Where Lightning Strikes Twice [Genesis 39-41] (Gary Leslie) [Pt 2/3]

Father, we we thank you for this morning that you have given us

as collective a law to come together to remember our Lord

and our Saviour Jesus Christ. And as we just read from the

book of Hebrews, He is the anchor for our soul.

We also pray at this time as Gary comes and shares with us

God's Word. Father, we pray that you'll open

our hearts to receive Your word. Be with Gary as the presence.

We pray that the Holy Spirit would use every word that is

spoken in order to speak into the hearts and the lives of each

and everyone of us who are here. And we ask these things and say

we're precious. And in this world I name Amen.

Good morning. This is Part 2 of the three-part

series Purpose and Passion and the Perplexing World Lessons

from the Life of Joseph. I preach part one last year and

it must have got the past mark cause they asked me back.

You've often heard the saying lightning never strikes twice.

Is that true or is it false? It's the idea being that

lightning strikes are completely random, so the chance of it

striking the same place twice as virtually nil.

Well, it's actually false. That's a myth.

Lightning does strike the same place, in fact, multiple times,

and for good reason. The Auckland Sky Tower is 328

metres high and it is struck 3 or 4 times every year.

Lightning is drawn to tall objects like pylons or an

isolated object and a large clear area like a a Lone Tree.

So lightning strikes are not governed by chance.

That design, the story around Joseph, is characterised by

peers of dreams. Joseph had two dreams.

In chapter 37 he interprets a pair of dreams the cup bearer

and the bakers and chapter 40 and Pharaoh also has two dreams

in chapter 41 and Joseph says in that chapter verse 32.

As for the repeating of the dreams to fear at twice, it

means that the matter is determined by God and God will

quickly bring it about. That's why I'm titled this

message When Lightning Strikes twice.

Joseph isn't on a trajectory of chance.

Joseph is a player, Donkey Deep and the purposes and

determinations of God. And some of your first science

classes as a school kid, you were presented with the idea

that life is a product of chance and when it runs enough

iterations, you are the product. Now I know that's a bit

simplistic for you scientists, but they do call that the

science of evolution. So right there in that class you

had to choose chance or design. You say, Well, hang on, they

told me about design, because God made that evident to you

already. His invisible attributes, His

eternal power, and His defined nature are clearly seen and

understood through that which has been created.

Romans 119. Joseph is not on a trajectory of

chance because God is not a paper tiger.

The helpless spectator, fingers crossed behind his back, hoping

that things will work out for you in the end.

He's the author and perfector and finisher.

Romans 828 And we know that all things work together for good to

those who love him, to those who are the called according to His

purpose. From the KJV.

And we don't have to have Daniel's revelation in chapter

two of The Mysteries of God to join Daniel in this prayer of

praise and thanks after God gave him the interpretation of

Nebuchadnezzar's dream. And not only that, but also the

dream itself from verse 20. And I'll pray that prayer.

You listen to it. Let the name of God be blessed

forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.

It is he who changes the times and the epochs.

He removes King's and he raises them up.

He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of

understanding. It is he who reveals the

profound and hidden things. He knows what is in the

darkness, and the light dwells in him.

To you, Ohh God of my Father's, I give praise and thanks.

By the end of this message, you should have a pretty good idea

that God is working His own purposes for His own reasons,

for His own glory. You will see lightning strike

twice with regular monotony because wherever God is at work,

it's striking. As we run through this narrative

and we will be literally running.

There are three chapters, Genesis 39 to 41.

From these three chapters there will be 3 key learnings.

Perspective and tragedy. Portraits of Christ and a

Prelude to Heaven. Perspective and Tragedy,

Portraits of Christ and a Prelude to Heaven.

Type in your Bibles there and we will pick up the story where we

left off Labour Weekend last year.

Verse one. Now Joseph had been taken down

to Egypt, and part of an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh.

The captain of the bodyguard brought brought him, so Joseph

finds himself in Egypt, where Potter for a high-ranking

officer of Pharaoh purchased him.

