[0:00] Six words doth Russ hate. Yea, seven. Alright, let's find 2 Timothy chapter 2 tonight.
[0:12] I'm sorry, 2 Peter. It's a different book, different name. 2 Peter chapter 2. We'll read a short passage here of this chapter and then pull out a truth and then see it play out in the life of a man.
[0:38] 2 Peter chapter 2. And God is describing here future false prophets or false teachers rather and describing the damnable heresies they bring in, the things that kind of their marks about them.
[0:58] And it says at the end of verse 1 they're going to bring upon themselves swift destruction. And it says at the end of verse 3 that their judgment now of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth not.
[1:09] So God is going to punish and judge these false teachers in the end times. And to back up that statement that God's going to punish them, He gives some examples of God punishing others.
[1:20] Verse 4. For if God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them in the chains of darkness to preserve them to judgment and spared not the old world but saved Noah the eighth person a preacher of righteousness bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.
[1:37] So God not only has punished angels and they're reserved unto judgment but He also punished the world of the ungodly. And in doing that He spared Noah.
[1:48] Verse 6. And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly and delivered just Lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for that righteous man dwelling among them and seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.
[2:10] So three examples of God's punishment to back up the statement that He's going to punish them. Don't worry. God is faithful to this. And He will withhold His wrath for just a little while but He's going to let it fly when He does.
[2:23] And He describes angels didn't get away with it. The ungodly world in Noah's day didn't get away with it. And Sodom and Gomorrah did not get away with it. But in that flood He saved Noah. In that destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah He spared Lot.
[2:37] He delivered verse 7 says just Lot. And so now the principle and the truth that we can bank on verse 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and at the same time the Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.
[2:58] And then it's going to go on back into these false teachers to close out the rest of the chapter. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.
[3:10] And He knows how to make sure to reserve the unjust. He knows how to get them too. For us today we don't consider ourselves the unjust or the ungodly if we're born again and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[3:24] And we're like Lot. Even if we do vex ourselves with the filthy conversation of the wicked at times the Lord will deliver us just the same.
[3:36] The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation. And this is a principle and this is a truth that you can memorize and claim and call out before God and pray and just believe is what you can do.
[3:50] You can just believe that. That the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations. I want to take a look back in the book of Genesis at a man named Joseph and show you some things in his life that God delivered him out of.
[4:03] And that man even if he was just a young boy at the beginning of it all he didn't know what was going down but the whole way through God was with him and God delivered him. So come back to Genesis 37 and let's take a look a glimpse at the life of Joseph here and see how the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly.
[4:26] Joseph in this story that we know of him remained godly. He had a promise and some prophecies on him from a young age and he knew that he held to that he was put in some bad situations he stayed true to the Lord the Bible describes the Lord being with him and I want you to see that the Lord knows how to deliver him he knows how to deliver you even if you find yourself in similar circumstances just like Joseph.
[4:52] So in Genesis chapter 37 take a look at verse 18 I'm going to trust we know this man Joseph we know he's the son of Jacob he's got 11 older brothers or 10 older brothers I guess and perhaps I don't know if Benjamin was yet born here but Joseph is the guy that Jacob loves and for that reason his brethren envy him even the Bible says they hated him come to verse 18 it says when they saw him afar off Jacob sends him to go find his brethren they find out how they're doing and they're feeding the flocks he says when they saw him afar off even before he came near unto them they conspired against him to slay him the conspiracy is kill him let's get rid of him verse 19 and they said one to another behold this dreamer cometh come now therefore and let us slay him and cast him into some pit and we will say some evil beast hath devoured him and we shall see what will become of his dreams I think and I don't know I can't prove this but I think this is Levi and I think this is Simeon that's got this idea going on
[5:57] Reuben he didn't know about it verse 21 when he heard it he delivered him out of their hands let's not kill him later on it's Judah in verse 26 says why should we kill him there's no profit in that let's sell him and so Judah now in the order the pecking order which is a real thing is Reuben Simeon Levi Judah and those are the first four sons the big four they're always mentioned together and in order throughout the Bible and then the other ones don't seem to keep the order I kind of ran some references on this and you just don't see even when Jacob blesses his sons in Genesis 49 he doesn't put them in order the first four do but he doesn't he just mixes it up so anyway it's just just a thought there that it's those two that really are kind of stirring this up because those are the two when their sister Dinah gets into some trouble they go and conspire and just kill them all kill all the men after they're circumcised in a few chapters from here and then Jacob has nothing good to say about them when he blesses them in chapter 49 he says
