Gospel Dynamite with J. Allen Mashburn

From the Prison to the Palace | Genesis 41:1-44 | J. Allen Mashburn

When we last saw Joseph, he was languishing in an Egyptian prison. He was in prison, but he had broken no laws. He was in prison because he had done the right thing and honored God in his life. He was in the prison because he had refused the advances of a wicked woman.
When we last saw Joseph, he was in a place of hardship, but he was still faithfully serving the Lord. He was a man who had his priorities in order. Wherever Joseph was, he could be counted on to be faithful.
When we last saw Joseph, he was waiting for a visit from the outside. In 40:9-13, Joseph had interested a dream from Pharaoh’s chief butler. When Joseph told the butler the interpretation of his dream, he asked for the butler’s help in securing his release from prison, 40:14-15. But, when the butler was released from prison, he immediately forgot all about Joseph, 40:23.
In our text today, we are going to watch as Joseph is delivered from the prison and promoted to the palace. We are going to see the unseen hand of God at work in this man’s life. We are also going to see that what the Lord did for Joseph, He can do for you and me. 
He knows where we are, and in His time, He knows how to bring us out of our prisons and place us in the palace.

The Power of a Faithful Life | Genesis 39:7-23 | J. Allen Mashburn

In this passage, we are allowed to see the faithfulness of Joseph very clearly. He remains faithful to His God, and to himself, in the face of some problems that would cause many others to fail.
Of course, there is a word here for our lives today. As we pass through this life many situations will arise that have the potential to throw us off course. The world, the flesh and the devil will all conspire to get us to quit on God. They will do everything in their power to cause us to drop out or to fall far short of our potential.
God wants us to be faithful. He wants us to stay the course and run the race for His glory until He calls us home. Joseph teaches us how to be faithful in spite of what we may face in this life. 

The Lord Was With Joseph | Genesis 37:36; 39:1-6 | J. Allen Mashburn

Joseph has been betrayed by his own brothers and sold as a slave. Joseph had been sold to some Ishmaelite merchants for less than $100.00. His brothers sold him for the price of a crippled slave! The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and put him up for sale in that land.
Try to put yourself in Joseph’s shoes for a moment. You are seventeen years old. You are the favored son in a family of twelve sons. Your father had chosen you to be the head of the family and he had given you a beautiful robe to symbolize this fact. You are on the path to power, influence and prominence in your family.
Then, in a moment of time, everything is gone. You are stripped of your coat. You are betrayed by people who should have loved you. You are separated from your father. You are sold as a slave and carried off into a strange land. Imagine the humility of being examined and sold in a slave auction. Imagine the lies Satan must have told him.
In many ways, you are just a simple country boy from an unsophisticated family, and you find yourself transported to the capital city of the most advanced nation on the earth.
Imagine how Joseph must have felt as the camels crested the last hill and the wonders of ancient Egypt spread out before him on the planes of Giza. The great pyramids would have been standing in Joseph’s day. In fact, they would have been over a thousand years old when his great-grandfather Abraham visited that land many years before. Joseph would have seen the Sphinx, the great Egyptian temples and the opulent palaces of the Pharaoh and his people. It must have been a great culture shock to this young man from the country.
On the surface it seemed that circumstances could not have been worse for young Joseph. In truth, those difficult days were mere stepping stones along the path to greater glory. 

Surviving Giant Country | I Samuel 17:32-40 | J. Allen Mashburn

Part of God’s training plan for David involved God placing the young man in some difficult situations.  In those difficult times, David learned to trust the Lord and walk in the power of God, not the power of the flesh.  David learned the lessons necessary to survive life, and not just to survive, but to thrive in life.  We see David in one of the most desperate times of his life in these verses.  Here, David trusts God for some big things, and in return, he sees God do the miraculous.

