Promoted

Doug

My Mess, God's Masterpiece; Story of Joseph Week 5 • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Genesis 41:37–57

Humility

Servant of the Lord

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Though Joseph went from prison to penthouse in one day, Joseph humbly served regardless of prison or for Pharaoh.

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Introduction

Recap Series

Week 1 - Dysfunctional family…

Week 2 - Betrayed

Week 3 - Punished

Week 4 - Forgotten

This Week - Promoted

Promoted

It is hard to imagine somebody that you would be rooting for more that Joseph…

Recap the story up to this point

Today, we finally get to see Joseph put into the position that we believe that he should be in… especially with all that he has been through

So often, when we see somebody rise to power… Pride wells up inside of them

but todays passage is going to show something different in Joseph… Humility

37 The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants, 38 and he said to them, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are. 40 You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands.,c Only I, as king, will be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Make way!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh and no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah and gave him a wife, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

JOSEPH’S ADMINISTRATION

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced outstanding harvests. 48 Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city from the fields around it. 49 So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance—like the sand of the sea—that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure.

50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine arrived. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh and said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and my whole family.” 52 And the second son he named Ephraim and said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53 Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every land, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When the whole land of Egypt was stricken with famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh told all Egypt, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” 56 Now the famine had spread across the whole region, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Every land came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land.

PRAY!

Humbly Elevated

The way that Joseph goes about things is an amazing example…

He finally has the ear of Pharaoh…

what we see in most people…

I will tell you what those dreams mean if...

I will tell you what you need to do with those dreams if…

“So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this: Let him appoint overseers over the land and take a fifth of the harvest of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 Let them gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. Under Pharaoh’s authority, store the grain in the cities, so they may preserve it as food. 36 The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by the famine.”

Credit goes to God, he tells them what they need to do to survive…

Pharaoh and servants recognize that Joseph is different

ironically, the humble integrity that he displays is exactly what gets him out of the prison that he finds himself in

I am guessing that if he would have tried to play games, Pharaoh would have had him killed

Pharaoh and servants recognize that Joseph is different

God was with him

This is amazing… Pharaoh does not even know who God is! He worships a multitude of gods…

Even people who do not know Jesus can tell that you know Jesus

may not know it is Jesus, may call something special, God or the Lord

may not always work out for the best because of it

it did for Joseph

with others, it may get you persecution

He had great wisdom

this was not street smarts from being humbled these thirteen years

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

Joseph had a fear of the Lord that was greater than any fear of man, and knew who the Holy One is…

and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Do you… this is where wisdom comes from

Joseph was second in command

signet ring

explain a signet ring…

chariot

give visual of the chariot…

Joseph assimilates to Egyptian Culture

Speaks language

Egyptian clothes, wife and name

Humbly Serves

30 years old - 13 years of suffering

Why does this stand out to us that Joseph begins serving right away like this

because it is opposite from what we are supposed to be doing

The world wants so badly to drive you to sin…

on one hand they constantly tell you that you are not good enough

on the other, they are constantly telling you that you deserve more

Joseph serves honorably

This is exactly what Paul was talking about in the letter to the Philippians…

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

Isn’t it amazing that he did not go after his enemies…

there are people that we put on our list…

people that have wronged us over the years

we will see in a little bit, that he takes that pain and turns it to praise

proved himself over 7 years that he was to be trusted

Pharaoh orders everyone to go through Joseph to get food

Joseph starts working immediately v46

travels land

stores so much grain that he quit counting

Joseph serves honorably

The crops were so great, so much wheat that a western KS wheat farmer could have almost made a profit.

does not go after enemies

proved himself over 7 years that he was to be trusted

Pharaoh orders everyone to go through Joseph to get food

Humbly Praises

I am hesitant on putting these in this order…

I do not want anyone to think that Joseph praised God only after he was elevated

but I believe that it is important to show that he praised God after he was elevated

too often, we only praise God in the middle…

We don’t praise him in the hard times, instead question God

we do not praise him in the great times, because we act like we deserve this

I really believe that the praise that Joseph gives was the same regardless of where he was

Two sons with Potiphera

I find it interesting that this was specifically worded like this…

Two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine arrived. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On, bore them to him.

this is Joseph’s wife…

though Joseph came from a dysfunctional family, he stayed monogamous

counter cultural of this time and place

Custom in Egypt was for the mother to name the children; but Joseph gives them Hebrew names

Joseph naming to make sure that God gets the glory

We must continue to praise God through the hard times

Manasseh

The Lord made me forget

Not what happened

the sting of it all

Ephraim

The Lord blessed me in the land of my affliction

Joseph still does not consider this home

actually means twice blessed

The Lord blessed me in the land of my affliction

actually means twice blessed

The Lord can still bless you in times of affliction

Joseph naming to make sure that God gets the glory

We must continue to praise God through the hard times

All the world came to Joseph and his sons… v57

Can we just sit back for a second and look at that with amazement…

Joesph goes from being a slave, working for 7 years as the second in command and then the entire world comes to him

a lot of times the ways of God simply do not make sense to us

that is because we are looking at everything with a tainted view of selfishness

Jesus told his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem, that he would be handed over, crucified and die.

remember what Peter told him…

From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

When God put Joseph in a position that did not make sense, he used Joseph so that the entire known world would be able to come to Egypt and get food through this drought.

21 From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

Joseph did not forget God in the promotion…

Though the death of Jesus didn’t make sense to the disciples, it made it possible that the entire world through him could be saved.

23 Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”