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Who Tells Your Story

Kerry Shook Ministries with Kerry Shook

February 7, 2021

27:29

God is the Master Story Teller and developing an amazing story.

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Who Tells Your Story

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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Kerry: While onvacation in 2008,
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Lin-Manuel Miranda, a formerhigh school teacher and a
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Broadway musician read RonChernow's 800-page biography of
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Alexander Hamilton, theforgotten founding father.
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And Miranda then becamedetermined to write a Broadway
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musical to tellHamilton's story.
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Before "Hamilton"the musical premiered,
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Hamilton the founding fatherwas almost forgotten from the
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history books, even though heplayed such an integral role in
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writing things like "TheFederalist Papers," and helped
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write The Declarationof Independence
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and the Constitution.
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You see, most of the nation'sother framers went on to become
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president, and theyhad institutions
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and buildings andstreets named after them.
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Their stories are woven intothe fabric of American history.
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Hamilton's story, however,was rarely told,
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because his story andhis life were cut short.
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But now, of course, it's acompletely different story,
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because of Miranda'saward-winning lyrics
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and music that includehistory put to hip-hop,
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and rap, and power ballads.
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Alexander Hamilton'sstory is finally being told.
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"Hamilton" the musical isone of the most popular and
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highest-grossingshows of all time.
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So now, the generation coming upknows more about Hamilton than
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they do about all the otherfounding fathers combined,
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though I think some of 'em wouldprobably say that Alexander
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Hamilton is a currenthip-hop artist,
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because they're probablya little confused.
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But the moving last song in"Hamilton" the musical is
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called "Who Lives, Who Dies,Who Tells Your Story."
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And it says, "Let me tell youwhat I wish I'd known when I was
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young and dreamed of glory.
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You have no control,who lives, who dies,
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who tells your story.
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Every other foundingfather's story gets told.
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Ever other foundingfather gets to grow old.
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And when you're gone,who remembers your name?
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Who keeps your flame?
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Who tells your story?
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Who tells your story?
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Who tells your story?"
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I want you to know there's aMaster storyteller who wants to
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tell your story.
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He lived, he diedto write your story,
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and to tell your story.
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He's the God of the universe.
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He's the God who createdyou because he loves
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the story of you.
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We're in this series that wejust started that we're calling
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"The Story of You."
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It's all about how God canredeem your past and rewrite
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your story.
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And we said last week thatGod doesn't erase the pain
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from our past.
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As much as I'd like to go backand change some of the mistakes
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and failures andsins of my past,
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I can't do that, but God canwrite something new and powerful
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that changes everything, thathe puts on to your story and
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changes the story completely.
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But I think one of our greatestfears as human beings is as soon
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as we die, our storywill be forgotten.
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Or maybe our story was neverworth remembering anyway.
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That's one of our fears,
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that our storyjust doesn't matter.
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And I think that sometimes wefeel like all the struggles and
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the pain in our story mean thatthere's no one really writing
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our story.
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There's no one really guidingour story to a happy ending,
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that our story'sjust meaningless.
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And maybe you feel today likeall the pain and the struggles
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in your story mean thatyour story has no meaning
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or mean that Godhas forgotten you,
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and God has forgottenyour story
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and that your storywill be forgotten forever,
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that your story wasnever worth remembering,
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that your storyreally doesn't matter.
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But I want you to knowGod has not forgotten you.
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God has not forgotten you.
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He's just not finishedwith the story yet.
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The Master storytellerhas not forgotten you.
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You may feel like you're in aforgotten chapter of the story,
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or it feels like God is nowherearound and you're going through
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so much pain and difficultiesand problems that you can't
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really see what God is up to,and it feels like that God
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doesn't care, God doesn'tcare about your story.
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But I want you to know, Godhas not forgotten your story.
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He's just notfinished with it yet.
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You're just in thatforgotten chapter,
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but he will never forget you.
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I want you to open yourBibles to Isaiah chapter 49,
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and here we see the people ofIsrael thinking that God has
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forgotten them.
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They're just in aforgotten chapter,
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but God reminds them powerfullythat he'll never forget them.
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So, follow along with me.
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"The Lord has deserted us.
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The Lord has forgotten us."
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And then God replies,"Never, can a mother forget
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her nursing child?
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Can she feel no love forthe child she has borne?
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But even if that were possible,I would not forget you.
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See, I have written yourname on the palms of my hands."
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You can be seated, and here Godsays, "I will never forget you.
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You may feel forgotten,but I will never forget you.
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How can I forget you?"
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He says, "How can a youngmother forget the baby
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that she's nursing?"
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And even if that were possible,I will not forget you.
