Genesis 37:1

We're trying to fulfill that request. Good morning, everybody. Let's stand and worship.

He led me out of the desert and brought me into his streams. River of living water turned my bitter wind to sweet.

All my burdens lifted. Took the shackles on my feet. There's no sound louder than a captive set free.

So let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Sing of his promises evermore.

Pour out your thankfulness and let it all flow. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

There's joy in the morning. It's bringing up in my soul. There's a life we live in.

There's a life we live in. Cause he calls me his own. There's a hallelujah.

After sweet victory. There's no sound louder than a captive set free.

Oh, there's no sound louder than a captive set free. So let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Sing of his promises evermore.

Sing of his promises evermore. Pour out your thankfulness and let it all flow.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

You are my deliverer.

You are my promised land.

So let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Sing of his promises evermore.

Pour out your thankfulness and let it all flow.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Sing of his promises evermore.

Pour out your thankfulness and let it all flow.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

There's no sound louder than a captive set free.

So let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Pour out your thankfulness and let it all flow.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Pour out your thankfulness and let it all flow.

So let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

Woo.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Oh, sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

Oh, bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh, my soul, worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh, my soul, I'll worship Your holy name

You're rich in love and you're slow to anger

Your name is great and your heart is kind

For all your goodness I will keep on saying

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to fight

Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh, my soul, worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh, my soul, I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end all's near and my time has come

Still my soul, I'll sing Your praise

Unending

Ten thousand years and forevermore

Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh, my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh, my soul, I'll worship Your holy name

Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Oh, my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh, my soul, I'll worship Your holy name

I'll worship Your holy name

Yes, I'll worship Your holy name

For all your holy name

For all your mercy, O Lord

I called Your name

You heard my cry

Out of

I'll worship Your holy name

You heard my cry

Thank you God for saving me The rock of salvation My hope is built on nothing less Morning by morning

out of I'll worship Your holy name You're holy name How great is Your holy name How great is Your holy name How great is Your holy name I called Your name You heard my cry Out of the grave And into life My heart is yours My soul is yours My soul is yours My soul is yours My soul is yours

free. Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me.

You gave your life upon the cross. You suffered once for all. You made a way. Jesus in victory rose. You made us all your own. Now we are saved.

You gave your life upon the cross. You suffered once for all. You made a way. Jesus in victory rose.

You made us all your own. Now we are saved. Thank you God for saving me.

Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me.

Thank you God for saving me. I called your name. You heard my cry. Out of the grave and into life. My heart is yours.

My soul is free. Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me.

Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me. Thank you God for saving me.

Let praises rise

From the inside

Give me

May you be alive

In the inside

Come fill my life

From the inside

Cause all I want Is for you For you to be glorified For you to be lifted high All I want Is for you For you to be glorified For you to be lifted high And let me know you're deaf

Praises rise from the inside, from the inside of me.

May you delight in the inside, in the inside of me.

Come to my life, from the inside, from the inside of me.

Set me on fire, from the inside, from the inside of me.

Cause all I want is for you, for you to be glorified, for you to be lifted high.

All I want is for you, for you to be glorified, for you to be lifted high.

All I want is for you, for you to be lifted high.

So fill my life, till all they see is you, Lord.

Glorify your name.

Fill my heart, till all they see is you, Lord.

Glorify your name.

Fill my life, till all they see is you, Lord.

Glorify your name.

Fill my heart, till all they see is you, Lord.

Glorify your name.

Now all I want is for you, for you to be glorified, for you to be lifted high.

All I want is for you, for you to be glorified, for you to be lifted high.

My life will be lifted high, my word.

Be lifted high, my world Be lifted high, my love

Be lifted high, higher, higher My life

Be lifted high, my world Be lifted high, my love

Be lifted high, higher, higher My life

Be lifted high, my world Be lifted high, my love

Be lifted high

All I want is for you

You'll be glorified

You to be lifted high

All I want is for you

You'll be glorified

You to be lifted high

All I want is for you

You'll be glorified

You to be lifted high

All I want is for you

You'll be glorified

You to be lifted high

So fill my life

Till all they see

It is you, Lord

Glorify your name

Fill my heart

Till all they see

It is you, Lord

Glorify your name

Fill my heart

Till all they see

It is you, Lord

Glorify your name

Fill my heart

Till all they see

It is you, Lord

Glorify your name

Fill my life

Till all they see

It is you, Lord

Glorify your name

Fill my heart

Till all they see

It is you, Lord

Glorify your name

Oh, God

In us

We want to walk

Like you

We want to talk

Like you

We want to love

Like you

We want to live

Like you

We want to walk

Like you

We want to talk

Like you

We want to love

Like you

God, help us

Love like you

Help us love

Like you

Help us love

Like you

Help us love

Like you

Help us love

Like you

Help us see what you see

We want to say what you say.

We want to be more like you, Lord.

We want to see what you see.

We want to say what you say.

We want to love like you love, oh God.

Because all we want is for you.

You to be glorified.

For you to be lifted.

All I want is for you.

For you to be glorified.

For you to be lifted high.

All I want is for you.

For you to be glorified.

For you to be lifted high.

All I want is for you.

For you to be glorified.

For you to be lifted high.

Thank you, Jesus.

Thank you.

God, we just thank you for this time of worship.

It's time to pour our hearts out to you, God.

Thank you, Lord.

To tell you how much we love you.

How much we honor and adore you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, God.

Thank you, Lord.

That is our prayer.

I know it's my prayer, God.

