GENESIS 37:5 | DON’T LOSE YOUR VISION

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TEXT: GENESIS 37:5 | DON’T LOSE YOUR VISION
TEXT: GENESIS 37:5 | DON’T LOSE YOUR VISION
ME
ME
INTRODUCTION: HOW DO I STRUGGLE WITH THIS?
INTRODUCTION: HOW DO I STRUGGLE WITH THIS?
Every year as a teenager, before the start of football and basketball season, a trip to the doctor was required.
I would walk in and they would grab the height and weight measurements for which you would stretch out.
Back then I was always trying to appear to way a little more than I actually did… My how things have changed.
And then we would do my favorite part of the appointment as I would stand behind a line in the hallway and look at a little chart on the wall.
I would pride myself in the fact that I could read the lowest line on the chart.
And I would always smirk at my mom as the doctor would say, “You have perfect vision”
My brother on the other hand used to squint to read things.
Finally my parents took him to the doctor and he had his eyes checked and it was prescribed that he needed glasses.
I remember him talking of how he was blown away all the things he could see once he got had his glasses on.
I had no idea just how much vision he had lost until he was able to see clearly!
WE
WE
EXPLANATION: HOW DO WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH THIS?
EXPLANATION: HOW DO WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH THIS?
When you first come to Christ or maybe get really plugged into a new church, there is an excitement that surrounds that.
Your excited about all the potential of what God can do!
ILLUSTRATION: I remember when I first got out of Bible college and came here to Whitehall, MT to serve as a youth pastor, I had some big dreams!
ILLUSTRATION: I remember when I first got out of Bible college and came here to Whitehall, MT to serve as a youth pastor, I had some big dreams!
I had grown up in a church that had run around 750 people.
I went to college and the church I had been to during those years had a membership of over 5000
And then I found myself in Whitehall, MT.
When we first came, the regular attendance of the church hovered somewhere in the 40-50 range.
I had a crazy dream that one day this church in this corner of Montana could have 100 people attending on a regular basis.
I imagined people getting saved and baptized in the baptistry!
I dreamed that the little youth group we had been intrusted could grow and we could see 20 kids coming every week.
There was so much excitement around all that God could do!
But things never move as fast as you think they will or grow as quickly as you think they should.
And after a number of years, it became a forgotten dream that seemed little more than a wish.
The vision was reignited 8 years later when God opened the door for me to become the pastor of WBC!
In fact we came into my first new year of pastoring with a renewed vision of all that God was going to do and how he was going to work that year.
Our theme for that year even stated that goal with the theme being “2020 Vision”!
But then 2020 happened.
And a year that began with so much hope, quickly went down a path of fear and discouragement.
By the time we reached the other side, many who used to come to church stopped attending completely.
I’m thankful that there were a number that did come back and some who are even faithful to the church here today.
But as the year went on and we got on the other side of the lockdown, we began to see God bless with new faces.
Once again we turned the page into a new year with high hopes and big dreams!
It was on a random Sunday in 2021 that three core families of the church came to tell me they would be moving away.
I smiled and tried to stay positive about it, but that was a blow to my heart.
It’s hard to see people go anytime, and sometimes God does lead people away, but 3 in one week… that was overwhelming.
Questions began to set in, as I began to wonder, “Can God really do something in this place for His glory.”
APPLICATION: Because sometimes when we go through difficult times… it can be easy to lose our vision for Him!
APPLICATION: Because sometimes when we go through difficult times… it can be easy to lose our vision for Him!
GOD
GOD
EXPLANATION: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THIS?
EXPLANATION: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THIS?
Joseph was just a young man in a dysfunctional family.
His dad, Jacob, had 12 sons and a daughter from 4 different women.
10 of his brothers hated him because he was his dad’s favorite.
It wasn’t just some joke that he was the favorite… His dad made it clear he was by giving him a special coat.
One night, the Bible tells us that Joseph dreamed a dream
His dream was that all of his brothers and his parents would one day bow before him.
When his brothers heard the dream the bible says that they “hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.”
Some days later, Joseph dreams another dream and once again his family is bowing down before him.
This time his dad questions the dream and rebukes him.
But regardless of his family’s response, Joseph had been given a vision from the Lord!
But then the day came that Joseph was told by his father to go and find his brothers and see what they were up to.
When they saw him coming they began to plan what they could do with him.
They are getting ready to kill him and Reuben speaks up and says don’t kill him, lets just throw him in a put until we know what to do with him.
Joseph, just a little over 17 years old, is at the bottom of the pit listening to his brothers talk about what they are going to do with him.
I can’t help but wonder, as Joseph was in the bottom of that pit hearing his own brothers plan his demise, if he didn’t think, “What about the dream?”
All of the sudden they look up and there is a group of Ishmeelites passing by headed to Egypt.
