Dreaming in Dysfunction

Introduction:

Do you remember back when you were young and you had your whole life in front of you. As a young kid you would start to dream about what life would be like when you grew up.

You would think about what kind of job you might have, where you would live, who you would marry, how many kids you wanted, and all the things that go along with it.

As you reach your teens people begin to ask you to flesh it out a little bit. What do you want to do with your life. and So you start forming plans and dream a little bit more.

Dream Killers:

Some of you grew up with dream killers.

They would say things like, “You are worthless!”

“You will never amount to anything.”

“You are good for nothing.”

And everyday you have to fight against those words that are ringing so loud in your ears.

And everyday you have to fight against those words that are ringing so loud in your ears.

Dream Dashers:

I have a friend that dreamed of being a professional baseball player. He was pretty good too. He was playing on the right teams with the right coaches, getting the right stats, and positioning himself to see all his dreams come true.

As he was practicing one afternoon he was rounding the bases and tore up his knee taking him out of the game for good. All his dreams were dashed in a moment. Everything he had planned for all the future that he saw in his mind just wiped away.

This set him on a down hill spiral of drugs and alcohol that almost took his life. He blamed God for stealing his dreams and not letting them come to pass. He is still learning to cope with his new reality and find his way.

Dream Stealers:

There are millions of people around the world that don’t know how to dream. They grow up in such poverty that they don’t even bother to dream.

They see no way their dreams would be fulfilled so they just don’t dream at all.

They just live day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

Dream Giving:

Today I want to talk to you about the dream giver. The one that gives you dreams that will never die and never be stolen. God is the only true dream giver.

When God gives you a dream you know it is going to come true.

When God sets your course there is nothing or no one that can keep it from coming to pass.

We are starting a new series this morning called “Living the Dream.”

As we cover the life of Joseph we are going to see how to stay true to the dream God has given, even when the world seams to be against you.

Turn in your Bibles to as we begin the story of Joseph.

Gen 37:1

Genesis 37:1–2 ESV

1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

Jacob is the chosen line of God that one day produce the Savior of the world.

Previously on “Israel.”

Jacob wrested with God, and got jacked in the thigh. But God changed his name to Israel.

Jacob worked seven years to marry Rebecca but got “lazy eyed” Lea instead. He got Rebekka too.

Rebekka was barren, but Lea kept pumping them out.

Rebekka and Lea stated fighting over who could have the most kids and got the servants involved and at 12 kids total.

Rebekka finally had a son named Joseph and Jacob and Rebekka were happy.

Let’s pick up the story in

Genesis 37:3–4 ESV

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

Gen

The Dysfunction of Israel

There was favoritism toward Joseph.

The brothers hated Joseph.

The brothers were rejected by their father.

Joseph was the snitch for his father spying on his brothers.

This sounds like a lot of families I know today.

In the midst of all this dysfunction Joseph receives a dream from the Lord.

Genesis 37:5–7 ESV

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”

:5-

Can you see the reaction of the brother as Joseph comes running up to them.

Genesis 37:8 ESV

8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Genesis 37:8

Here is the principle I want you to grab this morning:

“God’s dreams for you are not determined by your dysfunction.”

Joseph was not exalting himself he was just sharing what God has given him.

Joseph was hated because of envy and strife in the hearts of his brothers.

The wanted what he had.

Genesis 37:9–11 ESV

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Genesis 37:9

“Others don’t have to understand God’s dreams for you, but they do have to accept them.”

Look at the different responses of the Brothers and the Jacob.

The brothers became even more jealous.

Jacob originally rebuked him.

But then he pondered it and kept it.

“When God gives you a dream it is His responsibility to bring it to pass.”

God was doing something bigger than Joseph.

God was using Joseph to save the world.

This dream God gave to Joseph is still coming to pass.

Revelation 12:1–2 ESV

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

Rev 12:

These dreams of Joseph would not only save his family but would eventually bring forth the Savior of the world.

The dreams of Joseph are still used to interpret the Bible.

The women is the nation of Israel and the male child is Jesus.

Revelation 12:

Revelation 12:3–4 ESV

3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.

Revelation 12:

Revelation 12:5–6 ESV

5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Conclusion:

Don’t let your dysfunction steal your dreams from God.

“God’s dreams for you are not determined by your dysfunction.”

Don’t despise others for their dreams from God, because their dreams might end up saving your life.