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The Root Of Bitterness (Part 3) · Apostle Lazarus Femi

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  Speaker 1: Apostle Fermi Lazarus is a man raised by God to
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  Speaker 1: demonstrate his wisdom and authority to the last day church.
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  Speaker 1: He is the lead pastor of Sphere of Light Church
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  Speaker 1: and God told him years ago that a time will
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  Speaker 1: come where my wisdom will be needed to navigate tough
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  Speaker 1: times in the body of Christ. Then I will cause
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  Speaker 1: your voice to be heard and all who pay attention
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  Speaker 1: to my word on your lips will will not lack
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  Speaker 1: light and direction. He is a man sent from God,
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  Speaker 1: sent to raise God's end time hours. With Apostle Fermi Lazarus,
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  Speaker 1: every minute counts as you listen attentively.
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  Speaker 2: Welcome to Bible study. God bless you. Amen. You may
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  Speaker 2: please be seated. Amen. Amen. I think to lay a
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  Speaker 2: proper foundation for my teaching tonight, there's an important question
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  Speaker 2: on my mind. And I think it is a necessary
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  Speaker 2: one I've asked myself several times you've been in places
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  Speaker 2: that things are looking beautiful maybe the question I should
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  Speaker 2: ask is when is the party going to be over
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  Speaker 2: and I'm going to explain that question you want to
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  Speaker 2: ask your neighbor when is the party going to be
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  Speaker 2: over it's a very important question Sometimes couples need to
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  Speaker 2: ask themselves, when is the party going to be over?
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  Speaker 2: It looks as though every human relationship that we enjoy
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  Speaker 2: looks like a form of party. And sometimes you are
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  Speaker 2: so excited to meet someone, someone in your life. You're
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  Speaker 2: excited about the contribution they bring and the difference they make.
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  Speaker 2: And all of a sudden it's like the wine is finished.
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  Speaker 2: And you are confused. That the same people who have
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  Speaker 2: once said to each other that you are the very
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  Speaker 2: milk in my tea. Now the guy said I'm going
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  Speaker 2: to drink the tea bland. I can do without milk. Amen.
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  Speaker 2: Have you wondered how to... It happens everywhere, from our
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  Speaker 2: campus days, everywhere. Two best friends. All of a sudden,
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  Speaker 2: can't even say hello again. Maybe you'll ask the question again.
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  Speaker 2: Hope this party is not going to be over soon.
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  Speaker 2: And it's because we have not been able to deal
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  Speaker 2: with the cancer that eats up human relationship, which is
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  Speaker 2: strife and bitterness. People have things they are not talking about.
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  Speaker 2: Sometimes for fear. I'd love to talk to this person.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know how this person is going to take it.
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  Speaker 2: I want to talk to this person. I don't know
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  Speaker 2: how this person is going to see it. And we
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  Speaker 2: seem to swear A note of silence. And things go bad.
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  Speaker 2: Things get really bad and messy. Let me give you
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  Speaker 2: an important counsel. It is very possible to have long relationships.
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  Speaker 2: It is very possible. Most of the things that destroy
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  Speaker 2: relationships can be seen. And most times relationships go bad
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  Speaker 2: because we assume. You assume. We assume many things. We
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  Speaker 2: take risk. The fact that someone is excited around you
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  Speaker 2: doesn't mean the fellow plan to stay longer. That's it.
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  Speaker 2: You have to know how far is too far. Don't assume.
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  Speaker 2: Even in pastoring people, we don't just have pastors in
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  Speaker 2: the sphere of light church. We don't assume. We want
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  Speaker 2: to be sure. As God called you here, do you
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  Speaker 2: think he may call you later? So that we can plan.
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  Speaker 2: You see that now? We can plan. And even when
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  Speaker 2: the answer is no, he has not called me yet,
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  Speaker 2: he may not call me later, I end up by saying,
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  Speaker 2: he has not heard God yet. Let me tell you something.
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  Speaker 2: There are beautiful relationships that cannot survive one fight. Because
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  Speaker 2: you might be loving but not durable. And if you
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  Speaker 2: are not durable, you should not be trusted. Right? You
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  Speaker 2: see that now. One of the signs of character is
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  Speaker 2: that you have learned not just the heart of loving people,
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  Speaker 2: but the heart of forgiving people. And if you are
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  Speaker 2: going to do life the way God intends for you
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  Speaker 2: to do life, you must learn to forgive people in advance.
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  Speaker 2: You must learn to give people advice. People wake up
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  Speaker 2: on different sides of the bed and they can say
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  Speaker 2: many funny things. One of the things I have done
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  Speaker 2: for my heart is that I don't have anyone in
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  Speaker 2: my cycle who is telling me what anybody says about me.
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  Speaker 2: God is not interested in me knowing. I don't have anybody. Oh, Apostle,
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  Speaker 2: have you seen what they said about you? I don't have.
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  Speaker 2: That's why I can teach prophetically. That's why we have
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  Speaker 2: a resident pastor. That's why I prefer not to counsel anybody.
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  Speaker 2: So I can be prophetic. So nobody will say that, ah,
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  Speaker 2: you see what I told him, he's willing to preach now.
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  Speaker 2: Let the case rather be, I wanted to talk to him,
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  Speaker 2: but he has preached about it. So I understand that
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  Speaker 2: you love the person you are with. There's a party
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  Speaker 2: going on. But can you survive when the initial wine
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  Speaker 2: is exhausted? And water has to be turned to wine.
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  Speaker 2: Can you survive the moment that there is love but
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  Speaker 2: there's no emotional connection? And it happens in marriage. Oh marriage.
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  Speaker 2: Oh marriage. When I met my wife, I felt we
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  Speaker 2: would never argue. I felt argument. I felt we wouldn't.
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  Speaker 2: I could almost swear my life to it. That a
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  Speaker 2: day would never come that I would argue with you.
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  Speaker 2: It's okay. Anything. It's okay. Just go ahead. Fine girl.
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  Speaker 2: Just do what you want to do. Don't worry. Or
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  Speaker 2: sometimes you hear yourself say, what did you say? Okay.
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  Speaker 2: And then you are worried. There is no human relationship
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  Speaker 2: that will not go through its own turns. We must
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  Speaker 2: learn how to survive. We will be able to relate
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  Speaker 2: for so long if I don't expect too much from you.
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  Speaker 2: And if you don't expect too much from me. It's
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  Speaker 2: as simple as that. Maybe when you save every contact,
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  Speaker 2: put it there. Godwin, human. Toby, human. You see that? Barista, human.
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  Speaker 2: Just so you can know. Your wife too, sweet love, human.
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  Speaker 2: Daddy Joe said, the first equation to a good marriage
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  Speaker 2: is that angels... don't eat what? Jollof rice. Eh? When
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  Speaker 2: you just get married, eh, cabala trekinamai. Say, I cannot,
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  Speaker 2: cannot you carry your leg just, that's new wife, new wife.
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  Speaker 2: You are the angel. The day you catch that angel
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  Speaker 2: eating Jollof rice, change the name. Angels don't eat what?
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  Speaker 2: So if your spouse is eating rice, it means somehow
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  Speaker 2: they are not perfect. That's just the simple equation. If
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  Speaker 2: you invest more emotions into a relationship than wisdom, it
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  Speaker 2: will crash. Don't just invest emotions. Invest wisdom. Be wise.
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  Speaker 2: Be wise. Be wise. Tonight, I don't know how I'm
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  Speaker 2: going to be able to teach all that I have
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  Speaker 2: to teach in one night, but I'm going to try.
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  Speaker 2: Is that okay? I'm going to what? I'll try. I'm
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  Speaker 2: not promising you that I will finish, but I'm going
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  Speaker 2: to try. Last week, we studied predominantly, I think, two characters.
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  Speaker 2: The person of Absalom, and then we touched a bit
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  Speaker 2: of the person of David. Ahithophel was discussed on the side,
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  Speaker 2: but today we are going to be studying three characters.
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  Speaker 2: We're going to be studying Jacob, we're going to be
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  Speaker 2: studying Reuben, we're going to be studying Levi. Is that
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  Speaker 2: okay now? Three characters. I showed you last week Hebrews
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  Speaker 2: 12 from verse 14. Hebrews 12 from verse 14. Let's
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  Speaker 2: turn our Bibles there. Hebrews chapter number 12 from verse what?
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  Speaker 2: 14 says, Follow peace with all men and holiness, without
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  Speaker 2: which no man shall see God, see the Lord. Look diligently,
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  Speaker 2: lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest
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  Speaker 2: any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby
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  Speaker 2: many be defiled. Verse 16 is quite concerning because it said,
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  Speaker 2: lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau,
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  Speaker 2: who for one more cell of meat sold his birthright.
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  Speaker 2: Verse 17. For ye know how that afterwards, when he
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  Speaker 2: would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he
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  Speaker 2: found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
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  Speaker 2: with tears. To understand Hebrews 12, verse 16 and 17 well,
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  Speaker 2: I recommend... that you will listen to my teaching, the
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  Speaker 2: series we are running currently in Lekki, The Market Called Life.
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  Speaker 2: Am I correct? Yes. It's a very insightful one, and
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  Speaker 2: I need you to pay attention to that series. The
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  Speaker 2: application is deep and wide. Okay, so here the Bible
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  Speaker 2: is lightning fast. one who is given to bitterness as
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  Speaker 2: a fornicator. When the Bible described Esau, so you look
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  Speaker 2: at Esau and say, Esau never fornicated. What he did
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  Speaker 2: was that he took porridge in exchange for his bed, right?
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  Speaker 2: Am I correct? But when the Bible was going to
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  Speaker 2: describe that, it said he's a fornicator. So a fornicator
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  Speaker 2: is one who exchanges I'm something big for something small.
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  Speaker 2: So when you become bitter, you are about to mortgage something.
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  Speaker 2: Most times, bitterness comes to take people away from where
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  Speaker 2: their inheritance is. Bitterness. It's actually a function of change
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  Speaker 2: in focus. Focus. You must always remember the reason why
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  Speaker 2: you are doing what you are doing. You must always
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  Speaker 2: remember the reason why you love your wife. Why you
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  Speaker 2: said she's the one. Or why you said he's the one.
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  Speaker 2: You must always remember. There will be 1001 reasons not
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  Speaker 2: to remember. I'm telling you. There will be. There will be.
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  Speaker 2: I know those of you who are currently dating may
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  Speaker 2: not believe this one. But there will be. That person
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  Speaker 2: that can't hurt a fly will hurt you. Oh yes.
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  Speaker 2: Knowingly or unknowingly. Oh yes. Oh yes. That person is
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  Speaker 2: going to hurt you. The fellow will say things that
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  Speaker 2: will hurt you. Or do things that will hurt you.
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  Speaker 2: Or whatever it is. But you must always remember that
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  Speaker 2: is the strength of character. Our world is full of
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  Speaker 2: people who make bogus promises. I'm with you. But what's
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  Speaker 2: the value of your word? We measure that by looking
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  Speaker 2: at the length of relationships in your life. What's your pedigree?
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  Speaker 2: How have you been able to keep your words over
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  Speaker 2: the years? Why should I trust you? Why should I
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  Speaker 2: believe you? Why should I put you at the peak
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  Speaker 2: of the things I'm doing? Why should I trust you?
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  Speaker 2: When you can misunderstand me one day and you are
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  Speaker 2: nowhere to be found. Why should I do that? You see,
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  Speaker 2: when we look at the might of God, one of
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  Speaker 2: the things that should amaze you is the lightness of
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  Speaker 2: his heart. How that not for once, as God said,
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  Speaker 2: I'm going to remove my faithfulness from your life. The
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  Speaker 2: Bible said he caused the rain to fall both on
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  Speaker 2: the good and the wicked. Not for once. Imagine if
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  Speaker 2: I would hurt you the way you have hurt God.
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  Speaker 2: Just imagine somebody offended you the way you have offended God.
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  Speaker 2: The way you say, God, I swear I would never
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  Speaker 2: do it again. That same night you are back there.
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  Speaker 2: And he understands. Amen. I said amen. Amen. Can we
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  Speaker 2: lift our hands and just say, thank you, Jesus. You
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  Speaker 2: must be careful. If not, at the end of the day,
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  Speaker 2: you will have nothing really good in your life. Bitterness
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  Speaker 2: would have stolen everything. So straight to my teaching, which
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  Speaker 2: I hope God, I believe God is going to help me.
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  Speaker 2: Let's narrow our gaze quickly. I wrote here that the
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  Speaker 2: root of bitterness runs very deep. Usually it hides behind
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  Speaker 2: unresolved issues that have been kept over time, mixed with assumptions.
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  Speaker 2: Because once you are angry, you stop talking. You see that?
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  Speaker 2: And then assumption takes over. Assumption, they say, is the
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  Speaker 2: lowest degree of man's intelligence. That's the lowest use of
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  Speaker 2: man's intelligence. That's the lowest use of man's intelligence. That's
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  Speaker 2: the lowest use of man's intelligence. So you can't assume.
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  Speaker 2: Many times when people are angry, if I don't have
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  Speaker 2: anything against you and you look at me, I don't
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  Speaker 2: have anything to suspect. But if I feel I have
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  Speaker 2: something against you, I will read meaning to your every look.
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  Speaker 2: Look at the way she looked at me. You are
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  Speaker 2: the one communicating to yourself what is not. A person
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  Speaker 2: giving to assumption will be in pains all the time.
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  Speaker 2: It's going to make you insecure. Are you seeing the
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  Speaker 2: usher that took the offering basket? That the usher passed me.
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  Speaker 2: Did not give me to give offering. That's why I
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  Speaker 2: don't like church. Are they trying to say that I'm broke?
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  Speaker 2: Is it because of the shoe I wear? Do you
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  Speaker 2: know who I am? Do you know where I'm coming from?
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  Speaker 2: That's what I don't like. Forget about all those grammar
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  Speaker 2: they are speaking. Now you are saying all those things
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  Speaker 2: about an usher who doesn't even know you exist. You
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  Speaker 2: probably just missed a step. Assumption will frustrate you first.
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  Speaker 2: Tell you. Assumption will frustrate. Sometimes you are... Maybe your
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  Speaker 2: wife has offended you and she's looking somehow and you
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  Speaker 2: are assuming that look at this woman. Look at the
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  Speaker 2: way she's looking. Can you see the way she's looking
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  Speaker 2: at me? It's over to apologize. Look at the way
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  Speaker 2: she's looking. You are saying all those things by yourself.
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  Speaker 2: And meanwhile, what she's thinking is, how can I make
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  Speaker 2: him happy? And you are reacting from the information you
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  Speaker 2: are giving yourself. And you are frustrating yourself. Tell your neighbor,
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  Speaker 2: stop assuming. Stop assuming. Stop assuming. Amen. So like I said,
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  Speaker 2: today we're going to study three characters. We're going to
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  Speaker 2: study the character of Jacob, Reuben, and Levi. Let's just
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  Speaker 2: go straight to it. Genesis chapter number 49. Genesis 49.
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  Speaker 2: And I'm going to start the reading from verse 1.
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  Speaker 2: Genesis chapter number 49, we'll start reading from verse 1.
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  Speaker 2: And Jacob called unto his sons and said, Gather yourselves together,
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  Speaker 2: that I may tell you that which shall befall you
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  Speaker 2: in the last days. Are you seeing that in your Bibles?
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  Speaker 2: Gather yourselves together that I may tell you what to
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  Speaker 2: befall you in your last days. Now, verse 2 now.
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  Speaker 2: Gather yourselves together and hear. Ye sons of Jacob. And
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  Speaker 2: I came unto Israel your father. Verse 3. Reuben. You
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  Speaker 2: are my firstborn, my might, the beginning of my strength,
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  Speaker 2: the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Unstable
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  Speaker 2: as water, you will not excel because you went up
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  Speaker 2: to your father's bed and you defiled it. He went
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  Speaker 2: up to my couch. So let me explain that. So
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  Speaker 2: what he said is that, Ruben, you are my firstborn
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  Speaker 2: and this and all that. But he said you will
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  Speaker 2: not excel And I said, because you went on to
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  Speaker 2: your father's bed. Then he turned to the rest. He
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  Speaker 2: went into my couch. He was explaining the reason why
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  Speaker 2: he felt that Reuben deserved the cross. You know, for
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  Speaker 2: so long, when I read the story of Reuben, I
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  Speaker 2: always felt he was a very bad boy. What's the
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  Speaker 2: height of it? To be crushing on your father's baby.
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  Speaker 2: That's the height. I said that's the height of it.
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  Speaker 2: What can be more terrible? Huh? To crush on your
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  Speaker 2: father's baby. Is that not what is terrible? Yes. Let's
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  Speaker 2: read again.
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  Speaker 1: Hmm.
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  Speaker 2: Look at it from verse 3. He said, Reuben, you
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  Speaker 2: are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength,
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  Speaker 2: the excellence of dignity, and the excellence of power. He said,
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  Speaker 2: unstable as water, you shall not excel because you went
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  Speaker 2: up to your father's bed and defiled it. I went
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  Speaker 2: to my couch. Um, there's a statement there. And I
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  Speaker 2: want us to investigate the use of word that was
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  Speaker 2: used there. Um, um, um, For instance, there are cultures
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  Speaker 2: that the language they speak, as attributed to it, respect.
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  Speaker 2: For instance, in Yoruba, you say, eh, you are speaking
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  Speaker 2: to somebody older. You say, oh, you are speaking to
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  Speaker 2: somebody who is either eight-month or younger. If you don't
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  Speaker 2: know what to use, there's also a way to say it.
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  Speaker 2: You just avoid using either of the both. And talk. Okay.
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  Speaker 2: There is a way to say it. So it looks
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  Speaker 2: as though. When Jacob was talking. He was avoiding something.
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  Speaker 2: He said. Ruben. You went into your father's couch. We
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  Speaker 2: have a question sir. Daddy Jacob. Which of the couch?
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  Speaker 2: Who did he sleep with? Will she to you? Is
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  Speaker 2: that an important question? I probably would have felt bad
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  Speaker 2: if he said, Ruben, you went into your father's wife. Now,
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  Speaker 2: either of the divide is bad. We just want to
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  Speaker 2: assess how bad is the bad. Is that simple enough?
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  Speaker 2: Because it looks as though Daddy Jacob was avoiding a nomenclature.
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  Speaker 2: And we are going to dwell around that nomenclature. Who
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  Speaker 2: did he sleep with? Who is the person to you?
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  Speaker 2: Why can't you say it before your children if you
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  Speaker 2: are so proud about it? It's a very important question.
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  Speaker 2: But before we get to understanding what Daddy Jacob was saying,
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  Speaker 2: maybe we need to do a bit of check When
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  Speaker 2: did Reuben sleep with the person? Did you confront him?
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  Speaker 2: What did you say? Who told you? Did you see
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  Speaker 2: it yourself? Why did you wait till your final day
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  Speaker 2: on earth to place something on him that cannot be reversed?
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  Speaker 2: Maybe another important question is, was Ruben that bad? And
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  Speaker 2: as I started checking, I started seeing things that were
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  Speaker 2: quite concerning. Anybody who understands psychology, if you read this scripture,
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  Speaker 2: then you know what happened. When you're angry, With a person.
