Genesis 37:18-24 – Staying Steady in Struggles – Bible study

Genesis 37:18-24 Staying Steady in Struggles Do you know the life of Joseph? It was a difficult life. It started when Joseph was a child. God gave Josephs dream and understanding of truths through those dreams. For example, Joseph had the reoccurring dream that he would somehow be promoted above brothers and even his own parents. \#Ge 37:5-8, 9-11\. But things did go the way one would thinkI am certain it did not go the way Joseph thought. One writer described his next few years in three expressions: 1. Obedient but hated – We are seeing that in our text. Joseph obeyed his father in going to check on his 10 brothers and the flocks, but they hated their younger brother. Their first plan was to kill him, but they finally settled on selling Joseph into slavery. 2. Honorable but slandered – Once in Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar and God blessed him to the point that Joseph was in charge of Potiphars home and business, but Potiphars wife lusted after Joseph. She lied, claiming Joseph attempted to rape her, and Joseph was sent to prison for the very sin he refused to commit. 3. Used (of God) but forgotten – But even in prison, God promoted Joseph. People learned of his ability to interpret dreams and Joseph had opportunities to reveal the meaning of dreams to some of Pharaohs highest servants. Joseph asked one in particular to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf, to get him released from prison, but the man forgot Joseph. htp://www.lifeway.com/Article/sermon-joseph-prison-innocence-hope- trust-genesis-39-40 In all, Joseph stayed in chains for 13 years, 13 years. So what can we conclude? Was God angry with Joseph? Is God a mean God? An uncaring God? A weak God that He could not protect Joseph? Some look at their lives and think this about God, but it is because they are trying to figure out God by looking at their lives. What we need to do is to try to figure out our life by looking at God. If you try to figure out God by looking at your life, you will get the wrong image of God for life is hard, bitter, disappointing. If you are trying to figure out God by looking at your life, that is how you will view God! But if try to figure out your life by looking at God, you will see things completely different. Tonight, let me give you three thoughts to consider. I. God had a place for Joseph. A. God creates every person for a place. 1. God is a sovereign God who makes some decisions for us. 2. The overall purpose in the place God selects is to glorify Himself. Is 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. 3. God selects our place based on His foreknowledge of what will happen. a. One of Gods abilities is His foreknowledge. (1) Speaking of Jesus Ac 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (2) Speaking of what God does in our salvation Ro 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. b. Foreknowledge does not mean God selects everything for us but it does mean He selects somethings knowing what is going to happen. c. I believe God knew that I would be saved and God selected me to preach His Word before He ever created the world. d. However, I had to choose to be obedient to His will. 4. The best I can discern, God made no unneeded people and He never changes His mind about their purposes. Ro 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. a. Why should He? b. He knows everything that is going to happen before it does! B. God intended Joseph to be Pharaohs assistant from the beginning of what we call time. 1. God never abandoned or forsook Joseph. 2. God never changed His mind about Joseph. God never changed His plans for Joseph. In everything, God did what He had always planned to do. 3. Sometimes when we are going through difficulties, we forget that God has everything planned from the beginning. II. The path God chose to get Joseph to that place was the path needed to grow Joseph for that place. A. The path God chose for Joseph was hard but the place that God chose for Joseph was hard as well! 1. Does anyone think it would be easy to live in a pagan culture and still live for God? a. Joseph had to make some holy decisions. (1) Joseph would spend all of his adult life in a pagan world but would never be corrupted by it. (2) I have known people that dont do that and they selected the world in which they live. b. Joseph had to make some tough decisions. (1) Some decisions that Joseph made gave food and life to people. (2) Some decisions that Joseph made deprived food and life to some people as well. 2. Joseph would be dealing with slaves and kings, good men and bad men, deceivers and victims, profiteers and the poor. a. How did God train Joseph for this? b. God let Joseph live with these kinds of men and even by the victim of them. c. Was it fun? No, but having experienced the treatment that he did, you can know that Joseph was careful how he treated others once God put him in his place! B. But what about Josephs dreams? What about Gods promises to Joseph? 1. We need to understand that the dreams God gave to Joseph were destination dreams. a. That is, they were dreams to show him where he would end up. (Joseph was to be a ruler so great that his own family would bow before him.) b. However, they were not dreams to show Joseph how he would get there. (The dreams did not talk about betrayal, slavery, lies, imprisonment, disappointments.) 2. Perhaps the reason God did that is because God knew that Joseph could not handle too much foreknowledge about the hardships he would have to endure. a. Much like the nurse giving the shot or the mom removing the band aid, most prefer the pain to come when we do not expect it. b. Why? Because if we know the pain is coming, we might flinch and pull away. c. For most, the expectation of pain is worse than the pain itself. C. Some of the promises that God has given to us also relate to our destinations. John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Re 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 1. But that doesnt mean that there wont be some hardships getting there. 2. In fact, God has told us that hardships are going to come. Lu 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my names sake. 2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 3. God spares us from knowing the details of our bad days so that we dont flinch. So that we can enjoy even the seconds before the hardships come. 4. It may not always seem like mercy, but it is. III. Joseph had no input in the place or the path that God had for him, only in his reactions along the way. A. Gods sovereignty selects our place and our path, but our freewill determines our reactions. 1. It is interesting how totally separate one is from the other. 2. We may and should ask God for guidance, wisdom, and blessing in making our choices, but the choices are still ours. 3. We may seek Gods mercy and goodness, but the place and paths that He takes us to are still His choices. B. So how will we respond to the path God has us on is one of our most important choices. 1. With steadfastness to finish our course. 2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, a. To this day, I do not know the next place that God has for me nor the path that He will use to take them there. b. I just want to get there! 2. With gratefulness for the things that we perceive are good. a. I say "perceive" because we do not always know what the good and the bad are. b. Joseph did not, but he learned later one. Ge 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 3. With humility for the things we dont like. a. Might I say that on this point, Job struggled. b. Job had the steadfastness down, but he felt God had done him wrong and felt he needed to talk to God about it. Job 10:2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me. 3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? c. Let us do our best to trust that God has a plan that we dont know about and remember that God is a good God. Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.