Joseph Series for 2007
Joseph, The Dreamer
Sunday 8/19/07 a.m.
Text: Genesis 37:1—11
Begin w/ Proverbs 29:18
A person with Vision knows where they are going, and where God wants them to go. It is not a dream. It is real; it is what God has assured you what you are destined for.
Those without a Vision, wander aimlessly about trusting in their flesh instead of God.
A man with vision knows where God wants him to go, and where to lead others.
These conclusions lead me to ask you 2 important questions:
1. What Do You See?
All of Us Have a Vision, 37:5,9.
All, of us are going somewhere with our lives, even if that place is nowhere!
2. What do you see God doing with your life?
I. Reasons we cannot see:
A. Guilt over past sins and failures;
B. Unbelief that God wants to use us;
C. Lack of commitment, and God knows your level of such, that is why He will not bless your inconsistent unfaithfullness;
D. Blinded by sin;
E. Blinded by Satan;
F. Believing that I will have to live up to others expectations;
G. Setting my goals too high.
II. Is it From God?
Do Not Take Credit for God’s Vision for You, 37:6, 9.
A. Listen to MY dream;
B. This is a dream that I have had.
C. Pride can easily step in here.
III. Do Others See it With You?
· Most Will Misunderstand you, 37:5, 8, 10.
· A Few Will Believe, 37:11
· The hardest part about sharing the vision is convincing people of your credibility.
IV. Do Not Allow Others to Blindfold You!
A. Don’t Run From the Dream, it is God’s Will, 37:8, 10.
A. The fact that the dream is doubled, is assurance of God’s desire to fulfill it.
B. The first dream is fulfilled on earth, the 2nd in heaven.
B. So By All Means, Seek the Dream!
C. Psalm 37:4-5, I will give you the desires of your heart.
D. Think BIG! We should want to do big things for a big GOD!
1. Envision great things for God alone to do in you and through you!
2. Entrust those to Him,
3. Ask Him to confirm it or adjust it,
But above all, Visualize what a great God could do with your surrendered life!
Now Jacob Had A Few Sons…….
Sunday a.m. 8/26 & 9/9/07
Text: Genesis 35:21-22 & 37:1-11
Jacob had a few problems in raising his kids;
35:21-22 His oldest son committed incest and Jacob refuses to deal with it.
37:2 Allowed Joseph to lie about his brothers.
37:4, 5, 8, 11, Knew of his sons jealousy and hatred towards Joseph.
Raising children allows parents to experience what God sees in us.
I. Stop Dreaming!
You are not the Perfect Saint; So, Realize That Your Kids Are Not Angels.
A. Disobedience is part of the sin nature.
B. Your kids will lie to you, and can lie to you.
C. Your kids will eventually disappoint you.
D. But do not give up on them.
E. Consistency in parenting is the key to being successful.
II. Deal With Sin!
God Does Not Wink at Sin.
A. In Your Own Life;
· Allow your kids to hear you say “I am sorry, I was wrong.”
· When was the last time you prayed with your children,
· and they heard you tell God you are not perfect?
· Teach your children to pray for you to be a good parent.
B. And in the Life of Your Children
1. Be firm.
2. Be consistent.
3. Be reasonable.
4. Be Biblical. Leave the gray areas alone!
5. Be their parent, not their friend! Friendship will naturally develop out of respect.
6. Be understanding, listen to them.
7. Be involved, the mall is not a babysitter! (sacrifice your kids to Moloch)
III. Discipline and Punishment Are Biblical!
God Deals With Us When We Sin.
IV. Sin must be associated with wrong actions;
To commit sin is unacceptable behavior;
V. Sin always results in pain, sacrifice, and suffering as a consequence.
VI. When we consistently deal with sin, we gain respect, and teach obedience.
VII. Do Love, Not Say Love; (Live and Teach Biblical Love)
A. God is Not a Respecter of People. He has no favorites.
B. Mistakes will be made, what did you learn from them.
C. Can you love the sinner, and still hate their sin?
D. Tough love is OK.
E. Love seeks the truth.
Life of Joseph Series
6 Results of the “Lord is With You”
Sunday 9/16/07 a.m.
