Path to Prosper Week 3

Recap

We have been in this series about Joseph

We are redefining prosperity: IT’S ABOUT SUCCESS!

Week 1 learning about the fact that Success is often a story of delay (Rachel waits)

Last week we talked about the fact that Success is almost always preceded by submission

I want us to continue our conversation today with a conversation called “Problem Perspective”

Serving someone else’s dream

Genesis 37:1–2 NLT

So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner. This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

Joseph is introduced to us first by bowing in submission..

Our next introduction to this kid shows him watching his fathers flocks.

Joseph’s path to prosperity was laced with submission that in this case is shown by him investing his time and energy into someone else’s wealth.

Jacob’s flock was indicative of Jacob’s wealth.

Joseph was tasked with maintaining and growing the wealth of someone else.

ALL OF THIS PREDATES JOSEPH’S DREAM.

God will never give a dream to anyone who is not willing to serve someone else’s.

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Greatness isn’t always celebrated

Genesis 37:3 NLT

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

As we dive into the content of verse two its important that we have the context of verse three.

Joseph is living in the favor of the father.

He is Jacob’s favorite.

You understand that to be a person who walks in favor means you live a life that seemingly indicates that you are God’s favorite.

Have you ever met the person that the favor of God is EVIDENT on their life!

They are successful in every area

They are divinely attractive to others

Living in favor is a consequence of living in obedience.

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Living in favor doesn’t mean you’re in charge

It’s important that we have the context of verse three because we see Joseph carrying favor but not being in charge.

Just because you have favor on your life doesn’t mean that you get to bypass order.

He was walking in favor but still had to report to the brothers his father had placed in authority over Him.

God is a God of order…He will never allow gifting to grant you permission to bypass order.

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We see this later in the Old Testament with David.

David was incredibly gifted

David was anointed to be the king of Israel

It didn’t matter how gifted David was…it would have been out of order for him to take the life of Saul.

David was anointed to be king

Saul was sitting in a seat that was destined to be his.

BUT DAVID WAS CALLED TO SERVE THE ONE WHOSE SEAT HE WAS ANOINTED FOR!

Don’t let your favor effect your faithfulness.

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We should be frustrated by the lack of excellence

Joseph is the fathers favorite but is serving under the leadership of the sons of servants.

This would be a frustrating season for many of us...

But what frustrates Joseph is not his serving season...

He is frustrated by the “bad things” his brothers were doing while watching Jacob’s sheep.

This is not speaking to the lying, cheating, or stealing they are doing.

They are not executing drug deals while they’re on the clock.

Bad = Ra = badly made, of small worth, poor

He simply was reporting the fact that they weren’t treating the investment of their father with the level of excellence that it deserved.

He was appauled at the concept of the chosen family of God not treating what he had given them with excellence.

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The church should be the picture of excellence.

If we really believe that everything we have is a gift from God…then why don’t we treat it as such?

The Christian should be the ideal prototypical worker.

Christian homes should be in great shape

Our vehicles should be clean

We should look presentable

Joseph was enraged at the fact that his brothers were in charge of such a significant investment but were not operating in excellence.

TR: BUT I WANT US TO NOTICE WHERE HE TOOK HIS PROBLEM WITH THEM

___________ Where are you taking your problems?

Joseph didn’t go to the neighboring shepherds with complaints about the way that his brothers were running their field.

He doesn’t find a friend at the same level as him to share his frustrations with.

Don’t waste your words

The reason he doesn’t go to his peers or other shepherds is because words that don’t work are a waste.

Matthew 12:36–37 NLT

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

What if our metric for what we speak went from being what was true…to what was productive?

Joesph doesn’t go to his peers with his complaints...He goes to His father.

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Go to the one who can do something about it

FOR ONE REASON…HIS FATHER COULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

I don’t have to run you down to everyone around me…If I have a problem with you…I can take it to God.

The Holy Spirit is much better at convincing people of their wrong than I am.

You can find a comparable fault in me…but you can’t find one in the Holy Spirit.

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Joseph used his problems

Even from the beginning of Joseph story we are given access to the perspective he takes when it comes to problems.

Joseph was facing a problem of his brothers doing a poor job of tending the flocks of his father.

Their poor work was reflecting on his ability.

