In Difficult Days - Trust God
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The last two weeks we have been looking at the life of Joseph. He is one of the biblical characters that we love to look at…
Part of that is because he faced adversity… now why do we like that? We like it because we face the same… we face adversity. So we look at his life and we say… ok… we might not face the same circumstances but If he could trust God.. so can we!
And so we are encouraged… Hope lives in our lives as well.
So lets recap a bit… Joseph, who was the most loved son of the 12 boys born to Israel. He was he first born child of Rachel who was the love of Israel’s life. So Israel gave him a princely coat, a coat of many colors… and his brothers hated him all the more… He is given dreams from God and as he shares them with his family, the implication is that he would be over them… so his brothers hated Joseph even more...
His brothers plotted to murder him, but instead of death, they sold him into slavery to some Ishmaelites who were passing by...
They in turn sold him as a slave in the land of Egypt and he ended up the servant of the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar.
Now the Lord was with Joseph, and blessed all that his hand found to do and the household he served. And when Potiphar noticed this he put Joseph in charge of all that he had.... Joseph did well...
He did well until Potiphar’s wife tried to pull him to bed… instead of sinning against his master and against God… He ran out of his coat and fled the house. Now Potiphar’s wife wasn’t happen she was rejected and lied against Joseph and eventually Potiphar in a rage, delivered Joseph to prison...
Again, Joseph is facing difficulty.... hardships… He seems to the be on the bottom… but I want to remind you God is with him.
Truthfully.... nothing matters in life expect what you do with Jesus?
Lets look at our text today…
Lets look at our text today…
20 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. 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. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
So lets move forward and see what is happening with Joseph and what we can learn from his life.
1. In the Midst of Adversity.... Never Loose Sight of God....
1. In the Midst of Adversity.... Never Loose Sight of God....
I cannot stress to you how important this thought really is… So often in the midst of adversity… our focus is the problem, the thing if you will that is afflicting us at the moment. It takes all our attention… and we loose sight of God and His ability.
Our goal should be to see what God is doing in us and through us in the midst of the adversity.... but it difficult.
I often think of “Count it all joy my friends…”
Listen to the whole passage...
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
The testing, the trials, the adversities have the opportunity to make us better instead of bitter when we see and look to God in the midst.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And without a doubt, Joseph was looking to God as he is sitting in Pharaoh’s prison. why do I believe that… God was with Him...
Look at verse 21
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.
Two thoughts here for you to see. (1.) The Lord was With Him and showed him His (2.) Steadfast Love.
The Lord was With Him and showed him His Steadfast Love.
The Lord was With Him and showed him His the Steadfast Love. of the Lord.. The Bible tells us that the Lord was with him and He showed him His steadfast love.
For the Lord to be with Him… it means that His presence was there, The abiding presence of the Lord moved with him day after day, Joseph was never alone, nor did he have to face anything of life alone. The Lord presence accompanied Josephs everywhere he was, from the Master’s house of Potiphar to the prison house of Egypt.
The Lord
Joseph could walk in any situation because the Lord was with Him… It makes me think of the children of Israel as they make their way out of Egypt traveling toward Canaan… He went with them.. He was a cloud by day and pillar of fire at night.. He went with them..
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I think of Jesus as he prepared to depart from His disciples at His ascension.. He says “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Joseph could walk in any situation because the Lord was with Him… It makes me think of the children of Israel as they make their way out of Egypt traveling toward Canaan… He went with them.. He was a cloud by day and pillar of fire at night.. He went with them..
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And He is with us…
but then the second phrase… He showed him His steadfast love. Wow, any time you come to the phrase steadfast love.. you are encountering something special.
His steadfast love is a loyal love, it is His covenant love.. it is tied to the promise God make with his grandfather Abraham… It is a love that is kind and compassionate.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The most positive thought I can share with you is the Steadfast Love of the Lord.. The Bible tells us that the Lord was with him and He showed him His steadfast love.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
With the love and presence of the Lord with Him, Joseph could not loose sight of God for God was bigger than all he faced, adversity is powerless when our eyes are on the Lord.
Joseph just kept walking and listening the Lord.... knowing that he was in control, and God was making him better each day.
Let me ask you a question… what are you looking to each day.. Are you looking to the Lord in the midst of the struggle or is the struggle all you can see.
Remember the struggle, the adversity is only temporary, God is eternal and knows all our tomorrows
Now lets move to a second thought ...
2. Continue to Serve the Lord....
2. Continue to Serve the Lord....
Let me share something with you.....
Each of us will have trouble in this life…
When trouble comes, don’t give up …keep on serving the Lord.
When trouble comes, don’t give up …keep on serving the Lord.
