Let me invite you to take your Bible and
open to the book of Genesis as we pick
up where we left off two weeks ago. As we
are continuing and towards the end
wrapping up our series of heroes. Two
weeks ago we looked at the introduction
or introductory portion of the narrative
about Joseph and we frustratingly got
him as far as the dungeon and we left
him there. And you might have been
thinking for two weeks now we've been
waiting to get this fella out of the
dungeon, but comparatively to the
narrative two weeks was a very brief
period of time. This morning as the
Lord allows us, we're going to engage
portions of the rest of this narrative.
And let me invite you and encourage you
that you weren't here two weeks ago just to
go back and maybe check out that online
and sort of see where we covered the
introduction to this idea of a suffering
hero. Because in this series we've
looked at people that did by faith great
or mighty things for God and engaged in
wonderful things for him, but the
narrative of Joseph is a little
different from the rest of the ones that
we've examined because up to this point
and largely through the lion's
portion of the text, Joseph just seems to
catch a couple of bad breaks. But if we
read this text through the lens of God's
sovereignty, it takes on a vastly different
picture; that vastly different image. So, if you're not familiar with the narrative
or if you're new to Bible study I would encourage you to go back
several chapters sort of through the
mid-20s of Genesis and read up through
where we are today and then on in to
the rest of the narrative so that you
can get the full flow of what's been
happening, but we'll revisit that a
little bit this morning as we do a bit
of review but then come back to what
we're talking about to pick up in the
narrative. But I want to invite you to
look in Genesis specifically chapter 41
because at the end of chapter 40 is
where we last left Joseph. And we ended with this phrase
that in the end of chapter 40 and verse
23 says, "Yet the chief cupbearer did not
remember Joseph, but forgot him." This
is where we last left our hero. Joseph
had been abused by his brothers. He had
been accused by Potiphar's wife and he
had been abandoned by all of them. He had
been abandoned by his brothers to
slavery, he had been abandoned by
Potiphar to prison, and he had been
abandoned now by the chief cupbearer by
forgetting him. And if you remember the
narrative, Joseph ends up in prison and
he interprets dreams for a baker and a
cupbearer that have similar dreams, but
he gives them vastly therefore different
interpretations. And for the cup bearer,
the plan God has for him, his dream
was that he would be restored to his
position and Joseph asked him halfway
through chapter 40, "When you're restored
to your place will you remember me and
get me out of this place." Three days
later
there's a feast that's given and the cupbearer is restored, where we come to the
phrase, "Yet the chief cupbearer did not
remember Joseph, but forgot him." As we
move into chapter 41, we begin with this
phrase, "Now it happened at the end of two
full years." Press pause. I realized that's
in the middle of a sentence,
but I wanted us to catch the time table.
Two years passed between chapter 40 and
41. What I said two weeks ago still rings
true, that as we look at suffering, and we
strive to have a biblical understanding
of suffering, what I cannot promise you
is if you are in a season of trial and
difficulty and suffering right now, what
I can't promise you is that God will
bring a swift or efficient end to this
season for you. I can't promise that; not
on the standard of Scripture, but what I can
promise you is God's faithfulness in and
through this season of suffering and
trial. As we looked at that reality
couple weeks ago that we need to have a
biblical understanding of suffering
because it is in the midst of trial that
our heart and our emotions often scream
the loudest to strive to lead and to do
the things that they were never created
to do. When we're in the season of trial
and difficulty we are very often most
tempted to let our emotions lead us in
which our emotions will often in most
always look for the path of least
resistance to get out of the season of
suffering. And if we view our perception
of God through the lens of our emotions
when we're engaged in trial and
suffering we may be tempted to think
that God isn't actually good or that if
he's good he's not sovereign and if he's
not sovereign then he can't be in this
this whole mixed wrong thought about who
God is through the grid of our suffering
in our trial instead of looking at who
God is and interpreting our trial and
suffering through the truth of who God
is according to Scripture because very
often we have the idea that if we're in
during some sort of hardship we go to
one end of the spectrum we think either
I'm suffering therefore God isn't good
because how can a good God allow
difficult things to come to me or we go
to the other end of the spectrum that
says I must have done something wrong
therefore God is punishing me suffering
is not always punitive in nature so for
us to have an understanding of suffering
we need to look at people through the
scripture like Joseph and like Jobe who
suffered well and learn from them
but two years past two years past where
he wakes up every day still in prison
have you ever had those days or those
mornings where you woke up and for just
a moment you didn't know where you were
is that just me
last Sunday morning as I was preparing
to to preach this message three times at
the other campuses last Sunday morning
that happened to me I woke up and for
about 45 seconds I was relatively
certain where I was but I had no concept
of what day it was and as I woke up in
that that that stage that that status
between post alarm and pre-coffee I knew
I was at my house and for a moment I
thought it was Tuesday and I thought why
am i waking up so early on a Tuesday and
so I looked at my alarm and which is on
my phone and as I was again post alarm
pre-coffee trying to find any button
that will make it stop I looked and that
said Sunday and I thought wait a minute
that should be important to me in my
line of work getting up on time on the
Sunday is good and so in in this rush of
reality it's Sunday alarm off get coffee
you've got places to be I thought that
that that moment of not knowing now I
thought I wonder if Joseph ever
experienced that in these two years if
he woke up in that early morning haze
and thought for a moment that he was
back at home and not in prison and that
the tattered dirty blanket that he may
have had was actually the coat that his
father gave him and as he came around to
that reality and rubbed the sleep from
his eyes he looked and thought nope
still
Prison 2 years pass from one chapter to
the next and his last request was will
you please remember me and give a good
word to Pharaoh and get me out of this
place this is not a place of ease or
enjoyment he's longing to not be there
but yet from the text we only hear him
give glory to God and only hear him
point people to the power of God and
what God can do and we're going to see
that again in chapter 41 but I want us
to let ourselves sort of just steep in
the reality that Joseph's experiencing
do not think that he was somehow
supernaturally removed from the reality
of is surrounding because it seems like
with every turn of this narrative things
go from bad to a little bit worse
because he gives a bad report about his
brothers and it makes him angry and so
when they have opportunity they decide
out of the kindness of their heart not
to kill him but they sell him in so he
goes into slavery he goes from slavery
to - to prison and he goes from prison
to being forgotten and here we have him
today and two years pass and Pharaoh has
a dream back to the text it's been
behold he was standing by the Nile and
lo from the Nile there came up seven
cows sleek and fat and they grazed in
the marsh grass and then behold seven
other cows came up after them from the
Nile ugly and gaunt and they stood by
the other cows on the bank of the Nile
the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven
sleek and fat cows and then Pharaoh
awoke and he fell asleep and dreamed the
second time may behold seven ears of
grain came up on a single stalk plump
and good and then behold seven ears the
end and scorched by the east wind
sprouted up after them and the the thin
ears swallowed up the seven plump in
full ears then Pharaoh awoke and behold
it was a dream and now it came about in
the morning that his spirit was troubled
and so he sent he called for all the
magician's of Egypt and all of its wise
men and Pharaoh told them his dreams but
there was no one who and to interpret
the dreams or interpret them to
and then it's interesting what happens
in verse nine
so Faris had these dreams he gives them
to the people that ought to be able to
tell him and they tell him nothing and
so we come to chapter 41 verse 9 and
then the chief cupbearer spoke to
Pharaoh because he's observing all of
this stuff going on because his normal
routine of the day is his area of
service he would be bringing things to
Pharaoh to serve him and to put before
him and he hears that he's troubled and
he sees the conversation going on and
it's almost like he sort of sidles in to
Pharaoh and says it's this is the
southwestern Virginia vernacular about
this I sort of hate to bring this up
because it might remind you of what you
did two years ago but I feel compelled
that I should tell you this this is what
begins to unfold in verse nine where he
remembers finally Joseph and then the
chief cupbearer spoke to Joe spoke to
Pharaoh and said I would make mention
today of my own offences Pharaoh was
furious with his servants and he put me
in the confinement of the house of the
captain of the bodyguard both me and the
chief cup baker excuse me the chief
Baker and we had a dream on the same
night he and I each of us dreamed
according to the interpretation of his
own dream and now a Hebrew youth was
there with us a servant of the captain
of the bodyguard and we related to him
and he interpreted our dreams for us to
each one he interpreted according to his
own dream and it came about just as he
interpret for us so it happened he
restored me to my office but he hanged
him and the 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 and 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 now in verse 15
Pharaoh kicks the door open for Joseph
to move into a grand expression of
self-promotion that will most certainly
move him from one place where he's
miserable to a place that he's tall at
least tolerable because the last thing
we heard from him was can you get me out
of here but he's been forgotten but true
to the character
of Joseph that's been on display through
