Introduction

Welcome back, church, for another fantastic Sunday! We are continuing the series we started last week, Grace Under Fire. Ours is a series all about the grace of God, and how He forms us through the struggles, trials, and all life brings our way.

If you were with us last week, we discussed how God’s grace is always with us. I hope it was helpful and encouraging for those who heard. This week, we are taking another step in our conversation about the grace of God, as we look at the story of Joseph. Maybe you’ve heard of Joseph before, but if not, let me give you a little bit of background before we jump in.

Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. In the book of Genesis, Joseph’s brothers get angry at him for some things he says and so they decide to sell him to some Egyptian traders. Upon doing so, Joseph ends up in Egypt, being eventually sold to Potiphar who is captain of the palace guard, that is, close to the king of Egypt, Pharaoh.

Main Teaching

Joseph finds himself in a foreign land, among foreign people. And yet, the writer of Genesis tells us something profound which will end up greatly affecting the rest of Joseph’s story. Here’s what Genesis 39:2 says:

Does this sound familiar? Just like we talked about last week, God’s grace is always with us. We can trust God to venture into the deepest, darkest places with us. He desires to be close in proximity to us. And in Joseph’s life, it was clearly God who was guiding and protecting him. After spending some extended time wrongfully imprisoned, Joseph eventually moves up the ranks in Egypt and encounters his family once again due to a famine in the land. They had come to the city in search of grain and provision and Egypt had storehouses of grain. In fact, Joseph oversaw the sale of the grain as part of his job duties in service to Pharoah. And that’s where we pick up in our story, as Joseph’s brothers see their brother once again.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” What a statement. This is one we ought to hold on to. Joseph was able to gain perspective on his situation; the good, the bad, and the ugly. He figured out that clearly, God had always been working for his good, and for the good of everyone around him.

It’s clear that in Joseph’s life, God’s grace was always for him. It’s true in our lives as well.

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“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.”