In this insightful series, Dr. Evans shows you how you are to rule your circumstances, emotions, and your world rather than allowing it to rule you. The authority is yours. You have more to say about your future than you may realize. You were created to exercise authority and dominion in your life – you were created to rule. Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
does anyone here know any
good-for-nothing people you do
are there any good-for-nothing people
here if you are don’t admit it
we know people who are who have who make
no meaningful contribution to life
either theirs or others they’re good for
absolutely nothing in other words they
don’t not contribute things that are
beneficial so they are hurtful they’re
not helpful their impact is always
negative it’s never positive they’re
good for criticisms they’re not good for
encouragement and when you try to think
of something good about them you can’t
come up with anything which makes them
good for nothing
I want you to know today that if you are
a believer in Jesus Christ you’re good
for something you’re not good for
nothing you’re good for something when
God created Adam he said I’m going to
let you rule do you get to rule the
world and I’m gonna start you off with a
garden your world your your plot of land
and I’m going to give you two things
with this rule you’re going to have
authority because I’m gonna let you rule
I am NOT going to rule independent of
you I’m not gonna rule in place of you
I’m going to rule through you I’m gonna
let you rule so I’m going to give you
authority to run your world for good or
for bad you get to choose but I’m also
going to give you if you run your world
like I want your world run I’m going to
make provision for your world in other
words I’m going to take care of you as
you run your world my way now if you run
your world your way then you you have
taken yourself but but if you run your
world my way
I’m not going to only give you authority
over I would make provision for it
so God created Adam he created his world
he said be fruitful and multiply
replicate the image of God worldwide and
manage your garden your world and manage
it under me if you want to see it be
productive as it can be of course we
know sit into the picture and turn to a
well-ordered world in the chaos the
chaos in your world and my world is due
to sins it’s due to either our sin
somebody else’s sin is usually a
combination of both that produces chaos
in a world that God created to be well
ordered God wants you to rule your world
we’ve seen that we’ve documented that if
you’ve tricked track this series and yet
many of us here today are living in
worlds in chaos we’re not ruling our
world our world is ruling us God is not
calling the shots that look like the
devil is running the show and our world
is not being run as we know it should be
run many of us some of us were born in
the chaos we we came out of our mother’s
womb in a chaotic situation and it
hasn’t settled down yet others have
invited chaos either way our worlds are
not being managed by us
it’s financial chaos this relational
chaos it’s social chaos it’s emotional
chaos it’s not ordered things are not
flowing now I don’t want you to
misunderstand I don’t want you to think
I’m implying that that there aren’t
supposed to be problems in life there
are going to be problems in life because
even if you didn’t do anything wrong you
live in a sin soaked chaotic world so
there’s going to be the implications of
that but jesus said even though
in this world you will have tribulation
be of good cheer because I have overcome
the world in other words the chaos in
the world should still not be setting
the agenda for your world yeah there’s
going to be chaos in the world but you
still should be running your world in
order to set you up to run your world
God saved you for free by grace have you
been savers eight says that not of
yourselves it is the gift of God not
according to works so that no one should
boast you are saved by God’s grace that
is if you’re here today and on your way
to heaven it’s because you’ve been
forgiven of your sin and you’ve received
the gift of eternal life not because
you’ve earned it but because God gave it
to you when you place faith in the
finished work of Jesus Christ so now
you’re saved so I’m going to assume that
everybody or most everybody here is
saved if you’re not saved then we’re
going to trust that God will convict you
of that so that you can move on to verse
10 because I’m going to talk about verse
10 but verse 10 is assuming you got
verse 8 9 if you don’t have verse 8 9
you can’t use verse 10 I’ve mentioned
verse 10 a number of times in a number
of different ways I want to walk through
it again because I want to forget this
after saying that you are saved by grace
not of yourselves it is the gift of God
he then comes in one of the most
astounding verses in the Bible for you
to redefine yourself for we are his
workmanship created in Christ Jesus for
good works which he hath created
beforehand that we should walk in them
for we are his workmanship created in