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  Speaker 2: You can't wait to address the matter. True? If you
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  Speaker 2: have 20 people to talk to, and then one in
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  Speaker 2: particular has done something bad, you want to first exhaust
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  Speaker 2: on the person. True? Come, come, come. Because if we
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  Speaker 2: read Genesis 49, you'll see that what Jacob did was
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  Speaker 2: to address the matters he has bottled. The first three.
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  Speaker 2: That's what he did. Let's continue. Alright, go to verse
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  Speaker 2: 5 now. Simeon and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty,
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  Speaker 2: are in their habitations. Yes? Oh my soul, come not
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  Speaker 2: thou into their secret, unto their assemblies. Sorry? Yeah. Mine
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  Speaker 2: honor will. Alright? Sorry. No, that's not the... Let me
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  Speaker 2: read from my own Bible or something. Okay. Okay. Simeon
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  Speaker 2: and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
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  Speaker 2: O my soul, come not into their secret. Unto their assembly,
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  Speaker 2: my honor, be not thou united. Wow. They said, let
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  Speaker 2: them go, but let them not carry my honor. There's
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  Speaker 2: something here, and I need us to be able to
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  Speaker 2: look at it. So let's check this. Again, we are
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  Speaker 2: not saying Reuben does not deserve some punishment. But when
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  Speaker 2: you say that he will not excel with his seeds
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  Speaker 2: in his loins, you have condemned the generation. So what
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  Speaker 2: we want to check is that has Reuben done anything
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  Speaker 2: before in the past that we can even look at
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: and say let's lighten the weight of the punishment at least. Right?
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: Can we open a case file for Reuben Huh? Can
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: we open a case file for Ruben? I understand. What
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: he did was bad. When I changed my result in school,
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: it was bad. It was very bad. Okay? It was
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: very bad. I can't tell how many times I changed
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: the result. But I think I had to change it
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: just once. You know, there's a way they deal with
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: you that once. That if the thought comes again... You
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: by yourself, we say, get me, I be Satan. You
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: by yourself. And I remember, did I do it once?
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: I think once. I think once. My dad welcomed me.
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: He turned it to the back. He said, wow. Fantastic.
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: I said, yes, I tried. From 33 to Todd. I said,
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: I tried. I tried. I said, wow. He said, go inside.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: Go and eat. I can't tell if it was that one,
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: but there was one particular one that I knew that
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: this one, they caught me. So I was going to
• 28:35
  Speaker 2: just open the door of our living room and throw
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: my bag inside. They run. In those days, you run
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: towards the neighbor that knows how to beg. as I
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: threw the bag inside the hell man. So, you know,
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: this is where it ends. In a moment, the hope
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: of the future disappears. You can't even, you can't imagine
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: any future. It ends here. I just knew. And there
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: are times that there are people who are able to
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: open a case file for you and say, you know,
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: he's a good boy. And while they are saying that,
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: They will lighten the weight of the punishment. Has Ruben
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: never done anything good to deserve this? So let's check.
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: Genesis chapter number 37. Genesis 37. Let's start the reading
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: from verse... 18. So what I'm going to do, please
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: look up everybody. The... to my teaching today is that
• 29:50
  Speaker 2: I'm going to go into the future, I will start
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: from the future, then go back to the past, then
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: go to the future, then go back to the past.
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: Is that okay? So we can have robust understanding. Very important.
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: And when they saw him, so this was the case
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: of Joseph and his brothers. When they were planning to
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: kill Joseph. And why were they trying to kill Joseph?
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: Because his father had indicated that this was his favorite.
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: Note that. And when they saw him from afar off,
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: even before he came near unto them, they conspired against
• 30:35
  Speaker 2: him to slay him. And they said one to another,
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: behold this dreamer comet. Come now therefore, let us slay him.
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: And cast him into some pit. And we will say
• 30:52
  Speaker 2: some evil beast. That devoured him. And we shall see.
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: What will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it.
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: And he delivered him out of their hands. And said.
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: Let us not kill him. Wow. So we are finding out.
• 31:12
  Speaker 2: That he wasn't that bad. He may have his issues.
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: but he's also a very kind young man. Before we
• 31:24
  Speaker 2: go further into the issue here, the question is, what
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: kind of siblings arrange to kill their brother? What kind?
• 31:40
  Speaker 2: Automatically you can tell. The same father, but different mothers. Dysfunctionality.
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: And we are also going to open the case file
• 31:51
  Speaker 2: of Jacob to see how bad his own issue to us.
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: It was Reuben who said, don't kill him. Don't let's
• 32:01
  Speaker 2: kill him. Look at it. It reverted him out of
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: their hands and said, let us not what? Kill him.
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: Verse 22 now. And Reuben said unto them, shed no blood,
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: but cast him into this pit. Alright. Alright. That is
• 32:17
  Speaker 2: in the wilderness. And lay no hand upon him. That
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: he might. Now this is the reason why he did that.
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: That he might read him out of their hands. To
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: deliver him unto his father. Again. So Reuben was. There
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: to shield Joseph. So he said. Let's put him in
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: this pit. But his intention was. When we put him
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: in this pit. I will go behind the back. And
• 32:44
  Speaker 2: give our daddy again. Now look at verse 23. And
• 32:49
  Speaker 2: it came to pass when Joseph was come up into
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: his brethren that they stripped Joseph out of his coat,
• 32:57
  Speaker 2: his coat of many colors that was on him. Yes.
• 33:01
  Speaker 2: And they took him and cast him into a pit
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: and the pit was empty and there was no water
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: in the pit. Yes. Verse 25. And they sat down.
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: So after throwing him into the pit, you know what
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: they did? They sat down to eat bread. They were
• 33:18
  Speaker 2: eating bread. They were so cold towards him. They sat
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: down to eat bread. And they looked up their eyes
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: and looked behold the company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh grain
• 33:36
  Speaker 2: to carry down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren,
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: What profit is it if we slay our brother and
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites.
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: and let not our hand be upon him, for he
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were
• 33:50
  Speaker 2: content with that. Alright? And then there passed the Midianite
• 33:56
  Speaker 2: merchant men, and they drew a little of Joseph out
• 33:59
  Speaker 2: of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: 20 pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold, Joseph was
• 34:10
  Speaker 2: not in the pit, and he rent his clothes. That is,
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: he mourned for him. He cried. The reason why Jacob
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: was alive in the first place was because Reuben saved Joseph.
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: If Reuben had not saved Joseph... the famine that was
• 34:44
  Speaker 2: killing people would have killed them. Reuben was the prophetic
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: orchestration behind their migration to Egypt. It was because he
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: preserved Joseph that Joseph went to Egypt that the rest
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: followed Joseph to Egypt. So if there was no Reuben,
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: there is no going to Egypt. It means if there
• 35:04
  Speaker 2: was no Reuben, there was no need for a Moses
• 35:06
  Speaker 2: to emerge. If there was no Reuben, there would never
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: be Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He was the
• 35:16
  Speaker 2: prophetic wheel behind it. His path may look small, but
• 35:21
  Speaker 2: it was important. It was important. Even not too much.
• 35:32
  Speaker 2: But the role he played was pivotal. Let's ask a
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: few questions. Did Jacob ever love Ishmael and Reuben? The
• 35:53
  Speaker 2: answer is no. Why did Jacob love Joseph more than
• 36:03
  Speaker 2: the rest? And I'll tell you why. Because Joseph was
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: the first child of Rachel. You know Rachel? That babe
• 36:11
  Speaker 2: that he worked 14 years for. So, before Joseph was born,
• 36:22
  Speaker 2: Leah had given birth to Reuben, had given birth to
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: her mother's children. None of that mattered to him. But
• 36:31
  Speaker 2: the moment Rachel gave birth to Joseph, all his affection
• 36:35
  Speaker 2: went to Joseph. And they were seeing it. What kind
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: of a father parried one in the midst of other
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: eleven with a coat of many colors? That's a father
• 36:47
  Speaker 2: that destroys his own house. One of the principles about
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: fatherhood is to conceal your favorite. What I'm about to
• 36:58
  Speaker 2: show you now is true both to spiritual families and
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: earthly families. Let me tell you. The one wearing the
• 37:08
  Speaker 2: coat of many colors will be destroyed by the rest.
• 37:13
  Speaker 2: Copy and paste. I'm not going to elucidate. Copy and paste.
• 37:17
  Speaker 2: Copy and paste. The one wearing the coat of many colors.
• 37:24
  Speaker 2: The rest will come for that one. And that's why
• 37:26
  Speaker 2: if you have a family where or a church where
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: everybody can talk about anybody. Everybody is gossiping to the pastor.
• 37:33
  Speaker 2: It's the end of gossip. The one you are frontiering
• 37:38
  Speaker 2: that we are giving this person opportunity, they will bring
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: that one down. A father. A father. Should never listen
• 37:50
  Speaker 2: to gossip. Let me leave it there. Huh? Are you
• 37:59
  Speaker 2: still here? We are going somewhere very important. We are
• 38:04
  Speaker 2: going somewhere very important. So I was wondering. Ruben must
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: probably have done something really bad. But he wasn't that bad.
• 38:21
  Speaker 2: Did they ever confess that they sold their brother? Huh?
• 38:25
  Speaker 2: Did they ever confess? They never did. Joseph. Did Joseph
• 38:32
  Speaker 2: ever tell the father that they sold me? He never
• 38:36
  Speaker 2: did either. You think they moved on cleanly? No. I
• 38:41
  Speaker 2: don't have time to show you today. The grudges was there.
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: If it was not there, why did he not send
• 38:48
  Speaker 2: for them when he became prime minister? Why? He never
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: sent for them. He never asked about the father. He
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: never went to look out for them till they came.
• 39:00
  Speaker 2: Even when famine was killing people everywhere, he never did.
