1 00:00:00,001 --> 00:00:08,860 Good morning, Springhouse. 2 00:00:08,860 --> 00:00:15,140 Look at somebody next to you and say, "I'm so glad you're here today." 3 00:00:15,140 --> 00:00:20,180 Joining us on live stream, glad you're joining us today. 4 00:00:20,180 --> 00:00:23,860 It's always a good day to be in the house. 5 00:00:23,860 --> 00:00:25,660 I'm glad you're here today too. 6 00:00:25,660 --> 00:00:26,660 Thank you. 7 00:00:26,660 --> 00:00:28,220 Very, very kind. 8 00:00:28,220 --> 00:00:33,140 Well, we are continuing our series, The Greatest Stories Ever Told. 9 00:00:33,140 --> 00:00:37,940 And wasn't last week such a wonderful, sweet gathering? 10 00:00:37,940 --> 00:00:40,900 Pastor Barbie, the Holy Spirit used Pastor Barbie. 11 00:00:40,900 --> 00:00:46,440 I was in East Tennessee ministering to a church there, but I found myself in anguish like 12 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:52,580 Esau, where he was in anguish saying, "Dad, I want a blessing." 13 00:00:52,580 --> 00:00:56,540 And I just, as I was watching the screen, I thought to myself in anguish, "I want a 14 00:00:56,540 --> 00:01:00,500 blessing too." 15 00:01:00,500 --> 00:01:07,300 And wouldn't you know hours later, I say randomly, but this is the Holy Spirit, Landon Rushing 16 00:01:07,300 --> 00:01:12,460 sends me a text message and says, "I think our pastor needs a blessing as well." 17 00:01:12,460 --> 00:01:14,400 God doesn't leave any stone uncovered. 18 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:15,400 Is that true? 19 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:16,580 He's a good God. 20 00:01:16,580 --> 00:01:18,420 He's a faithful, faithful God. 21 00:01:18,420 --> 00:01:24,920 Well, we're going to dive into the story of Joseph today and how many have been following 22 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:26,820 the Bible reading plan. 23 00:01:26,820 --> 00:01:30,920 And if you have been, you would have read about Joseph this week. 24 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:36,760 And I'm glad you've read Joseph because I think we could do a six month series on Joseph 25 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:37,980 in the house. 26 00:01:37,980 --> 00:01:40,140 And I'm not going to do justice today with the story. 27 00:01:40,140 --> 00:01:43,920 I'm going to tell you that right out of the gate, but I hope that you have read the story 28 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:45,060 of Joseph. 29 00:01:45,060 --> 00:01:46,700 It is a phenomenal story. 30 00:01:46,700 --> 00:01:51,860 There are so many takeaways that the Holy Spirit uses in the story of Joseph's life. 31 00:01:51,860 --> 00:01:56,840 And so we are going to go in a direction where I feel like the Lord has us to go today in 32 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:57,840 the story. 33 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:02,640 So if you'll stand with me, we are reading the, you can find the story of Genesis from 34 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:04,340 Genesis 37 to 50. 35 00:02:04,340 --> 00:02:06,120 We're going to read all 13 chapters. 36 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:07,320 No, I'm just kidding. 37 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:12,640 We're going to, we're actually going to read one scripture, one scripture from the story. 38 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:13,960 Let's read it with gusto. 39 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,360 Like you're excited that there's only one scripture today. 40 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:25,320 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being 41 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:26,320 done. 42 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,200 The saving of many lives. 43 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,520 Ooh, let's read it again. 44 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:37,800 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being 45 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:38,800 done. 46 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,880 The saving of many lives. 47 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:42,560 Father, thank you for your word. 48 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,360 I thank you that it is alive and active. 49 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,860 I pray Lord today that you would anoint my words Lord, and that your words would change 50 00:02:49,860 --> 00:02:51,240 our hearts for eternity. 51 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,960 Allow our eyes to be open to the things we need to see Lord. 52 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,900 And as you identify those things, may we do with them Lord, what you would have us do 53 00:02:58,900 --> 00:03:00,880 with them today in Jesus name. 54 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:01,880 Amen. 55 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:02,880 Amen. 56 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:04,000 You may be seated. 57 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,160 I love the story of Joseph. 58 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:07,920 I love the story of Joseph. 59 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:12,520 I don't know about you, but there are characters throughout scripture and surely everybody 60 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:14,600 can relate to this on some level. 61 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,800 But there are stories in scripture where you draw comparisons to your life, to the things 62 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:20,800 that they have gone through. 63 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,980 Has anybody, has anybody done that before with any of the characters in scripture? 64 00:03:24,980 --> 00:03:30,480 And I really can empathize with Joseph on some levels, on some things that I believe 65 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:36,320 that Joseph felt in his journey with the Lord over the period of time that we, that we read 66 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:37,320 about. 67 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:43,100 And so I love Joseph's story and it is a reminder to me of God's faithfulness and his grace, 68 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:48,240 as are all the stories that we read in, in scripture. 69 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:54,040 And so the verse we read today out of Genesis 50 is actually toward the end of the story. 70 00:03:54,040 --> 00:04:00,680 This is after the, the famine had started, the brothers came back, Joseph is revealed 71 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:06,480 and the brothers are looking at this situation from a perspective of, Oh my goodness, I am 72 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:11,260 so sorry and repentant for what we did. 73 00:04:11,260 --> 00:04:17,080 And Joseph responds, Hey, what you intended for evil, God intended for good. 74 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,840 And can I tell you that there are sometimes people in your life who attend, intend for 75 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:27,320 things to end up through evil channels, evil things, evil schemes, but God will always 76 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,440 look at situations like that and turn them for his good. 77 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:32,880 He's a good God. 78 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:33,880 He, he loves you. 79 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:35,160 He is for you. 80 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:36,160 He's not against you. 81 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,400 He has a plan and a purpose for your life. 82 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:42,760 But can I tell you that even so when God has a plan and a purpose for your life, it doesn't 83 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,540 mean that he eliminates the trials and the hardships that we have to go through. 84 00:04:46,540 --> 00:04:48,640 You know, sometimes we hear stories. 85 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:53,380 One of the privileges that we have as we're reading the story of Joseph, or we're reading 86 00:04:53,380 --> 00:04:57,540 any of the stories in scriptures, we are a privileged people because we know the end 87 00:04:57,540 --> 00:04:59,800 of the story. 88 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:05,160 And sometimes I think that if we would pay attention and we would lean in by faith, knowing 89 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:10,640 the end of some of our stories, the choices that we make within the story may evolve and 90 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:12,960 change to be something completely different. 91 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:13,960 Right? 92 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:18,320 But what happens is we look at the end of the story and sometimes we can remove ourselves 93 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:23,200 from understanding and looking at the perspective of what the person had to walk through. 94 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,760 We know Joseph, we know what happens to Joseph. 95 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:32,400 We know how God uses the story, but can you imagine Joseph as a boy having favor from 96 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,440 his father and being subjected to the things that he had to go through? 97 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:40,000 We're going to unpackage that a little bit today. 98 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,820 You are a part of the greatest stories ever told. 99 00:05:42,820 --> 00:05:44,760 You have a story as well. 100 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:51,080 Joseph is here and he is the youngest of the sons and he is favored by his father, Jacob. 101 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:52,840 Would you say favored? 102 00:05:52,840 --> 00:05:56,240 He is favored by his father, Jacob. 103 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:02,400 And the Bible tells us that Jacob renders to Joseph a coat of many colors. 104 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,080 You have heard of Joseph's coat, the garment that he was given. 105 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:13,800 And this is the symbolic for the favor that Jacob places or confers to Joseph, his youngest 106 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:15,140 son. 107 00:06:15,140 --> 00:06:19,520 And so Joseph, have you ever had somebody in your life where you just didn't like them? 108 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,120 No, everybody just likes everybody. 109 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:27,160 Or somebody you just don't like. 110 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:34,400 Joseph is the favored son and Joseph has been given the task to go out into the field and 111 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:37,840 tell his father what his brothers are really doing. 112 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,240 Have you ever had a sibling come and snitch on you? 113 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:42,240 How'd you feel about that? 114 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,080 We got any rule followers in the place today? 115 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,000 Anybody a rule follower? 116 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:49,960 How you feel about rule followers? 117 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:57,000 I've got some rule followers in my car every time I drive, looking over at the dash at 118 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:04,720 the speedometer and letting me know exactly what I'm doing. 119 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:09,720 Joseph is a rule follower and God blesses him for it. 120 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,600 And God blesses him for it. 121 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:20,200 I want us to watch how God weaves Joseph's story together and how the Lord keeps his 122 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:21,200 promises. 123 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,920 God keeps his promises when he tells us things. 124 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:26,840 And God gives Joseph some dreams. 125 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,680 He gives him two dreams here at the beginning of the story. 126 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:35,480 The first dream, he sees his brother's sheaves of wheat bowing down to his sheave in the 127 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:36,960 field. 128 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:42,080 And the interpretation here is that the brothers are at some point going to bow down to Joseph 129 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,120 and he lets him in on that truth. 130 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:47,260 How do you think those brothers felt at that moment? 131 00:07:47,260 --> 00:07:51,580 You're already out snitching on me for doing whatever. 132 00:07:51,580 --> 00:07:52,580 You got everything right. 133 00:07:52,580 --> 00:07:54,620 You're the favorite son. 134 00:07:54,620 --> 00:07:58,100 And now you're going to tell me that we're going to bow down to you. 135 00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:01,520 This is not going well for you, Joseph. 136 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:03,360 Then he has another dream. 137 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:08,840 And the other dream says that he says the sun and the moon and the 11 stars bows down 138 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:09,840 to Joseph. 139 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,440 And he goes to them and shares that dream with them. 140 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,920 And Jacob, his father rebukes him and says, are you telling me that I, your father, I'm 141 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,960 going to bow down to you? 142 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:25,080 Not setting himself up very smartly here, I don't think. 143 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:26,220 But he shares the stories. 144 00:08:26,220 --> 00:08:28,940 Now some would argue, why did Joseph share these stories? 145 00:08:28,940 --> 00:08:30,360 Maybe he shouldn't have shared the stories. 146 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:36,720 I believe emphatically it was important for Joseph to share these dreams with the brothers 147 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:43,180 because coming full circle at the end of the story, the evidence of God's hand and move 148 00:08:43,180 --> 00:08:47,000 was in the fact that they knew the dreams from the past. 149 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,800 And so there is timing and there is wisdom when we're sharing what God is doing in our 150 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:55,520 lives and the dreams that he's giving or the vision or the word or whatnot. 151 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:59,000 And can I tell you that there are always going to be people in your life when you give a 152 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:04,360 word or whenever you share something that God's done that are not going to be for you. 153 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,800 There are going to be people who look at you and think that you've lost your mind. 154 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,920 There are going to be people that look at you and say, you're wrong. 155 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:17,640 But can I tell you that every promise of God is yes and amen. 156 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:22,600 Every dream that God gives, if he says this is going to happen, guess what? 157 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:24,240 It's going to happen. 158 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:31,260 You can rest assure that the promises of God in your life are going to come to fruition. 159 00:09:31,260 --> 00:09:34,560 They're going to be exactly as God says. 160 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:37,900 So here's the question that I would pose to us this morning. 161 00:09:37,900 --> 00:09:46,860 Why would God give Joseph a dream 22, almost 22 years prior to its fulfillment? 162 00:09:46,860 --> 00:09:54,600 We can't wait 22 seconds for a cup of coffee, let alone 22 years for a promise to be fulfilled 163 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:56,520 from the Lord. 164 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:03,380 So why would God choose in his mercy and grace to give Joseph a promise, a dream, a word, 165 00:10:03,380 --> 00:10:09,840 a direction this early on in his life? 166 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:14,200 A word from God will fuel your faith. 167 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:17,900 A word from God will fuel your faith. 168 00:10:17,900 --> 00:10:21,260 And can I tell you, get ready for this, everybody in the room. 169 00:10:21,260 --> 00:10:28,060 I believe God, the star breather has a word for every person under the sound of my voice. 170 00:10:28,060 --> 00:10:35,500 The God of the universe cares so much about you and the purpose and the plan that he has 171 00:10:35,500 --> 00:10:43,580 for your life that I believe that he has a word for every single person in this place. 172 00:10:43,580 --> 00:10:48,780 Some of you know the word and you've been holding on to the word and claiming it by 173 00:10:48,780 --> 00:10:49,780 faith. 174 00:10:49,780 --> 00:10:54,900 Some of you have not heard the word yet and I don't think it's because God's not been 175 00:10:54,900 --> 00:10:55,900 speaking. 176 00:10:55,900 --> 00:10:59,160 It may be because you're not listening. 177 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:04,500 Maybe you're somebody saying, I haven't received, I've longed for a word for the Lord. 178 00:11:04,500 --> 00:11:06,480 I haven't received a word from the Lord. 179 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:11,840 My question would be, have you asked the Lord to reveal himself to you? 180 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:16,760 Because I believe that the star breather is not out trying to hide himself in his presence 181 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:17,980 from your life. 182 00:11:17,980 --> 00:11:23,460 The Holy Spirit of God wants to be an active agent daily in your life, leading you and 183 00:11:23,460 --> 00:11:29,860 guiding you to fullness and the abundant life that Jesus Christ promises for us. 184 00:11:29,860 --> 00:11:31,260 Are you listening? 185 00:11:31,260 --> 00:11:32,580 Are you paying attention? 186 00:11:32,580 --> 00:11:35,460 22 years, Joseph has this word. 187 00:11:35,460 --> 00:11:37,860 So why would he give this word to him? 188 00:11:37,860 --> 00:11:46,500 It's because he needed his faith to be fueled before he knew he needed his faith to be fueled. 189 00:11:46,500 --> 00:11:52,780 He needed a hope to hold onto before he knew he needed a hope to hold onto. 190 00:11:52,780 --> 00:11:54,860 Now I have had words spoken over my life. 191 00:11:54,860 --> 00:11:58,660 I've had words spoken over my life and they came to pass the next day. 192 00:11:58,660 --> 00:12:03,180 And I've also had words in my life spoken over me as a teenager that have yet to come 193 00:12:03,180 --> 00:12:04,520 to pass. 194 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:05,520 Do I anguish? 195 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:09,020 Do I walk in anxiety that those words have not come to fruition? 196 00:12:09,020 --> 00:12:12,700 I don't because I trust the God who delivered them to me. 197 00:12:12,700 --> 00:12:17,140 I trust the God who rendered the word to me that he is faithful. 198 00:12:17,140 --> 00:12:23,260 He who started the work will complete the work, but he who gave the promise it is yes 199 00:12:23,260 --> 00:12:24,460 and amen. 200 00:12:24,460 --> 00:12:29,620 How he chooses to do it is his prerogative, but I just say, I render it back to you Lord, 201 00:12:29,620 --> 00:12:32,580 because it wasn't mine to begin with. 202 00:12:32,580 --> 00:12:39,780 A word from God will fuel your faith. 203 00:12:39,780 --> 00:12:42,740 Here's what Isaiah says, and this is a verse that we can claim to. 204 00:12:42,740 --> 00:12:47,460 It says, "As the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering 205 00:12:47,460 --> 00:12:51,360 the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread 206 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:57,940 for the eater, so is my word that goes out of my mouth. 207 00:12:57,940 --> 00:13:00,860 It will not return to me empty." 208 00:13:00,860 --> 00:13:02,140 Will you say that? 209 00:13:02,140 --> 00:13:08,920 It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for 210 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:10,100 which I sent it. 211 00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:16,040 Sometimes you need to say to yourself so that you can convince yourself that you can train 212 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:20,700 your mind and your heart to say, I actually believe what I say I believe. 213 00:13:20,700 --> 00:13:25,780 I actually believe that the word of God will not return void. 214 00:13:25,780 --> 00:13:30,580 God, every circumstance around me looks like this word is not gonna come to pass, but I 215 00:13:30,580 --> 00:13:32,540 choose to stand on your promise. 216 00:13:32,540 --> 00:13:33,780 I stand on your word. 217 00:13:33,780 --> 00:13:38,440 I stand on your truth, and there are no voices around me that are going to supersede the 218 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,200 voice of you. 219 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:43,660 His word will not return void. 220 00:13:43,660 --> 00:13:49,180 So just because the people around you reject what God has told you doesn't mean that it's 221 00:13:49,180 --> 00:13:52,500 not from him or it's not going to come to pass. 222 00:13:52,500 --> 00:13:58,300 The important thing is that you try not to make it happen, that you not try to make it 223 00:13:58,300 --> 00:13:59,300 happen. 224 00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:02,500 We learned that from Abraham, did we not? 225 00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:05,060 You don't have to make God's word happen. 226 00:14:05,060 --> 00:14:07,780 He will give you direction. 227 00:14:07,780 --> 00:14:10,640 Now what are some of the modes that God gives us words? 228 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,440 Dreams, obviously we're looking at dreams. 229 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:14,920 He does give dreams. 230 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:16,060 He gives words. 231 00:14:16,060 --> 00:14:20,640 Might I suggest something to you this morning that's gonna tick you off? 232 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:26,720 The person who annoys you the most may be God's greatest gift to you. 233 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:31,400 The person who annoys you the most may be God's greatest gift to you, and you might 234 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:38,820 be sitting next to him this morning. 235 00:14:38,820 --> 00:14:47,700 God has this uncanny ability to use instruments in our life, people in our life who we would 236 00:14:47,700 --> 00:14:51,160 not choose to be the mouthpiece of God. 237 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:55,600 I would like to choose this person because of their status or their title or because 238 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,900 I trust them or because they're with me or they agree with me or they're not in the back 239 00:14:59,900 --> 00:15:02,480 of my car telling me I'm speeding down the road. 240 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:10,700 I want to hear from somebody who lines up with my goals and my emotions and all of those 241 00:15:10,700 --> 00:15:17,180 things, but God has this uncanny knack of sending the person in your life that you just 242 00:15:17,180 --> 00:15:20,860 refuse to hear from to be his voice in your life. 243 00:15:20,860 --> 00:15:25,600 He even spoke through a donkey for crying out loud. 244 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:34,320 And so God will use people in your life and they will end up being your greatest gift. 245 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:39,940 And a lot of times the reason that he'll choose to use such people in your life is because 246 00:15:39,940 --> 00:15:45,400 if he uses the people you chose, then you get some credit in the deal. 247 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:47,980 And God is all about gaining all the glory for himself. 248 00:15:47,980 --> 00:15:52,320 Can I tell you that this much this morning? 249 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:56,480 So the person who annoys you the most may be God's greatest gift to you. 250 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,040 Be watching if you're looking for a word, if you're looking for direction, it may be 251 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:05,480 that person that you're trying to cut out of your life. 252 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:11,500 And so Joseph has rendered these dreams and he's annoyed the brothers. 253 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:15,640 And here's what they say to him as his father has sent him back out to them. 254 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:21,400 He says, they say, "Here comes that dreamer," they said to each other, "Come now, let's 255 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:27,960 kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him." 256 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:32,580 Then we'll see what comes of his dreams. 257 00:16:32,580 --> 00:16:37,720 They plotted in their heart to kill him. 258 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:44,960 Can I tell you, friends, that sometimes we plot to kill in our heart and there need to 259 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:46,220 be no action. 260 00:16:46,220 --> 00:16:49,940 The fact that we plotted in our heart is enough. 261 00:16:49,940 --> 00:16:52,740 They plotted in their heart to kill him. 262 00:16:52,740 --> 00:16:56,700 Now the story reads that they didn't kill him because Reuben stands up and he says, 263 00:16:56,700 --> 00:17:00,220 "No, let's not actually kill him." 264 00:17:00,220 --> 00:17:07,680 And the word tells us that Reuben has the intention of returning Joseph to his father. 265 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:12,420 Intentions minus actions equals squat. 266 00:17:12,420 --> 00:17:15,580 Intentions minus actions equals squat. 267 00:17:15,580 --> 00:17:22,580 Where are the bold people who know the Lord Jesus Christ enough to stand up in situations 268 00:17:22,580 --> 00:17:27,700 that are going awry, that you know are not laden with truth, not laden with light, and 269 00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:32,720 to stand up in the moment and not care about the repercussions of what the people say against 270 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:36,740 you, but to be able to speak truth in a situation to save somebody's life? 271 00:17:36,740 --> 00:17:41,860 Where are the bold, testifying Christians, the ones that say, "I believe in the God who 272 00:17:41,860 --> 00:17:46,460 breathed stars," that are not afraid to stand up when things are going wrong and say, "I 273 00:17:46,460 --> 00:17:49,860 want to make this right." 274 00:17:49,860 --> 00:17:51,980 We need the Holy Spirit. 275 00:17:51,980 --> 00:17:57,380 We need the Holy Spirit in our life who convicts us and gives us the ability to stand up and 276 00:17:57,380 --> 00:17:58,380 change things. 277 00:17:58,380 --> 00:18:01,380 Reuben had the ability, all of them really had the ability to stand up and change this 278 00:18:01,380 --> 00:18:05,980 whole paradigm, but they didn't. 279 00:18:05,980 --> 00:18:07,180 They didn't. 280 00:18:07,180 --> 00:18:11,100 So where is the person that stops this? 281 00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:12,520 There isn't one. 282 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:18,340 This morning, I want us to understand that we all, I believe, have a word from God. 283 00:18:18,340 --> 00:18:19,920 You have a trajectory. 284 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:20,920 You have a path. 285 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:21,920 You have a direction. 286 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:23,100 God has something for you. 287 00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:28,440 But today, what I want to do is I want to evaluate some of the pits that we find ourselves 288 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:31,540 in when we receive something from the Lord. 289 00:18:31,540 --> 00:18:39,060 When I receive a word from the Lord, usually the first thing I'm going is, "Lord, whatever's 290 00:18:39,060 --> 00:18:42,940 about to come out of this person's mouth or if this is a dream or whatever, whatever it 291 00:18:42,940 --> 00:18:46,860 is, God, I want to make sure that I am quick to give it right back to you. 292 00:18:46,860 --> 00:18:47,980 I don't want to dissect it. 293 00:18:47,980 --> 00:18:49,860 I don't want to try to get too deep in the weeds in it. 294 00:18:49,860 --> 00:18:51,340 I just want to give it back to you." 295 00:18:51,340 --> 00:18:53,260 That's the first thing that I do. 296 00:18:53,260 --> 00:18:56,380 Second to that, if I acknowledge that the word, if I bear witness that the word has 297 00:18:56,380 --> 00:19:01,460 come from the Lord, the very first thing I do, this is just Kevin, I get excited. 298 00:19:01,460 --> 00:19:07,020 I get excited because the God of the universe has sought fit to speak a word into my life. 299 00:19:07,020 --> 00:19:08,860 And that is exciting. 300 00:19:08,860 --> 00:19:14,260 But what happens so often, and this is unfortunate, is we get excited about a word that the Lord's 301 00:19:14,260 --> 00:19:17,980 given us and then we go and share it with people around us. 302 00:19:17,980 --> 00:19:19,100 And you know what? 303 00:19:19,100 --> 00:19:22,780 They're just not as excited as we are about the word the Lord's given us. 304 00:19:22,780 --> 00:19:23,780 You ever notice that? 305 00:19:23,780 --> 00:19:27,540 You share what's going on and it's not like they're not jumping up and down as much as 306 00:19:27,540 --> 00:19:29,660 you have a few people and they're like, "Oh, that's good. 307 00:19:29,660 --> 00:19:30,740 I thought it's good." 308 00:19:30,740 --> 00:19:36,220 But they're not really as excited about the word that the Lord's given you. 309 00:19:36,220 --> 00:19:40,340 And so sometimes we have these pits that we have to contend with. 310 00:19:40,340 --> 00:19:44,300 So the first one that I believe happens when we receive a word from the Lord, the very 311 00:19:44,300 --> 00:19:50,460 first thing that we end up having to contend with is discouragement, wounds and hurt. 312 00:19:50,460 --> 00:19:54,940 The pit of discouragement, wounds and hurt. 313 00:19:54,940 --> 00:20:01,000 Do you realize that the brothers turned their back on Joseph? 314 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,980 It wasn't just anybody. 315 00:20:03,980 --> 00:20:06,940 They were his brothers. 316 00:20:06,940 --> 00:20:18,660 Have you ever had somebody you love deeply betray you, turn their back on you, turn against 317 00:20:18,660 --> 00:20:22,620 you, leave you quote unquote for dead? 318 00:20:22,620 --> 00:20:30,300 Have you had anybody who you thought loved you, speak harsh words in your life, reject 319 00:20:30,300 --> 00:20:34,780 you, turn away from you and cause hurt? 320 00:20:34,780 --> 00:20:38,980 I think all of us could probably say we've experienced it. 321 00:20:38,980 --> 00:20:44,380 The hurt of rejection. 322 00:20:44,380 --> 00:20:51,140 The discouragement that comes from being in the pit where the people who are supposed 323 00:20:51,140 --> 00:20:57,700 to love you the most want to see you dead more than alive. 324 00:20:57,700 --> 00:21:01,100 Joseph is in this pit. 325 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:03,860 Some of you today may be in that pit. 326 00:21:03,860 --> 00:21:09,660 You're discouraged and you're hurt and you're wounded because of what somebody has said 327 00:21:09,660 --> 00:21:13,660 or something somebody has done. 328 00:21:13,660 --> 00:21:19,860 And if we're not in a posture with the Holy Spirit holding onto the encouragement of the 329 00:21:19,860 --> 00:21:25,300 God of the universe, then some of the most destructive behaviors come from a posture 330 00:21:25,300 --> 00:21:28,300 of discouragement, wounds and hurt. 331 00:21:28,300 --> 00:21:33,380 And what happens is we wear this hurt, we wear this discouragement, we wear these wounds 332 00:21:33,380 --> 00:21:38,940 and we want other people to be discouraged and wounded and hurt because somehow it makes 333 00:21:38,940 --> 00:21:43,580 us feel better that we're not the only one in the club. 334 00:21:43,580 --> 00:21:52,180 But Joseph is able somehow to hold onto the faith that he has in Christ or in the Lord 335 00:21:52,180 --> 00:21:58,220 rather in the Lord and be able to not act from a place of discouragement, wound and 336 00:21:58,220 --> 00:21:59,220 hurt. 337 00:21:59,220 --> 00:22:00,220 I believe he was discouraged. 338 00:22:00,220 --> 00:22:01,220 I believe he's wounded and hurt. 339 00:22:01,220 --> 00:22:04,180 But his actions manifested something supernatural. 340 00:22:04,180 --> 00:22:08,820 I'm going to be transparent with you this morning. 341 00:22:08,820 --> 00:22:12,340 About three years ago I had somebody come into my life, maybe three or four years ago, 342 00:22:12,340 --> 00:22:15,580 I had somebody come into my life and they had a conversation with me and they said to 343 00:22:15,580 --> 00:22:20,500 me, "Hey, listen, I don't know that the people at the church can really receive from you 344 00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:25,700 very well because you just don't, I don't know really who speaks into your life. 345 00:22:25,700 --> 00:22:30,740 I don't know really who, like the walls are up and you're just not vulnerable enough. 346 00:22:30,740 --> 00:22:34,260 Like nobody really knows the real Kevin, you know, and all of this." 347 00:22:34,260 --> 00:22:39,380 And I, you know, I listened to that voice and I thought, "Okay, maybe I need to make 348 00:22:39,380 --> 00:22:40,380 some adjustments." 349 00:22:40,380 --> 00:22:42,300 I mean, I didn't, I don't know. 350 00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:46,020 And before that, it wasn't that I had any, I didn't have any, I didn't, I had issues, 351 00:22:46,020 --> 00:22:49,780 everybody has issues, but I didn't have any problems that I was holding onto. 352 00:22:49,780 --> 00:22:54,980 In fact, I was super secure in my relationship with the Lord, very secure in my relationship 353 00:22:54,980 --> 00:22:56,900 with the Lord. 354 00:22:56,900 --> 00:23:00,900 And so what happened was, is I began to let my walls come down and I began to get in some 355 00:23:00,900 --> 00:23:04,580 friendships and relationships and I began to get real vulnerable. 356 00:23:04,580 --> 00:23:08,900 And what happened is it wasn't bad for me to allow people to speak into my life, but 357 00:23:08,900 --> 00:23:12,180 can I confess to you this morning over the last three years, I've allowed some of those 358 00:23:12,180 --> 00:23:16,620 voices to supersede the voice of the Lord. 359 00:23:16,620 --> 00:23:21,020 And so over the last three years, I have realized that I've been more insecure in the last three 360 00:23:21,020 --> 00:23:25,120 years than I've been in my entire adult life. 361 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:29,020 Because anytime you allow a human voice, no matter how wonderful they are, no matter how 362 00:23:29,020 --> 00:23:32,660 much you love them, no matter how much you think they're incredible, outrageous, all 363 00:23:32,660 --> 00:23:38,620 of them, no matter how deep you go with them, humans are humans and they are broken. 364 00:23:38,620 --> 00:23:42,220 And nobody can speak into your life like the Lord Jesus Christ. 365 00:23:42,220 --> 00:23:47,180 Here's the thing, people will fail you, but the Lord will never let you down. 366 00:23:47,180 --> 00:23:54,160 People will fail you, but the Lord will never let you down. 367 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:58,780 And so it's good to have people in your life that you're conversing with and God uses them 368 00:23:58,780 --> 00:24:04,920 as instruments to speak into your life, but never buy into the lie that what they say 369 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,900 is more important than what he says. 370 00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:10,960 He is the one that provides the foundation. 371 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,380 And so in these last three years, I've contended with insecurity and I'm climbing out of the 372 00:24:15,380 --> 00:24:16,440 hole right now. 373 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:18,600 I'm in the middle, I'm in the thick of it. 374 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,500 Every day I'm getting up and going to the Lord, one, repent it, but two, saying, "Lord, 375 00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:24,100 I need you to speak a word of encouragement. 376 00:24:24,100 --> 00:24:25,460 I need to buy in." 377 00:24:25,460 --> 00:24:29,700 There's a point in my life that I remember, God, I was closer to you than I am right now 378 00:24:29,700 --> 00:24:34,220 because I've allowed some voices to get into the mix and they're sharing the spot with 379 00:24:34,220 --> 00:24:38,060 you, and I don't want that to be. 380 00:24:38,060 --> 00:24:43,300 And I wonder if anybody else is the same, that you find yourself in a perpetual place 381 00:24:43,300 --> 00:24:48,580 of having an empty hole because you're allowing the other voices, that land, and then they 382 00:24:48,580 --> 00:24:53,280 fall away to come over and over and over again into your life and you find yourself in the 383 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,240 same place, if not worse. 384 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:59,020 God wants to fill that hole. 385 00:24:59,020 --> 00:25:01,960 God has incredible things to say about you. 386 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:07,120 You can rest assure in who he is and what he says. 387 00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:10,600 People will always fail you, but the Lord will never let you down. 388 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:15,920 You may be in a place this morning where you feel helpless, rejected, and alone. 389 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:17,480 I've been there. 390 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:19,660 I've been there. 391 00:25:19,660 --> 00:25:23,660 And can I tell you that your God is for you. 392 00:25:23,660 --> 00:25:24,660 He is with you. 393 00:25:24,660 --> 00:25:28,640 In 2 Corinthians, it says this, "Praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 394 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:35,200 the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles 395 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:40,680 so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from 396 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:41,680 God." 397 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,200 God is a God of comfort this morning. 398 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:48,880 And if you're alone and you're wounded, you feel helpless, God wants to comfort you this 399 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:59,340 morning and remind you that he is your God and he sees you and he knows your name. 400 00:25:59,340 --> 00:26:06,220 And so Joseph is in this pit, discouraged, wounded, and hurt, he gets sold into slavery 401 00:26:06,220 --> 00:26:12,800 and he goes into a man named Potiphar's house and he begins to utilize the anointing and 402 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,980 the gifts that the Lord gave him. 403 00:26:15,980 --> 00:26:21,680 He begins to utilize the anointing and the gifts and he begins to do some things administratively 404 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:27,660 in the palace, following the rules, helping keep things in checks and balances. 405 00:26:27,660 --> 00:26:35,600 And guess what, in a slavery state, God elevates him to be second in command of the home. 406 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,240 Only God can elevate you in the midst of slavery. 407 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:41,000 Only God can do something like that. 408 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:47,120 And so he gets elevated in this home and he becomes second in command and he does a great 409 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:51,940 job with the gifts that the Lord has given him and he remains faithful to the Lord. 410 00:26:51,940 --> 00:26:55,880 He remains faithful to the Lord. 411 00:26:55,880 --> 00:27:00,380 And so here's the thing, Joseph has this problem. 412 00:27:00,380 --> 00:27:03,280 He's a good looking dude. 413 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:10,020 Joseph is a good looking dude and Potiphar's wife knows it. 414 00:27:10,020 --> 00:27:14,800 The next area that we tend to contend with after discouragement, wounds, and hurt is 415 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:18,060 credibility and accusations. 416 00:27:18,060 --> 00:27:25,020 The pit of our credibility being put in question and false accusations being made against us. 417 00:27:25,020 --> 00:27:29,360 And so Potiphar's wife sees Joseph and she wants him. 418 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:32,660 I mean, she wants him. 419 00:27:32,660 --> 00:27:39,700 And continuously, day after day, he's there put in the situation where he could have totally 420 00:27:39,700 --> 00:27:42,500 chosen to go in that direction. 421 00:27:42,500 --> 00:27:43,920 But this was his response. 422 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:46,280 It says, "But he refused." 423 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:47,280 Would you say that? 424 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:49,520 "But he refused. 425 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:53,620 With me in charge, he told her, 'My master does not concern himself with anything in 426 00:27:53,620 --> 00:27:54,620 the house. 427 00:27:54,620 --> 00:27:57,540 Everything he owns, he is entrusted to my care. 428 00:27:57,540 --> 00:27:59,960 No one is greater in this house than I am. 429 00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:03,940 My master has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. 430 00:28:03,940 --> 00:28:07,500 How then could I do such a wicked thing against God? 431 00:28:07,500 --> 00:28:17,740 Oh, that we would be a people in private situations to make choices that would render positive 432 00:28:17,740 --> 00:28:19,860 consequences in our public places.'" 433 00:28:19,860 --> 00:28:26,660 In other words, when we ruin our credibility in private, we tarnish our reputation in public. 434 00:28:26,660 --> 00:28:34,120 When we ruin our credibility in private, we tarnish our reputation in public. 435 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:39,640 Joseph had every ability to go and do things with Potiphar's wife, every ability. 436 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,460 But he chose to do the right thing. 437 00:28:42,460 --> 00:28:44,580 Let me ask you a question. 438 00:28:44,580 --> 00:28:49,980 Has your credibility ever been called falsely into question? 439 00:28:49,980 --> 00:28:52,260 Have you ever done the right thing? 440 00:28:52,260 --> 00:28:55,620 You know before the Lord, you did the right thing. 441 00:28:55,620 --> 00:29:00,820 Yet somebody makes an accusation against you in another way, and you end up at bottom instead 442 00:29:00,820 --> 00:29:02,320 of top. 443 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:07,100 Somebody makes a false accusation against you, and you lose that job, or you lose that 444 00:29:07,100 --> 00:29:08,300 relationship. 445 00:29:08,300 --> 00:29:09,300 Somebody makes a false accusation. 446 00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:13,100 In fact, what they do is they lie. 447 00:29:13,100 --> 00:29:20,420 And so we have to contend with the lies that people say about us, the accusations and the 448 00:29:20,420 --> 00:29:25,700 lies that people present about us. 449 00:29:25,700 --> 00:29:30,220 Has anything unjust ever happened to you? 450 00:29:30,220 --> 00:29:35,960 And so Joseph is in a situation where his credibility is being questioned, and he did 451 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,700 nothing wrong. 452 00:29:38,700 --> 00:29:41,160 He did nothing wrong. 453 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:46,560 And I wonder if there might be people here today where you have been accused of things 454 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:55,140 that are absolutely not true and put your credibility on the line. 455 00:29:55,140 --> 00:29:59,040 And you're subject to the court of public opinion. 456 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:03,240 And so you have to wear the badge and the consequences and the waves of what comes with 457 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:06,700 what people think instead of what's actual truth. 458 00:30:06,700 --> 00:30:08,900 Potiphar's wife lies about him. 459 00:30:08,900 --> 00:30:09,900 It's not fair. 460 00:30:09,900 --> 00:30:11,820 He did the right thing. 461 00:30:11,820 --> 00:30:16,240 But can I tell you, friends, that I don't think that our credibility, for the most part, 462 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:22,000 is tarnished in our actions as much as our credibility is tarnished in our words and 463 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:23,140 what we say. 464 00:30:23,140 --> 00:30:28,120 The Bible says this, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, only what is 465 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:33,800 helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who 466 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:36,620 listen." 