2025.01.29 - Dead Mens Bones

Joseph 

·      Dreamed a dream

·      Betrayed by those closet to him 

·      Sold into slavery

o   Ishmaelites were the ones that saved, I mean bought him

§  Ishmael was the “mistake” of Abraham

§  God can turn out mistakes into a blessing

 

Entire nation was brought into Egypt and lived there for 400 years

 

There was no hint of bondage or cruelty at first

·  Genesis 50:13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. KJV

·  It seemed that as long as Joseph was alive there was a “staying of the hand of the enemy”

·  Similar to the story of the 3 Hebrew children in Daniel, Daniel did not seem to be in the picture at the time  King Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the furnace, Chapter 2 closes with their promotion because of Daniel  and Chapter three, which has no mention of Daniel at all, opens with a trap set to kill them!  Daniel comes back “on scene” in Chapter 4 to declare King Nebuchadnezzar will lose his kingdom and go mad for a period of seven years. Chapter 4 closes with his sanity returned and him giving praise to God – Chapter 05 opens with him calling on Daniel again, after he had come to his senses and after a period of time  somehow again forgetting God.

 

Genesis 50:24 - Exodus 1:1

24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. KJV

·  He was relying on a promise that was made to his grandfather, there was a time when generations knew, remembered and counted on the Promises of God! 

 

Bondage Begins

·  Exodus 1:6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. 8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour KJV

 

Odd Place To Find Hope

·      In The Old Testament hope came from a full coffin – in the New Testament hope came from an empty tomb.

·      The cemetery can become a place of hope – just depends on what window you are looking in from.

 

Joseph KNEW God would come for his people!

·      His faith said this even when things in Egypt were still good . . . 

·      His faith in this outlived him hundreds of years and was burned into his people’s hearts.

·      Somebody knew where to find that coffin. Stories had been told.  Faith had been stirred.  A man who had been dead for centuries would not be left behind when Israel was delivered from Egypt!

 

Israel was stronger than it’s enemies but remained in bondage to them

·      Their hearts were not right before the Lord. 

2025.01.26 - Discipleship Class

     I.         Prayer

a.     Keep coming to the altars every single week even after is had been dealt with - at that point come back for several more weeks and praise Him publicly for what He has done.

                                               i.      Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. KJV

                                              ii.     James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. KJV

   II.         Explain Yourself

a.     Explain yourself only to those to whom you owe and explanation

b.     Friends – 

                                               i.     explain it to them because they ARE your friends, not because you WANT THEM TO BE, if they are not already in your circle is this the door that you want to bring them in

                                              ii.     There are those even in your innermost circle that still may not understand what you are saying and what you are doing – build a circle that you trust and that in times that you cannot explain will trust you and follow you anyways.

                                            iii.     Not all in your circle necessarily walk where you walk and hear what you hear – therefore they are not able to receive your interpretation of what God has told you.  

1.     Knowledge given/taught

2.     Revelation

a.     Josephs closest relatives thougth him mad a forward and initially cast him out to death because of his dream – though later were blessed by his walking in his God dreams

b.     God gave YOU the dream- hold on to it until He lets  you who it is time to share and who to share it with 

c.     You need accountability – choose wisely, better yet ratify in action what God has chosen in Spirit 

d.     Scripture support 

                                               i.     2 Timothy 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. KJV

                                              ii.     Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. KJV

                                            iii.     Proverbs 12:23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. KJV

  III.         Weary – I spoke on this a little Wednesday night . . . 

a.     2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. KJV

                                               i.     Right ministry flows from God, His anointing, His vision, His plan, His strength to accomplish.  

                                              ii.     Nehemiah 8:10 for the joy of the LORD is your strength. KJV

b.     I can be empty because God is using me and  I need to be refilled or I can be empty because I live in sin 

                                               i.     The difference

1.     I am emptied yet satisfied

2.     I am emptied and feel that something is missing

                                              ii.     Sometimes you aren’t empty, you just need to stir yourself up

1.     2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands KJV

2.     1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.  KJV

  IV.         Quote Worth Repeating 

a.     You can live almost any type of Christian life that you want to. You can have a little bit of God or you can have a lot of God. You can just get born again by the Spirit of God (which is the greatest thing that will ever happen to you), or you can go on with God and study the Bible and find out what God's promised to you. – Norvel Hayes

    V.         Right Things 

a.     If  it is the right thing do it regardless of the cost.  

                                               i.     That is NOT to say you should not weight the cost and be ready for the fallout, but don’t let the fallout become fear that freezes you.  

                                             ii.     Keep your motives clear, you can do the right thing in the wrong way, heart, time and attitude

                                           iii.     I have never been sorry for doing the right thing. I have however suffered from it.  You must choose as a leader or even as a Christian between being sorry for what you didn’t do or suffering from what you did do.  Remember – Christ chose the Cross.

1.     You will almost always suffer from right choices – they don’t come free and the cost is sometimes great, but always worth it in the end.

2.     Suffering is not always a choice but how you suffer is.  Suffer THROUGH it not FROM it.  See the end and reach for it with all your might

a.     Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. KJV

b.     Sometimes I choose how long and how much and how deep I suffer

                                                                                                     i.     If I lose my job for Christs sake I will suffer – if I have not made sound financial decisions and I lose my job for Christ I will suffer more and likely longer.

                                            iv.     Make sure YOU are the one to make the call and carry out the order – don’t fight someone else’s battles just because you see wrong

  VI.         Birth of Things

a.     Make sure it is time . . .

                                               i.     Premature things can be kept alive and even grow to flourish, but is better that they are born in season and of time

1.     Born too soon may struggle to live and get off the ground

2.     Things born too soon may take far longer to get going 

3.     Premature birth of ministry takes more people, therefore more time, costs more . . .just plain more, wait until it HAS to be birthed.

4.     Things that are supposed to come forth as a blessing may  drain and become a distraction

a.     When that day of Pentecost was FULLY come

b.     Make sure there is room . . .

                                               i.     Scriptures

1.     Psalms 18:19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. KJV

2.     Isaiah 54:2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; 3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. KJV

                                             ii.     God will at times move people into and out of your life, let it happen.

1.     God will sometimes remove people because 

a.     they are taking up too much room and you will never have enough room around them 

b.     they are your source and you have grown dependent on them instead  of Him

c.      Because you have gained all you can from them and you are moving to another class(don’t think less of a kindergarten teacher than you do a college professor, they CHOSE to teach that curriculum, not because they COULDN’T teach more)

c.      Understand there is a process . . . 

                                               i.     Processing

1.     What goes in isn’t always what comes out

a.     It depends on how it is processed internally

b.     It also depends on how it is processed externally 

                                                                                                     i.     Butter in reality is just milk that has been shaken

1.     You are responsible for truth – what others do with it is up to them

                                             ii.     Cows and Chicken

1.     Adult cows don’t drink milk and chickens don’t eat eggs – why?

a.     You cannot ever produce on your own – that is from yourself – what will feed you and make you grow

                                                                                                     i.     Peter was a fisherman by trade but was not able to catch fish until he did what Jesus told him to do

2.     A woman could not live long on her own breast milk alone – though she can feed, nurture and grow another human from it

a.     If we are not growing we are dying

b.     Don’t live in past revelations, they are meant to propel you forward

d.     There were only two dogs on the ark

                                               i.     You do you as God would lead