Lessons from 1 Thessalonians - Part II

“The Example of Youth Faith”

We are resuming our series on Lessons from the Book of 1 Thessalonians. We will be going through the book and extracting lesson that we can take home with us and apply to our life. That is exactly what we are supposed to do with the word of God, to “extract” truth. To pull out what God wants us to know and to apply for our life.

Background Review

Last week we learned about:

• The ancient city of Thessalonica (Thessaloniki)

- Located in modern day Greece

- Sat between major trade routes like the Via Egnatia (5,972 miles connecting Europe and Asia)

- The capital and largest city in Macedonia at that time (200,000 people)

- Major city that attracted people from all walks of life through it’s gates

• The account of Thessalonica in Acts 16-18

- Paul’s second missionary journey

- Arrived in Thessalonica around AD 51

- Paul reasoned with the Jews and some came to faith in Christ

- They were mistreated and ran out of town

- Paul sent Timothy back to check on the church in Thessalonica

- Timothy brings back a good report

- Paul pens the first letter to the Thessalonians during his time in Corinth

• The letter of 1 Thessalonians

- The book can be broken up in to two main sections:

• The first half being personal & historical (chapters 1-3)

• The second have being practical & informative (chapters 4-5)

• An underlying theme is faith, love, and hope.

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 (NLT)

“6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them

about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.”

Faithful in Persecution

Here in chapter 1, Paul is writing to praise them for their steadfast faith in God. They were standing on God’s word faithfully, even in the face of “severe” or intense persecution (we do not know what that persecution was). They were standing strong on the word of God, not allowing the current circumstances of that day to allow them to waiver back and forth. They were faithful to obey the word of God and to do all that Paul had taught them. They persevered through the trials that stood between them and the walk that God had called them to. They were productive as a church in sharing their faith with others and sending the word of God out from Thessalonica. They did now allow the moment to divide them, but stayed united as a local body.

Setting an Example

They were so faithful that the towns surrounding them began to hear about it. Believers in far-off towns were amazed and encouraged by their devotion to Christ. So much so that the other believers were talking about it, sharing about it, texting about it, posting about it. It became a talking point in the day-to-day conversation of their local gatherings. It encouraged them! They thought, “if the Thessalonians can stand strong and be faithful in what they are facing, then we can too!” This had a profound effect on the believers around them and near and far-off towns. It was amazing!

You would think the Thessalonian church was a seasoned group of believers. You would think they were veterans in this thing and knew how to walk it out. You might think they had been doing this for a while. Well, that is not the case. Instead, this group of believers were only 6-9 months old in the faith when Paul began writing to them. They hadn’t even been saved for an entire year yet! They were young in the faith, yet they were having a profound effect on other Christians who most likely had been saved longer than they had! That says a lot.

We too Set an Example

This shows us something. This shows that we too are being an example to somebody else. More specifically, people are watching “you.” they are watching “your” life. People are watching how you live your life. They are watching how you approach your trials. They are watching how you interact with other believers, how you raise your family, how you handle hardship, how you treat your spouse, how you engage in church, etc. People are watching! No matter what, someone is watching. No matter what, someone is always listening. No matter what, someone is going to emulate you! Someone is watching you and is going to do what you are doing. (Wow!) They are saying to themselves that if “so-and-so” can do it so can I….whether its good or if it’s not. That will make you think!

We were reminded this past Wednesday by Pastor Ron that every decision we make is being recorded. We must live expecting that people are going to watch what we are doing and they are going to do what we do. They are going to do imitate us with the belief that what they are doing is okay. Whether it is the right thing to do or not. That puts a lot more weight on the decisions we make! And it should…

Our responsibility is to leave an example worth following.

Today, we are going to look at the example the Thessalonians set and see how we can model a faith for others to follow.

1. Live with Joy v6 - “So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you.”

• The Thessalonian Christians experienced joy, not because of their situation, but despite them.

• There is a joy that is available regardless of the current circumstances we face

• We have a reason to smile.

• Joy comes from the holy Spirit - if we don’t see joy in our life then we may need more of the Holy Spirit in our everyday walk. We may need to surrender our current moment over to God. It is hard for us to hold worry and joy at the same time. However, we can surrender our worry over to God in exchange for joy.

