Unrecognizable, Part 1

I'm here to tell you that if you will just follow God and do what is leading you to do in the season when you come through what you're going through tactically unrecognizable to those who have been against you. You can give people a hug without embracing their behavior. Low and thanks for being here for this Monday edition of Destin for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard wherever you are and how he may be listening. Thanks for making this part of your day today pastor Paul takes us to the story of Joseph, a man who went from favorite son to resented little brother to an all but forgotten prisoner in Egypt but God never forgot his calling on Joseph's life and the suffering he went through changed him so profoundly that his own family no longer recognized him. This story is straightahead. Stay with us here or visit pastor Paul.net to listen to this or any recent message on to me and now is pastor Paul. Today's Destin for victory message unrecognizable Genesis chapter 42, beginning with verse one when Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons why do you just keep looking at each other, he continued. I have heard that there was grain in Egypt go down there and buy some for us so that we may live and not die, then 10 of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt, but Jacob did not send Benjamin Joseph's brother with the others because he was afraid that harm might come to him. So Israel sons were among those who went to buy grain for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Also now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground as soon as Joseph's always brothers.

He recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them where you come from.

He asked from the land of Canaan.

They replied to buy food.

Verse eight. Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. I want to launch a short series that I'm I've entitled on recognizable and my premise in this series is based on a sense I got as I was preparing these messages, you know, as I as I plan. So preaching as a pastor, as I plan how to feed the flock by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

There are times when I will just do an expositional series just based on some larger past passage and just go down through the passage and that sort of thing. But there are other times when I get messages that are what I consider to be a prophetic utterance that God wants me to share and this is one of those. I feel like this one is designed to be a prophetic declaration what I mean by that that you know the word of God's inspired the Bible is very clear all Scripture is given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, for instruction in righteousness, so there is the general inspiration of Scripture. But then God gives what is called a rainbow word. Sometimes when he was a Greek word and what that means is, rather than adjust being the overall inspired word for everybody.

Sometimes God will send a specific targeted word to you at a certain time for a certain reason in your life. This is one of those rainbow words this message at this time for every body. But I would suggest that even if you don't come away from this series feeling like it was a rainbow word for you now. I would suggest you take notes anyway. You know why because just because the word is in for you now doesn't mean you won't need it. Down the road. Sometimes when you're on the journey you pack a lunch and you take food which it not hunger. When you start out, but somewhere down the road y'all remember those old-fashioned car trips and you reach a man your mama had some chicken and some stuff and then your region and get it when you need it. Well, that's the way that's the way this word will be for some of you down the road you're going to need it but I recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I been preaching a long time and I know that when I get the urge and the nothings that I've gotten with this particular series. I know that it's it's a prophetic utterance for some of you right now listening to this message live on a CD or to broadcast this is a right now word for where you are, so I want you to open up your ears and hear what the Spirit of the Lord has to say to you now. Here is what I feel compelled to say as I introduce this message. This series God is saying when you come through the particular season that you're in right now God is going to have sole transformed blast and will be using your life in such a way that you're going to be practically unrecognizable to goals who have sought to destroy or discount what God has ordained for your life. I'm here to tell you that if you just follow God and do what is leading you to do in the season when you come through what you're going through, you're going to be practically unrecognizable to those who have been against you now consider this with me versus verses we just read Genesis 42 Joseph sees his brothers for the first time in a long time. Remember the story you know that when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was 17 years old at the time of this chapter.

Chapter 42 when his brothers come from Canaan to Egypt to buy food.

Joseph is 39. 22 years have passed since he last saw his brothers and since they lost last saw him.

But did you notice the verse that said, Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize him make any sense because yes 22 years has passed 22 years did not cause Joseph to forget what is brothers look like yet. When looking at him. They have no idea who that is. I want to suggest to you that it is more than he's grown from a teenager to a man now 39 years old.

It is because they never expected to lay eyes on him again in life when they sold him they thought they were done with him wherever they thought they had gotten rid of him.

