James’ Most Important Instruction.
James 5:12
February 15, 2015

As we have studied the book of James,
James has adamantly held us up next to Jesus to see if we measure up.

And while these are good lessons for evaluation for every believer,
Ultimately James has had more than that in mind.

He’s not just concerned about believers not living like Christ,
James is concerned that perhaps we have people
Claiming to be believers who aren’t actually believers at all.

There is a difference between having faith
And simply saying you have faith.
James has been helping us see the difference.

James has actually been giving us tests by which we can examine our lives.

1) How do I respond to trials? (with joy)
2) Do I trust God in those trials? (ask for what, not why)
3) Do I persevere under trial?
4) Do I view God as perfectly righteous? (God can’t tempt)
5) Do I love the word of God? (doer)
6) Do I love the least? (pure religion)
7) Do I show favoritism? (rich man in fine clothes)
8) Is my faith exhibited by word or deed?
9) Is my speech righteous and uplifting? (tame the tongue)
10) Do I love the world too much? (friendship with the world)
11) Am I submissive to God? (submit therefore to God)
12) Do I slander? (don’t speak against one another)
13) Am I an arrogant boaster? (Today or Tomorrow…)
14) Do I have a wicked love for possessions?
15) Do I have patience, waiting for the Lord?

Tonight, James adds another question.
16) Do I walk with integrity?

Our society is not one known for integrity.
WE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO BECOME SKEPTICS.

Our society thrives off of lies.
John MacArthur writes, “Fallen men are basically inveterate liars. Children lie to parents and parents lie to their children. Husbands lie to their wives and wives lie to their husbands. People lie to their employers who in turn lie to them and often to the public. Politicians lie to get elected and continue to lie once they are in office. People lie to the government – perhaps most notably on their income tax returns. Educators lie, scientists lie, and members of the media lie. Our society is built on a framework of lies, leading one to wonder whether our social structure would survive if everyone were forced to speak the truth for even one day.” (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: James, Moody Press, Chicago, Ill. 1998, pg. 263)
David said:
Psalms 116:11 “I said in my alarm, “All men are liars.”

Jeremiah noticed:
Jeremiah 9:1-9 “Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the desert A wayfarers’ lodging place; That I might leave my people And go from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men. “They bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the LORD. “Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. “Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth, They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing iniquity. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, I will refine them and assay them; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people? “Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him. “Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?”

Lying is the way of the world, and that is quite understandable
Since Satan is the god of this world, and he is the father of lies.

Since that is the case,
Integrity becomes a very accurate indicator of saving faith.

The lost unredeemed world does not have it.
The saved, redeemed world does.
It is a black and white issue.

That is what James is talking about in our text tonight.
There are three things we see here, as we look at the integrity of saving faith.

#1 THE IMPORTANCE
James 5:12a

“But above all, my brethren,”

This truth ought to stand out to us,
Because right here James takes this truth and elevates it
Above all the others that he has presented.

To James the revealing ability of integrity
Is greater than all those we listed earlier.

(joy, perseverance, love for the least, faith with works, etc.)
Integrity is the most accurate way to evaluate yourself.

THE PRESENCE OF INTEGRITY IS A MARK OF SAVING FAITH.
A LACK OF INTEGRITY IS DUE TO A LACK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
(For God knows nothing of deception)

Hebrews 6:18 “…it is impossible for God to lie…”

Titus 1:2 “God cannot lie.”

1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

God knows nothing of breaking His word.
Neither do those born of God.
However, there is one who is expert at breaking his word.

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Adrian Rogers, “You are never more like the devil then when you tell a lie.”

If God’s nature is truth, and Satan’s nature is deception –
This ought to be the easiest way to tell who your father is.

That is why this is James’ most important instruction.
It is the most telling attribute of a child of God
Verses the child of the devil.

The Importance
#2 THE INSTRUCTION
James 5:12b

“do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no,”

It is important to note that
James basically takes Christ teaching on this verbatim.

So let’s look at what Jesus taught.
(you may want to turn there)
Matthew 5:33-37 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.”
And here Jesus is actually quoting
From two separate passages in the Old Testament.

Two passages which have been conveniently taken out of context
And put together to make a much more enabling command.
Leviticus 19:12 “You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”

Numbers 30:2 “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”

Now first let me tell you what the command meant.

The commands are clear.
“You shall not swear falsely by My name”
“If a man makes a vow to the LORD…he shall not violate his word”

The clear understanding of those commands is that
YOU ARE TO BE REAL WITH GOD.
You are not to be a hypocrite, you are not to be disingenuous.

Remember the 3rd Commandment?
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

And people are still getting that command wrong.

If I were to give a test in here this morning that asked, what does that commandment mean?

Don’t use the word “G-D”
Others would say “Don’t cuss”

I am certainly not advocating those behaviors,
But that is not at all what is meant by that commandment.
To take God’s name in vain was to falsely take His name upon yourself.

It was to claim to be God’s child
And then to live in such a way as to deny Him.
Isaiah 1:1-4 “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”

Today it would be seen as someone who claims to be a Christian,
But then lives their life in such disobedience
That they actually do God more harm than good.

This is what John indicated:
1 John 2:4 “The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;”

And all these commands in which God gave in regard to vows
Were meant to tell Israel to be real.

If you claim to be Mine, if you claim to obey Me,
If you say you will follow Me
THEN DO IT.

THEY DEMAND INTEGRITY IN ITS FINEST FORM
KEEP YOUR WORD TO ME

And this concept of integrity is seen throughout the Old Testament.

Numbers 30:2 “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you. “However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. “You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised.”

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”

And again you can see that all of those commands
Again reiterate that you are to be people of integrity.
(especially in your relationship with God)

Don’t tell God you will do something and then fail to do it.
And it doesn’t matter if it is something big or something small.
KEEP YOUR VOW TO GOD.

And Jesus recognizes that they have been told those commands.

HOWEVER, He also recognizes that they are getting them wrong.

Jesus alludes to their misconception here.
We know based on verse 34 that they were making oaths “by heaven”
We know based on verse 35 that they were making oaths “by the earth”
We know based on verse 35 that they were making oaths “by Jerusalem”
We know based on verse 36 that they were making oaths “by [their] head”

And so we know their society had become a system of oath taking,
And one that included much more than honest oaths to God.

What was actually occurring in Israel’s day
Was a complete perversion of God’s command not to break a vow to Him.

Israel had actually gotten part of the command right.
• They knew you could not break a vow to God. (at least an external one)
• And they knew if you swore by God’s name you had to keep it.

However, they filled in the blanks to say
That every other vow could be broken.

In other words.
If you swear in God’s name, you have to keep it.
If you swear in any other name, you don’t have to keep it.

It was actually a system instituted to allow for lying.

And we see it occurring even in the New Testament.
Matthew 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘ Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’”

And so it actually was a system designed to make it quite legal to lie.

