Jentezen Franklin - How to Redeem Your Family Name - Part 2
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I’m preaching this morning the part two to what I started last week on how to redeem your family name. You can redeem your family name. When you think of a family, you think of a name. Instantly something is attached to that family name. And what will be your legacy? The story is told and set in Numbers 16, and we’ll get to it in just a moment. But these two young… We think that it was two young boys, two sons of Korah, are noticing an increasing negative, bitter, anger, spirit, constant complaining. And they’re powerless to stop their once spiritual father.
Once mightily anointed and used of God father who has now become resentful, and bitter, and offended, and hurt at Moses, at Aaron, and at God Himself. Their father was the cousin of Moses and Aaron. He was of the chosen by God tribe of Levi. He and his family to be chosen, handpicked, cut-out, separated from the rest of the congregation and chosen to be leaders in the tabernacle in the wilderness. The sacred duty. Every time that the tabernacle moved, he had to pack it up. And he was the one that was given the specific… different tribes had different things that they were to do when they were moving through the wilderness. But it was the Korah and his family who had the items, the furniture, the holy furniture that was declared by God almighty.
These things are so holy that if any unauthorized person even touches the brazen altar, even touches the brazen wash pan, even touches the incense altar. If anyone unauthorized… The only ones that I trust and authorize to touch these things is Korah and his family. What an honor to be chosen. And the scripture said in Numbers 16:3, «And they rose up before Moses,» with certain of the children of Israel, 250 princes of the assembly famous in the congregation, men of renown. And they gathered themselves together.
Now, watch the arrogance, watch, watch. They forgot. This is, watch, «And they gathered themselves together against Moses, against Aaron, and they said, 'You take too much upon you seeing that all, don’t you know that all the congregation are holy? You’re nothing special, you make me'». Look at 'em, look at 'em. Every one of us can do what you do. The Lord is among them. And it’s not about Moses, it’s about the fact God chose Moses. He didn’t choose himself, God chose him. He was a flawed man but God chose him. God said, «That’s my friend you’re talking about,» in one place in this story. Watch. He said, «You lift yourself up above the congregation of the Lord».
Watch Moses. He had the right spirit. The Bible said he fell on his face and he spoke unto Korah, and he says these words in verse 9, «Is it a small thing? Seemeth it a small thing unto you»? Listen. «Have you forgotten where you came from? Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten»? Listen to what he says, «'Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel separated you from the congregation to bring you near to Himself to do service of the tabernacle of the Lord to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And He brought thee near to Him, and all your brethren, and all your family, the Levis, and now are you so caught up that you are seeking the priesthood? You’re wanting to tell God He made a mistake with Aaron and Moses and shouldn’t have chosen 'em, and they should be just moved, and I should be, I’m tired of being ignored, I’m tired of pe…'»
Do you see the bitterness in that? And I don’t know about you but it’s not a small thing to me what I’m doing right now. It’s not a small thing, it’s a fearful thing, it’s a heavy thing, but it’s also a joyful thing. I mean, there was a time when I wondered would I ever get to even preach? And now, I preach to thousands of people. And it’s not a small thing now, I have not got used to it. I love that song, «Will you meet with me again? I can’t do it. Will you come one more time, Holy Spirit»?
This is not something man takes unto himself. You cannot recreate this with a seven-year plan. It takes the Holy Ghost. It takes the power to hit that upper room. It takes fasting, and prayer, and being a friend of God, and pulling yourself away and carrying a burden and it wakes you up in the middle of the night, and it comes on you, and you see faces, and you hear things, and you write things, and it comes from God. And it’s a big deal. When you begin to make it a little thing, it offends God. I have never preached on this story but it is the, in my opinion, the worst thing that ever happened in the Old Testament is happening right here.
