Called to Greatness

Transcript

What I'd like to do tonight is just share some thoughts about Joseph, his life, and how we could gain encouragement and support from his behavior under trial, and think a little bit about what he would have gone through in some of these major trials in his life and how he persevered in all of these circumstances. And also look at some symbols that would relate to Jesus Christ and Joseph being a type of

Christ and see the parable there of our coming King Jesus to deliver a world that is in a famine for spiritual teaching. And just as Joseph provided bread that that sustained life and saved his brothers, Christ will come to feed a world in need of the hope of the gospel message and save his brethren and save each one of us and all those in this world that will accept him and accept his teaching. So the parable there of Joseph feeding the world and preparing all of that food so that life could be saved. An interesting and good principle for us to keep in mind is found in Isaiah when we look at the life of Joseph. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, say it the Lord. And I think Joseph would have had this in mind as he had the twists and turns in life. Although things were bad at times and good at times, he always kept his mind focused on his God and the deliverance that could come through him. Now, Jacob, we're told in Genesis 37, and Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren. So if we look at Hebron in the area of Judea, it's an area that's steeped in history. Abraham would have settled in this area. He would have bought the cave of the patriarchs here as a burial place for his wife, Sarah. And biblical tradition holds that the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with their wives, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah, were buried in the cave. And you can go visit this area today. So it would have been a considerable size family, a small village, if you will. We're told that those that went to Egypt with Jacob, not counting his son's wives, were 66 persons. So we can imagine brothers and sisters, friends, you know, take our Ecclesia and maybe double it. We're living in a intense, in a desert area, but with with plenty of water, plenty of everything that we need. The land here is described as hills and valleys offering fertile soil,

iron rich that enabled the growing of grapes, vineyards, olive trees, fruits. It was a terraced land for growing wheat in Bali. And there was also sheep and goats could be grazed in the surrounding region, as we see here that Joseph was tending to the flock with his brethren. And so being a considerable size family living together, you could imagine there would be a lot of interaction. There would be contentions. I was thinking that if we took our group, we'd probably have one person who at 659 on Saturday morning would start his chainsaw. I'm not going to mention any names, but Jim Boyko probably would be doing that. You know, he'd be he'd be helping us by cutting down all the brush. But we'd probably be like, oh, Jim's starting his chainsaw again. But we would have to interact on a regular basis, close quarters, and

we just want to build an idea of the animosity that would have developed between Joseph and his brethren. And they were very content in this area. They they had everything that they needed. We're never told that Joseph is looking for bigger barns. He's not looking to, you know, move on and get a promotion and and do all of these things that we sometimes run into in our society that can pull us away from the truth. And Hebrews 13 has a wonderful principle there for us in verse five, and it says, keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we can say with confidence, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? And I think this is a wonderful mindset for us to have in a materialistic society, to be content with what God has given us, to have that focus be on life and the truth, not to say that we can't have wealth, that we can't have riches, that we can't have things that we enjoy, but all within the correct perspective, as Joseph would have had here, as Jacob would have had. And it seems that the family would have had this as well. They had everything they needed in a very simple lifestyle. But we were told in First Chronicles, now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, he was the firstborn, but for as much as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel. And the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright, for Judah prevailed above his brethren and of him came the chief ruler. But the birthright was Joseph's. So Joseph was given the birthright and we're told in Genesis 37, now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age and he made him a code of many colors. And when the brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him. Joseph was elevated to a position of firstborn in the family, which came with it, certain rights, responsibilities of which he embraced. And that would have created contention with his brethren. You know, growing up, we used to joke with my dad periodically, try to get him alone and say, like, you know, you I'm your favorite, right? And he would never fall for it. He'd always say, no, I love all of you and you all have your own great qualities. And so he always kept us on our toes and never and

never would say no. And I really do believe my dad loves all his children the same. But I would say that Jacob or Israel in some ways was a flaw because he showed that he preferred Joseph above the other children, which created jealousy. Now, I think that right from the start, Joseph would have had a different character than his brothers. And that's born out in the story. And Joseph would have had spiritual qualities. He would have showed himself at the young age of 17. And even before that, he would have been hardworking. He would have been obedient. He would have been selfless. He would have been a good example and he would have been a leader. And so these qualities as well would have endeared Israel to Joseph. And he would have seen the tremendous potential that

