The Wagons Are On The Way

Transcription

1 1 The Wagons Are On The Way Genesis 45:16-28 KJV And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. [17] And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; [18] And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. [19] Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. [20] Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. [21] And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. [22] To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. [23] And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. [24] So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. [25] And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, [26] And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. [27] And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: [28] And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

2 I. JACOB S tendency TO DOUBT A. The Voices of the Past -If we look into a little background about Jacob, we see that he has a tendency to believe bad news. It started very early in his life. His mother told him, Your father loves Esau more than he does you. His mother also told him, Esau is going to kill you. His mother also told him, Your father & brother are in a plot to leave you out of the inheritance. His uncle would tell him, You have seven more years before you get Rachel but in the meantime take Leah. His uncle accused him, You are a conniving cheat & I am going to kill you. His wife tell complained to him, You hate me... You have no time for me... His men told him, Esau is waiting down by the river to kill you... His sons told him, We found this bloody coat... Jacob was always getting bad new Thus he had a tendency to assuming the worst, the seed of doubt grew & implied that Joseph was dead at the paws of a wild animal. -All of these voices over the course of his life & all of the situations that Jacob found himself in, Only served as huge doses of doubt. 2

3 -His family was not the model family either It had all the components of what society would label a dysfunctional family: Four mothers. A tent full of boys that had dark markings on their character. jealousy, thievery & constant conflict in the home. They planned to murder one of their brothers. All sorts of immorality - How would your faith be if you had to live in that kind of environment all the time. -Doubt works in small doses.... but huge doses of doubt will overdose your spirit & kill your faith. -That is why Paul left us w/these words: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 KJV [3] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: [4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) [5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; [6] And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. -It is crucial that our mind be protected from the strongholds of the enemy. -There is a lot of People dealing w/voices that continue creeping out of the past. -These voices are literally suffocating the life out of then. The voices can come from a thousand directions. 3

4 A parent who did not love you.... A close friend who may have broadcasted your deepest secret... A boy-friend or girl-friend who stole your innocence... A relative who destroyed your confidence in anyone that seemingly wanted to help you.. An ex-husband or an ex-wife who totally betrayed you.. -The voices sometimes still ring out to you, they come unprompted & w/out warning, they still shock & they still hurt.... -but that is what the voices of doubt try to do... They tell you You are worthless! I wish you had never been born! You re a loser! See... I told you so... You can never do it right! You have never finished anything that you have started! You are going to lose everything! You re just like your dad/mother! -If you listen to those sorts of voices too long... you will start believing them... -That seemed to be the case for Jacob, every time he turned around something was trying to drag him down. -But I have a remedy for those sorts of voices that sometimes roll around in your head: 4

5 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Micah 3:8 KJV But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might,... Zechariah 4:6 KJV Then he answered & spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Luke 10:19 KJV Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. -There are times in your life that you will need to do a little preaching to yourself & there is no better way to do it than w/scripture. Doubt (defined) distrust-disbelief-skepticism - Truth that is half-dressed, half-hearted, & half-filled. Doubt: twisted truth, deformed, & is walking backwards. B. The Good is Too Good to be Ture -The first thing that caused Jacob to doubt was all of the voices of the past. -The second thing that he struggled with: believing the good news. It was just too good to be true! Genesis 45:26 KJV And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. -Jacob s belief that Joseph was dead, had literally eaten into him in such a way that he could not receive the good news. 5

6 6 -There are some who hug & coddle their misery for so long that they cannot give it up. -The good news was just too good to be true. doubt extinguishes the fire of your spirit. The devil knows this & doubt is one of his most effective tools. -Overwhelming circumstances dictates to our faith... Martha said, Lord, he has been dead for four days! They told Jairus, Don t trouble the Master any longer, your daughter is dead! Peter said, But Jesus, we have fished all night long and haven t caught a thing. The disciples said to Jesus, Huge crowd, Lord, send them home... All we have is a little bread and a few fish. The widow told Elisha, The creditor is on the way and I don t have anything in my house except a pot of oil. -But there are some who refuse to let their overwhelming circumstances dictate to their faith.... Seven times the Lord healed on the Sabbath...He did not let the mundane over-ride the miraculous. One man said to the Lord, If you will just speak... No need to go to the need... just speak the word & my servant will be healed. The woman w/the issue of blood pressed through the crowd & was healed

