Text: Gen. 37-50
Introduction:
1. My sister while she was here last week shared with me some stories she’d uncovered while visiting with some relatives. She is very much into genealogies and the history of our family. She told me of German ancestors that I didn’t know existed, of possible connections we have to Native Americans, and other European blood lines that are significant to my heritage.
2. Although physically, we each are a culmination of our ancestors, who we are is a product of how we choose to respond to the events surrounding our lives.
3. This week, during VBS, I had the opportunity to submerse myself in the role of Joseph. I considered coming to the pulpit as Joseph but decided preaching in a dress and make-up might not be well received.
4. The account of Joseph is recorded in Genesis beginning in chapter 37. Joseph was the son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac (also known as Israel), and the great grandson of Abraham. He was the twelfth son of Jacob and the eldest son of Rachel.
5. As a youth, Joseph had dreams of ruling over his brothers and parents; for this his brothers hated him and plotted against him.
Transition:
As I began preparing for the role of Joseph that I played in VBS, I read through the Biblical account of his life. It occurs to me that Joseph could have questioned God at a variety of crossroads: “Why?”
I. A Legacy of Hope begins when we trust God for our future.
Questions for God
a. Why did my brothers hate me so much?
i. Gen. 37:18-20, 23-24
18 When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer!
20 “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”
23 So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;
24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
1. Wasn’t it God who gave Joseph the dreams? So why is it Joseph who had to suffer? Why did he get thrown into a pit to die?
b. Why was I sold into slavery?
i. Vs. 28
“Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
1. Joseph went from being the favored son to being a slave. Why? From having an ornamented robe to having nothing. From being loved and adored by his father to losing it all and having no one who care about him other than how much cash he’ll bring.
Tragedy tends to bring about questions. Is God really in control? Does He know what He’s doing? It’s really quite amazing; we, the created creature, questioning the Creator. What arrogance we have! Joseph could have asked more questions…
c. Why was I thrown into prison?
i. Gen. 39 picks up Joseph’s narrative. Joseph is purchased by Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguards, and eventually is falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and is incarcerated!
d. Why was I forgotten for so long?
i. We don’t know exactly how long Joseph was in prison, but 13 yrs passed from the time his brother’s sold him to the time he was finally released. 13 years!
e. Through all of these tragic events, Joseph had faith in God. He trusted God to be faithful. Even though Joseph probably didn’t understand the reason for why he had to endure such trials, Scripture is clear, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all you ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” [Prov. 3:5-6] and “…the testing of your faith produces endurance.” [James 1:3].
Transition:
A Legacy of Hope begins when we trust God regarding our future. He is the Creator God and is worthy of our trust. In Jer. 29:11 God tells the nation of Israel, “I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
That Hope increases as we let go of our past.
II. A Legacy of Hope increases as we let go of our past.
a. Joseph was wronged in so many ways.
i. His family let him down.
ii. He was forced into slavery.
iii. He was wrongfully accused and jailed.
iv. He was forgotten and abandoned.
b. Rather than becoming embittered, Joseph let go and chose to forgive those who treated him unfairly.
i. Forgiving someone who has hurt you is not an easy thing to do. Something we have to understand is we don’t have a choice in how we are treated, but we can choose how we react.
ii. Joseph, when he first saw his brothers after 20 years, was angry and those past hurts resurfaced. But look at how he chose to respond, it’s summed up in vs. 20 of Gen. 50, “…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
iii. Joseph is an excellent example of what Paul teaches to the Philippians [3:12-14], “Not that I have already obtained it or become perfect (talking about the goals in vs. 10: knowing Christ fully and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings and being conformed to His death) but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethern, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Transition:
A Legacy of Hope is born when we trust God for our future and increases as we let go of our past, but it is established and rooted as we witness God’s faithfulness.
III. A Legacy of Hope is established as we witness God’s faithfulness.
a. As we look back over the events in Joseph’s life we can see, and I am convinced that Joseph saw, God’s hand at work.
i. His brothers plotted to kill him, but instead they sold him. God spared Joseph’s life and he was taken to Egypt.
ii. The slavers desired nothing but cash, but Potiphar saw how God brought success to everything Joseph was in charge of, so he put Joseph over his whole house. God taught Joseph how to manage a household preparing him for things to come.
iii. Potiphar’s wife tried to punish Joseph for rejecting her advances by having him imprisoned, but God was continuing Joseph’s education in management as well as putting him in contact with someone in Pharaoh’s court.
iv. Pharaoh elevated Joseph to second only to himself. God used Joseph to save His people from starvation during the years of famine.
b. God is faithful. You may have gone through difficult times, perhaps you are in the midst of those difficulties even today. Remember God is faithful. Sometimes it’s hard to see, especially in the darkness of the prison, but He is faithful. God is at work in your life today. He has a plan for you. A plan that is designed for your benefit, not your destruction. He is faithful. Time after time in Scripture we see His hand working to benefit those He loves and love Him.
How easy would it have been for Joseph to give up. When his father, the one who loved him soooo much, failed to find him; he could have given up. When his brothers, the ones who should have had his back, threw him down a hole then pulled him out just to sell him as a slave; he could have given up. In the prison cell… who knows maybe he did once or twice, but he didn’t stay there… he always came back to trusting that God is faithful.
Maybe you’ve given up. Maybe you’ve gone through some dark times. Trust God, trust Him to be faithful. He is.
Transition:
A Legacy is something passed on to the next generation. You must possess it before you can pass it on. A Legacy of Hope is no different. You have to have Hope begins by trusting in God for your future, increases as you let go of your past, and is established as you witness His faithfulness. But we can’t just keep it to ourselves, we need to transfer our Legacy of Hope by glorifying God before others.
IV. A Legacy of Hope is transferred when we glorify God before others.
a. Joseph had two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. We know that he transferred his Legacy of Hope to them because they are named as being a part of Israel. Jacob, Joseph’s father, adopted these boys as his own so they would receive a portion of the inheritance God promised to Jacob.
i. Can you just imagine the scene in Joseph’s house? “Dad, will you tell us about the time you were in prison?” “Hey dad, Zenapera doesn’t believe you used to be a slave!” “Dad, can you tell me about the one True God? I want to know Him better.”
b. 1 Peter 3:15 encourages us, “But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.
i. Transfer the Legacy of Hope – Share the glory of God with others. Paul said, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.”
Conclusion:
The Legacy of Hope. You can chose to develop it or choose to deny it. Either way, the choice is yours.
Pray.
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