Father's Day 2023
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Stewarding Your Influence
Stewarding Your Influence
Father’s Day:
both my parents
Showed me who God was
How to be a man of God
How to live a life of integrity
How to work hard
How to get mad at myself while playing Golf
We all have a certain level of influence we walk in:
Mom
Dad
Older sibling
younger sibling
employee
employer
If there’s people around, we can be an influence
If there’s not you can properly influence yourself
The hardest person to lead will always be yourself
Today I want to use probably the second best example besides Jesus on stewardship
Joseph:
Joseph and Samuel are the only two people in the old testament that are without rebuke
This morning I want to talk about some principles that Joseph used to steward his influence properly
1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
From a young age Joseph had favor on his life:
Favor often isn’t fair
He’s given a coat of many colors and stood out amongst his brothers
WHoa Joseph
I can’t hear you my coat is being too loud!
If we have Jesus living on the inside of us we walk in a supernatural favor!
We have influence and a favor because of who God is, not what we’ve done
BUT, it’s up to us to steward the influence properly
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Joseph the Dreamer:
Maybe it wasn’t the best move to share that with everyone
I don’t think he was being arrogant or prideful
He was 17 and probably just excited
We have to be careful who we share our dreams with
People will want you to bury it until it dies inside you
It’s interesting the thing that God gave Joseph he uses him in that avenue for influence
Often times we like to look outside ourselves or look past what God has given to us to use
He’s first asking us to be faithful with what he put inside of us already
What has God put inside you?
Sometimes it’s simply looking first to your vocation
How can I use my job to help people or minister?
Start with what God has given you first
12 Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
To steward our influence correctly:
1. Here I Am Attitude
Are we here I am people
When God asks you to do something is it always a fight
Do you ask WHY? My kids ask why a lot
The sign of immaturity is asking God why when he speaks
I don’t understand it but here I AM Lord
Joseph Goes to meet his brothers and they conspire against Him
They sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.
Even when the situation didn’t look favorable God is setting something up
Potipher, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard and Egyptians
But the Lord was with Joseph
Even in slavery he was successful
2. People should see God in you
Do people see God in you in unfavorable situations
When things are difficult, not going your way
When the dreams you have aren’t quite looking like a reality
Do they see God in you
When they see God in you in the negative, you’ll see God show up for the positive
Is he in the way you talk?
The way you lead your family?
The stances you make
Are you faithful?
Everyone can be happy when everything is good, I want people around me who can smile in the storms
That doesn’t mean you feel it on the inside!
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
It’s possible to lead even when we’re not in charge
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
To steward our influence we must
3. Maintain our integrity
The enemy will try and bring up things to get you sidetracked
If you focus on other people’s finish lines you’ll never finish the one God put in front of you
nothing crushes influence faster than a lack of integrity
and nothing is more destructive to people following you than a moral failure
It’s nearly impossible to regain the influence you once had
Joseph Goes to prison and uses the gifting and influence he has to help others around him
He interprets the baker and the butlers dreams and they come to pass
He tells the butler to remember him but he doesn’t
2 MORE YEARS GOES BY:
We steward, we remain our integrity, then we stay faithful
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”
16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
4. Joseph puts the focus on God
Influence or Leadership in the world always point to a person
Influence of the Kingdom always points to the King
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Lastly:
Joseph (by operating in the gifting God gave him) was able to interpret and plan for a the oncoming Famine that was about to hit the land
5. We empower others
Through stewarding the influence God gave Joseph
He was able to empower and save a whole nation from starving and his family and their families
16 A man’s gift makes room for him,
And brings him before great men.
God will give us positions of influence to guide people he’s put in our lives
How are we stewarding our influence?
Are we using it for our own selfishness or are we saying
Here I am Lord
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”