Prison Principles
Notes
Transcript
Call to worship
Welcome everyone!
No evangelism today
Members meeting Sept 24th!
We are looking at getting a sign so we will be discussing that
Call to Worship
Psalm 146:1-7 “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.”
LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!
“Living Hope”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS
Lord,
“Mighty to Save”
Words and Music by Hillsong
“Way-maker”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS
Lord,
SERMON
Introduction
Here we arrive at another scene in Jospeh’s life which presents him even worse off than before. Jospeh’s entire life since he was 17 years old has been hardship after hardship. And now he is in prison, in a strange land, with no connections to bring him freedom except God. And he must have thought while in there, “I may die here in this prison cell. This is it for me.”
There are times in our Christian walk when we find ourselves i seasons just like that. Seasons of confinement. Seasons of imprisonment. Seasons that feel so similar to sitting month after month in a prison cell. Not a literal prison, but a prison of circumstances.
Long periods of waiting
Times of great struggle
Times of barrenness and dryness
And not short periods of time, but often years…
This is common to the Christian life and if you’ve walked with Christ very long you’ve been there. Or you may be there right now.
Paul even referred to himself as a “prisoner of Christ” (Eph 3:1). Yes, he spent time in a literal prison, but in Eph 3 he uses this to term as a characteristic of his walk with Christ.
In these times, we often start well by trusting God in the affliction. But after some time the struggle begins to wear us down.
Its like the ox toked to a plow
He starts off strong but the weight never decreases.
As time passes on he becomes more and more weary.
Everyday is a repeat of circumstances that seem to imprison him
That is where Joseph is. Each transition in his life was not up, but down. And now sitting in prison not knowing when things will change, his life becomes a a great example and encouragement to us when we find ourselves in life’s prison.
Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time.
Explanation
“after these things”
How old was Jospeh at this time?
Does anyone remember how old he was when he was sold into slavery?
He was 17
Chapter 41 says he is 30 when he rises to power, which is another 2 years from this point
That means Joseph is 28 y/o
“after these things” means after the past11 years.
For the past 11 years he has been carried places that he did not want to go
And things did not get better, but worse and worse
From favored son
To slave of Potiphar
To convicted felon
We can only imagine what must have went through his mind year after year:
I will never have a wife or kids
Here I am now in my thirties, hair is starting to fall out
Even getting some grey in my beard
And I’m stuck in prison
Let alone a wife, I will never see my family again
My brothers
My father
And probably thought he would never really have any quality of life ever again
I will never have my own land with my own herds of sheep and goats
I will never have my own servants
I will never have any kind of inheritance to pass on to my offspring
TIME IS RUNNING OUT!
Bridge
And by the providence of God, here we sit, and wait, and watch the world around us
And the hardest part about this, is the waiting!
BUT the Waiting is a primary ingredient in God’s plans for our lives
God made Abraham wait 25 years before he had Issac
Jacob waited 14 years before he could marry Rachel whom He loved
King David waited 15 years before the crown was taken from Saul and given the David
Israel wandered 40 years before entering the promise land
Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness
Paul spent 3 years waiting to preach the gospel
WAITING IS ESSENTIAL TO GOD’S PLAN FOR US
Principle 1: Waiting is a virtue that God wants to develop in every single believer. Don’t reject it!
Principle 1: Waiting is a virtue that God wants to develop in every single believer. Don’t reject it!
The Psalmist said:
Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.
There is something transformational that takes place in our lives when we wait on the Lord
There is something that time does to our spirituality that we cannot get anywhere else!
AND I assure you if God has you waiting, it is not in vain!
What many people want (and what we must avoid) is a quick fix right now
Lord, I’ve been coming to church for two months, why are things not better??
Lord, I’ve been reading the Bible for a while now
Lord, I’ve been single for a year, time is running out!
And they want to throw in the towel and quit
Or take the easy way out, which often includes compromising our faith
But quick fixes are not real fixes, only bandaids
What do we learn here?
Waiting is normal for the believer!
Waiting is essential for the believer!
Trust God in the waiting!
And if you are waiting this morning: YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT WHERE GOD WANTS YOU TO BE
God is actively working in your life
And there is no better place that you can be
But what do we do while we wait?
Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”
Explanation
Now the cup bearer and and baker both have a dream
And these dreams were not ordinary dreams, but strange and knew they meant something more
Not only this, but they both had a similar dream on the same night!
So they knew these dreams meant something for each of them!
It just so happens that Joseph is a man of dreams
He had dreams about his family bowing down to him which is what got him thrown in the pit!
And the dreamer walks in the next morning and sees the faces of these men and knows something is wrong.
And they tell Joseph that they need an interpreter to give the meaning of their dreams.
Jospeh says this, “Do not all interpretations belong to God?”
Now I want us to think about what that statement means...
Jospeh lost his relationship with his brothers
He lost his relationship with his father
He lost his position in Potiphar’s house
He lost whatever dignity he had left and is now a convicted criminal
BUT HE NEVER LOST HIS FAITH IN GOD
Let me paraphrase what Jospeh says here: I cannot tell you what those dreams mean, but the God I serve and know and love can tell you. He knows everything and I am 100% confident He will interpret them for you!
