EXTRAORDINARY DREAMS #2:
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY IS AS EASY AS P.I.E.
KEY TEXT: “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or dream, according to His power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20).
• God has placed within our heart hopes and dreams that He wants to fulfill for us!
WHAT IS A DREAM? A dream is a condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration.
THE BIG IDEA: God wants us to dream big, but every dreamer will experience troubles and trials. Overcoming adversity is as easy as P.I.E: Providence, Integrity and Endurance.
REVIEW JOSEPH’S STORY FROM LAST WEEK: (Genesis 37).
• Joseph was loved by his father, and his dad gave him a coat of many colours (v. 1-3).
• 1. God wants us to dream big dreams!
• 2. To dream extraordinary dreams, we must know the love of God.
• Joseph had a dream that God was calling him to be a great leader (v. 5-11).
• Joseph’s brothers hated him and were jealous of him and threw him in a pit (v. 12-24).
• 3. Even if our dream is from the Lord, there will be opposition.
• Then his brothers sold him into slavery to a group of Midianite traders (v. 25-35).
• “Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard” (v. 36).
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY TO ACHIEVE OUR DREAMS:
1. PROVIDENCE:
“1 Now when Joseph arrived in Egypt with the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, a member of the personal staff of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was the captain of the palace guard. 2 The LORD was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4 So Joseph naturally became quite a favorite with him. Potiphar soon put Joseph in charge of his entire household and entrusted him with all his business dealings. 5 From the day Joseph was put in charge, the LORD began to bless Potiphar for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs began to run smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.” (Genesis 39:1-5, NLT).
• Twice in this Scripture, Moses emphasizes one of the keys to Joseph’s success: The Lord was with Joseph. This speaks of God’s Providence.
• Providence: the foreseeing care and guidance of God over the creatures of the earth; God, omnisciently directing the universe and the affairs of humankind with wise benevolence.
• Look at our Key Scripture: “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or dream, according to His power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20).
• Because of God’s hand on Joseph, the Lord blessed him, and his ‘employer’.
• APPLICATION: We need to rely on God’s gracious, powerful presence.
2. INTEGRITY:
“6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t have a worry in the world, except to decide what he wanted to eat! Now Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man. 7 And about this time, Potiphar’s wife began to desire him and invite him to sleep with her. 8 But Joseph refused. "Look," he told her, "my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9 No one here has more authority than I do! He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I ever do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God." 10 She kept putting pressure on him day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.” (Genesis 39:6-10, NLT).
• Joseph is working towards His dream. God has blessed him and given him favour.
• Then – a test comes. Potiphar’s wife pressured Joseph every day to have sex with her.
• However, Joseph refused. Why? He knew it would be a sin against the Lord.
• Integrity: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty; the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness; ‘integer’.
• “He who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known.” (Proverbs 10:9).
ILLUSTRATION: Tiger Woods was one of the greatest golf players of all time. This child prodigy began to play golf at age two, had almost 100 professional wins. He was married, rich, famous and successful… Until it was discovered that he had had about a dozen affairs. He started losing advertising endorsements, and in December of 2009 announced that he was taking an indefinite leave from professional golf.
• It’s too bad that Tiger Woods didn’t know the truth of Proverbs 10:9!
• APPLICATION: We need to walk faithfully before the Lord.
• How can we do this? (1) Flee youthful lusts! (2 Tim. 2:22). Get outta there!
• (2) Fill your heart with the Word of God (Psalm 119:11). Gives you spiritual power!
3. ENDURANCE:
“11 One day, however, no one else was around when he was doing his work inside the house. 12 She came and grabbed him by his shirt, demanding, "Sleep with me!" Joseph tore himself away, but as he did, his shirt came off. She was left holding it as he ran from the house. 13 When she saw that she had his shirt and that he had fled, 14 she began screaming. Soon all the men around the place came running. "My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to insult us!" she sobbed. "He tried to rape me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard my loud cries, he ran and left his shirt behind with me." 16 She kept the shirt with her, and when her husband came home that night, 17 she told him her story. "That Hebrew slave you’ve had around here tried to make a fool of me," she said. 18 "I was saved only by my screams. He ran out, leaving his shirt behind!" 19 After hearing his wife’s story, Potiphar was furious! 20 He took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held.” (Genesis 39:11-20, NLT).
• So far in this story, we have considered God’s Providence and Joseph’s Integrity.
• However, even though Joseph had those two things, he still ended up facing adversity!
• Potiphar’s wife accused him of rape, and he ended up being thrown in jail.
• He had many opportunities to give up and adopt a victim mentality. “I come from a dysfunctional family. My brothers hated me. I was thrown into slavery!” But he didn’t.
• However – this was not the end of the story for Joseph! Why? Because of endurance!
• Endurance: The act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship; the ability or strength to continue or last, despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions.
TEXT: “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” (James 1:2-4, NLT).
• I discussed Michael Jordan’s success with Caleb. He might not have become the great player he wasn’t if he hadn’t experienced adversity – being cut from the basketball team.
• QUOTE: At age thirty, Joseph could never have handled this world-class task without an intense and experience-oriented course in management. It began in Potiphar’s house, where he managed all of his affairs. It continued in prison where he was eventually responsible for all the prisoners. And thirteen years later, he was “put in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” God’s plan for Joseph was on schedule. His preparation was tailor-made for the task God had for him. And because Joseph passed each test, learned from each experience, and learned to trust God more, he was ready when God opened the door of opportunity.” (Gene Getz, Joseph from Prison to Palace).
• “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8).
• APPLICATION: Adversity will come, but it doesn’t have to overcome you.
CLOSING:
“But the LORD was with Joseph there, too, and he granted Joseph favor with the chief jailer. Before long, the jailer put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The chief jailer had no more worries after that, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him, making everything run smoothly and successfully.” (Genesis 39:21-23).
• Next week, we will continue looking at Joseph’s story, but let’s fast-forward to the end:
• Joseph gets out of prison, is elevated to the level of second-in-command in Egypt, and his brothers come and bow down before him in worship – his dream comes true:
• “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20).
• “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
BENEDICTION: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
