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Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000618S
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00:01 (Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:06 Breath of Life Ministries Presents: 00:10 Sermon #B618 - When Life Is Unfair 00:20 PB: Genesis chapter 37 and verse number 18. 00:22 If you have it, let me hear you say Amen. 00:24 All right. The word of God says, 00:26 and the man said, Genesis, “And when they saw him,” 00:30 rather, “afar off, even before he came near unto them, 00:35 they conspired against him to slay him.” 00:40 Verse 19: ” And they said one to another, 00:45 Behold, this dreamer cometh.” 00:49 Verse number 20: “Come now therefore, 00:51 and let us slay him, and let us cast him into some pit, 00:56 and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: 01:00 and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” 01:06 Today I want to just speak with you, not long, 01:09 but challenge you with the message, 01:12 “When Life is Unfair.” Father, bless us now. Speak. 01:19 Your servant's hearing. Have your way. 01:24 And we praise you in advance for what you're going to do. 01:26 So Lord God, may your Holy Ghost, 01:29 may some drops fall on us. And, and Father, 01:31 I pray right now that even before we get to the appeal, 01:34 that when the appeal time comes that 01:37 you would move by your power, by your spirit, 01:40 and break chains in this place today. 01:43 Forgive us of our sins, hid me behind your cross. 01:46 In the name of Jesus we pray. 01:48 Let everyone say Amen. And Amen. 01:51 “When Life Is Unfair.” 01:55 Now, if I were to go into the sanctuary today, 01:58 and I were to ask everybody, 02:01 “Who is your favorite Bible character?” 02:05 I'm sure I would get a sundry of answers. 02:08 Now, some of you would probably say Noah. 02:12 You would say Noah because of faith, because, 02:15 after all, it took faith to preach about rain coming, 02:20 and it had never rained before. 02:23 Some of you probably would say Esther, 02:26 that Esther was courage personified. 02:29 And probably may daughters would say, 02:31 “Esther would be good, because Esther represents girl power.” 02:37 But then there'd be others of you who would probably say Job. 02:41 You would say Job was your favorite biblical character 02:44 because Job had faith and praised God even through adversity; 02:49 because it was Job who said, “Naked came I in this world. 02:53 Naked I will leave this world. 02:55 The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, 02:58 but blessed be the name of the Lord.” 03:01 But then there's Daniel. I like Daniel too, 03:04 because Daniel had courage. Daniel had faith. 03:08 Daniel had perseverance. Daniel had strong will. 03:11 Daniel prayed. Daniel just had everything. 03:15 But then, of course, after we talk about Noah, 03:17 after we talk about Esther, after we talk about Job, 03:20 after we talk about Daniel, somebody's gonna say Jesus. 03:23 [Aud. reaction] 03:25 Teacher, preacher, healer, savior, redeemer, deliverer, 03:33 bondage breaker, cancer killer, bridge over troubled waters, 03:40 problem solver, heart fixer, and soon-coming king. 03:46 But because I think we all would admit Jesus is 03:49 our favorite Bible character, 03:51 let's take Jesus out of the running. 03:52 Is that all right, everybody? 03:54 And let's leave it with biblical characters other than Jesus. 03:56 So we come to my favorite biblical character. 03:59 My wife's favorite biblical character. His name is Joseph. 04:06 Here is a man who was hated by his brothers, put in a pit, 04:14 sold into slavery, lied on by his boss's wife, 04:21 forgotten by a butler, a man he had befriended, put in prison. 04:28 Then he could have had his sweet revenge on everybody, 04:32 but he still served God, loved God, and loved his brothers. 04:37 Joseph is my favorite Bible character because 04:41 the light of Joseph more closely parallels 04:45 the life of Jesus than anybody else in the Bible. 04:48 Now, the Bible never says that Joseph was a type of Christ, 04:53 but listen to some of the similarities between Joseph and Jesus. 