Participants: John Dinzey (Host), Pr. Edward Bryan
Series Code: FDOF
Program Code: FDOF000038A
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00:19 Hello, and welcome to Foundation of our Faith.
00:23 In this program you will hear the preaching of God's Word. 00:28 And we rejoice to be able to bring you this message 00:32 through Dare to Dream, Foundation of our Faith. 00:35 And we have two special guests during this hour. 00:38 And I would like to speak to you for a moment 00:41 about Pastor Edward Bryan. 00:43 Pastor Edward Bryan was a person 00:45 that the Lord rescued from the shackles 00:48 of addiction and crime. 00:50 And now he is a minister of the Lord. 00:54 Conversion was complete in his life 00:57 as the Lord called him to ministry 00:59 and not only does he rejoice in bringing the message 01:03 to both young and old, but he rejoices 01:06 to be able to do this along with his wife Xenia. 01:09 They have two children and it is a blessing 01:13 to have him here during the last opportunity 01:17 he was with us. 01:18 He presented the message called Burn Baby Burn. 01:21 During this hour you will hear the message The Golden Touch. 01:28 And I am happy to also tell you 01:31 that we have Brother Mark Prentice 01:33 also with us during this hour. 01:35 And the Lord called him to ministry at a young age, 01:38 at the age of three already the Lord's blessing 01:42 was upon him as he began to sing, 01:45 and also he enjoys writing and singing. 01:48 And not only that his family recognize that 01:52 the Lord blessed him with the musical talent, 01:55 but also his peers have also done so. 01:58 Wining a national soloist contest, 02:04 male soloist at the National Gospel Competition 02:07 for High Schools. 02:09 And the Lord thus far has brought him 02:11 to have the opportunity to prepare three CD projects. 02:16 Number one, my testimony, 02:19 several song that you will enjoy 02:21 and that will take you through a journey 02:24 of how the Lord blesses individuals 02:27 through what He does in their lives. 02:29 Also CD number two, Refashioned Hymns, 02:33 also Way out of No Way. 02:35 And the Lord continues to use him also through 02:38 the Dare to Dream network. 02:40 He's also presented 02:41 in Three Angels Broadcasting Network. 02:43 And we have the opportunity to hear him in a moment 02:47 as he presents to us a message in song 02:52 entitled "Great is Thy Faithfulness". 02:59 Before that we'd like to invite you 03:00 to go to the Lord in prayer. 03:03 So wherever you are let's take this opportunity 03:05 to approach God's throne of grace. 03:07 Let us pray together. 03:09 Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You, Lord, 03:14 for this opportunity You have given to us 03:17 to receive the blessing through Your servants, 03:21 Pastor Edward Bryan and Brother Mark Prentice. 03:25 We pray that Your Holy Spirit will be upon them. 03:28 And we pray, Lord, for a blessing upon all, 03:31 both young and old, wherever they may be, 03:34 may they hear You calling them through Your servants. 03:38 We pray, heavenly Father, 03:40 for Your name to be glorified in all things. 03:42 And we thank You for hearing our prayer, 03:45 for we asked it in the wonderful 03:47 and mighty name of Jesus. 03:50 Amen. Amen. 03:52 We'd like to invite Brother Mark Prentice 03:54 to join us and immediately after that, 03:56 the next voice you will hear will be 03:58 the voice of Pastor Edward Bryan. 04:00 May God bless you. 04:10 Great is Thy faithfulness 04:15 O God my Father 04:19 There is no shadow of 04:23 Turning with Thee 04:27 Thou changest not Thy compassions 04:33 They fail not As Thou hast been Thou 04:40 Forever wilt be 04:44 Great is Thy faithfulness 04:49 Great is Thy faithfulness 04:53 Morning by morning 04:57 New mercies I see 05:02 All I have needed Thy hand 05:07 Has provided 05:10 Great is Thy faithfulness 05:14 Lord, unto me 05:19 Summer and winter 05:23 Springtime and harvest 05:27 Sun, moon and stars 05:30 In their courses above 05:36 Join with all nature in 05:40 Manifold witness 05:44 To Thy great faithfulness 05:49 Mercy and love 05:52 O Great is Thy faithfulness 05:57 Great is Thy faithfulness 06:01 Morning by morning by morning 06:08 New mercies I see 06:12 All I have needed 06:16 Thy hand has provided 06:21 Great is Thy faithfulness 06:25 Lord, unto me 06:29 Pardon for sin 06:33 And peace that endureth 06:38 Thine own dear presence 06:42 To cheer and to guide 06:47 Strength for today 06:50 And bright hope for tomorrow 06:55 Blessings all mine 06:59 With ten thousand beside! 07:03 O Great is Thy faithfulness 07:08 Great is Thy faithfulness 07:12 Morning by morning by morning 07:18 New mercies I see 07:23 All I have needed 07:27 Thy hand has provided 07:31 Great is Thy faithfulness 07:36 Lord, unto me 07:39 O Great is Thy faithfulness 07:46 O my Lord 07:49 Great is Thy faithfulness 07:57 Great is Thy faithfulness 08:03 O my Lord 08:06 Great is Thy faithfulness 08:10 Great is Thy faithfulness 08:14 Morning by morning by morning 08:20 New mercies I see 08:25 All I have needed 08:29 Thy hand has always provided 08:33 Great is Thy faithfulness 08:38 Great is Thy faithfulness 08:42 Great is Thy faithfulness 08:52 Lord 08:57 Un 09:01 To 09:06 To me 09:15 Lord 09:18 Unto me 09:32 Amen. 09:36 Praise the Lord once again for that beautiful, 09:39 beautiful music. 09:42 Can't wait for the day 09:45 when I can hold a note 09:47 and glorify God in the way 09:50 that Brother Mark just did. 09:53 Today I want to share a message, 09:58 a topic that I never in my wildest dreams fathom 10:01 preaching on when I came to accept Jesus Christ, 10:05 the prosperity gospel. 10:10 I used to be quite skeptical and then studying God's Word 10:13 I actually found out that prosperity is indeed 10:16 God's ideal for His children. 10:21 Now before you get too excited or too irritated 10:24 and change the dial. 10:27 When I ask you to hang in there with me 10:28 for just a moment as I make a biblical case 10:33 for the prosperity that the Lord desires 10:35 us all have in our life. 10:37 Invite you to bow your heads as I kneel 10:40 and we go to Lord in prayer. 10:43 Dear heavenly Father, though we come to You 10:47 'cause we would not be so presumptuous 10:49 as to open your Word Lord and pretend to understand it 10:52 apart from Your Spirit. 