Time For Payback | Hope Carpenter

I want to talk to you tonight about trouble. Trouble. So if you got your Bible, go to Job. I'm going to jump right in. Yeah, I haven't forgotten the theme of the conference. Just hold your horses. Job 1. In the land of Uz, there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. And he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. Sounds like I'm talking about Pastor Tony Brazelton. His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays. That sounds like my children. And they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. Yep, sounds like my kids. They just turn up. When a period of feasting had run its course. Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Lord help us. Jesus was raising these children. Early in the morning. He would make sacrifice, a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, perhaps my children have sinned and curse God in their hearts. And this was Job's regular custom. Now I'm going to tell you, we've been in ministry this year 30 years. 30 years. We just celebrated last weekend. 30 years of ministry. Been married 31 years. We got three grown kids, five grandkids. I just think, how did I get this old. Time flies when you're having fun, I guess, right? 30 years of ministry. So I have learned a thing or two. And one thing I have learned is you cannot go through this life without pain. None of us. And if you've gone through life without pain, raise your hand because you are a robot. You are not real. We all go through this life with pain. It's around us sometimes. It's in us, it's in our family, it's in our children, it's in our help. One thing I've learned is you are going to have to go through some things in this life. And Job here, the Bible says that he was a blameless man. He had a lot of kids, he had a lot of livestock. He had been a man of faith. He was a hard worker. He had a big house. To all accounts it looked like he had really reached that place called there. But the Bible says that great tragedy hit his big old faith filled house. So don't let what you see other people drive and what other people live in and what other people wear fool.

You as to thinking that they never.

Have trouble touches their house. Have you ever had tragedy hit your home? Yes, I just told you about mine, so let's keep reading. Job 13. One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine. Now listen, his kids like to party, right? That makes me feel a whole lot better. Feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house. A messenger came to Job and said, the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby. And the Sabians attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I'm the only one who escaped to tell you. While he was speaking, while he was given this bad news, another messenger came and said, the fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants. And I'm the only one who has escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and knocked on his big old house and his big old door and said, the Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I'm the only one who's escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking. Now listen, he's had a bad day. While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, you sons and your daughters were feasting and drinking the wine at the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them.

They are dead.

And I'm the only one who has escaped to tell you. Listen, he's really having a bad day. Listen, we think we having a bad day when our Bunyan acts up. We think we having a bad day when our washing machine don't work. Job is having a bad day.

Job got up, tore his robe, shaved.

His head, then he fell to the ground.

He started cussing, he grabbed the Hennessy, he quit church. He stopped tithing, he backslid. He said, God ain't good. Job got up, he tore his robe.

He shaved his head and he fell to the ground. And he worshiped. There is a level of maturity in us when tragedy hits our home, when we worship. Listen, most of us don't even worship on our good days.

We forget who gave us everything we got.

We think it's because of our education. We think it's because of how much scripture we know. We think it's because of we work.

So hard to get where we at. But listen, most of us don't even worship God when things are going great.

Verse 21 and he said, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord took away. May the name of the Lord be praised.

In all this.

Y' all need to say, in all this.

Just think about your life and say, in all this. In all this.

Job did not see sin by charging God with the wrongdoing. Listen, I'm blessed by Job right here. I'm blessed by Job right here. Seems to be a really good Bible study, right? But y', all, this happened. Can you imagine four knocks on your door and everything in your life has been taken within minutes? Within minutes, he was going through. And we cannot seem to go through anything without getting on Facebook and telling somebody what we think about it and doing undercover tweets, not naming names, but everybody knows who you're talking about. We can't go through anything without saying, well, where's God? I thought God, I thought pastor said y' all ain't ready. Listen to me. Tonight, one time or another, you will go through Job like circumstances. And they will be uninvited. They will be uninvited. The question is, how will I respond? How will I respond?

Look, it gets better.

Then in chapter two, boils came.

He got the COVID or as my.

Daddy says, the COVID.

Chapter two, boils came.

He's covered from head to toe, it says.

