Untitled Sermon (13)

In God’s Time

Genesis: Beginnings

Introduction

Studying through the life of Joseph, we have been learning that God allows difficulties in our lives to strengthen our faith in His Word. As we grow to understand that His Word is true and His promises will come to pass, we can have confidence even through our trials and suffering.

In life, it is there are three factors that must align for a situation to truly be a success:

1. The What

2. The How

3. The When

The What is What we are going to do. It is the right decision to make, the right course of action.

The How is the way we are going to do it. It is the right way, God’s way to go about doing the What.

Finally, the When is the timing. The right timing is imperative or it will all likely implode or explode!

Timing is very important. If you are making a cake, is timing important? If you are a surgeon in the middle of an operation, is timing important? If you are driving a car, is timing important? There are so many areas of our lives in which timing is affected and that are affected by timing.

When it comes to God’s plan, we definitely want His timing.

I think of my own life. When my brother got married in 1994 or 95, I had just turned 20 or 21. My brother and I are only 11 months apart, so naturally, we had always done everything together. So when he got married, and I didn’t have any prospects, I was kind of bummed. I was just beginning to learn that I needed to be content with Jesus. I wasn’t very good at it yet.

My mom came to me and said, “Phillip, I know that you might be feeling a little down and discouraged, but don’t be sad. God is still preparing you both. Who knows, she might still be growing up!”

At that time, McKenzie was a teenager. Timing is so important!!

As Joseph learned, God works things out in His own timing, and His timing - just like His way and His will - is perfect!

Joseph was able to see this clearly as:

God’s Plan Unfolds

Genesis 41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years,

This is two full years after Joseph had interpreted the dreams for the chief butler (cupbearer) and the chief baker that we read about and discussed last week. The chief baker was beheaded and impaled on a pole while the chief butler was restored to his position in the Pharoah’s court - just as God had shown Joseph.

So, after two full years…

that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed;

Kine are cattle

and they fed in a meadow. 3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.

Dreams are quite interesting. Throughout my life, I have had many dreams. Some of them, I remember. Others, I could not remember as soon as I woke up.

I remember one dream that I had many years ago. I was in my early 20’s, and I dreamt that I was with my pastor at the church in Georgia where I grew up. We were walking across a field on the side of the church building that came to a small rise - not quite a hill. As we were walking and talking, the skies began to brighten up and there was a sound from heaven. My pastor looked at me and said, “Well, buddy, this is the day we’ve been waiting for for a long time!” And then I woke up.

Ugh!!! I wanted to keep that dream going!

There was another time when I dreamt that I was traveling. It seems like a James Bond or Jason Bourne type situation. I was going from city to city, through the countryside, traveling by train. The weird thing about this dream was it too ended abruptly, but when I went to bed the next night, my dream picked up where I had left off. Sadly, that dream never finished.

Then there are those dreams where I have been running from some bad guys through the dark city streets, and I turn a corner to go into an alley, and it’s not an alley at all. I have somehow stepped I guess through some kind of portal that sent me flying through the air - or falling to be exact - far above the trees without a parachute or any kind of flying mechanism.

One time, I had these things like giant stilts, but most of the time, it was just falling.

I am thankful that I always seem to wake up before the bad guys get me or before I hit the ground.

I don’t think those dreams really meant anything, other than maybe I had too much pizza or something, but really can you have too much pizza?

There are times, though when God has spoken through dreams. If we believe He is able to do anything, then we have to believe that He is still able to speak through dreams. However, it seems that most of the people who claim to have received a dream or vision from the Lord, the dream is not consistent with biblical principles.

For instance, in 1987, a widely known pastor said that God told him in a dream that his church and viewers of his tv program had to send him $8 million dollars for medical missions above their normal giving to sustain his ministry, and they had to give it within a certain amount of time or God would “call him home.”

This type of coercion is not biblical. God said through Paul in Corinthians that when we give, it should not be grudgingly or out of necessity (like if you don’t God is going to kill someone). God loves a cheerful giver!

