God is Good: Even in Injustice By Senior Pastor Tom Harrison February 10, 2019 Genesis 39:1-18 I do not understand how Joseph was not bitter! He was so unjustly treated. He did not choose the I am a victim mentality. We never have closure when we remain victims. We lose control over our lives. Joseph was a type of Christ. Joseph was unjustly treated but rose above the abuse that came from his own family and employers whom he served faithfully. I am not there yet. I have a hard time just dealing with minor infractions, like someone cutting me off in traffic, let alone something of this magnitude. Joseph s response is one of the most amazing in all of scripture. He demonstrated the mind of Christ even before he knew X. APPLICATION: On the one hand, we resist injustice in every form. This is what people of the Christian faith do. On the other hand, we do not allow these injustices to make us bitter. I found the book, Failure of Nerve by Ed Friedman most helpful. It says that we will not allow injustice to determine our worldview or our self-esteem. Instead, we retain warmth and compassion for those who oppose us. We can do this only by the power of the Holy Spirit. Recap Joseph s story. Joseph s father, Jacob, showed poor judgment in his parental favoritism. Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons and showed it by giving him a coat of many colors. The other sons had plenty, but Jacob didn t give them an expensive gift like this. At 17, Joseph got an F in emotional intelligence. He expressed superiority over his older brothers. They hated him and got even. They would have murdered him, except they found a better way to achieve the same end sell him to a passing caravan headed to Egypt. They sold him and then told their father that his favorite son was dead. Re-intro the premise = God is good in both good and bad times (i.e. all the time. ) Gen 39:1-18 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5
From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me." 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house." 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house." v1 The Lord was WITH Joseph Even so, his success still had highs/lows; ups/downs; victories/defeats. (I love the incarnation = Emmanuel = God with US. Not just with the big/important people but with US. Everyone. God took the initiative in Jesus Christ. However, we must respond. Not only is God with us, but we are intended to be with God.) v1 He became a SUCCESSFUL man. We all want to be successful. Young people don t say, When I grow up, I want to be really average. Or, I want to really disappoint my parents and loved ones. But, success can be dangerous & lead to unintended consequences. Life is more complicated with more. Quoting Bill Mason s favorite rapper, Biggie Smalls, Mo Money, Mo Problems. 3 Dangers of Success 1.) It can make us PROUD (forget the Lord) 2.) It can lead us to love and trust in our STUFF.
3.) It can ATTRACT attention. Wealthy people are solicited at every turn. There s good news and bad news about this. First, the good attention: v3 His MASTER saw that the Lord was with him Potiphar knew God was blessing Joseph. However, there was an unintended consequence: Mrs. Potiphar. The Lord s blessing and his success led to a surprising turn -he suffered an injustice. This handsome man (the term describes only 3 others in the Bible: Saul, David and Absalom) was alone as a Hebrew living in Egypt. He did not have a Bible or even a list of Commandments (Moses is 400 years later) but he knew God guided and sustained him through the good and bad times. No exile could take that from him. We don t know if she was attractive to him, but he stayed in control. The Genesis pattern is the one who stays in control prevails (Abraham is blessed, not Lot; Isaac not Ishmael a wild donkey of a man; Jacob not Esau also a wild man; Joseph, is disciplined, not his crazy brothers). Self-restraint and the ability to delay gratification are essential. 4 things about suffering When suffering, we should try to diagnose it. 1.) SIN affects everyone. Sometimes I ve hurt myself or others because of sin. At other times, WE suffer at the hands of OTHERS (evil brothers and harassers) who strip us of our dignity and throw us into a pit. Do I need to ask forgiveness? Do I need to forgive others? 2.) It may never make SENSE Joseph did everything right but was falsely and unjustly accused. Suffering can be inexplicable. Sometimes we understand its purpose later but often we may never understand why something happened. Paul prayed 3x that God would remove the thorn from his flesh. 3.) God is Just. God makes things right in the end. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:14-21 4.) It can REFINE us In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-8 Dana and I have been watching a documentary TV series called Last Chance U. It s about the Eastern Mississippi Jr. College in Scooba, MS. football team. It tells how student athletes wind up at this Jr. College. Few want to be there. The population of Scooba is 700. There s nothing to do in the town, which is probably a good thing. But the athletes got there because they didn t qualify out of high school or because they did something a Division 1 college to get kicked out. It tells
the heart-breaking story of many of these kids. One kid s dad murdered his mother and then killed himself. Another kid had a dad in jail and a mom who abandoned him and his brothers. An academic counselor really loves these kids but is frustrated with them because they won t go to class and make their grades, so they have a dead-end future. Finally, the coach is Buddy Stephens, who tells the players before a game to touch someone and pray the Lord s Prayer, and then follows it up with profanity. It is an amazing study of what is going on in culture. If you watch it, be forewarned about the profanity. Here is why I share it with you Coach Stephens himself watched the first season and he didn t like who he saw he was. Many registered complaints on Social Media about his language and behavior. So, in Season #2, he tries to change. He wants to be a new man. It doesn t look like the Lord was with him at all at work. He s good with his family but not good at work. When people look at us, would they say, the Lord was with you? How s your language? Do you treat people with respect? Joseph s DREAM sustained him. His evil brothers stripped him of his multicolored robe. Mrs. P unjustly accused him and he was falsely imprisoned. But they couldn t take away his dream. He had a purpose for living that sustained him. It gave him a hope/future. Joseph was a type of Christ. Jesus suffered the ultimate injustice, being crucified for a crime He didn t commit. In God s wisdom, suffering must serve a greater purpose. Even when we can t see what that purpose is, we take comfort in knowing that all our suffering will be redeemed through Christ. We must keep our dream alive. John s vision in Revelation of a new heaven and a new earth - is our backdrop. No matter what else happens, we are heaven-bound. We must keep our eyes upon Jesus. A cynic could have asked Joseph: Where did following God get him? The disciples probably thought this on Holy Saturday! But something good can emerge from something bad. Joseph persevered. He did not quit. His unjust prison sentence opened the door for him to get his life back on track. Prison opened the door for him to meet others and to get him into Pharaoh s court. He proved faithful in small things, so God trusted him with greater things. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 The cross a means to an end. The crucifixion led to resurrection. Don t give thanks FOR all things but give thanks IN all things.
Set-up for Remember Your Baptism Our confirmation service tonight. We will have 56 students express their faith in Jesus Christ and become members of Asbury. Some were baptized as infants or children. Our vows for parents of infants/children state: until he/she by the power of God shall accept for himself/herself the gift of salvation and be confirmed as a full and responsible member of Christ s holy church. We ve also had baptisms recently for other students. Some who were baptized when they were young, may feel less baptized than those who were older. For those unable to express themselves at their baptism, know you are loved by God and someone else loved you, too. They ve prayed and worked from the moment when you would own your faith. For the rest of us, we have an opportunity to remember that time in our lives when someone made vows that said they would do all in their power to bring us to faith or when we were baptized years ago.