1031. Joseph: A Servant Chosen and Equipped

Welcome to The Daily Platform or program feature sermons from travel services to Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, whether it's the general travel service for the whole student body or services for those in the ministerial class or seminary. Everyone at the school is blessed by the preaching of the word each day from the travel platform today on The Daily Platform work, including a study series from seminary chapel called Old Testament servants today speaker is Dr. Jim Berg seminary professor at Bob Jones University. The book of Genesis is that covers for great patriarchs and the last 14 chapters are devoted to Joseph and I Joseph has become my favorite character in the Old Testament and God has used his life and his responses to mama and his confidence in God to model to me how to handle trials and I want to share some of those things with you this morning and you'll see on the screen.

Second Corinthians 416 to 18, and use that passage to kind of use as a structure for what were going to look at today briefly and in second Corinthians for the apostle Paul says therefore we do not lose heart even though our outward man is perishing ever felt like that our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal and I I want us to look at Joseph's life from these two perspectives today what is his seen world. What was his, seen world like and what is what was his unseen world like and so I want us to look at his seen world and the first point is that though Joseph was chosen by God to be a patriarch.

His story was riddled with adversity. This is the scene world the temporary world that he had to live in. Here is a young man who is 17 years old when the drama really begins to pick up in chapter 37 about the time when most young people would like to be able to make. They all their own decisions and Joseph's brothers make one decision that makes all the rest of the decisions for Joseph's life and there's an important lesson in that and I'll just come in this and and go on and that is that that you will not ever be ruined by other people's decisions they can make life hard for you and they can be very hurtful, but you can be ruined only by your own decisions by your responses to those decisions. You and I have the freedom to make decisions about other people's decisions and Joseph made the right decisions in in all of this up, but I want to just quickly looked into his is raised in a dysfunctional home and in today's terminology is got for moms that are bickering and fighting for supremacy in the family 10 brothers who hate his guts as a spoiled sister and a doting father. This is dysfunctional if there ever was a dysfunctional family. He was bereaved of his mother at seven or eight years old. His main protector up to that point was his mother and her sheep. She passes away bit bearing Benjamin and of course Jacob favored him that he was bereaved of his mother at an early age.

He was favored by his father, and of all the people who should understand the destructiveness of partiality.

It should have been. Jacob made the partiality of his parents, Isaac and Rebekah, just dividing that family in the partiality between Isaac and Jacob and yet Jacob repeats it in his own family on it with his own children. He shows partiality hated in traffic by his brothers, they couldn't speak peaceably with labored in the fields of Potter. That's conjecture on my part, but Potiphar did have fields.

Actually, Joseph was made over the steward over the house and over his fields and set night. I don't think the Potter for picked him out of a slave block and set.

I want to run my house and he had to prove himself somehow. Before that, and he is laboring in the fields and by the way that that wasn't his major that he chose you know he was he was training to to be the the Prince error of his clan, and that's why he's at home and able to go check on his brothers in doubt probably and somewhat of a managerial role and also he's, you know he is dreaming of a condo on the Sea of Galilee and in management and all this kind of thing and somebody makes decisions that shape one decision that changes all of and he is laboring in the fields probably and I was stood out as somebody who what had commitment and creativity perhaps and what he did and is elevated through whatever ranks their work. Eventually he became. He became that the servant or we would call it today. Perhaps the valet to Potter for himself and then he was advanced to look over his whole household. He was first of all Potter for servant's personal servant, and then he became over the whole household and up that that says a lot because a lot of times we get in a job we don't like and we say why don't take this job and and we just kind of get by. Joseph didn't do that he represented the one true God, and God was working our plan in his life and he wasn't gonna blow it and he would not find any that would open the look of self-pity in his in his story here.

He was promoted eventually. How steward but falsely accused of attempted rape and then imprisoned and forgotten two more years. Now that's that's the story we see in another 13 years from the time he 17×30 when he comes into Potiphar's comes into Pharaoh's court. That's a lot of adversity.

