Passing the Palace Test

Sion Alford

Dream to Destiny • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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Dream to Destiny Week 3 Passing the Palace Test Robert Morris Debbie had a birthday this week! I kid her about it! • I said, “You know many people don’t make it to your age!” • She said, “You’re not going to make it if you don’t shut up!” Genesis 39:1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. Genesis 39:2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. Genesis 39:3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. Genesis 39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. Genesis 39:5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Genesis 39:6 So he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. And Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. Genesis 39:23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper. How would you like the Lord to make prosper whatever you do? Potiphar was a polytheist; He believed in multiple gods •But he recognized God’s favor on Joseph! 1. The key to prospering is the presence of the Lord. Many people have a negative connotation of the word prosper. (prosperity) • Don’t let hyper prosperity teaching keep you from Biblical prosperity. • The Blessed Life! We don’t GIVE TO GET! We GET TO GIVE! Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. Genesis 26:13 The man began to prosper, and continued prosperinguntil he became very prosperous It doesn’t look like God has a problem with the word prosper •This is Joseph’s grandfather! Deuteronomy 29:9 “Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosperin all that you do.” 2 Kings 18:7 The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went. 3 John 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. God desires that you prosper! What does “prosper” mean? • The Hebrew word for prosper, means to push forward. • It’s used when it talks about the Spirit of the Lord coming on Samson! God came on him and pushed him forward. • Would you like God to push your career forward? • Would you like Him to push your marriage/family forward? Even an unbeliever recognized that the Lord was with him. • Can people we work with, and for, recognize that God is with us? • Does your employer believe that God is blessing him because of you? The Greek word for prospering literally means “to help on the road” (Illustration of God pushing me across the platform) The Lord was with him, so he prospered! • If the key to prospering is the presence of the Lord • Then what’s the key to the presence of the Lord? 2. The key to the presence of the Lord is obedience. 2 Chronicles 17:3 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals 1 Samuel 18:14 And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was withhim. 1 Samuel 18:12 Now Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was withhim, but had departedfrom Saul. Why was the Lord with David? Because he was walking in obedience? • David wasn’t perfect. I’m not talking about perfection! • Why had He departed from Saul? Because he had disobeyed! Deuteronomy 11:26 "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: Deuteronomy 11:27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; Deuteronomy 11:28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God” A blessing is a reward; A curse is a consequence! Job 36:11 “If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. Job 36:12 But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.” We don’t earn our salvation but the Bible is clear on this! If we obey, we will be blessed! And if we don’t, we won’t!

This isn’t a works doctrine! It’s an obedience doctrine!

Proverbs 28:13

He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Genesis 4:16

Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.

The Lord doesn’t leave us! I will never leave you!

• But we leave Him not when we make mistakes

• But when we won’t repent!

God came to Cain and gave him a chance to repent!

• Cain left God when he would not repent!

• It’s like going out from under a steel umbrella in a hail storm!

If the key to prospering is the presence of the Lord • And the key to the presence of the Lord is obedience

• What’s the key to obedience?

3. The key to obedience is faith.

Colossians 3:22

Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

Colossians 3:23

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

Colossians 3:24

knowingthat from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:25

But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

If you’re not working hard at your job, it’s because

• You really don’t believe that God will bless you if you do.

• A farmer is obedient to plant because he believes!

Some people have more faith in the hot water heater than they do in God!

• We turn it on and stand there for hours

One house built built the hot water heater 3 houses down!

Why did Joseph do the right thing? Because he believed!

• People sin because they don’t believe that there are consequences.

• People obey because they believe that there are rewards!

Hebrews 3:18

And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?

Hebrews 3:19

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

We would think that it would say that

• They couldn’t enter in because of disobedience but it said unbelief.

• They didn’t obey because they didn’t believe.

Children obey because they believe there are rewards and consequences!

• Some people used to visit us that didn’t discipline their son.

• He pulled all the leaves off of our plant and I swatted him. ($1.00)

• He obeyed because he believed! (“Robert spank!”)

So, the key to prospering is the presence of the Lord

• The key to the presence of the Lord is obedience

• The key to obedience is faith. What’s the key to faith?

4. The key to faith is hearing the Word.

Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

It’s this simple!

• The key to prospering is the presence of the Lord.

• The key to His presence is obedience.

• The key to obedience is faith.

• The key to having faith is hearing the Word!

I started to say obeying the Word but that’s not what the Bible says.

• I believe we need to obey the Word

• But the key to obedience is faith

• And the key to faith is hearingthe Word.

Listen to all the sermons you can! COME TO CHURCH!

• Read and study the scriptures for yourself!

Get in a life group! Go through Equip classes!

Hear. Believe. Obey. God gave that teaching to Steve Dulin • Because you have to believe to obey after you hear it!

Steve started mentoring James when he was 16

• He made him start memorizing Scripture (4 a week – 200 a year)

• He also told him to read and listen to the Bible

James was the first janitor. He would be up here until 2 or 3 in the morning

• He ate the leftover Krispy Kreme doughnuts (Saturdays only)

• We provided doughnuts to try to get people to come to church

Steve told him to go buy it on CD and he was going to pay him back

• But he didn’t tell him that. He wanted to see if he would obey.

• He had to pay for his own haircuts. He bought a dog hair trimmer!

My son started listening to the King James Bible on CD

• “Wherefore art thou my brother?”

• “Hast thou been with thy father in the field?”

He’s at lunch with the owner and I’m at lunch with a friend.

• He got a new job within an hour!

He prospers in whatever he does!

• So do all of my kids!

• That doesn’t mean they don’t go through difficulties or have problems

Joseph went through difficuties and had problems

• But the Lord was with Him because he obeyed

• He obeyed because he believed

• And he believed because he heard the Word!

He heard about how God blessed his great grandfather Abraham

• He heard about how God blessed his grandfather Isaac

• He heard about how God blessed his father Jacob

He believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

• He heard how each of them obeyed even though they weren’t perfect •So he obeyed and the Lord was with him so he prospered!

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