A Plan Behind Every Problem 08/02/2020

Good morning. Marie from I'm Genesis 40 and The New American Standard Version. Then it came about after these things the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord the king of Egypt Pharaoh was furious with his two officials the chief cut bear and a chief Baker. So put them in confinement In The House of the captain of The Bodyguard and the jail the same place where Joseph was imprisoned the captain of The Bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them and he took care of them and they were in confinement for sometime then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt who were confined in jail. Both had a dream on the same night each man with his own dream and eats dream with its own interpretation when Joseph came to them in the morning and observe them the whole they were detected. He asked pharaohs officials who were with him and confinement in his master's house. Why are your face is so sad today, then they said to him we have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it. Then Joseph said to them. Do not interpretations belong to God. Tell it to me, please. So the chief cut Berthold his dream to Joseph and they said to him and my dream behold. There was a fine in front of me and on the vine there were three branches and as it was butting is blossoms came out and it's cluster produce ripe grapes. Now Pharaoh's cup was in my hands. So I took the grapes and squeeze them in 2/3 cup and I put the cup in the Pharaohs hand and Joseph said to them. This is the interpretation of it the three branches or three days within three more days by row will lift up your head and restore you to your office and you will put Pharaoh's cup into his hands according to your former custom when you were to his cupbearer only keep me in mind when you when it goes well with you and please me and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Faroe and get me out of this house for I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and even here I have done nothing that would they should have put me into the dungeon. When the chief Baker saw that hit interpreted favorably he said to Joseph. I also want my I also saw in my dream and behold there were three baskets of white bread on my head and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for pharaoh and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head. Then Joseph answered and said this is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days within three more favor will lift up your head from you and you will hang you on a tree and the birds will eat your flesh off you but it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday that he made a feast for all his servants and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief Baker among his servants He restored the chief cupbearer to his office and he put the cup into pharaohs hand, but he hang the chief Baker just a Joseph had interpreted to them yet the Chiefs cut their did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Well things keep getting worse for Joseph. He can interpret dreams. He can do everything right?

And the last verse of Genesis chapter 40 says that the butler forgot him. Well, he's just been forgotten the whole time that he's been in the story Hackney. And he's been suffering and he's had problems and that's what I want us to look at today. The title of this message is a plan behind. every problem on November 27th 1965 a gentleman by the name of Howard Rutledge Was flying a fighter plane over North Vietnam? And his plane was shot down and he had the parachute out and he landed right into the hands of the enemies and North Vietnamese. Well that started a seven-year torture captivity for him out of fact, there was a book and a movie written about this. And within days they moved him to what was called the infamous Heartbreak Hotel. in Hanoi And there for seven years. He said as soon as the key turned, he's heading that Rusty lock. He said I felt the other aloneness. That comes from being a prisoner of war he was in a six-by-six concrete sale. He said it was Kate with Phil and full of rats. And that's where he stayed for seven years. That was nothing to read. Nothing to look at. No one to talk to he said for 7 years. All I had was my own thoughts. And he was a Christian man, and he was wondering why God would allow something evil to happen to one of his children. It when he was finally released seven years later. He understood that God had used that difficult time. He said to make him a stronger man, and he said behind every problem that I had. He said God had a plan. And that's what I want us to look at today. I plan behind every problem if we could Vicky could you put up the definition that we had? There it is there. Let's look at if we read this last week, but let's read it again because God's Providence. We see it again here in Genesis chapter 40. So here's God's Providence the unceasing activity of God always working, whereby he upholds creation gods and governs all events and circumstances and free acts of men and angels and directs everything to his supporting goal for his own Glory. He does this in your life. Whatever problems you may be going through right now. He did this in the life of Joseph as well. Every event every circumstance. Does it matter if it's from men or from Angels? He's directing it for his own Glory. I know that I've been harping on this ever since we got into the life of Joseph, but it's true. And now let's just think Joseph must have had some of the same feelings that Howard Rutledge had in spite of his faithfulness not only to his heavenly father but to his own father and to potiphar he was thrown in prison because of the slander of one deceitful woman and then shortly after he arrived in prison as