Who Owns the Dream? | Pastor Greg Ford Sermon | One Church Columbus
Who Owns the Dream? | Pastor Greg Ford Sermon | One Church Columbus
ICEBREAKER:
What is your favorite Christmas movie?
MESSAGE NOTES:
Sermon: Who Owns the Dream?
Read Genesis 37:5-10
Greg grew up with a passion for playing football. He recorded Superbowl 21. He would watch it over and over again to the point he memorized it. At age 7 he had a dream of playing Professional Football. He played growing up and ended up playing in College. He made it to 22 years old still hoping to make it if he was in the right place in the right time. He realized after his last game that his dream was dead the second he takes the pads off. The dream didn’t die due to lack of effort of work put in. greg hit a crossroad of “What’s next? “.
How do we pivot throughout life when dreams come to the end of its life?
The Hebrew word for dream used in the text from above is more than just a dream overnight. it was a dream from God. We can then ask the question of Dream Ownership. We have to start with who owns the vision or dream for the direction of your life? Is it you? Or is this God directing you?
Do you want to do great things for God, or do you want God to great things through you? It’s different. Who is defining Great? Are we asking God to show up in the things we want or are we asking God, “What do you want for my life God?”
Looking back at the text. Joseph didn’t have the specifics of the dream. He goes through 22 years of not knowing what the dream means. Joseph’s life went downhill quickly. He is sold into Slavery in Egypt. Works his way up to work for Potiphar, an officer of the Pharoah.
[Romans 8:28]
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Notice the end. “……called according to his purpose”. HIS PURPOSE
We learn from Joesph and God that it’s more about Direction than Destination.
Don’t trust the process, trust the Purpose. Embrace the process to his purpose for your life.
When looking at Greg’s journey to play football at the higher levels, you would think how does a college football player translate skills to pastoring a church? While on that journey of fulfilling his dream Greg developed skills like resiliency and work ethic. greg learned how to be a team player and motivate people. There are plenty of things that don’t transfer over but many skills he learned that prepared him to pivot to what he is doing today.
Now lets back at the text. Joseph has 11 half brothers sick and tired of seeing their dad love Joseph differently because Joseph mom was their dads favorite wife. Now when Joseph was sold, Joseph had to learn hard and soft skills in Potiphars house. Joseph learned when poeple lied about him raping Potiphar’s wife that even when you do the right thing you can still end up with the loss. In prison he was interpeting dreams when he still didnt know the meaning of his. He event was appointed by the Pharoah into a postion of power.
In Genesis 45, Joseph’s brother are in a famine and travel to Egypt to ask for food to survive. They end up at Josephs feet and Joseph, 22 years later, realized what the dream was about he had when he was a teen. Now 22 years later of having to work extremely hard he realized that dream was not about himself being elevated. God sent Joseph here to serve. His dream was not about him, it included him in the purpose according to his life for a bigger cause.
Joseph had no concept of what the future of the destination. We cannot get to caught up on what the destination that we might limit our life to what we can see, or involve ourselves in. Trust the purpose.
QUESTIONS:
QUESTION 1:
Who do you think owns your current plan, vision, or dream?
QUESTION 2:
Have you fixated on the end result or the destination? What did that feel like if you sit and think on the daily grind and stress with that?
QUESTION 3:
Looking back what are things or skills your learned in a destination you didn’t want to end up in that prepared you for where you are right now?
GUIDED PRAYER:
God thank you for your faithfulness and grace. God we pray that you would help us discern who owns our dreams. God help us to focus on your purpose for our life and trust you for the direction of our lives. Thank you God. we love you, praise you, and worship you. In Jesus name - amen.