Ten Deceptions of American Culture

1. Living happily ever after is my right.

2. True love will make me happy.

3. Marriage will meet all my needs.

4. My body is more important than my soul or spirit.

5. My virtual self is more important than real relationships.

6. If you are not busy you are wasting time.

7. I can have freedom without responsibility.

8. I can have character without morality.

9. Being emotionally right is more important to me than being factually correct.

10. Suffering is unfair and proves God is cruel or indifferent.

Through the injustice and suffering of Joseph, God accomplished the following both in Joseph and through Joseph:

1. Saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people during the seven-year famine.

2. Created a new people group and called them Israel.

3. Used Joseph to show Egypt and the Pharaoh that the God of the Hebrews was different from their gods.

4. Used Joseph as an example of someone who refused become a victim and blame people or God for his problems.

5. Used Joseph as an example of someone who believes God gives problems as opportunities to reveal both our character and His character.

6. Used Joseph to show us what forgiveness looks like.

7. Used Joseph to bring his brothers to true repentance through love and not law or our ability to “sheriff” the situation.

8. Used Joseph to show us that the tears and kisses of repentance are gifts from the heart and something the law can never produce.

9. Established a testimony of His power that would destroy the paganism of Egypt and led to the miracle called Passover.

10. Used Joseph to prefigure Jesus Christ and the wisdom of being kind to your enemies.

11. Used Joseph to give us the wisdom that God can turn evil into good.