Watch “Strangely Wrapped Gifts” Jentezen Franklin, host of Kingdom Connection & Pastor of Free Chapel.

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I was reminded this week about a story

that I heard I’m going to give you the

story and it’s very important that you

lean in and catch it it’s the story that

I heard some time ago about a father and

his son that had a strained relationship

the the boy’s mother died at an early

age and the father had done the best

that he could to raise the boy by

himself but he was also a very

successful man building a very

successful business and that business

had really required a lot from him and

the son felt some neglect the boy grew

up and there was strain in the

relationship and finally the the boy

goes off to college and like many kids

goes off to college and the dad

continues to build the business and they

drift apart but the senior year of his

college education the father be the Sun

began to you know desire to reconnect

with his dad and so he began to go home

on the weekends and he began to reach

out to him and begin to share more time

and talking the the wound began to heal

and the closeness begin to come back and

one day they were out walking in in

their City and there was a used car or a

car lot I should say and it had very

expensive cars a sports car and the boy

said to his dad that is what I want for

my college graduation present that

convertible to the dad he had so much

money so much wealth that car would not

be a problem but he let him know I would

love to have that dad I would love to

have it he even dropped hints as the

date was getting closer to his

graduation he dropped hints to any and

everybody who would have access to his

dad you know your son really wants that

car you know he really really wants that

car his grades are good his grades are

high and he wants you to reward him with

that sports car the day came that the

son graduated from college and after the

graduation that went back to his huge

home of the father and the father asked

him to come into his study

and when he walked in the Father had a

package that was wrapped in paper and

and beautiful bow on it and he pushed it

across the desk and he said this is my

graduation present to you and the boy

was somewhat put back he tried to hide

his anger and his disappointment because

he got stirred up kind of lost it a

little bit thinking this is not what I

wanted and he unwrapped the gift and

took the lid off of the box and inside

was a was a Bible and his name was

engraved the boy’s name in the Bible and

large letters and by this time when he

looks in it was absolutely what he did

not want and he took the box with the

Bible in it and shoved it rudely across

the desk stood up and said thanks dad

thanks a lot the story of my life and he

flipped around and the father said wait

son aren’t you at least going to pick it

up and read what I have to say and he

said I don’t need that now I’ve got a

whole life to live maybe someday I’ll

read what that book has to say and he

stormed out of his dad’s office went

upstairs packed his bags and left that

mansion of his dad and went off and used

his dad’s name to pull some strings and

got a great job and then started making

more money and even more gainfully

employed to the point that he really

began to prosper but he cut his father

off he didn’t want any communication

wouldn’t answer his phone calls wouldn’t

talk to him and then the man became

successful and met a beautiful girl

married her did not invite the father to

the wedding had a child did not inform

the father had a second child did not

invite the father but by that second

child something happened to the son and

he began to desire to have his dad back

in his life so he began to reach out and

build relationship

they planned a trip for the first time

his dad was going to get to see the

family that he had never seen and they

were going to travel across the country

to to get where dad lived and just so

happened according to the story that I

read the week that they were planning to

do it after years of being separated not

speaking the lines of communication

broken the the the father had a massive

heart attack and died suddenly and the

son with a hole in his heart for the

time that he had missed with his dad had

that long trek across country and he

gets there and he’s trying to handle all

of his dad’s business his dad had left

him he was an only child the sole heir

to his fortune and he had people helping

him clean and gather things in the house

and he happened to go into his dad’s

office the last place where he saw his

dad alive and he walked into that office

and he sat down in his dad’s chair and

he looked over on the bookshelf and his

eye was caught by the package he

remembered the wrapping paper

it was the same box it was the same

paper and he walked over and he took it

off of the shelf and the desk of his dad

