1 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:07,920 Thank you so much for listening to Riverbend Churches podcast. 2 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:11,560 Riverbend Church exists to bring people to Jesus, grow 3 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,280 generations in Jesus, and send disciples for Jesus. 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,320 We hope that you enjoy this message. 5 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:24,040 All right. Good morning, River in church. 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,560 Hope you're doing well. So glad to be able to worship 7 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:28,960 with you this Sunday. If we haven't had the chance to 8 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,040 meet yet, my name is Ben. Get to serve as the lead pastor 9 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,880 at Riverbend. If you are new, thank you so 10 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,280 much for choosing to be with us. We are in the midst of a series 11 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,040 called Joseph from Pit to Palace. 12 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:44,080 We've been in this series for several weeks, but before we 13 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,160 jump right back into the series, one just throw out kind of a 14 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:52,520 seemingly vague, seemingly rhetorical question. 15 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,640 Have you ever wanted to make a difference in someone else's 16 00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:59,440 life? Has there ever been a point in 17 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,720 time to where you really desired to make a difference? 18 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:04,280 Maybe it was in one person's life. 19 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:05,600 Maybe it was in a group of people's life. 20 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,440 Maybe it was an entire environment. 21 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:12,600 Have you ever wanted to make a difference in someone else's 22 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,160 life? My, my guess is the answer to 23 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,840 that is probably yes. But just to just kind of add 24 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,480 some participation if you're joining us online, when I say 25 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,640 raise your hand if you're driving, don't because you will 26 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,000 make a difference in someone else's life, just not in a 27 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,640 positive way. You're also going to make a 28 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:33,120 difference in your insurance premiums, but raise your hand if 29 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,920 you would say, hey, there's been a point in time or maybe you're 30 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,120 there right now. There has been a point in time 31 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,800 to where I know I have desperately wanted to make a 32 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:42,880 difference in someone else's life. 33 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,080 Raise your hand. Probably every single one of us, 34 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,160 right? You're, you're either there now 35 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,840 or you have been you. You're either at A at a point of 36 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,160 like passion, God, please use me, or you. 37 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,960 You can think back to a point to where you were passionate about 38 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,440 the possibility of God using you. 39 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,960 I have no doubt that the vast majority of us, if not all of 40 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,560 us, we would love to have God use our life to make a 41 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:13,480 difference in our homes and in the in the men and women and in 42 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,880 the family members of of our family. 43 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,160 I have no doubt that there's that students you, you have no 44 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,280 you, you have a desire, deep desire for God to use your life 45 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:29,080 to make a difference in your school or or if you're if you're 46 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:34,040 if you're working in an office, no doubt online in the room, no 47 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,520 doubt about it. You have a desire, a deep desire 48 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,000 for God to use your life to make a difference in your workplace 49 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,440 environment. The desire is there, right? 50 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,120 I think that we can all agree that the desire to make a 51 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,960 difference for God, to allow God to use our lives to make a 52 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:56,040 difference, that is there. The variable, however, at least 53 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,640 it is for me, is I start to think about my own limitations. 54 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,760 I start to think about how big the issue is. 55 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,880 And then when I factor in the fierce undercurrent of culture, 56 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,800 then I, I, I'm kind of left paralyzed. 57 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,440 So the variable is not do we want God to use our lives to 58 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,200 make a difference for Him in the lives of other people? 59 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,600 The question is, how do we even start? 60 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:26,600 How do we even start allowing God to use us to make a 61 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,560 difference in other people's life? 62 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,840 And, and that's really where we're going to be heading this 63 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,120 morning, looking at the life of a man by the name of Joseph. 64 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,760 Over the past several weeks, we've been walking through this 65 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,640 life of a guy by the name of Joseph, whose life, his ups and 66 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:47,000 downs are chronicled for us in the book of Genesis. 67 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,520 So if you have a Bible with you, I want to invite you to find 68 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:53,440 Genesis chapter 41. Genesis chapter 41 is where 69 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,080 we're going to be hanging out this morning. 70 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,280 And if you're new to the series, let me kind of go ahead and and 71 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,640 give you some brief background info that's going to be helpful 72 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,400 to kind of catch you up to make sure that what we're about to 73 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,200 read together is going to make a little bit more sense. 74 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,840 This guy by the name of Joseph, he was severely beaten. 75 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,360 He was betrayed. He was sold into slavery by his 76 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,200 brothers at the age of 17 years old. 77 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,880 He was then carted off over 300 miles away from home into the 78 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,240 foreign country and culture of Egypt to where he was sold again 79 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:26,880 as a slave to a man by the name of Potiphar. 80 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,560 He's false accused of crimes he did not commit. 81 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,720 He's thrown into prison. If you were with us last week, 82 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:38,400 we talked about how Joseph was forgotten by his only ally and 83 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:43,360 his only legal lifelong the a guy that was that was Pharaoh's 84 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:48,040 royal cupbearer to where Joseph interpreted a dream for him. 85 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,280 And Joseph in return said, hey, listen, the only thing that I 86 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:54,480 ask is if you that you Remember Me when Pharaoh brings you up 87 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,280 out of the prison into the palace 3 days from now. 88 00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:00,880 Mr. Cupbearer, would you please mention my name and my case to 89 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,800 Pharaoh because I'm here unjustly. 90 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,040 I didn't do anything wrong. I was snatched from my hometown 91 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:08,960 and I was card off 300 miles away. 92 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,080 And the cupbearers like, yeah, I got you Joseph. 93 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:15,320 And then we read the end of Chapter 40 to where it said and 94 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,200 the cupbearer forgot about Joseph. 