You're not in a good way. If people are buying you, it

means you're not your own. You have no rights, no freedom

from most favoured of God's sons and cane and that land of

promise to 17 year old slave in Egypt, that foreign land.

Things have certainly gone pear shaped for Joseph.

This meets the threshold for tragedy and Kanan Joseph had

qualities that had set him apart from his brothers, like

honouring his father and honouring the God of Israel.

The coat given him by Jacob and variously described as

colourful, triggered his brother's jealousy, but it was

what the coat represented that rankled them.

Joseph was the first born to Rachel, his first love.

The coat represented this and the reason he loved Joseph more

than them, but it was Joseph his brothers hated on and they could

not speak well of him. The coat is also a symbol that

God's favour rested on Jake Joseph and when God spoke to

Israel through Joseph's dreams that they would bow down to

Joseph, they worked themselves into a jealousy fuelled rage

that could only be satisfied with Joseph's destruction at

their hands. The opportunity presented itself

and they certainly intended to kill him, but God wasn't

finished with Joseph. There was a revelation yet to be

fulfilled, the net outcome being his current predicament, sold

into Egypt as a slave and the brothers taking that coat, the

symbol of God and Jacob's favour, tearing it, smearing it

with blood and fabricating a lie to their father that Joseph had

been killed by wild animals. They may have taken the coat off

the man. They couldn't take the favour

out of the man. There's 2.

The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man.

God hasn't given you a coat to symbolise His favour.

He has given you the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and you set apart as favoured by God.

Christ and His and His favour go with you everywhere into tragedy

out of tragedy and we will soon see.

And Joseph's experience back in and then out again.

So if I was to throw pearls of perspective out to you early, it

would be that the circumstances outside you and around you are

constantly moving well. The Spirit in you, the true mark

of God's favour, is constant. The trials, the hardships, the

personal tragedy, the injustice are ever changing circumstances.

The background noise of your story, well, Christ in you is

the unchanging front and centre. You take Christ out of that

equation and the mass is pretty simple.

Without Christ, you're just the background noise.

You had Joseph's brothers left behind and Canaan making up the

numbers. Not where God is working, not

where His flavour and blessing is flowing.

You can take the man out of the land of Canaan, but you can't

take God's favour out of the man.

How's that for perspective and tragedy?

So what did it look like? That God was with Joseph?

There's three now. As 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 favour in his sight and

became his personal servant and he made him overseer over his

house and all that he owned to put in his charge.

It came about that from the time He made him oversee it in his

house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the

Egyptians house on account of Joseph.

Thus the Lord's blessing was upon all that he owned in the

house and in the field. So he left everything he owned

and Joseph's charge and with him there he did not concern himself

with anything except the food that he ate.

Is that a good outcome for a young slave?

It's pretty good isn't it? To bad?

As good as bad can get. I'm sure Joseph was content with

that outcome. A very happy slave.

We can be easily contented, especially after coming through

a hardship or a trial. Just about anything seems good

after that. This works.

I like the quiet life. It's not so bad after all.

You get a small taste of God's blessing and you wanna park

there? I'm happy God don't change it.

And that's the exactly the pragmatism that Peter, James and

John showed on the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus

peels back a layer of his humanity to reveal his glory.

And Moses and Elijah were there too, talking with Jesus and

those disciples, just getting a glimpse of Christ glory in a

heavenly scene. We're wanting to park up there.

Let's build some tents and camp here with with Moses and Elijah.

This is wonderful. We don't want it to ever end.

And justice like that. Jesus covers his glory with his

humanity. They disappear.

It was just a foretaste of things to come.

And as content and blessed as Joseph may have been, as Potter

offers Head of Household, there was more to come.

Much, much more. The question I have for you. 10

You trust God no matter what tomorrow looks like, because for

Joseph, his tomorrow was to be the inside of Pharaoh's prison

just like that. These are unpredictable and

dramatic scenes unfolding in front of Joseph, and the comfort

and security he he enjoys is about to unravel.

