Out of Place but in Position

Song- My Tribute (Tremaine Hawkins)

How can I say thanks For the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved Yet You gave to prove Your love for me The voices of a million angels Could not express my gratitude All that I am and ever hope to be I owe it all to Thee

To God be the glory To God be the glory To God be the glory For the things He has done

With His blood He has saved me With His power He has raised me To God be the glory For the things He has done

Oh, just let me live my life Let it be pleasing, Lord to Thee And if I gain any praise Let it go to Calvary (Calvary)

Oh, with His blood (His blood) He has saved me (He has saved me) With His power (His power) He has raised me (He has raised me) To God (to God) be the glory (glory) For the things He has done

Opening

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. To the Deacons, the Ministers, and to all of you here at New Beginnings Missionary Baptist, we bring greetings in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior. To my beautiful wife for her support and here being. I am thankful for her and what she is to me. To my Best Friend and the set angel of this house, can we thank God for our Pastor, the Reverend John Carry Easterling III. A man of God, called by God to fulfill the call of Jesus. For he said, go out into all the World and preach the Gospel. Amen. Listen, I do not want to labor before you long, I have already been told I have 10 minutes to preach.... Amen, so I will preach and sit down.

Give Scripture(s): Genesis 39:19-22

Study Scripture(s): Genesis 37-42

Read Scripture: Genesis 39:19-22

Genesis 39:19–22 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

Give Subject: Out of Place but in Position

Prayer

Introduction

Place is defined in webster’s dictionary as a proper or designated niche or setting or an appropriate moment or point

Position is defined in webster’s dictionary as an act of placing or arranging or a relative place, arrangement, or standing

With that understanding

Repeat Subject: Out of Place but in Position

Have you ever had an interaction with someone or a group of people wherein your find yourself feeling like you are out of place?

You’ve worked in corporate American before but you are unfamiliar with this particular office so you feel a little bit out of place.

I know the immediate family of this person but I do not know the extended family so I am feeling a little bit out of place at this function.

I’m saved and know the Lord but never been to this Church so I am feeling a bit out of place attending this service.

These are real life occurences that most every human being has felt at one point or another and to one extent or another as we have endeavored to live our lifes in social interaction with people. Make no mistake, human being are social creatures for the BIble Tells us God thought it good that the trees grew, the flowers blossomed, and the animals walked the Earth but he thought it to be Not Good that Man should be alone.

And so God puts us as social creatures on this Earth to interact with one another as well as him, only to create situations where (despite our best efforts) we sometimes feel out of place. And yet, to feel out of place is not the ultimate dilemma the real issues comes when you stay out of place.

See if you are new to a job (if you stay long enough) you will find yourself the veteran among inexperienced newbies.

You may not know the extended family but given enough time the function will end or you will eventually come to know them and feel comfortable around them.

Sure you are new to the Church but given enough time you will be a member and start treating new members like the old ones treated you (im sorry that don’t happen in Biscoe, does it?)

But then their are those situations where everything you see and are exposed to seems to exist counter to the promises of god concerning your life.

What happens when you can never find a job… forget getting comfortable at a new one?

God promised you a job but you can’t even get a callback despite going to school, getting good grades, an internship, and other steps that place always seems unattainable to you.

What happens when you have been looking to date a Godly man so you can get to know his family only to find yourself single as a dollar bill?

God promised you a spouse and you find yourself more lonely than ever before.

What happens when the Church never welcomes you and you find yourself feeling as forsaken as ever despite your attempts at assembly with the saints of God?

God promised your ministry and you are instead dealing with drama/ or attitude.

What do you do when your place does not match your promise?

What do you do when your circumstances do not line up with what God told you?

What do you do when it looks like God has teased you?

What do you do when it looks like God has lied to you?

I know we like to sit back and pretend in our high and mighty pretense that we always believe God and that we have faith that is unshakeable but I submit to you that somebody under the sound of my voice has received a promise from God and then found yourself in a place where that promise looked like it was not only absent but impossible. I cannot help but to think of our ancestors who lived in slavery for 300 years and faced Jim Crow and racism for another 100 years.

How many times did they hear the Word of God declare promises to them that looked to be the antithesis of the place they were living?

Beloved I wish that thou would prosper and be in health even as thou soul prospers… Sounds hollow after you have been beaten for the color of your skin.

Ye are a chosen generation and a royal priesthood… has to seem counterintuitive… How can I be a chosen generation or a royal priest when I am only 3/5th of person in the eyes of my so called brethren.

And So, I ask again… What do you do when your place does not match your promise?

It is in our text that we find the answer to this question.

Text: Genesis 39:19-22

Story Summary

In our text we find the Man of God, Joseph, in prison on trumped on charges from his former master’s wife.

Joseph was the Son of Jacob (Israel) and was the favored Son because he was the Son of his old age.

It alluded to that he is one of 2 sons from Jacob’s favorite (and last) wife which likely contributes to this placement as the favored son.

Joseph received a dream which alluded to his brothers bowing and honoring him in an unspecified but elevated role above that of his brothers.

His brothers took issue with this and they threw him into a pit (cistern or well)

The eventually fished him out and sold him into slavery

He was then acquired by Potiphar, an Egyptian leader

Jospeh was eventually shown to be a powerful and effective administrator which led to his promotion within the houes of Potiphar

And how many know that when you are faithful… everybody takes notice.