Christ Jesus for good works which he
hath created beforehand that we should
walk in them
God first of all want you to know what
you get saved you are his workmanship
and those of you who are we talk about
this workmanship means what masterpiece
or work of art the work
the Greek word masterpiece Greek word
workmanship means masterpiece or work of
art God considers you now that you are
saved born again redeemed justified
propitiated he considers you a work of
art a masterpiece I don’t care what your
mama said about you I don’t care what
your dad is said about you I don’t care
what none of your piece said about you
only what God says about you matters
because only what God says about you is
the truth nothing but the truth so help
you God God says once you hit verse
eight nine and you take care of that you
are now to be considered his work of art
he is crafting you into something
absolutely spectacular
he is crafting he is creating and
crafting you into something that will
blow your mind and everybody’s mind who
sees you when this work of art have been
completed you are a workmanship you are
a laughs apiece now somebody India are
to be feeling a little better already
and I’m feeling the introduction because
nobody ever told you you were a
masterpiece you were told you were dumb
you were told you ignorant you were told
that you were never going to be anything
you were told you were never going to
make anything of yourself you were told
that you were the wrong race you were
the wrong gender you are the wrong
height you were told that you were born
in the wrong place you are part of the
wrong God says that if you take care of
us eight
and verse nine you are a masterpiece in
the making
the Greek word workmanship also means
poems you are poetry in motion God looks
at you so staggeringly great that he
said not writing poems about you because
he’s so excited about what you are and
what you are designed to become you are
a masterpiece tell me what you are I
know I didn’t ask you how you feel I
didn’t ask you what other people think I
didn’t care what you think God says you
are a masterpiece and until you start
saying about you what God says about you
you’ll be believing a lie and living a
lie and not looking like the masterpiece
you were created to be God says you are
a masterpiece II until you understand
that you’re not qualified to rule how
can you rule when you don’t think you
have the ability to how can you rule
when you don’t think you are creative –
how can you rule when you don’t see
yourself as a ruler the Queen’s daughter
true story one day we’re slouching in
the chair the Queen said get up girl sit
up straight she would sit up straight
for a minute ouch again get up girl
sit up straight sit up straight again
slouch again finally the Queen got
kicked off Queen of England I kicked off
and said girl I told you to sit up
straight don’t you know who you are it’s
knowing who you are that will affect how
you sit when you know who you are it
changes your posture well you know who
you are you kind of act different things
different talk different walk different
cuz uh I don’t have to act like a fool
cuz that’s not who I am I’m somebody
else and I’m somebody else cuz that’s
what God said I am he says we are his
workmanship remember about workmanship
soar masterpieces they’re rare every
painting is the masterpiece a
masterpiece is special
it’s like your fingerprint pay nobody
like you but you you are rare how rare
you you are the only you that have ever
existed and you are the only you that
will ever exist your fingerprint
physically tells the story nobody like
you but you you are guards unique
masterpiece let me put it another way
you are custom-made you not off the rack
you know you’re going to shop and they
got the rack everything is looking alike
in the different sizes because this is
made for group fittings but I got a PE
on my shirt the key on my shirt stands
for Tony Evans cuz this shirt didn’t
come off the rack this shirt was made
with me in mind if you steal this shirt
imma get you cuz my initials are on this
shirt because they don’t belong to the
group this shirt just belongs to me and
we can’t get it mixed up cuz it was made
with me in mind God saved you with your
uniqueness in mind and you are a custom
singer you’re not an off-the-rack
Christian God has made you into a
masterpiece you say well well yeah but
you don’t know how messed up and jacked
up I am well that’s the beauty of an
artist who knows what he’s doing cuz he
can take jump and still turn it into a
miracle there is a guy in DeSoto named
Billy Taylor Billy Taylor is a junkyard
specialist let me tell you about Billy
Taylor gonna tell it goes the junkyards
and he finds stuff that other folk and
thrown away he finds stuff that has been
discarded he finds stuff that has been
recognized as as no-good and worthless
Billy Taylor brings it back to his
garage turns it into a contemporary art
piece and him sells it for $5,000 he
goes and finds junk that is worthless in
everybody else’s eyes but when Billy
Taylor looks
he sees something different he sees a
masterpiece in the makin and all of a
