Tis The Season
Rev. Dr. Omar Williams Preached on 12/28/2025
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73:46
Summary
Rev. Dr. Omar Williams explores the 'silent faithfulness' of Joseph, challenging believers to embrace divine disruptions and move from being spiritual consumers to dedicated servants who say an unreserved 'Yes' to God's plan.
Key points
- •Divine disruption is often the way God initiates His will, requiring us to set aside our own ideal plans for His kingdom purposes.
- •True biblical discernment involves quiet reflection and seeking God's clarity rather than making impulsive, emotional decisions during seasons of uncertainty.
- •The character of Joseph is defined by his silent faithfulness; he had no recorded lines in Scripture but moved the redemption story forward through radical obedience.
- •Dutiful dedication requires sacrifice, including the willingness to put personal passions or comforts on the back burner to fulfill a divine assignment.
Scripture
Obedience
Purpose
Surrender
Holy Spirit
Discipleship
Life application
This week, identify one area where your personal plans for the new year conflict with a nudge from the Holy Spirit. Intentionally yield that area to God in prayer, saying 'Yes' to His disruption even if it costs you comfort or recognition.
Reflection questions
- In what ways have you underestimated the 'silent' servants in your life or church like Joseph?
- When was the last time God divinely disrupted your plans, and how did you respond?
- Are you currently in a season of 'consumerism' in your faith, or are you actively laying a foundation for others through service?
- What personal 'ideal' are you willing to sacrifice to see God's kingdom advanced in your family or community?
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Full transcript
0:00Hallelujah.
0:02I've been through enough
0:06to know that he will be enough
0:10for me.
0:11Thank you Jesus. Can we lift those hands
0:14to the Lord? Everybody just lift those
0:17hands to the Lord and thank God
0:20that we have been through enough.
0:24We have too much of a history and a
0:26legacy with God.
0:28Hallelujah. And so we know
0:32that he is enough for us. He will take
0:35care of us.
0:39I stake my very life
0:42that he's going to take care
0:45of me.
0:53I've been through enough to know that he
0:59be enough
1:01for me.
1:03Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
1:10Amen.
1:15Amen.
1:18Amen. Amen. God bless you. You may be
1:20seated in the presence of our good and
1:22our gracious God. Just smile at your
1:25neighbor one more time. We're at the end
1:26of 2020, the last Sunday in 2025.
1:31Smile at your neighbor one more time and
1:32tell them, "Neighbor, it's good to see
1:33you. I'm glad I'm sitting beside you.
1:36You look good and you smell good.
1:39Amen.
1:41Amen. Amen. We are so glad that God has
1:46spirited our lives that we can arrive at
1:50the last Sunday of another year.
1:55I I mean it seems like yesterday
1:59that we were welcoming the first Sunday
2:03of 2025,
2:05but here we are. There's an old song
2:08that says, "Time waits on no man."
2:18>> You know it, right? Time waits on no
2:20man.
2:22We are going on.
2:25>> All right. All right. You all right? I I
2:28I I hear all I hear you. I hear you. But
2:32time doesn't wait on anybody.
2:35Let's take care of business now. Today
2:38is the acceptable day of the Lord. And
2:41we're so glad to be in his house. I'm so
2:43glad that you had a a wonderful year.
2:47And I know we may have had some ups and
2:49downs, but God has brought us to this
2:51point. So, it's wonderful.
2:53>> And regardless of what you had to eat on
2:56the 25th or whether there were any gifts
2:59in the house, it's still wonderful
3:02because we are alive and well. Thank God
3:05for that. Somebody thank the Lord for
3:07that. Amen.
3:10We're so glad to be in church today. I I
3:12love being in church. I love being in
3:15church. Um, I look forward to being with
3:17the saints in the house of the Lord. And
3:19it's always good to see uh faces
3:23uh who come back to us. They're members
3:26of the family, but they're in other
3:28places and they're back worshiping with
3:30us today. So, we want to thank God for
3:32them. We want to thank God for Gabby and
3:33Odre who are over there in uh over there
3:38in Barbados in in school. And thank God
3:41for them. Amen. God bless you. So good
3:43to have you in the house.
3:46And I saw Odre in a thick long sleeve
3:50shirt last week while everybody else was
3:52sweat sweaty and hot. And then it dawned
3:55on me, this is winter to him coming all
3:58the way from Barbados. So, so, amen.
4:02It's so good to have you back in the
4:04house today. It is so good to have Lady
4:05Karissia and Nadia Angelina in the
4:09house. Amen. God bless you. Thank you
4:11always for showing up in the house of
4:15the Lord. A lot of our nurses who are
4:17away, Lady Jennifer and others who who
4:20work out of town, when you don't see
4:21them, they're working on uh out out of
4:24town, but it's so good to have you back
4:25in the house for the season. Um and all
4:28of the other travel nurses, I'm sure
4:30there are more of you here. Uh but
4:32welcome back to the house of the Lord to
4:36Timothy and Kimberly Anderson. God bless
4:39you. Always a pleasure to have you with
4:41us in the house. We've got brother Perry
4:44with us and at some point he's going to
4:45stop flirting with Pentab and decide to
4:48settle down and be a member here.
4:50Brother Perry, God bless you. Always a
4:52pleasure to have you uh in the house
4:55with us. Of course, we also have Sister
4:59Shernet Downer. She is the sister of
5:06Yes. They they they they they know they
5:09Lady Sharet, why don't you just raise
5:11your hands and and Lady Maxine's sister.
5:14Amen. Amen.
5:18Amen. God bless you. God bless you. And
5:21uh uh she is a part of the the framework
5:25that shaped me as a child growing up in
5:28Kingsway Tabernacle in Jamaica. So I'm
5:30glad to have her today. Janique Monreef
5:33in the house. God bless you today. and
5:35she's here with mommy. Her mother is
5:37Lady Desma who happens to be celebrating
5:39a birthday today. Amen. God bless you,
5:41Lady Desma. Happy birthday to you. I'm
5:45so glad to have family in the house.
5:47Also, family that I have inherited
5:50through my marriage. And so, I'm so glad
5:53to welcome Lady Judith Grant and Auntie
5:56Gloria Peton in the house. God bless
5:59you. So good to have them. Won't you
6:01stand on Judith? Let let's see you. All
6:03right. Amen. Those are my wife's
6:05relatives and so they are my relatives.
6:09They are my relatives and my
6:11mother-in-law's uh relatives also. So we
6:13thank God for them.
6:15You know uh the Clayton family has been
6:18going through a tough time the last few
6:20years. Brother Clayton lost his brother
6:23in Jamaica and of course Lady Nashana um
6:26lost her uh father raised her recently.
6:30Won't you stand? Won't you stand? All,
6:32Brother Clayton and the Clayton family,
6:34won't you stand? But through it all,
6:37through all of that, they've been
6:38pushing ahead. And today, we are
6:40delighted to welcome into this house for
6:43the first time, Nurse Nashana Clayton.
6:49Hallelujah. Come on, put your hands
6:51together.
6:54Amen. Amen. Amen. She completed her
6:58studies. And brother Clay, I want I want
7:01to thank you. I want to thank you
7:02because I know what it takes to stand
7:05beside somebody who is studying. And
7:07sometime you got to try to sit at the
7:09get a seat at the table with them just
7:11to be in their presence while they're up
7:13studying. So thank you so much for your
7:16sacrifice. And Lady Nana, again,
7:18congratulations. And the church, we're
7:20happy for you. Amen.
7:23Amen. Amen. Praise God. All right, let's
7:26go to the word of the Lord. Matthew
7:29chapter 1 is where we are today. Matthew
7:31chapter 1 is where we are today. Amen.
7:34God bless you everybody. So good to see
7:36everyone in the house of the Lord.
7:38Father, thank you God for inviting us
7:40into worship. And now Lord, thank you
7:43for inviting us also into your word,
7:46into understanding your will and your
7:48way with greater clarity. Speak to us
7:50now out of the volume of your word, out
7:53of what you have already said. speak
7:55until hearts are changed, lives renewed,
7:57and new commitments are made to you in
8:00this house. In the precious name of
8:02Jesus, we pray. And everybody say,
8:04"Amen." Matthew 1:es 18-2 will be uh the
8:09text for today, but I'll read verse 18
8:11to get us started. It reads like this.
