Grace Baptist Church

Why Practice Personal Piety?

Why should you practice personal piety? Before you get a dictionary, let me describe what I mean. Why should you have personal devotions? Why should you read the Bible and pray, both individually and as a family? Pause for a moment and think about your answer.

I asked this question of our Tuesday evening Bible study a few weeks ago and got a number of answers. Of course, those who know me well immediately will say that we are to do it to glorify God. That, of course, is the ultimate answer to every question. All things exist for the glory of God, including us. So, as Paul said, whether we eat or whether we drink, we should do all to the glory of God. Other answers that were suggested involved the idea of spiritual growth or to be a good witness to others. Still others said that we should do these things because God commands us to. And while all of these things are true, I want to suggest that they fail to get to the heart of the matter.

You see, the main problem with all of these answers is that they are extremely individualistic. Too often, we think as Americans rather than as biblical Christians. Christianity is not an individualistic religion that can be fulfilled by becoming a hermit as some tried in the first few centuries. You can not be a vibrant Christian and lock yourself away with your Bible and a strict prayer regimen as did the monks of the 16th century. No, Christianity is not individualistic.

Consider to whom a majority of the New Testament was written. Think of the first few verses of each of the epistles of Paul, John, James, and Peter. They were not written to an individual, but to the Church. When Paul, in Ephesians 5 talks about who Christ died for, he does not say that Christ died for an individual sinner. He says that Christ died for the Church. God’s salvation has always centered around a redeemed PEOPLE, not a redeemed person. Simply put, you were not saved for yourself. You were saved to be part of a group.

It is the same with personal piety, or reading your Bible and prayer. You do not do these things JUST so that you can grow spiritually or be a better witness. No. The more important reason that you are to do these things every day of the week is so that when you gather with other believers who have been doing the same things, your praise is pure from the world and overflows to the glory of God through the worship of His redeemed people. Just as Sunday worship is the church practicing what we will be doing for eternity (worshipping God together), every day Bible reading and prayer is practice for what we do on Sunday morning.

This is why, by the way, it is so important for you to worship together as a family, both at home and with the corporate body of believers. Parents hold the ultimate responsibility for the training of their children. Your children learn by what they see. If they see that you don’t read your Bible and pray yourself, they will learn that Bible reading and prayer are unimportant. If they see that the family does not worship God throughout the week, they will learn that God is just someone to placate on Sunday morning and ignored the rest of the week. If they see that you miss (or are consistently late for) church for reasons other than a major car accident or death, then they will learn that the corporate worship of God doesn’t mean that much.

This leads us to some practical things we need to consider in light of God’s commands to both practice personal piety and to emphasize corporate worship on the Lord’s Day:

1) You should spend a few minutes every day at the least reading and contemplating a portion of Scripture and praying. Try reading a chapter in Romans every day. You will be able to read through the book twice in a month. If you grasp the book of Romans, you will have a better understanding of the rest of Scripture.

2) Your family should spend a few minutes every day reading Scripture, praying together, and singing praise to God. Here is what my family does (and you can be flexible). Every night before bed, I (as the father) read a portion of Scripture. I usually read a few paragraphs because we have young children who have short attention spans and need a lot of explanation. Read straight through a book. With young children read sections that have stories and explain how those stories teach us about God and our required response to Him. This is what we do in Pre-School and Children’s Church every Sunday. My family just finished reading the book of Matthew and has started on Acts. I will briefly talk about what the passage says and what it means. Then we will sing a song, usually a hymn that we did that last Sunday. This is where your weekly bulletin comes in handy. Take it home and sing one of the songs. Then we will pray. I always make sure to pray for my children that God might change their hearts and that they might come to repent of their sins and trust in Christ. We pray that our family might honor God in our neighborhood. We pray for our church. We pray for the country that we are focusing on that week in regard to missions. All of this lasts about 15 minutes. That’s pretty much what my kids can handle. As your kids get older it could go longer. Use catechism and the church’s doctrinal statement as supplements to discuss.

3) You need to think about where you can simplify your life. Get rid of those things that are unnecessary. Better yet, get rid of those things that hinder your spiritual growth and your service to God.

4) Emphasize the Lord’s Day. This is something that has fallen on hard times in our modern era. But from the beginning of creation, God has commanded that we set aside one day per week for Him. Before the cross, this was Saturday. Since the resurrection, the church has recognized that Sunday is what the Reformers called the Christian Sabbath. You should set aside all other activities except church and family time. This means that sports and other functions have to take a back seat. This means that if the Maryland-Duke basketball game occurs on a Sunday, I can’t go to it! But, remember, our children learn what is important by what they see us do. What are we showing others is important to us.

5) Begin to think corporately rather than individually. Consider how your weekly schedule affects the corporate body of Christ. Should you adjust your schedule to allow for ministry to others? I am not talking about programs within the church. I am talking about inviting a family over to your house for dinner. I am talking about having your children see you minister to someone in our church or in our community who is less fortunate.

6) Consider how your life adds to or subtracts from the manifestation of God’s glory. We cannot add to God’s glory. But we can either display His glory or fail to display His glory.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

7) Understand that any desire you might have to do these things comes from God by His grace for the sake of His glory.

Romans 11:36 – For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Genesis 40-50: The God Who is Sovereign

We are continuing our study of the life of Joseph this morning. In the book of Genesis, we have already seen that God is a powerful God who creates by divine fiat and then commands His creation to obey Him. When His creation, specifically man, disobeys, God judges in righteousness and holiness. But in the midst of His judgment, we see that God is also merciful because He has provided a plan of redemption in order to reconcile man to Himself. This plan involves calling a man named Abraham to Himself and making a covenant with Him that guarantees blessing. This covenant was passed down from Abraham to his son, Isaac, and from Isaac to his son, Jacob through the sovereign choice of God. We then last week saw that in spite of circumstances, God sustained the son of Jacob, Joseph and Joseph learned that he could trust in God because God is faithful to His covenant.

This morning, we are going to see some further events that occurred in the life of Joseph. And we are going to see three responses from Joseph that we can apply to our lives today in any circumstance in life – when things seem to be going well and when everything seems to be against us. These three responses are 1) trust in the grace and faithfulness of God (which we introduced last week), 2) know that God is in absolute control, and 3) based on those two serve the Lord with radical, sacrificial perseverance.

What we are going to find as we look into how this story plays out and ultimately ends is that number 1 (the trust) is based on number 2 (the knowledge) and both of those lead to number 3 (the service).

Scene 1 – Dreams of Cupbearer and Baker (40:1-23)

Now, if you recall, when we last left Joseph, he was wrongfully accused of attempting to rape his master’s wife. She had actually tried to get him to commit adultery with her and, when he refused, she lied to her husband claiming that Joseph had tried to rape her. Potiphar, Joseph’s master, had him thrown in jail for the crime.

But Joseph prospered in the prison just as he had as a slave. The reason for this is given in verses 21-23 of chapter 39:

Genesis 39:21-23 – But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 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.

Chapter 40 begins with two new people put into the prison along-side Joseph: Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and Pharaoh’s baker. We are not told what these two had done, but whatever it was, it was bad enough to cause Pharaoh to throw them in prison. Verse 3 tells us that Pharaoh put them in the prison of the captain of the guard, who put them under Joseph’s watch while Joseph was in prison as well. And then things get a bit more interesting. Verse 5:

Genesis 40:5 – Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man's dream in one night and each man's dream with its own interpretation.

At this point, your ears should perk up a little bit because we have had one other person who had dreams so far in this story. Who was it? That’s right, Joseph. Joseph, if you recall, had two dreams, both of which indicated that one day he would be some kind of ruler and his family would bow before him. It hardly seems possible that those dreams will come true at this point now that Joseph has been sold into slavery in a foreign land and then thrown in jail for a crime he did not commit. But Joseph is about to exhibit a great amount of faith in God.

Genesis 40:6-8 – And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. 7 So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his lord's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?" 8 And they said to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it."

Now, Joseph could have said, “Yeah, I had some dreams once that I thought I understood, but it is obvious that I was wrong or that God forgot about me.” But Joseph did not. Look at what he replies at the end of verse 8:

2) Know that God is in control
Genesis 40:8 – So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please."

And the reason that Joseph did not whine and complain about his circumstances, but trusted in God and responded the way he did at the end of the verse is that Joseph knew that God was in absolute control. He knew that anything that happened to him through the sinful actions of his brothers, the false accusations of Potiphar’s wife, and the anger of his former master, all came just as his dreams did – from the hand of a gracious and faithful God who was in absolute control of everything.

Well, the butler tells his dream first:

Genesis 40:9-11 – Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10 "and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. 11 "Then Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."

When Joseph gives the interpretation of the dream (as God revealed to him), the news is good.

Genesis 40:12-13 – And Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13 "Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.

Joseph then makes a request of the butler which I think is very instructive to us.

Genesis 40:14-15 – "But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15 "For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon."