Joseph was to be both tested and refined and things were going to

change fast. You know, Joseph was an exempt

was as exemplary and form and appearance and she wasn't

character drawing the overtures of Potter's wife.

And that's probably an understatement.

Receive. And his master's wife looked

with desire at Joseph, and she said, Lie with me, But he

refused, and said to his master's wife, Behold with me

here. My master does not concern

himself with anything, and he has put all that he owns in my

charge. There is no one greater than I

in this house, and he has withheld nothing from me except

you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great

evil and sin against God? This was Joseph's wilderness

experience. The devil took him to a very

high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and

their glory. And he said to him, All these I

will give to you if you fall down and worship me.

Part of A has put everything he owns and Joseph's charge.

He doesn't concern himself with anything.

There is no one greater and part of his house than Joseph.

And the only thing that Joseph does not have as part of his

wife and the devil is saying to Joseph here, she is the only

part of your master's Kingdom that you do not rule.

I give to you now if you just fall down and lie with her.

This is Joseph being tested. This is Joseph qualifying for

the refining that's ahead. Can you see the imagery?

The portrait of Christ, part of his wife, Was the apple in the

garden, the only tree from which the fruit were withheld from

Joseph. And so Joseph must contend with

his adversary. As she spoke to Joseph day after

day, verse 10, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be

with her. Now it happened one day that he

went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the

household were there inside. She caught him by his garment

saying lie with me, and he left his garment in her hand and

fled. Joseph was made of better stuff

than his brothers. He was made of better stuff than

Adam. Because right here, Joseph is

the second Adam. This is what Adam and Eve should

have done, could have done, but didn't.

This account has nothing to do with Paul's admonition to

Timothy. Flee youthful passion.

Wasn't Joseph that was lusting. This has everything to do with

keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and perfector

of your faith. Joseph wasn't so much running

from temptation as he was running to God, the God of

Israel, the one who was with Joseph, the one who bestowed

favour on Joseph, God the author of all Joseph success.

Joseph knew what side his bread was buttered.

The question is, do we? This has everything to do with

God putting Joseph through a trial, testing a saying,

refining, proving him for what is next.

And Joseph was not found wanting.

Joseph is a portrait of Christ, one who was tempted in all

things, as we are, yet without sin.

Now, don't you think Joseph deserves some accolades?

Some recognition, Pat on the back, a reward.

Jesus did everything asked of him.

He was faithful, obedient, above reproach and God said to Jesus,

ride into Jerusalem, where you will be falsely accused, wrongly

condemned and crucified with criminals.

Joseph was about to have his Jerusalem while part of his wife

played the only card she had left.

False testimony O She left his garment beside her until his

master came home. Then she spoke to him these

words. The Hebrew slave whom you

brought to us came in to make sport of me, the sound like

Adam, the woman you gave me. And as I raised my voice and

screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.

Now when has Master heard the words of his wife, which she

spoke to him, saying, This is what your slave did to me, his

anger band. So Joseph's master took him and

put him in gaol, the place where the King's prisoners were

confined, and he was there in gaol, unjustly condemned.

Joseph doesn't defend himself before Potiphar.

Joseph knows he has no further future in the Kingdom of

Potterfield. There's nothing there for him.

Just like that, it all comes to an end.

No trial, no appeal, no Supreme Court.

Just the prospect of an indefinite imprisonment when

things in our lives turned to custard.

Happened fast, doesn't it? Verse 21.

But the Lord was with Joseph, and extended kindness to him,

and gave him favour in the sight of the gaoler.

The chief gaoler committed to Joseph's charge all the

prisoners who were in the gaol, so that whatever was done where

he was responsible for it, the chief Jayla did not have to

supervise anything because the Lord was with him, and whatever

he did, the Lord made to prosper Joseph.

Circumstances are changing from bad to worse and they are

whipping him around like the back end of a roller coaster,

but it's just background noise. The constant being God was with

Joseph and God brings joy to circumstances.