was still covered with business papers

and he just kind of cleared a space on

that desk and pushed everything back and

set that box down in the wrapping paper

took the lid off and sure enough there

was that Bible with his name on it but

what he didn’t notice that day was

unchanged all those years it’s when he

went to open it it had a it had a book

marker in it at a certain place in

Matthew chapter 7 and underlined only

the words that were underlined by the

father where the scripture was the

scripture in Matthew 7 where it said if

you being evil know how to give good

gifts to your children how much more

your heavenly Father give the Holy

Spirit to them that ask and he was so

moved that his dad had underlined that

Scripture and it had set there all those

years and he started to grab the Bible

and pull it to his chest because he was

moved and he was weeping and when he

grabbed the Bible and pulled it to his

chest

suddenly a key fell out of the Bible and

he picked the key up and he recognized

the key as being a car key and sure

enough he went to the garage the huge

garage that his father had that had

several cars in it and over against the

wall there was a car that was covered

and it had dust on it and he tore the

cover off and there was that convertible

it had been sitting there all of those

years the father had bought it and paid

for it and he had it available for his

son but the problem was the son got what

he asked for

but he didn’t like it because of the way

that it was wrapped the package that it

came it was exactly what he asked his

father to give him but what he was not

prepared for and what he was not able to

receive was he got exactly what he

wanted but he didn’t like the package

that it came in he he rejected it not

realizing that he was rejecting

everything that he had asked the father

to give him but it was in a package that

he did not like and I’m preaching today

that we serve a Heavenly Father who many

times sends his children

strangely wrap gifts we ask God for

things many times we ask him and God

sends what we ask him for but it comes

and strangely wrapped gifts that if you

do not wait on the Lord and if you do

not trust the Lord and if you do not

stand in faith you

push in bitterness and anger back across

the table to the heavenly father and say

what a disappointment I asked you for

something great and all you give me is a

book of promises and we shove it back at

him and we leave bitter and angry

sometimes even at God it’s not what I

was expecting it’s not what I was

praying for it’s it’s not it’s not what

I was believing for such was the case of

Joseph we serve a God who gives

strangely wrapped gifts Joseph I’m going

to you’ve asked me to use you you’ve

asked me to raise you you’ve asked me to

perform my dream for your life and I

have a high and a mighty dream for your

life but Joseph is going to come in a

strangely wrapped package and so the

strange package shows up in Joseph’s

life when he goes down with his coat of

many colors and his own brothers rip it

off and they throw him into a pit and he

sold into slavery and he ends up in

Egypt and he’s working in the house of

Potiphar and Potiphar’s wife lies on him

and he’s thrown into prison for 13 years

for a crime he did not commit and while

he’s there he makes friends with a

butler and a baker and he says I’ll

interpret your dreams but don’t forget

me but they forgot him but there came

one day when Pharaoh had a dream that no

one could interpret it and the Baker

said there’s one man in the dungeon who

can interpret dreams and within 24 hours

Joseph was not only raised out of the

prison but Pharaoh said I will make you

second in the land

second only to me I’ll give you the keys

to the corn and you will save millions

of lives and you will take us through

the famine and you will sit in a

powerful position in the most powerful

nation in the world

it happened in 24 hours but it came in a

wrapped package that was strange and

unusual the golden keys to the corn was

in a package that you could never see

God taking something so so so bad

so ugly but out of it would follow the

golden keys to keeping the whole world

alive because God often sin strangely

wrapped gifts and in you asked for

something and it’s not just about God

giving it to you but it’s about him

preparing you to be able to handle it

it’s the process that you go through

that that that prepares your soul your

ego your heart and it’s in the suffering

it’s in the hurting it’s in the waiting

that God begins to fashion and mold and

shape you it’s not in the high times of

just getting what you want from God

because it’s about you becoming what God

has called you to become so that he can

trust you with what you’re asking him to

give you it was a strangely wrap gift

and Joseph ended up now by calling his

family in and they’re shaking in their

boots saying you’re gonna get us back

with revenge and he said you don’t

