I Did It My Way

It's wonderful to be here with you, and we're glad that we could make it and be here to attend with you. I want to make one comment about Passover time. Please examine yourself, but please remember, Passover is not about you. Passover is about Jesus Christ. And don't fail to honor Him and study about Him and read about His trials and traumas so that when you take Passover, you can truly appreciate what He did for you, what He continues to do for you. So sometimes we can get so caught up in trying to overcome our own sins that we forget that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for those, and that Jesus Christ, you know, what did He say to Paul? This do in remembrance of your baptism? No. This do in remembrance of your overcoming sin? No. This do in remembrance of Me. So we take the symbols, we are remembering Jesus Christ. So I try to study every year. I try to gauge my study of the Gospels. I read through one of the Gospels deliberately, maybe one chapter a day and think on it, make sure every... and it's right now I'm about 23 of Matthew, and I'm almost getting to the place where it's time that comes for Him to be offered and for Him to be scourged and for Him to be crucified. So please remember to do that. Don't get so caught up, and you should examine yourself. It does say that, but read Corinthians where it says, why do you examine yourself? Examine yourself to make sure you don't take the Passover symbols in vain, unworthily. That's what it's talking about. So you examine yourself too, for unleavened bread. What at those sins, right? But we spent a lot of time beforehand, so I'm going to spend a little time today reminding you about not doing it your way, but doing it God's way. And so I'll start off with this brief introduction, and I'll try to get into it. And I can do this as quickly or as slowly as I need to, because I've got the scriptures written out for me, and I've got the message here in front of me. So there are many ways to do various tasks in our daily lives. How you play sports, how you do works of art, how you cook a meal, how you choose to study, how to tie your shoes or sneakers, or how do you tie a tie.

How we write our signatures. My signatures changed over the years. I've jazzed it up more late in the early years. I didn't like to make the G. It was a kind of a funny G. I never made it straight up to a point, so I just use a capital G, and then I write the other part.

How we write our signatures. To these, we do them our way. And that's okay.

It's okay to do things your way, but in spiritual matters of life, we cannot, and we must not do it our way. The Bible shows two ways. Our way and God's way. And we must choose which one to follow when it comes to the way to eternal life and God's kingdom. The title of this sermon is I did it my way. Let's look at the two ways that the Bible mentions. So it's going to be simple. The sermon is going to be divided into our way and God's way. Okay? So Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14, we read this. Enter in by this narrow gate or the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. But boy, does that road look very appetizing or very alluring. Hey, I'd like to go that road. I can go fast. It's a wide four-lane highway or a three-lane highway. I don't want to go that little lane that might not even be paved, that's filled with potholes, that I can't go very fast. I have to negotiate through it. A one-lane road at that, maybe, or certainly not real wide enough. And I may have to stop. I may have to get to the edge of the road.

Which way would you choose if you had a way to choose? You choose the easy way, the Broadway. And Jesus Christ said that many will be who go in there. There are many who go in by it. Why? Because it's alluring, it's attractive, and it's the way that many of us chose before we came to understand God's way and repent of our way. He said, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way. It's S-T-R-A-I-T in the Old King James. That means twisting, narrow, winding, not straight. Straits of Gibraltar, straits of some of these areas that go around the gate of Good Hope, or they go around some of these areas, and they're very treacherous because there are a lot of rocks there that you could hit. So you have to negotiate your way through. So he said, the way difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You know why? Because God has to point the way to you. He has to call you. He has to choose you.

He has to put you on that path. Say, no, no, no, don't go that big wide. Take this little lame doesn't look very attractive, but take it anyway, because that's the road that leads you to eternal life. The other road leads you to what? Destruction. So there are two ways. There's the narrow way and the broad way. There's your way. God's way is God's way is the narrow way. Your way would be the broad way. We must make a choice. Deuteronomy 30 tells us, See, I've set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, keep His commandments, His statutes, His judgment, that you may live and multiply, and the Lord will bless you in the land which you go to possess. That's Deuteronomy 30 verses 15 and 16. But verse 19, He says, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you, that I have set before you life and death. What is destruction? Death.

