When trouble comes and you find yourself wondering, why me? Maybe it's because you're focusing on your problem instead of God's purpose. Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah continues his look at Joseph. whose faithfulness in tough times resulted in tremendous rewards.
From the series, God Meant It For Good. The Story of Joseph. Here's David to introduce his message, the possibilities of problems. And we are going to talk today about having a positive attitude. When you're going through difficult times, I know that's a tall order, but we don't have to look for an example any further than the life of Joseph, and you will see that in today's study.
The title of this message is really a good one: The Possibilities of Problems. When you have your problems, and we all do. Every one of us. What do you do with them? Do you let them control you?
Do you let them define you? Or do you seek how God can use those things in your life to sharpen you up, to make you tougher, to give you a better sense of life, to give you more sensitivity to others who are having problems? All those things we'll talk about today and tomorrow here on Turning Point as we continue the life of Joseph, the possibilities of problems. Do you know that Turning Point has a magazine? Many of you receive it, so you do know it.
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Spiritually speaking, I don't think right. Before I got sick. Usually, three times a week, I would go to a gym to work out with a trainer. His name is Todd Durkin. Todd's one of the best trainers in the world and My estimation.
And one of the best things that's happened to me in recent years. is meeting him and learning the importance. of your body and how You have to keep your body strong if you're going to have anything that you can do for the Lord. Beside the fact that he's an incredible physical fitness expert and a dynamic motivator. Todd Durkin is a Christ follower.
Todd and I. have many commentaries between the two of us. We talk about the similarities of physical training and spiritual training. Recently we were talking about weightlifting and he reminded me that weightlifting has two different approaches. Here's what I learned.
Heavy weights lifted fewer times in succession. produce greater strength. Lighter weights lifted with more repetition produce endurance. And when it comes to life, that's a pretty great illustration. Most of us can carry a heavy weight if we only have to do it once or twice.
We get through the big stuff. We get through the major challenge. It's over. We accomplished whatever. We either win or we lose, but it's over.
But The things that are hard are the things that linger, the things that go on. The thing is that Don't get over in a hurry. For me, the problems that are the toughest to overcome are the problems that don't seem to get.
solved and the ones that keep coming back when you think they were solved. God wants us to be strong men and women of faith, so to achieve that, I believe he puts us through his own school, which is really interesting. And if I cannot stand strong under the adversity of unrelenting pressure, then I lose the joy of my journey. and forfeit the opportunity to lead other people. There's a verse in the Bible that never ceases to challenge me.
Hebrews 10.36, here's what it says. You have need of endurance. And do I ever resonate with that verse? Don't you? You have need of endurance, of determination, of staying at it.
Peter told the people of his day He says, don't be surprised at the trials you're going through. as if something strange was happening to you. Trials are the lot of all of God's people. And we don't have much preaching and teaching in our churches about the theology of adversity. But let me just tell you what I learned.
Adversity is a great teacher. Prosperity is not. Prosperity doesn't teach you anything. It has a tendency to make you proud and arrogant unless you really discipline yourself. but adversity, almost all the major lessons I've learned in my life, I've learned through hard times.
Trials and sufferings aren't unique to you and me. They're the common lot of all humanity. But the problem is we don't take the time to learn how to use them in our lives, and then they often overwhelm us. Today I want to talk to you about the advantages of adversity. the possibilities of your problems.
Let me tell you about Joseph. Joseph is probably one of the most underrated characters in the Bible. And I'll tell you why I know that. Think of the book of Genesis. The book of Genesis has 50 chapters in it.
In the first 36 chapters you have the story of Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel, Noah, Enoch. Abraham, Isaac, and part of the story of Jacob. In the first 36 chapters, all of that. But from chapter 37 of Genesis to chapter 50, It's all about Joseph.
Joseph occupies the thirteen chapters That in the book of Genesis. Why is that?
Well, for instance You might say it's because he's a great type of Jesus. I have an article on my desk. that chronicles 60 comparisons between Joseph and Jesus. It's very interesting because Joseph was a type of Jesus. The name Joseph and the name Jesus come from the same root word.
Jehovah saves, Jehovah delivers.
