JOSEPH'S LIFE IN THE PIT!   THE PIT! Genesis 37:23-24 “And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.” Introduction: 99% of the time when you hear the word “pit” it is used describing something bad. The word “pit” is found 83 times in the Bible. You never hear someone say, “I want to live in a pit, or I love being in a pit.” Instead they say, “I like it when things are going smooth, or when everything is okay.” Examples of Pit. WWII the Jews being slaughtered and then being thrown into a pit. In the Vietnam War when POW were thrown into a pit and tortured. Pits were sometimes used as dungeons as in Jeremiah 38:6 "Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire." We have all been in the pit if we are being completely honest with one another. Maybe it was the pit of doubt, or the pit of despair, or the pit of hatred, or the pit of alcohol, or the pit of homosexuality, or the pit of gossip, or the pit of depression, or the pit of drugs, or the pit of laziness, or the pit of gluttony, or the pit of disobedience to parents, or the pit of lust, or the pit of pride, the list is endless. The fact is we’ve all been in a pit. Maybe not in the same one, but we know what it is like in the pit. All of these pits have the similar characteristics. Let’s begin by looking at… I. The Condition OF the Pit The word pit is set as a trap for the believer by the world. 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Psalms 35:7 “For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.” Proverbs 22:14 “The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.” Proverbs 23:27 “For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.” What pit are you about to fall in today? Let’s look at how the Bible describes the pit. 1-Lonely-----------Genesis 37:24 2-Dry---------------Genesis 37:24;Zec 9:11 3-Wilderness------Genesis 37:22 4-Bars--------------Job 17:16 5-Down------------Job 33:24:Ps 28:1 6-Darkness--------Job 33:28 7-Horrible---------Ps 40:2 8-Destruction-----Ps 55:23 9-Draining--------Ps 88:4 10-Deep-------------Pr 22:14 11-Narrow---------Pr 23:27 12-Corruption-----Isa 38:17 13-Hoplesness-----Isa 38:18 14-Death-----------Isa 51:14 15-Fear-------------Jerm 48:43 16-Bottomless-----Rev 9:1 The pit is designed to destroy you. The pit is designed to wreck and ruin your life and family. II. The Challenges IN the Pit There are three main challenges while being in the pit. Most everything that you will face there can fall into one of these categories. 1-The Physical Challenges Jesus faced this same challenge in Luke 4:2-4 “Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” The first thing that the pit is designed do is to break you down physically. As long as your stomach is full and you are healthy, it is much harder to have any great impact upon you in the other two areas. In Psalms 88:4 David said, “I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:” 2-The Mental Challenges Look at the conditions of the pit-dark, deep, lonely, bars, horrible, etc all work to break down the mind. This is the second thing that is attacked the mind. Once the mind goes the last stage is much easier to have victory over. In Psalms 69:15 David said, “Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.” This is why it is of the utmost importance to “…bring every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 3-The Spiritual Challenges Jesus himself in his pit on the cross cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” This is where we will be challenged the most while in the pit. This is the target of sin and the Devil. Psalm77 David begins this Psalm crying. He is defeated both physically, and mentally. But in the later part he remembers God’s mercy. Psalms 40:2 “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” III. The Cure FROM the Pit Job 14:1 “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” *Most of the time when we find ourselves in a pit, it is because of sin in our lives or a spiritual condition that we need to work on. Three ways that we turn to try and CURE ourselves from the pit, but only one will deliver us out of the pit. 1-TURN INWARD This is when we try and handle it ourselves. In fact this is what the world teaches. That we are our own gods. Just look inward to handle any problem we have. I read the other day on the Super Chicks (CCM) website and someone had written in and said that they were contemplating suicide and their advice was to “hang on it will get better.” Remember The condition of the pit. We think we can handle it. Joseph could not help himself out of the pit; Daniel was in a lion’s den and couldn’t get himself out. The three Hebrew children where in a fiery furnace and could not help themselves out. Jonah was in a whale’s belly and could not help himself out. Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Why in God’s name do we think we can pull ourselves out of the pit, when these great men of God couldn’t? We think we have it under control. Jonah was so far gone that he went to sleep in his pit. Jonah 1:5b “…But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.” The longer we wait the worse it gets. The longer that we wait to get out of the pit and the longer we try and get out on our own the further we sink. Jonah 1:13 “Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.” That is the way it is with quicksand. The more you fight it, the deeper you go. The longer you try and handle the pit on your own, the deeper you go. We affect others around us. Jonah 1:7-8 “And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?” Some refuse to be helped. Genesis 37:35 “And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.” This use to be my life verse when our son died. I refused to be helped by anyone. Depression, suicide, giving up and giving in become our only option. Jonah 1:12 “And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.” There is no good thing within us to save ourselves. Psalms 14:3 “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” 2-TURN OUTWARD Some don’t turn inward instead they turn outward. Neither is the answer to the problem. Psychologist and physiatrist tell us to look inward and to reach out and find help from others. This is the world’s thinking and it is straight from hello. Remember: -The condition of the pit. It’s alone, all alone. You cannot reach up; neither can someone else reach down. -No one in and of themselves can help you get out of the pit completely. Genesis 37:25a “And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelite ...” It looked like Joseph was going to be rescued, but he wasn’t. It must have appeared that his ship had come home, but to his surprise it was just setting sail. At the most, all that others can do is to put a band aid on a gunshot wound, and what good is that? -Most people have their own pits to get out of. Genesis 19:26 Lot’s wife had her own pit and died in it. “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” How can someone in the pit themselves help others out of the pit? They cannot because it is impossible. It’s only when you have been rescued by God out of the pit, that you can direct them to the One who help you out. -Hopeless and helpless. David found no hope or help in others. Psalms 69:20 “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” -The world has nothing but hatred to offer. Psalms 109:3 “They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.” -Other will blame you and say you desire what you get. John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Psalms 109:25 “I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.” Remember Job's “friends.” -Your family and friends will forsake you. David was running from his own son, Jesus’ own people crucified Him on a cross. Psalms 142:4 “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” An outward look to others will only lead you to more heartache. 3-TURN UPWARD Remember: -The condition of the pit. With conditions like these, only a super natural person could help. The only place that one can look for help when they are in the pit is up. God is our only help in time of need. God alone is our Saviour. -Realize that God loves us in the pit. God has not forgotten about us in the pit. He did not get busy with other things and “misplaced” us. In Romans 5:8 it says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” -God is not finished with you. Regardless of why you’re in the pit, God is still working on you and in you. Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” God has a plan for your life just like Joseph’s. He is not done with you. He has not given up on you. He is going to see that His will is carried out in your life. -God will hear your cry. Jonah 2:1-2 “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.” Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” -There is no pit to deep for God‘s help. Romans 8:31 “…If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” -There is no pit that is too deep to separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Psalms 40:2 “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Closing: Jesus is the cure for any pit you find or get yourself into. Jesus is the cure for all of man’s problems. Jesus is the cure for this world’s problems. There is no cure outside of Jesus Christ. Come to Jesus just the way you are.