Joseph¡¦s Journey
How Dreams Come True
Pt 2 ¡V What Man Can¡¦t Take Away
This morning we are continuing our look at the life of Joseph and how dreams come true. Last week we looked at Joseph¡¦s bad beginning. Remember he grew up in a disfunctional family where his brothers hated him. God gave Joseph a dream ¡V and the prospects for that dream coming true were pretty slim. When we left off his brothers had thrown him into a pit planning to kill him ¡V but instead sold him to some Ishmaelites as a slave. We pick the story up there to learn a little more about how dreams really do come true.
Genesis 39:1-23
1) There are some things that the world can¡¦t take away ¡V Joseph lost almost everything in one day. Imagine your Joseph ¡V the favored son of a wealthy man. He has it made ¡V everything handed to him on a silver platter. He is walking around in the best clothes ¡V eating the best food ¡V and he can do no wrong in his fathers eyes. Then in a moment his angry brothers turn on him ¡V ¡§You think you¡¦re so good? We¡¦ll show you!¡¨ So they strip him down, take his special coat, and throw him into a pit ¡V while they talk over how they are going to kill him. Then he finds himself handed over to band of Ishamaelites as a slave and sold to the Egyptians. Joseph lost everything ¡V or did he?
„« They took his coat ¡V the thing that showed he was special ¡V
„« They took his freedom
„« They took his family
„« They took his home
„« They took his inheritance
„« They left him with nothing ¡V a slave, and the clothes on his back
„Y They couldn¡¦t take away his integrity ¡V Joseph arrived a slave in the house of Potiphar. A slave with nothing ¡V no friends, no money, no potential in the eyes of the Egyptians. Slaves were property period. Yet we find that within a short time Joseph becomes a successful man. He became the personal servant to Potiphar ¡V he rose above all the other servants. Let me tell you something ¡V the cream always rises to the top. It¡¦s a truth of life ¡V People know who they can trust, who gets the job done, who makes things happen. Joseph didn¡¦t rise to the top by accident he rose to the top because of his integrity. Let me tell you something ¡V at your job ¡V you¡¦re boss knows what kind of employee you are ¡V are the kind that does the bare minimum, or one that goes the extra mile? Are you a slacker or a worker? I can¡¦t tell you that all bosses do the right thing ¡V but they know who to trust. And so do your fellow workers.
„Y They couldn¡¦t take away his blessing ¡V No matter what Joseph did ¡V no matter what people did to Joseph ¡V he always came out on top. Why? Because God was with him. Look at Verse 2 &v21. You see it didn¡¦t matter what men did they could not take away the blessing of God. Friend the world can take a lot of things from you but they cannot take away the blessing of God.
Forgiveness, Holy Spirit, Eternity ¡V cannot be taken away.
If God is for us who can stand against us?
„Y They couldn¡¦t take away his right to choose his attitude ¡V Joseph never gives up. He never quits. His decision is to make the best of every situation. Victor Frankl after being imprisoned in a concentration camp during WWII said this ¡§We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number; but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of his freedoms¡Xto choose one¡¦s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one¡¦s own way.¡¨ Your attitude is yours to determine. You can be a bitter, critical, unforgiving, nasty person ¡V or you can choose otherwise. Some become bitter by default because they don¡¦t know any better ¡V but friend you can choose your attitude even when everything has been taken away. Your attitude will often determine your outcome. Joseph could have sat down and thrown a pity party for himself ¡V and no one would have blamed him ¡V he could have become bitter and resentful ¡V but instead he chose to be the cream that rises to the top.
2) What can¡¦t be taken can be squandered in sin ¡V Let me tell you what I mean by that. If Satan can¡¦t take your blessing from you he will try to tempt you into giving it up on your own. That¡¦s what happened to Joseph ¡V everything¡¦s going along well till Mrs. Potiphar shows up on the scene. Can you imagine how tempting this must have been. They took everything from me ¡V now I can take something. Now I can get the old boy back. He thinks he owns me but here is my opportunity. I can get back at everyone who has ever taken something from me ¡V in one fell swoop ¡V just by taking what is not mine ¡V Potiphar¡¦s wife. This isn¡¦t a new ploy of the enemy ¡V He used in on Eve in the garden. He used it on Jacob, Joseph¡¦s father when he was young and he stole the blessing from his brother. Turn back a chapter 35 and see that he used it on Reuben ¡V Reuben had relations with his father¡¦s wife Bilhah and when Jacob blesses his sons ¡V Reuben the oldest looses the first spot in the family because of his sin. What the devil can¡¦t take from you he will try to get you to forfeit through sin. The enemy cannot steal your dream but you can destroy your dream through sin.
3) One last thing this morning ¡V God¡¦s presence will always be better than Man¡¦s favor ¡V When it seemed like everyone was conspiring against him ¡V his brothers, Potiphar¡¦s wife, and even Potiphar himself ¡V God was still for him. No matter what his circumstances God was still in control. God was still blessing Joseph. Again I don¡¦t believe that God cause Potiphar¡¦s wife to act in this sinful way. But God caused ¡§all things¡¨ to work together for good for Joseph. And he will for you too.
How¡¦s your attitude this morning?
Have you been tempted to compromise your integrity?
