I. Introduction: Joseph. The Lord Was With Him a. Main events of Joseph s life. i. Loved by his father. Gen. 37:3 ii. Hated by his brothers. Gen. 37:4 iii. Sold into slavery. Gen. 37:28 iv. Rises to oversight of Potiphar s house. Gen. 39:4 v. Unjustly imprisoned. Gen. 39:20 vi. Prospered even while in prison. Gen. 39:23 vii. Forgotten by the baker. Gen. 40:23 viii. Exalted in Egypt. Gen. 41:40 ix. Saves his family. Gen. 45:7 b. Up and down is an understatement. i. Extreme highs and extreme lows. ii. Can you imagine being sold into slavery? 1. Or being imprisoned even though you were innocent? iii. Or can you imagine being exalted to second in command to the Pharaoh of Egypt? iv. Joseph certainly knew what it meant to prosper, and he definitely knew what it meant to suffer. c. The one constant in Joseph s life. i. Four verses in Genesis 39. 1. Vs. 2, The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 2. Vs. 3, And his master saw that the Lord was with him and the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. 3. Vs. 21, But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 4. Vs. 23, The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. ii. The one constant amid the highs and lows. 1. God was with Joseph. 2. I m not sure how long it took Joseph to realize this. a. But he realizes it at least by the end of the story when he is a position to save his family in Egypt. Genesis 45:4-8
II. If God is with us in the good times, is He not also with us in the tough times? a. It s easy to see God with us when times are good. i. Each time Joseph was elevated, it would have been easy for him to see that God was there with him. 1. When he prospered in Potiphar s house. 2. When he was put in charge of the other prisoners. 3. When he was exalted to Pharaoh s right hand. ii. But how hard would it have been for Joseph to see God when he was on the way down. 1. When he was thrown into the pit. 2. When he was sold into slavery. 3. When he was thrown into prison because of the lies of Potiphar s wife. 4. When he was forgotten by the baker. b. What we need to understand is that God is there through thick and thin. i. Hebrews 13:5, For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. ii. Footprints illustration. 1. One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The LORD replied: "My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." iii. It s the same point that Job understood. 1. After Job had lost his prosperity, his children, and his health. 2. After his wife tells him to curse God and die. 3. Job 2:10, But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. c. Imagine what this attitude can do for us in our lives.
i. Philippians 4:11-13, Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ii. When we realize that God is with us all the time, in good times and in bad. 1. It will make us persevere through the difficulties. 2. And it will make us appreciative of the joys. iii. I can do anything because God is with me!! iv. 1 Samuel 17:37, The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. III. God s plan for you might include some trials. a. If Joseph could have written his own plan. i. Do you think it would have been the same? 1. Do you think it would have included all of the lows? 2. Of course not. ii. But God s plan did. 1. God allowed Joseph to suffer. 2. And He made it all work out the way it needed to work out. b. What is God s plan for you? i. God has not told us all the specifics of our individual lives. ii. But He has told us all we need to know. iii. He s told us what to do and how to act. iv. But I do want to focus on one specific fact regarding our lives here on earth: it s going to be full of ups and downs. 1. God never promised us otherwise. 2. In fact, think about the people we read about in the Bible. a. Prophets. b. Apostles. c. 1 st Century Christians. d. Jesus. v. His promise is not that we will be free from suffering if we follow Him; His promise is that He will be with us through our suffering. 1. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
c. Whether we understand it or not, we need to realize that suffering and trials are good for us. i. James 1:2-4, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 1. When we go through trials, we learn; we grow. 2. The person you are today is a result of the difficulties you have had to face in the past. 3. The difficulties you are facing today will likely determine who you are tomorrow. 4. We grow when we face our trials and overcome. ii. James 1:12, Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. d. Realize that you are going to experience times of suffering, but also realize that God has promised to be with you. IV. Is the Lord with you? a. The Lord was with Joseph. i. But is He with everyone? ii. Proverbs 15:29, The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. iii. Obviously, God is not with everyone. iv. Why? 1. Because everyone has not drawn near to Him. 2. James 4:8, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. b. If that is the case, then the question becomes: i. Is the Lord with you? ii. If we want the comfort of knowing God is always with us, we need to first make sure that God is by our side. c. Have you drawn near to God? i. There is only one way to draw near to God. ii. Ephesians 2:13, But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 1. Jesus is the means by which we can draw near to God. iii. Hebrews 4:14-16, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For
we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. iv. If we want mercy and we want help in time of need, the only place to turn is Jesus. d. Our question then turns. i. Do we have a relationship with Jesus? ii. Does He know us, and we know Him? iii. Matthew 7:21-23, Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! V. Conclusion: Have you done the will of God? a. If so, you have the promise of the Father. i. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5 ii. God will you be there with you every step of the way. b. If not, there s no better time than the present. i. Become a Christian today. 1. Confess your belief in Christ. 2. Repent of your sins. 3. Be baptized into the blood of Christ. ii. Come back to Christ today. 1. Confess your sins and repent. 2. 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. iii. You can have the peace which surpasses all understanding.