Was it worth it?

Genesis 37:3–9 NKJV

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

Joseph was sold

Genesis 37:18–22 NKJV

18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! 20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” 21 But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.

They sold him to a tribe that related to them

gen 37:18

Genesis 37:28 NKJV

28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

gen

Even though we are going though our trials God is still there with us, if we are faithful to remain by Him.

Joseph did not abandon God or blame him for what was happening to him.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 NKJV

3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

Joseph trusted in God and was faithful in his work and the Lord blessed Him.

Genesis 39:5–6 NKJV

5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

gen 39:

The devil will always try to frustrate or undo what either God has done or is doing in each of us.

Genesis 39:7–9 NKJV

7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

“How can I sin against God” Ultimately the sin is not against someone else it’s against God. so you can’t say, will I can do a thing and if the other person doesn’t find out it’s OK. Because the bible is saying here it’s against God.

Now I want say that in order for us to overcome these trials in our live we need to have the one who overcame this world in our lives. Jesus Christ. How?

He must be accepted in all areas of our lives

1 John 5:4 NKJV

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

We need to be born of God

After the incident with Potiphar’s wife he was sent to jail, and God was still with Him. Because he didn’t leave God behind.

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Genesis 39:20–21 NKJV

20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

gen 39:

heb

How could someone remain so faithful after being sold into slavery, accused of infidelity and is now locked. For most people this would cause them to question they’re relationship with God. Because the popular thinking is that once you are a Christian there will only be blessings.

some of the most well know people in the bible had a lot of up’s and down’s. Here are a few.

Moses: Had to flee for his life and then lead a rebellious people through the desert for over 40 years

Jonah: Was asked to go and witness to a people he didn’t like in order for them to saved

Daniel: Was taken from his home and thrown into a fiery furnace, because he wouldn’t bow down to a statue.

Where where not promised an easy christian walk.

James 1:1–4 NKJV

1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

let patience had it’s perfect work.

james 1:

God is doing a work in all of us, that requires us all to have and develop patience. So that he cannot only work in us but once he gets us to a place of trust. He can now work through us.

Joseph was not getting to that place.

Genesis 40:1–3 NKJV

1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.

We the chief bake and butler were locked up in the same prison where Joseph was. God works in ways we just can’t see.

God has a way of setting us up for success, if we are obedient to His leading.

Always remember where your strength comes from. INTERPRETATIONS BELONG TO GOD.

Genesis 40:8 NKJV

8 And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

Remember in James we read that it said that the testing of our faith produces. we have to learn to wait upon God and not run ahead of him.

Joseph was in prison for another 2 WHOLE YEARS after relieving their dreams to them.

Now remember what his brother’s called him when he was younger. They called him “The Dreamer” and here you had two people in need to their dreams being understood.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Then the God created a situation where His servant could Shine.

what was the problem

King had a dream that was disturbing to him

None of his people could interpret or understand the dream

But God had a plan so that His child could shine.

Genesis 41:12 NKJV

12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.

gen

We get to the best part, there was a young Hebrew man or there was a young Man of God.

God had put Joseph right were he needed to be, and Joseph didn’t forget His God.

Genesis 41:15–16 NKJV

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.” 16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

Joseph remembered where his strength came from, that why he said it’s not in me but God.

when you go through the trouble of this life, remember that it’s God right by your side

When you feel alone as if your the only person in the world. remember that God is right by your side.

When things don’t work out the way you want. just remember that God is STILL by your side

Was it worth it? All that Joseph when through

Genesis 41:37–40 NKJV

37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

gen 41:

You would say yes, now looking back on he entire sequence of events, but if we take out Joseph and put your life’s story up to this point would you say the same thing?

Revelation 21:7 NKJV

7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

He who overcomes will get all things. God wants the best for us, but we must remain close to him. And we must keep our eyes locked on heaven.

phil 3:

Philippians 3:7–12 NKJV

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Romans 8:38 NKJV

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

We shouldn’t let nothing get in the way of us seeing our Creator.

Romans 8:35 NKJV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

rom 8:

Romans 8:37 NKJV

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Romans 8:37–39 NKJV

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is nothing external that can separate us from Christ. Your the only one that can separate the bond. All those things that are mentioned are external.

Translation you must choose to walk away from God. He doesn’t leave us, we leave him, not the other way around.

If God lead you to it, He will lead you through it.

1 John 4:4–5 NKJV

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.

1jhn 4:

Greater is He that is in you, Is God in your life today. can you say that with strong assurance?

Like Joseph can they see the Spirit of God in you?

Joseph was blessed in ways that i’m sure even he could not see coming. and we would say it was worth all the trials he went through. But I would say that the point of the story is missed. The point of the story is to remain by the Great shepherd of our lives.

The trials my seem hard, but remember God is doing a work in you, not for now but eternity.

God wants to lift you up but will you only remain with Him when things are good. or are you in it for the long haul.

God says that he will give a crown that no one can take

Revelation 3:11–12 NKJV

11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

rev 3:11-

There is a reward coming for all those who will overcome and it’s more than what Joseph recieved. And then we all can say indeed it was worth it.

Pray and wait till the music stops playing to leave the pulpit.