And so the only time you could believe someone
Was if they told you something and then said, “I swear to God”.

WE ACTUALLY SEE THAT TODAY?

There is absolutely no punishment for lying in our society,
Unless you do it under oath, and then that is perjury.
All other lying is fine.

And that was exactly the mindset in Israel.

They had completely missed the point that God expected integrity
And reduced that command to say you could lie to anyone
So long as you didn’t do it under oath.

And that is why Jesus gives this explanation.
“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by earth, for it is the footstool of the His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.”

Now some have missed the point of this to say.
ALL OATHS ARE WRONG.

But that can’t be true.
• The Old Testament clearly taught making vows or taking oaths.
• God certainly recognizes the marriage oath.
• Jesus even made vows.

Matthew 26:63-64 “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”

Beyond that every time He said, “Truly, Truly” it was a form of vow.

God Himself made vows.
Hebrews 6:13 “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,”

Acts 2:30 “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE,”

Paul made oaths or vows.
Romans 9:1 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,”

And so it is far-fetched to assume that all oath taking is wrong.

What Jesus is confronting is a person with such little integrity
That they are forced to take them to be believed.

And Jesus is saying you think
The only vow you don’t have to break is one to God.
But you don’t even have the authority to break other vows.

You can’t vow on heaven – “for it is the throne of God”
You can’t vow on earth – “for it is the footstool of His feet”
You can’t vow on Jerusalem – “for it is the city of the great king.”
You can’t even vow on your own head – “for you cannot make one hair black or white”

None of those things belong to you either.
And so you don’t have the authority to vow on them.

The point is not that taking a vow is wrong,
The problem is that breaking a vow is wrong.

You say not to break a vow in God’s name.
I say don’t break any vow,
And don’t live with such a lack of integrity
That you have to make a vow for someone to believe you.

BECAUSE YOU SEE, NOT KEEPING YOUR WORD IS LYING.
Telling someone you will do something and then failing to do it is lying.
Entering an agreement and then backing out is lying.
The simple command is this:
“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’”

When you give a “yes” then live a “yes”.
When you give a “no” then live a “no”.

“anything beyond these is of evil.”

It is another way of saying,
Failing to keep your yes or failing to keep your no,
Is just like the devil who is the father of lies.

Proverbs 6:12-15 “A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth, Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.”

And that is the sermon James is preaching here:
James said, “but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no,”

It is the problem of justifying lies.
DO WE EVER DO THAT?
To get out of trouble.
To get more money back.
To gain in prestige or popularity.

WHO IS YOUR FATHER?
• If it is God, then there is never a time when lying is ok to you.
• If it is the devil, then there are probably times when you think it is acceptable.

So first the importance, second the instruction
#3 THE INCENTIVE
James 5:12c

Why should I walk in integrity?
“so that you will not fall under judgment.”

Jesus said, “let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.”

But I want you to know something about the word James uses for “judgment”

The word in the New Testament that is
Always used for the judgment or punishment of believers is “PAIDEUO”.

1 Corinthians 11:32 “But when we are judged, we are disciplined (paideuo) by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”
Hebrews 12:6-7 “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” It is for discipline (paideuo) that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”

That is NOT the word James uses.
James uses “KRISIS”

It is the word used for the destruction of the ungodly in hell.

James already used it once.
James 2:13 “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Jesus used it.
John 5:22-30 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment (krisis) to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment (krisis), but has passed out of death into life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment (krisis), because He is the Son of Man. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (krisis). “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment (krisis) is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

Here is the point James is making.
If you are ok with a lack of integrity you will be judged.
But it will not be the punishment of a father to a son.

You will receive the eternal judgment,
For a lack of integrity reveals a lack of salvation.

Does anyone remember Ananias and Sapphira?
Acts 5:3-6 “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.”

And if you think that is severe,
Wait until you understand THE ETERNAL FATE of those who lie.

Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

When talking about heaven Jesus says:
Revelation 21:27 “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

It is the lesson of integrity,
And it is a great revealer of what we really are.

1 John 1:5-10 “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

 

Saving Judah?
Genesis 38:1-30
February 15, 2015

If you’ve read through Genesis with any idea of
Trying to make sense of the story you are reading,
Then this chapter has undoubtedly stuck out to you.

1) Because of its hideous account of sin and incest
2) Because it seems out of place.

Here we are right in the middle of the “fast-paced” Joseph story
And out of nowhere comes this story about Judah and Tamar.

It seems strange that it would be here.
And if you’ve thought that, you certainly are not alone.

Several commentators will tell you that they believe this to be a story added in at a later date, but not a part of Moses’ original writing.
(Similar to the story of the woman caught in adultery)

They will tell you that it was added in by some later scribe
To glorify David’s tribe or to give the origin of the levirate marriage.

They say that because, as I told you a couple of weeks ago,
They have missed the point of the end of Genesis.

If the last 14 chapters are about Joseph and his life and ascendancy in Egypt, then yes this chapter is out of place.

But the end of Genesis is not primarily about Joseph.
I told you a couple of weeks ago, that Joseph is not the next patriarch, Judah is,
And it is chapters like this that help you see that.

This chapter isn’t out of place,
It is crucial to you understanding what God is doing.

REMEMBER – GOD IS SAVING JUDAH!!!

In chapter 37 God revealed who the deliverer of Israel (& Judah) would be.
JOSEPH

God made that clear through two prophetic dreams which He gave to Joseph.
Joseph would be the family deliverer.

Incidentally that revelation nearly cost Joseph his life
And most certainly was the root cause behind his being sold into slavery in Egypt.

Now, BEFORE Moses goes on with the saga concerning Joseph,
He wants to SHOW YOU WHO JOSEPH IS SAVING.
And here he is: JUDAH

Now, prepare to be unenthused.
You aren’t going to like what you see.

• We already know that Judah has no respect for his brothers or his father.
• We already know Judah to be a lying money lover with murder in his heart.

Now we find that those may have been his good qualities.

In chapter 38, Moses sets out to show you the truth about Judah,
And to show you exactly what Joseph has been sent to save.

So let’s work our way through the chapter together and look at this man named Judah
And then we’ll talk a little more about this at the end.

I’ve divided the chapter up into 5 points
That help us see who this Judah is that Joseph has been sent to save.

#1 THE CONTEMPT OF JUDAH’S SOJOURNING
Genesis 38:1-5

We find here that Judah goes on a trip.

Verse 1 says that “Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.”

• We also find that while he was there that a Canaanite woman caught his eye (the daughter of Shua) and he married her.

• And we find that Judah stayed there long enough to at least father three sons.

And I want you to know that this action was absolutely contemptible.
WHY?

Well, there are some themes that are running through Genesis,
That I should have pointed out to you by now,
But in all honesty, I didn’t see them at first either.

(Thanks to Vodie Baucham and “Joseph And the Gospel of Many Colors”)

When you look at Genesis as a whole, it is clear that Moses in his writing
Is COMPLETELY PREOCCUPIED WITH THREE THINGS.

