This is “When Jesus Touches Your Coffin”. God wants your praise to overcome your sadness. You may have put your dreams in a box, shut tight and packed away, but when the joy of the Lord collides with your grief, He gives new life to your future! After this message from Jentezen Franklin, you’ll stop crying over what you think is finished in your life, and tell the enemy you’re taking it all back!

the following program is sponsored by

friends and partners of Kingdom

connection we’re all the body of Christ

God’s not in a white box a black box the

Hispanic box Asian box we’re all God’s

people and we gotta get out of the box

and be the church he’s called us to be

[Music]

look with me at this amazing story in

Luke chapter 7 I’ll begin reading with

verse 11 now it happened the day after

that he went into the city called nain

and many of his disciples went with him

a large crowd that’s important and when

he came near the gate of the city behold

a dead man was being carried out the

only son of his mother and she was a

widow and a large crowd so he got in a

large crowd in verse eleven with Jesus

she got a large crowd with the funeral

procession in verse twelve a large crowd

from the city was with her and when the

Lord saw her he said he had compassion

on her and said to her do not weep she

was weeping over her child and Jesus

said do not weep

then he came underscore this and he

touched the coffin and those who carried

him Stood Still and he said young man I

say to you arise so he who was dead sat

up and began to speak and he presented

him to his mother how many of you since

we’re missing a few things in between

the the lines can you imagine this

actually happening then fear came upon

them all and they glorified God saying a

great prophet has risen up among us God

has visited his people the report about

him went throughout all Judea and all

the surrounding region then verse 14

says he came and touched the coffin I’m

preaching today on what happens when

Jesus touches your coffin it’s

interesting that one of the definitions

of Webster’s dictionary own boxes is he

puts in it I’ll just tell you what he

said

he said it’s a small compartment it’s a

box

is a small compartment with a lid on it

and then he concludes after he gives

other descriptions of what a box is and

one of the definitions I found very

interesting was a coffin a coffin is a

box and I want to talk to you for a few

moments because here’s a widow that we

are told she had lost her husband and

now she’s dealing with the tremendous

grief in a male-dominated society the

only heir the only protector the only

provider that she had was her son and

now her son has died of premature death

they’re on their way to the graveyard to

bury him and this woman has a large

group with her who are mourning they’re

crying they’re singing funeral songs sad

songs tears moaning groaning it’s sad

and they’re coming one way and they have

a coffin of the of the air the boy the

the the only one who who could take care

of her in that male-dominated society

and they’re going to the funeral ground

to bury him and then coming from the

opposite direction on the same Road is

Jesus and the Bible said he had a large

crowd with him and they’re singing but

they’re not singing funeral songs

they’re singing praise songs I think

that somebody was singing I was blind

but now I see I think somebody was

singing I was lame but now I can leap I

think somebody in the back was singing

base probably singing I was dead and now

I’m alive and so here you got this happy

joyful praise party going on and you got

sad sad sad and the two collide the two

collide and I just love what Jesus did

when when they collided Jesus turned to

the mother who was morning and said weep

not over your child I believe today that

God is wanting to collide with

the sad songs and the sad stories and

the sad episodes of your life and he

wants his praise to overcome your

sadness and I love the fact that Jesus

said to her stop weeping don’t cry

anymore over what you think is finished

in your life and then Jesus walked over

and he did something strange he did not

touch the dead boy he touched the coffin

he touched the box

he touched the thing that had the boy in

a box he touched it and when he touched

it the boy said up and began to speak he

said weep not and when he touched it the

kid sits up and he begins to say

something What did he say

the Bible is not clear what he said but

since I’m gonna preach this sermon I’m

gonna tell you what I think he could

have said do you know that it was common

in biblical days in that again

male-dominated society the reason that

widows were in such a horrible place and

you read of widows constantly in the

Bible and how in need they always were

is because she had lost her husband and

now she had lost the only male left in

her family and now she would be out on

her own she would be an outcast she

would be dependent upon somebody just

basically giving her scraps from their

table she had not a bright future but

here’s what I want you to see when Jesus

touched that coffin and that kid said up

you know what they said they said that

even when a male died and there were no

heirs to that male in the family anymore

that because they were such a communal

or family and group that the people from

the community the men would come in and

you couldn’t just run down to Walmart or

somewhere through the mall and get

clothes clothes were very valuable and

male clothes

we’re needed always so if they knew that

a male the last male had died in that

home the men from the community would go

in and take his clothes and you know

what they said they said they would

actually many times wear them to your

funeral they would get your shoes and

wear them to the funeral they and she

couldn’t stop them the widow couldn’t

stop them they’d take the coat the hat

the shoes the trousers they would have

it all own at the funeral so they would

look good and when Jesus touched the box

or the coffin that had him limited and

jesus said come out of there and he and