God, to be more like you.

To see what you see and to say what you say, God.

To love the way you love.

To walk as you walk in this earth, God.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, God.

We don't want to be fake.

We don't want to be phony.

We don't want to be shady, God.

We want to be like you.

We desire to love the way you love.

Because we know that that love is what draws.

Thank you, God.

And that's our purpose.

Is to draw others to the kingdom.

To point others in the direction of you, God.

Thank you, God.

Father, I pray that you would break our hearts.

For the things that break your heart, God.

And that you would make us attentive to those things, Father.

That we need to see, God.

And give us the words to say, God.

Don't let us be out here making stuff up.

Trying to be spooky and phony, God.

But give us genuine things to say, Father.

That would draw your people.

Show us how to love the way you love.

To draw your people to you, God.

Thank you, God.

Pour your love on others, God. We want to be real. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. We want to be different, called out, set apart, holy for your use, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God.

Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Again, Father, thank you for this time. And as we step into your word, God, say whatever you want to say, God. Go in whatever direction you want to go in, Lord.

Amen. Have your way in this place today. We love you. We thank you, God. We cherish every moment in your presence, God. There is no one greater than you. There is no one like you, God. Thank you, God. We bless your name. We bless your holy name, God. Bless your name. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Oh, God. Oh, God. Thank you, Lord. Oh, God. It's so good today. Thank you, Lord. And every day. Thank you, God. And he's so worthy to be praised. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. I just give him thanks to glory. Hallelujah.

All the songs of praise that went out today. I was trying to get a verse out of Psalms to sing and saying it was a hundred songs.

But it's all been said in the songs that we praised him today. And I just thank him.

Because he alone is worthy of all praise and honor. He's the only. He alone is worthy of all our praise. Hallelujah.

Oh, God. Let me pull it together.

I just want to welcome everybody. Everybody that I didn't welcome at the door to say good morning to. I welcome you today to Rhema.

To all our friends, family, and visitors, we welcome you today to Rhema. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. And, of course, it's a time of thanksgiving.

And we should always remember where we came from, what God has done in our lives all over the year.

Not just for Thursday coming up, but be thankful and grateful for everything he's done in your life every day.

Just don't wait until Thanksgiving to do it.

Think about your family and friends. Think about your coworkers.

Think about everybody that your path come across.

And wish them thanksgiving in Jesus' holy name.

I just thank him today.

Right now, I'm going to tell everybody that don't know about it.

There are some little pamphlets in the front of each chair that you fill out and give information so that we may contact you if you're visiting today.

And put it in one of the church houses on the front or in the back.

And that's where we receive our tithes and offers.

And I wish everybody a beautiful Thanksgiving.

And y'all have safe travels if you're going to visit friends and family.

And be thankful, as I say it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen, Ms. Pauline.

Amen.

Right now, we're going to go ahead and dismiss our children, pre-K through 5th grade, or K5 through 5th grade.

If you guys will follow Mr. David.

Ms. Pauline, I appreciate your heart.

I love your heart.

I have to say that it made more than my day or my...

story in his marriage and how the Lord is just growing him into a man of faith that he knows that God has desired for him to be. And he tried his best to say that I had something to do with it but we all know better than that. We all know that it's the work of the Holy Spirit, the work of the Lord and so we just give thanks and praise for how God is working in people's lives. That's huge. That's huge. Chuck, I gotta move your glasses, man. Sorry.

Ah. I feel like an exhale right now. Does anybody else feel like that? Is it hot in here or is it just me? It's just me. I'm going through menopause, I think. Yeah. Is that a thing? Is that a thing? Okay. Yeah. I'm just... It's just hot. It's hot. Okay.

Last week we jumped back into our series and study of Genesis and we've got this week and next week we'll do a couple more in Genesis and then we're going to take a three-week break because I'm asking and praying for the Lord to give me, I think it's going to be probably a three-week series on Christmas.

Christmas. I love Christmas time. I love celebrating the birth of Christ, all that stuff but as a pastor you have to understand Christmas messages. It's like you get to Christmas time and you're like, seriously?

How many times can you have a passage that talks about the manger and the star and the prophetic... It's important. I'm not saying it's not important so don't email me and tell me that Christmas is not... the birth of Christ is not important.

I get it. I get it. It's just, you know, it seems like people try to... well, let's find a different way to spin it. Let me just say there's no need to spin the importance of the birth of Christ. Amen? Amen.

So we'll tackle that. But last week we really touched on... we got back into 37. I said we're going to look at 37 and we do an expository study through the book of Genesis.

Last week was the 52nd message that we had in Genesis as we've been walking through this.

But we didn't do a verse-by-verse study because I wanted to show you we're now transitioning and all the focus is off the patriarchs right now.

And it's on one specific person. And that one specific person from Genesis 37 to the end of Genesis 50 is on what person? What's his name?

Joseph. Thank you, Jill Holmes. Joseph. Yes, Joseph.

And so Joseph is very, very important. And I took some time because I wanted to show you there are many theologians and commentaries that say there's over a hundred ways.

I didn't give you a hundred. I gave you eight or nine ways that Joseph looks a lot like Jesus.

There's a foreshadowing there for a reason, for a purpose.

Because as we studied and we see the life of Joseph, the character of Joseph, the things that God allowed Joseph to do,

when we get to the New Testament and we see Jesus, we should be able to say we can see Jesus, the scarlet cord, the scarlet thread of Christ from Genesis to Revelation.

