Joseph: A Tried, Tested, Triumphant Faith! - Part 1 Series

Text: Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones. -NIV

Title: Joseph: A Tried, Tested, Triumphant Faith! - Part 1

Intro: The tenth chapter of Hebrews introduces us to the idea that PERSEVERANCE is the key world to “ Live by Faith!”

Hebrews 10 (Berean Literal Bible)

36You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, (living BY FAITH MEANS YOU DON’T JUST BELIEVE God – but you DO the will of God) you will receive what He has promised. 37For, “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. (A lot of end time talk due to Covid-19)

38 But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, (Does not persevere) I will take no pleasure in him. (Is that a problem? Sure is!) ”39 But we are not of those drawing back to destruction, (Drawing back leads to destruction) but of faith to the preserving of the soul. (KJV - to the saving of the soul.)

Jesus affirms this in his end time discourse:

Mark 13:13You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

And in his last word to the Churches in the book of Revelation

Revelation 3: 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11A Behold, I am coming quickly! - NKJV

POINT? PERSEVERANCE IS NOT SUGGESTED – IT IS LITERALLY COMMANDED!

If there is a person who best displays that characteristic through a series of incredible test and trail in the “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews 11 it is our person of interest in this week’s passage: Joseph!

That is why, I’ve entitled today’s message: Joseph: A Tried, Tested, Triumphant Faith!

Proposition: As we consider the life of Joseph, a man whose life takes up more chapters in the book of Genesis, than any other hero of the faith we have considered thus far, God by His Holy Spirit, and through His Divinely Written and Inspired Word will grant us a clearer, crystalized, unmistakably, understandable picture, of what a tried, tested, yet triumphant, commendable, and approved faith in the sight of God looks like!

Or … what kind of faith it takes to get inducted into the Hall of Faith!

Let’s begin by first looking at:

I . A Profile of this man named Joseph,

A) Parents?

Genesis 37:2a This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen

1. His father’s name is Jacob

2. His mother’s name is Racheal

Genesis 30: 22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

B) Point?

1. Although Joseph was the 1st born of Jacob and Racheal, has not his 1st born!

2. Leah actually gave Jacob his first born son– Rueben

Genesis 29: 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

3. JOSEPH DID NOT COME FROM AND IDEAL FAMILY! HE WAS THE SON OF A POLYGAMIST!

Genesis 35:22 Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,

Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel:

Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:

Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:

Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

4. JOSEPH HAD 11 BROTHERS 10 FROM 3 OTHER MOTHERS!

5. NOT NECESSARILY THE IDEAL PICTURE OF A STABLE FAMILY?

6. YET THIS DID NOT DETER HIM FROM GREATNESS, AS IT SHOULD NOT DETER US!

7. NEVER ALLOW YOUR UPBRINGING TO BE AN EXCUSE FOR YOUR BAD!

8. ULTIMATELY THE DECISION IS OURS AS TO WHAT WE DO WITH IT!

YET THERE IS NOT DENYING THAT IT CREATED A PROBLEM!

C) Problem?

1. His father showed an obvious favoritism him toward him!

Genesis 37:3 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 an ornate robe for him.

a) And he even gave him something to were that would signal it!