ADVANCING THROUGH ADVERSITY Genesis 37:1-

Gene Getz, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, says: "If any man had an excuse for turning out bad, Joseph certainly did."

However Joseph's life is a dynamic portrayal of Godliness.

Joseph's growth in Godliness was not an easy one.

3 great obstacles.

First he had to overcome...

Jacob was not a model parent. Hopefully we can benefit by learning from his mistakes.

His first mistake was...

Jacob himself had grown up in a similar situation. Jacob's father of course was Isaac and his mother was Rebekah. If you recall, Isaac favored his son Esau, and Rebekah favored Jacob.

Jacob's favorite son was Joseph.

Verse 3 says that...

Joseph was..."The son of his old age".

Jacob no doubt had a special love for Joseph because of who Joseph's mother was. Joseph was Rachel's firstborn. The woman Jacob really loved.

Verse 3 says, "He made him a coat of many colors."

This was no ordinary coat. It represented Joseph's favored position in the family as well as Jacob's intent to treat Joseph as his first born with all the rights and privileges, such as a double portion of the inheritance.

Such favoritism, as you can imagine, resulted in Joseph's brothers becoming angry and jealous, which they directed at Joseph.

Jacob should have been a little more observant as to what was happening with his sons.

He sends Joseph off to check on them and they are plotting his death.

It appears as though Jacob didn't even have a clue.

No doubt that Jacob was a busy man, but his preoccupation almost cost him the life of his most loved son.

That's a trap every parent needs to watch out for. It is tempting to become so preoccupied by work, making money and ends meet, seeking pleasure...that our children become neglected in the sense that we don't know what is going on in their lives.

ILLUSTRATION:

One preschool boy was overheard talking to his four year old friend on the front steps of his home.

His friend asked, "Where is your daddy? I've never seen him."

"Oh, he doesn't live here," came the reply. "He only sleeps here."

A second obstacle that Joseph had to overcome was...

As you can imagine...

According to V. 2, he reported their evil to their father.

V. 4 indicates that they hated him and could not talk with him.

And then in V. 5, notice it says...

They not only resented him, but we find that...

And finally may we learn that he overcame...

Instead of reigning as he had dreamed, he had been rejected harshly by his brothers.

An amazing thing is that we never find him questioning God.

Like Joseph, we sometimes find ourselves in the pit.

When we do, let's follow Joseph's example.

Let's not question...

Remember that he is still sovereign!

Conclusion:

Let's learn that...

Growth in our Christian life will bring us face to face with obstacles along the way.

Let's determine to be an overcomer. Joseph could have made all kinds of excuses for himself. He could have quit, but he didn't.