OPEN: Milton Berle was a comedian a few decades back and he wrote a poem that went like this:
“I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might-have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.”
Did you realize that God says you can be a “could-be”? As Milton Berle said: “A could-be is a maybe who is reaching for star.” One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Ephesians 2:10 which says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS, which GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND, that we should walk in them.”
God is saying that once you became a Christian you became a “could-be.” God said you COULD BE capable of doing mighty things, because God had prepared good works just for you. These were things He’d prepared for you looooong before you ever decided to be His child.
In other words – God had plans for your life. He had a dream of what you “could be.” This echoes the same promise God made to His people in Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE!
ILLUS: I once read a great quote that said: “God’s plans aren’t just for pie in the sky when you die. It’s also for steak on your plate while you wait.”
Now, that’s a bit of an oversimplification, but the fact of the matter is – God has a plan for your life. And, that brings us to our text this morning. God had a plan for Joseph’s life. God gave Joseph a couple of dreams that helped Joseph to realize God planned to one day make him into a great man. Joseph shared these dreams with his family, and it didn’t go over very well. He told them of the dream where his brother’s sheaves bowed down to him, and he told another dream about how there 11 stars, the sun and the moon (an obvious reference to his brothers, father and mother) – bowed down to him.
Joseph had no clue what that meant exactly, but he was excited to know that God had a purpose for his life.
(PAUSE)
Now, as I was preparing for this sermon I noticed something interesting. There are 50 chapters in the book of Genesis. Joseph and his dreams are introduced in chapter 37. That means that the last 13 chapters of Genesis (1/4 of the book) were dedicated to Joseph’s life. Nobody else in Genesis gets that much attention… not even Noah, not Abraham and not Jacob. Nobody!
Of course, the question is WHY? Why would God spend so much ink and paper on the story on Joseph? Well my conclusion was that Joseph received all this attention because he was the pivotal character in the story of Israel. It was because of Joseph that his family moved down to Egypt. It was because of Joseph that they were given an isolated section of Egypt to live in. (We showed a map on the overhead that showed where Goshen was). It was by God’s design that Israel was placed in land of Goshen – do you see up there in the top left corner of the map? It was an isolated and out of the way location for Israel to raise their flocks and herds. It was as if God placed them safely behind the walls of Egypt’s power. It was a place where no other nation could attack them, a place where no other government or religion could influence them. Israel was even isolated from the influence of Egypt itself because Egyptians were vegetarians and the despised the Israelites because they ate meat. (Genesis 46:34)
And it was in that secluded and protected land that God grew the people of Israel into a mighty nation with a potential army of over million who would then be powerful enough to take the Promised Land.
And Joseph was the man God chose to make it happen.
Now, why would it matter whether we understood why God used Joseph to shape the destiny of Israel? Well, because there are preachers out there who would warp his story to meet their own agenda. There are people out there who are called “prosperity preachers.” Prosperity preachers teach their followers that – if you are spiritual enough – God will supply all your needs and you will become healthy, wealthy and wise beyond all imagination. The flip side of that teaching is that if you are not spiritual enough, you will be sickly, poor and not too bright.
The Jews of Jesus’ day had fallen into that trap. They believed that wealth was the reward God gave to the faithful, and that if a person was wealthy, they obviously had done something right with God. So, when Jesus told His followers that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter heaven, they were aghast. If the rich couldn’t make it into heaven… what chance did they have for salvation?
Prosperity preacher feed on that mindset. They basically teach their audiences that God is some kind of celestial slot machine. All you have to do (they say) is push the right buttons, and pull the right levers, and God will pour out so many earthly blessings upon you that it will make your head spin. Often, the buttons they encourage you to push are the buttons on your phone to dial in your special donation to their ministry.
Now, let me be perfectly clear here: Prosperity preachers are heretics. They are false teachers. They are heretics. Can I be any more clear about this?
The fact that God has a plan for your life is NOT about us using God to get what we want. When God says He has a plan for your life, it’s not about him giving you an earthly estate and Maserati or a Tesla in your garage, or a huge swimming pool in your back yard. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m all for having that stuff I guess. But when God says He has a plan for your life, that’s not what He’s offering. What He is offering you is a chance to be honored by Him, a chance to be His PARTNER in ministry.
When God says He has a plan for you, He’s saying He has a plan to make you useful. He’s gonna give you meaning in life. He’s gonna give you a reason to live, a reason to exist, a reason to be a “could be.” Just like God had a plan for Joseph’s life, God has a plan for your life too.
AND THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS.
Now, for the bad news. Sometimes, in order for you and I to be useful to God, God might have to take us through a time of “training.” A time to shave off the rough edges and hone our attitudes to His purposes. Some might call this training, “the school of hard knocks.”
In the story of Joseph – God no sooner gives Joseph his dreams, than his brothers get him off by himself, beat the tar out of him, throw in pit, and sell him into slavery. For the next 11 years Joseph was a slave. And for 2 more years he was in prison And it’s another 11 years before he gets to see his father again. (https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/q27_joseph_how_long_in_prison/)
That ain’t right! That’s not fair! That shouldn’t have happened! And yet it did.
And WHERE was God while all this was happening? Well, Genesis 39 tells us “The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man...” (Genesis 39:2); “The LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake” (Genesis 39:5); “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21).
You see all that time that Joseph was in slavery/prison – God was right there with him. God’s hand was guiding him. Everything that Joseph had to endure was all part of God’s plan, because God was training this young boy to become a great leader.
God tells us that that’s what He does with us as well. Paul writes: “…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame…” Romans 5:3-5.