Then in verse nine. Then his wife starts yakking.

Now, I know none of y' all act like that, but you know, some women do that. His wife started up telling him, backslide. Job. Come on, Job.

God ain't that good. Come on, Joe, let's go get.

Let's go get the drink. Let's just go party the way the children were.

Let's go just do us curse God and die.

Then three of his friends came and they sat quiet for seven days. Listen, some of us need to learn the ministry of silence. Somebody passes away in your church and we start foolish talking like this. Well, you know, God just needed a rose in heaven. God just needed a flower.

Shut up. That's crazy.

But then they start talking, and they.

Continue to talk all the way to chapter 42.

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na. After he has not been through enough, they start talking.

It's your fault, Job, if you wasn't this or that, Job. It's your kids fault, Job. It's God's fault, Job.

And at the end, you. You can read it tonight. I'm not going to read all of it. That wasn't true. But has Anybody in this room had tragedy hit your home uninvited? Come on. You over here doing your best. You tithing. You on the dance ministry.

You'Re doing your best. You tithing. You in the Word. You trying to come to church during.

The COVID.

Still sitting there scared to.

Death somebody gonna breathe on you.

But you go to Walmart and touch every can of green beans, everybody done touch. Where's all this faith pastor been teaching you? Either it works or it don't. That's why they been teaching you faith for this day that you're in. If it don't work during trouble, it don't work.

Mm. You over here doing your best, then you got people in your ear. Come on. It's okay. Go ahead and turn up. Do you God must not love you. All that preaching is just pie in the sky. It don't work for us. And then we have this question. Why does bad things happen to the I'm about to teach you? See, the problem with the question is it's bad. It's out. You're asking the question out of bad assumptions. And you know what they say about assumptions. It makes a donkey out of you. And right. See, bad things does not equal a bad God.

First and foremost, bad things does not equal a bad God.

And good things happening does not necessarily mean you all that.

Cause we really are not that good. Right? Isaiah 54 says, all your goodness, all.

Your righteousness, it's just plain filthy. It's just dirty. The best you could ever be is filthy rags.

Whoo.

We about to get crunk.

Our best still ain't good enough. We all sin.

And fall short of the glory, the glory of God, the recognition. We all sin and fall short of showing forth our Christ likeness. We all do. Me, I just tell it all. I just tell it all, y'. All. I lost my good mind last week. I lost my good, saved, sanctified tongue, talking mind last week. Me and my husband never, never fuss, hardly ever. You can't argue with him. He's too nice. I try. I try to poke him and punch him and get up at him and what? He just sits there and looks at me. Makes me so mad. But we got into an argument. He wasn't relenting. I wasn't relenting. And I had my cell phone, and I said an ugly word. I said, I wish I could take this phone and throw it in your face. And I meant it. I wanted to. I really did. We all sin and fall short of the recognition of the glory. Is this too real? For y', all, God is the only good thing about me. God is the only good thing about you. You ain't smart enough. You ain't wise enough. You don't know enough scripture. Pastor Cynthia Brazelton don't know enough scripture. And she's a walking Bible. God is the only good thing about me. Look at your neighbor and say, you ain't that holy. Come on.

You've been wanting to say that to her all night. You've been wanting to tell her for about six weeks. Say you ain't that holy. See, and we think God.

Is unfair. You know we do. We think it makes God unfair when bad things happen. Fair is getting what you deserve. Won't you lean into me just a minute? You don't want God to be fair with you. You really don't want God to be fair with you.

Somebody needs to thank God that he hadn't been fair with you. Somebody needs to say thank you, Jesus, that I did not get what I deserve. Listen. He's better to me than I could ever, ever, ever be to myself. Listen, because he's not fair. You sitting here tonight. I should have lost my mind. I should be divorced tonight. I should be selling margaritas on the beach in Miami to. But I'm here with you because God is not fair. God's not fair. I'm glad God's not fair.

Look at somebody and say, I'm glad God's not fair.

I'm glad God's not fair.

And then we assume poorly.

That bad.