Martha red. Two additional prisoners prisoners were added to the group The King had become angry with the chief Butler and the Baker and sent them to jail. Now. The baker was the one who prepared the King's food and his drink so I don't know if he burnt something but something went wrong and he was mad at him in the butler. He was the one who would eat the food and drink the drink before the king to make sure that it wasn't poisoned and how would you like to have that job you. So he became mad at both of these men for whatever reason it was we're not told and then one morning the two of them arriving and Joseph. He looks at them and he notices the Bible says that they were sad, they had a sad countenance on their faces. And he said well what's wrong and they said what we've had dreams and we don't know the interpretation and remember what Joseph said. He said, well only God can interpret dreams and then he said tell him to me didn't say tell him to God. He said tell him to me which shows the closeness of Joseph walk with the Lord where he knew that the Lord was working within him and he had full confidence. If you tell me these dreams, I'll be able to interpret them wonder why that is well. He had a couple of dreams and self didn't he in chapter 37 so he felt good about that. Well the butler's dream and we read that in verses 9 through 15. There was three branches and a Vine and a blossom in it produce grapes and the butler press the grapes in the Pharaohs cup. And serve the wine to him and this is what Joseph said he explains the meaning of the dream and he says when three days he said you going to be released from prison cause the Pharaohs going to lift your head up. You're not going to be sad anymore and you're going to be released from prison. Well the baker heard that good report for the Butler and he says well interpret my dream because he wanted to be released in 3 days where the baker had three white basket. It says and it says that I think the King James in the new King James says he had Danny's in his on top of his head. So that would mean some danishes maybe have some Krispy Kreme Donuts. I don't know but the bird sure liked it and they came and they snatch them away and they ate it and Joseph explained that he said the three baskets needs three days. And in three days the baker would be hung. I want you to look at how the Bible says that's looking first 13 of Genesis chapter 40. And this is speaking of the cupbearer in verse 13 says not within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place. Now. Look what he says in verse 19 about the baker within 3 days for a hero will lift off your head. See there's a big difference between lifting up your head lifted off your head and there ain't he's going to lift off his head and he's going to hang him and not only that Joe said the birds going to come and not only eat your Krispy Kremes. They're going to eat you as well. Well three days later if they Rose birthday. And what did he do? But he retired his Butler and he hung the baker just like Joseph had predicted but before leaving prison Joseph sets now want you to look at this and verses 14 and 15 because this is the first time that Joseph says anything about his situation. This is the first time that he wants to be Vindicated about anyting. This is the first statements. He makes sense chapter 37. Look at it verse 14. He says to the butler, but remember me when it is well with you and please show kindness to me make mention of me to Pharaoh. That's the king. And get me out of this house for indeed. I was stolen away from the land of Hebrews. And also I have done nothing here that they should put me into this dungeon first time. He's ever defending himself at all. And he doesn't do it in an ugly way. He just said I interpreted your dream. Would you please remember me and tell the king that I'm in here unjustly and I shouldn't be here. Well don't you know Howard Rutledge felt that way have you ever felt that way in a job when you were mistreated and you just wanted things right? You wouldn't making a big commotion. You just wanted the right thing done. Well, this is what Joseph says here, but whatever the reason We don't know but verse 23 says yet the chief Butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. It just keeps getting worse for Jose as well when we look at this story. I'm kind of reminded that God has a purpose for each of us. And if you haven't yet? One day you're going to have your prison experience. One day you're going to be in the Heartbreak Hotel. Just like Howard Rutledge. And you're going to suffer unjustly. Maybe people going to talk about you you going to save my reputation has been spoiled. God has abandoned me. I have so many problems in my life. well There's going to be problems and testing. And so instead of off saying why me Lord, why did this happen or what? What am I going to do now? We can examine the life of Joseph here and put into practice. I think some principles that will help us survive the tough times and we have problems. There's always going to be advantages to adversity always and we only have to take time to consider them. So here's what I want to do today. I want to give you five ways. God will use problems. in your life 5 ways how that he's not abandon you that if you look for that you will see these in your life. Just like we going to see him in Joseph life. So here's number one. Many times God will bring problems in her life because problems provide greater opportunity God sends problems because he's going to provide for us a greater opportunity. So what we need to do as children of God is we need to see the possibilities that are in our problems. For example, there's a entire section in our Bibles which is called the prison Epistles. That's in the New Testament. That's the books of Philippians Ephesians Colossians and Philemon. Paul wrote all of those books while in a Roman jail cell. How many of us have not taken wonderful theological truths practical truth from those book and he wrote those while he was in prison. Now you think of the Book of Revelation the Apostle John wrote that book and it was written while he was banished on the Isle of Patmos just by himself. Just away from everyone how many of you have ever read a book called the Pilgrims Progress. Some of you have read that John Bunyan was in prison when he wrote that it seems from reading the Bible that God does great things. Bald people are in prison. He just does great things. Joseph was about to learn that God had not forgotten him while he was sitting in prison, even though the Butler had forgotten you say the Lord was getting ready to bring him into contact with a man who would ultimately be the link between Joseph dreams and chapters 37 and to the king of pharaoh. He didn't know it at the time, but it was getting ready to happen. All I'm saying is it sometimes problems are necessary in our lives because problems me they are the means that God will use to bring greater opportunities that he wants us to experience. So problems provide greater opportunities. Well number 2 problems promote spiritual maturity I think about that problems will either make you a better Christian or it will can make you a bitter Christian. Play the one if you think God is unfair and if you think you've been treated unjustly and if you're always saying I won't be Vindicated and I need this and I want that you're going to become a bitter Christian. But if you see problems as opportunities and his ways that God is bringing you into a relationship with him where you're going to characterize the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in the he's doing something in your spiritual life, like promoting patience and perseverance. Then you'll see that problems can promote spiritual maturity. I can't think of anyone who was mistreated anymore than Joseph other than Jesus when you look at it in the Bible, he's the classic example of suffering from doing good. Be a baby's father. He was sold into slavery. He obeyed potiphar. He protected his own Purity. And what was his reward? He was slandered and thrown in prison while in the dungeon, he looked at someone else that there who had a sad countenance on the face with who else out to be more sad than Joseph the way he been treated but he noticed these other men who had to say accountant and he minister to them and say well, how can I help you? I'll interpret your dream for you. He was always looking out for other people and he Faithfully interpreted the dreams of a man who said I will remember you and what did he do? He forgot it. He forgot it Joseph never complained the Lord use that prison experience. To make him better not bitter and Joseph went alone. Now this think of Joseph remember he was he was the young boy who had the coat of many colors. He was his father's favorite. He's the one that hung around the house all the time his boys out in the field working his brothers out in the field working. He kind of hung around the house and his coat he kind of had a sawfly. He was kind of living like a prince if you will but God if God was going to use him the Lord had to toughen him up. How did he toughen him up? Well Brothers mistreated Miss Potter for lied about him part of her phone in prison the butler didn't remember him all everything going wrong. He had to toughen him up. He had to develop kind of what I call a rock-hard faith. Edwin Joseph left prison we going to see he was a man of wisdom a man of character a man of determination and a man of Courage. No doubt the pain of prison hardened him to where he was a man of faith. God desperately needs today and our nation men and women who are Ironclad saying did you know that that's what we need today just turn on the TV and just look at our culture and look at our nation today. We need people who's going to stand up. We need to get a little iron in our spiritual souls and and we may have to suffer some but that's okay because God makes us strong through hard times. Even the Bible tells us that I want you to look at this verse in Hebrews chapter 12. In verse 11. Look what the Bible says now, no chastening. That means Hard Times discipline. No chastening seems to be joyful for the present. We would all agree with that but painful nevertheless afterward it yields the Peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. What does problems do in our life you promote spiritual maturity, it promotes righteous the fruit of righteousness. The Bible says well, the concept of gaining strength through suffering Is under assault today, not only by the liberal culture but by liberal theologians as well and liberal preachers because all they want to do is preach success and prosperity and some have even claimed that if we are Christian God wants everything go right and everything is going to be easy. All you have to do is name it and claim it if you name it and God doesn't give it to you. Well, then you just don't have the right to fight. You don't have the right Faith. You have to have that Faith. Well, that sounds spiritual. But really God. Those close to God we going to suffer the Bible tells us that and rather than producing soldiers. This Prosperity preaching is producing spiritual children. And we need to be soldiers in the army of Christ anybody listen to my daily devotions this week on spiritual warfare. Yes. We need to be our army of light in the army of God. So problems are God's gift to us to make a strong now. We don't look at problems as being a gift. We look at it as being painful, but the Bible says no it's a gift to make a strong. It produces righteousness in