Joseph: Hope for Troubled Times (4)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 6/8/2014
ILL. A husband noticed that his wife was under a lot of pressure lately and she called him at work to tell him she was having a bad day, so he decided to do something he’d never done before. He arrives home from work one day, wearing a suit and tie, smelling of cologne and cradling a bouquet of flowers in one arm and a box of chocolates in the other. He rings the doorbell and stands with open arms, grinning ear to ear. His wife opens the door, takes one look at him standing there and starts crying. In between her sobs she says, “Oh, I can’t believe it! Michael’s been throwing up; the dishwasher just broke; your parents are coming to visit this weekend and to top it all off, you come home drunk!”
Perhaps you can relate. These past few weeks we’ve been looking at the life of Joseph. And so far Joseph’s life has been a whole string of bad days—one right after the other. Growing up in his father’s house, he was picked on a put down by his older brothers. His dreams of them someday bowing down to him got him thrown into a pit and sold like a possession to Pharaoh’s Captain of the Guard. When Joseph stood firm in his convictions and rejected her advances, the Captain’s wife got him thrown into prison. While there, he worked hard and helped others who shared his cell. But they didn’t bother to return the favor. The good news is—we’re finally getting to the good news.
If you’ve been struggle through a string of bad days yourself, there is hope in sight. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. And Joseph is just about to see it. Joseph’s struggles and sorrow finally start coming to an end when Joseph is remembered.
• JOSEPH IS REMEMBERED
You may remember from last Sunday, before the cup-bearer is release from prison, Joseph pleads with him, “Please remember me…” (Genesis 40:14 NLT). But the cupbearer did just the opposite. The Bible says, “The head cupbearer never gave Joseph another thought; he forgot all about him” (Genesis 40:23 MSG).
So for two years Joseph remained in prison, waiting to be remembered. Even though the cupbearer forgot about Joseph, God didn’t. God had a plan for him. God remembered him. And God got him out.
At just the right time, God sent a pair of unsettling dreams to Pharaoh. First, seven cows came up out of the Nile, all shimmering with health, and grazed on the marsh grass. Then seven other cows, all skin and bones, came up out of the river after them and ate the seven healthy cows, like zombie cattle. Suddenly, Pharaoh woke up realized he was dreaming, rolled over and went back to sleep. Then he dreamed seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, grew out of a single stalk. Then seven more ears grew up, but these were thin and dried out. The thin ears supplanted the full, healthy ears and again Pharaoh woke up. The next morning Pharaoh was still disturbed by his dreams. He called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, but no one could tell him what the dreams meant.
But when the cupbearer heard what all the buzz was about, he went immediately to Pharaoh and said, “Today I remember my sin! Some time ago when you were angry with a couple of us and put me and the chief baker in jail in the castle of the captain of the guard, the chief baker and I each had a dream one night. We told the dreams to a young Hebrew fellow there who was a slave of the captain of the guard, and he told us what our dreams meant. And everything happened just as he said” (Genesis 41:9-13 TLB). At once, Pharaoh sent for Joseph. A team of royal attendants released him from his cell, trimmed his hair, shaved his beard, outfitted him in the finest clothes, and rushed him into Pharaoh’s presence.
Do you know what it’s like to feel forgotten? I forgot my daughter once. Before I left for the office one day, Ashley asked me if I could pick Sarai up from school at 3:00. I agreed and merrily went on my way, never giving the request another thought. 3:00 rolled around and I was still sitting at my desk, my fingers busy at the keyboard. At 3:15 Ashley got a call from the school: “Did you forget something?” Ashley called me. I panicked. Ashley panicked. I slammed my laptop shut and rushed out the door. Ashley beat me there. When we got home, you know what Sarai’s first words were? “You forgot me.”
Maybe you know what that’s like—to be forgotten, to be left behind, left out. It makes you feel like you don’t really matter. Aren’t you glad that your Father in heaven has a better memory than I do or the cupbearer did?
The Bible says, “The Lord remembers us and will bless us” (Psalm 115:12). Even when other people forget about you, God doesn’t. God knows right where you are and just what you’re going through. He remembered Joseph. And at just the right time, he brought Joseph out of the prison and into the palace. And, at the right time and in the right way, He’ll do the same for you.
After Joseph is remembered, then he is rewarded.
• JOSEPH IS REWARDED
When Pharaoh asks Joseph if he can interpret the dreams he had, Joseph responds, “It is beyond my power to do this. But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease” (Genesis 41:16 NLT). So Joseph reveals the meaning of the dreams—seven years of blessing will be followed by seven years of famine. The only way for the nation to survive is to store up and save during the fruitful years and, of course, Joseph had a plan.
Impressed by his wisdom and humility, Pharaoh declared, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:41 NLT). The Bible then goes on to say, “Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck. Then he had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command. And wherever Joseph went, the command was shouted, ‘Kneel down!’ So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt” (Genesis 41:42-44 NLT).
After all his struggles and sorrows, after all the headaches and heartaches, after years of asking why and how long, Joseph finally received his reward. He was faithful even in the pit, so God moved him to the palace. Joseph spent the rest of his life not only as the vice-president of Egypt, but as a national treasure, a hero to the people. When Joseph stepped out on his balcony, the crowd cheered. When his chariot rolled passed, they threw flowers.
Maybe you’re still waiting for your reward. The vast majority of us don’t wear a crown. We don’t get the ticker tape parade. We don’t give the valedictorian address. We don’t win the gold metal or the Nobel Peace Prize. In the economy of earth, there are a limited number of crowns. The economy of heaven, however, is refreshingly different.
Heavenly rewards aren’t limited to a chosen few. The winner’s circle isn’t reserved for a handful of the elite, but a heaven-full of God’s children who “will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:2).
The Bible promises, “The Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” (Ephesians 6:8 NCV). Jesus echoes that promise in the Sermon on the Mount, saying, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12 NCV).
The day Christ comes will be a day of reward. Those who went unknown on earth will be known in heaven. Those who never heard the cheers of men will hear the applause of angels. The small will be great. The forgotten will be remembered. The unnoticed will be crowned and the faithful will be praised. In fact, the Bible says, “Then God will praise each one of them” (1 Corinthians 4:5 NCV).
What an incredible sentence. God will praise each one of them.
Not the best of them, or the brightest of them, or the achievers among them, but God will praise each one of them. When God himself looks you in the eye and praises you for your faith and works, every bad day you’ve ever had will be forgotten. You know, there twenty-six times when Michael Jordan was asked to take the final shot, with the game on the line and missed. Twenty-six times. But no one remembers those shots. We remember the time he made it. We remember the championships rings and MVP trophies. When you hear the applause of heaven, all the headaches, heartaches, bad days and missed shots of this life will be a distant memory too—overshadowed by recognition and reward. After seven years of experiencing royalty, Joseph received one final reward. He was reconciled to his family.
• JOSEPH IS RECONCILED
As the years of famine began, Jacob and his twelve sons and their families were hit hard. So Joseph’s ten older brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain. A long series of charades stretching across several chapters finally culminates in Joseph revealing his identity to his confused yet contrite brothers. The Bible says:
Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace. “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. (Genesis 45:1-3 NLT).
At first Joseph’s brothers speechless, but soon tears of joy flooded their faces. The brothers went home, shared the story with their father Jacob and soon the whole family packed up and headed to Egypt—all 78 of them! After twenty years, he was finally reunited and reconciled with the family that had forsaken him. Despite all they had done, he opened his heart and his home to them. Joseph forgave them.
I’m guessing there’s someone in your life that you need to be reconciled to. Bad days are the result of things that happen, and things that happen are the result of things people say and do. People who intended to hurt us. People who forgot or neglected to do something. People who betrayed or violated us. People who offended us yesterday or yesteryear. Your bad day may be due to an abusive father, a hyper-critical mother, ungrateful children, an over-demanding boss, a venomous ex-girlfriend, a judgmental pastor, or a best-friend’s betrayal. But the solution in any and every case is the same.
Surviving and thriving through a bad day, requires forgiveness! Forgive everyone who’s trying to ruin your life. That’s Jesus did. Do you remember his words on the cross? While the soldiers drove the nails through his hands and the crowd jeered, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NLT).
By holding onto our hurts, bearing a grudge or harboring resentment, we only hurt ourselves. Regardless of the relationship or how it got broken, God can help you put the pieces together. But you have to be willing to forgive. Jesus survived his bad day. Joseph survived his. And you can survive yours. Forgiveness it the key.
Conclusion:
Joseph experienced the worst this life has to offer. He was abused, abandoned, accused, and arrested. He went from the pasture, to the pit, to a possession, to the prison. But he finally arrived in the palace. Joseph suffered, but he saved everyone. He became the hero of a nation. In the end, looking back on everything that had happened, Joseph confessed, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good” (Genesis 50:20 NLT). In God’s hands, intended evil becomes eventual good. The story of Joseph is in the Bible for this reason: to teach us to trust God no matter how bad things seem to get. What Satan and people intend for evil, God can use for good.
Invitation:
Have you been having a bad day? Whatever it is you’re going through, Joseph reminds us of this simple truth: it gets better. If you’ll put your faith in God and trust him to see you through, there’s a reward awaiting you in heaven that will make it all worth it. If you need to put your faith in Christ today or if you’re struggle through a bad day and you could use someone to come along next to you, please come forward and talk with me while we stand and sing.
