THE PAIN OF BECOMING

(INTRO) CHANGE, GROWTH, PAIN, AND GIFTS

[1]WELCOME: Good morning! It’s great to be with you this morning and to worship the Father, Son, and Spirit today. If you’re new with us on campus today or just now joining us online, my name is Nic Cook. We’re continuing our teaching SERIES: called PEAKS AND VALLEYS. We’re going through the book of Genesis and looking at the life of Joseph. And today, we get to a high point in the life of Joseph, where he’s sitting in a position of power. However, what God is able to do in him at this point, is because of the process that God has taken him through. God has used the pain in his life to change him. It reminds me of a book called…

LEADERSHIP PAIN by Samuel Chand. A buddy of mine gave it to me about 4 years ago. [2]And there’s a quote that says, “there is no growth without change, no change without loss, no loss without pain.” Basically, to grow and change, it’s going to hurt. My son is most likely taking after his grandpa on his mom’s side and is going to grow into a tall man. But there are nights where his shins hurt so bad, it’s hard to go to sleep because he’s growing. And what is true physically, is also true emotionally and spiritually. For us to change and grow into who God intends for us to be, it will take experiencing loss and pain. [3]In essence, to grow we must learn how to deal with pain. And what we’ve seen so far is that there are a lot of causes for pain in Joseph’s life. He had the pain he brought on himself by repeating the patterns of sin he learned in his family. There was the pain caused by others who in their sin hated him, beat him, and tried to get rid of him. Or when Potiphar’s wife in her jealousy lied and got her husband to throw him in jail. There is the pain of living in a world affected by sin, where there is slavery and famine and natural disasters. And although God doesn’t CAUSE those things, he can USE them to…[4]

CHANGE US INTO PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE AND LOVE LIKE JESUS. A pastor named Mark Thibodeaux says, there are certain gifts that God can only give us when we walk through pain. They are the gifts of “HUMILITY & FORTITUDE” or another word for fortitude is steadfast. They are humble people who embrace their place in the world as creatures and not the creator. They don’t look down on others, but instead seek to honor God by loving them well. They become people who have found their strength in God and keep going when others give up. When I look at that description, I long to be that kind of person. However, I don’t really want to walk through the valleys to get there. And the truth is, we’re all going to walk into the valleys of life filled with pain. The question is, what kind of people will we become through that journey? [5]Let’s open our bibles to [Gen. 41] We’re going to cover a lot of ground so let’s pray and we’ll dig in.

(TEACH/APP) BECOMING HUMBLE AND STEADFAST (God)

LEARNING TO SERVE, WAIT, AND DEAL WITH DISAPPOINTMENT: Last week we stopped with Joseph getting thrown in jail, after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. However, it’s likely that Potiphar didn’t believe her because Joseph ends up being allowed to run the prison. [6]What we see is that it says that “while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him.” [Gen. 39:20-21a] Last week we talked about how we needed to avoid the false belief that just because bad things are happening to us, it must be God punishing us. It might be God disciplining us and allowing us to reap the consequences of our choices. But it might not be our fault at all. God was with him, working in him and working through him. [7]And Joseph instead of becoming bitter, chose to

TRUST AND SERVE GOD: wherever he found himself. And while he did so, he was introduced to two very special prisoners. Pharoah’s cup bearer and his baker. We don’t know why these men end up in prison, but when they do, Joseph oversees and cares for them. He not only oversees the prison, but he cares for the prisoners. Can you see how he has been learning to serve and trust God wherever he is? He apparently gets to know them well enough that he can see they are upset one day. It says, [8]“6 When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. 7 “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.” [Gen 40:6] So he asks them why they’re upset, and they both tell him about their dreams. Joseph thinks, aha, God is up to something. I know a little about how he works through dreams. So, he helps them interpret their dreams. He tells the cupbearer, in three days you’ll be summoned by Pharoah and be restored to your position. Then he has to deliver bad news. He tells the baker that in three days he will be summoned and killed. He asks the cupbearer to mention him to Pharoah when he’s restored and ask to release him. Then three days later, it happens exactly as God had revealed to him. Both the cupbearer and the baker were summoned by Pharoah. The cupbearer was restored, and the baker was killed. [9]And it ends the chapter with “23 Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.” [Gen 40:23] This became an opportunity to…

[10]LEARN TO WAIT AND DEAL WITH DISAPPOINTMENT: Chapter 41 starts out with the phrase “two full years later…”[Gen 41:1] Just put yourself in Joseph’s sandals. He’s been faithfully serving God for 10 or 11 years both as a slave to Potiphar and in the prison. Both of which are places he didn’t want to be. Then, just when it looks like his chance to escape has come, it disappears. It looks like he’s been forgotten. He was probably disappointed with the cupbearer. He was probably disappointed with God. What seemed like his life would change in three days turned into two years. 13 years total waiting and hoping that God would rescue him. What could God possibly be doing? We don’t get to see the whole picture. God is up to more things than just Joseph. He’s working in the land of Egypt, he’s still working on the family of Jacob. What we do see is that…[11]

GOD IS TRANSFORMING JOSEPH INTO SOMEONE WHO SERVES AND LOVES LIKE JESUS THROUGH PAIN AND DISAPPOINTMENT. He’s turning him into someone who can stick to a plan for years. Turning him into someone who can handle power and not be corrupted by it. Turning him into someone wise who will confront sin with truth and love. Turning him into someone who can forgive and bless those who have disappointed and hurt him. These are the kinds of things that can only be formed by God in someone who has been through pain and disappointment. God takes our pain and uses it to…[12]

· CREATE HUMBLE, STEADFAST PEOPLE: Over this period of time, probably one of the biggest things God has done in Joseph is to help him become humble. He has taken a man who would have sought to be served, and helped him learn how to serve. And during this time, we see him become a man of compassion. He looks at his fellow prisoners and sees their needs, and understands their pain, and he seeks to love them well. When he gets a chance, he points them to God. C.S. Lewis says that “humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking about yourself less.” It’s not thinking, I’m such a horrible person. I must be humble. It’s the posture of “I don’t really think about myself that much. I think much more often about God and others!” God is transforming Joseph into a humble man who is STEADFAST. He keeps going, keeps trusting when others might throw in the towel and give up. He's the kind of person who can look at the present hardship and say, God’s brought me through this far. He’ll be with me in the middle of this too. I trust that he’ll bring me through this as well! Now, hear me on this…

o [13]THESE ARE GIFTS THAT GOD GIVES US AS WE LEARN TO TRUST IN HIM, NOT THINGS WE CAN DO ON OUR OWN We can’t wake up and say, you know what? Today, I’m going to be humble. Humility comes from learning to look at the bigness and greatness and glory of God and see ourselves as small in comparison but infinitely loved and cared for as his creatures. We can’t say, I’m going to persevere today. We become those kind of people by saying, God I’m weak, I can’t do this on my own, and we let God give us the strength to keep going. Joseph didn’t simply decide to be humble and steadfast, he turned to God and God transformed him over the years into that kind of man. It’s slow work that can take years. And when the time was right, Joseph was the right kind of man to be trusted by God with the next step in his journey. After 2 long years of being forgotten we see…

(JC) JOSEPH IS REMEMBERED AND EXALTED (JC)

In chapter 41, God speaks to Pharoah through a dream that’s full of imagery and symbolism. But he can’t interpret the dream, and neither could any of his wise men. And word spreads throughout the palace about this and comes to the cupbearer. Who finally goes…OOPS! Yeah, so Pharaoh, there was this Hebrew man I met in prison who interpreted my dreams. So Pharoah sends for Joseph and says, can you interpret dreams? Joseph in humility points to God and says, “16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” [Gen 41:16] Now remember, in Egyptian culture, Pharoah was considered to be god. So, this is a bold statement. Essentially, it’s someone saying, apparently this god before me can’t interpret his own dreams, he needs help from a real God. It would have been safer to say, “sure! Tell me about your dreams,” and taken credit. But God had transformed him into a humble person who would speak the truth, even to the most powerful person in the room. He wouldn’t take the credit, but instead pointed others to God. Pharoah tells Joseph about his dreams, and God reveals to Joseph the meaning. He even says, “God has revealed to Pharoah in advance what he’s going to do.” [Gen. 40:25] I love it! Again, the meaning behind this is, the god’s that you believe oversee the Nile river, and food production, are not actually in control. My God is. And he’s telling you what’s coming. There will be seven years of plenty of food, then seven years of famine. By the way, you should find someone wise to put in charge. That person, if they were wise, would start collecting part of the crops when there is plenty of food and save them for the years of famine. He doesn’t say, Pharoah, put me in charge, he simply says you should probably put someone you trust in place to take care of things. And Pharoah looks at Joseph and says, done, and puts him in second in command of all Egypt! And he sets out to…[14]

TRANSFORM JOSEPH INTO AN EGYPTIAN: He dresses him in fine linen clothing, hangs a gold chain around his neck, and puts his official seal ring on Josephs finger so he can do business on Pharoah’s behalf. He put him in a royal chariot and people had to bow to him wherever he went. Then he renames him with an Egyptian name. He gives him an Egyptian wife, who happens to be the daughter of an important royal family. Her dad led people in the worship of the Egyptian sun God. What on the surface looks like a massive blessing, is actually incredibly dangerous. The idea is, will Joseph be able to stay faithful to God, or will he become like the people he’s around? WILL HE FORGET HIS GOD AND BECOME LIKE THE WORLD HE LIVES IN, OR WILL HE BE FAITHFUL AND SERVE GOD IN THE WORLD HE’S PLACED IN. We’re tempted to think, yay, God finally made everything great and easy. Joseph is not in prison, he's got money, and a family, and a great career. When in all actuality, he may be in the most dangerous position of his entire life. There would have been the danger of playing politics with people to stay in control. People of power and influence would have been jealous a Hebrew was given authority over them. They probably would try to backstab and undermine and slander him. He was married to a woman who would have potential to turn him away from God towards idols. He had to learn to honor God, and lovingly show his wife how to love God when it would have been easier to simply worship her way. As we can see, he would have been tempted to destroy his brothers when they came seeking help. But God had used all those years of serving and waiting, to create a man who was humble and steadfast.

Joseph humbly serves God and others with the power he has been given. He works for years to make sure that there will be food when the famine comes. He leads his family towards worshipping and honoring God. We know this because even though Pharoah gives him an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife, he names his kids Hebrew names. It was a bold statement, I work for Pharoah, I live in Egypt, but me and my family belong to God. When his brothers show up asking for help, he doesn’t use his power to kill them and bring justice. He sees them and sees how they need to be humbled like he had been. So this morning, I want to end with a time of prayer. If we find ourselves in a place where there is pain, we can learn to trust that God is at work in us, transforming us into humble steadfast people. But we need to learn to turn to him in prayer while we’re waiting to see where he’s taking us. So this morning, if you would, please bow your heads and I’m going to lead us in prayer.

(NXT/INSP) PRAYER FOR TRANSFORMATION

God our Father, Christ our Brother, Holy Spirit our Helper, we turn to you this morning. We know that pain is part of living in this broken world. We know that your word promises that you work all things for the good of those who love you. For those who are in the middle of pain, we ask you to meet with them and speak to them today. In this moment, take some time to talk to God. [15]

· NAME OUR PAIN & DISAPPOINTMENT: Be honest with him and yourself. What emotion are you feeling: confused, scared, anxious, angry, humiliated, disappointed, hurt, lonely, grief. Name how you’re feeling about life. Name how you feel about your relationship with God. (pause) What does he have to say about how you’re feeling? How does he feel about what you’re going through? (pause) [16]

· PRAY FOR HELP TO TRUST HIM: Ask him to help you feel his love for you in the middle of your circumstances. (pause) Ask him to show you where he has already been working. (pause) Asking him to help you trust him even though you struggle to. (the heart is willing but the flesh is weak, help my unbelief) [17]

· PRAY FOR HIM TO TRANSFORM YOU THROUGH THIS: Ask for him to reveal the things he may be working on inside of you. God, in what ways do I not trust you or try to fix things my own way? God how am I looking for happiness and fulfillment apart from you in (people, places, possessions, titles, jobs, honor, glory, and power) [18]

· ASK FOR CLARITY ON THE NEXT STEP IN LOVING HIM AND OTHERS: Lastly, ask God to give you the strength you need for today. He almost never reveals the whole journey and process, but honors our desire to know the next step. What is he asking you to do today? In what way does he want you to draw closer to him? (pause) What does he want you to do today that helps you love and serve someone else that he loves? (Pause)

God, thank you for your love. You are always present, always with us, always working. Help us to feel your love. Be transformed by your love. And love others with the love you have shown us. We want your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.