Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000043S
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01:15 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:17 Father in heaven, what a joy it is 01:19 to come into Your presence 01:21 to study Your Holy Word. 01:24 We ask that as we study the story of Joseph 01:27 as a type or a symbol of the life of Christ 01:32 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us to instruct us. 01:36 Teach us the lessons which will be useful 01:39 in our personal walk with Jesus, 01:41 and we thank you for the promise of Your presence. 01:44 In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. 01:50 It was the afternoon 01:51 of the resurrection, 01:54 and 2 of the followers of Jesus, 01:57 not of His 12 disciples but two of the followers of Jesus 02:01 were walking to a little village relatively near Jerusalem 02:07 called Emmaus. 02:09 And as these two men were walking to Emmaus 02:14 Jesus - who had resurrected from the dead that morning - 02:19 actually caught up to them and started walking with them. 02:24 You can find this story in Luke chapter 24. 02:29 And we're going to read a couple of verses from there 02:31 in a few moments, but I want you to catch the picture. 02:35 And so Jesus catches up to these two men that are walking 02:38 to Emmaus and He says to them: 02:41 "What is it that you're talking about? 02:44 And why are your faces so sad? " 02:47 And, of course, the two men look at Jesus 02:52 and if they lived today they probably would have said 02:56 "What planet have you been on for the last three days? 03:00 Haven't you known what has happened 03:04 in the city of Jerusalem during these last three days? 03:09 Impossible that you shouldn't know about it if you were 03:12 in this region or in this area. " 03:16 And then in Luke chapter 24 and verse 21 03:19 we hear the disappointment of these men. 03:23 Actually I want to read Luke chapter 24 03:26 and verse 21. You can almost hear it in their voice 03:31 as we read this verse. 03:33 It says there in verse 21: 03:36 "But we were hoping that it was He 03:40 who was going to redeem Israel. 03:44 Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day 03:48 since these things happened. " 03:51 We thought that this Man was going to redeem Israel 03:55 and now is the third day since He was crucified. 04:00 You can hear the disappointment in their voices. 04:04 And then, of course, Jesus spoke to them 04:08 in direct terms. And I would like to read 04:11 His words in Luke chapter 24 04:15 and verses 25 through 27. 04:19 Actually, this is quite a rebuke of Jesus. 04:22 Notice what He says in Luke 24 and verse 25. 04:28 "Then He said to them: 'O foolish ones, 04:33 and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have 04:38 spoken. Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things 04:43 and to enter into His glory? ' " 04:46 And now notice verse 27: 04:48 "And beginning at Moses 04:52 and all the prophets He expounded to them 04:57 in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. " 05:04 We have three categories that are mentioned here by Jesus. 05:08 Moses, the prophets, and the scriptures or the writings. 05:13 These are the very 3 divisions that the Jews had established 05:17 for the Old Testament. 05:19 The law of Moses... 05:20 the prophets were the nebeim 05:23 and the writings were the ketubim. 05:25 In other words, Jesus is saying 05:28 "I am at the center of the writings of Moses; 05:31 I am at the center of the writings of all of the prophets; 05:34 I am at the center of all of the rest of the Old Testament. " 05:38 He expounded unto them the things in the scriptures 05:43 concerning Himself. 05:46 Now I want you to notice how these men felt 05:50 after Jesus spoke these words to them. 05:53 Luke 24 and verses 30-32. 05:58 "Now it came to pass as He sat at the table with them 06:03 that He took bread, blessed and broke it, 06:07 and gave it to them. 06:09 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him, 06:12 and He vanished from their sight. 06:16 And they said to one another: 'Did not our hearts burn 06:22 within us while He talked with us on the road 06:27 and while He opened the scriptures to us? ' " 06:33 Notice that when Jesus opened the scriptures 06:35 and revealed Himself to them from the scriptures 06:39 they burned in their hearts because now they looked at the 06:44 scriptures from a different perspective. 06:47 A little bit later on Jesus was in the upper room 06:52 with His disciples. 06:54 And I want you to notice what He said to His disciples 06:57 in Luke chapter 24 and verses 44 and 45. 07:04 Luke 24 and verses 44 and 45. 07:09 "Then He said to them: 07:11 'These are the words which I spoke to you 07:15 while I was still with you: 07:17 that all things must be fulfilled which were written 07:22 in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms 07:28 concerning Me. ' And He opened their understanding 07:34 that they might comprehend the scriptures. " 07:39 We find in these verses that the center of the scriptures 07:44 of the Old Testament is Jesus. 07:46 Whether it be the writings of Moses, 07:49 whether it be the writings of the prophets, 07:51 whether it be the writings as such 07:55 in the Old Testament - whatever is not Moses and the 07:57 prophets, whether it be the Psalms... 08:01 Jesus says that the scriptures are a revelation of Himself. 08:07 On every page of the Old Testament 08:11 we find a revelation of Jesus. 08:14 Now today we are going to study the story of Joseph. 08:20 Joseph... as a type of Jesus Christ. 08:24 We're going to find a series of amazing parallels 08:27 between Joseph and Jesus. 08:29 We're going to actually see that the life of Joseph 08:32 was a pattern or an illustration or a type 08:35 of the life that Jesus would live later on in human history. 08:40 Actually approximately 1,700 years later. 08:44 Now let's begin our study of the life of Joseph 08:48 in Genesis chapter 37 and verse 3. 08:52 Genesis chapter 37 and verse 3. 08:57 Here we're told this: 09:19 So you have what we might call "the ancient of days" 09:24 who has a beloved son 09:26 whom he loves above all of his other sons. 09:31 And this son's name is Joseph. 09:33 Now we all know that Joseph had two dreams. 09:38 And in these dreams basically he told his father 09:43 and his brothers that someday they were going to come 09:47 and they were going to bow before his feet. 09:50 Notice Genesis chapter 37 and verse 10. 09:54 Genesis chapter 37 and verse 10. 09:58 By the way, this riled his brothers. 10:01 It says there in chapter 37 and verse 10: 10:24 "Are you saying that we're going to come and we're going to 10:27 bow before you? " is what Jacob 10:29 is saying. And of course, 10:31 we know from this story 10:33 that his brothers were very very 10:35 angry at him saying that they would come and bow at his feet. 10:41 In fact, we're told in Genesis 37 that his brothers 10:44 hated him. Notice Genesis chapter 37... 10:48 Genesis chapter 37 and verses 4 and 5. 10:52 It says here: 11:07 And then it says: "Now Joseph had a dream 11:11 and he told it to his brothers 11:13 and they hated him even more. " 11:16 The idea of them coming and bowing before Joseph; 11:19 the idea that he was the beloved son; 11:22 and by the way, the fact that the life of Joseph 11:26 was exemplary and condemned their sinfulness 11:30 led them to hate their brother. 11:34 In fact, they not only hated their brother because he was 11:37 the beloved son and because he said that they were going to 11:41 come and bow before his feet and because he had a sterling 11:46 character which rebuked their sinfulness, 11:48 but they also envied their brother 11:52 because of these facts. 11:54 Notice what we find in Genesis chapter 37 and verse 11. 11:59 It says there: "And his brothers envied him 12:04 but his father kept the matter in mind. " 12:09 And so his brothers hate him. 12:11 His brothers envy him 12:13 because of his favored position with his father 12:17 because he's the beloved son. 12:19 Now immediately we see the parallel with Jesus. 12:23 Jesus also is the special Son of His Father. 12:29 Jesus also had a sterling character which rebuked 12:34 the sinfulness of His brothers that He came to save. 12:39 Also, those that He came to minister among 12:42 were greatly aggravated when Jesus spoke about 12:47 Him being a King and Him ruling over the earth. 12:52 In fact, we find in Luke chapter 19 and verse 14 12:58 that they did not accept the idea that Jesus 13:02 was going to reign or rule over them. 13:05 Luke chapter 19 and verse 14 says this: 13:10 "But His citizens hated Him... " 13:15 Notice that. 13:18 "and sent a delegation after Him saying 13:21 'We will not have this Man to reign over us. 13:27 We will not accept Him as King. 13:30 He will not rule over us. ' " 13:33 In fact, we find in scripture that Jesus was envied 13:38 by those that He came in contact with. 13:41 Notice Matthew chapter 27 and verse 18. 13:45 Matthew chapter 27 and verse 18. 13:49 In fact, those He came to save envied Him 13:53 because of His special position. 13:55 Matthew chapter 27 and verse 18 says this: 14:02 "For He knew that they had handed Him over... " 14:07 this is speaking about Pilate... 14:09 "that they had handed over Jesus because of... " What? 14:13 "because of envy. " 14:17 And so Jesus - the beloved Son of His Father - 14:20 is hated by His own brothers. 14:23 The say: "We will not allow this Man to rule over us. " 14:26 They hate the fact that He's the beloved Son of the Father 14:30 and they hate His sterling character which rebukes 14:34 their sinfulness. 14:36 Now it's interesting to notice that Abraham 14:39 the father... or rather Jacob the father sends his son 14:44 Joseph to Joseph's brothers. 14:47 Notice what we find in Genesis chapter 37 and verse 13. 14:52 Genesis chapter 37 and verse 13. 14:56 The father sends the son to his brothers. 14:59 To a far country incidentally. 15:01 Notice Genesis chapter 37 and verse 13. 15:07 It says here: 15:27 Notice that the father is planning to send Joseph 15:32 to his brothers, and Joseph says to his father 15:35 "Your will be done. " 15:38 And so Joseph leaves his father's house 15:41 and he travels to a far land to minister to his brothers. 15:46 And by the way, his brothers are lost. 15:49 He actually goes out to seek them. 15:51 And he has to stop along the way and ask: "Where 15:55 are my brothers? I'm seeking for my brothers. " 15:59 And so he leaves his father's house; 16:02 he goes to a far land; 16:04 he's sent to seek his brothers who are lost. 16:08 Dare I say that this is the very same thing 16:13 which happened with Jesus? 16:15 Notice the gospel of Luke chapter 19 and verse 10. 16:20 Luke chapter 19 and verse 10. 16:23 This is the conclusion of the Zacchaeus episode, 16:27 and notice the terminology that is used. 16:30 Luke chapter 19 and verse 10. 16:34 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save 16:40 that which was lost. " 16:43 And so Jesus Christ is sent by His Father to a far land 16:48 to seek His brothers who are lost 16:51 just like Joseph was sent by his father 16:55 to a far land to seek his brothers who were also lost. 17:00 And when God the Father said to Jesus: 17:03 "You should go down and take My gift to Your brothers" 17:07 Jesus said just like Joseph... He said: "Father, 17:11 I am here. Your will be done. " 17:16 But we're told in scripture that when Joseph takes the gift 17:20 of his father to his brothers 17:24 his brothers actually plotted to kill him 17:27 because they hated him. 17:29 Notice Genesis chapter 37 and verses 18 and 19. 17:34 Genesis 37 and verses 18 and 19. 17:39 It says here: 17:51 "Then they said to one another: 17:53 'Look, the dreamer is coming. ' " 17:57 Notice that it is said here that when Joseph 18:02 sees his brothers afar off 18:05 his brothers whom he came to 18:07 bless with the gifts from the 18:08 father actually are filled with 18:11 hatred against him and they plot 18:13 to kill him. 18:15 Is this true also about Jesus? 18:18 In John chapter 1 and verse 11 18:21 we are told that Jesus: 18:30 We also notice in John chapter 15 and verse 25 18:34 a very interesting remark. 18:38 John chapter 15 and verse 25. 18:42 Here Jesus actually is being referred to. 18:46 He says this in verse 25: 19:03 Did Joseph's brothers really have any true reason 19:07 to hate their brother? Absolutely not. 19:09 They hated him without cause. 19:16 And His own hate Him without cause. 19:20 Notice how the story of Joseph is picked up 19:23 also in Matthew 21 and verses 37 and 38. 19:28 Matthew chapter 21 and verses 37 and 38. 19:33 This is the famous parable of the vineyard workers. 19:37 Matthew chapter 21 and verses 37 and 38. 20:09 So just like with Joseph he came to his brothers 20:12 sent by his father and he was hated without cause 20:16 by his brothers. They envied him. 20:18 So when Jesus was sent by His Father to His brothers 20:22 they received Him not. 20:23 They hated Him without cause. 20:25 They delivered Him because of envy according to scripture. 20:29 And they plotted to kill Jesus just like Joseph's brothers 20:33 plotted to kill him. 20:34 There's another interesting comparison in this story. 20:38 One of the brothers of Joseph actually wanted to deliver 20:43 Joseph from the hands of his brothers. What was his name? 20:48 His name was Reuben. 20:50 Notice Genesis 37 and verses 21 and 22. 20:54 Genesis 37 and verses 21 and 22. 21:24 But Reuben lacked moral backbone. 21:28 At the very moment he should have said to the brothers 21:31 "This is wrong... we should not do this. " 21:35 And he should have delivered Joseph and sent him back 21:39 to his father. But he contemporized. 21:42 He says: "Well, I'll let them cast him into this pit here 21:46 and then a little bit later on I will come 21:49 and I will deliver him. " 21:51 He had no moral backbone to stand for the right. 21:54 Now let me ask you: was there an individual 21:57 in the case of Christ that tried to deliver Jesus 22:00 and COULD HAVE delivered Jesus but had no moral backbone? 22:05 Of course. What was his name? 22:07 His name was Pontius Pilate. 22:10 Notice John chapter 19 and verse 12. 22:14 John 19:12. He did everything possible 22:17 to deliver Jesus but he did not take a stand. 22:20 John chapter 19 and verse 12 22:23 is one of the verses that speaks about Pontius Pilate's 22:26 intention of delivering Christ. 22:29 It says here in verse 12: 22:31 "From then on Pilate sought to release Him 22:35 but the Jews cried out saying: 'If you let this Man go, 22:39 you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself 22:43 a king speaks against Caesar. ' " 22:46 And so instead of delivering Jesus and taking a stand 22:50 at that moment, Pontius Pilate actually allowed 22:54 Jesus to be delivered to be killed. 22:59 Another interesting parallel between Joseph and Jesus 23:02 is the fact that Joseph was stripped of his garments 23:06 by his brothers. Notice what we find in Genesis 37:23. 23:12 Genesis chapter 37 and verse 23. 23:17 We find here what his brothers did to him. It says there: 23:35 Question: was Jesus also stripped of His garments? 23:40 Notice what we find in Matthew chapter 27 23:43 and verse 28. Matthew chapter 27 and verse 28. 23:49 We're told here as Jesus is in Pilate's court: 24:01 "And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. " 24:05 We're going to come back to the scarlet robe in a moment. 24:07 Notice that they stripped Him of His garment and they put 24:11 a scarlet or a red robe upon Him. 24:14 And so in both cases Joseph and Jesus 24:17 are stripped of their garments. 24:20 Now it's interesting that Joseph - according to Genesis - 24:24 was cast into an empty pit. 24:29 And the word pit, by the way, can refer to a place 24:33 where dead people are laid. 24:35 In Isaiah 38 and verse 18 it's synonymously used with 24:40 the word Sheol. It's used synonymous with death. 24:44 In other words, his brothers put him in that pit - 24:47 in that empty pit - with the intention probably 24:51 of have him dying in that pit. 24:53 It's interesting that Jesus was buried in an empty tomb. 24:58 Notice Luke chapter 23 and verse 53. 25:02 Luke chapter 23 and verse 53. 25:07 Here we find the following words... speaking about Jesus: 25:13 "Then he took it down, 25:16 wrapped it in them, 25:19 and laid it in a tomb 25:23 that was hewn out of the rock 25:25 where no one had ever lain before. " 25:29 And so Joseph is cast in the pit 25:32 and Jesus is placed in an empty tomb. 25:36 Another interesting parallel between Joseph and Jesus 25:40 is the fact that both of them were sold 25:44 for pieces of silver. 25:46 In the case of Joseph, Joseph was sold for 20 pieces 25:49 of silver. Let's read that in Genesis 37:28. 25:54 Genesis chapter 37 and verse 28. 25:59 Here we find the following words... 26:01 37 and verse 28... it says this: 26:23 "And they took Joseph to Egypt. " 26:27 Now I want you to notice 26:29 what we're told about Jesus. 26:31 Matthew chapter 26 and verse 15. 26:34 Matthew chapter 26 and verse 15. 26:37 And I'm sure that we've read 26:38 this before, but let's go ahead and read it again. 26:43 It says: 27:01 And so Joseph and Jesus are sold for pieces of silver. 27:06 Another interesting parallel between Joseph and Christ 27:09 is the fact that both of their garments were stained in blood. 27:15 Now you say: "How is that? " 27:17 You know what his brothers did with the tunic of Joseph. 27:30 Was the tunic of Joseph dipped in blood? 27:34 Most certainly. 27:36 "Then they sent the tunic of many colors 27:40 and they brought it to their father and said: 27:43 'We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's 27:48 tunic or not? ' " 27:49 And so the garments of Joseph were stained in blood. 27:54 If you read the gospels, you discover that a scarlet robe 27:57 was placed upon Jesus and then Jesus was beaten. 28:01 And this scarlet robe was filled with the blood of Jesus. 28:04 Actually, that sacrifice of that kid by the brothers of Joseph 28:09 symbolized the sacrifice of Jesus and the fact that 28:13 the garments of Jesus were going to be stained in His blood. 28:18 Now it's also interesting to notice that the father 28:22 of Joseph - Jacob - suffered intensely along with his son. 28:27 Notice what we find in Genesis chapter 37 28:31 and verses 34 and 35. 28:34 Genesis 37 and verses 34 and 35. 28:39 It says here: 29:08 If you read the Desire of Ages you'll discover that not only 29:12 did Jesus suffer on the cross but His Father suffered 29:15 right along with Him 29:17 as Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane 29:20 and as Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary. 29:25 It's also interesting to notice that everything that Joseph did 29:30 prospered in his hand. 29:32 Notice what we find in Genesis chapter 39 29:36 and verse 3. Genesis chapter 39 and verse 3. 29:42 Everything that Joseph did prospered. 29:45 It says there in verse 3: 29:47 "And his master saw that the Lord was with him 29:51 and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. " 29:57 So notice that everything that the Lord places in Joseph's 30:00 hand Joseph makes to prosper. 30:04 By the way, this is the same thing that is said of Jesus 30:08 as the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 and verse 10. 30:12 Go with me to Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 10 30:16 and notice this wonderful prophecy about Christ 30:20 and how everything that the Father had in plan for Jesus 30:24 would prosper in His hand. 30:26 It says here: "Yet it pleased the Lord 30:30 to bruise Him. He has put Him to grief, 30:34 when you make His soul an offering for sin 30:38 He shall see His seed. He shall prolong His days. 30:43 And the pleasure of the Lord shall... " What? 30:47 "the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. " 30:52 And so as Joseph suffers but everything that he does 30:55 prospers, in the same way Jesus - the suffering servant - 31:00 everything that He performs for the Lord prospers 31:03 in His hands. Now as you look at the life of Joseph 31:08 where his brothers sold him into slavery... 31:10 And by the way, it was as if Joseph had died, 31:13 correct? At least in the mind of the father 31:16 it was like Joseph had died... And in the minds of his brothers 31:19 they had gotten rid of Joseph. And the prophecy that Joseph 31:23 was going to be lord over them according to them was not 31:26 going to be fulfilled. 