10:55 So far I just pray at this time 10:57 that You would speak to our hearts, Lord, 11:00 and do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, Lord. 11:04 Make Your word practical, in Jesus' name, amen. 11:17 There was a Greek myth 11:20 that was later turned into children's story 11:24 and eventually became a cartoon by the time I came across it. 11:27 It talks of a King 11:33 by the name of Midas and his golden touch. 11:36 It goes like this. 11:38 King Midas was a rich ruler, the richest in all the land. 11:45 He had an abundance of gold of golden coins. 11:47 And his favorite hobby was to sit around counting them. 11:52 He would sit around counting them 11:54 as frequently as possible 11:55 sometimes at the expense of not getting to spend time 11:58 with his beautiful young daughter 12:00 who he loved very much. 12:01 On one occasion as he counted his gold coins, 12:04 the story says that he was approached by a fairy 12:09 whatever that is, apparently a fairy 12:11 can grant wishes and that fairy told him that 12:13 he would grant him any wish that he desired, any one wish. 12:17 And he didn't have to think about it very much 12:18 because he knew exactly what he wanted. 12:20 He wanted the ability to touch anything 12:23 and turn it into gold. 12:25 Well, the next day he woke up and sure enough 12:28 he had been granted the golden touch. 12:31 He grabbed his bed linens 12:32 and immediately it turned into gold, 12:34 he jumped out of bed, went and grabbed his robe 12:37 and it turned into gold as well. 12:39 Then he started running throughout his whole palace 12:41 searching everything he can lay his hands on 12:44 and it all turned to gold. 12:45 He went outside, touched the flower beds 12:47 and the same thing. 12:48 Well, he was ecstatic as you could imagine. 12:51 Before too long 12:54 he had worked up an appetite. 12:56 And he went to his banquet table 12:58 and he sat down to eat, he grabbed a grape, 13:01 took it to his mouth, and he almost chipped a tooth 13:05 because it had turned to gold. 13:07 Then he grabbed a turkey leg, attempted to take a big bite 13:11 and once again almost split his tooth. 13:16 He was becoming quite frustrated, 13:18 quite desperate to eat, hungry, he wasn't sure what to do. 13:21 So he sat there pondering this predicament 13:23 and he had a mixed feeling of joy and frustration. 13:26 It was about that time that his daughter 13:27 came into the quarters. 13:32 And she was herself saddened 13:35 because her beautiful bed of roses 13:39 had been turned into lifeless shiny gold. 13:42 So he shared with her 13:43 this beautiful extraordinary gift 13:45 that he had been given but at the same time 13:48 he shared his desperation to eat 13:51 and the predicament that he was in. 13:54 Well, his daughter feeling sorry for her father 13:57 as you can imagine came up and embraced him, 14:00 and as he in return wrapped his arms around his daughter. 14:05 You guessed it. 14:07 He turned her as shiny and lifeless as everything else 14:11 that he had taken so much pleasure 14:13 in just moments before. 14:17 Friends, isn't it the truth that our ambition for gain 14:20 can become as much a curse 14:24 as it has potential to be a blessing. 14:27 And while the golden touch is not something to be desired 14:30 obviously in a physical sense, 14:34 it's something that we certainly would all want 14:36 in a figurative sense. 14:39 Wouldn't we all like for every aspect of our life 14:41 to flourish. 14:44 Well, the annals of history actually tells of a man 14:46 that had such an ability, a man who had the golden touch. 14:50 He lived in Egypt thousands of years ago 14:53 and his name was Zaphnath-Paaneah. 14:55 Have you ever heard of him? 14:58 Very few seem to have heard of him. 15:00 Maybe 'cause you knew him by a different name, 15:03 by his Canaan, his name in Canaan 15:06 before he come to Egypt. 15:08 You probably know him by Joseph. 15:11 We find his story in Genesis 37. 15:13 I invite you to join me there in Genesis 37. 15:20 Now for time sake I'm going to just kind of 15:22 highlight or give a quick... 15:30 Overview of how his story started 15:33 and how we got to the point that we want to focus on today. 15:36 See Joseph had several brothers, 15:39 his father had multiple wives, the Bible doesn't tell us this 15:42 to condone such behavior. 15:43 As a matter of fact, this became very problematic 15:45 in his life because his brothers 15:48 had strong resentment to Joseph 15:51 because Joseph was clearly their father's favorite. 15:55 Joseph and his brother Benjamin, 15:56 they had been born to his favorite wife, 15:58 and they had been born in his father Jacob's old age. 16:02 So while Joseph's brothers would be out 16:04 working in the fields for his father, 16:07 Joseph would be back home, 16:10 him and his little brother somewhat hampered. 16:12 On one occasion he even got a coat of many colors 16:16 which you could imagine sprung up envy 16:19 in the hearts of his brothers. 16:20 To make matters worse, while he was a good boy, 16:23 he was also a little naive, 16:25 and he would share with his brother's dreams 16:27 that he had that seems to imply that one day 16:30 they would be bowing to him. 16:33 If that wasn't bad enough, when his father would send them 16:35 to check up on his brothers, 16:36 sometimes he would wind up coming back 16:38 and giving a bad report. 16:41 How many of you like when your young siblings 16:43 would tattle on you. 16:44 As they say well I'm from snitches 16:46 get stitches, right. 16:48 So his brothers didn't like this whatsoever, 16:50 they did not appreciate this. 16:52 So on one occasion Joseph's father 16:56 sends him to go and check up on his brothers. 16:59 And as Joseph is drawing near to his brothers, 17:02 they see him, and we'll pick up that dialogue in Genesis 37, 17:05 we'll pick that up in verse 18. 17:07 We'll read 18-20. 17:08 It says and when they saw him... 17:11 and I'm reading from the King James Version. 17:12 "And when they saw him a far off, 17:14 even before he came near unto them, 17:16 they conspired against him to slay him. 17:19 And they said one to another, 'Behold, this dreamer comes, 17:23 come now therefore and let us slay him 17:26 and cast him into some pit,' and we will say that, 17:29 'some evil beast has devoured him.' 17:31 And we shall see what becomes of his dreams!" 17:36 Now looking for Joseph, his older brother Reuben 17:38 didn't allow them to kill him to carry out their plan, 17:41 instead they dug a pit that he could not get out of, 17:45 and they grabbed the boy, they ripped off his coat, 17:47 and they threw him into the pit. 17:49 And then he took the coat and dipped it in goat's blood. 