From Prison to the Palace

Call to worship

Welcome everyone!

Call to Worship

1 Peter 5:6–11 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!

“Open the eyes of my heart”

Words and Music by Hillsong

PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS

Lord, we praise You for the way that You conduct this world. We praise You that You are not like us, and your ways are perfect and abounding with grace. We thank You for Your power and Your ability to do all things. Amen

“Death was Arrested”

Words and Music by Hillsong

“Great Are You Lord”

Words and Music by Hillsong

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS

Lord, open our hearts today to hear from You. May You speak directly into our lives today, into the specific situations that we each are facing, and grant us understanding and wisdom. Amen

Main idea: The way we get from the prison to the palace is by honoring God completely with our lives.

SERMON

Introduction

Our study of Jospeh continues today as we will see God move in Joseph’s life and carry him from prison to the palace.

I have been here. I have lived this sermon out in my own life. Not in comparison to how blameless and upright Jospeh was, but experiencing this shift from the prison to the palace.

Only God can do this. Only God can take such a mess and make it a miracle. And the Gos who worked so magnificently in Jospeh’s life, still works in the lives of His people today.

I hope this sermon is a great encouragement to us all to remain steadfast in our walk with the Lord whether it be in the good times, or in the difficult times.

Galatians 6:9 NASB95

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

When the time was right, God brought Joseph before Pharaoh

Genesis 41:1 “Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream…(v 8) “Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.” Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of my own offenses. “Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. “We had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. “Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us.”

Explanation

“it happened after two full years”

Two years after what?

After the cup bearer and baker had their dreams in prison

Two years after Jospeh told them what their dreams meant

Two years after Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him

Two full years after Jospeh thought he would be freed from his prison

Here is the question I pondered: Why did God have Jospeh sit there for another two full years?

It was God who gave that dream to Pharoah, and God could have given him that dream two years ago

God could’ve moved the cupbearer to remember Jospeh earlier…BUT HE DIDN’T

ANSWER: God waited to free Jospeh until the time was right for God to use Jospeh

Joseph was in God’s holding cell, until the perfect timing of God’s plan would come together

What was God’s plan?

It was exactly what Jospeh told Pharaoh his dream meant

(v 28–31)

“It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land. So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe.”

“God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do”

Before the foundation of the world God had planned to bring this famine upon the land

It was not a last minute decision, it was already ordained to come about

So more full years passed until the time when Jospeh would be needed to get Egypt and his family through the famine

God was not holding Joseph there to be cruel, he was holding him until the timing was right!

The dream wasn’t just for Joseph, it was going to affect everyone in that nation

The famine was so severe, it reached all the way down to Caanan where Jospeh’s family lived (about 300 miles)

And the famine would eventually bring Jospeh’s family to Egypt to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham

And by them coming to Egypt, God would bring them out of Egypt 400 years later, and show the whole earth that He is the Almighty

HERE IS THE POINT:

God’s timing in rescuing Jospeh wasn’t just about Jospeh

The dream Joseph had wasn’t just about freeing Jospeh

It was much bigger than both of them

It was about God’s plan for the world!

Joseph was only a part of that plan

And when the time was right, God brought all the pieces together

Principle

Here’s the simple principle we need to hear:

God’s plan for your life is not just about you

Too often we think too small about what God is doing

We think our suffering and our waiting is all about us

We think our circumstances are just for us

We think our accomplishments are just for us

We think our advancement in this world is for us…AND WE ARE WRONG

I assure you, God’s mighty hand working in your life has far greater implications than just your life

God has a master plan that always impacts the souls around us!

GOD’S TIMING ILLUSTRATION

Before I became a pastor, I was a firemen, and before I was a fireman, I worked at a factory

I worked at that factory for 7-8 before I came to Christ

When I came to Christ, I wanted a different career, so that my life would not be wasted putting railroad tied into rail cars

I went to church with someone who worked at the Fire dept. and he really wanted me to apply and get a better career with good a great retirement plan

I went through a hiring process for two openings

I did not get either of them

And I prayed my heart out this entire process

I was so confident I was going to get the job, I put in a two week notice before I ever received a call to tell me I got the job

I had to retract that two week notice and stay there another 6 months

6 months later, I finally received the call I had been waiting for, but only two weeks after the retirement changed from a state pension plan, to a hybrid 401k plan which was significantly less

I could not understand why God did not let me get in sooner, and get into the much better retirement

4 years later, the Lord would call me away from that place to be a pastor and there was nothing holding me to that place

I could simply take up my 401k and move on

I did not see it then, but I see it now

What God was doing in my life, wasn’t just about me

It wasn’t just about a career!

It wasn’t just about my retirement

It was about God’s plan, and that had a far greater impact in this world than performing CPR in the back of an ambulance!

God’s plan was much bigger than Joseph!

And God’s plan for you is much bigger than you!

DON’T MISS IT!!

GOD CHANGED JOSPEH’S LIFE IN AN INSTANT

Genesis 41:14–15 (NASB95)

Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

Explanation

“and hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon”

Think about how radically and quickly Joseph’s life was changed!

He went from a Prisoner, to Prime Minister

He went from dirt floors in prison to the pearly floors of the palace

He went from hopeless to limitless

He went from having nothing to having everything

And God did it in one day

And in my personal experience that is exactly how God moves

That is a characteristic of God that we need to know

When we are sitting int he prison cell, the days seem to drag on forever!

Time almost stands still!

Waiting, suffering, patiently enduring, longing for God to move

And as slow as things progress, we think our rescue will be the same

We believe that it will take God forever to change our current situation

And we get discouraged

And we want to give up

BUT WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, God transforms our situation like flipping on a light switch

Principle:

Principle: When God moves, He moves quickly!

The course of events in our lives have have nothing to do with God’s pace

He will come, clean us up, give us a new change of clothes and reposition us so fast we will hardly believe it!

Genesis 41:32 (NASB95)

“Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.

And listen to the words of the Lord Jesus here:

Revelation 22:12 (NASB95)

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

Jesus is not saying He is coming next week, He is saying when He comes it will be like a flash of lightening

It will happen so fast the entire world will be speechless!

Application

You may never experience the sudden hand of God on this earth, or in this life, but every man will experience it on the other side of this life

There will be an instant rendering to each one according to the life they have lived

To those who lived for Christ, spiritual blessedness beyond human understanding

To those who live for themselves, or lived in sin, or lived for this world, judgement unlike anything they could imagine

When God moves, God moves quickly!

Joseph Gives God the Glory

Genesis 41:16 NASB95

Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

“It is not in me, God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer”

It’s really hard not to admire the heart of this godly man Jospeh

I love how he is steadfast for the Lord whether it is in prison or at the throne

How tempting would it have been here to shine the spotlight on himself?

“yes Pharaoh, I am a man of dreams! I have had dreams myself from God, and I have interpreted dreams from God. I can do this for you!”

I am a very gifted man, and I am so wonderful, you need me Pharaoh

We laugh but there are people just like that

They brag constantly on themselves

They are always lifting themselves up, rather than waiting on God to do the lifting

How tempting it would be to use this as leverage in being freed from prison!

Pharaoh if you let me out, I will give you the interpretation

Pharaoh, you need me to sit with you and be your advisor because I am so wise

But Joseph shines the spotlight completely on God

It is not in me, but God

Principle

What a thing for us to remember

When God brings you out of the pit, make sure He gets the glory for it

Don’t boast in yourself

Don’t boast in your own gifts

Don’t boast in your ability to endure the prison cell!

It is unethical to receive praise for something that God has done

If you have a habit of bragging on yourself, break the habit by giving God the praise.

What should we do then?

Boast in the Almighty, for He is truly the one who deserves the glory

Galatians 6:14 NASB95

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Joseph’s key from moving from the prison to the palace was the presence of the Lord

Genesis 41:33–40 (NASB95)

“Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard it. Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.” Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.

Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.”

Explanation

What a great twist to a long hard journey!

Pharaoh who was the king of Egypt, appoints Jospeh as second in command

A Hebrew slave fresh out on bond, becomes the prime minister of the entire land of Egypt

Only God can something like that

I want to point out some things in Jospeh’s journey thus far

When he was sold by his brothers as a slave, Potiphar purchased him and eventually put him in charge of his entire household

Genesis 39:3–4(NASB95)

Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.

“When his master saw that the Lord was with him”, He made him ruler over everything in his house

Potiphar recognized the hand of God in Joseph’s life

It was because of this, that Potiphar trusted Jospeh with so much

When Joseph was falsely accused, he was put in prison

And nearly the same thing happened!

Jospeh was put in charge over all the prison!

Genesis 39:22–23 (NASB95)

The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.

Just like Potiphar, the chief jailer recognized the God’s presence in Jospeh’s life!

And because he saw God’s hand over Joseph, he entrusted him with everything!

The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge

And when Pharoah met Joseph, he had saw the very same thing

Genesis 41:38 (NASB95)

Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?”

The first thing that Pharaoh noticed about Joseph was the Spirit of God upon him

His life had been touched by God, and it was evident even to Pharoah who considered himself to be a god

Why did Potiphar, the chief jailer, and Pharaoh put Jospeh in charge over everything?

Because his life was manifested the very presence of God everywhere he went!

What was the secret to Jospeh’s success?

It was the manifest presence of God!

Had Joseph not had the Lord in his life, he would have never been known to the world!

How can we have that presence in our lives?

1 Samuel 2:30 (NASB95)

“but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor...”

The reason Jospeh was moved from the prison to the palace is because he honored God with all of his life!

30 years of faithfulness!

Refusing to participate in his brother’s wickedness!

Refused to succumb to the temptation with Potiphar’s wife

Refused to get bitter towards God

Refused to lose his faith, even in the most unjust circumstances!

Refused to take the glory, but constantly said, “it is not in me, but God”

Joseph never took his eyes off God!

Application

And if it need be, Jospeh would have spent the rest of his life on the prison floor if that’s what it took to honor God

That is the kind of man that God will honor

That is the kind of woman that God will honor

God wants people who are willing to hand over their lives to Him, so that He can give them abundant life

I pray that is true about each and everyone of us in here today!

~PRAYER~

RESPONSE

PUBLIC INVITATION

“Amazing Grace” (My chains are gone)

Words and Music by Chris Tomlin

OFFERING

We will now worship the Lord through our tithes and offering.

BENEDICTION

1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB95

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.