“DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARK WHAT
GOD HAS SHOWED YOU IN THE LIGHT.” THE DARK COMES. DON’T
DOUBT IN THE DARK WHAT GOD HAS SHOWED YOU IN THE LIGHT. GOD DID
NOT FAIL JOSEPH. AND LOOK UP HERE AND LET ME TELL YOU
SOMETHING. GOD WILL NOT FAIL YOU! DID YOU HEAR THAT? HE DID
NOT FAIL JOSEPH AND GOD WILL NOT FAIL YOU. DON’T YOU LET YOUR
DREAMS DISSOLVE. ADRIAN ROGERS’ UNIQUE ABILITY TO APPLY
BIBLICAL TRUTH TO EVERYDAY LIFE WAS ONE OF THE MANY THINGS THAT
MADE HIM SUCH A REMARKABLE PASTOR, BIBLE TEACHER AND
WRITER. AND TODAY, HE’LL BE BRINGING THAT UNIQUENESS TO THIS
STUDY FROM GOD’S WORD. HAVE YOUR BIBLE’S OPEN AND JOIN US FOR
THIS POWERFUL MESSAGE. AND IF YOU WERE ENCOURAGED BY TODAY’S
MESSAGE, REMEMBER, YOU CAN STREAM THIS MESSAGE AGAIN AND
DOWNLOAD OUTLINES, NOTES, A TRANSCRIPT AND OTHER RESOURCES
TO GO ALONG WITH THIS MESSAGE, ALL AT LWF.ORG. NOW, LET’S JOIN
ADRIAN ROGERS. [MUSIC] BE FINDING GENESIS CHAPTER 39,
WOULD YOU PLEASE. AND THE TITLE OF THE MESSAGE TODAY,
“PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD: WHEN NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE
SENSE.” I DIDN’T SAY WHEN NOTHING MAKES SENSE, WHEN
NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE. PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
HMM. THERE’S AN OLD STORY, BUT A GOOD ONE, ABOUT A MAN WHO WAS A
BRICK MASON, A BRICK LAYER, AND HE HAD TOO MANY BRICK ON TOP OF
A BUILDING, SO HE DECIDED TO RETRIEVE THE BRICK, BRING THEM
DOWN TO THE GROUND. HE WENT UP TO THE THIRD OR FOURTH STORY,
WHEREVER IT WAS, PUT A YARDARM OUT FROM THE ROOF AND, UH, PUT A
PULLEY IN IT, TIED A ROPE TO IT, HOISTED A BARREL TO THE ROOF,
LOADED THE BARREL WITH THE EXTRA BRICKS, WENT DOWN TO THE GROUND
AND UNTIED THE ROPE. HMM, HMM. AT THAT TIME, HE REALIZED THAT A
BARREL FULL OF BRICKS WAS HEAVIER THAN A MAN. SO WHEN THE
BRICKS STARTED DOWN, HE STARTED UP. WELL, HE, AH, SAID HE MADE A
MISTAKE. AH, THAT HE FORGOT TO LET GO OF THE ROPE. HE HELD ON
UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. AND SO, HALF WAY UP, HE AND THE BARREL
MET, AND THE BARREL STRUCK HIM ON THE SHOULDER, GAVE HIM A
SEVERE WOUND. BUT HE SAID, “I MANAGED TO HOLD ON UNTIL I
REACHED THE TOP.” AND THEN HE SAID, “I WEDGED MY FINGERS IN
THE PULLEY.” SAID, “AT THAT TIME, THE BARREL HIT THE GROUND
AND THE BOTTOM CAME OUT, LEFT ALL THE BRICKS, THEREFORE,
MAKING THE BARREL LIGHTER THAN I.” [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] HE SAID,
“THEN I STARTED DOWN AND THE BARREL STARTED UP. THIS TIME THE
BARREL MET ME AT THE SHINS AND GAVE ME ANOTHER SEVERE WOUND,”
BUT HE SAID, “I STILL MANAGED TO HOLD ON UNTIL I FELL ON THE
GROUND AND HIT THAT PILE OF SHARP-CORNERED BRICK.” HE SAID,
“IT WAS THEN THAT I LOST MY PRESENCE OF MIND, LET GO OF THE
ROPE, THE BARREL CAME DOWN AND HIT ME ON THE HEAD.” [AUDIENCE
LAUGHTER] THE MAN APPLIED FOR A FEW DAYS OFF. NOW, AH, I THINK
SOMETIMES WE FEEL THAT WAY. WE’RE UP AND DOWN. WE DON’T KNOW
WHETHER TO HOLD ON OR LET GO, AND WE’RE GETTING HIT FROM EVERY
SIDE. NOW, WITH THIS MAN, HIS PROBLEM WAS EASILY DISCERNED.