04:56 For one, both were special objects of their father's love. 05:01 Number two, both were rejected by their brothers. 05:04 Joseph his sibling brothers, and Jesus His Jewish brothers. 05:09 In both cases, their brothers conspired to kill them. 05:13 The life of Joseph was, was resurrected to reconcile 05:17 his brothers to himself, just as Jesus was resurrected 05:21 to offer pardon and reconcile his brothers to himself. 05:25 Both of them were dealt with unfairly. 05:30 Joseph was thrown in a pit. 05:33 Jesus didn't deserve to be hung on a cross. 05:37 And so when I think about the lives of Joseph and Jesus, 05:40 it helps me to understand what to do when life is unfair. 05:44 You see, let me make this plain, 05:46 because somebody's not getting it, 05:47 so I have to make it practical. 05:49 Life isn't fair when you don't study on the Sabbath, 05:54 but somebody else studies on the Sabbath, 05:57 but they get the A and you get the F. 06:00 Life isn't fair when you're more qualified than somebody else, 06:06 but because they know the boss and you don't, 06:08 they get the job and you don't. 06:11 Life isn't fair when you're dieting, exercising, 06:16 and you can't lose weight. 06:18 But your neighbor eats what they wants, when they wants; 06:22 they won't exercise, but they still don't gain a pound. 06:26 Does somebody know what I'm talking about? 06:28 [Aud. reaction] 06:29 Life isn't fair when you're a vegan, plant-based diets. 06:35 You drink eight glasses of water per day. You, however, 06:39 contract cancer and you're told you have six months to live. 06:45 But somebody else drinks, smokes, eats any and everything, 06:51 and they live until they're 90 years old. 06:55 Life isn't fair when you return tithes 06:58 and offerings but you're still broke. 07:01 And then somebody else doesn't return anything to God, 07:05 but they have the big house. They've got the nice car. 07:10 They don't have a financial care in the world. 07:13 And so you ask the question, 07:15 why do the wicked prosper? Why is it that the forces of wrong, 07:19 the doers of dirty deeds, the fat cats and the slick mamas, 07:23 why is it that they seem to do better than anybody else? 07:27 Why is life unfair? Does anybody know what I'm talking about? 07:33 But I love the story of Joseph because it helps me to deal 07:35 with the issue of fairness in the world. In fact, 07:38 the life of Joseph is a great story about life being unfair. 07:41 Look at the life of Joseph. Joseph was hated by his brothers because, 07:44 for one, they knew their father, Jacob, 07:46 loved him more than he loved them, 07:49 and because of his love for him, 07:51 Jacob was given a coat of many colors, 07:53 which caused his brothers to burn in hot jealousy toward him. 07:57 To make matters worse, Joseph told his brothers that he was a dreamer, 08:02 that one day he dreamed that they would bow down to him. 08:06 So, you know the story, one day Joseph's in the field. 08:09 His brothers say, “We've had enough of this. 08:13 Here comes the dreamer. Let's get him.” 08:17 The Bible says they stripped him of his coat, 08:19 smeared goat's blood in it, and they threw him in a pit to die. 08:24 Now, it was not Joseph's fault that Joseph's father, 08:28 Jacob, loved him more. 08:30 It wasn't Joseph's fault that he dreamed what he did. 08:33 But his brothers, his own flesh and his own blood, 08:37 they throw him in a pit. 08:40 What do you do when you're thrown into life's pits, 08:45 and it's not because of you, anything you did, 08:48 but it's just because you're blessed? Just because you're chosen. 08:53 Just because you're God's favorite, you've been put in a pit. 08:59 Everybody has been in a pit. And if you haven't, keep on living, 09:05 because you will have your pit. Do you know what I'm talking about? 09:09 Through no doings of his own, Joseph was chosen. 09:12 And chosen to be the heir of his father's riches. 09:15 Study the story. Reuben, the eldest brother, 09:17 had forfeited his right by incest. 09:20 Simeon and Levi were next in line, 09:22 but they were ruled out because of their violence at Shechem. 09:25 So then we come to the fourth son, Judah, and he was the next heir. 09:28 Joseph was 11th in line. Joseph was Jacob's first born 09:33 by his favorite wife, 09:35 Rachel, and Joseph was Jacob's pick. So apparently 09:38 it sparked Judah's anger and made Joseph his rival. 09:44 Let me tell you something today. Let God start using you. 09:49 And watch how many people the devil will stir up against you. 09:58 He's not all that. She's not all that. 10:01 If I had that, I could do that too. 10:05 When God starts blessing you, you become a marked man. 10:10 You become a marked woman. 10:13 But don't hate on somebody else because God is blessing them. 10:19 Remember what I always say: Learn how to be a cheerleader, 10:24 because if God is blessing him, God must be in the neighborhood, 10:28 and it's just a matter of time before God starts blessing you. 10:32 When people try to hurt you, 10:33 when people try to harm you and hate on you and destroy you, 10:36 they don't realize they're actually helping you. 10:39 The Bible says God will make your enemies your footstool. 10:42 Which means God will put your haters under your feet. 10:45 Which means your enemies are actually pouring the 10:47 concrete that you're going to walk on, 10:49 so your haters are your elevators to make you walk higher in Jesus. 10:53 Now, I've learned, somebody else can lead you to the pit. 10:57 What else, Pastor, can lead me to the pit? 10:59 Telling your dream to the wrong people. Genesis 37:25. 11:07 Genesis 37:5 says, “And Joseph dreamed a dream, 11:10 and he told it to his brethren, and they hated him even the more.” 11:18 So I've learned in my ministry, 24 years now, 11:20 I've learned you can't tell everybody everything. 11:26 Be careful who you share your dreams and visions with. 11:29 Many times God gives us a vision to accomplish, 11:31 and as soon as we share it with others, 11:33 there are people waiting to kill it. Vision killers. 11:39 Success slayers. Vision assassins. 11:44 [Aud. reaction] 11:45 Let's build a new building. Well, we don't have enough money. 11:48 News flash! We will never have enough money. 11:51 If we had enough money, we'd say, “Look what we've done.” 11:55 So let me tell you something. I say it all the time. 11:57 I've never had a vision for ministry that I could afford. 12:01 If I could afford it, I wouldn't need God. If I could afford it, 12:05 I would have a big head and think, look what I've done. 12:07 If I could afford it, my nose would be so high 12:09 in the air that if it rained, I'd drown. 12:11 So God will make it so that I can't afford it, 12:12 so when He does it, I'll know it wasn't me, 12:16 but it was nobody but God. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 12:19 God always makes provision for the vision. 12:22 If it's God's will, it's God's bill. 12:25 If it's God's choice, it's God's invoice. 12:28 But remember, you can't share everything with everybody. 12:30 Do I have a witness in this place? 12:31 [Aud. reaction] 12:32 Now, there are some things that will get us thrown in the pit, 12:37 and we'll ask God, “Lord, if you love me like you say you do, 12:42 why are you allowing this pit experience in my life?” 12:46 But God doesn't shelter us to the point that 12:48 He doesn't permit us to go through life experiences. 12:51 Remember, no cross, no crown. No pain, no gain. 12:56 No valley, no victory. No battle, no blessing. 13:01 We think it's unfair that we have to be put in life's pits. 13:04 But sometimes God has a reason for your pit experience. 13:07 I've learned that sometimes God allows pit experiences because 13:10 He's trying to teach us patience. 13:12 Many times God can't do what God wants to do 13:14 through us because we're too impatient. But the older I get, 13:18 the more I understand that you can't hurry God. 13:21 Sometimes you've to wait. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, 13:25 and He shall strengthen thine heart. 13:27 God may not come when you want it, 13:29 but He's always right on time. 13:31 God gave Joseph those dreams--think about it. 13:33 But Joseph had to wait at least 13 years for the dreams 13:37 to come to fruition. 13:38 [Aud. reaction] 13:39 They that wait upon the Lord, God shall renew their strength. 13:44 They shall mount up on wings as eagles, run and not get weary. 13:47 Sometimes you got to wait. 13:48 So God permits pits to come into our lives to teach us patience. 13:54 But not only that. I've learned, number two, 13:57 that God permits pit experiences to rid us of our pride. 14:05 Many times the pits of life can rid us of the pride that's in us. 14:10 I don't know, but maybe, just maybe, 14:13 Joseph had a little pride when he went to his brothers 14:17 and he told them the dreams that God was giving him. 14:22 Notice verse number 9 of the same chapter: 14:24 “And he dreamed yet another dream, and he told his brethren, and said, 14:27 Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; 14:29 and, behold, the sun and the moon and 14:31 the eleven stars were bound down to me.” 14:32 Maybe, just maybe, Joseph needed a pit experience 14:35 to rid him of his arrogant spirit. 14:38 Because if you're having a pit experience, 14:40 it could be because God is trying to get pride out of your system. 14:44 Number three, I've learned that sometimes God allows 14:48 us to have a pit experience 14:49 because He's trying to get us to talk to Him. 14:52 Now, think about it, you all. 14:54 You all are Bible scholars. 14:56 The Bible does not tell us how long Joseph was in the pit. 15:01 So we don't know if Joseph was in the pit one day or one week. 15:04 The Bible doesn't tell us how long he was in the pit. 15:07 All that we know is, however long he was in the pit, 15:10 Joseph began talking to God. If you're in a pit right now, 15:16 let me suggest that you need to begin to talk to God. 15:23 Somebody in this sanctuary, somebody watching by television, 15:28 knows that some of the best prayer you'll ever 15:31 have in your life is from the pit. 15:35 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 15:36 Some of the best prayer you'll ever have in your life is 15:40 when your back is against the wall. What am I talking about? 15:44 Come here, brother Daniel. Tell us about it. 15:47 He says, “I was in the lion's den, 15:49 but I found out that God answers prayer in a pit. Come here, 15:55 brother Jonah. From the belly of a whale, I cried out unto God. 16:00 Some of the best prayer comes from a pit. 16:03 Come here, Paul and Silas. We are in a jail cell, 16:07 but at midnight God answered our prayer. 16:12 Some of our best prayer comes from a pit. 16:16 There's somebody in this place right now, you're going through it. 16:21 And it looks like God isn't there. 16:24 But I'm here to tell you that some of your best prayer comes from a pit. 16:31 You may think the pit is unfair. 16:35 And sometimes God allows it, because He's teaching you patience. 16:42 He's getting the arrogance and pride out of you. 16:46 He's getting you to talk to Him. 16:49 And the good news about our God is that 16:52 although God allows you to have a pit experience, 16:55 the pit is not your destiny. 16:58 No matter how low you are, no matter how bad it might be, 17:03 don't you let the devil convince you 17:06 that you're going to always be in a pit situation. 17:09 [Aud. reaction] 17:10 God is too much a God to leave you in the pit. 17:14 God is a God that will move you out of the pit 17:17 because God never delivers you from something 17:20 unless He's delivering you to something. 17:23 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 17:24 Let me say that one more time. 17:25 God never delivers us from something unless 17:27 He's delivering us to something. 17:29 So in Genesis 39, Joseph winds up in the home of Potiphar, 17:33 captain of the Egpytian guard. 17:36 While in the service of Potiphar, 17:38 you know the story, Potiphar's wife has her eye on Joseph. 17:43 She makes advances at him, but he doesn't yield to temptation. 17:47 He says, I can't do this wickedness and sin against God. 17:53 So what does she do? The Bible says she lies on him. 17:56 That's why everybody-- everybody comes running at you, 17:58 check your source. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 18:01 She lies on him and tells her husband Joseph was trying to lie with her, 18:06 when in reality she was trying to lie with him. 18:09 Joseph ends up in prison. He's charged, tried, 18:14 and convicted on false charges. 18:17 Here's another example of life being unfair. 18:20 Joseph was in a pit, 18:22 but now he winds up worse yet in prison. 18:24 Now, remember earlier when I said being chosen, 18:27 being favored, can lead to a pit. 18:29 Well, being prospered by the Lord can also lead you to prison. 18:34 When it rains, it pours. 18:37 Genesis 39, 2 and 3: 18:38 The Lord was with Joseph. He was a prosperous man. 18:40 He was in the house of his master, of the Egyptian. 18:43 And this master saw the Lord was with him, 18:45 that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 18:49 Have you noticed, friends, 18:51 how people like to label and speak against those 18:55 who are prospered by the Lord? 18:58 Who do they think they are? 19:01 That'd can't be of God; 19:03 they've got too much! But they've forgotten first, 19:06 “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness 19:08 and all these things shall be added until you.” 19:10 But not only that. I've learned, being favored 19:12 and praised by those with influence can lead you to a prison. 19:19 Anybody ever been promoted, and your coworker wasn't? 19:25 Anybody ever got to church, and your coworker or your friend didn't? 19:33 Joseph found grace in Potiphar's sight. 19:37 He served him, and he made him overseer of his house, 19:39 and all that he had, the Bible says, Potiphar put in Joseph's hands. 19:43 But some people can't stand to see you favored and blessed. 19:48 But when God blesses you, 19:52 no devil in hell can stop the blessings of God on your life. 20:01 Joseph is put in a prison, 20:03 and as a result of his standing up to sister Potiphar, 20:06 but don't ever forget what the Bible says. 20:08 The Bible says that even though he stands up to Potiphar's wife, 20:10 what I love about the word of God, the Bible says God is with Joseph. 20:14 [Aud. reaction] 20:15 The Bible says it three times in chapter 39: in verse 2, 20:18 in verse 21 and verse 23. Let that be a reminder. 20:22 You just might be put in an earthly prison, 20:24 but if God is with you, no weapon formed against you is going to prosper. 20:28 So while in prison, in chapter 40, 20:31 it tell us that Joseph makes friends with the butler 20:35 and the baker who are on death row with him. 20:37 Talk about life being unfair? 20:39 They discover that Joseph has the ability to interpret dreams. 20:42 They dream dreams; Joseph interprets them. Their dreams come to pass. 20:46 The baker is hanged, just like the dream said, 20:49 but the butler gets out of prison on parole just like the dream said. 20:52 But he forgets what Joseph has done for him. 20:55 That's common for us, because the people you help 20:57 the most appreciate it the least. 21:01 But here is Joseph. He has to deal with life being unfair. 21:09 His father loves him. His father gives him a coat of many colors. 21:16 He dreams dreams, but his brothers can't stand him. 21:21 [Aud. reaction] 21:22 His brothers throw him in a pit, sell him for 20 pieces of silver. 21:27 He's seduced by a woman. This woman lies on him. 21:33 He's imprisoned on false charges, 21:35 and he's forgotten in jail by the one he has helped. 21:39 Life is unfair. But God didn't forget him. 21:47 [Aud. reaction] 21:48 God remembered his faithfulness. 21:53 God raised him up; in a pit, but God raised him up. 22:01 In slavery, but God raised him up. In a prison, 22:06 but God raised him up. No friends, no family, but God raised him up. 22:11 He didn't do it, but God did it. 22:14 God raised him up to be in the president's cabinet. 22:18 He became the secretary of agriculture. 22:21 God raised Joseph up to be in charge of Egypt's modern-day Publix 22:26 at a time when the food had run out in Israel. 22:31 Fast forward. I'm almost done. Genesis 41. 22:35 Joseph's brothers come to Egypt for some food. 22:39 And the same man that they put in that pit that day, 22:45 the same man that they hated on, 22:49 the same man that they had envied, 22:53 the same man that they had been jealous of, 22:56 the same man that they had sold off into slavery one day, 23:00 is now the same man in charge of food stamps. 