The Potter's House of Camdenton
Beginnings, Part 29 The Beginning of Transformation Genesis 41
Good morning How is everybody this morning? I understand things may not be going exactly as you would wish and You're in the right place at the right time as far as I'm concerned because we're about to Spend some time talking to a man who? We're talking about a man who? Had some experiences that didn't exactly line up with his life He lived a life that was outstanding by any measure and ended up paying a very high price and Well this morning if you've if you've been biting your tongue about Joseph and and the way things have turned out for him I want to reassure you that this morning. There will be a glorious unfolding and We're suddenly going to understand why God did everything that he did why Joseph had to have all of the experiences that we that he had and We're going to see that not selling that you're just saying is true. How awesome is the love of God? How great is the love of God? We we underestimate it consistently This morning as I've mentioned we'll be continuing our journey through the book of Genesis and this series entitled beginnings And this is part 29 This morning's title is the beginning of transformation and we'll be unpacking Genesis chapter 41 Last week we walked through chapters 39 and 40 and we looked at at one more installment in the story of Joseph Where and that installment began with him bound in shackles and chains? Traveling by camel caravan to Egypt where he would be sold as a slave We trace the downward spiral of his career as he went from favorite son to favorite slave to favorite prisoner to favorite forgotten prisoner and we unpack two ideas that I hope helped us to Understand Joseph's downward spiral one was Newton's third law Which says that every action creates an equal and opposite reaction We wondered if this applied to Joseph who tried Very hard to do the right thing and we all wondered whether that might mean that God would in turn try very hard To do good things for him as a result But in Joseph's case it seemed that no matter how good he tried to be He always had a bad result. He went from bad to worse to worst At first it seemed that Newton's law doesn't apply to spiritual things that we don't get the same deal in Spiritual world that we get in the physical world and that can make life feel random and Unpredictable and it can prompt us to just not try to even bother to do the right thing Do the good thing? But then we looked at the law that God himself follows It's a law that he's made when it comes to my choice and your choice to do good things to do the right thing That comes from Galatians chapter 6 verses 7 to 10 Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked a man reaps what he sows Whoever sows to please their flesh from the flesh will reap destruction. Whoever sows to please the spirit will from the spirit eternal life Let us not become weary and doing good for at the proper time We will reap a harvest harvest if we do not give up Therefore as we have opportunity let us do good to all people Especially to those who belong to the family of believers clearly my choice your choice to do good things to do the right things Does bring good results and good rewards and God himself sees to that he's guaranteed that and he will never be mocked on this point But I have to be willing to wait for the results. You have to be willing just like we wait for the harvest when we plant We don't expect to get to the end of the planted row and return to the beginning of the planted row and start picking tomatoes We just don't do that even in the physical world We can't expect to harvest until the proper time you see it there until the proper time for harvest arise But we can't expect to receive God's compassion on a regular basis and we know that for sure in fact Look at what lamentations 3 22 to 24 says and this is another one of those cases where I want you to Fact check me as I read it to make sure that I get it right look at what it says there in verse 22 because of the Lord's great love We are not consumed for his compassion's never fail. They are new the first and third Thursdays of every month Is that what it says? It's not what right? What does it say? Because of the Lord's great love We are not consumed for his compassion's never fail. They are new every morning Great is your faithfulness. I say to myself The Lord is my portion. Therefore I will wait for him. I want you to notice two things there the words his compassion's are new every morning and the words I say to myself Jeremiah who wrote lamentations knew that God's compassion's are new every morning But he wasn't content with simply knowing that did you catch it Jeremiah didn't just want to know that he kept telling himself that It wasn't enough to just know it he kept telling himself that and it sounds to me based on what I'm reading there I'm inferring that that's something that he told himself at least every morning. I keep telling myself that I Suspect that Joseph did the same thing that Jeremiah did and Oink makes me want to ask you this morning what you say to yourself when times get tough When things just go awry when things don't go as you as you feel you have a right to expect them to go What do you say to yourself? And before you answer that question Let's talk about the other point we made last week that life is a video not a snapshot We have to take life one moment at a time I don't have the capacity to do any more than that we have to take life one moment at a time But that doesn't mean that we'll see results every moment In fact because life is a video We don't