November 16, 2025
We’re in our sermon series about Joseph-not Joseph from the Christmas story! He’s Joseph from the Old Testament, who has 11 brothers and one sister. He was his father’s favorite! Jacob gave his son, Joseph, a coat of many colors, which made his brothers jealous of him. Last week we talked about the terrible things that happened to Joseph: when he was 17, his brothers plotted to kill him! Instead of killing him they threw him in a well, then sold him to traders as a slave. The amazing thing about Joseph was his response to all the terrible things that happened to him. Joseph responded as if God was with him, even when it looked like God had abandoned him!
He didn’t give up. He worked hard as a slave, as if it mattered. Like what he did made a difference.
I bet you have met people who are not bitter, though they have every reason to be. Years ago, when Kevin and I lived in Iowa, there was a guy, Rex, who we knew; he went to Kevin’s dad’s church. Rex’s legs were bent to the side, and he had some difficulty walking. His wife had passed away. He had a son who was a minister, who had committed suicide. But Rex was one of the happiest people I have ever met. He was always happy to see us! He said such nice things about us; we didn’t know how to respond! He had every reason to be bitter. But he was a joyous person! He responded to life with joy!
We have all met bitter people, and we can understand why they are bitter. They’ve had rough things happen to them. But they dwell so much on their anger that they absorb the bitterness of their enemy or absorb the bitterness of their circumstances. They let difficulty change them for the worse! Joseph was not like that.
The natural thing to do when someone is mean to you, is to be mean back. You become like that person, a reflection of them! You react to what they did to you. But Joseph shows us there’s another way. You can respond as if God is with you; respond in a thoughtful, calm manner.
Jesus taught us to respond in a way that seems incredible: he would say, don’t get back at you enemy, instead pray for them! When someone wrongs you, forgive them 70 times 7 times! Forgive over and over and over again. Instead of reacting with bitterness or anger, Jesus teaches us to respond as if God is with us! Because he is.
Joseph actually did as well as he could as a slave. Potiphar, his master, saw that he could trust Joseph. So, after a few years, Potiphar put Joseph in charge of all his affairs. Things were looking up! Until, Potiphar’s wife made a pass at him, and Joseph said to her, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against my God?” Potiphar’s wife was angry and told lies about Joseph! He was put in a dungeon. You’d think he would be angry at God and lose faith in him. After all God allowed him to be thrown in a well, sold as a slave, and now thrown in a prison! But just because we don’t hear from or see God, doesn’t mean God isn’t active!
Have you ever looked at someone and thought, I’m a better person than that bozo, I’m more faithful to God, but they seem to get all the breaks! Nothing comes my way. And you wonder, why do I bother to pray or believe?
Well Joseph, he’s amazing, he decides to be faithful to God who seems not to be faithful to him! And even though he goes through so many horrific things that could cause a person to leave their faith, Joseph stands firm in his belief that God is with him.
In Christianity, difficult experiences don’t stand in contrast to the story of Christian faith. Having difficulties is part of our faith! God allowed the worst possible thing to happen to the best possible person: Jesus his son! We many not like that we have to take up our cross when we follow Jesus. But bad things happening to you is not evidence of God’s lack of love or care. If bad things happen to you, it’s a sign that God is with you!
Genesis 39:20-21 says, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Joseph is using his superpower, his ability to respond thoughtfully and calmly. He keeps doing what God wants. He refuses to react, and the Lord is with him. When you respond as if God is with you, you set the table for God to do the unusual, when he chooses.
For Joseph, it’s been 13 years since his brothers threw him in a pit. He keeps praying and hoping for a better day. Then Pharoah’s baker and wine taster offend Pharoah, so they are thrown into prison with Joseph. One night, the wine taster and baker both had a dream. The next day they are feeling down, so Joseph asks them, what’s up? They say we both had dreams last night, but we don’t know what they mean.
