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Intro:
Gordon J. Wenham, “Genesis,” in Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, ed.
James D. G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003), 67.
Genesis 39:
Today we will continue our series titled, [Finding Jesus in Joseph].
The subject of today’s message is [Leaning on Supernatural Power].
I often joke with dad that in our family pictures there is a unique progression.
Early on dad always smiled.
When Stephen came along, he looked very happy.
By the time I came, the smile turned into a grin.
Then with three kids, he always looked rather somber.
The Spirit of God was evidently in Joseph, but so far from rendering him a mere visionary,
I often joke with dad that in our family pictures there is a unique progression.
Early on dad always smiled.
When Stephen came along, he looked very happy.
By the time I came, the smile turned into a grin.
Then with three kids, he always looked rather somber.
F. B. Meyer, Through the Bible Day by Day: A Devotional Commentary, vol. 1 (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1914–1918), 50.
F. B. Meyer, Through the Bible Day by Day: A Devotional Commentary, vol. 1 (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1914–1918), 50.
Now that we are almost all gone from the house, he looks happy in all of his pictures again!
He once had a conversation with Bekah’s dad.
Mark said, we are empty nesters.
Dad replied, isn’t great?
I had to decide whether I should remind him that he still had one child in the home.
I chose to let him enjoy his temporary euphoria before reality set in again.
Dad is happy that we are grown, living the lives God has for us, and mostly out of the house!
As I prepared this message, I thought about my childhood.
As an infant, toddler, and a young child, I was totally dependent on my parents.
They carried me, fed me, clothed me, and took care of me.
Mom, on the other hand, would go back to us being in diapers in a heartbeat.
As I prepared this message, I thought about my childhood.
As an infant, toddler, and a young child, I was totally dependent on my parents.
They carried me, fed me, clothed me, and took care of me.
But overtime, that began to change, as it should.
No longer was I the little baby who loved to be carried around, I was an independent teenager, who couldn’t wait to get on my own and live my life.
This is the normal progression of life.
People are born totally dependent on those around them.
However, eventually, they should grow into independent people.
But what happens when we are born again?
What happens when we accept Christ as our Savior?
What happens when we enter into the Kingdom of God?
Let’s think about it for a moment.
Salvation is not forced on anyone.
Instead, independent people realize their need for a Savior, and they submit to plan of salvation, and they are born again.
When we get saved, we are infants, children in the faith.
In the natural progression of things, we should move from being dependent children of God to independent thinkers and doers.
However, this is not what is expected of us as Christians.
Instead of becoming independent Christians, we are to live a life of indefinite dependance on the Lord and His Spirit, realizing we will ALWAYS need His help.
However, the opposite often happens.
Christians become dependent on God for salvation, then try to live independent of Him, until something catastrophic happens and then we rush to God and ask Him for help.
That is not the way God wants it to be from His children.
We cannot flirt back and forth between needing Him and then not needing Him.
If we are ever to anything significant for the Kingdom of God, we will have to lean on His supernatural help!
“Any ministry that we can do in our own effort is probably not worth the effort.
Any ministry that is beyond our effort requires that we abandon ourselves to the mysterious action that God is able to work in us, and then through us.
But this involves a STRIPPING away the hope that we can somehow accomplish the task on our own.”
As I studied this part of Joseph’s life, I thought of this quote.
Every crutch in Josephs’ life had been removed.
He was a servant for eleven years and in prison for two years.
For over a decade he lived is a stranger in a foreign land.
“Any ministry that we can do in our own effort is probably not worth the effort.
Any ministry that is beyond our effort requires that we abandon ourselves to the mysterious action that God is able to work in us, and then through us.
But this involves a STRIPPING away the hope that we can somehow accomplish the task on our own.”
Perhaps he wondered, what about the great dreams I once had?
What will happen in my life?
However, through this process, God taught Joseph how to lean and trust His supernatural power.
Joseph shows us how independent people have to be totally dependent on God if they are ever going to do something significant for Him!
At first glance, it seems the two main characters in this part of the story are Pharoah and Joseph.
However, I want us to see the work of the Holy Spirit as we divide this part of the story into three parts, [Pharaoh’s Frightful Dream], [Joseph’s Faithful Devotion], and [Pharaoh’s Fruitful Decision].
Let’s begin
1.
Pharaoh’s Frightful Dream
The Egyptians were not a society of rational thinkers.
They had an understanding of the supernatural world.
Though they did not know the One True God, they had interest in faith in the unknown and unseen world.
In one evening, Pharaoh had two frightful dreams.
In each dream, he knew that the gods were speaking to him.
Being convinced that these two dreams were from a god, he summoned his magicians and wise men.
These people were skilled in interpreting dreams.
One may wonder, how could they have interpreted these dreams if interpretations come from God?
When it comes to Satan, we MUST remember, he will always offer a counterfeit to what God has to offer.
These men tried to offer their interpretation, but it never worked, it was counterfeit.
By this point it had to get tense in the room.
Pharaoh was not an elected official, he inherited his position and he had absolute power.
In rage and fury, he had authority to kill anyone who dissatisfied him.
After each magician and wise man spoke, I imagine Pharaoh becoming increasingly agitated.
These false wise men could not interpret the dream through demonic means because the dream was not demonic in origin.
It required a man of God.
As the intensity in the room increased, an unlikely man knew what to do.
He had experienced the anger of Pharaoh before, and knew something had to be done.
After two years of silence, the chief butler finally spoke up to tell his story.
His release from prison came as a result of a dream.
He told Pharaoh what happened.
There was a Hebrew man in prison, both the baker and I had troubling dreams in the same night.
We told the Hebrew and he interpreted and it happened exactly as he said it would.
Though the butler remained silent on Joseph’s good deed for two years, he was compelled to say something.
He knew if anyone could help Pharaoh it was the Hebrew prisoner named Joseph.
Pharaoh was at his wits end, he needed peace and he would bring in the Hebrew slave.
Because of Pharaoh’s frightful dream, we see...
2. Joseph’s Faithful Devotion
After two years of waiting to be remembered, the day finally came.
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