John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. 

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

 

• In affliction you must trust, because trust produces peace
• The same situation that helps build your character can destroy someone else who is not prepared for that situation.

Joseph’s process:

1. His brothers were envious / ˈɛn vi əs) of him

Genesis 37:11 And his brothers envied [ en-vee ] him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

 

• When you allow envy in your heart you damage yourself because you don't learn from others

 

2. He was sold by his brothers

 

Genesis 37:28 Then Midianite traders [ trey-der ] passed by; so, the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

 

3. He was unjustly thrown in prison

 

Genesis 39:20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined.  (kuhn-fahynd ] And he was there in the prison.

 

4. He was forgotten by the chief butler

 

Genesis 40:23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph but forgot him.

 

Psalms 105:18-19

¹⁸ His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron, [ ahy-ern ]

¹⁹ Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true, until the word of the Lord tried and tested him.

 

 

Genesis 45:1-10 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So, no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. ³ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. ⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So, they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve[ pri-zurv ] life. ⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity (po-ster-i-tee ] for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. ⁹ “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. [ tar-ee ] ¹⁰ You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks, and your herds, and all that you have.

 

• If this had happened to another of Joseph’s brothers, we would probably have another story.
• God does not reveal everything, He does it at the time that God knows we are ready

James 3:10-14 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. ¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

 

• We speak what is inside of us
• We must heal our hearts, if not everything we speak will be from a platform of bitterness
• When you have a bitter experience, you tend to rate[ reyt ] everyone the same

 

Beware of contamination

Hebrews 12:15-17 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel [ mawr-suhl ] of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

 

• Fornicator "one who prostitutes himself" It also applies to the figurative [ fig-yer-uh-tiv ]sense of idolatry
• Profane is someone who does not have a spiritual mind, who takes the things of God lightly.

Illustration: “Bitterness is like a cigarette. The cigarette’s smoke contaminates you

• When a person is bitter, do not believe the version that they are telling you

Afflicted but not bitter

Genesis 25:27-32 AMPC

²⁷ When the boys grew up, Esau was a cunning and skilled hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a plain and quiet man, dwelling in tents.

²⁸ And Isaac loved [and was partial to] Esau, because he ate of Esau’s game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ Jacob was boiling pottage (lentil stew) one day, when Esau came from the field and was faint [with hunger].

³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, I beg of you, let me have some of that red lentil stew to eat, for I am faint and famished! That is why his name was called Edom [red].

³¹ Jacob answered, Then sell me today your birthright (the rights of a firstborn).

³² Esau said, See here, I am at the point of death; what good can this birthright do me?

 

 

• When you despise what God offers you, someone else will take it.
• Bitterness is born according to the decisions we make
• Pride does not allow accepting mistakes - the easiest thing is to blame someone else.
• What you talk about and decide is who you are

Esau spoke from his bitterness

• Esau because of his bitterness looks at Jacob as a deceiver. But he doesn't say that he sold his birthright.
• When you see divine purpose in everything that happens to you, your heart will never get sick.

Genesis 27:41-42 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” ⁴² And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So, she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.

 

• The heart is healed not only by crying but by doing something
• We can suffer, but not be bitter - Do not cause harm to others because of your bitterness

Obadiah 1:10 (NIV)

Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.

 

Matthew 12:34-35 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. ³⁶ But I say to you that for every idle word man may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

The power of the anointing

 

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, ³ To console [ kuhn-sohl ] those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”