Things only happen to bad people. Y' all ain't ready. Matthew 5:45 says, God makes the Son to shine and to rise on the evil and the good and reign to the just and the unjust. Now, I know that messes up your blabbit and grab it shama lama ding dong theology, but it's the Bible. God makes the sun to shine and to rise on the evil and the good and rain on the just and the unjust. So no matter what status you are, in your big house or your little house, if you're rich or if you are poor, if you are good or you are bad, if you are holy or if you are unholy, if you.

Know scriptures or you can't even quote one.

It rains on the just and the unjust. Job, me, you, pastor. There are things going on in the heavenly realm that we don't know about.

There is warfare going on all over your head right now. Warring for your life.

Job one and six. God, believe it or not, allowed Satan to wreak havoc in Job's life.

Why?

I'm gonna tell you several reasons. But number one, because he knew him. Do you know God knows your constitution. God knows what you made of.

You can't hide nothing from him. He knows if you are gonna curse God and die or if you gonna stand there holding on in the middle of the storm.

And God allowed it because he knew him. God knew that it wouldn't kill him. He knew that he wouldn't curse God. He's blameless and upright. See, God knows what's in in us. And we're sitting here saying, God, why you send this, Rona? God, why you put me with him sitting over there scratching his crusty old feet and got his finger in his belly button.

Why'd you give me these kids?

I know y' all ain't ask no questions. Like, never, never, never. I'm talking to the people online.

Not y'. All.

Y' all the holy ones. Y' all showed up. God knew what was in him. But number two, God is not the author of the drama, but he will allow it. Why? To perfect us. Somebody say, to perfect me. To perfect me.

He will not put more on you.

Than you can bear.

Listen, the fact that you showed up tonight is indication that God said, go ahead.

I know what's in them.

Go ahead.

I know they gonna make it. The fact that drama has hit your house is proof enough that you will get through it.

It's proof enough that God thinks something about you. God knows what's in you.

The good work that he has started in you. The Bible says you ain't got to be faithful to complete it.

The Bible says the good work he started in you said he will be.

Faithful to complete the good work.

So if he started a thing in.

You, he's already finished a thing in you.

If he's already started restoring your marriage.

Your marriage is already restored.

If he's already started getting you out of debt, you already out of debt. Somebody needs to praise God for the work he's already started in you. Oh, praise him like it's done. Praise him like it's finished. Praise him like it's finished. Hey. Whoo.

Number three. God allows trials and pain, not for just to put you through it. It's for an eternal purpose. Somebody needs to say an eternal purpose. Usually what's going on ain't even about you. Joseph in Genesis. If you haven't read this in a long time, go read it. Listen. His brothers threw him in a pit, all because they were jealous of his dumb jacket.

A Jacket.

I mean, dumb stuff we get ticked off about. Dumb stuff we get jealous over. Threw him in a pit. Said he got ate up by lions and bears, lied about it. Then he gets sold into slavery. He goes to prison. He gets out of prison. He goes back into prison.

He goes back to prison.

Joseph's having a bad day.

Then the whole nation is hungry.

They're in a famine. And guess who has risen to the top. Joseph is standing there, and here comes his brothers. Don't you know they were scouring? He's the only way they gonna get to eat. And Joseph in Genesis 50:20 looks at his brothers and he says to them, see, preachers quote it wrong. It's not what the devil meant for evil. Joseph looked at his brothers and he said, well, what you meant for evil against me?

If it had not happened, somebody needs to give God a praise. If it had not happened, praise. If it had not happened, you wouldn't be here today. And he looks at him and he.

Says, he said, what you meant for evil, God. God's intended end was good.

Come.

This is Hope's version. I'm gonna write my own version of the Bible so y' all could eat. If they had not thrown him in the pit.

If he had not gone through every.

Test and every trial and still remained faithful.

He did not curse God and die. He stood there during every test and.

Every trial, and he served God with his best.

If he had not gone through it.

He would not been able to save a whole nation. God has eternal purpose. Eternal purpose. Say, that's me. That's me. Eternal purpose. Listen, we might not want to admit it, but some of us would not have turned to God. Unless something bad. Come on.

