Living the Dream | Joseph the Right-Hand Man

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Now let's jump into this week's teaching.

Alright, name that tune.

Who's got it?

Dreams by the cranberries.

It's a good one.

It's a good one.

Man, all my dreams, never quite as it seems, never quite as it seems.

I wanted us to do the part where she's just, I don't know, randomly scatting or yodeling or something like that.

You know, I don't even know what you call it in the middle of it.

If you don't know that, you can go back and listen to it this week.

But uh, man, I'm excited to be with you this morning, continue this series, uh, Living the Dream as we're going through the life of Joseph together.

Um, been a really fun series to be able to go through and preach through and just see the kind of lessons we can we can learn along the way.

I want to say this if you weren't here with us last week, um then I would highly encourage you to go back and listen to or watch uh the sermon from last week.

James Bond, who's doing, who's hosting this morning, preached for us last week and preached on the end of Genesis chapter 40, really just a little phrase that just says that uh the cupbearer did not remember Joseph but forgot him.

Genesis 40 · chapter mention

Um and what a sobering thought that would have been, uh, or what a sobering moment that would have been for Joseph and even uh kind of for us as well.

You know, sometimes whenever we have those feelings of of being alone or forgotten, a lot of times it gets transferred on to God, and our our God has has forgotten us or or left us.

And and James reminded us last week when we feel this way, we're presented with an opportunity, an opportunity to turn to the Lord with our feelings, with these, with these true feelings, just like we see so many examples in scripture of bringing our mourning and our sorrow and our our uh even our loneliness to the Lord and saying, Are you gonna are you gonna be with me?

You know, crying out to him.

It's not inappropriate for you to bring those real, raw feelings to the Lord.

But then we're also presented with an opportunity, an opportunity to trust in the God who is faithful to keep his promises.

Amen?

He's faithful to keep his promises.

And and so um man, may I found myself praying uh often this week that we would be this kind of church, the kind of church, the kind of people who would remember well, but who would also remind each other often of our God who keeps his promises, who is faithful to be with us.

Um may we be that kind of church together.

Um I was reminded of this quote recently, a quote by a guy named A.

W.

Tozer, a guy way smarter than me.

He said it this way, and it this kind of makes me uneasy.

He said it's doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.

I don't know if it makes you uneasy too, if this quote makes you uneasy too, because I'm I'm I'm just thinking about you know that that last little that last little phrase right there, until he has hurt him deeply.

It's it's interesting to think in that way.

And yet, I don't know, in a room this size, in the the years that are represented here of life that have been lived, man, I'm sure you know exactly what he's talking about.

I'm sure you've gone through moments in your life where it's like, God, where are you?

God, have you abandoned me?

Are you are you here with me?

Are you are you uh why are you allowing this to happen?

We've all lived life and and know exactly what he's really talking about.

We've all been put through different things, stuck in the in-between and waiting period, asking God, how could you do this?

How could you allow this to happen?

Why are you putting me through this?

And if there's anybody who understands that, it's Joseph.

If there's anybody who understands this whole quote, understands like God hurting him deeply, it would be, it would be Joseph.

I would imagine there'd be all kinds of feelings that Joseph has felt throughout this story so far that he's kind of been confronted with.

The cards just like almost every week of this series we've been we've been going through, and up to this point, it's been the cards just keep getting stacked against Joseph, you know, bad, bad break after bad break after bad break for this guy who seems to be doing the right thing, you know?

And one of the most shocking parts of our text today in Genesis chapter 41 is we're given a definitive timestamp in chapter 41.

Genesis 41 · chapter mention

We've talked about these timestamps throughout the first couple chapters of this narrative.

There's a definitive one in chapter 41.

It's actually the first time we're told Joseph's age again since chapter 37.

You remember in chapter 37, he's a little punk, 17-year-old kid who maybe has some pride issues, you know, who's walking around with his coat of many colors.

Things go immediately terrible after that.

You know, his brothers hate him and, you know, leave him for dead and then sell him into slavery, all that kind of stuff.

He's all all these different things.

And we're told in Genesis chapter 41 that he is now 30 years old.

Genesis 41 · chapter mention

13 years have gone by.

13 years have gone by.

So Joseph has gone through it, and Joseph has gone through it for a long time.

That's what we're seeing.

And I it's so simple to say, but it's also so vital for us to understand this morning.

What I want you to see in our text is that Joseph, even after 13 years, he's still ready when the Lord gives him a moment.

