What It Means Is Up To Me

Not get a loud I gotta stop screaming. I still got a freak Praise the Lord. Amen. So we're continuing this week. Be seated. That's not a suggestion, it's command. Be seated. Let me look at you. See if you've been reading your Bible or not. Some of these people hadn't seen. In a minute, see if you've been drinking or you know, to see if you've been on the cable channels late at night or in the word of God. I gotta check y'all out it. What's the state of the flock? I want to I want to go into

One person was saying on YouTube. It's not a laughing time, don't you know what's going on in the world around me? And I had to restrain myself not to comment back. The joy of the Lord is my strength if I don't find something to rejoice about, like Paul in that prison cell. You know, Paul, this is not the time to be rejoicing. This is the time to be repenting. Well, repent means change your mind. That's what he's teaching us how to do right in this season. Last week we

talked about take control of your mind. Take it. Somebody say take it. And we're really looking at three questions from Philippians, one that are so powerful that they are pretty much running your emotions, whether you know it or not, like how software runs your phone or whatever. I don't know how it works, but I do know this these three questions, and I'll give them to you again. What does it matter? What shall I choose? And what does

it mean? Those are questions that your mind is always answering. How you answer those determines whether or not you live in a state of defeat or freedom. And that's not my opinion. That's the teaching that Paul gives us in Philippians I should warn you up front. I had to bring two Bibles to preach the sermon today. Do not be afraid. But I got something to say and God gave it to me, so I'm confident about it. One is in the New Testament from Philippians chapter one, where

we were last week. And then I also want to show you something in Genesis fifty in Philippians one, and we'll just pick up right where we left off last week where he says, but what does it matter? Remember that how that question can eliminate a lot of the things that we pray about if we get the right priorities, and how it also can keep us from, you know,

giving our resources to things that we'll regret later. One of the things God has been doing in this season, whether you realize it or not, as helping you redirect your resources. Because when He eliminates things from your life in a way that is that is a gift, the gift of elimination. And one author said that trials tightly

focus your life. So that's been happening, and it was happening for Paul because he's like, well, if I focus on the things I'm uncertain about, I'm probably going to get I'm going to get in so much confusion that I will start to doubt what God is doing through me. But I'm going to choose to write off the things I can control. And remember when he said what does it matter? He was talking about the motives of people

who were preaching about Jesus for the wrong reasons. And that perplexed me because I thought, well, it does matter what people's motives are when they're preaching. And Paul said, well, it doesn't matter as much. Somebody say that in the Chat as much. Their motive doesn't matter as much as God's mission. So while my mind is constantly fighting the battle of what matters, this matters and that matters, it brings me back to the realization that some things matter more.

He's saying, what matters more is that in every way, whether from false motives or true. Okay, and this is going to be really parallel with the Genesis fifty passage, So underline that, ob so you can rip it off in three months, whether from false motives or true, with my full permission, I will make it better to Christ is preached. The important thing is what matters more? What matters most to Paul, not to us other stuff matters more to us, no matter what we say with our lives,

sometimes we demonstrate that other stuff matters more. But to Paul, it was like the Gospel, the good News about Jesus, what he's doing his kingdom. You know all these things that we can say. But the substance of Paul's faith was that the mission the purpose of God mattered more for him than his preference or either other people's motives, which he could not control. So he said, I've chosen to focus. I have chosen watch this to rejoice. Make the choice to rejoice. All right, it rhymes it must

be true, yes, and I will continue to rejoice. I'm gonna keep doing it. I did it, I am doing it, and I will continue to do it. Somebody said I did it, I am doing it, and I will continue to do it. Tell the devil, I did it, I am doing it, and I will continue to do it. I will continue to rejoice for I know that through your prayers and God's provision resource of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me resistance the Spirit of Jesus Christ resource provision, you see it, the provision

of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Resource, what has happened to me? Prison? Sentence? Resistance? Write it down. The resource is greater than the resistance. And I need you to know that. Child of God, I need you to know that. He said, I know this. I don't know what they're gonna do with me. I'm still waiting to find out. I don't know. In fact, it was so bad for Paul. He wasn't like, I don't know if they were going to keep me on furlough. He's like, I don't know

if they're going to keep me on earth. Festus handed me over to Caesar's I'm not even in control of this, but he sounds remarkably in command of the condition of his soul, and I want to learn how to do that, he said Verse twenty. No, no, I can't leave this behind. We'll turn out for my deliverance. I don't want to leave that out. Deliverance is a major theme in the scripture, all the way from Moses and the Exodus to Jesus

on the Cross to Paul in this prison. And yet it's not so much for Paul about God bringing him out. It's about God's spirit getting in inward deliverance. So he said, I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed that's internal, but will have sufficient courage that's internal, so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body. That's internal. External can't control internal.

I will continue to rejoice. This is the distinction, he said, whether by life or by death, yell all right if I teach the Bible, because this weather or construct means I'm okay either way. And so he's not talking about I'm okay if I have to park at the front or the back of Target's talking about I'm okay if I go to heaven or if I stay here. I'm not there yet. I am not there yet. I want to stay around. But Paul's like, I'm okay either way. Now say it by faith, I'm okay either way. This

is the spirit of Paul's faith. It wasn't manipulation. It was acceptance. It was embracing what God is doing in this moment, not escaping, embracing, Thank you Jesus. So I'm counting on courage, not counting on circumstances. I'm counting on courage. I'm counting on Christ to me, And this was the only verses that I really meant to read, but I got all caught up there in the other ones. For to me, somebody say to me, For to me, to

live is Christ and to die is Gain. If I'm to go on living, if they don't cut my head off, if they let me have a few more years, not sure. But if I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So you saw what does it matter? And now Paul is showing us what does it mean? Wdim, what does it mean? He said, If I am to go on living, this will mean fruitful labor for me. If I am to go on living, this will mean And we'll focus there today. But I

got to put this with it. He said, Yet, what shall I choose? I do not know. Now go to Genesis fifty, Genesis fifty. Somebody say, what does it matter? What does it mean? What shall I choose? Genesis fifty, verse nineteen. But Joseph said to them, do not fear, for am I in the place of God. As for you you meant evil against me, but God meant it. You have permission to shout. You have permission to shout.

I mean, you have permission to shout, just as Joseph said, as for you, you you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about. Yeah. There it goes when you realize that that purpose of God in every situation is very powerful. He said, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good to bring it about. That many people should be kept alive as they are today, So do not fear. I will provide for you and your little ones. Thus he comforted

them and spoke kindly to them. So Joseph remained in each he and his father's house. Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. That's too long, Lord, I don't want all that. How many agree that's too long, Lord, put it in the chat. That's too long, Lord, But look at this, and Joseph saw evil from children of the third Generation. As for you, you meant it for evil,

but Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation. I don't know if this is a title, but this is what I want you to get today, and I want you to say it out loud one more time. I'll stop making you repeat stuff, I promise, But look at somebody next to you, or just type it to nobody in particular and say, what you do is up to you. But what it means. You thought I was done. I got you good start over. What you do is up to you. Joseph looked at his brother and said, you

meant it for evil. What you do is up to you, but what it means is up to me. What it means is up to me. What does it mean? It's up to me. So, like, one of the hardest things about being a parent is teaching your kids what words mean, because they honestly think you're Google when they're little, and then they think you're an idiot when they get bigger. But I write these things down because Levi Lusco taught

me something cool. He said, put everything that your kids say that's kind of cute down in your phone and then you can read it to them later and they'll like it. And so I've been doing that for a few years because Levi. Levi told me to. He also told me to try sarracha and wear common projects. He's just the ultimate salesman. But I was like, okay, Levi, I'll do it. It's really cool. I'm glad I did it.

And I found this note because I was thinking about how kids asked the best questions, which I think is one of the reasons that God wants us to have faith like a child, not to beldildish and immature, but to be childlike and to be curious about God, to be curious about what He can do in the world. And so kids have no problem with that. So we were watching this show and one of the characters said, the only reason I remember this Abby was poored. She's

almost ten now. The only reason I remember it is because Levi Lusco and she said. One of the characters said, with this plan, we can't fail, and Abby goes, what does fail mean? So then I answered her it means that you don't succeed. Well, then you know what she asked next, right, what does succeed mean? And answering that was really tough because I was like, well, it means that you do what you set out to do. But

then I was like, well, not really. In God's kingdom, sometimes what you set out to do was the wrong thing, and then you end up realizing that what you set out to do wasn't the right thing. And God was trying to, you know, kind of lead you in Toto one pl but you thought you were supposed to do this, and then it turned out you're supposed to do that. You know, I I start having an existential crisis watching

The Simpsons with my family. I'm like, I shouldn't have told you it was the Simpsons and she was four, But y'all pray for me. Hello, I'm sitting there going, you know, like I'm not saying this out loud, but I'm like, that's so deep. Well, to succeed? Mean, what is it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? She's asking for a little definition. You know, I'm having this midlife crisis, but it did hit me that you know, you really can't answer the

first question what is failure? If you don't answer the second definition? What is success? And really can make a word mean anything you wanted to mean? Yes, you know, short term success times is the ultimate failure. Have you ever seen somebody that got in really good physical shape but they did it the wrong way and then it ended up just creating the cycle to where they just keep losing weight and taking weight off, And it's like, well, man, if you do if you do a good thing the

wrong way, that becomes its own problem. So you can have a short term success in a long term failure. You have a short term failure in long term success, right, and many of you have experienced that in your life. How many y'all had to break up that was a blessing? Let me ask it like this, how many of y'all would be living with somebody who would make you want to move out if God would have answered your prayers like Garth Brooks said, some of God's greatest gifts. I

saw Garth on the Billboard Awards last night. Did you see him? And start making me feel like a failure? Because sometimes I feel successful when I'm like comparing myself because this is all relevan, you know, I'm comparing myself. I'm like, you know, we wrote these songs that are big songs. And then Garth Brooks is Chason Whiskey and you know drowned diamond albums. I got a platinum album last year. I gave it to my mom, put it

up on her wall. Platinum album Garth has they said on the thing, I think he had ten diamond albums. Now I got my little pitiful platinum album. Let me take this down. Garth's got a diamond album, Unanswered Prayers, Lord, what's my life even worth? You know? And all of that. I was listening to one thing the other day where the guy was talking about he won a Grammy, and then he wanted to win a Oscar, so he start

putting being in movies. Then he started wanting to win on an Emmy, so he did a TV show and he said the only thing left for him to achieve that was driving him crazy was to win a Tony for a Broadway play. So he said, that's called an egot. When you get an Emmy. Not many people do it. I don't know how many, because I'm not in it for these worldly pleasures. But he said, Emmy, a Grammy, and an Oscar. But then he said, but I don't

have a Tony. He said, right now, it's just ego. Now, how many things that the world calls success, how many things that the devil uses to get you to think, remember last week that my life doesn't matter. It's just ego. He said, I gotta get an egot, and then I'll start thinking about what I got. Somebody say I got oh put it in all caps in the worldwide e fam said. Somebody say I got mercy. I got grace, I God, love, joy, peace, thanxious, kindness, goodness, thankfuless, gentleness,

and self control. I got the fruit of us fear. I got it. I got it. I didn't learn it, but I got it, Okay. So Paul is like, I don't yet. I got loyalty and royalty and all of that. Paul said, I got it in sight of me. I got courage to make it no matter the outcome. I got it. I got it pressing towards the mark to take hold of the price for which Christ Jesus has

already taken hold of me. I already got it. And the guy was talking about all those Grammys and Tony's and he said, I don't know why I think the next one is going to make me feel any better. It didn't do what I thought it was gonna do. Have you ever had that before? I know, I mean I don't want a Grammy or anything like that either, But have you ever got it? Have you ever got it? And when you get it and it's empty, it's a really weird feeling. It's almost worse than never getting it.

But Paul is showing us something here. And remember, coming back to this theme, are you in control. You are control, in control of what success means to you, and if you align that with the worldly definition of success, you can expect at some point an emptiness that comes when we try to give our own definitions to God's concepts. I found out you can really make anything mean anything

you want it to me. Even in the Bible. It's like, if we're talking to Paul and we were talking about what is failure and what a success, it would be a very confusing class because right here he's saying in Philippians one, what's happening right now, the Gospel is succeeding even though I'm in prison, and he uses the word I don't know if you noticed it. He said fruitful. This means more fruitful labor. So he says it's working in me. It's working in me, even though the work

that he could do was limited. And sometimes I say things like this and I don't break it down because I know you're not in prison physically, you're watching this. I know that you're not necessarily a preacher apostle of the gospel like Paul would. I understand that. I know you're not sitting there thinking maybe about oscars or Tony's

or anything like this. But I think the dynamic applies to everybody listening to me, and I want to know, well, if I'm right, is that like how Solomon said meaningless meaningless? Everything is meaningless. Everything is meaningless until you give it a meaning. And so where we get it backwards is we're searching for meaning and stuff, but everything is meaningless until you give it meaning. And I want to talk about that a little bit. She said, what's failure? And

then I had to think about, well, what's success? And then I didn't really know how to answer her. Now, of course, certain things change meaning over time, and since we're talking about what does it mean today, you know, we can all agree that from generation to generation. It's funny because when you're first raising your kids, you have to tell them what words mean, and then when they turn to teenagers, they have to tell you what words mean. Right,

how many got teenagers? Are you used to have them? Or something like that. Well, they sometimes save you a lot of trouble. Elijah is my sermon, really my sermon collaborator. I don't want him to, you know, really hear this, because he'll start wanting a royalty or something like that. But he helps me on multiple levels. And one thing that he'll do sometimes is he'll say, Dad, don't say that.

