God’s Faithfulness and Our Obedience
Tonight we are going to look at the payday of Obedience for Joseph, Jacob and the whole family of Israel
Who hear knows who Nelson Mandela is? He is a man with both strengths and weaknesses, but as I looked at his life I realized he was a man with a destination, and even though many things got in the way. He reached the destination.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela IPA: [roli’ɬaɬa] (born July 18, 1918) was the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. Before his presidency he was a prominent anti-apartheid activist committed to non-violence, but later became involved in the planning of underground armed resistance activities. Mandela’s 27-year imprisonment, much of which he spent in a tiny prison cell on Robben Island, became one of the most widely publicized examples of apartheid’s injustices. Although the apartheid regime and nations sympathetic to it considered him and the ANC to be terrorist, Mandela’s support of the armed struggle against apartheid is now generally regarded as justified. Moreover, the policy of reconciliation Mandela pursued upon his release in 1990 facilitated a peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa.
Having received over a hundred awards over four decades, Mandela is currently a celebrated elder statesman who continues to voice his opinion on topical issues.
South Africa’s first democratic elections in which full enfranchisement was granted were held on April 27, 1994. The ANC won the majority in the election, and Mandela, as leader of the ANC, was inaugurated as the country’s first black State President, with the National party’s FW de Klerk as his deputy president in the Government of National Unity.
As President, (May 1994 – June 1999), Mandela presided over the transition from minority rule and apartheid, winning international respect for his advocacy of national and international reconciliation.
I asked this of our Life Group this week Where is God taking your to? I feel so convicted about getting my focused constantly detoured to what God is just taking me through. So we are going to break this section of Scripture down, and we can see it as a big Pay Day of God’s Faithfulness in relation to Human Obedience. We are going to talk about Pay Day’s for Family – Careers – and Relationships. All these Pay Day’s come through Obedience and point to God’s Faithfulness.
As we near the end of our time in Genesis I hope you have observed how focused the people are on what God has promised them, and they believe God is going to get it done eventually. If God doesn’t answer my prayers today or at least this week I give up. I have been challenged to have greater endurance in these last few weeks.
Lets Talk about Family
Put Up Slide
Genesis 46
29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.
Joseph’s call to lead and provide for his family is the plot and Climax of this Story. The climax was not when he was the ruler of Potiphars house, it was not when he ruled all Egypt. It is when he has been reunited with his family. They honor him and he provides them land, food, and protection. This was given to Joseph as a destination because he was the youngest and it was not natural.
I want to make a case that we have some natural Destinations when it comes to Family
Right now I have three Family Destination in my life. They call me to obedience and have some clear Pay Days.
• I am a first born son, and I feel it is my responsibility to help my parents live out their lives with dignity and peace. They don’t need my help yet, but when the famine comes, and when their journey becomes heavy. I know I need to be there to provide. In a good way there is a Pay Day in being a provider in the time of need.
• Next, I am a husband and I am called to love my Wife as my own Body. Each anniversary is a reminder that I have been obedient to this call. God faithfulness makes our marriage beautiful and growing, but I need to make myself available through obedience.
• Finally, I have a son and through having this son I accepted a call with specific destinations. There will be a Pay Day when my son chooses Obedience to God. There will be a Pay Day when he Graduates from High School or at least Eighth Grade. A Pay Day when he marries. A Pay Day when he begins a Family of his own. A Pay Day if I have taught him how to help his Dad in his final years of life.
I do not believe God needs to give us a vision for us to accept these Destinations. I do believe the Holy Spirit will speak to us when we read about these Destinations in the Bible.
Can anyone here affirm these Destinations with a story? I would also like to open it up if someone would like to push back on this understanding.
Lets look at the topic of Careers as a Destination that needs obedience
Now these numbers changed but the last time I looked the average person changes Careers about 7 times. That is not just a job change, but a move in a completely new field. Joseph is really an exception to the norm, but he really enters into our world with a some experience as a Shepherd, Scholar, Servant, Manager, Prison Manager, and Ruler of Egypt.