1) The Promised Land
2) The Chosen Seed
3) The Sacred Covenant
Let me give you a quick synopsis of what I mean.

Take THE PROMISED LAND – it is a very important theme to Moses.

The land was created by God in chapter 1 AS THE STAGE
Where God would meet man and His plan of redemption would play out.

• Man was created from the land
• The land (as well as man) suffered under the curse of sin.

Genesis 3:17 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.”

• Furthermore, it was sin that caused Adam to lose his land.

Genesis 3:22-24 “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” — therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”

• In Noah’s day, the sin on the land was multiplied.
Genesis 6:1-3 “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

And so the irony was that the land where God was to meet with man, Became a land that was a stage for sin, where man actually rejected God.

So the land was good,
Then the land was cursed,
Then the land was destroyed.

However, when Abraham comes on the scene
God issues a promise of a new land; a Promised Land.

Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The objective of Abraham, his descendants, and Moses
Is actually to possess this Promised Land that God will bless.

It is a huge theme, it is an important achievement
The land matters.

The second major theme of Moses is THE CHOSEN SEED

The seed would be the MEANS through which
God’s redemption would be accomplished.
God established the seed very early on
As the agent of multiplying things on the earth.

Genesis 1:11-13 “Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day.”

• However at the fall of sin, there enmity which arose between the seed of the woman and the seed of the enemy.

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
• This enmity was portrayed in Cain’s murdering of Abel.

But God made clear to Eve that we are to look for the Chosen Seed
As the Savior from the effects of the fall.
We are looking for him.

And we know that this chosen seed is coming through Abraham.

Genesis 22:18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

That seed will be none other than Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:16 “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.”

So the seed is vitally important; preserving the chosen line matters
It is our hope of redemption and salvation.

In fact, all of Satan’s attacks up to this point
Where either to DEFILE or DESTROY the Promised Seed.
• Pharaoh & Abimelech tried to corrupt it
• Hagar was to defile it
• Ishmael was to replace it
• Esau was to steal it
• Laban was to stop it

You get the picture.

The Chosen seed is vitally important to Moses.
We are waiting for Him, He is our means of redemption.

And the third major theme is THE SACRED COVENANT

There have been many covenants already in Genesis.
• The covenant God made with Adam that he could tend the garden but must not eat from the forbidden tree. (a covenant Adam broke)
• There is the covenant God made with Noah that He would not flood the earth again. (a covenant remembered by the rainbow)

But the most important was the covenant God forged with Abraham.

Genesis 17:1-8 “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

God was to be the only God of Abraham’s descendants,
Through Abraham this great God would bless and save the world.

And you will remember that the sign of that covenant was circumcision,
And primarily it was to distinguish the chosen seed from all the other peoples.

The Covenant was vitally important.

Now I know that was pretty rapid,
And I’m not asking you to grasp it all right this second.

I simply want you to see that there were three things very important to Moses.

Moses has been focusing on
The Promised Land, The Chosen Seed, and The Sacred Covenant.
(Those three themes continually reemerge)

And then we come to Judah.

1) He has Disregarded the Promised Land
Having departed from his brothers

2) He has Defiled the Chosen Seed
Having sought out a Canaanite wife and chosen one for his sons.

3) He has Despised the Sacred Covenant
You will see him later visiting a temple prostitute (so he thinks) which was not only an act of immorality, but also an act of idolatry.

So if I can put it to you bluntly.
Not only is Judah a ruthless, greedy, lying, murderer.
He also has absolutely no concern
For the blessings and benefits and plan of God in his life.

This little trip he has taken is absolutely contemptible.
Moses is painting Judah as the worst possible culprit.

But wait, it gets better.

The Contempt of Judah’s Sojourning
#2 THE CORRUPTION OF JUDAH’S SONS
Genesis 38:6-11

Now there’s a story for you.
And one I doubt you’ll quickly forget.

It is one of those raw and shocking type of stories that if it wasn’t in the Bible,
You’d never want anyone to talk about it.

• One son is given a wife, he is so wicked that the Lord takes his life.

• The other son is asked to fulfill his duty for his brother and he refuses (in gross and graphic manner) – so the Lord kills him.

• And then the father is so paranoid that this woman must be bad luck that he refuses to give his third son to her for fear that the same will happen to him.

And from that we do recognize a few things still about Judah.

Obviously he wasn’t the greatest father.
He has succeeded in raising corrupt sons.
He has raised sons so wicked that God chose to kill them.

Beyond that we see Judah’s insatiable desire to establish his own line.

One of the chronological discrepancies of the end of Genesis
Is that there appears to be a 22 year period
From the selling of Joseph to the arrival of Jacob into Egypt.

The issue becomes in the fact that Genesis 46 says that
Judah had two grandsons when (sons of Perez) when he entered Egypt.

• So if Judah took this trip as soon as Joseph was sold he could not
have been more than about 20 or 21. (All of those boys were born in a
7 year period, Judah was #4, Joseph was #10 but by different women)

• So in a 22 year period Judah had three sons and two grandsons.

If you start doing the math that is “getting a move on” to say the least.

Judah was driven to propagate and secure his own line.
And it was obviously a wicked one.

Yet again a disdain for the Chosen Seed.
The Contempt of Judah’s Sojourning The Corruption of Judah’s Sons
#3 THE CARNALITY OF JUDAH’S SIN
Genesis 38:12-23

Boy this story just keeps getting better and better.

• A little time passes and Tamar realizes that Judah is never going to give her to his youngest son.

• And for whatever reason (her motives are not given) Tamar wants a son from Judah’s line.

• So after Judah’s wife dies and he becomes lonely he takes a trip to sheer his sheep and Tamar hears of it.

• She dresses like a prostitute and Judah’s flesh takes over from there.

• He sees her on the side of the road and with a degree of romance that every woman desires he says, “Here now, let me come in to you.”

• She then haggles for a price which turns out to be a young goat. What she really wants is his signet ring which was tied by a cord around his neck and his staff.

• When she gets that the deed is done and she conceives and then disappears.

• When Judah takes the goat she is gone and he doesn’t pursue it because he doesn’t want the shame of him having visited a prostitute to get around.

It was immorality
It was incest (all be it ignorant incest)
And Judah doesn’t seem to care other than a little embarrassment.

I don’t have to go any further to explain to you that this is a wicked man.

#4 THE CONFESSION OF JUDAH’S SHAME
Genesis 38:24-26

If there is a bright spot in the story, this is it.

• 3 months pass and it is found that Tamar is pregnant.

• Judah (with all the self-righteousness in the world) declares that she must be burned for having played the harlot. It is convenient how he has forgotten about his little previous fling.

• But he brings her out and we see why she wanted that seal and cord and staff so badly.

• It was to save her life and expose Judah as the father.

• And the plan works.

(26) “Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.”

This was Judah’s shame, and we are at least happy that he felt it.

It didn’t change what he was,
But at least he was willing to admit what he was.

Thus, the life of Tamar was spared.
And this was highly significant.

#5 THE CHOICE OF JUDAH’S SEED
Genesis 38:27-30

Tamar is pregnant with twins
And at their birth a truly peculiar thing happened.

One boy started out, he even got a hand out,
Which the nurse tied a scarlet thread on.

But it is as if someone on the inside pulled him back in
And beat him to the punch.

Indeed they did, it was his brother.
(29) “But it came about as he dew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.”

Incidentally “Perez” means “breach” or “breakthrough”,
Which is precisely what he did.

Of course we now realize in view of the Providence of God,
That it wasn’t Perez who broke through
But God who caused the breakthrough.

This account follows right in line with God’s propensity
To choose the younger over the older.
Abel over Cain
Isaac over Ishmael
Jacob over Esau
And now Perez over Zerah

And so you also realize that this child is part of the chosen lineage
From which the Christ will come.

Matthew 1:3 “Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.”

ONCE AGAIN THE AWESOME PROVIDENCE OF GOD!
BUT THERE IS THE STORY.

We have a chapter about awful immorality that ends with a child.

And even though this child will certainly be in the Messianic line,
It still doesn’t change our view of Judah.

If we didn’t already have a low view of Judah, we certainly do now.

SO…
• Let’s remember that horrifying event we saw last week with
Joseph being sold to Egypt,
• And now let’s add to the story what a wicked man Judah was.

And let’s take inventory of where we are at.

If at this point you are sufficiently disgusted with Judah
And wonder why God would send Joseph away and let Judah live,
THEN YOU ARE RIGHT WHERE MOSES WANTS YOU.

You are supposed to be MORE ANGRY
About the injustice of Joseph now than you even were last week.
Judah has gone from bad to worse and God seems to be letting him.

In fact, God has sent the good son Joseph to go suffer in Egypt
So that he might save Judah.

• Last week we watched Joseph led off in chains as the martyr who would save his brothers.

• Here we are forced to face an even tougher question: WHAT EXACTLY IS JOSEPH SAVING?

Many of you in here have seen the movie “Saving Private Ryan”.
Captain Miller is assigned to take a small band of soldiers with the mission of finding and Private Ryan so that he can go home and be with his mother.

At one point in the movie Captain Miller has actually lost a couple of his men simply trying to find Private Ryan.

As he begins to question the worth of this mission.
He says: “He better be worth it. He better go home and cure a disease, or invent a longer-lasting light bulb.”

And Hollywood has its way because at the end of the movie we see the old man back at the grave of Captain Miller, having brought his family back he says: “My family is with me today. They wanted to come with me. To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel coming back here. Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in your eyes, I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.”

And that’s the kind of thing we wanted to see here.
• Joseph, at 17 years of age, is being hauled off to Egypt, never to return.
• We know he is being taken so that he might save Judah.

Our next hope is that Judah is worth all the cost.
We hope that Judah is worth saving.

But that hope is crushed with the reading of Chapter 38
Now the whole thing just looks like even more of a tragedy.

HOW COULD GOD BE SAVING JUDAH?
• He’s a thug!
• He’s a wicked man!
• He doesn’t even care about the land or the seed or the covenant!

Why would God be so interested in saving him?

AND THEREIN LIES THE UNFATHOMABLE MYSTERY
OF THE SOVEREIGN ELECTION OF GOD.

When people question God’s election they always want to question, how God could choose to send someone to hell. But that’s not the hard question.

The hard question really is:
HOW COULD HE CHOOSE TO SAVE ANY OF US?

• You think it strange that God would send such a fine young man like Joseph to Egypt that He might save a scoundrel like Judah?

• You ought to think it strange that God would send His perfect Son to the cross to save a scoundrel like you.

And make no mistake, you are a scoundrel, you are a wretch!

Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

IN THIS STORY, YOU AREN’T JOSEPH – YOU ARE JUDAH!

But the fact that you and I were a wretch did not stop the plan of God.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 Timothy 1:15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”

The sting you are feeling while reading the story of Joseph
Is the sting you’re supposed to feel when you read about the cross

Does it feel wrong that God would save Judah?

Well, God is saving Judah so that God can save you.
And neither of you deserve it.

This is the Providential plan of God.

That is why we sing about
“Amazing Grace…that saved a wretch like me”

Genesis 38 IS AMAZING GRACE

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

The story of Judah is a story of Amazing Grace!
It isn’t pretty
It doesn’t smell good
It’s not a pleasant story

BUT THAT IS WHERE AMAZING GRACE RESIDES
• Amazing grace is found in the pig pen with the prodigal son
• Amazing grace is found in the prostitute’s tent
• Amazing grace is found in the bars and with the tax collectors
• Amazing grace is found in the gutters and back alleys
• Amazing grace is found in the crack houses and the slums

AND IF WE LOSE SIGHT OF THIS,
WE MISS THE POINT OF WHAT GOD WAS DOING IN GENESIS,
AND WHAT GOD IS STILL DOING TODAY.

Matthew 9:10-13 “Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION,AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The reality is that if we have problem with the salvation of Judah,
Then we have problem with the heart of God.
That is what God does, He saves sinners.

That is what makes the end of Genesis such a beautiful story.
We again see the depth God is willing to go to in order to save sinners.

• He is sending Joseph to Egypt (even though there is not a sin listed for
Joseph in the Bible) that He might save Judah.

• And He is saving Judah so that He might save you.

• For through Judah (and the incestuous relationship he had with Tamar)
the Savior of the world is coming.

That is Amazing Grace!

And just for a moment, I want to ask you to REST IN THAT.

That God is so gracious that He is willing to pay for your sin
Through the sacrifice of His Son.
He offers your forgiveness, even though you don’t deserve it.
We don’t often get real evangelistic in here on Sundays
(Worship is supposed to occur in here, evangelism occurs out there)

HOWEVER
I am certainly aware that Judah wasn’t the only religious man in need of salvation.

It’s not about how good you’ve been (in God’s eyes it isn’t good enough)
• If we dug through our closets, each of us has a story that would be just as
embarrassing at Judah’s if God were to print it in the Bible.

• The concern is that you have thus far been willing to live with your sin
because you think a little religion is cancelling out your bad.

Friends, we all need Jesus.
We all need forgiveness.
We all need His amazing grace.

And this morning, I simply ask you to confess to Him
Your need for His forgiveness and yield your life to Him.
The “Good News” is that Christ doesn’t turn away those who come to Him

So if the Holy Spirit is moving in your heart, I’d ask you to submit to Him.

 

The Secret to Enduring Injustice
James 5:7-11
February 8, 2015

Last time we met we talked about an exceptionally vile type of person.

It was a person that James said had
“fattened [their] hearts in a day of slaughter”

They were actually told to
“weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.”

