Escape Entitlement | Joby Soriano

[Music] i can't believe it i i told you guys i was coming early i mean why didn't you inform the guard i mean he asked me to to show an id he didn't even know who i was and he made me do all those protocols guys i don't like wasting my time huh i deserve more respect here and now when i show up you're setting up the lights the cameras and what couldn't you have done this earlier this is unacceptable i mean what's going on here it's it's ready now what do you mean we're recording oh okay greetings to all of you who are here with us from ccf it is such a joy and delight to be with you today oh our topic for our series on life detox is guess what entitlement entitlement do you know what that is well i guess you just witnessed what entitlement is all about before we started huh friends confession time you know that wasn't me right come on come on i was just illustrating what what entitlement looks like believe me believe me i had a hard time doing that i mean even if i'm the son of nestor divinia i just wanted to bring across the ugliness of entitlement and make a point are you with me huh guys okay is it entitlement terrible the title of our message is escape entitlement s-o-s can you all say that escape entitlement sos now i encourage you all to watch the other live detox messages that we've had in this series okay watch those videos the delta variant of kovid is deadly you can't see it but it can kill you entitlement is just as deadly it is rooted in pride and selfishness it's the me first and on-demand culture or what can be called the eye syndrome have you heard that the eye syndrome it has infected so many of us and has spread throughout society to the point of destruction why because people feel that they deserve and are entitled to do whatever they want whenever they want with whomever they want and how they want it has led to a culture of selfishness and self-centeredness we have immorality pornography unwanted pregnancies drunkenness abortion divorce dysfunctional families drugs separation crime i mean you name it the list goes on people have lost the sense of accountability and responsibility it's all about me it's all about me entitlement is when a person believes that privileges are their right if you're breathing chances are you're infected with a deadly toxin called entitlement you may hear certain things today that will pierce your heart but my intention is not to hurt you but to help you to help you heal you know it sometimes takes god's word to break us before we find a breakthrough if you're prompted to switch off or maybe swipe to a different site it could be that you are at stage four of this sinful toxin and you were in denial before you decide to do anything i want to encourage you to really listen because this may just save your life the more successful you are the more prone you are to entitlement entitlement whether you like it or not is not just a sin that affects you oh it will spread and kill your family your friends co-workers and many others now if you're saying i'm not infected have you heard of asymptomatic that may be you today many people see it in others but fail to see it in themselves let's learn how not to just identify and understand what entitlement is but let's together defeat and put this toxin to death we use god's word as our spiritual mirror to show us what we truly are inside now if we apply what jesus says we will be healed and healthy without god in our lives friends we are no match for this sin he is the ultimate vaccine and shield that protects and prevents us from peril i have three points for us today to escape entitlement sos sos as you know stands for what save our ship yeah it's a distressed signal calling for help today it could mean save our soul for this message it means s standing for set biblical expectations o standing for offer thanksgiving and s standing for surrender to god i thought it'd be great if we use one of jesus's parables it's a story with a life lesson he told this beautiful story to illustrate how family relationships are ruined and restored i'm so glad that many of you are familiar with this story in luke chapter 15 verse 11 and 12 it says a man had two sons the younger of them said to his father father give me the share of the estate that falls to me so he divided his wealth between them in this parable the younger son represents people people who are lost in their sin and the father represents god now look at the entitlement attitude of the son he says father give me the estate that falls to me or give me what belongs to me what is mine are any of you like this son who demands from your parents your boss or others what you think you deserve on demand now let's run by some scenarios to see if you are entitled okay let's do that you may be entitled if number one you're still in grade school and your parents don't allow you to have a smartphone so a you throw a tantrum b you pray that god changes your parents hearts and see you pray that god changes your parents don't go there don't go there okay number two for example you've been serving in the singles ministry for several years and you're asking god why haven't i found the one up to now a you'll say i'll keep trusting be you shout out look i'm available and see i'm leaving this church all right number three you've been working in a company with excellence and now consider moving out because other people have been promoted and you feel you've been left behind you're thinking come on it's been six months what's happening number four as parents you attend sunday services bible studies and lead a small group and you're asking why are our children still rebellious god we deserve your intervention what's taking so long you are an entitled person if you say in your mind something like i want now i want happiness my way it's my right i deserve it i want it because everyone else has it i expect others to fix my problems my way my parents better provide for me my spouse must meet my expectations my workplace ought to give me is that how your mind speaks to you when i was invited to speak in another country to share god's word for a three-day seminar i was excited