Breakthrough: There's More To The Story

November 22, 2020 | The Lookout

Question: What do you do when the pieces don't look like the picture? When the process doesn't look like the promise?

Illust: My boys are obsessed with Legos. Hundreds of little tiny pieces all coming together to form a cool little truck. It’s pretty amazing some of the things that they build. We could look at the picture and see what it was going to be, but throughout the process it looked like a mess!

But what happens when you’re only given a bag of pieces and some simple instructions. You could either find yourself getting frustrated with the details, the missing pieces you have to spend time searching for, the complexity of the design, etc, or you can trust the designer and embrace and maybe even just enjoy the process. You see, maybe it's in pieces on purpose.

Big Idea: God is in control of the big picture and He is working things out for the good to those that love Him. There is a bigger picture happening in your life. A greater story that is bigger than anything you could possibly imagine. Trust God with the pieces.

The challenges you are facing today are only preparation for where God is taking you tomorrow. Don't miss it! He is in control, He is working in the perceived setbacks, and you can trust Him.

Passage: Genesis 50:15-20 (Say it 3x)

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”

16 So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: 17 ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him. 18 His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. 21 Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Pray: (Pause 3-5 seconds)

Background: Quick Recap of Joseph’s life…

Joseph was the favored son of his father Jacob. Now Joseph’s brothers hated him. His dad gave him a fancy coat which fueled the brothers hate toward their brother. And one day Joseph told them a dream where they would all bow down at his feet. This was the last straw. His brother conspired to kill him, but eventually sold him into slavery.

While in Egypt he gained favor with Potiphar, the captain of the guards, and he was put in charge of the jail. Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph of rape and he was thrown into the prison. While in prison Joseph interprets the dreams of a cupbearer and a baker. The dreams come true and the baker dies and the cupbearer lives and is reinstated to his position.

The cupbearer eventually remembers Joseph when Pharaoh starts having dreams. Joseph is brought before Pharaoh and he properly interprets his dreams. He tells Pharaoh that there will be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine in the land. Pharaoh is so impressed with Joseph that he makes him second in command over all Egypt.

This all seems like a nice quick rise to authority and power. But it is quite the opposite. Joseph endured intense suffering for 13 years leading up to this moment. The dream that God gave him at 17 years old would not be revealed for over 2 decades. How many times do we want to give up on a God given dream too early? How many times do we doubt the promises of God when times get tough or when it feels like we’re moving in the opposite direction?

This is where we finished last week in the story.

Now let’s continue on in the story of Joseph.

Main Points:

1. Glorious Providence (Genesis 45:4-8)

   1. “Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt. 5 And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7 God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
   2. Providence Definition = the protective care of God.

   3. Joseph gained favor with Pharoah (second in command). God has positioned Joseph is a unique and powerful position to preserve the life of his family and ultimately the lineage of Abraham.

      1. God’s promise to Abraham: “The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” - Genesis 12:1-3 CSB
         4. The ups and down, highs and lows, and constant changes in Joseph's story were not a matter of happenstance. These weren’t situations of bad luck and good luck. He wasn’t living through a series of random actions and decisions that led him to his destiny. Joseph was caught in the glorious providence of God.
         5. The story of Joseph speaks profoundly of God’s providence and man’s perseverance.
         6. In Genesis 45:5 when Joseph says that “God sent me here.” It was not the brothers who were in control, it was not the dad that set the scene, it was not the Midianites that purchased him, it was not Pharoah tha appointed him second in command, it was the Almighty God who established him.
         7. Life happens, seasons are hard, trials are inevitable, but God is bigger, God has a plan, and God is always at work.
         8. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
         9. I believe we are in desperate need of a reminder today that God is moving, God is working things out for His glorious plan, God has not abandoned you!
         10. Joseph didn’t live with growing bitterness, but a guaranteed promise. Frustration, anger, and fear will ultimately lead to a bitter and paralyzed life. But when we cling to the promises of God we find blessing, favor, and peace that passes all understanding.

2. Generous Provision (Genesis 45:17-20)

   1. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go on back to the land of Canaan. 18 Get your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the richness of the land.’ 19 You are also commanded to tell them, ‘Do this: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your dependents and your wives and bring your father here. 20 Do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’

   2. God takes the sins of the destroyers and turns it around and makes it the means of their salvation.

      1. Question: Is this not true even in our own lives?

         3. It was my sin that Jesus bore on the Cross for my salvation. I did nothing to deserve it, yet He lavishes His grace on me.
         4. Illust: His hand is bigger than mine.

