When you are down to nothing God is up to something
Genesis 37:23-28; 39:21-23; 41:37-45
Prayer
I hope that everyone has had a wonderful week this week. God’s blessings are too numerous to count even when we cannot see them. Have you ever felt that you have reached the end of your rope, that nothing is going right, that everything you do fails and you wonder what is going on. Life is a struggle. We are struggling against a world that has rejected God who feel that we who believe there is a God are foolish and naïve. Since the world has rejected God it also rejects us. It beats us down but I have wonderful news for you this morning when you down to nothing just remember God is up to something in your life. No matter how bad the world is or how bad life gets we must remember that God is the one in charge and he still controls. God is not just sitting out there doing nothing He is very much active in the lives of his children and He has a plan that He is carrying out and that plan includes you and me. Each of us has a part to play in God’s overall plan. We don’t have to understand it we just have to trust Him and live our life for Him no matter what type of life that is. We are never to give up even when it seems that what we are doing is not working. Bill Hybels tells about an interesting experience after a baptism service in their church. He writes: “I bumped into a woman in the stairwell who was crying. I thought this was a little odd, since the service was so joyful. I asked her if she was all right. She said, ‘No, I’m struggling.’ She said, ‘My mom was baptized today. I prayed for her every day for almost 20 years. The reason I’m crying is because I came this close to giving up on her. At the 5-year mark I said, “Who needs this? God isn’t listening.” At the 10-year mark I said, “Why am I wasting my breath?” At the 15-year mark I said, “This is absurd.” At the 19-year mark I said, “I’m just a fool.” But I just kept trying, kept praying. Even with weak faith I kept praying. Then she gave here life to Christ, and she was baptized today. I will never doubt the power of prayer again.”
Sometimes when we pray and pray we feel like we are experiencing the law of diminished returns — so we stop praying. We correspondingly diminish our desires and dreams. We stop believing that God cares and that he will act — that he is indeed a God who wants us to ask. I hope that you will trust God’s love and concern for you, and his ability as well. I hope that you will continue to be persistent in prayer, no matter how discouraging the circumstances seem.
Gen. 37:23-28 I want you to understand when everything that we have is gone we have no were to look but up.
a. Look at Joseph the apple of his father’s eye, blessed by God, given the ability to interpret dreams yet how he was part of God’s plan.
i. Joseph enjoyed privilege as the favorite son of Jacob but it caused strife in his family
ii. He enjoyed authority as Jacob’s son yet he would have nothing
iii. He had been his father’s son but now he was nothing.
b. When we are naked we have no one but God.
i. The world was stripped from him everything he knew was Gone.
ii. The life that he knew was taken from him
iii. Everything he had, everything he had been was gone.
iv. His own brothers had turned on him but he was not alone in his troubles for God was there.
c. When our family and friends turn on us we too have God there
i. As Christians we must face the fact that family and friends will turn against us
1. Joseph brothers sold him into slavery because they were jealous
2. They wanted nothing to do with him
ii. The world will oppose us and attack us.
iii. Only God will remain with us.
1. No matter how bad life gets God will always be there
2. We are never alone even when family has hurt us
3. God has a plan even the.
2. Gen. 39:21-23 Sometimes we have to understand we are in the pit because God needs us there.
a. We have to understand that things in life happen for a purpose.
i. Joseph did not understand why this was happening to him but he knew that God was there and that God had a plan.
ii. Even when we don’t understand why something is happening in our life we must trust God and let Him work his plan.
iii. Even when the worst has happen God is with us and we will succeed in the end.
b. Sometimes things happen that we don’t understand.
i. We must realize that God has a plan
1. When bad things happen Satan causes it to destroy our faith but God uses it to make us stronger.
2. God will use us in His way.
a. When the martyrs of ancient Rome went to their deaths in the coliseum they did not understand how their horrific deaths could be used by God
b. Yet God used their faith to bring even more people to Him.
c. What Satan tried to destroy through terror and horror God used to bring people to him. Instead of destroying Christianity it made it grow until it became the religion of Rome.
Faith honors God and God honors faith! A story from the life of missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat illustrates this truth. For 10 years this couple labored faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way. They could not report a single convert. Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post, however, brought great grief to this devoted couple, for they felt sure that God was in their labors, and that they would see people turn to Christ in due season. They stayed; and for a year or two longer, darkness reigned. Then one day a friend in England sent word to the Moffats that she wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like. Trusting that in time the Lord would bless their work, Mrs. Moffat replied, "Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed." God honored that dear woman’s faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of six converts was united to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England was delayed in the mail; but on the very day before the first commemoration of the Lord’s super in Bechuanaland, the set arrived.
3. God has a purpose for everything that happens. We may not understand it but God has a plan in it.
c. Joseph was honest and trustworthy but yet he still ended up in prison for something he did not do.
i. He could have said Lord where are you now why me.
ii. He could have rejected God and said if this is what you can do I quite
iii. But he did not instead he continue to trust and to grow in spirit. Even in prison he grew closer to God. He continued to be a servant for him. To be his witness.
iv. That is what we are to do in times of tribulations and trials continue to be his witness and servant to stand out among the rest.
3. Gen. 41:37-45 God’s plan works toward the Kingdom’s good.
a. Joseph’s brothers meant their act for evil but God meant it for Good.
i. They wanted to hurt Joseph just as the religious leaders during Jesus’ time meant to hurt him. They wanted to commit evil but their actions caused good.
ii. God planned to use their actions to save them. Just as the religious actions were meant to destroy Jesus in fact brought salvation all who believed.
iii. God would ultimately place Joseph in a position where he could save his family.
1. Even though his brothers done an evil act God used it for good
2. Where Satan meant to destroy God’s people God used it to save his people
3. Satan thought the cross would destroy God’s plan but it fulfilled God’s plan and saves all you believes.
b. Joseph did not know how God was going to work his plan while in that pit or in prison but he trusted God.
i. We must God in our despair just as Joseph trusted God.
ii. We must depend on God’s control just as Joseph did.
iii. We must understand that God plan is good for man and let Him work through us.
c. God’s plan saves us
i. Joseph was saved from the pit we too are saved from the pit of hell.
ii. Joseph was delivered from slavery just as we are delivered from the slavery of sin.
iii. Joseph was delivered from prison and exalted just as we are delivered from the prison of our old sin nature and exalted as children of God.
During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.
Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.
As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."
After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.
“Hah, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."
As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall."
We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah, reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, "In God we will have success!" [Nehemiah 2:20]
Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider’s web can become a brick wall of protection. Believe He is with you always.
Just speak His name through Jesus His son, and you will see His great power and love for you.
4. What is your choice today?
a. Do you choose to live in slavery?
b. Do you choose to live in prison?
c. Or do you choose to trust God today and live your life for him?
i. Come and surrender you life to him. Let me show you the path to freedom.
ii. Are you already saved but living as a prisoner come and confess you life to God and sacrifice it on the alter to him. This morning start anew living in trust to Him.
iii. Don’t’ walk out of here this morning defeated walk out this morning exalted we all have things we need to confess, we need to sacrifice come and lay them at God’s feet cleanse yourself and start a new life today. Come come come now.
