HopeUC Secunderabad

Greater Things

• HopeUC Secunderabad

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What if the promise of “greater things” isn’t delayed but is being built in you right now? In John 14:12, we walk the road from dream to destiny with Joseph as our guide, learning that promotion follows preparation, not the other way around. The vision may be bold, but the path is honest: betrayal that cuts close, integrity when compromise whispers, endurance when the timeline stretches, and attitude when grumbling feels justified. We face betrayal first, because pain from those nearest can derail faith if we let it, and instead of normalizing secret lives or broken covenants, we ask whether our faith is still alive or just busy. We see integrity in Joseph at Potiphar’s house, where saying no cost him in the short term but preserved his future, proving that integrity is the unseen résumé God reads when no one else is watching. 

We learn endurance from Job’s testing, James’ blessing, and Jesus’ own cross, reframing delay as training ground, not abandonment, and reminding us that endurance is simply doing the next right thing when it feels like it doesn’t matter. Finally, we confront attitude, discovering that gratitude makes “do everything without grumbling” possible, with Miriam and Aaron’s criticism warning us of correction and Joseph’s faithfulness in the pit shaping his wisdom in the palace. This is a call to prayer and the Word, to repair what’s broken, to choose honesty over shortcuts, and to trade complaint for gratitude; and if you’ve felt stuck while the year races by, it offers clarity, courage, and a challenge to ask: what test are you facing today, and what’s your next faithful step?

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SPEAKER_00:

Well, today's uh sermon title is Greater Things. We are all born to experience great things in life. Everybody's born with a purpose. Everybody wants to experience good things, great things in life. As the child passes the innocence age and have the realization the child is on a pursuit, on a journey to become somebody, right? To become a doctor, engineer, whatever. Everybody is on the pursuit, right? And the Bible also talks about it. In John chapter 14, this is our key text. And this is the series that we are doing on greater things when faith is stretched. That's what we are looking at today. A key text is from John chapter 14, verse 12. Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these. So the Bible is very clear, the words of Jesus, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, right? And doesn't stop there, and they will do even greater things. Do you know you and I are called to do greater things? You and I are called to be in that uh role and realm in that position of being greater things. What it means to you may not mean to me, being in greater things, but whatever is the will and the plan of God for your life, you should be in that position because that's what God has ordained for you. Right? The desire for greater things is not wrong, is God given. He places dreams in our hearts to draw us into his plans for our lives. The truth is the greater things come after testing. Before God promotes, he prepares us. Before he can trust us with more, he will test us with little. If you are faithful in little things, God will entrust you bigger things. But if you want to go and experience the greater things of God, the plan of God, then we have to go through a process. And that's what preparation process. Today we are looking at the life of Joseph. Uh, this is an inspiration of uh you know, inspiration of the Lord. As I was meditating and praying a couple of weeks ago, I was online in the online prayer, and uh the heart, my heart was really moved to hear what what is happening in the lives of people and the amount of prayer requests that I receive and the challenges that they are going through. No man can help them. Some of them have come to the dead end and they're facing a wall. I say, God, what on earth can I do? I'm just like anybody else on this face of this earth. If there's anybody who can do, is you, oh God, and my heart is moved, and I started to study, and what we are studying here today is not something new. You might have heard hundreds of sermons on the life of Joseph. So we are actually studying today so that we can understand and grasp some of the things that we have already learned and understand where we are in our journey with the Lord. Amen. Um, as a matter of fact, we are in the ninth month, eight months have already passed by. 2025, I don't know. For me, it's like, God, it was just a few months ago, January 1st, 2025, and now we are already in the ninth month. In few months, this year will be a history. Some of us started this year with great dreams and accomplishing big things and moving on in our lives, going to higher roles and positions. And the question that is being posed right now to each of us where are we right now? Eight months have gone by. Where are you in your prayer life? Where are you in your word life? Where are you in your work life? Where are you in church? What is your role? How much have you grown? How much closer have you come to your destiny? That's a big question we all have to answer. And uh going through that, we we understand from the life of Joseph