I'm Hurting, But God's Working | Jabin Chavez | City Light Church

We looked week one at how the glory belongs to God We're looking at things that inscripture God says these things belong to me So we started by talking about how the glory belongs to God and then last week We talked about how the battle belongs to God this week. We're gonna look at how vengeance belongs To the Lord and I want you to look with me at Romans chapter 12 We're gonna look at a few verses together and then we're gonna go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible We're gonna go to Genesis chapter 50. Look at Romans chapter 12 with me If it is possible as much as it depends on you live peaceably with all men Beloved do not avenge yourselves But rather give place to wrath For it is written in other words give God an opportunity Vengeance is mine. I will repay Says the Lord. Therefore if your enemy is hungry. Okay, so so he says vengeance is mine. I will repay So what's what's my response to that? What does that look like practically if your enemies hungry? Feed him if he's thirsty give him a drink for in doing You will reap calls of fire on his head Do not be overcome by evil But overcome evil With good let me say it like this. You are either gonna be overcome by evil or You're gonna overcome evil But the oh only way to overcome evil is good. I look at Genesis chapter 50 verse 15 There is a story of a man named Joseph Who was sold in his slavery by his brothers and now about 13 to 14 years later? He is being reunited with his brothers But here's here's what's happened. They sold him in the slavery But God actually used that whole process to raise him up as the prime minister of Egypt They're now being reunited and they know that Joseph could

be vengeful They know that Joseph could kill them. They know that Joseph could imprison them could harm them and they say this perhaps Joseph will hate us and May actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him They are afraid that he's gonna repay But we're gonna find out that Joseph took a totally different approach to this And I want to talk from this subject today. I'm hurting But God's working. I'm hurting But God's working father in the name of Jesus. I pray you would speak through this word "Bless our time together" And Lord calls us to remember that you are working in our life In Jesus name, amen The scripture tells us about Joseph that he was a dreamer He was favored by God. He was loved by his father, but he was hated by his brothers And like so many of us This was his experience. It was innocence And then it was pain And then it became redemption And I think for a lot of us that is the linchpin to our life There's that there's that season of our youth of innocence of dreaming of believing wanting to do something great with our life But then there's a moment of pain And it is after that moment of pain that is going to decide our destiny for Joseph he chose redemption for Joseph he chose to let God fight his battles for Joseph he chose forgiveness And because of that he had an amazing life, but after those seasons of pain we could choose vengeance We could choose unforgiveness. We could choose bitterness. We could choose to be angry And it's there That decides our future. It's there that decides our destiny. It's there that decides What will be next for our life? Do we forgive or do we let bitterness win?

Joseph would end up going through a painful season of about 13 to 14 years between his dream And him becoming the prime minister of egypt There was this season That I call training for reigning It's that season where joseph had to allow god to let him do something deep in him I talked about this last week It's one thing for god to do something around you. It's another thing to allow god to do something in you Why so that he can eventually do something through you He had to forgive. He had to let go. He had to let go of the hate, to let go of what his brothers did to him so that he could hold on to the thing that God had for him. And when I talk about forgiveness, when I talk about allowing God to fight for you, we are not saying that some relationships don't need to end. Sometimes they need to end. There are necessary endings. I'm not saying that you cannot pursue legal action if something was done against you. I'm not saying that. When we talk about forgiveness, when we talk about allowing God to fight for us, we are saying that we must invite God into the pain. Ask for his wisdom and believe it in the midst of it. No root of bitterness will grow in us that we are inviting God to heal us and inviting God into our future. Whether we're talking about a simple misunderstanding, whether we're talking about a fight with a friend or if we're talking about a great sin that's been done against us, I want you to know you can be free on the inside. You could be free. I didn't say we live a life of pain free. I didn't say we live a life where nothing ever happens. I'm saying we live free on the inside, free of bitterness, free of hatred, free of unforgiveness so that that hate doesn't take over. I believe that God is fighting for you. I believe that God is working for you. Vengeance is mine says the Lord. And if you could hand that thing over to God, you would be amazed how he works. On week one, I said that glory is too heavy for us to carry. Let me just say this vengeance is too heavy for us to carry. You cannot carry that vengeance forever and live the life that God has for you. Don't don't live your life. Try to prove someone wrong. Don't don't live your life. Try to get even. Don't don't live your entire life believing the lie that maybe one

day you'll get the response you need from them. Don't don't don't let the devil steal your life friend because you're trying to prove something to people that frankly hates you. And don't forget that Joseph's brothers hated him, but Joseph got something so much greater than vengeance. He allowed God to fight his battles and God gave him promotion. Hallelujah. So, so let's talk about vengeance really quick. Vengeance is to punish or to take revenge or to pay back. And God said, let me do that. Let me pay back. Let me take revenge. Let me punish. Let me do that. Years ago, God spoke to me. I was in a season of great pain. I was in a season of great betrayal. And the Lord told me this. The Lord told me, you don't need an apology to move forward. Wow. You don't need an apology to move forward. It set me free. And it gave me the permission to move forward. And I want to give you the permission to move forward. If you think about back to Genesis 50 verse 15, maybe he'll repay us, the Bible said. They were living in the fear that maybe Joseph was going to repay, but Joseph would go on to say, we'll read it in a few minutes. Joseph said, I'm not, I'm not going to pay you back. Look how God's elevated. Look how God's blessing me. Look at what God's doing in me. That, that is the payback. That is the revenge. Greatest revenge is a life will live. The greatest revenge is to let go and let God do what he's going to do in their life and in your life. And today in Jesus' name, I want to give you the permission to forgive the permission to move on the permission to expect your best days. Okay. So I said that I'm hurting, but God is working. How do I allow this to happen in my life? How do I allow God to work and let God work while I hurt? I'm going to remind you of three truths really quickly. Here's the first one. Never forget this. God sees me. God sees me. Let's all say that out loud. Come on, everybody together. God sees me. Come on, I can hear you. God sees me. God sees me. Let God work. Trust that God is looking, looking for ways to bless you, looking for ways to fight for you, looking for ways to elevate you in the midst of the pain that The Roman church is persecuted. The Roman church is facing great trials and tribulations. The Roman church is needing a breakthrough. And Paul says, don't let this evil overcome you. Don't let what's going on around you overcome you. Instead, overcome evil with good. Why? Because God's watching.

Your enemy's hungry, give them some food. Your enemy's thirsty, give them some water. How can I bless my enemies? I can bless my enemies because I know God's watching. 'Cause I know God's working. 'Cause I know that God has moved when I bless those who have hurt me. Jesus said, it's easy to love somebody who loves you. But can you pray for those who persecute you? He said, there's no reward to love those who love you. But can you love your enemies? Can you turn the other cheek? Think about it, Fran. Don't live your entire life being overcome by evil. There is so much evil in our world, but the Bible says overcome evil. And here is how you overcome evil. Not by saying, I'm gonna overcome evil. You overcome evil by doing good. God sees me. God saw Joseph. God sees you. God sees you being kind. God sees you being gracious. God sees you forgiving. God hears your prayers. The Bible said, God sees every tear that you cry. And he holds it in a bottle of remembrance. The Bible said that your prayers go up like incense before the Lord and he smells those prayers.

Friend, God sees you. Keep living right. Keep staying pure and clean. Don't be like the ones that have hurt you. Don't become like the ones who hate you. God sees you. Number two, God gave you the dream. Joseph got a dream. He didn't get it from his daddy. He didn't get it from his mom. He didn't get it from his brothers. He got it from God. And God gave you a dream. It's not your dream. It's a God dream. The Bible said in Acts chapter two that God would give us dreams and visions. Dr. David Young, he chose in heaven now, but he said that dreams and visions are the language of the Holy Spirit. God gave you that dream. God gave you that desire. And there's nothing that man can do about it. There is nothing that man could do to Joseph to stop God's dream for his life. There was only one man on the earth that could stop God's dream for Joseph. And that was Joseph. There's only one man that can stop the dream God put in your heart and it's you.

As long as Joseph trusted the Lord, as long as Joseph kept open hands, as long as Joseph kept a forgiving heart, there was nothing Joseph's brothers could do to stop the dream that God put on the inside of him. I'm responsible to obey the Lord, to follow the Lord, to obey the word of God, and to trust God's word that he spoke over my life. I'm responsible for that. Listen, I am not responsible for people's response to that dream, to that word, to that vision. And I think a lot of times we're living our whole life trying to get a vote of approval for the thing God put in our heart friend. You gotta trust the Lord. You know, I've been shocked, I'll be honest with you. I've been shocked by who has connected with me and celebrated me and kind of believed in the vision over the years. Like I'm just in my own life. Like just, it's like, I'm like, wow, that came out of nowhere. Well, that person came out of nowhere. Well, that relationship came out of nowhere. Well, that, I'm always shocked by, I'm always shocked by the goodness of God. You know, I'm also shocked by some of the people that kind of didn't believe in me and didn't make it, you know, with me. Like, there's also, I'm shocked by some of the trail I've experienced and some of the pain I've gone through it.

So I can't, I can't put my faith in that. I've gotta put my faith in God and I've gotta obey and I've gotta be responsible for me and whoever God brings into my life, praise God and whoever leaves my life, praise God. And I'm not saying that's easy, but I'm saying God gave me a dream. God gave you a dream and you gotta steward that thing. You gotta honor God with that thing. Don't live your whole life trying to convince. telling you, trust the Lord. Number three, God sent you. God sent you. God sent you. I want you to capture this beautiful phrase in Genesis 45. Genesis 45 verse seven, Joseph speaks to his brothers and he says, God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. Here's what happened. Joseph's brother sold him in a slavery, but what they did not know and Joseph did not know at the time is that a great famine was coming. So now that they're being reunited with Joseph, Joseph goes, guys, this whole thing has been orchestrated by God. Look when he goes on to say verse six, so it was God who sent me here to you. God sent me here to you. Can you capture that? Joseph said, you sold me. But God sent me. Oh, me, get that in your heart, get that in your heart, get that in your heart. You sold me. God sent me.

You thought you're going to kill me. You thought my life was over. God sent me. You were playing checkers. God was playing chess. Man's rejection is God's direction. You sold me. God sent me. You rejected me. God was directing me. You thought I was going to die in that pit. God was actually taking me to Egypt. Can you even look back on your own life? On some of the seasons of pain you've gone through, on some of the seasons of betrayal maybe you've faced on some of the different things you've gone through. And you look back now and you go, wow, now I see God's hand. Now I see God's faithfulness. Now I see God working. I couldn't see it then, but I see it now. So powerful. He goes on to say in Genesis chapter 50 verse 19, so Joseph said to them, do not be afraid from I in the place of God. In other words, I'm not going to take vengeance. That's on God. Don't take something that belongs to God. But ask for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. You sold me. God sent me. You meant it for evil. God meant it for my good.

Oh, Fred, this is how you stay free. This is how you live free. This is how you stay full of joy. Oh, they sold me. God sent me. They rejected me. God directed me. They meant it for evil. God meant it for my good. God has an amazingly creative way of elevating you if you'll trust him. If you'll stay listening to his voice, vengeance belongs to God. Don't get overcome by evil. Or come evil with good. And watch God work. Hallelujah. We see this in the perfect Joseph in Scripture, the heavenly Joseph, the new Joseph, his name is Jesus, loved by his father, rejected. John 1 tells us rejected by his brothers. to bring salvation to many.