expect to see good results at the end of every hour every day every week every month or every year In fact, we may not even see the blessings that result from our good choices until we finally stand before God at the end of our lives So a person and if you qualify there a person has to choose to do what's right and good and continue to do that Even when those choices turn out bad Because we let we know that life is not a snapshot. It's a video So we keep doing what's right and good So keep watching the video of your life Knowing that even if the scene you acted out today didn't turn out well, it's the it's It's the way the story ends that really matters So watch the video knowing that God himself is watching too It's time we unpack the part of the story that we've set aside for this morning So if you're able Please stand with me as we read together from Genesis chapter 41 verses 25 to 32 read with me Then Joseph said to Pharaoh the dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do the seven good cows are seven years and the seven good heads of grain are Seven years it is one in the same dream The seven lean ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the East Wind They are seven years of famine It is just as I said to Pharaoh God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt But seven years of famine will follow them then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten and the famine will ravage the land The abundance and the land will not be remembered because the famine that follows it will be so severe The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly settled by God and God will do it Soon before you take your seats take a moment to ask God to speak specifically to you this morning as we consider this story Father you've heard our prayers You've taught us from your word to believe that if we seek we will find if we knock it will be opened if we ask It will be granted and so we're asking God speak to us Set us on the right course for the rest of today and the rest of our lives as we consider the story of Joseph We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen Well, it's time to watch a little more of the video of Joseph's life and and going into it We'll have to admit that so far the scenes that he's acted out have consistently turned out bad for you know He went from favorite son to favorite slave to some favorite prisoner to favorite forgotten prisoner And I don't know about you But I'm ready for something good to come Joseph's way to come out of Joseph's life to come out of his right choices And I'm sure Joseph is ready for that as well You remember that we left him in prison at the end of last week's story where he had interpreted a dream for Pharaoh's cop-bearer and asked the cop-bearer to mention him to Pharaoh When the cop-bearer got his old job back serving Pharaoh, he completely forgot about Joseph So as we've been saying Joseph's not just a prisoner. He is a forgotten prisoner And he probably appreciates visitors. I know the prisoners do I've known a number of them over the years with in my ministry He probably appreciates visitors So let's drop in on him and see if today will be any better than the days that have filled the last few years of his life With that background. This is the story from God's word from Genesis chapter 41 Two full years went by after the cop-bearer forgot to mention Joseph to Pharaoh and and Joseph was in prison that entire time And then one day or rather one night Pharaoh had a dream In this dream he was standing by the Nile River and saw seven cows emerge from the water on to the end on to the river bank They were sleek and fat and they grazed along the riverside After that seven after the seven fat cows came out of the water seven other cows who were ugly that were ugly and skinny Came up out of the Nile and stood beside the seven fat cows and believe it or not the seven skinny cows ate the seven fat cows And believe it or not having eaten the fat cows the skinny cows were still gaunt and emaciated And I I know that's not technically possible, but remember it was a dream And then Pharaoh woke up Lay there in his bed quite confused and agitated and fell asleep again and had a second dream In this dream he saw seven healthy heads of grain growing on a single stock of wheat and then Pharaoh noticed that seven other Heads of grain sprouted on the same stock, but they were thin and scorched by the Sun And just like in the first dream the thin sickly heads of grain ate up the fat healthy heads then Pharaoh woke up again And finally fell back asleep until morning In the morning Pharaoh couldn't get the dreams out of his head and so and he thought that they must mean something So he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and and told them his two dreams, but none of the magicians Or wise men could tell Pharaoh what his dreams meant Then the chief cup bear the one whose dream Joseph had interpreted spoke up Listen if you talk about your dreams this morning has reminded me of my shortcomings the cup bear said to Pharaoh You see while I was in prison with the baker the two of us had dreams Which had meanings that we couldn't figure out now there was a man there in the prison who formerly had been a servant Or a slave of the captain of the guard we told him our dreams and and he told us what they meant Then everything he said that the dreams meant came true It all happened just as he said it would Pharaoh was impressed So he sent word to the prison and the warden to say that he wanted to speak with Joseph the warden Got Joseph out of his cell and had him shave and and bathe and then he