09.13.2020 SER You'll Get through this!
Notes
Transcript
Tough times. We all have them. You may be going through one right now or you may know someone who is walking through tough times? If you do, invite them to listen in for the next six weeks, but be sure to warn them to grab a life-preserver, for we are in for some rough waters ahead. We’ll be following Joseph’s story, a narrative loaded with family sins and the evil coming from many places, which brought tough times to Joseph.
As you may remember Joseph is the son favorite of Jacob’s 12 sons. When step in the story, Joseph is 17 years old, his brothers are tired of the stories and his entitled position in the family. When opportunity presents itself to get rid of their brother, sibling rivalry is raised to a new level of evil.
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
I guess Joseph should have been grateful that they “spared” his life. They could have left him in the cistern to die, but instead they sold him for 20 pieces of silver. That’s 10 pieces of silver less than Judas received for betraying Jesus to the Jewish leaders almost 2000 years later. But selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites was never about the money, that was just a bonus!
With Joseph in the hands of the Ishmaelites, they make a plan, a “story” to tell their father.
Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”
Covered with blood a scapegoat of sorts, the ornamented robe leaves Jacob to assume the worst - his favorite son is dead. With Joseph gone, life would certainly be “better” so they thought. What they never considered is what this news would do to their father, Jacob.
Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
In the meantime, Joseph’s sad saga starts to change. Joseph is sold again, this time to Egyptian official.
Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Those first few hours must’ve been filled with fear for Joseph. Imagine all the questions. What is going to happen next? Will I make it through the day? Will I ever get home again? He never got home again!
Have you ever had an experience like that? Have you ever wondered if you were going to get through the day? The accident that led to emergency surgery. The hospital stay that turned in hospice that became a funeral. The courtroom appearance and sentencing that came from a foolish, self-serving choice.
Tough times. We all have them. Some people seem to have more than others. Tough times take you down a path you’re not prepared to go. One issue becomes two, two becomes two too many, when all of a sudden, you find yourself where Joseph was – sold out, betrayed by those who should love you. Forgotten. Unjustly imprisoned. Left to wonder, “Will this ever end?”
Joseph's story got worse before it got better. Unfortunately, sometimes, just when you think things couldn’t get worse, they do. When you’re walking through tough times, questions arise? Why is this happening now? What did I do to deserve this? Why me?
But the question of the day isn’t, when will tough times end, but rather: How did we make it through tough times? Because the answer to that question might help us to get through the tough time were in or the one that’s coming.
What did Joseph do? Joseph held on to the goodness of God. He believed God was good all the time, even though God’s plans were sketchy. Joseph held on to the dream that one day Joseph’s brothers would be bowing to him.
We make through our tough times by holding on to the goodness of God, like Joseph did.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
We make through our tough times by holding on to God’s love for us in Christ. God’s love is the foundation stone upon which we stand upon and rise up from in tough times.
Instead of turning away from God, we turn to God who has shown Himself to be flawlessly faithful. Joseph held on to the goodness of God and the love God.
We make through our tough times by holding to the plan of God for our lives.
Joseph believed God to be the master weaver, who would redeem his life. And in the end, he did. But it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fast. And the good news is: God has a perfect plan to redeem your story as well.
Remember, the same God who is the architect of the universe, is builder of nations, and the builder of the family.
Hebrews 3:4 (NIV) — 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.
Give God a handful of dirt and He can spring up a life, ever hear of a guy by the name of Adam? He is also the one, who, when men intend evil, he can turn into good, and not just, ok, good. He turns the worst kinds of evil into the greatest good.
Several months ago, my wife’s sister, her husband, son and daughter, were all working in the yard, cleaning up after a spring storm. Did I mention she is Patti’s “older” sister? She happened to pick up a large tree limb when all of sudden she felt something tear inside. Marty, her husband, encouraged her to a take a trip to the Dr. After x-rays and other tests, they discovered more than a tear - the early stages of cancer. Well, surgery followed, an “ecktomy” of some kind, and chemotherapy, I think is supposed to start soon. On the day after her surgery, I spoke with her husband, Marty. He told me the whole story. When he finished, I said, “Isn’t funny God sends a storm to take down tree limbs. Your wife lifts a large tree limb, which causes a minor injury, that reveals a greater matter, cancer, which thankfully, is caught early before the cancer spreads. Thank God for storms.”
Do I need to take to you a holy hill on Good Friday? No one would have suspected that on a Friday, a Roman cross, which was meant to be inflict the worst kind of torture and punishment, would become the sign of God’s love for the world, AND the means to provide forgiveness for sins, and to give hope in tough times. The cross above me is the promise that our God can transform man’s sin and evil into ultimate, eternal good.
What are you facing right now? Are you wondering if you'll get through? Are you fearing you won’t. Do you fear that the depression will never lift? Maybe it is the yelling will never stop. Or the pain will never leave. It’s easy to feel stuck, trapped, locked in, and destined for failure. We wonder, will we ever exit this pit? Joseph would be the first to tell you that life in the pit sinks. Yet, for all its rottenness the pit forces you to look up to the ONE on the cross and HEAR our God whisper his promise you’ll make through your tough times, I promise.
Isaiah 43:2-6 (NIV) 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; …5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you…
God doesn’t promise a painless life. He doesn’t guarantee that tough times will end quickly. But He does promise to be with you and for grace to make through tough times in Jesus’ name.