Sermon

“The Road to Reconciliation” - Genesis Chapter 42 - Pastor Scotty Brown

Outwest Bible Church Podcast

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  1. All righty, if you got a Bible, we're gonna be in Genesis.

  2. Somebody told me the other day, "I can't wait till we're done with Genesis."

  3. But like the old malto meal commercial, it's good stuff, Maynard.

  4. So we'll be in Genesis chapter 42.

    Genesis 42 chapter mention

  5. Starling always presses me for a title, so I called it "The Road to Reconciliation."

  6. And the Bible says that God, through Christ, is reconciling the world to Himself, because

  7. you and I need reconciled, reconciled to our God.

  8. And the story of Joseph and how he navigates his life is just, it's incredible.

  9. And we left off last time with the brothers admitting their guilt, right?

  10. And that's half the battle, is admitting you're wrong.

  11. And so they call it the ABCs of the gospel, right?

  12. Is you admit, you believe, and you confess.

  13. And these guys in verses 21, right, when Joseph puts the pressure on them, right?

  14. He's putting the pressure on them.

  15. And then they said to one another in verse 21, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother,

  16. for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us and we would not hear.

  17. Therefore, this distress has come upon us."

  18. There is a sense, I think, that we all need to pay for our sin, right?

  19. There's this sense.

  20. Years ago, I heard a statistic with criminals.

  21. Criminals a lot of times get caught on purpose, because there is just this, I don't know if

  22. it's their con...

  23. What it is, there's just this innate desire that I need to be checked for what I've done

  24. wrong.

  25. I need to be punished for what I've done.

  26. And I think when you lose that is when you're gone.

  27. Your conscious has been seared with a hot iron, as it tells us, and there's no hope

  28. for you.

  29. But these guys, we've talked about that famine and that dryness in their soul all those years

  30. keeping this thing secret.

  31. And all of a sudden, Joseph starts putting the pressure on it, kind of like when you're

  32. getting ready to pop a zit.

  33. A little bit of a rough illustration.

  34. But he needs to find out, right?

  35. He needs to find out.

  36. And as they begin to confess this among themselves, you know, they're in verse 24 and it says,

  37. "And he turned himself away from them and wept."

  38. Joseph was overcome with emotion as he saw and understood this work of God in the conscience

  39. of his brothers.

  40. God had to do a deep work in their hearts, you know, in the hearts of these brothers

  41. for the relationship to be reconciled.

  42. And man, it's the same way with us.

  43. You know, sometimes things need to literally come to a head.

  44. And there could be no quick, easy way.

  45. It sometimes takes, you know, the brothers could have said, "We're sorry, Joseph," and

  46. that's it.

  47. But in this situation, God guided the events so that the brothers saw their sin clearly

  48. and repented completely, not even realizing that Joseph was a player in the whole thing.

  49. Right?

  50. They didn't even know this was their brother because he had spoken to them through an interpreter.

  51. Yet even before the restoration, Joseph did not allow himself to be bound by bitterness

  52. and hatred.

  53. He still loved his brothers and wanted to be with them.

  54. And it says, "And after he went and wept, he returned to them again and talked with

  55. them."

  56. He wasn't happy about their misery, but he knew in some way it was probably necessary.

  57. And so it is with us.

  58. I hope you're absolutely miserable in your sin.

  59. Just miserable.

  60. Years ago, I was at a funeral and I ran into an acquaintance of my mother, who my mother

  61. at the time wasn't walking with the Lord and she was kind of chasing after the Almighty

  62. Dollar and this gal who had become a believer as a friend to my mom was asking about her

  63. and I said, "Oh, she's chasing the Almighty Dollar."

  64. And her friend said, "Well, let's pray that she gets a whole bunch of it."

  65. Really?

  66. Yeah.

  67. So she'll realize, and Marianne was her name and she explained herself, she said, "So she'll

  68. realize that this isn't going to satisfy her heart."

  69. I said, "Yeah, that's a good idea."

  70. Just, it's a good idea to when you see your loved ones all off, you know, living a sinful

  71. lifestyle saying, "Lord, just give them a belly full of it.

  72. Give them as much as they want that they'll understand they're only going to find satisfaction

  73. in you."