NUMBER ONE, HE WASN’T VERY GOOD AT PHYSICS. NUMBER TWO, HE
WASN’T VERY BRIGHT. HUH, HUH, HUH. AND HIS PROBLEM WAS HIS OWN
PROBLEM. HE MADE HIS PROBLEM. BUT WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE
DOING NOTHING WRONG, WHEN YOU’RE APPLYING PROPER PRINCIPLES AND
NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE? YOU’RE BEING BATTERED FROM EVERY
HAND. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN LIFE DOESN’T MAKE SENSE? NOW, WE HAVE
A LOT OF LITTLE CLICHÉS, “WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF YOUR ROPE,
TIE AND KNOT AND HOLD ON.” THAT’S A REAL BLESSING, ISN’T
IT? HUH, HUH. OR SOMEBODY SAYS, “JUST GRIN AND BEAR IT.” OR,
“CHEER UP. IT COULD BE WORSE.” AND GENERALLY IT DOES GET WORSE,
DOESN’T IT? WELL, WHAT DO YOU DO? WELL, THIS CHAPTER IN THE
BOOK OF GENESIS, CHAPTER 39, IS GOING TO TELL US SOME THINGS
THAT WE CAN DO, AH, SOME PRINCIPLES THAT WE CAN APPLY
WHEN LIFE DOESN’T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE. THIS IS A CHAPTER, I SAY,
IN THE LIFE OF, EH, JOSEPH. JOSEPH, WHO WAS A MAN OF GOD,
WHO LOVED GOD WITH ALL OF HIS HEART, FOUND HIMSELF IN GREAT
DIFFICULTY. HE HAD BEEN SOLD BY HIS BROTHERS AS A SLAVE. HE’S
CARRIED DOWN BY A, A CARAVAN INTO EGYPT, AND THERE HE IS
BOUGHT BY A MAN NAMED POTIPHAR. AND THERE HE IS A SLAVE IN
POTIPHAR’S HOUSEHOLD. AND, AH, LET’S LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN
GENESIS CHAPTER 39 VERSES 20 AND 23, AND I BELIEVE THAT WILL GIVE
US, AH, WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. “AND JOSEPH’S MASTER TOOK
HIM, AND PUT HIM INTO THE PRISON, A PLACE WHERE THE KING’S
PRISONERS WERE BOUND; AND HE WAS THERE IN THE PRISON.” BUT NOW,
NOTICE VERSE 21, “BUT THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH.” THERE HE IS IN
PRISON, BUT THE BIBLE SAYS, “BUT THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH.” I
WANT TO GIVE YOU SOME PRISON PRINCIPLES, HOW TO PRACTICE THE
PRESENCE OF GOD WHEN YOU ARE IN A DUNGEON, IN A PRISON, AND IT
IS NOT YOUR FAULT AT ALL. JOSEPH HERE, AS I SAY, WAS A SLAVE. HE
WAS BOUGHT BY POTIPHAR. HE WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF POTIPHAR’S
HOUSEHOLD. JOSEPH WAS SUCH A MAN OF INTEGRITY AND SUCH A MAN OF
INDUSTRY THAT EVEN AS A SLAVE, POTIPHAR FOUND HIMSELF TRUSTING
JOSEPH MORE AND MORE, AND JOSEPH IS RISING HIGHER AND HIGHER IN
POTIPHAR’S HOUSE UNTIL FINALLY HE IS TAKING CARE OF ALL OF THE
AFFAIRS OF MR. POTIPHAR. POTIPHAR SO TRUSTED JOSEPH THAT
HE SAID, “THE ONLY THING I KNOW THAT I REALLY OWN IS THE FOOD IN
FRONT OF ME. IT’S ALL IN JOSEPH’S HANDS.” JOSEPH WAS AN
INCREDIBLE INDIVIDUAL, AND EVEN AS A SLAVE, AH, GOD WAS WITH
HIM, AND HE IS ASCENDING HIGHER AND HIGHER AND HIGHER. BUT
JOSEPH WAS A YOUNG MAN, HANDSOME, THE BIBLE TELLS US,
AND VIRILE. AND POTIPHAR’S WIFE BEGAN TO LUST AFTER JOSEPH AND
TRIED TO SEDUCE HIM. JOSEPH REFUSED POTIPHAR’S WIFE. SHE
TOOK HIM BY THE COAT AND TRIED TO DRAG HIM INTO BED WITH HER.
HE REFUSED WITH SUCH VIGOR THAT HE LEFT HIS COAT AND ESCAPED,
FLED. SHE WAS SO INSULTED AND, AND, AH, SO EMBARRASSED THAT SHE
DECIDED SHE WOULD GET EVEN WITH THE YOUNG MAN, AND SHE BEGAN TO
SCREAM THAT HE HAD ASSAULTED HER. AND, UH, SHE DISHEVELED HER
HAIR. AH, SHE, AH, PERHAPS TORE HER CLOTHING A LITTLE BIT, MAYBE
EVEN SCRATCHED HER FACE. I DON’T KNOW, BUT SHE STILL HAD JOSEPH’S
COAT IN HER HAND AND SHE TOLD THE OTHER MEN THERE, “THIS YOUNG
EGYPTIAN TRIED TO DO THIS TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE THING TO ME.”
WHEN POTIPHAR CAME HOME, IT WAS REPORTED TO POTIPHAR, AND JOSEPH
IS NOW CAST INTO PRISON. HE IS TOTALLY INNOCENT. HE HAS BEEN
SERVING GOD. AND NOW, NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE. THERE HE IS
IN PRISON. NOW, AH, I WANT US TO LOOK AT THIS STORY TODAY, AND I
WANT TO GIVE YOU FIVE PRINCIPLES. AH, IF, UH, THINGS
HAPPEN TO YOU ONE DAY THAT DO NOT MAKE SENSE, THEY WILL
SOMETIME HAPPEN TO YOU. AH, NUMBER ONE, NUMBER ONE. WHEN
YOU’RE IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS AND THINGS DON’T SEEM TO MAKE
SENSE, DON’T DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND, DON’T DEMAND TO
UNDERSTAND. NOW, JOSEPH HAD NOT SINNED AGAINST GOD. JOSEPH HAD
DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG. WHAT JOSEPH WAS DOING WAS RIGHT.
I IMAGINE AT THIS TIME WHEN JOSEPH WAS DOING RIGHT, WHEN HE
WAS SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL OF HIS HEART, AND HE GOT CAST INTO
PRISON, HE’S LIED ABOUT, FALSELY ACCUSED; THAT SATAN WHISPERED IN
JOSEPH’S EAR AND SAID TO HIM, “NOW WHERE IS YOUR GOD? WHAT
GOOD DOES IT DO YOU NOW TO SERVE GOD?” THERE’RE GOING TO COME
TIMES IN YOUR LIFE, MY FRIEND, WHEN NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE
SENSE. NOW, I’M NOT SAYING THAT YOU SHOULD NOT TRY TO
UNDERSTAND. IF DIFFICULTY COMES YOUR WAY, TRY TO UNDERSTAND. BUT
HERE’S A VERSE I THOUGHT ABOUT AS I WAS STUDYING THIS PASSAGE
OF SCRIPTURE. MANY PEOPLE USE THIS VERSE AS THEIR LIFE’S
VERSE. PROVERBS THREE VERSES FIVE AND SIX. THE BIBLE SAYS,
“TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART, AND LEAN NOT UNTO
YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND
HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS.” HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS. NOW,
NOTICE WHAT IT SAYS. IT SAYS, “LEAN NOT TO YOUR OWN
UNDERSTANDING.” THERE WILL BE THINGS THAT YOU DO NOT
UNDERSTAND AND DO NOT DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND. MAY I GIVE YOU A
COMPANION VERSE? ISAIAH CHAPTER 50 VERSES 10 AND 11. THE PROPHET
ISAIAH ASKED THIS QUESTION, AND IT’S A GOOD QUESTION. “WHO IS
AMONG YOU THAT FEARETH THE LORD, THAT OBEYETH THE VOICE OF HIS
SERVANT, THAT WALKETH IN DARKNESS, AND HATH NO LIGHT? LET
HIM TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, AND STAY UPON HIS GOD.
