Title Special Special 11th (Joseph)
Contents
Bible Characters - Joseph
Joseph had a dream and told his brothers, and they hated him even more. And Joseph said to them, Hear the dream I had, I beseech you, we were tying sheaves of grain in the field, and my sheaf stood up, and your sheaf surrounded my sheaf. Then his brothers said to him, "Are you really going to be our king or will you really rule over us?" And he hated him even more because of his dream and his words. Then Joseph had another dream and spoke to his brothers, saying, "I I had a dream, and the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” He told his father and his brothers about his dream, and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is your dream? Shall he bow down? His brothers were jealous, but his father kept the word (Genesis 37:5-11).
1. Joseph the Dreamer
When you think of Joseph, you cannot explain his life without thinking of 'dreams'. But that dream was not Joseph's dream. It is God-given. Are you dreaming? will it be made up? When we apply this question to our lives again, we can live a life free from mistakes.
What am I dreaming of right now? Is this a God-given dream? If you talk to many people, you can see that they have dreams, but do not seek the dreams God has given them.
Because dreams are goals, they determine the direction of life, determine our zeal, and determine our achievements and rewards.
Therefore, the dream I have may not be a dream that God has given, so we can return to life to that extent.
You must have a dream that God has given you.
2. Joseph's Suffering
Joseph seems to have been sold by chance, but God's plan was there. There are no coincidences in the Christian life. You don't know, but God's beloved children have a wonderful plan ahead of them.
It is God's will and providence that he went to Potiphar's house.
It wasn't the circumstances that made him happy, but the God in him, the God he believed in, that made his life happy. It was Joseph's life that he lived a life that changed according to circumstances, not a life that changed according to circumstances.
Is the environment difficult? You must be able to change that environment with faith.
Because God was always with him, whether he was a servant or a prime minister, he did not complain about the circumstances. Rather, he thanked God for the environment and did his best in that environment. It doesn't matter where the Christian is. I don't care about the given environment.
If the circumstances given are a blessing, then Jesus is one of those who lived the most miserable life.
Joseph had good faith in God under the given circumstances.
Anyone who believes in Jesus can do anything where they believe in Jesus well. In an environment of persecution if you believe in Jesus, in a place where you are not popular if you believe in Jesus How you believe in Jesus in such a place is important. Joseph was approved by Potiphar. We need to be recognized among those we don't believe in. Rather than being accepted plausibly by misrepresenting our faith, we must live a life that allows us to acknowledge God through faith.
3. In the midst of sexual temptation...
Joseph kept his chastity before God. The biggest challenge today is sexual seduction. If you commit a sexual offense, you will not grow spiritually. Look at David, a spiritual giant. After committing such a crime, he no longer has much influence.
Failure to grow spiritually is because of sin.
It is not that the LORD's hand is short, that it cannot save, nor his ear dull that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he cannot hear (Isaiah 59:1). 2)
If you lose your holiness, you lose your strength. The devil is not afraid of large churches. Fear where there is holiness. Even where a few are gathered, God uses it when there is a gathering of godly and God-fearing people.
In other words, Joseph's faith was moral holiness. Christians must be morally sanctified. The life of receiving the Holy Spirit, receiving tongues, prophesying, being fragrant and having power is prevalent in the Korean church. Now you have to take responsibility for your life. You can't just have this. Even Peter made the wrong choice in his most visionary time. It is not God's will to build a shelter. We must turn our eyes to the mission. A characteristic of Paul's life when he met Jesus in Damascus was that his life direction changed.
It is God who uses such a person. Joseph became Prime Minister. However, the position of the Prime Minister should not be shown high. You must see the God who made it that way. If we do not obey God's commands, God's people do not obey, and when we do not live according to God's will, the people around us suffer. Today's society suffers not only as a result of their sins, but also because the world suffers because Christians do not live honestly and do not obey.
Because Jonah does not obey, the people on the ship are suffering from the storm. Only when Jonah falls into the storm will the storm stop. Being honest and not lying is the way to save this country.
The most important thing Joseph did in his unknown, incomprehensible suffering was obedience. No complaints under any circumstances. I didn't try to fix reality. I accepted that reality, obeyed, did my best without complaining.
accepted and rejoiced. God bless you here. This is the formula.
Even if it was unfair, he did not take revenge, and he endured and waited for God's guidance until the end. Those who hope in God endure in all things.
But not only this, but we also rejoice in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-4).