Envy and Faithfulness.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] All right, go ahead and have a seat welcome to Village Church once again [0:03] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve one of the pastors here at Village Church [0:07] And as always I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you this morning [0:12] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Genesis 37 by God’s grace [0:17] We’ll make it through that entire chapter this morning [0:21] Just kind of give you a recap because we’re closing in on kind of I would call this if this is a race then

[0:29] 37 to 50 is kind of the final lap through the book of Genesis [0:33] But it contains one of the more I guess famous or popular [0:39] If you grew up in Sunday school Joseph and his amazing technicolor dream code is probably [0:44] Something that you focused in on [0:47] And Genesis though is the book of beginnings. That’s literally what [0:52] Genesis means and so within this record

[0:56] We see kind of three of the aspects of the entire arc of the Bible as a whole [1:02] So the Bible really tells this story that is creation fall [1:08] Redemption and then restoration and so within the book of Genesis you have three of those elements you have creation [1:14] Then you see the fall of man and all the effects that that has and then you begin to see [1:19] The pathway that God is kind of going in the march to redemption [1:24] And so Genesis has three of those kind of themes throughout all of it

[1:29] And so after Genesis 3 you see the effects of the fall of man into sin [1:35] You see the pain you see the confusion in the world, but then in mercy [1:40] God doesn’t destroy the world for sinning against him [1:44] Instead you see him do this very interesting thing you see him intercede into the life of one man [1:49] You see him intercede into the life of Abraham you see him redeem Abraham [1:54] And then make promises to Abraham he promises that he’s gonna bless the family of Abraham

[1:59] He promises that he’s going to bless the nations through Abraham and through the bloodline of Abraham and then Abraham [2:07] believed God means that Abraham put his faith in God and God proclaimed that that was what earns the [2:16] righteousness of God [2:18] So it’s this story that God wants his people to believe that he is who he says he is [2:24] That he’s going to do what he says he’s going to do and then live in light of everything that that [2:30] entails and that is what you see in the life of Abraham and then kind of the story of Genesis then follows all of the

[2:37] descendants of Abraham [2:39] But through the Bible you see the effects of a fallen world on the descendants of Abraham you see pain [2:48] Deception manipulation anger you see people being fearful and then ultimately you see death [2:55] Continue to reign and all of this took place after [3:00] God had made the promise that this was the path of redemption [3:05] But God promised that behind all of that sin

[3:09] He had a plan that was working towards something and through all of it God [3:16] Demanded faith God demands that his people trust him and so this final [3:23] Kind of 12 or 13 chapters of the book of Genesis shows the story of how that really [3:30] Impacts life at large what it actually looks like to be a faithful person [3:37] Someone who trusts God someone who’s seeking to trust God and follow him with everything that he has and the fact that sin [3:44] Still curses this world having great effects on that life as God continuously demands

[3:52] Trust me even when you can’t see what is going on behind the scenes of the pain that you’re experiencing [4:00] In life and so what we’re gonna do today in Genesis 37 is kind of cover the [4:05] Introduction to the life of Joseph because before this you knew that Joseph was a child you knew that he belonged to Jacob [4:12] He’s the son of Rachel [4:13] You know Jacob’s the love of his life [4:16] But you don’t really know much more about the first 17 years of his life other than what we know about his father

[4:22] Jacob but what you see [4:24] Continue into Genesis 37 is the same theme that you’ve been seeing since the 20s that the family of Jacob is [4:32] Dysfunctional you see turmoil you see pain and you see a record of a father who makes many [4:38] Mistakes and then you begin to see the effects that it’s having not just on him [4:44] Not just with the pain that we saw a few chapters earlier, but you see the family at large [4:50] suffering with their interpersonal relationships with one another as

[4:54] Jacob’s sins [4:56] Kind of pile up his brothers are consumed with perceived injustice [5:01] But through every ounce of it there is a call to faithfulness [5:06] Regarding even this type of circumstance so look in Genesis 37. We’re gonna read through the first four verses to begin [5:13] It says Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings in the land of Canaan [5:19] These are the generations of Jacob

[5:21] Joseph being 17 years old was pastoring the flock with his brothers [5:26] he was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah his father’s wives and [5:30] Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father now Israel loved Joseph more than any [5:37] other of his sons [5:39] Because he was the son of his old age and he made him a robe of many colors [5:45] But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers

[5:49] They hated him and could not speak peacefully to him pray with me

[5:57] Father you are good [6:00] Lord and we are so thankful this morning of your goodness [6:04] Lord our prayer today is is that in spite of what this world would tell us of what this world through our [6:10] Experiences would seem to show us father that we would believe in your goodness [6:14] Or that we would look to the cross as the ultimate proof of your goodness [6:19] Lord help us to be faithful this morning

[6:22] Help us to repent of our sin help us to trust in Jesus for everything that you have for us and help us to see [6:28] Through the life of Jacob’s family specifically his son Joseph [6:32] How you would have us to live in a fallen world in the name of Jesus I pray amen

[6:40] Jumping right into it number one this morning favoritism isn’t a good idea, but jealousy is always evil [6:46] Favoritism isn’t a good idea, but jealousy is always evil [6:51] You know bad parenting is something that a lot of people into her no one has perfect parents [6:56] But some parents are worse than others [6:59] Genesis 37 kind of starts in an unassuming way [7:03] It’s still the family of Jacob

[7:05] And if you’ve kind of been with us for the past few weeks you’ve seen kind of the turmoil that’s taking place in this family [7:10] You’ve seen kind of what a crummy father Jacob is if you haven’t been with us kind of look previous [7:15] But all you need to know is that Jacob’s a bad father, and he’s basically an idiot [7:19] I mean, that’s kind of the theme of Jacob’s life. He’s just kind of a big dummy. He’s been called by God [7:25] He’s been chosen by God as a descendant of Abraham that all of the promises made to Abraham would ultimately go through him [7:31] But Jacob continues to kind of exhibit this faithless attitude

[7:36] And he carries that into the way he parents [7:39] But it kind of makes sense from a worldly point of view why Joseph is his favorite [7:45] Joseph is the son of really what he would call the love of his life Rachel and because of that [7:52] You know [7:53] Joseph kind of has a nice place in his heart Rachel passed away in Genesis 35 after the birth of Benjamin and of course so [8:00] Joseph is this person that has all of the memories that

[8:05] Jacob had with Rachel are kind of in the life of [8:09] Joseph because Jacob had been able to watch Joseph and watch Rachel father Joseph and so after [8:15] Rachel passes away [8:16] Joseph is just all of the nostalgia of his mother to Jacob [8:21] And so because of that [8:24] Jacob pours all of his love into Joseph

[8:26] Jacob pours all of his hopes into Joseph [8:30] Jacob looks to Joseph and he just very obviously treats Joseph better and that’s not Joseph’s fault [8:38] Joseph by everything that we see he is a good guy. He is righteous in a sense [8:43] This record contains no sin in Joseph’s life to bring about any of the events that are about to happen to him [8:50] It just shows that he is someone who seeks to obey his father who seeks to make his father happy and seeks to be a good [8:57] Son but that of course leads him to kind of expound upon the favoritism and make it even worse because he’s a tattletale

[9:03] So he’s out in the fields one day and a couple of his brothers aren’t acting right and he goes and he tells his dad [9:07] Now nobody likes a sibling that does that nobody likes a tattletale mostly because when someone tells on you it gets you in [9:13] Trouble it’s not righteous to dislike a tattletale [9:16] Because of your unrighteousness that you got told on but still everybody hates a tattletale [9:22] So Joseph is somebody that isn’t like and then to expound upon it [9:26] We have the only real meaning of the coat of many colors now

[9:30] I know some throughout the centuries have sought to allegorize this coat and may say, you know [9:34] What do these colors represent? [9:36] Nothing all that it is is a coat that said said to all of his brothers Joseph is the favorite kind of gives you the [9:43] Notability though that it’s a very bright coat. It’s a very colorful coat to kind of get a picture in your mind [9:47] He looks like a backup singer for George Clinton and the P funk all-stars [9:51] All right

[9:51] That’s kind of what Joseph looks like when he wears this coat if you remember Seinfeld the day Kramer put on you know [9:58] The the coat from the play Joseph the amazing Technicolor dream coat. It looks like a pimp. All right [10:03] That’s probably what Joseph looked like a little bit here kind of you know, he’s kind of walking around like a cockatoo [10:09] He’s like a bird he’s got all these bright feathers going on and it’s just every day is a reminder to his brothers [10:15] I hate that guy and this is all Jacob’s fault [10:22] Because Joseph he’s faithful. He’s doing the right thing

[10:26] He’s doing everything that he should do but it’s the favoritism that sets up the discord [10:32] This favoritism sets the stage for resentment and jealousy [10:37] But what I want you to glean from this is that typically in your life [10:42] favoritism is seen as the greatest injustice that

[10:47] When someone places let’s be honest everybody deals with favoritism if you don’t deal with it in your family [10:53] You deal with it in the workplace you deal with it in the schoolhouse you deal with it in your circle of friends [10:58] Somewhere you are dealing with the issue of favoritism and we our temptation is to look at that and say that is the great [11:06] Injustice but scripture kind of tells us a different story [11:09] Scripture shows us that [11:11] Favoritism isn’t the great injustice. The great injustice is in what the way that you react to favoritism

[11:20] See the scripture never has a text that just point-blank tells us [11:24] favoritism is [11:26] Evil but it does tell us that many many times [11:30] about jealousy [11:32] About envy it shows us this is the great evil in Proverbs chapter 14 verse 30 [11:38] It tells us a tranquil heart gives life to the flesh but envy same word for jealousy in the Hebrew

[11:44] Makes the bones rot [11:48] Tells us that when you are consumed with jealousy [11:51] When you are envious of what someone has or what someone’s getting or it’s going on inside of someone [11:58] Because it eats you up on the inside that’s the word picture that we have at play here [12:05] It is a cancer to your soul [12:09] Is what it means when it says it makes the bones rot

[12:13] Just telling us jealousy is a [12:17] destructive thing and [12:19] What’s so interesting? [12:21] When you look at the favoritism and the jealousy how the cycle continues in Jacob’s life [12:26] Why did Jacob have so much discord in his family when he was a child? [12:31] Because his father treated Esau better than he treated him

[12:36] It’s a Jacob doesn’t undo this cycle instead [12:40] Jacob treats one of his sons better than he treats his other sons [12:45] You know that typically the abused sometimes become abusive [12:50] The most hurtful people are the ones who have been hurt the most why [12:57] Because typically you do not deal with what’s going on with you and you live consumed with what with anger towards someone else [13:06] And see you never deal with the hurt in your soul

[13:09] You never deal with the effects that it’s having on you instead [13:12] You just broadcast it on to someone else say this is all because of you [13:16] And when you never deal with what’s going on inside of you, what are you prone to do? [13:21] You are prone to a life of sin [13:24] You are prone to act just like the person that’s hurt you because you form a mentality of [13:30] Nothing’s my fault. Everything is someone else’s fault

[13:33] That doesn’t undo the wrong that was done to you [13:36] But it does help you heal when you kind of get kind of introspective on your life [13:41] You say what is going on inside of me? So the cycle of hurt it just continues [13:46] And so the cycle of hurt in Jacob’s family with his son sons continue the brothers never look and say man [13:53] This is really affecting me instead. What do they do? [13:56] My life would be better if I could just get rid of Joseph

[14:00] That’s what they believe [14:01] Like we said Joseph has never done anything [14:06] Joseph hasn’t had done any wrong. It wasn’t Joseph’s choice to have Jacob love him more [14:12] But the sons don’t go to Jacob and say hey dad, this has got to stop [14:17] Hey dad, our pimp brother that coats not helping things in our relationship. All right, this isn’t helping anything [14:24] No, what do they do?

[14:27] Joseph he’s the one that people love the most Joseph gets everything good [14:31] Joseph’s life’s better than mine if we had Joseph’s life our life would be better. I hate Joseph [14:36] The answer to all of my problems is to make Joseph pay for all of the injustice that’s going on in my life

[14:46] That’s jealousy [14:49] Jealousy is sin. It’s that simple [14:53] Jacob wasn’t right, but the Bible is clear to handle [14:57] Favouritism wrong is a deeper evil that will rot your bones according to Proverbs 14 30 [15:05] That is what you are dealing with now envy will cause you also to think irrationally it will drive you crazy [15:12] It will cause you to create reasons to hate someone. It’s

[15:16] Unreasonable think about this to hold success against a person [15:20] It is crazy to hold it against someone that things worked out better for them than it did you but this is what we do [15:27] You see somebody at church this morning and it’s somebody that just seems like they’ve got it all together [15:32] And they come in their clothes look great looks like you know, their hair’s all quaffed you like oh look at that jerk [15:39] Oh [15:39] But they didn’t drop coffee on four shirts before they finally got that clean one-on-one

[15:44] But they got it all together the first time [15:47] jerk [15:47] It’s like what did they do to you?

[15:51] You know someone seems to be able to do the right thing. Oh my goodness all obedience. Oh, yeah, you’re just so obedient [15:57] You never struggle in sin good for you [16:01] And this is what happens in our lives we look at a person who’s living the life that we wish we had [16:08] I mean, let’s be honest here [16:10] I wish that’s what I had when I look at them and I think evil against that person [16:15] Simply because they’re doing something right and I’m doing something wrong

[16:19] We never look on the inside and say what’s actually going on in me to cause such a reaction [16:26] And you want to know why that is I think Proverbs 27 for kind of shines a light on that it says wrath is cruel [16:32] Anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy [16:37] It’s worded the way that it is in the Hebrew for a specific reason [16:41] The point is that wrath and anger while they are destructive they make sense [16:48] But jealousy causes you to be crazy

[16:52] It creates things that aren’t even there [16:55] When it says that who can stand against it saying there’s no ability to reason with a person overwhelmed with jealousy [17:02] Because jealousy makes you even assume someone’s thoughts jealousy makes you even assume someone’s motives jealousy makes you assume [17:10] There must be something behind that thing that I want that’s bad. So I hate you [17:16] That’s what jealousy will do to a person why [17:21] Because jealousy is evil

[17:24] I want to look at it from Joseph’s point of view now want to look at it [17:28] Honestly, and this is what I’m gonna call innocent Joseph what’s going on in his life. Well number two this morning [17:34] Faithfulness can lead to suffering [17:37] Faithfulness can lead to suffering. She does a temptation to think that when you finally get it all together [17:43] All right, you’ve repented of your sin. You’re seeking to follow Jesus. There is this temptation [17:49] And it is an unbiblical notion that if I do that everything is gonna be great

[17:55] All right, life’s finally gonna calm down. I’m never gonna have another bad thing happen to me [18:01] I’m never gonna get my feelings hurt. I’m always gonna be successful. Everything’s gonna go. That’s crazy [18:07] That’s not what actually happens [18:09] And that’s why so many people kind of give up on faith [18:13] Because they believe that faith is going to give them something that God never promises them [18:18] God never said what God actually says is that faith will lead you to living the life of Christ and what did Christ have well

[18:26] Christ suffered [18:27] Christ experienced real pain Christ experienced real hurt in his life [18:32] And this is a parallel for the life of Joseph note what happens in verse 5 [18:38] Read the story [18:39] It says now Joseph had a dream and we told it to his brothers. They hated him even more [18:47] This is crazy thing about Joseph his brothers hate him, but Joseph still trying to be their brother

[18:51] You know Joseph’s just trying to get along and he has a dream and he’s like, oh my goodness. I had a dream [18:55] What’s he gonna do? I’m gonna go tell my brothers clearly. My brothers love me. No, they don’t

[19:01] Verse 6 Joseph said to them here this dream that I have dreamed behold [19:05] We were binding sheaves in the field and behold my sheaf arose and stood upright and behold your sheaves gathered around it [19:10] And bowed down to my sheaf his brothers said to him. Are you indeed to reign over us or are you indeed to rule over us? [19:17] So what’s the outcome they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words verse 9 [19:21] Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said behold [19:24] I have dreamed another dream behold the Sun the moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me

[19:29] But when he told it to his father and to his brothers his father rebuked him and said to him [19:34] What is this dream that you’ve dreamed shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground? [19:40] Before you and his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the same in mind [19:47] The verse 11 contains a very important phrase when it says that his father kept it in mind. Why would Jacob do that? [19:53] Why would it say that about Jacob? Well because God in Jacob’s life [19:57] Previously had spoken to Jacob in similar fashion

[20:01] So these dreams that God was speaking through to Joseph [20:04] Jacob had an inkling of an understanding of what’s going on here because that is exactly how God had revealed himself to Jacob [20:12] And so Jacob the coward that he is [20:15] Doesn’t help matters Joseph comes to him. He’s like dad. I’m having these dreams and this is what those dreams are [20:21] What do you think they mean? Shut up boy?

[20:25] Don’t you cause problems in this family your brothers hate you enough as it is now you’re telling us that you’re gonna rule over us

[20:32] But it says kind of gets you kind of in the story mode is that Jacob [20:36] He thought about these things because Jacob knew exactly what it was [20:40] But he was too much of a coward and he was too faithless in this moment to understand what God was doing in Joseph’s life [20:47] You know that not all people can see the vision of God [20:51] Not all people see it when verse 5 starts it shows God’s work in the story and just like God had spoken to Jacob [20:59] Joseph received visions from God and in his family in his visions his family’s abiding before him now

[21:05] If you haven’t made it the rest of the way the story, I’m gonna spoil it for you. This is what actually happens [21:11] This is a prophecy from God of what the end of Joseph’s life and the end of this narrative in [21:19] chapters 48 through 50 what it’s actually going to look like in the story [21:24] But note that God’s vision isn’t received by [21:29] Everyone why because God reveals some things to his people that other people don’t understand [21:36] Do you know if you follow Jesus you will live in ways that?

[21:40] Unbelievers and even some who claim to believe are confused by and will even dislike you over [21:47] Because God’s vision isn’t received by everyone the Holy Spirit does not reveal his ways to everyone [21:54] He reveals them to God’s people and here’s the key Joseph is God’s people his brothers are not and [22:04] This leads to great evil [22:07] Not by Joseph, but by the reaction of [22:11] unbelievers

[22:12] Because God is speaking to Joseph and everybody else looks at why would God speak through you? [22:18] Why would these dreams happen? What do you think is going to be the outcome of this story? [22:24] Well the outcome is jealousy [22:26] The outcome is jealousy [22:28] When you follow Jesus when you seek to repent and live by the righteousness of Jesus Christ people will be jealous [22:38] That’s not what they’re gonna call it

[22:41] They’re gonna accuse you of everything under the Sun [22:43] But what it is is that they’re seeing God work in your life in ways that they want God to work in their lives [22:49] But they’re not following Jesus and you are so what’s gonna happen they’re gonna be jealous and jealousy [22:55] Always leads to evil. This is where the jealousy of the brothers started to go full on evil [23:00] This is where it began to percolate and they’re actually going to do Joseph great harm in [23:06] The coming parts of the chapter but look in James chapter 3 to show you why things go so bad where jealousy is concerned

[23:13] Says in verse 14 if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts [23:18] Do not boast and be false to the truth [23:22] This is not the wisdom that comes down from above but note what is jealousy it is earthly [23:27] It is unspiritual [23:29] That third words hard it’s demonic [23:34] He’s saying jealousy is

[23:38] Satanic and so when people deal with sin, they’re like all sin, you know all sins equal [23:43] No sin is worse than any other sin [23:45] You don’t find that in the Bible, all right because some sins have a different punishment than other sins [23:51] But some sins are also in the scripture [23:54] Sourced where other sins aren’t and what it’s saying about jealousy is it’s saying jealousy is a different type of internal [24:02] Motivating sin and it is so self-centered. It is so self-absorbed

[24:06] It is so idolatrous that it says that jealousy which is something that [24:11] Everyone’s going to struggle with at some time in their lives has its source with demons [24:19] Jealousy is a sin of hell [24:23] It’s that destructive it will do that much harm and it says in verse 16 for where jealousy and selfish ambition [24:31] Exists what’s gonna happen? [24:33] disorder and every vile

[24:36] Practice because jealousy is unreasonable [24:40] Jealousy is crazy [24:42] Jealousy is irrational jealousy is illogical jealousy will convince you things are true that aren’t true [24:51] Jealousy will convince you of things about yourself that aren’t true. It will convince you things about others that aren’t true [24:56] It will convince you to act in ways that are completely irrational and make no sense [25:01] It is

[25:02] Ordered in every way and then it will lead to you dealing with vile practices and it tears families apart a [25:12] Hard thing though is when jealousy enters into the house of God when jealousy enters into the people of God when jealousy [25:19] enters into the church [25:22] Jealousy and envy are so dangerous because they obscure just as you see right here [25:28] They obscure the mission of God in our lives [25:30] We get so wrapped up in what other people are doing

[25:35] What other people are saying what other people are thinking and on and on that we can’t even see the vision [25:43] That God has for us. We are so worldly minded that we can’t hear the voice of God [25:52] That’s what jealousy does note that it says in James 3 that it is earthly [25:56] What that means is is that you do not look above and you are completely [26:01] Consumed with things of this world rather than things of God and that’s why I think for so many people social media is so [26:09] destructive because what does it do it gets you focused on

[26:13] Everybody else’s life what everybody else has going on and you look and somebody posts something you think oh you would post that [26:21] I hate you so much. No, I’m gonna post my response to what you just posted

[26:27] And you become absorbed with a feud that doesn’t even exist in the real world because you’re not even talking to anybody face to face [26:34] You think you’re just throwing something into the vacuum of obscurity [26:39] And you just live jealous you look at somebody else’s vacation pictures. Oh, I don’t deserve that vacation. I deserve that vacation [26:45] Oh, he got another day off. Well good for him. I haven’t had a day off in seven weeks. Oh [26:56] 76 jalopy

[27:00] As it becomes so [27:03] Absorbed with what someone else is saying what someone else is thinking and what does that do?

[27:09] Takes your mind from the Lord

[27:12] Earthly all that you see is earthly and you’re so [27:15] Consumed by what other people are doing by what other people are thinking and how other people are reacting [27:20] The first thing you do when you get up in the morning. What is it you at that phone out social media? [27:26] You want to hear from people before you hear from the Lord [27:30] Do you have any idea how destructive that is to your soul? [27:35] Do you have any idea what that does to the focus of your day?

[27:40] What that does to the focus of your life? It’s destroying you and guess what? [27:46] Jealousy is so irrational [27:48] You don’t even realize it [27:52] Here’s what happens to the life of Joseph [27:55] Because of the jealousy of his brothers his brothers had been out [27:59] Shepherding the flock sent by their father and their father looks to Joseph. He’s concerned about the brothers

[28:03] They’ve been gone for a while and he says Joseph go check on your brothers then down in verse 18 [28:08] His brothers saw him from afar and before he came near to them. They conspired against him to kill him [28:14] They said to one another here comes the dreamer [28:17] Come now. Let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Why? [28:22] Because they don’t want to deal with their own sin so he’s the problem [28:26] So when you’re struggling in sin in your life, you know what you’re gonna be tempted to do rather than repent blame someone

[28:32] That’s what they do [28:34] We’re gonna say that fierce animals devoured him and we will see what will become of his dreams [28:40] But when Ruben heard it he rescued him out of their hands saying let us not take his life and Ruben said to them [28:46] Shed no blood throw him into this pit here in the wilderness [28:49] But did not lay a hand on him [28:51] He did this so that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to their father

[28:56] So Ruben seems like a good guy then you realize he’s a huge coward [29:00] And so he’s trying to do something behind his brothers back because he’s too afraid to stand up to them for the right thing [29:05] So when Joseph came to his brothers [29:07] They stripped him of his robe the robe of many colors that he wore and they took him threw him into a pit [29:13] The pit was empty but there was no water in it so their jealousy leads to violence [29:20] The dreams were the breaking point and I know there was violence because when you throw someone into a pit

[29:25] They usually don’t get up on your you know in your hands like Oh goody pit time [29:29] Now you pretty much have to throw someone in there against their own will [29:33] But Joseph wasn’t their problem [29:36] their own sinful [29:39] Depravity was the problem [29:40] In the book of James recorded that selfish ambition

[29:44] Refuses to accept reason this demonic jealousy led them to almost kill [29:51] Joseph [29:53] But instead they beat him threw him in a pit [29:57] That coat that they ripped off of him represented their jealousy [30:01] So just as Christ was stripped of his robes so Joseph is stripped of his [30:08] There’s this temptation as I said to think

[30:11] At the road of faithfulness is the road to leisure. It’s the road to security. It’s the road to comfort

[30:19] But oftentimes that is such a truncated vision because it’s not true [30:24] So this vision that people will give you that you know when you follow Jesus you’re gonna get your best life now [30:30] Everything’s going to look better everything’s going to be easier that mentality is so truncated that it can lead to great disappointment [30:38] Everything is about definitions in this life. The question is what do you mean by a better life? [30:45] Because the better life of following Jesus [30:48] It will have suffering in it

[30:52] Joseph represents the righteousness in this story not one ounce of sin is recorded by him, but he suffers [31:00] because of his righteousness [31:04] So what are you left to believe? [31:06] If you do good bad things happen [31:10] That’s not where the story ultimately takes us. That’s not where their narrative ultimately goes. What does it tell us? [31:17] Number three this morning God’s plan will endure

[31:20] God’s plan will endure

[31:24] The road of Redemption is filled with potholes. I do need you to know that [31:29] There are times I have to leave the glory of the suburbs and actually drive into the city [31:33] And when I’m on my way back, I typically have to go down Canal Street [31:37] You’ve ever taken that turn on to Canal Street and actually had to get to the downtown expressway [31:43] You’re kind of driving down the road and then oh sweet lord

[31:48] Someone decided cobblestones are this great historic thing that we need to save why [31:54] We are better at paving roads now pull them up [31:59] Then you get to the downtown expressway like oh thank God for modern [32:04] Technology and you have to go get your car realigned every single time you drive down Canal Street [32:10] It’s most annoying thing but sometimes we are tempted to look at [32:15] Following Jesus like it’s going to be a freshly paved expressway your cars perfectly in line

[32:21] You’ve got brand new tires brand new shocks [32:24] Everything’s great and it’s just smooth sailing then when you hit Canal Street when you hit the minefield [32:31] And everything’s just shaking all over the place and you’re like, oh my goodness [32:34] I want this to be over you don’t know how to react you don’t know how to respond [32:39] It’s so a lot of times you will end up believing the lie that the Lord has deceived you in some way [32:47] But that’s not true

[32:49] What you’re experiencing is the effects of living in a fallen world [32:55] But the Lord has promised that he will deliver on his promises [33:00] But those who are faithful before we receive the promises of God, we will go through hardships [33:06] We will go through things like Joseph has gone through and this is not in a regular record of Scripture [33:13] The people of God have always walked a path that is marked by [33:19] potholes

[33:20] the road that leads to Jesus in Scripture is a [33:24] Bumpy road and then the road of the followers of Jesus post cross is still a bumpy road [33:31] Because the kingdom of God has not fully been delivered in this world. So what is our perspective? [33:37] Well, it’s got to be the perspective of Joseph [33:39] Look at what happens ultimately to Joseph in verse 25 [33:44] It says that I’m gonna skip this because they just eat a meal and then they’re like, what do we do with Joseph?

[33:49] And then in verse 28 some Midianite traders passed by and they drew Joseph up [33:54] Lifted him out of the pit sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver and they took Joseph to Egypt

[34:02] Joseph’s path of faithfulness led to slavery [34:06] So when Reuben returned to the pit when the brother who was gonna kind of save him from [34:11] From the brothers kind of without their knowledge because he was a little bit of coward. He goes to the pits [34:15] He’s Joseph’s gone. He rips his robes in pain [34:20] Says then the brothers took Joseph’s robe slaughtered a goat dip the robe in blood sent the robe of many colors and brought it [34:27] to their father and said this we have found please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not

[34:31] How what a great thing for brothers to say [34:34] This I mean is this Joseph’s I mean maybe

[34:38] And he identified it and said it is my son’s robe a fierce animal has devoured him [34:44] Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces [34:47] then Jacob tore his garments put sackcloth on his loins and [34:52] mourned his son many days all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him [34:57] But he refused to be comfort. It said no I shall go down to the grave [35:03] To my son mourning thus his father wept for him

[35:07] Meanwhile the Midianite sold him in Egypt to Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh the captain of the guard

[35:17] You know jealousy will lead you to do

[35:21] evil harmful [35:23] Underhanded things, but you know the outcome of your actions will never lead to what you actually want [35:29] Why did his brothers do all these evil things to Joseph or because [35:33] Jacob loved Joseph more. So what do they want? They want their father’s love. So what do they do? They get rid of Joseph [35:38] What do they get a? [35:40] mourning father

[35:42] Scripture never tells us that Jacob ever gave his other sons [35:48] Except for Benjamin an ounce more of love than they ever got

[35:54] So instead they crippled their father in agony they crippled their father in pain [35:59] They crippled their father in mourning over the lie of Joseph’s death friend [36:06] What you are doing in envy and jealousy will not ever make you happier [36:14] It will never give you what you want. So stop

[36:20] Repent of your sin [36:22] So what do we do? [36:25] What do we do? [36:26] Well the focus of your life can never be envy it can never be jealousy it must be faithfulness [36:32] See because most of us we spend most of our life [36:35] Gripped with what is the outcome of doing this action or that action?

[36:40] What is the fruit that I will get what will I get now? [36:45] You have no control over that so give it up [36:49] You can’t control what the outcome is only God can so faithfulness must be your goal [36:55] And when you look at the outcome creation fall redemption and restoration [37:00] That is the path that the Bible takes us on and here we are on the road of redemption [37:05] God had a plan he called Abraham to trust his plan and

[37:10] Joseph is on the road of that plan through his life, and he is trusting God [37:16] There is no taking away the pain brought about by the curse of sin in this life [37:21] The Bible records actually that when God redeems us he often leads us through roads marked with suffering [37:28] The Apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 he says it this way [37:33] He says we have this treasure in jars of clay to show the surpassing power [37:39] Belongs to God and not to us he says that this faith the promises of God we carry them in

[37:45] Ourselves like jars of clay you ever kind of held a jar that was made of clay. It’s fragile [37:51] If you drop it it shatters if you put it down too hard it breaks into pieces [37:57] And he’s saying that is what we are in this life. We are not coated with armor [38:03] We are not indestructible. We are actually carrying the promises of God with great [38:10] vulnerability on [38:11] Purpose to show that we’re not the powerful ones the strength is not to be marked with who I am

[38:18] It’s all about God’s power. It’s all about who he is but then note the confidence of the Apostle Paul [38:24] He says we’re afflicted in every way, but not crushed perplexed, but not driven to despair [38:30] Persecuted but not forsaken struck down, but not destroyed always carrying in the body the death of Jesus [38:37] So that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies

[38:45] Everybody wants to go to heaven [38:48] But nobody wants to die [38:49] See Joseph suffered in his life and his suffering is not over

[38:56] He would wake up in Potiphar’s house a [39:01] Slave [39:03] His suffering those a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus Christ [39:07] You see all of the promises of Abraham were ultimately fulfilled through Jesus and everything else in the scriptures everything else about my life [39:15] Is to show me the weakness of the human condition and sin and the strength of God’s redemptive and restorative power [39:24] See Abraham’s bloodline is traced all the way to Jesus Jesus did bless the nations

[39:30] But everything that happened between Abraham and Jesus was exactly by the design of what God wanted it to be [39:38] So where was Joseph to go in his life? [39:41] He needed to get to Egypt and God got him there probably not the way Joseph would have chosen [39:47] But this was God’s plan [39:50] Because leading to Jesus God becoming man God living a perfect life in human form that we can’t live God dying a [39:59] Substitutionary death so that all who put their faith in him can receive forgiveness of sin and the righteousness of God that

[40:06] Was the plan of God [40:09] You see when we trust in Jesus we carry the death of Jesus Christ in our bodies [40:14] We seek faithfulness because we know God will ultimately restore his vision in this world [40:21] He will make all of the wrongs right and the story of Joseph ultimately shows that [40:29] picture [40:30] But it’s not up to me

[40:32] to produce the fruit [40:34] It’s not up to me to deliver the kingdom and [40:39] That is comforting in one sense because I know I’m not perfect [40:45] But sometimes it can be scary [40:48] Because it says that God’s gonna lead me down some roads, and I’m not gonna know the outcome of those roads [40:53] I’m not always gonna know what’s gonna happen on those roads

[40:58] But God promises that every single one of them will lead to his glory and the fruit

[41:06] Always belongs to God [41:09] God’s going to show through the life of Joseph how he works through hardships to bring about his glory [41:15] Our part is trusting Jesus makes it possible for all good things to be restored and our focus is [41:23] Faithfulness to trust God in every area of life [41:26] We trust God in suffering to bring about that fruit [41:31] Friend I want you to understand that if your life is marked by jealousy

[41:37] It’s also marked by distrust in God [41:40] Why because it is difficult to be faithful to God and jealous of someone? [41:46] at the same time [41:49] Jealousy is a proclamation that you don’t believe God has good for you [41:55] You believe others have it but you don’t see that’s not faith

[42:01] Faith looks to God [42:03] faith endures hardships [42:05] Faith lives with a future hope that all that is wrong will be made right and that is what Jesus gives us as a [42:14] Guarantee and that is the story that Joseph’s life will ultimately tell [42:20] As the band comes forward

[42:24] You know [42:25] Over the next few decades of the life of Joseph and scripture you see him endure [42:32] many many hard things [42:34] And it wasn’t that Joseph was some you know being who was untouched by hardship [42:40] No, when Joseph is a slave. I guarantee you said I miss dad. I [42:45] Wish I was home. I wish I was in Bethel with my family

[42:50] When he was then in prison [42:52] He’s gonna look and he’s gonna say this isn’t pleasant. I don’t want to be here. I wish I was somewhere else [42:58] I wish I wasn’t having to endure this hard time this hard moment because the pain was real [43:06] The suffering was great, but in every moment of Joseph’s life his response is this isn’t great [43:13] But I trust God [43:15] This isn’t fun, but my faith is in God

[43:19] God’s plan always endures

[43:24] Friends some of you are in here and you’ve experienced pain [43:28] You’ve experienced jealousy. You don’t have to admit it, but I know you have [43:32] You’ve experienced the destructive forces of sin in this world and they are hard on human beings [43:42] Friend if that’s you [43:43] Maybe your response this morning is what do I do with that? [43:47] Because all I know how to do is react in pain

[43:50] All I know how to do is to strike out at others. All I know how to do is want what other people have

[43:57] All of God’s promises for all good lives find their place in Jesus Christ, and so what are you to do [44:05] You’re to trust Jesus. Why? [44:08] Because Jesus proves that God cares for you [44:12] Jesus proves that God loves you [44:15] Jesus is proof that God is involved in this world and Jesus is proof that God desires to redeem this world [44:22] So everything that you’re looking for in every other place to give you satisfaction. It’ll never work

[44:27] You’ll never find it [44:29] The only hope that you have is for God to do an amazing work to bring you to himself [44:35] And that’s what he did through Jesus on the cross [44:38] You need to trust him [44:39] You can do it today [44:42] You can turn from your sin

[44:44] You can turn from all the things that you have been trusting to give you satisfaction [44:47] Trust in Jesus Christ and he’ll never leave you. He’ll never forsake you and he will save you for eternity [44:55] Some of you are in here [44:56] And you’ve trusted Jesus [44:59] I’m going to invite you in just a moment to eat of the bread to drink of the cup [45:03] Which always represents the broken body and shed blood of Jesus

[45:07] And when we as believers eat and drink we’re proclaiming to everyone around us Jesus is in me I have the life of God [45:15] But you’re still in a world of sin [45:18] This world is cursed by it [45:20] There’s going to be hard moments. There’s going to be hard times [45:23] There’s going to be moments where you’re tempted to sin and you give in to it [45:28] But when you eat and drink today, I want you to eat and drink in repentance

[45:32] I want you to eat and drink and trust [45:35] That you trust God more than anything in this world and then when you walk away from that table walk into this life saying [45:43] God is good and I trust him no matter what comes my way [45:50] When you’re ready come