Joseph, and the Grace to
Be Great
The Path
to Greatness is in the Call to Be a Servant
Genesis
39-41 |
|
August 9, 2015 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I.
Introduction (Galatians 5:13)
A.
Remember my main Question from last week? How is YOUR Serve? How
good are you at serving, and being a servant?
B.
All this month We are focusing on
how GRACE helps us serve God and serve people.
C.
Grace is amazing!
1.
What it MEANS is amazing – a kindness
towards someone that does not deserve it!
2.
But also what it DOES in the life of a
believer, a follower of Jesus
3.
In short, Grace enables every one of us
to forget about ourselves, and to serve others
D.
It is not a popular goal – to
serve
1.
We usually want to be in charge – to be
the boss – to be able to tell people what to do every day, and get paid
more than everybody while you do it!
2.
We usually want to have people looking up
to us, and hanging on every word, and doing what WE think they should do
3.
We usually want to be successful, to
gain, to enjoy life
4.
Oh, the last thing we all think about is
the command to serve!
E.
There are so many, even
Christians who believe the world is made up of two kinds of people:
1.
Those who serve
2.
And those who have worked hard, and
earned the right to be served.
F.
Jesus says His kingdom only has
room for servants!
1.
Matthew 23:10-12 Neither be ye called
masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest
among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall
be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
2.
Luke 9:48
And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name
receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me:
for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
G.
What does it mean, to serve? (Philippians 2:3,4)
1.
To supply another person’s needs
2.
To put someone else’s needs ahead of your
own
3.
To make someone happy
4.
To do what someone else wants, instead of
only what you want
H.
Grace Is The Power Behind Serving – the force that both makes it
possible, and fruitful!
1.
So, To actually BE a servant, by nature,
naturally, without grumbling, complaining, revolting and hating it –
requires one powerful ingredient – ATTITUDE.
2.
And the most important thing God gives us
so that we can serve, is the power of GRACE!
3.
Grace is an attitude that God first has
towards us
a.
Towards those who hate Him
b.
Towards those that resist Him
c.
Towards those that crucified Him
d.
Towards those that mock Him – belittle
Him, and amuse themselves by making fun of everything about God that
they do not understand
e.
Towards those that want nothing to do
with Him
f.
Towards those that are so selfish and
uncaring about anything he cares about
g.
Towards unworthy, unlovely, ungodly
people
h.
THAT is the kind of people that God shows
grace towards!
i.
And God expects us to show that same
kindness and attitude towards others!
I.
So, How is YOUR Serve? How good
are you at serving, and being a servant?
1.
Are you doing any better since last week?
Hmmm. I didn’t think so!
2.
Young Joseph, back in Genesis shows us
what grace looks like and what it takes to serve God the right way! Not
OUR way, but the right way!
3.
There is just no way Joseph or ANYONE
could ever serve under the conditions that Joseph gave of himself so
freely, if it wasn’t for grace in his life!
II.
Background
A.
We
first meet Joseph when he is a young 17 (Genesis 37:1-3)
B.
He
was the Favourite Son of the Home (Genesis 37:3-11)
C.
He
was a Busy Helper to his Dad (Gen 37:12-36; 39:1,2)
D.
And… He was HATED by his brothers
1.
They only wanted one thing – to get rid
of Joseph (37:18-28)
2.
And got rid of him, they did!
3.
His own brothers sold him into a foreign
country, into slavery in far away Egypt. They took Joseph 150 miles away
from home! It might as well have been a million miles away! He would
never see his family again! He was no longer a simple serving brother.
He was a slave – with no rights, no protection, no friends, no hope!
E.
And… They RUINED His Life – at least that what you and I would have
thought!
1.
As far as everyone acted and believed,
Joseph was finally dead and gone!
a.
His father was broken hearted.
b.
His brothers would never tell what really
happened to him
2.
Joseph was in chains, and was forced to
work as a slave in Potiphar’s house now
a.
Here, now, in Egypt, it made it hard to
be a servant
b.
Alone, missing his family, full of hurt
c.
And it was here, that Joseph found grace
enough to serve
d.
He found something inside him that
enabled him to see the needs of others, and see that God was still in
charge of his life, and not Potiphar
3.
You see! God was with Joseph yes, but God
was with him AS he served (39:2)! Don’t miss that!
a.
God is NOT with the proud, arrogant,
superior minded leader
b.
God is with the humble, the broken, the
little man
c.
Not in their depression, but in their
determination to be a blessing – to serve!
F.
But then… Potiphar made Joseph the HEAD of his entire household
(39:3-23)
1.
Huh? How did THAT happen?
2.
Grace happened!
3.
Just look at the result of that attitude!
a.
Potiphar saw an attitude, and energy, a
joy in Joseph’s demeanour! How refreshing it is to be around someone who
just wants to be a blessing to those around them!
b.
So Potiphar started giving young Joseph
more and more responsibilities in the household
c.
And Joseph gladly did whatever he was
asked
d.
And Potiphar would honour Joseph, and
appreciate him, and reward him for his hard work, and gracious attitude
4.
Potiphar ultimately made it easy for
Joseph to be a servant.
5.
Joseph GLADLY served such a loving, kind,
appreciative master/employer!
G.
That should have been the end of the story.
1.
But it wasn’t! If the story ended right
there, it would have been fine with Joseph. It would have been a good
ending. But that was not how
Grace works.
2.
It was THEN that he faced the most
intense and harsh temptation
a.
Potiphar’s WIFE became attracted to such
a kind, hard working, attentive young man
b.
And she began to try and seduce him
c.
Again and again she tried
d.
And again and again he would walk away
3.
And then everything went terribly wrong
a.
He did everything right
b.
Yet everything went wrong
c.
PRINCIPLE: The life of a servant is no
guarantee of protection from troubles and disasters
d.
He was almost trapped
e.
Then he was lied about
f.
Then his own loving, kind, appreciative
master believed everything AGAINST Joseph – dumped Joseph into prison.
Never even asked for Joseph’s side of the situation!
g.
Then he was sent him to prison without
any justice, no court date, no defence, no rights!
4.
That would have been a very hard time to
be a servant
III.
Message
A.
In
Prison Now (39:20-21) – as low as you can go, and still be alive
1.
Here is the very first time PRISON is
mentioned in the Bible
a.
The worst kind of prison too – for people
who committed high treason
b.
Death row.
No trial, just waiting for execution
2.
Back to ZERO again.
Rejected AGAIN.
Abandoned AGAIN. Alone
AGAIN.
3.
Yet, even in prison, what did Joseph end
up doing?
a.
I know what you and “I” would have been
doing…
b.
Screaming for justice – for our lawyer
c.
Demanding our rights
d.
Going on a hunger strike
e.
Bragging to all the other prisoners about
how innocent I am, and how this was totally unfair
f.
Sitting and sulking and crying and
moaning about having to endure such hurt
g.
But none of that is what Joseph did.
4.
Joseph served – was a servant
a.
Something inside Joseph drove him to
allow himself to be humbled, to be hurt, and his needs ignored.
Something drove him to see the people around him needing to be served.
b.
That something was God’s grace, that was
active in his life
5.
And God stayed with him AS he served
(39:23)
a.
God gave him favour (made him look good)
in the eyes of the Prison guard
b.
Why?
1)
Do you think it was because of his
murmuring and complaining?
2)
Or because of his yelling? Demanding for
his rights?
3)
No! It was simply because of his silent,
serving spirit – his self-sacrificing attitude (See Gen 41:38; Ex 35:21)
6.
God’s GRACE does that – it so often takes
you down, but never puts you down!
B.
In
Prison, But Not In Chains (Gen 39:21-23)
1.
Joseph was in prison, but he was not
bound in that prison – not in chains
a.
That’s a good difference!
b.