Joseph had for success in his life. And it reminds me of our own lives, brothers and sisters, that we all have such wonderful qualities and wonderful potential to do good, just like Joseph. And it's incumbent upon all of us to utilize those talents, not to bury them, not to say

halfheartedly, you know, be in the game, so to speak, that we should be like a Joseph, that we should engage fully, that we should look for opportunities to help one another, to serve and to keep God at the forefront of our minds. Now, Joseph was in an environment where he was looked at, sneered at. His brethren couldn't speak peaceably to him. And that word there is shalom. They wouldn't even say shalom or hello to him and greet him. And he didn't let this bad behavior and their poor manners around him spoil his character. He kept his composure. He continued to do his work and to to the best of his ability, serve his family. The Proverbs tells us in chapter 13, verse 20, walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. It would have been far easier for Joseph to join his brothers to, you know, throw this coat or this robe away that symbolized his preeminence in the family, that symbolized his firstborn heirship.

And he could have fit right in with his brothers. He could have just been one of them, but he didn't do that. And it goes on in that chapter in Psalms to say, a wise son heeds instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes. And this verse reminds me of something Steve Davis said in an excitation where when his dad would when they would have a discussion and his dad, Bob, would say, you know, Steve, I expect, you know, you can do better. And I just thought that was a wonderful expression. And I try to use that with my kids because we can we can all do better. We all make mistakes and stumble and fall. But it's a wise person that heeds that instruction and that will listen to someone that says, you know what, you can you can do better here in this situation. And it endears us to that person, that that gentleness, that kindness, that we want to have a good response from it. But the idea of a mocker who said, I don't need to listen to you, I'm just going to do my own thing. And I think Joseph was that kind of person. He was a conscientious young man. He was a thoughtful person. He respected his father, he respected his elders, he he respected the rule of authority. And so he would listen to the instruction of his father, he would listen to the gospel message and he would try to live it each day, even though he was around people and his brothers that that hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. So this was a growing animosity that didn't happen overnight or because of one situation. It was probably a lot of talking behind his back, openly giving him the silent treatment, making him to feel unwanted. And so it turned into a longstanding problem and it and it would have developed through pride, through wrong thinking and through the brothers putting themselves first.

And, of course, the coat or the special robe would have been a daily source of aggravation to the brothers. Colorful clothes were expensive and they would have distinguished Joseph and shown that he was chosen as the firstborn. So it would have been a daily reminder to the family. And he was given a higher status and authority. When I saw this picture, it brought to mind John, chapter 19, when Christ was crucified. And in verse 23, we read, When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shears, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. Let's not tear it, they said to one another. Let's decide by law who will get it. And so as they as they took Joseph's coat and they dipped it in animal's blood to fool his father, they took Christ's garment as well. And and they didn't tear it. They took his clothes, they divided his clothes. And I have on the next slide, they it's according to

tradition, they believe they have Christ's garment, whether or not it's true, you know, you can look into it for yourself. But this is prior to this happening in Genesis 37, we are told Joseph had a special dream and later he told his brothers. And this would have played into the hatred they had for him. He told them the dream. After that, his brothers hated him even more. Joseph said, I had a dream. We were all working in the field tying stacks of wheat together. Then my stack got up. It stood there while all your stacks of wheat made a circle around mine and bowed down to it. His brothers said, do you think this means that you will be a king and ruler over us? His brothers hated Joseph more now because of the dreams he had about them. And just this, you know, you hate somebody and then you hate them more. It's a quality that believers were only told, if I remember correctly, to have that sort of hatred to sin and to the world around us, never to those in the household, never to our family and brother and always seeking to repair relationships. And I think my brother Rich has told this story before, like, you know, I have four brothers, we roughhoused all the time, wrestled. We had our moments for sure where we got in our fights. I think he told the story where we used to put Josh in a sleeping bag and push him down the front stairs. It was all done in good fun, though. Nobody got hurt permanently from it. But Joseph would have thought of this prophecy and he would have held it close to his heart. He would have reflected that God had special plans for him. And so this idea of dreams and this idea of having dreams answered is born out in the story of Joseph. But Joseph would have been looking at this dream and it would have been fulfilled when his brothers bowed down to him, when he saved them during the famine. And he also had a second dream where his mother bowed down to him as well, along with the entire family, which would have then symbolized in the Kingdom Age when Joseph is resurrected, when his parents are resurrected and when there is a time when Christ saves all of us from our mortality. I think it's wonderful, the long suffering and patience that God has with Joseph, with his family and with his brothers, given their behavior. And Titus three verse three comes to mind. At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all sort of all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God, our savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. And this idea that in our own lives, we can say things that we wish we could take back, we can have behavior that we wish hadn't happened, just like Joseph's But we have a merciful God, we have a merciful savior who understands this. He knows everything about us, even before we were born. He's factored in the mistakes and the weaknesses that we have into our calling. And he's there for us because of his mercy. And it's a, it's a principle that should drive us never to despair, but always to a positive frame of mind that like Joseph's brothers, as bad as what they did, they wanted to kill their own brother. They sold him as a slave, but they came around. Their characters were changed through the experience of life. Now, Joseph's second dream, his father rebuked him, but it says he kept it in his heart. His father said, what is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. And this would have just heaped on top of the hatred, the fact they couldn't speak peaceably to Joseph and that we are told that their hatred increased of him. This is the seamless robe of Jesus.

It's supposedly in the Cathedral of Trier. I'm not sure where that's located, but you can go visit it. Whether or not it's true or not. I just thought it was kind of interesting that they would have taken this off of Christ and they also took Joseph's robe off of him when they threw him into the war prior to selling him off as a slave. So we're told in Genesis 37, so Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dotham, but they saw him in a distance. And before they reached them, they plotted to kill him. Here comes that dreamer, they said to each other, come now let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. So very devious and fleshly thinking here, very corrupt thinking to want to do this to another human being. And there's a parallel there to Matthew 21, the parable of the husbandmen. We're told, but last of all, he sent unto them his son saying, they will reverence my son, but when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, this is the air, come, let us kill him and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. The stone, which the builders rejected for Christ, the same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalms 103 verse four tells us relating to Christ, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion. This is the savior that we have and we can take comfort in this. Those that have fallen asleep in Christ will be raised from the pit. They will be raised, judged and through the grace, loving, kind hearted kindness and compassion of Christ given eternal life. I find it fascinating that the brothers here, they really had no conscience whatsoever. They had no pity at all to deliver this message to their father. It would have been painstakingly awful for Jacob to

think in it that his son was dead as far as he knew. The brothers knew that he wasn't, but we're told that they dipped his robe in goat's blood and Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourn for his son's many days. All his sons and his daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. No, he said, I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave. So his father wept for him.

What a unbelievable sadness that Jacob would have had that he couldn't be comforted. That he was saying that when his life is over, that's when he'll stop leaping. And we see this wonderful change that happens in the brothers that they would come to be eaten up by the decision that they made. As 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 9 tells us, and if we think about the brothers, if a determination had been made on them right away at this instance, that's it, you're done, you're finished. But principle brought out in 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 9 says, the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Excuse me. So this idea, this principle of patience that was exhibited to the brothers, that the patience that God has had with this creation, the patience that we see as new individuals get baptized in

these last days, that God is still calling out a family for his name, that he is patient in each one of our lives. Another principle that Joseph would have kept in mind as he went through his trials, as he was sold as a slave, he would have had to be patient in his day-to-day activities. I'll pause there for a minute and open it up if anyone has any thoughts. All right.

We're told in Genesis 39, Joseph would have had to go about 150 miles when he was sold as a slave. It says the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master, the Egyptian, and his master saw that the Lord was with him. And so Joseph would have been proclaiming the gospel. He would have been telling Potiphar about the God of Israel, about his hope. This is how his master knew and equated the two of why Joseph was successful. It says in his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight and he served him and he made him overseer over all his house and that he was second only to Pharaoh as we continue with the story. So Joseph would have been a goodly person. He was well-favored. He would have been preaching the gospel. These same qualities that his father saw in him would have been seen in front of Potiphar. And second Timothy chapter two, verse four comes to mind. Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season or be prepared to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. God was with Joseph just like he's with each one of us. And as we look at a few of the trials of Joseph, most of us will not have suffered these trials, although we do have our own temptations and trials that we deal with. We need to be convinced that God is with us and that he will deliver us and that he will cause us to prosper and ultimately to prosper in the kingdom age. First Corinthians nine, verse 16 says, for if I preach the gospel, that gives me no reason to boast, for I feel compelled of necessity to do it. Woe is me if I do not preach the glad tidings of the gospel. So this idea of letting our light shine within our families, within our Ecclesias and to those around us. There's an interesting Psalm 105, verse 16 that recounts it's additional information that we're not given in Genesis or about Joseph. And it says, when he, God brought a famine on the land and broke every staff of bread, he sent a man ahead of him, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. And just think about when Joseph was put in prison with part of his wife. Joseph, his feet were hurt with fetters. His neck was put in a collar of iron until what he had said came to pass. The word of Yahweh tested him. The king sent and released him. The ruler of the people set him free. He made him Lord over his house and ruler of his possessions to instruct the princes at his pleasure and to teach the senators wisdom. And I've always thought of Joseph when he was in prison, that he was raised up. He was in kind of in charge of things. It wasn't all that bad. But I think there was a time period that was quite uncomfortable for Joseph. As it says here, he was chained to a wall. He had a collar of iron and he had fetters around his ankles. And he would have been very uncomfortable. He would have been hungry.

He would have had been sharing so many emotions being put in prison like this from an elevated status and having done nothing wrong. And we're told in Genesis 39 verse 20, then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in prison, but the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy. He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand, all the prisoners who were in the prison, whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. So Joseph had this wonderful quality of even though false accusations were brought against him. And he's thrown into prison. He continues with a positive attitude, his work ethic. They all stay steady as it goes because he has God as his focus. It's not on him. It's not on his own ability. It's on the fact that God is going to deliver him, that God has a plan and purpose for him, he's going to have his dreams in mind. He's going to know that his current situation is not his future situation. And Joseph did the right thing. He ran from temptation. And we might ask, why didn't God keep him out of prison? And it would have been easy for him to fall into despair. And he could have been thinking, why should I do the right thing when I'm treated as if I did the wrong thing? But Joseph guarded his heart and it didn't matter where they put him. The blessing of God was always upon him. And he attempted to do the right thing, whether it was his brother's hating on him, whether he was thrown in prison for doing the right thing and suffering through pain and hunger. And being extremely uncomfortable. Now, if we think about this temptation here that Joseph was faced here, he could have easily gotten away with it. And in today's world, temptation is very powerful. There's very few roadblocks to sin with technology and with the way that our realistic world is run, we told him Romans 13, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its, its lust. And so it's as Joseph did, he ran from temptation. And there's a wonderful, powerful example for us to

make no provision. And naturally with the nature that we have, we think, ah, just a little provision here and there. What harm could it be? But, but we know that it's one step in the wrong direction is what leads to action. And that's what Jesus did so well. That's what Joseph did so well here is that he crucified that thought immediately so that it didn't have time to grow. Second Timothy tells us in chapter two, verse 22, flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. So it's, it's not just resisting temptation, but it's this idea of filling our lives and filling our minds with those positive things of the gospel message, righteousness, faith, love, and peace, and just some scriptures that in a mindset that Joseph would have, uh, no doubt been thinking of these sorts of principles being sold as a slave, falsely accused, thrown in prison, just the absolute emotional roller coaster that, that he would have gone through. And although these are extreme examples of, of trials, perhaps in your own life, uh, you've been passed over for a promotion for work or treated unfairly at school. Uh, you're trying to make the right, uh, choices for the truth, like Joseph was doing here, but things aren't turning out the way that you would like them to. Uh, maybe it's a struggle, um, with your children, your spouse or your friends. Um, or just an overall sense of the direction of your life. I think Joseph would have shared some of these doubts as well. And he would have been encouraged in the mindset that these verses here promote. And I think, uh, in, in Psalm 16, therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body also will rest secure. Why? Because of the promise of God's loving hand in our lives. Uh, Psalm 42, why my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him. My savior and my God waiting on the Lord that God in Psalm 62, truly he is my rock and my salvation. I will not be shaken. And in Micah, but as for me, I watch and hope for the Lord. I wait for God, my savior, my God will hear me. This idea of, of prayer, of continual association with the believers, trying to keep a positive mind in the face of trial and temptation, we can do this together when we work together, we have strength when we rely on each other. When we use the word of God for our encouragement. And, and this is what Joseph would have been doing when he had that fetter around his ankles and a, and a iron cord around his neck while he was in a, in a, in a prison with little food and little encouragement, he would have had to pull his boots up and get himself in the right frame of mind, knowing that God was going to right the situation. And James, we're told blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. And so the everyday trials of life, they shape us, they mold us, they give us opportunities to show forth Christ's righteousness. And we read in Genesis chapter 40, sometime later,