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And then God begins to talk likea grade school boy who has a
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crush on a littlegirl in the class,
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and so he writes her nameon the palm of his hands,
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and then he writesher a little note,
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and as he's writing the note,he keeps looking at his hand,
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and he's smiling, and he'sjust thinking about her,
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because he's crazy about her.
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Isn't that amazing how God putshimself in that place to say,
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"I'm crazy about you"?
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"I've written your nameon the palm of my hands,
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and so when I write out yourstory, I'm thinking about you,
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smiling about you.
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I love you, and Ilove the story of you,
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I'm just not finished yet,but I've got some plans.
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This is gonna bean amazing story.
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If you'll let mewrite the story,
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your story will never beforgotten because it'll
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be an eternal storythat will last forever.
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But there will besome painful chapters.
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There will be some silentchapters where you feel
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like I'm not there, butjust know that I am.
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I'm closer than ever, and yourstory will never be forgotten.
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Just let me write the story."
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Today, we're gonna look at apowerful story in the Scripture
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that, at one time, looked likethat it would never be told.
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It looked like thatthe story was over.
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It was the end of the story, butyet God brought it back to life
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in such a powerful way.
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It's the story of Joseph.
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Now, it's filled witha lot of ups and downs.
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In the middle of thestory, there's down,
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after down, afterdown, after down,
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until the ultimate up, whereGod lifts Joseph up to rule
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and to reign.
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It starts out inGenesis 37:5, it says,
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"Joseph had a dream, and whenhe told it to his brothers,
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they hated him all the more."
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So, the story starts outwith Joseph being a brash,
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immature teenager, who'shis father's favorite,
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and it really ticksoff his brothers,
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but God gives him a dream,and it's a dream from God.
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And it's a dream that his lifestory would be an eternal story.
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It's a dream that his life storywould make an impact and never
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be forgotten.
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And so, he comesto his brothers,
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and he tries to tell hisown story in his own way,
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and he misses the wholemeaning of the story.
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He tries to tell hisown story in his way,
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and he doesn't letGod tell his story.
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He tries to tell his story theway he wants to tell his story,
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and it just backfires, becausehe misses the whole meaning of
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the story.
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He comes and tells his brothers,"Hey, guys, I had this dream.
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God gave me a dream that my lifestory is gonna be told forever
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and ever, and in thedream, I was royal,
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and I was in charge, and nationscame to me and bowed down to me,
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and you guys, you hada part in the story.
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I mean, you guysare gonna love this.
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You have a small part inthe story, isn't that cool?
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I mean, you guys come, yourpart is you bow down to me.
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Isn't that a great part?
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Isn't that awesome?"
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They didn't thinkit was awesome.
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It made them evenangrier at him.
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You see, he kind ofmisinterpreted the whole
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meaning of the story
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because he left out themain character: God.
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And when you leaveout the main character,
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you miss the meaningof the story.
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He said, "Hey, guys, the storyof my life is gonna be I'm gonna
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be this amazing leader, andeverybody's gonna bow down to
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me, and I'm justgonna lead everybody
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and tell everybodywhat to do, how amazing."
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But that wasn't themeaning of the story.
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He got the facts right, buthe got the meaning wrong.
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The meaning was not that God wasgonna raise him up to be a great
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leader but that God was gonnause him to serve the nations and
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to serve and save his familyfrom famine and save Israel from
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famine, the whole nation, sothat the Messiah could come
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through in the future.
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And you see, his whole story wasabout serving the main character
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and others.
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It wasn't aboutbeing a great leader,
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it was about beinga great servant,
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fulfilling God's purposeand serving God's purpose,
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because God is themain character,
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but if you take out the maincharacter from your story,
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and that's God, then you'regonna miss the meaning of your
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whole story, and your storyis not going to be eternal.
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For you see, God wants toget down to the real you,
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because he loves the realyou, with all your mistakes
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and failures, with all yourhurt, with all your pain.
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He wants to getdown to the real you
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so that he can write somethingreal that changes the real you
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into who he wants you to become.
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And so, God will begin to writesomething new to the pain that
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will change every word, thatwill change the meaning of every
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word in your story, and it'llchange your story from a story
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of tragedy to astory of triumph.
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It will change your storyfrom a story of hurt to a
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story of healing.
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It will change your storyfrom a story of death
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to a story of life.
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He will change the meaning ofyour whole life and your whole
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life story, if you'lllet him have the pen.
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female announcer: Still tocome with Pastor Kerry Shook.
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Kerry: And God cantake that hurt,
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God can take even that trauma,and somehow bring something
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purposeful andbeautiful out of it.
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♪♪♪
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announcer: As we begin 2021,it's more important than ever
00:11:23.099 --> 00:11:27.103
to stay focused on Christand his desires for our life.
