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[ Music ] ♪ Oh, my heart, to Him I give ♪ ♪ Ever to Him I'll cling ♪ ♪ In His mercy presents me ♪

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♪ Ever His praises sing ♪ ♪ Oh, so mighty and so true ♪ ♪ There is my soul, my soul ♪ ♪ Faithful love in service to Him belong ♪

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♪ Love in their being ♪ ♪ Love in their being ♪ ♪ When nothing else to have ♪ ♪ Love in their being ♪

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♪ How can there be ♪ ♪ How can there be ♪ ♪ Where nothing else could help ♪ ♪ Love ♪

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♪ If there's fear ♪ ♪ Souls in danger look above ♪ ♪ Jesus completely saves ♪ ♪ He will lift you high this morn ♪

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♪ Out of the angry waves ♪ ♪ He's the master of the sea ♪ ♪ He'll wash this billow clean ♪ ♪ He, our Savior, wants to be ♪

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♪ His savior today ♪ ♪ Long live the king ♪ ♪ Long live the king ♪ ♪ Where nothing else could help ♪

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♪ Long live the king ♪ ♪ Long live the king ♪ ♪ Long live the king ♪ ♪ Where nothing else could help ♪

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♪ Love lives in me ♪ ♪ Love is in me ♪ ♪ Love is in me ♪ ♪ May I be a good man ♪

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♪ Love is in me ♪ ♪ Love him and me ♪ ♪ Love him and me ♪ ♪ And love the else that doth ♪

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♪ Love him ♪ ♪ Me ♪ - Amen. We hear this word quoted in Genesis, the 41st chapter, verses 39 through 43.

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Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God has shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and so wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according to thy word shall all my people be ruled. in the throne will I be greater than thou."

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Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt." Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck and made him to ride in the second chariot which he had and they cried before him bow the knee he made

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him ruler over all the land of Egypt. The subject of the message dreams, dungeons, and diadems. Dreams, dungeons, and diadems. The scripture around which the message is woven marks the celebration of the King's dream. King's dream has been revealed and interpreted. Plans are set in motion for the realization of the dream. This Advent season marks the celebration of

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a dream for humankind. It is the King's dream for his people. The Lord God Almighty has a divine design for our lives. King of the universe has a dream for all of the peoples of this world.

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The Joseph story presents many dreams. First is an account of Joseph's dreams of success, prestige and power as a lad. He shares his dreams with his family.

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Then there is an account of the dreams of the butler and the baker, the dreams that they share with Joseph, who interprets them. Pharaoh has his dreams, which are told to Joseph, and they are interpreted by Joseph.

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Dreams, dreams, dreams. Our world has many dreams. In fact, we live in a dream world. Philosophers, poets, and prophets

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shared with us dreams expressing man's social hopes and their fulfillment. Plato has given us his dream in his Republic. Jean-Jacques Rousseau has given us his dream in his social contract. Sir Thomas More has given us his dream in his Utopia.

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All of these are dreams of a world which is not yet. There's a longing in each of us for that which is not yet. We long for a world without hunger, but it is not yet. We long for a world where there is brotherhood of all humankind, a world where there is peace,

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but it is not yet. Poets remind us in many ways as one word expresses it, we look before and after and pine for is not. Prophets have expressed the dream of an ideal social order. Amos dreamed of justice rolling down like waters. And Michael speaks of the time when the

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earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Joseph's family, the butler and the baker, as well as Pharaoh, all puzzled by their dreams. Although perplexed they pursue their dreams. Joseph we witness one who holds on to his dream with tenacity and Joseph we see one who rightly

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interprets the dream of the butler and baker and Joseph we see one who interprets and implements Pharaoh's dream. Pharaoh receives the interpretation of his dream from Joseph and he's pleased with that interpretation.

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He detects that Joseph's interpretation is superior to that given by the wise men of his court. Joseph's interpretation not only satisfies Pharaoh but his servants as well.

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Dreams need interpretation and dreams also need implementation. Hopes need to be accompanied by faith. There is need for persons who are committed to doing what is necessary to realize the hopes. In order for this to be done there must be persistent faith.

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After listening to the dream interpretation and evaluating the interpreter, Pharaoh says to Joseph, "You are the person for this job. You have the wisdom. You have the characteristics for the implementation." Joseph the dreamer is selected for the implementation of the king's dream. That's a long, long way from that little boy who had a dream concerning the sun and the moon and the stars

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and about his sheaf in the field and all of the other sheafs bowing down before him. It's a long, long way from that dream to the time when Joseph is made second in command in Egypt. Long way.

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In fact, in between it all, there are some dungeons. It's well to note that dreams are not realized apart from dungeons. There are always dungeon experiences on the way to realizing our dreams. Joseph was cast into a pit by his brethren and after that we noticed that he did not

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give up. He had this dungeon experience which was related to his dream. In fact, they cast him into the pit because he was a dreamer. They said, "Let's," and they saw him coming,

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they said, "Let's get rid of this dreamer." In fact, they first thought about killing him, but on second thoughts, they decided to cast him into the pit.

