Joseph is sold

INTRO

For years I was the CPC ping pong champion. Renowned. - then my nephews.

Every day we don’t gain ground, the enemy gains ground. When I am passive the enemies are active.

6:30 at Cross Church on Tuesday. Vigil for Mendoza family

How did we get here? What do we do about it?

Politics- Both sides are bringing demons.

Everyone wants someone else to do something. pass a bill,

YOU

Marriage mediation/ counseling. She is cold. She isn’t responsive. He doesn’t listen. He has an anger issue. How long has this been going on? Since we were married! Matthew 18, Every verse on friendship or one anothering one another starts with your marriage.

Every day you don’t gain ground the enemy takes it. There is no net zero. there is no passive strategy.

GOD

CONTEXT- Set the stage for a great story. A rare Christlike example who isn’t Christ. A faithful man who trusts God and ministers to others and eventually is used by God in a powerful way.

How do we forgive those who have done evil to us? Joseph!

How do we love our family when they haven’t loved us? Joseph!

How do we trust God when we are falsely blamed? Joseph!

How do we avoid temptation when it attacks us everyday? Joseph!

How do we faithfully live a life that ends us saving the lives of other people! Joseph!

How do we honor God with a life of suffering challenges. Joseph!

Genesis 50:20 “20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

We have a powerful savior who can change this world. But it starts with ACTIVELY pointing people towards him.

Genesis 37:1-4 “1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.”

Why anger: Not a working coat.Signifies royalty or firstborn. He will get a double portion of inheritance.

Why favorites: New lease on life- Rachel’s firstborn, his intended firstborn

Was the easiest child. Passive parents favor the easiest child.

Evil is passively condoned until it is actively expressed.

Genesis 37:5-11 “5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”

Unwise to tell them. Thought it was his dream.

God’s dream for saving the brothers.

Evil is passively condoned until it is actively expressed.

Jacob sees the jealousy and does not act.

Genesis 37:12-18 “12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Evil is passively condoned until it is actively expressed.

Jacob fled Shechem in ch. 34 because his sons killed everyone there and stole all of their flocks and herds to revenge the rape of their sister. This was a dangerous place for these boys to be. Shows their arrogance.

If anything should have made Joseph go and correct his boys, it was hanging out in a place they were 11 of the cities top ten most wanted!

15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

This is what Joseph seeks. To be with his brothers.

18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.

How do we get to this point. Their brother- Whose great sin is being too good!

Father has shown favoritism, no anger at the father.

Evil is passively condoned until it is actively expressed.

Growing mint. Unchecked. Years of bitterness, jealousy, blaming.

Misblame- Years of Blame spouses or kids when we are frustrated.

They grew the mint! They could have behaved better. They could have more favor. They could have pursued God like Joseph. They didn’t. They blamed someone else for their sins; their shortcomings and neither they nor their father sought to correct.

Genesis 37:19-25 “19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.”

Genesis 37:26-30 “26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?””

How did it get here?

- Selling a brother for profit? or men can become women?

Not just one thing.

We have 50 years of breaking down families.

We have 40 years of turning Jesus into a political party.

We have 60 years of watching God given identity breaking down the wonderful differences between men and women.

We have decades of letting our kids not know they are fearfully and wonderfully made and grounding it in scripture.

Genesis 37:31-36 “31 Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

YOU

Evil is passively condoned until it is actively expressed.

How does a family get to the point where they are willing to lie to their father, kill their brother, or better yet, sell him as a half priced slave.

A family culture of deceit and infighting allowed by a passive father, Children allowed to process and figure it out alone, even when opportunities to correct arise. Sin is tolerated.

- 1940’s vs 1990’s

1940 vs 1990

Talking out of turn Drug abuse

Chewing gum Alcohol abuse

Making Noise Pregnancy

Running in the Halls Suicide

Cutting in line Rape

Dress Code Robbery

Littering Assault

What do we do?

Repent.

Who are you in the story? We aren’t Joseph. We have been passive in areas we should have been active.

discipling our kids. Leading our wives. Loving our husbands. Building up our communities. Speaking lovingly into those who are broken. Meeting sinners with the gospel and not anger or frustration. We laugh about our own road rage. We look at our own lives as if God can’t change our own situation.

I’ll always struggle with this. My marriage will always be like this. My kids are who they are. This is just the way the world is.

Jesus said, “you are the light of the world.”

That message is for people who had already responded to his main message:

Repent and believe.

If we will admit we have no answers.

We have no answers for a school shooting or a broken marriage, or a hidden struggle with sin.

We have a savior. We have a savior who can change our hearts. We have a savior who can change our marriage, kids. We have a savior who can change the heart of the next person going to do evil.

The conundrum, he gave us the task of building the kingdom. He gave us a mission that we’ve grown apathetic from.

God uses faithful people to redeem an unfaithful world.

36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.”

Believe!

not perfect. faithful.

God is putting him into the next of many scenarios that will lead to the saving of people. God is in control! God is redeeming even in the darkness!

WE REPENT for the apathy we’ve had towards

What’s our plan to respond to Crisis?

A church that is passionate about the kingdom of God!

Everyday that I don’t actively follow Christ is a day the enemy takes ground

Everyday I sit and look at my phone or watch tv instead of discipling my family, the enemy takes ground.

The darkness can’t be voted out. It can only be loved or serve away.

Not through coercion or politics or force but through serving one another and loving our neighbors. Modeling grace.

It starts with us.

Your passive faith is building a dark world. My passive faith and parenting is contributing. My apathy towards God gives an active enemy a foothold.

Jesus.

Worship : Abide - this isn’t a passive song. If the spirit of God isn’t spurring your heart ?

Where the Spirit leads As I'm following I depend on You