One of the brothers says, “Why kill him when we can make some money off of him.”
So they sell their brother into slavery for 20 pieces of silver and off Joseph goes.
To a land he’s never been, to a people that don’t look like him, a place that doesn’t speak his language, all alone.
When Joseph reaches Egypt on the back of that cart they unload him like they would cattle at a sale.
People probably came and looked him over, checked his teeth, made comments about how skinny he was.
Then one guy comes by and sees him named Potiphar.
After negotiating back and forth on the price, they settle and Joseph is sold into slavery.
Joseph starts out at the bottom of the ladder, but as Potiphar sees that Joseph is successful in all that he does, Potiphar gives him more responsibility.
Until finally Joseph is in charge of all that is going on in the house.
But Potiphar isn’t the only eye he has caught.
Potiphar’s wife notices Joseph, but not for his success… she has sensual desires toward him.
She begins to come to him day after day and ask Joseph to lie with her.
And day after day, Joseph refuses her advances.
He tells her in Genesis 39:8-9
But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
Joseph could have enjoyed the pleasures of sin, but he desired more to honor God with his life.
One day, Joseph is in the house alone, when Mrs. Potiphar comes in.
Once again she asks him to lie with her, but this time when he denies her, she reaches out and grabs him by his coat.
Joseph immediately sprints out of the situation and out of the house.
But that wicked woman begins to scream and when the men come back to the house she weaves a lie of how Joseph tried to come onto her.
When Potiphar comes home and hears the story, I don’t think he believed her.
He could have had Joseph put to death.
But he didn’t want to be sleeping on the couch either when he told her he didn’t believe her, so he sent Joseph to prison.
I can’t help but wonder as Joseph was down in the bottom of that prison for a crime he didn’t commit if the thought didn’t cross his mind, “Lord, what about that dream.”
Joseph is down in the prison, and before too long the keeper of the prison realizes Joseph isn’t like the other prisoners.
He isn’t trying to escape or kill the guards, so he begins to give Joseph responsibilities in the prison.
So much so, that he didn’t even pay attention to Joseph anymore… the guard just knew he could trust Joseph.
We don’t know how long he is down there before one day two of Pharaoh’s servants are put in the prison, the butler and the baker, and Joseph is giving charge to take care of them.
After some time they both come to Joseph with problem… both had dreams they couldn’t understand the interpretation of and they ask for Joseph’s help.
I’m sure Joseph’s first response was, “I don’t want anything to do with interpreting dreams! I know where that got me last time.”
But finally Joseph tells them, “it isn’t me that interprets dreams, that belongs to God… but let me know and I’ll ask Him about them.”
When Joseph comes to them with the answer to their dreams, the butler is happy but the baker wishes he’d never asked.
“Both of you will be out of here in 3 days… butler you are going back to Pharaoh’s house, baker you’re getting hung on the gallows.”
And Joseph tells the butler, “when you get out, don’t forget about me.”
Sure enough, 3 days later it all comes to pass… and when the butler get’s out… he forgets all about Joseph.
And Joseph is left in the pit of that prison for two more years!
And I can’t help but wonder, after being forgotten about and left in a place he never should have been if Joseph didn’t think, “Lord, what about the dream.”
Two more years pass by, and one day Pharaoh has a dream and none of his people can tell him the interpretation of the dream and now he is troubled.
That’s when the butler speaks up and remembers a guy that he met in prison.
Now he doesn’t remember his name, but he would be easy to find, because he don’t look like the other prisoners.
He has a different accent.
So Pharaoh calls for Joseph.
Now, when Joseph is being pulled hastily out of the prison, do you think he was thinking, “finally I’m getting out of here?”
No, I’m sure he thought this was the end!
But then he is standing before the most powerful man in all the world.
If Joseph doesn’t interpret this dream, he will be killed.
When Pharaoh asks Joseph if he can interpret his dream, I love Joseph’s response in Genesis 41:16
And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
This is his big chance for promotion.
This is his opportunity to get out of where he’s at.
This is his chance to impress the most powerful man in the world
And he says, there’s nothing special about me… it’s all about my God!
Pharaoh tells him his dream and Joseph, through the power of God interprets the dream.
There will be 7 years of blessing followed by 7 years of plenty.
Pharaoh is so pleased, that in a matter of moments, everything in Joseph’s life changes!
New Clothes, Rings, Shoes, a wife
And he is given a new position… promoted from keeper in the prison, to second in command of all of Egypt.
You talk about a promotion.
And now Joseph is in a place of blessing and feasting instead of famine… but I can’t help but wonder, if in the back of his mind, he still didn’t thinking, “Lord, what about that dream?”
The first 7 years pass by and Joseph in his wisdom from God stores away part of the blessings that are produced.
