WEBVTT - Generational Blessings 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:50.960 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:55.840 forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:59.920 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:02.240 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:02.840 his birthday. 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:05.039 Wow, thanks Grandpa. 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:07.280 But He'll never forget how you invested in his future 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:11.840 with the units stapp. Wow, Thanks Grandpa. The units stap 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.360 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.160 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.440 Download the uns stap and use the code I heeart 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.720 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:24.280 when you fund your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.280 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.120 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:34.880 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.920 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.360 leave inspire. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:44.440 every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:45.280 ministry going. 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:57.680 Enjoy the message. 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:01.760 Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come 0:02:01.760 --> 0:02:02.560 into your homes. 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:05.320 And if you're ever in our area, please stop by 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:07.120 and be a part of one of our service says. 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:09.640 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:12.120 But thanks so much for tuning in, and thank you 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:14.560 again for coming out. And I like to start with 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:17.600 something funny and I heard about this minister that died, 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:19.680 and he was standing in line at. 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:20.480 The pearly gates. 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:23.400 The man in front of him was dressed in a 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:28.160 loud T shirt, sunglasses, and blue jeans. Saint Peter asking 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:32.320 what's your name? He said, I'm Joe Cohen, taxicab driver, 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:33.280 New York City. 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:34.720 Peter checked his. 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:38.559 List and handed him a gold staff silk robe. 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:41.359 Said welcome to Heaven. The minister stepped up. 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:45.960 He said, I'm Reverend Joseph Snow, pastor of Saint Mary's Cathedral. 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:49.800 Peter checked his list, handed him a wooden staff and 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:50.800 cotton robe. 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:52.440 He said, hey, that's not right. 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:55.560 The taxicab driver got a gold staff and this is 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:56.240 all I got. 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.160 Peter said, sir, up here, we work by results. 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:03.600 When you each people slept, but when he drove people prayed. 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:07.640 Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it. 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:10.799 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:13.640 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:16.280 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:19.880 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:23.080 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:28.000 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:32.679 to talk to you today about generational blessings. Every right 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:35.680 choice you make, you're making it easier on those that 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:39.000 come after you. When you live a life of excellence 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:44.320 and integrity, being your best, helping others, those are seeds 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:48.240 that will not only make your life fuller and more rewarding, 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:52.880 but your children and grandchildren will be better off because 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:56.920 of the way you lived. No person lives or dies 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:01.080 unto himself. The choices you are making will affect your 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.440 family line for generations to come. 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:04.240 Now. 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:04.840 I want my. 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:08.520 Relatives to do great things in life because of me, 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:13.000 not in spite of me. Our children have enough things 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:15.160 to overcome without having to. 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:16.720 Deal with our negative baggage. 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:20.640 Your life can either be a stepping stone for your 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:24.320 family to go higher or a stumbling block that causes 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:28.320 them to struggle. Negative things may have been passed down 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:31.200 to you, but God raised you up to put an 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:31.760 end to it. 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.200 You can be a difference maker. 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:37.560 And we hear a lot about the generational curse, but 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:42.680 there's something called a generational blessing. The scripture talks about 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:45.040 how you can store up mercy. 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:47.600 For your children and future generations. 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:51.440 I know I am where I am today in part 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:55.159 because of the way my parents and grandparents have lived. 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.440 I am reaping a harvest from seeds that they sowed. 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:01.800 Met a man a while back, and he told how 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:04.640 as a young man he had lost his way in life. 