Text: Gen. 37:36, 39:1-6
Why is it such a burden for me to preach the importance of living a godly life in this world today? After this sermon you will see why!
Key Verse: 39:2
YHWH is used continually in these verses.
I. People Around You
Others Will Notice You Are Different, 39:3
The use of YHWH, God of the covenant, people not only watch you, they see our God.
This only works when we others see how we have given our lives to God.
The opposite is true as well; where there is no dedication, there is no recognition.
II. People Over You
Blessing of Authority’s Over You, 39:2-3
Potiphar was not a pushover!
First he was an officer who directly answered to Pharaoh.
As a captain of the guard, he was Pharaoh’s bodyguard, and he was ruthless,
His house was connected to Pharaoh’s.
Alfred Edersheim calls him the chief executioner.
It specifically records that HE saw with his own eyes, and rewarded his dedication.
“If this man is this dedicated to his God, how much more dedicated he will be to me.”
III. Things You Own
Material Prosperity, 39:3
The verb tense here denotes continual prosperity in the present and the future.
Notice that when God’s hand is upon you, ALL that you do is touched by him as well.
Let us allow God to define prosperity. It’s length, and it’s intention.
IV. The Thing That Owns You; Your Reputation
Reputation of Being Responsible, 39:4
When we are faithful with little, God entrusts more to our watch-care.
He was trusted; he was a good worker; he was submissive.
V. Blessing of God
Good Fortune, 39:5
God will bless the ungodly in order to give to us!
“on account of Joseph”
VI. Blessing of Others
Trust of Others, 39:6
When others are blessed because of us, then they will entrust more to us.
No one shuns a blessing!
Run For Your Life, Temptation is Coming!
Sunday 9/23/07 a.m.
Text: Genesis 39:7-23
Begin with reading James 1:12-16
7 Realities of a Temptation:
I. Desire, 39:7
A. Temptation is a Desire Out of Control
B. God Gives Us Desires, We Are Desired-Filled People
C. The Ultimate Desire is to Thirst FOR God
D. Desires Can Be Fulfilled or Met By God or the Flesh
II. Determine, 39:8-9
A. We Are To Stand Up and Face Our Sinful Desires
B. Determine Today That I Will Not Give In To Them
C. Temptation Hits us in Our Strengths as Well As Our Weaknesses (Joseph’s looks)
III. Daily, 39:10
A. Every Moment of Every Day Temptation Lies at the Door Waiting to Pounce.
B. Sometimes it is the Same Sin We Are Tempted With
C. The First Step of Giving in is to Give Temptation An Ear
D. God Allows it Daily Until We Learn to Defeat it.
IV. Design, 39:11-12
A. The Devil Knows How to Set A Trap
B. Comes When We Least Expect It (Joseph went to do his work)
C. If We Would Enter Every Day With Our Eyes Open We Can See the Trap.
V. Deception, 39:13-18
A. The Trial Gets Hotter Whenever We Defeat Our Flesh
B. When You Win Over the Devil, He Does Not Give Up Easily
C. Temptation is a Devilish Trap to Discredit Us Before God
D. It is Always Trying to Test Our Integrity and Character
E. Character: “How you handle your life when you are alone in a Motel room.”
VI. Detained, 39:19-20
A. Doing the Right Thing is Not Always Rewarded With Good Results.
B. Doing the Right Thing is Usually Harder
C. Giving in to Temptation is the Easy Way Out
D. It Takes a Bigger Man to say NO!
E. Doing the Right Thing is Nothing to Be Sorry or Ashamed About!
VII. Delivered, 39:21-23
A. When We Resist, God Gives Us the Strength to Win, “the Lord was with Joseph”
B. The Power and Strength to Resist is Part of God’s Grace.
C. Grace is Given to Those Who Ask.
D. Asking For Grace Requires Humility, I am in Need.
E. Temptation is a Hideous Monster That is Out to Destroy Me!
How to React When God Puts Our Lives on “Hold”
Sunday 9/30/07 a.m.
Text: Genesis 40
- C.S. Lewis writes in The Problem of Pain, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.”
- When life just isn’t fair, how should I view it? It’s all about attitude!
