TEXT: GENESIS 39:13-23

Our theme for the year is Choose Life. Our hope and prayer is that everyone will choose life. And what type of life are we talking about? The Christ life. It’s loving and being loved by Christ. It’s knowing and experiencing John 10:10 in which Jesus says, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness" (NLT).

This is the fifth message in our teaching series: From Dream to Destiny [Source: Robert Morris]. Through a biblical study of Joseph’s life we’re learning how to step into the fullness of God’s purpose for our lives. God wants the dream He’s given you to become a reality. You have a special destiny. God has big plans for you. But in order for you to attain your destiny there are roadblocks to overcome, character issues to be addressed, and sinful actions and attitudes to be confessed. Or put differently, there are tests of the heart you have to pass to move from your dream to your destiny (cf. Proverbs 17:3).

The first test you have to pass and keep passing is the pride test. The second test you have to pass and keep passing is the pit test. The third test you have to pass and keep passing is the performance test. The fourth test you have to pass and keep passing is the purity test. We learnt about that last week. And the fifth test you have to pass and keep passing is the perseverance test. We’re going to learn about the perseverance test today.

Before we learn about the perseverance test there are two things you need to know about God’s tests:

1. You keep taking the tests over and over until you pass.

2. If you want to pass the tests, God will make it happen. ". . . God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished . . ." Philippians 1:6 (NLT).

Genesis 39:1-12 tells how Joseph was sold as a slave to Potiphar, was made the head servant of Potiphar’s house, and had great success in his work. But there was a problem, Potiphar’s wife fancied Joseph and tried to get him to sleep with her. When she finally threw herself at him, demanding sex, Joseph struggled to free himself and leaving his shirt in her hand he ran out of the house.

We pick up the rest of the story in Genesis 39:13-23 (NLT).

When she saw that she had his shirt and that he had fled, she began screaming. Soon all the men around the place came running. "My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to insult us!" she sobbed. "He tried to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard my loud cries, he ran and left his shirt behind with me."

She kept the shirt with her, and when her husband came home that night, she told him her story. "That Hebrew slave you've had around here tried to make a fool of me," she said. "I was saved only by my screams. He ran out, leaving his shirt behind!"

After hearing his wife's story, Potiphar was furious! He took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king's prisoners were held. But the Lord was with Joseph there, too, and he granted Joseph favour with the chief jailer. Before long, the jailer put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The chief jailer had no more worries after that, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him, making everything run smoothly and successfully.

Next year will be my tenth year in Orillia as a pastor. It’s been some of the toughest years of my life. There have been many times when I wanted to pack it in and go somewhere else. But I’ve persevered. I’ve pressed on in the belief that God can and will break through in this community. I’ve kept my nose to the grindstone hoping that revival will come. God’s encouraged me to persevere. A single page from John Wesley’s journal has helped:

Sunday A.M., May 5 - Preached in St Ann’s; was asked not to come back anymore.

Sunday P.M., May 5 - Preached at St. John’s; deacons said, "Get out and stay out."

Sunday A.M., May 12 - Preached at St. Jude’s; can’t go back there either.

Sunday P.M., May 12 - Preached at St. George’s; kicked out again.

Sunday A.M., May 19 - Preached at St. Somebody Else’s; deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return.

Sunday P.M., May 19 - Preached on the street; kicked off the street.

Sunday A.M., May 26 - Preached out in a meadow; chased out of meadow when bull was turned loose during the service.

Sunday A.M., June 2 - Preached out at the edge of town; kicked off the highway.

Sunday P.M., June 2 - Afternoon service, preached in pasture; ten thousand people came.

Isn’t that great? Trials lead to triumph.

Back to Joseph’s story . . . Joseph did the right thing when he ran away from the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife. Most of us think that when we do the right thing God should bless us. But it doesn’t always work that way. Bad things happen to good people. Obedience to God doesn’t negate tribulation. Joseph did the right thing and yet he was falsely accused and thrown into jail. He honoured God, but he wasn’t blessed. That’s the reality of living in a fallen world. Storms fall on saints and sinners alike (cf. Matthew 7:24-27). Some of you know what I’m talking about. Like Joseph, you’ve done the right thing and got shafted for your efforts. And when that happens, when you do the right thing and get the wrong results, you’re going through the perseverance test.

Here are three questions:

Perseverance is overcoming difficulties. It’s facing pressure and trials and staying steadfast through them. According to the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology perseverance means "to hold out, to persist." Now you probably don’t want to hear this, but the perseverance test is usually the longest of all the tests we face through life. It can last for years. And you may have to go through it several times. In Joseph’s case he had to persevere for thirteen years. Imagine his situation. He got out of the pit for a brief respite before being thrown into prison. It must have been tough. God had given him a dream but it looked like God had forgotten all about him. Do you feel like God’s forgotten about you? Don’t give up. Does it feel like your trials are going on forever? Fight the good fight. Are you struggling with doubt and hopelessness? Don’t throw in the towel. Keep your focus on God. "Trying times are not the time to stop trying" Anon. Keep on keeping on. You’re going through the perseverance test.

According to God’s Word there’s only one way to get perseverance. Romans 5:3 says, ". . . we know that suffering produces perseverance" (NIV). That’s it in a nutshell. "Suffering produces perseverance." You’ll only get perseverance by going through tribulation. Like it or not - that’s it! Which begs several questions: Why do we need perseverance? Why does God want us to learn how to overcome difficulties? Why does He want us to persist through trying times? And why does life have to be painful? These are key questions which lead us to the third point . . .

Here’s a very important text. Romans 5:3_5 says, ". . . suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us . . ." (NIV).

There are three benefits to perseverance:

1. Perseverance produces character. The only way you will move from your dream to your destiny is by growing in your character. Now get a hold of this. Character’s everything - it’s absolutely essential. You’ll never be able to contain or sustain the destiny God has in store for you without a certain level of character. There are no short cuts. You don’t get character by having someone lay hands on you or pray for you. Character can’t be imparted or imported. Character has to be developed on the inside. It has to be learnt and developed through perseverance.

2. Character produces hope. When you respond the right way when you’ve been wronged, your perspective changes. You start seeing the big picture. You start seeing God’s destiny for you. You start seeing God as the One who’s bigger than the prison you’re in, bigger than your problem. This is how character works to produce hope. Hope is seeing things from God’s perspective even when everything looks bleak. Listen. Joseph’s hope was deferred for thirteen years. David was anointed king of Israel and had to wait thirteen years before he could take the throne. Paul was anointed as an apostle and had to wait thirteen years before his first missionary journey. And if that sounds like a long time to wait, remember that Abraham waited twenty-five years for the son God had promised and Moses waited forty years in the wilderness before he could fulfil God’s destiny for his life. Here’s the point: Hope deferred is not hope denied. God is with you now. You may feel shackled to grief, incarcerated by depression, locked in pain, or in a dungeon of despair, but God is still with you. He’s bringing comfort, bringing deliverance, bringing healing, and bringing answers. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (NLT). Now guess what hope produces?

3. Hope produces an appointment. Romans 5:5 says that "hope does not disappoint us." The word disappoint is the opposite of appoint. If hope doesn’t disappoint us then hope must appoint us. Hope produces appointments for you. And the appointments hope produces are divine appointments. So hang in. Don’t give up. Persevere. Because perseverance produces character, character produces hope, and hope produces a divine appointment. Praise the Lord! Hebrews 10:35_36 says, "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised" (NLT).

Here’s a truism. There are lots of starters but few finishers. Some of you here today will drop out of the race. You’ll stop running. You’ll stop attending church, stop reading the Bible, stop worshipping the Lord. It doesn’t happen all at once. It’s incremental. You start buying into the lies of the devil. You slow down. You go from a run to a jog, from a jog to a walk, from a walk to a standstill, and from a standstill to lying down.

While everything’s hunky dory, you’re happy to run with God. But then difficulties come along. You get hurt, angry, too busy, lonely, sick, depressed, fearful, sad, or whatever. Instead of persevering, you start to make excuses. You say, "I’m feeling rotten so I won’t go to church today." Now you’re jogging. But things don’t get any better so you make more excuses. You say, "I really think I need more time to myself. I think I need to take a break from my TLC Group." Now you’re walking. Because your trial still exists you keep piling up the excuses and justifying your actions. You say, "I don’t think I can face people. I’ll stay at home . . . I can always read the Bible and watch TV church." Now you’re at a standstill. You’ve stopped running the race.

An aside . . .We all get tired. Sometimes we get a little burnt out. When we get winded, we need to stop and catch our breath. We need to rest. But once we’ve had a rest, we must get back into the race. Don’t confuse the matter of rest with the need for perseverance.

Here are the two rules of perseverance: Rule 1 - take one more step. Rule 2 - when you don’t think you can take one more step, refer to rule one.

If you’re feeling weighed down with trials and tribulations and don’t feel like worshipping, working or witnessing for Christ - take one more step - worship, work and witness for Christ anyway. And if you really don’t think you can worship, work or witness for Christ - if there’s just no way you can take another step - if your pain is just too much - take one more step anyway. For when you do - when you keep on keeping on despite the trials - when you persevere through thick and thin - your character will be developed.

Here’s the good news. There’s light at the end of the tunnel. As your character’s developed, you’ll grow in hope. And as you grow in hope, you’ll finally receive what God’s promised to give you. So if you’re suffering, keep running anyway. Press on to the finish line. ". . . run in such a way that you will win" 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT). Discipline your body and keep it under control (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:27). Don’t give up. Take one more step. ". . . strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us . . ." Philippians 3:14 (NLT). For when you do - when you persevere, you’ll reach your destiny.

Joseph reached his destiny. Even though his brothers tried to thwart him, Potiphar’s wife tried to divert him, and the butler messed it up, he still won through. Joseph kept doing the right thing even though he was suffering. Joseph kept his heart right even though he was in jail.

Here’s a final truth: Only one person can delay or stop you from reaching your destiny - you - you’re the only one. But if you choose to do what’s right, if you’re obedient to God despite your circumstances, then no one can stop you reaching your destiny. Praise the Lord! Amen.

(L. Murray)