We've been doing this series about “Teaching Your Children”, and we have taught them about “work”; from the life of Joseph. And it all begins for Joseph with a dream. We all have dreams, some of them are our own and some of them belong to God. God has dreamed a dream into the spirit of Joseph now he's got to walk it out through the seasons of life.
There is conspiracy by his brothers; he's confused at times; he's cast down and carried away into another city. How was it all to make sense? What will happen to him? He works for Potiphar; and last week we talked about the fact that he was falsely accused and now he is thrown in prison.
Genesis 39: 20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
What happens when you are confined in the prison? There is an important” third day” theology within scripture. I'm not specifically talking about a literal three-day period; I'm talking about three segmented spiritual season of our life that happens to those who are waiting for the dream to be fulfilled. The third day season starts with death, then we will spend time in the tomb waiting to be delivered, and then finally comes Resurrection Day…. “Change is coming”- God is going to fulfill the dream, but first the dream must seemingly die.
The third day experience starts with death…. because sometimes - we have to die to our attitudes of pride, arrogance and self-sufficiency so that when the dream is realized no one gets the glory but God. When we have a dream, we all make efforts towards its fulfillment, but if it's God's dream for our lives it's really not our dream. And in all of our striving and work to see the dream come true, sometimes it appears as though God is killing the dream; but in reality; He’s killing or purifying the dreamer.
I think of the old hymn “ I Will Praise Him” that says: Tho' the way seems straight and narrow, All I claimed was swept away; My ambitions, plans and wishes, at my feet in ashes lay.
While in the prison, we look at dreams and plans of our lives and it seems that they are nothing but ashes but really what God is looking to do is to refine us….so that the dreams of our life can be realized and He can make something beautiful out of the ashes of our lives.
Join us in person on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. or via livestream by going to https://www.firstbaptistsudbury.com and clicking on livestream for “The Dream Never Dies .”
Blessings,
Kevin
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