Joseph’s brothers on the other hand were Shepherds, like their father Jacob, Like Isaac, Like Abraham.
What I found extremely interesting in both cases is that God never calls Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph to a Career. He is always interested in calling them to BE something rather than focusing on what they Are Doing.
Quick Flash Back (ripple effect)
Genesis 26
and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed
I hope some of us are on the edge of an Aha Moment. Because we spend a great deal of time asking God what he wants us to DO.
• Where do you want me to Go to School
• Where do you want me to Work
• Do you want me to take the new Job
God doesn’t answer these questions very much because they feed our focus on the wrong thing.
When I came to my Dad to ask him what sports I should play? He would not have been a good Father if he had told me, “son the only way you are going to be happy and successful is if you play basketball.” Everything else is a waste of your time. No he took me out and showed me how to play a few sports and let me see what I liked and what I was good at. I even tried some sports my Father didn’t play. What He did teach me was Sportsman ship. How you treat your coach and other players. He reminded me that I can’t succeed unless I work hard. He encouraged me not to quite a team he has started. When I wanted to stop playing football my father made me Go to the coaches house to tell him. My coach had calfs the size thighs, and was always seemed bitter about his brother being in the NFL playing for the 49ners and not him.
Earthly Fathers at their best mirror some of what the Heavenly Father is like.
God like an earthly Father is not looking to control what their children DO instead he is trying to tell them how to BE.
It makes me so frustrated when people act like they want a God who would control every detail of their lives.
I think if we seek God he might have allot to say on how to BE a Blessing and Christ like in our Career.
For Joseph he excelled at every stop because he knew how to BE Obedient to God. And God was Faithfully with him in every Job.
I am not trying to say we don’t have talents and passions that make some careers better than others for who we are as a person.
Imagine having the finest paint bush you could buy from Home Depo. Then also buying the best Titanium Shovel money can buy. Then you take the Paintbrush out and try to dig a ditch. You take the shovel in and try to paint a room. It is going to be totally in effective. God has created us with special gifting and abilities, but that doesn’t mean we can only succeed in One Job or Career.
Now the Pay Day in a Career is when our obedience produces Fruit. Joseph had been so good and upstanding as the Ruler of Egypt that when his family comes they are given the best part of the land. We need to think of this like we would have such a good governor of Oregon that when we find out they are from Ecuador and there family comes to visit we say Have lets give them some of our State lands to help them stay with us. That would have to be a great governor.
I believe Pay Days can come often or sparingly in a job, and they can come as words of Praise, promotions, Honor. For being a Blessing to our environment. I want to brag on John because it just happened the other day I stopped in at his office with Parks and rec and while I was waiting the Receptioned said John is an awesome guy, and asked me if I was going to his wedding. That is a great reflection of what John is BEING at his job. We hope he is doing some good things with the budget, but I think God is very interested in his BEING.
Maybe a few people would like to share about what it looks like or feels like to receive a Pay Day for BEing a Blessing at your Job?
I want to wrap up our time with the actions of Jacob
In Genesis 47
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh,
8 Pharaoh asked him, How old are you?
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.
10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
God had blessed Jacob and he had called him to bless the whole world. Jacob has a destination to take the favor he has with God and pass it on to others. He is extremely intentional in Chapter 49 about how he passes this blessing on to his sons. I say this every week, but I believe God wants us to pass on the blessing of being his Children to others. I think there are a few reasons we don’t bless others.
• Maybe we don’t think God have been given us anything
• Maybe we don’t think others want God’s blessing
• Maybe we don’t know how to communicate or pass on the Blessing.
What do we think, which one is it?
For me this is a communication problem. I know what I have, I know other people want God’s blessing, and I am clumsy at communicating it. I really need to grow in this area
I have some ideas
• Pray the blessing before I speak it
• Bless the person in prayer
• Talk to them about what a blessing they are to you
• Write a card of blessing if you always think of what to say after the conversation is over.
We are begining to bless other churches to remind us that we want to see God move in our city not just in our group.