BEHOLD, ALL YE THAT KINDLE A FIRE, THAT COMPASS YOURSELVES
ABOUT WITH SPARKS: WALK IN THE LIGHT OF THE FIRE, AND IN THE
SPARKS THAT YE HAVE KINDLED. THIS SHALL YE HAVE OF MINE HAND;
YE SHALL LIE DOWN IN SORROW.” NOW LOOK AT THAT VERSE. LOOK AT
IT, ISAIAH 50, LISTEN TO IT. WHAT DOES IT TEACH? IT TEACHES
THAT YOU CAN BE SERVING GOD, YOU COULD BE OBEYING GOD’S WORD, AND
STILL HAVE DARKNESS. YOU CAN COME TO A TIME OF PERPLEXITY, A
TIME WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, AND YET YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING
WRONG. DO NOT GET THE DISTORTED IDEA THAT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS
ALL JOY AND SWEETNESS, AND THAT YOU’LL ALWAYS UNDERSTAND.
SOMETIMES WE GIVE THE WRONG IMPRESSION WHEN WE TELL PEOPLE
THEY NEED TO COME TO JESUS, AS IF THEIR LI, THEIR LIFE, IF THEY
COME TO JESUS, IS GOING TO BE ON AN EVER ASKI, ASCENDING SCALE OF
JOY AND LIFE AND VICTORY IN YOUTH AND A SERENED OLD, SERENE
OLD AGE AND A HAPPY FAMILY LIFE AND AN GLORIOUS EXIT INTO
HEAVEN. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN THAT WAY. AND AS YOU STUDY THE BIBLE,
YOU’RE GOING TO FIND OUT THAT MANY OF GOD’S GREATEST SAINTS
WERE WALKING IN DARKNESS PART OF THEIR LIVES. JOB, ONE OF THE
GREATEST CHARACTERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, LIVED IN A TIME OF
DARKNESS AND HE WAS PERPLEXED. HE COULDN’T UNDERSTAND. AS A
MATTER OF FACT, HE WANTED TO ARGUE WITH GOD. HE DEMANDED TO
UNDERSTAND, AND HE WAS WRONG WHEN HE DID. IT, IT WAS IF HE
SAID, “GOD, YOU OWE ME SOME ANSWERS.” NOW, JOB DID NOT
UNDERSTAND, BUT GOD UNDERSTOOD. YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE PROPHET
HABAKKUK. HABAKKUK, A GREAT PROPHET, A MAN OF GOD, COULD NOT
UNDERSTAND WHY HISTORY WAS DOING WHAT IT WAS DOING, WHY GOD WAS
ALLOWING THE CHALDEANS TO GET AWAY WITH ALL OF THEIR SIN, WHY
THERE WAS SO MUCH VIOLENCE AND BRUTALITY. HAVE YOU EVER
WONDERED? HAVE YOU EVER PICKED UP THE NEWSPAPER, AS WE’RE WONT
TO DO, AND READ THE NEWSPAPER, AND, UH, READ ABOUT WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN HOLLYWOOD, READ ABOUT THE DOPE, THE VICE, THE
CORRUPTION IN POLITICS, AND WE SAY, “GOD, WHERE ARE YOU? GOD,
WHY DON’T YOU DO SOMETHING? LORD, I DON’T UNDERSTAND.”
HABAKKUK WAS THAT WAY. JOHN THE BAPTIST. JESUS SAID THERE WAS
NOT A GREATER THAN, AH, BORN OF WOMAN THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST.
JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS THE ONE WHO BAPTIZED THE LORD JESUS, A
MIGHTY PROPHET, AND YET HEROD TOOK JOHN THE BAPTIST AND PUT
HIM IN PRISON. JOHN WAS SO PERPLEXED IN PRISON, HE BEGAN TO
WONDER IF JESUS WERE EVEN THE MESSIAH, THE ONE WHO HAD ALREADY
SAID, “BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD THAT TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE
WORLD.” JOHN THE BAPTIST SENT MESSENGERS TO JESUS, SAYING,
“ARE YOU REALLY THE ONE WHO SHOULD COME, OR SHOULD WE LOOK
FOR SOMEBODY ELSE?” JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS PERPLEXED. THE
APOSTLE PAUL WROTE MORE BOOKS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THAN ANYBODY
ELSE, THE GREATEST CHRISTIAN WHO EVER LIVED, WROTE TO THE
CORINTHIANS AND SAID, “WE ARE PERPLEXED.” DO YOU KNOW WHAT
PERPLEXED MEANS? IT MEANS WE DON’T UNDERSTAND. NOW, JOB,
HABAKKUK, JOHN THE BAPTIST, PAUL, AND YOU, SIR, AND YOU,
GENTLEMEN, AND ADRIAN, AND THE REST OF US ARE GOING TO COME TO
TIMES IN OUR LIVES WHEN, FRIEND, IT WILL NOT MAKE SENSE. NOW, IF
YOU THINK IT’S ALWAYS GOING TO MAKE SENSE, YOU’RE GOING TO BE
IN SPIRITUAL TROUBLE. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IN THIS PASSAGE
IN ISAIAH CHAPTER 50, HE SAYS, “WHO IS MY SERVANT THAT FOLLOWS
ME, OBEYS ME, AND WALKS IN DARKNESS, AND HATH NO LIGHT?”