Does that mean that EVERY TIME we suffer, that God brought it to pass? That God has caused us to suffer? Well… sometimes. But not always. What Paul was telling us in Romans was that that WHEN we have suffered (whether God brought it in to our lives or not) God could use that suffering to shape and mold us.
ILLUS: I have a story in my files about a little boy visiting with his grandma. He prattled on as little boys are prone to do, telling his Grandma how "everything" is going wrong in his life. Difficulties at school, family problems, health problems, etc. Meanwhile, Grandma was baking a cake. In the midst of his narration, she asked the child if he would like a snack, which of course he did.
"Here. Have some cooking oil." "Yuck," says the boy. "How about a couple of raw eggs?" "That’s GROSS, Grandma." "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Grandma, those are all yucky!"
To which the Grandma replies: “Yes, I guess they are. In fact, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when you them all together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake like the one I’m making now! And you know, God works in our lives in the same way.
So, God gave Joseph an exciting dream, and then God guided Joseph through years of hardship and difficulty. Do you suppose Joseph was OK with that? That he simply sat back and took it all in stride? Oh no. Consider, for example, the names he gave his two sons Genesis 41:51-52. “Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh.
‘For,’ he said, ‘God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.’ The name of the second he called Ephraim, ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.’”
So, the years Joseph spent in slavery, and prison, isolated from his family and friends of his youth – how on earth did Joseph handle it? Well, he determined to face every situation in the same way: He determined to always be God’s man no matter what he had to endure. He made himself useful to those in authority over him, and in every situation he found himself in, he was Joseph was the best of man of God he could possibly be.
ILLUS: Have you ever had a job where the boss was a jerk and your fellow workers were nearly impossible to get along with? How would you as a Christian deal with that? Well, if you were like Joseph you would try to be the best possible man/woman of God as you could be in that situation. You would try to obey Jesus words in 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.” How could you do that? You would do it for the same reason Joseph honored God in his situations as a slave and as a prisoner… because you TRUST God.
Hebrews 11 tells us that “… without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must (not only) believe that he exists (BUT) that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Joseph not only believed that God was there… but he believed that God was watching and that God would reward him for his faith in Him.
Back in Genesis 39 (where we’re told about Joseph’s slavery and unjust imprisonment) one phrase shows up over and over again “The Lord was with Joseph”; “The Lord was with him”; “Whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed.” The whole 39th chapter is laced with a repeated drumbeat of the same statement which declared that Joseph trusted God… and God was with Joseph – guiding and guarding him every step of the way. For you see… that’s what this story is REALLY all about.
A lot of people look at this story about Joseph and think what a great bed time story it is for kids. And that’s OK… but that was not while it was written. His story was written for you and me. Joseph’s story was told in Genesis because God wanted him to be a poster child for Godly men and women. Romans 15:4 tells us that “… whatever was written in former days (like this story in Genesis) was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Now, granted, in the end Joseph got an earthly mansion, a really cool chariot, maybe a yacht on the Nile. And he got a beautiful wife, 2 great kids and a positon of importance. Prosperity preacher could have a field day with this story. But that’s not what the story is all about. In fact, that NEVER been what Scripture has been about.
Hebrews 11 is the hall of fame of the faithful and we’re told in Hebrews 11:32-40 “…what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.”
BUT then (because the Bible never lies to us) we’re told “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated — of whom the world was not worthy —wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
In other words… being faithful to God doesn’t always yield EARTHLY peace and prosperity. But being faithful DOES yield a life that is meaningful and fulfilling. It makes us into people of whom the world is not worthy.
CLOSE: I want to close with the story of 1 man who God did reward in powerful way. It’s a story of a who gained great wealth, but it’s more the story of a man who believed in a God who was the rewarder of those who seek God.
Years ago, a man over 60 was offered nearly $200,000 for a restaurant/ motel/ and service station business that he'd spent his life building up. He turned down the offer because he loved the business and wasn't ready to retire yet. There are those who would have said he should have taken that offer. The state ended up building a new highway that bypassed his business and he lost it.
So, at the age of 65, he was flat broke with just a small SS check each month. What was he to do? Well, there was one thing he knew how to do - fry chicken. Maybe he could sell that knowledge to others. So he kissed his wife goodbye and left in their battered old car with a pressure cooker and can of specially prepared flour, and he set out to sell his idea to other restaurants. He often slept in the car because there wasn't enough money for a hotel room.
Years later – he was a multi-millionaire. Do you know who he was? Col. Sanders.
Now there are those who believe his success was based on his tenacity and perseverance and having the right product at the right time. But that’s not the whole story. The rest of the story is that Colonel Sanders was a Godly man who had made a vow to God that he would give 50% of his income to the work of the church. He belonged to the Non-Instrumental Churches of Christ and he gave constant gifts and endowments to their colleges, as well as paying tuition and books fees for young men who wanted to be preachers.
One person observed “Colonel Sanders proved that true wealth is measured by what we do and by Who we serve.”
My point here is this: wealth wasn’t Col. Sanders’ driving force. He was first and foremost God’s man and his desire was to please God in what he’d been entrusted with.
For folks like you and I – we need to realize that serving God isn’t about what God can do FOR us, but rather in what we can do WITH Him. The wealthiest and most powerful people in this world find no real meaning in their lives and much of what they accomplish disappears after they die. But not so with us. If we do what God has dreamed for us to do, what we do will last for eternity… and one day we’ll stand before God and hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servants.”
But you’ll never hear that if you don’t first belong to Christ. That’s why we offer a time of invitation at the end of every service.
INVITATION.
