ALL THINGS NEW | PART 2

GETTING STARTED:

“It’s time to turn the page”. On January 1, 2020, people know that a big page of their lives just turned, from one decade to another decade – 2020.   All of us are adjusting to the reality that it’s a new year, a new decade, a new beginning. People like to create New Year’s Resolution. Everybody is thinking of turning the page. But I’m not just going to talk about turning the page on New Year, but turning the page of your life.  And to do that, we need God.  Turning the page of our life is what God does. God always has a word for us. God has provided us with a BOOK that tells us about Him and how we should live our lives.

ONE BIG IDEA!

IT’S THE DARKEST HOURS THAT TRY OUR SOULS AND TEST THE METAL WE’RE MADE OF.

STUDY:

JOSHUA 1:8 – “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (NIV).”

LEARN:

THE STORY OF JOSEPH (Genesis 37-39):

Genesis 39:2a says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man…” How can the Lord be with Joseph when he is in slavery?  How can he be called a successful man if he’s just a slave?  King James Version says “…he was a prosperous man…”  This is the real situation of Joseph.  Joseph was thrown into the pit by his brothers. Then, he was sold to slavery.  Analyze his circumstances.  Joseph had no family, no home, no money, no freedom. But the Bible says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man.”

From a favored child, Joseph was sold as a slave.  Even if Joseph was in a difficult situation, he had to turn the page of his life.  Life must go on.  Look forward to what God has in store for you. Every person would love to have a smooth sailing, problem-free life.  But life’s interruptions are not unnecessary. Some interruptions in your life are God’s way of setting you up to the next chapter of your life. God allows life challenges so we can become better. Each life interruption brought Joseph closer to the throne of Egypt. Each terrible event can bring us closer to the purpose of God.

LESSONS TO LEARN WHEN GOD IS TURNING THE PAGES OF YOUR LIFE:

STUDY YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Joseph didn’t become a slave of Potiphar for no reason.  God allowed Joseph to be picked by Potiphar so he could study to govern over a household and to supervise people. When you get in trouble, be a student. Learn from every situation that you come across with. We can learn when we’re broke. We can learn when we’re fired.  We can learn even from being single.  God doesn’t want you to stay in your current situation, He wants you to turn the page.

Seemingly, Potiphar was blessed through Joseph.  But in reality, God blessed Joseph through Potiphar.  Joseph learned to adapt to difficult situations. Joseph could have tried to escape from slavery and get killed.  Instead, he served Potiphar well so he got promoted.  Study your environment.  Pay attention to what God is teaching you. Cry all you want to cry.  But after crying, can you wipe your face, get up and do what you have to do? Don’t get drowned by your pain.  Don’t miss the lessons God is teaching you in your present environment.

GROW YOUR CHARACTER AND CAPACITY

When God allows us to go to the pit, He’s growing our CHARACTER and CAPACITY. Do you want to get out of your current situation?  Do you want to get out of the pit?  Then, grow your character and capacity. If you want to turn to the next page of your life, grow your character and capacity. Your character and capacity should match your God-given destiny. Don’t expect to get out of the pit of your life when your character is still not changing. If you want to GO UP, then you have to GROW UP.

Joseph left Canaan and he wasn’t able to go back to Canaan until after 39 years. The only reason he goes back is to bury his father. For some of you, you go back too soon.  This is why you never learn. You want to shortcut the process.  Have you observed, whenever you don’t learn from a test in life, you will go through that test again?

I want you to remember God’s promises to you when you’re going through difficulties. God already told you about the ending of your story. Sometimes, God removes your POSITION and gets your POSSESSION to give your PROMOTION. In Christ, all things are new, the old has gone, the new has come. 

SERVE WITH EXCELLENCE (Exodus 39:4-6)

If you want to get promoted, you have to serve well.  Do with excellence what God has entrusted to you. Success can’t be attained if you’re mediocre at work.  If you want a promotion, if you want an income increase, if you want success, then you have to serve someone well. Going up the ladder of success requires hard work. Joseph didn’t get the attention of Potiphar by being mediocre.  Joseph didn’t get promoted because of being an ordinary slave.  Joseph got promoted because he does things with excellence.  He can be trusted by Potiphar even when Potiphar was not around.  

When God is in your heart, you’ll be excellent at WORK and in CHARACTER.  Our church should be known for excellent service. If you find anything that we need to improve in this church, don’t find people to do it, help in that ministry and do your best.  Jesus served His disciples. Jesus served people who came to Him.  He served them with excellence. This is why we should serve people who come to this church with excellence.

THE RESULT:

Think about what it must have been like for Joseph after 13 years of tragedy and betrayal – to be catapulted from a prison cell to the 2nd highest position in the kingdom! One day he was scrubbing floors in the dungeon and the next day he was Prime Minister of Egypt! What a shocking alteration! The mighty Potiphar was now his servant! One period of life he was in deep darkness with no escape. The next period he was in the brilliant light of success riding at the highest places available to humans! I’m sure there were many days he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. To accomplish this transition, he had to adjust his thinking and attitudes – to put the past behind him, and begin to think and do new things. He had new responsibilities. Why was he promoted by God? Because he was proven faithful and resolute during the darkest hours.  It’s the darkest hours that try our souls and test the metal we’re made of.

GROW:

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1.. How do you handle trials and difficulties in life? How do you react and respond when the promises of God contradict with the reality of your situation?

2. Consider a time when you questioned why God allowed something to happen to you, only to see later on, at least in part, that God was using that seemingly negative circumstance for good? How did that make you feel about God and his plan for your life?
3. What are some troubling things going on in your life right now that you hope God will eventually use for good and one day allow you to understand? Do you find it difficult to trust God to guide the decisions you make in life?