Allen's Sermons
Go Back to SermonsThe Power of a Dream and a Coat
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Joseph: The Power of a Dream and a Coat (Genesis 37)
June 11, 2006 Mount Pisgah Allen R. Hunt
I. Can you imagine a dream so powerful that it changes your life?
Ben Malcolmson retired from football at age 10 – disappointing career with Hinsdale (Ill.) Falcons – everyone had to play at least 4 downs in a game – and he always got put in for 4 downs
Went to college at UDC – became writer for the Daily Trojan
Covered three years, 29 games, and 3 national championship games
As a fearless reporter – became football student manager for a day – pick up towels, do laundry, that kind of stuff for insight
Saw Trojans were hosting open walk-on tryouts on March 7 – thought it would be funny to try out
Bought a pair of cleats at Sports Authority and 10 minutes into the tryout he knew he was in way over his head
Put “wide receiver” on his form – but when they asked him to run, everyone knew
Asked him to run a Go and a Deep Slant – which since he plays Madden video football, he knew
Remarkably, he caught every ball – including a one hander, even ran a good time in the 40
But at 6’ 169 pounds, built like a sunflower, all head and no body
Wrote a story that night about how terrible he was
Two days later – his friend called and said, You made it.
He ran across campus, saw his name posted on list of 10 walk ons who had made the cut – walked into coach Pete Carroll’s office and secretary cheered and Coach said, You have good hands and you’re quick. You want to try this?
Ben says, “You keep telling yourself it can’t be” but it is
He is the happiest 9th string receiver in the country and can’t wait to run out of tunnel at Coliseum in front of 92,000 screaming fans in the cardinal and gold
He is living his dream (Steve Rushin, SI)
But can you imagine a dream that changes your life entirely – I mean a dream that makes everything new and different
A dream that changes the lives of everyone around you as well – endangers the pecking order, reverses the order of things in the world
A dream that pits brother against brother
A dram so powerful that it cannot be thwarted
A dream that will become real with or without you – a dream that will prevail without a contribution from any human being at all
II. Meet Joseph – a 17 year old Dreamer and his coat (Gen. 37.1-11)
Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob – 11 out of 12 – only little Benjamin came later
He was his father’s favorite – everyone knew it
Especially knew from the fancy robe, long robe with sleeves, or striped coat that Dad gave him
Dad’s favorite and everyone hated him – his brothers seethed with jealousy
“Joseph” means to “add”
To Dad, Joseph was added as an extra blessing from God – a special gift to reshape everything
To brothers, Joseph was 11th son, added as an unwanted afterthought
But to God
Added by the mercy of God to save the ¬¬¬¬whole family
And Joseph was a dreamer
Dream 1: Sheaves
First dream he and brothers are out binding sheaves of grain – and his sheaf stands upright while brothers’ sheaves bow down to Joseph’s
Brothers hated him for his dream
Dream 2: Sun, moon and stars
Has another dream – sun, moon and11 stars (brothers) were bowing down to him
Tells his brothers – jealous
Tells Dad Jacob – and has no idea what to do – rebukes him – “Your mother, brothers and I will come and bow before you?” – but “keeps it in mind”
Without Joseph, there is no future
Only God realized – Jospeh was the key to the future
Brothers could not stand him – father loved him but perplexed
But God had a plan – to get his people out of Israel and into Egypt – famine would come – and His covenant people had to be protected and preserved
Joseph would be the key instrument God used to save His people
And even Joseph did not understand that
Because this was God’s dream – not Joseph’s – Joseph merely receives it
God was at work and God’s work did not depend on Jospeh
God would find a way to triumph with or without Joseph – God’s ways don’t depend on us humans
III. God’s dream is….
For His people
God has a big dream – for His people
Famine is coming to the promised land – and the Israelites – sons of Jacob (Israel) must be preserved
God always has a dream for His people – true for us too
At work with or without us (Rom. 8.28; John 5.17; Phlp. 2.13)
Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working. (Jn. 5.17)
And God’s dream does not depend on us – after all, it is His dream not ours
He shares the dream with us – but it is His work
God’s ways are hidden and mysterious but also reliable
(Ps. 139.6; Isa. 40.13-14; Rom. 11.33-36; 1 Cor.)
God’s dream and His work will come to fruition
We may not understand what He is doing all the time – but we can trust Him
He is reliable and so are His ways
IV. 3 Choices
And when we discovers God’s dream – we have three choices
Dream the dream (Joseph is WITH God)
(Gen. 37.5-11)
Dream so powerful that even though Joseph not fully sure what it means, he chooses to cooperate with God – some things are bigger than we are
Jospeh did not ask for this – not his dream – but clear to him that something large at work
So Joseph trusts- every step of the way
God’s hand takes over his life – and he merely cooperates
And this is not going to be an easy journey – spend the summer watching Joseph and learning about God as Joseph gets sold into slavery by his brothers who think they are rid of him
Gets thrown into prison for being falsely accused of attacking his master Potiphar’s wife
And he interprets dreams in prison – gains attention of Pharoah
Works his way up to #2 in command of all of Egypt – so that when famine comes – Jacob and 11 remaining sons come begging for food – not knowing that the man they are begging is their own brother Joseph
I mean this is a dream that turns everything upside down
Dream that reverses he world – stes brother against brother
But Joseph dreams the dream with God – beginning at age 17 all the way through to his death at 110
MLK?
