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Rev. Bernard is a visionary whose teachings have lifted his church, the Christian Cultural Center (CCC), to become New York’s largest house of worship. With
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0:00 I wanna share with you very quickly from the book of Job. I've been reflecting Holy Week.0:14 Good Friday is our remembrance of the greatest sacrifice ever given and that was0:26 a sacrifice of the life of Christ for the salvation of all of those who were willing to embrace him and his mission and his goal.0:38 To reconcile humanity back with their creator, God. But it required something so difficult.0:50 It required the cross. It required his own death. But so beautifully, within 2 days, we celebrate his resurrection.1:03 And I thought about Saturday and what the disciples went through that Saturday. 1 of the beautiful things1:15 about production and the way Elder Pointer and his team puts it together, they keep it very real because these bible characters were human beings. They were real people just like1:27 us with the same fears, joys, ambitions, concerns, feelings, emotions, all of that. Too often when we read1:38 the bible, we have these characters walking 3 feet off the ground. No. They were just like us. Amen? So, as I thought about Saturday, the day1:50 in between and where his disciples were and and emotionally, psychologically and all of those who were believing that this was the 1, only to have those2:02 hopes and dreams crushed. And they started to wonder what the future would be like. We see Peter went back to fishing along with the2:14 others. It's like everybody looked to return to their past And that's what happens because when you don't have a vision for the future, you'll always live or return to2:26 your past. And that Saturday, their hopes and dreams were crushed. And of course, Sunday morning, everything changed2:38 because of the resurrection. At 1 time in my early Christian walk, I bought into a theology that did not have room for2:50 suffering, for sacrifice, for tribulation. Somehow, if you had enough faith, everything would be wonderful. You would have heaven on earth forever.3:03 And then I woke up to reality and realized it's important that you make room for reality here on this planet.3:14 Amen? So over the years, I've had to make minor adjustments to my theology as I grew and as I learned, I understood what this was really all about. It's3:26 unfortunate because there are people who still push that. And the problem is that once you think about that or think of life in that way and in those terms, you're not3:38 prepared for disappointment. You're not prepared for the real challenges of everyday life. So it took me back to the book of Job. How many3:50 read the book of Job? It is the oldest book in the bible, historically, in terms of the times about which it was written. And4:01 it is presented to us as a an examination of this thing called suffering, human suffering, pain. And as I was reflecting4:13 on it, I I was watching a progression of how Job responded to what he was going through. And it's4:25 amazing that even the strongest faith can be tested to the point of4:36 failure depending upon how long the suffering continues. Amen?4:49 So, like, if you get a headache and you take some Tylenol or whatever and whatever you may take and the headache is gone after 2 or 3 hours,5:01 you know, that was short term suffering And that's no biggie. Right? But if that headache stays with you for years5:12 and you have to live with it, it changes the game, changes your tune. And, as people of faith, believing and trusting in God and the power of5:24 faith, alright, we want to be strong in the face of the realities of human existence and human life when suffering comes, when challenges come. Amen?5:36 We want to be strong. We want to be strong. Yes. You're scaring me. But, I watched Job go through a pattern and I want to share5:48 that pattern with you and give you some words of encouragement and inspiration. Because, I watched how when it first hit Job,6:00 if you're familiar with the story, there was a conversation that had that he did not have the privilege of being part of. And that6:12 conversation put him in a situation. The man was wealthy, had a great life. But he also had a relationship with God where he reverenced and6:24 respected God. So spiritually, there was this connection based upon the knowledge of God at that time. And all of a6:36 sudden, he gets word that calamity has hit. He has 7 sons, 3 daughters,6:49 and the calamity begins with a messenger. And notice how calamity always has a messenger, a witness.7:03 So, the messenger comes and tells him, first of all, his property is now taken from him. He had sheep, he had oxen, all of that,7:16 it's stripped from him. And, while he's dealing with the loss of his wealth, another messenger comes and tells him that his children7:27 were gathered in 1 of the children's homes that they would do regularly and feasting and all of a sudden, boom, calamity hit. They were all killed.7:39 Wow. And Job had to take a position, take a posture in response to those realities.7:51 And then another day comes and Job gets hit physically. So, it begins with an attack on his wealth