Change in Perspective (Sermon on Joseph) for Highview Baptist-1

A Change in Perspective

Hope for Tomorrow, Trust for Today

Question: Did everything go as you planned in 2016?

Intro: On big or special occasions people will often set goals or make resolutions. And the New Year is a perfect time to do that. I tend to do most of my internal thinking and goal setting on my birthday, but the New Year is a good time too. If we look back we can see that things don’t always go as planned. Now sometimes they go better than planned and sometimes the plan goes very south very fast.

I want you to hear this clearly this morning. Listen. God has a plan for your life.

Big Idea: God may call you to do something in 2017 that you don't want or even like to do. Something that requires pain and suffering! This is meant for a reason, it has purpose! God wants to bring us to a place where we fully rely and trust in Him!

That in every circumstance we say Jesus you are enough!

Passage: Genesis 45:4-8 (Say it 3x)

Pray: (Pause 3-5 seconds)

Background: Covenant with Abraham

In order to fully grasp the magnitude of this story we must first take a step back and look at the greater story at play.

Genesis 12 – God makes a promise to Abraham and says, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 15 – God tells Abraham, verse 5 “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.” God made a formal covenant with Abraham that night. He tells him that his people will be sojourners and servants in the land and will be afflicted for 4 hundred years!

Joseph was in the line of Abraham. Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob, and Jacob had Joseph and 11 other sons. We will look at the incredible significance of this lineage a little later on in the story.

Now let’s fast forward to the story of Joseph.

3 Main Points:

1. Tormented In The Pit (Genesis 37)

   1. Brothers hated him (dysfunctional family)

      1. Joseph was born in a dysfunctional family. The deceiver became the deceived. As a parent you pass on not only your looks, but your habits too.
      2. Genesis 37 – Jacob has 12 sons, but he loved Joseph the most. He made him a robe of many colors. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more they hated Joseph. Joseph tells his brothers of two dreams. In both dreams his brothers are bowing down to him. And in one of his dreams his father and mother are bowing down also. This made his brothers hate him even more.

      3. Joseph wasn’t making decisions that would gain him any favor with his brothers. He showed a great lack of tact and discernment as he shared these dreams and flaunted the colorful coat.

         2. Thrown in the pit

      4. Jacob sends his son Joseph to go check on his brothers that were working in the fields. When Joseph found his brothers they had conspired to kill him. The oldest brother Reuben convinced his brothers to spare his life. Knowing he would have to give an account for his brother’s death. In verse 24 it says “and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty and it had no water in it.”

      5. Joseph begged for his life. Genesis 42:21 says, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen.”
      6. Question: Have you experienced the pit? Or do you feel like you are in a pit right now?

      7. Application: It’s hard to see the bigger picture when you’re surrounded by dirt. When the walls are closing in around you and you feel like there is no way out! This is an opportunity for a turning point.

         1. Your character is not formed on the mountain tops, but in the pit.
            3. Sold into slavery

      8. A caravan came by after some time and they sold their brother as a slave for 20 shekels of silver. Reuben returned to the pit to find it empty and was grieved. The brothers then crafted a lie to convince their father that he was slaughtered by a fierce animal. Jacob heard the news and tore his garments and grieved for many days. Jacob, the deceiver became the deceived.

      9. I love this John Piper quote that says, “They think they are destroying the dreams when in fact they are fulfilling the dreams.”
      10. Genesis 39 – Joseph was brought to Egypt and sold to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar was the captain of the guards. Verses 2-3 say, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” Joseph found favor with Potiphar and was put in charge over all he had.
      11. Illustration: Have you ever walked through the woods at night alone? Or been lost while driving around looking for your destination? Isn’t it nice to have someone with you? That person doesn’t have to fix anything or even be able to protect you. Just knowing they are there makes all the difference. Now imagine the Creator of the universe being WITH YOU. That changes everything. You’re no longer lost or afraid. You have everything you’d ever need in His presence alone! He will protect you, provide for you, and He will always keep His promises.

2. Tempted In The Palace (Genesis 39)

   1. Pursued by Potiphar's wife

      1. Now Joseph was a good looking man and had caught the attention of his master’s wife. She tried to get Joseph to commit adultery with her but Joseph refused. He knew he had earned the trust of his master and said “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” She attempted day after day to try and get Joseph to sleep with her, but he remained faithful to God. One day she caught him alone and made one final plea, Joseph refused and she grabbed his garment, but he immediately fled the scene. He wanted no part of it. She then lied to Potiphar saying that Joseph forced himself on her. Potiphar was furious and he threw Joseph in prison.
      2. Application: When tempted he ran. This is a good principle for us today. Don't stop and think. Don't analyze the situation.... RUN! Leave your coat, your car, and your kids if you have to and leave the situation.

      3. Often times when we are tempted we do one of two things, rationalize or blame the circumstances. Joseph did neither of these. He did not want to sin against God. Be like Joseph and RUN!

         2. Accused of adultery and rape

      4. Even though Joseph did the right thing he was thrown in prison.

      5. Application: Ever have the wrong thing done to you for doing the right thing? Join the biblical club.

         3. Convicted and sent to the dungeon

      6. Reference: Paul returning on his first missionary journey doing some discipleship with new believers and he said, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” - Acts‬

      7. Reference: We see this again when Jesus is speaking to the disciples. He says, “In the world you will have tribulations. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
      8. Application: You may not be responsible for the cause, but you are responsible for your response. Joseph remained faithful to God.

      9. Illustration: When you soak a sponge, and then apply pressure, something is going to come out. You need to allow time for the sponge to sit in the water and absorb the water, then when you pull it out and apply pressure, water comes out. When you feel the pressure and are tested what comes out? Is it anger? Bitterness? Maybe a cuss word? C’MON! Or are you filled with The Word? When the pressure is applied do you overflow with love? Honesty? Service? Check what you’re soaking in!

         4. God is with Joseph

      10. We see it again in verse 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.” Joseph quickly gained favor in the prison and was put in charge over all the prisoners.

      11. Application: The suffering that you have experienced or are experiencing should not be perceived as a punishment, but an opportunity. It is a privilege because it provides an avenue to point others to Jesus.
      12. The story of Joseph does give hope for those going through a challenging season, but it’s so much more than that. It gives hope to our very existence. It is a story that declares that God is enough.
      13. Tested In The Prison (Genesis 40)

   2. Joseph in charge of prison

      1. Chapter 39:23 says, “The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.”
      2. Joseph wasn't just a good employee that worked hard and impressed his boss. Joseph walked with God and trusted him in every situation. It was not because Joseph was all that, but that God was WITH Joseph.
      3. It's not overcoming the current circumstances; it's about conforming to the image of God. (Rom 8:29)
      4. It's about God doing work on your character and your life, so that you will draw closer to him. It's so that you will learn to trust Him more.

      5. Joseph's job was not his identity nor destiny. Not a title. Not a dollar amount. Not a status. It was a relationship with the almighty God.

         2. Interpreted dreams (butler lived & baker died)

      6. Joseph properly interprets the dreams. 3 days later the baker dies, and the cupbearer is returned to duty.

      7. Genesis 40:23 “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.”

         3. Remained faithful despite the circumstances

      8. Psalm 105:16-17 says, “When He summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.”

      9. God sent Joseph through the means of slavery to prepare him for his destiny.
      10. “Things will get worse before they get better. We want the destiny, God wants to make sure you're ready for it." Tony Evans
      11. Application: If you’re looking at the people and what they are doing to you then you might miss what God is doing. You need a change in perspective. God is always working around you and He has a plan and purpose for your life.

*Next week we’re going to see how Joseph “Triumphed in the End” as we look at chapters 41-50. And we’ll ask the questions “Where is Jesus in all of this?”

Back to the Big Idea: God may call you to do something in 2017 that you don't want or even like to do. (GOD IS WITH YOU) Something that requires pain and suffering! (GOD IS WITH YOU) For a purpose greater than what you can see. (GOD IS WITH YOU) God wants to bring us to a place where we fully rely and trust in Him! That in every circumstance we say, “You are enough GOD!”

In the pit, palace, and prison, 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.

Question: "What if we lived every day with the reality that God was with us?"

Altar Call/Walking Point:

"In that divorce you just went through, in that bad grade you received, in the prejudices you’ve experienced, in the addiction you're battling…how would that look different if you knew that God had a plan even in the midst of all that pain?” - J.D. Greear

Would you put your trust in Him today? He is with you.

Let’s pray.