They were the rich
But more than that, they were the corrupt rich.

While it is true that “rich” is a relative term,
And it is also true that having money is not a sin in and of itself…
James reminds us that riches are very dangerous.
Loving money (as Paul put it) is a root of all sorts of evil.

And it is definitely that lover of money
That James taught us about last week.

They loved money so much that they:
STORED IT NEEDLESSLY
• Their grain had actually rotted
• Their garments had actually become moth eaten
• Their gold had actually rusted

They loved money so much that they:
SUSTAINED IT UNRIGHTEOUSLY
• They actually saved money by not paying their workers.
• They cheated the people they owed to keep their money in their bank.

They loved money so much that they:
SPENT IT IMMORALLY
• To them money was a means of happiness and so they used it to live luxuriously on earth.

They loved money so much that they:
STOLE IT RUTHLESSLY
• They actually became rich by condemning righteous people.
• They took bribes
• They got rich by hurting the innocent

And James said they were in a world of trouble.

But tonight James moves to the other person in the scenario.
Tonight James addresses that righteous man who was condemned.
Tonight James addresses that worker whose wages were not given.
Tonight James addresses that hungry man who didn’t eat. (hoarded food)
We are dealing with those who have been wronged
And treated unjustly by the world.
Having addressed the culprit, James now addresses the victim.

And James has some very pointed reminders
To give to those who have been shafted.

Before we get into those words, it is probably wise to first examine
The natural fleshly response to such treatment.

Let’s say someone cheats you…
Let’s say someone wrongs you…
WHAT IS YOUR INITIAL RESPONSE?

I know what the world’s response is:
• It is to get even
• It is to fight back
• It is to complain or revolt

That is what the flesh wants – to get instant vindication and gratification for the wrong done.

AND THIS IS WRONG.

Paul said:
Romans 12:17-21 “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Paul emphatically told believers to be different from the world.
Anyone can resort to brutal tactics to earn justice for themselves,
But a believer refuses such behavior.

Instead of taking his own revenge
A believer leaves “room for the wrath of God”

In short, he entrusts his justice to God.

Perhaps now you see why James is addressing this issue with the church.
I’ve told you many times that James is holding the church up next to Christ,
And he is confronting the church on those areas
Where she does not look like her Savior.

And one of those areas was in regard to their revenge, or retaliation,
Or even their complaining.

Might I remind you that Jesus did NOT do these things.
1 Peter 2:21-23 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

No vengeance
No threats
No retaliation

Christ simply “kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

And that is precisely what James wants to see from the church.
He wants those who are suffering
To endure that suffering just like Jesus did.

And incidentally James wants to give you the key to doing so.

Jesus endured injustice by keeping an eye to the Father
And trusting that God would one day set all things straight.

James is going to ask you to do the same
When people take advantage of you.

Tonight James is going to give you
“THE SECRET TO ENDURING INJUSTICE”

We already know we are commanded to do it.
James will tell you how.

And you will know how
When you remember and believe three simple truths.

#1 THE LORD IS COMING: He will deal with your enemies
James 5:7-8

James (as he usually does) gets right to the point.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.”

The word “Therefore” ties this passage back to the previous.

• James just said that the unrighteous rich have oppressed you.
• But he also said that they have “fattened [their] hearts in a day of slaughter.”

In other words James said that their punishment is coming.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.”

They will be punished when the Lord comes, you “be patient” until then.
• Don’t take matters into your own hands
• Don’t deal with it yourself
• Don’t repay evil with evil
• Instead wait on the Lord.

HE IS COMING!

Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. “His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. “And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

And because He is coming to judge sinners,
Then you must understand that in that judgment
He will deal with those who have persecuted His children.

Revelation 19:1-5 “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.”

Jude 14-15 “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Christ will deal with them, so you “be patient”

But what does that mean?

“patient” is a Greek word that translates MAKROTHUMEO

“MAKRO” = long
“THUMEO” = anger
Be “long angered”

Exodus 34:6 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”
Psalms 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

You get the idea.
It is the opposite of being “hot tempered” it is to be “slow to anger”
The KJV translates it “long-suffering”

Don’t take your own revenge, don’t be “hot tempered”,
Be slow to get angry, be patient “until the coming of the Lord.”

In short, let Him deal with it.

And James even gives you an example of patience.
“The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.”

Farmers are a wonderful illustration of both hope and patience.

They invest in seed, then bury it with nothing but hope that it will grow.
And they have NO CHOICE BUT TO BE PATIENT about it.

They can go out to those fields and scream at that seed
And yell at those plants and stomp on the dirt, but it won’t help.

They have to wait.
And James says, you should be like them.

In short, don’t let any other response even be an option.
Make patience your only option.

“You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

“strengthen” translates STERIZO
It means “to fix or make fast”

Luke 9:51 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;”

There it is translated “determined”

In other words, make up your mind, set it stone,
That for you revenge or anger isn’t even an option.

Make up in your mind that you will walk like Jesus and not take your own revenge, but will most certainly wait for His coming.

For He is coming!
And He will deal with those who oppress the righteous.

Let me give you the second truth that you should remember,
As you seek to endure injustice.
#2 THE LORD IS JUST: He will punish your disobedience
James 5:9

Here is the flip-side.
• They may have wronged you, and He will punish them.
• But if you punish them first, then you have also been disobedient.

And the Lord will punish ALL disobedience.
(Even if you didn’t start it)

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

Maybe that rich man did wrong you first, but if you retaliate,
You will only ensure that you will also be punished.

Sometimes one of my children (who shall remain unnamed)
Can antagonize the other three to a great extent.
Inevitably they will retaliate with physical force.

And they both get in trouble.
The first for antagonizing, and the second for physically hurting

And that is true here too.
Jesus doesn’t play favorites.

Romans 2:11 “For there is no partiality with God.”

And so if you blow it, you’ll be punished too,
For The Lord is coming and the Lord is JUST.

Now, please notice that James isn’t even talking about
Full blown retaliation here.

James says:
“Do not complain, brethren, against one another”

• James doesn’t even mention punching him in the nose.
• James merely says “do not complain”

“complain” translates STENAZO
“to groan or grieve” or “to inwardly express sorrow”

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

Mark 7:34 “and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”

Now you could say, well Jesus did it, why can’t I?
Jesus groaned against the effects of sin,
Not against being treated unfairly.

And that is the difference.

Here James is referring to an inner grief or sorrow
That ultimately comes out of your mouth
In the form of a complaint against your brother.

You got mistreated and you didn’t punch him
BUT YOU DID verbally assault or malign him.

TIME OUT!
You mean I just have to take it and I can’t even complain about how unfair it was?

Let’s look back again at the example of Jesus:
1 Peter 2:21-23 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

When Jesus was suffering, He kept His mouth shut.
And James tells us to do the same.
WHY?
“so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”

He can hear you, and He’ll be back soon.
Don’t cross the line and make His coming
A time for your punishment as well.

Live your life in a manner that is pleasing.
You will stand judgment when He comes,
Make sure you lived right to prepare for it.

Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

Matthew 24:42-51 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. “But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Judgment is real on ALL people.
Don’t invite it by becoming like those who will be judged.

So if you desire to endure injustice in the right way,
• Then remember that the Lord is coming and He will deal with your enemies,
• And remember that the Lord is just; He will punish your disobedience too.

One third thing to remember:
#3 THE LORD IS MERCIFUL: He will reward your patience.
James 5:10-11

At this point James realizes that patience isn’t all that attractive.

We really like to get vindication.
We like to feel like those who wrong us pay for it.

And so far all James is offering us is a threat
That we better nor or we’ll also be judged.
That is why James continues.

There isn’t just a threat of punishment for retaliating,
But there is a promise of reward for obedience.

And to show that he offers up some EXAMPLES for you.

“As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured.”

Think about those prophets for a moment.
• Isaiah preached and the longer he preached the worse the people got.
• Ezekiel was told that he would preach to “hard-headed” people and God even told him that the people who did listen to him, only did so because they thought he was entertaining.
• Jeremiah had no converts, and only 1 friend, often mistreated and persecuted.

And yet, we honor those men.
We remember those men.
We call them men of God.

No one here honors Balaam, that false prophet who sold out for money.
No one would say he was blessed.

We know that the reward for Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel was great.

Jesus said:
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 11:32-40 “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”

Those men may have been treated poorly on earth,
But they are now rewarded so much in heaven
That we actually consider them blessed.

So know that God rewards those well who patiently endure.

If you want another example:
“You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

You are all aware of Job’s suffering.
In one day he lost all his livestock, all his children, and all his pride.
The next day he lost his health.
He suffered greatly.

But do you remember “the outcome of the Lord’s dealings”?

Job 42:10-17 “The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold. Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. He had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. And Job died, an old man and full of days.”

God didn’t take anything from Job that He didn’t return in full.
And that is one of the promises that James wants you to remember.

When Jesus returns everything will be set straight.
Matthew 10:26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”

Jesus will bring to light all that they did to you,
And they will be punished, and you will be rewarded.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

God blesses those who patiently endure.
God blesses those who leave room for His wrath.

When you are in the middle of hardship and a period of injustice,
Don’t resort to your own revenge.

• Be patient (long-angered) determine that patience is your only option.
• Know that you must live right so as not to invite the Lord’s judgment,
• Know that God will cause the outcome of your pain to be well worth it all.

There is not a person in heaven
• Who regrets patiently waiting on God.
• Who regrets letting God handle everything.
• Who is dissatisfied with any reward God has given.

So when the rich oppress
And when the worldly persecute

Patiently endure it and know that Jesus will return
And will come to your aid and reward your suffering.

Where Is God When I Need Him?
Genesis 37 (37:25-36)
February 8, 2015

Well this morning it’s time to start working our way through this absolutely phenomenal story regarding Jacob, Joseph, and Judah.

If you were not here last week, I highly encourage you to go on our website and listen to the sermon from last Sunday morning. It is an overview of the final 14 chapters of Genesis, and it will help you gain a better understanding of the things we are going to talk about as we finish up this book.

But this morning we start working through the story.

I called the study of this chapter:
“Where Is God When I Need Him?”

And when I present that question to you this morning,
You can either be pious and say you’ve never wondered that,
Or you can be honest and admit that you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It is the thought that we are all prone to have
During our darkest hours of pain and despair.

Where is God?
Does He still care?
Why won’t He come help?

Well, as I told you last week, I hope to move you to a place
Where you can understand that God might be doing something
That if you understood it, it would literally blow your mind.

That is what this story of Joseph is, it is a mind-blowing story.

In short, when you read this story – EVERYTHING IS WRONG
Nothing about this story is right.
Nothing about this story happens like it should.

It’s all backward, and let me show you what I mean.

Let’s work our way through the chapter and examine what actually happens
And then we’ll try to move a little deeper.

We can divide the chapter up pretty easily by examining the 4 major players involved.
#1 THE FAVORED SON
Genesis 37:1-11

Again let me remind you of what we talked about last week.
I know that 12 of the next 14 chapters are going to follow Joseph.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that this story is about him.
It isn’t, and that is even made clear early on here.
(1-2a) “Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. These are the records of the generations of Jacob.”

The story is still about Jacob.

And beyond that I hope you remember that
The next major player in Jacob’s family is not Joseph, it is Judah.
(which helps explain why ch. 38 is devoted to him)

None the less, we are continuing on with the story of Jacob,
Who is the man known as Israel.

The first thing we find is that there is tension among the sons of Jacob.

“Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.”

Now those who want to pause here and make Joseph out to be a tattle tale
Are reading into the text something that the writer did not intend.

He makes NO mention of Joseph either bringing
A false report or a true report with evil motives.

Joseph simply brought “a bad report”

WHY?
Because his brother were bad.

From the 2nd verse of this chapter
Moses is already making sure you see one of the main points.

He is contrasting a good son with the bad sons.
And he is not being vague about it.

So IF you read that verse and saw Joseph as the good son
And his brothers as the bad sons,
THEN you correctly picked up on the writer’s intent.

Don’t let someone talk you into blaming the events of this chapter on Joseph,
Which is something the writer simply does not do.
We have a good son and we have bad sons.

What we also have is STRIKE 1 (the bad report)

If we learned anything from Jesus and John the Baptist
It is that the darkness hates the light.
In fact Jesus told Nicodemus:
John 3:19-20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

Joseph’s brothers were no different.
They hated the fact that Joseph
Would give a bad report about them to their father.

Well, then comes STRIKE 2
(3-4) “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.”

You would think that Joseph would have learned firsthand
About the heartache that is caused when a father loves one son
More than the other, after all Isaac had preferred Esau over him.

And yet here is Jacob, a chip right off the old block,
Not only loving Jacob more but making it plain for everyone to see.

And the brothers’ response is expected:
“they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.”

They couldn’t even be cordial
They couldn’t even sit around the table like nothing was wrong

These brothers had a deep hatred for Joseph which stemmed from
His righteousness vs. their wickedness
And the fact that their father clearly loved him more.

Then comes STRIKE 3 (and 4 for that matter)

READ (37:5-11)

Now again, there have been many who have wanted to attribute gloating or pride to Joseph here, but that is something the writer does not do.

Joseph had no control over whether or not he had the dreams,
That was the prerogative of God.

I don’t suppose Joseph had to tell his brothers about it,
But that would seem to undermine the purpose
Of giving him the dreams in the first place.

God was clearly spelling out His divine plan.
Joseph was being tabbed by God as the future deliverer of his brothers.
If you want a parallel that explains their hatred
All you have to do is listen as John the Baptist declares
That Jesus will be the Savior of the World.

Listen as God the Father declares from Heaven,
“This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

And then see the ensuing hatred that came from the Jews because of that.

John 5:18 “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

Now Joseph is not Jesus,
But at least on a small scale he can identify with the hatred.
Joseph was to be the deliverer of his family and his family hated him for it
• He didn’t choose to be
• He didn’t ask to be
• I’m sure a time is coming when he won’t even want to be

But God has determined that he will be
And because of that, his brothers hate him.
He is the favored son.

Now let’s look at the next event of the chapter.
#2 THE NAÏVE FATHER
Genesis 37:12-17

You certainly notice Jacob’s poor parenting skills

It is true that the other brothers hated Joseph,
But their hatred had been conditioned in them by Jacob.

But at the very least Jacob should have been able to see the animosity that was present.
• Did he not remember the response of his sons to a previous “bad report”?
• Does he not see that they can’t even talk to him on friendly terms?

Then how is it that he would be so foolish
As to send a hated brother to once again go and evaluate his brothers
And then to ask him to bring back another report?

Well, that’s what happened.
(12-14) “Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “I will go.” Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.”
There it is.
Go to the brothers who hate you for a previous bad report and bring me back another report about them.

Not to mention that this was about a 50 mile journey – on foot
– across rugged country – for a 17 year old boy – alone.

And yet, true to form, not a negative word is spoken by Joseph.
HE IS A MODEL OF COMPLIANCE.

“I will go”
(It reminds us of Isaiah’s “Here am I, send me!”)

And not only did Joseph willingly obey,
But he persevered to see the job done right.

(15-17) “A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.” Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.'” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.”

And so hopefully you are picking up on
The clear contrasts that Moses is pointing out.

Yes Joseph is favored above his brothers, but with good reason.

When asked to work, they do a poor job (as evidenced by the previous report)
And when Joseph is asked to work, he does a great job.

Joseph is the good son, whereas they are the bad sons.

And Jacob was extremely short-sited if he couldn’t see disaster coming.

The Favored Son The Naïve Father
#3 THE WICKED BROTHERS
Genesis 37:18-35

• Moses wants us to see the good son
• Moses wants us to see the clueless father

But most of all Moses wants you to see
The depth of wickedness of Joseph’s brothers.

There are actually 8 attributes of wickedness seen in these boys.
1) THEIR MURDEROUS HEARTS (18-20)
(18-20) “When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”
• They saw Joseph coming
• They probably knew it was him because of the obvious tunic he was wearing.
• They probably even knew he was there to make a report about them.

But more than that they were still seething about his prophetic dream.
“Here comes this dreamer!”

And their hatred instantly turns to murder.
“Now then, come and let us kill him…”

They had murder in their hearts.
Obviously we don’t have to spend time outlining the iniquity in this mindset.
Jesus taught that hatred alone is heart murder,
And yet these boys seem more than willing to carry out their evil desires.

They are wicked men.

2) THEIR HEARTLESS BRUTALITY (21-24)
(21-24) “But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him” — that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.”

There Reuben actually steps to the forefront
As a perceived guardian and protector.

It actually sounds like Reuben may be a good son too.
• You will see later that Reuben is just as self-seeking as the rest.
• He sees delivering Joseph back to Jacob as a means of restoring himself back to the chief position which he lost after sleeping with Jacob’s concubine.

But, he does succeed in getting them not to instantly kill him.
Instead they opt for a slow and agonizing death
Of either drowning or starvation.

It was a heartless thing to do.
It is even crueler when you learn later that
Joseph begged for mercy the entire time and yet received none.

Genesis 42:21 “Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

These men were murderous and heartless
3) THEIR COMPLACENCY TOWARD SIN (25a)
(25) “Then they sat down to eat a meal.”

That may not seem like much,
But in light of the plan they are carrying out
It certainly pictures a group of people without a conscience.

They are in the process of murdering their brother,
But it doesn’t seem to bother them.

4) THEIR CONCERN FOR PROFIT (25b-27a)
(25b-27a) “And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come and let us sell him…”

Not only are they willing to commit murder
And unconcerned about the horror of their sin,
But instead of remorse they continue to look for more ways to benefit.

They aren’t opposed to killing Joseph because it is wrong,
They are opposed to it because it won’t make them any money.

These are wicked men.

(And please pay special notice to the role of Judah in this)
Moses wants to make sure you see him as the biggest villain of all!

5) THEIR DISDAIN OF COVENANT (27-28)
(27-28) “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”

Selling him is bad enough, but to Ishmaelites?
• The illegitimate son of Abraham through Hagar?
• The boy God specifically commanded to be sent away?

These were not people of the covenant and there should have been no association, but obviously Jacob’s boys don’t mind.

6) THEIR SELFISH REMORSE (29-30)
(29-30) “Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments. He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?”

Reuben sure looks sorry doesn’t he?
You might be tempted to think so until you read his final statement.

“The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?”
• Not, “Poor Joseph, where did he go?”
• Not, “What have you done, we must fix this”

Reuben didn’t care about Joseph,
Reuben saw this is an opportunity to gain back his father’s favor.

When Jacob was sold, Reuben saw his opportunity lost
And then he grieved for his own misfortune, not Joseph’s.
It is remorse, but it is selfish remorse.

No pity for Joseph, only that he couldn’t benefit more from it.

7) THEIR COMFORT WITH DECEPTION (31-33)
(31-33) “So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood; and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” Then he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

Obviously these men have no problem with lying.

I always remember Adrian Rodgers statement,
“You are never more like the devil than when you tell a lie”

These boys are looking an awful lot like the devil here.

8) THEIR PHONY COMFORT (34-35)
(34-35) “So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.”

It sure looks good that all those boys tried to comfort Jacob.
Well, if they had wanted to comfort Jacob
All they had to do was tell him what happened.

• Your son is alive
• He has been sold to these people
• We can go to Egypt and buy him back

But they weren’t interested in comforting Jacob,
They were hypocrites in the purest form.

AND THE POINT TO ALL OF THIS?
Joseph’s brothers were wicked men.

Moses doesn’t really have any other agenda here
Than to show you how good Joseph was,
And how wicked those ten brothers were.

Namely because when you recognize that,
You see how WRONG this whole scenario is.

And then the final point:
#4 THE SOVEREIGN GOD
Genesis 37:36

Now I know that God is not yet mentioned, but hopefully you will remember from last week that this is all going according to plan.

God had to get Joseph to Egypt
So he could get him in touch with Potiphar and his wife,
It would be Potiphar’s wife who would get him thrown in prison
Where he would meet a cupbearer
Who would later introduce him to Pharaoh.

It’s all part of the plan.

NOW LET’S JUST STOP AND BREATHE
AND TAKE THIS CHAPTER IN FOR A SECOND

Moses definitely has a plan for this chapter.
Suppose you were reading it for the first time,
And you don’t know what’s coming.