So Joseph is a very interesting person. You know his story. She grew up in a family with a lot of brothers. He was the youngest in the family, and he was Obviously, his father's favorite, which made him really popular with the rest of the family. He's the one that wore the coat.
which was the sign of pleasure on the part of his dad. He got into a lot of trouble because he made his brothers jealous. He told them of his dreams. Oh my goodness. When he told them of his dreams, they flipped out.
And they determined they didn't want anything to do with Joseph, and so they plotted to get rid of him. And you know the story? He was sold ultimately into Egypt. and became a slave of Potiphar who was the second in command, and worked with Pharaoh. But eleven years have passed now as we enter his story.
He's about 27 years old, if I can figure it right. And he is Serving as an attaché to Potiphar, the captain of the guard in Pharaoh's court. a very important and prestigious position for a Jewish man. to be serving in an Egyptian court. He'd obviously served himself well and had risen up in the ranks of those who serve.
And Genesis chapter 39 tells the story. of Joseph being thrown into prison. Potiphar's wife try to seduce Joseph. And in spite of his faithfulness to Potiphar and to God, She falsely accused Joseph and he was thrown into royal prison by Potiphar himself.
Now the scripture says that shortly after Joseph was Incarcerated. Two additional prisoners joined him. Pharaoh became angry with his chief butler. and Baker and assigned them to jail. We aren't given a lot of detail about that.
What they did, we're not told, but we do know that the role of the chief butler was to taste all of the food and wine that was served to the king.
so that if it was poisoned, the butler would die and the king would live. I don't think anyone ever campaigned for that job, from what I can understand. Must have been an assignment. The baker made all the food that was eaten in the kingdom, and so we have to assume that since both of them were put in prison, That on a particular night, the two of them had served up some pretty bad grub to the king, and he was upset about it.
Now they're in prison. And the scripture says that shortly after their sentence has begun, Joseph notices on their faces early one morning a troubled look, and he asks them, Why are you so troubled today? And they say in concert, we have had a dream and there is no interpretation of it. And Joseph said, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me.
And please. I will help you with them.
Now in the butler's dream, which is recorded in verses 9 through 13 of the 40th chapter, He sees three branches of a vine blossom and produce grapes. He presses the grapes into Pharaoh's cup. and serves the wine to him. Joseph explains that dream. To mean that in three days, the three branches, the butler would be restored by Pharaoh to his original position.
as chief butler in the kingdom. After hearing the interpretation of the butler's dream, the baker can't wait to describe his. But he should have waited. He was to be disappointed. The baker said that in his dream he saw three white baskets on his head, each filled with baked goods, but the birds of the air came and snatch the baked goods away.
Joseph explained to the baker that the three baskets were three days, and at the end of the three days the baker would be hung by Pharaoh, and the birds would pluck away his flesh. Not exactly what he was hoping to hear. Three days later, to be sure, it was Pharaoh's birthday. And he had a royal party. And he celebrated his birthday by hiring the butler back.
and hanging the baker just like Joseph said it would be.
Now this is all very interesting, but We might ask ourselves, what does that have to do with Joseph? Look down in your Bibles in verses 14 and 15th of the 40th chapter, and you will have the words of Joseph to the butler just before he was going to go back and serve. Pharaoh again. But remember me when it is well with you, said Joseph. And please show the kindness to me.
Make mention of me to Pharaoh. Get me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews, and also I have done nothing here that they should put me in the dungeon. And Scripture tells us. The butler heard Joseph's request.
But when he got back to his place of responsibility, Genesis 40:23. The chief butler did not remember Joseph. But forgot him. Why the butler forgot, we aren't told. We can kind of guess that he probably didn't want to remind his boss about the bad situation that he had been in.
He probably decided to just write it all off. whatever happened to Joseph would happen. And so the scripture says... But it came to pass at the end of two full years That Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he stood by the river. What that means is that from the time Joseph went into prison.
and was promised by the butler that he would be remembered. Two whole years passed by. Two years. Joseph is going to be in this prison. For no reason, he's not done anything wrong.
He wonders why he's there. He's probably. every day scratching his head. trusting God, but still wondering. How did I get in this place and is there ever going to be a chance for me to get out?
