Forgotten, But Not Forsaken Series

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

Jan 19th, 2014

Genesis 40:1-41:1

FORGOTTEN, BUT NOT FORSAKEN

Intro:

• Text finds Joseph/midst/great trial of faith.

• mistreated, misrepresented, falsely accused/imprisoned

• Midst of it all Joseph remained patient

• Kept his testimony intact.

• He did not see himself as a victim, but as a victor waiting for his liberty!

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Brief glimpse/Joseph’s life reveals/trials he/called upon to endure.

• treated unfairly by his own brothers/sold into slavery

• became a slave in a foreign land

• Falsely accused of attempted rape and imprisoned.

• Through it all, he refused to be a victim.

Writer Gen records/Gen. 39:21-23, “The Lord was with Joseph!”

• Truth alone made/prison bearable for Joseph.

• I want to join Joseph in his prison today.

• His experiences/needed lessons/people/Lord.

This passage finds Joseph:

• shut up, shut down/shut off, but still serving the Lord

• in a prison of pain and suffering

• enduring for the Lord

In that prison he was forgotten by many, but Joseph was not forsaken by the Lord.

• Path/life leads us into prison situations/time to time.

• We all face hardships and trials.

• That is the way of life, John 16:33.

Sometime we feel like/shut up, shut down/shut off too.

• We feel we are forgotten in that prison.

• Many times we are forgotten by those around us.

• man may forget us/prisons of life

• Lord never forgets

• He refuses to forsake us while we are there, Heb. 13:5.

Let’s join Joseph in the prison and glean the lessons that are revealed in these verses.

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I. v. 1-4 PRISON DUTIES

While Joseph waits/prison, he receives some company.

• Two men, former highly placed servants of Pharaoh

• Thrown into the prison with Joseph

• Pharaoh’s butler and his baker

Butler “cupbearer” and baker duties…..

• Taste the food/close to the rulers

• Privy to royal secrets/highly trusted.

• Ill. Nehemiah.

Apparently, there had been a problem with Pharaoh’s food and these men are in trouble.

• Cast out of their positions/locked up in prison.

• When these men get to prison

• Receive preferential treatment.

• Treated like the celebrities of our day.

• Have a servant assigned to minister to their needs.

• Joseph/handpicked/servant while they are there.

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Surface/seemed/just another assignment given to a slave/prison.

• reality/providence/sovereign God at work in Joseph’s life.

God/brought Joseph face to face/man God would later use to secure Joseph’s release from prison.

• Never discount the seemingly small twists/turns/life.

• Some people would have said

• “Oh well, just another job poor old Joseph take care of.”

What no one could see was how God would use this small matter in a great way down the road.

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The same is true in your life and mine.

• Never discount the small moves of life.

• “chance” encounter may just be the meeting of lifetime

What we see as an “accident” or as “coincidence” is really God at work in your life in a great way.

• God orders the minute details of our lives!

• There are no accidents with Him!

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II. v. 5-19 PRISON DREAMS

One morning Joseph checks on his charges/they are both sad.

• Tell him/dreamed dreams/can’t figure out/mean

• Joseph hears about them dreaming

• must have made his mind go back/own dreams, Gen. 37

• His dreams/looked as though they had been derailed

• Least delayed for the time being.

• Joseph encourages them, to tell him the dreams

• He knows the God Who can give them the interpretation.

Butler tells Joseph dream/favorable interpretation

Baker hears good interpretation/His interpretation is not so good

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• Put yourself in Joseph’s place today

• Given/dream from/Lord/going to rule someday

• His dream has yet to be fulfilled.

• In fact, from/appearances, Joseph’s dreams/been shattered.

• What does Joseph do?

Does he get angry and give up on the Lord? Does he say, “I’m finished with all this dreaming! Just leave me alone!”?

• Joseph finds himself/one/waiting rooms/life

• Does not lose grip/dreams or God Who gave them/him.

• Joseph/actively looking for ways to glorify God while he waits in that prison, v. 8.

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What a lesson for the redeemed today!

There are going/times:

• seems like God/forgotten all about you

• seems your dreams have been derailed too

• When you find yourself in one/waiting rooms of life.

What you do/waiting room/a lot to do Lord will do for you later.

Our duty/prisons of life/actively seek ways to glorify Him, 1 Cor. 10:31.

• Our circumstances might be bad, but our God is good

• Need to learn how to glorify Him when the sun is shining and when the rain is falling.

• Look for ways to point others to Him even though our own hearts are breaking!