00:11:27.136 --> 00:11:31.173
At Kerry Shook Ministries, wewanna help you make goals,
00:11:31.207 --> 00:11:34.677
break bad habits, andstrive to accomplish more
00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:37.613
than ever before.
00:11:37.646 --> 00:11:39.248
This year, as you assessyour life and make goals,
00:11:39.281 --> 00:11:42.585
Pastors Kerry and ChrisShook want to help lead
00:11:42.618 --> 00:11:45.154
you on a journey of spiritualclarity and discovery.
00:11:45.187 --> 00:11:48.557
Today, with your bestgift of support,
00:11:48.591 --> 00:11:51.127
they wanna send you a copy ofthe tenth anniversary edition of
00:11:51.160 --> 00:11:54.029
their best-selling book, "OneMonth to Live," along with their
00:11:54.063 --> 00:11:57.533
best-selling devotional,"Strength in the Storm."
00:11:57.566 --> 00:12:00.836
Together, these resources willprepare you to face both the
00:12:00.870 --> 00:12:04.406
challenging andrewarding days ahead.
00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:07.676
This special bundle may be justwhat you need to step into what
00:12:07.710 --> 00:12:10.980
God has in storefor you this year.
00:12:11.013 --> 00:12:14.216
Call us now at 844-34-KERRY orgo online to KerryShook.org to
00:12:14.250 --> 00:12:20.489
request your special resources.
00:12:20.523 --> 00:12:24.026
Kerry: Well, Joseph wasin that character-development
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stage, and so he was sold intoslavery to a wealthy Egyptian
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named Potiphar, and Potipharnotices something different
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about Joseph, becauseremember, Joseph loved God,
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he just had some characterdevelopment to take place,
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that needed to takeplace in his life.
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But I believe when hegot sold into slavery,
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he must've decided, "God, I'mgonna let you write the story.
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I mean, you've already told methat you're going to write me a
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life story that's gonnamake my story last forever.
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And so, I give it to you totell the story the way you want.
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I give it to you to write thestory the way you wanna write
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the story, because you're themain character of the story.
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But would you give me today justthe strength to make it through
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this page of the story?
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And all I'm gonna do, I'mgonna let you finish the story.
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I'm not gonna tryto write anything,
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I just wanna obey you today,"and that's what he did,
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and God blessed himand raise him up,
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and Potiphar noticed, "Hey,this guy I can trust.
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I've never seen someoneI could trust before."
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So, he puts him in chargeof his whole household,
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and God is blessinghim and raising him up,
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because he's just saying,"One page at a time, God.
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I just wanna do what you want,and I'm gonna leave the rest of
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the story to you.
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I'm gonna leavethe ending to you.
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You're the great writer,I give it to you,
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and I know you'regonna take care of me."
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But then, Potiphar's wifetries to seduce Joseph,
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and the Scripture says thatJoseph ran from temptation,
00:13:38.734 --> 00:13:42.371
like we're supposed todo, run from temptation,
00:13:42.404 --> 00:13:44.740
but as he ran away, it saysthat she grabbed his coat,
00:13:44.773 --> 00:13:49.745
and he ran off, andit took his coat off,
00:13:49.778 --> 00:13:53.515
and she was leftholding his coat,
00:13:53.549 --> 00:13:55.818
so he loses his coat again.
00:13:55.851 --> 00:13:57.152
He's in the habitof losing coats,
00:13:57.186 --> 00:13:58.387
and so he loses another coat,and that coat sort of represents
00:13:58.420 --> 00:14:02.558
his integrity,because here's Joseph,
00:14:02.591 --> 00:14:05.461
and he chooses to runfrom temptation to keep
00:14:05.494 --> 00:14:08.597
his integrity.
00:14:08.631 --> 00:14:09.965
He loses his coat, but hedoesn't lose his integrity.
00:14:09.999 --> 00:14:13.469
He loses his coat, but hedoesn't lose his integrity.
00:14:13.502 --> 00:14:15.571
And there'll be many times inyour life you'll have the chance
00:14:15.604 --> 00:14:17.273
to lose your coat orlose your integrity.
00:14:17.306 --> 00:14:19.108
Maybe it's a business deal whereit's a little shady, you know.
00:14:19.141 --> 00:14:21.710
"Well, other people have donethis, but it's a little shady."
00:14:21.744 --> 00:14:25.247
And so, you'll have a chance:
00:14:25.281 --> 00:14:26.582
You could lose the moneyor lose your integrity.
00:14:26.615 --> 00:14:28.450
Lose the money.
00:14:28.484 --> 00:14:30.552
The value is not evenclose to your integrity.
00:14:30.586 --> 00:14:34.390
We'll have many chances inour lives for God to build
00:14:34.423 --> 00:14:36.725
our character when we canchoose to lose our coat
00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:40.629
or lose our integrity.
00:14:40.663 --> 00:14:42.631
Think about that for a moment.
00:14:42.665 --> 00:14:44.833
Think about that.
00:14:44.867 --> 00:14:46.602
When we let God write our story,
00:14:46.635 --> 00:14:49.972
we can count on himto take care of us.
00:14:50.005 --> 00:14:53.509
Because when youchoose integrity,
00:14:53.542 --> 00:14:55.778
everything always worksout perfect, right?
00:14:55.811 --> 00:14:57.780
When you do the right thing,
00:14:57.813 --> 00:14:59.081
then right things justhappen to you, right?
00:14:59.114 --> 00:15:01.216
No, what happened to Josephwhen he did the right thing?
00:15:01.250 --> 00:15:04.053
I mean, God just blessedhim and raise him up.
00:15:04.086 --> 00:15:05.921
Nope, he got thrown in jail,falsely accused of rape,
00:15:05.955 --> 00:15:08.324
thrown in jail, and that's wherethe story looked like it was
00:15:08.357 --> 00:15:12.027
gonna end.
00:15:12.061 --> 00:15:13.696
The story looked likeit had been written.
00:15:13.729 --> 00:15:16.899
Think about that for a moment,because Joseph had to come to
00:15:16.932 --> 00:15:20.569
the place where he said,
00:15:20.602 --> 00:15:21.904
"God, I know you'regonna write my story.
00:15:21.937 --> 00:15:23.205
I know it's going to be eternal.
00:15:23.238 --> 00:15:24.573
I know that you're gonnabring good out of bad.
00:15:24.606 --> 00:15:27.009
I don't get it, but I'm gonnakeep just obeying you one page
00:15:27.042 --> 00:15:29.912
at a time, one word at a time.
00:15:29.945 --> 00:15:32.114
I'm gonna obey you andlet you write the story,
00:15:32.147 --> 00:15:34.817
even though right now it lookslike you've forgotten me."
00:15:34.850 --> 00:15:39.655
He came to theforgotten chapter,
00:15:39.688 --> 00:15:41.924
and we all have forgottenchapters in our lives where
00:15:41.957 --> 00:15:45.160
it feels like we'vebeen totally forgotten.
00:15:45.194 --> 00:15:47.229
And it was there that it lookedlike it was the final chapter.
00:15:47.262 --> 00:15:51.100
It was there that it looked likethe book of his life was gonna
00:15:51.133 --> 00:15:53.268
be closed, he was gonna diein a prison cell in Egypt,
00:15:53.302 --> 00:15:56.672
and his story wouldnever be known or told.
00:15:56.705 --> 00:16:00.642
But there he meets a cupbearer,a former cupbearer of the king,
00:16:00.676 --> 00:16:05.147
and this cupbearer of the kingwas the king's right-hand man,
00:16:05.180 --> 00:16:07.616
but he fell out of his favor,the king had him thrown in jail,
00:16:07.649 --> 00:16:10.486
as kings can do, and there hebecomes friends with Joseph.
00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:14.123
And they hit it off,but then one night,
00:16:14.156 --> 00:16:15.657
the cupbearer hasa dream in prison,
00:16:15.691 --> 00:16:17.326
he tells it to Joseph,and Joseph says,
00:16:17.359 --> 00:16:18.994
"I know what that dream means.
00:16:19.028 --> 00:16:20.729
God revealed to me that it meansyou're gonna be raised back into
00:16:20.763 --> 00:16:23.699
Pharaoh's favor, and he's gonnabring you back as his cupbearer,
00:16:23.732 --> 00:16:27.236
and you're gonna be hisright-hand man again.
00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:28.937
It's an amazing thing.
00:16:28.971 --> 00:16:30.406
You're gonna be really blessed.
00:16:30.439 --> 00:16:32.674
And when you getback to Pharaoh,
00:16:32.708 --> 00:16:35.811
and everything's restored,tell him about me.
00:16:35.844 --> 00:16:38.447
Don't forget me."
00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:40.482
And I'm sure the cupbearersaid something like,
00:16:40.516 --> 00:16:41.984
"You can count on it.
00:16:42.017 --> 00:16:43.285
I mean, you're my best friend.
00:16:43.318 --> 00:16:45.154
I mean, you've told me mydream and it's so cool.
00:16:45.187 --> 00:16:48.457
I'm gonna be restored again,so I can tell you this.
00:16:48.490 --> 00:16:51.026
When I get back toPharaoh, the first thing,
00:16:51.060 --> 00:16:54.129
I'm not even gonnabow down to him,
00:16:54.163 --> 00:16:55.564
I'm just gonnatell him about you.
00:16:55.597 --> 00:16:57.699
That's what I'm gonna do.