Life and death. Blessing and cursing. Therefore, and God gives you a clue, choose life. Choose. And most of us had to make that choice, and it was a difficult choice because that wide road looks so alluring, so attractive. Why should I go this little one that I can't make a lot of progress and you can't? Not fast. Why? Character doesn't come rapidly. Character comes through choices that we have to make when the road gets bumpy. That's where character comes in. So let's take a look at the two ways. There's our way, and there's God's way. So here's our way, and we'll look at some of the consequences, some of the examples of those in the Bible who did it their way, and we'll look at the Bible, those who did it God's way. And what were the consequences of theirs? Of their actions. So in Proverbs 14 and verse 12, famous scripture, there's a way that seems right to a man. See, I see most of these people, you think most of these people are saying, you know what? I think I'm going to choose to worship Satan. You know what? I think I'm going to go opposite from God. No, they think they're doing right. They choose a way that seems right for them. It's a right fit, as people say. It's their truth. They choose a way that's right for them. It's my truth. I thought, truth is God's. It's not yours. You don't determine what's right and wrong. That's what Adam and Eve tried to do. Eve chose a tree of knowledge of good and evil, so she would know good and evil. It would be up to her to decide what's good and evil.

And God told them, no, don't do that. There's a tree of life in the middle of the garden. That's the one. Don't take that one. There's a tree of life. They chose to take the tree that was alluring. Well, look at this. Look at the fruit on it. I don't know if there are apples or bananas or peaches or kumquats. I don't know. Kumquats don't grow that high. But I don't know what they were. Ugly fruit, maybe? I don't know. It wouldn't have been ugly fruit. It wouldn't have been that attractive. Grapefruit? I don't know. Oranges? It doesn't say apples, but they only call Adam's apple because they've got stuck in Adam's throat. Therefore, we all have an Adam's apple.

But wouldn't Satan tell her, this looks good? Look, God just doesn't want you. Has he told you he can't eat of every tree in the garden? And she said, no. God, she was very, very innocent. God told us we could eat of every tree in the garden. Well, except that one over there, the knowledge of good and evil. He told us we could eat out of anyone except that one. He said, well, he just doesn't want you to know wisdom. He just doesn't want you to understand. He just doesn't want you to make a choice for yourself. He wants to tell you what to do. We have a lot of people who like to be independent, and I'm going to tell you something, brethren. The Bible talks a lot about being together, talks a lot about helping your brother, talks a lot about caring for your brother, and talks about being together, being at one. Two whole chapters, Revelation, Revelation 2 and 3, talks about what the churches. And there are people that don't like church. They don't like anybody in authority to tell them, we're going to meet this time, we're going to do this. They don't like that. What if we just think about it? What if Mr. Burton said to you, brethren, just come to church any time we got this all reserved, all day, just come any time you want, what, sir? How many services would he have to have? Some like morning. They'd be here early in the morning, so he'd have to do a special service in the morning. Now they'll do it in the afternoon, now they have to do it in the evening. Is that the way it should be? Is God the author of confusion or order? And how is that order carried out by faithful ministers of God who represent God? Now those ministers are messing up. We'll be to them.

But there is authority. Paul said, do you want me to come with a rod? But you want me to come with love? And he said, I've judged. I don't even need to be there. I've read, heard the story of what's going on. Put that man out of the church who's living with his mother, stepmother, in sin. He didn't say, you know, I don't know if I can decide this. I gotta be nice about this. I'll make a decision. I've judged already, he said, knowing the facts. So again, is there authority? Yes. Is there a church? Yes. Does the church dominate your faith? No.

Churches to help you with your faith. The church tries to point you in the right direction. And when does the church need to interfere? Only when people don't understand something that's written in the scriptures. Then they try to study it and understand it. And so we could all move in the same direction. So again, you want to be careful which way you choose. There's a way that God leads you into, and there's a way that seems right to you. I want the way that is right to God. I don't want the way that seems right to me. I hope I check it out, and I believe God's Word, and I've got the truth of God here, because Jesus Christ said, thy Word is truth. So I can find truth here.

And if I'm not sure what that truth means, I can always ask, and I can always study, and I can always look at the Greek, and I can always look at other translations, and I can also talk to people who've lived this way of life for so many years, and whose life shows the character that they have. Not people whose lives are not so honorable. Anyway, look at Jeremiah 10, verse 23. Jeremiah 10, verse 23. Jeremiah cried out, O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself. What did he mean by that? It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

It's not in us to find the way just automatically ourselves. Oh, we still know certain things by nature. People know certain things they know. They know it's wrong to lie. No society could ever exist if everybody could lie. So if I wanted to get into a movie theater cheap, I'd say I'm two years old. Oh, there's no ticket for you.

