Joel Osteen Podcast - Covered by Mercy

Episode Date: January 22, 2020

Discover the merciful goodness of God in this faith-building message as you explore the stories of men and women in the Bible who made mistakes but still saw God’s goodness, and not just His goodness—but His overwhelming flood of favor. Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love. To give visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of the Joel Osteen Podcast ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Well, God bless you and welcome to Lakewood. It's a joy to come into your homes each week. Thanks so much for being with us. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you, we'll make you feel right. at home. But thank you for tuning in and thanks again for coming out. I like to start with something funny and I heard about this older woman. She came to church one Sunday morning and a friendly usher met her in the back and said, ma'am, where would you like to sit? She said, I'd like to sit on the very front row. He said, oh no, ma'am, you don't want to do that. Our pastor's very boring. He'll put you to sleep. Let me seat you somewhere else. She looked appalled. She said, sir, do you know who I am? He said, no, ma'am. She said, I am the pastor's mother. He hung his head in embarrassment and finally looked up and said, ma'am, do you know who I am? She said, no. He said,

thank God. Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk to you today about covered by mercy. We all make mistakes in life and do things that we know we shouldn't do. And it's easy to live guilty, in regrets, feeling like we're all washed up. A man said to me recently how he had gotten off course in his business, made some poor decisions,

didn't have integrity. Now it was going downhill. It started to affect his marriage. I encouraged him to pray and ask God to help turn it around, believe for favor. He said, Joel, I couldn't do that. It's my own fault. I brought this trouble on myself. He felt like he was disqualified. He didn't deserve God's help because his performance wasn't up to par. We can understand how God will bless us when we're doing what's right, making good choices. It's easy to expect good things and believe for dreams to come to pass. But the beauty of mercy is even when we make mistakes, even when we go the wrong way, our performance is not perfect.

God doesn't say too bad. You had your chance. You're on your own. No, this is where mercy shows off. God will not only help bring you out of the trouble that you got yourself in, he'll take it one step further and help clean up the mess you made. Maybe a relationship you knew you weren't supposed to get in. You didn't feel good about it.

You heard the alarm going off, but you ignored it. Now it's a mess causing your heartache and pain. Or perhaps a job you knew you weren't supposed to take it. You didn't feel good. You had that uneasiness on the inside. but you overrode it and did it anyway. Now it's a mess. You're not fulfilled, not being treated right. God doesn't say, I tried to tell you. Maybe next time you'll listen, no, God is not holding that against you. He has you covered. His mercy is bigger than that mistake. His mercy will help not only turn it around,

but God will help clean it up and cause something good to come out of it. But if this is going to happen, you can't go through life. guilty, condemned, beating yourself up because of past mistakes. Thinking, oh man, I knew I shouldn't have hung around those people. Now I've got this addiction. I knew I should have stayed in college. I knew I should have been faithful in my relationship. What was I thinking? No, it takes boldness to believe that God will bless you in spite of your mistakes.

The accuser will tell you, you can't ask God to help you. You made the mess. You went the wrong way. You were unfaithful. God's not going to listen to you. Who do you think you are? Answer back, a child of the Most High God. Redeemed, forgiven, covered by mercy.

This is what Jonah did. God told him to go to the city of Nineveh and share the good news with the people. But Jonah didn't want to go. He wanted to do his own thing. He went in the opposite direction. He got on a boat headed the wrong way. They encountered a huge storm. everybody on board thought they were going to die.

Finally, Jonah admitted, hey everyone, I'm the problem. I'm the one that's causing all this turmoil. They didn't say, oh, that's okay, Jonah. We'll let it slide. We forgive you. No, they threw him overboard. They weren't about to go down with him. Jonah thought he was done.

It was his fault. He did exactly opposite of what he knew he was supposed to do. He was treading water in the middle of the ocean. dark in a storm looked like it was over. He was getting exactly what he deserved. But God said, Jonah, you can run the other way, but you can't outrun my mercy.

It's from everlasting to everlasting. Wherever you go, I've got you covered. The psalmist put it this way. If you go to the depths of the sea or way up in the sky, no matter how high or how low, you can never get away from God's mercy. He'll always be there waiting for you, calling your name, giving you another chance, ready to help,

ready to clean up the mess you've made. He's got you covered by his mercy. Jonah was feeling guilty, thinking that he was finished. The situation looked impossible. No way it was ever going to turn out good. But God has a way even when we don't see a way. Your situation may seem like it could never turn out right. You made the mess.

Now it's complicated. Other people are involved. The odds are against you. Be encouraged. God already has the solution. He already knows how to not just bring you out, but how to clean up the mess and bring you out better. All of the sudden, this big fish came and swallowed Jonah.

Now he's sitting in the belly of this fish. He's in one sense glad that he's still alive, thankful that he didn't drown. In another sense, he's thinking, I wish I would have died. It stinks in here. I can't see anything. I'm trapped. There's no way out. But sitting in the belly of that fish,

thoughts telling him, Jonah, you deserved it. It's your own fault. Too bad. Instead of listening to the accusing voices, the scripture says, Jonah began to pray from inside the fish. He didn't say, God, I am so undeserving. I've made such a mess.

God just helped me to survive. No, he said, I cried unto the Lord in my trouble and he answered me. That was a statement of faith. He was still in the fish, still in trouble, yet he's declaring God has answered me. He went on to say, I sank down to the depths of the ocean. Death was near. But when I lost all hope, I turned my thoughts toward you, O Lord. For you snatched me from the jaws. death. Now I will fulfill my vow. I know salvation and deliverance comes from you alone. Notice how much of his prayer was in the past tense, like it had already happened. Jonah had this attitude, God, I believe you'll not only rescue me, but you'll help clean up this mess, that you'll bless me in spite of my mistakes, that I will still fulfill my destiny.

And that takes boldness to ask for God's blessings in spite of what you've done wrong. Because most of the time, we just live guilty, condemned, we have no passion. But when you have the boldness to say, God, I don't deserve it. I went the wrong way. But God, I still believe you'll bless me. I still believe you'll show me favor. I still believe I can become who you created me to be. when you do that, God doesn't say, who do you think you are? You know what you did wrong.

You should be grateful to even be alive. No, God will do for you what he did for Jonah. As soon as Jonah got through praying, the scripture says, God calls the fish to spit him up onto dry ground, onto that beach. Friends, God controls the whole universe. God can cause whatever's holding you back right now. The dysfunction, the addiction, the sickness, the legal problem. them, God can cause it in a split second to set you free, to release its hold. God is in control even of our enemies. Jonah came out of this well, washed himself off, thrilled to be alive. He knew it was the mercy of God.

And that could have been the end of the story. That would be great. God rescued him, saved him from trouble. But God doesn't want to just bring you out. If you'll have the right attitude, shake off. the guilt, get your passion back, God will give you another chance to get to where you're supposed to be. That mistake did not disqualify you. You didn't miss your destiny because you had a detour. The scripture says, the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. What did God say?

Jonah, I want you to go to Nineveh. The same thing he said the first time. In other words, God didn't say, Jonah. I ask you to do this once, but boy, you about wore me out. I had to get up off the throne, go find that fish. Joni, you just sit on the sidelines. I'm going to find somebody else. No, God will always give you another chance and another chance and another chance to fulfill the best plan that he has for your life. It is not too late to become who God created you to be.