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:08.719 He was living on the streets downtown. My father came 0:05:08.720 --> 0:05:10.800 out of a hotel and saw him sitting there and 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:14.040 went over to talk to him. This young man had 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:17.120 a dream of becoming a medical doctor, but he had 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:20.560 a lot of bad breaks. His school financing didn't go through, 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:24.080 and he was still hoping to receive a scholarship. My 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:27.400 father handed him a one hundred dollars bill and said, 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:32.039 you keep believing God has great things in your future. Today, 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:36.680 this man is a very well respected, successful surgeon. He 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:39.320 stopped by the church and said, Joel, I wouldn't be 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:41.520 where I am without your father. 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:43.520 Now. I never got to tell. 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:46.080 Him thank you, but at least I wanted to tell 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.839 you thanks. He handed me a donation for the church, 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:54.279 a significant amount. When I turned and walked away, under 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:58.480 my breath, I said, thank you, daddy. Is there anything 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:01.520 you're doing that's going to cause your children to say 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:04.800 thank you, daddy? Are you so in seeds of kindness? 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:07.880 Are you being a blessing? Are you putting an end 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:11.240 to negative things that have been passed down? Back in 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.280 the late nineteen seventies, there was a young minister that 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:18.360 used to attend my father's Thanksgiving conferences here at the church. 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:21.880 This young man was just getting started. He was learning 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:25.240 how to pastor, and he really loved my father. He 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:28.920 listened to all of my dad's tapes and learned so much. Well, 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:31.479 some twenty years later, my father went to be with 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.640 the Lord. Now I was trying to learn how to minister, 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:38.360 and this was also new to me. Well, that young 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:42.200 man was one of my favorite ministers, Jensen Franklin. I 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:45.320 used to listen to his CDs be so inspired. That's 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:49.160 what helped me to get started. My father sewed into 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:52.839 his life. Now he was sowing into my life. My 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:57.200 dad didn't reap that harvest his son did. There are 0:06:57.240 --> 0:07:00.920 some seeds that you sow, some people that you're helping. 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:05.039 You won't reap the fullness of that harvest. God designed 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:10.200 it for your children, for your grandchildren. It's a generational blessing. See, 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:14.440 you didn't get to where you are by yourself. Somebody prayed, 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:19.200 somebody made sacrifices. Somebody so deceed of kindness and you 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:20.240 got that good break. 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:23.720 You thought you were lucky. It was a coincidence. No, 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:26.400 it happened because you had a praying mother. 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:30.120 You had a grandfather that was always helping people, a 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:34.320 great grandfather you never met, but he sacrificed, he persevered. 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:38.640 Now you're reaping from some of those seeds. The scripture 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:43.720 talks about how having a godly heritage is better than 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:48.480 having great wealth. You can leave your children money, cars, houses, 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:49.800 that's great, I'm all for that. 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:53.360 But when you leave them a godly heritage, when you. 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:57.280 Model a life of excellence and integrity that's worth more 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:02.000 than any material thing you could ever leave, then God's 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:05.240 blessing on their life will cause them to go further 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:06.000 than if. 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:07.480 They had all the money in the world. 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:12.240 You can have less resources, but with this generational blessing, 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:14.640 opportunity increase the right. 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:17.680 People will be attracted to you. You'll look up and think, 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:19.120 how did I get to where I am? 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:22.160 I didn't have the connections, the resources, the talent. 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:23.160 What happened? 0:08:23.400 --> 0:08:28.120 You stepped in to a generational blessing. In the Old Testament, 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:32.720 Joshua and the Israelites were fighting a battle with the Amalekites. 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:36.679 Moses was up on a hill holding up his rod 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:39.920 in the air. As long as his hands were up, 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:43.160 the Israelites were winning. When he got tired and put 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:47.000 his hands down, the Amalekite started winning. A couple of 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:49.360 men noticed what was going on, and they helped him 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:51.679 hold his hands in the air. But what I want 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:54.960 us to see is Joshua was down there winning. He 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:58.560 didn't realize the only reason he was winning is because 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:02.560 Moses had his hands the air. If Moses hadn't done 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:06.840 his part, the Israelites would have been defeated. It's easy 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:10.520 to think, well, I'm successful because i'm smart. I have 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:13.360 a good life because I work hard, because I'm talented. 