1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,040 Welcome to the Illuminate Church podcast. 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,640 We hope today's message is encouraging to you. 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,320 Today we are in a series on the book of Genesis. 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:13,280 We've been in a series on the book of Genesis. 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,400 Hopefully you've been enjoying it and hearing things in a new 6 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,960 way. Genesis is the first book of the 7 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,320 Bible, and Genesis literally means creation or the beginning. 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,920 So now we're in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and later 9 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:27,840 this year we're going to talk about the last book of the 10 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,480 Bible, Revelation. And the point of covering both 11 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,440 the 1st and the last book in the same year is for us all to 12 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:41,360 understand how the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation is 1 13 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,920 story, 1 big story. It's it's the meta narrative of 14 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,480 the Bible, the grand big overarching story from Genesis 15 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:55,400 to Revelation. One story about God's original 16 00:00:55,400 --> 00:01:00,440 design and creation, his love and desire to have relationship 17 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:04,640 with humanity. Man's decision to disobey God. 18 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:09,560 Sin entered the world. God's plan to reconcile man back 19 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:15,560 to himself through Jesus and his plan one day for a new heaven 20 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,760 and a new earth that will come. One big story, Genesis to 21 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,160 Revelation. So the Bible is 1 big 22 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,640 overarching story made-up of many smaller stories written. 23 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,960 Let me think about this. Written over 1500 years, written 24 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:35,320 down by 40 different writers, but it has one author, and the 25 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:38,000 author is God. The Bible is God's word. 26 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,880 A few weeks ago we talked about the promise God made to a man 27 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:45,440 named Abraham. I don't know if you were here 28 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:49,480 for that series, but God made a promise to a man named Abraham 29 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,320 and God's promise to Abraham was God said, I will make you into a 30 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,720 great nation. Now at this time, Abraham was an 31 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,440 old man who had no children, but God said I will make you into a 32 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,040 great nation. I will bless you. 33 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,680 I will make your name great. Here we are talking about 34 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:08,960 Abraham. Millennium, Millennium, 35 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:14,600 millennia later, and all the peoples of the earth will be 36 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,720 blessed through you, including us. 37 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,200 When Abraham was 100 years old, his wife and his he and his wife 38 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,840 Sarah had a son named Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob. 39 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,480 We talked about Jacob's story last week and today we're going 40 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:34,520 to talk about Jacob's family. Jacob had twelve sons, 12 boys. 41 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,720 Can you imagine? You think you have a big grocery 42 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,880 bill? They didn't even have Costco. 43 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,280 Jacob's story is early. As a young man, before he had 44 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,840 children, he fell in love with a woman named Rachel. 45 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,960 Now follow this story. This is before children. 46 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,400 The Jacob's a young man and he meets this young lady named 47 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,720 Rachel. And he was smitten. 48 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,560 But Rachel's father Laban had two daughters. 49 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,600 His oldest daughter was named Leah, and his younger daughter 50 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,400 was Rachel. And Jacob wanted to marry 51 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,880 Rachel, the younger daughter. Are you with me so far? 52 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:19,960 So Laban made a deal with Jacob. He said work for me for seven 53 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:21,800 years, then you can marry Rachel. 54 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:26,480 And Jacob said deal. Jacob did that. 55 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:32,800 Seven years later, Jacob got married to Laban's daughter. 56 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,320 But Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his oldest daughter, 57 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,000 Leah. I guess maybe the veils were 58 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,480 really thick back then. I don't know exactly how that 59 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:48,280 happened, but Jacob got married not to Rachel, who he wanted to 60 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,200 marry, who he loved, but to her sister Leah. 61 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:56,200 Can you imagine how Jacob felt? It sounds like a reality TV 62 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,440 show. A lot of drama. 63 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,160 I would probably watch it, but Laban said. 64 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,320 Laban said. Hey, hey, hey, Jacob, don't, 65 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:06,600 don't be mad. Don't be mad. 66 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,600 I'll make another deal for you. All you have to do is work for 67 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,800 me for another seven years, then you can marry Ray. 68 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:14,680 Then I'm. I'm serious this time. 69 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,240 So Jacob did work for him for another seven years, 14 years 70 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,160 total. And then he got to marry his 71 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:29,480 true love Rachel, finally. But the messy part was now he 72 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:34,200 had two wives, Rachel, who he loved, and her older sister 73 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:35,520 Leah. Kind of awkward. 74 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:40,480 And as you could expect to predict, the two wives became 75 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,920 rivals for Jacob's attention. But Leah was better at at least 76 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:50,200 one thing than Rachel, and that was having babies, baby boys. 77 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:56,720 And Leah gave Jacob six sons in the same time that Rachel had 78 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,640 none. Leah was probably keeping score. 79 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:06,320 And she's like, oh, Rachel, I'm at six, you're at zero. 80 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:11,440 I'm up 6 zip. But finally, after years of 81 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:16,080 torment and emotional pain, Rachel got pregnant and she had 82 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,240 a son. And they named Rachel's first 83 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:24,480 son Joseph. And because of Jacob's love for 84 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,320 Rachel, Joseph was his favorite child. 85 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:30,480 And he didn't do a very good job of hiding that fact. 86 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:36,080 Now parents, listen. Parenting one-on-one is if you 87 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,760 have a favorite child, don't let the other kids know. 88 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,520 Jacob didn't do that. He made it clear to everyone, 89 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,600 Joseph is my favorite. If you have your Bible, turn to 90 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,640 Genesis, first book of the Bible, chapter 37. 91 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:52,040 We're going to start with verse one. 92 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,520 If you need a Bible, raise your hand and Usher will bring one to 93 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,120 you and you can keep it if you'd like. 94 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,000 Anybody need a Bible, just raise your hand and Usher will be 95 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:05,640 happy to bring you one. Turn to Genesis chapter 37, and 96 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,640 this is from the ESV. Chapter 1 says Joseph, being 17 97 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:13,240 years old, was pastoring the flock with his brothers. 98 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:15,600 We're going to jump to verse 3 now. 99 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:20,240 Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. 100 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:27,480 That's nice. We're closing as we close. 101 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,480 I don't know what that was, Squirrel. 102 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,080 Jump ahead again. And he made Joseph a robe of 103 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,000 many colors. But when his brothers saw that 104 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,120 their father loved father loved him more than all of his other 105 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,440 brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully them 106 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,600 to him. In those days, most clothing was 107 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:59,760 various shades of beige, and Jacob gave Joseph a colorful 108 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:03,480 coat, which meant it was very expensive and special. 109 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,240 And the brothers hated him because it was so obvious he was 110 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,440 daddy's favorite. So today we're going to talk 111 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,360 about the story of Joseph, the title of today's messages from 112 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:17,720 Pitt to prison to palace. And we're going to talk about 113 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,440 Joseph, who had a dream from God, a dream for for great 114 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,600 things. But over the next more than a 115 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:30,160 decade, his life fell apart. A lot went wrong for Joseph. 116 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,760 And yet God was always with him the whole time. 117 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,080 And God gave purpose to that time. 118 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,720 I love the story of Joseph. It's one of my favorite stories 119 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:46,480 in the Bible. It was a great Broadway play in 120 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:50,400 the 90s with Donny Osmond. Joseph and the Technicolor Green 121 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:54,880 Coat had some good music, and it's even better when you know 122 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,160 how the story ends. Now, today we're not going to 123 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,360 cover the whole story. We're just covering the first 124 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,400 half. Next week, Pastor Tim Ingram 125 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:06,120 going to cover the best part. So you have to come back to hear 126 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,800 how kind of how this story unfolds and ends next Sunday. 127 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,880 But it's a story of going through things, really hard 128 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:18,840 things, and remaining faithful. Joseph's story is a reminder 129 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:24,560 that sometimes we can't see God's plans and purposes for our 130 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:29,320 lives when we're in the middle of it, when we're in the middle 131 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:34,240 of what seems like a mess. We can't fully understand until 132 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,200 we get through it, until we can look back and see the whole 133 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,280 story. When we are through it and can 134 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,240 look back on a hard season, that's when we can say, now I 135 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,280 understand, now I get it. God, now it makes sense. 136 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,000 I remember the hardest, most confusing season for me in my 137 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,200 life, my my wife and I's life about 15 years ago. 138 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,280 Our family had lived and raised our kids in Minnesota from for 139 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:04,200 15 years from 1991 to 2006, and we lived in the same home. 140 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:06,280 It was really home, you know what I'm talking about. 141 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:10,960 But in 2006, we were doing well enough in our financial services 142 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,920 business that we thought we could buy a second house in 143 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,320 Florida. We thought we could have the 144 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,200 best of both worlds, keep our home in Minnesota and live in 145 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:21,520 Florida during during the winter. 146 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:24,320 That was our plan. We thought it was a good plan. 147 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,680 If you've ever spent a winter in Minnesota, you would agree with 148 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:33,680 me. In February 2006 we bought a 5 149 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:37,240 bedroom home near Disney and in May 2006 we went back to our 150 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:38,920 home in Minnesota, just like our plan. 151 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,800 But that summer in two, 2006, Heather and I both felt we heard 152 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:48,160 God saying we were supposed to leave Minnesota and make Florida 153 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,920 our permanent home year round. And it was July, so it wasn't 154 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:58,040 just because of the weather. We both heard God leading us and 155 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:00,200 encouraging us to Florida year round. 156 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,000 I heard God say your future is in Florida. 