  74. And so, but it says he returned to them again.

  75. I wonder what they talked about.

  76. They asking about how many mother cows they were running or how many ewes they had or,

  77. you know, where they pastured their sheep or...

  78. I know those are questions I always ask people, you know, when they, especially, you know,

  79. ranchers and farmers.

  80. I kind of like to know how, where's your water come from?

  81. Do you pump?

  82. Is it surface water?

  83. Well, I don't ask that anymore, but...

  84. Lord help us.

  85. But he was putting the pressure on and it wasn't comfortable, right?

  86. It's kind of like disciplining your kids, right?

  87. Disciplining your kids isn't fun.

  88. I hated that, but I knew it was so necessary, right?

  89. It was so necessary.

  90. In fact, in this case, in Joseph's case, the life and death of a nation hangs in the balance.

  91. Joseph needs God's wisdom.

  92. Now the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12, 11, "Now no chastening or discipline seems

    Hebrews 12 chapter mention

  93. to be joyful at the present."

  94. Isn't that right with your kids?

  95. It wasn't fun beating on them.

  96. That's the word the Bible uses, is beat.

  97. I got my share of beatings.

  98. For everyone I got, I probably had about 10 come and I just never got caught the other

  99. nine times.

  100. But Joseph can't afford to get this wrong, right?

  101. It says, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful at the present, but painful.

  102. Nevertheless, afterward it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been

  103. trained by it."

  104. We all need discipline and we're going to get discipline in our life and it should start

  105. with our parents.

  106. You know, when we're little kids.

  107. Those chastenings need to come because it teaches some things.

  108. Notice it said, "It yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness."

  109. How many kids are just, they're off the rails.

  110. They've had no discipline in their life.

  111. They get to do life according to their own understanding.

  112. Don't you know kids don't know nothing?

  113. I had a school teacher, she's a friend of mine.

  114. She had a classmate that went off into the gay lifestyle.

  115. And so she asked her classmate, she goes, "Well, when did you choose to do this?"

  116. And he goes, "Oh, I knew I was gay when I was in kindergarten."

  117. And she goes, "I teach kindergartners, they don't know nothing."

  118. But without discipline, right, how is somebody going to know what's right and what's wrong?

  119. Proverbs 23, it's so, people say, "Oh, that's so outdated."

  120. It's not outdated, it's just not used.

  121. And it says this, "Do not withhold correction from a child.

  122. For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die."

  123. He's going to sound like he's dying, but he will not die, right?

  124. "You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell.

  125. My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice."

  126. Isn't that true?

  127. I mean, this right now may not be really resonating with some people, but it's God's word.

  128. And it should be heeded.

  129. Now every one of my children got spankings, right?

  130. Now I know the difference between spanking and abuse.

  131. I don't know why I'm on this soapbox, but just bear with me, right?

  132. Years ago, I heard a pastor say that when you spank, right, and that pain is inflicted

  133. because, see, some young people don't realize how hot their hind parts can be, right?

  134. And so when you apply the Board of Education to the seed of learning, right, or the rod

  135. of correction to that foolish heart that it talks about in Proverbs, right, I don't know

  136. what it is, but there is some kind of electrode connected from the glutus maximus to the brain.

  137. And it's like, and pretty soon over time, you know, people have told me, because years

  138. ago at the school, we paddled at the school, and I swung it quite often, actually.

  139. And it did produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

  140. And there were so many parents that used me as their bludgeoned weapon.

  141. "Hey, we're going to tell Pastor Scottie."

  142. "Leave me out of it.

  143. I want them to like me.

  144. You whoop them at home."

  145. But it's been lost, this discipline, that it's good stuff.

  146. Some people don't like the way Joseph did this.

  147. In fact, Warren Wiersbe, he tells a story about, he taught, had a radio program where

  148. he was taught Genesis chapter 42, and he received this letter from a listener, and the listener

    Genesis 42 chapter mention

  149. felt that Joseph was wrong and even cruel in the way he dealt with his brothers.

  150. Instead of wasting so much time, the listener suggested, Joseph should have immediately

  151. revealed himself to his brothers and brought about instant reconciliation.

