Text: Genesis 37
From the story of Joseph, we will learn three important truths:
Truth #1: It is critical that we do not get easily
Truth #2: God is , so there is for all of us as we go through challenges.
Truth #3: Holding on to offense and uproots our .
I. We must against offense and purpose to not offend others.
a. Joseph did not use wisdom in sharing his dreams with his brothers.
i. Genesis 37:2– Be when handling sensitive information we know (or think we know) about others.
b. Jacob (Joseph’s father) loved Joseph more than all Joseph’s siblings
ii. Genesis 37:3– We must be careful how we , especially our immediate family and church family.
c. Joseph’s brothers were offended by the love Jacob had for Joseph.
iii. Genesis 37:4 – Their offense resulted in destructive behavior and actions.
d. Joseph’s brothers hated him even more after he told them his dream. had taken deep root in their hearts-distancing them from the will of God.
II. Offense occurs with those we are closest to.
a. Joseph’s dreams offended his brothers.
i. Genesis 37:7-11 – This dream indicated that Joseph would one day be a powerful ruler and that his family would be under his authority.
b. This offense eventually led to Joseph’s brothers toward him. Their plan threatened Joseph’s dreams and made it look like they would never come true. They sought to ruin Joseph’s life. Joseph’s could have easily been to take offense; instead, he to God.
III. Reminding ourselves of can shield us from offense or help us weed out roots of offense. – In the book of Job, we observe that the devil has no authority to act on his own unless gives him permission. (Job 1:6-12)
- The devil Christ-followers, those who are chosen by God, called out ones, and carriers of God’s .
- We are the Josephs of our time (today’s dreamers and carriers of God’s vision. (Acts 2:17)
- Offense will come to us all.
- (Luke 17:1) – We are learning what is at stake when we get offended and hold on to unforgiveness and grudges; It is critical that we do not get offended easily.
IV. There are two types of offended people: People who have injustices that happen to them and people whothey had something unjust happen to them.
In Joseph’s case, he had a real injustice happen to him. (Gen. 37:23-25)
- Injustice: His brothers stripped Joseph of more than his coat. They stripped him of his as a wealthy inheritor of his father’s wealth to a slave. Joseph could have been offended, but he chose instead to by not allowing to take root in his heart (Luke 17:1b)
Takeaway: By not being offended, we can see God’s sovereign plan and Him better, breaking us free from the devil’s trap. Satan expects us to take his , but when we trust God, we won’t!
2. Injustice: Joseph was wrongly accused of defiling Potipher’s wife. He refused to give in to temptation of the situation and still got thrown in the worst prison imaginable) (Genesis 39:12;20)
Consider the list of people Joseph could have held offense towards for the injustices he faced throughout his life:
- His Dad– for singling him out by showing favoritism toward him (gave him a special coat thus making his brothers hate him)
- His Brothers– for conspiring to get rid of him, even if that meant him dying in the hands of slave masters, stripping him of his inheritance
- Potipher’s Wife – for falsely accusing him of rape and then being thrown in prison for doing nothing wrong
- The butler – who forgot to tell Pharoah about Joseph’s ability to interpret dream
- God– who allowed all these things to happen
- Satan– this is bad, must be the devil!
“We frequently blame satan for the offensive things that people say and do to us. In Joseph’s case, his brothers were skillfully wielded instruments in the hand of God.” – John Bevere, Bait of Satan
Takeaway:
- God is sovereign over .
- When we remain offended, we will have a view of God, remain in sin, keep giving into temptation, not offer forgiveness to others.
- We are taught in the Gospels to endless times and that if we don’t forgive others of their faults, we cannot expect our heavenly Father to forgive us our faults.
V. When we don’t take the bait of Satan, God will carry out His through us. Consider how God worked in Joseph’s life:
- Joseph’s heart was from offense, so he could forgive his brothers for the injustice they committed against him.
- Joseph was used to save many lives from the negative effects of the famine in that region (including his very own brothers) (Genesis 45:5-8)- the aspect of not taking offense.
- God could Joseph to not get offended, thus God knew He could trust Joseph to carry out His purposes in that generation and beyond.
In Conclusion: Offense will destroy legacy and dreams, that is why it is important that we take heed to the Holy Spirit and the lessons found in Scripture! What if Joseph took the bait of Satan, got offended at his brothers and instead of forgiveness, or killed his brothers for what they did to him? If Joseph killed Judah, Jesus Christ could not have come! (Genesis 49:10)
But God knew Joseph would not and could not have done that, and we know that because of Jesus, the scepter has not departed from Judah! Jesus rules and reigns forever from on High!
Takeaways from today’s teaching:
- We have to address offense at the root or our legacy will get destroyed.
- God’s dreams and vision for your life will get carried out if you hang on to offense.
YES I WILL
Verse
I count on one thing
The same God that never fails
Will not fail me now
You won’t fail me now
In the waiting
The same God who’s never late
Is working all things out
You’re working all things out
Chorus
Yes I will lift You high
In the lowest valley
Yes I will bless Your name
Yes I will sing for joy
When my heart is heavy
All my days oh yes I will
Verse
I count on one thing
The same God that never fails
Will not fail me now
You won’t fail me now
In the waiting
The same God who’s never late
Is working all things out
You’re working all things out
Chorus
Yes I will lift You high
In the lowest valley
Yes I will bless Your name
Yes I will sing for joy
When my heart is heavy
All my days oh yes I will
Tag
For all my days oh yes I will
Bridge
I choose to praise
To glorify glorify
The name of all names
That nothing can stand against
I choose to praise
To glorify glorify
The name of all names
That nothing can stand against
Chorus
Yes I will lift You high
In the lowest valley
Yes I will bless Your name
Yes I will sing for joy
When my heart is heavy
All my days oh yes I will
Tag
For all my days oh yes I will
When you think about suffering, what comes to mind? Do you envision bedraggled children with distended stomachs, a hospital patient hooked up to life-sustaining medical equipment, or a courageous veteran dealing with the aftermath of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Adversity seems to be a common denominator to human existence, but what does the Bible have to say about suffering?
Jesus spoke to His disciples about suffering. One of the most well-known verses reads, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 ESV). The Greek word for cross in this verse is staurós. It refers to the crossbeam which the lowest criminals carried as they trudged toward their execution. The cross symbolized degradation and indescribable pain as well as sacrifice.
While the invitation to eternal life is free, it comes at a price–certain suffering.