the entirety of this narrative look what
he says in verse 16 and Joseph answered
the pharaoh saying it's not me God will
give Pharaoh a favourable answer yet
again more evidence that Joseph
continues to to direct people and push
people and move people towards the power
of God I can't do it God will give you
the answer and so Pharaoh spoke to
Joseph in my dream behold I was standing
by the bank of the Nile we hold seven
cows fat and sleet came up out of the
Nile and they grazed in the marsh grass
and lo seven other cows came up after
them poor and very ugly and gaunt such
as I have never seen for ugliness in the
land of Egypt if the lien captain Lee
and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat
cows and when they had devoured them it
could not be detected that they had
devoured them for they were just as ugly
as before and then I awoke I saw also in
my dream and behold seven years falling
good came upon a single stalk in love
seven years withered and thin scorched
by the east wind sprouted up after them
and the thin there swallowed the seven
good ears and then I told it to the
magicians but there was no one who could
explain it to me now Joseph said to the
Pharaoh Pharaoh's dreams were one in the
same God has told Pharaoh what he is
about to do I want you to underline that
phrase or mark it or take a note of it
or something because this is a bold
statement because Joseph tells Pharaoh
who in Egypt is perceived as who God
Joseph says God has told you what he is
going to do the seven good cows are
seven years the seven good ears are
seven years and the dreams are one in
the same the seven lean and ugly cows
that came up after them were seven years
the seven thin ears scorched by the east
wind shall be seven years of famine it
is as I have spoken to Pharaoh God has
shown Pharaoh what he is about to do
twice in four verses he says God has
shown Pharaoh what he's about to do
behold seven years of great abundance
for coming in 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
famine will ravage the land so the
abundance will be unknown as land
because of the subsequent famine it will
be very severe in look at verse 32 now
as for the repeating of the dream to
Pharaoh twice that means that the matter
is determined by God and God will
quickly bring it about three times in
his response he says God has told you
what he's going to do and there's
nothing you can do about it it has been
determined by God this is what he is
going to do and if Joseph had stopped
talking right there he would have given
an accurate interpretation as God told
him of the dream but he continues to
speak and now that Pharaoh looked for a
man discerning and wise and set him over
the land of Egypt and let Pharaoh take
action to appoint overseers in charge of
the land and let him exact a fifth of
the produce in the land of Egypt in
seven years of abundance and let them
all get and let them gather all the food
in these good years that are coming and
store up the grain for the food in the
cities under pharaoh's authority and let
them guard it and let the food become as
a reserve for the land for the seven
years of famine which will occur in
Egypt and so that land will not perish
during the famine as I can tell from the
text none of that part was part of the
dream Pharaoh says what does the dream
mean and he told him what the two dreams
meant because he heard it twice God has
determined this is what he's going to do
there's nothing you can do about it and
then he but then he brings this
brilliant plan to the table assistance
what I would do prepare during the years
of famine for for the years of good for
the years of famine and set people to
watch over it so that the land can
survive during the famine because it's
going to be severe it's gonna be so
severe that people won't even remember
how good it was and it seemed pleasing
to Pharaoh it's an interesting bit of
insight that he has that doesn't appear
to come from the dream I do believe it
comes from God but I don't believe it
comes from the dream another proposal
seemed good affair on all of his
servants and the Pharaoh said the
servant to his servants can we find a
man like this in whom there is a divine
spirit
and so Pharaoh said to Joseph since God
has informed you of all this there is no
one so discerning as wise as you are so
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
and so Sparrow said to Joseph see I've
set you over all of the land of Egypt
and then Pharaoh took off his signet
ring from his hand and put it on
Joseph's hand clothed them in garments
of fine linen and then putting a gold
necklace around his neck and he had him
right in his second chariot and they
proclaimed before him bow the knee and
he set him over all the land of Egypt
and moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph
though I am Pharaoh yet without your
permission no one shall raise his hand
or foot in all of the land of Egypt
press pause after verse 44 holy smokes
Joseph wakes up in prison and goes to
bed
second in charge of Egypt like that
after a long process of suffering in
misery abandonment accusation and just
that quickly God moves him from one
place to the next I know you're probably
concerned right now because we're this
far into the process this morning and
you've got four things that don't even
have blanks on them we're going to pull
from this text and in the previous ones
and once we're going to look at ahead
four principles about God's sovereignty
and our suffering and I say their
principles because I believe they're
present all throughout the scripture not
just in Joseph's life but their own
grand display here but I believe we can
see them apply throughout the context of
Scripture and the first thing I want us
to see here is that God's sovereign hand
is over our saw over our suffering and
God is purposeful in his sovereignty
God's sovereign hand is over our
suffering and God is purposeful in his
sovereignty that is a hard truth and
principle for us to wrap our
Surround we might mentally understand it
but to embrace it is really difficult
for us because when we're in the midst
of trial and difficulty and suffering it
hurts and we might be crying out to God
saying why don't you move me from this
place this is uncomfortable this is
painful how could this possibly be under
your sovereign hand that's why we've got
to let the scripture tell us who God is
not let our emotions try to figure him
out but all through this process we see
God's sovereign hand moving in Joseph's
life through the events of chapter 37
through 40 we saw how God sovereignly
worked in the events of Joseph's life to
accomplish his purpose let's go back and
look at some of those phrases that
remind us go back and look in Genesis
chapter 39 in chapter 39 is where Joseph
is accused by Potiphar's wife but I want
us to see these phrases that remind us
of God's sovereignty through this whole
process in the first part of chapter 39
it says now Joseph and pagan taken down
to Egypt and Potiphar an Egyptian
officer of Pharaoh the captain of the
bodyguard brought him or bought him from
the Ishmaelites who had taken them down
there and in verse 2 it says and the
Lord was fought with Joseph but isn't he
his slave at this point yes hasn't he
just been sold into slavery by his
brothers who abandoned him yes but the
Lord was with Joseph and so he became a
successful man and he was in the house
of his master of the Egyptian look in
verse 3 now his master who's Potiphar
who is not a God follower saw his master
saw that the Lord was with us so the
Lord is with him even in such a way that
the people who don't follow God
recognize God's presence in his life the
Lord was with him and how the Lord
caused all that he did to prosper in his
hand and so even in less-than-ideal
or Pleasant or
these circumstances God is with him and
causes him to prosper
what he doesn't is remove him from his
circumstances but the Lord was with him
look at the end of chapter 39 verse 21
the accusation has come he's been put
into prison verse 20 so justice master
took him and put him into the jail the
place where the Kings prisoners were
confined in there he was there in the
jail verse 21 but the Lord was what the
Lord was what with Joseph but Brian his
conditions just went from bad to worse
yes but God never left him God never
abandoned him the Lord was with Joseph
an extended kindness to him and gave him
favor in the sight of the chief jailer I
want us to be comfortable with the
emotive conflict there that the Lord was
with him showed him kindness caused what
he did to have favor that did not remove
him from his circumstances that ought to
rest
oddly on our hearts and minds if we look
at it from a Western perspective that
says God's blessing is always attributed
to ease the Lord was with Joseph an
extended kindness to him and gave him
favor in the sight of the chief jailer
and the chief jailer committed to Joseph
charge all the prisoners who were in the
jail so that whatever was done there he
was responsible for catch the weight of
verse 23 the chief jailer did not
supervise anything under Judge this
charge because what the Lord was with
him and whatever he did the Lord made to
prosper so he comes into Potiphar's
house Potiphar gives him charge of the
house because the Lord's made him to
prosper but then accuses him sends him
to jail the same thing happens the Lord
is with him the Lord caused us all the
things he does to prosper and the jailer
who has a lot of responsibility if
Joseph suffer it not even think about it
because the Lord causes it to prosper
because the Lord is with him
so we continue through the narrative we
see this same principle over and over
but the Lord was with him we go back to
chapter 41 Joseph interprets the dreams
because the Lord is with him and gives
God credit for it gives God glory 40
points the the the wisdom and the
interpretation to God that God gives it
because the Lord is with him it is as I
have spoken to Pharaoh God has shown
Pharaoh what he is about to do but God
is with him and at the end of chapter 41
we serve the the middle part of chapter
41 we have a reference to the timetable
of verse 46 now Joseph was thirty years
old when he stood before Pharaoh king of
Egypt and Joseph went out from the
presence of Pharaoh and throughout all
the land of Egypt God is with him causes
what he does to prosper and so we see
through the events of this narrative
that God is sovereignty over and
involved in his suffering and God is
purposeful in his sovereignty God is not
working by half and Stan's God is
working very purposefully in the life of
Joseph the second thing that we can see
from this text is that God positions his
people for His purposes God positions
his people for His purposes while God
was purposeful in his actions and plans
the primary character Joseph who he
desired to use in this process lived in