and then an attack8:03 on his family and then an attack on his health. And his body is covered with sores and boils. You read the story. But I was watching the progression of8:15 his response to these things. I don't want to share it with you. So, when Job's problem first started, he tore his8:27 robe, the scripture says, shaved his head, which is a demonstration of contrition, his brokenness, his hurt. Right? And fell to the8:39 ground to worship God. So, his first reaction was an attitude of worship, an attitude of saying,8:50 let me humble myself before my maker. And, this is what he said, Naked I came from my mother's womb9:02 and naked shall I return. In other words, the possessions that I had, I didn't come into this world with those possessions. I'm not going to leave this world with those possessions. You don't see a U9:14 Haul following a hearse. So, let me not get overwhelmed9:26 because I lost things that I didn't come into this planet with. So, he was talking to himself and helping himself process what he was going through.9:38 Naked, I came from my mother's womb, naked shall I return. And this is what he says, the Lord gave and the Lord takes away.9:51 Blessed be the name of the Lord. That translates into, in spite of what I'm going through, God is still good. And, how many know10:02 that's that can be challenging, especially when you're talking about losing a loved 1. That's always challenging,10:13 especially when you lose it seems that you lose them too soon. How many know what I'm talking about?10:28 But he said, the Lord gives, the Lord takes away. In other words, God is good all the time. But10:40 then, the attack comes on his health. And not only on his health, but on the woman closest to him, his wife.10:54 So, he's now covered with boils, he's sick, lost his children, lost his wealth and now his physical health is failing.11:05 And, his wife begins to pity him questioning his faith in God She cannot bear her11:17 husband's blind acceptance of the tragedies that have now befallen him. And, finally, wife speaks up and she says, do you still hold11:29 fast your integrity? Curse God and die. Can you imagine that? Coming from the 1 that should be supporting you.11:42 But he said to her, Woman, you speak as 1 of the foolish women speak. And then what he said, look at what he says, And sometimes11:54 when you're going through stuff, the people closest to you, to whom you're most vulnerable, can say some of the dumbest things.12:09 How many have had that happen? Don't point, but how many have had that happen? This is what he says. Shall we receive good12:21 from God only, but not only experience evil? And he was saying, look, we get excited and we're happy, we embrace the good that comes our way, but we want to12:33 reject the bad and yet the bad and the good come together because we live in a world where good and evil coexist. And, we do what we can to make that coexistence more12:45 manageable in terms of our own personal life. So, Job was still hanging in there, lost his wealth, lost his children,12:57 wife is now in another world, in another place, and yet he's still reasoning that, yeah, I came in empty, I'm gonna leave empty,13:09 evil comes, good comes, I've got to take the good with the bad, I'm good. Then his friends show up. Now, how many know it can13:22 that's a 50 50 proposition when you're suffering through something and your friends show up. That can be good, that can be bad, depending13:34 upon the friend's outlook and what they have to say about your experience. Amen? So, when his friends come to him and they see him, the bible says that they could13:45 hardly recognize him because of the way his sickness had disfigured his body. So, what do they say? Nothing. They sit down,13:57 they just sit down with him to be present. And, they do that for a week, 7 days of silence.14:10 And, finally, a conversation begins. And Job moves from the Lord gives and the Lord14:22 takes away, Naked came I into the world, naked I'm gonna leave. And that's why I told you, when suffering14:34 first comes, we start out strong. But depending upon how long it lasts and the degree of damage,14:47 we go through this transformation where our faith is challenged. So, Job now says,15:00 obliterate the day I was born, blank out the night I was conceived, let it be a black hole in space, may God above forget it ever15:12 happen, erase it from the books. May the day of my birth be buried in deep darkness, shrouded by the fog, swallowed by the night. And, the night of my conception,15:24 may the devil take it. In fact, rip the date off the calendar, delete it from the almanac. I love this message translation.15:37 Oh, turn that night into pure nothingness. No sounds of pleasure should ever come from that night. May those who are good at cursing, curse that day.15:49 Unleash the sea beast's Leviathan on it. May its morning stars turn to black cinders, waiting for a daylight that never comes, never once seeing the first light of dawn. And16:01 why? Because it released me from my mother's womb into a life with so much trouble. Why didn't I die at birth? My first16:13 breath out of the womb, why wasn't that my last? Why were there arms to rock me and breasts for me to drink from? I could be resting in peace right now, asleep forever feeling16:24 no pain in the company of kings and statesmen in their royal ruins, or with princes resplendent in their gold and silver tomb, why wasn't16:36 I stillborn and buried with all the babies who never saw light? Quite a switch, and all it took was a16:48 week. Turn to your neighbor and say, neighbor. Neighbor. How long before you crack? And, that's an important question17:00 because we all start out, Naked came irons of the world. Hallelujah. Naked, I'll leave. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the neighbors17:12 of the Lord. Turn your neighbor and say, neighbor, that's day 1. But, I'm telling you, depending upon17:23 how long it lasts, we go through. It's called a crisis of faith. It's where you17:35 begin to ask questions about what you believe and what you've lived and what you've taken for granted. And, it doesn't mean that now you've left God, but17:47 you're asking some hard questions because your reality is not matching up with what you're reading in the scripture. I have been there17:59 on several occasions. Am I alone or is anybody else in here? It's a crisis because you're18:10 questioning and those questions are legitimate because you're struggling to reconcile what you're feeling emotionally, psychologically, the anxiety and the stress and you're saying,18:22 wait, wait, wait, it says this, God is this, but this is my life right now. It doesn't match up. And, I'm in18:34 crisis. I'm wondering, is this all true? Maybe I maybe I missed it, or maybe maybe it's not all what it's trumped up to18:46 be. How come on, how many are going to be honest? And if you've never been there, give me what you've been eating.18:59 Because I will tell you along the way, and we all go through it differently, especially when we lost our firstborn son at age19:11 39 with children, with a family. And I questioned God about that.19:22 I didn't let you know I was questioning God. But, in those private moments, I asked questions. How about you?19:34 Honestly? Honestly. And I thought about it, and I realized that we all have those19:46 moments of crisis where we question, where we feel vulnerable and then have to question whether we're willing to be transparent about what we're going19:58 through. Where we're wondering, why did life deal the hand that it's dealt to us?20:10 And you start looking around at other people who we consider to be bad and life is good for them. Oh, come20:22 on. Haven't you compared? You say, well, wait a minute. Because you check-in, you say, wait a minute. Because you say, I don't deserve, I deserve what they're getting, especially since they're not20:34 doing what I've been doing. And, we try to reason through it all. And yet, God20:46 is involved in every step, every emotion, every feeling. And, began to look at other biblical characters. Even Jesus had that crisis of faith in that moment. You say,20:58 well, no, not Jesus. Yes, he was in the garden, he was praying. He said, Father, if it be possible. He was looking at that cross, he was looking at what was ahead of him and he21:10 said, If it be possible, take this cup from me, the cup of death. And, he wrestled 3 times, 3 times,21:22 only to say, nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done. I thought about the Apostle Paul and how look at21:34 the messages that he preached. You look at his you read the epistles and he's the 1 who said, who shall separate me from the love of God? Shall trial or tribulation, not21:45 height nor depth, angels, principalities, life or death? And he's just running it down. Who's gonna separate me? For I'm convinced that I am more than21:57 a conqueror through him that loves me. Paul says, I've been up, down, but never left down completely,22:08 always getting back up. That's what he preached. But then, he found himself with an issue that he couldn't get over. He couldn't22:20 seem to get around or overcome that somehow attached itself to his life. And, he goes to the Lord22:32 and he prays. He called it a thorn in the flesh. And, please understand, it says in lovely King James language, a messenger of Satan to buffet22:43 me. And, understand the word buffet, you see, it's like a boat being tied to a dock and as the waves and current comes22:55 in, right, the bottom of the boat, the water slaps up against the bottom of the boat and it causes the boat to just bob up and down. And, it's that incessant slapping of that23:07 water up against the bottom of the boat. You see, a thorn in the flesh does not come to destroy you, it comes to annoy you. It comes to wear23:19 you down. It comes to tag on to your life in such a way as to make you discouraged23:32 and start questioning. He said a messenger of Satan came to buffet me, but then he says so beautifully, and look what Paul comes to.23:45 Second Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7. He said and he had to rationalize, he said, Okay. Why am I going through this? And how many have done that when you go through something you stop and ask, why?23:57 And sometimes you don't get an answer, but you want to at least reason it, make some sense of it. Right? Because it should have a purpose. And, we believe it does. Look what Paul says.24:10 Because of the extravagance of revelations, those revelations he's talking about the revelation that was given to him by the spirit of God. Because of the extravagance of those revelations and so24:21 I wouldn't get a big head Uh-oh. Listen, look at the language. I was given the gift of a24:33 handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Wow.24:44 Wow. And we don't like limitations. Oh, come on, isn't it true? Yeah. You don't want to get to the cash register you're checking out, you pull out24:56 your card and it's denied. You just experienced some limitations. Amen? You think you got the right person, sister, the right25:08 guy and you start having a few conversations with him and you realize there are some limitations here. We don't like limitations. But look at what25:20 Paul says. He says, What's going on here is keeping me in touch with my limitations. It means that we as human beings have thing about us that once we feel secure25:32 and comfortable, we can get to the place where we don't feel we need anybody. Paul continues, Satan's angel did his best to get me down.25:44 What he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger than of walking around high and mighty. Look what Paul says, At25:56 first, I didn't think of it as a gift and begged God to remove it. 3 times I did that and then he told me, my grace is enough.26:08 It's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, the apostle continues, I was26:19 glad to let it happen. He wasn't glad that it was happening, he was glad to let it happen. He changed its relationship.26:32 I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving26:44 in on my weaknesses. He continues, Now, I take limitations in stride and with good cheer. These26:55 limitations that cut me down to size, abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks, I just let Christ take over. And27:07 here's what I find, the weaker I get, the weaker I get, the stronger I27:20 become. A life without suffering is not only bad theology. And I say it's bad theology because if you don't make27:32 room in your theology for the realities of human existence, then you're not going to be able to handle the disappointment that will come when life doesn't line up the way you feel it27:44 should. And remember, disappointment is never based upon what you find, it's always based upon what you expected to find.27:56 It's not only poor or bad theology, it's a denial of reality. Christ said, He is our hope in suffering precisely because all28:08 humanity is susceptible to suffering. How many know that sinners go through what Christians go through and Christians can go through what sinners go through? Every person who walks28:20 into this the doors of this church is dealing, and I understand this, is dealing with some degree of sadness, some degree of suffering, some degree of challenge.28:32 Come on, isn't it true? Yeah. Not 1 of you can say, Well, I'm not going Well, look, either you're sick or someone you love is sick. Either you're broke or someone28:44 you love is broke. And when someone you love is broke, it affects you. Come on, isn't it true? Either you're stressed out or someone you love28:55 is stressed out. Either you're fearful about the future and can't sleep at night or someone you love is fearful about the future and can't sleep at night. The29:08 overcoming Christian is not the 1 who lives a life devoid of suffering, sadness or tragedy. It's 1 who understands that we walk through it differently.29:23 Are you hearing me? All of humanity experiences suffering and tragedy and challenges. Right? But, Christians experience it differently. I want to give29:35 you 4 things that I want to share with you. Can I give you that? Yes. God has called us to a life of clarity,29:50 purpose, intentionality30:03 and realism. Let's break it down. What do I mean by clarity? Keep it30:14 simple. Don't complicate your life. Life is complicated enough.30:29 Keeping it simple means keeping it easy to understand and not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by the complexities of life.30:41 K I S, keep it simple and for some folks add an extra S. Turn to your neighbor and say, he's talking about somebody you know.30:54 In other words, keep your life free from ambiguity as much as you can. Mysteries in life, that is true. There are mysteries in God, there are mysteries in relation, there are mysteries in life. But keep your life as31:06 free from ambiguity as possible. Keep it clear. Let it make sense. Too many people are spiritually and emotionally31:18 and morally and ethically and even economically ambiguous. They're all over the place. Keep it simple. I31:30 try my best to be low maintenance for other people and for me. When I travel, you know, and31:42 I'm speaking at some place, they'll come and say, Do you need anything? Well, you know, what do you want? What do want to eat? I said, I'm good, I'm good. I'm low maintenance. And they look at me with surprise because I31:52 know some of my colleagues who are very high maintenance. In fact, I judge relationships based on maintenance. I'm being real with you.32:05 Because when I see a relationship that's going to be high maintenance, How many know how many how many ever had a high maintenance relationship? It32:16 took all of the life out of you. Your time, your