It is very important that we understand that, even though Joseph recognize the truth that God was in absolute control of everything and that God was gracious and faithful, it doesn’t mean that Joseph was a fatalist. What I mean by that is that Joseph didn’t just throw his hands up in the air and say, “Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter what I do because God is sovereign and everything’s already planned out anyway. So, I might as well just sit back and let things happen because I don’t really have any choices anyway.” No, we see Joseph, who recognized and loved the sovereignty of God, pleading with the butler to remember him when Pharaoh restored him.

So often, when we who believe in the biblical picture of the sovereignty of God talk about it, we either misrepresent what we believe or we are misunderstood. We come across as sounding as if there are no human choices or that we are all a bunch of pawns in a cosmic game of chess sitting around waiting for the Master Chess-Player to move us to the next square. That would be a fatalistic view of reality that ignores all of the biblical injunctions to man to make right choices and obey. But the biblical picture of God’s sovereignty is a beautiful picture of a God who is in absolute control of everything, working, as Ephesians 1:11 tells us, all things according to the counsel of his will. He ordains not only the ends but also the means.

In other words, while God sovereignly placed Joseph in the Egypt as Potiphar’s slave, Joseph’s brothers were absolutely responsible for their actions because it was their sinful choice to sell him into slavery. And while God sovereignly placed Joseph in prison to interpret the dreams of these two men, Potiphar’s wife was absolutely responsible for her lies and false accusations that were the means God used to achieve that placement. God is sovereign, but man is also a responsible moral agent. This is the balanced biblical picture.

And this is what caused Joseph to continue to act as he did. He requested that the butler would mention him to Pharaoh, trusting in the grace and faithfulness of a sovereign God. He acted while depending on God to act. This is exactly how we are called to live. We are to selflessly serve God while depending on God to sovereignly consummate His will.

Right after boldly proclaiming that because of Christ’s willing humiliation on the cross, the Father has exalted him about every one else for His own glory in Philippians 2, we find and interesting pair of verses:

Philippians 2:12 – Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

So, Paul tells us that because of the fact that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. He doesn’t say that we are to work FOR our salvation but to work OUT our salvation. In other words, if you are saved, you are to actively allow the inner reality work out in your life. You are to be heavily involved in doing what is necessary for your spiritual growth. This would involve personal Bible study and prayer. It would involve corporate worship. It would involve fellowship with other believers. It would involve all of the commands we see in the New Testament regarding increasing in love, joy, faith, perseverance, etc. You are responsible to be doing these things as a believer, not to get saved, but because you are saved.

So, why should you do these things with fear and trembling? The answer to that question is found in verse 13 of Philippians 2:

Philippians 2:13 – for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Paul’s reasoning here is important. He says that we are responsible to do all these things BECAUSE God is the one who causes us to desire (that’s the word will) and to actually do them. This is the biblical picture of man’s will and God’s sovereignty. You, as a created being, are the secondary cause of anything you do. God, as the sovereign creator is the primary cause of anything that happens. Both have to be there and in their rightful place or it is out of balance. If man is made the ultimate determiner of anything, then man becomes God. If man’s will is ignored, then man becomes a robot.

So, Joseph, knowing that God was in control, and trusting in His grace and faithfulness, asked the butler to remember him when he was restored to his position. Then he listens to the baker’s dream, which isn’t nearly as positive. Back in Genesis 40, verse 16.

Genesis 40:16-19 – When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. 17 "In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head." 18 So Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. 19 "Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you."

As it turns out, the baker is put to death by Pharaoh and the butler is restored to his position just as Joseph had interpreted in the dreams. But the butler forgets his promise to Joseph and Joseph sits in prison for another two years.

Scene 2 – Dreams of Pharaoh (41:1-36)

And then, by chance, after about two years, Pharaoh has two dreams.

Genesis 41:1-8 – Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

So, here we have a problem. Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the country, has these disturbing dreams and has no idea what they mean. He’s concerned because he knows they mean something important, but no one seems to be able to interpret them for him. Enter the butler:

Genesis 41:9-13 – Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: "I remember my faults this day. 10 "When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 "we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 "Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 "And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him."

Do you see the amazing thing here? Joseph was rotting away down in the prison while the butler forgot all about him. But it was no accident. God planned it this way so that when He gave Pharaoh the dreams, Joseph would be right there waiting to interpret them. If the butler had remembered Joseph two years earlier, Joseph might have been returned to his family and not have been there to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. But God leaves nothing to chance.

So, Pharaoh sends for Joseph, who cleans himself up a bit and then comes to speak to Pharaoh. Pharaoh describes his dilemma and Joseph, before hearing the dreams begins to tell Pharaoh about his own trust in God. I want you to notice as we go through this section on the dreams of Pharaoh and their interpretations how much Joseph emphasizes the hand of God. Remember, we said last week that Joseph was radically God-centered. Here we see it in his discussion with a pagan king.

1) Trust in the grace and faithfulness of God
Genesis 41:16 – So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."

So, Pharaoh describes his dreams to Joseph in verses 17-24 and Joseph begins his interpretation in verse 25.

Genesis 41:25 – Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:"

Notice the emphasis of Joseph on God’s sovereign actions. God is about to do something and He has, through this dream shown Pharaoh what it is that He is going to do. There is no room for chance or fate here. This is a sovereign God showing the future He has planned. The fat cows and the fat heads of grain stand for seven years of plenty and the skinny cows and the thin heads of grain stand for seven years of plenty. In the middle of his interpretation, Joseph reiterates that this is coming from the sovereign hand of God

Genesis 41:28 – "This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do."

The future consists of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. This is what is meant by the two dreams. And after Joseph gives this interpretation of the two dreams, just in case anyone forgot, Joseph reemphasizes God’s sovereignty over the future.

Genesis 41:32 – "And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."

Joseph then gives advice to Pharaoh about how to plan and prepare for the seven years of famine during the seven good years. Again, we see Joseph acting on what God has told him, trusting that God will do what He has said.

But, then we have an amazing turn of events in the story that would probably have made the jaws of everyone standing there to drop to the floor. After hearing the interpretation and Joseph’s advice, Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of the preparations.

Genesis 41:38-44 – And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 "You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you." 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."

This is absolutely amazing! Here we have the second youngest of twelve Hebrew brothers, who was sold into slavery by his own family and deported to a foreign country falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison for probably close to 5 years now made second in command of the very country to which he was deported. This is absolutely unheard of. But if you remember Joseph’s dreams from chapter 38, you will see this as God’s plan unfolding just as He wants, with all the sin of mankind being the means God uses to work our His will. But the dreams have yet to be completely fulfilled, because, if you recall, they involved Joseph’s family bowing before him. Well, it takes the seven years of famine to bring this about, but eventually it happens.

Joseph takes the seven years of plenty and, just as he advised, uses them to store up provisions for the seven years of famine. And just as God promised, the seven years of famine come. And they are pretty bad. So bad, in fact, that even in Canaan, they start running out of food.

So, in chapter 42, Jacob looks at the ten oldest sons and says, “Why are you just sitting here looking at each other? We are about to die from starvation, so do something about it.” He tells the brothers to go to Egypt to get food where, unbeknownst to them, their brother is in charge of food distribution. And thus begins a series of tests that Joseph puts his brothers through to see if they are repentant for their past actions and if they had grown up any.

As the brothers come down into Egypt and stand before Joseph, they down’ recognize him. It has probably been about 15 years since they sold him into slavery as a young teenager and Joseph has taken on the look and sound of an Egyptian. He does not speak to them in Hebrew, but uses an interpreter so that they will not know that it is him. But he recognizes them.

In the first test, found in chapter 42, he accuses them of being spies. They deny it and tell him all about their family including their younger brother, Benjamin, who did not come with them. Joseph demands that they leave one brother in prison in Egypt and go get Benjamin and bring him back to prove they are not spies. As he makes this demand, the brothers realize that they are being punished for their past sins.

Genesis 42:21-22 Then they said to one another, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us." 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us."

Joseph took Simeon as his prisoner, presumably because Simeon was the oldest brother who had participated in the sin of selling him into slavery and allows the other brothers to go home with food for their family. He demands that they bring back Benjamin to prove that they are not spies or he will keep Simeon as his prisoner. Remember, at this point, they still have not recognized him as their younger brother.

The brothers go back to Canaan and we see a second test by Joseph. He had his servant not only fill his brothers’ sacks with grain, but also to put their money back in it. This was to test their honesty as far as money was concerned. He wanted to see if they were still selfish or if they would return the money that they had received wrongly.

When the brothers return to their father and tell of all the events that took place in Egypt and their treatment at the hands of the ruler of Egypt, Jacob has a crisis of faith. It isn’t really surprising that Jacob would have the response that he did. He had been a deceiver during his early years and had paid for it over and over. He had been deceived by his uncle Laban and ended up with wives he didn’t want in the first place besides the one wife he actually did want. Some of his sons had committed brutal murder in order to avenge their sister who had been raped. His favorite son, Joseph, was, as far as he knew, dead. And now, Simeon was a prisoner in Egypt and his sons wanted to take the only other son of Rachel, Benjamin, to Egypt as well. So, it is not surprising, looking at his circumstance, that he would respond the way he does in verse 36.

Genesis 42:36 – And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me."

So, how do you respond when it seems like everything is against you? Do you respond like Jacob or like Joseph? It’s all about your perspective. What Jacob failed to realize is that because He was one of God’s elect, or chosen ones, all these things were NOT against him. In fact, all these things were for him. He, unlike his son Joseph, didn’t have all his theology worked out quite right. It was a case of not being able to see the forest because of the trees.

But this is the way we humans are normally, isn’t it? It is precisely because we are human and not God that we sometimes miss the forest of the entire plan of God because we are caught up looking at the individual trees of our current situation. When we are struggling with a situation at work we can’t see how God is using it to make us more like Christ. When there are problems in our marriages, we can’t see the ultimate plan of God in using our marriage to illustrate Christ’s love for the church. So, believer, do you trust in God despite the circumstances or do you get so focused on trees that you forget about the forest?

It is important that we as a church don’t forget that no matter what individual things happen to us, God is in ultimate control and is working things out the way he sees fit. We are responsible for our decisions, both good and bad, but it is God who designs the forest. Right now, we are going through a rough time in our short history. We have past decisions and actions that were not too wise in the area of finances and we are praying for a resolution. It seems like more people keep moving away from us than visit and stay. We have had many people that have visited but have not returned because we don’t have certain programs for teens or a flashy worship band or whatever other reason. We have had problems within some of the families in our church that have caused a lot of pain as we have tried to deal with them biblically and have, as yet, seen no reconciliation and repentance as we would like to see. It is easy to look at all these things and get discouraged and consider throwing in the towel. But, we have to trust that, whatever happens, all these things are NOT against us, but FOR us. We must learn from what happens and conform to the image of Christ and the will of God. But we must not worry too much about individual trees. Learn to have a forest perspective.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:31 – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

It is much like the disciples, who, when Jesus would tell them that he was going to be betrayed and die, couldn’t see the forest of God’s eternal plan of redemption because of the tree of them having Jesus taken from them. But, thankfully, God not only concerns himself with the individual trees, but with the entire forest as well. God, from eternity past, planned to send his Son, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life, to be betrayed by one of his own disciples, to be handed over to the Romans and to be nailed to a cross so that he could die while taking the punishment for sin on himself and offering His righteousness and forgiveness and peace with God to everyone who will repent and believe. This is the action of the sovereign God who designed the forest. The tree you have to be concerned about this morning is the tree of repentance and faith. Have you turned from your pride and trusted in this loving God through the death of His Son or are you still concerned about other things? Nothing is more important right now than whether you are reconciled to God or whether you are still under His righteous judgment. God offers you forgiveness and reconciliation. Will you trust him or will you reject him?

Well, back in Genesis, the famine continues. And in chapter 43, Joseph’s brothers go back down to Egypt to get more food. This time, they convince Jacob to send along Benjamin. In fact, Judah offers himself as surety to his father for the life of Benjamin. Again, we see different brothers than we say back in chapter 38. This is something that Joseph is going to notice when they stand before him again. As Joseph sees them with Benjamin, he has his servant take them to his house for lunch. And then he gives them one final test.

Genesis 43:32-34 – So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

He deliberately gave more to the youngest brother to see if the older brothers had gotten over their jealousy. They do not give any indication that the preferential treatment bothers them, so Joseph sets them up to reveal himself to them.

Genesis 44:1-6 – And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. 2 "Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money." So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.' " 6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

When the brothers are brought back to Egypt to stand before Joseph, they plead for the life of Benjamin. Judah, who had offered his life as surety to his father, offers himself in place of Benjamin to stay in prison in Egypt.

Genesis 44:30-34 – "Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life, 31 "it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32 "For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.' 33 "Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 "For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?"

At this point, Joseph can stand it no longer. He realizes that his brothers have truly repented of their past actions and are changed men. So he begins to reveal the shocking truth to them – that he is actually their younger brother, Joseph, whom they sold into slavery and his dreams have come true.

Genesis 45:1-4 – Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!" So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph; does my father still live?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

And here is where Joseph reveals to his brothers and to us the biblical picture of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.

Genesis 45:5-8 – "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 "For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 "And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 "So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Now, who was responsible for selling Joseph into slavery? The answer is quite simple – Joseph’s brothers. And at the same time, God was sovereignly bringing about His will in order to save Joseph’s family from a famine that would occur 20 years in the future.

Joseph says exactly the same thing in chapter 50 after Jacob and all his family come down and settle in Egypt to ride out the famine. Jacob eventually dies in Egypt and the brothers become nervous that, now that their father is dead, Joseph will seek revenge. So they hatch a little plan to tell Joseph that Jacob made a special request for their forgiveness.

Genesis 50:15-18 – When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him." 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, "Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 'Thus you shall say to Joseph: "I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you." ' Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, "Behold, we are your servants."

Joseph’s response indicates his understanding of God’s sovereignty and his trust in the grace and faithfulness of that sovereign God.

Genesis 50:19-20 – Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Then Joseph acts on his knowledge and faith.

Genesis 50:21 – "Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

This is the biblical pattern that Joseph embodied and that we are called to. We are called to know the God of the Bible. The only way that we can know God is through what He has revealed of Himself. Any thoughts we have about who God is that we do not get from His self-revelation in the Word is a violation of the 2nd Commandment to know have any graven images or representations of God. We are to know God through what He has said about Himself, which means that you are going to have to crack open the book occasionally to read what He says about Himself.

And as you read what God reveals about Himself, you have two options: believe it or reject it. There is no middle ground. You either learn to trust in God or you refuse to trust in God. You are either for Him or against Him. Now, it may take some time for you to begin to comprehend who God is and also to learn to trust him. It may be a slow process, but, when push comes to shove, you either choose to receive it or reject it. The great theologians from the Canadian rock group Rush had it right when they said, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” Even as those who claim to be Christians, every day we either grow in our trust in God or we grow in our rejection of God as He has presented himself. If we find more interesting things to do than open our Bibles and learn about Him, we are growing in our rejection rather than growing in our faith. The question is, what are you growing in?

And, just like Joseph, we must live our lives based on our understanding of and trust in God. Joseph didn’t know the future. He was not omniscient. He went through all these things not knowing exactly how they would turn out. But he served the Lord in every situation in which he was placed with radical, sacrificial perseverance because He knew God and knew He could be trusted. This morning, you are called to be like Joseph. You are called to know your great God who is sovereign, gracious and faithful. You are called to trust in him in all the circumstances of life, both the good and the bad. And you are called to serve Him in every aspect of your life with radical, sacrificial perseverance.

Genesis 36-39: The God Who Sustains

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” So begins the famous story by Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. It is a story of love and hatred, peace and war, sacrifice and selfishness, life and death. In short, it is about the best of times and the worst of times.

Within this story you find characters that go through tremendous happy times in life and tremendous sad times. You find characters that are completely self-sacrificing in their love for others and you find some that are completely self-centered in the way they use people.

If you read it thoughtfully, as you should anything you read, you find a lot of similarities to our lives today. We, as children of God, sometimes have everything go right in our lives. We have successful jobs and nice houses. We enjoy healthy families and most of the times feel like we are fulfilled in our lives. But sometimes we feel like everything is against us. Sometimes we struggle with problems at work and problems at home that threaten our emotional stability.

What do you do when Good Times turns into Hill Street Blues? How do you make it through the ups and downs of life? Where do you turn to and what help can you find? In a world that is often contrary to the Christian faith, how should we live?

This morning we are going to look at the story of a young man who had tremendous highs in life. At times everything he did seemed to prosper. He moved up the corporate ladder, so to speak. Only to have everything come crashing down on top of him and bring him into tremendous lows; lower than most of us would ever dream of getting.

The story we are going to be looking at this morning from Genesis 37 is the story of Joseph. We are actually going to divide the story into two sections, one which we will cover this morning and one which we will cover next week. In this week’s message, we are going to focus on the response of Joseph to some of the things that came into his life, both the ups and the downs. And next week, we are going to finish the story and come to the why of Joseph’s response, which he will tell us himself at the end of the book of Genesis.

But, let’s get an introduction to the life and character of Joseph. Some of you may be very familiar with this young man, and some of you may just know what you saw in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. But we are going to be looking at the biblical picture beginning in Genesis 37. If you are using the Bibles in the chairs, it will be on page 33.

We are introduced to Joseph in the middle of verse 2.

Genesis 37:2 – This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers.

Now, just so we can remember where we are, Joseph is here listed as one of the sons of Jacob. In fact, Jacob, also known as Israel, has 12 sons from four different wives, all of whom he was married to at the same time. Joseph’s mother died giving birth to Jacob’s youngest son Benjamin.

Jacob was the youngest son of Isaac, who was the only son of Abraham and Sarah. If you recall, back in Genesis 12, God had called Abraham, who had been a pagan idolater just like everyone else, to get up and leave his home. God promised to Abraham that He would bless him and give his seed, or descendents, the land to which he called him as an eternal inheritance. This is the beginning of the Abrahamic Covenant, which passed down through Isaac to Jacob and, as we will see in this story, down to Joseph.

Chapter 37 jumps right into the story and introduces us very early on to tension between Joseph and his brothers.
Genesis 37:2 – And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.

Now, we are not told whether Israel had asked Joseph to spy on his brothers or whether Joseph felt compelled to report on his brothers on his own, but we can be guaranteed that his brothers did not like it. But, the plot thickens as you read the next verse.

Genesis 37:3 – Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

Regrettably we have a bad case of personal favoritism between Israel and Joseph. Israel makes it clear in no uncertain terms that Joseph is his favorite. As a symbol of his position of primacy, he gives Joseph a long coat. The LXX rendering of this is a multi-colored tunic, which is where the King James and other modern versions get this idea, but the original Hebrew just has the sense of a long coat. This coat was given to Joseph to symbolize that Israel had selected him to be the eventual family patriarch and receive the blessings of the covenant.

This fact would have greatly upset at least 10 of Joseph’s brothers because Joseph was not the first-born. In fact, he was son number 11 out of 12. But he was the first son of Israel’s favorite wife, Rachel, who had died giving birth to her second son. So, Joseph had a special place in Israel’s heart.

That affection did not translate to the rest of the brothers, as we see in verse 4.

Genesis 37:4 – But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

And so begins the conflict that is going to result in a lot of bad things being done to Joseph by his brothers and others he comes into contact with.

The conflict escalated greatly due to some dreams that Joseph had. Now, keep in mind that these things occurred before we had the closed canon of Scripture. And God occasionally revealed both Himself and the future He had planned through visions and dreams. It wasn’t always clear to the one who saw the dreams and visions what they meant, but God usually provided someone with the interpretation.

In Genesis 37, Joseph has two dreams which, as we will see in next week’s message, predict the future. The first one, found in verse 7, involved all the brothers working out in the field. As they returned from their work and were bringing in the sheaves of hay, the brother’s sheaves circled around Joseph’s. As Joseph’s sheaf stood up, all the brother’s sheaves bowed down to it.

Now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what Joseph was dreaming here. He had already been given the special coat that indicated that his father loved him the most and wanted him to be the family leader. Now he is dreaming a dream that his brothers will one day bow down before him, with him as their ruler. This did not sit too well with the brothers. Verse 8 tells us that “they hated him even more for his dreams and his words.”

And if that wasn’t enough, Joseph had another dream. This time he was outside and as he was walking around, the sun, moon, and 11 stars all appeared to be bowing down before him. Well, at this point, as far as the family was concerned, Joseph had gone too far. When he tells this dream to his father, his father replies in verse 10, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”

But, Jacob remembered how God had chosen his father Isaac over Ishmael and himself over Esau despite the fact that neither of them were the first-born. So he knew that God sometimes works contrary to man’s plans. And verse 11 tells us that even though the brothers envied him, Jacob kept these things in mind.

APPLICATION ABOUT OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD
I wonder sometimes how we respond when God speaks to us. Oh, I don’t mean that we hear an audible voice or that we have visions and dreams. I don’t believe that God speaks in that way any more. But we do have the full revelation of God through the Scripture, and, more specifically, through what the Scripture says about His Son, Jesus Christ.

So, how about it? When God speaks are we even listening? Do we even open our Bibles throughout the week to hear God speak or are we too busy listening to the voices of the world and the cares of life? When the Word is read or explained, do we go into auto-pilot and faze out or do we, as Jacob did, “keep these things in mind?” One of the problems I have noticed in my own life is that when I come to a passage or a theme that I recognize, I tend to skip over it in my reading because, “I’ve heard that before.” What arrogance that displays, as if I could ever exhaust the truth of the Scripture that I am reading.

God has revealed Himself to us so that we will contemplate and ponder what He has to say and that, while pondering, we will commit to love and obey His Word. Let us not be like Joseph’s brothers who despised the revelation of God and hated the messenger. Let us, at the very least, be like Jacob, who pondered God’s revelation, and, at best, be like Joseph who loved it and lived by it.

Now, this is where things start to turn south in the story of Joseph. Actually, in order to turn south, Joseph had to go a little to the north. His father sent him to Shechem to see how his brothers were doing with the flock that they had taken to find pasture. Joseph looks around for them and finds out that they had gone to a town named Dothan, which was on a major trade route from the Northwest area of Canaan down into Egypt.

As Joseph is traveling, his brothers see him coming from a long way off, and look what these loving family members decide to do:

Genesis 37:20 – "Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!"

Thankfully, one of them, the firstborn, Reuben, has some compassion and tries to convince them not to kill Joseph. His plan is to use whatever opportunity might arise to sneak Joseph back to his father and thus protect his life. As it turns out, he never gets the chance.

Sometime after they capture Joseph and put him in a pit, the brothers, minus Reuben, see a caravan of Midianite traders, also called Ishmaelites, heading their direction. Judah, the second-born, comes up with a great plan described in verse 26:

Genesis 37:26-27 – So Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 "Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened.

I love how he sounds so sanctimonious at the end, like he really cares for Joseph, when all he really wants to do is make some money off the deal. Let’s read on…

Genesis 37:28-30 – Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. 29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30 And he returned to his brothers and said, "The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?"

Reuben realized that, even though he was not there when it happened, because he was the firstborn and privy to the original conversation and planning, he was ultimately responsible for what happened to Joseph. So, he helped devise a plan to forego the punishment for wrong-doing.

Genesis 37:31-35 – So they took Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, "We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?" 33 And he recognized it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces." 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him.

Well, there it is: The worst case of sibling rivalry that we know of. These brothers didn’t seem to care what happened to Joseph or how they hurt their father. They just wanted to be rid of the dreamer-boy. And so, Joseph’s life goes south to Egypt, where, according to verse 36, he gets sold to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard whose name was Potiphar.

So, how do you deal with a situation like this? I dare say that none of us have ever had something this bad happen to us. But, the way Joseph handled himself is very instructive to us about how we should deal with situations that arise in our lives and how we should live as Christians in a fallen world. We are going to look at three ways that Joseph handled what happened to him and draw application to our lives today. The first thing we are going to see is that Joseph maintained a God-Centered Perspective. Secondly, Joseph continued to work hard for the glory of God. And thirdly, which we will just introduce this morning, but which is that foundation of the other two, is that Joseph trusted in the grace and faithfulness of God.

I. Maintain a God-Centered Perspective

So, let’s look at the first lesson we learn from what happens next. We need to maintain a God-centered perspective. In chapters 38 and 39 that follow, we are given both a negative example of this from the life of Judah and a positive example of this from the life of Joseph. Both of these stories seem to be somewhat extreme, although you might be surprised. Let’s look first at the negative example in chapter 38.

This scene in chapter 38 is somewhat of a parenthesis in the life of Joseph, probably included because it happened at the same time that Joseph was taken to Egypt. It was also probably included to show the effects of not having a God-Centered perspective in life like Joseph had.

Negative Example
Genesis 38:1-11 – It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. 3 So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5 And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. 6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. 8 And Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown." For he said, "Lest he also die like his brothers." And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

Now what happens next is almost unbelievable. As time passes, Tamar realizes that Judah has either forgotten to give his youngest son to her as a husband or he has refused. So she presumably follows an ancient Hittite practice where the inheritance would be given by the father-in-law marrying his son’s wife. But she does it in a way that is deceitful.

Genesis 38:14-19 – So she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. 16 Then he turned to her by the way, and said, "Please let me come in to you"; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?" 17 And he said, "I will send a young goat from the flock." So she said, "Will you give me a pledge till you send it?" 18 Then he said, "What pledge shall I give you?" So she said, "Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand." Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.

Eventually, Judah’s sin is found out and he acknowledges that he was wrong in not providing his youngest son for Tamar. Tamar has two children, one who’s name is Perez. Does that name sound familiar? It is mentioned a few other times in the Bible. It is mentioned again in Genesis and once in Numbers in a genealogical record. But it is not until the book of Ruth that we find out his importance. You see, Perez was in the direct line of Boaz, who became husband to Ruth and eventual great-grandfather to King David. That means that Perez was also in the direct line of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. You see, even in the midst of a terrible situation where everyone gets their focus off of God, God can bring about His sovereign purposes. God’s takes man’s evil choices and turns them to His ultimate end.

After this interlude in chapter 38, we are taken back to Joseph in chapter 39 and given a positive example of someone who maintained a God-Centered perspective. Joseph, as you recall from the end of chapter 37 had been sold to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar was the captain of the guard in Egypt and Joseph became his servant. Eventually, Joseph proved himself to be a faithful servant, faithful enough that Potiphar made him the head steward of all his household. But something else bad was about to happen to Joseph.

Positive Example
Genesis 39:7-9 – And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"

Now, much has been said from this scene about how to avoid temptation, specifically sexual temptation. But I want you to notice how Joseph was able to say no to this temptation. Joseph was not ultimately concerned about what would happen to him or to his master’s wife. He was not ultimately concerned about keeping his job or making Potiphar happy. Joseph was ultimately concerned with how his actions related to God.

This is important for us to understand. Every aspect of our lives as Christians is lived in relation to God. When we sin, we sin against God. When we are serving, we are serving God. When we love others, we do so because we love God. Everything we do should have God at its center.

1 Corinthians 10:31 – Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

John Piper – “Sometimes when we wrestle with biblical realities like holiness and hope we miss the forest for the trees. The forest is this: Christian living is living permeated by God.

• God in the morning,
• God in the midday,
• God in the evening.
• God as motive,
• God as guide,
• God as moral standard,
• God as comfort,
• God as strength,
• God as truth,
• God as joy.

“What emerges from 1 Peter and the whole New Testament is that the Christian life is a life lived in God.

• Ever aware of God.
• Ever submitted to God.
• Ever trusting God.
• Ever guided by God.
• Ever hoping in God.

“What amazes me again and again today—and defines my life and ministry—is that when I look into contemporary American cultural life, the most awesome, stunning, frightening reality is the thoroughgoing insignificance of God. And when I look into the New Testament, the most awesome, stunning, frightening thing is that God is everything.”

Romans 11:36 – For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

What we find out from the Bible is that everything that God does is for God. God, as Piper puts it, is the most radically God-centered being in the universe. Four times in Ezekiel 20, when discussing his judgment on Israel, God proclaims that he did it for his name’s sake. We are told that everything God does, He does for His glory.

Isaiah 48:11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.
And when we get to the New Testament, we see that everything Christ did, he did for the sake of the glory of God. This is what Ephesians 1 is all about:

Ephesians 1:3-14 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth -- in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

God’s entire plan to save men from their sins, from eternity past, to the prophecies in the Old Testament, to the pictures of the sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law, to the birth of Christ, to him living a perfect life, to his death on the cross and resurrection on the third day, to the day that you heard the good news about forgiveness and reconciliation, to the day when Christ returns and evil is destroyed and righteousness reigns, all is done to the glory of God and so that we might be enthralled with His glory. The gospel is more than just forgiveness of sins, though it is that. It is that God has chosen to glorify Himself by a people who, because of the cross of Christ, are sold out to Him and worship Him with every fiber of their being.

Jonathan Edwards – “one design of God in the Gospel is to bring us to make God the object of our undivided Respect That he may Engross our Regard Every way That whatever natural Inclination there is in our souls he may be the Center of it and that God may be all in all .”

So, what about you this morning? Do you love the glory of God? Is God the center of your attention or are you more thrilled with the new iPhone that just came out? Here’s a tough one for me. Do you long more for extra time to read your Bible or do you more anxiously await the new season of Heroes? Do you even consider how your attitudes, actions, time-management, or friendships relate to the glory of the One who not only created you, but died for you?

Jesus allowed his friend Lazarus to die so that he might raise him all for the glory of God (John 11:4, 40). Stephen was willing to be killed by stoning because as he looked up into the heavens, he saw the glory of God (Acts 7:55). We are called in Romans 15 to receive one another and in 2 Corinthians 4 to be thankful so that God may be glorified. Philippians 2 tells us that the humiliation of Christ and his eventual exaltation and worship is to the glory of God the Father.
And, yet, the indictment against mankind in Romans 3 is that all fall short of, what? The glory of God. Instead of placing God at the center of our affections, we place ourselves at the center of our affections by loving what God can do for us more than we love Him. We love the gifts more than the giver.

But Joseph was able to see through the good and bad of his life to the God-centeredness of every thought and action. He maintained his focus on the glory of God. Oh, Christian, don’t settle for anything less than that which ultimately satisfies. Learn to be God-centered and live and die for the glory of God.

II. Work hard for the glory of God

Number 2, work hard for the glory of God. Now don’t miss this from this story. We see some very important things that happen to Joseph in chapter 39.

Genesis 39:1-6 – Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.

We see that everything Joseph did was blessed by God and he prospered. Now, rather than turning this into a prosperity theology, I want us to notice that Joseph didn’t just sit back and whimper “poor me.” He didn’t just bemoan his situation. He had a lot to complain about, but we don’t see him complaining in this story. We see him doing his job and doing it well. The same thing happens in verse 20. After Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph of trying to rape her, Potiphar has him thrown into prison.

Genesis 39:20-23 – Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 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. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 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.

Again, Joseph does his job and he does it well. But remember why. It’s the same reason that he was unwilling to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife – he recognized that everything he did reflected on the glory of God. So, when it came to service, he was going to do all he could to make sure that God was glorified in his work.

One of the ideas we have lost in modern Christianity is the belief that the job you have been given is your calling by God. We typically think of God calling missionaries and preachers into service, but rarely think of God calling mailmen and parents into service. We believe that God has a special calling on the lives of elders but forget that the same God has called some to be engineers.

In our Western context, we have divided the sacred from the secular. But, if God truly works all things after the counsel of His will for the praise of His glorious grace as Ephesians 1:11-12 tells us (please look that up after the service), then for the believer, there truly is nothing secular. Every aspect of your life is sacred. Your job is sacred and you should use it not just to earn more money, but to glorify God. Your house is sacred and you should use it not just for a comfortable place to relax, eat, and sleep, but to glorify God. Your car is sacred and you should use it not just to get you from point A to point B, but to glorify God. Your family is sacred and you should use them not just to fulfill your dreams of marriage and parenthood, but to glorify God.

You get the picture yet? Everything we do, we should do with all of our strength for the glory of God.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

At the end of his search for fulfillment, Solomon related all of life to living for God.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

So, when you go to work tomorrow, remember that you are not working for your boss or for you next paycheck. You are working for God. Work hard, using every moment as an opportunity to show the fleeting nature of this earth and the eternal weight of God’s glory. Show those around you that Christians see their work in relation to the glory it brings their God. Take every moment with your family to display the awesome value of knowing God. Work hard to make your home a joyful place where living for the glory of God is emphasized. Work hard for the glory of God.

III. Trust in the grace and faithfulness of God

Now, I’m just going to introduce this next point and go into it more next week. But I want to see why Joseph was able to maintain a God-centered perspective and work hard for the glory of God, and why we can to. Joseph was able to be who he was because he trusted in the power and faithfulness of God.

It is not something special about Joseph that commends his story to us, although anyone reading this would consider Joseph to be different from those around him and an example of extraordinary faithfulness in the face of extraordinary obstacles. But the something special that we need to focus on is the grace and faithfulness of God, because that is what kept Joseph going.

We read 3 times in chapter 39 that “the Lord was with Joseph.” And this is the key to everything that happens.

Genesis 39:2 – The LORD was with Joseph

Genesis 39:21 – But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Genesis 39:23 – because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

You see, Joseph’s God-centered perspective and God-glorifying work ethic were because Joseph knew his God. He knew that everything that happened to him, both the good and the bad, came from the gracious hand of a God who was faithful to His covenant. This becomes really clear at the end of the story when his brothers stand before him as he is the second in command of Egypt and he forgives them, telling them that they meant what they did for evil, but God meant what they did for good.

The God that you serve; the God that you are called to center your life around and work hard for is a gracious God. He extends His mercy through the cross of Christ to everyone who will repent and believe. And that mercy is still being extended to you who believe this morning because He is also a faithful God. He will not allow one of his children to perish.

As you commit yourselves this morning to focusing every aspect of your life on God and working hard for the sake of His glory, remember that He is the one who enables you to do so and He is worth every ounce of energy you can give. He is worth all of your life and He is even worth your death. Let us live and die for this gracious, faithful God.

Genesis 25-35: The God Who Blesses

Do you ever wonder why sometimes it seems like the bad people get all the breaks in life? Why is it that non-Christians seem to prosper while those who claim the name of Christ appear to get the short end of the stick? After all, the TV preachers of today claim that God wants you to have “Your Best Life Now” and that you will be fulfilled if you just find your purpose and live by that. The modern-day Word-Faith movement tells us that God wants all of his children to be happy and rich and if we are not then it is because we have not spoken and thought like children of the King.

But what do you do with that kind of Christianity when you are struggling with issues of every-day living. What do you do when you are having problems just understanding what are supposed to be the basics of biblical doctrine and how all this is supposed to apply to your life? What about when struggles at work make you want to give up and just find another job that is less stressful? Or when your situation at home makes you long for a “Calgon take me away” moment that lasts for about a month and you’re thinking about throwing in the towel?

Isn’t being a child of God supposed to make everything easier? I thought once you made your peace with God that things would go smoother? What is the point of being in God’s family if life isn’t any better than when you were God’s enemy?

Do you ever ask yourself these types of questions? If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to say that we do wonder these types of things from time to time. I imagine we even get the courage up to ask God these types of things sometimes. And then we wonder why God doesn’t answer us the way he did the prophet Habakkuk in the Old Testament. So, we plod through life not sure whether we are coming or going and not sure where God is during our ups and downs.

I read a book recently called “God of Promise” by Michael Horton, which is basically a book introducing you to a historical branch of Christian theology. But right at the end he gave an illustration that made tears well up in my eyes as he described what is probably the experience of just about every Christian. I just want to read what he has to say on page 193:

Imagine a new sailboat with all of the latest gadgets. Equipped with satellite technology, the sailboat can plot the course to your destination. It can even signal alarm when you veer from its coordinates. Relying on the impressive gear, you venture out into the open waters under full sail until eventually the winds die down and you come to a dead calm. The radio warns that a squall is suddenly approaching out of the east. A number of fellow sailors offer advice on their radios, but despite all of the information offered by the guidance system itself and the helpful advice of colleagues, you realize that you cannot return to safety without any wind. So, there you sit, with all of your finest technology, unable to move toward the harbor.

The Christian life is often like this. We glide out of our harbor under full sail, thrilled with delight in knowing our sins are forgiven and that we are right with God. A new love for our Redeemer fills us with gratitude, and we are eager to follow the course he has set for us in his Word. Yet as we pass into the open seas, we encounter spiritual stress. God’s law, we find, provides the direction but not the power, and a panoply of spiritual technologies are available to substitute. We think that by reading this book or going to that conference or following this plan for spiritual victory or these steps for overcoming sin in our life, we can get the boat going in the right direction again.

Yet the more advice you get, the deeper your sense that you are simply dead in the water spiritually. Exhausted, you either give up and promise never to sail again or you realize that what you really need is a fresh gust of wind in your sails.

Now, before I let the cat out of the bag by giving you Horton’s solution to this very common problem, we are going to look at a story in the Bible about a man who went through a lot of circumstances in his own life that caused him to wonder about the promise of God’s blessing to His own. We’re going to be looking at Genesis 25-35 this morning at the life of Jacob and the God of Jacob who is a God who blesses. So turn in your Bibles to Genesis 25. If you are using the Bibles in the chairs, it will be on page 20.

I. God sovereignly blesses the ones He chooses

God chooses to bless Isaac and not Ishmael

We are going to begin in verse 11.

Genesis 25:11 – And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac.

Now, if you remember the story that we detailed a few weeks ago, God had called Abraham to himself and made a covenant with him. The covenant consisted of God doing all the work and giving Abraham all the blessings. The promise of the covenant was to be passed down to Abraham’s seed, or descendent as an eternal covenant. But there was a major problem that human ingenuity could not overcome – Abraham was very old and only had one child, Ishmael, who was the son of his wife’s slave-girl. So, in chapter 17, as God reiterates the promise to Abraham, he reminds God of this little problem:

Genesis 17:18-19 – And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" 19 Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

So, God had determined that Ishmael would not be the child of promise, not because of anything Ishmael had or had not done, but because God had not chosen him, a point we will come back to later. God had chosen to give Abraham another son through his wife Sarah and he would be the child of the promise.

As the story develops, Sarah supernaturally has a son and names him Isaac just as God had commanded. God then promises that He will pass the Abrahamic Covenant down to Isaac and his descendants. And this is where we pick up in Genesis 25. Abraham and Sarah are now dead and Isaac is the chosen inheritor of the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Now the question you should be asking at this point is, “Why is Isaac the inheritor of the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant and not Ishmael?” This is a valid question. Ishmael was Abraham’s first son. And, even though he was not the son of Sarah physically, because his mother was Sarah’s handmaiden, in that culture he would have been considered the first-born and, therefore, the sole inheritor of Abraham’s possessions. Ishmael should have been given the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. But God says no. Why is that? What had Isaac done to receive the blessings? The answer to that question should be obvious since the promise of God in Genesis 17 about Isaac took place before Isaac was ever born. The answer is nothing.

Which brings us to a point that we will see developed in this story and throughout the entire Bible – that God sovereignly blesses the ones He chooses. No one earns the grace of God. If they could or ever did, it would not be grace, it would be payment. This is what Paul tries to be clear about in the book of Romans and elsewhere in his epistles. If we add one ounce of our own human effort or human will to the grace of God, we turn God’s grace into payment for our effort and we make the cross of Christ unnecessary. We will come back to that point as the story develops.

Now, Isaac, in Genesis 24 had gotten married to a woman named Rebekah. It was an amazing display of faith on the part of one of Abraham’s servants who found Rebekah and on the part of Rebekah, who willingly followed the servant to marry Isaac, having never met him.

After Abraham dies, we pick up the story of Isaac and Rebekah in verse 21 of Genesis 25.

God chooses to bless Jacob and not Esau

Genesis 25:21-23 – Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her:"Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."

Now, we need to notice two very important things about this incident. The first is that what takes place here is before these two boys, Jacob and Esau, are even born. They have done absolutely nothing in their lives, good or bad, because they have not yet been born. They have not made any decisions; have not had any desires; have not been presented with any options or choices. Their mother is told who will receive the Abrahamic blessing and what their future will be before they are even born.

The second thing we need to notice is that the promised blessing is once again contrary to the natural order of things. The first-born always received the blessing. He was the one who would be the leader of the family. But, here, God chooses the second-born to be the leader and receiver of the blessings. God does the unexpected.

The third thing we need to notice is that this prophecy directly from the mouth of God contains both national and individual components. There is talk about the two peoples that will come from these two children – the Edomites (the descendants of Esau) and the Israelites (the descendants of Jacob). So, some of this prophecy involves the national election of Israel as God’s people as opposed to the Edomites. But there is also an individual component – the older (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob). That is, Jacob will be the one to receive the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant, not Esau. This was an individual blessing as well.

As you read through Genesis 25-35, things unfold just as God promised. Jacob receives the blessing from his father, although he uses deception to get it, as we will see. Esau, although he fathers a great nation, is on the outside in reference to the covenant of God. He and his people do not have future divine revelation from God and fall into idolatry. They are rejected by God, and they reject God as a result. So, as you read this story, recognize that everything that happens is a result of God’s choice of Jacob over Esau before they were ever born, for no reason other than God’s sovereign will.

This is exactly the point Paul makes as he uses this story to explain God’s unconditional election of some Israelites and not others in Romans 9. Turn there, if you would.

Now, not to belabor the point, but Paul’s major concern in Romans 9 follows on the heels of his statement in Romans 8 that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. If this is true, he asks, then why did Israel reject their Messiah when He came, because that sure separated them from the love of God. What about the covenant God had with Abraham? If God isn’t faithful to his covenant with Abraham and his descendants, how can we be sure he will be faithful to his covenant with us? The question in Romans 9 is, “Why did some Israelites reject the Messiah and bring on eternal damnation? Why are some Israelites unsaved?” Paul begins to answer the question in verse 6, and he uses the stories of Isaac and Ishmael and Jacob and Esau.

Romans 9:6-13 – But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son." 10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger." 13 As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."

So, looking quickly at this, Paul makes a few points.

1) The Word of God has not failed. The promise is still sure and guaranteed.

2) The promise was never to all the physical descendants of Abraham. This is what he means when he says “They are not all Israel who are of Israel.”

3) The example he uses to prove this point is that Isaac was the child of promise, not Ishmael. So, salvation (or as he puts it in verse 8, being a “child of God”) does not come from physical descent as the Jews thought. It comes from God’s promise. Only the children of promise are the seed.

4) The promise is dependant on the sovereign purpose of God. Here is where he picks up the story of Jacob and Esau in verse 10-13. Look at what he says about why God chose Jacob over Esau: 1) not because they had done any good or evil (since they had not yet been born), 2) that the purpose of God according to election might stand. He then reiterates it: 1) not of works, but 2) of Him who calls.

Paul’s point in Romans 9 is that the reason some Israelites had rejected their Messiah and were unsaved is because God hadn’t chosen them and hadn’t called them. He uses the story of Jacob and Esau to illustrate this. In planning salvation in this way, God reserves all glory for himself. Paul makes this point as well in 1 Corinthians 1, that God chooses and calls some and not others in order that “no flesh may glory in his presence?”

I wonder, if you are sitting here this morning, and you claim to be a child of God, to what do you credit your salvation? Why do you think you chose to believe in Jesus Christ and someone else who hears the same message does not? Was the gospel presented to you in clearer fashion than to the other person? If you believe that is the reason then you are robbing God of some of his glory and giving it to the person who shared the gospel with you. Do you think you were somehow more inclined at that moment in your life to want the good news of the cross or more inclined to understand and believe the truth? If so, what made you more inclined? What causes one person to believe and another to reject, because this is the question Paul was asking in Romans 9. If you answer to these questions is anything other than God, than you are deficient in your understanding of the Scriptures and are stealing glory from God and God is clear that He will share His glory with no one.

What happens in the rest of the story in Genesis is the outcome of God sovereignly choosing Jacob instead of Esau. Back in Genesis 25…

Esau proves his lack of God’s gracious blessing by despising his birthright and taking heathen wives

Genesis 25:29-34 – Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom. 31 But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." 32 And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" 33 Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau rejected God and all of God’s promises. Remember that Esau was still the first-born. He, if he really wanted to, could have, and probably should have, demanded that the blessing be passed to him. But Esau didn’t see the promise of God as that important. He, simply put, was dead in his trespasses and sins and had no desire for the things of God. This is a very important thing to understand: the sovereignty of God does not in any way nullify the will of man. In fact, it is compatible with it. We believe, as is stated in the 1689 London Baptist Confession that “IN the natural order God has endued man's will with liberty and the power to act upon choice, so that it is neither forced from without, nor by any necessity arising from within itself, compelled to do good or evil.” In reference to the decree of God, the Confessions states, “Neither, by reason of His decree, is the will of any creature whom He has made violated.”

God never forces anyone to reject him. Esau willingly despised his birthright. He willingly rejected God and all that God had to offer.

The writer to the Hebrews pick up on this fact as he uses this story to warn those who are professing believers not to fall short.

Hebrews 12:14-17 – Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The point is that you better be careful that, even if you professed faith in Christ, that you continue in your growth in grace. If you do not, you are proving that you never had the grace of God to begin with and you will show yourself to be as cavalier about the blessings of God as Esau was. He is called a fornicator and a profane person who sold his birthright for one morsel of food. Imagine, coming up to the bread and water of life and thumbing your nose at it for a morsel of the world’s pleasures. This is what Esau did, and we are told to be cautious that we who have heard the truth and supposedly responded to it don’t do the same thing.

As you can see, Esau is responsible for his willing rejection of God. And, in fact, he continued to reject God and showed it in defiance of his parent’s (and God’s) wishes by taking wives from the heathen nations around them.

What about you here this morning? Are you rejecting the God of the Bible as He presents himself? You see, every one of us has despised the blessing of God. We have all been born in sin and continually thumb our noses at God with every self-sufficient breath that we take. And because we, as the Bible says, “fall short of the glory of God,” we stand under His righteous judgment, which is according to truth. We have absolutely nothing to offer God and no way of appeasing His justice. But God has stepped in and offered a solution to our plight. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to completely satisfy His righteous demands by living a life of perfect obedience to God’s law and to completely satisfy His righteous wrath by dying in our place while bearing our sins on the cross. The question to you here this morning is, will you continue to reject this gift or will you, by repentance and faith, receive the offer of reconciliation with the God of the Universe. You will be held responsible for your decision. Don’t be like Esau, who saw too late how valuable the blessing of God was. While it is still called today, turn from your sin and seek God’s salvation.

It is also interesting to note that the life of Jacob doesn’t seem to be much better than Esau’s in many respects. He was no saint himself. He had many problems in his life. He had many failures. No one would point to him as one who would be the first in line to receive the “Man of the Year” award. And yet, because of the grace of God, he sought God’s blessing in his life. He, too, apart from the grace of God would have despised the blessings of God. But, because of the grace of God, and despite his inherent sin, he sought out the blessings of God, which brings us to the next stage in the story…

II. God blesses despite man’s sinfulness

In Genesis 26, we have a familiar theme. There is another famine. This time Isaac, rather than going to Egypt as did his father Abraham hooks himself up with the Philistines. And he commits the same sin as Abraham. So we read in verse 7:

Genesis 26:7-14 – And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, "She is my sister"; for he was afraid to say, "She is my wife," because he thought, "lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold." 8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, "Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, 'She is my sister'?" And Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'Lest I die on account of her.' " 10 And Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us." 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." 12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

Now, keep in mind that Isaac was the child of promise. He was the one to whom the Abrahamic promise was given. Through him would be the blessing of all the nations and the eventual promised Messiah. And he was a man who still struggled with doubts and sin. And in a similar way to what happened to Abraham, God blessed him anyway, which is the second major thing we learn from this passage: God blesses despite man’s sinfulness.

We see it in chapter 27 as well, when Rebekkah and Jacob conspire to steal the blessing of the firstborn from Esau.

Genesis 27:1-5 – Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he answered him, "Here I am." 2 Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 "Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 "And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die."

Rebekah hears this conversation and convinces Jacob to bring her a goat from the flock which she cooks. She then dresses Jacob in some of Esau’s clothes and puts animal skins on his arms so that he is hairy like his brother. Jacob then goes in to his poor old father and tricks him into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. Thus, through Jacob’s trickery, God’s promise comes true and Jacob is made the family heir and leader.

The ramifications of this story are simply staggering! Here, God had made a proclamation before these two kids were even born. Then he uses the sinful deceit of the mother and son to bring about His sovereign plan. Rebekah and Jacob are absolutely culpable for their sinful actions and God is absolutely sovereign. God continues to bless Jacob despite, and even through, his sinfulness. It does not mean that God approves of man’s sinful choices, but that He uses those choices to accomplish His ultimate purpose.

Are you confused yet? Are you wondering how Jacob could be held responsible for his actions if God had sovereignly determined what would happen? If you are, then you are reading the story right and you are asking the right questions. The problem is that we are usually not satisfied with the answer. Because the answer is: We don’t know. God’s ways are not are ways, but we can be sure they are righteous. God declares the future that He has planned here and then uses the sinful actions of men, for which they are responsible, in order to carry out His plan. All the while, God is not the author of sin, and man is making his choices for which he is responsible.
It is a sometimes confusing truth, but is the way the Bible presents it. You can err by emphasizing either side of the coin too much. If you emphasize God’s sovereignty too much, you become a fatalist, believing that it does not matter what man does or chooses because he really has no choice. If you emphasize man’s choice too much, you become a humanist, believing that man’s will is sovereign and autonomous and that God just sits and waits to see what man will choose to do. Either one of these is an extreme that is not the biblical picture. The biblical picture is that God is absolutely sovereign and has declared the end from the beginning and that man is given the choice to make based on his nature and he is responsible for his choices. God’s sovereignty never coerces the will of man, but rather uses it to accomplish His purposes. This is the picture in the Bible and it is shown clearly in the story of Jacob and Esau.

III. God’s blessing does not exclude His people from suffering the consequences of their sins

Speaking of man being responsible for their choices, another thing we see in this story is that God’s blessing does not exclude His people from suffering the consequences of their sins. Jacob had a lot of problems in life that were a direct result of his sinful choices.

Jacob leaves home after this incident to find a wife. Isaac asks him to go to his father’s family back in Padam Aram and look for a wife there rather than among the heathen where they lived. Jacob finds the woman of his dreams who happens to be the daughter of his uncle Laban. In chapter 29, we read of some problems that develop as Jacob tries to marry his true love.

Genesis 29:16-25 – Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. 18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." 19 And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her." 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. 23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?"

It is interesting to note that Laban deceived Jacob in much the same way the Jacob had deceived Isaac. Jacob ended up paying for his deception by being deceived himself. And more problems followed. As you follow the story, in chapter 29-30, you see that Jacob ends up with 2 wives and 2 concubines with strife between all of them and eventual strife between the 12 children. The wives are jealous of one another because of who bore more children and it causes a lot of problems in the household. The children eventually become jealous of one another, which we will see in more detail in next week’s message on the life of Joseph.

But, even in the midst of God’s discipline of Jacob because of his sin, God continues to bless him. He is put in charge of Laban’s flock as he works to gain his wives from his uncle and eventually God takes the best sheep from the flock and gives them to Jacob. Jacob, after a 14-year hiatus eventually returns to the land of Canaan with his wives and children.

So, what about you? Do you ever feel like you are under the discipline of God? Know that the discipline of God is a good thing. For if there is no discipline from the hand of God, then you can be assured that you are not His child. This is the point that the writer to the Hebrews makes in chapter 12:

Hebrews 12:5-11 – And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

As we see the development of Jacob, the result of the discipline of God in his life is further rightousness.

In chapter 32, we read of an interesting incident of an encounter that Jacob has with God:

Genesis 32:24-32 – Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" 27 So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." 28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank.

Here, despite Jacob’s sinful actions in the past, God blesses him and even changes his name to show his intention to bless him. Israel is the name that God chooses for Jacob and eventually becomes the name of the twelve tribes that form the nation descended from Jacob. God intended to bless Jacob from the very beginning and does so despite his sinful tendencies, even in the midst of discipline.

In chapter 33, we see the reconciliation with Esau, where both brothers overlook past indiscretions (at least on the surface) in order to keep the peace. Chapter 34 shows another situation in the life of Israel, as he is now called, which could be considered some of God’s discipline. The prince of the town named Shechem finds Dinah, one of Israel’s daughters, to be quite appealing. Rather than be a gentleman, he rapes her. Then he begs his father, the king, to get her to be his wife. When Dinah’s brothers hear about this, they conceive a plot that results in them killing every man in the city.

They deceive the king and the prince into thinking that they are willing to allow intermarriage if the men of the city will be circumcised. The men of the city agree to this stipulation, all too easily if you ask me, and go through with the procedure. While they are still writhing in pain, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, killed every man in the city and took all their possessions and their women. This makes the people of the land hate Israel and his family. It is obvious that Israel’s sons turn out to be just like their daddy and he ends up regretting it.
But, despite all of this, God again promises His blessing in chapter 35.

Genesis 35:1 – Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."

Genesis 35:9-12 – Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. 11 Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 "The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."

There is one reason why God continues to promise blessing to Jacob, and it has nothing to do with his individual worth or holiness. Paul tells us this reason in Romans 11:29:

Romans 11:29 – For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

So, do you feel at times like you are struggling with circumstances of life just like Jacob did? Do you do stupid things that bring on the discipline of God? Do you struggle with sinful tendencies that make you question whether you are a child of God or not? Do you wonder why God would choose to bless you when you so often choose to neglect him?

I want to read the conclusion of that quote I began with from Michael Horton. If you recall, he likened the Christian life to setting sail in a sailboat, with your sails full of wind. You are excited and feel the power of the Spirit in your life. But as you face life’s difficulties, the wind dies down and you sit, as he put it, “dead in the water spiritually.” You are disappointed and exhausted. You are discouraged and need a fresh gust of wind. Here is what he says is the remedy:

That wind is always Christ in his saving office. What you really need is to be told all over again about who God is and what he has done to save you, and about the new world that awaits you because of his faithfulness to unfaithful sailors. This alone will fill you sails so that you can get safely back to the harbor when the gales blow hard. Our whole life as Christians is a process of sailing confidently into open seas, dying down in exhaustion, and having our sails filled again with God’s precious promises.

I want to leave you this morning with some of those promises found in Romans 8.

Romans 8:28-39 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Joshua 24:15 - The Responsibilities of a Father

Two little girls, on their way home from Sunday school, were solemnly discussing the lesson. "Do you believe there is a devil?" asked one. "No," said the other promptly. "It's like Santa Claus: it's your father."

Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. “

Well, today is Father’s Day. It is a day that was originally conceived by Sonora Dodd after attending a Mother’s Day service, in order to honor her father. The tradition has continued and was finally established as a permanent American holiday in 1972. And I know that most of you fathers that are sitting here are worried. You are worried because every year it is the same thing. One month earlier, we hear a beautifully tailored sermon on how a mother is the most special thing on earth, the pinnacle of God’s creation, if you will, and how we should do all we can to honor them. And then comes the dreaded Father’s Day sermon, where the preacher berates the fathers for not keeping their responsibilities and calls them into judgment before God.

So as to not disappoint you, I would like you to turn to Joshua 24 this morning as we look at the Responsibilities of a Father. We are only going to look at the last sentence of the verse, and then will be looking at other passages to see what the Bible says about a father’s responsibilities, which you will recognize is unusual for me. But we are going to look at the context just a little so we can get our bearings.

So, let’s look at the last phrase in Joshua 24:15.

Joshua 24:15 – But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Just so we understand what is going on in this passage, we need to first of all remember the table of contents of our Bibles. Joshua is the 6th book of the Old Testament, right after Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The first five books, written mostly by Moses, tell us the history of Creation, the Flood, Abraham, Moses and the Exodus, the giving of the Law, and the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness by the Israelites. As Deuteronomy ends, Israel stands poised on the border of the Promised Land of Canaan with their new leader Joshua. Their mission is to enter the Promised Land, destroy or expel all the inhabitants, and set up their nation under God’s righteous rule. The book of Joshua records this conquest. And as we get to chapter 23, Joshua is getting old and is telling the people what they must do after he died.

Joshua 23:1-4 – Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: "I am old, advanced in age. 3 "You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you. 4 "See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward.

Joshua begins to remind the people of all that God has done for them and then to tell them how they can expect to stay in the land God has given them – keep the stipulations of the covenant. And chapter 23 and 24 is a challenge from Joshua to the people to be faithful to God who has been faithful to them.

In verse 14 of chapter 24, Joshua begins his application of all that he has recounted to the people. And this is where we pick it up this morning:

Joshua 24:14-15 –- Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! 15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

As we look this morning at this text, we are going to see three things. Firstly, we are going to, from this verse, see A Father’s Responsibility. Secondly, we are going to look at other Scriptures to see A Father’s Resources for carrying out this responsibility. Thirdly, we are going to look at A Father’s Reasons for wanting to carry out this responsibility.

Now, if you are sitting here this morning and thinking, “I am not a father, so I can just phase out for a little while,” you are wrong. The things about which I am going to talk are also going to have universal application to every believer, so you will need to pay attention as we go through this.

So, first of all, a Father’s Responsibility…

I. A Father’s Responsibility

A. Serve the Lord personally

There are two responsibilities that this verse talks about concerning a father. I am sure we could come up with many more, but I’ll just stick with these two, and you will see that they are quite enough. The first one is found in the first four words: “But as for me.” Your primary responsibility as a father is to serve the Lord personally.

Of course, this is the primary responsibility of every believer. God has sacrificed His Son, called you to Himself, and saved you not just so that you could spend an eternity in bliss before His throne, but so that you would live your live right now as before His throne. You must see every aspect of your life as service to your Creator and Savior.

Too often, in our modern American context, we try to separate sacred and secular to the point where they never intersect. In “The City of God,” Augustine rightly stated that there are basically two cities in the world: The City of Man and the City of God. As Christians, we have a dual existence. We are pilgrims going through the City of Man and we are citizens of the City of God. Whenever we are involved in the City of Man (such as work, politics, etc.) we do so a citizens of the City of God.

What I mean is this: when you go to work, you do not work for your boss. You work for Christ. When you spend time with your friends, you do not do it solely to enjoy your leisure time. You do it for the glory of God. When you come to church, you do not do it so that you can be ministered to or to enjoy entertaining music and preaching. You do it so that you can minister to others for the glory of God. All of your life is service to God.

Now, if that is true (and it is), then we should all pay very close attention to every aspect of our lives. We do not have the option of ever just checking out and letting things go. We must carefully consider how we handle our money, our time, our possessions, our friendships, our church, and our families. In short, we must take heed to ourselves.

Joshua had already told the people this in chapter 23:

Joshua 23:11 – Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God.

His instruction is important. Do you ever sit down and examine the various aspects of your life? Do you ever sit down and consider what time you wake up in the morning and what you do when you first get out of bed? Does your current morning practice help you to love God more or to ignore God more? Because you are not neutral. You are either progressing in your love for God or you are progressing in your love of self and the world. What about your work habits? Does the way you handle yourself at work assist you in your love for God or hurt you in that area? What about how you handle dinnertime? Are you rushing around so fast that you don’t even consider to be thankful to the God who has provided the food for you? How about bedtime? What about your involvement in church? Have you even considered in all of this when you are going to read your Bible and pray every day? Joshua says “take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.”

My friends, the time has come for all of us to quit playing around. If you claim to be a believer and yet with every second of your day deny that you even know God, you are lying to yourself and to everyone around you. Christ did not die to gain a bunch of converts to a set of religious beliefs. Christ died to make us disciples – people who leave everything to follow him and enroll in His school so that we may become more like Him. And if your life is marked by constant rejection or ignoring of the Master’s teachings, then Jesus will not have you.

John 15:2 – Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;
John 15:6 – "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Now, before I go any further please understand what I am NOT saying. There are three things that I am not saying. Firstly, I am not saying that salvation is by works: that you have to do some sort of good works in order to make yourself acceptable to God. That is not the message of the Bible. The message of the Bible is that it is by grace your are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; not of works, lest any man should boast. No one could ever please God by his own works. We are saved on the basis of what Christ has already done for us.

Which bring us to the second thing I am not saying: I am not saying that you keep yourself saved by works. This is just as wrong as the first idea. The Bible is just as clear that what you have begun by faith you must finish by faith and that it is God who completes the work of faith in you. Any perseverance that you are called to is the work of God in your life.

Thirdly, I am not saying that every believer will serve God and love Him perfectly all the time. Paul, probably the most holy saint ever, struggled with indwelling sin until the day he died. He had ups and downs in his own Christian walk and called himself a “wretched man” while pleading to be released from what he called the “body of this death.” So, I am not arguing for a perfectionism either.

But, what I am saying is that the Bible is full of warnings to those who claim to be believers that faith always produces works. True biblical faith, given by God, always results in growth in holiness. There will always be an increased desire for and love for God. And it will be something that you can see. This is why we have all the commandments both in the Old and New Testaments to pay close attention to how we live and to examine ourselves.

Paul, in dealing with the problems in the Corinthian church had called them to repentance in one letter. He writes to them a second time telling them that he is coming and expects to see repentance in action. He warns them if they haven’t changes they should not assume that they are really who they profess to be. So he gives them instructions in 2 Corinthians 13:5”

2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified.

Peter, as well, in 2 Peter 1 warns his readers to…
2 Peter 1:10 – Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

The things that they are to diligently do to make their call and election sure are found in verses 5-7. They are to be diligent to increase in faith, virtue (or moral goodness), knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Do you see how important it is for you to take heed to yourself? How many of you could say that you have really sat down and looked at your life to see if you are increasing in these areas? If you have not, then you are not being diligent as Peter calls us to. And if we are not being diligent, then we probably are not increasing. So I ask you, “on what do you base your assumption that you are truly saved? Is it because you prayed a prayer or claim to believe some fundamental truths about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?” To that answer, James would say, “so what! The demons believe and tremble.”

Brothers and sisters, we must pay close attention to our lives. We must take heed to ourselves. We must examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith. We must seek to increase in our love for God and our love for others.

This is one of the purposes of partaking of the Lord’s Supper. It is geared to force us to examine ourselves before the face of God before we partake of the Supper. Paul tells us as much in 1 Corinthians 11:28.

1 Corinthians 11:28 – But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

For leaders, this call is all the more important. Paul commanded the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 to first of all “take heed” to themselves and then “to all the flock.”

Acts 20:28 – Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock,

In instructing Timothy about his ministry, Paul tells him in 1 Timothy 4:16…

1 Timothy 4:16 – Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who