Joseph started off in chains, in stocks,
in irons when he was thrown into that prison (Psalm 105:17-22)
c.
He didn’t get put in charge of anything
at first – he was treated like the worst kind of offender!
d.
But he determined to not stay there
2.
But, how did he change his circumstances?
a.
Could he escape those chains by digging a
tunnel, or bribing his way out?
b.
No! He escaped those chains by serving!
3.
He found that every level of his life,
was simply another place, and another way to serve
a.
That is what God’s grace can do – change
the way you and I live instead of always changing our circumstances
b.
He did not deserve being in prison
c.
But he earned a HIGH place of service,
while in prison
4.
He became more free than most people are
outside of a prison!
5.
He was free to SERVE (just as you and I
are… Romans 6:17,18)
6.
And was put in charge of the entire
prison and all the prisoners!
7.
And that came about because of nothing
else than his SERVING OTHERS
a.
What an attitude to have. What a way to
live!
b.
Religion doesn’t do that. Meditation
doesn’t do that. Money doesn’t do that!
c.
Only God’s GRACE does that to people! It
enables, empowers, frees them, to keep serving!
C.
Divine Appointments (Gen 40:1-4)
1.
God was fully in charge of directing all
the events in Joseph’s life – you and I have got to believe that he is
the doing the same in OUR lives too
2.
So, in comes two new prisoners – very
special prisoners – very high ranking men
a.
Butler – one of the most trusted men in
the court. Was always overhearing every conversation by the king, making
sure Pharaoh’s cup and dinner plate was always full
b.
Baker – was responsible for making the
king’s favourite foods, and keeping him happy
3.
Both had done something to anger Pharaoh,
so he commanded them to be put in the same prison as Joseph was in. The
Bible doesn’t say what they did, but were in serious trouble!
a.
They probably had been beaten,
rough-handled before they were thrown into the prison
b.
They probably had never seen the inside
of a prison, and so now were terrified
4.
And here came this young man, a Jewish
slave
5.
And what do you think Joseph did? He
served them! Took care of them. Ministered to their needs. Was kind to
them. Showed them GRACE!
D.
Dreams, Dreams and More Dreams (Genesis 40:5-22)
1.
Remember, Joseph was a dreamer
a.
God gave him a sense of something great
for his life – a calling
b.
But instead of him demanding the everyone
fit that dream, he did the opposite
c.
He became servant of all
d.
Even though his dreams did not match his
life anymore, he just kept serving
2.
Here were two more dreams (40:6-22)
a.
The Butler’s dream – 3 branches of
grapes, squeezing grapes into the king’s cup
1)
Joseph instantly understood that the
Butler would be forgiven and returned to his place in Pharaoh’s court
2)
And knowing that the dream would come
true, he asked the Butler to “Remember him” when he got out, and do
something to free Joseph from that awful prison!
b.
The Baker’s dream – 3 baskets of bread,
and the top one was being devoured by the birds
1)
Joseph instantly understood that the
baker would be executed in three days
c.
Both came true!
d.
Wow! Joseph is pretty good
e.
That is the help that the Holy Spirit
gave him (Gen 41:38)
3.
And then came Pharaoh’s dreams in the
next chapter
a.
Everybody seemed to be dreaming at that
time
4.
What was going on?
a.
God was at work! (40:8) And Joseph
believed it.
b.
God was moving and shaking everything so
that He, and He alone could get all the glory through the life actions
of a lowly, Jewish servant named Joseph!
E.
Dashed Again (Genesis 40:23-41:1)
1.
The Butler FORGOT about Joseph
a.
Now you wouldn’t believe it unless you
read it with your own eyes
b.
Joseph expected the Butler to have great
power and authority with Pharaoh and would have him out of the prison in
a day or two for sure!
2.
It is so easy to forget about people’s
kindnesses
a.
We usually remember all the evil someone
does to us – oh, some people keep records!
b.
We rarely think of the Moms and Dads who
faithfully sacrifice their time and money for us to have what they
didn’t
c.
We rarely think of the Nurses who work
unbelievable hours just so that people can get in and out of hospital
and back home
d.
We easily forget about the goodnesses of
God, that lend to us our every breath, our strength, our families, our
church
e.
Oh, the wickedness of modern mankind
1)
This generation is the LEAST serving
2)
And so they are the MOST nit-picking,
fault-finding, critical, disrespectful of all time
3.
Where am I going with all this?
a.
Well, that Butler owed Joseph big time –
gave him hope, and showed that God was with Joseph
b.
And what did the Butler do? Forgot about
him
4.
You see, a servant is easy to overlook as
not important.
5.
How do you think Joseph felt, as day
after day, Joseph’s expectation of being released dimmed?
a.
The days stretched on into weeks
b.
And the weeks into months
c.
And the months stretched out to two full
years!
d.
Could anything be more painful?
e.
Only if you didn’t know the rest of the
story!
f.
Remember that Joseph is experiencing this
in real time – he has not seen the end yet
6.
Just trust me, GOD had not forgotten
Joseph, and he has NOT forgotten you!
F.
Perfect Timing (41:2-36; Ecclesiastes 3:11)
1.
Joseph is exactly where he needed to be…
DOING exactly what he needed to be doing
a.
THAT is why a Christian doesn’t just jump
around all the time at every opportunity, simply because they see a lot
of greener grass, and better options
b.
Sometimes, the hard places are God’s
better will for your life
c.
Sometimes, the adversities are the
precious hand of God moulding and fashioning something beautiful, in His
way, in His time
d.
Think about it
1)
If Joseph had not ministered to those two
men, and had let himself be locked up and defeated, he would have missed
God’s will, and God’s timing
2)
If Joseph had not been falsely accused,
and then put into prison, he would not have been around the Butler, and
then brought before Pharaoh
e.
Psalm 37:23 - The steps of a good man are
ordered by the Lord – ALL of his/her steps are paid out, planned by God
f.
NOW it was time. The perfect time for
Joseph to be used in the greatest way possible
2.
Pharaoh had two really weird dreams
a.
One about fat cows being eaten by sickly
skinny cows
b.
And one about full, healthy ears of corn
being eaten up by wimpy, sickly ears of corn
3.
No one had any good explanation about
what they meant
4.
THEN the butler remembered Joseph (41:9)
5.
THEN, after YEARS of being in prison, in
slavery, rejection, abandoned…
6.
Joseph was brought before Pharaoh and
asked to explain the dreams
a.
A repeated revelation – God repeated the
dream so that Pharaoh would take it very seriously
b.
Seven years of prosperity
c.
Followed by seven years of the worst
famine imaginable
d.
So, you and all Egypt had better get
ready for it
G.
The Honour of a Servant is the Greatest Honour of All (Gen 41:37-46)
1.
Joseph told Pharaoh what needed to be
done to save the country. Remember, this was the country that had done
nothing for him since he had arrived
2.
Pharaoh saw something in Joseph – he saw
the Spirit of God (41:38)
a.
Joseph had no ambition – some might say
that was wrong, but God liked it and so did Pharaoh!
b.
He saw softness towards authority, and
towards others
c.
But he also saw firmness and stability
towards corruption, and self-centeredness
3.
And so Pharaoh honoured Joseph! A Jewish
slave boy!
a.
Not just in word, but in deed
b.
Made him second ruler over all of Egypt
(41:40)
c.
Gave Joseph his own name on the ring, so
that whatever Joseph needed to do, he could be trusted and obeyed as if
he was Pharaoh himself
d.
Honoured him with royal clothes and
jewellery
e.
Caused everyone to bow before him, as if
HE was Pharaoh
f.
Put Joseph in charge of the actions of
every person in Egypt
g.
And in charge of saving Egypt from the
coming famine
h.
And gave him the best wife of the whole
country
i.
And he was only 30 years old (40:46)
IV.