As we watch him walk through this situation, We learn from him that God has a purpose. for each one of us, even when we're going through experiences like the one we read about in the book of Genesis. From this story of Joseph. I want to suggest to you quickly five reasons. why we have so many problems in our lives.
Five reasons why we go through. seasons like the Lord has entrusted me with during this time. First of all, Problems provide greater opportunities. It's really interesting to me that there is an entire section of the New Testament. which we call the prison epistles.
We call them that because they were all written by Paul to individuals and churches. and written while he was incarcerated in a Roman cell. The book of Revelation, which has been such a great blessing to us all, was written by the Apostle John. while he was in exile on the island of Patmos. And it was in prison that John Bunyan saw the great allegory that later became the Immortal Pilgrim's Progress.
Sometimes prisons are a source of great opportunity for us and for others. Joseph will soon learn in his prison experience. that he has not been forgotten by God. and that God in His mercy sees him. And it is while he is in prison that God brings him into a relationship with the only man who could ultimately be the link to get Joseph to the realization of his boyhood dreams.
I remember hearing Charles Coulson speak at an Evangelical Association dinner. He closed many of his speeches. after he was released from prison with these words. He said, My lowest days as a Christian, and there were low ones, seven months' worth of them in prison, to be exact. have been far more fulfilling and rewarding.
than all the days of the glory I had in the White House. How could that be? In prison. Coulson learned to know God and he became a Christian. He learned to walk with God.
He learned the value of fellowship. with other brothers in Christ. and his fellowship In prison became Prison fellowship. an organization which sponsors Angel Tree. which we celebrate every year in this church.
by providing gifts for children of prisoners. that came out of what happened. to Charles Coulson. when he went to prison. You know, it's been interesting for me to watch.
The fact that even though I've been sidelined, God has not been. First of all, what he's done in this church is totally amazing to me. and all of the people on our staff have done so well.
Sometimes I think, I don't think this church really needs me at all. I'm just going to sit back here and watch this whole thing go. Pretty good. But in the meantime, while all this was happening, I wrote a book called The Great Disappearance. You don't need a voice for that.
You don't need a lot of strength to walk for that. You just need to sit in a chair and do it. And that book became the best-selling book I've ever written. And through all of the things that we developed, in social media. I know this sounds impossible.
But that book has touched the lives of over 300 million people. all over the world. It's just amazing. I mean, I haven't been able to do anything but just watch it. And thank God for it every day.
Oh, so many other things have happened. I realize That we are blessed to serve God, but in reality, God doesn't really need us. He allows us to be a part of what he's doing. And yeah, he needs us to get the word out. But you understand what I mean.
God can do anything. And he can put his servant on the sidelines and say to his servant, You've been showing me what you can do, let me show you what I can do. And he'll do it.
So Problems oftentimes give you greater opportunities. I've met people I would never have met. I've witnessed to people I could never have witnessed to. And I think Joseph would say the same thing. Secondly, problems promote spiritual maturity.
Problems grow you up, whether you like it or not. Apart from the Lord himself, there's nobody I know. That was treated more unfairly than Joseph. He stands out as a classic example of somebody who is repeatedly mistreated. And he didn't do anything.
to cause that. Philip Yancey writes, if anyone Had a valid reason to be disappointed in God, it was Joseph. Who's Stabs at goodness brought him nothing but trouble. He interpreted a dream to his brothers and they threw him in a cistern. He resisted a sexual advance and landed in an Egyptian prison.
There he interpreted another dream to save a cellmate's life, and the cellmate promptly forgot him. I wonder as Joseph languished for his virtue in an Egyptian dungeon, Did questions like, is God unfair? Is God silent? Is God hidden? I wonder if those questions occur to Joseph.
But shift for a moment to the perspective of God. Had he deliberately pulled back to allow Joseph's faith to reach a new level of maturity? And could this be why Genesis devotes more space to Joseph than to any other person? Through all of his trials, Joseph learned to trust Not that God would prevent hardship, but that he would redeem hardship. Choking back tears, Joseph tried to explain his faith to his brothers.
He said, You intended to harm me. But God intended it for good. As you rewind Joseph's life, It's not hard to realize that he probably had a very soft life. He grew up with all these brothers. He was the youngest.
