Joseph reached out to help everyone he could, and because of that his blessing was multiplied. The Bible says he was blessed because he reached beyond his walls. Because Joseph didn’t become bitter when he was mistreated, his family, his community, and all the surrounding area survived a dreadful famine—and Joseph was abundantly blessed. Are you sharing what you have with others? Are you reaching out to those around you with the Good News? If not, you may be missing out on the fullness of God’s blessing…
the following program is sponsored by
friends and partners of Kingdom
connection if you’ve gone through a
divorce then take that vine and don’t
let the depression drive you into
hopelessness but foe it over the wall
let me find somebody else who needs help
let me find somebody else going through
chemo and let me throw my vine over that
wall cause I’ve got living water that’ll
get me through it they need it too if
you have a Bible I’d love for you to
open it to Genesis chapter 49 Genesis
chapter 49 and I want to begin reading
with verse 22
Jacob is dying he’s the old man he’s he
has ten sons and two grandsons now I’m
gonna show you now in Genesis 20 49 and
verse 22 Joseph he gets to his son
Joseph you will be a fruitful bough a
fruitful bough by a whale whose branches
word that word bow is garden you’ll be
like a garden by a whale whose branches
run over the wall the archers have
bitterly grieved him shot at him hated
him hated on him we would say but his
bow remained in strength
verse 25 by the God of your father who
will help you by the Almighty who will
bless you with blessings of heaven above
blessings of deep that lies beneath
blessings of the breasts and of the
wound other words your children the
blessings the blessings he said of your
father have accept they have excelled
the blessings of my ancestors up to the
utmost listen to this they shall be the
head on the head of Joseph and the crown
of the head of him who separate who was
separated from his brother’s little
reference there as to what he went
through how he was separated from his
brothers went down into Egypt
was given a raw deal but he noticed his
notice that he says something
says Joseph because you didn’t get
better because you found a whale and you
will receive a double portion because he
decided to bless others he didn’t hoard
the blessing to himself he abundantly
gave of what he had to others who did he
give to he gave to his brothers he gave
to Egyptians he gave to Pharaoh he gave
to those even Potiphar’s wife and
husband who had falsely accused him he
gave them life he ultimately had he not
done what he did they would have died
because there was a famine and all of
those people would have died and now the
father is saying because you extended
and reached beyond the walls so
important to see that you reached beyond
the walls beyond the walls of
confinement beyond the walls of where
you are you you had something in you and
he said because she went beyond the
walls God will bless you double on the
homefront Jacob because you were willing
to not just find the whale and receive
from the whale and become a blessed
place and a blessed person and you could
have just soaked in all of those
blessings when you became in that
powerful position that you came in but
because you saw people who were beyond
the walls of your blessing you saw
people who couldn’t offer you anything
really they didn’t deserve your help but
you reached a branch out beyond the
walls God said I’m going to bless and
I’m gonna add not 10 tribes but I’m
gonna have 12 tribes and two of those
tribes will be your two boys Joseph
Manasseh and Ephraim and there’s 12
tribes of Israel and will and will
always be and own the walls of the
foundations of the 12 foundations of New
Jerusalem the names of those 12 are on
there
along with the 12 disciples and two of
those names will be be’ nasa and ephraim
forever
why because joseph you found a whale
we know that whale was Jesus Christ
we know that whale represents the living
water
we know that whale represents acts 2:38
where he said for this promise is unto
you and to your children to them that
are afar off repent be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit he
found a well that watered his soul
watered his life but he didn’t hoard it
he didn’t keep it to himself he put
branches that ran over the wall the
Bible said God saw it spiritually and he
said because you’ve done that there’s a
greater blessing coming on you than the
other boys and if you read about the
other boys they usually got one verse of
blessing Judah was the runner-up Judah
means praise which ought to tell you
something if you sitting there quiet
you’re missing some blessings because he
got two and a half verses a blessing but
Joseph got five verses a blessing and he
tells why because she went beyond the
walls because you decided to go for it
you found a whale but you didn’t keep it
inside the walls instead of keeping the
water the whale inside come on folks I’m
preaching about what happened to you
when you found the whale named Jesus
Christ did he really make a change in
your life did you really find living
water and yet so often we come to church
and this is about all we get out of
Jesus and when we go beyond these walls
he has no place in our life he has no
place in our home life in our family
life in our routine of life but he said
because I saw you taking living water
with you beyond the walls of a church
building beyond the walls of an hour at
free chapel but it began to flow out to
hurting people to Egyptians to those who
allow
to those who don’t know Christ because
you had a heart they said I can’t keep
it to myself
I found life and I see them in their
loss and they’re broken and they’re
going to hell if somebody doesn’t reach
them if this book is true they’re going
into eternity without God but I found
that someone who would not just drink
from the whale and be content inside the
walls but they would send branch a vine
over the wall into those hurting dry
lives
he ran branches beyond the walls and God
said because you did that I’m going to
bless you double you’ll have two tribes
none of the other boys their sons was
the tribe but you get to in your family
Joseph because you went beyond the walls
not many whales but one whale there not
many ways to heaven there’s only one way
to heaven there are not many names and
gods that we pray to there’s only one
name and one God and his name is Jesus
would you give Him praise if you believe
that and because you were willing to
stretch for the outreach because you
were willing to not just be blessed in
here on Sunday morning with living water
but something got a hold of your heart a
compassion for the loss a compassion
outside the walls there’s somebody who’s
who’s who’s an alcoholic who who’s
waking up in their own vomit this
morning just outside these walls there’s
a young girl a teenager who’s gotten
pregnant out of wedlock and she’s
thinking about aborting that baby just
outside these walls maybe within a mile
or so from this very campus or the
campuses where you’re watching this
there’s somebody who’s suicidal there’s
somebody who’s on drugs and they can’t
get any hope and they’re thinking about
just taking all they can and ending it
all and we have living water but
somebody’s got a sin of
fine beyond these walls beyond these
walls they’re crying they’re dying and
he said if you’ll do it I’ll bless you
on the home front double I think that we
need to understand that but he’ll bless
us double portion the more we reach the
more we stretch the more we say we
cannot just be blessed here on Sunday
morning in acts 19 and 10 it said that
they reached all of Asia with the word
in the space of two years what in the
world how do you reach a whole nation in
a whole continent they reach all of Asia
within the space of two of two years
they didn’t have airplanes they didn’t
have TVs they didn’t have cameras they
didn’t have great ministries with big
outreaches what did it fired up
Christians who found the whale and said
we’re going beyond these walls
we cannot just come to church and hear
another sermon and hear another sermon
and hear another sermon and then leave
here beyond these walls and it never
changed us it never really an
inspirational preacher and I don’t want
to just be you know there’s there’s
inspiration there’s information I wanted
you know when I first started I guess I
was wanting to be an inspirational
evangelist and then as I got deeper you
know a little bit older I wanted to be
an informational preacher you know I
want to have a lot of content and and I
want to be informational and
inspirational but really now at this
point in my life beyond any of that I
want to be transformational I want God
to come and not just get up here and
preach another sermon and say a bunch of
words but old God trance
for in somebody’s life today send a vine
of living water into somebody’s house
somebody’s marriage the shrine on the
brink of dying
oh god somehow someway we’ve got living
water and if we don’t have it we ought
to get it this morning I found the whale
but I can’t keep it to myself beyond
these walls they’re dying and God says
when you reach when you pray for
somebody else when you love somebody
else when you minister to somebody else
when you send a branch beyond these
walls on your job in the office in the
school on the campus there’s people all
around you you’ve grown up in it you’ve
got the whale you’ve been in this all of
your life but the joy ladies and
gentlemen is not just coming to church
but it’s when you get so full of living
water that verse that said they took
note of them that they had been with
Jesus if people can just come to this
church and sit under this ministry and
just hear singing and sermons and it
changed nothing I think of that of that
dream that that Pharaoh had that Joseph
interpreted and he saw seven skinny cows
and seven fat cows and the seven skinny
cows swallowed the seven fat cows but
there’s a strange part of that verse it
said but the skinny cows did not show it
they did not manifest it it says after
they had eaten him not no one would have
known that they had eaten them and I
can’t help but wonder to people do you
guys come to church and you just hear
another sermon and hear another sermon
but no one would ever know they never
hear you talk about Jesus they never
hear you witness does anybody in your
family know doesn’t anything ever change
in your life or do you just come to
church and take it in inside these walls
but when you walk out of here you turn
the same music on go back to the
same attitude the same spirit the same
unforgiveness the same lusts the same
pride come on church we’re not supposed
to be that just in here we’re supposed
to have a life out there and something’s
wrong when we’re taking it in but we
look the same we act the same god help
us god help us you know what’s wrong
with the church I’m gonna tell you if
we’re careful in the body of Christ the
church will become more ingrown than
outgrown and when we become ingrown we
become like an ingrown toenail and we
just become sword and touchi and agate
fighting yeah yeah
your ingrown you’re like an ingrown
toenail we can toe toenail you’re sore
all the time you ever met Christians
like that they’re just ticked off and
sore all the time you want to know
what’s wrong with you you want to know
what’s wrong with me when I get like
that I’m ingrown but the moment that you
begin to do go back to the mission go
into all the world and preach the gospel
the minute you go back to purpose the
minute you go back to destiny and you
get your attention off yourself and you
get your attention quit having a pity
party and feeling sorry for yourself and
just somewhere you know what I must be
going through what I’m going through for
a reason so let me just take a vine and
