1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,360 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. 2 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:18,720 This season of messages takes us through some of the great comeback stories in the Bible. 3 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:23,820 Pastor John Metter of Cross City Church will show us how God can take any situation in 4 00:00:23,820 --> 00:00:27,800 any life and bring hope and victory out of hardship. 5 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:32,200 These messages will inspire you to trust God in your own challenging seasons. 6 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:37,040 Thank you so much for being with us today and if you have your Bibles, take them and 7 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,920 turn to the very first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. 8 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,960 Genesis chapter 50 today, in our God's Not Done With You series. 9 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,280 By the way, aren't you glad God's not done with you? 10 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:52,640 I mean, there are times in life where we wonder if God has finished with us, if He's tired 11 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,360 of us, if He's not planning on using us anymore and that's just never true. 12 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:02,120 God, as long as He gives you breath and life, He's not done with you and He has an incredible 13 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:03,480 plan for your life. 14 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:07,280 No matter how challenging life is, God's got a plan for you. 15 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:12,040 Today, we're going to be looking at something called the 50-20 principle out of Genesis 16 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,840 chapter 50 and also verse 20. 17 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,480 It's called the 50-20 principle and I hope it will be meaningful to you in these days 18 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:20,480 ahead. 19 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:24,520 Please stand with me as we read God's word together today. 20 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:30,720 Now this is about the life of Joseph and really, the life of Joseph encompasses 13 chapters 21 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,040 out of Genesis chapter 37 all the way through chapter 50. 22 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:40,880 I thought you might appreciate it if I didn't read all 13 chapters today as we stand together, 23 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:46,360 but I am going to focus on the last few words of Genesis chapter 50, which is kind of the 24 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,440 comics of Joseph's life. 25 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:53,880 It's a moment where he's facing his 10 stepbrothers that have betrayed him and really wanted him 26 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:54,880 dead. 27 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:59,560 Most of you know the story of Joseph, the fact that he was the boy that had the favor 28 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:00,560 of his father. 29 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,040 He wore a multicolored coat as a result of that. 30 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:04,560 He was a dreamer. 31 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:09,540 He was someone that God gave dreams and visions to and he spoke those dreams and visions and 32 00:02:09,540 --> 00:02:14,040 one of those had to do with eventually his brothers would bow down before him and of 33 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,240 course they resented that and they did everything they could to get rid of him out of their 34 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:19,240 lives. 35 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:24,560 Joseph's story is a story of a roller coaster, highs and lows in life, comebacks after being 36 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:29,280 absolutely shut out of certain seasons and now at the end of his life he's looking at 37 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:34,800 those brothers that have come back to visit him now that he's in a position of power and 38 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,600 he says some very unusual things and these words are words that I hope will help you 39 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:45,880 see the end goal of your life and what God is going to do with you as well as with Joseph. 40 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:47,960 So here it is in verse 18. 41 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:54,720 The Bible says then his brothers also came and as his dreams prophesied they fell down 42 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:57,600 before him and said behold we are your servants. 43 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:02,040 They're there because he can feed them as number two in command of all of Egypt and 44 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:03,960 they are hungry. 45 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,920 But Joseph said to them do not be afraid for am I in God's place. 46 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:14,880 As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good in order to bring about 47 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,160 this present result to preserve many people alive. 48 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,800 Now I'm going to come back and read that verse again right now. 49 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,240 As for you, they had betrayed Joseph in every way. 50 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,680 They had done unspeakable acts of evil against him but he said as for you, you meant it for 51 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:33,800 evil but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve 52 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:34,960 many people alive. 53 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:37,200 So therefore do not be afraid. 54 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,320 I will provide for you and your little ones and he comforted them and spoke kindly to 55 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:42,320 them. 56 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:49,960 Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father's household and Joseph lived 110 years. 57 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,840 Now we're going to stop there and go back and pick up his life but I want you to see 58 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,600 where his life is going to end and how God is going to bring him all the way through 59 00:03:58,600 --> 00:03:59,600 that. 60 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,760 Father in Jesus' name today I pray that you'll speak to us from Genesis chapter 50 verse 61 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:09,640 20 in a way that will let us see life from a very different perspective. 62 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:15,040 That perspective would be one that you give us through your eyes, through your plans instead 63 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,920 of our hopes and our wishes and our comfort or lack of it. 64 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:23,880 Father today bring conviction to our life about our life's journey with you. 65 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:25,720 I ask this in Jesus' name. 66 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,480 Everyone said amen. 67 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:32,560 Please be seated if you would. 68 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:39,560 Now my favorite Super Bowl is the 2017 Super Bowl and most of you will recognize right 69 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,040 away it doesn't involve the Dallas Cowboys. 70 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,960 I mean the Dallas Cowboys haven't won a Super Bowl in 27 years. 71 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:47,640 They haven't been in a long time. 72 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:53,160 One of my youngest children doesn't even know the Cowboys were ever in the Super Bowl before. 73 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:55,040 Hopefully one day they'll be back. 74 00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:01,380 But in 2017 the Atlanta Falcons played the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. 75 00:05:01,380 --> 00:05:04,760 It's called one of the greatest Super Bowl comebacks in all of history. 76 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,320 It's called the greatest in history and Tom Brady was the quarterback that engineered 77 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,080 that comeback with the New England Patriots. 78 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:19,160 The Patriots were down 28 to 3 at the half and 28 to 9 going into the fourth quarter. 79 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:23,040 Patriots still hadn't scored a touchdown the whole game going into the fourth quarter. 80 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:28,960 Now this particular day my friend Matt Tyson and I were flying to Alaska and we had a layover 81 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:30,600 in Seattle. 82 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:35,320 It was snowing in Seattle and of course in Alaska as well. 83 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:40,800 And before we were going to take off all this timing of this game and this flight took place 84 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:41,880 at about the same time. 85 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:46,000 Now in retrospect I have no idea why I was flying on Super Bowl evening. 86 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,060 I would rather have been watching the Super Bowl game but nonetheless there we were. 87 00:05:50,060 --> 00:05:53,600 And everybody was in the waiting room as we were waiting for the plane to be de-iced to 88 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:58,360 get on the plane to go to Anchorage as this game went into the fourth quarter. 89 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:03,920 Now as it went into the fourth quarter the Patriots started scoring one touchdown after 90 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:09,880 the other and then all of a sudden the loudspeaker came on and we were called to take our flight. 91 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,460 So we all got up dutifully. 92 00:06:12,460 --> 00:06:15,680 Everybody was complaining and grumbling oh no now we have to take off. 93 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:20,640 Which never happens in an airport and we're standing in line about to go out and just 94 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:25,840 at that moment a final touchdown was scored and the Patriots tied it up with the Atlanta 95 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:26,840 Falcons. 96 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:30,520 And we got another intercom announcement and that is the pilots said we're going to de-ice 97 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:34,360 the planes one more time just for just for precaution. 98 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:38,040 I'm fully convinced the pilots were watching the game at the same time and they wanted 99 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,360 to see how it ended. 100 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,840 So nobody complained we all got back to our seats and we sat down and we watched that 101 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:50,400 final overtime victory where the New England Patriots came back and beat the Atlanta Hawks 102 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:52,780 in Super Bowl of 2017. 103 00:06:52,780 --> 00:06:54,480 And the suspense was off the charts. 104 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,880 It was off the charts because nobody knew who would win. 105 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:02,080 Like any great sporting event you just don't know who's going to win the game until the 106 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:03,080 end. 107 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:04,960 My heart was beating very quickly. 108 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,040 I loved the game. 109 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,840 But now I can go back and talk about that game and there's no suspense involved. 110 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:15,080 I can watch that on YouTube video and my heart doesn't beat any faster than it normally does. 111 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:16,200 And you know why? 112 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:20,120 Because I already know the outcome of that particular game in Super Bowl history. 113 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,240 It's already a done deal. 114 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:28,000 In many ways what we're going to look at today helps you look at life from the end result 115 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:32,560 of what God brings about in Joseph's life and what he can bring about in your life. 116 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:38,960 Your life will be a whole lot less anxious, a whole lot less panicky, a whole lot less 117 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:46,940 fearful if you knew the Genesis 50-20 principle where this man Joseph is able to look at those 118 00:07:46,940 --> 00:07:52,080 brothers that hurt him so bad and say, you meant it for evil but God meant it for good 119 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:53,640 in my life. 120 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,480 And that is the Genesis 50-20 principle. 121 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,160 You know we can face all kinds of adversity in our lives if we know that God is going 122 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,840 to cause it to work together for good in the end and if we can just remember that. 123 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,560 Some people talk about living life looking back in retrospect. 124 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:12,720 And they say this, they say 20-20 vision is in retrospect. 125 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,520 You look back and you see the different things in your life and how they all fell into place 126 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:18,340 and now that's 20-20. 127 00:08:18,340 --> 00:08:20,880 But how do you live looking forward? 128 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,620 And today I propose that you live with the 50-20 principle. 129 00:08:24,620 --> 00:08:28,720 Whatever else happens in your life, God will cause it to work together for good. 130 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,280 God will mean it to work together for good. 131 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,720 And at the end of your life you're going to have a testimony like Joseph, God meant it 132 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:36,720 for good. 133 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:43,200 Now that's what this text, this life and this text teaches us about living by faith. 134 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:49,360 In fact that statement in the Genesis 50-20 principle is Joseph's final testimony. 135 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,680 It's his post-game press conference if you will where he talks about his life and all 136 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:59,320 the ups and downs and he looks at those brothers that by now he has forgotten and he says you 137 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:01,040 did mean it for evil. 138 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:02,920 Not you may have meant it for evil. 139 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,920 I know you made a mistake and you did something you shouldn't have done. 140 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:10,840 He looked at them and said you did mean it for evil but God meant it for good. 141 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:15,720 And he's brought about this incredible thing that could never have happened unless God 142 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,200 had brought it about. 143 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:22,320 So if your life ever has some highs and lows, if you ever feel like you're on a roller coaster, 144 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:27,440 if you ever feel like sometimes God is not working as fast as you want him to work or 145 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:31,960 as clearly as you want him to work today, the life of Joseph is going to help you walk 146 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:36,040 by faith in the days ahead in this same God, this God of Joseph. 147 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:41,240 It's the God of you and I today and I for one am grateful for it. 148 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:46,320 So as you look at the life of Joseph for just a few moments, keep in mind this is where 149 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,240 it ends. 150 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,320 This is his testimony at the end. 151 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:58,240 But what about that journey from his beginning and all the things he has to go through? 152 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:03,840 Well over 13 chapters you'll find a lot of details about this man named Joseph but I 153 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,080 want to point out just a few of them today because his story is remarkable. 154 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:13,920 First of all, Joseph's story is a story of rejection, a story of rejection. 155 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:20,400 If you go all the way back to chapter 37 and verse 18, the Bible speaks of his brothers, 156 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:25,120 his 10 stepbrothers specifically who want to put him to death. 157 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:30,880 And you find this verse, they plotted against him to put him to death. 158 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:35,520 I love the Bible because it tells real stories about real lives and this is a real dysfunctional 159 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:36,520 family. 160 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:41,600 Joseph has 10 stepbrothers, one natural brother. 161 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:45,480 His mom dies and given birth to his younger brother. 162 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:50,880 So all these older 10 stepbrothers are envious of him because of the favor he has with his 163 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:52,120 father. 164 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,200 You know Joseph is a man with a many colored coat. 165 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,880 His father gave him that as a sign of favor, a sign of love and he wore it everywhere. 166 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:05,160 He probably as a young boy wore it obnoxiously and he bothered his brothers in so many ways. 167 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:06,480 This man also was a dreamer. 168 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:08,360 He had dreams. 169 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:12,680 Some dreams you ought to keep to yourself and some you ought to tell other people. 170 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:17,440 And one of the ones he told to his brothers were that they would all bow down before him 171 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:25,240 someday and all this worked together to create quite a home of dysfunction. 172 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:27,800 And he was rejected in every way. 173 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:32,660 He was despised, he was hated, he was rejected and plotted against. 174 00:11:32,660 --> 00:11:37,520 And we read by that verse that we just looked at, chapter 37 verse 18, they plotted against 175 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,560 him to put him to death. 176 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:42,960 You know rejection is very real. 177 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,880 How many of you have felt rejection in your life at some point, in some way? 178 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:52,560 Where someone has outright rejected you maybe because they think you're different, maybe 179 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:57,720 you're not part of the in group, maybe because of something that they see about you, something 180 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:03,200 you've gone through, the way you talk, the way you dress, words you've said in the past, 181 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:08,880 maybe you're on the receiving end of a bully's action where you're rejected by people because 182 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:10,240 of peer pressure and other things. 183 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:15,160 You've got to keep in mind at this point Joseph is only 17 years of age. 184 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:17,640 He's not even the age of a high school senior. 185 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,240 He's going through all this as a young boy. 186 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:24,320 Let me just say something to you about rejection and what ultimately happens. 187 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:29,400 It doesn't matter how badly you're rejected or by whom you are rejected, God can always 188 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:34,520 take that rejection and build into your life the special quality that allows you to end 189 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:39,080 up high, high above what anybody else thinks you can be. 190 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,320 What an incredible encouragement we have in the life of Joseph. 191 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,620 Let me also say something else about rejection. 192 00:12:44,620 --> 00:12:49,800 We rarely know the reasons why we are rejected. 193 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,520 Sometimes we're rejected by people that are wounded themselves. 194 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,520 Sometimes we're rejected because people are weird themselves. 195 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:00,400 It's not us that are weird, it's they that are weird. 196 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,600 We can rarely do anything about their rejection. 197 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:09,280 Nothing that you could do would keep them from rejecting you in other words. 198 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:11,480 You shouldn't try to earn people's favor. 199 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:12,480 It never works well. 200 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:17,240 When you try to earn people's favor, that makes them your master. 201 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:21,040 It'll make you do things and say things and be things that you should never be. 202 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:24,440 You were not designed to be. 203 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,320 Joseph walked through this rejection in part to show us that we can walk through and get 204 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:34,400 out on the other side without having caved in to the defeat of rejection. 205 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:36,920 That's a pretty important principle to have. 206 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:41,800 By the time these brothers see Joseph come to check on him, sent by his father to check 207 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:47,360 on them in the field, their rejection for him, their hatred for him is blazing hot and 208 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:49,520 they want to put him to death. 209 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,280 That's the line we looked at just a moment ago. 210 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:53,960 And Joseph is about to suffer. 211 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:59,240 Let me tell you, suffering is not an easy, easy path at all. 212 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,400 But suffering is really a big part of what happens on this planet. 213 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,760 Let me tell you, I wish all suffering were over, but that's not this world. 214 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,400 That's the next world where all suffering is over. 215 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:15,080 The reason we suffer, the reason we have rejection, the reason we have pain or hardship is not 216 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:19,480 because of something we did or didn't do, but it's because we live in a sinful, broken 217 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:22,480 world filled with people that are far from God. 218 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,320 And that's exactly what's happening to Joseph. 219 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:30,600 So keep in mind today that rejection is painful and suffering happens. 220 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:36,020 I had my own battle with rejection as a younger man, but God reminded me I was never, ever 221 00:14:36,020 --> 00:14:37,720 rejected by him. 222 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:41,640 What an important thing to keep in mind. 223 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:45,840 No matter what people do to you, you are always loved and accepted by your heavenly father. 224 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:50,480 Here's a principle here in Joseph's life and this story, and here it is. 225 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:57,320 When all others reject you, God does not, and he is enough. 226 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:02,840 His acceptance of you, his love for you, his plans for you are enough, I promise. 227 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:07,240 You do not need to pursue the acceptance of anybody else. 228 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:12,560 The story of Joseph is first of all a story of rejection, but it moves from rejection 229 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:16,480 to something else, a story of false accusation. 230 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:23,040 Shortly after what we read about, his brothers sell him to million traders and he has to 231 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:30,120 travel walking 12 days behind a group of camels, finally bought by a man named Potiphar, and 232 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:36,480 here his stock rises when everything he does is blessed and his character is demonstrated 233 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:37,480 in such a huge way. 234 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:44,760 The Bible describes this chapter of his life as Joseph was a successful man. 235 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,320 What's happening is God is blessing Joseph in Potiphar's house. 236 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,560 He's a house servant, but he's being blessed. 237 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,720 In fact, everything he touches turns to blessing. 238 00:15:54,720 --> 00:16:00,920 All of a sudden, those bad years of rejection seem to turn a corner for him for just a little 239 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:01,920 while. 240 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:06,400 Potiphar sees he's a blessing, and Joseph may even be thinking at this moment there's 241 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:12,400 hope, my life is changing, but the place of success for Joseph was also a place of temptation 242 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:16,280 for somebody else, and that is Potiphar's wife. 243 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:21,400 In fact, if you were to read chapter 39, verse seven and eight, the Bible makes it plain. 244 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:27,840 His master's wife looked with desire at Joseph and said, lie with me, but he refused. 245 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:33,280 Here's a man that all of a sudden is finding incredible success, and Potiphar's wife wants 246 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,160 to have sexual relations with him. 247 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:40,520 And so he's in an unwinnable moment all of a sudden. 248 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:46,240 He's not going to be in a situation where he can just give his word and everyone will 249 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:47,240 believe it. 250 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,920 After all, he will not believe Potiphar's wife. 251 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,400 She is part of the leadership of the country. 252 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,200 It's a really unwinnable moment. 253 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:59,880 It's a moment where he can't really do anything right or wrong in that moment, but it's a 254 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:04,520 great text that we have here, this scenario with plenty of warning about the immorality. 255 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:09,800 Joseph does only the right thing, but so many lessons here. 256 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:12,200 The awareness of danger, for example. 257 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:16,140 We can learn lessons about the opportunity for accusations. 258 00:17:16,140 --> 00:17:19,520 We learn lessons about the purity of his mind. 259 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:21,260 Joseph passed all those tests. 260 00:17:21,260 --> 00:17:26,520 His answer was, how could I do this against my God and against my boss, Potiphar, your 261 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:27,520 husband? 262 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,520 How could I do this thing that you are proposing? 263 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:36,480 So she makes a false accusation against him, and all of a sudden he is an enslaved foreigner. 264 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:41,400 Once accused, he has no chance, no trial, no witnesses. 265 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:42,400 He only has God. 266 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:47,040 We had to pause and think about this for just a few moments. 267 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:51,520 Sometimes adversity happens in our life not because of something we've done wrong, but 268 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:57,000 it happens because we're doing something right, because we're doing the right thing, because 269 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,640 we're obeying God, because we're being honest. 270 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:06,200 Our sinful culture that we live in will cause all kinds of difficulty and adversity. 271 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,560 And that's where Joseph is. 272 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:15,120 Joseph is doing the right thing, but it comes with intense pressure that she wanted him 273 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:17,440 to give in to her. 274 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:22,660 I have to tell you this, that I wonder a little bit about Joseph during that time of temptation. 275 00:18:22,660 --> 00:18:27,120 After being rejected so much as a young boy, and as a young man, all of a sudden now he's 276 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:30,240 in the house of Potiphar, and he's being affirmed. 277 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:36,480 He's being elevated, and all of a sudden Potiphar's wife wants to have relationships with him. 278 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:41,600 So his first successes in life, his first affirmation, no one's rejecting him now. 279 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:45,640 And I can imagine in his mind he had to dwell on the thought, will I give in to maintain 280 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,960 this thing that feels so good, or will I do the right thing? 281 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,560 And of course, Joseph chose the right thing. 282 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:58,560 Keep this in mind, true character is revealed in choices under pressure. 283 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:03,480 You know, those now or never moments where you have to choose right on the spot. 284 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,520 That's when you show your true character. 285 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:07,920 And Joseph showed his true character. 286 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,720 He thought about God, he thought about his responsibilities, he wanted to do the right 287 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,520 thing, and he did the right thing. 288 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:18,800 And I want you to know that you're gonna have plenty of chances to make those now or never 289 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:20,600 decisions in life. 290 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:22,240 Make them right no matter what. 291 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:27,040 No matter what the cost, no matter how hard it is to resist the temptation, do the right 292 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,800 thing. 293 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:34,880 Always in the world we live in, those others will mean it for evil. 294 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,280 Potiphar's wife meant it for evil in his life. 295 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:43,080 So when he refuses to do what she wants, she accuses him of assault, and her husband is 296 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:45,440 forced to agree with him. 297 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:51,540 And now he is in an unfair, unjust, unethical, but unchangeable circumstance. 298 00:19:51,540 --> 00:19:53,960 He cannot do anything about it. 299 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:57,280 And the roller coaster goes down and down again. 300 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:02,560 It's really a dark moment in Joseph's life, but I love this part of Joseph's story because 301 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:08,440 chapter 39, where he is in prison because of the false accusation, four times it says, 302 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,200 but the Lord was with Joseph. 303 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:12,560 I want you to say those words with me. 304 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:13,560 Are you ready? 305 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,960 The Lord was with Joseph. 306 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,080 Let me tell you, it doesn't matter how dark your life gets if the Lord is with you at 307 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,040 the pretty bright moment. 308 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,960 If you know God is with you, if you know God is leading you, God is directing you, if you 309 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:32,680 realize that the Lord is with you, it'll help brighten the worst kind of season in life. 310 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:37,960 Because God may let us go through difficult times in life, but he is with us and he reminds 311 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,600 us that he is there, right there with us. 312 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:42,600 God is with him. 313 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:43,600 It's a great reminder. 314 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,300 And there's a principle that comes out of that chapter. 315 00:20:46,300 --> 00:20:52,340 When others believe the worst about you, God stands with you. 316 00:20:52,340 --> 00:20:56,200 When others believe the worst about you, God stands with you. 317 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:58,760 I'm sure you know what it's like to be falsely accused. 318 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:02,940 I know what it's like to be falsely accused, to have people lie about you, to say things 319 00:21:02,940 --> 00:21:05,120 about you that are not true. 320 00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:09,560 It's always helpful to know God knows the real story. 321 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,280 Others may not know the real story, but God always knows the real story. 322 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:16,480 When others believe the worst about you, God stands with you. 323 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,120 Now in this story of Joseph's life, it gets still worse. 324 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:26,360 The third part of the story is the story of abandonment, of abandonment. 325 00:21:26,360 --> 00:21:32,920 Joseph is now in prison and by chapter 40, he's befriended two people in prison, the 326 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,000 baker and the cupbearer of the king. 327 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,280 Formerly they had been serving the king and now they've been imprisoned. 328 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,480 And if you remember the story, those two prisoners who'd been accused by the king were there. 329 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:50,400 Each has a dream and Joseph correctly interprets each of those dreams. 330 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:55,360 For the baker, it was that his head would be lifted, that was he would die. 331 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:59,440 And for the cupbearer, he would be restored to service. 332 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,360 So God gives Joseph the interpretation of those dreams and it all comes to pass just 333 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:04,600 like that. 334 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:10,520 But in Genesis chapter 40 verse 23, there is a line that says, yet the chief cupbearer 335 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:13,880 did not remember Joseph, but forgotten him. 336 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:16,240 He forgot him. 337 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:21,800 The one man that could go and tell Pharaoh, this guy does not need to be in prison. 338 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:27,040 The one man who could go and appeal for Joseph could not do it because he could not remember 339 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,400 him during that period of time. 340 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:34,080 And Joseph's life has turned downward by the imprisonment, but now he's forgotten. 341 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:40,520 And for two years, for two years, the cupbearer can't remember and doesn't bring up the fact 342 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,640 that Joseph is in prison and he's a useful, helpful young man. 343 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:49,800 Now I read this and I say, that's a story of waiting. 344 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:51,280 How many of you don't like to wait? 345 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:52,920 Would you raise your hand if you don't like to wait? 346 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:57,560 Oh, mercy, it's so hard for us to wait through those periods of time where we want God to 347 00:22:57,560 --> 00:22:58,880 do this, God to do that. 348 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,960 We see the promises of God and we know that they're on their way, that God will be faithful, 349 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:07,240 but we have to wait and we have to wait and we have to wait. 350 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:12,680 But not only is he waiting for this long duration of time, but he's also forgotten. 351 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:14,080 Think about it. 352 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,800 He's forgotten and presumed dead by his father by now. 353 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:21,580 He's forgotten by his brothers who hope they never hear of him again because of what they 354 00:23:21,580 --> 00:23:23,080 did to him. 355 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,640 He's forgotten by Potiphar's wife who's glad to get rid of him. 356 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:30,360 He's forgotten by Potiphar who has to move on with his life and now he's forgotten by 357 00:23:30,360 --> 00:23:37,520 the cupbearer, the only one that can represent him humanly speaking before Pharaoh. 358 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:48,040 In Psalm chapter 13 verse one and two, there's a great Psalm of lament and a Psalm of patience. 359 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,400 It's really a Psalm of impatience if you really want to look at it that way. 360 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,480 And here's what it says. 361 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:57,800 How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? 362 00:23:57,800 --> 00:23:59,840 How long will you hide your face from me? 363 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:05,000 How long will I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? 364 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:10,120 How long will my enemy be exalted over me? 365 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:14,880 Here is a writer of scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit going through a time of 366 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:20,260 waiting and longing for God to answer and impatience that how long, God, will it be 367 00:24:20,260 --> 00:24:22,500 before I hear from you again? 368 00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:23,500 Don't forget me, God. 369 00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:26,000 Have you ever heard that kind of prayer? 370 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:27,000 Don't forget me. 371 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:28,000 Know where I am. 372 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,360 Know where I am going through. 373 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:32,640 I wish I could tell you the hour or the moment. 374 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,360 I wish I could tell you the scenario where God will remind you that you're not forgotten, 375 00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:39,520 but I can't give you a time like that, time like that. 376 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,960 I don't know when God is going to reveal himself to you, but I can tell you that you are never 377 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:47,640 forgotten by our God, ever. 378 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:48,640 He knows you. 379 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:49,640 He loves you. 380 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:50,640 He's aware of where you are. 381 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:52,560 He's aware of what you're going through. 382 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,160 You will never, ever, ever be forgotten by our God. 383 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:01,880 And yet, sometimes we go through those times when we feel like it. 384 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:09,520 When it seems you are completely forgotten, God knows exactly where you are. 385 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:15,200 A few years ago, our church in Tennessee, when I was there, was having a conference 386 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:19,960 where we would invite pastors and wives from the northwest part of the United States to 387 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,680 come to our church, and we would just encourage them for a week. 388 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:27,960 And these pastors and wives were ministering in some really remote areas. 389 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:33,400 And I can remember one family who came from the inner parts of Wyoming, a beautiful state, 390 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:39,000 but very sparsely populated, and they pastored a church in a very, very small community. 391 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,440 And it was a hard-going situation for them. 392 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:47,240 And I remember they were coming just to be refreshed and be healed just a little bit, 393 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:51,640 be prayed for, and towards the end of the week, we were talking to them about their 394 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:55,040 calling and their ministry in Wyoming. 395 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:59,360 And I remember the woman looked at Kim and I as we were talking, and she said, how did 396 00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:00,800 you even find us? 397 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:07,600 And quite candidly, she said, sometimes I wonder if God even knows where we are. 398 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,960 It's such like human nature for us to think that. 399 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:13,800 Sometimes I wonder if God knows where we are. 400 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:18,200 And I assure you today, God does know where you are. 401 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,920 And while you're waiting and while you're praying and while you feel forgotten, let 402 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,080 me tell you, God is working in your life. 403 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:26,680 He never stops working. 404 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:29,120 He's always doing something in your life. 405 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:32,080 Say, how can you say that, Pastor? 