If there is anything the Devil would like, it’s to see your adversity, your difficulty stop you dead in your tracks, and keep you from serving the Lord.
He would sit back and clap… “...wonderful… that’s one more I don’t have to worry about...”
But we can’t.... instead we need to see where God will use us regardless of our circumstances… it’s where He will use us in our circumstances...
Lets go back to our text..
20 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. 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. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
So Joseph is where we would call the worst place… prison. He is in prison. But it is where we know two things already… right off the bat....
The Lord is with Him and He showed him His steadfast love....
And in this process…God was at work. Listen God is always at work. He is always ahead of us.
Consider the future… it is out there, and God is working there… and God has prepared the heart of the jailer there in prison to see Joseph as useful, valuable.
So looking at verse 21, we see this....
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.
So not only as the Lord made Joseph useful, given him abilities and the like, but God has also enable the jailer to see his worth and just how he can personally benefit from Joseph's presence.
But it would not happen if Joseph got to prison and sat on his feelings, man, I didn't do this, I have been faithful to him, why wouldn’t He believe me… And why did God abandon me.... why did he let me fall back to this place.........
Friends those are exactly the feelings the old Devil hopes we have, if we get our feelings hurt, if we are all stubbed up, if we get accused of wrongs we did not commit....
The devil hopes the hurt will push us out of the game. We cannot afford it…
So we keep pushing forward because the the Lord will give us favor as we move forward in His will.
Now look at verses 22-23 again
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. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
The jailer see the Lord has blessed Joseph and puts him in charge of all the prisoners, and in doing so, all that Joseph did found success and the keeper, the jailer.. well he had it easy for he trusted Joseph…
Bingo… You keep living for the Lord, you keep doing, you keep serving, no matter what is happening… and the Lord will bless.
The secret is trusting the Lord and refusing to give up...
Now as we move into chapter 40 we see that while Joseph was working in the prison, he had the opportunity to help others. Finally he got to interpret the dreams of two prisoners… One was the cheif cup bearer of the king and the chief baker...
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Now the baker… well his dream didn’t mean anything positive, his dream revealed he would soon die… and for the cup bearer, he would very soon return to his position...
Now Joseph had no idea that his interpretation of these dreams would be used of God, or give him a place before Pharaoh in the future. He just kept on serving, He kept on being faithful, He kept on doing what God had called him to do…
From his Father’s house to the Prison House… no matter his place, he was faithful.
You must do the same… Reveal Christlikeness no matter what...
Here is what I know… God is honored and we are blessed....
Now my friends, just one last thought...
Are you ready...........
3. Once Forgotten - He is Remembered at the Right Time....
3. Once Forgotten - He is Remembered at the Right Time....
Being remembered at the right time, well that isn’t just luck… it isn’t just coincidence, … it is the providence of God… He is in control.
Let me take you back to the text…
13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”
So Joseph has heard the Chief cup bearer’s dream, and verse 13 is the interpretation of that dream. You will return to your position he tells the cup bearer. And then Joseph makes one request… remember me.
The phrase “remember me” is to put in a good word to Pharaoh on my behalf, for I do not deserve to be here… I was brought her against my will and even did nothing to deserve to be here in this prison.
And of course the cup bearer would promise that… sure, sure… I will help you.
Well, let me tell you. Not nary a word.
look at verses 20-23 and then chapter 41, verse 1
20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
So we know that Joseph was serving God in the prison, day after day for 2 more years… He is faithful… and so is God
And we know that God gave Pharaoh dreams that he could not find the meaning too… and it bothered him, no one could tell him what these dreams meant...
Finally one day, the cup bearer told Pharaoh.. there is a man in jail that can tell you your dream..
So lets go back to the Bible one more time.. , verses 14-16
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
At the right time, which is God’s timing my friends… At the right time God has worked it out and Pharaoh hears of Joseph and calls for him to be brought from the prison...
Pharaoh asks him to provide the interpretation to his dreams and Joseph makes it clear, it is not him, it is God who will do this thing and give Pharaoh an answer...
Now we will talk about the dreams later, but for now the truth remains, Joseph was in prison for several years, he has been violated by his brothers and sold into slavery..
He has seen his share of difficult days… He has received that which he did not deserve. But he held the right attitude, he trusted God and he kept on keeping on..
I want to remind you
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Count it all joy my friends when you face difficulty, Let your joy be found in Him, see His faithfulness… and walk in His ways...
1 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. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 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. 5 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. 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. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 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. 15 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.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 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. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
19 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. 20 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. 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. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 19 Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 21 but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. 22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”
56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
1 Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.
5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17 and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” 18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”
20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.