You can't trust me. You can't judge me, because I'm too. Of course, now you could say I'm a girl or I'm a boy, maybe differently under those circumstances. But I'm just saying, if lying was allowed, I took this, you took that. No, I didn't. They saw me take, but no, I didn't. You can't say I lied. You can't say it's a lie for me to say I didn't. No society could exist. And even the Egyptian society knew it was wrong to take somebody else's wife. Remember when Abraham tried to keep himself from getting into trouble by lying about his wife being his sister? And what did they do? You almost caused us to sin and take somebody else's wife.

There's certain things we know that no knows. If this is mine, I can't take yours. I'm not supposed to take yours. That's a selfish ingredient. And there's a certain amount of that, but it doesn't reveal to you the Sabbath. It doesn't reveal to you the Holy Days. It doesn't reveal to you by yourself the plan of God. So man is decided that you have an immortal soul in front of you, inside of you. To me, that's smacks of demonism.

If you have a spirit living within you that isn't really you, well, maybe it is you, or maybe it isn't. But how do you have that going on? But they believe they're going to go to heaven. They believe they're going to, it's going to go up or down, and they want to most of the time go up, but some people go down, you know, according to them. Where is that found in Scripture? It's not there. It's not there.

Eternal life is what God has to give, and it's something, it's a gift of God. It's not something we have, automatically, unless we're automatically, unless we're baptized, then we have the Spirit of God, which is eternal, in us. But that isn't us. That's the Spirit of God that helps us build the character. So he says, Oh Lord, it's not in man that walks to direct his own steps. Verse 24, Oh Lord, correct me, but with justice, not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. And one more Scripture I'll give you on this line. Isaiah 55 verses 8 and 9. Isaiah 55 verses 8 and 9.

Here we learn that God's way is higher than better and better than ours. Why would I want to go my way when God's way is higher and better? So Isaiah 55 verse 7, Let the wicked forsake his way. And I believe that's what's essential for baptism, because as an 18-year-old, I saw enough of my way when I was baptized in 1959 as an 18-year-old in December.

Did I see myself as vividly as I see myself today after living 80-some years? No. I see myself more vividly as I live life. But I thank God that he's giving me help to master that than I see. But when I was baptized, I saw enough of the old me to say I didn't want that way anymore. And I let somebody put me under the water and baptize me, which to me I was burying the old Gary.

Now, was he really buried? Did he really depart from me? No. But there's something new that happened to me, because I have a new man, and that's the new Gary, which is Christ in me.

And I hope that's what prevails. Sometimes the old guy tries to come back, but I don't let him come back in his fullness, because if I do, I've pushed out the new Gary, and there's no hope for me.

I see the unpardonable sin as when the old man comes back so much in force and takes over that new man, and the new man is gone, because there's no chance of the new man coming back.

People make mistakes and slip up, and they think, oh, I committed the unpardonable sin. They didn't. They just made a big mistake, and they can ask God's forgiveness. Big sin. Little sin, big sin, doesn't matter, as long as they can repent and realize what they did. So, again, God's way is higher and better than ours. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord. So with young people—and I've counseled hundreds of young people for baptism—it's important that you see enough of the old youth, because they don't want to be that way anymore. If you've been raised in a good family, you have a hard time seeing that, because your family's helped you stay on the straight and narrows, and that's wonderful that they did. But take a look at yourself. What did I wish I could do? What did I want to do? What did I long to do? Some good girls were wearing proper length dress, and then they'd leave the house, and they'd roll up to a waistband. So it was about the same size as their legs were showing, as their fellow girls of class, fellow co-eds. Were they living it right? No. But they had fairly good morals in addition to that. So, once again, let the wicked return to God, return to Him, and He will have mercy upon Him unto our God, for He will abundantly pardon if we come to Him with willingness in our repentant heart, which was sung. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. God says, I do things differently from you. The way you would choose to do is the way that seems right, but it's a way that also could end up in death. It seems right to be so nice to imagine somebody's in the grave. People ought to say, he's passed on. I say, where did he pass to? Where did he pass to? He died. God says, precious in His sight is the death of His saints. He doesn't say, precious in His sight is the passing of His saints. And I often say, where did they pass to? See, that's an immortal soul issue. The soul's not there. It passed somewhere else. And yet you're trying to soften. I don't want this person to say they're dead. They are dead! You know, let's say it bluntly. They're dead. They quit breathing. They're not, they're no longer alive. But some people, you have to say passing. Why? Well, because it might sound harsh to say they died. And yet that's true. That's what it is.