      2. “A young boy went to the local store with his mother. The shop owner, a kindly man, passed him a large jar of suckers and invited him to help himself to a handful. Uncharacteristically, the boy held back. So the shop owner pulled out a handful for him. When outside, the boy’s mother asked why he had suddenly been so shy and wouldn’t take a handful of suckers when offered. The boy replied, “Because his hand is much bigger than mine!””

         5. Oftentimes we want to take control and get as much as we can. Cling to what we have. Grab whatever we can get. When God wants us to surrender it all. Palms up. His hands are bigger. His provisions are greater. He is a generous God!
         6. We know this from the cross. He gave us the greatest gift, most generous provision when He sent His Son to die on a cross for our sins!
         7. Time and time again we see humanity turn towards evil. We see brokenness, deveipt, and corruption revealed throughout the entire genealogy of Joseph's family, yet through it all God was working out a glorious provision. Not only for Joseph’s family… you see, there’s more to the story.

3. Greater Purpose (Genesis 49:8-10)

   1. “Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the kill. He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.”
   2. Question: Where is Jesus in all of this?
   3. The story of Joseph does give hope in times of suffering, but it's so much more than that. The story of Joseph is of a faithful man that preserved the way for the coming of the Messiah. But not in the way you might have thought.
   4. God had chosen Judah to be the ancestor of Israel's line of kings. This is what the passage is saying when is says “the scepter shall not depart from Judah.” The brother that sold Joseph into slavery and defrauded his brother is the chosen one? This may have been a result of Judah’s character change in Genesis 44:33-34.
   5. Joseph’s brother Judah would produce the coming Messiah, Jesus.
   6. We too are living in a time where the Messiah will come again. Where we still face various trials, temptations, and defeats. But let us not miss God’s passionate intentionality in our lives. He is showing His love to us in our sufferings, some of us just can’t see it yet.

   7. There’s more to the story... (If… he never…)

      1. If Joseph’s brothers never sell him to the Midianites, then Joseph never goes to Egypt.
      2. If Joseph never goes to Egypt, he never is sold to Potiphar.
      3. If he is never sold to Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape.
      4. If Potiphar’s wife never falsely accuses him of rape, then he is never put in prison.
      5. If he is never put in prison, he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh.
      6. If he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh, he never interprets their dreams.
      7. If he never interprets their dreams, he never gets to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.
      8. If he never gets to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, he never is made prime minister.
      9. If he is never made prime minister, he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region.
      10. If he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region, then his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine.
      11. If his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine, the Messiah can’t come forth from a dead family.
      12. If the Messiah can’t come forth, then Jesus never comes to be the propitiation for our sins.
      13. If Jesus never came, you are dead in your sins and without hope in this world.
      14. There’s always more to the story!!!

Back to the Big Idea: The challenges you are facing today are only preparation for where God is taking you tomorrow. Don't miss it! He is sovereign. He is in control and you can trust Him.

In the pit, prison, and palace Joseph trusted God and showed extraordinary character in the face of many trials and temptations. God was with Joseph and was preparing him for something greater than he could imagine. All along He had a plan for Joseph, and the plan was good.

Question: "Do you believe that the pain and suffering that you are experiencing now God can use for His good?

At the end of Joseph's life he was able to say to his brothers “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

God brought good out of the pit, false accusations, being forgotten, and seven years of famine. Joseph believed this because he knew that God was with him. God can overrule people’s evil intentions and actions to bring about his intended result. How does He do it? I don’t know. That’s a mystery far beyond my capability to reason or resolve. But I know that He’s done it time and time again throughout history and He’s done it over and over in my own life.

The Apostle Paul says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

“But what is God’s purpose? We often quote that verse as a way of hoping that everything will “turn out alright.” But that’s not God’s purpose. His purpose is in the next verse: that those who are in him would be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom 8:29). God’s biggest purpose in your life isn’t to trade out every bad event for a better one; it’s to conform you to look more like him.” – JD Greear

He is your refuge and your strength, He is a loving Father, trust Him today. Rest in His promises and lean in to His presence.

Will you trust him today? Will you surrender it all for His glory?

Let’s pray.