Servant of Servants

Good evening, Church. If you have your Bibles, go ahead and make your way to Genesis 40.

And we are in our 27th week of this walk through the book of Genesis.

And we are now in the prison with Joseph

You ever feel like God’s got you on “Do Not Disturb”? Like you’ve been calling out—praying, pleading, showing up to church, doing all the “right” things—and all you’re getting is divine silence?

Yeah. Joseph knows that feeling.

Genesis 40. Joseph is sitting in prison. Not because he did something wrong, but because he did something right. Falsely accused. He ran from sin and in doing so was arrested because of false accusations from Potiphar’s wife. Forgotten. And yet—faithful.

And while he’s there—still in chains, still in the waiting—he’s serving. Two of Pharaoh’s court officials land in that same prison, and Joseph sees them, cares for them, and then interprets their dreams. He offers them hope in their own valley. And one of them—the cupbearer—is restored, just like Joseph said.

And Joseph’s like, “Hey, don’t forget about me when you get out.”

But what happens?

He’s forgotten.

By man, yes. But not by God.

Because while Joseph sits in the silence, God is still working. While he’s hidden away in a prison cell, heaven’s setting the stage.

Remember all the things that are happening in Joseph’s life are happening for his good and God’s glory.

The same is true for each and everyone of us as well. We can’t see it in the moment. We can’t see it when we are in the valley but God is working- He is working for our good and His glory.

That’s why we consider it all joy- but the hardships of life strengthen our faith in Him.

Joseph is probably my favorite life to explore in the Old Testament because everything that unfolds in his life, just when it seems like his life is turning a corner- goes back down south and then he does the best he can in where God has put him, only for him to be dragged back down.

Brothers throw him into slavery- he becomes the top guy in the Captain of Pharoah’s guards home- only to be thrown in prison- well, he is going to serve and help others in prison- only to be forgotten about the people who he helped served- its in all of this God is putting Joseph in place to be used for the greater overarching story of Scripture.

Scripture isn’t about Joseph- he’s part of it- but the overarching story is about the messiah- its about Christ- its about getting the serpent crusher- the one who defeats sin and death so we can be found in him- and here’s the thing- for that to happen- Joseph being thrown in prison needed to happen because ordained it to happen.

God’s not surprised Joseph is in the pit. Joseph might be. And while Joseph thinks there is no longer any type of future for him- that he is just going to die in there- God is wielding together things to happen for Joseph that only He can dream of. Joseph is going to go from prisoner to Vice President of Egypt incorporated in a few short years. but i imagine they felt like a life time for him while he was going throught it.

So, let’s read Genesis 40 and dive into God’s Truths in our time together this evening.

Genesis 40 ESV

1 Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody. 5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” 9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.” 16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17 and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” 18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.” 20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

1. Position does not define you.

“Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt.” (Gen. 40:1)

While Joseph sat in prison—wrongly accused, unjustly punished—two more men were tossed into the darkness beside him: Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. The text doesn’t tell us what they did. Doesn’t tell us what rule they broke or why Pharaoh got so hot under the collar. All we know is they’re in the pit now, just like Joseph.

Now don’t miss this—Joseph didn’t end up here because he did something wrong. He’s here because he did everything right. He stood for purity. He resisted temptation. He did the hard, holy thing. You’d think that kind of integrity would earn him a promotion. Instead? He got a prison.

R.C. Sproul said it like this: “God does not always reward virtue with prosperity in this world. He sometimes rewards virtue with suffering that leads to glory.”

And that’s exactly where Joseph is.

He’s gone from favored son to forgotten prisoner. From the one wearing the coat of many colors to the one wearing chains. He’s not just at the bottom—he’s below it. He’s now the servant of imprisoned servants. But listen, even there, God is not done.

Genesis 39:23 says, “The Lord was with Joseph.” That’s the game-changer. That’s the anchor in the storm. And that presence—the presence of God—brings favor even in the dungeon. So much so, the prison warden doesn’t just trust him, he hands Joseph the keys. And now, that God-given authority extends to caring for two broken, busted-up officials from Pharaoh’s court.

Then something powerful happens.

Joseph notices.

He looks up. He sees their faces. And more importantly, he sees their pain. The text says they were “distraught” (v. 6)—and that’s not exactly breaking news for prison life. But Joseph doesn’t just ignore it. He leans in. He pays attention. And he asks them, “Why are your faces downcast today?”