gave him some clean clothes to put on and Joseph was escorted into the throne room to stand before Pharaoh Pharaoh said to Joseph I had a dream And no one can figure out what it means, but I've been told that you can interpret my dream if I just tell it to you I can't interpret a dream Joseph said to Pharaoh, but God will interpret it so Pharaoh told Joseph about the two dreams about the skinny cows that ate up the seven fat cows and the seven heads of Disseased wheat that ate up the healthy wheat and when Joseph had heard the dreams He said to Pharaoh these two different dreams are actually about the same thing and God has revealed to you what he's about to do seven good cows in the seven good heads of grain represents seven years of good harvests and the seven skinny cows in the seven scorched head heads of grain represents seven years of good harvests a Bad harvest that will result in a severe and lengthy famine God's telling you that there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine Joseph then continued I continued it if I may he said I'd like to give you some advice Pharaoh apparently nodded because Joseph continued and said look for a wise man and Put him in charge of the land of Egypt and give him a sufficient staff and have them work together to collect a store Collect and store a fifth of the harvest every year during the seven good years Hold this grain of storage until the famine begins and then release it little by little to the people so that the country will not starve The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all of his officials Pharaoh pointed out to his officials that Joseph had the very spirit of God within him and then turning to Joseph He said I think I've found the wise man who can watch over Egypt you Will be in charge of my palace and all my people will submit to your orders I will continue to sit on the throne, but you will be the one who runs Egypt and that's exactly what Pharaoh did He put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt He put a signet ring on Joseph's finger dressed him and find robes and put a gold chain around his neck And he had him ride in his chariot as his second in command Pharaoh changed Joseph's name to Zaphnath Panea and gave him a wife and Joseph started right into his job as Pharaoh's second in command He was 30 years old when he began working for Pharaoh and during the seven good years he collected food all over Egypt He collected so much that they eventually gave up trying to keep track of how much he had collected I don't think they had numbers that big during those years Joseph and his wife had two sons he named the oldest Manasseh and the youngest Ephraim and as Joseph was nearing 40 At the end of the seven years of abundance the seven years of famine began That's when Joseph ordered the grain storehouses to open so that people could barter their land for food People even began to come from other countries to buy food from Egypt because the famine was severe Everywhere and that's the story from God's word That story Chronicles for us the single greatest transformation that takes place anywhere in God's word apart from the moment of salvation itself Remember Joseph had been on a downward trajectory that had him go from favorite son to to favorite to his favorite slave To favorite prisoner to favorite forgotten prisoner and as a prisoner. He went to bed one night dead broke Unshaven and dressed in rags with his head cradled on a rock pillow on the stone bed in that dungeon The next morning he spent about 15 minutes talking with Pharaoh and went from being the forgotten Prison the favorite forgotten prisoner to being the favorite of the king and that lit the sky rocket You want to see that again After those 15 minutes with Pharaoh Joseph went to bed that night Fabulously wealthy With a signet ring on his finger. He was dressed in royal robes not a black suit like that guy He was wearing a gold chain with his head cradled on the finest pillow Egypt could offer on a bed covered with sheets made of Egyptian cotton of course in the palace of Pharaoh And if you haven't heard the story before you probably ended up saying to yourself. I didn't see that coming I Really didn't see that coming. It's something that's so far from the norm so far from what's expected that that it can only be described as bizarre As far as I'm concerned and think about Joseph He probably went into the throne room as he's going into the throne room Me he probably was hoping that he would have a chance to get Pharaoh to review his case And maybe he was hoping that he might be released from prison But even Joseph could not have guessed that he was about to become the favorite of the king. I mean who knew Who knew I mean that is a real question Who knew that Joseph after being forgotten for more than two years in prison was about to become the favorite of the king When you heard this story for the first time I'm I'm assuming that some of you maybe did that and some of you haven't but when you heard this story for the first time Did you know that this would happen? Did you see it coming? I mean did you say to yourself? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I said the first time I heard it and I was a child when I first heard it my my thoughts though They weren't as cohesive back then or at least I think I didn't I didn't see that happen. I didn't realize that would happen at this point in the movie You didn't know it would happen and so my question really is did anybody know? Did that was gonna happen? Hey, you don't suppose that You don't suppose that God knew that that was gonna happen at that moment. Do you? Do you really believe that? Do you really believe that God knew or you just saying that because that's the Sunday school answer and you want it is Sunday morning Do you really believe that God knew that this was going to unfold in in in what Stephen Curtis Chapman would call a glorious unfolding? Do you think God really knew that you know what? I believe he did know I believe that God knew all along that the day would come when Joseph would skyrocket from the dungeon to the palace all in the Matter of a few minutes After all those years of that downward trajectory And while I know what happens in Vegas days in Vegas there may have been those who would have bet that Joseph would someday get out of prison But no one would have taken the bet the things would turn out as they did Nobody knew what would happen to Joseph that day except God and God was keeping it all a secret I'd like to play with that idea for just a moment, you know dig down into it to see if there's treasure buried there It's when I dig into this story. I think it's possible just just possible that we've been looking at Joseph's story From an entirely wrong perspective and that's my fault. That's the direction that I've been leading you We've been looking at each event in Joseph's life as an afterthought That's what we've done in other words We saw him get a coat of many colors and because of that we said that Joseph was Jacob's favorite son We saw him taking care of all of Potiphar's possessions and because of that we said that he was the favorite slave Then we saw him in charge of all the stuff in the prison and because of that we said that he was the favorite prisoner But if you think about it, those are all afterthoughts Decisions that we made after we heard that part of the story in other words We've been looking at Joseph's life after the fact and we've seen what happened to him as Consequences, that's why we've been trying to sort it out He told his brothers his dreams and they hated him for it and as a consequence they threw him in the pit They ultimately decided to sell him into into slavery and as a consequence. He ended up working for Captain Potiphar He wouldn't sleep with Mrs. Potiphar So as a consequence she talked her husband into throwing him into prison the cup bear forgot to mention fair and as a consequence Joseph remained in prison forgotten We've done the math But we've ended up looking only at the sum the consequences And that's why I believe things haven't added up so far in Joseph's life for us Joseph's putting out all this good energy He's putting out all this good energy and he's getting bad energy back He's doing the right thing and making the right choices But he's suffering as a result which can lead us to the conclusion that it doesn't pay to do the right thing I believe our problem is that we've been measuring Joseph's life by the consequences He's suffering, but what if we took a different approach? What if we stopped measuring Joseph's life by the consequences and started measuring them instead by the results? You see when we measured by the consequences We see Joseph as the favorite son who does what he's told and ends up being sold into slavery and that makes no sense It makes no sense that he chose not to be immoral with Mrs. Potiphar and then ended up being thrown into prison It makes no sense that he would reach out with such kindness to help the cup bear only to have the cup bear Completely forget about him there in the prison But let's stop and think about what we've just said God knew all along that that was going to happen He knew that Joseph was going to be sold into slavery God wasn't surprised when Joseph ended up in the pit and it was finally sold and God didn't start ringing his hands and saying Wow man, I didn't see that coming. I'm not sure what to do now Would you agree with that? Would you agree that God wasn't taken by surprise and that he knew all along the way that what was happening to Joseph What was happening and he knew why? It was happening I have to know Would you agree? That God knew what would happen to Joseph? Would you agree? That he knew that he would end up as second in command of all Egypt at every step of the way Well if God knew that all along then I wonder what would happen if we were to look at Joseph's life from God's perspective and start Thinking more in terms of results than Consequences if we're going to do that then we have to drop this whole favorite son thing because that's a fit That's a consequence. That's a that's an afterthought We have to start thinking of Joseph as the second in command instead I Say that because favorite son is a consequence of someone's choice Second in command is the result of a carefully calculated plan Jacob was second in command in his father's household His father Jacob actually had Joseph in a place where he provided leadership and accountability for his brothers Dad made the decisions, but Joseph carried them out Jacob was the CEO the chief executive officer. Joseph was the COO the chief chief operating officer Joseph was then sold as a slave and went from being second in command in his family to being second in command in part of his household then he went from being second in command in part of his household to being second in command in the prison and then He went from being second in command in the prison to being second in command over all of Egypt We start looking from the from the perspective of results instead of consequences We can reverse engineer this whole thing think about it Joseph had to be in prison so that Pharaoh could find him there before making him second in command of