Turning Point - David Jeremiah

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Turning Point. He's one of the Old Testament's
most iconic figures, rising from slavery to a position of power,
never faltering in his faith. Today, Doctor David Jeremiah begins
a series on Joseph. God meant It for Good, the
story of Joseph. His story is far richer than just
the multicolored code he's famous for. To introduce this remarkable man,

(00:29):
here's David with today's inspiring message, the life of Joseph.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
And thank you for joining us today here at Turning Point.
We're going into this new series called God men It
for Good the story of Joseph, and today is less
than number one, which happens to be kind of an
overall look at the life of Joseph, not any one
particular thing, but all thanks Joseph and how they affect
us as we study the Bible, and especially as Joseph

(00:55):
appears to be a prototype of Jesus in the New Testament.
I'll get to the study in just a moment, but
since this is the first day of the new month,
I need to tell you that our resource for the
month of September is our annual calendar this year. Following
in his footsteps. The twenty twenty sixth calendar full color.

(01:16):
It's ten point five by thirteen inches and it includes
fourteen months. A fourteen month calendar. How about that? Starting
early in November, you can chronicle your events and be
ready to hit the holidays running with everything in place.
There's a Bible reading plan for the year, displays previous
and next month's calendar, and it's got a writable surface

(01:38):
to jot down your special events. And this is yours
for a gift of any size to Turning Point during
the month of September, Ladies and gentlemen. This is one
of our most often responded to events. For some reason,
there are just a whole lot of people who still
like calendars to hang on their wall, and this is
a beautiful edition. You can have yours this month when

(01:58):
you send a gift to Turning of any size and
simply say send me the new calendar and it will
be on its way. Here is part one of the
Life of Joseph. I think one of the most interesting
people in all of the Bible is the man Joseph.
I'm going to take you through his life and show

(02:21):
you what I've learned and encourage you as I have
been encouraged. One of my boyhood heroes was a young
man by the name of Carson Fremont. He was a
member of my father's church in Dayton, Ohio, when my
dad was a pastor there, and I remember as a
nine or ten year old boy meeting this man. He

(02:45):
was tall, good looking, he drove a really cool car,
and he was both a good student and a star athlete.
He got a scholarship to Wheaton College and went off
to be trained to serve the Lord. As a young
man of ten years of age, I looked up to
Carson and I thought, man, that's the kind of guy

(03:06):
I want to be. I want to be like that guy.
He also had a heart for the Lord. Still remember
the time when he came over to my house to
talk with my father about becoming a missionary. He had
a heart for the Chinese. He felt God was calling
him to Hong Kong, and they spent a long time
in prayer, and when he left, that young man knew

(03:27):
in his heart that God had called him to that
mission station and that God would use him in some
special way. At Christmas time, during his second year at Wheaton,
Carson came home with somebody special. The girl he was
going to marry came home with him. He wanted her

(03:50):
to meet his family and to get to know the
people of his home church, since they'd be supporting him
on the mission field. The girl was a knockout. I
think it might be the first time I really ever
came to grips with what a pretty girl looks like.
She was a pretty girl. I think I even told
my parents Carson's got a pretty girlfriend. She'd been homecoming queen,

(04:15):
I found out later, and everybody thought that Carson and
this young lady made a perfect couple. It was wonderful
that God would bring together two such attractive people, and
we were so excited for them and what God was
going to do with them as they served him. But
two years later, Carson came home at Christmas by himself.

(04:39):
He came over to our house and told my father
through his tears that as they were beginning to plan
their wedding, his girlfriend had come to him and said
she would not go to Hong Kong as a missionary.
That was not what she wanted to do with her life.
And he said, I had to make a choice. Would
I stay home to be with the woman that I loved,

(05:03):
or would I serve God and do what he called
me to do? And he said it was the hardest
thing I ever had to do, but I chose God.
They broke their engagement and Carson went off to Hong
Kong all by himself. In order to use us. Sometimes
God puts us through some stuff, doesn't he. He make

(05:26):
some choices we would not normally make, and to see
things from a perspective we might not normally anticipate. Sometimes
that means we experience awful pain, giving up what we
want to keep and going forward into areas we'd rather
leave unexplored. But if we're going to be used by
the Lord for his purposes, that process has to take place.