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So there's a dungeon related to his dream. And when he arrived in Egypt, after having been sold into slavery and he finds himself in Egypt

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and he's a servant of Potiphar. He is falsely accused and he's cast into prison there. He suffers the dungeon experience. See, there's a dungeon experience related to his dream.

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And then Pharaoh's dreams of seven years of plenty seven years of poverty and there's a dungeon experience even here because there are seven lean years

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Along with seven fat years he who is not willing to endure the dungeon Experience will never never realize his dreams See dungeons lie between The dreams and the diadems we must stoop to conquer

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Elijah had the dungeon experience in a cave at Mount Horeb Before the chariot ride to heaven Jonah had the dungeon experience in the belly of the whale before he preached the gospel of repentance in Nineveh

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Jeremiah had the dungeon experience when he was imprisoned by King Zedekiah before his prophecy was fulfilled. And Jesus had the dungeon experience in Calvary

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before the glorious experience of the resurrection. John, the beloved disciple, had the dungeon experience on the Isle of Patmos before he was shown the joys of heaven. On the course of our journey,

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there is the dungeon experience. On this road from earth to heaven, there is the dungeon experience. We must pass through the dungeon of despair.

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That's the experience that Pilgrim has on his way his way from the city of destruction to that eternal city and we express it in one of our beloved spirituals when we sing I've heard of a city called heaven and I've started to make it my home but there's some dungeon experiences along

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the way and so there comes the word sometimes I'm tossed and driven, sometimes I'm almost gone, but I've heard of a city called heaven and I've started to make it my home. Joseph had the dungeon experience and we too must have it. But Joseph did not remain in the dungeon. He came up out of the dungeon.

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And we may go down, but thank God we can get up. And by the grace of God we can rise again. There is Calvary, there's the Good Friday along the way, but thank God there's an Easter morn.

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Dreams, dungeons, and diadems, by faith we can conquer, though often cast down. We may have our dungeon experience,

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but thanks be to God it doesn't remain forever. As the song puts it, I'm so glad Troubles don't last always. Joseph is set free by Pharaoh,

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the ruler who points him as the prime minister of Egypt, the one who had previously cast him into prison, and this same one becomes the means

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through whom he is delivered out of prison. You know, many times God suffers us to have the dungeon experience, and the same God who suffers us

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to have the dungeon experience is also the God who delivers us out of the dungeon. - Yes, sir. - That's good news, good news.

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And so our freedom depends on the proper interpretation the King's dream. We celebrate that dream during the Advent season. Life consists of life and darkness, truth and falsehood, success and failure, prosperity and adversity, the eternal and the temporary. The King has a dream to be rightly

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interpreted in our lives and we must learn how to pursue the King's dream in in spite of the circumstances. In other words, I believe, and you believe, that God has a definite design for our lives,

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and he has a purpose for his world, and we just keep on pursuing this dream. Some may call it chasing a rainbow, but as one poet puts it,

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just keep chasing the rainbow through the rain, pursuing the dream. And we have our fat years and we have our lean years. We must encounter the good and the bad, but we must pursue the King's dream if we would receive the King's good pleasure. Dreams, dungeons, yes, but they are diadems.

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When Joseph rightly interprets the king's dream, he's made ruler of Egypt. No, it's just interesting to see how God works. It's interesting to see how he takes a little boy who is misunderstood by his own brethren and how he permits him to go through the dungeon experience,

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and how God elevates Joseph. That's interesting. And black people in the past have often identified with the Joseph story.

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How we were brought from Africa, called the Dark Continent, and how we were brought across the seas, and how we were imprisoned for over 200 years. and yet God is still working and he elevates his people and we are still rising.

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We have identified with the Joseph motif. And Pharaoh says to Joseph, "Now, I want you to implement the dream. I heard your interpretation and you're the person to carry it out." And so Pharaoh takes off his ring, puts it on Joseph,

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dresses him in vestures of fine linen, and puts a gold chain around his neck, and made him to ride in the second chariot next to the king. And the people cried and bowed their knees before him. And the one who who had dreams, who had the dungeon experience, is now arrayed with diadems. That's the story of Joseph who

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was the favorite child of his father. But that is another son who was the favorite child of his father of whom the father said this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and he had a dream that all people could live together with peace and justice and he had a dungeon experience. He was crucified and the word is that he descended into hell.

