Follow God's plan and he'll make you a blessing

January 21, 2002

BaptistWay Bible Study for Texas lesson for Feb. 24

Follow God's plan and he'll make you a blessing

_Genesis 45:4-15; 50:15-21
___^45:4Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ⁶ For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. ⁷ But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
___⁸ "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. ⁹ Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. ¹⁰ You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.'
___¹² "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly."
___¹⁴ Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. ¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. ...
___^50:15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
___¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.
___¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

_____By Jim Gerlt
___At the turn of the 20th century, South Africa became violent. Britain and the English-speaking South Africans went to war with the Dutch-descended Boers. Winston Churchill, an aspiring young journalist, was offered the job of chief war correspondent for the Morning Post. Realizing what the opportunity offered, he immediately accepted. He made his way to South Africa and boarded a troop train to the front. The train was captured, and so was Churchill.
___After three weeks as a prisoner, he seized an opportunity to escape. His first night of freedom was spent sleeping among the empty coal bags of a train. He hid out during the day, determined to travel only at night.
___The second night, the lights of a mining town beckoned him, and he decided to take a risk. He knocked on a door. The tall man who opened the door was suspicious of this stranger. When Churchill offered his name, the man softened and said: "Thank God you came here. This is the only house in 20 miles where you are safe."
___The "Greatest Generation" (to use Tom Brokaw's definition) understands the contribution Churchill made during World War II. God certainly was guiding Winston Churchill that night in Africa to a safe haven. God had future plans for him.
___Providence
___Providence is the belief that God has a plan for the world and for our individual lives. It believes God is always at work fitting things together to accomplish his purpose. Joseph's story surely affirms providence.
___Joseph the dreamer and interpreter of dreams was able to see God behind all the workings in his life, both the pleasant and the unpleasant. Just as Joseph had himself been delivered from prison, he would now be the deliverer of his family. He now understood the "why" behind all the things that happened to him.
___The author of Genesis lays out God's providence so well. Jacob cries out for deliverance in 42:2, "... there is grain in Egypt, go down there and buy some for us ... that we may live and not die." Joseph continued the theme in 45:5 and 7, "God sent me before you to preserve life. God sent me before you to ... keep you alive by a great deliverance."
___Make no mistake, God is the hero of the story. Joseph cooperated with him by being obedient and faithful. Joseph always had choices, just as we always have choices. Joseph chose wisely.
___God's parade perspective
___As a boy, I used to watch the Thanksgiving Day parades and dream of being able to see the whole parade. Our old black- and-white television gave us one float, one band, one set of clowns at a time. I never had a perspective of how long the parade was nor of the details. The celebrities who were the "talking heads" described the parade and told of the colors and how many hours went into making each float. They would often tell what was coming next.
___When I got older, someone told me of being in New York and watching the parade from a tall building. They described how they could see the parade unfold for blocks in either direction. They knew what was happening at any given minute because of their perspective.
___The Bible says the just shall live by faith, not sight. That means we only see God's parade one float at a time. Prophets described what was coming next, but only God sees the whole picture. We have a choice to make: Will we trust God's perspective or try to live by limited sight?
___Look at what God did in Genesis. The book is ending as it begins with God's people (Israel) being placed in a land of safety and prosperity (Goshen). It began with God's people (Adam and Eve) dwelling in a land of safety and prosperity (Eden). Adam and Eve didn't trust God's perspective. They tried to become as smart as God but failed. Their sin led to their expulsion from Eden. But God (how many times do we find a situation where "but God" is necessary) goes to work to restore what was lost.
___The picture of Joseph leading his family into the land of Goshen in Egypt is a picture of God's restoration. His people are being cared for by the covenant God who loves them and provides a way where there seems to be no way.
___On display
___God was seeking to show his blessings on Israel, the sons of Abraham and the children of the covenant. God wanted the world to see how he would bless the people who were in a covenant relation with him.
___Joseph probably wondered how it would all play out along the way. God had revealed to him in a dream that he would be a ruler of people, but at times it didn't appear to be working out that way.
___How can you imagine that happening when you're in the bottom of a well and your brothers are talking about your murder? How will you be able to issue decrees when you're in chains walking through the desert, walking to a land that speaks a foreign language?
___How can you feel like a leader when the woman who tries to seduce you uses your ethnicity to ridicule you when you refuse to compromise your morals? Who will follow you when you can't get anyone to speak on your behalf when falsely accused?
___Who is going to bow before you when you're in the dungeon? How can you trust anyone when the man you befriend, encourage and help restore to a privileged position totally forgets you?
___You won't, unless you trust God's providence. Joseph was able to demonstrate God's work on his behalf by remembering the promise God had made to him and clinging to that with an absolute faith that would not be shaken by circumstances--no matter how bad they might be at the moment. Joseph was in it for the long haul because he knew God would not abandon him but would always be with him.
___You and I are on display. We may not know who it is, but people are watching us to see how the God we claim to follow is taking care of us. They want to know if our faith works. They long to find one that does.
___They are anxious for us to prove our God is faithful, to prove we know he still is with us even when the storms of life come. They are looking for a consistent faith. One that doesn't disappear at the first sign of trouble, or, on the other hand, a faith that is only called upon during crises.
___What do we portray? Often we confuse piety with misery. We somehow think that to say things are going well for us is bragging. So we act like being a Christian is a burden. Who wants to be part of something that makes you miserable? We, like Joseph, need to be aware of our blessings and be anxious to give praise to the One who is with us always.
___Pollsters reported last year that the rate of divorce is now higher among people who attend church than among the unchurched. What message does that send to the watching world?
___I remember Billy Graham stating 25 years ago that the rate of divorce among "church folk" was one in 435 marriages. At that time the nation's rate was about 1 in 4. Somehow we've lost our way. It's time for us to restore the God-ordained values we have left behind.
___Restoration
___The book of Genesis ends with the restoration of God's people to a good land. The story of Joseph calls us to restore the values we left behind:
___ Finding our identity in relation to God and in nothing else.
___ Obedience to the teachings of the Lord is the first consideration for every action.
___ Seeking reconciliation over our rights in our relationships with others.
___ Remembering who and whose we are so we will resist temptation--a strong identity as a child of God will ensure that many decisions about temptation won't have to be made.
___ Trusting the providence of God--following his leading because we know he has a plan for our lives.
___ Offering forgiveness even when it's not been requested because we know we've already experienced the forgiveness of God.
___ Demonstrating God's good-ness in our lives so that a hurting and dying world can know that God has not abandoned this world, but is vitally part of the lives of his children on a daily basis.
___ Sharing testimonies about the goodness of God, giving praise to the Father.
___ Allowing God to sand and polish our character, even though it is uncomfortable and sometimes painful.
___God has a plan for your life. He wants to shape you into the image of his Son. You have the choice of allowing him to do his work, or you can resist. Resisting always leads to poor choices.
___Perhaps you are wondering if there's hope for you. Of course, our God is the God of the second (and third and fourth and fifth) chance. Decide right now that you're going to yield to him, and see what he will do in your life. Who knows where it will lead you, but it will be an adventure worth taking. Saddle up your horses.

Questions for thought and discussion
___ If a person who does not have a relationship with Jesus based his view of Christianity on your actions, would he want what you have?
___ Joseph was aware of God's work in his life. What has God done in your life? Joseph was vocal about God's activities. Who have you told?
___ "People who need grace the most deserve it the least." What does that statement mean to you? What should it mean?
___ Imagine it's your 80th birthday (if you're already 80, imagine it's your 120th birthday). Who do you want to come to your party? During the party, your guests will talk about your life. What do you want them to say about you? What are you doing to make this a reality? What do you think God would say about you? What do you want him to be able to say? What are you doing to make this happen?
___ Have you examined your life to see how God has worked in the past? These times become an indicator of the direction God has for your life. Understanding how God has worked in the past will help you in the future. Take a few minutes to chart some of the milestones. Keep a copy of these times in your Bible and have them ready the next time you face a difficult time.

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