sudden that which was worth less is now
worth $5,000 well you may have been
worth less before you met Jesus but once
you met Jesus Christ even if you were in
the junkyard he’s able to go in that
yard and turn it into a valuable
masterpiece that is who you are somebody
ought to feel the rulership coming up in
them right now because you understand
that you are a Divine Design
you are a Divine Design you are a
masterpiece and God has a purpose for
you Satan wants you to lose sight of
your uniqueness he wants you to lose
sight of your uniqueness he neither
wants to take you to high so you think
more of yourself than you ought to think
or take you to low so that you do not
think as God wants you to think but he
wants to remove you out of the sight
line of God’s plan he wants you not to
have God’s view of you you know so many
people today live their lives wishing it
was somebody else they dream of being
someone I wish I could be him I wish I
could be her that’s why so many men walk
around with jerseys with other folks
numbers on them
we wear jerseys with other folks numbers
you know what we don’t have our own God
says you are a masterpiece you are
workmanship you have divine design tied
to you and you don’t have to spend your
time wanting to be somebody else you
should take that time and find out who
you supposed to be under God you are his
workmanship he says Satan wants to
detour us he detours us by getting us
like Adam and Eve to rebel against the
will and the Word of God he wants us to
be independent of God so we define
ourselves by ourselves but your greatest
enemy your greatest friend is your soul
wants to get sanctified but your
greatest enemy is your soul as long as
it’s unsanctified because if it’s not
set apart for God then you will define
you you’re not that good you’re not that
smart we’re all too jacked up to define
ourselves properly I miss and I met no
it hasn’t worked for you this long you
should know you should be appealing to
that who you are is who God says that
you are and until that becomes your
belief system not your feel system
because you may not feel it right now
you may not feel like a masterpiece okay
but that’s okay God will bring your
feelings up to what he is performing
don’t bring what God is performing and
reduce it down to your feelings one of
the most important things you can do
every day is to recite to yourself what
God says about you until your feelings
catch up with the facts all right you go
to a horror movie you go to a horror
movie and you know the monster Freddy
Krueger or who or whatever it is you
know they’re not real you know that
that’s no monster don’t jump off the
screen scream but you’re all just
shaking and scared and screaming like
it’s real
it’s not real you just been duped
Hollywood has been able to construct the
movie in such a way that it makes how
you feel your fear override what you
know to be true you know that monsters
not me real you know you know that guy
and Halloween not real you know the guy
on the street none of them are real but
you scared to death can’t go to sleep at
night why because Hollywood has made how
you feel about it your reality when you
understand that’s never been real it’s
not real it’s never going to be real you
have to be jumping all over the seats
when stuff happens because your feelings
will no longer dictate your facts you
have been created by God and you are a
masterpiece in the making the moment
verses 8 & 9 have become a reality in
your life he says you are where are his
workmanship created in Christ Jesus
we can even say recreated see you were
created by your mama and your daddy that
was your first burden but when you get
verse 8 and 9 straight you are born
again there is a recreation that occurs
where a new nature is imparted into your
life and I can’t get too deep into that
we’ll pick it up next week but God puts
a new nature into your life which is to
be your defining reality this new nature
if the new nature is not allowed to
define you then you’re also will and if
you also defines you you’re going to
function like you use the function cuz
you’re thinking like you used to think
the new nature must define you or this
new creation that you are experiencing
God wants you to recognize your
uniqueness you have been created in
Christ now here’s what the devil wants
to do the devil wants to detour you
when you go on highway there exercise
but every exit in your exit just cuz
it’s an exit don’t mean you take it well
there’s an exit let me get off no guess
when you exit you exit when it connects
you to your destination
no you only exit because it’s taking you
where you want to go
anybody who exits the exit is lost
he’s just exiting because it’s an exit
that means you’re confused person state
wants you to exit to exit he doesn’t
want you to exit to reaching a
destination he says you are created in
Christ Jesus you are a masterpiece let’s
get this straight what are you yeah
you’re God’s poem he’s writing poetry
over you you are you are you are a sonic
for him and he is is is just just this
mesmerised about you because he knows