Pharaoh's chief Capirah and chief Baker offended their royal master. Pharaoh became angry with these two officials and he put them in the prison where Joseph was and in the palace of the captain of the guard. They remained in prison for quite some time and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph who looked after them. Joseph continued in wisdom and perseverance. He interpreted their dreams correctly and he asked the cup bearer to remember him before Pharaoh. But we're told the cup bearer forgot about Joseph, didn't even give him another thought and Joseph sat in prison for another two years. And we know in our own lives, if we want to see God's hand in our life, we need to look back a number of years and we can see, we can say, oh yeah, in that situation there, sometimes it's hard to see it when we're in the thick of it. And second, Thessalonians chapter three gives us this principle that Joseph was

it pervaded his life. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. And this, this idea of action, it's one thing to, for us to read these verses, but Joseph must've been struggling with, you know, what am I going to do here? I'm in prison, but he, he took action and he made the best of the situation that he was in. And we're told in Galatians, therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. And Joseph had this outworked in his life. For two long years, he sat there in prison, waiting, waiting, waiting, and we're told in Genesis 41, then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself and changed his raiment and came in unto Pharaoh. Now, if you were on for Mark's class on Sunday, I actually found this humorous when I was putting this class together. You know, maybe there is something to shaving yourself and ideas come to you. I mean, Joseph shaves himself. He comes before the presence of Pharaoh. So I'm going to have to keep that in mind, but Mark

said he got lots of good ideas when he was shaving on Sunday morning, but almost in the blink of an eye, Joseph was removed from the gloom of the dungeon and he stood in the presence of Egypt's powerful monarch and Pharaoh didn't mince words. He made his business known. He had called Joseph to interpret dreams and Joseph, he would have been familiar with the Egyptian customs. He would have, as this picture depicts, had humility. He would have, would not have taken any credit for himself. It's mentioned many times that it's God who is the revealer of dreams. It's God who's doing this for you. It's God who is the, is the person who should get the credit. 1st Peter 5 verse 5 tells us, all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. Because God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under God's mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time, cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. And I think this was a principle that Joseph had in mind, even when he was second in command to Pharaoh, he had a humility that endeared people to him. He knew that his life was not his own. He had suffered in prison. He had been sold as a slave. His brothers hated him. And through all this, he kept God in mind, but he was humble in the experience knowing that life could change at any minute. That he always had a power outside of himself to rely on. And we know, we know the dreams that Joseph had and Joseph says, then Joseph said to Pharaoh, the dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about, about to do. So again, you know, seven years of plenty, seven years of family, famine, and Joseph is once again elevated. Pharaoh understanding that God showed these things to Joseph, partly because Joseph would have, he would have hammered that point home. And so Pharaoh says, who is more wise and discreet than thou? Thou shalt be over my house. And according unto thy word, shall all my people be ruled only in the throne will thou, will, will I be greater than thou? And so Joseph was, was rescued. Psalm 107 brings out this principle as well. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm with a whisper. The waves of the sea were hush. They were glad when it grew calm and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfeeling love and his wondrous deeds for mankind. And I would imagine that Joseph with this new responsibility would have had a lot of emotions, but he would have had a lot of relief to be out of prison, to see the outworking of, of God's hand in delivering him and understanding that he was going to be in a position to save lives, to save a lot of lives during a famine or getting towards the end of our time here. So just a, just a few more points here. Preparing during the seven years of plenty, we're told in Genesis 41 that Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance and stored in the cities in each city. He put the food grown in the field surrounding it. Joseph stored huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea. It was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. Of note, Pharaoh changed Joseph's name to Zaphnath Pania, which in the Greek means the savior of the age. And so Joseph became a symbol of salvation. And as Isaiah 49 tells us, I will make you a light for the Gentiles that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. And so we, we know with Christ as the savior of the world, this tie in, um, the anointed savior, our coming King, uh, Amos tells us in, in chapter eight, verse 11, the days are coming declares the sovereign Lord when I will send a famine through the land, not a famine of food or of thirst, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. And just as Joseph had time to prepare, we are exhorted by the

daily events that we see around us, whether it be the events taking place in Israel or the moral decline in the world or the war with Russia in Ukraine and so many other events that are happening worldwide that it's hard to keep up on them. We're not left without a encouragement from God that our savior is soon to come. And we're told in Matthew 24, therefore keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come, but understand this, if the owner of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready because the son of man will come in an hour when you do not expect him. And that although Joseph knew that he had seven years to prepare, we don't know the day or the hour, but we know it could be at any time. And so each day is the admonition to us to be ready, to be prepared, to always be preparing for the coming of our Lord. And that verse goes on to say, who then is a faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge of his servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time, it will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. So to conclude our thoughts, each one of us has an opportunity as Joseph to persevere in difficult circumstances, to show forth the correct characteristics, even when we're treated wrongly, to flee from temptation and to prepare for the coming of our Lord. So that we might be a part of preaching the gospel message to the entire globe. And just as Joseph was a person of encouragement to those around us, around him, we have the same opportunity to be people of encouragement, of kindness and love, to be that individual, as it says here, to provide food for those of the faith, spiritual food that we might be found laboring in the vineyard when Christ returns. Thank you.