If you will start where you are honoring God, be in your best, serving others, the right doors will open. The right people will show up. God knows how to make up for lost time. He can get you to where he wants you to be. The second time God asked, Jonah went to the city of Nineveh, he obeyed and he saw God do amazing things. The point is, Jonah made a wrong turn, but that did not stop his destiny. God said, Jonah, you had a detour, but that's okay. I've got you covered. My mercy is bigger than that mistake. I still want you to go to Nineveh. I still want you to fulfill my best plan for your life. Maybe like Jonah, you've made some mistakes, taken some wrong terms. It's easy to sit on the sidelines of life and think, oh, Joel, I can't expect God to bless me. You don't know what I've done. Blue my marriage. Got these addiction. failed in business, made a lot of poor choices. No, you are no different than Jonah. You can either sit there

on the beach, so to speak, and just be glad you're alive, or you can rise up like he did and say, God, I blew it, I don't deserve it, but I know salvation and deliverance comes from you. Lord, I believe that you can turn this mess around and still help me become who you created me to be. if you'll have an attitude like that, the word of the Lord will come to you a second time. God will give you another chance. You may be in the middle of a mess right now. It was your fault. No excuse.

You don't see anything good in your future. But be encouraged. God has you covered. He's saying to you what he said to Jonah, I still want you to accomplish your dreams. I still want you to have a great marriage. I still want you to live happy, healthy and whole. I still have a destiny for you to fulfill. We can all look back in life and see times where we made the mess, but God cleaned it up.

We lost our temper and said some things that got us into trouble. We should have lost our job, but God showed us mercy, cleaned up the mess. We still have it today. Or we were unfaithful in a relationship. We should have lost our marriage. We made the mess, but God showed us mercy, cleaned it up. Today we're restored with a healthy, happy family. A lot of times when people see us blessed and in joy in life, they think it's because we did

everything right. We didn't make any mistakes. But the truth is, there were times we made a wrong turn like Jonah, but God caused it to turn out right. We took the wrong job. We got involved with the wrong people. We said the wrong things, but God caused it to all were together for our good. there were some mountains

we knew we weren't supposed to climb but the opportunity looks so good we did it anyway and we got halfway up and realized this is not what I thought it should be I can thank God that he brought me off a mountains that I was never supposed

to be on in the first place he could have left us there and say hey learn your lesson maybe next time the good news is we've been covered by mercy One time this business opportunity came along and it was so appealing to me, I didn't have to pray about it. I didn't have to think twice. I knew it was something I wanted to pursue.

And it took about six months to come together. On several occasions, there were these small signs that something wasn't right. I could feel that uneasiness saying, Joel, don't do it. It's not what it seems. I didn't pay any attention. I wanted it so badly. I pushed through it. We got it up and going, but it never took off like we thought.

There were some circumstances we didn't realize that we'd limit it. And we had a lot invested and we struggled and struggled, tried to make it work. But it's like we were always pushing it uphill. And when I look back, I can see how God tried to warn me, tried to get my attention. I could feel that unrest, but I didn't listen. God could have said, Joel, well, maybe next time you will listen. Too bad for you. No, God is not holding that against us. If God only gave us what we deserved, none of us would fulfill our destiny.

One day, out of the blue, we got word that this man was interested in purchasing it. The experts said it would never happen. He wasn't the right type of buyer. He wasn't even in the same field. But against all odds, he not only purchased it, but he paid almost twice what we were told we could sell it for. That's the mercy of God cleaning up the mess. God doesn't give us what we deserve. We deserve the consequences. We deserve judgment. But God gives us mercy.

He knows how to make miracles out of our mistakes. The accusing voices will tell you, man, you are done. It was your fault. You knew not to do it in the first place. You pursued the wrong dream. Now look at you. You're over your head. You can't make ends meet.

Just deal with it. No, God is so merciful, he'll take your wrong and he'll make it right. It may have been your fault. You could easily live guilty. Now, you've got to shake that off. God's mercy is bigger than that mistake. He knows how to make a miracle out of that mess. See, covered by mercy means you're not just covered as long as you do everything right.

Like Jonah, you're covered even when you go the wrong way. Let me make it more practical. Even when we do dumb things, God still has us covered. That should make us all feel better. I read about this young man, 21 years old. He was raised in church. He knew the right thing to do, but he got off course, started partying and running with the wrong crowd. One night when he had way too much to drink, his friends dared him to climb a telephone pole.

