Bunbury
Sun am
2/10/2011
“Getorganised.com”
Intro: *** I had a thought for a great website business for people who are struggling to get enough hours in their day. The website? Getorganised.com! The thought came to me …… I wonder if someone has already done it??? Sure enough after punching it into the address bar it came up – getorganised.com.au
A company that helps people organise their businesses, large organisations, corporations, they even offered help for people to get organised in their own homes …… that might be more in demand than we think!
But here’s the truth of the matter ….. getorganised.com has been around long b/4 the internet b/ca a global sensation for businesses.
As a matter of fact the organisational ideals of getorganised.com can be found in the early pages of Scripture & the CEO of this company is none other than God Himself!!!
What we want to see in this message is that organisation is not man’s plan – its God’s plan!
And that’s b/c organisation doesn’t bind us up it actually sets us free!!!
*** When I came to Bunbury to pastor the church there were boxes of documents that needed to be filed or archived. I came across some old gold sheets of the Kalgoorlie church that I had sent to Ps Walsh in Bunbury many years b/4.
On one of those gold sheets had what appeared to be notes of a phone conversation that he had w/ the pastor of Beechboro about my struggles in Kalgoorlie at the time. The note said “I think a lot of his problems boil down to a lack of organisation.”
I want to go on record today as saying that I am not naturally organised, I have to work at it but w/ God’s help things have changed!!!
So on that note we want to think about how each & every one of us can put into place our very own getorganised.com system in our own daily living & be free.
I want to preach a message I have called ‘Getorganised.com’.
Text: Genesis 41:25-41 ( NKJV ) 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
28This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; 30but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. 31So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. 32And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33“Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.” 37So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
# 1. Living behind the eight ball.
A. There’s nothing worse than living life behind the eight ball!
a. Those of us who play pool / eight ball will u/s the phrase.
i. The eight ball is the one ball on the table that determines the game – the aim is to sink it last but the problem is that you sometimes can’t play the game b/c you’re behind the eight ball!
ii. Now that’s the way we live life sometimes …. We can’t play the game properly, we’re not winning b/c we are behind the eight ball.
iii. And here’s the interesting thing we end up behind the eight ball more than anything else b/c we’ve failed to organise our lives.
*** It would be an interesting experiment to take everyone’s blood pressure on their way into church on a Sunday morning –
Then after the service take everyone’s blood pressure on the way out!
My guess would be that the collective blood pressure of the congregation on the way out would be significantly lower than on the way into church.
And here’s the amazing thing ….. it all boils down to a lack of organisation. Telltale tardiness is a sign of chronic lack of organisation – the perpetually unorganised life!
Families running out the front door right at the last minute, getting dressed on the way to the car, ladies putting lipstick on while driving to church, men tying their ties while walking across the parking lot!
I wonder how many people are at the altar simply to repent from yelling at their wife / husband right b/4 church???
iv. The amazing thing is that being organised would change the whole environment & lower everyone’s blood pressure.
v. But we choose to live behind the eight ball ….. living our lives w/ a lack of organisation & paying the high price for it.
b. Whenever people live behind the eight ball you can see the fruit playing out in their lives.
i. In other words a lack of organisation always produces fruit!
ii. The fruit may come in various shapes, sizes & forms ….. it can be a calls from creditors for unpaid bills, a consistently messy home, unmet deadlines, unrealised effectiveness etc.
iii. But the bottom line about living behind the eight ball is that it is always going to cost you dearly.
iv. In other words its going to result in angry people / personal embarrassment / disappointing results / poor performance & many other things.
*** Last time I moved house I was confronted w/ some unwanted reminders – half finished or ….. even worse never begun projects that had not been completed. Every time it happens it is a painful affair b/c those things that I need to get done, those promises I need to keep scream out at me & demand to know what I’m going to do about them???
I live a pretty busy life but I am happy to report that I am getting things ticked off the list. Things are getting done, I’m putting more notches in my belt b/c I live a more organised life now than every b/4.
But the more organised I b/co the more I see a greater need for even better organisation!
c. Here’s the really good news – you don’t have to live behind the eight ball.
i. Just as God had an answer for Pharaoh He’s got an answer for you!
Genesis 41:16 ( NKJV ) 16So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
ii. God has an answer of peace / hope for those who are constantly living life behind the eight ball.
B. We need to work to avert the effects of the famine.
a. Now think about this …… God gave Joseph a plan to avert the effects of the famine in the land of Egypt.
i. First of all we see that God Himself gave Pharaoh the dream about the approaching famine that was going to overtake the land of Egypt.
Vs 25 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:
ii. But although the effects of the famine are going to be disastrous on the land God wants to give the people the answer to averting this disaster.
b. This tells us something about the very nature of God Himself – God wants to give us the secrets to navigating our way through the challenges of life.
i. In other words we don’t just have to succumb to the effects of everything that plagues society & the communities we live in.
ii. God is a God who delights in giving us the keys to unlock the problems / mysteries of life.
iii. We don’t need to just give in to every bondage of life b/c …….God has answers for them.
c. The wonderful truth we discover in this text is that we can escape the effects of the approaching famines.
i. God can show us how to do this ……just like he blessed Isaac in the midst of a famine.
Genesis 26:12 ( NKJV ) 12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.
ii. But what we are dealing w/ here is not a famine of food but a famine of time!
iii. God has given us our lives so that we would be people of dominion / victory …. So that we would be high achievers rather than victims of circumstance / agents of mediocrity.
iv. But too often we find our/s spending our days / investing our lives in the unimpt ….. we are chained to the insignificant things of life rather than being masters of destiny.
v. Here’s the powerful truth we need to get a hold of …… you can avert / escape / avoid a famine of time by learning the wisdom of organisation.
# 2. Working ahead of time.
A. The great genius communicated to Pharaoh by Joseph, from God, is the ideal of working ahead of time.
a. If you can take care of today’s needs b/4 you reach today then you have literally won today!
i. Let me explain in greater detail …… you can either live life on the run dealing w/ everything as it happens or you can think ahead of the time where you are.
ii. Organisation more than anything is being on the job b/4 you get to the job.
iii. This is the wisdom that God gave Joseph for Pharaoh concerning the approaching years of plenty & famine.
iv. God was revealing to Joseph that he needed to work ahead of the approaching seasons of the land.
Vs 34-36. 34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”
v. Now let’s bear in mind that the famine is still 7 years away ….. they are about to begin a boom harvest but God is giving Joseph a scheme for providing in the famine!
vi. Joseph is on the job 7 years b/4 the job begins & he is actually thinking as far as 14 years ahead.
b. There can be a supernatural element to organisation but more than anything its a matter of – untangling things in your mind.
i. In other words it’s the ability to be able to put life in the right order so you can live it to the greatest efficiency.
ii. Our natural bent is not towards organisation but disorder which gives birth to skyrocketing stress levels as deadlines approach.
iii. Do you have a method in the midst of the madness of your life?
** The old adage “A place for everything and everything in its place.” is a principal every one of us needs to learn to live by if we want to b/co organised.
iv. God has given you all the hours in your day that you need ……. You’ve just got to learn to put it in the right order.
*** I’ve often thought to myself wouldn’t it be great if you could have a 48 hour day or even if we lived on a planet where there were longer days. If you were on Mars you’d get an extra 40 minutes in your day or better still on Venus where you’d find a day would last for nearly 117 earth days!!!
But the simple fact is that God has ordained that every day would have 24 hours in it & that it would be enough time to get everything done that you need to get done.
v. The sad truth is that most people would rather make excuses for why they can’t achieve / get things done ….. they’ll even attack what I’m saying rather than get th/s organised!!!
B. You can’t be ahead in your life when you’re always behind in your thinking.
a. Joseph was able to show Pharaoh how to be ahead b/c that’s where his thinking was – ahead!
i. Joseph might have been standing b/4 Pharaoh but his mind was already in the grain fields of Egypt during the good years of harvest.
ii. Listen to what he says here ….
Vs 33. 33“Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, …..
Vs 34. 34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land……
Vs 35. 35And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
Vs 36. 36Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine…..
iii. Here’s the thought / challenge of our text ….. you can begin to live out the seasons of life & be prepared for them b/4 they arrive by thinking ahead.
b. Organisation is simply about ordering life so that everything fits.
*** When our family was younger whenever we would go away overnight it was my responsibility to pack everything into the car ready for the trip. More often than not what would happen is my wife would have all the cases / bags ready to go into the car & I would begin packing them but I would run out of room in the boot / trunk b/4 she would run out of things to be packed in there. Invariably what would happen is that she would come out to the car & say ….. “Here, let me do it!” she would unload everything I packed in & begin again. She would take advantage of every little bit of space & by the time she finished not only would everything fit but there was usually some space to spare!
Her talent was that she knew how to make it all fit in the small space!
i. That’s what organisation is – knowing how to make everything fit into the small space of time we have called life & having time to spare.
# 3. The dividends of getorganised.com.
A. The powerful thought behind this text is that we gain freedom through organisation.
a. Consider what happens in our text to Joseph – he gains freedom through organisation.
i. Now we don’t want to ignore the fact that God Himself was the divine orchestrator of events in Joseph’s life – God sent him into the prison & God bought him out!
ii. But at the same time let’s not ignore the reality that organisational wisdom that God deposited in Joseph’s heart played a role in winning his freedom.
Vs 39-40. 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; ……
iii. God used the organisational skill that he had planted in the mind of Joseph to bring about his liberty.
iv. And the same is no less true for you – God wants to use the organisational skill w/i you to bring about your liberty!
b. If you want to live a life of greater freedom you need to set up some goals in life & then marry those goals w/ deadlines.
*** Imagine if we had a football game w/ the goalposts either end of the field but no time limits. Imagine if there were no 20 minute quarters!!! You could kick as many goals as you like but if there is no time limit to measure success & failure there are no winners.
i. It’s the same in your life ….. if you want to be a winner you need to set goals & marry them w/ deadlines so you can measure success & failure.
ii. You need to be disciplined to duties – it’s by being disciplined to those duties that you can kick goals / make progress / be successful.
iii. The discipline of organisation delivers more time to live life properly & allows you to create free time.
