WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.040 I wanted to give you kind of a joy prescription, 2 00:00:04.280 --> 00:00:07.719 thinking about really thinking about the trials of life, not 3 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:11.240 thinking about the blessings of life, but thinking about the 4 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:16.280 trials of life, the disappointments, the sorrows, the loss of 5 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:21.039 the difficulties, because we all go through them. We all 6 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:25.399 go through them. Unfortunately, it's one of the promises. Isn't 7 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:28.679 that a terrible promise? Jesus said, in this life you 8 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:34.399 will have tribulation. But he finished it with something very 9 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:40.039 appropriate for today's message. He said, but be of good share, 10 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:46.039 for I have overcome. So we are divinely connected to 11 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:50.079 the overcomer. So even in the midst of trials. And 12 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:52.600 if I just you know, if we just took your 13 00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:57.079 week alone and just ask you about your week, maybe 14 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:01.520 some of you today could acknowledge something you are going 15 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:05.400 through right now, or you've been going through something that's 16 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:09.400 up against you, or you're up against something that is 17 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.280 trying to wear you down, wear. 18 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:17.000 You out, steal your focus. 19 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:21.519 You know, when there's a heavy situation going on, our 20 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:23.920 thoughts want to go to it. Our thoughts want to 21 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:27.040 go to it, our thoughts are pulled to it, our 22 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:28.359 thoughts are directed to it. 23 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.400 And the enemy loves that. 24 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:38.159 He loves to draw us away, and it opens up 25 00:01:39.239 --> 00:01:43.879 a vulnerability in our own hearts to be drawn into 26 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:53.879 the spiral, that downward spiral of whatever would be married 27 00:01:53.920 --> 00:02:00.840 to it. Worry, fear, depression, despair can be so much 28 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:03.519 attached to it. Right, I want to read to you 29 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.599 a little bit out of Joseph this morning. I want 30 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:09.919 Joseph to be the biblical framework of what we set 31 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:14.000 the stage with today, because Joseph went through a bunch 32 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:18.560 of this, and one of the things that is central 33 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:23.000 to Joseph that caught my attention is how he stayed 34 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:26.240 tethered to the word of the Lord of his life. 35 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:30.759 He stayed tethered to the dream of God over his life. 36 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:34.319 And we have that opportunity as well, and as we 37 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:39.599 do it is it's massively consequential for our inner man. 38 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:45.520 It sets the course for whether we're going to walk 39 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:49.360 in peace and joy or whether we're going to get 40 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:52.319 under the circumstances. Has anybody ever said that to you 41 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:57.080 when you've said not bad under the circumstances, and they've said, 42 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:01.719 what are you doing under those circumstances? Right, We're not 43 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:08.240 meant to live under circumstances immen Genesis thirty seven one 44 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:10.599 through nine. Jacob lived in the land where his father 45 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:14.879 had stayed, the Land of Jacob. So Abraham, Isaac, and 46 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:18.960 Jacob were picking up the story of Jacob, the third 47 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:24.439 of the Patriarchs, and Jacob became Israel. So Jacob had 48 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:29.439 an encounter with God. He became Israel, which means prince 49 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:34.719 with God. And we know that the lineage of the 50 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:41.039 Jewish people came through Jacob. That lineage goes back to Abraham, 51 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:45.759 and we're divinely connected to Abraham through Jesus, who was 52 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:48.919 the seed, the spiritual seed of Abraham. 53 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:51.759 This story picks up with Joseph. 54 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:55.159 Specifically, Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the 55 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:58.080 phlocks with his brothers, the sons of Billha and the 56 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:02.280 sons of Zippah, his father's wives, and he brought their 57 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:07.000 father a bad report about them. Now, Israel loved Joseph 58 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:10.319 more than any of his sons because he had been 59 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:13.360 born to him in his old age, and he made 60 00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:17.920 him an ornate robe for him. So this we begin 61 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:21.839 to see immediately, and throughout the story of Joseph. What 62 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:25.319 we see is Joseph is a type of Christ. And 63 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:28.720 this robe or this garment that was made for Joseph, 64 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:32.079 it was a many colored garment. You've maybe heard sermons 65 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:33.319 on it over the years. 