WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.960 2 Corinthians 12, starting in verse 7, about 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:06.419 halfway through, through verse 10. This is the 00:00:06.419 --> 00:00:32.170 Word of God. It says, Therefore, I love this 00:00:32.170 --> 00:00:36.469 next phrase, I will most gladly boast all the 00:00:36.469 --> 00:00:39.789 more about my weaknesses so that Christ's power 00:00:39.789 --> 00:00:43.990 may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, 00:00:44.250 --> 00:00:49.289 insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties 00:00:49.289 --> 00:00:54.369 for the sake of Christ. Listen to this, for when 00:00:54.369 --> 00:00:59.530 I am weak, then I am strong. Let me be seated. 00:01:00.310 --> 00:01:03.149 That was a verse that I've been wrestling with 00:01:03.149 --> 00:01:05.049 a lot over the last month, and as I started wrestling 00:01:05.049 --> 00:01:07.329 with it, immediately I saw this passage in Genesis 00:01:07.329 --> 00:01:10.209 41. I was like, that's it. That's the week we're 00:01:10.209 --> 00:01:14.650 reading that in service. This is the week. Because 00:01:14.650 --> 00:01:16.310 friends, if I'm honest, that concept is kind 00:01:16.310 --> 00:01:18.290 of an uncomfortable concept for us, right? I 00:01:18.290 --> 00:01:21.310 take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, 00:01:21.510 --> 00:01:24.519 persecutions, and in difficulties. I don't know 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:26.000 about you, but when something's hard at work 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:28.200 or something's hard at home or maybe something's 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:29.939 hard at school, I don't typically say, like, 00:01:29.939 --> 00:01:33.019 I take pleasure in that. I love when something's 00:01:33.019 --> 00:01:35.120 hard. Like, I just started writing my dissertation 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:38.159 a few weeks ago, and within the first 24 hours, 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:41.140 I hit writer's block. And I did not take pleasure 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:44.379 in it and say, this is the best thing ever. No, 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:46.519 instead, I took pleasure last week when that 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:47.879 writer's block went away and it all just started 00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:50.040 flowing. We don't typically take pleasure in 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:53.590 difficulty. But I think what we're going to see 00:01:53.590 --> 00:01:57.790 today in Genesis 41 is a great reminder of the 00:01:57.790 --> 00:02:00.290 importance of taking pleasure in weaknesses and 00:02:00.290 --> 00:02:03.189 hardships and persecutions and in difficulties. 00:02:04.469 --> 00:02:06.430 Because friends, without all the weakness and 00:02:06.430 --> 00:02:08.830 hardship that Joseph's gone through, then Genesis 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:14.569 41, 37 through 57 never happens. It never takes 00:02:14.569 --> 00:02:18.270 place. If Joseph's never sold into slavery, he's 00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:21.680 never in Egypt in the first place. If Joseph's 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:23.919 never falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, he 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:26.699 never goes to prison. If he never goes to prison, 00:02:26.740 --> 00:02:29.180 he never meets the cupbearer and the chief baker 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:33.740 and never interprets their dreams. If he never 00:02:33.740 --> 00:02:35.979 interprets their dreams, then the chief cupbearer 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:38.939 can't forget about him for two years. It's another 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:44.460 hardship, right? But if the chief cupbearer never 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:46.539 forgets about him, the chief cupbearer can never 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:49.900 remember him like we saw last week. Which means 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:51.300 then that Joseph never would have been called 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:53.539 on to come and to interpret this dream on behalf 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:57.419 of God that Pharaoh has. And if none of that 00:02:57.419 --> 00:02:59.719 happens, then none of what we see in Genesis 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:03.939 41, 33 through 36 happens. Where we see how Joseph 00:03:03.939 --> 00:03:06.479 proposes what should be done. You know, Pharaoh, 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:07.939 here's your great dream that you've had, but 00:03:07.939 --> 00:03:10.479 this is what needs to happen. Because he never 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:11.840 would have been in the position to speak with 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:16.360 the wisdom that God and God alone gave. And if 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:19.080 that stuff never happens, then we never get to 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:22.699 verse 37. If all of those difficulties, all those 00:03:22.699 --> 00:03:24.759 hardships, all those pains, all those persecutions, 00:03:24.780 --> 00:03:28.340 all those times where Joseph did the right thing 00:03:28.340 --> 00:03:32.139 and got the wrong result, if those hadn't happened, 00:03:32.219 --> 00:03:37.000 we never get to where we are in Genesis 41, 37 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:41.699 through 57. Today we're going to see how God 00:03:41.699 --> 00:03:44.719 uses the trials that Joseph has gone through. 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:48.099 to position him and to equip him for what he 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:51.919 is fundamentally called to do. Our main point 00:03:51.919 --> 00:03:54.900 for today kind of mirrors that God uses trials 00:03:54.900 --> 00:04:02.240 in our lives to shape us. No one enjoys going 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:05.300 through difficulty. No one enjoys watching that 00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:07.000 family member have a stroke and have to come 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.860 back to where they were through rehab efforts. 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:12.900 No one enjoys seeing that family member going 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:17.579 through chemotherapy. Friends, all throughout 00:04:17.579 --> 00:04:20.699 that, God is teaching us and shaping us, drawing 00:04:20.699 --> 00:04:23.699 us closer to him, giving us unique opportunities 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:27.000 to bring the gospel forth to other people, giving 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:29.420 us unique places where we can grow closer to 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:32.139 God, because God uses our trials in our lives 00:04:32.139 --> 00:04:35.519 to shape us. And so as we jump into Genesis 41, 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:37.319 let me ask you first to turn back to Genesis 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:40.120 41 if you have not done that yet. Let me also 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:43.220 ask you to check out verses 37 through 41 with 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:47.339 me. Remember, Joseph's gone through all of these 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:49.980 different trials. And finally, as Joseph sees 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:51.360 like maybe a light at the end of the tunnel, 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:53.420 at least he's out of prison. He's gotten to shave 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:55.399 and change his clothes and all these things that 00:04:55.399 --> 00:04:58.339 maybe he wasn't getting to do in prison. In the 00:04:58.339 --> 00:05:01.339 midst of all of that, he's been summoned to then 00:05:01.339 --> 00:05:03.879 tell Pharaoh about a coming trial, a coming hardship, 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:06.759 a coming famine that's so bad that people forget 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:10.379 what it is to have plenty. We're going to pick 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:13.910 up in verse 37. It says this. The proposal, this 00:05:13.910 --> 00:05:15.689 is the proposal Joseph mentions, like in the 00:05:15.689 --> 00:05:18.149 seven years of good, keep one -fifth of all of 00:05:18.149 --> 00:05:20.209 the harvest, you have plenty. It says, the proposal 00:05:20.209 --> 00:05:22.870 pleased Pharaoh and all his servants, and he 00:05:22.870 --> 00:05:25.029 said to them, to his servants, can we find anyone 00:05:25.029 --> 00:05:28.310 like this, a man who has God's spirit in him? 00:05:28.629 --> 00:05:30.769 And so Pharaoh said to Joseph, since God has 00:05:30.769 --> 00:05:33.250 made all this known to you, there is no one as 00:05:33.250 --> 00:05:37.329 discerning and wise as you are. You will be over 00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:40.029 my house, and all my people will obey your commands. 00:05:41.939 --> 00:05:44.420 Stop for a second. A couple hours ago, Joseph 00:05:44.420 --> 00:05:47.600 is in a prison cell, forgotten about, okay? Only 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.660 I as king will be greater than you. Pharaoh also 00:05:50.660 --> 00:05:52.920 said to Joseph, see, I am placing you over all 00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:56.240 the land of Egypt. So Pharaoh responds to Joseph's 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.540 plan to save this harvest. Really, this is God's 00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:01.160 plan that God gives. And we see he's pleased 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:03.040 by it. He likes the plan. He asks all of his 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:05.579 advisors a question, all the wise men who couldn't 00:06:05.579 --> 00:06:07.800 interpret his dream, all the servants in the 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:10.240 palace. He asks them one question. Can we find 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:13.139 anyone like this? A man who has God's spirit 00:06:13.139 --> 00:06:16.439 in him. Listen, there's two parts to this question. 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:19.899 First, Pharaoh is asking in general, who can 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:24.459 help us with this? Like, who is this? Notice 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:26.980 that wording. It's a man who has God's spirit 00:06:26.980 --> 00:06:29.180 in him, Elohim's spirit in him. That's not a 00:06:29.180 --> 00:06:30.939 word used in the Old Testament to describe the 00:06:30.939 --> 00:06:33.500 Egyptian gods in this narrative. It's a word 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:37.480 here only used to talk about Yahweh. And that's 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:39.420 what Pharaoh's looking for. He's not just looking 00:06:39.420 --> 00:06:42.360 for a random guy. He's not just looking for a 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:44.259 smart man or somebody who's got a great GPA. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:47.579 He's looking for someone who has the spirit of 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:52.399 God. And here's the second part of this. I really 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:54.379 think Pharaoh's asking this rhetorically. He's 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:55.639 not saying, like, is there anyone out there? 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:58.540 But he's also saying, is there anyone else in 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:01.220 Egypt who's like Joseph, knowing the answer? 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.339 No, there is no one else in Egypt who walks with 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:07.879 God like Joseph. No one else in Egypt could interpret 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:10.560 his dream. No one else in Egypt could do what 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:15.319 Joseph's just done. Only Joseph could. Only Joseph 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:18.579 follows God. Only Joseph follows the one true 00:07:18.579 --> 00:07:21.839 God. I mentioned this before, but I think it's 00:07:21.839 --> 00:07:25.000 worth bringing up again. Joseph has followed 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.360 God in Egypt for 13 years. He doesn't have a 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:30.699 church to go to. He doesn't have a Bible study 00:07:30.699 --> 00:07:34.019 to join. He doesn't have a small group. He doesn't 00:07:34.019 --> 00:07:36.980 even have a Bible. He doesn't have other people 00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:39.139 can point towards God. Everything in his life, 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:41.379 in fact, is pointing him away from God, yet he 00:07:41.379 --> 00:07:44.379 is still faithful. And I'm going to be clear. 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:47.240 We should not avoid meeting with other Christians, 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:49.339 right? That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying, 00:07:49.379 --> 00:07:50.620 like, go be like Joseph and just cut yourself 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:53.899 off from everybody else. I mean, don't make following 00:07:53.899 --> 00:07:57.379 God harder than it is. But also, let me challenge 00:07:57.379 --> 00:08:00.319 you. Don't use a season without a ton of community 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.300 as an excuse for sin or for not following God. 00:08:03.769 --> 00:08:05.329 So it can be kind of easy for us to say, well, 00:08:05.370 --> 00:08:08.310 in the past I had this perfect season. Like this 00:08:08.310 --> 00:08:09.810 was something that my campus ministry warned 00:08:09.810 --> 00:08:11.810 me about when I graduated college. I didn't really 00:08:11.810 --> 00:08:13.769 believe them. That it's different going from 00:08:13.769 --> 00:08:16.569 like a college campus ministry context to like 00:08:16.569 --> 00:08:19.089 the local church. And then I showed up at my 00:08:19.089 --> 00:08:21.870 new church in Kansas City and I grew to love 00:08:21.870 --> 00:08:23.610 those people. It was a great season of life. 00:08:24.029 --> 00:08:26.009 But I showed up and I looked around at the young 00:08:26.009 --> 00:08:27.410 adult Sunday school class and I knew none of 00:08:27.410 --> 00:08:30.029 them. And none of them knew me. They'd all grown 00:08:30.029 --> 00:08:31.910 up together. They weren't super interested in 00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:35.710 getting to know me. So I went to church, and 00:08:35.710 --> 00:08:37.409 I went back to my apartment, my single -bedroom 00:08:37.409 --> 00:08:41.370 apartment, my solo apartment by myself, and I 00:08:41.370 --> 00:08:44.909 sat there. I was like, I am all alone. No one 00:08:44.909 --> 00:08:48.590 else has moved into this building yet. So I thought 00:08:48.590 --> 00:08:50.990 they were just really quiet. I was like, no one's 00:08:50.990 --> 00:08:54.149 here. I don't know anybody on campus. The only 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:55.809 person I knew in this entire city is my mom, 00:08:55.850 --> 00:08:57.049 and she turned around and left this morning, 00:08:57.110 --> 00:09:00.370 so she's gone. So I don't know anybody. My girlfriend's 00:09:00.370 --> 00:09:03.480 10 hours away from me right now. There's not 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:06.539 a whole lot of community here. You'll go through 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:08.519 it. There will be seasons like that where you 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:10.559 don't have a lot of community, but be like Joseph 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.600 and don't use it as an excuse for sin or to stop 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.240 following God to try to fit in and be cool. So 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:17.559 let's keep going with what Pharaoh does. So Pharaoh 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:19.820 realizes Joseph is the only person who can fill 00:09:19.820 --> 00:09:23.200 this role, so he appoints Joseph to this. Cornerstone, 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:26.639 stop right there in this section. God is working 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:30.740 in this. God is working to put Joseph in this 00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:34.039 position. God has this position for Joseph. The 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:35.879 fact that Joseph, all the way back in Genesis 00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:39.059 37, is in charge of all of his brothers and all 00:09:39.059 --> 00:09:42.399 of his very wealthy father's flocks had a reason. 00:09:42.580 --> 00:09:44.200 The fact that he moved to Egypt and then was 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:46.600 in charge of all that Potiphar had, another very 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:49.500 wealthy man, there was a reason for that. The 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:51.159 fact that Joseph even went to prison and was 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.960 in charge of all of the prison, there was a reason 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:56.980 for that because God was working in all of this. 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.940 He suffered. He's been broken down. I promise 00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:04.100 you that the Joseph who went to Egypt in the 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:05.860 first place, getting thrown into the pit, is 00:10:05.860 --> 00:10:08.259 a different Joseph than the Joseph that we see 00:10:08.259 --> 00:10:12.360 here in Genesis 41. I would argue it's a humble 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:14.940 Joseph, a Joseph that knows he can count on God 00:10:14.940 --> 00:10:20.039 and God alone. And through it all, God has a 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:24.879 plan for the suffering that Joseph endures. Cornerstone, 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.860 sometimes we face suffering and if we're honest, 00:10:27.899 --> 00:10:30.419 sometimes we start to think, why would God let 00:10:30.419 --> 00:10:33.860 this happen to me? Like, why would God let this 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:36.720 happen to me? Why would God take this from me? 00:10:38.059 --> 00:10:40.159 I'm going to start to ask this question. Does 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:43.379 God really care about me? Does God really love 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:47.379 me still? Like, does God know this is all going 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:52.700 on? But here's the thing, those aren't the right 00:10:52.700 --> 00:10:53.980 questions. That's not the right way to approach 00:10:53.980 --> 00:10:56.889 suffering. I think James 1 says it really well. 00:10:57.029 --> 00:11:00.389 It says, consider it a great joy, my brothers 00:11:00.389 --> 00:11:04.350 and sisters, whenever you experience various 00:11:04.350 --> 00:11:08.490 trials. Notice that word. It's not consider it 00:11:08.490 --> 00:11:10.509 a great happiness. Consider it a great joy. We 00:11:10.509 --> 00:11:12.149 don't have time to get into that, but it's important. 00:11:12.610 --> 00:11:14.710 Because you know that the testing of your faith 00:11:14.710 --> 00:11:19.389 produces endurance. And I love what verse 4 says. 00:11:19.549 --> 00:11:22.250 And let endurance have its full effect, so you 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:25.360 may be mature and complete. lacking nothing. 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:27.960 You want to be a mature Christian? You're going 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:30.559 to have to suffer to get there. There's a great 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:32.799 story that Tim Keller told when I was in college. 