Summary of
What We Ought to have Learned
A.
Notice the unseen power behind
everything going on – is GRACE
1.
Not manipulation
2.
Not money
3.
Not mood drugs
4.
Not politics
5.
Not smartness and great wisdom
6.
Just God’s amazing grace and kindness
7.
Grace did the following…
a.
Kept Joseph humble
b.
Kept him serving, no matter who he met
c.
Kept him focused on the needs of others
ahead of his own
B.
You don’t get to choose who you
will serve – Joseph would have never chosen to serve all the people
around him, but that was God’s call
1.
A God called missionary doesn’t look at
the world and decide the kind of people he would love and serve – God
will almost always take you to a people that mock you and hate you and
reject you, and are hard of hearing, and then will ask you to love them
and serve them – See Jonah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and JESUS!
2.
Sunday School teachers teach – and to
them, it doesn’t matter who or where, or how long!
3.
People only want to serve when they are
appreciated and noticed. But the servant of the Lord serves everybody!
C.
You serve as a way of life –
God’s calling again!
1.
Serving IS the life of a believer
2.
Not only 9-5, Mon-Fri
D.
We serve the Lord Christ. Period.
1.
Everything we do is supposed to be, “As
unto the Lord”
2.
Eph_5:22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord.
3.
Eph 6:5
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to
the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto
Christ;
4.
Eph 6:6
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
5.
Eph 6:7
With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
6.
Eph 6:8
Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall
he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
7.
Col_3:23
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not
unto men;
E.
Here is the great truth –
God gives an outpouring of His Spirit to SERVANT people (Isa 42:1;
Mt 12:18; and Joel 2:29)
1.
God was with Joseph, not because he was
so good, and so innocent – because he wasn’t
2.
It was because he was tender, and
teachable, and humble towards others
3.
AND, most of all, because he served
others, without thought of reward
4.
Serving is a spiritual exercise (Rom 1:9;
7:6; 12:11) – you won’t do it long in your own strength!
F.
Lastly, Serving, Hurts
1.
It hurts our pride
2.
It hurts our reputation
3.
It hurts our flesh – adversity goes hand
in hand with serving (2Cor 4:1-18)
4.
It allows others to have rule over us,
and have power over us
5.
It means you will get blamed when things
go wrong
6.
And it means your enemies will be others
who will seek to keep you down, and trample on you, hindering you as you
just try and serve
G.
So, The ONLY way to serve, and stay
serving, and be blessed AS a servant, is by the power of God’s grace,
being allowed to work in YOUR heart – even when it is not being allowed
to work in anyone else’s hearts and lives! Grace can make serving
bearable, and even enjoyable!
V.
Application (Philippians 2:3-8)
A.
Oh this is not the end of the
story. And it is not even the best part!
B.
But it is the theme of the life
of Joseph – the life of a servant, whom God constantly blessed, and
ultimately used to save a lot of people!
1.
Oh the emptiness of a life without the
presence of God
2.
And Oh the need for grace in our hearts
to make room for the Lord
3.
God’s grace is what enables, equips
someone to be what God created us all to be – servants!
C.
So, What does it mean, to serve?
(Philippians 2:3,4)
1.
To supply another person’s needs
2.
To put someone else’s needs ahead of your
own
3.
To make someone happy
4.
To do what someone else wants, instead of
only what you want
D.
Did you know that Jesus served
you and me (Philp 2:5-8)
1.
He gave up everything, and took on the
form of a WHAT?
2.
He Allowed cruel men to torture, crucify
Him, in OUR place, so HE could bring us to God
3.
All because of GRACE! (Ephesians 2:8,9)
E.
How is YOUR Serve? How good are
you at serving, and being a servant?
1.
Probably bad, like mine. Pride keeps me
from just being honest, humble and real, and low
2.
Oh that word, LOW. Lowliness of mind
3.
How much I depend upon respect. How
little Christ got!
4.
God’s grace that saves, will always be
enough to enable all of us to SERVE too! |