66 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:33.959 I don't know. 67 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:40.560 We've been preaching on this for years and years in Christianity, 68 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:45.319 recognizing Joseph is a type of Christ, recognizing this ornament 69 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:49.439 or this ornate garment that was made for him by 70 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:52.959 his father was a garment of favor. It was a 71 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:57.360 bestowing favor on him. And it's likened in the prodigal 72 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:01.759 story of Luke eleven of the prodigal Son. It's likened 73 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:06.199 to the robe of righteousness. So, and it's a signet robe, 74 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:10.519 a robe of favor. And so this was given to Joseph, 75 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:13.480 and he wore this robe. It set him apart among 76 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:16.839 all of the brothers. When his brothers saw that their 77 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:19.519 father loved him more than any of them, they hated 78 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:23.680 him and could not speak a kind word to him. 79 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:29.439 This is interesting because immediately you see something about Yeshiah, 80 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:33.959 about Jesus, about the Messiah. Because there's Messianic things woven 81 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:38.920 into this passage. You see that sometimes it's not what's 82 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:43.000 terrible about you that causes animosity. Sometimes it's the favor 83 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:45.120 on you that causes animosity. 84 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:46.519 Sometimes it's the. 85 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:50.800 Way you're loved by father that causes animosity. Not everyone 86 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:56.040 falls in love with you just because you're loved. Sometimes 87 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.800 trouble comes your way because you're loved. 88 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:01.519 And so what we're. 89 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:08.720 Thinking about today is being careful the way we examine circumstances, 90 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:14.519 and careful in that we don't give ourselves to circumstances 91 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:19.680 in such a way that circumstances determine the outcome of 92 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:25.160 our heart. And so we're seeing some stuff here already 93 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:28.839 With Joseph, his brothers couldn't speak a kind word to him. 94 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:31.120 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it 95 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:36.319 to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said 96 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:38.199 to them, listen to the dream I had. We were 97 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:41.000 binding sheaves of drain out in the field, when suddenly 98 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:44.959 my sheaf rose and stood upright while your sheaves guttered 99 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:48.720 around mine and bowed down to it. Well, there's a 100 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.120 great dream right there. You know. They were excited about 101 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:55.279 that one and his brothers, you know, they exclaimed, what 102 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:57.519 in the world do you intend to reign overs? 103 00:06:57.560 --> 00:06:59.160 Will you actually rule overs? 104 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.120 And they hated him all the more because of his 105 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:04.399 dream and what he had said. 106 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:08.079 So here's here's the word the Lord. 107 00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:12.759 All he's doing is actually expounding to them the word 108 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:15.839 of the Lord over his life. But instead of receiving 109 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:23.480 accolades or understanding or discernment or favor or kindness or recognition, 110 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:30.959 this young one is disdained all the more because of 111 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:35.759 a word in his life. Then he had another dream 112 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:37.560 and he told it to his brother's listen. He said, 113 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:40.560 I had another dream, and this time the sun and 114 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:45.680 the moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to me. 115 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:50.199 This was actually an insight, wasn't it. He didn't know 116 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:52.279 what this was all about, but he knew God was 117 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:53.439 talking to him. 118 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:53.800 Now. 119 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:56.680 They didn't have understanding or discernment, none of them did 120 00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:00.720 at this time, but they had enough discernment to know that, oh, 121 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:06.040 this means something. And instead of acknowledging it or receiving it, 122 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:08.600 of course, they oppose it, and they hate him more. 123 00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:10.160 And what he's seeing is what. 124 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.519 Actually happened in Genesis forty six. We're in Genesis thirty seven, 125 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:19.000 but in Genesi's forty six we find out that Jacob 126 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:23.079 and the whole family are going through a massive famine 127 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:26.600 in Egypt and there's no food. 128 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:28.680 But Joseph ended up. 129 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:35.519 Down in Pharaoh's house, promoted by God, and he rescues 130 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:38.840 the entire family. So we know the end of this thing. 131 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:41.960 We have the advantage of that. But Joseph didn't have 132 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:46.159 the advantage. Joseph had to walk with the word of 133 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:48.440 the Lord of his life. He had to walk with 134 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:51.639 the dream he had received. He had to walk with 135 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:58.720 the promise, the seal, the blessing of his father on him, 136 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:05.840 signified by the robe that he wore. Isn't that amazing? 137 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:07.960 I just I want you to see some of this 138 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.080 as we just talk about it, because I want to 139 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:10.799 go somewhere. 140 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:12.840 Verse nineteen. 141 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:18.000 They're out in the field together, the brothers are, and 142 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:20.879 here comes the dreamer. And they said to each other, 143 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:23.480 come now, let us kill him and throw him into 144 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.360 one of these cisterns, and say that a ferocious animal 145 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.440 devoured him, and then we'll see what comes of his dreams. 146 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:33.240 When Ruben heard of this, Ruben is the oldest of 147 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:35.679 all of the sons, he tried to rescue him out 148 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:38.159 of their hands. Let's not take his life, he said, 149 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:40.480 don't shed any blood. Throw him into the cistern in 150 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:43.519 the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him. Ruben 151 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:47.320 said this to rescue him from them and take him 152 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:50.480 back to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, 153 00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:56.879 they stripped him of his robe. Hello, somebody, don't you 154 00:09:56.919 --> 00:09:59.759 know this is what the enemy's trying to do through circumstances, 155 00:10:00.600 --> 00:10:02.759 Through circumstances in your life. 156 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:04.279 The enemy is trying to. 157 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:08.960 Strip you of your robe, strip you of your royal identity, 158 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:13.440 strip you of that which represents a right relationship with God, 159 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:16.360 Strip you of that which is known now in Luke 160 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:21.080 eleven as the robe of righteousness, the robe of righteousness. 161 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:24.120 They stripped him of the robe. They threw him in 162 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:27.360 the cistern. The sisterron was empty, there was no water 163 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:29.919 in it. And as they sat down to eat their meal, 164 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:33.440 they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming 165 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:37.600 from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with Spice's balm and myrrh, 166 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:39.480 and they were on their way to take them down 167 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:42.200 to Egypt. And so Judah said to his brothers, what 168 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:44.000 will we gain if we kill our brother and cover 169 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:46.960 up his blood. Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. 170 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:50.080 And not lay our hands on him. After all, he's 171 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:54.000 our brother, our own flesh and blood. And his brothers agreed. 172 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:58.360 So when the Medianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled 173 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:01.279 Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for 174 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.399 twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him 175 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:08.519 to Egypt. Now you know what happened. They took him 176 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:12.200 down the Egypt and sold him to a gentleman, a 177 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:18.600 great business tycoon in Egypt named Potiphar. Remember that, And 178 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:22.279 so he begins to serve in Potiphar's house as a slave. 179 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:27.080 But he doesn't forget the word. He doesn't forget the 180 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:30.600 word over his life. He stays tethered to the word. 181 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:34.240 And so because he's tethered to the word, he's able 182 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:37.519 to He's able to shed the bitterness. He's able to 183 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:40.639 shed the despair. He's able to shed the hopelessness. He's 184 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:44.159 able to shed the fear. He's able to shed the inferiority. 185 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:48.080 He's able to shed the false identity that the enemy 186 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:51.600 is trying to put on him. There's always a false 187 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:56.120 identity and a false future that the enemy is trying 188 00:11:56.159 --> 00:12:00.000 to thrust on us. If we'll give ourselves to circumstance, 189 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:06.000 if we'll give our if will magnify circumstances, you know 190 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:09.120 it will be transformed into the image of whatever we magnify. 191 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:15.120 Right Tewo Corinthians chapter three says that as we behold him, 192 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:19.759 we're transformed into his image. We're beholding his glory. We're 193 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:24.279 beholding his victory. We're beholding what he's accomplished. We're beholding 194 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:29.559 that he purchased us. Therefore he has declared us worthy 195 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:35.080 of value, worthy of redemption. There's so much that is 196 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:38.200 hidden in him, the written word and the living word, 197 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:39.440 that we. 198 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:40.480 Tether our lives to. 199 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:45.519 And if we fail to, if we fail to, then 200 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:50.600 we end up with turmoil. We lose our inner peace, 201 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:54.360 and we begin to live life out of our circumstances. 