Joseph

[0:00] We're talking about the man Joseph. The man Joseph. And the account of Joseph's life takes up a quarter of the book of Genesis.! One quarter of the book. We see God's care and providence right through the book.

[0:12] It's evident right through Joseph's life from go to woe. Joseph faced discouragement and disappointment through his life. And he faced it with courage and with conviction.

[0:24] And he remained faithful. He went from the pit to the palace, from rags to riches. And Joseph is an example for us of how we are to live godly and faithfully in Christ.

[0:37] We're going to pick it up from Genesis 37 verse 3. And it tells us how Israel, also known as Jacob, of course, Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age.

[0:52] And he made him a coat of many colours. We don't know what that coat looked like, but one thing we know is it was a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.

[1:13] So there's this jealousy there. Joseph's brothers grew jealous of how his father honoured him. And this got worse over time when Joseph dreamt a couple of dreams that he told his brothers of that showed him elevated in a position above his brothers.

[1:30] Joseph's name means he increases. So Joseph's faith was steadfast no matter what came his way. And God was with Joseph and he was building his character each step of the way.

[1:43] And we can maybe relate to Joseph how life can at times be filled with experiences that are not easy or pleasant. And we might even have memories of things, difficult times in our past.

[1:56] And we can think and look back on those and maybe feel regret or sadness about such times. Yet, as we look back, we can, like Joseph, I trust, know that through all of life's trials and struggles and testings that God is building us.

[2:12] He's building our character. And that's what we see in Joseph's life. He increases. We can increase in our faith, even despite those things. One of Joseph's downfalls was perhaps that he didn't keep his mouth shut.

[2:25] He blabbed about his dream and his brothers were offended. As much as in Joseph's life, we don't see really any character faults, but we could maybe think maybe there was a bit of pride there.

[2:37] Perhaps you could read into that. Really, Joseph's great gift from God was this tremendous ability to tell of dreams. But maybe he displayed that when it wasn't appropriate.

[2:51] Perhaps Joseph's pride came before a fall because he was humbled here in tragic ways, as we'll see, as the story unfolds. So early on, he faced this family strife, the hatred from his brothers.

[3:03] They conspired to even kill him. So this was very serious. We read on verse 19. And a time came when they saw Joseph coming. And they said, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

[3:16] That's Genesis 37, verse 19. And verse 20, it says, Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit. And we will say some evil beast had devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

[3:31] So they called him this dreamer. Here's the dream boy, the dreamer boy. He was just 17, one of the youngest of Jacob's children. And he learnt how to handle rejection all right here.

[3:44] He was rejected by his own family. His own flesh and blood rejected him. They plotted to kill him. Imagine that. Your own flesh and blood against you. And they decided to sell him as a slave.

[3:57] They relented from the idea of killing him. But they plotted to kill him. But then they decided to sell him as a slave. So we're just touching on some key verses.

[4:09] Of course, there's much more that we could tell of in the account. But the next verse, verse 28, says, Then there passed by Midianites' merchantmen. And they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit.

[4:21] And sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph unto Egypt. So Joseph's brothers turned him into a slave.

[4:34] Really, he was as good as dead as a slave. There was no escaping such a thing. And then they took Joseph's special coat of many colours and they put blood on it and made out that he'd been eaten by a wild animal and that he was dead.

[4:51] They deceived their father. Think of that. Such deceit. And they caused Jacob grief for many years. He was heartbroken about it. As we read in verses 34 and 35.

[5:04] Even whilst a slave to Potiphar, Joseph maintained his integrity, his godly principles of life. Despite all the hard times that he was to go through, Joseph was able to live with forgiveness and hope.

[5:17] He could have lived with a lot of bitterness. You know, you could think of times of such hard times for yourself. Sometimes bitterness hangs on. He could have been like that in how he treated life, in how he was treated by his brothers.

[5:30] But no, Joseph wasn't overcome with bitterness. Joseph's life was marked by some key principles, as we'll see unfold as the story goes on. You can see how Joseph's character was formed, even as he was under pressure.