  152. True reconciliation, however, requires sincere repentance and humble confession of sin.

  153. And often, it takes time for a person to get to that place.

  154. I believe that Joseph dealt with his brothers in a patient, loving, and wise way.

  155. And that's why his approach succeeded.

  156. God had to bring Joseph's brother to the place where they admitted the evil things they had

  157. done to their brother and their father.

  158. And because shallow repentance leads to an experience that isn't reconciliation at all,

  159. it's only a fragile truce.

  160. And that's so true.

  161. You just gotta, these guys say they're honest men.

  162. And many of us think, well, I have people all the time tell me they're a good person.

  163. Tell that to God, would you?

  164. Just tell that to God.

  165. Go tell God what a good person you are.

  166. I'm pretty sure he's gonna check you and say, "I don't think so."

  167. And so, I think so often, you know, people get confused about the difference between

  168. forgiveness and trust.

  169. See, I can forgive somebody who's wronged me.

  170. That doesn't mean I have to trust them, right?

  171. I can forgive them and let that go and not hold a grudge and pray God's blessing on them.

  172. But I'm not gonna trust them as far as I can throw them.

  173. That's the difference.

  174. People think, "Well, if I'm forgiving, that means I have to..."

  175. No, you don't.

  176. Forgiveness is simply releasing the bitterness in your own heart.

  177. That's what forgiveness does.

  178. It releases you.

  179. But you don't have to subject yourself to that person again, right?

  180. Because a trust that's been violated, right, it takes time.

  181. It takes time to regain that trust.

  182. And so, some take some longer than others.

  183. But I think we need to be quick to forgive, right?

  184. And then the proof is in the pudding.

  185. You watch and that trust can be regained.

  186. I've seen it happen in friendship relationships.

  187. I've seen it happen in husband and wife relationships.

  188. I've seen it happen in parent-children relationships.

  189. And honestly, sometimes it just takes time.

  190. It seems that Joseph just let go, right?

  191. He's not trusting them yet, right?

  192. He's not trusting them with who he is.

  193. He's not even gonna go there yet.

  194. And so, he stays the course.

  195. So he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes in a vivid and memorable

  196. scene probably, right?

  197. He probably remembers as if he's having Simeon bound when those nine bound him and sent him

  198. down the road.

  199. And so, he bound him, kept him as a prisoner to guarantee the return of his brother Benjamin.

  200. That was the stipulation.

  201. So Simeon was not mentioned as having a prominent role in the selling of Joseph like Reuben

  202. and Judah did, but some don't know why he chose Simeon.

  203. Maybe 'cause he was such a dog, I don't know, killing all the Shechemites.

  204. Or some think that Simeon may have been noble and volunteered.

  205. I'll stay.

  206. Maybe he tasted the Egyptian food and thought, "Hey, this ain't bad.

  207. I'll stay here for, you know, don't know."

  208. Though Joseph doesn't display any trust towards his brother, however, he does display kindness.

  209. And so, we'll pick it up in verse 25.

  210. That was a long introduction.

  211. Let me pray.

  212. Lord, we love your word and Lord, all the truths in it that we can glean for our own

  213. hearts, Lord, and our own lives and our families, Lord, just so practical, Lord, that it just

  214. works and simply because as you tell us in your word that it is alive and it is that

  215. sharp sword, Lord, it is spirit in its life.

  216. So Lord, as we read these last verses of chapter 42, would you just speak to our hearts, Lord,

  217. and may we just find ourselves applying your word just to our lives every day, Lord, that

  218. truly to trust in you and not to lean on our own understanding is such a good thing.

  219. In Jesus' name, amen.

  220. So verse 25, "Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every

  221. man's money to his sack and to give them provisions for the journey.

  222. Thus he did for them, and so they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.

  223. But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw

  224. his money and there it was in the mouth of his sack.

  225. And so he said to his brothers, 'My money has been restored and there it is in my sack.'

  226. And then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, 'What

  227. is this that God has done to us?'"

  228. Right?

  229. So Joseph shows them kindness by, he gave them food and he didn't charge them a dime.

  230. But living under a cloud of guilt causes people to be suspicious.

  231. "Oh no, what happened?

