Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
James 1:22
Equipped-The Step Two
Sunday services February 27th
Intro: Last week was the cold jump into the reality of spiritual awakening, we talked about beginning this journey and what that actually entails. Going forward with God, is not something to be taken lightly or taken in vain, you cannot even begin the adventure until you have taken the first step.
Abraham leaped out and left his fathers house, his comfort and his usual for a promise of something greater! He is known as the father of faith for this.
This morning I want to talk about his Great Grandson.
Joseph
Abraham saw God’s promise fulfilled in Isaac
Isaac had two sons
Esau and Jacob
Jacob was renamed Israel
Joseph is the son of Jacob now Israel
The 12 tribes of Israel come from the sons of Israel, the decedent of Abraham.
Joseph was one of the sons of Israel.
Today we are going to take a snapshot at his life, and uncover some treasure, God can and will prepare you for your destiny.
How many of you have ever felt like God has a purpose and destiny for your life?
How long did you wait?
How many setbacks occurred?
Did you give up?
Has it still not happened?
Today’s theological word of the day
Providence
I want to equip ROLC to know exactly what we can expect and how we can survive in the palm of the providence of God!
Providence and promises
1. The mark of Destiny
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
Gen 37:2-4
Exp: Joseph’s brothers were a combination of jealous and annoyed at him. Israel his father was playing favorites and they all knew it. God knew something too, that in his providence even at a young age God had a plan for Joseph.
Joseph started having these dreams, where he would be like the brightest star and everyone would bow, or the best of a field of wheat, and again all the other wheats would bow down and give him honor.
(Seriously Joseph??)
18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”
Gen 37:18-21
36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Gen 37:36
They took their own brother, beat him up and sold him into slavery to the Midianites who in turn sold him into slavery to a man named Potiphar in the land of Egypt.
The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
Gen 38:2-4
Key words of providence “the Lord was with him”
You ever been low?
Real low?
Bet you never were sold into slavery; yet even in slavery Joseph shined.
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln
Ill: This equipping, this chasing the wild goose, this pursuit of God and not religion begins and ends in your heart. Joseph was faithful to God even in slavery. Too many times I have seen good intentioned people, get burned out, or discouraged in serving God, and collapse.
Faithfulness is a virtue sorely lacking in many folks, they want to remain faithful, yet they lack the drive, determination, and motivation to run this race.
God uses bad and difficult situations to build our character, he uses trials and tribulations, and tragedies to help us go forward!
He is building something spectacular, but not something cheap!
App: What growing pains are you having in your walk with God?!
How about dependency? What are you dependent on in your life that you know is nothing more than a dead weight? Maybe it’s not even a sin, like smoking, pornography, food, or too much drinking, but you're using it to cope with life and you know that it’s not necessary or even downright beneficial?
How about ease or the promise of ease? Is your life goal to live and retire in your late 60’s in a comfortable nest egg, collecting shells in your basement as you sink into old age and ineffectuality? This world is not your forever home. Remember this.
Maybe discipline? Actually getting up ten minutes early and reading your bible. Going to war in prayer and persevering in intercession?
From the perspective of Joseph, his dream seemed like a fantasy.
T/S: God was about to allow some more challenges to change Joseph’s perceptions even more.
2. Falling upward
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
Gen 39:6-7
Exp: Now Joseph was fine, he was finer than a philistine, and Potiphar’s wife was thirsty!
8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
Gen 39:8-9
Joseph said no! #consent!
3 things
He took on the responsibility honestly (He was genuinely desiring to please his master)
He humbled himself before his boss and his Lord
He recognized that to give in to temptation would be a sin against God too!
Joseph had integrity with not only his masters wife, but also with his master. He treated his slave master with respect and admiration.
Old thirsty Potiphar’s wife decided that Joseph was either gonna sleep with her, or he was gonna pay.
She literally grabs his clothing and tears it off of him, and Joseph acting in full integrity runs as fast as his feet can carry him!
She lies on him and tells her husband that essentially Joseph tried to rape her!
Think about the aftermath here. Joseph is running out in Egypt naked (ok who knows right?)
And this girl is so furious with him that she gets him in trouble.
20 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.
Gen 39:20-22
Ill: Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Even up to this part of the story, Joseph acted blamelessly, (he may have been a bit to prideful about his dreams) he led a life that was righteous before God, and man. Yet here Joseph goes from Slave to prisoner. (Not sure what’s worse)
The word is providence today. God was shaping Joseph, he was working on Joseph, and he was opening and preparing a path for Joseph to meet his destiny.
App: How many of you here this morning are still feeling like when it comes ton destiny your still in prison!? You gave your life to the Lord, you surrendered your heart and yet you still feel times where you wonder if God is even listening to your prayers!
God you promised? Right?
The cost might be more than you can bear.
Are you gonna trust God, when you get cancer? You kid dies? Are you gonna trust God, when you lose your house?
It’s much more easy to trust God in the day time. What about in the dark night of the soul? When you are beset and you like Job’s friends want to Curse God and die!
Even in prison
T/S: God Was with Joseph!
3. The Set up
Exp: Joseph thrived wherever he went. Even in prison God wasn’t done with him. Joseph ends up being gifted from God with the ability to interpret correctly dreams, God often uses our own history, to help others.
In the story two men approach him with strange and cryptic dreams, a baker and a cupbearer.
8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
Gen 40:8
For the Cup bearer good news, he was going to get his job back and all would be right in the world for him!
For the baker, not so good news! He was getting the death penalty.
The cupbearer was overjoyed at the interpretation and sure enough it came true. Joesph told him to remember him after he was out. He forgot!
(You ever feel forgotten again by God)
Then Pharaoh had a dream and none could interpret it.
Finally the cupbearer brings up a guy he knew.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Gen 41:14-16
Joseph interprets the dream perfectly because God, and sure enough Pharaoh sets him up as an overseer of the whole kingdom, and Joseph is elevated to the second highest position in the entire government.
Sure enough God takes this former slave, and unwanted son, this convicted (but innocent) rapist; and makes him vice president!
Why?
Providence!
37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
Gen 41:37-38
Ill: The pain was equipping, the disgrace was equipping, the responsibility given to him even in prison and in slavery was all preparing him for something incredible! God was using all of this for a greater plan and now Joseph saw the fruit and promise of God coming about right before his eyes.
There was a great Famine in that area and all the surrounding nations were totally desperate for food. Because of God and Pharaohs dream interpretation, Egypt where Joseph lived was super prepared! They had abundant stores and supplies, during these prophesied years of drought and famine.
Thanks to God and Joseph Egypt was thriving.
5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them.
Gen 42:5-9
Joseph saw the blessing and security of God over his life; now he had a chance at some severe revenge. His brothers were here to buy food, and in the palm of his hand he could enact some swift justice!
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:4-5
Joseph ends up testing his brothers to see if they truly regretted their actions towards him, and weren’t wholly treacherous. The had seemed to learn their lesson, and after frightening them a little bit, he revealed himself.
In fact even after this whole event, his brothers were still untrusting of him, and were afraid that he might take revenge. It was only after their father Israel died, that Joseph sensing their fear comforted them and said this.
Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Gen 50:17-21
App: What you meant for evil, God meant it for good. This is providence in action, this is the hand of God on a life, and preparing a way to not only bless him personally but his entire family. Joseph trusted the mighty hand of God and trusted his outcomes rather than his apparent shortcomings.
Take it full circle
What is God building in you!? What purpose, what destiny?
What providential promises does God speak over your life?