8:13Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was as
8:16follows. After his mother Mary was
8:19betrothed to Joseph, before they came
8:23together, she was found with child of
8:27the Holy Spirit. Amen. I want to speak
8:30to us today as the Lord leads on this
8:32subject. Tis the season.
8:37Tis
8:39the season. T the season.
8:44On the night of a church's
8:48annual nativity play,
8:53the magi showed up for the play. So too
8:56did the shepherds.
8:58So too did the characters playing Anna,
9:01Simeon, Mary, baby Jesus.
9:06Even those playing the role of the
9:08animals showed up.
9:11But the character who was supposed to
9:14play Joseph, thank you media team. This
9:15is really good. Keep me here. The
9:17character that was supposed to play
9:20Joseph fell ill that day and was unable
9:25to attend the play.
9:28After conversation, the director of the
9:30play decided to proceed with the play
9:33without even trying to fill the role of
9:37Joseph.
9:39And the sad thing is nobody missed
9:42Joseph in the play
9:46because after all Joseph had no lines.
9:50Joseph had no spectacular miracles.
9:53His role was simply to stand there
9:58slightly off center adjacent to Mary in
10:01the background of baby Jesus.
10:05Now I know that was a play but what
10:09happened in that play reflects the
10:12general reality of our underestimation
10:16of the role of Joseph in the story of
10:20the Christ advent
10:23the way we discount Joseph in redemption
10:27story. And this might be so because we
10:30tend to be enamored by those carefully
10:35crafted, quafted figures that come to us
10:38on social media. We tend to be impressed
10:42with those who are the talking heads. We
10:45we tend to be impressed with those who
10:49whose presence whose presence captivate
10:54us. But this was not the case of Joseph.
10:58It was not the case of Joseph.
11:02We cannot find one line of scripture
11:07to attribute to Joseph.
11:10We can rehearse Mary's Magnificate.
11:13We can rehearse Anna's and Simeon's
11:15liturgy. Let us now thy servant depart
11:18in peace. We know that
11:21we can rehearse the wise men's sagacity
11:24as they encountered the wicked king
11:27Herod and asking where is the baby?
11:31Where is he that is born king of the
11:33Jews? We can rehearse the shepherd's
11:36sermon as they left the baby to go tell
11:41of this Christ in a manger. But there is
11:45no word for Joseph because Joseph spoke
11:49no words. The biblical accounts of
11:53Joseph are structured around his
11:56obedient character. Not his words, but
11:59his actions. Not the imposition of his
12:03personality, but his faithfulness in
12:06cooperating with the plan of God to
12:10facilitate the incarnation of Christ.
12:13His story is not one of prolific speech.
12:17No, his story is one of silent
12:20faithfulness,
12:22of counting the cost of the calling of
12:25God, and of steadfastness in bringing
12:29the plan and the will of God to pass.
12:34But I want to say to us, brothers and
12:35sisters, do not discount Joseph in
12:38redemption story because God sovereignly
12:43gave to Joseph and to Mary pivotal roles
12:47in the redemption story because there is
12:50something in their character that we
12:54ought to pay attention to. I know this
12:57is t the season to be jolly but while
13:00you are being jolly and while you are
13:02enjoying your sorrow and your fruit cake
13:06with the spirit in which you made it you
13:09know what I'm talking I want you to
13:12understand that this season is more than
13:16merry making it is a time to remember
13:19the Christ child remember that he came
13:22to this earth but also remember the
13:25surren surrender and the submission and
13:27the sacrifice that made him possible.
13:30And I believe that God set these
13:32characters in place not only to be
13:35celebrated but to be emulated
13:37>> in our lives. Something about Joseph and
13:40Mary that speak to us that ought to
13:44catch our hearts that beyond this season
13:48that we can say to ourselves there is
13:50something in them that is needed as we
13:53advance the kingdom of God. They had
13:56something that God said I will advance
14:00my kingdom on earth through these two
14:04frail human beings. I want to catch
14:07that. I want to catch that. I I And the
14:09tension the tension when I read Matthew
14:1218, Matthew 1 18-2. The tension in this
14:17text for me is that we celebrate this as
14:21a time of joy. It is a time where we
14:23sing joy to the world. We think about
14:26the joy and the peace, the everlasting
14:29joy and peace that came to the world
14:31through the birth of Christ. But
14:33sometimes we don't think about the
14:35tension that the joy and the peace that
14:38came to the world came at the expense of
14:42the happiness and the peace of Mary and
14:45Joseph. That's a tension for me that God
14:47would choose to bring everlasting joy
14:50and peace through the temporary sadness
14:53and pain of Mary and Joseph.
14:57Every time we sing joy to the world, the
15:00Lord has come. Remember that Mary and
15:04Joseph had to make the hard SACRIFICE TO
15:08HAVE THEIR LIFE and their plans upended
15:11so that we could have a savior.
15:15We have a savior because somebody made
15:18the sacrifice. They made the sacrifice
15:21of entertaining a divine disruption.
15:24Everybody say a divine disruption.
15:27That's my first point that in their
15:29story, we can never rehearse the advent
15:32story without contemplating the reality
15:36of divine disruption. When God gets
15:40ready to have his will, when God gets
15:43ready, when we pray, "Thy kingdom come,
15:47thy will be done in earth as it is in
15:51heaven." I want you to understand that
15:53what we are doing is we are inviting a
15:56divine disruption.
15:58God's will to be done has to interrupt
16:02our will. God's kingdom to come has to
16:06demolish the little kingdoms we have
16:08formed for ourselves. Am I talking to
16:10anybody in this place?
16:12>> Hallelujah.
16:14Verse 18 reads like this. Now the birth
16:16of Jesus was as follows. His mother Mary
16:19was betrothed to Joseph. Before they
16:22came together, she was found with the
16:24child of the Holy Ghost. The partner
16:27says before they came together, this
16:29this was their intended life. They they
16:32were to come together. The the Let me
16:34let me let me talk a little bit about
16:36the the custom of Hebrew marriages.
16:39Marriages were not like ours now where
16:43you just saw somebody and because they
16:44had all the curves in the right places,
16:46you like their hips, lips, and
16:48fingertips. Uh-huh. And you decide that,
16:51okay, this is the person I want to be
16:53with. That that was not how they did it
16:55then. They they they formed marriages
16:58that were meant to last. fathers and
17:01mothers of of families that were well
17:04established. They would decide very
17:06early in the lives of their children
17:08that these two children are going to be
17:10married. Am I talking to anybody here?
17:12So Mary and Joseph grew up knowing that
17:15they were going to marry each other.
17:16Mary knew Joseph was my husband to be
17:19and Joseph knew that Mary was going to
17:22be my wife. And when they got to their
17:24to to uh to adolescence then it began to
17:27happen. They went through the rituals.
17:29They went through the ketuba, that is
17:31the contract of marriage. They began to
17:34exchange their vows before witnesses and
17:37before the elders of the land. Joseph
17:40brought the bride price to pay to the
17:42father of Mary and Mary brought the dory
17:45that she had been saving up all these
17:47years to give to Joseph as a pledge that
17:49my life is not yours. Our lives are now
17:53intertwined. And so they were now
17:55betrothed. betrothal was a kind of like
17:59a cross between an integration of our
18:02engagement and our marriages in our
18:04culture like the engagement. The
18:07engagement they exchange whatever
18:09signified their commitments they
18:10exchange was rings in that time it was a
18:13necklace that had uh 10 coins attached
18:16to it in some cases brothers and
18:18sisters. So he gave her he gave that to
18:21her and he left to build a house for her
18:25waiting to come again to receive her to
18:28himself that they might come together.
18:31This is where our text is in verse 18.
18:34They are waiting to come together. The
18:36only thing that stands between them and
18:39the ideal life, dream life that they had
18:42planned for themselves was for Joseph to
18:45finish building the house, come back and
18:47fetch Mary, that they might go off and
18:49live happily ever after.
18:52And that might be how our plans look as
18:55we're planning for 2026.
18:58We have began to craft those plans that
19:01those ideal plans some of which we will
19:04cancel by the time we get to February.
19:06Am I talking to anybody here? But we
19:08have those plans. How much money we want
19:10to make in 2026. How much what house we
19:13want to move into in 2026. We what
19:16school we're going to go to, how our
19:18lives are going to get better and
19:20change, what car we want to attain in
19:232026. We have all of these ideal plans
19:27for our lives just like Mary and Joseph.
19:31But I want to say to you here that when
19:33God gets ready to move, you got to
19:36understand sometimes the ideal life and
19:40the ideal WAY THAT YOU EXPECTED GOD'S
19:43GOING TO interrupt that.
19:44>> Am I talking to anybody in this place?
19:47>> They have the ideal life, how they're
19:49going to go together and how they're
19:51going to live together. But the ideal
19:53life became interrupted by the
19:58interrupted life. WHEN GOD HAS A CALLING
20:01ON YOU, SOMETIMES GOD IS going to
20:04interrupt what you've got going on.
20:08>> Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
20:11Joseph came back from wherever he was
20:14building the house for Mary. when he
20:16went showed up at her father's house, he
20:18was anticipating
20:21that he was going to receive his bride
20:23and with the bride's bridal party, they
20:26would have a festival of lights, singing
20:28joyfully as they marched from her
20:31father's house TO HIS HOUSE. BUT BEFORE
20:34JOSEPH GOT THERE, THE ANGEL got there. I
20:36feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
20:37Hallelujah. And I want to tell you this.
20:40I know we're living in a world now where
20:42everybody's talking about what God told
20:44them. God told me this. God to to tell
20:46you that you're going to have a million
20:47dollars. God said to tell you you're
20:49going to have a new bank account. Am I
20:50talking to ANYBODY HERE? I HARDLY HEAR
20:52ANYBODY THESE DAYS TALKING ABOUT THE
20:56SACRIFICE IT COST YOU WHEN GOD SHOWS UP.
21:01>> When God showed up. When God showed up
21:04and he spoke to Mary and HE TOLD MARY,
21:09MARY, you are about to be PREGNANT WITH
21:12THE CHRIST CHILD. Every woman in Israel
21:16at the time were looking forward to
21:18being the mother of the Messiah. But
21:21nobody knew what it would cost. Only
21:23Mary did. When the angel showed up and
21:25told her, "You will be pregnant without
21:28the input of a man. Because the same God
21:30who formed Adam in the Garden of Eden is
21:33going to form a baby in your womb, AND
21:35HE SHALL BE CALLED THE SON OF THE
21:38HIGHEST. AND THE HOLY GHOST is going to
21:39bring it to pass." The Bible said Mary
21:42was troubled in her heart. That's Luke
21:451:26. She was troubled in her heart. She
21:48She was disturbed in her mind and her
21:51emotions. Why? Because immediately she
21:55recognized that this was about to change
21:58her life. That this was about to
22:00interrupt the plans that she had for
22:04herself. And I am here to tell you
22:07brothers and sisters that the calling of
22:10God even though it is rewarding, it is
22:14very seldom comfortable, it is always
22:17going to take you out of your comfort
22:18zone. For those of us who want to
22:20languish in our place of comfort, my
22:23God, let me tell you this. You may never
22:25be able to do great things with GOD
22:28BECAUSE WHEN GOD GETS READY, HE HAS TO
22:30MOVE YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. IT IS
22:32GOING TO cost you something.
22:35ah it is going to cost you something.
22:39Mary counted the cost and this is why
22:42brothers and sisters I am not an
22:45advocate for people making emotional
22:47decisions. I don't want to preach you
22:49into an emotional frenzy and you make a
22:52decision without thinking about it. Mary
22:54she was disturbed but she counted the
22:57cost. She counted THE COST OF THE
23:00CALLING of the words of the angel. And
23:03then she WAS DISTURBED IN HER SOUL
23:05BECAUSE SHE KNEW it was going to cost
23:07her something. But still she said to
23:10God, "Behold your maid servant. Let it
23:13be to me according to your word." And
23:16that is what God is looking for in this
23:19house. My angular vision in this sermon
23:21is to say to somebody that God has a
23:25season of disruption for you right now.
23:28He might be tapping you on the shoulder
23:30and saying, "I know your plans, but I
23:32got another plan for you." And you might
23:34be resisting THE PLAN OF GOD. BUT GOD IS
23:36CALLING YOU LIKE MARY TO COUNT THE COST
23:39TO KNOW IT'S GOING TO COST YOU
23:40SOMETHING. BUT STILL SAY TO GOD, I am
23:43here, LORD. LET YOUR WORD BE MANIFESTED
23:46IN MY LIFE. Because after all, THERE IS
23:48NO BETTER PLACE TO BE THAN IN the will
23:50of God.
23:52>> Hallelujah. God is calling us out of our
23:56comfort zones. He's calling us from the
24:00place where we just look around
24:01comfortable expecting everybody to do
24:04everything and for us just to sit on the
24:05corners. But I hear the Lord saying for
24:08this season, if what you desire for your
24:11life and for your church to be
24:13recognized, YOU'VE GOT TO ALLOW GOD TO
24:16DISRUPT THE PLANS THAT YOU THINK YOU
24:18HAVE FOR YOUR LIFE.
24:20OH, I feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
24:22Brothers and sisters, I I I can just
24:25imagine how how disruptive this
24:28conversation with the angel was. It was
24:31a disruptive conversation. It bothered
24:33her mind and her heart what he had
24:36shared with her. But but even BEYOND THE
24:39DISCOMFORT OF THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE
24:42ANGEL, I can only imagine the discomfort
24:45of her conversation with her husband to
24:47be Joseph.
24:50Because Joseph is coming back to receive
24:53his bride in a grand ceremony.
24:57Everything is ready. The house is ready.
25:00The festival they're making ready for
25:02it. The candles are prepared for them to
25:04light and have to have them march OF
25:06LIGHTS FROM HER FATHER'S HOUSE TO HIS
25:09HOUSE. HE IS WAITING TO GET UP THE NEXT
25:11MORNING and to show the ELDERS OF THE
25:13LAND THAT WHITE SHEET FROM THE NIGHT OF
25:16THEIR CONSUMMATION. HE'S WAITING TO
25:18BRING ALL THE IDEAL PLAN TO PASS. ONLY
25:20TO HEAR HER SAY, "I'M pregnant
25:24with a child of the Holy Ghost." And I
25:29can imagine Joseph checking, "Okay, I
25:30know I know the regular Hebrew names.
25:33Zechariah,
25:35Malachi, but I don't know anybody named
25:38Holy Ghost. Who is this Holy Ghost
25:41person that you don't don't you even
25:43dare to try to tell me this kind of
25:45mythological sounding that God GOT YOU
25:48PREGNANT? AM I TALKING TO ANYBODY HERE?
25:49HE HE I MEAN IT interrupted his life,
25:53HIS FUTURE WAS SHOCKED.
25:56>> OH, but when God gets ready, I feel the
26:00Holy Ghost in here. Is there anybody in
26:02this house who can testify that you were
26:05just going on with your business? You
26:06had all your plans, but then there was a
26:09divine disruption and God JUST TURNED
26:12THINGS AROUND. IT MAY HAVE been at a
26:13time of loss. YOU LOST YOUR JOB. YOU
26:16LOST SOMEBODY. But in THE MIDDLE OF YOUR
26:18PAIN AND YOUR ANGUISH, GOD SAID to you,
26:20"I am in control OF THIS. I'M TRYING TO
26:23GET YOUR ATTENTION."
26:27>> CS Lewis points out that sometimes pain
26:30is God's megaphone by which he awakens a
26:33deaf world. a world that is lulled to
26:36sleep by the pleasures of this life and
26:38their creature comforts. SOMETIMES GOD
26:41HAS TO DIVINELY disrupt things
26:44so you can realize he's trying to move
26:46you to another place. I wonder if
26:49there's anybody in this house that
26:50realize that this year we have had a
26:52divine disruption. Is there anybody who
26:54realizes that? IS THERE ANYBODY WHO
26:57REALIZES THAT THE GOD who controls all
27:00things allowed us to have AN EVENT THAT
27:03CAUSED A DIVINE DISRUPTION? HAS ANYBODY
27:06IN THIS HOUSE TURNED YOUR EYES TO GOD
27:08AND SAID TO GOD, "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO
27:10TEACH US?
27:11>> What are you saying to us?" For we
27:13surely NEED TO LEARN THE LESSON THAT GOD
27:15IS TRYING TO TEACH US BEFORE GOD CAN
27:18BRING US TO WHERE NEXT GOD wants to take
27:20us.
27:22>> Divine disruption.
27:24Hallelujah.