157 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:07,760 So we obeyed. We told our kids we're moving. 158 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,000 They were 8 to 16 years old then, away from their friends 159 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,920 selling our home. It was hard, but we chose to 160 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,800 obey God. That was 2006 and 2008. 161 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,640 It seemed to start making sense because the church we were 162 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,560 attending here in Florida, what it wasn't Illuminate, said to 163 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:32,280 me, we want you to quit your job, to quit your career and 164 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,360 join the church staff. I had never thought about 165 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,440 working at a church before. They couldn't pay me what I was 166 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,520 making already. In fact, it was about 25% of 167 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:43,840 what I was making. But that wasn't top priority to 168 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,360 us. We thought this was it. 169 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:49,440 This was the reason God LED us here. 170 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,560 This is why God has been calling us to Florida. 171 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:55,400 So we made the decision to change and leave my career. 172 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:58,960 That was providing a lot of income to our family to work 173 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,000 full time for that church in 2008. 174 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:09,240 In 2010, about a year and a half later, that church failed. 175 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:15,280 It didn't make it financially. Expenses were consistently 176 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:17,320 higher than revenue, and that's a problem. 177 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,840 The church had cut everything funny possible, and in fact, 178 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,480 they had already cut over half. Their staff had been let go. 179 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,920 And then eight people on staff turned into four people on 180 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,880 staff, and I was one of the four let go. 181 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:38,160 That was March 2010, and that year, 2010, I went through the 182 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:41,480 hardest season of my life. I was so confused. 183 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,880 I know I heard God say your future is in Florida and here I 184 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:50,920 am after obeying God, unemployed, starting over. 185 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:56,720 This was not how I was expecting things to go and I'll be honest, 186 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,720 I was upset with God. I was confused with God. 187 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,160 I love God. I became a born again, saved, 188 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:06,760 saved Christian in 1998. This is almost 12 years later 189 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:08,600 and I was like God, I don't know. 190 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:10,600 I don't understand. If you said move, why is this 191 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:12,960 happening? Why are we struggling? 192 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:18,120 That period of time, 2010 to 2011, our family survived 193 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,040 financially. We lived in survival mode for a 194 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:22,960 couple of years. I don't know if you've ever done 195 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,200 that. We used up all of our savings 196 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:27,800 and investments we had to our name. 197 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:33,920 But also in 2010, that remnant of a church that we were still 198 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:38,240 attending, what was left of it, just a handful of people, was 199 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,080 adopted by a much larger, healthier church out of Tampa 200 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,760 called the Crossing Church. And the Crossing Church sent 201 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,960 over a new campus pastor I had never heard of, I had never met 202 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:54,360 from Tampa to celebration, and his name was Pastor Tim Ingram. 203 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:01,480 We met each other in 2010. He seemed like a good guy. 204 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,000 I don't know. I don't care. 205 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:11,040 I was upset with God. I know we heard God and now our 206 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,000 lives were a mess. We were in a pit. 207 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:18,480 Fast forward two years to 2012 when Pastor Tim and Christine, 208 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,560 our family, and a few others decided to plant or start 209 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:26,040 Illuminate Church with Pastor Tim Ingram as the lead pastor. 210 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:28,760 Our family said we're in, we're with you. 211 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,320 I started serving as a volunteer and a board member and 212 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,040 volunteering. My role expanded. 213 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:35,320 I joined the staff. I became a pastor. 214 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:39,800 That little church that started in 2012 was able to buy this 20 215 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:43,640 acres of land in 2018 for $4 million. 216 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,880 Crazy. I was asked to be the owner Rep 217 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:51,080 on this building project. I had never done anything like 218 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:54,440 that before from 2022 to 2024 and now here we are. 219 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:56,960 Praise God, God is good. I love my work, I love my 220 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:01,440 church, Life is great. Now I can look back and see why 221 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,440 God was leading us here all along, but it didn't make sense 222 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:09,360 when I was in the middle of it. When I was in the middle of it, 223 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:11,920 it didn't make sense at all. When I was middle in the middle 224 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,480 of the mess, when Illuminate Church didn't even exist yet, I 225 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:21,480 didn't understand. In 2010, 2011, 2012, and in the 226 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,720 middle of the mess, all I had was this word that my future was 227 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,920 here. But today, years later, I get 228 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:29,040 it. Now I understand. 229 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,960 But when we're in it, when we can't see the end yet, it 230 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:37,000 requires faith and trust in God that he's working for our good, 231 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,120 that what we're going through he will use for our good. 232 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,440 And that's not always easy. But Romans 828 says, and we 233 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:51,040 know, we know means, we know that God causes all things to 234 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,160 work together for good to those who love God. 235 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,640 Joseph's story reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago 236 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,760 about a man who worked for the same company for over 20 years. 237 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:04,400 He was loyal. He worked hard. 238 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:06,600 He dedicated his life to his employer. 239 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,440 Then one day, new leadership came in. 240 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:12,760 He was pushed aside. His voice didn't matter anymore. 241 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:17,880 Eventually he was let go. He told his friends later, it 242 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:20,400 wasn't just losing my job that hurt so much. 243 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:25,160 It was feeling discarded, unvalued, like none of it 244 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:29,040 mattered, like I didn't matter, like the past 20 years were a 245 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:34,400 waste of time. And maybe you haven't lost a job 246 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:36,120 like that, but maybe you know that feeling. 247 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:43,080 Feeling overlooked or forgotten, Feeling betrayed or rejected. 248 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:46,120 Feeling like your life is unfair. 249 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,520 Feeling like you tried to do everything right and it still 250 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,800 went wrong. Feeling like you're stuck in a 251 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:58,400 season you didn't choose. Some of you came in this morning 252 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:00,520 and and and you're in that season right now. 253 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,400 You might be smiling on the outside, but inside you're 254 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:06,240 asking questions like God, where are you? 255 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,240 What is going on? I do not understand. 256 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:13,280 This does not seem fair. I'm hurting God and God, if you 257 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:15,000 love me, why is this happening to me? 258 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:20,600 If that's you, here's what I want you to hear today. 259 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:24,520 If you feel that way or if you I should say when you feel that 260 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:29,200 way, you are not alone. So today is about Jacob's 261 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,960 favorite son, Joseph. Joseph and his eleven brothers 262 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,720 who when you're, when you read your Bible, become the 12 tribes 263 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,720 of Israel. The story Joseph is such an 264 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,920 amazing story, ups and downs, twists and turns. 265 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:46,160 Incredible because it tells how God keeps his promises most of 266 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:48,040 the time in ways we could never expect. 267 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,960 As a 17 year old young man, Joseph was living with his 268 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,120 father Jacob, Jacob's two wives, and his eleven brothers who hate 269 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,880 him. And if that wasn't bad enough, 270 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:03,680 Joseph was already hated. Joseph himself made it worse by 271 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,599 choosing to tell his brothers about a dream he had about a 272 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:10,720 vision for his life that God had given to Joseph. 273 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,680 And he said, hey brothers of mine, come, come listen to this 274 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:14,760 story. You're going to love it. 275 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:19,319 Which brings us to point #1 if you're taking notes today, which 276 00:17:19,319 --> 00:17:22,200 I always encourage you to do, I take notes every time. 277 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:26,560 Jot down notes, not point. Number one is choose wisely who 278 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:28,040 and when you share your dream with. 279 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,760 We should know or be aware that if God gives you a dream and 280 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,960 you're like, what's a dream? A vision, a plan, an idea, a 281 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:41,760 word you should know. Not everyone will encourage you. 282 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,080 Not even not everyone, even some of your friends or relatives, 283 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:49,480 some of the people closest to us will be excited for you. 284 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,040 This is Joseph's story, sharing it with his brothers. 285 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,160 This is Genesis 37, verse 5. So if you're still in Genesis 286 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,840 37, we're in verse 5. It says now Joseph had a dream 287 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,760 and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even 288 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:07,560 more. They said, he said to them, hear 289 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:10,280 this dream that I have dreamed, Brothers, behold, we are binding 290 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:13,600 sheaves in the field. And behold, my sheaf arose and 291 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,760 stood upright, and behold, your sheaves gathered around it and 292 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,280 bowed down to my sheaf. Isn't that awesome? 293 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,080 His brother said, Are you indeed going to reign over us? 294 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:28,560 Are you indeed to rule over us? So they hated him even more for 295 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:31,480 his dreams and for his words. Joseph shared with his brothers. 296 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,280 Hey guys, you're going to love this. 297 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:36,000 You all are going to bow down to me. 298 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:41,320 Aren't you excited for me? And that mistake caused Joseph a 299 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,080 lot of pain that you hear about later. 300 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:50,840 But it reminds us that revelation still requires timing 301 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:55,720 and wisdom. Revelation, or what God says to 302 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:59,840 you, still requires timing, when you should share it, and wisdom, 303 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:04,680 who you should share it with. God may give you a dream or a 304 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,360 plan for your life or an idea or a word. 305 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,600 And if you share it at the wrong time or with the wrong people, 306 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:15,960 you will get doused with discouragement that might keep 307 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,120 you from pursuing the dream. It might tempt you to give up 308 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:23,160 before you even begin. You might say, they're my 309 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:25,120 friends, of course they want me to succeed. 310 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:31,040 But your growth exposes other people's insecurities. 311 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:37,200 Your vision threatens people who have no vision for their lives. 312 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:42,440 Your obedience or change convicts people living 313 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:45,680 differently, especially if that's how you used to live. 314 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:51,040 Sometimes the last thing some of the people in your life want for 315 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,040 you is for you to pursue your dreams, or for you to succeed, 316 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:57,400 or for you to change. And consciously or 317 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,040 subconsciously, some of the closest relationships will 318 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:04,600 discourage us or try to defeat us or stop us before we even 319 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:08,640 start, or when we just get started following a dream God 320 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,480 gives to us. The Holy Spirit might be 321 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,840 refining you, encouraging you to change some things. 322 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,440 It could be as simple as coming to church regularly or reading 323 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:19,640 your Bible at home. Doesn't have to be a big thing. 324 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,280 And some people will say things like you've changed. 325 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:26,960 And they don't mean it as a compliment. 326 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:30,680 I don't even know who you are anymore. 327 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,440 Who do you think you are? I know who you are. 328 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:37,280 Who do you think you are? And you'll have to choose to 329 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,200 allow the pessimists, naysayers, and discouragers that you will 330 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,000 encounter. Are they going to impact and 331 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,680 determine your future? Or are you going to follow God's 332 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:51,680 dream, even if it means pausing or even ending some of those 333 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:55,760 relationships? So Joseph chose to share his 334 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:57,520 dreams with his brothers, and they had an idea. 335 00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,200 Let's kill him. That'll solve our problems. 336 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,480 But Reuben, one of the eleven brothers, saved Joseph's life by 337 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,960 saying this is paraphrasing. Hey, guys, calm down. 338 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,240 We're not going to do that. Let's not kill him. 339 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,360 Let's just throw him in the pit. He won't be able to get out of 340 00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:11,320 it. So that's what they did. 341 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,120 But God's timing is perfect. A holy coincidence happened 342 00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:18,440 right now. A group of travelers, 343 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,480 Ishmaelites, passed by the brothers on their way to Egypt. 344 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:25,160 And then the brothers thought up a better idea. 345 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,360 What good does it do to just let him die in the pit? 346 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:29,960 Let's sell them to these Ishmaelites and they'll just 347 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,760 take him away. Problem solved. 348 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:34,640 We don't have to kill him and we get some money. 349 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:37,320 Win, win. Problem solved. 350 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:42,920 Get some money. We are brilliant, Genesis 3728 351 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:44,360 says. And they drew Joseph up and 352 00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:46,560 lifted him out of pit and sold him. 353 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:52,960 They sold their brother to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of 354 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,960 silver. They, the Ishmaelites took 355 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,320 Joseph to Egypt. So Joseph is now in Egypt. 356 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,280 Egypt is about 300 miles away from Joseph's home. 357 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,760 That sounds like, well, that's, that's not that far. 358 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:07,120 It was when you're traveling by foot and camel. 359 00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:12,760 This was Joseph's new home, not by his choice, but because he 360 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,600 had been sold as property. And in Egypt, Joseph became a 361 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:18,880 servant in the House of a man named Potiphar. 362 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:24,200 And even by us as a slave, a servant in Potiphar's house, 363 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:28,240 Joseph stood out. The favor of God in his life was 364 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:33,760 evident even in this place. And something for us to remember 365 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,680 is that God's favor doesn't exempt us from hard seasons. 366 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,680 God never says, if you follow my plans, everything will be easy. 367 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,640 But God's favor does mean wherever you are, I will make 368 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,920 you shine. My favor will make you stand 369 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:52,280 out. Genesis 39 couple chapters or 370 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:55,920 couple chapters after 37. We were in verses 3 and 4. 371 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,360 His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord 372 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:01,760 calls all that He did to succeed in his hands. 373 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,920 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and they 374 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:10,080 made him overseer of the house and put him in charge of all 375 00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:13,640 that he had. Which brings us to point number 376 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:20,520 two of five point #2 is God's favor matters more than your 377 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:26,160 current position? Even though Joseph was a slave, 378 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:31,320 he prospered because excellence honors God in any environment. 379 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:35,520 Excellence honors God wherever you are and whatever you're 380 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:40,520 doing where you are now, including your workplace or 381 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:44,680 whatever you're doing, can be your platform to give God glory 382 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:48,560 and honor God. Where you are now may not be 383 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,840 your goal or your final place, but it can still be a meaningful 384 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:55,800 place to give God glory and honor God. 385 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,640 Where you are now might be a training ground or a proving 386 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:03,640 ground or a growing ground or a growing season for greater 387 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:05,480 things God has planned for your life. 388 00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:10,120 Because God often gives us a dream before He gives us a 389 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:13,400 process. And Joseph didn't wait for a 390 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:16,760 better place. He used where he was at to honor 391 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,880 God and give him glory. People could see it. 392 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,320 So don't think I can't give glory to God in this season of 393 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,280 my life. We can give God glory that 394 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:30,040 people will notice and see in any circumstance, any 395 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:33,200 environment, any season of life that we're in. 396 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,560 So if you don't know the full story of Joseph yet, you might 397 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:40,080 be thinking this is pretty bad. I mean, he was in with his 398 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:41,720 family. Now he's in Egypt. 