WEBVTT 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:04.480 Good morning. 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:06.879 That was awesome. 00:00:07.599 --> 00:00:18.399 You know, that's actually one of the one of the coolest things about having a relationship with with Jesus is that uh is that he promises us that his presence is a part of our lives from that point on. 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:23.359 And it and it was it used to be that in the Old Testament God's presence stayed in a place. 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:27.359 You know, it was in a temple and even in a room within that temple. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.000 And now his presence is in our lives. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:39.520 The Bible tells us that we're the temple now, and that Jesus, of all the places he wants to reside, of all the places he wants his presence to be, it's in our lives and it's in our hearts. 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:44.479 And that's really amazing when you think that he looks at us and says, That's that's where I want to be. 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:53.520 So if you know Jesus this morning, you know that presence, and if if you've never connected with him before, that that's that's what you get is you get the presence of God in your life every single day. 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:55.679 When you feel it, when you can't, it's just awesome. 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:56.399 It's awesome. 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:57.840 So that was amazing. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:02.159 Um I got a few quick announcements before we're gonna finish up Joseph's story this morning. 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:08.640 Steve was supposed to be here this morning, uh, but he came down with a very, very bad stomach bug. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:15.280 And when I say very bad, I mean he's got a really good friend that got the exact same thing, and the friend lost like 20-something pounds in three or four days. 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:19.200 So let's all make sure that we pray for Steve because he's not feeling not feeling very well at all. 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:21.280 Although you couldn't you can barely tell it from his voice this morning. 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:22.719 Um he sounded fine. 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:23.599 Maybe he's punking me. 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:24.640 Is he here, Steve? 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:25.359 Are you here? 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:26.400 It's not funny. 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:26.879 All right. 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:33.280 Um first thing I want to say is just a huge thank you to everyone that came yesterday to help with our with our spring spruce up. 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:35.280 We had a, yeah, it was awesome. 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:42.879 We had about 20 people that came, um, spent basically the entire day just you know painting things at the church and fixing things. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:45.519 Uh we're really blessed to have an incredible facility here. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:52.319 And sometimes, sometimes it can give us kind of the false impression that it's all done, it's all finished, and that all the work is is is done. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:53.599 You know, it's all ready to go. 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:56.719 But it takes an incredible amount of work uh to keep it this way. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:58.079 And we're a volunteer church. 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:01.519 We don't have a big staff, we don't have people that are on staff just to maintain stuff. 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:05.599 So we really depend on you guys, and we want to thank you guys for doing that because it was it was awesome. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:06.560 The church looks so great. 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:08.960 And especially those of you that helped around the kids' areas. 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:09.680 I'm sorry. 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:12.960 We do our best, but they have a lot of energy and they beat stuff up. 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:14.479 So thank you for fixing those things. 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:15.759 Um, it's all you can do. 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:18.159 Uh, the only other thing I want to talk about real quick is Easter. 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:20.319 Easter Sunday is just a few weeks away. 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:22.639 It is gonna be so exciting, guys. 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:23.120 It really is. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:26.080 We're doing two services for the first time on Easter anyway. 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:27.919 Uh, and we we're doing that because we need to. 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:32.560 Last year we were jam-packed with no more room, and we're expecting God to do the same thing this year. 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:36.800 So we've got an 8:30 get together, and then a 10 o'clock, both are gonna last an hour. 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:43.360 We've got the kids' stuff will be open for both, not the junior high, but the the elementary and nursery age kids will have we'll have an Easter thing going for them. 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:44.719 So that'll be really exciting. 00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:48.319 Uh, we could really use your help to spread the word, and there's a couple easy ways you can do that. 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:52.719 Number one, it's the old-fashioned talking to people thing, where you just go, hey, you got plans for Easter? 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:53.680 No, come with me. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:54.879 Um, it's great. 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:57.199 You'll definitely bring some friends, they'll get a lot out of it. 00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:00.639 Uh, another way you could really help us out is is either the app that we have. 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:02.319 We have a mobile app that's free. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:06.000 You can download it uh right now if you want to, and you'll see the Easter event there. 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:08.879 You can share it on your Facebook page right from the app and all that kind of stuff. 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:12.960 Or you can go to our website, hishandschurch.com, and you'll see Easter. 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:14.319 It's the very first thing that'll pop up. 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:21.120 If you click on that, uh, it'll give you the option to share it on Facebook, Twitter, or even just to invite people via email right from the website. 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:30.319 So please help us out, do that, help us spread the word, because we want as many people in here on Easter experiencing Jesus' presence and the freedom that he gives us to worship him and know him on Easter Sunday. 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:31.360 So thank you for that in advance. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:36.560 Let's pray, and then we're gonna we're gonna wrap up our uh our Joseph story this morning. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:40.240 Daddy, thank you so much for bringing all of us together. 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:44.319 Thank you for your presence in our lives in this place right now. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:52.879 Holy Spirit, thank you for showing up this morning and reminding us how much you love us, how much you care about us, that you want to be a part of every detail of our lives, that you want to bless us. 00:03:52.960 --> 00:04:01.840 And we pray for the next few minutes that you would speak to us and encourage us, challenge us, give us exactly what we need from your word so that we can live the life that you created us to live. 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:03.280 And we pray all this in your name. 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:04.159 Amen. 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:10.240 Well, though, for those of you who have been here for the last few weeks, we have been going through the story of Joseph from the Old Testament. 00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:11.840 It's an incredible story. 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:12.960 It really is. 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:21.759 In fact, if Joseph's life was recent and someone wrote a biography about it, it would it would easily be the best-selling biography on the market today. 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:43.199 Fortunately for us, God did record it in fullness, and it's just in the best-selling book of all time, the Bible, but um but but we have it, and it's really a blessing that we have the history of the people that have followed God before us, because we get to we get to read about these people, we get to read the good, we get to read the bad, uh, and we get to we get to learn from them, we get to apply what God did in their lives to our lives, and it makes us all the better for it. 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:45.279 Joseph's life is extremely interesting. 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:52.560 If if they did a reality TV show about dysfunctional families, Joseph's family would easily be cast. 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:54.800 And I'm not saying that just to be funny. 00:04:54.879 --> 00:05:03.920 I mean, really, when you look at Joseph's family history, you would have a hard time finding a more dysfunctional family than the family that Joseph was born into. 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.000 Um he's got he's got 11 brothers. 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:07.439 He was the 11th of 12. 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:09.040 He also had a sister. 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:11.040 Imagine being her, by the way. 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:12.319 I have 12 brothers. 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:12.959 Yeah. 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:20.959 So he's the 11th of 12, and his younger brother Benjamin and him were the only sons that were born by Rachel. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:24.720 And Rachel was Joseph's, or Jacob, rather, Joseph's father, Jacob. 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:26.160 It was his favorite wife. 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:30.399 And so he just loved Joseph and Benjamin more than the brothers, even though they were the youngest. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:31.680 It created all kinds of tension. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:38.720 Specifically, Joseph, Joseph was showed a favoritism by his father that was just frankly not right. 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:46.079 His father did all kinds of things to set Joseph apart and make sure that everyone knew that Joseph was his favorite. 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:50.079 One of the most famous things is that he had a coat of many colors made for Joseph. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:55.600 It would look like a robe, how we would think of it today, but it was something that totally set Joseph apart from the rest of his brothers. 00:05:55.759 --> 00:06:03.600 And when his brothers would have seen him wearing that, it would have been this incredible reminder that their dad loved Joseph more than he loved them. 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:12.480 And it was that kind of behavior over years and years that drove Joseph's brothers to hate him passionately. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:21.120 There was a jealousy that was there, and obviously that jealousy was on them, but it was also a result of the way that Jacob ran things in his home. 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:25.920 And eventually it got so bad that Joseph's brothers came up with a plan to get rid of Joseph. 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:28.639 They had an opportunity when Joseph was by himself. 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:36.800 He had come to visit the older brothers as they were pasturing some flocks, and they threw Joseph into a well and they sold him as a slave to Egypt. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:44.959 And then they they took his robe, they tore it, they dipped it in blood, and they convinced Jacob that wild animals had killed his son Joseph. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:48.399 And this threw Jacob into a depression that lasted years. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.040 I mean, a deep, deep depression. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:54.560 So much so that the Bible says his own family could not comfort him. 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:58.560 He would not be comforted because of this death of Joseph in his mind. 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:02.240 Well, Joseph goes on to be to be purchased by a man named Potiphar. 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:03.680 He became one of Potiphar's slaves. 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.160 Potiphar was an extremely important person in Egypt. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:10.000 He was the head of Egypt's version of the Secret Service at that time. 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.120 So he was literally in charge of keeping Pharaoh safe. 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:15.120 That means he would have had daily access to Pharaoh. 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:17.759 He was an incredibly well-known official. 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:25.439 And Joseph impressed Potiphar so much that over time Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his entire estate, his entire household. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:31.040 In fact, the Bible says that the only thing Potiphar had to worry about was what he was going to eat that night for dinner. 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:33.120 He didn't have to take care of a single detail. 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:39.040 Joseph had it all down, and God really favored Joseph with Potiphar, gave Potiphar a love for Joseph. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:43.680 Well, Potiphar's wife also favored Joseph just in a very different way. 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:49.439 And she had this kind of insatiable attraction to Joseph and then frequently made passes at him and he refused. 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:53.439 He said, I could not do that to Potiphar, and I also couldn't do that to God. 00:07:54.240 --> 00:08:02.480 There was one moment where Potiphar, Potiphar's wife came on very strong to Joseph and basically demanded that he sleep with her, and he refused. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:03.439 He said no. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:09.439 And he actually ran out of the room and she grabbed his coat and kept it. 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:17.920 And then screamed and showed the guards in that palace the coat and said that Joseph attacked her and he was thrown into prison because of that. 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:26.319 And he spent years in prison, but just like with Potiphar, God favored Joseph with the warden of the prison, and eventually Joseph was put in charge of the entire prison. 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:35.120 And after a while, a few very important people came to stay in that prison, not by their will, because that's the way prison works, and they were there for a little while. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:38.000 And they both had dreams. 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:40.399 And these dreams really troubled them. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:41.840 They knew these dreams had significance. 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:46.080 Steve talked a few weeks ago about how sometimes God speaks through dreams, and he does that. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:50.879 Well, God gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, and Joseph interpreted the dreams of these two people. 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.320 For one of them, it was extremely good news, for the other, not so much. 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:58.480 But the one who it was good news for was released from prison shortly thereafter. 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:00.879 He was an official in Pharaoh's court as well. 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:04.639 He went back to Pharaoh, and Joseph said, Please tell Pharaoh what I did for you. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:06.080 Tell him that I interpreted this dream. 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:07.120 I'm here in prison. 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:08.159 I didn't do anything wrong. 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:09.039 You know, help me out. 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:10.879 I helped you out, please help me. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:14.879 And the man goes and forgets about Joseph completely for two years. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:23.360 Well, eventually Pharaoh has a few dreams of his own that really trouble him, and he brings in all the wise men in Egypt that he knows and tries to have them interpret the dream. 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:28.879 None of them can do it, and it's at that moment that this person Joseph interpreted a dream for, remembers Joseph. 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:31.759 And he actually tells Pharaoh, I cannot believe I forgot about this. 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:33.200 I made a huge mistake. 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:35.440 You need to talk to this guy named Joseph. 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.440 So Pharaoh brings Joseph to him, and Joseph interprets the dream correctly. 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:40.639 And the dream was a big deal. 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:47.440 It meant that Egypt was gonna have seven years of extreme prosperity, but they were gonna be followed by seven years of total famine. 