27:25Hallelujah. He is calling you from your
27:28comfort zone. He's trying to interrupt
27:31that soft and cushy PLAN THAT YOU HAVE
27:34FOR YOURSELF THAT HAS ONLY TO do with
27:36you acquiring but you not but not you
27:39giving anything back to the Lord or the
27:40cause of the Lord.
27:44Hudson Taylor, the British educator, was
27:48comfortable in his job in the United
27:49Kingdom, had his family, had his wife,
27:52and was starting his family at 22 years
27:54old in 1853.
27:57And God tapped him on the shoulder one
27:59day and said TO HIM, "YOUNG MAN, I'VE
28:02CALLED YOU TO LEAVE YOUR SAFE JOB. I'VE
28:05CALLED YOU to leave your comfortable
28:07home to travel to China." At the time
28:11when they were having the Indo the the
28:12the the the the Chinese and Japanese
28:15war, he said to him, I want you to go
28:17there. At the time where they're having
28:19outbreaks of various diseases, God said,
28:21"Leave your comfortable land and go to
28:24China." He went there. He served for 53
28:26years, lost his children, lost his wife,
28:29lost his health. But after 53 years of
28:32effective missionary work in China, he
28:35wrote these words, quote, he says,
28:36"There are three great stages in every
28:38great work of God. First, it is
28:40impossible, then it is difficult, and
28:43then it is done. You've got to hear me
28:44in this place. God wants to call you to
28:47something that you can't do by yourself,
28:50AND HE'S DIVINELY disrupting your life
28:52right now. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S IT'S
28:54HAPPENING. MAYBE it's a broken
28:56relationship. Maybe it's a loss of a
28:58job. Maybe it's somebody LIED ON YOU. I
29:00DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT GOD IS
29:02SAYING, "PAY ATTENTION TO THIS divine
29:05disruption because this is me trying to
29:07tell you that I'm trying to lead you in
29:09a different direction." And what you
29:11need to do is like Mary Mary did. That
29:13is to lift your hand to God and said,
29:15"My heart is troubled by this God
29:17because I know this is going to cost me
29:19something. I know this might mean some
29:21sleepless nights. I know this is going
29:22to make me this going to pull me out of
29:25my usual structure. But here I AM, LORD.
29:28WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING IN THIS SEASON,
29:30DON'T DO I HAVE ANYBODY IN THIS HOUSE?
29:33Is there anybody in here whom God can
29:36still challenge in 2025?
29:42>> Church has become more about spectator
29:44sport.
29:45>> It's more about preachers getting up
29:47here and prophets getting up here and
29:49telling you how much money will be in
29:50your bank account. But this is what the
29:52word of God said to us. This is THE
29:55SEASON FOR DIVINE DISRUPTION. WILL YOU
29:58ALLOW GOD TO INTERRUPT YOUR PLAN or are
30:00you going to PUT GOD ON SNOOZE another
30:02time?
30:04>> I feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
30:07Hallelujah. We can't go through this
30:10season without contemplating divine
30:13disruption.
30:14Those who brought this Advent season to
30:17reality did so because THEIR LIVES WERE
30:20DIVINELY disrupted by the plan of God.
30:23>> But can I go further? So there is it's a
30:26season of of divine disruption, but it's
30:29also a season of deep discernment.
30:31Everybody say deep discernment.
30:33>> Here it is in Matthew 1:19-23.
30:36When Joseph heard the story, the Bible
30:39said that his first impulse and his
30:41first emotions were to put her away. He
30:44said, "I want nothing to do with this.
30:46You're lying to me, Mary. You messed
30:48around with somebody and you're trying
30:49to hide it from me, telling me, but it's
30:51the Holy Ghost. The devil is A LIAR." HE
30:54WANTED TO PUT HER AWAY, but thank God he
30:57was not the man to make emotional
31:00decisions.
31:02Hallelujah. I feel the Holy Ghost in
31:03this place. His his life seemed to be
31:07shattered, but he didn't know that his
31:09life was getting ready to fall into
31:10place. He needed deep discernment to
31:14understand what God was trying to do.
31:17Come here, Pentecostal Tabernacle. Come
31:19here, child of God. It is a season for
31:22deep DISCERNMENT TO ASK GOD WHAT GOD
31:26WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO IN MY LIFE IN
31:29THIS SEASON and how do you want me to
31:31respond to this?
31:33I know discernment has been given a bad
31:35rap in the Pentecostal and charismatic
31:38arena because we have we have seen
31:42discerner so and so when we were coming
31:44up and they were the dark and spooky
31:47ones. There were the ones who were
31:50fasting in everybody's business. You
31:52know that one I'm talking about. Yeah.
31:55THAT DISCERNER THAT HEARD YOUR BUSINESS
31:57AND act like God told them and pull you
31:59out of your seat and dragged you to the
32:00altar. Am I talking to ANYBODY HERE?
32:02THAT THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF DISCERNMENT.
32:04THAT'S NOT BIBLICAL DISCERNMENT.
32:06BIBLICAL discernment is when you get
32:08down on your face. Oh my father. And you
32:11turn off the lively music and you put on
32:14something that's a little more
32:15contemplative. something that brings you
32:18into a chamber of worship and you think
32:21about what has happened AND YOU ASK GOD
32:23TO SHED HIS LIGHT ON WHAT IS GOING ON.
32:26LORD, HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS
32:29HAPPENING AND HOW IT IS THAT YOU WANT ME
32:31TO RESPOND. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU want me
32:32to do in this season?
32:34>> It's a time of deep discernment.
32:39Here's what Joseph did. He went into
32:41deep consideration. He began to think
32:44about what had happened and what's going
32:46on. He thought about it. He was in a
32:49dilemma because Mary was pregnant. Now,
32:52legally, by the laws of the land in
32:56Deuteronomy 22:es 23- 27, a woman that
33:01has an affair with another man while she
33:04is legally betrothed to another should
33:07be stoned to death along with that man
33:10that messed with her. Am I talking to
33:12anybody here? And if it was a case that
33:14she was raped, the man who raped her
33:16needed to be identified so he could be
33:18put TO DEATH ALSO. SO JOSEPH WAS IN A
33:21DILEMMA. HE NEEDED to put her away. He
33:24needed to report this to the elders of
33:26the land. But he loved her too much. And
33:28he decided, he said, you know what? I'm
33:30not going to put her away. I will not
33:32subject her to the stoning. So when he
33:34decided not to put her away, you've got
33:37to understand, everybody knew that they
33:38were together. Everybody knew that they
33:40were betrothed. So somebody seeing Mary
33:43pregnant without Joseph, if he didn't
33:46report it, what he's saying is, I will
33:49take the punishment. Whatever punishment
33:51they had for her, I won't tell the
33:53story. I'll put her away privately and
33:55I'll take the punishment. I'll bear the
33:58burden of this. I wish to God THAT I HAD
34:01SOMEBODY IN THIS HOUSE. I feel the Holy
34:03Ghost. YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE GOD IS
34:04TRYING TO LEAD YOU YET. YOU DON'T KNOW
34:06WHERE GOD IS GOING. BUT YOU WILL SAY
34:08LIKE JOSEPH SAID, "I'LL TAKE THE
34:10PUNISHMENT. I'LL TAKE THE BLAME.
34:12WHATEVER I MUST HANDLE, I'LL TAKE THIS
34:16ON."
34:18>> I feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
34:20Hallelujah. He made a decision that he
34:22would privately put her away with two or
34:24three witnesses. He gave her grace in
34:27spite of what the law desired. But can I
34:29tell you this? because of his heart.
34:33Because of his heart of righteousness,
34:35the Bible said that the angel of the
34:37Lord. Somebody say, "Here comes the Lord
34:39again." Yeah. Here comes the Lord again.
34:42Let me tell you this, brothers and
34:43sisters. God will speak to you until his
34:46will is clear.
34:49>> Oh, I said God will speak to you until
34:52his will is clear. There is a lot of us
34:55in this house. We're afraid to take the
34:57step because WE DON'T KNOW WHAT to do.
34:59We don't know the first thing about
35:00being a Sunday school teacher. We don't
35:02know the first thing about serving in
35:04the house of the Lord. But let me tell
35:05you this. THE SAME GOD WHO SPOKE TO Mary
35:08to start them on this journey will come
35:11to Joseph and will give Joseph clarity
35:14for what he needs to do to make the
35:16KINGDOM OF GOD COME IN his life. Am I
35:19talking to anybody in this place AND TO
35:21PARTICIPATE IN the will OF GOD? IF YOU
35:25JUST HAVE THE HEART TO DO THE RIGHT
35:27THING, GOD WILL SPEAK TO YOU AND give
35:29you divine clarity.
35:32>> While he is in his deep discernment, he
35:35was not just ruminating with his own
35:36thoughts, but somewhere in there, he
35:39fell asleep. And God intervened.
35:41Somewhere in there, his thoughts were
35:44not enough. His emotions were not enough
35:46to get to where he wants to go. You
35:47can't rely on your own ingenuity. You
35:50can't rely on your own smartness. You
35:52need God's voice to speak in there
35:55because there's some things you can't
35:57figure out on your own. Some doors
35:59you're getting ready to close when God
36:01opened it, but you don't want to walk
36:03through it because it seems too
36:04uncomfortable. Come here, Zion. Touch
36:07your NEIGHBOR AND SAY, "WAKE UP,
36:08NEIGHBOR." God is trying to take you out
36:12of the comfort ZONE BECAUSE WHAT GOD
36:14WANTS TO DO IN YOUR LIFE, IT'S going to
36:16take a sacrifice.
36:19It is going to take a sacrifice.
36:22>> Hallelujah. The angel spoke to Joseph,
36:24clarified for him. The angel said to
36:26him, "No, the pregnancy is legitimate."
36:29He clarified the pregnancy. She is
36:31indeed filled with a child of the Holy
36:33Ghost. He clarified the purpose. You
36:35shall call his name Jesus. For this baby
36:38that is in the womb of your wife Mary is
36:41the same one promised in Genesis 3:15
36:44when it was said that the I will put
36:46enmity between the woman and the serpent
36:48and between their seeds because a
36:50serpent will bruise the sea the heel of
36:52the seal of the woman but he shall crush
36:55the head of this is the one Joseph this
36:58baby is the redeemer that was promised.
37:00This is the one that Balam spoke of when
37:03he said I shall see him but not now. I
37:05shall behold him but not near. For there
37:08shall come a star out of Jacob and a
37:11scepter shall arise out of it. THIS IS
37:13THE ONE WHERE IT WAS SAID, "OH BETHLEHEM
37:15EPHRAA, THOUGH THOU BE little among the
37:18thousands OF JUDAH, YET OUT OF THEE
37:20SHALL HE COME FORTH unto me, who shall
37:22be the ruler and the redeemer. THIS IS
37:25THE ONE JOSEPH. This is it. It may not
37:28look like what you thought it would have
37:29been. I feel the Holy Ghost in here. IT
37:31MAY NOT LOOK LIKE WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT
37:33WOULD HAVE BEEN. SURELY THE CALL OF GOD
37:35HAS to be more comfortable than this.
37:38Surely the call of God has to come with
37:40some spectacular oracles. But sometimes
37:43it comes in a DIVINE DISRUPTION. AND GOD
37:46IS SAYING YOU CAN'T FIGURE THIS OUT BY
37:48YOURSELF. Get into some deep
37:49discernment. And let me speak to you OUT
37:52OF THE VOLUME OF MY WORD.
37:55>> I feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
37:57Hallelujah. He clarified. The prophecy
37:59was clarified. Here it is. Behold, the
38:01virgin shall be with child and bear a
38:04son, and they shall call his name
38:06Emmanuel, which is translated God with
38:09us. I feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
38:12Ah, God. Joseph, you've got to hear me,
38:15somebody. The Joseph is in this house.
38:17Your life plan seems shattered and
38:19interrupted and disrupted and you're
38:21wondering what's going on. But God is
38:23saying, "It is through this that I'm
38:26coming near to you. It is through this
38:28divine disruption that you will
38:30experience the reality of Emmanuel. YOU
38:33HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT GOD BEING AT A
38:35DISTANCE from you. But it's through this
38:37moment of interruption, through this
38:40time of pain and loss and grief that
38:43hell becomes imminent to you that the
38:45God you seek will become near to you. Am
38:48I talking to anybody here? Because God
38:52is near to the brokenhearted. I WISH I
38:55HAD SOMEBODY IN HERE WHO could be broken
38:58before God RIGHT NOW AND SAY, "GOD, I
39:01KNOW THAT I'M IN A season of divine
39:03disruption, but I just want you to tell
39:06me what way to go for I can't figure
39:08this out on my own IF I TRUST MY OWN
39:11WISDOM. I might make a mistake. I MIGHT
39:13FORFEIT MY PLACE IN THE CALLING OF GOD.
39:17BUT SPEAK TO ME, LORD."
39:20>> And God is saying, "Maybe this sermon is
39:22to speak to you today." Hallelujah. Open
39:24up your ears, Joseph, and hear me in
39:26this place. Do not snooze the call of
39:29God another time. And worse yet, DON'T
39:32PUT YOUR LIFE ON DO NOT DISTURB MODE
39:35BECAUSE GOD IS CALLING YOU IN THIS HOUSE
39:39TO A HIGHER PLACE. BUT IT'S GOING TO
39:41TAKE A SACRIFICE.
39:43>> HALLELUJAH.
39:45HALLELUJAH. It is going to take a
39:47sacrifice to do the will of God. It is
39:50going to take a sacrifice. It's going to
39:52take you coming up out of your
39:53carnality, out of your flesh. Am I
39:56talking to anybody in this place? Yes.
39:59Yes. It is going to take you maybe
40:01losing some friends along the way. At
40:03every level that God called me, I lost
40:06people on my journey. But can I tell you
40:09for everybody who walked away from me
40:11because of the CALLING OF GOD, GOD HAS
40:14GIVEN ME more ah God than I ever
40:18expected. It will take A SACRIFICE BUT
40:21IT'S THERE IS A REWARD AT THE END. AM I
40:23TALKING TO ANYBODY HERE? IF YOU WILL SAY
40:26TO GOD, I SURRENDER NOW.
40:29>> HALLELUJAH. Show me your way. God, show
40:33me where God divine disruption. T the
40:37season not ONLY TO BE JOLLY AND TO SING
40:41LA.
40:42He didn't come for that reason. T THE
40:45SEASON FOR DIVINE DISRUPTION. T THE
40:47SEASON FOR deep discernment.
40:50>> GLORY TO GOD.
40:52>> Glory to God. Hallelujah. But t the
40:55season lastly for dutiful dedication.
40:59This is a season for dutiful dedication.
41:02When you go through a Christmas season
41:04again, remember divine disruption.
41:07Remember deep discernment. Remember it's
41:10a time for dutiful dedication. Verses 24
41:14and 25. Joseph, being aroused from
41:17sleep, did as the angel of the Lord
41:19commanded him, and took to him his wife,
41:21and did not know her till she had
41:23brought forth her firstborn son. And he
41:26called his name Jesus. Hallelujah.
41:29Hallelujah. He didn't call him Joseph.
41:32No, he didn't name him of some ancient
41:34ancestors that stood out in their
41:36genealogy. No, he did what the angels
41:38SAID. HE SAID, "YOUR NAME IS JESUS, for
41:41there is a purpose attached to your
41:43name." AND MY FIRST GESTURE of obedience
41:47TO GOD CONCERNING THE CHRIST CHILD IS
41:49THAT I WILL CALL HIM WHAT GOD SAID TO
41:51CALL HIM.
41:53>> I feel the Holy Ghost in this place.
41:55Hallelujah. Beautiful dedication means
41:59wholehearted persistent commitment to a
42:02responsibility to a cause or a person.
42:05blending the sense of duty, obligation
42:07with dedication, deep loyalty, and
42:10timeless effort to achieve goals with
42:13integrity and resilience. Often seen in
42:16selfless service or unwavering
42:18commitment. This is the time, brothers
42:20and sisters, to go beyond the call of
42:22duty. This is the time, brothers and
42:24sisters, to awaken on the pews. This is
42:27a time, brothers and sisters, to shug
42:29off the spirit of consumerism that has
42:31overshadowed our churches. Our churches
42:34are filled with consumers. We come to
42:36consume the songs. That's why we don't
42:38sing with the praise singers. We come to
42:40CONSUME THE PREACHING. THAT'S WHY WE SIT
42:42THERE LIKE A BUMP ON a log. I feel the
42:44Holy Ghost here. And if the preacher
42:46didn't MAKE US HAPPY, WE GO HOME AND WE
42:48TURN ON ANOTHER PREACHER THAT CAN MAKE
42:51US feel how we want to feel. BUT IT'S
42:53TIME, SAID THE HOLY GHOST, TO SHRUG OFF
42:57THE SPIRIT OF CONSUMERISM AND RISE TO
43:00dutiful dedication in the kingdom of
43:03God.
43:06>> This the season. Hallelujah. Nudge your
43:08neighbor real gently in the house. Come
43:09on, nudge your neighbor in the house.
43:11Come on, nudge your neighbor and said,
43:13"Th
43:15God, to rise to commitment, to rise to a
43:18new level of commitment. We're standing
43:21on the cusp of 30 years of this church
43:24being established. And I hear God saying
43:27it was commitment and sacrifice that
43:30brought us this far. AND GOD IS CALLING
43:33for this generation. He divinely
43:36disrupted our comfortable worship in our
43:40beautiful sanctuary. Send us to hard
43:43chairs in THE FELLOWSHIP HALL. BUT GOD
43:45IS SAYING, can you see what I'm saying
43:47to you? This is the season to sift out
43:52THOSE WHO ARE HERE FOR comfort or THOSE
43:55WHO ARE HERE FOR THE COMMITMENT OF
43:58SERVING THE LORD.
44:02Just a season. Hallelujah. I feel the
44:04Holy Ghost in here. Yes. Yes. Yes. It's
44:07a season of submission. The first thing
44:10you got to notice about Joseph is his
44:12submission. Verse 24, Joseph got up and
44:16he did what the Lord told him to do. He
44:19got up and he obeyed the plan of God. He
44:24got up and he married Mary and brought
44:27her to his house. He got up. I said,
44:29"It's a season of submission." I wish I
44:32had somebody in this modern generation
44:36who don't mind, who does not mind
44:39singing one of the songs of THE MOTHERS
44:41OF ZION. THOSE old songs were songs like
44:45sweet will of God still fold me closer
44:49till I am holy lost in thee. Sweet will
44:53of God still fold me closer. Is there
44:57anybody here who can raise a verse one?
45:00My stubborn will at last hath yielded. I
45:04will BE THINE AND THINE ALONE. And this
45:08IS THE PRAYER THAT MY LIPS ARE BRINGING.
45:11LORD LET IN ME your will be done. Is
45:16there anybody in this house WHO IS
45:18SAYING TO GOD I SURRENDER NOW.
45:22Oh God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I
45:26surrender now. Oh sh. Glory to God. MAKE
45:30MY HEART YOUR HOME. I FEEL THE Holy
45:33Ghost in here. For if you are NOT LORD
45:36OF EVERYTHING, you are not Lord at all.
45:39But Jesus
45:41be the center glory of the kingdoms of
45:45my heart.
45:48Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The patty cake
45:52playing around Christianity is no longer
45:55going to cut it. I FEEL THE HOLY GHOST
45:57HERE. GOD IS CALLING FOR HIGHER
46:00COMMITMENT.
46:03OH. OH. GLORY. Glory to God. Glory to
46:08God. He's calling for submission. He's
46:11calling for sacrifice. In verse 25, you
46:14can't miss it here. Notice this. The
46:17angel, I'm almost stupid, but I'm
46:18preaching all of this. The angel did not
46:20tell Joseph not to sleep with his wife.
46:24But Joseph once he understood the plan
46:27of God, once he understood the
46:29assignment, he said to himself, I'm
46:33going to go beyond the call of duty to
46:36make sure that when this Christ child
46:38comes that nobody can deny that he's a
46:42child of the Holy Ghost. So I'm not
46:44bringing out any white sheet. Am I
46:46talking to anybody here? I will leave
46:48this marriage uncons unconsumated
46:51until the birth of this child. Come
46:53here. Come here. Come here. You may be
46:55afraid to surrender to the call of God
46:59because you tell yourself, "I want to I
47:02feel God in here. I want to flirt. I
47:06want to dip and my God, I feel the Holy
47:08Ghost. I want to dip and frolley. I WANT
47:11TO ENJOY my sexual PLEASURES OUTSIDE OF
47:15MARRIAGE. AND IF I commit to teaching
47:17some school, I'm going to have to give
47:19that up." Am I talking to anybody here?
47:21BUT I HEAR GOD SAYING THROUGH THE
47:24EXAMPLE OF JOSEPH, "Are you willing to
47:27make the sacrifice? Are you willing to
47:30put your SEXUAL PASSION ON THE BACK
47:32BURNER UNTIL GOD GIVES YOU A HUSBAND OR
47:36a wife to do it the right way so you can
47:39serve the PLAN OF GOD?" I feel radical
47:42in this house. Oh God, nudge that
47:45neighbor and say, "Neighbor, God is come
47:48on, nudge your neighbor and say,
47:50neighbor, I know you got your passions,
47:53whether they're sexual passions or some
47:56other kind of passion, but God IS
47:58SAYING, ARE YOU WILLING to put that
48:01aside SO THAT THE WILL OF GOD CAN BE
48:05DONE IN YOUR LIFE? ARE YOU WILLING TO
48:08PUT THAT ON THE BACK BURNER SO THAT MY
48:10KINGDOM MAY BE ESTABLISHED in your life?
48:16I feel the Holy Ghost in here. I feel
48:18the Holy Ghost in here. There is no
48:20doubt that you will have to make a
48:23sacrifice. I wish I could tell you that
48:26the call of God is not going to cost you
48:28anything, but it's going to cost you
48:30something. I feel the Holy Ghost in here
48:33is going TO COST YOU SOMETHING. BUT THE
48:35REWARDS ARE greater than the pain. Am I
48:39talking to anybody here? REWARDS ON THIS
48:42SIDE and then on the other side when you
48:45hear him say, "Well done, good and
48:48faithful servant. Enter thou into the
48:51joy of the Lord, it is going to cost you
48:54something."
48:56We see his submission. We see his
48:59sacrifice. We see his service. His life
49:03was a life of service taking care of the
49:06Messiah. I feel the Holy Ghost in here
49:09as a man, a husband, a father of a
49:14toddler. Can I tell you? I can imagine
49:16Joseph having to be up at night
49:18supporting Mary, supporting her in her
49:22postpartum blues, supporting the baby
49:25when he was sick. I can see him teaching
49:28the child the skills. I can see him
49:32being faithful to God. WHEN GOD SAID,
49:35"Take the child to Egypt." He didn't
49:37say, "How Lord?" He got up. He saddled
49:40the donkey and he moved the family to
49:43Egypt. When God said, "Come back to
49:46Israel, but don't go to Bethlehem where
49:48you come from. I want you to go to
49:52Galilee." I feel the Holy Ghost. Go to
49:55Nazareth. I feel God in here. He obeyed
49:58God and he moved at the commandment of
50:01the Lord. Everything that God told him,
50:04he obeyed God. Not one word came from
50:08his mouth in the page of scripture. But
50:10he was stable. But he was steady. But he
50:14was faithful. But he was the foundation
50:17that Jesus built on for 30 years before
50:21coming out to launch his ministry. Am I
50:23talking to anybody here? or whatever
50:26time it WAS BEFORE JOSEPH DIED, HE DIED
50:29FAITHFUL. I feel the Holy Ghost in here.
50:32I wish I had somebody in the house say,
50:34"Whatever you call me, make sure to call
50:37me faithful because this year I'm
50:40PLANNING TO BE FAITHFUL TO GOD."
50:46HALLELUJAH. As I wind down this message,
50:50Pope Francis commenting on the life of
50:52Joseph, he said this quote, "Each of us
50:54can discover in Joseph the man who goes
50:58unnoticed, a daily discrete and hidden
51:01presence, an intercessor, a support and
51:04a guide in times of trouble." Joseph
51:07reminds us that those who appear hidden
51:10or in the shadows can play an
51:13incomparable role in the history of
51:15salvation.
51:17Come here, church. Your name may not be
51:20up in lights. You may never hold a
51:22microphone in your hand, but do I have
51:25some people in the house that WILL SAY
51:27TO GOD, "If you need me, I'll be working
51:30in the field. If the pastor never CALLS
51:33MY NAME, I'LL BE working in the field.
51:35If I get no pat on the back, I'll be
51:38working in the field. If they dismiss me
51:40like they dismiss Joseph, I'LL BE
51:42WORKING in the field.
51:45>> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let me close
51:48this message. Hallelujah. As the praise
51:51singers get ready to sing, let me close
51:53this message. Joseph gave up the normal
51:56life he had planned for himself. Why?
51:59Because one day an angel came to the
52:02town where they were and disrupted them
52:05by calling them into service. Come here
52:08Zion. Whoever you are in this househ you
52:11may be feeling a divine disruption
52:14because God I know this sermon might be
52:16making you uncomfortable because you
52:18wish I preached something else,
52:20something more festive, but this is the
52:24word of God. Receive it. I feel the Holy
52:28Ghost in here. Receive God's word in
52:31your heart. RECEIVE GOD'S WORD. God is
52:34saying the normal life, the com
52:38comfortable life that you have planned
52:41to carry on with business as usual that
52:44don't cut it anymore. That can't go any
52:46further. I'm calling you to a higher
52:49place of praise. I'm calling you to a
52:52higher service. Is there anybody in this
52:55place THAT WILL SAY YES LORD?
53:00HALLELUJAH. I know the yes will cause me
53:03my dis cause me some discomfort. But I
53:06say yes Lord. I feel the Holy Ghost in
53:09here. Let me close here. Let me close.
53:12As I close I want to speak to I want to
53:15speak to three groups of people here. I
53:17want to speak first of all hear me. I
53:19need you to hear me in this house. I
53:21want to speak to our committed core of
53:23people. As I was preparing the sermon, I
53:26felt the leading of the Lord. Can I talk
53:28to our committed core to those who show
53:31up for everything almost everything that
53:34goes on here at Pentecostal Tabernacle?
53:36You are involved in it. And it's not
53:39just now. You've been involved for much
53:42of the 30 years of our history. God is
53:44saying to you, you are the unsung heroes
53:47in the room. I feel the Holy Ghost. You
53:50are the background pillars. You are the
53:53foundation. And you know that when
53:56you're building a househ, the house is
53:58nothing without the foundation. You go
54:01down to Biscane Bay right now and you
54:04pull away the foundation and those
54:06beautiful buildings will crumble to the
54:09ground. You don't see the foundation. I
54:12feel God in here. People, tourists don't
54:15come to take pictures of the foundation.
54:17No, they take pictures of the walls, but
54:20without the foundations, the walls could
54:22not be there. Elder Mag, oh God, I feel
54:26you here. Elder Miller and your spouse,
54:28to all the leaders in this place who
54:32keep on showing up, let me tell you, God
54:36takes record of your service. Heaven
54:39takes notice. I feel him in here,
54:42Brother Vernell. I feel like preaching
54:44in this house. I SAID, "GOD is keeping
54:48records." Oh, God. Oh, God. You ought to
54:52lift your hand IN THE HOUSE RIGHT NOW
54:54AND SAY, "GOD KNOWS. He knows my
54:57service. He knows MY REWARD. BE NOT
55:00DISMAYED. WHATEVER BE TIED BECAUSE GOD
55:06IS KEEPING RECORDS.
55:10I feel you, Holy Ghost. Keep on serving.
55:13Come on foundation members, keep on
55:16serving. Keep on giving your best to the
55:19Lord. If you have failed, if you have
55:22tried and failed in your trying, hurt
55:26and confused from the work you have
55:29done, take up your cross and run quickly
55:32to meet him. For he will understand and
55:37he will say, "Well done." I FEEL GOD IN
55:41HERE. HE'LL SAY, "WELL DONE."
55:45>> I feel the Holy Ghost in here. But
55:47there's another group I want to talk to
55:49in here. Thank you, foundation members.
55:52I'm not talking about those who have
55:53been here from 1996. No, I'm talking
55:56about those who own every vision. Every
56:00vision we've casted, you clutch it as
56:01yours and you say, "I'm committed to
56:04bringing the vision to pass." Thank you.
56:07You are the foundation. You are the
56:09pillars on whom God is building and will
56:12continue to build. But there's another
56:14group in this house. The uncommitted.
56:16Yes. Yes. Yes. I'm talking to you. You
56:18know yourself. You are satisfied just
56:21coming here Sunday after Sunday sitting
56:24on the pews criticizing everything but
56:27doing nothing in the house of the Lord.
56:28Let me tell you this is the season to
56:32get your act together. I wish I could be
56:35politically correct. I said this is the
56:37season. This is the season to count the
56:40cost. This is the season to take up your
56:44cross and to follow Jesus. This is the
56:47season to put your HAND TO THE PLOW.
56:49THIS IS THE SEASON.
56:53HALLELUJAH. You have no excuse now.
56:55Hallelujah. I feel the Holy Ghost here.
56:58It's no longer time to sit on the
57:00sidelines and watch everybody carry the
57:02weight while you frolic and enjoy
57:04yourself skipping and dipping and
57:06enjoying the Kool-Aid. Am I talking to
57:08anybody here? God is saying, "Quit
57:11playing around. STOP PLAYING GAMES. TIME
57:14OUT for play games. TIME OUT FOR PLAYING
57:17GAMES. IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR ACT
57:20together
57:22>> and get in the game
57:25to those who are not saved. Hallelujah.
57:27you are unsaved. Let me tell you this.
57:31Every time you think about the Christmas
57:33season, remember it's a time of
57:35sacrifice. Remember that the sacrifice
57:37Joseph and Mary made was so that the
57:40savior could come. So that you could be
57:43saved, not just to get gifts and put up
57:45lies. No, he came to save his people
57:50from their sins. You need the name of
57:52Jesus on you. For there is no other name
57:54that brings salvation. You need his name
57:56in water baptism. You need his name in
57:59the Holy Ghost. You need the Holy Ghost
58:01that overshadowed Mary. Oh God, I feel I
58:06I want to stop when my soul is on fire.
58:08I SAID YOU NEED THE LORD.
58:12>> HALLELUJAH. Stand with me in the house,
58:14everybody. Stand with me in the house,
58:16everybody. On this last Sunday of the
58:20year 2025, hallelujah. Hallelujah. God
58:24is asking this question to Pentecostal
58:27Tabernacle and to everybody gathered in
58:30here for the second service like he did
58:32the first service. He's asking, "Can I
58:34disrupt your plan for 2026?"
58:37Is there room in your plan for divine
58:40disruption? Can I redirect your life to
58:43bring my will to pass? That's what God
58:45is asking. And he's saying to you, why
58:48don't you take the example of Joseph and
58:50Mary, count the cost, feel the
58:52disturbance in your soul, feel the
58:55trouble. Know it's going to cost you
58:57something, but still say, I say yes,
58:59Lord.
59:01I say yes, Lord. Hallelujah. To your
59:04will and to your ways.
59:06Hallelujah. I'm afraid that sometimes
59:09the imagery that Jesus wanted to invoke
59:11in our minds when he said to us, "Take
59:14up your cross and follow me."
59:16Hallelujah. We take up the Hollywood
59:18cross, the one that we can get down off
59:21after the scene is ended. We take up the
59:24cross that we can put down, my God, when
59:28the play is over and our lines are
59:30rehearsed. And we can put it down when
59:33they say cut, we put it down. But no,
59:36when Jesus said, "Take up the cross,"
59:38that's not what he meant.
59:40Hallelujah. When Jesus in the time of
59:43Jesus, when you saw somebody walking
59:46past with a cross on their shoulders,
59:49they were not coming back.
59:52When they went with a cross on their
59:54shoulders and perhaps soldiers behind
59:56them whipping them along the way, it
59:58meant they weren't coming back. Is there
60:00anybody here that can say, "I'm not
60:02going back. I'm not going back. Come on,
60:05Pentam. Come on. Come on. God is seeking
60:08for a new commitment in the house. Is
60:10there anybody here who your prayer of
60:13surrender right now is, I'm not going
60:15back to the way life used to be. I'm not
60:18going back to the comforts of 2025. I am
60:21going to take up my cross and I'm going
60:24to serve Jesus. If you're already
60:26serving him, thank you. Keep on going.
60:28Keep on going stronger and going higher.
60:31But for those who are still on the
60:32sidelines, God is saying to you, count
60:36the cost.
60:38Count the cost. Hallelujah. Take up your
60:40cross. The cross that says, I'm never
60:43going back. Hallelujah. I'm not going
60:45back to ordinary. I'm not going back to
60:47ideal.
60:49I'm going to the incarnational life. I'm
60:52going to the kingdom life. The will of
60:55God will be seen in me. And though it
60:58may cause me some pain, hallelujah,
61:02hallelujah, I shall find my life again
61:05if I just lose myself. Oh, glory to God.
61:11Hey, God. She and find it in you. Oh,
61:15glory. Praise singers. In fact, I feel
61:17like that is a song. Let me lose myself
61:20and find it Lord in thee. Oh, glory to
61:24God. Anybody know the song? Let me lose
61:27myself. Hallelujah.
61:29Let my friends see only thee. And though
61:32it caused me some grief and pain, BUT I
61:35SHALL FIND MY LIFE again if I lose
61:39myself.
61:44And find it Lorde.
61:49Yes. And find it Lord in thee. It's an
61:54old song. May all self be slain. Yes.
62:00>> May all self be slain.
62:04>> My friends
62:05>> see only thee.
62:08>> God. Hallelujah.
62:12>> Yes. Yes. Though it caused me grief and
62:15pain.
62:17>> It caused me grief and pain.
62:21>> I'll find my life again. I will find my
62:25life
62:27again.
62:28>> If I lose myself,
62:30>> if I lose
62:32myself and find it
62:34>> and find it, Lord,
62:38>> think upon the words and lift up your
62:40voice and say it in the house. Let me
62:42lose myself.
62:44>> Let me let me lose myself
62:48and find it.
62:50Let me lose my plans and find the Lord
62:53in thee. Oh hallelujah. The altar is
62:56open to anybody who wants to come. If
62:58you need the Holy Ghost, come. If you
63:00want to be baptized in Jesus name, come
63:02my friends.
63:04The only thing the only
63:13cause
63:17and pain
63:19>> I will find
63:21>> I will find my life
63:25again.
63:26If I lose myself,
63:28>> if I lose myself
63:32and find it, Lord
63:35in thee.
63:37>> Let's sing it again. If I lose myself,
63:41>> let me let me lose myself
63:46and find Lord in thee.
63:53>> Yes. Let all Let our salvation
64:00my friends
64:02see all
64:06>> Yes Lord.
64:08>> Yes Lord.
64:09>> Though
64:11it cost
64:12>> cause be grief
64:14>> be grief and pain.
64:17>> I'll find my life.
64:18>> I will find my life again.
64:23If I can just lose myself
64:28>> and find it
64:30>> find.
64:33>> Let's do one more time. Let me lose
64:35myself in this season.
64:38>> Let me
64:40lose myself
64:43and find
64:47me.
64:50>> Let all self be slain.
64:53Let our self be slain. My friends, my
64:58friends see all
65:06>> and
65:10be
65:12and
65:14>> I'll find my life.
65:15>> I will find my life
65:19again. If I just lose myself,
65:22>> if I lose myself
65:26and find
65:30me,
65:31>> I'll say yes.
65:36>> I say yes,
65:39>> Lord.
65:40Yes.
65:42>> To your will
65:45>> and to your way. Yes. I'll say yes,
65:52>> Lord. Yes.
65:54>> Give him your unreserved yes today.
65:55>> I will.
65:56>> I'll trust you
65:58>> and oy
66:00>> when your spirit
66:01>> When your spirit
66:04>> speaks to me
66:04>> speaks to me
66:06>> with my whole heart.
66:07>> With my whole heart I agree.
66:12>> And my answer
66:13>> And my answer will be yes. Yes,
66:19Lord. Yes.
66:21>> Think about it today. Give him an
66:22unreserved yes. I say yes.
66:24>> I'll say yes,
66:27>> Lord. Yes.
66:30>> To your will and to your way.
66:34>> I'll say yes, Lord. Yes. And I will
66:40trust you and obey
66:43when your spirit seeks to be
66:47>> with my whole heart.
66:48>> With my whole heart, I agree.
66:52>> And my answer,
66:53>> my answer will be yes.
66:56>> Yes, Lord. Lord, yes. I say yes. I say
67:02yes,
67:03>> Lord. Yes. do your will and do your way.
67:09And I say yes, Lord. Yes. I will trust
67:14you and obey. And when your spirit
67:19speaks to me with my whole heart, I'll
67:24agree. And my answer will be yes, Lord.
67:30Yes.
67:31>> Verse one. Lord, I give you. Lord, I
67:34give you all the glory for what? For
67:38what you've gi me. You fill my life.
67:42>> You fill my life until I overflow.
67:48All I am. All I am is yours to you. Yes,
67:52Lord. In any way you choose.
67:57You're the Lord of
67:59how can I say no?
68:04I'll say yes, Lord. Yes.
68:08Your will and do your way.
68:11>> Will I say yes, Lord? Yes. And I will
68:16trust you.
68:19>> And when your spirit speaks to me with
68:24my whole heart, I agree.
68:27>> And my answer will be yes, Lord. Yes.
68:34>> If I never knew, if I never knew the
68:37fool
68:39>> of living in your will, I'd never know.
68:43I never knew how rich my life could be.
68:50>> In my willingness to serve,
68:54>> it's the least that you deserve.
68:58For all the blessings you have showed
69:01down on me.
69:05So I say yes Lord to your will
69:09>> to your will.
69:13I say yes Lord yes and I will trust you
69:19and
69:21>> yours
69:23will be
69:24>> with my heart my whole heart
69:27>> and my answer my answer will be yes.
69:33If I never knew. If I never knew. If I
69:36never knew,
69:36>> I never knew the fullness
69:40of living in your will.
69:42>> I'd never known.
69:44>> I never know how rich my life would be.
69:51>> And my willingness to search is the
69:55least
69:55>> is the least that you deserve
69:58>> for the blessings. for the blessing
70:00>> you have showered down.
70:01>> Shower down on me.
70:03>> And this is what I want to say that
70:05God's called. I say yes,
70:08>> Lord. Say yes to your
70:10>> to your will. Your will and to your way.
70:13>> Oh, I say yes.
70:17>> I will trust you.
70:18>> Trust you and your
70:21>> And when your spirit speaks to me
70:24>> with my whole heart,
70:26>> my whole heart I agree. And my answer
70:29>> And my answer
70:31>> will be yes, Lord. Yes.
70:35>> Say it again. I say yes.
70:36>> I'll say yes, Lord. Yes.
70:39>> To your will. To your will. To your will
70:41and to your way.
70:45>> Say yes.
70:47>> I will trust you. Trust you and your
70:52>> spirit speaks to me.
70:55>> With my whole heart.
70:56>> With my whole heart. Hallelujah. Oh, and
70:59my answer will be
71:03glor.
71:04>> Let's see it one last time.
71:06>> I say yes.
71:07>> I say yes.
71:08>> Your prayer
71:10>> to your will. Your will and to your
71:13will.
71:13>> Oh, I
71:16say yes. Hallelujah.
71:19I trust you
71:21that when your spirit speaks to me with
71:26my whole heart
71:28and my
71:29>> and my answer will be yes
71:35>> and my answer
71:37>> and my answer will
71:39>> will be yes
71:42>> and my answer
71:43>> and my answer
71:45>> and my answer
71:46>> my answer will be Yes, Lord. Yes.
71:51>> Hallelujah.
71:54>> Hallelujah.
71:56>> Does anybody have an unreserved yes for
71:59him?
72:00>> Says yes.
72:02>> Yes.
72:04>> Says yes.
72:05>> Says yes.
72:07>> Thank you, Lord. My soul,
72:09>> my soul says yes
72:15to your
72:21soul says yes
72:25says yes.
72:26>> Says yes.
72:28>> Says yes.
72:31>> My
72:33soul says yes.
72:37says yes to your will to your soul says
72:42yes. My soul says my soul says
72:50yes.
72:57My soul says yes.
72:59>> It says yes.
73:01>> Says
73:04to you.
73:05>> Where you lead me I'll follow. Yes.
73:10>> Where you lead me. Lord, I will follow.
73:14I will follow.
73:15>> When you call me, when you call me, I
73:18will answer. I will answer. Oh my Lord,
73:24please teach me how to know your way.
73:31God,
73:33>> where you lead me, I will I will follow.
73:38>> Where you call me, where you call me.
73:41Hallelujah.
73:43>> Hallelujah.