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: Note that. Note that. I wrote here that Reuben's intervention
• 39:17
  Speaker 2: was a prophetic intervention. It was necessary in determining their
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: journey to Egypt, the emergence of a Joseph in Egypt,
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: the reunion of the rest with them in Egypt. which
• 39:30
  Speaker 2: better the emergence of a Moses and we have all
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: the beautiful stories because Reuben did what? intervene so the
• 39:42
  Speaker 2: man was laying curse on his children you see bitterness
• 39:47
  Speaker 2: is mostly generational Let me share a quick story with
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: you so you can have background about Jacob and the
• 39:54
  Speaker 2: kind of guy he was. In Genesis chapter number 27,
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: I don't have time to read, I'm just going to
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: speak from there. Genesis 27, one day Isaac said to Esau,
• 40:06
  Speaker 2: he said, go and prepare for me a venison. He said,
• 40:10
  Speaker 2: I want to bless you, then I will go and
• 40:13
  Speaker 2: join the ancestors. So Esau went out to prepare the
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: venison and then The mother now called Jacob and said,
• 40:21
  Speaker 2: your father wants to bless your brother, but I am
• 40:23
  Speaker 2: going to get it for you. He said, quickly now,
• 40:26
  Speaker 2: go and get that coat. I will prepare it for you.
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: You will serve him. Okay? So he did. Isaac was
• 40:32
  Speaker 2: on his deathbed. Esau had gone to look for the venison.
• 40:36
  Speaker 2: He didn't go to play. He went to look for what?
• 40:39
  Speaker 2: The venison. Jacob was there waiting on the mother to finish.
• 40:43
  Speaker 2: The mother finished, skinned the animal, clotted on Jacob's Jacob
• 40:48
  Speaker 2: went before the father, received the blessing from the father.
• 40:53
  Speaker 2: Esau came, saw that his brother was scarcely gone from
• 40:58
  Speaker 2: the father's side. The blessing had left. Esau came. The
• 41:03
  Speaker 2: father said, I bless your brother. Esau and Jacob will
• 41:06
  Speaker 2: be sworn enemies. On Isaac's deathbed, he was looking at
• 41:10
  Speaker 2: his wife. You conspire to deceive me. The man will die.
• 41:13
  Speaker 2: The wife will never see him again. He was going
• 41:16
  Speaker 2: to die. That family never came back again. The entire
• 41:22
  Speaker 2: family gone in one moment. They never looked back. Jacob
• 41:27
  Speaker 2: ran with his staff, never came back. Esau followed after
• 41:32
  Speaker 2: to kill him. Isaac dead. The mother who conspired left alone.
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: So he also came from a former background that wasn't
• 41:45
  Speaker 2: so nice. And sometimes you can hate it till you
• 41:50
  Speaker 2: repeat it. It is not enough to hate it. You
• 41:53
  Speaker 2: can hate it so bad that you fail to get
• 41:56
  Speaker 2: the wisdom not to do the same thing. Why was
• 41:59
  Speaker 2: there the chaos in the first place? Because the father
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: showed favoritism. God had already spoken that the blessing should
• 42:06
  Speaker 2: go to Jacob. God spoke. There was no need for
• 42:09
  Speaker 2: drama if there would be obedience. God spoke. There was
• 42:11
  Speaker 2: no need for drama. God spoke. God spoke. But the
• 42:15
  Speaker 2: father's favorite was Esau. Maybe for the kind of meat
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: he was bringing. What was his favorite? Huh? And what
• 42:30
  Speaker 2: did he do also? Joseph, the firstborn of Rachel. Oh
• 42:34
  Speaker 2: my heart. I love you so much. You take the
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: coat of many colors in the midst of his brethren.
• 42:43
  Speaker 2: Dysfunctionality always bears dysfunctionality. Always. So he didn't like Joseph
• 42:54
  Speaker 2: because Joseph was a good boy. He loved Joseph because
• 42:58
  Speaker 2: of the mother. If you take time to open their
• 43:05
  Speaker 2: book one by one and check their life, you will
• 43:08
  Speaker 2: discover that Joseph was not even that good. What kind
• 43:12
  Speaker 2: of a boy have a dream and tell the brothers,
• 43:14
  Speaker 2: I saw all of you bowing before me? It is
• 43:19
  Speaker 2: very easy to laugh until you call family meeting tomorrow
• 43:21
  Speaker 2: and your younger brother is telling you. That until I
• 43:25
  Speaker 2: saw you and your husband and everybody, you are bowing
• 43:28
  Speaker 2: to me. You say, come, bring down your head here.
• 43:32
  Speaker 2: Let me teach you how it is done. You might
• 43:37
  Speaker 2: call him a child, but he was an arrogant child.
• 43:42
  Speaker 2: And why did he have the audacity to say that?
• 43:44
  Speaker 2: Because of the father's pampering. Even Joseph will not fulfill
• 43:49
  Speaker 2: his destiny without problem. Sometimes the greatest threat there is
• 43:55
  Speaker 2: to the purpose of God for your life is pampering.
• 43:59
  Speaker 2: People can love you so much you will never become.
• 44:02
  Speaker 2: Everybody just wants to like you. Hey, why so nice?
• 44:06
  Speaker 2: And that's how you will not be cooked. Even when
• 44:09
  Speaker 2: you have done something bad, oh, don't worry. You need haters.
• 44:13
  Speaker 2: Even though you don't have a prayer life. You need
• 44:16
  Speaker 2: somebody who will tell you, I can't wait to see
• 44:17
  Speaker 2: you dead. So you can wake up and smell the coffee.
• 44:20
  Speaker 2: You need haters. A Joseph will never adjust without being sold.
• 44:26
  Speaker 2: Never adjust. He was used to being the best. When
• 44:34
  Speaker 2: he felt fly in Potiphar's house, God said, no, the
• 44:37
  Speaker 2: class is not complete, but you need to be back
• 44:39
  Speaker 2: to the prison. He felt, oh, he was the topmost
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: in the priesthood. They forgot him there again. Till he
• 44:44
  Speaker 2: came to the end of himself. Where only grace can
• 44:48
  Speaker 2: bring him out. You see, the point you get where
• 44:51
  Speaker 2: only God can help you. Where all the beautiful contact
• 44:54
  Speaker 2: are exhausted. That's the point you find God. Where is God?
• 45:00
  Speaker 2: He's at the end of your rope. He's at the
• 45:04
  Speaker 2: end of your rope. God is where your strategy ends.
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: That's where he is. Wear your methods, your means, your plans,
• 45:13
  Speaker 2: all the things. 2024, I'm going to do this. At
• 45:17
  Speaker 2: least it is very certain that that 2024 will pass
• 45:20
  Speaker 2: if it will be God. Let me give an instance.
• 45:26
  Speaker 2: A guy just get up January 1st and say, 2024,
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: I'm going to get my wife. You've not even had
• 45:35
  Speaker 2: bad eggs yet. This one is ex-convict. That's what you're
• 45:46
  Speaker 2: about to have. That 2024 will now become the year
• 45:49
  Speaker 2: of story. Because whatever plan you have without attaching grace
• 45:54
  Speaker 2: as a factor, you will discover that you can't get
• 45:57
  Speaker 2: it done. You can't get it done. You can't get
• 46:00
  Speaker 2: it done. Particularly a junction as dicey as the junction
• 46:04
  Speaker 2: of marriage. It is never a function of the kind
• 46:07
  Speaker 2: of makeup or beauty It is a function of God
• 46:10
  Speaker 2: who brings bones to bones. It is. Have you seen
• 46:15
  Speaker 2: people that share stories that, the day I just say,
• 46:18
  Speaker 2: let me even just, you know, when women do this stuff,
• 46:20
  Speaker 2: let me just even just get something out there safe.
• 46:24
  Speaker 2: That's the day I say, hey, how are you doing?
• 46:27
  Speaker 2: I've been trying to talk to you all the while.
• 46:32
  Speaker 2: When it is grace, it is effortless. It is effortless.
• 46:39
  Speaker 2: It is effortless. Unforced rhythm of grace. Say it again.
• 46:43
  Speaker 2: Unforced rhythm of grace. Say it again. Unforced rhythm of grace.
• 46:51
  Speaker 2: It is effortless. Now look at this. When did Reuben
• 47:02
  Speaker 2: sleep with his father's wife? Genesis 35 verse 22. Was
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: it the father's wife Was it the father's babe? Whatever
• 47:10
  Speaker 2: it was. Genesis 35. Verse 22. If you're there, say amen.
• 47:20
  Speaker 2: So let's journey a bit. Because something had just happened
• 47:23
  Speaker 2: in the family of Jacob that made it even more
• 47:26
  Speaker 2: painful for Jacob. Okay? So let's jump a bit. Let's
• 47:34
  Speaker 2: start from verse 16. Genesis 35 from verse 16. And
• 47:38
  Speaker 2: they journeyed from Bethel. And there was but a little
• 47:42
  Speaker 2: way to come to Ephrat. And Rachel traveled. And she
• 47:48
  Speaker 2: had hard labor. And it came to pass when she
• 47:52
  Speaker 2: was in hard labor. That the midwife said unto her,
• 47:55
  Speaker 2: fear not. Thou shalt have a son also. And it
• 47:58
  Speaker 2: came to pass. As her soul was in departing. For
• 48:02
  Speaker 2: she died. So Rachel died giving birth. that she called
• 48:07
  Speaker 2: his name Benoni. But his father called him Benjamin. And
• 48:14
  Speaker 2: Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrat,
• 48:19
  Speaker 2: which is in Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon
• 48:23
  Speaker 2: her grave. That is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto
• 48:27
  Speaker 2: this day. And Israel journeyed and spread its tent between
• 48:31
  Speaker 2: the Tower of Edah. And it came to pass when
• 48:33
  Speaker 2: Israel dwelt in the land, that Reuben went to lay
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: with Bila, his father's concubine. Eh? And Israel heard it.
• 48:44
  Speaker 2: Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. I didn't understand.