  232. What's he want?

  233. Is he setting us up?

  234. He's setting us up.

  235. Surely he's setting us up.

  236. He's going to arrest us and throw us in jail."

  237. And yet it was really hindsight because of what we know from the Scriptures.

  238. It's Joseph's heart.

  239. Notice in verse 28, it's, their hearts sank.

  240. Going, "Oh no, we're in big trouble."

  241. And they're asking the question, "God, what are you doing?"

  242. You ever ask that question?

  243. "God, what are you doing?

  244. Who do you think you are?

  245. God?"

  246. Right?

  247. I mean, it's just, it fascinates me, even in my own life, when bad things happen, thinking,

  248. "What are you doing?"

  249. Right?

  250. You know, the Bible says that those who seek the Lord, the Lord will withhold no good thing

  251. from you.

  252. But so often those good things come in different packages that just doesn't look good.

  253. Right?

  254. It just doesn't look good.

  255. And so they're doing the blame game with God when in fact, I would say that what God is

  256. doing, He is getting your attention.

  257. Has God got your attention?

  258. Okay.

  259. And if He doesn't, what is it going to take?

  260. What is it going to take for God to get your attention?

  261. Because He will.

  262. He will, He'll do whatever it takes to get your attention.

  263. I used to work with a gal and she had four kids and she said as she would pray for her

  264. kids, she would pray this prayer.

  265. She says, "Oh Lord, watch over my kids.

  266. And oh Lord, if they're in sin, I pray that you would convict them.

  267. Lord, and if they won't yield to your conviction, Lord, I pray that you would kill them slowly

  268. so that they would have time to repent."

  269. As a mother who's whatever it takes, right?

  270. Whatever it takes to get my baby to the other side, that's what I want.

  271. And so God is getting these guys attention.

  272. And you need, it's really, really wise to yield yourself to the Lord and to seek Him

  273. with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

  274. And instead of ignoring Him and having Him have to get in your face and get your attention.

  275. May He have our undivided attention all the time.

  276. And so verse 29 says, "Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told

  277. him all that had happened to them saying, 'The man who is Lord of the land spoke roughly

  278. to us and took us for spies of the country.'

  279. But we said to him, 'We are honest men.

  280. We are not spies.

  281. We are 12 brothers, sons of our father.

  282. One is no more.

  283. And the youngest is with our father to this day in Canaan.'

  284. Then the man, the Lord of the country said to us, 'By this, I will know that you are

  285. honest men, leave one of your brothers with me.

  286. Take food for the famine for your households and be gone.

  287. And bring your youngest brother to me so I shall know that you are not spies, but that

  288. you are honest men.

  289. I will grant your brother to you and you may trade in the land.'"

  290. So you just wonder what is going through these guys' mind as they're on their way

  291. home when it says they went to Jacob.

  292. Could you imagine the conversations that they were having?

  293. Thinking oh no.

  294. We've already covered up a whole bunch of stuff we can't hide anymore from dad.

  295. We just got to be honest.

  296. Surely, you know, how do we explain Simeon being not with us and how do we explain we

  297. have both grain and money?

  298. The money that dad sent us with, we still have it and we got the grain.

  299. Or what is dad going to say about taking Benjamin back to Egypt?

  300. Don't think so.

  301. First of all, they tell Jacob the truth.

  302. Ka-ching.

  303. That's a step in the right direction, right?

  304. Tell the truth.

  305. Tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may.

  306. And they tried to tell the man they were honest, but Joseph knew they weren't honest men, right?

  307. He knew their character.

  308. They weren't pulling any wool over his eyes, but he did see that they could become what

  309. he desired them to be, honest men, no doubt, by acknowledging their sin and they did that.

  310. And so Jesus knows you and he knows me that we have sinned and he sees that we can become

  311. honest men, right?

  312. When we're willing to turn just like these guys were willing to turn from their sin.

  313. In verse 35, it says, "And it happened as they emptied their sacks that surprisingly

  314. each man's bundle of money was in his sack.

  315. And when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

  316. And Jacob, their father said to them, 'Have you bereaved me?

  317. You have bereaved me.

  318. Joseph is no more.

  319. Simeon is no more.

  320. And you want to take Benjamin.

  321. All these things are against me.'"

  322. So right here, this poor guy's heart is broken and what is it?

  323. It's all lies.

  324. The lies that people believe that break their heart is amazing to me.

  325. The lies that people believe, I mean, people believe that, "Well, God surely can't love

  326. me.