And then the famine hits… and everyone in the world is making their way to Egypt for provisions.
One day Jacob looks out and sees they are out of food, so he tells his sons to make their way to Egypt because he heard there was food to buy there.
Joseph is dividing the food as people are coming for supplies when off in the distance he sees 10 guys walking toward him.
He can tell by their clothes that these are Israelites from Canaan.
At first he dismisses the thoughts that cross his mind but as they get closer there is no mistaken it… these are his brothers.
He knows them but they don’t recognize him!
You see its been close to 20 years since Joseph was sold by his brothers.
Joseph was 17 years old and now he’s pushing 40.
For nearly 20 years Joseph has been a slave, a servant, a prisoner, and now the 2nd most powerful man in the world.
After all this time, the Bible says some of the most beautiful words in all of the life of Joseph,
And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
YOU
YOU
APPLICATION: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT THIS?
APPLICATION: WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT THIS?
Friend, can I be honest with you this morning… sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of our vision.
And you can get to a place where you don’t even realize just how much vision for God you have lost.
Even as a pastor, I can fall into that trap of dreaming too small of dreams for God.
Life happens… things come up… it takes longer than we thought it would and it isn’t the way we thought it would go.
Friend, it could be that there are some of you here this morning, and you are losing your vision.
There was a time when you believed you could have a happy, God honoring marriage… but the devil and circumstances of life have led you into a pit and caused you to lose your vision.
There was a time when you believed you could have a family and kids that loved God and lived for Him… but now you find yourself in the prison of a family that is disjointed with no unity and it’s caused you to lose your vision.
There was a time when you believed God could answer your prayers and show Himself real… but now you just feel forgotten and it feels like it is further away than ever… and you’ve lost your vision.
ILLUSTRATION: It was Helen Keller, who was born deaf and blind, that said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
ILLUSTRATION: It was Helen Keller, who was born deaf and blind, that said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
APPLICATION: Friend, have you lost your vision this morning?
APPLICATION: Friend, have you lost your vision this morning?
Do you have faith that the God that parted the Red Sea
The God that reigned down 10 plagues on Egypt to set His people free
The God that brought fire down on Mount Carmel at the prayer request of Elijah
The God that walked Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego through the fire
The God that delivered Daniel from the lions den.
The God that fed 5000 men besides women and children with 5 loaves and two fish
The God that healed the lame, the deaf, and the blind
The God that let Peter walk on water
The God that died on the cross and 3 days later raised from the dead
The God that gave Joseph a dream and 20 years later brought it to pass
Do you have faith that same God can work in your marriage?
Can work in your family?
Can work in your job?
Can work in your life?
It may not be in the time line you planned for or the way you thought… but that same God can still work in the lives of those who have a vision for Him!
Ephesians 3:20 still says:
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
This is the Lord’s doing; It is marvellous in our eyes.
So heed the warning of Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
WE
WE
APPLICATION: HOW CAN WE ALL PRACTICALLY APPLY THIS?
APPLICATION: HOW CAN WE ALL PRACTICALLY APPLY THIS?
Church, welcome to the year 2025… we are almost 2 weeks in!
And this morning, can I challenge you to dream big dreams for God!
Have a big vision for Him this morning!
We serve a God that can do big miracles!
And I believe, with all of my heart, that here at WBC, we are right in the middle of a miracle He has just begun.
There’s a lot of things that are going to happen this year, and as we finish this morning, we are going to talk about a few of them.
There will be some things you are going to be excited about right off the back.
Events and Activities
There are going to be some things that may make you feel uncomfortable about in the beginning.
Some music, some instruments, some building changes
There may even be some things we try to do this year that will leave us all scratching our head and we may never try again.
Who knows just what thing that will be.
But can I ask you to join me this year in seeking to grow closer to God than we’ve ever been… and expanding our impact for Christ in greater ways than we ever have before!
Church… don’t lose your vision in 2025!
Let’s dream some big dreams for God and watch Him do miracles here in our little corner of Montana!
And when we reach the end of 2025, we will be able to “Lord I remember the dreams!”
Key Events
Key Events
January 31-February 1
Marriage Retreat in Helena with Cary Schmidt
April 4
Outdoorsman Night with Chad and Marsha Schearer
April 20
Resurrection Sunday
April 26-27
Mental Wellness Weekend with Pastor Jonathon Blankenship from Laurel BC in Charlotte, NC
May 16-18
Missions Emphasis Weekend with Pastor Raleigh Hill from Blanchard, ID
Followed by Faith Promise Sunday May 25th
June 1
26th Anniversary of WBC and my 6th Anniversary as pastor
June 21-22
Financial Health Weekend with Nate Skelly
He is a Christian Financial Advisor and owner of Financial Pathway from Tampa, FL
July 27
Cowboy Church
October 19
Community Sunday