95 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,320 So here you got this guy sitting in prison, falsely accused, did 96 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,240 nothing wrong, but all accounts pretty much did everything 97 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,840 right. And he's forgotten about by his 98 00:05:26,840 --> 00:05:33,680 only ally in legal lifeline. Any one of those things, one of 99 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:35,360 the things we've been talking about throughout this series, 100 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,360 any one of those things, much less all of them combined 101 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,720 collectively over a short amount of time could have greatly 102 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,040 threatened Joseph. And we would even say naturally 103 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,680 would have threatened Joseph to to break him to it would have 104 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:52,440 greatly tempted him to just kind of give up being faithful to 105 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:54,320 God. It would have tempted him just 106 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:58,240 to kind of go along with it, go with the flow and to live kind 107 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,840 of in survival mode without any type of purpose behind. 108 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:04,880 But he didn't. And one of the things that we 109 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,160 see playing out through the life of Joseph is a truth and a 110 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:10,360 principle that's been serving as the big idea throughout our 111 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:12,000 series. And if you've been with us over 112 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,360 these last few weeks, this will sound very familiar. 113 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,200 But if you're new to Riverbend or new to the series, let me go 114 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:18,520 ahead and introduce you to the new idea. 115 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,600 If you're taking notes with us, just jot this down. 116 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,240 What can easily break you and God turns in to breakthrough. 117 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,280 What can easily break you, God turns in to breakthrough. 118 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:30,440 And we've seen through the life of Joseph the things that could 119 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,000 have easily broken him. God is going to actually end up 120 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,840 turning to the good. He's going to end up turning to 121 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:39,280 the good. And here we got a guy that was 122 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:41,360 that, that was thrown into a pit. 123 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,880 He was thrown into a prison. And then God turned those things 124 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,880 that could have easily broken him into breakthrough to where 125 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,320 now he's elevated. By the time we get to Genesis 126 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:55,840 41, he's elevated to the palace of Pharaoh. 127 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,360 But if you were with us last week, we talked about how the 128 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,800 palace wasn't so much a destination as much as it was a 129 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,960 platform for Joseph's mission. To show you what I mean, I want 130 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,880 to get you to look Genesis chapter 41, and we're going to 131 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,600 look at just verse 46. So it says, Joseph was 30 years 132 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,760 old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 133 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:21,800 And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went 134 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,600 through all the land of Egypt. During the seven plentiful 135 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,360 years, the earth produced abundantly. 136 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,760 And he gathered up all the food of those seven years which 137 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,760 occurred in the land of Egypt. And he put the food in the 138 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:34,600 cities. He put in every city the food 139 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,880 from the fields around it. And Joseph stored up grain in 140 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,240 great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to 141 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,720 measure it, for it could not be measured. 142 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,040 Now what's going on there is Joseph is actually brought up 143 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,800 from the prison to Pharaoh's palace because Pharaoh had a 144 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:55,880 series of dreams, disturbing dreams, and God gave Pharaoh the 145 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,360 interpretation of these dreams through Joseph. 146 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,240 And the interpretation of the dreams was, hey, Pharaoh, 147 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,000 there's going to be 7 years of, of plenty. 148 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,080 There's going to be 7 years to where crops, like crops are 149 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,920 going to grow abundantly like never before. 150 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,240 And, and, and that's going to be a blessing, but then following 151 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,000 those seven years, there's going to be 7 years of severe famine. 152 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:19,960 And this wasn't just a interpretation of dream for 153 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,080 information. It was an interpretation of a 154 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:26,240 dream for action. So what Joseph could have done 155 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:30,080 being elevated to 2nd command after Pharaoh, Pharaoh's dreams 156 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:34,039 are interpreted by Joseph. Joseph is elevated by Pharaoh to 157 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:36,760 2nd command. Pharaoh could have just sat 158 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,520 there and went, hey, great info Joseph. 159 00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:43,880 Thanks so much for the heads up. But again, this interpretation 160 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,560 of the dream was never just for information. 161 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:51,800 It was for action. Look with me down at verse 56. 162 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:57,240 It says so when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph 163 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:00,760 opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the 164 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:03,760 famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 165 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,440 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain 166 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,240 because the famine was severe over all the earth. 167 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:16,720 So in seven years, ironically 7 verses later, from a time of 168 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,480 plenty and abundance, you have this massive famine. 169 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,200 You have this massive famine that that breaks loose on the 170 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,440 entire region. And just kind of as an 171 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:32,200 interesting side note, just kind of doing some research into this 172 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:36,800 message, there is an island in the South of Egypt. 173 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,760 It's actually located in the middle of the Nile River called 174 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,240 the Sahel Island. SEHEL, the Sahel island. 175 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:49,520 And in 1889, in 1889, there was an American journalist and 176 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,360 explorer by the name of CE Wilbur. 177 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:57,320 CE Wilbur decided to go on Sahel Island. 178 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,920 And on Sahel Island he finds this stone. 