Your Story IS NOT Finished! Introduction: The creator of 60 minutes, Don Hewitt, passed away a few months ago. Don Hewitt is credited with creating the Television magazine program (the format that many shows use today). 60 minutes is the longest-running prime-time broadcast on American television. Don Hewitt was asked, What is the secret to your success? How have you been able to keep 60 minutes on television so long? He said, I learned a long time ago that we all want to hear a good story. I try to do for the viewers what I wanted people to do for me when I was a kid. And that is to tell them a story. The secret, for me, is wrapped up in these four words: Tell me a Story! That s what I m going to do for you today. Instead of diving deep into a passage, like I normally do, I am going to deal with the life of a person and tell you his story! This person is amazing. He was able to maximize his purpose and potential in life, but it did not come without opposition! His name is Joseph and we will seek to identify and learn from his life experiences today.
Preliminary Phase: Just getting started He was a teenager: (Gen 37) Joseph was just 17 years old He tended sheep But he had the bad habit of telling his parents everything his brothers did wrong His brothers did not like the fact that he was a tattle taler! He was the typical teenager making teenage mistakes. He had favor with his father: Jacob favored Joseph over all his brothers He gave him a coat of many colors His brothers already disliked Joseph, but when Daddy gave him the coat, they hated him and hated that coat! He had a God-given Dream: (verses 6-8) "Let me tell you about my dream. We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it." His brothers asked, "Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?" Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream. Key takeaways from this Phase: 1. Believe the dream: God does not have to wait until you are ready (30 years old) before He reveals His dream for your life. The key is to NOT DISMISS the dream, just because you are not ready for it. Look for God to reveal to you your to be stage and believe it when He does. 2. Submit to the process: Greatness is not accomplished overnight. Joseph went through a lot in the 13 year span between the dream and the demonstration. Submit to the process and know that every day is one step closer. Joseph lacked experience, wisdom, and humility and all of these would come through the passage of time. 3. Don t share your dream with everyone: Only share precious information with precious people.
Pit Phase: How do you deal with Adversity? The attack is against the dream: (Gen 37:19,20) They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer! "Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, 'A wild beast devoured him.' Then let us see what will become of his dreams!" People don t have a problem with you when you speak negative and have a defeated mentality; it is when you start speaking like a winner that they turn against you. The number one thing satan is after is your dream. If he can get you to stop believing in God s plan for you, he has you defeated. (37:24) And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. He had just been betrayed by the closest people to him in his life. It was a painful and shocking experience. He was hurt. He was abandoned. He was all alone. He was in a Pit! But there was no place for him to rest and no water for him to drink! Key takeaways from this Phase: 1. You will only be attacked, if you have something worth attacking! 2. Never get comfortable in a painful place! It s only temporary! Keep focusing on Your Dream!
The Potiphar Phase: Your Attitude and Integrity Test! (Gen 39:1-5) The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king's official in charge of the palace guard. So Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner. Soon Potiphar realized that the LORD was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did. Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property. Because of Joseph, the LORD began to bless Potiphar's family and fields. What do we learn from this? 1. Keep the right attitude: Joseph could have easily had the wrong attitude, but it would not have helped him in the long run. His attitude helped determine his altitude. 2. Give God something to work with: Joseph did not crawl up in a corner and pray 24 hours a day he worked. He worked and God Blessed everything he did. For God to bless what you are doing you have to be doing something! 3. Expect Favor: Without the favor of God Joseph could have worked for years and not arrived at the position he did in just a few days. Favor can do more in a minute than labor can do in a lifetime. Know Your Parameters: Your Integrity will be tested (Gen 39:9) No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this. Don t believe the lie: The enemy wants you to believe that you can do whatever you want to do, even if it goes against God s Word. Don t believe the lie. God will not bless mess.
The Prison Phase: Maximizing Every Opportunity! (Gen 39:21-23) the LORD helped him and was good to him. He even made the jailer like Joseph so much that he put him in charge of the other prisoners and of everything that was done in the jail. The jailer did not worry about anything, because the LORD was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did. What do we learn from this? 1. Walk in the Blessing: a. If the blessing of God is upon your life, you take that blessing everywhere you go. b. If God could make Joseph a prosperous slave and a prosperous prisoner, then He can prosper you in your current situation. Believe the blessing is upon your life, walk in integrity, work hard, and expect to prosper. 2. There is a Larger Plan: a. Joseph learned things in Potiphar s house that he would have never learned at home. b. Joseph learned things while running the Federal Penitentiary that he would have never learned in Potiphar s house. c. Every phase was taking him ONE STEP CLOSER to his overall Purpose in Life!
The Palace Phase: Walking Through the Open Door! (Gen 41:4) Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. But Joseph [first] shaved himself, changed his clothes, and made himself presentable; then he came into Pharaoh's presence. Your Preparation will show up in Your Performance: Face every opportunity prepared: Although the people coming to get Joseph were in a hurry, Joseph did not leave without first shaving and changing his clothes. He sensed that this was his opportunity for a breakthrough and he did not approach it unprepared. Never face an opportunity unprepared. Pharoah s dreams: Pharaoh himself had a dream: he was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven fat and healthy cows and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven ugly and skinny cows came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. All of a sudden, the skinny cows ate the fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream: seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted thin and scorched by the east wind. Then the thin heads of grain swallowed up the healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up again. (Gen 41:16) "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." God wants maximum glory out of every situation God wants you to operate in fearless confidence There is nothing too hard for God Joseph Interpreted the Dreams: (Gen 41:31-33) The famine will be so bad that no one will remember that once there had been plenty. God has given you two dreams to let you know that he has definitely decided to do this and that he will do it soon. Your Majesty, you should find someone who is wise and will know what to do, so that you can put him in charge of all Egypt. Joseph (the prisoner) stood before Pharaoh (the king), but Joseph did not sound like a prisoner when he spoke!
The Powerful Phase: Walking in Love Living the Dream! (Gen 42:24) Joseph turned away from them and cried.. Joseph was at least 37 by now 20 years of emotion flooded through his body It was too much to handle. He stepped away for a few moments; he broke down, and cried. The hurt and the pain were real to him again. He regained his composure, he looked past the pain, and he focused on the promise of God (the dreams). His focus was what enabled him to operate in compassion and forgiveness, instead of resentment and revenge. (Gen 50:17-20) Now we ask you to please forgive the terrible things we did. After all, we serve the same God that your father worshiped. When Joseph heard this, he started crying. Right then, Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to the ground in front of him and said, "We are your slaves." But Joseph told them, "Don't be afraid! I have no right to change what God has decided. You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing. ***Forgiveness is a choice! ***The Promise can get us past the pain! ***Your must be Determined to Keep Going! ***Your Story is not Finished!***