, notice Joseph takes his two kids and then Jacob is
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told in verse two that he's coming.
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And then I love this in verse three.
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Well, really at the end of verse two Israel strengthened himself
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and sat up on the bed. And remember, as we were
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studying through the life of Jacob, often but not always, but
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often Jacob, when he's referred to as Jacob, it's kind of a
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reminder of his past. And then he's referred to as
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Israel. That's the newness of his life,
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the the sense of now he's governed or controlled or ruled
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by God. So here you have the spiritual
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side where he's referred to as Israel.
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He strengthens himself. He gets as much energy as he
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possibly can to sit up on the bed.
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And then Jacob tells his son, God Almighty, Appeared to me, it
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was in the land of Canaan and blessed me.
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His memory is still working even though his body is wearing down
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and he thinks back to that place, loves where God appeared
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to him twice and blessed him. You got to have those Ebenezer
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stones church and holding on to the high points in your life and
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the faithfulness of God so that when things get tough you can
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think back to the times of faithfulness.
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That's what Jacob's doing here. He's just remembering God's
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faithfulness. Here's Jacob.
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I think you could say as Israel all the self-confidence is gone
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and all the scheming is gone and all the game playing is gone.
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All of his plans and trying to work a deal and work something
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out, it's all gone. And Jacob in his final moments
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is relying upon the Lord. It it led me to a question for
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myself but also for you, and that's this.
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How long will it take us to stop relying upon ourselves so much?
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I hope it doesn't take 147 years because we're probably not going
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to get it. But how long, proportionately,
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is it going to take your whole life before you start to enjoy
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the life of relying upon the Lord?
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Is it? Is it going to take that long?
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Is it going to be only your latter years where you have
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you're so sick and you're so weak you have to strengthen
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yourself to sit up in bed and you don't really have the
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ability to interact with people. You sort of wish like Jacob
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would have done this so much earlier.
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He could have avoided so many troubles and toils.
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But but for us today, we can decide to lay aside our
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self-confidence and to lay aside our schemes and our games and
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our plans and choose to depend upon the Lord.
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We don't have to wait 147 years or to the latter years of our
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lives. We can ask for God's forgiveness
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today. We can learn from Jacob.
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And I think if Jacob was here we had a chance to give us a
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testimony. That's what he'd tell us to do.
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Don't go learn from my mistakes, Jacob would say.
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Learn from my mistakes. Remember in First Corinthians
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chapter 10 and verse 11 it says all these things happen to them
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as examples and they were written down for our admonition.
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Many times people will ask why are you studying the Old
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Testament? First of all it's the word of
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God. But one of the other reasons is
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these things were written to warn us, to strongly warn us and
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to teach us how to live our lives.
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Jacob remembered the promise of God.
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Notice what he says here. He remembered in verse 4.
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Behold, I'll make you fruitful and multiply you, and I'll make
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you a multitude of people and give this land eater sentence.
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He remembered and lived his life on the promises of God.
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So not only did he remember the goodness of God in episodes like
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it was and and the appearances of God, but he also remembered
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the promises of God. And that's going to be a fuel in
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your life and mine to remember the promises of God.
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How about this one? For those of you that are lonely
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and just really wrestling with loneliness right now, the Bible
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says that God has promised never to leave or forsake you.
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So in a very real way, you're not alone or as alone as you
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think. Because God has promised His
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presence in your life. And not just for the lonely.
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How about for the ones that are wrestling with sin right now?
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One of the reasons why you are in fellowship tonight is because
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you it's already a couple days into the New Year and you're
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already living like a backslidden life and you go, I
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just got to get to church and he's like, but but if I don't
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get to church, like maybe God will leave me.
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No, God will never leave you. He'll never forsake you.
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He'll even use your failures, your your hardness.
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You know you're here today. You just got the hardness of
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heart when the God hasn't forsaken you.
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You can forsake God, but he won't forsake you.
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He keeps his promises. Jacob in his last day, the last
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moments of his life is living on the promises of God.
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God promised him a nation, a land and blessings.
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And here he is leaning on them. Verse 5.
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And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to
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you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine
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as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
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I was rereading this before I came out today, just going
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through the text again, reviewing my notes, praying
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through it. And this verse was so great
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because here is Jacob being united with grandchildren that
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he never met until God got him to Egypt.