what he’s created when he redeems you he
knows where the Korean air may be coming
over with a lot of junk but a dirty
diamond is still a diamond okay they
need to get cleaned up yes it needs to
get fixed up yes it needs to get shined
up yes but that doesn’t change what it
is if you know Jesus Christ you are
fully forgiven fully redeemed and
eternally destined child of the Living
God that is who you are all right
regardless of how you feel that is who
you are you have been created in Christ
Jesus watch this watch this watch this
for something created for what good
works he calls it because of something
good works first of all they’re good
you’ve been created for something good
something positive something meaningful
but it’s also work this good works it’s
good but it also has to do with works or
things you do that benefit others in the
name of God
when you were saved God didn’t take you
to heaven physically spiritually he did
but not physically why didn’t he take
you to heaven physically when you got
saved cuz he had a plan for you on earth
he wasn’t finished with you yet
salvation was an introduction not a
conclusion he left you here for a work
he planned for you to he says we are
created in Christ Jesus to be good for
something not good for nothing for good
works God has designed your life like
atoms in order to do something that
would benefit others and bring glory to
him be fruitful multiply Silvio’s and
rule your garden rule your world you
can’t do anything for God if you can’t
rule your world because then you can’t
you can’t control whether things are
going in the direction that God would
have them go in unless you are the
influencer of the world that you are
ruling you are to rule your world Satan
once sin in circumstances that are
against God to keep your world from
being ruled by you because the moment
you buy the devil’s logic then you turn
your world over to the devil
like Adam did Adam had a perfect world
it became thorns and thistles it became
a miserable place to live
even though God graced him still in it
because he left God’s original plan a
lot of us have been struggling for years
because we’ve left God’s original plan
we’ve walked away from God’s plan for
getting where his masterpiece forgetting
where his plan his point we’ve gone
about to do it our own way listen God
has you here because he wants to do
something with you to you through you
and in you
he wants to do something so special
it’ll make you look like one-of-a-kind
rare breed not just part of the group
you will stand out from the group
because you were created in Christ Jesus
for good works now let me tell you
something by God you were created for
good works watch this now watch this now
watches that is beep this week which he
hath created before he is that what the
verse says you too late he’s already
worked out what he has for you to do and
he’s already made provision for you to
get it done oh that’s so deep God has
worked out beforehand before you were
saved in fact before you were born what
did God tell Jeremiah before you were
born I had this thing worked out God has
all right turn to Isaiah 46 because
somebody in here just bleed don’t
believe this is in the Bible turn Isaiah
46 you think I’m making this up let me
show you a little Bible I was there 46
okay look at verse nine remember the
form of things long past for I am God
and there is no other okay we got that
straight there’s only one true God okay
that’s the God of the Bible there is no
another I am God okay God wants to make
sure we get that and is I by myself
don’t need no company God all right I am
God and there is no one like me there’s
only me and there’s no one else like me
or to put it in another way I’m in a
class by myself I’m in class by myself
that’s why don’t bring no don’t bring
the commandment don’t bring any other
God up in my grill up in my face because
there’s no other one but me and there’s
none like me now what makes you so so so
so stuck on yourself God first head
here’s one I’m unique declaring the end
from the beginning and from ancient
times things which have not been done
saying my purpose will be established
and I will accomplish all my good
pleasure oh that’s so deep let me let me
expect God has already finished
everything he’s gonna do with you it’s
already over done complete cooked
God can’t do anymore then have been done
cuz it’s already been completed before
him which is why you can’t surprise God
he already finished everything is still
doing complete how detailed is this turn
to Psalm 139 I want you to see this
because this is this will change them
this will change your mind
this will make you join the Delfonics
didn’t I blow your mind this time Psalm
139 verse 16 your eyes have seen my
unformed substance before the two cells
came together to make me somebody you
saw me there was no form to me and you
are you you you you had me detailed you
have my DNA down and in your book were
written the days that were ordained for
me when as yet there was not one of them
he’s got a book on you he’s keeping a
journal
God has a book on you and it includes
