EXTRAORDINARY DREAMS #3:
BECOMING A DREAM RELEASER
QUOTE: “The richest spot on the face of the earth cannot be found in the diamond mines of South Africa… It is not in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia. No, the richest plot of land on this planet is in your very own neighbourhood… It’s the cemetery… The graveyard is the wealthiest place in all of creation. Beneath those rectangular pieces of sod lie countless unsung melodies and unwritten poems. The grassy plots overflow with brilliant ideas that could have transformed entire communities, rehabilitated the lost and brought hope to the weary. Our burial grounds reek with unattained successes and unrealized dreams.” (Wayne Cordeiro, Dream Releasers).
WHAT IS A DREAM? A dream is a condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration.
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!
THE BIG IDEA: God wants us to dream big. He also wants us to look for ways to help other people achieve their dreams. We need to become dream releasers!
REVIEW JOSEPH’S STORY FROM THE LAST TWO WEEKS:
• Joseph had a dream that God was calling him to be a great leader (Gen. 37: 1-11).
• Joseph’s brothers hated him, threw him in a pit, sold him as a slave (Gen. 37: 12-36).
• As a slave, he was accused of rape and ended up in prison, (Gen. 39:1-20).
THE STORY OF JOSEPH CONTINUES:
“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, NLT).
1. Be faithful with what you have, and God will entrust you with more.
2. God wants us to help other people achieve their dreams.
3. Remember – God has blessed us to be a blessing.
1. BE FAITHFUL WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, AND GOD WILL ENTRUST YOU WITH MORE:
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous money, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (Luke 16:10-12).
Look at the example of Joseph:
• When working for Potiphar, he was put in charge of his entire household (Gen. 39:1-5).
• When he was in prison, the jailer put Joseph in charge of everything (Gen. 39:20-22).
• Every step of the way, Joseph was faithful, and God kept entrusting him with more.
• When we have dreams, they don’t come to pass overnight. There is always a JOURNEY.
• PERSONAL EXAMPLE: God has entrusted me to be the lead pastor of our church. I felt the call of God to pastoral ministry shortly after I got saved 20 years ago. It was a process: Bible College, intern in youth ministry, assistant youth pastor, then youth pastor, Christian education director, young adults’ leader, and Bible College teacher. Then I founded a Master’s Commission discipleship program. All of these things were steps and stages in my training to become the lead pastor that I am today.
• What’s your dream? Be faithful with what you have, and God will entrust you with more.
2. GOD WANT US TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS:
“Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended him. Pharaoh became very angry with these officials, and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of Potiphar, the captain of the guard. They remained in prison for quite some time, and Potiphar assigned Joseph to take care of them. One night the cup-bearer and the baker each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. The next morning Joseph noticed the dejected look on their faces. "Why do you look so worried today?" he asked. And they replied, "We both had dreams last night, but there is no one here to tell us what they mean." "Interpreting dreams is God’s business," Joseph replied. "Tell me what you saw.” (Genesis 40:1-8, NLT).
• Joseph could have say no to helping interpret the cupbearer and baker’s dreams.
• He could have said, “I’m stuck in this stinking prison, so who cares about you?”
• Joseph didn’t do that. He knew God wants us to help other people achieve their dreams!
• QUOTE: “Imagine how many restless souls are waiting for someone to take the time to bind a broken wing, to breathe in new courage, to nudge them into flight.” (Wayne Cordeiro, Dream Releasers).
• As a church, we are here to help you achieve your dreams and experience the blessed life.
o Sunday services are help you experience God’s presence, and hear His Word.
o Home groups are to help you get connected with other believers to care for you.
o Counseling, prayer and ministry are also all available to those who want it.
• CHALLENGE: To every member of our congregation to be a dream releaser!
3. REMEMBER, GOD HAS BLESSED US TO BE A BLESSING:
“Two years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. In his dream, seven fat, healthy-looking cows suddenly came up out of the river and began grazing along its bank. Then seven other cows came up from the river, but these were very ugly and gaunt. These cows went over and stood beside the fat cows. Then the thin, ugly cows ate the fat ones! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up… 8 The next morning, as he thought about it, Pharaoh became very concerned as to what the dreams might mean. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them about his dreams, but not one of them could suggest what they meant.” (Genesis 41:1-4,8).
• Then the cup-bearer told Pharaoh about how Joseph had interpreted his dream.
“Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was brought hastily from the dungeon. After a quick shave and change of clothes, he went in and stood in Pharaoh’s presence. "I had a dream last night," Pharaoh told him, "and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you. "It is beyond my power to do this," Joseph replied. "But God will tell you what it means and will set you at ease.” (Genesis 41:14-16).
• Joseph could have refused to tell Pharaoh his dream, and refused to help him.
• Joseph knew the Abrahamic Blessing: “I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others.” (Genesis 12:2, NLT). God has blessed us to be a blessing!
• Download at 7:00 this morning: Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
• It is in giving that we receive, it is when we give our lives away that we find true life!
• This is the BLESSING CYCLE! We bless others, we are blessed ourselves…
PAY IT FORWARD: Imagine a world where your car broke down on the side of the road, and someone came driving by in their new BMW, and they gave it to you and walked away. This story comes from the novel Pay it Forward by Catherine Ryan Hide, about a social studies teacher who gives his students a project to change the world for the better. A seventh grade boy named Trevor comes up with the idea: Pay it forward! You do a good deed for three other people, and tell them instead of paying you back, to pay it forward and bless 3 others.
• ILLUSTRATION: Have a bag of chocolates. If I eat one of them, I enjoy it. If I give three away to others, God blesses me with more, and so on, and so on.
• Jesus said: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:24-25).
“Both dreams mean the same thing," Joseph told Pharaoh. "God was telling you what he is about to do. The seven fat cows and the seven plump heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity. The seven thin, ugly cows and the seven withered heads of grain represent seven years of famine. This will happen just as I have described it, for God has shown you what he is about to do. The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. But afterward there will be seven years of famine...” (Genesis 41:25-30).
• Not only did Joseph give him the interpretation, he gave him wise advice and counsel:
“Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. Have them gather all the food and grain of these good years into the royal storehouses, and store it away so there will be food in the cities. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come. Otherwise disaster will surely strike the land, and all the people will die.” (Genesis 41:34-36).
• Then – Joseph was promoted to second in command in Egypt:
“Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his advisers. As they discussed who should be appointed for the job, Pharaoh said, "Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the spirit of God." Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land! I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize all my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours.” (Genesis 41:37-40).
CLOSING: FORGETFUL AND FRUITFUL
“Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, "God has made me forget all my troubles and the family of my father." Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, "God has made me fruitful in this land of my suffering.” (Genesis 41:51-52).
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.” (Proverbs 13:12).
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
