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Welcome to the live big broadcast with Derek Greer. We believe this teaching from God's word will empower you to live a full impactful life in Christ. Let's dig in.
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Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 32. The inspired writer said, but recall the former days. How many of us in this room ought to be a statistic by now? Your body sleeping in the grave or at least in a psychiatric ward with drool coming down the side of your chin. But God, But God. But God. Now I'll be the first to admit I'm a little bit crazy, but not as crazy as I ought to be. And it's a good kind of crazy. I'm crazy enough to believe that he brought me out before and he'll bring me out again. I've learned it takes a little crazy to do great things. But recall the former days in which after you were illuminated, the Greek word there is photizo. Photizo. It's where we get the word photograph. And for the young people in the world, just like last week, let me explain to you how that used to work before digitalization, back when dinosaurs used to roam the earth, we would load light sensitive film into our cameras, aim the camera, press the button and the aperture would open with a click and it would allow the light from the room to press against the film at a speed of about 1/60 of a second. And it's that little flash. The image was caught and the film was ready to be developed. So then we would take that film, that roll to the local pharmacy. Sometimes it was the grocery store and we take it for development and have to wait a week, you know, later on it was our, you know, but it took a long time for us to get to our photos. And they would come out like this, like you see on the screen. That's what they used to look like. And scripture says after you were fertizled, illuminated, your hearts were exposed to light in a service very much like the one you're in. And in that service they captured glimpses of God's love, Jesus, sacrifice, their eternal future with him, and all the new possibilities that God offered in this life. But as soon as they got the picture, as soon as they got the blueprint in the image, as soon as the enemy saw that their hearts had been illuminated, he immediately pulled out his bag of tricks and did everything in his power to make sure that that vision, that picture, the image of your life would never be developed. But let's watch the first thing that the enemy did, it said after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle. As soon as God gave you the dream, problems began to arise. Dream thief number one. Struggle. Satan knows. If we allow the seed of God's word to take root in our hearts, it's only a matter of time before it grows and bears fruit. You see, a seed is simply the blueprint of a tree's future. And in that seed is contained all the genetic information and instructions needed for it to become all that it was destined to be. So the enemy understands. Steal the seed, destroy the destiny. If he can destroy the image, the blueprint that God has placed in your heart. He has us. It says here you endured. Now, I don't like this word. I would prefer you know. It would have said, well, you rubbed your belly three times, turned in a circle, bam. Instead it says, you endured. Meaning the struggle went on for some time. Now, the fact that Satan fights you so hard doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. It only means he sees you as a threat. Matter of fact, if you're not fighting for something, you're probably not headed anywhere important. But after God impressed upon them the image of God's preferred future for their life, you endured not just a struggle, but a great struggle. It's a fact of nature that if a healthy seed is kept in good soil, is fertilized in water, it's just a matter of time before that seed grows. So our enemy knows that God will never let us go. So what he does is introduce struggle. So we will let God go. You know, one day we're gonna look back over our lives and realize if we would have just held on, the fruit would have been well worth the strug. God doesn't say. He doesn't promise it's going to be easy. He just says it's going to be worth it. He said you endured. Watch this. A great struggle. But then watch this. With a side of suffering, like struggle is not enough. The devil comes up with a side of suffering. Dream thief number two. Suffering. Now, don't believe the lie. Satan doesn't bring suffering into our lives to make you strong. He brings suffering into your life to make you quit. And I know you're facing some troublesome problems right now. But I need to tell you. God didn't bring you this far just to bring you this far. Life is tough, but so are you. You got the stuff God put in you. The stuff you need to get through whatever you. To get through whatever you need to endure. God's put the DNA. He's put the stuff on the inside of you to get to the other side of what you're facing. It said you endured a great struggle with suffering. It's funny. As soon as God brings the vision and offers the promise, that's when all hell seems sometimes to break loose. After God gave Joseph the dream, his brothers immediately sold him into slavery. When Moses finally realized that God had called him and created him to set his people free, immediately he was run out of Egypt and had to spend 40 years in the wilderness. After Elijah killed 400 prophets of Baal with the edge of the sword, Jezebel tried to kill him. But here's the deal. No struggle, no progress. And if you never bump into the devil, it's only because y' all going in the same direction. It said you endured a great struggle with suffering. As soon as the vision was caught, struggle and suffering showed up. And this is why I can't preach to you a soft gospel. I need everyone that leaves here each Sunday to leave with a growl. And the reason is because I know that the promises and the seeds and the future that God has planted on the inside of you won't happen without some grit, some determination, and some push on the inside. I think it was Dorothy Height who said, greatness is not measured by what a person accomplishes, but by the opposition a person overcomes to reach the goal. And sometimes it takes a growl, sometimes it takes some grit, Sometimes it takes some gumption to press through certain spiritual walls. The writer didn't stop there, though. He continued, he said, partly while you were made a spectacle. Now, the Greek word translated spectacle is where we get our term theater from. And what he was saying is that these believers were put on public display. People