God's Presence in Suffering
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Call to worship
Welcome everyone!
Call to Worship
Psalm 84 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God. How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah. How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah. Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”
LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!
“Because He Lives”
Words and Music by Matt Mayher
PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS
Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness. Whether we are here or Elmo rd or Pembroke Your faithfulness is evident to us. Thank you for alsways being with us, and never leaving or forsaking us. We praise you this morning because You are good at all times, and all good things come from Your hands. May our worship be pleasing to You today. Amen.
“King of Kings”
Words and Music by Hillsong
“Build My Life”
Words and Music by Pat Barrett”
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS
Lord, would you open our hearts to the life of Jospeh. Help us to put ourselves in this narrative, to see the godly character of Jospeh, and most of all to see Your steadfast faithfulness to Jospeh. We ask that You would peaks to each of us today through Your Word and that it would cause us to trust You more. Amen.
MAIN IDEA: God’s road hardships and testing, but He never leaves us
SERMON
Introduction
If there was ever a section of Scripture that spoke so much into my life it was this passage. And it was the words in ch 39:2, “The Lord was with Jospeh”. When I came to faith, I was carried places I did not want to go, and this verse ministered to me and encouraged me through those difficulties.
The first sermon I ever preached was on this passage and on the fact that God is with us through the triumphs and through the hardships. He never leaves us, and never expects su to walk through this world alone.
This sermon is about God’s road to maturity and that every follower of Christ will travel down this road. We can grow in our faith by praying, going to church, reading the Scriptures, but God also works on His end maturing us and that is through hardships. And that is not God’s road for some followers, but all followers.
In fact if you want to know what it is like to follow Christ, this is a great example. And it parallels the NT perfectly. Jesus said,
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
I want you to see the narrow road that God took Jospeh down and how He carried him down it the whole way
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
Genesis 39:1–2 (NASB95)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
Explanation
Picking up right where we left off last week, Jospeh has been carried off to Egypt against his will, but as a part of God’s plan
Here he is, 17 years old, hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit and left for dead, and now carried off to another country of the unknown over 200 miles away
Can you imagine why that must have been like!?
Can you imagine, not going on vacation, but being sold into slavery?
The fear that must have filled his mind about what is going to happen when he arrives in Egypt
BUT THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH
Never has there been a more comforting, courage giving, hope-filled statement in all of the Bible (IMO)
Jospeh going into the unknown, was not alone, the Almighty was with him!
And we are not just told this once in these 23 verses, but 4 times in these the Scriptures say, “The Lord was with Jospeh” (v 2, 3, 21, 23)
What does that mean that the lord was with Jospeh?
This is not modern cultural idea that God is with me in my heart
This is not some kind of intellectual thought that God was somehow with him…AND Jospeh was going to have to figure things out because he’s on his own
When the Bibles says that the Lord was with Jospeh, it means that the unlimited power and supernatural ability of God to change circumstances was present with Jospeh
God was there in totality
He was there to arrange the circumstances around in Joseph’s favor
And because God was there, Joseph’s outcome would be very different!
How was it different?
Verse 2 says, “so he became a successful man”
Jospeh was not successful for any other reason except that God made him successful
And that success was for the purposes that God had for him in the future
TRUTH
When God carries us off into places we do not want to go, we must KNOW that the same God who went with Joseph goes with us
His unlimited power to change circumstances goes with us
His ability to adequately provide everything that we need go with us
His kindness and love and grace goes with us and is is bestowed upon us
And even His blessing upon others happens because He is with us
Application
So there is great comfort to be found in this truth for all of us!
There is no need to be afraid of what awaits us
If God be for us, and if God goes with us, who can be against us?
For not even the devil and all his angels can hinder the
plans and purposes of God for your life
The child of God can walk with confidence knowing the ALMIGHTY IS THERE!
And what a difference that makes in every situation!
God blesses His people even during difficulties
Genesis 39:3–6 (NASB95)
Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.
Explanation
God’s presence with Jospeh was so noticeable, that even Potiphar who did not know God, recognized God’s presence in his life
That is because anything that Jospeh did it prospered!
His household ran smoothly and better than any other in Egypt
Potiphar’s livestock multiplied more than anyone else’s and we’re healthier than all the other animals in the land of Egypt
Potiphar’s crops grew faster and greener and produced more grain than anyone else’s in all the land of Egypt
(V 5) says the Lord’s blessing was upon ALL that he owned
Everything under the name of Potiphar was blessed because Jospeh was there
But this wasn’t because Joseph was just gifted in administrating
(v 3 ) says, the Lord caused all that he did to prosper
Jospeh wasn’t the root cause of his success, God was
It was God at work in Jospeh’s life that brought his success
TRUTH
God is the source of all blessing
And I am telling you that God’s blessing go together with God’s presence!
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
There is nothing good in our lives that does not flow through the hands of God!
If something good happens to us, it is because God has caused it to happen
The Lord was with Joseph even in Egypt, and Jospeh was blessed as a result of it
Personal Illustration
I am telling you, this has certainly been true for my life
I cannot tell you how blessed I have been since I have been walking with the Lord.
God has taken care of me, with great financial blessings
God has blessed me us with a great house that rarely needs any maintenance
A storm blew off a few shingles a few years agin, the incuracen company bought us a whole new roof
God blesses our business so much
God’s blessings accompany His presence
But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.”
Application
Let’s make sure that we always give glory to God for the good things in our lives
When people see God’s hand blessing us, we need to point to Him
We need to make sure that the world knows that it was God who did this
There are many temptations on this road
Genesis 39:6b–10 (NASB95)
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.