That's a lot of uncertainty.

Imagine Joseph being in the bottom of a pit where his brothers had placed him thinking about these brothers and he is well aware of what they what his brothers did when they butchered all of the men in Shechem.

He knows the violence and the hatred of these men and I think that I think it a lot of that kind went through his mind when his thinking I'm at their hands. I'm at their mercy.

They don't have very good track record for handling things well. The a lot of adversity, a lot of uncertainty in his life. A lot of vulnerability is like a lot of injustice in his life and that's his seen world and II want you and and I took to be thinking what what what are the setbacks what are the reversals where the uncertainty is one of the vulnerabilities.

What are the injustices in my life and what did Joseph know in the unseen world that gave him such stability that perhaps I'm not seen though Joseph was chosen by God to be a patriarch's story was riddled with adversity and number two God is adversity to equip him to serve at I don't like that any better than you do. But there is no way for you and me to be equipped with the character of Jesus without developing endurance. That's one of the character qualities of second Peter one. Adding to your faith virtue and virtue, knowledge, and knowledge, self-control, and self-control. Endurance.

And James says let trials have their perfecting work and and and endure in these, it will produce endurance and God uses adversity that you can't go to the fitness center down here and develop muscles by lifting airway you you have to be exerting your muscles against real resistance, mechanical, pneumatic at pneumatic resistance, gravitational resistance, and you cannot develop the endurance of Jesus I unless you have real problems to wrestle through with his help, and Joseph certainly handled that well let me remind you again before we get into the next part of this verse.

The last sentence of it out for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So let's look at the unseen thing I want to notice Joseph's responses after 13 years of adversity in the seen world and that comes into play. Get started.

Genesis 40. A lot of them are right in here. I put several pieces of this upon up on slides here but look how he takes orders. He's in prison verse four at his ease. Potiphar has sent him to prison Bible. I believe the Potter for new Joseph was not guilty of it of of attempting to rape his wife and reason. I believe that is because Joseph still alive and and a Potter for probably knew his wife pretty well and the best thing he could do is get her get Joseph out of her sight and I can imagine maybe conversations honey, I'll take care of this guy you'll never see them again and she's thinking goodies can execute him and Potter say I got a job down there prison for him and any puts him in prison, and in fact it wasn't.

He wasn't treated kindly, initially in prison because Psalm 107 says that his feet were hurt in irons while he was imprisoned and just as another side thing here. I I would've loved to be kind of a fly on the wall when Joseph is honored by Pharaoh and driven through the streets in his chariot as the Prime Minister of of Egypt, second only to Potter for imagine what's going to Potter's wife's heart mind that I will be doesn't remember this. Joseph didn't take vengeance on her either. But look how he takes orders so verse four says and the captain of the guard that's Potter for charge Joseph with them. These are the royal prisoners. The Baker, the chief baker and the Butler and the candlestick maker of net know nothing candlestick and he served them. He could've said to Potter for are you kidding, I'm down in this prison, and you know that I am innocent and you're asking me to run your ship for you.

You find somebody else I'm not helping you. That's the natural response if some of we don't think somebody for some is qualified to tell us what to do, we just won't do it and that's totally a biblical look how he takes orders. Look how he comes to work versus verse five talks about the two guys having dream for sex and Joseph came in under them in the morning, and he looked upon them, and behold a hold they were sad and he said any asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him and that word of his lord's house and were 40 look.

Sadly today, a man who is obsessed with his own miseries doesn't notice the nonverbal's on somebody else's face.

You know you might have a guy in the workplace. It comes in the office and he's just he's late and he's just screaming and yelling and fussing and then you and I got behind this this later this guy in the car. There on their cell phone doing something and they miss selector arrow. Now we gotta go to the hall light again. I think people are going to drive that way they'll park it didn't just yet, here he goes on and not you. Suppose that a person who comes to work like that notices the sadness in other people's eyes and their faces on it. One of the greatest testimonies of Joseph's contentment with where God had placed is how it comes to work in the setting he looks on their faces and he says what's wrong talk to me.