all the days ordained for you it
includes your lifespan and includes all
the things that you were are you or you
are supposed to accomplish
it’s a clue it’s already finished in the
spiritual realm because you say I don’t
see any of that because where it’s
written there’s a book on earth about
you that’s written up in heaven in the
spiritual realm God has already finished
the last chapter and the conclusion o be
the book of your life it has to be lived
out in the realm of time he’s finished
it in the spiritual realm but it has to
work itself out in the human temporal
realm but my point to you right now is
simply God not guessing about you
he has already completed his thoughts
about you I have a plan for you saith
the Lord a plan for your well-being and
not for your calamity Jeremiah 29:11 a
plan for your well-being and not for
your calamity to give you a future and
to give you a hope I have a plan for you
you say but no he has to be to
understand I’m jacked up I come from a
jacked up group of people my mama was
jacked up my daddy was jacked up that’s
cuz my granddaddy ain’t grandmama was
dragged jacked up my whole past is mess
up nobody you forgot something when you
met Jesus we started all over again
that’s why I told being born again once
you mean Jesus your story changes
because now God you are his workmanship
see you may have been your mama’s
workmanship and you may have been your
daddy’s workmanship and they may have
been bad workers but when you met Jesus
you are now his workmanship created in
Christ Jesus to do something and it’s
good he says it’s a good work he who has
begun a good work in you the Bible said
it’s a good work we tell our kids make
something of your life get an education
so you can get a good job and make
something of your life so many people
today are living empty lives like the
man who said I’m dying then finish high
school so I can go to college I mean was
dying to finish college so he’s got his
career he was dying and start a family
get married and start a family then he
was dying for the kids to get 18 so they
could leave sin he was dying to retire
and then he just died
never never having gotten around the
living because he never connected his
temporal with the eternal he never
connected time with eternity what God is
saying is I have a plan for you what’s
interesting about that verse is it’s a
good verse in a bad chapter Jeremiah 29
is a bad chapter people on Exile for
their sin they’ve messed up they’re
under God’s discipline under God’s
judgment and in the middle of the mess
God says I have a plan for you they were
all messed up and God said I still have
a plan in a bad chapter so if you here
today and right now you’re in a bad
chapter this chapter of your life is not
pretty
I still got a good verse I have a plan
for you save the Lord the plan for your
well-being and not for your calamity
it’s not only a good verse in a bad
chapter it’s a good verse in a bad shot
to locate it in a bad book if you
depress don’t read Jeremiah for
devotions that’s not the book you want
to read that’s a depressing book but in
a book with a bad chapter and where it’s
a bad book there’s still this great
verse I have a plan for you
you say well why isn’t the plan working
choices
choices remember let them rule I am NOT
I have the plan I completed the plan and
their story is written but they have to
live it out what is the verse say we are
his workmanship created in Christ Jesus
for good works which he hath created
beforehand that we might walk in them
he’ll do the planning but we have to do
the walking he won’t walk for you he’ll
walk with you he’ll work through you but
he won’t walk in place of you see a lot
of us go to God they got do this for me
God said walk walk walk
anything you have relatives who want
money but don’t work
they want money they come out with their
hand up in a minute saying gimme gimme
gimme gimme gimme
and you say work work work work work and
the two don’t meet in other words they
want what you have to offer without
incurring any responsibility of
acquiring it they want you to hand it
God will hand you something big
it’s called salvation once you get that
one he now wants you to rule by walking
in what he has already ordained for you
you have to walk it until you say well
well what will be will be no uh-uh
that’s fatalism what will be may not be
and it may not be because you may get
off at the wrong exit Israel got off at
the wrong exit God said go into the
Promised Land cross the Jordan River go
into the Promised Land
they said no no we’re not going God said
okay we’ll just detour for 40 years so
they had a 40 year detour now obviously
God knew that they were going to do it
but that was not God 1 what God wanted
them to do
but since God said let them rule he
followed their decision a lot of the
things that are messing up our lives are
tied to our decisions and our refusal to
change them so we’re now experiencing
the consequences of the decision and
then we get mad at God because of the
consequences but God says let them rule
I’m going to work with your decision but
I am NOT going to negate your decision