One time I was telling him all I was going to preach, and I just was going on and on about how we don't need to waste our life and we need to make the most of our time. And I said, some of y'all just want to Netflix and chill. And he said, oh, whoa, whoa, Dad, this a couple of years ago. I just heard somebody say it Netflix and chill. I thought it meant be lazy sit around. He said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa. That that doesn't

mean what you're thinking means. And I was thankful. And I wonder how many times God Wow sits up there looking at our lives, who wishing we could hear him say that doesn't mean what you think it means. Even if you just go through this one letter that Paul wrote to the Philippian Church, which highly organized beautiful Bible study. And I hope many of our e groups I heard

there's tens of thousands of people enjoyed it. But if you'll just notice some of the things he says to the Philippian Church, see this church meant a lot to him because he found it in the midst of persecution. And anything that you birth in the midst of great pain means more to you. He called them partners in the Gospel, and he loved them like that. He loved them like that. So when he told them that every need will bow and every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ

is Lord. I just wonder when we say Jesus's Lord, if Paul hears us kind of quoting that in a cultural way eight pounds six ounce Jesus, what was he eight pounds and six ounces, and he's like, when I say Jesus Christ is Lord. See, that was a costly confession when Paul wrote it, because it was it was saying, Caesar isn't Lord. So he was rejecting the empire to

embrace the kingdom. When we say Jesus is Lord, for a lot of us, that means I grew up Baptist, but for Lord was his favorite thing to call Jesus curios. He loved that title lord. It meant to him I do what he says. And for a lot of us, when we call on the Lord is to get him to do what we say. And That's why when Paul says, whether I live or die, that's up to God. He's Lord. That's not that's not what means. It doesn't mean what

you think think. It means Jesus is Lord. That means that that I trust him with what I can't control. Or here's another one. I know you know this one because I mentioned it earlier. Rejoice in the Lord. We think that means seeing I asked five people to get ready for this sermon. I said, what comes to your mind when you hear rejoice? They said, clap, singing, shall well,

Paul's not shaking the tambourine in his imprisonment. When Paul's talking about rejoice, he's talking about the remembrance of the reason that he was called for. Paul, rejoicing is far more than just an external expression. It's an internal decision, y'all. Hear me, It's a decision. Rejoice and again I say rejoice, he says in Philippians four. But here's the best one where I bet Paul. I bet when he hears US quote this one, he's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa.

That doesn't mean what you think. It means. I can do This is Philippians four thirteen, All things through Christ, who strengthens me. Paul's like, that does not mean that you can play in the NBA. You are five to six and uncoordinated. That doesn't you know how many people tried out for American Idol because they thought Philippians four thirteen meant something that didn't mean. You see them on the audition. Daves is terrible. Paul's not talking about doing

something beyond your God given capacity. He's talking about living with contentment. So that's context. I want to talk about context. Success requires context, so does failure. And sometimes if you can see it in the right context, you can see that what you call a failure, what you call the waste, what you call a set back, was really the grace of God. I got it. Yeah, so so, So it doesn't mean what you think it means. What does it mean?

It doesn't mean what you think it means. Church doesn't mean building worship doesn't mean the slow songs, and success doesn't mean Egot false said I got a reason to rejoice. This dude was used to accomplishing so much. This dude was used to being on top, and he's still saying I will choose. What shall I choose? Now? I thought that I was going to do three weeks on this because I thought there's three questions. What does it matter priorities,

what does it mean? Interpretation? And what shall I choose? Decision? But then the Lord showed me dummy. He didn't call me that. I just talked to myself. Means sometimes, the Lord said, my son, my beloved, He said, those two go together. What does it mean? Depends on what you choose? Okay, yes, Lord, put it back up one two Philippians one twenty two, just so you can see it. If I am to go on living in the body, that's up to you. Lord, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet, what shall

