Sermons

There is great joy in experiencing a loving, intimate faith relationship with our Heavenly Father. He has met us both in the peaks and valleys of life. Yet, it is in those valleys we have difficulty feeling the presence of God in our lives. Our faith may be tested, and we may begin to lean on our own abilities and strengths. How does our faith hold up in those difficult circumstances? Let's look at Joseph in the dungeon to gain a glimpse of one man whose faith did not waver through the most painful of situations.



Temptations and Faith
Last week we spoke about temptations (from Genesis 39). There is a temptation we did not spend much time on, for it may not be that easy to identify. It is the temptation to live life alone apart from God. Of course, this kind of life is not the life God has called us to. Paul talks about life we are supposed to have with God in his letters. He uses the phrases "keep in step with the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25) and "walk with the Spirit" (Eph. 4). Our life with God is a day-by-day, step-by-step kind of relationship where we must learn the rhythms of relating to God.

Friendship: Lydia's Best Friend
This is true of any relationship we have. When we first met our spouse or our best friend, what was the feeling like? Lydia just met a new friend at Kindergarten. She is Lydia's best friend. Everyday I ask her what she did, and she says, "I played with Kaitlyn." Then I ask her whom she ate lunch with: Kaitlyn. Who do you think she sat next to during free time: Kaitlyn. That is a best friend kind of relationship.

It was like that when Lori and I first met--my whole life was focused on her. I couldn't stop talking to Lori and talking about Lori. My relationship with Lori is a spousal relationship.
Our relationship with God and the faith each believer starts out with has its high points--perhaps all we could talk and think about was God when we first came to know him. We wanted to know Him and read His Word. We desired to keep in step with Him and know Him. We desired to have a special kind of relationship with Him: a Faith Relationship.

But as in any relationship, time and familiarity can put a wedge between people. If we do not nurture those relationships and continue to build trust, before we know it, our best friends of yesterday are distant friends today. And that can happen with our faith with God as well.

Faith and Sea-Cliffs
We might think of waves hitting a sea cliff as an analogy to faith. My favorite place in the world to be is the ocean. Here in Northern California we have fewer beaches and more sea-cliffs. The best part of going to the ocean is watching the white-water waves crash against those rocky cliffs. We do not see it, but every wave; every blast of wind can erode and take a piece of the cliff with it. Depending on how resilient the rocks are, the cliff can keep its shape or fall apart.

The events in our lives are like those crashing waves. The circumstances and events of life are crashing in every day. What will become of our faith? Will we allow the events of life to Broaden and Deepen our faith--or will they only erode it?

Joseph's Story--Life as it happens
As we get further into Joseph's story, we will see that his Reliance on God grew through the tests of life.

Joseph's story is his unique story--the story of an individual life in the hands of God. On one level, I cannot relate to Joseph. I live in a different time as Joseph--he lived thousands of years ago, in a different culture--Jewish, and in a different place--Middle East Palestine. But when we look just below the surface, he faced the temptations we face; he experienced the unknowns of life as we did; and he had stresses on his life just like we do.

We can all benefit from Joseph's experiences in developing an UNWAVERING FAITH that RELIES ON GOD NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.



I. Expect Your Faith to be Challenged
If Joseph teaches us anything, it is that our Faith in God will be challenged all the time. 
His short life had been full: It had been 10+ years since receiving the ornamented robe from his dad, a high point in his life. 
He dreamed dreams from God. 
But then the brothers threw him in the cistern in a jealous rage. He pleaded for mercy, but they had none for him. 
Then, he was sold like an animal to Potiphar. The Captain of the Guard was good to Joseph, but his wife tempted him. He refused, but she got him to go to prison in the end. A glimmer of hope came and went as the cupbearer in jail with him was acquitted, but forgot him.
His faith was challenged every day as he waited in jail not 10 days, not 20, 100, but over 700 days. The clock ticked, but nothing happened…Day after day.

In his own words he described his situation to the Cupbearer:

Gen 40:14-15
14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.
15 For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon." (NIV)

Life Inventory and our Faith
We know Joseph's story, but what about our story? What are the life events that point to challenges of faith? These life events are taken from a Stress Inventory. Some are positive, some are more negative events. Just the same, major life events can point to stress on our faith:

• Illness: Major change in the health of a family member
• Accident
• Death: of spouse, family member, or friend
• Marriage, Birth, Divorce, Child Leaving Home
• Persecution of faith, perhaps from family members
• Major decisions regarding your immediate future

Financial Burdens or Changes
Change to a new job or type of work
Starting at a new school or taking new classes: College Applications?

Saved By Faith, Live By Faith
It takes a reliance on God to endure these events and still keep our Faith in God. We can think of our faith in two ways: The faith that SAVES us, and our resulting FAITHFULNESS to God and His ways.

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:17: For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." (NIV)

In this verse Paul understood that we would be saved by faith. Coming into God's Law court, the only way we could be on God's side would be to receive righteousness from God. He received that Righteousness by faith--by believing Jesus Christ died for his sins.

This faith does not end with salvation, though. The faith that saved us must continue on in all areas of our life. We will be challenged in our faith to depend on God in everyday life as we were called in faith to trust Him for our salvation. Just as we are saved by faith, we are to live in faith as well.

Life Challenged Joseph to be faithful to God. How did he grow in faithfulness? He took challenges to his faith as opportunities to practice his faith.



II. Turn Challenges into Opportunities to Rely on God

Joseph Exercises Faith
Joseph had enough time to become disillusioned, disappointed, and even forgetful of the dreams God gave him a few years earlier. He had a dream that he was the sun, and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. He had a dream where his brother's sheaves of grain bowed down to his sheaf. In other words, one day little brother would rule over his brothers and family.

But circumstances seemed to say otherwise. There was no sign of the brothers--only four walls and a dark dungeon. How do we find out that he held an unwavering faith?
There he sat in the dungeon, for another two years…what had happened to his dreams? [PAUSE] He had not lost faith. How do we know?

In Genesis 40:8 Joseph tells us that he still believes in God's dreams for him:

Gen 40:8
8 "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." (NIV)

His faith in God and the dreams God gave him did not change because circumstances seem to dictate they would not happen. Brothers could not kill his faith, Potiphar's wife could not kill his faith, a forgetful Cupbearer could not kill his faith.
His faith stood firm through it all.

My Challenge of Faith
I reflected particularly on this point over the past week. All you parents out there will understand the experience I had this past week. Our son, Timmy, had one of those weeks where he just did not sleep well. Night after night he woke up at the oddest hours--and just about every few hours. By the end of the week Lori and I were sufficiently tired.

On Thursday I began to wonder if I would have enough energy to prepare lessons and go to the meetings I needed to go to. Lori had gone to Lydia's school to help out for an hour, and Timmy had just gone down for a nap.

I went outside and prayed about this sermon and thought about faith. Faith is often a vague concept to us. But in this moment, my faith in God to do His work was challenged. I felt so weak and tired. I could keep pushing on in my own strength, or I could take a few moments to connect with God and allow Him to lead me.

Those moments of weakness and decision showed me that God gives opportunities to exercise faith.

We too, will have our opportunities--will we respond in faith to God, or will we turn to our own strength? That is our choice when Challenges of faith enter into our lives.

Attitude of Reliance
Joseph's attitude of reliance is one we need to cultivate. After interpreting his own dreams, and those of the Baker and Cupbearer, he may have become proud of himself. Remember how he boasted to his brothers about what God would do? But this brash teenager has been transformed and changed. His first response to the Baker and Cupbearer is "I cannot do it." We are very capable people. We are smart; we have many resources and opportunities. We are "Can Do" kind of people. But Joseph had learned that no matter how capable he may appear to be, he can only perform through God. It is not himself giving the answers--it is God. And if this is the case, then the pressure is off of him to perform.