Now Joseph may have won the trust of the gaoler, but at the

end of the day he was still in prison.

And Sam 105 gives us another angle on Joseph's experiences.

So 105 verse 17, you don't don't have to turn there, he said.

A man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

They afflicted his feet with fetters.

He himself was laid and iron. This was still a dungeon.

He felt the chains. He felt the shackles, the

confinement and darkness until that time that his word came to

pass. The word of the Lord tested him.

The King sent and released him. Is God in control of your

circumstances? And if he is, do you trust His

timing, both going into a trial and coming out of it well, the

time that his word came to pass? Sing 105 verse 19 was the day

Pharaoh's cup bearer and Baker turned up and Joseph Gaol both

had a dream the same night. Chapter 40, Verse 5.

Each man with his own dream, and each dream with its own

interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the

morning, he observed them and behold, they were dejected.

He asked Fierro's officials, who were in confinement in his

master's house. That's the Baker and the cup

bearer. Why are your faces sad today?

Take note of this. Even in Joseph's incarceration,

he was considering the interests of others.

It was Joseph who inquired of their dejected countenance and

as a result of that encounter, the clock began ticking on his

ticket out of the. And so Joseph proceeded to

interpret their dreams of the Baker's dream.

Verse 19. Within three more days, Pharaoh

will lift up your head from you, and we'll hang you on a tree,

and the birds will eat the flesh off you.

Joseph certainly wasn't shy of preaching the hard text, was he?

He didn't dress that one up of the cup bearer.

Within three more days, Fiera will lift up your head and

restore you to your office, and you will put the cup in

Pharaoh's hand according to your former custom, where you will be

his cup bearer. Only keep me in mind when it

goes well with you. And please do me a kindness by

mentioning me to Pharaoh and Get Me Out of this house.

Fire was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrew, and even

here I have done nothing that they should put me into this

dungeon. I'll give it to Joseph.

He didn't have many cards to play either, but he wasn't going

to miss the one he had. Joseph, that dying thief on the

cross. Remember Me when you get to your

Father's Kingdom. And like the thief John, Joseph

played the only card he had. And that's a perspective and

tragedy. Do all that you can, as little

as it may be, and let God do what you can't.

Mr. Montana. Remember Me when it goes well

with you and you're restored to the office of holding.

Pharaoh's Cup has wine goblet, and do me a kindness by

mentioning me to him, and Get Me Out of this prison, Joseph says.

And that's what came about on the third day, which was Vera's

birthday, that he made a feast for all of his servants, verse

20. And he lifted up the head of the

chief cup bearer and the head of the chief Baker among his

servants. He restored the chief cup bearer

to his office, and he put the cup into Ferrer's hand, but he

hanged the chief Baker, just as Joseph had interpreted them.

There's the portrait of Christ that Steve was alluding to last

week. The Baker hanged, the bread

broken, the cup bearer restored, the wine poured out as often as

Pharaoh drinks it. Remember Me looking good?

Yeah, yet the chief Cup bearer did not remember Joseph but

forgot him. The cup bearer enjoyed his happy

place, but it was at no small inconvenience to Joseph, was it?

But the clock was ticking, folks.

It was another two full years before that cup bearer had some

memory recall, and even that took a pretty big prompt.

The timing is everything, isn't it?

And two years later was the right time.

Can you trust God's timing at this precise occasion?

Pharaoh had two dreams that needed interpreting. 7 fat cows,

sleek, shiny, content, grazing and the Nile marshland.

And up from the Nile rise 7 skinny cows, mangy, gaunt,

disfigured. And the seven skinny cows gobble

up the seven fat cows, yet remained just as sick, thin and

ugly as before. A similar dream was repeated

with ears of wheat. This wasn't another dream to be

brushed off with the breakfast of bacon and eggs.

God had Pharaohs complete attention.

The dream was very real and Pharaoh was deeply troubled by

them. Making matters worse was that no

magician, says soothsayer, conjurer or witch doctor in the

land, could give Pharaoh A satisfactory explanation.

And who was on the front row seat?

Well, all these things were going on.

Hmm. Mr. Montana?

Ah, your ex. Baker and I once met a Hebrew

man in prison, and just as he interpreted our dreams for us,

so it happened. Cometh the hour.

Come up the man the inferior scent and called for Joseph 1st

14 and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon

hurriedly. It happened fast.

God, where are you in this prison?

God, where are you in this injustice?

God, where are you in this tragedy?

God, where are you? Where are you?

And then bang, just like that. Timing is everything.

We're like give me out of here now.

I hate this. Get Me Out of here now.

In your timing, what are you getting out to?

You'll have the trust God's timing.

Ohh, not at all. And Joseph is presented before

Pharaoh, all decked out, clean, showered shaven cloth.

Maybe a haircut presented to Pharaoh.

Joseph. When it comes to dreams, I hear

you're the man to meet. And so Joseph does what Joseph

does. God has shown this. 28 God has

shown to fear of what he is about to do.

Behold, 7 years of great abundance are coming, and 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.

Think about it. This is no small matter.

Seven years of abundance in Egypt?

Yeah, that's all good souvenirs of famine.

No, not that. That's not good at all because

people need to eat everyday. We run out of veggies in a week

after fortnight without a trip to New World.

I've been in the fridge as either entertainment or

exercise. It's certainly not to find food,

but seven years? No, that doesn't work for

anybody. The dream might have been

Pharaohs, but the plan was Joseph's.

Verse 33 Now let Pharaoh look for a man descending and wise,

and set them over the land of Egypt.

Let Farah take action to appoint overseers and charge of the

land, and then him exact the 5th of the produce of the land of

Egypt and 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 Pharaohs authority and let them garden.

Get a store guard. It's good sermon outline.

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.

The proposals seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.

The plan barely touches the ground and Pharaohs fears like

Yep that sounds good we'll do it.

It's obvious Joseph, the only person and Pharah's entourage

that has any idea what's going on.

Everyone else like stunned mullets.

You've heard this. There's three kinds of people.

Those who make things happen. Those who watch things happen

and those who say what happened, they're all that group.

Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He's no dummy.

He's sovereign over a nation. But right here, right now, he's

bending like a banana pasta scene.

Play DoH. Take a look at Proverbs 21,

verse one. The King's heart is like

channels of water in the hand of the Lord.

He turns it wherever he wishes. Well, this saying illustrates

exactly what that verse is saying, and it gets even better

for Joseph. And first said to us servants,

can we find a man like this and whom is a divine spirit?

So Joe, Pharaoh said to Joseph, since God has informed you of

all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are.

In the same breath, Pharaoh credits God of the God of Israel

and bestows on Joseph the undisputed title, Wisest man in

Egypt. You shall be over my house,

verse 40. And according to your command,

all my people shall do homage to you, and only in the throne will

I be greater than you. Joseph, Here's the keys to my

Kingdom. Take him, and at your word, all

my subjects will bow down to you.

See the irony? A nation bows down to Joseph.

Do you think that Joseph is quietly weeping, marvelling and

wonder of God? Yeah, I I do, Pharaoh happy to

be the puppet king. Well, everything that really

matters belongs to Joseph. Then Fiera took off his signet

ring from his hand and put it on to Joseph's hand and clothed him

and garments are fine linen, and put the gold necklace around his

neck. He made had him ride in the

second chariot and they proclaimed before him bow the

knee. Daniel wasn't fussed about the

baubles of office offered him by Belshazzar and Daniel. 5 shit to

that king. Let your gifts be for yourself

and give your reward to another. I don't think Joseph was too

fussed about them either. The regalia that came with the

office wasn't for Joseph, it was for God.