179 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:04,560 And on this stone there are 32 lines of Egyptian hieroglyphics 180 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:09,080 inscribed on this stone. This stone is now known as the 181 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:14,160 the famine, The Famine Stella. The famine Stella is a stone 182 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:19,400 that has 32 lines of Egyptian hieroglyphics that outline 7 183 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:24,440 years of severe famine during the Egyptian dynasty, to which 184 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,960 most scholars believe that that corresponds with these seven 185 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:33,080 years of famine that Genesis 41 is actually referring to. 186 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,560 Also, just kind of as an interesting side note, there's a 187 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:39,320 cave system in India. There's a cave system in India 188 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:44,760 by the name of Malu Cave. In Malu Cave, geologists tell us 189 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,560 that there is evidence of this mega drought that affected the 190 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:54,360 entire world and they're able to date it about 4000 years ago to 191 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:59,080 the time of Joseph. Isn't it amazing how archaeology 192 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:03,160 many times catches up with the Bible and what the Bible tells 193 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:06,960 us is happening? So you have Joseph actually 194 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:11,640 leading the nation of Israel to conserve grain so that through 195 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:16,440 their conservation, God can save not just Egypt, but the region 196 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:20,200 around Egypt, the world region around Egypt from mass 197 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:24,400 starvation. Now, as we've done in every week 198 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,240 throughout this series, we have to ask ourselves three main 199 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,680 questions. Number one, what does any of 200 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:33,360 this tell us about Joseph? What does any of this tell us 201 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,360 about God? And most importantly for us, if 202 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,440 you're new to church, you're probably wondered, why does any 203 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,600 of this matter to me? Thanks for the history lesson. 204 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:45,600 But why in the world does this matter to me? 205 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,080 And what we're going to see together is it's going to have 206 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:52,800 massive implications for you and I and where we are right now, 207 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,240 where we've been, where we are and. 208 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,920 Where God's going to take us. So let's start with that first 209 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,360 question. What does these two passages 210 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:01,560 that we just read? What does it tell us about 211 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:03,720 Joseph? The first thing it tells about 212 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,160 Joseph is the palace was never Joseph's prize. 213 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,680 It was his platform the the palace. 214 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:14,360 Was never Joseph's prize. It was his platform. 215 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:19,040 You see, we can say that it was never Joseph's prize because 216 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,920 Joseph didn't do anything to earn the palace. 217 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,760 He didn't do anything to deserve the palace. 218 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,200 So it wasn't his prize that he won. 219 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:30,560 Instead, it was Joseph's platform. 220 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:33,200 Platform for what? It was the platform for his 221 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,000 mission to tell the people around him about his God. 222 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:42,000 And everywhere that Joseph went all the way through from Exodus 223 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:46,400 or from Genesis 37 all the way to Genesis 50, we see Joseph 224 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:50,480 telling the people around him about his God, that there is one 225 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,960 true God that loves them and that he knows them, and that 226 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,640 this one true God, they can know him. 227 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:02,400 So this elevating to the palace wasn't a prize that Joseph 228 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:04,920 earned or something that he deserved. 229 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:09,320 It actually was a platform to continue, continue His mission. 230 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,840 And now being second command over the entire nation of Egypt, 231 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:17,280 that platform was even greater. One of the truths that you and I 232 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:21,680 that we talked about last week is when God elevates us, when 233 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:27,280 God promotes us to the palace, when He raises our platform, it 234 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,080 is not for necessarily our own benefit. 235 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:34,400 It is so that His message can reach further and that's exactly 236 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,160 what we see happening in the life of Joseph. 237 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,520 Second thing that this entire passage tells us about Joseph is 238 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,400 Joseph knew that the palace because it wasn't a prize, but 239 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:45,840 it was a platform. He knew that the palace was not 240 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,720 for resting. It wasn't for bragging, but it 241 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:53,680 was for what it was for serving. It wasn't for resting. 242 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,160 It wasn't for bragging, but it was for serving. 243 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,840 Now, I'm going to ask that you that you put yourself in the 244 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:02,240 shoes of Joseph for just a moment. 245 00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:09,640 I have no doubt whatsoever that Joseph's bed in his bedroom was 246 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:14,560 much more comfortable than baking in the bottom of a pit in 247 00:14:14,560 --> 00:14:16,560 the desert when he was 17 years old. 248 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:22,440 I am 1000% confident in saying that Joseph's bed and his 249 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,840 bedroom, his living quarters in the palace, was far more 250 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:29,040 comfortable than being carted off in a slave cart. 251 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:32,760 I would guarantee you that his bed and his living quarters and 252 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,200 his arrangements in the palace were far greater, much more 253 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:40,080 luxurious and more comfortable than his slave quarters in 254 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,400 Potiphar's house. And they certainly were much 255 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:46,720 more comfortable than his prison digs and all those years that he 256 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:51,080 spent in prison. It would have been so easy, it 257 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,040 would have been so easy and and even maybe expected by some for 258 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:59,920 Joseph to be shown to his palace quarters to be tucked into bed, 259 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:03,280 have like a nice little Andy's Candies mint, put on his pillow 260 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:08,200 and sit there and go ah this is the life and not leave his 261 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,880 bedroom. But Joseph knew that the palace 262 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:14,560 wasn't for resting, nor was it for bragging. 263 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,440 Again, put yourself in Joseph's shoes. 264 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:23,720 He is a 30 year old young man who has gone from a slave, a 265 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:29,920 foreign foreign slave, to 2nd command of all of Egypt Pharaohs 266 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:32,520 right hand man. The only person that is more 267 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,960 powerful in the entire Egyptian empire at that point in time, it 268 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,720 was Pharaoh himself. And that was completely 269 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,400 unprecedented. And it could have been very easy 270 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:45,400 for Joseph to, to get a big head and to, to, to become arrogant 271 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,360 and go, man, look at how far I've come to look at life. 272 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:53,240 As he was experiencing then in light of where he came from and 273 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,960 go man, look at how far I've come, I've made it. 274 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:02,080 And it could have been a place of bragging, but instead. 275 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,440 Joseph knew that it wasn't a place of resting for resting. 276 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,880 It wasn't a place for bragging. It was a place of leading by 277 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,200 serving others. This isn't in your notes. 278 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,840 This is just a side point. If you're in any type of 279 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,560 leadership position, whether it's in the home, whether it's 280 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:21,600 in your neighborhood, whether it's on your team, whether it's 281 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:25,000 in your class, whether it's in your workplace, if you're in any 282 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:30,240 leadership position, the way to lead that follows the example of 283 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:34,240 Jesus is by serving others. It is not about, it's not about 284 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:36,040 a title, it's not about a position. 285 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:39,120 It's about serving others. That's free. 286 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:45,000 But Joseph knew that the palace was a place for him to lead by 287 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,600 serving. So how did he serve? 288 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:53,920 He actually got out to city to city, region to region and he 289 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:56,280 went to work. He went to work. 290 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,960 He served the Egyptian people by convincing them, hey, listen, 291 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:02,680 there's seven years of plenty that are coming. 292 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,400 Agricultural growth. We're going to have lots of 293 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,359 grain, lots of food. We need to store it back. 294 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:14,359 We need to store it back and he led. 295 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:17,640 The nation he served the nation of Egypt by causing them to 296 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:19,920 serve to to store back their grain. 297 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:24,240 He also ended up serving the entire region of that world by 298 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,400 storing back the grain and causing them to avoid 299 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,600 starvation. But how does Joseph serving, how 300 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:36,240 does it coincide with his position and his platform? 301 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,000 Remember what we said that Joseph's position was or his 302 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,880 platform was, his mission was? Is to tell people about his God. 303 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,840 Now I'm going to ask that we go back in time 4000 years ago. 304 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,280 Let's say that you're a city leader and you got this young 30 305 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,720 year old that's coming up. He he, he's not even he's not 306 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:55,680 he's not from around here at all. 307 00:17:55,680 --> 00:18:00,640 He's from over 300 miles away. And he comes and tells you, hey, 308 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,040 listen, we need to put some of this food back. 309 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:07,120 We need to build some silos. We need to identify an area of 310 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:11,160 town or maybe an area outside of the outside of this development 311 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:12,720 over here. And we need to build some grain 312 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,840 silos. And you got to imagine that 313 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,600 these city leaders or these officials, these regional 314 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,160 officials who've probably been at their job longer than 315 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,800 Joseph's even been alive. There's got to be a lot of 316 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,680 sideways glances and rolled eyes. 317 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:31,400 And basically there's probably going to be one of them that has 318 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:33,880 the courage to go. Hey, Sir, can I ask you a 319 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:36,160 question? Why? 320 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,600 How confident? Like, why should we do it? 321 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:43,680 Like, how do you know that what you're asking us to do is 322 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,800 actually necessary? And Can you imagine Joseph's 323 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:48,520 response? I guarantee you. 324 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,720 He probably had the same conversation from every city, 325 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:56,200 from every regional leader. Hey, my God told me that this is 326 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,640 what we should be doing. And you got to imagine, you got 327 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,280 to imagine these city officials, these regional leaders probably 328 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:04,920 just rolled their eyes and go, all right, you heard the guy. 329 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,600 Let's build the silos. Let's put the let's put the the 330 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,520 grain reserves in the silos. I think he's kind of off his 331 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:12,440 rocker. I think the old man Pharaoh, I 332 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,720 think he's kind of lost it. He's appointed the wrong 333 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,160 secretary of agriculture. But listen, that's above my pay 334 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:19,720 grade. We're just going to go ahead and 335 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,480 do what the guy tells us to do. And they probably did that for 336 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:27,880 the first seven years. But I wonder what their response 337 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:29,960 was when the seven years of famine happened. 338 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,200 I guarantee you those same city leaders in those regional 339 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,440 leaders probably thought back to those conversations with Joseph 340 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,520 and go and thought, you know what, he was right. 341 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,760 There's something to that guy's God. 342 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:46,200 And because Joseph didn't view the palace as a prize, but as a 343 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,840 platform for his mission, there were probably a lot of people 344 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,960 that were led to a faith and a trust in God. 345 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:56,800 So that's what it tells us about Joseph. 346 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaking of Joseph's God, what does this passage tell us about 347 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:02,320 God? Number one, God will equip us 348 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:06,040 for what he's called us to. God will equip us for what He's 349 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:11,120 called us to now. 30 year old Joseph. 350 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:15,840 Let's talk a little bit about what Joseph would need in order 351 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:22,000 to be able to a do his job and B come across as halfway credible 352 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:26,160 in his job as the new Egyptian Secretary of agriculture. 353 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,440 All right, just to name a few just off the top of our head. 354 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,480 Joseph would at least need a working knowledge, a working 355 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:38,480 knowledge of agriculture, right, like botany and horticulture and 356 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:42,480 irrigation. Joseph Wood would probably need 357 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:48,200 a working knowledge, a working knowledge of mathematics to to 358 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,600 be able to rightly ration the people's food or to lead the 359 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,600 city and the regional leaders to rightly ration the the the 360 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:59,840 people's food during the seven years of of plenty. 361 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,880 He would probably need a basic understanding of economics to 362 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:07,720 lead these areas in building new grain silos. 363 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:11,080 These grain silos didn't exist. They didn't have like empty 364 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,560 grain silos that that Joseph is going. 365 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,000 Hey, listen, I know that way back in the day, your grand 366 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,960 pappy, he built this grain silo and it's been sitting dormant 367 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,800 ever since. It's we need to build new grain 368 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,680 silos. We need to build grain silos 369 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,520 outside the city, inside the city, because there's a famine 370 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:30,240 that's going to take place. And here's how we need to do 371 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:31,960 that. He would need, at the very 372 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:35,880 least, a basic understanding of diplomacy to know how to to get 373 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,360 things done and to know how to grease the wheels of these city 374 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:41,680 leaders in these regional leaders. 375 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,080 Now, if you've been with us throughout these past few weeks, 376 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:49,000 let me ask you a question. Where in the world in Joseph's 377 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:54,520 illustrious background? As a former slave and convict, 378 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,400 do you think that Joseph got any of that training? 