Sermon Title: It's Not In Me!

This Week’s Word is Sovereignty: God's sovereignty includes both His power to do all that He wills and His rightful exercise of authority over His creation and His creatures. As the Almighty, His rule is righteous, and He expects human beings to recognize and submit to His lordship.

Fallen Condition Focus:

Essence of the Text in a Sentence: Joseph recognized his inability to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, but acknowledged God’s ability to give an answer.

Sermon Objective: I want those in attendance to put their faith in the ability of God by telling others of their inability handle life but God’s ability to handle life.

Sermon Text: Genesis 41:1-32

Sermon Title: It Is Not In Me!

Introduction: PRESENT THE PROBLEM. CONNECT MY AUDIENCE WITH THE PROBLEM. GET THE AUDIENCE ATTENTION (BUILD ETHOS, BUILD TRUST, GAIN A HEARING) SHOW THE AUDIENCE THAT THEY ARE IN NEED (EX. LACK OF LOVE, DEPRESSION, ETC.) APPEAL TO THEIR EMOTIONS AND THEN CALL THEM TO ACTION (PATHOS, APPEAL TO THEIR EMOTIONS)

Transition: SHOW THEM THAT THEY CAN FIND SATISFACTION IN WHAT THE WORD SAYS (LOGOS GIVE EVIDENCE, REASONING AND TRUTH) Provide orienting material by: (use one or more of the following) Previewing main points. Defining any technical terms that you will be using. State the big idea.

Big Idea of the Text:

As saints of God, we must testify to OUR inability and testify to GOD’S ability.

I. WHAT IS YOUR CONFESSION?

Exposition (What does that mean? Explain it): Hear the confession of Joseph! After being presented before the king as a someone who could interpret his dream, Joseph did not allow the gravity of this situation to overtake his rational thinking. He declared in verse 16

Genesis 41:16 (NKJV)

16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

Pharaoh has just told Joseph the report he received in verse 15

Genesis 41:15 (NKJV)

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

Joseph, you have the power to understand, to discern, to deduce, to grasp, to comprehend THIS riddle. Joseph, you have the power to interpret, to clarify, to expound, to explicate, illuminate, to analyze, to decipher, to unravel this mystery. WHAT WAS JOSEPH RESPONSE “IT IS NOT IN ME!” JOSEPH COULD LOOK AT HIS LIFE AND KNOW THAT HE HAS BEEN IN SOME TERRIBLE SITUATION. IN GENESIS 37:28, HIS BROTHERS THROW HIM IN A PIT AND HE COULD NOT STOP THEM. THEN THEY SOLD HIM INTO SLAVERY AND HE COULD NOT STOP THEM. IN GENESIS 39:20, POTIPHAR THREW HIM INTO PRISON ACCORDING TO THE LIE OF HIS WIFE AND JOSEPH COULD NOT STOP HIM. AT THIS POINT IN HIS LIFE JOSEPH KNEW THAT HE COULD NOT DEFEND HIMSELF.

YOU CANNOT DEFEND

YOU CANNOT DELIVER

YOU CANNOT DELINEATE

Application (What difference does it make? Apply it, what, where, why, and how): Positive Application: Describe the conditions if your solution is actually carried out. Picture the listeners in that situation actually enjoying the safety, pleasure, or pride that your proposal will produce. Negative Application: Describe conditions if your solution is not carried out. Picture the audience feeling the bad effects or unpleasantness that the failure to effect your solution will produce. Contrast Application: Combination of 1 and 2. Begin with the negative method (undesirable situation) and conclude with the positive method (desirable solution).

Are you guilty of thinking the power is in your ability?

Name times in the past when you thought you knew what to do.

Name ways you have spoken or acted like you have to power fix, correct, or change a situation. (Example: If I had been there . . . or I know how to fix them)

How will you change your speak in the future?

How will you change your actions in the future?

II. WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE?

JOSEPH COULD NOT DEFEND, BUT HE KNEW THAT THE LORD WILL FIGHT HIS BATTLES

JOSEPH COULD NOT DELIVER, BUT HE KNEW THAT THE LORD COULD RESCUE

JOSEPH COULD NOT DELINEATE, BUT HE KNEW THAT THE LORD COULD GIVE AN ANSWER OF PEACE THIS IS WHY HE TESTIFIED IN VERSE 16

Genesis 41:16 (NKJV)

16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

WHERE DID THIS CONFIDENCE COME FROM? YES, JOSEPH COULD DEFEND BUT GOD KEPT HIM. HE WOULD NOT LET HIS BROTHERS KILL HIM ALTHOUGH THEY HATED HIM, GOD WOULD NOT LET POTIPHAR KILL HIM ALTHOUGH HIS WIFE ACCUSED JOSEPH OF RAPE. GOD PRESERVES

GOD PRESERVES

Deuteronomy 6:24 NKJV

24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.

Psalm 41:2 NKJV

2 The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.

JOSEPH ALSO UNDERSTOOD THAT GOD PRESERVED HIM BECAUSE HE WAS PROTECTING

GOD PROTECTS

Psalm 5:11 NKJV

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

THIS IS WHY GOD IS CALLED A FORTRESS, A HIDING PLACE, A REFUGE , A SHIELD

GOD PROVIDES

Philippians 4:19 NKJV

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

CAN’T YOU HEAR ABRAHAM TELL ISAAC GOD WILL PROVIDE Genesis 22:8 (NKJV)

And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

TO WORD OF GOD TESTIFIES TO THE FACT THAT GOD WILL

GOD WILL BE WITH YOU Genesis 48:21 (NKJV)

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

GOD WILL KEEP YOU Deuteronomy 7:12 (NKJV)

“Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.

GOD WILL DRIVE OUT Deuteronomy 7:22 (NKJV)

“And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become [too] numerous for you.

GOD WILL PUT THE DREAD OF YOU Deuteronomy 11:25 (NKJV)

“No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.

GOD WILL BLESS Deuteronomy 15:6 (NKJV)

“For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

GOD WILL RAISE UP Deuteronomy 18:15 (NKJV)

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

GOD WILL BRING Deuteronomy 30:5 (NKJV)

“Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

GOD WILL CHANGE YOUR HEART Deuteronomy 30:6 (NKJV)

“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

GOD WILL JUDGE 1 Samuel 2:25 (NKJV)

“If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.

GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US Nehemiah 4:20 (NKJV)

“Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

GOD WILL REDEEM Psalm 49:15 (NKJV)

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah

GOD WILL HELP Isaiah 50:7 (NKJV)

“For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.

AND JOSEPH SAID IN GENESIS 41:32 AFTER HE TOLD HIM THE INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAM

“And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing [is] established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. GOD WILL BRING THIS TO PASS

HEAR THE CONFIDENCE!

YES, GOD WILL PRESERVE.

YES, GOD WILL PROTECT.

YES, GOD WILL PROVIDE.

WHEN MAN MAN WAS UNABLE TO HELP HIMSELF

ROMANS 5:6 “6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” SOME OF YOU

No one can comfort you like the Prince of Peace

No one can strengthen you like the Almighty

No one can counsel you like the Wonderful Counselor

No one can establish you like the Rock of Ages

No one can guide you like the Good Shepherd

No one can hold you like the Arm of the Lord

No one can defend you like the Advocate

No one can satisfy you like the Bread of Life

No one can deliver you like the Deliverer

No one can reign over you like the King of all kings

No one can rescue like the Savior

He deserves the glory

He deserves the honor

He deserves the praise

WE ARE weak, but in Christ we are strong…

WE ARE pathetic, but in Christ we are precious…

WE ARE a nobody, but in Christ we are somebody…

WE ARE dead, but in Christ we are made alive

Name ways you have not given God the credit for the things in your life or in others lives.

Name the new ways (meaning new to you) you will now give God the credit.

How will you incorporate these new ways in your life?

Theoretical demonstration: show how the solution logically and adequately meets the need pointed out in the need step, point-by-point!

Conclusion: Restatement of main idea and summary of main points. Statement of specific action or attitude change you want from the audience. A statement of your personal intent to take the course of action or attitude recommended. A concluding statement to recapture interest (a reason to remember). What is the action that needs to be taken and how will it change their life? HELP THEM VISUALIZE THE FULFILLMENT IF THEY TOOK ACTION (LOGOS GIVE EVIDENCE, REASONING AND TRUTH)

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