And they tell him—they’ve both had dreams. Dreams that shook them to their core. Dreams they couldn’t decode.

And Joseph’s response? Straight gold. He says, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (v. 8)

Don’t blow past that. Joseph doesn’t say, “I’ve done this before. I’ve got experience. I’m your guy.” He doesn’t rely on a spiritual résumé. He doesn’t make himself the hero. He points up.

“If there’s meaning in your mess, it’s only going to come from God.”

Let’s just park it there for a second and marvel at the transformation.

This was the kid who strutted around in his daddy’s favorite robe, running his mouth about how his brothers were going to bow down to him. But now? Now he’s pointing to the Lord for everything.

You see what’s happening? Through the hardship… through the betrayal… through the pain… Joseph has learned to trust the Lord in anything and everything.

It reminds me of what Paul says in Philippians 4. He’s writing from prison too, by the way. And he says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11,13).

That’s Joseph. That’s the trajectory of his life: trusting the Lord in the dungeon. Because he knows what we’ve got to know—your location does not define your calling.

You can be on the mountain or in the valley. The palace or the pit. And let’s be honest—an Egyptian dungeon doesn’t get much lower. But even there, God is working. The prison isn’t the punishment—it’s part of the process.

The dungeon isn’t the end of the story. The promise of God is still alive.

And Cedar Bay, let me tell you—your location doesn’t determine your calling either. You might feel stuck. You might feel overlooked, forgotten, buried in bills or heartbreak or depression. You might be in a pit so deep you can’t see the sky.

But you are not forsaken.

Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jesus Himself said in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Romans 8:1 “1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Joseph’s story preaches to us—God is still at work, even when it feels like you’ve been buried.

And let’s not forget what Joseph tells his brothers at the end of this whole saga: “What you meant for evil, God meant for good” (Gen. 50:20).

That’s Romans 8:28 before it was ever written: “For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

So hear me—the dungeon doesn’t get the final word—Jesus does.

2. Being Faithful in all Circumstances

So the cupbearer, at Joseph’s request, shares his dream. And it’s crazy how both his and the baker’s dreams aren’t just late-night hallucinations—they're tailor-made by the hand of God. The cupbearer dreams of a grapevine blooming with three branches. As the grapes ripen, he crushes them into Pharaoh’s cup and places it in the king’s hand, just like he used to (vv. 9–11). This isn’t just nostalgia—this is revelation. God is speaking.

Now here’s the irony: in a different world, the cupbearer has access to Egypt’s best—magicians, wise men, royal consultants. But now? He’s sitting in a dungeon, powerless, turning to a foreign slave to decode a message from heaven. That’s how God works—He brings earthly power low and lifts the humble up to speak His truth.

Joseph listens, then speaks. And he doesn’t flinch. “In three days, you’ll be restored,” he says. “Pharaoh’s going to lift your head and put you right back where you were.” And then Joseph makes a heartfelt plea: “Please… when you’re back in that court, don’t forget me. Mention me to Pharaoh. Tell him I’m here, unjustly imprisoned” (vv. 12–14).

And then Joseph opens up the wounds. He recounts the pain: taken from his home, sold like livestock, accused of what he didn’t do. He even calls the prison a “dungeon”—the same word used for the pit his brothers tossed him in (Gen. 37:24). For Joseph, this isn’t just a prison. It’s déjà vu. The pain is recycled. The injustice repeats.

And it’s here that Adrian Rogers says something that hits hard and deep:

“It is not the dreams that determine your destiny—it’s your response to the disappointments.”

That’s Joseph. He’s been disappointed, abandoned, betrayed—over and over. But he still believes. Still trusts.

The sentiment Paul tells the people in Theslonica: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

Still shows kindness. Still hopes. His request to the cupbearer isn’t just transactional; it’s relational. “Show me kindness”—chesed—a deep, faithful, covenant love. The kind of love that doesn’t walk out when you’re not useful anymore.

Joseph shows the cupbearer that kind of love. But the cupbearer forgets him (Gen. 40:23). He walks free… and leaves the man who helped him behind.

Yet even here, Joseph is not alone. Because while the cupbearer forgets, God remembers. And this moment? It becomes a mirror for the church. Hebrews 13:3 calls us to “remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering.”

Why? Because we follow the One who was thrown into the ultimate pit for us. Jesus was betrayed, falsely accused, and abandoned—but unlike Joseph, He chose the pit. He chose the cross. And now, as people of the cross, we don’t forget the forgotten. We don’t walk past the wounded. We respond to the disappointments of others with the love that rescued us.