So he says, my, as a, your ways are not my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth. So are my ways higher than your, I want the better way. Don't you want the better way? God offers us a better way. So it, again, we see that. But in in 1st Kings, I'm not going to read it. You can read it. 1st Kings 16, 1 and 2. One man went his way and had a great effect on all the Israelites. Jeroboam introduced his way. And numerous Israeli kings followed his wrongful way, hurting hundreds of thousands through their reigns, because they followed the way of Jeroboam.

The way of Jeroboam. And you could look up almost every Israelite king after him. He says, they didn't walk in the ways of God. They walked in the way of Jeroboam. So I don't know whose way you walk in the way of you. Do I walk in the way of Gary? I hope not. I hope I walk in the way of God, with God. And any overcoming I can do, as Mr. Burton aptly pointed out, you do through the power of the Holy Spirit. You can't wage these battles all on your own. You could try. You can't wage them all on your own. So I'm going to share with you one or two my way examples. Here's, I did it my way examples. Adam and Eve. And I'll just give you the scripture, but I won't read it. Genesis 3 verses 2 to 4 and 6. What happened? Every tree in the garden of Eden was good for them, but they were not to take of the one tree, the knowledge of good and evil. Satan enters. He tempts Eve. Eve was on her own. I don't know why Eve wasn't with her husband. Her husband wasn't with her at that time. But then Eve, Adam showed up afterwards after she had taken this fruit, said, here Adam, you should have a bite. It's really good and it'll make us wise. And so Satan comes and tempts her. She sees the fruit is good. It is a nice looking tree. It is, it seems right, right? Seems good fruit. And it's able to make her wise, he said. And she gave in and did it her way.

And Adam followed her and ate of a two. What was the consequence? They were cast out of the garden of Eden. They were denied the tree of life because they did it their way. Another example, people did it their way. Abraham and Sarah. He left his land. He journeyed to Canaanite territory, and then he went to Egypt. And there was a drought when there was a drought. Came to Egypt and told Sarah to say she was his sister. He lied. Wanted her to lie for him because she was beautiful and he was afraid that they would take her into their harem, Pharaoh, and kill him. So Pharaoh, when he told, that was my... So he rewarded Abraham with lavish treatment. But then Pharaoh was plagued. Genesis 12 verses 17 to 19. What was the consequence? Plagues upon an innocent man who did what he thought was right. They did multiple marriages. They had lots of concubines in their harem or wives in their harem. And so what was the consequence of it?

It's innocent man and shame on them as God's servants because they did it their way.

I could give you other examples. Abraham and Sarah. Sarah tried to do it her way because God promised them seed. You're going to have a child that's going to carry on your name. They had no children. So after 10 years, Sarah suggested her way. What was her way? Here, take Hagar. After all, Hagar is my handmaid. If my handmaid has a child, that's like me having a child. So here Abraham and Abraham dutifully goes and has intercourse with a handmaid. And she has a child, Hagar. And he thinks that child named Ishmael is his. Here's the seed he plays with him. He's a teak. By this time, he gets older and Abraham is really old. He's still, I guess, able to throw frisbee or rocks at each other or whatever they threw. Fruit. They didn't have softballs or football. But anyway, whenever he was able to toss with his foot, he thought, this is the seed. This is the beautiful guy. This is the one that's to come. Only they have to give him up because Sarah got upset because Hagar said, I could have a child and you can't. Ha! Ha! So she said, I don't want that child around here. It is especially when she was given a child. And then she said, get rid of it. Get rid of it. God did bless her later on in life. So Sarah, instead of, then it is like Sarah's instead quarreling and ill feelings in the household while Abraham treated his son Ishmael as the seed from God. So 13 years later, promised seed came. Sarah was 89 years old, Genesis 17. Sarah conceived and has a child. Had to name him laughter, a reminder of how she laughed at God, promising her a child and her old age. Consequence, trouble in their family for many years. And Ishmael is sent away as Abraham grieves, and Hagar and their son are sent away.

What we try to do in our way, the consequences are difficult, destruction, wrong problems. And that's what they tried to do. I can give other examples, Isaac and Rebecca, and how they tried to do it their way. And the children, they had twins and the children fought, and they tried to do it their way. But Rebecca said, you know what, go get that blessing, because I know that Father is going to give Esau the blessings. So while he goes out hunting, I'll pull this little switcheroo on him, and make this, make this venison, this goat taste like venison. She probably smothered that thing with so many herbs and tomato sauce or whatever else, that he couldn't even just taste the sauce. Oh, this is what this tastes just like it. He went in person, and if I've been there, no, I'm not hairy. Esau was hairy, and Jacob wasn't. So she wrapped the goat skins with the goat for put her on his neck, put her on his arms. So he felt that, and then he said, but you'll tell, I'm not wearing his clothes. Here, take his clothes out of the closet. Ah, that smells like the field. Put that one on. So he went in there, then when he got near to Isaac, I was going, let me come here, my son. Okay, your voice sounds like Jacob, but the feel and the touch and the whole situation is this, and I did send you out to get the venison, and it does taste like whatever I could taste underneath the sauce. It tastes like venison. So he blessed Jacob, and Jacob goes out, and in comes Esau. So Esau hated Jacob because of that. And guess what happened to the mother? Rebecca was denied seeing her son for over 20 years because she had to send him away because he was afraid he'd be killed by his brother.

When we choose to do it our way, we end up with a lot of problems, we end up with a lot of difficulties, and that's not the way we want it to be. So I thought I would just share those with you as examples. And I wanted, by way examples, I wanted to share that with you to punctuate the point. But right now I want to play a song by Frank Sinatra called My Way. It won't be appeared on the screen, but if we can play that. For those of you out on the listening audience, if there is any broadcasting today, you can download this to his Frank Sinatra song that is remastered. And he used to have all the words across the screen, but we couldn't get that here. But at least you'll hear the song. So listen for about five minutes. Sinatra's hit songs, by the way, and it's a beautiful song. But, and I want to clarify one thing, to have confidence in God is a good thing. But to have self-confidence without God may lead to undesirable results. So there are a lot of things that we have that choose to. It's good to try to be the best you can be in God. But without Him, we may not play by the rules of life. So it's good to have confidence, but if it's God's confidence without God, it means you'll do anything to stand.

And though he had regrets, he didn't regret for long. And he didn't regret much. And life is filled with regrets. I wish I had done that. I wish I had done that. And there's a way to get rid of it. Why? People say, oh, I feel guilty. Well, repent! If you feel guilty, talk to God about it and repent. Get it off your shoulders. Don't go carrying around a load that doesn't even... you don't need to anymore. Christ bore it for you. So the most heinous sin, if you repent of it, God forgives. And if you try to remind Him about it so you could feel good about yourself, beating up yourself, you're only telling God, I really don't believe you. God says, I've blown out your sins and I remember them no more. So let's look at the other way, God's ways. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 31. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 31. The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Church of Corinth. He said, But earnestly desire the best gifts, and yet I show you a more excellent way. And that more excellent way was what? Leading into 1 Corinthians 13, which is the love chapter.

What is the more excellent way? Walking in the love of God, not walking in the love of self, not walking in the love of the world, but walking in the love of God. In Psalm 16 and verse 1, we find that a psalmist wrote this, You will show me the path or way of life, and in your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. You will show me the right path, the path of life. So God does that. And of course, Psalms, we read also in Isaiah 2, verse 3. A message of the end time when people come to learn. Notice what they're going to learn in Isaiah 2, verse 3. Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. God's going to teach the people in the future that. Why? Because he's seen that's the way he's taught the people now. So you're only a forerunner of what's going to happen in the world tomorrow. People still have to see themselves, even though it's going to be a utopian society. One thing that God does not wipe out is human nature. He made us with him. He made man subject to vanity, Romans 8, in hopes that he would see it. Because a lot of things we do are for us. And that's okay. Something you should always do what's good for you. God never tells you you can't love yourself. He tells you you shouldn't love yourself above others. Or love yourself exclusively. Because if you don't love yourself, you have a hard time telling somebody else how to love. And remember what Christ said about love. You shall love your neighbor as your self. Whitney Houston. I used to play this at the summer camps. Whitney Houston used to sing, the greatest love is the love I have for myself. And I said, there's one creative truth about this.

Because if you don't love yourself, then what will you tell people to do? If the greatest love you have is shooting up drugs, if the latest thrill you have is getting drunk, if that's what you love, what are you going to tell other people to do? How you get discouraged? Go drink. Drink until you don't remember anything. That'll help you. No, it doesn't. It only makes you more sad.

Because you'll wake up and you'll remember more and you'll be drunk and included.

So again, doing it our way is what God wants. And he's going to teach that in the millennium to people.

So let's see some summaries of good examples. I'll share that with you. A couple of good examples. I don't want to depart without doing this. And then I'll summarize what we can do to walk in God's way. Good examples. Abraham. Now, Abraham was a bad example and a good example. Abraham left his homeland and moved not knowing where he was going to go, Genesis 12. He obeyed God and he did it God's way. And God took care of him and looked after him. He was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. And by the way, if you hear some voice that tells you, sacrifice your child, don't listen. Because you have the clear scriptures that say, you shall not murder.

Do not kill your son if you hear a voice telling you to do it. God will not tell you to do something against his law. Back at that time, he was testing him and Abraham knew God's voice.

I don't know God's voice. I haven't heard it. Do you know what it sounds like? I don't know what it sounds like. Maybe thunder, but I hear lots of thunder. That's not God.

So you be careful because some people say, well, God told me to do it. God told me to go kill these people. Don't do it! Okay? Abraham was told, and he knew it was God, go sacrifice your son to me.

So he took his son Isaac, and Isaac was obedient because Isaac at this time could have been a late teenager, could have maybe even some in early 20s, some commentaries will say. So he said, where are we going? Oh, we're gonna go sacrifice. Okay, let's put some put some wood on the donkey, and let's go and get up there. And here are the matches. They didn't have matches, but here's how we can use the flint and we can start the fire. And they build this altar. That's really good. Well, Dad, what are we offering? You. Now, if you're a big strapping guy and your dad wants to kill you, I don't think you're just gonna say, okay, do it. But Isaac did.

And it doesn't say Abraham was hesitating. Didn't say he waited. Well, maybe if I delay going for a little, maybe God will change his mind. He rose early and he went. And Isaac lay on the altar that they built, the temporary altar, with wood under him.

And first he was going to be slayed, so Abraham took the knife. And it was when God saw Abraham's intent. And of course, God could read the heart, too. So Abraham wasn't pretending. Okay, I'll grab this. Well, maybe I need a sharpness nudge first. Give God a little more time to change his mind. Okay, well, this is quite situated right. Let me adjust it. We don't have enough wood. Let me get some more wood under here. Maybe the flint won't strike and start this fire.

God saw his intent, the knife. And God said, wait, Abraham, now I know.

Now I know that you'll faithfully follow me. It's a good example of somebody who, so he would receive the promises of God, of national blessings, national greatness of his family and progeny, and bring the blessing of Jesus Christ who came through his line to the whole world. Because he did what was right. Joseph, hated by his brothers because of his dreams, and being Jacob's favorite. Jacob couldn't help it. He got a child from the wife. The woman he had contracted for. And he loved him. So he gave him this nice coat. And of course, Joseph, being a teenager, he said, hey, look what dad gave me. I don't think, I don't look, I don't describe any bad attitude to Joseph. I think Joseph was very sincere and loved his brothers. And he was just explaining how happy he was about this. And I had this dream, again, he was very open. I had this dream that I don't know what this means, but I found these are bowing down to my sheaf. And there are all these in that, you think we're going to bow down to you? He wasn't, he was just being open. So he sold into slavery. But you know, God did take care of him.

So Potiphar gets him. Because of his character, he rises to be able to take care of everything for Potiphar, the captain of the guard, Pharaoh's guard. And because he's that that good at it, and he's an attractive young man, Pharaoh's wife, Mrs. Pharaoh, starts eyeing this young man because my dad, my husband's gone a lot. What's he doing? All these places? He's gone. He's not around. Here's Joseph. Joseph, come lie with me. Joseph said no. She grabbed his robe as he ran out of the place. And then she screamed, this guy tried to do this to me. Here's his robe. He gets thrown in prison. In prison, he rises to the occasion.

Ends up being, taking care of prisoners. They knew he was a guy who had had some dreams. And so they said they had some some particular dream that they didn't know what was going to happen. And Joseph went ahead and answered their dream, told them what to interpret the dreams of the king's butler positively and the baker's negatively. The butler then was restored to his position and the baker was killed. So Joseph, this is in Genesis 40, Joseph asked the butler to remember him. But he got a, please remember me. Hey, I'm free. I don't care about you. Said the butler, but the butler forgot Joseph, Genesis 40. That Joseph then remembered, was then remembered when Pharaoh had a dream and needed interpretation.