399 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:43,800 He's a slave in Potiphar's house. 400 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,880 Things can't get worse than this, can it? 401 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:51,840 It does get worse. The next season of Joseph's life 402 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:56,840 goes downhill from there. To paraphrase Genesis chapter 403 00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:00,400 39, Potiphar, Joseph's owner, had noticed Joseph. 404 00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:03,040 This guy's sharp. I like him. 405 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:05,000 He's got the favor of God on his life. 406 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,680 But Potter for his wife, she noticed. 407 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:12,440 Joseph too, in a different way. She noticed. 408 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:15,240 Hey, this guy's young. Hey, this guy's good looking. 409 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:19,160 Hey, this guy's handsome. I'd like to get to know him, if 410 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:23,880 you know what I mean, she said in Genesis 39, Seven, lie with 411 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:25,080 me. Come cuddle with me. 412 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:28,480 Let's just take a nap together. We'll keep it at that. 413 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,040 You can figure it out. We're going to keep this G 414 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,760 rated. But Joseph, being a man of God, 415 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:38,520 refused. He said no, because it's not the 416 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:43,600 right thing to do. Joseph was about 20 years old. 417 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:48,120 Think of yourself at age 20. Joseph was about 20 years old. 418 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:50,960 But already his integrity mattered more than anything 419 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:56,120 else, More than short term pleasure, more than the 420 00:25:56,120 --> 00:25:59,560 consequences of not obeying his master's wife. 421 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,200 Integrity mattered to Joseph then and impacted his future. 422 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,000 And integrity matters to our lives today. 423 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,760 Don't think it doesn't. Integrity is what you choose 424 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:16,280 when no one is watching. Integrity is making the right 425 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:20,640 choices, especially when no one else will know. 426 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,440 Integrity can be the little things, like returning a 427 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:30,760 shopping cart to the corral when no one else does and it's July 428 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:35,200 and it's raining. Integrity is correcting the 429 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,200 cashier who gave you back too much change. 430 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:38,480 Say no, no, no, you made a mistake. 431 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:42,480 You gave me too much. Integrity is choosing to do 432 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,680 worse on an exam than you could do if you cheated just a little 433 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,880 bit. Or on our taxes. 434 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:53,400 The other week my wife and I went camping. 435 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,240 We go camping now, before you're too impressed. 436 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,160 Like we lay under the stars in a pup tent. 437 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,840 We have a Airstream camper with air conditioning and a queen 438 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:05,400 pillow top mattress and a shower. 439 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,000 But it's our hobby. We love it. 440 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,120 And we made a reservation. We go out every month for 441 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:12,360 usually two or three nights. We made a reservation. 442 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:16,160 This is just like March, April, maybe, I don't know. 443 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,960 A couple months ago we made a two night reservation. 444 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:21,000 Thursday to Saturday. We plan to be back here at 445 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:21,920 church. That's how we do it. 446 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:24,960 And we got home Wednesday night from work. 447 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:28,920 It was like 5:30 and Heather's like just let's go now. 448 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:30,920 Let's just go. Let's see if let's see if we can 449 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:32,800 go a day early. So she called and the spot we 450 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:35,360 had reserved was open and we went a night early. 451 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,480 We went in there and set up. Everything was fine. 452 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:43,000 But when it was time to leave and check out, no one had said 453 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,840 anything to us yet about coming early. 454 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,360 And Heather said I'm going to go pay for the first night we were 455 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:50,160 here. And she went to the park manager 456 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,560 and paid for the first night. He said most people wouldn't 457 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,640 bother, I wouldn't have even known. 458 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,440 And she said to him, but that's not the right thing to do. 459 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:06,240 We would rather pay the cost of camping an extra night then lose 460 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,840 our integrity. It's not worth losing the favor 461 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:16,200 of God or His blessings for $50.00 or $1,000,000 or any 462 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:24,870 amount of money. Not easy. 463 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:27,680 God about God knows God will honor that. 464 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,000 That's honoring God. Potiphar's wife, a different day 465 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,480 said lie with me again, but this time she grabbed Joseph's 466 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:37,760 garment, his towel, and he ran away and upset, ticked off and 467 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:41,000 rejected, she called for her husband and said that Hebrew boy 468 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,080 you purchased tried to lie with me. 469 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,040 I'm a victim. He came on to me. 470 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:48,080 See, here's the clothes he left behind. 