When the Lord presents an opportunity.

Joseph isn't filled with bitterness and resentment.

He's not thrown in the towel.

He's ready to seize the moment here.

He's not missing it.

And the it's the providence of God that was we talked about, and really, I think the humor of God a little bit that are that are showing up that are that are presenting this opportunity of Joseph to Joseph through a familiar medium, through a dream.

Actually, actually, through a pair of dreams.

This is the third time in the narrative that we've seen a pair of dreams show up, and it's not insignificant to pay attention to that.

This is the third time, and this is the this is how the whole chapter starts, and it's how the stage is kind of set for Joseph's opportunity.

It's almost as if you can hear that song by the cranberries playing in the background.

Oh, my dreams are never quite as it seems, as Pharaoh is having these dreams back to back.

This is what he has a dream, right?

That's how we start it in in chapter 41.

He has a dream, and there's seven plump and attractive cows is what the text says.

Like these really, these really big cows come up out of the Nile, and then they're followed by seven really like thin and ugly cows, is what he is what the text says, that come right up after out of the same Nile River.

And then and then the dream takes a weird tri twist, as dreams typically do, you know?

And the the seven skin, skinny and ugly cows swallow up the fat and attractive cows.

And then he has, and he's troubled by this, of course.

I don't know who wouldn't wake up and be like, what in the world was that?

You know?

That's what Pharaoh does.

He wakes up, he's like, I don't know what this is, and he has, he goes back to sleep, and he's like, surely it won't get weird again.

But it does.

It gets weird again.

This time it's it's one stalk, and it's seven plump and good ears of grain grow up on this one stalk, followed by seven thin and and withered ears of grain.

And you guessed it.

The seven thin and withered ears swallow up the seven plump ones.

And Pharaoh wakes up again and he's he's deeply troubled at this point, and so he does what he what he's always done.

You know, as long as he's been the ruler, he calls together all of his advisors, all of his wise men, the magicians, is what it says in our text.

The wise men and the magicians of Egypt.

Magic was a kind of a big deal in the the Egyptian religion.

And so he pulls together all these guys.

They would have been well versed in the sacred writings.

They would have been the ones who would have discerned the dreams of Pharaoh before this.

And they admit that they cannot do it.

Which is interesting here.

I don't know if you remember there's another instance in scripture of dreams.

Daniel, with when the story of Daniel, it's King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon has dreams.

And his dream interpreters are like, Yeah, we can do it.

You know, like they feel really confident that they can do it.

And Nebuchadnezzar sees straight through them and says, Well, if you can interpret my dream, go ahead and tell me my dream to me.

You tell me my dream to me, and then you can interpret it.

And they're like, Yeah, yeah, you just tell us what the dream is, and then we can tell you what it is.

And he goes, they go back, they have this back and forth moment in Daniel, I think, chapter two, that it is, and this back and forth moment, and then he's finally just exhausted with them.

And they say, There's no man who can do what you say, who can do what you're asking to do.

And then it's Daniel who shows up, and by the providence of God and the wisdom of God is able to do it.

I I think it's funny.

You remember who's writing this down?

Remember the the the one who's actually writing these words down in Genesis?

It's Moses himself.

And I think Moses loves to add in this little moment that Joseph is gonna defeat the magicians because he knows what's coming in in the story of Exodus, that he's gonna do the same thing, you know, and bring his people out of Egypt.

Anyways, it's it's pretty cool.

But it's not until Pharaoh exhausts all the wisdom of Egypt that then he is reminded of that incarcerated Hebrew.

You know, it's it's it's interesting.

This cupbearer has been sitting on this information for two years, you know.

He's been sitting on this information for two years, and then there's, and then he has this, this, this thought.

Oh, you know what?

You can't interpret this dream.

There's this Hebrew who was in prison with me, and he like predicted what was gonna happen in my dreams, and it happened exactly that right way.

I don't know what happened following.

We're not given the information in the text of what happens.

I don't know if he gets a stern talk-a-too from Pharaoh, or if he gets a backhand or a slap upside the head.

I don't know what it is.

I think there's maybe a little bit of Harry and Lloyd happening here, and he goes, he goes, You've had a dream interpreter this whole time, you know?

And he goes, Well, yeah, you're the one who threw me into prison.

You know, I don't know if that's that's what is that's what it is here, but this like scene kind of sets the stage for this opportunity that's presented to Joseph, and I need to make sure we're all aware of something, and it's simple, but it's also vital.

You are not Joseph, and neither am I.

We are not Joseph, and man, I you probably won't find yourself in identical circumstances to Joseph.

Actually, I I hope that you don't.

I'm not wishing that on anybody.

You know, I hope, I hope that not anytime soon you won't you won't find yourself betrayed and falsely accused and imprisoned.

I hope you don't find yourself literally in a pit sometime soon.

That's where Joseph finds himself.

But when I when we're what we're seeing in the life of Joseph, and what I want you to know about your life as well, is that God is always working upstream.

He's always he's always a step or two ahead.

Like he's always he's always working ahead for you.

He's he's never he's never behind.

He's always providing and making a way.

He hasn't left you or forgotten you.

And though you may not see it right now, God is going to present you with an opportunity.

I I know, I don't know if it's gonna be great or small whenever when it comes to the world's standards, but I know God has something for you, just like he has something for Joseph.

And the question I want to ask this morning is how was Joseph ready to seize this moment?

Like, like what made Joseph prepared for this time right here?

13 years in the making.

Like, what got him to right here?

What can we learn from Joseph when it comes to taking advantage of the opportunities that God presents for us?

I think there's the first thing we learned is just simply this hey, get yourself ready.

Get yourself ready.

There's a little verse right here.

Read with me in verses 14 and 15 in chapter 41.

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit.

And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said to him, said to Joseph, I have had a dream, and there's no one who can interpret it.

I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.

You notice where it says Joseph is at the beginning of this little section right here?

It says that he's in the pit.

Literally, this this word, this term, when it's used, especially in the Old Testament, it's synonymous for the grave itself.

Like this is this is what the Old Testament writers use.

This is where Joseph found himself.

Remember, 13 years in the making, he's still in the pit.

Like 13, after 13 years, this is where he is.

And remember, we've talked about it, the providence of God in Joseph's story, that God is actively involved in the direction of Joseph's life, and now in the Lord's providence, there is no power that can keep Joseph chained in that prison any longer.

Like, because of the power of God, they quickly bring him forth.

Look at what happens next.

When he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.

Now, this is pretty typical of Egypt and the kingdom of Egypt.

All the servants of Egypt would have been clean shaven, bald and no facial hair.

This is what they did for all of their servants.

So there's part of this that this could just be, hey, like Joseph is gonna be made to do this.

He is like forced to shave and forced to be completely hairless on his whole head.

There could be part of that.

But also it's interesting that the text says that he he shaved himself and he changed his own clothes.

It's it's interesting because like there's something to be said about Joseph.

This might just be the custom of Egypt, but it's something to be said about Joseph.

He needed to be ready to go and face the king.

He needed to be ready, and it makes me think of, I don't know, for whatever reason, it makes me think of 1 Peter chapter 3 where Peter encourages believers to always be prepared.

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

But prepared for what?

You remember what it is?

Always be prepared to give an answer, to give a defense, to give a reason for the hope that you have.

Are you ready?

Are you ready?

Like, how how do you get yourself ready for that?

There's another aspect of this text that I think points back to what has actually been preparing Joseph.

I don't know if you caught it.

You see what Pharaoh says?

He says, Pharaoh said, I've had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.

There is no one who can interpret it.

You remember this is almost the exact same phrase that is said to Joseph a chapter before in the middle of the prison by the cupbearer of the baker.

Remember, Joseph is the one who goes to them.

Why are your faces so downcast?

Why do you look so sad right now?

They say, We've had dreams, and there's no one who can interpret them.

And here's my my whole point.

Pharaoh says basically the same phrase, and this is God's little way of saying, Hey, I've been using every circumstance along the way to shape you for this moment.

Like, I've been with you the whole way.

This is another nod of my faithfulness to you, Joseph.

I've continued to show up, and what if God is doing the same thing even in the midst of your circumstances right now?

Like, what if God is using the good opportunity you were given as really the training ground for what he wants to do with you to do with you in the future?

Like, what if God is allowing what if what if God's allowing pain that you're either walking through currently or that you have walked through previously to prepare you to minister to the person in need in the future?

What if God is allowing the different seasons of your life to give you the wisdom to be able to navigate the next one that's coming?

Like, what if God is letting you learn and grow and go through things you don't want to go through right now to prepare you for the moment that He has for you?