00:16:57.733 --> 00:16:59.034
The first thing I'mgonna do, I mean,
00:16:59.068 --> 00:17:00.369
you bet, you can count on it.
00:17:00.402 --> 00:17:01.570
I'm gonna tell him about you."
00:17:01.603 --> 00:17:03.605
And he's so excited, buthe's not telling the truth.
00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:10.646
Because what reallyhappens in Genesis 40,
00:17:10.679 --> 00:17:14.817
Joseph says, "'And pleaseremember me and do me a favor
00:17:14.850 --> 00:17:17.286
when things go well for you.
00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:18.487
Mention me to Pharaoh, so hemight let me out of this place.
00:17:18.520 --> 00:17:22.057
For I was kidnappedfrom my homeland,
00:17:22.091 --> 00:17:23.592
the land of the Hebrews,and now I'm here in prison,
00:17:23.625 --> 00:17:26.228
but did nothing to deserve it.'And Pharaoh's chief cupbearer,
00:17:26.261 --> 00:17:29.932
however, forgotall about Joseph,
00:17:29.965 --> 00:17:32.501
never giving himanother thought."
00:17:32.534 --> 00:17:37.873
Have you ever been forgotten?
00:17:37.906 --> 00:17:40.742
Have you ever beenforgotten by somebody else?
00:17:40.776 --> 00:17:42.644
"Oh, yeah, I'm gonnareally come through for you.
00:17:42.678 --> 00:17:44.113
You can count on me,"and not another word.
00:17:44.146 --> 00:17:47.683
You feel forgotten.
00:17:47.716 --> 00:17:49.084
Or you're in a room, andyou're talking to someone,
00:17:49.118 --> 00:17:52.321
but they're looking rightthrough you like you're
00:17:52.354 --> 00:17:53.655
invisible because they'relooking for someone more
00:17:53.689 --> 00:17:55.057
important in theroom to talk to.
00:17:55.090 --> 00:17:56.925
Have you ever felt forgotten?
00:17:56.959 --> 00:18:00.762
I want you to see Joseph hadto go through the forgiveness
00:18:00.796 --> 00:18:02.631
chapter over and over again.
00:18:02.664 --> 00:18:05.300
You see, every step of the way,he could have become bitter.
00:18:05.334 --> 00:18:07.970
I mean, it seemed like he hadevery right to get bitter,
00:18:08.003 --> 00:18:10.005
because he was alwaysbeing wronged and hurt,
00:18:10.038 --> 00:18:12.841
doing the right thing, andthen terrible things would
00:18:12.875 --> 00:18:15.410
happen to him.
00:18:15.444 --> 00:18:16.545
People would wrong him.
00:18:16.578 --> 00:18:17.880
It looks like he could'vebecome very bitter,
00:18:17.913 --> 00:18:19.882
and he would have everyright to become bitter,
00:18:19.915 --> 00:18:21.517
but he knew that bitterness justcreates writer's block for the
00:18:21.550 --> 00:18:28.190
Master storyteller.
00:18:28.223 --> 00:18:30.192
Because when I become bitter,
00:18:30.225 --> 00:18:32.394
he can't write outthe blessing chapter.
00:18:32.427 --> 00:18:35.564
It creates this writer'sblock because bitterness
00:18:35.597 --> 00:18:37.799
blocks blessing.
00:18:37.833 --> 00:18:38.767
And so, even though itseemed like he had every
00:18:38.800 --> 00:18:40.769
right to become bitter, hedidn't want the bitterness
00:18:40.802 --> 00:18:43.105
to block his blessing, sohe kept choosing to forgive.
00:18:43.138 --> 00:18:46.208
It's like, "God, theywronged me, they hurt me.
00:18:46.241 --> 00:18:48.777
It's not right.
00:18:48.810 --> 00:18:50.112
I don't get why you allowedit, but I'm gonna forgive them,
00:18:50.145 --> 00:18:51.780
because you command me to,
00:18:51.813 --> 00:18:53.115
and I don't want themto keep hurting me.
00:18:53.148 --> 00:18:54.449
I'm gonna forgive them,so I choose to forgive."
00:18:54.483 --> 00:18:56.218
He kept choosing to forgive.
00:18:56.251 --> 00:18:57.786
That guy forgot me when hepromised that he wouldn't,
00:18:57.819 --> 00:18:59.955
but God, I don't like it,but I choose to forgive him."
00:18:59.988 --> 00:19:05.761
And he would choose toforgive over and over.
00:19:05.794 --> 00:19:07.663
He would release the bitterness,so that God's blessing chapter
00:19:07.696 --> 00:19:11.700
could come through in his life.