your decision is your decision and
ingredient doesn’t always give us all
the consequences we deserve or we have
earned but many of us here today if we
tell the truth and shame the devil are
in the mess we’re in because of the
things we chosen any I’m going to do
what the devil made me do what we made
us do it it was our decision we did it
and you have to repent fess up confess
say yes me it’s me it’s me Oh Lord
Stan
need a prayer I was wrong I’m turning
back to you have mercy on me give me as
much mercy as your mercy will allow and
so what God is saying is you must walk
in what he has provided God has written
your story in eternity and all the days
of it you’re not a mistake your race is
not a mistake your gender is not a
mistake
your weight may be a mistake because you
control that but that’s a different but
the things of which you have no control
the things that you are born with those
things our God had that that’s all
purpose it’s why you should never be
ashamed of your race or your gender
that was all purpose you’re not supposed
to be anything but what you are because
God saw it before you became it and so
he says that see many people lives a
live in falsetto you know falsetto is
when you sing in a level outside of your
range okay you operating outside of
where you should be in the words of a
great philosopher a man has got to know
its limitations
okay you have to know what God has
called you to do that’s why you got to
work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling I’ve got to leave yours
alone and you got to leave mine alone
because dog works with each one of us
differently that’s why you can’t listen
to somebody else’s testimony and expect
God to do it the same way with you know
you’ve got to work out he’s already in
you if you say but you got to work out
the outworking of your own salvation so
he’s got your own set of tasks your own
set of trials your own set of victory
your own set of a growth and
developmental things he wants to bring
you away and don’t compare with somebody
else because God is not working with
them exactly how he’s working with you
he’s got a plan for
each of us to bring us to the place of
completing our story God wants you to
complete your story Michelangelo when I
was in Italy seven years ago I saw
michelangelo’s unfinished art now we
know Michelangelo for his finished work
but we saw a lot of his unfinished work
these were statues with no arms or no
legs or just half the torso he didn’t
get around to finishing it so there they
have this Museum of his unfinished works
you don’t want to die with an unfinished
life you don’t want to die with a life
that was incomplete the greatest thing
you can say when the day is supposed to
die is what Paul said I’m ready to be
offered up he says I finished my course
Jesus says I finished the work that he
sent me here to do and when you’re
finished even if you don’t want to die
geez only family and friends you’re
ready to die because you have nothing
left to do because you completed what
you are left here to do you can’t
complete what you elect you to do if you
don’t even know what you’re here to do
you don’t even know what the good works
are you know what we don’t know what the
good works are because most people
aren’t concerned about what they are
even Christians their concern that the
go to work but they’re not concerned
about the good work that is the thing
that God has left them here to do to
advance his kingdom and glorify his name
that is the last thing people think
about and guess what
God will never reveal something to you
that he knows you’re not ready to do
something with so you can pray all day
show me your will for my life if he
knows you’re not gonna do a bit more
with that will and I what if he sees
you’re not even doing anything with the
stuff he has revealed he’s sure not
reveal any new stuff because all he’s
doing is accumulating stuff you’re not
gonna do anything with he put more
in the Attic to be stored away God loves
to reveal his will and the Bible says he
who is willing to do his will will know
it dogs that will play hide and seek he
may not show it all to you one time but
he will walk you through the process of
seeing him unfold the good thing that
you ought to do in every Christian every
masterpiece in here has the good thing
the good area God wants you to rule over
by virtue of doing his good work and you
don’t even have to fix it up all you
have to do is walk in it because he’ll
set it up I wonder if anybody’s ever
seen God set something up where he
hooked it up where when you arrived it
was said it was ready for you it was
ready all you had to do was walk in it
because he had already hooked a sister
up or hooked a brother up so all you had
to do was walk in what he had already
set up for you see see that and and see
that’s how you know you flowing you
flowing when God is setting up you just
walking in it you don’t have to force it
make it happen and drive a nail for it
to have why because he’s already set it
up in the spiritual realm beforehand so
that you can now walk in in so that you