• 48:49
  Speaker 2: You love Rachel. She just died. In her lifetime, you
• 48:55
  Speaker 2: already loved another. How? What kind of a man are you?
• 48:59
  Speaker 2: I thought we saw, the one you labored 14 years for,
• 49:02
  Speaker 2: so she will not suffice. 14 years of hard labor.
• 49:06
  Speaker 2: That's like 14 years imprisonment. So, the reason why he
• 49:11
  Speaker 2: said you went into your father's couch is because it
• 49:15
  Speaker 2: was heavy to say that you went into your father's babe.
• 49:19
  Speaker 2: It was... my, you, you, father and son were actually
• 49:22
  Speaker 2: dragging girlfriend. It was girlfriend. It's bad. It's bad. That
• 49:32
  Speaker 2: a man who is married should have a girlfriend is bad.
• 49:36
  Speaker 2: It's worse that the son now likes the girlfriend. It's bad.
• 49:43
  Speaker 2: We don't have suggestions as touching the age of Bilal.
• 49:48
  Speaker 2: But I want to assume that she will be about
• 49:51
  Speaker 2: the age of one of his children. I want to assume.
• 49:58
  Speaker 2: We were not given the clue. Who was she before then?
• 50:04
  Speaker 2: Was she the girl that Reuben was liking that the
• 50:06
  Speaker 2: father took? We can't tell. We can't tell. But all
• 50:10
  Speaker 2: those questions will not be necessary. if you stay where
• 50:13
  Speaker 2: you are supposed to stay. It won't be necessary. Sometimes
• 50:21
  Speaker 2: a man can, just for his own fun and enjoyment,
• 50:24
  Speaker 2: lead his life in a way that will bear pain
• 50:27
  Speaker 2: for his children. Jake Ruben would never have been cursed
• 50:32
  Speaker 2: if they said that he was touching a girl outside. Hey,
• 50:35
  Speaker 2: don't do that again. You are touching the girl that
• 50:39
  Speaker 2: I like. Who between the both of them paid the
• 50:45
  Speaker 2: bride price for Bila? None. They were chopping and cleaning
• 50:49
  Speaker 2: him out. Who had legal rights to Bila? None. Father
• 51:00
  Speaker 2: chopped and cleaned him out. The son too. Let's give
• 51:04
  Speaker 2: it for that. Let's see. I don't know what to
• 51:07
  Speaker 2: think about this man called Jacob. I don't know what
• 51:12
  Speaker 2: to think about him. Look at it, 35 verse 24.
• 51:15
  Speaker 2: The sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bill. So, hey,
• 51:20
  Speaker 2: the girl was not just a girl, he didn't pay
• 51:22
  Speaker 2: her birth price, he even gave birth for him. Bill, huh?
• 51:25
  Speaker 2: Rachel's handmaid. Huh? See? See? No, he serves them round.
• 51:41
  Speaker 2: Let's read. And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, Dan
• 51:46
  Speaker 2: and Wu, Neftali. The sons of Zilpha, Leah's handmaid, Gad
• 51:54
  Speaker 2: and Asha. So those ones, he gave them two-two. So
• 52:03
  Speaker 2: he had children with Leah, the first wife. He had
• 52:08
  Speaker 2: children with Rachel, the second wife. Then he went to
• 52:12
  Speaker 2: the maid, his concubine. A side chick. The maid. Side chick.
• 52:21
  Speaker 2: The maid. Side chick. Then, Rachel's maid. Rachel! You would
• 52:30
  Speaker 2: never think he could cheat on Rachel. That was the height.
• 52:33
  Speaker 2: That was the height. Let me tell you something. If
• 52:35
  Speaker 2: you don't deal with loss, not even the finest woman
• 52:37
  Speaker 2: can take it from you. Not even the figure eight,
• 52:42
  Speaker 2: whatever it will be. You will still commit. It's just
• 52:46
  Speaker 2: a matter of when. Just a matter of when. And,
• 52:57
  Speaker 2: you know, when I study the genealogy, Abraham's descendant, There's
• 53:02
  Speaker 2: something very common to all of them. Impunity. The sense
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: of thinking I can do what I want to do
• 53:10
  Speaker 2: and nobody can hold me to it. Just in case
• 53:15
  Speaker 2: you don't know that Rachel was still alive when he
• 53:20
  Speaker 2: was already sleeping with that girl. So the family were
• 53:26
  Speaker 2: still grieving that Rachel had died when Reuben now went
• 53:31
  Speaker 2: to So when he came, you know, I was thinking
• 53:37
  Speaker 2: that I wish he left legacy like Abraham. You know,
• 53:43
  Speaker 2: Sarah died too. And they had to get a young
• 53:47
  Speaker 2: girl to warm him up. Are you aware? Well, at
• 53:51
  Speaker 2: least she died. I wish Jacob could boldly say that
• 53:59
  Speaker 2: you went in your father's wife. So why couldn't he talk?
• 54:06
  Speaker 2: Because it was not proper for the both of them.
• 54:11
  Speaker 2: It wasn't right for him. It wasn't right for Ruben.
• 54:16
  Speaker 2: Why did Ruben do it? Because he knew it wasn't
• 54:18
  Speaker 2: right for you too. It's like somebody went to steal
• 54:25
  Speaker 2: the money you stole. Both of you can't complain. Right?
• 54:32
  Speaker 2: Only the owner of the money can complain. True or
• 54:36
  Speaker 2: not true? You went to steal somebody's money, you keep
• 54:39
  Speaker 2: the money somewhere. There's another thief that robs a thief.
• 54:42
  Speaker 2: You know there are thieves that like to rob thieves.
• 54:45
  Speaker 2: So Ruben was that kind of thief that was robbing
• 54:47
  Speaker 2: a thief. So both of them get to the house.
• 54:54
  Speaker 2: Are you looking for anything? No, no, no. They can't talk.
• 55:03
  Speaker 2: I pray for you in the name of Jesus. You
• 55:05
  Speaker 2: will not use your hand to breed dysfunctionality. You will
• 55:10
  Speaker 2: not use your hand to bring problem into your own life.
• 55:13
  Speaker 2: So it simply means if Jacob had lived right, there
• 55:16
  Speaker 2: was no need for his children to be cursed. Just
• 55:19
  Speaker 2: live right. Just live right. Just do what is right.
• 55:25
  Speaker 2: There was no need for anyone to be cursed. Reuben
• 55:29
  Speaker 2: was not cursed because he slept with a girl. Mm-hmm.
• 55:33
  Speaker 2: He was cursed because he slept with a girl that
• 55:37
  Speaker 2: the father said, this is my own babe. I don't
• 55:43
  Speaker 2: know his own problem too. But apparently he too was
• 55:46
  Speaker 2: starting his own. As the firstborn. Father will soon die.
• 55:50
  Speaker 2: I have a right to inherit what is his own.
• 55:52
  Speaker 2: Is he like his girlfriend? The Abrahamic blessing is there.
• 55:55
  Speaker 2: He's not contending for that one. I don't know. I
• 55:59
  Speaker 2: don't know. Ask your neighbor, are you a Reuben? Don't
• 56:07
  Speaker 2: be a woman. So you see the reason why he
• 56:14
  Speaker 2: was pained. Pain to his bone. Then he kept it.
• 56:22
  Speaker 2: He kept it. Never discussed it. When you are pained,
• 56:27
  Speaker 2: say it. Rebuke him. Rebuke it. He never said, waited
• 56:39
  Speaker 2: for the moment that when he says a word, nobody
• 56:42
  Speaker 2: can change it. I have seen bitterness push father to
• 56:50
  Speaker 2: curse their children. You know, already, Jacob did not like Leah.
• 56:58
  Speaker 2: Leah gave birth to Reuben. On top of that, you
• 57:02
  Speaker 2: are still doing this. Have you seen mother's Of fathers
• 57:06
  Speaker 2: that hate their sons for looking like the mother. Because
• 57:10
  Speaker 2: they hate the mother. Yes. A man can hate his
• 57:17
  Speaker 2: own child for looking like the wife that he no
• 57:20
  Speaker 2: longer likes. And a woman can hate her own son
• 57:25
  Speaker 2: for looking like the father that she doesn't like. Maybe
• 57:29
  Speaker 2: they've gone separate ways. More like, who gave you the
• 57:32
  Speaker 2: audacity to talk like him? Who gave you the audacity
• 57:36
  Speaker 2: to look like him? Who gave you the audacity to
• 57:40
  Speaker 2: talk like her? I can't wait for us to start
• 57:47
  Speaker 2: dealing with this functionality again. Because it will amaze you
• 57:50
  Speaker 2: that many children were born into this world to face
• 57:53
  Speaker 2: problems that they did not start. Am I the one
• 57:56
  Speaker 2: who picked her for you? Was there not a time
• 57:58
  Speaker 2: you loved each other? Why can you hate me for
• 58:00
  Speaker 2: looking like her? Why? Is it my fault? Why? There
• 58:06
  Speaker 2: are children who are being taunted in their home every
• 58:08
  Speaker 2: day that you look like your mother. And in the
• 58:10
  Speaker 2: same house they tell that your mother is a witch.
• 58:16
  Speaker 2: Follow God early. So that you will not have a
• 58:22
  Speaker 2: home that is the noisily bed of pain. People can
• 58:30
  Speaker 2: say whatever nonsense they like. See young people on social media.
• 58:33
  Speaker 2: trying to find doctrinal establishment for polygamy. But anyone who
• 58:37
  Speaker 2: is from there will tell you, there is no pain
• 58:39
  Speaker 2: compared to that. There is no pain. Anyone wants to
• 58:45
  Speaker 2: tell you? You say, I can marry as many women
• 58:49
  Speaker 2: as a lady. Me, I just want to. Just be
• 58:53
  Speaker 2: a baby mama. The children who are taking biscuits today
• 59:02
  Speaker 2: will soon begin to ask, Who is my father? Let's
• 59:07
  Speaker 2: just do what is right. But there is a balance.
• 59:12
  Speaker 2: What is the balance? It is possible to be pregnant
• 59:15
  Speaker 2: for a man who is not worth it. There should
• 59:18
  Speaker 2: not be a yardstick to stay there. Restart your life.
• 59:23
  Speaker 2: And when your children start asking questions, own up. That's it.
• 59:29
  Speaker 2: Restart your life. The idea of that because I got
• 59:37
  Speaker 2: pregnant for him, I must marry him. It has killed
• 59:39
  Speaker 2: many women. Sometimes you can be pregnant for a fool.
• 59:46
  Speaker 2: It's a fool that is good looking. And you too
• 59:49
  Speaker 2: agree that you are foolish. Don't just say it's a fool.
• 59:54
  Speaker 2: It takes two fools. No, I agree. I don't like
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 2: just blaming people. No, he was a fool, I was
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 2: a fool. Then we did foolish things. We gave birth
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 2: to you but you are not a fool. So yes.
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 2: It's not a crime to be born. Is that okay now?
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 2: It's not a crime. No child should feel like it's
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 2: a crime to have been brought to this world. No child.
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 2: Are you following what I'm saying here? Very important. But
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 2: if we do life the way the Bible says to
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 2: do it, regardless of the hurt you feel, zip up.
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 2: You will be glad. There is something sweeter than sex.
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 2: It is the dignity of integrity. That you can stand
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 2: at the end of your days and say, I served
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 2: God with my life. Follow my footstep. What a life.
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 2: It's better than any other thing. You don't want your
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 2: children googling about you and they are seeing your pictures everywhere.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 2: Be careful. Be careful. Be careful. Jacob couldn't talk. Reuben
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 2: couldn't talk. The father had stolen it. The son stole
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 2: what he stole. God wasn't happy with the both of them.
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 2: That was not what they learned from Abraham. But that
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 2: was what they were doing. And that's what they were
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 2: doing to themselves. Be careful. Maybe I need to address
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 2: something quickly. You see, Let me beg you. If you
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 2: fail to forgive your spouse, you have the tendency of
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 2: hating the child that looks like your spouse. Or not
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 2: liking that child like the rest. Maybe not hatred. So
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 2: it means that you have the tendency of not getting
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 2: the prophetic implications of their existence. I'm going to show
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 2: you something. maybe today or Sunday, go and check the
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 2: prophecy of Jacob about the sons of Leah. They were wrong.
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 2: He did not capture their future. Jacob never. Do you
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 2: know who Levi was? He was the one holding the
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 2: scepter of priesthood. He never saw it. He just caused
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 2: his anger. He said, let my honor not dwell in
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 2: your house. Meanwhile, God was placing the honor there. Where
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 2: the honor was, was with Levi. He said, let Aaron
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 2: make this breastplate and put this stone there for honor
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 2: and for beauty. The honor of God was where he said,
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 2: let my honor not rest there. Why? It was prejudice.
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 2: That was the issue. The devil saw those cracks and
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 2: he attacked the destiny of those children. It came for them.
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 2: came for them maybe the guy who was so excited
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 2: to prophesy about was Judah among the sons of Leah
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 2: because that one there was nothing you could do about
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 2: him none of these days I'm going to take Judah
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 2: as a person Judah may be among people who are
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 2: committing crime but there is a grace for exemption on
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 2: him don't just follow him last last they are saying
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 2: that the scepter will not depart from him until Shiloh
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 2: comes was not the one even suggesting, let's weekly sell
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 2: this guy. There's no need for the pain and the
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 2: dysfunctionality we face. There's no need for it. Let me
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 2: tell you something. You may not take what I want
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 2: to tell you, but it is true. Anybody who is
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 2: married or who knows will tell you that what I'm
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 2: saying is true. Two people can celebrate 20 years in marriage,
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 2: 40 years in marriage, but they dislike each other to
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 2: the teeth. There comes a time that people just agree,
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 2: there's nothing I'm gaining from you again. Let's just keep
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 2: this for the sake of eternity. Yeah. Yeah, it gets
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 2: that bad. It gets that bad. You say, ah, is
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 2: it possible? What's your forgiveness quotient? No, you have to answer.
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 2: You might be on your way to what I've just
• 1:04:45
  Speaker 2: described now. And you are saying, wow, how quickly are
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 2: you to forgive? To forgive and restore affection. Let me
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 2: tell you something. If a spouse grows up in a
• 1:05:08
  Speaker 2: place that there's Where the person faces rejection. Number one,
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 2: the fellow will find it difficult to forgive. Number two,
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 2: the fellow will find it difficult to restore affection when
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 2: there's pain. Because that is the life the fellow has known.
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 2: We have to examine the results. The effect of all
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 2: these things on children. We have to examine them. So,
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 2: he resented Reuben. Number one, the first product of a
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 2: marriage he never wanted. Who had the audacity to drag
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 2: his girlfriend. He didn't like him for that. If we
• 1:06:08
  Speaker 2: calculate the age of the children, you find out that
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 2: after Ruben slept with that girl, the father still continued
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 2: to have another child. He continued. So, Ruben was following
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 2: Jacob's pattern of infidelity. That was the pattern he was following. This,
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 2: this My heart is quite heavy. I just wish I
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 2: can pause and ask us to pray. Let's pray two
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 2: kinds of prayers. Let the singles ask God, help my
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 2: heart now before I say I do. Help me recover
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 2: from injuries I may not know I have. And let
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 2: the married pray. Father, we receive grace and more wine
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 2: in our marriage. Will you pray the prayer? Yes. The singles,
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 2: help my heart now. Help my heart. I want to
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 2: learn how to forgive. I want to learn how to
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 2: restore relationships. I want to learn how to move on
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 2: from injuries and help me, help me now to get
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 2: it right. And let the married pray, Lord, grace, new
• 1:07:29
  Speaker 2: wine in our home, rid us of bitterness in the
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 2: name of Jesus. Please pray that prayer. You have a minute?
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 2: You have a minute. Pray it. Pray it. Pray it.
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 2: Oh yes, Lord. Help me. Help my heart. Help my heart.
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 2: You can start seeing it from the way you treat
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 2: your friends. From the way you have arguments, from the
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 2: way you keep malice. Please pray. Pray. If you are
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 2: standing beside your wife or your husband, then you can
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 2: hold hands and pray. Pray one for another. And say, Lord,
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 2: help us. Help us. Help us. In Jesus' mighty name
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 2: we are praying. And please be seated. Let me say this,
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 2: that you should not use the opportunity God has given
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 2: you to prepare to mourn singleness. What did I say?
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 2: Don't waste the opportunity God has given to you to
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 2: prepare to mourn what? Singleness. Don't mourn your singleness. Now let's,
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 2: this is my final lens tonight. And this is where
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 2: the matter now gets serious. And this is where I'm
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 2: going to round up tonight. Genesis chapter number 34. Genesis 34.
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 2: Like I said, I'm going to go back to the
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 2: past and come back to the future. Let's look at
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 2: a very important story. So when We... Hey, God. They
• 1:09:26
  Speaker 2: listed all the children that they all had. Huh? You
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 2: would think that was all. But no. There was a
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 2: child that was not mentioned. You can guess who the
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 2: mother was. Leah. Leah. If I picture Jacob, I will
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 2: picture That whenever there is a problem in the house.
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 2: He will say. Children of Leah. I have known. Did
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 2: I cry to marry your mother? Was it not just
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 2: what happened? Genesis 34 from verse 1. And Dinah. The
• 1:10:05
  Speaker 2: daughter of Leah. Why was she not mentioned? That she
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 2: bore unto Jacob. Went out to see the daughters of
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 2: the land.
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 2: Yes. And when Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite,
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 2: the prince of the country, saw her, he took her
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 2: and lay with her and defiled her. Jacob's daughter. Somebody
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 2: had raped her. But she was not just his daughter.
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 2: She was the one that Leah gave birth to. So
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 2: you can tell there was no much affinity. Father to
• 1:11:02
  Speaker 2: daughter affection wasn't there. Leah, stay with your mother. Enjoy.
• 1:11:10
  Speaker 2: So much so that, you see, when you see a
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 2: child that the father did not show affection, the child
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 2: will feel warm in the hands of another. Even when
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 2: they are predators. Don't marry a man because he's good looking.
• 1:11:30
  Speaker 2: Marry somebody who knows what it means to be a husband.
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 2: There's nothing worse the devil can do to a girl
• 1:11:45
  Speaker 2: than to insist that a girl's father will not cover.
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 2: A woman's first interpretation of affection is from the love
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 2: the father gives. So she went out to see. And
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 2: it was very easy for Shechem to sleep with her. Very,
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 2: very easy for Shechem to sleep with her. There are
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 2: four tendencies that can come from a girl not having
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 2: a father's affection. The first one is the tendency to
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 2: be addicted to love. That is, you just want people
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 2: to show you love. You just want people to show
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 2: that they love you. You just want somebody to, and
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 2: when they show it, you feel that's the end of
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 2: the world because you've not seen the authentic. The second
• 1:12:39
  Speaker 2: one is to be un-elderly independent. To be detached. Detached.
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 2: do not want to have anything to do with the male.
• 1:12:57
  Speaker 2: Sometimes it could be because the father wanted a male
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 2: child and the girl was born. Then in a bid
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 2: to impress him, she becomes a male with her courage.
• 1:13:13
  Speaker 2: Let me leave it. Amen? So, when Shechem, the son
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 2: of Amod the Evite, the prince of the country, saw her,
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 2: he took her and lay with her and defiled her.
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 2: And he sold Cleve to Dina, the daughter of Jacob.