  327. I've messed up too much."

  328. No, you haven't.

  329. If you can breathe air, there's hope for you, right?

  330. Just saying.

  331. But so many people, he's believing these lies.

  332. He's believing that Joseph is no more.

  333. Joseph's not no more.

  334. He just don't know it.

  335. What we don't know God is doing behind the scenes is fascinating.

  336. It should bolster your faith to know that God has your best interest at heart.

  337. He truly is going to do Romans 828 in your life.

  338. In fact, I just got a card.

  339. You got those cards, Clay?

  340. Clay, I just got this card.

  341. It's got Romans 828 on it, right?

  342. "For we know that all things work together for good of those who love God and those who

  343. are the called according to His purpose."

  344. Right?

  345. Okay.

  346. There's some out on the table if you want to grab one.

  347. Just a great reminder, right?

  348. No, God's working behind the scenes.

  349. You don't see it all.

  350. We get confused.

  351. We get depressed.

  352. We believe lies and things that aren't true at all.

  353. Simeon's getting well-fed, right?

  354. He doesn't even have to work.

  355. He's getting three squares in a...

  356. What do they call it?

  357. Three hots and a cot.

  358. Man, we got some ex-cons in here.

  359. Three hots and a cot, right?

  360. Joseph had given them what Jesus gives us, right?

  361. He gives them the grain.

  362. That's like a picture of the bread of life.

  363. He also gave them undeserved riches.

  364. He gave them their money back.

  365. And they were afraid.

  366. They were afraid of the blessings of God, receiving what they didn't earn.

  367. You know, grace tests us all, don't it?

  368. Grace.

  369. You've heard the...

  370. I used to have a coin.

  371. I made my boy Buster, I made him be an evangelist.

  372. I had these little silver coins that were made out of nickel silver.

  373. And on them, they had the word grace, the acronym grace, right?

  374. God's riches at Christ's expense, right?

  375. God's riches at Christ's expense.

  376. And when he wrestled, if he won or lost, he had to give his opponent a coin.

  377. And to learn about grace.

  378. And he had to learn to lose graciously.

  379. So with tears in his eyes, as he just got his butt kicked, he would hand the kid a coin.

  380. And grace is tough to take.

  381. Because we've got this idea, "No, I've got to earn it, man.

  382. I've got to deserve this."

  383. No, guys, the only thing we deserve is God's judgment.

  384. The only thing we do deserve is the binding of the hands and feet in the dungeon.

  385. That's what we do deserve.

  386. And yet, Joseph very discreetly is showing grace towards these brothers of his.

  387. And so, so to us toward God, like Jesus, all power and authority was given to Joseph.

  388. He could have done anything with those guys that he wanted.

  389. Could have put them all in prison.

  390. Could have just executed all of them.

  391. And he didn't.

  392. He showed, because of his power and authority, he extended grace and mercy to his brothers.

  393. And so, Jacob at this point believes that God has probably forsaken him, as he believes

  394. these lies.

  395. And maybe thinking that he's beyond hope, that this grief is going to become so heavy

  396. that it's going to take him even to the grave.

  397. Some people think, "I'm beyond hope.

  398. I'm beyond hope.

  399. I can never confess my sin.

  400. I'm worthless."

  401. But if you believe those lies, those lies have power over you.

  402. So step out from under the lies, come to the truth, right?

  403. And be set free.

  404. That's what the Lord says, right?

  405. That the truth will make you free when you understand God's truth and His love towards

  406. you.

  407. Verse 37 goes on and it says, "Then Reuben spoke to his father saying, 'Kill my two sons

  408. if I do not bring him back to you.

  409. Put him in my hands,'" speaking of Benjamin, "'and I will bring him back to you.'"

  410. Now we know that Reuben has maybe some psychosis going on or something.

  411. We don't know for sure, but the suggestion he makes is ridiculous, right?

  412. If we don't follow through on what we said, then go ahead and take my son's life.

  413. Like that's really going to make things better for Jacob.

  414. Well, if Benjamin doesn't come back and Simeon doesn't come back, then I'm going to kill

  415. my two grandsons?

