Every person has a dream.. and has a destiny FROM GOD.. Most people though lived with the dream instead of the DESTINY, and there is one MAJOR REASON that stops people from fulfilling that DESTINY.. that is CHARACTER.
Because their CHARACTER is not able to handle their DESTINY.. and GOD does not allow them to reach that destiny because they are not ready to carry the responsibility of that Destiny.
We looked at the life of JOSEPH. It was when he was 17 when GOD has showed him a DREAM that leads to his destiny. However Joseph bragged about his dream, he has (failed) to take another test of the PRIDE TEST..
Now we are going to look into the PIT TEST
GENESIS 37:13-36
Robert Morris talked about getting out of the PIT and there are 3 things we need to notice about the PIT test:
1. POSITION OF THE PIT.. what brought you to that position? It is a wise thing while we are in the PIT to SEE how did you get to that PIT (condition).. to see if we did something to attribute to our circusmtances.. its reflecting on its about SOUL SEARCHING.. its not about "seach me O LORD and know my thought".. the problem when we are in a sad condition, WE BLAME OTHERS.. we live in a blame society.. (joseph could have blame his brothers why he was in that condition)
it is not the ACTION that put us into the PIT, its the reaction to the ACTion..
for instance, a FINANCIAL PIT. People tends to go deeper and deeper to a financial pit, and they blame other circumstances like the recessions, economic downfall, not tithing, undergiving..
Joseph SOULSEARCHING: Joseph if he was into soulsearching at that time while on the pit, could have tried flocking with his brothers but in the first place, he was not FLOCKING with his brother. Joseph seems to have separated himself from his brother as well.> Joseph should have reflected on WHY HIS BROTHERS HATED HIM? Jacob has felt this and considering Joseph's age as 17 and his brothers are around 40s, Jacob tried to encourage a good relationship amongst the brother in a mature way. However the brothers has already plotted to kill him once they saw Joseph walking towards them. that really means to say how the BROTHERs has developed RESENTMENT and HATE towards their brother JOSEPH. HIS FATHER HAS GIVEN JOSEPH A GIFT.. But he was so PROUD to have that gift. because of his pride, inferiority and arrogance, He has lost his gifts.
but you say, GOD (father) will never take away that gift. Romans 11:29 wr not talking about you but its for the Israelites. If this is an analogy, Robert agrees because the gift wasnt taken back.. JOSEPH LOST IT..
We've seen a lot of HIGH PROFILE MINISTERS, but lost their ministry because of lack of integrity.. lack of character..
but you may also say, What about me? if I lose the gift.. will I be able to deserve another chance to have it.. as we look at JOSEPH's life, JOSEPH has lost his ORNAMENTED COAT but remember the story continues that JOSEPH has also became the 2nd in command in Egypt. He would have another thousands of more lavished COATS.. So Joseph was able to RESTORED his relationship with his FATHER too.
2. the PERPECTIVE OF THE PIT.. Now, after looking into what brought you in that PIT, it is now time to look at GOD's perpective on it.. be very careful not to get into SATAN's perpective on your pit.
GOD never condemns you. If you ever feel condemnation thought in your heart, that is not from the LORD. God loves you and would never make you feel lonely, and sad. Condemnation is always from the ENEMY.
John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
We were already CONDEMNED.. We were born condemned. ROMANS 5.. JESUS came to save us not to condemn us.
the ENEMY IS A LIAR.. if his talking he is lying.. One of the famous lie in this story is Genesis 37:31-33
So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 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?” 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.”
Satan could manipulate the truth and fabricated evidence which the brother has done. Jacob which has seen the evidence thought that Joseph has died too. Even though the brothers has seen their father mourning, they never dared to tell the truth.
DO NOT GET SATAN'S PERSPECTIVE... Look at the pit to what brought you their and see what God's perspective on this.
3. THE PURPOSE of every PIT is to get us to CRY OUT TO GOD. What is there to do in a PIT? there is nobody else to talk to.
some people tend to weight if their PIT is smaller (not big of a PIT) and they think they could handle it, they would say "no Lord, never mind, go back to waht you are doing and Ill handle this." and if the PIT is a bit BIGGER PIT, and you would call onto GOD and say "now Lord, I need you now coz I couldnt do it on my own" -- WE COULDNT DO IT ON OUR OWN. EVERY BREATH COMES FROM GOD.
JONAH also did the same thing when he prayed to the Lord while on belly of the Fish. JONAH 2:2 “ I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction.. v6, You have brought up my life from the pit."
wonder what was in Joseph's mind while he was on the PIT, how he was thinking how good he was and his brothers were BAD and might even say "LORD, im alright and you could get back to my brothers and you showed me that my brothers were going to BOW DOWN ON ME.. " Never admitted that he brought it to himself. We believe that something has happened with Joseph in that PIT that has changed his life. and from that time, thats when JUDAH got that idea to sell him instead of leaving him in the PIT or killing him.
(anything you read in the BIBLE, its true and it literally happened. Robert called it a TYPE AND A SHADOW? its for our instruction as per 1 corinth 10
GENESIS 37:22 (Reuben is the first born and yet he should have been the favorite of Israel. But he protected Joseph even if he hated him. Reuben wanted to deliver joseph out of this PIT and bring him back to his father)
22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might (1) deliver him out of their hands, and (2) bring him back to his father. "
so that's the purpose of every PIT is (1) to deliver us out of the PIT, (2) bring us back to our FATHER GOD.. it is to set us free from those things that holding us in bondage.. and bring us in a closer relationship with the FATHER..
REUBEN is a type of CHRIST...
JOSEPH is also a type of CHRIST; here they are.
1. Joseph was stripped of his robe.. Jesus was stripped off his robe..
2. Joseph was sold to Ishmaelites at twenty shekels of silver and took to Egypt to be sold with PROFIT. The Bible didnt say how much Joseph was sold to the Egyptians but the history tells us that slaves in Egypt were being sold at 30 shekels at that time. In the NT, it was writted in the Bible that Jesus was sold at thirty shekels of silver.
3. the Ishamelites were traders of spices, balm and myrrh and carying those while they bought JOSEPH. in the NT, before the people check JESUS to embalm him, the embalmer was carrying SPICES, BALM AND MYRRH too.
4. Joseph was betrayed by JUDAH (the one who suggested to sell JOSEPH for a silver). In the NT, JESUS was betrayed by JUDAS.. JUDAH in the hebrew its the same rootword.
5. Joseph was thrown into a PIT. and JESUS was thrown into a PIT too. (Ephesians tells us that Jesus went down to a Pit for everyone - us).
here is the DIFFERENCE: JESUS did not do anything deserving to be thrown into the PIT.. but there is someone who deserves to be thrown into the pit: YOU AND I.
so JESUS went to the PIT, SO WE WOULDNT HAVE TO.. and if you are in a PIT, I can guarantee you that the FATHER GOD would not leave you to stay in that PIT because we are GOD's children.. Just like JESUS, GOD didnt let him stay in the PIT.
PSALM 16: 10 FOR YOU WILL NOT LEAVE MY SOUL IN SHEOL (pit). (referring Messianic scripture)
IF YOU ARE IN A PIT RIGHT NOW, if you cry out to GOD, he will deliver you and restore your relationship with the FATHER.
to GOD be all the GLORY..
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