Encounters with God: Forgotten

• October 13, 2019

Pataskala Church of the Nazarene
Pataskala Church of the Nazarene
Encounters with God: Forgotten
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Genesis 40:23
Pastor Gary

Genesis 40:23
“The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.”

Joseph In Prison…

  • “the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” (Genesis 39:21)
  • “The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (Genesis 39:23)
  • The Cupbearer and the Baker

Joseph’s Request…

“When all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness, mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” (Genesis 40:14-15)

“The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.” (Genesis 40:23)

Joseph…

  • Stuck in prison
  • Doesn’t understand
  • God can use any experience to develop us into the kind of person He wants us to become
  • Just Wait!
  • “when it comes to building character, God is never in a hurry.” (Warren Wiersbe)

Romans 5:3-5
“but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame.”

Forgotten…Remembered

  • “When two full years had passed…” (Genesis 41:1)
  • Pharaoh’s weird dreams… 7 cows & 7 heads of grain
  • Pharaoh’s “mind was troubled.” (Genesis 41:8)
  • The cupbearer remembers Joseph
  • Joseph makes it clear that God is the interpreter, not him.
  • The dreams are interpreted… both mean the same thing
  • years of bounty followed by 7 years of famine
  • “wise and discerning” leaders were needed… Joseph was chosen

Isaiah 49:14-16

“Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’
‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.’”