Over the past 3 weeks we have traced Joseph’s life through the valley of abandonment, to the mountain of achievement, through a pitiful pit, to a palacious palace. Through the shores of shame, to the path of prosperity. If there was one person who was least to achieve in life and leave a lasting legacy – it was Joseph! What a man of God!
“God Buries His Workman and Carries On His Work”
How to Leave a Legacy Worth Remembering
1. Treat Parents With Dignity in Their Last Days. Vs. 1-9, 12,13
So many American homes struggle with this! We leave much of it to the convalesant hospitals! Where’s the dignity to this! Vern and Betty are a wonderful example…
I want to be sensitive about this… I realize that there are times when professional care is needed for our parents. In more families it seems that there is no time for dealing with the death of parents and grandparents – and so many die all alone!
It’s becoming more common to hear about elderly abuse and the mistreatment of so many elderly parents has to endure in their children’s homes.
Now society has euthanasia to deal with…because we have lost respect for the least in our society. This trend speaks of the selfish and the sick side of our country.
This is where evolution has impacted our thinking… “Survival of the fittest” is a wicked philosophy when it comes to our handicapped and elderly!
Verse 10: I think it’s healthy for a family to grieve together and mourn together as did Joseph and his brothers.
2. Treat Family With Sincere Forgiveness and Sensitivity. Vs. 15-19,21
Too many of us are like Charlie Brown when he explained to his manager Lucy at the end of a game why he lost sight of the baseball: “Sorry I missed that easy fly ball, manager. I thought I had it, but suddenly I remembered all the others I’ve missed, and the past got in my eyes.”
Bruce Wilkinson said, “Many people are stuck somewhere in there family.”
Philippians 3:13, 14
“Reaching forward” = the imagery of a runner on a course straining every muscle towards the goal, his hand is stretched out to grasp it.
The only way we can treat our family members with sincere forgiveness and sensitivity is to realize that life is about moving forward.
3. Treat Seasons of Evil Only as Seasons in Life. Vs.20
Isn’t it amazing, if we are honest, most of us are rarely affected by evil and yet instead of overcoming the seasons of evil, we allow evil to prolong its stay by our attitudes.
“Why is there evil in the world?” Why do bad things happen to good people?
On February 15, 1947 Glenn Chambers boarded a plane bound for Quito, Ecuador to begin his ministry in missionary broadcasting. But he never arrived. In a horrible moment, the plane carrying Glenn crashed into a mountain peak. Later it was learned that before leaving the Miami Airport, Glenn wanted to write his mother a letter. All he could to write on was a page of advertising he ripped out in the Airline Magazine on which was written the single word “WHY?” Around that word he hastily scribbled a final note.
After Glenn’s mother learned of her son’s death, his letter was found in the rubble, so the airline gave it to his mother. She opened the envelope, took out the paper, and unfolded it. Staring her in the face was the question “WHY?”
Why? A dedicated Christian, Linda Jesse from Orange County was riding her mountain bike in a bike park and she
was attacked by a mountain lion?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Go to the religions of the East and they will say that you are in a cycle of reincarnation and you’re being punished in this life for some sin in a previous existence. But if you can find out which one of the thousands of gods you have angered, you may be able to lessen his wrath and shorten your punishment.
The Muslim will give a different answer, “Allah has willed it, and you must learn to accept his will without question. It’s all about being tested and getting into heaven with 70 virgins and all the wine you want to drink!”
So many in America respond to tragedy by shaking their fists toward heaven and saying, “God, if you allow such things to happen, then I reject you. I curse you -I don’t ever want to have anything to do with you again!”
Maybe some of you have read Rabbi Harold Kushner’s book entitled, “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” It became a best seller. And he gives a different answer. He says, “God is limited in His power, and therefore He is not a participant in our lives. Instead, He is a spectator watching us with interest…God wants to see good things happen to His people, but He is not always able to arrange it.”
His conclusion…God is not all-powerful, love God anyway and forgive Him for His shortcomings. Now that is an interesting twist, isn’t it? The Rabbi says that it is our turn now to forgive God for His failures. Sadly so many people have adopted this heresy!
Obviously, I don’t agree with that. I don’t think the Bible agrees with that...
Revelation 15:3 “Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways.”
Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret or mysterious things belong to the Lord our God...”
LifePoint: Evil is in this world partly because we give it its place but ultimately God keeps it under His control.
Max Lucado in his book entitled, “The Applause of Heaven” tells about a young man, Robert Reed, who had cerebral palsy and how he affected the crowd he was speaking to, which included Max Lucado in the audience.
Robert can’t brush his teeth or comb his hair or bath himself. He can’t dress himself, or button his shirt. He has Velcro on all his clothes to keep them together. He can’t take a walk. He can’t go from one place to another by his own power. But his handicap did not rob him of graduating from high school and finally earning a degree from Abilene Christian College.
Robert decided that he would study to be a missionary, and then took 5 trips to different missionary fields. Finally he settled in Lisbon, Portugal.
Robert found a hotel owner who would rent him a ground-floor room. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after hours each day. He found a tutor who would teach him the language. And every day he wheeled out to the city park and passed out Christian literature to people who walked by.
One day Robert spoke to this huge crowd of Christian leaders including Max with his voice that sounded like a record player whose batteries are about to run down. He told them about the love of God through Jesus Christ. In 6 years Robert Reed won more than 70 people to Jesus. One of them was a young girl by the name of Rosa, who later became his wife.
Max writes, “I sat in an audience of thousands and watched as strong men grabbed his wheelchair with him in it, and lift him to the platform so that he could speak to this vast audience. I watched him as he took his stiff fingers and tried to turn the pages of his Bible. And along with thousands of others, I wiped away tears of admiration. Here is one who could have complained, one who could have been bitter, one who could have asked `Why me?’ One who could have asked, `why do bad things happen to God’s people?’ But instead Robert read in his drawn out way the Words of God and gave his testimony. And when he came to the end of it, he lifted up his bent hand and arm then said, “I have everything I need.’"
Max Lucado sums up Robert’s life this way, “His shirts are held together with Velcro, but his life is held together with the joy of God.”
Folks that says it all! We can lie down in the muck and mire of pain, suffering, and sorrow and feel all kinds of pity for ourselves. Or we can get up, walk tall and claim the victory staring evil in its ugly face!
4. Treat God’s Promises With Great Faith. Vs. 24
Hebrews 11:22 “By an act of faith, Joseph, while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel, and made arrangements for his own burial.”
5. Treat Death as an Act of Victory. Vs. 25,26
Genesis chapter 1 describes the creation of life and the last chapter displays the celebration of death!
Even Moses gets into the celebration of death 200 years later as he carries Joseph’s bones and coffin out of Egypt and into the promise land for a proper burial.
His coffin would be a 200-year reminder of the promises of God and a looming legacy that would last for generations to come!
Folks, instead of living life with the end in sight, let’s live life with eternity in mind and that will help us to produce a legacy worth remembering!
Someone once said, “If you want to plan your life, think about your eulogy, and then go backwards.” What would you want people to say about you at funeral?
What could be more powerful than a legacy of inspiration, integrity and faith?