understand you meant it for my evil the

package that you sent it in was meant

for my evil but God has turned it for my

good that many would be saved by what

you put me through I got a gold key to

ministry through what you put me through

the strange package job I’m gonna do

something incredible in your life you’re

gonna have wealth you’re gonna have

amazing things as a matter of fact I’m

gonna bless you double but my gifts show

up wrapped in strange boxes and strange

wrappings so here comes package number

one all of your flocks have been stolen

and all of your servants have been

kidnapped and here comes package number

two perhaps the most hideous package a

parent could ever get all 10 of your

children are dead

they’re gone and Jobe has no Bible job

has no church job has no explanation job

has no name of Jesus he’s all he can say

is the Lord gives the Lord takes away

blessed be the name of the Lord and well

at least I still got the health and a

still got my wife and I still got my

friends and the friends say you’re a

liar you’re a hypocrite this is the

judgment of God and his wife says curse

God and die and he loses his health he

loses everything he has not one thing

left and well he had God well really

because he said I went forward and I

couldn’t find him and I turned back and

I couldn’t perceive him I turn to the

left and right and he wasn’t there I’ve

had seasons like that we’re all he but

yeah I love what he said he said I know

my redeemer lives even when I can’t find

and he can find me but when I don’t know

where he is he knows where I am

but really what Joe was saying is it’s

not even heaven can shake my confidence

in heaven now I know I know hell can’t

shake your confidence because you know

when it’s the devil doing something but

what about when God allows things why

doesn’t God do something why didn’t he

stop my 10 children from God why why not

even heaven will shake my confidence in

heaven I know my redeemer lives and one

day when I’ve come forth as my fire

tribe I will be pure gold and I’ll see

him for myself Joe made it through the

trial and God said I’m gonna give you

double livestock double business double

everything you’ve got I’m gonna give you

and it’s interesting God doubled

everything he had except his children

because he started out with 10 but God

only gave him 10 more children why

because he didn’t lose the ten that he

lost they were in heaven

we don’t understand I would not be in

the ministry I wonder why I was in a

service when Friday night at a camp

meeting Church of God North Carolina

Ronny Bronk was preaching Steve Broncs

brother and it tore me out of the frame

I was a kid about 16 years old sitting

in the back of the building weeping what

is wrong with me and I’m telling you God

that night placed his hand on my life

and said I’m calling you my he confirmed

it to me later but that was the

beginning of something massive

concerning my call and so I said God use

me God I won’t give me revelation give

me messages let me preach like that man

let me reach people like that man use me

God God said I hear you you know what he

sent me

sickness you know what he sent me a skin

disease that alienated me from everybody

you know what he sent me bowls all over

my body for over a year I was sick and

in the house and I went through

depression I went through suicidal

thoughts I went through wanting to give

up I thought I’m a freak God what I

asked you to use me now I don’t even

have the confidence to stand up and look

anybody in the eye you have devastated

me but I’m telling you that when I look

back on it now I really believe if God

hadn’t sent that strangely wrapped gift

I know God you know people argue I know

I know the devil comes to kill steal and

destroy but but whatever hell either God

allows it and if God allows it

means he’s gonna use it to get glory out

of it and to do a work in me and to a do

work in you all things not just the good

things all things and we know that all

things see I would I would I was I was

popular I was running with a popular

crowd I would have started partying I

would have started doing this I would

have started doing that so God said I

got my hand on you and I’m gonna give

you a special gift of suffering for a

while and it was during that time and my

mother sitting here she’ll tell you I

read my Bible 40 chapters a day I

started seeking God I started fasting I

didn’t know what fasting started fasting

went on a 21-day fast see through my

burden through my suffering through my

loneliness through my brokenness through

through my embarrassment and now when I

get up in front of a beautiful

congregation like this it’s not just

words that I’m saying but that that box

bolts something to me that was strangely

wrapped that makes me understand great

is gratefulness needed your hand has

provided and he is faithful but when

he’s got his when he’s got a promise to

perform in your life don’t be surprised

if it shows up in strangely packaged

wrappings and Paul says listen to listen

to what Paul said Paul I love Paul I

love him

because Paul just really gets the

revelation of what it’s all about that

the tough times that we go through and

listen to what he says he says

everything that has happened to me has

happened for the furtherance of the

gospel and he says so therefore I will

take pleasure in my gift wrappings I

know that if if stuff comes and into my

life either God said it or

and he’s gonna take it and transform it

for good and a golden key is gonna drop

out to let somebody free to heal

somebody to open up some door of

blessing something is good a key is

gonna drop out of this strangely wrap

gift and so Paul says so I will take

pleasure in my gift wrappings and my

suffering in my tribulation I’ll come

out stronger hmm his strength will be

made perfect in my weakness because

everything this happened to me has

happened to further the gospel in my

family in my life in my world folks it’s

not just about you having a nice sweet

perfect life life will come hitting you

and your family sooner or later and I

don’t want a bunch of cool hwhip

Christians who don’t know what to do

when trouble comes I tell you what you

do you don’t shove the gift back at the

Father and turn around in a temper

tantrum and say if you don’t give me

what I want like I want it I won’t talk

to you for another year or two and I’ll

quit church and I’ll get no sir I’m

talking to people right now that that

that you’ve lost your job or whatever

how do you know how do you know we hear

stories all the time I lost my job I

thought it’s the worst thing it was a

gift because you never started that

multi-million dollar business if you

you’re to steal

so what jerkwad lift you and cheated on

you thank god he’s gone kick him to the

curb and say well praise God I’m waiting

on the golden key to mr. gorgeous Holy

Ghost feel gorgeous that’ll go to church

with me quit whining over what you’ve

lost and how bad and mad at God and say

God here’s here’s maturity god I trust

you even when I don’t understand you

when I don’t know anything and don’t

have any explanation for anything my

faith is in you I know my redeemer lives

everybody take a praise break right now

some of you been getting some strange

reroute gifts I dare you to turn it into

praise turn your pain into praise turn

your tears into praise turn it into a

statement of faith this says he’s alive

he’s real

we know that all things work together if

you won’t quit

if you won’t get bitter if you won’t

shove it back at the father there are

some things we’ll never understand on

this side completely but I promise you

all things work together for them that

love God and are called according to his

purpose hallelujah

stand to your feet all over this room

please no one moving for the next for

the next 20 seconds if you have received

in your life some strangely wrapped

gifts I want you to throw your hands up

like Paul and say I will glory in my

tribulation

it’s working a far more exceeding weight

of glory on my life let’s see it raise

them high and for the next 15 seconds I

want you to praise God that there’s a

golden key that’s gonna come out of that

fiery strangely wrapped you know what

I’m preaching you know what I’m talking

about you know what you’re going through

you know and you’ve had questions and

that’s the thing I can remember when I

was going through that little thing and

I’ve been through other things of course

since but as one of the big things I

would say to God why don’t you do

something what are you waiting on your

God kind of cruel God would let this

happen I didn’t see I couldn’t see but

he did and he does you don’t understand

everything you’re going through but the

Bible said in everything not for

everything but in everything give thanks

whatever you’re put in give thanks come

on this is what I want you to do for 15

seconds

you got the gift it’s rats trains but in

it give him thanks give him thanks I’m

still alive I’m still here God still has

a purpose God still has a plan God will

get glory all things are working for the

good the gospel will be it will be

fathered in my family in my life I will

grow and after a while after you’ve

suffered a while say we don’t talk that

stuff in church no more but after you’ve

suffered a while

that’s a scripture I’ll reward you I’ll

change your season you’ll know joy

unspeakable and full of glory the sun’s

gonna shine seven times brighter as I

preached last Sunday if you won’t give

up

life is real vivid alive beating

breathing it happens behind closed doors

and out in front there’s joy there’s

laughter

chaos

lifelong friendships are forged love is

found moments cherished

and never forgotten

life is a gift and together we are real

family

friends

real people

experiencing real life

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