a sermon idea...needs bunches of tuning i'm sure.

Sermon idea?

Well over 30 years ago my mom ran away from home. She was very defiant, filled with spunk, and ready to take on the world her own way. Satan had gotten an early hold on her and talked her into sowing some serious oats in the world. She left home and headed straight into a life of road trips with truckers, bikers, drugs, sex, alcohol, and a great deal of hard core partying. An unstable hippy at best, her life appeared to have no value to many people she came across and was unfortunately valued for all the wrong reasons by the few select wrong people. She moved many places even leaving the country at one point and after a heart breaking goodbye, she took me away from a biker that was sergeant at arms for hells angels (aka my genetic father) and she headed for Colorado. Long story short, here I am. Mom’s gotten her act cleaned up severely by God as accountability caught up to her and she sought and received forgiveness. Her life was certainly worthy of the 700 club and in my opinion would make several best sellers if put on pages. There were many amazing experiences on both the road to destruction as well as the road to eternal life with Christ Jesus. As I was raised, I saw and experienced things that most are considered fortunate for not having in their life. As an adult, I ended up sowing my own seeds in darkness following after my mom’s youthful footsteps. I smoked, drank, did drugs, was involved in gangs, partied hard, plenty of adultery, sold drugs, and eventually made drugs to sell. It was dark and deadly lifestyle and eventually (as with my mom) I came to a point where Jesus reached in and said, “NO MORE!” I was ripped out of a life style that was going to kill people (including me). I hit rock bottom, found a bible, said a prayer of earnest repentance and desire to start over, and started walking with the Lord and growing from that night on. All so called friends = gone. Acquaintances = gone. The old me = gone. I fell in love with a Christian Woman who had a 1.5 year old boy. I also fell in love with fathering that child quite quickly. It was the right thing to do and I belonged with them. We married on the phone after our third date and moved in together shortly after. We have had several children since and been ministering in multiple ways over the years as the Lord would use us. About a year and a half ago, I developed an interest in Salt water fish and coral reef tanks. This quickly became a time consuming hobby and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I joined a local saltwater enthusiast club and started attending events and even working at some of them. One such event was in a city about an hour away from home and the family joined me on that day as there were other local attractions there to enjoy as well. I ran into several members of the same group as myself and one such member had his family there whom I hadn’t met up to that point. Shortly after introductions, that man went for a beer and while gone, his 15 year old daughter opened up to us in front of her mom and told me and my wife some rather heart stopping news. She had been gang rapped and was about a month pregnant. She shared this information within only minutes of meeting us and though I thought it oddly abrupt, my wife and I kindly smiled and continued in conversation with them. This 15 year old girl went on to tell us that she was going to give the baby up for adoption as she had thought it through and she didn’t want to abort and thus murder the baby and she also didn’t want to keep it as she wanted to finish school and knew she was too young and not ready to be a mom. As odd a conversation as it seemed, it hit me that there was something I should bring up to this family. You see my own family had 2 members that had been seeking to adopt a child for several years. My cousin and his wife had been attempting to adopt for several years pouring thousands of dollars into an agency and jumping through all sorts of hoops and doing paper work and getting checkups at the hospital, so on and so on. So much stuff they had been going through trying to adopt but the door just wasn’t opening for them. It looked impossible but they kept hope and continued on in faith trying to find that open door they knew the Lord had for them somewhere. So I asked an odd question of this 15 year old, “does the adoption have to occur through any particular agency or for any particular fee, or would you simply be happy if the child went to a good home with good parents?” There was no hesitation in the girl. She quickly replied that she just wanted the child to go to a good home. Amazingly enough, God provided the follow up phone calls and connecting emails and eventually visits from my out of state cousin and his wife. The end result? My cousin and his wife now have a baby boy named Will. The name was chosen because only God’s will could have allowed this amazing story to have this happy ending.
In the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50) we read about a man named Joseph. Joseph was the most beloved of his father’s sons, so much so that his father made him a special tunic of many colors. . Joseph was given dreams by God. One such dream is that he would rule over his brothers and they would bow down to him. Now I don’t know the mindset for sure of this young man, but suffice it to say that he lacked some serious tact because he decided to tell his brothers this dream. They already had it out for him being the favorite and all, but then to say that he would reign over them? Yea, not too cool. So his brothers plotted against him. They decided (thanks to one brother having talked some sense) instead of killing him or leaving him in a ditch, they’d sell him to some Midianite trader. So 17 years old and he couldn’t help but to boast of the dreams he had saying he’d rule over his family. Now starts a rough life.
The Midianites sale Joseph to Potiphar (an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard). After 11 years of service there and moving up through the ranks, Potiphar’s wife attempts to have an affair with Joseph. Joseph says no way and then he tries to get away from her but she grabs his garment (skirt towel?/cloak?) which she uses as evidence against him of course when she tells her husband that he tried to rape her. So husband has him imprisoned right (a pretty merciful sentence). Important to note that throughout the story of Joseph, there are several places that the writer made note that “But the Lord was with Joseph”, and then following that remark you see each bad situation used for good and Joseph advances. Then he spends 2 years in prison and it’s no different there. He is put in charge with quickness by the guards that recognized God was with him. He runs in to a couple guys that worked for the pharaoh until also imprisoned. It’s important to note that despite the struggles Joseph went through, God never left his side, just as He has never left my mom’s side… Hand if you know my God, then know that He has never left your side either. You see in this story, God is working not only for Joseph himself, but also for the larger purpose in His grand design. It is also this way with us. God is personally involved in the working together for the good in our lives, but also in a much larger plan, He will use you to further His kingdom.
So, the two guys that Joseph ran into in prison both had a disturbing dream one night and God enables Joseph to explain the meaning of their dreams. Once one of the guys is getting out of prison, Joseph asks him to put in a good word for him with the Pharaoh since it appeared he’d be going back to work for him. But the guy totally forgets and renigs on his promise to do so and thus Joseph is left in prison for those two years. Pharaoh then has a dream that no one can interpret and that’s when the cupbearer remembers Joseph. Then Joseph gets called to interpret the dream and becomes the Prime Minister of Egypt as a result. That’s like the 2nd in charge over everything. Pretty high rank for a shepherd boy sold into slavery 13 years earlier.
Joseph was 17 when sold into slavery (Gen 37:2), a slave for Potiphar for 11 years, imprisoned for 2 years (Gen 41:1) and at the age of 30, he was promoted by the (Gen 41:46). That’s a lot to go through and never lose faith. I wonder if there were times when he didn’t know what to do? Times when his faith was a struggle inside of him? Times when he called out for God to rescue him or even avenge him? I don’t know. What I do know is it was a rough upbringing with a good outcome in the end. Not only for Joseph, but also for his family, and eventually (generations later) this actually became a necessary life change for Jesus to come many years later from this same blood line. Wow huh? So big picture here:
• If Joseph’s brothers never sell him to the Midianites, then Joseph never goes to Egypt.
• If Joseph never goes to Egypt, he never is sold to Potiphar.
• If he is never sold to Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape.
• If Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape, then he is never put in prison.
• If he is never put in prison, he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh.
• If he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh, he never interprets their dreams.
• If he never interprets their dreams, he never gets to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.
• If he never gets to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, he never is made prime minister.
• If he is never made prime minister, he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region.
• If he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region, then his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine.
• If his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine, the Messiah can’t come forth from a dead family.
• If the Messiah can’t come forth, then Jesus never came.
• If Jesus never came, you are dead in your sins and without hope in this world.
© 2006 David Guzik
When Joseph was reunited with his brothers and he finally told them who he was, they were afraid but Joseph said,
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Genesis 50:20 (New International Version)
I wonder if one day Will would say the same thing to someone…. What the devil meant for evil, the Lord intended for good. Look at what has now been accomplished.

• If my mom never ran away, then she likely wouldn’t have turned to drugs and alcohol
• If my mom never turned to drugs and alcohol, she likely wouldn’t have ended up in the atmosphere where she met my genetic father
• If she never met my genetic father, then I was never born
• If I was never born, then I never would have gotten into saltwater tanks
• If I never got involved with the saltwater group and went to the events, then I never would have met the 15 year old’s father
• If I never met him, then I never would’ve met her
• If I never met her, then I never would’ve been able to connect her with my cousin and his wife
• If I never connected them, then Will wouldn’t be will….
And his father wouldn’t be a decorated military man of God. His mom (a woman of integrity) wouldn’t have spent years preparing for him and seeking after him to raise as her own. And he wouldn’t now live 3 hours from the beach in a beautiful home with a very large circle of support and love for his upbringing in the Lord. I wonder who he’ll become and how the Lord will use him.
May I encourage you to never give up hope or faith in the Lord. If you love Him and are called according to his purpose, then know that everything will work out for the good. Trust Him and don’t lose sight. He can do great things through what now may seem an endless valley of darkness. Keep your eyes on Him and others will notice that God is with you.