You should SEE THE DRASTIC CONTRAST
Between Joseph and his brothers

You should TASTE THE DEFINITE INJUSTICE
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LIVID AT THIS POINT

This is one of those things that just shouldn’t happen.
• It is a truly heinous crime.
• A faithful son mistreated
• A father mourning without comfort
• Wicked sons getting off scot free

You should FEEL THE DARK HOPELESSNESS

I mean look at this chapter:
There is no light at the end of the tunnel
There is no hope of deliverance
This story absolutely wreaks of hopelessness and injustice.
I picture that the writer of Ecclesiastes would have loved this chapter.

Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 7:15 “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.”

Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

Those statements accurately depict this story for sure.
It’s just all wrong, it shouldn’t happen this way.

And it is statements like this that cause us to ask:
WHERE IS GOD WHEN I NEED HIM?

“Why would a loving God let bad things happen to good people?”
“How can there be such cases of suffering?”

WHERE IS GOD,
AND HOW HE COULD HE LET SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN?

AND RIGHT HERE YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES.
You can either attribute this to the work of the devil,
Or you can attribute it to the providence of God.

But be careful. If you pin it on the devil, then he just defeated God, by accomplishing something that God didn’t want to have happen.

THE SHOCKING REALITY IN THIS STORY IS:
• GOD DIDN’T FAIL, in fact He orchestrated this
• SITUATION ISN’T HOPELESS, it just looks that way
• SUFFERING ISN’T FOR NOT, it is for a greater good

In fact the Providence of God is ALREADY at work here.

Do you want to see it?
• The brothers moved from Shechem to Dothan (near the trade route).
• There was no water in the well where Joseph would have been drowned
• Instead of instant murder the brothers decided to eat first
• A caravan just happened to come by at that exact time
• Something prompted Judah to sell Joseph instead of killing him
NONE OF THOSE THINGS WERE ACCIDENTS.
God simply took the sinful desires of sinful men
And carefully orchestrated them to meet His desired end.

That is what we call PROVIDENCE

That is not to suggest that God approved of their sinful actions
clearly He does not.
Nor it is to suggest that God caused their sinful actions
that was the flesh, not Him.

What we are saying is that God simply used sinful men,
Who did exactly what they wanted,
And yet He crafted their desires to accomplish His perfect will.

Admittedly, there is a mind-blowing level of wisdom involved here.
That God in His sovereign control can keep control
While at the same time letting the wicked carry out their evil schemes.

And this isn’t the only time, not by a long shot.
The most famous is:
Acts 2:22-23 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

God didn’t make them hate Jesus, they did that on their own.
But God used it to fulfill His plan of saving the world.

So it is with the selling of Joseph.
It wasn’t an accident, God was doing this.
And as we spoke about last week, He was doing it to save Judah.

Joseph here pays an enormous price
For a purpose much greater than himself.

Now granted, we don’t like to see that.
(it’s to our detriment that we don’t)

We only like to think of providence in a positive sense.
• When we get extra income, we see that as God’s providential care
• When we narrowly escape an accident, we see that as God’s providential care
• When we see an open door, we see that as God’s providential care

BUT LISTEN…
Failing income, unescaped accidents, and closed doors
Are all His providence too!

He uses those things as well.
He is the author of both comfort and hardship.
And He does it for a greater good.

God is not only the author of our victories but also our defeats.
He providentially orchestrates and uses both.

We don’t like to think that way…
We’d rather that God only want soft, comfortable, mushy, good things for us.

But read the Scripture:
Philippians 1:29-30 “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

1 Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,”

Listen to what Paul said about his hardships.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”

2 Corinthians 12:7 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself!”

God orchestrated hard situations for a greater good.

Too often we credit our victories to God
And blame our defeats on the devil.
But God’s will was never thwarted by the enemy.

• Who was the ultimate authority on Job’s suffering?
• Whose will was the cross of Jesus?
• Who gave Paul that messenger of Satan?

DO YOU SEE MY POINT?
God is sovereign at all times.

SO, WHERE IS GOD WHEN I NEED HIM?
• The same place He’s always been.
• The same place He was when His Son was killed.
• ON – THE – THRONE!

Yes, when we read this story it is only a story
Of suffering and injustice and utter hopelessness.

Joseph is leaving Canaan and he will NEVER return
(only his bones will be brought back)

But God was doing something through Joseph’s suffering
That was for the greater good.

• God was preserving Israel
• God was saving Judah
• God was maintaining the Messianic line through which the Savior of the world would come.

NOW LOOK AT YOUR OWN INEXPLICABLE SUFFERING
• Does it seem wrong?
• Does it seem hopeless?
• Does it seem like good must have lost to evil?
• Does it seem like God has abandoned you?

I promise you He has not
And I promise the devil isn’t winning

God is the author of prosperity and adversity
And He uses both for a greater good – an eternal good.

Learn to open your eyes to His providential care
And simply submit and wait – God IS doing something great!

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Calvary’s Hill (Tommy & Peggy)

Once there was a place of shame

And the very mention of that name

Brought fear and despair to the soul

People came from everywhere

To see condemned ones hanging there

The ground turned to crimson red

As death would unfold

 

Then one day upon that lonely hill

Stood a cross holding love fulfilled

But the mob didn’t sense a special thing

Though the sky had turned to gray

This was Calvary’s crowning day

The chains were taken all away

For the cross held the King

 

Calvary, Calvary, 

Oh what love was shown to me

Jesus died; crucified

On a hill called Calvary

 

King’s lay down their crowns there

When they see the crown that He wears

And the blood flowing down His holy face

Such love again I’ve never seen

That God would give His Son for me

Love held my Jesus to the tree

By those precious nails of grace

 

Calvary, Calvary,

Oh what love was shown to me

Jesus died; crucified

On a hill called Calvary

 

The King gave His life there

But I know I should have died there

On a hill called Calvary

 

Common Garments (Tommy & Peggy)

 

One day a Roman soldier in a shameful gambling game

Won a blood stained garment that once had clothed my King

Just a cheap robe of linen, no great value did it hold

but when worn by the Master it was worth more than gold

You see a few days before this old garment had changed a life

of a tired and helpless woman who believed with all her might

She reached and touched it with a hope to be restored

She knew this plain old garment was the vesture of the Lord

 

God uses common garments to do uncommon things

And God uses common people to live out His uncommon dreams

It’s not what you are now that matters

You see it’s what He can make you to be

Cause if God can take an old common garment and change a life

Then surely He can use you and me

 

You see we are the reason that Jesus came to die

And we have been chosen to send forth His light

So it doesn’t matter if your worth is great or small

God needs some willing vessels, just common garments that’s all

 

God uses common garments to do uncommon things

And God uses common people to live out His uncommon dreams

It’s not what you are now that matters

You see it’s what He can make you to be

Cause if God can take an old common garment and change a life

Then surely He can use you and me

 

If God can take an old common garment and change a life

Then surely He can use you and me