us with just think if Joseph hadn't been sold into slavery. Maybe he'd never made it to Egypt. Well, if mrs. potiphar hadn't lied about if you two never made it to prison and Peter never made it to prison heated never made it to the butler. Well, you say to Butler forgot it, but that's okay cuz favor is going to have a dream and then the butler's going to remember it. You see he had to go through all that problems are God's way of molding us to spiritual maturity is his way of putting iron in our souls if you will problems promote mature. Well, what are we saying? So far? They provide greater opportunities. They promote spiritual maturity number three problems prove our integrity. UCR character should never be altered or Changed by circumstances. Remember we talked about I can't remember. It's on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night about those people who we work with and all of a sudden they get a promotion and their boss and all the sudden. They're not same person anymore. They'll just real you with an Iron Fist and then he's just be humble and all and all the sudden a little power has gone to their head and they're just not the same person. You see our character should never be altered by circumstances whether it's a good circumstance or a bad Circle dance Joseph was a man of character and his character revealed was revealed through the difficulties that he faced. Sometimes character is confused with reputation. So let me give you the difference in them. Reputation is what other people think you are special reputation. That's your reputation. What other people think that you are your character is what God knows that you really are. That's what your character is. You see reputation is stopping this chiseled on are tombstones. That's our reputation. But our character is what the Lord says about us in heaven Before the Throne of God. That's our character. What the Lord says about us on our Tombstone. We have our reputation. And I've heard people say well. If so-and-so hadn't spoke to me that way she made me just go off and just start cussing and carrying on and spend in stopping the graph. She made me angry and if she hadn't done that, I would not have spoken that way well friend really our situation. Don't create us. They just reveal who we are already. That's all that does. No one can make you do anything when we faced a difficult is a lie. It's a wonderful opportunity for God to use that to demonstrate the reality of our integrity and character to a Lost World The Lost World will see how you handle death as a Christian allows world will see how you handle financial difficulty and a loss of a job as a Christian. You see problems come in there a lot to prove our integrity. So the other people may be able to see it. They provide greater opportunities, they promote spiritual growth and they prove our integrity number for

Problems produce a sense of dependency. What are we read through this whole scripture every time that Jose is in prison Joseph in the pit. Joseph was lied about what does the Bible say, but the Lord was with it. The Lord was with him everywhere. Joseph went God went with him and it's the same way with us did you know? That the only thing that can separate you from God. Is your sin? Now you're not going to lose your salvation. You can send you're not going to lose your salvation. What what is it that we lose when we send we have unconfessed sin in our life our fellowship. God seems forever far away. We pray and it's like I don't hear him answer. I just I just have a feeling that God doesn't even hear me. You know what the Bible says in the Book of Psalms. If I regard iniquity in my heart. The Lord will not hear me. Think about that. It hinders our prayer life Wellfit hinders our prayer life. It hinders our fellowship with the Lord. And so I read once we're all Arthur said that Joseph power was that he always was conscious of the presence of God. He always knew that God was with him wherever he was when he was in prison. He found that the Lord was with him. Can I talk to people before he was gone through just terrible ordeals and circumstances and they would say in the end. I never felt closer to the Lord than it was at that time. You see we all have problems what it had it produces a sense of dependency. In other words. It drives us to our knees when wearing problems what we do we fall on our knees and we pray before God that's exactly what he wants you to do and see it it promotes and produces a sense of dependency and see our culture though preaches self-sufficiency. Our culture says no do it yourself for yourself up by your own bootstraps. You be a self-made man. You be a self-made woman. That's the way you do it friend. That's not the way to Christian. Does it weigh to Chris does is weed lean on the Lord? That's what he wants us to do. Remember the spiritual warfare. God tells us in the Bible about Satan is God the Father who gives us the equipment and then how do we use that equipment through prayer? We asked the Lord to help us. Strengthen us it all comes from him. We're not self-made men and women know we belong to the Lord and we are to lean on him problems out to drive us to our knees problems wheel for use a sense of dependency. What what's wrong with that if I depend on the Lord more than I do now, that's a good thing. That is a good thing number 5 and lastly. Problems prepare our hearts for Ministry now look at versus six and seven of Genesis chapter 40. So here is Joseph in prison and now he's got two other men in there with him and look what verse 6s. And Joseph came into them in the morning and looked at them and saw that they were sad. So he asked Spiro's officers who were with him in the custody of his Lord's House saying? Why do you look so sad today? So even in all his problems.

Joseph the one who is unjustly sent to prison. The one who has done everything right, but yet everything has gone wrong. This one goes up to them and says why you so sad today. What is it that's wrong. He was still. Not wrapped up in his own self-pity, but he was still willing to minister to other people even during his time of problems. He is sensitive and he's loving you sympathetic and he initiates this conversation with them in other words. He ministers to them. And there's no more meaningful Ministry in life than that, which comes from someone who is suffering themselves. Did you know that? Someone who is suffering with a loss of a loved one can go and comfort someone else who just suffered the loss of a loved one. They don't have their mind stayed on themselves. They're always looking at other people problems in our lives make us sensitive or that it should make us sensitive to the problems of others because we're going through it and we know other people may go through it as well. So, how can we put arms around a brother or sister face and disappointment? If we're just concentrating on our own disappointment and never thinking about anyone else sometimes God allows problems in our lives so that we can better minister to someone else and that's exactly what happened to Joseph. Well, he had all these slave experiences and he was able to administer grain to the people in Egypt years down the road because he cared about other people. Well, I hope you see this morning that problems have advantages they provide us opportunities if we'll look for him. They'll promote spiritual maturity if we become better instead of bitter. They will they will prove your integrity. They will show other people what your character really is problems will drive you to your knees drive you to God, you'll have a sense of dependency on him and they'll prepare your heart for menstrual problems will prepare your heart to minister to other people. That's exactly what happened to Howard Rutledge. That's exactly he said that when he was shot down in through those experiences. He said God taught me lessons that I would have learned. No other way. He said I learned the power of prayer because I had no one else to talk to he said I learned the power of prayer because God put me in a circumstance where all I could do was pray. He said he learned the importance of the church. Since the Lord allowed him to be alone and by himself in that prison, he said he never had as much respect for the church as he did when he was a prisoner of war and then he said he learned the importance of the Bible. He said because I was without God's word for so long. He said I I cultivated a love for the Bible even though I didn't have a Bible. But he loved because he was missing it and he said he even loved his family his wife his children more because he thought about the missed opportunities with his wife and children. Well, I want to put up on the screen here and we won't go over these might just to principles that we take away from this chapter the circumstances of our service. Do not determine its value. Let me say it is it don't matter if you're in the jailhouse. for the White House if you're serving God.

It does not determine the value because of what you're doing or where you doing. God was with Joseph as he was ministering in a prison that matter if he'd been in the White House in the King's house or anywhere are circumstances that we serve God do not determine its value is all valuable to God no matter where we are. Some people say why can't do anything at church if I can't free to get up and teach or something like that. I can't do anything the people who clean the bathrooms there's value to that in the eyes of God and I'll be by you in that to everyone the people who clean the church and who clean the bathroom OTR whatever it is, there's value in that your circumstances does not determine the value of what you're doing for God in the number two. God is actively involved in the life of a people. Wherever they are. God was actively involved in life of Joseph and he was in prison. God may be active in your life and you're a CEO of a company. No matter what you are where you are God in his Providence is always active remember? Can you put up the definition again, Vicky of Providence? Remember what this says?

Look at this God problems unceasing activity of God always active. He upholds creation guides and governs all events talk about events in our lives and circumstances the free acts of men and angels and directs everything to his appointed goal for his glory. He is actively involved in the lives of his people. So here's what we take from this God allows problems so that we can learn and grow. We don't like them We complain about them sometime but they're necessary if we're going to grow and change friendless. Don't run from the problems in your life. Because this Howard Rutledge found out. Behind every problem. There's a plan. And God has a plan for the problems in your life, and let's pray father. We do. Thank you and praise you love you today for your word Lord. We thank you for the wonderful truths that we learned today from this chapter. Lord help us to understand that the problems in our life sometimes will provide greater opportunities for if we will just endure and not become bitter. Sometimes they'll promote spiritual maturity always I would say they would promote spiritual maturity that they will grow in patience and perseverance just as Joseph deal. Lord also, you'll bring those problems in our life. Just so other people can see our character and what we're made of especially lost people. Lord help us always when we have problems or troubles and trials and tribulations. Even if it's unjustly help it to send us to our knees into totally depend on you. But most of all Lord help us in our problems that it will help us to prepare ourselves to minister to other people. That's why your word says we are to comfort others with the comfort with which we have been comforted with Lord. We thank you for this teaching this morning. I thank you for each one. That is here. I know each one. That's here. There's a problem on every Pew this morning and I pray Lord that we'll be able to look at those problems now in a different light and that will be able to understand. That you have a plan behind every problem in Christ's name. I pray amen.