he comes out and he sits up and he

begins to say something what do you

think he said you know you know what I

think he said I think he said I think

from that elevated position on the

shoulders of those people he looks out

and he sees his coat he sees his shoes

he sees his hat and he says hey you give

me my coat back hey you give me my hat

back hey you

that’s not your shoes that’s my shoes

give them back when Jesus touches your

coffin you can tell the devil – give me

back my joy give me back my help give me

back my dream give me back my

expectation give me back my faith in my

victory I don’t have to live life in a

box full of limitations with a lid on my

success and joy when Jesus touches your

coffin you can say to the enemy I’m

taking it all back the Undertaker and

the gravediggers went out of business in

other words those who were profiting

from death when Jesus touches the coffin

and you may be listening to me and the

enemy may have your child in a coffin of

drug addiction in a box of of alcoholism

in a box of depression and

Rexie on some kind of thing that the

enemy’s doing trying to kill your child

and some parent has been weeping and

weeping but today you’re going to have a

collision with the power of Jesus Christ

and he told me to tell you he’s going to

touch the coffin of your child the thing

that it that has help held them bound

and they’re going to come up and come

out in Jesus name if you believe it it’s

time to say something he opened his

mouth and he said something when Jesus

touched his coffin a coffin is a box I

really believe the enemy wants to box

all of us in I believe that he loves to

get us in a box and put us in there and

put our God in there and put our our

dream in there and then put a lid on it

and say that’s as far as you’re going

that’s the successful is your gonna be

that says that’s as good as life is

going to get for you and the enemy loves

the box of sin and then here’s the

here’s the lesson if you stay in a box

long enough it becomes a coffin I

believe what the enemy wants to do is

box God in and box you in in the small

spaces into small compartments and get

you to stay there until the dream ends

up dead because you allowed your faith

to have a lid on it in the Old Testament

the presence of God was kept in a box

it’s called the Ark of the Covenant and

they believe that the box that God was

in that was made with man’s hands

brought them victory but they had God

with a box and they had a lid on that

box and if they had that box then they

had victory if they didn’t have that box

they had defeat the Old Testament is a

book about

to God who is in the box called the Ark

of the Covenant but Jeremiah prophesied

that there was coming a day when no

longer would we wish for the good old

days of the Ark of the Covenant but he

said there will come a day when the Lord

Himself will be among you the New

Testament is not a book about God in the

Box the New Testament is the flesh the

the Word was made flesh and dwelt among

us suddenly God in the New Testament

stepped out put skin on and Jesus got

out of the box that means that you don’t

have to confine God to church that you

can’t say he can only bless me in church

God is out of the box he’ll go into your

home he’ll go into a bar he’ll go into a

crack house he’ll go into a messed-up

marriage he’ll go anywhere this doesn’t

just feel good in here you can take it

with you God wants to get out of the box

the box of religion the box of tradition

God is bigger than the box of drugs God

is bigger than the box of addiction I’m

just preached just a minute we like to

put God in a box because we think God is

like us God will not go in this box he

is not a Republican God is not in that

in that a shock

God is not a Republican you can’t put

him in that box

God is not a Democrat you can’t put him

in that box

we’ll go even further God is not from

Georgia

and we’ll go even further God is not an

American God loves the men in Nigeria

God loves the man in Mexico God loves

the man in South America God loves the

woman in Europe God cannot be put in a

box we want God to be like us but God

says I’m all by myself he’s not on the

Republican side or the Democratic box

he says I’m on my own side you’re either

with me or you don’t get me I don’t get

in your box I’m God all by myself

then we’ll really mess up and get

anybody mad the snob

God is not a bad news

God is not a Lutheran God is not a

Methodist

God is not a Catholic God is not a

Pentecostal God is not a charismatic God

says I won’t be put in any of those

boxes I came for the whole world

I came to pour out my spirit on all

flesh and I need you to get me out of

the box I’m tired of people putting me

in the box we’re all the body of Christ

God’s not in a white box a black box a

Hispanic box Asian box we’re all God’s

people and we gotta get out of the box

and be the church he’s called us to be

somehow to give him praise if you

believe that I apologize for screaming

it’s the truth you don’t know why some

of you don’t praise the Lord yet it’s

because you you came up in a little

religious box that said

and the enemy has put a lid on you and

that’s that’s why you’re half dead but

if you would just allow the Holy Spirit

to break the lid off just a little bit

and stick you little hand up you’d be

amazed praise is not a Pentecostal thing

it’s a Bible thing just get your hand up

do what the Bible said and God bless you

anybody want to get out of the box of

religion I love a box of worship out of

the box of manmade theology you know why

some of you don’t tithe

see I just killed it cuz that doesn’t

fit in my box so you just you just said

God you stay out of my finances

I’m my own provider I don’t I want God

in that but I want God in that box you

know what the problem is

I’m enjoying this if nobody else is we

treat Jesus like a jack-in-the-box we

get discouraged we go through hard times

I can’t wait to get this church Sunday

oh honey pastor to really be anointed

I hope they sing my favorite song oh and

crank it up crank it up and it starts Oh

[Music]

