Life of Joseph (Part 1) | Stephen Kong

You're listening to a message to go from a church. We hope this message

will light up your team. Our team for this year is Heaven Rules,

okay, and so I'm going to continue on on that team, going to

pick up a story from the life of Joseph. Yeah, it's the life

of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, okay. Not not not the father

of Jesus, okay, but the one in the Book of Genesis. Okay.

So let's all turn to Genesis chapter thirty seven, and I will take

us shoe this amazing life of person or story of Joseph. And I can

tell you, frankly, there's so much that we can learn from this life.

All right, Okay, here we go Genesis chapter thirty seven. Okay,

Genesis chapter thirty seven. I'm going to bring us shoe this amazing story

of Joseph. And and and as I go to the scripture us, you

know, our just do like a Bible study with us, okay, to

find out what we can learn through this life of Joseph and how we see

the team of Heaven Rules actually being portrayed or represented even this story. Okay.

But I'll begin by first saying that you know the life of Joseph is

actually a remarkably beautiful picture of Jesus Christ. Did you know that? Okay?

And as I go to the story, you'll realize that there are many

similarities between Joseph and Jesus, many, okay, But there are a few

that they contrast. Okay, I'll share that later. But you'll find that

there are many, many, many parts of the life of Joseph that has

similarity to Jesus himself. Okay. So let's begin by reading Genesis chapter thirty

seven worse one, okay, and then our share more as we go.

Was one says, now Jacob drew out in the land where his father was

a stranger in the land of Canaan. This is the history of Jacob,

Joseph being seventeen years old. So we know that in this story, Joseph

is seventeen years old, was feeding flock with his brothers, and the lad

was with the sons of bill Hard and the sons of Zilpah, his father's

wives, and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now,

Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son

of his old age and he made him a tuning of many colors. Now

let me stop there for a while. Okay. You would have noticed that

the story started with Jacob and then suddenly there's an Easrael involved. Okay.

So, by the way, both of their names are the same person.

Okay, Jacob and Israel refers to the same person. Jacob was given the

name Israel when he wrestled with God. Okay. If you're going to be

the story, you will know. And so God gave his name as Israel.

So if you see Israel and you see Jacob, he's the same person.

Okay, same person. But I want to first present to you the

families, the family tree of Joseph. Maybe you can prepared a picture,

okay, and it's who can see. I'm not speak enough okay, yeah,

I should be Okay. And this is where we get the twelve tribes

of Israel. Okay, because Israel or Jacob another name for him, had

twelve sons. Okay, he had twelve sons and one daughter. So all

the females are in red okay, and the green ones are the male right.

And so you see Jacob. Jacob's family, or maybe I should say

Joseph's family was not the best of all families. Why because Jacob, his

father actually had four wives, okay, four wives, and among the four

wives he had many children okay, among them twelve brothers and one sister okay,

one female and child boys. Right. And so just by looking at

the family tree, friends, I want to let you know, right that,

just by looking at the family of Joseph or Jacob, you can tell

that it's not going to be so nice, right because you know it's tough,

right, four wives, shelves sons, one daughters, one daughter.

You know how much the sons will fight among each other. They will always

be competition. Right. And as the father is hard for him to love

four wives the same one more living shelf sons the same, how difficult that

would be? So Okay, so the story begins. If you look at

the food picture, we know that it's not going to end well. Okay,

it's quite a messed up family, Okay. So Joseph was in a

situation whereby his family was quite a challenge, okay, not what we expected

or what not what we would love to be. Okay. And the Bible

says in Worse Tree that Israel or Jacob loved Joseph more than his other brothers.

How about that? What a way to start, right. Jacob loved

Joseph Mornay's other brothers, and Joseph is believed to be the second youngest in

his family, Benjamin being the youngest son in the family. Okay, so

Jacob loved Joseph more than his other brothers so much sort that he made him

a tuning of many colors? Do you know what a tune of many colors

actually mean? Okay? In those olden days, it is believed scholars believed

that the tuning of many colors were made to have long sleeves. Okay,

they were long sleeves. It was long. It's like a long pence all

the way to the feet. And it was given to Joseph. By the

way, this family, they had a lot of flock, right, so

they were tend to their sheep, tend to their to their farm, or

whatever it is. So as as men right, men will always plow the

land correct. Right, And as the sons of Jacob, all of them

are supposed to plow the land right. But what Jacob did was Jacob gave

Joseph a tuning of many colors. What that simply simply means is actually favor

or authority. Right. But in those olden days, the tuning of many

colors was slightly a long sleeve shirt, which means that Joseph was not dressed

for work. Think about it, okay, Joseph was not dressed for work.

That means he was actually placed like like a like a supervisor over his

brothers. Can you imagine your younger brother is space as a supervisor over you.

What a way to start, right, how much you were envy by

a knot? Right? So, so Joseph was so favored by Jacob,

was given a supervisory role as a second youngest son. Right. That didn't

start so well? Of course, the brothers were hated him, right,

so worst four says. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him

more than all his brothers, they hated him. There you go. They

hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream,

and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more

worse. Six days so he said to them, please hear his dream,

which I have dreamed. There we were binding sheaves in the field. Then

behold my chef Arose and also stood upright, And indeed your chiefs stood all

around and bowed down to my chef. And his brother said to him,

shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?

So they hated him even more. That's the third time other bible,

of course, that they hated him for his dreams and for his words.

Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers and said,

look, I have dreamed another dream, and this time the sun, the

moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me eleven stars, son and

moon, which slightly represented father and mother. So he told it to his

father and his brothers, and his father we build him and said to him,

what is this dream that you have dreamed of? Your mother? And

I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you.

And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

So let me talk about a dream for a little war. So what was

the dream that Joseph dreamt? Okay, there should be a picture, right,

So this picture will give you a simple illustration of what the dream was

about. Right, So, basically, a chef, I don't know how

you pronounced it actually chief or a chef. Okay, I have no idea

how you pronounced that word. But a chef it's basically a bundle of grain,

which which the hours when they collect the grain, they were bundling in

a grain like this standing upright to be dried under the sun. Okay.

So this is what a chief actually is. Right. And so in his

dream Joseph saw his chief in the middle, and all eleven other chiefs around

him that bowed down to his Okay, So, lee, Joseph had eleven

brothers, right, Joseph had eleven brothers. Isn't it obvious that the dream

actually meant that all the brothers were bow down to him? Right? Quite

obvious. And the second time the dream also had eleven stars. He had

eleven brothers, right, one, and then additionally a son in the moon

about own to him. By the way, in this story, actually Rachel,

which is the father of Joseph, was no longer alive anymore. So

it's quite it's quite strange that Japh, that Jacob said, is it that

my is it that your your father and mother were bowed down to you?

Because actually Rachel was no longer there. Okay, But maybe he was just

repeat, you know, just saying in his mind. You know, is

it true that your father and your mother were brought down to you? Right?

He was just a father. Okay, But so as you can see,

right, the dream even though we know, if you read the whole

story, you'll know that the dream came to pass, right. But the

dream that talks about the eleven chiefs and Joseph's chief actually represents dominion that Joseph

had over his brother's which you read the entire story, you know that later

on the brothers actually bowed down to him, right, and the chief actually

represented that the dome meaning that he had over them would be related to food

and grain. And if you read the entire story you will know. I'm

giving you the synopsis now, you will know that is true. The brothers

actually came to him for food later on many chapters down down down the world,

if you will come to that later. Okay, So first of all,

let's talk about Joseph's dream. Do you think it was wise for Joseph

to tell his brothers and his family the dream? No, definitely not not

wise. Right. Let me say I think about dreams, right, some

dreams that it's revealed to us. It's not meant for us to tell the

whole world, right, because sometimes he's just men for you. In fact,

I would say that in today's modern era, a lot of our dreams

can be all sorts, can be very very funny dreams, dreams that have

totally no no relation to our lives, or have you know, no no

good meaning to it. It could just be a random dream, right,

you know, And some of us here maybe dream a lot. For me,

I don't really dream a lot, And even if I dreamed something,

I don't remember what I dream you know. But how many of you know

that in those olden days God actually spoke to many of these people to dreams,

right, and to every of the dream they were usually interpreted usually,

So I asked myself this question, does God still speak to us in dreams

today? Asking myself this hard question? Or does God still speak to us

in dreams today? But the simple answer to that is, it is not

for me to say whether God can or cannot speak, whether he should or

should not speak to your dreams. But certainly God can speak to your dreams,

right, But whether or not He chooses to speak to us through dreams

today, it may not be so common. Let me tell you why,

Because in those days before the Bible was written, God would speak to his

people true dreams to foretell what is to come, right, what's about to

come, so he can prepare the people. And as I said, every

dream, usually after the dreamer have dreamed, they would usually feel afraid,

scared, nervous, or set Why because the dream usually troubles them right until

the interpretation is made. Then only usually they relief because they know what the