We see how it's all unfolded and see how that foreshadowing has taken place.

Today we're going to do the verse-by-verse study of chapter 37, but we're only going to get through a handful of verses here this morning as we dive into this.

But again, a couple of things that I want to remind you of that we talked about last week and how the Holy Spirit allotted a quarter of the book, the book of Genesis,

one-fourth of it to be on one man, Joseph, 25% of the book.

That's just a lot, you know, compared with the ten words that God used to allot the announcement about creation.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Boom, that was it.

But he spends a quarter of the book talking about Joseph, you know.

I think we probably would have done it the other – we would have done it in reverse because it would seem to most people would really be interested in,

well, what's the origins?

Well, where did we come from?

How did it all really happen?

And yet we're arrested that the Holy Spirit has a different priority and a different emphasis than we might.

We might be all about the origins and how it all happened.

The Holy Spirit wants to make it all about people, wants to make it about people, especially this unique person, Joseph,

of whom there is nothing bad said about him in the Scriptures.

We touched about that.

that they did, but nothing evil, because Joseph looks a lot like Jesus. He looks a lot like Jesus. Joseph is a unique type of Christ, a foreshadowing. So when you get to the big picture, it really shouldn't surprise you much that the Lord would spend so much time and so much focus on this one person. And so the story of Joseph is a classic story. It's a story of rags to riches.

And how this obscure kid here at the age of 17 becomes the most powerful person in the world, okay, or the second most powerful person in the world. He's the prime minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

But more important than that, in line with this story, is that this story is a story of providence. A story of providence. And that's today's title today in our study.

Now, for some of you, you know what that means, okay, and others of you, you've heard that word a little bit, and you might be a little unsure what that means. I want you to be sure this morning. I want you to be certain and understand what the meaning of providence in the Scriptures mean.

What providence in the Bible means. The idea of God's providence is that God takes ordinary events and he arranges them, okay? That's providence in a nutshell. A sovereign God superintending or arranging natural events for a predetermined outcome.

That's God's providence, okay?

That's providence, okay? It's different than the miraculous, okay? We talk about, when we talk about providence, it doesn't necessarily mean miraculous.

And I'll explain what I mean by that. A miracle is when God intervenes in the natural law or contravenes natural law, okay?

Providence is where God utilizes the natural law. There's a difference. Whereas a miracle, God is acting supernaturally, unnaturally.

Providence is where God is working supernaturally, naturally. Does that make sense to at least four or five of you here this morning?

Some of you are looking at me like, oh my gosh, you know. He's using natural events, natural stuff, stuff that the everyday stuff is made out of.

But when you look back, you're like, oh, it's the providence of God. That's the providence of God.

God's hand overruling and leading people through events. And then you realize this isn't just circumstantial. It's providential.

There's a difference in that. We can see it in hindsight, but God moves providentially.

You know, I look back on, I look back on my life and I can say, well, it just so happened that I brought 35 students to a weekend retreat that had 325 other students there.

And there just happened to be another young lady there who had her students there who was leading a retreat at that same weekend.

And I asked what her name was, and her name was Jill. It just happened to be. It was just happenstance, okay?

It wasn't circumstantial. It was providential. That was the Lord.

I can even tell you things that happened that weekend that God confirmed.

And that's what God will confirm, do a lot of times, is He will confirm His providential hand moving in your life.

Amen? Can anybody attest to that?

And it will always line up with the Word of God. God never acts or leads outside of His Word either.

I'm telling you. So many people will make excuses about this, that, and the other and say, well, it's just, it's a new day.

It's a new time. No, no, no. If it doesn't line up with the Word of God, it's not God's providential hand leading and acting.

It just so happened, it just so happened that I was leading a Sunday night Bible study.

It just so happened that I was doing that, and I was traveling an hour and 45 minutes one way to go to work every day

while my daughter was in her, to get her into her senior year of high school

and then be able to establish her as a freshman in college

so that the plan was, after that period of time, I'm going to sell my house

and move down to Florida because I was serving for a missions organization

while I'm teaching a Sunday night Bible study here.

And it just so happened that God called us to plant a church here in Brunswick.

And it's like,

But God is going to weave all things together for good for those who love the Lord and call accordingly to his purposes. We're going to see Romans 8, 28 glorified in the life of Joseph. Amen. As we walk through this, Joseph will go down to Egypt. Now, I'm telling you some of this in advance before we get to it, because I want you to get the big picture. And now you're understanding why we're only going to get through a few verses here this morning. Okay.

But Joseph is going to be down in Egypt, and he's going to come to a place of great prominence and a great place of power as well. Well, why is that? Why? Because God needs to fulfill a promise that he made back in chapter 15 that he's left still dangling.

And if you turn with me, if you don't want to, I'll just put it up on the screen, I think, in Genesis chapter 15, beginning in verse 13.

Then the Lord said to Abram, before he had changed his name to Abraham, Know for certain that your offspring shall be soldiers in a land that is not theirs, and there will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years.

But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterwards they shall come out with great possessions.

As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace. You shall be buried in your old age, and they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.

Now, you get that right there. There's Abraham. He's in the land. He's already in the land that God promised to him.

And he says, actually, your descendants are going to leave this land, and they're going to be in another place for a period of time, and I'm going to bring them back here.

Now, that begs the question, why? Why? Why? You know, if he's already got them there, why not keep them there? You know, why not leave them there? You know, and so why would he take them to a different place?

Well, number one is to teach them a very important lesson, and we'll probably get to that next week.

But number two is because God is a merciful God. God is a merciful God. You see, the inhabitants of Canaan, the Canaanites, in chapter 15, verse 16,

they're called Amorites at this point, and the Amorites were the chief tribe of the Canaanites.

And God would give the Canaanites an opportunity to change. He's going to give them an opportunity to repent.

God is going to judge them, and he's going to usurp their authority and their position in the land by bringing the Israelites to take over.

But he's not doing that without warning, okay? He's going to give them 400 years.

He's going to give them 400 years of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. They're going to be able to see the testimony.

The Canaanites are going to be able to watch the testimony of the monotheistic God that they serve, the one true God that they serve.

They're going to be able to watch that and be able to resonate with them for 400 years.

And then, when the iniquity or the sin of the Amorites has reached this level, the God says, I've got to act now.

It's full. It's full, okay? God will come in judgment.

So you need to understand, it's a great time for us to remind us today, God is patient.

I'm so glad God was patient with me and still is today. God is patient.

You know, I would say that 400 years is a long time to give somebody to change their minds and to get their ways right.

Wouldn't you?

Man, if they don't do it after 400 years, I would say that's a pretty good time to say, okay, everybody, out of the pool.

We're done. We're done. Adult swim's over, okay?

But this is going to happen.

400 years later, God's going to kick the Canaanites out.

The Israelites will come in and take over, and God gives them the land of Canaan.

God is a very patient God. God is a very merciful God.

And that's the prediction, okay?

They have to leave the land, and so to prepare them for leaving the land.

And so it's favorable, at least at first when they leave the land, at least at first.

Because Joseph is going to go down to Egypt and providentially become second in command.

And he's getting it all ready.

He's getting everything ready so that the children of Jacob are going to go down there.

And they're going to be given the land of Goshen proper, what it's called there.

And in the ...

Ephesians 4, 37, 1. Here we go. Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings in the land of Canaan. This is a ... Jacob's father, Isaac, was absolutely a stranger to Canaan. Okay? When he got there, he was a stranger. Much more so than Jacob was a stranger. It would seem that if you look at Jacob's life, he's now resembling more and more of the

value system of the value system of the Canaanite people than his father, Isaac, ever did. Isaac wasn't perfect, but Jacob is far removed from the righteous standard that his father, Isaac, had left before him. And you know what? It's a great time to remind us here that the scripture tells us that we are strangers in this land as well, too. You know it? You know, 1 Peter, he writes, he says, you know what? I'm an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who are exiles and the dispersion.

And of Pontus and Cappadocia and Galatia, etc., etc. And in the same book, in chapter 2, he says, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners, as exiles, to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. We live in this world. We absolutely do live in this world. But we're in this land, but we're called to be strangers. We're called to be aliens.

You know, I get worried at times in my life because my life isn't strange enough. My life isn't strange enough because I find myself falling in love with the things of this world a little more than I really want to at times.

Anybody ever have to have a spirit check in their world as well, too? Man, it's easy. And you're over here, how did I get snuggled up to this, man? I don't know how it happened. It sure felt good for a minute.

It was easy. You could snuggle up to it, you know, but, you know, we're to be different. We're to be separate.

And Jacob, as we already have seen and will be reminded here, he and his family, their lifestyles are resembling more and more and more of the Canaanite people than being a stranger to the land like his father was.

He's letting them affect him and his family. And it's trickling down as well, too. That's a whole other sermon. We won't have that today.

Verse 2, these are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, pastoring the flock with his brothers, he was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilphah, his father's wives.

And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now, Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons because he was the son of his old age.

Now, you read that and you would think that with Jacob's experience of favoritism, you know, remember how his father, he knew what it was like that when your father showed favoritism to another son.

Jacob's father, Isaac, showed he loved Esau more. It was it was very apparent more than he loved it.

And he saw that favoritism, you know, and kids pick up on that. You know, you if you show favoritism, I want kids pick up on that.

You know, they're not they're not dummies. You know, they sense that. And you would think that there is no way that Jacob is going to make the same mistake that his dad made.

But guess what? Newsflash, he does. He makes the same mistake. And oftentimes, I'm telling you, the sins of the parents are passed down to their children, not willingly, but unwillingly.

OK, it happens. And there's an interesting fact. It's not always the case.

But there is an interesting statistic that shows that people that come from abused situations when they were younger, they oftentimes end up being the abused abuser as a parent when they get older.

It's what they've learned. It's what they've learned. It's what's been modeled to them. And they carry it out and they replicate it.

And so this is what's been modeled for for for for Jacob. And this is what he what he does.

So Jacob loved Joseph more than his older brother and his older brothers could see it.

And remember, we need to keep in mind, Jacob is Joseph is 17.

Much Joseph kind of stuff going on. You need to know what's going on. The hierarchy here. And and remember, all this is all this is taking place. This whole favoritism. Think back to when Jacob is going to remember back a few chapters when Jacob was going to meet Esau and he was really nervous about going to meet Esau. What does Jacob do right right there at that point? Right. Right. Right. Jacob lines up the families first. First, he sends the slaves and the livestock.

He's going to send him in waves to go meet Esau in case Esau's mad and he kills everybody. It gives him an escape route. So he sends the slaves. He sends the livestock. Then he sends Leah's kids. Then he sends Bill Haas kids. Then he sends everybody. And he saves every to the back. He saves Rachel and Joseph. Don't tell me that the other brothers didn't figure that out, too.

We're planting some seeds. We're planting some seeds of some serious dissent in here. You know, what do you mean Joseph's in the back with dad? What the heck?

Favoritism. There's a favorite. There's a favorite status. And that when that happens, it always causes division in the family. Always. And it says that Israel loved Joseph more than all of his children because of the son of his old age.

Okay. Rachel was the one that he really loved. And Joseph was the first child that she was able to bear for him.

And and and we know from that it says in here that he makes him a coat of many colors or a tunic of many colors. It's really a robe of royalty. All right.

He makes this. And one of the commentators says that it that it had sleeves and it went down to his ankles. It was a multicolor. It looked like something that a prince or a king would wear. All right.

You need to get the picture. Now, it's obvious if you're wearing something with sleeves and it comes down to your ankles, you ain't doing much manual labor.

You know, the garb for the guys during that day was a tunic and sleeveless shirts. You're out there working it. Joseph's out there. Yeah. I can't. I got the robe, man. I can't get the robe. I can't get the I can't get. I can't get the duds dirty, man. Daddy gave it to me. Look, look at all the colors.

It's even got purple in it. Royal. Royal. Royal. I don't look at my nails. Look, I don't know. Maybe he had a mani pedi. I don't know. OK, who knows?

So anyway, his his brothers are out working. He's in a tuxedo. That's basically how it is. He's out there in a tuxedo. And in verse two, it doesn't tell us what he says, but it says he brings a bad report.

Dad. Dad. Yeah. Can you imagine? How about it? How's that? How's that? How's that going in your house, Josh? Dad. Tyler's not doing something.

That's about it. Yeah. That's about as far as. Yeah. OK. Tyler, you know, it brings a bad report. It's going to get worse. It's going to get worse for him. OK, let's let's move on. Verse four.

But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of these brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

They couldn't even what this means is that they couldn't even give him the normal greeting. They couldn't even say shalom. Shalom. They couldn't even do that.

But they hated him so much. They hated him so much. And, you know, it reminds me there was a I remember when I was a young kid, my dad was in the Air Force.

So we traveled around quite a bit and we were he was stationed in California at one point in time. And we were out in California.

I was a very, very young, young boy, probably even fifth or sixth grade. And I had a friend who was a good friend of mine.

He had a sister who was quite a bit older than we were. OK. And his dad was an attorney. OK, made all this money and stuff.

But I was I was I was his buddy. But his his sister was 15 years of age, got her learner's permit and his dad bought her a brand new bright red Porsche.

Now, let me let me tell you how stupid that is. OK, it brought about so much division.

That poor girl had so much so many people hating on her. She had she had no.

special, you know, so again, they couldn't even speak peaceably to him. Joseph's out there in his

nice coat and he's watching him work. You better keep working. I'm going to tell dad. I'm telling

dad. And he brings back a bad report. Dad, they're not doing a good job. And now Joseph had a dream

when he told it to his brothers. They hated him even more. It's going from bad to worse,

to worse, to worse for Joseph right here. Okay. And so, and you're going to see why

they don't really care for him that much. He said to them, hear this dream that I've dreamed.

Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field and behold, my sheave arose and stood upright and

behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheave. Now, there are some things that

you just need to keep quiet about until you know it's from the Lord. You know, there are sometimes

you think you've got something in your mouth that you need to say and you just need not to say

anything and just keep it to yourself. Was this the Lord or is it bad bagel and lox and

onions that I had last night? Joseph probably hasn't figured that out. But, you know, I think

before, I think before I would have announced it, I would have made sure. But again, Joseph,

he's 17. He's all excited about life and he's so naive. He really is naive. When you look at it,

he has the guys, he, he has this dream. He's excited. Guys, listen, all this is really cool.

Guess what? All you guys are going to bow down to me. Isn't that cool? No, no, we don't see that in

cool. You know, I'm going to really date myself. But do you guys, you guys ever remember the TV show

Leave it to Beaver? Okay. Beaver was so naive. He didn't get anything until, until, uh, Eddie Haskell

and Lumpy kind of gave him some few lumps. Okay. And then Beaver finally starts wising up a little bit.

Okay. Joseph is the Old Testament beef. Okay. He don't get it. He's so naive. It's a cool dream.

I need to share it with everybody. Everyone's going to love me for this dream. Not so much. Not so much.

Verse eight. His brothers said to him, are you indeed to reign over us or are you indeed to rule over us?

So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Joseph, the dreamer of dreams. And it's

pretty interesting that Joseph's dreams are getting him into a lot of trouble, right? Keep that in mind

because in 13 years from now, someone else's dreams is going to get him out of a lot of trouble.

You know, because God is going to give him the ability to unlock the secret meaning of people's

dreams and to be, to be articulated as from the Lord. That which gets him in trouble, God will use

for a blessing down the road. There's, there's a word in there for some, for some of us here today. Amen.

Then verse nine, he dreamed another dream and Joseph wised up and said, I shouldn't tell my

brothers this story. No, it doesn't say that. Joseph doesn't get wise though. And told it to

his brothers and says, behold, I've dreamed another dream. Behold the sun on the moon and

the 11 stars are bowing down to me. You know, maybe dad thought, maybe the first dream, you

know, all right, Joseph, it's okay. He's a kid. Come on guys. Don't be so hard on him. He's

just 17. Don't be so hard on him. Okay. But now he's got his attention and he's going to

get in trouble with dad here. But when he told it to his father and to his brothers,

his father rebuked him and said to him, what is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall

I and your mother and your brothers indeed come and bow ourselves to the ground before

you? And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the same in mind. Well,

the answer to that would be yes, yes, yes. And yes, all this is going to take place. Everything

in this dream happens and they will bow down to him as he occupies an extremely notable

position in Egypt. But watch this. It says that his brothers were jealous of him and that's

to be expected. But his father kept the same in mind. And maybe, maybe his dad's thinking

maybe it wasn't the lox and bagels and onions that he ate. Maybe, maybe it, there is something

about this. And, you know, and if somebody, and if somebody should know something about

dreams, it would be Jacob, wouldn't it? Back in chapter 20.

He says, God is here, and I did not know it.

I did not know it.

If somebody would have an understanding about dreams, maybe Jacob is, something's clicking in here, okay?

Maybe this was from the Lord.

This is an important passage, and we're going to stop here for a little, just for a moment here today.

We're not going to proceed because there's something here in the first book of the Bible,

and it also mentions it because it mentions the sun, the moon, and the stars.

And maybe you can write it in your margin, or if you want to turn with me as well too,

take a look now in the last book of the Bible in Revelation chapter 12.

Because this is one of two places that the sun, the moon, and the stars are mentioned like this.

Revelation 12 verse 1,

And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet,

and over her head crowned with 12 stars.

She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven.

Behold, a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns on its head, seven diadems.

His tail swept down a third of the stars from heaven and cast them to the earth.

And the dragon stood before the woman and was about to give birth,

so that when she bore a child, he might devour it.

She gave birth to the male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.

But her child was caught up to God and to his throne.

Now, I've always been fascinated how many different interpretations of the woman there are there for Revelation 12 that exists.

And one of the prominent interpretations and one of the most popular ones is that the woman in Revelation 12 represents the church.

And that the church is going to go through the tribulation and that the church is suffering during that era.

Well, if it's the church, we've got a problem because she's pregnant, okay, if that's the church.

And that doesn't fit the description that Paul gives of the virgin bride of Christ.

But here's what's great.

There's only one other place where the sun, the moon, and the 12 stars are given and their interpretation is given,

and that's in our passage today of Genesis chapter 37.

Joseph's father gives the interpretation, okay, that he knows exactly what the sun, the moon, the stars are.

He knows he's talking about him and his mom and the whole heritage in there.

And it represents all of his brothers.

So now we don't have to guess.

We don't have to guess and just pull some random interpretation out or something that fits our isogetic theology.

But we can say, no, when I read Revelation 12, I know what it is.

It represents Israel.

And you would be right.

It represents the nation of Israel.

This is why knowing the Bible is so important.

This is why reading the Bible, reading the scriptures are so very important.

And it makes it a – Revelation is not a tough book to understand, you know,

even with all of its idiomatic expressions and everything,

if you've already unlocked the previous books of the Bible.

And if you're familiar with them, you go, oh, I remember that.

I know what this interpretation is.

And so you're able to tie in from Genesis 37 to Revelation 12.

So Joseph is presented to us in these early verses right here in 37 in a very different setting

and in a very different sense than any other character that has come before us, okay?

We have dialogue and we have centrality of purpose with Joseph, all right?

There's a centrality of purpose.

We don't see that in the other sons.

We're not going to see that, okay?

And Jacob doesn't like the dream, okay?

And his protest is quite understandable as he lays that out.

But his father kept the saying in mind.

His father kept the saying in mind.

And there in the flow of biblical history, statements like that, when they come across us,

one of the things that might come to our mind is when Mary was visited by the angel

and Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive a son.

And then throne language is given so she would be able to identify the son.

And it says at the end of the book,

She did not reject it. She received it and then she pondered these things in his heart. Jacob doesn't like this dream. He rebukes Joseph for having the dream, if we're telling the dream, but Jacob doesn't reject the dream itself. He doesn't reject it itself. And you know, he must hear something in it that that he thinks this must be from on high. This must be from the Lord. He doesn't understand it.

And he has an immediate personal rejection to it, but he doesn't reject the truth of it. It says he kept this in mind. And so before we leave these verses this morning, I want us to keep a few things in mind. And we're not acting as if we've not read the story. We don't know how all this, you know, how all this plays out. We know that at some point Joseph is going to save Israel. Joseph will save his father. And not only that, but Joseph will save his brothers. He's going to save an entire nation.

And this is one of the earliest, the earliest salvation accounts for Israel right here that we're going to read. And it points to Moses and the liberation of, of Israel from Egypt in a very different context. But if you'll recall in the first rescue of Israel, we know that's coming. It's on the horizon, right? That Israel is going to be, Israel is going to be saved. But listen, grain will be a huge part of it.

Grain is going to be a huge part of it. And in the first dream that Joseph has, indeed, the 11 brothers will be there as supplicants before Joseph. And they're going to be there before him for what? For grain. For grain. And so the dream will be filled in ways that will have more to do than just ruling and reigning. They're thinking of ruling and reigning.

Now, God's doing something glorious in this. He's even showing with the sheaves, the grain. It's in the dream. And Joseph is going to provide all that.

And then the imperial monarchical royal dream, the second dream in Genesis 37. We know that Joseph becomes second in command of all of Egypt. And it's interesting that the Egyptians were given a great deal to astrology.

And all the pharaohs and all the pharaohs and all the pharaohs and their court, as well as all the pyramids and the ancient astrology with all of the planets and the sun and the moon and the stars, which will all bow down to Joseph.

Joseph is not in Egypt yet, okay, as we read the story. But he's not far from Egypt as far as the chronology of Scripture goes, okay?

But that's a dream that in retrospect points in its own way to Egypt. It points in its own way to Egypt. And it points in a way to royal prerogatives and to a royal role.

But at this point, all we have is just raw hatred.

That's where we land the plane right here. It's just raw hatred.

And I want to talk briefly about that this morning. And we are closing, I promise you, on this.

Because hatred is a terrible sin because it generates other sins.

I mean, look at the hatred that we know the story and how Joseph's brothers, their hatred to him led them to take their brother and discard him like a piece of trash.

And then lie to their dad and allow their dad to be heartbroken all those years.

Hatred.

And I want to show you what the Scriptures have, a couple of things about what the Scriptures have to say about hatred.

And this is what we're going to close on right now.

In Proverbs 10, verse 12, it says that hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

In one of my favorite epistles in 1 John, and we could just do a huge study on 1 John in there.

But 1 John says in chapter 2, verse 9, he says,

Whoever says he's in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

These that were related to Joseph, they would have said, We're part of the covenant promise, we're in the light. No, you're still in darkness.

That hatred is ruling your heart, ruling your mind, ruling your soul. And hatred is also the moral equivalent of murder.

Just go ahead and read Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5, verses 21 through 26.

Jesus lays it out there. If you hate somebody, you just murdered them.

That's the moral equivalent. That's how bad hatred is.

There's so much hate. Everything is so polarizing today, and there's so much hatred.

I really do, I don't like the whole social media stuff, but I really do like the shirt that Bobby has on this morning.

It says, More Conversations, Less Debates.

More Conversations, Less Debates.

I like that. Can we all hold hands on that?

You will never, you will never, ever win a heart of someone debating them.

Because all you're wanting to do is prove you're right.

But when you're willing to have a conversation with someone that says, I'm listening to, and you matter.

I value you. I value you.

We can still disagree.

That's, that's, that's, that's what wipes off the polarizing thing off the table right there.

Is the understanding that we can still be in disagreement, but still, you still matter.

Tom, no, you're just wrong.

In my eyes, you're just wrong.

Now, did I tell Tom that I hated him and his mother wears army boots?

No.

She might, I don't know.

Desi Tom?

Just kidding.

But no, but that's where we go.

We go, we take, everything is, we take it to the personal, we can't have conversations

because we're so worried about being right.

And we're so worried about being offended.

Genesis 37.

Oh, yeah.

It all comes back around, doesn't it?

It all comes back around.

In, in John's epistle, in 1 John, he says that every, um, everyone who hates his brother,

he goes on to say, he reiterates what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount.

Now, everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.

John, man, you just use some hard language.

That's not politically correct.

Okay.

And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

John, you're not going to grow a church that way.

We need to be all welcoming and all encompassing and all loving.

And guess what?

There are roses and flowers in the back for all of you.

And John also called people hypocrites and liars.

Oh, can you say that in church?

I think so.

Because you know what?

Here's the thing.

As your pastor, sometimes I'm a hypocrite and sometimes I'm a liar.

I don't mean to be, but it happens.

And the Holy Spirit brings about conviction in my life and I fall on my face before the Lord and I ask the Lord to correct my ways.

I don't have to be right.

God's not calling me to be right.

God's not calling you to be right.

He's calling you to be righteous, holy and pure before him.

That's where, that's the game changer for us.

And you know, while we're here, let me just say, and hatred, let me just say, hatred hurts the hater far more than the person you're hating.

Let me tell you that.

It will imprison you.

Hatred will imprison you spiritually and emotionally.

Think about Joseph's brothers.

They had to see that there was something special to Joseph, but they hated him so much they couldn't get past the multicolored tuxedo that he had on.

And you know they had powwows in the back.

If he tells on us one more time, I'm dotting his eye.

I'm taking him out.

Somebody got to throat punch him because dad's going to see the dot on his eye, okay?

We're taking him out.

But hatred, hatred.

his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. But he doesn't leave us hanging there either. He goes on to say, by this we know love. That he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. Does that mean that I need to be willing to die for him? That's not what he's saying. That means

I understand that David is, I value David more important than I do what I want. He's my brother. And when David has a family problem and something under his roof, guess what? That means I have a problem too. Do I need to go there and fix David's life? No. I need to pray for him. I need to be willing to walk with him. I need to be willing to go out and grab a bite to eat with him.

I need to be willing to sit and listen to him. Tell me about his children or his wife or whatsoever is going on in the business and not feel like I have to have an answer. But just listen. Because in that, David will say, I do have value. And God is equipping me to lead my family and to love my family well. And the Holy Spirit will either give me words to share from this beautiful book or he will not.

And if he gives me something from this book, if he gives me something from this book, I will share it. If it doesn't come from this book, it stays down in the hook.

You don't need to hear it.

So, by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, oh my goodness.

John actually asks a legitimate question. How does God's love abide in him?

How can you say that you love God and you see people around you hurting and all you have is a pocket full of hate?

That's what you have to offer?

Little children, because that's what some of you act like.

But John said it, I didn't.

Let us not love in word or talk.

That means get off the couch.

In the Greek, that's what it means.

You've got to get off the couch.

And be involved in someone else's life.

But in deed and in truth.

In deed and in truth.

And if you need some help figuring out what in deed and in truth means,

I have a lot of really close friends here at this church that would love to explain that to you today.