In Egypt at the time, they believed the gods would speak to you in dreams, and if you remembered your dream after you woke up, it’s a message from the gods. If you needed your dream interpreted, you would go to a priest or magician. The baker and wine taster were upset because they couldn’t. Joseph says, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” Joseph doesn’t follow the Egyptian gods. He follows the one true God. He knows his God helps him understand dreams.
After the wine taster describes his dream, Joseph says, good news! In three days, Pharoah will restore you to your position! You will put Pharoah’s cup in his hand, just like you used to!
Then we hear Joseph say something that shows he is fed up with prison! He says to the cupbearer in Genesis 40:14-15, “But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
Next the baker tells Joseph his dream, hoping for good news! Joseph says gee…that’s tough. Three days from now Pharoah will chop off your head… Which is bad enough. But Joseph keeps going, then he’ll impale your body on a pole. And wait, there’s more! The birds will eat away your flesh.
In three days, the cupbearer and baker are taken out of the prison. The cupbearer is restored to his duties. And the baker sadly is killed.
Still, Joseph is hopeful! The cupbearer is gonna tell Pharoah about me, and at last, I’ll be free! But–nothing happens! Because the cupbearer did not remember him. Joseph is forgotten.
Maybe you feel God’s forgotten you. He’s not answering your prayer and not showing up for you. You’re faithful to God, who doesn’t seem to be faithful to you. The challenge of Joseph’s story is also the message of Jesus. Jesus calls us, follow me, take up your cross and respond as if I am with you, rather than letting your circumstances dictate the decisions you make in life.
You may have every reason to react, to get angry, to hold a grudge. But Jesus says follow me. You can pre-decide to follow Him. Say, “I’m gonna respond as if God is with me. I’m gonna respond in a way that sets the table for God to do the unusual if God choses to.” That’s the choice Joseph makes. He sticks with God. The Lord is with him while he sits in prison for two more years. Then, when Joseph is 30 years old, Pharoah has a disturbing dream! The wise men and magicians in Egypt can’t interpret it.
All of a sudden, the cupbearer remembers Joseph! He tells Pharoah, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you! Remember when you threw me and the baker into prison? There was a young Hebrew there who told us the meaning of our dreams. Things turned out exactly as he had interpreted them!
So, Pharoah sends for Joseph and says, “I hear you can interpret dreams.” The cupbearer is probably there in the room. And thinking, I hope this goes well!
But Joseph says, “I cannot do it.” and the cupbearer thinks, Oh no! Don’t get Pharoah angry!
Joseph says, I cannot do it. But my God, will give Pharoah the meaning. Joseph knows God is with him. He is willing to boast about his God to Pharoah. Pharoah is a powerful king who follows many gods and isn’t patient with people! But Pharoah doesn’t take offense! He tells Joseph about the dream, and Joseph interprets it: for the next seven years there will be an abundant harvest. Then for seven years there will be a famine. Joseph says, My God will do this.
Then Joseph is so bold, he gives Pharoah advice! Now let Pharoah look for a discerning and wise man to put in charge. He will collect a portion of the harvest for the 7 good years and store it for the bad years.
Pharoah says to Joseph, Since God has made this known to you, no one is as wise and discerning as you. You shall be in charge of it.
All of a sudden Joseph goes from prisoner to second in charge in Egypt! He is no longer forgotten! It took 13 years, but the day has come when Joseph sees it is true: when you respond as if God is with you, you set the table for God to do the unusual, when he chooses. On that day, God did the unusual!
My challenge for you this week is to look in the bulletin where it says Today’s message, talk it over. And let’s read romans 8:28 together.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. I need help believing God is with me in hard times. This is a verse I will read, maybe you want to read, to remind myself to respond as if God is with you.
Joseph had 13 very difficult years. Finally, God blessed him! We haven’t reached the end of Joseph story. Now he has it all. That can be a problem. It can be hard to keep following God when you are very blessed! You can feel like you don’t need God to be with you. When Joseph has everything, will he continue to do the right thing? Will he set the table, for God to again, do something unusual? We’ll find out next week! Amen.
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