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:17.240 That's why I'm blessed Joel, And yes, that's true in part, 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:20.080 But you didn't do it all on your own. You're 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:23.560 smart because you have the wisdom of your father's It 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:27.000 was passed down to you. You're talented because your mother 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:31.440 and grandmother worked hard to develop their gifts. They took 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.680 time to teach you to build your confidence. You got 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:38.840 that good break, that promotion, that new house, not because 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:42.840 those people just decided to be nice to you. Somebody 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:46.839 in your family line honored God. Somebody you can't see 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:48.520 is holding up their hands. 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.400 It may have been one hundred years ago they stored 0:09:51.480 --> 0:09:52.120 up mercy. 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:56.280 Now you're reaping the benefits they won so that you 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:56.800 could win. 0:09:57.840 --> 0:09:58.040 Now. 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:01.160 My challenge to us is to live your life in 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:05.320 such a way that you cause others to win. Every 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:09.480 right choice you make, you're holding up your hands. Every 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.840 time you resist temptation, You're winning for your children. 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:14.960 Every time you help others. 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:18.439 You come to church gives serve your storing up favor. 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:22.720 It may be for your children, grandchildren, or even years 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:26.440 down the road, somebody in your family line will see 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:28.080 God's goodness because. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:28.680 Of the way you lived. 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:32.160 The Book of Hebrews, it talks about how a man 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:36.720 by the name of Levi paid tithes and offerings while 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:40.199 he was in his grandfather's loins. In other words, before 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:44.360 he was born, before he showed up, God credited tithes 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:49.440 and offerings to him, all because his grandfather was a giver. 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.040 When you give, God will not only. 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:57.000 Bless you, but he will credit your children and your grandchildren. 0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:01.080 I have a little notebook that my grandfather kept a 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:04.480 record of all of his giving for over fifty years. 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:08.640 He wrote down every gift you can read nineteen sixty three, 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:12.640 seven dollars to the Lakewood Building Fund, ten dollars to 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:14.520 Central Baptist Church, on and on. 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:19.480 No wonder, I'm blessed today, No wonder, I'm seeing God's favor. 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:23.680 Somebody went before me that was a giver. Now God 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:29.600 is honoring him by honoring me. I can say, thank you, Granddaddy, 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:33.760 Thank your grandmother. You paid the price. Now I'm being blessed. 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:37.319 My mother turned eighty one years old last week. 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:38.600 She had her birthday. 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:43.880 She raised five of us kids growing up, and my 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:48.080 brother Paul. Course was like raising five extra kids. But 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:52.000 I thought about how many thousands of hot meals she 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:54.760 must have cooked for us. I mean, heating up those 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:58.520 TV dinners was a lot of work. But we never 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:02.400 left for school, seriously without having a hot breakfast, without 0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:06.640 having her pray for favor and protection over us every day. 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:09.640 I saw my parents reading their Bible. Now all of 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:12.840 us kids read our Bible. Our children don't leave without 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:17.679 us praying the blessing over them. That generational blessing keeps 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:21.360 getting passed down. I can say, thank you, Mother. We 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:25.199 didn't get here by ourselves. God had people watching after 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:28.760 you before you even showed up. While you were still 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:32.079 in your mother's wound, doctors and nurses were taking care 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:36.480 of you. Most likely, your parents believed and prayed many 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:39.800 years before you were even conceived, waiting for you. You 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:44.559 had grandparents and relatives that worked hard. They made sacrifices, 0:12:44.640 --> 0:12:48.679 knowing one day their granddaughter, their great grandson would show up. 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:52.520 You are the answer to their prayer. You're living in 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:55.360 the day they dreamed about. They wanted your life to 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:58.559 be better. Now, don't take for granted the price that 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:04.840 they paid them. You're experiencing generational blessings. How this should 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:08.760 inspire us to be our best, to break free from 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:12.120 things that are holding us back, to dream bigger, to 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:16.320 see each day as a gift. They pass the baton 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:20.320 to us. Let's not drop it. Let's not settle and 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:25.040 live mediocre. Let's push forward. Let's take new ground. Let's 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:28.520 break barriers that have held us back. You may not 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.200 be able to see them, but right now, up in heaven, 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:35.640 your relatives are cheering you on. In that great cloud 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:40.160 of witnesses. There are parents, grandparents, generations that have gone 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:45.200 before you. They're saying, go further, climb new mountains, set 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:46.240 a new standard. 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.400 This is your day, this is your time. All of 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.280 what we are has been poured into you. 0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:56.959 Now, don't let the sacrifices they've made go to waste. 0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:01.800 Make them proud. They're watching you. My father dreamed of 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:02.480 this building. 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:05.360 He talked about how one day he was going to 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:09.240 build a twenty thousand seat sanctuary. For over fifty years 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:12.600 he and my mother served faithfully, but my dad was 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.920 never able to build that sanctuary. When he went to 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:19.120 be with the Lord, it looked like that dream had died. 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:23.200 But when you honor God, when you live a life 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:25.160 of faith, you are storing up. 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:26.720 Favor for your children. 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:31.040 Four years after Daddy died, we needed a larger auditorium. 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:32.440 Things fell into place. 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:36.440 We were able to acquire this building, the former Compact Center, 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.880 And sometimes when I walk out here, I feel like 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:44.560 I'm standing in my father's auditorium. All those years that 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:49.200 he prayed, he believed, he served, he. 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:50.640 Was storing up favor. 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:55.400 God ordained him to lay the foundation and his sons 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:56.440 to walk into it. 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:01.000 God will always show you for than you can go. 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:05.400 He will give you a vision that may not be 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:10.240 able to be accomplished only in your lifetime. A generational vision. 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:13.880 Some of the things you're dreaming about that you see 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:16.720 through your eyes of faith. God put that in your 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:21.040 heart so you could lay the foundation. Pray, believe, stretch, 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:25.120 be your best, but don't get discouraged if it doesn't 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:26.240 all come to pass. 0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:27.560 It's for your children. 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:32.960 Just as you received generational blessings, favor and increase that 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:35.800 you didn't work for, you were so in seeds for 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:37.080 generational blessings. 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.600 This is what happened with David. He had a dream 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:41.640 to build the temple. 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:45.640 He cut down the cedars of Lebanon, raise the funds, 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.200 got everything lined up. But God said, David, no I 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.880 put that dream in you to lay the foundation. I 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:57.080 want your son Solomon to build it. David saw further 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:01.480 than he could go. Solomon stepped into a generational blessing, 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:04.880 and he built the temple. I don't know of anything 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:07.920 that would make me any happier than to see my 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:11.000 children go further than I've gone. 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.000 To see them supersede anything that I've done. 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:20.440 Every time you pray, believe, help others make sacrifices. That's 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:23.800 being credited not only to your account, but to your 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:28.320 children and your grandchildren. This is why the enemy fights 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:32.400 our children so hard. He knows they're next in line 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:37.920 for the blessing. Young people, you have a responsibility. Your parents, 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:42.320 your grandparents, they worked hard. There are blessings they did 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:46.080 not receive because God has them stored up for you. 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:50.200 They've been accruing in your account, whether you're eight years 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:56.120 old or eighty years old. Don't be lazy, indifferent, compromise. 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:59.600 Your family work too hard for you to not take 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:04.080 care of and appreciate what's coming your way. Some of 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:07.840 them worked out in the fields. They weren't treated right. 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:14.000 They went through great injustice, sleepless nights, made sacrifices that 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.560 we don't have to make today. Don't take for granted 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:21.560 the price that they paid. You have a responsibility to 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:23.960 not just enjoy the blessing. 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:24.879 But to go further. 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:30.520 God's dream is that every generation increase. It's not enough 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.080 to just settle where your parents and grandparents are. 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:34.840 That's the easy way out. 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:40.119 You have generations of wisdom, perseverance, hard work that's been 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:44.000 passed down to you. After all, our ancestors made it 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:49.720 without air conditioning, without smartphones, without beautiful buildings. Without the Internet, 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:53.879 we have no excuse to not go further. When my 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:56.960 father died, I took over the church. I was thirty 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:01.240 six years old, and most pastors at that age would 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:03.960 be trying to get their first building, trying to build 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:04.760 their foundation. 