23:02 [Aud. reaction] 23:04 Now, Joseph's brothers come to him--I'm almost done-- 23:08 and they say, we know we've done wrong. We know we've sinned. 23:17 But we're sorry. Now, I have to admit, at least they said they were sorry. 23:27 And at least they acknowledged their wrongdoing. 23:31 How many of us do wrong, know we're wrong, plan to be wrong, 23:34 and we're not worried about the consequences of wrong, and we have no shame? 23:37 [Aud. reaction] 23:39 See, back in the day, I can remember when a child did wrong, 23:42 the first thing the parents would say to that child would be, 23:45 “Shame on you. 23:46 You brought shame to your family. You brought shame to God. 23:51 You brought shame to yourself. Shame on you.” 23:53 At least these brothers were ashamed of what they had done. 23:58 Not only were they ashamed, 24:00 but they were willing to admit they were wrong. 24:02 Some of us'd rather die than say we were wrong. 24:04 [Aud. reaction] 24:06 Joseph, he could have taken his revenge on his brothers. 24:12 He could have gotten even with his brothers. 24:15 He could have thrown his brothers in prison. He had power. 24:19 But I like what he says in Genesis 50, 24:23 when God closes out the book of Genesis. 24:26 He says in Genesis 50, verse 19: 24:29 “Brothers, fear not, for am I in the place of God?” I'm not God. 24:43 I'm not even in the place of God. 24:46 I'm not your maker, I'm not your creators, 24:48 I'm not your judge, I'm not your jury, 24:50 I'm not the one who sits high but looks low. 24:53 Yes, life has been unfair to me. But I'm not in the place of God. 25:02 You brought evil against me, But God meant it unto good. 25:12 Why? So that on this day many could be saved. 25:20 Friends of mine, it is only when we get to heaven when 25:24 we will understand fully why life at times was so unfair. 25:30 But God allows what He allows because God is trying to save us. 25:39 And that's where somebody is today. Life has been unfair. 25:46 Life has been unjust. Life has been unreasonable. 25:52 Life has thrown you in a pit. Life has thrown somebody 25:59 in Oakwood today in a prison. 26:02 But in the name of Jesus, 26:05 [Aud. reaction] 26:07 God, after the pits, after the prison, 26:13 God is getting ready to take somebody in the place to the palace. 26:18 [Organ music] 26:20 Just hang in there! Continue to trust God. Like Joseph, God is with you. 26:30 God won't faill you. God is getting a raise somebody in this place up. 26:37 Let me tell you all something. The intensity of your 26:41 praise is measured by the intensity of your pit. 26:46 [Aud. reaction] 26:47 Let me say that one more time. 26:49 The intensity of your praise is measured by the intensity of your pit. 26:55 In other words, if you haven't been through anything, 26:58 then I understand why you sit there and look cute. 27:01 I understand, then, why every now and then you just say, Amen. 27:06 I understand better now why you just sit there 27:08 and nod your head, or you just, every now and then, sit there and smile. 27:13 But in the name of Jesus, if you have ever been through something, 27:20 I'm talking about you've been through it, 27:22 if the Lord has brought you from the pits of hell, 27:25 if the Lord has brought you out of the devil's dungeon, 27:29 if the Lord has been good to you, somebody ought to say something! 27:34 [Aud. reaction] 27:35 If the Lord has been your bridge over troubled waters, 27:38 somebody ought to say something! 27:41 If the Lord has helped you raise those children by yourself, 27:48 you ought to say something! 27:49 [Organ gets louder] 27:50 If the Lord has brought you out of a pit, 27:54 if the Lord has brought you out of a prison, 27:57 if the Lord has picked you up and turned you around 28:03 place your feet on solid ground, 28:05 [Music, audience reacts] 28:06 >: Thank you very much for tuning in to 28:08 this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 28:10 We hope and pray that you've been blessed 28:12 by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 28:15 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 28:18 please feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:23 Or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 28:30 [END] |
Revised 2021-10-06