The 4 Categories of Unfair Treatment:[1]
1. undeserved treatment from family
2. unexpected restriction of circumstances
3. untrue accusations
4. unfair abandonment
I. The Doormat Syndrome
What is the proper attitude when life’s circumstances have treated me unfairly?
A. Endurance! 1 Peter 2:20
Through enduring the harsh treatment, we can find favor with God!
B. Education! Isaiah 55:8-9
We learn to rest in God’s ways instead of our own.
C. Experience! Psalm 119:71
We are given the opportunity to live the Word, as well as read it.
II. The Disillusioned Syndrome
When unfair treatment comes, we have two choices concerning our reaction and the attitude we will develop:
A. We can become disillusioned and embittered or,
B. We can use that difficulty as a platform for putting our hope and trust in the living God.
III. The Distrust Syndrome
Disillusionment is a dangerous slippery slope.
The cause of disillusionment is putting our complete hope and trust in people, who have feet of clay.
A. After we become disillusioned with our fellow man, we become cynical.
B. When cynicism has had it’s time to brew in our hearts, we become bitter.
C. Bitterness develops an attitude that no one can be trusted.
D. Then when we believe that no man can be trusted, we will eventually conclude that not even God can be trusted, because it is God who allowed this harsh circumstance to be birthed into our lives.
E. And when we cannot trust God, we have locked ourselves into our own little prisons!
The cure is to put our complete hope and trust in God, who will never fail us.
Is your life filled with difficulties right now? If so, pray this prayer with me:
“Lord God help me now. Right at this moment. Deliver me from my own prison. Help me to see beyond the darkness, to see your hand. As I am being crushed, remold me. Help me to see you in this abandonment, this rejection.”
The Teacher Called Pain
Sunday 10/14/07 a.m.
Genesis 41
A.W. Tozer: “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”
I. Pain Versus Promise
God Promises Divine Promotion
II. The Pain of Waiting
God First Must Prepare Us With the Tests of Life, 41:1
- We say, “But God is silent!”
- When it seems nothing is happening, do not discount God’s seeming quietness!
- Can I Trust God When He seems so Distant?
- During the waiting period, trust God without panic.
- Will the hurt ever go away?
- The cold blast of winter will eventually be replaced with Spring.
- The darkest night still holds the promise of mornings light.
III. Pain Causes Dullness
It is God However Who Must Offer the Turning Point of Opportunity
(So don’t miss it!) 41: 1-36
A. God is in control of the situations around us, and is using them to mold our lives. 41:1-8
B. Even though man may forget us, God does not! 41:9-13
C. Give every opportunity your best shot! 41:14
D. Allow God to lead you according to His gifts in you, and by His Spirit. 41:15-36
IV. Pain Rewarded
A. Eventually, God Rewards Us 41:37-45
When the reward comes, thank God without pride.
B. Only God can bring you through and out of the dungeon.
C. Only God can reward you for your faithfulness.
D. If He has, be grateful not proud.
E. When we exercise humility, we are saying that it is God who has exalted me.
Dealing With Discouragement, Defeat, and Disqualification
Sunday 10/21 & 28/07 a.m.
Text: Genesis 41:41-57
Introduction:
- What if someone showed up on your doorstep tomorrow, and they had paid off all of your debts, and gave you $10 million dollars tax-free.
- The moment they left, what emotions would you express?
- What changes would come about in the next 24 seconds? 24 minutes? 24 hours? 24 days? 24 months?
- What temptations would you face?
- What guarantee could you give that you would not become like all of the other rich, and wealthy people you despise?
- Because Joseph had learned what it was like to be abused by those in power, he was aware of what power could do to him if he allowed it!
- Plutarch, 1st century philosopher writes: “No beast is more savage than man who is possessed with power.” He did not say that every man who had power was a beast or a savage; He said that power offered that great temptation.
41:41 “I have set YOU” (God put Pharoah in power)
41:42-44 “HE set HIM” (God placed all of this authority into Pharoah’s hands)
41:45 His new name “the God speaks and lives”; Savior of the age; Savior of the world; giver of the nourishment of life; prince of the life of the age; revealer of a secret. The concealed treasure. Treasury of the glorious rest.[2]
41:46-49 Follow that dream! God said it, Joseph believed it, God did it.
There is great power in believing that God will do what He says He will do!
41:50-52 Manasseh - God has made me to forget.
God has taken the sting out of those bad memories of yesterday.
Bad memories are like swarming locusts, see Joel 2:25
If we will remain faithful, God will one day reward us and take away the sting of the past. Be warned – of the temptation to get even!
(To get back at those who have stung us and stripped us and gnawed on us with evil deeds and ugly words.)
Ephraim - God has given me fruitfulness.
In the midst of affliction God has chosen to still bless me!
God chose to bless only because Joseph remained faithful!
I’ve never met a person who truly understood and embraced grace who also continued to hold a grudge. That “aggressive forgiveness” removes the stings and replaces them with waves upon waves of gratitude to God.
41:53-57 Handling great power and authority takes humility.
God’s plan for Joseph was right on schedule.
Because Joseph had passed each test, learned from each experience, and learned to trust God more, he was ready when God opened the door of opportunity.
Notice how easy it is for Joseph to want to help others. (That comes from God)
3 Facts of the Christian’s Life We Must Learn to Deal With
I. Discouragement
Lengthy Afflictions Need Not Discourage Us.
Pit; Gen. 37:23-24
Potiphar’s Slave; 39:1
Prison; 39:19-20
II. Defeat
Bad Memories Need Not Defeat Us.
Brothers hate and their jealousy
Potiphar’s wife and her false accusations; 39:13-18
Potiphar’s belief of her false testimony; 39:19-20
Pharoah’s chiefbutler (cupbearer) for forgetting him; 40:23
A. You and I choose what will hold us hostage.
1. We make a choice about who is going to hold us under their thumb.
2. We can often decide who and what will depress us.
3. There is not a person in this room today who doesn’t have a store of painful memories that could absolutely defeat you.
4. You may need help in turning the wound into a stingless scar.
5. You may need help in a friend, a mate, or even a professional counselor to get rid of those stings.
B. We do not need to be defeated by bad memories.
III. Disqualification
Great Blessings Need Not Disqualify Us From Service.
A. You cannot allow your position before people to affect your position before God.
B. How well do you handle exaltation? Exalted by Potiphar (39:2-4), by the jail- keeper (39:21-23), and now by Pharaoh (41:41-45).
· Let us put Joseph in a business suit.
· Let us put him in a powerful career position.
· Let us dress him up in fancy clothes, and place him in a huge, beautifully appointed home.
· Lets give Joseph a limitless budget, limitless power, and a bottomless checking account.
· Let us give him a fancy nice car, a lovely wife and two healthy sons.
· And let us give him large stock holdings in the food industry in the midst of famine.
Will you still affirm him? Will you still stand behind him?
· Why do we seem to have a natural displeasure to those whom God has blessed with abundance? (Because we live in the lands of the haves and the have not’s)
· Do we not understand that this is due to the sins of jealousy, covetousness, and envy?
C. With authority comes the need for accountability.
D. With popularity comes the need for humility.
E. With prosperity comes the need for integrity.
Activating a Seared Conscience
Or
Finally Confronting our Unconfessed Sins of the Past
Sunday 11/4/07 a.m.
Text: Genesis 42:1-38
Sin, past and present, haunts us like a moaning ghost in a haunted house until we make one of two decisions:
1. Confess it and forsake it;
2. Or Refuse to deal with it.
Refusal grows a thick calloused shell over our hearts, and builds a wall between us and God and His Holy Spirit.
So how do I go back and make it right?
I. Take Responsibility!
A. Take responsibility for one’s own guilt, 42:1-24
They did not blame their father’s passivity;
They did not blame Joseph’s proud arrogant personality;
They did not blame it on being young and making stupid decisions;
They said simply, WE were wrong!
B. Let the past go! Free yourself from its chains!
1. The “binding” spoken of here (42:24) means to bind, to restrict, to cramp, to tie up. It is not talking about only a physical shackling.
2. When we refuse to deal with sin against God, ourselves, or another, we are holding that person hostage in the dungeon of our soul and thinking that we are torturing them; when in reality, we are slowly torturing ourselves!
C. Go back to the person and make it right!
When you have done wrong to someone and haven’t gone through the necessary process to make things right with them and with God – when you haven’t fully dealt with your transgression – you become the victim of the very distress that you put that person through.
