Camp Sermon

Preached at Dreamers Youth camp.

Hearts will be HEALED, and people will experience FREEDOM in their mental health and physical health today!

Have your way Lord!

Props to be ready:

2 x shredders plugged in (extension cords + tables)

Beef and tongs

Receipts and tape

Bricks labeled

Intro

How’s everyone’s dorms smelling?

Smell of the Barker boys dorm…

No amount of Lynx Africa could save that dorm.

I heard after camp they’re burning that room.

I want to talk about beef today.

Not wagyu beef or grass-fed beef, but the kind of beef where someone wrongs you.

My personal beef:

At youth camp, my yth leader farted on me while I was tryna sleep (sounded like an earthquake, but it was the smell that woke everyone up).

My girlfriend breaking up with me and dating my good friend the next day

Chloe friend-zoning me

I have many more stories of people who’ve done me wrong…

I even had a full mental grudge list written out — with names highlighted, bullet points and titled “people who will not be attending my wedding.”

I almost had my own villain origin story.

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Interestingly, some of the juiciest beef is found in the Bible.

IDK if you’ve ever been to a friend’s house and their family starts beefing in front you…

it’s awkward, but at the same time you wanna get your phone out and start recording it.

Well the Bible literally records one of those moments.

It tells us about this teenager called Joseph who was the youngest of 10 brothers.

Their dad’s name was Jacob.

So let’s take a look at this beef in Genesis 37:3-5, 7-8 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. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever…

8 His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.”

That’s some serious beef!

But (unpopular opinion) I kinda get it…

Joseph was dad’s favourite. Dad loved him the most because he was the youngest.

It’s ALWAYS the youngest siblings who gets the most attention from mum and dad…

For his birthday, Joseph would get the newest iPhone, a pair of Jordans, and a gucci jacket (Joseph was basically Coby Fischer).

While his brothers got a pair of socks and a pack of Lynx Africa.

As an older sibling, you could find the cure for a disease and your parents are like “meh”, but your youngest siblings gets a C+ in school and your parents roll out the red carpet, put a crown on their head and sing kumbaya.

The beef continues, as one day the brothers were outside doing some work and Joseph goes to join them.

Genesis 37:19-20 NLT,

“Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

They then rip off Joseph’s gucci robe and push him into a PIT…

btw PIT stands for “preachers in training.”

So if you’re going through a hard time it just means you’ll be a preacher one day!

And then they decide to sell him as a slave for 20 pieces of silver…

These brothers didn’t just have beef with Joseph — they opened a whole butcher shop!

You know it’s bad when your siblings see you coming and start plotting your disappearance like it’s a group project.

The thing is, it’s easy to look at Joseph’s brothers and judge them for how they treated him.

But if we’re honest, there are times we’re like those brothers.

They hurt someone they should've loved, because they were hurting from someone who should’ve loved them.

When someone hurts us, betrays us, or lets us down, it’s easy to start keeping records.

We start stacking up mental receipts, and on it has the person who wronged us, the things they did to us, the time and place it happened — (pin receipts to my heart):

“They did this to me. They said that. They never apologised. They left me out.”

The receipts start stacking up and start off light, but eventually they turn into heavy bricks that weigh us down.

Pick up labelled bricks ‘Bitterness,’ ‘Resentment,’ ‘Anger, ‘Unforgiveness’ and put them in a bag.

Walk around with the bag on my back.

Speak about how we carry that heaviness into our school, workplace, friendship groups, home, etc.

We clothe ourselves with things we’re unable to carry.

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬,

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Now Joseph’s brothers had every right to feel the way they felt.

They had every right to feel angry, hurt, and wronged.

Maybe you relate to the brothers, because of how you’ve been treated by others or even your own family.

But life isn’t about what we feel, rather it’s about what we do with those feelings.

There’s a difference between Joseph and his brothers…

The difference is how they responded to being wronged.

John 16:33 NIV, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The life of Joseph shows us how to respond when we’ve been wronged by others.

In fact, his story is a blueprint for how to deal with hurt, disappointment, loneliness, betrayal, and injustice.

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After his brothers throw him into a pit,

he’s sold as a slave to Egypt,

and he eventually ends up in prison for something he didn’t do

And that’s his journey for 13 long years!

Joseph eventually gets out of prison and promoted to the second most powerful person in all of the country.

But it takes another 9 years before he sees his brothers again - 21 years in total.

You see there was a great famine (no food) that occurred in the world.

So Joseph’s brothers needed food and could only get it in Egypt.

As they were lining up Joseph notices them, but they don’t recognise Joseph.

They asked Joseph for food because they were starving.

Eventually Joseph confronts them:

Genesis 45:3 NLT, “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realise that Joseph was standing there in front of them.

Imagine how satisfying that would’ve been seeing the brother’s faces.

Joseph’s reveal is almost as great as Darth Vader revealing to Luke Skywalker that he’s Luke’s dad. “I am your father.”

And in that moment, Joseph had an opportunity to put the beef back on the table and get his revenge.

He had an opportunity to get all the receipts out and lay it on the table.

He could’ve yelled at them, hurt them, sent them to prison, or even had them killed.

But we see he chooses to do something else…

He tells them to forgive themselves and that God had used his journey for a greater purpose (Gen. 45).

So he gets his family including his dad to move to Egypt to take care of them.

But after their dad passes away, the brothers then fear again that Joseph will get revenge on them. They then beg him for forgiveness.

Genesis 50:17-21 tells us, “When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. 18 Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.

19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.”

Joseph had the power to do anything he wanted to his brothers…

Yet he chose the most powerful thing in that moment: forgiveness.