What a statement from the jail cell!
What a picture of a man who has never let his circumstances determine his relationship with God!
How easy must it have been to be resentful towards the Lord for his current circumstances!
How tempting it must have been to be angry at God for all that has happened to him!
BUT here he speaks about God in good light!
I cant help you, but God will because God is good!
God is all wise, all knowing
God still has a plan!
Not only was he not bitter towards the Lord, but he was not bitter towards other people either!
Notice the concern and caring heart Jospeh had towards the baker and cupbearer: ‘Why are your faces sad today?”
He did not see their sad faces and then deep down inside smile because others were suffering with him
He wanted to help them!
What a great lesson for us to learn here!: To never let our circumstances sprout a root of bitterness
I bet none of our afflictions that we have experienced have been as severe and underserving as Joseph’s!
I have suffered yes!
But much of my suffering was because of my own sins!
I have suffered for the Lord, yes, but nothing compared to what Jospeh has suffered!
God has given me a great life, and what I think is so bad is not really that bad at all when I compare it to others
Bridge
Principle #2 Resist the temptation to become bitter
Principle #2 Resist the temptation to become bitter
Bitterness is a dangerous temptation for us all in these times of barrenness and hardships
How does bitterness spring up in our lives?
Bitterness begins with a negative thought that we dwell on
And it is like a cancer that spreads and consumes the entire person
And before long it comes out in every direction including up (towards heaven)
One man said, “bitterness imprisons life; bitterness paralyzes life; bitterness sickens life; bitterness blinds life”
How true is that.
For the one who lets the root of bitterness to sprout and grow WILLINGLY exchanges all joy and happiness for misery
A bitter heart makes itself miserable
He chooses to dwell on things he cannot change and reaps the fruit of misery
Bitterness is a poison that can even ruin a person spiritually
What is the answer is a bitter heart?
It is to do just as Joseph has modeled for us.
He has accepted whatever lot the Lord had for him and made the best of it.
He did not sit and sulk in prison,
He didn’t blame and hate others
he worked his way up to leadership position there
He wanted to help those around him
AND He knew the heart of God that is good and chose to believe that over the negative thoughts that came to mind
He believed God had a future and hope for him
Here is a word of advice
When things come unexpectedly into your life, look up before you look around
When hardships comes, don’t grumble at God
Ask the Lord, “what are you trying to teach me here?”
When things do not work out maybe God is trying to protect you from something
We need to be more in the habit of looking for the GOOD hand of God, than believing that God is against us and trying to ruin us!
So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me; and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. “Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. “Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. “For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.”
Explanation
The cupbearer tells Jospeh his dream
And Jospeh is able to give him the interpretation of the dream
And it has a good ending!
The cupbearer will be restored to his position of Pharaoh’s right hand man
And notice what Joseph tells him, “only keep me in mind when it goes well with you”
Jospeh does not waste this great opportunity here at a shot for freedom!
And we cannot hardly blame him!
If the door to your prison was opened up before you, would you walk through it?
Most likely so!
And we can imagine the response of the cupbearer after hearing this great news!
Oh yes Jospeh!
I will certainly mention you to the King of Egypt!
He could really use a man with your gift
You are going to go far here!
And we can almost hear Jospeh’s joy when the cupbearer is returned to his position at Pharaoh’s side 3 days later and he’s thinking anyday now they will come and get me out of here.
Oh thank you Lord for sending me those two!
Oh thank you Lord for getting me out of this place!
I will tell Pharaoh about you!
I knew you would deliver me!
Three days I will be out of this place and finally have a life!
And what happens?
Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Explanation
“yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph”
What may have seemed like his only hope had forgotten him
It must have felt like he would sit in prison the rest of his life
His only opportunity to get out had passed him by
And so it seems this way with us too
When we try to do what Jospeh did and manipulate the circumstances to deliver us from our pain
Many times we go against God when we do this
We cut corners, we ignore biblical teaching
We avoid other believers who know our situation
We want out and try to get that release from this world
Why did the cupbearer forget Joseph?
Because God wanted Jospeh to know that the only One who could deliver him was God
And God wants us to know that the one one who can deliver us is God!
It is the Lord who delivers, and only the Lord who can truly set us free
Every other attempt is in vain and will lead us right back where we started (Jonah)
And I can only imagine the temptation to become bitter and resentful presented itself all over again form Joseph
Principle
Principle #3: Place your complete trust in God to deliver you
Principle #3: Place your complete trust in God to deliver you
If we put our trust in anything else we are doomed!
This includes the one who trusts in themselves
Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
Application
How do we trust in God during these times?
We wait for His deliverance!
We wait for His timing!
We walk through this time according to His principles, according to His commandments, according to Word of God!
We do not listen to culture, our friends, even our parents if they do not line up with sound teaching from God’s Word!
We trust in what God says regardless of the consequence
Conclusion
What is the main point of this message?
Nothing can save us but God.
Nothing can deliver us but God.
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever;
~PRAYER~
RESPONSE
PUBLIC INVITATION
“Come to Jesus”
Words and Music by Hillsong
OFFERING
We will now worship the Lord through our tithes and offering.
BENEDICTION PRAYER