Good morning again to everybody. Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 37. I'm going to begin by looking in Genesis chapter 37. Most of us are probably aware that we've been kind of working our way through several of the stories in the book of Genesis, particularly the ones that pertain to some of the things that I've been studying about how God changes us from the inside out.
And these changes as we have begun to learn typically take an extended period of time. There's some lessons that we catch on too real quick, but mostly those lessons are the right answers. What takes time is moving from wherever we're out in life to becoming the kinds of people that God desires us to be that they take years of reconditioning on God's part. We've spent quite a number of weeks looking at the portions of the life of Jacob and realizing that that was quite a journey for 20-some years to go through that experience.
So we ended up with two wives, not one, but two wives and dealing with Uncle Avinan. But pretty much we see in Jacob's life as he had a unique personality that in some sense needed to be worked out and dealt with and transformed. And we all know that the personality we're born with, we probably are going to die with the same personality unless somehow God makes a few adjustments in life and changes that. And not only will strong personalities be that way, but there's sometimes there's other ingredients that go into the development or formation of who we are.
And by God's grace, he is able to take us from one place to the other. This morning we're going to begin looking at the life of Joseph, and attempt to humbly consider some things that God does not only in our own lives, but how it certainly affects the lives of people around us. Genesis chapter 37, I'll begin with verse 1 and read down through 20 for our study this morning. Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of 17 was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpa, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel, which is also another name for Jacob, had loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age, and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
Joseph had a dream, and when he had told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, listen to this dream I had. We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheep rose and stood upright while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. His brother said to him, do you intend to reign over us?
Will you actually rule us? And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and what he had said. Then he had another dream and he told it to his brothers. Listen, he said, I had another dream and this time the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.
When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, what is this dream that you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Verse 12, now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem and Israel said to Joseph, as you know your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem, come, I'm going to send you to them.
Very well, he replied. So he said to him, go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks and bring word back to me. Then he sent him off from the valley of Hebern. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, what are you looking for?
He replied, I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks? They have moved on from here. The man answered, I heard them say, let's go to Dotham.
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dotham. But they saw him in the distance. And before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. Here comes that dreamer, they said, to each other, come now, let's kill him, let's throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him, then we will see what comes of his dreams.
While we come to you, recognizing that your ways and your purposes in life seemingly crash into contrast with some of the dreams and plans of other people, especially when ours are not quite matured. We haven't quite grown to a clear understanding of the way or the direction we ought to live. But we pray, Lord, that by your grace and by the blessing of your spirit in our lives, that we might continue to journey on with not only a humble and attitude heart to receptivity to your desires, but we pray, God, that we would always be teachable. So we trust, Lord, that as you lead, that we might ultimately discover the beauty of keeping in step with your spirit.
We pray, especially even today, though, that we might find the things that bring us back to a place in which we might find our desires realigned with your will, prepare us for the holy sacraments we pray, as we examine ourselves and we homily say, here we are. Lord, may your blessing rest in Jesus name, amen. It's difficult sometimes to try to grasp them when we think of this story. We think, boy, this would be rather interesting to have a dream that God might give to us that would give us some kind of direction or clarity to life.
But it's important to understand that everyone seems to love that idea, at least until the dreams take us to places where we really don't want to go. And as much as we think about Joseph's dream, it really isn't real pretty for quite some time. And yet that idea of a God who gives dreams is probably somewhat fascinating to many of us when we think about that. It's also often rather difficult, though, for some of us to accept the truth that possibly God has a dream for me.
We may not become familiar with the dreams that God gives us because we sometimes are not attuned to that idea, number one. And number two, sometimes we haven't quite developed a seeking and searching heart for the dream that God really has for us. A lot of times what's confusing in life is we come to faith and whichever door we come through, we sometimes develop ideas about what we might gain from God or acquire from God or how we might experience blessings from God. But many times we first come to faith, our first question is not always, Lord, what do you want me to do for you?
So as long as our faith somehow is about trying to see what we might gain, obviously those dreams we may be somewhat exposed to, but we're not really receptive to. Those kinds of dreams. When you and I think of the idea that God has given us a gift or a talent, He's given us a certain calling upon our lives, we need to realize that this is in fact the dream that God has for us. So it may not come in full color vision, but it is still at least in black and white.