17:55 And eventually they would send it to his father 17:57 and say that he was dead. 18:00 Now I got to back up just a little bit 18:02 because as they sat there eating. 18:06 They saw a caravan of travelers, 18:09 that caravan of travelers was headed to Egypt, 18:11 they were Ishmeelites. 18:13 And they were heading to Egypt which was the most prosperous 18:16 and powerful empire at the time, 18:18 they were going there to trade. 18:20 So they figured, you know, what we might as well 18:21 get some money for the boy. 18:24 So they decided to sell him to this caravan of travelers 18:27 headed to Egypt. 18:30 And that's where we will pick up 18:32 and break it down just a little closer. 18:35 Genesis 39:1. 18:39 It says, "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, 18:45 and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, 18:50 captain of the guard, an Egyptian, 18:52 bought him out of the hands of the Ishmeelites, 18:55 which had brought him down there." 18:58 Joseph was purchased it says by a man named Potiphar, 19:01 the captain of the guard, of Pharaoh's guard. 19:04 Now Pharaoh wasn't just any man, 19:05 Pharaoh was the king of Egypt but even more so, 19:07 he was considered like a god. 19:11 And therefore Potiphar, Joseph's master 19:14 would be something like the head of the secret service 19:16 or the top ranking general in the military. 19:22 While Joseph was a slave, he had no ordinary master. 19:25 He was in a peculiar position. 19:27 Now when we look at verse 2, 19:29 we're going to see two things that are somewhat. 19:34 It makes little sense to conventional thinking. 19:36 Genesis 39:2, "And the Lord was with Joseph, 19:41 and he was a prosperous man, 19:44 and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian." 19:48 Have you ever thought about that verse? 19:50 It says, "And the Lord was with Joseph." 19:53 Well, that may not seem peculiar to you, 19:56 just think about it. 19:59 How do you feel when you find yourself 20:02 facing the most trying circumstances in your life? 20:05 Do you feel like God is with you at those times? 20:08 Now I know you guys are very pious, 20:11 but for some of us question and doubt may even set in, 20:15 think about it. 20:16 When your car is broken down on the side of the road, 20:18 and it's cold, and no one stops to help. 20:21 Do you feel like God is with you at those times? 20:24 When you're diagnosed with a disease 20:26 while everyone around you seems in perfect health, 20:29 and they don't even practice the health message. 20:32 Does it feel like God is with you then? 20:35 When you put your heart and soul into studying 20:37 for a test only to fail. 20:40 When you already can't pay your bills, 20:43 yet you're paying your tithe. 20:45 And then an emergency springs out of nowhere, 20:48 they just crash the bank. 20:51 When you lose your job, no worse. 20:54 When you lose a loved one. 20:57 Are you not tempted at those times to feel like 20:59 God has abandoned you? 21:01 Sometimes you feel like God has abandoned us. 21:03 You had to understand that Joseph, he was a pampered kid, 21:06 his father's favorite, and in the blink of an eye 21:10 his whole life changed. 21:12 Now there's someone out there who can relate 21:14 because you've had some kind of 21:15 traumatic situation in your life 21:17 that caused everything to change in just a moment. 21:19 But you know what? 21:21 The good thing about those moments 21:23 when we find ourselves on our back, 21:24 the good thing about those moments 21:25 when like Joseph, we find ourselves in a pit 21:27 is that it causes us to look up. 21:30 Before he was thrown into the pit, 21:32 he had grown up with a daddy who trusted in God. 21:35 As a matter of fact you probably read in the Bible, 21:37 the God of who? 21:39 Of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 21:43 They were men known for their faith. 21:45 But now Joseph find himself having to question 21:49 whether God had abandoned him, having to question 21:51 whether to just leave behind all of this God stuff, 21:56 or whether to make his relationship 21:59 with God his own. 22:00 And he had to decide and he made a decision. 22:02 I'm convinced that Joseph probably 22:06 on the journey to Egypt 22:07 had to make the decision that you know what? 22:09 The God of Jacob, the God of Abraham, 22:12 the God of Isaac that's going to be my God, 22:14 that's the God of Joseph. 22:17 He had to make it real. 22:21 God has no grandchildren, 22:23 you've probably heard that before. 22:24 He only has children. 22:26 And Joseph decided to hold on to the Lord. 22:31 The second part of the verse 22:33 makes even less sense, watch this. 22:36 Verse 2, it says, "And he was a prosperous man." 22:42 Now how does that make any sense, you tell me, 22:44 how was Joseph a prosperous man? 22:48 I mean, he used to have it good back in his father's house. 22:52 When he had servants 22:54 that would serve him and his little brother, 22:55 when they were nice and pampered, 22:57 when he walked around in a Gucci tunic, 22:59 he had it good. 23:02 But now he has been relegated, reduced to being a slave, 23:07 he doesn't own anything himself. 23:11 He himself is the property of another individual. 23:13 Please tell me, how can that be considered prosperous? 23:18 Easy, you got to revert back to that first line 23:21 because God was with him. 23:27 You see, I've realized that preacher sometimes will do 23:30 a lot of hooping and hollering about 23:32 how if you get right with the Lord, 23:34 he will rain down blessings on you. 23:36 If you are generous in your giving, 23:37 then your cup will overflow. 23:41 And generally when folks get to preaching 23:42 about prosperity, what are we talking about? 23:46 Material gain. 23:48 We're talking about it from a material standpoint. 23:50 However in God's perspective, 23:53 true prosperity is not about what you have, 23:55 true prosperity is about who you have. 23:59 Therefore if you have nothing but you got God by your side, 24:03 then you've got it all. 24:06 And if you've got it all but you're lacking God, 24:09 then, buddy, trust me you ain't got nothing. 24:13 The verse seems contradictory on the surface 24:15 to call an adolescent boy a prosperous man. 24:20 At this point Joseph is only 17 years old. 24:22 But age doesn't make you a man, 24:25 and money doesn't make you rich. 24:29 Some of the wealthiest people I know 24:32 would not consider themselves prosperous 24:36 because there is much that is missing, 24:38 and much to be desired still in their lives. 24:42 It's not about what you have, friends, 24:43 it's about who you have. 24:45 We continue reading in verse 3, it says, 24:48 "And his master saw that the Lord was with him, 24:51 and that the Lord made all that he had 24:54 to prosper in his hand." 24:56 I love how it points out that his master took notice 25:00 that the Lord was with him. 25:02 It doesn't say that Joseph had to point it out to him. 25:04 His life testified to the fact 25:07 that he had a relationship with God. 25:10 You know for as much scriptures as we can quote, 25:14 for as much as we can post a Bible verse 25:18 on our social media accounts, and we can name, jot God. 25:21 I wonder whether people would be able to deduce 25:24 that we were Christians 25:26 without us having to say anything 25:29 by just observing us from day to day. 25:31 I wonder if our neighbors and our coworkers 25:33 would be able to draw these conclusions 25:35 for themselves. 25:37 The Bible does say after all that by their fruits 25:40 you shall know them. 25:43 The verse says that his master notice 25:44 that the Lord made all that he did prosper. 25:47 There was something different about Joseph, 25:49 it didn't matter where he put him, it prospered. 25:53 He put him out in the field to tend to the garden 25:57 and everything just seemed to flourish. 26:00 He put him over in the shop to work on the chariot, 26:04 it seems like everything had extra horse power. 26:06 He put him out in the kitchen to look over the chefs 26:10 and everything was never had tasted better. 26:13 Joseph had that golden touch, 26:16 whatever you put in his hands turned into gold. 26:21 See we ought to look at his prosperity 26:23 as God's means of blessing us. 26:25 However maybe our prosperity which we've already defined 26:30 as having God with us is God's means 26:33 of blessing others through us. 26:37 But here's a question worth thinking about. 26:40 Is my relationship with God 26:42 a blessing to the people around me? 26:45 Does my work place, my community, 26:48 my neighborhood, my local church, 26:51 do they benefit as a result of the fact 26:55 that I am a Christian and that I am there. 26:58 Does my integrity, does my character, 27:01 my work ethic and willingness to participate 27:03 shine in the places where God would have me 27:06 be even if I am not in the place 27:08 where I would like to be like Joseph. 27:13 Can onlookers see that the Lord is with me 27:17 and then my environment prospers as a result? 27:22 Let's jump to verse 4. I'm reading verse 4-6. 27:25 It says, "And Joseph found grace in his sight, 27:29 and served him, and made him overseer of his house, 27:33 and all that he had he put into his hand. 27:35 And it came to pass from the time that 27:37 he had made him overseer in the house, 27:40 and over all that he had, that the Lord 27:42 blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. 27:45 And the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had 27:49 in the house, and in the field. 27:51 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, 27:53 and he knew not ought he had, 27:56 save the bread which he did eat. 27:59 And Joseph was a goodly person and well favored." 28:03 There is a whole lot there, I want to start 28:05 by looking at that last line, it says, 28:08 "That he was a goodly person and well favored." 28:10 You know, we often talk about 28:11 being blessed and highly favored. 28:13 But sometimes we talk about it as though we have some kind of 28:17 preferential treatment because of the fact that 28:19 as Christians we drop into church once a week 28:26 and we profess to follow the Lord. 28:29 However in this verse we see that Joseph's favors 28:31 directly connected to his character. 28:34 And then he's finding favor in the eyes of his master 28:37 because of who he is as a result of 28:40 his connection with the Lord. 28:43 Potiphar decides that he's going to entrust Joseph 28:46 with everything he has, 28:48 after all why wouldn't he, right? 28:49 Everything that touches Joseph's hand prospers. 28:53 The verse said that he had no reason 28:55 to question Joseph, to check up on Joseph. 28:58 He didn't have to double check Joseph's work. 28:59 He didn't have to check his punch card to make sure 29:01 he wouldn't stealing out with the job. 29:03 He didn't have to run audit on Joseph's taxes. 29:06 I'm being facetious, I'm making it practical to us 29:08 but he didn't have to run an audit to see 29:12 if he was lying on his taxes, right? 29:14 See this is what we call integrity, friends. 29:19 And it's what we call prosperity 29:20 having God with you. 29:22 If God is truly with me, if I acknowledge that 29:23 God is with me, then I realize that it doesn't matter 29:27 what man is able to catch me in. 29:30 I would not compromise my character 29:32 because the Lord is with me, no matter what. 29:34 So I don't have to run around scared that 29:38 my teacher may find out that I cheated, 29:40 that my boss might find out 29:42 that I added extra hours to my time clock, 29:46 that I don't have to run around scared that 29:48 I may have left my computer or my phone unlocked, 29:51 and my wife may find something 29:55 troubling on my account 29:59 because the Lord is with me and what I do, 30:01 I don't do out of fear for man, I do it out of love for God. 30:09 So while Joseph may not have owned anything, 30:14 God provided for all his needs. 30:17 Check it out, he was young and gifted, he ate well, 30:21 in all likelihood he lived in luxury, 30:22 he probably dressed well, he probably drove 30:25 a late model chariot fully equipped. 30:28 I know we like to have the title to the car, 30:31 I know we want to have the deed to the house. 30:33 But you know what? 30:35 God provides for all of our needs, 30:36 and best of all He's there with us through it all, 30:38 is that not enough? 30:41 And in some cases as in Joseph's case 30:42 as a result of his fidelity, the Lord had him living better 30:46 than most of the Egyptians despite being a slave. 30:49 And he had him living better than most of the world 30:53 to be quite honest even at a very young age. 30:57 Now I wish I could say it was all blessings for Joseph 31:02 but there was an area in his life when he was cursed. 31:06 Some of you might be able to relate with it, I can. 31:10 Joseph was cursed with good looks. 31:13 Joseph was cursed with good looks. 31:16 Let me explain how that could be a curse? 31:18 And some of you already know where I'm going. 31:20 See Joseph's mother, we told in the Bible 31:22 is very beautiful. 31:24 And his grandmother were told in Bible 31:25 was very beautiful on his father's side. 31:28 And his great grandmother on his father side, 31:31 we're told was so beautiful 31:32 that his great grandfather Abraham had lied 31:36 because he was afraid he might be killed by a king 31:39 who wanted to take her from him. 31:40 And she was 65 years old at the time. 31:44 So not only was the young man Joseph honorable, 31:48 trustworthy, and prosperous 31:51 but physically speaking he also had genetic advantages. 31:56 Well, this is a fact that was not lost 31:58 on his master's wife unfortunately. 32:02 She took notice and she began lusting after the boy. 32:05 And made a series of attempts to lure him 32:07 into sexual misconduct. 32:10 But he refused telling her... 32:12 We'll pick up in verse 9. 32:14 Genesis 39:9, "There is none greater in this house 32:18 than I, neither hath he..." 32:20 Talking about Potiphar... 32:21 "Kept back any thing from me but thee, 32:24 because thou art his wife: how then can I do 32:27 this great wickedness, and sin against Potiphar, my master?" 32:33 Is that what he said? 32:34 No, you got to read your Bible, 32:36 don't even trust what the screen says. 32:38 You got to read your Bible. 32:39 It says, "How can I do this great wickedness, 32:41 and sin against God?" 32:45 Look here's what we have to understand, 32:48 Joseph was a hard worker, honest, dependable, respectful, 32:53 not because he feared the consequences 32:55 from his master but rather because he loved God, 32:58 and he lived his life before the audience of one. 33:03 Therefore despite having every opportunity 33:06 to take advantage of the situation, 33:07 he declined out of respect for God, 33:10 not out of fear for man. 33:14 He repeatedly turned down her advances. 33:17 But one day things got ugly for the pretty boy. 33:21 Look at verse 11, 12. 33:23 It says, "And it came to pass about this time, 33:25 that Joseph went into the house to do his business, 33:29 and there was none of the men of the house there within. 33:33 And she caught him by his garment, 33:35 saying, 'Lie with me.' 33:36 And he left his garment in her hand, 33:38 and he fled and got him out." 33:41 You know what Joseph response 33:42 was the only appropriate response 33:44 in such a scenario. 33:46 Psychology, if you've ever had to take it in college 33:49 teaches the fight or flight response. 33:54 Some of you guys are familiar with it. 33:56 The fight or flight response. 33:59 It says that when the heart gets the beating, 34:01 when the adrenaline gets going, 34:02 you find yourself in a compromising situation, 34:04 your natural inclination is to either run or stay 34:09 and fight, and stand your ground. 34:12 And I say Joseph's response was the only appropriate one 34:15 because despite the fact that today 34:17 he would probably be ridiculed for what he had done. 34:21 In his day he was probably ridiculed for what he had done. 34:26 He realized that if he stayed and fought the urge, 34:29 he may very well fall. 34:31 So instead he did the only appropriate thing 34:33 and he ran. 34:37 Isn't it sad how often we're willing to run 34:39 into temptation as opposed to run from temptation... 34:45 At the expense of what? 34:47 At the expense of our values, at the expense of our families, 34:50 of our livelihoods, sometimes of our own freedom. 34:55 How many homes, how many careers, 34:57 how many friendships, 35:01 how many lives could be salvaged, 35:03 would have been salvaged if we only knew 35:05 how to flee from temptation rather than sit there 35:08 and try to fight temptation presumptuously? 35:10 The sad thing in Joseph's case was that Potiphar's wife 35:14 accused him of trying to sexually assault her. 35:17 And when Potiphar came home, 35:19 she shared her false accusations about Joseph. 35:23 We read about it in 19, 20. 35:26 It said, "And it came to pass, when the master heard 35:30 the words of his wife, 35:32 which she spake unto him saying, 35:34 after this manner did thy servant to me, 35:37 that his wrath was kindled." 35:40 And Joseph's master took him, and put him in prison, 35:42 a place where the king's prisoners 35:44 were bound, and he was there in the prison. 35:49 Now we have to believe that Potiphar's anger was kindled 35:54 not at Joseph but at who? 35:57 But at his wife. 36:00 See, he already knew the character of Joseph. 36:03 And if he had believed that Joseph was capable 36:06 of such a thing, Joseph would have lost his life, 36:08 after all he was just a slave. 36:10 But in order to spare himself any further embarrassment, 36:12 he wanted to take in Joseph and placing him in prison. 36:17 Now this is the second time that Joseph finds himself 36:21 facing a completely unfair consequence 36:24 through no fault of his own. 36:27 He went from being a slave who had worked himself 36:29 up in the ranks to the point of overseeing 36:32 the entire property of this wealthy 36:37 and empowered individual Potiphar, 36:39 to now being a prisoner on the very same grounds 36:42 that he used to manage. 36:44 This must have been devastating for Joseph. 36:47 And once again the Bible makes the same crazy claim 36:51 in verse 21 of chapter 39. 36:54 It says, "That the Lord was with Joseph." 36:59 Once again in a similar situation 37:02 how would we feel? 37:04 I don't know if anybody else here has ever found himself 37:06 in shackles for something they didn't do. 37:10 And the first thing that happens 37:12 is you start to question, is there a God, 37:16 'cause why would He allow this injustice. 37:18 It's probably somebody out there watching right now 37:20 who has been falsely incarcerated 37:22 or who is falsely incarcerated. 37:23 And you say, "Where is God?" 37:25 Once again we would question, where is the Lord? 37:29 Has He possibly abandoned us? 37:31 However the reality is this, in Joseph situation 37:34 that God actually spared Joseph's life 37:38 for the second time. 37:40 Think about it, the first time 37:41 what did his brothers initially want to do 37:43 rather than throw him in the pit. 37:45 They wanted to kill him. 37:47 This time around when Potiphar's wife lied on Joseph, 37:51 he should've gotten what? 37:53 The death penalty. 37:55 But God has spared him for the second time 37:57 because God was with him, and his master knew that, 38:04 he knew he wasn't capable of such a thing. 38:06 So he wind up getting a lesser charge, 38:08 even while it may not have been the most pleasurable thing 38:13 or definitely was not something Joseph was desiring. 38:15 Now let's read verse 21-22. 38:18 It says, "But the Lord was with Joseph, 38:21 and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor 38:24 in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 38:27 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand 38:30 all the prisoners that were in the prison, 38:32 and whatsoever he did there, he was the doer of it." 38:37 Look, I'm just going to be honest. 38:39 There's a part of me that wishes that Joseph 38:42 when he got into that prison and just started to revolt. 38:45 That he would have gone in there, 38:46 rallied up the troops, and gone wild. 38:48 But you know what? 38:50 God's ways are not our ways. 38:53 God has a way to say that we know not of. 38:57 Joseph's character spoke volumes. 39:00 And it didn't take long before the keeper of the prison 39:03 was able to see in Joseph the very same thing 39:07 that Potiphar had seen earlier. 39:09 So he started entrusting Joseph with everything. 39:11 And then we read in verse 23. 39:14 "The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that 39:18 was under his hand, because the Lord was with him, 39:22 and that which he did, the Lord made to" what? 39:26 "To prosper." 39:28 There was that "P" word again, prosper. 39:33 How do you prosper in prison? 39:36 Was he stockpiling or commissary? 39:39 He had more honey buns, burritos in, 39:41 and cigarettes than anybody else. 39:43 Was he cranking out license plates 39:44 faster than anybody else in the county? 39:50 I don't know, I can't tell you 39:51 how it was that he was prospering. 39:52 But wherever you put Joseph, it was blessed, 39:56 the results were seen. 39:58 The keeper of the prison put his keys in Joseph's hand, 40:02 he walked out, he says, "I'm taking a vacation, 40:04 do me a favor man, please don't run off. 40:06 I don't even know what I'd tell Potiphar. 40:08 But I know you can be trusted." 40:10 He entrusted Joseph's... 40:15 integrity. 40:18 It will get you'd probably say, "He's still locked up." 40:23 We'll see, hold on. 40:25 Now we mentioned a moment ago that it's possible that 40:27 the Lord prospers us not simply to bless us but to what? 40:32 But to bless others through us. 40:35 So we're told that during his stint in prison 40:38 that Joseph met two prisoners, one of them was formally 40:43 the chief butler for Pharaoh, 40:48 and the other one was formerly Pharaoh's chief baker. 40:52 One day Joseph noticed that they were troubled, 40:55 and he asked them about, he asked them 40:57 why are you guys so disturbed. 41:01 And he told them about troubling dreams 41:04 that they both have had. 41:05 Joseph asked them to recount the dreams to him 41:08 knowing that if God so chose he could reveal 41:13 the interpretations of those dreams to him. 41:17 So they both confided their dreams to Joseph. 41:20 The chief butler and Joseph went to God, 41:24 and he got the interpretation for. 41:25 He told them, he told the chief butler 41:27 that he would be released after three days. 41:30 He would be released and restored to his position. 41:33 However he told him, "Hey, man, 41:34 when you get out don't forget about me. 41:37 When you get out, don't forget about me." 41:39 And then to the chief baker he revealed the dream 41:42 and he said, "Unfortunately, you two are going to 41:46 get out of the prison but he would get out 41:49 by having lost his head after three days." 41:52 Well, sure enough Joseph's interpretations 41:55 all came to fruition. 41:57 After three days the baker was executed 42:00 but the butler was restored to his position. 42:02 Now what do you think was the first thing 42:04 that butler did when he got out. 42:07 He remember his boy Joseph, right? 42:10 Of course not. 42:12 I hate to say but when people are in a box, 42:15 you tend to forget about them. 42:17 That's a society and that hasn't changed 42:19 in all of these years 42:20 Joseph was completely forgotten about, 42:22 that is until two years later which to us, 42:27 "Oh, two years flies." 42:28 But imagine for Joseph how long that time felt. 42:31 Until two years later when Pharaoh himself 42:34 had a troubling dream which none of the wise men 42:37 could interpret, 42:38 then the chief priest remember, that dude Joseph. 42:44 He told Pharaoh that there was a man in the prison 42:46 by the name of Joseph 42:48 who had the ability to interpret dreams. 42:50 And he told them how he had interpreted 42:51 his dream as well as the bakers. 42:54 So Pharaoh had Joseph brought out of the prison. 42:59 We read about it in, we're jumping to Genesis 41. 43:04 We read about in 15, 16. 43:06 It says, "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 43:08 I have dreamed a dream, 43:11 and there is none that can interpret it: 43:14 and I have heard say of thee, 43:16 that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it." 43:19 And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, 43:20 "It is not in me, but God shall give Pharaoh 43:24 an answer of peace." 43:27 So Pharaoh told Joseph his troubling dream 43:30 and immediately God gave Joseph the interpretation. 43:32 He told them, you know what? 43:34 You guys are going to have seven years of great abundance 43:37 followed by seven years of great famine. 43:40 And he told him what he needed to do. 43:42 He said, "You know what? You need to... 43:44 During the seven years of abundance, 43:46 save a portion of that which you guys get 43:51 in order to last you during the seven years of famine. 43:55 And you need to find somebody wise 43:58 to put in charge of this whole operation 44:01 because your livelihood is going to depend on it." 44:04 We see Pharaoh's response in verse 37. 44:11 We'll be reading down to verse 44, 44:12 but we'll be pausing. 44:13 Verse 37 says, "And the thing was good 44:16 in the eyes of Pharaoh, 44:18 and in the eyes of all his servants." 44:20 Verse 38, "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, 44:23 'Can we find such a one as this, 44:25 a man in whom is the Spirit of God?'" 44:30 What powerful words. 