471 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,520 Potiphar got upset and he took Joseph straight to prison. 472 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,280 Just like Monopoly, go straight to jail. 473 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:58,000 Do not pass go, do not collect $200 straight to jail. 474 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,480 Genesis 3920. And Potiphar's master took him 475 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:06,200 and put him in prison, the place where the King's prisoners were 476 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:08,400 confined. And there he was there in 477 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:10,720 prison. Joseph's situation went from 478 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:17,040 bad, very bad, to much worse, from a servant, a slave in 479 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,720 Potiphar's house to being unfairly put in prison. 480 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,960 But even in prison, Joseph's time there wasn't a waste of 481 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:28,160 time. Joseph, Genesis 3921 says. 482 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:32,200 But the Lord was with Joseph in prison and showed him steadfast 483 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,240 love and gave him favor and sight in the sight of the keeper 484 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,960 of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put 485 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,560 Joseph in charge of all the prisoners because the Lord was 486 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,320 with him. And whatever He did, the Lord 487 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:47,600 made it succeed. If you're honest, be honest with 488 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:49,160 yourself. Just answer this question to 489 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,760 yourself. Have you ever thought this 490 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,280 wasn't how I was expecting my life to go? 491 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,480 This is a curveball. I didn't see this coming. 492 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:02,840 This wasn't part of my plan. Which brings us to point #3 493 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:05,400 delay of the dream doesn't mean denial. 494 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:10,080 Delay of the dream doesn't mean denial. 495 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:15,400 A plan not going as fast as you thought it would doesn't 496 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,320 necessarily mean God has given up on that plan. 497 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:23,120 To say Joseph's dream didn't go like he planned or preferred is 498 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,560 an understatement. But even though it wasn't his 499 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:30,640 plan or his time and didn't mean God had given up on the dream or 500 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,920 given up on Joseph. And while Joseph was in prison, 501 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:40,520 he was there for about 10 years. One day something happened. 502 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:44,840 A Baker and a cup bearer to Pharaoh were put in prison while 503 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:48,400 Joseph was there. And they met Joseph and Joseph, 504 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:50,960 who had been unfairly put in prison, they were probably put 505 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:55,040 there fairly, could have said to them, let me tell you my story. 506 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:56,840 Let me tell you how bad I've got it. 507 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:59,160 Let me tell you how unfair my life has been. 508 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,280 But that wasn't Joseph's heart. It wasn't his words, and it 509 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:05,720 wasn't what he did. What he did was care about and 510 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:10,720 care for others in the prison. And while the Baker and the cup 511 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:13,040 bearer were in prison, they had unusual dreams they couldn't 512 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:17,480 figure out They were upset. Genesis 46 through 8 says when 513 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,920 Joseph came to them, the Baker and the cup bearer, in the 514 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:21,480 morning, he saw they were troubled. 515 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:25,120 So he asked, why are your faces downcast today? 516 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,600 They said to him, we have had dreams and there's no one to 517 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:30,320 interpret. And Joseph said, do not 518 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:34,920 interpretations belong to God. Tell them to me, Joseph, who if 519 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:37,720 anyone had the right to complain or have a pity party, it was 520 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:40,640 him. But he didn't say, let me tell 521 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:43,800 you about my troubles. He said, tell me about your 522 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:47,400 troubles. Which brings us to point #4 we 523 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:52,240 can still serve others even while suffering ourselves. 524 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:57,680 Ask yourself, do we look for opportunities to bless others 525 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:00,920 when we're at our lowest or only when when things are going great 526 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:04,800 in our lives? Do we look to bless others when 527 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:10,040 we don't feel blessed ourselves? Joseph interpreted the dreams 528 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:12,360 for the Baker and the cupbearer. For one, it was good news, the 529 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,880 other one, not good news. He told them exactly what would 530 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:21,200 happen, but he asked the cupbearer for one favor, the one 531 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:24,640 that would be released soon. He said please don't forget me. 532 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,000 Don't forget me here. When you get out, you're going 533 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,480 to get out. He interpreted the dream to say, 534 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:31,960 you're going to be soon released, don't leave me here in 535 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:33,680 prison. Could you put in a good word for 536 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,800 me with the Pharaoh and Get Me Out of here? 537 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,040 But sadly, the cupbearer didn't remember or think of Joseph. 538 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:43,600 He forgot all about him as soon as his life got back to normal. 539 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:50,920 Genesis 40 verses 20 to 23 says on the third day, which was the 540 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:54,720 Pharaoh's birthday, happy birthday, he made a feast for 541 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:56,840 all his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer 542 00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:58,320 to his position. Yay. 543 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:00,600 And he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 544 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:04,960 Yet the cup bearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. 545 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:10,440 Thanks a lot. And how many times are we like 546 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:14,240 the cup bearer? When we're desperate, when we're 547 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,520 in an emergency, when we're in a crisis, we think of God, we 548 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:19,280 pray, we go to church, we're on our knees. 549 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:23,720 But as soon as our lives get back to normal, out of a crisis, 550 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:27,400 we forget. In Joseph's case, it took two 551 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:30,600 more years until something happened that jogged the 552 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,840 cupbearer's memory. Pharaoh had dreams he couldn't 553 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:38,520 interpret. 7 fat cows were followed by 7 skinny cows, and 554 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:40,320 the seven skinny cows ate the fat cows. 555 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:44,400 He's like, what's that mean? 7 great ears of corn were 556 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:48,040 followed by 7 bad ears, stalks of corn, and the seven bad ones 557 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:49,520 ate the good ones. What does that mean? 558 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,480 He couldn't interpret the dreams, and neither could his 559 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,920 magicians or Matt or or wise men. 560 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:01,240 But finally the cupbearer was thinking, Who do I know that 561 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,040 could interpret the Pharaoh's dreams? 562 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:07,040 Do I know anybody? And something clicked. 563 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:10,320 Oh yeah, I know this guy in jail. 564 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:12,560 He can interpret your dreams, he remembered. 565 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:18,159 Better late than never I guess. The cupbearer told Pharaoh about 566 00:34:18,159 --> 00:34:19,960 Joseph. Pharaoh calls for Joseph. 567 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:23,239 Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that 7 great years of crops 568 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:25,520 would be followed by 7 years of famine. 569 00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:29,480 And Joseph's advice to Pharaoh was stock up and save during the 570 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:30,960 good years. So you have enough during the 571 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,840 seven bad years. And Pharaoh chose Joseph to lead 572 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,840 Egypt through that plan. This is Genesis chapter 41, 573 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:42,159 verse 37. It said, This proposal pleased 574 00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:44,120 Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his 575 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,320 servants, can we find a man like this in whom is the spirit of 576 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:48,280 God? He could see it. 577 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:52,320 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, since God has shown you all 578 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,360 this, and there is none so discerning, discerning and wise 579 00:34:55,360 --> 00:35:00,400 as you are, you shall be over my house, and all my people shall 580 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:04,880 order themselves as you command. Only in its regards to the 581 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:07,120 throne will I be greater than you. 582 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:14,360 Verse 46 of Genesis 4146 says Joseph was 30 years old when he 583 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:16,600 entered the service of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 584 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:21,960 Joseph, you will be #2 in all of Egypt, only behind Pharaoh. 585 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:26,560 I thought about titling this message today, the story of 586 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:31,360 Joseph the prodigy, to pariah, to Pitt, to Potiphar, to prison, 587 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,720 to prophet, the palace. But that was way too many peace. 588 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:39,280 But that is Joseph's journey, which brings us to our last 589 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:45,480 point #5 what we see as punishment might be preparation. 590 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:50,840 What we see as punishment might be preparation for our benefit. 591 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,600 The Bible tells us when Joseph was sold by his brothers, he was 592 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:57,760 17. When he was released from 593 00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:00,000 prison, he was 30. Do the Mass. 594 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,520 That's 13 years. Thirteen of the best years of 595 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,600 our lives. But Joseph didn't waste that 596 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:07,800 time. He used that time to mature, to 597 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:11,680 change and prepare. And in our lives, when we go 598 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:14,800 through seasons we don't understand or that seem unfair 599 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:18,320 or that make us feel that God has given up on us or doesn't 600 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:23,600 care about us, we have a choice. We can get mad at God. 601 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:29,240 We can give up on God or we can ask God, God, what are you 602 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:33,320 developing me in me here right now through this season that I 603 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,680 would never get or never learn or never change anywhere else? 604 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:38,880 We don't like going through seasons like that. 605 00:36:39,720 --> 00:36:41,360 We don't like going through hard seasons. 606 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,120 We can say God, thank you even for this season because I know 607 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:48,080 you are for me and have good plans for me. 608 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:51,400 We don't like the valleys in our lives. 609 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:55,640 We like the mountaintops, but things don't grow on 610 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,800 mountaintops. Things only grow in the valleys. 611 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:03,520 God's not absent when things in life seem unfair. 612 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:07,560 He's doing good work even then and there, if we let him, 613 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:12,600 because all things work together for the good of those who love 614 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:16,120 God. When we are in a pit, it's OK to 615 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:17,800 say God. I don't know what's going on. 616 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:19,360 I don't understand why this is happening. 617 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:24,400 But I do know you are good, and I do know you are for me and 618 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:28,080 with me. When it looks like God is absent 619 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:32,000 or God is doing nothing in our lives, God is doing something 620 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:34,640 and we know it's something good. Amen. 621 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,600 Thanks for joining us today. We hope God is speaking to your 622 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,200 heart through this message. If you'd like to connect with 623 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:48,400 us, you can text connect to 407-588-0115 or visit Illuminate 624 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:51,000 dot church. Have a great week.