[7:03] I'll just read the statement he says there Simeon and Levi are brethren instruments of cruelty are in their habitations O my soul come not thou into their secret under their assembly mine honor be not thou united for in their anger they slew a man and in their self will they dig down a wall cursed be their anger it was fierce and he says this I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel they are not going to dwell together those two brothers when they get together they've got bad intentions and bad things happen anyway that's just a thought getting back to the chapter here verse chapter 37 it says that they conspired against him to slay him to slay him now that's the intentions here I don't say that it's Judah I'm sorry I don't say that it's Reuben that that he had the idea that it's because of him only God did something here this day to deliver the godly out of death what did God do look later in verse 25 it says when they sat down to eat bread they lifted up their eyes and looked and behold a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh going to carry it down to Egypt now isn't that interesting that just in the nick of time while Joseph is in the pit here come some Ishmaelites and in verse 28 they're passed by
[8:25] Midianite merchants men and they draw them up it's no mistake that they sold Joseph to these Midianites or Ishmaelites it's also no mistake that they happened by this way that's not the reason I say this is I got the map out and looked it says that they were coming from Gilead Gilead's on the other side of Jordan however where are these shepherds at verse 17 he seeks his brethren the man said they are departed hence for I heard them say let us go to Dothan and Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dothan now maybe it's the common path but just to get an idea Egypt's down here Gilead's here Dothan's here it's north and west they were traveling northwest on their way down to Egypt maybe that's just maybe they're making a cycle maybe that's what they're doing I don't know but if they're heading to Egypt and they're on their way to Egypt Dothan is not on the way Dothan's out of the way but here they come because the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation don't you think for a minute that this is just oh wow phew
[9:37] Joseph you got away with it we weren't going to kill you with our hands but we weren't really going to let you out either until all of a sudden God brings something by and as we know this story how it unfolds this was the will of God from the beginning this was God's doing to get him down there to the future to save much people alive in the famine the Lord delivered Joseph from death not just once look down now in chapter 39 in verse 1 Joseph was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh captain of the guard an Egyptian bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites which had brought him down thither and the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian now the very next thing besides Joseph being a goodly person and well favored he gets the attention of a woman Potiphar's wife and the infamous story here where she's calling on him to lie with her and he says in verse 9 how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God
[10:49] Joseph in Egypt fearing God he's not fearing Potiphar but fearing his creator and God and she caught him by the garment in verse 12 saying lie with me and you know the story here she slanders she lies about him having his garment he flees away naked as a jaybird I don't know that's what it says I mean what a bad spot to be in and then she lies about it in verse 17 she spake unto him according to these words saying the Hebrew servant which thou hast brought unto us came in unto me to mock me and it came to pass as I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment with me and fled out and it came to pass when his master heard the words of his wife which she spake unto him saying after this manner did thy servant to me that his wrath was kindled as well it should have been if indeed he believed his wife sounds like he did and Joseph's master took him and what should he have done to him if in fact he was trying to force his wife commit adultery or rape what should he have done to this servant of his that tried to rape his wife he shouldn't have been put into the prison a place where the king's prisoners were bound where he succeeded yet more he should have been dead why do I say that why would an Egyptian be so soft with a Hebrew servant look at Proverbs chapter 6 look at Proverbs chapter 6
[12:20] God's not that soft God doesn't allow that under the law you stone them with stones if they commit something like that there's no atonement for adultery how is it that an Egyptian would be softer in his punishment I think Joseph's worthy of death here in the eyes of Potiphar but the Lord delivers him Proverbs 6 and look at verse 27 can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burned no no verse 29 so he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent verse 32 says but whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul a wound and dishonor shall he get and his reproach shall not be wiped away for jealousy that's what ought to be coming up in Potiphar when he was full of wrath jealousy is the rage of a man therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance he won't slap him on the wrist he won't just let him go to prison it says verse 35 he will not regard any ransom neither will he rest content though thou give us many gifts that is one sin that is one thing a sin against a man that it's going to be super hard for that man to overlook not to mention if you're a servant not to mention if it sounds like you were forcing or raping and so forth it seems to me that that man should have died look back at chapter 20 of Genesis and notice that
[14:03] God will kill a man for this Genesis chapter 20 when Abraham heads toward the south country he goes to Abimelech and he starts with this she's my sister talk again second time and verse number 6 Genesis 20 verse 6 God said unto him in a dream yea I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart God speaking to Abimelech for I also withheld thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her that is Abraham's wife Sarah he took her to wife and oh God got involved now therefore restore the man his wife for he is a prophet and he shall pray for thee and thou shalt live and if thou restore her not know thou that thou shalt surely die thou and all that are thine therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all early in the morning and called all his servants and told all the things in their ears the men were sore afraid
[15:11] Abimelech called Abraham and said what hast thou done unto us so God's ready to kill a man for trying to fool around or to commit adultery like that I'm just pointing out the fact that I think Joseph is worthy of death if in fact Potiphar believed his wife it does say that his wrath was kindled but God God was with him God was with Joseph in chapter 39 in verse 2 and he ends up in prison and in verse 21 of the same chapter the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison so God knoweth how to deliver the godly from death that's not all come to Genesis 41 now moving a little bit forward in this life of Joseph Genesis 41 and he's in the prison right he's there and he even interprets a few dreams the butler and the baker and they forget about him they're supposed to mention him to Pharaoh he's supposed to get out he's hoping to get out but no they forget about him he's still stuck in the prison not just in the prison but in verse 14 he's in the dungeon 41-14 then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon and he shaved himself and changed his raiment and came in unto Pharaoh and as you know the story
[16:33] Pharaoh himself had a dream the ill favored the lean fleshed kind that dream and Joseph shows up he interprets the dream and shows Pharaoh what God's about to do and so he even recommends Pharaoh you need to get somebody you need to set this thing up you need to start collecting all of this food and store it and Pharaoh decides I know who I'm going to get to do that and verse 39 Pharaoh said unto Joseph for as much as God hath showed thee all this there is none so discreet and wise as thou art thou shalt be over my house and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled only in the throne will I be greater than thou and Pharaoh said unto Joseph see I have set thee over all the land of Egypt now isn't that a big difference from the dungeon to being a governor over Egypt verse 42 Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it in Joseph's hand and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had and they cried before him bow the knee and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt and Pharaoh said unto Joseph
[17:40] I am Pharaoh and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt what a promotion what a promotion he got delivered God knows how to deliver the godly not just from death but he can deliver him from the dungeon he can deliver him out of a place where he didn't belong he didn't deserve to be but what are you going to do Joseph what are you going to do get yourself out you going to tell everybody you're innocent and I'm not saying you're locked in prison or I'm not trying to apply this literally to prison it could be but for you in life there could be you could get yourself in a situation you can't get out of and you could say it's not my fault or I just I mean it could be disease it could be issues at home or financial or it just could be whatever and there could be things that you know what God does how to deliver the godly out of the dungeon and he can restore him and put him up in a place bigger and better than he's ever imagined God would ever do Joseph did not go down to Egypt thinking
[18:42] I'm going to be ruling this land one day this is all mine Pharaoh see you in a few years bud he didn't have that thought come across his mind one moment but he did know the lord the lord knows how to deliver him from one thing from another thing let's keep moving look at chapter 46 as Joseph is ruler in this land and as the famine sets in the word gets back to his father and to his brethren and his father sends his brethren to Egypt to buy corn they run into Joseph and this is an incredible read coming through your bible it's just it's moving to read through these moments of this reunion in chapter 46 come to verse number 29 it says that Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel this is after they had come down to the land went up to meet
[19:44] Israel his father to Goshen and presented himself unto him and he fell on his neck and look it says that he wept on his neck a good while man that must have been real that must have been something Joseph to be able to wrap his arms around his daddy's neck and just weep and just cry and just be reunited after just all those years and all that pain and all that mess that he's been through never did he know and think that this was going to come to pass this way when he sees his dad I mean he's a big shot in Egypt but he's just going to cry for a while he's just going to lay it out there and you know what God can deliver the godly from this next one is from desertion from desertion he got deserted from his family they dumped him and he's with strangers he's with Midianites he's these Ishmaelites he's down there in Egypt with Potiphar he's in the dungeon with slaves and now he's with Pharaoh and now he's married with children but that's not his seed that's not his family that's not his blood he gets to meet his daddy the Lord delivered him from even being deserted and from even bearing that burden of being alone all those years the Lord knows how to deliver the godly it seemed that at the time
[21:08] I'm sure several times he'd never see him again and you may have that same thing going on it could come into your life through your family through different ways either children or parents or there's relationships severed things like that happen the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly from that very same thing from desertion from a family member leaving or from the pain that sets in at the moment the Lord knows how to take care of that just keep trusting him now look at chapter 49 and we'll come to a close here in chapter 49 well not quite but we're getting there this is the last the point of this in verse 24 no that's not it sorry it's 50 chapter 50 verse 24 the end of the book and Joseph said unto his brethren verse 24 I die and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land into the land which he swore to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from hence so Joseph died being 110 years old and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt so his bones are still in Egypt and he's dead and time begins to pass generations come and go generations come and go 430 years and come to Acts chapter 7 you can keep your place back here we're going to be in Exodus in a minute but come to Acts chapter 7 and let's pick up where Stephen is preaching and he references this man Joseph even highlighting some of these things we've just read and studied
[23:03] Acts chapter 7 and we're going to pick up Stephen's message in verse 9 Acts 7 verse 9 and the patriarchs moved with envy sold Joseph into Egypt but God was with him and delivered him isn't that it delivered him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house and there came a dearth over the land of Egypt and Canaan and great affliction and our fathers found no sustenance but when Joseph heard that there was corn in Egypt he sent out our fathers first and at the second time notice that at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh then sent Joseph and called his father Jacob to him and all his kindred threescore and fifteen souls so Jacob went down into Egypt and died he and our fathers and were carried over into Sycam and laid in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emor the father Sycam but there arose another king there in verse 18 and he knew not the Lord and verse 19 says that the same dealt subtly with kindred with our kindred and evil entreated our fathers so that they cast out their young children to the end that they might not live and then up pops Moses in which time
[24:33] Moses was born and Moses was raised up for a purpose and skim over to verse 33 he's preaching now about in Exodus 3 when God calls out to Moses from the bush and in verse 33 he says then said the Lord to him put off thy shoes from thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy ground I have seen I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt and I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them and now come I will send thee into Egypt what's God doing he's coming down to deliver his people the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation now go back to Exodus and it's chapter 13 Exodus 13 remember what Joseph said and he took an oath of him saying God's going to visit you
[25:34] God's going to deliver you and when he does you shall carry up my bones from hence and so in Exodus 13 after all those years and then after all those plagues that we could have read here in the early chapters of Exodus in chapter 13 in verse number 19 and Moses took the bones of Joseph with him for he had straightly sworn the children of Israel saying God will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones you know what Moses is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ he's a picture a type of Christ Moses shows up one time to his brethren and he's rejected and he takes off for a while and God says it's time to go to deliver them and he comes back and he brings them out it's a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ even to us the church as he came once and it was rejected but he's coming back a second time you know what God knows how to deliver the godly in Joseph's life he knows how to deliver him from death from the dungeon from desertion and even from the dirt even from the dirt because they left Egypt and guess what they had to do got to go get those bones because those bones aren't staying here and church
[26:52] God may not deliver you from cancer and he may not deliver you from trials in life but one thing I can assure you of even if you drop dead and you go down he's coming back and he's going to take you up out of that dirt he's going to call you away he's going to deliver you from this present evil world the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly he's going to deliver us one way or another you may not be able to be the ruler over Egypt you may not even get out of your prison but I can promise you this if all that doesn't happen you have hope that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for you one day he knows how to deliver you you can put your faith I told you from the beginning something you can quote you can memorize you can believe that the Lord knows how to deliver the godly and he's going to do it for me and maybe he won't deliver you from death sometimes he does sometimes he doesn't maybe he won't deliver you from that dungeon and from that thing that's just holding you down something that you didn't deserve but it's life and it got you and it's this present evil world and what else can you say maybe it's going to take you down maybe you won't ever get fixed up in your relationships maybe in this side of eternity it's just going to be what it is but that last one we can hang on to and know for a certainty that if we go under the dirt we're coming out of the dirt and if we sleep in Jesus then we're coming up first because those guys going that are alive and remain aren't going to prevent them that are asleep amen so the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly and I praise the Lord for that truth tonight and it's shown out there in the life of Joseph and may that be a blessing to you tonight a little study for you that I hope that's something that just gets inside of you and stays in there and you can take it with you let's pray
[28:44] Father we love you we love you for the truth of this book which you've promised to us in this passage and the example we've seen in the life of Joseph how step by step you were with him but no God you were far ahead of him and Lord there's truth to that you're far ahead of us and you've even proclaimed in this book what comes in the future for us and so in that sense we kind of know what's coming but Lord it's those everyday things those week by week things those trials of this life that get us and they distract us and they get a hold of our hearts and Lord sometimes we waver and sometimes we are shaken by them they weaken us but Lord I pray you'd strengthen our faith as we study the word of God and realize that the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations we know that you're going to punish the wicked and Lord we look forward to being delivered and so God I pray that this would be something to strengthen a weary soul something to strengthen a strong soul
[29:49] Lord may we just never get weak in our knees to where we cease from trustings or where we look on the circumstances on the prison on those that are lying about us on the situations we don't deserve but Lord rather let us look to the end of our faith the author and finisher the Lord Jesus Christ thank you for this time together I pray it was profitable that you'll receive the glory for it you're worthy alone and it's in Jesus name I pray Amen Amen