by avministry | Sep 17, 2023 | Sermons
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Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him
who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed
from death into life.”
2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the
body and to be present with the Lord.
Revelation 22:11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be
filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be
holy still.”
Someone said, “We should all be concerned about the future because we will have
to spend the rest of our lives there.”
I. THE APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once,…
Eccleisiates 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die;
Two people every second, 106 people every minute, 6,400 people every hour,
153,000 people every day, 56 million people a year keep their appointment.
Ecclesiastes 12:6 “Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, …”
Psalms 90:10 “… For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
Quote from book called “The Emperor of All Maladies.”
“We can’t get rid of cancer because cancer is just part of being human.We are all
in the process of corruption.”
1 Corinthians 15:42 “…The body is sown in corruption
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Eccleisiastes 12:7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will
return to God who gave it.
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
Lie Number One: We Cease To Exist After Death.
Death is not cessation
Surveys reveal that 23 percent of the world’s population believe that ultimately
in the end we will only “cease to exist”.
Here is a quote:
“Someday I will no longer call out, and there will be no heartbeat. What happens
then? From my point of view, nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state.”.
What happens when you die according to Singer Billy Joel (quote)
“I believe you go into other people’s hearts
When you pass you pass into other people’s hearts and are taken into their lives for
the rest of their lives and they pass that on
Just like music it never ends … it goes on and on.”
Film critic Roger Ebert passed away from cancer in 2013
I know it is coming, and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing
on the other side of death to fear.
I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state.
Luke 12:20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you;
then whose will those things be which you have provided?
Lie Number Two: We Go To Sleep At Death.
Death is not hibernation (sleep)
John 11:11 Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him
out of sleep.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 “those who have fallen asleep in Jesus”
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.”
Acts 7:60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge
them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with
Me in Paradise.”
2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the
body and to be present with the Lord.
Matthew 22:32 “…God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Lie Number Three:There Is A Second Chance After Death.
Death is not reclamation.
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once,…
II. THE JUDGMENT THAT’S SETTLED
Hebrews 9:27 ” … but after this the judgment,”
There is the judgment of the cross.
The judgment on the believer with chastening.
The self judgment of the believer (If we would judge ourselves)
The judgment of the beliver’s works at the judgment seat of Christ
1. The judgment on the nation of Israel
2. The judgment of the nations.
3. The judgment on fallen angels
4. The judgment of the great white throne
John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe
is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God.
Revelation 22:11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be
filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be
holy still.”
Ecclesiastes 11:3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the
earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls,
there it shall lie.
Someone has written:
As the tree falls, so must it lie.
As a man lives, so will he die.
As a man dies, so will he be.
Through all the years of eternity.
Proverbs 29:1 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly
be destroyed, and that without remedy.
William Shakespeare wrote:
There is a line by us unseen that crosses every path
The hidden boundary between God’s [mercy] and [God’s] wrath
J. Addison Alexander wrote this poem:
There is a time, we know not when,
A point we know not where,
That marks the destiny of men
To glory or despair.
There is a line by us unseen,
That crosses every path;
The hidden boundary between
God’s patience and His wrath.
John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him
who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed
from death into life.”
Romans 8:1 “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”
2 Corinthians 6:2 “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”
by avministry | Sep 4, 2023 | Sermons
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John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources,
for he is a liar and the father of it.
Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for
in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.”
Geneis 3:6 “… she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her,
and he ate.
Hebrews 2:14 “… him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
The ultimate lie for Satan is this: There never will be any judgment for sin.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for
light, and light for darkness;
1. Right now, a baby has about a 50/50 chance to survive the womb.
Isaiah 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on
the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Romans 1:31 “… without natural affection …”
Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her,
the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.
Acts 17:28 “For in Him we live and move and have our being, …”
2. Right now, a child has a 50/50 chance of being born to a married couple.
*For the first time in our nation’s history the majority of children born to women
under age 30 are born out of wedlock, they have no father involved in their lives
*Since 1968 the number of children without a father has doubled to 18.4 million
children
*Of 100 countries surveyed, the United States has the highest percentage of
fatherlessness 300% higher than the global average.