because i'd never been to that country before it was a country on the border of afghanistan and i was excited i felt all of a sudden i deserve special privileges so the host graciously sent me a free airline ticket yeah but it was for economy class well when i got to the airport i was excited because all sudden this entitlement emotion kicked in i was expecting people to to welcome me at the airport and to bring me to the hotel with a really nice car when i got there there was one guy standing with a sign that had my name on it and my name was misspelt well i followed him to his beat up dirty small car that barely made it to the hotel well i said to myself i know for sure the host will give me a beautiful suite with a view friends can i tell you about my hotel room never mind never mind you don't want to hear about it this feeling of hey i i'm special what kind of treatment are you giving me this is completely completely sinful why because my pride my self-centeredness and entitlement took over my heart it's a good thing that night i called cindy and i poured out my heart to i shared to her what was happening to me and in our conversation i came to my senses and confessed my sin to god with a renewed attitude i praise god because the seminar went so well it was so blessed you know the bible doesn't use the word entitlement but it speaks against this toxic sin it's a sinful attitude the bible focuses on hard work sowing and reaping and living a sacrificial lifestyle of accountability and responsibility as followers of christ second corinthians chapter 5 verse 15 says this he died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again on their behalf this verse says it all we must realize that our purpose for living is not to demand our rights expect privileges and special treatment no it is as the verse says it is to no longer to live for ourselves but for jesus this by the way is our memory verse so let's read it again okay second corinthians 5 15 he died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again on their behalf the younger son in the story demanded for his inheritance before the father passed away do you realize how the sin of entitlement corrupted his sense of value honor respect i mean he was more interested in filling his pockets with cash than than faithfully serving his father with care can i speak to the parents listening parents parents do your children exhibit symptoms of entitlement well guess what guess who molded and shaped them that way yeah children today have an abundance because parents with right motives in the beginning wanted to give their children a good life a life that they themselves did not have later out of guilt you gave your kids more to compensate for your lack of spending time with them then in spite of them having so much they whined and they demanded for more why because all the entitled kids who were their friends had more so what did you do you gave in and you gave them more in order for your kids not to feel left out how do you break this entitlement mindset well i'll answer that question at the fast track right at the end of this message okay but let me just share with you what my father taught me and what i taught my children i told my children at a young age i will provide for your basic needs basic needs and the best education i can afford but after college you're on your own that was it let's continue with the story in luke 15 verse 13 it says there and not many days later the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country and there he squandered his estate with loose living now let me tell you the sad truth about entitlement you may think that your source of privileges and perceived rights will be unlimited wherever you go but as you live this life of entitlement you never find satisfaction there is no such thing as enough your life will be so consumed with demanding more and more without ever finding true joy in what you already have it will lead to the destruction of your relationships your personal life and even worse your personal relationship with god this son lost everything because he lived for himself he didn't value the hard earned money of his father this is a clear example of no accountability and no responsibility in verse 14 it goes on now when he had spent everything a severe famine occurred in that country and he began to be impoverished so he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine guys this son was so poor and desperate that he stooped so low that he ended up feeding pigs guys in the context of jews this was disgusting repulsive and it was revolting verse 16 and he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating and no one was giving anything to him this was totally desperation as he now considered eating pig food now what's the lesson here number one set biblical expectations i want you to all say that number one set biblical expectations this son began with wrong expectations thinking that hey the world and everyone owed him special treatment he slowly started to realize his entitlement was based on wrong expectations listen listen if you set expectations on people and things you think you deserve you will certainly be disappointed if you think god god i expect you to give me a great career a loving spouse behaved kids no health issues and a long life my friend you are in for a big disappointment as christians think about this we should be the least entitled people in the world why what does the bible teach that we are entitled to at the end of our life if we don't have christ yeah our sin deserves a one-way ticket to eternal hell to spend in suffering forever that's what we deserve god does not owe us anything not a thing and yet the bible also tells us that god's unconditional incredible love provided a way for us to have our sins forgiven when he sent jesus to die in our place on the cross friends we get to spend eternity with god in heaven forever and believe it or not that should be enough yes that should be enough so the cure or escape from entitlement well is not to lower your expectations or raise them it is to base them on what the bible tells you that you deserve don't base your