can flow in it
everybody knows as I shared before my
favorite place to go in all the world is
New York I love me some New York a Big
Apple you know all the fine cuisine
Broadway shows 24-hour non-stop lights I
love the you know I love the actions of
New York of midtown Manhattan
since the heavens love Saks Fifth Avenue
okay
Saks Fifth Avenue
that’s a favorite store and then in the
windows they have dummies they have
these mannequins in the window that even
these are the best looking dummies
you’ve ever seen in your life these are
good these are bling-bling dummies okay
they’re looking good dummies the reason
that the owners of Saks put dummies in
the window is because they know that
dummies like us walking up six legs of
Fifth Avenue and they want one dummy to
talk to another dummy the dummies in the
window are beckoning us to enter the
kingdom call sex sex is the kingdom it’s
floor after floor after floor after
floor of so much more it’s a whole
kingdom but to entice us in the vacant
‘dom they put dummies on display these
are blessed dummies these dummies are
sometime blessed with fur coats
sometimes less with evening dresses they
are blessed with jury and they bless
would put fine watches these are some
blessed dummies the dummies are not
there for the sake of the dummy that’s
not the work that the dummy was put
there to do the work that the dummy was
put in the window to do was to lure folk
off the street into a kingdom called sex
the moment a dummy thinks that the
reason that dummy is in the window is
for the dummy that dummy just became a
dummy
because the dummy is not in the window
for the dummy the dummy is in the window
for the kingdom come facts and so what
they do is they draw people into the
kingdom that is what the purpose of the
dummy God everybody’s never looking for
bless and bless me bless me I want him
to bless now I want the blessing
remember the definition of a blessing a
blessing is not simply having stuff a
blessing is God doing good for you so
that he can do good through you he does
good to you so he can do good through
you he does good to you so he can do
through you if you through you he’s not
interested in doing to you cuz you just
invited a curse not a blessing Moses
imma give you power rulership and
authority over Pharaoh so you can go and
tell Pharaoh I’m the man ah I’m gonna do
that so you can set my people free so
I’ll be giving some a little clothes
you’ll have a little bling-bling going
you have a little something-something
now you have a little spice you’re gonna
be a little Tabasco on you right now but
it’s not for the purpose of your
wielding power it is for you for the
purpose of setting other folks free any
bruh ham I’m gonna make you a great name
but I’m just going to give you a great
name so you go around talk about my name
is Abraham imma give you a great name
cuz through you I’m going to create a
great nation and from the great nation
all the nations of the earth will be
blessed
Nehemiah imma set you up in Persia and
you’re gonna be the man next to the king
and I’m gonna give you a burden for the
broken down walls in Jerusalem but I’m
not just putting you in the king’s
palace so you can talk about my job as
better than your job I put you in the
Kings collars so that when the right
time and opportunity comes up you will
open up the door to rebuild the walls
and the set things right in the program
of God
God blesses you so that he can use you
to do something good for others in the
name of the kingdom of God it’s called a
good work but if you’re not thinking
that way God is certainly not going to
show you what he is planning to do
Joshua I’m going to use you to bring my
people into the Promised Land it’s going
to be a blessing in fact as one of the
great words to pray wait way to pray it
was I have a sermon on spiritual
authority in prayer a great way to pray
is to tell God what he will get out of
it if you get it
God this is what I want for me now this
is what you will get out of it connect
him with it so he sees that the blessing
that will come through it and not simply
what you get from it make that
connection so God wants to rule your
life you know we have we have in our
homes we all have appliances right you
know what they’re there they are good
things to serve you we all love the
technology that appliances provide us
refrigerators stoves can’t electric can
openers toasters you know they’re just
great to have no appliance determines
its own purpose the refrig didn’t say
that’s what I’m going to be the
manufacturer the maker said that’s what
you’re going to be and constructed it
accordingly the stone didn’t say you
know I want to I want to set things on
fire
um the manufacturer constructed the
stove in other words the maker determine
what the appliance would be you don’t
get to decide God has already written it
down and decided but he constructed you
for the decision he’s made you so that
you can facilitate a decision neither
does an appliance exist for itself
refrigerators don’t you telephone stoves
don’t eat what they cook can openers
don’t eat what they open and toasters
