0:00

Coming up on the

0:02

Potter's Touch. Purpose

0:14

isn't petty and

0:17

you won't really begin to fully

0:19

get God until you understand that

0:21

God is a God of purpose

0:23

and not a God of petty. Some

0:32

of the most bitter people are

0:35

sanctimonious, always

0:37

judging other people because

0:40

they have no appreciation for what

0:42

God has given them.

0:45

They sit in the seat of

0:47

judgment. God has

0:50

a purpose. He

0:52

has predestined everything according to

0:54

His own will. I

0:56

looked up purpose. Purpose

0:59

is, it literally means the reason

1:01

for which something is done or

1:03

created or for which

1:05

something exists. The reason, the

1:08

reason for which something is

1:10

done or created, for

1:13

which something exists, that's

1:15

its purpose. The

1:18

purpose of this black box is

1:21

to be an instrument that

1:23

produces sound so that

1:25

as I am speaking, I can hear

1:28

myself. I could

1:30

use it for a lot of things. I

1:33

could sit on it, I probably question it, but I could

1:35

sit on it, but that's

1:37

not its purpose. I

1:39

could stand it up sideways and eat dinner

1:41

on it, but that's not its purpose. What

1:44

I must do is find its highest

1:47

and best use because

1:49

it was designed for a

1:51

purpose. And if

1:53

I use it correctly, I am

1:56

using it for its highest purpose. And

1:58

if I use it for anything ... else

2:00

I am abusing it.

2:07

Yeah. So all

2:09

the people that contorted you into what

2:11

they needed rather than what he had

2:13

purpose, they

2:19

abused you. The

2:22

reason for which a thing

2:24

exists or was created is

2:26

its purpose. So purpose

2:29

is not about what

2:31

happened, it's

2:34

about why. It's

2:37

about why. And I have noticed

2:39

the funniest thing about most people. Most

2:41

people when they call you up they say, I

2:44

got something to tell you, you know. And generally

2:46

you know there's some gossip. And

2:50

if you're a gossiper and you're petty,

2:52

you say child, what happened? Nobody

2:56

says child, why did it happen?

3:01

Because petty always wants to know what.

3:10

Purpose always wants to know why.

3:13

When you start understanding the why

3:15

and let me tell you some

3:18

ministers, you cannot help people if

3:20

you are focused on what they did. If

3:27

you focus on what they did, you are petty.

3:32

Ministry begins when you start

3:35

praying about why they

3:39

did it. The

3:42

problem with the world today, we have too

3:44

many what preachers? And

3:47

not enough why. They

3:50

know principles. They

3:52

know when you broke a principle. They

3:54

know that your disciples shouldn't be cornered on the

3:57

Sabbath day. They know that you

3:59

shouldn't be healed. and this woman on the

4:01

Sabbath day, don't you know the sun has

4:03

gone down? They know what? They

4:05

don't know why. What

4:08

will make you bitter and petty?

4:11

What will make you miss your purpose?

4:15

You want to know why? The

4:19

greatest question is

4:22

why? Everything

4:25

begins with why. And

4:28

until you start asking why, you'll never

4:30

be a great pastor, you'll never be

4:32

a great preacher, you'll never be a

4:34

great orator. You must ask why. When

4:36

you read the text, you must ask

4:39

why. When you face the people, you

4:41

must ask why. When you hear the

4:43

news, you must ask why because you

4:45

can't get in there where the surgery

4:47

needs to occur to make them better

4:50

if you don't know why. If

4:52

you walk in, the finish up comes stumbling

4:54

up to you and you don't know why

4:56

he's stumbling, you'll make fun of

4:59

him. But if you understand why

5:01

that somebody dropped him, you'll be

5:03

able to minister him more effectively

5:05

because you understand why. When

5:08

you understand why, you say, it was

5:10

good for me that I was afflicted.

5:12

Had I not been afflicted, I would

5:14

have never discovered the purpose of God

5:16

for my life. Am I talking to

5:18

anybody tonight? So

5:20

we're studying the purpose of God,

5:22

which he has purpose in himself.

5:25

Oh, I'll let this stop. God

5:27

let this stop. Which he has purpose

5:29

in himself. He has purpose in himself.

5:31

He didn't meet with the board. He

5:34

didn't talk with the committee. He didn't

5:36

get the legislators to vote on it.