LISTEN TO ME. THE DARKNESS CAN NEVER PUT OUT THE LIGHT,
[AUDIENCE: AMEN] NEVER. SO, THEREFORE, IF THERE IS NO LIGHT,
IT IS ONLY BECAUSE THE LIGHT HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. THE DARKNESS
NEVER CHASES IT AWAY. NOW, IF YOU’RE IN DARKNESS THAT DOES NOT
MEAN THAT THE DEVIL HAS PREVAILED. IF GOD TAKES AWAY THE
LIGHT, AH, THEN YOU JUST SIMPLY TRUST GOD AND DO NOT DEMAND TO
UNDERSTAND. IF THERE IS DARKNESS, YOU CAN SAY THIS AT
LEAST, THAT GOD HAS ALLOWED IT. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE
ARE NOT MEANT TO UNDERSTAND. JOSEPH DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT
GOD WAS UP TO. WHEN FINALLY WE GET TO THE END OF THIS CHAPTER,
ER, THE END OF THIS BOOK, IN CHAPTER 50, WE FIND OUT THAT
WHAT HAPPENED TO JOSEPH WAS A PART OF A GREAT MOSAIC THAT GOD
WAS WORKING. BUT LISTEN TO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS IN ISAIAH 55 NOW,
VERSES EIGHT AND NINE. GOD SAYS, “‘FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR
THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,’ SAITH THE LORD. ‘FOR
AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER
THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.’” NOW, HOW
FAR IS UP? YOU TELL ME. YOU CAN’T. HOW MUCH HIGHER ARE GOD’S
THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS? YOU TELL ME. YOU CANNOT. “AS THE
HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY THOUGHTS ABOVE
YOUR THOUGHTS.” LISTEN TO ME. JUST BECAUSE IT DOES NOT MAKE
SENSE TO YOU DOES NOT MEAN IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. AND JUST
BECAUSE IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE NOW, THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL
NOT MAKE SENSE LATER ON. NOT NOW, BUT IN THE COMING YEARS, IT
MAY BE IN THE BETTER LAND, WE’LL UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF OUR
TEARS, AND THERE WE’LL UNDERSTAND. THE FIRST PRINCIPLE
WHEN LIFE DOESN’T MAKE SENSE: DON’T DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND. TRY
TO UNDERSTAND IF YOU CAN, BUT DON’T DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND.
NUMBER TWO. DON’T FAIL TO BE FAITHFUL. NOW, LOOK IN VERSES 21
AND FOLLOWING IN THIS CHAPTER HERE. “BUT THE LORD WAS WITH
JOSEPH AND SHOWED HIM MERCY, AND GAVE HIM FAVOR IN THE SIGHT OF
THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON. AND THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON
COMMITTED TO JOSEPH’S HAND ALL THE PRISONERS THAT WERE IN THE
PRISON; AND WHATSOEVER THEY DID THERE, HE WAS THE DOER OF IT.
THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON LOOKED NOT TO ANYTHING THAT WAS UNDER
HIS HAND; BECAUSE THE LORD WAS WITH HIM,” THAT IS, WITH JOSEPH,
“AND THAT WHICH HE DID, THE LORD MADE IT TO PROSPER.” NOW, HERE’S
A MAN FOR NO SEEMING REASON, ACTUALLY FOR DOING GOOD, IS CAST
INTO PRISON. AND NOW, HE, THERE IN THE PRISON, IS NOT SITTING
AND SULKING, BUT HE IS SERVING THE LORD. HE IS VERY FAITHFUL.
SO FAITHFUL THAT HE IS A MAN OF INDUSTRY. HE IS A MAN OF
INTEGRITY. AND THERE IN THE PRISON, IN A TIME OF DARKNESS
AND A TIME OF PERSECUTION, HE IS SERVING GOD. IN THE NEXT CHAPTER
WE’RE GOING TO FIND HIM WITNESSING TO THE BUTLER AND THE
BAKER WHO HAVE ALSO BEEN CAST INTO PRISON, AND WE’RE GOING TO
FIND OUT THAT HE IS A MAN WHO, IN THE PRISON HIMSELF, COULD PUT
HIS ARMS AROUND THESE PAGANS AND KINDLE IN THEIR PAGAN HEART A
KNOWLEDGE OF JEHOVAH GOD. THE POINT BEING THIS; EVEN WHEN
JOSEPH COULD NOT UNDERSTAND, HE WAS NOT A FAIR WEATHER
CHRISTIAN. HE DID NOT BEGIN TO POUT. HE DID NOT GET ANGRY AT
GOD. I’VE SEEN IT SO MANY TIMES IN MY PASTORATE. I’VE SEEN
CHURCH MEMBERS WHO ARE SOME OF THE MOST FAITHFUL CHURCH MEMBERS
WE’VE HAD. THEY SING IN THE CHOIR, THEY WITNESS, THEY TITHE,
THEY’RE FAITHFUL, THEY’RE HAPPY, THEY’RE JOYFUL. BUT LET A
GRANDBABY DIE, OR LET A HUSBAND DIE, OR LET A SICKNESS COME. LET
CANCER COME. LET SOMETHING HAPPEN THAT DOESN’T MAKE ANY
SENSE WHATSOEVER. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO? THEY DROP OUT.
THEY QUIT SERVING. THEY FOLD UP. DON’T DO IT. EVEN WHEN IT
DOESN’T MAKE SENSE, CONTINUE TO SERVE THE LORD. KEEP SINGING.
KEEP PRAYING. KEEP GIVING. KEEP WITNESSING. KEEP SUBMITTING.
JOSEPH DID, AND THE BIBLE SAYS THAT, “GOD WAS WITH HIM.” IN
CHAPTER 39 VERSE TWO, WHEN JOSEPH IS IN POTIPHAR’S HOUSE
AND EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE FINE, THINGS HAVE TURNED FOR JOSEPH.
THE BIBLE SAYS, “AND GOD WAS WITH HIM.” BUT YOU LOOK NOW IN
CHAPTER 39 VERSE 21, WHEN HE IS IN PRISON. THE SAME GOD THAT WAS
WITH HIM IN THE GOOD TIMES IS THE GOD THAT WAS WITH HIM IN THE
BAD TIMES. NOW, WHEN IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO YOU, NUMBER ONE,
DON’T DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND. NUMBER TWO, DON’T FAIL TO BE
FAITHFUL. DON’T DROP OUT. KEEP ON SERVING GOD, EVEN WHEN YOU
DON’T UNDERSTAND. NUMBER THREE, NUMBER THREE; DON’T BOW TO
BITTERNESS. DON’T GET BITTER. NOW TURN TO CHAPTER 40 IF YOU
WILL AND LOOK IN VERSES 14 AND 15. JOSEPH IS NOW TALKING, AH,
TO A BUTLER. THE BUTLER HAS BEEN CAST INTO PRISON AND HE’S GOING
TO BE RELEASED FROM PRISON. AND JOSEPH KNOWS THAT BECAUSE HE’S A
BUTLER, HE’S GOING TO SERVE IN THE PRESENCE OF PHARAOH,
PERHAPS, AH, HE CAN SPEAK TO PHARAOH IN HIS BEHALF. AND
HERE’S WHAT HE SAYS, “BUT THINK ON ME WHEN IT SHALL BE WELL WITH
THEE,” THAT IS, WHEN YOU’RE OUT OF PRISON, “AND SHOW KINDNESS, I
PRAY THEE, UNTO ME, AND MAKE MENTION OF ME UNTO PHARAOH, AND
BRING ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE. FOR INDEED I WAS STOLEN AWAY OUT OF
THE LAND OF THE HEBREWS; AND HERE ALSO I HAVE DONE NOTHING
THAT THEY SHOULD PUT ME INTO THE DUNGEON.” HE SAID, “FIRST OF
ALL, I WAS SOLD AS A SLAVE, AND NOW I’M IN THE DUNGEON. I’VE
DONE NOTHING WRONG. AH, MR. BUTLER, WHEN YOU, WHEN IT, WHEN
IT’S, THINGS HAVE TURNED FOR YOU, WHEN IT’S WELL WITH YOU,
WOULD YOU PUT IN A GOOD WORD FOR ME, BECAUSE I NEED TO GET OUT OF
THIS PLACE?” NOW, AS I READ THAT I THOUGHT ABOUT JOSEPH’S SPIRIT
AND WHAT A MARVELOUS SPIRIT THAT HE HAD. AS YOU READ THIS, THERE
IS NOT A NOTE OF BITTERNESS OR COMPLAINT THAT IS FOUND THERE AT
ALL. IT IS A REMARKABLE STATEMENT. HE DOESN’T EVEN
MENTION THE NAME OF HIS BROTHERS WHO SOLD HIM INTO SLAVERY. HE
DOESN’T EVEN MENTION POTIPHAR’S WIFE. HE DOESN’T MENTION
POTIPHAR AT ALL. AH, HE’S CONTENT TO LEAVE THEM WITH GOD.
NOW, WHEN THINGS GO WRONG, WHEN YOU’RE SERVING GOD, AND YOU’RE
PUNISHED FOR SERVING GOD, DON’T GET BITTER. HERE’S A GOOD VERSE.
FIRST PETER CHAPTER TWO VERSE 20, “FOR WHAT GLORY IS IT IF,
WHEN YE ARE BE BUFFETED FOR YOUR FAULTS, THAT YE TAKE IT
PATIENTLY? BUT IF, WHEN YE DO WELL AND SUFFER FOR IT, YE TAKE
IT PATIENTLY, THIS IS ACCEPTABLE WITH GOD.” WHAT A GREAT VERSE TO
DESCRIBE THE LIFE OF JOSEPH SO LONG AGO. WE NEED TO BE VERY
CAREFUL ABOUT THIS MATTER OF BITTERNESS. YOU’RE GOING TO FIND
YOURSELF NOT ONLY DROPPING OUT WHEN THINGS DON’T MAKE SENSE,
BUT IF YOU’RE NOT CAREFUL, YOU’RE GOING TO GET VERY, VERY
BITTER. BITTER PEOPLE ARE NOT NICE TO BE AROUND. SOMETIMES
PASTORS GET BITTER. I KNOW OF A PASTOR WHO SERVED A CHURCH FOR
MANY, MANY YEARS, AND FOR SOME REASON THE PEOPLE IN THAT CHURCH
TURNED ON HIM, AND THEY BEGAN TO CRITICIZE HIM, AND FINALLY, THEY
DISMISSED HIM. AND, AH, THIS PASTOR SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
“HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO ME? HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO ME
AFTER ALL THAT I DID FOR THEM, AFTER ALL THAT I DID FOR THEM?
HOW COULD THEY DO THAT?” AND HE WAS VERY BITTER. I THOUGHT, THE
SHAME IS THAT HE DIDN’T SAY, “AFTER ALL I DID FOR GOD.” NOT
FOR THEM, BUT FOR GOD. IF YOU LOOK TO PEOPLE TO SUPPLY YOUR
NEEDS, IF YOU LOOK FOR PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE, AH, YOUR WORTH, AH,
YOU’RE GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN LIFE. [AUDIENCE: THAT’S
RIGHT] AND YOU’RE GOING TO GET BITTER AFTER A WHILE. ONE OF THE
GREATEST TESTS OF LIFE IS THIS: NOT HOW YOU REACT WHEN YOU’RE
PUNISHED FOR DOING WRONG, BUT HOW YOU REACT WHEN YOU’RE
PERSECUTED FOR DOING RIGHT. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] JOSEPH HAD DONE
RIGHT, BUT THERE’S NOT A SHRED OF BITTERNESS IN THE LIFE OF
JOSEPH. WHY? BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM. AND ONE OF THE REASONS
THAT GOD WAS WITH HIM WAS THE ATTITUDE THAT HE HAD. NOW,
NUMBER FOUR, NUMBER FOUR. WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, WHEN LIFE
DOESN’T MAKE SENSE, NUMBER FOUR, DO NOT BE UNWILLING TO WAIT. DO
NOT BE UNWILLING TO WAIT. GOD WILL BRING YOU OUT IN HIS TIME.
NOTICE IN GENESIS CHAPTER 40, “YET DID NOT THE CHIEF BUTLER
REMEMBER JOSEPH, BUT FORGOT HIM.” NOW JOSEPH HAD SAID,
“LOOK, WHEN YOU GET UP THERE, WHEN YOU GET BACK INTO THE
PRESENCE OF PHARAOH, REMEMBER ME.” BUT NOW, HERE IS JOSEPH
LANGUISHING IN PRISON AND THE BUTLER FORGOT HIM. AND THEN YOU
GO DOWN TO GENESIS CHAPTER 41 VERSE 46, “AND JOSEPH WAS THIRTY
YEARS OLD WHEN HE STOOD BEFORE PHARAOH, KING OF EGYPT.” ALL OF
THIS TIME, THIS BOY, WHO HAD BEEN SOLD INTO PRISON AS A
SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD BOY, IS THERE YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR IS
PASSING. MANY OF THOSE YEARS HE SPENT IN PRISON. NOW, WHEN YOU
DON’T UNDERSTAND, DON’T GET HASTY, DON’T GET FEVERISH, AND
DON’T GET IMPATIENT. PSALM 37 VERSES FIVE THROUGH NINE, LISTEN
TO IT, “COMMIT THY WAY UNTO THE LORD; TRUST ALSO IN HIM, AND HE
SHALL BRING IT TO PASS. AND HE SHALL BRING FORTH THY
RIGHTEOUSNESS AS THE LIGHT, AND THY JUDGMENT AS THE NOONDAY.
REST IN THE LORD, AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM, FRET NOT
THYSELF BECAUSE OF HIM WHO PROSPERETH IN HIS WAY, BECAUSE
OF THE MAN WHO BRINGETH WICKED DEVICES TO PASS. CEASE FROM
ANGER, FORSAKE WRATH; FRET NOT THYSELF IN ANY WISE TO DO EVIL.
FOR EVILDOERS SHALL BE CUT OFF, BUT THOSE THAT WAIT UPON THE
LORD, THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.” OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN
THE BIBLE WE’RE TOLD TO WAIT UPON THE LORD. WHEN YOU DON’T
UNDERSTAND, DON’T BE UNWILLING TO WAIT. I WAS SPEAKING ABOUT
PREACHERS. ANOTHER PREACHER SAID TO ME, WHO WAS IN A HARD SPOT,
HE SAID, “I KNOW THAT GOD PUT ME HERE. I JUST WONDER IF HE
REMEMBERS WHERE HE PUT ME.” [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] GOD KNOWS
WHERE YOU ARE. THE VERY HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE NUMBERED. AND THE
GOD THAT WAS WITH JOSEPH WHEN HE WAS A LAD, THE GOD WHO WAS WITH
JOSEPH WHEN HE WAS SERVING IN POTIPHAR’S HOUSE WAS THE GOD WHO
WAS WITH JOSEPH WHEN HE LANGUISHED THERE, FORGOTTEN IN
PRISON. ANOTHER GOOD SCRIPTURE THAT I FOUND; FIRST PETER
CHAPTER FIVE AND VERSE SIX, “HUMBLE YOURSELVES, THEREFORE,
UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD, THAT HE MAY EXALT YOU IN DUE
TIME.” GOD HAS HIS SCHEDULE. WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, DON’T
DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND, DON’T FAIL TO BE FAITHFUL, DON’T BOW TO
BITTERNESS. FRIEND, DON’T BE UNWILLING TO WAIT. GOD IS NEVER
LATE, BUT HE’S NEVER AHEAD OF TIME. THE SCRIPTURE THAT I READ
TO YOU FROM PSALM 37 SAYS THAT, “HE WILL BRING FORTH YOUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS AS THE NOON DAY.” IT’S LIKE THE SUN COMING UP. ONE
THING ABOUT THE SUN COMING UP IS YOU CAN’T HURRY IT AND YOU CAN’T
STOP IT. AND THAT’S THE WAY GOD IS. GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME.
[AUDIENCE: AMEN] ONE TIME I WAS VISITING WITH SENATOR JESSE
HELMS. SENATOR JESSE HELMS SAID, “ADRIAN, I WANT TO TELL YOU A
STORY THAT ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN TOLD ME.” ALEKSANDR
SOLZHENITSYN WAS THAT BRILLIANT RUSSIAN LITERARY GENIUS AND
DISSIDENT. MANY OF YOU HAVE READ AFTER ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN, A
BRILLIANT AND A GODLY MAN. BUT BECAUSE HE WAS A DISSIDENT, WHEN
COMMUNISM WAS SO POWERFUL, HE WAS PUT INTO A PRISON CAMP.
LATER HE WAS RELEASED, AND HE TOLD SENATOR HELMS THIS STORY,
AND SENATOR HELMS TOLD IT TO ME. SOLZHENITSYN SAID TO HELMS, “I
HOPE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT REAL REPRESSION IS.” HE TOLD ABOUT
HOW HE WAS PUT INTO THIS LABOR CAMP, AND THEY TOOK FROM HIM ALL
BOOKS, ALL WRITING MATERIAL. THERE WAS NO RADIO. THERE WAS NO
TELEVISION. THERE WAS NO INPUT FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD, AND THE
PRISONERS THEMSELVES WERE NOT ALLOWED TO COMMUNICATE ONE WITH
ANOTHER. ALL DAY LONG, LABORIOUS, BACKBREAKING LABOR
WITH RUSSIAN GUARDS STANDING THERE, ARMED AND READY TO SHOOT
ANYONE WHO TRIED TO ESCAPE. SOLZHENITSYN SAID THIS WENT ON
DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY. “I WONDERED IF ANYBODY EVEN KNEW
THAT I WAS HERE, MUCH LESS DID THEY CARE.” HE SAID, “FINALLY, I
DECIDED THAT I WOULD END MY LIFE. BUT,” HE SAID, “MY FAITH
WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DO THAT. I KNEW IT WOULD BE WRONG FOR ME TO
TAKE MY OWN LIFE. BUT,” HE SAID, “MY MIND THEN BECAME TWISTED AND
PERVERTED.” HE SAID, “I HAD THE IDEA THAT PERHAPS IF I WOULD TRY
TO ESCAPE, THEN THEY WOULD SHOOT ME, AND I WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN
MY OWN LIFE. THEY WOULD HAVE KILLED ME.” HE SAID, “I KNOW
THAT WAS WRONG, BUT MY MIND WAS TWISTED.” HE SAID, “I FOUND THE
DAY THAT I WAS GOING TO DO IT. I WAS SITTING UNDER A TREE. THEY’D
GIVEN US A FEW MOMENTS FROM THE WORK. I WAS SITTING IN THE SHADE
OF A TREE. I SAW THE RUSSIAN GUARD WITH HIS GUN.” HE SAID, “I
WAS READY TO SPRING UP. I’D ALMOST PUT MY HANDS ON THE
GROUND, READY TO SPRING UP AND RUN, TO BE SHOT IN THE BACK
WHEN,” HE SAID, “ANOTHER MAN, A MAN THAT I’D NEVER SEEN BEFORE,
AND PERHAPS I WILL NEVER SEE AGAIN, PERHAPS WAS AN ANGEL, I
DON’T KNOW, BUT HE CAME AND STOOD IN FRONT OF ME. REMEMBER,
WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO COMMUNICATE, NOT EVEN TO TALK.