Is that your testimony? Unless something bad had happened, if you.

Had not gone through drug abuse, if.

You had not gone through a divorce, if you had not gone through a parent dying, if you had not gone through a husband leaving you, you were.

Going through life and everything was fine and dandy. And then tragedy hit your and it drove you to Jesus. Say, eternal purpose. God's calling us to himself. Some of us are not quick learners. Some of us have a higher pain tolerance than others. Say, that's me. Look at your neighbor and say, that must be you. That's why you still acting crazy.

See.

Sometimes it's only the hard stuff. It's the only thing that will jerk our chain. See, God wants our character to be developed just like a good daddy. He's a daddy. And sometimes he will jerk that belt off and bend your tail over and give you a royal spanking. You say, well, he's a good, good father. That's who you are. Who you are. And he don't spank me.

Yes, he does. Yes, he does.

How many of y' all got kids? I believe in a good spanking.

I still beat mine.

And they in their 20s. I pop them upside the head when they trying to talk funny to me. People say, well, Pastor Hope. Well, we've gone over to the timeout method. I said, you what?

You let them get to sit in a chair in the quiet by themselves. I want to go to timeout. They don't need time out. I'mma beat their tail. Then I'm going to the toilet and have me a timeout.

Listen here. We don't graduate till we pass the test. And some of you in here tonight think God has left you in some of the darkest times in your life because you can't hear him. You don't know where he's at. You don't know what direction to turn. Don't you know the teacher don't talk during the test.

He's trying to see if you will do what you already know to do in test time. Test time is not the time to take your paper.

Jesus.

Test time is the time to prove what you already know.

He's trying to produce Christ likeness in us. Listen, I am more, believe it or not, like Jesus today in 2021 than I was 20 years ago before all hell broke loose in my life. What the devil meant for evil, what you meant for Eva, God used in my life. We don't like it. I wish we could squirm around. I wish it was daisies. I wish it was flowers popping up all over my house every morning when I got up. And I wish my kids sat around and sang Kumbaya. But they don't. Sometime they smoke weed, sometime they come in drunk. Sometime I listen. I'm just telling the truth and shaming the devil.

Listen, you can't cheat the process or you'll repeat the process. You can't cheat the process or you'll.

Have to repeat the grade. Romans 8:28 says, and we know. It's like, duh.

And we know, duh, that all things work together for good. To those that love God who are.

The called according to purpose.

To what?

To purpose. What's our purpose? Christlikeness.

All things work together.

But see, if we dissect them and.

Take them apart and we say, oh.

This hell that I went through last year, I lost my business. God can never use this.

But he takes it all. Have you ever baked a cake?

He takes. I mean, you got flour, you got eggs, you got butter, you got sugar, you got. Now listen, you would not pick up.

A whole cup of flour and eat it. Never.

Most of us would not take a whole stick of butter and put it in our mouth.

By the time I did, it was pretty good.

Most of us don't just take salt. We don't do that.

But when you take it all, the.

Sweet part, the bad part, the sticky.

Part, the hard part, and you put it all together, and then you put it in the fire. Then you put it in the fire.

He works all things together for our good. I know it don't look like it right now. I know it don't feel like it right now.

I know you think there's no way.

God can use what's going on in your life right now.

I know you think there's no way.

I'll get out of this. And I know you think there's no way God can get glory. But when you come out on the other side, you know that old song, you'll understand it better. He's working it out. He's orchestrating it. God is the master puppeteer in your.

Life, and he takes all the good, the bad, the ugly, all the things you don't want to talk about, all the things that keep you up at night crying.

But we understand it better on the other side. You know the old saying, hindsight is 2020 storms are great teachers. Jesus, I know you got tears. I know you mad. I know you don't understand, but it's part of the process. Say part of the process, something great is going to come out of it. Come on, y', all, we gotta get with the program.

Some of us are dragging out the process because we're pissed off at what.

We'Re having to go through. We've assumed poorly.

We think that God's a bad God.

And God's word is not true.

But sometimes you just go, got to go through it. Isaiah 43 says, When I pass through.

The water, he said, I'll be with you.

When you pass through the river, it will not overtake you. And he said, when you walk through the fire, you won't come out looking like what you've been through. You will come out. You will come out redressed. Redressed. It is like this. And in his image.

Heytech. Oh, we ain't got to the good part yet. Five more minutes. Job one and two talks about all the drama. Job three through 42 is all his friends. Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang. And his wife and his family and everybody telling him what he should do, what he could do, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But then God responds. God Responds in job 42, are y' all ready?

And the Lord restored Job's losses.

When. When he prayed for his friends. Now, God, you asking too much. God, they sit here and didn't lose everything. Well, I gotta pray for them. They need to be bringing me some more cattle. They need to be helping me build this house back. They talked about you, Jesus. They told me to curse you and die. And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed, the Lord gave Job Job twice, twice as much as he had. God sent me here tonight to tell you if you'll stop talking about them.

If you'll stop holding bitterness, if you'll start forgiving the people. The reason you are in, the situation you in right now, the trouble you in, you looking around your life saying.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here tonight.

If it wasn't for her, my heart.

Wouldn'T be so sad.

If it wasn't for that man who.

Beat me up, I wouldn't have lost my child.

If it wasn't have been for that sorry man, I wouldn't have had to file bankruptcy and I'd be in a different place tonight. God sent me here tonight to tell you everything. Everything you lost. He wants to give it all back to you. But you have a responsibility.

God is watching us in the furnace of affliction. Would you play something for me? God wants to give you your job back. He wants to give you your money back. He wants to give you your health back. He wants to give you your peace back. He wants to give you joy back. He wants to send you a boaz, not a broke ass. He don't want you with no drunk ass. He don't want you with a lazy ass. He wants you with a boaz. God does want to bless you.

Oh, I just feel like we are.

In a birthing chamber tonight.

Oh, I feel like your water's about to break. But you have a responsibility to birth your promise.

God wants to deal with our heart tonight. He. He wants to give you every good and perfect gift. He wants to lavish his love on you. He wants to restore what the enemy has taken the years. You know, he even said he'll restore time to you. You know, you can get more money, you can get another man, but you can never get more time. But God even promised he'd give you time.

He said, I will restore to you the years that the Locust and the Canker Worm have taken from you.

Somebody needs to shout.

It's payback time. Yo, I don't believe you mean it. It's payback time. Say I want it all back. Say I want it all back.

But are you willing to deal with your heart tonight? I know we in the COVID I know we are. But half y' all was in Walmart today, so it don't matter. I'm opening this altar for you to come be with Jesus. The Great Physician is here tonight. The Great Physician is here tonight, and he's just been standing back, waiting. He said, I can't give it to you right now because your heart's not healed. I can't give it to you because I can't trust what you'll do with it. With that stinking attitude and that bitterness and that unforgiveness. I'll just put it in your hand and it won't last. If I'm preaching to you tonight, I want you to come down here. Don't be embarrassed. I go to the altar every week.

Y' all pray for me.

I'm a hot mess. But he still loves me, still uses me. Come on, make some room for you and Jesus down here. This isn't about me and you. This is you and Jesus. How bad do you want it? How bad do you want it? How bad do you want it?

Aren't you tired?

Aren't you tired of repeating the same.

Cycle over and over and over and.

Over and over and over? Oh, he loves you so much. He wants you to be free. He wants you to be free. Why don't you get down on your knees? Come on, let's get on our knees. Ain't nobody gonna breathe on you, mess with you, except me. And I've already had covert. I got the good antibodies. And look, he was with me in that. I'm an asthmatic, y'. All. I take medicine every single day. I take an inhaler in the morning and an inhaler at night and a pill every night for asthma. They were so worried. And I said, what are y' all worried about? I am strong in the Lord. The Lord gave me these lungs. He gave me these lungs.

He restored my life so that I.

Could go and preach the Gospel.

