Joseph the Dreamer, Part 1
By Pastor Matt Black
03
June 2007
Lord's Day morning
Genesis 37:19-20
Introduction: Open your Bibles to Genesis 37. God is good all the time. All the time God is good. No matter how you or I are doing today, we can all say that we are doing better than we deserve!
Let’s stand and read Genesis 37:19-20. The title of this morning’s message is “Joseph the Dreamer”.
Joseph’s brothers hate him for his dreams. They were dream killers. But they didn’t know that Joseph’s dreams could not be killed because they were not his dreams. They were God’s dreams. They were actually the promises of God. Look at verse 19, Joseph’s brothers are speaking to each other as Joseph arrives on the scene. “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.” Shortly after this, Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit where he was found and sold into slavery. Now turn over to Genesis 50 and verse 19, and we see Joseph’s brothers once again. Now Joseph had gone from that pit to the palace in Egypt, and his brothers are groveling before him, thinking Joseph is going to get even. Look at Genesis 50:19-20, “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” We are going to learn today that like Joseph, all believers need to have their lives knit not with this world that offers dreams of self-glory, and temporal satisfaction, but instead with dreams of God’s glory with a vision and a life that is lived for eternity. Let’s pray that God, by His grace will give us that goal today.
[Pray for the Spirit’s power]
I. Introductory comments.
Romans 8:35 asks the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Verse 37 and following gives the answer, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
II. Joseph’s Dreams.
As you know in Genesis 37, Joseph had some dreams. Look at Genesis 37:5-7, “And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance [bowed down] to my sheaf.”
For some reason Joseph’s brother’s were not impressed by this dream! They didn’t get all that excited about it.
Genesis 37:8-11, “And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.”
Now we need to realize that Joseph was given these dreams by God, and people were offended by them. We know that Joseph’s brothers were so angry with Joseph’s dreams that it lead to what they thought would be Joseph’s end. Look down at verse 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 (Genesis 37:20).
Application: Don’t be surprised when you live all out for God if you receive persecution and tribulation! People who are not living for God hate it when you remind them of God’s promises. Remember John 15:20, “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you”. 2 Timothy 3:12 tells us, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Don’t stop dreaming of God’s plan and purposes for your life, just because the going gets rough. If you are a dreamer, you need to expect rough waters!!
“Joseph’s brothers thought they could stamp out his dreams, but they were wrong, and for a very good reason: Joseph's dreams were not his, but God's.”[1] What Joseph dreamed actually happened. His brother, his father and his mother did bow down before him. They came from Canaan to Egypt and Joseph was lord over them, and not only them, but the entire known world of the time. And while Joseph was very young, God put within him these dreams.
Joseph understood that these were not just his own dreams, but they were God’s promises to him. They were not revealing what might happen, but what would indeed happen!
Someone in commenting on Joseph’s dreams said, “Pray to the Lord for a clear view of His dreams for you. Identify them and set your compass. Be ready for a battle at Potiphar's house and trials in Pharaoh’s prison. Remember that the dreams did not originate in your mind, but in God's. He will carry you through if you will wait on Him.”[2]
God’s dream for you is not that you would accomplish great things. It is that you would be, be, be! That you would be like His own dear Son! He has some promises to you this morning regarding that:
Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper…”
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
At times all of us see our lives as a puzzle—pieces scattered here and there—all jumbled together. Try as we may, we can’t seem to fit the pieces together. As puzzling as our lives seem at times, I doubt that any of us have had our lives broken into as many pieces as did Joseph. We are going to see today that it is possible to live a life that is honoring to God even when the pieces of life don’t seem to fit together.
Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint–heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are”. So the Bible teaches us that the pathway to greatness for Christians is not something that we would choose. But it is something that the Scripture says is true. You do not get to the place where you ultimately want to be, and where God ultimately wants you to be without going through some challenges in your life.
Sadly, in many churches that call themselves Christians, many teach that testing is always from the enemy, and that it is always evil—that it has no real value—and that if you are walking by faith you will be healthy, wealthy, wise, and prosperous. My friends this morning that is exactly the opposite of what the Scripture says. You cannot study the personalities of the Bible and come away with any nonsense like that. You see, if you are walking by faith today, you can count on having trials, troubles, tribulations, persecutions, and testing of your faith! Joseph will prove that to us this morning and this evening.
Joseph’s life reminds us of God’s providence. Most of the time we are unable to trace God’s purposes in life. In the life of Joseph, we see God doing things to him that we don’t understand. We know that outside of our Lord, Joseph was the most mistreated person in the Bible, undeservedly so. No one else is close. More bad things happened to Joseph than to anybody else—for seemingly no reason at all. No matter what he did, bad things followed him, and it seemed so unfair, and so over the top for someone who was so sold out for God. And yet when you see it from our perspective and you look back at it, and you see God’s providence and plan, then you understand the words of the Puritan writer John Flavel: “The providence of God is like Hebrew words—it can be read only backwards.” Hebrew reads backwards, and the providence of God reads backwards. If you were to know everything that God was going to do in your life going forward, you would be so afraid you wouldn’t get up tomorrow morning! But we look back on it, and we say, “Oh, so that’s what God was up to!”
God took the darkest events in Joseph’s life, and made them stepping stones to higher things. The story of Joseph is the story of a journey from the pit to the palace. Joseph was conscious of God’s working in his life even though he didn’t understand what God was doing.
Now turn over to Genesis 45:5. Joseph is talking to his brothers. He says, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.” When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, and then they came to get food from Joseph at the end of the story, they were very much afraid that Joseph was going to get even with them for they had done to him. Joseph says here to his brothers—yes what you did, you did, but God was in it! God used your ruthless and unkind actions toward me for His higher purposes! In fact God used your wrong actions toward me so that I could help you when you needed food. Now I don’t think Joseph felt that way when they through him in the pit that day.
When you look at the story of Joseph, you see that God moved Joseph along in a process, and Joseph at the time had no clue what it was all about.
But as God brought deliverance to Joseph, God’s promises and providence converged! Listen this morning, God’s promises and providence will come together in your life. As Joseph said to his brothers, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” God would have you live an abundant, fruitful, obedient life of holiness. But you are not going to come up with that life on your own. God has to prune you and purge you and plow up the ground in your life before He can plant the seed of the good Word of God to bring an abundant harvest.
Sometimes in your trials at work or in your family, or with your spouse, people may even mean something for evil to you. Just out of spite they might hurt you. But listen, no hurt comes to the child of God except with the permission of a loving Heavenly Father. Someone may mean evil, but God ALWAYS means good to you.
Application: Sometimes God uses those things to move you to places and positions that you wouldn’t be otherwise. And while it looks like it is a terrible awful tragedy, God is in the midst of it, and He’s working in it. And He’s all about working out His glory and our good.
God kept Joseph full of grace when he was at the bottom of life’s barrel, and he kept him humble when he soared to the top of life’s heights. Both the prison and the palace was God’s working in his life.
You know it is not really important what we do as much as who we are. God is not so impressed with what we do; God is impressed with who we become. We are not predestined to do some great things, we are predestined to become like some one, like God’s great Son—conformed to His image! God isn’t so much interested in how many accomplishments we can make and say that they’re for Him; God is concerned with what is happening in your heart and in your soul!
So look deeply in your soul this morning. I don’t want to know what you are doing with your life. Let me ask you, what kind of person are you on the inside? Though Joseph did become a man of great accomplishments as we will see, The thing that made Joseph great is that God worked in His life. God’s fingerprints were all over Joseph.
Joseph is one of only two men in the entire Old Testament in which there is no evil written about. The other was Daniel. Now it is not that Joseph did not do evil. “There is not a just man on the earth that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
The pit
During the dark days in the pit and in the prison when Joseph didn’t know what was going on, it was the dreams—the promises of God to him personally—that sustained him.
God has given you a dream if you are a believer. The one goal is not your success, no!!! It is to mirror the person of Jesus Christ in your life. Stop working on your success. Our whole heart ought to be turned to pleasing God by being totally taken over by His Son—being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
In order to make it through the most difficult trials in life, you’ve got to live for something beyond this life.
Purity
Three major tests in Joseph’s life. They are the three areas that people today most often fall. You see Joseph was pure. In all of the account of Joseph’s life, we do not see his sin. We know that he did sin because no one has lived to the mark of perfection, but it is apparent that Joseph lived a sold out, holy and righteous life. Joseph shows that no one needs to compromise with the world, the flesh and the devil. What were the three tests?
Application: Has God prospered you? You must always remember not to hoard the resources that God has given you to prosper others. Joseph was given the riches of Egypt not to save himself, but to save “much people alive”.
Illustration: I’ve told you before that John Wesley became an internationally renowned figure of his day. He did receive large amounts of money because of it. Yet he kept not his money for himself, but printed Bibles, printed hymnals, sent it to build churches and support church planters and missionaries. He sent his money to George Mueller of Bristol to build orphanages. And even though John Wesley received the riches of wealthy men, he died a poor man because he gave all his riches away. He died owning a Geneva gown and a Bible and a few other meager possessions, but he left behind a whole generation that were affected for Christ!
Joseph resisted self indulgence.
Conclusion: This morning God has put some dreams in my heart. They are nothing more than my desire to see the promises of God fulfilled in our lives this morning. I am a dreamer.
v I am consumed with the fact that God’s will can be done on this earth as it is in heaven.
v I believe that with God there is no such thing as a hopeless case.
v I dream about totally uncommitted people becoming a force for God in their family and in their culture by the power of the same God that guided Joseph.
You need to be inspired and overcome and motivated that if God can save and change you, he can change anyone. Keep God’s dreams ever before you. All you are called to do is love God—and let God bring to pass His dreams for you and your family. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Genesis 39:3-5, “And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. 4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. 5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.” Now look at verses 21-24, “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.”
What made Joseph successful was not that he played the corporate ladder. He never compromised. Joseph’s strength was that the Lord was with him.
This mistake cost the brothers dearly and doomed them to major failures for years to come. Joseph, on the other hand, with almost incredible faith and patience, lived to see those dreams gloriously fulfilled. His example is a testimony to the victory every believer can have over those who would snuff out his usefulness to the Lord.
Dreamkillers will crop up in front of any person who decides to follow God's plan for his life. It doesn't really matter if your dreams are spectacular or not. They may be a simple godly standard for your home, a ministry at your church, a goal in your business, or a vision for your community. If that vision is from the Lord, you can count on this: The Devil will move against you to destroy it.
1. What do his dreamkillers look like and how do they go about their work?
Unfortunately, they can look very innocent. Satan has no qualms about playing dirty and will sometimes even use family members to do his ugly work. Whoever they are, they may carry out the task intentionally or unintentionally. But no matter what their reasons, their objectives will be to make you forget your dream, disqualify yourself from pursuing it, or lose hope in accomplishing it. Any of these would be tragic.
How will they try? Some will attempt to discourage you from pursuing your goals. Others will distract you with time-consuming projects. A few will laugh at the size of your job or mock at the amount of your sacrifice. Some will openly tempt you to sin.
Has God given you a dream? Don't let the dreamkillers succeed!
Pray to the Lord for a clear view of His dreams for you. Identify them and set your compass. Be ready for a battle at Potiphar's house and trials in Pharaoh’s prison. Remember that the dreams did not originate in your mind, but in God's. He will carry you through if you will wait on Him.
Dear Father, keep your dreams alive in my heart. Please give me the discernment to know the difference between yours and mine, and then the patient endurance to stay the proper course. Help me weed out those dreams that are my own, whether fleshly or seemingly innocent, and grant me your gracious reward of joy in useful service.