EMBRACING YOUR DESTINY

Bill Isaacs
Joseph  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  33:54
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EMBRACING YOUR DESTINY Over the next 4 months, I want to invite you on a journey to find your purpose in life-sounds grand doesn't it? We will not do this every Sunday because there will be a few Sundays along the way where we will pause to celebrate mothers, fathers and other special occasions-but throughout the next months, I'm inviting you to discover God's purpose and plan for your life, for your family and for your future. You're going to experience this in a deep look at the life of a man God really, really wanted you to notice in the Bible. Let me show you... • There are 7 main characters in the book of Genesis -can you name them? I've got $10 for the first person to raise your hand and tell me who they are-(Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph). • There are 50 chapters in the book of Genesis and 13 of those chapters deal with one man and his life and family-Joseph. We talk a lot about the others but there is one person in the book that God wanted you to get to know well-Joseph. You're might be surprised how much you have in common with Joseph and how similar your lives really are. Since today is Friends and Family Day, I thought it might be important for us to look at Josephs' family. I'm calling this message WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS THE ENEMY. Perhaps you can relate. I do promise you this-there is something powerful in all of this and something God wants you to hear and experience. When Your Family is the Enemy Our story begins in chapter 37 of Genesis and I just want to read one verse but it says everything we need to know to get going-- Here it is-- Genesis 37:4 And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms. Introduction: If you want to know someone, you have to know a little bit about their family...how they were raised...what their home life was like. So to know Joseph you start with getting to know his family. * His father was Jacob, the twin brother of Esau born to Isaac (the son of Abraham) and Rebecca. * From his mother Rebecca, Jacob learned to maneuver and manipulate people to get what he wanted. It will come back to haunt him in days to come because in time his own sons will scheme against him. For now it is important that you know Jacob's mother conspired with him to commit a fraud against his own father...interesting because in time Jacob's own sons will similar cheat, lie and deceive him. (your sins always find you out) The dysfunction of this family is the result of 5 stress points that are key to understanding the kind of home Joseph grew up in. A Forced Marriage * Jacob (Joseph's father) had two wives (Leah and Rachel)-Jacob loved Rachel but he was tricked into marrying Leah and he never loved her. * Jacob and his wives had 13 children. * The 12 sons of Jacob became later known as the Tribes Of Israel * You will not find any place in the Bible where it says Jacob loved Leah. In fact, she wants Jacob to love her, to communicate but he doesn't--Perhaps you know what it's like to be in a marriage where you feel that you are not loved. An Intense Rivalry Between Wives * Rachel was Jacob's choice for a wife, but, because of his uncle's deception, Leah was Jacob's first wife. * Both women were highly competitive and the birth of children was seen by them as the way to gain favor in the eyes of Jacob. o So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah. . . . [Leah] conceived again and bore a son and said, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.". . . Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!" (Genesis 29:30, 34; 30:1). * The favoritism he practiced with his wives will carry over to his relationship with his sons. * This preferential treatment caused intense strife and feelings of hatred between the brothers. A Premature Death * Rachel's death was unexpected and premature. It came at the birth of her second son, Benjamin, Joseph's only full brother. * Rachel died while Joseph was still a young boy. * Although we are not told how he dealt with the loss of his mother, we can be certain that her death changed the dynamics of the household. * We can't know if Leah mistreated Joseph and his brother, and any speculation on the quality of their relationship would be biased, based on stereotypes and personal experience regarding stepfamilies. In any case, Joseph's life was affected by the fragmented condition of his family. * Blended families are tough sometimes-- A Favorite Son * Joseph held a special place in his father's heart because he was the firstborn son of his one true love, Rachel. * As a result of his affection, Jacob once made him a coat of many colors that Joseph wore proudly. * The coat was evidence of a special and exclusive relationship. * Because the brothers knew their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they were infuriated. A Passive Father * Jacob was not paying attention to his children * Jacob avoided confrontation * He was indifferent when his own daughter was raped by a nearby gang of men-her brothers were furious * Perhaps Jacob did not know what to do. It does not matter. If you are going to have children, you have to do your very best to be engaged. It is important to remember... * There are no guarantees with any family. * Appearances can be misleading. o There is no security for any family outside of the grace and peace of God. o Beware of Facebook comparisons (Casi Llamas picture) o The later stories of Jacob's family include acts of murder, incest and other atrocities-all the result of abandoning godly principles of living. * What is remarkable is that from this family would come a young man whose heart yearned only for God-a young man whose passion and pursuit of God became his salvation in the stormy days ahead. * Joseph never allowed his circumstances or adversaries to dim his focus. o He kept his eyes squarely on the prize of God's ultimate and glorious plan for his life. What should we learn from this? Don't Get Distracted By Others And Remain Focused On God's Plans For Your Life (Romans 8:35-39) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written: "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Don't Wait For Others To Understand The Significance Of What God Is Doing In Your Life * His brothers saw their younger sibling, whom they hated, boasting of some perceived superiority over them. * Their father questioned the validity of Joseph's dream and tried to temper the possibilities they inferred. This did not stop Joseph-he believed what God had shown him. * Not everyone can relate to what is taking place in your heart. Guard What You Allow To Define You * Joseph's family did not define him * Those who sold him into slavery did not control his future * Those who put him in prison could not dictate his outcome. * Joseph loved his family and he did not forsake them. * He simply did not allow their actions and words to distract him. Remember God Is In Control of Our Lives * Ultimately, I am responsible for only one person-me. * You only answer for you-despite what others are, or do! * When life is at its worst, God is at His best! If your family situation is like Joseph's, there is still hope for you. Your unfortunate circumstances can change. The good news is that God has a plan for your life. He invites you to step out of the dark cloud of your family troubles and stand tall in the revealed promises of God. Today is a new day. (Jeremiah 29:11) For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Conclusion: There is a promise... (Acts 16:31) Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.
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