Joseph-The Adequacy of Faith

Series: Preacher: Date: May 30, 1999 Scripture Reference: Genesis 37:2-11; Hebrews 11:22

GENESIS 37 2 – This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 – Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.

4 – When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

5 – Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.

6 – He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:

7 – We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

8 – His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

9 – Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers, “Listen,” he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10 – When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mothers and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”

11 – His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Hebrews 11 22 – By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

Many Christians feel that one of the most inspiring chapters in the Bible is the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews. And if you have read these verses and been inspired by them yourself, then you know that the theme of this passage is FAITH for, in the 40 verses that make up this chapter, the word “faith” occurs 28 times! Obviously the writer wanted to teach us the importance of FAITH.

Now the best way to teach an abstract concept like FAITH is by illustration-as Dr. O’Brien so skillfully demonstrated this past week! And this is the method the writer of Hebrews uses in the 11th chapter. He goes back to the Old Testament and selects some of the great heroes of the nation of Israel and he uses their lives as living illustrations. He shows us that they WERE who the were and they ACCOMPLISHED what they accomplished because they were men and women of FAITH. We read these verses and see that they came to know God BY FAITH. And they walked with God BY FAITH. We discover that they overcame some unbelievable obstacles BY FAITH. They even died still clinging to a deep FAITH in the promises of God. When Joseph-the person whose life we will study together this morning-When he lay on his death bed at the ripe old age of 110 he gave instructions that his bones were to be taken with the people of Israel when God led them from Egypt to the promised land-an event that did not occur for another 430 years. Even in death Joseph had FAITH that God would do just as He promised.

Now FAITH is basically a confidence that what God has promised or said will come to pass. Philip Yancey says that faith, “is believing something in advance that will only make sense in retrospect.”

So FAITH-people….like the ones listed in Hebrews 11….base their every decision on the things that God says. This is a courageous way to live-for, living by FAITH is basing your future on something you cannot see. It is making crucial decisions based on an almost blind trust in an unseen God. Genuine FAITH is the opposite of sight. In II Corinthians 5:7 Paul says, “We walk by FAITH and not by sight.” And, as Hebrews 11:1 puts it, “FAITH is the evidence of things NOT SEEN.”

So these people listed in Hebrews 11 were heroes because they built their lives on the yet to be fulfilled promises of God. And all you have to do is read their life stories to see that God blessed them for doing this! Even today people like you and me can learn the value of FAITH by studying the adventures of these heroes listed here.

As you know, we — as a church — are about to take some real FAITH steps when it comes to building both our facility and our staff. For this reason we need to grasp the concept of LIVING BY FAITH AND NOT SIGHT. Which is why I felt that it would be very important for us to study the lives of the people in this chapter.

So throughout this spring and summer I want us to take a close look at some of these HEROES OF THE FAITH. In coming weeks we’ll study the lives of NOAH, RAHAB, ABRAHAM, and MOSES.

But as I alluded earlier, I want us to begin this series by looking at the life of JOSEPH. We know a lot about Joseph-the writer of Genesis devotes 14 precious chapters to tell his story. And most of us have studied his life since we were toddlers in Sunday School.

Now Joseph may have been somewhat vain and foolish at the beginning of his life but for the most part he lived an outstanding life of FAITH. In fact, I believe that studying his life can teach us a very important principle when it comes to FAITH. For…Joseph shows us the ADEQUACY of FAITH. Studying his life proves that if FAITH is all you have, you can get through anything. FAITH is all you really need. As most of you know, a couple weeks ago I spent a few days in the hospital dealing with a partial blockage in my colon. My doctor followed standard treatment for this painful ailment. He put a tube down my nose to completely empty my stomach and he forbade me to eat or drink anything until the blockage was gone which took about three days. To provide my body with nourishment, they hooked me up to an I.V. and “fed”-and I use that word figuratively-“fed” me the contents of clear bags of sugar water.

Now both the doctor and nurses assured me that this would be adequate for my survival. But I will be honest with you as the hours and days passed and my stomach began to growl I doubted their words. I yearned for something to eat to chew! I thought I was going to starve! Do you know how many TV commercials deal with food?! I think they should censor them from all hospital TVs! I was soooo hungry….I just knew I wouldn’t make it on those meager bags of sugar water! But the doctor was right….those bags were adequate. As you can see, I survived my forced fast!

