01(Gen 40-41) Lesson in Adversity

Read Genesis 40:6-8.

In his book of sermons The Living Faith, Lloyd C. Douglas tells the story of Thomas Hearne, who, "in his journey to the mouth of the Coppermine River, wrote that a few days after they had started on their expedition, a party of Indians stole most of their supplies. His comment on the apparent misfortune was: 'The weight of our baggage being so much lightened, our next day's journey was more swift and pleasant.'

"Hearne was in route to something very interesting and important; and the loss of a few sides of bacon and a couple of bags of flour meant nothing more than an easing of the load. Had Hearne been holed in somewhere, in a cabin, resolved to spend his last days eking out an existence, and living on capital previously collected, the loss of some of his stores by plunder would probably have worried him almost to death."

How we respond to "losing" some of our resources for God's work depends upon whether we are on the move or waiting for our last stand.

In our culture, we believe in a nice, neat formula that adds up to success and happiness. We believe the first, crucial (must haves) element for success/happiness are good circumstances. You need the right education, good job, nice house, and good health. Beyond that are the critical needs (nice to haves), the right relationships with a spouse, children or friends. By the way, there is an optional (casual) element to this model: you can add God in there if you like.

That is the model most people describe when asked, “what are your hopes and dreams?” And I believe it is a safe bet that most of us here tonight have attempted to build our lives according to that blueprint.

But what if that model doesn’t work out? We call that adversity. Adversity is when circumstances and relationships don’t turn out as I’d hoped. Such was the case with Joseph.

If ever there was a person who had great expectations, it was Joseph. God had revealed to him that his destiny was to be a great success, even ruler over his own brothers and father. As we have seen, Joseph’s life seemed to be one bad break after another. His relationships collapsed around him when his brothers hated him and sold him to slavery. His circumstances fell apart, going from the father’s favorite and future ruler to a slave, then prisoner in Egypt.

I.    The Dreams (Gen 40:6-8).

It is here we find Joseph (in prison) when interesting things began to happen. The Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker got him mad and were thrown into prison alongside Joseph. One night, they had a dream.

Joseph interpreted their dreams, telling the cupbearer he would be restored and the other hanged.

A.    The good news (40:12-13).

B.    The forgotten promise (40:23).

1.     Joseph had hit bottom when he hit the bottom of the empty well in Dothan. Yet God had improved his circumstances in the house of Potiphar, and his relationships with Potiphar, until another relationship sent him back to the bottom, this time in a dungeon.

2.     Had God forgotten? Was Joseph wrong to think God was looking after him, only to be imprisoned falsely?

3.     Have you hit bottom again, after thinking God had cleared you of your bad circumstances or relationships? Has God failed Joseph? Has he failed you?

II.  The Responses to Adversity.

1.     Try to deny the pain and disappointment.

a.     Put on a happy face. Party to forget. Make excuses. But try as you might, the pain of adversity is real.

b.     Denial is no way to deal with adversity.

2.     Blame others for the trouble we’re experiencing.

a.     The co-workers who don’t do their job right… the parents who failed to love and support … the doctor who didn’t diagnosis the problem soon enough.

b.     If you look hard enough, you can always find someone partly responsible for the problems you face.

c.     But the blame game doesn’t overcome the adversity and give happiness. Only misery.

3.     Try harder to “solve the model”.

a.     A few more hours on the job … get another degree … save for a bigger house … read more books on marriage.

b.     Nothing wrong with these things – it’s just that there’s no guarantee they’ll work. And then what? Work harder?

Denial, blame, trying harder. These are typical responses to adversity. But there is one more option, an atypical response, because most people don’t consider it.

III. An Alternative Approach.

A.    The problem is the model. It is wrong. It may be typical, but it will not stand up to adversity.

B.    Adversity tests the very foundation upon which your life is built.

1.     First model was the pursuit of good circumstances – job, health, money, home.

        (Nothing wrong with these desires. It’s how God wired us.)

2.     But these things are fickle, unreliable, sometimes unattainable.

C.    However, God is the opposite of those qualities. He is faithful, reliable, available.

1.     A life that has the pursuit of Him at the foundation is better equipped to withstand the adversities of life.

2.     That is exactly what Jesus meant in Matthew 7:24-27.

D.    The point is – the test of adversity cannot be passed unless God is the foundation of your life.  (NEXT BOARD).

1.     And that is why Joseph, in spite of all the adversity that had come his way, eventually received the success God had promised him.

2.     Two full years after the cupbearer had come and gone, Pharaoh had a dream. None could interpret, making him most unhappy.

3.     Then the cupbearer remembered Joseph. Genesis 41:12-14.

4.     Pharaoh met Joseph, and the conversation showed the foundation (verses 15-16).

E.    Even Pharaoh recognized that God was at the foundation of Joseph’s life. (41:37-39).

Conclusion:

Joseph did not overcome adversity by denying his disappointment, blaming others, or trying harder. He overcame adversity because he built his life according to a model that made the pursuit of God the most important element of his life.

Margaret Sangster Phippen wrote that in the mid 1950s her father, British minister W. E. Sangster, began to notice some uneasiness in his throat and a dragging in his leg. When he went to the doctor, he found that he had an incurable disease that caused progressive muscular atrophy. His muscles would gradually waste away, his voice would fail, his throat would soon become unable to swallow.

Sangster threw himself into his work in British home missions, figuring he could still write and he would have even more time for prayer. "Let me stay in the struggle Lord," he pleaded. "I don't mind if I can no longer be a general, but give me just a regiment to lead." He wrote articles and books, and helped organize prayer cells throughout England. "I'm only in the kindergarten of suffering," he told people who pitied him.

Gradually Sangster's legs became useless. His voice went completely. But he could still hold a pen, shakily. On Easter morning, just a few weeks before he died, he wrote a letter to his daughter. In it, he said, "It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice to shout, 'He is risen!'--but it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout."

Adversity is not a test you respond to, but one you prepare for.

Upon what model is your life based? What are you pursuing?

Ask yourself, “What changes do I need to make in order to pursue Christ first?”

Some of you have taken steps toward God over the last few months – coming to church, making new friendships. But now its time to embrace God totally. Turn the model upside down.