Young Man Understand the Times

[Music: Battle Hymn of the Republic plays] [Speaker 1] Praise the Lord. Our Father, we thank you again for today. We give you glory, we give you honor, we give you praise, we give you adoration. We appreciate you for all who you are and for all that you are. We commit our gathering today into your hands. We are asking, Lord, that your presence will work in our midst. For us who are here physically and [unclear: as well join] us online. Lord, meet with us all. Particularly for our younger generation, Lord, give direction and focus. Thank you, Eternal Father. In Jesus' name, we pray. [Speaker 2] We thank God again for today for another edition of our regular program, the Singles and Adolescent Club. As we come together again for this month's edition of Singles Club, we are trusting the Lord that the Lord will be speaking to our heart. He will be speaking to our heart and meeting us at our various point of need in the name of Jesus Christ. We thank God for bringing us into the month of August, and I believe that wherever you are joining us, either on Mixlr or on Telegram, we trust the Lord that it will be a blessed time again today in the name of Jesus Christ. We are trying to resolve, for better who will be joining us on Telegram, we are trying to resolve one or two issues about the Telegram something here. The Mixlr line is on, but the Telegram line is trying to start off. Once it starts off, we will let you know. We believe that on Telegram now, you are with us. I believe we are together. You are with us both on Telegram now. The Telegram issue has been resolved, and we believe you are connecting with us both on Telegram and on Mixlr. [Speaker 1] This month's edition of our Singles Club, we will be looking at a very important topic for our young people, which is "Young Man Understand the Time." Young man, understand the time. Young man, understand the time. Young man, understand the time. We are coming together to look at "Young Man Understand the Time." What is it that we really want to consider under this? First, I want to show you something in Hebrews that is very fundamental to this discussion we want to have. There was a time I was speaking with our young people, and I said for you as a young man or young woman, it is so crucial that you realize in life that the first thing to gain is direction before speed. Anybody who gains speed before they gain direction, it can be disastrous. The first thing you need to gain in life is direction. It is after you have gained direction that your life can begin to gather speed. What I want to show you about understanding the time today is something I want to call your attention to in Hebrews chapter 11. In Hebrews chapter 11, the Bible raised a very important issue I want to call your attention to. The Bible was talking about our understanding that there is going to be a shaking. When that shaking takes place, the Bible says everything that is shakeable will definitely shake away so that only the things that cannot be shaken, that will be the only thing that will remain. The only thing that will remain will be things that cannot be shaken. Hebrews chapter 12, sorry, Hebrews chapter 12. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 12 around verse 27 or thereabouts. Hebrews 12 around verse 26, let me take it from there. It says, "Whose voice then shook the earth? But now he has promised, saying, 'Yet once more, I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.'" Now, this "Yet once more" indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. It says, "Yet... now this 'Yet once more' indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made." As of things that are made. When he says there is going to be a shaking, the Bible is saying that there is going to be a shaking of those things that are made. Of those things that are made. That the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Why am I calling your attention to this matter today, to the matter of shaking? Is that if you have carefully looked at events in recent time, you will notice that a lot of unusual things are happening around us. A lot of things are taking place. A lot of things are coming up. They are not necessarily things that are new, but they are things that are unexpected. That is what I am saying. There is nothing new under the sun. The Bible says what will happen now, what is happening now, has happened before. Then what has happened before will happen again. The only difference is that the people that it is happening to now, because they did not know the history of those that it happened to before, they will now think it is something that is new. The Bible says it is because the succeeding generation (that is Ecclesiastes 1) did not know the history of several generations that preceded them, and so they are thinking that what is happening to them is new, but it is nothing new. It is something that has been before. So, I am not only talking of the happening of things that are new. I am talking of the happening of things that are not expected. The happening of things that are not expected. The way they are happening today, they are looking strange. The way they are coming today, they are appearing something very strange. They are looking like something that, "What kind of thing is this?" and that is what I am trying to say. That is why the Bible says that there was once a shaking. So, it is not as if shaking is a new thing. There was once a shaking, but again there is going to be another shaking. That is what we are trying to say. Shaking things, shaking things, shaking things, God making things to happen that will surpass the wisdom of men, that will