Deeper in Faith: 
Our faith in God may waver because we have not taken it has not taken residence in the deepest part of us. We may have thought we gave it over to God, but still struggle with anxiety or fear. That is okay--it is part of our growth process to be challenged and tested. It is even part of our nature to trust ourselves and nobody else. But at the same time we need to be honest and real about the ways we need to grow--these are opportunities for us to build up our faith.

Broader in Faith:
There may be some new area in each of our lives where God has challenged us to place our trust in Him--Those areas present opportunities to Broaden our faith to every aspect of our lives. It may be every time we take a test or fill out an application, it may be our children's upbringing and safety; it may be the future of our career, or the health of our parents. 

What area of your life is God challenging you to depend, wait, and take his lead? Is your faith unwavering in that area?



III. See How God Uses Your Faith

Joseph's Faith Encouraged
Joseph exercised his faith in God when he interpreted the dreams of the Baker and the Cupbearer. He could have said, "No, I cannot interpret your dreams because I'm not really good at it. In fact the dreams I had have not really come to pass. So why would I even attempt to interpret yours?" Of course that is not the way that Joseph looked at his God. He exercised his faith and look what happened.

The Baker was hanged, and the Cupbearer was given back his original position. It happened just as God told him. God had just given Joseph a confirmation that He still cares, that He is still around looking out for Joseph.

The Cupbearer forgot Joseph for two years, but God had not forgotten Joseph. And Joseph knew it. The confirmation of God's presence encouraged him those two more years in jail.

God wanted his servant Joseph to see how He would use his faith. It would encourage himself and would lead to Pharaoh's court and the salvation of many people.



Conclusion:
God would raise up his servant Joseph to fulfill God's dreams for him. The end of this chapter of Joseph's life marks the turning point. What we will read from here on is his promotion to great status and how he used that status to save the Israelite nation from famine. In the process of suffering and hardship, God wanted Joseph to grow from a self-centered, self-reliant teenager--to a mature, God-reliant man.

Paul's Faith and Results
The Apostle Paul had a similar experience: in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 he says, 
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

The argument goes like this--if God can raise the dead, He can get me through anything I might face in this life. That is an unwavering faith. In relying on God, Paul and his company would continue to preach the Gospel and establish the church all over the known world. Paul was able to see beyond the every day hardships and kept God's promises and purposes in mind.

This week I read about a man named Christian Reger whom God had to grow into a man with an unwavering faith.

An Extraordinary story of Faith
Christian Reger is a man who, by the circumstances of life, was challenged to maintain an unwavering faith through extraordinary circumstances: He was placed in the Nazi prison at Dachau from 1941 to 1945. What was his crime? He was a member of the Confessing Church, a group of churches that opposed the Nazi regime. He was betrayed and turned in by the church's organist.

Philip Yancey, in Where is God When it Hurts (94ff), interviewed Christian Reger at Dachau, where he was a tour guide. "Christian Reger will tell the horror stories if you ask. But he will never stop there. He goes on to share his faith--how, at Dachau, he was visited by a God who loves." Reger had been despondent of death until he received a letter from his wife. There, he found the verse Acts 4:26-29. Later, one of the ministers held captive with him, slipped him a paper in a matchbox with the same passage.

Roger told Philip this, "Here at Dachau, I learned to know the Who of my life. He was enough to sustain me then, and is enough to sustain me still."

An Ordinary story of Faith
Christian Reger's experience is extraordinary. His testimony and willingness to allow God to change him gave him an Unwavering Faith that lasted into his old age. We may not be imprisoned like Joseph or imprisoned like Christian Reger, but our faith will tested. It may be tested in just the everyday ordinary things. 

What will be our decision when the waves of everyday life come? Will we stand firm in our faith, or will our faith be slowly washed away? Our God is trustworthy--let us rely on Him for every aspect of our lives.
 

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