He wasn't thinking clearly, and he climbed up 40 feet in the air. drunk as can be. Just as he was about to reach the top, he lost his footing, slipped, and fell backwards. Tumbling back on a way to a certain death, somehow the leather belt that he was wearing caught one of the metal rods on the pole, and it acted like a harness and saved his life. He was up there dangling in the middle of the night. Fire department came and rescued him. The newspaper headline read, Pants saved drunk man from a fall. That's the mercy of God. Even when we do dumb things,

God still has us covered. Bottom line, if it's not your time to go, you're not going to go. Nothing can snatch you out of God's hand. You might as well quit fighting the call of God on your life. God is not going to leave you alone.

Wherever you go, he's going to be there. The scripture says God's calling is irrevocable. That means you're a marked man. You're a March woman. God wants you. You can try to ignore it. Run, hide, party it away, drink it away. After all that, God's going to still be there saying, I want you to go to Nineveh. I've got something for you to do. I've got a destiny for you to fulfill. See, you have an assignment. Somebody needs what you have. If you don't step into who God's made you to be,

this world will not be as bright a place as it should have been. We'll all miss out. And when I say we're covered by mercy, that doesn't mean we can just live any way we want. Be sloppy, compromise, take the easy way out. Joel said, God will clean it up. He'll catch me even when I'm drunk. No, some of you think you've got your word from the Lord. Let me clarify this. When you really know God, when you have a relationship with his son, Jesus, you want to do what's right.

You may make mistakes from time to time, but you're not trying to, see how much you can get away with and still feel good about yourself. Deep down, you have a desire to honor God, to be your best. And the scripture says here in Titus, God saved us not because of the good things we've done, but because of His mercy. This is the key. His mercy is not based on our performance. If it was only dependent on us living a perfect life, never making a mistake, then none of us would be here. You may not have been saved by your pants from a telephone, Paul, but I wonder how many times God has saved us from dumb things that we've done. I can admit I've done a few. Don't look at me like that. I know I'm a saint compared to you, but every morning I start off

the day by thanking God for his goodness, for his blessings, his favor, my family, my friends, the opportunity he's given me. Then I always follow it up by thanking. him for his mercy. For the times I didn't make the best decision, but he cleaned it up. The times I did something dumb, but he'd brought me out of the mess. The times he protected me that I knew nothing about. He kept the car from colliding with mine. He kept my child from harm, saved me from pain and heartache. There are many things that we cannot see, but God is holding back the forces of darkness, keeping us from accidents and harm. Move in the wrong people. out of the way, causing things to work out to our advantage. He's got you covered with his mercy.

And the beauty is not just when we perform perfectly, not just when we measure up, but even when we blow it, even when we fail, even when we do like Jonah and say, God, leave me alone, let me do my own thing, you're still covered. You may turn your back on God, but he'll never turn his back on you. You may run the other way, but God will come running to one. you. Sometimes people say, Joel, I've made so many mistakes. So many poor choices, I think I've missed my destiny. I always tell them you're not that powerful. You think your poor choices can stop what the creator of the universe, the most high God, has ordained for you. You think that mistake is too much for the mercy of God, that somehow God is now confused, trying to figure out

what to do with you next. No, God knows the end from the beginning. Nothing you've done has to keep you from becoming who God's created you to be. But you've got to do your part and get back in the game. Start honoring God with your whole heart and he'll get you to where you're supposed to be. Dr. John Redman is a pastor friend of mine and he told about this woman that he knew that was very, very depressed. It kept getting worse and finally she couldn't. take it anymore. She decided to end her life. She went to bed on a Saturday night and was going to do it the next morning. She has a little dog that sleeps with her. He woke up early Sunday morning and started scratching and scratching trying to wake her up so he could go outside. While he was doing that,

he hit the remote control for the television and turned it on. It just so happened that our program came on the television. She started watching and I was talking about how God has your best day still in front of you. You wouldn't be alive unless something amazing was in your future. She knew it wasn't a coincidence. Something began to come alive on the inside. At the end of the program, I always encourage people to get into a good Bible-based church. That Sunday morning, she went to Dr. Redmond's church, gave her life to Christ, got her joy back, her passion back.

