1 Genesis 40: Preaching/Teaching-

Kids’s Message

Genesis 39:2 “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.”

Who is the person you spend the most time with?

Growing up I spent the most time with my brother. We were together all the time. In the summer both my parents worked so we were together for 3 months all by ourselves. My brother and I did karate.

We played basketball together, we played games together, and I have such great memories with my brother.

Because my brother and I were in Karate we would practice fight as well. I was older and one time I kicked my brother in the writs and he broke it. That was not the best memory.

But one of my favorite memories with my brother was when he was in High School. He was a really good basketball player and he played against a player who would eventually play in the NBA and he scored forty points on him.

Like I said I was with my brother all the time. At good times, at bad times and just at normal times.

Did you know just like I was with my brother. God wants us to be with him.

There was a man in the Bible who it said he was with God.

Genesis 39:2 “The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.”

How cool would it be if you spent time with God like I spend time with my brother.

There is a man named Joseph who did just that.

When Joseph was young his father favored him more than any of his other brothers, and because of that his brothers wanted to kill him and sold him into slavery. After he was sold as a slave he went to prison.

Who would like to be a slave and a prisoner.

That would be really hard. But you know why he was able to do it.

Because he spent time with the Lord.

In other words:

THE LORD WAS WITH HIM>

Share story about Sam and how he has been reading his Bible. Sam the lord has been with you while you have spent time with him.

To this very day my brother and I are still super close. i am with my brother.

Guys let’s be with God just like Joseph was.

The Faith of God Dreams

EOT-Joseph Exhibits Faith

EOS-3 snapshots of Unwavering faith

DDS-How will you exhibit faith this week.

Christ connection: Joseph asked him to remember me-When we call out to God to remember us he does. Thief on the cross.

Joseph responded to the prisoners like Jesus would.

Introduction:

We have been talking about Joseph and God Dreams

Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis III. God’s Servants Often Find Encouragement through the Results of Their Faithful Actions (20–23)

God tests his people’s faith in the promises before he entrusts them to positions of greater responsibilities. Those who are convinced that God desires to use them in greater capacities will demonstrate their unwavering faith in the midst of discouraging situations.

Unwavering Faith

Today we are going to talk about unwavering Faith

My uncle Dave got me a Cannon Camera for my graduation present in HS. I loved this camera. Now back then for you youngsters you actually had to take a picture and then after your roll of film was out you had to get the film developed. Then you would have a hard copy of a picture. You would develop it and have a 4x6 picture. I took a lot of pictures with that camera.

What are some of your favorite pictures you taken before?

Here is one of my favorite pictures.

It’s a picture of me and Heather. We did not really take a honeymoon for our wedding, but for my sabbatical we went to Alaska.

For the first half of the trip we stayed with Heather’s best friend Lindsey but for the second half we went around Alaska and did some of the coolest stuff we had ever done up to this point with Heather’s dad the general.

Describe this picture: This is a water airplane. When I see this picture so many memories come back.

Tell the story about the bears.

Bear safety and bear chasing Heather

Watching 25 bears eat Salmon at once

I could tell you more stories just from this one snapshot.

But just from that snap shot all those memories come back to me of this incredible journey we took together.

What if someone where to take a snap shot of our life?

Would unwavering faith be a part of your snapshot. Would it be a big part of it or a small part of it, or would it not be a part of it at all.

God wants Unwavering faith to be all over our snapshot.

If we want to live out our God dream, faith has to be the engine.

What memories would come back?

God wants the snap shot of our life to exhibit unwavering faith in him.

We can only please God by faith (Heb 11:6)

We are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)

We live by faith-

Faith is a very personal thing, but faith is not just a personal thing it is our THING.

IF someone took a snapshot of your life where would faith factor into it?

Unwavering faith is meant to be all over our snapshot.

As awesome as this picture is to me, our faith snapshot is even more beautiful.

Matthew 5:16 ““Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Today as we look at three snapshots from Joseph’s life, I want you to ask yourself, are these pictures true of my life?

1. The first Snapshot: Faith Shining in dark places (1-4).

Setting:

JAIL-Last week we saw how he got to jail. He was falsely accused.

EXPLAIN THIS PASSAGE AS I READ THROUGH IT

Genesis 40:1–3 “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.”

How could jail be a good situation?

But even in jail we see God working and orchestrating in a dark place.

God is putting Joseph around the right people in the unlikeliest of places. Right now I don’t think Joseph is thinking to himself these guys are my ticket out of here. He is probably thinking here are two more people KNUCKLEHEADS I have to serve in jail (this terrible place). But even in this situation Joseph is displaying unwavering faith.

Genesis 40:4 (NASB95)

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.

God continues to put Joseph in leadership

What has God gifted you in?

To this point Joseph had continually been FAITHFUL to shine his faith wherever he went.

Service

I want to say something on a side note, a follower of Christ cannot disconnect leadership with service from the kingdom of God.

He led at home by serving his brothers

He served his master by looking over the whole household.

Serving and leadership go hand in hand.

The world tells us that if you make it to the top, people should serve you.

Good to great book-a book where the author studied different companies that went from good to great. What he found is that these companies all had a servant leader.

We see Joseph again because he is gifted by God at the top and what does that mean, he is serving.

If you want to be great for God and not serve, you will never be great for God.

And now in prison he has a chance again to be-faithful to God and shine his faith by serving.

JOSEPH was FAT.

I don’t want you to think this was not that bad, Joseph was in prison and he wanted out.

Psalm 105:18–19 “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.”

I wanted to be tested at basketball because I loved basketball.

We want the tests of the things we love?

Are you ready for his tests?

How are you doing when God tests you?

Mrs. Chung moved to America with the hope of her and her husband giving their kids a better life. Struggling being in a new country they began a Chinese restaurant and as things began to get more stable and their dream being realized her husband suddenly dies, leaving her widowed she had to decide was she going to be faithful in a dark place. She placed:

Romans 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.”

On her tombstone and decided she would shine her faith even in the midst of uncertainty .

Application:

Is there a time when you have seen faith shine in a dark place?

What dark places can your faith shine right now?

2. The second Snapshot: Faith embracing mundane opportunities (5-19).

God will provide opportunities. (3-8)

Genesis 40:5 NASB95

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.

Joseph could have done a poor job at what God had called him to do in prison. He could have said forget these guys. He had a choice to make.

How are you responding to the everyday opportunities God has provided for you?

It is in everyday life that we have the privilege to shine the glory of God.

Genesis 40:6 (NASB95)

When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected.

We want the glorious right? The fanfare and the fame.

When most people would need to be ministered to, think of all he has gone through.

Remember from last week, Joseph was being ministered to by God because God was with him. We all need God to minister to us so that we can walk by unwavering faith. This is our fuel.

Joseph could tell something was bothering them.

He was serving.

Genesis 40:7 (NASB95)

He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?”

He was in a sad situation but that situation did not keep him from being ready to help those who were hurting.

JOY VS HAPPINESS-Joseph had Joy.

This was more than just basic prisoner sadness they were really sad.

Joseph could really have said hey let me tell you a story,..I had some brothers who really hated me and wanted to kill me....

Right here we see a picture of Jesus from Joseph’s life

He left eternity to come to our prison this earth-he could have talked about his problems, but he loved us so much that he wanted to come to us. You can come today and push away the love of God, the heart of compassion and he wants to hear about your struggles, but the God of the universe has pursued us.

“Why are your faces so sad?”

Do you have eyes like Joseph, do you see when people are hurting?

Genesis 40:8 NASB95

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.”

These men of power, or of former power knew they were in trouble because only a certain group of people could interpret dreams and these people were not the kind of people who were in prison.

Both of these men had access to the king when he was vulnerable, there is a chance that one of these men may have been trying to take the king out. They where in charge of his food.

Notice Joseph at this point is not doing the extraordinary, he is doing the ordinary for the glory of God.

He is using his gift for God’s Kingdom.

Joseph had some experience with dreams.

Don’t interpretations belong to God-

God has spoken through dreams all over the Bible

Most of the people God has spoken to in dreams are unbelievers

God has spoken to unreached people in dreams-Did you know that their many stories of Muslims coming to faith in the Living Christ because of dreams.

Now I do want to say this about dreams. The Bible tells us in the OT that if someone dreams a dream that is not in line with scripture that person needs to be put to death.

But God can use dreams to get people’s attention.

As believers in Jesus we do not go seeking dreams. We go seeking the word of God, this is are food, this is our delight this is where life is.

We must choose to use our gifts for his glory

Favorable Interpretation

We just saw that these men said in v.8-

Don’t interpretations belong to God-

Joseph was using his gift to point others to God.

Could you the Chariots of Fire story-Do all to the glory of God.

Genesis 40:9-13 “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.”

Joseph was literally using his gift for the glory of God.

Genesis 40:16-19 “When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.””

Mrs. Chung had two kids and no husband. She decided she was going to raise them in Christ. She got plugged into a good church. And she shared with me one time how the church gave their kids a Christmas they will never forget. As she was raising these two children she had plenty of opportunities everyday to live out her faith. As she taught them the Bible and invested in their lives.

Joseph’s interpretations were based solely on the truth of God

3. The last Snapshot: Seeing the fruit of our Faith (20-23).

I love when my kids come downstairs and they want to see if they have grown.

Don’t we love seeing results

We love to see our hard work payoff.

Mr. Chung has gotten to see her children display their faith. Two pics of Tina and Tim.

If we are struggling in a area and we put the work in isn’t it nice to see that it is working.

Genesis 40:20-22 “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.”

This had to be such an encouragement to Joseph, all those dreams that God had gifted him and that he was going to be a leader. Those things were real. They really were going to happen. I am not crazy.

This whole process had taken him 11 years.

Genesis 40:23 (NASB95)

Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Remember ME

Genesis 40:14–15 NASB95

“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.”

Joseph is thinking I just spoke truth, and it was good for you. Now here is my situation and I just have one request:

Remember Me.

Joseph looked at all these things he was going through as a test, but not just as a test but as a test that he wanted to pass so that he could shine the image of God.

Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis B. The Faithful Seize Opportunities to Demonstrate Their Faith (8b–19)

In support of his appeal, Joseph explained his plight in a rare moment of self-defense (v. 15). The construction is emphatic: “I was surely stolen [gunnōb gunnabtî] from the land of the Hebrews,” referring to his being sold by his brothers. Then he added that he had done nothing to deserve prison now (lōʾ-ʾāśîtî meʿ ûmâ being literally true), for he was falsely accused. His protesting of his innocence adds to the idea that God was testing him, for he was suffering without a cause.

This is so important because the reason Joseph was able to keep walking by faith is because even though he went through so much, the one thing he had learned is that his faith was not in a man but in God.

Of course this chief cupbearer is not going to remember Joseph until later, when it will serve his purposes.

GOSPEL-

Man at the Cross

Samson

This is a prayer we need to cry out to God.

What test do you need to embrace with faith this week?

Today we saw a snapshot of a great man of God.

If you took a picture of Joseph throughout his journey you would see a man of Unwavering Faith.

Pictures of Tim and Tina-I don’t just see them I see a picture of unwavering faith-Their mom had a dream that her faith would be passed on and on and on.