Egypt right That means that Joseph had to be a slave so that he could be thrown into prison so that Pharaoh could find him there and That means that Joseph had to be sold into slavery so that he could become the slave who gets thrown into prison So that Pharaoh could find him there and that means that he had to have dreams that he would share with his brothers So that they would end with be him so that they would throw him into a pit so that they could sell him into slavery So that he could be thrown into prison so that Pharaoh could find him there and make him second in command of all of Egypt By the time we've gotten that far we have to start wondering if God didn't know that all this stuff would happen before James Joseph became second in command in Egypt. That's why I keep asking that question and once we've gotten that far We'd have to say that maybe just maybe just maybe God planned for Joseph to be second in command in some difficult situations as Preparation for him to become second in command in all of Egypt. Of course, if I were to say that I'd be going out on a limb I said I've gotten in trouble from making that statement in the past People have said to me that God never plans for us to experience bad or difficult or painful things in our lives They go on to say that we live in a fallen world and people do battered or difficult or painful things to us But God doesn't plan that he just allows it. I've heard that so often And I think they say that to comfort me and others with the idea that bad Difficult and painful things do Happened to good people, but those bad difficult and painful things are never the result of the plans of the good God that we serve I know they're just trying to comfort me in relation to how I see God, but I Have to say that I don't find those thoughts comforting. Forgive me for that I don't find it comforting to think that the bad difficult and painful things that happen in my real life are Nothing more than the result of the plans of bad people I don't find it comforting that God simply allows bad difficult and painful things to happen in me I'm afraid that if I look at life that way, I will always see myself as the victim of my circumstances You know God loves me, but but but people are out to get me. So what am I supposed to do? But it isn't simply that I don't find it comforting to look at life that way. I just I just can't make it make sense Think about it Joseph ended up exactly in the right place at exactly the right time on the morning that he walked from the prison to the throne room, right? Are we really to believe that Joseph's dad Joseph's brothers the slave traders Captain Potiphar, Mrs. Potiphar and the warden planned the individual steps that led to that moment Is that really what we're supposed to think here? Or does it make more sense to think that God planned that moment and used? Joseph's dad Joseph's brothers the slave traders Captain Potiphar, Mrs. Potiphar and the warden To make it all happen I mean, is that something that God would do? Would he plan for someone that he loves to face bad difficult and painful things so that he God can accomplish accomplish something greater John chapter 10 Jesus said I am the good shepherd. I Know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep I have other sheep that are not of this sheep and I must bring them Also, they too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd the reason my father loves me Said I lay down my life Only to take it up again No one takes it from me But I lay it down of my own accord I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again this command I receive from my father Revelation calls Jesus the lamb who was slain from the creation of the world And that means that it wasn't the Sanhedrin's plan that killed Jesus God Planned Jesus death and he used the Sanhedrin To make it happen The Sanhedrin didn't take Jesus life He laid down he laid it down of his own accord because he knew that that was what the father had planned for him Do you suppose that Joseph looked at life in the same way that Jesus did? Do you suppose that Joseph look past the things that others planned for him and saw God's larger plan surrounding those things Think about it Joseph didn't apply for the job with Farron. He didn't wander in off the street looking for it He wasn't a walk on he came from the prison and stood before Pharaoh and just happened to be able to speak Egyptian He also had deep experience as the second in command in various situations and the capacity and experience to interpret Pharaoh's dream with God's help In other words, listen to this in other words at the very moment when the entire world had need of a dream interpreting Egyptian speaking life hardened second in command in Egypt to save the world from the coming famine Joseph just showed up in Egypt's throne room having already become the man He needed to be in that situation. What do you suppose the chances are of that? He just happened to show up. You remember the book of Ruth when we studied it together? Is it possible that God planned the whole thing? Careful Is it possible that God planned the whole thing? You know that the pit the slavery Forgotten in prison is it possible that he planned the whole thing just so that Joseph could be the man He had already become when he finally stood before Pharaoh Is it possible that God planned all that for Joseph just so that Pharaoh would be able to say the to his officials Clearly, this is the man for the job Is it possible that God had planned all along to save the world and his people and chose? Joseph knowing that Joseph would endure all that hardship Is it possible that God chose Joseph knowing he'd be willing to give up his personal rights to save others? Is it possible that God planned the whole thing and that he used Joseph and the hardships in Joseph's life To save the lives of the people who had been so unfair and unkind to Joseph Is it possible that Joseph was not the victim of circumstances as a slave and in prison? Is it possible that slavery and prison were not consequences of his choices, but the result of God's plan is it possible that God knew what he was doing all along the way? And for the sake of where we are in Genesis, is it possible that Joseph knew all that? Is it possible that he knew that all the bad stuff that was happening to him was not a run of bad luck? But instead the result of God's perfect plan for his life. Is it possible? Is it possible that because Joseph knew that all along? That's why his attitude has been so stellar Well, those are all excellent questions And I can promise that you'll find the answers to those questions When you come back in two weeks for a discussion about true forgiveness That's when it's going to come to light not right now And that leaves us with one more question If you do believe that the mess in Joseph's life should not be explained as Consequences, but rather as results than what difference does believing that make in our lives? If we believe that it's true of Joseph, what difference would it make if we were to begin to believe it about our own personal lives? The short answer to that question is that Consequences are random and leave us as victims, but results Results come from a plan a well calculated well orchestrated well executed plan Which is what we saw at work in Joseph's life? We judge Joseph's life by the consequences then then we have to say that it doesn't pay to do the right things But if we judge Joseph's life by its results, we have to say that his consistent decision to do the right thing Helped him to become second in command of all of Egypt Joseph's decision to constantly do the consistently do the right thing is What caught the eye of Jacob? Potiphar the warden and eventually Pharaoh and that means that Joseph was never oh hear this Joseph was never ever ever the victim He was actually working together with God as God worked for his perfect plan for Joseph's life And that means something to you and me today See no matter how hard you try to do the right stuff stuff still goes wrong Sometimes it's big stuff because tragedies happen, but most of the time it's it's just this continuous stream of little things that pick away at us Because difficulties abound everywhere we turn and and if you're measuring life by the consequences You'll ask why is God doing this to me when I'm trying so hard to do the right thing Let me just assure you this morning. You're never gonna get an answer to that question because you're looking at life from the wrong perspective I want to remind you of an illustration We've used often here at the Potters house. You're driving down the road in the rain and you're late for a meeting when you suddenly hear them of a flat tire You pull off the road and you sit there for a minute before asking why is God doing this to me? Well, maybe whining is beneath you so you just get angry What the heck is the matter with you God? Don't don't you snow that I'm already late. Don't you see how hard I'm trying out? I'm here to tell you that God isn't gonna answer that question either those are not questions that God's open to So when you look at God and ask why are you doing this to me? You're not gonna get an answer and if you look at God and say what's the matter with you God? You're not gonna get an answer to that question either But the problem is not that you're asking the wrong questions. The problem is that you're looking at life the wrong way And I can promise you that if you do life that way you will always be a victim Because victims actively choose to trust their feelings more than they trust their God So what would it look like to actively trust God instead of trusting my feelings? Well, I'm driving in the rain again And I'm late for the meeting when I hear the flow before you know the scenario of the flat tire I Pull off to the side of the road just like before But before I do anything else I smiled to myself Look to look up towards heaven and say what are you up to God? What are you doing in my life right now? God, I know that you have a plan for my life Just like you did for Joseph and I know that I'm gonna love the results just like Joseph did So God please help me to cooperate with you and your plans for my life in the same way that Joseph Operated with you for your plans for his life because God I know that somehow this flat tire in the rain when I'm late for the meeting That's part of your plan So I'm gonna choose to trust you Instead of trusting how this makes me feel and by the way God. Oh, this is scandalous By the way God. Thanks for the flat tire Because I know that one way or the other This flat tire is the result of your perfect plan for my life And I can't figure out how it all works right now But I choose to trust you that you can Figure out what this is all about right now Because you planned it for me Listen to me Praying like that doesn't stop the rain Reinflate the tire or make you magically on time for your meeting. It's just not gonna happen Praying like that won't fix the mess But it will change how you look at the mess in your life right now Yes, I know that the mess in your life right now is bigger than a flat tire there in the rain Because of the size of your mess, and I know I'm adding to your mess by taking I'm almost done Because of the size of your mess. I want you to know that praying like that won't change your circumstances But it will change your heart And I have to tell you for me, that's what I really want Not a change of circumstances, but a change of heart I want a heart that can look beyond the messy circumstances and see God's perfect plan I want a heart that can look past all the chaos and see God's grand design in my life I don't want to be the victim of my circumstances I want to be the victor over my circumstances, and I think that's what you want to Cast in crowns put it this way From where I'm standing Lord it's so hard for me to see where this is going and Where you're leading me. I wish I knew how all my fears and all my questions are gonna play out in a in a world I can't control From where you're standing Lord you see a grand design That you imagined when you breathed me into life And all the chaos comes together in your hand like a masterpiece of your picture perfect plan when I'm lost in the mystery To you my future is a memory Because you're already there You're already there standing at the end of my life waiting on the other side. You're already there one day I'll stand before you and look back on the life. I've lived I Can't wait to enjoy the view and see how all the pieces fit because you're already there You're already there He's already there And I want us to understand the moment this morning that Joseph knew that But he didn't figure that out at the moment he became second in command of if Egypt I think he knew it counted on it and reminded himself of it at every difficult step along the way And that leaves me wondering about you and me I know that I'm facing some bad difficult and painful things in my life right now And I expect that you are too The story that of Joseph has already prompted me to view those bad difficult and painful things in a new light And I hope the same is true for you So where do we go from here? Well, Joseph's in a pretty good place right now, but his dreams of his brothers bowing down to him still haven't come true and Before Joseph's dreams do come true and Overwhelming deepening intrigue will break out in Pharaoh's court now that Joseph is the second in command like any good soap opera This thing is gonna get worse before it gets better You might wonder how anything can be worse than what's already happened to Joseph and his family But let me just say this Joseph and his family expect you to come back next week when we talk about that but until then While you wait until next week to hear what God has planned for Joseph remember that God is at work in your life All week while you're waiting to hear and that means that nothing will happen to you this week listen Nothing will happen to you this week that will take God by surprise Because for him it's already next Sunday and the Sunday after that and the Sunday after that he's already there So you get to choose will you spend the week living as the victim of the plans that other people have for you or When you spend the week is the victor over your circumstances because you know that God has a bigger plan for your life He has a bigger plan for your life and no one can stop him none of the pitifully small plans that others may have for you Can get in the way of his plans? Your life is not a snapshot and its quality is not measured by what happens to you today Your life is a video a video that God himself has planned Written produced and directed and the quality of your life must be measured by the outcomes Outcome when the words the end appears the epitaph to God's video of your life So you can be mowing the bad difficult and painful things that may be taken you by surprise these days Or you can take delight in God's plan for you to one day stand face-to-face with him in the throne room I'll be universe You'd be surprised by all the bad difficult and painful things that are happening to you or will you be confident that God Was already using all those bad difficult and painful things to accomplish his plan and purpose for your life Those things won't take him by surprise because he's already there Waiting on the other side Standing at the end of your life He's already there So what do you say? We stand together in the presence of the one who is already there and thank him for what he's doing in our lives Today our father and our God. Thank you That while we live in the mystery Knee deep neck deep in the mystery We serve a God who's already there our future To you is a memory You know it from beginning to end you know the end of everything at the very beginning of it God you breathed this into life and you set us out into this world and you had a role for us to play in Your amazing plan of salvation God teaches what that is and teaches to be thankful for everything that's required to train us for the next step By your grace for your glory and for the good of others we ask That you would do that work in our hearts this week And father, thank you for the privilege that we have of mentioning the name of Jesus to you Whenever we pray in closing Let me just read a little more from the passage and lamentations that we read earlier I Remember my affliction and my wandering the bitterness and the gall I Well remember them and my soul is downcast within me yet this I call to mind And therefore I have hope Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed for his compassion's never fail They are new Every morning great is your faithfulness. I Say to myself the Lord is my portion therefore I wait for him Hey Potter's house while you're waiting go make disciples [BLANK_AUDIO]