D. Unconfessed sin makes us physically sick, see Psalms 32:3-4.
Remember how Joseph dealt with his sin of bitterness? He named one of his sons as a reminder; every time he mentioned Manessah’s name, he was proclaiming the power of God to forgive, to heal, and to restore.
II. Release Yourself to be Broken!
A. We begin to Gain a different perspective, 42:25-28
1. Notice how the brothers “trembled” this Hebrew word describes an Earthquake.
2. They shook violently when they began to see that God was in this episode of their lives!
B. Sometimes we become the victims of the kind of treatment we have meted out on someone else.
1. When the harm, the hurt, or the pain that we brought on someone else is visited on us, something begins to change inside of us; we get soft.
2. This is where you hear your own heart pounding the terror of that activated memory!
C. This is the beginning of the breaking of that stubborn will.
III. Receive God’s Grace!
A. Our seared conscience is activated when we are recipients of undeserved expressions of grace. ( Cf. Romans 2:4)
B. Part of receiving undeserved grace is returning our focus where it should have always been; on God!
1. When we walk with God, we do not dwell on what should have been; or on how we should have been treated;
2. We trust that this is part of God’s plan, and we patiently wait for Him to bring it to past.
C. But we do not just lay over in passivity and defeat;
1. God expects us to walk with him and live His word.
2. God does not want us spending our every moment of thought on the bitter taste of the past;
3. He wants us to put it behind us and trust Him for the future.
Are you still keeping a list? People that keep a list, are insensitive toward God.
Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature; either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is….. joy peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other. C.S. Lewis
The Sad Moanings of an Old Man
Sunday 11/4/02 a.m.
Genesis 42:29 - 43:15
I. Natural Reaction to Life’s “Curves”, 42:29-38.
A. Response; We tend to respond negatively rather than positively. 42:35 Dismayed
1. When life is a bigger challenge then we care to go through;
2. OR When we face unexpected changes.
B. Viewpoint; We tend to view problems horizontally rather than vertically.
Why is it that until we are backed into a corner with no way to go, we finally turn to God, after spending most of our time and focus from a human point of view?
C. Resist; We tend to resist what is new, especially if it seems too good to be true.
It is scary to leave the unfamiliar, step into a risky situation, and face the possible chance of disappointment. BUT most of the time , if not all of the time, we resist something new. Ex. – blue french fries and purple ketchup.
Transition: 42:36-38
Jacob has known God for over 100 years. BUT he constantly wrestled with
a). suspicious negativism,
b) a horizontal viewpoint, and
c) a closed resisting mind to change.
II. 4 Realities of a Negative Outlook, 43:1-15.
a. We Deny and Delay, 43:1-5. Jacob has no problem w/ leaving Simeon in Egypt!
b. We Blame and Deceive, 43:6-10.
c. Good ol’ Jacob wanted them to lie, 43:6
d. Takes the whole situation as a personal vendetta against himself! “Woe is me”.
e. Parents, listen to your children’s explanations before cutting them off and becoming their “Pontiff”. Kids sometimes get into dire circumstances, and they need true help, not a lecture, an I told you so, or blame and ridicule.
f. We Become Tolerant and Uncertain, 43:11-12. Try to bribe the man. Remember how Jacob confronted Esau when he returned and feared for his life?
g. We Compromise With A Guarded Faith and Abandonment, 43:13-15.
1. Jacob calls upon “El – Shaddai” God Almighty, the God Who Will Provide.
2. But not in a voice of victory and encouragement, but defeat and pessimism.
III. How to Handle Negative Feelings
A. Recognize and admit your negative mental attitude.
B. Turn to God for victory.
C. Stay open to a new idea.
Face to Face;
Grace to Grace
Sunday 11/11/07 a.m.
Text: Genesis 43:15-34
Opening: Read 43:15, “and they stood before Joseph (the Prime Minister)”.
A picture of God’s love for man.
I. Fear, 43:16-22.
A. The unknown about God causes us to be afraid of Him.
B. Notice that the #1 desire of Joseph is to fellowship, 43:16-17.
C. Notice that the brothers are more concerned with their problems, than the reality of eating with the Prime Minister.
D. Could it be a guilty conscience? They cannot trust others because they cannot be trusted themselves?
E. The truth of our sin-filledness, is the #1 reason we cannot fellowship with God. We have concluded that we are unworthy.
II. Facts, 43:23-25.
Joseph’s brothers honesty (true mark of repentance), results in the revelation of truth; Notice what the results are of us coming clean to God on the truth of any situation:
1. Shalom, do not be afraid, 43:23a. Peace with God overcomes fear.
2. And, The freeing of Simeon, 43:23b.
3. They were invited to the Father’s house, 43:24a;
4. Their thirst was quenched, 43:24b;
5. They were made clean for the master, 43:24c.
III. Forgiveness, 43:26-31.
A. We must become humble, they bowed before Joseph, 43:26-28.
B. Understanding that God’s #1 desire is to fellowship with man; God’s #2 desire is to give us His grace, 43:29.g
C. God is overwhelmed with joy when we come to Him, 43:30.
D. The greatest form of fellowship is found in eating together, 43:31.
IV. Feasting, 43:32-34.
A. The “sinners” are unclean according to law and tradition, 43:32.
B. There is nothing we can hide from God, He knows all things, 43:33.
C. God gives of Himself to us, 43:34a.
D. As recipients of His grace, we can feast with Him, 43:34b.
Does your heart long to spend time with Him?
Does your life long to be filled with His grace?
Lessons From Joseph’s Life, Part 1
Sunday 6/9/02 a.m.
I. God Does Not Leave Us, We Leave God
A. When it seems that our dreams have died, God is still there, 39:2.
B. When it seems no one sees our sacrifice, God is there, 39:3.
C. When we are at our lowest moments, God is there, 39:21.
II. God Blesses Our Devotion to Him
A. God blesses us and our employer for His sake, and our benefit, 39:5.
B. God prospers the work of our hands when He is allowed to lead, 39:23.
C. If we are patient, God will exalt in His timing, 41:39-41
III. Integrity is what you are when no one is looking, 39:7-18
IV. Reactions to Life’s “Curve Balls”
A. Being Treated Harsh and Unfair is Not a Reason For Us to Do the Same
1. Joseph and his brothers, forgiveness
2. Joseph and Potiphars wife, acceptance
3. Joseph and the baker and cupbearer, quietness
B. God turns our godly reactions to adversity into His glory:
Adversity is good for us when we look to God in the midst of it:
1. God allows adversity to strengthen us;
2. God allows adversity to toughen us;
3. God allows adversity to grow us.
V. When We Exercise Faith, God Moves to Glorify Himself in Our Lives
A. Joseph and his brothers, forgiveness leads to restoration.
B. Joseph and Potiphars wife, acceptance of unfair situations leads to exaltation.
C. Joseph and the baker and cupbearer, quietness leads to opportunity.
D. Joseph and the return of his brothers, a lack of vengence led to repentance.
VI. When it Comes to Sin:
A. You reap what you sow.
1. Your children learn by example, Jacob the deceiver is deceived by his children.
2. Joseph teases his brothers, Potiphars wife teases him.
3. The brothers put Joseph into slavery, they are placed into slavery.
4. The brothers withhold food from Joseph, God starves them thru famine.
B. Sin will take us further than we ever care to go:
1. Jealousy
2. Hatred
3. Deceit
4. Bitterness
5. Guilt
6. Bondage
7. Humiliation (eating our words)
Lessons From Joseph’s Life, Part 2
Sunday 6/16/02 a.m.
I. God gives us dreams to chase;
II. Humility is the road to exaltation.
A. Rejected by your siblings and sold into slavery;
B. Falsely accused by your bosses wife;
C. Thrown into prison twice;
D. Swindled by cellmates;
E. Refusal to retaliate;
F. Turn away from the opportunity to become wealthy;
G. Loss of inheritance due to circumstances outside of his control.
III. Godliness is not a guarantee:
A. Godliness is not a guarantee from false accusations!
B. Godliness is not a guarantee of reward, the baker and cupbearer forgot Joseph.
C. Godliness is not a guarantee of escape from hardships.
D. Godliness is not a guarantee of escaping temptation.
E. Godliness is not a guarantee that our heart will never be broken.
How to Make A Successful U-turn
Sunday 12/30/07 a.m.