Joseph could have reflected the poor work ethic of his brothers based on the fact that he wasn’t the boss…

but this would have been letting his problem be a prescription

Instead of letting his problems prescribe his response…He let his problems refine him for his purpose.

______________ Over the first couple of weeks of this series we have talked about pursuing success and seeking to become valuable…but today I want to help shift your perspective when it comes to your problems.

HOW DO WE APPROACH OUR PROBLEMS?

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How is your accounting?

James 1:2–4 NLT

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

The first thing this scripture lets us know is that when our problems show up…we all have come book keeping to do.

In accounting…there are two primary columns of merit.

Assets

Liabilities

An asset adds to my worth.

A liability takes away from my worth.

When James is speaking about the moment that problems show up in the lives of believers he tells them their first job is to “count it.”

When your problem makes you a jerk

When your problem makes you worry

When your problem makes you doubt

When you try to avoid your problem

…that’s an accounting error.

James tells us to count our problems as an opportunity for joy because of this one reason.

Problems are meant to be productive!

The production of our problems should be change.

I want to submit to you quickly today that there are three things our problems are meant to produce change in.

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1. Our Problems Produce A Change in Our Dependence.

Often when I go through a hard season…it brings me to the realization that I cannot rectify the situation on my own.

God loves us too much to let us go through life thinking that we are able to make a way for ourselves.

I’ve told you about my experience in Metropolis where God told me this is the best it will be.

These are the seasons in which we pray for God to remove the storm and he does…because the purpose of the storm was to remind us that He is still in control.

But not every problem is meant to change my dependence...

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What if my dependence is in the right place?

Sometimes I am dependent on God and bad things still happen…the storm still comes.

I’m going to church

I’m paying my tithes

I’m serving on a team

I’m reading my bible

But problems still show up.

Because sometimes problems are meant to produce a change in our dependence…but other times problems are meant to produce a change in our direction.

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2. Our Problems Produce a Change in Our Direction

Opportunity =

Ob = In the direction

Portus = The harbor

The origin of the word opportunity is when the wind would shift in the direction of the harbor

It was an opportune time to be sailing when the wind was driving you towards your intended destination.

Opposition =

Opponere = set against

If a sailor was sailing into opposition it would mean that they were sailing in a direction that the wind was set against.

The only variable that separates opportunity from opposition is the direction I am going.

Why should I count it joy when problems show up?

Because God in his grace might be allowing the wind of the storm to set against me so that I know I’m heading in the wrong direction.

_____________ My problem changed my direction

I tried to quit ministry when we were pastoring the church in Illinois

I did interview after interview

I never felt a peace about it.

Then I got an interview at New Life in Canton.

GEORGIA WASN’T ON MY MIND...

But everything our life is now was only discovered because of the problem that I faced in Illinois.

When God doesn’t get us out of the problem…it’s because he want us to get something out of the problem.

so our prayer shouldn’t be I need you to get me out of this..but rather I need you to help me get out of this what I need.

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3. Our Problems Produce a Change in Determination

James 1:3–4 NLT

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

The primary purpose of our problems according to James is to develop endurance.

You don’t need endurance to do easy things.

Endurance is only necessary for those who do difficult task.

Being exceptional is only accessible to those with endurance.

When you survive a season of problems…you teach yourself that it can be done.

You’re not ready to give up nearly as early in the next season of problems.

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Conditioning developed endurance

Basketball season started with conditioning…every day the laps got easier.

Wind sprints got easier

And at the end of the day we won a championship because when the fourth quarter came we were ready...

BECAUSE THE PROBLEM OF OUR CONDITIONING CREATED IN US ENDURANCE.

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Wealth requires problems

We went over this verse as a family the other night

I asked them what would you call a person who is living the reality of the end of this passage.

“perfect, complete, needing nothing.”

Perfect = Mature

Complete = Whole

Needing Nothing = the absense of lack

This is a mature and holistically wealthy person.

James tells us that the pathway to maturity, wholeness, and wealth…is going through troubles.

So next time you have a problem arrive…make sure you do your accounting right.

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Joseph didn’t let working for someone he disagreed with cause him to shut down…he used it as a tool to get even closer to His Father.

Joseph shows us this truth…

Our problems can serve as propulsions into our purpose.