Sermon Tone Analysis

I know that I don’t many sermons that are filled with what you might call a great deal of advice or self-help kind of teaching.

The reason for that is that I believe you need a steady diet of the gospel that points us to Christ.

And, every now and then we come to a passage or series of passages that allow us to consider some very practical points of wisdom to live by.

I want to make sure that I characterize this in terms of wisdom.

God has called you to live according to his wisdom in a world that thinks godly wisdom is foolish. 1 Corinthians 1:18–25 (CSB) says, “18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.

20 Where is the one who is wise?

Where is the teacher of the law?

Where is the debater of this age?

Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?

21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached.

22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.

24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, 25 because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

I hope that the sermon today helps you to live for Christ in this moment as a part of Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo, MS.

When it comes to men in the Bible, the life of Joseph is one of the greatest displays of God’s sovereignty and wisdom.

Joseph’s life gives us the opportunity to learn some practical life lessons while at the same time teaching us a major truth of Scripture and ultimately pointing us toward Jesus Christ.

The major truth we see through the life of Joseph is…

God is sovereign over all things for the accomplishment of His purposes.

The word sovereign means that God governs… Scripture reveals God as the one who governs over all things good and evil.

The bible doesn’t portray God as simply standing by and watching things happen.

No, He reveals Himself as the one who is governing everything for the accomplishment of his purposes.

This truth is present and relevant at the beginning of the Bible because it helps us to understand the gospel.

This truth also helps the Israelites to make sense of the last 400 years of captivity and oppression in Egypt.

We are not the first people to wrestle with the goodness of God in the midst of evil circumstances or on the other side of suffering and pain.

If anyone is asking about the good plan of God I would think it’s the nation of people who were just delivered from slavery by the miraculous power of God.

But, it is also necessary that God’s people frame what happens and where they have been under the governing hand of God as He works out His plans and purposes.

For instance in the books of Daniel and Jeremiah the people of God are sent into exile as slaves to the Babylonian empire.

It was while they were slaves in Babylon that God said in Jeremiah 29:11 (CSB), “11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

God’s promise of well-being and a hopeful future came through a 70 year exile in Babylon.

What Babylon meant for evil, God worked out for good.

God is sovereign over evil for the accomplishment of what is good.

Genesis 50:19–21 (CSB)

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid.

Am I in the place of God? 20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.

21 Therefore don’t be afraid.

I will take care of you and your children.”

And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Genesis 45:4–8 (CSB)

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near.

“I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt.

5 And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.

6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting.

7 God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.

8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God.

He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

The truth of God’s sovereignty does not make God culpable for the sins of men, but it does teach us that God is working out all things out according to His plans and purposes; and that includes for the good of those who belong to Him.

God works out all things according to his plans and purposes for the good of those who belong to Him.

Romans 8:28 (CSB) says, “28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Applications:

God’s purposes and plans can be painful

It took time for Joseph to see the purpose behind the plans God had for him

God’s sovereignty does not excuse you from your responsibility

It is true that governs and works out all things for His plans.

But it is also true that God holds each person accountable for the choices made.

God used evil to save you from your sins

In the first sermon after the Holy Spirit descended from heaven Peter pints this truth out.

Acts 2:22–24 (CSB) says, 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know.

23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.

24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death.

The crucifixion of Christ was an evil act carried out by sinful men that God purposed for the salvation of the world.

It is a difficult truth to accept, but it is true nonetheless that all things work together for the accomplishment of God’s purpose.

The beating of Jesus was according to His purpose

The mocking of Jesus was according to HIs purpose

The crown of thorns was according to HIs purpose

The cross was according to His purpose

The wrath of God for sin poured out on Christ was according to His purpose

The grave was according to His purpose

And the empty tomb was according to His purpose

Not only do we see this incredible truth here in the life of Joseph… but we also find some life lessons that are applicable to us in 2022.

The Life lessons we can learn from Joseph are…

Two practical life lessons:

Jealousy divides and destroys

You can actually see this in the way Joseph’s brothers talk about him and in what they do to him.

Genesis 37:11 (CSB) even tells us that they were jealous of him.

“11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.”

Jealousy fueled their anger and their anger resulted in selling Jacob to the slave traders and the lie they told their father.

Jealous has a corrosive effect on relationships, institutions, systems like politics and the economy, and even the church.

The American culture has been shifting for some time now from a culture where of personal responsibility and ambition to one where we focus more on others than we do ourselves.

Now, as Christians we believe in being humble and selfless in our concern for others, but that’s not what I am talking about.

I am speaking of the way that Americans more and more are attributing the outcomes of their personal lives to forces beyond their control.

As Nitin Nohria, the former dean of Harvard Business School, said, “It shifts people’s gaze toward others in a negative way and takes their focus off their own goals.”

There’s no doubt to be that the issue we see with Joseph’s brothers resulted in a focus on Joseph as the problem rather than on their own responsibilities and possibilities.

Another example in Genesis is Cain and Abel.

Genesis 4:3–8 (CSB), “3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions.

The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering.

Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious?

And why do you look despondent?

7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted?

But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door.

Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”

And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

I’d like to propose that living in a culture that is shifting from personal responsibility to one of jealousy and envy is impacting you and others more than you realize.

Jealousy is…

In a culture where jealousy replaces personal responsibility you have a abundance of:

Fear of loss Suspicion or anger about a perceived betrayal Low self-esteem and sadness over perceived loss Uncertainty and loneliness Distrust Fear of losing something important to another

Jealousy is when you harbor resentment against someone because of his or her success, position, or advantage.

People who are jealous show it through anger, resentment, feeling inadequate, helpless, or disgust.

One of the major characteristics of people who are jealous is the regular feeling of inadequacy and inferiority.