Week 4 – Joseph Harmony Christian Church

Ever felt like you're constantly hitting walls? We've all been there. Join us as Kent unpacks the story of Joseph and finding resilience in adversity.  It's EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.



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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:



One of the hardest things for me to figure is people who just constantly hit wall after wall.  Have you known people like this?  I feel like growing up, my family was like this.  My parents started a marketing company when I was really young and a guy stole the money they had set aside for taxes and their business went under.  My dad got a job and I got hurt, we went to the ER and found out his new company had been siphoning the insurance money instead of paying it and that company went under.  It was one thing after another.  



Every time we’d get up, we’d get knocked back down…



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Does anyone know what that feels like?



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Today, we are going to look at the story of Joseph and how he got knocked down and back up again and again and came away with a different perspective…



STORY:



Joseph is the great-grandson of Abraham.  His dad Jacob has 12 sons who will become the 12 tribes of Israel.  Jacob’s wife Rachel - who he loved most only had two sons for him and at the birth of the second one, she died.  Her two sons were Joseph & Benjamin.  Brothers already have lots of tension in their relationships.  But you can imagine a couple of them being from the mom that your dad loved the most.  This story is full of Jealousy and Envy.  Honestly, as you read the book of Genesis, it feels like the same story unfolding over and over again in different ways.  Jealousy, rage, anger, and deception, all getting the best of these people.  



Joseph is different though.  He seems to not do much wrong.



One of his biggest faults when he’s young is he seems to not have much humility…



Joseph will have a dream where there are 11 sheaves of grain - kind of big bundles of wheat or barley or something.  All the bundles come and bow down to Joseph's bundle…  



Well, the interpretation is clear.  Joseph has 11 brothers and now this kid thinks we’re going to be bowing down to him…  Oh man, can you feel the anger rising in his brothers?



Then the kid does it again.  He can’t keep his mouth shut.  He comes in and tells the family that he had a dream that the sun, the moon, and the stars all were bowing down to him.  Lol, he just can’t stop..



His dad, Jacob - I picture him rolling his eyes and being like “Come on son!”



He rebukes Joseph - but the damage is done.



The rage, the jealousy, the envy and anger has all been planted in the hearts of his brothers…



One day, Jacob sends out Joseph to check on his brothers - he’s sending him multiple days away.  Joseph reaches the spot his brothers should be at and they are gone.  He finds someone who tells him they’ve moved on to another grazing area.  As Joseph is approaching his brother see him and plot their evil plan.  They knew it was Joseph approaching because of the colorful coat he was wearing, just another insult that their dad had given him this special coat that none of them had.  Their plan was to kill him, but Rueben convinces them not to do it - to just throw Joseph in a well/pit.



ILLUSTRATION:



Years ago I was at the Grand Canyon and I decided to climb up from the side of the path that goes down into the canyon.  I got up and realized you couldn’t go back down.  I was stuck, I either kept trying to go up and maybe died, or tried to go back down which looked like even more death.  These guys have gone up this cliff and now they don’t know what to do…



They talk again about killing him, but Judah stops them from th