379 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,680 He didn't. So how in the world was Joseph 380 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:09,080 able to do what God called him to do is because God equipped 381 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:14,240 Joseph to do what God called Joseph to do. 382 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:17,160 Did you know the same thing is true for you and I? 383 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:23,280 Is that whatever God calls us to, he will equip us for. 384 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,360 And we're going to come back to this, to this thought in just a 385 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:28,120 moment. You see, I'm convinced that 386 00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:30,880 there are men and women and students with us this morning in 387 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:35,000 the room and online that you have a God sized dream that you 388 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:40,280 have this crazy big dream or you have this, you have this calling 389 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,760 that you feel that God has placed to own your life. 390 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,880 And if you're new to church, let me kind of identify or let me 391 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:50,160 kind of define calling. Calling is when God places 392 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:54,320 strategic and specific opportunities in front of you 393 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:58,480 for you to seize and to walk into because you know you have a 394 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,320 confidence that he's the one that's placed those in front of 395 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,000 you and you have the confidence that this is his work in and 396 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,680 through you. That's calling. 397 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,760 Some of us, we have a God size calling, but we're so 398 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:15,040 intimidated to step into that calling because we feel so in 399 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,920 equipped or unequipped for that calling. 400 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:20,040 And here's what I would tell you. 401 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:25,240 Do not allow what you are not equipped for now to keep you 402 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,960 from being obedient to what God has called you to just as God 403 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:35,920 gave Joseph on the job training many times, many times God 404 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,920 equips us while we are in motion. 405 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:41,800 Many times God equips us while we're in motion. 406 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,520 And if you grew up in church, you know all the all the Bible 407 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,840 excuses out there be like, well. The Israelites didn't walk 408 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:52,440 across on dry ground in the Red Sea until the waters parted, so 409 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:54,720 I'm just waiting for the waters to part in front of me and then 410 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:58,720 I know well that's true. But if you read. 411 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,640 On into the book of Joshua did you know that God also parted 412 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,120 the Jordan River? But when did he part the Jordan 413 00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:07,960 River? It says when the people's feet 414 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,640 first touched the water, the river parted. 415 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:16,000 If you see more times than not God equips us in the midst of 416 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,200 motion and obedience to Him, then He does in our waiting. 417 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:26,280 Do not allow, never allow what you feel unequipped for to 418 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:31,160 hinder you from following what God has called you to. 419 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:36,640 There's an old Christian saying. There's an old Christian bumper 420 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:40,000 sticker theology and y'all know how much I love bumper sticker 421 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:43,400 theology. There's an old Christian, we'll 422 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,200 call it Christianese if you will, but it's but it is very 423 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:51,280 true. God does not call the equipped, 424 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:55,800 He equips the called. That's true. 425 00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:00,320 God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. 426 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:04,640 So listen, here's what I would tell you that our responsibility 427 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:09,320 is walking forward in obedience. God's responsibility is 428 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,600 equipping us while we're walking forward in obedience. 429 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:14,560 And here's the best news of it all. 430 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,240 God is always faithful. God is always faithful. 431 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,760 Can I throw, before we transition into that next point 432 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:23,440 about God, Can I throw something else out? 433 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:28,480 Because I'm, I'm, I'm firmly believing that there are some of 434 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:33,120 us this morning that that God has put a burning passion on 435 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:35,200 your life and a calling on your life. 436 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,480 And I don't know what all that looks like, but there's a 437 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,560 hesitancy. There's a hesitancy to step into 438 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:45,240 that because you're afraid that you're not equipped and because 439 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:48,360 you're not equipped that you're going to fall flat on your face. 440 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:51,240 Let me get you to think about it from a different angle. 441 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:57,120 Did you know that God probably cares more about your calling, 442 00:25:57,120 --> 00:26:00,800 you, stepping forward in your obedience and using you to bring 443 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:05,440 about His glory than you do? I think that God wants to 444 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,440 release us of a lot of fear to where he says, hey, listen, I 445 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:11,520 know that you're afraid of failure. 446 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:14,240 I got you. I got that. 447 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:16,920 I'm more concerned about failure than you are, Ben. 448 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:23,000 So listen, God will always equip us for what He has called us to. 449 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:25,840 Second thing that we know about God or that this tells us about 450 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:29,480 God is God cares about the one and the 99. 451 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,120 God cares about the one and the 99. 452 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:38,200 This right here is a reference to a parable that Jesus told is 453 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:42,720 recorded to for us twice, once in the book of Matthew, once in 454 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,400 the book of Luke. And a parable is a story that 455 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:51,280 God that Jesus would tell to bring about a spiritual point 456 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,880 and a spiritual truth. It's an understandable story or 457 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,920 illustration that would be greatly understood and 458 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,720 universally understood by the people of his original crowd and 459 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:04,120 audience that pointed people to a truth about God. 460 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:10,360 And in this one, he tells the story of a shepherd who loses 1 461 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:12,120 sheet. Here's what here's what I want 462 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,800 to show you. Look at Matthew chapter 18 in 463 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:16,440 your notes. I gave you both references. 464 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,200 You can look both of them up. The one in loose a little bit 465 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,440 longer. But Matthew 18, Jesus says, what 466 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:24,640 do you think if a man has 100 sheep and one of them has gone 467 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,600 astray, does he not leave the 99 on the mountains and go in 468 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,040 search of the one that went astray? 469 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:33,480 And if he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more 470 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,920 than over the 99 that never went astray. 471 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,080 What's Jesus point in this parable? 472 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:43,200 Jesus point in the parable is he's pointing out to us how much 473 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:47,840 God loves us, and as a matter of fact that he's telling us that 474 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:52,040 if we were the only person, if you were the only person on 475 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,800 earth, that God loves you so much that he would send his son 476 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:59,560 to die on a cross for you so that you could be made right 477 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:03,480 with him. He's talking about the emphasis 478 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:08,600 on the one, but the emphasis on the 1 does not devalue the 99. 479 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:11,600 The emphasis of the one does not devalue the 99. 480 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,600 As a matter of fact, we look at the pattern of how God uses men 481 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,160 and women. And God has always specialized 482 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:23,000 and still specializes in using the life of a fully devoted man 483 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:26,760 or woman, a fully devoted man or woman, to him to change the 484 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,520 course, to change the trajectory in the course of generations to 485 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,520 come. So in this case, God uses the 486 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:38,760 one Joseph to reach the 99 in Egypt. 487 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,600 And guess what? He still does the same with you 488 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:43,800 and I. One of the reasons that God 489 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:48,080 wants to use you so much the 1, is so that you can go out and 490 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:51,960 reach the multitudes. You can go out and reach the 99. 491 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:57,360 So God cares about the one and He cares about the 99. 492 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,240 So what does any of this tell us about ourselves? 493 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:05,720 This is where it comes to. Why does any of this matter to 494 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:08,000 me? Here's the first thing I would 495 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,120 tell you. When I walk in obedience to God, 496 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,080 those around me also experience His blessing. 497 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,960 When I walk in obedience to God, those around me also experience 498 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:23,200 His blessing. You see, not only did Pharaoh, 499 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:27,160 but the entire Egyptian empire in that region of the world 500 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:31,200 experienced the blessing of God through Joseph's faithfulness 501 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,720 and obedience to God. And it's the same thing for you 502 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,400 and I. Is when you and I walk in 503 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:41,680 obedience with God, then those around us in our immediate 504 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,800 sphere of influence in our immediate sphere of influence, 505 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,160 they also will experience God's blessing. 506 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:50,520 Does I was talking to somebody this morning and we were talking 507 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:53,760 about just kind of aversions to to to crowds. 508 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:58,280 Let me kind of introduce this is like been vernacular. 509 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,120 Has any of y'all, any of y'all ever heard of the hula hoop 510 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,360 rule? Here's the hula hoop rule. 511 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:08,240 Imagine that I have a hula hoop around me and imagine that you 512 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,680 have a hula hoop around you and I promise not to get in your 513 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:13,800 hula hoop if you promise not to get in my hula hoop. 514 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:16,160 That's the hula hoop rule, right? 515 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:20,640 We love the people that that are like really close talkers, don't 516 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:21,880 we? To where we're constantly 517 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,840 backing up and they constantly follow us as if as if it's some 518 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,120 type of dance. The reason I bring up the hula 519 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:30,000 hoop rule is think about the relationships and the levels of 520 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,400 influence that we have around us. 521 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,760 That my obedience to God, God always blesses my obedience 522 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,920 towards him and his in my faithfulness towards him. 523 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:40,880 And guess who else gets secondhand blessing out of that? 524 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,440 The people that are in my close proximity. 525 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:45,680 Same things true for for you and I. 526 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,640 So here's where I would tell you Dad, father figure. 527 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,320 If you want your family to experience the blessing of God, 528 00:30:54,640 --> 00:31:00,480 you need to be very resolute in being obedient to His ways and 529 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:05,000 submissive to His word. Ma'am, if you want your friend 530 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,280 group to experience the blessing of God, you have to be very 531 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:13,000 resolute that, hey, listen, I'm going to be obedient to the word 532 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,120 of God and I'm going to be submissive to the ways of God. 533 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:18,800 If you're, if you're an employer, if you're a 534 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:22,840 supervisor, if, if you're a team lead, if you want your team, you 535 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:25,520 want your organization to experience the blessing of God. 536 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:27,880 And by the way, when we're talking about blessing of God, 537 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:29,960 we're not talking about health and wealth. 538 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,160 What we're talking about is peace in the midst of chaos. 539 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:36,160 We're talking about joy in the midst of the storm. 540 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:39,240 We're talking about a love, a supernatural love in the midst 541 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,560 of massive polarization. If you want your team to 542 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:46,640 experience the blessing of God, then you have got to be resolute 543 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,640 to. And walk faithfully in the ways 544 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:53,560 of God and live fully surrender to the word of God. 545 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:59,800 You see other people are blessed that second hand blessing God 546 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,800 has a way of blessing the people around me through my 547 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,040 faithfulness and my obedience to him. 548 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:09,720 Second thing is this tells us about God is even the smallest 549 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:13,360 steps of obedience today set the stage for God's greater work 550 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:16,520 tomorrow. The smallest steps, the 551 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:20,160 seemingly smallest steps of obedience today set the stage 552 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:24,600 for God's greater work tomorrow. This is where we come full 553 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:26,840 circle back to our original question. 554 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:30,440 Remember our original question, original question was, hey, has 555 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:33,160 there ever been a point in time and maybe you're there now to 556 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:36,400 where you really want to make a difference in someone else's 557 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,360 life. You want God to use you to make 558 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:43,640 a difference in the lives of of maybe your classroom, maybe the 559 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:47,840 lives of your workplace, the lives in your home, but you just 560 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:50,600 don't know where to start. You don't know where to start. 561 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,640 This is where we come full circle to that. 562 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:56,520 Let's look at the example of Joseph, the life of Joseph. 563 00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:01,520 Do you know where it all began for Joseph? 564 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:08,360 I think it began with that first footstep outside of Joseph's 565 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:12,160 palace bedroom. Where he could have stayed in 566 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:15,000 bed, he could have enjoyed the lap of luxury. 567 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:19,800 It began with that one small step, and then that step led to 568 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:20,880 another step. To where? 569 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,960 Then those series of steps led him from city to city and town 570 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:29,400 to town and region to region. To where that one small, 571 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:36,280 seemingly small step of Joseph led to a blessing of an entire 572 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:40,200 nation. Let me ask you a question. 573 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,440 What's your small step of obedience this morning? 574 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:48,040 Let me be very, very like vulnerable, very real and very 575 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:51,520 honest with you, church, whether you're in the room, whether 576 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:55,640 you're with us online. I happen to believe that anytime 577 00:33:55,640 --> 00:34:00,120 we gather together, anytime we spend time in God's Word, I 578 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:03,760 believe that there's always a step of obedience that God calls 579 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,280 us to. I believe there's always a step 580 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:07,920 of obedience that God calls us to. 581 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,120 We don't gather together to sit there and go. 582 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:14,560 Man, I didn't know about that. That was good background info. 583 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:17,280 I'll remember that next time I watch Jeopardy. 584 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:24,000 It's not just like God's interpretation of of of 585 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,480 Pharaoh's dreams to Pharaoh. They weren't given for 586 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:28,199 information, they were given for action. 587 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:32,719 Whenever we spend time in God's word and, and especially when 588 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:36,199 we're together corporately and we lift our voices and sing 589 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:39,719 together and we pray together and we're encouraged by one 590 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:42,000 another, it's never for information. 591 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,400 It's always for action. And that action is what is that 592 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,840 small step of obedience that God is calling me to? 593 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:52,920 You know that that that step of obedience may be for you this 594 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:56,040 morning. I need to finally let go and 595 00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:59,920 surrender my life to Jesus. I need to know that I have a 596 00:34:59,920 --> 00:35:03,440 relationship with God. Let me tell you a really cool 597 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:05,840 story. If you were with us last last 598 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:07,360 Sunday night or night of worship. 599 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:11,640 I told this story after the 11:00 service last week. 600 00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:15,120 There, there was a man and a woman that were standing like 601 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:16,880 right here. It was right after the service 602 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,560 and they, they were just waiting, they're waiting to, to, 603 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:25,200 to say something, to talk. So this man and woman, they come 604 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:27,600 up to me and they say, Hey, we need to talk to you about being 605 00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:29,240 baptized. And I was like, well, that's 606 00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:31,480 great. Let's talk about what is, what 607 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,840 is baptism? Tell me about your relationship 608 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:35,480 with Jesus. They, we don't have a 609 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:37,360 relationship with Jesus. That's what we came to talk to 610 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:40,080 you about because we want to have a relationship with Jesus. 611 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:42,640 And I was like, I tell you what, let's go to my office. 612 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,880 So go to my office and and I'm talking to him. 613 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:48,800 And I was like, so you want to give your life to Jesus? 614 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,120 And they're like, yes, that's why we are here. 615 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:53,200 And they're looking at me like you're a pastor, right? 616 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:55,640 Like you seem pretty dense on this. 617 00:35:55,840 --> 00:36:00,360 That's why we are here. So anyway, they both this 618 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:02,800 husband and wife, they give their life to Jesus and we're 619 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:06,120 going to be able to celebrate their baptism with twelve 620 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:10,200 others, at least twelve others next Sunday night at our late 621 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:14,840 baptism at Laurel Park. So after, after, after I, after 622 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:19,040 I get up, pray with them, walk them out, I go looking for 623 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:20,560 Julie. I was like, all right, so 624 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:21,880 where's Julie? We need to find out. 625 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,320 Are we going to Taco Mac or going to El Sombrero? 626 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:26,160 Because those are pretty much the Sunday options, right? 627 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:30,320 And I can't find Julie. So I'm walking up and down the 628 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:32,520 hallway and I pass the conference room and I see 629 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,080 somebody in the, in the conference room and, and there 630 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:39,680 Julie is and their, their, their lady in our church is and, and, 631 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:42,440 and A and a child. And they motioned for me to come 632 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:44,680 in. And this 5th grade little girl 633 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:46,640 said, Hey, I need to give my life to Jesus. 634 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:51,640 And it's just absolutely amazing to where in the span of just a 635 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:55,960 few minutes, we have a husband and wife, We have a 5th grade 636 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:57,840 little girl give their life to Jesus. 637 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:01,920 Later on that afternoon, we get a we, we get a message, our, our 638 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:05,360 all staff Slack message, one of our staff members, her, her 639 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:07,480 father-in-law gave his life to Jesus. 640 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:11,560 And we're sitting there going, praise God, Maybe this morning, 641 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:16,280 maybe this morning, your step of obedience, you know what it is, 642 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:19,560 is to let go and to give your life to Jesus. 643 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,280 Maybe your step of obedience is you've given your life to Jesus. 644 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:27,440 But every time we talk about baptism, you start to tense up 645 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:29,880 because you know that that's a step of obedience that you need 646 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:31,440 to take in your relationship with God. 647 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:33,600 You're just hesitant to do so because you're worried about 648 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:35,040 what the other people around you're going to think. 649 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:36,840 Let me go ahead and tell you what they're going to think. 650 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:38,240 They're going to celebrate with you. 651 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,240 I'm not just telling you that from a place of sympathy. 652 00:37:41,240 --> 00:37:43,560 I'm telling you that from a place of empathy because you're 653 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:46,160 looking at somebody that gave his life to Jesus as a fourth 654 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:49,800 grader and fought that all the way up to the summer before he 655 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:53,200 started college. And it to be able to go back in 656 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,120 time. I would have done it so much 657 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:56,800 sooner. I would have done it immediately 658 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,320 after I gave my life to Jesus as a fourth grader in the month of 659 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:02,160 May. I wouldn't have waited. 660 00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:03,920 That long, but you know that that's your step of obedience. 661 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,800 Maybe your step of obedience is you need to make that 662 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,120 appointment to sit down with that counselor. 663 00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:13,480 You need to send that text, that call, have that conversation 664 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:16,160 with that person and you know exactly what I'm talking about. 665 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:21,880 Maybe your step of obedience is to say, Hey God, here I am, 666 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,800 please use me. I know that I'm not equipped for 667 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:27,920 what you've called me to, but I kind of understand that's the 668 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:31,280 point because it's not about me, it's all about you. 669 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:35,240 So here I am, use me. So here's the question. 670 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:38,840 What's your step of obedience to help give us some handles and to 671 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:43,000 to have some clarity around what that looks like for you. 672 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:45,920 This morning I want to show you 3 key questions that we'll walk 673 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:49,760 through very briefly #1 in what ways have I falsely viewed the 674 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:51,800 Palace as a prize rather than a platform? 675 00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:56,200 In what ways have I falsely viewed the palace as a prize 676 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,960 rather than a platform? This is me as your pastor. 677 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,800 Just like being real with you. One of the things that I see 678 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:08,720 that is so easy for us to enter into is if you grew up in church 679 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:12,080 and you were faithful in church and you served in church for 680 00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:16,320 years and years and years, the moment that kids move out and 681 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,880 you become an empty nester, it's so easy to go. 682 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:25,320 I made it, and we start to view the palace as a prize rather 683 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:30,120 than a platform. So we unplug from God using US 684 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:34,560 in the ways that He has used us at the very moment that we have 685 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:37,880 been given supernatural wisdom and the experience of His 686 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:42,240 faithfulness to pour into the lives that have come before us 687 00:39:42,240 --> 00:39:46,040 or after us. So in what ways have I viewed 688 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:48,200 the palace? Sit there and go. 689 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:51,000 This is a place, Forrest, or this is a place for bragging. 690 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,720 Look how far I've come. In what ways have I viewed the 691 00:39:53,720 --> 00:39:56,440 palace falsely viewed the palace as a prize rather than a 692 00:39:56,440 --> 00:39:58,200 platform? Second question. 693 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:02,280 How do I need God to equip me for what he's called me to? 694 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,040 Again, going back to that God sized dream. 695 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:08,240 That God sized dream may have something to do with the 696 00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:11,320 confines of your own home. That God sized dream may have 697 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:15,160 may have to do with your own business, with your own career. 698 00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:18,640 That God sized dream may involve you going back to school. 699 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:21,520 That God sized dream may involve you moving overseas. 700 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:24,800 That God sized dream may mean anything and everything that God 701 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:28,720 has placed on your heart that you cannot get away from. 702 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:31,320 That is a burning. Passion within you, yet you feel 703 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:34,080 so unequipped and unprepared to take hold of it. 704 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,800 And I would tell you that's the point. 705 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:41,840 God did not call the equipped. He equips the called. 706 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:47,760 So our step is obedience. God's responsibility is the 707 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,680 equipping. So maybe your step of obedience 708 00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:54,720 is to sit there and go. OK God, here I am, all that I 709 00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:56,840 am. It ain't much, you know. 710 00:40:56,840 --> 00:41:00,040 You created me. Prepare me for what you have 711 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:04,560 prepared for me. That's your step of obedience #3 712 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:09,720 General. What step of obedience do I need 713 00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:13,240 to take today? What step of obedience do I need 714 00:41:13,240 --> 00:41:17,360 to take today? The reason that God has brought 715 00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:20,440 us here this morning is for this. 716 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:25,040 Moment, this sacred moment to where you and I, every single 717 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:27,080 one is. We're at a fork in the road. 718 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:30,520 We either take that step of obedience or we just swipe it 719 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,280 off to the side and go maybe next week. 720 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:35,000 Here's why I would encourage you. 721 00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:40,000 Never swipe it off to the side. Let me go ahead and pray over 722 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:41,600 us. And after I pray, we're going to 723 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:44,000 have an opportunity to stand. We're going to have an 724 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,440 opportunity to sing together, but most importantly, we're 725 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:48,200 going to have an opportunity to pray together. 726 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,680 So whatever your step of obedience looks like, I would 727 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:52,360 encourage you come down and pray. 728 00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:55,840 If you want to talk to myself or you want to talk to Todd, we'll 729 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:57,560 be down here. We would love to pray with you. 730 00:41:57,560 --> 00:42:01,000 We'd love to celebrate with you. We'd love to help you however we 731 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,480 can. But you're the one that needs to 732 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,800 take that first step. So God, we love you and we thank 733 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:13,320 you for loving us as the one. But God loving us so much that 734 00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:17,800 you want to call us and equip us to reach the many. 735 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:24,320 God, in that calling, there will be highs and lows. 736 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:27,520 There'll be seasons of pits, there'll be seasons of prisons, 737 00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:30,720 there'll be seasons of palaces. God, I pray that you would help 738 00:42:30,720 --> 00:42:36,080 us to understand that the palace seasons are never our prize. 739 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:41,000 The Palace seasons are a higher platform for the mission that 740 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:46,240 you have called us to God. For many of us, that mission, it 741 00:42:46,240 --> 00:42:49,880 scares us to death because we know ourselves and we know how 742 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:53,840 unequipped we are. God, would you help us to 743 00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:57,360 understand that our responsibility is obedience to 744 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:01,760 step into that calling. Your responsibility is equipping 745 00:43:01,920 --> 00:43:04,760 while we're on the move in the midst of that calling. 746 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:08,600 God, would you give us the faith to live that out? 747 00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:11,360 Would you give us the faith for that one step? 748 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:14,320 And God, I pray that you would not only bring clarity to what 749 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:18,760 that one step of obedience is for us this morning, but God, 750 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,720 that you would bring a resolve. God that we want you. 751 00:43:22,720 --> 00:43:27,000 We want to be in the center of your will, walking in your ways 752 00:43:27,160 --> 00:43:30,280 more than anything else. God, I pray that you would have 753 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:32,840 your way through us this morning. 754 00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:35,360 It's in Jesus name we pray, Amen. 755 00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:42,800 Thank you for listening to Riverbend Church's podcast. 756 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:46,200 To find out more about this message or Riverbend Church, 757 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:49,560 connect with us online at Riverbend Church dot live.