WHAT DOES GOD HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU?
Genesis 37: 1-33 (23-33 for the sake of time)
Intro: The more I read the Bible the more I believe and the more I can see that God has got something good in store for those who would be saved, stay saved and live in the faith. Of course, sometimes getting to the good part of what God has for us may take awhile because of consequences of our own doing or consequences out of our control which seems to be the case in the events in Joseph’s life.
In Chapter 37 we are introduced to the Joseph right in the middle of his adolescent years at the age of 17. The only other times we read about Joseph is when he was born in Chapter 30 and when Jacob and Esau meet in Chapter 33. Until this point we do not read anything else about this young man. But as I began to study the life of Joseph I realized something that I had never paid attention too before. Joseph was born in Chapter 30. His father Jacob had an encounter with the Lord in Chapter 32 at Peniel that changed his life, his name and the course of Jewish and Christian history forever. Joseph was just a young boy the day Jacob came home halting on his thigh. And maybe with a dirty face and a runny nose he ran up to his Daddy and said, “What happened daddy? Jacob patted him on the head and said, “Son I’ve been with the Lord.” From that day forward the impact the God had on Jacob’s life impacted Joseph the rest of the days of his life. God had something in store for Joseph. I want to preach this morning on this subject, WHAT DOES GOD HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU?”
I. JOSEPH WAS DESPISED FROM THE BEGINNING
A. From the onset of his early man-hood Joseph would face adversity
B. (Genesis 37:3) Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours
C. (Genesis 37:4) And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him
D. Do you realize there are people today who will look you right in the face and tell you hello and talk to you like they are your best friend but deep down inside they despise you
E. They despise who you are, where you go to church and what you are doing for the Lord
F. The reason people do that is because they can see God’s plan being carried out in your and through your life because of your faithfulness and they are left out
G. Friend, anytime you start progressing with God’s plan in your life you will meet some resistance somewhere
II. JOSEPH WAS A DIVINE DREAMER
A. Even at the young age of 17 God was beginning to show Joseph some things through dreams
B. I do believe God can give you some premonition and revelations through dreams
C. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they are not so good.
D. God was revealing some things to Joseph
E. (Genesis 37:7) which is the first dream Joseph explained to his brothers he dreamed they were binding sheaves and his sheaf stood upright while theirs made obeisance to it. This was a prophesy that one day his brothers would bow down to him
F. (Genesis 37:9) which is the second dream Joseph explained the sun and the moon (Jacob and Leah) and the eleven stars made obeisance to him.
G. When Jacob told these dreams to his brothers and Jacob his brothers got mad enough to kill him and his father rebuked him
H. God was trying to reveal his plan for Joseph to everyone but they would not have it
I. I believe that if God has a plan for you that if you will hold fast to him and live by faith that even though men may not have it God will eventually bring the truth to light
III. JOSEPH WAS DEEMED DEAD
A. Joseph was going to see his brothers but when they saw him afar off they conspired to slay him (Genesis 37:18)
B. His brother’s were eat up with jealousy and envy for one reason. God had his hand and his plan on Joseph
C. However, Rueben delivered him out of their hands only to be thrown in the pit and sold to some gypsy traders going to Egypt
D. Now I am not sure how Joseph felt but there are going to be times that even when you are in God’s will you are going to have some pits in your life.
E. His brother’s conspired a plan to tell Jacob that Joseph was killed
F. (Genesis 37:32) And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no
G. (Genesis 37:33) And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without a doubt rent in pieces.
H. From this point forward Jacob sat at home day after day because of deception thinking about his dead boy
I. There has been a lot of people deceived into thinking things about you that is not true.
J. The secret to overcoming that is in a message our pastor preached recently
K. (Matthew 5:14) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid
L. (Matthew 5:15) Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house
M. (Matthew 5:16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven
N. The way to defeat those falsehoods is to live right and God will vindicate you.
IV. JOSEPH HAD FOUND DIVING FAVOR
A. While Jacob was at the house grieving himself to death and the 11 brother’s were worried about keeping their actions covered and hoping no one found out the truth Joseph was in Egypt living in the divine favor of the captain of the guard (Genesis 39:1-4)
B. How great are the blessings of God that even amiss wrongdoings God can bless those who are persecuted
C. When I think about the fact that here is Joseph having been sold into to slavery but not by his own doing and now he is found grace in the sight of his master, I cant help but look around at each and everyone of us knowing that we were all sold into slavery but one day we found grace in His sight.
D. Even though we are living in a world that is still enslaved we live in the sight of grace.
