Joel Osteen (0:00)

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Victoria Osteen (1:22)

Victoria and I are believing you're going to have a blessed summer. Praying for you guys every day and thanks for being with us today. Hey, I'm excited. Victoria's got a new book. It's called Grace to Go and I know it's going to bless you. I'm excited because in this book you.

Joel Osteen (1:37)

Will see how you are strengthened, that you are prepared and you are ready for anything that's in front of you. You are Grace to Go.

Victoria Osteen (1:45)

Enjoy today's message. Well, God bless you. Such a joy to come into your homes and if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in and thank you again for coming out today. I'd like to start with something funny. I heard about this pastor. He was asked to inform a member of his congregation who had a heart condition that he had just inherited $10 million. They were concerned because of the shock that he might have a heart attack. The pastor said, sir, what would you do if you inherited $10 million? Pastor the first thing I do is give half of it to the church. At that point, the pastor fell over Dead. Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about an expected end. I was with a well known actor a few years ago. He not only stars in major movies, he writes. Then we walked into this room that had a large glass wall overlooking his property. There were all these five by seven index cards stuck up on the wall, probably one hundred and fifty of them. He explained how he was writing a movie and those were all the different scenes. He studies them, moves things around, adds a scene here, takes away a scene there. He told, to have a good movie you need ups and downs, conflicts and victories, good characters and bad, twists and turns. While it was very fascinating, it was very confusing. It looks so complicated. I said to him, how do you even know where to start? He said, oh, that's the easy part. You always start with your final scene. You have to decide how you want the movie to end. Once you establish the ending, then you work backwards and fill in all the details. He said, in fact, in a lot of movies, you don't shoot in sequential order. Sometimes you. You shoot the final scene first and then you shoot the rest of the movie. This is what God has done for each one of us. The scripture says, God declares the end from the beginning. When God planned out your life, he started with your final scene. He started with where he wants you to end up. Then he worked backwards. Jeremiah said, God's plans for you are for good and not harm. To give you an expected end, your end has already been established. Your final scene has already been shot. The good news? You don't end in defeat, end in failure, end in disappointment. You end in victory. You end as more than a conqueror. You end fulfilling your purpose. When you understand your end has been established. You won't go through life discouraged because of a disappointment, bitter because of a loss, frustrated because a dream hasn't come to pass. You'll stay in peace, knowing that in the end it's all going to work out to your advantage. But here's the key. Like any good movie, there will be twists and turns. You think, I know I'm supposed to be going this way. Why am I going the opposite direction? My goal is over here. Why am I headed the wrong way? There Will be scenes that, on their own, don't make sense. If you stop right there, the divorce, the sickness, the loss would look like didn't work for your good. Looks like it got the best of you. What you don't realize is that is not your final scene. As long as you're breathing, your movie is still going. You may be in a difficult scene right now, something you don't understand. Negative medical report. Setback in your finances. You have to remind yourself that is not how your story ends. You have an expected end. The Creator of the universe, the Most High God, has planned your days for good, not harm. If you'll keep moving forward, at some point you'll come into another twist. But this time, a good break, a promotion, a healing. God knows how to weave it all together. Your end has already been established. We see this principle in the life of Joseph. God destined him to become a great leader, to rule a nation, to help the Israelites during a time of famine. That was his end. It had already been established. And Joseph started off well. As a young man. He was his father's favorite child. Went around wearing that coat of many colors, the coat that represented favor. But at 17 years of age, Joseph's life had an unusual twist. His brothers were jealous of. They sold him into slavery. He could have become discouraged and thought must not have heard God right. He showed me a dream that I'd rule a nation. But it sure didn't happen. No. Joseph understood this principle. He knew that was just one scene. He knew his end had already been established. So he kept being his best. He was lied about, falsely accused. They put him in prison. Another unusual twist. It looked like he was moving away from his destiny. This is the real test of life. Will you stay in faith when you're doing the right thing, but the wrong thing is happening? Will you continue being your best even when you're not getting the credit? Will you stay passionate even though the door closed? You didn't get the promotion. You think you're moving the wrong way. This is where Joseph excelled. In prison. He didn't fall apart. He kept doing the right thing. Thirteen years after he was sold into slavery, he interpreted a dream for the Pharaoh. Pharaoh was so impressed that he brought him out of prison and put him in charge of the whole nation. He saw his dream come to pass. He saw the expected end. If Joseph were standing here today, he would tell you, don't get discouraged by the detours, by the twist of life, by the things you don't understand. They are all necessary scenes in Your movie by themselves, they may not make sense. But when God brings it all together, you too will come out fulfilling your purpose, seeing what God has promised. But this is where many people get frustrated, lose their passion. Joel, if God was good, why did I have the bad break? Why did I go through the loss? Why didn't my relationship make it? We may never understand why, but I can tell you this. God wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't going to somehow work for your good. Nothing that's happened to you can keep you from your destiny. The only thing that can stop you is you. If you get negative, bitter, lose your passion. That can keep you from God's best. You may have had unfair things happen, but I've learned the depth of your pain is an indication of the height of your future. When construction workers are going to build a tall building, they have to dig down many stories first for the foundation. Taller the building, the deeper the foundation. When you go through things that you don't understand, difficult situations you may not like may be uncomfortable. But God is getting you prepared to take you higher than you ever imagined. You may think it's there to defeat you, but God's going to use it to promote you. No bad break can stop you. All the forces of darkness cannot hold you back. God has an expected end for you. He's already established it. But again along the way, everything is not going to make sense. This is what faith is all about. You have to trust that even in the twist of life, in the things you don't understand, that God still knows what he's doing. That even when, like Joseph, you know, God promised you one thing, but you're seeing just the opposite. Defeat, betrayal. That's when you have to dig your heels in and say, God, I don't understand it, but I trust you. I believe your plans for me are for good, that you've already shot my final scene. You've already established my end. So, Lord, I want to thank you that I will fulfill my purpose, that I will become everything you've created me to be. I've heard it said, God always ends in all is well. So if all is not well, that simply means it's not the end. Well, Joel, it's not well in my finances. I lost a big client last week. I'm discouraged. No, stay in peace. It's not the end. That's just one scene. Favor is coming. Promotion. Good breaks are headed your way. If it's not well, in your health, don't settle there. Think well. This is the way it's always going to be. No, another scene is coming. God promises the number of your days he will fulfill. If it's not your time to go, you're not going to go. Maybe it's not well, in a relationship, you went through a breakup, you're lonely, you don't think you'll ever meet the right person. That's not the end. That one disappointment, that one person that left, they can't change your ending, they can't rewrite your movie. God has already established it. They don't have that much power. God has already lined up the person of your dreams, somebody better than you can imagine. They're just a couple of scenes away, just a matter of time before they show up. Isaiah said, what God has purposed, who can annul. This means God has a purpose for your life. He's planned out your days, lined up your scenes and established your ending. Then it asks, who can stop it? God is saying, I flung stars into space, I spoke worlds into existence. I'm the all powerful creator of the universe. Now, who can stop my plan for your life? Who can change your ending? People can't. Unfair situations can't, Tragedy can't. God has the final say. When you're on one of those detours, something that doesn't make sense, you don't understand it, don't get upset, it's just one scene. When it all comes together, like Joseph, it's going to work for your good. See, if Joseph hadn't have been betrayed by his brothers, if he hadn't been sold into slavery, if he hadn't been put into prison, he would have never made it to his throne. Those were all necessary scenes on the way to his established end. What am I saying? What you may think is a setback is really a setup for God to get you to the fullness of your destiny. Now we can either go through life fighting everything we don't like, upset, bitter, offended, or we can stay in peace knowing that God is directing our steps. And even the twist, the things we don't understand, in the end, they will work to our advantage. Sometimes when I'm traveling and not able to watch a ball game at home, I'll record it. A few weeks back, there was an important basketball game on that I missed. And I sat down the next week to watch it. And I already knew the outcome. I mean, I'd seen all the highlights, read the news reports, the team I was pulling for had won. But during the first quarter, we played really badly, could hardly make a shot, fell behind I didn't get the least bit worried. I sat there calmly, enjoying the game. The next quarter, the star player got in foul trouble, had to sit the bench. We fell further behind. I didn't get up tight, came out. The second half started off just as badly, couldn't do anything right. Normally, I would have been on edge, uptight, anxious, wondering what's going to happen. But since I knew the outcome, it totally changed my perspective. In fact, the further behind we fell, the more I thought, wow, this is going to be some kind of comeback. I can't wait to see what's going to happen. All the worry, the anxiety, was taken away because of the expected end. I knew we had won. There are times in life when it looks like our opponents, the depression, the sickness, the legal situation is getting the best of us. We're falling behind. It's easy to get discouraged. Joel, I can't accomplish my dreams. The odds are against me. I'll never get well. The medical report's too bad. Just like this ball game that was recorded. You have to remind yourself that the end has already been set. And when you feel like you're falling behind, you're outclassed, outsized, outnumbered. Instead of being discouraged, have this new perspective. That means you're about to see a major comeback. Any moment, things are going to shift in your favor. A good break, a promotion, a healing. God says he always causes you to triumph. Not part of the time, but not most of the time. God's already lined up your victory parade. He's already established your ending. Back in the 1970s, a teenage girl in Iowa became pregnant with a son. She was white, the father was black. Her parents told her, you can't have this baby. It's a mistake. It's never going to amount to anything. You're not only going to ruin your life, you're going to ruin the child's life. They gave her an ultimatum. Either abort the baby or move out of the house. She wanted to have her child. So she left home alone, headed for California. No money, no future to speak of. She ended up on drugs, struggling to survive. One day at 17 years old, standing on a street corner, a lady came up and handed her a Bible. Talked to her about having peace with God. Right there. She gave her life to Christ. She opened her Bible. The first word she saw was Israel. She said, that's what I'm going to name my baby. Israel. This little boy was born. With all the odds against him. He couldn't do anything great. He didn't have any kind of future. But when God breathed His life into you, He. He established your end First. He gave you a purpose. He set your assignment. Then he put in you everything you need to fulfill your destiny. He's given you the gifts, the talents, the confidence. How you start is not important. Don't let what you think is a limitation, a disadvantage. If I was a different nationality, Joel, I come from the wrong side of the neighborhood. There's dysfunction in my family. That's how you started. That's not how you're going to finish. The beginning does not determine your destiny. That's just one scene. What matters is the expected end. The Creator of the universe has already destined you to leave your mark on this generation. He's already put seeds of greatness in you. And God loves to take people who start off with all the odds against them and shine down his favor, promote them, give them good breaks, to where they rise up and do extraordinary things. This is what happened with my father. He was raised in a very poor family. They had no money. He had no education, no future. That's where he started, but that's not where he finished his expected end. His final scene was pastoring a great church, having a ministry that touched the world. Don't let how you were raised, what you didn't get, what you think is a disadvantage, cause you to settle where you are. The established end is not dependent on the beginning. This young boy, Israel, could have grown up with a defeated mindset, inferior chip on his shoulder, thinking, why was I born into this family? Why don't I have a dad? Why am I half white, half black? What can I become today? You can become the President of the United States. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. If you will keep honoring God, being your best, you are moving toward the destiny he has designed for you. It's bigger than you can imagine. It's more rewarding than you've ever dreamed. As a child, this boy Israel discovered that he had a gift. An ability to play instruments, to write songs, to write music, to sing. Now, this child that some people didn't want born, this little boy that some people thought would be a mistake, has become one. One of the great worship leaders of our time. Our own Israel Houghton, right here. He's won many Grammys, all kinds of awards. Goes all over the world, sharing his gift with others. Israel, you better be thankful your mother's first word she saw wasn't Nebuchadnezzar. Instead of Israel. How about Nebuchadnezzar and New Breed. Here's what I'm saying. Get rid of the excuses. You may have had a rough start, but you're not going to have a rough finish. Somebody may have put you at a disadvantage, but they did not change your expected end. Paul said in Philippians, God will bring us to a flourishing finish. Not a defeated finish, a mediocre finish, a lonely finish, a bankrupt finish. You'll come into a victorious finish and a flourishing finish when thoughts tell you otherwise. You'll hear things like, you have too many disadvantages, you're too far behind, or you've made too many mistakes. Let those lies go in one ear and out the other. God is saying, I'm going to take you further than you can imagine. I have explosive blessings that can catapult you ahead. I have favor that can thrust you into your destiny. I'm going to bring out those seeds of greatness that I put on the inside. God has established your end. You can be certain he knows how to get you there. Now, our part all through the day. Lord, thank you that your plans for me are for good. You're not limited by where I am right now. You've already shot my final scene. I may not understand everything along the way, but, God, I trust you. I believe I'm coming to a flourishing finish. This is what Job had to do. He had some unusual twists and turns in life. Some scenes didn't make sense. Everything started off great. Life was good. But then the bottom fell out. Job lost his health, lost his business, lost his family. He could have gotten discouraged and given up. His wife told him, job, just curse God and die. You're done. Nothing like having an encouraging spouse. But in the middle of that discouragement, when everything had come against him, when a lot of people would have been bitter, angry, complaining, Job looked up to the heavens and said, I know my redeemer lives. He was saying, in effect, I know God's still on the throne. I know he's already shot my final scene. And if this is my time to go, I'm not going to go bitter. I'm not going to go upset. Though he slay me, yet will I trust him? When you can keep a good attitude, when the bottom falls out, when you can give God praise in the twist of life, in the things that don't make sense, that's when God will take you to a new level of your destiny. We hear a lot about Job's loss, Job's trials, Job's suffering. And yes, he went through a difficult season. But here's the key he didn't stay there. That was one scene. In the end, he came out with twice what he had before. God paid him back with double. He had twice the cattle, twice the sheep. Got his health back, his joy back, his peace back. The scripture puts it this way. After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his grandsons down to four generations. Notice. After the loss, after the disappointment, after the bottom fell out, he didn't end on a sour, defeated note. His life was not over. Job went on to live a full, happy, blessed 140 more years, enjoying his grandchildren, accomplishing his dreams, fulfilling his purpose. What am I saying? Just because you have some twists, turns, things you don't understand, that doesn't mean your life is over. God has an after this coming. When thoughts whisper. You've seen your best days. You've been through too much. This is as good as it gets. God is saying to you what he said to Job. After the cancer, after the divorce, after the betrayal, there's still a full life ahead of you. You haven't dreamed your best dream. You haven't danced your best dance. You haven't laughed your best laugh. Shake off the disappointment. Get your passion back. God has an after this coming your way. He's not only going to bring you out, but he's going to pay you back for that trouble. You're going to come out stronger, increased, promoted, better than you were before. When it was all over, Job said, I'm convinced. Nothing and no one can upset God's plans. He was saying, nothing can change the expected end. God already established it. Friends, the enemy cannot keep you from your destiny. Satan had to ask God permission to even test Job. That tells me God is not only in control of your life, he's in control of your enemies. You have nothing to worry about. There is a hedge of protection around you that cannot be penetrated. When Jesus was about to be crucified, he told people, if you destroy this temple in three days, God will raise it up. They thought he was talking about the building, he was talking about himself. Jesus, of course, understood this principle, that his end had already been established. He knew his final scene had already been shot. It wasn't him hanging on the cross in great pain. It wasn't him in a tomb, buried in grave clothes. He knew his final scene was him seated at the right hand of the Father, with all power, with the keys of death and hell. That's why it says he endured the pain of the cross, looking forward to the joy that was set before him. The way you stay encouraged in the tough times is you keep looking ahead. Knowing that your end has been set. Knowing that you're coming to a flourishing finish. Knowing that God always causes you to triumph. The scripture talks about how Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. He had no place to be buried of his own. A disciple came and got his body and buried him in a tomb that they owned. I can imagine Jesus before he was crucified, asking that disciple, can I borrow your tomb? He was saying, I don't need to buy it. This is not how my story ends. This is only temporary. I'll just be here a few days. I have an established end set by my Father and no enemy can change it. They can put me in the grave, but they can't keep me in the grave. Our attitude like Jesus in difficult times, this is temporary. This addiction is not how my story ends. This defeat, this sickness, this betrayal is just one scene. I know another scene is coming. A scene of victory. A scene of favor. A scene of new beginnings. Friends, your final scene has already been shot. Now don't let the twists, the turns, the things you don't understand cause you to get discouraged. Keep moving forward. In the end, it's all going to work to your advantage. Like the ball game I recorded. We know the final outcome. We don't have to live worried and upset. God has established your end. If you'll stay in faith and keep honoring God, I believe and declare. Like Job, God's going to pay you back for the trouble. Like Joseph, God's going to get you to your throne. Like Israel. No matter how you start, you're going to come out with a flourishing. Finish accomplishing your dreams, becoming all God created you to be In Jesus name. If you receive it, can you say Amen today? We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take you places that you've never dreamed. Sometimes in life people don't choose us. We've all felt overlooked and like we're not good enough. It's easy to live inferior thinking we don't measure up. People may have left you out. The good news is God has chosen you. He's the one that matters and in my new book, chosen you. Life is marked for distinction. You'll discover. Before you were born, God not only knew you, but he handpicked you and placed a calling on your life. You are equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny. When you understand that you're chosen, fear and doubt can't stay. You'll live with a boldness to step into the greatness God put in you. I'd love to send you my new book Chosen plus the Chosen T shirt from our friends at Copperfed as our.