*85% of teens with behavioral disorders have no father
*70% adolescents in drug and alcohol treatment centers have no father
*90% of homeless and runaway children have no father
*Children without a father are 900% more likely to drop out school
President Biden said, “They’re all our children,” They’re not somebody else’s children;
they’re like yours when they’re in the classroom. There’s no such thing as someone
else’s child. Our nation’s children are all our children.”
Only somewhere between 0.3 and 0.6 percent of people claim to have transgendered
feelings.
Our Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said (quote):
“Missouri is the first state in the nation to successfully defend at the trial-court
level a law barring child mutilation, I’ve said from day one as Attorney General
that I will fight to ensure that Missouri is the safest state in the nation for children.
This is a huge step in that direction.”
3. Right now, there is a 50/50 chance a child will experience
divorce in their lifetime.
Malachi 2:16 “For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce …”
Lyrics Someday Never Comes
First thing I remember
Was asking Papa, “Why?”
For there were many things I didn’t know
When Daddy went away
He said, “Try to be a man
And someday you’ll understand”
But I’m here to tell you now each and every mother’s son
You better learn it fast, you better learn it young
‘Cause someday never comes
Think it was September
The year I went away
For there were many things I didn’t know
And I still see him standin’
Tryin’ to be a man
I said, “Someday you’ll understand”
But I’m here to tell you now each and every mother’s son
You better learn it fast, you better learn it young
‘Cause someday never comes
Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your
God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the
third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
THE TRUE CHURCH IS THE ONLY PRO-FAMILY COMMUNITY LEFT!
4. Right now, there is a 100% guarantee that those who harm little
ones would be better off dead.
Luke 17:1 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should
come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
Matthew 26:23 He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish
will betray Me.
Matthew 26:24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to
that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man
if he had not been born.”
Luke 17:2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and
he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves.
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord
will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for
the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God,
might taste death for everyone.
Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He
Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who
had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Hebrews 2:15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit
and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
by avministry | Aug 29, 2023 | Sermons
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John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
I. INNOCENCE GIVEN.
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Genesis 2:8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the
man whom He had formed.
Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the
garden you may freely eat;
Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for
in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
II. INNOCENCE THREATENED.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which
the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall
not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Genesis 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees
of the garden;
Genesis 3:3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Genesis 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
Genesis 3:5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
III. INNOCENCE LOST.
Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit
and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Once you know what is forbidden to you to know, you cannot unknow it.
Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us,
to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of
life, and eat, and live forever” —-
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till
the ground from which he was taken.
IV. INNOCENCE EXPLAINED.
Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Psalm 58:3, The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as
they are born, speaking lies.
Isaiah 7:16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good …
They don’t know right from wrong.
They don’t know truth from lies.
They don’t know God from Satan.
They don’t know faith from rejection.
Jonah 4:11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than
one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their
right hand and their left–and much livestock?”
Deuteronomy 1:38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go
in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
Deuteronomy 1:39 Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will
be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there;
to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.
2 Samuel 12:13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall
not die.
2 Samuel 12:14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion
to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you
shall surely die.”
2 Samuel 12:23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?
I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
2 Samuel 18:33 Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over
the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: “O my son Absalom—my son,
my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!”
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it
John Ramsey says if he could tell his daughter anything, he’d say, “I’m sorry I didn’t
protect you. That’s a dad’s job.”
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
V. INNOCENCE NEEDED.
Mark 10:14 “… Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such
is the kingdom of God.
Mark 10:15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child will by no means enter it.”
A Gallup poll showed that:
19 out of 20 Christians are saved before the age of 25.
After age 25, 1 in 10,000
After age 35, 1 in 50,000
After age 45, 1 in 200,000
After age 55, 1 in 300,000
After age 75, 1 in 700,000.