It is it's written for us. God is the dream-giver who has, in essence, a foreordained, a plan and purpose for us that comes out of what is written. There are times in life that He gives you a clear understanding of maybe what that might look like as far as a direction and purpose. Bear with me as I look at a few scriptures to kind of lay the groundwork that you and I need to realize that God's purpose and plan for you is your dream, that God's will for your life, that's His dream, that God's calling upon your life, that's your dream.
It may not look so much like we're all going to bow down to you someday, but either way the dream is not for you and I to be served, but your dream is so that you and I might serve others. First Peter, chapter 4, verse 10. Please turn to some of these scriptures as I trust we can begin to think in terms that God may very well have attempted to lay a dream before many of us. We just never quite connected that this dream is God's dream and He has laid it for us.
First Peter, chapter 4 and verse 10. We could begin looking at that one. First Peter, chapter 4 and verse 10. What we want to notice here in these scriptures is the emphasis upon all of us have this gift given.
Each one in 1 Peter 4, 10. Each one should use whatever gift He has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. Some of us may still struggle that we wonder what our gift is. I think the important thing is you don't start with a gift, you start with service.
And when you and I understand the beauty of serving and simply ministering to other people as a prior to your life, you might find out you're actually pretty good at something. And sometimes at serving you could practice on the pastor, you could make him pies, cakes, muffins, anything, and I'll assure you you are gifted. So there are many ways that it might seemingly be more appealing and desirable, but it's important to understand that God has created you and I for certain roles and places that might not seem like a Joseph dream, but it's still God's dream for us. It may not look like it's so lofty and so great, but think about it.
You really want to get sold by your brothers. Do you really want to go through 13 years of prison up and down through Potiphers' house and be tempted in those ways so that you can rule and reign and so that we can bow down to you someday? You and I need to recognize that the dream that God often is communicating to us doesn't always look so colorful and so great when he begins to give it to you. The important thing is we all have a purpose and plan in which God created us for us.
And that is our dream. Whether he shows it in full color in the beginning of the journey or he begins to give you glimpses of it as you and I travel on is really irrelevant. Most of us really don't know what we're going to go through before we get to the place God wants us to be. I'm sure Joseph wouldn't have told his brothers so quick.
He said, by the way, I'm going to be sold like in the hint. You might as well sell me. You're going to put me in a cistern. You're going to sell me to the many nights.
They're going to take me down to Egypt. I would tell them all those things. It's because God told him one part simply to lay in his heart the fact that God is a purpose and plan for life. I think what may be Joseph kind of unique is that he had a tendency by later on we see his character and the integrity of the kind of person he was.
And he probably was a lot more in tune to the things of God than his brothers obviously were. If we're still in 1 Peter, jump back to chapter 1 verses 14 and 15. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 14 and 15. As we mentioned earlier that we all are granted a gift to serve, we also have another common purpose and plan, a dream in which God has laid upon our hearts.
I'll begin with verse 14 and then read 15 of chapter 1. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires that you had when you lived in ignorance verse 15. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. And verse 16 for it is written, be holy because I am holy.
God's purpose and plan is dream for us. It's to begin to enter into a relationship that not only benefits from the saving power of Jesus Christ, but that relationship also benefits in being a different kind of person than when I was when Christ first called me. In other words, holiness is to be set apart for noble purposes, for godly purposes. I've used the illustration many times about the China cabinet that probably your generation before you.
Some of you might still have China cabinets that are special dishes for special guests. You and I need to realize that you and I are a special dish for a special purpose, a special calling, but God doesn't want us to simply collect dust and wait around for some one moment in life. You and I are China set aside for a purpose. And when we begin to embrace the idea that God is a purpose and plan for us, that is greater than simply just getting up every day, going to work, making some money, pay the bills, come on, go to bed.
Next day we get up and repeat, repeat, repeat. Your purpose is unique. It's the dream God has for you. It may not come.
As I mentioned, in full color, it may not seem as great as someday that we're all going to bow down to you, but none of us probably really want that anyway. You and I are gifted to serve. You and I have been created to be given away. You and I have a dream that God has for us that is able to impact the world.