Finally, and what did he become? Because he did in God's way.

Vice Pharaoh over the entire country of Egypt. Now that's a pretty lofty position for someone who was sold into slavery.

Because God can let you be lowered, but God also can exalt.

And so he became blessed. It was a blessing not only for that because he helped his family in times of famine. And though he played a little bit of a game with his brothers to see if they had changed at all, see if they would sell out to Benjamin, and they didn't do it.

So he revealed himself to them and they were frightened because the one that they had sold into slavery and told the father he was dead is now the vice Pharaoh of Egypt with all types of guards around him with large curved knives or swords. And he blessed them.

Bring Dad down. Dad was able to see his son because Joseph, and through Joseph, came the United States and Britain, Ephraim and Manasseh, blessed by Jacob.

His name would be blessed, named upon them, Israelites, because of what Joseph did. So, again, doing it God's way brings blessings to us. The world is blessed because of the peoples of Joseph. And what have the peoples of Joseph done? They've only brought a lot... Yes, there have been some bad ones that try to take advantage of countries. I understand that that's human nature, but they have brought peace. They have brought order. They brought orders to the various countries they went to. And they've established... They were...

The United States at one time could have ruled the whole world. Do you know that? When they dropped that A-bomb on Japan and ruined two cities completely, 100,000 people, 80,000 people, they evaporated. Who's going to question them? But they didn't. They helped build Japan. The Nazis, the Germans, they defeated them. Then they extended their hand, give them the martial plan, help them build their country back. Don't make them repay their loans.

God blessed us to be a part of this country. What a blessing that is. So let's talk about how to walk in God's way. How can you walk in God's way? I'll just give you a couple of scriptures, and I'm going to end with a song, Search Me, O Lord. But it's the last few verses.

John 14, verses 5 and 6. Thomas said to Jesus Christ, Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we find the way? And what did Jesus say to him? To Thomas, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me, and no one comes to Christ except through the Father, unless the Father calls him. But what did Jesus Christ say here? I am the way, as long as we abide in Jesus Christ. And remember Colossians 1, 27 says, Christ in you is the hope of glory. You have the mind of Christ, you have the Spirit of Christ, or the Spirit of God, same Spirit, dwelling within you. That gives you understanding, it gives you a measure of character, the strength to fight and resist sin, and the strength to build it. Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. As you abide in Christ, you will be walking with Him. Psalms 23.3, what did the psalmist say in his famous, the Lord is my shepherd psalm?

Verse 3, he restores my soul, he leads me, where? In the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. God leads us in the way that we need to go. Psalm 25, verse 8, good and upright is the Lord. Therefore, he teaches sinners where? In the way. There's a way we go. It's the way that God prescribes. It's the way that God has laid out. It's not just a law, it's a way of life. It's a way of life. He said the humble. Therefore, he teaches sinners in the way. The humble, he guides in justice. And the humble, he teaches his way. The paths of the Lord, all of the paths of the Lord, are mercy and truth to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. So God is the one who leads us. He leads us in the way. Ephesians 5, verse 2, 8, and 15. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, walk in love, walk in light, and walk wisely. God leads us in that. In Acts 16, and then 9, you see Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, writes nine times that there's a way. He calls it the way that we need to go. It's not just a law, it's a way. It's a combination of walking in God's ways, making good judgments, making wise decisions based on the Spirit of God and the mind of Christ in us. So there are two ways to go. And I'm not denouncing your own way, because you have to pick your own way. I don't think some of the girls wore somebody else's dress. Maybe they did, but basically you picked your dress. I don't think the guys said, I think I'll wear somebody else's tie. Maybe you could trade, but normally dress your own clothes, right? You don't say, I think I'll use somebody else's, unless you got it from Goodwill or somebody, then it is somebody else's. But nonetheless, you make your own choices, and that's fine. You have choices to make. You have choices to make of ice cream. You have choices to make of what to take up over here that I see they're getting all the food nicely ready for you, to tribute as a tribute, to treat the students and all of us. We're getting that all ready for you. So let's read in conclusion. Choose God's way, not your way, when it comes to the way to eternal life, when it comes to spiritual issues, when it comes to spiritual guidance and understanding. Psalms 139 verses 23 and 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties, and see if there's any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting.

So let me encourage us all that God may guide us as we walk in God's way, an everlasting way, and each leave, quote, my way behind.