406 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,920 I say that because the God of Joseph is the God of you. 407 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:42,000 I say that because He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, because God never allows 408 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,360 suffering without redeeming it in some way. 409 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:47,560 I say that because God declares the end from the beginning. 410 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:49,800 He knows everything that's going to happen. 411 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:54,280 I say that because God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love 412 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,120 God, for those who are called according to His purpose. 413 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:01,520 I say it because He takes evil and He turns it into good redeem. 414 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,080 That's just the God we serve. 415 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,720 And everywhere you see it in the Bible, that's true. 416 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:07,920 God is not going to let you down. 417 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:14,880 I promise you. 418 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:16,360 That God assures me. 419 00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:20,600 He assures you that He will redeem all those things in your life just like He did in Joseph's 420 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:21,600 life. 421 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,280 Joseph's life is there to encourage you. 422 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:26,000 That's what the Bible says. 423 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:30,440 The things written beforehand in the Old Testament were written so they would be examples to 424 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:34,240 us who live in the later days, the way we live. 425 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:39,200 Now, this story has got some lows, but it's also got a high. 426 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:42,440 This is the story of victory, the story of victory. 427 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:47,000 You know the story, Pharaoh has a dream, the cupbearer finally remembers Joseph who is 428 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:48,000 called. 429 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,840 He is washed up and prepared for a presence of the Pharaoh. 430 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:59,160 He listens to Pharaoh describe the dream and then God gives him the interpretation of that 431 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:00,160 dream. 432 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:02,760 And the interpretation is you're going to have seven years of plenty and then you're 433 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:08,240 going to have seven years of famine, so you should get ready for the coming years. 434 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,080 And then something remarkable happens. 435 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:20,760 Pharaoh speaks to Joseph just fresh out of prison, forgotten, rejected, abandoned, waiting 436 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:26,160 on God and not seeing God work in any seeable ways. 437 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,560 And Pharaoh speaks to him in Genesis chapter 41 verse 40. 438 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:31,880 Look at what Pharaoh says. 439 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:37,320 He says, since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise 440 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:38,320 as you are. 441 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:44,680 You shall be over my house and according to your command, all my people should do homage. 442 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,640 Only in the throne I will be greater than you are. 443 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:52,080 In other words, you're going to become second in command of all of Egypt. 444 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:56,840 Would you look with me at a moment at how unlikely and impossible that statement really 445 00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:57,840 is? 446 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:00,720 I mean, let us go through your mind. 447 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:04,880 This young man is being singled out by Pharaoh. 448 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:11,040 He is a rejected solitary foreigner in Egypt, previously accused of sexual assault and in 449 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:15,840 prison and he's placed him as second in command of all of Egypt. 450 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:20,160 The best resume in the history of the world won't get you that job. 451 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:26,480 But God takes this young man who he's been preparing through every stage of his life 452 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,960 for this moment where he can lead an entire nation. 453 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:32,600 I find that fascinating. 454 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,400 It also says that God can take you and put you wherever he wants you, no matter whether 455 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,320 you think you're qualified or not. 456 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,400 God qualifies you for whatever he calls you for. 457 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:49,080 Man, I look at the life of Joseph and I have waves upon waves of encouragement coming my 458 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:50,800 way. 459 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:54,720 And you should have waves and waves of encouragement coming your way. 460 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:59,160 Joseph is a 17-year-old frightened dreamer boy who now has become a man who could be 461 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,720 trusted with the future of a nation. 462 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:07,120 And he's been matured through each step of that adversity. 463 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:11,880 Nikki Gumbel wrote a book in which she said the statement, who you become while you are 464 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:17,800 waiting is as important as what you are waiting for. 465 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:24,560 In other words, there's maturing that goes on in the wait while you're waiting. 466 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:30,920 With his power, Joseph ended up saving during the feast years so they could eat during the 467 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:37,040 famine years and all of Egypt was rescued as well as Canaan where Israel was, where 468 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:38,680 his father's family was. 469 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,280 Everything was saved because of that. 470 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:45,680 And everything that happened to Joseph led him to the ultimate assignment to rescue these 471 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:47,760 two nations. 472 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:51,880 Every peace was necessary or God would not have allowed it. 473 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:53,240 Think about this. 474 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,460 Without the rejection, he would not have been sold to traders. 475 00:30:56,460 --> 00:31:01,040 Without the 12-day journey, as arduous as it was, he would not have arrived in Egypt. 476 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,440 Without the false accusation, he would never have been in prison. 477 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,280 Without the prison, he never would have met the cupbearer. 478 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:10,720 Without meeting the cupbearer, he never would have been known by Pharaoh. 479 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:15,000 And without the presence of God, he would have not made through any of these things. 480 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,000 It's all tied together. 481 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:18,560 And here's what's true. 482 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:21,040 God's waste no experience of our lives. 483 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:27,160 He builds us up in every single one of them in order for us to ultimately be what he's 484 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:28,160 called us to be. 485 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:29,160 Listen. 486 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:33,360 You go through tough times in life and God is just taking those and using those in a 487 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:38,760 way that he will ultimately use in your life and calling. 488 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:44,400 And now in the last chapter of Joseph's story, chapter 50, where we began, his brothers come 489 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:45,680 to him once more. 490 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,840 And I wish I could see that moment. 491 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:53,320 I wish I could just kind of let that unfold visibly to my eyes. 492 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:57,520 Because these are the ten that meant so much harm to him. 493 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,800 And now they come and they bow down. 494 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:06,320 I have to tell you, if Joseph was a normal man, then he would have certainly wanted to 495 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:07,520 have vindication. 496 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,840 He certainly would have wanted to take revenge, you would think. 497 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:12,120 But he didn't do any of that. 498 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:17,640 In fact, at this moment, when Joseph speaks to his brothers, I realize the previous four 499 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:24,520 chapters are a step-by-step process by which he ultimately forgives each one of them for 500 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:26,360 the evil they've done to him. 501 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:31,960 And when he finally opens his mouth about all this in Genesis chapter 50, verse 20, 502 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:40,400 we realize he's forgiven them and he's blessing them and he moves them to be with him in Egypt. 503 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:41,920 Listen. 504 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:49,360 As amazing as this story is, this family restoration is also amazing because one man stayed faithful 505 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:50,720 to God. 506 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:52,440 He loved in spite of rejection. 507 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,040 He endured false accusation. 508 00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:57,240 He forgave those who wrote him off and abandoned him. 509 00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:58,240 He finished well. 510 00:32:58,240 --> 00:32:59,800 There's only one way to do that. 511 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:06,120 And that is absolute trust in God in spite of being in a place where nothing makes sense. 512 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:11,280 I'm just going to tell you today, you're going to be in some places in life where nothing 513 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:13,280 makes sense to you. 514 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,760 And you're going to have to trust when nothing makes sense. 515 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:22,360 You don't find that your faith grows when everything makes sense, when you have an easy 516 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:24,640 life, when you get everything you want. 517 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:29,960 Nobody comes through those kinds of seasons saying, I learned so much because you didn't. 518 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:35,540 You learn a lot when things don't go your way, when challenges are bigger than you are, 519 00:33:35,540 --> 00:33:37,720 when the adversity is overwhelming. 520 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,920 That's when you learn to trust in God in a huge way. 521 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:42,480 So in the end, we just trust. 522 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:47,360 We trust when it doesn't make sense, when it doesn't look like he's in control. 523 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,520 We have to realize he is. 524 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:55,400 Christopher Ash writes a great book who in this book talks about the sovereignty of God 525 00:33:55,400 --> 00:34:00,840 and asks the question, where is God's sovereignty when things go so badly? 526 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:03,840 And he writes a statement that I think is very insightful. 527 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:08,760 He said, how do we think about the sovereignty of God in a world where Satan and evil exist? 528 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:14,560 On the one hand, we may neglect Satan altogether and assume that God rules the world in a simple 529 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:15,680 and direct way. 530 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:19,680 But if we do that, that means God is responsible for sin and evil. 531 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:22,040 Let me know that's not true. 532 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:26,240 On the other hand, we may think that Satan or sin as a second independent autonomous 533 00:34:26,240 --> 00:34:32,520 power of evil, in which case the universe becomes a terrifying, uncertain place. 534 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,480 Since we may never be sure whether God or Satan will win in any particular round of 535 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:37,480 their contest. 536 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:39,720 And we know that's not true either. 537 00:34:39,720 --> 00:34:42,960 Neither of those is true. 538 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:44,720 So here's what is true. 539 00:34:44,720 --> 00:34:49,800 And here's what we can determine from Joseph's life and from the whole of scripture. 540 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:50,800 Listen carefully. 541 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:57,160 In the sovereignty of God, even acts of evil serve his ultimate good. 542 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:02,320 God doesn't create the evil, but God causes the evil to work together for good in your 543 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:03,320 life. 544 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:08,080 They may have meant it for evil, but God means it for good. 545 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:12,240 Evil is subservient to the purposes of God in the story of Joseph. 546 00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:16,040 But just jump over to another book, the book of Job, and you'll see that even Satan is 547 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:20,520 subservient to the purposes of God in the book of Job. 548 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:21,720 And here's the key. 549 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:25,000 Live as though this is true. 550 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:30,440 And you're living by faith in a God that's greater than our world, greater than our circumstances, 551 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:32,360 greater than what we can make sense of. 552 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:36,280 That's the God that we want to serve right there, the God of Joseph, the God of Abraham, 553 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:41,760 Isaac, and Jacob, the God who sent his son, Jesus Christ, for us. 554 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:47,680 So as you filter these things through your mind, go back to Genesis chapter 50-20 where 555 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:48,680 the principle is. 556 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:50,920 Eyes for you. 557 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:56,800 You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present 558 00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:59,840 result to preserve many people alive. 559 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:04,960 And if you want to get into the New Testament with this, go to Romans 8-28. 560 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:09,560 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love 561 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:15,560 God to those who are the called according to his purpose. 562 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:19,720 Kim and I have friends that have been in a roller coaster kind of life. 563 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:21,320 They're great people. 564 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:23,040 They love God. 565 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:28,240 But if you go back and kind of detail the timeline of their life, it goes way above 566 00:36:28,240 --> 00:36:33,600 normal and way below normal and up and down and up and down. 567 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:38,640 Sometimes they face things that are mind boggling, unexpected, coming out of left field. 568 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:43,320 And still they stay focused on God. 569 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:47,640 Today they're living a life that I think is a good life. 570 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:51,440 That they have peace, they have a future. 571 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:55,160 But they would say if you ask them, how did you make it through all those roller coaster 572 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,600 periods of life where nothing makes sense? 573 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:00,120 And they would say, only God, only God could help us. 574 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,720 Only God could get us through an absolute trust in the God of the universe. 575 00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:06,200 That's how you and I make it through as well. 576 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:11,960 Through good times and tough times, we make it through with an absolute trust in our heavenly 577 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:12,960 Father. 