surpass what logical reasoning can handle, that will surpass what human intelligence can predict. It is not something that is happening fresh. For example, outbreak of disease that will lead to lock up and lockdown that happened in the coronavirus has happened before in history. There have been lockdown in history before. But what made coronavirus look very strange was that it was not expected. It was not expected that this thing is going to take place. That is what I am trying to say. It is this matter of the unexpected that I am talking about that I want to talk about to you today as a young man, as a young woman. That it is becoming more and more important for us as young people to begin to operate in a dimension that the Bible actually predicted about our young people. The Bible says it will come to pass in the last days that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. It says your sons and daughters, they will prophesy. It says your young men, they will see vision. [background noise] One thing about a young man is the ability to see afar. I am telling you today as a young man, as a young woman, if you don't come into this operation, which is not by human intelligence but by the reason of inspiration and revelation, so many things will take you unaware that your life will enter into a famine that you may not be able to come out of. You need to understand the time. You need to understand that we are entering a period in history that we need young men that can see what is to come. We need young men, we need young women. We need a category of young people that can survive the unexpected. We need young people that can survive the unexpected. We need people that the unexpected will not take unaware. People that the unexpected for men will be what they have been expecting. I am saying that as a young man, as a young woman, if you must survive the now that we are in, the now that the globe is going through, the now that Nigeria is going through, the now that is becoming a global phenomenon. What made coronavirus to be something that became so devastating particularly in Europe was that it was not expected. If it had been expected, they would have prepared. Let me tell you why I am talking about this for you as a young man. Is because even your being taken home will happen unexpectedly. Even your being taken home to be with the Lord is something that the Bible says when they will be saying, "Peace and safety," the Bible says sudden destruction will come upon them like travail upon a woman. It says, "But you, you are not of the night that that day should take you unaware." What I am trying to say is that even our being taken home by Rapture is something that will also happen in this unexpected way for those who are not aware. So, what I am trying to say that just like our being taken away like Rapture, the events of today, they are events like that. The happenings that are happening to us around the globe today, they are happenings that are coming unexpectedly. They are things that are just, another thing, another event, outbreak of this disease, a sudden change in government policy, a change in this, a sudden that. What you have expected you will be going this way will just suddenly turn this another direction. Then you are wondering how is it going to be? Some have even started committing suicide. They could not respond appropriately. Some their marriages are crashing. Some young men, some young men are getting confused and perplexed. Some are thinking that drug addiction will solve their problem. Some are thinking, "Let me make all kinds of money. Let me do Yahoo Yahoo to solve the problem. Let me do some things." People are just responding to the unexpected differently. Some are responding by crime. "I will go into crime." Some are responding by, "Prostitution is the way forward." Some are responding by all kinds of response to several unexpected today because several young people are not prepared. They are not prepared. Some are become so addicted to drugs because they are trying to cope. Because they don't know how to cope. They don't even understand what to do. The whole thing is confusing and perplexing. Some are despair of life. Why? And I am telling you why. Because the thing came unexpectedly. They have plans, they have goals, they have things that they have put in place, but they did not understand that the things that are happening go beyond what your understanding can handle. Your understanding cannot handle the several unexpected that are going on. I just want to make reference to two familiar stories in the Bible. Familiar stories in the Bible as a way of making us to understand some of these things. The kind of young man that we need today. The kind of young man that we need today. That is why our topic is "Young Man, Young Woman, Young People Understand the Time." Understand the time. Youth of today, understand the time. Don't just live casually and carelessly. Don't just live anyhow. Don't live anyhow. Don't live anyhow. There is a need for us to handle what is happening around us appropriately. And how do we do so? How do we do so? Let me show you something in the Bible. That is why I am telling you that there is nothing new under the sun. The various things that are happening today, they are not new. They are not necessarily new. The only thing is that they are happening unexpectedly. The reason why you must—why as a Christian young man, as a Christian young woman, you stand a better chance is that you need to begin to understand that this is exactly how Rapture too will take place. So that you must be somebody who can be watchful, who can be vigilant, who can understand timing. Because if you