when he was 17 years old, he got a dream. We all know the story. Dream to become great, right? Um it looks like better than the brothers, but each have a unique calling of God. Did so did Joseph. But the problem was brothers envied him. We all know the story, we'll get there. The road to the palace ran through betrayal, slavery, false accusation, prison, and years of waiting. The dream was real, so was the process. The dream was real, but there was a process that Joseph had to go through. The same is true for us. Greater things are possible, but they require a tested and a proven character. Why does God take us through all these things or whatever we go through that are challenging in life is to prove our character. Right? We mostly rely on the charisma, our abilities, uh, our background, our position. God doesn't look at those things, he looks at our character, right? Your strength, your background can take you to one level of position. But if you want to stay there in that role, if you want to succeed in that role, if you want to prosper there, then that means you need to have the character. If you don't have the character, then definitely you and I will fall. So Joseph receives this great dream, and we know the process. I'm reading Psalm 105, verse 19. Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph's character. There's no start, there's no end here. It says until, until the time came. So there is a time. This process has a time, and you and I cannot decide. And during this time of process, it is important for us to learn certain things of how we can reach our destiny, and that is through the life of Joseph. The Lord tested Joseph's character. Everyone loves the idea of a dream from God. It excites us, inspires us, and gives us a hope for the future. Just like Joseph had, he would rise to leadership, that his family one day would bow before him. But what Joseph did not know was the road between the dream and the destiny. The Bible says that the scripture we just read, he went through this testing process, which none of us like. We evaluate ourselves, we evaluate our journey, we evaluate where we are today as we go through this story. The first one, the point or the test of betrayal. Every one of us will face the test of betrayal at some point of time in life. It may not come from strangers, it came from his own brothers. And that's what we expect the least. We think our siblings, our brothers, our dear ones will understand. But uh experience tells us the close ones only don't understand. And the close ones are the people who will stand against us. And this is very painful. And Joseph was in that place, and Genesis chapter 37, verse 28, the Bible says Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery for 20 pieces of silver. He was not hurt by outsiders, but with his within his own family. If you've ever been betrayed, you know the sting of that wound. It's not nice and easy. We are talking about betraying one another. In this, we look at either somebody is betraying you or you are betraying somebody. We can be either of the situations. Normally we think when we hear such kind of sermon, we think that I have nothing to do with this. Everything is fine with me. Yeah, we fight, you know, we have these discussions, you know, nowadays we have for everything nice terminology. You know, go down to the bottom of it, we know we are fighting with one another, you know, for everything we have come up with a nice terminology. You know, it looks so very uh different, and we understand, try to understand what is all of this. So, what Jesus says, I want everybody to pay attention in Matthew chapter 24, verse 10. At that time, many will turn away from faith and will betray and hate each other. So, what is the time Jesus talking about in this story? Did the time come or will it come? When did it happen this time? It happened the day Jesus ascended into the heavens. The last days have already begun. We are in the last of the last days. And in the in these days, which Jesus is quoting, he's saying, many will turn away from the faith. Now you might say, I'm sitting in church, I have a Bible, I have, I don't know. What? Hundreds of versions in my mobile phone. I have so many Bibles, English Bible, Telugu Bible, this Bible, that Bible. But we don't know that we are struggling, having all of these things. We don't know how to go through this process. And God wants you to have greater things, He wants you to be in that place, He wants you to see the destiny come through, but it's not going to happen without the process. Many will turn away from faith. Where is your faith today? Your faith will be stretched to the core, my friend, in anything you do in your life. Your faith will be tested. And Jesus Himself says that many will turn away from faith. Maybe there's somebody becoming an atheist here. You know spelling of G-O-D, that's all you know. But deep down inside your heart, you know your money talks to you, your position talks to you, your background tells you, no, I have made it in life. But the reality is that in the last days we will give up on our faith. So if you're really in faith, check your heart and see when was the last time you opened your Bible and had your devotion time? When? When was the last time in tears you prayed? When was it? With compassion, with a heart, really, God, what