Live Forward

Introduction

“The enemy will do anything, intellectual or moral, to unsettle our confidence in what God has said.” (Lennox, John. Joseph: A Story of Love, Hate, Slavery, Power, and Forgiveness, 76. Crossway.)

Today we will examine the life of Joseph.

We will look at the last 14 chapters of Genesis to do this.

What we will see in these chapters is a man who lived a life that was full of misery and strife.

He was sold as a slave by his own brothers.

Falsely imprisoned.

Kept imprisoned and finally freed because he interpreted a dream.

He forgave all who did this.

Why?

Because he Lived Forward.

He lived for what God was doing not what was happening now.

Evil happens.

Hard times hit.

Pain occurs.

Life is hard.

Work is tough.

People will do us harm.

But God is always working in all circumstances.

Even in the selling of Joseph into slavery, God was working.

In Joseph’s imprisonment, God was working.

God is always at work Because as Joseph said in Genesis 50:20

Genesis 50:20 ESV

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

He could say this because he lived forward and to see how we too can live forward we must examine Joseph’s life from his enslavement until this point here.

When we do we see that to live forward we...

Serve With Integrity

Joseph was in a foreign land. He was not in his home and he was a slave.

He was not the top son now, but serving another in another world from what he knew.

He had been abused and sold by his own brothers.

He was not in what we would call a good place, but in a difficult situation.

But the Lord was with him.

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

He was a successful man because God was with him and he kept a forward look to God.

Joseph had God with him and he lived a life that demonstrated this.

He lived in a manner that made a pagan ruler recognize he was different.

He served well without bitterness or resentment because he was always looking forward to God and not behind him or even around him at his situation.

Even while imprisoned Joseph did not let his circumstances get him down.

He lived for the Lord as we see in Genesis 39:21–22 “21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.”

And in Gen. 41 when he had been left for two ears in prison, he did not become bitter but served with integrity in everything.

He was always looking forward instead of behind because God is worth it and delivers on His promises.

Much like this mathematician

In the communist era he had been a village-school mathematics teacher, but he was also active in the local churches in the area, much in demand as a teacher of Scripture. One day he was summoned to the police station and questioned about his employment.

“You are a math teacher,” they said, “but you are also a Bible teacher, is not that so?”

“Yes, indeed,” he said, “I do that in my spare time.”

“And you get paid for it?” they asked.

“Not at all,” he said, “it is my contribution completely freely given.”

“We do not believe you,” they replied. “You must therefore choose. Either you continue as a school teacher or as a Bible teacher but not both, and you must give us your decision very soon.”

He went home that night to his family with a heavy heart. He had a large family, and it was not easy to feed them all, yet he decided to discuss the matter with them. He called them together and said, “I never want you children to be able to say that they were not consulted by their father in big decisions affecting family life.” So he outlined to them the choice he faced. What should he do?

The youngest boy in the family said, “Dad, I cannot imagine you without a Bible in your hands.”

The decision was made and he had to leave the school. Finding work was difficult, and in the end he had to content himself with the backbreaking work of lifting and carrying heavy slates in a quarry. The slates had sharp edges, and his wife told me that many an evening she had to dress his hands with bandages so that the blood from his many abrasions would not drip onto the Bible he was using in the pulpit.

One day he was called into the manager’s office. “I hear that you once taught mathematics?”

“That’s right.”

“Well,” said the foreman, “I am under-qualified for my job, and under new regulations we all need basic qualifications in mathematics. How would you like to teach me, instead of working in the quarry?” He jumped at it and discovered to his joy that his pay was more than he had received as a teacher in the school.

It was a magnificent example of what it means really to serve the Lord in daily work, and I was not surprised to discover that his influence was felt throughout the entire country.

Or like this electrician:

a young man in his twenties who had trained as an electrician. After just a few weeks in his first job doing the electrical wiring in new houses, he was summoned to see his boss, who angrily accused him of laziness in that he had wired fewer houses than his workmates. He replied that he could not work any faster, since the wiring under the floors had to be done especially carefully to fulfill the regulations regarding fire hazards.

The boss angrily retorted: “Who sees under the floorboards?”

“My Lord does,” answered the young man without hesitation.

He was fired on the spot but got a new job soon afterward. (Lennox, 121-24).

These men were like Joseph and did not look at the circumstances but at God and served well with integrity because a forward look makes you focus on God over surrounding circumstances.

Not only this but it will cause you to...

Run From Sin

Joseph was in Potiphar’s house and Potiphar’s wife came onto him strongly.

He was being seduced but he knew it and did not fall for that sin.

We see this in..

Genesis 39:6–12 ESV

6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.

John Lennox said of this type of temptation, “The only way of dealing with this kind of powerful temptation of lust is to make God the center and focal point of our morality, not our desires, or feeling that it is so right.” (Lennox, 128).

This is what looking forward is.

We so focus on God and have God so much our center that we know any offense we commit will be against Him.

When we sin we sin against God alone and that is enough to make us stop and think about what we are doing.

But Joseph did not need to stop and think.

Joseph had decided early on that he would not sin against God and made this a priority.

He did not do this alone, remember God was with him.

He had suffered in the silence of God, but he had the Lord with Him.

Here is our encouragement to be faithful and run from sin.

God may be silent in many ways, but even in His silence in our situations and struggles, He is always with us.

If you are His He is with you and empowering you to live a pure life.

You can run from sins and flee lusts and avoid sticky situations.

Many times in our lives we will find ourselves in a “catch 22”, between a “rock and a hard place,” We need not fall into this trap and think I will be punished regardless I might as well have fun.

That is foolish thinking as Peter said in 1 Peter 2:20 “20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”

Enduring the right thing for the Lord is prized and honored by Him.

Look back at the mathematician and the electrician, they did right and God honored them, Joseph did right and God honored Him.

Stay looking forward and in time God will honor you.

You will receive the blessing He has for you for your faithfulness.

Because you will be falsely accused and imprisoned.

You will be scorned and maybe even rejected and sold out by family, friends, or work but that does not mean we get to be bitter and hate filled.

When we live forward we...

Release and Forgive

Once again the words of John Lennox speak well into this situation:

“When we are wrongly and deceitfully accused, the immediate temptation is to protest and lash out, which is why Peter draws the example of Jesus to our attention. When Jesus was falsely accused and abominably treated, he did not lash out, he did not return the insults, he did not threaten. What he did do is of paramount importance. He kept quiet and entrusted himself to God the righteous judge.” (Lennox, 131-132).

Joseph was in bad circumstances due to his brothers, and Potiphar’s wife.

He had been stuck in a well, sold into slavery, falsely imprisoned, and forgotten in prison, but he was a forgiving and charitable man.

In Genesis 45:4–5

Genesis 45:4–5 ESV

4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

He was not mad but emotional because he was overcome with deep love because he had kept living forward.

He had not attacked or insulted or locked anyone up, but had held his tongue and God worked well through him.

When we are in circumstances that make us want to explode, we must remember that God is working in those situations.

God is always working behind the scenes and when we explode at others rather than releasing any bitterness we had and forgiving them, we are not looking forward to the Lord and what He is doing.

Joseph released his brothers fully even though he could have placed them all in prison.

Look over at Gen. 50.

Joseph’s brothers felt threatened when Jacob died.

In Genesis 50:15 “15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.””

Genesis 50:15 ESV

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.”

Joseph reassured them that he had fully forgiven them because he had and was still living forward.

He was not letting the things of the past or even present hold him back.

The hard thing was forgiveness and release and he did that because God is so much more.

God was working and used him for His glory.

Joseph went into a country that was not his own and suffered there and saved many through his sufferings.

He forgave those who sent him to the torment and gave them many blessings.

He sounds like one we are to imitate and follow and believe in for everlasting life.

He is a type of Jesus.

He suffered well and kept living forward through it all because he...

Remember God is in Control

In Genesis 50:20 we read

Genesis 50:20 ESV

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Joseph was telling this to his brothers.

His living forward allowed him to see what God was doing.

This verse is similar to Gen. 45:5 that said Joseph told his brothers God sent him there to save lives.

Joseph knew that in all his sufferings God was working.

God was moving and using him to make complete His plans.

Joseph lived forward and knew this and lived accordingly.

Joseph knew that this was a test that made him stronger and better able to serve the Lord and give Him glory.

He was tested beyond what he felt he could handle so he depended more and more on God.

Much like

“When engineers are testing materials for use in the space shuttle, wherever possible they subject the materials to laboratory conditions more extreme than they will eventually have to endure in space.” In like manner “Joseph was put under severe pressure in his thirteen-year ordeal of hatred and rejection, slavery, false accusation, and prison.” (Lennox, 77).

After he came through this he knew what God was doing and why.

He knew God had laced him there to save lives and prepare him to be able to save lives.

God is in control in every aspect of life.

When we decide to do hard things for Him we can be certain He is there.

We will suffer through and be tested hard, but God is in control.

He is working behind the scenes in human evil working it for the good and working in the lives of those who are His and living Forward for Him.

Remember this, Joseph suffered through all this without hearing from God.

He had two dreams before he was sold into slavery and had ability to interpret dreams, but he did not hear from God as had the Patriarchs of earlier.

He endured all his situation not hearing from God but even so, he trusted God through all of his life.

We can too because as I said before, we know more about God now than Joseph did then.

We have God’s word to guide us and direct us.

So, when we find ourselves in terrible and difficult circumstances we can live forward because we have His word to guide us.

Just remember this little fact

We know God is working in everything.

We know regardless of what is happening God is working.

We can live forward and do hard things because we know God is in control.

So go do the hard thing of living forward in whatever circumstance you are in because God is in control.

Conclusion

When we live forward and focus on God that does not mean our life will be a life of ease.

It will be rather difficult.

Serving with Integrity in all circumstances will not be easy.

Running from Sin will sometimes be hard.

Releasing and forgiving those who have hurt us will not come easy.

Remembering God is in control will not be simple or even comforting at times, but these are all necessary and possible because we have Christ and, Joseph trusted God through everything and he knew far less of God than we know today.

Just as the Tammy Wynette song sings, “I Beg Your Pardon—I Never Promised You a Rose Garden! Along with the sunshine, There’s gotta be a little rain sometime.”

Maybe you are living in a constant rain right now just as Joseph was.

Maybe everything is awful and life is miserable.

Maybe all is lost, it seems.

That is why living forward is so crucial.

When you live forward the circumstances and rain do not phase you because you are seeing the Lord and nothing else.

Live Forward and focus on Him and know that all that is happening is not out of His control.

He can take the biggest mess and make it wonderful.

Like these vases I have heard of the Kintsugi vases that is.

These are vases which have been broken but put back together with gold.

They say that this symbolizes the breaking that happens to us and how when we suffer through things and come out the other side we are more unique and beautiful for doing so.

That is what happens when we have these Joseph like struggles.

When the furnace is off, the pain has healed, and the scars filled with gold remain, we are stronger and better and this trip will be more bearable when we continue to Live Forward and know God is working in and on us in all of this.

So, you can live forward because you have the same powerful God for you that Joseph had.

Stay focused on him and live forward.