Destiny Series--When All You Can Do Is Be Faithful Week 3

When All You Can Do Is Be Faithful Good morning...it's May and Spring is here...finally. If you are joining us as part of LEC Online Church, we welcome you and trust that God will meet you in powerful ways. The same God that is here is with you there. I'm Pastor Bill Isaacs, the lead pastor and we are coming to you from Perry, Ohio just east of Cleveland. We are a multi-cultural, multi-generational Pentecostal community of messed-up people who have been gloriously saved by God's grace! So, welcome! I want to take this moment again to thank all of you for the wonderful and meaningful appreciation that was expressed last weekend. Shelley and I don't consider ourselves of any greater value than any other leader in this church and we are very happy to be part of the family of God here. The expressions of love serve to encourage us. We have such a bright future ahead of us... PRAYER Introduction We are continuing our journey to discover God's true purpose and destiny in life. What is it that God has for our life? What are we to do? A steady diet of God's Word over a lifetime builds a healthy soul and mind. It's much like the little girl who returned from her first day at school feeling a bit dejected. Her mom asked, "Did you learn anything?" "Apparently not enough," the girl responded. "I have to go back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next . . . " Such is the case with learning. And such is the case with Bible study. Understanding comes little by little over a lifetime. We are learning through our journey that God can forge incredible moments despite the most difficult of environments or circumstances. We can sometimes be confused and think that if our lives were free from adversity that we would be happier and more fulfilled. While none of us are excited about sorrow, pain, suffering, etc. it is an important point that everything we love about the Lord, everything we value about our relationship with Him CAME ABOUT THROUGH ADVERSITY. It was in the hard times that God shapes us, develops our faith and positions us for blessing. Not in the time of success or prosperity...quite the opposite during these times, we tend to get lazy and take God for granted (ex. Children of Israel). No, it's the hardest places that bring out the best in us... When we left Joseph last week, he was on his way to Egypt because his brothers had sold him into slavery. * He does not know what will happen * He does not know when/if he will see his family again It leads me to suggest that uncertainty in life can be a good thing for developing a real trust and dependence on the Lord. Let's pick up the story in chapter 39. (Genesis 39:1-6) Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. And it came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord's blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate... Did you notice that 3X the text refers to... "the Lord was with Joseph" and "God blessed Potiphar's house because of Joseph" It helps to realize * God is always with me-even in hard places * My life can make positive impact, even when I'm going through a tough place. * For example: You may hate your job but even in a bad work environment God can use you in a powerful way to influence others for Christ. * You may not like your neighborhood where you live but God can make you a powerful witness in a bad neighborhood. It's all in THE DECISION YOU MAKE TO BE FAITHFUL to God in whatever circumstance you may find yourself in. You might wonder how I have come to that conclusion... Joseph's life teaches us... #1--God's Views Things Differently Than We Do * God knows what Joseph doesn't-there is a plan at work. The same is true of you and me and we must trust God for the outcome He is creating. * We cannot see what God sees or know what God knows and so we fill up with unanswerable questions...like o Why some are healed and others suffer? o Why some of my prayers are answered and others aren't? o Why God did not stop the COVID virus so no one had to die? In the end, we are forced to make peace with God's sovereignty and whether we believe God is in control or not! #2- Even It Feels God Is Silent He Is Never Absent * Ever feel like God is not listening? o Maybe that's how you feel right now-you've prayed and nothing is happening, nothing's changing and the Devil wants to tempt you to stop praying BECAUSE HE KNOWS your effectual fervent prayer is making a difference. * Do what Joseph did-He got up every day and entrusted to God the things He could not control and just determine to live a faithful, God-honoring life. God Has Different Purposes Than We Do * We must admit that most of the time we are pretty self-absorbed...we worry primarily about us o My family o My job o My money o Whether someone likes me * God's agenda is different o He's trying to get your lost husband to open his heart o If He's physically in Lake County today, he's probably not here in this church-he's on the street helping a woman whose husband beat her up last night or finding a meal for someone who was hungry or encouraging a girl whose pregnant and scared to death to tell her parents. o God's agenda is just different than mine! * While I'm worried about something that I want-God is making sure I'm in the right place, meeting the right person at the right time so that the plans for my destiny are in place. Joseph was a slave never acted like a slave- * He refused to see himself as a victim of others but trusted that he was completely in the hand of God. * He believed in what he could not yet see but trusted God for the future. * I don't know what you are doing and I don't recall ever hurting so bad, feeling so alone, needing so much-but YOU ARE GOD and my hope is in you. Wherever Life Led Him, He Worked Hard * In doing so, God was able to get Potiphar's attention * This is the hard part- o Can you live a godly life when you feel you are getting nothing for it? o You may feel like you are in a dead-end job, a dead-end relationship but God sees you and He uses your FAITHFULNESS to do great things. God Blessed Potiphar Because Of Joseph * You just never know how God can turn things into something else when our lives are faithfully dedicated to him. * There is a GRACE over your life because you belong to God and if we allow God to work through us-others will be impacted. Joseph did not have to do any of the heavy lifting-did you notice...? Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. And it came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord's blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. There's a powerful Proverb which says, (Proverbs 16:7) When people's lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. LAST 3 BIG IDEAS Negative Circumstances Have No Power Unless You Give It * This is because I choose how I react to the circumstances of my life-whether I will be defined by others or my own mistakes or will choose to live beyond them with a hopeful eye to a God who can make all things new If You Remain Humble, God Will Exalt You * "Keep both feet on the ground."-Papa Isaacs * We have to remind ourselves that this is God's world-we just live here. * I am completely dependent on God's graces to live my life in alignment with His will. Frustration With The Process Can Blind Me To The Final Outcome * The final chapters of our lives have not been written. * There may be some chapters we would prefer no one read or know but they are behind us- * By God's grace, we are going somewhere and God is leading. * There is something BIG out there in the future with my name on it-I plan to experience all of it. Conclusion: I've shared before my challenge in coming to peace about Romans 8:28 and through the years God has been teaching me-this past week I felt like God gave me a new revelation- You and I want the "good" to be immediately laid over the "bad" of things that happen to us-but God's promises are true "all things work together for good..." But sometimes you have to WAIT for it. In Joseph's case, he waited 22 years--in your case, you've been waiting a long time for the miracle, the answer to your prayer, the child to come home, the reunion of broken relationships- Time is of no consequence with God-with us, it's the ticking clock that tempts us to doubt-but in WAITING, God calls us to patiently BE FAITHFUL. Sometimes you just have to stand and say- * I'm not giving up my faith in God's promise * I'm not giving up my hope that a miracle is coming Stand up if you refuse to give into the doubt and unbelief Stand up if you are determined to hold on to God's promises It's not too late for God to perform a miracle, restore a marriage, put broken relationships back together It's not too late... So here's a couple of action steps you can take with you from this lesson... 1. Work on developing a surrender and humility to God's plans, no matter how difficult they may become 2. Choose to live by what God says about you instead of what is happening around you. 3. Your life is important, more than you think-live like that-make every moment count-even the ones in self-isolation. God I'm a sinner I'm sorry for my sins I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe you will forgive me of my sins I choose Jesus