The bumps in the road.

Q: What does the Bible say about the life of Joseph?

The life of Joseph exemplifies God's sovereignty and faithfulness throughout trials, as seen in Genesis 37-50. The life of Joseph, as chronicled in Genesis chapters 37 to 50, serves as a testament to God's sovereignty and divine providence. Joseph's journey begins with dreams given by God, which illustrate his future role, yet he faces intense trials, including betrayal by his brothers, slavery, and imprisonment. In these adversities, Joseph consistently relies on God's promises, illustrating that faithfulness in the direst circumstances can lead to God’s greater purposes being fulfilled. Ultimately, Joseph's elevation to power in Egypt shows how God works through life's bumps to refine and prepare His servants for service.

Q: How do we know God's promises are true?

God's promises are demonstrated true through His faithfulness to Joseph's life and the fulfillment of dreams. God's promises are affirmed through the life experiences of biblical figures like Joseph, who faced seemingly insurmountable challenges yet witnessed God's faithfulness. Joseph's dreams, given to him in his youth, were realized over time as he navigated through trials of betrayal and imprisonment. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph reflects on his past and assures his brothers that despite their evil intentions, God meant it for good. This underscores that God's promises are not based on immediate circumstances but are gradually revealed through His overarching plan that ultimately brings about redemption and salvation.

Q: Why is perseverance important for Christians?

Perseverance is vital for Christians as it tests and strengthens faith, leading to spiritual maturity. Perseverance is crucial for Christians because it is through trials and testing that our faith is refined and deepened. Joseph's life is a powerful illustration of perseverance amidst adversity. He faced numerous challenges yet remained steadfast in his commitment to God. Romans 5:3-5 specifies that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. This hope is rooted in God's promises and ultimately leads us to a deeper relationship with Him. Thus, as Christians, embracing challenges with perseverance not only strengthens our faith but also equips us for the purposes God has for us, much like Joseph's journey showcased.

Q: What does it mean that God’s timing is perfect?

God's timing is perfect because He orchestrates events according to His sovereignty and purpose. The concept that God's timing is perfect can be rooted in the story of Joseph, who experienced delays and hardships before seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises. Ecclesiastes 3:11 highlights that God makes everything beautiful in its time, which implies that our understanding of timing may differ vastly from God's divine plan. Joseph’s trials were not arbitrary; rather, they were part of a sovereign blueprint that prepared him for a greater purpose. Therefore, trusting in God's timing encourages believers to remain patient and faithful, even when life’s circumstances seem contrary to our own expectations.

Q: How does Joseph's story point to Jesus?

Joseph's life foreshadows Jesus in his rejection, suffering, and ultimate exaltation. Joseph's narrative is a profound typology of Christ, illustrating key elements of the Gospel. Just as Jesus was loved by His Father and sent to seek those who were lost, Joseph was favored by his father and sent to aid his brothers. Both faced betrayal—Joseph by his brothers and Jesus by Judas—yet both experienced unjust suffering. Finally, their stories culminate in exaltation; Joseph rises to power to save many, while Jesus is exalted to the right hand of the Father, providing eternal salvation. This parallel emphasizes God's redemptive plan woven throughout Scripture.

Thank you, Edwin. Before we start, I'll just say a word of prayer. Dear most gracious and ever merciful Lord God, we do thank thee, Lord, for the reading of thy word. We do pray, Lord, now as we go into studying this passage on the life of Joseph. Lord, that thy presence may be felt amongst us, Lord, and that we may each feel something, Lord, that we can take home. Please be with me, Lord, as I go through thy word and bless us each for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. So for those of you who take notes, the title of this message is The Bumps in the Road, looking at the life of Joseph. So Joseph is someone in the Bible who lived a very adventurous life.

One thing I like about Joseph's closing passages in the book of Genesis chapter 50, is the scene where Joseph is with his grandchildren. I believe they're his great-grandchildren. Genesis chapter 50, verse 22 and 23. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house. And Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation, the children of Mechah, the son of Manasseh, who were brought up on Joseph's knees. Joseph is now sitting here with his great-grandchildren, and you could imagine him sitting there and living in the fulfilment now of God's will, looking back all over the adventures of Joseph's life, them not really maybe understanding the hardships he has gone through to come to this point in his life.

I, myself, and probably James, we used to enjoy listening to my own granddad's stories. My granddad Gajan and my great, my grandma Margaret, they had many adventures traveling into Russia, smuggling Bibles. They wouldn't talk about it in a prideful way. They would just tell us all about the way that God helped them and God carried them through some very difficult situations. different checkpoints in the way God answered many, many prayers, and also through their many trips in Africa.

