Livin' the Dream

INTRO: How many of you truly believe you are living out God’s call on your life? Like, you know exactly what God has called you to, how to go about accomplishing that, and you have complete peace?

Not everybody gets there and for many folks, it takes a little while to figure it out. For our guy, Joseph, he was pushing 30 and was a prisoner and slave in a foreign land. He wasn’t where he wanted to be or where he thought he should be. Yet, he was being positioned and prepared by God for a particular purpose… the last thing he expected was for God to present him with the opportunity that we read about in Gen. 41.

So, if you have not figured out God’s call on your life just yet or you are struggling to have that peace, take heart. God is all-powerful and and when He fulfills His purpose in your life, He will give you the all the resources necessary for you to grasp hold of and live out your calling.

ILL: When I was a kid, I loved watching shows like the A-team. Did you ever watch that show? Mr. T was a favorite, and Murdock reminds me of some family members. But Hannibal was the guru. Throughout the show, the rescue operation was imminent but fuzzy. You knew what they were attempting, but so many explosions and seeming set-backs made you wonder if things would work out. Yet, toward the end, the goal became clear, the strategy was plain, and as they rode off in victory, Hannibal would light his cigar and say, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

If God has a plan for our life, and Scripture tells us that he does, then it too will come together.

So, as we examine our text this morning, my goal is to show you how God provides for His plans. As we look at both Pharaoh and Joseph, we will see that God was working all along. Ultimately, God’s plan came together in Joseph’s life in a way much greater than what he had dreamed.

Now, if you picked up a bulletin, I invite you to follow along using the sermon guide. And, as always, I hope you will dive deeper in study this week as you bring the discussion questions to your life group or dining room table. Let’s learn together then, “Livin’ the Dream: When God’s Plan Comes Together.

First thing we need to see in Joseph’s case is that When God’s plan comes together,

God Gives Vision and Wisdom(1-33)

If you look at the first 7 verses, we see that God caused Pharaoh to dream 2 dreams. (READ)

Genesis 41:1–7 NASB95

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

We talked about dreams last week- and just like with the dreams of the baker and cupbearer, the king was disturbed or burdened (8). He called all the magicians and wise men to interpret the dream, but they proved unhelpful.

God did not give Pharaoh understanding. But, He did give Pharaoh the humility and wisdom to seek counsel. It’s here that Joseph is remembered by the cup-bearer, and subsequently brought before the king.

And look down here at verse 16. The king tells Joseph that he has heard of him and was told that Joseph could interpret the dream. But Joseph, just like he did earlier, points to Yahweh as the One who gives interpretation.

Now, there are number of neat things about this story, but I want to highlight this: God orchestrated this whole scenario so that there was a powerful king who was burdened with God’s vision along with a Hebrew slave who was faithful to speak God’s truth.

Joseph indeed communicated the interpretation to Pharaoh. (25-32) So now, Pharaoh had a clear picture of what his dream meant. God was showing him the future- that there was coming 7 years of abundance followed by 7 years of severe famine.

For us, the dream is of primarily historical importance, so we won’t focus too much on those details. Instead, let’s lean into how God brought this piece of his plan into focus.

Pharaoh was the right man to have the dream. He was the leader of the nation of Egypt. But if God would have given the interpretation to Pharaoh or to his wise men/ magicians, then the glory would have went to men and not to God.

Remember, God is actively working throughout all of history in order to bring mankind into a relationship with Himself. Pharaoh and the Egyptians had all kinds of idols and false gods.

So, by having Joseph interpret the dream, these wise men were made fools in light of the wisdom and wonder of the One True God!

On the other hand, If God had given Joseph both the dream and the interpretation, he would not have been able to communicate this urgent truth in any meaningful way- he was, after all, just a prisoner and slave. Who would have listened to him? Certainly not anyone who could do anything about it.

When God brought these two men together, the vision became clear. Pharaoh’s burden over the dream led him to seek counsel. And as he sought counsel, the urgency that God placed on his heart humbled him, for he had no answers in himself nor in his court. This humble seeking of counsel opened the door for the most powerful man in Egypt to listen and believe a Hebrew slave named Joseph.

Now, you might be trying to figure out if you are in a position like Pharaoh or like Joseph. The reality is that this vision was not just about either of them, but instead was about the whole nation. God used both of them together so that they would take note of the warning.

For you, It may not be a dream, but perhaps a conviction over a people group, a need, or a ministry. Maybe God has placed a burden on your heart through someone else sharing their own burden.

ILL: Just this past week, a group met to share their burden for the children in the Foster Care system in Transylvania County with local pastors. In a few months, we will hear the burden for women in crisis pregnancies. God brings people together in order for them to find clarity and community around His vision.

Ultimately, we all share in God’s vision called the Great Commission. Wisdom in that comes through counsel with other godly men and women in community around this mission.

When God’s plan comes together, He gives the vision and wisdom to see clearly.

Discuss: Do you have a clear picture of God’s plan for your life? Who are you connecting with to sharpen your focus and theirs?

Next, when God’s plan comes together,

God Gives Strategy and Strength(33-45)

Another way to say this is “When God gives a vision, He makes provision” or “If God calls you to it, He will see you through it!”

We have to note that even as God gave Joseph the interpretation of the dream, He did not just leave it at that. Joseph could have delivered the message and then ran about in a frenzy of despair because there were seemingly impossible conditions in the years ahead.

But, God gave Joseph understanding of how to respond to the vision. Let me read v. 33-37 (READ)

Genesis 41:33–37 NASB95

“Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. “Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. “Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard it. “Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.” Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.

Joseph spoke in detail as to how the king should approach this problem. For Joseph, it was simple math- God had illumined his understanding and he could see a clear path to success. In fact, Joseph defined what success looked like for Egypt given the vision of God.

Success was that even in the midst of a famine, the people would have food. The strategy was to put back 1/5th of the harvest each year and to guard it from hoarders and thieves.

But Joseph had no authority to enact this plan… he was, after all a slave and a prisoner. But that was about to change!

God provided a way through Pharaoh. Look at v. 38-40 (READ) I believe that Pharaoh saw the hand of God on Joseph- just as Potiphar had when Joseph ran his house and just as the chief jailer had when Joseph was in prison. And so, Pharoah empowered Joseph to carry out the role of ensuring a successful future for Egypt. Joseph was the right man for the job.

Certainly, like many leaders and politicians, Pharaoh could have given this responsibility to one of his ‘yes-men’ or taken his childhood buddy who played football with him and told him just what Joseph said and placed him in charge. But, that would have put the wrong person in the wrong seat.

ILL: There are a number of leadership books that point out how detrimental it is to have people in positions they are not gifted for. Leon Drennan, in his book Good King, Bad King, makes note that the Bible uses the picture of a human body and he says, feet make a lot of sense at the end of our legs, but they don’t make much sense sticking out the side of our heads. Likewise, we need to make sure we have the right people in the right places to accomplish the mission.

Special Note- Joseph was not only given a title, but he was given authority, resources, and trust.

Pharaoh knew the importance of Joseph’s role, but he did not micro-manage. He trusted that God had uniquely gifted Joseph and thus he delegated to Joseph and equipped him to do the job. He even paraded Joseph around so that everyone in Egypt would know that Joseph indeed had been given this kind of strength.

Every organization ought to have a strategy for success. In the church, we see that God has defined success as making disciples of all nations. The strategy will look different for different bodies and the strategy for doing that will change from time to time. Joseph didn’t continue to hold 1/5 of the produce in reserve each year following the famine. His strategy for success would change.

What we need to understand is that God is the provider of this strength and strategy. We will not be successful in fulfilling God’s call on our life apart from His empowerment through the Holy Spirit.

Discuss: What is your strategy for fulfilling the Great Commission? Are you serving in the right place?

When God’s plan comes together, He gives Vision and Wisdom, Strategy and Strength. Finally we see that

God Gives Purpose and Peace (50-54)

Joseph found himself doing what he was made to do. He had a reason to get up each morning, knowing what he was doing had a purpose bigger than himself.

I want you to look here at verses 50-54. (READ)

Genesis 41:50–54 NASB95

Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

Joseph married and had 2 boys. That’s sweet, but the point of that info is for us to see how God brought peace upon Joseph.

Remember how we talked about the importance of Hebrew names- how they were intentional and meaningful?

That is still true here.

Joseph’s first son was named “Manasseh” which literally is forgetfulness. He named him this because God has made him forget all his trouble and all the hard feelings against his brothers. God’s blessing- the peace and joy of life that Joseph now experienced made all the junk of his past fade away.

His second son was named, “Ephraim” which literally means “fruitfulness” He named him this because God made him fruitful or productive in the very land of his affliction.

In other words, God has brought purpose and peace into Joseph’s life in such a way that the 13 years he spent as a slave and prisoner can’t even compare to the joy of God’s blessing.

This narrative foreshadows what we see in the NT- Scriptures that remind us of God’s sovereignty and love.

Romans 8:28 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

When God’s plan comes together, He gives all the resources we need to live out the calling on our lives. Wisdom and Vision, Strategy and Strength, and Purpose and Peace.

Discuss: Are you living out God’s purpose for your life? If not, what steps do you need to take?

My question to you this morning is: Are you living out God’s call upon your life? I want to give you an action plan:

1 - PRAY- Ask God to show you what He desires for your life. Perhaps He has already burdened you and you don’t know what it means- First, PRAY, then

2 -Seek Counsel. Talk with other godly men and women about God’s call on your life.

When God placed the call on my life to go into ministry, I needed others to help me see that clearly.

I needed people to help me see the strategy for taking those steps.

3 - Trust that God will provide as you move forward in obedience. Not only will He provide a way, but you will have a purpose and peace about your life as you live out God’s Call.

Perhaps God is bringing His plan together in your life today. If God is speaking to your heart this morning, respond in obedience to Him.

Let’s pray: