02 - Survivor Joseph The Rejected One 2012

Gen 37: 3-4

Now, these two verses lay out perfectly the tension that existed in Joseph’s life that God would use to ignite the dramatic events that propelled Joseph into Egypt.

The tension was that Joseph was loved by his father Jacob, but hated by his brothers.

THE STORY OF JOSEPH IN A NUTSHELL

So Joseph endured bitter betrayals, false accusations, unjust imprisonment, and being forgotten by friends.

Yet we never read about Joseph complaining or wavering in his faith in any way.

Joseph was a SURVIVOR!

Think about it:

Unlike us, Joseph didn't have the benefit of any of the Word of God, not even the Pentateuch. Moses was still centuries away.

He didn’t enjoy the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit like we do.

Yet Joseph passed three important tests in his life that we too must pass if we’re going to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.

The forgiveness test

The Providence test

The Faithfulness test

The FORGIVENESS test

If anyone had good cause to be bitter at others, it was Joseph.

He had been:

FORSAKEN at home.

“(His brothers) hated him so much they wouldn’t speak to him in a friendly manner.” -Gen.37:4 (GN)

They threw him into a well and would have left him to die.

They sold him into slavery and forgot about him.

FALSELY ACCUSED at work of a heinous crime.

“That Hebrew slave tried to rape me!” claimed Potiphar’s wife falsely. -Gen.39:17 (LB)

Yet we don’t detect a scintilla of bitterness against this woman on Joseph’s part.

She is never mentioned again by Joseph or in the Word of God.

FORGOTTEN by friends.

He had said to the butler and baker in prison:

“…Please be kind enough to mention me to the king and help me get out of this prison…But the butler (whose life was spared) never gave Joseph another thought – he forgot all about him.” -Gen.40:14, 23

Yet Joseph forgave them all!

His magnificent forgiveness is powerfully reflected in the names he gave his two children.

His first child was named Manasseh, meaning “FORGETFUL.”

In explaining this name, Joseph said it was because “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.”

As we all know, the bitter person never forgets.

They live in yesterday’s offenses; but not Joseph.

The second child he named, “Ephraim” meaning “God has made me fruitful in the land of my grief.”

It is important to note that “Forgetful” preceded “Fruitful.”

It is only when we forgive that we are free to become fruitful.

Every person within the sound of my voice will have to pass the FORGIVENESS TEST at some point in life.

Someone will wrong you, somebody will offend you deeply, probably someone close to you; someone you trusted, or counted on, or loved.

The Judas kiss comes to us all at one time or another, and the test is what we do with it—do we forgive, or do we become bitter and angry.

If we pass the forgiveness test, we will move on in God’s purpose for us.

If we fail, we will become spiritually stagnant and God’s purposes will be frustrated.

If Joseph had refused to forgive his betraying brothers, or Potiphar’s lying wife, or the selfish butler and baker, he would have died a bitter, angry old man rather than a prince in Egypt!

Who do you need to forgive today?

Don’t fail the Forgiveness test by allowing an offense to steal away your future!

Next came:

The Providence test

How in the world was Joseph able to stay afloat in such treacherous waters?

There was a secret to his unwavering faithfulness…

Listen carefully!

It was his understanding and acceptance of the Providence of God.

The person who believes in God’s Providence believes that God works in and through all things, inexorably guiding the circumstances of life to fulfill His purposes.

Joseph believed in God’s Providence.

He tells us of this belief over and over again.

When he finally revealed himself to his brothers, years after their betrayal, he told them:

"And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.”

Notice what he didn’t say.

He didn’t say, “You sold me into slavery and sent me here.”

He said, “God sent me…”

Joseph was able to see the hand of God ruling over all the affairs of his life; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

He knew that God had brought him to that PLACE for that HOUR for that PURPOSE.

This is why He told his brothers:

“God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance" (Genesis 45:5-8).

Joseph saw the bigger picture!

He had been sent by God to Egypt to keep the very brothers alive who had betrayed him during a time of famine, for out of his and their descendants the Messiah would come!

After his father Jacob died, Joseph again stated his lifelong conviction to his brothers:

"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20).

Now let’s be clear: God was not the source of the evil perpetrated against Joseph.

But Joseph knew that God was in complete control and was working through his painful experiences to bring about His purposes.

Ps.76:10 says that God, “Makes even the wrath of man to praise Him.”

Before Ro.8:28 was written, Joseph believed its message:

Ro.8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Joseph believed the truth of Romans 8:28 more than many Christians do!

If only we could trust God like Joseph did!

We say that we believe God is in complete control of all our circumstances, but do we really believe it?

There are hundreds of Bible verses declaring God’s Sovereignty:

The Bible says, “And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What are You doing?” (Dan.4:35)

The Bible says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives” (Ps.37:23).

God says in Isaiah 46:10, “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”

If we really believed this, we would accept life as it comes to us with a lot less complaining.

How steadfast is your faith and trust in the providence of God?

Does it measure up to the faith of Joseph?

So Joseph passed the FORGIVENESS test, and the PROVIDENCE test.

But there was ONE MORE TEST he passed:

The "Proving” test

Ps.105:19 “God sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. 18 They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. 19 Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord proved him.”

The word “Proved” is used in Scripture to describe the refining process of silver or gold.

The Bible reveals that God’s Word refined Joseph’s faith to make it like pure gold.

When you think about it, Joseph was not "reaping what he had sown" from mistakes he had made.

Nor was he being disciplined for sins he had committed.

What was happening is that God’s word was testing his faith.

Remember, he had been given powerful dreams as a teenager.

His family would bow down to him.

He would be placed in a position of great prominence.

Yet the very opposite of these things had taken place repeatedly.

Joseph’s faith in God’s word to him was tested by contrary circumstances.

And this "proving process" lasted more than 20 years!

Think about it!

Rather than his brothers bowing to him as he had dreamed, they threw him into a pit where he was the one bowing to them!

When he was put in charge of Potiphar's household, and it seemed that there might be a little "daylight" ahead, his hopes were dashed by false accusations and imprisonment (Genesis 39:1-20).

Can you imagine the disappointment Joseph experienced when he was thrown into prison for a horrible crime he had not committed?

What a bitter disappointment! What a test of his faith!

Only to be followed by being forgotten by two men he had ministered to and cared for.

One disappointment after another on top of another, yet Joseph passed the proving test.

He entrusted his life and future to God completely, and as a result he passed the proving test with top grades.

APPLICATION: As the word of the Lord tested Joseph, the word of the Lord will test every one of God’s children.

In tough times do we really believe that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him"?

Do we really believe that God will guide us in the decisions of life, ordering our steps in accordance with His promise to do so?

When circumstances don’t agree with what He has promised, will we still trust Him, like Joseph did?

You might be asking, “But Jeff, why does God test our faith?

Why all the proving?

The Bible explains:

In James 1:2-4 we read, "Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

God wants His children to be overcomers, strong and mature in our faith, people who can face a storm and stand firm.

The Forgiveness test, Providence test, and Proving test accomplish this goal.

Joseph Survived and Thrived because he passed them all!

What about you?

Are you experiencing the Forgiveness test?

What about the test of trusting God’s Providence?

Is your faith being tested by circumstances contrary to God’s promises?