I choose that all goes together? It's really one question. He's praying, all right, Lord, what you do is up to you. And I feel like he probably even say that to his jailer. What you do is up to you, But what it means is up to me. See, they would chain a prisoner to a guard. Paul said, you can shame me to you if you want to. But all that means to me is I've got a captive audience to preach to. Let me button up this flannel and wait for y'all to get it. Because I hear

God saying, I'm not shame to it. It's same to me. So what you do, it's up to you. But what it means, somebody shouts up to me, it's up to me what it means. It's up to me what it means. It means, Paul said, fruitful labor. I am choosing to work with God, labor work. I am going to work with God, not against God. So I hear the Lord saying, work with me, work with me. Do not fight against what I am bringing into your life. Work with me. Cooperate with the grace that I have given you in

this season of your life. And you've been confused about what this season means, haven't you. Some of you have felt like you were in a losing season. A losing season. You've lost a lot, you really have. This is not some moment for a doctor SEUs. What he means is up to me. What you do is up to you. This is a theological thing that is from the beginning of Scripture to the end to show you what to do in a losing season. Back to Genesis fifty after Joseph has lost a lot. First, he had to lose

his coat and it was Gucci. That coat was so colorful. Listen to me when I say the coat was the least thing that he lost. He lost his sense of connection because we've talked about context, but now let's talk about connection. What it means is up to me. And now Joseph is going through this series and this series of I won't even call it unfortunate events like the book called it. I'm going to say this series of

events from Joseph's standpoint, were disconnected. How could the Bible say in Genesis thirty seven through fifty that God was with Joseph when he went through so much because most of us to say that we have God's presence means that we are in situations that confirm his favor. And usually what we mean when we say God is blessing me is things are going like I wanted them to

or better. Right, So for the Bible to say, and this is what I was thinking about, for the Bible to say that the Lord was with Joseph doesn't necessarily mean that that's how he felt while he was walking through his life. That was written after the fact, and it is always a mistake to try to figure out what this season means while I'm still in it. Paul says, this will mean fruitful labor to me. So I'm looking forward to the future with expectation, but while I'm in it,

I'm having to choose to see it that way. How do you interpret the losing season of your life? So we assume, well, this went wrong, So God must be punishing me, because the thing is, you know some secrets about yourself, some things that you're not doing exactly right, some things that would make you not a candidate for God's mercy and Grayson, because we kind of live on an egosystem of achievement, to earn it, to get it in our own strength, we kind of go, well, God

must be punishing me. But I saw something. I saw something. I saw two things. One was in John and one was in Genesis. And then I'll bring it back to Philippians where Jesus said something, I'm gonna do this backwards. Go to the second verse of John fifteen first, where Jesus says, I don't know if you've heard this before, but he says he cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Now I'm going to ask you something. Who is he? Put it back up? Who is he? If you don't know the answer to that, you will misinterpret the pain in your life. Every time look at it again, he prunes? Who is he? We love to give credit to the devil. So I'm really glad for the context of verse one because the context of verse one lets me know the motive of the one who is performing the task in

verse two. If you always think it's the devil attacking you, everything that is the devil attacking me, you will miss the opportunity to bear fruit. But I love verse one. Put it on the screen. I Jesus said, I I am the true vine. I'm the one you gotta stay connected to. I'm the one who's in control. I'm the one who gives you sap. I'm the one who gives you life. I'm the one who gives you strength. I'm

the one who gives you the ability to grow. And my watch this, my father, my father, Abby said, what does sale mean? She figured she needed to get that definition from her father. I hear God saying, ask me about your life. Ask me what this sea, Ask me what it means. See, here's what I know. Here's what I know. Even if life is cutting on me, God is holding the scissors. Even if a virus wrecked my plans.

God is in charge of my life. He is curios, Lord in control, in charge, on the throne, my father. So you know what. I don't have a lot of answers. I don't have a lot of wisdom. I don't have a lot of knowledge. But I got a father. Somebody say, I got a father, You're ready for this? And if I got a father, that means fruit. This means fruit. This means he is bringing something out of this situation

that is beyond my ability to predict or perform. Come get me off the stage, Holly, I feel too annoying. I don't even know who God loves so much that he wanted me to say this whole message to you. The proof is in the pruning. Oh I'm hurting right now. That that must mean that God is not with me. Oh oh, my kids are acting up. That must mean I'm a bad parent. You see how we do? That must mean Oh, that must mean they didn't call me. They must they must not love me. No, maybe they

have a headache. We interpret these things all the time. We interpret our seasons, we interpret silence. I know I've told you all the story before about our honeymoon, not the whole story, this one part. When I took Holli on a cruise and it was a princess cruise, which to me is a pretty I'm not doing an endorsement here, but to me, it was about the best I could do, right. And when we were on the second day of the cruise and she was so quiet, I got angry. I

was like, this cruise isn't good enough for you. She's like, no, When I get happy and relaxed, I get quiet. I'm the exact opposite, right, So when I get relaxed and happy, I'm jumping on the bed. I'm right. I mean, when I get happy, I'm annoying. I'm obnoxious, I'm ridiculous. I drive everybody in the family to want to go camping without me in the backyard. And when I get relaxed.

But see, how I interpret silas comes from how I understand myself when the kids were real little, when they were quiet, let me tell you what that did not mean. That did not mean they were praying. That did not mean that they were napping. I learned with little kids, with little kids that quiet means chaos, y'all hear me, Quiet means chaos with little kids. And I had to learn about God that just because I don't hear him saying much doesn't mean he isn't doing much. So how

do you you interpret silence? I told Holly, you two stuck up for this. This a cruise isn't good. I wasn't mean like that, but that's what I'm thinking. First time I've ever told her that. I was thinking all that right here in this holy moment with you. But you see this question, what does it matter? That's a big one, But what does it mean? You're always putting meaning on things and you don't even know you're doing it.

So if you're in a good state of mind, you're like, oh, birds showed up on my door, and that made me think of Matthew six, consider the sparrows. If you're in a bad state of mind, saying bird can show up? You know, I heard birds mean death in some cultures. You know, it's just you're putting meaning on things, and I know that's kind of an extreme one or as dumb or whatever. But the other day I think that

I don't know, I didn't tell you this. I didn't tell you this son when I took when me and Jet went to eat barbecue, and Jet's father, Lashawn, was a part of our church April, Jet and Lashawn moved to be a part of the church, and we lost him last year. And it's been just over a year. And we were talking about some of these things, and Jets a musician, and his dad was a great songwriter and a great producer. He wrote for Brandy when I heard them talking about the Boy is Mine. That was

Lashan's song on the billboards last night. And he did get a Grammy. And but we lost him so suddenly, and it was horrible. But Jet would show me how he's still writing songs. And I was sitting there thinking, oh, man, that's Lashawn, that's Lashan, you know, that's still living in Jet and and and he's gonna be even better than she has ever was. And I'm thinking all this, you know, in between eating my barbecue, and and I'm telling Jet, I'm like, hey, you know, God's hand is on you

this and that and the other. And he goes pastor, pastor, and he's very respectful. So he's interrupted me. I'm like, this is weird. He never would do that. He goes, do you hear that? And it was the song on the TV and the barbecue joint that his dad had put on his album. I can't wait that He's simple. And we didn't even have to say anything. We knew that she just wanted to eat barbecue with us. I said, Jed, do you think he goes Yeah, That's all we had

to say. So when you're looking for loss, you'll you'll find him. When you're looking for the love of God, even in the worst loss of your life. Every branch in me I have a father who prunes. What you do, Lord is up to you. I can't control. That's that's where I do believe in the sovereignty of God. And Paul did too right Philippians three twenty one. Looking up it said He's able to bring everything under his control the phrases in the book. But I don't think that

means what we think it means. I think we think that means that things in our life come with meaning. No, they don't. One time I taught a session to the campus fastor is called BYO and bring your own meaning. And the thing I just keep confessing over my life because you can really misunderstand things. I keep saying, this means more, This means more, even when something is going away. The proof of his love is in the pruning, every branch that bears fruit. Paul said, if I go on living,

this means more fruitful labor. You're looking for his love or you're looking for the losses. Now, whichever one you look for, you'll find a meaning to back it up. And a lot of pictures. I like to do the I love you sign when I take the picture. Y'all should see my Instagram account. The trolls that come on there. Why are you making Illuminati signals or devil signals or something like that. It's the esl or I love you, that's what it means. Somebody said that's what it means.

But they said I was making devil rock concert hands, and I guess when you don't use the thumb or something, that's the devil or something. I didn't know. I thought it meant rock on. I thought it meant Motley Crue, bon Jovi, Mega Death. I didn't know that's what it meant, isn't it crazy? How I mean love? And they're on there saying, why are you putting the devil on your picture?

What does it mean? Has God been trying to show you his love even in the things like, oh well, well, I'm not that great at this, So I guess got to know. Maybe that means God wants to use you a different way. I told somebody when when Elijah turned thirteen, I said, he's having some trouble in this and that, and it was a bumpy spot and I said, I must That must mean I'm a bad dad. That must mean I'm doing it wrong, he said. And the person saying back to me was older. They said, it means

he's thirteen. You see what I'm saying. You're misinterpreting the season. He's supposed to differ, they said. They said, listen, they said. They said, if he didn't start making you mad, you would never let him leave the house. You gotta make you mad a little well, and then you love him again and you make you mad again. That's what it means. He's thirteen. It means you're growing. Paul said, it means

God wanted to do something in this prison. See how we bring meaning, we bring the meaning we make it mean what we want to make it mean. You minted for evil, but God? How many believe we could spend an hour talking about but God? But God? And your life is not controlled by the intention of your enemy, and your life is not limited to the scope of your circumstances. Somebody say, I got a father, I got faith afacaradopia, and I eagerly expect. Let me tell you something.

Paul had such a great faith that he had to make up a word out of other Greek words to explain his expectation. Somebody say, I can't explain it, but I got it. Say it again. I can't explain it, but I got it. Paulson, I got peace in this person. I know I shouldn't. I can't explain it, but I got it. You can't make me panic, you can't make me hate, you can't make me bitter. What you do is up to you. What it means, it's up to me. It's not even up to God what it means. He

has left that responsibility to you. And that's why Joseph was able to see rejection as direction. I hope you caught that. I hope that soft piano didn't make you think he's closing. Let me pack up my stuff and get ready to watch another church service. Skip over. You listen to me. Joseph said, you meant, but God meant so what the enemy meant for evil? Now I hear him saying that all things work together for the good of those who. When love is your lens, you see

God in everything. He must love me so much. When Lady was special needs child, said, I figure God loved that child so much that he gave me the compliment of having the opportunity to raise that child. I thought she made it mean that. She could have said, well, God is punishing me. She could have said, well, why me. I thought that was beautiful. I really did what it means he said, if I get to keep if I die, I'll go be with Christ. So for Paul, death didn't mean the end. What it means is up to me.

That's why I told y'all from John twelve that before the seed multiplies, remember verse twenty four on the Remember it was just yesterday. I'm super vocal that before the seed multiplies, it dies. So from the perspective of Jesus, remember when he's dying on the cross. He says it is finished. His enemies thought that meant it had failed. But I hear the spirit of God saying, whoa, whoa, whoa. It doesn't mean what you think it means. I know what's been pruning. I know they meant it for evil,

but what the enemy means for evil? This can't just be a cliche people. We can't just make it something that we say just to feel better and to escape our agony for a few minutes. When a preacher is preaching, you gotta walk around your life. This we looking for food, looking for fruit. God, show me what you're doing, Show me what it means. God. And I almost stopped at twenty. I almost stopped at twenty. I almost stopped at twenty. But something told me to keep reading. Something told me

to keep reading. And after Joseph said, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. In verse twenty one, it says something that would be insignificant, but it has great significance in this context. Do not fear. I will provide you for you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them verse verse fifty two. So Joseph remained in Egypt lived one

hundred and ten years, and here's twenty three. And if this is your word, I want you to grab it and squeeze it and live on it all this week, every single time you're walking around looking at circumstances in your life wondering, well, why did they leave me? And why is this happening? And why is that happening? And why is it raining? And why is it Sonny? Watch what it said. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children and their children.

And I know that doesn't mean much to you, but it means a lot to Joseph because he was in Egypt suffering as a prisoner. But he says something in Genesis forty one, before his brothers ever came and showed up, and before he forgave them, and before he provided for them, and before he saw the purpose that God was accomplishing in Genesis fifty twenty. And a lot of you are there right now with the ability to see what God is doing and to realize that all things work together.

Is to do what Joseph did. Look at Genesis forty one, verse fifty. Before the year of famine came to sons were born to Joseph as an Ath, daughter of Potipharah, priest of an bore them to him. And now look at this verse. Joseph called the name of his firstborn Nassa, for he said, God has made me forget all my hardship in my father's house. You know what Manasa means forget. And yet he didn't forget. When his brothers came to him a few chapters later, he was weeping, he was hurting.

He didn't forget that. They put him in a pity. He didn't forget. It wasn't gone from his memory. So I thought, well, how can he name his son forget? Even the fact that he mentions it means he hadn't really forgotten it. God didn't called me to forget what I've been through. Some things you never forget. But here was the thing in verse fifty two, the name of the second he called Ephraim. That's the one we just read about that he saw Ephraim, for God has made

me fruitful. Manassa means forgetphram means fruitful. For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction, fruitful in my failure. What does failure mean? It's only over if you quit In fact, Ephraim doesn't just mean fruitful, it means twice fruitful. So then I realized that it wasn't Joseph forgetting what he had been through. It was that God gave him so much fruit that what he went through what's worth it. Now I considered, thank you, lady,

because I know it's been a pruning season. But those he loves he prunes. God must really love me. Look at all that he helped me to overcome. God must really have a great plan for me. You say that the enemy's attack is the proof that God has left me. I say, the enemies attack, it's the proof of how much God has put it inside me. What is it matter?

What does it mean? What shall I choose? You know, Lord, come on, lift your hands with your palm's face, and like you received from your father, not only are you my father, you're my Lord. Now. I believe that sometimes I rebel, and sometimes I like to be my own God. But like Joseph said, am I in the place of God. I thank you that any tree that stays planted by living water will yield fruit in season. And I declare that over the lives of those that you've called me

to lead. You've given me and Holly the wonderful privilege to be the pastors of Elevation Church. When we started, that was just a group of one group of people meeting, and now it's a ministry that spans the globe and there's so much fruit in it. We never imagined that hundreds of thousands, whatever it is, numbers of people that would be so impacted. Never imagine that people wake up in the middle of the night to watch and to stream just to get the word. We just never imagine.

We never imagined that we'd have to close our buildings for a little while. But all through this season, Lord, I've seen you bringing forth fruit. Lord. When I heard that we would have to not meet for a little while, I thought that we couldn't minister, And now I realized that it really meant you wanted to do more ministry. That there were people who never would have heard the gospel, never would have heard this word if you hadn't shut it down. And what has been true of this ministry

over these last few months. I just want to speak it over the lives of each teenager, everybody who's walking through a pruning, losing season in their marriage or their business, or or it's been emotionally weird, whatever, whatever, whatever, to know that I got a father, to know that what you choose to allow in our lives, that's what makes you Lord. But how we choose to use it as your children is what moves us forward. And now, God, I declare more fruit, more fruit, more fruit over their lives.

If it's a season of cutting back, if it's a season that seems like a setback, if it's a season that seems silent, I thank you that you're up to something right now upstairs. I thank you that just because you're quiet doesn't mean you're not close. And so, Lord, would you do it? Would you make them fruitful in that frustrating place? Bring forth fruit? Only you can do that. We plan our lives and the soul of your purpose. What you do is up to you. You You are in control.

But what it means, it's up to me. The Lord says, I set before you life and death. This day, choose life in Jesus' name. All of you who received this word with a glad heart, put your hands together and give God the praise. Come on, if he's still God in the brunic, give him the phrase. Paul said, He's still God in this prison. He's still God in this thing. Give it the prise. Come on, omit no now, omitten on now, prid the wont open your now, Valentine, abt

no now and give in the prise, the prise. You're proud of that. I come, not decide that they on Jesus, everreaday dobou and everreath not come ess, Come on getting Christ that Jesus chris es glory, get glory to the Father. You've got a father. You've gotta You've got a father. More fruit, more fruit, more fruit. That's what God is doing in your life, bringing forth the fruit of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness is genderness. Self control isn't that crazy? Self control? God is in control, but he's given us self control. Are you in control? You're in control of your focus. So I want you to focus on the goodness of God, all the ways he's blessed you, all the things he's given you. I want you to really put this to work in your life, Paul said, fruitful labor. That means you've got to put it to work. All things work together for good. You don't need to hear me repreach

the sermon. You heard it, but I just can't stop by it. I feel like God gave me that message for people who feel forgotten and yet got made Joseph fruitful. So what's the fruit that God is bared in your life? What's He doing in your life? I'd just like to talk to you a little bit after each message and thank you. But also I want to thank you for giving. I want to thank all the people who are part of our local church for making this global ministry possible.

And for those of you who are part of our Etham, thank you for being connected to us through the power of God's Word, the Gospels going forth bearing fruit all over the world. So share it with somebody. Share it with somebody. Don't just eat, plant the seed of God's word in somebody else's life. So hit, share, hit subscribe. Thank you forgiving, Thank you for being connected to this ministry. You will bear much fruit. I love you. Just see su