don’t you on their bread unless they
real old and they may chew it up but you
know what
in other words they were made good to
serve you their fulfillment is doing
what they do as long as the refrigerants
getting cold is fulfilled because it’s
doing what it does as long as the stove
gets hot it’s fulfilled because it’s
doing what it was constructed to do your
fulfillment is in doing the good work
you were created to do because of the
masterpiece you are God has masterfully
constructed you and you are perfect in
terms of God’s plan but you have to walk
in it by your decision and your choices
now you may say but I just I just don’t
think anything will become of me
well that’s because you believe a lie
only Jesus should be ruling your life
ruling in the sense of final authority
only Jesus because he’s the one who put
together the design he knows what you
made like he knows what the good work is
he wants to use you for before you died
but now somebody here says but I’ve lost
so much time you know I got phased at 12
and 13 or 15 or 20 now I’m 40 or 45 and
you know I went to church for that
can he still do something with my life
I’m sitting down a week and a half ago
in my den watching what I always watch
at home the NFL Network any real man
watches the NFL Network so I’m sitting
there watching the NFL Network and the
TV goes pop and blinks off I’m saying
what I fiddle around with it it pops
back on after a couple of seconds but it
goes back off I feel around with it
again pop it goes back off my TV is
messed up it’s 12 years old or 15 years
old it’s old its old television so I’m
thinking this is my opportunity 60-inch
Plasma flat-screen HDTV this is my
opportunity
because this is old and now is old and
useless so I’m dreaming about this
plasma TV cuz I’d like you to tell me
you know need to privately but if you
got this old television in here but okay
so so now it’s perfect cuz this is
broken but even if I get rid of it and
give it to somebody I want it working so
I call the TV repair guy who specializes
only in this television this is the only
TV he works with only brand of
television is that brand I have and he’s
a specialist and he comes over to the
house and he says well what’s why I said
the TV keeps popping off I can’t keep a
picture he says okay let me take a look
he unscrews the paneling and pulls out
the circuitry he looks at the circuitry
all he says oh this is this is no big
deal you just have a little separation –
why here let me solder it back together
again and you’ll have a picture in no
time I see my dream dying
he says y’all have is working in no time
listen okay well we did the TV picks up
still give it away he said but then he
throws me a curveball I say cuz I think
i’ma get a play everybody tells I need
to get a plasma 60-inch low you know you
know the Shelf picture he says why you
may want to wait I said why he said I
fixed your circuitry problem but I’m not
finished yet he says I know these
backwards and forward and most people
don’t know all that this set can do he
said can I work with it a little bit he
dismantled the thing he took the screen
off to reflect the mirror in the
background he took off he sprayed this
special spray on it that cleaned it up
he did some other things with the
circuitry and he put it back together
again with amazing picture he said if
you put an HD next to it yeah you’ll be
able to tell the difference this is old
this was older than that one but he said
if what is it next to it when I get
finished tuning up this color you gonna
have a new television he began working
and twisted and tweaking with the
television that was old then it passed
its prime but when he got finished would
cuz I told you he was an expert when he
got finished with it I had a brand new
picture a picture I don’t remember
having when we bought the television on
a brand new screen told me I could use
this for years to come and save me the
money only HD not sure won’t save it but
it leaves as an option now he says that
right now I have a brand new television
set because the master
had come in and worked with it I thought
it was gone I thought it was over I
thought it was useless but when I had to
pass to come and touch it up a little
bit I didn’t have to trade it in some of
us want to train in our lives and so in
the town before you do come on oh stop
is popping off every time you do
something big old pop and it doesn’t
work every time to try to keep something
goes pop and you’re stifled but if you
just let the master work with it just a
little more a while he’ll show you he
can turn tweak not off-white fix and put
you up a screen that’ll look brand new
even though it’s past its prime
so if you’re past your prom don’t throw
yourself away don’t trade yourself in
that’s the master come over and do some
tweaking cuz you can give you a brand
new picture even in an old shell that’s
our God he can do exceedingly abundantly
above all you can ask to think you know
why cuz you a masterpiece created in
Christ Jesus for good works that he’s
already put out there for you all you
got to do is walk in it he has that for
you