The Patience Test Text: Genesis 39:19-23 Intro: So Joseph’s now in prison – how long will this last; who knows? He was a slave for at least 10 years; so when will he finally be released? Nobody knew but God, and God wasn’t talking! This is the test of ‘TIME,’ that is, the test of patience. Not being able to read God’s clock to see what time it is, takes great endurance to wait on Him! However, For a Christian, patience is absolutely necessary– we just cannot do without it and live a life that is productive and pleasing to God– so let’s examine the ‘patience of Joseph’ and see how he did it, and then try our best to imitate him. Here’s our Scripture for today: “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. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.” Genesis 39:21-22 “Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.” Genesis 40:1-5 So, what happened next? Joseph interpreted each of their dreams. • For the one, it meant restoration. • The other, death. The cupbearer would get his old job back, but the baker would lose his head! When Joseph informed the cupbearer’s that he was going to be restored to the ‘good graces’ of Pharaoh, he urged him to tell his Majesty about his own unjust imprisonment in the hope that the king would take pity on him and have him released. Well, The bureaucrat promised the Hebrew slave he would gladly do pass on the message, however… • Days went by. • Then weeks. • Finally months. And not a word from the Justice Department – in God’s providence, the official completely forgot to tell the King, so Joseph sat in prison for another 2 more long years waiting for the perfect timing of the LORD! Remember, God had a big destiny in mind for Joseph, and big destiny must be supported by big character, and there is only 1 route to big character – perseverance. But, How do you deal with such disappointment? How do you stay sane and sweet in the midst of life’s bitter circumstances where things keep going from ‘bad to worse’? I see 3 things here with Joseph that will help us – they are recognizing: 1. Patience Is Paramount 2. Patience Is Productive 3. Patience Is Profitable The person who gets these three fixed in their mind, will not only… • benefit themselves, but • bless others, and • magnify God. I. Patience Is Paramount When I say that ‘patience is paramount’ what I mean is that there is no spiritual growth without perseverance – you’ve got to have it, you’ve just got to have it! “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” Romans 5:3-5 Looking at the text, we see that patience/perseverance is the gateway to 2 great things: 1. character, and 2. hope; biblical hope, and biblical hope rests on the sure love of God! So, Why is patience so important for Joseph and you? Because it is the link to godly character – without it your personality will remain stunted and dwarfed – you’ll only be half a man, inept and immature, incompetent to live a quality life. This is what James, stressed in his sermon to the Messianic community at Jerusalem: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:3-4 Got that…mature, complete, lacking nothing. The opposite of – deficient, inefficient, inadequate, incomplete and inferior. Pretty important? I guess so! Apart from salvation, nothing is more important than being ‘character-complete!’ It’s God’s main goal for every one of us. It’s the assignment He gave pastors to earnestly work toward. Paul said: “We proclaim Jesus, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29 But guess what? Trials coupled with Scriptural reactions, are the only things that complete you. Check it out for yourself – the only way the Bible says that you and I can acquire perseverance is through trials and troubles. • Character isn’t something you’re born with. • You can’t get it by having someone pray for you. • You don’t receive it through the ‘laying on of hands.’ Character is learned. It is formed from the inside out. But it is one of those attributes that you cannot learn by reading about it. It’s a quality that must be acquired by persistent, enduring, real-life practice. It is the result of perseverance…that is, sticking with the right thing through ‘thick and thin.’ Hanging in there because you know you’re supposed to! In a word – character is the product of conquering trials. No trials, no character. No character, no reflection of Christ in your life. Biblical scholar, Albert Barnes, sums it up like this: “Afflictions, perhaps more than anything else, will do this, [that is, make you complete], and we should therefore allow them to do all that they are adapted to do in developing what is good in us.” Ill. From the diary of Rev. John Wesley. . . Sunday, A.M., May 5 Preached in St. Anne's. Asked not to come back. Sunday, P.M., May 5 Preached in St. John's. Deacons said "Get out and stay out." Sunday, A.M., May 12 Preached in St. Jude's. Can't go back there, either. Sunday, A.M., May 19 Preached in St. Somebody Else's. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return. Sunday, P.M., May 19 Preached on street. Kicked off street. Sunday, A.M., May 26 Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service. Sunday, A.M., June 2 Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway. Sunday, P.M., June 2 Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me. Perseverance is your friend. It’s the ‘human growth hormone’ that turns the ‘bread of affliction’ into height and weight. Yes, patience is paramount. The second thing we see from the life of Joseph is that his patience was productive. II. Patience is Productive When the Bible tell us to “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 And to: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7 The Bible isn’t telling us to sit idly by and do nothing. Waiting patiently isn’t the same as waiting idly – we are to wait actively. This is what Joseph did. How did Joseph wait actively? By doing what he could. He couldn’t: • Start a grain business, • He couldn’t attend college to get his MBA, But he could help the Warden; he could assist other prisoners; so that’s what he did. He did what he could. He volunteered. He got no paycheck – now isn’t that amazing – the last 2 jobs he had he never got paid! Yet… He did such a superb job that the professionals turned the responsibility of managing everything over to Him! Would you do that? Or would you say: “I’m not breaking my back to help the enemy. What’s in it for me?” Well, did it pay off? Was there something in it for him? So, During such times, the best thing to do is what is before you. Concentrate on the issues at hand. Do not think about how slow time passes. But remain focused on the fact that God doesn’t want you to ‘waste your time’ • Doing nothing. • Complaining. or • Moping. Not only does being ‘busy’ help time pass, it recognizes that there are always plenty of things to do in helping others, in offering service to those over us – in so doing, we’re serving Christ. We must never forget the injunction Jesus gave: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” Matthew 25:45 Although he’s behind bars, God is with him. Although he has had less and less freedom as time has gone on, he’s acquiring more and more character – Think about it: To do your best, even in a most depressing, negative and hostile environment is really beyond remarkable, it’s supernatural – I sure can take some clues from his attitude and example, can’t you? Joseph is the living example of Paul’s statement in Philippians: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” Philippians 2:14-15 Joseph was a model prisoner not a troublemaker. Some probably called him a ‘brown noser,’ toadying up to the guards for personal advantage. But Joseph’s motives are pure – he is a man of grace: • Someone who’s just thinking about himself doesn’t manage his master’s house so well. • He doesn’t insist on not taking advantage of his wife while he gone. • He doesn’t try to comfort troubled dreamers by praying and getting an interpreting of their dreams. • He is a man who gives more than he takes. • Cares more than he relaxes. Joseph was the best convict Egypt had ever seen! Because Joseph was his best everywhere. Look at him, nobody in jail surpassed him – Potiphar's loss was the jailers gain. Joseph got busy. He refused to wallow. He started the first ‘Prison Ministry’ in the Bible. He looked after the welfare of the other inmates, and was touched by their feelings and needs – he gave himself away. He found work to do and forgot his sorrow. If you're moping around and you're always feeling sorry for yourself, go help somebody else and it will help you. By the power of the Presence of Christ, Joseph was able to bear up under his troubles and kept sweet – you can too! Instead of his environment changing him for the worse, he changed his environment for the better. He never organized: • A prison break, • A revolution, • The assignation of the Warden, • The overthrow of an unjust, oppressive government. No. Joseph was trustworthy. • Potiphar could trust him. • The jailer could trust him. • God could trust him. Christians are trustworthy! They march to a different Drummer. They, like Joseph, see God’s invisible hand at work in the very detail of life. And although they don’t understand the process, they smile, trust, and go to work improving life around them. In the end, their patience pays off. Which brings to my 3rd and final point. III. Patience Is Profitable Once again James is right on the mark. He calls our weary attention to the outcome of every prophet who remained faithful: “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:10-11 • Look at David – anointed king decades before the crown came to rest on his royal brow. Dogged, hunted, maligned by the very monarch he was to replace, yet he refused to spill his blood. • Consider Job and the misery he sustained without explanation. • Add up all the abuse and suffering the apostles endured as faithful witnesses of the only One who could spare their persecutors from the unspeakable horrors of Hell. • And don’t forget the Carpenter with all His dreadful trials. But how did their stories end? The last chapter will be but a ‘two-word’ conclusion: Worth It! The world may be bigger. It may have the upper hand. And be far more powerful than Heaven’s little Kingdom, tossing the Faithful about like a straw in an October wind. But they nevertheless, remain constant, confident in their Father’s plan – in the end their patience is pays. I conclude with a simple story of victory through patience. Ill. John Killinger gives an example for the power of persevering from the days of the cattle ranchers out West. He says that… “A little burro sometimes would be harnessed to a wild steed. Bucking and raging, convulsing like drunken sailors, the two would be turned loose like Laurel and Hardy to proceed out onto the desert range. They could be seen disappearing over the horizon, the great steed dragging that little burro along and throwing him about like a bag of cream puffs. They might be gone for days, but eventually they would come back. The little burro would be seen first, trotting back across the horizon, leading the submissive steed in tow. Somewhere out there on the rim of the world that steed would become exhausted from trying to get rid of the burro, and in that moment, the burro would take mastery and become the leader.” And that is the way it is with the Kingdom and its heroes, isn't it? The battle is: • to the determined, not to the outraged, • to the meek, not the belligerent, • to the faithful, not the powerful. Steady, immovable, persistent Christ-honoring daily life is eternally victorious and profitable. Christian paraplegic, Joni Ereckson Tada, has this practical, everyday word for us to apply to improve our biblical patience: "The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord."