Genesis 37: 18-24
Experiencing the Pits in Life
1.
Joseph’s clothes (Verse 3)
i.)
The richly ornamented robe
l Joseph gets to wear a richly ornamented robe because of the special
love that his father has for him.
ii.)
The clothes of a slave (Verse
28)
l When he was sold to the Midianites, he wears the clothes of a slave
and is sent to Egypt.
iii.)
The clothes of an attendant
(Verse 4)
l Joseph takes off these clothes in order to resist temptation
(Chapter 39:4)
iv.)
The clothes of a criminal
(Chapter 39:20)
v.)
The clothes he wore in front of
Pharaoh (Chapter 41:14)
vi.)
The clothes of the Prime
Minister (Chapter 41:42)
l God protected and oversaw Joseph’s life through his various
decisions.
l Our life of faith is like the life of Joseph. We go through times where we bask in the love
of God but then we fall into pits. But
through it we preserve our faith and become victorious in it.
l Through it all, Joseph never deviated from God – he always chose
faith.
2.
Experiencing the pits (Genesis
37: 18-20, 23-24)
l Joseph was literally thrown into a pit for living according to the
dreams God had given him.
l People of God sometimes experience hardships and tribulations even
though we may have done nothing wrong.
l Evil likes to interfere with our dreams because it wants to plant
fear. Evil hates it when we change into
the people of God.
l But God did not give us a spirit of timidity or fear. Instead, he gives us the spirit of power,
love, and self-discipline.
l Those of us who come out of the experience of the pits in our lives
can become more understanding and humble.
l For Joseph, his heart must have been crushed when he was betrayed by
his own brothers. But he never forgot
the dreams that God had given him.
l Let us never forget God and the dreams He has given us.
l He will surely carry out the work of global missions and healing
through our church.
l Let us be victorious through obedience and by making our decisions
in faith.