Well, at times we may doubt that FAITH is adequate to sustain us in life but Joseph would strongly disagree. He would tell us that FAITH in God will empower us to survive and even thrive no matter what happens to us in life. Even if you go through crisis after crisis so that all you have left is your FAITH in God. Joseph would say, “Don’t worry….that is okay….for I have discovered that FAITH is enough!” This morning as we examine the record of Joseph’s life in scripture I think we will see this principle lived out in three ways. And the first is this….

1. Joseph learned that his FAITH was adequate when he endured PAINFUL EXPERIENCES.

Now, Joseph was 17 years old here in Genesis 37 and all of his life he had been the apple of his daddy’s eye! Scripture says this was true because he was born in Jacob’s old age. And another factor in Joseph’s favored status was that his mother was Rachel. You remember the story. When Jacob was a young man he fell in love with Rachel and he made a deal with her father Laban. He would work for him 7 years after which he would be given Rachel’s hand in marriage. But Laban tricked him. When Jacob got drunk at the wedding Laban substituted Leah — Rachel’s older and less-attractive sister — as his bride.

So he worked an additional 7 years for Rachel. And he was willing to do this because Rachel was the love of his life.

Now, Jacob had ten sons from Leah and his other wives but Rachel gave him only two: First came Joseph and then a few years later Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin.

So as the firstborn of Jacob’s favorite wife, Joseph was favored among all his brothers. He and his brother Benjamin were all that Jacob had left of his beloved Rachel.

All this helps us to understand why, as it says in verse 3, Jacob, “loved Joseph MORE than any of his other sons.” You may remember that to show his special love for Joseph, Jacob gave him a special gift…a robe of many colors. The NIV refers to it as “a richly ornamented robe.” The Hebrew words indicate that this garment was sleeved and extended down to the ankles. In other words this colorful, bejeweled robe was not something you would work in. In Joseph’s day when a man went to work he wore a short, sleeveless tunic; something that would keep his arms and legs free. And so by giving Joseph this elaborate full-length coat, his father was boldly implying, “You can wear this beautiful garment because you don’t have to work like those brothers of yours.” Needless to say this intensified his brothers jealous HATRED of him. And their loathing reached even greater heights when Joseph told them of a dream he had which suggested that he would one day be LORD over all of them! It got to the point that His brothers could not stand him! Remember….verse 4 says they couldn’t even speak to him on friendly terms! Well, one day Jacob sent his WELL-FAVORED, dream interpreting, many-colored robe wearing, teenaged son to check up on his brothers when they were tending his sheep. Swindoll says this would be like “sending a welder to a construction site wearing a full-length mink coat.” When they saw him coming they decided to get rid of this pain in their necks once and for all. For SEVENTEEN years they had put up with his being PAMPERED, and CODDLED, and DOTED ON by their father! And they had had ENOUGH! So, they decided to KILL him. But RUBEN, the oldest brother, talked them out of that, and instead they did something almost as bad…they sold him as a slave to a caravan of Midianites on their way to Egypt.

Well when Joseph arrived in Egypt, he was bought by Potiphar-one of Pharaoh’s chief officers. Scripture says he was the CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD. And imagine the painful contrast this was to the way things had always been in Joseph’s life. For 17 years he had been waited on, hand and foot, and had heard nothing but loving words from his father! And now, here he is, in Egypt…not only a stranger in a strange land…but a SLAVE! For the first time he was experiencing the PAIN of being away from home, separated from his adoring father, and cut off from all that was familiar and friendly. With devastating suddenness, he had gone from being one who was waited upon, to one who waited on others! He’d gone from FIRST PLACE in his father’s home to LAST PLACE in a strange home. Imagine how lonely he must have felt! Think of the anxiety he endured each night as he tried to sleep! He had nothing….no father to protect him….no home…no possessions. All he had to fall back on was his faith! But Joseph learned that FAITH was enough. Instead of being bitter, he faced these God-allowed difficulties in FAITH. He didn’t indulge himself in self-pity….and he didn’t blame God. Instead he faced all this in a faith that God was allowing this for a purpose. Joseph looked to God, rather than to his circumstances. In the midst of an unbelievably painful time he held onto his faith in God’s goodness.

So instead of complaining, the Bible tells us that he gave himself to serving his new master so wholeheartedly that he became the most trusted servant in Potiphar’s house. Genesis 39:2-3 says, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered….the Lord gave him success in everything he did…..the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian, BECAUSE of Joseph.” Do you see what happened? In this time of pain, Joseph became more aware of God’s involvement in his life than he had ever been when he was the spoiled child of his father.

So, when PAIN came to Joseph’s life, his faith was not just adequate. It was more than adequate. God blessed him because of his faith. Potiphar saw the evidence of that faith in Joseph’s life and labor. He saw that Joseph was a hard-working, diligent young man.

So much so that Potiphar increased his responsibilities and his authority.

Ultimately Potiphar put all that he possessed under Joseph’s jurisdiction. The Bible says Potiphar “did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.”

So, Joseph went from being a common slave to running the household of the top military man in Egypt. He learned that his FAITH was more than enough to deal with painful times and this is true because our FAITH is not just a belief in words or philosophies. It is a belief in a Person. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus is… “…the Author and Perfecter of our FAITH.”

So we learn that when things in life go bad and we lose everything, we are not alone for our faith is in a God. He is with us. It’s like the words to the song that Matt sang during the revival. When crisis comes and, “answers aren’t enough there is Jesus…when answers aren’t enough He is there…” Disciples of Jesus learn…like Joseph did…that when they face harsh experiences in life their faith in Jesus is enough to get them through. His presence is all they need.

Christian Reger spent four years in the infamous Nazi concentration camp know as Dachau. His only crime was that he was a member of the Confessing Church, one of the German state churches that took a stand against the Nazis in the 1930’s and 40’s. This was the same church in which Martin Niemoeller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer ministered. Reger writes, “Nietzsche said a man can undergo torture if he knows the why of his life. But here at Dachau, I learned something far greater. I learned to know the Who of my life. He [GOD] was enough to sustain me then, and is enough to sustain me still.” Reger learned as did Joseph that no matter how agonizing life becomes a FAITH relationship with God will see you through. It IS adequate.

2. And then we also see that Joseph’s FAITH was adequate when he was tempted by PASSION.

Genesis 39:6 says, “Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.” The NIV translates it, “Joseph was well-built.” Please understand. There is nothing wrong with being physically well-built or handsome. But with these unique attributes come unique temptations.

Now at this point in his life Joseph had just about everything….power, authority, respect. Here was a house servant who had it made….his own private quarters, access to very confidential information, and the complete trust of his employer. On top of that he was a good-looking man who, without intending to do so, caught the eye of women. At this point, the scriptures waste no words and neither did Potiphar’s wife. Look at verse 7 of chapter 39. “And it came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph and she said, ‘Lie with me.'”

She definitely took the direct approach! She brazenly, shamelessly came right out and said: “Come to bed with me Joseph. Let’s have sex!” Many other men both then and now would have been caught off guard and at least momentarily felt flattered by such a seductive statement.

But not Joseph — Not even for a moment. Without hesitation and being absolutely secure in himself and his God, he responded with equal boldness. Look at verses 8-9: ” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?” Did you notice his tactic? He simply refused. He said “NO!” Now how could he do that? What gave him the power to resist that kind of temptation? Our answer is in the last sentence of verse 9 where Joseph says, “How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?”

Do you see? His relationship with God was the lever that gave Joseph the strength to pry himself away from this woman’s attraction! Well, verse 10 says that she didn’t take “NO” for an answer. Look at it. “And it came about as she spoke to Joseph DAY AFTER DAY that he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.” Clarence Macartney says, “This was no ordinary temptation. Joseph was not a stone, a mummy, but a red-blooded young man in his late 20’s.

It was not one temptation on one day, but a repeated temptation. An old story tells how when Joseph began to talk about God to the temptress, she flung her skirt over the bust of the god that stood in the chamber and said, ‘Now God will not see.’ But Joseph answered, ‘My God always sees.'” And HE DOES! Joseph said NO to this woman because he had faith in a God Who always watches….the God with Whom he had such a deep relationship that Joseph cared that He watched. By now-thanks to a painful set of circumstances-God had become more real to Joseph than anything or anyone else on earth. And Joseph was able to resist Potiphar’s wife’s repeated advances because of this reality.

Now if you are confronted with temptation like this and resist and then think that this temptation will somehow vanish, think again. In fact, thinking we are invulnerable to temptation makes us an even greater target for the tempter. We should keep in mind that Satan wants the respected person. He wants to trap the person who is quoted by others, the successful individual, the trusted partner, the godly soul. He wants people like this to yield to temptation for when they do, everyone notices.

So this is why it is no surprise that Potiphar’s wife went after Joseph with such relentless persistence. Joseph was a catch. If she got him, she would have conquered something!

But the same faith that helped him to endure the pain of being sold into slavery helped him here.

You know…the Illinois Department of Natural Resources reports that more than 17,000 deer die each year after being struck by motorists on state highways. I bet more than that are killed in Montgomery County Maryland! According to Paul Shelton, state wildlife director, the peak season for road kills is in late fall. Why? Because the bucks are in rut in November. Shelton says, “They’re concentrating almost exclusively on reproductive activities and are a lot less wary than they normally would be.”

Well, deer aren’t the only ones destroyed by preoccupation with sex. Humans are as well. Calvin Miller says, “Unbridled lust is a cannibal committing suicide by nibbling on himself.” But a FAITH relationship with God empowers us to resist this kind of enticement. Thomas Brooks writes, “Saving grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts as a slave is willing to leave his galley, or a prisoner his dungeon, or a thief his bolts, or a beggar his rags.” CHARLES SWINDOLL gives some good advice when it comes to this subject. First of all he warns us not to be deceived by the persuasion.

Your temptress or tempter will use just the right words and will be very persuasive. They’ll say things like… “My husband doesn’t meet my needs like you would.” or… “By doing this you will show that you really do care for me.” or “Who will ever find out? We are completely alone, absolutely safe.” “Look, we are going to be married soon anyway. Why wait? What does it matter?” or “I’m so terribly lonely. God understands-this is why He brought you into my life.” “Just this once. We’ll never do this again.” or “What’s grace all about if it won’t cover something as natural as this?” Don’t be deceived by the persuasion…remember, the greatest gift you can give your marriage partner is your purity, your fidelity.

So stand firm and refuse to yield. Joseph did and so must you. Secondly, don’t be gentle with your response.

Remember how rugged Joseph was with his? Verse 8 says, “HE REFUSED!” In verse 9 instead of saying, “Well, you flatter me ma’am.” Joseph boldly told her that her invitation was a “great evil…and a sin against God.” Verse 10 says that he didn’t even listen to her or linger in her presence. Verse 12 says he fled from her.

So if you need to, press it to the extreme. Get downright RUDE about it if necessary. Finally, don’t be confused with the immediate results.

Joseph was thrown into prison for his faithfulness to God. And you may suffer. You may lose your job. You may lose the acceptance of your peer group. You may be ridiculed. You may be bumped out of the “club” if you name the name of Jesus Christ and keep yourself morally clean form this day forward. But, even if it means demotion or loss of stature or loss of a job get out! You owe it to your character and to your family. Most of all you owe it to your God! Claim the supernatural strength that comes from faith in Jesus Christ and, operating und the control of His power, stand strong. Determine to be a Joseph. His life teaches us that faith can make this possible.

So JOSEPH’s life shows that FAITH in God is adequate. It is enough! It is all you need when painful times come….when you are tempted by passion….and then it also shows us that faith is enough…

3. in times of POWER and PROSPERITY.

You remember what happened. When he refused the invitation of Potiphar’s wife and fled, she lied and accused him of raping her. As a result of these false charges Joseph was thrown into prison. While he was there his gift of interpreting dreams became very useful. Two of the prisoners had dreams and with God’s guidance Joseph interpreted them. One of those prisoners was the cup bearer to the Pharaoh. Soon the cup bearer was freed and two years after that Pharaoh had a dream and he needed someone to interpret it and the cup bearer recommended Joseph.

Again, with God’s help, Joseph interpreted the dream to mean that seven years of abundant harvests were coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine would follow. Joseph suggested storing the surplus of food during the abundant years so they would have food for the years of famine. In his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream Joseph repeatedly referred to God as the source of the interpretation. In other words, Joseph didn’t call attention to himself….he gave all the glory to GOD. And this apparently impressed Pharaoh. In Genesis 41:39-40 he said, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne will I be greater than you.”

So do you see what happened? Pharaoh made Joseph in charge of the whole land of Egypt. In 13 years Joseph went from a slave in a foreign land to being a ruler in that land! He was second only to Pharaoh himself. Genesis 41 says that Pharaoh took off his signet ring and put it on Joseph’s finger. Think of this ring as the platinum charge card of the day. It was the way the king stamped the invoices, the laws, or anything else he wanted to verify or validate with his seal. With this ring Joseph wore the authority of the Pharaoh’s imprint. Along with this, Pharaoh gave him fine garments made of linen and placed a gold necklace around his neck. He was even given a royal chariot.