5:38

He didn't ask Congress to pass a

5:40

law, everything that God ever set out

5:43

to do because he's sovereign. He purpose

5:45

in himself. When he said, let

5:47

there be light, there was light

5:49

because he purpose in himself. When he

5:51

said, our servants, separate the firmament above

5:54

the water from the firmament beneath the

5:56

water because he purpose in himself. When

5:58

he got ready to make man He

6:00

didn't need a woman. He said let us make

6:03

man and all likeness and in our

6:05

own image Because there's nothing in the

6:07

God head that God needed to complete

6:10

him He

6:15

purposed in himself If

6:18

he purposes me to live I live if

6:21

he purposes me to die I'll die If

6:24

the car wreck wasn't meant to kill me, I don't

6:26

care if it's a head-on collision at

6:28

90 miles an hour I'll get out

6:30

the plane can crash and I walk

6:33

away what God has for me is

6:35

for me I'm talking about the purpose

6:37

of God. You can't have faith till

6:39

you learn this. This is what your

6:41

faith is built on This

6:43

is the recipe of your faith. Your

6:45

faith must rest in the purpose of

6:47

God Jesus didn't teach half

6:49

faith. He said have faith in God Are

6:58

you hearing what I'm saying? He

7:05

didn't mean for Abraham to have a son

7:07

when he was strong and burrowed Because

7:11

who wants to write about that? Everybody

7:15

do that He

7:18

waited till his body was good as dead

7:21

and his wife was past childbearing age she

7:23

had gone through the change And

7:27

she could have had a child before she went through

7:29

the change and when it was

7:31

impossible with men God

7:33

purpose now. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna

7:36

put my signature on it You're gonna know

7:38

it was me that did it as soon

7:40

as you discover that you can't do it

7:42

You're gonna find out that it was me

7:45

that did it You

7:47

still gotta go in the tent, but it's

7:49

gonna be me that did it You

7:51

still gotta spend the night, but it's gonna be

7:54

me that did it Don't you walk out the

7:56

tent with your chest all stuck out old

7:58

man because it was me that

8:00

gave you power. Oh, it is

8:02

God that gives us power to get

8:05

wealth. It is God that gives us

8:07

the power to get wealth. He

8:09

doesn't give us the wealth, he gives us

8:11

the power. Glory

8:13

to God. Let's

8:18

talk a little bit about petting because purpose

8:21

isn't petting.

8:25

And you have to understand what

8:28

it means to be petty.

8:34

To be petty literally

8:36

means of little importance, trivial,

8:43

as in both groups are

8:45

known to be petty.

8:48

Now I want you to think about this. It didn't

8:52

say that petty meant non-consequential.

8:54

It didn't

8:56

say that it didn't have any value,

9:00

just little value. Trivial

9:04

matters. Doesn't

9:06

mean that it doesn't matter. It's

9:10

trivial. Petty

9:12

people always focus on

9:15

trivial things, small-minded,

9:20

spiteful ways, as

9:23

if he was prone to be petty,

9:27

revenge on friends, and finally

9:30

narrow-minded, of

9:32

secondary or lesser

9:34

importance. Lower

9:36

rank, smaller

9:39

scale, minor, a

9:42

petty official. Now

9:45

what I want you to

9:47

understand about this, that just

9:49

because they are petty doesn't

9:51

mean it doesn't have any merit. It

9:53

just means that it's minor, small.

10:00

trivial things. Petty

10:03

persons showing or caused by

10:05

meanness of spirit, a petty

10:07

revenge is a petty person.

10:11

You'd be surprised. Now, this is going

10:13

to rock some people's world. You'd

10:16

be surprised at how many people who

10:18

are saved or say they're saved. But

10:27

they're still petty.

10:32

They're still petty.

10:37

The reason I say purpose isn't petty

10:40

is because most religious

10:44

people who

10:46

were sanctimonious and would read this

10:48

text would

10:51

never see

10:55

that the gateway to possessing

11:00

the first city would

11:03

be a prostitute. He

11:09

placed the prostitute on the

11:11

wall, positioned her in a

11:13

particular place to be

11:16

the gatekeeper to

11:18

his promise. Petty

11:22

people couldn't see past what

11:25

she was. Oh,

11:34

I'm going to preach before I leave here.

11:37

They couldn't see past what she was to

11:39

see why she was. And petty people would

11:41

never ask why has God put her on

11:44

the wall? Purpose

11:54

isn't petty and

11:58

you won't really begin to fully get

12:00

God till you understand that God

12:02

is a God of purpose and

12:04

not a God of penny. That's

12:08

why God uses people you don't like. Come

12:12

on, come on, somebody

12:14

be real. Has

12:16

there ever been somebody that you

12:18

didn't like and God used them

12:21

anyway? Never

12:28

have we needed your support more vitally

12:30

than we do right now because we

12:32

are on the move for God. And

12:34

if you have not been on the

12:36

move for God, I want to challenge

12:38

you to get busy and get on

12:41

the move doing what God created you

12:43

to do in whatever field you're in.