are not watchful, if you are not vigilant, you are not understanding timing, it is almost also definitely certain that as every other event has taken you unaware, Rapture is going to take you unaware. It is going to take you unaware. So you must brace up. You must brace up quickly. Brace up! Brace up! Brace up! Brace up! It is a time to brace up and understand timing. It is a time to brace up and understand timing. Brace up, brace up, brace up, brace up, brace up. Very, very crucial. Look at what happened in the Bible. I just want to show you a familiar incident that we are very, very familiar with in Genesis. Look at Genesis. I am going to what happened between Joseph, Pharaoh's house, and his brothers. Just for you to get an understanding of what I am trying to say. And after that again, I will quickly turn to go to Daniel. We will look at something there too and then we will have been through today. We will have been through for this morning. I just want to show you, it is just a burden I want to share with you. Something for you to go and be reflecting on. And the first thing I want you to reflect on very, very seriously is that if you cannot handle the unexpected, you are likely to miss Rapture. That is the first thing I want you to go home and be thinking about. Go home and be thinking seriously about it. If you don't grow up, if you don't grow up—the Bible says grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord—if you don't grow up in this to increase your capacity, then this capacity cannot take you. There is a capacity the Lord wants us to grow. The Lord doesn't want us to remain as babes. Don't be a babe in the Lord. Grow. The Bible says He gave gifts unto men. Some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors, some to be teachers. For what purpose? For the perfecting of the saints. In view of the work of the ministry. I am quoting Ephesians chapter 4 from verse 11. In view of the work of the ministry, for the edification, for the buildup of the body of Christ till we all come to the unity of the faith, unto the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ. So, you see that God gave gifts for us to grow and increase capacity. You can't continue to remain as a babe. You must grow up. You must grow up to be somebody that can operate in where you ought to operate. Where are you to operate as a young man? The Bible says our sons and daughters, they will prophesy. They will be able to tell the mind of God. By the reason of the Word of God, they will tell the mind of God. And secondly, they will see vision. I am not talking of seeing one goat and one butterfly flying in your backyard. That is not what I am talking about. Not talking of seeing vision of, "I was in one airplane and Sister Funke was in another airplane. The airplane now both landed in the seaport of Nigeria or in the airport of Nigeria. That shows that we are married." I am not against marriage, anyway. That is not what I am—I am only saying that I am talking about ability to see into the mind of God. That is what I am talking about. Ability to see into the things of God. Ability to see into what God is doing. Ability to understand what God is saying. That is what I am talking about. As a young person, it says our young men will see vision. Now, look at Genesis. Genesis chapter—let me close with chapter 40 then we enter into 41 because the matter began to operate from that point. Look at Genesis chapter 40. You take it from verse 9. It says, "Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him, 'Behold, in my dream, a vine was before me. And in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded. It blossomed, shot forth and its cluster brought forth ripe grapes. Then Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grape and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hands.'" And Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days. Now, within three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand according to the former manner when you were his butler. But remember me when it is well with you and please show kindness to me. Make mention of me to Pharaoh and get me out of this place." Interpreted to the butler. To the baker, when the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream and there were three white baskets on my head. In the upper baskets were full of all kinds of baked goods of Pharaoh, and the bird ate them out of the basket on my head." So Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it. The three baskets are three days. Within three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and hang you on a tree, and the bird will eat your flesh from you." Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the chief baker among his servants. Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. But he hanged the chief baker as Joseph has interpreted to them. What am I trying to make you see? I am showing you a young man. There were men who saw three branches and they were perplexed by the branches. They saw events and incident in their life they could not interpret. When the man, the butler, saw it, if you go back, if you go to verse 6 of that chapter 40, I want to show you something. It says, "And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them and saw that they were sad." What happened to these two men? They were sad. I want to ask you. These two men, they were responding to situation of life. How? How were they responding? They were responding the same way. Am I correct? Am I correct? They were responding the same way. They were responding the same way. Unfortunately, let's read on. It shouldn't have been so. It was so unfortunate. Let's read on. It said they were sad. So he asked them (that was Joseph). Joseph asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of the Lord's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today? Why do you look so sad today?" And they said to him, "We each have a dream and there is no interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please." Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The butler and the baker. They were facing similar life situation. They both had dreams. And they were both responding the same way. It was an unfortunate situation. Unfortunate because the response of the butler should have been different from the response of the baker. The response of the butler should have been different from the response of the baker. When the butler had that dream, the butler ought to start jumping. He ought to start rejoicing, triumphing in life, singing all types of worship song. "Ah, O Lord, thank you for your salvation. I thank you for the mercy that I've received. I thank you for what you are doing in my life. I thank you for the height that you are taking me to." That ought to be the response of the butler. But unfortunately, the butler was sad. The butler was responding as the baker. He was at the same category with them. Same category with them. Why was he at the same category with him? Because he does not understand the time. He doesn't understand the time. And I see many, many, many Christian youth today. Responding the same way like every other men because they don't understand the time. I see many, many, many Christian youth today, young men and young women, calling conspiracy what people are calling conspiracy. Fearing what people fear. Running just like running with every butler, running also like baker. Morose, sad, depressed. Responding the way they ought not to have responded. Because they could not interpret the time. They could not understand the time. They could not. They could not. And in the same way, you also find that because there is no interpretation, as it is for men who ought to triumph, so it is for men who ought not triumph. They are in the same category. Solomon said something. He said I saw something, a particular evil under heaven, that princes it happened to princes just like ordinary men. What am I trying to make you understand? I am saying that young men, young women, I am talking of—I am addressing the believer. I am addressing that brother, that sister who said he had an encounter with Jesus. I am addressing you. I am addressing you that have hope that you are not like the baker that have no hope that death has been destined for. You may be having similar dream just like the baker is having a similar dream. But because you could not interpret the dream, your situation, the happenings around your life, you too you are committing suicide. You too you are giving up hope. You too you are reacting to your situation. You are reacting to the dreams of your life. You are reacting to things happening around you just the way the baker was reacting. "This one say he had a dream, this one had a dream oh. What about coronavirus? Coronavirus! So how is it? You, I am dying. You, I am dying. What is happening? Ah, I will just commit suicide. So what are you doing? In fact, I am tired of Nigeria. I am tired of..." Everybody responding the same way. Because there is no interpretation. Because there is no interpretation. Because there is no interpretation. Young woman, wake up from your sleep! Young man, wake up from your sleep! The Bible says we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, who are called according to His purpose. Can you stand up in that courage today? Can you stand up in that might today? Can you stand up in that capacity today and begin to respond to your dream differently from the baker? I am talking about interpretation. I am talking about young youth, please understand the time. Youth, understand the time. That is what I am talking about this morning. I want to share this burden with you so that we will pray this morning. I will close this meeting. I want you to go home and think that if you cannot interpret events like this, if you cannot interpret happenings around you, you are not likely also to be part of those that will go with the Rapture. Wake up, wake up, awake unto righteousness. Young woman, young man, wherever you are listening to me this morning, wherever you are listening to me, please wake up! Wake up! Let the sleeping giant in you wake up. I just came this morning to come and wake you up from your slumber. That's purpose of this Singles Club for this Saturday. It is a wake-up call. Young man, young woman, wake up! Wake up! It is not going to be to the butler as it is going to be for the baker. The Bible says talking about the believer, it says even when there is death—what the Bible says—he says we should not sorrow as those that have no hope. We are different categories of people. We are different categories of people. He says we should not sorrow as those that have no hope that even when we die, we know that because the Lord Jesus came, rose from the dead, we are sure that when He comes, we that are dead will rise up first to meet the Lord in the sky. Those that are alive they will join us. We know even in death we are not hopeless. Not to talk of when we still have life. I am talking about understanding the time. Understanding the time. Understanding the time. It is like you just forgot that your Father is the one who guides the universe, who propel, who sustain, who maintain the universe by the Word of His power. You acting to think that everything in the universe just happening by chance. How are you reasoning? How are you thinking? Butlers