  416. I don't think so.

  417. But what's interesting about that is Reuben did this as a dramatic gesture, but God did

  418. it in fact, right?

  419. God did it in fact for you and I.

  420. God gave his own son to deliver us and to rescue us in our despair.

  421. The gospel, I hope for you, never gets old, right?

  422. It's the power of God.

  423. I talked about it to the boys down at Trail Life Camp this week.

  424. The gospel is powerful, right?

  425. It's the power of God unto salvation for those who would believe.

  426. And that's why Jesus came, right?

  427. And he laid down his life.

  428. Verse 38 says, "But he said, 'My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead,

  429. and he is left alone.

  430. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring

  431. down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.'"

  432. And so Jacob doesn't understand what's going on here because his son Simeon is still alive,

  433. Joseph is still alive.

  434. The beloved son that he thought was dead is really alive.

  435. Not only that, but because he's alive, he has been exalted to the highest place, right?

  436. And thirdly, because he is alive, he gives the bread of life.

  437. And fourthly, because he is alive, he is the savior of the world.

  438. Jacob doesn't see this, just like we don't see what God's doing.

  439. So much has happened this week, this last week, right?

  440. I mean, I don't know about you, but I watched some of the RNC, the amount of times that

  441. they quoted the Lord, quoted the Bible, named the name of Christ, had Franklin Graham pray,

  442. but also a witch pray.

  443. Like, okay, we're never gonna get away from the tears.

  444. Test all things, the Bible says, and hold on to what's good.

  445. Hold on to what's good.

  446. But every day can bring something new to our lives.

  447. Things that we don't see right now, but we might see it tomorrow.

  448. And so that's why there's this faith, hope, and love, these three.

  449. And when we live in hope and love, we love God and we love one another, and we walk by

  450. faith.

  451. Man, that's a winning combination, ain't it?

  452. It's exciting.

  453. Life is exciting.

  454. Do we have hard times?

  455. I just got the message last night, my friend Paul passed away.

  456. And I mean, it's just, I'm just going, I was shocked.

  457. Man, that was fast.

  458. I'd just seen him a couple days ago.

  459. And he spoke.

  460. I mean, it wasn't like he was totally incapacitated, but he's with the Lord.

  461. That's powerful.

  462. I'm learning something about this whole debt thing, man.

  463. Make a number, right?

  464. Who's next?

  465. Who is next?

  466. I talked to just young men yesterday about it, or excuse me, on Friday.

  467. Because young people die, right?

  468. But we've got this person in our life that gives us hope, that fills our hearts with

  469. a love that we know is not our own, but it's the love of God.

  470. And because this son is alive, Jacob should be able to trust God.

  471. Not just with his sustenance, but also with his treasured son.

  472. No doubt in the favoritism that he's showing Benjamin here, I'm sure the other eight are

  473. going like, "What are we?"

  474. But because he lives, you and I, we can face tomorrow.

  475. Come what may, right?

  476. Come what may.

  477. Because I don't know what's coming.

  478. I know Jesus is coming.

  479. And you and I really need to be ready for that and prioritize our lives.

  480. And I think there's a lot of hopefulness right now for our country.

  481. But I just want to warn you, it can take a turn at any second.

  482. It can turn some way this way or this way.

  483. Good gracious.

  484. The stock market, the Dow is at 41,000, I think it's dropped a little bit.

  485. $41,000.

  486. Really?

  487. Is this a bubble that's going to explode and we're going to have a depression like the

  488. country's never seen before since '29?

  489. I don't know.

  490. But I know that my hope, listen, my hope is not in Donald Trump.

  491. My hope is not in America.

  492. I love America.

  493. It's my home.

  494. But that's not where my hope is.

  495. My hope is in a single person and his name is Jesus.

  496. It's not in my bank account.

  497. It's not what I can do, right?

  498. And so that is where our hope and our focus needs to be because we get so distracted with

  499. all the crazy stuff going on, right?

  500. No, just put your hope in the one, just like Joseph was alive and Jacob didn't know it,

  501. Jesus is alive.

  502. And so many Christians act like he's not.

  503. They live like he's not alive.

  504. He's alive and he is well and he's on the move.

  505. And I pray that you would be in the current of his moving.

  506. Amen?

  507. Let's pray.

  508. Father, thank you for today.

  509. Your word, the power of it.

  510. Lord, that you are alive and that you infuse us with life as we trust you, as we give you

  511. our hearts and our minds.