Potiphar’s wife saw the Man of God working and threw herself at him

When he denied her (out of respect for Potiphar) she lied and had him arrested for trying to assault her.

This leads us up to where we are right now in the life of Joseph.

Gifts

Now, it has been said countless times that Joseph was the Man of Dreams and that he was gifted with the interpretation of dreams.

I submit to you that his gift was not only the interpretation of dreams but was also the administrative works that he was able to do.

Too many times we highlight the gifts that make a showing sporadically and we neglect the gifts in use every single day.

Let me take this time to inform each of you that despite how the Church likes to play it up every good and perfect gift comes from God.

We try to make everything spiritual or take for granted that which is not spiritual but it is just as important if you are a gifted administrator as you are gifted with the speaking of unknown tongues.

We need people who can bake and cook just as much as we need people who can serve in mission trips.

We have to understand that Christ is returning for a kingdom… not a Church and we seem to have this idea that spiritual gifts are better but you can be the best preacher on Earth but if your administration is ineffective you cannot grow the Church with your preaching.

Retell the Story

And so when you view things through the lens of his holistic calling as not just an interpreter of dreams but as an organizer then his story makes more sense.

You see his dreams had him in a place of abundance and blessing and he was to be the receipent of great honor from his brothers and family.

He saw his dreams as proof of his status as a gifted and chosen man within the house of his Father… but his dreams were not proof of status but they were a sign of promotion.

I want to make clear that God does not promote people out of a place of already existent power but instead God will often promote you through pain, pressure, and trials that are a testing by fire.

And so, Joseph’s acceptance of his calling through that dream was a sign to God that he desired promotion, but it would not come the way that Joseph may have wanted.

He told God that he was ready to be exalted but he instead gave him a cross and called him slave.

So he goes through the pain of betrayal and the subsequent pain and embarrassment of slaver.

Because he came unto his own (brothers) and his own received him not.

He had to be reduced from his calling by taking off his Princely Robes and putting on the lowly garments of the people who God would use him to save…

He was (unknown to himself) volunteering himself for service… saying Father prepare me a body (new set of servant’s garments) and watch me go down.

His position was that of ruler and administrator but his place was that of a slave.

So then goes from being in his exalted place as the lead slave and finds himself being placed in charge of potiphar’s house.

He was over the purse strings

Responsible for his guards

Responsible for the groceries

Responsible for the staff and slaves

None greater was in Potiphar’s House than Joseph himself.

Despite his place… his being positioned had him on the verge of being blessed by virtue of his gift.

For your gift will make room for you and bring you before great men.

He is in this elevated place and it is all brought crashing down by one temptation.

On the backs of a lie… we find the man of God being sentenced to life in prison.

For he was despised and rejected of men…

Here again his place is changing for the worse… he was chief of slaves but now find himself chief of prisoners.

He felt himself approaching where God called him only to be drug back down by circumstances that were beyond his ability to change and once again finds himself Out of Place.

It was one thing to be a slave in Egypt as the Egyptian slaves often occupied important and honored roles in the society due to their function in the construction of buildings and execution of projects.

But here he found himself lower than a slave… being treated as a prisoner.

Twice now he has touched the place God was calling him only to be shoved out of place by circumstances and here he is in jail but he has again found favor.

The warden has placed him in charge of the prison… he is not in the place that God called him to but he is in a position where God can use him.

He works faithfully in the prison showing his ability to organize and administrate… honing the skill that would help him achieve his objectives.

By now, if you are Joseph you have to be thinking that it is over for you… what hope do you have of freedom if you are threatened, beaten, and sold by your own brothers…

Then to have your one shot at a comeback cut short by your desire to do right by your master.

It is here where I want to return to the text to read one verse as I draw to my close.

Genesis 41:41 KJV 1900

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Conclusion

As we look at the story of Joseph… I see so many challenges and blessings.

I look at the story of Joseph and I see similarities in my own life.

I look at the story of Joseph and I see evidence of God’s divine providence in the darkest of situations.

I see my African brothers and sisters… who were Kings and Queens back home… but were forced to reduce themselves by circumstances.

They were out of place…but I thank God they never forgot their position.

Thank God for a man like Frederick Douglass who was born a slave but died a leader.

Thank God for a woman like Sojourner Truth who was born a slave but died a teacher.

Thank God for somebody like Harriet Tubman who was born a slave but died a fighter.

These men and women paved the way for the freedom we have today and they did not allow their place in life to dictate the position they would occupy… they were like Joseph and endured hardness as good soldier.

Joseph’s pathway started with a dream but ultimately did not end with a dream.

You see many of us like to look at the story of Joseph and take it as evidence that God will speak to us in dreams and its through the interpretation of Dreams and prophecies that God will exalt us.

But, when you look at it… the interpretation of Dreams brought him before great men but it was his administration that brought him to the position God intended for him.

You see… you may feel like you are out of place but you have to keep your position.

When you feel like giving up… you have to stay in position

When you feel like you are wasting your time… you have to stay in position

When your back is against the wall… you have to stay in position.

God is calling us to stay in our positions as we strive to get in the right place.

Tap your neighbor and say you may feel out of place but never allow yourself to get out of position.

Altar Call