(05:51):
And that's exactly what happened to Joseph, the man we
are going to study. Joseph was a favored young man,
as you remember, he was his father's pet son. He
was going to be the heir of the family. He
wore the many colored coat. He was unexpectedly one day

(06:12):
dropped into a pit before he knew what was happening.
He was a family slave in a foreign country, serving
under a hard man, and after years of hard work,
earning the trust of his master. Joseph was again let down,
this time by the slanderous lies of another person. He

(06:32):
was rewarded for his faithfulness by being sent to jail
and forgotten by those he had helped. If ever a
man had a reason to be bitter, it was Joseph.
He had done all the right things, and everything bad
had happened to him. But the wonderful thing is that
Joseph did not become bitter. Joseph had a dream to

(06:56):
recognize the fact that God was shaping him for ministry,
and he understood, perhaps more than we can counter, the
tough times of his life were preparing him for something great,
and before he could take his place as a leader
in the savior of a nation, Joseph had to experience
the ignominy of being a slave and a prisoner. God

(07:20):
had him face difficulties so he could prepare him for greatness.
That's exactly what happened to my friend Carson. He gave
up something he loved, but in the process the Lord
was able to shape him into a better man and
a better missionary. When he came home from his first tour,

(07:40):
he met the most spiritual woman you could imagine. I
even remember her name was Darlene, and I thought she
was a darling. She was a beautiful woman with a
heart for God that you could see really on her face.
For his next term on the mission field, he went
back with a life partner and they served God faithfully

(08:02):
for many years. In that mission field, God helped him
be the sort of person that could be used because
he put God first. All of us, no matter who
we are, go through trying times. Can I get a witness?
We go through trying times, and they don't happen by accident.

(08:23):
God arranges those to help us grow. And in this
study of the life of Joseph, we'll discover what brought
him through his darkest days and how we can learn
from his example. This study is for everyone who wants
to know God and be used for his purposes. The

(08:43):
life of Joseph really is a fascinating story if you're
not even a Christian, if you're just a literary person
who likes short stories. It is commonly regarded as one
of the greatest short stories in all of literature. All
the elements of a great story or in the life
of Joseph's story, there's youth, and beauty and ambition, temptation, jealousy, suffering, forgiveness,

(09:10):
and faith. Here's how one scholar described the life of Joseph.
He said, Joseph's story is a finely wrought, self contained novella,
describing in vivid detail the development of his character from
charismatic youth to compassionate middle age. And Joseph is just

(09:33):
one in a long line of people in the Bible.
I remember one day taking my Bible in a yellow
pad and tracing the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. You
can almost organize the Bible around the people that are
in the Bible. For instance, at the beginning of the Bible,
you end up with Adam and Eve, and then you

(09:54):
end up with Adam's son Abel, and then you end
up with Enoch, and later Noah, who obeyed the Lord
in spite of difficulty. And then comes Abraham, who trusted God,
and after Abraham his son Isaac, who submitted to the Lord,
and then Isaac's son Jacob, who had to learn to
follow God, and then you end up with Joseph. Joseph

(10:16):
occupies Genesis thirty seven to fifty, one of the longest
sections regarding a certain person in the Bible that you
will find. Joseph illustrates the success of faith, and he
was victorious and triumphant at every turn, capturing our attention
to the strength of his character. I love Joseph, and

(10:38):
Joseph is a great model for all of us. As
we read the story of his life and we think, oh,
I'm going through some really bad things. Read Joseph and
you'll feel a lot better about your own life. I've
yet to spend one day in a pit. I haven't
been in prison yet yet, and I have so much
to be thankful for. You know, God often uses the

(11:02):
stories of people in the Bible to teach us, to
inspire us, sometimes to warn us. Think about the powerful
lessons you learn from the life of David and Daniel
and Esther and Ruth and Jonah and Job. It's one
thing to read about concepts, but it's a whole different
thing to see those concepts lived out in the lives

(11:25):
of real people. And when you see them, you think, well, God,
if you did that for them, why can't you do
that for me. They're no different than I am. They're
there same kind of flesh and blood people as I am. God,
You're the God of all of us. And when you
see God at work in the lives of others, it
encourages you that He's also at work in your life.
That's why Romans fifteen says this, listen to these words

(11:49):
for whatever things were written before, we're written for our learning,
that we, through the patience and comfort of the scriptures,
might have hope. God has given us this wonderful book
we call the Bible, and this book is given to
us to help us know that God is on our side,

(12:10):
that he has not forsaken us, that he's working in
our life. And if we're going through a difficult time,
instead of asking why, we should ask what. What do
you want me to learn through all of this? What
can I figure out that will make me more effective?
And that's the way we see Joseph. So let me
introduce you to this man in this early message. First

(12:32):
of all, I want you to notice that Joseph's life
was very pivotal, crucial to the whole story of the
Old Testament. His life is the link between Genesis and Exodus,
from Israel being a family to Israel being a great
nation in bondage. After being sold into slavery by his brothers,

(12:55):
Joseph rose to power in Egypt thanks to his wisdom
and the favor of God. And meanwhile his family remained
in Canaan and a severe famine struck. It caused the
people of the surrounding nations to come to Egypt because
word got out that Egypt was the only place where
there was any food, And of course that was thanks

(13:18):
to Joseph, who had stored up food for seven years
so there would be enough to feed the people of Egypt.
Genesis forty six tells us that when Joseph's father, Jacob,
moved his little family to Egypt, there were only seventy
in that family. By the time we get to Exodus

(13:38):
chapter one, that little family has grown into a nation
of two million people. That chapter tells us that there
arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph.
So we know that things are about to change. The
king of Egypt said to his people one day, look,

(14:00):
the people of the children of Israel are more and
mightier than we come. Let us deal shrewdly with them
lest they multiply. And it happened in the event of
war that they join our enemies in fighting against us,
And so go out of the land. So they set
taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens, and

(14:21):
they built for feral supply cities Python and Ramsays. But
the more they afflicted the Israelites, the more they multiplied
and grew, and they were in dread of the children
of Israel. No matter what the Egyptians did, this little
band of Israelites kept getting bigger and bigger. A nation
with in a nation that stayed in that nation for

(14:44):
four hundred and thirty years. It wasn't until Israel was
under the leadership of Moses that they marched victoriously out
of Egypt and back to the Promised Land. It is
impossible women to understand the transition from Canaan to Egypt,

(15:05):
and from prosperity to slavery if you don't study the
life of Joseph. He's the hinge between all of this.
He lived in both worlds, and he makes it possible
for us to understand how this all happened. His life
was pivotal, but his life was also providential. In the

(15:25):
fall of nineteen twelve, Theodore Roosevelt was campaigning in the
Midwest as the Bullmoose candidate for the US presidency when
some madmen took a shot in him, wounding him in
the right side of his chest. Fortunately, there was a
metal eyeglass case that was in his pocket, and that

(15:50):
eyeglass case deflected the bullet and saved his life. The
funny thing is President Roosevelt hated that glass's case. He
said it was heavy and burdensome, and he had often
complained about it. But in the process of God's providence,
the thing he hated saved his life. Joseph is a

(16:12):
similar story. Though at times Joseph may have hated his
situation and wondered about God's purposes. Eventually, his life was
an example of the rule of God's providence. God took
the darkest events and used them as stepping stones to
move Joseph into position. Even when Joseph couldn't understand what

(16:34):
God was doing, the Lord was still at work. God
was arranging this situation even when it seemed like he
was far away. He often does that in our lives.
We wonder what is going on with me right now?
If we could only see it from God's perspective, we
wouldn't worry. God's up to something He doesn't have to

(16:56):
tell us he's not obligated to bring you in on
the story. And Joseph, if you really look at it carefully,
went through more tough times than just about anybody else
in the Bible, except perhaps for Job. No matter what
he did, Listen to me, bad stuff kept happening to him.
He wasn't being rewarded for being good and righteous. It

(17:18):
seemed like he was being punished. When we look back
at his story, we can see that God had a plan.
It's like that. Saying God's plan is like reading Hebrew.
You have to read it backwards. You can't read it fullwards.
You have to look back and say, oh, so that's
what was going on. You know something, men and women,

(17:39):
if we knew everything God had a plan for us,
we'd be so scared we probably wouldn't get out of
bed in the morning. But when we look back on
our lives, we often have those aha moments when we say,
I didn't understand it then, but now I get it.
I know what God was doing. For example, when Joseph's

(18:01):
brothers sold him into slavery, they couldn't have imagined what
would have happened years later. Fast forward to the end
of the story. There's a severe famine. They come to
Egypt seeking food, not realizing they would have to face Joseph.
It's a wonderful story, we'll get to it. When they
finally recognized him, they were terrified. I mean, they had

(18:24):
treated him terribly. Now that he was in power. What
would he do to them? Would he seek revenge for
what they had done? But listen to Joseph Genesis forty five,
verse five. But now do not be grieved or angry
with yourselves because you sold me here, For God sent

(18:44):
me before you to preserve life. They were afraid because
of what they had done. But Joseph knew what God
had done behind the scenes. God had orchestrated this whole
thing so he would be in the right place when
the famine came and be able to preserve the whole
nation of Israel. A few verses later, he added, God

(19:07):
sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you
in the earth, and to save your lives by a
great deliverance. You see, Joseph was able to see past
the surface events to what God was doing. His brother's
envy was used by God to move Joseph to Egypt.
In the process, Joseph was the salvation of the whole family.

(19:31):
One of the most well known verses in the Bible,
found in Chapter fifty, captures this perfectly. Joseph told his brothers,
you meant evil against me, but God meant it for
good in order to bring about as it is this
day and save many people alive. Joseph had it all

(19:52):
in perspective. He saw that God was willing even the
evil things of this world to illustrate his work in
the lives of men. In eighteen ninety five, Andrew Murray
was dealing with a painful, ongoing back injury. One day,
a troubled woman sought advice from him, and Murray handed

(20:15):
over a note, hoping his words might encourage the woman.
Here is what the note said. In difficult times, remember
to say God brought me here. It's his will, and
I will find peace in this place. Number two. God
will keep me here with his love and help like

(20:37):
his child during this trial. Number three, this trial will
become a blessing, teaching me lessons and granting me the
grace he intends to give. And number four, in his
own time, God will lead me out of this situation.
He knows how, and he knows when so always say,

(20:59):
said Murray, I am here by God's appointment, I am
here in his care, I am under his guidance, and
I am here for his timing. God knows what he's doing.
He makes no mistakes. Though we may not always understand it,
we can constantly be reminded of the sovereignty of our God.
Joseph's life was pivotal, and it was providential. God was

(21:22):
at work in the life of Joseph. But Joseph's life
was also prosperous. And I like this part of the
story because so often over the years as a pastor,
I have heard successful men and women who are Christians
apologize for their success, as if perhaps being a Christian

(21:47):
you shouldn't be successful. Well, let me tell you about Joseph.
Joseph is one of the few truly successful men mentioned
in the Bible. God records his success for us so
that we might study the principles of his prosperity. To
really understand his prosperity, you have to examine the fact

(22:08):
that Joseph was a dreamer. Kind of dreamers here today, people,
I don't mean sleeping in church. I mean I mean
having a vision for the future. The Bible records six
different dreams in the story of Joseph. The first two
were his own dreams about the future, which he shared

(22:29):
with his father and his brothers, and while in prison,
Joseph interpreted two more dreams, one for the butler, the
other for the baker. And the last two dreams were
Pharaoh's dreams, which Joseph interpreted, leading to his rise in prominence. Now,
in the first dream, Joseph was out in the field
harvesting and his chief was upright, but the sheaves of

(22:53):
his brothers bound down to him. In Joseph's second dream,
he saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing
down to him. Now, Joseph, I could give you a
little advice. That might not be the kind of thing
you want to share with your brothers and your father.
But he shared it with him, and they hated him
for it. Joseph knew that this was a promise from God.

(23:18):
We know from reading the whole story that it actually happened,
but his brothers didn't know that, and they hated him
because of his dream about his future success. God had
a plan for Joseph's life, a plan that would ultimately
put him in prominence. It was God's way of saying,
you are going to be prosperous. You will one day

(23:41):
be a successful man under the hand of God. And
that's why the story of Joseph is filled with phrases
describing him as a success. You know, there's not anybody
in the Bible who is an example of success like Joseph.
He's one of the few people about whom that term

(24:03):
is applied. And if you want to learn about success,
you've got to learn about Joseph. We'll have part two
of this first lesson tomorrow here on Turning Point. In
the meantime, don't forget, Turning Point is going to New
England and Canada here in just a few days October
the fourth through the eleventh. You are right at the
very edge of the possibility of going with us. We've

(24:23):
already got a great group of people coming. We're going
to have a wonderful time aboard the beautiful Holland America Zyderdam,
and we'll be blessed by the music of Michael Sanchez
and euro Vega, and we'll see so many wonderful things.
I hope that you can come with us, but you
need to make your decision right away. Or it will

(24:44):
be too late. Thank you for considering it, and be
sure to join us tomorrow right here on this good station.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
For more information on Doctor Jeremiah series God Met It
for Good, please visit our website, where we also offer
two free ways to help you stay connected, our monthly
Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional Sign up
today at David Jeremiah dot org slash Radio. That's Davidjeremiah
dot org slash Radio, or call us at eight hundred

(25:16):
and ninety four seven nineteen ninety three. Ask for your
copy of our beautiful new fourteen month calendar following in
his footsteps and deepen your faith daily throughout twenty twenty six.
It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can
also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard,
New International, and New King James versions, available in your

(25:38):
choice of durable and attractive cover options. Get all the
details when you visit our website. David Jeremiah dot org
slash Radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow
as we continue the series God Meant It for Good,
the story of Joseph on Turning Point