Trust Through Trials

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So we’ve been going through Joseph’s story the last few weeks. I cannot tell you how much I love the story of Joseph. It’s such a fascinating story because you have a young man who has been through some tremendous struggles, yet somehow he maintains his faith and his focus on the Lord. That inspires me because when i struggle it would be so easy to take my eyes off the Lord, yet I’m encouraged to stay focused largely because I’ve seen through Scriptures in stories like Joseph that you just have to keep moving along with the Lord and trusting him and ultimately he carry you the distance.

Largely what Joseph reminds us of over and over again is God’s sovereignty and how God is working in all of our lives, and in all of our situations. Isn’t that encouraging to know that God is actively working in whatever you are facing right now? I know it is for me!

We’ve learned something really important so far as we have been reading through Joseph’s life here. Before I remind you of that though, I just want to remind you that we have seen Joseph have these dreams where his whole family will have to submit to his authority, and then we saw how his brothers almost killed him, but instead sold him into slavery for him to end up in Egypt. That’s where we are going to pick up this morning, but last week we also saw Judah and Tamar’s story and how God offers redemption to us even after we have done evil things. We’ve also seen that God has been working in Israel’s family every step of the way. Remember later Joseph will even tell his brothers that. Here’s what he will say,

"As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose." —Joseph

In other words. What man meant for evil…God meant for good!

Of course the story that we’re going to read about today will continue to point in that direction of God working through this situation in order to bring Joseph to where he needs to be.

I want to tell you guys a little story real quick this morning. I’m telling you this because it relates to Joseph’s story and I want you to relate to your own life as well.

Here it is…

A farmer plants two trees—one in a well-irrigated, easy-growing area and another in a harsher, drier spot where the wind is strong. The first tree grows quickly, but because it never faces resistance, its roots remain shallow. When a storm comes, it is easily uprooted.

The second tree, however, struggles against the wind and dry soil. Because of the hardship, its roots grow deeper, seeking water and stability. When storms come, this tree stands firm because its root system is strong.

Joseph was like that second tree. His trials—assaulted by his brothers, slavery, false accusation, imprisonment—forced him to depend on God, sending his spiritual roots deep into the Lord’s faithfulness. God didn’t remove the hardships, but He strengthened Joseph through them. In the same way, when we face difficulties, we might not be spared from them, but we can trust that God is deepening our faith and holding us firm.

Let’s go ahead and dig into

Genesis 39:1–6 ESV

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 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.

That’s some pretty neat things going on there Let’s look at…

God’s Prosperity:

Ok so this is a rough topic, becuase many can and do use this concept to preach a health and wealth false doctrine. However, there is something to this in the life of Joseph, so we have to be honest about that.

What is it that is causing Joseph to be successful? What we just read says that the LORD was with Joseph and made him successful. In other words, there is nothing that Joseph did or could have done in order to cause the Lord to give him success, is there. Scripture doesn’t say that because Joseph was faithful that the Lord caused him to succeed. No, the Lord was simply with Joseph. God’s favor is what led to Joseph’s success.

Now, we also see from context Joseph’s response to God’s favor…Joseph worked hard in response to the LORD’s favor. Joseph trusted the Lord to be with him, and really…Joseph is a good example of a believer who trusted God and made the best of his difficult circumstances. Can we all claim the same? Maybe sometimes…maybe not other times…

Listen, I’ve told you all before how there have been times that I trusted the Lord…at least through words, but actually was busy trying to deal with my circumstances on my own. Maybe that’s you today…Maybe it’s been a while and your spiritual roots are a bit weak and you need to spend some time with the Lord to restrengthen those roots.

Here’s the truth folks…Joseph’s faithful stewardship during good times is what prepared his character for future trials…are you being faithful with what the Lord has in your charge…or do you need to repent of that this morning and refocus on the Lord?

Theres more to this story this morning becuase it’s going to get harder for good old Joseph.

Genesis 39:7–12 ESV

And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 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. 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?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 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, 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.

The drama continues for poor Joseph…Let’s look at how

Temptation or Integrity

Joseph was getting hit pretty hard by temptation here. Potiphar’s wife, who is powerful, is throwing herself at him wanting to sleep with him. However, even in the face of some pretty intense temptation, Joseph remained faithful to the Lord. Joseph could have given in to temptation and most likely no one would have ever known about it…Yet, he chose integrity

Joseph resisted Potiphar’s wife, demonstrating faithfulness despite repeated pressure. Joseph’s refusal to sin against God is not merely a moral decision, but an act of worship, showing that obedience to God is a central aspect of integrity.

You know, this is the opposite of what we saw with Judah last week. Judah sacrificed his honor for the pleasure of a prostitute, while Joseph refused to sacrifice his honor. I love what Joseph said here too. Joseph said, that he cannot do this great evil and sin against God. Joseph understood this would have been more than simply dishonoring his boss…but that this would have been dishonoring to God.

What makes Joseph’s response even more remarkable is the cultural context he was in. Joseph was living in a culture where you do what you want and offer a sacrifice later to pay for your sin…yet Joseph is trying to remain pleasing to the Lord. Potiphar’s wife kept pressuring him too. He could have given up just because of the repeated pressure, yet he didn’t.

Here’s what’s interesting though, Joseph was experiencing success and that’s when temptation hit him hard. In other words…Temptation can strike at any time, so you better be ready! When temptation strikes, how do you respond? Joseph was prepared and he ran…are you ready to run?