You see the story, they're out taking care of the sheep. Joseph's home with his dad. And so Maybe God thinks if Joseph is going to be useful, he's got to toughen him up. He would have to make him ready to be Prime Minister of Egypt during a worldwide famine. He surely wasn't ready as a young boy.
And the psalmist alludes to this hardening process. In Psalm 105, we read this about Joseph. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was a man. who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters and he was laid in irons.
The marginal reading translates that last phrase like this: His soul. came into iron. or iron came into his soul. Joseph went into prison. Timid.
providential child who had been given all of the benefits of life. And the Bible says when he came out, he came out an iron-soul man. He had iron in his soul. Let me ask you a question. Do you have iron in your soul?
I have this prediction for you. If you're going to make it through the next decade, you better get some iron in your soul. That's what God did for Joseph. How did he do it? He trusted him with some testing and some problems.
And in the process of testing and problems, He became a man of great wisdom and courage and determination. God wants iron-souled people. When we hurt and endure problems.
Something changes in our hearts. and we become more spiritually Mature. You know the Bible is filled with this truth, but I've chosen four verses to give you that teach this. And after what I've said to you, Listen to these verses. through the ears of what I have said.
Romans 5, 3 through 5. We also glory in tribulations. knowing that tribulation produces Perseverance. and perseverance, character, and character, hope, Now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts. by the Holy Spirit who has given me.
Let me just remind you that it is dangerous to pray for patience. If you pray for patience, God will send you tribulation because that's the only way He can develop it in your life. You know, maybe you say, well, I'm just such an impatient person. I'm going to ask God to help me. He will.
But you may not like the course he gives you to take. He will teach you to be patient, and the way he does that, according to this verse. is through tribulation. Here's Hebrews 12.11.
Now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. To those who have been trained by it. Here, the writer of Hebrews says: when you're going through stuff like I'm going through, or some of you are going through, it's not fun. You know, I was meditating the other day on just how hard it is for me to get ready to face a day.
The stuff that you used to do just Not even thinking about it now is a challenge. It's an exercise in patience. And the Bible says when you go through things like that, God is up to something in your life. James says it this way: My brethren, come. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.
knowing that the testing of your faith produces what, class? Patience, endurance. Unwilling to quit. Here's 1 Peter 1, 6 and 7. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, Why?
So that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. When you are a Christian and you're not being punished for sin and you're going through trials, It's because God loves you so much, He wants to make you the best you could ever be. And the Bible says if we have not been tested, if we've never suffered, we are incomplete. It's exactly what the Bible says. You can't be complete if you don't go through some stuff.
Sometimes it's interesting. We try to help people. during their difficulty and if we're not careful we're actually aborting God's process in their life.
Sometimes we need to let people experience because we have a sense in our spirit that God is working in their life. I know that to be true from experience, and many of you do too. I didn't ask for these problems. I didn't get to vote on him. But God allowed them and He sent them and He uses problems to Help us become better people.
And uh Joseph is an illustration of that. His time in prison was a testing time. It must have been very terrible for this Very uh sophisticated young man. But God used it to toughen him up and make him ready to do what he could never have dreamed he would be doing. We'll talk about that as we go forward in this series.
Um we are Very excited that during the month of September we make available to our listeners The calendar for the new year, and not long ago we started doing a 14-month calendar. and we advertise it in September so you can get it in plenty of time to begin using it in November. This year it's called Following in His Footsteps and it's available for a gift of any size to Turning Point. during the month of September. Ask for it when you send your gift today.
Thanks for listening. We'll see you again tomorrow. For more information on Dr. Jeremiah's series, God Meant It for Good, please visit our website where we also offer two free ways to help you stay connected. Our monthly Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional.
Sign up today at davidjeremiah.org slash radio. That's davidjeremiah.org slash radio or call us at 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of our beautiful new 14-month calendar, following in his footsteps, and deepen your faith daily throughout 2026. It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International, and New King James Versions.
Available in your choice of durable and attractive cover options. Get all the details when you visit our website, davidjeremiah.org slash radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue the series God Meant It for Good: The Story of Joseph on Turning Point.
