Losing Our Identity

Losing Our Identity

Genesis 42:5-10(N.A.S.)

5. So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.

6. Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to Him with their faces to the ground.

7. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “where have you come from?” And they said, from the land of Canaan, to buy food.

8. But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.

9. Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.”

10. Then they said to him, “no, my Lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

Last week, we talked about the pit of destruction. We discussed we don’t to go close to the pit because inside the pit is the enemy.

Satan is in the pit, and He wants us to follow Him.

He wants us to commit spiritual suicide.

The pit represents a type of Hell.

Joseph was stripped of his coat of many colors and thrown into a pit.

The coat represented something he loved, which was given to him by his father.

The coat, which he loved, was taken away, and He was thrown into a place of darkness where their was no water.

His brothers were going to kill him, but instead sold him into Egyptian slavery.

Even though Joseph was in a place of darkness, the light of God intervened.

Through all the dilemmas that Joseph went through He never forgot the God of His father.

Joseph was raised out of the pit of destruction because Gods hand was on his life.

Joseph was taken from captivity of the pit and raised to new levels of his walk.

He went through trials and tribulations, but he overcame every obstacle that was placed before him.

Joseph was raised to second in command in Potipher’s house; every thing that he touched was blessed.

Potipher’s wife decided that she wanted Joseph; day in and day out she tried to seduce him.

There had been a standard placed on the inside of Joseph’s heart by his father.

The pit was coming against him, all Hell, the powers of darkness.

What did he do? He fled away from the pit.

James 4-7

Therefore submit yourselves to God, resist the Devil, and He will flee from you.

Joseph did not want to sin against his master!

Even through this pit experience Joseph held onto his integrity in God.

He was not going to lose his identity.

Even though he was thrown back into prison for a crime that he didn’t commit, he stayed true to God!

Look at the life of Jesus, He was a perfect man who never did anything wrong, but He still paid a price because He loved us so much.

Some people might say that bad things don’t happen to Christians; look at the life of Joseph.

When bad things happen in our lives, hold onto Jesus, don’t let go!

Remember what He has done in your life; remember what He has brought you out of.

You might say, “Pastor you don’t know what I’ve been through.”

Have you been listening to what Joseph went through?

He lost his mother at a young age. His own brothers had thrown him into a pit to die; he was ripped away from his father, Jacob, and Benjamin.

He was sold into Egyptian slavery. It’s time to get over our self pity and move on.

The reason that I preached this:

Dream1-6-06

I dreamed that I was preaching. As I am preaching, I notice a couple and their kids walk into the Sanctuary and sit down. As I’m preaching, I am literally demonstrating how to build a house, a spiritual house. I showed every one the foundation, and then I showed them the frame, how it was to go up. When I was done demonstrating, we were going to have a foot washing. I took my old truck down the road to get some good water. When I got back the couple and their kids were gone. I walked over to where they were sitting and notice that the man forgot his wallet. All of his Identity was in his wallet. I told my wife I knew that they would be back.

Interpretation

The couple is a couple who does not come to church nearly as much as they should.

They sit in the Sanctuary, a place of worship, healing and deliverance.