Rock and a Hard Place

INTRO

Week 2 of the Comeback.

Looking at the life of the greatest comeback story, Joseph.

Last week we followed Joseph from being the favorite child, everything going his way.

to beaten, thrown in to a pit and then sold into slavery by his brothers!

But he kept coming back.

Have you ever had a moment where you just didn’t know what to do.

What do I do now....

Kid in back of car throwing up.

Youth conference last year, after the night service we tried to go eat. tried multiple places but they were all closed or too short staffed due to covid.

Teens hungry. Nothing open. I get online and order at a restaurant 20 min from where we were and plan to just bring it to the room, I oder and pay over $200. I get to the restaurant, and they are closing and say they can’t fulfill the order!!!! Corporate will have to refund at a later time......

What do I do!! Panicked and frustrated and mostly hungry.

I call my wife and she steps me through how to go to the grocery store and buy sandwich stuff. Best sandwiches ever.

What do you do, when you don’t know what to do??

Because I feel like that defines so much of life.

I want to get out of this, I want to come back, but how?

Where do I even start?

Today we will be in Genesis 39.

Gen 39:1-2

“When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.”

Joseph wasn’t where he wanted to be. Life plan wasn’t slavery in a country away from his, ripped from his family.

But in the midst of the worst, THE LORD WAS WITH HIM.

And because the Lord was with him, success followed him.

Gen 39:3-6a

“Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!

Joseph was elevated. Rose in the ranks. Put in charge of everything.

Potiphar’s house was blessed because Joseph. Because God was with Joseph.

Are people and places around me blessed when I show up , even when things aren’t going my way??

Joseph is the kind of person you want to hire.

Honest, humble, hard-worker.

Gen 39:6b-9

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.””

Difficult situation.

She prob viewed him as property.

he’s a slave, works for my husband so works for me.

I’m sure a high ranking officials wife wasn’t bad to look at, but Joseph wouldn’t give in...

Genesis 39:10-15

“She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house. When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.””

What do I do??

Do I do what’s right, or what’s easy?

A lot of men could have justified why just giving in is the best thing.

We are always surrounded by some sort of temptation to forfeit who we are.

To give in.

And when things are hard, it gets easier to justify.

Just this one time.

Joseph didn’t rationalize, he ran.

Genesis 39:16-20

“She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!” Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.”

Come on!!

From the top to back under again.

This is hard, now he is knocked down for doing what right.

Anyone feel like you can relate, I’ve done what’s right.

God where are you? Why?

What do we do?

To no surprise look what the next verse says...

Genesis 39:21

“But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.”

Time and again, when we would wonder what to do,

Joseph doesn’t hesitate. He knows. He acts. He does.

A few qualifying thoughts to help us know what to do like Joseph.

1. JUST BELIEVE.

Simple, not easy.

Joseph believed in and trusted God.

He trusted God more than he trusted himself.

He trusted God more than he trusted his surroundings.

He trusted Him because he believed that God is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do.

What do you believe is true in your life?

What are you trusting in?

WE have to Pre-Decide.

That’s what Joseph did!

he didn’t until things were hard and he was pressed to find out what he believed and trusted in.

He already knew.

Pre decide. What gets your faith, what do you believe in, in what will you trust.

Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Settle in your soul what you stand on.

I trust that what God says is true.

I speak that truth and lean in it even when I don’t feel it.

“how could i do such a wicked thing, it would be a sin against God”

Joseph had a Jacket crisis.

This is the second coat he lost!!

In that day your coat define who you were. important, peasant etc.

Coat of many colors - Favorite son.

Potiphar’s Coat - Top dog in Potiphar’s house.

Joseph's identity wasn’t rooted in his position or appearance.

Lost my coat but not who I am.

2. WHO NOT DO.

Joseph had settled who he was.

Who he was was based on whose he was.

He belonged to God.

It’s so easy to find my who horizontally instead of vertically.

Find who I am by what I do, what I’ve done, my position, what people say etc.

My the source of our identity is only stable when It’s found in Christ.

I know what to do, when I know who I am. I am his.

jospeh wouldn’t have done what he did if he want sure of who he was. If his position identified him because it put his position at risk to do what’s right.

1 Peter 2:9

for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light

They could take take his coat but not his character.

Who are you when that Jacket is ripped off?? (the things have defined you)

Too often we keep our coats and forfeit our character.

When Christ is our source our integrity isn’t for sale.

Sometimes the only thing to do is to do what he’s said.

Continue to obey in trust. Even when it doesn't make sense.

even when it’s harder, even when the business deal would make more money.

Even when no one else will know.

I know who I am. I am his.

He knew he would do the right thing.

3. DO BECAUSE OF WHO

Every time Joseph was faced with another setback, he still did the very best he knew how.

Why?!?!

Not me. things don’t go my way I’m not giving my best!

Joseph was successful in whatever he did, he did it for the Lord.

Colossians 3:23

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

Joseph didn’t work hard for Potiphar, He was in slavery!

Joseph didn’t give his best for the prison warden, he’s wrongly imprisoned!

He gave he best effort, where he was, FOR GOD.

My effort, my integrity, my character, my drive, my passion is because I’m working and doing it all for Jesus.

Your who will change your do.

I’m not giving my effort, have you met my boss.

Did you see how they treated me.

When it’s all for God, when I realize he’s with me.

I choose what’s right over what’s easy.

Keep doing it for the lord.

Stop putting him on your timetable.

I tired and he didn’t show up.

Problem: integrity and character when rooted in Christ doesn’t have an expiration date.

When it’s all falling apart, what Do I do?

All for him.

4. NOW NOT LATER

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow. right?!?!

I’ve realized there is rarely the perfect moment to do what I need to. Even then I have an excuse.

I’m a dishes later person… Anyone. (it never gets better or easier)

Joseph didn’t say I’ll trust God and be faithful in the future when things are looking up and going my way.

When his brothers apologize to him for throwing him in the pit and selling him.

When Potiphar’s wife comes clean. When she get’s what’s coming to her.

when Potiphar realizes his mistake.

When I’m released from prison...

I will be who God has called me to be, right here and right now.

Where you are with what you have.

I’ll trust God with finances later when I have more.

I’ll seek him when I have more time.

I’ll try harder and have a better attitude when things get better....

The problem is you won’t get there (the next), without faithfulness in the here and now.

Don’t forfeit your future because the present is hard.

CONCLUSION.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do next.

What do we do when we don’t know what to do?

Joseph’s example, it may not be easy, but you’ll know what to do.

The result, that’s God’s. And he follows through.

He is trustworthy.

I don’t know what’s next, but Right now, I walk in integrity.