• People pick up on our dissatisfaction, disappointment, and discouragements. That is life! We can’t help but get discouraged from time to time. Nevertheless, joy is available if choose to receive it.

• Let us not get bogged down by the disappointing and discouragements of life. Let us not allow them to steal our joy away.

• Let us approach life with a smile own our face and joy in our hearts.

• God is on the throne. We can trust in Him.

2. Imitate Christ (Word of God) v6 - “In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.”

• Imitate = Mimic; To follow in on order to become

• The believers in Thessalonica were faithful in (imitating) following the instructions that were left to them. They were obedient to the things God instructed them to do in the word of God.

• We too must be led and instructed! The word of God gives us all the instruction we need.

• We must follow in order to “become.”

- Obey in order to become obedient

- Give in order to become a giver

- Love in order to become an example of God’s love

- Forgive if we want to be forgiven

- Go to God in prayer if we want to have peace

- Instruct, discipline, and love our children in order to become godly parents

- Etc.

• As we imitate the word of God, we should expect others to imitate us. You should expect for someone to imitate you.

3. Share Your Faith with Others v8 - “And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia”

• It says that the word of God was “ringing out” from Thessalonica. It was resounding out to the nearby towns in a powerful way. It was the result of the church collectively sharing with others what Jesus had freely given them.

• When we share what God has done in us, then we will have done our part. The power comes from the Holy Spirit. He will do His part.

• In verse 9, it says that people heard about how the Thessalonians had “turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.” They were sharing their testimony, that God did in their life.

• There is something powerful about our testimony. It shows that what God did in your life, He can do in mine!

• All it takes is sharing with others what Jesus did in your life that turned you away from your old way of life to now serve the living and true God!

4. Look Forward to “The Day” v10 - “And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven…”

• The believers in the nearby towns and far-off villages heard how the Thessalonians were also looking forward to the return of Christ. It was the hope that caused them stand strong through persecution, to faithfully follow

instructions that were left with them, and to share their faith with the people around them. They were inspired and motivated by the reality that Jesus was coming back soon.

• As it did for them, it should do the same for us. That great day when Jesus comes back to bring us home to heaven should motivate us to do all these things that are listed here. It will only be that way if our eyes and our hearts are looking forward to that day. Scripture is filled with exhortations, commands and instructions to look forward to that day!

• In order to look forward, we must let go of the past. The reality is that God is a lot less interested in our past than we are. God has forgiven you, so should you. God has forgotten, so should you. God is not rehearsing it, neither should you. God has moved on, and so should you. The devil wants to keep us focused on what has hurt us, harmed us, paralyzed us, etc. to keep us from being focused on the very thing that gives us power to overcome it. That is the coming resurrection!

• Let us keep our eyes focused on what is to come. Allow it to generate some excitement within us. Let it create some anticipation inside of us. Grant it the power to give us a perspective for today.

Let us leave an example worth following.

- If we are living with joy, we have done our job.

- If we are imitating Christ, we have done our job.

- If we are sharing our faith, we have done our job.

- If we are looking forward to “that great day,” we have done our job.

Somebody is watching you. Somebody is emulating you. Someone will become you. Who are they modeling? Who will they become? That is for us to decide. We don’t choose the decisions people make, but we can influence what decisions they can make. How? By the decisions we make today. If Paul the apostle can do it (who formerly was Saul), so can we.

Expect that someone is going to follow your example today. Amen!

Coming Again

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John 14 NKJV

1 ¶  “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

2  “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3  “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

On January 12, 2007, a man named Joshua Bell placed a bag in front of him in a New York City subway station into which passers-by would be able to give money while he played is violin. During the next 41 minutes more than 1,000 people walked past him mostly without notice. By the end of his 6^th piece he had received a total of $32.17, but no one stopped to listen.

(Picture of Joshua Bell in concert)

Joshua Bell was not just any busker but rather he is one of the most famous classical concert violinist in the world. Just a week before he had played the very same pieces to a sold-out theater, where fans who spent hundreds of dollars each to hear him, applauded and cheered in hopes to hear more. The 1793 Gibson Stratovarius Violin he played in the concert hall was the very same $3.5 million violin he played in the subway.

(Picture of Joshua Bell playing during his first visit to the NYC subway)

Joshua’s incognito baseball cap and t-shirt clad presentation of himself blended in with the locals who traveled the subway that morning in 2007 and perhaps he just didn’t stand out as much as he could have. His subway performance was still that of a virtuoso even though others didn’t notice.

Seven years later Joshua Bell decided to go back to the same subway station only this time he announced he was coming again. Not a surprise really to anyone was the fact that when Joshua showed up this time, dressed a little better, with others accompanying him, the station was packed with people hoping to see him, hear him, and get a chance to meet him.

(Picture of the second trip to the station) 

People crowded in, shoulder to shoulder, some getting there hours before and sitting on the floor against the walls holding their spot. Cameras everywhere and although Joshua played the same violin and music, this time it was different. What made the difference … people knew who he was, and this was their chance to see him personally; hear him personally; and maybe get to meet him personally. They were no longer too busy to stop and listen.

The principles of truth revealed and confirmed by this experiment parallels the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. God uses life to teach us eternal realities. We can easily see that the first time Jesus came to earth, He came looking just like everyone else. Though He was the Son of Almighty God, empowered with abilities far beyond those the common man could comprehend, still few had time to stop their busy lives and listen to Him.

However, this same Jesus who came to earth the first time as a suffering servant without any claim to greatness in the eyes of man, has announced to all of us that He is coming again. This time He will come in all of His glory along with the Holy Angels who accompany Him. There is not a doubt in my mind that it will be a crowded event, some waiting lifetimes to see, to hear, to meet the Christ, the Savior of their souls.

Every day people walk past their greatest opportunity, too busy to stop and listen, stop and see, stop and meet Jesus, the one and only Son of God.

Opportunities missed may forever be regretted.

There was a man named Zacchaeus in the New Testament who had only one opportunity to meet Jesus. He was a very important and busy tax collector in the city of Jericho. That day Jesus would be passing through his town for the very last time. In the midst of a busy day, and although Zacchaeus was a notorious sinner who had robbed the poor and cheated his neighbors, he had a desire to see Jesus.

Jesus noticed Zacchaeus and even called him by name saying to him, “I am going to your house today!” Zacchaeus made the most of his opportunity that day. If he would not have followed that voice in his heart, that God-given desire to see Jesus, he would have forever regretted it. He did not let his opportunity pass by to give his life and his all to Christ.

 

What opportunities are you allowing to pass by without notice each day?

·        An opportunity to know your children or grandchildren

·        An opportunity to spend time with your parents

·        An opportunity to share Christ with a neighbor, co-worker, or classmate

·        An opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life and invite Him home with you

3 John 2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

But the sad truth is: Not everyone will go to heaven … many will miss their greatest opportunity.

·        Have you seen Jesus?

·        Have you heard Jesus?

·        Have you met Jesus?

You can meet Him personally today. Allow me to introduce you to Him. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Savior of my soul.

Sadly, not everyone will go to heaven. You get to go to heaven because you choose to. Choose to believe in Jesus and ask Him into your heart today. It’s the greatest opportunity of your life.

John 14 NKJV

1 ¶  “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

2  “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3  “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

The only guarantee we have is that Jesus is coming again. He has prepared a place for you in His heaven … have you prepared a place for Him in your heart?

COTR Family Bible Study Series - Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob - Jacob

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You know when you’ve come across a main character in the Bible when they are mentioned over and over again. For example:

·        Noah is mentioned 46 times in the Bible.

o   That’s pretty big to be mentioned 46 times in the Bible.

·        Job gets 54 mentions

o   Must be something we can learn from him …

·        Abraham is mentioned by name 277 times.

·        Joseph 229 times

·        David 968 times

·        Jesus 942 times by name

o   But His name and all of those are only in the New Testament

o   This does not account for Messiah; Savior; Lord; and all other direct references, making it incalculable and really never-ending.

·        God has the lead with 3893 mentions directly as God

o   Of course there is no account for the personal pronouns and many descriptive names such as “I am”, Jehovah, Yahweh, and even “Me!”

·        Ruth, one of the great grandmothers of Jesus is mentioned 13 times in the Bible … that’s really a huge number of times to be recognized and pointed out by God for all generations to observe and learn from.

Our Bible character today is the third covenant patriarch, Jacob. His name is mentioned 345 times covering both the Old and New Testaments. However, if you consider that God changed Jacob’s name Israel, a prince with God, mentions rise to well above 2500.

Just the number of mentions alone make Jacob one of the main characters in the one story God is telling in His Word. Jacob’s life and legacy is one which every Born-Again Believer in Jesus should know and love.

Remember the one story God is telling is a story of redemption. No purpose of God is more important than the rescue and recovery of His relationship with mankind. And it happens one person at a time.

No story, including yours, is complete without it ends in redemption. This is the life of Jacob.

Isaac was 60 years old, and Abraham was already 160, when Rebecca became pregnant and delivered twin boys.

Genesis 25 NKJV

23  And the LORD said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”

24  So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

25  And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.

26  Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27  So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

28  And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

It had been 20 years since Isaac and Rebecca married and now, finally (but well bathed in God’s timing) Rebecca gives birth to twin boys. The hand of providence was on Jacob from his mother’s womb. When born, his attempt to be first and claim the birthright was evident to all. Jacob the wrestler, as he was called, the one who takes and grabs what he wants by his own strength.

We will find in the life of Jacob that he continued getting what he wanted by the cunningness of his own nature. He wrestled with everything in life, right up to the point where he met God and wrestled with God. Only then did Jacob change and God called him Israel, a prince with God.

Jacob fought most of his life for something God always intended to give him. Jacob reminds us that God wants to bless us, and we need not fear or be worried or be cunning or crafty or lie or cheat or steal in order to get ahead and fulfill that longing in our hearts to be somebody, have something, do something, to get ahead.

The story of Jacob will take longer to share than I can manage in one evening. Since his life and legacy is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, story in the Bible. Jacob teaches us:

·        To trust in the Lord and not in our own abilities

·        How to weather disappointments

·        The value of working for a dream

·        The sadness of missing the joy God intended

·        About the covenant of tithes and offerings

·        The dangers of having favorites among our children

·        How to deal with loss

·        About family

·        And how to restore relationships

·        That money isn’t everything

·        How quickly things can change

·        That we should always be ready for a new day

But before we push the pause button for tonight, allow me to share tree important principles from the life of Jacob that we can hopefully apply to our lives this week.

1.   God has a plan for you.

2.   Life has a way of bringing you back around and giving you another chance.

3.   You don’t have to wrestle in your flesh to get what God always intended to give you by His Spirit.

Let go of Esau’s ankle and let God be God … 

God really is big enough to do His job without you taking it out of His hands and imagining it’s better in yours.

Choose Mercy Not Millstones

 

Pastor Ron's current Family Bible Series, which is teaching about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is important for all of us, including those who may already be familiar with Bible characters and their stories. 

We all need refreshing and re-instruction from time to time for the next generation. 

From Jimmy Hoang’s notes from Carson’s course on BT:

“How you would let a new believer interpret things like that in the OT? → Just say that that passage hints at what is later revealed or at least starts there.”

Many "churched" people do not have a clear grasp on how important these stories are and what their intent is - why were they given to us by godly people by the Holy Spirit? 

Today we are going to briefly visit the story of Joseph. 

In the late 1800's the life long friend of DL Moody, FB Meyer wrote and preached that Joseph was "Beloved, Hated, and exalted." 

-        Read enough Bible to make the connecting points throughout the Scripture – to consider the broader thematic structures.

James Hamilton[1] uses the illustration:

“For” “Whom” “The” “Bell” “Tolls” – take each word on their own doesn’t make the linkage.

Pieces of information, though commonly used individually, don’t convey the THEME or necessarily make a sensible connected phrase.

“But when Hemingway entitles his novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls” the allusion to John Donne’s meditation is unmistakable.”

Individual VERSES in the BIBLE, while making sense on their own, don’t by themselves CONVEY the WHOLE STORY of redemption – a broader approach and careful reading and familiarity is better over the long haul.

PROMISE BOX ILLUSTRATION:

-         When I was a child, each morning at breakfast, we each selected a little card from a “Promise Box” – a small box full of Bible verses on a little card – and we read our Bible verse to each other.

-         A nice practice, but in the long run, it only becomes a source for our favorite single verses with NO CONTEXT.

Joseph’s Timeline ~ 1914 – 1805 BC (early dating) or 1744-1634 BC or 1700-1550^[2]

 

Event	Age of Joseph	Genesis
Joseph’s father Jacob moves family from Haran to Canaan	6	31:17–21
His Brothers Plot to Kill Joseph, in the pit, then Joseph sold to Potiphar in Egypt. His brothers deceive Jacob about Joseph’s death.	17	ch. 37
Joseph serves Potiphar, and does well then is falsely accused and imprisoned.  Joseph interprets dreams of cupbearer and baker in prison	28	ch. 40
Joseph’s grandfather Isaac dies	29	35:28–29
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, is released from prison	30	41:1–36
Seven years of plenty; sons Manasseh and Ephraim born during this time	30–37	41:47–52
Seven years of famine; two years into the famine Joseph reconciles with his brothers and father	37–44	41:53–47:26
Joseph’s father Jacob dies	56	47:28
Joseph dies – his bones carried to Egypt in the Exodus and then buried in the land.	110	50:22–26

Matthew 18:1–7 (NIV)

¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. ⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

Psalm 105:16-24

He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.

They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.

The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.

He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed, to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.

Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.

The Lord made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,

Was Joseph a Type of David? derived from James H. Hamilton article:

Was Joseph a Type of the Messiah? - Tracing the Typological Identification between Joseph, David, and Jesus

READ THE BIBLE BY PAYING ATTENTION TO:

-          THE PLOT LINE –

o   BEGINNING, RISING TENSIONS, RESOLVE AND RESCUE AND RESTORATION AND THEIR NEW FUTURE

o   THEN HOW THAT PLOT/STORY APPLIES TO THE WHOLE STORY OF SCRIPTURE

-          THE CHARACTER LINE – WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY ABOUT THEM / DEPICT THEM?

o   LOOK AT THEIR NAMES – OFTEN CONVEY MEANING

o   LOOK AT COMMON REPEATED PHRASES (TALL, SHORT, MANY, FEW)

o   GROWTH, FAILURES, SINS - REPENTANT OR NOT, HUMILITY / PRIDE

o   BIBLICAL CHARACTERS ARE LIKE MIRRORS THAT REFLECT BACK ON US, ENABLING US TO BEGIN TO SEE A TRUER PICTURE OF OURSELVES THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD.

THE SPIRIT REMOVES THE VEIL - 2Cor 3.18 – NASB - But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

-          KEY PHRASES – “Linguistic Correspondences”

-          PATTERNS OF EVENTS – “Sequential Event Correspondences”

-          WHAT CHARACTERS ARE USED BY GOD TO HELP DELIVER PEOPLE? – “Redemptive Historical Import” [3]

JOSEPH’S LIFE IS A STORY OF:

-          ENVY AND ATTEMPTED FRATRICIDE

-          DECEPTION

-          FALSE ACCUSATIONS

-          PRESERVATION

-          FORGIVENESS

-          RESTORATION

-          PROVISION

-          SACRIFICE – (JUDAH’S WILLINGNESS TO TAKE BENJAMIN’S PLACE)

-          PATIENCE

-          FUTURE – HEALING AND DOUBLE HARVEST

JOSEPH	DAVID
“shepherding the flock”	“shepherding the flock”
his brothers “went off” to shepherd the flock	David’s brothers “went off” to battle
Joseph is sent by his father Jacob to check on “the peace” of his brothers	David is sent by his father Jesse to check on “the peace” of his brothers
Joseph’s brothers call him “THIS” dreamer – using a rare pronoun	David calls Goliath “THIS” Philistine – using a rare pronoun
Coat of many colors stripped off of Joseph Linking the two TAMAR stories – one of Judah/Tamar	Coat of many colors – Tamar/Amnon – linking the two TAMAR stories –
“Let not our hand be upon him” – Joseph’s brothers – ONLY TWO TIMES IN THE HEBREW BIBLE – as they state their opposition to Joseph – and Joseph ends up in Egypt	“Let not my hand be upon him” – King Saul about David – ONLY 2 TIMES IN THE HEBREW BIBLE – as Saul states his opposition to David and David ends up fleeing to the Philistines
God acknowledges and favors Joseph but he is rejected by his brothers/kinsmen	God acknowledges and favors David, but he is rejected by his brothers / kinsmen
Young Son of an Old Father	Young Son of an Old Father
Described as “handsome”	Described as “handsome”
Meet opposition from brothers Succeeds Faces more affliction Prevail to bring deliverance	Meet opposition from brothers Succeeds Faces more affliction Prevail to bring deliverance
Pleasing to foreign Kings – Joseph to Pharoah	Pleasing to foreign Kings – David to Achish the Philistine Lord
30 Years Old when He rose to power	30 Years Old when He rose to power
After coming to power, Forgave his brothers and showed kindness	After coming to power, Forgave Saul and his descendants and showed kindness to Mephibosheth son of Saul
Like Moses, married an Egyptian and had sons by her	David marries a foreigner, daughter of Geshur and had a son
JOSEPH	JESUS
30 YEARS OLD	30 YEARS OLD
Joseph tells his 2nd dream – Jacob kept the saying (rhema) in mind – Gen 37:11 (LXX)	Mary kept these things (rhema) in her heart – Luke 2.51(GNT)
Joseph sold for silver	Jesus sold for silver
Joseph in the dungeon with 2 other prisoners – one of whom lived, the other perished	Jesus on the cross with 2 other prisoners – one of whom went to paradise, the other perished