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:34.899 I was wrestling through my call to ministry and 00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:36.879 what that looked like, and he was doing a series 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:39.480 of roundtables with the Gospel Coalition where 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:40.779 he'd sit down with other pastors and they would 00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:43.379 talk about ministry and what it was like. My 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:46.179 dad watched one and sent it to me. He made a 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:48.480 comment in there. He said, you know, you're going 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:52.860 to go through like a thousand heartbreaks as 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:55.620 you follow the Lord. because it's worth it, because 00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:57.480 you're going to come out on the other side. And 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:01.700 he goes to this verse, mature and complete. Friends, 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:03.620 being a Christian is not a call to have the easiest 00:12:03.620 --> 00:12:05.299 life, the most comfortable life, or the life 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:06.639 where you never struggle, or the life where you're 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:08.639 always with all the people you want to be with, 00:12:08.679 --> 00:12:09.899 or in the place where you're the most comfortable. 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:14.019 Being a Christian, a follower of God, is signing 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:15.679 up for something where we understand that we 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:19.320 will experience various trials. Notice that in 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:21.600 James 1 -2, James doesn't say, if you experience 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:24.870 various trials, he says, whenever. You will experience 00:12:24.870 --> 00:12:29.190 these trials. Joseph experiences trials. But 00:12:29.190 --> 00:12:32.049 Joseph also lets this go. He lets it have its 00:12:32.049 --> 00:12:34.850 full effect, this endurance that he's grown, 00:12:35.029 --> 00:12:38.169 this endurance that he's had. He comes out the 00:12:38.169 --> 00:12:42.450 other side, mature and complete, lacking nothing. 00:12:43.629 --> 00:12:46.250 Friends, we have to suffer. We have to go through 00:12:46.250 --> 00:12:52.529 trials to grow. Let's be clear. God works in 00:12:52.529 --> 00:12:54.889 Joseph's trials. We'll be clear on something 00:12:54.889 --> 00:12:56.289 else that we're going to see throughout the kind 00:12:56.289 --> 00:12:59.169 of back half of Joseph's life. God also works 00:12:59.169 --> 00:13:02.570 when Joseph is not being tested. If you're in 00:13:02.570 --> 00:13:04.789 a season of trial and hardship right now, I want 00:13:04.789 --> 00:13:06.490 you to hear that God is at work. On the other 00:13:06.490 --> 00:13:07.909 hand, if you are in a season where life does 00:13:07.909 --> 00:13:10.049 not feel like that, I want you to hear that too. 00:13:10.230 --> 00:13:12.330 God is still at work in your life. God is not 00:13:12.330 --> 00:13:14.570 done working just because things are okay in 00:13:14.570 --> 00:13:17.629 life. Let's move on to verses 42 through 45. 00:13:18.570 --> 00:13:20.490 As I read this, notice how Pharaoh goes from 00:13:20.490 --> 00:13:22.629 words about what Joseph's going to do to actions 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:24.330 now. He's talking about how incredible Joseph 00:13:24.330 --> 00:13:25.929 is and the position he's going to have. He's 00:13:25.929 --> 00:13:27.590 going to rule over everything, have all this 00:13:27.590 --> 00:13:30.750 power, but now see what his actions show. There's 00:13:30.750 --> 00:13:33.350 seven things to show Joseph's promotion here. 00:13:33.470 --> 00:13:35.450 I don't think it's any coincidence that it's 00:13:35.450 --> 00:13:37.850 seven things. See, throughout the Bible, seven 00:13:37.850 --> 00:13:40.370 is used to show completeness, especially completeness 00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:43.330 of God's timing. And these verses show us the 00:13:43.330 --> 00:13:46.049 complete transformation of Joseph's life because 00:13:46.049 --> 00:13:48.799 of God. So here are these verses, follow along 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:50.799 with these seven things. It says, Pharaoh removed 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:53.539 his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's 00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:55.740 hand. He closed him with fine linen garments 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:57.940 and placed a gold chain around his neck. He had 00:13:57.940 --> 00:14:00.200 Joseph ride in his second chariot and servants 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:03.500 called out before him, make way. So he placed 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:07.039 him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh said 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:09.779 to Joseph, I am Pharaoh and no one will be able 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:11.639 to raise his hand or foot in all the land of 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:14.340 Egypt without your permission. Pharaoh gave Joseph 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:17.100 the name Zaphonath -Paniah. and gave him a wife, 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:19.940 Asenath, daughter of Potiphar, a priest at On. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:22.639 And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:25.740 So here's those seven things. First, Pharaoh 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:28.139 gives Joseph his signet ring and places it on 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:30.740 his hands, showing that Joseph has complete authority 00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:33.899 in Egypt. Remember, we talked about this a little 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:36.980 bit in Genesis 38 with Judah and Tamar. A signet 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:39.360 ring was a sign. This was the person's identity. 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:41.620 This was their power, their position, their authority. 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:44.919 So the Pharaoh takes off his signet ring. And 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:47.299 he gives it to him and says, Joseph, you are 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:52.500 in charge. Joseph, everyone has to listen to 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:54.860 you. The only person that doesn't have to listen 00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:57.700 to you, Joseph, is me, Pharaoh. But every other 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:01.419 person has to listen to you. I just have always 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:02.919 thought this was kind of ironic. That includes, 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:06.820 of course, Potiphar and Potiphar's wife, Joseph's 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:09.919 jailer. All of those people need to listen to 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:12.750 Joseph. Secondly, Pharaoh gives Joseph fine linen 00:15:12.750 --> 00:15:14.250 garments. These are garments that Pharaoh would 00:15:14.250 --> 00:15:17.169 wear, that royalty would wear. So Joseph now 00:15:17.169 --> 00:15:20.830 looks like Egyptian royalty. Pharaoh takes Joseph, 00:15:20.929 --> 00:15:22.610 puts a gold chain around his neck, which was 00:15:22.610 --> 00:15:25.570 a sign of wealth. Understand this, Joseph is 00:15:25.570 --> 00:15:28.309 not just powerful, Joseph is now rich. Like this 00:15:28.309 --> 00:15:30.129 is the ultimate rags to riches story. He's in 00:15:30.129 --> 00:15:32.370 jail in the morning, and in the evening, he's 00:15:32.370 --> 00:15:35.129 super wealthy. Then Pharaoh has Joseph riding 00:15:35.129 --> 00:15:36.830 his second chair. This is like Air Force Two 00:15:36.830 --> 00:15:39.200 that the vice president takes around. His servants 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.919 yell out to the people, make way! That's something 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.419 done for Pharaoh himself. Right? If Joseph hits 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:49.399 the traffic jam, everyone has to leave. On Friday, 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:50.940 Hope and I were driving up to Sevenbury to go 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:52.820 get a free drink, and we ended up right behind 00:15:52.820 --> 00:15:56.679 the Ohio State football team. I know. It was 00:15:56.679 --> 00:15:59.120 brutal. Here's what was great about it, though. 00:15:59.860 --> 00:16:01.639 There's a police escort, which meant everyone 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:02.759 was off to the side of the road, and we were 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:06.799 right behind that. So we hit every single green 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:10.480 light. Four and a half minutes after turning 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:12.100 onto Neal Street, we were in the parking lot 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:15.440 at Seven Brew, which is unheard of. It's great. 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.820 That is Joseph's daily reality. Everyone has 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:20.200 to move from out of the way of Joseph. He has 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:25.620 power and authority. He is in charge. Like, Joseph 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:32.080 is the man. Then, see that... Joseph sees the 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:33.559 land, he's shown the land by Pharaoh, and Pharaoh 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:35.480 tells him that no one can raise their hand or 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:37.259 foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission. 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:39.320 Literally, this is Pharaoh showing that all of 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.179 Egypt is in the hands of Joseph. Everybody's 00:16:43.179 --> 00:16:45.720 actions, what they want to do, it's all up to 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:48.440 Joseph. And then Pharaoh gives Joseph a new name. 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:51.220 I want to slow down here for a minute, because 00:16:51.220 --> 00:16:53.200 this really matters. There's kind of two parts 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:55.440 to this. First, Pharaoh does this because he's 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:59.149 giving Joseph a new identity of sorts. No longer 00:16:59.149 --> 00:17:00.909 is he a Hebrew in the eyes of Pharaoh, now he 00:17:00.909 --> 00:17:03.409 is an Egyptian ruler, hence the new Egyptian 00:17:03.409 --> 00:17:07.750 name, Zaphonath Paneah. But understand this, 00:17:07.750 --> 00:17:09.470 this is going to become really clear a little 00:17:09.470 --> 00:17:10.910 bit later on in this chapter and throughout the 00:17:10.910 --> 00:17:13.470 rest of his life. You can give a man of God a 00:17:13.470 --> 00:17:15.390 new name, but you cannot change their character. 00:17:15.849 --> 00:17:18.809 You can give Joseph a new name and a new identity, 00:17:18.970 --> 00:17:21.890 but that doesn't change who Joseph is. Friends, 00:17:21.930 --> 00:17:24.089 let me give it to you this way. You can take 00:17:24.089 --> 00:17:26.509 a new job, you can move to a new city, that doesn't 00:17:26.509 --> 00:17:29.380 change who you are. You can be in a new tax bracket 00:17:29.380 --> 00:17:30.940 that does not change the way that you serve the 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:35.480 Lord. Even with new wealth, new position, new 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:38.279 influence, we will see today that Joseph stays 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:41.960 true to God. And for us, that can be hard for 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:46.339 us. Identity can be a real issue for us. It's 00:17:46.339 --> 00:17:49.839 a big issue for our world. And so often it's 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:51.519 because we seek to identify ourselves how we 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:54.259 think that other people want us to identify ourselves. 00:17:54.990 --> 00:17:56.430 But that's not what we're called to do as Christians. 00:17:56.509 --> 00:17:58.450 Instead, we are called to identify ourselves 00:17:58.450 --> 00:18:01.309 by what God says about us. Because that identity, 00:18:01.450 --> 00:18:03.950 the identity that we find in a place like 2 Corinthians 00:18:03.950 --> 00:18:07.809 5, 17 through 21, that identity will never change. 00:18:08.130 --> 00:18:09.910 That promotion does not change that identity. 00:18:10.490 --> 00:18:12.369 Alternatively, that loss of your job doesn't 00:18:12.369 --> 00:18:14.670 change that identity. That new boyfriend or girlfriend 00:18:14.670 --> 00:18:17.130 doesn't change your identity. That breakup doesn't 00:18:17.130 --> 00:18:19.769 change you. Instead, what we see in the Bible 00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:22.150 is this. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he 00:18:22.150 --> 00:18:25.430 is a new creation. The old has passed away, and 00:18:25.430 --> 00:18:27.990 see, the new has come. Jumping down a little 00:18:27.990 --> 00:18:30.990 bit. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, 00:18:31.190 --> 00:18:33.710 since God is making his appeal through us. We 00:18:33.710 --> 00:18:36.630 plead on Christ's behalf. Be reconciled to God. 00:18:38.130 --> 00:18:41.609 In verse 21, He made the one who did not know 00:18:41.609 --> 00:18:45.049 sin to be sin for us, so that in him, in Jesus, 00:18:46.089 --> 00:18:53.809 We might become the righteousness of God. Let 00:18:53.809 --> 00:18:57.410 me just stop right there for a minute and just 00:18:57.410 --> 00:19:02.269 ask you, do you grasp that? That if you know 00:19:02.269 --> 00:19:04.950 Jesus, if you have placed your faith in Jesus, 00:19:05.009 --> 00:19:13.269 that you are the righteousness of God. I don't 00:19:13.269 --> 00:19:17.349 know about you, but there's a lot of times where 00:19:17.349 --> 00:19:20.650 all I see about myself are my weaknesses. If 00:19:20.650 --> 00:19:23.529 only I was better at this. The first house that 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:25.710 Hope and I owned was a fixer -upper, and I convinced 00:19:25.710 --> 00:19:28.009 myself I was going to chip gains and just go 00:19:28.009 --> 00:19:29.450 through the house fixing everything with the 00:19:29.450 --> 00:19:31.589 wave of the magic TV remote, right? It's all 00:19:31.589 --> 00:19:33.730 just going to be done. And pretty quickly I learned 00:19:33.730 --> 00:19:36.150 that's not how that works. That wasn't my strength. 00:19:36.470 --> 00:19:38.349 And it's easy for us to sit in our weaknesses 00:19:38.349 --> 00:19:42.670 and become frustrated. But do you grasp that 00:19:42.670 --> 00:19:45.680 if you know Jesus, you are the... righteousness 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:48.900 of God because of what Jesus did. That is how 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:52.680 God identifies you. You are identified as a new 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:55.779 creation. You are identified as an ambassador 00:19:55.779 --> 00:19:59.059 for Christ. It means you're a friend of Christ, 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:02.359 and you've been identified as the righteousness 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:05.960 of God. Remember that identity, no matter what 00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:07.960 the world tells you. Here's the second significant 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:10.480 part of this new name. The name Zaphonathpania 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:12.819 has meaning, and to be totally honest, here's 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:14.660 where we get into a really fun part. I'm a history 00:20:14.660 --> 00:20:19.019 nerd. I will hold myself back, I promise. Translation 00:20:19.019 --> 00:20:21.640 of Egyptian hieroglyphics is really fascinating 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:25.220 because we don't know a lot of it. We know this 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:27.200 much. We know that Pania has to do with life 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:29.859 or supporting life. What we don't know is what 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:32.019 Zaphonath means. We have some ideas, though. 00:20:32.140 --> 00:20:34.099 And so the most likely translation of this name 00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:37.839 is either he who cares about life or, and I think 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:40.200 this one's a little bit more accurate, he has 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:43.910 the spirit of life in him. With that phrase, 00:20:43.950 --> 00:20:46.529 spirit of life, referring to having God who lives 00:20:46.529 --> 00:20:51.450 inside of him. Friends, Pharaoh, this pagan Pharaoh, 00:20:51.609 --> 00:20:55.410 can recognize that Joseph walks with God. How 00:20:55.410 --> 00:20:58.210 bright of a light is Joseph in this world? That 00:20:58.210 --> 00:21:01.089 bright of a light. The new name he has includes 00:21:01.089 --> 00:21:02.990 that he has the spirit of life or the spirit 00:21:02.990 --> 00:21:06.210 of God living in him. And here's the seventh 00:21:06.210 --> 00:21:07.589 thing that Pharaoh does for him. Pharaoh gives 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:10.730 Joseph a new wife. Well, actually his first wife. 00:21:10.970 --> 00:21:13.150 And this is part of his new identity as an Egyptian. 00:21:13.329 --> 00:21:15.809 It's also a deep honor, though. Her father, after 00:21:15.809 --> 00:21:17.309 all, is a priest, which was the second highest 00:21:17.309 --> 00:21:19.930 class in all of Egypt behind Pharaoh and his 00:21:19.930 --> 00:21:23.109 advisors. This is a big deal. Pharaoh's given 00:21:23.109 --> 00:21:27.589 Joseph a totally new life. With all seven of 00:21:27.589 --> 00:21:29.470 those honors given to him, Joseph begins to do 00:21:29.470 --> 00:21:32.210 his job. In verse 45, we see that he travels 00:21:32.210 --> 00:21:36.119 throughout Egypt. He begins to work hard. I think 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:38.200 that matters. See, it can be easy for us sometimes 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:39.980 to, I think, read about Joseph's life and think, 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:41.759 well, he gets to the end of his trial, and then 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:43.359 he can kind of just sit back and rest for a little 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:46.140 bit. You know, hey, congrats on your marriage, 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:48.380 Joseph. Congrats on your new position and on 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:50.599 the signet ring and all this stuff. Have fun. 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:54.799 Instead, Joseph goes to work, and he glorifies 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:59.519 God with his work. Now, verse 46 is a transition 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:01.160 verse, and it gives some more information, I 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:02.579 think some context that really matters about 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:05.420 how long Joseph has endured this trial. This 00:22:05.420 --> 00:22:07.500 is what it says in verse 46. It says, Joseph 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:09.400 was 30 years old when he entered the service 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:11.940 of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh's 00:22:11.940 --> 00:22:13.960 presence and traveled throughout the land of 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:16.359 Egypt. So in Genesis 37, we read that Joseph 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:19.140 was 17 years old. And now we see he's 30 years 00:22:19.140 --> 00:22:22.920 old. It has been 13 years of a trial for Joseph. 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:29.259 Let that sink in. 13 years of hardship. 13 years. 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:33.620 It's like half the time I've been alive. Like, 00:22:33.620 --> 00:22:35.720 how often do we get tired of a trial after two 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:38.200 hours of it? Like, wow, this is really terrible. 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:40.759 I can't wait for this to be done. And then the 00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:41.799 professor's like, you still have another hour 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:45.259 left in your test. Okay. How often do we get 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:47.779 tired of that trial after two days? Man, this 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:49.359 is really hard. Can't wait for this to be done. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:51.799 Or two weeks, two months, let alone two years. 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:55.099 We're like, okay, this is enough. Thirteen years. 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:58.299 For thirteen years, God was working. For thirteen 00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:00.720 years, Joseph learned what it meant to persevere. 00:23:01.289 --> 00:23:05.630 For 13 years, Joseph endured and grew into being 00:23:05.630 --> 00:23:09.690 a mature man of God. I want to challenge us with 00:23:09.690 --> 00:23:11.650 something today. Perseverance isn't just about 00:23:11.650 --> 00:23:15.170 standing strong for a week or a month. Perseverance 00:23:15.170 --> 00:23:17.009 is about standing strong for as long as that 00:23:17.009 --> 00:23:19.450 trial takes, whether it's a week, a month, or 00:23:19.450 --> 00:23:22.009 13 years, or the rest of your life like what 00:23:22.009 --> 00:23:25.450 Paul experienced. We read that in 2 Corinthians 00:23:25.450 --> 00:23:29.430 12 this morning. I pleaded with God three times 00:23:29.430 --> 00:23:32.950 take this away from me and Paul loves that word 00:23:32.950 --> 00:23:35.490 plead it has a like a really deep emotional aspect 00:23:35.490 --> 00:23:38.089 it's not just like hey God make this go away 00:23:38.089 --> 00:23:41.710 it's like Paul's entire being is wrapped up in 00:23:41.710 --> 00:23:46.630 this and God says no what did Paul say but he 00:23:46.630 --> 00:23:48.930 said to me my grace is sufficient for you for 00:23:48.930 --> 00:23:53.450 my power is perfected in weakness therefore I 00:23:53.450 --> 00:23:55.450 will most gladly boast all the more about my 00:23:55.450 --> 00:23:57.549 weaknesses so that Christ's power may reside 00:23:57.549 --> 00:24:01.869 in me. Friends, our trials teach us. Don't try 00:24:01.869 --> 00:24:04.730 to skip that trial. At least for me, sometimes 00:24:04.730 --> 00:24:06.589 it's tempting. Can we just do this on fast forward 00:24:06.589 --> 00:24:08.829 real quick, God? Can we just double time through 00:24:08.829 --> 00:24:13.009 this? This time stinks. This is hard. I don't 00:24:13.009 --> 00:24:18.710 like this. Let me plead with you. Do not try 00:24:18.710 --> 00:24:23.519 to skip your trials. Learn from them. Learn what 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:26.640 it is to persevere, to endure. Come out the other 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:29.480 side mature and complete, lacking nothing, drawing 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:32.119 close to God. Don't miss the opportunity for 00:24:32.119 --> 00:24:35.539 growth that your trials gives to you. And we're 00:24:35.539 --> 00:24:37.500 going to see some of that opportunity for growth 00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:39.700 that Joseph experiences in verses 47 through 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:42.460 49. It says this, during the seven years of abundance, 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:46.339 the land produced outstanding harvests. Not just 00:24:46.339 --> 00:24:48.940 like mediocre harvest, outstanding harvest. Joseph 00:24:48.940 --> 00:24:50.880 gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:52.460 during the seven years, and he put it in the 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:55.200 cities. He put the food in every city from the 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:58.839 fields around it. And how effective was this? 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:02.480 Verse 49 tells us. So Joseph stored up grain 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:05.319 in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, 00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:07.500 that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:10.960 measure. So you see these seven years of plenty 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:13.579 summarized in these verses. Joseph's in charge 00:25:13.579 --> 00:25:15.259 of the food supply, the agricultural production. 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:18.480 And these years of abundance are so abundant 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:21.539 that the food is so numerous that it cannot be 00:25:21.539 --> 00:25:25.319 counted. I'm not an expert on agriculture. We've 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:27.099 got some people here sitting in the back who 00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:29.460 know a lot more about how grain counting works. 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:32.720 But that is a lot of food to have so much of 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:36.240 it that it cannot be counted. Like, let me put 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:37.680 this into a term that maybe more of us could 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.319 understand. Imagine if tomorrow morning you woke 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:44.640 up and every dollar in your 401k had increased 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:48.920 by 4 ,000 % overnight. Hey, I think a lot of 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:50.140 people would be calling Mike, like, hey, good 00:25:50.140 --> 00:25:54.380 job, Mike. Thanks for your help. But this is 00:25:54.380 --> 00:25:56.759 wild stuff. That is a miracle. That doesn't just 00:25:56.759 --> 00:26:00.920 happen. That's not how that works. In high school, 00:26:00.940 --> 00:26:03.519 we had to do this stock market game for my economics 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:05.980 class. And at first, it was like, every day was 00:26:05.980 --> 00:26:08.200 like up 5%, and then I was like, this is so cool. 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:10.859 And then you hit the downside, where you go up 00:26:10.859 --> 00:26:15.359 one day by 0 .1%. Like, okay. Guys, these years 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:18.880 of abundance are absolutely miraculous. Like, 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:21.460 there's just no good way to show this. There's 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:22.900 so much grain that's compared to the sand of 00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:24.039 the sea. Have you ever gone to the beach and 00:26:24.039 --> 00:26:26.640 tried to count the sand grains? It's impossible. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:28.039 Like, you just look at it, and you're like, that's 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:30.660 not going to happen. It's a tremendous amount 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:32.940 of grain. And in all of this, Joseph is working 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:35.079 hard, and we can inference something about him 00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:37.079 because of his character. He's working hard to 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:40.819 glorify God. Consider this. Every single person 00:26:40.819 --> 00:26:44.700 around Joseph knows why he got this job. He didn't 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:46.880 get this position because he went to this school 00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:48.700 or because he comes from this family. He got 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:50.900 this position for one reason and one reason only. 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:55.119 Because of God. So everything that he does at 00:26:55.119 --> 00:26:57.619 work is a direct representation of God. There's 00:26:57.619 --> 00:26:59.910 no hiding it for him. Sometimes for us we can 00:26:59.910 --> 00:27:02.490 hide that a little bit, keep our Christian selves 00:27:02.490 --> 00:27:08.230 off to the side. But Joseph shouldn't be alone 00:27:08.230 --> 00:27:09.750 in the fact that everything he does is a direct 00:27:09.750 --> 00:27:12.450 representation of God. If you follow Jesus, then 00:27:12.450 --> 00:27:15.109 your work is a direct representation of God and 00:27:15.109 --> 00:27:18.769 what God has done for you. Don't miss that. The 00:27:18.769 --> 00:27:20.390 way that we work, the way that we talk about 00:27:20.390 --> 00:27:22.390 work, the way that we act on a day -to -day basis, 00:27:22.730 --> 00:27:24.609 the way that we handle ourselves when we go to 00:27:24.609 --> 00:27:27.619 lunch today. The way that we tip our waitresses 00:27:27.619 --> 00:27:30.599 at lunch today are our waiters. The way that 00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:33.380 we interact with people is and always will be 00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:36.019 a direct representation of the God that we proclaim. 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:40.240 Because just to be honest with ourselves, we 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:41.819 don't know if that person's heard about Jesus 00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:44.779 before. There's a really cliche thing my youth 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:50.319 pastor used to say about how, you know, your 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:51.859 life might be the only Bible that someone gets 00:27:51.859 --> 00:27:54.460 to read. And every time you'd say it, Beatrice, 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:55.920 you're not in your head over there, it's really 00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:59.079 cliche. It just is. It's like painfully cliche. 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:02.440 But the honest truth is that it's also the truth. 00:28:05.940 --> 00:28:09.259 And it's a humbling reality, but it's also true. 00:28:09.400 --> 00:28:13.160 As I was on campus this fall, meeting some students, 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:14.559 there were some students we met who had never 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:17.619 heard of Jesus before, who had never opened up 00:28:17.619 --> 00:28:20.599 a Bible before. This is real stuff. Ask our students. 00:28:20.660 --> 00:28:24.519 I bet they've experienced this also. Your life 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:27.240 may be the only Bible that person ever gets to 00:28:27.240 --> 00:28:31.740 see or ever has seen. The way that we act, the 00:28:31.740 --> 00:28:33.799 way that we live, is a direct representation 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:36.859 of the God we proclaim. Look at verses 50 through 00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:39.160 52 with me. I think this is one of the most powerful 00:28:39.160 --> 00:28:41.420 statements about who Joseph is. It says this, 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:55.980 and the second son he named Ephraim, and said, 00:28:56.039 --> 00:28:58.579 God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:00.880 There's a lot to talk about in these verses. 00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:03.500 So first, Joseph has these sons before the famine, 00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:06.960 and his sons are named Manasseh and Ephraim. 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:08.500 You might recognize these if you're reading through 00:29:08.500 --> 00:29:10.539 the Old Testament this year as being two tribes 00:29:10.539 --> 00:29:13.019 of Israel. We will get to that later on in this 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:15.220 series. But there's something super important 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:19.259 to think about the meaning of these names. Before 00:29:19.259 --> 00:29:21.259 we jump all the way there, though, notice something 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:23.599 about Joseph. He marries an Egyptian woman, in 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.359 fact, the daughter of a priest of their religion. 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:29.460 But that does not stop Joseph from naming his 00:29:29.460 --> 00:29:31.500 children after the things that God has done. 00:29:31.539 --> 00:29:33.799 And I think that shows his faith. And in fact, 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:36.619 non -biblical but extra -biblical Jewish writings 00:29:36.619 --> 00:29:38.759 actually record Asenath as having converted to 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:41.359 follow God. Like, she gets saved because of what 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:45.579 Joseph does. Not only is he faithful to glorify 00:29:45.579 --> 00:29:47.920 God, he's faithful to reach people for God. And 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:49.599 that stands in blunt contrast, if we're honest, 00:29:49.660 --> 00:29:51.799 to his older brother, Judah. Judah marries a 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:53.900 Canaanite woman, adopts her culture in Genesis 00:29:53.900 --> 00:29:56.579 38, going so far as to have sex with a shrine 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:59.519 prostitute to worship an idol. Joseph, on the 00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:01.519 other hand, marries a woman in a foreign land 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:03.279 where no one else follows the God he follows 00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:05.779 and leads her and their children to God. And 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:07.779 here's the meanings of these names. Manasseh 00:30:07.779 --> 00:30:09.839 means God has made me forget all my hardship 00:30:09.839 --> 00:30:13.539 and my whole family. Let's look at it this way. 00:30:13.579 --> 00:30:15.480 Joseph has been blessed with a new home and a 00:30:15.480 --> 00:30:18.579 new family by God. He's found contentedness through 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:21.019 God. That doesn't mean everything's perfect. 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:23.799 It's not. I'm sure if you would have asked Joseph, 00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:25.380 would you like to see your father again before 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:27.599 you die? Would you like to see your little brother 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:29.440 Benjamin at some point before you die? I'm sure 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:30.440 he would have said, yeah, that would be great. 00:30:31.799 --> 00:30:33.920 But you trust God with it. God's given him a 00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:37.279 new family, a new home. God's provided for him. 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:41.559 And then Joseph names his younger son Ephraim, 00:30:41.619 --> 00:30:44.559 which means God has made me fruitful in the land 00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:48.079 of my affliction. Here's the big takeaway I want 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:50.509 you to see from that name. Joseph doesn't try 00:30:50.509 --> 00:30:52.130 to pretend that his suffering didn't happen. 00:30:53.049 --> 00:30:55.549 So often when we suffer as Christians, we want 00:30:55.549 --> 00:30:56.910 to put on that bold face. So somebody comes up 00:30:56.910 --> 00:30:58.349 to your church and says, how are you doing? You're 00:30:58.349 --> 00:31:06.190 like, I'm great. I'm doing wonderfully. Or we 00:31:06.190 --> 00:31:08.609 get through that hard time, that difficult season, 00:31:08.690 --> 00:31:09.809 and we look back and we're like, it wasn't that 00:31:09.809 --> 00:31:14.619 bad. It's fine. Instead of doing that, Joseph 00:31:14.619 --> 00:31:17.599 focuses on how God has provided for him through 00:31:17.599 --> 00:31:20.720 his suffering. And in fact, I'll go one step 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:23.039 further on this. Joseph has embraced his suffering. 00:31:23.140 --> 00:31:25.220 He's embraced what he learned and how God has 00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:27.119 been with him throughout his suffering. He's 00:31:27.119 --> 00:31:29.140 embraced that life is not how it used to be. 00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:32.339 Life is different for Joseph now. Absolutely 00:31:32.339 --> 00:31:34.039 it is. Let's put it this way. When he was 17, 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:37.160 Joseph spoke no Egyptian. Now Joseph's business 00:31:37.160 --> 00:31:39.000 language is Egyptian. It's a different life. 00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:44.160 But he embraces it. He's content in it. He trusts 00:31:44.160 --> 00:31:47.240 God with it. And he gives God the glory so that 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:49.460 God has made him fruitful in the land of his 00:31:49.460 --> 00:31:53.119 affliction. To say this one other way, Joseph 00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:56.940 has used his trials to draw closer to God. Check 00:31:56.940 --> 00:31:58.799 out these last few verses with me, verses 53 00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:01.259 through 57. It says, then the seven years of 00:32:01.259 --> 00:32:03.059 abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:06.339 Not ideal. And the seven years of famine began 00:32:06.339 --> 00:32:10.180 just as Joseph had said. There was famine in 00:32:10.180 --> 00:32:12.039 every land. Notice that not just in Egypt, all 00:32:12.039 --> 00:32:14.559 over the ancient Near East there was famine. 00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:16.680 But in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:18.740 When the whole land of Egypt was stricken with 00:32:18.740 --> 00:32:20.440 food, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. 00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:23.519 And notice this, Pharaoh tells all of Egypt, 00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:26.819 go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you. Now 00:32:26.819 --> 00:32:28.119 the famine had spread across the whole region, 00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:30.119 so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold 00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:32.279 the grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:35.640 severe in the land of Egypt. It says every land 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:38.279 came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain. for the 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:40.559 famine was severe in every land. Right on cue, 00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:42.640 the seven years of abundance end, God's complete 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:45.640 provision stops, and they're replaced by seven 00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:47.700 years of famine, which I will challenge you, 00:32:47.720 --> 00:32:49.740 God is at work in all of these seven years of 00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:52.480 famine. And there's famine in every land, as 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.319 we will hear next week from Josh as he preaches. 00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:58.079 It's not just famine in Egypt, it's famine all 00:32:58.079 --> 00:32:59.900 over the place. The Egyptians just have the food. 00:33:00.339 --> 00:33:02.400 And as the famine gets worse, Pharaoh sends everyone 00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:05.140 to Joseph, they're provided for, people from 00:33:05.140 --> 00:33:10.329 not just Egypt. every land. Hear this. God uses 00:33:10.329 --> 00:33:15.250 Joseph in a massive way. When Joseph was sitting 00:33:15.250 --> 00:33:18.890 in his jail cell, I can almost promise you that 00:33:18.890 --> 00:33:20.390 he was not thinking to himself, well, someday 00:33:20.390 --> 00:33:22.750 when there's a famine and I run all the storehouses 00:33:22.750 --> 00:33:27.049 in Egypt, and someday when I'm in charge of all 00:33:27.049 --> 00:33:30.250 the grain supply of the known world, then things 00:33:30.250 --> 00:33:33.609 will be good. No, this is not on Joseph's radar. 00:33:35.659 --> 00:33:37.900 And here's the challenge for us with it, I think. 00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:39.980 It can be easy for us when we're going through 00:33:39.980 --> 00:33:42.519 that trial, that hard time, that difficult season. 00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:45.160 It can be easy for us to limit what God can do 00:33:45.160 --> 00:33:51.039 and to say, well, God, if you're able to get 00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:54.019 me through this, that would be really great. 00:33:55.660 --> 00:33:59.920 God, if you're able, I don't know, God, possibly. 00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:05.279 Guys, God is more than able. God's plans are 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:09.639 so much bigger than what we can see. Don't run 00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:13.099 from your trials and embrace your trials. I just 00:34:13.099 --> 00:34:14.480 want to challenge us with three takeaways today. 00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:16.179 I'm going to be honest with you. One of these 00:34:16.179 --> 00:34:19.019 is an action -based application. The other two 00:34:19.019 --> 00:34:20.480 are truths that I really want to challenge us. 00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:22.179 They need to go from just being things that have 00:34:22.179 --> 00:34:24.360 been said to things that are in our hearts, things 00:34:24.360 --> 00:34:27.019 that we remember, things we look back on as we 00:34:27.019 --> 00:34:30.519 go through difficult seasons. So let's start 00:34:30.519 --> 00:34:32.730 with this first point of application. I was really 00:34:32.730 --> 00:34:34.329 struck this week as I was praying about this 00:34:34.329 --> 00:34:37.489 message and studying this text by the significance 00:34:37.489 --> 00:34:40.210 of the names throughout, of Joseph being given 00:34:40.210 --> 00:34:42.389 this new name, that he's given all this authority, 00:34:42.570 --> 00:34:44.130 and that Pharaoh starts to try and change his 00:34:44.130 --> 00:34:48.530 identity. That shapes our first application point, 00:34:48.630 --> 00:34:52.949 which is that Christ shapes our identity. I want 00:34:52.949 --> 00:34:56.030 you to hear this. If you are a follower of Jesus, 00:34:56.110 --> 00:34:58.889 your identity needs to be in Christ. If you are 00:34:58.889 --> 00:35:01.030 here and you do not know Jesus as your Lord and 00:35:01.030 --> 00:35:03.710 Savior, If you do not know that Jesus has come 00:35:03.710 --> 00:35:06.309 to earth, given his life on the cross, died for 00:35:06.309 --> 00:35:09.130 your sins, and risen again, then let me challenge 00:35:09.130 --> 00:35:10.510 you that everything you can put your identity 00:35:10.510 --> 00:35:14.710 in will fail except for that. Let me call on 00:35:14.710 --> 00:35:16.869 you today, if that is you, to put your faith 00:35:16.869 --> 00:35:19.610 in something firm. And that firmness is salvation 00:35:19.610 --> 00:35:26.730 through Jesus. Salvation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 00:35:26.730 --> 00:35:29.969 5 .21 says, He being God made the one, that's 00:35:29.969 --> 00:35:32.860 Jesus, who did not know sin to be sin for us. 00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:34.719 What are they talking about? Well, see, sin is 00:35:34.719 --> 00:35:36.780 anything that's not perfect in God's holiness. 00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:39.480 We are all sinners. That's what we read in Romans 00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:41.840 3 .23. We have all fallen short of the glory 00:35:41.840 --> 00:35:44.719 of God. But Jesus went to the cross. He took 00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:47.239 the weight of our sin. He became sin for us, 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:53.559 giving his life for us. And he didn't just like 00:35:53.559 --> 00:35:56.239 emotionally take that on or metaphysically take 00:35:56.239 --> 00:36:00.190 that on. Jesus died on the cross. He paid the 00:36:00.190 --> 00:36:03.550 price that we needed so that we could be saved. 00:36:03.929 --> 00:36:06.789 But Jesus did not stay dead. Jesus rose again 00:36:06.789 --> 00:36:08.550 on the third day and that sealed our salvation 00:36:08.550 --> 00:36:11.909 and defeated death forever. And Jesus did all 00:36:11.909 --> 00:36:14.750 this for a reason. So it might become the righteousness, 00:36:14.809 --> 00:36:17.590 the perfection of God and spend eternity with 00:36:17.590 --> 00:36:22.550 him. Let that sink in for a minute. God who has, 00:36:22.690 --> 00:36:26.139 God who is perfect. He's perfect in every way, 00:36:26.159 --> 00:36:28.840 loves us so much that he wants us to be his sign 00:36:28.840 --> 00:36:31.380 of righteousness or his sign of perfection to 00:36:31.380 --> 00:36:34.719 the world. And today, Jesus made that possible. 00:36:36.179 --> 00:36:38.400 If you're here and you don't know Jesus as your 00:36:38.400 --> 00:36:43.099 Lord and Savior, let me ask you today to go to 00:36:43.099 --> 00:36:47.179 God. Romans tells us that to be saved, all you 00:36:47.179 --> 00:36:48.699 have to do is confess with our mouth that Jesus 00:36:48.699 --> 00:36:51.300 is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised 00:36:51.300 --> 00:36:53.800 him from the dead. Let me call on you today. 00:36:54.280 --> 00:36:56.699 to do that, to repent from your sin or turn away 00:36:56.699 --> 00:36:59.980 from your sin, to accept Jesus as Lord. Let me 00:36:59.980 --> 00:37:01.400 encourage you to go one step further and tell 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:03.719 somebody that's a decision that you've made today. 00:37:04.460 --> 00:37:06.739 If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior already, 00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:08.920 then I have another challenge for you. I want 00:37:08.920 --> 00:37:11.739 to challenge you humbly to look in the mirror 00:37:11.739 --> 00:37:15.679 and to evaluate yourself. Ask yourself this question. 00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:20.099 And I hate this question because I asked myself 00:37:20.099 --> 00:37:22.869 this question this week. Am I living out of the 00:37:22.869 --> 00:37:26.070 identity that God gave to me, being the righteousness 00:37:26.070 --> 00:37:28.630 of God, being new creation and ambassador of 00:37:28.630 --> 00:37:31.130 Christ, or am I living out of what I want my 00:37:31.130 --> 00:37:35.289 identity to be? When I first got married, I would 00:37:35.289 --> 00:37:37.050 occasionally struggle with this in marriage and 00:37:37.050 --> 00:37:38.389 would talk about how I just want to be like Super 00:37:38.389 --> 00:37:41.110 Daniel, right? Like Super Daniel always could 00:37:41.110 --> 00:37:43.150 fix everything, whether it was an issue with 00:37:43.150 --> 00:37:44.909 the house, whether it was making sure dinner 00:37:44.909 --> 00:37:46.829 was made on time, whatever it was, Super Daniel 00:37:46.829 --> 00:37:51.139 could do everything all at once. But Super Daniel 00:37:51.139 --> 00:37:54.500 wasn't real. Super Daniel is kind of a goofy 00:37:54.500 --> 00:37:56.460 analogy for this, but it's the truth that a lot 00:37:56.460 --> 00:37:58.420 of times we can slip into that. We want to be 00:37:58.420 --> 00:38:00.440 super student who gets A's in everything. We 00:38:00.440 --> 00:38:02.079 want to be super employee. We want to be super 00:38:02.079 --> 00:38:03.840 mom. We want to be super dad. We want to be super 00:38:03.840 --> 00:38:07.039 husband. We want to be super Christian who's 00:38:07.039 --> 00:38:10.659 always just like super overjoyed to get in God's 00:38:10.659 --> 00:38:12.480 word at 6 a .m. in the morning. And, you know, 00:38:12.500 --> 00:38:13.960 everyone else wakes up at 7, and we've been up 00:38:13.960 --> 00:38:15.920 for three hours reading through Leviticus and 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:18.260 diagramming sentences, and we're just on fire 00:38:18.260 --> 00:38:21.179 in every way. And that's not real. That's not 00:38:21.179 --> 00:38:23.000 what we're called to be. We're called to be made 00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:25.800 new and to be the righteousness of God. So let 00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:28.320 me ask you, are you living out of that identity 00:38:28.320 --> 00:38:30.719 that you've been made new and set free? You are 00:38:30.719 --> 00:38:33.460 the righteousness of God. Here's the second point 00:38:33.460 --> 00:38:37.260 of application. Trials shape us. Your trials 00:38:37.260 --> 00:38:39.420 are unique and they're different. We are not 00:38:39.420 --> 00:38:41.219 all going to go through what Joseph went through. 00:38:42.380 --> 00:38:45.400 Praise God for that. We see that in Scripture. 00:38:45.559 --> 00:38:47.440 None of his other brothers are sold into slavery. 00:38:48.250 --> 00:38:50.610 And all four of his oldest brothers had serious 00:38:50.610 --> 00:38:52.130 reasons why they probably should have been sold 00:38:52.130 --> 00:38:54.269 into slavery. But not a single one of them is. 00:38:54.349 --> 00:38:56.389 Instead, they become pretty wealthy guys, honestly. 00:38:59.309 --> 00:39:02.510 They don't face the same trials. Now, they had 00:39:02.510 --> 00:39:04.389 challenges of their own, most self -inflicted, 00:39:04.429 --> 00:39:06.329 but still they had challenges. Consider Paul 00:39:06.329 --> 00:39:07.969 in the New Testament. He talks about everything 00:39:07.969 --> 00:39:10.650 that he endured. His beatings, his thorn in the 00:39:10.650 --> 00:39:13.760 flesh. He doesn't say, and don't forget Corinthian 00:39:13.760 --> 00:39:15.579 church, my thorn in the flesh is also Timothy's 00:39:15.579 --> 00:39:17.440 thorn in the flesh, and Titus' thorn in the flesh, 00:39:17.559 --> 00:39:20.300 and is also Luke's thorn in the flesh. His trials 00:39:20.300 --> 00:39:22.940 are different, and the same is true for us. Our 00:39:22.940 --> 00:39:25.599 trials are unique, but they're all hard. I heard 00:39:25.599 --> 00:39:27.079 a great example of this a few years ago at a 00:39:27.079 --> 00:39:28.880 conference. A songwriter was talking about how 00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:31.260 he was so convicted when writing a song that 00:39:31.260 --> 00:39:33.119 his first grade daughter had hard things in her 00:39:33.119 --> 00:39:35.099 life. And you hear that sentence, and at least 00:39:35.099 --> 00:39:37.300 for me, I was like, does she though? She doesn't 00:39:37.300 --> 00:39:39.349 have a mortgage payment. She doesn't have a whole 00:39:39.349 --> 00:39:41.449 lot of stress. She doesn't have a boss to deal 00:39:41.449 --> 00:39:44.550 with. Like, what is the hard part? And he goes, 00:39:44.650 --> 00:39:48.750 I went to bed that night. I was thinking, you 00:39:48.750 --> 00:39:50.030 know, my daughter told me today that somebody 00:39:50.030 --> 00:39:54.349 at school took her swing at recess. For her, 00:39:54.369 --> 00:39:57.570 that felt like the end of the world. You know, 00:39:57.570 --> 00:40:00.250 for her, that's a big concern. That's a big difficulty 00:40:00.250 --> 00:40:04.409 that her friend stole the swing. That's hard. 00:40:06.319 --> 00:40:07.480 You know, for us, we hear that, and we're like, 00:40:07.480 --> 00:40:08.800 well, that's a bummer. It's okay, you'll get 00:40:08.800 --> 00:40:11.400 your turn in five minutes, that's fine. For that 00:40:11.400 --> 00:40:16.840 child, that's the end of the world. You know, 00:40:16.840 --> 00:40:18.199 to us, it's terrifying when our boss says, hey, 00:40:18.239 --> 00:40:19.619 I need to talk to you at three o 'clock today 00:40:19.619 --> 00:40:21.960 in my office, and gives no more information. 00:40:22.699 --> 00:40:24.360 For that seven -year -old, they're like, sure, 00:40:24.820 --> 00:40:29.099 whatever. Like, I don't care. My point is, all 00:40:29.099 --> 00:40:31.219 of us face trials on a daily basis that are different 00:40:31.219 --> 00:40:33.750 from each other. And just because someone else 00:40:33.750 --> 00:40:35.289 is suffering in a way that maybe looks harder 00:40:35.289 --> 00:40:37.550 or looks easier does not mean that it is harder 00:40:37.550 --> 00:40:40.130 or that is easier because your trials are unique. 00:40:40.710 --> 00:40:42.429 And what that means also is that the lessons 00:40:42.429 --> 00:40:44.110 that we will learn from our trials will also 00:40:44.110 --> 00:40:46.150 be unique. And that's why the Christian community 00:40:46.150 --> 00:40:49.510 is so cool. Galatians 6 says this, carry one 00:40:49.510 --> 00:40:52.510 another's burdens or walk with one another and 00:40:52.510 --> 00:40:54.309 in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 00:40:55.210 --> 00:40:57.989 Friends, we get to walk together with one another 00:40:57.989 --> 00:41:00.070 and help one another walk closer to Christ as 00:41:00.070 --> 00:41:03.550 we go through various trials. And as we come 00:41:03.550 --> 00:41:05.369 out on the other side of trials, we will find 00:41:05.369 --> 00:41:09.429 that we've learned so much. And I will challenge 00:41:09.429 --> 00:41:11.050 you as you walk with somebody through a trial. 00:41:11.190 --> 00:41:12.650 Maybe you're a married couple going through a 00:41:12.650 --> 00:41:15.829 hard season together. You may not come out with 00:41:15.829 --> 00:41:19.670 the exact same lessons. And that's okay. Because 00:41:19.670 --> 00:41:23.070 God's teaching you what you need to learn. And 00:41:23.070 --> 00:41:26.510 Joseph is a great example of that. The Joseph 00:41:26.510 --> 00:41:28.969 of Genesis 37 was a bad leader. Let's just be 00:41:28.969 --> 00:41:31.170 honest. He shows up to go checking on his brothers 00:41:31.170 --> 00:41:34.550 who he knows hate him. And he's been kind of 00:41:34.550 --> 00:41:36.110 poking the bear a little bit with these dreams. 00:41:36.230 --> 00:41:38.010 Like, hey, I've got to tell you about my dream 00:41:38.010 --> 00:41:43.190 last night. Now Joseph in Genesis 41 is an incredible 00:41:43.190 --> 00:41:47.449 leader. He's a man who can manage all the food 00:41:47.449 --> 00:41:49.050 in Egypt. We're not just talking about a flock 00:41:49.050 --> 00:41:52.119 or 12 brothers who hate him. He can manage All 00:41:52.119 --> 00:41:56.039 the food. Everyone in Egypt. So while you're 00:41:56.039 --> 00:41:57.420 going through your trial, let me encourage you 00:41:57.420 --> 00:42:00.719 to lean on God and to lean on the community around 00:42:00.719 --> 00:42:05.079 you. Let me plead with you. Hang in there. Hang 00:42:05.079 --> 00:42:07.239 in there. The words of James 1, 2 through 4 are 00:42:07.239 --> 00:42:09.920 true. Consider it a great joy, my brothers and 00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:12.639 sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 00:42:12.840 --> 00:42:14.820 because you know that the testing of your faith 00:42:14.820 --> 00:42:16.820 produces endurance, and let endurance have its 00:42:16.820 --> 00:42:19.380 full effect so you may be mature and complete, 00:42:19.480 --> 00:42:24.559 lacking nothing. Don't run from your trial. Endure 00:42:24.559 --> 00:42:27.559 it. Push through it. Grow through this difficult 00:42:27.559 --> 00:42:30.940 season. Here's my final point for us today. This 00:42:30.940 --> 00:42:32.699 was not in my original manuscript. I just really 00:42:32.699 --> 00:42:36.159 felt God put this on my heart Thursday. There 00:42:36.159 --> 00:42:40.340 is an end to your trial. There is an end to your 00:42:40.340 --> 00:42:43.420 trial. As Joseph's sitting in prison, he has 00:42:43.420 --> 00:42:46.300 no idea that there is an end to his trial. All 00:42:46.300 --> 00:42:49.079 he knows is, great, I'm in prison another day. 00:42:50.099 --> 00:42:51.699 Oh, now Pharaoh wants to talk to me. He doesn't 00:42:51.699 --> 00:42:53.460 know what's going to happen. Maybe Pharaoh wants 00:42:53.460 --> 00:42:56.579 to kill him. He doesn't know. There is an end 00:42:56.579 --> 00:43:02.239 to your trial. I just want to speak to you honestly, 00:43:02.340 --> 00:43:05.920 heart to heart. If you are suffering today, let's 00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:08.900 just talk for a minute right now. If you're going 00:43:08.900 --> 00:43:11.139 to suffer at some point in life, which is everyone, 00:43:11.519 --> 00:43:14.360 let's just talk for a minute. I'm speaking to 00:43:14.360 --> 00:43:17.059 myself on this also, but I promise you there 00:43:17.059 --> 00:43:20.360 is an end to your trial. Right now, you don't 00:43:20.360 --> 00:43:23.159 see it. Right now, it feels so far away. You've 00:43:23.159 --> 00:43:24.619 gone to the doctor. They haven't given you answers. 00:43:26.480 --> 00:43:29.559 Your boss is not helpful at work. That class 00:43:29.559 --> 00:43:32.460 teacher is the worst. Your relative is struggling 00:43:32.460 --> 00:43:36.059 and is not okay. And you can't see that end to 00:43:36.059 --> 00:43:38.440 this trial. It feels far away. And every day 00:43:38.440 --> 00:43:40.900 feels way too long. And you just want to give 00:43:40.900 --> 00:43:43.219 up. And as you hear what I'm saying, you're thinking, 00:43:43.280 --> 00:43:45.559 yeah, I'm just exhausted. I'm spent. I just want 00:43:45.559 --> 00:43:47.559 to go to sleep permanently. Like, I don't mean 00:43:47.559 --> 00:43:48.599 like in a dead way. I just want to like sleep 00:43:48.599 --> 00:43:51.780 all the time. I just want to throw in the towel. 00:43:51.860 --> 00:43:57.619 I'm finished. Let me challenge you. Do not quit. 00:43:59.340 --> 00:44:02.840 Don't quit. If Joseph quits, if Joseph stops 00:44:02.840 --> 00:44:06.519 following God, we never get Genesis 41, 37 through 00:44:06.519 --> 00:44:10.219 57. Now, on a macro scale as a history teacher, 00:44:10.840 --> 00:44:12.199 I've often wondered about this. What happens 00:44:12.199 --> 00:44:14.159 if Joseph doesn't tell them to hang out at the 00:44:14.159 --> 00:44:17.619 food in Genesis 41? I don't know. I made my students 00:44:17.619 --> 00:44:19.079 do a project on that one day. It was very fun. 00:44:21.639 --> 00:44:25.199 My point is we've got to keep going. We've got 00:44:25.199 --> 00:44:30.460 to keep pushing day after day. There's a resource 00:44:30.460 --> 00:44:32.400 that Shane and Shane puts out, the Worship Initiative. 00:44:32.800 --> 00:44:35.059 They released a brand new song on it this week 00:44:35.059 --> 00:44:37.460 that's actually not out. No, you probably haven't 00:44:37.460 --> 00:44:39.739 heard these words before. That's okay. But the 00:44:39.739 --> 00:44:41.699 last verse of this new song, I was listening 00:44:41.699 --> 00:44:44.659 to this Wednesday and it just hit me. It goes, 00:44:44.760 --> 00:44:47.960 I will sing my way to victory until I see him 00:44:47.960 --> 00:44:51.800 face to face for the Lord will not forsake me. 00:44:54.300 --> 00:44:57.360 Glory, glory, I will wait. It ends with this. 00:44:57.980 --> 00:45:00.300 Yes, the Lord will surely take me home to glory. 00:45:00.920 --> 00:45:04.559 I will wait. Friends, you're suffering and you 00:45:04.559 --> 00:45:08.119 may not see the end. But let me just encourage 00:45:08.119 --> 00:45:16.500 you. That is the God that we worship. Yes, the 00:45:16.500 --> 00:45:19.639 Lord will surely take us home to glory. And just 00:45:19.639 --> 00:45:21.519 as surely as he will do that, the Lord will surely 00:45:21.519 --> 00:45:23.800 be with you right now in the midst of your trial. 00:45:25.440 --> 00:45:27.679 It's not our job to tell God when, it's our job 00:45:27.679 --> 00:45:32.559 to wait. We could just shorten that phrase down 00:45:32.559 --> 00:45:37.079 even. Yes, Lord, I will wait. Know that there 00:45:37.079 --> 00:45:38.780 is an end to your trial and it is coming at some 00:45:38.780 --> 00:45:42.090 point. But let me challenge you to do the hardest 00:45:42.090 --> 00:45:45.750 thing you can do. Wait for the Lord. Wait for 00:45:45.750 --> 00:45:47.250 the Lord and rest in him. This trial will not 00:45:47.250 --> 00:45:49.909 defeat you. It will not end you. This trial will 00:45:49.909 --> 00:45:53.130 end. God has not abandoned you, just as God did 00:45:53.130 --> 00:45:58.550 not abandon Joseph. Hang in there. Glory, glory. 00:45:59.190 --> 00:46:02.389 I will wait. Let's pray. Father God, we just 00:46:02.389 --> 00:46:07.590 thank you for being a God who always will be, 00:46:07.670 --> 00:46:12.750 who always has been. God, a God who will always 00:46:12.750 --> 00:46:15.849 be at work. Lord, we thank you for the fact that 00:46:15.849 --> 00:46:17.630 you were at work in Joseph's life and that you 00:46:17.630 --> 00:46:19.510 did get him through to that end of the trial. 00:46:20.010 --> 00:46:21.650 And God, we know that you will get us through 00:46:21.650 --> 00:46:25.170 the end of our trials. Father, today it might 00:46:25.170 --> 00:46:31.210 feel hard. God, I think about David in Psalm 00:46:31.210 --> 00:46:34.250 6 as he says that he's crying and that his tears 00:46:34.250 --> 00:46:38.710 are soaking his bed. That all he can feel is 00:46:38.710 --> 00:46:42.690 sorrow and hurt and pain. And God, maybe that's 00:46:42.690 --> 00:46:47.829 where we are today, God. Maybe we're hurting 00:46:47.829 --> 00:46:51.010 and we're sorrowful. And God, all we want to 00:46:51.010 --> 00:46:53.150 do deep down is just throw in the towel and be 00:46:53.150 --> 00:46:59.190 done. But God, I ask that you would remind us 00:46:59.190 --> 00:47:01.889 of the importance of waiting, that you are shaping 00:47:01.889 --> 00:47:04.909 us through these trials. God, I think about Job. 00:47:08.329 --> 00:47:12.929 crying out despite all of his difficulties, yet 00:47:12.929 --> 00:47:17.210 I will praise him. God, help that to be our attitude, 00:47:17.250 --> 00:47:21.489 that we would praise you on a daily basis. Right 00:47:21.489 --> 00:47:23.309 now, God, as we move into a time of singing and 00:47:23.309 --> 00:47:25.590 reflecting, God, I ask that we would not just 00:47:25.590 --> 00:47:27.429 be singing words, God, but that our hearts would 00:47:27.429 --> 00:47:34.190 be worshiping you. And God, I just want to specifically 00:47:34.190 --> 00:47:37.480 lift up Betty to you, God. And she's not with 00:47:37.480 --> 00:47:40.460 us this morning. God, I ask that you just be 00:47:40.460 --> 00:47:48.599 close to her. God, we will wait for you this 00:47:48.599 --> 00:47:51.360 week. We will trust you. In your name we pray. 00:47:51.739 --> 00:47:52.139 Amen.