7. Joseph - Let Down And Lifted Up Series

From Adam to Malachi Sermon 7

7. JOSEPH- LET DOWN AND LIFTED UP

For two long days and nights the eyes and prayers of America turned toward Midland, Texas, where little Jessica McClure lay deep in a well. More than 2,500 years ago, around 1700 B.C., another person found himself deep in a well. He was Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, the son of Rebecca. And he was not in that well by accident. His ten brothers, deaf to his cries for mercy (42:21), had thrown him in there to die.

Why this cruelty? It was partly Jacob's fault (37:3).

The Bible says he loved Joseph more than the others. He also gave Joseph a special kind of coat. It could have been multicolored (KJV); or extremely long (most commentators); or highly decorated (NIV). Whatever it was, it set Joseph apart from and above his brothers. The brothers' hatred was also partly Joseph's fault. He was a "tattle-tale” (37:2) who brought Jacob a "bad report” about his brothers. Joseph also had dreams of the day his brothers and others would bow down to him, and he told his brothers about it. All this fueled the fires of hatred in their hearts (37:1-11).

When mankind fell into sin, two disastrous results followed; Depravity and Suffering. Joseph met both head on and his life reveals how our wonderful, powerful God can take even these and use them for our good, for other's good and for the good of the kingdom.

Twenty years later, when Joseph met his would-be murderers, he saw the hand of God in his life. He said,

"...do not he distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here. It was God who sent me ahead of you to save lives. You did not send me here, God did.” (45:5,8)."

Joseph was let down - by his brothers, by Potiphar's wife, and by the butler. But all the while God was lifting him up and carrying out His purposes.

He was building character into the soul of Joseph, through suffering. He would later save His people from drought.

And He was getting the people of Israel into Egypt so He could grow His nation that would give us Jesus. We see the invisible hand of PROVIDENCE.

When we think God has left us, He is behind the scenes working. God was in Jacobs' future preparing it for him and he was in Jacob preparing him to his future. He will do this for you and me.

I. LET DOWN - ADVERSITY (Gen. 37-40)

1. Cruelty (Gen. 37).

In the first sin outside the Garden of Eden, Cain killed his brother for no reason. Joseph's brothers showed extreme cruelty. They planned to kill their 17 -year-old-brother for being a spoiled bratt. They threw him into a deep well to die. They showed their hatred towards their father for petting him by not telling him Joseph was dead, they soaked his clothes in blood to show him. Years later they remembered his cries for mercy. The old man's heart was broken and nothing could comfort him.

(1) We try to put what we do out of our minds, but our God-given conscience will not let us. Paul says our own conscience will witness against us at the Judgment (Romans 2)

(2) Once sin takes hold of us, it carries us to depths of cruelty, we never dreamed we would do. If you told David he was going to commit adultery with the wife of his soldiers and have that soldier killed to hide it, he would kill you on the spot for suggesting such a thing.

2. Cowardice

Reuben did not want any part in this, he left and planned to come back and rescue him. But his brothers saw a way to make money out of Joseph. A caravan came by and the sold him into the "living hell of slavery".

- We need to stand up for the right, when we know a thing is wrong. If we wait, we might never get the chance.

3. Commitment Facing Trying Times

Wherever Joseph found himself, he saw it as a time and place to remain faithful. He "brightened the corner where he was." God was behind the scenes and let a good man, Potiphar, to buy him. He treated him well, Joseph worked hard and rose to be his chief servant.

Joseph was bound in a situation he could not escape. We are all bound in some way. We want to be a cheerleader but don't have the looks. We want to star in athletics, but we can't walk and chew chewing gum at the same time. . The list is endless.

Running all through the twists and turns of life are brick walls that block us. And how we handle them determines both our happiness and our usefulness. If we whine, we come up losers. The loser dwells on his problems, the winner dwells on his challenges. The loser whines - the winner shines.