Joseph (Pt.1) When Life Rips You Off Series

Intro: Story (Paul Harvey’s ‘The Rest of the Story’ p.115 of Col. Herland Sanders) wouldn’t you like to know the REST OF THE STORY? But, in those times when we’re down, it’s not easy to see any future to believe in the rest of the story; to believe there is a story at all.

- Those times when LIFE SEEMS TO RIP YOU OFF, DEAL YOU A BAD HAND, STRIKE YOU WITH UNFAIRNESS

- How much we’d like to hear the rest of the story

- We have discovered more of the story… times of turnaround… but certainly there are times of still living in the silence of life’s rip-off

- Maybe you’ve felt I had another future I was supposed to live

o Included a more stable career

o Included the fulfillment of marriage

o Didn’t include the challenges you now face in marriage or the spouse who left you

How are we to live when:

- loan money to a friend

- helped a friend in business

- lost a job having done no wrong

- have lost a child to drugs having done your best

- lost the very life of a child to a drunk driver who crossed the road

- as a couple you’ve wanted to conceive a child but are unable, in the midst of society so casual about that gift

- stung by prejudice

- found to be with disease or disability

HOW ARE WE TO LIVE WHEN LIFE SEEMS TO RIP US OFF?

 This morning I believe God would like to teach us something from the life of Joseph

Joseph captures that challenge… could have been in Paul Harvey’s book, because life ripped him off, and often he could not know the rest of the story.

Note: As with some of these central lives of faith, I want to traverse their life, then consider the lessons.

- I read some portions and paraphrase others

- The outline will help you to follow the big picture, but I encourage you to bring a Bible so you can trace these remarkable lives first hand.

Begin in Genesis, 37

Read 37:1-5 (joke about names: ‘Maybe some of you couples considering names…’)

- Jacob, one of Isaac’s sons, while certainly a part of God’s work, was not always a man of shining character… manipulated his brother Esau to get his birthright… manipulated his father Isaac to get his blessing… had taken 4 wives when his primary love was for one… Rachel… and so a pattern of jealousy was set forth in this family… would be passed on to Joseph

o Son of his old age

o First of 2 to finally come to his favorite wife Rachel

o ‘richly ornamented robe’

 still the most famous coat in history

 in truth we don’t know it

• we do know it was a SYMBOL OF FAVORITISM

o Father would send him to report on other sons… not a good idea… This guy was the curvebreaker of the class

o Dreams (v 6-10)

o Sent again by father… (11-17)

o Read 17 (So Joseph went…)-30 Plot, sold, Note oldest brother Rueban

o Read 31-36 Lie to Father/His mourning >Nice family secret! v. 36 Suddenly at 17 yrs old, A SLAVE NOT ONLY A SLAVE, BUT IN A FOREIGN LAND… CULTURE… LANGUAGE… 17 years old.

 How would you feel… scared? Lonely? Abandoned by your family? And God?

I would say the story is over, I got the wrong part; certainly not a part I care to play.

But… ch 39 v. 1-6 picks up:

- Rises up in this setting

- Potipher-chief of royal guard=head of National security and CIA combined

o Right on the inside, where masses would want to be… but the inside isn’t always safe

Read v. 6-9

- Noting along the way: subtly (joke)

- Picture and Potential attitude: he’s 20-22 years old, she’s beautiful

- Does right thing, but just when we want to wipe our brows on his behalf

v. 10- Day after day

v. 11-20- wouldn’t you expect God to step in… maybe a video… at least a witness

- It would seem clear enough, God wasn’t with him yet our natural feelings deceive us again in seeing spiritual reality

v. 20-23 Rises again, now under prison warden

… still not over, we enter ch. 40

- Discover 2 particular inmates whom he now oversees, baker & cupbearer… ( have to wonder what kind of meal or party they messed up.)

- Each have dreams and bring to Joseph

o He must have thought back to last time he shared his gift of interpreting dreams… ‘NEXT CELL PLEASE!’

v. 8 gives credit to God

Interprets

- bad news for Baker

- good news for cupbearer, asks only in return that he shares about this with Pharaoh.