And Moses, verse 12, sent for Dathan and Abiram, and listen to their spirit. And they said, listen to the pride. Listen to the arrogance toward spiritual, really important. God has chosen these people. «We’re not coming up to you. We won’t come». All of us need, including this preacher to remember that we don’t, God does not, He’s not interested in our rebellious attitude. And whom the Lord loves, if you don’t straighten it out, the Lord will whip you. Whom the Lord loveth, He whippeth. That’s a Bible verse. Turn to somebody and say, «You might need a good whipping». Listen to what he said. The sons of Korah spoke and they said, «You need to understand,» in verse 13, «Is it a small thing that you have brought us out of the land flowing with milk and honey? You brought us out of Egypt and they’re calling the world milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness so you could make yourself a prince over us».
Wow. «It’s all about you, you’re just a prince, Moses, aren’t you? You got us out here suffering in the wilderness. We were in the land,» this is how you know you’re hanging out with the wrong people, when all they do is criticize the church and they call the world the land flowing with milk and honey, they call the party life flowing with milk and honey, they call rebellion flowing with milk and honey, they say the world has got what the church doesn’t have. Let me tell you something, the world does not have a land flowing with milk and honey. It’ll destroy you, it’ll kill you, it’ll wipe you out, it’ll addict you. This is the land, the Promised Land is the kingdom, is the church. And I just want to read the simple scripture that’s so remarkable. Separate yourselves. And he gathered the congregation at the door.
Verse 21, «Separate yourselves from the congregation that I may consume them in a moment». And Moses rose up and he spoke to the congregation, and he said, «Depart, I pray you from the tents of these wicked men. Touch nothing lest you be consumed in their sin». It says in the next verse toward the end the door of the tents, their wives, their sons, their little children, all their sons, Abiram sons, all the other guy’s sons, all of 'em were in the group that’s about to get consumed, but not the sons of Korah. «And it came to pass,» verse 31, «When he had ended all these speaking words, the ground cleave asunder that was under them. The earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, their houses, and all that pertained to the men of Korah, and all their goods. They and all that pertained to them went down alive in the pit, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation».
And then, verse 35, «And there went out a fire from the Lord and he said, 'All of you who joined the rebellion, '» 250 of you famous folks who forgot where your fame, and your money, and your prestige, and your influence came from. «You were nothing when I found you, and I put Moses over you and you prospered, but now you think you’re big shots». He said, «I got a little present for you». And the Bible said fire shot out of that pit and just licked them up and pulled them in and all of their families were ruined. Ten chapters later, he wants you to know this is the same story because he says, «This is that Dathan».
Now, I don’t want you to be confused about any other ones in the Bible. This is the same story. But then he says this, look at that 11th verse. All of them got devoured, all of them got jacked up, all of them hit by judgment and died, notwithstanding those sons of Korah. See, if you read this, chapter 42, it says up at the top, «This is the book of the Exodus concerning Israel, Psalms 42. An intense longing, the chief musician Maskil, was one of the great great grandsons of Korah». The sons of Korah. Look what they write. «As the deer panteth for the water. So my soul longeth after Thee». You know, we sing that song? Now, you know the story behind the story.
Then I want you to notice Psalms 45. This famous verse, «My heart is indited in a good matter. I speak of things, which I have made touching the king». And listen to these words, «I know my great great granddaddy’s tongue was cursing and hating God and those blankety blank preachers. But my tongue is the pen of a ready writer». I’ve gotta read it 'cause it just does something to me. In the same chapter or the next chapter, Psalms 46, it’s the Psalms of the songs of the sons of Korah. Listen to this. He says, «Our God is a refuge and a strength. A very present help in the time of trouble».
Who’s writing this, folks? The sons of Korah. «We’ve been in trouble, our family’s been in trouble. Our family name has been in trouble. Our history has been, our heritage, our inheritance has been in severe trouble, but I found that God,» I’ve got the tongue of a ready writer to tell you these, all 11 of these chapters reek with thankfulness and gratitude. Thankfulness and grat…oh God, I have a tongue of a ready writer. I wanna tell people how good you are. I’m not bitter, I’m not angry, I’m not hurt. I’m joyful, I’m thankful. Then he says this. He says, «Therefore, we will not fear though the earth be removed».