dream is about. Right. But today, actually today, we have the

complete word of God in our hands. Right, so we don't exactly need

dreams to foretell what is to come. Infect The Bible already tells us what

is to come in the years to come. Right. The Bible tells us

about history of things that happened in the past, even those that are happening

in the present, and what will happen in the future. So I just

have to make a man simple mention that the Bible is the final authority for

us today. But can God still speak to dreams? Yes he can,

because God can do anything he chooses to do, right, nothing's impossible with

him. But I'll say to us this, even if we have a dream,

and we think that the dream comes from the Lord. Don't keep it

to yourself. At least tell someone that you're close with, or someone who

you know it's a leader who can who can guide you to or pray with

you about the dream. Right. But don't be like Joseph who told everybody

about his dream and got him in trouble. Okay, So yeah, as

I mentioned, dreams are not meant to be told to everyone. Right,

there's the time and praise for it. We just need to be wise because

many times dreams right need time to be developed. Right. You know,

even even you and I, we may have dreams in life, right,

Someone U's dreamed to own a house on a car, or you know,

maybe you want to start a company, whatever it is, right, right,

whatever your dream is, Usually we won't tell the whole word about our

dream because it takes time for the dream to be birth right. And so

in this case, Joseph was very unwise to tell his dream to his brothers

and his father, which in which the father actually we broke him for that,

okay. And even though the dream didn't sound so good to his brothers,

how many of you know he actually came to pass. It still came

to pass. Okay, so let's continue shop. Then his brothers went to

feed the father's flock in Checkham and easy To said to Joseph, are not

your brother's feeling the flock in Checkem. Come, I will send you to

them. So he said, here I am, let me post there for

a while. So now we can see his brothers were feeding flock in the

field. Where was Joseph in the house. You see that. So Joseph,

his favorite son, is in the house, and probably likely likely he

was ten brothers in the field. We don't know for sure. Maybe he's

eleven, maybe he's ten, But likely ben Jammin, which is also his

favorite favorite son, was in the house, his youngest son. If you

read the story, you know that Jacob was very protective of Benjamin, the

youngest. Okay, so we don't know. Maybe just maybe it's a speculation.

Then maybe ten brothers were in the field, Okay, it's a speculation.

And so Joseph was in the house. He was not working, but

he was in the house. And what the father says, he said to

him, please go and see if it is well with your brothers, and

well with the flocks. And bring back word to me. So now this

Joseph is being hated, right, But now he says he's being sent as

a supervisor to go and check on his brothers, whether they're doing well or

not. Can you imagine, So you know what's coming. So he sent

him out to the value of Hebron and he went to check him. Now,

certain men found him there, and there he was one doering in the

field. And the men asked him, saying, what are you seeking?

So he said, I'm seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are

feeding their flocks. And the men say they have departed from here. For

I heard them say, let us go to Datan. So Joseph went after

his brothers and found them in Datan. Now when they saw him afar off,

even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill

him. There you go, here we can see the intention of the brothers

who wanted to kill Joseph Franceemitary. This thing sin right, always begins with

our heart, okay, It begins with our heart, and it will eventually

develop and he will come out in our actions. Okay. And because the

brothers you read the story, at least three or four times, the brothers

already hated and envied him. Where did the hatchers start from? In the

heart, in the mind. They already hated him so much before even this

incident, right, so much so that now they begin to verbalize there their

hatred for him, and now at intention to kill Joseph. Let me see

right there, they are blood brothers, no, but brothers by flesh.

You know, if even if you hate your brother or your sister, right,

your siblings, right, you wouldn't have intention to kill them, right,

think about it. Normally you have intention to bully them, disturb them,

you pull their hair, right, I'm just I'm sure someone worse.

You know, if you have a brother, sisters, you've done it before.

I've done it before when I was young, in your fight with your

siblings. That's normal, right. But but seldom or almost never will you

have an intention to kill it, they always sayling right, almost never never

know, But here the brothers had intention to kill Joseph. So much was

the hatred that they wanted to kill him. And so I want to say,

right, when sin begins in the heart, right, we must deal

with it when the sin is in our heart be cause it will then eventually

come out into our character and into our actions. That is why, as

believe us, God always changes us from the inside out. It always begins

with the heart. Because they already had the you know, the hatred in

the heart. They probably had resentment against him, jealousy against him, and

that's how it manifested into the action to kill him. In fact, they

wanted to kill him so much they even prepared a cover up story for it.

Let's look at it. So they said to one another, look,

this dreamer is coming. Come. Therefore, let us now kill him and

cast him into some pit, and we shall say some wild beasts has devoured

him. We shall see what will become of his dreams. So the mother

to go against the dreams right, which actually came from the Lord. But

Ruben, okay, Ruben is the eldest son Gay, the eldest son.

Ruben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands and said,

let us not kill him. Ruben said to them, shed no blood,

but cast him into the pit which is in the willderness, and do not

lay a hand on him, that he might deliver him out of the hands

and bring him back to the father. So Reuben, being the eldest son.

Somehow in this story, he seemed to be the only good guy.

Okay, So if you if you didn't understand what I just read, Duban

wanted to save Joself, okay, but Reuben didn't want to lose the favor

from his brothers. So what did the brother suggest? Killed Joself and show

him in the pit. Joseph Reuburn, the eldest brother, suggested the reverse,

show him in the pit first, don't kill him by himself, right,

because Reuben had intention to save Joself after that, and bringing back to

the father. Actually, if you think about it, Reuburn was doing the

writing, but he only went halfway. Only went halfway because Reuben actually he

told his brothers not to kill him, right. Ruben wanted to save his

brother, but if he were to suggest not to not to kill the brother,

he would have lost a favor from his brother's right, and the brothers

would have hated him, and he would expose himself. So Rubenn actually did

the right thing, but he did he could not stand for what is right

all the way. He could not right, and so do something we can

learn. We must learn how to stand for what is right and not compromise

just because we wanted to fit in. Ruben was in that place, right,

he knew I was right. He wanted to stup for what is right,

but he wanted to fit in with his brothers, so he just suggests

the opposite. Show him in the pit first. Later I'll come and save

him. Okay. But even know the story, he didn't get a chance

to save him. Okay. Somehow Ruben went missing. I don't know how,

but the scripture says, so he came to pass when Joseph had come

to his brothers. They stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tuning of many

colors there was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a

pit, and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and

look, and there was a company of Ishlamies coming from Gilead with their camels

bearing spices, bomb and mer on their way to carry them to Egypt.

There you go, you can see right, how how heartless are his brothers.

You know, first they stripped him off the tuning of many colors.

They threw him in the pit. And what did they do? They sat

down to eat. They sat down to have a meal, and the Bible

actually red caused that Joseph actually pleaded with the brothers to let them to let

him go. If you wait, I think it's in chapter for the two

later on, way later on. Actually if it caused that Joseph pleaded with

the brothers to ray and go. But the brothers were heartless and they still

content to eat what the brother was in the pit. Can you believe that?

And so the Ishlamites were passing, and to cut a long story shot,

they just said, let's sell this brother of ours to the to the

Islamites. Okay, course of course of time, I'm gonna cut the long

story shot. So they said, right, if we kill him, if

we have no profit, why not we sell him and alist earn a profit.

That's what the story says, long story shot. So they sold him

for twenty checkers of silver. There you go. You see a similarity.

Jesus was also betrayed checkers of silver. How many anybody can guess? Thirty?

There you thirty checkers of silver. Jesus was also betrayed with silver checkers

of silver. So Joseph sold for twenty checkers of silver. To the Islamites.

Cut a long story shot. I think they took Joseph to Egypt,

and then maybe there was an auction or whatever it is for for this Joseph

and this captain or guard or you know of the of the Fao, which

is Fortifa, brought over Joseph into his into his house. Okay, okay,

yeah, And of course, long story shot, the brothers cover up

the story, brought the tuning back to the father and said that that Joseph

is dead. And they put up, you know, a bullet on on

on the tuning and said that the brothers were dead and Joseph. Of course,

Joseph was not dead. He was sold to Egypt. But Jacob the

father was very very set, and he mourned for many days. The Bible

actually says, okay, and that that's one chapter of Genesis chapter thirty seven,

all right, and so we know that now Joseph is in Potifast house

in Egypt. Okay, And I'm going to skip Jenesis chapter thirty eight and

go straight to Genesis chapter thirty nine. You can go back and read the

story in Genesis chapter to the eighth. I'll just say one quick sum way

for it. In Genesis chapter to the eighth Judah, which is one of

Jacob's son. Quite confusing on Judah is actually Joseph's brother. Okay, Judah

actually did something very weak. He actually married a Canaanite woman, which he

was not supposed to. God was actually about to bring the Canonites out of

Canaan, right, and Judah actually did the wicker thing. He married a

Cannonite woman and bore him three sons. Okay, I think the son is

earth Onan and shela three sons, right. And he got a woman named

Tamar to marry his first son ar okay. But his first son, Earl

was very wickered, so God actually killed him right or struck him, struck

him dead right. The second son, and it's a tradition that if the

first brother marries and has not has not given birth with child, the brothers

after they were actually married back the same wife of the eldest brother, So

it happened. The second son also married the same wife, but but did

not bear a child, right because he was so wicked, and God also

struck him. So he go to read the whole story. He was a

very sad story about in Old Judah was very weaker and his family. But

how many of you know that Judah was the lineage in which Jesus was both

Did you know that? Because in the story in this chapter, in this

chapter to the eight Tama, which is the wife of the first son dressed

up as a postitute. Long story shot, he slept with Jacob without Jacob

knowing it. Okay, slept with Jacob without Jacob knowing it. Start with

yes, sorry, set with Judah, sat with Judah. Okay, set

with Judah without Judah knowing it, And eventually he would give both the two

more sons. The sons were Paris and ZeVA. Okay, if you're gonna

read the whole story, and Paris, if you read it right, the

is where the Masonic line is where Jesus was both to Judah, the line

Judah, Paris and so and so forth. Right. So it suffice to

say, no matter how messed up our life can be, God can still

use a messed up situation and bring the Messiah to save humanity. Think about

it. Very messed up doesn't look very good in this story. It was

very ugly, But think about it. The Messonic line or in which the

descendants of Jesus, came to Judah in this story. He can go back

and read it. Okay, So let's go to chapter thirty nine and our

close with chapter thirty nine. So of all people, Potifa brought over Joseph.

Okay, And I want to tell you, no, tell you now

that God was definitely still in control because every part of the story God was

involved in it. Despite the mess, Joseph was highly favored and he was

blessed in all everything that he did. Let's read Genesis chapter the nine was

one. Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, and Potipha and officer

of Pharaoh, captain of the God and Egyptian, bought him from the Ishamites

who had taken him down there. The lawd was with Joseph, and he

was the success full man Wow, and he was in the house of his

master, the Egyptian, and his master saw that the Lord was with him,

and that the Lord made all he did to posper in his hand.

So Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. Then he made him

overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

So it was on the time that he was made that he made him

overseer of his house and all that he had. That the Lord blessed the

Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake, And the blessing of the Lord was on all

that he had in the house, in the field, and in the field.

Thus, he which is Botifar, left all that he had in Joseph's

hand, and he did not know what he had except for the braid,

which he ate. Now, Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. Now

Here we can see Joseph cut along story short and to paraphrase his story for

us to understand better, Joseph was a slave. He was sold as a

slave to Potifa's house, and he was so excellent in his work that Potifa

promoted him second in line to Potifa, so that he managed everything in Potifa's

house except what Portifa will eat. Well, that's a very good life for

Potifa to have a personal assistant who manages everything. He takes care of the

bills, he takes care of his children, takes care of his house,

takes care of his flock, everything except what Portifa needs to eat. That's

the only thing he thinks about, what needs to eat. Everything else Joseph

was in control. And how many of you know. I believe that actually

Joseph in his story was very faithful and diligent in his work. You see

in his famous upbringing, he was given a supervisory role. So he's probably

not a very hard working person, right, because he's highly favorite from the

Father. I just go around, walk around and see what my brothers are

doing and give a report back to the father. But here he was sold

as a slave, right, and he has to work hard. And I

believe that Joseph remained faithful and diligent, and that's why God blessed him.

And I want to say it was this God's blessing would be brought to our

workplace and our schools when we carry God's presence and practice godliness. Joseph definitely

had excellence. And you know, I always reminded by the story of Daniel.

I'm sure someone was a very familiar with the story at Daniel, whereby

he was ten times better than the artists I played at you and I will

also have that same excellence in our workplace, in our schools, in our

marketplace, in our family. Wherever God has caught you. Amen. You

see the thing about this Potifa wasn't I don't think so. Potifa was a

believer because he was in Egypt. But how many even know even Potipha looked

at Joseph and could see that God was with Joseph. God was with Joseph.

I mean, we read this story right, we did a couple of

words as we see that Joseph went from zero to a hero. He was

a slave and now he's a he's like the master of the house la second

to Potiphar. And we may think right, like, well, promotion happens

so fast, right, Oh, when God bless us her, the promotion

comes like that. But did you know how many years Joseph spent in Potifa's

house? Anybody want to guess? Eleven years? Eleven years? Uh?

Joseph spent in Potipa's house. How do we know that he was sold the

slavery at seventeen years old, he became the prime minister or second to father

at thirty years old. He was in prison for two years old. If

you do the math, you will know that he was in potifa house for

eleven years before he was promoted to where he was. So that tells us

that there was a period of time that probably God was shaping Joseph. He

was being built in a character and he had to learn how to work right

before he was trusted with more in Potifa's house. And I want to say

it is the longer the process of preparation and building. The deeper is the

rules of character that is built in us in life. There are no shortcuts.

There are no shortcuts. Weighed upon a lot, and he will lift

you up. When God can trust us with smaller things, he would then

eventually be able to trust us with bigger things. Amen, And we see

that happened here in Joseph's life. I don't think so he was promoted immediately

because eleven years was a long time. So he definitely took some time before

he became a supervisor. Okay, cut a long story short. Joseph was

handsome and good in appearance. Do you know there are not many people in

the Bible that were given the the description as handsome, not many. David

it was one of them. Absolom was another of them. Moses was said

to be beautiful at birth as a child, and Joseph is one of them.

They was given the description as handsome. Okay, so they're not many,

So he definitely must have been very handsome. Okay, And so to

fast forward the story, Porty fast wife, right, you know, probably

fair in love with Joseph and wanted to lie with Joseph, wanted to commit

a doubt you with Joseph. And look how a long story short, Joseph

resisted many, many, many times. The Bible says, day after day,

so every other day, temptation we're knocking, was knocking at Joseph's door,

And so my show. One time it was believed that Pty fast Wife

would have orchestrated that the house was empty. No one else was in the

house except Joseph, right, and Poty fast wife which is not named,

it's his name's wife grabbed Joseph and wanted to lie with Joseph, but Joseph

fled, and because he fled, he left his clothes with Potifa's wife.

Right. And Potifa's wife then after that falsely accused Joseph of trying to rape

her, right. And even though the story Joseph was then put in prison.

Fastword entire story. Okay, you guys following me so far. So

here we see the test of temptation that Joseph had to face. I called

it the test of temptation. Joseph was stripped off his robe of many colors

before he was shown it to the pit, But yet he was not stripped

of his identity and his character. Joseph stood the test of temptation against Potifa's

wife. Do you know what Joseph said to Potifa's wife? He said,

I can't do this. You know, I can't do this. You know.

Let's let's read it. Let's read what. What was his response?

Okay, what's nine? He says, there is no greater in his house

than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because

you are his wife? How then can I do this great wickedness and sin

against God? There was Joseph's response to poty fast wife. How amazing that

is? And so he stood the test of temptation even though he was very

convenient for him to do it. Let me tell it is in the first

time that Joseph shared the dream with his brothers. I believe that he had

a lot frighten him. Think about it, because if you had such a

dream, right, you would never have shared it with your family. Sure

or not, there was a lot of pride in Joseph in the first time,

and he shared the dream. Here Joseph was tested with fright again,

because he had control over the entire house. Right he could have done anything

and poti Fa would not have known think about it. But yet this time

he was humbled and twite did not take over. He stood the test of

temptation and was able to overcome temptation. So a lot that we can learn

from Joseph. So did you know Jesus also stood temptation. Jesus was tempted

right after he fasted forty days and forty nights and the visiness. He was

tempted. And Jesus also stood the test of temptation, and he was sinless

and with doubt sin right. So here we see similarity. Joseph also was

test was tempted, but he passed the temptation first. Covingtons ten Worse thirteen