is happening in my life? Eight months have gone by, oh God, and I'm in the ninth month and few months' time, another will year will pass away, but it seems like my life is still the same. I am still the same. I started this my year with great expectations, but I still feel the same, oh God. And probably there's somebody here. You're turning your back. You may go to church, you may be a singer, you may be anybody, even a preacher like me. That doesn't guarantee anything. We can lose our faith in God because Jesus prophetically said, and then what do you know what says? And they will betray and hate each other. Mark chapter 13. Mark chapter 13, verse 12. Now let's understand who's betraying whom. I want you to help me today. Who will betray whom? Are you all there in the Bible in the scriptures? Are you all there? Right, what does it say? Everybody's quiet. This scripture in the Bible, none of us would like to read. What does it say? Who will betray? Brother will betray. Then what? And father? Children? So some of us will think, no, my parents are alive, it's okay. But because of your disobedience, your rebellious spirit, you have already killed them. They are just out of obligation, fulfilling the responsibilities over your life. If you are a child and if you fall into this category of being in that position, we are betraying one another, my friend. That's what will happen in our days. In the Bible, few examples. Adam and Eve betrayed God. Cain betrayed his brother Abel. Jacob tricked his brother Esau. Joseph's brother stripped of him his rope and threw him in the pit and sold him into slavery. Delilah betrayed Samson. David knew betrayal all too well from Saul, from friends, even from his own son Abshalom, who tried to overthrow him. We're all on the pursuit. The more we want to rise up and you see other people going down, you have your feet up and saying, Come on, push people down, push people down. Because if you want to go up, others have to come down. That's our strategy, that's the strategy of the world, which all of us would like to follow. Over and over we see betrayal cutting deep, shaking relationships, and leaving scars. As I told you, my friend, you are probably being betrayed by somebody, or you are betraying somebody. In a time like this, when I have received calls and you know, meeting with people, spouses talking about their own spouse. They are having a secret life. The social media, they are connected with people, they should not be connected, sending hot emojis to people they should not be sending. And when the spouse finds out there's a big fight to the core. This is professional life. This is how we live professionally. We want to be in that realm. So, do you know what you're doing? If there's somebody like that, you're betraying your spouse by doing all that is in the wrong, in the secret. And we think it's okay because everybody else does it. Either you're being betrayed or you are betraying somebody. If you are a student, be a good student. If you're not, you're betraying your parents. Right? And parents likewise with the children. Right? Friends, don't betray one another. Don't hate one another. We are living in the time, but this test of betrayal that the process we are in, we are involving it very much in our lives, and we are ignorant about it. And we don't want to talk about it. An unfaithful partner who breaks the covenant. In the presence of God, these people have made covenant. And now the so-called whatever kind of life is actually breaking marriages. Why? They are ready to betray. This is in the hidden, my friend. Nobody knows about it. But do you know the truth? God knows about it. We can hide it from anybody and everybody in this world, but you cannot hide it from God. And the classic example is our own brother David. I'm not talking about any brother David here in this auditorium. I'm talking about another brother David in the Bible. He thought he had it all. He was in the top position. He was in control of everything. Nobody will know. It's my life, it's my passion. I have this at my control. And he did it. Well, somebody else came to know. Somebody recorded in the heavens about an act that nobody knew. An act that nobody could even find out. It's written in the heavens. And not only that, from heavens, it came into this book called Bible. And today we are reading the story just like that. And when we see some of these things, it's okay, it's part of life. Yeah, what is there? We don't know. We are betraying one another. That's what the Bible says. A friend who stabs in your back, a coworker who tries to climb over you, someone who but betrays, you know, trust for money or selfish gain. I've heard a lot of people taking money and never returning it. What is that? Betraying. You've given money to somebody, they don't give you betraying. If somebody has taken money, they don't give it back. Betraying. And we all think it's part of life. The pain is real, my friend. If you are in this season, you and I we must acknowledge and come back to God. The second test, the test of integrity. In Potiphar's house, Joseph was falsely accused because he refused to compromise. How many of you are ready to compromise? He was falsely accused. But he step foot and he never compromised. How many of us are ready to compromise our lives? You're ready to compromise? Good boy. Huh? How many of us are in that space to go with the world? Ah, just okay, one night enjoy. One time it's okay. The Bible doesn't agree with that. Who's your model? Where's your standard? The Bible is our standard. Amen. Is very important. Integrity is who you are when no one is watching you. We have these moments. Do you know that? We all have these moments of being isolated, alone. God knows it all. And Joseph had all the pleasures that he can enjoy. But he maintained his integrity with God. He did not compromise. Third thing: the test of endurance. Life is full of tests, and one of the hardest tests is of endurance. Amen. It's not just about how you start, but whether you will keep going on when things take longer than you expected. Let's see what Job has to say in Job chapter 7, verse 18. I want you to know this. If you haven't seen this scripture before, or if you have a different idea about God and how he functions, I want you to see this through Job, he's communicating a message to us. What does it say? You examine us every day. Do you have a morning? Hello, people, you have a morning. Do you know what God does? Do you know he's on his work? You think probably God is sleeping, but the moment morning hits, you know what God is doing? He examines us every every somebody's every morning. Every morning is examine you. And then what is say? And examination was in the morning. But testing is full day. As you're driving, test is going on, as you're working, test is going, as you're talking, as your test is going on. We don't know, my friend. I have this world in front of me. I have to enjoy my life. I have to live like the way I want. I can talk like one. Do it, my friend. But know for sure you, God, is examining you every morning and is testing you. Every moment he's testing you. That's why you're going through hardship in your life. That's why you are put in difficult situations. Every time believers only have this problem. Why not me look at my colleagues? They are enjoying, I'm struggling, they may give me so work, so much of work, and I'm already always looking at them, and I have jealousy and I have envy and I have strife because they don't work, they make me work. That's the reality. And here you see, God is testing us. If you think God is only alive on a Sunday, I'm sorry, my friend. I'm sorry that you have to know your God. He will take you through a test. Right now, maybe you're going through this endurance test, and you have no clue you are in that process. Let's understand that. James chapter 1, verse 12. This is what James says. God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to them who love Him. If you love Him, you will keep His commandments. You'll follow His word. Amen. God blesses those who patiently endure the testing, right? And temptation. He will bless you. But you are thinking God has forgotten me. He has put me in this difficult situation. I am going through this. I have no help. I'm struggling in my life. I nobody's there to help me. But if you go through that process, the Bible says afterward they'll receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Amen. You know who else endured? Many times people are examples. Let's take Jesus as an example. The Bible says Jesus endured the cross. Endure. Why would Jesus endure the cross? At some point of time, like many of us, he cried out, God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Then he prays, Lord, if it is your will, remove this cup. This is a cup of wrath. This is a cup that I don't want. I don't deserve it. I've not lived this life. But why are you putting this cup on me? The same question many of us have asked, my friend, why I have to go through this? Why am I only struggling? Why my life is like this? Why there are so many challenges in my life? We have no idea, my friend, why we go through all these things. But whatever you are going through, you have to learn to endure the testing time. Jesus endured the cross of shame. He endured the cross of sin that you and I are supposed to take. He took it upon himself. Now he goes to the Father. Listen to me, everybody. He goes to the Father. Father, I have done everything you asked me to do. I've endured this cross. I've endured, taken this shame, I've taken this guilt, Lord. I've gone through this process, oh God, that I'm not supposed to, but I've endured it to God. And now give me what is due to me. The Bible says, now God the Father raised the Son up to that glorious power. And he gave him a place to sit at his right hand. Church, Jesus had to go through it to be in that position right now. And you and I, when we humble ourselves to go through that process or whatever it is, the Lord will bless you and take you to the promise. James chapter 1, verses 2 to 4. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith it produces patience. Count it all joy. When you are in this process, the response is, God, count it all joy, the Bible says. It's not easy, but this is how you go through it. The next uh point that I'm going to talk about gives us an understanding how to go through this. Right? You have to count it all joy when you go through these things. The first one, the test of betrayal. The second one, the test of integrity. The third one, test of endurance. The last one, the test of attitude. Attitude. Joseph's story shows us the power of attitude. Though he was betrayed, falsely accused, and in prison, Joseph never grew bitter. He never grew bitter. Instead, he kept serving faithfully wherever he was placed. That is why when he finally stood before Pharaoh, he was ready, not just with wisdom, but with a heart that was still right before God. Your attitude in the pit determines your altitude in the palace. Is it there in your Bible? Huh? Do everything. Do only few things. What is the Bible saying? Everything. How? Without grumbling. Without grumbling and arguing. Amen. Let's go to verse 15. When we refuse to grumble, we become blameless and shine as lights in a crooked world and a twisted generation. This world is crooked. It's a twisted world we are in. But then God's word is encouraging us to examine our attitude. Don't come on grumble. Don't murmur. Don't argue. These are the easy things we can do, but these are the very things stopping your blessings. Because we don't have a right heart attitude. Complaining may feel natural, but scripture warns us it's danger. So we have to be careful. James chapter 5, verse 9. Don't grumble against one another. Complaining against others breeds disunity and invites God's discipline. Right? If you complain and dishonor leadership, and God will bring you into correction. With this story, I would like to close. Can I have the worship team play keyboard, please? Thank you. In Numbers chapter 12, verses 1 to 15, he talks about uh brothers and sister. One family story. Right? And uh and sometimes we don't like the story because we all think the story doesn't resemble us. Sometimes pride takes our heart, and when we go through the story, and we are trying to um give, I don't know what you say, uh, understanding of it. No, no, this is like that, that is like this. I don't know what you say, you know. We are trying to show forth, no, this is not like that. But the story is here very clear. Miriam and Aaron complained against Moses because of jealousy. If you and I are in complaining mode, then we have to go through discipline process, and none of us like discipline. And here the story goes on to say, they questioned the leadership and criticized his marriage because Moses married a Kushite woman. We have no right to judge one another. Stop judging one another. They judge his own brother. You have gone out. This God doesn't please, he's not pleased. You have done wrong. Who do you think you are? They questioned him. Moses, Miriam and Aaron questioned Moses. God rebuked them strongly, affirming Moses' unique calling. And Miriam was stuck with leprosy until she repented. We take some of these stories so lightly, and we wonder why God, my life is like this. Why God I go through this situation over and over again. Why can't we change, brothers and sisters? Why can't we go through the word of God and understand I am in this process, I started from there, my destiny is there, God has greater things in store for me, but for me to get there, there is a process. My character will be tested. God is not looking for your charisma, your ability to speak, your ability to perform. He is not even interested in that. He is only interested in your character. How do you see? How do you talk? How do you walk? How will your life be? And when you are in pressure, no, the real thing comes out. If I take a mango fruit and I crush the mango fruit, orange juice will come. What will come, brother? Why mango juice will come? When you apply pressure, no, what is inside will come out. We are least bothered. We are the bosses of this world. Live like the way I want. Complaining not only dishonors leadership, which I just shared with you, you invite God's correction. Sad part that many of us find ourselves in this situation. We don't want to change. We want to find fault with everybody. Sit, you find fault, stand you find fault, walk, you find fault, why like this? Why are you doing like this? Who are you to do it? Who are you to tell me? Many questions we have. There is no wrong in asking all these questions, my friend. But what is your hard attitude? Are you willing to change? Are you willing to adapt? Are you willing to walk in the process to get better and get closer to your destiny? Too long we have looked at people, pointed our fingers at people, and blamed for our circumstances. There was a time in my life I felt because of my mom and dad, I really had this. Oh, if only my mom and dad were in a better position, my life would have been different, my position would have been different. But one day I realized they are not going to stop me, they have given birth to me. But the growth, the process of being greater, of becoming something in life is not linked to them, it's linked to my attitude, it's linked to my process. And if I stapered without grumbling, without murmuring, then I'm closer to my destiny. Stop blaming others. That's what I learned in my life. The opposite to complaining is having a heart of gratitude. A grateful heart keeps us humble, guards us from bitterness, and positions us to receive God's favor. Joseph's story reminds us that the path to greater things is not smooth. It's marked by betrayal, integrity tests, seasons of waiting, and challenge of keeping the right attitude. Yet in every stage, God was shaping him, preparing him, and positioning him for the promise.