Well, He was there when the earth was removed. He was there when the ground swallowed up his relatives and his whole family name. But he said, «I’ve been through that trouble with the family and God is a present help in the time of trouble and I’m redeeming my family name by right and that God is faithful no matter what you go through». I’m almost done. I’m not gon' do, I know you’re thinking, «He’s gon' do all 11 chapters». No, I’m not, just relax. He writes in that same chapter, chapter 46:10, «Be still and know that I am God».
And some people misquote that scripture as though there shouldn’t be any shouting, shouldn’t be any clapping, waving hands, and getting with it in the service. Be still, that’s some of you’s favorite sermon, favorite text in the Bible, «Be still,» 'cause you do it the whole service. Except the altar call. «Be still and know that I am God». You know what he’s saying? If you literally look that word «Still,» internally. No matter how real the trouble is, no matter how the earth is shaking and things are being removed, and it feels like your family’s going down, be still internally from anxiety, panic, fear, worry, torment, vexation of spirit. «Be still know that even in the midst of whatever, I am God».
They could write it 'cause they went through it. But watch this. On the inside be still, but then they write Psalms 47, the sons of Korah, first verse, on the outside…on the inside, be still, be at peace, be at rest, don’t worry, don’t fear. But on the outside, «Clap your hands, all ye people. Shout unto God with a voice of triumph». I’m done, I’m done. Except for one more verse, one more verse. They wrote Psalms 84, you’re not gonna believe it. «But one day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere». Listen to these words, «I had rather,» there’s no bitterness here. I know that I don’t have an important name or position like Moses, but I’m gon' tell, seemingly, and yet it was huge. He said, «I’d rather be a doorkeeper». You know who wrote that? The sons of Korah.
«I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the tents,» remember, that’s where God’s judgment fell. He said, «I’d rather be on the house of God. Give me anything to do. I’ll sit there and pay my tithes, and worship God, and love people, and shake hands, and pat on the back, and pray with people». I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to have, be a part of the biggest scene in Hollywood or in any other place that the world has off. Ruth was a Moabite. Ruth was of the tribe of Moabites. That was Lot’s daughters when they got drunk, Lot and his daughters, and had relations, incest. Out of that came a tribe called Moabites. They were so wicked.
Again, look it up for yourself if you don’t take my word for it. You can just google this stuff now. It’s amazing. But they would teach their daughters, they would, the way you made the Moabite family name proud, is if your daughter became a prostitute. Out of that situation, she probably was at one time a prostitute, came a girl named Ruth. And what happened is she’s looking at her family generation after generation and she meets a young, Jewish boy who has a mother named Naomi, and a famine comes, she gets married out of that, into this family. Her husband dies in a famine, and she grabs her mother-in-law and she looks back at all of that and she says, «Entreat me not to leave you. Don’t put me away because my husband died because your God will be my God, and your people,» I want a family like this.
I don’t want a family like that. «Your people will be my people». She goes in a field to get the welfare that was left on purpose. And Boaz, the owner, sees her, falls in love with her, marries her, and they have a child named Obed. Watch her, watch. You can redeem your family name. And Obed and his wife have a child named Jesse. And Jesse has a son named David. Oh, I gotta preach right here. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, don’t take my time shouting. And guess who identified David as the king of Israel by the leading of the Holy Spirit? A prophet by the name of Samuel.
And 1 Chronicles 6 says Samuel was of the tribe of the Korahites, which was the sons of Korah. Samuel, the prophet, who not one of his words fell to the ground, 1 Samuel 3, was the one who said, «It’s not that one, that one, that one. Oh, the Holy Spirit’s telling me David». And he pours it on. And then, you read the book of Matthew, and it starts so and so begot, right in there. You see what I just got to? And guess what? Right at the bottom of the list, «And Mary had Jesus». They changed their genetic code.
When Jesus got in, he broke the curse. She redeemed her family name, forever. You can too. Our family’s not gon' be known as addiction. Our family’s not gon' be known as dysfunction in Jesus' name. Our family’s not gon' be known as divorce. Our family’s not gon' be known as suffering. Our family’s gon' be known as Jesus is in their genetics. They go through the same stuff, but they end up right back where they started. Jesus, Jesus, give me Jesus. That should be our heritage. Get Jesus in your genetics.