44:33 A heathen ruler who considers himself a God 44:36 saying, can we find such a man as this, 44:39 point to Joseph and saying, 44:40 a man in whom is the Spirit of God. 44:44 Oh, that the same thing would be said of us. 44:47 Has somebody ever walked up to you 44:49 or converse with you and say, "You know what? 44:51 I just feel like I can talk to you, 44:53 there's something different about you." 44:55 Has somebody ever said, "You know what? 44:57 I see something different in your face, 44:59 it's as though it shines." 45:00 This was Joseph's experience. 45:02 This is the experience when you have prosperity, 45:06 real prosperity meaning what? 45:09 God is with you. 45:11 He's been in the presence of God 45:12 all these years through good and through bad. 45:14 Well, really through bad and through bad. 45:17 Through trial after trial. 45:18 And now Pharaoh notices in him the same thing 45:21 that the keeper of the prison did, 45:22 the same thing that Potiphar had, 45:25 that there is some special about this man 45:27 and he can be entrusted with much. 45:31 Verse 39, "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 45:34 for as much as God has showed the all this, 45:36 there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. 45:40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word 45:44 shall all my people be ruled only in the throne 45:47 will I be greater than thou. 45:48 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 45:50 'See, I have set the over the land of Egypt.' 45:53 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, 45:57 and put it on Joseph's hand, 45:58 and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, 46:03 and put a gold chain about his neck. 46:06 And he made him to ride in the second chariot 46:09 which he had, and they cried before him..." 46:13 Talking about the people. 46:14 "Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over 46:17 all the land of Egypt. 46:18 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, 'I am Pharaoh, 46:20 and without thee shall no man lift his hand or foot 46:24 in all the land of Egypt.'" 46:27 This is an incredible turn of events. 46:29 Imagine this amount of power being given to a man 46:34 who just days earlier was away, was a convict, a prisoner, 46:40 a man who just years earlier was a what? 46:43 A slave. 46:44 And now he is the second most powerful man 46:47 in all the world and arguably we can say, 46:49 he was the most powerful man in all the world 46:51 because he is the one who made all the decisions. 46:55 Incredible turn of events. 46:58 Pharaoh, a pagan ruler 47:00 had testify out of his own mouth, 47:03 that he had seen God in him. 47:05 What did it say he did? 47:06 It said, he took and put a robe, 47:09 a kingly robe on him. 47:11 He put what on his hand? A ring. 47:14 He put what around his neck? 47:16 A chain. Think about this. 47:18 How did the story start with his brothers? 47:20 What did they do before they threw him in the pit? 47:22 Whether they stripped off him? 47:24 They stripped off his robe, right? 47:26 And now when a story ends, he's got an even better one, 47:30 one that comes with authority. 47:34 When the story started, when his hardship started, 47:37 he was what? 47:38 He was enchained, right, as a slave. 47:41 And now what he gets at the end? 47:44 He gets a chain to prove his authority. 47:50 And here goes a crazy, crazy, crazy fact. 47:57 Well, it made no sense to me when I read about Joseph 48:03 being a slave is that he said that 48:05 he was a prosperous man. 48:08 And then when he becomes a prisoner once again 48:10 he repeats what? 48:12 It says he's a prosperous man. 48:15 You know when it's the only time in his experience 48:17 that I was able to see that the Bible didn't refer to him 48:19 as a prosperous man? 48:21 Now that he was completely empowered. 48:24 Now that he was the second in charge. 48:26 Now that he had the gold chain, the ring, the robe. 48:30 Second in command. 48:33 Second most powerful man in all the world. 48:35 And he doesn't even mention that 48:36 he's a prosperous man, why? 48:38 'Cause at this point you should already know. 48:41 Lest you mistake prosperity with money 48:44 'cause prosperity once again is not what? 48:47 Is not what you have, prosperity is who you have, 48:51 because God wants us to understand this 48:53 that despite your circumstances or setting, 48:55 you can be prosperous. 48:56 Whether you were pampered by your parents 48:58 or whether you grew up in the pits of poverty, 49:02 you can have prosperity. 49:04 Whether you're in the penthouse 49:05 or whether you're in the poorhouse, 49:07 you can have prosperity. 49:09 Whether you're in prison or whether you're in a palace, 49:13 you can have prosperity. 49:14 Whether you're in paradise 49:15 or whether you're in the projects. 49:17 I can keep saying peace but I don't want 49:18 to keep spitting over the front row. 49:20 The point is, you can have prosperity 49:23 right there in your situation 49:25 because if you have God with you, you have it all. 49:30 It's not about what you have, friends, 49:32 it's about who we have. 49:36 Now you see when Joseph became the second most powerful man 49:40 in the world and the great famine hit. 49:44 God revealed to the world 49:48 why He had made Joseph a prosperous man. 49:51 Once again we mentioned earlier 49:52 prosperity is having God with you. 49:54 But why is it that God prosperous? 49:55 Why is it that He blesses us to do what? 49:59 So that He can bless others through us. 50:02 And this is exactly what Joseph did. 50:06 Not only that he saved Egypt by the storehouses... 50:13 that accumulated the grain under seven years of abundance, 50:16 he saved the surrounding region. 50:19 But not only that he saved their neighbors 50:22 the surrounding region who wind up coming into Egypt 50:26 for those of you who know the story, 50:27 who wind up coming into Egypt when the famine hit? 50:32 His brothers, the very ones that had sold him into slavery. 50:35 He wind up saving his brothers. He wind up saving his father. 50:39 He wind up saving his neighbors. 50:41 He wind up saving the very Egyptians 50:43 that had him as a slave. 50:44 He wind up saving the very individual 50:46 that put him in prison, 50:47 'cause he was a prosperous man and God gave him prosperity 50:50 that he might bless others through him. 50:53 God wind up saving a substantial portion 50:55 of the world through Joseph. 50:58 And you wonder why am I going to this trial in my life? 51:01 Because God is trying to get you ready 51:02 for something incredible that requires preparation. 51:07 Why can I get nowhere in life? 51:10 Well, why don't we be faithful to the Lord 51:12 in the little things. 51:13 Be faithful to the Lord 51:15 when you feel like a slave with your job. 51:17 In the small things be faithful to the Lord, 51:20 in prison and let Him pull you 51:22 and do something incredible with you. 51:25 Be faithful in the little thing that God might be able 51:27 to entrust you with the big things. 51:28 Man, it is beautiful that God used this situation, 51:34 the whole time He choreographed this situation, 51:37 He allowed these things to happen 51:39 to bring about great good. 51:40 That's what we read in Genesis 50:20. 51:44 Joseph's saying, "But as for you..." 51:46 Talking to his brothers now. 51:48 He says, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me, 51:51 but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, 51:55 as it is this day, to save much people alive." 52:02 Friends, this is why God wants a relationship with you 52:06 not so you can be know more than your neighbor 52:09 about the Bible, 52:10 not so we can puff our chest up and feel righteous. 52:13 God wants a relationship with us 52:15 so that He can bless others through us 52:18 'cause He's coming soon. 52:19 But He doesn't just want us to be ready, 52:21 He wants us to bless our neighbors, 52:22 He wants to bless those who persecute us, 52:24 He wants to utilize us to save our very own family members. 52:32 I close with the story, another "kid story." 52:38 It's called the goose who laid the golden egg. 52:41 I'll say the chicken who laid... 52:42 How about that chicken? 52:44 The chicken who laid the golden egg, 52:45 you might have heard it. 52:47 See there was a farmer, right? 52:48 And he had a barn 52:50 I think that's where you keep chickens, right? 52:52 I'm from the city, sorry. 52:54 He was a farmer, he had a barn, and he went over there, 52:57 and he would go every day, and he'd pick up, 52:58 and he collected chickens, I mean the eggs. 53:01 He would lift up every chicken, he would collect the eggs, 53:03 I believe that's how it goes. 53:05 And one day, as he was doing his routine, 53:08 he picked up one chicken or goose 53:12 and lo and behold, it had laid a golden egg, 53:19 and he couldn't believe it. 53:21 He couldn't believe it. He got it, he looked at it. 53:25 Flip the thing around, put it back down, 53:28 and he went home, he showed his wife, 53:30 and he was elated. 53:31 He went, and I'm sure it didn't take long 53:33 before he went and sold it. 53:35 And then next day 53:36 when he comes to pick up his eggs, 53:39 he lifts up the chickens, he picks up all the eggs, 53:41 and he gets to that one chicken, 53:43 and he thinks to himself... 53:44 Oh, sorry I was on this side, right? 53:46 He gets that one goose and he thinks... 53:47 the chicken sorry and he thinks to himself, 53:49 "Wouldn't it be crazy 53:50 if there was another golden egg," 53:52 then he picked it up and sure enough 53:54 there was another golden egg. 53:55 And he took it, and he went home, 53:56 and he was ecstatic. 53:58 The next day he could hardly sleep. 54:00 He could hardly sleep, he just waited until, 54:02 soon as the sun came out he ran over 54:04 to check this chicken and sure enough 54:05 another golden egg. 54:07 He's not even picking up the other eggs. 54:08 He's just going for the golden egg. 54:12 That night he couldn't even sleep 54:14 in his own bed, he just came out, 54:15 and he sprawled out right there in the barn. 54:18 Soon as he woke up the first thing he did 54:20 was pick up that chicken, he grabbed it, 54:21 he checked the golden egg, he said, "Beautiful." 54:23 Well, he started becoming so greedy and ambitious 54:26 for wealth and for self prospering 54:28 that one day he walked in there, 54:30 and he reach in his back pocket, 54:31 and he pulled out a big old sharp knife. 54:34 And he grabbed that chicken and he says, "Sorry, buddy, 54:36 but you've got a gold making factory 54:39 inside that body somehow and I got to get through it." 54:43 And he slit that chicken open, tore it apart, 54:50 and to his dismay 54:52 there was nothing out of the ordinary, 54:53 it was just an ordinary chicken. 54:58 However what had he done 55:02 with his fountain of blessing? 55:04 He had killed it. 55:07 You know in the pursuit for riches, for wealth, 55:12 sometimes for prosperity we wind up dissecting 55:17 and severing the most important things in life, 55:20 our very fountain of blessing, 55:23 or we're trying to accumulate wealth sometimes, 55:26 we become careless about our families 55:30 those who matter most. 55:34 While we work nine to five and put in extra hours, 55:38 and make time to pay the bills. 55:41 We negate our time with the Lord 55:44 through prayer and study. 55:49 In our great rush to advance and get ahead in life, 55:54 we let go of what is most important oftentimes, 55:58 our relationship with God. 56:00 God is the source of every blessing. 56:04 But it doesn't always come in the form of gold. 56:10 It doesn't always come in the form of currency, of money. 56:14 Friends, I appeal to you to make a decision 56:20 to follow Jesus with all your heart, 56:23 to be prosperous in its real sense 56:25 having God with you, to allow God to enrich your life 56:31 with the purpose of blessing others through you. 56:35 I don't know what your social economic situation is. 56:40 I've been all over the place, I've had highs, I've had lows, 56:45 but I tell you something, I've never felt richer 56:48 than I feel right now. 56:49 And that's on the pastor's salary 56:50 which I can promise you is not great. 56:52 I've never felt richer, wealthier than I do now 56:58 because the Lord has restored my family 57:00 when our situation used to be chaotic 57:02 and dysfunctional. 57:04 And this came as a result of trusting in Him 57:06 and allowing Him to reign in our home. 57:09 I've never felt in better health 57:13 because the Lord has been with me. 57:15 He has shown me that He is there with me 57:17 through thick and thin. 57:20 Friends, I want to appeal to you 57:23 to look for the Lord Jesus Christ 57:25 to make Him your everything, 57:28 to allow the Lord to infiltrate your life 57:31 in such a way that everything else 57:32 becomes secondary. 57:34 God bless you all. |
Revised 2017-11-20