The dream giver is always at work giving his dreams. We may not ever know them in their full scope unless we're walking faithfulness in the journey before that. The important thing is we don't start ultimately with the desire simply to have a dream. We start with the desire to simply keep our eye on the one who gives dreams that God is the dream giver.
He has a purpose and plan for life and it includes utilizing our gifts, our talents, for service and also to journey into a world of being holy or set apart and humbly saying, Lord, you made me this way for a purpose. Allow me to sense where these things ought to be used. Let's go to second Peter. Now, chapter one, I want to continually build upon this to realize we're all given a dose of the same amount of the Holy Ghost.
You and I have been blessed with the presence and the Spirit of God for a unique purpose and plan and He's taking us. He's leading us. He's cultivating us to fulfill the dream He has for us. Once again, in Joseph's case, he has told the dream in advance.
In our case, you and I simply are called to keep our eye on the dream giver. You and I will know and sense the right direction He has for us as we continue to journey on through life. You really don't have an advantage to know you're going to Egypt someday. You really don't have an advantage knowing we're all going to bow down to you someday.
That doesn't give you an advantage. It's simply made, Joseph's confidence in God probably a lot more difficult than you and I could ever imagine. The important thing is God has a dream for every single one of us. And He has already laid upon our heart a stirring, a restlessness that says, I'm not where I ought to be.
And that's where our decisions to give our lives to Christ are often activated. Is it our desire? Has it become our commitment to begin to pursue the dream that God truly has prepared? So I can Peter chapter one.
This is all part of the idea of God's dream giving plan. In verse eight, I'll start with. Now I will start with three. Now in these particular verses, it doesn't say dream.
It says you're called. It's God's dream for you. As you and I respond to that in your calling, that is walking in fulfillment to the dream that God has for you. His divine power in verse three has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
You'll notice there's two key words there, light and godliness. They touch upon the life that God has for you, which is the utilization of your gifts. And also the second word, godliness comes from being a holy people set apart for his purpose. So he picks upon those two pillars of the fact that the divine power or the Holy Spirit has given us everything we need for this life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and goodness.
So we have struck down to verse five for this very reason to those of us who have been to exchange the concept because a lot of times it seems as if we as Christians are either believe in a big dream or we have failed to recognize that that little dream is a big thing to God. That sometimes we race through life trying to figure out what is my dream? What is my dream? What is my dream?
Rather beginning to say, God, you have called me to go in this direction and I choose to have confidence that going in that direction, I will ultimately get to the place you want me to go. And then other times God may reveal too much of that dream and we get scared because Egypt doesn't really sound that great after all and dealing with being sold as a brothers. We shut down and that's the end of our world because we've been taken advantage of and everything else. Or worse yet, we finally get to a place where we can see the dream is opening up.
He's in Potipar's house and there's his wife. And that's the end of another chapter of the dream. We must recognize that as God is taking us wherever He's taking us, He's fully capable of protecting us and providing for us. But you and I need to understand the dream is God's plan.
And by treating it as a sacred gift of God and faithfully serving Him wherever we are going to experience the beauty of this dream that He has for us. There's a lot of things we can learn from the life of Joseph. And there's a lot of things that we will never fully understand. But one thing is true is the dream that God had given Joseph.
He is the same God trying to accomplish the same purposes in our generation today. And He's willing to use each and every one of us in that process. As long as our own personal agenda and dreams don't seem to begin to enter into competition with the plans and purpose He has for you. The idea of dreams would actually sound great if some of us would be told that one day we would be rulers of some particular country in someplace.
And actually if the world would bow down to us that might appeal to some of us. But I doubt that there's many of us really want that kind of dream. Think about that. His brothers obviously thought you've got to be kidding me.
You're the little pips week. You're the last one on the list other than your brother Benjamin. And so he probably was not only just an interesting kind of guy but he squealed on his brothers I don't know how many times. And it's really because of his integrity.
His dad trusted him with telling the truth and everything. And he was either smart enough or full enough depending on how you look at it. He said, Dad, this is what happened. So actually they hated him.
I don't know about the code of many colors. I really don't like that kind of style myself. But you can imagine that what goes along with this dream thing is it's a beautiful story when it gets read it. But I'll tell you what.
The older you get the less it really sounds exciting. The important thing though is that's where we're all out. Is where we have this unique dream that God has given to us and lay upon our lives. And as much as it has a ring of appeal to us what a journey to get to.
That's where change takes place. That's where our lives grow in towards maturity is the between time and that's what we want to begin to look at it. Ultimately that between time has a lot of communion services. We must ultimately come back to God and say, God, we've got to talk once again.
I love the idea of your purpose and plan for my life which somehow the things I'm going through right now are not always the most comfortable experiences in life. Nor did they seem to be what I quite had in mind when you first called me to bless me and build my life with so many good things. Serving God's purposes involves submitting to his work. It is surrendering our lives to his will.
And ultimately that dream that he may give us doesn't even belong to you and I. It's his dream for us. As we respond in humbleness and obedience he is able to fulfill these things. Now what's interesting is you would assume if you read Genesis 37 and you simply only looked at that.
You would assume that he gets a dream. Joseph gets one but his brothers they don't. Well it's interesting that their father Jacob before he dies he blesses them and he tells them their dream. It's important to know that everybody has a dream and that's the point you and I need to see but you'll notice if you took the time to read the dreams that are pronounced upon his brothers.
Some of those are tied together with their integrity or lack of it. Some of those have to do with patterns or behaviors in which they involve themselves in. Remember last week we talked about Simeon and Levi they said my sister will not be treated like a prostitute. Well later on the dream for their lives it's something to do with the sword for the rest of their lives.
Why? That's where they were they used their sword. So you can see the unraveling of these dreams and purpose that as much as God has a distinct purpose and plan for lives you and I can really mess things up for the big plan that God has for us. We're going to look at the important fact that when God begins to reveal himself he begins to show you a little bit of the direction he wants you to go and the calling upon your life.
And even though you and I may have gifts and talents for unique purpose and plan you need to understand the condition of my heart. Has a lot to do with whether that dream is going to continue to move in the original intended purpose or things get changed. Sometimes we think about God being the dream giver we might get the idea that God has this set place in life this fixed position and it's going to happen whether you and I cooperate with it or not. Turn with me to 1 Samuel chapter 13.
1 Samuel chapter 13. It's humbling to realize that as sub-as and as predetermined he has for your life and the direction of your life that's my will, your will, my heart, your heart can in fact change things. We're good or not so good. 1 Samuel chapter 13.
We want to read verses 13 and 14. 1 Samuel chapter 13 was verses 13 and 14. A little bit background we have King Saul who's already the ruling king at the time and we find that King David obviously followed him and this story tells us why is King Saul demoted and why is King David promoted. Verse 13, you acted foolishly, Samuel said that is to Saul.
You have not kept the commands that the Lord your God gave you. If you had, notice that he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. Verse 14, but now your kingdom will not endure. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people because you have not kept the Lord's command.
It's important to see that God's intent seemingly as is recorded is all you're the man and then something takes place. The story unfolds and now the dream that God has for Saul is now given to King David. Some would say, well, King David already had this dream of one day he would be appointed. We've got to move beyond yet keep looking at the arguments that always gives the right answers and sure that our heart comes to the right place because the heart of the matter is in essence part of the equation of where your life goes and the dreams you're able to walk in and experience in that are inconsistent with God's will is God is the one that weighs the heart.
He's the one that understands the condition of our heart. He's the one that knows deep inside what makes us tick what drives us what moves us in direction is important. Your dream is connected to the condition of the heart. And so we see Joseph obviously demonstrates this quality of life that is all over his life that that dream was compatible with the condition of the heart.
None of his brothers could have been sold like a slave and continued on. None of his brothers could have put up with policy of his wife and succeeded in that none of his brothers could have gone through 13 years of prison in and out without falling and caving into these things. None of them especially when it came time for the brothers to bow down would have humbly said you meant it for harm. God meant it for good.
It's important to know that Joseph was a quality kind to person and the condition of his heart did have a huge bearing on the direction of the dream that God has for us. The question might be as we think about the dream that God has for each and every one of us. It might not be that we're going to bow down to you. But whatever that dream is that purpose that plan that ministry that calling upon your life.
We must understand number one. God has a plan for our lives. That is fixed. That is consistent with scripture.
