Survivor: When The Tribe Doesn't Get Along Series

Big news this summer, Survivor. High TV ratings, people were really into the survivors on the island and who would make it. Big bets, rumors, and whole new series to look forward to.

Why was this show such a success? It was different, it was new, but I think that people tried to imagine themselves in that situation. What would I do to eat? Would I eat worms, rats? Would you?

What would you do to survive? Would you sell out a friend, share, take chances, trust others? This was done to see who would win the million dollars. That will cause people to do just about anything.

I think real success of Survivor is the picture of real life it provides. The show displayed nothing more than a picture of real life. People struggling with each other in everyday society and are willing to destroy one another for money.

It was interesting that the whole drama became the story of relationships. They got along, they formed a friendship, an alliance. They didn’t get along, they didn’t like each other, they conspired, they gossiped, they fought, they shouted. Sounds like a real family doesn’t it.

Unfortunately many people live in a home, or a neighborhood, or work at a place with a bad relationship with someone. Maybe today this message on relationships is meant for a marriage, or for a family where mom and dad and kids are struggling. Or maybe for some friends that have had a falling out.

We are entering a new phase in life, our baby is in kindergarten. She is learning everyday about relationships, about how friends are so fickle and hard to figure out. She came home one day all excited about having a new friend. The next day that same girl told she wasn’t her friend, that she didn’t like her anymore.

She saw the other little girl yesterday and went right up to her and said, “Are you my friend cause yesterday you said you weren’t.” She thought and said, “Yea.”

Isn’t that so much better than how we handle it from Jr High on. We play terrible relationship games. Today we are going to talk about relationships and how important they are. Notice:

What is a relationship?

The personal association with another, whether family, friend, school or work.

We all have them and we all want them. We are all in need of having others like us and love us. We all hope we are likable and are driven to have others think highly of us.

It motivates you to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, hang out in certain places and act like those you want to be like.

Relationships are a necessity of life.

The Problem with Relationships:

You can’t live without them.

This series is going to focus on how to survive in the situations of life and to teach us how is a man named Joseph.

Survivor: The Story of Joseph

Let’s begin with a little family history.

A Family Tree

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

12 Sons with 4 Women

I. Basic Causes of Relationship Problems

A. Selfishness

This is a description of Jacob. Selfishness is wanting everything for yourself. It is a natural tendency, our human nature craves to feed itself.

Jacob wanted everything for himself, he tricked his brother out of a very special blessing. Later Jacob tricked his father in receiving his brothers blessing by dressing and acting like his big brother Esau. Jacob wanted everything for himself.

What a real problem this is in families today. We can become only concerned with what I want, with my desires, with what I want to do and how I want things.

Kids can be this way a lot, never thinking that decisions must be made concerning a whole house full of people. But many adults act this way, wanting everything to done to please them.

How many marriages have been destroyed because someone decided to do whatever they wanted in order to please themselves, forsaking their spouse and commitments they have made. We all know homes that have been ripped apart because of pure selfishness.

Notice what else causes problems,

B. Playing Favorites

Gen. 37:3-4

Playing favorites among children causes serious problems. Playing favorites among people is wrong. It boils down to showing partiality and prejudice. The book of James addresses this and it is wrong. Treating some different than others.

Jacob loved Joseph more than the others and let it be known. He gave him more things like a big fancy coat of many colors, this marked Joseph as Jacob’s chosen one to be the future leader of the family. This was an honor traditionally given to the oldest.

Jacob loved Joseph but it was his own actions that caused Joseph some problems. When we treat some better or different than others we cause division and very hurt feelings. How do you feel when someone in line ahead of you at the store is given a discount or treated better than you? Sometimes men we treat our children or our cars or our clubs better than our wife. Maybe you treat others based on how they look, act or what they possess.