Dreamers and Family Reunions

Opening Statement/ Announcements

Next Sunday, Appreciation Sunday

Introduction: Make a Decision

Stage 4 of the process that leads to the manifestation of our dream. For four weeks we have discussed the struggles and rewards of being a dreamer.

God wants to take us to a unique place…a place of power and influence.

Everything that God wants to do with us is just one decision away from manifesting. Make the decision today.

Story of the couple who decided they didn’t want to be poor.

The Process of Pain

There are three things Joseph received as the dream manifested:

Became the king’s advisor.

Became ruler over king’s house.

Became ruler over all of Egypt.

Sometimes, getting where God wants you to be requires pain.

James 1:2–4 CSB

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:12 CSB

12 Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 1:6–7 CSB

6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps, slavery is God’s way of taking us to a place of honor, influence and impact. It could be that without the wombs of oppression we wouldn’t have the platform to impact.

Today, I am going to be extremely personal. I am going to talk about your family and my family. The purpose is so we might discover how God preserves life, even for our family.

Family reunions are considered a family tradition that affords distance family members the opportunity to come together and recall some of the wonderful experiences shared throughout a lifetime. It also allows younger family members the opportunity to connect with older and unknown family members.

However, there is always that instance where individuals dread seeing other family members. Perhaps, there was an unpaid debt or some sort of unresolved matter that led to a good relationship going bad.

Family reunions can be times for blissful reflection and connection or times of painful and tense interaction.

Today I want to talk about the family reunions that we hardly look forward to.

Joseph’s family reunion was the type of family reunion you hated going to. It is where he meets the family members that tried to harm him.

What do you do when you have to face the people and things that tried to destroy you? How will you respond?

When you make it, how will you handle an encounter with the people that tried to destroy you?

To prepare for this interaction you need to do the following things:

Discovering the role of your enemies in the plans of God.

God is not simply sovereign and at work during the good times. God is also sovereign and at work during the bad times.

This means God is still in control during the bad times.

The profoundly religious conviction which recognises the hand of God, not merely in miraculous interventions, but in the working out of divine ends through human agency and what we call secondary causes, is characteristic of the Joseph-narrative amongst the legends of Genesis… (John Skinner).

Sometimes God uses human evilness to bring salvation.

As God teaches Israel that he is able to use evil human deeds to accomplish salvation, so Jesus teaches the church that God is able to use evil human deeds to accomplish salvation (Sidney Greidanus).

There are two agents at work in your life:

Human agency

Divine agency

Our job is to remain focused on divine agency while always facing human agents.

Genesis 45:8a CSB

8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

In other words, you did it but God sent it!

The Sovereignty of God, Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Forgiveness and reconciliation starts with our honest recognition of God’s sovereignty. It is nearly impossible to forgive those who have hurt you when you have accepted the fact that they could have never hurt you unless God granted them the permission.

Two things that we must understand:

God allows pain.

God allows pain to accomplish His purpose.

A sure sign of our maturity is when we stop blaming others for the conditions of our lives and start recognizing God’s active role in making our lives what He wants it to be.

Conclusion: Reconcile

Our victory is not dependent on the destruction of our enemies. Perhaps, God will destroy them. Yet, it is not dependent on their destruction. Our victory is dependent on our ability to walk in complete understanding of God’s purpose.

Genesis 50:15–21 CSB

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.” 16 So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: 17 ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him. 18 His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. 21 Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.