7 The Syrophonecian woman just wanted a crumb of blessing & healing for her daughter. (Sometimes you have to be willing to be insulted to get what you need from the Lord.) Bartimaeus was healed because he would not let the crowd smother his worship. (Sometimes you have to worship through the blindness to get the blessing.) There were some men who peeled back a roof to get to healing. (Sometimes you have to be willing to tear some things up to get your need met.) -The Lord can still save... He can still deliver... He can still heal... -Here are some things to feed doubt when it attacks: Matthew 28:18 KJV And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew 11:28 KJV Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 16:18 KJV And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Acts 1:11 KJV Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Daniel 7:13-14 KJV I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and 7

8 came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. -Scripture clearly indicates to us that if God has a plan, it will come to pass regardless of the obstacles of doubt that stand before you. II. THE WAGONS FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY -One of the things that will stop our faith is fear. -It is not the will of God for a saint to be struck with a constant state of fear in our lives. A. The Wagons Are On The Way Genesis 45:21 KJV And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. -If the wagons had not been sent, Jacob & all of his family could have never crossed the wilderness -Joseshp knew exactly what to pack to sustain his family across their desert experience. - treasure & supplies came from another country. -How many times have the wagons from another country rolled into your house into your problem 8

9 -How many times have the wagons from another country restored your soul... your faith... your confidence... and your trust? - Jacob didn t believe it at first But, when he saw the wagons Then believed that Joseph was alive. The first sign of Joseph was a bloody coat & it fooled Jacob. The second sign of Joseph was wagons full of goods & it encouraged him. The first sign rattled Jacob... but the second sign restored him! -Hey the enemy wants you to stop short at the first sign! The first sign of trouble can paralyze you... but the second sign of blessing can redeem you. The first sign of doubt can cripple you... but the second sign of blessing can anoint you. The first sign of disaster can suffocate you... but the second sign of blessing can exalt you. The first sign of difficulty can ruin you... but the second sign of provision can breath life into you B. The Wagons Are Loaded -Not only are the wagons on the way... they are loaded.... 9

10 Genesis 45:23 KJV And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. -Can you imagine what is must have been like for old Jacob? His country was starving under famine in the land. There has been 0-growth w/the crops. -So when Joseph determined to send the wagons back to get his father, nothing was spared. He loaded them with corn. He packed the wagons with bread. He added meat to the wagons. He made arrangements for clothing to be carried. -Wagon after wagon rolled out of the palace grounds of Egypt.... They were heading out for a rescue mission. 1. The Enemy Cannot Stop the Relief C. The Wagons Are Going To Take You To the Palace Genesis 45:27-28 KJV And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: [28] And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die. 10

11 11 -Jacob fainted when he heard the words that Joseph was alive.... When he saw the wagons of relief.... His spirit revived. -The wagons were on the way... they were loaded... -The wagons were on the way... they were loaded... -but that s not all.... The wagons are going to take us to the palace. -The wagons were coming from the palace, To take us to the palace. HEY -These wagons were not just a one-time Blessing. These wagons are hooked up to a resource These Wagons had a connected to Store houses That were full -These wagons were not just bringing a Relief - These wagons were on a Rescue Mission. - These wagons not only bringing good things -These wagons were bringing good news.

12 12 III. CONCLUSION -- THE PROMISES OF GOD Give God Time, even when the knife flashes in the air, you will see the ram in the bushes. Give God Time, even when the Pharaoh s armies are on your heels, God will cause a way through the water that stands there to drown you Give God Time, even when brook dries up, if we listen God will still come to you In a still small voice to guide you. No matter what you are going through I am here to tell you -The Wagons Are On the Way!!!