*Above chart excerpted from “Was Joseph a Type of the Messiah? Tracing the Typological Identification between Joseph, David, and Jesus.” 2015. Southern Equip. October 15, 2015. https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/journals/journal-of-theology/sbjt-124-winter-2008/was-joseph-a-type-of-the-messiah-tracing-the-typological-identification-between-joseph-david-and-jesus/.

God’s constant and faithful commitment to His people despite their constant and unfaithful sins.

Genesis 50:20 sums up the whole story of God’s rescue and redemption throughout the book of Genesis.

Genesis 50:20

²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (NIV)

Joseph says:

Genesis 45.5

Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life (NET)

The Lord is always repeatedly redeeming and saving the sons of Abraham from malady of their own making.

Joseph’s trials in the pit and the prison and then the palace are rightly interpreted in the final analysis to have been the work of God’s plan to rescue:

-          Egypt from starvation,

-          Joseph’s own family from starvation,

-          the forgiveness and restoration of his brother Judah – so the Messianic line could continue –

-          the healing of Jacob’s suffering –

the re-alignment of prophetic intent – Manasseh – the firstborn – God has made me forget is in some ways superceded by the promise of Ephraim’s “double harvest.”

Ultimately, Joseph would be a type of David and of the Messiah:

Joseph is a “faithful” Adam who passes the test of temptation of Potiphar’s wife to ultimately become a redeemer to Egypt – in the famine, but also to include his Egyptian sons in the plan of God.

Jesus, as Joseph, was favored by God and rejected by his brothers.

(compare Acts 7 – Stephen makes a comparison between the rejection of Joseph and the rejection of Jesus.)

Jesus, like Joseph, passes the tests of temptation and the “pit” of death, and fulfills His father’s will – brings deliverance and salvation, and gives forgiveness, and provides a table of blessing and sustenance.

TAKEAWAYS:

HOW WILL WE CHOOSE TO TREAT PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN US RELATIONSHIP?

WILL WE THROW A CHILD (JOSEPH WAS 17) INTO A PIT AND FACE GOD’S MILLSTONE?

WILL WE BE MERCIFUL AND KIND, AND GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE HARMED US?

WILL WE BE REDEEMABLE LIKE JUDAH, WHO OFFERED HIS OWN LIFE IN EXCHANGE, AND HUMBLED HIMSELF?

WILL WE CHOOSE FORGIVENESS AND A NEW FUTURE?

WILL WE BE A SOURCE OF KINDNESS AND DELIVERANCE?

WILL WE BE FAITHFUL AS OUR “FUTURE WORD” TRIES OUR HEARTS IN ORDER TO SEE THE LORD’S WILL ACCOMPLISHED?

[1] “Was Joseph a Type of the Messiah? Tracing the Typological Identification between Joseph, David, and Jesus.” 2015. Southern Equip. October 15, 2015. https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/journals/journal-of-theology/sbjt-124-winter-2008/was-joseph-a-type-of-the-messiah-tracing-the-typological-identification-between-joseph-david-and-jesus/. 

^[2] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 114.

[3] “Was Joseph a Type of the Messiah? Tracing the Typological Identification between Joseph, David, and Jesus.” 2015. Southern Equip. October 15, 2015. https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/journals/journal-of-theology/sbjt-124-winter-2008/was-joseph-a-type-of-the-messiah-tracing-the-typological-identification-between-joseph-david-and-jesus/.