hallelujah I’m feeling something praise

the Lord

Oh Franklin Jensen Oh Jack is out of the

box that’s kind of how we do Jesus

crank it up get the music going treat

you a little bit get some joy get some

faith in my soul Jesus comes out of the

box we feel like I can make it as soon

as the service is over get back in the

box Jesus that felt good in church but

that won’t work out here that was

amazing but my marriage has real

problems my kid is really on drugs and

we’re going through hell my finances are

falling to pieces and I appreciate that

service but you need to just get back in

your box and that’s all we do many times

has just come in and do this over and

over and over and Jesus gets out of the

box and we put him back in but he wants

to get out of the box and go home with

you he’s not a friend he’s bigger than

the box you put him in and if the enemy

can’t get us to put Jesus in the box

then he’ll come along and try to push us

back in the box

okay okay jack you got saved you you

walked down and gave your heart to Jesus

but I know who you really are you get

back in that box of shame you get back

in that box of condemnation you get back

in that box of depression you get back

in that box of addiction you’re an

alcoholic and you can’t stop and you’re

never gonna stop and you’re addicted to

drugs and you’re never gonna get free

and you’re depressed and go back in your

box of depression and then go back and

get a little help and pop up a look

again and then let me push you back in

I’m telling you what I believe the Lord

is trying to say to people who are

listening to me with this simple simple

message it’s time to get God out of the

box and let him take you out of the box

because when he touches when he touches

your coffin he’s bigger than your

problem he’s bigger than your situation

he’s bigger than your needs when Jesus

touches your coffin the coffin cannot

hold you he didn’t touch the person he

touched the thing that held them down

that put a lid on them he said I am

breaking the power of the box off of

your life

there is no lid there is no limit there

is no stopping you from going where I’ve

called you to go and doing what I’ve

called you to do somebody give the Lord

a praise right now if you believe it

don’t let the devil treat you like a

jack-in-the-box I’m free and I’m staying

free I’m out and I’m staying out I’m

delivered and I’m staying deliver the

only time the box is mentioned anytime

in the New Testament all is talked about

in the Old Testament is a box the Ark of

the Covenant but the only time a box is

mentioned in the New Testament the

actual word box is used it’s found when

the woman with the alabaster box walked

into where Jesus was with that expensive

perfume and it did not say she poured it

on his feet it said she broke the box at

his feet do you know how you can break

the curse of the box the limit of the

box the limitations the the small space

that life has put you in the enemy that

keeps pressing you down and pressing you

down do you know how you break out of

that box at the feet of Jesus God sees

your past he knows you have a pass what

blessed me about that is she was a

prostitute and she used that perfume to

attract men one commentary said that

would identify her that smell would

identify her in the marketplace two men

to know that she was available

and she brought the thing that

represented the cycle of sin in her life

the box that lie you’re nobody you’re a

prostitute this is who you are stay in

this box you’ll never change and she

broke it at his feet and turned what

used to bring shame into worship and

poured it on his feet God knows you have

a pass but he sees past your past and

she broke the box at the feet of Jesus

and I’ve come to tell you today that

there is a cure if life has put you in a

box and you feel like you’re so limited

in a small spaces and it’s just not

happening when Jesus touches your coffin

you didn’t touch the boy he touched the

thing that had him limited and it had to

let him go when Jesus touches your

coffin that thing that has you box in

has to let you go and this is your day

Jesus is ready to touch your coffin if

you don’t get out of the box it’ll end

up being a coffin but today there’s hope

today there’s faith I feel life I feel

faith I feel joy I feel like that we’re

about to hear the crushing sound of

boxes in the spirit world some of you

have hit a plateau in your life in your

career you’re not here today by accident

I’m telling ya I have faith for this

stuff because I watch the enemy every

time we would grow every time we would

get to a certain place the enemy would

come and say well you did good but

that’s about it now don’t believe for

anymore and every time God had to break

me out of the box and believe for

greater

or greater there are no limits on you

take the lid off don’t you let the enemy

treat you like jack-in-the-box get back

in there get back in that low

self-esteem

get back in those excuses of I’m not

talented enough I’m not good-looking

enough I’m not educated enough I don’t

have enough money I can’t do it I’m

nobody I’m the wrong color I’m the wrong

person I’m the wrong gender don’t let

the enemy push you in that box

[Music]