acting like bakers. Because there is no interpretation. Butlers acting like bakers. Butlers sorrowful, depressed, responding to situation. "Eh, I will throw away all of these thing. In fact, there is no hope for me again. In fact, I am just in 200 level now. See what going to happen to my life. We just begin to throw away everything." See now, "My job cannot do this, my life cannot do that, my..." and all kinds, all kinds of negative pronouncement, confession, thing that people are saying today. And you see people wondering where is our God in the all of it? It is unfortunate. But you know Joseph said something. He said something and that is what the third challenge I am giving you. I have given you two challenges now. The first one is if you cannot see vision, cannot see ahead, if you cannot understand that things will not be new, it is only that they will be unexpected and be able to see so that things don't take you unaware, you are likely to miss the Rapture. That was my first thing. My second challenge I am giving you is that there are many of us today, butlers that are responding to situation like bakers. That is my second challenge to you. That is my second challenge to you. I am just trying to show you the line of the challenge so you don't miss the emphasis of today's meeting. The line of the challenge so you don't miss the emphasis of today's meeting. The line of the challenge. Then look at the third thing I want to show you. The third line of challenge. That is—then—what Joseph said, and they said to him, "We each have had a dream and there is no interpretation of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" Hallelujah. Interpretations belong to God. And I want to ask you, who is God to you? If God is your Father, if God is actually your Father, should you be far from interpretation? Are you listening to me, young people? Are you following me, young man? Are you understanding me this morning, young man? Are you understanding me? Are you following me? Are you taking time to follow what I am saying? Are you taking time to do so? Are you taking time to listen, to listen correctly? Are you taking time to do so? My question is if God is your Father, should interpretation be far from you? Interpretation belongs to God. Joseph answered them and said, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Do not interpretations belong to God? Do not interpretations belong to God?" Sister, interpretations belong to God. Brother, interpretations belong to God. The confusion in your life is as a result of lack of communion with God. That is what I am telling you. The confusion that you are facing is due to lack of communion with God. The confusion around your soul today is due to lack of communion with God. You have not learned till date, you have not taken time to learn the art of communing with God. The art of creating time to be with God. The art of spending time in meditation, in prayer, in communion, in responding to God in His Word. You have not taken time to develop that capacity. You have not taken time to have a consistent walk with Jesus. Brother, the confusion in your life, I am telling you the source of your confusion. The source of your confusion is that all this while when you ought to be a teacher, you still have that men should teach you over and over and over again the basic principles of the Kingdom. When you ought to begin to increase, you ought to begin to increase. You see, this is something you should know. The rudiments of our Christian life begin with learning to walk with God. No apology to what happened to us today in our churches where Christianity is zero into activities. That is another problem again for the person who got born again, who thinks that everything about God is just on activities. But it transcends that. I am not against that. I am only saying that Christianity transcends that. The first rudiment of what a young believer should know is how to walk with God by reason of the Word of God. How to learn the art of basic daily quiet time with God. How to stay with God and by the Word of God begin to learn how to walk with God. How to daily respond to God's Word in His Word, how to meditate on it and believe that the promises that are here, they are for my life. The instruction here, they are for me. The correction here, they are for me. The admonition here, they are for me. They're not for information. They form a lifestyle for me. And as they form their lifestyle gradually, they begin to enter into higher realm of having impression, intuition, revelation, inspiration. It begins from that rudiment. But many of these rudimentary things are not learned today. So, the confusion in your life is lack of communion with God. What I am telling you, my third challenge to you young man, young woman, is that interpretation belongs to God. Understanding of the times belong to God. And if God is your Father, then it should not be far from you. Interpretation should not be something you lack. When they told—when they told him, when they told Joseph the dream, "What did you say you see? Okay, okay, okay, okay. What did you say you see? Oh, you saw three branches. Okay, they blossomed and then you saw like you took a cup. All those things that you are seeing are three days." Hallelujah. The man was seeing tree, but actually they were days. Who can ever comprehend three branches to become three days except by the Spirit of God? Who can see good inside coronavirus except by the Spirit of God? Who can see direction inside ASUU academic staff confusion except by the Spirit of God? Who can—who can get the right interpretation of what to do and how to do it? A strike, you don't know when it is going