He forgave them and treated them kindly.

Only a person walking in FREEDOM can do that!

Beef & Tongs Prop

If you carry beef around for too long it begins to smell.

And unforgiveness smells — it pushes people away and poisons your spirit.

Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭15‬b ‭NLT‬‬,

“Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”

The smell of the beef Joseph’s brothers carried got onto their own brother and had LIFE ALTERING consequences.

On Joseph AND on them.

If you’re not careful, the beef you carry will do the same.

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Forgiving Others

SHORT STORY OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT (Matthew 18)

There was a servant who owed the king millions of dollars. No way he could ever pay it back. He begged for mercy, and the king forgave the entire debt. Wiped it clean. No receipts. No beef.

But then that same servant went out and found a guy who owed him just a few bucks. Instead of showing the same mercy, he choked the guy and threw him in jail.

Then the king heard about it, he was furious and had the first servant punished by sending him to prison.

Jesus ends by saying: “This is what will happen if you don’t forgive others from your heart.”

You see, the unforgiving servant gave the enemy a foothold. That foothold became a stronghold. And that stronghold became a prison.

When we live in unforgiveness, it’s like living in prison.

We’re stuck in an emotional prison — where it causes depression, anxiety, negative thoughts, and even affects our physical health.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free… and discover that the prisoner was you.”

Forgiveness isn’t saying what happened is okay — it’s releasing yourself from bondage.

It’s about recognising the forgiveness we’ve received from the Father through what Jesus did on the cross — and allowing God access to heal our hearts through forgiving others and ourselves.

Even Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of those who killed Him, while He was dying: Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

We wouldn’t have salvation of our sins and eternal life if it weren’t for forgiveness.

We can’t have freedom in life, if we don’t have forgiveness (for ourselves and for others).

I believe that God is setting people free today from the things people have done to you.

Things from your childhood.

Things that happened in your family.

Things said or done to you at school.

Deep hurt within your heart.

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Forgiving Myself

Maybe you’re here and you can’t forgive yourself because you say:

I keep stuffing up.

“I always ruin things.”

“I looked at that again.”

“I’m not good enough.”

“God could never love me.”

Don’t believe the lie of the enemy.

If the God of the universe sent His Son to die for you to forgive your sins, then it means…

You’re not too far gone.

You’re not your failure.

You’re not the worst thing you've done.

Your past doesn’t define you.

It’s time to stop carrying what Jesus already nailed to the cross!

Where you feel like you’ve let others down, yourself down, or even God down — the King of the universe says: “I see you — every fault, every failure — and I still love you with an everlasting love.”

The GREATEST LOVE in life is to be fully known, yet fully loved!

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬,

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Jesus fully knows everything about your life.

Yet he stands at the door of your heart knocking for you to let Him in.

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My personal journey of forgiving my dad.

(5 mins)

I really resonate with both Joseph and his brothers.

I had a choice, will I live like Joseph’s brothers or will I live like Joseph?

Practical steps of how I overcame bitterness and hurt towards my dad:

I had to choose to forgive and speak out that I am forgiving my dad.

I had to keep choosing forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it’s a choice (repeated).

God doesn’t author our pain, but he permits it.

The enemy is the one who authors the pain…

One of the ways he inflicts pain is through our unforgiveness.

But what the enemy intended to harm me with, God intended it all for good!

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Response Time

Ephesians 3:17-18 NLT, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”

Jesus can’t make His home in my heart if He doesn’t have access to every room.

I won’t be able to understand or experience the fullness of how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love is if I don’t allow Him to heal my heart.

It starts by trusting Him!

Prayer and Ministry Time

Get a paper shredder ready.

Young people to write down names of those that have wronged them or things they’re holding onto that have hurt their heart. HOLD ONTO IT.

Walk up to shredder and shred the paper.

Go down to front and worship God.

Lead prayer time, where leaders pray with young people for healing.

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Additional Scriptures

Ezekiel 36:26 NLT, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

I believe God is doing open heart surgery on us today.

He’s cleaning the shrapnel and dirt off our hearts — the very things that are keeping us from walking in freedom.

When a cleaner has access into a messy room, they work in that room and clean it so thoroughly that it looks like a new room.

Psalm 51:10 ESV,

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

God’s cleaning all the mess, hurt, pain, disappointment, bitterness, and unforgiveness to give you FREEDOM!

Psalm 42:7 NIV

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”

Let the depths of your heart cry out to the depths of God.

He wants to wash over your heart and refresh your soul, bringing healing.

While Joseph’s brothers were in a famine for food, Joseph was in a famine for love.

This generation has a starving for love.

It comes from things done or said to you where it’s starving your heart and the only thing filling it is hurt and disappointment.

God wants to fill your starving heart with His love that surpasses knowledge.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant - Matthew 18:21-35

Peter comes to Jesus and asks:

“Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” (v. 21)

Peter probably thought that was generous. But Jesus shocks him:

“Not seven times, but seventy times seven.” (v. 22) That’s Jesus’ way of saying — don’t count forgiveness… just keep doing it.

Then Jesus tells a story:

There was a servant who owed the king millions of dollars. No way he could ever pay it back. He begged for mercy, and the king forgave the entire debt. Wiped it clean. No receipts. No beef.

But then that same servant went out and found a guy who owed him just a few bucks. Instead of showing the same mercy, he choked the guy and threw him in jail.

Matthew 18:32-35 NLT, “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

The king in this story represents God, who forgave our debt which we could NEVER repay.

The unforgiving servant represents us, when we’ve held onto unforgiveness or bitterness towards someone else.

It’s been said: Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.