I get excited about the opportunity to give to the Lord’s work. And it is easy to be excited when we see God working like He has around here!

Even though some use the fact that God works miraculously as a means to deceive people for their own gain, God is still working. The enemy has counterfeits for everything God is doing.

God has used dreams, and He has said that in the last days, He will use dreams again. There are many testimonies of people in Muslim and Hindu countries having dreams and visions of Jesus preaching the Gospel to them and leading them to faith in Him. I believe God still uses dreams.

If you have a dream or a vision, I would encourage you to just make sure that your dream aligns with Scripture before you go around telling people God sent you a message through a dream.

So Pharaoh had two dreams…

Genesis 41:8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

These were men who were psychics and soothsayers. They practiced all kinds of magic and witchcraft. There were fortune tellers among them, but none of them could interpret the dreams.

Genesis 41:9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker: 11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. 13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

God had Joseph right where he needed to be so that he would meet the butler and then remain there until Pharaoh was ready to hear what God had to say through Joseph.

God also had Joseph there because of the work He was doing in Joseph’s life to prepare him for the position he would soon receive.Remember how we saw last week that God tried Joseph by His Word.

Psalms 105:17-19 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: 18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: 19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.

God was doing a work that He needed to complete in Joseph in order for Joseph to be a useful servant of the Lord. Joseph needed God to continue His work to help Joseph remember Who is the source of his promotion, wisdom, and help, and to teach him to fully rely on God.

Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

Joseph gave God the glory. He pointed this pagan king to the true power behind everything - the one and only omnipotent, omniscient, all-good, and all-loving God.

Genesis 41:17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: 19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: 20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: 23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: 24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me. 25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Sometimes, God lets us go through things without notice. Sometimes, He tells us ahead of time or at least He alerts us that He is doing something.

Sometimes, I have sensed God leading us to spend some extra time in prayer and to later realize the battles that people are going through. There have been times when the Lord led me to focus on a particular topic in our Bible studies only to have a situation arise that is directly related to the Bible study topic. God knows what He is doing.

Genesis 41:33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. 37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

We don’t always know and understand God’s plan.

God is working and in His time He will unfold His plan to show us what He is doing and/or what He wants us to do.

Joseph had waited for many years. Joseph had been through being stripped of his special coat that his father Jacob gave him, he was thrown in a pit by his own brothers, sold into slavery by his own brothers, taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar the captain of the king’s guard. Then he was falsely accused of attempting to assault Potiphar’s wife and he was thrown in prison only to be forgotten. From the time he was given the coat until we find him standing before Pharaoh is somewhere around 10 - 15 years that he waited on God to bring to pass his dreams of one day ruling.

Finally God was unfolding His plan and bringing it to pass. Next, we see

Hope is Fulfilled

Romans 8:22-25 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Bible hope is not like the hope of this world. This world tells us to hope and it is not much more than a strong wish, but when the Bible says, “Hope,” It speaks of believing and anticipating the fulfillment of God’s promises.

Now, Joseph is having his dream come to pass!

Genesis 41:38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. 46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

God keeps His promises

God works in ways we can’t imagine

Stay faithful

Trust Jesus!

What He has promised, He is able also to perform.

Faith is Increased

Genesis 41:47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. 48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

Genesis 41:50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

We all want the promotion or blessings of the good results, but are we willing to go through the process that it takes to achieve it.

How many of us truly realize that reaching the desired goal will add to our responsibilities and the amount of wisdom that we will need to do what we are called to do.

Genesis 41:53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

Conclusion

We can trust God even when things are not happening the way we think they should. We can trust God even when our circumstances seem impossible to overcome. srIf you have trusted Jesus for salvation, you know that you can trust Him to take care of you throughout this life.

We can trust God.

Takeaway: God grows us through our times of testing to help us trust Him

Takeaway: As we trust Him, we position ourselves for God to do more through our lives.

Personalize it: I will trust Jesus through both the good times and bad.