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So all these years of separation from his grandkids and here he's
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right in front of them enjoying them and even claiming them as
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his own. And what a promise That was a
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beautiful passage of God bringing about because he, he
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thought he, you'll see in a moment, you know, he thought he
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lost his son, but not only you get his son back, but he also
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got his grandkids. And through all that separation,
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I thought, that's so cool, so good.
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Verse seven, he says. Actually in verse six your
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offspring whom you bigot after them shall be yours.
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They will be called by the name of their brothers and the
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inheritance. But As for me, verse 7, when I
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came from Pedan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan
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on the way. Then then, when there was but a
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little distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there
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on the way to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem.
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These grandsons, they're going to become tribes of Israel, and
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they'll share in the wonderful blessings of God.
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And now as Jacob is talking through with his grandkids
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there, but he also remembers the the journey and he remembers
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losing his precious wife, whom he loved.
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And I mean, I think if it was up to him, he would have married no
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others. And Rachel was the one that he
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fell in love with. So it's fitting now that Joseph
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gets the inheritance and the rights of the first born.
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Notice in verse 8. Then Israel saw Joseph's sons
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and said, who are these? And Joseph said to his father,
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they are my sons whom God has given me in this place.
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And he said, please bring them to me and I'll bless them.
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I mean gets to bless his own grandkids.
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So good. Now the eyes of Israel will dim
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with age, so he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near
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and he kissed them and embraced them.
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So Jacob, he's old. He's having trouble seeing just
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like his dad Isaac did toward the end of his life.
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Eye disease would be very common in the Middle East by the way,
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with the sandstorms and the brightness of the sun and the
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environment. They all fact together factor
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together to common eye disease in that area.
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And he says just bring them to me that I might bless them.
22:42
It is important moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, great
22:48
grandmas, great grandpas, that you bless your kids, that you
22:54
speak blessings over them, that you pray blessings over them.
22:58
Why? Because our kids, the Bible
23:00
says, are a blessing from the Lord.
23:03
Whether you are a parent tonight or not, you have kids, by the
23:07
way. I think of that in my own life.
23:09
You know, I my kids, they've grown up.
23:12
But the kids of Calvary, like I take, I take responsibility for
23:15
your kids in the sense that I'm going to answer to the Lord for
23:18
the for having them under my care.
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And I love your kids. I mean, think about it.
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They're not. Not only are your kids watching
23:24
me, but your kids are watching you too.
23:27
I mean, the kids of our church, they're not like the future of
23:29
our church. They're like, one day when you
23:31
guys grow up, you'll be the church.
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Every single kid here is born again.
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And even under the covering of the grace of God is the church.
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Already the kids are important here.
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They are vital. And the kids of Calvary, you
23:46
could say, are your kids. They watch you, they copy you.
23:50
They look up to you as a model of what a Christian looks like,
23:53
not just in the building here. I mean, again, those of you who
23:56
parents, you're going to take your kids home today, right?
23:58
You're going to take your kids home.
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Don't leave them here. We'll put them to work.
24:02
But we can't. They can't stay all night.
24:03
So you're going to take your kids home with you.
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And what's more important is how you are in the car on the way
24:08
home, how you are at home, how you are in the kitchen.
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They're watching you. They they look to you for
24:15
direction. They look to you as an example.
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We are not the primary disciples of your kids.
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You are. They're your kids.
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We have the privilege of coming alongside of you and helping
24:28
you. But they're your kids.
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The best blessing that you can pray over your kids.
24:33
The blessed best blessing that you can give to your kids.
24:37
The best blessing that you can share with your kids.
24:39
You ready is a good example. A good example that God would
24:47
use you or kids, whether they say it out loud or not, whether
24:53
when they grow up preparing them, when they grow up in the
24:55
world tries to rip them off or even trying to rip them off
24:58
right now that they would say, hey, that's what a grown up
25:01
looks like. I want to be like them.
25:04
I want to follow that model. I hope you love kids because
25:09
Jesus love kids because you know, sometimes you get old and
25:12
you know I don't like these kids, so that's your problem.
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You better pray about it and repent.
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Jesus loves kids. You don't want to be on the
25:20
other side of the love of Jesus. Do you remember that time when
25:24
parents wanted to bring their kids to Jesus and his own
25:27
disciples Rebuke them? Listen to what the Bible says,
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Matthew chapter 19 and verse 13. Then little children were
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brought to him that he might put his hands on them and pray, but
25:36
the disciples rebuke them. Can you imagine that?
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No, no, no, don't let it happen. You can't go talk to Jesus.
25:43
Get your kids away from Jesus. I mean seriously.
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But Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not
25:51
forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of heaven.
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And he laid his hands on them and departed from there.
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Now, I know it's just church attendance, and I know it's just
25:59
a church service. I don't want to say it lightly
26:01
because we're not to forsake the gathering.
26:02
But like, on a Wednesday night, I think of how many parents make
26:05
their decisions about how cranky their kids will be up in the
26:08
morning instead of getting their kids to church and having them
26:13
as an example. And yeah, you know, probably
26:15
some of you pay your parents tonight.
26:16
Your kids are probably going to be all whacked out tomorrow.
26:18
So let them be whacked out. That's what kids do, you know,
26:23
send them to school without combing their hair.
26:24
How about that? And see and say you better wake
26:27
up in a better mood, you know, but kids are kids.
26:29
Let them be kids, but get them in.
26:32
Show them the pattern. Let them know, maybe explain to
26:35
them. They may not even realize, hey,
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you don't understand how hard it is to be together on Wednesday.
26:39
Because I know you guys wake up all upset and and it's harder
26:42
and we got to do our extra work. But it's worth it.
26:45
They need to hear that you're the disciples.
26:46
You get to tame everything. It's a discipleship moment with
26:49
your kids. And I know parents again, I've
26:52
raised three kids myself. Lots of failures, lots of
26:55
mistakes as a dad, no doubt about it.
26:57
And we can only remember all the mistakes and all the failures.
27:00
But you know that's not the entirety of your parenting.
27:04
It's not. And at any moment you can turn
27:07
things around and do things differently and the Lord will
27:09
even take care of the past. But you've got to love kids.
27:13
Please pray for the kids, whether you have them or not in
27:16
our church. Pray for the grandkids in our
27:18
church. They face so much and they deal
27:21
with so much. That's why we have plans right
27:24
now. We're working diligently on
27:27
really going hard in discipling you as parents on how to
27:32
disciple your kids. We're going to invest so much
27:35
time and energy and resources in completely revamping our
27:41
children's ministry because that's the place.
27:45
That's the future. Teaching parents how to be
27:47
disciples and to pour into their kids.
27:52
And it's going to take some time because we want to do it right,
27:55
because it's hard right now. It's hard for you in the world.
27:58
Anybody. Amen.
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Is it hard for you as adults? So imagine as kids not having
28:02
the same ability and wisdom and maturity that you have.
28:07
They're responding to the same thing.
28:08
The world's just throwing it in their face.
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And they're in the world like you, but not of the world.
28:13
So Jacob, he says bring them here because I want to bless
28:16
them. And maybe that's a new habit you
28:18
can develop in your, in your home.
28:20
Just something to add, just like in your mind, you know, you you
28:23
might have a new habit. You will have a habit where you
28:25
go and pray with your kids before they go to bed.
28:28
That's the last thing they hear before they fall asleep.
28:30
And then maybe somewhere in the day, maybe, you know, after
28:33
dinner or something, just bring the kids here and let me just
28:35
pray a blessing over you. And you know, you do that 2345
28:39
times a week. The rest of their life, what are
28:41
they going to receive but the blessings of the Lord and God's
28:45
going to use that. And then when we start
28:47
presenting to you things to help you learn how to disciple, how
28:50
to train your kids as you start seeing the changes downstairs,
28:53
where changes are already being made under Pastor Andy and
28:56
Lauren's leadership, like already happening, then when we
28:59
invite you to do it, the only thing we can't do is make you do
29:02
it. We want you to.
29:04
We invite you to it's the future.
29:07
It's the future of discipling children is discipling you now?
29:12
I was noticing also when I review my notes tonight that
29:15
when I I I my my computer. Auto corrected a word.
29:21
So let me read it to you the way they auto corrected this line.
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That's why we have plans to go really hard in disciplining
29:27
parents I've met the thing never does Discipling, it always
29:33
changes it. But in disciplining parents,
29:36
we're not going to do that. But that's what Microsoft that's
29:38
what Microsoft wants to do for you.
