Sunday 08/16/26 – Adams Village Baptist
Church
Sermon Title: “Joseph
– From Pit to Purpose” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” -
Sermon Series - (Part 3 of 5) – Genesis
37:1-28
(Cover
Picture – The Story of Joseph - Picture)
For the last two weeks we have been discussing characters
or people in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible. The people we are discussing were
“Ordinary People” that God chose to call and to use to do “Extraordinary”
things. For we have an “Extraordinary God,” that has called us all in many ways
do extraordinary things through Him. Whether it is welcoming someone, loving
someone, sending a card, or caring for your neighbor, to God, these are all “Extraordinary”
things.
Thus far in this sermon series, “Ordinary People,
Extraordinary God,” we have talked about Noah, the Ark, and the Flood. Noah was
a righteous and holy man, and God asked this holy and righteous man to serve
him in an extraordinary way. Last week we talked about Abraham, who God called
to be the Father of many nations. For over half the world’s population traces their
literal and spiritual ancestry back to Abraham. Noah was an ordinary person,
and so was Abram, who became Abraham, yet God used them. God can and is using
us!
(Ordinary
People – Extraordinary God – Picture)
How then has God used
you, and further, how will you let God use you, as the world needs hope, love,
healing, and restoration? Further who is someone that you can think that is an
ordinary person, that God used to do extraordinary things? Lastly, who is a
hero of yours that is an ordinary person that God used to do extraordinary
things?
With all of this said, this morning we are going to talk
about our third biblical person or character, which is Joseph. In the Book of
Genesis chapters 37-50, much of this is about Joseph, his life, and what God
called him to do. Now Joseph was one of twelve brothers, as his father Jacob
wrestled all night God, and God renamed Jacob Israel. There are twelve tribes
in Israel, and Jacob or Israel’s sons were the patriarchs of these twelve
tribes. In the story of Joseph, we pick up with him at seventeen years old, as
he was the eleventh Son. Bejamin, which is where we get the Jewish tribe of
Benjamin was youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob or Israel.
What we also know is that of all of Jacob or Israel’s sons,
Joseph was his favorite son. This was also not a hunch, as it was obvious and
all the other eleven brothers, and all the other family members knew it. If we
are honest, how many of us are in a family, where there is or was a favorite? Is
there a child in your family that was or is the favorite? Maybe you were the
“favorite” if your family had or has such a thing? If so, what does it do to
family when there is a “favorite”?
All told, with
divorces and re-marriages, I have four brothers and two sisters. I have been
accused of being the “Joseph,” or the favorite in my family. My older brother
used to call me the “Golden Child,” and to boot, I was youngest of what I call
the “original batch” of us three kids.
One of the big reasons that Jacob or Israel favored and
loved Joseph so much, was because Joseph was born to him in his old age and was
the firstborn son of Rachel, Jacob's deeply beloved wife. So, Jacob or Israel
just loved Joseph, or in my family, Joseph was the “Golden Child”. How do we
know? Well Jacob gives his son Joseph a multi-color coat, or as the famous 1968
production “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, composed by Andrew
Lloyb Webber.
Jacob gives his eleventh of twelve-sons Joseph, an amazing
fancy coat of many colors. As you can imagine, Joseph’s brother was angry,
jealous, and envious of Joseph. I mean this is a culture where generally the
eldest son inherits everything and is the most favored. How can Joseph, the
eleventh youngest of twelve sons have so much favor with his father Jacob? Well
once again, this is because Joseph was born to Jacob in his old age and was the
firstborn son of Rachel, Jacob's deeply beloved wife.
(Joseph’s
Dream of Hay – Picture)
Now if this is not enough, Joseph, who might have been
strutting around his brothers with his fancy multi-colored, letting them know
how much their father favored him, then has a dream. In this dream, Joseph and
his brothers are binding sheeves or hay in the field, as there were no bailing
machines back then. In this dream that Joseph had, his brothers and himself
then became sheeves of hay. Further, all the brothers that were now sheeves or
lumped or bound hay surrounded Joseph and were all bowing to him in the dream.
All the brothers encircle Joseph and are bowing to him, as if he is the king
and ruler over them. So, was Joseph a little full of himself and a little
arrogant (I think) with favor from their father Jacob, with his new multicolor
coat, and his dream telling his brothers he is above them? Yeah, maybe just a
little bit!
(Joseph
thrown in the Pit– Picture)
As one can understand, Joseph’s brothers were upset with
him, and to the extent that they wanted to get rid of him. I mean how arrogant
and full of himself was Joseph? We don’t know for sure, but I would guess at
least some. So, they throw Joseph in a pit, or cistern. This pit is too big for
Joseph to get out of without help. Should they kill Joseph? It is then decided that
instead of killing Joseph, they can profit off their brother by selling him
into slavery.
(Joseph
Sold into Slavery - Picture)
As a result, this is
exactly what they do. What was the cost of selling their young seventeen-year-old
brother Joseph? Well twenty-pieces of silver of course, as Judas Iscariot sold
Jesus out for thirty-pieces of silver. In the Book of Exodus, which occurs way
after the story of Joseph, it says in Exodus 21:32 the standard price of a
slave is thirty-pieces of silver. Maybe like we have had in recent years, it
went from twenty pieces of silver to thirty because of inflation!
(Joseph
Sold for Twenty-Pieces of Silver – Picture)
So, they throw
Joseph in a pit, and after consideration, decide killing him is not the best
idea, so they sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites for twenty-pieces of
silver. In doing this though, there Father Jacob is certainly going to want to
know what happened to his favorite son Joseph. How will the other eleven
brothers get around this then? Here is how, Joseph’s brother took his multi-colored
coat, dip it in goat’s blood, and tell Jacob that Joseph was killed by a wild
animal.
(Joseph and
Potiphar’s Wife – Picture)
Once young Joseph gets to Egypt, who once again, was sold
into slavery for twenty-pieces of silver, he is sold to one of the Egyptian Pharoah’s
or king’s officers, named Potiphar. With Joseph’s natural gifting and call from
God, within no time Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his whole household. Unfortunately,
Potiphar’s wife became infatuated with young Joseph, and since Joseph was
interested in her infatuation, she falsely accused Joseph.
(Joseph in
Prison – Picture)
As a result of this false
accusation, Joseph was put in an Egyptian prison, where he quickly became the
head of all the prisoners. The head warden of the prisoners put Joseph in
charge of all the other prisoners. You see, while it might have been possible
that Joseph could have been a little arrogant and full of himself with his
brothers, God called ordinary Joseph to do extraordinary things. As a result,
whether in slavery or in prison Joseph quickly rose to a top leadership position.
Further, while Joseph was in prison, he accurately interpreted dreams for the Egyptian
Pharoah or king’s baker and cup bearer. The Egyptian Pharoah then had
distressing dreams about Egypt have having seven years of plenty with great
harvests, that would be followed by seven years of famine. The Egyptian Pharoah
told his cup bearer of these distressing dreams, and the cup bearer told Pharoah
that a man in prison named Joseph helped him and the Pharoah’s baker interpret
the meaning of their own dreams.
(Joseph
Second in Charge in Egypt – Picture)
As a result, the Egyptian Pharoah lets Joseph out of prison, Joseph correctly interprets the Pharoah’s dream, and Joseph encourages the Pharoah to store up a lot of grain for when the seven famine after seven years of plenty would come. So impressed by this, and Joseph’s clear gifts, the Egyptian Pharoah put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt. Or to put it another way, the young kid who was thrown in a pit by his brothers, sold into slavery, and who’s death was faked, is now the second in command of the great kingdom of Egypt.
(Joseph’s
Brothers Bow to Him – Picture)
As Joseph
correctly interpreted the Egyptian Pharoah’s dreams, the seven years of famine
came, and there was mass hunger. This also meant that Joseph’s brothers that
sold him into slavery, and Joseph’s whole extended family were hungry. Joseph’s
brothers who sold him into slavery and who faked his death to Jacob or Isreal,
came to Egypt hungry and begging to buy grain. There stood their brother Joseph,
but it had been so long since they saw Joseph last, they did not even recognize
him.
(Joseph
Reveals Himself to His Brothers – Picture)
Even so, Joseph sold
them grain, and took good care of them, in effect keeping his family fed and
alive. Joseph put his brothers to the test and eventually revealed who he
really was to them. Joseph forgave his brothers, and he told them that what
they meant to do to him for evil, God who takes ordinary people and does extraordinary
things, used what happened to him for good. For if God has called you, and He
has called us all, in the end, God will use us to do good over evil. Even more,
Joseph moves his whole family, including his father Joseph or Israel to Egypt,
and because of this Joseph and his family survived and thrived. When the lineage
then goes down the generations to Moses, Moses is then the person that God will
use to lead the Israelites or Jews from slavery in Egypt to the land of Canaan,
or “The Land of Milk and Honey,” or “The Promised Land,” which today includes
in part the country of Israel.
Joseph, out of Jacob’s twelve sons, was Jacob’s favorite
son, and Joseph could have very well be full of himself and big headed. His
brothers out of jealousy and envy fake Joseph’s death and sell him into slavery.
Yet, God had a such a call of Joseph’s life that no matter where Joseph ended
up, he was going to rise to prominence. For God takes ordinary people and does
extraordinary things!
(Joseph
Dies – Picture)
Joseph, the young boy
with the “Technicolored Dream Coat” then dies in the Book of Genesis chapter
50, having saved his father Jacob and his whole extended family. For what enemy
meant for evil, God used for His good. God uses and calls ordinary people to do
extraordinary things. God has called you, me, and all of us to serve and love
like Him. When we follow Christ, and accept this call, God will use in a variety
of ways.
The big take away here then, is all of us are loved by God,
and all of us are called according to God’s purposes. Or to say it, another
where you are presently in your life, is not necessarily your future, and your
past is just that, your past. God uses ordinary people, to do extraordinary
things. Are we willing to believe that God can and will use us? I am willing,
because I will tell you this my brothers and sisters, where are you are today,
or where you were a year ago, can change drastically for the better through
Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. For what enemy means evil, either in
this life or the next, God will use for His good. Keep pursuing Christ and keep
asking God to use you and guide you. For a boy named Joseph who was sold into
slavery by his jealous and envious brothers, ended up saving his entire family.
(Example of
an “Ordinary Hero” – Picture)
Someone sent me an example of an ordinary person who did
extraordinary things through God. With the twenty-fifth anniversary of September
11, 2001, attacks rapidly approaching, here is a story of hero. Who is this
hero? This hero is an ordinary person that God used to do some extraordinary.
Who here has of Todd Beamer? Todd Beamer, an ordinary person, did something
extraordinary. Let me tell you the story:
“Todd Beamer was 32 years old on September 11,
2001. Software sales account manager. Husband. Father of two. Third child on
the way. Just another businessman boarding United 93 at Newark bound for San
Francisco. At 9:32 AM, four hijackers
stormed the cockpit. They forced pilots Captain Jason Dahl and First Officer
LeRoy Homer Jr. to the back. They locked the door. They claimed to have a bomb.
Passengers started calling home. Todd Beamer called GTE Airphone operator Lisa
Jefferson at 9:42 AM. She told him about the World Trade Center. The Pentagon.
The planes. Todd understood immediately: his plane was a weapon aimed at a
target on the ground. "I know I'm not going to get out of this," he
told Lisa calmly. He asked her to pray with him. Then he asked her to tell his
wife Lyz that he loved her. Then he said: "I'm going to have to go out on
a limb here." He set down the phone. He gathered Tom Burnett, Mark
Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and other passengers. Flight attendants CeeCee Lyles and
Deborah Welsh organized them. They grabbed a beverage cart. They understood
most of them would die. But thousands on the ground would die if they did
nothing. Todd Beamer walked toward the cockpit and said words that would echo
forever: "Are you guys ready? Okay. Let's roll." For six minutes,
they fought. They pounded on the cockpit door. They heard screaming. They felt
the aircraft pitch violently. They kept fighting. They weren't trained. They
weren't soldiers. But they understood something essential: if they fought, they
might save thousands. If they did nothing, they guaranteed mass death. At 10:03
AM, Flight 93 slammed into an open field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at
over 500 mph. All 40 passengers and crew died instantly. Todd Beamer never saw
his newborn daughter. He never grew old with his wife. But thousands of people
woke up on September 12, 2001, because he chose to fight. He wasn't military.
He wasn't trained. He was a software salesman who understood that heroism is a
choice. That courage is what you do when fear screams at you to surrender. That
sometimes you have to die so others can live. "Let's roll." Those
words. That choice. That man. Ordinary person. Extraordinary courage. Rest in peace, Todd Beamer. Your sacrifice
changed America. Your courage showed the world what it means to be human”.
Marian
Higgins sent me this timely story, about an ordinary many who did something
extraordinary. Brothers and sisters, God is still calling us all today to
continue to be us, but to serve and love him in extraordinary ways!
To
make this a sermon one that walks out the door with us this morning, let me
review and give some application points of Joseph who is mostly in the Book of
Genesis chapters 37-50.
The biblical story of Joseph, found in Genesis 37–50,
details how Jacob's favorite son was sold into slavery by jealous brothers,
rose to become the second-in-command of Egypt after interpreting dreams, and
ultimately saved his family from a severe famine through forgiveness. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The
Favorite Son and Dreams
·
The Coat: Jacob gave Joseph a special, ornate robe.
·
The Jealousy: His 11 older brothers hated him because
of this favoritism.
·
The Dreams: Joseph had dreams showing his family
bowing down to him, which made his brothers even more angry. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Sold
into Slavery
·
The Pit: The brothers plotted to kill Joseph, but
instead threw him into an empty cistern.
·
The Sale: They sold him to traveling Ishmaelite
merchants for 20 pieces of silver.
·
The Deception: They dipped his robe in goat blood and
tricked their father Jacob into believing a wild animal killed Joseph. [1, 2, 3]
Rise,
Prison, and Power in Egypt
·
Potiphar's House: Joseph was sold in Egypt to
Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. God blessed Joseph, and he managed all of
Potiphar's house. [1, 2, 3]
·
False Accusation: Potiphar's wife falsely accused
Joseph of a crime when he refused her advances, landing him in prison. [1, 2, 3]
·
Dream Interpreter: In prison, Joseph accurately
interpreted dreams for Pharaoh's baker and cupbearer. [1, 2]
·
Ruler of Egypt: When Pharaoh had disturbing dreams about
seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, the cupbearer
remembered Joseph. Pharaoh brought Joseph out of prison, listened to his advice
to store grain, and made him ruler over all Egypt. [1, 2, 3]
Reunion
and Forgiveness
·
The Famine: When hunger struck Canaan, Joseph's
brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food, not recognizing him.
·
The Test: Joseph tested their character and
eventually revealed his true identity to them.
· Reconciliation: Joseph forgave his brothers, telling them that while they meant it for evil, God used it for good to save many lives. He moved his entire family, including his father Jacob, to live safely in Egypt.
Brothers and sisters,
most of us, including myself, can say we are ordinary or regular people. Yet
through us, God can and is still doing extraordinary things. For what enemy meant
for evil, God in the end will use it for God. Keep serving, keep loving, keep
seeking Christ, and keep doing the extraordinary for God! Amen.
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