The Abode of the Damned | Luke 16| J. Allen Mashburn

The mention of Hell elicits many different reactions.  Some people react with concern and are moved to share Jesus with the lost.  Others react with fear and come to Jesus seeking salvation for their own souls.  Still others react with hate and revulsion and say that it is not a proper topic for conversation.  Some would even seek to deny the existence of Hell.  Yet God and Jesus declare Hell to be a very real place, (Psa. 9:17). Of the 162 references to Hell in the New Testament, 70 come from Jesus Himself. 

Caleb’s Confidence | Joshua 14:6-15 | J. Allen Mashburn

This passage centers on a man called Caleb. Caleb was a part of Israel when they left Egypt. He was there when God divided the waters of the Red Sea. By the way - Israel crossing the Red Sea is a picture of Salvation. Free from bondage and free from Pharaoh. Observing Israel as they journey through the wilderness shows us there is much more to salvation than just being set free. God had a land flowing with milk and honey prepared for them. It would be a land of giants and a land of battles, but it was theirs if they wanted it. Now, as you know - Israel chose to wander in the wilderness. Here's another great picture of the Christian life. 
God saves us, and promises us that we can have a life of victory and intense spiritual joy, but rather than claim what is rightfully ours - things like peace, joy, fellowship, power, and the glory of God, we choose to live in a spiritual wilderness, defeated and depressed.

Our Battle with Life’s Strongholds | Joshua 6:1-5 | J. Allen Mashburn

The ancient city of Jericho was a great walled city. History tells us that it was surrounded by 2 massive stone walls. The outer wall was 6 feet thick and 20 feet high. The inner wall was 12 feet thick and 30 feet high. There was a 15 foot guarded walkway between these two walls. From a military standpoint, it was practically impenetrable. This great walled city stood as an obstacle between the people of Israel and them claiming all that God had for them. Before they could go deeper into the land of Canaan, Jericho had to fall first.
For us, this ancient city represents those things that are entrenched and rooted in our lives that prevent us from going on with God. Oh, we all have them! 
 
Regardless of how pious you may want to think you are, there are things embedded in your life that hinder your walk with God. It may be some besetting sin that prevents you from going deep in the things of God. It may a root of bitterness and unforgiveness that stands between you and God's best. It may be some old, bad attitude that is holding you back. 
It could be something from your past that you continue to struggle with to this day. Whatever it is, it is a stronghold in your life and it stands between you and God's best for your life. Before you will ever receive all God has for you, that stronghold must be torn down!
In this page from Israel's history, we uncover some truths that help us as we fight the battle against our own strongholds in our day. 

The Leader Meets the Lord | Joshua 5:13-15 | J. Allen Mashburn

Many in our day do not remember the name of the fame of Sergeant Alvin C. York was the most famous soldier of World War I. Many people do not know that Alvin York single-handedly captured 132 German soldiers one day in France. York was the recipient of many great honors from several nations for his bravery in combat.
However, Alvin C. York was a most unlikely man to become a legendary hero. York felt that his Christian faith barred him from killing anyone, even in war. After being drafted, York made it known that he was a conscientious objector; that he would not be able to kill other men. 
He was sent home on a ten-day leave to think about his situation and to consider the scriptures a Christian captain had shared with him. York was promised that he would be dismissed from the Army if he still felt the same way when he returned.
Finally in a crisis of faith, God showed York that he could obey God and defend the helpless in Europe at the same time. He wrote, “As I prayed there alone… I knew that He was there. He understood I didn’t want to be a fighter or a killing man… He took pity on me and gave me the assurance I needed… It was His will and that was enough for me.” Sgt. York had to win the war in his mind before he could win the battles that lay ahead of him in the trenches of France.
Alvin York had to yield to the Lordship of God in his life before he would ever become a great war hero. The same truth is seen in this passage. Israel is about to attack the city of Jericho. Before that battle, the leader of Israel, Joshua, goes out to inspect the site of the coming battle. On that important day, Joshua came face to face with the real leader of Israel. He had an encounter with One Who was far more powerful than he was.
That day, outside the walled city of Jericho, The Leader Meets The Lord. When he did, Joshua was humbled, but he was also prepared for the battle that lay ahead. Let’s look in on this special encounter between The Leader And The Lord.