“Joseph III: Man of Grace” (Gen 41:9-16)

God at Work

It is always thrilling to see how God transforms his people. In 1782, John Wesley wrote about difficult circumstances of his hometown Epworth. At that time the industrial revolution was under way. In his town four factories for spinning and weaving had been set up. Within these factories many people - young men and women, even boys and girls – were employed. Wesley describes their manner in this way: “The whole conversation of these was profane and loose to the last degree.” But Wesley started a prayer meeting, and a few of these workers stumbled into one of his prayer meetings, and they were suddenly cut to the heart. They immediately went out to gather their friends and bring them to the prayer meeting. You can guess what happened next. Wesley wrote: “The whole scene was changed. In three of the factories, no more lewdness or profaneness was found, for God had put a new song in their mouth, and blasphemies were turned to praise. Those three I visited today, and I found religion had taken deep root in them. No trifling word was heard among them, and they watch over each other in love. I found it exceedingly good to be there, and we rejoiced together in the God of our salvation.”[1]

Our God is the same in 1782 and in 2016 today and forever. God is always totally himself. He still visits and changes his people today. Other powers change our feelings and emotions temporarily. When we read books or meet people, that may change us. But it doesn’t last long. However, God changes our very nature permanently. When we are touched by God’s grace and respond to it, we are not the same forever. This month we study about Joseph and his life. So far we have explored how God changed Joseph in different aspects of his life each week. In the first week we explored how God turned Joseph’s scars into stars (“Man of Sorrows”). In the second week how God trained and prepared Joseph to live in the presence of God all the time (“Man of Integrity”). Today we will explore how God’s grace changes Joseph’s very nature from inside out.

Grace, Grace, God’s Grace

When you use the word grace, what does it mean to you? How do you define the word grace? Basically, it simply means a free gift from God. It’s an unmerited favor of God. It is not something that we earn, but something that God gives to us out of love. It is not because we deserve it, but because God is gracious. Grace is the art of loving someone at their least lovable moments. God first loved us anyway. God loved us at our least lovable moments. While we were still sinners, God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us (Rom 5:8). When we experience God’s grace personally, we are cut to the heart. God’s grace just penetrates our hearts through Jesus Christ. Joseph experienced this. He experienced God’s grace in the very midst of adversity. When every available resource was gone (from his family, his master Potiphar, the chief jailer, to the chief cupbearer), Joseph found God’s favor. When he was the most vulnerable and the least lovable, Joseph experienced God’s grace. In the dark and horrible dungeon Joseph experienced the magnificent and indescribable love of God. And his very nature changed permanently. Not only did Joseph become a better person, but he became a new creation.

Grace and Humility

When we experience God’s grace, we are changed. There are several infallible signs of true transformation. We can find those signs in Joseph’s life. The first sign is “humility.” When Joseph stood before Pharaoh, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph said, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” So Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams. Then Joseph said to the king, “Your dreams are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do” (25). And he continued, “The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon” (32). Joseph made reference to God again and again. God… God… God… God! As he was going through a 13-year dark tunnel, he clearly saw two things: his smallness and God’s greatness. At first, Joseph was so discouraged by his powerlessness. There was nothing he could do. In the dungeon he felt like he was forgotten by the world. But there he found Almighty God who was with him always. There he experienced God’s unmerited favor. There Joseph was transformed and became a humble man of God.

St. Augustine said, “If you should ask me what are the ways of God, I would tell you that the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is humility. Not that there are no other precepts to give, but if humility does not precede all that we do, our efforts are meaningless.”[2] The closer we get to the light, the more we see the reality. The more we see our smallness and God’s greatness, the more we become humble as a result. This kind of humility is different from a natural disposition of low-spiritedness. Jonathan Edwards tells us the difference between true and false humility. He says that people whose humility is counterfeit think that they are humble. They are impressed with themselves for doing humble act, and they admire themselves immensely. Then Edwards says, “A truly humble Christian pays no attention to her personal dignity; it is a meaningless concept to her, and so she thinks nothing of performing some menial task for love. Her only thought is that she could never offer enough in return for God’s great love for her.”[3] A good way to know whether our humility is true or counterfeit is to examine ourselves when the humiliation and the shame come. Let us ask ourselves, “How do I respond when the humiliation comes?”

Grace and Gratitude

The second sign of true transformation in Christ is “gratitude.” When we are touched by God’s grace, we give thanks to God with a grateful heart. The Greek word for thanks is built on the word for grace: Charis becomes eucharistian. Grace and gratitude always go together. Joseph always wanted to remember God’s grace and express his gratitude to God. So he named his first child Manasseh, which means “God made me forget.” Every time he called his son’s name, he remembered God’s grace. “Yes, God made me forget all the pain and hurt I experienced. I am grateful.” When he had a second child, he named him Ephraim, which means, “God made me fruitful.” Again each time he called his second son’s name, he remembered God’s favor. “God made me fruitful though I didn’t deserve it. I am grateful.” Grace and gratitude go together.

In his book You’ll Get Through This, Max Lucado shares his story with us. Once he was about to check in for a flight. At that time because of a snowstorm flights were delayed and the airport was in turmoil. He arrived to a gate just in time. The attendant said to him, “Sir, I’m afraid there are no more seats in coach.” So Lucado was disappointed. But then the attendant said, “We are going to have to bump you up to first class. Do you mind if we do that?” Lucado was so glad. He enjoyed the wide seat with the extra legroom, good service, and good food. He was so thankful. But not every passenger was as grateful as he was. The person across the aisle from him was angry because he had only one pillow. That person kept complaining about insufficient service. He said, “I paid extra to fly first class. I deserve to have better service!” One passenger grumbled; the other was grateful. What’s the difference? The crank paid his first class seat. Lucado’s seat was a gift. On which side of the aisle do you find yourself?[4]

Grace and Sacrifice

The third sign of true transformation we find in Joseph’s life is “sacrifice.” Joseph willingly sacrificed the right to revenge. Instead, he chose to take care of his brothers and their family members. He said to their brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children” (Gen 50:18-19). Joseph was able to give up the right because God’s grace was far greater than the sacrifices he had to make.

When we are touched by God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we give up anything for the sake of the gospel. Hudson Taylor, who endured great hardships in his lifelong mission work in China, said when he was old, "I never made a sacrifice." What he meant was that because God’s grace was so great, no sacrifice could be too great for him to make for the gospel of Christ. While he was studying medicine, he chose to live among the poor in the slums of London to prepare himself for mission work in China. Every day he had to walk a full four miles each way to get to the hospital. The woman Taylor loved refused to marry him unless he gave up his dream of serving in China. Taylor gave up this relationship with tears. He endured many hardships including arrests, insults, slander, and poverty. But he willingly gave up anything for the sake of the gospel as if there were no sacrifice at all.

One time Rick Warren interviewed Bill Bright, Campus Crusade for Christ (C.C.C.) founder. Warren asked, “What is the secret of your effective ministry?” Bright said, “When I was in seminary, I was just overwhelmed with God’s love for me. While I was yet in my sins, Christ died for me!” One Sunday afternoon God led my wife and me to sign a written contract to become his slave… And I must tell you it’s the most liberating thing that’s ever happened to me.”[5] My prayer is that the same grace of God may touch our hearts and transform us, so that we may become more like Christ – humble, grateful, and self-sacrificial – for the sake of the gospel. “And Christ died for us all, that we should no longer live for ourselves but for him who died for us and was raised again” (2Co 5:15). Amen.

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[1] Percy Livingstone Parker, ed., The Journal of John Wesley (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), 378.

[2] “Humility,” Evangelical Catholic Apologetics, http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/apologetics/s20.htm

[3] Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections (Barbour Publishing, 2013), 126. 

[4] Max Lucado, You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times (Thomas Nelson, 2013) 95-96.

[5] “Rick Warren Interviews Bill Bright,” http://www.nppn.org/InnerViews/Innerview011.htm 

“Joseph II: Man of Integrity” (Gen 39:6b-12)

War Between Your Selves (Romans 7)

There is a famous phrase, ‘Jekyll and Hyde.’ Probably most of you have heard this phrase. The phrase ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ is used to refer to someone whose actions cannot be reconciled with each other. In some sense we all have Jekyll and Hyde within us. Everyone of us in this room has a war between Jekyll and Hyde within ourselves. We all want to do good and live a moral life, but none of us feels satisfied and can say “I have attained the goal.” There is a reason for this. It is because inside of ourselves there is a desire for evil (“sinful nature”) as well as a desire for good. In Romans 7:21 the Apostle Paul says, “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me!” The problem is that a desire for evil is stronger than a desire for good. So Paul cries out in despair, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out… What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (vv. 18, 24) Therefore, none of us can win the battle. This is man’s natural state. But this is not the end! When we become a Christian, the battle changes. The deepest parts of ourselves transform, so that for the first time our most inner being delights in the law of God. Pastor Timothy Keller rightly says when we become a Christian, “we move from a battle we cannot win to a battle we cannot lose.”[1] “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v. 25)