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 2: And he loved the damsel and spake kindly to the damsel. Now,
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 2: you compare this guy with the case of, what's his
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 2: name now? Amnon. You see that the difference is clear.
• 1:13:49
  Speaker 2: But that doesn't make this one love either. Amnon saw
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 2: her come, slept with her, then hated her. It wasn't love.
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 2: The fact that this one slept with her too and
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 2: still felt affection towards her does not make it love.
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 2: You know why? Love is patient. If you loved her,
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 2: do the right thing. Some people argue with us when
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 2: we say that. Hey, singles, fear God. Don't start leaving
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 2: couples like when you are not married. It's going to
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 2: destroy the foundation and say, no, no, no. You can't
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 2: tell what is happening. We've been doing it for three
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 2: years and he still loves me. A man who is
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 2: cheating with you on God will cheat on you with
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 2: somebody else. Can I come again? A man who is
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 2: cheating with you on God will cheat on you with
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 2: somebody else. You laid the foundation. When you were enjoying
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 2: your own, you were drinking Sprite and meat pie. Somebody
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 2: else will continue from where you stopped. No, it's a law.
• 1:15:06
  Speaker 2: People don't know. People don't know what they are talking about.
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 2: And fools are loud because media give everybody a voice.
• 1:15:15
  Speaker 2: And you feel because you can type means you know
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 2: what you're saying. You might not know Jack. And just talk.
• 1:15:22
  Speaker 2: Do you know what pain is? Do you know your
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 2: life can become so complicated you can't tweet? You don't
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 2: even have phone to tweet. I saw, and it has
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 2: happened several times, but I saw recently somebody went to
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 2: do a video somewhere I said, this is one of
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 2: the old Nigerian musicians, sang a song. I used to
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 2: know the song. I used to sing the song. I
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 2: used to like the song. And one of the things
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 2: he said that touched me, he said, the guy does
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 2: not even have a phone. And I went on YouTube
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 2: when I saw the video, and I saw that one
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 2: of his songs has 1.2 million views. But the owner
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 2: of the song does not even have a phone to
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 2: see it. And when they sang that song, they were
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 2: the happening boys. I'm saying that it doesn't take time
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 2: for the life of a man who has left God
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 2: to be complicated. It doesn't take time. It doesn't take...
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 2: To say it can't be me, that's where the devil
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 2: likes you to be. It doesn't take time. So this
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 2: guy at... finished sleeping with the girl and then he
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 2: liked her. Look at verse 4 and check him. Should
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 2: we even enter this matter? Should I enter a bit?
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to avoid something but my conscience is not
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 2: allowing me. Let me tell you. When a girl has
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 2: not seen a father's affection, she becomes sexually loose. Loose. Loose.
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 2: Unless God sends help to obliterate. Hey, a father is
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 2: the foundation of the building. The foundation may not be seen.
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 2: You may not say the foundation is beautiful, but we
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 2: must be able to say that the foundation is strong.
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 2: Foundation has no business with beauty. Our business is with what? Strength. Strength.
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 2: In the name that is above all names, God will
• 1:17:45
  Speaker 2: keep you alive for your children. Our foundation is what? Strength. Strength. Strength.
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 2: I shared it. I saw a guy was talking to
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 2: a girl just passing years back on the road. He said,
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 2: I love you. You're a very beautiful girl. You are this, this, this.
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 2: The girl said, my father told me that this morning.
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 2: Is it where you are going up and down to
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 2: drink beer that you'll have time to take your five-year-old
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 2: daughter on a date? Yes. To be the first to
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 2: take her out. To dress and wear gown. As a father.
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 2: And hold her hands. And say let's show you what
• 1:18:39
  Speaker 2: it looks like. Sit down. Young lady. Order for what
• 1:18:42
  Speaker 2: you want. You will not know that exists. You know
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 2: the story of the madman of Gadara. He was in
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 2: the town. who are those in tomb those who are
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 2: dead a man who has left God is dead in
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 2: his trespasses and he was always cutting himself and bleeding
• 1:19:01
  Speaker 2: himself out he will beat the wife two has become
• 1:19:05
  Speaker 2: one there is no difference The devil will keep you busy.
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 2: You don't know that you are not doing important things.
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 2: Till the consequence will surface. And it becomes too late.
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 2: Are you aware there is a certain age that if
• 1:19:19
  Speaker 2: you don't bond with your children, you can't anymore. And
• 1:19:26
  Speaker 2: that's the bane of many African homes. The children that
• 1:19:29
  Speaker 2: are ignored since they were growing up, suddenly they want
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 2: them to be best of friends, now dead. Many times
• 1:19:35
  Speaker 2: it becomes too late. Now that you are young, maximize
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 2: the opportunity. Stay with your family. Enjoy it now. Enjoy it.
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 2: Be family oriented. There are people here fighting battles. That
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 2: I don't want to be like my father. You will
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 2: not be like him. Some people are too proud to
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 2: say amen because nobody will know. No, it's not a crime.
• 1:20:15
  Speaker 2: If somebody has not laid good foundation, I don't want
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 2: to be like the person. It doesn't mean you hate
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 2: the person. If there's anyone whose pattern you don't want
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 2: to follow, you will not be like that person. God
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 2: will give you resources. He will give you wisdom. In
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 2: the name of Jesus. He will bless you with insight.
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 2: In the name of Jesus. He will satisfy you early.
• 1:20:36
  Speaker 2: Early with his mercy. In the name of Jesus. The
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 2: hand of God will keep you. You will have good homes.
• 1:20:47
  Speaker 2: Families that are heaven on earth. Death will not snatch
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 2: you away. In the name of Jesus. The grace of
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 2: God will hold you strong. It will hold you strong.
• 1:20:57
  Speaker 2: In the name of Jesus. It is done. it is done.
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 2: Let me just round up. So Shechem spake unto his
• 1:21:07
  Speaker 2: father in verse 4 saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 2: And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dina his daughter.
• 1:21:15
  Speaker 2: Now his sons were with his cattle in the field.
• 1:21:18
  Speaker 2: And Jacob held his peace until they were come. And
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 2: Hamon the father of Shechem went out to meet Jacob
• 1:21:23
  Speaker 2: to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob came
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 2: out of the field when they heard it. And the
• 1:21:29
  Speaker 2: men were grieved. And they were very wrought. Because he
• 1:21:33
  Speaker 2: had wrought fully in Israel. Lying with Jacob's daughter. Which
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 2: thing ought not to be done. And I'm all communed
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 2: with them saying. The soul of my son Shechem. Long
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 2: get for your daughter. I pray thee. I pray you
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 2: give her to him to wife. And make him marriages
• 1:21:54
  Speaker 2: with us. And give your daughters unto us. And take
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 2: our daughters to you. And you shall dwell with us,
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 2: and the land shall be before you. And dwell and
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 2: trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. And Shechem
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 2: said unto her father and to her brethren, Let me
• 1:22:13
  Speaker 2: find grace in your sight, and what you shall say
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 2: unto me I will give. Ask me never so much
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 2: dowry and gifts, and I will give according as you
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 2: have said unto me. but give me this damsel to wife.
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 2: And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Ammon, his
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 2: father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Diana, their sister.
• 1:22:40
  Speaker 2: And they said unto them, we cannot do this thing
• 1:22:43
  Speaker 2: to give our sister to one that is unsympathized. For
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 2: that we are reproached unto us. But in this we
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 2: will consent to you, if you will be as we be.
• 1:22:57
  Speaker 2: that every male be circumcised. Then we'll give our daughters
• 1:23:01
  Speaker 2: to you and we'll take your daughters to us and
• 1:23:03
  Speaker 2: we will dwell with you and become one people. But
• 1:23:07
  Speaker 2: if you're not akin to us and to be circumcised,
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 2: then we will take our daughter and we'll be gone.
• 1:23:12
  Speaker 2: And the words pleased Amo and Shechem Amon's son. And
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 2: the young man deferred not to do the thing because
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 2: he has delight in Jacob's daughter. And he was more
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 2: honorable than all the house of his father. And Hamor
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 2: and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of the
• 1:23:32
  Speaker 2: city and they communed with the men of the city saying,
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 2: these men are peaceable with us and all that. So
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 2: long story short, what they did was that they agreed
• 1:23:40
  Speaker 2: that if circumcision was what you wanted, they gave all
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 2: of them, every male in the city, God circumcised every male.
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 2: Now let's jump to verse 25. And it came to
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 2: pass on the third day when they were going through
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 2: the pain of circumcision, that two of Jacob's sons, Simeon
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 2: and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man a sword and
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 2: came up upon the city boldly and killed all the males. Wow.
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 2: You said this was what you wanted. Let's even assume
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 2: they've done bad. We're agreeing. But now we see that
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 2: they are so honorable that every male in the city,
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 2: including the king, went for circumcision. And in the heat
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 2: of it, they wiped all of them out. And Jacob
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 2: was pained. Look at it, verse 26. And Jacob was pained. Quickly.
• 1:24:46
  Speaker 2: Verse 26 now. And they slew Hamo and Shechem, his son,
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 2: with the hedge of the sword and took dine out
• 1:24:53
  Speaker 2: of Shechem's house and went out. And the sons of
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 2: Jacob came upon the slain and spoiled the city because
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 2: he has defiled their sister. They took oxen, look at Vasteti.
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 2: And Jacob said unto Simeon and Levi, you have troubled
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 2: me to make me stink among the inhabitants of the
• 1:25:08
  Speaker 2: land and among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. And I
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 2: have been few in number. They shall gather themselves together
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 2: against me and to slay me and I shall be
• 1:25:18
  Speaker 2: destroyed at my house. And they said, should he deal
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 2: with her sister as I know it? Then God told Jacob,
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 2: move on from there. Now, Jacob held this matter. Going
• 1:25:35
  Speaker 2: back to where we finished, we started from Genesis 49.