467 00:30:36,620 --> 00:30:42,480 One of my favorite phrases that we have coined here at Springhouse is this, "Love is my 468 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:46,060 name protected in your mouth." 469 00:30:46,060 --> 00:30:51,520 We had a text interchange yesterday with a small group, and the initial text said, it 470 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:53,180 was talking about love. 471 00:30:53,180 --> 00:30:57,240 And I responded to it later in the day knowing what I was going to be speaking about. 472 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:00,100 And I was like, "Man, this is a tall task." 473 00:31:00,100 --> 00:31:04,480 Because when I look at the biblical definition of love, I need the help of the Holy Spirit 474 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:07,580 to love in that way. 475 00:31:07,580 --> 00:31:10,500 Love is supposed to protect. 476 00:31:10,500 --> 00:31:16,060 So that means, in the issue of credibility, if I'm hanging out at your house or I've got 477 00:31:16,060 --> 00:31:19,820 a text message conversation or I'm over at the grocery store and I'm talking bad about 478 00:31:19,820 --> 00:31:27,260 somebody else without them being present, my credibility is in question. 479 00:31:27,260 --> 00:31:31,940 And I think this is where we get tripped up more than anywhere else. 480 00:31:31,940 --> 00:31:37,720 Can I tell you, profession, confession to all of you, I want to be known as someone 481 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:42,700 that you can say, "I don't ever remember Kevin O'Dea saying something bad about another person 482 00:31:42,700 --> 00:31:43,920 in my presence. 483 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,520 I want that testimony in my life." 484 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:47,980 And I give you permission. 485 00:31:47,980 --> 00:31:52,600 If you hear me talking ill about somebody, talking out of school about somebody, it doesn't 486 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:53,600 even matter. 487 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,540 If they're not present and it doesn't edify them, I want you to call me out because I 488 00:31:57,540 --> 00:32:07,300 want the testimony of my credibility before the Lord to not be tarnished, to not be ruined. 489 00:32:07,300 --> 00:32:11,040 How many of you all would like to unlock your phones and let me read some of your text messages 490 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:12,860 in front of the congregation? 491 00:32:12,860 --> 00:32:14,940 Would that be hard? 492 00:32:14,940 --> 00:32:20,640 Because it's not just what we say, it's what we text, it's what we write, it's what we 493 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,400 laugh about. 494 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:27,560 And if you feel convicted right now because you may be engaged in conversations, let me 495 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:29,560 tell you the pathway to freedom. 496 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:31,480 Go to that person and you don't even tell them what you said. 497 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:36,320 Go to that person and say, "I need to apologize to you because there was an instance where 498 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:41,000 I didn't love you and I need God to do a work in my life." 499 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:42,700 And watch what the Holy Spirit does. 500 00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:49,540 I've had that happen to me in my life and those people now are so much closer. 501 00:32:49,540 --> 00:32:54,380 That's what God woo's us toward. 502 00:32:54,380 --> 00:33:00,140 Credibility, lies, accusations. 503 00:33:00,140 --> 00:33:03,020 This is my friend Cole. 504 00:33:03,020 --> 00:33:06,700 He's got his new baby here today. 505 00:33:06,700 --> 00:33:12,220 And Cole, there was a conversation that happened with Cole, I think it was about eight months 506 00:33:12,220 --> 00:33:13,420 ago, something like that. 507 00:33:13,420 --> 00:33:18,540 We were in a living room, we were in a situation where people were talking about somebody. 508 00:33:18,540 --> 00:33:23,700 And Cole, one of my proudest moments of Cole was that he stood up in the middle of that, 509 00:33:23,700 --> 00:33:26,020 he clapped his hands, he said, "Hey, let's pray for them. 510 00:33:26,020 --> 00:33:29,700 Because obviously something's going on and they need a touch from Jesus." 511 00:33:29,700 --> 00:33:34,300 And the minute he said the name Jesus, the whole atmosphere shifted. 512 00:33:34,300 --> 00:33:37,820 Do you know you have the power to shift an atmosphere no matter who you're talking to 513 00:33:37,820 --> 00:33:39,460 by interjecting the name of Jesus? 514 00:33:39,460 --> 00:33:43,880 He said, "I don't know how to get this person to stop talking about that person in that 515 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:44,880 way." 516 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:45,880 Jesus. 517 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,860 He said, "Let's introduce Jesus into the equation. 518 00:33:49,860 --> 00:33:53,800 Because there should be no conversation that's happening about anybody else unless it's building 519 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:56,380 them up that they're not involved with. 520 00:33:56,380 --> 00:33:59,460 They're not involved in." 521 00:33:59,460 --> 00:34:03,680 Cole has that testimony in my life, because I witnessed it firsthand. 522 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:05,720 Do you have a testimony like that? 523 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:09,900 Or is your credibility such that I know that person actually talks about people behind 524 00:34:09,900 --> 00:34:11,640 their back? 525 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:13,640 Because they talk to me. 526 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:19,580 Here's what the Word says in Psalm. 527 00:34:19,580 --> 00:34:22,460 "Surely the Lord, you bless the righteous." 528 00:34:22,460 --> 00:34:24,660 I want a blessing. 529 00:34:24,660 --> 00:34:27,940 And the pathway is righteousness. 530 00:34:27,940 --> 00:34:30,500 You surround them with your favor as a shield. 531 00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:32,900 Who would like to see the favor of God in their life? 532 00:34:32,900 --> 00:34:36,360 Man, I want the favor of God in my life. 533 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:40,660 It's just hard for me to connect favor when I'm gossiping about people. 534 00:34:40,660 --> 00:34:44,820 It's just hard for me to get my—maybe God will do it, but that would be a hard stretch 535 00:34:44,820 --> 00:34:48,620 for me. 536 00:34:48,620 --> 00:34:50,520 And so he ends up in jail. 537 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:51,520 Here he is. 538 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:56,420 He's sitting in jail, and I can imagine that he's sitting there saying, "God, I did not 539 00:34:56,420 --> 00:34:58,380 touch his wife. 540 00:34:58,380 --> 00:34:59,760 I didn't do a thing. 541 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:01,700 I was not in the wrong here. 542 00:35:01,700 --> 00:35:04,900 God, here I am in this jail cell." 543 00:35:04,900 --> 00:35:08,340 But you know what he chose to do? 544 00:35:08,340 --> 00:35:13,600 He used his gifts and his anointing, and he served the Lord faithfully. 545 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:18,820 And in the confines of a jail cell, God uses this Joseph. 546 00:35:18,820 --> 00:35:23,180 And Joseph raises up, and he gets some liberation and freedom within the jail cell, and he happens 547 00:35:23,180 --> 00:35:27,880 upon a cupbearer who has been sent to jail from Pharaoh. 548 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:33,380 And this cupbearer is in anguish because he had a dream, and he doesn't really know how 549 00:35:33,380 --> 00:35:34,760 to interpret the dream. 550 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,880 And I love Joseph's response because it shows us Joseph's heart. 551 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:43,940 He says this, "Do not interpretations belong to God." 552 00:35:43,940 --> 00:35:51,480 Do you know that Joseph had every right, every wound, every thing discouragement to stand 553 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,760 on a platform that says, "I can interpret dreams. 554 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:58,840 I need some credit here because I've been kicked while I was down, and I didn't deserve 555 00:35:58,840 --> 00:35:59,840 it. 556 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:00,840 I can do this." 557 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:07,580 Do you know that your most potent, wonderful, outrageous gifts do not belong to you? 558 00:36:07,580 --> 00:36:08,860 They belong to the Lord. 559 00:36:08,860 --> 00:36:11,540 He has given them to you to steward. 560 00:36:11,540 --> 00:36:15,120 And every time you get a chance, you should acknowledge God for the things you're able 561 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,940 to do, for the favor he's bestowed in your life. 562 00:36:17,940 --> 00:36:20,060 And that is what Joseph's response was. 563 00:36:20,060 --> 00:36:25,840 And so they tell him the dream, or I'm sorry, the chief cupbearer says, "There was a vine, 564 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:30,820 and the vine had three branches, and it blossomed, and I was squeezing the grapes into Pharaoh's 565 00:36:30,820 --> 00:36:31,820 cup." 566 00:36:31,820 --> 00:36:34,020 And Joseph says, "Oh, I can interpret that. 567 00:36:34,020 --> 00:36:38,060 In three days' time, Pharaoh's gonna get you out of here, and you're gonna be reinstated 568 00:36:38,060 --> 00:36:40,020 next to Pharaoh." 569 00:36:40,020 --> 00:36:42,700 What a wonderful interpretation of the dream. 570 00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:46,080 Well, there's this other fella in the jail cell. 571 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:48,280 He was the baker. 572 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:49,980 And he also had a dream. 573 00:36:49,980 --> 00:36:55,900 And the word tells us, because he saw the favorable interpretation of the dream, he 574 00:36:55,900 --> 00:36:57,760 wanted his dream interpreted. 575 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,380 And so he says, "Oh, hey, I want mine interpreted." 576 00:37:00,380 --> 00:37:03,300 He says this, "I too had a dream. 577 00:37:03,300 --> 00:37:05,520 On my head were three baskets of bread. 578 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,780 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating 579 00:37:08,780 --> 00:37:10,180 them out of the basket on my head. 580 00:37:10,180 --> 00:37:11,180 What does it mean?" 581 00:37:11,180 --> 00:37:16,020 Joseph says, "You're gonna die. 582 00:37:16,020 --> 00:37:19,540 You're gonna die." 583 00:37:19,540 --> 00:37:22,420 Let me caution you. 584 00:37:22,420 --> 00:37:27,580 When you see God moving in somebody else's life, do not allow the seed of jealousy to 585 00:37:27,580 --> 00:37:33,660 rise up where you try to go and grab something that they're supposed to have for yourself. 586 00:37:33,660 --> 00:37:35,840 Because it's not gonna go well for you. 587 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:39,920 God has something for you, and he has something for them. 588 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:44,500 And so he interprets these dreams, and he says this to the cupbearer. 589 00:37:44,500 --> 00:37:48,100 He says this, "But when all goes well with you, remember me." 590 00:37:48,100 --> 00:37:50,180 Would you say, "Remember me." 591 00:37:50,180 --> 00:37:51,380 And show me kindness. 592 00:37:51,380 --> 00:37:54,420 Mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 593 00:37:54,420 --> 00:37:58,600 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I've done nothing 594 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:02,380 to deserve being put in a dungeon. 595 00:38:02,380 --> 00:38:08,820 The next thing we contend with is that we become forgotten and not valued. 596 00:38:08,820 --> 00:38:16,420 Has anybody been in a place where you've been forgotten? 597 00:38:16,420 --> 00:38:19,980 You see how much blood, sweat, and tears I put into that ministry for all those years, 598 00:38:19,980 --> 00:38:24,380 and now nobody recognizes me anymore? 599 00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:29,380 You see how much work I did for that program or that thing, and now it's just like y'all 600 00:38:29,380 --> 00:38:31,420 just wanna toss it out with the wind? 601 00:38:31,420 --> 00:38:35,140 I mean, do you see the things that I'm contending with in my life? 602 00:38:35,140 --> 00:38:38,740 Do you not recognize all of the sweat equity I've put in here? 603 00:38:38,740 --> 00:38:45,500 I mean, I am just not valued. 604 00:38:45,500 --> 00:38:49,520 And this will cause people to run. 605 00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:52,540 This will cause people to deny their faith in Christ. 606 00:38:52,540 --> 00:38:55,420 This will cause people to say, "I've got church hurt. 607 00:38:55,420 --> 00:38:58,860 I'm going somewhere else." 608 00:38:58,860 --> 00:39:00,140 Because I feel forgotten. 609 00:39:00,140 --> 00:39:04,780 I feel that nobody is giving me the credit due that I'm supposed to have. 610 00:39:04,780 --> 00:39:09,260 I feel forgotten because the cup bearer, he just interpreted the dream. 611 00:39:09,260 --> 00:39:11,700 Can you imagine what Joseph could have been thinking there? 612 00:39:11,700 --> 00:39:14,580 I would have been sitting there thinking, "Okay, in the next 15 minutes, Pharaoh's gonna 613 00:39:14,580 --> 00:39:15,580 show up. 614 00:39:15,580 --> 00:39:18,020 In the next 30 minutes, the next day, Pharaoh's gonna be here." 615 00:39:18,020 --> 00:39:20,180 He sits there for years. 616 00:39:20,180 --> 00:39:23,600 Did it really work? 617 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:25,580 Did the interpretation really happen? 618 00:39:25,580 --> 00:39:27,660 Like, I mean, God, did you really... 619 00:39:27,660 --> 00:39:29,980 God, is it not what happened here? 620 00:39:29,980 --> 00:39:34,660 Why do I have to continue to sit in this prison? 621 00:39:34,660 --> 00:39:37,340 And then Pharaoh has a dream. 622 00:39:37,340 --> 00:39:43,900 He says, "I see seven fat calves and seven lean ones, and the lean ones eat the fat ones, 623 00:39:43,900 --> 00:39:45,140 and the lean ones stay lean. 624 00:39:45,140 --> 00:39:46,940 And I don't understand this dream." 625 00:39:46,940 --> 00:39:50,540 And he's saying this, and the cup bearer is in earshot. 626 00:39:50,540 --> 00:39:51,860 And guess what? 627 00:39:51,860 --> 00:39:54,860 The cup bearer remembers. 628 00:39:54,860 --> 00:39:55,860 He remembers. 629 00:39:55,860 --> 00:39:58,420 He says, "There's this guy that I know." 630 00:39:58,420 --> 00:40:04,320 And he was in the jail cell, and I believe his God can interpret this dream. 631 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:14,580 And so he calls Joseph out of the jail, and he pulls him in, and he tells him the dream. 632 00:40:14,580 --> 00:40:18,820 And so tells him the dream, and Joseph says, "I can tell you what that dream means. 633 00:40:18,820 --> 00:40:21,340 It means you're gonna have seven years of planning and seven years of famine." 634 00:40:21,340 --> 00:40:28,340 And he says, he could have said, "And you need me to help you get this together." 635 00:40:28,340 --> 00:40:31,000 But he says, "No, you need to find someone. 636 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:35,780 You need to find someone so that you can prepare Pharaoh, or you're gonna lose everything." 637 00:40:35,780 --> 00:40:41,660 And Pharaoh says, "Is there anyone who has a greater God than this man, Joseph?" 638 00:40:41,660 --> 00:40:46,620 And he raises him up again, second in command. 639 00:40:46,620 --> 00:40:53,540 And Joseph puts his administrative gifts and faithfulness on display for all to see, accumulating 640 00:40:53,540 --> 00:40:56,540 all of the food that was needed. 641 00:40:56,540 --> 00:40:59,400 Well then guess what happens after that? 642 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:06,820 After 22 years, the brothers arrived back on the scene because they need food. 643 00:41:06,820 --> 00:41:12,900 And now the dream has come full circle because Joseph is in an elevated status. 644 00:41:12,900 --> 00:41:19,180 And the first posture that these brothers have to make before him is to bow down. 645 00:41:19,180 --> 00:41:23,820 Joseph moved by compassion, moved by compassion. 646 00:41:23,820 --> 00:41:25,740 He tests them. 647 00:41:25,740 --> 00:41:29,420 He tests the brothers to see where their heart posture was. 648 00:41:29,420 --> 00:41:31,980 Why did the brothers have to be tested? 649 00:41:31,980 --> 00:41:37,380 Why did Judah have to ultimately stand up and say, "Don't take Benjamin, take me instead." 650 00:41:37,380 --> 00:41:40,160 Can I tell you something that we don't like to hear? 651 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:43,080 Repentance requires action. 652 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:45,540 Repentance requires action. 653 00:41:45,540 --> 00:41:50,580 You can say all day long, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm all," but repentance actually requires 654 00:41:50,580 --> 00:41:54,140 you to do something different. 655 00:41:54,140 --> 00:41:59,420 And what Joseph was looking for was a repentant heart, a change that says, "I would never 656 00:41:59,420 --> 00:42:01,860 do that to my youngest brother again. 657 00:42:01,860 --> 00:42:03,540 I have suffered long and hard. 658 00:42:03,540 --> 00:42:07,980 My father has suffered long and hard." 659 00:42:07,980 --> 00:42:14,220 And undone, he reveals himself to the brothers. 660 00:42:14,220 --> 00:42:21,660 He reveals himself to the brothers. 661 00:42:21,660 --> 00:42:31,000 At the beginning of the story I told you, Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors. 662 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:34,200 They conveyed favor. 663 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:35,900 The brothers were jealous of the coat. 664 00:42:35,900 --> 00:42:38,420 They were jealous of him, the favor. 665 00:42:38,420 --> 00:42:45,800 But might I suggest to you this morning, favor comes with a price tag. 666 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:49,240 And there are people that you have been watching getting blessed and you have been jealous 667 00:42:49,240 --> 00:42:52,620 and you have been upset about it and you've been wondering why they're getting it, but 668 00:42:52,620 --> 00:42:56,140 I want you to know that the coat that they are wearing comes with hurt. 669 00:42:56,140 --> 00:42:57,580 It comes with depression. 670 00:42:57,580 --> 00:43:01,480 It comes with seasons of discouragement and woundedness. 671 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,360 It comes with a season of credibility being in check. 672 00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:08,320 It is not something, favor comes with a price tag. 673 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:12,280 And God has favor for your life, but he's going to have you walk through some things 674 00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:16,880 because here's the thing, everything, this blows my mind. 675 00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:20,120 The favor of Joseph was not for Joseph. 676 00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:25,840 It was for the very people who put him on the trajectory he was on. 677 00:43:25,840 --> 00:43:28,360 It was for the favor of Joseph wasn't for him. 678 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:30,120 It was for the brothers. 679 00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:34,420 It was for the people who put him through all of the pain and all of the hurt. 680 00:43:34,420 --> 00:43:38,600 Don't you understand that the favor that the Lord puts on your life isn't for you. 681 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:41,040 It's not about you. 682 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:43,300 It's not about you. 683 00:43:43,300 --> 00:43:49,220 And Jesus Christ did the exact same thing because I hurt. 684 00:43:49,220 --> 00:43:52,680 I turned my back on Jesus. 685 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:54,240 I criticized Jesus. 686 00:43:54,240 --> 00:43:58,720 I lied about Jesus. 687 00:43:58,720 --> 00:44:01,840 And Jesus even experienced moments of being alone. 688 00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:05,920 Do you remember the garden? 689 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:13,580 Yet he comes back and he does with supernatural power what only he could do. 690 00:44:13,580 --> 00:44:14,580 Joseph looks at his brothers. 691 00:44:14,580 --> 00:44:19,020 He says, I forgive you. 692 00:44:19,020 --> 00:44:22,440 What the enemy meant for evil. 693 00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:26,060 Twenty-two years later, he meant for good. 694 00:44:26,060 --> 00:44:32,880 I've got these scars, but they're beautiful because of this moment. 695 00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:40,320 Jesus Christ forgave every one of us in this room for such a time as this. 696 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:43,160 I'm going to ask you a question this morning. 697 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:48,800 If you are a leader of any sort, a ministry leader, an elder, a pastor, or you're a leader 698 00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:52,420 in some type of company or business, you consider yourself a leader manager, would you stand 699 00:44:52,420 --> 00:44:54,160 this morning with me? 700 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:58,940 Leaders, leaders, if you consider yourself a leader of any sort. 701 00:44:58,940 --> 00:45:09,360 I want to speak to you for just a second, just you guys. 702 00:45:09,360 --> 00:45:12,680 The elders last week came up here and they blessed the people. 703 00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:18,560 And I want you to understand that our leaders at the church every week come into this place 704 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:21,120 having to be filled up so that they can pour out. 705 00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:24,840 You can't come up here and offer something you don't have, right? 706 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:29,840 But one of the things that I love about Springhouse Church is that we are a community full 707 00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:34,580 of authenticity that understands that your lead pastor can get up and say, guys, I'm 708 00:45:34,580 --> 00:45:36,820 struggling the last three years with insecurity. 709 00:45:36,820 --> 00:45:38,600 Would you pray for me? 710 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:43,500 And the people who are standing up in this room, I believe that some of you are in places 711 00:45:43,500 --> 00:45:45,180 of discouragement. 712 00:45:45,180 --> 00:45:49,760 I believe that some of you are in places where your credibility has been called into question, 713 00:45:49,760 --> 00:45:52,440 that maybe you've been falsely accused. 714 00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:56,320 I believe that some of you are walking in a season where you feel forgotten. 715 00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:57,440 You feel undervalued. 716 00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:00,680 You feel like you've put blood, sweat and tears, but you don't understand why there's 717 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:02,880 not abundant fruit like it used to be. 718 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:06,640 You're just kind of wrestling internally with that. 719 00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:11,760 And I want to invite you this morning because we are a church with humble leaders that if 720 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:16,160 you are in any one of those places, would you come forward to the altar space so that 721 00:46:16,160 --> 00:46:17,200 we can pray for you? 722 00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:18,720 Just step right on up. 723 00:46:18,720 --> 00:46:19,720 Don't hesitate. 724 00:46:19,720 --> 00:46:22,400 I have been contending with any discouragement. 725 00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:24,400 I have been wounded. 726 00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:26,400 I've been hurt. 727 00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:27,400 I felt rejected. 728 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:28,400 I feel lonely. 729 00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:29,400 I feel forgotten. 730 00:46:29,400 --> 00:46:31,120 I feel any of those things. 731 00:46:31,120 --> 00:46:32,680 Come on up. 732 00:46:32,680 --> 00:46:41,560 I need you guys to come a little closer to the stage. 733 00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:47,520 Yeah. 734 00:46:47,520 --> 00:46:50,840 Last week, the leaders spoke into your life. 735 00:46:50,840 --> 00:46:53,680 This week, you're going to speak into their lives. 736 00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:55,680 Would you stand with me this morning? 737 00:46:55,680 --> 00:46:59,800 The same Holy Spirit that these people have in their hearts and their lives, you have 738 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:01,200 in you. 739 00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:07,800 And not one of them need to leave here the same way because you get to choose. 740 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:09,360 You get to choose what you carry. 741 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,220 You get to choose how you respond. 742 00:47:11,220 --> 00:47:12,220 You get to choose. 743 00:47:12,220 --> 00:47:13,220 Yeah, it's true. 744 00:47:13,220 --> 00:47:15,000 You may be in that pit. 745 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:19,400 But you can choose faithfulness and you can choose to render your anointing and your gifts 746 00:47:19,400 --> 00:47:23,920 to the Lord so that the outcome can be for his glory. 747 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:26,200 So I'm going to ask you all to do is just face out this way. 748 00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:31,720 I believe this is an appointed, anointed moment in time that God has a word from you all to 749 00:47:31,720 --> 00:47:32,780 these people. 750 00:47:32,780 --> 00:47:33,780 So lock eyes. 751 00:47:33,780 --> 00:47:35,560 A lot of them lead you. 752 00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:37,600 So here's the direction. 753 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:40,680 I don't want anybody up here not attended. 754 00:47:40,680 --> 00:47:43,160 You all have words for them and prayers for them. 755 00:47:43,160 --> 00:47:47,360 I want you to come and join with one of these brothers and sisters and encourage them this 756 00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:48,760 morning as we worship. 757 00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:49,480 Let's worship together. 758 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:49,980 Yeah. 759 00:47:49,980 --> 00:47:50,980 Yeah. 760 00:47:50,980 --> 00:47:51,980 Yeah. 761 00:47:51,980 --> 00:47:52,480 Yeah. 762 00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:53,480 Yeah. 763 00:47:53,480 --> 00:47:54,480 Yeah. 764 00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:55,480 Yeah. 765 00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:56,480 Yeah. 766 00:47:56,480 --> 00:47:57,480 Yeah. 767 00:47:57,480 --> 00:47:58,480 Yeah. 768 00:47:58,480 --> 00:47:59,480 Yeah. 769 00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:00,480 Yeah.