3rd Sunday of Easter!
Introduction:
A. In life, we can’t
always control what happens to us,
but we can control what we let it do to us.
B. I believe this is true
in most cases, and our scripture today is one place I see this
playing out.
C. Let’s take a look.
Prayer
Read
Gen. 45:1-8
I. Summary of background:
Gen. 37-
A. Jacob loved Joseph
more than the other sons and made a special coat of many colors. This made the brothers
hate Joseph.
B. Joseph had 2 dreams:
a. They were binding
sheaves and Joseph's sheaf
stood upright and the brother's sheaves bowed
down to it.
b. The sun, the
moon, and eleven stars bowed to him.
C. This made the brothers
jealous and envious (mad), but Jacob took note of it.
D. The brothers were feeding their father's flocks in She'-chem and Jacob sent Joseph to see how they were doing. They saw him coming and plotted to kill him, but Reuben stopped it (wanting to take him to his father). While Reuben was gone, the other brothers, at Judah's suggestion, sold him to Ishmaelites. They told his father that he was killed, taking Joseph’s coat to him with blood all over it.
E. The Ishmaelites sold
him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh in Egypt.
Gen. 39
F. Joseph was blessed by
God (the Lord was with him), and Potiphar saw it and turned all he had over
to Joseph to take care of.
G. Potiphar's wife
falsely accused Joseph, and Potiphar threw Joseph in prison.
H. The Lord was with
Joseph, and the prison keeper turned the prisoners over to him (chap.
39:22&23).
Gen. 40
I. Pharaoh's chief butler
and chief baker were thrown into prison and had dreams, and Joseph
interpreted them, and he was right.
Gen. 41
J. Pharaoh had some
dreams, and the chief butler remembered Joseph could interpret dreams,
and he told Pharaoh. Pharaoh called
forth Joseph, and Joseph interpreted the dreams to be 7 yrs. of
plenty followed by 7 yrs. of
famine, suggesting Pharaoh place a man in position
to store up food during the 7 yrs. of plenty for
the 7 yrs. of famine. Pharaoh placed
Joseph 2nd in command to him
to take care of everything.
Reread Gen. 45:5
II. Look at the attitude Joseph had come out with!
A. He had let God
bring some good out of the awful things that had happened
to him.
B. How would the story
have changed if Joseph had
gotten bitter at his brothers and at the world when
his brothers sold him into slavery and when he was
thrown into prison for something he didn't do.
1. Would Joseph have
reached the place in life he reached?
2. Would he have
been able to save his family?
III. But Joseph didn't; he trusted that God was in control, and he would bring good out of these situations if
he would let him, and God did!
IV. Application:
What about us? What
difference does the attitude we go through
life with make? What difference does it
make whether or not we look for God to
bring good out of bad situations?
Two reasons:
A. There could be a
famine somewhere down in our life
That we could help bring people through. And if we
have let God bring good out of the bad things in our
lives, we will be ready to be there for other people.
1. Maybe we are in
or beginning that famine right
now!
2. We have lots of
reasons to be bitter and angry
with the way things are
going today!
3. Will we be bitter
and angry and loose hope, or
will we trust God to bring
something good out of
it for us? Will we be a light shining in the
darkness or will we
perpetrate the darkness?
4. Will we surrender
to be used of God?
B. Second reason: It
gives you more peace of mind to know
that God is in control, and
God will take care of us,
even bringing good out of
bad situations.
Read Romans 8:28 all
things!
1. Not only does it
have to do with whether we offer
hope or perpetrate the
darkness.
2. It has to do with
our inner well being!
3. We can be stressed out and come to an early grave,
or
we can give it to God and trust God with it.
4. “God grant me the serenity to accept the
things I
cannot
change, the courage to change the things I
can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Quote:
Martha Washington once said, "Most of the good things or
the bad are determined by your disposition and not the circumstance."
V. One other point of application!
A. Joseph didn’t just sit
back and do nothing, but he
served where he was planted
and God blessed it!
B. Leaving it to God and
trusting God does not mean doing
nothing!
C. It means doing what we
can and then trusting God with
the rest! It means always having hope that God will
work it out. It means trusting that no matter what
happens God will work it for
our good!
D. Christians should be
the most hopeful people and not
the most bitter people!
E. Again, we cannot always
control what happens to us,
but we can control what we
let it do to us!
Conclusion:
A. We are Easter
people! Joseph didn’t have the
advantage of the
understanding of the New Testament,
but we do!
1. If Joseph can live with this attitude, surely we
can!
2. We live with the hope of the resurrection! We
know the rest of the story!
3. We know that our
God can conquer death and
anything that we face today!
4. There is no need
to loose hope! God has it!
5. Let’s do what we
can but trust God with the rest!
B. Christian: Have you let God bring good out of
situations in your life, or are you holding on to them and letting them eat at you? Let God help you get in shape spiritually today: turn any
bitterness over to God and
let God bring something good out of it for you
as we encounter Christ at the table.
C. Maybe you haven’t ever
accepted Christ? Then you haven't let God bring out the best in your
life. You can accept Christ as
you encounter Christ at the table today. If you do, let me know so I can help you with
your new life in Christ.
Prayer of Confession
Celebration
of Communion
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