29:40
Disciplining parents. Verse 11, verse 11 And Israel
29:44
said to Joseph, I had not thought to see your face, but in
29:51
fact God has also shown me your offspring man.
29:56
I had to pause there too. When I was reading this again, I
29:59
didn't even, I didn't. I didn't ever expect to see your
30:02
face. But now I get to see your kids.
30:05
I never even expected that I would have grandkids.
30:08
And now I get to see them. Jacob had no idea that God would
30:11
bless him this way, No idea From all the points in his life.
30:16
He was sorrowful. He lost his wife.
30:19
He lost his son. His kids were rotten.
30:23
They were just rotten boys that grew up into rotten men.
30:29
I mean, his life, remember. He even got to that place where
30:32
he's like, everything's against me.
30:35
That's Jacob's life. I mean, how far and how hard
30:39
does life need to be where you sit down and you're just like,
30:42
everything's against me. I can't look to anywhere for
30:46
encouragement. I feel like God's abandoned me
30:50
and here he is, how quickly God just changed it.
30:55
And it happened so fast. He was all these years He
30:59
separated, and then it just happened so fast.
31:02
And God is so good, so faithful. He's overcome with emotion here,
31:06
and it's God's desire to bless you.
31:08
Church, you may not see it right now.
31:11
You may be in a bummer of a situation.
31:13
You may be stretched. You may feel like there's no way
31:16
out. You may feel like you're in
31:18
bondage, addiction, imprisoned, struggling, that that happy days
31:22
will never come like you. You may.
31:25
You may be in the worst situation, but there's coming a
31:28
day when you will see and experience as wonderful
31:31
blessings again. It's coming.
31:35
He's not hover, hovering over you, trying to pounce you or to
31:37
shame you or to beat you or to make things worse for you.
31:41
God, no. He's hanging out.
31:42
Ready to forgive you. Ready to restore.
31:45
Ready to repair. So that here you are like this
31:47
man. I just.
31:48
I never thought I'd see you again.
31:50
But now am I seeing you. But I'm seeing my grandkids.
31:54
He was ready to bless in Psalm 86 and verse five.
31:58
It says for you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive and
32:03
abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you.
32:09
And you know you can just claim the promises of God.
32:11
Isn't that great? You can claim the promises of
32:14
God. You can hold fast to them.
32:16
You don't know when it's going to happen.
32:17
You don't know how it's going to happen, but you can claim those
32:20
blessings and say, Lord, I receive it.
32:22
I I think in my own life I will see my grandson.
32:25
I claim that blessing that's coming, that's coming in my
32:29
life. And I wonder what tonight, as
32:30
you will see and what God is speaking to your heart, that you
32:33
can just hold on to that promise.
32:35
So I don't know what's going to happen.
32:36
I don't know how it's going to happen, But God will have his
32:39
way because his will will come to pass.
32:41
That's the truth. And so notice with me in verse
32:45
12 it says, So Joseph brought them from, brought them from
32:48
beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.
32:52
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward
32:56
Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward
32:59
Israel's right hand, and brought them near him.
33:02
And then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on
33:05
Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on
33:08
Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly.
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For Manasseh was the first born. And he blessed Joseph and said,
33:16
God, before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac walked.
33:20
The God who has fed me all my life long to this day.
33:23
Verse 16. The Angel who has redeemed me
33:26
from all evil blessed the lads, Let my name be named among them,
33:31
and the name of my father's Abraham and Isaac.
33:34
And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the
33:38
earth. Now the right hand is known as
33:40
the hand of strength, the side of strength.
33:42
Not to put down those that are left-handed, but that's the
33:45
tradition and it's a picture of strength.
33:47
So Joseph puts the boys on his dad's lap.
33:49
First born Manasseh on the right side, second born Ephraim on the
33:53
left. And Jacob.
33:55
He crosses his hands and knows exactly what he's doing.
33:58
No doubt that he loved them both.
33:59
But Ephraim was to become the leader above his brother, which
34:03
was directly the will of God and pressed upon through Jacob.
34:08
And I see a principle here, you know, because you have these
34:11
expectations, we have these expectations, But sometimes God
34:15
goes around our expectations. Have you ever noticed that you
34:18
you have an expectation. It might even be a good
34:20
expectation. It might even be a valid
34:22
expectation. But sometimes God chooses
34:26
differently. And I look at this choice here
34:28
from Jacob and his grandkids and I say I see that God.