  512. Lord, I just pray that this week that we would lift our eyes, Lord, from whence comes our

  513. help, the Lord Jesus.

  514. Lord, that you would direct our steps.

  515. Lord, we know that there's some divine appointments in front of us this week.

  516. And Lord, I just pray for a boldness.

  517. Lord, that we know that you're coming and that we all need to be ready, no matter what,

  518. no matter if persecution comes, if heat or cold or flood or disaster comes, or even death,

  519. that our trust and our hope is in you.

  520. And so Lord, I pray that you would give us a hunger for your word, Lord, that our lives

  521. would be governed by the truth of your word.

  522. Just as the psalmist wrote, "How can a young man cleanse his way?

  523. By taking heed to the word of God."

  524. And so I pray that that would be all of us in these times in which we live.

  525. Lord, that we wouldn't get duped by the lies, Lord, that are tripping so many people up.

  526. As you encouraged us in your last day's discourse there, do not be deceived.

  527. And so Lord, I just pray that for us, your people, in Jesus' name, amen.

  528. Oh, one other thing, in fact, I got this from my brother-in-law who's not real tight with

  529. the Lord, but he sent me a thing and he was pretty concerned about the Tucker Carlson,

  530. John Rich's interview.

  531. Did anybody see it?

  532. Tucker Carlson, John Rich, people are freaked out about it.

  533. 'Cause Rich talked about the difference between the second coming or saying that the rapture

  534. wasn't legit.

  535. Listen, John Rich don't know his Bible, right?

  536. Because the Bible is very specific.

  537. He said the word Antichrist is not in the Bible.

  538. I just looked at 1 John and it's in there two or three times, even the one with the

  539. capital A, right?

  540. And so there's gonna be all these things coming at us as believers.

  541. Don't get shook.

  542. Don't get shook up when you hear these things or even somebody credible, if they're saying

  543. something, check them out.

  544. Don't believe a word I say, please, but check it out.

  545. This is your guide.

  546. I'm not your guide.

  547. Jesus is your guide and his word has the final say on everything.

  548. So check that out.

  549. I mean, check out the word, not the interview.

  550. But what he was saying was that people are putting their hope in the rapture, right?

  551. Well, what if the rapture doesn't, he's basically saying there is no rapture, but only the second

  552. coming of Christ.

  553. But the thing about it is, is when you look at God's word and you look at the book of

  554. revelation, the second coming, we know the day of the second coming, right?

  555. We know the day.

  556. Jesus said something about nobody knows the day or the hour.

  557. What would that be?

  558. That would have to be the rapture, but we know the day of the second coming.

  559. It's 1260 days to the day from the time that the antichrist is revealed.

  560. We know when Jesus Christ is coming back to set up his kingdom on the earth.

  561. We know the day.

  562. So there is a day and so John Darby is the one who kind of promoted this.

  563. So he gets lambasted as a heretic, but there was a known day and an unknown day.

  564. So read your Bible.

  565. Please don't listen to me.

  566. Right?

  567. I mean, you can come listen, but check it out.

  568. Make sure it's God's word, right?

  569. That it flows with that truth because that freaks people out.

  570. What's funny though is why are they freaked out?

  571. Jesus called us to die, right?

  572. Because he's saying what he was saying is, he says, because the rapture doesn't happen,

  573. that many Christians will take the mark of the beast, right?

  574. They'll go here.

  575. Well, it's not going to happen, so just give me the mark because I got to pay my bills,

  576. right?

  577. Because nobody buys or sells without it.

  578. You can't pay any bills without it.

  579. Jesus has called us to die for him.

  580. So whether we're raptured or whether we're martyred, it should not matter to us, right?

  581. As believers in Jesus.

  582. So the preeminent one in your life needs to be Christ, right?

  583. Colossians tells us that, that Christ should be preeminent in all things in your life.

  584. And when he is, you know, let it come.

  585. Whatever it is, persecution or the blowing of the trumpet.

  586. I really like the sound of the blowing of the trumpet, but if we got to go the other

  587. way, that's cool too.

  588. Let's all stand and worship.