expectations on what society or culture determines or base your expectations on what other people have and what you don't have you should set them biblically all right so you say well as i live here on this earth now i'm i'm still not yet there what can i expect what do i expect from living my life here on this earth well the bible tells us that god is our provider he's our protector his presence will always be with us he gives us an abundant life and so much more but what's the balance what's the balance here jesus tells his disciples and us straightforward he doesn't mince words he says in john 16 33 these things i've spoken to you so that in me you may have peace in the world you have tribulation but take courage i have overcome the world jesus is giving us a clear heads up life will not be a walk in the park it's going to be rough and sometimes tough but he says in me you have peace the bible also gives us numerous other promises about what to expect in relationships raising children working in your career handling money and so much more friends set biblical expectations luke 15 verse 17 says but when he came to his senses he said how many of my fathers hired men have more than enough bread but i am dying here with hunger notice he came to his senses he woke up i mean he finally recognized how entitled he had been living and now he sees life more clearly he realizes that his father's servants are better off than he is now just a quick note to the singles okay if you're dating a guy or girl today who exposes an entitlement attitude and hasn't come to their senses the best thing you can do is to save yourself from entering into a marriage where he or she will pressure you pressure you to fulfill all those unbiblical expectations from you things like where to live what kind of car to drive where you send your kids to school where you shop where you eat where you travel oh boy it's a nightmare it's a nightmare now the opposite is amazing guys if you want to instantly be more attractive more appealing learn to escape entitlement yeah escape entitlement and be grateful and be grateful for all things and be quick to forgive let me tell you you will suddenly be magnetic people will be so attracted to you and let me tell you husbands and wives i know you're listening you should try this for yourselves with each other and your kids because it will bring so much joy into your life luke 15 18 continues i will get up and go to my father and will say to him father i have sinned against heaven and in your sight i am no longer worthy to be called your son make me as one of your hired men humility in humility he repents and confesses his sin to god and he's willing to go back to his father and take the position of a servant rather than his child can you imagine that now guys this is his breakthrough and turning point today do you admit that you've been living with wrong expectations expectations that are not based on the bible when you're aware of this fact you know you'll appreciate every small blessing and more than the gift you will love the giver knowing that all things come from god we don't deserve anything no so everything that god gives us is like icing on a cake you like icing i love just eat the icing anyway every day that you live is an opportunity to take the next step in sos and what is that oh offer thanksgiving can you all say that offer thanksgiving yes the opposite of entitlement is gratitude and thanksgiving luke 15 20 says so he got up and came to his father but while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him you see the son's heart transformed he was ready to humble himself before his father and express how sorry he was but at the same time he would be thankful if he would be given work as a servant his father had been waiting patiently for his son to return and when he saw his son from a distance he felt compassion he ran embraced and kissed his son i mean it was all outpouring love unconditional incredible love and that is the love of our heavenly father in spite of the disrespect the pride selfishness and entitlement of the son the father loved him unconditionally you and i are still sinners but we should never think about running away from our loving god we should run towards him verse 21 goes on to say and the son said to him father i have sinned against heaven and in your sight i am no longer worthy to be called your son this is the moment of the prodigal son surrender to his father he was repentant and willing to give up his status as son admitting his sin to god and his father at this moment you can see that he escaped entitlement luke 15 22-24 says this but the father said to his slaves quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fattened calf kill it and let us eat and celebrate for the son of mine was dead and has come to life again he was lost and has been found and they began to celebrate before the son could even finish his statement to request to be a servant the father couldn't wait to restore his son to his rightful place i love how it says the father said bring bring the best robe bring the ring bring the sandals bring the the calf let's celebrate that's the father when we come to god with a humble and contrite heart he pours upon us an abundance of blessings that we don't deserve we don't have to force it out or demand it from god or others what god gives us far exceeds anything this world has to offer be grateful offer thanksgiving now what should we be thankful for today first peter chapter 1 verse 3 and 4 say blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead verse 4 look at this to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away reserved for you in heaven friends any inheritance that you leave your family today is temporal it's fleeting but the inheritance reserved for you in heaven by god is glorious we should be overjoyed with thanksgiving for what god has done for us throughout the bible i mean let me give you just a short list okay from the book of ephesians alone it tells us how we should be so thankful look at this ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 we are blessed with every spiritual blessing verse 4 we are chosen and considered holy and blameless before him verse 5 we are predestined and adopted as his children verse 7 we are redeemed and forgiven of our sins verse 9 he revealed the mystery of jesus as our savior thank you thank you jesus friends we ought to live a life of thanksgiving and that means we count our blessings not our burdens don't compare yourself with others doing so only robs your joy oh thanksgiving is the expression of a grateful heart do you notice that people who are very thankful are joyful yeah may i encourage all of you right now right now okay think of someone who has been an inspiration and blessing to you in your life is it a parent a sibling a relative a teacher a discipler a pastor whoever it is okay i want you to send them a text message okay or call them later and just say thank you thank you for all that you've done for my life i mean just just say thank you for whatever it is that they've done to touch your life i know what some of you are thinking right now you're saying to yourself wait a minute you don't know what i'm going through you don't know the hardships and trials that i'm facing today i've lost my job my family member is sick we don't have internet connection our food supplies is low my car broke down and the house is leaking and we cannot even leave the house and more and more you know friends i i don't i really don't know what you're going through but god knows he knows exactly what you're going through i know it's not easy when things are down and out the bible says in first thessalonians it says in verse 5 chapter 5 verse 18 in everything give thanks notice it doesn't say for everything no but in everything give thanks that means no matter how terrible some of the circumstances of your life may be with god's help you can give thanks that in your circumstance god is still sovereign god is still powerful and in perfect control thank him that you woke up today that the air supply is still on that you can see that you can walk that you can breathe there's so much you can give thanks for i constantly talk to members of the flock and i hear their cries i spoke and prayed for a woman who has stage four cancer and after the doctor said we've done all we can and there's nothing more we can do she decided to go home and be with her family and when i called her up i was so blessed i was so touched because she was not bitter she was not complaining or even blaming god or angry with god none of that she was filled with joy as she put her hope in god and rested in his sovereign control she lived each day focused on others and was excited to see jesus as i prayed with her i asked her what was the desire of her heart what does she want and she said pastor joey could you please help share the gospel when i gather as my friends relatives co-workers neighbors and people on a zoo meeting i said sure of course i'd love to do that so her husband gathered all these people he organized it so there were over 75 people in this zoo meeting and it was a celebration of life oh friends i shared the gospel and while she was lying in bed she shared her story about god's faithfulness and about god's love she said you know i'm so thankful that god has given me this opportunity to share the gospel with you and i pray that all of you have listened carefully to that message because it's god's message for you well all of them expressed their love and care for her it was a glorious night of celebration well after eight days jesus embraced her and brought her to his heavenly home we now go to the next step in sos the last one is s surrender can you all say surrender to god surrender to god yes luke 15 25-28 it says there now the older son not the younger son but the older son who was left behind with the father the older son was in the field and when he came and approached the house he heard music and dancing and he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be and he said to him your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound but he became angry and was not willing to go in here you see the older brother with an entitlement attitude himself notice how blinded he was with his victim mentality thinking this was unfair comparison he felt cheated he believed he deserved better treatment and this is when jealousy resentment and anger started to build up and harden his heart this older son represents people who are self-righteous and critical of others have you gone to god with the same heart saying lord come on i mean you've seen how i've been so diligent in handling the weekly small group over the past years then you say lord why aren't you answering my prayers not fair why are others blessed more than me there can be a sense of demand implying you deserve more than others this is where we all need to learn to surrender to god what do i mean jesus said in matthew 16 verse 24 and 25 he said then jesus said to his disciples whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me for whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me will find it friends jesus did not hide or sugarcoat the truth as his follower we must be willing to deny ourselves and die to self and that's what it means to take up the cross jesus himself was the ultimate example for us he gave up his life his comfort his everything in order to be one of us and sacrificially die on the cross he will not ask you to do anything that he himself hasn't done if we try to follow him carrying our old lifestyle of sin or trying to live for ourselves friends we will lose our lives we will lose it but when we lose or give up our old life for him that's when we will come to know real life yes jesus is encouraging all of us to go from me centeredness to god-centeredness galatians chapter 2 verse 20 says i have been crucified with christ and it is no longer i who live but christ lives in me and the life which i now live in the flesh i live by faith in the son of god who loved me and gave himself up for me the meaning of surrender is no longer i but christ no longer i but christ this is when we let go of all our rights all our privileges all our benefits all our perks and entitlements and we become as jesus was a bond slave to god