Turning our Adversities Into Opportunities
Genesis 37-50
The Story of Joseph.
1. Crisis #1 - His brothers hated him. (Genesis 37:3)
a) Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his sons because he had been born to him in his old age. He also gave him a robe (cloak) of many colors.
b) His brothers were jealous, and they hated him. They could not speak kind words to him.
2. Crisis #2 – Joseph had a dream. (Genesis 37:5-8)
a) He told his brothers of his dream that while they were binding sheaves of grain behold, his sheaf stood upright while his brothers' sheaves bowed down before his sheaf.
b) Joseph's brothers were furious because his dream meant that they would bow down before him.
3. Crisis #3 –Still, Joseph had another dream. (Genesis 37:9)
a) Then he had another dream and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.
b) This time, even father rebuked him but kept it to himself.
4. Crisis #4 - His brothers hated him so much that they conspired to kill him, but later on decided to sell him to the Ishmaelite traders instead, who were on their way to Egypt. (Genesis 37:12-36)
a) The Ishmaelites, also called Midianites, sold Joseph to Potiphar, captain of the guards in Egypt.
5. Crisis #5 – Joseph in prison. (Genesis 37:20-21)
a) It didn't take long before Joseph faced another crisis. The wife of Potiphar, attracted by the good looks of Joseph, tried to seduce him.
b) Due to fear of God, Joseph refused to lie with her. Scorned, Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph of mocking her.
c) Burning with anger, Potiphar put Joseph to jail, where all prisoners of Pharaoh were confined (Genesis 39: 20)
d) It came to pass that two officials, the cub-bearer and the chief baker offended Pharaoh, and he put them in the custody of Potiphar, in that same prison where Joseph was confined.
e) One day, both officials had a dream, which they anxiously told Joseph. He interpreted their dreams thus: the chief cub-bearer will be set free, but the chief baker will be impaled on a pole.
6. Joseph's dream came true. (Genesis 41:1)
a) Pharaoh restored the chief cup-bearer to his position, as Joseph had said.
b) The fulfillment of Joseph's dream began when Pharaoh was deeply bothered by his dreams.
c) The chief cup-bearer remembered Joseph as he testified to the Pharaoh about how his dream.
d) Joseph's interpretation turned out precisely as he had said.
e) Summoned by Pharaoh, Joseph interpreted his dreams to be a period of abundance for seven years and a severe famine for seven years.
7. Final opportunity.
a) With wisdom from God, Joseph laid out a plan that seemed good to Pharaoh and his officials.
b) There is a famine in Canaan. Joseph brings his family to Egypt.
8. The final plan of God was revealed in the following verses; (Genesis 50:18-21)
a) 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You I ntended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Discussion.
Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 15:4 that "Whatever things were written before were written for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.".
What lessons can we learn from the story of Joseph?
1. He stood on the promise of God through his dreams
2. He waited with patience, the fulfillment of his dream
3. He trusted God.
To apply these lessons to our lives, let us look at the following important points:
I – Let us stand on the promises of God
1. Joseph stood on the promise of his dream.
1. He remained meek. With patience, he did not complain against his brothers when they threw him into the cistern. He stood on the promise of God as he looked forward to His plan.
2. We may not have dreams as Joseph had, but we have the precious word of God, which is full of precious promises.
2. These promises are what Apostle Peter referred to in 2 Peter 1:3-4
3. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the [a]corruption that is in the world through lust.
4. All things work together for good for those who love God. (Romans 8:28)
28 We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
II - Wait on the Lord
1. When we wait, our strength is renewed. (Isa 40:31)
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Be of good courage (Ps 27:14)
Wait[a] on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Crisis brings pain, anxiety, and suffering, but when we wait on the Lord, he gives us strength so that we will not rely on our own strength.
This helps us from making quick judgments which are often wrong.
Trusting the Lord keeps us away from dwelling on our problems; instead, we need to spend more time in prayer.
III – God is in Control
1. His kingdom rules over all (Ps 103:19)
The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
2. God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8)
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.
3. God is intimately involved in our crisis. He is always looking for what is good for us.
IV. Application.
After considering the encouraging thoughts from the historical account of Joseph, and after the comforting enlightenment of the Scriptures that we have discussed, we may now have the discernment to conclude, with a conviction that indeed, we can turn our adversities into opportunities to serve God according to His plan, at a particular situation and at an appropriate time.
What is your crisis at hand? Take time to meditate and prayerfully ask God for directions. Make no mistake about it. The Holy Spirit who dwells in you will give you insight into the next step you must take. As we have learned from this lesson, we need to wait on the Lord and trust in Him, for in everything, He is in control.
