Joseph's Journey Pt. 1

This evening, we begin a study of Joseph and all he went through after being sold into slavery by his brothers.

They had identified him as a dreamer.

Joseph had revealed to them, what God had revealed to him… and it did not go well.

Joseph’s bothers did not agree with the vision or dream that God had given him.

Let’s stop and consider that point for a moment.

How many believe that God has a plan… for you? How many understand that this plan is for you… not for those around you, but for you.

The plan will most certainly impact those around you, but it is up to you to be faithful and obedient to the plan God has for you.

It is not up to anyone else. It matters not what other people think or say… if God has given you the word and direction, you must choose to faithfully obey if you desire to live in His plan.

Others may not agree with the plan given to you, but so long as it is in agreement with His Word and led of His Spirit, we must be obedient to the plan.

God’s will for you… is PERFECT.

Consider this… nothing of this world is perfect. We know this from experience.

Everything has a flaw, a twist, a point of corruption, bias, agenda, etc. We say it often that no one is perfect… and no church is perfect. Perfection is something we lost when sin entered the scene.

BUT… Romans 12:2 identifies God’s will as… PERFECT!

Romans 12:2 NIV

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

God’s will for you is good, pleasing, and PERFECT!

Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of the plan God has for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God’s will… is the place to be! God’s will is something we can know… something He reveals to us… and is something to be cherished.

I am thankful tonight that we don’t have to figure out the road ahead. God has ALL the details in motion. We simply must choose to… submit ourselves to the plan.

This means we cannot look at someone else’s plan and compare… this means we find pleasure and contentment in knowing we are right where God desires us to be.

I’m sure for Joseph, slavery was NOT anything he foresaw or dreamed of for his life.

In fact, I would almost bet he might have wondered how he would go from being a slave to the fulfillment of the dream God had given him.

As we move to Genesis 39, we will see Joseph did not concern himself with the details, he simply concerned himself with honoring God… and it showed.

When we choose to honor God above all else, we will find ourselves in His will and His blessings. We are going to see that in our study tonight.

READ GENESIS 39

This is a crazy story… but there are some important underlying themes we do not want to miss. What I want us to see is Joseph’s outward circumstances did not dictate His inward commitment to the Lord. And the first point I want us to see is…

Joseph operated in the FAVOR of God.

Look at Genesis 39:2-3 again.

Genesis 39:2–3 NIV

2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,

God’s favor… is a GOOD thing. In fact, I would argue there is nothing better than living in God’s favor!

So… is God’s favor something that is automatic OR is God’s favor something that is “earned” for lack of a better word? Is God’s favor something we can experience today?

I believe God desires for ALL to live in His favor. I do not believe that His favor is something reserved for only a few that find it.

I believe God’s favor is something we find in faithfulness.

Consider this: God’s faithfulness HAS NEVER CHANGED. However, our “faithfulness” has ebbed and flowed throughout the generations.

IF we desire to experience the favor of God in our lives, then we need to choose to live favorably in the eyes of God.

What does that look like?

First, it is not something earned… it is something received. Sin is not something we can overcome on our own. However, sin was overcome through the work of Christ on the cross.

When we come alive in Christ, that old self is crucified with Him… our sinful past is done away with.

At this moment, we trade our record of sin for renewed righteousness. Jesus took on our sin, we take on His righteousness. This is called justification.

Secondly, God’s grace becomes very real to us.

We don’t deserve salvation nor do we deserve a second, third or 100th chance. But God has gifted believers with eternal life by His grace.

What better favor could we ask for knowing that we will spend eternity with God in heaven?

God’s favor was so strong on Joseph, it was observable by Potiphar.

Potiphar knew that Joseph’s success was beyond what Joseph could accomplish on his own. He saw the favor of God in his life.

This favor came because Joseph served the Lord, first. Even when Potiphar’s wife tried to make a move on him, he dared not touch her and sin against the Lord.

When we put God first above all else, His favor can and will be seen in every are of our lives.

Again, God desires for all people to know His favor, but not all will live favorable lives in the eyes of the Lord.

Joseph was a STEWARD of God’s blessings.

It was clear that Joseph was blessed by God, but he did not take advantage of these blessings. Joseph was a faithful steward of all that had been entrusted to him.

God was blessing everything in Potiphar’s house because of Joseph. Because of this, Genesis 39:6 tells us:

Genesis 39:6 NIV

6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,

Potiphar trusted Joseph. Why? Because Joseph was TRUSTWORTHY. He was a good steward of all God and Potiphar had given him.

Joseph knew full well what was his to manage… and he knew full well what had NOT been given to him.

So.... when Potiphar’s wife tried to get Joseph to take her to bed, Joseph REFUSED. In his response, Joseph made clear that he had been given charge of everything… except for Potiphar’s wife.

Joseph knew that such action was wicked in the eyes of his master, Potiphar.

Joseph knew that such action was SIN in the eyes of God.

Joseph did not take advantage of the situation, he remained faithful. And in that faithfulness, Joseph went on to live a happy an fulfilling life in Potiphar’s house and he never faced another issue again. The end…?

No. Although Joseph remained faithful, his choice led to Potiphar’s wife to be deceptive and destructive toward the faithful steward.

When it comes to life on this planet, we don’t always get immediate reward for doing what is right, but you’ll never go wrong by trusting in the Lord.

You might be tempted to cheat a little… to bend the rules… to do something when no one is looking… to exaggerate or to spin the truth. She was asking for it… so why not give it to her? No one would know what happened… and then the pressure would be off.

Scripture says that she asked daily for Joseph to come to bed with her. Could this one compromise really cause that much trouble?

Absolutely. And Joseph knew this. He was not about to act like an owner of that which was not given to him.

Joseph's Favor was not Dependent on His Circumstance.

Sometimes I fear we judge God’s favor in our lives by the circumstance that surrounds us. But I want you to see tonight that God’s favor can remain… even when our circumstance is unfavorable.

After Joseph flees the temptation and the deception is laid out, Joseph is thrown into a prison described as a “place where the king’s prisoners were confined.”

So this is the “reward” that Joseph would receive for his faithfulness? He had it all in Potiphar’s house and now he is a prisoner for doing nothing.

But did Joseph really have it all? Why was he in Potiphar’s house to begin with?

Joseph was a SLAVE in that house. But he didn’t act as a slave - He acted as a servant of the most high God.

Now, Joseph was a prisoner in the king’s dungeon. But even in this circumstance, he didn’t act like a prisoner - He acted as a servant of the most high God.

Genesis 39:20–23 NIV

20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

I’ll close with this thought… Do not allow your circumstance to determine your level of obedience. Again, God is ALWAYS faithful. our circumstance change almost like seasons… but our faithfulness SHOULD NOT CHANGE. That's the point of being… FAITHFUL.

If faithful only in the good times, how can we know the goodness of God in the rough times? If faithful only when things are going right, how can we experience the blessings of God when things are going wrong?

Yes… you can be blessed and face hardship. You can be blessed and be in the middle of a trial at the same time. Why do you think we sang Blessed Be Your Name tonight? He blesses us in the good and the bad. We also need to praise Him and obey Him in the good and the bad.

The key is to tune out that which would distract you and to stay focused on what pleases the Lord.

Maybe you don't have someone enticing you like Joseph did. But maybe you’re tempted to spend what you don’t have, to take what is not yours, to fall short instead of going the distance, or to left when you know God says go right.

The enemy will try to tempt you with an “easier” path or even a path with more pleasure. But remember… God’s will for you is what? PERFECT. THERE IS NO GREATER PATH THAN THE ONE YOU ARE ON WITH GOD. Stay faithful. Remain in His favor. Be a good steward of all that He has given you. Never forget… the Lord IS with you!