were watching and mocking. People began to make fun of their faith. Dream thief number three, embarrassment. But you need to understand, Noah looked like a fool until it rained. You know, I know men that can bench £350. They could put, you know, a barbell, £400 on their back, squat, and then, you know, and then get back up and risk their lives for their platoons and their families and just do great things in their lives. But I've also watched these same powerful men fold like a suitcase when asked to speak before a crowd. The fear of being judged, the fear of being ridiculed, is powerful. You see, emotional pain is not always as obvious as physical pain, but it registers in the same place in the brain, and it's often even harder to bear. Punch me in the chest. I'll probably get back up again, Break my heart. How many of y' all have had a broken heart, you feel like you're about to die. Partly. While you were made a spectacle, people began to laugh at them for trusting an invisible God. Just like Jesus on the cross. The Pharisees and Sadducees mocked him and said, listen, if you're the son of God, if you're the king of Israel, come down, you know, prove it. And people were mocking the Christians, well, if your God's so powerful, why are you struggling? If your God is so great, how come you know he's not sending lightning down and just immediately fixing your situation? And people began to jeer them as they were fed to lions in the arena. And the Christians endured. But I like what Aristotle said. He said this, there's only one way to avoid criticism. Do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. If you have critics, all that means is at some point in your life, you stood up for something. All it means is at some point you were willing to stand out. He said you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulation. As soon as the image of God and the image God had for their lives registered in their heart and they stopped talking the way they used to talk and doing the things they used to do, and they no longer dreamed as small as they used to, people began to pounce. Einstein said in the middle of the last century, he said this, great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. Mediocre people won't get it. Those of you that are serious about walking with God, everyone's not always going to understand. But Jesus tells us, he said, wisdom is justified of her children. It's a complicated statement, but basically all it says is, you judge a thing by its fruit. And what Jesus is saying, listen, it might not make sense immediately on the surface, but give it time, and all of a sudden you're going to see how smart that decision was that was made 10 years ago that you used to laugh at and everybody didn't get. All of a sudden, everybody going to understand, oh, my God, he was onto something. And then he adds, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated. This was big. There's a common saying that success has a hundred fathers, but failure is an orphan. No one wants to claim responsibility. Everyone loves a winner. And this is why I love my wife so much. She chose me when I was down. She chose me when I had nothing, was nothing. When my oldest friends made fun of me as I was trying to learn to walk out this new faith of mine I wasn't pastor of the Great Grace Church just yet. I didn't have a million followers and subscribers just yet. But my wife had enough vision to flip her hair and she would, like, talk to the hand. I got my man. I got his back. I see in him what you don't see. Matter of fact, I don't care what y' all see. Let me tell you, I got him. And I watched. I watched her stay with me when I couldn't afford the baby food. She stayed with me when people publicly attacked me. She stayed with me when the Washington Post, a whole page was getting on my case. I remember when she was chased around a recreational center all because of me and this message you hear priests today. I watched her push out two big headed boys. She loved me when I had a six pack, but still loves me when I got a keg. So after all the time she put in, and as faithful as she been, don't come switching up to me in some. Ain't no dress cute enough. Ain't nobody bouncy enough to make me leave that woman and let her down. Watch this. Y' all taking my time. And joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods. You know, something real is going on in a person's life. When people can take your stuff, when the government can recall and take your job, but you still wake up with a smile on your face. Dc, did I get too real? You see, I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I do know who holds tomorrow. God is not surprised by anything that's going on in our lives. You will get through it. He got you and he's for you. Then it says knowing that, so they were joyful because they knew something. Knowing that the only way a person could be joyful after losing their job, their stuff repossessed, is if on the inside they believe they have some inside information. But I want to tell you today, I've shown up this morning with a little bit of inside information. My Bible says, weeping may endure for a night. I said, weeping may endure. Weeping may endure. But it will only last for a night. But then it fits. But joy comes. But joy comes. Joy comes in the morning. You just gotta make it till morning. Morning is coming. Hold on through. The. Trouble can't last always. You will make it to the other side. You see, a marathon runner doesn't push until it hurts. He or she pushes themselves until the pain stops. When you're right up against that wall right before you get your second wind. How many runners in here right before you get your second wind, man. Everything wants to cramp up. Everything wants to stop. The pain in your body begins to scream. But as you press through that, I can't explain how it happens, but all of a sudden, the pain goes away. Your breath is back. And I've had moments in my journey where it hurt. I mean, it hurt, hurt, hurt. And everything in my body was screaming, you need to quit. You need to stop. You need to give up. It's never gonna happen for you. But I had to learn to keep running in pain. I had to learn to keep doing the right things, even though it hurts. And what's amazing, as I kept running through it, all of a sudden the pain is gone. And I can't quite explain it. There's a new pain. I don't know what happened to my therapy. I don't understand all the details of it, but all of a sudden it just clicks. And what used to hurt don't hurt anymore. You know, I waited on the Lord, and then I found myself mounted up on wings like