31:28 The interesting thing is: by the very plot to get rid of Joseph 31:32 Joseph went to a far land 31:35 and he actually became their savior and he saved them 31:40 from death. So their plot to destroy Joseph 31:43 actually became the means for their salvation. 31:47 Let me ask you: in the case of Jesus 31:50 was the plot that was developed against Christ 31:54 and the slaying of Christ and His death on the cross 31:58 the means that God used to save those who crucified Him 32:04 from spiritual death and from everlasting death? 32:07 Yes. They plotted and they actually thought that they had 32:10 gotten rid of Jesus. But actually by their very act 32:14 of trying to get rid of Jesus and slay Jesus 32:17 Jesus became their Savior. 32:20 It's interesting to notice that by what Joseph suffered 32:25 he learned to trust in God. 32:29 In fact, you look at the story as we find it in Genesis 32:33 and Joseph never actually laid plans for his life. 32:38 He relied upon God 32:40 and allowed God to choreograph his life. 32:44 He didn't say: "Well, I'm going to do this, 32:46 I'm going to do that. " He simply cooperated with God, 32:50 walked with God in fulfilling God's will 32:54 as God revealed His plans to him step by step. 32:58 And interestingly enough, by Joseph becoming a servant 33:03 in Egypt he became qualified then to be lord. 33:07 As he was a servant he learned obedience. 33:11 He learned dependence upon God, and as a result of this 33:16 when he became lord he was qualified to fulfill his duties 33:21 as lord and as master. 33:23 So it is with Jesus. You see, Jesus became a servant. 33:29 And by becoming a servant He became qualified to be Lord 33:34 over His people. Jesus did not lay plans for Himself. 33:39 He simply cooperated with His Father's plan day by day. 33:43 Even though perhaps Jesus didn't understand everything 33:46 that was happening in His life 33:48 He walked step in step with what His Father had 33:52 choreographed for Him. 33:53 In fact, allow me to read you a statement that's found in 33:56 Desire of Ages page 208. 34:00 This is a very well-known statement but very profound. 34:04 It says here: 34:16 Isn't that amazing? 34:18 He was so emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. 34:34 I'm sure that Joseph didn't understand a lot of things 34:36 that happened with him. In fact, we have another lecture 34:39 coming up in a couple of sessions where we're going to 34:42 discuss God's providence in the story of Joseph. 34:45 You know, I'm sure that Joseph 34:47 didn't particularly understand 34:48 how, because of his sterling 34:52 character and because he was 34:54 beloved by his father, 34:55 he would be sold into slavery. 34:57 That appeared to be an injustice. 34:59 And then because he was faithful in obeying the commandment 35:02 "Thou shalt not commit adultery" 35:04 he ends up in jail... he ends up in prison. 35:07 I don't think that Joseph fully understood everything 35:10 that was happening, but he said: "God has a plan. 35:12 I don't understand the plan but I will some day. 35:15 I'm going to walk step by step 35:17 in the plan that God has laid out for me. " 35:19 And so it was with Jesus. 35:21 Many things happened in His life 35:22 and perhaps when He was going through these things, 35:25 you know, He didn't fully understand everything that was 35:28 happening. But He walked step in step with the plans 35:31 of His Father. And then, of course, Ellen White 35:34 tells us this... speaking about us: 35:48 Now I want to read Hebrews chapter 5 verses 8 and 9 35:53 about Christ. Hebrews chapter 5 verses 8 and 9. 35:57 Do you know that Jesus by becoming a servant 36:00 and by going through His trials and tribulations 36:03 and temptations actually became qualified to be Lord? 36:08 Notice what we find in Hebrews chapter 5... 36:11 Hebrews chapter 5 and let's read verses... 36:15 What did I say? 7 and 8. Hebrews 5... actually verses 36:20 8 and 9. Let's not begin at verse 7. It says in verse 8: 36:35 By the way, the word obedience there would mean 36:38 He learned to depend upon His Father. 36:41 And now notice verse 9: 36:45 Doesn't mean that He wasn't perfect. 36:46 The word perfected there means qualified 36:50 to fulfill His mission because of what He suffered. 37:02 In other words, the sufferings of Jesus, 37:05 the trials and temptations of Jesus, 37:07 became the school where He learned. And He became 37:11 qualified to fulfill His mission as Savior of the human race. 37:16 The same is true of Joseph. 37:19 The things that he suffered, 37:20 the temptations which he resisted, 37:22 qualified Him then to fulfill His mission 37:26 to save his brothers and his father, and to preserve 37:30 incidentally the holy line. 37:34 Now was Joseph tempted severely 37:38 in his life? Well, we have one particular temptation 37:43 when Potiphar's wife tried to entice him into adultery. 37:48 And how did Joseph respond? 37:50 He didn't play with temptation. 