TURNING SETBACKS INTO COMEBACKS | THE COMEBACK, EPISODE 2

Pastor Kevin Fischer – August 28^th & 29^th, 2021

Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all of his other children because Joseph had been born in Jacob’s old age. So, one day Jacob gave Joseph a special ornamented robe. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated Joseph, and they would not even speak to him or acknowledge him. And when Joseph told his 11 brothers about a great dream from God, they hated him even more!  Genesis 37:3-5

One day, when Joseph’s brothers were out in the fields, they saw Joseph coming toward from a distance and they made plans to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they exclaimed. “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into a deep pit. We can tell our father that a wild animal attacked and ate him.” So, when Joseph arrived, his brothers stripped him of his favorite robe and then tossed him into the pit which was a dry well, without any water in it.  Genesis 37:18-24

Now Joseph was well-built and very handsome. After a while his master’s wife took notice and began to lust for him. She begged, “Come to bed with me!” But Joseph refused saying, “…How could I do such an evil thing and sin against God and my master?” And though she tempted Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be alone with her. But one day, when Joseph was working inside the house, none of the household servants were inside. So Potiphar’s wife came up behind him and grabbed Joseph by his tunic demanding “Sleep with me right now!” But Joseph resisted. He wriggled out of his tunic and ran outside. When she saw that she still had his tunic in her hands, she made up this story for the other servants: “Look! The Hebrew slave tried to assault me but I screamed, so he ran out of the house, but he left his tunic here!” When her husband came home, she gave him the same story. Potiphar burned with anger when he heard his wife’s accusations. He arrested Joseph on the spot and dragged him off and threw him in the king’s prison. Genesis 39:6-19

WHAT MADE JOSEPH SO RESILIENT?

1. HE DEPENDED ON GOD’S PRESENCE .

Jacob’s sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But THE LORD was with JOSEPH and brought him safely Through all his troubles.  Acts 7:9

Joseph was thrown into the prison where all the king’s prisoners were held. But even there, the Lord was with Joseph, and God caused the prison warden to like Joseph. Before long, the jailer put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison!  Genesis 39:20-22

2. HE DEPENDED ON GOD’S PROMISE .

Because the brothers were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and they could not find food. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons on their first visit. On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all.  Acts 7:9-14 (NIV)

3. HE CONTINUED TO TRUST GOD AND .

Joseph said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

Daily Bible Readings:

Mon–Genesis 37:1-36//Tue–Genesis 39:1-23

Wed–Genesis 40:1-23//Thu–Genesis 41:1-57

Fri–Genesis 42:1-38//Sat/Sun–Read the rest of the story! Genesis 43-50

Memory Verse:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

Join us online or in-person next weekend for:

THE COMEBACK, Episode 3

Weekend Service Times:

Sat. at 6:15 p.m. & Sun. at 10:30 a.m. & 12:15 p.m.