Watch “How to Be an Overcomer” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel.
the following program is sponsored by
friends and partners of Kingdom
connection I want to talk to you today
on the subject of how to be an overcomer
Joseph is the perfect type of you and I
the believer and his story is told in
the coats that he wore
he wore the coat of many colors and I’m
going to call that today the coat of
salvation he wore the coat of Christian
character it’s the coat that he left in
the hand of the woman who wanted him to
commit adultery with him and then there
was finally the coat that Pharaoh put on
him and made him to write second in the
chariot it’s the coat of the overcomer
and this story is a message to you and I
on how to overcome no matter what life
throws at us let’s look at that first
coat in Genesis chapter 37 and verse 3
it says now Jacob loved Joseph more than
all of his children and he made him a
coat of many colours the coat of
salvation was noticed first of all it
was a gift from the father notice that
Joseph never paid a penny for it
he never provided one inch of fabric for
it he never sewed one stitch in it he
did nothing to contribute to that coat
that coat was a free gift from the
father to the son it’s a beautiful
picture of salvation 21 times the New
Testament calls our salvation the gift
of God no one in this room will stand
before God and say look what Jesus and I
did if you have can produce one cents
worth of your salvation that makes you a
co-redeemer with jesus christ and it
nullifies the work of the cross if he’s
in chapter 4 and verse 32 said God for
Christ’s sake hath forgiven us if you
ever learn that that God doesn’t forgive
you because you deserve it or you earn
it but God for Christ’s sake has
forgiven you it’s a free guilt the code
of salvation 1st Corinthians 1
in verse 30 says what do you have that
he did not give you or that you did not
receive and the answer is absolutely
nothing there’s an interesting scripture
in the Old Testament that says this is
said and when lot was in Sodom and
Gomorrah God remembered Abraham and
spared lot seems like it’s written wrong
it seems like it’s just the God
remembered lot and God spared lot but
when God opened up heaven and poured
hell out and judgment fell on Sodom and
Gomorrah the Bible said the only reason
that lot was spared and brought out was
because he had a praying friend up in
the mountains named Abraham and God
spared lot because of Abraham well
that’s our testimony today the only
reason and claim that we have to
salvation is that because of our praying
friend in the mountains of glory named
Jesus he’s a friend that sticks closer
than her brother and because of him God
will remember me and he’s going to
translate me out of this world transport
me into God’s presence transfigure me
into God’s image and because of what
Jesus did it’s a gift from the father
I have own today the coat of salvation I
didn’t earn it it’s a free gift and all
you’ve got to do is take it notice
something else about the coat of
salvation it’s called the coat of many
colors it was skillfully pieced together
by the hand of the Father
the father put it together from the
beginning the father had a plan I want
you to understand that our salvation is
not an accident and the cross was not an
afterthought as a matter of fact before
there was ever a sinner on earth there
was a savior in heaven because he was
the Lamb of God that was slain before
the foundation of the earth was ever
laid do you know the Book of Isaiah said
that your name is in God’s hand and that
as he stands our attorney Jesus Christ
before the throne of God on our behalf
interceding he has your name in my name
written in his hand not only was it a
coat that was pieced together and it was
a free gift from
father but notice something else it was
a full-length coat complete with long
sleeves it had total coverage the coat
that saved Joseph was blood stained in
the blood of a goat and our coat of
salvation is blood stained it’s stained
by the blood of the Lamb of God that
takes away the sins of the world as a
matter of fact what can wash away my
sins nothing but the blood of Jesus what
can make me whole again
nothing but the blood of Jesus if you
take the blood out of the Bible it
becomes nothing more than a boring
history book if you take the blood out
of this church it becomes nothing more
than a dead corpse if you take the blood
out of the preaching of the gospel men
walk away condemned and on their way to
hell but through the blood and the word
of our testimony we are more than
conquerors through Jesus Christ I’m
thankful for a blood dilt coat of
salvation how about you
the second coat that I want to introduce
you to is the code of Christian
character now I want you to understand
that Potiphar had a young wife
Potiphar was the chief executioner for
Pharaoh and he had a beautiful young
wife she was beautiful she was lonely
she was bored and she was fooled on the
other hand Joseph was handsome he was
rugged he was every inch of man and he
had sterling character and this woman
when she saw him he had the power of the
presence with character the Bible said
five times God was with Joseph he had
the power of God’s presence but he had
character and she said her eyes the
scripture said she set her eyes on him
she was attracted to him and she went
after him to seduce him repeatedly and
over and over the Bible says but Joseph
refused finally one day when the house
was empty the stage was set she moved in
for the kill
and she said sleep with me she offered
him her body and he refused he ran from
her and this bitter disillusion rejected
woman suddenly screamed rape and as he
ran she grabbed his coat and she held
the coat as evidence that he had been
there and Potiphar came home and didn’t
even hear the other side of the story
and instantly condemned Joseph to prison
for 13 years but God was with Joseph in
the prison for 13 years he suffered and
his name which was was slandered and he
was lied on and he was broken and hurt
and done wrong for something that he
wasn’t even guilty on now listen to me
carefully every believer has two coats
the first coat is the code of salvation
and God’s responsible for that but the
second coat is the coat of Christian
character and your
responsible for that code there are two
sides to the proposition of Christian
living there is your position in Christ
that’s what Jesus did on the cross when
he when he went to the cross and he paid
the price for our sins that’s your
position in Christ but then there is
your condition in Christ and that’s how
you respond to what you do and you let
your light shine before men it’s your
actions
there’s imputed righteousness that’s
when Jesus goes to the bank of Calvary
makes a withdrawal from the riches of
the Cross and freely feels your account
up with His grace
that’s imputed righteousness but then
there’s practical righteousness and
that’s when you practice your faith by
the lifestyle that you live you let your
light shine you do not compromise you
let the world see the second coat that
I’m different to make a difference that
I could sleep with that girl but I don’t
because I have character and integrity I
could go to that party and get drunk and
get wild but I don’t because Christ has
made a difference in my life and they
may never see your first coat but they
will see the second coat the coat of
Christian character let’s do some plain
talking about temptation for just a few
moments since you’re so quiet if you
don’t deal with temptation temptation
will deal with you I don’t care who you
are from 8 to 80 we’re all the same all
of us every day of our lives will face
temptation and dishonest Christians are
ashamed to admit that they’re tempted
Christians and rather seem spiritual
than admit they’re being tempted let’s
tear away the pretense this morning
first Corinthians 10 and verse 13 says
that we’re all the same in that amazing
that no temptation has taken you such as
is common to all we’re all the same
blind crippled or crazy we’re all the
same we all have this flesh
and we’re all in the same boat somebody
said well I doubt a preacher knows how
to deal listen the higher you climb up
the mountain the stronger the wind blows
I probably know more than you think I
know why does God permit temptation can
I give you four quick reasons number one
to reveal our weaknesses God will not
allow us to live with an outsized
opinion of ourselves and just about when
you get to thinking that you’re mr.
wonderful or mrs. godly two-shoes you
know walking around oh I’m so holy God
will allow temptation to come to show
you just how weak you are without his
grace and without his help if you had a
told David that he would commit adultery
that he would create a bunch of lies and
steal another man’s wife and then have
that man murdered and then spend lies
like a whale to try to cover his
deception on his heyday when he was on
top of the world after he just fought
Goliath in the name of the Lord he would
have looked at you and said that’s crazy
I’ll never mess up like that if you
hadn’t told Peter one day you’re gonna
you’re gonna deny Christ three times
within a 24-hour period he would have
said those other leaven are losers and
they’ll fail you but I’m your homerun
King God and you don’t have to worry
about me I’m holier than they are but
later you see them after they fall and
their weakness is revealed and David
cries shame has covered my face and
Peter goes and weeps bitterly I’m saying
to you mr. wonderful be careful the fact
is some of us if some of us had not
failed nobody could live with us because
we would be so full of us that we would
forget that it’s God’s grace and God’s
power that helps us live this life it’s
in our brokenness that we lose our pride
with your gift of $30 or more you may
request the joyful life gift set
featuring the gift is in you an
oversized coffee table book of
inspiration Plus Jenson Franklin new to
CD set including the secret to joyful
living and the restoration of joy the
great fear of this generation is not
death or disease it’s I’m afraid for one
second I’m gonna get quiet and stealing
in that society God says be still and
know turn it all off and know that I am
gone but in his presence there is
fullness of joy and at his right hand
there is pleasure forevermore for more
information visit Jensen Franklin org or
call us at 888 eight eight eight three
four seventy three I want to teach you
the secrets to joyful living you’ve been
down and depressed and discouraged but
there’s a spirit of joy that’s going to
be released in your life as you hear
these messages another reason that God
permits temptation listen to this is to
reveal to you and I the need for
watchfulness we need to be watchful
there’s a little boy who was fishing on
a rock out at the ocean and he and and
the waves came up and and the tide hit
his legs and somehow he lost his footing
and he slipped into the water went all
the way under and came up gasping for
breath shivering in the freezing breeze
of the of the ocean air and came up out
of that water soaking wet tackle box and
all on a older man watched the whole
thing and walked over to him and said
how did you come to fall in he said I
didn’t come to fall in I came to fish I
just fell in while I was fishing hello
we didn’t come to do it we just it just
happens and when it happens it reveals
your weakness you take your eye off the
compass and the tide of carnality pooj
your footing out from under you and
suddenly if you’re not watchful you will
fall I’m saying to you today you better
live alert you’d better be awake the
bead for watchfulness its while Saul
slept that David crept into the cave and
cut his skirt off and still and took his
staff and went across the valley and
said I could have killed you while you
were sleeping it’s while he slept its
while Samson slept that he received the
most expensive haircut in human history
and Delilah cut the seven locks of power
off but it happened while he slept
it was while cesira slept the Philistine
King that that woman took the tent peg
Jael and she drove it through his spike
spike this head to the ground and killed
the powerful king of the Philistines and
what I’m saying to you is if we are to
protect our anointing if we ought to
protect our positions if we are to
protect our families if we are to
protect our integrity and our character
we better stay awake Jesus said watch
and pray that you enter not into
temptation you cannot afford to come to
church and have a sleepy spirit I’m not
talking about physical sleep I’m talking
about spiritual sleep that allows you to
be dulled and bored with your walk with
God stay awake and stay on fire come on
you need to be alert the enemy is
seeking whom he may devour
be aware of it turn to somebody and say
watch and pray thirdly God permits
temptation especially for self-made
people to force them into a position of
trust and dependence again there’s
something about us the more that you Pat
us on the back the bigger our head
swells the more success we get the
less we depend on God there was a large
portly man who was bragging about his
business achievements and he’s very
large and very heavy and he said yes
I’ve done this and I’ve done that and
I’m a self-made man and a little boy
heard it and looked up and said what’d
you make yourself like that for so this
is a special word to the self-made
people out there Deuteronomy 32 and
verse 11 tells us how God gets people in
a position of trust independence again
as an eagle flutters over her young and
stirs up her nests so the Lord guided
and developed Israel and what I’m saying
to you is sometimes we pray God deliver
me and God says no I’m not going to
deliver you I’m going to develop you and
the only way God can get us to advance
is through adversity and we’re more
interested in comfort than we are
character but God’s not we’re crying
take me out and God says no I’m going to
take you through but when you get
through with this you’re gonna have
wings and you’re gonna know how to fly
and you’re gonna know how to depend on
me and you’re gonna know that I am your
source and without me you can do nothing
clap your hands somebody it’s God in you
that works – both will and do his good
pleasure and lastly the reason why God
permits temptation is to teach you
listen to this to starve the flesh and
feed the spirit you can’t hear that
phrase enough everybody say it with me
now starve the flesh feed the spirit you
see if you hold a post-mortem over the
greatest defeats in your life you would
discover in the debris a broken down
altar and a closed Bible and cut off
communication with God every time
when you have a broken-down order you no
longer praying and you’re no longer
opening that book and you’re no longer
communicating to God that is a setup for
tremendous failure but when we
understand that we rebuild the altar and
restore the Word of God to our life in a
daily diet then we discover that week
can become strong it takes 150 degrees
to make 10 it takes 500 degrees to make
brass it takes 1100 and 30 degrees to
make silver and it takes 1400 degrees to
make gold do you want to be a 10
Christian or do you want to be a gold
Christian and if you want to be a gold
Christian God’s gonna turn the heat up
until all the scum rises to the top he’s
gonna skim it off and skim it off and
skim it off until he sees his reflection
and you look like he looks and you think
like he thinks and you act like he acts
and you live like he lives that’s how
it’s happened
I close with this Genesis 41 in verse 41
the coat of salvation is the gift from
the father the code of Christian
character is your responsibility
and every time you resist sin and every
time you do right God sees it and lastly
there’s the code of the overcomer
well what did Joseph have to overcome he
had to overcome hatred from his own
brothers his hatred and unforgiveness
that he could have harbored but he had
to overcome because it was his own
family and the Bible said a man’s
enemies would be in his own house his
greatest enemies he had to overcome
temptation of the worst kind he had to
overcome slander they lied on him they
drugged his name through the mud he had
to overcome disappointment
the butler forgot him even after he got
the butler out of jail he had to
overcome the desire for revenge and
retaliation on his enemies listen to
this I can tell you whether or not you
forgiving someone by this test you know
you have forgiven them if when you have
power to hurt them and you don’t do it
you have forgiven them when you could
retaliate with revenge but something
restrains you and you don’t do it you
have forgiven them and revelation says
that there’s a there’s a reward for the
overcomer those who overcome slander
temptation hatred unforgiveness
bitterness disappointment and many of
you are listening to me today
and the enemy has you in a cage of
resentment and bitterness even to your
own family and God says if you overcome
this I’m going to bless you because
you’re gonna find out you’re not holding
them captive
it’s your unforgiveness and when you
release them you’re
really setting yourself free listen to
this
people are often someone wrote this and
I thought it was bread
people are often illogical unreasonable
and self-centered forgive them anyway if
you do good people will accuse you of
selfish motives but do good anyway if
you are successful you will win some
thoughts friends and true enemies but
succeed anyway the goods you do today
will be forgotten by many tomorrow but
do good anyway if you are honest people
may cheat you but be honest anyway the
biggest ideas can be shot down by the
smallest minds but think big anyway can
I get an amen when you spend your years
building someone can destroy it
overnight but build anyway people need
help but they may attack you if you try
to help them but help people anyway give
the world the best you have and it will
never be enough but give the world the
best you’ve got anyway you see in the
final analysis it is between you and God
it was never between you and them anyway
they meant it for my evil but God meant
it
Joseph said for my good
does anybody won’t victory in your life
do you want to be an overcomer today I’m
not asking you to try to get stronger
and fight it with your strength I’m
asking you will you place your weakness
your temptation your need in the hands
of Jesus this morning all over this room
very reverently no one moving stand to
your feet I feel like God’s about to do
something great in this place hallelujah
I want you to say Lord Jesus I give you
my life today
I surrender completely I believe that
you have provided total salvation
through the blood dip coat I put it on
and my sins are covered today I need
your help
because I know I’m your demonstrator how
I react to what I’m going through others
are gonna see my character or lack
thereof so give me the coat of Christian
character help me to love my enemies
help me to do good to those who curse me
and do wrong to me give me more than
talk
help me to walk what I believe and
father in Jesus name put on me the code
of the overcomer I overcome the
bitterness the hatred the slander the
lies the deception just like Joseph I’ve
gone through some of those things but I
am an overcomer and today I put on the
coat of the overcomer I will not stay in
that prison
of unforgiveness I asked you to help me
release forgiveness to that person right
now and now I lift my hands and I say
Lord come and empower me with the Holy
Spirit power to overcome everything I’ve
been through every lie that’s been told
on me I lift my hands and I thank you
that they meant it for my evil but
you’re going to use it for my good now
open your mouth and praise in just a
moment all over this room begin to think
and God is doing a mighty work right now
God is doing a mighty work right now
come on praise in just another moment
praise it until you feel freedom in your
soul
thank you Jesus
thank you Jesus with your gift of $30 or
more you may request the joyful life
gift set featuring the gift is in you an
oversized coffee table book of
inspiration Plus Jenson Franklin new to
CD set including the secret to joyful
living and the restoration of joy the
great fear of this generation is not
death or disease it’s I’m afraid for one
second I’m going to get quiet and steal
and in that society God says be still
and know turn it all off and know that I
am gone but in his presence there is
fullness of joy and at his right hand
there is pleasure forevermore for more
information visit Jensen franklin org or
call us at 888 eight eight eight three
four seventy three
you
you
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