Living A Life of Integrity The Prison Test GENESIS 39:20-40:15

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1 MESSAGE FOR SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 14, 2010 MESSAGE 5 OF 7: Living A Life of Integrity series (The Life of Joseph) CHRISTIAN HOPE CHURCH OF CHRIST, PLYMOUTH, NORTH CAROLINA by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister Living A Life of Integrity The Prison Test GENESIS 39:20-40:15 (Key Verse: Genesis 40:15b I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon. ) READ SCRIPTURE TEXT: Genesis 39:20-40:15 P R A Y E R The world had a hopeful beginning. But we ruined our chances by sinning, We know that the story Will end to God s glory, But for now it seems the other side is winning. I wonder if that is how Joseph felt as he sat in that cold, dark prison after being falsely accused of a rape that never happened? How often do we see good, decent people wind up in a Prison of Unfairness?.Think of that person who lives with chronic illness and pain who has lost all hope of ever being healthy again...think of that young couple who has tried desperately for years to have children, all to no avail. Think of that person who was physically or sexually abused as a child who remains trapped inside those haunting, painful memories.

2 ..Think of that hardworking person who just can t seem to make ends meet no matter how hard they try..think of that lonely widow or widower who lives in house filled with deafening silence day after day after day..think of all those people who are living with the lingering consequences of a foolish choice they made many years ago. Think of all those fathers and mothers who can t get past the grief of losing a son or daughter..think of that skilled worker who has lost his job and can t find employment anywhere. Think of that brokenhearted wife or brokenhearted husband who can t get past the emotional pain of their mate s infidelity. These are just a few of the many Emotional Prisons Without Bars one might find himself in. Have you ever been in an emotional prison such as these? Are you in such a prison right now? As we have seen throughout this series on the Life of Joseph, it is in the face of life s greatest challenges the true depth of our character, our faith and our integrity is revealed. ********************

3 Joseph wasn t the only one who ever had to go through a prison experience. In fact, when you study the scriptures you discover that many of the great men of faith found themselves in one prison or another. Samson Daniel Jeremiah Hosea John the Baptist Peter Paul Silas The apostle John All of these men found themselves in a prison, some of them more than once. But in each case, GOD always revealed His POWER and PROVIDENCE. This was certainly true in the case of JOSEPH. As we follow JOSEPH through his Prison Test let s see what valuable lessons you and I can learn. ***************

4 The first valuable lesson we learn is this: I. A Prison Is A Place of Oppression 39:20 verse 20 Joseph s master took him and put him in prison where the king s prisoners were CONFINED. 1. Every day you and I enjoy many freedoms. -We live in our own homes..drive our own vehicle. sleep in our own bed eat our own food..wear our own clothes.and take a shower or bath in our own bathroom. We get up when we want to get up and go to bed when we want to go to bed. If we want to watch TV we do it. If we want to read the newspaper, we do it. If we want to go outside and work in the yard or take a walk, we do it. If we want to go shopping or go out to eat, we do it. 2. Imagine being confined in -A place where all your freedoms are taken away. -A place where you are separated from your family, your friends and everything familiar. -A place of darkness and hopelessness. -A place where you are isolated and cut off from humanity. A prison is a place of oppression!

5 3. It is certainly reasonable and just for one to be put in prison and forfeit his freedom if he has committed a crime against someone. But what if the man is innocent? What if the man has done nothing wrong? What if a man has been falsely accused of something he didn t do? That is exactly what happened to JOSEPH! 5. Let s not miss the valuable truth that is to be learned here! Obedience to GOD is no guarantee bad things won t happen to us. Just like Joseph, sometimes we can do all the right things and still have everything turn out dreadfully wrong! Sometimes life can be brutally unfair to the Christian, whether it is in a marriage, a career, a business deal, a friendship, or a report from the doctor. 6. Not one single verse in the Bible promises you and me that life will always be FAIR, not one! But the Bible does promise us that even when life is not FAIR to us, GOD will always be FAITHFUL to us. ************************ The second valuable lesson we learn is..

6 II. A Prison is A Place of Opportunity 1. Sometimes the difficult situations that imprison us become golden opportunities to bring glory and honor to God. 2. We learn in verses 1-4 (Genesis 40) that after Joseph had been in prison for some time, two officials in Pharaoh s government were thrown into prison with Joseph. verse 2 tells us one of these was Pharaoh s cupbearer and the other was Pharaoh s chief baker. The cupbearer was like a butler who brought food and drink to Pharaoh s private quarters. He was Pharaoh s personal attendant. Of course the chief baker was the head cook who prepared all of Pharaoh s meals. 3. Now the scriptures don t give us the specifics as to what these two men did to get thrown into prison other than to say Pharaoh was angry with them. Who knows, maybe the Chief Baker burnt the pot roast or fixed a bad batch of leeks and onions and because the Cupbearer served them to him, Pharaoh got mad and threw both of them in prison. 4. Regardless of how they got there, the Captain of the Prison Guard placed Joseph in charge of these two prisoners. 5. Now as we go back to our text I want you to see how GOD turned a bad situation into a golden opportunity for Joseph.

7 Let s pick up the record in the latter part of verse 4 and read through verse 11. (Begin with..after they had been in custody for some time, (vs. 4b) Verses 4b In these verses we see two ways in which God turned Joseph s prison experience into a wonderful opportunity. (A) First, Being in A Prison Afforded Joseph the Opportunity to LEARN about GOD. In this prison Joseph learned about God s presence.god s providence God s protection. God s provisions and God s purpose.. and God s power. Joseph learned lessons about God he might not have learned under more pleasant circumstances. Application: Do you know the same thing is true in your life and mine. You and I will learn more about God in times of trial and trouble than in times of comfort and ease. -Daniel could not have learned about God s power over lions unless he was thrown into the lion s den. - Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego could not have learned about God s power over life and death had they not been thrown into the firey furnace. -The Disciples would never have learned of God s power over nature had they not been with Jesus in the boat that stormy night on the Sea of Galilee.

8 Like Joseph, most of what you and I learn about the wonderful nature of God will be learned when we are imprisoned in a difficult situation. (B) Secondly, Being In A Prison Afforded Joseph the Opportunity to be USED by GOD. Both the cupbearer and the chief baker had dreams. And neither of them understood what their dreams meant. Do you believe it just happened to be a coincidence that Joseph was the one in charge of these two prisoners? Joseph was an expert on dreams! Remember it was his dreams that got him into trouble with his brothers. And remember Joseph s brothers even sarcastically nicknamed Joseph, the dreamer. Now Joseph finds himself in a situation where he can use his God-given gift of dream interpretation to bring glory and honor to God. READ: VERSE 8b As we continue on with VS let s read about the CUPBEARER S DREAM and Joseph s interpretation of his dream in.. Verses 9-15 After hearing JOSEPH S favorable interpretation of THE CUPBEARER S DREAM, the Chief Baker can t wait to tell Joseph about his dream. And as we are about to see, the Baker will soon wish he had just kept his mouth shut. Verses 16-19

9 Do you suppose when the CHIEF BAKER heard Joseph s doomsday interpretation of his dream He stuck his fingers in his ears and said.. dbl-dbl-dbl-dbl-dbl-dbl..(sing) I m not listening.lah, dee, dah, dee, dah.dbl..dbl.. dbl. GOOD NEWS for one.bad NEWS for the other! LIFE for one DEATH for the other! In either case, GOD was honored and glorified when both of Joseph s interpretations were fulfilled just three days later. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A Prison Is A Place of Oppression A Prison Is A Place of Opportunity And finally. III. A Prison Is A Place of Obscurity 1. You remember when Joseph was giving THE CUPBEARER the wonderful news that he would be FREE from prison and back serving Pharaoh within three days, Joseph made a request of THE CUPBEARER. READ----VERSES 14,15 2. Three days later when the CUPBEARER was indeed released from prison and back in the service of Pharaoh, did he honor Joseph s request? VERSE 23

10 3. Remember the old saying, Out of sight, out of mind. Joseph soon realized he was a forgotten man in prison. 4. That s how it is for us many times as well. When we first find ourselves in a difficult circumstance such as the loss of a loved one or a serious extended illness..or a family crisis..or some kind of financial crisis its not uncommon to be surrounded by loving, caring people at the outset. But then as the days stretch into weeks or months, many of those people who surrounded us at first go back to living their lives and we feel all alone and forgotten in our prison. 5. But there is ONE who never forgets us and that is our GOD. ***************************** C O N C L U S I O N When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade, so goes the old saying. Life gives us lots of lemons doesn t it?.the premature death of a husband is not FAIR!.The premature death of a wife is not FAIR!..The premature death of one of our children is not FAIR!..Having a child with a severe handicap is not FAIR!..Cancer is not FAIR!.Abuse is not FAIR!..Alzheimers is not FAIR!..Being cheated on by a mate is not FAIR!..Being overlooked for a promotion or raise is not FAIR!..Losing our job because of company cutbacks is not FAIR!.. Paying exorbitant taxes is not FAIR!.. Being slighted by a certain school teacher is not FAIR!

11 It wasn t FAIR that Joseph s brothers threw him into a PIT. It wasn t FAIR that Joseph s brothers sold him as a SLAVE. It wasn t FAIR that Joseph was thrown into prison after being falsely accused of a crime he didn t commit. It wasn t FAIR that the CUPBEARER forgot all about Joseph once he was released from prison. Life didn t hand Joseph just one lemon..it handed him a whole basket full. HOW DID JOSEPH TURN THOSE LEMONS INTO LEMONADE? He chose not to see himself as a victim. He chose not to wallow in self-pity. He chose not to blame everyone else for his troubles. He chose not to be overcome with bitterness and anger. Rather than obsessing over the UNFAIRNESS OF LIFE..Joseph chose to focus on the FAITHFULNESS OF GOD. And that brothers and sisters is How To Live A Life of Integrity!

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