00:19:11.733 --> 00:19:13.368
And then, finally, thecupbearer remembers him,
00:19:13.402 --> 00:19:17.406
because the Pharaoh has a dream,and everyone's upset because the
00:19:17.439 --> 00:19:20.876
Pharaoh's upset, and he says, "Idon't know what my dream means,"
00:19:20.909 --> 00:19:23.478
and the cupbearerremembers, "Hey,
00:19:23.512 --> 00:19:24.947
there was a guy namedJoseph in prison.
00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:26.782
Oh, yeah, he was my good friend,and he could interpret dreams,"
00:19:26.815 --> 00:19:30.185
and he told Pharaoh, and Pharaohbrings Joseph and tells him his
00:19:30.219 --> 00:19:33.455
dream, and Joseph says, "Iknow exactly what that means,
00:19:33.488 --> 00:19:36.592
God has revealed it to me.
00:19:36.625 --> 00:19:37.659
There's going to be agreat famine in the land
00:19:37.693 --> 00:19:39.328
so you better store up foodnow so that you can feed your
00:19:39.361 --> 00:19:41.697
nation and othernations as well
00:19:41.730 --> 00:19:44.499
and save them from the famine."
00:19:44.533 --> 00:19:45.901
And Pharaoh is so impressed heelevates Joseph to be the prime
00:19:45.934 --> 00:19:48.804
minister, second incommand in all of Egypt.
00:19:48.837 --> 00:19:52.641
He goes from the forgottenchapter to the fulfillment
00:19:52.674 --> 00:19:56.445
chapter, but there'sstill a forgiveness chapter.
00:19:56.478 --> 00:19:59.715
And in your life, there willbe many forgiveness chapters,
00:19:59.748 --> 00:20:03.585
because we livein a broken world,
00:20:03.619 --> 00:20:04.920
and you're gonna be hurt.
00:20:04.953 --> 00:20:06.555
People are gonna wrong you.
00:20:06.588 --> 00:20:08.457
You're gonna hurt others.
00:20:08.490 --> 00:20:09.858
And we have to choose thatforgiveness chapter over and
00:20:09.891 --> 00:20:12.027
over again, becausewhen the famine hit,
00:20:12.060 --> 00:20:15.397
Joseph was in charge ofdistributing all the food
00:20:15.430 --> 00:20:17.566
as prime minister, and all thesenations were coming to him,
00:20:17.599 --> 00:20:20.302
and his family came to him.
00:20:20.335 --> 00:20:22.471
And they didn't recognizehim, you know the story.
00:20:22.504 --> 00:20:24.339
And then Josephreveals who he is.
00:20:24.373 --> 00:20:26.041
"I'm Joseph," andthey're terrified,
00:20:26.074 --> 00:20:28.610
because they know that he couldjust say one word and their
00:20:28.644 --> 00:20:32.214
heads would be cut off.
00:20:32.247 --> 00:20:33.582
They know that he has everyright to take his vengeance,
00:20:33.615 --> 00:20:36.551
and they are terrified.
00:20:36.585 --> 00:20:38.754
They thought, "NowJoseph is gonna kill us.
00:20:38.787 --> 00:20:40.389
He's gonna take his vengeancebecause of what we've
00:20:40.422 --> 00:20:43.058
done to him."
00:20:43.091 --> 00:20:45.093
But Joseph says,"Hey, don't worry,
00:20:45.127 --> 00:20:46.528
guys," and in Genesis 50:21, oneof the most powerful sentences
00:20:46.561 --> 00:20:51.900
in all of Scripture.
00:20:51.933 --> 00:20:53.902
He says, "Youintended to harm me,
00:20:53.935 --> 00:20:56.471
but God intended it for goodto accomplish what is now being
00:20:56.505 --> 00:20:59.508
done, the saving of many lives."
00:20:59.541 --> 00:21:02.277
He says, "Yeah, you guysdid intend to hurt me.
00:21:02.311 --> 00:21:05.147
You wanted to harm me,that was your purpose,
00:21:05.180 --> 00:21:07.115
but God had another purpose.
00:21:07.149 --> 00:21:08.684
He took the pain you inflictedon me and he turned it into my
00:21:08.717 --> 00:21:12.120
purpose, because he isthe Master storyteller,
00:21:12.154 --> 00:21:15.791
and I let him writethe rest of the story.
00:21:15.824 --> 00:21:18.960
And in a way Iwanna thank you guys,
00:21:18.994 --> 00:21:20.562
because I've alreadyforgiven you.
00:21:20.595 --> 00:21:21.897
In a way I wanna thank you,because if it wasn't for you
00:21:21.930 --> 00:21:24.333
throwing me into that pit andselling me to the slave trader,
00:21:24.366 --> 00:21:26.301
I wouldn't be heretoday saving your life
00:21:26.335 --> 00:21:28.470
and saving our nationand serving you today.
00:21:28.503 --> 00:21:34.576
So, in a way I wanna thank you.
00:21:34.609 --> 00:21:35.777
Yeah, you intended to harmme, but God meant it for good,
00:21:35.811 --> 00:21:37.846
and I've already forgiven you.
00:21:37.879 --> 00:21:39.514
All along the way, Ikept forgiving you."
00:21:39.548 --> 00:21:42.451
How powerful is that?
00:21:42.484 --> 00:21:45.354
And there are people outthere who wanna see you fail.
00:21:45.387 --> 00:21:48.724
There are people out there thatwanna see your life fall apart.
00:21:48.757 --> 00:21:52.160
There are people out therethat wanna see you fall.
00:21:52.194 --> 00:21:56.498
There are people out therewho intend to harm you.
00:21:56.531 --> 00:22:00.602
And there are people outthere who have harmed you.
00:22:00.635 --> 00:22:03.004
And some of you havebeen wounded so deeply
00:22:03.038 --> 00:22:05.140
and so wronged,and it's not fair.
00:22:05.173 --> 00:22:07.909
Some of you have gone throughsuch trauma and been hurt so
00:22:07.943 --> 00:22:11.680
deeply by someone else,and it's not fair.
00:22:11.713 --> 00:22:15.517
It doesn't make sense,but I know this.
00:22:15.550 --> 00:22:18.720
God can take that harm,and God can take that hurt.
00:22:18.754 --> 00:22:25.560
God can take even that traumaand somehow bring something
00:22:25.594 --> 00:22:30.599
purposeful andbeautiful out of it.
00:22:30.632 --> 00:22:33.301
They intended to harm you,but God has a greater purpose.
00:22:33.335 --> 00:22:36.805
When he starts writing, it turnsinto purpose instead of pain.
00:22:36.838 --> 00:22:41.710
And God has a purpose, andyour story's not written yet.
00:22:41.743 --> 00:22:45.046
That doesn't define you.
00:22:45.080 --> 00:22:46.381
Yes, that happened, butit doesn't define you.
00:22:46.415 --> 00:22:49.351
Because God'swriting your story,
00:22:49.384 --> 00:22:52.087
and he knows your destiny, andhe's gonna finish the story,
00:22:52.120 --> 00:22:55.257
and he will have the last word.
00:22:55.290 --> 00:22:56.958
No one else is gonnahave the last word.
00:22:56.992 --> 00:22:58.293
He'll have the last word,
00:22:58.326 --> 00:22:59.561
and he'll take careof it all one day.
00:22:59.594 --> 00:23:03.031
They intended to harm him,but God intended it for good.
00:23:03.064 --> 00:23:06.001
The amazing thing is, God buildhis character through it all,
00:23:06.034 --> 00:23:08.503
because he sees the story,and the meaning of the story,
00:23:08.537 --> 00:23:11.440
completely different,
00:23:11.473 --> 00:23:12.941
the same facts buttotally different meaning.
00:23:12.974 --> 00:23:14.676
It says in Genesis 45:7, "Godhas sent me here to keep you
00:23:14.709 --> 00:23:18.280
and your families alive, so thatyou will become a great nation."
00:23:18.313 --> 00:23:22.150
You see, at first itwas about, "Hey, guys,
00:23:22.184 --> 00:23:25.387
the story, I'm the maincharacter of the story.
00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:27.289
I mean, you allare worshiping me,
00:23:27.322 --> 00:23:28.623
bowing down to me, and it'sme, me, me, me, me, me,"
00:23:28.657 --> 00:23:31.393
but now he says,
00:23:31.426 --> 00:23:32.727
"Hey, the story was I waspart of God's big story,
00:23:32.761 --> 00:23:37.132
that God had mecome to this place
00:23:37.165 --> 00:23:40.969
so I could serveyou and save you
00:23:41.002 --> 00:23:42.838
and save the nation of Israel,that one day the Messiah would
00:23:42.871 --> 00:23:47.542
come through."
00:23:47.576 --> 00:23:48.810
You see, God hadit in his purpose.
00:23:48.844 --> 00:23:52.581
Joseph just got to bepart of God's great story,
00:23:52.614 --> 00:23:55.884
and that's the way we are.
00:23:55.917 --> 00:23:57.219
You see, if your storyis one that's about you,
00:23:57.252 --> 00:23:59.387
and you're the maincharacter of your story,
00:23:59.421 --> 00:24:01.122
then your story is a selfishstory that will die with you.
00:24:01.156 --> 00:24:03.391
But it has to be God is the maincharacter and all about others.
00:24:03.425 --> 00:24:07.462
And as God as themain character,
00:24:07.496 --> 00:24:09.231
and you focus on serving others,because God's story is always
00:24:09.264 --> 00:24:12.934
about others, because God hasthis plot that runs all the way
00:24:12.968 --> 00:24:21.009
through history, which ishis story, and it's this:
00:24:21.042 --> 00:24:24.613
He's building a forever family.
00:24:24.646 --> 00:24:27.749
He's bringing inas many as he can,
00:24:27.782 --> 00:24:30.051
as many as choose him,
00:24:30.085 --> 00:24:32.287
bringing them intohis forever family.
00:24:32.320 --> 00:24:35.090
A forever, eternal story,and that forever family
00:24:35.123 --> 00:24:37.959
is the church.
00:24:37.993 --> 00:24:39.294
The church is thebody of Christ.
00:24:39.327 --> 00:24:40.962
It's not a building.
00:24:40.996 --> 00:24:42.297
The church is people who loveJesus and connect together.
00:24:42.330 --> 00:24:46.568
It's not a placeyou go, it's people.
00:24:46.601 --> 00:24:49.170
And so, God's plan, God's storyis that he lives through us,
00:24:49.204 --> 00:24:55.176
we're his hands, we're his feet,we're his voice to go to this
00:24:55.210 --> 00:24:57.846
hurting world, and so weare the body of Christ.
00:24:57.879 --> 00:25:02.851
And so, when we allow the Masterstoryteller to live in our
00:25:02.884 --> 00:25:06.821
lives, then he tells hisstory through our uniqueness
00:25:06.855 --> 00:25:11.326
and through our experiencesand through our story,
00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:15.297
and it becomes a storythat will never die.
00:25:15.330 --> 00:25:21.336
announcer: As we begin 2021,it's more important than ever
00:25:28.209 --> 00:25:32.247
to stay focused on Christ andhis desires for our life.
00:25:32.280 --> 00:25:36.351
At Kerry Shook Ministries, wewanna help you make goals,
00:25:36.384 --> 00:25:39.754
break bad habits, andstrive to accomplish more
00:25:39.788 --> 00:25:42.757
than ever before.
00:25:42.791 --> 00:25:44.459
This year, as you assessyour life and make goals,
00:25:44.492 --> 00:25:47.762
Pastors Kerry and ChrisShook want to help lead
00:25:47.796 --> 00:25:50.198
you on a journey of spiritualclarity and discovery.
00:25:50.231 --> 00:25:53.635
Today, with yourbest gift of support,
00:25:53.668 --> 00:25:56.237
they wanna send you a copy ofthe tenth anniversary edition of
00:25:56.271 --> 00:25:59.140
their best-selling book, "OneMonth to Live," along with their
00:25:59.174 --> 00:26:02.611
best-selling devotional,"Strength in the Storm."
00:26:02.644 --> 00:26:05.981
Together, these resources willprepare you to face both the
00:26:06.014 --> 00:26:09.618
challenging andrewarding days ahead.
00:26:09.651 --> 00:26:12.821
This special bundle may be justwhat you need to step into what
00:26:12.854 --> 00:26:16.124
God has in storefor you this year.
00:26:16.157 --> 00:26:19.594
Call us now at 844-34-KERRY orgo online to KerryShook.org to
00:26:19.628 --> 00:26:25.600
request your special resources.
00:26:25.634 --> 00:26:28.436
Chris Shook: We're so gladyou joined us for the message
00:26:28.470 --> 00:26:30.071
today, and we hope it impactsyour life all week long.
00:26:30.105 --> 00:26:33.942
Kerry: And if Godreally spoke to you,
00:26:33.975 --> 00:26:35.377
and you've never receivedChrist into your life,
00:26:35.410 --> 00:26:38.279
all you have to do is justreceive his free gift of
00:26:38.313 --> 00:26:40.849
salvation, forgiveness,and heaven one day.
00:26:40.882 --> 00:26:43.952
Just pray a prayer rightnow, a prayer like this:
00:26:43.985 --> 00:26:48.623
Dear Jesus Christ, thank youfor dying on the cross for me.
00:26:48.657 --> 00:26:52.694
I invite you tocome into my life,
00:26:52.727 --> 00:26:54.729
forgive me of all my sins,and I want you to be the Lord
00:26:54.763 --> 00:26:57.532
of my life.
00:26:57.565 --> 00:26:58.867
I want you to be the directorfrom now on and guide me.
00:26:58.900 --> 00:27:01.970
I receive your freegift of salvation,
00:27:02.003 --> 00:27:04.472
in Jesus's name, amen.
00:27:04.506 --> 00:27:06.307
If you prayed that prayer,Christ came into your life,
00:27:06.341 --> 00:27:08.443
and he'll never leave you.
00:27:08.476 --> 00:27:10.045
♪♪♪
00:27:10.078 --> 00:27:20.055
♪♪♪
00:27:20.088 --> 00:27:25.960
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00:27:25.994 --> 00:27:30.000

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