34:32
I'm reminded that God doesn't choose any man because of their
34:36
natural abilities or their natural talents.
34:39
But we do know that God will use them.
34:41
But that's not always the way he chooses.
34:43
If all we needed was natural talent and birth order, if
34:46
that's all that was necessary to be used of God, then everyone
34:50
would be in full time ministry. But it's normal for us to look
34:54
at the outward and to make decisions outwardly because
34:58
Joseph's like, no, no, no don't do that, he says in verse 17.
35:01
When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head
35:04
of Ephraim, it displeased him. So he took hold of his father's
35:07
hand to try to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's
35:10
head. And Joseph told his dad Not so.
35:13
Dad for this is one, is the first born.
35:15
Put your right hand on his head. But his father refused and said
35:19
I know my son, I know. And can't you hear that?
35:22
Can't you hear verse 19? I mean, can't you just get this
35:25
could be a whole. I will say maybe I'll develop it
35:27
at another time and deliver it at the right time.
35:29
But like, don't. Can't you hear right now?
35:32
Like, no, God, this is what I want.
35:34
This is the way it's supposed to be.
35:36
This is how it goes. And and and you hear right here
35:39
it says, I mean the words right here, his father refused.
35:42
It's almost like you can hear your Father in heaven.
35:44
Your Father in heaven refuses. No, I'm not.
35:47
I'm not switching it back. I know what I'm doing.
35:50
I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing when I
35:52
close that door. I know what I'm doing when I
35:54
open that door. I know what I'm doing when I
35:56
cross my hands. And you think it's going to be
35:58
one way, but I'm going to do another.
36:00
And you put up a big fight and you put up a big resistance.
36:03
And you can just hear, like, almost like the Heavenly Father
36:05
just says, hey, I know what I'm doing.
36:08
I refuse to do things your way. And that almost like heavens was
36:11
saying, well, now will you refuse to do things my way?
36:15
Because that's the choice when things don't go our way, when
36:19
things aren't the way we plan, when our expectations aren't
36:22
met, we're always met with the same choice.
36:24
Will you go my way? God says, or will you try to
36:28
take my hands and manipulate me? How many people do this in life?
36:33
Try to manipulate God? You want to know how many?
36:36
All of us, we all do this from time to time.
36:41
We might do it in our minds. We might do it physically.
36:44
We might do it in many ways. Sometimes it's resistance,
36:47
sometimes it's outright rebellion.
36:49
But there we are. No, no, no, no, no, no.
36:51
Father, Father, you got it all wrong.
36:52
Let me move your arms. This is how it's supposed to be.
36:55
And God says no, this is how it's supposed to be.
37:00
This is how it's supposed to be. So he refused.
37:04
He says, I know. And can't you hear heaven right
37:07
now speaking to your heart right now?
37:09
I know God says to you today, I know what I'm doing.
37:14
I know what I'm doing in your life.
37:16
I know what I'm doing in your singleness.
37:18
I know what I'm doing with your kids.
37:20
I know, I know you can trust me. And notice he says in verse 19,
37:25
He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great.
37:29
But truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and
37:32
his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.
37:35
So he blessed them that day saying by you Israel will bless,
37:40
saying, May God make you as Ephraim and a Manasseh.
37:43
And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
37:45
And Israel said to Joseph, behold, I'm dying, but God will
37:49
be with you and bring you back to the land of your father's.
37:52
Moreover, I've given to you one portion above your brothers,
37:55
which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my
37:59
bow. So there's still a little bit of
38:02
that favoritism. And Jacob, there's still a
38:04
little bit expressing his love in this way, but that's how God
38:08
made him. You know, sometimes you want
38:09
people to change so much, but you just got to accept that's
38:12
how God made him. Just trust them with the trust
38:14
the Lord to trust them to the Lord with their life.
38:18
But Joseph, he tries to correct his dad.
38:21
He can't correct his dad, and neither can you yield.
38:25
The best thing we can do is yield to the direction of the
38:27
Lord. Trust him.
38:30
Hold on to his promises. Trust him.