off. So that it's going off tomorrow now, it's going to be catastrophe for some people. If they say it's going off the day after tomorrow, you don't know when it is going—the calling of is going to come unexpectedly. Are you understanding me? They are nothing new. They have been before. But what is making of these things to be like this is the unexpectedness. The unexpectedness, different things are coming in. As you're coming out of one, you are going into another. You're coming out of one. The nations of the world are going to different things today. They're not necessarily new things. But the way they are falling in and how they are falling in, they are falling in such a way that they bring a lot of suddenness. They bring a lot of things around the life of people that is causing trepidation, that is causing alarm, that will make people to wonder, "How is it going to be? How is it going to look like? How is it going to be? How is it going to go?" And sometimes when you think it's going to go like this, it does not go like that. It goes another way again. Because the responses to these thing will not be exactly the same way. The responses to them may not be exactly the same way. And that is the second thing I want to show you as we try to close. The responses may not be exactly the same way. That the second thing I want to show you in the second episode, which will be my fourth challenge to you, and that will be the final thing for today, and then we will pray. Now, the issue of the dream, Joseph interpreted and then it happens to the butler as he has interpreted, and to the baker as he has interpreted. Now, I want to call your mind to something very, very crucial. If you're a good student of the Bible, you will know that there was a famine in the days of Abraham. If you go to the earlier chapters in Genesis, when Abraham got to the land of—got to the land of Canaan, there was famine in that land. Genesis chapter 12 verse 10. God told Abraham to move to a land. That was the land of Canaan. You will know that he got to where he ought to—he ought to be. And the Lord have already spoken to him. Look at it in the verse 7 for you to understand it was the land of Canaan where God wanted them to dwell. Genesis chapter 12 verse 7. It said, "Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendant I will give this land.'" And there he build an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. So you discovered that when God told him to go, he was already in the place where he ought to be. Now, in that place where he ought to be, there was a famine. You will see that in the verse 10. It saying, "Now there was famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe." When the famine was severe, Abraham responded the way he could. But of course, God show up—God show up to Abraham and told him to go back to that land. He ought not to have moved down to Egypt. Now, you will see that when this—when this famine took place, Abraham went by going down to Egypt. That was his response. In Genesis chapter 26 again, you have a similar thing. Genesis 26, there was famine again, beside the one that had—besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. Then the Lord appeared to Isaac, "Do not go down to Egypt." Are you seeing Isaac? What did he want to do? He wanted to respond again like his father. He was to respond like his father. At this time around, God had to quickly warn Isaac. "Don't behave like your papa oh. Don't go that direction oh. It didn't go well with Abraham oh, in going down to Egypt. Stay in this land and I will bless you." Isaac was able to get an interpretation and verse 13 of chapter 26 the Bible says, "And the Lord blessed him because he reaped a hundredfold." Now, I want you to be looking at this response that the response to the famine in the days of Isaac was that he should sow in that land and he would reap a hundredfold. He should not go to Egypt. Now, look at Genesis 41. A different ball game entirely. This time, Pharaoh had a dream. He dream again, a new thing again? No. Talk about dream before. And behold, he stood by a river. You know all the—you know everything that followed. That by the river, seven cows, fine-looking and fat, and they fed in meadow. Then behold, seven other cow came up, they ate up that first one and then it didn't look as if there was anything good about those cow. The same thing again for—for plants. Seven good ones again, then seven bad ones and look as if the seven those good ones never happened. And they could not interpret. And then again you saw the young man Joseph. Joseph again, he interpreted for Pharaoh. And he told him that look, the dream happened twice, it means it is certain. It is going to happen. I am showing you young people, all of these happened before this young man was 30. He was in his twenties when these things were going on. And you find people today confused, perplexed, battered, just, "Ah, yet I'm a believer, I'm a Christian." and you keep wondering, where is direction for our young people today? Because the Bible says when Joseph became Pharaoh, when he became Prime Minister in Egypt, he was 30. So all of these things took place before he was 30. Giving direction to men, to elders, to officers, to this, to that, to that. Interpreting for men, giving this oh, hallelujah. Look at what happened and they called Joseph, Joseph gave interpretation. I am not—I don't want to look at the matter of interpretation again. We've talked about that. But what I want to show you is looking at something in the family history. In the family history, their great-grandfather, there was famine. He responded foolishly. The son that followed wanted to respond, he responded by wanting to do like his father. Thank God for interpretation. Was able to understand time. When it came to Genesis 41, a different ball game entirely. This time, they must not stay inside the famine and plant. Joseph told them that this thing is going to continue. There is still another seven years of famine. Look, if you don't leave Canaan, if you don't leave that promised land now and come to Egypt... have you seen a different ball game? "Ah, God told my forefathers not to go there. Abraham wanted to go, it was not well with him. My grandfather too wanted to go, God rebuked him from going. I must not go. If I go there, it will not be well with me." It is not about tradition and it is not about lean on your understanding. It is about understanding the time. The response to this famine is that the whole household must leave the promised land. They must not even leave anybody there. All of them must come to Egypt. They should come and stay in the land of Goshen. They should stay there. And the famine continued like that and Joseph fed them. Mind you, that was the plan. Joseph told them when—when he revealed himself to his brothers. That was exactly what he told them. He said, "Look, you think—you think that I came here ordinarily? No, don't think that way. Don't think that way at all. The truth is that you—you intend this thing for evil, but God meant it for good. And so He has brought me here to do what? To preserve life." The agenda of God this time is that all of them must leave Canaan and come to Egypt. God has sent somebody there to go and preserve them. That was the agenda of God this time. So if he's saying that look, Abraham wanted to go, God—you see, what happened from that thing was not good. Eh, you see, when Isaac wanted to go, in fact, God appeared to him and God warned my father Isaac, "Don't go to Egypt. Stay in this land." Me I'm not going to go. There is a tradition in our family. There is a this in our hometown. There is that in my church. There is this in our denomination. You may die. It is not about tradition. It is about understanding the time. Joseph told them, "And God sent me here to preserve life, that's why I'm here oh." Said, "For these two years, the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will neither be plowing or harvesting." So this time, it is not "sow in the land and you will reap a hundredfold." This time, no plowing, no harvesting. No plowing, no harvesting. That one is "sow in the land and I will bless you," that is what God told Isaac. Genesis chapter 26. This time, the arrangement was that they have stored all food in Egypt. That food is what people will feed on for the next five years. That is why God told them, "Store up, store up, store up." This time around, the response to this famine is that there will be no—there will be no planting or harvesting. So if you want to say, "I will stay in Canaan and then I will sow because my father Isaac sowed in the land and when he sowed in the land, the Lord blessed him and he reaped a hundredfold. Don't worry, I will reap a hundredfold." Sorry. You will not even reap one-fold. Because that is not the agenda of God. What I am trying to say is that interpretation belongs to God. The response to several situation are not going to be the same. You must be able—I am talking about being able to see. Young man being able to see. He says there will be neither plowing or harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth and to save your life by great deliverance. So the great deliverance of God is everybody leave Canaan and come where? Come to Egypt. That is the deliverance of God. May we not miss His deliverance. May we not miss His deliverance. Almighty God, we thank you for this morning. Lord, we thank you for this morning. I've just shared, oh God, a burden with our younger generation. I've just shared a burden, oh God, with them. Ah, they need to wake out of their slumber. They need to get up and gain direction for their life. They need not to just sit down there, sit down there perplexed and confused. Oh Lord God Almighty, I pray. God Almighty, God Almighty, by the power of your Spirit, it is you that work in us both to will and to do of your good pleasure. Wake up our young people, wake up our young—wake up our young men, wake up our young women, wake them up from their slumber. Let them live correctly and appropriately at a time like this, oh God, in the name of Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, I pray, none of us will miss your deliverance. In every situation there is a way out. Oh God, that your way out, none of us will miss it. Neither they nor we the other generation, we will not miss this, oh God, in the name of Jesus. Our eyes on you, O Lord. Our eyes on you, O Lord. Oh God, help us that we will not walk in darkness. We will not walk in darkness. Grant us light and direction. In the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Let's share the grace together in fellowship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen. [Announcer] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in reaching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's Word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission heat. Our regular activities are discipleship class every Monday 5 PM, Adolescent and Singles Club every first Saturday of every month at 10 AM, marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10 AM, family life seminars, regular school outreaches, and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Veryjoy filling station along Igede road, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handle: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you.