Genesis 44
Matthew 3:1-8
Luke 13:3
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
- To turn 180 degrees, to change our direction, this is the biblical meaning of repentance.
- If I am going to successfully and biblically repent, then I must make a 180 degree U-turn.
- How does the Bible teach us to know that we have made a successful u-turn?
We cannot run from sin! 44:1-15 For 13 years the brothers have run from the consequences of their sins to Joseph, they have suffered inwardly with many emotions and thoughts. Now God is going to bring them face-to-face with what they did wrong, and His sovereignty and providence!
44:16 God Is Faithful to Convict Us of Our Sin (“God has found out and revealed the iniquity of thy servants”)
44:17 God Returns A Consistent Reminder of Our Unrepented Sin (“but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant;”)
The 7 Stages of Repentance
- Confrontation with the truth concerning the matter at hand
- Godly sorrow; I have sinned against God, 44:13 – cf. 37:34 The renting of Jacob’s garments versus the renting of their own garments.
- Jacob acknowledges that God has allowed his son to be taken;
- The brothers realize that God is bringing it back around!
- The agony Jacob felt 13 years ago is now felt by the brothers.
- Guilt; I am guilty of committing sin. (A true confession that refuses to pass the blame!)
- Shame; I have brought shame to my name and my family (Am I truly ashamed of my sin?)
- Humility; I have been brought low. (I no longer care how low I must go or be humbled in order to regain God’s favor and blessing.)
- Change; The only way to restoration and cleansing is to change my heart attitude towards the sin, my thinking, and my behavior.
- Recompense; Judah the enslaver (37:26-28), now is willing to become the enslaved. (How far am I willing to go to make it right?)
Judah can not allow the return of the same sin (an enslavement and bondage of Rachel’s children), and the grief, guilt, conviction, and shame that he has fought for 13 years.
Are you in need of a little repentance this morning?
Joseph Was Never Alone!
Sunday 12/9/07 a.m.
Text: Genesis
The goal of evil is to attack and try to destroy anything that either imitates or reveals righteousness. That is why Joseph was attacked constantly in his life.
I. God Is A Relational God; He Is Social In His Orientation.
A. Three Things That Prove God Is Relational:
#1. The Trinity, #2. The Angels, and #3. You
B. The #1 thing that God desires from us is not works, but rather a relationship.
3:8-11 1. Man was made to relate and fellowship with God!
2:18 2. God looked at Adam, and said “it is NOT GOOD for man to be alone”.
‘It is not good’ 3. Aloneness was something that God saw that man could not handle.
C. The greatest pain in the world is that which can penetrate every part of our being; the “soul pain” that comes from a damaged relationship.
1. Our relationships here on earth are the fruit of a sacred divine romance.
2. That romance with God is called the “the dance of intimacy”.
D. The greatest need we have as humans is that need for a relationship.
1. God places it inside all of us. Romans 1:19
2. The warped mind is the one who denies God and refuses to try and relate to people. Romans 1:21-25
II. Why Did Joseph Cry So Loud? 45:2
A. The travail of his soul. “Everybody out of the room!” 45:1
1. Possibly introverted anger;
2. The release of the pain of aloneness being removed.
3. The scream of a man who could not handle the flood of emotions.
B. It happens each of the four times that Josephs aloneness is being restored with fellowship.
1. When he saw his brothers for the 1st time, 42:23-24
2. When He saw Benjamin for the first time, 43:30
3. When he reveals himself to his brothers and demands a group hug, 45:1-2.
4. When he meets his father, 46;29.
C. There is something about us that cannot handle being alone.
III. The Supposed Aloneness of Joseph
A. Rejected by his dad, 37:10
B. Rejected by his brothers, 37:8, & 42:21
C. Rejected by the Ishmaelites, 37:28, 36.
D. Rejected by his boss, 39:19-20
E. Rejected by the cupbearer, 40:23.
That is why the Scripture reminds Us That God Was With Him!
IV. God Rewarded Joseph’s Faithfulness
A. Joseph nurtured his relationship with God.
1. He was found to be in God’s Favor;
2. God prospered the work of his hands;
3. He had a good testimony.
B. But good works do not make a person Godly; it comes from a surrendered heart.
“Fantasy Is Never Having to Say Your Sorry”
December 9, 2007 a.m.
Genesis 45:1-18
Introduction: 45:1-3
7 Realities You Must Face When Dealing With Forgiveness:
1. Forgiveness Involves A Confrontation With Truth, 45:4
2. It Is God Who Allows Others to Sin Against Us, 45:5
3. Forgiveness Demands That We Look at the Big Picture Instead of YOUR Magnifying Glass, 45:6
4. Forgiveness Begs Us to Try and See God in the Situation, Regardless of How Bad It Is, 45:7-8
5. Be Specific In the Confession to ALL of the Offended Parties, 45:9-14
6. Forgiveness Sought, and Received, 45:14-15
7. Why Should I Forgive? For the Sake of the Lost Around You! 45:16-18
4 STEPS TO FREEDOM Through Forgiveness
1. Lay Down the Judgmental Evaluation of the Offender
As the offended party, ask God to help you see the offender through His eyes.
2. Let Go of the Right to be Angry
There is a righteous anger and there is an anger that leads to sin. We need to repent of the sinful anger.
3. Stop Punishing Those Who Have Wronged You
We withhold things from those who have hurt us.
4. Look to God and not Man to Meet Your Needs
Most people caught in the judgment trap need help in trusting God again.
They have taken matters into their own hands for so long, letting go and letting God is going to take some time.
REMINDERS
1. Forgiveness is not a feeling.
Don't wait for some lovey-dovey sensation to come over you.
2. Forgiveness is not pretending you weren't hurt.
Don't dramatize the pain away.
3. Forgiveness is not saying what the person did wasn't wrong.
Saying "I forgive you" is not saying "It's okay."
4. Forgiveness is a decision I make, not that someone makes for me.
5. Forgiveness is getting your heart right before God.
The sin of unforgiveness separates me from God. Willingness to forgive calls upon His strength and not my own. Phil. 4:13.
Forgiveness is saying "I was wrong. Period." It is not saying things like "I'm sorry." These two sentences are very different in what they convey.
Here are 5 "wrong ways" to ask for forgiveness:
1. "I Was Wrong, But You Were Too." This not only reflects pride, but bitterness as well.
2. "I'm Sorry About It, But It Wasn't All My Fault." Only one step better than the previous one. The person talking here doesn't blame the other person, but neither does he accept much responsibility for what happened.
3. "I'm Sorry" or "I Apologize." Other party could say "Well, I'm sorry too!" The person asking forgiveness doesn't specify what the offense was, which is essential for bringing closure and a clear conscience.
4. "If I've Been Wrong, Please Forgive Me." This is the favorite of most people. It's really saying:
"If my personality (for which I'm not responsible) has offended you, there could be something wrong with your ability to get along with others. But, I'll be big-hearted about this and assume that maybe it's my fault (which I'm not fully convinced it is) and ask you to forgive me - if you still think I'm wrong that is."
5. "I'm Sorry About The Way I Lied To You, Please Forgive Me." This approach still reflects areas of pride. Why? Because one of the hardest statements for anyone to make is, "I Was Wrong." It's a lot easier to say, "I'm sorry about..." It is also much easier to say, "Please forgive me" than it is to ask, "Will you forgive me?" and then wait for the answer.
The right way to ask for forgiveness:
"God Has Convicted Me About How Wrong I've Been For __________.
Would You Please Forgive Me?"
Thus forgiveness involves naming the sin you have committed. For instance, "What happened at work today upset me. But I took this out on you by speaking harshly to you. There is no excuse for me speaking to you that way. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?"
Then wait. The other person, hopefully, will forgive you. But if the other person decides to do this, they need to say "I forgive you." Don't let them say something less than this, like "Its OK, let's just forget it." They also need to name the sin, using the same wording you have. I.e., not just "I forgive you," but "I forgive you for speaking harshly to me." With both of you being specific, this brings the proper closure and healing to the sin and offense committed.
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[1] Swindoll, Charles R. Joseph; A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998, pp.50-51.
[2]Smith, S., & Cornwall, J. (1998). The exhaustive dictionary of Bible names (247). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos.