Quote from Forum Archives on February 25, 2003, 10:02 am

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

DARING TO DREAM AGAIN #1/9
DREAM TROUBLES
February 23, 2003

Text: Genesis 37:5-28

All of us has no doubt had dreams that we can recall after waking up. In
fact, we have all probably experienced dreams that wake us up; we call
them troubling or troubled dreams. Nightmares. Yes, they can be haunting
and frightening. I know I’ve asked myself on occasion, “Where did that
dream come from?”

Sometimes, though, it’s not a frightening dream that can frighten us.
Sometimes the problem is not troubled dreams but dream troubles. That’s
what Joseph experienced in his own home: dream troubles. Have you ever
dared to dream, only to run into dream troubles?

Genesis 37:5 is quite telling: “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it
to his brothers, they hated him all the more.” Couldn’t be more blunt,
could it? Family problems had been brewing for years because of Dad’s
favoritism for Joseph. In those days, the favorite son by default was
supposed to be the oldest one. That’s the way the structure of
inheritance was supposed to go. But here is Joseph, a much younger son
than most of his brothers, receiving Jacob’s favoritism. So what happens
when he shares his dream with his brothers? More fuel poured on the
already burning jealousy fires!

How did Joseph think he and his dream would be received by his brothers?
Hard to tell, but their response is probably no surprise to us. Telling
his older brothers that they would one day be bowing down to their little
brother? Yeah… that went over really well. Not even Joseph’s father was
too keen on the idea. We read in verse 10, “When he told his father as
well as his brothers, his father rebuked him…” Not even his favoritism
towards Joseph could cause him to accept such an unlikely idea.

Except… Except there was apparently something lingering in Jacob’s mind
after hearing Joseph’s dreams. Now to this point, there is no mention
that Joseph’s dream came from God. Since we read about it from the Bible,
and since we know the entire story of Joseph, we know that God’s will is
at work. But Joseph’s family knew no such thing. Yet, even though Jacob
rebuked his son for such presumptuous stories, he harbored some personal
reservations. “His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the
matter in mind.” This is an indication of reflection and pondering and
thought. Perhaps he thought, “It’s ridiculous to think that all of
Joseph’s brothers, and his father and mother as well, will bow down to
him. How impertinent! But where did such a dream come from? Could it be?
Naw… But, I had some pretty unusual dreams given to me by God, too. Just
maybe, could it be?”

So time passes, and the day arrives when Joseph is sent to inquire about
his brothers and the flock. As he comes to them, they exclaim, “Here
comes that dreamer!” How often has that been exclaimed throughout all
time around all the world. Many times, calling someone a dreamer is not
meant to be a compliment. This December, we’re coming up on the 100th
anniversary of the Wright brother’s flight at Kitty Hawk. Looking back
through the spectacles of history, we celebrate the event as a true
world-changing moment. To many of their peers and contemporaries, the
Wright brother’s and their friends were a bunch of “dreamers.” Meaning,
of course, that they were full of folly and wasting precious time. Their
heads were in the clouds. Nothing useful was going to come from their
dreams and visions of powered flight except heartache and trouble.

And so it was throughout much of the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries when so many “dreamers” experimented and tinkered and fiddled
with so many ideas while, at the same time, they subjected themselves to
ridicule and derision from family, friends, and strangers. What rewards
have we received from their dreams and perseverance? Trips to see far
away family that take only hours instead of months. Medicines that render
almost harmless diseases such as influenza that were once almost always
fatal. Restored or prolonged eyesight by spending a few seconds with a
laser beam in our eye. Actually, we can be pretty grateful to dreamers,
can’t we?

The message being given us this morning is that although dreams sometimes
bring troubles, dreams need to be pursued. Joseph underwent many
tribulations before his God-given dreams were fulfilled. He endured the
loss of family support, slavery, false accusation, and imprisonment. He
faced a shaky, uncertain future. He faced disappointment, depression, and
despondency. He faced total and complete loneliness, cut off from any
form of human support. Yet, through it all, God empowered Joseph to
persevere. And when the time came for Joseph’s dream to be fulfilled,
God’s dream was fulfilled as well. Joseph accepted his family back with
compassionate forgiveness, and God saved His people from the devastation
of famine.

