Resilient People - 1

Resilient People - 1

Subject: Joseph Teaches Us to Face Our Rockies

by Rick Welborne

Genesis 37:1‑10 (NLT) 

1 So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner. 

2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. 

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 

4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him. 

5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 

6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 

7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” 

8 His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them. 

9 Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!” 

10 This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” 

–In his book Undaunted Courage Stephen Ambrose shares of Lewis and Clark’s expedition across America.

–For two years they battled hunger, fatigue, desertion, hostile enemies, severe illness, and death but finally reached the head waters of the Missouri River. 

–The information they had led them to believe that once they reached the continental divide, they would face about a half day trip and then reach the Columbia River.

–They were on their way to becoming heros or at least that is what they thought.  They assumed the hard part was behind them...smooth sailing after this.

–Lewis left the rest of the party to climb the bluffs that would enable him to see the other side hoping to see the waters that would carry them the rest of the way.

–Imagine how he felt, rather than seeing what he expected, he was the first non-Native American to lay eyes on the Rocky Mountains?

1. What do you do when you think your biggest problems are behind you, only to find out you have just been warming up?

–How do you rally the troops who are following you looking for good news?

–I can imagine Lewis turning to see some of the party coming to the top of the bluff wanted to see their wonderful victory.

–Hey guys, don’t come up yet...what will he say...I have just a little surprise for you.

–Have you ever thought you have finally defeated the giant (the sickness, the family crisis, the marriage problem, the financial issue) just to be faced with yet another giant.

–A few years ago...Economy goes south, people go south, family issues, church issues, H-plori, broken foot, melanoma on the back, chest, head,...the ear...really.

–Major problems with the back...surgery...another giant defeated...smooth sailing and a time of peace and rest...surprise...no cartilage between the bones in your feet...ok!  

–What do you do when you think your biggest problems are behind you, only to find out you have just been warming up?  We will get to Joseph.

–Lewis and Clark would eventually see that crossing the Rockies would be the greatest accomplishment of the whole trip.

–This new revelation and new challenge would call forth from them creativity and perseverance that they never knew they had.

–They would create memories and see sights that would be spectacular...taking on the Rockies would build into them tremendous confidence because if you could take on the Rockies you could tackle anything.

–On this side of the Rockies, of course, they could not know any of this.  When they thought the trip was about to get easy they had to face their highest challenge.

–Hear your pastor, whether you have walked for God a short time or for many years...

Unexpected mountains can throw you for a loop.

–We launch into a great adventure, start a new job, take on a new ministry assignment, start a family...there seems to be so much promise and we are filled with so much hope.

–Then it happens, we endure some stuff and face challenges that stretch us to what we thought were our limits and there it is...not just the mountain but a whole range.

John Ortberg: Reality sets in.  We face the obstacles.  Unexpected conflict saps our spirit.  Plans go awry.  People we were counting on let us down.  The economy zigs when it should have zagged.  Just when we were hoping for easy portage and smooth sailing, we are looking at the Rocky Mountains.  What happens next?

2. This is where being resilient servants of God becomes our survival. 

–There is a field of study in social sciences known as resiliency...Researchers study people who have survived traumatic ordeals...when life did not turn out the way they had planned.

–Prisoners of war, hostages, those in consecration camps, victims of crippling accidents

were studied to see how they responded to their trauma. 

–These studies found that people responded in two ways: Many are simply defeated by such adversity and are defeated by their difficult situations...basically give up!

–Others are marked by resiliency, a condition whereby they actually enlarge their capacity to handle problems, and in the end, they not only survive but grow.  

–What makes the difference?  How do you endure when you face a mountain so big that it seems un-cross-able?  Why do the Rockies energize some people and defeat others?

–The researchers found:

–Resilient people continually seek to reassert some command and control over their destiny rather than seeing themselves as passive victims.

–Resilient people have a larger than usual capacity for what might be called moral courage–for refusing to betray their values.

–Resilient People find purpose and meaning in their suffering.

–We can add to this list as believers in Christ is that - Resilient people have a deep dependency on God. 

3. Let’s look at Joseph in the light of good news/bad news.

–It has always been fun to look at stories that were good news/bad news and actually back to good news before the story was over.

–Two friends agree that whoever dies first will get word back to the other one whether or not there is baseball in heaven...The good news is there is baseball in heaven.  The bad news is that you are pitching on Friday.

–Joseph’s life was definitely one of those good news/bad news stories.

–Joseph is daddy’s favorite...that’s good news...His brothers hate his guts...that is bad news!

–His daddy gives him a beautiful coat...that’s good news...his brothers rip it off, cover it with blood, pretend he’s dead, sell him into slavery in a distant land...that’s bad news.

–He get’s a great job with Potiphar, a wealthy not to bright boss who likes him. He empowers Joseph to run his house...he is handsome...things going well..that’s good news.

–Potiphar’s wife thinks he is handsome and tries to seduce him...that’s bad news.  Joseph resists the temptation...that’s good news!

–The wife is furious and lies about him and has him arrested...he ends up in prison...that is bad news.

–In prison Joseph meets Pharaoh’s butler, interprets his dream that predicts he will be paroled, arranges for the butler to get him released...this is good news.

–The butler forgets and Joseph languishes in prison...that’s bad news.

–As you read Joseph’s story you have to wonder how will it all end.  (Of course we know but he didn’t). What matters in a good news/ bad news story is how it all ends.

–If it ends with bad news, all the good news that went before was just a cruel farce that raises false hopes. If it ends with good news, the entire story gets redeemed. 

–All the bad news is seen in a new light...With Joseph, let’s go back to the beginning.

4. When you speak of Joseph it is almost impossible to not talk about his fancy coat and his dreams.

–Joseph wore the robe...the robe said he was the chosen one by his father...the golden boy

–Any of you ever feel that another sibling was the golden one in your family...the oldest!

–He never had to worry about whether daddy loved him or not...the robe declared it.

–When his brothers walked in the room their dad might ask how the flocks were doing but when Joseph walked in Jacob would light up.

–Parents may not think their kids can see it when they have a favorite but your kids can see it a mile away.  Comedian...we have two great kids and then this other kid!!!

–The robe definitely let the cat out of the bag...a long coat with sleeves...coat of many colors...a hand tailored coat from Nordstrom while yours came from Target.

–Price did not matter for this son...what made this so explosive was that in that day clothing was an expression of status...dad’s pet...in your face favoritism. 

–When Joseph wears the robe it makes him feel special but every time the brothers saw it

...it made them die a little on the inside.

–The brothers can’t take it anymore...they tear the robe off of him and sell him into slavery...Joseph thinks this is bad but the Rockies are still ahead.

–Joseph’s dreams did not help his relationship with his siblings either...dreams in that day were considered to be prophetic...even though the author of Genesis never says they are from God.

–These dreams are about Joseph’s future and you would think he would have enough sense to keep quiet:

Proverbs 17:28 (NLT) 

28 Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. 

–Joseph does not keep silent...he gathers his brothers...who don’t have a special robe...

Who have been hurt deeply by their father...who hate him and tells his dream to them.

–There was a field of sheaves...mine stood up and yours bowed down to mine...I guess this means one day I will rule over you and you will bow and submit before me...let’s play

Genesis 37:8 (NKJV) 

8 And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.   

–Joseph must be a SH...he tells them another dream about the sun, moon, and stars bowing before him...

–It never dawns on him to keep quiet...all he can see is he is going to accomplish great things, he is going to be famous, he is going to make his father proud, he is wearing the robe and he is dreaming great dreams.

–What he does not know is that he is about to see a mountain range that looks a lot like the Rockies and life is not going to be easy!