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A Faith Perspective
Sermon 08
November 15th, 2009
What do you see? One of our members recently sent this story to me: There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, “If I could only see the world, I would marry you.” One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” This girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. But the sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left in tears and a few days later he wrote a note to her saying: “Take good care of your eyes, my dear; for before they were yours, they were mine.”
What do you see? What do you see when things are going well? What do you see when you’re going through deep waters? Do you see life through the eyes of faith or do have a faithless perspective?
That once blind girl is like too many of us. When our situations improve, we often forget what life was like before. What an example Joseph is on how to have A Faith Perspective, no matter what! Please turn to Genesis 41:41-57 (p. 32).
Perspective makes all the difference. A young father shared of taking to his four-year-old daughter with him to a youth meeting where he was singing for a group of high schoolers. As he prepared to leave for this Youth Rally, his four-year-old daughter asked, "Daddy, where are you going?" He replied, "I'm going to go sing for the kids." She asked if she could go with him, so he took her along. When they got to the meeting, he was surrounded by teenagers and his little girl looked up at him and said, "Daddy, where are all the kids?" He said, "Well, there they are, out there." She looked at him and said, "Daddy, those aren't kids, those are baby sitters!" Perspective makes all the difference in the world.
This is a negative, cynical, pessimistic world and sometimes the people of faith can be the worst of the bunch! Someone said, “A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he’ll feel worse when he feels better.” Too often in the midst of blessings, we only see burdens. Recently, I stumbled on a quote by Eric Hoffer that challenged my heart, “The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”
Why is it that we have little difficulty focusing on bad times but counting our blessings and how good God is to us…often, that’s another story? In this last part of Genesis 41 Joseph models for us A Faith Perspective. His view of God is unchanging whether in good times or bad.
This morning we’re examining Joseph’s perspective after a long period of suffering, when he finally experiences great prosperity. Did you know that it’s often more difficult to handle success than failure? Thomas Carlyle said, “Affliction is bad; but for every person that can handle prosperity, there are a hundred that can handle adversity.” While it sounds strange, it’s vital that we know how to cope with prosperity as well as adversity.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Scott, this message is purely theoretical for me. I’ll never be successful…” While most of us won’t experience the dramatic success God granted to Joseph, we can learn much from his story. Joseph had no idea what God had planned for him until it happened. That day in the dungeon began like every other day had for the past two years. Yet, by day’s end, he was second in the land to Pharaoh. That wouldn’t have happened if Joseph hadn’t been prepared for it. He’d walked with God and developed godly character which shone through in his life in tough places. It made him ready for the success God eventually gave him. Because Joseph honored God and was diligent in his work, he was able to cope successfully with success. Joseph had A Faith Perspective and models for us how we to can have A Faith Perspective. If you’re taking notes…
1. God’s people see clearly who truly prospered them. This second half of Genesis 41 records Joseph’s promotion to prime minister of Egypt. It’s the position that we’ve known from the beginning he was destined for, but Joseph didn’t know that. He’s just thirty. It’s a meteoric rise. It’s the stuff of fairy tales, not real life. But God really can make dreams come true.
Most of us have an easier time being faithful to God in adversity than we do in prosperity. In adversity we’re dependent upon God; in prosperity our tendency is to depend upon ourselves…to get arrogant.
We’re like the preacher who finally saved up enough money to buy a few inexpensive acres of land. A little run-down, weather-beaten farmhouse sat on the acreage, a sad picture of years of neglect. The land hadn’t been kept up either. There were old tree stumps, rusted pieces of machinery, and all sorts of debris strewn here and there, not to mention a fence greatly in need of repair. It was one big mess! During his spare time and vacations, this preacher rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He hauled off junk, repaired the fence, pulled stumps and replanted new trees. Then he refurbished the old house into a quaint cottage with a new roof, new windows, new stone walkway, new paint job, and finally a few colorful flower boxes. It took several years to accomplish all of this, but finally, when the last job had been completed and he was washing up after applying a fresh coat of paint to the mailbox, his neighbor (who’d been watching all of this from a distance) came over and said, “Well, preacher, looks like you and the Lord have done a pretty fine joy on your place here.” Wiping the sweat from his brow, the preacher replied, “Yeah, I suppose so…but you should have seen it when the Lord had it all to himself!”
In Philippians 4:12 the Apostle Paul makes a powerful statement, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” We easily picture Paul in tough times, working hard to make ends meet, persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. What’s difficult is to picture Paul in prosperity, at least by our standards today. Why? Our theology is warped and there just seems to be something more spiritual about humble, tough times but something carnal about prosperous days.
There’s nothing wrong with prosperity. The key is that we must never lose our perspective on the Source of our prosperity. There’s no such thing as a self-made person. All that we have is a gift from God, Who owes us nothing! Prosperity was a far greater test of Joseph’s commitment to God than anything else he’d experienced. J. Oswald Sanders writes, “Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all to survive is prosperity.”
So how can you and I demonstrate that we know that God is behind our success? Well, in New Testament terms, make God look good by your life. In other words, glorify Him. That helps protects us from the temptations that come with success. To cope with success we must first honor God. The Lord says, “Those who honor Me I will honor” (1 Sam. 2:30). Joseph honored the Lord, whether he was in prison or the palace. Even in Pharaoh’s palace Joseph carefully continued to honor the Lord in ways we must imitate. How can we do that?
a) We honor God by remembering that He is the source of all success. Imagine how Joseph feels as he stands before Pharaoh. Moments before he’s in a dungeon, now he’s standing before the most powerful monarch in the world. But Joseph gives God all the glory! Verse 16, “‘I cannot do it,’” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires’.” Joseph is very clear on the source of his wisdom. He doesn’t let the splendor of Pharaoh’ palace make him forget, "Without God, I'm nothing. He’s the source of any ability I have to interpret dreams."
When someone compliments you on your ability or on something you’ve done, it's fine to accept it simply by saying, "Thank you." There often trying to encourage you and it can come across as false humility if you always respond with, "It wasn't me; it was the Lord." But, even when you say "thank you," you need to be thinking to yourself, "Thank You, Lord, for Your grace in enabling me to do that." And if you sense that the other person is attributing something to you where God alone deserves the credit, then you need to be bold to honor the Lord like Joseph. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Cor. 4:7). Remembering that God is the source of our success protects us from pride.
Please keep in mind too that Pharaoh promotes Joseph and turns over the reins of the kingdom to him before there’s even the remotest sign that Joseph had gotten it right. This wasn’t the first prediction Pharaoh had heard about the economy. Periodically, I’ll listen to the noon business hour on WBBM. Talk about varied opinions on the economy. Edgar R. Fiedler said, “Ask five economists and you'll get five different answers (six if one went to Harvard).” God directs Pharaoh to promote Joseph. It’s God Who gives Joseph this position.
b) We honor God by bearing witness of His enabling in all that we do. Joseph doesn’t just think to himself that God is the source of his ability to interpret dreams; he tells Pharaoh about it. That wasn't simple because Pharaoh worded his sentence about Joseph's ability (vs. 15) so that it would have been very easy for Joseph to have kept silent. He could have rationalized, "For now, keep quiet. Later I'll tell him about God." Instead Joseph boldly testifies right up front that God was behind his ability.
Pharaoh's magicians were probably astrologers, trained in incantations and magic formulas to discern the future. It’s probable that they’d come before Pharaoh, chanted their magic words and performed impressive rituals, but nothing worked. Joseph was different: No hocus-pocus, no razzmatazz! He states simply, “God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” He listens to the recounting of the dreams and gives it to Pharaoh straight. Note that he mentions God four more times (41:25, 28, 32) and Pharaoh gets the point! Though he’s filtering things through his polytheistic grid, he acknowledges that there is a divine spirit in Joseph and that Joseph’s God has informed him of all these things (41:38-39).
There’s a great danger that as a Christian in a pagan culture, people will think of you as a good person and attribute your goodness to you, not to God. Dallas Professor, Bruce Waltke, was at a bank and the teller gave him too much change. Dr. Waltke pointed this out to the girl, but was quick to explain to her that he didn't do it because he was an honest man, but rather because Jesus Christ was his Lord. He didn't want the woman to think that his honesty stemmed from his own morality or goodness.
If you live out your faith at work, you'll have opportunities to witness for the Lord as the explanation for your committed, quality job performance. Honoring God must be uppermost in your mind or you'll miss the chance. Leupold observes, “After twelve years and more of injustice Joseph's first consideration is not deliverance but to take care that his relation to his God be entirely upright” If glorifying God through your life is your daily aim, you'll be quick to speak for His honor when those opportunities arise.
c) We honor God by bearing witness of His sovereignty over all. Three times (vss. 25, 28, 32) Joseph tells Pharaoh that God has determined what’s going to happen and it will happen because God has decreed it. Though Pharaoh is the most powerful man on the face of the earth, he’s a pygmy compared to the sovereign God. In a subtle, yet unmistakable way, Joseph lets this mighty king know that he’s nothing in God’s sight. And that God is able to send either prosperity or adversity.
God’s sovereignty is a constant theme of the Joseph story. It's obvious God has His hand on all the events of Joseph's life: his dreams as a boy, his brother's selling him into slavery, being sold to Potiphar, his imprisonment and eventual release. The various characters are only bringing about God’s will for His chosen people, even though those who sinned were totally responsible for their sin. Joseph, for his part, had a big view of God as sovereign Who not only could send prosperity, but famine and he wasn't afraid to let Pharaoh know about it.
Don't be afraid to tell lost people that the God of the universe is sovereign. Sometimes Christians apologize for God's sovereignty by explaining away a tragedy: "God didn't cause it, He just allowed it" as if that gets God off the hook somehow. We don't have to get God off the hook. Scripture clearly teaches that God is in sovereign control of all things, but at the same time, sinful men are responsible for their evil deeds.
The Biblical fact is that God not only allows tragedies, He sends them. In Isaiah 45:7 God is speaking and He says, “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.” Does that mean we’re to sit back passively and not do anything to alleviate human suffering? No, Joseph's knowledge that this famine was coming led him to make preparations to alleviate its effects. In the process though, he testifies of a sovereign God Who controls the universe.
Friend, as you look at the state of our world, do you really believe that God is sovereign? Are you going through some deep waters? Do you truly believe that God is in control? Are you then honoring Him by trusting Him? We honor God by bearing witness of His sovereignty over all.
2. God’s people see clearly the job that needs to be done and do it. Burke Marketing Research asked executives at some of the nation’s largest companies what qualities in employees irritate bosses the most? At the top of the list was dishonesty. Six other traits were discovered, making a total of “seven deadly sins” that can cause you to lose your job. Here they are in decreasing order of irritation value. 1. Irresponsibility, goofing-off and doing personal business on company time. 2. Arrogance, ego problems or excessive aggressiveness. Bosses dislike those who spend more time talking about their achievements than in getting the job done. 3. Absenteeism and lateness. 4. Not following company policy. Failure to follow the rules makes management feel an employee can’t be trusted. 5. Whining and complaining. 6. Laziness and lack of commitment and dedication. If you don’t care about the firm, they won’t care about you.
Too often, Christians in the workplace are not all that different from pagan workers. I wish I could say that this is not true too in the ministry but I know of pastors and missionaries who apparently think “work” is a four letter word to be avoided.
Joseph is not only a model for trusting God amidst terrible adversity; he’s also a model for us when it comes to having a Biblical worldview on work. He stands out as someone who serves God in an important government without compromising his faith or integrity. That’s a tough assignment. But because he was faithful, God uses him to save the nation of Israel.
Some Christians rationalize goofing off on the job because they’re working for an unbeliever. That’s sin! Ephesians 6:5-8 says, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”
Joseph isn't afraid to help a pagan king and nation to prosper. His plan saved Pharaoh's reign from failure and countless people from starvation.
Some Christians are so otherworldly that they withdraw from involvement in solving the problems of this world. There are extreme groups of Christians whose members don't vote or get involved in any constructive way with this world, because they're "citizens of heaven." But for the time being, we're also citizens of earth. Sometimes the most effective place for Christian witness is when a believer gets involved in solving some of the problems confronting our world, and yet maintaining purity and integrity.
Joseph models ways for us to be diligent in our work when God opens the door of success.
a) Believers must be careful to keep character above career. Joseph is diligent to maintain his godly character although he’s in a position of tremendous power. While basically unaccountable, there’s never a question about his integrity or how he conducts Pharaoh’s business.
Abraham Lincoln said that, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” This promotion isn’t some lucky break. Joseph’s godly character, forged through a consistent walk with God and trusting God in difficulty where it would have been easy to become bitter, are at the core of why Joseph is continually promoted in Potiphar's house, in prison and ultimately in Pharaoh’s palace.
How’s your reputation at work? It’s sad when Christian business owners hesitate to hire believers because too often believers take advantage of Christian employers. I realize that works both ways. Whether you’re an employee or an employer, we must realize that our real boss is God.
Are you faithfully serving God where you’re at right now? Do you have a good reputation? Maybe you’re a teenager. That's when Joseph’s career started. But you rationalize that you’ll get serious about work once you’re out in the “real world.” If you’re a goof off about school work and cut corners, it’s very likely you’ll be a goof off when you’re an employee. If Joseph had been lazy or grown bitter, complaining about how unfair life was, he wouldn't have been ready for this promotion when the time came. It’s pretty impossible to move overnight from being a lazy, self-centered, negative, grumbling person to being a joyful, competent, successful one.
Joseph's overnight change of position didn't involve any change of character. Rather, it was built on years of godly character development. We must diligently work on godly character. Friend, work in a way that pleases God and let Him take care of your career promotions.
b) Believers must be diligent to keep competence alongside character. Joseph is not only godly; he’s good at what he does. He proposed a wise plan of action and had the skill to implement it. It’s tempting to become so enamored with a promotion that we get in over our head and then we frustrate everyone, including ourselves. Most of us need a healthy perspective of both our abilities and our limitations.
Joseph wasn’t just diligent, he’s competent. His plan involved collecting a fifth of the harvest each year for seven years. That way they’d have enough surpluses, not only for Egypt, but for surrounding countries hit by the famine too. It took skillful administration and a lot of discipline to make this happen on a national scale. No doubt Joseph caught a lot of flak from people who wanted to use all of the harvest and not save it for the future. But he was a capable enough leader so that he could pull this off.
A lot of Christians think character is enough on the job. They expect God to promote them because they've been faithful to have morning devotions. They pray for the promotion yet fail to also develop competence on the job to go along with their Christian character. You must have both. You need to be godly, but you also need to be good at doing what you do.
c) Believers must be careful to balance out family priorities with career advancement. A few years ago baseball great, Ken Griffey, Jr., was invited to the Players Choice Awards where he was to be awarded the player of the decade award. It was a big deal and was to be televised nationally. He beat out players like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. But when he found out when the award was going to be given, he declined. Ken Griffey had something more important to do. His five-year-old son, Trey, was playing in his first baseball game and Ken wasn’t going to miss it. Good for him!
Unlike Potiphar who had a wandering wife, Joseph, though tremendously busy, balances out his work responsibilities with his family responsibilities. During this time of seven years of plenty, two sons are born to him.
Dads, Moms…you can’t have it all. You have to choose to either not rise as fast on your job, to miss out on some pay raises, to not make some upward moves – if you’re going to invest in a higher priority – your spouse and your children. You’ll have to learn to say, “No” to some of the things that take you away from your family. Joseph, though a busy, successful leader, balanced out his career with his family.
3. God’s people do not see a score to settle. When Narvaez, the Spanish patriot, lay dying, his father-confessor asked him whether he had forgiven all of his enemies. Narvaez looked astonished and said, "Father, I have no enemies, I have shot them all."
Probably no one has ever risen so fast from obscurity to a position of such leadership and authority like Joseph. When he got this promotion, there were a few who were very nervous. Don’t you think Potiphar and his wife were listening for soldiers to come for them after the stunt they’d pulled? Probably, the cupbearer who’d forgotten Joseph and left him locked up for two more years was holding his breath a bit too.
In every tragedy you can look at what you've lost and be hateful, or you can look at what you have left and be grateful. Joseph is a powerful example of choosing to be grateful instead of hateful in the face of betrayal. He doesn’t seek to even the score or go for a payback. It would have been an easy time to clear his reputation at their expense. But Joseph trusts that God has used even their evil and neglect for His glory.
He knows that it’s not for us to take vengeance into our own hands. Those who can see the providence of God in everything are quick to defend others who are mistreated, but they are slow to defend themselves.
4. God’s people focus on forgetting past trouble. Spurgeon said, "Forgive and forget. When you bury a mad dog, don't leave his tail above the ground." Names in Scripture often have great significance. Joseph names his first born son, Manesseh which means “he who makes someone forget.” Joseph explains the name as a pun, vs. 51, “Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household’.”
Sometimes we think it’s impossible to forget all of our troubles, but look at all that Joseph was willing to forget: hatred from his brothers, being stripped of his coat and thrown into a cistern by them, memories of hearing his brothers debating selling him as a slave, years of serving as a slave, the false charges of Potiphar's wife, the years shackled in a dungeon. The scars were deep but God's healing was deeper.
It's amazing isn't it? Did Joseph literally forget those horrible events? Of course not! What did happen though is that God got him past the hurt. He’s no longer haunted by the betrayal and rejection. The evil memories no longer haunted or possessed him. God had helped him to "move on." Some here today may need to move on. The hurts have been severe and deep, but God can and will help you "forget,” just as He did for Joseph. And oh the freedom, peace and joy that comes from being able to forget past sins!
In Hell no one forgets. It’s one of the horrors of hell. Do you recall C.S. Lewis’ depiction of hell in The Great Divorce? He describes it as a place where nobody ever forgets anything and instead remembers every slight, every cruel exchange of words, every harmful act – and where everyone is utterly unforgiving! In heaven all of these things are put away, for all has become new. Hell is a place of remembering every wrong. Friend, in your own heart, where do you live…heaven or hell?
5. God’s people focus on remembering their blessings. Verse 52, “The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’” Delitzsch notes that the name literally means “double fruitfulness.” Naming his son, Ephraim, is a play on the Hebrew word. He’s literally saying, “God has Ephraimed me” or “God has made me doubly-fruitful.” He’s blessed me beyond what I could even begin to imagine in a place that once only seemed to bring suffering.
Joseph gives his children names which reveal his humble attitude before God, tagging those boys with reminders of God’s activity in his life, “God has made…God has given me.” While Manasseh was named to signify victory over his past, Ephraim is named to signify victory over his future.
Joseph demonstrates for us a powerful way that all of us can change our thinking and behavior. Did you know that it’s impossible to not do something? For example, it’s virtually impossible to try to not think of something. By thinking of not thinking of it, you cause yourself to think of it. Don’t think of French fries! Stop thinking of French fries! Don’t you dare think of McDonald’s fries during this sermon! But if I said, think of Krispy Kreme donuts, all of a sudden it’s not a problem to stop thinking of French fries. You’ve replaced that thought with a new focus.
Ephesians 4:22-31 illustrates this powerful tool of replacement. Take some time to read it this afternoon and you’ll see the continual pattern of putting off and on. It’s the principle of replacement. You can’t stop feeling depressed but you can choose to start feeling joyful and thankful. You can’t stop feeling angry but you can choose to start feeling peaceful and calm.
That’s what Joseph does…he forgets the past and focuses on his many, many blessings! As believers, God has Ephraimed each one of us. So are you living as a blessed person? Are you counting your blessings?
Conclusion: What do you see? Do you have a Faith Perspective? Leith Anderson, Pastor of Wooddale Church shares this personal experience:
As a boy, he grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. Leith was so excited. He just knew the Dodgers would trounce the Yankees. Unfortunately, the Dodgers never got on base and his boyish exuberance was shattered.
Years later he was engrossed in a conversation with a man who was a walking sports almanac. Leith shared with him about the first major league game he attended and added, "It was such a disappointment. I was Dodger fan and the Dodgers never got on base."
The man asked, "You were there? You were at the game when Don Larsen pitched the first perfect game in all of World Series history'"
Leith replied, ''Yeah, but uh, we lost." He then realized that he’d been so caught up in his team's defeat that he had missed out on the fact that he was a witness to a far greater page in baseball history.
Friend, do you see the big picture? What's going on down the street in your ball park? Frequently, we are so caught up in our own little world, our own hassles and hurts that we miss out on God’s far greater page in the story of our Christianity and faith.
Friend, look around you. Are you counting your blessings? Do you see clearly WHO has blessed you with so much? Is God pitching a perfect game in the world series of your neighborhood and you simply are missing out because you’re so focused, so invested in your own team and your own little world?
