The promises of God part 2
Pit, Prison, Palace
(This is the script of an audio sermon)
Psalms105: 6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. 7 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth. 8 He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. 9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:12 When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.13 When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;14 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;15 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.
20 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance: 22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom. 23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. 24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.
Hallelujah! Glory to His holy name. Joseph was left in a pit by his brothers. The pit was dark and cold and he was alone. Nobody was there to help him, nobody to hear his cry. He was left alone by his closest blood relatives. They betrayed him, they betrayed his innocence as a young child. All because of indignation. He had something that they didn’t have and couldn’t stand: He had a promise!
Ooh! Hallelujah! He had a promise of greatness, a durable promise, a glorious promise! A hard-to-believe promise! Hallelujah! A promise that could never seem real for a kid like Joseph. How could he have a majestic promise and find himself in a pit? How could you find yourself in a pit after all the glad tidings that you have received? Hello? whom am I speaking to? Are you in the pit of your life right now? having a pity party? Pitying yourself for all of your lost dreams, talents, and opportunities? Gone marriage? Gone children? Lost job? Ohhh, are you that pitiful resentful, bitter lost in the pit?
Let me tell you something; it still got worse. He had a raise for a short period of time, came out of the pit, was taken to Egypt, and discovered by somebody who found value in him. As soon as he was about to flourish and become a victorious overseer general, the attack came upon him again. The wife of his master accused him of assault, and he was put in prison….Ohhhh such progress! From up to down! From above to below! Such a flourishment! Instead of glory to glory, Joseph is moving from pit to prison! OOOh, whom am I speaking to this morning?
Oh God! Jehovah! Why have you forsaken me? Why am I moving from resentment to resentment and from betrayal to betrayal? What did I do wrong? Why have you removed your presence from me? Where have you gone, O Lord? Why have you hidden your face from me? Hello? Is it you, my brother? Sister? Is it you the new follower of Jesus the Messiah? Is it you, Old mama? Is it you grandpa? I have news for you! It was not pit to prison as a destination! It was a journey to greatness! A journey to fulfillment! A journey to the realization of the promise! A trajectory to the throne! A journey to the palace! Hallelujah! You could not enter into the palace with what you were, hallelujah! You needed an upgrade! Glory!
17 years of upgrade. It was never pit for the pit or pit for the prison. It was a pit toward the palace, a prison toward the palace! It was a trajectory to fill the gap between having the promise and the ableness to be the promise. Joseph was not able when he received the promise, but he took hold of it, stayed on track, stared at it and didn’t take his eyes from it hallelujah! So, is that you now? Common somebody! Stick to it! Keep it! Apply it and possess the land! Hallelujah! It is yours the promise. The inheritance is in the promise.
One night at 3 o’clock in the morning God woke me up with this phrase in my ears: The inheritance is in the promise! The inheritance is in the promise, and the day after I could focus on nothing but on this phrase, thinking and, meditating on what it really means and now honey, I am telling you the promise is everything! The dry promise is all you get if you get it and leave it but the inheritance is the fulfillment of the promise.
And it is all on you and you have to keep your eyes on it, your ears on it, repeat it for yourself and remind God of his promise in every situation till He brings it to pass and I have news for you! That the Bible is filled with God’s promises and for every situation, for every misfortune, for every dream, there is a promise for it that belongs to you. Take it! and put it under your pillow! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory to the lamb of God and His precious blood.