God Has Not Changed His Mind About You

0:00 Brace yourself and buckle up. You are about to hear a life-changing, history-making, world-defining message from the New Birth Podcast. Tell everybody you know, things will never be the same. look at somebody and tell them come what may my answer is still gonna be yes that was the wrong neighbor turned and look at somebody else tell them come what may god still gets my yes now if you believe that can you give god a praise all over this sanctuary come on i mean really give god a good praise Thank you. Come on, bow your heads with me. God, we thank you today. In particular, we thank you today for the yes of Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryan.

1:00 thank you oh God for keeping him thank you for using his voice as a trumpet to sound the alarm salvation, liberation, deliverance thank you oh God for the woman that stands by his side is chief intercessor.

1:32 Thank you for the ministry that you have given them together. We thank you for this church, how you are holding this church up as a beacon light and example of what real ministry looks like.

1:52 Now God, stand up in me. Think with my mind. Speak with my mouth. I know deliverance is in the room today. I know breakthrough and healing are in the room today. So Holy Spirit, sit your weight down on this room that we might see the glory of God. In Jesus' name, amen. Hey, before you take your seats, and if you're home, I want you to stand up and scream. Can we celebrate today the drum major of this generation who is leading the charge all across this nation? My dearest friend in the world and your pastor, can we shout for Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant? Come on, let's honor him Thank God for him Come on, I mean raise the roof Yeah.

3:01 Yeah. I thank God that he is a leader. The same energy with which they try to cut him. Y'all need to use that same energy. Huh? Yeah. And then cut them if you have to. I mean, you know, you know what I'm saying? Can we celebrate? I'm so glad to say this. Can we celebrate his partner in life, love, marriage, and ministry? My sister, Dr. Carrie Bryant. Come on, y'all shout for her. She's pretty, she anointed, she fine. I can say that because he's my best friend. She's all of that. And we thank God for her. Before you sit down, I need you to shout and celebrate for the finest woman in this room. My wife of 34 years, the mother of all three of my children, the executive pastor of our church, your first lady, Sarar.

4:05 Can we thank God this morning for my wife, Pastor Kim. I thank God for her. Take your seats in the very presence of our God. They are sorors. Your pastor missed the boat. We could have been the same, but he didn't like purple, so that's okay. I cannot tell you how honored I am And blessed to be here to share On this birthday celebration Of next to my wife and Jesus My best friend in the entire world God is using him In powerful ways All across this world New birth I hope you know how blessed you are to have such an amazing and incredible leader. And then I was like a kid in a candy store, James Hall, and just came through here and wrecked us like James Hall always does.

5:15 So this is just a joy and a treat to be here with him to celebrate his 65th birthday. We thank God. I promise you somebody gonna put online, I didn't know Dr. Bryant was 65 years old. But to celebrate and share with him today is my greatest joy. Our family loves him dearly. Our children thinks their Uncle Jamal walks on water. And so we are just honored to be here. If you've got a copy of the Word of the Lord, stand with me. Go to the Old Testament book of Jonah. Jonah chapter 3. Stand as we go to the Word of God. Jonah chapter 3 verse 1 there you'll find these words now the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time you may be seated No, sit down.

6:30 Now the word of the Lord. I want you to look at somebody on your right and your left, and I need you to say this to them like you know they need it, and they might tear this place up on just what you're going to tell them. I want you to give them my subject. Look at them and tell them, neighbor, I don't care how rough it is. God has not changed his mind. about you. if somebody believes that you ought to shout just right there God He's not changed his mind. We are living in a cultural moment now where people can be erased with a click.

7:36 It's called cancel culture. One post, one mistake, one misstep, one moment taken out of context. and you can be canceled. This generation of virality has mastered the art of withdrawing support without extending grace.

8:09 No conversation, no context, no path to redemption, just canceled. and and and if we were honest that culture hasn't just stayed out in technology we don't just see it in timelines we also see it in theology because there are many people who have this dangerous misconception about how God handles our missteps and mistakes many of us carry quietly subconsciously this assumption that one bad decision can cancel your divine destiny. That somehow if you run long enough, delay God long enough, disobey God deep enough, that God will eventually withdraw what God declared over your life.