Thats what it looks like to walk in the Spirit of God. You can’t look down your nose at someone while simultaneously walking in step with God. It walking through the valley of the shadow of death and not fearing because God is with us.

And maybe that’s the real test of our faith—not how high we soar in our dreams, but how faithfully we walk with others in their dungeons. That’s where kingdom people live. That’s where gospel love shows up.

By this time, Joseph probably feels forgotten by everyone—his brothers, his father, his people. If Jacob’s even still alive, maybe he’s given up hope. Joseph is alone in every sense… yet still faithful. Still believing. Still pleading. “Show me kindness,” he says—a word that carries more weight than our English can bear. It’s chesed in Hebrew. Covenant love. Loyal love. The kind of love God has for His people.

This is what Joseph asks from the cupbearer—not just a favor, but a response to the kindness he’s already shown.

The sad twist? The cupbearer forgets (Gen. 40:23). The man Joseph helped turns and walks out… and leaves him behind.

Joseph’s plea isn’t just personal—it’s a gospel echo. He stands as a symbol of the forgotten, the falsely accused, the unjustly punished. And the takeaway for us is clear: we are not just to notice people like Joseph—we are to remember them. Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated as though you yourselves were suffering.”

In Christ, we don’t forget the forgotten. We move toward them. Because our King didn’t forget us in the pit—we were remembered by grace. And now, grace becomes the way we remember others.

3. only Jesus offers true restoration

After hearing the promise of restoration given to the cupbearer, the chief baker decides to step up and share his own dream. He heard that good news so he is hoping for the same.

He saw himself carrying three baskets of bread on his head—bread meant for Pharaoh’s table—but birds kept swooping in and eating it right off the top.

Now, if you’re the baker, you’re hoping this dream means that in three days, you too will be back in Pharaoh’s good graces, slicing up sourdough in the palace kitchen.

But dreams don’t play favorites, and as we’ve already been told in verse 5—each dream has its own meaning.

Joseph delivers the interpretation, but it’s not what the baker was hoping for.

Yes, his head will be lifted—but not in the way the cupbearer’s was. His head will be lifted off his body. In three days, he won’t be restored, he’ll be executed—his body hung up, birds finishing what they started in the dream.

It’s harsh. It’s tragic. It’s also true. Because three days later, on Pharaoh’s birthday, both men are brought out of the dungeon. Both are lifted up, but for two very different purposes: one for restoration, the other for judgment.

And don’t miss this—because their fate is a picture of ours.

Both men had failed Pharaoh. They had dropped the ball in the presence of the most powerful man in Egypt. And when they ended up in prison, they weren’t just dealing with punishment—they were dealing with consequence. And here’s the sobering truth: you and I, we’ve done the same thing, but not just with Pharaoh—we’ve failed the King of kings.

Romans 3:23 doesn’t stutter. It says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Not some. Not a few. All. That means no one stands righteous on their own. And like the baker in that cold, dark cell, what we deserve is judgment. That’s the truth. That’s the weight we carry. That’s the sentence hanging over every human heart.

But praise God—that’s not the end of the story.

Because right next to judgment, we see a picture of restoration. The cupbearer, lifted up, reinstated, restored. And his story points forward to an even greater restoration—the kind that only comes through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the true Bread of Life (John 6:35). The One who was broken so we could be made whole. He took on the judgment we earned so we could receive the restoration we never deserved. And He doesn't just offer restoration—He offers living water (John 4:10), the kind that revives dead hearts and quenches eternal thirst.

A.W. Tozer once said, “The cross is the lightning rod of grace that short-circuits God’s wrath to Christ so that only the light of His love remains for believers.”

What a picture. The wrath we earned gets rerouted to Jesus on the cross. He stands in our place, absorbing every ounce of judgment, so that when we stand before the King, we don’t receive condemnation—we receive grace. That’s restoration. That’s gospel.

And then there’s Joseph. While the palace throws a party, he’s left in the pit, forgotten once again. Verse 23 says it plain—the cupbearer forgot him. But God didn’t. Not for a second.

Because that’s who our God is. When others forget you, God remembers. When the world overlooks you, God is still working behind the scenes for your good. The same God who remembered Noah in the flood, who remembered Abraham, who remembered Rachel—He remembers Joseph. And He remembers you too.

So even in the waiting, even in the dark, you can trust this—God is not done writing your story.