eagles, and I'm flying above a storm. And I don't understand where this new strength came from, but it came from pressing through. They joyfully accepted the plundering of their goods, knowing that they had something better. And you're not going to get through unless you believe God has something better for you on the other side, knowing that you have a better and enduring possession with God. Everything you lose, not always a loss. Because Romans 8:28 tells us. That the devil's not greater than God. God still knows how to work all things together for our good to those who love him. You have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Here's the deal. On this planet, our cars will stop running. Own your house long enough, your roof will start leaking. Even the great LeBron James is. You know, he's moving in his 40s now, and he needs a little more ice than he used to. And just as things shift and things change over time, only a few of us will live beyond a hundred years on Earth. But all of us will live for eternity in heaven. Never forfeit an internal, eternal reward for a temporary problem. It's bad math. Five minutes, five years, 50 years compared to eternity is nothing. Never forfeit an eternal reward for temporary pain. Therefore, do not. Do not. Here's his advice to every reader. Do not cast away your confidence. Dream thief number four, loss of confidence. Notice the Bible didn't say here that the devil took their confidence. The devil cannot take your confidence. The only way we can lose Our confidence is if we choose to toss it away or throw it away, we decide that. You know what? Our confidence, I'm gonna let that go. And you know what? Satan's not as powerful as you think. How do we say, nobody can make you feel small without your consent. People can only take from you what they give to you. So if my confidence doesn't come from this world, the world can't take it away. Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great. We talked about great suffering, but it's the other side of that is great reward. If you only knew what your faith was accomplishing for you, you would never let it go. The devil is not bigger than God. Nothing can hurt you more than God can bless you. I remember I was in a season, very, very difficult season. Seems everything that could go wrong was going wrong. And God literally spoke this to me. He's like, derek, don't start glorifying the devil. The devil cannot hurt you more than I could reward you for you standing up in the midst of what he's bringing. See, a lot of folks, they read the book of Job wrong. They read and talk about, well, look what the devil did and look how powerful. No, you didn't read the book properly. In the end, God gave Job double for his trouble. He got back double everything that was taken and spirit stolen from him. So when you're going through trouble, think about the double. Hang on, cuz. God got you. And he will not be outdone by some fallen angel. He is the eternal God. He's the eternal God. Satan is not even his opposite. Satan compared to God is. Is nothing. Do you really think God's going to let his creation, an angel, outdo him? Now here's the hard part for you have need of endurance. When I was a kid, I didn't like broccoli. I didn't like spinach. But I had parents that would say, you're not leaving the stable till you eat them. Because they knew what was good for me. They knew what I needed. But how many of y' all ever went to dinner with a magic napkin in your pocket when they're not looking. Or a dog or something, you know? But God sees all and he can't be tricked. I know you're going through something, but God's saying, you need those collard greens right there. You need those brussels sprouts, you need that asparagus. And what's amazing, over time, things that used to be nasty, I kind of like now. And stuff that used to break you in the Past is going to put a smile on your face in the future if you would just endure. For you have need of endurance. The reason we must endure is because progress usually takes time. The problem with things taking time is you have to wait. The problem with waiting when you want something is that it hurts. Waiting can discourage. Waiting is always a test. I don't really like to have to wait. But he said, listen, church, you're in need of just one thing. You don't need a prophecy. You don't really even need a miracle. You need to endure. And as you endure, you're gonna be transformed into the image of my son. And yeah, the miracles will come. The prophecy, all that will come. But he said, you have need of endurance, meaning what God promised would take time. And while I'm at it, sisters, make that joker wait. If a man won't wait for you, he's not right for you. I'm preaching good right there. For you have need of endurance. So if you're struggling, if you're suffering in an area today, if you're embarrassed because it's taken you so long and others seem to get it so quickly, if you're beginning to lose confidence in your relationship with God or even the promise, I'm glad you're in the room today. Because scripture says you're in need of endurance. So that after you got to endure, to get to after, Job had to go through, I don't know, 38 chapters before he got to the after. So that after you have done the will of God, notice even though you have done the will of God. God, the promise does not always manifest immediately. Only after. After how long? I don't know. I just know he who promised is faithful. I feel like the Lord is saying to you what he said to me, you know, some years back. For you have need of one thing. Very talented, very gifted, my hands on you. But you're in need of one thing. Endurance. So that after. Derek, I just need you to get to after. So that after you have done the will of God, watch this. You may receive. So it's not suffering for the sake of suffering, it's suffering on purpose for the sake of promise. So that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. So to those who have started, I want to tell you today. Hold on. Keep, keep, keep at it. You will come out of this. But to those who need to get started, I want to tell you today, today may be your last chance.
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Thank you for joining us. Until next time. Remember, you have what it takes in Christ to live big. We also invite you to partner with Derek Rear Ministries in bringing the life changing and impactful teachings of God's Word
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Word to the world.
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Get started by visiting Derekre.com by clicking the link in the description.