A Focus on the Family study revealed that ” 92% of people come to Christ by
age 14 and another 4% by age 18 which means that 96% of those who are reached
will be 18 years old and younger.”
As the late great pastor Adrian Rogers once said to pastors:
“It is not your job to fill the pew. It is your job to fill the pulpit. When you fill the pulpit,
the rest of it is in God’s hands.”
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
by avministry | Aug 20, 2023 | Sermons
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Genesis 37:12 Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
Genesis 37:13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock
in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.”
Genesis 37:14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers
and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley
of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
Genesis 37:15 Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field.
And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
Genesis 37:16 So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are
feeding their flocks.”
Genesis 37:17 And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them
say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in
Dothan.
Genesis 37:18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them,
they conspired against him to kill him.
Genesis 37:19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!
Genesis 37:20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit;
and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will
become of his dreams!”
Dysfunctional definition:
Dys·func·tion·al (adjective) not operating normally or properly.
Also deviating from the norms of social behavior in a way regarded as bad.
Both Joseph and Jesus were shepherds, and Jesus is the good shepherd.
Joseph and Jesus were both sons loved by their earthly and heavenly fathers.
Joseph and Jesus were both hated by jealous brothers.
Both Joseph and Jesus had a family that did not believe in their destiny.
Both Joseph and Jesus had people who did not want them to reign over them.
Family Flaw #1 — Dysfunctioinals Fathers.
Family Flaw #2 — Dysfunctional Succumb to Bad Systems.
Family Flaw #3 — Dsyfunctionals Show Favoritism.
Family Flaw # 4 — Dysfunctionals Lack Communication.
Family Flaw #5 — Dysfunctionals Reject God’s Will.
Family Flaw #6 — Dysfunctionals Neglect Family Members.
Genesis 37:12 Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
Genesis 37:13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock
in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.”
Genesis 37:14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers
and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley
of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
Genesis 37:15 Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field.
And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
Genesis 37:16 So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are
feeding their flocks.”
Genesis 37:17 And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them
say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in
Dothan.
Family Flaw #7 — Dysfunctionals Are Dream Killers
Genesis 37:18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them,
they conspired against him to kill him.
Genesis 37:19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!
Genesis 37:20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit;
and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will
become of his dreams!”
Family Flaw #8 — Dysfunctionals Create Intense Sibling Rivalries
Genesis 37:23 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that
they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.
Genesis 37:24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty;
there was no water in it.
Genesis 37:25 And they sat down to eat a meal.
Genesis 42:21 Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our
brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would
not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”
Genesis 37:25 “… Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company
of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and
myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.
Genesis 37:26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother
and conceal his blood?
Genesis 37:27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be
upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened.
Genesis 37:28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up
and ‘lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver.
Joseph and Jesus were both sold for pieces of silver, the price of a slave, 20 and
30 pieces of silver respectvely.
Family Flaw #9 — Dysfunctionals Keep Family Secrets.
Genesis 37:29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit;
and he tore his clothes.
Genesis 37:30 And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I,
where shall I go?”
Genesis 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped
the tunic in the blood.
Genesis 37:32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their
father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic
or not?”
Genesis 37:33 And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has
devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”
Genesis 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned
for his son many days.
Genesis 37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he
refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my
son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
Joseph and Jesus were both stripped of their clothing. Joseph and Jesus both wear
a robe dipped in blood.
Revelation 19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called
The Word of God.
They say your only as sick as your secrets.
Genesis 37:36 Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer
of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Joseph and Jesus were both taken to Egypt as young men.
Joseph and Jesus were both thrown in a hole, Jesus in his tomb.
The major difference, of course, is that Joseph was only reported to be dead, while
Jesus did give His life on the cross and was raised from the dead to save us.
Joseph and Jesus, both were separated from their father.
Joseph from his earthly father, Jesus from his heavenly father when he died on
the cross in our place, for our sins.