Explanation
Joseph was a good looking man
He got this from his mother Rachel, whom Jacob first loved
And sometimes good looks can be a curse
Attractiveness has ruined many men and women
And Potiphar’a wife had taken notice of Jospeh and tried to seduce him
But he refused
And day after day she tried to change his mind, but would not even listen to her
Don’t you just love character like that
How tempting for 17 y/o put in such a position like this
Far away from home
No way for any of his family or friend to ever find out
Yet He remained faithful
If we wonder why the presence of God was With Joseph, this is why
He was a man who feared God
His commitment to the Lord meant more than his own satisfaction
And he was unwilling to compromise his convictions
TRUTH
One of the most strongest temptations you will face is when you are away from home, away from the church, away from the people who hold you accountable.
This may be on a vacation somewhere, on an island, on the other side of the nation, or even in the mountains of Gatlinburg
No one is around, and no one would ever know
And Satan knows this, and he sows these thought sin our minds
And he also places temptation in our paths
Things that will draw our flesh and entice us
And notice how strong a temptation this was
(v 10) “and as she spoke to Jospeh day after day”
This was not a one time thing, but a daily tempting of Joseph, constant enticement to try to get him to consent to wickedness
What was it that kept Joseph from committing this great evil?
(v 9) “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
It was his commitment to God
And regardless of whether or not anyone else would ever find out, he knew God “the Lord was with Him, and that God sees it all
Application
What a truth for us to remember
Temptations will not go away in this life. As long as we are human, our flesh will be tempted.
BUT we do not have to sin! Just like Joseph did not have to sin!
And God will even allow us to be tempted, just as He allowed Jospeh to be, BUT THE CALL IS STILL FAITHFULNESS!
We must never forget that it is God whom we ultimately sin against, and there is nothing that God does not see no matter how secret we may think that it is
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
THERE IS TESTING ON THIS ROAD
Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. “When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” So she left his garment beside her until his master came home.
Then she spoke to him with these words, “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.
Explanation
Here again we see a repeat of injustice done to Joseph
Jospeh was thrown into a pit because of the evil of his brothers
And here we see Jospeh thrown into jail because the evil of the Potiphar’s wife
Here is our man of God
A man of integrity who just overcame great temptation
A man who has done the right thing in the eyes of God
AND because he did not compromise his faithfulness to God, was punished for it
Can we not hear the cries of Joseph from the jail, “Why are You allowing all of this to happen to me?”
I was faithful to You!
I was faithful to Potiphar!
And was punished for it!
Is this who You are God?
One who repays evil for good?
And so this is true many times for us
There are times when we do what is right, and while expecting to be blessed, INSTEAD we experience hardships, difficulties, suffering
And then we question God and ask, Why?
Where is God?
Is God even real if he allows me to be repayed evil for good?
Psalm 105 gives us an insight into this story that we must not miss!
Psalm 105:16–19 (NASB95)
And He called for a famine upon the land; He broke the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters, He himself was laid in irons; Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him.
Jospeh’s time in prison was not easy!
They afflicted his feet with fetters
He was laid with irons
What MUST have seemed like punishment to Joseph was really just testing by the LORD
“The Word of the Lord tested him”
What was the purpose of this test?
To shape and mold him into the man that God needed him to be
Application
It’s not the good times, nor the easy times that mature us and shape us, but the hard times, the difficult times, the times when we are treated unfairly for doing what is right
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
It is through the fires that God removes the impurities from our lives
It is the fires that we go through that makes us more godly
And God’s primary goal for you is holiness not happiness
And every follower of Jesus Christ must understand this
BUT, we are not expected to go through these trials and times of sufferings alone, look at the next verse:
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Genesis 39:21–23 (NASB95)
But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.
Explanation
Joseph was not in prison alone, he was not afflicted alone, he was not in shackles alone, THE LORD WAS WITH HIM
The forth time this phrase has been repeated and is doen so for emphasis!
God did not leave him at any time!
Thrown in the pit by his brothers, The Lord was there and rescued him out of the pit!
The place of prominence in Potiphar’s house, and Lord was there and blessed all that he touched
The prison floor for being falsely accused, GOD WAS THERE!
And God’s blessing was in that place too
Conclusion
There is only one thing we need to get through the difficulties in this life
And that is a real living relationship with the living God
We need to be married to Him!
Committed with all that we are until death do we part
Faithful to Him in all circumstances
Accepting every adversity as a part of God’s plan
And it is then that we will be used in ways we could not imagine
BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE WILL MAKE IT
~PRAYER~
RESPONSE
PUBLIC INVITATION
“Lord I need You”
Words and Music by Matt Mayher
COMMUNION
Moment of Silence to confess sin
Father, we ask at this time that you would reveal any sin in our hearts that we may not be aware of. We confess that we are all sinners and are in desperate need of your grace. We ask for your forgiveness at this time and claim the promise of John 1:9, “that we if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
We take Communion to remember and to renew our commitment to the lord sand one another
Joseph is an OT picture of the Lord Jesus
He was sold by his own brothers for 20 pieces of silver just as Jesus was sold by Judas for silver
He was placed in prison innocent between two criminals just as Jesus was placed on the cross innocent between two criminals
Jospeh was sent to Egypt by God to be the Savior of his people just as jesus was sent to earth to save His
Jospeh moved from lowliness to exaltation just as Jesus moved from suffering to glory
COME FORWARD AND RECEIVE THE BREAD
The bread we are going to eat, represents the body of Jesus that was broken for us
For our benefit, the Lord gave his life, suffered, beaten, afflicted, so that we could live
Pray a blessing over the bread
Jesus said: “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Eat the bread
COME FORWARD AND RECEIVE A CUP
The cup represents the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for us
For there is no other way for a man to be forgiven of his sins, but by His perfect, sinless blood
Pray and bless the cup
“do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
~PRAYER~
OFFERING
We will now worship the Lord through our tithes and offering.
BENEDICTION PRAYER