INTRODUCTION: Lessons From Joseph Page 1 You Must Have A Dream Lesson 1 Genesis 37 Old Testament stories are to be read and studied for three reasons: 1. For instruction for us to learn truth about Him and about present life. Romans 15:4a For whatever was written in earlier times (OT) was written for our instruction, 2. To give us encouragement and hope for our future. Romans 15:4b so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures (OT) we might have hope. NASB 3. To place warnings in our mind. 1 Corinthians 10:5-6 But most of them did not please God. So they died, and their bodies were scattered all over the desert. What happened to them is a warning to keep us from wanting to do the same evil things. 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 These things happened to them as a warning to us. All this was written in the Scriptures (OT) to teach us who live in these last days. Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. As we study Lessons from Joseph we are looking for some INSTRUCTIONS, we are looking for encouragement that gives us HOPE, and we are looking for some WARNINGS so we will not fall. Joseph has a prominent place in the Bible Almost one-fourth of the book of Genesis is devoted to the life of Joseph. There is more written about Joseph in Genesis than there is Abraham, Joseph s great-grandfather. They both have 14 chapters, but Joseph has 25% more words his story is longer in length. Whenever God lingers over one story or one life, He wants us to get special instruction, hope and warning from it. Let s look into the life of Joseph and pull out a few of the lessons that apply to us. THE LIFE OF JOSEPH Joseph s Early Years Genesis 30:24 Joseph is born to Jacob and Rachel in Haran, Joseph s mother s homeland. Gen 30:25 After Joseph is born, Jacob decides to leave the land of his father-in-law, Laban, and go back to his homeland. Gen. 33:2 On the trip back home, he places Rachel and Joseph in the safest position, at the rear of the procession. Gen. 35:24 After Rachel died in giving birth to Benjamin, Joseph is named in the listing of Jacob s twelve sons.
Lessons From Joseph Page 2 Genesis 37:2a This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, Which is to say, "The Progeny Of The House Of Jacob. The following narrative paints a picture of the course of events that lead to Jacob's house moving from the land of Canaan to Egypt. It is also a bridge to go from Genesis to Exodus. o With Joseph having being mentioned in only 5 previous verses, he is now seventeen years old. For the next fourteen chapters, to the end of Genesis, we have the highlights of Joseph s life. Joseph s brothers first hated him because of what his father did, not because of what Joseph did. Gen. 37:2-4 Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. When a parent shows more favor toward one child that he does to his other children that usually leads to problems. o Joseph knew he was his father s favorite and he used that to his advantage. o He received special treatment and privileges. o He probably thought that he was better than or more important to his father than were his half-brothers. o He reported to his dad his brother s activities. o His half-brothers had great dislike for him. o Was this Joseph s fault? What could he have done? Should he have rejected the coat of many colors? Should he have rejected his father s special attention? Joseph s brothers already hated him, even before he told them his dream about the future not so much because of what Joseph did, but because of what his father did. Joseph was hated even more because he told what God had revealed to him. His whole family turned against him. Vs. 5-8 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us? So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. The statement of the brother s reaction to the dream precedes the report of the dream to underscore their hatred for Joseph.
Lessons From Joseph Page 3 Some say that Joseph should not have revealed his dream, that he was arrogant and flaunted this dream. They say that he deserved the hatred his brothers had for him. But his brothers already hated him because he was his father s favorite. All he was doing was speaking what God had revealed to him. When Joseph shared his revelation with his brothers, they quickly got the picture and hated him even more. Vs. 9-11 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me. So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you? And his brothers envied him, (were jealous of him) but his father kept the matter in mind. God had a purpose for Joseph s life and he revealed His purpose to Joseph at a young age, in a dream. Now, Joseph had a dream Vs.5a Keep in mind Joseph is a young 17 when God revealed His purpose. o This will play an important part later in noticing how long it took Joseph to mature and to realize God purpose for him. God s revelation to Joseph was: Vs. 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. He had a second dream: Vs. 9 the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me. God was revealing to him what He had for him in the future. The dream showed God s favor to Joseph in the midst of his brother s disfavor toward him. o God always has a word of encouragement in the midst of discouragement. The final result of God s plan is seen in Genesis 45:7-8a. God sent me ahead of you to make sure that you would have descendants on the earth and to save your lives in an amazing way. It wasn t you who sent me here, but God. So, Joseph knew that this dream was God given, God ordained, and God driven. This dream became Joseph s motivation of life and he never gave up on that dream. o Through all the times he was betrayed, rejected, vilified, humiliated, condemned he never lost his dream. o His trials developed his character and prepared him for the fulfillment of his dream.
Lessons From Joseph Page 4 LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JOSEPH Seven Reasons Christians may be hated: 1. You will be hated because of what our Heavenly Father did, not because of what you do. Jesus said we would be hated. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. Luke 12:53 2. You may be disliked by some in your own family. o Some hate it when you speak about God and Christ. o They say, You think you are better than we are. o They think, Why would God chose you, or bless you, or speak to you and not to us? o They ask, Does God love you more than us? 3. You may be disliked because you are known to be a Christian. o All men will hate you because of me. Mark 13:13 o And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. Luke 21:17 o If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. John 15:18 o 2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. If you are not having any persecution, if no one get upset with you about spiritual things, if no one talks about you, then you are not living godly! 4. You may be disliked simply because your Father shows you special favor! o Believers are God s children, then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, (Rom. 8:17). o We've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, in Christ; (Eph. 1:3). o Don t let this spoil you also, as Joseph was spoiled. Romans. 12:3 warns the Christian not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. And you are instructed to live together in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant. Do not think how smart you are. Romans 12:16 International Children s Bible, New Century Version. 5. You may be disliked because of something another Christian had done and they associate that with you because you claim to be a Christian! 6. You may be hated because your good intentions are misunderstood and misinterpreted.
Lessons From Joseph Page 5 o Christians who support the nation of Israel are hated by the national Israelis. http://www.jewishpost.com/news/israels-most-hated-friend.html Last year, Christian Zionists (Christians who support the Jewish state among whom are the leaders John Hagee and the late Jerry Falwell) raised millions of dollars for Jewish causes, and used their considerable political power to lobby politicians on behalf of Israel. As if that wasn t enough, they also gave tons of support to the Israeli tourism industry. Many Jews are wary about trusting Christians because of historical reasons. On top of that, most Christian Zionists are evangelicals-- a group that Jews tend to look down upon as fundamentalist, Right-wing, bitter, and ignorant. The most common argument that I hear against Christian Zionists is that they only support Israel because of the End of Days prophecy. The End of Days prophecy is a Christian belief that the Second Coming of Christ can only happen once the Jews are in Israel. According to the prediction, in the days before the Second Coming most Jews will either die or convert to Christianity. Because of this, many Jews believe that Christian support for Israel is just a round-about, extremely complicated way for Christians to finish the job of the Inquisition. 7. You may be disliked by other Christians who think you are too outspoken about your faith and this gives Christianity a bad reputation. o As D. L. Moody said when someone criticized his methods of evangelism, I like the way I do it better than the way you don t do it. God had a purpose and a plan for you, even before you were born, and he began to reveal His purpose to you when you were at a very early age. From their birth, God had a purpose and a plan for Joseph, Jeremiah, Isaiah and the Apostle Paul. o The Lord told Jeremiah, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5 o God told his people who were carried away captive in Babylon, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 o Isaiah 49:1 The LORD called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name. NLT o The Apostle Paul wrote, But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, Galatians 1:15-16a Robert Schuller is an example of a man who had a dream. o God put a dream in Robert Schuller s heart to build a glass or crystal cathedral. o In spite of all the opposition he received it was completed in three years at a cost of $18 million.
Lessons From Joseph Page 6 o To God s glory it has become a world landmark. It is one of the sites that most everyone wants to see when they visit southern California; Disney Land, Knott s Berry Farm, and The Crystal Cathedral. o Through criticism and discouragement, Robert Schuller never lost his dream. God s plans for you are always positive. o God has no plans for you to fail, only plans to give you a future and a hope (Jere. 29:11). God also has positive plans for you when you do fail. o His plans in the beginning were positive and His plans for Adam were positive. o When Adam sinned, many things became negative, but God made plans for that failure to become positive (Gen. 3:15). God has given you abilities, talents, and situations and He has a plan to utilize them if you will let Him. o All your life, your experiences have been preparing you for your purpose, and at any point you have had opportunities to do God s will for your life. o Until you fulfill your purpose, you will have restlessness within you. You will lack true joy, true peace, and true fulfillment until you find what God has for you. He has been speaking to you, revealing His Will for you, since you were a child. o You need to be still and know His purpose, His dream, for you (Psa. 46:10). o You need to make His dream, your dream. o If you haven t heard Him yet, as long as you are breathing, it s not too late. It will keep you young as long as you have a dream. o No matter what happened to Joseph, no matter how unfair, Joseph never lost his dream. o As he saw it develop, it became more and more exciting. As long as he had a dream, he retained his youth. It s when we no longer have a dream no longer have a purpose, a goal, something to get up and do each day that we age and begin to die. Where there is no vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:18 HOW TO FULFILL YOUR GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE ON EARTH. The first step in fulfilling your God given purpose in life is to have a dream a purpose. o If you are not seeing God s purpose for you on the inside you will never see it on the outside. You have to first see on the inside what more God has for you to do before you can see it come to pass on the outside. Everything God does in your life comes from the inside out.
Lessons From Joseph Page 7 Some of you are shooting for nothing and you are hitting it every time. You need to raise your sights. What are you dreaming for? o Dreaming for a job promotion? God gives us our promotions. Psalms 75:6-7 For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God. He promotes one and deposes another.(tlb) For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.(kjv) Promotion for Joseph truly came from God. Joseph had either been serving as a slave or was imprisoned for 13 years after the time that his purpose was revealed in his dream and promotion came to him instantly. From being a prisoner Joseph found himself promoted to a position of power, second only to Pharaoh. It s so tempting to become weary or impatient and abandon the vision for an easier way. But don t do it and you ll reap. Galatians 6:9 says, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. o Dreaming to be able to pay the bills each month? God will provide for you if you put Him first in your life. Matt. 6:25 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Vs. 32b-33 For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. How do we seek first the kingdom of God? put God s work first and do what he wants CEV; give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. TLB. o Dreaming for a bigger house, flat screen TV, new car? o Some day all of this stuff will be burned up. The heavens will disappear with a loud noise, and the heat will melt the whole universe. Then the earth and everything on it will be seen for what they are.2 Peter 3:10 CEV o Some day you will stand before God and it won t matter how much stuff you had. It s only the things you have done for eternity, for the kingdom of God, that will last. Jesus said, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth..but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19 & 20). o No one in Heaven will say, I wish I had gotten that new car, that new TV, that new house. o You will be saying, I wish I had led to Christ. o Is there anyone that you are dreaming of leading to Christ?
Lessons From Joseph Page 8 Every one of you can influence someone whom no church can touch, no TV or radio evangelist can influence even if they all increased their outreach budget to 100 times greater. o There is someone that only you can influence with the Good News. o You are the only Christian that some people know. o You should want to use all the potential that God has given you to tell the lost how the Gospel changed your life. o Some of you are afraid to step out for the Lord and tell someone about Jesus. If you are not standing on the edge, you are taking up too much room. Every one of you has the power of God inside of you to do so much more than you are doing. o Jesus said that your purpose is: As you go, spread this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. (Matt. 10:7 GWT). Remember that the kingdom of God is within you) (Lk. 17:21) Cure the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse those with skin diseases, and force demons out of people. Give these things without charging, since you received them without paying. Matt. 10:7-8 GWT How about that for a dream! o Jesus said that if you believe Him you will do even more than what He did. He said, I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. John 14:12 CEV How about that for potential of God s power and simply by having faith in Him and what He said. When you die, you should want to say as Christ said, I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do (John 17:4). Or as Paul said, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (2 Tim. 4:7). Some day you are going to stand before God and give an account of your life on earth and what you have done with your calling, your purpose. If you don t have a dream you need to find God s purpose for you and pursue it. o You need to get still. You need to listen to the Lord. o Tell the Lord, I need to know your plans for me. I need a dream, I need a vision. What is my life all about? For what did you create me? o You can t fulfill God s dream for you until you can see on the inside. Be a dreamer with God s dream for you! Step out on the edge!