But the condition of a heart will greatly determine whether it goes to the left or the right to straight ahead. And by humbly coming once again as we think in terms of the Holy sacraments that this is one key reason we come to acknowledge what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross because it ultimately can bring us back to the place in which God's blessing, favor and his purpose for lives can be re aligned once again. Let's look at going back to Genesis 37 verses 19 and 20. Genesis chapter 37 verses 19 and 20.
We mentioned that when our heart condition isn't so great, we can really greatly affect the plan and purpose God has for our lives. We can sell ourselves short. We can not fulfill the role that God wants us to have if we choose to be that stubborn and obnoxious about it. The second thing that goes together with that is nobody else can take away that dream.
Look at verses 19 and 20 and Genesis 37. Here comes that dreamer. They said to each other, come now. Let's kill him.
Throw him into one of these systems and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams. When you begin to share the direction and leading that God has in your life, there are people that are going to look at you a little bit one way or another. There will be people that will rejoice with that and encourage you in that direction in life.
And there's others that they're going to try to put the breaks on because they don't understand. The important thing to know is his brothers really had no say on where his dreams were going to go. As a matter of fact, they figured if we take care of this guy today, then that's the end of those dreams. At least we won't have to hear them anymore.
We won't have to deal with them anymore. But the truth is, as you know the rest of the story, it did not change the dream. It never slowed the dream down. It didn't mess it up.
As a matter of fact, God used every bits and piece of those horrible experiences to bring Joseph to even a better and better place in fulfillment to God's purpose and plan. But as brothers, as far as they were concerned, it's over. It's done. We can stop the dream.
What's important as I realize in my own spiritual journey is there has been times that people have greatly encouraged me in the journey. And there were others that started out right away saying you weren't going to do. I'll tell you why when I first was getting ready to get out of the Navy because I sensed the call of ministry is some opposition comes with opportunities. I was offered a pretty cushy position in the Navy if I'd have stayed in and a little bit extra pay and all that kind of stuff.
But then Veterans Day would be only better, I guess. I don't know. The important thing is, I understood at that point and believed fully that this is the direction I needed to go. So you get tempted not just simply from negative things.
Sometimes it's opportunities and offers in life. He's learning to sort through that and realize that I've got away what's coming in front of me because the devil, he writes the book of tricks. And so he's fully capable of baiting you with one thing. He's obviously able to create all kinds of temptations in other ways.
My mother was one of the first that clearly said, you know what? You're not going to make it great encouragement. But that was her kind of way of looking at life and analyzing things and not a very good choice. There were several people that tried to discourage my wife and I to go to Bible College and at that particular time.
And the challenge of the important thing is to listen to God who provides, who blesses, who gives direction and bring clarity and understand the difference between my dreams and God's dreams. Because no one can stop God's dreams, but they will try. And there will often be these challenges that come in. As long as all the 11 brothers enjoy bowing down to you, then your dreams, if they're self-generated, they will probably come true.
There are ways that you can get your own dreams fulfilled. And as long as you've got people around you that applaud what you're doing without using wisdom, without humbly approaching God, you and I will succeed in that. But the difference primarily is if your brothers are cheering you on, your dream will come true overnight. If it's God's, it's probably going to be a long wait.
You think about many of the Bible characters that you and I might applaud and we recognize the direction in their lives. It's often many years of waiting. Even Jesus, you would think that somehow he could show up at least a big baby and speed up the process of getting on the ministry and somehow performing miracles in a much younger age and 30. I mean, when you think about the season of preparation, it's probably where most people struggle with the idea of the dream-giver giving dreams.
It's because we're not accustomed to all of these years of preparation. As a matter of fact, if you try to fill out an informational test, it doesn't make sense why you need to wait so many years in life to get the dream-giver to provide for you. But it is that when you realize the transformation levels that need to take place so that God can position in places he wants us to be, those are the ones that the right answers will never be able to fully explain. We do know one thing that from experience in the examples in Scripture, every single one of them had to wait.
They require waiting. They require personal growth and maturity. They require some huge adjustments within our attitudes and heart condition. They involve trusting and not leaning on our own understanding.
Joseph was given a dream which obviously came true as we know the rest of the story. He was given many years and many disappointments and many setbacks before his brother ultimately they did bow down to him. And even in the midst or that moment of bowing down, Joseph isn't saying, I got you. He was changed at this point.
He was humble. He was a broken man. Hebrews 11 verse 6 is so true as it applies to each and every one of us today. Let's turn to Hebrews 11 and verse 6.
Hebrews 11 and verse 6, without faith it's impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Probably the hardest lesson to learn about dealing with dreams is that you and I must learn to not look so much at the dream, but we are looking to God as the dream-giver, that our focus and our faith is upon God himself. And when we have our eyes in the wrong place, it will obviously get our feet moving in the wrong direction. Let's go back now to Genesis chapter 37.
And let's try to pull some of this together here. Genesis chapter 37 and start with verse 5 and then we'll drop down to 9 and 10. Genesis 37, now Joseph had a dream and when he told it to his brothers they hated him all the more. Verse 9.
Then he had another dream and he told it to his brothers. Listen, he said, I had another dream and this time the sun and the moon, the 11 stars were bowing down to me. When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, what is this dream that you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?
His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Joseph's father was different than the brothers in the sense that he was older, he's been through many tests, many trials, but he also, if you recall, was a dreamer himself. He understood that God indeed can communicate a purpose and plan, but he also understood that it's not always going to be a simple dream to be uniquely called to God. Many of us are well aware and when we came to faith we immediately received it with joy and then it's the trials and testings the temptations began to enter into life.
It's not long before you realize there's a huge difference between calling him a Savior and recognizing him as your Lord. When you begin to devote your life to being a follower of him rather than simply a pursuer of those gifts, your life radically changes. But the dream and the plan God has for us is to move us beyond simply all of the immediate blessings and the comforts and the joy and satisfaction and to begin to transform us in a way that we become responsible spiritual adults. We move into a direction where life is about serving and life is about being responsible and life is about ministering to others.
Life is about being able to take the keys to the kingdom and be trusted with God's car as we drive through life. It's moving into a direction where the quality of our life seems to get catapulted to a whole new level of St. Paul's father, the Lord, is no longer about daydreaming and simply having an idea of a dream. It's beginning to embrace a calling upon our lives.
And that's ultimately what communion brings us back to once again. It is understanding, yes, we are reminded in the Holy Soccer Mince there's a Savior who paid it all. But his purpose and plan was to pay it all so that this world can in fact be reached. God uses each and every one of us in that process.
He's shaping our life. He's cultivating our lives. He's taking us through the journey of bringing about his dream in and through our lives because his dream also involves a lot of other people. I trust that as we come today to look at the Holy Soccer Mince that we might humbly say, Lord, I know you called me for a reason.
I may not understand exactly what it is, but finish what you began. And I trust as we come and we begin to prepare ourselves for this, that we might recognize the dream-giver. Though I may not have ever understood the uniqueness of my dream. We know one thing, the dream-giver is still in working our lives.
The question is, can we allow our hearts to say, Lord, help me to embrace your purpose and your plan. At this time, I invite the worship team to come up and the ushers as well as we prepare to serve the elements and celebrate the Lord's summer. Let's pray. Father, it's hard to imagine that the dream that Jesus came to fulfill was going to cost him everything.
But the Scriptures make it clear to us that for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. And that joy is each and every one of us. That someday we would discover the beauty of a life and a calling that changes everything about us. And Jesus came and fulfilled that dream of being the Savior of the world.
We pray that we might allow our lives to be reshaped by recognizing that what you've done now calls us to be different. It's called us to give, it's called us to lay ourselves down for your cause. And somehow that's part of our dream. We pray that you would allow us to not only sense the appropriateness of these things, but bring our hearts to a place even today where we realize that life is about your dream.
And may we only be able to receive and embrace the direction of that dream point. We praise you for this. Thank you Lord for this fresh reminder through the bread that we might remember clearly that your body was broken for us. And we trust that as our lives also break for others, we pray Lord that we might be freshly reminded the beauty of what we received.
We can now give. We thank you for this. We pray as we prepare our hearts even this morning that we might come once again to a renewed decision to not only recognize the beauty of your salvation, but give us the courage to look to you in faith and say here I am Lord. Thank you for this.
May your name be honored. May we be blessed in Jesus name. Everyone please hold the cracker to it all served and then we'll serve the juice as well.