I. Over Misery (1-5)
A. Joseph was not content to simpley
survive. He actually thrived in adversity.
B. Joseph was taken to a place where he did
not kow the language or customs and was
made a slave.
C. Through all of this misery, everything
Joseph did prospered. (vs.3,4,5,6,8,22,23)
D. Rather than becoming bitter and angry,
Joseph became a hardworking, productive,
and trustworthy steward.
E. Potipher could see the hand of God’s
blessing through Joseph’s life.
II. Over Mischief (6-12)
At the end of the American civil was, General Lee, the general of the defeated Southern Army, was broke, as were many of his countrymen. Money was sacrce, the economy suffered, and transgressions were remembered. It was a hard time for the general, branded a traitor by many who wished to see him imprisoned and hanged. But many others had high regard for Lee, defended his honour, and responded with generous offers of financial help and various jobs.
Many were intrigued by the greater thanlife story of the general and his veriosn of the war, bt Lee never relived the war nor wrote about his wartime experience, even when he was old. He had many offers for his meoirs, which an adoring public wished to read, but he turned the offers flat down. When a state lottery offered him ten thousand dollars a year for the use of his name, Lee replied infamously, “Gentlemen, my name is all I have left, and that is not for sale.”
A. Joseph’s Character was test, undermined,
and scorned by potiphar’s wife daily.
B. Jospeh did not give in even when nobody
knew.
C. Joseph feared nothing but sin and no one
but God!
D. God was in Joseph’s heart, on his lips,
and by his side.
III. Over Mistreatment (20-23)
A. Joseph was misrepresented, misunderstood,
and mistreated by many people but never by
God!
B. It appears that Joseph never defended or
expected potiphar’s wife to confess.
Instead, he left his life and fate into
the hands of God.
C. God’s presence does not mean the absence
of enemies, but the triumph over man-made
tricks,t traps, and troubles. (Jeremiah
20:11)
Conclusion:
No matter what people did to him, said about him, or thought about him, Jospeh triumphed with courage, wisdom, and dignity. The Lord’s presence is the most precious and reliable company in life! Just when all was lost, hope was gone, and life was bleak, Jospeh again experienced God’s nearness and faithfulness. Instead of facing destitution, despair, and death, Joseph found an explanation for his deliverance, a reason for his existence, and a hope for his release!