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:50.240 And they better prepare for that. 00:09:50.559 --> 00:10:00.000 So Joseph interpreted the dream, and he suggested to Pharaoh, he said, Hey, you need to find someone extremely wise, someone you can trust, someone that can be in charge of Egypt to get Egypt ready for this famine. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:02.320 And Pharaoh said, I will, and I'm gonna pick you. 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:09.679 And literally, in an instant, Joseph goes from being a slave in prison to being second in command in the entire nation of Egypt. 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:16.879 In fact, the Bible says that only Pharaoh, while sitting on his throne, was more powerful than Joseph. 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:19.039 And so Joseph does just that. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:20.799 He gets Egypt ready for this famine. 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:22.080 The famine hits and it hits hard. 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:32.559 We were there last week, and it hits so hard and so widespread that it wasn't only Egypt that was affected, but it was the whole region around Egypt, including Canaan, which is where Joseph's family still lived. 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:37.919 So Joseph's father Jacob sends the older brothers to get grain, and guess who they go to? 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:39.679 They go to Joseph. 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:44.480 And last week we talked about how Joseph tested his brothers, they've been brought back into his life. 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:49.840 God had given Joseph a dream that his brothers were bowing before him. 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:51.440 And that happened. 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:54.159 That dream was 20 years before it happened, but it happened. 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:57.440 And Joseph remembers his family and he forgives them. 00:10:57.679 --> 00:10:59.440 He forgives his brothers. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:01.360 He invites them back into his life. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:04.399 In fact, he tells them, Hey, go get my father. 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:05.600 Tell him I'm alive. 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:09.600 And I want all of you to come back to Egypt where you'll have food and you'll be taken care of. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:10.879 It's an incredible reunion. 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:18.879 That's where we left off last week with this amazing reunion between Joseph and his brothers, but it's not quite as amazing as the reunion that we're going to start with today. 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:22.000 When we met Joseph, he was 17 years old. 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.480 When we're finished with him today, he'll be 57. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:26.879 He lives to be 110. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:30.960 And this is definitely going to be one of the greatest moments of his life. 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:32.720 And it's in Genesis 46. 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:37.600 At this point in time, Joseph has sent his brothers to Jacob to get Jacob and bring him back. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:43.120 And a little bit of context here, Jacob hears the news that his son is still alive. 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:46.000 And the Bible says that his spirit was revived. 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:51.919 In other words, this depression, this fog that he's been in for 20-something years that he could not get out of. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:12:00.240 As soon as he heard that his son was alive, it's like he snaps too, and he's filled with an excitement and a joy in his old age that he had he hadn't experienced in years. 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:02.080 So that's where we get to in Genesis 46. 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:05.679 It says, So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:10.240 And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:12.080 And during the night, God spoke to him in a vision. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:13.840 Jacob, Jacob, he called. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:15.759 Here I am, Jacob replied. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.960 I am God, the God of your father, the voice said. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:39.279 Jacob might have been a little bit afraid because when his ancestor Abraham was told by God that his family was going to become a great nation, one of the things that God told Abraham right out was that that family would experience slavery and would be under oppression. 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:46.480 And you get the sense that maybe Jacob's worried about going to Egypt because he's worried about that happening, but God's reassuring him and saying, I have a plan, you need to trust me. 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:50.960 He says, I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:56.080 You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:59.120 So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons took him to Egypt. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:03.360 They carried him and their little ones, and they took their wives and the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them. 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:07.360 They also took all their livestock, all their personal belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:13.919 And so Jacob and his entire family went to Egypt, sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters, all his descendants. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:22.799 Then it goes on a little later to say, as they neared their destination, Jacob sent Judah ahead to meet Joseph and get directions to the region of Goshen. 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:25.279 That's the region that Pharaoh had given them. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:30.879 And when they finally arrived there, Joseph prepared his chariot and traveled to Goshen to meet his father, Jacob. 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:37.120 When Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept, holding him for a long time. 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:44.559 Finally, Jacob said to Joseph, Now I am ready to die since I have seen your face again, and I know that you are still alive. 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:48.000 This is just an incredible, touching reunion. 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:52.159 You know what this really is, is a little taste of heaven for us. 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:55.039 To be reunited with people that we love. 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:00.320 I have to imagine that for Jacob this was a pretty surreal experience. 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:05.360 Even when we know, even when we know in our minds that death is not the end. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:11.120 And Jesus showed us that in an amazing way when he died and then got back up. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:12.799 Death is not the end. 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:20.080 And we might know that, and we may have been taught that, and we may believe that, but there is still something about us naturally as people that sees death as final. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:30.720 And when Jacob was convinced that his son Joseph, his most beloved son, had died, you get this impression that in his mind he's never gonna see his son again. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:32.639 But he does. 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:38.240 So in a way, for Jacob, death wasn't final with his son. 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:45.039 He got to see his son again, and what a great reminder for us that death is not final ever. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.000 One of the things that C put in his notes is this really cool quote. 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:52.960 It says that the opposite of death is birth. 00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:56.799 But life does not have an opposite because life is eternal. 00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:58.799 We can forget that sometimes. 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:02.000 It's just because we live in a world where everything has a beginning and an end. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:05.840 But God promises us that life for him is everlasting. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:06.720 Life for him is eternal. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:08.480 That's one of the biggest promises he made us. 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:09.679 And he backed that up. 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:16.320 And what an incredible taste of heaven we get here to realize that we're going to be reunited with our loved ones one day, that we don't have to fear death. 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:19.519 You see, in Jacob here, he says, Now I can die. 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:21.279 He's okay with that. 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:25.440 Now I'm ready to die since I have seen your face again and know that you are still alive. 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:29.120 We are not supposed to fear death because it's not the end. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:39.360 And even when we experience sadness and loss, we we have a God that tells us and gives us these beautiful pictures of the fact that one day we are going to be reunited with the people that we love. 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:41.200 And that's an incredible thing. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:45.440 So now Jacob is face to face with his son again. 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:47.600 He hasn't seen Joseph in over 20 years. 00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:50.080 They just hold each other and cry. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:52.240 It's this beautiful picture. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.720 And then it goes on to talk a little bit about what Joseph does once his family gets there. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:15:59.919 And this is a really small part of this story, but it's actually really cool. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:09.919 It says Joseph provided food for his father and his brothers in amounts appropriate to the number of their descendants, including the smallest children. 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:18.879 Now, this is what's what's really amazing about this, and this is a great hope and encouragement for all of us, is Joseph is doing something very big right here. 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:23.840 He's in a way breaking this tradition of favoritism in his family. 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:31.120 You know, for years his father has given more love to some sons than others. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:33.759 He's given more of his time. 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:38.879 You know, he gave Joseph possessions that he did not give his other brothers. 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:50.799 You can only assume that the same thing happened with with Benjamin growing up, but here it doesn't say that Joseph gave food for his father and his brothers, and he gave Benjamin a lot more because Benjamin was closer with Joseph or his only full brother. 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:57.440 It doesn't say that he held out a little bit on Judah because Judah was the one that decided to sell him into slavery. 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:03.519 No, it says that he gives them food to each family appropriate to the number of people in that family. 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:06.960 In other words, he's completely fair. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:12.400 And what he's doing here is breaking a tradition of favoritism. 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:17.920 One of the great things that God gives all of us the opportunity to do is to break traditions in our families that need broken. 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:21.279 I mean, traditions are great. 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:23.759 And some traditions we're supposed to hold on to. 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:28.880 But we all we all have experiences with things that have happened in our family because we're human beings. 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.319 It's not about judging the people that did it. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:33.279 It's looking at those things and saying, this needs to stop. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:35.839 This needs to be done differently. 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:44.319 So if you grow up in a family where the men are harsh and the kids are terrified of hearing their name yelled, you have the opportunity to stop that. 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:51.200 To create an environment where you can have authority in your home but still have love and still have patience and kindness and tenderness. 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:59.119 You know, if it's a dre if it's a tradition of financial irresponsibility, you have an opportunity to stop that. 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:10.559 God gives all of us this incredible opportunity to look at our past and say, what do I want to keep and what do I want to let go and start differently? 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:12.000 And that's what Joseph does here. 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:13.920 It's a really amazing moment. 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:16.240 Because favoritism is really a curse, if anything. 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:17.440 It leads to bitterness. 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:20.480 We saw what it led Joseph's brothers to do, and he breaks that. 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.839 And it's just another great example of the kind of man that Joseph is. 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:32.160 We think of great leaders in government, we think of people like Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Joseph should definitely be up there in the ranks of those, if not higher. 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:34.319 He was an incredibly loyal person. 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:38.079 And he worked hard and he was blessed for it. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:43.039 And he didn't just work hard because he had great bosses. 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:46.480 I mean, one of his bosses was Pharaoh. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:52.319 All of us have probably had a boss, or we've had an experience with someone who's got a little bit of a big head, maybe an ego. 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:53.680 Well, Pharaoh thought he was God. 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:57.359 So thank God none of us work for someone that actually believes that they are God. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:00.799 And that's the that's the man that Joseph worked for. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:02.799 But he worked for that man loyally. 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:05.119 And he worked hard and he was diligent. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:08.559 And just like with his brothers here, he did things with fairness. 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:10.880 And God blessed him for it. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:14.640 That's just a great, a great challenge to all of us. 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:23.759 That no matter what where we're at, no matter what our occupation is, no matter who we work for, that we can be the kind of people God calls us to be regardless of our circumstances. 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:27.440 We don't just say, oh, well, if I had a better boss or I worked for a better company, I'd be different. 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:29.519 We say, hey, no, I'm gonna do this the right way. 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:31.920 I'm gonna do all things as though I'm working for God. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:33.759 I had a experience when I was in college. 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:37.200 I worked for Chili's, fine institution, Chili's, baby back ribs. 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:39.519 Um I actually really like that job. 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:40.319 It was a lot of fun. 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:49.440 And I remember one of the things, I've shared the story with the youth before, but I remember one of the things that we were supposed to do was never ever under any circumstances throw away silverware. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:20:12.000 That sounds like a fair thing to ask, but you have to understand is when you wait tables, I know a lot of us here have done that, you know, you have kids, they they drop silverware on the floor, and then they drop lots of other things on the floor, and and the whole day goes by, and when it's your when it's your turn to be done and you're sweeping underneath those tables, the last thing you want to do is reach down to pick up that fork or that spoon that's just covered with stuff. 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:13.039 We'll just say that. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:13.519 Okay? 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:22.240 And I remember having this one night, I was pretty new at the job, and uh, and I was sweeping underneath the table, and there was a fork, and literally I was like, I'm not, I'm not picking that up. 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:23.599 I'm not gonna do it. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:29.519 And I swept it right into my my little you know trash can, my little sweeper or whatever. 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:35.839 And then I had this thought, I was reminded of that verse that says, In all things, you know, work as though you're working for the Lord. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:41.599 And right then and there, I just had this moment of self-conflict, and it was like God was like, Justin, and I said, Fine, fine, I'll do it. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:43.680 And so I reached down and I picked it up. 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:52.880 And you know what's crazy about that is I didn't know this, but my boss was watching that and specifically commented to me and said, Justin, that I'm real, I really appreciate you doing that. 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:55.119 And I was like, Oh, you know, no problem, no problem. 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:56.559 That's one at least I could do. 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:05.599 And and you know, after that moment in time, I can look back and and and I got good sections and God really blessed me at that job. 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:07.759 And it was a weighted tables, but God still blessed me. 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:14.319 He He blessed He blessed me enough to be able to provide for Megan and I when we got married, working as a as a waiter, which was really hard, but but he did it. 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:23.680 And I don't think he did it because I did that one thing, but I just think that we see in Joseph's life that God blesses us when we're loyal and when we're honest and when we're fair. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:24.559 He really does. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:27.039 And I've cut corners plenty of times in life. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:28.720 Plenty of times. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:37.039 But God blesses us when we do the right thing, and that's what Joseph did really his entire life. 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:40.160 Well, we we could have spent a lot more time on the story. 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:42.720 There's one thing we sort of want to get to to finish up. 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:50.319 Jacob's final request is that he would not be buried in Egypt, uh, but be taken back to his home and be buried with his wife Rachel. 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:53.359 And so when he passes, something really interesting happens. 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:58.079 The entire nation of Egypt mourns with Joseph. 00:21:59.200 --> 00:21:59.759 Said Pharaoh. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.279 Agreed to Joseph's request. 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:03.680 Go and bury your father as he made you promise, he said. 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:05.200 So Joseph went up to bury his father. 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:11.119 He was accompanied by all of Pharaoh's officials, all the senior members of Pharaoh's household, and all the senior officials of Egypt. 00:22:11.359 --> 00:22:18.400 Joseph also took his entire household and his brothers and their households, but they left their little children in flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:21.599 A great number of chariots and charioteers accompanied Joseph. 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:30.880 There was such an appreciation for Joseph in all of Egypt that when his father died, even though he was a foreigner, the entire nation of Egypt mourns and supports Joseph in this moment. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:37.440 What's really interesting is that as soon as Jacob is dead, the brothers start to panic. 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:49.920 They have this thought, and it's a pretty natural thought, where they go, oh no, what if the only reason that Joseph has been so good to us is because Jacob, our father, was still alive. 00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:53.680 Now that he's dead, what's going to stop Joseph from getting revenge on us? 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:55.359 And we see that in Genesis 50. 00:22:55.440 --> 00:23:00.880 It says, After burying Jacob, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to his father's burial. 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:04.079 But now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became fearful. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:09.200 Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him, they said. 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:11.119 So they sent this message to Joseph. 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:15.599 Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you, I love this because I don't think this actually happened. 00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:24.000 Now I could have, we don't have the details on that, but I just have a feeling that the way they're they're saying this, it's not like they're telling the truth. 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:27.119 They're saying, hey, uh, Joseph, you weren't there. 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:35.759 Um funny thing though, right before he died, Dad was like, make sure to tell Joseph to be really good to you guys. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:38.079 And then he died and it was sad, but but he said that. 00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:40.240 That's kind of the impression that I get anyway. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:48.319 But it says, before your father died, he instructed us to say to you, please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you, for their sin in treating you so cruelly. 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:51.759 So we, the servants of the God of your father, I just love this. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:53.200 It's so official. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:56.000 Beg you to forgive our sin. 00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:01.519 Imagine being a younger brother, those of you that are younger brothers, and have an older brother talk to you like this. 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:02.559 That would be amazing. 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:04.160 It's probably never gonna happen to me, though. 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:07.200 Okay, so I have an older brother, so I'm just trying to picture this in my mind. 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:13.359 Okay, because it says the brothers came and they threw themselves down before Joseph. 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:17.359 Look, we are your slaves, they said. 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:19.920 And check out Joseph's response. 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:22.480 Do not be afraid of me. 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:25.200 Am I God that I can punish you? 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:29.119 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:32.960 He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:34.079 No, don't be afraid. 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:36.799 I will continue to take care of you and your children. 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:40.400 So he reassured him or them by speaking kindly to them. 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:44.079 Genesis 5 20, or 50 20, rather, is part of that. 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:48.160 It says, You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:53.599 The message version of that puts it this way It says, Joseph replied, Don't be afraid. 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:54.720 Do I act for God? 00:24:54.960 --> 00:25:00.160 Don't you see you planned evil against me, but God used those same plans for my good. 00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:05.519 It's very similar to another passage that we've looked at last week. 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:07.039 It's Romans 8.28. 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:14.640 It says, We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:16.880 And the great news is that that's us. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:25.279 And I love this verse because it's not saying that when we love God, only good things happen to us. 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:34.160 One of the things we're so blessed is to have a Savior to follow that experienced life in its fullness. 00:25:34.240 --> 00:25:35.839 Not just the good, but he experienced the bad. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:37.839 Jesus did not have an easy life. 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:40.000 And he never promised us one. 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:45.200 And God never promises that, hey, when you follow me, everything's gonna work out all the time. 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:47.920 It's gonna be easy, you won't experience loss, you won't experience hurt. 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:53.680 But he does say, and he does promise us that everything is going to work out in the end. 00:25:55.119 --> 00:26:04.880 God is the only person in this world, in this universe, that can take the good and the bad and he can work it into something beautiful for our lives and for the lives of those around us. 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:06.640 God causes everything to work out. 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:08.640 And Joseph had an amazing understanding of this. 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:11.359 He says, hey, you meant this for evil. 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:14.880 But don't give yourselves too much credit. 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:19.440 Because God took it and he worked it into something good. 00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:34.559 I'm sure all of us, all of us have situations that we're either part of now or that we've been a part of, or someone did something to us, and they did it maliciously. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:37.599 They did it meant for evil, meant to hurt us. 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:44.960 And we experienced that and it rocked our lives a little bit, or a lot. 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:51.119 And so what we're left with is the same thing Joseph is left is okay, what do I do with that? 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:54.160 How do I move forward with this? 00:26:54.480 --> 00:27:01.920 Sometimes we can hold on to those things for years and years and just dream about if I see that person again, if I ever have a chance to talk to that person. 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:13.759 I've had people in my life like that before, and I find myself before driving in my car and arguing with them, even though they're not there, and reliving past moments in my life and kind of doing this, oh, I should have said that. 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:17.119 Oh man, that would really get them. 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:21.599 And the truth is we're all going to experience things like that. 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:22.960 We can't avoid it. 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:34.720 But if we could see the truth like Joseph saw it, that no matter what someone does to us, we have a God who is going to work it into good because we love him and he just loves us. 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:36.480 He has a purpose for our lives. 00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:40.480 That's one of the most amazing things about Joseph's life, is that his life had purpose. 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:43.359 God was using him to do something important. 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:46.799 God promises us that he has a purpose for us. 00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:53.440 And whenever we experience difficult things, it can be so hard to see that purpose. 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:55.920 Sometimes hindsight's 20-20, and it takes years. 00:27:56.160 --> 00:28:01.039 And remember for Joseph, this wasn't an instantaneous realization that he had. 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:07.200 I very much doubt that Joseph was heading toward Egypt on a camel, bound as a slave, going, Don't worry, guys, it's all gonna work out. 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:08.960 I got a good feeling about this. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:14.160 It may have happened, I don't think so. 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:22.240 You know, in this moment, it's been almost 30 years since he was sold as a slave. 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:37.519 So I'm saying it's okay for us to be patient with ourselves even as we get to that place, but the sooner we realize that God can take what's happened to us and turn it into something good, the better. 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:43.839 I had an experience nowhere near, nowhere near what Joseph experienced, nowhere near what a lot of us in the room have experienced. 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:47.440 But when I was in college, my wife and I got really involved with this church in Kansas City, Missouri. 00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:48.400 That's where we went to school. 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:49.680