37:52 He immediately said: "How can I commit this terrible 37:57 sin against God? " 38:00 How did Jesus meet temptation when Satan came after Christ? 38:04 Jesus did not play with temptation. 38:08 When Satan's temptations came Jesus immediately said what? 38:12 "It is written... " 38:14 Both Joseph and Jesus - through the power of God - 38:18 overcame temptation. 38:21 Now there's another interesting parallel between 38:24 Joseph and Jesus. You know, Joseph, according to the story, 38:30 becomes a servant and then he becomes lord. 38:36 His position as a servant qualified him to become lord. 38:42 That we find in the story of Joseph. 38:45 But do you know that this is exactly the situation 38:48 that we find with Jesus as well? 38:51 Jesus also became a servant that He might become Lord. 38:57 I want you to notice Genesis chapter 45 39:01 and verse 15 about Joseph. 39:04 Genesis chapter 45 and verse 15. 39:08 Here we're told: 39:10 "Moreover he kissed all his brothers 39:17 and wept over them. 39:20 And after that his brothers talked with him. " 39:25 Did Joseph forgive his brothers in spite of the fact 39:31 that they had hated him and they had plotted to kill him? 39:35 Absolutely. 39:37 What words did Jesus speak on the cross of Calvary? 39:40 He said: "Father, forgive them 39:42 for they know not what they do. " 39:45 By the way, did the brothers of Joseph eventually 39:49 come and bow before Joseph? 39:51 They most certainly did. 39:53 The dream that had been revealed to Joseph at the beginning 39:57 of his life now was fulfilled at the end. 40:01 Did Jesus also speak about 40:06 every knee bowing and every tongue confessing 40:11 that Jesus is Lord after Jesus became a servant? 40:16 Notice Philippians chapter 2 and verses 5 through 11. 40:21 Philippians chapter 2 and verses 5 through 11. 40:25 This is a very well-known passage. The apostle Paul 40:27 says this: 40:39 That means He did not consider equality with God 40:41 as something to be hung onto, something to be grasped. 40:45 He continues saying: 41:07 There you have a passage that 41:09 speaks about Jesus 41:11 becoming a servant. 41:13 But what comes in consequence 41:15 of Jesus becoming a servant? 41:18 Verse 9: 41:19 "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him... " 41:46 So as Joseph became a servant 41:49 and then he became his brother's lord 41:51 so Jesus became a servant 41:55 so that He could become the Lord of the human race. 41:58 And as I mentioned, as Jesus forgave His brothers 42:03 Joseph also was magnanimous and merciful 42:07 and he forgave what his brothers had done to him. 42:12 By the way, we have a tremendous lesson here 42:15 in the story of Joseph. 42:17 You know, many people want to occupy high positions 42:21 before they learn to serve. 42:24 You know, the essence of the teachings of Christ 42:27 is found succinctly summarized 42:31 in Matthew chapter 23:12 42:33 where Jesus says: "He who 42:37 humbles himself 42:40 will be exalted 42:42 and he who exalts himself will be humbled. " 42:47 We find this illustration in the life of Jesus. 42:51 Jesus humbled Himself; He became a servant; 42:55 and therefore God highly exalted Him. 42:59 The problem with Lucifer is that Lucifer wanted to be 43:03 exalted without becoming a servant. 43:06 By the way, as you look at the Bible story 43:09 you have - for example - the case of Nebuchadnezzar. 43:11 You know, he goes out onto the balcony of his palace 43:15 and he says: "Isn't this great Babylon 43:18 that I built with my power and for my honor and my glory? " 43:24 And God looked at Nebuchadnezzar and said: 43:27 "Oh is that right? 43:28 So you're lord? You're the big guy? " 43:32 And so God in an instant removes from Nebuchadnezzar 43:36 the pearl of reason. 43:41 In other words, he loses that very aspect that distinguishes 43:46 human beings from animals. 43:48 And, of course, Nebuchadnezzar begins to act like a beast 43:53 because the one aspect that distinguishes animals from 43:58 humans has been removed. 44:01 In other words, Nebuchadnezzar - who wanted to exalt himself - 44:05 was what? Was humbled. 44:08 And then, of course, at the end of this episode 44:10 if you look at Daniel chapter 4 44:13 you find that Nebuchadnezzar says: 44:15 "Now I exalt and glorify the God of heaven 44:21 because He is able to humble those who are proud at heart. " 44:28 By the way, the Bible speaks about two mysteries: 44:30 the mystery of godliness and the mystery of iniquity. 44:33 The mystery of godliness is very simple. 44:36 God was manifest in human flesh. 44:39 God came down; God humbled Himself. 44:43 But when Jesus came down and humbled Himself 44:46 later on in this passage - I Timothy chapter 3- 44:49 it says that Jesus ascended on high 44:53 to His Father's throne. He was exalted. 44:55 On the other hand, in II Thessalonians 2 44:59 we have the mystery of iniquity. 45:01 In the mystery of iniquity an individual who is down here 45:06 wants to sit in the temple of God, showing himself 45:10 to be God... and therefore he will go to perdition. 45:14 Do you notice the contrast between the mystery of godliness 45:18 and the mystery of iniquity? 