202 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:57.320 And you know, if all, if all, or if any 203 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:01.879 of us lived life out of our circumscumstances, our lives 204 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:06.639 would become so miserable, our hearts would be so burdened down. 205 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:10.679 We would be absent of peace because of the inner turmoil, 206 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:17.200 the inner conflict. We would be absent of joy. We 207 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:20.320 don't have to do that, we don't have to do 208 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:23.519 that we can see what happened in Joseph's life. Joseph 209 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:26.039 is a great example for us, and he's actually in 210 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:30.759 the Word. Purposely, God has highlighted the life of Joseph, 211 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:34.600 so we can see that as he hung on to 212 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:37.720 the word of the Lord over him, not only did 213 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:43.639 it sustain him inwardly, but he gave God what God 214 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:50.120 needed to partner with for the Word to come to pass. 215 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:57.519 The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God, is what 216 00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:01.399 dwells in us, the testimony of the Kingdom, the witness 217 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:07.120 of the Kingdom, the glory of the Kingdom, the ministry 218 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:09.960 of the Kingdom, the presence of the Kingdom, and the 219 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:14.919 Kingdom of God is the victory of Jesus over us, 220 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:20.240 the victory of Jesus over us. You know, Jesus already 221 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:24.519 has proclaimed a victory over you. 222 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:24.960 You know, if. 223 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:29.039 There wasn't another word, that word alone is sufficient. If 224 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:31.919 you never got another prophetic word, But you will, if 225 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:35.120 you never got another rama, But you will, because we 226 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:38.000 can't live by bread alone, but by every word that 227 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:42.279 proceeds from the mouth of God. So he's destined defeat us, 228 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:44.799 and he's destined the lead us. But we have to 229 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:48.720 know that every word is really the testimony. 230 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:49.759 Of Jesus over us. 231 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:53.799 Revelation nineteen ten says that's the spirit of prophecy. The 232 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:57.320 spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus over your life, 233 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:01.440 because he's already testified that he He's bought you, redeemed you, 234 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:05.399 he's brought you back, he's knit you to Father. He's 235 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:09.000 restored you even before you ever come in their restoration. 236 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:10.159 He's restored you. 237 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:13.240 He's restored you not only to Father, but he's restored 238 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:18.360 you to peace and joy inwardly because you have sought 239 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:21.399 him and made your heart right with him and write 240 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:25.840 with his word. And that's what righteousness is. So the 241 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:29.440 Kingdom of God. There was a discussion in Romans chapter fourteen, 242 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:33.679 and the discussion was could we eat this, could we 243 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:36.879 eat that? Should we observe this law or observe that law? 244 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:40.360 Can we drink this or drink that? And the discussions 245 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.080 going on, and Paul talks about it in Romans fourteen, 246 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:47.399 and then he concludes something in verse seventeen. He says, guys, 247 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:50.919 the Kingdom of God is not what you eat or drink, 248 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:54.360 or what you don't eat or drink, And we could 249 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:58.799 extrapolate that to understand even what Jesus said in Matthew 250 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:02.000 six thirty one through third three. It's not what you wear, 251 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:07.440 It's not your circumstances. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, 252 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:12.879 peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This is the 253 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:16.000 core of our heart. The core of our heart is 254 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:21.000 the Kingdom dwelling within us, and that core will sustain 255 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:26.480 us through every trial, every circumstance, every sabotage, every difficulty, 256 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:32.080 every hardship, every struggle. The Kingdom of God is in you, 257 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:37.480 and the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy 258 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:41.840 in the Holy Spirit. I want to talk about righteousness 259 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:45.519 first because so many times I think in church and 260 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:49.399 I'm guilty of this, we think of righteousness as like 261 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:53.600 a one and done thing. We came to the Lord 262 00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:57.639 and we received the imputed gift of righteousness because we 263 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:05.200 accepted Jesus as saved. We recognize that our performance wasn't sufficient. 264 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:09.799 We've recognized that we still fall short. We've recognized that 265 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:14.039 no sacrifice we can bring is sufficient to make us 266 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:17.680 right with God. Nothing we can do can make us 267 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:21.200 right with God. And so we receive what God has 268 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:27.000 done in Jesus and in doing so, he imputes or 269 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:31.759 he credits our spiritual bank account with righteousness. So we 270 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:35.119 stand not in our own righteousness, we stand in his, 271 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:38.119 and so we kind of think of it as one 272 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:42.920 and done. As long as we continue to believe on Jesus, 273 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:47.000 then we continue in a position of righteousness. 274 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:48.119 If there is. 275 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:55.400 A failure, a sin, if there's some contradiction to that relationship. 276 00:17:55.559 --> 00:17:59.119 First John one nine says that if we confess that 277 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:02.400 failure and bring it before Father, that he's faithful and 278 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:07.839 just to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. So righteousness is restored. 279 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:10.359 But I want you to see it a little bit 280 00:18:10.359 --> 00:18:13.920 differently today. I want you to see that righteousness is 281 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.839 not so much won and done, but righteousness is an 282 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:24.400 ongoing right relationship with Jesus and his word over your life. 283 00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:32.440 It's an ongoing relationship with Jesus and his word over 284 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:35.599 your life. Now, I want you to see it that 285 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:39.799 way because this is bigger than salvation. It's bigger than 286 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:46.440 salvation because salvation has brought you into a place where 287 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:50.079 the Word becomes alive to your heart, and where God 288 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:53.960 has a better word over you than any circumstance would 289 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:58.319 ever declare. See the Enemy is woven into and connected 290 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:02.839 to every negative circumcumstance, and he wants to testify out 291 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:05.960 of those negative circumstances. And we could almost say there's 292 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.680 an opposite to Revelation nineteen ten, where it says the 293 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:13.880 testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. We could 294 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:19.079 also recognize that the testimony coming out of negative circumstances 295 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:24.759 is or contains a spirit of prophecy, but it's not 296 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:29.480 from a holy spirit. It's from the enemy. And so 297 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:34.519 how do we maintain our righteousness? Because maintaining our righteousness 298 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:39.400 is not just continuing to believe on Jesus for salvation. 299 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:43.440 He's hem life, getting to heaven. I'm going to be okay. 300 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:47.720 If I die today, I'm covered. But the righteousness that 301 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:51.960 we're talking about is continuing to believe what God says, 302 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:56.119 continuing to believe what God has said, continuing to believe 303 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:00.400 what God has declared, continuing to believe that she Jesus 304 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.880 is victory for you and sufficient for you. And his 305 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:11.720 Romans eight twenty eight says that he will make every situation, 306 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:15.279 he will bring good out of every situation. He'll bring 307 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:18.400 good out of the bad. Can God bring good out 308 00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:24.599 of the bad in your life. A hearty amen, A 309 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:29.240 hearty amen. God can bring good out of every negative situation. 310 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:32.559 But he's asking us. 311 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:36.720 To continue in a right relationship with his word. When 312 00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:40.400 we're in a right relationship with his word, then what 313 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:45.519 happens is the peace and the joy begin to flow. 314 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:49.319 The peace and the joy are activated by a right 315 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:56.400 relationship with his word. Peace is even referencing peace. The 316 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:01.359 scriptures on peace, the even reference that we are abiding 317 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:08.599 in peace because we're abiding in the Word, so righteousness. 318 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:11.920 Is imputed to us. We continue in a right relationship 319 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:12.559 with this word. 320 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:20.720 But then also look at Isaiah Isaiah twenty six. You 321 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:27.920 will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast 322 00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:36.319 because they trust in You. The absence of peace, that's 323 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:40.119 conflict of the mind, it's conflict of the thought. It's 324 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:45.599 inner turmoil. It's being pulled, pulled, pulled, pulled, pulled in 325 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:50.039 the conflict, pulled into turmoil, pulled in the restlessness, pulled 326 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:55.000 into anxiety, pulled into fear. Oh, the enemies using every 327 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.279 circumstance to do that. But you, Father, God, will keep 328 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:06.240 in perfect peace those whose minds whose thoughts are stayed 329 00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:10.880 upon Him, stayed upon his word, stayed upon what he said, 330 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:18.359 stayed upon the victory over us. There's a victory over us. 331 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:22.599 There's a victory over us. And if we will tether 332 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:25.480 our hearten our mind to this, if we will keep 333 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:31.680 our heartner mind tethered to the victory allready declared over us, 334 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:40.119 then we will partake a peace. Hello, somebody, are you 335 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:42.440 with me today? 