I don't know if it's gonna be 13 years down the road for you, but that's what it is for Joseph.

I I I shared this quote with our staff recently.

One commentator said this.

He said, Faithfulness always leads to lasting blessing eventually.

Did you hear that?

Faithfulness always leads to lasting blessing eventually.

And I think Joseph's life could be summed up by that one word at the end of that little quote, eventually.

Like faithfulness always leads to lasting blessing eventually, and maybe your life can be described that way as well.

The disheartening part about that is that God doesn't always lay out how this is all gonna happen.

God doesn't uh announce the way he's going to anoint his people and provide for his people often.

He doesn't he doesn't just like shout that from the rooftops, here's why I'm allowing this and this and this to happen, so you can know this is coming in the future.

And so oftentimes we're left to to watch and wait.

And yet the the good news, the encouragement to be had here is that as the people of God wait, God is always at work.

He is always working.

The question is not is not, is God ever gonna show up and give me an opportunity?

But rather, are you ready for the opportunity that God is gonna give you?

Are you ready for it?

Because it's coming.

The Lord is faithful, and he's not leaving you, he hasn't forsaken you, and he's gonna present you with an opportunity.

Are you ready for it?

How was Joseph ready for it?

He was prepared.

He was prepared for it.

Through everything he had walked through, he was prepared for it.

We also learn this is that when the opportunity comes, we need to give them what they need.

That's what we learn from Joseph right here.

Read with me, starting at verse 15.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, I've had a dream, there's no one who can interpret it.

And I've heard it said that of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.

And Joseph answered Pharaoh, it is not in me.

God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.

Now Pharaoh comes to Joseph and says, I've I've heard you're the guy who can interpret dreams.

Like I heard that's you.

You're the one who says what's gonna happen and it actually happens like that.

And we think, man, this is your opportunity, Joseph.

Like this is it.

Like we couldn't have put the ball on the T any better.

Like, this is it right here.

It's right in front of your face.

Take this opportunity.

Our culture would encourage him.

Hey, yeah, tell them exactly who you are.

Tell them your history and your track record.

Give them your resume right now.

Like, like show them everything about how you're qualified for this position.

Like, take the opportunity.

This is it.

Take the credit, take the opportunity, don't miss it.

And yet Joseph doesn't do that at all.

You see what he says?

It's interesting what Joseph says right here.

He says, It is not in me.

God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.

It is not in me.

I cannot do it, is what Joseph says.

Thirteen years.

And this opportunity is in his lap.

And Joseph says, Nah, this isn't me.

This isn't for me.

But God will give you the answer you're looking for.

I mean, talk about genuine humility and integrity right here.

You know, like I think if I was in Joseph's shoes, I would have been like, yeah, I'm the guy that can do that.

And honestly, like if your bozo of a cupbearer would have just remembered, I would have been doing this for the last two years.

You know, like I could have been doing this already for you.

It could have been gone really well for the both of us.

And our culture would have said, good for you, Joseph.

Yeah, you tell them like it is.

You deserve this.

But instead, Joseph has a genuine humility to realize and that and then say out loud, hey, God is the one who can do this through me.

It's not me.

It's not by my power, it's not by my ability.

I cannot do this.

And it's the interpretation of the dream itself, too.

We don't have time to read the whole thing.

But you can see often that Joseph continues to mention the Lord.

He comes, mentions God.

Look at verse 25.

God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

In verse 28, God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

In verse 32, the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that this thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.

In essence, what Joseph is saying is, I don't have what you're looking for, but I know the one who has what you're looking for.

Can I tell you about him?

And can I can I just speak to you about him for a little bit?

See, when Joseph says, it's interesting, when Joseph says, I it's not in me, but God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.

The Hebrew word that's used there, God will give Pharaoh shalom, is what he says.

God will give Pharaoh peace that only he can bring.

God will give Pharaoh what he's really looking for.

I can't do that.

And the truth is, Pharaoh didn't need Joseph.

Pharaoh needed Joseph's God.

That's what he needed.

And Joseph is humble enough to recognize this.

The question for you and me is hey, when the opportunity comes, will you give God the credit he deserves?

Like when God presents you an opportunity, when someone finds your example of following Jesus and your faithfulness as inspiring, as something to imitate, will you tell them of the faithfulness of God?

Or will you take the credit for yourself?

Like when someone is blown away by your success in a specific area, will you tell all about the one who's made away all along the way?