And you can imagine Joseph with all these different stories. And it all started off many years before, over a hundred years before in the passage Edwin read in Genesis chapter 37. So God, he spoke to Joseph through dreams. They didn't have the word of God how we have it now. And God was telling Joseph his vision for his life. And Joseph, he had a testimony to tell. Just briefly looking at the first dream, chapter 37, verses 5 to 8. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Here, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed.

For behold, you were binding sheaths in the field, and lo, my sheath arose, and also stood upright. And behold, your sheaths stood round about, and made obedience, or bowed down to my sheath. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more. Joseph, he was telling them the vision which God had given him. He was basically telling them their testimony.

And in life, if you have a testimony to tell, or you have a journey of faith you feel the Lord is sending you on, it doesn't mean that everyone is going to be on board with you. It doesn't mean that everyone will celebrate it the way you feel. If you look at Noah's life, he had a testimony from God to build an ark because God was going to flood the earth. But people mocked on him, but he stood on his ground and he stood with faith. even with James and Elsie when they went to Kenya.

And many of the talks I used to do, I used to get almost nasty comments about them. Why would they be doing that? I remember one guy even told James before he went, there's nothing you can do. The gospel has already been spread. There's nothing you can do but sit back and wait.

And people mock you and try to discourage you. And what others see as, what you see as faith, they will see as foolishness. but don't ever be deterred. And Joseph, he was not deterred by his brothers. God's word or vision for your life like Joseph, it may be delayed. His brothers weren't going to bow down to him now. They rejected him.

And God put Joseph through various tests and trials to make him the man he wanted him to become. And Joseph, he had to go through some very difficult trials. And maybe in your own life, maybe God has laid something on your heart, and maybe it's not been fulfilled yet, but maybe God will be putting you through certain tests and trials in your life to make that fulfillment come to pass.

And God's promise is they're never early, they're never late, they're always right on time. And the Bible says that in Ecclesiastes, Just a short verse. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 11, I believe. Just the first clause, he has made everything beautiful in his time. Things don't always happen instantly how we wanted. Prayers aren't always answered as fast as we hope, but everything comes to perfect in his time.

So every time Joseph had a storm in his life, he could look back to those dreams and those visions which he gave him as a young lad, and standing on that word which God had engraved on his heart. So let's look at some of his trials. So in Genesis chapter 37, verses 23 and 24. And it came to pass when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat of many colors that was on him.

And they took him and cast him into a pit and the pit was empty and there was no water in it. And just this next bit is quite shocking, really. And they just sat down and ate bread and lifted their eyes and looked. Here they have their young brother who they literally despised. They were jealous of him. They didn't like the way he spoke. And there they cast him into a pit that many of them wanted him dead. His brother hated him that much.

But what is a pit in life? We can feel sometimes we are in a pit. Maybe we have problems going all around about us. Maybe things are building up on all sides. Maybe one thing after the other. And you can feel like everything's closing in. But with a pit, it doesn't have a roof over it. You can still see the sky. And as you look up, you can still see that open access to our Creator. And in life, maybe things can go one problem after the other, and you feel like you're drowning in a pit, but there's always that open door to heaven, looking up unto Jesus, our creator, and there we can call to him in prayer. And Joseph, even though he was in this situation, he could look back at that word which God had given him, those dreams he had as a young lad to carry him through.

Next, he was then sold into slavery. Genesis chapter 39, verses one and two. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him off the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had bought him down liver. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of the master of the Egyptian. It wasn't long before temptation was placed in front of Joseph.

Verses 11 and 12, we have the wife. And it came to pass about this time that Joseph went into the house to do his business. And there was none of the men of the house that were in there. And she caught him by his garment saying, lie with me and left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out.

This young man is now placed in temptation with this woman who's demanding him, but he is not going to sin against God. In verse 9, we see at the very end, how can I do such a great wickedness against God? And especially for your younger ones, we live in a society where we are pressured. We may be pressured to become popular, maybe to do things we know we shouldn't do. Maybe you come into a relationship, maybe they want to do something you know you shouldn't do, but you don't want to trade your purity like Joseph. Don't trade your purity to be popular. Do whatever it is to please God. How can I sin against God? because we don't want to live with regress.

And Joseph, he did what was right, but he was rewarded. A prison sentence in verses 21. He was then cast into prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. He's now in a place of restriction. He's now not kind of the free man he was as a slave where he could go round about the house. He's now bound up in prison. But you never hear of Joseph moaning.

Whatever he is doing, he does it for the will of God. Whatever difficulty he's in, he goes full steam and he puts his hands to plough. And whatever he's a slave or a prisoner, he becomes the greatest one he can be. And as we can see, this prison guard found favor over him, putting him in command or overseeing many of the other prisoners. It's a place of restriction, and things get harder for him. Things start to drag on, and then you get these false hopes of freedom. Times when he almost felt like maybe he would be free, as we see that with the chief butler. in chapter 40 and verses 14 and 15.

He has interpreted the dream and he says to the chief butler, but just think on me when I shall be well with thee and show kindness. I pray thee unto me and make mention of me unto Pharaoh and bring me out of this house. For indeed, I was stolen, stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews. And here also, I've done nothing that they should put me in a dungeon. He's now in this place where he feels completely forgotten. And that's how we may feel in life if you were going through a difficult time. Maybe you feel your prayers aren't being answered. Maybe you feel you get these sudden false hopes that you think you're gonna be free, things are going to get better.

But God is never early, he's never late, and he's always right on time. In Psalm 105, 19, I believe it speaks briefly about this point with Joseph, Psalm 105 and verse 19. Until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. He had this word right from an early age, laid on his heart, this dream that one day his brothers will be bound down to him. But now he's bound in a prison and forgotten. He could always look back to that hope. Then we have the promotion to the palace. In Genesis chapter 41, verses 14 to 16.

Pharaoh wanted some dreams interpreted and suddenly he is remembered. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself and changed his raiment and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And I have heard say of thee that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not me, but God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

You don't ever see Joseph taking credit. He's not a proud man. He's gone through all these difficulties in life, and now you see him more of a changed man. You could imagine him when he was that young dreamer, bounding around, maybe boasting to his brothers. But now you see a humble guy, now released from prison, speaking to the most powerful man in the world, not taking any credit. It's not me, but God shall give the answer.

Genesis chapter 41. And verses 42 to 43. Joseph is now the second most powerful man in the world. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand, and arraigned him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had. And they cried before him, bow the knee, and he made him ruler over all the land.

In whatever situation Joseph has been in, he's always remained faithful to God. He was faithful there in the pit, he was faithful as a slave, he was faithful in the prison, and now he's faithful in the palace, always remembering those words which God had laid on his heart to carry him through all those difficult trials.

Maybe in your own life, maybe you're in the plains, maybe things are just going smooth, maybe you're on the mountaintops, maybe you're going through the storms, but just depend on Him. If God has laid a word on your heart, He will be able to carry you through. And there he is, as we say in that closing scene with his grandchildren, there he can reflect on all those different visions, all those different difficulties he's gone through to bring him to that point. And Joseph, even in the very last bits of his life, he still looks unto Jesus as he says about carrying my bones into the land.

So in Joseph's life, The different things he was going through, maybe many of us may call them slip-ups, but they were all step-ups from God. They were all refining him into the man God wanted him to be. As we read in the Bible about the potter shaping the clay, or the goldsmith putting the gold into the furnace to remove all the dross, he had to go through all these different things to become the man God wanted him to be. But all that time, the word of God carried him through.

There's nobody more in the Bible we could read of like Jesus than Joseph. Even though we do not read about Joseph sinning, but we know he would have been a sinner. But he was a man who was loved by his father. He was sent by his father to seek for the welfare of his brethren in the other land, as Jesus was sent by his father to seek and save the lost.

Joseph, he was rejected and betrayed by his brothers. Jesus, he came unto his own and the Bible said his own received him not. Joseph, he was sold for pieces of silver. Jesus was also sold for pieces of silver by Judas. Joseph, he was condemned for a crime he did not commit. Jesus was condemned by a crime he did not commit by a false trial.

And Joseph was then exalted to sit on the right hand side of the king. And now Jesus, as we know, is on the right-hand side of the Father. Joseph forgave his brethren in chapter 50, verses 20 and 21. All what they did, it was them who started this journey by Park Carson into the pit.

But he can now say to them, but as for you, you fought for evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive. Now, therefore, fear you not. I will nourish you and your little ones and be comforted them and speak kindly unto them as Jesus came into this world to forgive those who call upon him in prayer. And just closing with John 3, 16, God, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Amen. Our next hymn is hymn number 126 from Hymns of Worship. Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul. Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole. Hymn number 126 from Hymns of Worship to the tune number 71. Inside my guilty soul Not what my toiling flesh hath found Can make my spirit whole ♪ Not all thy prayers and sighs and tears ♪ ♪ Can bear my yoke, O Lord ♪ ♪ Thy work alone, O Lord ♪ God is just, wise, tolerant. Life, wealth, honor, love, love, love, God can give me peace, friend. ♪ Bear me a glove, not a little to give you ♪ ♪ Come with me on this dark campus ♪ ♪ And set my spirit free ♪ I bless the Crest of God, ♪ My blest and holy light ♪ ♪ And with a thought very soft ♪ ♪ Thought my holy sight ♪

The bumps in the road.

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the life of Joseph?

How do we know God's promises are true?

Why is perseverance important for Christians?

What does it mean that God’s timing is perfect?

How does Joseph's story point to Jesus?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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The bumps in the road.

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the life of Joseph?

How do we know God's promises are true?

Why is perseverance important for Christians?

What does it mean that God’s timing is perfect?

How does Joseph's story point to Jesus?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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