There's More to the Story

** ASTERISK SERIES **

You have purpose — when God looks at you he see’s an Asterisk — There’s more than you can see — This series will cover several characters who had more to their story

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

JOSEPH

Joseph is a person most people know — DREAMER — Everything goes wrong but God still has a plan through it all

JOSEPH HAD A JACKED UP FAMILY — Do you know anyone with a jacked up family? — 11th in birth order — Youngest in the family — And… Dad’s favorite

Genesis 37:3–4 NLT

3 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.

Sibling Rivalry — Joseph didn’t ask for any of it — Me and my sister used to argue 24/7 — Technically this was his fathers fault —

JOSEPH HAS A DREAM — Dream about tying up grain — his grain stands up tall and his brothers grain bows to his grain — weird dream — Brothers get very upset to the point to where they actually devise a plot to kill him — pretty extreme...

Genesis 37:18–20 NLT

18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19 “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!”

And that is exactly what these brothers do — Beat him — throw him in a pit — In a moment of mercy they decide to sell him instead of kill him — Tell dad that an animal killed him — They lie to cover up their tracks — Joseph is gone

GOD’S PLAN DOESN’T CHANGE WHEN YOUR SITUATION DOES

Everyone would agree that Josephs situation is not ideal — no one chooses this — But even though Joseph didn’t understand it yet God still had a plan — There was still an Asterisk over this story

Had anyone’s situation changed over the past year? — I think everyones has — If we are not careful we will judge God’s plan, his love, his faithfulness and even his goodness based on our situation

YOUR SITUATION MAY BE THE VERY THING THAT GETS YOU EXACTLY WHERE GOD WANTS YOU TO BE

If you hav ever wondered why a good God would allow bad things to happen we are gonna answer that in the last week of this series...

JOSEPH IS SOLD TO A MAN NAMED POTIPHAR — Potiphar is the captain of Pharaohs royal guard — To prove that God hasn’t gone anywhere… check this out

Genesis 39:2–3 NLT

2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.

When you follow God people will notice something is different about you — It doesn’t say Potiphar believes it just says he noticed that God was with Joseph — I wonder if Joseph would have said “God is obviously with me?

Potiphar has a wife — HOTIPHAR — REEEAAAAL HOUSEIWFE OF EGYPT

Genesis 39:6–9 NLT

6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, 7 and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. 8 But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9 No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

HOTIPHAR lies — accuses Joseph — and now Joseph is in jail — Family, Pit, Slavery, Potiphars house, accused, Jail. — This is a wild ride.

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT DOESN’T CHANGE WHAT GOD HAS SAID ABOUT YOU

Josephs family — the slave traders — Potiphar — Hotiphar — none of them created Joseph — God was the first to say something about Joseph and the same is true for you

God says you are loved — God says you are made in his image — God says he sent his son to die for you and that you are worth all of it — And there is nothing that anyone can ever say to change that

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Are you listening to other peoples opinions about you more than God’s opinion? — Believe me people are not short on opinions these days — If you’re not careful you will judge God’s thoughts about you because of other people’s thoughts about you

If Karen says she doesn’t like you you’ll start to think God doesn’t like you — If the boy leaves you’ll start to live like God could leave — If the promotion doesn’t come you’ll start to believe that doesn’t have anything else for you either.

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JOSEPHS HEARS THE PHARAOH HAS DREAMS — Joseph knows all about dreams — He is made second in command — JUST BECAUSE YOU FAILED ONCE DOESN’T MEAN YOU’LL FAIL AGAIN — JOSEPH GOT HIS FIRST DREAM WRONG

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Famine hits everywhere - Joseph very wisely sees this coming and stores back food for Egypt — JOSEPHS FAMILY HEARS THERE’S FOOD IN EGYPT — They come and Joseph has a decision to make — Justice? or Mercy?

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God put me here — BUT WHY? — Was it all just for me?

His family comes in and asks for food — Joseph toys with them a little — Then eventually he reveals who he is — Immediately the brothers are ashamed — What Joseph says next changes everything

Genesis 45:5 NLT

5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.

WHEN YOU TRUST GOD’S PLAN, IT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE

Joseph understood, in this moment, That everything he had gone through, was leveraged by God to do something great. — To change everything and to change peoples lives forever.

Genesis 50:20 NLT

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.

God’s feelings for Joseph never changed — thoughts never changed — plan never changed — Even when everything is going wrong, even when everyone seemed against him God still had a plan and the same is true for you — THERES MORE TO THIS STORY

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BIBLE COLLEGE STORY — God had a bigger plan — And he has a bigger plan for you