Joseph

Transcript

I wanted to talk this morning um if you x were on my Wednesday night class back in x February we talked a little bit about x Joseph and going to do a quick recap of x that class you didn't have to see that x class to uh follow along this morning x but I wanted to talk about Joseph again x and continue on with the story there uh x of perseverance under trial and I really x like this verse in Genesis here where it x says you intended to harm me x but God intended it for good to x accomplish what is now being done the x saving of many lives so then don't be x afraid I will provide for you and your x children and he reassured them and spoke x kindly to them and we might remember x that this is at the end of the drama x when Joseph reveals himself to his x brothers and his brothers of course are x in shock and also concerned that Joseph x might take retribution against them for x the long and winding road that he had x with them um along the way so we'll do a x quick review of that class and then x we'll we'll pick up where Joseph x is elevated to the Prime Minister the x second in command in Egypt now a few x verses that we can call to mind about x this principle about uh God's intentions x for us his goodness towards us in Romans x chapter 8 it says for God works all x things together for good to those who x love him and are called according to his x purpose and it's a very popular verse x but it is Rich with meaning and x sometimes when we go through the ups and x downs of life we can forget that that x God's ultimate goal and his good x pleasure is to give us the kingdom and I x would imagine Joseph would have thought x about these things the promises to x Abraham Isaac and even to his father x Jacob to be renamed Israel that he would x have considered what God had said that x this land would be theirs that there x were wonderful good things in x store Jeremiah chapter 29 makes this x point as well for I know the plans I x have for you declares the Lord plans for x welfare and not for evil to give you a x future and a hope for I know the plans I x have for you says the Lord they are x plans for good and not for disaster to x give you a future and a hope and I think x it's so important to keep this positive x mindset in our day-to-day lives where we x can get that phone call about a x difficult situation I have a family x situation or an ecclesial situation that x comes x up but to always remember that God's x ultimate plan for us is one of x Salvation and a x future that has x hope Ephesians tells us in Chapter 2 for x we are his workmanship created in Christ x Jesus for good works which God prepared x beforehand that we should walk in them x this idea that God has carefully crafted x each one of us in our lives he knows us x intricately we know that not a hair of x our head goes unnumbered and that not x Sparrow Falls without God being aware of x it and so this idea x that God is walking with us that he is x interested in our lives that x he x is helping us and that he is impressing x upon us to have good works which we have x all these opportunities where it says x prepared beforehand it reminds me of x something being all set up for us the x the opportunity for us to do good things x to support one another to help one x another and so it's under this backdrop x that we can consider that uh Joseph x would have been hardworking he would x have been uh obedient he would have been x selfless he would have been a good x example in the family unit a leader and x this would have endeared his father x Israel to him Joseph grew up in a large x family and we might say he suffered x maximum bullying uh from his from his x brothers uh his brothers despised the x fact that his father showed him x favoritism and gave him a coat of many x colors symbolizing that he had been x chosen as the x firstborn and it would have been a x source of daily aggravation to his x brothers x constantly pestering him calling him the x dreamer and it would have been a growing x animosity his brothers hated him and x could not speak peaceably to him and his x brothers intended to kill Joseph But x ultimately sold him as a slave and these x sorts of things didn't happen x overnight it was a character development x it was a way of life it became a way of x thinking for the brothers and it also x became a way of thinking for x Joseph that of thinking in the way of x light and thinking in a way of x darkness and so there was a x long-standing clash between the brothers x that developed through Pride wrong x thinking and putting self first they x were even willing to lie to Jacob and x watch his despair as they told him x Joseph was dead we can only imagine the x reaction in the brothers all the while x knowing that Joseph was x alive and it's hard to imagine how they x would sleep at night knowing that Joseph x was somewhere else working as a x slave but it's x remarkable that Joseph did not let this x bad behavior in the poor manners of x those around him spoil his character he x continued in well-doing and Proverbs x tells us in chapter 13: 20 walk with the x wise and become wise for a companion of x fools suffers harm and there's a saying x that kind of piggybacks on this one is x that if you look around at your circle x of friends and you're not impressed then x you don't have the right Circle and it x reminded me of of the circle that we x have in this Ecclesia you know when I x look to my brothers I I see Steve x smiling I I love that smile and it gives x me confidence you know to have x conversations with Butch and Chris and x Paul and Ben and Gordon to hear Gordon's x prayers it's a circle of friendship that x we have that builds us up and often x times we we could take it for granted x but it's so important to our our daily x life to our walk in the truth to know x that we have a support system and I see x the same support system among the x sisters and of course intermingling but x I see it with sister Jen and and her x communication with the other sisters in x the meeting and it's it builds us up it x really does not just being here on x Sunday but it creates those lasting x relationships for success success and I x walk in the x truth we know the brothers wanted to x kill Joseph and eventually sold him as a x slave and they soaked his coat and x animal blood and they showed it to his x poor father I can only imagine I've gone x through some experiences with my kids x but nothing uh like this x fortunately um and it just you know you x hear a lot of these days about family x trauma you talk about family trauma x Joseph could have been curled up in a x ball after what he dealt with with his x brothers being thrown in a pit uh his x his brothers wanting to treat him you x the way they treated him wanting to kill x him but we know that God was always with x Joseph delivering him from prison x helping him to interpret dreams about an x upcoming famine and elevating him to x second in command Over All all of x Egypt we recall to mind how Joseph x escaped from part of his wife this this x temptation that was there and how he x went to prison and Joseph could have x easily been broken he could have been a x man full of Despair but he never gave up x hope no matter the situation and that's x a powerful lesson for us as we opened x our class with to remember that God has x plans for good for us that he has a x final hope and destination for for us in x his kingdom Isaiah tells us but those x who hope in the Lord will renew their x strength they will soar on wings like x eagles they will run and not grow weary x they will walk and not be faint and of x course a shadow of of the kingdom of x immortality all of these failings of the x flesh done away with but a wonderful x image for us in our mortal days that we x do have a loving heavenly father that x helps us through each and every day x Romans 5:1 tells x us therefore since we have been x justified through faith we have peace x with God through our Lord Jesus Christ x and we'll remember Jesus shortly in our x exitation and our partaking of the x emblems together we have peace with God x through our Lord Jesus Christ through x whom we have gained access by faith into x this grace in which we now stand and we x boast in the hope of the glory of God x not only so but we also glory in our x sufferings because we know that x suffering produces perseverance x perseverance character and character x hope and Joseph would have gone through x an incredible amount of suffering but he x also demonstrated perseverance x and he had that character change as will x his x brothers have an incredible character x change wanting to kill Joseph to feeling x remorseful and to recognizing their x behavior was x wrong and so we'll pick up the story x here um in Genesis chter 41 where it x says so Pharaoh said to Joseph I hereby x Joseph is now taken out of prison he's x elev ated he has interpreted the dreams x that there's going to be seven years of x plenty seven years of of famine and it x says Pharaoh said to Joseph I hereby put x you in charge of the whole of Egypt then x Pharaoh took his signant ring from his x finger and put it on Joseph's finger he x dressed him in Robes of fine linen and x put a gold chain around his neck he had x him ride in a chariot as his second in x command and people shouted before him x make way thus he put him in charge of x the whole land of Egypt Joseph stored x huge quantities of grain like the sand x of the sea it was so much that he x stopped keeping records because it was x beyond x measure and I put up this Parable x because we see that Joseph used his time x of preparation x wisely we're told there was famine in x all other lands but the whole of Egypt x had had food and when all Egypt began to x feel the famine the people cried to x Pharaoh for food but they were prepared x Joseph had made preparation and there's x a cameo here of the kingdom when Christ x returns he's going to provide food for x the whole world the food of the fruit of x the spirit and the whole world will be x educated and fed not only physically but x spiritually on wonderful principles of x moral character x and of caring for our fellow man but x this Parable here this is a someone who x took a x different uh ta the different approach x to having plenty it says the ground of a x certain rich man yielded an abundant x Harvest he thought to himself what shall x I do I have no place to store my crops x then he said I will do this is what I'll x do I will tear down my bonds and build x bigger ones x and there I will store my Surplus grain x and I'll say to myself you have plenty x of grain laid up for many years take x life easy eat drink and be merry but God x said to him you fool this very night x your life will be demanded from you then x who will get what you are prepared for x yourself this is how it will be with x whoever stores up things for themselves x but not rich towards God Joseph was x now top in command in Egypt he was x riding in chariots people were bowing x down before him he was a big shot and he x could have said well I've got seven x years here I can I'll start preparing in x year three or four or x five and it can it can be easy to x procrastinate sometimes we feel like we x have all the time in the world but x there's a powerful lesson here from x Joseph that as soon as he got put into x this position of power he immediately x started doing the job of preparing for x the famine and as this Parable closes x out this is how it will be for whoever x stores up things for themselves and is x not rich toward God that's why we're x here this morning that's why we work so x closely together that's why we have our x study day coming up which should be a x wonderful day and we're all going to be x built up in that we have brothers we x weekend coming up we have lots of x wonderful faith-building x activities that we can be rich towards x each other and Rich towards x God in Pharaoh here when they had no x food Pharaoh said go see Joseph he'll x he's going to handle these things and x all the world came to Egypt to buy Grain x from Joseph because the famine was sere x everywhere in in following this theme we x we read in Matthew this this idea of x being prepared and it's so much easier x to persevere when we're prepared if x we've if we have the resources because x we've made good decisions around the x truth we're much more equipped to help x those around us we're much more equipped x to help ourselves it's like a good x night's sleep if if we have a bad day if x we have a a a big presentation coming up x the next day or something that's x Weighing on us if we go to bed and and x get a good night's sleep we wake up x refreshed and I feel for myself I'm x ready to take on that challenge we have x a a little bit of a joke in our house x and the kids used to make fun of Jen x over this but I would say I'm I'm going x to head up to bed now and Jen would say x you can't just go up you've got to like x I need some time like you can't just go x up I I'm not ready for you to go to x sleep yet so we came out I have to give x her a 15 minute warning x before I go to bed now so I didn't have x to do that while she was in x Florida but the kids would always joke x dad has to tell Mom when he's going to x go to x bed but I tell her I'm when I'm getting x ready to head up I do I do uh I do that x and Matthew 7 tells us therefore x everyone who hears these words of mine x and puts them into practice is like a x wise man who built his house on on a x rock right to be prepared the rain came x down the streams Rose and the wind blew x and beat against that house yet it did x not fail it did not fall because it had x its foundation on The Rock The Rock of x our Lord Jesus Christ but everyone who x hears these words of mine and does not x put them into practice is like a foolish x man who built his house on Sand the rain x came down the streams Rose and the winds x blew and beat against that house and it x fell x with a great crash and this is what x Joseph did he prepared for the famine x not only for himself but for the entire x world and this is what we're doing in x our lives now we're x preparing ourselves in our time of x probation for the return of Christ so x that we're ready so when that call comes x that Christ is in the earth we meet him x with fear but excitement that our Lord x is back that that kingdom is going to be x established and that we're not meeting x him with a fearful oh I buried my talent x oh I I took my ease because I didn't x think Christ was was going to return and x I I x didn't have contact with the word the x way that I should I didn't preach to x that person at work the way that I x should have or uh I didn't show up when x I could have to be there for other x people and that's the wonderful thing is x that we have opportunity now before the x the return of Christ to do all these x things to build each other x up and so Ephesians 5 tells us so then x be careful how you live do not be unwise x but wise making the best use of your x time because the times are evil and we x know we live in difficult days we know x we live in days that are evil um and we x we see it in the in the news we have x they call people that are Preppers and x they um you know they have these kind of x pantries all set up with food I remember x at Co a guy I worked with he he still x has mac and cheese that he bought four x years ago that's like he's going to x throw it out I think because he's he x doesn't even want to eat it at this x point but you know people stock up and x even a lot of the people very wealthy x people are building bunkers because x they're concerned about the state of of x the world and I look at some of that and x I think you know maybe some of that is x smart like we don't know what's going to x happen but our faith and hope is in the x truth it's in something solid that can't x be moved it's not in a bunker it's not x in an excess of you know pasta on the x shelf or whatever it is we you know a x full tank of gas and you know maybe some x of these things are smart we need to be x prepared we need to be ready for x tomorrow you know we're not supposed to x take anxious thought for tomorrow but we x are to be prepared we we do need to be x prepared but we can see that the world a x a lot of people they're putting their x trust in material things that somehow x these things will save them if things x get bad you know there's supposed to be x and there is going to be an eclipse x tomorrow and there's all this chit x chatter about you know what's the x significance of this there was an x earthquake in New York that was a 4.8 x and the eclipse is on 4 48 and that's x creating this path across the country x that's going through certain towns and x you know we don't know we know that x there are going to be signs and the sun x and the moon and the stars x politically and also in the heavens x above but it's interesting for us to x watch these things but not to get caught x up and drawn away because we have the x rock right here we're going to remember x that rock in the emblems before us and x that's what our faith and hope and trust x is in x we're told as well lay not up for x yourselves Treasures upon Earth where x moth and rust do corrupt and where x thieves break through and steal but lay x up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven x where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt x in where thieves do not break through x nor steal for where your treasure is x there will your heart be also and these x are conversations we have we Megan is x going to be 18 we're talking about about x colleges and Futures and you know x different types of jobs that she could x have but the overriding principle that x we talk about is make sure your life is x centered around the truth if it is God's x going to be there and work everything x out for you if you're going to move x somewhere make sure it's near an x Ecclesia these are the decisions that we x make that determine our Eternal x Destinies and they're so important where x our treasure is there will your heart be x also Mark 4 tells us but all too quickly x the message is crowded out by the x worries of this life the lore of wealth x and the desire for other things so no x fruit is produced all of these things x were swirling around Joseph as he was a x big shot in Egypt in a land that was x full of of x richness but he chose to keep his mind x focused on the job before him Romans 12 x 12 tells us do not be conformed to this x world but be x transformed by the renewing of your mind x that by testing you may discern what is x the will of God what is good and x acceptable and perfect so this idea of x constantly refreshing our minds with the x word constantly talking among our x ourselves Micah Micah tells us or x Malachi tells us that those who fear the x lord spake often one unto another and x it's it's critical for us to do that in x these last days we know well the parable x of the 10 virgins those that were x prepared had oil in their lamp they had x the word rich in their lives and those x who didn't and when Christ came it says x they were drowsy and they were x asleep we're told as well in Matthew x blessed is that servant whom his Lord x when he cometh shall find so doing x verily I say unto you that he shall make x him ruler o over all his goods and we're x warned not x to um Smite our fellow servants or just x take no kind of care for them not to eat x and drink with the drunken for it says x the Lord of that servant shall come in a x day when he lookth not for him in an x hour that he is not aware of in there x shall be weeping and nashing of teeth x certainly as we'll see with with the x brothers when they had no food uh they x weren't kind of keyed in to what was x going to x happen just like we we have a knowledge x that a lot of people don't possess as it x relates to the return of Christ so we x can prepare ourselves just as um Joseph x did I love this uh saying because I x think in one way or another we've all x heard it from our parents uh when Jacob x learned that there was grain in Egypt he x said to his sons why do you keep just x looking at each other like I think kids x are great at that like just kind of x staring off and I'm sure my my dad was x just like looking at me like what are x you doing like what's what's your whole x point here and we all go through that x that process of kind of finding our way x and what do we what do we want to do x what is going to be our why so to speak x what's going to drive us in x life and they have no food it's probably x depressing and Jacob's like why do you x just keep looking at each other I've x heard this grain in Egypt go down there x and buy some for us so we may live and x not die this idea of x leadership um the brothers x were they were x just not not really motivated to do x anything and it took their dad it took a x leader to kind of say hey this is what x we should do let's do this this will be x healthy for x us and Jacob's words here I think x describe the Despair and helplessness of x men who felt they could do nothing to x relieve a situation and it's it it is a x feeling that is very uncomfortable when x there's a problem and we can't solve it x uh we WR we might remember Abraham so x this idea of going down into Egypt uh it x we might remember when Abraham went down x Genesis 12 tells us now there was a x famine in the land and Abram went down x to Egypt to live there for a while x because the famine was severe this is x when he said that his wife was his x sister um and Genesis 26 tells us now x there was a famine in the land besides x the previous famine in Abraham's time x and Isaac went to ailec King of the x Philistines in girra the Lord appeared x to Isaac and saido not go down to Egypt x live in the land where I tell you to x live stay in the land for a while and I x will be with you and will bless you for x to you and your descendants I will give x all these lands and will confirm the x oath I swore to your father Abraham I x will make you descendants as numerous as x the stars of the sky and will give them x all these lands and through your x Offspring All Nations on Earth will be x blessed so Jacob would have had this x example of going down into Egypt because x there was a famine but also praying to x God and God saying don't go down into x Egypt I'm going to find a way to take he x or you here and this is the idea that we x need to have in our lives trusting in x God that he will work things out for our x good we know that God cares for us God x has power to control things and God x loves each of us just like he loved this x family as seemingly dysfunctional as it x was Proverbs tells us in chapter 3 trust x in the Lord with all your heart and lean x not on your own understanding in all x your ways submit to him and he will make x your paths straight there's nothing like x doing a daily reading to pull ourselves x out of a funk or to get our ourselves x thinking in a correct way about a x problem or to set our minds on that goal x like the plowman keeping our eye on the x goal of the kingdom and that's what x contact with the word does it reneus our x hope now I think here another reason why x the brothers might have been sitting x around looking at each other is they x would have been intimidated you're going x to go down to Egypt it's a fancy place x it it's like that first time you sit x down at a dinner and there's all this x silverware like which spoon what am I x doing here like you don't want to be x embarrassed like and you just start you x know you're using one and someone's like x no that's for the salad what are you x doing and it's just like this so I think x the brothers probably were like x intimidated as well they were big fish x in a little pond in the family you know x sticking it to Joseph and you're a x dreamer and we're going to sell you and x they they kind of were were all full of x themselves there but now you're going x down into Egypt and well we're not we're x not so tough in that environment so it x would have caused them to be x afraid and and we might remember Moses x was afraid of rejection going down into x uh Egypt he wasn't an eloquent speaker x he thought you know he was x inadequate and God was impressing upon x him I'm going to be with you I'm going x to help you I'm going to get you through x this uh down in Egypt so whatever you x think your weaknesses might be whatever x we we think we may not be good at you x know they say grow doesn't happen in our x comfort zone and I think that's so true x try new things uh Embrace new things in x the truth I remember when we first found x the community you know Jim Boo was x always like oh hey come give your class x on Israel I was like I don't think so x you know I don't think I can do that and x he was asking Jen to uh give uh a to x teach the young kids at bible school at x Eastern and it was like x terrifying but she did it did an amazing x job and it was like you realize yeah I x can I can do this so I would encourage x people go outside your your comfort zone x try new things in the truth because your x capabilities our capabilities are far x beyond what we think they are and yes x it's it feels good to just do the things x that we're used to and that may that we x know we can do but we all have wonderful x talents that we can try something new x knew what's the worst that can happen I x I I saw this video it was like the world x before you messed up and it's like a x satellite vision of the world the world x after you messed up you know it's it's x it's not going to it's not going to x matter and you'll learn something and x you'll grow and you will help somebody x um along the x way so 2 Corinthians tells us in this x regard chapter 12 my grace is sufficient x for you for my power is made perfect in x weakness and so God is able to make up x for any weaknesses that we have he can x give the x increase I'm reminded one of the first x times I met Ron Hicks and he was x establishing an Ecclesia in a country x that was very hostile to x Christians and they had their ecclesial x Hall they had I think 35 members and it x was a very like tenuous situation they x they had be very careful about x worshiping and preaching the truth and x that sort of thing and making contacts x because um Christianity was not the x prominent religion and their ecclesial x Hall had got shut x down and I was asking him you know well x what are you going to do and so it x sounded like a crazy plan to me but he x said well I'm going to fly over there x and I'm going to just walk around the x area where our EES usual Hall is shut x down and I'm going to pray and I'm going x to see what God does I'm going to see x what you know what happens and I'm just x going to leave it in God's hands like I x don't I don't have a solution to this x problem and so he did this for a few x days and sure enough he was walking down x some side street and saw a sign that was x some building that was available that x they ended up renting and moving the x Ecclesia Hall in there and and uh got x things going again so it just made an x impression on me x that the there's sometimes we just don't x have the answer we don't know we can't x say yeah we need I need to do a b c and x d and then everything's going to be x great no we have to turn it over to God x and he will provide us with a solution x he will uh ultimately bring us x forward and provide a solution that's x going to be best for the situation yes x Sandy um is it on x hello oh hi x um oh have to take action you know I x think of Joseph's brothers you know they x were sitting around like you like his x dad's what are you doing you know and if x we don't take action we're sitting x around you know like Ron Hicks I'm going x to go walk and pray and see yeah you x know instead of staying home and x wondering what's happening I think you x know taking action in our lives whether x it's you know seeking and asking and x knocking and I always think about that x those are things that we move forward to x do right great Point yeah yeah I mean we x have to start where we're at and maybe x we don't like where we're at maybe we do x but taking action is the only only thing x that's going to move us forward and help x move us towards a x solution anyone x else all x right so and and I think to go along x with this the the brothers being a x little bit nervous and to go down into x Egypt it it was would have been an x intimidating place the word Pharaoh x means a great house and so Egypt would x have had this x reputation x and the Egyptian pharaoh served as the x primary overseer and ruler over all x Egypt a pharaoh was viewed as a x religious leader of the people um and x Egyptians believed Pharaoh's to be x divine in an intermediary between the x Egyptian gods and themselves and x archaeologists have discovered that x among other tasks pharaohs participated x in religious ceremonies created and x imposed law declared Wars levied taxes x and generally had control over x everything throughout Egypt and so this x is the sort of environment that Joseph x stepped into and he was made prime x minister so Pharaoh created this x powerful role within the government um x you know like we would have today like x the speaker of the x house and Joseph goes into this role and x all of these things were put under his x watch uh as Prime minister so these x would have included the Department of x Treasury agriculture War Labor uh they x kept strict accounts of the Kingdom's x income and expenses which remained x standard practice for over a hundred x years and this is likely the role that x Joseph held so the brothers would have x been stepping uh into this into a x completely foreign environment very x uncomfortable um but they were in a dire x situation um x Jeremiah 30 tells us um as it x relates x to being in difficult x situations and how these brothers would x have felt uh with this weight on them it x says why then why do I see every strong x man with his hands on his stomach like a x woman in labor every face turned deathly x pel and this idea that x when we get into difficult situations we x can be broken by those the weight of it x can x seem uh too much for us but like Sandy x said take action do something and that x can move us forward uh in in a process x to get to a to a x solution so there's a few interesting x things here about the um you know why x why 10 Brothers why did all the brothers x have to go down uh x to Egypt why not just send a few but x more than likely the more people they x sent it was higher on the census and x they could get rationed according to the x number that they provided so we're told x 10 of the brothers went down to buy x Grain from Egypt but Jacob did not send x Benjamin now Joseph was governor of the x land the person who sold grain to all x its people so when Joseph's brothers x ared they bowed down to him with their x faces to the ground as as soon as Joseph x saw his brothers he recognized them but x he pretended to be a stranger and spoke x harshly to them where do you come from x he asked so Jacob having lost x Joseph um now put all of that love into x Benjamin he poured it all out on him his x only remaining child from x Rachel and I would imagine that Jacob x would have also kept Benjamin back x because he would have in a way way x attributed the supposed death of Joseph x to the carelessness of his sons and you x know what were you guys doing that you x allowed this to happen so you know Jacob x would have been thinking this like you x know my son died because you guys really x weren't looking out for him um and x Joseph's brothers when they came down x they would they would have just been x part of a larger crowd of people coming x to Egypt that were vying for resources x the whole Known World at the time was in x a famine and every body had to come x before Joseph he would have x carefully overlooked the selling of corn x to those who came from distant lands he x knew it must not be wasted and that x Egypt must be guarded against spies who x might seek out how they could attack the x country and so all volunteer all um x foreigners were brought before him x personally so that he x could make a determination on them and I x think that's why Joseph says no you x spies because this is what Egypt was x looking out for people would have loved x to take over the country x and have all that food for themselves so x the brothers did not know Joseph and I x think this is an interesting tie in here x the Jews will also not x recognize Christ at his second coming x Zechariah tells us if someone asks what x are these wounds on your body they will x answer the wounds I was given in the x House of my friends and we know Christ x will show his hands to the Jews and it's x very similar with Joseph here as a as a x symbol of Christ uh feeding the world x and rescuing his his brothers the x Israelites Zechariah 12 says they will x look on me the one they have pierced and x they will mourn for him as One Mourns x for an only child and grieve bitterly x for him as one Grieves for a for x firstborn son on that day the we keeping x in Jerusalem will be great and we know x when the brothers finally realize it's x Joseph and Joseph reveals himself x there's a there's a great morning but a x great celebration in that all of this x turmoil all of this character x development is over and now we're x together and don't be afraid what you x meant for bad God meant for x good and it's just interesting that x Joseph the dreamer the thing that his x Brothers got so annoyed with about x Joseph they were actually doing it um x they were bowing down to him in a x foreign land as we read in Genesis 37 x his brother said to him do you intend to x re over us will you actually rule over x us and they hated him all the more x because of his dream and what he said x but ultimately we know Joseph also x dreamed that his mother would bow down x to him another came of the coming x Kingdom when all knees will bow before x Christ this is an interesting painting x of when Joseph reveals himself to his x brothers it's done um your Joseph in the x middle there he was mourning apart from x his brothers while his brothers were in x prison but they kind of combin the two x um to just show the drama of the moment x and we we know Joseph could hear his x brothers uh they said one to another x truly we are guilty concerning our x brother because we saw the distress of x his soul when he pleaded with us yet we x would not listen therefore this distress x has come upon us and so this unresolved x issue that they just let x Fester year after year after year it x just was like a boil in their lives and x I think there's a good lesson there for x us to deal with problems in our lives x learn from them but move on from them x not to be eaten up by them so that it x inhibits the wonderful opportunities we x have in the truth and Ruben there you x know x bound that it says saying did I not tell x you do not sin against the boy and you x would not listen now comes the Reckoning x for his blood and so this idea of you x know the blame game like it was you I x didn't want you wanted to kill him I and x just this no real taking of x responsibility they're working towards x that uh and it says they did not know x however that Joseph understood for there x was an interpreter between them he x turned away from them and wept and just x broke Joseph's heart to see this um x happening with his x brothers and so we know that ultimately x Benjamin does go down and it must have x been heart-wrenching for uh for Jacob to x do this but they had no other choice x they were out of food and so Jacob's x character was probably changed through x this process as was the x brothers so what a change really in um x in the character of of everyone uh x involved in this in this drama and you x know we can close with uh these two x paintings um you know Joseph there x elevating his arms you know seemingly as x the leader his brothers uh before him x and just this x exuberant Reunion where All Is Forgiven x and that God meant all of this for good x uh even though you meant it for evil and x Joseph being overcome with uh emotion x the brothers being x uh overcome with x emotion x and let's see here what verse should we x uh close x here x um Joseph and says to to his brothers x and now do not be distressed and do not x be angry with yourselves for selling me x here because it was to save lives that x God sent me ahead of you and that's the x ultimate purpose of God to save lives x that all people would come to repentance x and that's the wonderful thing about the x kingdom when Christ comes the multitudes x and multitudes of people that will x accept the gospel teaching and through x God's grace and mercy we will each play x an important role in that new age to x come even so come Lord Jesus