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 2: Please pay attention now. Genesis 49 verse 5 Simeon, and Levi.
• 1:25:50
  Speaker 2: You know, these two were given birth to by Leah.
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 2: Our brethren, instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 2: my soul, come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly.
• 1:26:10
  Speaker 2: Mine honor be not thou united, for in their anger
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 2: they slew a man And in their self-will, they've digged
• 1:26:20
  Speaker 2: down a wall. Yes. Cursed be their anger. For it
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 2: was fierce. And they are out for it was cruel.
• 1:26:31
  Speaker 2: I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 2: That actually was not their destiny. But it was pinned.
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 2: You know the implication of the statement he said that
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 2: day to Levi. the person that that statement was fulfilled
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 2: in his life was Moses. Moses had been the meekest.
• 1:27:01
  Speaker 2: God bore witness. On the face of the earth, there
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 2: is none as meek as Moses. But at the tail end,
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 2: an anger that has been cursed, Speak to the rock.
• 1:27:21
  Speaker 2: He struck it. God said, Moses, you won't see the
• 1:27:29
  Speaker 2: promised land. It ends here. When he said, cursed be
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 2: your anger, it means that you cannot enter into the
• 1:27:39
  Speaker 2: fullness of the blessing anytime it manifests. You will not
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 2: be full. It will speak at the most important seasons
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 2: of your life. And what was the root of all this? Resentment.
• 1:27:57
  Speaker 2: They have sinned. They have begged. They have apologized. Forgive them.
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 2: Forgive them. Forgive them. Diana too was not complaining. After all,
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 2: the father does not show affection like this man is.
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 2: Forgive them. And curse was passed from one generation to
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 2: another because of bitterness. There are homes still today that
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 2: the siege of Corses is still reigning. Somebody was hungry
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 2: and said things in the air. You know Moses reversed
• 1:28:36
  Speaker 2: that of Reuben. He reversed it. He reversed it. He said,
• 1:28:43
  Speaker 2: let Reuben live. Let him not die. Let his men
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 2: not be few. He reversed it. Reuben will matter in
• 1:28:52
  Speaker 2: the move of God. His life might be under attack,
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 2: but he will later matter. He showed from the beginning
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 2: he was a good man. Your good sons can become
• 1:29:05
  Speaker 2: terrible if there is a bad foundation. They can be.
• 1:29:10
  Speaker 2: Fatherhood is many things and more. They will become terrible.
• 1:29:17
  Speaker 2: What are the causes that is moving from one generation
• 1:29:22
  Speaker 2: to another because somebody was bitter? Sometimes it's a cause
• 1:29:27
  Speaker 2: that no woman here will stay in their husband's house
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 2: because the woman was evicted from her own. and curse them. Sometimes,
• 1:29:41
  Speaker 2: a mother can even curse, a woman can curse her
• 1:29:43
  Speaker 2: own husband. And say, I curse you. When you curse
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 2: a man, you curse what comes out of his loins.
• 1:29:51
  Speaker 2: You curse the product. Till the sons, the man is
• 1:29:56
  Speaker 2: dead now, but the children are his replica. Because you
• 1:29:59
  Speaker 2: said it. What you said in one minute, now requires
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 2: 40 days drive. To reverse. Let me. Make a pronouncement.
• 1:30:11
  Speaker 2: I know I called out our call the last time.
• 1:30:13
  Speaker 2: But again I want to insist. If there is anyone here.
• 1:30:16
  Speaker 2: Who is coming from a place. Where there is a
• 1:30:18
  Speaker 2: pattern of a curse. I stand in my place today.
• 1:30:22
  Speaker 2: As a prophet. To announce. The siege is over. Every
• 1:30:32
  Speaker 2: statement that was said into your family or into your
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 2: life out of pain and anger. Any statement that was
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 2: said into your very existence out of pain. Maybe a
• 1:30:47
  Speaker 2: relationship ended. Then somebody released the word. Maybe somebody's heart
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 2: was broken and then said the word. I stand today
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 2: and I plead on the covenant of the blood. That
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 2: speaks better things. Than the blood of Abel. That every
• 1:31:03
  Speaker 2: negative pronouncement. Is reversed. You will not become what you hate.
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 2: You will not become what you hate. You will not
• 1:31:14
  Speaker 2: become what you hate. Every negative pronouncement. Is reversed. Amen.
• 1:31:28
  Speaker 2: Maybe there are some of you here that every time
• 1:31:32
  Speaker 2: you see yourself looking like one of your parents, you
• 1:31:35
  Speaker 2: begin to say, maybe this thing is catching up with me.
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 2: You are different. You are different. You are entirely different.
• 1:31:45
  Speaker 2: You will not repeat the trauma in that house. You
• 1:31:48
  Speaker 2: will not repeat the trauma in that house. You will
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 2: not repeat the trauma in that house. Let me say
• 1:32:01
  Speaker 2: a statement that might be heavy, but keep it in
• 1:32:03
  Speaker 2: your mind. There are times you can find yourself in
• 1:32:12
  Speaker 2: a situation where you know, I have missed it. But
• 1:32:16
  Speaker 2: the mercy of God rewrites stories. Are you with me?
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 2: Never conclude about your life the mercy of God rewrites stories.
• 1:32:29
  Speaker 2: Most times for curses to extend, the same thing that
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 2: brought the first one is needed to bring the second one,
• 1:32:38
  Speaker 2: is needed to bring the third one. The same thing.
• 1:32:42
  Speaker 2: Why did Moses strike the rock? Because he was offended.
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 2: He was offended. That was the same thing that brought
• 1:32:48
  Speaker 2: the first one. So you check. You will not find
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 2: generational curses without generational patterns. And usually it is the
• 1:32:56
  Speaker 2: pattern that began it that will continue it So sometimes
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 2: you see a pattern of poverty, you check, you see
• 1:33:05
  Speaker 2: a curse or a pattern of poverty, but you check
• 1:33:07
  Speaker 2: there's also an habit of promiscuity. If you can purge
• 1:33:12
  Speaker 2: yourself from that, you have escaped. Because what, what, are
• 1:33:18
  Speaker 2: you with me? What is giving the devil legality in
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 2: that place is the act. It's the act. It's the act.
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 2: I know you are fighting battles. You are trying to
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 2: hold on to the cross. So that that day will
• 1:33:36
  Speaker 2: not come that you will fall. You won't fall. Those
• 1:33:41
  Speaker 2: who are waiting for you to fall. They might be
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 2: mocking you now. And say you are shouting Jesus. You
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 2: will be back. They will wait in vain. You will
• 1:33:50
  Speaker 2: be the beginning of a new lineage. You will be
• 1:33:53
  Speaker 2: the beginning of a new order. You will be the
• 1:33:56
  Speaker 2: beginning of a new pattern. Amen. In the name of Jesus.
• 1:34:02
  Speaker 2: You will be the beginning of a new world. Something
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 2: new is starting from you. What God has started will
• 1:34:10
  Speaker 2: not be aborted. What couldn't they say no to? Maybe
• 1:34:20
  Speaker 2: your friends. An entire family was silenced for three generations.
• 1:34:25
  Speaker 2: You have to pass the test. It's a responsibility. You must.
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 2: You will have reasons to be offended. That can take
• 1:34:32
  Speaker 2: you out of the plan of God. But you must
• 1:34:35
  Speaker 2: choose to say no. I understand by books. This is
• 1:34:39
  Speaker 2: the pattern. I understand by books. I refuse to be offended.
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 2: Go check. Those whose name suddenly went muted. Silent. As
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 2: you are tracing the history of the family. Why? Why?
• 1:34:56
  Speaker 2: See what they fell into. Avoid it. Pray for grace.
• 1:35:00
  Speaker 2: When you see the carcass of a great man, you
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 2: don't take selfie around it. What killed them is not
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 2: far away. You don't laugh. You pray for mercy. You pray.
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 2: You pray. All the things we are tracing out in
• 1:35:16
  Speaker 2: between the lines, they are not funny. It is the
• 1:35:20
  Speaker 2: one that has been there that can tell you what
• 1:35:22
  Speaker 2: it is. You may not know what it means for
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 2: father and son to be dragging the same girl. You
• 1:35:26
  Speaker 2: may not know. For the age mate of Ruben. To
• 1:35:31
  Speaker 2: say that's my girl. Not being your father the kind.
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 2: You may not know. But he knew. And those who know, know.
• 1:35:43
  Speaker 2: How that children can start growing. And say this is
• 1:35:46
  Speaker 2: the man I want to be like. Only to grow.
• 1:35:48
  Speaker 2: And say I never want to look anything like you.
• 1:35:52
  Speaker 2: You will not fail God. You will not fail God.
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 2: you will not fail God. The mercy of God that
• 1:35:59
  Speaker 2: preserves will preserve you. The mercy of God that preserves
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 2: will preserve you. Jude 1 says unto him that is
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 2: able to keep us from falling and present us spotless.
• 1:36:12
  Speaker 2: God will not send you without keeping you. He will
• 1:36:14
  Speaker 2: keep you safe. He will keep you safe. For those
• 1:36:19
  Speaker 2: of you that they are eagerly waiting to come back
• 1:36:21
  Speaker 2: home with shame, they will wait in vain. They will
• 1:36:25
  Speaker 2: wait in vain. The hand of God will preserve you.
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 2: Grace upon grace. Grace upon grace. The siege is over.
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 2: The siege is over. It is done. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen.
• 1:36:47
  Speaker 1: The message you just listened to is sponsored by the
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 1: friends and partners of Femi Lazarus Apostolic Ministries Ecumenical.
• 1:36:53
  Speaker 2: Flame.
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 1: To partner with Flame, Highly make use of these account details.
• 1:36:58
  Speaker 2: 221-500-5289 UBA