12:45

God planted you there for a reason

12:47

to be the salt of the earth.

12:49

All ministry is not about pulpit. All

12:51

ministry is not about singing in the

12:53

choir. All ministry is not

12:55

about clapping your hands at church. Whatever

12:57

you're doing to help live, change,

13:00

fortify, strengthen people, you are in

13:02

the ministry. Everybody who's got a

13:04

ministry, stand up on your feet.

13:09

That ought to get everybody, yeah.

13:12

We are laborers together with

13:14

God in Christ Jesus. How

13:16

many of you are believing God to bless

13:18

your ministry, whatever it is, if

13:21

it's doing hair, if it's putting on

13:23

makeup, it's still a ministry. She

13:32

lied to protect

13:35

the spies. Now,

13:38

what we're talking about, get this, I want you to write

13:40

this down. What we're talking

13:42

about is the struggle between

13:45

principles and purpose.

13:51

It's not that the principles are bad. It's

13:54

just that any time your principles become

13:57

more important than your purpose, you

13:59

have to. Oh you're

14:01

bloodiness. There

14:04

is a struggle

14:06

between principles. And.

14:10

Purpose. Of

14:13

when it comes down to

14:15

a choice between principles and

14:17

surface, God will always choose

14:19

his purpose. The

14:22

law was principles and about what

14:25

below could not do you believe

14:27

what we do the flesh got

14:29

through his own some in the

14:31

likeness of sense of place said

14:33

for soon soon in the place

14:36

threat we might be right for

14:38

this of God they've got were

14:40

more concerned about principles them purpose

14:42

did the law would have saved

14:44

the world. The

14:47

Law. What weapon but principles? You

14:51

can only walk so far. You can

14:53

only move so much. You can always

14:55

say when the sun goes down, you

14:57

can do this woe unto thy neighbor.

14:59

Do not mix it's fabric with that

15:01

fabric. The law. What method, but principles?

15:04

So we struggled with purpose

15:07

and principles. Sit with this

15:09

regard, The principal? Absolutely not.

15:13

Is just we can

15:15

not insults our principles.

15:18

Above his purpose

15:21

because sometimes God

15:23

uses people. Begs

15:26

you wouldn't approve of. To

15:30

a conferences purpose in your life

15:32

or you hear what I'm saying

15:34

to not gonna be broken. A

15:36

one on one another and rabbits?

15:38

Look at Amos. Three one two

15:40

three four Minute. Amos

15:43

Chapter Three: Verse one, two, three, Hear

15:46

this word that the Lord has spoken

15:49

a good shoes or children of Israel

15:51

against the whole family which are brought

15:53

up from the land of Egypt Same

15:56

you only have I've known of all

15:58

the families of earth. Therefore,

16:00

I will punish for all your

16:02

iniquities. Gotta talk to his people.

16:04

Ceases to walk together Except will

16:07

be agreed, how many times have

16:09

you heard that third verse but

16:11

you didn't hear those first two.

16:14

So we use said kitten

16:16

to walk together say they

16:18

agree to talk about human

16:20

relationships. Were lord

16:23

have mercy of best true Sata gata

16:25

divorce a first year. I'm

16:28

married to Bake of we got. Two cars we

16:31

have a get down to one

16:33

har our know. How

16:36

know under under center? Now know.

16:40

My be. Oh no. Oh

16:42

no no. The will reduce.

16:46

I'm hyped for next week. My.

16:49

I don't know what's your work tomorrow.

16:53

Yet we've been married forty two years.

17:02

We. Walk together to like the depths

17:04

of sickness to help for better, for

17:06

worse, for richer, for poorer both be?

17:08

Was it because we always agreed right

17:10

in the middle of the worst places

17:12

we've had some the worse argument to

17:14

wrap up? we ought to do this

17:17

And she thought we ought to do

17:19

that. So when

17:21

we take the scriptures that is about

17:23

God's relationship with his people said he

17:26

says if we will walk with me

17:28

you gotta be in agreement with me.