Joseph and Jesus, both forgave those who sinned against them.
Joseph and Jesus, both bring life and grace to a multitude after they get out of their pit.
Romans 5:20 “….But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain,
and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God,
Revelation 21:11 Having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone,
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve
angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel:
Revelation 21:13 Three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on
the south, and three gates on the west.
Here’s the lesson: Apart from forgiveness and God’s grace, nobody gets in.
Someone broke down Joseph’s life this way:
He was chosen and rejected.
He was loved and hated.
He was favored and abused.
He was betrayed and rescued.
He was promoted and imprisoned.
He was tested and rewarded.
He was slandered and praised.
He never took his eyes off the Lord.
At no point did he ever take his eyes off the Lord.
Acts 7:9 “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God
was with him
Acts 7:10 and delivered him out of all his troubles,…”
Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set
my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.
by avministry | Aug 18, 2023 | Sermons
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Genesis 37:1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the
land of Canaan.
Genesis 37:2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was
feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and
the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them
to his father.
Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was
the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
Genesis 37:4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his
brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
Dysfunctional definition:
Dys·func·tion·al (adjective) not operating normally or properly.
Also deviating from the norms of social behavior in a way regarded as bad.
Genesis 4:17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he
built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch.
Genesis 4:19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives:
Genesis 9:19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth
was populated.
Genesis 9:20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.
In becoming a farmer, Noah followed the vocation of his father Lamech
Genesis 9:21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered
in his tent.
1 Chronicles 1:32 “Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were …”
Family Flaw #1 — Dysfunctional Fathers.
Genesis 37:1 Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the
land of Canaan.
Genesis 37:2 This is the history of Jacob.
Proverbs 17:6 Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children
is their father.
Family Flaw #2 — Dysfunctional Systems.
Genesis 37:2 “… And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his
father’s wives; …”
Matthew 19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and
be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
If family can mean anything then it means nothing.
Acts 17:30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all
men everywhere to repent,
Acts 17:31 Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in
righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to
all by raising Him from the dead.
Family Flaw #3 — Dsyfunctional Favortism.
Genesis 37:2 “… Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his
brothers …”
Both Joseph and Jesus were shepherds, and Jesus is the good shepherd.
Genesis 37:2 “… And the lad was with sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah
his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its
works are evil.
Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was
the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
The Jewish Talmud commentary states:
“A man should never single out one of his children for favored treatment, for
because of two extra coins’ of fine silk, which Jacob gave to Joseph, and not to
his other sons, Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him, and one thing led to
another until our ancestors became slaves in Egypt.”
Matthew 21:38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves,
This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’
Family Flaw # 4 — Dysfunctional Communication.
Genesis 37:4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his
brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
Joseph and Jesus were both hated by jealous brothers.
John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Genesis 49:23 “The archers have sorely grieved him [Joseph], and shot at him, and
hated him.”
Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrong”
1 John 2:9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the
darkness.
Family Flaw #5 — Dysfunctionals Reject God’s Will.
Genesis 37:5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated
him even more.
Genesis 37:6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
Genesis 37:7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf
arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed
down to my sheaf.”
Genesis 37:8 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.
Genesis 37:9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said,
Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the
eleven stars bowed down to me.”
Genesis 37:10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him
and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother
and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”
Genesis 37:11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
One Jewish author wrote:
“Though Jews have never boasted about their belief they are God’s Chosen People
(there is nothing to boast about—it is not a claim of superiority, and it has led to
unspeakable suffering), the brothers’ reactions to Joseph foreshadowed much of
the world’s reaction to the Jews’ belief in being the Chosen People.”
Look, this dreamer is coming! ’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!
Jeremiah 29:8 “… Nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Acts 2:17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my
My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall
see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
Both Joseph and Jesus were rejected initially to rule and reign only to ultimately have
that come to pass because God was with them.
Acts 7:9 “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God
was with him
Acts 7:10 and delivered him out of all his troubles,…”
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us?