finances, your emotions, your intellect, and it was just and you just32:28 How many were delivered, were freed from that high maintenance relationship? I have 1 message for you. Don't go back. Don't go back.32:41 It's true because I don't have the kind of time to waste like that. See? So, I don't spend casual I'll change that. I don't spend serious32:53 time with casual people. I just How many understand what I'm talking about here? Time is of the essence now.33:06 So, I look, what is it going to take to maintain this relationship? And I will tell you, I judge, I'm being honest with you, and I see that this relationship is going to require a lot of maintenance.33:19 Praise the Lord. In fact, I know somebody you can call. I want to help, but I'm protecting the boundaries.33:32 Make your life simple. We could talk more about that, but let's move quickly in the time we don't have left. Purpose. Make your life purposeful. Know your33:44 reason for existing. Know your why. Know your purpose. Know what role you play in human history, in society, in community. Know that.33:59 Discover it. How do you discover it? Pastor, I don't know how to do that. Look at your gift, talents, and abilities. What are you good at? Because what God's called you to do, he's gifted you to do. What he's gifted you34:08 to do, he's called you to do. And once you identify your person, your purpose, live that purpose. But keep in mind, your purpose may not always34:20 pay the rent. So, live your purpose and have a job.34:32 Turn to your neighbor and say, He's talking to you again. It's all over your face. God has called me to art.34:47 Come on. Are we being real here? Your passion and purpose may not pay the bills. It doesn't take away from being your purpose, you just need a job.35:04 Turn to your neighbor and say, say, neighbor, I know that's right. Purpose, knowing your purpose restrains your35:15 desire for instant gratification. Purpose teaches you patience. Purpose teaches you patience.35:31 If you don't have your own purpose in life, others will use you to fulfill their purpose. You want me to say that again? If you don't have your own purpose in35:42 life, others will use you to fulfill their purpose. And I don't mind being used as long as it's mutually beneficial.35:55 If it's 1 way, there's something wrong with that. Relationships fail because of inequity. Purpose gives us direction and commitment36:07 to what we want to do with our lives. And you need to know. And, I will tell you, if you're still having trouble about free will and choices, get last week's message. Oh, it's not available.36:22 It will be. We're packaging it. Let's move quickly. Intentionality. Live with aim, live with goals, live with objectives, design your life around purpose. I do that36:34 because I get invitations again and again to be involved in something that's not my purpose. People want to use my influence, my reputation. And I will36:46 tell you, be careful when you lend your reputation or your influence because you may not get it back in the same condition.37:01 Be intentional with everything that you do. When you work, work. When you play, play. Don't be working thinking37:13 about playing. Don't be Don't be Ebonically, don't be Don't be playing and thinking37:25 about working. Don't be working and thinking about playing. If you work, work. If you play, play.37:39 Be intentional. Be intentional with your relationships. Your relationship with God, be intentional about it. Your relationship with yourself, you should have you've got people37:51 there are people who don't have a healthy relationship with themselves. You can see the way they treat themselves. I've seen people Why do you treat yourself like that? And38:03 some of them don't even realize they're treating themselves a certain way, but you are. I know people who have a bad relationship with money, that's why whenever they get it, the money looks for a38:15 way of escape. The money wants to be loved and held onto for a while.38:27 It wants to feel like it's a part of your life.38:42 Be intentional in your relationship with people, Your relationship with things can be unhealthy. Your38:54 relationship with places must be healthy. Your relationship with experiences must be healthy.39:05 Realism, and by that I simply mean accept the facts of life. Make room for disappointment. Make room for failure. Failure39:17 is the room for success. Some people were successful because they failed. Make room for suffering. Make room for conflict, make room for39:28 tension, make room for all the realities of living in this world and being human.39:40 God wants the best for you, but it's a partnership. You don't sit back and leave the driving to him. It's a partnership. You're39:52 involved, You're together and he wants the best for you. How many believe that? Amen? Did you get anything out of that? Take those 440:04 things, apply them again and again. By the way, Job ended up blessed, doubly40:16 blessed. He ended up praying for his friends because they were busy talking about God while Job was talking to God.40:28 They needed to be healed of their blindness. God healed Job and then God blessed the latter life, Job's latter life, I want to read it, evenShow more
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