The Damage Of Killing A Dream Is Often Severe (Dreamers & Schemers #2)

The Damage Of Killing A Dream Is Often Severe (Dreamers & Schemers #2) | Dr. Larry Baucom, Dr. Troy Doucet | August 31, 2025

Dr. Larry Baucom and Dr. Troy Doucet continue their Genesis series by focusing on Joseph, the dreamer, and his brothers, the schemers. Genesis is the book of beginnings, and here we see the origins not just of Israel’s history, but also of how God’s dreams for His people unfold, even in the midst of human jealousy, arrogance, and betrayal.

1. The dreamer is sent to check up on his brothers. (vv. 12–17)

Joseph, favored by his father, is sent to check on his brothers. Along the way, he wanders and gets lost until someone points him back on track. This reveals an important truth: dreamers often lack details, direction, and humility, but it is not the dreamer who matters most; it is the dream. A dreamer sees possibilities others do not, walking in faith that God’s purposes will prevail even when the path is unclear.

2. When the dreamer is vulnerable, the schemers begin to destroy the dream. (vv. 18–28)

When Joseph arrives, his brothers sneer, “Here comes that dreamer!” and plot to kill him. Although Joseph’s arrogance had fueled resentment, the brothers’ scheme reveals how envy and bitterness can attempt to undermine God’s dreams. Dreamers must learn responsibility and humility; without it, they risk provoking hostility. Yet even when schemers strip the robe, throw Joseph into a pit, and sell him into slavery, the dream of God cannot be destroyed. God uses humility as the soil where His greatest works grow.

3. The collateral damage of killing a dream is often severe. (vv. 29–36)

Reuben panics when Joseph is gone. The brothers cover their sin with deception, dipping Joseph’s robe in blood and presenting it to Jacob. Their scheme devastates their father, who mourns inconsolably, believing Joseph dead. The lesson is sobering: when we attack or abandon dreams, whether through jealousy, lies, or discouragement, the collateral damage is often deeper than we imagine. Yet even then, God is still at work. Joseph’s dream lives on in Egypt, waiting for its fulfillment.

Conclusion

We all have a Dreamer and a Schemer inside us. Dreamers walk in faith, hope, and vision. Schemers live in jealousy, complaint, and destruction. The choice before us is whether to tear down or to build up, whether to attack dreams or to nurture them. God calls us to be dream builders, encouragers, and people of faith.

The Pastors close by reminding us that God-sized dreams endure beyond human opposition, just as Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality, dignity, and freedom continues today despite his death. Likewise, Joseph’s dream lived because it was God’s dream, not his own.

The final challenge: Keep dreaming God-sized dreams, remain humble, build others up, and trust that God’s purposes will prevail.