IBCD Sermon Weekly

It seems that in the darkest of times the light of God shines most brightly. For many this light changes the course of their life. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people, and I am sure you have as well, who say that the most painful time of their life was also the time of the most impact when God took hold of them and changed their course forever. Joseph experienced this, as did Jesus.

When we allow bitterness to control our lives, then we have become a pathetic creature. We are pushed around by our feelings because of the actions of others. As a pastor I have seen people be emotionally stuck, airing out the same grievances for years, finding any sympathetic ear to listen (which is usually someone they have recently met) until this new person also tires of hearing the bitterness pour out and they distance themselves.

So, what is the remedy for this bitterness which can fill us? Well, in the life of Joseph we have an example of moving through bitterness and removing its power to control and manipulate you.

There are many parallels in the life of Joseph of the Old Testament and the life of Jesus.

One of the parallels is that they both experienced betrayals.

Betrayal is one of the hardest pains to deal with. It leads to bitterness, resentment, and anger within our soul.

So how do Joseph and Jesus deal with betrayal? We begin to answer that (but do not finish it) today.

Today we are starting a series on the lives of Jesus and Joseph. The Joseph we are talking about is not the one from the New Testament, but rather one found at the end of the book of Genesis. I don’t think it was just happy coincidence that the adoptive father of Jesus Christ was also named Joseph (who also dreamed important dreams) because in many ways the life of the Old Testament Joseph and the life of Jesus have a familial similarity. Joseph’s life has one of the longest accounts in the Bible and his story is an important prequel to the story of the Exodus, which defines Judaism. So, let’s begin at the beginning where meet Joseph – a favored son and dreamer of destiny.

Jesus' coming on a donkey symbolized humility and peace. It's not necessarily what the people expected but it is what they needed! How can we follow His example?

The entire letter to the Galatians has been a reminder, again and again, that there is only one way to build toward an eternal future, and that is to place your investment into eternal hands. Those are the hands of Jesus. We cannot live a life of sin, which is by default an investment into sin, and pay lip service to Christ and expect to live in the blessing of God today and for eternity.

I cannot tell you how many times I have known pastors, elders, and other well-meaning people in their churches brought down by the very thing they are trying to step in and prevent in the life of another person. I have known people to get into affairs with the people they were trying to council out of having an affair. I have known people sucked into crippling gambling addictions who were introduced to the world of gambling when they reached out to help someone caught up in gambling. The same goes for pornography, financial schemes, and other places where the person was never tempted to sin in that particular area until they got involved to help someone struggling. Why does this happen? How can we prevent this from happening.

In order to do God's will, we cannot rely on ourselves. Thus, Paul tells us to walk by the Spirit! But what does he mean with that? How can we walk by the Spirit?