Honestly, how do you think that Joseph was ready for this temptation? I can promise you it revolved around a constant conversation with the Lord, and a desire to please the Lord.

This morning are you preparing for the temptation that is coming against you, or are you justifying your sin the way Judah did?

Let’s keep reading because there is some more really good stuff here this morning.

Genesis 39:13–20 ESV

And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.” As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.

I have to say this is messed up. I mean Joseph is innocent. He didn’t do anything…Why didn’t God step in here and prevent him from going to jail? It just doesn’t seem fair…ya know!

Well, the truth is that sometimes even when we are attempting to live a life pleasing to the Lord…we experience trouble. Sometimes that trouble is even a direct result of attempting to please the Lord. In other words, there is…

Persecution despite Integrity

This is crazy to think about to be honest. I mean you would hope that as you are living for the Lord, then people would see that and simply respect you for it. But that’s not always the case. In fact, Living with integrity often puts you in direct opposition to those living sinfully, and as a result, you can expect to face trouble. v

I can remember a boss I had one time. He was not living for the Lord, he was living for himself very clearly, even though he said he claimed Christ. He came to me one day and he said to me something like, “Billy, I feel like you are trying to lead me instead of following me.” I explained that I was simply attempting to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Well….when I did that, this person went off and immediately began acting hostile towards me in every way.

The truth is that many times when you are living with integrity will cause others to persecute you because they do not want to be reminded of their own sinfulness.

That’s what happened with Potiphar’s wife. She was humiliated by Joseph’s rejection and so she was forced to humiliate him with her accusations. She created a story about Joseph attacking her and leaving behind his robe. Yet again Joseph lost his robe at the hands of someone that meant evil…This attack will cause unjust struggles for Joseph…yet again…but he will remain faithful to the Lord.

Is there an area of your life where you've been tempted to compromise for the sake of avoiding difficulty or ridicule? Joseph shows us that standing firm might cost us, but it also brings us closer to God’s ultimate purposes. We also see how trusting in the Lord will sustain you during that adversity.

Potiphar was in charge of the Egyptian judicial system. He was the captain of the guard…Now we can wonder why he didn’t try to put Joseph on trial or just straight execute him. Of course when we stop to think we will realize that God was in control, working out His plan for Joseph, Egypt, Joseph’s family, and the world.

Remember, what man meant for evil…God meant for good!

Closing

Of course just because we know that God is working all things together for good…doesn’t mean that we are not discouraged when we are facing those hardships.

Think of Joseph’s situation here. Joseph was in prison…he had gone from the first in the house, to the pit, to a slave, to the most important slave and now he is in prison. Joseph could have at any time seen his circumstances and gotten so frustrated that he decided it wasn’t worth it to trust in the Lord. He could have turned his back on what he knew was true. I mean how many people in our culture do that every day? Maybe you have done that yourself…You forgot that God was still working in your situation and decided you were better off on your own.

You see, these moments give us opportunities to rely on the Lord more and more. These moments of trouble are simply opportunities for a deeper reliance on God. Instead of asking, “why is this happening to me?” ask, “how can God be glorified in this?”

We see that with Joseph. Through the trials that Joseph faced we are able to see the sovereignty of God. We may not see it yet, because we are still in the beginning of the story, but Joseph’s imprisonment points to a greater redemptive story that will encourage us to have faith despite negative circumstances.

Actually…what if Joseph’s story encouraged us to welcome struggles? What if we welcomed them due to the reality that when we struggle we have an opportunity to grow deeper in our faith. What if we welcomed them because it’s another opportunity to glorify God. What if instead of avoiding struggles, we welcomed those struggles trusting the Lord?

What are you doing now, in your daily walk with God, to strengthen your resolve against temptation? Are you surrounding yourself with godly influences? Are you staying rooted in His Word?

That’s what I want to challenge you to do this morning. Face the struggles with your feet firmly planted in God’s Word and your hands reaching to the Lord in prayer.

Maybe this is the first time that you are realizing that you have been running and trying to deal with your struggles yourself instead of truly trusting in the one that can hold you. That’s ok…turn to God this morning…don’t wait any longer for that decision.

Maybe you’re here today, and you’ve trusted the Lord but these struggles are getting harder and harder to deal with and so you’ve found yourself recently falling to temptation or focusing away from the Lord. Well, today is your opportunity to repent and turn your eyes back to the Lord and away from yourself.

Joseph’s story points us towards Christ this morning. Like Joseph, Christ was unjustly punished. Like Joseph, Christ too suffered for a greater redemptive purpose. Like Joseph, Christs humiliation will lead to salvation of untold multitudes. We are able to see a picture of God’s overarching plan of redemption for humanity through Joseph as he walks faithfully with the Lord. So what about you…are you walking faithfully with the Lord this morning. Are you allowing God to shape you through the trials you encounter? Are you fleeing from temptation and into the safety of the Gospel?

No matter your circumstances this morning…spend a moment, as the worship team comes up, spend a moment with the Lord trusting in his faithfulness as your heavenly father…or spend a moment trusting in the Lord as your heavenly father for the first time. Whatever your circumstances, don’t try to deal with it alone. Reach out to one of us here at LRBC and allow us to walk with you through your trials to encourage you and help to keep you focused on the Lord.

I want to close this morning with the hope God gave to Joseph.

“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor…”

Let’s Pray: