Joseph: Integrity, Faith, and God's Perfect Timing
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Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "There is no ticket to a life free from calamity in Christian doctrine. There is no deal like that. The deal that God gives us, the deal is that whatever happens in our life, God accompanies us. He walks with us with a complete understanding of our suffering because he himself has a very deep and personal knowledge of suffering. That's the deal. For now, we will sometimes share in the difficult experiences of this world. But God uses them to develop our characters, to make us more like him." [56:55]
2. "Standing up against an injustice can be difficult, can't it? But imagine battling an injustice, not just for weeks or months, but for years after year. Imagine being accused of a criminal act that you didn't do and being punished for it severely. And all the time knowing you're innocent. Imagine trying to maintain your integrity and composure, not just month after month, but year after year." [34:22]
3. "Sometimes running away from temptation is the best way. It's the best way. Sometimes it's the only way to get away. He refused to discuss the subject with her. Did you notice? I think it's verse 10. He refused to even be with her. He takes precautions. I can't even be with this person. It's dangerous. And when he finds himself alone with her, he runs away to the point of leaving his cloak in her hands." [44:01]
4. "It's also important I think to see that Joseph doesn't try and compromise. He doesn't go halves. He doesn't say, well, let's just have a drink, let's just have a conversation, what could be the harm in that? Let's just sit down and chat and you know, maybe she'll be happy with that. Because you know, when marriages fail through infidelity, through adultery, it's not when the man and the woman from two different marriages sleep together that the marriage fails. It's not even before that when they go out for a secret meal, a secret rendezvous that they shouldn't be having. It's before that that the marriages fail." [45:42]
### Quotes for Members
1. "Joseph was in the prime of his manhood and subject to the temptations of the flesh common to all of us. He's also cut off from his family's loved ones. He doesn't know anybody's in a strange land. He's a stranger. He was almost certainly lonely, I would think. The easiest thing would have been to give in, wouldn't it? And yet somehow this young man demonstrates a steely determination to restrain himself." [44:01]
2. "Joseph could have been broken by this. He could have gone into an extended sulk. He could have become embittered and nursed his bitterness. He could have protested every day to Potiphar and said it's all a big mistake and you need to send me back. My dad's got lots of money, send me home and all will be well. He could have gone on and on and on. He could have sunk into despair. Instead, he made the most of his situation. He worked hard, he impressed his master, and he showed integrity and character." [49:03]
3. "In times of trial, in times of difficulty, in times of injustice, we may be tempted to lose sight of God. We may be tempted to become embittered, to continue being angry all the time, to rant and complain. We may be faced with unjust situations like Joseph, like Daniel, like Ruth. Perhaps loss of people we love, loss of our health, perhaps loss of jobs. These situations that we have in life, indeed like Alan Bates. And the temptation is to give in." [53:50]
4. "God wants to work with us as well over those years to develop those characters, to form us, to shape us, to make us more like him, to make us more like Jesus. And I think God values our effort over those years as well. I think with Joseph, I think God valued his day-to-day faithfulness, his commitment, his service as a slave, as someone in jail, every bit as much as he valued Joseph for being the person he will use to rescue Egypt, which he will do in the next chapter." [53:50]
5. "God's plans in my life and yours are worked out over many years. But he forms us and he shapes us through those years. That's of value to God. In times of trial, in times of difficulty, in times of injustice, we may be tempted to lose sight of God. We may be tempted to become embittered, to continue being angry all the time, to rant and complain." [52:10]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "There is no ticket to a life free from calamity in Christian doctrine. There is no deal like that. The deal that God gives us, the deal is that whatever happens in our life, God accompanies us. He walks with us with a complete understanding of our suffering because he himself has a very deep and personal knowledge of suffering. That's the deal. For now, we will sometimes share in the difficult experiences of this world. But God uses them to develop our characters, to make us more like him." [56:55]
2. "Standing up against an injustice can be difficult, can't it? But imagine battling an injustice, not just for weeks or months, but for years after year. Imagine being accused of a criminal act that you didn't do and being punished for it severely. And all the time knowing you're innocent. Imagine trying to maintain your integrity and composure, not just month after month, but year after year." [34:22]
3. "Sometimes running away from temptation is the best way. It's the best way. Sometimes it's the only way to get away. He refused to discuss the subject with her. Did you notice? I think it's verse 10. He refused to even be with her. He takes precautions. I can't even be with this person. It's dangerous. And when he finds himself alone with her, he runs away to the point of leaving his cloak in her hands." [44:01]
4. "It's also important I think to see that Joseph doesn't try and compromise. He doesn't go halves. He doesn't say, well, let's just have a drink, let's just have a conversation, what could be the harm in that? Let's just sit down and chat and you know, maybe she'll be happy with that. Because you know, when marriages fail through infidelity, through adultery, it's not when the man and the woman from two different marriages sleep together that the marriage fails. It's not even before that when they go out for a secret meal, a secret rendezvous that they shouldn't be having. It's before that that the marriages fail." [45:42]
### Quotes for Members
1. "Joseph was in the prime of his manhood and subject to the temptations of the flesh common to all of us. He's also cut off from his family's loved ones. He doesn't know anybody's in a strange land. He's a stranger. He was almost certainly lonely, I would think. The easiest thing would have been to give in, wouldn't it? And yet somehow this young man demonstrates a steely determination to restrain himself." [44:01]
2. "Joseph could have been broken by this. He could have gone into an extended sulk. He could have become embittered and nursed his bitterness. He could have protested every day to Potiphar and said it's all a big mistake and you need to send me back. My dad's got lots of money, send me home and all will be well. He could have gone on and on and on. He could have sunk into despair. Instead, he made the most of his situation. He worked hard, he impressed his master, and he showed integrity and character." [49:03]
3. "In times of trial, in times of difficulty, in times of injustice, we may be tempted to lose sight of God. We may be tempted to become embittered, to continue being angry all the time, to rant and complain. We may be faced with unjust situations like Joseph, like Daniel, like Ruth. Perhaps loss of people we love, loss of our health, perhaps loss of jobs. These situations that we have in life, indeed like Alan Bates. And the temptation is to give in." [53:50]
4. "God wants to work with us as well over those years to develop those characters, to form us, to shape us, to make us more like him, to make us more like Jesus. And I think God values our effort over those years as well. I think with Joseph, I think God valued his day-to-day faithfulness, his commitment, his service as a slave, as someone in jail, every bit as much as he valued Joseph for being the person he will use to rescue Egypt, which he will do in the next chapter." [53:50]
5. "God's plans in my life and yours are worked out over many years. But he forms us and he shapes us through those years. That's of value to God. In times of trial, in times of difficulty, in times of injustice, we may be tempted to lose sight of God. We may be tempted to become embittered, to continue being angry all the time, to rant and complain." [52:10]
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