9:10 But how many of y'all know if that were true, none of us would still be here right now. because the truth of the matter is your story didn't start with obedience it started with a call that contradicted where you saw yourself and one of the most overlooked realities in scripture is what I'm talking about God's call has never been contingent on human perfection. That's why when you study the uniqueness of call stories in scripture, you don't ever find eager volunteers. You find reluctant participants. One of those was a man by the name of Jonah. Everybody knows this story. God gives Jonah an assignment that he does not like to go down to Nineveh and cry out against the evil of Nineveh. But because of the historical disdain, Jonah doesn't hesitate to go in the opposite direction. He goes down to a place called Tarshish. Y'all know this. And here's what Jonah missed that I don't want anybody in here to miss. You don't get to pick your purpose. I know y'all don't like this. You don't get to pick your assignment. Your job is not to choose where you want to be. Your job is to submit to wherever God sends you. Y'all don't like this. You don't get to pick your purpose, but let me help here. While you don't get to pick your purpose, you ought to shout that you got picked on purpose.

11:00 Y'all ain't happy. I'll be back in five minutes. While I don't get to pick my purpose, I got to shout because God picked me on purpose. Because let's be honest, there were people more qualified, there were people more disciplined, there were people more consistent, there were people more educated and somehow God still chose you. Would you look at somebody and tell them, I don't know why God chose me, but I'm glad God picked me on purpose. Jonah doesn't like what he gets picked for. I'm on my way. I'm only going one place. Let me walk you there. Jonah doesn't like where he got picked. So he boards a ship going in the opposite direction and the ship hits a storm. The ship hits a storm because Jonah is on the boat. The ship hits a storm when Jonah gets on the ship and the people start throwing things overboard thinking they've got too much weight on the ship that's causing the ship to toss and turn in the storm. But when they threw things off the ship, the storm doesn't stop because sometimes it's not stuff that needs to go.

12:30 It's someone that needs to go. God, I want to preach it in here today. They discover that Jonah is the problem and when they throw him overboard the storm stands maybe I don't know who I'm talking to perhaps some of you need to send a warning to some people who are causing storms in your life you thought you needed to change some of your ways maybe you need to change some of your relationships. You need to send a text to some people and tell them it's time for you to get off my boat because where God is taking me and what God has for me is too important to let your presence be my problem. I'm just working my way.

13:29 The Bible says something, Jamal, that shifted my theology. It said God had prepared a fish. Okay. God had prepared a fish. before Jonah ever disobeyed, God had already made provision for his recovery. God, y'all don't know when to shout. But before Jonah ever messed up, God provided the answer to his recovery before he ever took the action that needed recovering from. I'm going to help somebody run in a minute because this is what that means.

14:25 God never reacts to your mistakes. God has already made arrangements for your recovery from your mistakes. Now, if you ain't never made a mistake, you can sit there looking bad and bougie. If you ain't never made a mistake, you can cross your legs. But if you are in here today because God made arrangements for your recovery before you ever messed up, you ought to give God a praise right now. no I mean a real praise I mean I hey I've discovered God is the God of pre-arrangements preach Rudolph McKissick he will prepare the answer before you ever encounter the problem okay okay y'all not getting it y'all not sit down sit down um I was in Houston um some time ago and I was riding in the car with Apostle I.V. Hilliard in his Tesla and he was showing me some of the, Tesla probably isn't what I should say, but it was a Tesla.

15:39 And you know what I mean? And he was showing me how you could drive without putting your hands on the steering wheel. And so we were riding down the street. He's reading, not touching the steering wheel. We were in the right-hand lane and all of a sudden the car shifted to the left lane and there was no car going too slow in front of us. So I'm trying to figure out why the car changed lanes when there was nothing impeding us right in front of us. About a half mile down the road when we got up there, there was a big boulder like rock in the lane. Jesus and the Tesla is designed to see what's ahead before you get there to shift you so you don't hit it come here God does that all the time some of the shifts in your life were because there was something in the road that you didn't know was ahead and God didn't want you to wreck your life so he shifted your lane before it ever hit you you ought to high five somebody and tell them this shout is for the shift that God made in my life anybody got a shift shout in here you didn't know why God did it you didn't know why God broke that relationship up you didn't know why God didn't let you get that job because there was something in the road this is gonna be the craziest shout of my 28 minutes left i want you to shout real quick for an answer watch me to a problem you ain't even had yet serve notice on the devil that whatever you got planned for me for the rest of this year

17:46 I'm shouting in advance because God has already It ain't even happened yet, but I'm shouting in advance because God has already made a way. All right. All right. Woo! Woo! Sit down. Sit down. God prepared the fish before Jonah made the mistake. I'm just going one place. And the text says that when Jonah got in the fish, he did what he should have done from the start.

18:42 He prayed. And the text says, Dr. Bryant, something very interesting. When Jonah talks to God, God talks to the fish. I know, I know, I know we hear a lot about the authority that's in our mouths to speak to things, and that's true. But this text teaches me something else. If you talk to God, God will talk to what's holding you back.

19:26 I'm trying to help somebody. Maybe it's the season where you talk to God and let God talk to your trouble. Maybe this is the season where you talk to God and let God talk to whatever's trying to hold you back. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Don't shout too quick. Because when Jonah talks to God and God talks to the fish, it's going to get real bad. The Bible says when God talks to the fish, the fish spits Jonah up. I knew I was coming to Dr. Jamal Bryant's church, so I had to do all my homework, and I discovered that that word spits up there is just what you think.

20:21 In the Hebrew, it's the word for vomit. You only vomit when you get sick. So when Jonah talked to God, and God talked to the fish, the fish got sick of Jonah I want you to grab somebody's hand grab somebody's hand and tell them neighbor for the rest of this year my problem is going to be sick of me because I'm going to talk to God every day about every problem in my life and when God gets to talking to my problem my problems are about to be sick of me Thank you. come on find you somebody and tell them get ready for your problems to be sick of me debt is gonna be sick of me sickness is gonna be sick of me depression is gonna be sick of me discouragement is gonna be sick of me everything is gonna get sick Prepare to be sick of me.

21:40 Sit down. Whoo! All right. And the text says, text says, after the fish spit him up, chapter three starts this way. The New King James Version I'm using because of the words. now the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.

22:25 Somebody going to really tear the church up. God never revoked the call. And that's my word for somebody today, that God has not changed God's mind about you. Y'all, here's the real shout. The real shout and the real miracle in the text is not the fish. It's not the turnaround of Nineveh. For me, the real shout in the text is after how jacked up Jonah was, God spoke again. Y'all didn't get it. After Jonah ran, God spoke again. After Jonah disobeyed, God spoke again. After Jonah went the wrong way, God spoke again. and I don't know who I'm preaching to today, but if God is still talking to you, that means God is not through with you yet.

23:24 As long as there is an unfulfilled word over your life, that means there's still work for your life. So I need about 49 and I'll make 50 who know you didn't get everything right. You made some mistakes, but God gave you another chance to get on your feet and scream as loud as you can because after every mistake you made, God talked to you. come on I'm looking for the real testimonies the same God that called you the first time is the same God who's calling you again you ought to shout because you didn't mess it up with the mistakes that you made open up your mouth and yell God has not changed his mind about you So,

24:27 Let me show you how God gets you to another chance. Then I'm going to be out the way so we can sing happy birthday. Here's the first thing the text teaches us.

24:48 Don't let your then sabotage your now. Y'all ain't happy. Be back in five minutes. Don't let your then sabotage your now. The text, chapter 3, in the New King James Version, opens up in a way that's easy to read past but dangerous to ignore. Now! the word of the Lord came to Jonah. That word now is not just a transitional word. It's a theological declaration.

25:35 Because, Jay, if you were to go back to chapter 2, in the New King James, I'm using that version for the words. If you were to go back to chapter 2, you'll discover something. Chapter 2 is the chapter of the consequences of Jonah's actions. Chapter 2 is the chapter where God makes Jonah pay the price for disobedience. In the New King James Version, chapter 2 starts with this word, then.

26:12 Okay. Okay, chapter two, the chapter of his consequences starts with the word then. Chapter three is the chapter of his restoration. And that chapter starts with the word now. Some of y'all got it already. Which means Jonah's life is split into chapters. Preach boy. then consequences and now compassion then rebellion and now restoration and if you're not careful you'll be standing in your now moment with a then mentality because the enemy doesn't need to destroy your future if he can keep you emotionally attached to your past.

27:17 I done gone to meddling. So you're in a new season thinking old thoughts. So you got another chance, but you still rehearsing old regrets. I wouldn't be too quiet in this section because your neighbor might know I'm talking about you. Um, hey, just because God changed your chapter doesn't always mean you changed your consciousness. that's why America wants to take us back to chapter 2 like they can keep us locked up enslaved in chains I'm talking for all the folk who snuck in here to see what was going to be said today about social justice I came to make an announcement We are in chapter three as black folk and we ain't going back to chapter two anytime.

28:27 Do I have any chapter three black folk in here who can say whom the son sets free? Come on, grab somebody and tell them, I ain't going back. I ain't going back. I'm not going back. I'm not going. Listen to me.

28:53 Some of us, let me do Dr. Bryan, sit down, the folk behind you can't see. some of us are missing what God is doing now because we keep narrating what happened then Can I help you? There is nothing in the then chapter that Jonah can go back and fix.

29:26 He can't go back and fix the damage done to the ship. He can't go back and fix the damage done to the sailors. He can't go back and fix the cargo that they lost. He can't go back and fix the time that was wasted. He can't go back and fix the trauma the storm created. But none of that stopped God from speaking to him again, which means God's willingness to use you is not contingent upon you fixing everything in your past before you get to your future. I'm moving on. Here's what I'm trying to tell you. Stop rehearsing chapters. God has already closed.

30:11 Stop dragging your then into your now. Because the only reason the enemy keeps reminding you of then is because he knows what God has for you in your now. So I came to make an announcement to everybody that will believe it. Welcome to your now chapter. Welcome to your now season. So you know what you ought to do? Praise him now. Shout now! Holla now! Run now! Scream now! I said holler now, scream now, jump now, run now, shout now. Now, now, sit down, sit down, sit down.

31:23 Sit down. I'm about done. Sit down. I dare you throw your head back and just scream now. Second thing the text teaches us. Oh, this is good. I want to run, but I can't run.

31:45 God will use what broke you to build you. See, see, it's one thing to shout over your now.

32:06 It's another thing to understand what God used to get you there. Jonah, Jonah didn't just wake up in now. he had to survive a then to get to now. And the danger is we love to celebrate outcomes but we hate to travel through process.

32:39 We thank God for where we are but we get bitter about how we got here. Let me tell you something. Sometimes the same seasons you wanted God to remove was the very season God used to remake you. That's why I let you get all that shout out the way. Be careful. Be careful. Because the opposition you've been praying away might actually be the promotion you've been praying for. sometimes the blessing is inside the consequence ooh okay okay the fish well I'm trying the fish was not punishment the fish was preservation because if Jonah had not been swallowed by the fish, the sea would have buried him.

33:51 it's so simple y'all don't know when to shout and while being in the fish was a dark lonely place the sea would have been worse if it weren't for the fish y'all don't want to shout because here's the reality you don't like what happened to you but you ought to be thanking God that if it hadn't happened to you something worse would have happened to you so you ought to thank God Hey, hey, some of the most painful seasons of your life were actually the most protective seasons of your life. that that breakup that wasn't heartbreak that was God breaking your dependency they don't like me that loss that wasn't subtraction that was divine redirection that delay that wasn't denial that was God developing you because God will never allow your destiny to outgrow your discipline. So God has to work on your discipline in the middle of your mess so you have shoulders big enough to carry the assignment.

35:29 So God will use seasons you'd understand to prepare you for places you prayed for. And here's the revelation. God allowed the storm, but then orchestrated the system that would sustain Jonah in the storm. I don't know who this is for, but your scream will let me know it's you. That thing that you've been crying about, It was never designed to destroy you. It was designed to rebuild you. y'all ready for the shout and if you survived it that means it served you you didn't serve i wish i had somebody somebody ought to shout that all the hell that negro put you through serves you because it made you better all the hell you caught served you because it made you better All right, I'm done.

36:39 I'm done. I'm done. I'm done here's the last thing y'all sit down you ain't got to sit down just keep staying here's the last thing how you act will show what you learn Okay. Okay. Okay, let me, let me exegetically work it. Um, if you were to do a, um, an exegetical comparative analysis of chapter one and chapter three, you would discover something. Chapter one starts this way. after God, the word of the Lord comes to Jonah, tells Jonah, go down to Nineveh, preach to Nineveh, da-da-da-da-da-da, and the Bible says, Jonah arose and fled, ran. Chapter one, the word of the Lord came to Jonah, go down to Nineveh, preach to Nineveh, da-da-da-da-da-da, Jonah got up and ran.

37:51 Chapter three, same thing, the word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time, same message, get up, go to Nineveh, preach to them, da-da-da-da-da. And the Bible says Jonah got up and went. Y'all missed it. Chapter one, the word of the Lord comes to Jonah, go down to Nineveh, preach to Nineveh, da-da-da-da-da-da. Jonah got up and ran.

38:16 Chapter three, after the hell of chapter two, God gives Jonah the same assignment. but this time Jonah doesn't get up and run he gets up and goes y'all didn't get it same calling different response because that's what maturity looks like maturity is not that you never fail maturity is that you don't respond the same way twice This time, he obeyed without running. Maybe that's the real miracle of the text. Not that Nineveh repented, but that Jonah finally responded differently.

39:10 Because the real test of transformation is how you respond when God bumps you in to the same thing another time. Can you obey what you once avoided? can you walk into what you once ran from see I know because some people can only shout when God changes their situation but there's another kind of shout there's a shout that comes when God ain't changed your situation but you know God changed you in the middle of your situation. I'm trying to find the change folk in here.

40:04 Is there anybody in here who can say this next shout is not because I got more money. It ain't because I got married. It ain't because I got remarried. It ain't because I got a new job. It's because God changed me. How do I know God changed me? Because the last time I saw him, I would have cussed him out. The last time I saw him, I'd have slapped the hell out of him. The last time I went through that, I'd have had do say to calm me down. But when I look at how I reacted this time, I know God has changed me. Go and find three people and tell them I'm shouting this morning because God has changed me. I said, go find your three people. look them dead in the face and say God is changing me he's changing my attitude he's changing my language he's changing my thinking he's changing my connections he's changing my actions I want you to high five somebody look them dead in the face and tell them neighbor I got to give God praise because God is changing me.

41:28 I've got to give God glory because God is changing me. And I, I, I, I got to get out of here. But is there anybody in here who can wave your hand because you know God changed you? Is there anybody in this room today who can shout for joy because you know God changed you. Because I, I, I, I can look back over my life and see how the Lord changed me. I can look back over my life and see what the Lord's done for me. I need somebody to high-five your neighbor, Look them dead in the face And tell them neighbor This next shout Is cause the Lord Changed me This next shout Is cause the Lord fixed me Y'all ain't happy in here Come on Quinn Let's ride Good morning Newberg May the Lord God bless you real good But is there anybody In here who can help me close this sermon.

42:49 If you know the Lord changed you, stand on your feet. If you know the Lord changed you, shout for joy. Would you do me one favor? Grab a neighbor by the hand. Shake them and rock them. Rock them and shake them. Shake them and rock them. And tell them, name I'm glad I'm changed. That was the wrong neighbor. Turn on the other side. Put your arms around somebody. Shake them and rock them. Rock them and shake them. Shake them, rock them. Rock them, shake them. Shake them, rock them. Rock them, shake them Look them dead in the eye And tell them, neighbor God changed me Do I have any witnesses That know the Lord will fix you?

43:57 Do I have any company That know the Lord will change you? Do I have any testimonies That knows the Lord will turn you around? Won't he do it? Won't he do it Won't he do it Won't he fight your battles Won't he make your enemies your footstool Won't he give you joy and sorrow Won't he give you hope for tomorrow Won't he dry your tears Won't he, won't he, won't he, won't he Whoa And because I know he changed me because I know he fixed me I gotta shout for joy that he changed me I got to run because he changed me tell me how did he change you one Friday on a hill called Calvary They hung him high.

45:07 They stressed him wide. He hung his head in the locks of his shoulders. He died. Didn't he die? He died all night Friday. He died all day Saturday. But early, early Sunday morning, he got up with power. in his hand. So now what a wonderful change in my life has been right since Jesus. Go find your three people. Tell them he changed me. He fixed me. He turned me. He made a way. Get out of your section. Go to another section. Tell them he changed me. He He fixed me.

46:06 He turned me. Now shout that He changed you. Run! Scream! Holler! Dance! Thank you. Wait a minute.

46:59 Some of y'all looking at me. I want you to leave your section. Go find one somebody. And tell them, neighbor, this next shout is because you survived whatever tried to swallow you. Now go on and shout For your neighbor's survival Thank you. Now holler, now scream, now dance.

48:24 I said dance like you're in your now season. I said scream like you're in your now season. I said holler like you're in your now.

49:23 Wait a minute. Here's what I want you to do. If you bold enough, I want you to get in the aisle. Just right where y'all. I got a prophetic word. Just move away from your seat if you can't get in the aisle. God told me to tell you that move just spits you out of the fish and welcome to your now season now what you gonna do since you're in your now season and survive your struggle give him glory And I heard God say it's not just now for you it's now for everybody in your bloodline it's now for your children it's now for your grandchildren everybody connected to you some parent dance for your children some grandparent dance for your grand So

51:29 Here's how you know you change. Here's what you say. Whatever my Lord, thou hast taught me to say, It is Now let me hear you Whatever my life I hope you are energized that you don't need an energy drink.

52:41 What you just heard should have you off and running, chasing your dreams, pursuing your purpose, and answering your call. If this was a blessing, share it with somebody else. Don't be selfish. This is what God gave you so that you can be a blessing to somebody who's a blessing.