They didn't know what he was going to live or die.

Didn't know whether he was going to farewell or be dealt with clearly and harshly as a slave.

They had no idea they had no expectation of seeing him, and they certainly didn't expect to see him large and in charge.

They certainly didn't expect to see him the Prime Minister of the whole nation of Egypt.

That was a God thing. And sometimes God works so powerfully in our lives until unless people have spiritual discernment, they cannot even recognize who we are or what God has been up to in our lives and I came to tell somebody you just stick with God and the people who act at all, in which you can come against you and discrediting you and discounting you an opposing view on your job or in your family you're going through your help, I came to tell you just stick with God when he gets to know you.

Now let's just gonna walk through some things. As I lay a foundation for what I'll be saying in this series. When you go to Genesis 37 that's what you first meet Joseph.

Now here's the song the favored son of Jacob. You know the name Jacob. If you have even a cursory idea of what is taught in Scripture of redemptive history. You know Jacob because that is the man who was the grandson of Abraham, the father of the faithful. You know that in Abraham God called out a nation unto himself and he said through you.

All the nations of the world will be blessed. Speaking of Christ coming through the lineage of Israel and so God called Abraham and said I'm going to start something very significant with you and it was going to run from generation to generation. So you have Abraham the first generation then you have Isaac second-generation of Israel, then you have Jacob, the first generation of Israel is really patriarchs and the fourth-generation now is Jacob's sons, one of which is Joseph.

Now he has a number of sons Joseph is one of his two younger sons and Joseph is spoiled he is favored with clearly told in Genesis 37 favored love more than the other boys his father made no bones about it. He didn't try to high Joseph is my favorite. Imagine now our father say openly to whoever will hear rid of all my kids Joseph is the one I love the most that AI Joseph is the one I love them. I need to tell somebody right at the outset of this series.

This functional families is nothing new I need you to understand that there's nothing new about this functional why you keep thinking your family is special not know this.

Functional families around.

Why do you keep going to Thanksgiving wondering why didn't you say will be right back with more of today's destiny for Victor message from Pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California listen to the broadcast on demand. Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net will find a host of great resources that are online store and stay with us after today's message Pastor Paul jointly from a studio in California first from the life of Joseph. Let's rejoin Pastor for the second half of today's teaching unrecognizable to get this family crazy file. The event crazy crazy was here when I hear the Bible and you got a man saying Joseph is my favorite. I love me some Joseph in fact go back farther than that go way back into the early chapters of Genesis and you find the first family had dysfunction. The first family and recorded human history had dysfunction.

Adam and Eve dysfunction already. Think about it now, standing in the garden having a conversation with Satan in the form of a serpent and the Bible says he deceived her he he he caused her to think she was making a good decision by plunging us into sin, and notice what it says. She ate the fruit of the tree all called about it. Go to the Apple is therefore we don't know what it was but we do know she was going to have any. She ate the fruit of the tree and then she gave to her husband who was with her dysfunction right in the garden. This interested disconnected SportsCenter watching man in the family. He said not remotely know the doorbell rang.

Dingdong who was at the devil and Michael get that all not know standing right there watching this conversation that she has no business had been guilty can blame it on what we fail over to full. She had no business being deceived by daddy. I don't understand that what they did, losing going right, but when she nothing. I'm here to tell you dysfunction didn't start which all so quick trip when you go to Thanksgiving yesterday going crazy when you go to your family reunion. Yet they go at crazy stop being in denial.

Your people are crazy but it comes down through the generations. You got a dysfunctional family. This boy's love above all of his other brother, his older brothers. So much so that you told in Genesis 37. They are out working and he's home chilling in a cold. His father had custom made for him a coat of many colors. You get to stay all the older brothers out working in a little teeny boy who can do labor. This is a 17 year old strong teenager home chilling on a Gucci bursae chief good you don't have a job spoiled overindulged underdeveloped in the father is happy think he's doing right so we are told that although this boy is overindulged.

Although he is spoiled rotten. He is cold.

My God. Is there something you're calling predict your condition. The reason why the church is gotta learn to make disciples and we gotta stop caring where people are when they start the journey or where people find themselves on their journey is because God called you before your condition was taken into account. In other words, God doesn't tell us to disciple folk who are pretty good in the first place and he does need to do a little bit more with not know when he is looking to make disciples. Doesn't matter where you're coming from because it is God's calling that is going to bring about his purpose in your life is not how close to or how far from where God wants you to be. That's a nonfactor. God takes you where from wherever you are and where he has called you to be an Joseph was called to be a difference maker. He was called by God and so the fact that he is a spoiled brat effect of these overindulged effectively come from this functional family really has nothing to do with his calling. God calls us before the foundation of the world you need to know that God made his mind up about you before the world began, and that's why you gotta be encouraged to know that when God is at work in your life. He has promised to get you to where he's ordained you to be an event happen all over in the hell can prevent what God is doing in your life. That's how powerful is calling is on your life. This boy was called called by God, so much so that he gets to dreams, you learn in Genesis 37 God gives them to dreams. Both dreams mean that one day his family will bow down to him.

One day his family will bow down to him now. The boys 17. He's young and dumb and he is so naïve that he thinks it's a good idea to tell the rest of the family that God gave him a dream that one day all the old will be bowing to me you know you gotta be young and dumb to do that to think that's a good idea but come to think of it, some of us grow up older and still haven't quite learned that you can't tell dreams to little people now use a women's business family.

His father, the patriarch's father called God is the grandson of Abram are you calling them little people.

Let me define little people for you by little people, I mean people who don't have the emotional or spiritual or relational capacity to relate to you. Even when God is going to bless you more than he is blessing them little people are folk who can only move with you when you worn but they cannot rejoice with you when you succeed little people are people who can in a patronizing fashion trend supportive of you. When you fail but cannot rejoice with you when you have great success. People are people who can show up at the funeral when a card but can show up at the celebration when you are being promoted shoulders above bailment people like them. People are whether friends people are folk who can only show up under certain conditions here to tell you all of us at some point in our lives and I hope this is the season for some of you all of us must learn not to tell dreams the little people they can handle them will have the capacity to handle what God is doing in your life. Thanks so much for being here for today's destined for victory message unrecognizable. Look for any of Pastor Paul's recent messages online on demand@pastorpaul.net or subscribe to the podcast at Apple podcast or wherever you get yours well I'm pleased to welcome Pastor Paul who joins me now from a studio in California pastor your ministry to us each day of the radio with the various online sources for destined for victory. So encouraging one more thing that you do when you feel very strongly about this is the monthly encouragement letter that goes out to everyone, let's talk about that for a moment. Yeah, absolutely. The one letter I feel strongly about making sure we produce every month is an encouragement letter and so I take some time and based on some teaching of that month, and occasionally is not related to the teaching just something that got put on my heart and that particular time I write a letter to let people know. Not only are we preaching messages but were really trying to impact your life and help you with application because again, our ministry exists to help people know God's son apply God's word and fulfill God's purpose and my encouragement letter is designed to help you know him apply his word fulfill his purpose and so I feel strongly about it and I would encourage people who are not on our mailing list to please take a moment and let us know. Hey, I'd love to get the letter. It's absolutely free is no obligation for no obligation at all.

We will take care of the stamp and everything. All you gotta do is let us know. We can reach you. We'd be happy to send it to you. We can also send it to you by email. And it's important for you to be encouraged month by month and so please let us do that get in touch with us. Give us your email and your mailing address so we can get in touch with you on a monthly basis. Well, the word encouragement means to give someone support confidence or hope. Sometimes all three is what Pastor Paul seeks to do each month with these letters of encouragement.

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You have never shot God in your life… Another minute have exact capable. I nothing has ever caught God by surprise. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message unrecognizable.

Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory