Victors, Never Victims Pt 2: Story of Joseph :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: July 18, 2021 by RR7

Genesis, Chapters 37–50

Genesis 37:1-11 “Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a [a]stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. 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. 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. 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.

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, ‘Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed, your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.’ 8 And his brothers said to him, ‘Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?’ So, they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.’ 10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘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?’ 11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.“

Last week we began to look at a series about Triumph in Jesus. The text we considered in 2 Corinthians 2: 12-17 gave us some perspective on how Paul saw his life in Jesus. A man who was often imprisoned, often beaten, hated by many, he spent many lonely nights in diverse places, and he went from being a Pharisee and being wealthy to being an Apostle and, for the most part, was poor. Yet, Paul tells us that God brings us Triumph in Jesus ALWAYS.

The Triumph he was referencing was the grand parade that Rome would host for a returning and conquering General. This parade was a spectacle with the General paraded down the capital, surrounded by hordes of people chanting his name and throwing flowers and the like; there would be music and dancers and just a loud and joyous procession. Paul imagined himself in this parade, as Jesus is heralded, our great and conquering General. We would be in the procession enjoying the Triumph with Him.

Our modern world has created no shortage of victims. Everyone has been wronged by someone, and they have the right to accept failure and blame all of the tragedies of life on someone else. Sadly, this mentality has begun to creep into the Lord’s churches.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at the lives of some Bible characters that would offer them the reason to turn their backs on God, throw up their hands and quit. The life that God led them into would have offered them the opportunity to live godless lives and a life of victimhood. But they trusted God and saw His hand in their lives, and by His grace and in His time, God caused them to Triumph. I pray that we will learn and apply these lessons and principles to our lives.

We are entering a time as we approach the end where we will be hated more and more. God’s truths and those that bear them will be despised, and we may even be imprisoned and killed. What will our attitude be? Will we live in such a way that even our enemies leave knowing that there is a God in Heaven and that He is real?

In the story of Joseph that we are focusing on today, we will see that this young man, just 17 when we meet him here, was surrounded by serious issues in his family. If you have read the story, you know that this is one mixed-up family.

Jacob, the dad, has 4 women – 2 his wives, and 2 his concubines (kind of like wives but without the ceremony) with whom he has 12 children (he will have a 13th child). Joseph is the son of Rachel, the wife he loved first and was cheated out of by his father-in-law. He loves Joseph and adores him above all the other kids, and they do not like it (Genesis 37:3). We will explore all the reasons that Joseph had to turn his back on God and to hate his brothers, but we will also see that God never left this young man, and in His time (some 13 years), made his life glorious and brought about a great Triumph.

Hatred and Jealousy: A recipe for Murder – verses 4-11

I don’t know about you, but I do not think that my siblings ever hated me to the point of murder. I certainly did not think of killing any of them. But this was one messed-up home. Dad has a favorite kid; he was very open about it, and the rest of the sons hated their little brother. Hated him. They did not dislike him; they were not indifferent to him; they hated him. The evidence of this hatred is found in verse 18. Joseph was sent by his dad to check on his brothers and the flocks, and when they saw him coming, they plotted to murder him.

If you read in the life of Jesus in John 7: 1-3, Jesus’ own brothers encouraged him to go to Jerusalem when they knew that the Jews plotted to kill him. Jesus also was hated by his family. We know He has 4 brothers and at least 2 sisters (Matthew 13:55). His brothers James and Jude, New Testament writers, were saved and served Him, but we do not know what became of the other brothers. But, at this time in John 7, all of his brothers hated him and encouraged him to go where he could be killed. They did not want to do it, but they knew who could.

In verse 6, Jesus confirms their motive by telling them His time was ‘not yet.’ What time? His time to die, but He reminds them that their time is always ready. God could strike you dead at any time. Jesus knows what it is like to grow up in a toxic environment and still see the glory and Triumph of God. In the book of Hebrews 4:14-18, he tells us that He knows every situation, including temptation, that you will ever face, and He is there to help in the time of need.