says, we are reminded to flee from temptation. Sorry, is no temptation

has overcome you accept such as is common to God. But God is faithful

who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but

with temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to

bury it. So if you read the story, you'll realize that Joseph fled

from party fast wife. So I want to say it to us you today,

when you're at tempted with sin, don't linger in his presence. Listen

to this very carefully. Don't linger in his presence. But you and I

must flee, must flee from temptation and sin. Amen. In first Cointance

ten thirteen, which you just read, it basically means right, no temptation

in your life are any different from what others experience tell you. This is

one of the one of the lie the enemy will tell you or this temptations,

This temptation to you is unique. It only happened to you. So

if you fall, right, it's okay, And I don't feel so bad

because it's it's only you. Have you ever felt that before? Not like,

oh I think, I think only I'm going through this so God will

understand if I if I fail. But the scripture actually tells us that are

temptations in your life are no different from others. That means a lot of

us actually go to very similar temptation. And that's why there is a lot

of power in sharing testimony, because when we can overcome our struggles in life

and even more temptations and sin in life, you can encourage another person who

may be going to something similar like you. James four six to eight says,

he gives more grace. Therefore, he says, God resist the proud,

but it gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God,

resist the devil, and he will flee from you, drawing it to God,

and he will drawing it to you. Cleanse your heart, your hands,

you've seen us, and purify your hearts. You double minded. So

here we see James is reminding us that we must resist the devil. And

when we resist the devil, not only we will flee from temptation. Actually

the devil will flee from you. And man, we have the power you

know of Christ to listen us. The same power that rolls Christ on the

day lives in us. Amen. And you and I can resist temptation and

sin, and we can flee from temptation. Amen. And here we see

Joseph stood the test of temptation. You know, after this, after the

report was given to Potifa, Potifa put Joseph in prison. Need to know

that if you were caught for a doubt to be in those days. Actually

the sentence for it is death is death. So that's why I can say

in this entire story, right, God was always in control. That's why

the team heaven who's God, was always in control. You should know that

Potifa put Joseph in prison instead of putting him to death eventually. Joseph would

probably have been have to be put to death eventually because of that report or

that sin. We should not do it, of course, right, but

it seemed to me that he was a divine intervention when God made potifar delay

the death sentence on Joseph Papu in prison instead. Because if you're continuing the

story, you know that Joseph was so good he also became in charge of

the prisoners in the prison. That was how good he was. Friends,

when God is with you, you will excel anywhere, even though you feel

you may be in a prison. When God is with you, you will

excel anywhere. You know, you know what's the difference between Joseph and his

brothers at this point of time. He should know all that God was with

Joseph, and God blessed everything that Joseph did. He was so successful.

Wherever he was, he was placed as in the higher role, as a

suposor role he was, he was lifted up. So even as a slave,

even as a slaver, we can still be free and be blessed if

God is with us. In comparison to the brothers, do you know what

the ten brothers face. The ten brothers were free, free in that censor,

but yet they were slaved to guilt and shame because the brothers had hidden

the murder of their brother Joseph. Think about it. We can be a

slave, but yet free and blessed by God if God is with us.

But for the brothers who were free, they were yet slave to guilt,

to lie, and to shame for their brothers. Murther, so, if

it depends, doesn't matter of how you know, how bad you feel you

may be in in your company. You know, maybe we feel like we're

in prison. But as long as God is with us, he can bless

us. And promotion comes from the Lord a man. The Lord was still

with Joseph even in the prison. If we the scriptures here see that,

and he was promoted once again. And in this entire passage right, we

don't find Joseph complaining much stranger. We don't find anywayccord of Joseph complaining because

surely he believed and knew that God was with him. A man going to

write the worship team. As I prepared to close, I'll let you know

this, tying back to our team of heaven rules. You know, in

this story, I find that God has such a great plan right even in

the midst of chaos. I started by telling you about a life of Joseph

then was not so good with his brothers. The family was not the best

situation. But how many of you know all that even in the midst of

chaos, God's great plan was still come to pass and was still take place

even though we can have chaos. Let me a summary of that, Okay,

let me let me just give you a full summary of this Joseph story.