38:33
Bless, you know be a blessing to the kids and you kind of look
38:37
through this. It's such a beautiful thing And
38:38
you can read ahead in chapter 49.
38:41
It's a little bit longer chapter is now the blessings of all the
38:44
kids will come through and it's so powerful and so prophetic as
38:49
Jacob now gets to bless the tribes.
38:52
And this turn of events is just from the Lord.
38:54
But it was hard to get there. It was hard to get there.
38:59
And this is where the steady growth as we close, it's
39:01
important to realize this is a normal process.
39:04
There's progress, there's push back.
39:07
There's progress, there's stumbling, there's progress.
39:10
Then there's the flesh. Sometimes there's a big fall,
39:14
sometimes there's a falling away.
39:16
Where you now the Lord's calling you back home.
39:18
But the progress of the believer is slow and steady.
39:22
It's a walk. It's forward.
39:26
It is not a good start. It's a good start and a good
39:30
middle and a good finish, so that through their through the
39:34
faithfulness of God, through the ups and downs, it all becomes a
39:38
part of your testimony. And that's where victory comes.
39:41
We learn in Revelation, isn't it that they overcame the enemy.
39:44
They overcame in the spiritual warfare.
39:46
How? By the blood of the Lamb.
39:48
And what the word of their testimony.
39:51
Because whenever you share the word of the testimony not only
39:55
of the Presence in the High and Holy Jesus Christ, but also what
39:59
Jesus has done in your life. There is power.
40:02
The enemy cannot undo the work of God in your life.
40:07
And so it's important, you know, we talk about sharing the gospel
40:09
with people. Yes.
40:11
And part of sharing the gospel is giving your story.
40:15
That's just telling what God has done and especially for people
40:18
that know you, people that know you.
40:20
I was again going through pictures yesterday and I came
40:22
across my high school graduation picture with my buddy Jack, and
40:27
I sent it to them to him and his wife Debbie.
40:30
And you know, it's just, it's just it was not a good season in
40:34
our lives and we were really messed up, both of us together
40:37
and had made some really bad mistakes already by the time we
40:40
had graduated high school. And so it was a little bit of
40:42
back and forth and texting last night, but the final text was,
40:46
but look what God has done. Look what God has done.
40:49
God is able to take even the worst of situations and turn
40:54
them around and use them for His glory.
40:57
Unless you still doubt that, just come back to the scriptures
41:01
and go read Jacob's life again and go read Joseph's life again.
41:05
And oh by the way, you have one too.
41:07
It may not be as bad, but how bad does it need to be to give
41:11
God the glory? It doesn't have to be as bad as
41:13
Joseph. Who wants a life with Joseph?
41:15
I don't. Who wants a life like Jacob?
41:16
I don't. But I mean, how long?
41:18
How bad does it have to be until you finally give God the glory
41:22
for the goodness of his faithfulness in your life?
41:25
It doesn't have to be any worse than it is right now.
41:27
As you begin to God, give God the glory and begin to tell
41:30
others about the love of Christ. Amen.
41:33
So, Father, thank you for the slow and steady growth that
41:35
you've given to us all and even some of the pictures of just
41:37
such great memories, Lord, and. And even as we didn't have a lot
41:41
of pictures back then like we do today, and so to stumble across
41:45
a picture of this moment of time of, you know, really there was
41:50
no, there was no future, no real human future for that young man
41:58
in the picture. I mean it.
42:02
You saw something completely different.
42:06
You saw the end. No, I couldn't see past the day,
42:13
but you saw the end. And Lord, I pray that over our
42:17
church, you see the end. Today is not the end.
42:22
There's more to come. The best is it yet to come.
42:26
And even if we don't experience the best is yet to come.
42:29
Here on earth you're coming. You're the best.
42:33
You're going to come and rescue us.
42:35
You're going to sustain us. And so, God, we want to give you
42:39
the glory tonight for the great things that the Lord has done,
42:43
that you have done in our lives. And we just thank you, God, for
42:47
your faithfulness. In Jesus name, Amen.
42:52
We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study
42:54
delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
42:58
For prayer. Call us at 87730 Grace.
43:02
That's 877-304-7223. To listen to this message in its
43:09
integrity or to join us for our live stream services, visit us
43:13
online at Calvary, Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
43:18
Church app, Be Blessed as You Worship Jesus this week.