45:19 The mystery of godliness: God is manifested in human flesh, 45:24 becomes a servant, therefore God exalts Him. 45:27 In the case of the mystery of iniquity 45:30 a being who is a creature wants to exalt himself 45:33 to the position of God and therefore he is humbled. 45:37 This is illustrated in the story of Joseph. 45:41 Joseph became a humble servant and he was exalted 45:47 at the end of his life as lord over his brothers. 45:50 In the same way, folks, it happened with Jesus. 45:54 Jesus lowered Himself to the position of a servant 45:57 and was exalted by His Father 46:00 as Lord of Israel, as Lord over His people. 46:06 Now I'd like to read a statement 46:08 that we find in the book Patriarchs and Prophets. 46:13 It is a passage that has many of the elements 46:19 that we have studied here in our lecture today. 46:23 It's found in Patriarchs and Prophets, page 239-240. 46:27 By the way, Patriarchs and Prophets is a wonderful book 46:31 that describes the history of the Old Testament. 46:33 Actually it goes even before the Old Testament... 46:35 goes to the origin of evil in heaven... 46:37 but mainly from the time of creation all the way through 46:41 the time of David and partially of Solomon... 46:44 the story of Solomon. It's a tremendous history 46:49 of scripture amplified in a beautiful way. 46:53 And by the way, as I read that passage 46:55 that's where I got most of the ideas that I've shared with you 46:58 in our lecture today about Joseph as a symbol of Christ. 47:03 This is what the statement says: 47:06 "The life of Joseph illustrates the life of Christ. 47:12 It was envy that moved the brothers of Joseph 47:17 to sell him as a slave. 47:19 They hoped to prevent him from becoming greater 47:23 than themselves. And when he was carried to Egypt 47:27 they flattered themselves that they were to be no more 47:31 troubled with his dreams... that they had removed 47:34 all possibility of their fulfillment. 47:37 But, their own course was overruled by God 47:42 to bring about the very event that they designed to hinder. 47:47 So the Jewish priests and elders were jealous of Christ 47:51 fearing that He would attract the attention of the people 47:54 from them. They put Him to death 47:57 to prevent Him from becoming King 48:00 but they were thus bringing about this very result. 48:04 Joseph, through his bondage in Egypt, became a savior 48:09 to his father's family. Yet this fact did not lessen 48:13 the guilt of his brothers. 48:14 So the crucifixion of Christ by His enemies 48:18 made Him the Redeemer of mankind, the Savior of the 48:21 fallen race and Ruler over the whole world. 48:25 But the crime of His murderers was just as heinous as though 48:29 God's providential hand had not controlled events 48:33 for His own glory and for the good of man. 48:37 As Joseph was sold to the heathen by his own brothers 48:42 so Christ was sold to His bitterest enemies by one of His 48:46 disciples. Joseph was falsely accused and thrust into prison 48:51 because of his virtue. So Christ was despised and rejected 48:54 because His righteous, self-denying life was a rebuke 48:58 to sin. And though guilty of no wrong, He was condemned 49:03 upon the testimony of false witnesses. 49:06 And Joseph's patience and meekness under injustice 49:09 and oppression, his ready for- giveness and noble benevolence 49:13 towards his unnatural brothers 49:16 represents the Savior's uncomplaining endurance of the 49:20 malice and abuse of wicked men 49:22 and His forgiveness - not only of His murderers 49:26 but of all who have come to Him confessing their sins 49:29 and seeking pardon. " 49:32 And so the life of Joseph is a beautiful illustration 49:37 of the life of Jesus Christ. 49:39 As we began our study today we noticed in Luke chapter 24 49:43 that Moses, the prophets, the writings, the Psalms 49:48 all give witness to Jesus Christ. 49:51 The story of Joseph is a beautiful prefiguring 49:54 of the life of Jesus. 49:57 But there's one more point which I would like to underline 50:00 which is particularly significant, 50:02 and that is that Joseph - through what he did - 50:08 actually made it possible for the One greater than Joseph 50:14 to come to this world to save His people. 50:17 Let me just go through this very quickly. 50:22 You wonder why Joseph - 50:26 being such a good young man - 50:28 was taken as a slave to Egypt 50:32 and then he ended up in prison because he was faithful to God 50:37 and obeyed God's law. 50:39 You wonder that is until you see the full development 50:41 of the story. The fact is that 50:44 there was a prophecy in Genesis 50:46 chapter 15 and verses 13-15 50:49 that said that Israel 50:52 would be in a strange land, a land not theirs, 50:57 for 400 years. 50:59 And then after 400 years 51:01 they would come out of that strange land which would be 51:05 Egypt to go back to the land of Canaan. 51:09 Do you know that the story of Joseph actually made that 51:12 prophecy be fulfilled? 51:16 Because it was necessary for Jacob and his family 51:19 to move to Egypt. 