Or will you take the credit for yourself?

When the Lord gives you an opportunity to share the gospel with someone, will you proclaim it with both humility, recognizing that it is not by your power, and then also with confidence, knowing that his power is at work within you?

And when someone wants to elevate you or promote you or celebrate you, will you bask in the glory for yourself?

Or will you elevate and celebrate the God who made you and who is sustaining you?

See, when the opportunity comes, like give them what they need.

They need your God.

That's what they need more than anything else.

The one who is the power working in you.

This is this is what Pharaoh needed.

This is what he needed in this in this moment.

But I think we can learn one more lesson from Joseph.

The last lesson I think we learned from Joseph in this text is hey, give up control.

You see, like Joseph correctly interprets the dreams of Pharaoh by the power and wisdom of God.

There's seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and the famine will be so severe that the people won't even remember the plenty.

Like the plenty will be plentiful, will be way.

More than enough.

Their barns will be overflowing with grain.

Like their livestock will be so numerous that they can't even count all of them.

And yet the famine will be so severe that no one will remember the good.

No one will remember those years of plenty.

And then Joseph offers some free counsel.

I don't know if you see this in the in the text.

This is what he says in verse 33.

This is what he says.

Now, therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.

Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years, and let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.

Now here's what Joseph does.

This is interesting.

After showing off his own wisdom and his own discernment by correctly interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, then he says, Hey, you should go find someone who's discerning and wise.

This is what you should do.

You know what we call this?

This is called being shrewd.

That's what Joseph is being right here.

He's being wise.

He's like, like Joseph may be humble, but he's not stupid, okay?

Like he's he's not an idiot here.

He's saying, hey, you should do this.

You should hire somebody who's wise and discerning who can do this for you.

And you might remember, like he says, hey, go get someone super wise to run the show for you so your nation can survive the famine.

The problem, of course, is that Pharaoh has already exhausted his options of who he would hire.

Do you remember that?

At the very beginning, he called together all the wise men, all of his counsel, all of the magicians, and all of them failed him.

And so then he he might look back as he looks back at his servants right after that.

He says, Hey, who can we find?

Like, who's who's a man that we could find that's filled with the Spirit of God in such a way that could do this for us?

And then it says he looks back to Joseph.

I wonder if Joseph has like a wry smile on his face.

I wonder if he's just shrugging, like, yeah, you know what you gotta do, you know, like this is it, right?

Yeah, you got nobody else, you know.

Nobody else is walking with the spirit of God like I am.

I don't know.

Like maybe his pride's coming back a little bit right here.

I know mine probably would as well, right there, you know?

But it's interesting, the text never actually says that that Joseph is pushy.

He's shrewd, but he's not pushy.

Like it would make all the sense.

It like it's almost like Joseph presents the wisdom of God and then just leaves it all in God's hands.

Like he doesn't volunteer for the position.

He's like, hey, I know you've exhausted all your other resources.

Why don't you hire me?

You know, I would, I would, this could work out for both of us.

He doesn't volunteer, he just trusts God's timing by this point, and he leaves it all in God's hands.

Like, here's what I think is happening.

I think Joseph has exhausted every reason he has to doubt God by this point.

After 13 years, I think this is it.

I think he has exhausted every potential question mark he could put on this opportunity right here right now, and he's just simply saying, hey, maybe this is why it took 13 years, because I think Joseph has really come to this point that, hey, if if God, if God wills it, then if God is in it, then God will do it.

Like if this is really God's plan, he's the one that's gonna make it happen.

So I just do faithfully what I'm supposed to do right here, and God's gonna see me through.

Like I just keep faithfully, faithfully taking steps forward, and God's gonna show up.

So the question for you and for me, I think that we can learn from Joseph that we need to ask ourselves is hey, can you trust God in the meantime?

Like, can you trust his timing?

Or is it like, um, is it is it tempting for you like it is for me to try to walk faithfully with God and then also like have a firm grip on everything in your life?

Because that that's not present with Joseph.

He's walking and trusting.

He's walking faithfully with the Lord and then just saying, all right, God, this is in your hands, right?

If you want somebody to forget me in prison for two more years, I guess we'll I guess we'll go that route.

Because obviously your ways are better than my ways.

I don't know.

I don't understand this.

But if this is really you, then okay, then I'll faithfully step into it.

You've been preparing me for this moment right here.

And sometimes we're we're walking and we're just holding too tightly onto our own lives and not really trusting that the Lord is moving and working.

Can you trust God in the meantime?

Like, can you trust God and His promises, even when there's evidence against those promises surrounding you?

Like, can you trust God in the waiting or in the in-between, even when you think, like, hey, this is my break, this is it, and then it turns out to be a dead end?

Can you can you trust that God will still provide for you, even when it seems like he has abandoned you?

See, Joseph was prepared, and yet he didn't keep any of the credit for himself, and then he didn't try to control the situation.

And this is how he was ready to seize the moment.

This is how he was ready for the opportunity that the Lord presented for him.

And what God does as a result is he works through Pharaoh and he elevates Joseph to the right hand.

It's funny, Pharaoh says, everything in this kingdom, it's like the pride rock moment.

Everything the light touches, you know, is under your authority, your command, except for what Pharaoh says is except for the throne.

Like you're second to me only to the throne.

And I would imagine, you know, that the Lord is just snickering.

Yeah, you think that throne is yours, right?

He's everything, everything is yours.

He puts new clothes on him.

Remember?

Remember this theme of putting a new robe on, putting new clothes on, he puts a signet ring on him.

Pharaoh takes his up, takes it off of his own finger and puts it on Joseph's finger.

And it would have the seal of Pharaoh himself, so that literally every decision that Joseph makes, it's as if Pharaoh himself is making it.

Talk about all the authority in the kingdom.

This is what he's given.

And then you think like even a step further, Pharaoh then uh like tells all of his officials, tells all of his officials, hey, everywhere that this guy goes, everywhere his chariot goes, you make sure that every knee bows to him.

Everybody bows to Joseph.

And then at the end of the chapter, you can see at the end of chapter 41, this little phrase, all of the earth, every nation came to buy grain from Joseph.

They were in desperate need in the years of famine, and they all came to be saved from Joseph.

I love how Chuck Swendah kind of sums up this moment.

He said, He said, During the waiting period, trust God without panic.

And when the reward comes, thank God without pride.

Trust God without panic and thank God without pride.

Maybe that's what it means to be ready for the moment.

You know, the text doesn't just show us, ultimately, Genesis 41 doesn't just show us like opportunities to be capitalized on or good lessons to know when to step into the moment that the Lord is making for you.

Ultimately, it's ultimately Genesis 41 is a giant shadow that's being cast.

I don't know if you if you caught it here.

Like this is just giving us, you can you can almost smell it in the text.

Hints of what is to come.

Did you see it?

Did you see all these hints?

Joseph is literally in the pit, the grave.

And he's quickly and suddenly brought forth from the grave.

He's brought out of that of that pit, and he's elevated to the right hand of the most powerful man on earth.

And he's given a new robe and a higher identity.

He was given the signet ring of the king, literally walking around with the authority of Pharaoh himself.

And as he traveled about the kingdom, every knee bowed to him, and salvation was found because of what Joseph, because of what Joseph did, because of how Joseph provided.

And this is all just a hint of what's to come.

Do you see it?

There's another one.

There is another man who willingly went to the pit who put on flesh and bore our sin in his body on the cross.

And he willingly went to the grave on your behalf and on mine, and then quickly and suddenly on the third day, he burst forth in glorious victory, defeating death in the grave forevermore.

And as a result, he was risen to the right hand of the throne of God, and he was given the name that is above every other name.

He was put up this new robe, this all white robe is put on him, the identity of the Son of God.

Like this is who he is in his rightful place.

And he says, All authority, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me, and salvation is found in no one else.

For there's no one else, there's no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

And at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord.

Church, there is no one else who is worthy of our praise.

There is no one else who is worthy of your life.

And there's there's not another one who can sustain you like he can, who can prepare you for the moment that he has for you like he can, who can give you the wisdom and the discernment you need in this season so you can be ready for the next one.

He's the only one.

Are you relying on your own strength?

Are you relying on your own ability?

Are you taking the credit for all the good things happening in your life?

Or are you turning your attention to the one who deserves it all?

Who deserves every bit of credit you could give it.

He's the only one worthy of our lives.

And he's the one we're gonna sing to right now.

Let's stand and let's sing to our God.

Thanks again for listening to the Carterville Christian Church podcast.

Our prayer is that today's message has encouraged you and drawn you closer to Jesus.

To learn more or get connected with our church family, visit Carterville Christian.com.

We'd love to walk alongside you on your journey of faith.