Daily Triumph Brings Great Triumph

The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, we still fight a battle. But it’s a totally different kind of battle. Now we Christians fight the battle we cannot lose. However, it doesn’t mean we automatically win the battle. We must take up our position and do our part. In this respect, we can learn form Joseph how to overcome temptation to evil and win the battle. The first principle is this: daily triumph brings great triumph. What does it mean by that? In today’s passage Joseph faces the greatest test of his life when he is the most vulnerable. The tempter came to Jesus when he had just finished a 40 day fast. We see temptations increase when we feel exhausted, discouraged, and vulnerable. Now temptation of the most enticing kind is lurking and dangled before Joseph. It is bold, pushy, and persistent kinds of temptation. The Bible says Potiphar’s wife kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day (Gen 39:10, NLT) But Joseph conquers! He wins the battle! How can it be possible? What is the secret of Joseph’s power? His great triumph is not the triumph of the moment of battle, but it is in the preparation that precedes the battle. Joseph learned and suffered and trusted in the days before. In other words, there is no great triumph without daily triumph.

We all love the story of David and Goliath. We tend to think David’s triumph is mere good luck and the triumph of the moment of battle. But in fact, it was not. David was well prepared for his triumph over Goliath. In King Saul’s eyes, David is only a young and inexperienced boy and Goliath has been a warrior from his youth (1 Sam 17:33). But David tells Saul a story. He tells about his daily triumph. He says, “I have so much experience fighting and winning the battle against lions and bears in my everyday life. Today this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them!” (vv. 34-36) David’s triumph is not the triumph of the moment of battle. He was prepared and learned and won the daily battles in the days before. When great adversity came, David was able to conquer. Daily triumph brings great triumph. There is no great triumph without daily triumph.

Living Coram Deo

The essence of the Christian life is our daily walk with Jesus. How do you exercise daily in your walk with Jesus? For Joseph, he lived Coram Deo. Coram Deo is a Latin phrase translated “in the presence of God.” To live Coram Deo is to live our entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and to the honor and glory of God. Joseph constantly stood before the face of God. He refused to accept the enticement of Potiphar’s wife. What was the reason? He said to her, “How then can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9) Joseph lived Coram Deo. When we practice Coram Deo, when we practice the presence of God, other people begin to notice God’s presence with us. When Joseph was sold and became Potiphar’s slave, the Bible says, “His master could see that the Lord was with him, because the Lord made everything that he did prosper” (v. 3, ISV). When Joseph was wrongly accused and put in prison, the Bible says, “The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him” (v. 23, NASB). The head jailer could see that the Lord was with Joseph! When Joseph was called and spoke before Pharaoh, the king could see something different. He said, “Can we find anyone else like this - someone in whom the Spirit of God lives?” (41:38 ISV) When we place top priority on Coram Deo, “constantly standing in the presence of God,” our life changes. And people around us also begin to notice that. 

Another good example is David. For him, living in God’s presence mattered most. When he sinned, he prayed, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51: 11). David did not pray, “Do not take my crown from me. Do not take my army from me. Do not take my family from me.” David knew what mattered most. The presence of God! In Psalm 139 David acknowledges God’s omnipresence, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” He then listed the various places he found God: in the heavens… in the depths… on the far side of the sea. Basically, David found God everywhere. Our version might be like this: “Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the rehab clinic… the nursing home… the ICU… the doctor’s office… even there you would guide me.”[2] David concludes his prayer in this way, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (vv. 23-24). Let’s do likewise. Let’s make God’s presence our top priority. Let’s make God’s presence our passion.

When David was fleeing from Saul and living in the wilderness, some people came to him, and David became their leader. 1 Samuel 22:2 says, “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him” (1 Sam 22:2). Basically, the 400 men were social misfits and troublemakers. But the amazing thing is David did not become like one of them. Instead, those 400 men became like David. At first, they were worthless men and troublemakers, but later they became founding contributors and leaders. How can it be possible? It is because David spent more time with God than with those 400 men. That’s why he was able to face daily challenge and transform his men in the end. In Psalm 25:15 David says, “My eyes look to the LORD continually, because he's the one who releases my feet from the trap” (ISV). If we just focus on traps and problems, we will never overcome them. But when we fix our eyes on God’s presence constantly, we are safe. And we win the battle.

Practicing the Presence of God

The more we live in the presence of God, the more our life becomes a life of integrity. We live a life of consistency, coherency and unity. We become a same person in church and out of church. We become a same person as a spouse and parent at home and as an employee at work, because God is omnipresent, and we live before his face all the time. Now we know living in God’s presence matters most. But still one question remains: How do live in the presence of God? Because it does not just happen. We need to practice the prescience of God. So how can we cultivate the consciousness of God’s presence? I asked this question when I had a Bible study at Gardiner this past Thursday. One person said, “Talk to God constantly!” Another said, “Come to the Bible study.” For me, personally, missionary Frank Laubach’s advice was tremendously helpful. In his book Frank Laubach provides us with very practical exercises of the presence of God. He says when in conversation, have a picture or symbol of Christ in front of you. When at the table, have an empty chair for your Invisible Guest. When reading a book or newspaper, have a conversation with him inwardly about the pages you are reading. While cooking, washing dishes, and caring for children, hum or sing favorite hymns.[3] How do you like it? For me, personally, nowadays I have a picture of Christ on my desk both at home and at church office as a constant reminder. And I talk to him and ask him continually. I sing hymns especially when I am exhausted and discouraged. There are many ways to practice the presence of God. But the key is this practice should be intentional.

Our battle with the enemy is fierce. He prowls around like a roaring lion. But our Lord Jesus Christ promised, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We are weak and powerless in our sinful nature, but God sent his own Son in our messy lives. And he gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins (Rom 8:3). He already had triumph over the enemy by the cross once for all (Col 2:15b). Let us remember this: in Christ we fight a battle we cannot lose. We fight from victory, not for victory. Amen.

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[1] Timothy Keller’s sermon at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on August 17, 1997. Series “The War Between Your Selves.”

[2] Adapted from Max Lucado, You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times, (Thomas Nelson, 2013), 26.

[3] Frank Laubach, Letters by a Modern Mystic, (Purposeful Design Publications, 2007), 94-101.

Joseph I: Man of Sorrows (Genesis 37:18-28)

Hurt People Hurt People?? 
Great Expectations is a famous novel written by Charles Dickens. It has a colorful cast of characters. Miss Havisham is one of them. She is a wealthy spinster. One day she is jilted at the alter by her fiancé. That changes everything in her life. Since that day, she lives out the rest of her days wearing her bridal gown. She stops every clock in her house on the moment she got word of the betrayal. She hates all men. She plots to wreak a twisted revenge and inflict her pain on those around her. She never recovers from the day the clocks stopped in her life. Hurt people hurt people.

Have you ever experienced a moment when the clocks seem to stop in your life? I hope none of us in this room has that kind of experience. But the truth is that most of us have or will have some kind of hurtful experience. And even the smallest offence can begin to consume us if left unchecked. Let’s look at Joseph’s family. The roots of discord begin to grow way back before Joseph’s time. There was a sibling rivalry, betrayal, and discord between Cain and Abel, between Isaac and Ishmael, between Leah and Rachel, and between Esau and Jacob. And those pains and wounds were not properly dealt with. So Jacob repeats this unhealthy patterns and shows favoritism to one of his children, Joseph. It badly hurts the rest of his children. And finally, they inflict their pain on Joseph. They betrayed and sold their own brother. Hurt people hurt people.

Acknowledge the Pain
So what should we do when we are hurt? What should we do with our pain? We have options just as Joseph’s brothers had. They chose vengeance. Of course, it was not a good choice. It almost ruined the whole family. So where do we start the healing process? We can learn this from Joseph. The first step of the healing process is to acknowledge the pain. We need to reveal our hurt. Joseph didn’t cover up the hurt or pretend it didn’t happen. He revealed it. He admitted it. He revisited it. He named it. Even he named his firstborn Manasseh, which means “forget.” Joseph confessed, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household” (Gen 41:51). Joseph started the healing process by acknowledging the pain. Many of us are tempted to bury our past – our hurt, pain, and bitterness – in our family. But the problem is that it keeps coming back. It keeps popping back up because we haven’t dealt with it. It doesn’t just heal itself. Instead, we need to face our hurt and acknowledge it.