Now think about it…only a few hours before, Joseph was a scruffy, ragged, and forgotten prisoner in the dungeon. I guess you could call him, “Cinder-fella” because he instantly went from prisoner to prince! Suddenly, Joseph had everything the world had to offer. And he was only 30 years old! But this can be a problem. It is a lot easier to be faithful to God when things are tough than when things are going good, especially at this young age!

Clarence Macartney says: “The person who has fallen heir to a fortune is in greater peril than the person who has lost one.” And Oswald Chambers writes, “Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all is to survive prosperity.” You see, prosperity sometimes makes people overlook God…when we have all we need we forget that we need God in our lives.

Our association is trying to work with the D.C. convention to start a new church in our county.

This same church start has been tried before and has never worked because the area that needs a new church the most around here is the most affluent part of our county…..POTOMAC. Church starts have failed there because it is hard to convince the residents that they need a church. It is hard to handle prosperity and still have a strong faith. But hear this…it is hard…but it is not impossible! God can gift someone with the ability to handle wealth in a Godly way. A FAITH relationship with God can enable someone to use their prosperity for the glory of God. The Apostle Paul wrote that God had taught him the secret of “being filled and having abundance.”

And I don’t know about you but I am so thankful for these people….these individuals who have learned like Paul and Joseph to be faithful to God in the midst of prosperity. Indeed where would churches and seminaries and para church ministries and mission agencies be without these unselfish men and women who give abundantly out of their prosperity.

The Day family of DAYS INN fame. They gave enough money to build the missionary training facility in Richmond and to run it forever on interest! And this center is amazing! No other denomination has anything like it! If you are ever in Richmond ask for a tour! Missionaries from our denomination go there to be trained for their call. The campus has an extensive library to help missionaries learn the culture of the nation they will be serving. They have a kitchen that prepares the food they will be eating. They have housing and a gym and a conference center that holds classes in language studies. It is an amazing place! And it is there because one wealthy family had faith in our God.. They loved Him so much that they gave out of their prosperity.

Well, someone has said that if you want to know what a person is made of, look at him when he is on top! And Joseph’s reaction to his prosperity and power showed that he was a man of Faith, loyal to God. In fact he became more and more trustworthy….more and more faithful to God’s truth. He did not fall into the trap of polygamy as did other powerful men of his day. He remained married to one wife. He had two sons and named the first “Manasseh” with means “God has made me forget my troubles” and the second, “Ephriam” with means “God has made me fruitful.” He was re-united with his family and brought them to the fertile lands of Egypt to live. And in the midst of his prosperity he gave…he didn’t hoard the storehouses of plenty for himself and his family or for the royal household or even for the land of Egypt. He opened those great vaults of grain for anyone who needed food. Here was a man who found that his faith in God was adequate even when he had great wealth and power.

So you see, Joseph’s life does indeed show us the ADEQUACY OF FAITH. His life record proves that faith in God is enough…it is sufficient…..when we go through painful times….when we are tempted by passion……and when we enjoy prosperity and power. Looking at Joseph’s life shows us how precious FAITH in God is! Our Heavenly Father gives us so much in return for our simple FAITH in Him. We trust Him and in return He gives us all we need. That is a good deal! This morning…could it be that God is offering this deal to you in some way? Perhaps you are sitting out there and you have never given your life to God before. And as you have worshiped you have felt an inner yearning….a desire to know God personally. You know, we know ABOUT Joseph by reading of his life but you can more than know ABOUT God. You can KNOW Him….personally…intimately. All you have to do is….in FAITH…invite Him into your life….Ask Him to forgive you of your sin through His Son’s death on the cross. And then commit to following Him throughout your life as Master just like Joseph did. That amazingly blessed relationship begins with FAITH. Or perhaps God is inviting you to trust Him in some other way….maybe He is asking you to have enough FAITH to join this church and serve Him here. Maybe you are going through a tough time. You feel like Joseph did when he was alone on that caravan moving farther and farther away from his home. You just don’t think you are going to be able to make it! If so I invite you to reach out to God and ask Him to give you the FAITH to endure. He will! All this power and blessing is available to us through simple FAITH. Won’t you respond in some way as we sing?

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