578 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:19,720 One of my favorite Olympic events is the 400 meter run. 579 00:37:19,720 --> 00:37:21,680 It's one of my favorites because it's a dead out sprint. 580 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,520 It's all out sprint, but it's a long, long way. 581 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:29,680 A whole lap around the track, about a quarter of a mile, a little bit more, but 400 meters 582 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:32,640 requires everything of an athlete. 583 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:38,200 Back in 1992 in the Barcelona Summer Olympics, a guy named Derek Redmond had had a great 584 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:42,040 year leading up to that event representing Great Britain. 585 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:46,200 He was one of the fastest men on the planet, but had a history of injuries. 586 00:37:46,200 --> 00:37:50,800 But now finally he was healthy just in time for the 92 Olympics. 587 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:54,200 He ran his qualifying rounds and ran at the fastest speed. 588 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:59,240 So by the time the semifinal round came along, he knew that he had a great chance to win 589 00:37:59,240 --> 00:38:00,240 a gold medal. 590 00:38:00,240 --> 00:38:05,200 And halfway through that 400 meters, he was leading on the back stretch when all of a 591 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:09,520 sudden his hamstring snapped and he went to the ground. 592 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:13,480 And I still remember seeing the cameras carry that race all the way around. 593 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:18,080 Of course, the cameras left the focus off of Derek Redmond and focused on the ones that 594 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:22,640 were still running and crossing the finish line the way they did. 595 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:25,000 And then it shifts back to where Derek Redmond is. 596 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:30,840 And there he is on the track just barely able to get up by himself and very focused on staying 597 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,320 in his lane to finish the race the best he could. 598 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:39,680 So it's kind of a hop and a limp and a hop and a limp as he makes his way around the 599 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:40,680 track. 600 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:44,200 All of a sudden the cameras pick up another man coming out of the stadium and that man 601 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:50,580 is a very large man and pushes past the security guards on the side of the track and pushes 602 00:38:50,580 --> 00:38:55,040 past the race people and runs to the side of this young man. 603 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:59,520 And they look at each other and they hug and then they together make their way around to 604 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:01,720 the home stretch and across the finish line. 605 00:39:01,720 --> 00:39:05,760 Of course, the crowd was watching Derek Redmond at that moment and everybody was so inspired 606 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:10,520 they stand up and they began to cheer because this young man, in spite of all the adversity, 607 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:11,520 finished the race well. 608 00:39:11,520 --> 00:39:14,240 And then later on you hear the story. 609 00:39:14,240 --> 00:39:19,000 The man who burst out of the stadium onto the track was none other than Derek Redmond's 610 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:20,000 father. 611 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:25,360 He wanted to make sure that his son could finish that race but not by himself. 612 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,400 What a powerful picture of fatherhood. 613 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:28,640 I think about that sometimes. 614 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:33,280 And then I remember the fact that I've got someone better than an earthly father and 615 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:35,400 he's my heavenly father. 616 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:39,840 When you finish the race well, it'll be because your heavenly father comes down and walks 617 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:45,400 with you through life to help you finish the race well no matter how difficult life has 618 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:46,400 been. 619 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:51,160 So trust your heavenly father that you have through Jesus Christ. 620 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:52,400 Look at the 50-20 principle. 621 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:56,760 No matter what happens in your life, if it was meant for evil, sure it was. 622 00:39:56,760 --> 00:40:01,200 But God means it for good to bring about a good result in your life. 623 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:08,400 Have an absolute trust in the God of Joseph to be your God and to bring out good in the 624 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:09,400 end. 625 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:10,780 How do we know that God? 626 00:40:10,780 --> 00:40:16,840 We know that God because He sent His son Jesus to die on a cross to show us His character, 627 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:20,760 to rise again the third day to show us that He has enough power to do what He promises 628 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:21,760 He can do. 629 00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:26,400 Today I want to encourage you to put your trust and your faith in that Jesus and to 630 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:32,440 know that heavenly Father, the same one that Joseph knew. 631 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:37,640 Just a few moments, we're going to offer an invitation and I want you to respond. 632 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:43,360 Respond to God's intervening in Joseph's life by asking Him to intervene in your life. 633 00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:48,280 Respond by placing your trust and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 634 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:52,480 We have a decision station that are either side of our worship center at the back that 635 00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:53,480 are lit up. 636 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:55,400 As you walk out in just a few moments, you'll see them. 637 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:59,600 You'll see some people there that would love to talk to you and visit with you about your 638 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:01,640 decision to put your faith and trust in Jesus. 639 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:06,160 If you're a guest today, I would love to also invite you to come to our guest reception 640 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:07,160 center. 641 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:11,320 There's a little room across the hallway of our lobby and you'll see it's glassed in. 642 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:12,320 I'll be in there. 643 00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:16,520 I'd love to visit with you about what's going on here at our church and love to invite you 644 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:17,520 to be a part of it. 645 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:23,080 Thirdly, I'd love to invite you to invite others to come back because next week we'll 646 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:26,960 look at still another chapter of God's Not Done With You and another character where 647 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:30,360 God works in powerful ways in people's lives. 648 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:33,880 We pray He'll work that way in your life and we know He can and will. 649 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:37,640 Would you stand with me for a word of prayer? 650 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:44,880 Father, I want to thank you today that Joseph's story is so real, so powerful, so alive because 651 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:45,880 you are alive. 652 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:52,480 Father, today my prayer is that each of us would reach out to you and see you intervene 653 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:53,480 in our lives. 654 00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:55,480 Give us salvation. 655 00:41:55,480 --> 00:42:00,580 Give us the grace we need to finish the race well, to handle the opposition or adversity 656 00:42:00,580 --> 00:42:01,580 we face. 657 00:42:01,580 --> 00:42:06,600 Lord, through it all, help us to learn to trust you and bring about the fruit in our 658 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:09,760 lives that comes from walking by faith in you. 659 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:11,480 I ask this in Jesus' name. 660 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:32,480 Amen.