17:30

Even if you're not in agreement with

17:33

each other, that would you take the

17:35

tax other contexts had applied to see

17:37

pulled. Off

17:43

and so. what

17:45

are you don't really have

17:47

house started to walk together

17:49

say they agree he don't

17:51

look like for you to

17:53

be up there Truth

18:02

out of context is a lie. God

18:05

wasn't concerned about

18:09

it. I'll show you another one. 2

18:12

Corinthians chapter 6 verse 15 through 18. Take

18:15

a look at this. Oh my God, I'm

18:17

almost out of time. Jesus helped me. Can

18:20

I run over about 10,

18:22

15 minutes? 2 Corinthians chapter

18:25

6 verse 15. And

18:28

what concord has Christ with Belial, or

18:30

what part has he that believeth

18:32

with an infidel? Come on. And

18:36

what agreement have the temple of

18:38

God with idols? For

18:40

ye are the temple of the living God. As God

18:43

has said, I will dwell in them and

18:45

walk in them, and I will be their

18:47

God, and they shall be my people. Come

18:49

on. Wherefore come out from among them,

18:53

and be ye separate, says the Lord, and

18:55

touch not the unclean thing, and

18:58

I will receive you, and

19:01

will be a father unto you, and ye shall be

19:03

my sons and daughters, saith the

19:05

Lord Almighty. Did he

19:07

say it? Absolutely. Did he mean

19:10

it? Absolutely. Who

19:12

was he talking to? Why did

19:14

he say it? He was talking to

19:16

Corinth, who was

19:18

establishing new converts. There

19:21

were new converts in the middle of Orgis and

19:24

idolatry and evil and wickedness, and he

19:26

told them, come out from among them,

19:28

and be ye separate. You're

19:30

not ready. You can't handle it. You're

19:32

getting drunk off a communion. You're committing

19:35

incest in the house. You're not ready

19:37

to witness to these people. Come

19:40

out from among them, and be ye separate, and

19:42

I will be your God, and ye shall be

19:44

my people, because I see you. You're

19:46

worshipping me and Belial. Why

19:54

would God say to all of the

19:56

church, come out from the world, and

19:58

be ye separate? and then

20:00

turn around and say, go into

20:03

all the world and preach the

20:05

gospel to every living preacher. I

20:07

can't go into all the world

20:09

and come out at the same

20:11

time. Any

20:15

time the text is taken out of context, you

20:17

destroy the validity of the text. I'll show

20:19

you one more, Proverbs 13, 22. Take

20:22

a look. A

20:24

good man leavers an inheritance to his children's children,

20:26

and the wealth of the sinner is laid up

20:28

for the just. Take a look at this. The

20:30

wealth of the sinner is laid up for the...

20:32

If it's laid up for the just, how you

20:35

gonna pull it down if you don't touch them?

20:38

If you don't talk to them, if you

20:40

can't be seen with them, if you can't

20:42

go anywhere with them, if you don't have

20:44

no business with them, if you're supposed to

20:47

remain separate from it, how is there gonna

20:49

be a download of wealth? In our text,

20:51

there's a download of wealth. The wealth of

20:53

the sinner is laid up for the just,

20:55

but in order to get it, you had

20:57

to go in where sinners go in order

20:59

to get it. In order to get it,

21:01

you had to go in the red house.

21:04

In order to get it, you had to

21:06

be entangled with people, and it didn't look

21:08

good, but in order to get the download,

21:11

God didn't promise to bless you through church

21:13

folk. Amen. I'm

21:16

gonna say it again for the people in the

21:18

back. God didn't promise to bless you through church

21:20

folk. I see Christians

21:22

say some crazy stuff about

21:24

my position. My

21:27

surgeon was a Christian. That's nice,

21:29

but can he operate? Yeah. My

21:32

pilot is filled with the Holy Ghost, but

21:34

can he fly? Yeah. What

21:39

are you doing with so-and-so, And

21:41

they've been on my Twitter all the time.. What

21:43

Are you doing with so-and-so? What Are you doing

21:45

with so-and-so? You with sinners all the time. You

21:48

Got on the plane, you didn't ask the pilot

21:50

what he saved. You Go to the family reunion

21:52

and you brought potato salad. But The moment you

21:54

see something like that, you're gonna be in the

21:56

family reunion and you brought potato salad. But The

21:58

moment you see something like that, They are.

22:00

You turn up there though because you

22:02

heard some about a marlboro possible supposed

22:05

to spot so stay at her house.

22:07

You repeat that before but it's hard

22:09

to get would you prefer to abuse

22:11

of knew what that a woman that

22:14

was at what's his face he would

22:16

help of fact that jesus not know

22:18

that see what the sooner rather. Than

22:22

I thought I'd get to see. This

22:24

is food out had met this woman

22:26

was history of you a more religious

22:29

a job. At all Their

22:31

Watson said my thoughts and

22:34

says it to your place

22:36

because her crew protruded your

22:38

folders. Your work with sitters

22:41

move further so run off

22:43

of her smoker River added

22:46

I beg your pardon up

22:48

your know about other people

22:51

For the love of God

22:53

well have you ever your

22:56

your your your your product

22:58

noodle three purpose. You

23:02

have planned for. The

23:05

whole city. Peter

23:08

You a believer? To

23:12

use a prostitute. River

23:15

from the squad. And

23:19

in the Twentieth Troopers to

23:21

the Twenty First verse, now

23:24

because she says the spas

23:26

now they save her. From

23:33

a robot. Reader

23:35

to do for if I'm wrong. With

23:38

me begin to save her.

23:43

Favor whole

23:45

fabulous, Very thin save

23:48

her father. Recruiter,

23:50

mother or move above of through

23:52

go through all be a brother

23:55

were with her. Who

23:57

were then. they wouldn't

24:00

children.

24:06

I'm almost finished. Can I go a little deeper?

24:11

Joshua 6, 20-25 is

24:13

a profound, prolific, articulate

24:16

depiction of the grace of

24:18

God because it proves

24:21

to us that God

24:23

kept his word to a

24:26

prostitute because

24:28

the text says,

24:30

as the wall came down, the

24:33

text said, go find Rahab

24:36

and save everybody in her house

24:39

according to your oath. And

24:43

God saved everybody in

24:46

the house because

24:48

he kept his word to

24:51

a prostitute. Now, here's my

24:53

question for you. If God

24:55

kept his word to a

24:57

prostitute, then

24:59

what makes you think that God

25:02

won't keep his word towards you?

25:05

If God kept his word and

25:07

was careful to separate her

25:10

from the wrath to come, and

25:12

the Bible says they pulled her

25:14

whole family out and sent her

25:16

outside the house of Israel so

25:18

that when the city was burning

25:20

down, Rahab didn't burn up. Oh,

25:22

at the times I should have

25:25

burned up, but I didn't burn

25:27

up because God set me aside

25:29

and saved me. And I'm not

25:31

praising him because I'm good. I'm

25:33

praising him because I'm not. I'm

25:35

not praising him because I'm worthy.

25:37

I'm praising him because I'm not. Let

25:40

me say it like my old folks used to

25:42

say, when I think of the goodness of Jesus

25:44

and all that he's done for me, my

25:47

soul cries out, hallelujah, thank

25:50

God for saving me. Somebody

25:52

give him service, send him

25:55

a praise and praise. There

26:04

are people in this room that

26:07

are living in limbo.

26:11

You are not where you used to be, but

26:15

you're not where you're going to be. You

26:18

took a pit stop that

26:21

became permanent. Stop living

26:23

in limbo and focus on God's promises.

26:26

Why are you stuck

26:30

in limbo? For your

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gift of support, you'll receive the

26:34

Disruptive Discovery Journal, which includes targeted

26:36

promises for your empowerment, as well

26:39

as digital access to the Disruptive

26:41

Conversation series. My best days are

26:43

not behind me. My best days are in front of me. I haven't climbed

26:45

my highest mountain. I haven't done my greatest miracle yet. I will not be

26:47

a sinner. I will not be a liar. I will not be a liar.

26:49

I will not be a sinner. I will not be a liar. I will

26:51

not be a liar. I will not be a liar. I will not be

26:53

a liar. I will not be a liar. I

26:56

will not stay stuck in this

26:58

place. Disrupt the old

27:00

and walk in God's new. Call or

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click today. Registration

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is now open for the 2024

27:06

International Leadership Summit. Continue

27:09

your growth and elevate your journey

27:11

with world-class speakers and transformative workshops.

27:14

Coming home to Dallas, Texas, the

27:16

2024 International Leadership Summit is where

27:18

the world's most visionary leaders gather. I want

27:20

you to be in the room where it

27:22

happens. Act now and secure next year's spot

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at the best possible price. I

27:27

believe God has something for

27:29

you. Register today at thisisils.org

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and empower your leadership journey.

27:36

Disruptive thinking, disruptive patterns

27:38

of thought are

27:41

essential in such a time as this. Break

27:52

through old barriers. Shatter

27:56

old paradigm. We

28:00

look forward to seeing you

28:05

next time on the podcast.