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:07.359 And I had friends that were pastors. 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:09.879 And they were meeting in high school auditoriums had a 0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:13.680 couple hundred people. But my father put me forty years 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:16.720 down the road. I didn't have to start from scratch. 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:20.639 We already had an eight thousand seat sanctuary, thousands of 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:24.359 people coming. Plus the church was debt free, and my 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:27.400 dad left us plenty of funds in the bank. When 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:30.439 we signed the original lease for this place, it was 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.560 twelve million dollars. We were able to pay cash for 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:37.879 that because of what my father had left. My dad 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:42.880 was raised during the Great Depression. His father picked cotton 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:46.359 for a living. His mother made ten cents an hour 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:50.720 washing people's clothes. That's how they spent their lives, hard working, 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:54.760 dedicated people. My father came out of such poverty and 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:59.040 lack that he was very frugal, very conservative. He'd walked 0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:01.760 the halls of the office at the old church at night, 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:05.000 make sure every light switch was turned off. If he 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:07.280 saw a paper clip on the ground, he'd pick it up, 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.800 not throw it away, put it on somebody's desk. But 0:19:10.920 --> 0:19:15.280 because of the sacrifices he made and the faithful members 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:18.679 that gave generously back then, now we are sitting in 0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:19.840 this beautiful building. 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:22.160 It's a generational blessing. 0:19:23.560 --> 0:19:26.400 When we first moved in back in two thousand and five, 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:29.720 had pastor friends that wanted to come see it, and 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:34.159 I was almost a little embarrassed. It's so big, so beautiful, 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:37.119 and I was younger than most of them, and I 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:39.000 didn't want it to seem like we were showing off, 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:39.800 and so I would. 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:40.639 Try to downplay it. 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:45.240 One day I realized, number one, I'm not bragging on us, 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:49.240 I'm bragging on the greatness of God. And number two, 0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:54.800 my parents and grandparents work too hard to downplay what 0:19:54.840 --> 0:19:59.280 God has done. They sacrificed too much, made ten cents 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:03.479 an hour, pick cotton til their fingers bled, believed when 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:05.760 they didn't see away, prayed for the funds. 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:07.920 I've learned you don't have. 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:12.879 To apologize for God's goodness where your blessings well, You 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:17.520 too have family members that endured great hardships. 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:20.639 They struggled so that your life could be better. 0:20:21.359 --> 0:20:24.600 A mom that sacrificed her dream so she could pour 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:27.280 into you, or parents that didn't buy what they wanted 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:29.560 so they could send you to college. A dad that 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:33.639 worn't two jobs to make ends meet. Don't apologize for 0:20:33.720 --> 0:20:34.720 what God has done. 0:20:35.000 --> 0:20:37.720 Your relatives put blood, sweat. 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:40.480 And tears to get you to where you are, where 0:20:40.560 --> 0:20:41.399 your blessings. 0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:41.680 Well. 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:46.040 See, sometimes it's like people come in at the end 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:49.920 of the movie. They see you blessed prosper us, live 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:53.040 in your dreams, and they judge you by where you 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:56.399 are right there. The problem is they didn't see the 0:20:56.440 --> 0:20:59.159 first part of the movie. Well, you said, Joel, God's 0:20:59.160 --> 0:21:02.840 bless you with that church, you got that big ministry. Yes, 0:21:03.359 --> 0:21:06.200 but you didn't see my grandparents making ten cents an hour. 0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:10.800 You didn't see my father preaching the ninety people year 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:14.840 after year in an old Rundown feed store. You didn't 0:21:14.840 --> 0:21:17.880 see my siblings and I sweeping out the church. As 0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:19.840 little kids, we used to come out and clean out 0:21:19.880 --> 0:21:23.000 the building. My father wasn't just the pastor. He was 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:26.160 the janitor, the landscape or the sound man, the secretary. 0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:28.240 When you have ninety people. You do it all. 0:21:29.280 --> 0:21:32.800 Isaiah said, God will give you beauty for your ashes. 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:35.840 Sometimes people see. 0:21:35.640 --> 0:21:39.760 Your beauty and they get jealous, envious. I don't think 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:43.360 they deserve that, but I'm convinced if they ever saw 0:21:43.400 --> 0:21:47.560 your ashes, they would be happy for your beauty. If 0:21:47.600 --> 0:21:53.080 they could see how the generation before you sacrificed, gave 0:21:53.240 --> 0:21:56.159 when they didn't have much, came when they didn't feel 0:21:56.200 --> 0:21:59.399 like it, helped others when they really needed help. If 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:02.360 they could see your ashes, they would celebrate what God 0:22:02.400 --> 0:22:03.679 has done in your life. 0:22:04.240 --> 0:22:04.679 The Book of. 0:22:04.720 --> 0:22:08.080 Joel talks about how we should receive the former rain 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:12.320 and the latter rain. The latter rain is God blessing 0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:15.639 you because you're using your gifts and talents, making the 0:22:15.680 --> 0:22:17.200 most of your opportunities. 0:22:17.400 --> 0:22:19.720