Deny the dream (Brothers violently OPPOSE God)
(Gen. 37.4, 8, 11, 17b-20, 23-28)
Joseph stands with God- and his brothers clearly stand against God
They don’t fully understand the dream – and they don’t care
“You will reign over us?”
All they know is Joseph – favorite and they are sick of it
So they plot to sell him into slavery – toy with idea of killing him
But cash in for 20 pieces of silver – sell him to Ishmaelites – who take him away
Brothers rejoice, thinking that never deal with that brother again – they want no part of that dream or the dreamer
MLK – Bull Connor?
Domesticate the dream (Dad Jacob just wants to hold things together and IGNORES God) (Gen. 37.10-11, 31-35)
Jacob not sure what to do – loves his son – but this dream is threatening everything
Disrupting his family – disturbing his 11 other sons
Jacob simply wants to keep everyone and everything together – wants to water down the dream – make it a little easier on everybody – in process ignores God
White church leaders?
V. God’s Big, Big Dream for His People
(Matt. 1.20-21; Rev. 21.1-7; 22.1-5; Phlp. 2.10-11)
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.
(Mt. 1.20-21)
After this Joseph, God chose to be at work in an even larger scale – a dream for the whole world, for all time – not just for His covenant children of Israel
But a covenant for all people, all time
God has a big big dream for His people– and announced it to another Joseph in a dream
About a little boy who would save His people from their sins
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city and his servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. (Rev. 22.1-5)
And the dream grows even larger
Jesus launches the dream of God for you and me
And that means God is at work in hidden, mysterious but reliable ways to draw His people to Him
So that we will be with Him forever – and reign
Joseph dreamed that one day he would reign – God has placed in Revelation the dream that one day you and I will reign forever and ever
And God’s dream will prevail
Needs no human contribution – as if we could stop the hand of God
A dream that changes everything
God’s dream not ours
But we can make it our own
Will you
Dream the Dream (Rev. 21.6-7; 22.17)
Or Deny the Dream (Rev. 21.8; 22.15)
Or Domesticate the Dream? (Rev. 3.14-22; 21.8)
Invitation to Jesus as Lord – God’s ultimate dream
A relationship with you that will last forever
Afterthought
Meanwhile the Midianites sold Jospeh in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. (Genesis 37.36)
Make no mistake: God will not abandon the dream
June 11, 2006 Mount Pisgah Allen R. Hunt
I. Can you imagine a dream so powerful that it changes your life?
Ben Malcolmson retired from football at age 10 – disappointing career with Hinsdale (Ill.) Falcons – everyone had to play at least 4 downs in a game – and he always got put in for 4 downs
Went to college at UDC – became writer for the Daily Trojan
Covered three years, 29 games, and 3 national championship games
As a fearless reporter – became football student manager for a day – pick up towels, do laundry, that kind of stuff for insight
Saw Trojans were hosting open walk-on tryouts on March 7 – thought it would be funny to try out
Bought a pair of cleats at Sports Authority and 10 minutes into the tryout he knew he was in way over his head
Put “wide receiver” on his form – but when they asked him to run, everyone knew
Asked him to run a Go and a Deep Slant – which since he plays Madden video football, he knew
Remarkably, he caught every ball – including a one hander, even ran a good time in the 40
But at 6’ 169 pounds, built like a sunflower, all head and no body
Wrote a story that night about how terrible he was
Two days later – his friend called and said, You made it.
He ran across campus, saw his name posted on list of 10 walk ons who had made the cut – walked into coach Pete Carroll’s office and secretary cheered and Coach said, You have good hands and you’re quick. You want to try this?
Ben says, “You keep telling yourself it can’t be” but it is
He is the happiest 9th string receiver in the country and can’t wait to run out of tunnel at Coliseum in front of 92,000 screaming fans in the cardinal and gold
He is living his dream (Steve Rushin, SI)
But can you imagine a dream that changes your life entirely – I mean a dream that makes everything new and different
A dream that changes the lives of everyone around you as well – endangers the pecking order, reverses the order of things in the world
A dream that pits brother against brother
A dram so powerful that it cannot be thwarted
A dream that will become real with or without you – a dream that will prevail without a contribution from any human being at all
II. Meet Joseph – a 17 year old Dreamer and his coat (Gen. 37.1-11)
Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob – 11 out of 12 – only little Benjamin came later
He was his father’s favorite – everyone knew it
Especially knew from the fancy robe, long robe with sleeves, or striped coat that Dad gave him
Dad’s favorite and everyone hated him – his brothers seethed with jealousy
“Joseph” means to “add”
To Dad, Joseph was added as an extra blessing from God – a special gift to reshape everything
To brothers, Joseph was 11th son, added as an unwanted afterthought
But to God
Added by the mercy of God to save the ¬¬¬¬whole family
And Joseph was a dreamer
Dream 1: Sheaves
First dream he and brothers are out binding sheaves of grain – and his sheaf stands upright while brothers’ sheaves bow down to Joseph’s
Brothers hated him for his dream
Dream 2: Sun, moon and stars
Has another dream – sun, moon and11 stars (brothers) were bowing down to him
Tells his brothers – jealous
Tells Dad Jacob – and has no idea what to do – rebukes him – “Your mother, brothers and I will come and bow before you?” – but “keeps it in mind”
Without Joseph, there is no future
Only God realized – Jospeh was the key to the future
Brothers could not stand him – father loved him but perplexed
But God had a plan – to get his people out of Israel and into Egypt – famine would come – and His covenant people had to be protected and preserved
Joseph would be the key instrument God used to save His people
And even Joseph did not understand that
Because this was God’s dream – not Joseph’s – Joseph merely receives it
God was at work and God’s work did not depend on Jospeh
God would find a way to triumph with or without Joseph – God’s ways don’t depend on us humans
III. God’s dream is….
For His people
God has a big dream – for His people
Famine is coming to the promised land – and the Israelites – sons of Jacob (Israel) must be preserved
God always has a dream for His people – true for us too
At work with or without us (Rom. 8.28; John 5.17; Phlp. 2.13)
Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working. (Jn. 5.17)
And God’s dream does not depend on us – after all, it is His dream not ours
He shares the dream with us – but it is His work
God’s ways are hidden and mysterious but also reliable
(Ps. 139.6; Isa. 40.13-14; Rom. 11.33-36; 1 Cor.)
God’s dream and His work will come to fruition
We may not understand what He is doing all the time – but we can trust Him
He is reliable and so are His ways
IV. 3 Choices
And when we discovers God’s dream – we have three choices
Dream the dream (Joseph is WITH God)
(Gen. 37.5-11)
Dream so powerful that even though Joseph not fully sure what it means, he chooses to cooperate with God – some things are bigger than we are
Jospeh did not ask for this – not his dream – but clear to him that something large at work
So Joseph trusts- every step of the way
God’s hand takes over his life – and he merely cooperates
And this is not going to be an easy journey – spend the summer watching Joseph and learning about God as Joseph gets sold into slavery by his brothers who think they are rid of him
Gets thrown into prison for being falsely accused of attacking his master Potiphar’s wife
And he interprets dreams in prison – gains attention of Pharoah
Works his way up to #2 in command of all of Egypt – so that when famine comes – Jacob and 11 remaining sons come begging for food – not knowing that the man they are begging is their own brother Joseph
I mean this is a dream that turns everything upside down
Dream that reverses he world – stes brother against brother
But Joseph dreams the dream with God – beginning at age 17 all the way through to his death at 110
MLK?
Deny the dream (Brothers violently OPPOSE God)
(Gen. 37.4, 8, 11, 17b-20, 23-28)
Joseph stands with God- and his brothers clearly stand against God
They don’t fully understand the dream – and they don’t care
“You will reign over us?”
All they know is Joseph – favorite and they are sick of it
So they plot to sell him into slavery – toy with idea of killing him
But cash in for 20 pieces of silver – sell him to Ishmaelites – who take him away
Brothers rejoice, thinking that never deal with that brother again – they want no part of that dream or the dreamer
MLK – Bull Connor?
Domesticate the dream (Dad Jacob just wants to hold things together and IGNORES God) (Gen. 37.10-11, 31-35)
Jacob not sure what to do – loves his son – but this dream is threatening everything
Disrupting his family – disturbing his 11 other sons
Jacob simply wants to keep everyone and everything together – wants to water down the dream – make it a little easier on everybody – in process ignores God
White church leaders?
V. God’s Big, Big Dream for His People
(Matt. 1.20-21; Rev. 21.1-7; 22.1-5; Phlp. 2.10-11)
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.
(Mt. 1.20-21)
After this Joseph, God chose to be at work in an even larger scale – a dream for the whole world, for all time – not just for His covenant children of Israel
But a covenant for all people, all time
God has a big big dream for His people– and announced it to another Joseph in a dream
About a little boy who would save His people from their sins
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city and his servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. (Rev. 22.1-5)
And the dream grows even larger
Jesus launches the dream of God for you and me
And that means God is at work in hidden, mysterious but reliable ways to draw His people to Him
So that we will be with Him forever – and reign
Joseph dreamed that one day he would reign – God has placed in Revelation the dream that one day you and I will reign forever and ever
And God’s dream will prevail
Needs no human contribution – as if we could stop the hand of God
A dream that changes everything
God’s dream not ours
But we can make it our own
Will you
Dream the Dream (Rev. 21.6-7; 22.17)
Or Deny the Dream (Rev. 21.8; 22.15)
Or Domesticate the Dream? (Rev. 3.14-22; 21.8)
Invitation to Jesus as Lord – God’s ultimate dream
A relationship with you that will last forever
Afterthought
Meanwhile the Midianites sold Jospeh in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. (Genesis 37.36)
Make no mistake: God will not abandon the dream