Now she's excited about her future. Friends, God's mercy is bigger than our poor choice. If it's not your time to go, God can even use a dog to get you back on the right track. He's got you covered with his mercy. In the scripture, when God promised Abraham that he was going to have a baby, he and his wife, Sarah, were nearly 80, way too old to have a child. They waited and waited, believing that somehow it would happen. But year after year went by, still no baby. And Sarah got tired of waiting, talking about making a baby.

bad choice, doing something dumb. She told Abraham to sleep with her maid Hagar. They had a baby, Abraham and Hagar, that they named Ishmael, but this was not the promised child. This brought all kinds of dysfunction into their house. Sarah got mad at Abraham. What were you thinking? Abraham said, well, you told me to do it. She said, well, you should have known better anyway. Sarah became very jealous of Hagar and started treating her really badly. Finally, she gave Abraham an ultimatum. Either this woman leaves or I'm going to leave. Abraham had to send Hagar and his young son Ishmael out into the desert.

It was a big mess. God could have said, Sarah, too bad it's your fault. You brought the trouble on yourself. You were impatient. You should have just waited. But no, even though Sarah made them. mistake. I say it respectfully, even though she did something dumb that did not cancel out the promise. In the natural, she was way too old, but one day God gave her a baby. She had Isaac, the promised child.

What am I saying? They made a big mess of things, but God not only cleaned up the mess, he made a miracle out of their mistake. Here's how amazing God is. Hagar, the maid. She didn't do anything wrong, but her whole world fell apart. She was living out in the desert with her son, who everyone called a mistake. He wasn't the promised child. She didn't know how she was going to survive. But God said, Hagar, don't worry. I'm going to take care of you. And your son, who people think is a mistake, I'm going to bring out of him a great nation. God is so merciful out of a great mess, he brought great mess. He was saying, Hegar, I'm not going to let other people's poor choices ruin your life.

See, it's one thing when we make the mess, we have to deal with it. We can understand that. We brought the trouble on ourselves. But when somebody else makes the mess and it affects us, that doesn't seem fair. Ishmael couldn't choose who his parents would be. He couldn't choose where he would be born. Hagar didn't ask to have a baby with Abraham. She was just following orders, doing what she was told.

You may be in a mess today, and it was somebody else's fault. They caused you to be at a disadvantage. But be encouraged. God is saying to you what he said to Hagar and Ishmael. Other people's mistakes are not going to ruin your life. They may have put you at a disadvantage, but know this. God has you covered. He's going to bring greatness.

out of that great mess. Friends, nothing you've done has disqualified you. You may have made a poor choice like Sarah, but God is still going to bring the promise to pass. You may have taken a wrong turn like Jonah, but God's still going to cause it to turn out right. You may be somebody else's choice has had a negative effect on you, but don't worry, God's going to turn it around and use it to your advantage. Shake off the guilt. Quit listening to the accusing voices. God has you covered with his mercy. If you'll do this, I believe and declare. God's not only going to bring you out, he's going to clean up your mess. He's going to make miracles out of your mistakes. You will still fulfill your destiny and become everything God's created you to be in Jesus name. If you receive it,

can you say amen today? We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? me. Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you, my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take your places that you've never even dreamed. Thank you for listening to the Joel O's Dean podcast. Help us continue to share the message of hope with those all over the world. Visit Joel Osteen.com slash give hope to give a gift today.

Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time. More than ever before, people are turning to the church for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely been ill-equipped to help. That is until now.

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