go out here to other hurting people if
you’ve gone through a divorce then take
that vine and don’t let them into
depression drive you into hopelessness
but foe it over the wall and say well
let me go find somebody else who’s going
through it and I’m gonna tell them Jesus
is there let me find somebody else who
needs help
let me find somebody else going in
through chemo and let me throw my vine
over that wall and minister to them
cause I’ve got living water that’ll get
me through it they need it too
[Applause]
one of my favorite one of my favorite
trips that I’ve ever gone on as a
vacation
besides being with my family was many
many years ago I went on a hunting trip
in Canada with one of the board members
Don Bryant his son and and another guy
in the church Phil Kinsey and we just
had the biggest time but we took they
took two of their friends and I don’t
there’s no other way to say it they were
pure heathens amen
good guys though I love these men and it
was the one of the most wonderful trips
I’ve ever been on and here’s why when
people fight I don’t have any Christian
I don’t have any friends except
Christians it hit me because of what I
do
I you know see me in the club you ain’t
no same hey I don’t I don’t know anybody
hardly I don’t mean anybody hardly in my
world that’s not in church and part of
so when I went on this hunting trip I’ll
never forget it I love these guys when I
was night the daddy was named little
Jack and he had our big jack note and he
had a son named little Jack that was the
real names big big Jack little Jack and
they were redneck Georgia redneck guys
and they don’t go to church and they and
and they they were very respectful stuff
but man that blankety-blank
you ever seen people that are good at
cussing I’m talking that good at cussing
in these guys were just it was like
breathing them blankety blank blank of
the blank wait oh sorry preacher sorry
preacher sorry preacher and then we’d
have meals we with them a whole week I’m
telling you I’m out in the trees with
them and I’m out and we’re hunting bear
and and and they went on the two hits
blankety blank blank blank of the blank
plate plate and and it felt so good to
be around to even I love those guys and
I kept up with him and I call him every
once in a while and a one Sunday a few
months later big Jack came to my office
Susan phase was my secretary then and
she said pastor somebody’s here to see
you and I don’t know who he is but he’s
here and
who is a big jack tell him jack – come
on he got away come on big jack he came
in and he said I’m sick and I need
prayer my boys in trouble
pray for me he got on his knees yes
Jesus come on yes Jesus beyond these
walls is where ministry some of you are
getting lukewarm because you’re not
reaching if you could ever if you could
ever get beyond these walls
that’s where life is that’s where
they’re so hungry for what we’ve got be
careful how you criticize people who go
beyond these walls we need to get beyond
the denominational walls I’m almost done
but listen we need to get beyond the
walls of denominationalism Baptists or
Methodists or Pentecostal we don’t have
the luxury of disunity anymore we need
to come together all of us Body of
Christ all of us and you may not like my
style I may not prefer your style but if
we’re preaching Jesus Christ is the way
the truth and the only life then we need
to link up arm in arm and let’s win this
world because Jesus is coming soon the
trumpet is going to sound and those who
are not ready are going to be left I
can’t be left there chose us all over
this building and God is saying I’ll
bless your dream double if you’ll make a
commitment beyond these walls the only
reason the Sun rose this morning is
because the church is facing an
unfinished task it’s all about the lost
the perishing they’re headed for a
famine God forgive us if we have living
water
and some of us used to have it but we
need to get refilled this morning you’ve
forgotten what you’ve got you’ve let the
cares of this life choke out the living
water keep reaching keep dreaming the
archers will shoot but God said I’ll
give you double let me close with this
but I don’t want this church to ever be
the old-school Christian spirit the
old-school Christian that says you’re
lucky that I just come to church if
that’s your attitude you’re an
old-school Christian and you’re gonna
miss the joy of reward in eternity
Joseph’s not only had two sons that
received the double portion but I read
it again last night
five generations later there is a guy by
the name of Namath who had the world
would call it a green thumb he was not
blessed because he had a green thumb the
Bible said they both had a vineyard that
was exceedingly prosperous and it just
so happened it was right beside King
Ahab summer palace and King Ahab the
king of all Israel would come to his
summer palace and he would look at his
yard and he had all kinds of maintenance
crews out there supposed to keep his
gardens up and his menace and his and
his place beautiful and he would look
over at his neighbor knave off and Navis
vineyard was so blessed so mighty so
prosperous that he looked in envy from
his summer palace at night off and he
thought what a green thumb that guy has
he didn’t have a green thumb he was five
generations down from Joseph Joseph was
his great great great great grandfather
and that blessing of because you’ve
reached beyond these walls with living
water it will always bring double
portion on the home front and five
generations later after Joseph is dead
here’s a guy named Namath when the king
came and said sell me your vineyard he
said I listen to his answer cannot sale
my inheritance I have a spiritual
inheritance that was passed to Manasseh
and Ephraim and from them to their
children and to their children and to
their children and five generations
later I’m telling you sir my spiritual
inheritance is not for sale
I don’t care how much gold and fame you
offer me this