Title: Dreams come true / Genesis 37:5-11
Contents
Subject: Dreams come true
Text: Genesis 37:5-11)
We still can't forget the cheers of the World Cup. At that time, the cheering squad's slogan [Dreams come true] is still vivid in our hearts. In the Bible, there are people who think of “dreams”. He is Joseph. The word “dream” appears seven times in the text. Joseph's nickname was 'The Dreamer'. When Joseph goes to Dothan where his brothers are tending sheep on an errand for his father, when they see him coming from afar, they say to each other, “A dreamer is coming” [Genesis 37:19]. The brothers saw Joseph as a dreamer and said that. But this Joseph's dream is not a dreamer's dream. This dream is not a megalomaniac. This dream is a vision, an irresistible dream, and a calling.
Joseph held onto this dream. No matter how large the gap between reality and vision, reality and goal, we did not get frustrated. Once you've plowed and set off for your goal, don't look back. You must not hesitate. We must run toward Jesus Christ until we finish our run. Joseph is such a person. Thinking about Joseph's dream and the dreams of the saints that the Lord gives us, we want to share grace.
Saints are people of dreams
Emerson said, "Hang your dreams to the stars in the sky." The greater and higher the goal, the stronger the impetus to achieve it. Like Joseph, a saint must be a person with a dream. When God blesses people, he first breathes dreams and visions into their hearts. The management principle of the world says, “When you set a goal, set it a little bigger than your ability.”
However, God's people must set goals by looking at the heavenly vision and the dreams God gives them. This dream came to Abraham. [Genesis 12:1] "The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land I will show you." He was 75 years old. But age didn't matter. He set off for a new unknown world, Canaan. [Hebrews 11:8] “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a land that he would receive as an inheritance, and went out, not knowing where he was going.
This dream also came to Joseph. It is a dream in which the brothers' sheaves of grain bow down in front of their own. It is a dream in which the sun, moon and stars bow down to you. This was God's vision of status and power. This vision was eventually realized when he became prime minister of Egypt. God had 11 brothers who were the same, but only Joseph had a dream. Even the same brothers can know that God's vision is given only to the elect. The dream of the saints is not my dream, but God-given.
[Philippians 2:13] “It is God who works in you, to will and to do for his good pleasure.” Here, ‘wish’ refers to a dream and a vision. A believer is a person who has a vision given by God. A saint is a person who has a dream that God has given him, not the aspirations he wants, and works hard to achieve it. If you do not have the vision God gives you, it is difficult to say that they are saints. I hope that you will be able to rediscover the dreams that the Lord has given you during this time.
dreams come true
At the World Cup, we were aiming for the round of 16. However, when the whole nation cheered and supported them with their dreams, they passed the quarterfinals and finally achieved unprecedented results. 4 rivers have been achieved. Just like the cheering squad's slogan, the dream has come true. Dreams come true. We saw at the World Cup that it is possible even with human effort and ability.
The dream that God is with you will surely come true. [Philippians 4:13] “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” The dream given to the saints is a dream given by the Holy Spirit. [Joel 2:28] “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Conversely, evil spirits are spirits that shatter dreams, disappoint, discouragement, and despair. Will God's dreams come true? It is done in the one who gives strength.
In today's Bible, the brothers did not think that Joseph's dream would come true. I was just dismissed as a dreamer. In (verse 11), the brothers say that because of it, their envy arose even more. But even at this time, his father did not ignore the dream of his son Joseph. Of course, because of my brothers, I scolded them saying, “Are you saying, “Are you, my mother, or my brothers bowing down in front of you?”, but I kept this story in my heart. It was because only the father knew that the dream the son had was given by God.
Eventually, Joseph's dream came true. [Genesis 42:6] “At that time Joseph was the governor of the kingdom, and he sold it to all the people of the land, and Joseph’s brothers came and fell on the ground before him and bowed down.” I didn't think. But that dream came true because it was given by God. Joseph's dreams are not the result of his own thoughts or lust for power. That is why, in the end, he was led to be done by God. I wish you all the confidence that the Christian's dream will come true.
dreams don't just come true
It is God who gives dreams to the saints and makes those dreams come true. And as long as you don't leave God, that dream will come true. But there is one thing we must not forget. Dreams just don't come true. It doesn't happen if you just sit back and wait. Like the dream God had given him, Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt and received the bows of his brothers. But until then, the process must not be forgotten.
Don't just look at the results. We must not forget how much suffering and pain went through before such a result was reached. His dream was to become a prime minister, but his reality was a deep pit and a dark prison. Shortly after telling the story of the dream, he was hated by his brothers and fell into a deep pit of Dothan. [Genesis 37:20] "Come, kill him and throw him into a pit, and we will say, 'The evil beast has eaten him, and we will see what the dream will be like' more people do
Until Joseph's dream came true, his father alone in the family had his dream in his heart. But my father didn't help either. I just understood. All the brothers were hindrances. It is dangerous to assume that God's work and the church's mission will work out because God will help them. A family member is a hindrance, and it is much more likely that a member of the church is a hindrance. [Matthew 10:36] “A man’s enemies shall be the members of his household.”
Joseph never gave up on the dream the Lord had given him. [Matthew 24:13] “But he who endures to the end will be saved” Joseph was the one who put these words into practice. Sacrifice, perseverance, and a life of thorough stewardship at Potiphar's house finally made him a great man of God. As it evaporated, Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt, and his dream came true.
Dear saints,
Dreams with God are sure to come true. Patience and hard work are all that a person needs. If the vision you have in your heart is God's will, don't hesitate. Don't be shy. Don't be afraid. If you persevere until the end, your dreams will come true. I hope that all the saints who testify after your dreams come true. Hallelujah!
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