Look how we avoid cynicism and bitterness and they say well we had some dream, Joseph could've said you had some dreams let let's talk about dreams. I mean you want talk about dreams, let's talk about dream she was bowing son-in-law and borrowing don't put any stock in dreams. Dreams have no bearing is not a cynic and is not bitter, and this is interpretations of dreams belong to God, let's talk is not city is not cynical is not bitter look at his willingness to get involved verse eight. Do not interpretations belong to God. Tell me them. I pray you, he doesn't say man I got enough of my problems in my own.

My dreams are working out so well either.

So I'm sorry guys is not federal he's willing to get involved in their lives and and and I you know you watch him interpret the dream of the Butler and it's a very positive dream and then he has to interpret the dream of the Baker and it's not positive, and I think that Baker probably got the new version then in Egyptian of God's simple plan of salvation. This man is not long in the earth, and I imagine Joseph told that story told his future with her quivering voice and hurting heart but is willing to get involved doesn't sag up comes my own man. Don't I don't have time for. Look at his awareness of God and this is where I really want us to take away look at his awareness of God before these royal prisoners. The people don't in Egypt and that time which was then I going around talking about the God of heaven.

Joseph's probably the lone voice and all the country that that the royal prisoners said they said to him, we each have had a dream in verse eight, and there is no interpreter of it. So Joseph said to them, do not. Interpretations belong to God.

Tell me, tell them to me please you. He could've left got out of that thing and said you know that dwelt shirt with me on this if I can help it indeed is not taking credit for dream interpretation. Cindy belong to God, let's talk about look at Joseph's awareness of God before Pharaoh love this Pharaoh had his interpreting Pharaoh's dream. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph they brought him quickly out of the dungeon and he shaved and change his clothing and came to Pharaoh and Pharaoh said to Joseph, I've had a dream and there is no one who can interpret it, but I've heard it said of of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it.

So Joseph answered Pharaoh saying it is not in me.

God will give Pharaoh an answer piece he's talking to the ruler of the country and is not afraid to bring God and verse 2520 and 32 then Joseph said to Pharaoh, the dreams of Pharaoh are one God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Verse 32 and the dream was her repeated to Pharaoh twice because of the thing is established by God and God will shortly bring it to pass this this man.

Men and women is seeing the unseen world and he is bringing the unseen world right down into the center stage of the drama that's on. Even before pagan people look at his impact forgot upon Pharaoh and 3839 and Pharaoh said to the service. Can we find such a one is this a man in whom is the spirit of God. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, inasmuch as God has shown you this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you heat. He's got a pagan king talking about God.

That's impact folks and Joseph is seeing something that other people are not seeing look at his awareness of God when naming his children.

Joseph called the name of the firstborn, Manasseh, for God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's that's an interesting statement so many of us when we've had very difficult times and Joseph had a very difficult time.

We we just rehearsed the pastor rehearse and rehearse in a rehearsal to rehearse it and Joseph didn't find any profit in rehearsing what profit is going to be to go back and think of the way his brothers treated, and what it was like an Egyptian dungeon. What was like to be betrayed by Potter for her and his wife is not rehearsing that he think God has made me forget I don't I don't think he has and at some kind of divine amnesia, but you think this is not the focus of my life God has made me change what I think about God is made me forget all my toil and all my father's house in the name of the second he called Ephraim for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction unfruitful. God did this, God, men, women, God can make you and me fruitful in our affliction. And if that's true, your nickname could be Manasseh.

I mean, Ephraim, God is because you be fruitful in the land of your flexion. I think sometimes were not were not hung up on what we know we know these things are true.

What we forget is we don't meditate upon them long enough to see that there are actually possible for us you can be fruitful in your flexion. It's part of your equipping and you can think differently about your past, Joseph gave testimony. This is a divine record of how a man contented and used of God and equipped looked at life with none of us are saying that's easy and we just have were just doing of 35,000 foot flyover. Maybe 100,000 word were just but but Joseph actually lived this for 13 here's a look at his awareness of God before his brothers, but now do not therefore be grieved, or angry with yourselves because you sold me here for God sent me before you to preserve life and God sent me before you to preserve oppressed posterity for you and the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God and he has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord of all his house and ruler throughout all the land that is an amazing perspective he's seeing something folks more than the unseen world. She's seeing the unseen Genesis 5020 that Romans 828 of the Old Testament is that is. But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it to good in order to bring bring it about as it is this day to save many people alive in verse 25, 24, 25 and Joseph said to his brother, and I am dying, but God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land. Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying God will surely visit you and you shall carry out my bones from here.

Joseph interpreted the events of the scene world by what he knew to be true about the unseen world and women. That's why you and I must very our souls in this book every single day. We must know our God. Well, one of the ways that you know that God is well visit God when you know God well is that God is becoming entirely predictable to because he never changes. In a matter what comes your way. You know some things that are true about God that are predictable.

He will always love me always. He is always up to something good in my life always is. Grace is always enough for me always.

Those are predictable statements of God somehow without a Bible. Joseph knew his God well enough to know that he was predictable and had amazing amazing stability and he used what he knew about God to interpret life's events.

He knew got a chosen him to be a patriarch. He'd had the is is father certainly favored him and chose him to be the next heir because his eldest brother Ruben slept with his father's concubine and because of that first Chronicles 5 tells us that the birthright was taken from Ruben the first born of Leo the first wife and given to Joseph, the firstborn of the second wife and and Jacob made that transition, making him the Prince heir of that and God even confirmed that further with the patriarchal visions and Joseph was a patriarch and he knew it he knew got a chosen him to be a patriarch and he knew God used adversity to equip him to be a deliver. So what about your unseen world and it's one leave you with this passage. First Peter 29 but you are a chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises or the excellencies of the one who called you out of darkness into his that's what you and I are chosen to do the servants of the living God. We are to show to the world by the way we live that our God is excellent, above all things, and we do that by the way we respond to life because of who he is and what he's taught us about God will use adversity to equip you proclaim his praises. If you will see the unseen during your trials and I just want but most of us spend the week we live in the scene world don't we come we can't live in the unseen world flexibly set up. I will be at your meeting and body, but I'll be there. Sniff. If you don't send your body build centers.

What the whole person here. You and I live in the scene world. Men and women, we must interpret what we are seeing with what is unseen. There is no other source of joy and he's in stability in the Christian unless you are seeing God and what is like the spring or Jesus, thank you for what you have done to make all of this possible. You have told us that these things were written in these previous times were written for our instruction, we unto whom the ends of the world should come and Lord, we pray that we buy this man's example would learn how important it is to know you, the living and true God, and to know you so well that though the world is crashing in about us that we would know that you don't change that you are working all of these things out even though other men may intend evil against us. You are able to take all of that and turn it into good because of who you are, Lord, make may we be grateful for this testimony of Joseph, may we be motivated to know and to love you more, or Jesus, we thank you that you made all this possible by your death, burial and resurrection.

Your presence with us through your spirit.

Now, in the written word you given us in your intercessory work before the father. Now, or Jesus I pray today that you would help us because of these things to be a blessing to each other most of all, may we be a blessing to you our great God, pray this in your precious name you been listening to a sermon preached from seminary chapel at Bob Jones University by Prof. Dr. Jim Berg, I'm Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University. Thank you for listening to The Daily Platform. Please come visit our beautiful campus in Greenville, South Carolina, and see how God is working in the lives of our students. For more information about Bob Jones University, visit www.bgyou.edu or call 800-252-6363.

Thanks again for listening. We look forward to the next time as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform