September 11, 2025 • 26 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Being a student is more rewarding when you cooperate with
your teacher. In the same way, being a believer is
more rewarding when you cooperate with God. Today on Turning Point,
doctor David Jeremiah considers the importance of accepting God's training
schedule and how it helped Joseph rise from poverty to power.
With the conclusion of his powerful message from Prison to Palace,
(00:29):
here's David.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you for joining us for this Friday edition of
Turning Point. We're happy to have you along as we
continue our study in the life of Joseph. Today we're
going to conclude our discussion of Joseph's journey from the
prison to the Palace and the lessons that are so
easily observed in this discussion. We'll get to those in
(00:51):
a few moments as we conclude this two part message
from Genesis chapter forty one. It's the Friday edition of
t Point, and I really do want to keep reminding
you during the month of September that you can get
this beautiful calendar called Following in His Footsteps, which has
been prepared just for our viewers and listeners, and it's
(01:16):
yours for the asking. When you send a gift of
any size during this month. This beautiful calendar lays out
every day space for you to write your appointments in
every day. There's a Bible reading schedule in the calendar.
There's all kinds of helpful things available to you that
make it possible for you to get on top of
what's going on. Especially you will have Thanksgiving and you
(01:38):
will have Christmas, and those two events are in the
front of this calendar for the next year. It's a
beautiful way to get ready for the year end, and
it's one of the ways we try to be of
value to all of you. So when you send your gift,
simply ask for the calendar for twenty twenty six and
you will get all these benefits that come with it
(01:58):
and are blessing and prayer for God's use of it
in your life. Thank you for your investment. It means
so much to us. And now here is part two
from Genesis forty one, From Prison to Palace, the Life
of Joseph. Let's notice the wisdom of Joseph in Genesis
(02:18):
forty one fifteen In following and Pharaoh said that Joseph,
I've had a dream and there's no one who can
interpret it. But I have heard it said of you
that you can understand a dream to interpret it.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Not only had God.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Been preparing Joseph and shaping him to the kind of
man who could be the prime minister of a great nation,
he was preparing Pharaoh, and the king was frantic about
his dreams. So now he's ready to listen to this
lowly slave who just got out of prison a few
minutes ago and just had time to shave before he
showed up, and share the wisdom that comes from God.
(02:57):
I am so impressed with Joseph's first words. So Joseph
answered Pharaoh saying it is not in me. God will
give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Joseph predicted Egypt's future
and gave the credit to God. Joseph points out on
several occasions that he knows God is behind all that's
(03:20):
going on in his life, and God is the one
to explain it to Pharaoh. That's why we read in
verse twenty five of chapter forty one, God has shown
Pharaoh what he is about to do. That's why we
read in Genesis forty one thirty two, the thing is
established by God.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
The Lord was the.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
One behind every event, and it was God's will for
Pharaoh to know what was about to happen.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Pharaoh had two dreams, and.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
As I understand the culture of that time, the doubling
of a dream was a sign that what was about
to happen would be both crucial and quick. So he
quickly he told Joseph the content of his dreams. And
Joseph says, Pharaoh, you didn't have two dreams, you just
had one. They mean the same thing. And then he
(04:10):
explained the meaning of the dreams to the king in
this succinct paragraph.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
This is what he told him.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven
thin and ugly cows which come up after them are
seven years. Indeed, seven years of great plenty will come
throughout all the land of Egypt. But after them seven
years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will
be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine
(04:38):
will deplete the land. Thus Pharaoh finally had his question answered.
He now understood what God was going to do in
the future, and that the Lord had chosen Joseph to
reveal that future to him. So Joseph predicted Egypt's future,
and then Joseph proposed a solution to the problem in
(05:01):
verse thirty three. Imagine Joseph, he's just on in prison.
I like to think about this story, and it so
intrigues me. He just got shaved, he just got washed.
Maybe there's still some moisture on his face. He's standing
in front of the most powerful man on earth, and
he's answering this man's questions. If that had been me,
I probably would have been very quiet, and after answering
(05:23):
the questions, slipped back to my cell. But Joseph had
become bold, and he didn't stop with telling the king
what was going to happen. He followed that by telling
the king what to do about what was going to happen.
And this is what he told him. Now, therefore, let
Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man and set him
(05:45):
over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and
let him appoint officers over the land to collect one
fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in
the seven plentiful years, and let them gather all the
food of those good years that are coming, and store
up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them
(06:07):
keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be
as a reserve for the land for the seven years
of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt,
that the land may not perish during the famine. That's
his plan for the years that are coming. And it's
very interesting that it was not only a plan that
(06:28):
was for the whole nation, but it was geographically oriented.
They put the food in food centers in the major cities,
so when the famine came, the food would be close
and available to those who were hungry. The famine is coming,
and the people are to double their tithe to the government.
Instead of giving ten percent, their need to start giving
(06:48):
twenty percent. And the King ought to put somebody in
charge to make sure this whole operation functions. You might
think that Joseph was laying out a plan for his own,
but I don't think so. I don't think Joseph had
a clue that he would be chosen for that position.
I mean, he just got out of jail, Nor did
(07:10):
he have the audacity believed in and one day he
could be promoted from prisoner to prime minister. That just
doesn't happen. Joseph simply offered the wisdom the Lord gave
to him both in the interpretation of the dream and
in the proposed solution. Pharaoh must have thought to himself, Hey,
that's a great idea. Well, where am I going to
find somebody who can organize such a big project?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I don't know anybody like that.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Then he looks down at the man standing right in
front of him and realizes this is the only guy
who could interpret his dream out of all the brain
trust in the whole land of Egypt, and the only
one who could solve his greatest problem. And bing the
light went off in his head, and Pharaoh said that Joseph,
inasmuch as God has shown all this to you, there
(07:55):
is no one as discerning and wise as you.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Wis has done.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Described as knowledge put into action, it is the ability
to make sound decisions even in unprecedented situations. Joseph had
that in our church today.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
We need it.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
In our country today, we need it in our communities today.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
We need it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
You know, what wisdom really is doing the right thing
without a precedent. We can all figure out what to do.
If it's been done before and somebody solved the problem back.
Then we go back, we study the problem, we take
the solution, we make a few changes, and we put
it into action the wisdom of Joseph. Then notice the
will of Pharaoh. It was Pharaoh's will that Joseph be
(08:39):
installed as second in command over all of Egypt. So
Pharaoh told Joseph Verses forty and forty one, Joseph, you're
going to be over my house, and all my people
will be ruled according to your word. Only in regard
to the throne will I be greater than you. And
Pharaoh said to Joseph, see, I have set you over
(09:01):
all the land of Egypt. How's that for starting out
in the morning in prison and ending up that night
as head over the whole nation. Joseph was given the
job of vizir. He had all the rights and powers
of the king, and actually served as king during the
ruler's absence, and no matter came to the king without
(09:23):
the vizier's advice being given. He issued all the orders,
he carried out the royal commands, and he supervised everybody
in the cabinet. Joseph was an important man and he
had great responsibility. And that jump from prison to palace
and one day was absolutely remarkable. But God had been
(09:43):
planning that for many years. It happened in one day,
but it was under construction for many weeks and months.
You know that's the truth for us, isn't it. Sometimes
things happen in our lives and we think, whoa where'd
that come from? And then we look back and we
can see that hand of God He's been preparing things
along the way. I could tell you stories about my
(10:05):
life that illustrate that, but the stories of the Bible
are way better, so we'll stick with them. In verses
forty two and forty three, the text tells us that
there were several things Pharaoh gave to Joseph that he
had never had before. Let's notice what they are. First
of all, he was given a ring. Pharaoh literally took
(10:26):
his signet ring off of his finger and put it
on the hand of Joseph. That gave Joseph the power
to sign on behalf of the king. And giving the
ring Pharaoh was giving Joseph total responsibility. The Bible also
says that Joseph was given a robe, signifying his princely
position in the royal court. Now, how many of you
(10:48):
know that's really significant because Joseph had had a couple
of robes. Remember, he had a multi colored robe, and
that one was taken off and stained with the blood
of animals and given to his to communicate that.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Joseph was dead. Then he had another robe. Remember that one.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
It was caught by Potiphar's wife, and Joseph ran out
and left the robe in her hands, and that robe
got him thrown into prison. But oh, my goodness, is
he got a robe. Now he's got a robe from
the king, a royal robe that was to be his
robe for the next eighty years of his life. As
(11:29):
he served as Prime Minister of Egypt, he was given
a robe, and he was also given a gold chain,
and he was allowed to ride in the second chariot
in Egyptian parades. And now everybody would bow down and
worship Joseph. He became almost a divinity to the people
(11:51):
of Egypt. These were all the ways of revealing the
honor Joseph now had. Just to remember now, as a boy,
he had dreamed of others bowing down to him, and
now they're doing that. The slave hands would be wearing
the king's ring, the chained feet would be free to
travel anywhere right behind the king's chariot, and God orchestrated
(12:15):
it all justice.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
He had told Joseph he would.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
It happened in one day, but it was happening over many,
many weeks. Verse forty six says Joseph was thirty years
old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And
Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went
throughout the land of Egypt.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Now let's do a little math.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Hallad was Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery.
He was seventeen. The last years of his teens and
his entire decade of twenties were spent in slavery or
in prison. But nothing was lost, nothing was wasted. All
the heart lordship, all the disappointments, all the delays, it
(13:03):
was all preparing Joseph to literally overnight become the second
most powerful man in the world in his own timing,
according to his own ways, God was shaping Joseph into
someone he could use. Joseph wasn't chosen randomly. He had
(13:23):
developed characteristics necessary for a position of high influence. Let
me just mention four things about Joseph that made him
a fit candidate. When he submitted to God. God's sovereignty
was in his life. Notice he had a courageous vision.
From the day that Joseph shared his dreams until he
ascended to the throne, he never wavered in his belief
(13:46):
that God was giving him a vision for the future. Hey, friends,
this is one thing to get a vision. And a
lot of people have visions. Sometimes it's because they ate
too much pizza before they went to sleep. But you
know what, but a vision that only lasts for two
or three days isn't much of a vision. Anybody can
sustain that basically in their own power. It's one thing
(14:09):
to have a vision realized within months, but when God
gives you a dream, a genuine vision and purpose for
the future, it takes a lot longer. I hope you
have such a vision for your life. God gave Joseph
a vision, and for more than a decade that vision
was tested in the crucible of suffering and disappointment and
(14:30):
distress and difficulty, and he couldn't see anything on the
horizon that remotely resembled God's promise. Joseph never stopped believing
in his dream, and someone has said, the true test
of your vision is how easily you are discouraged from
pursuing it. If God gives you a vision, He will
(14:53):
test it. He won't let it just happen instantly. Nobody
gets their vision or dream fulfilled that easily. The men
and women God ultimately uses are those who remain courageous.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
They stick to what God.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Has called them to do, even when the material things,
personal circumstances, and individual situations in their lives don't seem
to align with what God has placed in their hearts.
Those who courageously persevere are the ones God uses. And
then Joseph was committed to God's glory. We've touched on
this already. He told Pharaoh, God will give you an answer,
(15:34):
And he told Pharaoh the answer was from God.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
I'm telling you what.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
When God does a great thing in your life, don't
ever take the credit to yourself, because then you will
lose the blessing. The blessing comes when you are a
useful person to bring glory to God.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
And then God does a great thing.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Joseph was courageous in his vision, committed to God, God's glory,
and he was controlled by the Holy Spirit. Even Pharaoh
noticed that Joseph was a different kind of dude. He
called him a different way than he called anybody else.
He said he was a man in whom is the
spirit of God? And I'm pretty sure Pharaoh didn't know
(16:19):
much about God and didn't know much about the spirit
of God. He just knew that what he saw in
Joseph was different than anything he had ever seen in
anyone else, and.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
That God, whoever God was, must be involved.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
In the life of Joseph. He was a man in
whom was the spirit of God? Can I ask us
a question today? Does God get recognized in your life
and in mind? Is there anything about you that is
that's a God thing? There needs to be that in
our lives, especially in this dark age, when God has
(16:54):
been removed from every public place where he used to
be at home. Pharaoh may not have fully understood the
concept of God's spirit as we do today. He knew
that Joseph was different. Scripture tells us that a key
mark of a spirit filled life is consistency under pressure.
(17:16):
When you're under pressure, if you're spirit filled, it'll show up.
It's not so easy to show a spirit filled life
in times of prosperity, but when you're under pressure, the
spirit filled life shows up. I told you once before.
If you're a preacher, when things are going well, people
listen to you.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
When they're not.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Going so well, they watch you. I know what it's
like to be watched. Jesus was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness, and Jesus overcame Satan's temptations. In Acts six,
when the early Church faced an administrative challenge that threatened
to tear them apart, the Holy Spirit guided them to
(17:59):
a point seven spirit filled men.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
To oversee food distribution.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
And when Stephen was being stone full of the Holy Spirit,
he had a vision of heaven and forgave his persecutors.
It is interesting to me that in the New Testament,
this is the pattern you want to know. If you're
spirit filled, well, see what happens when you go through
the next set of problems you weren't expecting.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
You know why.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
You have to be spiritfilled then, because not being spirit
filled is not sufficient to deal with the issue. You
have to have the Holy Spirit help you. And then
Joseph number four was cooperative with God's process of training.
This is one of my favorite parts of this story.
Did you know that Joseph had to go through thirteen
(18:48):
years of school so that he could experience eighty years
of ministry through all that training, he focused on the
Lord in slavery, in the pit, in the prison, he
worked to become a strong, disciplined man of God. And
there was no complaining, simply a desire to obey the
(19:11):
Lord and do his best. Some people are always saying,
I'm just waiting for God to open a great opportunity.
But my question is what are you doing with the
opportunity you already have? Because usually what happens, God takes
the opportunities we have and he turns them into great opportunities.
If you're sitting by the wayside waiting for your big
(19:33):
moment to come, you might be waiting a long time.
God is looking for those who are faithful in a
few things so that he can make them ruler over
many things. That's what the Bible says. And God never
promotes on faithfulness. Did you know that on faithfulness never
gets promoted. Consider Joseph's example. He was faithful in Potiphar's house,
(20:01):
he was faithful in prison, he was faithful as second
in command over Egypt, and in each position, regardless of scale,
Joseph's character and his actions remained consistent. If you put
all this down and kind of take a long look
at it across the page. What you realize is that
(20:24):
Joseph believed in God all the way to the core
of who he was. He believed that when the problems came,
God would show up and he would show off. And
God always showed off on behalf of Joseph. Robert Dick
Wilson was a well known professor at Princeton Theological Seminary.
(20:47):
One day, he attended a sermon given by one of
his former students who had graduated twelve years earlier. After
the servant, Wilson approached his former student and he said,
I am glad to see that you are a big godter.
I only come once to hear my former students preach.
(21:08):
I come to see if they're big godters or little godters,
because that tells me what kind of ministry they're going
to have. When his student asked him to explain, Robert
Dick Wilson said, some people believe in a little God
who can't do miracles, can't ensure the Bible's accuracy, and
(21:28):
doesn't help his followers. I call these people little godters.
Then there are those who have a great God. He
speaks and it is done, He commands and it stands fast.
He knows how to show himself strong on behalf of
those that fear him. These people are big Godters. And
(21:49):
then he turned to his student and he said, you
have a great God, and he will bless your ministry.
He paused a moment, he smiled and said, God bless you,
and he turned and walked away, never to return. As
we end this message, I want to ask you individually
(22:10):
this question as you think about the life of Joseph.
Are you a big godter or a little godter? Do
you believe God can do anything? Are you convinced in
your mind that nothing is too hard for him? In
the midst of your situations that you are facing which
(22:31):
seem impossible to you, do you believe that He is
the God of the impossible? Do you trust God? Do
you believe in him? Do you pray to him to
acknowledge him? Do you wait till he is the last
resort before you bring him your problems. A person who
has a big God knows he's never out of touch
(22:51):
with a solution. If you know God, you are always
in touch with the solution to your problem. He is
able to do above and beyond all that you would
ever ask or think. That's what the Bible says. On
the journey, learning to trust God with more and more
and realize that while you don't know what he's up to,
(23:14):
God is working behind the scenes in your behalf. And
when the time comes, God will show up and he
will show off, and he will make everything right. He's
done that for me so many times. I have at
least a dozen stories I can tell you. I am
here to tell you that God is enough. He's enough
(23:35):
for you, He's enough for me. He's enough for every situation.
When you put your trust in him, you can know
that all is well. He is the sovereign God of
the universe, and he is the individual God of each
one of us. As we have put our trust in
(23:56):
his son Jesus Christ, we become a part of his family.
He's our father. He cares for us, and we know
that to be true. And we watch this play out
in the life of this Old Testament Patriarch Joseph, and
we're amazed because we see the hand of God so clearly.
We're going to take a break for the weekend. When
we come back, we're going to talk about God's method
(24:18):
for melting hard hearts. You don't want to miss Monday
and Tuesday. It's an intriguing story. But in the meantime,
be sure to go to church. I've been telling you
that for a long time, like a broken record. I'm sure,
but it's such an important priority. Be in church on
the Lord's Day. It's the one thing you can do,
an outward act that you can do that will make
(24:39):
a great deal of difference in your life going forward.
Get in the habit of never missing church, being church
on the Lord's Day. Get back there if you've been
missing it, and God will use that to encourage your life.
I'm David Jeremiah. Thanks for listening. To have a great weekend.
We'll see you Monday.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Today's message originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Doctor David,
the senior pastor. Turning Point is also on radio and
TV this weekend. To learn where to find it, visit
our website David Jeremiah dot org, Slash Radio. That's David
Jeremiah dot org, Slash Radio, or call eight hundred ninety
four seven nineteen ninety three ask for your copy of
(25:18):
our new fourteen month calendar. Following in his footsteps and
deepen your faith daily in 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 choice of
durable and attractive cover options. If you're being encouraged by
(25:39):
this ministry, let us know at Turning Point PO Box
thirty eight thirty eight, San Diego, California, nine two one
sixty three.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
This is David Michael Jeremiah.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Join us Monday as we continue the series God Betted
for Good, the story of Joseph on Turning Point
Being a student is more rewarding when you cooperate with
your teacher. In the same way, being a believer is
more rewarding when you cooperate with God. Today on Turning Point,
doctor David Jeremiah considers the importance of accepting God's training
schedule and how it helped Joseph rise from poverty to power.
With the conclusion of his powerful message from Prison to Palace,
(00:29):
here's David.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you for joining us for this Friday edition of
Turning Point. We're happy to have you along as we
continue our study in the life of Joseph. Today we're
going to conclude our discussion of Joseph's journey from the
prison to the Palace and the lessons that are so
easily observed in this discussion. We'll get to those in
(00:51):
a few moments as we conclude this two part message
from Genesis chapter forty one. It's the Friday edition of
t Point, and I really do want to keep reminding
you during the month of September that you can get
this beautiful calendar called Following in His Footsteps, which has
been prepared just for our viewers and listeners, and it's
(01:16):
yours for the asking. When you send a gift of
any size during this month. This beautiful calendar lays out
every day space for you to write your appointments in
every day. There's a Bible reading schedule in the calendar.
There's all kinds of helpful things available to you that
make it possible for you to get on top of
what's going on. Especially you will have Thanksgiving and you
(01:38):
will have Christmas, and those two events are in the
front of this calendar for the next year. It's a
beautiful way to get ready for the year end, and
it's one of the ways we try to be of
value to all of you. So when you send your gift,
simply ask for the calendar for twenty twenty six and
you will get all these benefits that come with it
(01:58):
and are blessing and prayer for God's use of it
in your life. Thank you for your investment. It means
so much to us. And now here is part two
from Genesis forty one, From Prison to Palace, the Life
of Joseph. Let's notice the wisdom of Joseph in Genesis
(02:18):
forty one fifteen In following and Pharaoh said that Joseph,
I've had a dream and there's no one who can
interpret it. But I have heard it said of you
that you can understand a dream to interpret it.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Not only had God.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Been preparing Joseph and shaping him to the kind of
man who could be the prime minister of a great nation,
he was preparing Pharaoh, and the king was frantic about
his dreams. So now he's ready to listen to this
lowly slave who just got out of prison a few
minutes ago and just had time to shave before he
showed up, and share the wisdom that comes from God.
(02:57):
I am so impressed with Joseph's first words. So Joseph
answered Pharaoh saying it is not in me. God will
give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Joseph predicted Egypt's future
and gave the credit to God. Joseph points out on
several occasions that he knows God is behind all that's
(03:20):
going on in his life, and God is the one
to explain it to Pharaoh. That's why we read in
verse twenty five of chapter forty one, God has shown
Pharaoh what he is about to do. That's why we
read in Genesis forty one thirty two, the thing is
established by God.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
The Lord was the.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
One behind every event, and it was God's will for
Pharaoh to know what was about to happen.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Pharaoh had two dreams, and.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
As I understand the culture of that time, the doubling
of a dream was a sign that what was about
to happen would be both crucial and quick. So he
quickly he told Joseph the content of his dreams. And
Joseph says, Pharaoh, you didn't have two dreams, you just
had one. They mean the same thing. And then he
(04:10):
explained the meaning of the dreams to the king in
this succinct paragraph.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
This is what he told him.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven
thin and ugly cows which come up after them are
seven years. Indeed, seven years of great plenty will come
throughout all the land of Egypt. But after them seven
years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will
be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine
(04:38):
will deplete the land. Thus Pharaoh finally had his question answered.
He now understood what God was going to do in
the future, and that the Lord had chosen Joseph to
reveal that future to him. So Joseph predicted Egypt's future,
and then Joseph proposed a solution to the problem in
(05:01):
verse thirty three. Imagine Joseph, he's just on in prison.
I like to think about this story, and it so
intrigues me. He just got shaved, he just got washed.
Maybe there's still some moisture on his face. He's standing
in front of the most powerful man on earth, and
he's answering this man's questions. If that had been me,
I probably would have been very quiet, and after answering
(05:23):
the questions, slipped back to my cell. But Joseph had
become bold, and he didn't stop with telling the king
what was going to happen. He followed that by telling
the king what to do about what was going to happen.
And this is what he told him. Now, therefore, let
Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man and set him
(05:45):
over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and
let him appoint officers over the land to collect one
fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in
the seven plentiful years, and let them gather all the
food of those good years that are coming, and store
up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them
(06:07):
keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be
as a reserve for the land for the seven years
of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt,
that the land may not perish during the famine. That's
his plan for the years that are coming. And it's
very interesting that it was not only a plan that
(06:28):
was for the whole nation, but it was geographically oriented.
They put the food in food centers in the major cities,
so when the famine came, the food would be close
and available to those who were hungry. The famine is coming,
and the people are to double their tithe to the government.
Instead of giving ten percent, their need to start giving
(06:48):
twenty percent. And the King ought to put somebody in
charge to make sure this whole operation functions. You might
think that Joseph was laying out a plan for his own,
but I don't think so. I don't think Joseph had
a clue that he would be chosen for that position.
I mean, he just got out of jail, Nor did
(07:10):
he have the audacity believed in and one day he
could be promoted from prisoner to prime minister. That just
doesn't happen. Joseph simply offered the wisdom the Lord gave
to him both in the interpretation of the dream and
in the proposed solution. Pharaoh must have thought to himself, Hey,
that's a great idea. Well, where am I going to
find somebody who can organize such a big project?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
I don't know anybody like that.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Then he looks down at the man standing right in
front of him and realizes this is the only guy
who could interpret his dream out of all the brain
trust in the whole land of Egypt, and the only
one who could solve his greatest problem. And bing the
light went off in his head, and Pharaoh said that Joseph,
inasmuch as God has shown all this to you, there
(07:55):
is no one as discerning and wise as you.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Wis has done.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Described as knowledge put into action, it is the ability
to make sound decisions even in unprecedented situations. Joseph had
that in our church today.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
We need it.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
In our country today, we need it in our communities today.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
We need it.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
You know, what wisdom really is doing the right thing
without a precedent. We can all figure out what to do.
If it's been done before and somebody solved the problem back.
Then we go back, we study the problem, we take
the solution, we make a few changes, and we put
it into action the wisdom of Joseph. Then notice the
will of Pharaoh. It was Pharaoh's will that Joseph be
(08:39):
installed as second in command over all of Egypt. So
Pharaoh told Joseph Verses forty and forty one, Joseph, you're
going to be over my house, and all my people
will be ruled according to your word. Only in regard
to the throne will I be greater than you. And
Pharaoh said to Joseph, see, I have set you over
(09:01):
all the land of Egypt. How's that for starting out
in the morning in prison and ending up that night
as head over the whole nation. Joseph was given the
job of vizir. He had all the rights and powers
of the king, and actually served as king during the
ruler's absence, and no matter came to the king without
(09:23):
the vizier's advice being given. He issued all the orders,
he carried out the royal commands, and he supervised everybody
in the cabinet. Joseph was an important man and he
had great responsibility. And that jump from prison to palace
and one day was absolutely remarkable. But God had been
(09:43):
planning that for many years. It happened in one day,
but it was under construction for many weeks and months.
You know that's the truth for us, isn't it. Sometimes
things happen in our lives and we think, whoa where'd
that come from? And then we look back and we
can see that hand of God He's been preparing things
along the way. I could tell you stories about my
(10:05):
life that illustrate that, but the stories of the Bible
are way better, so we'll stick with them. In verses
forty two and forty three, the text tells us that
there were several things Pharaoh gave to Joseph that he
had never had before. Let's notice what they are. First
of all, he was given a ring. Pharaoh literally took
(10:26):
his signet ring off of his finger and put it
on the hand of Joseph. That gave Joseph the power
to sign on behalf of the king. And giving the
ring Pharaoh was giving Joseph total responsibility. The Bible also
says that Joseph was given a robe, signifying his princely
position in the royal court. Now, how many of you
(10:48):
know that's really significant because Joseph had had a couple
of robes. Remember, he had a multi colored robe, and
that one was taken off and stained with the blood
of animals and given to his to communicate that.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Joseph was dead. Then he had another robe. Remember that one.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
It was caught by Potiphar's wife, and Joseph ran out
and left the robe in her hands, and that robe
got him thrown into prison. But oh, my goodness, is
he got a robe. Now he's got a robe from
the king, a royal robe that was to be his
robe for the next eighty years of his life. As
(11:29):
he served as Prime Minister of Egypt, he was given
a robe, and he was also given a gold chain,
and he was allowed to ride in the second chariot
in Egyptian parades. And now everybody would bow down and
worship Joseph. He became almost a divinity to the people
(11:51):
of Egypt. These were all the ways of revealing the
honor Joseph now had. Just to remember now, as a boy,
he had dreamed of others bowing down to him, and
now they're doing that. The slave hands would be wearing
the king's ring, the chained feet would be free to
travel anywhere right behind the king's chariot, and God orchestrated
(12:15):
it all justice.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
He had told Joseph he would.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
It happened in one day, but it was happening over many,
many weeks. Verse forty six says Joseph was thirty years
old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And
Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went
throughout the land of Egypt.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Now let's do a little math.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Hallad was Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery.
He was seventeen. The last years of his teens and
his entire decade of twenties were spent in slavery or
in prison. But nothing was lost, nothing was wasted. All
the heart lordship, all the disappointments, all the delays, it
(13:03):
was all preparing Joseph to literally overnight become the second
most powerful man in the world in his own timing,
according to his own ways, God was shaping Joseph into
someone he could use. Joseph wasn't chosen randomly. He had
(13:23):
developed characteristics necessary for a position of high influence. Let
me just mention four things about Joseph that made him
a fit candidate. When he submitted to God. God's sovereignty
was in his life. Notice he had a courageous vision.
From the day that Joseph shared his dreams until he
ascended to the throne, he never wavered in his belief
(13:46):
that God was giving him a vision for the future. Hey, friends,
this is one thing to get a vision. And a
lot of people have visions. Sometimes it's because they ate
too much pizza before they went to sleep. But you
know what, but a vision that only lasts for two
or three days isn't much of a vision. Anybody can
sustain that basically in their own power. It's one thing
(14:09):
to have a vision realized within months, but when God
gives you a dream, a genuine vision and purpose for
the future, it takes a lot longer. I hope you
have such a vision for your life. God gave Joseph
a vision, and for more than a decade that vision
was tested in the crucible of suffering and disappointment and
(14:30):
distress and difficulty, and he couldn't see anything on the
horizon that remotely resembled God's promise. Joseph never stopped believing
in his dream, and someone has said, the true test
of your vision is how easily you are discouraged from
pursuing it. If God gives you a vision, He will
(14:53):
test it. He won't let it just happen instantly. Nobody
gets their vision or dream fulfilled that easily. The men
and women God ultimately uses are those who remain courageous.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
They stick to what God.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Has called them to do, even when the material things,
personal circumstances, and individual situations in their lives don't seem
to align with what God has placed in their hearts.
Those who courageously persevere are the ones God uses. And
then Joseph was committed to God's glory. We've touched on
this already. He told Pharaoh, God will give you an answer,
(15:34):
And he told Pharaoh the answer was from God.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
I'm telling you what.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
When God does a great thing in your life, don't
ever take the credit to yourself, because then you will
lose the blessing. The blessing comes when you are a
useful person to bring glory to God.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
And then God does a great thing.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Joseph was courageous in his vision, committed to God, God's glory,
and he was controlled by the Holy Spirit. Even Pharaoh
noticed that Joseph was a different kind of dude. He
called him a different way than he called anybody else.
He said he was a man in whom is the
spirit of God? And I'm pretty sure Pharaoh didn't know
(16:19):
much about God and didn't know much about the spirit
of God. He just knew that what he saw in
Joseph was different than anything he had ever seen in
anyone else, and.
Speaker 3 (16:29):
That God, whoever God was, must be involved.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
In the life of Joseph. He was a man in
whom was the spirit of God? Can I ask us
a question today? Does God get recognized in your life
and in mind? Is there anything about you that is
that's a God thing? There needs to be that in
our lives, especially in this dark age, when God has
(16:54):
been removed from every public place where he used to
be at home. Pharaoh may not have fully understood the
concept of God's spirit as we do today. He knew
that Joseph was different. Scripture tells us that a key
mark of a spirit filled life is consistency under pressure.
(17:16):
When you're under pressure, if you're spirit filled, it'll show up.
It's not so easy to show a spirit filled life
in times of prosperity, but when you're under pressure, the
spirit filled life shows up. I told you once before.
If you're a preacher, when things are going well, people
listen to you.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
When they're not.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Going so well, they watch you. I know what it's
like to be watched. Jesus was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness, and Jesus overcame Satan's temptations. In Acts six,
when the early Church faced an administrative challenge that threatened
to tear them apart, the Holy Spirit guided them to
(17:59):
a point seven spirit filled men.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
To oversee food distribution.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
And when Stephen was being stone full of the Holy Spirit,
he had a vision of heaven and forgave his persecutors.
It is interesting to me that in the New Testament,
this is the pattern you want to know. If you're
spirit filled, well, see what happens when you go through
the next set of problems you weren't expecting.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
You know why.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
You have to be spiritfilled then, because not being spirit
filled is not sufficient to deal with the issue. You
have to have the Holy Spirit help you. And then
Joseph number four was cooperative with God's process of training.
This is one of my favorite parts of this story.
Did you know that Joseph had to go through thirteen
(18:48):
years of school so that he could experience eighty years
of ministry through all that training, he focused on the
Lord in slavery, in the pit, in the prison, he
worked to become a strong, disciplined man of God. And
there was no complaining, simply a desire to obey the
(19:11):
Lord and do his best. Some people are always saying,
I'm just waiting for God to open a great opportunity.
But my question is what are you doing with the
opportunity you already have? Because usually what happens, God takes
the opportunities we have and he turns them into great opportunities.
If you're sitting by the wayside waiting for your big
(19:33):
moment to come, you might be waiting a long time.
God is looking for those who are faithful in a
few things so that he can make them ruler over
many things. That's what the Bible says. And God never
promotes on faithfulness. Did you know that on faithfulness never
gets promoted. Consider Joseph's example. He was faithful in Potiphar's house,
(20:01):
he was faithful in prison, he was faithful as second
in command over Egypt, and in each position, regardless of scale,
Joseph's character and his actions remained consistent. If you put
all this down and kind of take a long look
at it across the page. What you realize is that
(20:24):
Joseph believed in God all the way to the core
of who he was. He believed that when the problems came,
God would show up and he would show off. And
God always showed off on behalf of Joseph. Robert Dick
Wilson was a well known professor at Princeton Theological Seminary.
(20:47):
One day, he attended a sermon given by one of
his former students who had graduated twelve years earlier. After
the servant, Wilson approached his former student and he said,
I am glad to see that you are a big godter.
I only come once to hear my former students preach.
(21:08):
I come to see if they're big godters or little godters,
because that tells me what kind of ministry they're going
to have. When his student asked him to explain, Robert
Dick Wilson said, some people believe in a little God
who can't do miracles, can't ensure the Bible's accuracy, and
(21:28):
doesn't help his followers. I call these people little godters.
Then there are those who have a great God. He
speaks and it is done, He commands and it stands fast.
He knows how to show himself strong on behalf of
those that fear him. These people are big Godters. And
(21:49):
then he turned to his student and he said, you
have a great God, and he will bless your ministry.
He paused a moment, he smiled and said, God bless you,
and he turned and walked away, never to return. As
we end this message, I want to ask you individually
(22:10):
this question as you think about the life of Joseph.
Are you a big godter or a little godter? Do
you believe God can do anything? Are you convinced in
your mind that nothing is too hard for him? In
the midst of your situations that you are facing which
(22:31):
seem impossible to you, do you believe that He is
the God of the impossible? Do you trust God? Do
you believe in him? Do you pray to him to
acknowledge him? Do you wait till he is the last
resort before you bring him your problems. A person who
has a big God knows he's never out of touch
(22:51):
with a solution. If you know God, you are always
in touch with the solution to your problem. He is
able to do above and beyond all that you would
ever ask or think. That's what the Bible says. On
the journey, learning to trust God with more and more
and realize that while you don't know what he's up to,
(23:14):
God is working behind the scenes in your behalf. And
when the time comes, God will show up and he
will show off, and he will make everything right. He's
done that for me so many times. I have at
least a dozen stories I can tell you. I am
here to tell you that God is enough. He's enough
(23:35):
for you, He's enough for me. He's enough for every situation.
When you put your trust in him, you can know
that all is well. He is the sovereign God of
the universe, and he is the individual God of each
one of us. As we have put our trust in
(23:56):
his son Jesus Christ, we become a part of his family.
He's our father. He cares for us, and we know
that to be true. And we watch this play out
in the life of this Old Testament Patriarch Joseph, and
we're amazed because we see the hand of God so clearly.
We're going to take a break for the weekend. When
we come back, we're going to talk about God's method
(24:18):
for melting hard hearts. You don't want to miss Monday
and Tuesday. It's an intriguing story. But in the meantime,
be sure to go to church. I've been telling you
that for a long time, like a broken record. I'm sure,
but it's such an important priority. Be in church on
the Lord's Day. It's the one thing you can do,
an outward act that you can do that will make
(24:39):
a great deal of difference in your life going forward.
Get in the habit of never missing church, being church
on the Lord's Day. Get back there if you've been
missing it, and God will use that to encourage your life.
I'm David Jeremiah. Thanks for listening. To have a great weekend.
We'll see you Monday.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Today's message originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Doctor David,
the senior pastor. Turning Point is also on radio and
TV this weekend. To learn where to find it, visit
our website David Jeremiah dot org, Slash Radio. That's David
Jeremiah dot org, Slash Radio, or call eight hundred ninety
four seven nineteen ninety three ask for your copy of
(25:18):
our new fourteen month calendar. Following in his footsteps and
deepen your faith daily in 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 choice of
durable and attractive cover options. If you're being encouraged by
(25:39):
this ministry, let us know at Turning Point PO Box
thirty eight thirty eight, San Diego, California, nine two one
sixty three.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
This is David Michael Jeremiah.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Join us Monday as we continue the series God Betted
for Good, the story of Joseph on Turning Point
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