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He had a dungeon experience. He went down to the grave and he descended on the third day that he got up. And because he pursued the dream and was obedient

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even to the death of the cross, God had highly exalted him and given him a name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus, Every tongue should confess,

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and every knee should bow. Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And I say unto you my beloved, let's celebrate the dream. I think every time we come together,

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we just celebrating the dream. Oh, we have our ups and we have our downs, and we must carry our burdens, but in spite of it all, God gives us the grace

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to celebrate the dream. Celebrate the dream, and we look forward to that time when we shall all be together. And when this pilgrimage is over,

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it's a word that somehow as we look at this story anew today it ought to give us courage to bear the cross. To bear the cross, to endure the pain, in spite of our difficulties,

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hold on to our dreams and leave the rest to heaven. Leave the rest to heaven. You know, when you read the story, there's one thing that just runs through it.

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When you read the entire narrative, there's one thing that runs through it. It's just like a symphony. A symphony has a theme.

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It has its various movements, but there is a central theme that just runs through the symphony. has a central theme that runs through the Joseph story,

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and that is, and God was with Joseph. We had all kinds of difficulties. They misunderstood him. They put him in the midst of madness.

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But and God was with Joseph. That's the kind of encouragement that we ought to have, that no matter what may happen in our lives, it may be said, and God was with us.

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And that's enough. That's the meaning of the Advent season, God with us. God with us in our trials. God with us in our joys.

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God with us in our sorrows. God with us. That's enough if God is with us. That's enough.

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Well, it says here that Joseph was given a new name. And this new name that Joseph was given, Zapnath-Pera, a name that's an Egyptian name, but it has a divine meaning.

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It means God speaks and lives. In other words, Joseph saw that God was speaking through all that was happening, and that God was living in his life

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in all that was happening. So he takes upon himself, through Pharaoh, a new name. And then as we continue to read the story, Pharaoh gives him a wife in Egypt.

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And after Pharaoh gives him a wife, they have children. and two children are born, Manessa and Ephraim. And the word Manessa means, God has made me to forget my hardships.

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You know, when you've had all these ups and downs. You've been cast into a country, you've been mistreated, but it's all over, and you've been elevated, and you've received diadems that you can say,

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God has made me to forget my hardships. That's the first offspring that he has there. And then he has Ephraim, and then it says that God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.

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Not only does God make me forget what has been done to me, but he has made me fruitful so that I can buy good fruit in the land of my affliction. God does all that.

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You know, if you just leave it to God. Some people say, well, that's old, foggy preaching. I'm going to take care of this myself. Well, God's going to be around a lot longer

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than all of our contrary forces. When it's all said and done, God will be around. And God's presence and God's power will be enough. That's all we need.

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So the day of diadems will come. Day of diadems will surely come. Struggle on pilgrim of the way because the day of diadems will surely come.

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That's the Joseph story, that's the story of the Christian faith. That's the Jesus story. By the grace of God, let's make it our story.

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That there is a better day. We sing about there's a better day somewhere. Our foreparents back there in the dark, dark night of slavery saying, "There's a better day somewhere!" Keep on searching until you find it, because there's a better day somewhere.

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So that means that we ought to be inspired to bear the cross. Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone. There's a cross for me.

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They say the concentrated cross I'll bear till death shall set me free. And then go home my crown, my crown, my crown to wear for there is a crown for me.

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That's all you can say. Oh precious cross, oh glorious crown, oh resurrection day, The angels from the heavens come down and bear my soul away.

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That's good news. Dreams, yes, hold on to those dreams. Dungeons, yes, they're there. But go through the dungeon experience

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because at the end of it all, they're the dire ends. God is with us. He continues to touch us with his spirit, to strengthen us with his grace.

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That's the miracle of our lives, that God is with us. (praying) (piano music) ♪ Shackled by a heavy burden ♪

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♪ Heavy burden ♪ ♪ 'Neath a load of guilt and shame ♪ ♪ Then the hand of Jesus touched me ♪ ♪ Jesus touched me ♪

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♪ And now I am no longer the same ♪ ♪ Since I met this blessed Savior ♪ ♪ Blessed Savior ♪ ♪ And since He cleansed and made me whole ♪

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♪ I will never cease to praise Him ♪ ♪ I'll shout it while eternity rolls ♪ ♪ He touched me ♪ ♪ Oh ♪

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♪ The Lord touched me ♪ ♪ And oh, what a joy that floods my soul ♪ ♪ Oh, something, something happened ♪ ♪ And now I know ♪

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♪ Oh, he touched me ♪ ♪ And made me whole ♪ ♪ He touched me ♪ ♪ He touched me ♪

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♪ And oh, what a joy ♪ ♪ That floods my soul ♪ ♪ Something happened ♪ ♪ And now I know ♪

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♪ He touched me ♪ ♪ He touched me ♪ ♪ He touched me ♪ ♪ My God made ♪

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♪ He made me whole ♪ - Amen, amen. - Amen, amen. That's why we're here, that's why we celebrate.

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That's why we come here each week in this way, because he touched me. That's why we come here to celebrate at his table, because somewhere at some time in our lives, he touched.

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As we continue now, let us. [BLANK_AUDIO]