BUT HE LOOKED INTO MY EYES WITH A LOOK OF COMPASSION AND
UNDERSTANDING, THOUGH NOT ABLE TO SAY A WORD.” AND HE SAID, “HE
HAD A STICK IN HIS HAND, A TWIG, AND FRONT OF ME ON THE GROUND HE
DREW A CROSS AND WALKED AWAY.” ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN SAID, “I
KNEW THAT THAT WAS A MESSAGE FROM GOD, AND WHAT I WAS ABOUT
TO DO WAS WRONG, AND I SETTLED BACK DOWN.” HE SAID, “LITTLE DID
I KNOW THAT ALL OVER THE WORLD PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT ME AND
IN THREE DAYS I WOULD BE A FREE MAN IN SWITZERLAND, IN THREE
DAYS.” WAIT ON GOD. DON’T BE UNWILLING TO WAIT. HUMBLE
YOURSELVES UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD. IN DUE TIME, HE’LL LIFT
YOU UP. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, FRIEND,
DON’T GET FEVERISH. DON’T YOU HURRY GOD. NOW, HERE’S THE LAST
PRINCIPLE I WANT TO GIVE YOU WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, WHEN
LIFE DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. DON’T LET DREAMS DISSOLVE, DON’T LET
YOUR DREAMS DISSOLVE. JOSEPH HAD A DREAM. THAT DREAM WAS PUT IN
HIS BOSOM WHEN HE WAS A TEEN. NOW, WHAT WAS THE DREAM? THE
DREAM WAS THAT ONE DAY THE WORLD’S RESOURCES AND THE
WORLD’S RULERS WOULD BE AT HIS FEET. HIS BROTHERS THOUGHT IT
WAS A FOOLISH DREAM. BUT I WANT YOU TO LOOK NOW IN CHAPTER 41
AND BEGIN IN VERSE 37, IF YOU WILL, WITH ME AND SEE WHAT
HAPPENED. NOW, I’M GOING TO SKIP A LOT OF MATERIAL FOR TIME’S
SAKE, BUT JUST REMEMBER THIS, THAT, AH, JOSEPH IS NOW EXALTED.
HE’S OUT OF PRISON. HE HAS NOW BECOME THE PRIME MINISTER OF
EGYPT. “AND THE THING WAS GOOD IN THE EYES OF PHARAOH, AND IN
THE EYES OF ALL HIS SERVANTS. AND PHARAOH SAID UNTO HIS
SERVANTS, ‘CAN WE FIND SUCH A ONE AS THIS IS, A MAN IN WHOM
THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS?’ AND PHARAOH SAID UNTO JOSEPH,
‘FORASMUCH AS GOD HATH SHOWED THEE ALL THIS, THERE IS NONE SO
DISCREET AND WISE AS THOU ART. THOU SHALT BE OVER MY HOUSE, AND
ACCORDING UNTO THY WORD SHALL ALL MY PEOPLE BE RULED: ONLY IN
THE THRONE WILL I BE GREATER THAN THOU.’ AND PHARAOH SAID
UNTO JOSEPH, ‘SEE, I HAVE SET THEE OVER ALL THE LAND OF
EGYPT.’ AND PHARAOH TOOK OFF HIS RING FROM HIS HAND, AND PUT IT
UPON JOSEPH’S HAND, AND ARRAYED HIM IN VESTURES OF FINE LINEN,
AND PUT A GOLD CHAIN ABOUT HIS NECK; AND MADE HIM TO RIDE IN
THE SECOND CHARIOT WHICH HE HAD: AND THEY CRIED BEFORE HIM, ‘BOW
THE KNEE;’ AND HE MADE HIM RULER OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT. AND
PHARAOH SAID UNTO JOSEPH, ‘I AM PHARAOH, AND WITHOUT THEE SHALL
NO MAN LIFT UP HIS HAND OR FOOT IN ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT.’” THIS
WAS THE DREAM THAT JOSEPH HAD HAD SO LONG AGO. IT WAS A
GOD-GIVEN DREAM AND JOSEPH NEVER FORGOT IT AND GOD NEVER FORGOT
IT. I DON’T KNOW WHO FIRST SAID IT, BUT A WISE MAN SAID THIS,
AND IT’S ONE OF THE GREATEST STATEMENTS I’VE EVER HEARD.
“DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARK WHAT GOD HAS SHOWED YOU IN THE
LIGHT.” THE DARK COMES. DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARK WHAT GOD HAS
SHOWED YOU IN THE LIGHT. GOD DID NOT FAIL JOSEPH. AND LOOK UP
HERE AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. GOD WILL NOT FAIL
YOU! [AUDIENCE: AMEN] DID YOU HEAR THAT? HE DID NOT FAIL
JOSEPH AND GOD WILL NOT FAIL YOU. DON’T YOU LET YOUR DREAMS
DISSOLVE. NO LONGER IS HIS SLAVE’S HAND A SLAVE’S HAND.
HE’S NOW WEARING A ROYAL RING. OFF IS THE PRISON GARB, ON GOES
THE BEAUTIFUL GARMENTS THAT PHARAOH HAS PUT UPON HIM. OFF
COMES THE IRON CHAINS AND ON GOES A GOLD CHAIN AROUND HIS
NECK. GOD IS FAITHFUL. I, HA, HA, I WONDER, I WONDER, [THUMP]
I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW WHAT PHARAOH SAID? HE SAID,
LISTEN, “JOSEPH, NOBODY IN ALL THE LAND IS GOING TO DO
ANYTHING, EVEN MOVE THEIR HAND, WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION. JOSEPH,
YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING.” NOW, YOU REMEMBER IT WAS
POTIPHAR WHO WAS THE HEAD OF THE EGYPTIAN GUARD. CAN YOU IMAGINE
AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS GIVEN, AND HERE COMES JOSEPH RIDING IN
THE SECOND CHARIOT, AND A HERALD GOES OUT THERE, “BOW THE KNEE!
BOW THE KNEE! BOW THE KNEE!” AND IN ALL EGYPT THEY’RE BOWING DOWN
TO THIS BOY, THIS ONE WHO DID NOT FAIL TO BE FAITHFUL, THIS
ONE WHO DID NOT DEMAND TO UNDERSTAND, THIS ONE WHO DID NOT
BOW TO BITTERNESS, THIS ONE WHO WAS WILLING TO WAIT. OLD
POTIPHAR GOES HOME. HE AND HIS WIFE ARE EATING. HE SAYS, AH, TO
MRS. POTIPHAR, “WIFE, DO YOU REMEMBER MANY YEARS AGO THAT YOU
SAID THERE WAS A HOUSE SLAVE THAT HAD TRIED TO MOLEST YOU?
UH, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT STORY?” “WELL, YES, I REMEMBER THAT
STORY.” “WELL, FOR YOUR SAKE, I HOPE YOU WERE TELLING THE TRUTH.
I REPORT TO HIM TOMORROW.” YOU THINK ABOUT IT. OH, FRIEND,
THERE’S COMING A DAY, THERE IS COMING A DAY WHEN GOD’S GOING TO
MAKE EVERYTHING RIGHT. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] DON’T YOU,
DON’T YOU LOSE YOUR FAITH WHEN IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO YOU.
JUST BECAUSE IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO YOU DOES NOT MEAN IT
WILL NOT MAKE SENSE ONE DAY. [AUDIENCE: AMEN] SERVE JESUS.
NEVER QUIT. GIVE HIM YOUR HEART. GIVE HIM YOUR LIFE. AND DON’T
EVER, EVER, EVER LOSE YOUR DREAM. YOU SAY, “I NEVER HAD A
DREAM.” GET ONE! HA, HA, HA. GET ONE! THE BIBLE SAYS, “YOUR OLD
MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS.” GET A DREAM. IT’S ALWAYS TOO SOON TO
QUIT, NEVER TOO LATE TO START. BOW YOUR HEADS IN PRAYER. HEADS
ARE BOWED AND EYES ARE CLOSED. NOW, FRIEND, YOU NEED TO KNOW
JESUS BECAUSE JESUS IS THE KEY TO ALL OF THIS. IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT, THOSE SAINTS LOOKED FORWARD TO A COMING MESSIAH.
TODAY, WE LOOK BACKWARD TO A MESSIAH WHO CAME. ALL OF US LOOK
UPWARD TO JESUS WHEN WE’RE SAVED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE
SAVED? YOU CAN BE SAVED TODAY. BOW YOUR HEADS AND PRAY THIS
PRAYER, “DEAR GOD, I’M A SINNER. MY SIN DESERVES JUDGMENT. BUT I
WANT MERCY. LORD, I DO NOT WANT TO DIE AND GO TO HELL. I WANT TO
BE SAVED. JESUS, YOU DIED TO SAVE ME. YOU PROMISED TO SAVE ME
IF I WOULD TRUST YOU. I DO TRUST YOU. COME INTO MY HEART. FORGIVE
MY SIN. SAVE ME, JESUS.” DID YOU PRAY THAT? “SAVE ME, LORD JESUS.
SAVE ME, JESUS.” PRAY IT. “SAVE ME, JESUS, SAVE ME.” DID YOU ASK
HIM? BY FAITH, THANK HIM FOR DOING IT. SAY “THANK YOU, LORD
JESUS, FOR SAVING ME. I BELIEVE YOU’VE DONE IT. I RECEIVE IT BY
FAITH. I DON’T LOOK FOR A FEELING. I DON’T ASK FOR A SIGN.
I STAND ON YOUR WORD. AND NOW, LORD JESUS, BEGIN TO MAKE ME THE
PERSON YOU WANT ME TO BE. I’M WEAK, BUT YOU’RE STRONG. HELP ME
TO GROW. AND, LORD JESUS, I WILL MAKE THIS PUBLIC. I WILL NOT BE
ASHAMED OF YOU. IN YOUR NAME I PRAY. AMEN.” [MUSIC] WELL
HALLELUJAH, FOR THE GOD WHO HAS GIVEN US FAITH, WHO TESTS OUR
FAITH AND YET, WHO KEEPS US BY FAITH. HAVE YOU PUT YOUR FAITH
IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST? LET ME GIVE YOU ONE OF THE SWEETEST
SCRIPTURES IN ALL OF THE BIBLE, “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST, AND YOU WILL BE SAVED.” NOW THAT’S GLORIOUSLY SIMPLE,
AND FRIEND, IT IS SIMPLY GLORIOUS. WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST, GOD FORGIVES YOUR SIN, HE INHABITS YOU
THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ONE DAY, WHEN YOU DIE OR WHEN JESUS
COMES AGAIN, HE TAKES YOU HOME TO HEAVEN. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT
CHRIST SHED HIS BLOOD ON THE CROSS FOR YOU? DO YOU BELIEVE HE
IS THE SON OF GOD? THEN PRAY AND SAY, “LORD JESUS, COME INTO MY
HEART. TAKE CONTROL OF MY LIFE AND BEGIN NOW TO MAKE ME THE
PERSON YOU WANT ME TO BE.” AND IF YOU PRAY THAT PRAYER PLEASE
LET US KNOW SO WE CAN REJOICE AND WE’LL SEND YOU SOME
LITERATURE TO HELP YOU TO GET STARTED IN YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE.
[MUSIC] WE HOPE THAT TODAY’S MESSAGE HAS BEEN AN
ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU AS WE’VE STUDIED GOD’S WORD TOGETHER. FOR
MORE RESOURCES FROM ADRIAN ROGERS INCLUDING COPIES OR
DOWNLOADS OF THIS MESSAGE, AS WELL AS PASTOR ROGERS’ OUTLINE,
NOTES OR A COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MESSAGE, PLEASE VISIT OUR
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SIGN UP TO RECEIVE DAILY DEVOTIONALS FROM ADRIAN ROGERS
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IS, WE HOPE YOU’LL VISIT THE “DISCOVER JESUS” LINK ON OUR
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ENCOURAGEMENT TO GET YOU THROUGH THE WEEK, CHECK US OUT ON SOCIAL
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BRINGS US MORE PROFOUND TRUTH, SIMPLY STATED, WITH ANOTHER
POWERFUL MESSAGE FROM GOD’S WORD. THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR
TODAY’S PROGRAM, WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] MORE
THAN ANYTHING GOD WANTS TO MAKE YOU HOLY, TO MAKE YOU LIKE HIM;
THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE MADE LIKE HIM IS TO BUILD OUR FAITH IN
HIM; AND LOVE WORTH FINDING WANTS TO HELP. FOR YOUR GIFT
THIS MONTH, WE WANT TO SEND YOU THE “BUILDING YOUR FAITH”
BOOKLET COLLECTION FROM ADRIAN ROGERS. THIS FIVE BOOKLET BUNDLE
IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. AND
AS AN ADDITIONAL THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, WE’LL ALSO SEND
THE POCKET SIZED GOSPEL OF JOHN, TAKEN FROM THE ADRIAN ROGERS
LEGACY BIBLE. REQUEST THE BUNDLE WHEN YOU CALL WITH A GIFT NOW,
AT 1-800-647-9400 OR YOU CAN GIVE ON-LINE AT LWF.ORG. AGAIN,
THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT.