Back to Joseph, his brothers plot to kill him, but God intervenes and provides them an out, and they sell him to a passing caravan as a slave. Off to Egypt he goes, from free to being a slave, from being preferred to being nothing, and off to a country where he knew no one and did not speak the language.

The Lord was with Him, Genesis 39:3-4, verses 21-23

If God is for you, who can be against you (Romans 8:31). God was with Joseph. He made all he touched to prosper even in captivity, and people saw that he was different, and they knew it was the Lord who was doing it. We are called to give God 100% all the time, no matter the circumstances. We are not to use our circumstances to hurt others or to cause shame to the Lord’s good name. We are not to be slackers in the place that God has put us. If you and I are children of God, we will find ourselves where God wants us to be even if we get there because of the malice of others.

God used the hatred of his brothers to get Joseph to Egypt. But make no mistake, it was God who wanted him there. Joseph trusted God, and even in the harshest of circumstances, he served God faithfully. In both cases, as a servant in Potiphar’s home and as a prisoner, God made all he did to prosper, and God made sure that the right people saw him and promoted him.

In God’s time, Genesis 41

We live in an instant world. We want everything faster. Fast food, condensed books, shortened emojis to use for conversations. We text in tiny boxes with limited characters, and waiting has come to be the worst thing one can do. Even Amazon will get you your box in 24 hours or less, and if we have to wait at a store, we give them a bad review and say nasty things.

But God is the God of waiting. By the time we get to Genesis 41, Joseph is about 30 years old. It has been 13 years of patiently waiting on God. God had a plan; God had the timing, and God controlled all the circumstances. God allowed him to be sold into slavery, then bought by Potiphar, knowing that his wife would falsely accuse Joseph of rape, ending with him being imprisoned. This was so he could meet the 2 servants of Pharoah and have one of them survive to tell Pharoah about Joseph. This way, Joseph could be promoted to Second in Command in Egypt and rescue the men who plotted to murder him and sold him into slavery. But it all happened in God’s time and at His pace, for His glory and for our benefit.

God is not rushed; God is not running out of time, and He is not cheating you. If you are a child of God, serve Him where He allows you to be. Give Him 100%, and let God worry about the next step. God’s plan is better and greater than yours. And, unlike God, you don’t know the end.

Patience is one of the most important traits of a mature Christian. In Galatians 5:22-23, we see that one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience. This is a supernatural gift that we get from God, but it is not a popular gift in the modern church. We are not big on patience. One of the most important things to learn as we grow in Jesus is that God is not rushed, He will do what He wants when He wants, and He is not easily moved by our complaining. When we get ‘ahead’ of God, it is always to our detriment and our loss. Wait on God, trust Him; He cannot fail you, ever.

The Big Picture, Genesis 50:20

Once Jacob was dead, the brothers feared that, with Dad gone, Joseph would try to enact revenge on them and kill them. But Joseph was way past that. He had forgiven them and moved on. He promised them that he would care for them and their children for as long as he could.

Genesis 50: 19-21 “Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 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. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”

God meant it for good. God was in control all of the time, and He never left me. When we read Exodus 1, we see that Joseph’s legacy and influence lasted for about 400 years, even to the Pharaohs of Egypt. What kind of legacy will you leave your children, your nation, your family, and your friends? Will it be a legacy that points them to Jesus? Joseph had a life of Triumph in God because he trusted Him in all the circumstances of life and refused to use his past, his family, and even his present as an excuse not to serve God wholeheartedly. Oh, that we would be the same today. We are promised in 2 Corinthians 2:14 a great Triumph in Jesus.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/ (under construction)

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Victors, Never Victims in Jesus :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: July 6, 2021 by RR7

2 Corinthians 2:12-17

“Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, 13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. 14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”

This ‘pandemic’ has sparked a lot of issues in our lives in general. But in the lives of many Christians – the command not to assemble and when we could assemble – the limited capacities have been a burden. Here in Canada, we have had 2 pastors arrested for holding service; one was just released from jail yesterday after having been in jail since June 14th. His crime was holding church. We have had countless other churches fined, and one was confiscated by the Alberta Health Services. Yes, they came up and put a fence around the church building to try to stop people from assembling.

In the past few weeks, I have heard of splits in aged churches, some that have been around for 40+ years. The deacons and the pastor(s) have had disagreements as to how to behave in this time, and there have been resignations and division. No one in their right mind denies that COVID is real, but it is clear that it has become a tool for politicians to try and see how far they can go with taking away our freedoms before we will say ‘no more.’

It is easy for many of us who have had the privilege of worshipping without much persecution in the past to feel like we are victims, even if somewhat collateral damage in this pandemic. Paul knew what it was like to be a real victim; he was beaten, thrown to lions, shipwrecked, spent a day and night in the deep of the Mediterranean Sea, and had a host of other encounters with danger.

Over the course of almost 55 years in the church, I have heard people complain about the members of the churches they quit going to – they were cold, or too much, or too whatever they needed as an excuse to leave. We learned in Seminary that people rarely leave the church over principles like doctrines. They most often leave over personality conflicts. People get hurt and quit going to church; they blame God and think that will stand in the judgment day. Man, are they wrong!

Too many have been led to believe that the Christian life is a way out of the problems of life as opposed to a way through the problems of life, and they are disillusioned when the trouble comes, and it will.

Here in 2 Corinthians 2, we will explore a promise that God has for us, and over the next few weeks, we will look at some Bible characters that could have turned out to be victims, but in Jesus, they were victorious. Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at men and women who could have claimed victimhood by the way they were treated, and yet they were victors and saw Triumph in Jesus. We will explore those that were victimized by the families, by religious leaders, and even the devil himself. They will hopefully empower us all to trust Jesus even when the way is dark, completely obscured, or fraught with danger.

To understand the passage, we need to know the context; Paul was referring in verse 12-13 to an incident that is recorded for us in Acts 16: 1-10, where he and his traveling missionary companions sought to go to Asia and then Bithynia, and they were strictly forbidden from doing so by the Holy Spirit. In verses 9-10, Paul sees a man in a dream asking him to come to Macedonia. He arises from his sleep the next morning and immediately heads for Greece. In 2 Corinthian 2:12, we learn that he wanted to take Titus with him but could not find him, and he left without him so as to be in obedience to the Lord’s clear instructions.

Your Obedience verses 12-13

One of the hardest things to learn in life is to be obedient. As children, we are told in the Bible to obey our parents. In an encounter with Saul, king of Israel, in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Samuel tells King Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice. Obedience is simply defined as doing what you are told when you are told and with the right attitude.

Paul was the embodiment of this definition. He heard the call of God and immediately sought a way to get to Macedonia. He did not let anything get in his way, even that he missed Titus. God’s way was more important than Titus’s presence. If we are going to be victorious in Jesus, we must be obedient. To be obedient, we must know what God says in His Holy Word. We need to study, read, apply and repeat. King David put it this way, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”

Are you and I going to sin even after we are saved? Yes!! But we can mitigate the amount and maybe even the severity of the sin that we engage in by knowing, reading, and memorizing God’s word.

If we are going to be victorious in Jesus, we must know what victory means and what it is. A runner needs to know where they are running to; if not, they can run in the wrong direction and not be victors, no matter the amount of effort they put out. One other thing about obedience in the Kingdom of Heaven: there is no competition. We are not trying to beat each other; we are not trying to knock each other out and get to the top in a ‘king of the hill’ type of competition. Rather, we are to honestly cheer for each other, pray for each other and help each other to succeed. We are there to serve each other in the path of obedience, not being hindrances to each other but being each other’s biggest fans and helpers.

Can you imagine how different some of our churches would be if we all had this attitude and mentality?

Your Triumph, verse 14

In verse 14, Paul tells us that God ALWAYS LEADS US IN TRIUMPH, in Jesus. Always!! Not sometimes, not on occasion, not just when the chips fall your way, but always. This idea of triumph is based on the Roman ritual that the city would perform for a returning general who had won a decisive victory.

In David Guzik’s Blue Letter Commentary, he quotes Meyer and Barclay, and this is what we learn about the Triumph that Paul was envisioning in his mind as he wrote these words,

“The idea is borrowed from an ancient Roman triumph, which to the eyes of the world of that day was the most glorious spectacle which the imagination could conceive.” (Meyer)
“In a Triumph, the procession of the victorious general marched through the streets of Rome to the Capitol … First came the state officials and the senate. Then came the trumpeters. Then were carried the spoils taken from the conquered land … Then came the pictures of the conquered land and models of conquered citadels and ships. There followed the white bull for sacrifice which would be made.

Then there walked the captive princes, leaders, and generals in chains, shortly to be flung into prison and in all probability almost immediately to be executed. Then came the lictors bearing their rods, followed by the musicians with their lyres; then the priests swinging their censers with the sweet-smelling incense burning in them. After that came the general himself … finally came to the army wearing all their decorations and shouting Io triumph! Their cry of triumph. As the procession moved through the streets, all decorated and garlanded, amid the cheering crowds, it made a tremendous day which might happen only once in a lifetime.” (Barclay)

III. “That is the picture that is in Paul’s mind. He sees Christ marching in triumph throughout the world, and himself in that conquering train. It is a triumph which, Paul is certain, nothing can stop” (Barclay). And, Paul sees himself as sharing in the triumph of Jesus, the Captain of the Lord’s Army, and Paul is one of the Lord’s chief officers!”

Paul never saw himself as a victim, not once, no matter the circumstances, the prisons cells, the beatings, the arrests, and whatever else was thrown at him. Paul saw himself as triumphing in Jesus.

What about you and me? How do we see ourselves in trying circumstances? How do we see ourselves in Jesus? Do we play the victim card or are do we see ourselves in the triumph that Jesus has gotten? Are we in the processional enjoying the victory of our great General, King Jesus?

Notice that the Triumph was done for people who had been to war. People who had been involved in the fighting gave up freedoms and maybe even family for the advancement of the Kingdom. In this case, Rome.

What have we given up for the Kingdom of Heaven? Have you and I been to war? Have we been in the fight? Too many Christians are simply spectators; they live on the sidelines, careful not to offend and careful not to appear to be on ‘the side.’ They straddle the fence, so to speak, so as not to cause conflicts. ‘Live and let live,’ they say. We are going to heaven, but we do not want to offend anyone on the way, and many never take any with them.

No, the Triumph was for people of war, people of action, people of doing and achieving, and people of accomplishment, even if that accomplishment means nothing in the eyes of the world. Are you in the Triumph? Or are you a spectator?

Your Scent verses 15-17

When we are obedient, when we are in the Triumph that we have in Jesus, we will never see ourselves as victims. Thus, we will have our eyes and hearts open for opportunities. We will be witnesses of God’s love and power, His peace, and His salvation to all we meet. Even to the ones who hate us and reject the Gospel we bring. When people receive the Gospel, we are the sweet aroma to them of God’s grace and love. When people reject the Gospel we bring, we are still a sweet aroma of God’s grace and love. You cannot make people be saved; they have to want it for themselves. We are responsible to make them aware that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.

We are not to peddle or sell the Gospel. This does not mean you can’t buy a Bible or get a religious book in the local Christian bookstore or Walmart. No, it means that we should never charge anyone to hear the Gospel. It is not designed to make us money; it is designed to be freely offered to all men everywhere. Jesus paid the price so that the Gospel can be freely had by all men. When I was a boy, I was saved at a Billy Graham-type crusade. They took an offering, but all could come freely to hear the Gospel. This is the way it should be.

We here at Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church invite you to hear us on FB. I will be teaching through this series over the next few Sundays at about 11 am eastern time (or thereabouts). We have lesson one already posted.