336 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:46.440 Righteousness? Righteousness? 337 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:51.599 Righteousness, righteousness is having a right relationship with the word, 338 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:55.839 coming into agreement always with the word, not letting the 339 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:59.599 word get away from our inner focus. 340 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:01.160 Romans four ones through three. 341 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:05.279 What shall we say about Abraham, our forefather according to 342 00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:11.000 the flesh. For if Abraham was justified by works, he 343 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:15.319 has something to boast about, but not before God. But 344 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:21.799 what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it 345 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:27.400 was credited to him as righteousness. Now, when we read 346 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:29.359 the story of Abraham, and we look at the story 347 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:34.400 of Abraham and the main topic of Abraham, the main 348 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:38.319 subject of Abraham is not just the inheritance he was 349 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:44.599 to receive of children like the sand of the seashore right, 350 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:50.079 but the focal point of that was Isaac. The focal 351 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:54.680 point was a miracle child. Isaac was the focal point 352 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:58.559 of the promise of Abraham. And yet we see that 353 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:02.599 eluded him, that eluded him. Is that the right word? 354 00:24:02.680 --> 00:24:07.319 For twenty five years? Twenty five years Abraham is tested 355 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:12.440 and tried, and tested and tried, and circumstance after circumstance 356 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:17.559 after circumstance, And yet what is the record of Abraham? 357 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:23.079 Abraham continued to believe. So because Abraham continued to believe. 358 00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:27.240 Chapter four goes on to tell us that even though 359 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:31.319 he considered his body as good as dead and Sarah's 360 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:34.759 body as good as dead at one hundred years old, 361 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:39.640 yet he did not waiver concerning the promise. But he 362 00:24:39.799 --> 00:24:44.400 kept continued to grow strong in his faith, giving glory 363 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:52.559 to God, rejoicing, rejoicing, rejoicing, recognizing that he who promised 364 00:24:53.240 --> 00:25:01.480 was well able. Rejoicing springs up out of a right 365 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:06.480 relationship with the Word of God. Rejoicing springs up. It 366 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.319 doesn't spring up out of circumstances. It doesn't spring. 367 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:13.319 Up out of great coffee. 368 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:16.000 It doesn't spring up out of just the right muffin. 369 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:21.519 It doesn't spring up out of everybody loving you, everything 370 00:25:21.599 --> 00:25:26.599 going well. Rejoicing springs up out of a right relationship 371 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:30.359 with he who promised a right relationship with the Word 372 00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:33.759 of God. Keeping our mind and our heart focused on 373 00:25:33.880 --> 00:25:38.359 that that gives us this inner peace, and the inner 374 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:47.319 peace comes forth with joy and joy. Crazy thing I 375 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:50.400 just learned. I didn't even know this. But joy is 376 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:56.119 from the root word of Caros. Joy is from the 377 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:01.279 root word of Caras. And rejoicing and joy and grace 378 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:07.400 they all come from the same root where they're all cognates. 379 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:12.079 How's that for a big word. I dare you to 380 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:17.920 say it three times a cognate. They have the same 381 00:26:18.680 --> 00:26:28.680 ancestral root, grace, joy, and rejoicing. And so here's Abraham rejoicing. 382 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:34.759 Twenty five years later, there's still no child traversing everywhere, 383 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:38.920 trial after tribulation. Maybe this is where Joseph got it. 384 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:45.039 Maybe this is where Joseph came by it. Because they've 385 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:49.160 heard about the stories of Great Grandpa, and they've heard 386 00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:52.599 about the trials and the tribulations. But they heard how 387 00:26:52.680 --> 00:26:56.400 God met them. They heard how God came through, they 388 00:26:56.440 --> 00:27:00.200 heard the miracle of Isaing, they heard about the dream 389 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:06.200 and the visions of Great Grandfather. And now they're holding 390 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:11.960 on to those words themselves, believing that He who made 391 00:27:12.039 --> 00:27:17.440 the promise will bring it to pass, and so much 392 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:22.039 so that we're told that the patriarchs would continue with 393 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:26.519 this heart of peace and joy even to their death, 394 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:29.480 even if they didn't see it come to pass. The 395 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:36.559 patriarchs were told were never, were never to let go 396 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:42.039 of their right relationship with the Word over them, and 397 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:46.720 therefore the inner peace that govern their hearts and the 398 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:53.920 joy that exuded out of their lives. So what is rejoicing? 399 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:58.839 And rejoicing is a verb to joy. To rejoice means 400 00:27:58.880 --> 00:28:06.359 that you give a sound. It's like laughter. You give 401 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:12.799