When The Dream Is Gone

Bible Book: Genesis 37 : 5-11

Subject: Wisdom; Strength; Perseverance

Introduction

Life can be a discouraging experience. One lady tells about the time when she and her husband rented inner tubes to enjoy a river experience in the Catskill mountains. In accordance with rental rules, they put on life vests and signed a release in case of injury. As adults, they were not required helmets.

On the riverbank, they noticed a young girl struggling with her gear. Turning to her older brother, she complained, "Why do we have to wear helmets? It's just as dangerous for adults." He confidently adjusted her chin strap and replied, "They've lived their lives already".

And then there's the story about the man who went in to buy his wife a little gift. After being away on business, Tom thought it would be nice to bring his wife a little gift. "How about some perfume?" he asked the cosmetics clerk. She showed him a bottle costing $50. "That's a bit much," said Tom, so she returned with a smaller bottle for $30. "That's still quite a bit," Tom groused. Growing disgusted, the clerk brought out a tiny $15 bottle. "What I mean," said Tom, "is I'd like to see something real cheap." So the clerk handed him a mirror.

While these are humorous stories about how discouraging life can be, they do not come near touching the reality of discouragement in our lives. Some of us have become so discouraged that we do not wish to go on. Reality of spiritual warfare has hit many of us very hard in this area. The evil one knows how to use discouragement to destroy enthusiasm, erase joy, and remove positive influence from our lives. As we continue our series of studies on spiritual warfare, we need to focus on this very crucial area. Discouragement is an area in which many of us have lost the battle. We need to see today how we might come back from discouragement and experience victory.

Today, I would like for us to look at the life of the Old Testament character named Joseph. He was a man who could have become discouraged with life. He was a man who could have been devastated by that which happened in his life. His life is a case study for us in how to experience victory over discouragement. There are some truths in his life story that we would do well to learn.

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 37, but please keep them open for we are going to be looking at several passages that relate to the life of this man.

Turn with me to Genesis 37:5-11. We will find some biblical principles in handling discouragement.

I. We Need To Learn To Dream Dreams

The prophet Joel said that young men "see visions." How true! Youth is the time when we perceive with piercing distinctness because our faculty of vision is fresh. The true test of a person's ability to cope with life is his/her vision. Man, unlike other creatures, can see and evaluate the future. No one but man can watch the stars with intelligent curiosity or seek to read the future with God's help.

Men and women live by visions. Foolish people laugh at ideas and concepts they cannot understand. Dreams represent ideals and we cannot dismiss a matter by saying, "It's a very good thing, but it's only an ideal." The world owes much to good men and women who have dreamed and then worked hard to make their dreams come true. This is true from a human standpoint. It is even more important when the vision comes from God.

If it is wrong never to dream, it can also be wrong to dream and then act unwisely with reference to those dreams. As we see in our text this morning, we should be careful about telling others all of our secrets and dreams. When we feel that God has revealed something to us privately, we should be careful before we say too much about it to other people. For one thing we may be wrong. What we feel God is saying to us may merely be our own projection of desire. Then too, even if we are correct in discerning God's will, others are perhaps not ready to learn all that we know. God has revealed the truth to us because it is something He wishes to share with us. We need to consider carefully when other people are ready and able to hear our "word from the Lord."

Joseph let it be known that he considered himself a man with a "great future." This irritated his brothers greatly, a fact that does not surprise us.

I challenge you today to learn to dream dreams. Let God speak to you. Let the prophecy of Joel come true even today. Let us be a "visionary" people. Stop with me just a moment and think about your dreams. What are they, where are they leading you? Has discouragement killed your dreams? Has life with all its ups and downs so frustrated you that you no longer look ahead with enthusiasm and joy to the future? Life can do that to you, can't it? Henry Ward Beecher, one of America's finest early- day preachers, once become so discouraged in his ministry that he was ready to quit. The pastor of a small church in Indianapolis, Beecher made up his mind to give up the ministry. He said that he only had about twenty church members. Nineteen of them were women, and the other one was a "no account man." Beecher confessed that he had preached in the Indianapolis church for three years without making a sinner "wink." Beecher had a speech impediment that embarrassed and discouraged him. The rest of the story however is that he overcame both his speech impediment and his desire to quit the ministry. His efforts made him one of the most eloquent preachers of all times. Discouragement can stop us from dreaming. Fortunately in the life of Joseph, it didn't.

II. We Need To Learn To Hold Our Standards High

If you will turn with me to chapter 39:12 there you will see a situation in which Joseph was called upon to compromise the standards God had set for him. As you read that story, you will recognize that Joseph risked his entire future to uphold the standards of morality. Verse 20 tells us the consequences of his stand. As is true today, sometimes God's people must suffer for that which is right. Joseph stood firm in his conviction, and he paid the price. He was placed in prison. While we recognize Joseph's story does not end here, we need to hear the message.

We must learn to hold our standards high. Though situations may demand that we lower them, and even our own friends may wish that we would compromise, we must hold high the standards of God. While suffering may come in this world as a result, let us never forget where our citizenship truly lies.

One of the ways that Satan has won the victory of spiritual warfare through discouragement is by making us believe that it doesn't matter any more how we live. Since life is full of such bad news, why bother about trying to live godly lives? Such a line of thought comes from the evil one himself.

III. We Need To Learn To Make Setbacks Into Stepping Stones

Please turn in your Bibles to chapter 41:39-40 and there we will see where this miraculous occurrence begins. In these verses, God helps Joseph to discern the dreams of Pharaoh. Thus, Joseph is able to take this set back of being thrown into prison and use it as a stepping stone to becoming the second greatest ruler in the land. While we do not have time this morning to talk about the entire story of Joseph, it is an amazing one! He used every set back placed in his life and used it as a stepping stone to do great things for his people and for God. Look at v. 5 in chapter 45. He recognized that what happened to him in life could be used for God's glory, even though the occurrence might have been negative.

The great people in God's kingdom throughout the years have been able to find silver linings in every cloud. They have been able at some point in their life, maybe even years down the road, to thank God for everything that has happened to them for in everything they have been able to find some way to glorify God. For example, one of the greatest Bible commentators in history, Matthew Henry, was once robbed. He wrote in his diary the following words after this event, "Let me be thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."

We need to learn to make setbacks into stepping stones. Seek God's wisdom and His will and He will make amazing things happen where you feel it is impossible. Trust in Him with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding and He will bring these things to pass.

Do not let discouragement keep your life concentrated on the setbacks.

IV. We Need To Learn To Live Forgivingly

Turn with me please to chapter 50:15ff. There in that beautiful passage you will see how Joseph reassured his brothers after the death of his father. Though Joseph had every right to be angry from a human standpoint with what his brothers had done with him earlier in life, he had learned to live forgivingly. Look at the words of vv. 15-17. And then look at v. 19. Joseph had learned to put the past behind him and recognize that God had blessed him all along the way. Sometimes when someone hurts us in our heart, we vow never to forgive them. This is not the way of the Lord, nor is it the way to experience victory in life. It kills dreams and inhibits our spiritual growth.

How we need to be more like Joseph in many ways. We need to learn to dream dreams again, don't we? We need to hold high the standards of the Lord, we need to learn to make setbacks into stepping stones. And last, we need to live forgivingly. All these things are possible only when we say yes to the leadership of our Lord.