Following dreams is not always easy, not even when the goals of those
dreams are certain to be for the good of an individual or group. When
faced with adversity, though, dreamers must be prepared to persist. Over
60 years ago, a baby girl was born with major health problems which left
her disabled. While her brothers and sisters enjoyed running and playing
outside each day, she was confined indoors, her legs wrapped in leather
and steel braces. Her family were all Christians. They showed her much
love, support, faith, and encouragement. “Will I ever be able to run and
play like the others?” she would often ask the doctors, resulting in
mostly negative replies from them. But she confronted her dream troubles
and, encouraged by her parents’ support, she began to believe that God
would enable her to walk without braces. She got her brothers and sisters
to help her practice moving her legs without the support of the braces,
and on her 12th birthday she amazed her parents and doctors by removing
her braces and walking around unassisted. She never wore braces again!

Now that’s amazing enough, but there’s more. Her next goal was to play
basketball. She continued to exercise her faith and courage - as well as
her underdeveloped legs - and tried out for the school basketball team.
The coach told her that she wasn’t good enough, selecting her older
sister, instead. More dream troubles to confront. Her dad, a wise and
loving man, told the coach, “My daughters come in pairs. If you want the
one, you have to take the other also.” So, reluctantly, the coach added
her to the team. She was given an outdated uniform and allowed to
practice with the other players. One day she told the coach, “If you’ll
give me an extra ten minutes of coaching each day, I’ll give you a
world-class athlete!” His laughter trailed off when he realized she was
serious. And he agreed to give her the extra time.

It wasn’t long before the extra coaching paid off, and she became one of
his best players. When her team made it to the state basketball
championships, the coach of the internationally famous “Tiger Belle’s
Track Club” invited her to try running. She soon started winning all of
the track events she was entered in. By the age of 16, she found herself
competing in the Olympics in Australia - and winning a bronze medal for
anchoring the women’s 400-meter relay team. Remember, she could not walk
unassisted as a young girl.

At this point, she could have easily pointed out with satisfaction that
her dreams had been fulfilled, certainly beyond what anyone would have
expected just a few years before. But she was not yet satisfied. Pursuing
persistence and new goals, she created a little bit of her own dream
troubles, meaning that she worked extra hard for the next four years. She
represented the United States in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. She won the
100-meter dash and the 200- meter dash, and anchored the 400-meter relay
. . . all in world-record times! This time, it was three medals - all
gold. At the end of the year she received the prestigious Sullivan Award
as the most outstanding amateur athlete in America. Her faith and hard
work had paid off. Still today, Wilma Rudolph is a reminder to us that
the most restrictive barriers are not always those of the body, but those
of the mind and spirit.

If you had no fear of failure, what would you attempt for God? What is it
that you would like to lay at the Master’s feet when your life is over?
Next Sunday we embark on a 50-Day Spiritual Adventure called “Daring to
Dream Again.” I anticipate it being a time of accelerated, measurable,
and lasting spiritual growth. Accelerated because I believe you will grow
faster than normal. Measurable because you will see progress in your own
handwriting in the journal you keep. And lasting because 50 days is a
long enough period of time to establish some good new habit patterns.

I’m also aware that with a challenge like this, we can run into dream
troubles of our own. But we can learn to confront and overcome them. In
this eight-Sunday series we will look at some key Biblical characters -
six men and two women. All of them could have said “Dreams? I don’t care
for any, thank you. It hurts too much when they don’t come true.” Even
so, each of these individuals will have a key lesson to teach us.

This becomes a challenge, then, to become involved in the “Daring to
Dream Again” Adventure. If you have not already done so, pick up your
guidebook and your journal. And be aware that the elements of the
adventure - daily time in the Word, answering the journal questions,
completing the weekly assignments - might initially seem to some like a
challenging path. That’s because this is not a make-believe adventure,
but one that’s for real, in which God himself is involved. And satan will
show up as well to try to knock us off track and give us dream troubles.

The point is that when significant behavioral change takes place, as with
Joseph, things may get worse before they get better. But over time, great
maturity marked Joseph as he overcame obstacle after obstacle in the
fulfillment of his dreams. We can grow, too, as the Lord molds our
behavior to be more and more like that of His Son Jesus. We have a great
eight weeks ahead, as restrictive barriers of the mind and spirit are
broken and we all begin running spiritually in record times!

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song . . .
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, who took on flesh . . .
’Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied . . .
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground his body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain . . .
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am his and he is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
>From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
’Til he returns, or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand! (Excerpts from “In Christ Alone”
© 2001 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music)

Would you really like to be free? Then you need to allow God, by his
Spirit and through his Word, to change you “from the inside out” over the
next eight Sundays. It’s a process, and that process takes time to come
to full fruition in your life. This morning, I encourage us to confront
our dream troubles. Let us concentrate on the transforming power and
possibilities of God as we submit to His will and to His Word over the
weeks ahead.

And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in
him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

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