i know many of you are thinking wow if you surrender your life you'll be the biggest loser that's what you're thinking right you will not have a life friends listen this is the paradox because jesus's promise is that when you lose your life for him you will find it yes you will find it luke 15 verse 28 it says but his father came out and began pleading with him this older son was making a big time tampo sulking he was filled with resentment making da da bog okay like a little child's tantrum his attitude smelled worse than his brother's pig smelling clothes do you sometimes come to this point where you refuse to pray and seek god it says his father came out notice that the father makes the first move just like he ran to his young son here he comes out and he pleads with his son the older son luke 15 29-30 it says but he answered and said to his father look for so many years i have been serving you and i have never neglected a command of yours and yet you have never given me a young goat so that i might celebrate with my friends but when the son of yours came who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes you killed the fattened calf for him the older son was possibly right in every statement he made but he failed to remember that he also enjoyed all the luxury of his wealthy father in addition to the fact that he had an inheritance to look forward to you see when you refuse to surrender to god you may see yourself as a victim rather than a victor when you're entitled you no longer view god and other people as relationships no instead you see them as entities that must supply you with more happiness and joy the older son kept a resentment record of all the nevers that he held against his father from his bitter heart his father had never thrown a party never given him a goat never had him enjoy a celebration with his friends his father reasons and pleads for his son to understand his heart verse 31 to 32 and he said to him son you have always been with me and all that is mine is yours notice all that is mine is yours but we had to celebrate and rejoice for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live and was lost and has been found friends if you don't surrender you only think about yourself the older brother he didn't rejoice that his younger brother was back home think about how sad it could be to be physically present at home like like you are today with your family but not enjoy a close relationship with your family don't miss out on the celebration god has for you and likewise for every sinner that surrenders one thing is don't be like the pharisees that jesus was addressing through this parable you see the pharisees who were listening to jesus they focused on fulfilling the law of god rather than falling in love with god friends when we surrender our lives we will not have any lists of resentment no we will however have endless lists of thanksgiving and gratitude let me tell you about my best friend from childhood he's today a missionary in greece and this is the gateway where the majority of refugees from syria from iran from afghanistan enter and their process before going into europe now the majority of them are born into their national religion well he ministers to them with the gospel together with a team of other missionaries and he has been there for seven years and he says you know joby i understand what surrender means he says when these individuals receive jesus as their lord and their savior they truly surrender their lives as soon as they share this life-changing truth with joy to all the friends and and loved ones and their family discover it immediately their parents right everyone they write everyone with a message opposite to what the father in the story declared they say this son or daughter of mine was once alive now i consider them dead i no longer have a son or daughter if you see them please kill them because they are a disgrace to our family to our nation but these new christians who have lost their physical families lost all their relatives friends and country they're so fully surrendered you know they they declare that the joy that they have received and experienced from jesus is greater than any persecution that they can experience their lives are so so changed that they live believe it or not they live with one sack of personal belongings that's it that's their life everything that they own in life is in one sack but they say we are most fortunate to have the riches of eternity with jesus our heavenly father just like the one in this story can't wait to embrace you with his love he has already won the battle for us and now he wants to embrace you and restore you to his family i want you to watch this video let's watch this video together [Music] i can't help it our heavenly father is always there for us he wants to love us and give us what is best for us god wants to clean up the toxic waste dump that we sometimes carry around inside of us in colossians chapter 3 verse 8 it says god says rid yourselves of all such things as these anger rage malice slander and filthy language from your lips god is calling for zero tolerance of these hurtful ways of talking and treating other people and he describes what you're like when you start to clean up that toxic waste that has been destroying you he says put on a heart of compassion i'm liking this list already colossians chapter 3 verse 12 and 13 put on a heart of compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience bearing with one another and forgiving each other whoever has a complaint against anyone just as the lord forgave you so also should you in short let it go instead of letting it grow let christ in you take over let christ and you take over i must tell you guys that you and i we don't have the willpower we don't have the personal resolve or ability to sos on our own no we need god's supernatural power in order for us to live this out let me give you illustration of how this works okay the real long-lasting consistent solution to escape entitlement is illustrated by this kettle okay in tagalog okay what's your boiling point yeah what's your boiling point what would cause the water in this kettle to boil faster what would cause it to boil faster think an old proverb says the emptier the kettle the quicker it boils right in other words the less water in this pot the quicker it reaches a boiling point are you aware that the water in the bible is a symbol of the holy spirit and the bible commands us to be filled to overflowing with the holy spirit now being filled is being controlled by the holy spirit this is when we surrender and fully yield to god by trusting and obeying him when you and i are filled with ourselves okay our sinful nature we reach a boiling point that exposes our sinful toxic emotions much quicker but when we are surrendered to the holy spirit he produces in us a response that reflects christ's likeness and this will transform our broken relationships into blessed relationships we desperately need to be filled with the holy spirit every moment of our lives galatians chapter 5 verse 16 says this so i say live by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature the holy spirit controls us from gratifying satisfying indulging or delighting in those sinful practices the bible commands us to be filled to be filled to be controlled to walk daily in the power and truth of the holy spirit my question to you is this is your life out of control because you're living it by the sinfulness of your flesh or is your life under the control of the holy spirit friends let's live our lives under the control and victory of the holy spirit to god be the glory friends i just couldn't help but be inspired to write a poem to jesus after preparing this message here's the poem it's entitled jesus you are enough when i consider all the sins of my life jesus you gave yourself as my sacrifice i've turned my back on you many times before jesus you never gave up and closed the door i was lost drowning in a pit of slimy mud jesus you reached out in unconditional love trying each day to find pleasure in despicable sin jesus you're the only joy that brings true life within seeking satisfaction from the things in this earth jesus you alone are the gift of priceless worth in darkness and despair i cried out for freedom jesus you gave me the free gift of salvation thinking i deserve special privileges and rights jesus you have blessings far above all delights i surrendered and repented from thinking i am tough jesus you indeed truly are more than enough you know jesus didn't die to make you more religious he died to make you more like him to take his characteristics to treat people as he treated them to lift people up not tear them down he wants you to disciple them and represent him to bring joy love and healing into all the lives you touch each day maybe you've allowed a lot of toxic waste to get buried in your heart i'd like to pray for you and all of those who would like to escape entitlement and sos with jesus right now i'd also like to pray for those who would like to fully surrender their lives to jesus your heavenly father is waiting with open arms to receive you let's join our hearts on the word of prayer our dear holy father we thank you that your love is unconditional that even when we fail and sin you're still there to receive us as your children thank you father god that you always give a second chances i pray for my brothers and sisters here father that have admitted that they have this entitlement sin in their lives may they truly recognize it admit it set biblical expectations offer thanksgiving and surrender their lives lord god we know that only through you and the power of your holy spirit can we ever conquer toxic waste especially this sin of entitlement thank you lord god that you were there for us and with you nothing is impossible father i want to pray a special prayer for those who want to surrender their lives to you today if that's you friend pray this prayer to god make it your prayer to him heavenly father i come before you admitting i'm a sinner and i cannot save myself i thank you for loving me and sending your one and only son jesus to die to take my place on the cross today i receive that love today i receive the sacrifice of jesus as full payment for all my sins i surrender my life to you i receive jesus as my lord and my savior i commit my life to you from this day forward thank you father for your forgiveness and for the gift of eternal life i'm all yours thank you lord god i pray this in jesus most precious name amen and amen i hope and pray that you've been blessed by god's word today and if it's your first time joining us in ccf we would love to truly welcome you to our family please click on the link you see below if you have questions just type them in on our comments and chat box and we will answer them immediately it's been a joy spending this time with you next up is fast track and then we'll give you discussion questions for your time with your family and small groups thank you so so much i love you guys [Music] good day ccf family i'm stephen from ccf alabama and here we are today with pastor joby for this sunday's fast track so pastor joby first question what do i do if i set biblical expectations but god still hasn't answered me first of all stephen that's a great question i'm glad that people recognize that expectation should be based on god himself on what he's promised in the bible don't put your expectations on people because you will certainly be disappointed now in the matter of waiting we are told to be expectant but at the same time we must know that god's timing is sometimes different from ours for example joseph in the old testament he lived a godly life and yet many times he experienced difficulties that you would say are not based on how god ought to treat his children in spite of all these trials the bible tells us many times god was with joseph joseph never wavered he never gave up waiting on god as a matter of fact he waited about 13 years until finally finally he looked back and declared all those incidents in the past god allowed in order to bring about the good today in preserving the lives of many what that tells you and me is that god will ultimately answer our biblical expectations in his perfect time in his way god has a purpose for the delay that you're experiencing today his timing is not in sync with our calendar really when it comes to god's time you can't force it but when it is god's time you can't stop it well thank you pastor joby for that wonderful insight the next question is this what if we are like the older son in the parable where we've been working hard all this time loving our parents serving them caring for them yet in the end they still chose to favor the other siblings for the inheritance more than me i kind of feel that this is unfair how do we deal with this inequality and injustice oh yes there are many of you today who feel like you've given your all to your parents to your employer to your family and today you've been what neglected you've been overlooked and others have been receiving privileges and benefits that you feel should belong to you and this is where you need to step back step back and remember that people will always disappoint you they'll always fail you you should not be surprised in the midst of unfair treatment ask yourself was my expectation biblical did god promise me those privileges and benefits or were those my personal expectations next is to be thankful yes be thankful i know it's hard i know it's hard but this is where the power of a surrendered life and your yielding to the holy spirit comes in be thankful why because already you have received jesus and he is enough he is enough and that's what counts the most be thankful that you have his forgiveness and assurance of heaven your inheritance with god is eternal it's imperishable it will never fade away it's reserved for you now it is greater than anything this earth has to offer the things of this earth will pass away they're all temporal they're all fleeting make sure that you are fully surrendered to god not holding on to things that close your heart and life because when you do so god cannot pour things into you he cannot give you his blessings the lord is your provider and he promises that he will give you what you need at the right time now these truths should reframe your perspective and give you peace his peace in the midst of your turmoil and trials wow i love what you said bastard the thing that matters most is that god has given us an inheritance that is imperishable and will never fade away we're down to the last question poor pastor how do parents who have raised children with a spoiled entitlement attitude turn their children's lives around okay parents let me first encourage you that it is not hopeless it is not helpless if your children today have this entitlement attitude okay you must realize that your kids will not die if you withhold something from them they won't die make it very clear that you'll provide for their basic needs okay food clothing shelter now when it comes to their wants you need to train your children to pray about it yeah to earn it through their home chores so that they will understand the value of hard and diligent work remember that you must point them to the savior and great provider and that's not you they should at an early age learn to trust and depend on god you have to put that in their hearts let them struggle let them fail let them experience hardships difficulties so that they run to god not to you all right don't think that you are depriving them of all these things you're actually building them up to be god-centered resilient christians so parents listen stop spoiling them stop rescuing them bailing them out of jail paying their debts and standing up for them now i'm not saying that you abandon and neglect your children okay you come alongside them come alongside them through their trials reassure them that god is the only one who can rescue them now for example when it comes to inheritance tell your kids that you will give them an inheritance that will last a lifetime that the inheritance you give them is far better than money it is building their love for jesus and embracing his character traits parents you must teach your children how to work hard and value money you must put in their in their hearts the importance of responsibility and accountability now if you want more details and practical tips watch this wednesday's webinar where cindy and i will together with other panelists share more tips and practical advice in regard to this issue and answer all of your questions about entitlement in more detail well thanks again pastor joby now for those of you who are watching live you can comment down your questions so that our panelists might answer them on our webinar about today's topic that's on wednesday at 7 30 p.m so hope to see you there that's it for sunday fast track have a wonderful day and god bless [Music] here are the discussion questions number one what biblical expectations should you set for yourself during this pandemic number two declare five blessings you've received from god lately number three what area of your life do you need to surrender and what action will you take to do this [Music] okay that's it for our discussion questions i hope you had a great time we'll all see you again soon god bless you all thanks for watching we would like to invite you to be a christ-committed follower by being part of the movement as we honor god and obey his great commission to find out if there's a ccf satellite near you log on to www.ccf.org.ph satellites we also want to encourage you to join a small discipleship group where you can deepen your knowledge and love for jesus and others to sign up log on to www.ccf.org.ph discipleship group all of csf's video resources are available free of charge and are constantly being improved by our team would you consider supporting ccf through prayer in giving so more people can be blessed you can give securely through our website at www.ccf.org.ph give for more videos like this please subscribe to our channel thanks and god bless

Channel: Christ’s Commission Fellowship

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Keywords: CCF, Christ's, Commission, Fellowship, Sunday, Service, Sermon, Speaker, Message

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Length: 62min 12sec (3732 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 02 2021