He ate gonna take me out by Covid. If I didn't die having an affair, if I didn't die drinking out, partying, God ain't gonna take me out with.

COVID I got too much work to do.

But if he does, it's my time.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Come on, y'. All. It's you and Jesus. I don't know who it is you need to forgive. I don't. I don't know what it is. You need to lay down. I don't know what it is, but you do. And you know, it's that thing that keeps you locked up from experiencing everything that God wants you to have. Tonight is your night. God really does want to redress you tonight. He really does. He really does. And that definition for redress is remedy or set right remedy or compensation for a wrong or a grievance. God wants to give you double for your trouble. God wants to give you double for your trouble. But the reason he gave it to Job is because Job prayed for his friends. You need to release some people tonight. You need to release some people. They might be in the grave, but you can still release them. You can release them tonight. Your granddaddy might have abused you. Your daddy might have abused you. You can release them tonight. You can be free tonight.

Could it be that you are one.

Forgiveness away from getting double for your trouble? Freedom.

Freedom.

Come. Release.

Release.

Release. Release.

Release. Release. Release. Release.

I just heard. I just heard the Lord say, the blood is payment enough for the wrong they've done to you. The blood.

See, we want mercy, but we want.

Other people to pay. We want mercy, but we want God to get them. The blood is payment enough. Why don't you just start pleading the blood over there over that situation right now? Say, I plead the blood. I thank you, Jesus, that your blood is payment enough. I thank you, Jesus, that they owe me nothing.

That they owe me nothing.

They owe me nothing. Now, I want the rest of you in this audience to stand up and stretch your hand toward them and just begin to pray in the seat. Spirit, we don't need to know what it is, but we are intercessors tonight for our sisters.

Freedom. Freedom. Freedom tonight. Freedom. Freedom to die, Jesus. Freedom. Freedom. Oh, not another day of bondage. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Hey, the sun sets free. You can't carry it no more.

It's too heavy.

It's too heavy. It's held you back too long. You can't carry it another day.

Put it at the feet of Jesus.

Lay it at the cross. Oh, you can't carry it another day. Freedom. Freedom in your house. Freedom in your house. You are not what you did you are not what you did. So no more, no more, no more, no more. Freedom in this house. Freedom in this house. Freedom in this house. I decree and declare this church will.

Never be the same.

I decree and declare this church will never be the same. I decree and declare it. I decree and declare it. Your house will never be the same. Your life will never be the same. Your life will never be the same. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go, let it go. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. He who the sun sets free is really, really free. Freedom is coming to your house. Hey. Freedom, Freedom. Freedom, sister.

Freedom. Freedom.

Come on, mama.

Free.

Not another day, not another day, not another day. You lion devil.

You listening online? I need you to make an altar in your house.

Whoo. I see some of you in the spirit right now. You doubled over. You doubled. You doubled over in pain. God's birthing that thing in you right now. The thing you tried to hide. The thing you wish. Nobody knows.

God's gonna use it to process you.

God's gonna use it to give you double for your trouble. You go come out on the other.

Side looking more like Jesus. I decree and declare it over your life tonight. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom.

Freedom.

The blood of Jesus is payment enough. The blood of Jesus is payment enough.

This is what freedom looks like. This is what freedom feels like.

Jesus. Now, Jesus, I thank you. Oh, I thank you, Jesus. I do thank you for the process, Jesus. I give thanks to you, Jesus, in all things. I thank you, Lord, that you've used my pain and used my sin. Use the abuse and the affair. You've used it all to process me, to make me more like you so that I could bring this good gospel news to people all over the world that he who the son sets free really can be free. Come on. I want you to lift your hands. I want you to clap. I want you to praise God.

Come on down here at the altar. I need you to raise your hands. I need you to praise him. See, you've been hating the process. You've been mad about the process. But when you change your perspective and you start thanking God for the process, God can use it. God can use it. Satan, you have no place in us. You get no glory.

God gets all the glory. God gets all the glory. God gets all the glory in Jesus. Name, Jesus. Name.