In our text today, we are dealing with Joseph and his family. We must go back to chapter 37 when Joseph dreams his dreams of greatness. In chapter 37 Joseph tells his brothers the dream. His brothers response to him in v.8 is, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" Joseph goes on and dream another dream. This time he dreamed that the sun, the moon and the elevens stars made obeisance to him. Joseph this time told the dream to his father and brothers and his father rebuked him and said to him: "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"
Later in the text of Genesis 37, we see that Joseph are sold by his brothers. His brothers plot several schemes and tactics to kill him. Back to Genesis 39, we see that Joseph is a slave in Egypt.
I would like to introduce the message to you. The message titled; "I’m 2 Legit 2 Quit" allows the listeners who are here today to know; that God will never leave you nor forsake you. You should never give up on God because he has never failed you yet. Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, "The race is not given to the swift nor the strong, but to him who endures to the end."
I like that fact that in the midst of Joseph trials and temptations, he never gave up. I also like the fact that whatever Joseph attemted, he succeeded. If God is for you, I don’t care who tries to hinder the flow of God’s blessings. God will not allow nothing and no one to block the flow of the blessings of God. I don’t care what stumbling blocks man may try to put in your way, if the hand of God is upon you, man just need to back back because my God shall suppy all of my needs according to his riches in glory. I don’t have to kiss up to nobody and I don’t have to play Uncle Tom to receive the blessings of God. I can be myself and do the will of God and get what God has for me.
In our society, young people are fooled by many things. Young people are indulging in many things that have caused them to miss the flow of God’s blessings. To discuss some of these issues today, they are:
I.SEX. Sex is one thing that we are afraid to discuss in the church. We would rather the schools and the television to educate our young people. I am nighteen and I must tell you something, the television and the schools are advocating sex and teaching our young people about condoms and birth control. This is not educating, this is advocating. Sex as we look in the bible, defines and lets us know that it is not a bad thing. The bible describes sex as a good and great thing made for man and woman who are married. Young lady, if you don’t have no ring on your finger and that young man you are dating can’t take you out of your mama’s house and provide for you, keep your legs closed. I am tired of couseling young ladies who are abused and scared because they let these platted-hair, baggy, butt showing pants wearing boys mess there lives up. I am sick of these no good boys who are not about anything messing up these young ladies lives. It is time for my young ladies to fight back and keep themselves clean for there husbands. I told the Lord a long time ago, "Lord, I will wait on you!" I can say that at the age of nighteen, I have never had sex in my life with nobody. This is not to be braggadacious, it is to be thankful because not too many young people can say this. To my ladies, I can’t leave you out. The reason that we males have so many problems and we have to stay on the altar is because you can’t stop wearing clothes that entice our eyes. If your body is shaped like a Coca-Cola, you must know, these eyes that we males have travel faster than Delta Airlines. I get sick and tired of young ladies blaming the man for everything. We are the dogs and we are no good because everytime you want some money, we don’t give it to you, we are dogs and no good. McDonald’s is hiring everyday, if you want some money, GO AND GET YOU A J-O-B! Stop sitting around waiting on the first and third of the month to come. Get your behind up on tomorrow morning, which is Monday and go get your behind a job.
II. PEER PRESSURE.
Peer Pressure is another factor that keeps young people to quit. Your son and daughter mother are not doing what you taught them most of the time, they are doing what the world has taught them. That is why you can’t credit a child’s behavior and actions to his mother and father. Mother and father have done there job well. You have never gone without eating, clothing, and clean water to bathe in. Do you know what I have learned, we youth of today have it made. We don’t have to wash dishes, we have a dishwasher, we don’t mow the lawn, we hire lawn management, we don’t have to cook, we call Pizza Hut delivery. We have it made and we don’t even appreciate it. If you only knew what it took for mama and grandma, you couldn’t survive. Today young people, we are talking back, cursing our parents, and doing whatever we are big enough to do. Don’t you know that mama knew better. Mama would have been trying to find her teeth from off of the floor. Kids today are terrible.
III. RELATIONSHIPS.
It bothers me how the good girls always like the bad guys. I see this frequently. The girls who are good and got something going for themselves won’t date guys like me who are doing good with there lives. Girls will go and date a joker ain’t got nothing and who ain’t trying to be nothing. Relationships is where the process of sex, and peer pressure begins. A pretty, smart, and intelligent young lady don’t have sex on her mind until slick Johnny comes along. She starts cursing, talking back, and opening her legs everyday of the week. As soon as slick Johnny gets her pregnant, he forgets she lives on Martin Luther King Blvd. Mothers, I got to continue and finish, but let me tell you when your daughters have been hurt. When a boy has hurt your daughter, she goes and shut up in her room and starts playing slow, love songs. She plays Musiq Soulchild and his song is "Love." She plays all of Jagged Edge songs because these songs are to relieve her of her hurt when she don’t realize that the pain is going to be there until she lets it out. This young lady actions beign to change. She never wants to date another boy in her life and she will always keep herself distant from everybody else.
These things are just a few of the things that teens face on a day-to-day basis. It is sad because young people are not being led by God, but by the enemy.
I am 2 LEGIT 2 QUIT. I realize that God hadn’t brought me this far to leave me. I realize that the road has not been easy and I have not had an easy journey. Through dainger toils and snare, I kept my mind stayed on Jesus.
In Genesis 39, we find that Potiphar’s wife tries to subduced Joseph. This is the area where many males would have lost there religion and laid it down for a few minutes. How many of you know, you can’t lay your religion down?" Even though many of you don’t have a religion to lay down, but anyway, we found that Joseph trials are becoming more tempting.
First his family denies him, second, his brothers tries to get him killed by selling him as a slave, and now Potiphar’s wife is trying to subduced him.
Before we go any further, we must understand that v.2 of Genesis 39 is so powerful. "The Lord was with Joseph...." I don’t need to finish the sentence, that right there is enough to shout on. I need to say that again, "The Lord was with Joseph..." I know somebody will get it about three in the morning, "The Lord was with Joseph..." I will say it again because somebody in here is about to get there breakthrough, "The Lord was with Joseph..." This statement is so powerful. When you are going through "HELL" at your job, "THE LORD IS WITH YOU!" When your next door neighbor or your church member don’t like you, "THE LORD IS WITH YOU!" When you are tried and tempted by life’s wickedness, "THE LORD IS WITH YOU!" I don’t have anything to worry about because "THE LORD IS WITH ME." Look at three people sitting around you and say, "THE LORD IS WITH ME!"
Some of yall don’t need to say it, because God don’t even know you. We should have told you, "THE DEVIL IS WITH YOU!" Do you remember last week when you told that lie on your sister? The Lord wasn’t with you, it was the devil.
Here we find that Joseph was successful at whatever he did because the Lord was with him. We see Potiphar’s wife bringing her Jezebel self to try and distract this man of God’s focus. Young people be careful! The devil will send you just what you want to try and block your focus of God. DO NOT YIELD TO THE FLESH! Please don’t allow the enemy’s tricks to knock your focus of El Elyon. We see Potiphar’s wife at her best. She in our times had on some Victoria’s Secret and a nice tight dress. She had a Coca-Cola body and she had everything in place. She looked better than Tyra Banks and she was the BOMB! I can see you guys now saying, "I would have said: LORD FORGIVE ME!" I see where some of your minds are going already. Anyhow, she came to Joseph with cunning words and her sexy talk.
Joseph stood up to her and let her know just who he served and what type of man he was. Many of us males would have taken the opportunity and we would have allowed the devil to trick us into missing the blessings of God.
Joseph stood his ground and he ran because he was standing up for what he believed. So what guys if these girls call you punks and sissies. If I got to be a punk because I didn’t lay down with you and your nasty body, I’ll be a punk. Listen young people, everytime you lay down and have sex you are going against the temple of God. The bible says in Hebrews 13:4, "Marriage is honourable and the bed is undefiled." Everytime you let Tom, Dick, and Harry lay with you, I Corithians chapter 6 calls you a harlot. Do you know what a harlot is? A harlot ain’t nothing but a whore and we have several of them in here today.
Lord, these people ain’t going to like me up in here. Look at your neighbor and say, "It’s the truth anyhow." Joseph stood his ground because he knew that the reward would be rewarding.
He ran and left his garment in her hand. Potiphar’s wife lied and said that he raped her. Joseph was thrown into prison and this is what I like. When man ty to put there foot on you and lie on you, God blesses you with favor. Joseph was so in tune with God’s program that he was given favor in the jail.
I’m 2 LEGIT 2 QUIT. The Lord has brought me too far to turn around. Young people, I couldn’t finish my sermon, but I want you to understand that God is wanting you to know that you don’t have to give up, stay strong and realize: HE HAS NEVER LEFT YOU YET!
