Touching the Tears of Failure

Carter Conlin from the historic Times Square Church in New York City.

Satan can't speak the truth, he is a liar and is the father of all lies.

If you really were a failure. Satan would be telling you that you are an outstanding success or failure going to make the true that's Carter Conlin from Times Square Church in New York City were glad you joined us for a call to the nation for many people they come to the point in life where they feel their life did not amount what they thought it was going to be what they hoped it would eventually be.

That was how Jacob felt toward the end of his life, but Carter believes that Jacob saw something so profound. Jacob believed he was, not of this world than the plan of God was over his entire life all along. Here's Carter with today's message. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 21 touching the tears of failure by faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning upon the top of his staff. Let me read that one more time to by faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning upon the top of his staff. Now Jacob was the third in the lineage of Abraham and Abraham was the man to whom God did this promise in Genesis they call them out from among his own people, and he gave him a promise that is utterly profound that it how did they simply believe because there is nothing of Abraham's natural thinking could ever bring this about to pass.

In Genesis 12, two and three. He told him I'll make of your great nation and I will bless you and I will make your name great and you shall be a blessing and a new shall all the families and part of verse three in all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Can you imagine getting a promise like this one man just singled out by God and now Jacob is the grandson. This was his grandfather's Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can they be fully familiar with this and as a young man even though he wasn't in the direct lineage. He wanted this promise to be fulfilled through his life and he was willing, of course, if you know the story to go to great lengths to get this promise.

He wanted this blessing to flow through him.

And if if you are an honest Christian here then obviously you want his blessing of God's life to be in great measure flowing through your life as well. Now nearing the end of his days. Jacob had by his initially at least his own initiative he had gained access to this blessing and then finally he had an intimate encounter with God and eat truly did receive the blessing and you can see them coming back into the promised land. After a long, long journey, God was dealing with some issues of his own character coming into this place of promise, being told by God himself that he was going to be blessed, knowing that the blessing that was spoken.

Abraham was now on him and you can see it now knew the end of his days is coming from the land of promise into Egypt with an entourage of 66 people. Genesis 4626 said from his own loins is coming into Egypt in some of this lineage, it's not much of it.

Can you imagine being Jacob traveled all these years you been the inheritor as it is of his blessing and in nearing the end of your days. All you have are 66 people as it is supposed to bless the whole world and all is coming from your own life or your loins as it says are 66 people and some of whom have been a great disappointment to him. You think for a moment when at the end of his days when he's called his sons in several years down the road and he tells them. I want to tell you about your future and what the Lord has for you is firstborn Ruben was the son of his strength as it is this is this is the man a son, through whom the blessing should have gone through but Ruben was an unstable lustful man and Jacob had to telecommute. You're not going to excel. Because of these issues in your character and what you did during the lineage as it is, but you're not going to excel within the next two sons, Simeon, and Levi. They wouldn't carry any of his honor with them because they have been angry and self-willed men, and they had taken things in their own hands and they get exacted vengeance and caused great suffering and even reproach to his own name because of their anger and their self will. When Jacob came into Egypt he met Pharaoh and Pharaoh asked Domitian how old are you in. In Genesis 4790 says I'm the days of my pilgrimage of an hundred and 30 years, and he said they been few and evil have been the days of the years of my life. That's an amazing thing to say. For the men through the blessing of God is coming to literally supposedly bless the families of all the earth, and the word evil in the original text means my days have been of inferior quality. They have not been what I thought there were going to be.

They somehow missed the mark of what I felt God had planted in my heart of what I thought my life should be.

My life is been less.

In other words and I perhaps once hoped it would have been how many can you not to raise your hand, obviously, but their people are today that maybe been a Christian for certain amount of time or maybe not a Christian but you have this common thought in your heart, my life has not amounted to what I thought it was going to be what I had hoped when I first came to God.

I saw so many things that I should be accomplishing a night I came to the understanding that my life was to be a blessing and people throughout the world were to be blessed through my life.

But look at what I've become an unerring midlife run on getting plasmid life or whatever wherever you are today is you can so identify with Jacob and said my life is not produced what I thought it was going to.

I've somehow failed in this journey I'm ending with so little, seemingly to be seen by the natural eye of a life that was supposed to bless the world ending up in famine and at the mercy of a foreign country and can you imagine that, while Boston the thoughts it would be going through this man's mind heading out as it is leaving as he thought the land of promise and going into a foreign country and this great blessing that supposed to be flowing through his life.

He is not the mercy of a foreign government as it is going to Egypt to eat and he's supposed to be the man through the world is going to be blessed yet.

Hebrews 1121 tells us that at the very end of his his his days in the end of his natural strength he worshiped folks with dozen or so the question what was the basis of this worship.

I know for sure it wasn't just an empty song or formal ritual. A lot of people finish out that way in the Christian church just an empty song coming into the house of the Lord and singing the songs of Zion but being 100 miles in heart away from the words that are coming out of their lips like is been such a disappointment, perhaps even God in some measure to them, seemingly has been a disappointed to them, but I want to suggest to you that his worship was real big. The Bible would not pen the word worship. If it wasn't worship. He didn't his lien on his staff give lip service to God. He had to have seen something and I want to suggest to you that he saw something so profound. Hebrews 1113 said that these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them and embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and here's what I feel. I feel the Jacob saw something so profound that he could say, my God, I'm not of this world you know I'm not subject to its limitations are not governed by its sorrows. In spite of my failings and frailties. The plan of God is been going forward through my life absolutely unhindered all along. I believe he sought because when he called his sons and not keep in mind in Genesis 49 want to go there with me just for moment we see at the end of his days. Jacob calls and his sons, but it must've been a difficult moment for him to be calling in their own sons have been raising her supposed to be the inheritors of this blessing.

And yet there's such a deficiency in the firstborn that are all around him, and he called his sons together and the he had to say to Ruben, you're my firstborn. Verse three my mind in the beginning of my strength the excellency of dignity in the excellency of power, but your unstable as water you will not excel because you went up to her father's bed and you defiled the wood up to my couch.

They turns to the next two sons of Simeon and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty in their habitations all my soul, come not thou into their secret unto their assembly might honor, be not thou united for their anger they slew a man in the self-willed he did down the wall, cursed be their anger, for it was fierce of the wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scattered them in Israel. And then all of a sudden is it possible that his eyes were open. I don't know at what point, his eyes were opened, but he looks upon this Mrs. Judah thou art healing that brethren shall praise the hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies but father's children shall bow down before the unit is aligns well from the prey, my son there are going up.

He stooped down the crust as a lion, and as an old line, who shall rouse him up.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh.

That's the Messiah come in unto him shall the gathering of the people be binding is full into the vine. The disasters called under the choice vine.

He washed his garments in wine that is closing the blood of Greeks, his eyes shall be read with one of his desires shall be as dark as wine in his teeth as white as milk. Praise be to God.

I see Jacob looking anything God Almighty with all of my trouble in all of my years in all of my frailties and all of my failings and all of the deficiencies it's all around me. I finally see the Jew about a plan and this plan is been flowing through me. It's been flowing through my lineage is been flowing through my loins. It is absolutely unhindered. This plan is not stopped by my frailties.

God has determined to do something that through my life is going to bless this world and this plan is not stopped because I failed is not stopped because I felt in my thinking. It's not stopped because it failed him in some of my direction. It's not stopped because of even doubted them in my journey are not of this world. You see folks, if you are of the world you are you are hundreds limitations. If your mind is in agreement with the thinking of this world then you finish it like a failure if it is like saying it should've been more than it became, because all that there is for those who are of this world is what is in this world, but Jacob saw something he sought in Judah know at what point he thought.

I'm sure it must've been a surprise concert when he finally he first thought is not God, not of this world. This is no hold on me. This was no hold on my future. There's no hold on my family.

I'm not subject to its limitations and to its sorrows. Hebrews chapter 11 in verse 15. This is truly, if they had been mindful of the country from whence they came out they might've had opportunity to have had returned. If the thinking was the same. If you think the same as this world. Thanks, then we will go right back into that place of despair that everyone without God will ultimately end up praise be to God when we end our lives full of regret will end our lives just with questions about what if's and the if only xenophobia had been failing to see that were not of this world were not bound by this world were not limited, as this world is limited to Jacob and left the place of famine to commitment to the continued will and provision of God. Keep in mind if he was in the promised land, but Simon came there he had to leave the promised land come to work God's provision was over God's will was, although to the natural life. It must've seemed to be exactly the opposite wouldn't seem that way to you. It would have seemed as if the place of promise and failed in natural events relating him and his family into a foreign place. It would seem to the natural mind as if he's moving in the Plan B as it is for his life and somehow plan and slip through his fingers when I'm trying to see this day is that the events surrounding your life are not what your natural mind wants you to think they are in the last book of the Bible, we find the apostle John John at the end of his days. He sold his isolated knees cold. It is just a man like Jacob.

No doubt having some regrets about things it good or should have been done differently or better is exiled to an island called Patmos for the testimony of God. And in these places now Patmos was apparently a very foreboding person environment.

Most winter probably never survived it and John is in his latter years and you can see the enemy right right there is, is this where following Christ leads to is is this the type of future holds. John, you failed John you you were supposed to look after the mother of Jesus, and you didn't do a good job of the John and somehow you displease the Lord and somehow event up in this place and all around him now.

Our voices of despair. Can you just pictures of the prison were people know they're not going to survive. People are absolutely despairing to the future. Revelation 1911. Here's what John saw.

He saw place where God is dwelling with men. He saw the faithfulness of God sending a city from heaven, where you and I will dwell for all of eternity. But he saw something else. He saw Jesus wiping away tears.

Verse 47 God's a white boy. All tears from their eyes. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain now is not only wiping away tears from those who had suffered, but from those who are having seen his glory felt that their lives had been a failure by saw something when I was preparing this message and it caused me to jump out of my seat at my desk last night and pace up and down my apartment and just cry for joy. I see Jesus at this particular moment, the John saw people seeing the glory people getting there and they feel like they've been a failure. That's the crying that's the sorrow that's the pain God my life didn't amount to what I felt. It should be. I looked in your word. I saw your glory and I seem to fall so short of the glory.

And I see people falling on their knees reps on their faces, and Jesus coming to them and say no you don't understand in spite of your frailties. My light was still flowing through you. Just like with Jacob every time you ran into Olympics like water coming down the hill as it is is like water flowing from a divine place you can put obstruction before divulges find another route.

Another instruction will just go another way is it wouldn't. When Ruben failed deprives the river one third Simeon Levi when they felt want to Judah. Praise be to God. If you do finally see this.

He said no I wasn't stop by your frailties. What the plan I had to flow through you wasn't stop because you struggled wasn't stop because you were weak in Samaria got a sincere heart and whenever you felt like it was all over. Robert is moved around and went to another place by just continued through your lot because it is not about you it's about the power of an endless life flowing in and through your life. I see Jesus coming to these at the throne. I think John saw Revelation with a towel in his hand touching the eyes of those that are weeping, say, listen, I was proud of you do struggle but you never gave up her clients as soon as you I was bragging about you and my father went to the Angels of heaven.

I looked down and I wasn't needed by your file to because in your lot you wanted me and I've flown through your life.

Praise be to God is going to dry all tears because I was going to be gone there be no pain.

You can't condemn you. Don't be driven into a place of despair because of the large soup in trial, as if somehow you failed God's plan is still going forward. If you are an honest Christian you have an honest heart for God's plan is still going forward. The nothingness stop with the plan of God as he says no. This is where I was flowing through you thought it ended here but I moved around.

This is where I started to flow. This is the life of judgment with the person at the grocery store.

The one across the hall located on the street that used to give a smile kind of assignments when you want to member these things. Look at what happened, including the glory of God. The intent of the hall was last through your life, because the chance of Jesus transmitting the blessing of God flow through you that the devil stop payment is not put you in prison of despair.

Don't finish out with an unfinished testimony saying my days just been feeling evil soon.

I may have to go through hardship yes hardship and struggle to make the already part of your life and maybe even a greater part in the future. But, praise be to God when everything else is bye-bye is there still a junior life there still an avenue for the Messiah closing divine life and anointing in the plan of God goes forward on stopping unchecked and unchallenged not entered. Glory be to God be to God. Then John said, and he said to me in verse six of chapter 21 is done by mouth and Omega, the beginning and the end in a given day, and that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. John says I saw the Thursday drinking freely from an inexhaustible supply of life in Jesus Christ. I saw the Thursday drinking votes twice by Saul change last night of this kind of fear broken. I saw this sadness of heart distorted by the anointing of God. I saw people getting up by the prisons and walking to that fountain time drinking of the supply is inexhaustible supply of life in Jesus Christ drinking the printing of cards and the faithfulness of God.

Thinking of the promises of God. Drinking of the fact that God's plan for my life is not because I could not stop because I'm not understood. Even the direction of my own fate is not stop because seemingly I think I should be here and amended up over here God Almighty give us understanding. You can go into the coming days with sorrow in your heart you got to get up out of this prison. You gotta come to the font you got a drink, but this is faithfulness of God to supply Christ this July, but the Lord that comes into every heart. The findings of God.

It's not about being his imaginary life inside of my life is about you flowing through me. Praise be to God.

Pilate noted to the Lamb of God, no yes hallelujah hallelujah let Jesus Christ touch the tears now know to be a day in heaven when we get there there be sorrow in some people's hearts in pain. And finally, we will know even as we are known we will see things now we have to receive it by faith. But if we are mindful of the country that we come out of and I'm talking about the state of life before we became Christians, we might go back there hardship sometimes can drive people back into despair unless we are drinking at this fountain unless we choose to believe but God will be faithful the words he said would be true in in spite of our struggle, we see God I'm going to worship you based on every promise you've ever given me are not going to worship you. Based on my circumstance. When you chose to worship. That's when heaven opens. That's when you begin to see that sort everything starts coming into focus and you start realizing it never was about you. It never was about me. It was about a river of life flowing through us in spite of our failure in spite of our struggles. I'm talking out to the honest Christian on talking to the honest heart on talking to the person who does want to live for God you begin to see and God will wipe away all tears, God will take away sorrow and the be no more pain. You don't have to live in the regrets of your past. You don't have to be bound by the struggles of your present. You don't have to finish your course with the Foleys and what-ifs and what if it had been different, you can finish this course with a shout of glory in your heart sing. I have within the a life that cannot be stopped. It cannot be hindered. I wanted God and he chose to put his life in this real vessel all my struggles and fears. He knew it all.

My inconsistencies all of my trials and all of my limitations.

He knew it all but yet he still chose to put living water inside of me in living water can bypass these things living water will get through all of these things and give drink to the thirsty, if you believe this, you can step out of prisons of dispirited that you can step out of these glacis of doubt and unbelief. You can step out of living in regret with a heavy heart. Folks, this should be a day of great joy. This should be a time of exultation shouting. It should be if it should be a season where is God, thank you. This is not about me it's about you and say this is me this is a tailor-made message for me. I consider myself a classic failure by thought I was employing the putative problems that looks like a desert.

If it looks like the beats, wrong country on still in the plan of God. And in spite of my frailties. God's life in Christ is still flowing through me. Praise be to God. That's why Jacob could lean on his staff. At the end of his days, and worship God, thank you for joining us this week for a call to the nation with Carter come from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information log onto TSC.NYC that's TSC.NYC you can count on a powerful message each week on a call to the nation with Carter,