Standing Out In The Kingdom Series

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

Jan 5th, 2014

Genesis 37:1-11

Standing out in the kingdom

Intro:

“There are two great days/person’s life - the day we are born and the day we discover why.”

• One is easier than the other.

• One is a date in time.

• October 4 or March 29/February 12/September

• Moment you celebrate every year

• Date when you made your first public appearance.

• That date is easy/The other one isn’t.

It’s probably not a literal date at all.

• Moment you finally figured out why God put/planet earth.

• Reason/joined seven billion other people on this ball of dirt floating through space.

• First day explains/presence/earth/second explains/purpose.

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Often it takes a long time to discover why you were born.

• She was born/mother/play baseball/senator.

• She was born to help the homeless.

• He was born to lead a nation.

• What were you born to do? That’s a hard question.

You’ll spend the rest of your life trying to answer it.

“Lord, what do you want me to do?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 promises that….

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Here are seven fundamental facts about God’s guidance:

He can

• Put you exactly where he wants you to be.

• arrange all the details years in advance

• open doors that seem shut tight

• Remove any obstacle in your way.

• take your choices and fit them into his plan that you end up at the right place at just the right time

• even take your mistakes and bring good out of them

• Take tragedy and use it for your good and his glory.

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This is what Proverbs 16:9 means when it says “in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

Ask you a crucial question: Do you know why you were born?

• Sometimes we find our calling early.

• Often the revelation doesn’t come until late in life.

• Sometimes others see it before we do.

• Often the circumstances of life reveal it to us.

I am thinking of a man who fits that last category.

• Never knew his purpose for many years of his adult life.

• only after a series of events unfolded

• nearly all of them outside his control

• many of them quite painful

• The plan of God for his life became evident.

• Joseph, however, is so different he literally stands out

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I. v. 2 THE PURITY OF JOSEPH’S LIFE

One of the most striking ways Joseph was different was in the purity of his life.

• Every time you see Joseph, he is doing the right thing

• Made him very different from his brothers.

• Purity/integrity/desire/right things/marked the life of Joseph.

V 2 brings us face to face/holy heart/beats within/chest of Joseph.

• Told/Joseph/tending/his father’s sheep

• With his half-brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah.

• Bilhah/Rachel’s handmaid/Zilpah/Leah’s handmaid.

Two women/given to Jacob by his wives and he had fathered two children with each.

• Sons of Bilhah/Dan/Naphtali/sons of Zilpah/Gad/Asher.

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As you read the story, you get the impression this is the first time that Joseph has been sent out to work with these men.

What he saw them doing must have shocked him deeply.

• Brothers of Joseph were and evil bunch.

• they were guilty of murder, Gen. 34:25; incest, Gen. 35:33;

• hatred, Gen. 37:4; envy, Gen. 37:11;

• enslaving their brother, Gen. 37:38;

• Lying, Gen. 37:31-33; and immorality, Gen. 38:12-18.

Whatever it was these men were doing, it shocked Joseph so much that he came and told Jacob.

• surely caused problems between Joseph/rest of his brothers

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Some authors accuse Joseph of being a talebearer.

They believe Joseph brought about the hatred of his brothers because he acted like a “goody two-shoes”.

• Joseph displayed absolute integrity in going to his father

• Joseph had a responsibility to his father.

• Whatever his brothers were doing, it involved the flocks of Jacob.

• He needed to know what was going on with his sons.

• Joseph did the right thing when he went to Jacob and told him about the evil deeds of his brothers.

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Some lessons/verse we need to take to take to heart today.

Our lives should be marked by purity.

• God we serve is a holy God

• He expects His people/holy people, 1 Pet. 1:16.

• He wants us/stand separate from/world/its evil ways.

• He wants us to be different.

• We should be different/way we act, talk, think, live, etc.

• Purity should be the hallmark quality of our lives!

• It isn’t easy/always strive/right thing in every situation.

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Our lives should be marked by integrity.

• Plenty of people who are willing to do the wrong thing, especially if it makes life easier for them