51:21 Because if God was going to deliver them from Egypt 51:24 400 years after God gave this prophecy 51:26 they would have had to be in Egypt. 51:29 Now you say: "Why would they have to come to Egypt? 51:31 Why not leave them in Canaan? " 51:34 There was a very special purpose, and that is that 51:37 God needed to establish a nation in the land of Canaan. 51:41 And He knew that if Abraham and his descendants 51:45 stayed in Canaan, they would be corrupted by the influences 51:49 of Canaan... totally corrupted by the influences of Canaan. 51:54 And so God said: "I will lead the people down to Egypt 51:57 to shield them from growing as a nation in an environment 52:02 where wickedness is prevalent. " 52:05 But there's even more. 52:07 When they get down to Egypt Pharaoh says to Joseph 52:12 "You know, your father and your family can live 52:16 in the best part of the land in Goshen. " 52:20 By the way, do you know why Pharaoh did that? 52:22 He did that because - we're told in Genesis - 52:25 that the Egyptians did not live in the same environment 52:29 with farmers... with agricultural people. 52:33 We'll deal with this a little bit more when we have 52:34 our second study of Joseph. 52:36 And so what happened is because the Egyptians did not 52:40 intermingle with people who worked the land 52:43 Israel in the land of Goshen - this very prosperous land - 52:48 was able to thrive and to grow 52:51 and to proliferate without all of the evil influences 52:56 of the Egyptians totally corrupting them 52:59 and making them lose their identity. 53:01 In other words, they could grow into a huge nation 53:04 without the evil influences of Canaan, 53:07 without the evil influences - although they were influenced 53:10 to a certain point but not totally - 53:12 but without the evil influences of the Egyptians. 53:17 And of course they grew into a huge nation there. 53:22 And exactly on time God delivered them from the land 53:26 of Egypt and took them to Canaan... where the Seed 53:31 was going to be born later on in history. 53:35 By the way, God's providence is marvelous in this story. 53:40 You see, for example, Joseph going down into Egypt, 53:47 being a slave, being thrown into prison. 53:51 And you have the dreams that the baker and the cupbearer 53:57 of Pharaoh have. To make a long story short 54:01 the cupbearer goes out and for two years he forgets 54:04 to mention Joseph's name 54:06 because it wasn't time. 54:07 And then of course two years later Pharaoh has these dreams. 54:11 These dreams about 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. 54:15 Actually God is revealing to Pharaoh and to Joseph 54:19 that it's the devil's intention to cause this famine to starve 54:24 Jacob and his family to death 54:25 because from Jacob and his family will come the Seed. 54:29 You can find that in Genesis 45 in verses 5-7. 54:32 See, God knows the end from the beginning. 54:34 He knew what the devil was up to and He allowed the devil to 54:36 cause the famine. But God sent Joseph down to Egypt 54:42 so that Joseph could make provision during the 7 years 54:46 of plenty so that when the famine came 54:51 there would be enough provision for Jacob and his family 54:55 to come down to Egypt and to not lose their lives 54:59 so that the holy line would continue and eventually 55:03 the Messiah could be born. 55:06 Isn't it marvelous the way the providence of God works? 55:09 You know, Joseph could have whined and he could have 55:12 complained. He could have said: "All I do is get raw deals. 55:16 I'm faithful to God and my brothers hate me without cause 55:20 and they're envious of me with no reason. 55:22 And here they sell me into slavery in Egypt. 55:27 And not only do they sell me into slavery, but because 55:30 I'm obedient to God's law I end up in prison. 55:33 What use is it to be faithful to God? " 55:36 But Joseph knew that God had a plan. 55:40 And Joseph did not make plans for himself. 55:43 He allowed God to unfold His plans for him. 55:47 It was the same with Jesus. 55:50 The Father had choreographed the life of Christ, and each day 55:54 the Father revealed to Jesus His plans to Jesus. 55:57 And Jesus walked in the steps that His Father had traced. 56:02 And so it can be with us. 56:06 You know, if we trust the Lord 56:09 no matter what tribulations and trials and problems that 56:11 we have in our lives, if we learn from the life of Joseph 56:15 and from the life of Jesus... We might not understand 56:17 everything that's happening in our lives 56:19 but we can say: "Father, I trust You. 56:22 I will walk in the path that You have established for me. 56:25 Some day I know that I will understand 56:28 and as I look back I will say: 'Thank you, Lord, 56:33 for doing things in Your way. 56:35 I wouldn't have had it happen any differently. ' " 56:40 You know, we would choose no path for ourselves 56:45 different than the path God chose for us 56:50 if we, like God, could see the end from the beginning. 56:55 And so let's learn from Joseph 56:59 and let's learn to be humble and meek of heart. 57:02 How about it? |
Revised 2023-11-13