"What You See Is Not What You Get”

Ge 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told [it] his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. (19) And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. (20) Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. (21) And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. (22) And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. (23) And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; (24) And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

I. I want to talk to real people that feel disappointed by their dream. I am talking to those of you that God has made you a promise, shown you a few things, and then went silent on you.

A. Joseph’s story is one of those that people can find comfort in because it is a relatable story. His story has spoken to countless generations of dreamers and promise holders. How many of you can relate to Joseph? God gives you something, shows you the end result, but there are struggles. The Bible says in Pr 13:12 ¶ Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life. Right now you’re just sick and as far as you are concerned that tree was cut down, chopped up, and set on fire; even the stump got dug up.

1. Joseph had a promise; here he is feeling good; knowing that For all the promises of God in him [are] yea, and in him Amen, but now he finds himself in a pit. I want to stop here for just a minute and tell you; if somebody told you when you became a Christian that all your problems would be over, that you would never be hurt again, you would never cry again, you would never suffer again…They Lied! Mt 5:45 …he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Ps 34:19 Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous: Joh 16:33 In the world ye shall have tribulation: Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

a. Christians have problems too, Christians get sick, Christians get in debt, Christians get divorced, Christians get their hearts broken, Christians get in places they shouldn’t be. Sometimes you fall in, sometimes you jump in, and sometimes you’re pushed in. Regardless of how you got there or why you’re there, a Pit is a Pit and if you stay there you will die. Dreams die in the pit, ministries die in the pit, gifts, callings, marriages, die in the pit.

B. The pit is just a pothole along the way to your promise; I am declaring to you that if God spoke a Word over you, made a promise to you; regardless of your circumstance you are coming out. I wish somebody would go ahead and prophesy to themselves and say, “I’m coming out”. God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

1. I don’t know what that pit is for you today: it may be a pit of debt, it may be a pit of sickness, it may be a pit of bondage, or addiction, it may be a pit of despair, depression, it may be a pit of marital problems that looks so deep, dark and impossible that you feel like giving up, it may be a spiritual pit to where you just don’t feel God like you used to, and you’re dry and discouraged. I don’t know what your pit is; they come in all different shapes and sizes, but I want you to look at your neighbor and tell them I’ve spent my last night in the pit, Ps 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning…

2. Sure you may feel like you are going to die in the pit; but you need to remember The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, don’t you dare die in the Pit; the fall doesn’t have to be fatal; don’t quit dreaming; don’t quit believing; don’t quit trusting; don’t quit expecting. If God said it He will do it, now is not the time to let your faith waiver, you will come up out of this pit! 2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,