They displayed God's power, His rule, His accomplishment of His

divine purposes. This is a portrait of the

returning Christ. Drift for the part and justice

when you thought it couldn't get any better for Joseph the icing

ferocious to Joseph, though I am Pharaoh, yet without your

permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in the land of

Egypt. And just that decree right

there, that last minute policy amendment, locks Joseph into a a

divinely appointed trajectory with his brothers destined to

meet again and the most amazing displays of love, mercy and

forgiveness you will ever witness.

And that will be Part 3. Was this a meteoric rise in a

single day, elevated from a dungeon to a ruler of Egypt

before whom all bowed the knee? I'm feeling dizzy just

recounting it. Spectacular, unimaginable,

incomprehensible, and the For the final portrait, think of

Joseph's life up to now and then think of Christ.

Christ leaves the glory of heaven, the eternal promised

Land, and he comes to a foreign land with nothing in his hand,

not to be served, but to serve the servant king.

And although blameless, he is falsely accused and condemned to

die. And in God's timing.

Yet while the clock is ticking and the clock is ticking, he

returns as King, the day of the Lord, and rains and glory, and

at his name every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord Joseph. The ultimate portrait of Christ.

We've observed perspective and tragedy.

We've seen portraits of Christ. Thirdly, A prelude to heaven.

How about reigning with Christ? If we endure, we will also reign

with Him. And what about these

superlatives of the indescribable abundance,

blessing and fruitfulness? Verse 47 During the seven years

of plenty, the land brought forth abundantly.

So he gathered all the food of these seven years, which

occurred in the land of Egypt, and placed the food in the

cities. He placed in every city the food

from the surrounding fields. Then Joseph stored up the grain

and great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he

stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.

Picture of heaven, Things which I have has not seen and there

has not seen, and which have not entered the heart of man.

All that God has prepared for those who love him.

Joseph Ascension is but a prelude of our ascension to

depart with Christ. To depart and be with Christ for

that is far better. But right now we either serve

and Potter's house well, we're being tested and refined and

Pharaohs prison for I consider the sufferings of this present

time and not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to

be revealed to us. Romans 818 now 2.

Two sons were born to Joseph. Well, in those seven years of

abundance, he named the second son Ephraim.

For he said God has made me fruitful in the land of my

affliction. That was an understatement.

Joseph, First born, he named Manessa.

For he said, God has made me forget all my trouble and all my

father's household. For well over 13 years, Joseph

has been burdened by memories of Canaan, the betrayal by his

brothers, the loss of the father who loved him, and of course,

thoughts of what might have been.

And only now as ruler of Egypt and smothered and years of

abundance and fruitfulness, he can genuinely say, God has made

me forget the troubles of my past.

The moment you see Christ and glory, you will forget your

troubles. A prelude to heaven.

But spare a thought for Joseph's brothers right now, and I'm

closing with this. They're back in Canaan, left

behind, self incarcerated in the prison of lies and deception,

still haunted by the pleadings of their brother, reminded daily

of the heartbreak they brought upon their father, who still

grieves for his son, the one he loved most.

But the brothers are hamstrung, frozen in a straight jacket of

duplicity and hypocrisy, knowing that their brother, the favoured

one of God, the one whom from home God's blessing flowed the

Maker of dreams, their source of salvation my still be alive.

But they will never be able to make things right without coming

clean. A repentance that would expose

the truth and what they really are.

Where are you this morning? Are you with Joseph, untroubled

by circumstance, an abundance and blessing, enjoying God with

you even as he tests you, refines you, and blesses those

around you? Or are you far away and Kanan,

with Joseph's brothers, imprisoned in your own life of

lies and deception, hamstrung by apocryphally, haunted with

regret, wanting to be set free to be close to God, but fearful

of a repentance that acknowledges and reveals what

you really are? Joseph Brothers have no plan, no

solution, no way out. But God has a plan for Joseph's

brothers and for you. It's called the Gospel, and we

will see that unfold in part three of our series, perhaps

later in the year. It's titled When bad plus bad

equals good. As for you, you meant evil

against me, that God meant it for good.

But if you're wanting to repent today, a you don't have to wait

for Part 3. Today is the day of salvation.

And remember, timing is everything.