Recently, I had a chance to see one of my colleagues I admire. He shared his story with me. There was a time when he was sick physically, emotionally, and spiritually because of anger and stress. One day he was taking a walk with his dog in the park. No one was there. And he just poured out his heart – his anger, bitterness, and even curse – before God. “God, I am sick and tired. I am angry. I want to curse that person. Do something! Do you hear me?” This very specific kind of prayer became his prayer routine. Each and every day he goes to the park with his dog, takes a walk, and prays as honestly as he can for an hour. Now he is one of the healthiest persons I know. We are familiar with the psalms of praise and thanksgiving. But in fact, in the Book of Psalms there are also several cursing psalms (ex. Pss 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140). Psalm 109 is one of them. The psalmist prays, “O God, may his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow…” (vv. 8-9) And the prayer goes on. It’s difficult to interpret this psalm, but there is at least one thing we can learn from this prayer. God wants us to pray to him a brutally honest and specific kind of prayer, not just a general, habitual, and heartless prayer. Are you hurt? Pray as honestly as you can about what you experienced, how it felt, and the hurt you had and still have. Revealing leads to healing.

Acknowledge God
The second step of the healing process is to acknowledge God’s faithfulness. In Genesis 45 when Joseph makes himself known to his brothers, he says to them, “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… So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God!” What a powerful statement! We don’t see any bitterness or resentment here because Joseph acknowledged God’s faithfulness in all circumstances. We have a tendency to make a connection between our behavior and God’s favor. When things go wrong, we tend to search for the source of the problem. When healing doesn’t come, we tend to say that it’s because of lack of faith. Yes, generally God rewards obedience and disciplines us when we get off course. But we cannot draw sharp cause-and-effect lines in our lives. Our suffering or pain is not cause and effect. God was not punishing Joseph for bad behavior. God was not punishing Job for his bad behavior. Hebrews 11 is called hall of faith. Some of them accomplished amazing things by faith. They conquered kingdoms… shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword…” (vv. 33-34). But some of them who had the same great faith had to endure horrifying situations. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword…” (v. 37). God doesn’t promise that we will never face betrayal or tragedy, but God does promise to be with us and give us strength to endure it. I love God’s promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “… All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past you limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it” (MSG). God is faithful. God is sovereign. Although Joseph was a slave and then a prisoner, the Bible doesn’t say he was miserable. Instead, the Bible says, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered!” (39:2) Joseph acknowledged God’s faithfulness in all circumstances, and God took away his bitterness and opened his eyes to see God’s favor through the haze of hardship.

Look to Jesus
As we hear the story of Joseph, we need to remember that it is not just a story about suffering, healing, and character-building. Rather it is a story that prefigures and points to one person, Jesus Christ. Pastor Timothy Kelly rightly says, “Jesus is the true and better Joseph who is at the right hand of the king and forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his power to save them.” Joseph’s story invites us to look to the true and better Joseph, Jesus. Joseph’s life reminds us of the Great Healer, Jesus. Hebrews 2:18 says, “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested” (NLT). Yes, Jesus is able to heal us. Come to Jesus, and ask him to help you experience healing, rest and freedom.

As I close, I want to share the story of a modern-day Joseph. Thomas was born into a pastor’s family. He had a gift for music. In his late teens he became famous. Then he compromised in his lifestyle and turned away from God. He was weary and restless. One of his relatives urged him to return to God. At the age of twenty-one, he did. He encountered God personally. Since then, he used his gift for God-honoring music. He worked with some of the greatest singers in the history of gospel music. Thomas was enjoying God’s blessing at full throttle: happy marriage, growing ministry, first child on the way. Life was good. But then the sandbar. One night he got a telegram. It read simply: “Your wife just died.” She had passed away in childbirth. He ran to the hospital, and the following day his newborn son also died. He avoided people and grew angry at God. He said, “I don’t want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs.” He isolated himself, nursing his anger and sorrow. One day one of his friends took Thomas to a neighborhood music school. That evening as the sun was setting, Thomas sat down at a piano and began to play… and pray. He poured out his heart to God, and what wonderful words they were:

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, 

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; 

Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light: 

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

The Lord healed him that night. For the rest of his life, Thomas A. Dorsey wrote more than three thousand songs and became one of the most influential Christian songwriters of all time. What hurt in your family or in your life are you pretending is not there? Face up to it and acknowledge the pain. Don’t stop there. Acknowledge God’s faithfulness and goodness. Every time your hurt comes back, look to Jesus, who took up your infirmities and carried your sorrows. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV). Amen.