Let's stand.

I'm sorry, worship team, you've got to get on your move.

Let's do this.

Hey, let's do this.

Let's do this.

Right where you are, leave the lights down low like this so that we can feel like we're hiding a little bit.

Right where you are, if you'd raise your hand, I'll call on you.

And if you've got something, you've got something, some way you can share how the love of God has been revealed to you this past week or the past few days or this past couple weeks.

The love of God has been revealed to you in some way.

I'd love for you to testify about that this morning.

Anybody this morning?

Yes, sir.

Soft.

You

Amen, John. Amen, John. Yes, ma'am.

Key West.

Key West, Lord, but God put it on my heart.

Amen.

Yes, ma'am.

Amen.

Amen. God is good.

Amen. Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Lord. That's right. Amen.

Mom, can't you say something?

Yes, ma'am.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Jean.

Amen. Amen.

You go, Q. Amen.

Yes, ma'am. Luanne.

You have to talk louder, Luanne.

Oh, goodness.

Yes, ma'am.

But anyway, I was sleeping out with me, and she went with my car, and I was a big-ass mother's face, and there are a lot of black issues at the front of the line.

And I thought, oh, that's fine.

But then I'm pressing my key, and it went open.

And so it was another black issue, and she said, I'm here.

It's my person.

Providential hand of God.

Yes.

Yeah.

It wasn't circumstantial.

It was providential.

Amen.

Come on.

Amen.

Yes, ma'am.

Amen.

Yes, sir.

I started a new job, and I like it.

Yes.

Amen.

We keep going, man.

We let everybody go to the steakhouse if they want to.

We just keep praising God here.

Anybody else?

Come on.

Yes, sir.

Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen, David. Amen. Amen. Amen. Anyone else? Anyone else? Yes, Matt.

Yeah. Matt's just showing off now. Yeah, I know, right? Yeah. We don't have to call you doctor yet, right? So we're good. Yeah. Josh, you had your hand up?

We're good. Yeah. We'll see you coming down, but you're a round boy.

Yay!

That's all. Amen. Curtis is a great name. Yeah. Yeah.

You just got dipped. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I would be totally embarrassed if that was the thing.

It's my weak attempt at humor. Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Yes, ma'am.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. Amen.

Amen. I'm thankful that God providentially ordains interactions with my students outside of school, most recently at a worship night.

And so when she was struggling this week with something, it gave me a window of opportunity to be able to have a conversation with her about the Lord

because we could go back to the Lord because we could go back to the Lord because we could go back to that day that we were in that place together

in an environment where we don't always have that opportunity.

So that was really, really cool.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you for his promises. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Anyone else? Yes, sir.

Amen, Tom.

Amen. God is good. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen.

We should do this every Sunday. Miss Sunghee.

Yes.

No way.

That's so funny.

My wife is always the one when something loses something, she says, God knows where it is.

It's just asking where it is.

But she loses everything.

And she gets mad about it.

Okay, the menopause comment and the losing everything.

Yes, ma'am.

Stop talking.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, Pauline.

Thank you.

Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen.

Let's close in song this morning. Amen. Sing to our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Amen.

There is nothing more knowing that will ever comprehend.

Nothing can compare,

No other thing goes

Your presence

I'll taste and sing

The sweetest of love

When my heart becomes free

When my shame is undone

Your presence

Holy Spirit

You are welcome here

Come fly this place

And fill the atmosphere

Your glory

God is what our hearts long for

To be overcome

By your presence

Lord

Cause there's nothing worth more

That will ever come close

No other thing can compare

Your olive oil

Your presence

Cause I've tasted and seen

Of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart becomes free

And my shame is undone

Your glory

Your glory God is what our hearts long for

To be overcome

By your presence

Lord

Your presence

Let us become more aware

Of your presence

Let us become more aware of your presence

Let us become more aware of your presence Let us experience the glory of your goodness Let us become more aware of your presence Let us experience the glory of your goodness

Jesus Lord Holy Spirit You are welcome here Come flood this place And fill the atmosphere Cause your glory God Is what our hearts long for To be overcome

Let us come for you Let us come by your presence Lord Lord Lord Your presence

Fill us up with your presence

God, thank you that you do.

Thank you that you give us words to speak.

Thank you that you give us vision.

And God, let us be more sensitive this week than we ever have been

of a move of your spirit.

Thank you that you give us opportunities today and every single day

to show grace and love and mercy to someone else.

God, let our pride be set aside

and let our love for you and your great love that lives in us be evident.

Let other people be unable to explain why

except for but you, God.

Let it not be anything that has to do with us, God.

That you are the one who has seen in us, Father.

Because that is life-changing, God.

Even though I think of this student, God, right now

who is just so hard-hearted, God,

and yet so desperate for someone to say,

I see you, I see you, I see you, I see you.

Let us walk forward in that.

I see you because I see you how God sees you,

not how I want to see you because of your behavior,

because of your anger, because of your position on something.

But because the Holy Spirit loves you so much

and that's what you need to know.

So, God, help us to see other people that way.

God, we want to see other people that way.

We know you can break the chains of our own pride

and our own selfishness for your sake.

God, we thank you that you give us great gifts anyway,

that you work through us anyway,

even when we don't do those things,

when we don't surrender to you, God.

You do it anyway because you are an amazing God.

So, God, we just give you all the glory and the honor

and praise for the things that you are doing.

In Jesus' name, amen.

God, a happy Thanksgiving.

Amen.

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