Joseph was hated by his brothers. He was sold to Egypt and served

Potifa as a slave. He stood the test of temptation. He was then

in prison for something that he did not do. He then interprets the dream

of a baker and a butler in the prison, which I will come to

that A publisharities in the weeks to come as I could do another second part

of this Joseph story. So in the prison he interpreted the dream of the

butler and the baker, which the baker or baker about the comber. One

of it eventually forgot about him. Okay. Later on he interpreted the dream

of Pharaoh. After that he was made as a governor. When he was

a governor, he had God's wisdom to save up enough food for the famine,

and because of that, he saved the earth from famine, and Jacob's

family survives. You see, if Joseph was not in Egypt, actually,

Jacob's family would have died if you read the full story. I know,

like for today, I only have enough to cover two chapters. I'll cover

many more chapters in the weeks to come, but this is a summary.

Because of Joseph's position and where God has placed him, Jacob's family eventually survives.

And think about it, Jesus was birth through the lineage of Judah Jacob's

family, and eventually Jesus brought salvage into mankind. So even in the midst

of chaos, God's friend was still take place, and he is still in

control. He's solving over our lives. But here's how I'm going to close.

There are two main characters in this story which I want to draw our

attention to. First is Joseph, the second is Potifa. For Joseph,

his life was really like a roller coaster. He started as the favorite son,

so he was on a mountaintop, and then the brothers tripped him.

He was showing it to repeat back down, and then he was a slave

in Potifa's house. He was lifted in Potifa's house, and then he was

accused wrongly shown in prison back down, and in prison he became a supervisor

over the other prisoners. So you can see Joseph's life was very a rollercoaster.

But as long as God was still with him, he would a prospered

wherever he was because God was with him. So sometimes someone vers shim.

Maybe you may feel like you are like a Joseph. You know, your

life's like a roller coaster, up and down, up and down, arp

and down. I want to encourage you, as long as you are close

to the Lord, the Lord is bee with you, you will fosper even

though you may be put in prison figuratively, God was still cost you the

prosper as long as he is with you, and he will never leave you

know, forsake you, amen, But another as another person I want us

to draw our attention to even as we close, which is Potifa. So

I started earlier by saying that Joseph is a remarkable picture of Jesus Christ.

Right. So Joseph was in Portia's house, and whatever that Potifa allowed Joseph

to have control or have dominated in his house, the Bible says that he

succeeded in that God blessed Potifa's house for the sick of Joseph. Whatever that

Joseph touched, whatever that Joseph managed in Potifa's house, was blessed and was

successful. So you put yourself and put you and me in shoe today?

Are they avis in our lives that we would hand over control to Joseph or

in another case, to Jesus in this story, Because the Bible tells us

that whatever Potifa gave to Joseph's control was blessed Portia, they still had a

choice to choose what to give control to Joseph in his house. You and

I today, likewise, if you put ourselves in potifast shoes, we also

have power, and we had the power of choice to choose what we allow

God to have control in our lives. Think about that. So I really

like the story that Derek said earlier. You know, sometimes we always want

to come to a place whereby we are in control. But as Potifa,

as I told you that Potifa leaves such a good life, he had nothing

to worry in his house except for what he ate, absolutely nothing to worry

about. And if you and I can be in potifast shoe to do the

same in our lives, to surrender everything that we have in our lives to

him. But don't know about a fuller because the Bible says that don't know

what you need to eat? Right, So be like Quotifa to surrender everything

in your house to the lords hand. But take it even for the surrender

of food as well, because Quotifa actually only worried about the food. You

know, if we allow every area of our life to be under His control,

then you and I will know that it will definitely be blessed because God

is in it. Amen. The question is whether can you and I surrender

that area and to Him or not? Because sometimes we may have certain areas

in our life that we say God you can't touch. I pay it today

you will surrender the Amen. And as I close, I'm just gonna read

the words to us. Woman's Chapter eight, verse twenty eight says, and

we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose. Amen. We hope you've

been blessed by this message. For more information on our church, please visit

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believing that this week is going to be a good week, a hit for

you. God bless