[5:46] It's said that we can really know the depth of someone's character when we see how they act under pressure. We read James 1, verses 2 to 4. James 1, verses 2 to 4.

[5:56] It reads, My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. So we're all going to face trials or troubles through life, aren't we?

[6:09] Could be trials of many kinds. James says we can know joy even in such a time of testing, because God is developing us, our perseverance.

[6:20] God can use all types of trials and adversities to examine or prove us for good. Later when we look back through life, we look back at where we've come from, and we see, we can look back and we think, God was with me there.

[6:35] God was there with me, leading me, guiding me, helping me through, seeing me through those times, proving me, making me stronger through these testing times. It says in 39, verse 2, that Joseph served in the house of Potiphar.

[6:51] So he was taken to Egypt. Potiphar took him into his service. This noble man of Egypt, he was a prominent man, connected with Pharaoh. The first thing we see is prosperity.

[7:03] First notice, there's a few Ps. First one is prosperity. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

[7:14] Notice it says Joseph was a prosperous man. At that time in his life, Joseph was a slave. He was a servant. Even here, he had no income, no house or family.

[7:25] He was without property. He was a slave in bondage. Yet, it says he was counted as prosperous. Now, don't get me wrong. We're not preaching the prosperity gospel in this church.

[7:36] We don't believe that God necessarily makes us prosperous in material terms. But it's interesting. Here's Joseph. He's a servant. He's a slave. It's interesting that this verse shows us where real prosperity is found, isn't it?

[7:51] We can be poor in this world but rich in faith. It says of Joseph, here he was in bondage, yet God calls him and counts him a prosperous man.

[8:03] Friends, the truth is that prosperity is not in things. Prosperity is not in possessions or material things. Joseph's prosperity was this, that the Lord was with him.

[8:15] The Lord was with him, which is a recurring theme. Of Joseph, it says that the Lord was with him. That's what made him prosperous. That's what made him a success in God's eyes.

[8:26] And that's what matters, doesn't it? Maybe in the world's eyes, Joseph didn't look like much of a success. But in God's eyes, he was prosperous. He was a prosperous man. God counts real prosperity, real wealth, real substance.

[8:39] Substance and success is something that is deep and abiding. Really, it's faith. It's faith that made the difference. It's faith that makes us prosperous in what matters, in terms of the richness of our faith.

[8:56] That's the prosperity, isn't it? That's your strength. And it's your trust in Christ that sees you through and helps you to be strong and successful in what matters, in what counts.

[9:08] The world counts prosperity in terms of counting the lots of goods or shadows and material things that are around about you. But what really counts, people today, what really counts is faith.

[9:20] It's faith. It's that trust, that inner trust, that inner strength that is faith. Now, God counts real prosperity as something that's deep and abiding, that abundance of faith.

[9:31] We read in Psalm 1 verse 3 that it tells of the one that shall prosper. It says in Psalm 1 verse 3 of the blessed man, And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season.

[9:45] His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. That's the true blessing. As you're abiding by the rivers of water, the word of God, as you're feeding on that source for your soul.

[9:58] God will bring blessing as we abide in his word. Likewise, it's said of Joshua. Joshua 1 verse 8, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein, day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.

[10:15] For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, then shalt thou have good success. That's Joshua 1 verse 8. So that's what Joseph had, isn't it? His way was prosperous because he was in God's way.

[10:31] He was in God's will. He had the word. He had that personal faith, that consistent faith, that trust, no matter what, that godly conviction that held him steady and saw him through.

[10:41] So faith saw him overcome all these obstacles, those horrible things, those difficult times that he was to encounter. Faith saw him overcome all of that.

[10:53] How about you? Maybe there's been some tough things. Maybe there's things you've experienced that have been difficult. Maybe you're about to face yet more. More challenges, more hardships, struggles, testing, setbacks, sad things.

[11:09] They could happen. They do happen. But one thing's for sure. God will help you. As he was with Joseph, he will be with you. God will help you through. He'll help you to stand strong, to be prosperous in what really matters, to be successful in what really counts.

[11:25] And that's faith. The life that is strong is a life that's built on the rock. As the Lord talks about his word being like the foundation.

[11:36] A life can be built on the rock, that foundation that stands, the foundation of God's word. Not on the shifting sands of the world. We don't build our lives on those, but on the rock.

[11:49] Our faith, our trust in his word, in him. Genesis 39.4, it reads on, And Joseph found grace in his sight. He found grace in Potiphar's sight, it says.

[11:59] And he served him. And Potiphar, it says, made him overseer over his house. And all that he had, he put into his hand. That's Genesis 39.4. So Joseph faithfully served in this humble role.

[12:13] And in all of his menial tasks that he had to do. He just served faithfully. He did it without grumbling. It says he did it in such a way that it was appreciated.

[12:27] You can understand, as it says in the New Testament, how we should serve. To serve heartily as unto the Lord. That's how Joseph served. And God blessed him, it says. And the master of the house.

[12:38] And Potiphar gave him this special, important role. Looking after all the property. Looking after all the important tasks. Leading the other servants of the place, of the home. So he had prosperity.

[12:49] God blessed him. He had prosperity, number one. Secondly, he had purity. Purity marked the life of Joseph. Purity. Here was Joseph in Potiphar's house.

[13:00] And now Potiphar's wife started to make romantic advances to him. And that was sinful. That was wrong. Because she was married to another man. And Joseph spurned the advances of Potiphar's wife.

[13:13] Joseph said, no. Joseph said, no. And she said, come and be with me. He said, no. The woman was persistent. She kept nagging him. Harping on, bugging him.

[13:24] We pick it up in Genesis 39, verse 10. And it reads, Genesis 39, verse 10. And it came to pass as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her or to be with her.

[13:39] And it came to pass about this time that Joseph went into the house to do his business. And there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, lie with me.

[13:52] And he left his garment in her hand and fled and got him out. Joseph said, I'm not going to. I'm going to do that which is right. So Joseph had to escape.

[14:03] And he did that. He did what the Bible says, to flee, to run away from sinful things. And when he refused her, she accused him. Potiphar's wife reckoned that he had abused her, taken advantage of her.

[14:15] She made up this false accusation. She wrongfully accused Joseph. And so Joseph was framed. And they sent him to the king's prison. It's a wonder they didn't kill him, actually.

[14:26] But maybe because of his reputation in Potiphar's house, they just put him in prison rather than killing him. So here's Joseph. He'd done nothing wrong. He had done everything right.

[14:38] And here he was, wrongfully accused. And so Joseph had another tough time ahead of him. Here he was, a man of integrity. He'd refused temptation. He'd resisted it.

[14:49] And now he was falsely accused by this woman and cast into prison. And he was three years there. This was no short time. Three years for something he never had done.

[15:01] You can imagine what it would have been like. A prison of Egypt's time. An awful place. Dingy, dark, smelly. A rugged place. Maybe there were rats there.

[15:12] Not much food. An awful place. Three years falsely accused. Innocent of the charges in these hard conditions. What did Joseph do? He maintained his faith in God.

[15:26] You know, when you have a setback, be like Joseph. He just bounced back. There was a setback after setback. Joseph bounced back and bounced back. He maintained his faith in God.

[15:38] He didn't let it overcome him. He didn't let it overwhelm him. Now, sometimes people have these times where their faith gets tested and it's almost like they just get overwhelmed.

[15:50] But you can be like Joseph and stand strong even though your faith gets tested. Joseph determined to live righteously whatever situation that he found himself in. So we see Joseph marked by prosperity.

[16:04] That blessedness of faith. And then we see not only that but he was marked by purity when testing came. And also he was marked by power. Thirdly, there was power in his life.

[16:16] It says in Genesis 39 verse 21, it says, Pick it up there in Genesis 39 verse 21.

[16:27] It tells us, So here he was, Joseph, in prison. He showed the power of faith, of courage, of faithfulness, of leadership.

[16:42] He didn't give way to despair even in the prison house. It says there the Lord was with Joseph. Notice that, verse 21. But the Lord was with Joseph. That's what makes the difference.

[16:54] That's what made the difference for Joseph. That's what makes the difference for you. Brother, sister, it says the Lord was with Joseph. That's what makes the difference. And it makes a difference for you in your life, in your workplace, in your home life, in your everyday life.

[17:09] The Lord is with you. He is your strength. Wherever you go, whether it be the pit, whether you're in a prison or whether you're in a palace, as happened for Joseph ultimately.

[17:19] That's what makes you prosperous. The Lord is with you. That's what makes you a prosperous man, a prosperous woman, because the Lord is with you, that you're truly prosperous in your soul. That's what helps you also to have purity.

[17:33] That's what gives you power. Verse 21. But the Lord was with Joseph. So here he was. He showed courage, conviction, and faith. And Joseph did not give way to despair.

[17:44] Joseph had every right to grumble. You might say, well, I've got a right to be grumpy because of this or that that's happened to me, to get bitter and twisted and maybe all mean and nasty about what life's dealt your way.

[18:00] Joseph could have been like that. He could have got really warped and wounded and frustrated and angry. He could have become an angry man, a bitter man, a hateful, resentful man. But no, Joseph showed the courage.

[18:12] He soldiered on. He soldiered on and he was granted responsibility even in the prison. Think of that, the blessing that happened to Joseph. Just as it happened in Potiphar's house, as a slave, he was granted responsibility.

[18:25] Why? Because God was with him. Now God gives him favour again in the prison house with these others. We see the power that was evident in his life. What was that power? It was the power of character.

[18:37] It was the power of purity that he resisted temptation. He had the power of influence. Wherever he was, people recognised there was something about Joseph. There was something special here. Joseph was granted responsibility within the prison.

[18:51] Verse 23, Genesis 39, 23. It reads on, The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand. Everything that was under Joseph's hand, the prison keeper knew that Joseph had it under control.

[19:06] Joseph was managing it. It says, Because, again, because, notice, because the Lord was with him. And that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

[19:18] God was with him. God was with Joseph. Brother, sister, if you're a believer, if you're a believer today, God is with you. Know that this morning. God is with you. And God gave Joseph a favour with others.

[19:30] The power of character, the power of influence and also spiritual power. God gave Joseph spiritual power. Of course, he had that miraculous ability to interpret dreams. And then we read on, as you know the story, again, I'm picking here and there from what happened, that Joseph then started to interpret the dreams of his fellow prisoners who had these different dreams.

[19:54] They didn't know what it meant. And Joseph interpreted and he gave glory to God. It was God that gave him the ability and gave the meaning of what was going to happen. God was showing Joseph what would happen in the future and it came to pass.

[20:09] So by God's power, Joseph interpreted for these two fellow prisoners, these two dreams, and he said, let the king know, let Pharaoh know, but two years passed and he was forgotten.

[20:22] And then Joseph was caught on to interpret the king's dream. they were prompted and came to Pharaoh and explained that Joseph had this ability and Pharaoh had a dream and he wanted to find out the meaning of it.

[20:36] So we read on Genesis 41 from verse 38, and Pharaoh said unto his servants, he'd had this dream and he said, can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?

[20:48] Joseph interpreted the dream and so Pharaoh saw that. Verse 39, And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, for as much as God has showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art.

[21:01] 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. So here's Joseph taken before the Pharaoh interprets his dream.

[21:16] Pharaoh recognizes the wisdom of the spirit of God in Joseph and he elevates him as he recognizes Joseph's worth. Pharaoh recognized Joseph and the Pharaoh of Egypt then appoints Joseph to be the prime minister of the land, effectively second in charge under him.

[21:36] So despite the many disappointments of his life, Joseph attained honor and respect, power and influence, appointed over all the land of Egypt. We see that, verse 41, it reads on, Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have sent thee over all the land of Egypt.

[21:53] And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand and he arrayed him in vestures of fine linen. He put a gold chain around his neck and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had and they cried before him, Bow the knee, bow the knee as he went forward in the chariot and it says, Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over all the land of Egypt.

[22:16] So here we see God's blessing again of the man Joseph, of his godly character. He was clothed by Pharaoh. He'd been in rags in the prison and now he had the Pharaoh's garments.

[22:30] What an amazing transformation from the pit to the palace, from rags to riches, taken to the very palace of the king and made second only unto Pharaoh in rulership of Egypt.

[22:44] It's interesting the three articles of clothing through Joseph's life that stand out. First, he had a coat of many colours, didn't he? It showed the love of his father.

[22:55] It showed how he was favoured and recognised by his father the coat of many colours. Second, we see his cloak was left with Potiphar's wife, the woman who took it from him as he had to tear himself away from her and she just tore it back off him, off his back.

[23:11] the cloak left as he stood for purity, as he stood for righteousness, as he stood for holiness. And then we see thirdly, he's clothed in the vestures of fine linen given to him by the very king, given the Pharaoh's ring and this beautiful garment.

[23:29] So God's blessing is there, pictured in those garments, those vestures, those garments that he wore. God's blessing was on Joseph, not necessarily material, it's not about that, but it was faith.

[23:44] It was faith. The blessing of knowing who you belong to, that's yours today, that belief, the blessing of knowing who you belong to, to knowing that Christ has shed his blood for you, knowing that he's taken your place, he's taken your sin, he's paid for your penalty, your shame, every bit of your guilt.

[24:01] That's true prosperity today and you can know that by faith if you've yet to trust Christ. That's prosperity, that knowing that you're saved, knowing that you've got an eternal destiny, knowing that you've got faith in the Saviour, the one and only Saviour of the world, the only one who can take away your sin and make you brand new on the inside and give you an eternal home and everlasting life.

[24:22] That's real prosperity, that's true blessing and that's God's favour and purity where you want to do right and be right. The one who has saved you, has ransomed you, you'll make the right choices.

[24:36] God helping you to live in righteousness and to live your life for his glory and he'll grant you power just as he granted Joseph the power of character, the power of faith, the power of integrity.

[24:48] So God used Joseph in a powerful way. There was power there. So Joseph and his life, as we recap quickly, was marked by godly character, marked by prosperity. God was with him, that's what made him prosperous.

[25:01] His life was marked by purity. He chose to leave the sinful thing and his life was marked by power and also, fourthly, Joseph's life was marked by providence.

[25:12] We see that in Genesis 41, verse 55. We see the providence of God. Genesis 41, verse 55, it reads, And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph, what he saith to you, do.

[25:35] So of course, the context here, Joseph had interpreted the Pharaoh's dream that there was going to be seven years of plenty, then seven years of famine. And Joseph had urged Pharaoh to store the grain from the plentiful years to be ready for the years of famine.

[25:52] Pharaoh then appointed Joseph to take care of all that. We see God's providence here. We see the providence of God. It was evident through God's leading of Joseph and the nation and God's nation of Israel.

[26:06] They were protected. They were saved. In this worldwide famine, this lack of food, this terrible drought and lack of provision, yet God made provision.

[26:20] God made provision through Joseph. It was evident through God's leading of Joseph and of God's provision for his people through Joseph. So we see God's providence leading Joseph.

[26:34] It was a feature throughout his life, really, God's providence. Think of it for yourself, the things that God has done for you, the things that God has given for you. We can look back and be thankful for the providence of God, of his care for us, even in the most difficult of times, of seasons.

[26:49] And it's all for his glory and for our good, the care of God. So we may think of ourselves, of tough experiences in life. Maybe, and it's easy, it's natural to say, where is God when things are going tough?

[27:04] Joseph could have thought that. He could have thought that when he was in the pit, when his brothers hated him and he virtually was given up for dead, when they sold off Joseph like property, like he was a cattle or something to the slave traders.

[27:17] Joseph could have given up then. Joseph could have given up, but he hung on. He hung on to the promises of God. He knew that God was doing something. He knew what God had shown him.

[27:29] He knew there was going to be future blessing. He kept on hanging on to the promises of God. And we have the promises of God and they are yay and amen. Amen? Exceeding great and precious promises.

[27:39] We've got all the promises of God. Between the leather covers of our Bibles, we've got the promises of God. And the promises of God can be in our hearts. And sometimes we can think, where is God? But God was really working.

[27:51] He was working all the time. He was working behind the scenes. The Lord is working. He is providing. We see his providence in the time to come. We may not always see it in the present, but God is working out his perfect plan to that ultimate end.

[28:07] We don't always understand in the present, but one day we'll understand. Even if it's when we get to glory, we look back. Yeah. Oh, that makes sense now. What God was doing.

[28:18] God is working out his ultimate plan, isn't he? And even in the great adversities of our lives, God's helping us. He's strengthening us. We're learning from that. He's working out his perfect plan.

[28:30] So God had placed Joseph in this place of power as prime minister, in effect, of Egypt. He'd given him the wisdom to store the grain God had provided through Joseph to save his chosen people.

[28:44] What happened next was that Joseph's brethren came. Of course, they had come to Egypt to get grain. Egypt was the only place they could get food. And now Joseph revealed himself to his brethren.

[28:56] I'm going to cut it down a bit to the core points, but it came to a place and a time where he stood before them. Of course, he was Egyptian in appearance.

[29:07] And he spoke through an interpreter, even though he could understand what they were saying. And eventually, he came to that place where he revealed himself unto them. And he says, I am Joseph, your brother.

[29:19] What a shock that would have been. Can you imagine? What a shock that, oh no! They would have been so terrified, you could imagine. In chapter 45, verses 4 through 8, it says, Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you.

[29:35] And they came near and he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now they thought they'd never lay eyes on Joseph again. Imagine the guilt they would have felt inside how they had treated him.

[29:49] They'd not cared about his cries or his anguish. But Joseph then tried to reassure them to ease their minds that he was forgiving towards them. Joseph had the power of grace as well, didn't he?

[30:02] Verse 5, he says, Now therefore, be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you sold me here. For God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years have the famine been in the land and yet there are five years in the which there shall neither be earring nor harvest.

[30:20] Joseph knew there was still some time yet to come, five more years of this famine. And verse 7, it reads, What about you and me?

[30:46] Do we stop and think of God's providence, God's goodness and faithfulness? Joseph saw, hey, it's God that sent me here. It wasn't you. It was God that sent me here.

[30:57] It's God that's done all this, that he would bring a great deliverance through all of this. He saw the faithfulness. He saw the goodness of God. He saw the providence of God. And so he showed the forgiveness and the grace to his brothers.

[31:10] They didn't deserve it. They didn't deserve any of that. Here's Joseph. He's about 30 years old, second in command to Pharaoh in the Egyptian government.

[31:20] He could have been really mean. He had virtually sovereign power. He could have issued a decree and gotten thrown into jail and throw away the key or made their life a misery.

[31:31] He could have taken their lives. But what did he do? He showed grace. What about you and me? Those mean and nasty people in your life? You might know some names. Some names might come to mind.

[31:43] You think, oh, they don't deserve anything of my forgiveness. But Joseph showed grace, didn't he? He showed grace. Forgiveness. Like Christ. Like Christ, he suffered.

[31:54] He blessed. He forgave. Even the ones killing him. Father, forgive them. What grace. What grace. All sufficient grace. Marvelous grace.

[32:05] Matchless grace. Joseph was a saviour in a sense to his nation. He was a deliverer of his people. And our Lord Jesus provides, doesn't he?

[32:15] He shows such grace to such as we, to such as me, even me. Joseph recognised that even when his brothers had treated him so dastardly and really hurt him so badly, in all of that, God was working.

[32:31] God was working. Brother, sister, those tough things that are happening, God's working in it. God's working in it. Verse 20, it reads, Genesis 50, verse 20.

[32:43] He sums it up here. But as for you, you thought it evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

[32:57] Joseph saw that, yes, okay, some bad things have happened, but God meant it for good. You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. What matters is not so much the events or circumstances of life, but your response to them.

[33:15] Be like Joseph. Say, yeah, okay, it wasn't easy, but God's helping me. God's doing good out of this. He's going to use it for good. Even when others intended for evil, God was working because God meant it for good.

[33:31] God meant it for good. So maybe for you, through your life, you think of awful things that have happened. Maybe there's yet more awful things, but God's going to mean it for good.

[33:41] God's going to help you see the good of it. He's going to bring something good out of all of it, whatever you've been through. We can thank God. We can even thank God even in that. Thank God that we can have wisdom, we can have grace, we can be like the forgiving Joseph for even those that we know they don't deserve it.

[34:02] They don't deserve anything, but neither do we. Really? Do we? It's all by his grace. All by his grace. You can be stronger for those things, those tests, and God can bless others through you.

[34:16] God will bring good out of evil. That's an amazing thought, isn't it? Just like he did with Joseph. All of those events and circumstances that he went through. What matters is not so much those things, but our response to them.

[34:32] Our response to them. Joseph's response wasn't to get all bitter and twisted and nasty and hard, but he was used by God to bless others and even to extend forgiveness and grace.

[34:45] And he responded with grace to those things, to his brothers, to those situations. And wherever he was, whether it was in the prison, whether it was in Potiphar's service, he was wise and godly.

[34:58] God worked in his life as much as every man has failings. God worked in Joseph and he was an example. He is an example. And just so are we to be an example.

[35:12] I like how 1 Timothy 4.12 says, Be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation or your way of life, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

[35:27] Paul says, Timothy, be an example. What about you and me? Can we say, Lord, help me to be like Joseph. Help me to have those godly traits, the way that he lived.

[35:38] Let me live so. To apply those truths of being an example in what I say, how I live, what I believe, what I do, in my spirit, in purity.

[35:50] Let's follow Joseph's righteous example. God will give you the strength to say no as Joseph had, to say no to temptation, to sin, to no, to compromise, to say yes to God, to say yes to his will, even if it include tough things, even if it include difficult things.

[36:14] Say yes unto God and follow Joseph's righteous example. Our God is able. You can trust God's plan for your life, even though you don't know really quite what it is.

[36:25] it's still being worked out, isn't it? Sometimes you don't know. It's like, I think, it's a bit like Abraham. He went out not knowing where he was going. The Christian life's a bit like that sometimes.

[36:38] Just go out, not knowing where you're going, but trusting the one that you're following, that you're following him and you're open to his leading, to his will, to his guidance. Our God is able and your God is Joseph's God.

[36:50] Your God is Joseph's God. Our God is able to deliver us from sin, to save our soul, to give us eternal life, as unworthy as we are, as we trust him for our saving.

[37:04] We can know true prosperity, the prosperity of the soul. You can be made fat in your soul, as it were. You can have a soul that is filled, a soul that is full, a soul that is overflowing.

[37:17] You can have that true prosperity on the inside of you. You can have purity. God helping you to resist evil. You can have power. The power of God.

[37:28] The power that Joseph had is God's power, wasn't it? As they saw in him. Even Pharaoh said, the spirit of God is in him. The power of God was manifest. And then we see the providence that featured in Joseph's life.

[37:42] How God has provided. How God has provided. Your salvation and his ongoing leading. The providence of God. It's here. His promises.

[37:54] The providence of God. Brother, sister, believe it. Believe it. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you that as you led Joseph, so you lead us. And Lord, as we saw Joseph's life was twisting and turning at times.

[38:07] There was times in the pit, in the prison, yet ultimately he ended up in the palace. Lord, we thank you that you blessed Joseph and you present Joseph for us as that example of how even when evil is intended, God, you bring good out of it.

[38:24] Lord, we trust you. We pray each one might know the trust that saves, that trust in Christ as saviour, that we might know that faith that saves, that faith that says, you died for me.

[38:35] I trust you. I receive your gift of eternal life. And Lord, help us to walk in that faith that will live the life of faith, that you'll help us to have increasing faith. Just as Joseph means he increases, Lord, we can pray, increase our faith, increase our faith that we'll be more faithful, more filled with your grace and extend it to others, even those that we know are undeserving of it.

[39:02] Yet, Lord, so are we, undeserving of all your forgiveness, of all your grace, of all your goodness. Lord, help us to apply these things, we pray in Jesus' name.

[39:12] Amen.