Canaan God had to move Joseph from
Canaan to Egypt but not just move him
geographically but move him positionally
because God could have supernaturally
picked him up from Canaan and dropped
him in Egypt and he would have still
been in Egypt but nobody but God worked
sovereignly through these circumstances
to position him to put him in front of
Pharaoh with this idea so God
sovereignly moves and positions his
people for his purpose
and I want us to jump ahead in the
narrative and for the folks that are
narrative ly minded that enjoy all the
details of the story this parts gonna
really frustrate you because we're
jumping through some really incredible
stuff because the famine makes it all
the way to Cana and and Joseph's father
recognizes that Egypt has food and so he
sends his sons to Egypt to buy food and
Joseph has this wonderful engagement
with them because then they come in
Joseph recognizes them but they don't
recognize him because of spinnel Paul
since they've seen him and by this part
he probably looks more Egyptian than he
does little brother and they can when
they speak to the second in charge of
all of Egypt and then Joseph kind of
messes with them a bit sends it back
home asked about another brother asked
about family puts money back in the bag
wonderful part of the narrative that you
really should go back and read but when
we come to chapter 45 this part of the
engagement is coming to a conclusion
this is then Joseph could not control
himself before all those who stood by
him and he cried and said have everyone
go out for me so there was no man with
him when Joseph made himself known to
his brothers now this is this is a so
thankful that God preserved this for us
because this is when Joseph's going to
reveal himself to the ones who betrayed
him the one who Pharaoh has said no one
will raise their hand or foot in Egypt
that you don't say so he literally will
hold their lives in his hand he wept so
loudly that the Egyptians heard it in
the household of Pharaoh heard it but
this Joseph said to his brothers I am
Joseph I wonder how they felt in that
moment sometimes when I when I'm afraid
I have this feeling in the pit of my
stomach that's not pleasant
I'm Joseph my father still alive but his
brothers could not answer him but this
is the understatement of the text for
they were dismayed at his presence
then Jeb's have said his brothers please
come closer to me at this point they
don't know if come closer means come
closer so I can see your face when they
take your head or come closer to me so I
can look at every one of you and tell
you how you're going to die all he says
has come closer and they came closer and
he said I am your brother Joseph whom
you sold into Egypt and I do not be
grieved or angry with yourselves because
you sold me here for God sent me before
you to preserve life catch the weight of
that God sent me here before you yeah
you might have sold me but God sent me
tells us looking at the larger picture
of what God has done here which is
wonderfully consistent with what he has
done through the entirety of the text
now do not be grieved with yourselves
because you sold me here for God sent me
before you to preserve life for the
famine has been in the land these two
years and there are still five years in
which there will be neither plowing dirt
plowing or harvesting and God sent me
before you to preserve you for a remnant
in the earth and to keep you alive by a
great deliverance now therefore it was
not you who sent me here but God and he
has made me a father to Pharaoh and Lord
of all of his household and ruler over
all the land of Egypt it was not you who
sent me here but God God positions his
people for His purposes in that
positioning may not always be pleasant
but it is always purposeful that
positioning may not always be pleasant
but it's purposeful
and it's not only purposeful to put
Joseph into that position but we also
see how the third principle that we can
draw from this text plays in this
narrative the third thing that we can
see is that God's God can sovereignly
use suffering to train us for future
plans
God can sovereignly use suffering to
train us for future plans and the reason
I turned it that way that God can use
suffering for this way because there are
times that God brings suffering to us in
a way to move us away from sinful
behavior there is there are times when
God brings or allow suffering to come to
us to to discipline us and to correct us
but that is not the case here that's not
always that the reality of suffering
there are times when God is using
suffering to move us but also to train
us look in Genesis 41 verse 40
so joseph has interpreted a dream he's
given the plan Pharaoh says you're the
guy 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 and Pharaoh
said to Joseph see I've set you over all
the land of Egypt all the land of Egypt
Pharaoh makes Joseph over all the land
of Egypt after knowing what the next
fourteen years are going to look like
and giving you this great plan I've used
these seven years well and because the
seven years after are gonna be horrific
he says good go do that and aside for me
you're in charge
nobody raises a hand or raises a foot in
all of the land that you don't say so
you ride in my second chariot and people
will bow down when you come through what
is his job description up and to the
point where he is sold into slavery if
we go back and look at the narrative
there are two things that we see that he
does
first of all he is they all call him a
pseudo Shepherd because he's daddy's
favorite he works in the field some but
what we have mostly is that he's there
really just to give a report and when he
comes back he gives them so his job
description up to this point is pseudo
shepherd and tattletale and God not only
moves him physically to Egypt and
positionally from an unknown to second
in the land but he has also used these
trials and difficulties to train him for
what's coming because as we look through
the process he gives given increasing
responsibility through the whole
narrative when he gets thrown into the
pit he's a separate in a tattle-tale
then he sold into slavery in the Lord is
with him and the Lord causes all that he
does to prosper in so Potiphar's house
increases in wealth and then he's thrown
into prison so contextually bad to worse
positionally more responsibility and
were reminded again what in the Lord
with him and caused all that he did to
prosper and he stays there and does that
for a couple more years until God moves
him positionally to second in the land
and when he gets there he knows exactly
what to do because he's been
increasingly and being given a
responsibility as the Lord has been with
him and the Lord has prepared him and
the Lord has caused favor to come to him
so God didn't just positionally move him
from one place to immediately but he
seasoned him through trial and suffering
there are things that we learn in
difficulty in seasons of trial and
suffering where when it's easy God may
not have our full attention I told you
about when I burnt my finger on the car
cigarette lighter that was dumb but I
pushed the button in and it popped out
some of you don't have any idea what I'm
talking about you push it in there and
you pop it out and it's got these little
rings inside now that doesn't look hot
but it was hot you know I just burnt
that teepee pointing my index finger but
as soon as I touched that metal every
cell in my body was acutely aware of
what was going on at the end of my index
finger suffering tends to get our
attention when we're in trial and we're
in difficulty very often God has our
full attention it might be through our
cries it might be through our screams it
might be through our anguish but it is
certainly with our attention or as
followers of Christ it should be God can
sovereignly use suffering to train us
for future plans
James chapter 1 talks about that as well
that we should in consider joy when we
encounter various trials knowing that
God is using these things to perfect our
faith
and the fourth thing they don't want us
to see if we returned to chapter 54 this
weird look in Chapter 50 God is
sovereign work Ingush chapter 50 justice
coming to the end of his life
you should go back and read the verses
in between the chapters in between but
in verse 18 it says then his brothers
also came and fell down before him and
said Behold we are your servants and
Joseph said to them do not be afraid for
am I in God's place and as for you you
meant evil against me but God meant it
for good in order to bring about this
present result to preserve many people
alive so therefore do not be afraid I
will provide for you and your little
ones and so he comforted them and spoke
kindly to them you meant this for evil
but God meant it for good with purpose
in order to bring about this present
result to preserve many people alive you
minute for evil your actions were evil
he doesn't say he really you were
misguided but you really had good intent
no your actions were evil but they
weren't outside of the sovereignty of
God because what you meant for evil God
meant for good to preserve many and I
love how this phrasing comes so
therefore do not be afraid I will
provide for you and your little ones and
it says so he comforted them and spoke
kindly to them if you remember at the
beginning of this narrative and we first
were introduced to Joseph and he relayed
the dreams to his brothers and says they
hated him
that they hated him even more in his it
and they could not even speak a kind
word to him I think this is beautiful
bookend for this text that at the end of
his life I recognizes your actions were
evil but God meant them for good that
even there he is able to speak kindly to
them because he sees God's sovereign
hand at work and that at the end of this
process all of these things even as
difficult and as uncomfortable as they
have been are all working for God's
glory for God's purposes or God's good
what I don't want us to do this morning
is to simply look for the end result
because right now if you are in a season
of trial and suffering I want you to be
encouraged by the phrasing that was
consistent all through Joseph's life as
is consistent in Scripture as is
consistent in our life that the Lord is
with us because what I can't promise you
is a quick end to your suffering if you
can just hold on for a little while
longer if you can just have enough
emotional energy to hold on God's gonna
bring it all about later you may be on
the beginning end of the curve but we
regardless of wherever you are in the
process the Lord is with you and he's
purposeful and he's not mean and he's
not he's not hateful but he's purposeful
and he's loving and he's here so let's
pray our Father I pray that this morning
that that we will be aware of your
presence with us Lord just as you were
faithful to Joseph
